The Best Film Scenes of 2018

2018 was a massive year for film, giving us everything from crowd-pleasing blockbusters to revolutionary new horror to excellent indie work. But, this isn't a list about films, this is a list about great scenes from films, some good and some bad. Naturally, since many of these scenes are often crucial to the plot, be warned that there are spoilers abound.

15. "Upbeat Inspirational Song About Life" - Teen Titans Go! To the Movies

Remember how dreaded this film was upon announcement, and it turned out to be one of most vibrant and silly films of the year? A great showcase of ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies'' eager-to-please enthusiasm is ''Upbeat Inspirational Song About Life'', a song simply about trying to feel happy when you're feeling down, clearly meant to satirize the usual songs that populate kids movies such as these as the Titans are transformed into cutesy versions of themselves and accompanied by a singing tiger voiced by Micheal Bolton. It's hilarious, colorful, and accompanied by one of the darkest jokes of the year, as the distracted heroes accidentally run over the singer and resolve to simply, as Cyborg puts it, "Run! I think his dad's a cop!"

14. "The Shining" - Ready Player One

While ''Ready Player One'' proved to be a fun, if largely forgettable, nostalgia romp, the sheer depth of pop culture the film proved willing to pull from was often a nice surprise, with the highlight easily being the second Key challenge, which traps our heroes in a pitch-perfect recreation of ''The Shining'', which looks as though it was ripped straight from the 80s. The film's smartest trick is putting the audience focus on Aech, the one character who hasn't seen the film and is left stumbling through iconic scene after iconic scene, culminating with them riding a wave of blood directly into the bathroom, where he is nearly killed by the woman in the tub. Even when the scene loses it's initial idea, transitioning back to it's adventure movie DNA, it never quite loses the charm that makes it such a stand-out.

13. "Surly Joe" - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Disarmed, scrappy antihero Buster Scruggs has improvised a table plank to murder feared outlaw Curly Joe, shocking an entire saloon to silence. So what does he do? Strike up a song, of course. "Surly Joe" is a catchy, toe-tapping tune, and Tim Blake Nelson sings it with such a triumphant aplomb you almost forget the eponymous cowboy is lying dead on the floor as his brother weeps over his corpse. Not only does it match the tone of the story, which is easily the highlight of the film. but it matches the uncertain nature of the character. Is it a song about a well-meaning gunslinger bringing down an uncouth baddie, or a sociopath bragging about his victory? That, viewer, is up to you.

12. "White Power/Black Power" - BlacKKKlansman

The greatest weakness and strength of Spike Lee is his unabashed lack of subtlety, preferring to hit you over the head with the message to ensure you truly get it, and no scene puts that on display quite like the intercutting of scenes in his strongest film in years, BlacKKKlansman. The scene cuts between a horrifying recount of the lynching of Jesse Washington, delivered with chilling gravitas and stoicism by Harry Belafonte, and that of newly initiated Klansmen watching DW Griffith's ''The Birth of a Nation'', practically cackling to themselves, culminating with both sides chanting, almost in unison, support for white/black power, leaving audiences with the message that no matter how the discourse portrays it, these sides are not the same.

11. "Watching the Sunset" - Christopher Robin

Anyone that grew up with Winnie the Pooh will certainly find ''Christopher Robin'', a movie about the bittersweet adventure of growing up and losing the innocence you once had, something that tugs at the heartstrings, and it's helped by the performance of Ewan McGregor, who plays the grown up Christopher as an uptight skeptic who slowly regains his sense of joy, culminating when he and his childhood best friend Pooh sit down on a log after finding the other inhabitants of Hundred Acre Wood. In a matter of seconds, years of lost childhood, disappointment, and frustration boil to the surface and Christopher breaks down, hugging the bear and quietly crying. McGregor plays it masterfully, catching the audience off-guard with the emotion of it all as the scene, wisely, cuts away to the next morning, where he, and hopefully the audience, have regained composure, ready to return to adulthood.

10. "Bear in the House" - Annihilation

Annihilation deserves credit for being a satisfying, out of the box science fiction/horror hybrid, alongside introducing a new horror icon: the mutated cow/bear monster that can imitate the voices of it's victims, which represents the closest thing the film has to an antagonist. The beast's pursuit of the protagonists climaxes at the worst possible moment, as all of the research team have been tied up by a paranoid Anya, who is lured away by the scream of her friend, the bear's first target, and brutally mauled. A masterpiece of tension ensues as the bear circles the helpless team, emulating their friends's cries in an attempt to get a reaction, before finally exploding into a desperate scrap for survival that leaves the characters (and audience) totally breathless.

