Posted Using INLEO

The golden age of television has brought audiences content they could previously only dream of, but has consequently presented its creators with equally unimaginable challenges. A prime example is Game of Thrones, undoubtedly the most popular TV series of 2010s, whose integration into contemporary popular culture—amplified by social media—has become an ideal that every creator of another series consciously or unconsciously strives to emulate. This is particularly true among science fiction enthusiasts, who regard series of this genre, not least due to the budgetary demands of crafting alternative realities, as the most credible challengers and successors to HBO’s mega-hit. How difficult this ideal is to achieve is perhaps best illustrated by The Expanse, once hailed as Game of Thrones’ most promising rival, which had to scramble for survival after merely three seasons. Another serious contender, though few currently acknowledge it as such, is Altered Carbon, produced by Netflix, whose first season premiered in 2018.

The series is based on Richard K. Morgan’s award-winning novel of the same name, published in Croatia under the title Digital Carbon. Set in the relatively distant future—specifically the year 2384—it depicts a humanity that has successfully colonised other planets. The most significant technological breakthrough, rooted in artefacts left by long-vanished extraterrestrials, is a device enabling literal immortality. A person’s consciousness can be stored in a “stack,” a specialised capsule implanted in the spine, which, upon bodily death, can be extracted and inserted into a new body known as a “sleeve.” The protagonist, portrayed by Joel Kinnaman, is Takeshi Kovacs, a professional assassin and former elite soldier whose “stack” was placed into permanent cold storage following his arrest. After a quarter of a century, he is revived in San Francisco—implanted into a new “sleeve”—a feat orchestrated by Laurence Bancroft (James Purefoy), a “Meth,” i.e., a member of the wealthy super-elite who can afford to purchase new “sleeves” and, effectively, eternal life. In return, Bancroft enlists Kovacs to investigate his own murder, the permanent consequences of which were averted only by a hidden backup copy of his “stack.” Kovacs accepts the task, even as San Francisco and the wider world have become unrecognisable over the intervening centuries. His investigation unfolds alongside police detective Kristin Ortega’s (Martha Higareda) efforts to solve an unsolved murder case involving a girl she suspects is linked to the legally untouchable “Meths,” while Kovacs himself confronts his traumatic past tied to a revolutionary movement led by the charismatic Quellcrist Falconer (Renee Elise Goldsberry).

Netflix positioned Altered Carbon as a Game of Thrones contender largely through its substantial budget, visible in every one of the ten episodes of first season. This stems from its unusual genre fusion of space opera and cyberpunk, with parts of the narrative—primarily Kovacs’ flashbacks detailing his life—unfolding on alien worlds. However, audiences are likely more captivated by Kovacs’ present-day storyline, set in a sprawling futuristic megalopolis that, while featuring the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, bears a far stronger resemblance to the Los Angeles depicted in Blade Runner. The resemblance to Ridley Scott’s film (the primary visual blueprint for cyberpunk subculture) extends beyond set design and costumes to certain shots that appear lifted directly from the movie, as well as the use of voiceover narration by the protagonist to guide viewers through the plot, mirroring the original 1982 version of Blade Runner. This imbues Altered Carbon with an additional dimension, blending elements of classic and unconventional film noir. For viewers less invested in cinematic heritage, the series will likely be remembered more for its generous servings of exploitative content, in line with the uncensored norms of television’s golden age. This includes numerous scenes of spectacular combat featuring futuristic firearms and melee weapons, alongside graphic depictions of their effects on the human body—decapitations, mutilations, and attempts to render death permanent by destroying a “stack.” Naturally, the formula also encompasses several relatively explicit sex scenes and nudity, with nearly all major female characters appearing unclothed; James Purefoy, however, upholds the modesty of the male gender in this regard, baring his body for television audiences thirteen years after his role in Rome. The series even combines these elements in one of its most striking scenes: a bloody confrontation involving recently revived, naked “sleeves.”

The creators, meanwhile, justify such content as mere “icing” atop something ostensibly deeper and more serious. Altered Carbon attempts to grapple with intriguing questions about human identity, speculating how a future super-technological society might evolve—solving old problems while creating new ones, as history has repeatedly shown. Netflix’s series portrays a world where immortality is attainable but has become, both accidentally and deliberately, a luxury reserved for a tiny elite. This immortality enables unimaginable accumulation of capital and social power, while tempting the “Meths” to succumb to extreme decadence and depravity in their battle against millennia-long boredom. The series also explores how those lower down the social ladder might adapt to such a reality, as well as the potential impact of immortality technology on religion. Yet, in depicting this distant future, Altered Carbon succumbs to present-day unspoken canons of “political correctness,” making its antagonists—and thus the mystery to be solved—easily identifiable by how closely they conform to the archetype of the white heterosexual male.

