Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 48

June 12, 2024: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

Batman and Robin #10 – cover art by Gleb Melnikov

Outsiders #8 – cover art by Don Aguillo

Thundercats #5 – cover art by Ben Oliver

Gun Honey: Collision Course #1 – cover art by Derrick Chew

Fairy Tale Team-Up: Robyn Hood & Van Helsing – cover art by Pierluigi Abbondanza

Blood Hunt #3 – cover art by Kael Ngu

Deadpool #3 – cover art by Taurin Clarke

So, which were YOUR favorites?

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June 11, 2024: The Crime Binge bats 400!

Farzi (2023) 1 season

An artist who gets pulled into the murky high stakes of a con job and a fiery task force officer on the mission to rid the country of his menaces in a fast-paced, edgy one-of-a-kind thriller.

My thoughts: I’ve been really impressed with the quality of most of the Indian crime shows I’ve watched to date and this one is among my top three favorites.  Well-plotted, character-driven, at times darkly humorous and touching.  Loved it.

4.5/5

Spooks/MI-5 (2002 – 2011) Season 1

The missions of MI-5, the UK’s domestic intelligence organization.

My thoughts: I remember watching the first five seasons of this show back when I was working on Stargate and loving its no-character-is-safe storytelling.  But this one has not held up well in a recent rewatch.  It’s a little clunky at times and its villains a tad too over-the-top.

3/5

Umbre (2014 – 2019) Season 2

Umbre follows Relu, an enforcer for a small-time mob boss, as he struggles to keep his family in the dark about his job. The secrets Relu keeps become increasingly oppressive and the lies begin to surface.

My thoughts: Really enjoyed the first season and the second does NOT disappoint.  Best Romanian Show Ever.

4.5/5

Quarry (2016) 1 season

Quarry, a disillusioned Vietnam War vet, returns home to Memphis in 1972 only to find rejection and scrutiny at every step. A mysterious man known only as The Broker gives him an offer he can’t refuse – to work for him as a hitman.

My thoughts: Really thought this would be right up my alley but, alas, it ultimately has the feel of a Skinamax production with its gratuitous, sometimes unintentionally funny, sex and violence.

3/5

Au Service de la France/A Very Secret Service (2015 – 2018) Season 1

Quarry, a disillusioned Vietnam War vet, returns home to Memphis in 1972 only to find rejection and scrutiny at every step. A mysterious man known only as The Broker gives him an offer he can’t refuse – to work for him as a hitman.

My thoughts: Not a bad show by any means, but a little glib and silly for my tastes.

3/5

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June 10, 2024: Mark Your Calendars!

Tomorrow, we begin our original Twilight Zone rewatch with the pilot/Episode 1: “Where is Everybody?”.

I’ll be posting a dedicated thread over on X (formerly twitter) where I’ll offer up some episode-specific trivia and my thoughts on the entry.  Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts as well!

From there, we’ll be progressing in a similar vein at a pace of one episode a day well into July.  Our schedule if you’d like to plan your next two months of viewing…

Also, remember to mark your calendars for my very first Spaces chat…

That’s this Sunday, June 16th at 8:00 p.m. E.T.  Europeans fans can look forward to their own dedicated Spaces the following week at a much more reasonable hour (for them).

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June 9, 2024: Sharky Sunday!

Sharky – fighting for this food!

Sleep-wagging

A trip to Cafe 23…

Crunch fish chips…

Sharky is not a fan of micro greens…

But he does like his fish snacks…

Rainy Day!  Oh no!

 

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June 8, 2024: Coming Soon!

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June 7, 2024: The Toronto Smashburger Tour!

First, we did pizza.  Then, we did fried chicken sandwiches.  Last night, we embarked on our very first smashburger crawl of Toronto!

Our first stop was a place called Happy Burger.  For comparison purposes, we decided to go with two single cheeseburgers and a single order of fries that we split between the four of us.  It was my first visit to Happy Burger and I thought it was pretty solid, although I found the waffle fries maybe a little too thick cut.

Our second stop was Matty’s Patty’s Burger Club.  This place is one of my favorites.  The buns sesame seed buns can’t be beat and the beef patties are always crispy and flavorful.  Their McDonalds’s-style fries are equally crispy and perfectly salted.

Third stop was the ever popular Burger Drops where we sampled two slightly different cheeseburgers (that ultimately came down to the onions, raw and cooked).  The spicy crinkle fries were a favorite.

Our fourth stop was Aloette Go, little brother to big sister restaurant Aloette that is, in turn, little sister to big brother Michelin-recognized All.  The crispy over-sized cheese is a definite draw.

I was expecting we’d move on to Matt’s Burgerlab and the Slayer Burger Truck but two of our four participants needed to tap out.  At a total of TWO CHEESEBURGERS!  What is the world coming to when two grown men can’t eat three cheeseburgers?!

