Money Troubles And Human Torment Are Anything But Cheap Thrills!

The Good: Good acting, Interesting situation, Good story development, Smartly written, Well-directed.
The Bad: Heavy on theme/entirely misrepresented as a “comedy.”
The Basics: A night of easy money and chance meetings turns dark when two men rob a drug dealer in the indie satire Cheap Thrills, which was an unexpectedly great film!


There are very few films that can effectively balance dark social commentary and humor well. In fact, the only one that comes instantly to mind is God Bless America (reviewed here!). So, when Cheap Thrills was billed as a comedy, but starts dark and more depressing than humorous, it seemed like the movie was just misrepresented. With independent films like Cheap Thrills there is a willingness not shared by major studios to create films that do not fit easily into a category. Cheap Thrills is definitely one of those movies. When, twenty minutes into Cheap Thrills the movie has not generated a laugh, it was obvious that the indie film was going more for darkly satiric than laugh-out-loud funny.

There is something instantly disturbing about Cheap Thrills; very quickly the movie becomes a commentary on the oppressive nature of capitalism in the United States and that makes it difficult to watch at points. There is an instantly awkward quality to Cheap Thrills as the answers to the question “What would you do for a buck?” become increasingly more disturbing. The film’s characters are trapped in a situation not of their own making and the commentary on what a good person will do for money, goaded by bad people, is troubling, but has a measure of realism to it that is impossible to not be unsettled by.

Waking up before his alarm clock, Craig discovers an eviction notice on his front door the same day he is fired from his job working as a mechanic. Frustrated, Craig goes to a dive bar where he runs into Vince (who he has not seen in five years). Vince is an enforcer who collects money and Craig opens up to him about his money and life troubles. As fortune would have it, visiting the bathroom of the bar, Craig recovers a $50 bill being used by a guy doing cocaine. Leaving the bathroom, Craig is introduced to the man, Colin, who is spending the night with his wife, Violet, going from the dive bar to a strip club. Colin throws around money – making stupid bets like giving $200 to the guy who drinks a shot first or slaps a stripper’s butt. When Colin and Violet take Craig and Vince back to their house, Vince sees a safe full of money and goads Craig into helping him rob the couple. But Colin and Violet are not at all helpless and they turn the tables on the two men and reveal their truth: they have a safe full of money ($250,000) that they intended to give to the two men.

What follows is a series of escalating dares where Craig and Vince agree to take money from Colin in exchange for doing challenges, like making a drink, holding their breath, shitting in a neighbor’s house, and ultimately having sex with Violet to make the $4500 Craig needs to stave off eviction. When Craig walks out after cheating on his wife, Vince is left in the house to face more troubling dares. Colin challenges Vince to cut off his own pinky finger for $25,000 . . . but when Craig returns, the two get into a battle of wills that turns gory and disturbing.

Cheap Thrills would be the worst type of entertainment if it were not for the reality in which we all live in the United States. Cheap Thrills is not torture porn; it’s a social commentary that develops and exposes our society for what it is, albeit through hyperbole. Craig and Vince lowballing one another to be able to accept the challenge of cutting off a finger is disturbing, but an accurate commentary on the competitive nature of our capitalistic society. Craig is a good man, but he turns on Vince and his wife, justifying it at every turn in order to “provide” for his family. Cheap Thrills is all about how good people will do terrible things for money.

Hyperbole is the name of the game for Cheap Thrills. Colin represents bad big business by providing the “opportunities” for Craig and Vince. As Colin watches and comes up with increasingly troubling dares, he watches with indifference and glee at how the two men become his puppets. The money is a ridiculous incentive for the men and it turns into an unfortunately cheap source of validation for the men.

Violet clearly represents society in Cheap Thrills. Filming with her cameraphone, Violet chronicles her “birthday” and becomes the motivation for Colin as business. Just as ratings drive business, Colin justifies pitting Craig and Vince against one another with the excuse that it is Violet’s birthday and it will keep her happy. Like the schadenfreude-fueled masses that watch “reality television” for the melodrama and betrayals, Violet studies Vince and Craig, eagerly watching the two do horrible things to one another. As terrible as the night becomes, Violet never flinches, never looks away, and seems excited by the way Craig rises to each occasion.

Unlike movies like Apocalypto (reviewed here!) or The Hunger Games (reviewed here!) where the viewer becomes part of the societal degradation that the film is trying to make a statement against, Cheap Thrills is biting and not at all entertaining (though it is constantly engaging). In other words, there is no point in Cheap Thrills where Craig is anything but beaten down and depressing to watch; the film is all societal commentary without trying to be anything but stark, realistic, and introspective. We are never actually rooting for Craig or Vince and the viewer does not take any pleasure in watching either succeed in their for-cash endeavors.

The acting in Cheap Thrills is wonderful. Pat Healy plays Craig as a wonderful everyman; Sara Paxton’s Violet is cold and creepy without ever being unwatchable. Paxton and her costar David Koechner (who plays the role of Colin without any of his trademark goofiness) have great on-screen chemistry and play off one another well as a convincing, if somewhat vacuous couple. Ethan Embry’s Vince is instantly shady and Embry plays the morally-shifting nature of the character well. The moments Vince implores Craig to let him have a piece of the action are heartwrenchingly real in a way that a lesser actor would fail to sell.

For those who are unfamiliar with my reviews, a perfect film is a tough sell for me and there are almost no films that I look at and wonder why I did not “give” them a 10/10 (Love Actually, reviewed here, is the only film I think I may have underrated in that regard given how often I come back to it with delight). In my rating system, a film has to earn each point, as opposed to starting with the idea that the film will be great and having points taken off. I’ve spent the past three hours trying to come up with reasons to mark Cheap Thrills down: it’s thematically heavy-handed (it’s supposed to be; it plays as focused, not overbearing), the directing is unimpressive (E.L. Katz tells the story with exactly as much scope as it needs in order to tell the stark story), there are no standout lines (there are no cheap catchphrases and that makes the story all the more real), and on and on . . . Cheap Thrills is an understated perfect film that I have already found myself talking about in glowing terms. There’s a reason for that; it’s a great film and those are words I don’t often say and praise I do not just give away.

For other perfect films, please check out my reviews of:
Magnolia
Brazil
The Spitfire Grill

10/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Wait For It . . . The Vulcan Logic Arc Ends With “Kir’Shara” And Disappointment!

The Good: Tucker’s character, Moments of character development, John Rubinstein and Gary Graham’s performances
The Bad: T’Pol’s lack of character, Huge plot problems, Stupid reversal, Uninspired space battle scene.
The Basics: Were it not for the Andorian plot in “Kir’Shara,” the final episode in the “Vulcans get logic” arc would be utterly unwatchable.