One of the greatest ironies here is that the protagonist himself fits this archetype—yet, in fact, he does not. Thanks to flashbacks, Kovacs appears in no fewer than four incarnations—three distinct “sleeves”—portrayed by four different actors alongside Kinnaman. The most compelling is Will Yun Lee as the “original” Takeshi Kovacs, whom some critics argue should have assumed the lead role from Kinnaman. This effect stems largely from script confusion, particularly the clumsy explanation of “stack” technology and the mechanics of multiple identities. After a few episodes, Altered Carbon largely resolves these issues; the flashback episode detailing Kovacs’ past life, for instance, ranks among the series’ strongest. The finale, however, like many contemporary shows, drags unnecessarily across at least one superfluous episode, and its epilogue feels anticlimactic. What ultimately salvages the project is less its overall quality or even standout moments—such as the brilliantly portrayed AI-run hotel character by the relatively unknown but exceptional Chris Conner—than the glimpses of untapped potential still lingering beneath the surface.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here

Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/ InLeo blog https://inleo.io/@drax.leo

LeoDex: https://leodex.io/?ref=drax Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax InLeo: https://inleo.io/signup?referral=drax.leo Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax 1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e

BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7 BCH donations: qpvxw0jax79lhmvlgcldkzpqanf03r9cjv8y6gtmk9

I previously was singing the praises of this series because I do think that it is very well-made and while I have no idea if it is accurately told compared to the real-life events, it does hold your attention and really ropes you in, especially in the very early episodes.

However, like most series that exist these days, this one suffers from what I would call "senseless extension" and as the episodes are rolling by I find myself kind of getting upset that they are dragging it out. This happens all too often with series and I know why they do it, but I don't like that this is just the norm with series these days.

Before people tl;dr their way away from this review please note that I do recommend this series but just don't like the middle of it where it seems as though they made something 3 episodes that easily could have been 1.

Since most of the story is in Italian, I do not have the option of leaving it on in the background while I do something else like clean up my house, which is what I would normally do when a series starts to lull.

To recap: This is the true story of a woman falsely accused and convicted of murder in Italy and it tells the story of the miscarriage of justice that the people involved faced throughout the investigation and the trial. It is important to note that the series is based on a book that Knox herself wrote, so it is possible that there is a bit of bias involved. I am not saying that there definitely IS, but I would imagine if I was writing a book about myself that I might leave out a few parts that make me look bad and it is understandable that Amanda might have done the same.

A couple of things are on display in this series that I think are important not just for people that are wrongfully accused in Italy, but just anywhere in the world. One, the detectives seemed to be extremely interested in getting a conviction and not overly concerned about who was convicted or if they were actually guilty of the crime in question. This is showcased quite a lot throughout the series and the actors and actresses involved do a VERY good job of playing sort of despicable police who are more like a gang than they are organized justice.

I believe that something similar to this exists in my own country of USA and probably many other countries in the world.

The second thing is how the ravenous media were able to frame this in an entertaining way that negatively affected the public impression of Amanda and perhaps influenced the outcome of the trial as well. Like a lot of people, I feel like the media today and for a long time is a business that is only looking out for themselves and not at all interested in actually telling the truth. This is shown a great deal in this series and I think it is very important.

The last major thing that I want to talk about is the innocence and naivete of youth. In the beginning stages Amanda is shown as being confident that because she didn't actually do anything that she has nothing to worry about. She continues to feel this way long into the trial, believing that justice will prevail. Her feelings change dramatically as time goes by and she realizes that her innocent feelings of goodness prevailing in this literal case, are very very wrong. The wonderful actress Grace Van Patten plays this role incredibly and I hope she ends up getting nominated for awards because I feel she deserves them.

Where the series kind of loses me, and perhaps this is why this show has barely a 70% rating on most major review sites, is that it is far longer than it needs to be and we end up going into what I call "side-missions" frequently in order to fill up the time necessary to make this thing 8 episodes long. I don't know if it was decided that it needed to be 8 episodes long before they even finished the script or what, but it certainly feels that way from episodes 3 onward. They do a wonderful job getting you hooked in the first 2 episodes as they seamlessly travel back and forth in time in a very creative way, showing us the before, during, and even some of the after as they go along. Then once episode 3 happens we are at a phase where the pace is frustratingly slow.

I think that there were probably a lot of people that walked away from this one permanently at that point and this was likely made more extreme by the fact that rather than release all the episodes at once, they released them week-by-week.

