Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Review

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

 

A Star-Studded Fable Or Historical Fan Fiction?

     Hollywood's a tough town to try and make a living. It's even tougher when your star is seemingly fading, as believes actor Rick Dalton, portrayed beautifully by Leonardo DiCaprio.With his faithful companion and stuntman Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, Rick tries to navigate through a career of Spaghetti Westerns, TV Pilots, and his own existential crisis. Meanwhile, young expectant starlet Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, goes about her apparently charmed life, unaware of a dark specter looming over her future.

      Quentin Tarantino's 9th film brings us what may appear on the surface to be an ode to Hollywood's last golden age, the 1960's. Looking past the cameras, the fame, money and high-rolling lifestyles, Hollywood is a town that, even to this day, will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought when it finds it has no more use for you. And opportunities don't come often, so when they need

     The production value is top notch, with the styles, decor, and even authentic sounding radio stations playing the music of the time. Tarantino naturally nails the time period with classic cars and streets and shops and even movie theaters that look like they pop right out of a history book. Plus, the way the movie is filmed, it lends itself a little extra authenticity in looking more like a 1969 film than something from 2019.

     Those familiar with Tarantino's signature style can spot them a mile away; long takes, mountains of dialog, and of course, gratuitous feet shots. Though this movie isn't quite like the rest of Tarantino's filmography in that the usual criminal or unseemly element that usually makes up the acclaimed auteur's movies takes something of a backseat to show people who, while not angels, are not stone-cold killers. At least most of them aren't, anyway. They are people who eat at high-end restaurants, drive Cadillacs, go home and learn lines via tape recordings.

     Leonardo DiCaprio gives us a likable but heavily flawed protagonist in Rick Dalton. He isn't strong-willed and world-hardened like Django, suave or cool like Vincent Vega or Jules Winfield. Rick is a victim of his own demons as well as the realization that he's getting older and being passed by as a leading man. An opening monologue by Al Pacino's film producer Marvin Schwarz regales us with the usual business of what happens when a TV star begins to head into the twilight of his career; taking dives for the new, up and coming new stars. It catalyzes Rick's purpose for the entire film. DiCaprio's performance gives us something of a more pathetic take on his insecure, affluent and greedy manchildren from Wolf Of Wall Street or Great Gatsby.

     The rest of the acting is top-notch all around. Everyone brings in great performances. Brad Pitt's Cliff Booth comes off like the kind of guy Tyler Durden would've wanted to look like. Cool, unflappable, though not always all there. Ironically enough, he does get into an even-sided sparring match with Bruce Lee, played by Mike Moh in something more of a comedic impression than an actual portrayal.

     For a large portion of the running time, we're taken through a single day where Rick tries to get his act straight while filming an episode of a western TV show, Booth fixes a TV antenna and visits The Manson Family hideout at an old filming ranch, and Sharon Tate has a nice day out watching The Wrecking Crew with her bare feet up on the seats and enjoying the reaction of the crowd around her. It does slow the pacing of the movie to a grinding halt, but it does provide the audience with a pitch-perfect demonstration of Rick's deterioration and his attempts to save a disastrous day on set.

     The best scene comes from the scene where Rick is filming a scene of the old TV western "Lancer" it begins as though we, the audience, are watching the episode itself unfolding. The camera moves and repositions to its previous spot when Rick messes up his line. It's a visually captivating way to bring the audience in on some of the magic of bringing stories to life on the screen, while at the same time playing up Rick's downward spiral.

     The less I say about the ending the better. Not because I think it's bad, it's actually a very well filmed and effectively brutal finale. Though I think most of the shock value comes from the majority of the movie being relatively tame, at least by the usual Tarantino fare. The speed and impact of the violence unleashed on film is gruesome, almost farcical, ending on a callback to an earlier scene that might've seemed like a one-off joke, but is set-up for those with a keen eye.