9. "The Brothel Raid" - You Were Never Really Here

Lynne Ramsay's directorial follow-up to ''We Need to Talk About Kevin'' lacked the emotion and character work that made the first film so effective, but almost makes up for it in style, specifically with a scene so ingenious, it's surprising that it's never been done before. Framed only through CCTV cameras, we watch as Joaquin Pheonix's Joe, a gun for hire who specializes in rescuing kidnapped girls, fights his way through a child brothel, killing guards and patrons alike to reach the daughter of a state senator.

The raid is quick, brutal, and entirely silent, the only sound being the usage of "Angel Baby" juxtaposed over scenes of him savagely bashing people with a hammer. When it's over, you don't feel satisfied, but simply uneasy, as though you witnessed something you weren't supposed to. And, given what happens to everyone else aware of these crimes, that feels intentional.

8. "The "Seduction" of Mandy" - Mandy

The end of the first act of ''Mandy'' is a grim one as we witness the idyllic existence of the titular character and her boyfriend Red come crashing down around them, with Red tied-up outside of his own home while a drugged and bound Mandy is left in the clutches of Jeremiah Sands, a charismatic, short-tempered cult leader. As he plays her his music and the drugs make the scene an odd mix of both dreamlike and uncomfortable, we can all see where it's going: he'll seduce the poor girl, take her as a bride, and leave Red to go on a violent spree to get her back.

The twist comes from the sudden swerve as Mandy, confronted with the now nude Sands, simply laughs, at first a giggle that evolves into something much more spiteful, leaving Sands to show his true colors as an enraged, shrieking manchild. While it presumably plays a hand in what comes next, her brutal death by burning in front of a helpless Red, it's such a satisfying moment to witness an apparent damsel in distress instead flummox and prevail over her captor in a moral victory.

7. "Live Aid" - Bohemian Rhapsody

While Bohemian Rhapsody was a letdown for some, it's impossible to deny how simply electrifying the film's final scene, a recreation of Queen's 1985 performance at Live Aid, was. Entirely dialogue-free, the camera focuses entirely on Rami Malek's pitch-perfect Freddie Mercury as he moves across the stage, a fireball of charisma and passion, performing each iconic song as the audience sings along, with the sound mixing around you to make you feel like you're truly there. While the film may slog through the cliches of any rock biopic, the ending makes it feel truly epic in a way few music films do.

6. "The Shallows" - A Star Is Born

It may sound like a cliche and a lame pun, but Lady Gaga's performance of the "The Shallows" is truly watching the birth of a movie star. Dragged on stage by boyfriend Jackson Maine, we watch as she slowly overcomes anxiety and stagefright to finally sing her out, her voice rising in confidence as the song escalates before crashing into a duet with Bradley Cooper. It's a scene that perfectly captures the showstopping glamour of the music star life, and the ensuing tragedy can't distract from how incredibly triumphant that scene is.

5. "Killmonger's Spirit Trip" - Black Panther

Killmonger was one of the best film villains in recent memory not just because of his interesting motivations or even Micheal B Jordan's towering performance, but because of the effort that went into making a would-be dictator a tragic figure, a simple child who witnessed the murder of his revolutionary father and grew to hate the world that took him away.

The scene that best exemplifies this is Erik's spirit trip after his ascension to the throne, where rather than traveling to the astral plane, he journeys to his childhood home in Oakland and sees the spirit of his father. It's riveting, powerful work from both Jordan and Sterling K. Brown, who tugs at the heartstrings with a simple line of, "No tears for me, then?", a simple question that's both one of concern and a reflection on the monster that he has created, making one wonder just what might have been if things had been different.

4. "The Car Accident" - Hereditary

This was a year of great sounds in films, from the snap of a finger to the shred of a guitar, but no sound has left an effect on me quite like the sickening clunk of young Charlie's head impacting a lightpost as her brother tries to get her to the hospital. It's a brutal, shocking moment that leaves Alex Wolff's Peter sitting silently, unable to speak or even look at his sister's body, for an unbearably long amount of time, and you can feel any semblance of normality the film would've had drop away the moment he silently drives away from the scene.

3. "The Bathroom Fight" - Mission Impossible: Fallout

Every action scene in ''Fallout'' deserves praise and could've easily taken this spot, but the bathroom fight is the most impressive for going small in scale and still feeling like an absolutely brutal life-or-death struggle. As agents Ethan Hunt and August Walker attempt to capture the mysterious John Lark before an arms deal can occur, Lark proves to be a dangerous combatant up-close, and the two-on-one fight that ensues is exhilarating and excellently choreographed, with all three fighters having their own style, from Lark's agility to Hunt's scrappiness to Walker's lumbering power. It's a fight where the punches hurt and you're genuinely unsure if everyone will come out of it alive, until the surprise reappearance of Ilsa Faust turns the tide in a dramatic fashion.