I like the week-by-week strategy these days but at the same time I really don't like it when showrunners will unnecessarily drag things out and I can only assume it is over several months because Hulu wants to make sure that people don't cancel their memberships. It has the opposite effect on me though, if you drag me through several boring episodes in a row, I tend to forget that the show even exits. I only walked back to it because I couldn't find anything else to watch and now I only have 2 episodes to go. If there was something else that I was really interested in at the time, I likely would have forgotten to return to this after finishing episode 4.

In particular, I think the overall series would be better if they had condensed the courtroom sessions a bit because much of this drags on and on to the point where you are no longer interested. Maybe they had no choice, maybe it was a producer decision that it must be 8 episodes long. It certainly seems that way to me and it wouldn't be the first time that producers made something bad or just not as good by making corporate decisions like this.

I think that if you also start to feel as though the show is really dragging along in episodes 3-5 that you should stick with it though, because there is a good payoff on the other end. This is actually quite common in series to have good "book-ends" to a series while shoving all the crap in the middle.

Carry on though because it is worth it in the end. If for no other reason than the fact that almost any other series is a load of crap right now anyway.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I love it when a plan comes together.”

That line alone sums up why The A-Team still lives in people’s memories forty years after it first aired. It wasn’t just another 80s action show—it was the definitive 80s action show. Oh I mean, there was Knight Rider, Airwolf, countless others. But there was something about the A-Team that made it a step above the rest. Maybe it was Mr T, or maybe something else. Over-the-top plots, exploding jeeps that never hurt anyone, villains who always missed their shots, and a ragtag band of misfits who embodied teamwork. ...if by teamwork you meant people who do completely unrelated things but somehow manage to contribute to the mission being a success. Yeah — the writing wasn't the best, but it was fun.

Why It Worked

• Characters you couldn’t forget. Hannibal with his disguises and cigars, B.A. Baracus with his chains and temper, Face with his charm, and Murdock with his lovable insanity. Each one iconic in their own right, but together unstoppable.
• Ridiculous but charming plots. Every week they’d help the helpless, usually small towns bullied by thugs or corrupt businessmen, and somehow turn a barn into a tank. It was completely ridiculous, but at the same time, that building the thing that would save the day was one of the best parts.
• That van. Black with the red stripe, it was practically the fifth member of the team.

A Symbol of the 80s

The show reflected its time: bright, loud, and optimistic. Violence was everywhere but bloodless. About a zillion bullets were fired every episode, but no one was ever hit. Humor softened the action, and the underdog always triumphed. For kids watching then, it was a perfect fantasy of good guys always winning and doing it with style, and then everyone being ok at the end and making up.

Legacy

Even people who never watched an episode know who Mr. T is. The A-Team’s catchphrases, theme song, and imagery continue to pop up in pop culture. Reruns and DVDs keep finding new fans, while those of us who grew up with it still smile at the thought of Hannibal pulling off his latex mask to reveal he was the villain all along.

So, what about you? Did you grow up watching The A-Team? Do you have a favorite episode, character, or moment? Or maybe you’ve only ever seen it through memes and Mr. T commercials.

And the real question: which is the better catch phrase, "I pity the fool", or "I love it when a plan comes together".

Posted using CineTV

When the Bough Breaks (S01E17)

Airdate: February 15th 1988

Written by: Hannah Louise Shearer Directed by: Kim Manners

Running Time: 45 minutes

Star Trek: The Original Series possessed a potent, almost alchemical quality: when its formula ignited, it produced episodes of enduring brilliance that defined the franchise. Yet, when it faltered, the misfires could inflict deep, lingering wounds upon the collective psyche of its devoted audience – a kind of psychological hangover akin to PTSD for ardent "trekkies." This phenomenon proved particularly corrosive during the notoriously rocky first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Retrospectively, this season has often been unfairly lambasted for allegedly aping TOS too closely, a criticism frequently levied without acknowledging the immense challenge of launching a new series under the shadow of a beloved predecessor. One episode that suffered disproportionately from this association was When the Bough Breaks. Its central premise – the abduction of children by an advanced, desperate civilisation – inevitably invited unfavourable comparisons to the TOS episode And the Children Shall Lead. Had it not been for this toxic linkage to a widely derided TOS instalment, and judged purely on its own narrative merits and execution, When the Bough Breaks would likely have garnered a far less hostile initial reception, perhaps even recognition as a solid, if flawed, early TNG effort exploring pertinent themes.