     I imagine that bringing up not only the Manson "family" but conjuring up the memories of the tragic murder of Sharon Tate and her ex-boyfriend Jay Sebring (along with Wojciech Frykowski and his girlfriend Abigail Folger) might seem insensitive, and the thing is, it does add a bit of oncoming dread to the proceedings. Margot Robbie's portrayal of Sharon Tate makes her seem almost unreal, though she does exhibit a flaw or two (she uses her celebrity to go see a movie that she stars in in the theater without paying). The air surrounding her is infused with light, her voice welcoming and sweet.

     Which brings me to probably one of my problems with this film. Margot Robbie is more playing Tarantino's idealized, almost manic-pixie-dream-girl version of Sharon Tate. She doesn't feel like a real character or add much to the movie except to let us know she existed and using the terrible tragedy that happened to her (amongst many others) by using our knowledge of history to play up an almost bittersweet sorrow. He essentially uses the real-life horror to drum up impending dread for a majority of the movie. Only for it to be yanked away in a few moments of cathartic, if not a bit excessive, over-the-top violence.

     Those who've seen Inglorious Basterds know Quentin Tarantino is not averse to having original characters of his mete out extremely bloody vengeance on horrible people who've done horrible things. It's almost like historical fan fiction in a way, which can be seen as disrespectful to the memory of those who've passed. But I can also see the desire in wanting to right the wrongs of the past. I have no sympathy for the characters who meet their grisly ends and I think that's the point. It's Tarantino saying "These people aren't masterminds or innocent, led-astray malcontents. They're the scum of the Earth and should've been eradicated in the most satisfying way possible."

     Overall, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a love letter to Sharon Tate, 1969 Hollywood, and something of a eulogy for a starlet whose light was extinguished far too early told through the ups and downs of a man in way over his head. 

The Lion King (2019) Review

The Lion King (2019)

Can photo-realistic CGI capture the liveliness of the original Disney classic?

     

     Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King is considered by many to be a modern day masterpiece. As part of the much-acclaimed 90's Disney renaissance, the film combined fantastic hand-drawn animation combined with what was at the time cutting edge computer animation to bring together a movie that all ages could enjoy. Twenty-five years later, as part of its new crop of live action remakes of its well-known classics, The Lion King returns to theaters. The epic tale of Simba and the search for his place in the Circle Of Life is now rendered in photo-realistic computer generated animation. 

     This is a very nice movie to look at. The setting is magnificent, with picturesque horizons in the day and calm, star-woven skies at night. The jungles are awash in green, teeming with life both great and small. The mountains are jagged and steep with rugged cliffs on all sides where one wrong step meant certain death. Pride Rock is beautiful to behold and its denizens are rendered well enough to mistake it for a nature documentary. Unfortunately the movie comes across like a nature documentary that got bonked on the head and thinks it's The Lion King. 

     Cartoons made in traditional illustration or even some computer generated animation can allow for a much more expressive and elaborate range of emotions and action. The faces never change in terms of conveying emotion except when it roars or leaps in for an attack. Which is true to life, yes but not what you want to see in a drama with heavy emotional overtones. During the battle at Pride Rock or even the recreations of "Circle of Life," "Just Can't Wait To Be King" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight," the animals movements are about as realistic as it gets, which is a credit to the tireless work of the animators. That being said, take those very same scenes and compare them to the 1994 film. There's a lack of excitement and energy behind the movements. These changes are most glaring not just during the dramatic scenes, many of which were altered, but the renditions of "Just Can't Wait To Be King" and "Hakuna Matata." The classic villain song "Be Prepared" is heavily abridged, as well.

     Now, I'm not saying that the faces needed to be exaggerated to the point of cartoonish proportions because then the opposite problem occurs and you can't take anything happening on screen seriously. But with the characters unable to provide any sort of expression aside from their natural state, it falls on the voice actors to bring the emotional weight to the dialogue and scenes as presented. 

     The performances here are something of a mixed bag. John Oliver and Seth Rogen more or less play their typical types but as Zazu and Pumba, respectively. Eichner's Timon does seem a bit less aggressive than his usual schtick, channeling Nathan Lane's laid back rendition of the mouthy meerkat. They don't light the screen on fire with their portrayals so much as lend their highly recognizable voices so you can go, "Oh, hey it's [insert name here]. Neato." They have some of the better lines in the movie, though there is a lot more meta humor than I was expecting. James Earl Jones still has the gravitas and commanding presence he's always had. 

     Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a decent performance but despite having many of the same lines as Jeremy Irons spoke in the 1994 version, the newer Scar comes across as a bit more of an entitled whiner with a bit of a misogynistic streak. A significant change from the previous incarnation is that Scar is adamant that Sarabi,Mufasa's widow and played nicely by Alfre Woodard, mate with him as his Queen so as to make the remaining lions of Pride Rock fall in line. Her steadfast refusals are a constant jab at not only his rule, but his "lionhood" for lack of a better phrase. Adding an unrequited romantic feeling for Sarabi ultimately changes nothing for Scar's motivation from the first: his desire to see Mufasa dead and wanting to rule in his place.

     Another problem I'd found is a lot of the line deliveries felt lifeless. Donald Glover's delivery (or at least the takes used) seemed kind of subdued, which worked fine for the scenes when we meet adult Simba in his carefree lifestyle, but not when the time came for him to have more emotion behind his lines.

     In conclusion, The Lion King 2019 is, like many of the live action Disney remakes, wholly unnecessary. The differences from the 1994 version are in the wrong area, in my opinion. While the photo-realistic computer animation is breathtaking at times, it didn't quite lend itself to the emotional impact of the story. If you have to scratch the nostalgia itch, it'd be more worth your time to just watch the VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray copy of the previous version or see it on a streaming service.

State Of The Blok (7-15-19) Announcements about postings going forward...

     Good morning, everyone. It's been a while since I've used this blog regularly. I haven't written anywhere consistently since my time on The Outhousers and that was a while back. Since reboots, do-overs, re-imaginings are all the rage, I figure, why not try my hand at it as well? To be honest, a return feels long overdue.

     For those who follow me on Twitter, you probably already know that life issues have gotten in the way and health scares have been on my mind for the better part of almost two years. But while I try to sort those issues out, it's important to remember that life doesn't stop just because you get sick or are feeling depressed and sometimes the only way past the mountain is to climb the son of a bitch. That being said, I'll also keep in mind not to overdo it and work myself into an early grave. That's what day jobs in retail are for, anyway.

     With all of that out of the way, I'd like to officially welcome you all back to the new semi-spiffed-up Writrzblok blogspot. It's still a work-in-progress with the design, but I'll experiment with a few things in the coming weeks. And that's what it's going to be about here for a while on here; finding new and different things for me to talk about and review. I'm going to post articles here talking about the things I enjoy and want to talk about. They may be editorials on trends happening in popular culture, observations, reviews, maybe even a short story just to shake things up.

     Now some may ask, "Does this mean you're done with making videos?" The short answer is: For now. I am happy to lend my character out for cameos and will actually be appearing in one of my friend's videos in the near future as soon as I can get my scenes filmed. The way I see it, I'm back where I was in 2011 with a blank slate and essentially rebooting from scratch. It's both exciting and terrifying to be starting over again. But hopefully I won't let you down again.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a mountain to climb.

Spider-Man: Far From Perfect (But still alright)

 After the events of "Avengers: Endgame", the world tries to get back to as much of a semblance of normalcy as one can expect in the Marvel universe. As such, the students of Midtown High School's science club are off on a trip to Europe. Peter Parker (Tom Holland), trying to find some kind of escape from the crushing pressure of being "the next Iron Man," eagerly leaps at the chance to not only take a well-deserved vacation, but to confess his feelings for MJ (Zendaya). As the old Parker Luck would have it, giant elemental monsters arrive to complicate matters. It's up to Spider-Man and the strange new hero Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) to save the world.