2. "The Party Scene" - Sorry to Bother You

''Sorry to Bother You'' is a lot of things, a hyperstylized mashing of genres that dares you to put a label on it knowing you can't, and the film's energy is perfectly captured in it's party scene, where Cassius Green, having finally worked his way up the corporate ladder, is invited to a party at billionaire Steve Lift's (played with a perfect mix of sleaze and friendly charm) house. What ensues is an employee's worst nightmare, as Cassius, one of the only black men at the party, is used as amusement by the obnoxious guests, forced to perform a rap in a moment of painful cringe comedy that turns into outright shock humor before being invited into a private meeting with Lift that diverges into almost surreal horror. The entire film is rapidly turned on it's head, and leaves you wondering, to quote several audience members at my screenings, "What the fuck is this movie?"

Honorable Mentions:

*"Goodbye." - Upgrade

*"The Trench" - Aquaman

*"The Forest Fire" - Roma 

*"Toller Meets Micheal" - First Reformed 

*"X-Force's First Mission" - Deadpool 2

1. "The Snap" - Avengers: Infinity War

It was a moment that simply wasn't supposed to happen. The good guys lost and the bad guy won, as Thanos assembled the Infinity Gauntlet and snapped his fingers, wiping out half of all life in the universe. But rather than make it instant, the audience gets to watch as hero after hero succumbs to ash, from Bucky Barnes to Groot to Black Panther, before we finally watch as Peter Parker, whose Spider-Sense warns him of his own death, dies panicking and pleading in his mentor Tony Stark's arms, a final devastating kick to the gut in the film's final moments. While it's unlikely to stick, it's no less powerful, and it leaves any viewer who thought they knew how things would go totally blindsided and endlessly speculating about where we can even go from here.

The Surprising Inspiration for Infinity War

Like most Marvel films, Avengers: Infinity War takes inspiration from a wide variety of sources, most notable Jim Starlin and George Perez's The Infinity Gauntlet and Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung, Jerome Opena, and Dustin Weaver's Infinity. But what if I told you that there's a secret third inspiration that very few people are talking about? That's right, folks, I'm talking about 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which is one of the worst videogame films ever made. 

Don't lie, the theme is already playing in your head. 

"But Ryan", you say, confused, "Annihilation was a critically panned flop. How could the directors of one of the biggest movies of all time take inspiration from it?" Let's run down the plot of these two films. 

Both Infinity War and Annihilation take place immediately after the end of a previous film in the franchise, both of which ended with the villain arriving ominously. (For Infinity War, it's Thor: Ragnarok, and for Annihilation, it's the first Mortal Kombat.) For extra points, they even cast shadows over the celebrating heroes. 

Both films open with a losing battle and the death of a beloved major character at the hands of the villain, with Thanos killing Loki and Shao Kahn killing Johnny Cage. This defeat kickstarts the plot to make clear that things are dire and the scattered heroes are going to need to come together if they want to prevail. 

Both films then split into three subplots: a thunder god soulsearches to find true power (Thor/Raiden), a franchise icon (Iron Man/Liu Kang, Spider-Man/Kitana) teams up with a mystic weirdo (Dr. Strange/Nightwolf), a new guy they were unaware of (the Guardians of the Galaxy/Sub-Zero), and an untrustworthy femme fatale (Nebula/Jade), while a combat veteran (Steve Rogers/Sonya Blade) puts together their own team, including a cybernetic black soldier (Rhodey/Jax), to fight several of the big bad's minions, including a weirdo telepath (Ebony Maw/Ermac), a lightning quick cyborg (Corvus Glaive/Cyrax), and an evil daughter of the big bad brought down after an intense duel in a pit (Proxima Midnight/Mileena). 

And I mean intense. 

Both films also have a small subplot about the adopted daughter of the villains, who are taken captive by their "fathers" early on in the story after their loved one failed to save them. (Gamora/Kitana, with the respective loved ones being Star-Lord and Liu Kang.) For even more extra points: in their final moments, the mystic weirdo gives cryptic advice to the hero before vanishing from the story. ("It's the endgame now."/"Feel your Animality!") 

Both films ultimately end with these ragtag heroes coming back together for a final battle in a ruined city (Titan/The Elder Gods temple), in which one team prevails over the generals (the Battle of Wakanda/Sonya and crew versus Sindel, Ermac, and Motaro) while the franchise hero battles the villain in single combat. (Thanos vs Tony/Shao Kahn vs Liu Kang) In both these cases, these heroes prove ineffective, leaving a mere cut, and all seems lost. 

That is, until divine intervention truly brings the villain down. (Thor attacking Thanos with Stormbreaker/The Elder Gods declaring that the conflict must be settled with Mortal Kombat) And this, of course, is where it diverges. In Infinity War, Thanos survives the final fight and uses his power to kill half the universe, while Shao Kahn is ultimately defeated by Liu Kang in Annihilation. 

