Andrew Buckley's Blog, page 2

Bite-Sized Movie Reviews - Thor Ragnarok

I truly thought nothing could replace Guardians of the Galaxy as Marvel's funniest movie, but ding ding we have a new winner. TR is not as much a superhero movie as it is a comedy. Right from the opening scene you can tell the tone of the franchise had shifted, and for the better. The first Thor felt a little too pompous while the sequel went a little too dark elf. However, Thor Ragnarok takes a sharp right turn and we're treated to an 80's style sci-fi adventure comedy complete with colourful visuals and a score featuring rock ballads and synthesizer instrumentals.

Hemsworth looked like he was having so much more fun than previous movies and threw himself back into the roll with full force. Cate Blanchett as Hela never really got to shine as her plan for destruction and mayhem was railroaded by Heimdell the whole time. Ruffalo's Hulk is still my favourite Hulk and even more so now that he can speak. Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie had some great moments, particularly her entrance. Loki continues to be mischievous. The story twists and turns at a helluva pace and after an hour I began to dread the ending because it was just so much fun!

Special mentions have to go to Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role as Dr Strange (THAT is the Dr Strange I want to see) and Jeff Goldblum for his perfect and hilarious portrayal of the Grand Master. In a lot of ways he fully steals the show! Great movie and just an all round good time. Highly recommended!

Riverdale - S2 E4 - The Town That Dreaded Sundown - Recap & Review

This week’s episode of Riverdale proved one important thing: Even when the story is centered around Archie, he’s still not very interesting. Riverdale is devolving into a state of chaos and I’m starting to miss the days when the biggest drama was caused by Veronica and Archie making out in a closet. Remember those days? No, me either. In the end, this week’s episode went nowhere fast and ended with no further development than what was already revealed within the first five minutes of the episode. But rather than talk in circles (red ones), let’s just get to it . . .

Let’s start with our friendly neighbourhood catalyst, Mr. Lodge. Ronnie’s old man is proving to be a true agent of chaos, someone who plants seeds in simple minds and watches as it all goes to crap. Even at the town hall meeting he talked briefly about using Fred Andrews to his own end. A master manipulator, someone should keep an eye on that Ricky Ricardo reject.
The episode’s big reveal was when Betty receives a weird package to the office of the Blue and Gold. Apparently high school newspapers receive mail. They also don’t appear to have any other staff than Betty. All that aside, the Black Hood’s motivation is revealed to be Betty herself. During her rousing speech at the town hall at the end of last season, she apparently inspired a serial killer. Betty takes the targeting of the letter and attached cypher as a challenge and doesn’t confide in anyone, except Kevin. And truly, even when Jughead finds out, it’s because he found the letter himself and not because Betty trusted him enough to let him in on her secret. The show is clearly pushing a rift between Bughead, but they’re taking their sweet time doing it.

As for the Black Hood, who fails to show up and kill someone at the town hall meeting like he mentioned in his cypher, he’s someone who knows Betty well. He was there for her speech, he knows the inner workings of her life, and he knows exactly which book she used to take out of the library as a little girl. I briefly considered that the killer might be the librarian. I don’t know why, she just seemed a little creepy when Jughead was taking books out.
On the other side of town, Jughead is keeping a few secrets of his own and is hanging out with Toni who loves a good serial killer story as much as the next girl. He also denies his friendship with Archie to his serpent buddies, which let’s face it, is pretty smart under the circumstances.

Which brings us to the man of the hour. The mantle of Riverdale redheaded psycho has been successfully passed from Cheryl Blossom to Archie Andrews. To the point that even his own Dad doesn’t trust him anymore. And when Luke Perry doesn’t trust you, you’ve got problems.