Spider-Man: Far From Home, like the titular character himself, has big shoes to fill. Avengers: Endgame is a tough act to follow with its grand finale feel, visual spectacle, emotional payoffs, and obscenely high blockbuster profits. The world is looking for its next great hero, the standard bearer, someone who will be the hero they need. It's a relatable sentiment given the state of the world and how depressing and morose it can be. Everywhere we look, our institutions are failing to live up to the lofty ideals set forth by their progenitors. Childhood heroes are found out to be charlatans or to be just as heartbreakingly human as the rest of us.  There's a very real fear that no one can measure up to the high standards our heroes put forth and the very idea of trying sets us all up for failure. The theme of failing to live up to lofty expectations runs throughout this movie with the subtlety of literally being hit by a train. Unfortunately, Spider-Man: Far From Home far from sticks the landing in terms of a good follow-up to Endgame and as a Spider-Man movie on its own.  

There are a lot of unnecessary plot elements that make this story a, for lack of a better term, tangled mess. For instance, there is a subplot featuring a relationship between Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and Betty Brant (Angourie Rice) which is there to give Ned some flat comedic moments and by the end is literally dropped, having had no bearing on the overall story whatsoever. You could have not even mentioned it with a few writing tweaks and it would add just as much. Also, without giving too much away, the inclusion of certain characters only makes sense when it comes to a post-credits scene that, I think, is supposed to set up the next arc of movies. But, just like Ned and Betty's whirlwind romance, it's completely superfluous in the grand scheme of things and ends up just being fanservice for the sake of fanservice. There's also a rival for MJ's affections, but it's dropped like a bad habit halfway through the movie and the character's involvement is rendered pointless after a dopey, overly complicated scene with a drone, Stark tech glasses and "wacky Parker hijinks."

I had a feeling that the storytellers here didn't really know what kind of Peter Parker they want to make a story out of. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter showcases multiple instances of intelligence, ingenuity and inventiveness despite his inexperience. He's able to create his own web fluid via chemistry sets and using high school engineer labs to investigate alien technology. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter is more or less Tony Stark's superhero heir apparent. Almost everything he has is just handed down to him. Spider-Man in the comics, even when he asks for help on something, is a do-it-yourself kind of person, despite being in way over his head. Either Peter is the average kid from Queens who happens to be Tony Stark's chosen successor, or he's a science whiz who has resources he either borrowed or was gifted from Tony.

The comedic parts that don't come from the occasional one-liner from Ned or Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury come from what's basically referred to in the comics as "The old Parker Luck." A series of events conspire in such a way to make Spider-Man/Peter's life much more complicated, contrived, or comedic than it needs to be. Though, the way they chose to showcase said bad fortune here and come off as cheap and flat. One example is a scene when Peter is trying to stop a bell tower from falling and bangs his head on said bell within at least twice in an almost Buster Keaton-style, accompanied by a comedic GONG sound. The comedy should come from Peter's wisecracks as Spider-Man, which he doesn't do even once. Most of the supposed laughs come from "LOL so awkward because teenagers, amirite?"

There's a lot of repetition and over-tread territory. Peter is given something from Tony, he does something or something happens to cause him to lose it or give it up, and by the end Peter has to save the day his own way with his own ingenuity and cleverness.  The catalyst of the story centers around a retconned connection with Tony and either an oversight on his part or a mistake he didn't know he'd made. Though I do find the continuity a bit more wisely used in this movie than a simple "What if thieves scavenged alien technology for heists" in Homecoming.

Speaking of Iron Man, his spectre looms large over not just the plot, but the entire movie. Almost every meaningful conversation from the villain rant to Peter's near countless mope-sessions almost all involve Tony at some point. I understand the loss may be fresh, and it would take time to heal from losing not only a mentor, but a father figure. But I was under the impression that this story was more about Spider-Man than it was about Tony Stark, as well as having to deal with the unintended fallout of someone else's life. It relegates Spider-Man to an afterthought in his own movie. It even opens with a tribute to the fallen Avengers from Endgame, but especially Tony. While it does seem hilariously on-brand at first, it gets tedious as the movie goes on.

Despite the objections cited above, Tom Holland is still a likable and charming lead and it's easy to want to root for him as Peter when the world comes crashing down around him. His relationship with Zendaya's plucky MJ makes for some of the sweeter moments that, to be honest, deserved a better film to take place in. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a perfect performance as Mysterio, a special effects wizard and brilliant hologram designer whose sense of entitlement and easily bruised ego lend themselves to a villain who can play a part pretty well up until things start unraveling. The cast all do a good job with the material they're presented and Samuel L Jackson at this point can play Nick Fury in his sleep.