Fixing the Vulcan problem in Star Trek: Enterprise was a pretty heavy task. Establishing the Vulcans as a conflicted and much more emotional race in Enterprise was a huge problem for the series and in the fourth season, rectifying that was the task of the second major three-episode arc. Following immediately on the heels of “The Forge” (reviewed here!) and “Awakening” (reviewed here!), “Kir’Shara” completes the arc. Unfortunately, for as engaging as the episode is, “Kir’Shara” is based on an essentially flawed premise.

“Kir’Shara” deals substantially with the results of a conspiracy at the highest level of Vulcan government. Vulcan warmongers have planned an invasion of Andoria and as a result, as the conspiracy comes to a head, the Vulcans are characterized as fundamentally emotional liars. The fractured and underhanded characterization of Vulcans makes it impossible for the Star Trek Vulcans to be characterized as monolithic and unified . . . much less entirely emotionless.

The Vulcan High Council, under V’Las, are convinced that the Andorians are preparing to use Xindi technology to launch an attack on Vulcan. As a result, V’Las prepares to launch a military assault on Andoria itself. Back in the Forge, Archer, T’Pau, and T’Pol recover the Kir’Shara – the book of Surak’s most important writings – and begin a journey to return it to the Vulcan High Council. While V’Las orders a military strike on the Forge, Tucker takes the Enterprise and Ambassador Soval to a nebula where they rendezvous with Shran to warn him about the impending invasion of Andoria. Shran captures Soval and tortures him using a device that reduces his ability to inhibit his emotions.

When Soval confirms that the Vulcans are staging their attack from Regulus, Tucker and the Andorians prepare to mount a defense. As Vulcan operatives attack the team in the Forge, T’Pol allies herself with the Syrannites. As Archer and T’Pau bring the Kir’Shara to the Vulcan High Council, the Enterprise joins the defense of the Andorian fleet against the Vulcans.

“Kir’Shara” is littered with problems, most of which are painfully obvious. On the basic continuity front, how T’Pol and Archer (inhabited by the mind of a pacifist) could hold their own against Vulcan security agents trained in personal combat is ludicrous. That T’Pol references her violation from “Stigma” (reviewed here!), but does not mention her medically-based inability to raise her emotional defenses that the entire third season was developing makes little sense (or becomes a serious character defect for T’Pol). The violent escalation between the Vulcans and Andorians makes it much less likely that the Federation could have been reasonably formed.

While developing Tucker in a productive way – he is willing to carry on Archer’s mission and ally himself with both Soval and Shran – “Kir’Shara” uses T’Pol in an unfortunate and underwhelming way. T’Pol suffers from a reduced ability to regulate her emotions. For a change, that justifies Jolene Blalock performing the character in an emotional way. However, Jolene Blalock plays T’Pol with far less emotional trouble than in prior episodes. In fact, outside the passing reference to the death of her mother, one might not see any emotional effect on T’Pol of her mother being killed in the prior episode. It’s a ridiculous character choice. It is only in the climax of the episode where Blalock plays T’Pol with a

Unfortunately, the usually wonderful Robert Foxworth is given a ridiculous character to play. V’Las is an emotional and angry Vulcan leader who connives and pushes the Vulcans to the edge of a potentially costly and utterly illogical war. He lives in utter denial of the facts. Foxworth’s performance would be amazing . . . if he was playing any race other than a Vulcan. In fact, the twist at the end makes less sense overall; if V’Las was who he is revealed to be, none of the other Vulcans should have been willing to follow him. As Spock notes in “Mirror, Mirror” (reviewed here!), it is far easier for a civilized person to act as a barbarian than a barbarian to act like a civilized person. V’Las should not have been able to “pass” for decades.

At the other end of the spectrum is John Rubinstein as Minister Kuvak. Rubinstein, save one facial expression of exertion and stress while launching a counterassault and a slight smirk in his final scene, plays a perfect Vulcan. This is a huge departure from his usual portrayal of creepy or conniving character and Rubinstein plays the role amazingly well.

“Kir’Shara” sets up another arc . . . poorly with a reversal in the end. The space battle is unimpressive and the twists are silly and obvious, as opposed to being at all clever. Ultimately, “Kir’Shara” ends a three-part arc which could be subtitled “How Archer Brought Logic To Vulcan” and it would be about as ridiculous as it sounds.

The five biggest gaffes in “Kir’Shara:”
5. If Surak’s teachings were so fractured and the “true teachings” were lost, there was no practical way for Vulcan society to be built upon them,
4. Vulcans have a death penalty in this episode, which flies in the face of previously-established Vulcan tenants – both present and historical,
3. The Romulan in “Kir’Shara” is wearing a Star Trek: Nemesis (reviewed here!) uniform . . . despite the fact that that fashion would not exist for two hundred years,
2. T’Pau refers to the need to get Archer to an experienced priest. In Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (reviewed here!), restoring katras was treated as an anomaly that was so rare it had not been done in hundreds of years. As a result, there would be no “experienced” priests in this time period,
1. T’Pau is essentially a radical in “Kir’Shara.” Given that, there is no reason she would develop into the ultra-conservative, stoic character seen in “Amok Time” (reviewed here!).

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the final season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Jack Donner, please visit my reviews of:
Four Christmases
“Home” - Star Trek: Enterprise
“The Enterprise Incident” - Star Trek

3.5/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Too Late To Grab Its Audience, The 2013 Under The Sea The Little Mermaid Ornament Was A Successful Failure!

The Good: Decent sculpted details, Good balance, Cool sound clip
The Bad: Did not hold its value at all!
The Basics: The 2013 "Under The Sea" ornament from The Little Mermaid was a commercial failure only because it was released too late in the season!


Every year, Hallmark does two main releases of its holiday ornaments: there is the first big push in July during Ornament Preview Weekend and then an autumn push for Ornament Release Weekend. In 2013, it made sense that Hallmark released two different ornaments from The Little Mermaid, given that 2013 was the Blu-Ray debut of the film. The first ornament was the Ariel’s Big Dream and it was okay. In October, though, Hallmark released its second The Little Mermaid ornament and it was much better than the earlier release. The second ornament was Under The Sea and it was one of the best Disney ornaments in years . . . but few people bought it. The Under The Sea ornament reveals the flaw in Hallmark’s marketing strategy; the point of the two release times is to get customers coming back into Hallmark stores more than once a year, but if collectors do not go back or do not know to go back for the second wave, then some of the gems from later in the year may be missed. The Under The Sea ornament was a miss, which had nothing to do with the quality of the ornament itself!