After Archie creates his militia video, most people are none-too-pleased. I’m not even sure why he made the video, or why half the people had to be half naked. Also, are there no fat people at Riverdale High? Whether Archie is aiming to be a vigilante or a hero, or both, he’s going about it all wrong. Even after Mr. Weatherbee lays down the law, and Archie’s team abandons him, a new creature emerges from the darkness. Dilton Doiley is the devil on Archie’s shoulder. Sadly Archie is missing an angel to steer him in the right direction so instead of considering how stupid it is for a teenage boy to go running around with a gun, or head into Southside territory, he instead heads to a gun shop, buys ammo and paint, and tootles off to meet some Serpents. And we all know nothing strikes fear into the hearts of a biker gang like graffiti. His actions catch the attention of Sheriff Keller, who does nothing (classic Keller), and results in a street brawl with the Serpents outside his home and Dilton getting stabbed in the leg, which kind of serves him right.
The only positive that occurs here is Archie realizing what an idiot he’s being and, with Ronnie’s urging, throws the gun into the river. Veronica proved this week that she’s just as manipulative as her father and seems to be able to control Archie quite easily. She’s also a super supportive girlfriend. Archie started a cult, Veronica started a clothing line. 

The final scene shows Betty receiving a call from the Black Hood, begging the question who is the Black Hood? Here’s what we know so far . . .MaleLikes ski masksKills people who he believes are sinners (heads up Blossom family)Knows Betty from her childhoodDoesn’t appear to care about Archie and his little red circle gang
​
STRAY THOUGHTS OF AWESOMENESS . . . The Riverdale Library is very dark. Libraries have books. You need light to read books. Fix your lighting Riverdale Library!
Archie’s fake ID is Wilbur Wilkins. Wilbur. Seriously?
Silly Serpent, don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.
Kevin Keller - “Betty’s ponytail is iconic!”​
Polly has run away . . . to ABC to become Robin Hood’s daughter on Once Upon a Time. Everyone wave goodbye to Polly . . . 

Bite-Sized Book Reviews - Sycamore Row by John Grisham

I haven't picked up a Grisham novel in years. I used to read them all up until they started to feel a little cookie-cutter after King of Torts. However, when I found he'd penned a sort of sequel to A Time to Kill, I had to check it out. A Time to Kill was his first novel, but it didn't take off like he'd hoped and it wasn't until the success of The Pelican Brief, The Firm, and The Client that people started to notice A Time to Kill and fell in love with Ford County and the characters of Jake Brigance, Harry Rex, and Lucien. All these years later, Sycamore Row takes us back to those same characters and it was a very comfortable world to slip back into. The ending seemed a little drawn out and I don't think it landed with as much impact as it could have, but the overall story was interesting and it was great to delve back into Grisham's world. I'd certainly recommend it if you enjoyed A Time to Kill.  Grab Your Copy of Sycamore Row!

Riverdale - S2 E3 - The Watcher in the Woods - Recap & Review

The Watcher in the Woods should not to be confused with that bloody awful movie musical ‘Into the Woods’ where they sing about going into the woods, what they’re going to do in the woods, how when they’re out of the woods they plan to go back into the woods again . . . for two freakin hours! Two hours I won’t get back, I might add.

Instead, the title of this week’s episode of Riverdale represents more of a cautionary tale for its cast of characters; a fairy tale-esque warning to those who dare step into the darkened woods whether it be literal or figurative. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what Archie and the gang got up to this week . . .
First up, Kevin finally gets to say more than one line. Kevin is the one literally walking into the woods. And why? To find a random sexual encounter of course. I can’t decide whether this set gay men back due its cliche-ridden random hook up in the woods plot line, or empowered them because Kevin is striking out on his own and working within the options he has available. I kinda think the former, because really it’s just silly. There’s a killer on the loose. Although in this case, Kevin’s horniness is helpful because he finds Midge and Moose, both alive. When Betty confronts him, several times, he isn’t moved by her concern for him until the last time he enters the woods and we’re faked out into thinking Kevin is stabbed. He isn’t (I did hold my breath there for a while though). But Betty isn’t done being righteous as she rats Kevin’s moonlight hanky panky out to his dad. While a completely inept police officer, Sheriff Keller still wins Best Dad of a Gay Teen award because he’s constantly supportive of his son, and I LOVE his character for that. Now if he could only catch a murderer, ya know, just once.