So, instead, we grabbed some dessert at Nani’s Gelato.  I went with the excellent pistachio gelato sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookie halves.

Three out of four of us had the same ranking: #1 Matty’s Patty’s Burger Club, #2 Burger Drops, #3 Aloette Go, and #4 Happy Burger.  The fourth had Burger Drops at #1 and Matty’s Patty’s Burger Club at #2 because he REALLY liked those spicy crinkle fries.

Overall, they were all very good, but my favorite remains Matty’s Patty’s.  And, if you go, do the spicy-ketchup sauce!

So we’ve done pizza, fried chicken sandwiches, and smash burgers.  I’m thinking we should do tacos next.  Thoughts?

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June 6, 2024: Back on the Crime Binge!

Wisting (2019 – ) Season 2

Homicide detective William Wisting is challenged by the two most difficult cases of his entire career, and his investigation into a serial killer crosses paths with his crime-writing daughter’s news story.

My thoughts: The Nordic thriller returns for another solid outing.  Love the father-daughter dynamic at the heart of this series.

4/5

Yellowstone (2018 – ) Season 1

A ranching family in Montana faces off against others encroaching on their land.

My thoughts: Hugely popular but, for me, it comes off as an updated less compelling Dallas.

3.5/5

Sherlock (2010 – 2017) Season 1

The quirky spin on Conan Doyle’s iconic sleuth pitches him as a “high-functioning sociopath” in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who’s introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.

My thoughts: Very well-produced and I can see the appeal, but I found it just a little too silly and was put off by the fact that there is no way the audience would be able to put together the pieces of any of these mysteries.

3.5/5

Umbre (2014 – 2019) Season 1

Umbre follows Relu, an enforcer for a small-time mob boss, as he struggles to keep his family in the dark about his job. The secrets Relu keeps become increasingly oppressive and the lies begin to surface.

My thoughts: Dark and grim but with an underlying humor.  A terrific character-driven series that ranks up there as one of the best foreign crime shows.

4.5/5

Bloodhounds (2023 – )

In order to pay off their debt, three daring youths jump into the money-lending business while confronting the rich and powerful who prey on the weak.

My thoughts: Starts strong with some great fight sequences but is eventually mired in plot-convenient character decisions and the clunky loss/replacement of one of the lead actress (following an off-screen scandal).  Cringe humor abounds!

3/5

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June 5, 2024: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

Batman #148 – cover art by Homare

Poison Ivy #23 – cover art by Nimit Malavia

Poison Ivy #23 – cover art by Chris Bachalo

Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum #5 – cover art by Ariel Olivetti

Ultimates #1 – over art by John Tyler Christopher

So, which were YOUR favorites?

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June 4, 2024: Stargate Trivia! A Twilight Zone rewatch! Live Chat with yours truly!

I’ve started a new daily feature over on X (formerly twitter): Stargate Trivia!  It’s old news to diehard fans, but I’m surprised by the number of people who didn’t know…

Todd the Wraith’s facial tattoo was a tribute to Kiss lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist Ace Frehley who was rumored to be a fan of Stargate: Atlantis. We even tried to get him on the show, but the scheduling never worked.

Richard Dean Anderson is a huge fan of The Simpsons and absolutely loved working with actor Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer) in SG-1’s “Citizen Joe”. The two were reunited the following year when Rick guested on The Simpsons in an episode that saw Patty and Selma kidnap Richard Dean Anderson – an episode written by Dan Castellaneta.

The Atlantis expedition almost left Earth without its most iconic member. After several failed attempts to cast the role of medical doctor Benjamin Ingram, a last minute decision was made to replace him with a pre-existing character from SG-1, one who did not appear in the original Atlantis pilot script: Dr. Rodney McKay. And the rest, as they say, is history.

We ALMOST got an 11th season of SG-1! Shortly after the show’s cancellation, there were talks with Apple about producing an iTunes-exclusive 11th season. But SyFy exercised a clause in their contract prohibiting the show from being shopped elsewhere. What might have been…

How many did you already know?

Speaking of class sci-fi television, I’m thinking of doing a rewatch of the original Twilight Zone.  All 156 episodes!  I posted a little poll over on X to see what kind of a pace people would prefer and it’s looking like 1 episode/day is the favorite.

I’ll post a viewing schedule in the coming days.

Speaking of scheduling – I’m planning to do my first “spaces” session over on X and have tentatively decided on Sunday, June 16 at 8:00 p.m. E.T. for the first live chat/discussion.  Mark your calendars!

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June 3, 2024: Recent Yes/No’s – Best and Worst!

Rattlesnake Taco…

Mini Taco Nachos…

BEST: Yubaba Custard and Hokkaido Milk Pudding

WORST: Rattlesnake Taco

And you?

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