For those unfamiliar with The Little Mermaid (reviewed here!), Sebastian was the crab advisor of the King who was sent to keep an eye on Ariel. Known for his song “Under The Sea,” Sebastian provided comic relief and him standing on a crab is the subject of the second The Little Mermaid ornament in 2013.

Patricia Andrews did an amazing sculpt for the ornament and with the addition of a sound chip, the ornament became a real steal at $17.95 . . . and is a super steal at clearance prices now!

Basics

The "Under The Sea" ornament recreates Sebastian as he appeared in The Little Mermaid, though not from a specific scene or iconic moment. The ornament, released in 2013, is a generally accurate sculpt of Sebastian the crab with about as fine detailing as the actual subject given the somewhat simplistic animation of The Little Mermaid.

Measuring four and a half inches tall from the bottom of the clam to the top of the raised claw, the "Under The Sea" ornament is a slightly larger than normal-sized Disney character ornament. As well, it is one of the more affordable ones at only $17.95 (which is pretty awesome for an ornament that has a sound chip).

The Hallmark "Under The Sea" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Sebastian, one claw down, one claw raised, standing atop a barely open clam or scallop. The ornament is sculpted accurately and gets the look of Sebastian perfectly right! Sebastian and the clam on the Under The Sea ornament are colored in monotones, which is accurate for the character. The ornament looks great and is on par – detailwise – for the rest of the Disney themed Hallmark ornaments.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Under The Sea" is wonderfully accented by a sound chip. Powered by a watch-style battery that the ornament comes with, a press of a button on the back of the clam activates the sound chip. The song “Under The Sea” plays out a speaker on the bottom of the clam and I was pleasantly surprised by the volume on the song. The sound clip is long enough to entertain and clearly embody the character of Sebastian.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Under The Sea" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Under The Sea" ornament could be the essential The Little Mermaid ornament, if for no other reason than it might be the only one with a feature. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the back of Sebastian’s head. This is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. Fortunately, at that position, the Under The Sea ornament hangs perfectly level. The balance for this ornament is incredible, save when one pushes the button to activate the sound chip.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for that review!). Within a few years, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Under The Sea" is one of many The Little Mermaid ornaments the company has released and one of several Disney ornaments on the market for 2013. This ornament has by no means sold out. In fact, it appears to have been massively overproduced for an October release ornament. Every Hallmark in my area has plenty of the Under The Sea ornament available for cheap on clearance, even now! Sadly, then, despite the quality of the ornament, this is not likely to be a good investment ornament, at least not for a few years.

Overview

Fans of The Little Mermaid, Disney, Sebastian, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to love the Under The Sea ornament and will be thrilled to find it inexpensively now. It is one of the rare gems of the Disney Hallmark line and well worth hunting down now.

For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2013 The Nightmare Before Christmas Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares
2013 Tiana's Party Dress The Princess And The Frog ornament
2013 Beautiful Belle Beauty And The Beast
2013 Fierce With A Frying Pan Tangled ornament
2013 Ariel's Big Dream The Little Mermaid ornament
2013 Merida The Archer Brave ornament
2012 The Circle Of Life The Lion King ornament
2012 Jack Sneaks A Peek The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2012 Monsters, Inc. ornament
2012 Merida Brave ornament
2012 It's All About The Hair Tangled ornament
2011 Rapunzel Tangled ornament
2011 CLU’s Light Cycle from Tron: Legacy ornament
2011 Up ornament
2011 A Snowy Surprise The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2011 Captain Jack Sparrow Pirates Of The Caribbean ornament
2010 Tron: Legacy Light Cycle ornament
2009 Welcome To Christmastown The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament

8.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Just Another Overproduced Pop Debut: Louder (Deluxe Edition) Isn’t Playing To Lea Michele’s Strengths.

The Good: Moments of voice
The Bad: Terrible instrumental accompaniment/overproduced nature, Short, No incredible lyrics
The Basics: Lea Michele abandons her innate vocal quality on Louder for an album that has a generic pop-quality that makes for a disappointing solo debut album.


Fans of the television show Glee (season one reviewed here!) have been proven reliable sources of cash for Fox’s music division. Virtually every soundtrack album from Glee from its first few years became a bestseller and made scads of cash for the company. So, it seemed like a no-brainer that stars of the popular television series (which I was once a fan of) would begin releasing their own albums to promote their careers beyond the television show. The first young star to release, predictably, is Lea Michele, who plays Rachel Berry on Glee (she was beaten to the punch by Matthew Morrison, who plays the glee club’s faculty mentor).

Lea Michele’s debut album is Louder and I got in the deluxe version of the album for review. Given that the standard album has three fewer songs, it is hard to imagine that shorter is better in the case of Louder. The most direct way to attack the project of reviewing Louder is to cut to the chase: on Glee, Lea Michele plays a vocally-talented teenager/twentysomething who has dreams of Broadway and sings vocally-driven ballads. Louder clearly differentiates Michele from her character by providing auditory drivel that is overproduced pop crap reminiscent of the worst pop albums of the mid-1990s (before hip-hop/rap started to dominate the pop charts). Instead of appearing like the next generation’s Celine Dion or even Mariah Carey, Louder presents Lea Michele as the second coming of Fergie.

With fourteen tracks, clocking out at 53:11, Louder is a studio-produced and assembled work that reveals almost no talent or contribution from Lea Michele. Michele is barely a performer on her own debut album. Lea Michele is credited as a co-writer on only three songs and she plays no instruments on the album. Michele had no part in producing Louder and in the tradition of such albums, Louder is produced track by track and cobbled together in a desperate attempt to land/sell a single as opposed to creating a coherent or compelling album.

Louder is unfortunate pop drivel and I write that as one who likes music of the 1980s and 1990s, especially coming from female artists. But on Louder, Lea Michele is no more an artist than Britney Spears was on “. . . Baby One More Time” (reviewed here!). Michele on Louder is a pre-fab product branded on popular elements assembled by a recording studio that has no clear idea what the talent of the performer actually is. As a result, Louder is a mash-up of fourteen pop songs that have not a single memorable tune between them and do their best to obscure Michele’s innate vocal talents. Driven by synths, drum machines and programming, Louder is a pop-dance album that slowly crescendos into pop songs that are less danceable, but still percussion-driven in a way that covers up Lea Michele’s voice.

On Louder, Lea Michele’s vocals are presented with an effortless quality that stays in the alto/soprano range. Unlike on Glee where Michele exerts and pushes to hold notes and go higher, Louder keeps Michele singing fast, mid-range and generally does not challenge her (or the listener) in any recognizable way. There is almost none of her natural, impressive, voice on songs like “Don’t Let Go” and the insipid pop beats that accompany the words she sings do their best to muffle her unique voice. “Battlefield” is the vocal exception on Louder. There, Michele holds notes, sings clearly and her voice sounds more like a human voice than something produced by a hit-factory computer. “Empty Handed” is not terrible on the vocal front, though Michele sounds like all she is doing is mimicking Britney Spears on one of her ballads.