One final note is that the fight scenes with Spider-Man and Mysterio are the highlights of the film by far. It's like a video game cutscene mixed with an acid trip but it provides some of the most interesting visuals in the film, like a gang of Spider-Man pummeling our hero, a zombified Iron Man crawling out of a grave, among others. But as interesting as the fights were and despite a game performance by Gyllenhaal and Holland, Spider-Man: Far From Home is decent enough, but far from perfect.

Scoobynatural! (re-post)

Scoobynatural

Like many other folks growing up, I watched Scooby Doo. My first experience with the crime-solving canine and his carnivorous companion Shaggy was the "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" reruns that ran in syndication. From "Where Are You?" to "Be Cool, Scooby Doo," I've been on board for whatever crazy, madcap misadventure Mystery Incorporated (my favorite incarnation of Scooby Doo, by the by) was thrown into next. Seeing the Mystery Machine driving around with the whole gang brings back childhood memories of sitting in front of the TV and spacing out while being engrossed every predictable, but enjoyable episode.

I watched Supernatural pretty much from the beginning. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was still fresh in my mind and this had a similar feel, though it also had a bit of Hardy Boys flair to it. From Ol' Yellow Eyed Azazel in seasons one and two, Lilith in season three, the angels and the apocalypse in seasons four and five, I was all in. I'll admit, around seasons six through eight I wasn't much into it. I checked back in around the tenth season and have been keeping my eyes on it since. It's still an enjoyable show, though in truth, if the show had ended in season five, I'd have been alright with that. But then, we wouldn't have the subject of this review.

"Scoobynatural," a bona-fide episode of Supernatural where brothers Sam (Jared Padelecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester have an honest-to-Chuck crossover with Mystery Incorporated, was announced in May of 2017. It was just after the action-horror series had been picked up for a thirteenth season; and I'd kick myself if I didn't laugh at the coincidence since there was a cartoon called "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo." From the moment the episode was announced, I was on board, signed up and ready to bask in the glory of what could be either a damn good filler episode or a glorious trainwreck. Regardless, there was no way in hell I was going to miss this.

Ten months later and "Scoobynatural" has arrived. And it was so worth the wait. The jokes and one-liners were hilarious, the animation was very nice, and the story, even if it was a filler, was very much a Supernatural episode while showcasing the good and the silly of a Scooby Doo episode. The interactions with both The Scooby Hang and the Winchesters (along with Castiel, played and voiced by Misha Collins) felt genuine despite the clash in styles, mentalities, and wardrobes.

The episode begins with Sam and Dean in a pawn shop, fighting what looks like a giant possessed stuffed dinosaur. No, really. This is a show where a giant Teddy Bear that got wished into existence tries to blow its own brains out in a nihilistic suicidal depression. This scene, however, was played much more light-heartedly. Well, as light-hearted as this show gets, anyway. After defeating the possessed cotton-filled carnivore, the shop owner lets them have whatever they want. And Dean spots a big-screen TV for his own personal "Dean Cave" or "Fortress of Deanitude." Yes, those words were said, and I dug every second of it.

When Sam and Dean try out the new TV, they find themselves transported into an episode of "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" However, it isn't just ANY random episode they find themselves in, but episode sixteen of season one, "A Night Of Fright Is No Delight." In this story, Scooby is named an inheritor of an eccentric millionaire and he, along with said millionaire's remaining family members, must stay the night to gain a million-dollar inheritance. However, with the Winchesters now part of the story, things get a little spookier and a lot messier.

The modern-day cynicism of Sam, Dean and Castiel provides a comical juxtaposition to the innocent, pure, and almost blissful ignorance of the Scooby Gang. Dean, a bit of a horndog, tries to score with Daphne and fails spectacularly in every attempt. He also harbors a country-mile long jealous streak for Fred. When the Scooby Gang see the bodies of people who have been brutally murdered, Fred smiles and just tells the gang "We've got a mystery on our hands" to the concern of Sam and the consternation of Dean.