The real divergence is the performance of both films. Infinity War was a critical success and a commercial smash, while Annihilation was...neither of those things. But ultimately, we shouldn't ignore the clear influences that Annihilation has had upon the culmination of the MCU, and we can even use it to predict the future of the franchise. If Marvel movies go the way of Mortal Kombat, we should expect Avengers 4 to get cancelled (uh oh), leading to a series of increasingly mediocre entries in the franchise (uh oh), culminating with the bankruptcy of Marvel Studios (triple uh) and the rights going to...

UH OH.

Review: Thanos Annual

As we all know by this point, I adore Donny Cates's Thanos run, so I naturally sprung to get the Annual when I discovered we'd be getting a variety of stories from various writers familiar with the character, much like Action Comics #1000, except each story was focused on Thanos's cruelty rather than Superman's kindness. So, once more, I dove into the stories, gave individual takes, and ranked each one.

"Titan's Greatest Dad" 

Written by: Donny Cates 

Art by: Geoff Shaw, Antonio Fabela 

"Titan's Greatest Dad" is narrated by Cosmic Ghost Rider, the overall host of the annual, and focuses on the upbringing of Gamora, something that Cates's never really touched upon in his run. On top of very pretty art by Shaw, it's incredibly dark, with an excellent twist that showcases the depths of Thanos's cruelty and commitment to said cruelty. It's a strong start, if somewhat brief. 

"What To Get From The Man Who Has Everything" 

Written by: Christopher Hastings 

Art by: Flaviano, Fedrico Blee

Hasting's contribution to the anthology was an incredibly dark comedy focused on David, a young man who is tormented by Thanos on his birthday. Flaviano's art is cartoonish enough to sell the comedy, on top of pulling off an intimidating, if exaggerated, Thanos. I'm beginning to suspect all of these will be brief, but this one uses the lack of space most effectively to pull off some really great gags. 

"Exhibition"

Written by: Kieron Gillen

Art by: Andre Araujo, Chris O'Hallorahan 

Each of these stories feels like a different aspect of Thanos's villainy, and Exhibition is all about his unshakable love for Lady Death. Araujo's art is the real stand-out, capturing a lot of what I liked about classic Frank Quitely while also coming off as more colorful and larger in scale. Gillen's Thanos is every bit as cruel as Cates's, but comes off as more emotional, with a surprise appearance by the wicked Mephisto balancing him out. 

"My Little Hands" 

Written by: Katie Cook

Art by: Heather Breckle 

"Little Hands" reminded me a lot of I Hate Fairyland, largely because of the dissonance between the cutesy art and the incredibly brutal tone. It involves Thanos being trapped on a world of adorable puffballs that worship a heart at the center of the Earth, and takes a real drastic turn. This one is arguably the only story where Thanos isn't entirely at fault, making it all the funnier. Of course, the real stand-out is Breckle's art, which infuses the story with a Sunday paper comic strip feel a la Calvin and Hobbes. Short, but immensely sweet. 

"That Time Thanos Helped An Old Lady Cross the Street"

Written by: Ryan North

Art by: Will Robson and Rachelle Rosenberg 

For someone who ]traditionally portrays Thanos as a punching bag in his run on Squirrel Girl, Ryan North perfectly nails the more deceptive and tactical aspect of Thanos. The entire story is merely a polite and jovial Thanos helping a friendly old woman cross the street, but the reveal of his motives makes it one of the petty and evil things he's ever done. To quote North's Galactus, "What a tool."

"The Comfort of the Good" 

Written by: Al Ewing 

Art by: Frazier Irving

Probably the least comedic of the stories, "Comfort of the Good" is all about Thanos's cruelty and the effect it has on others. It's helped by Irving's art, which is expressive but also alien, truly feeling like an entirely hostile story to the readers. It also ends with a typical Ewing contemplation of the afterlife and how our behavior is sculpted by it, and how the mere presence of a rival god can throw your entire belief system into question. 

Ultimately, I really dug this annual, and I don't think there's a single weak story in the bunch. It's a strong ending to an excellent run, and it even ends with an exciting cliffhanger for the upcoming Cosmic Ghost Rider miniseries. If you've loved this run, or even just want some great Thanos stories, grab this. 

Ranking: 

*That Time Thanos Helped An Old Lady Cross the Street

*My Little Hands

*What To Get From The Man Who Has Everything

*Exhibition

*The Comfort of the Good

*Titan's Greatest Dad

Why Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Is Underrated

When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 came out, it did very well financially, but got a sort of mixed response critically. They liked it, generally, but there was lots of complaint about how the film wasn't as fresh as it's predecessor and how it had too much going on visually. While I think there are merits to these arguments, I feel like it's led to the film being ignored in favor of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok, both of which came out the same year to much more praise. In my mind, Guardians 2 is a bold, moving film, and a recent rewatch confirmed a lot of those feelings for me. 