The episode commences with the USS Enterprise-D traversing the Epsilon Mynos system, an area shrouded in legend as the possible location of Aldea, a mythical, Atlantis-like world rumoured to have cloaked itself millennia ago to evade destruction. This academic curiosity transforms abruptly into stark reality when the planet Aldea materialises, its formidable shield dropping just long enough for Rashella (a compelling debut from Brenda Strong) and the elder Radue Jerry Hardin) to hail the Enterprise. Following a tense but polite initial contact on the bridge, Rashella, accompanied by Radue, beams aboard. After establishing Aldea's astonishing technological sophistication – possessing capabilities surpassing even the Federation in certain domains – their true, chilling motive emerges: they propose a trade. Facing extinction due to millennia of infertility caused by environmental collapse, the Aldeans require the Enterprise's children to perpetuate their race. Captain Picard, naturally, refuses this abhorrent proposition. Yet, this defiance triggers the Aldeans' drastic action: the Enterprise is scanned, and later, Wesley Crusher and six other children are forcibly beamed down to the surface of Aldea.

Stranded and helpless, the Enterprise crew learns the Aldean shield is deemed impenetrable, rendering the children effectively permanent prisoners. However, the narrative quickly establishes that the Aldeans, while morally compromised, are not cruel captors; they genuinely care for the children's well-being, providing comfort and even nurturing nascent talents the youngsters hadn't previously displayed under parental supervision. Wesley, inevitably drawn into the heart of the mystery, becomes fixated on the Custodian – the planet's colossal, ancient computer that manages every facet of Aldean life. His investigation proves crucial: he deduces that Aldean society, having utterly surrendered autonomy to the Custodian over countless generations, has lost the fundamental knowledge required to maintain or even interpret its systems. This technological dependency directly caused the degradation of their ozone layer, the root cause of their infertility. Meanwhile, back on the Enterprise, a parallel effort identifies a microscopic flaw in the Aldean shield. This allows for a rescue, facilitated by Wesley's leadership of a child-led hunger strike and passive resistance. Picard, in the denouement, offers the Federation's aid in restoring Aldea's atmosphere, promising hope for the beleaguered civilisation.

Written by Hannah Louise Shearer, the executive story editor for TNG's first season (who would go on to write five further episodes), the script drew direct inspiration from the pressing environmental anxieties of the mid-1980s, particularly the alarming scientific consensus regarding the depletion of the Earth's ozone layer. This ecological message is seamlessly interwoven with a classic science fiction trope: the peril of civilisational over-reliance on technology leading to societal atrophy and incompetence. The Aldeans serve as a potent cautionary tale – their advanced shield and life-sustaining systems became their prison, blinding them to the slow-motion catastrophe unfolding above them. This thematic core remains one of the episode's strongest and most enduring elements, grounding the fantastical premise in a very real, contemporary fear.

Nevertheless, significant criticism, then and now, stems from the continued elevation of Wesley Crusher into the role of "Boy Wonder." Despite being canonically fifteen – legally a minor and thus fitting the Aldean definition of "child" – his portrayal often strains credulity. His rapid, near-solo decryption of the Custodian's secrets, coupled with his effortless leadership of the children's resistance, feels less like organic character development and more like a convenient plot device to expedite the resolution. This feeds directly into another common critique: the relative passivity of the main TNG crew. Picard, Riker, Data, and Geordi spend much of the episode reacting rather than driving the solution. The resolution hinges almost entirely on Wesley's actions on Aldea and Dr. Crusher's sudden, almost intuitive grasp of the shield flaw's origin – a pairing that functions as a distinctly unearned deus ex machina. It renders the broader crew's efforts feel secondary and diminishes the sense of collective Starfleet problem-solving that would become a TNG hallmark.

Yet, to dismiss When the Bough Breaks solely for its Wesley-centric narrative is to overlook substantial compensating virtues. Chief among these is the uniformly high calibre of the acting. Brenda Strong, as Rashella – later revealed as the last true Aldean – delivers a performance of remarkable depth and vulnerability for a guest star in her first major role. She embodies the tragic desperation of a civilisation facing oblivion with palpable sincerity, making their morally dubious actions strangely comprehensible. Jerry Hardin (who would later reappear in TNG as Mark Twain in two-parter episode Time's Arrow), as the weary but principled Radue, provides essential gravitas and pathos, evoking genuine sympathy for the Aldeans' plight despite their reprehensible methods. Furthermore, the child actors portraying the abductees are significantly more naturalistic and convincing than their often-cringeworthy counterparts in TOS episodes featuring children, lending crucial emotional weight to their predicament.