The clincher in the episode is when this version of the Scooby Gang is confronted with the notion that monsters are real, despite their many adventures up to that point that showed the contrary. Other stories and episodes in the Scooby Doo franchise have delved into the "monsters are real" territory with varying results. Here, the episode shows them genuinely losing their collective shits, with the best line going to Daphne saying, "Am I going to Hell?" Shaggy seethes with righteous indignation over the many times he and Scooby weren't believed, Velma has a near breakdown while Fred beats his head against a tree trying to wrap his mind around the revelation. It's so much fun to watch and a refreshing, realistic take on the situation.

While some might consider this a bad or disrespectful moment for the characters, I see it as a natural reaction to hearing such news. You must consider this is season one Scooby Doo. Imagine if someone from another show who watched Supernatural throughout its entire run got zapped into a season one episode and basically recapped the entire series up to this point to Sam and Dean? They'd never believe it and these guys hunt monsters for a living. You tell me Dean's supposed to be all calm and cool when he gets told that in season eleven he gets to not only meet God, but save His life, and therefore the universe? Or that Sam leaps into a hell-cage with Lucifer and the Archangel Michael at the end of season five? And for those shouting "spoilers" it's been almost eight years since that last part, get over it.

Deep down. I could sense that while the creators and writers were aware of the silliness and implausibility of Scooby Doo, they loved the innocent charm, wacky hijinks and pure, simple joy the show could bring by just being its goofy, earnest self. If nothing else, it's worth it to see Dean get that bigger mouth he was wanting back in season five's "Changing Channels" or seeing Dean's handprint on Sam's face when he slaps him out of the hysteria of being animated.

In the end, "Scoobynatural" was everything I could've hoped for. It's easily watchable on its own, free from the continuity trappings of the current season. In a weekend chock to the brim with nostalgia, this is a breath of fresh air that brings up why a talking great dane and his ever-famished cowardly beatnik friend have endured for nearly fifty years.

DC/Hanna Barbera Crossovers (2018) (re-post)

DC/Hanna-Barbera Crossovers

Last year, DC Comics published crossover comics as a tie-in with their Hanna Barbera Beyond imprint, a modernization of the classic cartoon characters. Space Ghost and Green Lantern patrolled the spaceways, Adam Strange adventured with the Quest family, the Suicide Squad met the Banana Splits (still scratching my head on that one), and finally, Booster Gold had a yabba-dabba-doo time with The Flintstones. Based on the success of the first four issues last year, DC Comics has rolled out four new one-shot issues combining DC superheroes with Hanna-Barbera childhood characters in new, unique ways.

Aquaman/Jabberjaw

Written by Dan Abnett

Pencils by Paul Pelletier

Sightings of a "rogue shark" draw Aquaman in to investigate. There he finds everyone's favorite Curly-Joe-quoting-Rodney-Dangerfield great white shark, Jabberjaw. According to the shark, he's stranded in 2018, thinking he'd been abandoned by his band, The Neptunes. After encountering a school of artificially enraged sharks, the two heroes follow their quarry into a portal, leading towards Jabberjaw's home of Aqualand in the year 2076. What the King of the Seas discovers while on this extra-dimensional excursion could drive him mad.

It doesn't take long to see that aside from the aquatic connection between the two characters, Aquaman and Jabberjaw have only one other thing in common: A lack of general respect. Jabberjaw is quick to toss out his catchphrase "I don't get no respect." Even Aquaman tries his hand at it (more than once). That all having been said, it leads into one of the big problems with the issue.