The biggest factor for me, which was a general turn-off for audiences, was that it's truly James Gunn's films. Every line, every character beat, every scene feels exactly like what he wanted it to be, creating a sense of unity that a lot of the more "by committee" Marvel films tend to have. It feels personal in a way no MCU film ever really is, investing the audience in the characters more. 

In terms of emotional investment, I think this one's hard to top. Traditionally, MCU films always up the stakes, leaving little room for the characters to grow emotionally, but Guardians 2 focuses really heavily on the team as a whole. Sure, Peter's father issues comes first, but there's also Gamora's relationship with Nebula, Drax mourning his wife and child, and Rocket trying to drive everyone away. By the end of the film, these issues are dealt with in a satisfying fashion, and we're left feeling like the Guardians have truly become the family none of them ever got to have. Fittingly, it ends with the funeral of Yondu, who established himself as a surrogate father and lovable antihero just in time to die, leaving a solid chunk of the audience in tears as Cat Stevens plays us out. 

And I know/that I have to go away...

And the death of Yondu flies in the face of a frequent criticism of Marvel films: they don't take risks. By the end of this film, a major supporting character has given his life to save his adopted son, and it has real impact in a way the rest of the MCU didn't. This is on top of not one, but three, entertaining villains and a legitimately important lesson of "No matter how you are, there are always people who will love you." 

At the end of the day, Guardians 2 isn't the best MCU film, but it's arguably the bravest and most uncompromising we've seen from the franchise thus far, meaning it definitely deserves a second look from a lot of skeptics. 

Review: Action Comics #1000

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Superman. He's pretty much my favorite DC character, and he's often a character that writers botch. So when DC decides to celebrate his 80th birthday by putting out a special 80-page 1000th issue of Action Comics, I knew I had to jump at the chance and buy it, just to see who would be telling the stories within. So, 2 hours later, here's my review (and ranking) of each story.m

"From The City That Has Everything" 

Writer: Dan Jurgens 

Artist: Norm Rampund 

#1000 starts with a story by the current writer of Action, Dan Jurgens, and it's probably the most standard fare of any of the books. The basic gist of the story is that the city of Metropolis decides to honor Superman by throwing an event where people can speak about what Superman means to them. Clark's reluctant to attend, but he does stay to witness all the people who's lives he's changed, Rampund's art does an effective job at drawing Clark and his family, with one really excellent splash panel at the end showcasing wider talent with a variety of characters, but the real stand-out is Jurgens. As the man whose been writing Superman for the better part of 30 years, he totally nails the voice of the character and what he means to a people as a whole, even if some dialogue is a bit clunky from time-to-time. 

"Neverending Battle" 

Writer: Peter Tomasi 

Artist: Patrick Gleason 

Of all the stories, this one easily feels the most like a love letter, so naturally it's written by the regular writer of the Superman comics, Peter Tomasi. This story involves Superman trapped by Vandal Savage and flung through time, so we get to see the various eras of Superman, from the Golden Age to the gritty future of Kingdom Come. Tomasi plays up Clark's inability to give up and uses the different eras to showcase how important that is to him as a trait, with Gleason's absolutely stunning art portraying the various eras. So far, two for two. 

"An Enemy Within" 

Writer: Marv Wolfman (Based off a story by Cindy Goff)

Artist: Curt Swan

The next story was an apparent remake or retelling of a Silver Age Superman story drawn by the late, great Curt Swan, whose famously regarded as the Silver Age Superman artist. It's fairly brief, focusing on a hostage situation in Metropolis which Superman is too busy to deal with. If every story is a celebration of a different part of Superman, "Enemy Within" is an ode to his faith in humanity to do what's right. That above all steers Superman's role as a hero, and to see it play out in a fairly brief story was touching. 

"The Game" 

Writers: Neal Adams, Paul Levitz

Artist: Paul Levitz

"The Game" is a story about a game of chess between Superman and Lex Luthor, and while Adams and Levitz do a good job with their voices, it feels fairly rushed. In a matter of panels, the game is over and Luthor springs a largely ineffective trap, then the story is over. While it's a strong showcase of the characters, I feel like this one would've worked better if it was longer, and perhaps drawn by a slightly less messy artist. 

"The Car" 

Writer: Geoff Johns and Richard Donner

Artist: Oliver Coipel

"The Car" is all about the driver of the car that Superman destroyed in the iconic cover of his first appearance in Action Comics, and like most things written by Geoff Johns, it's not very subtle, but it's still got that perfect Christopher Reeves-era voice that Johns (with the help of Superman I/II director  Richard Donner) tends to give him. Coipel's art evokes the Golden Age without ever straight-up aping it, coming off as extra expressive and easy to follow. This story plays into the Siegel/Shiuster era of Superman's faith in all men and more rebellious stances. Golden Age Superman was a champion of the downtrodden, and his conversation with Butch, the driver of the car, hints towards that. 