The episode also benefits immensely from the directorial hand of Kim Manners, who would later achieve significant acclaim on The X-Files and Supernatural. Manners brings a confident visual style and a knack for building tension within the confined sets. The production design for Aldea, particularly the breathtaking chamber housing the Custodian's power source remains visually impressive even by contemporary standards. Achieved through practical effects and clever lighting rather than CGI, this sequence possesses a tangible, awe-inspiring quality that digital effects sometimes lack. Manners ensures the Aldean world feels both wondrous and subtly wrong, a paradise built on the brink of collapse.

At the end, When the Bough Breaks is a fascinating case study in early TNG's struggles and occasional triumphs. While undeniably hampered by the era's problematic reliance on Wesley Crusher as a narrative shortcut and the unfortunate, if understandable, shadow cast by its TOS counterpart, it possesses significant merits that warrant a more charitable reassessment. The strong performances, particularly from Strong and Hardin, elevate the material beyond its script's weaknesses, imbuing the Aldeans with tragic dignity. Coupled with Kim Manners' assured direction and the enduring visual spectacle of the Custodian set, the episode transcends its "first season filler" reputation. Judged not as a poor imitation of TOS, but as an earnest, if imperfect, attempt by a young series to tackle weighty themes with sincerity and visual flair, When the Bough Breaks emerges not as a scar on TNG's legacy, but as a flawed yet fundamentally respectable chapter in its formative journey – a chapter where the ambition, if not always the execution, truly worked.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/ InLeo blog https://inleo.io/@drax.leo

LeoDex: https://leodex.io/?ref=drax InLeo: https://inleo.io/signup?referral=drax.leo Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax 1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e

BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7 BCH donations: qpvxw0jax79lhmvlgcldkzpqanf03r9cjv8y6gtmk9

Batman es el personaje que mejor encaja en diferentes ámbitos en la historia de la humanidad; puede ser desde sus características de investigador o por sus motivos que le impulsan a hacer justicia; justamente en años anteriores, en el renglón de la animación, diferentes historias nos han mostrado al Caballero de la Noche, en diferentes versiones en donde se mantiene la esencia principal del personaje lo cual es lo que considero principalmente correcto en cada una de esas producciones y lo cual era mi gran expectativa con respecto a esta nueva película que versiona al gran justiciero en la era Azteca.

Batman is the character that best fits into different areas of human history, whether it be his investigative skills or his motives for seeking justice. In recent years, various animated stories have shown us the Dark Knight in different versions that maintain the essence of the character, which is what I consider to be the main strength of each of these productions and what I had high expectations for in this new film, which revisits the great vigilante in the Aztec era.

Batman Azteca, desde el momento de su anuncio y primeras imágenes reveladas hace dos años, se convirtió en una de las producciones que más quería ver, pero a pesar de tanta intriga, de igual manera fui escéptico con respecto a que buen uso o desarrollo tendría el personaje principal; esa sensación la seguí presentando después de ver brevemente el trailer, ya que al final no quería generar grandes expectativas y solo esperar a ver está nueva película del héroe que en esta ocasión no es el vigilante de Ghotam; para mi sorpresa, este film o está versión de Batman ambientada en la era Azteca es muy buena, es un genial film en dónde existe un excelente respeto con el personaje de DC Comics, pero más aún con todo lo referente a los Aztecas, ya que está producción está realizada por Mexicanos y la investigación realizada para que pueda funcionar en la historia ficticia del personaje, creo que demuestra gran calidad en la representación de los temas más importantes en esta película.

Este film relata la historia de como dos mundos chocan a causa de la ambición de un grupo de solados españoles que invaden y asesinan al líder de una aldea en dónde existe el templo a "Tzinacan", traducido como "El Dios Murciélago", justamente en el momento del ataque, el hijo del líder de esa aldea, "Yohualli Coatl", huye para después entrenar y prepararse para no solo hacer justicia contra quienes acabaron con la vida de su padre y demás aldeanos, sino para proteger a toda su era; con esta breve sinopsis, es notorio que "Batman Azteca", es una historia de orígenes y la cual es excelente a pesar de tener muchas diferencias con el ya muy conocido origen de Batman, de igual manera mantiene la esencia de que la muerte, en este caso de uno de sus padres, es el motivo principal de su decisión de convertirse en un vigilante y protector; con esto, la historia va transitando en como un joven hombre que lo ha perdido todo, decide crecer y tomar el manto del Dios Murciélago para enfrentar la maldad que invadió su mundo, lo cual también origina la historia de otros personajes, en especial la del gran villano de Batman.