Kevin got a lot of screen time this episode, but it’s his scene with Moose that I truly enjoyed. It was way back in the first or second episode when Kevin and Moose were heading down to Sweet Water River so the latter could explore his sexuality. But nothing has been mentioned since. Until now. The exchange between Kevin and Moose, plus the irony that Kevin gave Moose a stuffed moose, lends some credibility to the belief that there might be something to their relationship. I hope the writers develop this further than just an idle passing moment as I actually want to see Kevin happy.

With Moose shot, the fear in Riverdale is increased as is Archie’s paranoia about The Black Hood who outs himself in a letter to Mrs. Cooper who just can’t keep it to herself and has to make it front page news. Apparently our season 2 killer is out for blood from those he deems as sinners and hypocrites. He shot Fred because he had a brief fling with Hermione, Ms. Grundy because she was a child predator, and Moose and Midge because they were drug users. Not sure on that last one because there seem to be a lot of drugs in Riverdale. The Black Hood could have closed his eyes and shot in any direction and likely hit a jingle jangle user.
Archie takes it upon himself to form a watch group to keep an eye on the neighborhood. It’s actually not a terrible ideas as it seems impossible to keep any of the Riverdale teens inside anyway. They might as well do some good while they’re out there. And it’s fortunate too as Archie and Reg show up just in the nick of time to save Ethel (Justice for Ethel!) from a creepy dude in a van. This makes Archie question if they should be doing more. Cue the real villain in Riverdale . . .
Mr. Lodge is clearly evil. You can tell by the way he dresses, speaks, acts, and threatens. He doesn’t shout or lose his temper. He’s calm and collected and says exactly what he needs to in order to get his point across. He’s a villain through and through. Veronica and her Dad got a little stale this week because, honestly, who cares about your daddy issues at this point? However, Mr. Lodge and Archie is a different story. It’s not just the warning from a father to her daughter’s boyfriend, that’s par for the course, it’s his urging to Archie that he needs to do more, to be more like The Black Hood. Which is exactly what Archie does, bringing together his posse, now clad in red hoods and calling themselves The Red Circle, and makes a Liam Neeson in ‘Taken’-style video, warning the Black Hood that they’re coming for him. I bet the murderer with the gun is shaking in his boots after being threatened by a local ginger and half the high school football team. ​ Polly is worth mentioning, only because she’s hopefully gone for a long, long time now. Polly is back, but only briefly as she doesn’t approve of her mother poking the Black Hooded bear. “I’m an unwed mother carrying my cousin’s twins,” is one amnesia away from a soap opera, but it works here because it provides an exit for the less interesting Cooper sister who has now gone to a farm to give birth to her cousin’s twins. Yes, I just wrote those words.

The figurative entry into the woods is performed by Jughead who is now a full time student at South Side High; a complete hell hole of a school complete with drug use, gang members, and teachers who teach but are completely ignored by their students. After pitching to discount Mark Wahlberg, Jughead is given the greenlight to reopen the school newspaper where he plans to break the story regarding gang-related drug dealing. This gets him beat up and he’s forced to decide whether to remain a loner or hang out with his Serpent family. For the life of me, other than for dramatic purposes, I can’t understand why Jughead hasn’t gone back to Riverdale High. And then there’s Toni Topaz, the potential love interference coordinator, and bad girl biker chick who is a solid cornerstone of Jughead’s new world. By venturing into the proverbial woods of South Side, Jughead is walking into a whole world of trouble.
It still feels like there’s a lot going on and I’m a little worried that by stretching the season from 12 episodes to 22, we’re going to be treated to an extremely long and drawn out ‘Who is the Killer’ storyline, but I trust these writers. They’re managing a plethora of characters on a multi-protagonist show that, while not always making perfect sense, is thoroughly addictive.