Aqualand, JabberJaw's home, is shown to be a place where humans treat sea-faring animals as second class citizens. It's brought up and explained in several different scenes, like where Aquaman and Jabberjaw go to a bar for a drink and get told by a robotic "Ejector" that they, as water-breathing creatures, weren't allowed inside. It's enough to dash Aquaman's hopes for a bright future of unity between land and sea. But then when Aquaman, Jabberjaw and, eventually, The Neptunes find the culprit creating rage sharks, the villain is a bit of a strawman conservative extremist who's trying to destroy Aqualand because he thinks that it's too "liberal and inclusive." It's already a poorly explained allegory for racism and bigotry, and yet that isn't enough. Throw in a Star Trek V-esque alliance with Atlanteans that are more Shape-of-Water than hunky humanoid, and you have a gigantic mess.

All of that aside, this issue isn't without decent moments of levity. Aquaman shows very quickly how outmatched the villains are with his fighting skills. The Neptunes and even the bad guys seem gobsmacked and Arthur replies with a simple, "What?" He even argues with the villain, who calls himself "Ocean Master," which said bad guy rebukes in a childish fashion. Also, the overall absurdity of the events seem to catch everyone off-guard, which would be fine on its own, if that classism/racism allegory hadn't been crow-barred into the narrative. Overall Aquaman/Jabberjaw could've been a fun little romp, but the social commentary comes out of nowhere and is given lip service while the plan by the villains is not only idiotic, but is shown to not even work. Sealab 2020 plays an integral part in the story which is a nice reference for long time cartoon fans.

Another saving grace of the issue is the Captain Caveman written by Jeff Parker with artwork by Scott Kolins. The wizard Shazam and The Spectre argue the idea of whether heroism is a recent notion or a part of the fabric of humanity. Shazam argues humans have always had an altruistic spark to them, while The Spectre contends that social evolution has made it easier for mankind to nurture its better angels. Shenanigans ensue and many robots are smashed. It's a fun little jaunt and aspires to be nothing more than such.

Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey

Written by Bryan Hill

Pencils by Denys Cowan

In 1976 Metropolis, Bronze Tiger, Cheshire, and Professor Presto are seeking out three scrolls that are said to contain the secret to an ancient technique called "The God Fist." Outmatched and seeking answers, Black Lightning seeks help from an old friend of his named Penry Pooch; none other than the Crime-fighting Kung fu Canine himself, Hong Kong Phooey: number one superguy.

The pacing, tone, and atmosphere lend itself to a bit of a blaxploitation art style which befits the time where the story is set as well as our two main characters. It's an interesting contrast from the usual cartoonish bumbling that Hong Kong Phooey is known for. In this story, he's incredibly competent, as well as showing an encyclopedic knowledge of ancient Chinese magic and martial arts. It's a refreshing change of pace even though it eschews the comical nature of the original show. That being said, I still hear Scatman Crouthers's voice when I read Penry's dialogue and I'm a kid again.

The artwork is very rough and gritty but not to where you can't make anything out. It's stylized in all the right places to where each punch, kick, and setting can be made easily distinctive. The end battle especially between Hong Kong Phooey and Professor Presto gives off a "Last Dragon" feel to it with both characters exhibiting respective glowing energy. I also really enjoyed that everyone just accepted that Hong Kong Phooey was a talking, humanoid, martial arts master with his own dojo where he runs it as sifu.

The backup story in this issue features The Funky Phantom, whose skeleton is encased in a grandfather clock and being put on public display. In this morbid bid for publicity, Jason Blood has been asked to summon the spirit of Jonathan Wellington Muddlemore (aka Muddy), to return from the land of the dead and settle the issue of the second amendment. Anyone looking for a nuanced debate on the topic of gun rights will leave disappointed. The story settles for mild satire of the way modern society would go to excessively absurd lengths to justify their positions on certain issues that may require a bit more finesse and nuance. There's the strawman "moar gunz" type whose arguments are more or less dispelled pretty easily. Regardless of my opinion on the matter, the topic is more or less, like the issues brought up in Aquaman/Jabberjaw, little more than lip service.

Flash/SpeedBuggy

Written by Scott Lobdell

Pencils by Brett Booth

During a battle with Kilgore, a sentient robotic building (try to keep up), Wally West runs into Dr. M. Blanc, a S.T.A.R. Labs physicist with a dune-buggy capable of entering the Speed Force, the dimensional energy that powers all speedsters. After defeating Kilgore, Wally helps Dr. Blanc test drive his "Speed Buggy" to see how long it can stay in the Speed Force. But unforeseen interference threatens to ruin their best laid plans.