Batman Azteca, from the moment it was announced and the first images were revealed two years ago, became one of the productions I most wanted to see, but despite all the intrigue, I was still skeptical about how well the main character would be used or developed. I continued to feel that way after briefly watching the trailer, as I didn't want to get my hopes up and just wait to see this new movie about the hero who, on this occasion, is not the vigilante of Gotham. To my surprise, this film, or this version of Batman set in the Aztec era, is very good. It is a great film that shows excellent respect for the DC Comics character, but even more so for everything related to the Aztecs, since this production is made by Mexicans and the research carried out to make it work in the fictional story of the character, I think, demonstrates great quality in the representation of the most important themes in this film.

This film tells the story of how two worlds collide due to the ambition of a group of Spanish soldiers who invade and murder the leader of a village where there is a temple dedicated to "Tzinacan," translated as "The Bat God." At the moment of the attack, the son of the village leader, "Yohualli Coatl," flees and then trains and prepares himself not only to bring justice to those who took the lives of his father and other villagers, but also to protect his entire era. With this brief synopsis, it is clear that "Batman Azteca" is an excellent origin story. Despite having many differences from the well-known origin of Batman, it maintains the essence that death, in this case of one of his parents, is the main reason for his decision to become a vigilante and protector. With this, the story moves on to how a young man who has lost everything decides to grow up and take on the mantle of the Bat God to face the evil that has invaded his world, which also gives rise to the stories of other characters, especially Batman's great villain.

Posiblemente, habrá quien critique de manera negativa el uso de la animación en esta película; personalmente no tuve ningún problema, me pareció perfecto y creo que hay una excelente producción para el desarrollo de esta película; la animación fue realizada por "Ánima", estudio de animación mexicano que alcanzó la fama al realizar la serie animada del "Chavo del 8" entre los años 2006-2014 y que junto a Warner Bros. Animation, hicieron un gran trabajo en relatar en llevar a uno de los grandes héroes de DC Comics a la era Azteca. El diseño de cada uno de los personajes es impresionante, las facetas que presenta "Yohualli" es lo que más me ha gustado del film, es primeramente un homenaje a una versión muy joven de "Batman" o hasta puedo decir de "Nightwing", para después usar el manto del Dios Murciélago; aparte de "Batman", los diseños de los demás personajes que son parte de la galería de villanos, es The Joker, en esta ocasión llamado "Yoka" es otro que me ha gustado tanto en diseño, como en su historia y desarrollo, es un gran villano aunque no el principal.

Some may criticize the use of animation in this film; personally, I had no problem with it, I thought it was perfect, and I believe it was an excellent production for the development of this film. The animation was done by "Ánima," a Mexican animation studio that rose to fame by producing the animated series "El Chavo del 8" between 2006 and 2014. Together with Warner Bros. Animation, they did a great job of bringing one of DC Comics' greatest heroes to the Aztec era. The design of each of the characters is impressive. What I liked most about the film was the different facets of Yohualli. He is first a tribute to a very young version of Batman, or even Nightwing, and then he takes on the mantle of the Bat God. Apart from "Batman," the designs of the other characters that are part of the gallery of villains, such as The Joker, this time called "Yoka," are another aspect that I liked so much in terms of design, story, and development. He is a great villain, although not the main one.

Me sorprendió mucho Batman Azteca, superó completamente todas mis expectativas y aunque tenga un ritmo frenético en relatar o abarcar mucho contenido, creo que de igual manera funciona por su muy buen acto final; tanto la dirección de Juan Meza-León, como el guion escrito por Ernie Altbacker, demuestra un gran compromiso por hacer un gran homenaje a la historia indígena de su país, demostrando sus costumbres y haciendo referencia a toda la creencia de los Aztecas, en mi opinión, creo que esa inclusión de magia, Dioses y demás, es algo que funciona y espero que siga funcionando en una futura producción en dónde se siga expandiendo la historia de Tzinacan como protector de su mundo.

I was very surprised by Batman Azteca. It completely exceeded all my expectations, and although it has a frenetic pace in terms of storytelling and covers a lot of content, I think it works anyway because of its very good final act. Both the direction by Juan Meza-León and the script written by ** Ernie Altbacker**, demonstrate a great commitment to paying tribute to the indigenous history of their country, showcasing its customs and referencing the beliefs of the Aztecs. In my opinion, the inclusion of magic, gods, and so on is something that works, and I hope it continues to work in future productions that expand on the story of Tzinacan as the protector of his world.

