LOVE AND THUNDER: BY GOD, IT'S A STRUGGLE!

 Tonight I had another go at watching the Marvel THOR movie Love and Thunder.

I had a go a while back and gave up. Tonight I persisted and after putting up with Zeus, romance and daft silliness, I ended up enjoying it.

Its not the best THOR film by a Mojlnir, but its OK.

The good points are Christian Bale. Christian Bale is probably the best thing in the film, his character the God Butcher is the most interesting. The opening five minutes could have been a prelude to completely different and grittier film.

The bad points are the schmaltz, schmaltz and schmaltz. Love and Thunder, the title, is probably a bad sign that this is the way it'll go but really; even Odin would have trouble wading through the romantic goo.

Still, I struggled but somehow, I enjoyed it!

Have you seen Love and Thunder?

WHAT'S ON TELLY?

A few things have passed across the Moonbase screens this week. Mostly Marvel films, namely the Fantastic Four movies. I like the Fantastics a lot but I still think there's room for a gritty remake like DC did with Batman films.

I wonder if the Fantastic 4 ever crossed over with the Avengers? I'd love to see a Thing Hulk stand-off! [just realised that the 2027 Secret Wars movie will bring some FF and Avengers together!]

Dr. Doom is an interesting character and reminds me of when I used to collect Secret Wars action figures, snapping them up loose wherever I found them. Very occasionally I got one of those flicker shields they came with too. 

Alas, I've sold all my Secret Wars ages ago, but I sill like those smooth figure lines.

Here's one  I saw online on Ebay.

Doom always reminds me of Kang the Conqueror, another megalomaniac with a suit and Secret Wars figure too, as seen above courtesy of Battle Grip.

Kang appears in Marvel's Quantumania and maybe feature in the upcoming Doomsday in 2026 [it was originally called the Kang Dynasty, but the lead has been convicted!].

Secret Wars itself gets the Hollywood treatment in 2027 with Dr. Doom being played by .... Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man died at the end of Endgame so he needs a new suit.

Another film me and the Missus started was Extinction. It started a lot like Battle Earth, a violent alien invasion, and stayed that way. We turned it off, although I'd like to know how it ended.

I had a dabble with WHAT IF on Marvel's Disney channel. Agent Carter became Captain America. It was intriguing but I can't take adult animation seriously enough to stay interested, a fault of mine!

That's it for now.

What are you watching?

STARRAKER

This is the Starraker.

It looks a lot like an Eagle at the front to me.

Starraker first appeared in March 1980 in a Marvel Star Wars Weekly comic and was drawn by Carmine Infantino and Gene Day.

You can read more about the ship here on Wookipeadia. Anyone remember Star Wars weekly?

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY III: RUNNING OUT OF SOFT ROCK?

For Marvel fans like me a new flick on Disney + is exciting.

Last night I watched Guardians of the Galaxy III. Previously I'd really enjoyed the first two films, especially the first, with its bold use of the great American song book and the refreshing motley of Guardians.

The second film was great but the pre-occupation with a CGI Kurt Russell took away one star. Still a fab flick through.

So [spoiler alert!], the difficult third film is essentially Rocket's origin story. I liked it, I did, but it lacked something the first two had, that light-hearted joule de vivre that always carried the friends along.

Yes, number three is still about friends for sure but there's so much more shouting going on. Angry, hacked-off guardians throwing tizzies. Even Nebula [ex-Dr.Who] the patchwork android shouts and balls - at everyone. Gamora looks fed-up most of the time and Quill appears to have just fallen out of bed. Only Groot, Mantis and Drax seem themselves, with Rocket out for the count on an operating table this time round. Mantis remained my favourite Guardian, I could watch her all day.

Oddly enough it was the new stuff I liked the most though. The engineered animals were the most interesting sections by far, dare I say the most human; strangely sweet, sad and heartening like Watership Down was. Another newcomer was Adam Warlock, a conflicted super-being, who looked just like Rick Astley painted gold.

Even the songs seemed out of kilter. This is the Day by The The? What happened to the bright and breezy mix-tape? Maybe this was indeed the day.

I've since read that the old Guardians will not return to the big screen. Ten years is a long time listening to soft rock and wearing green greasepaint. I for one will miss them as a team. I hope individual characters re-appear in the Marvel Universe, if not the actors themselves. Warlock will certainly be one to watch.

Goodbye Guardians. come and get your love.*

* in case you haven't seen the first film, this is the title of the 1973 song by US rockers Redbone, made famous again by the movie's superb opening scene, where Peter Quill dances to his mix tape and headphones. I loved Redbone as a kid in 1970, their Witch Queen of New Orleans a personal favourite, appearing on one of my K-Tel LP 20 Dynamic Hits. Remember it?