Now remember, do not go into the woods! It’s full of gay men looking for hookups, potential murderers, and Cheryl Blossom. Until next week . . .
​
STRAY THOUGHTS OF AWESOMENESS . . . The Matchelorette? Did I hear that right? Really?A trifecta of Halloween movie references: The Addams Family (Cheryl refers to younger Kevin as Pugsley), Beetlejuice (Toni references Winona Ryder as Jughead’s ideal GF), and Michael Myers from Halloween (Midge’s comparison for The Black Hood).Sweetpea? The Ghoulies? Jingle jangle? Where are they getting these names?“It’s Kevin, leave a message, if people still do things like that.” Cheryl was underutilized, though her “Except when she’s Dark Betty” line was pure gold.It could have been worse, Ethel. You could have been sucked into a parallel dimension with a terrifying monster. 

Bite-Sized Book Reviews - Monster Runners by Adam Furgang

Once again, Adam Furgang has woven a tale of adventure and intrigue with MONSTER RUNNERS. From the absolutely gorgeous cover to the immense likability of protagonist, Griffin, this book was a joy to read from start to finish. And the monsters! I LOVED the variety of monsters in this story! The descriptions, the abilities, it was all just so much fun! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting, fast-paced middle grade adventure story. I look forward to the sequel! Grab Your Copy of Monster Runners!

Riverdale Review - S2 E2 - Nighthawks - Recap & Review

I guess we can let any delusions of a potentially light-hearted season 2 burn up in the flames of Thornhill. Or drown in the Sweet Valley River . . . whatever your preferred metaphor, things are continuing down a dark road in the town of Riverdale.

I’m starting to get the sense that the balance of the show is a little off. Season one did a decent job of balancing the shades of dark with a few rays of sunshine here and there. Season two is refusing to offer up any sort of comfort and even when it presents a win, like Betty saving the Chock’lit Shoppe, we’re given (quite literally) less than a minute to enjoy the moment before we’re cast back into the shadows and the win is revealed not to be a win at all.

But I’m getting ahead of myself . . .

“You’re a stone cold bitch, Betty Cooper.” - Cheryl Blossom

There was a lot going on this episode, but the main brunt of the story revolved around the potential closing of Pop’s after the shooting of Fred Andrews appears to have left a black mark on the place. Betty, ever the crusader, takes it upon herself to save the shop by throwing a retro evening. After a few false starts she pulls it off with the help of Josie and one of her pussycats, and by threatening Cheryl. ​ For a brief moment we were almost treated to another dose of ‘Dark Betty’ as she blackmailed Cheryl not just to let the vixens help out at the event, but also to lie in order to get FP a reduced sentence. Betty is so motivated to do good that she’s willing to cross a few lines. It makes you wonder how far she’d actually go to get what she wants . . . It was a great little scene because we actually got to see Cheryl Blossom rattled. Not something we see very often. 

​In Archie’s world, he’s having sleep issues. By constantly staying on guard, he’s starting to get a little edgy and turns to Reggie Mantle for a chemical solution. His situation only worsens when it’s revealed that Ms. Grundy has been murdered and Archie can’t help but think the killer is after him. He then purchases a gun from Dilton who is not an adorable nerdy math geek like his comic book counterpart and is instead a gun-totting little arms dealer. Welcome to Riverdale, kids!
The Lodge’s are not an idyllic little family and Veronica refuses to accept her dear daddy back into the fold for most of the episode until he . . . I actually don’t know what he did. The episode ends with them on fresh terms and Ronnie with the hope that all will be transparent in the Lodge household. Something that clearly isn’t a possibility since Hermione lied about the origin of the threatening letter to Veronica, Smithers’ suddenly disappears, and Mr Lodge buys the Chock’lit Shoppe. Because, ya know, we need another villain in Riverdale. There simply aren’t enough of them.
Speaking of which, we also get to meet a new player in town when Jughead seeks help from the Serpents, he’s referred to lawyer, Penny Peabody, who gives him some ‘free’ advice to help reduce his father’s sentence. And while it works, FP was less than happy about him climbing into bed with the ‘snake charmer’. That can’t be good.