Cover image edited in canva; the image was taken from the following source

_{The pictures that didn't have a source were screenshots from the movie.}

Duck and Cover (S02E08)

Airdate: July 27th 2003

Written by: George Pelecanos Directed by: Dan Attias

Running Time: 58 minutes

The Wire, universally lauded as one of television’s most ambitious and socially incisive achievements, is not immune to the inherent pitfalls of epic storytelling. When a narrative sprawls across multiple seasons, meticulously weaving complex institutional tapestries, the very virtue of its deliberate pacing can curdle into a liability. It is a truth often unspoken amidst the critical adoration: within even the most revered series, certain scenes can feel like redundant filler, and, more damningly, entire episodes can occasionally resemble narrative dead weight – competent but inert, moving the plot from point A to point B with such glacial inevitability that even the show’s most ardent devotees might question whether its content could have been compressed, or perhaps excised entirely, without significant loss. Season Two of The Wire, a season already grappling with the challenge of shifting focus from the drug trade to the dying port economy, presents such a candidate in its eighth episode, Duck and Cover. While undeniably solid in its craftsmanship – well-written by series producer George Pelecanos, competently acted, and professionally directed – the episode unfolds with a ponderous slowness that feels less like considered thematic development and more like narrative treading water, leaving the viewer adrift in a sea of minor manoeuvrings rather than compelling drama.

This sense of stasis is particularly noticeable following the previous episode, where the series' nominal protagonist, Jimmy McNulty, was relegated to a perfunctory, almost cameo-like appearance. Pelecanos, perhaps conscious of fan expectations and the character’s centrality, attempts a forceful recalibration in Duck and Cover, signalling McNulty’s return with a stark cold open. We find him not merely down on his luck, but actively self-destructing at rock bottom. Drowning sorrows over the irrevocable loss of his family life and professional exile to the Marine Unit, he sits alone in a bar, a toxic cocktail of alcohol, self-pity, and wounded pride fuelling his actions. This culminates in a deliberate, almost nihilistic act: crashing his car, sustaining only a minor hand injury – a physical manifestation of his internal chaos. Yet, even in this profoundly sorry state, McNulty retains his dangerous, almost supernatural machismo. His seductive abilities remain undimmed, allowing him to effortlessly pick up a waitress (Lisa Bullock) mere moments after his vehicular suicide attempt. This sequence, while showcasing Dominic West’s magnetic performance, feels emblematic of a certain HBO house style – the explicit sex scene inserted seemingly as a contractual obligation, a moment of base gratification that underscores McNulty’s self-loathing but adds little beyond surface-level shock or titillation to his core narrative of professional despair.

For McNulty, however, the drink and the sex are merely anaesthetics; the true wound is his inability to perform the one job that ever gave his life meaning and structure: being a police detective. This profound unhappiness surfaces in a raw conversation with his confidant, Bunk Moreland. It is this simmering frustration, this waste of a uniquely talented investigator, that finally prompts action from Cedric Daniels. Leveraging the fragile compromise he has painstakingly achieved with the obstructive William Rawls, Daniels engineers McNulty’s return to the Major Case Unit, ending his punitive exile. Ironically, upon his triumphant(ish) return to the investigative fold, McNulty – the man who just bedded a stranger in a bar – is immediately tasked with infiltrating the Greeks' prostitution operation by posing as a client. His initial success is almost comically easy: identifying a genuine "john," applying some friendly but firm pressure, and swiftly extracting crucial contact details and passwords. A more promising development is his burgeoning connection with Beadie Russell. He visits her home, sharing a drink, and the mutual attraction is palpable. Yet, both characters, demonstrating a rare moment of professional restraint amidst the show’s usual chaos, consciously decide to keep their relationship strictly platonic for the time being – a small victory for reason over impulse.

While the Major Case Unit gains McNulty and secures new wiretap authorisations, their recent investigative momentum stalls due to Frank Sobotka’s escalating paranoia. Frank notices his disconnected cellphone inexplicably remains active on the network despite his financial woes. His suspicion deepens when he learns Beadie Russell lied about her continued employment with the City Police. Convinced the docks are under surveillance, he devises a test: swapping a container filled with contraband intended for Greeks with a clean one. His theory is confirmed when he observes police vehicles trailing the truck carrying the clean container. Frank promptly informs his criminal associates, leading to a crucial meeting with The Greek himself. The enigmatic boss commends Frank’s clever countermeasure and pragmatically agrees to a strategy of stealing clean containers – even if it means paying off the stevedores to do so – specifically to frustrate the police investigation and force them to abandon the case.

Simultaneously, the Barksdale Organisation faces its own crisis. The declining quality of the drug supplies has crippled their finances, forcing Bodie Broadus to lay off his underlings. Compounding this, independent dealers offering superior product have begun encroaching on Barksdale territory, creating tensions that threaten to ignite another bloody turf war. Bodie’s struggles, while a necessary thread connecting back to Season One, feel particularly underdeveloped here, serving more as background noise than a driving narrative force.