A REALLY TALL GREEK GOD

Watching X-Men Apocalypse tonight I noticed something I recognised.

On a TV screen in someone's room, Storm's cellar, I saw a Star Trek episode playing. It was the one with Apollo in his temple, like Apocalypse the false God. I can't recall the name of the episode but it s musical motif was a two-note fanfare, which has stayed with me. The fanfare wasn't played in Apocalypse.

Completely coincidentally the fanfare was played tonight before X-Men, in Star Trek The Original Series, in an episode about a mineral which made people aggressive. The fanfare played when the huge citadels were shown.

Do you know the Star Trek Apollo episode I'm on about?

A SECRET AND RATHER BORING INVASION

Catching up with Disney +'s output of Marvel I tuned into the new series Secret Invasion. Have you?

Hoping for a Secret Wars style raft of heroes and villains like Kang and the Cap I was greeted with Skrulls. Now Skrulls ain't bad per se and neither is Nick Fury but it isn't going to set the world alight. There's just too much talking and too many Skrulls.

Having got Episode 1 under my belt I've come away feeling that Secret Invasion is like a talky slice of 90's TV sci-fi with very little action on the horizon.

I'm not overly excited about Episode 2.

Have you been secretly invaded?

WHO IS THE U.S AGENT?

Watching Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+ an old mental thread came full circle with the appearance of one John Walker.

Years ago I picked up an Action Figure reference book at the NEC Memorabilia show in 2000 with my mate Mark. I have thumbed through it hundreds of times ever since and it has been an invaluable resource in ID'ing loose figures I find.

One figure I've never found and one that's fascinated me since getting my book is US Agent. A strange looking super hero with a very plain name, I always wondered who he was.

Well, having watched the first two episodes of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, turns out that John Walker, an American soldier in the Marvel universe actually succeeds Steve Rogers as .... Captain America. Hard to believe I know.

Looking up John Walker online it then turns out that John Walker later morphs into .... US Agent, which I assume is when he took off his Cap's outfit.

US Agent does look like Captain America with the stripes and shield, although the colour scheme is much darker. I wonder if it was an off-day at Marvel when they came up with the less than inspiring name, US Agent.

With a name history as convoluted as Captain Marvel, I'm already looking forward to further episodes of Falcon and the Winter Soldier to see if US Agent actually appears.

In the meantime here's the 1990 Toy Biz action figure that I first read about in the year 2000. This one is carded and from an auction site.

Do you have one?

THE BEAST'S BIRD: THE HOT WHEELS X-JET

Here is another recent Hot Wheels find. The X-Jet from the Marvel X-Men universe. It is part of the Screen Time TV and movie range within the Hot Wheels Mainline. This is a new casting from 2021 and this is the first colour scheme.

The Hot Wheels Wiki site describes the X-Jet as a supersonic, vertical take-off and landing transport, with cloaking ability.

X-Jet | Hot Wheels Wiki | Fandom

The model has a metal upper body and twin fins, with the lower fuselage and wings being moulded in plastic. Overall metallic mid-blue. The windscreen is tinted red, as are the engine air intakes. 

The only printing on this version consists of two yellow squares on top of the fuselage, just behind the canopy. There is no undercarriage. Like a number of recent Hot Wheels aircraft, the model is provided with a small display stand in the shape of the Hot Wheels ribbon, moulded in clear smoked plastic. 

A word of warning: this is a very loose fit, so be careful when you pick the model up.

The aircraft has a downward curved nose, forward swept wings, and two widely-spaced engines. 

The underside has plenty of information moulded in to the fuselage and wings. Mattel, Hot Wheels, Marvel, the name X-Jet, copyright date 2020, and Malaysia. Length 80 mm, wingspan 67 mm. 

Being a Hot Wheels Mainline model it is much smaller than the Matchbox Sky-Busters, but is still a really nice model.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

A PUNISHING TV SCHEDULE

Watching telly ain't so simple anymore is it! Hundreds of channels and loads of platforms, a thousand programmes and countless ways to watch them anywhere in the house! It ain't 1969 anymore when Thunderbirds was a no-brainer!

So with so much choice you would think its easy to find things to watch. Alas, I struggle. Things I think will be brilliant turn out not so at all and some random stuff is really quite good.