Lyrically, Louder is entirely uncomplicated. The songs tend to be about relationships and loss, which is somewhat predictable considering Lea Michele’s ill-fated romance with Cory Monteith. Opening with “Cannonball,” Michele seems (or rather, her studio-provided writers) to want to address her public image and relationship. There is an autobiographical flavor to the lines ”You and I / We have to let each other go / We keep holding on but we both know / What seemed like a good idea has turned into a battlefield / Peace will come when one of us puts down the gun / Be strong for both of us / No please, don't run, don't run” (“Battlefield”).

In true pop music tradition, Louder is plagued by repetition issues. Songs like “Don’t Let Go” feature a troubling number of lines repeated over and over again. When Michele sings “Baby open your eyes /And hold on tight / Just keep running and we can stay up all night / Don't let go / Don't let go / Flying high as a kite no ground below / Got me up in the sky running don't let go, don't let go“ (“Don’t Let Go”), it gets old quickly.

Unfortunately, Lea Michele seems to have very little to add to her own album. Michele contributes her sense of loss to “If You Say So,” which is a song about loss written about the death of Cory Monteith. But even that is plagued by overly-repeated lines and a troublingly predictable rhyme scheme that does not hold a candle to the poetry of the song that precedes it. Written by known hitmakers John Shanks, Christina Perri, and David Hodges, “Empty Handed” creates a more enduring and universal statement vocalized by Michele, “All I've ever known is how to hide a secret / But I'm tired of going on without believing / And love is not illusion, love illuminates the blind / If I fell into you, would it be close enough? / If I finally let you in, would you show me what love is? / If I had nothing to give” (“Empty Handed”).

Lea Michele’s debut was a sure-fire Top Ten album release, so it was going to be money in the bank for whatever record company released it. Columbia got the honor and stupidly produced and released an album that seems to show no understanding for the talent Lea Michele comes to the project with and goes instead for a generic sound that has no clear appeal . . . outside focus groups at Columbia.

The best track is “Empty Handed,” the low point is the abysmal pop of “Burn With You.”

For other recent albums, please visit my reviews of:
Prism (Deluxe Edition) – Katy Perry
High Hopes - Bruce Springsteen
Britney Jean (Deluxe Edition) – Britney Spears

2.5/10

For other music reviews, please check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing.

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Did You Learn Nothing From The Avengers?! “Yes Men!”

The Good: Good acting, Good pacing, Decent special effects
The Bad: Light on character development, Abrupt end
The Basics: Sidebar in the larger Marvel universe: “Yes Men” shows that Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. might not be developing . . .


Given the way the prior episode of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. ended, it was clear that “Yes Men” would be a possession episode of the series. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, possession is a “done” story. In The Avengers (reviewed here!), Hawkeye and other agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (and the scientist Eriksen) were possessed by the power of Loki’s staff. So, when Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. heads into familiar territory, one of the key things I was looking for from “Yes Men” was to see some growth. In other words, following The Avengers, the only thing that made sense for S.H.I.E.L.D. was some sense of institutional growth; protocols that were put in place to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Alas, I was disappointed by that aspect of “Yes Men.”

“Yes Men” continues the recent trend of expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in advance of Captain America: The Winter Soldier by making another crossover to the prior cinematic adventure, Thor: The Dark World (reviewed here!). The crossover in this case is the return of Jaimie Alexander’s character Lady Sif, with a scene worth of allusions to The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World. “Yes Men” picks up right where “T.A.H.I.T.I.” (reviewed here!) left off, but it is strong enough on its own to work well as a self-contained episode.

With Coulson wrestling with the nature of his resurrection, having discovered exactly what the drug he was resurrected with was made of, Lorelei ditches her first victim and exerts control over a biker gang. The Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. head toward the southwest to find what the disturbance between dimensions was (which deposited Lorelei in the United States). En route, another disruption occurs and Lady Sif arrives from Asgard. Sif provides Coulson and his team with the intelligence they need to combat Lorelei; apparently, she has the ability to exert control over men with her voice (or voice and physical contact). Heading to the crappy dive Lorelei has ended up at with guns, men, and gold, Sif discovers that Lorelei is well ahead of the Agents.

With Ward controlled by Lorelei, Coulson resists Simmons’s attempts to get more of the miracle drug that saved both Coulson and Skye. Ward is further seduced by Lorelei and that puts May on a collision course with him. Learning all she can from Sif about Lorelei and her power, May steels herself for having to confront her lover. With Lorelei amassing an army in Las Vegas of wealthy, powerful, men, Ward hijacks the Bus with Lorelei and the showdown that ensues pits May against both Lorelei and Ward.

“Yes Men” is a good action episode of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., but it has a few problems in context and on its own. On its own, “Yes Men” suffers because it is not really packed with character development. Early in the episode, the idea that May and Ward are separated and the line is drawn for the inevitable fracture that will come when Lorelei is able to manipulate Ward. Beyond that, the episode climaxes with Coulson having some of the most forced character “development” in the series. In the final moments, Coulson decides that he and Skye have to expose the person who resurrected them and the means by which they synthesized medicine capable of resurrecting them. That utterance is abrupt and emotional in a way that Coulson, traditionally, is not. The fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. neglected to have any protocol in place after the last agency possession that would have prevented Ward from having access to the Bus after getting compromised is an issue with the episode in the larger context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Despite the abrupt plot resolution, “Yes Men” feels like it is foreshadowing a much bigger role for Lorelei in the overall Marvel Universe. Having never encountered Lorelei in any of the graphic novels I have yet read, she seems like she has potential as a villain, but the key question of an adversary is not answered in “Yes Men.” Adversaries who want to rule the world have to have some motivation for it and Lorelei’s motivation is not really explored, only her ability and power.

More than that, “Yes Men” undermines the character of Fitz in a troubling way. While S.H.I.E.L.D. ought to have protocols for possessions in place, the nature and limitations of Lorelei’s powers makes it clear that the characters, even possessed, are essentially who they are. Thus, Coulson fooling Fitz insinuates that Fitz is not all that smart.

The acting in “Yes Men” is fine. Jaimie Alexander reprises her role of Lady Sif adequately and Elena Satine seems like she’ll be able to do a lot with Lorelei should she (inevitably) recur. The final moments of the episode have Clark Gregg uncharacteristically over-the-top and Ming-Na Wen blandly the subject of what is supposed to be a reversal (but is actually one of the most consistent character representations of the series), so fans might be a little disappointed that there are no deep, compelling moments or performances here.