"The Fifth Season"

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Rafael Albuquerque

Between this and "The Game", this one was easily the stronger Superman/Lex Luthor story. Dealing with Superman tracking down Lex Luthor to the Smallville Planetarium, it reads most like a bittersweet take on their rivalry. These men were friends once, and to some degree, that affection is still there. Albuquerque's art doesn't always nail the expressions of the character, but there's still some very pretty moments throughout the comic, especially whenever the characters witness their local planetarium. It's about the same length of "The Game", but it tells so much more. 

"Of Tomorrow" 

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Clay Mann

"Of Tomorrow" is clearly a Tom King story, because it's easily the saddest, but it's also a showcase of King's strength of applying deeply personal themes to larger-than-life characters. In this case, it's dealing with the death of your parents, and how to move on from that. Of course, the Kents have been dead for centuries at the point of this story, but it's clear that Superman still loves and cherishes them from the fact that he still visits their grave every year. In a lot of ways, the Kents are one of the most important parts of Superman's backstory, giving him the ideals he lives by and fights for, and it's a sweet send-off to characters that many writers tend to ignore. 

"Five Minutes" 

Writer: Louise Simonson

Artist: Jerry Ordway 

"Five Minutes" is written by Louise Simonson with art by Ordway, whose up there with Jurgens or Johns as an iconic writer of the character, and it details Superman stopping a series of accidents with five minutes until he has a deadline on story. As the era of Superman I'm mostly familiar with, it was a blast of nostalgia to see Clark interacting with characters like Perry White or Bibbo Bibbowski. Of all the stories, this one benefits the most from a lack of length, and I almost expected it to end with the classic "wink at the camera" many Superman stories like this do. 

"Actionland" 

Writer: Paul Dini

Artist: Jose-Luis Garcia Lopez

"Actionland" has all the trademarks of a Paul Dini story: fun visuals, beautifully drawn people (thanks Lopez), and a total encapsulation of Superman's history, rogues, and the role he plays in his villians's lives. As a story about the apparent final battle of Superman and reality-warper Mr. Mxyzptlk, a villain whose a particular favorite of Dini's, it's sweet, simple, and like all of Dini's contributions to DC: fun. 

"Faster Than A Speeding Bullet"

Writer: Brad Meltzer

Artist: John Cassady 

"Speeding Bullet" is a Superman ending a hostage crisis in a matter of seconds, and while there's a few good moments in it, it felt a bit like a retread, while Cassady's art felt somewhat stiff. Which is a shame, because I adore his work on things like Planetary, where he was given a chance to flex some creative muscles. Here? It's mostly just Superman. 

"The Truth" 

Writer: Brian Micheal Bendis 

Artist: Jim Lee

Of all the stories in this collection, it's this one that's probably the most important, as Brian Micheal Bendis will be taking over as the writer of Superman. You can tell DC wanted this to be a big deal, because a) it's at the very end and b) is drawn by superstar Jim Lee, who does good, if not super compelling, work here. Ultimately, this story struggled because it feels like a regular Superman comic got pushed into the middle of this celebration of the character. Bendis doesn't play Superman as quippy. but ultimately I'm worried that his run will be playing to Bendis's weaknesses, namely his love of bombastic, cosmic-level threats to established characters. 

As a fan of Alias and Daredevil, I can tell you that Bendis works best when he's telling deeply personal stories about established villains like the Kingpin or the Purple Man, while his more traditional works often shoehorn in boring villains to fit the larger scales of the stories. Rogol Zaar, the new villain, has an interesting design but unclear motives. Maybe I'll be wrong, but Bendis's track record suggests that his run may be off to a bumpy start. 

Conclusion

Ultimately, #1000 is a solid variety of stories all about the various elements of what make Superman such an icon, and even though it dips from time-to-time and lacks well-known voices like Grant Morrison, it's still a really good read for any fans of the character.

Rankings

Neverending Battle

The Fifth Season

The Car

Five Minutes

Of Tomorrow

Actionland

An Enemy Within

From the City That Has Everything

The Game

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

The Truth

Review: "A Quiet Place" Is A Solid Horror Debut

A Quiet Place is the third film from John Krasinski, and easily his most ambitious. A sci-fi horror film largely devoid of dialogue and reliant on natural sounds and tension, it had every chance to fail, but instead lands as a mostly solid horror flick with a strong emphasis on family and survival.