Take for instance The Punisher on Disney+. It starts with a blisteringly good first episode where the anti-hero Frank Castle says very little but avenges aplenty for a whole hour dropping bad guys in cement by the dozen. If only it stayed that way. The Punisher starts to talk and everyone around him in the series likes to talk a lot as well. Too much gabbing and not enough Punishing has switched me off I'm afraid. Its a shame. Like Moon Knight, I'm done with The Punisher's yakketing.

And so I've moved onto something more random. Not Marvel. Just Jeff Bridges, who's chinny rasping voice always draws me in. His Obadiah in Iron Man was just great - "I'm deeply enjoying the suit!".

Anyway, Jeff Bridges stars in The Old Man on Netflix. He's old and gritty, like Clint in Gran Torino or Denzel in the Equalizer, and he isn't in the mood for faffing about either. 

I'm about three episodes in and despite a lot of CIA folk now rabbiting on old Jeff himself is doing well in the less-chat-and-more-action department. We'll see how it pans out over the next few episodes.

Another series I've started and one that came recommended is The Peripheral. Its on Prime and so far so good. The next episode comes out Friday - the Power of the Rings slot! Starring the new Scarlett Johannsen, Chloe Grace Moretz, its a futuristic Sci Fi ride for sure. I likes it.

As for horror this week, I caught Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde last night. Starring Ralph Bates, he's always a draw for me for some reason. I think its his lack of facial expression and his brisk clipped speech that I enjoy. I was really sad to learn that he died so young, just 51 years old.

Tonight Talking Pictures TV are showing The Night of the Eagle at 9pm, a black and white slice of suburban witchery and voodoo I've seen a few times before. Renamed Burn Witch Burn in the USA it's based on Fritz Leiber's novel Conjure Wife. I've always liked the 1950's paperback gothic romance-style cover art for it, a sub-genre of books I used to collect.

Friday is another worthwhile rendezvous with endearing Caroline Munro. On the bill are The Outer Limits The Inheritors Part II, The Brotherhood of Satan, the Ghost of Sierra de Cobre and One Body Too Many. 

I don't think I've seen any of those before so it will be interesting. Will you be watching readers in the UK? What's everyone watching around the globe?

Moon Knight Not

After persevering as long as possible with Marvel's Moon Knight TV series I have had to close it's sarcophagus once and for all. 

I like the anti-hero Moon Knight himself and the Egyptian God Khonshu isn't too bad, but it was the interminable squabbling between the two personalities of Steve and Mark that drove me as mad as a box of scarabs. I just couldn't cope with any more gift shop whining so I've ditched it.

In its stead I have opted to restart my viewing of Marvel's The Punisher series. The aggrieved avenger is much more my style, dishing out raw justice wherever needed without fuss or faff and the minimum of chat. For me it's the incessant chatter that kills off some of Marvel's telly fayre.

I'm sticking with The Punisher and hope that his signature gruffness remains constant and the heap of ex-scumbags grows ever higher.

Are you Moon Knighting or Punishing or both readers?

Have you any collectables?

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT

As a kid I had a few Werewolf by Night comics. I used to love the covers especially, the monster always howling in his ripped green jeans.

I may still have a couple in the loft among my Creepies and Eeries.

So I was chuffed to see Disney+'s release this week of a one-off 54 minute special Werewolf by Night movie.

I watched it last night and really enjoyed it. Even better as it features another favourite character of mine, Man-Thing. I won't say anymore about the show other than to say watch it if you can.

Seeing old Man-Thingy again reminded of a purchase I made of a run of 5 consecutive and mint Man-Things comics in 2005 from a comics ship in Carteret, New Jersey I think. I was over there at the time and tried to pick up as many interesting items as I could carry back to the UK for my toy stall. I think they sold quickly.

Do you like Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing?

THOR LOSER

Being a big fan of super hero films I had a bash at Disney +'s new THOR: Love and Thunder entry, as I am keen on the Asgardian god and was a comic-reading kid.

Alas, despite an obviously large budget, Love and Thunder has done what I personally dread in super hero flicks. Its descended into a parody of itself, with comedy the main thrust of the plot. Not even Christian Bale's creepy God Butcher could wrestle the thing out of cosplay cheese for me.

Such a shame. I won't spoil it as my cinematic tastes won't be universal so I'll leave Love and Thunder at that [except to say what an awful title!]

Oddly enough, I saw an earlier Chris Hemsworth fantasy tale last week, The Huntsman: Winters War. I saw the first Huntsman: Snow White years ago. I get them both mixed up in my mind with the two Malificent movies for some reason. Hemsworth clearly cut his teeth for future Thoring during these Huntsman flicks.

I also caught Jason Momoa, he of DC's Aquaman, in Wolves, an early vehicle for his action style. It was on Legend here on TV in the UK last week. For Legend [nee the Horror Channel] it wasn't a half bad bite at a werewolf picture, without filling the screen with teens too! I enjoyed it.