This brings us to the core frustration of Duck and Cover: it repeatedly places the viewer frustratingly one step ahead of characters who are ostensibly intelligent and capable. The entire McNulty situation, for instance, could have been resolved several episodes earlier if Daniels, despite his own precarious political position, had simply insisted on having his best homicide investigator where he was most needed. The delay feels less like organic plot development and more like artificial suspense manufactured to prolong McNulty’s exile for dramatic effect. This pervasive sense of predictability, where the characters’ realisations lag behind the audience’s understanding, drains the episode of tension and contributes significantly to its glacial pace.

Compounding this issue are sequences that feel like pure, unnecessary filler. Ziggy Sobotka’s descent into becoming the Port of Baltimore’s resident clown reaches new lows: a misplaced scene involves him attempting petty revenge on Maui over a paternity suit prank, followed by the absurdity of adopting a duck as a pet, and culminating in the utterly pointless spectacle of him literally throwing hundreds of dollars of drug money into the air as a nihilistic stunt. While Ziggy is undeniably a tragicomic figure, these specific actions feel less like character development and more like attempts to fill runtime with quirky behaviour that ultimately signifies little. Bodie’s business woes, as mentioned, suffer from similar undernourishment, presented as a problem without sufficient context or immediate consequence within this episode.

However, the episode is not devoid of merit. A welcome counterpoint to the pervasive gloom is provided by the regular comic relief of Herc and Carver. Their scheme to recruit Herc’s cousin Bernard (Billy Finnigan) as a false informant, purely to siphon funds from Daniels to replace lost surveillance equipment, is a darkly humorous vignette showcasing the institutional cynicism and petty self-interest endemic within the system. This semi-humorous display of police manipulating the system for personal gain finds a perfect mirror in Judge Vanderwall, who agrees to sign the crucial wiretap warrant only after the Major Case Unit consents to perform manual labour – washing his windows and installing equipment in his home. It’s a brilliantly observed moment of institutional barter, highlighting how even the judiciary operates within a corruptible economy of favours.

The episode’s single, undeniable highlight is the quiet scene in Beadie Russell’s home. Amy Ryan delivers a masterclass in restrained emotion, her performance radiating a profound internal conflict. Beadie is visibly torn between an undeniable, almost visceral attraction – bordering on lust – for the damaged yet magnetic McNulty, and the cold, hard reason screaming that entanglement with this self-destructive man would be catastrophic for her fragile professional standing and already complicated private life. Ryan conveys volumes with a glance, a hesitation, a subtle shift in posture. It’s a moment of genuine emotional complexity and superb acting, a beacon of humanity amidst the episode’s otherwise frustrating inertia.

At the end of the day, Duck and Cover exemplifies the perilous tightrope walk of long-form television. It possesses undeniable strengths – Pelecanos’ steady hand, strong individual performances (particularly Ryan’s), and moments of sharp institutional satire. Yet, its fundamental flaw is one of pacing and narrative necessity. Key plot points feel telegraphed, character decisions seem artificially delayed, and significant portions of screen time are devoted to subplots that contribute little to the season’s central arc beyond filling space. While it successfully transitions McNulty back to the MCU and advances Frank’s counter-surveillance gambit, it does so in a manner that feels unnecessarily protracted. For a series renowned for its lean, purposeful storytelling, Duck and Cover stands as a rare misstep – a solid, well-made episode that ultimately proves the rule: even the greatest epics can occasionally succumb to the siren song of glacial pacing, leaving the viewer not on the edge of their seat, but checking their watch, wondering if this particular journey truly required the full hour to traverse.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/ InLeo blog https://inleo.io/@drax.leo

InLeo: https://inleo.io/signup?referral=drax.leo Leodex: https://leodex.io/?ref=drax Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax 1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e

BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7 BCH donations: qpvxw0jax79lhmvlgcldkzpqanf03r9cjv8y6gtmk9

Hello everyone,

It is the weekend, and a time for me to relax from the daily hassle that comes with Monday to Friday. One of the ways I do that is by watching movies and TV series. Today I watched one of Netflix's newest releases, Black Rabbit. While scrolling through Netflix, I found this limited series, and for a second I mistook it for Rabbit Hole. The thriller series starring Kiefer Sutherland as a private espionage agent framed for murder. I totally forgot they are not the same series, but I am glad for the mistake.

The series shows that sometimes, when in trouble, the person who may come to our rescue is the one who still believes in us, a brother. But will this belief and loyalty lead to one's demise when the stakes get hotter? Well, I cannot tell you; you just have to watch the series and find out for yourself. Will the one we love be the reason for our downfall?

Go check it out.

♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟

Posted Using INLEO