Ultimately, “Yes Men” delivers what it promises; the story is a straightforward possession story that fits in well between the episode that preceded it and the promise the end has for the next episode.

For other works with Jaimie Alexander, please visit my reviews of:
Thor
Love And Other Drugs
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia - Season 1

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete First Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season here!
Thanks!]

7.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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One Of The Better White Chocolate-Based Flavors: Ghirardelli Cookies & Crème Chocolate Squares!

The Good: Delicious, Good aftertaste, Nothing truly bad in it.
The Bad: Not the strongest chocolate flavor, Not exactly nutritious.
The Basics: Ghirardelli Cookies & Creme is a new flavor of chocolate squares that is worth trying, though it does not blend the two flavors of chocolate well.


Of all of the chocolate companies whose products I review, I think Ghirardelli is one of the few I still get excited about when they have new product releases. For the holidays last year, my wife found a bag of a new flavor of Ghirardelli chocolate squares: Cookies & Crème. The Cookies & Crème flavor is good, but it is dominated by the white chocolate flavor as opposed to balancing well the two types of chocolate it is composed of. This is a good flavor, but it’s not the ultimate rendition of the flavor one might hope for.

Even so, Ghirardelli has a chocolate square worth trying with its new Cookies & Crème.

Basics

Ghirardelli Cookies & Creme chocolate squares are one and 13/16” squares of chocolate that are 1/4” thick. Each of the squares comes individually wrapped in a white foil wrapper. It is worth noting that while I usually rail against the environmental impact of such things, it is hard to imagine Ghirardelli chocolate squares not wrapped. This keeps each one clean, unmelted and intact.

Each chocolate square is a seamless square that is essentially a half milk chocolate/half white chocolate patty with the Ghirardelli symbol stamped into the top. In this form, the 4.57 oz. bag, the individually-wrapped chocolate squares are packaged together in a thick foil paper bag. This size has eleven squares and the thick foil paper bag does little to protect the squares. The bag is not resealable, though this matters very little considering that the chocolate squares do not go bad as they are individually wrapped.

One of these bags, even with only eleven squares, tends to run in the $5.00 range, which is a decent deal.

Ease Of Preparation

These are candy, so preparing them is as simple as opening the bag and then opening one of the plastic wrappers around the actual chocolate square one wishes to eat. There is no grand secret to eating Ghirardelli Cookies & Creme chocolate squares. That said, they do need to be kept comparatively cool or these squares will melt.

Taste

The Cookies & Creme Ghirardelli squares have an aroma of chocolate and white chocolate that is distinct and inviting. The lighter scent of white chocolate is actually the dominant scent and it does not have much to it that invites fans of chocolate. Still, it has a very accurate scent very close to the smell of Oreo-style sandwich cookies.

In the mouth, the Cookies & Creme chocolate squares are very sweet and the chocolate flavor is not very strong. Still, the white chocolate flavor of the Cookies & Crème is strong and instantly reminiscent of the filling to a sandwich cookie. The creamy flavor is smooth until the tongue pushes through and encounters the cookie bits embedded in the chocolate. Even with those, the flavor is dominated by white chocolate; the cookie bits are very much a texture as opposed to a rich chocolate flavor. The mild flavor of the cookie bits and milk chocolate blend with the white chocolate, but do not assert themselves enough to truly become a flavor that is a blended flavor. The white chocolate is so sweet it smothers the other flavors, though not in an unpleasant way.

There is a slight dry aftertaste to the Cookies & Creme chocolate squares and it is at that point that the milk chocolate flavor truly comes out. This is one of the few chocolate squares that has a wide flavor range from the moment it hits the tongue until it dissipates from the mouth!

Nutrition

The Cookies & Creme chocolate squares are candy, so it is tough to look at these for something nutritious and then blame them for not being healthy. Ghirardelli chocolate squares have decent ingredients, though, which is probably why they are so expensive. The primary ingredients are sugar, cocoa butter, and whole milk powder. Still, there is nothing unpronounceable, nor unrecognizable in these candies.

A serving of the Ghirardelli Cookies & Creme chocolate squares is considered three squares. From three squares, one takes in 200 calories, 120 of those calories being from fat. There is a subtle amount (2% RDA for the serving) of cholesterol and 2% of the RDA of sodium, as well as trace amounts of Iron (4%), and Calcium (4%).

Honestly, these are candy and anyone looking to them for actual nutrition needs to get a reality check. These are not Vegan-compliant, nor are they recommended for anyone with a nut allergy as they may contain trace amounts of tree nuts. They are, however, kosher.

Storage/Clean-up

The bags of these Ghirardelli Cookies & Creme chocolate squares remain fresh for quite some time. Our bag, bought in late December 2013, had a February 28, 2014 expiration date. Given that it is chocolate, one assumes that if they are kept in a cool, dry environment they will not melt or go bad. It is hard to imagine just what it would take for these to go bad outside melting and refreezing.

As for cleanup, I applaud those who actually throw the wrappers away in socially appropriate places, as opposed to litter. Outside that, there is no real cleanup needed, unless one is eating them in a hot environment. In that case, it is likely one would need to wash their hands. If these chocolate squares melt into most fabrics, they will stain. Getting them to melt, though, is quite a task.

Overall

Ghirardelli Cookies & Creme chocolate squares have a decent flavor, though the milk chocolate is not strong enough to make this truly a blend of milk and white chocolate to make them seem like actual cookies and crème flavored.

For other Ghirardelli chocolate squares reviews, please check out:
Double Fudge Chocolate Squares
Peppermint Bark With Dark Chocolate
Midnight Reverie 86% Cacao

6.5/10

For other food and drink reviews, please visit my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Not The Rip-Off Of The X-Files It Initially Appeared To Be: Why Fringe Succeeded!

The Good: Great long plot arc, Most of the acting, Quirky lines, Most of the characters
The Bad: Anna Torv is not the strongest lead, Some of the bottle episodes are less compelling/requires a lot of trust for the investment
The Basics: With one hundred episodes, Fringe The Complete Series builds up to a conflict between our universe and an alternate and becomes embroiled in plots to save the world from invaders from parallel realities . . . and malicious, future, humans!


I have been starting out 2014 by finishing off some television series’ that were long-running or that had my attention, lost it, and I found again to finish off. One of those shows was Fringe and, to date, it represents the best investment of time and attention for my returning to. Fringe, now available in a compact full series bundle pack, was the fourth major television series J.J. Abrams was affiliated with (though, unlike Felicity, Alias, and Lost, Abrams neither wrote, nor directed a single episode of the series) and it represents one of the few television series’s in recent memory that requires a tremendous amount of patience and attention. Fringe, which initially seemed like a second-rate rip off of The X-Files, takes a long arc and while the five seasons each have fairly distinctive concepts, the entire series is actually one long story. To wit, one of the apparent throwaway episodes in the middle of the first season is not paid off until the last few episodes of season five!