There was a promise of certain characters being fleshed out in season two of Riverdale. Among them are Reggie who is revealed to be a drug dealer, and Josie who has now joined the Vixens. We finally meet Midge who was only briefly glimpsed in season one, and is found here buying drugs from Reggie for her and Moose to enjoy.
And here we’re left with a horrific ending with the serial killer seemingly shooting Midge and/or Moose. Who is this masked man? And what ties Fred, Ms. Grundy, and Moose and Midge together? Is it random? Is there an actual motive? And just how long is he going to go around killing people? Are we going to lose a character every episode? Because so far, we’re two for two . . . Seriously?! Did they actually just kill Moose?!

As dark as this incarnation of Archie and the gang is, it’s still amazing TV, with all the twists and turns you want to see in grim, edgy, teen angst drama. While this episode felt a little bogged down with far too much side story and not enough “there’s a killer on the loose”, it nicely sets the tone moving forward with Archie coming apart at the seams, Veronica potentially returning to her rich-girl ways, and Betty and Jughead emerging as the crusaders of Riverdale.

Who do you think the killer is? And what’s his motive?
STRAY THOUGHTS OF AWESOMENESS . . .  - Dream Warrior from Nightmare on Elm Street 3 reference. You don’t hear that every day.

- Jingle Jangle is possibly one of the worst names for a drug.

- “What do we do now that Cheryl’s gone full Poison Ivy?”

- So pretty much anyone can be a pussycat? Yes! I’m in with a chance!
​
- Riverdale Writers, we’re missing the comic relief. Have Kevin say something. Anything!

Riverdale - S2 E1 - A Kiss Before Dying - Recap & Review

It’s back! Oh, how I’ve missed Riverdale and Archie and the gang. Hell, I even missed Sheriff Keller, and that guy’s about as useful as, well . . . he’s not useful.

As a show, Riverdale is grounded by its characters and driven by their stories and motivations. Sure, most of those characters are crazy (Cheryl, Mrs. Cooper, Mrs. Blossom, to name a few), but they’re the cornerstones that make Riverdale the dark and foreboding town that it is.

And there’s a whole lot of new crazy going on this season. While the first season was anchored around the disappearance and murder of Jason Blossom, season two looks like we may have a serial killer on the loose. Let’s dive in . . . In the season one finale, Fred Andrews was shot while at Pop Tates and season two picks up right after that event with Archie sliding around the snow covered streets of Riverdale in order to get dear old dad to the hospital before he bleeds out. With the pool of blood at Pop Tates, the blood in the truck, and the trail of blood from the truck to the hospital, Fred should be long dead. But this is TV land, and things are magical here. The intro is once again over-scored by Jughead who appears to be back in the narrator’s chair.

Hey! It’s new Reggie! You can tell he’s new; he still has that new Reggie smell.

While Fred fights for his life in the hospital, he enjoys a few jumps to the future; flash forwards that depict Archie and Veronica’s wedding, Archie taking over the family business, Archie proposing, etc. It’s the wedding flash forward where Fred once again throws himself in front of Archie to save his life, which pushes him to return to the land of the living to let his much relieved son know that he came back to protect him. Foreshadowing? Maybe . . . The core gang of Betty, Jughead, and Veronica arrive at the hospital to support their blood-soaked friend. Throughout this episode, the person who wins the award for most growth has to go to Veronica. Not only does she learn how to walk a dog, she also learns what it means to be a supportive girlfriend, even when Archie doesn’t want the support, and offers up shower sex as a form of comfort. Could it be that Veronica Lodge is the perfect girlfriend? I’m going with ‘yes’. On top of that, she takes a well-placed jab at her mother accusing her of setting up the hit on Fred. While Hermione is the most obvious culprit as she’s been vying to distance herself from Fred and show her support for her newly released husband, she’s also too obvious so we need to dismiss her as a suspect. ​ In Betty and Jughead’s world, the struggle is real. Jughead says he isn’t a serpent, but Betty thinks otherwise and Juggy all but confirms he needs to embody his father in order to win some sort of love from the old man, or something to that effect. He even goes as far as asking the Serpent’s for help in tracking down Fred’s attacker. And while they hit a dead end, you have to admire their resourcefulness and their dedication to FP as they drag some guy into Jughead’s trailer and beat the crap out of him. Fortunately, Betty being the understanding girlfriend that she is decides to accept whatever Jughead needs to do. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like giving your blessing to join a dangerous group of motorcycle-riding criminals.
Mr. Lodge (played by Mark Consuelos) is certainly an update from the comic book’s old mustache monopoly man, and carries a sense of cold ruthlessness that will be fun to watch develop. Once again we see that Veronica is having none of it, standing up to her parents and delivering a hefty dose of sarcasm, operating under the (possibly factual) belief that they’re both truly evil.