Have you seen any of the flicks readers?

THE TROUBLE WITH ALTER EGOS

Two alter egos I've seen of late. One a disappointment, the other intriguing.

The disappointment was Dark Phoenix, the latest X-Men flick, which I saw on Disney +. I usually really enjoy X-Men movies but this just didn't cut the mustard at all. Everyone seemed tired and docile and the Jean Grey/ DP actress herself was just not a screen grabber in either guise in the way Famke Jansen was in previous films.

OK, there's enough mutation - Magneto, The Beast etc - to keep you sort of interested but given that Dark Phoenix was the most powerful being in the galaxy it really didn't live up to the possibilities. Compare Cate Blanchett's Galadriel in Lord of the Rings when she's offered the Ring of Power. Now that is a terrifying transformation worthy of a phoenix darkening!

What do you think?

So to the the intriguing thing I saw. Moon Knight, a newish series on Disney + again I think. I know nothing about Moon Knight from Marvel comics so it was all new to me, the double personality, the black outs, the time shifts. The underlying glimpses of Egyptian Gods are interesting too, so I shall try to persevere with Moon Knight, although I'm fickle at best when it comes to super hero series.

Have you seen Moon Knight?

I BLAME SPADER

I'm in a sort of Marvel loop at the moment. I can't stop watching the films, even though I've seen them all before more than once!

Last night watching Marvel movies I even forgot about The Outer Limits on TV, never mind Vampire Lovers and Squirm, which is one of my fave schlockers [my daughter got me the actual cinema quad poster for Christmas]. If that wasn't enough last night Castle Freak had an airing on the telly [Horror Channel], although I don't know if it was the modern remake or the scary original.

I blame Thanos and his infinity stones for distracting me like this. He must have a TV stone!

Watching The Avengers: Age of Ultron again I remembered that Ultron is voiced by one James Spader, so I blame Spader too!

Spader is an actor I associate with the Eighties. A strange eccentric, almost awkward young actor back in the day. He was never really going to be a leading man say in the vein of Tom Cruise. More like a Buscemi or a Torturro. 

I recall Spader mostly for his role as the cocky upstart in Jack Nickolson's Wolf, in which Jack pees all over his shoes in the Gents, perhaps the most understated werewolf warning in moviedom but one that made me chuckle. 

I also saw James Spader in more risque flicks like Crash and Secretary, in which his awkwardness was properly at home I would say.

He was a symbols expert in a sci-fi film way back but I forget the name. He had to decipher hieroglyphs in a scene reminiscent of the discovery scene at the start of Prometheus.

Anyways, I'm sure James has done more than this. He's the same age as me and it was fun to hear him again in Ultron.

Do you like James Spader readers?

MARVEL'S MOVIES

I've been enjoying re-watching Marvel movies on Disney +. I think I saw each one of them at the cinema when they came out , some, like Captain America, years ago.

The individual films, specifically the origin stories, I enjoy the most. Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and as I say Captain America, the First Avenger were and are excellent big screen tales. Captain Marvel was a surprise hit with me as well, a super hero I knew little about.

My latest origin is The Winter Soldier, which again, I like more than I thought I would. Bucky is such an old Marvel character and the whole Captain America mythos has depth and appeal for me.

The exception so far has been Black Widow, which I had to turn off, despite Scarlet Johannsen's strong performance as Agent Rachmaninov, which is always a welcome addition to the Avengers stories. For some reason her origin movie wasn't that exciting for me. I will have to give it another go.

This leads me onto the Avengers movies themselves, where they are fully assembled and under the watchful eyepatch of Director Fury. I don't know specifically what it is but a few things start to affect my enjoyment. The dominance of Iron Man in most of them and the annoying habits he has, which Robert Downey Jr brings so vividly to life, start to grate on my nerves after a while. This includes the interminable aggro between him and Captain America. The other thing is the increasingly cosmic storylines, which take them away from Earth. Ultron, Infinity War, Endgame. All set on far-flung planets, with spaceships and aliens all over the place. I think I prefer the earthbound stories like Captain America's origin. I'm sure the space theme will grow on me the more often I watch these movies over time.

Do you like the Marvel movies? Which ones?

AN ETERNITY

I went to the pictures this week. I've not been to the cinema for ages. Hard to believe I used to go every week.

As always I went with my cinema buddy, this week to see super heroes, the Eternals. The screening we went to was a 5pm showing at Cineworld, so we had time to get a bite to eat beforehand. The current KFC TV ad campaign where gravy is poured over everything had worked his magic on us so we ate the Colonel's chicken.