Fringe is a series that is greater than the sum of its parts and works better when one sits down and binges on the hundred episodes, as opposed to meandering through the series with weeks between each episode. Fortunately, the new 20-disc Blu-Ray set allows viewers to do just that. Fringe The Complete Series us basically a compilation set of:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
and Season 5

Fringe opens with a plane setting down, its entire crew killed by a mysterious flesh-eating virus. The multi-organization task force includes the FBI, Homeland Security, CIA and others. One of the investigators is Olivia Dunham, another is her lover from a different intelligence organization, John Scott. While investigating the plane and the virus, Dunham learns that the virus bears a similarity to one created years prior by a scientist who has been institutionalized for seventeen years. Enlisting his next of kin, Peter Bishop, Olivia and Peter spring the apparently insane scientist Walter Bishop. When John Scott is struck down by the virus, Olivia allows Walter to give her an untraditional therapy that allows her to enter his mind.

The cases that follow have Olivia investigating strange biological occurrences and physics anomalies that are forming an intricate pattern of destruction, all of which seems centered around Walter Bishop and his old scientific partner William Bell (and the company that sprouted up after Bishop was institutionalized, Massive Dynamic). Olivia’s history with Walter Bishop is soon revealed as she uncovers a painful truth; Olivia was one of the subjects of Walter’s experiments – in her childhood she was part of a clinical drug trial for a drug called Cortexiphan. Cortexiphan was designed to allow children to develop incredible powers and Olivia’s soon manifests – she can perform limited operations using thought alone and she was trained to be a solider in a war that seems inevitable with an alternate universe. The source of Walter’s social awkwardness is also quickly revealed; he suffered a tremendous loss in his past and to try to save the world from himself, he had part of his brain removed. Walter’s history with the alternate universe is deeply entwined with the alternate universe and his son, Peter, which Olivia slowly uncovers and has to accept as they work intimately together.

Fringe is a clever series in that it tells a story, steeped in consequences of events from long before the series began (which, fortunately, we get to see!). The extensive backstory of Walter, Peter, and Olivia comes together in a compelling way and then develops into a story for a very intense struggle that is very compelling. As Peter and Olivia wrestle with consequences of Walter’s scientific explorations in the past, Walter is tormented by the man he was . . . and an alternate version of himself from another universe whom he wronged years prior. The series is filled with strange creatures (like worms that gestate in people and burst out a la Alien), bizarre medical anomalies (like spontaneous scar tissue forming over people’s eyes and mouth), and physical aberrations (such as a bus’s occupants suddenly being caught in amber, freezing everyone inside in a form of suspended animation) and character drama that have surprising realism to them. The contrast of things like Olivia wrestling with Peter unwittingly developing a relationship with her alternate version plays off the fringe science freak of the week stories well.

To better understand Fringe, it helps to know who the characters are. For the bulk of the series, the principle characters are:

Walter Bishop – A classic mad scientist, he is shaken and socially awkward. Having spent seventeen years in St. Claire’s mental facility, he returns to his Harvard laboratory where he is legally under Peter’s care and assisted by Astrid. He has a brilliant mind, but one that is scattered and leaves him socially awkward. He slowly comes to understand that his experiments on people and (especially) children in the past has immense consequences on both our universe and another universe he invaded years prior,

Olivia Dunham – A by-the-book FBI investigator (her illicit relationship with John Scott notwithstanding), she opens up to extreme possibilities when she sees the evidence of Walter’s work carried on by Massive Dynamic in his absence. She has a sister and niece whom she is very protective of and she develops a relationship with Peter. Horrified to realize that Walter used to experiment on her, she slowly remembers the nature of those experiments and uses them to empower her,

Astrid – She is the straight-laced assistant of Walter who puts up with having to milk his cow and the fact that Walter cannot remember her name. She is a competent agent, but is largely used to question Walter’s theories so he can explain them, but she is an invaluable member of the Fringe team,

Nina Sharp – The power behind Massive Dynamic, she is the only person who knows where the reclusive William Bell has disappeared to. She tries to recruit Olivia and acts as both antagonist and aid to the Fringe Team,

Philip Broyles – The leader of the Fringe Team, he is an FBI bureaucrat who slowly opens to the extreme possibilities under consistent attacks by followers of a document written by William Bell. Trying to stop the terrorist David Robert Jones, Broyles encounters more strange phenomenon that lead him to fight for funding for the Fringe Team,

Charlie Francis – Olivia’s partner at the FBI, he is attacked by one of the creatures the Fringe Team discovers and tries to help Olivia through her loss after John Scott dies (and subsequently appears to Olivia),

and Peter Bishop – A swindler and con man, he faked his way into classes at M.I.T. Found by Olivia in Iraq, he reluctantly comes back to the United States and he holds Walter together. Made a consultant with the FBI, he quickly develops feelings for Olivia and slowly comes to accept that Walter is not the root of all evil. He is shaken when he learns the truth of his past, but makes a conscious choice to live in our universe, even when it causes him to be erased from time.

Amid the main characters are Observers, bald men who have an inhuman understanding of time and space. One of the Observers saved Peter’s life as a child and events now seem to be building to Walter being forced to repay that debt.

The performances in Fringe are, unfortunately, erratic. Anna Torv, who plays Olivia Dunham, is a painfully weak lead for the series. She starts the series stiff and it takes quite a while for her to come into her own. In fact, it is arguably not until the alternate universe version of Olivia is introduced that Torv manages to show off her acting chops. Given a very different way to play the character, Torv slowly warms up to be a decent protagonist.

At the other end of the spectrum are Joshua Jackson and John Noble. Jackson plays Peter and he plays the character wonderfully. Jackson plays a credible con man and he does so with the charisma needed to land the role entirely realistically. Noble is incredible as Walter Bishop. John Noble is funny and able to get through the technobabble expertly. As he plays Walter slowly coming back into reality, John Noble illustrates more depth and talent than almost anyone else working on network television. Noble emotes with his eyes deep sadness that plays perfectly to the character’s sense of remorse for the past. As the series goes on, he is able to play Walternate and his past self with a range that is great.

On DVD and Blu-Ray, Fringe The Complete Series is loaded with bonus features from deleted and extended scenes to featurettes that both illustrate the making of the show and how various elements are tied together over the seasons. The Complete Series Blu-Ray set does not include any exclusives that were not in the prior season sets.