This book has silver age written all over it. From battling a sentient "building" to fighting two evil dune buggies, to a loose grasp on time travel, this issue is straight up silly with how serious every character takes the circumstances. But its earnestness is endearing and makes you want to see where it goes. The interactions between Wally and Blanc showcase a healthy bit of respect combined with a hint of competitive rivalry.

The backstory with the creation of Speed Buggy is a bit on the strange side, but it adds a small bit of tragedy when it shifts focus to the human characters of Speed Buggy's crew at the end. It's an interesting idea, a non-speedster scientist trying to enter the Speed Force and the consequences of such meddling being disastrous.

The artwork holds up nicely, making the colors pop, especially when Speed Buggy engages in the Speed Force. The design of the four-wheeled speedster fits right in with the more grounded DCU style. There's also an epilogue where other Hanna-Barbera characters like Grape Ape, Space Ghost and the Herculoids show up alongside the rest of the DC superheroes to watch Wally and Speed Buggy race for charity. It's dumb, silly fun and I'm here for it.

SuperSons/Dynomutt

Written by Peter J Tomasi

Pencils by Fernando Pasarin

While in Big City attending the funeral of a deceased Daily Planet colleague, Lois, Clark, and Jon Kent all come to pay their respects. That is, if Jon can sit still for two seconds. He's not a big fan of funerals, so when Damian Wayne arrives to help alleviate the uncomfortable feeling of impending death, he jumps at the chance. As it turns out, a damaged Dynomutt happens upon the pair which leads to a harrowing mystery that could chill their young bones. Blue Falcon has gone mad, but why?

This issue is perhaps the darkest, strangest, and most unintentionally horrifying of the four. The brutality and sheer dour tone of the story took me by surprise. Watching Blue Falcon go all Bane on Dynomutt as well as his fights with Jon and Damian are pretty violent and tough to see. Even with Damian's training and Jon's powers, Blue Falcon seemed more than a match for the both of them.

It isn't the first time that a "Blue Falcon goes bad" story has been done, either. Just last week Scooby-Doo Team Up#38 had Blue Falcon seemingly "go dark" only to find it was part of some villain's evil plot. The differences in tone and execution are like night and day. Both of these stories handle the premise well for the tone of each book.

Also going into the backstory for the creation of Dynomutt was both heartbreaking and scary at the same time. Speaking as a person who lost a pet a long time ago, I can empathize with the death of a beloved dog, especially one you poured a decades worth of love into. However, the lengths to which Radley Crowne goes to reanimate his "dog wonder" makes him something of a more sympathetic version of Dr. Herbert West mixed with Pet Semetary. The parallels become more apparent particularly at the very end of the story. It's as sweet as it is morbid and frightening when you really stop and think. The juxtaposition of Jon Kent learning how to deal with death to Radley and Dynomutt's steadfast refusal to accept one another's passing is a nice contrast in how one tends to deal with loss.

A big surprise for me was how Damian revered Blue Falcon and Dynomutt to the point of almost hero worship. Anytime Robin brought up Blue Falcon, it was with the utmost respect, proclaiming once that Dynomutt saved his life. But it didn't stop there, Damian spoke of how Blue Falcon and Batman were friends, even working together during Batman Inc. He also told Jon about how Blue Falcon's rogues gallery was full of "psychos even crazier than Gotham's." Keep in mind, among Blue Falcon's villains were a literal Jekyll-Hyde criminal, a thug in a robotic exo-skeleton and a woman whose plan to rule the modeling world was to turn model's faces into that of an ape. I was expecting Damian to throw out the word "pretender" or "knock-off" (well, he does, but not in regard to Blue Falcon).

Interesting, at times fun, and at one point freaky, DC/Hanna-Barbera's latest crossovers were certainly ones to talk about. While I won't say they're as good on the whole as the first four were, they weren't horrible or boring, even if some were either a mess or surprisingly unsettling.