The film's cast is largely minimal, consisting of only four major characters: Lee (John Krasinski), Evelyn (Emily Blunt), Marcus (Christopher Jupe), and Regan (Millicent Simmonds). As such, the film would likely fail if any one of these performances was weak, making it a nice surprise that each member of the cast is fairly strong.

Krasinski and Blunt, as a real-life couple, have a natural chemistry, really selling themselves as both a couple and as parents. Krasinki carries himself with a gruff exterior, with his usage of ASL coming off as to the point, while Blunt is much loving and affectionate in her delivery. Simmonds handles a role that could've been irritating with aplomb, selling adolescent frustration and guilt with a sensitivity. Jupe is probably the weakest link, but it's largely because his character is rarely anything other than frightened in his scenes. Of the four, Krasinski is easily the strongest, using the lack of dialogue to convey so much emotion through body language and facial expressions. Desperate, angry, joyful, he pulls it all off without really trying.

The film handles it's setting, a world ravaged following an invasion by creatures that prey on sound, fairly well, focusing largely on allowing the audience to learn details through things like newspaper clippings or writing in notebooks. The film is fairly tightly-plotted, with set-up elements paying off throughout the film and building towards a satisfying climax, but it struggles like many horror films do with characters making dumb decisions. The biggest victim of this is Lee, the supposedly grizzled survivor, who, in the film's third act, makes a series of inexplicably dumb decisions in rapid succession with no real explanation as to why beyond that the plot needed to progress in this fashion.

Where the film truly surprises is selling the relationships between the various family members. These characters feel like a real family, and you want them to survive this tense situation. Several interactions carried real emotional weight, and I actually found myself with a lump in my throat at a few points.

The film never really pushes the limit in terms of shot designs or framing, but it never feels overly chaotic either. There are several moments where I wished Krasinski had pushed the envelope more, largely in terms of the film's reliance on jump scares in the first half over the long sequences of creeping tension where it really excelled. The scares felt especially forced, especially since the film used silence so well that pretty much any noise came as a jolt.

Another point of annoyance was the lack of originality behind the monster's designs. The monsters looked like a larger, slimier mix of the Demigorgon from Stranger Things and the monster from Cloverfield (which plays into the possible Cloverfield connection that was nearly forced on us). This was more of a personal gripe, but in an era where directors like Guillermo Del Toro can create visually stunning monsters for the same amount of money, it's something of a letdown.

Ultimately, A Quiet Place has it's flaws, but it's short runtime and excellent cast really prevent the film from ever overstaying it's welcome. It's inventive, scary, and leaves you with just enough questions that you'll find yourself thinking about long after the credits have rolled.

"Thanos Wins" Comes to A Satisfying Conclusion

A couple weeks back, I wrote about Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw's run on Thanos, which is probably the best book of their respective careers and the strongest Marvel Cosmic book since the end of Abnett and Lanning's run on Guardians of the Galaxy. So I had fairly lofty expectations going into the final issue of the "Thanos Wins" story. And, naturally, they were met exceptionally well. 

#18 of Thanos's run opens with the two Thanos's victorious, having slain their foe, and now are apparently the last two beings in the entire universe. With their beloved Lady Death standing before them, the duo come to the realization that in order for them to be with Death, one of them must die. 

What ensues is a nearly issue-long fight scene, with almost no dialogue save for the opening narration, between the two Thanos's (Thanii? Thaneese?) as they engage in one final, knock-down, drag-out fight. Unlike the numerous other fights throughout the run, this one lacks the over-the-top visuals, which should've crippled it, but Shaw gives the fight an intensely personal feel. Every blow feels so visceral, it's hard not to wince at some of the more brutal hits. The entire fight feels resigned, destined to happen whether the two wanted it or not. 

These spills out into the narration as well, as Cates brings Thanos's arc full-circle. A frequent criticism of the series was that it lacked the character development most takes on the character had given him, but this issue makes it clear that the comic is all about Thanos's personal struggle, not just with the universe as a whole, but with himself. The final fight takes it to the literal extreme, but it ends on a poignant note for the character, who admits a seething self-hatred for himself that will hopefully be picked up on in Infinity Countdown, a Marvel Cosmic event that Cates ends the issue urging people to read if they want more of the Mad Titan.

Thanos was fairly brief, but it's such promising work from both Cates and Shaw they they've quickly become creators I'll read anything from. It's funny, creative, tragic, and most of all, fun. With one more Annual, where the Cosmic Ghost Rider narrates some of Thanos's most notable adventures, to go, there should be no reason why you aren't reading this. In fact, there's no reason why you haven't pre-ordered the upcoming Cosmic Ghost Rider book too, while you're at it. 

Who (Or What) Is the Upcoming Threat In Legion?

Legion's second episode certainly put a lot of my uncertainty about the first to rest, but it also raised a few more questions. Namely, who (or what) is coming that could be such a threat that David needs to actively assist the parasite that's been dead-set on ruining his life? 