We settled down for the film, which at 2 hours and 40 minutes was a long one. As soon as the lights went off I fell asleep! Going to the flicks after work is always risky!

Thirty minutes later I woke up and tried to get into the remaining 2 hours + of the film. I really struggled and I don't think my sleep was the reason.

The Eternals is a an extended spandex mess and really quite boring. Its hard to say why but for me it just was. I wasn't alone. My buddy thought so too. Not even Angelina Jolie could rescue it.

I imagine Jack Kirby's original super hero comics were much much more exciting.

Despite the movie being a let down I enjoyed getting out a lot.

Have you seen the Eternals or been to the cinema recently?

THE DEFENDERS

Short of any big new superhero films on Netflix that I haven't seen already, I turned to their catalogue of series [or is it serials?] this week.

I've already tried Daredevil last year and got some way into it. I also had a bash at Luke Cage and Iron Fist last year too but I'm a lightweight when it comes to series stamina. I much prefer superhero films like Man of Steel or Wonder Woman [the exception being Shazam, which was atrocious].

I toyed with Jessica Jones last night [isn't there a January too?] but eventually settled on a series which appeared to mix all the above heroes in one big cocktail called The Defenders.

A Marvel mash-up like the Avengers, the Defenders is not a team I know, although it rings a comics bell - I can picture a couple of covers I think. Anyway, I jumped in.

The initial episode introduces the main players one by one: Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist with his sword-swinging sidekick and Jessica Jones. Now I'm no expert when it comes to Marvel comics but this motley crew must be one of Marvel's B-teams, of which there are no doubt a few, stoically working hard in the shadow of A-listers like Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine et al in mega-gangs like the Avengers and the X-Men. They must get cheesed off those B-listers.

Having said that Iron Fist was around when I was a Kung Fu nut in the early Seventies and I remember the comics well and Daredevil could well be classed as A-team on a good day. Jessica Jones I'd never heard of and Luke Cage for some reason makes me think of one Power Man, whoever he is!

Another crucial character in the Defenders is the head of resident bad guys, The Han, played by Sigourney Weaver no less, who is always great to see on screen. Her own prodigy and secret weapon, Black Sky I think she's called, is a superfast Katana-wielding ghost girl.

Although Black Sky and Daredevil were impressive in their respective fight scenes, my favourite skirmish had to be first contact between Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Cage is a huge strong he-man and Fist appears to be a weed until his hand glows yellow and then .... Kapow!

And it all happens without the need for any Spandex, which I really do miss! I like to see my heroes in tight-fitting rubberised suits!

I just hope my own stamina lasts and I can carry on with the Defenders this week. If I leave it too long between episodes I will get bored and move on to something else.

Have you watched the Defenders? Did you read the comics? Do you have any collectables?

TOO OLD FOR SPIDER-MAN?

Being a Superhero film fan I saw that Netflix was showing virtually all of the Marvel Spiderman films. The last time I checked in on the webslinger was probably Toby McGuire's stint 20 years ago, the first and the one were his suit is Venomised.

For old time's sake I re-watched Toby's output, 1 and 3. Kirsten Dunst is a plausible Mary Jane and the Green Goblin family - Dafoe and Franco - are not bad at all. 

Being a fickle controller I skipped Toby's 2nd film to sample more modern Spiders, the Tom Holland catalogue in Netflix. I have to admit I turned it off. I just couldn't watch it. The actor Tom Holland looks and acts about 10 years old and realising that this would be the real target age for the movie I watched something else.

I'm just too old for Spider-Man maybe.

There's another burst of Spidey films in between McGuire and Holland but I forget the young actor's name. Wasn't he Anakin Skywalker in a Star wars flick? Are they any good?

Maybe I'll give these later Spidermen another blast when Moonbase Junior wants to watch long movies. He's only 5.

Which is your favourite Spidey readers?

THE OTHER S.W.O.R.D BADGE!

 This is from Marvel's TV series Wandavision!

I wonder what this S.W.O.R.D is?

Anyone watched it?

WITH MY SPIDER SENSES TINGLING

God I would have loved this as a kid, a Spiderman guitar! What a combination!

As a collector and toy seller, this is the sort of thing I would have bought 20 years ago to put to one side and get out 20 years later, a collectable of the future. For a tenner its yours from Home Bargains stores!

As it happens I did away tons of stuff away twenty or so years ago. here are a couple of Spidey comics with cool free plastic pistols from 2003.

I've boxes and boxes of stuff like this!

Do you squirrel stuff away for a future day?