In the end, Fringe is actually the effective embodiment of what J. Michael Straczynski sought to do with Babylon 5 (reviewed here!); it is a novel for television that develops over the course of its hundred episodes to tell a deep, transformative story that puts the characters at the beginning in a completely different place by the end.

For other shows that originally aired on FOX, please check out my reviews of:
Family Guy - Volume 10
Glee - Season Three
House, M.D. - Season 4
Arrested Development
Kitchen Confidential
Wonderfalls
Firefly
The Lone Gunmen
Millennium
Ally McBeal
VR.5
The X-Files
Ned And Stacey - Season 1
Friday The Thirteenth: The Series
The Adventures Of Brisco County Jr.
War Of The Worlds - Season 1

7.5/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Stylish Sprays And . . . What The Hell, 300: Rise Of An Empire Is Just Pointless!

The Good: The film looks good/stylish stunts, Most of the acting is adequate
The Bad: Light on character development, Dull plot
The Basics: In one of the least-necessary sequels of all time, 300: Rise Of An Empire pitches another force of Greeks against the Persian naval forces.


As winter inevitably turns to spring, the first hints of what Summer Blockbuster Season might be like are inevitably teased. This year, the mindless action movies that tend to dominate Summer Blockbuster Season are introduced with the March release of 300: Rise Of An Empire. 300: Rise Of An Empire is the first major sequel of the year to be released and if it is any indication, 2014 will be a poor year for cinematic sequels.

300: Rise Of An Empire is a sequel to the stylish historical fiction graphic novel-turned blockbuster film 300 (reviewed here!) and it is an especially lackluster sequel. Like the worst of dramatic war sequels, 300: Rise Of An Empire starts with a heavy burden; most of the significant characters in 300 cannot return, so the slate is mostly clean for the viewer. That leaves an immense pressure on the writers and director to create new iconic characters and situations while preserving the world of the original film. 300: Rise Of An Empire merely recycles and reformats the familiar, iconic elements of 300 and the result is more transparent than it is audacious. One almost suspects that the moment in 300: Rise Of An Empire where the villainous Artemisia throws a general giving her a bad report, weighted, into the sea comes at virtually the same time in the film as shoving the ambassador into the “bottomless pit” in 300 happened.

So, amid a mildly reframed plot and populated with new characters (though it makes sure to use archive footage that includes Gerard Butler’s Leonidas), 300: Rise Of An Empire once again pits Greeks against Persians in a bloody, stylishly-shot, color-muted, historical fiction war film that is overly familiar. Themistokles crying out that the Persians fear Greek freedom is not exactly as catchy as Gerard Butler’s “We are Spartan!” and such is the lament of 300: Rise Of An Empire: the entire film has a “been there, done that” feel to it.

The Persian King Darius leads ships to Marathon. There, the Athenian general, Themistokles defends Athens and, in a crucial moment, Themistokles manages to cut Darius down with an arrow. Darius turns the empire over to his son, Xerxes and the naval general, Artemisia, tells Xerxes he will be a god-king. Manipulated by Artemisia, Xerxes brings the Persian fleet to bear on Greece. Themistokles works to unite the Greeks against Artemisia’s navy, but finds the Spartans unwilling to join his forces. Routing out a Greek spy, Artemisia prepares to attack the southern portion of Greece.

With a woefully inadequate naval force of Greek ships meeting Artemisia’s thousand ships in the water, the Greek cause is once more imperiled. While Themistokles leads a successful campaign on the first day of naval battle (Artemisia’s fleet loses almost a tenth of its ships), Artemisia learns who her adversary is and demands her generals bring her a naval victory. On the second day of battle, Artemisia’s ambitious general sails into a trap and the Athenians are able to leap off the cliffs onto the boats to bloody the Persians. After meeting Artemisia, Themistokles’s ships are once more besieged by the Persians. Firebombed and hit with arrows and amphibious forces, the Greek forces struggle to survive the relentless attack by Artemisia’s forces. As Persian forces sweep through Athens, Artemisia and Themistokles are put on a collision course with one another.

300: Rise Of An Empire is more about style than substance, but following on the heels of similar films like Immortals (reviewed here!) and the alternate-history Watchmen (reviewed here!), the latest blood-splash war flick seems particularly vacuous. After several war scenes, there is a pointless and rapey sex scene between the hero and villain that serves only to undermine the character of Artemisia. Before trying obvious seduction and violent sex, Artemisia is cool and brutally efficient. While she ends up on top in that scene, she loses both her mystique and the sense that there is something special and impressive about her as a tactician.

So, the movie degenerates quickly out of the thin dialogue, recapping the prior film and attempts at character-building and turns into the predicted bloodbath one expects of a sequel to 300. Having not seen 300 in years, it says something bad about 300: Rise Of An Empire that I recall several of the shots from 300 in its sequel. The dramatic jumping shots, filmed from a low angle, in slow motion, the blades speeding up until the moment they draw blood and then followed by super-slow arterial spray; director Noam Murro seems unwilling to contribute anything truly original to 300: Rise Of An Empire.

The truly bright spot in 300: Rise Of An Empire is Eva Green as the Greek-turned-Persian General Artemisia. Despite the character flaws with Artemisia, Green is solid and menacing in the role. She has the screen presence that the white bread Sullivan Stapleton lacks as Themistokles. Green has presence and posture to make Artemisia draw the eye, so much so that it feels cheap when her character spreads the slit in her skirt to start enticing Themistokles. Green is credible and powerful as Artemisia, though.

Very late in 300: Rise Of An Empire, the film ties tightly into 300, bringing back the villainous hunchback and a handful of others from 300 to lead to a stirring end. There is, on the wind, the threat of another sequel, one which would finally bury the villain of the series. But if 300: Rise Of An Empire taught us anything it is that what happens to Xerxes is somewhat immaterial; the 300 film brand is already tired and trite.

For other fantasy war films, please check out my reviews of:
Hammer Of The Gods
Alice In Wonderland
I, Frankenstein

3/10

For other film reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Weird Looking, But Effective, The Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker!

The Good: They work flawlessly with iPod products, Comparatively inexpensive, Decent sound
The Bad: Looks ridiculous, No volume control on speaker
The Basics: Despite the somewhat silly nature of the Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker, SDI Technologies produces a pretty decent portable speaker for MP3 players!


My mother-in-law does not know me very well; my wife and I got together and when she moved out to be with me, my mother-in-law was left back in Michigan raising the rest of the children she had. Ironically, once my wife and I moved to Michigan, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law moved further West. But for every major holiday, my mother-in-law includes me and she tries to find gifts I’ll like for me. This last year, she picked me up a Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker. While I usually abhor the stylized collectible characters that this represents – it is much like the Mighty Muggs figures from Hasbro (check out my review of the Han Solo Mighty Muggs here!) – the Hulk mini speaker was too cute not to open up and use. My wife and I have been watching a lot of programs on her laptop computer and using the Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker for about a month now and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well it works.

The Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker is a 5” wide by 2 1/2” thick by 3” tall green and purple speaker. The 2” tall by 2 1/2" wide flat speaker face of the Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker has a drawing of the Incredible Hulk with the recognizable eyes, nose and teeth of the character. Atop the speaker is a soft, rubbery head of hair for the Hulk and on the sides are two closed fists (with knuckles and nails molded onto the fists). The feet and green and purple with silkscreened toes on the feet, instead of being molded on. The feet cause the Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker to sit perfectly stable on whatever surface upon which the speaker system is placed.

This speaker system is exceptionally easy to use. The Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker comes with a single mini-USB cord (male end) that connects to the back of the speaker. The cord splits and ends in a traditional portable music headphone jack and a full-sized USB jack. The male end of the iHome speaker is a thin metal jack which fits into the “female” port on computers, MP3 players, portable stereos, portable c.d. players and anything else that used to accept small jack headphones (not like the big-60s and 70s headsets). The male USB end is used to connect the Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker to the computer or other product with a USB port and it allows the unit to be recharged. The cord is 31” long and that is more than enough for the functions my wife and I use the speaker for.

Connecting the audio jack to the computer or whatever system one wants to get sound from is simple. Activating the Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker is equally easy; there is a sliding power button on the back of the unit that turns it on. When the unit is on and there is power, there is a bright white light at the front of the Hulk speaker that is fairly conspicuous. When it is recharging, the light turns red, even if the unit is turned to the “off” position. When the Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker is not connected via the USB power supply to a power source, the mini speaker remains powered and functional for about two and a half hours.

The Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker provides surprisingly good sound for such a small speaker. There is no distortion from the mono-speaker (except when the power is in the process of dying). Usually for such a small speaker, the sound is tinny, but the Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker has remarkably good sound quality. It is not metallic at all and it carries the full range of tones low and high for music, television, and computer games.

The Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker does not have any form of volume control on the unit itself or the cords that connect it to the device from which one is getting the sound. While this is not a huge issue, it does usually deplete the battery on my MP3 player faster to have to turn the screen back on to adjust the volume there, as opposed to being able to do it through the speaker.

That said, the Marvel Hulk iHome Rechargeable Mini Speaker is a fun speaker system for those who want to be able to listen to music and computer-driven programs clearly, but with a clear indication that one is a proud geek. The Hulk is cute and this is a wonderful basic speaker system.

For other i-products, please check out my reviews of:
Apple M9126GA connector
Apple iBud Earphones
iPod Shuffle (4th Generation)

7.5/10

For other electronics products, please visit my Electronics Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Classic Comedy Worth Checking Out: Coming To America Endures!

The Good: Humor, Acting, Characters
The Bad: Very predictable plot structure
The Basics: Coming To America is a distinctly American comedy film that goes a long way to proving that Eddie Murphy has genuine talent as a comedic actor!


There are any number of actors who have IMDB pages that they should be embarrassed by; actors who clearly did projects that were to make a paycheck long after whatever talent initially got them recognized had caused them to fall out of favor in the collective conscious. Eddie Murphy no longer is a box office draw the way he was in the 1980s, but he has a history of taking risks with some of his film choices. One of the big films that illustrated Murphy’s talents as an actor – beyond simple sketch comedy characters – was Coming To America.

While it might be commonplace now in Eddie Murphy films (and arguably, its overuse is one of the reasons his films have fallen out of favor with audiences), Coming To America features Eddie Murphy in multiple roles using prosthetics and entirely different voices/demeanors. In addition to playing the protagonist, Prince Akeem, Eddie Murphy plays three background characters, most of whom are cleverly disguised through wigs, costumes and Murphy acting with his voice. In many ways, Coming To America is a collaborative work for Murphy as co-star Arsenio Hall plays four roles as well, the most recognizable of which is Akeem’s best friend and right hand man, Semmi. Murphy and Hall give impressive performances throughout Coming To America and are arguably the reason the sometimes predictable comedy has endured as an American classic for the past twenty-five years.

Prince Akeem is a pampered member of the royal family of Zamunda who, on his 21rst birthday, is introduced to the woman he is betrothed to. Sensitive and kind (and much more progressive than his father, the king Jaffe Joffer), Akeem tries to draw out his bride to be, but discovers that she has been raised and trained only to be thoroughly agreeable and desirable to him. Rejecting tradition, Akeem decides to go to Queens (New York) to find a woman who he might actually love and who might love him for his personality instead of being promised to him.

With his faithful friend and sparring partner Semmi, Akeem goes to Queens. There he allows the New Yorkers to steal most of his possessions as he assumes the mantle of a common man. At a beauty contest, he sees Lisa (who is not a contestant) and meets her father, Cleo McDowell. Cleo runs a fast food restaurant based off of, but competing with, McDonald’s and he gives Akeem a job there. While working doing menial labor at McDowell’s, Akeem watches how Lisa is treated by her boyfriend, Darryl. Trying to keep up the cover of a pauper, Akeem is thrilled that Lisa gets to know and appreciate him as a man, as opposed to a prince, even as Semmi rejects the approach which forces him to work below his station.

Coming To America is both hilarious and smart. For those who grew up in the 1990s or since, the image of the angry, gangster black American man has become the cultural image that those of us who grew up from the 1960s to 80s are pretty uncomfortable with; Coming To America features characters who are enlightened, articulate, and sensitive. Yes, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, and writers David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein singlehandedly destroy the image and hype of the gangster image in Coming To America. Prince Akeem is smart, sensitive and anything but the misogynist that rap culture tries to perpetrate black people as.

The performances in Coming To America are homogenously good. Eddie Murphy is funny and the topical humor – New Yorkers constantly yelling “fuck you!” on the street – is perfect embodiment of the times.

Despite having a very predictable and familiar plot - Coming To America is just about a man who wants to be loved for who he is, who finds and falls for pretty much the first available, smart, beautiful woman who shows him affection for something other than his title – the film is smart, funny and endures very well. The performances and lines make the movie; the characters are charming or, appropriately, menacing and it’s fun to see people like Samuel L. Jackson pop up in early cameo roles. Ultimately, Coming To America leaves very little to be said about it; the simple story is kept fresh by wonderful lines and acting that make it an enduring, worthwhile, movie.

For other works with prominent black actors from Coming To America, please visit my reviews of:
The West Wing (John Amos)
A Family Thing (James Earl Jones)
Igor (Arsenio Hall)

7.5/10

For other film reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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