For those who don't quite understand the question, please watch the show, because there's going to be some spoilers and it's also very good. 

Basically, we discovered at the end of last week's season premiere that the mysterious orb that took David was built by Syd and, if a musing by Cary in this week is anything to go by, Cary in some not-too-distant future. In the orb, Syd wordlessly explained to David that he needs to help the Shadow King locate his body before dropping him in a nightclub in France. This week, David is able to communicate with Future-Syd in a proper conversation, and she warns that David will kill the Shadow King a week from now (whether that means next episode or further down the line remains to be seen) and it will leave a power vacuum filled by some "thing" that in turn kills David, alongside most of the planet. When David tries to get more answers, Future-Syd severs their communication, leaving him uncertain and eager to seek out the Shadow King for answers. 

As for the greater threat, I'm certain we'll get to the answer of that before the end of this season, but for now I've got a prediction: En Sabah Nur, better known as Apocalypse. 

For those unfamiliar with Apocalypse, he's the first ever mutant in the main timeline of Earth-616 and a frequent foe of the X-Men. Apocalypse is a figure that inspires massive cults of worship wherever he goes, and he's likely the most powerful enemy the X-Men have done battle with. In one particular case, his unchecked rise to power led to the Age of Apocalypse event, which was brought about by David accidentally killing a younger version of his father before he could form the X-Men, leading to a dystopia in which Apocalypse has wiped out most of the human race. 

When the idea of the threat being Apocalypse first came into my mind, it initially stemmed from Syd mentioning that it killed most of the world, David included. Outside of the Pheonix Force (which is likely off limits due to the upcoming Dark Pheonix movie), I can't imagine any other unchecked threat that the show could be playing towards, especially given how heavily the show is tying into the concept of delusions and planting ideas through Jon Hamm's mysterious Narrator. 

A major part of Apocalypse's story is that he believes himself to be a god and mutantkind's greatest hope, regardless of whether his behavior matches his motifs. In fact, a major element of Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force run was whether or not a young reincarnation of Apocalypse could be taught to be benevolent and kind. So, perhaps Hamm's Narrator is actually a major player in the series, his speeches (coupled with the scene of a Shadow King-possessed Oliver teaching a young child false information) foreshadowing the rise of a mutant tyrant who can't be stopped unless someone like the Shadow King is there to stop him. 

It's hard to predict or entirely be sure at this point, but after the utter letdown that was the portrayal of Apocalypse in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, perhaps a take from Noah Hawley, a man famed for writing compelling villains, could give the character the mainstream portrayal he deserves. 

"Legion" is Back, But Is It Just a Fluke?

So, Legion came back, and it was unsurprisingly great, but there was moments where my least favorite aspect of the show's first season reared it's head. That issue, at least for me, was the show's occasional tendency to be weird with no real explanation or payoff and hope that it was visually interesting enough for you not to wonder what the heck that previous stuff was about. It's fun to witness, but often lacks focus and distracts from the real story. My problem with it stems largely from the fear that the show may become more reliant on it's visuals and go the way of, say, Heroes, which climbed thoroughly up it's ass after the first season. 

One of the two biggest perpetrators of this in the first episode was Admiral Fukuyama, the shadowy head of Division 3, who wears a giant basket on his head and communicates through mustachioed women with Alexa voices.

I'm not joking.

It's certainly fascinating to look at and gives scenes with him a weird tension, but is it necessary? Could he have just been a dude in a suit? I'm not one to question Noah Hawley, but I'm also just spitballing here. 

The other major weird bit was the narrator played by Jon Hamm. I love Jon Hamm in everything, to the point that I'll ignore the fact that he might also be playing Mr. Sinister at some point in the future, making this yet another weird plothole within the increasingly tangled and confusing X-Men timeline. 

Crumple this entire timeline up and throw into the sun. 

Throughout the first episode, monologues by Hamm are sprinkled. These speeches cover philosophy and the origin of delusions in comparison to regular ideas, and while the segments they're placed over are very disturbing and fun to watch, they feel somewhat vague. Sure, the delusions speech directly plays into the battle with the Shadow King and sets up the excellent reveal at the end of the episode, but what was the greater point of Chinese thinker Zhuanghazi, beyond perhaps setting up the idea that David is still trapped in the orb or even still stuck at Clockwork Asylum? 

Legion's a good show, arguably the best one Marvel has ever produced, so these are more worries than they are actual criticisms. But, ultimately, these worries stem from fear that Legion is going to end up like True Detective, a show that started brilliantly and went off the rails in it's second season by deciding to go as pretentious as possible. As long as Hawley continues to plot smartly and the cast continues to be excellent, I suspect things will be fine. But hey, just remember that this could go down at any point.