Strap in for the long haul kids, it’s going to be one helluva teen-angst-murder-filled ride.

And then there’s my fave character, Cheryl, who has returned with her own patented blend of sunny disposition and slightly crazy red-headedness (probably a real word). Last time we saw her, she was busy burning down her family home. Did anyone else think that maybe Cheryl pushed her mother into the fire? The story, according to Cheryl, is that Penelope ran back into the house to get a family portrait (or maybe one of Cliff’s wigs) and was badly burned. This situation allows Cheryl to show her mother who’s boss, and every single scene with her is glorious to behold. Shut up, I like gingers. No season opener of Riverdale would be complete without an actual murder, and while Fred appears to be making a recovery, a few towns over a familiar face is up to her old tricks, but not for long. Ms. Grundy is once again preying on the young until she’s silenced for good by our green-eyed killer.

I’m not sure how Fred being attacked and Ms. Grundy getting played like a cello are linked, but it’s going to be fun finding out. Even more exciting, we’re getting a full twenty two episodes of Riverdale goodness this season. Strap in for the long haul kids, it’s going to be one helluva teen-angst-murder-filled ride.

Now the real question is, will Sabrina be making a cameo on Riverdale before her own show is launched? (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, now in development - reported September, 2017)
​ STRAY THOUGHTS OF AWESOMENESS . . .
Polly was strangely absent from this episode. And I’m totally okay with that.

Sheriff Keller took an entire season to try and figure out who killed Jason Blossom. He only took half an episode to round up the usual suspects (albeit innocent ones) for a lineup. Could it be he’s been taking some courses on how to be a stellar detective? Or maybe he’s been watching reruns of law and order?

Betty’s uncomfortable chat with her mother regarding her almost defilement at the hands of Jughead was priceless.

Nice of Josie and the Pussycats to make an appearance and throw out a few kitty puns.

Hey! It’s new Reggie! You can tell he’s new; he still has that new Reggie smell.

Pop Tate: “It was like the angel of death had come to Riverdale” Jughead: “Geez Pop, lighten up.” Kinda funny considering Jughead was the one to wax the dark and foreboding poetic every chance he got in season one.

Also nice to see that even with a helmet on, Jughead still rocks the crown!

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RELEASE DAY - Hair in All the Wrong Places 2: The Perils of Growing Up Werewolf

Today is the official release of HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES 2: THE PERILS OF GROWING UP WEREWOLF! Follow the continuing adventures of Colin Strauss as he tries to balance working for a secret government agency, having a girlfriend for the first time in his life, and trying not to lose all control to the wolf inside. Help! I Think I'm Turning Into a Werewolf! Excessive shedding. A creepy floating man. A strange new teacher.

​It must be Monday. Being a werewolf is no picnic. Colin's constantly hungry, spends a ton of time shaving, and fights to keep his emotions in check to avoid turning into a giant, drooling, hairy, smelly, howling wolf. But Colin's not the only creature hanging around the town of Elkwood. Vampires, zombies, goblins, ogres, and other questionable visitors and their various shenanigans have got everyone on edge. Colin just wants to live a normal life, date, and get his homework done on time. But  the town of Elkwood needs him. So when a secret government organization asks for his help, will he be able to control the animal inside, or will he give in to the perils of growing up werewolf? But I Haven't Read the First Book!

Limited Time! - Grab Your Copy of Hair in All the Wrong Places for just 99 cents!

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