Fantastic Four: First Steps Spoiler-Free Review

Fresh off watching this movie, it seems that the MCU had a similar idea for the Fantastic Four as the DCU had for Superman (2025): do away with origin stories, and present heroes as already established and living in an already full realized world lore-wise. So, in this Multiverse-tale, the Fantastic Four - Reed Richard (Mr. Fantastic), Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) and Ben Grimm (The Thing) - are based on Earth-848, and have been in action for 4 years since they gained their powers post-exposure to cosmic rays. I am glad to say that unlike Superman (2025), it was actually refreshing to get a montage of the superheroes at work. A lot of the montage had already been used in the marketing of this film, and even more of it was added online with the recent release of the first 5 minutes of the movie. Their powers are very well presented, particularly Mr. Fantastic's stretching powers, and the Human Torch's ability to basically suck up surrounding flames to put out a runaway fire is an awesome permutation of the power that I never knew he had. However, the Fantastic Four is more than just their powers: Reed Richards contributes a ton to technological development due to his intellectual prowess, and Sue Storm has quite the knack for diplomacy. Though it's a very short moment, the opening chapter of this movie shows us why this world idolizes the Fantastic Four, and it very quickly introduces something that Superman (2025) seemingly lacked: Stakes!!!

However, peace and serenity doesn't rein for too long; the director isn't "burying the lead" in this movie. Therefore, it doesn't take long before the Silver Surfer pops up on the scene heralding the eventual destruction of the earth, thus setting the tone of the movie; this is a disaster movie plain and simple.   

If I had to rename this movie (because I simply never understood the whole "First Steps" idea), I would've gone with Fantastic Four: Year 4...which I understand is "on the nose" with everyone trying to squeeze as much mileage out of the "4" as possible; it just works. The movie does a good job of showing that the FF who've never had secret identities are celebrated and fully integrated into the life of this society. They have a cartoon which endears them to kids & kids at heart, and Johnny even gets to ink an ad deal. However, far from their celebrity, we get to see that Reed wrestles with the guilt of the team's cosmic rays exposure, and especially what it may pose for any of his potential children; Johnny, despite his fame and his eligible bachelor status (no womanizing this time around), finds himself itching to return to space. Ben has a more subdued struggle this time around; though he's the most obviously disfigured of the bunch and Reed's biggest regret, the movie didn't hype this up as much as has been done in other iterations...but the loneliness is still palpable.  

Personally, this felt like a well-crafted movie. The retro-futuristic aesthetic was done to perfection. The environment is its own character, and it just feels believable that if the world was allowed to progress as it should, this is one of the workable permutations. Along these lines, I initially didn't think the introduction of Herbie the Robot would work so well, but Herbie can be added to the list of useful loveable droids in the line of R2D2, Wall-E and BB-8. It was a deep-cut to pull him in - originally a character from the animated series - and plop him into this film, but it worked. He is a welcome addition who goes so far as to dabble in some tasks that Reed abandons, and he is essential to the team on their space missions (just like R2D2).   

I am glad that they got Galactus right this time around. Comic book accurate Galactus is perceived in a form that is familiar to the planet dwellers who are about to be destroyed, but choosing to make him a big ominous cloud in Fantastic Four II: Rise of the Silver Surfer rubbed people the wrong way. This time we get to experience him as the massive gigantic force of nature that he really is. His gigantic eyes peering down on the heroes very easily evokes Dormammu from Dr. Strange. He is a complex character, knowing what he used to be before, and transformed into a slave to his hunger; however, he is somewhat ambivalent. His relationship to his herald and her responsibilities also adds to the complexities of his actions. 

The action was top-notch. It felt well-deserved after the setup had been laid. I think Mr. Fantastic got a lot more screentime in the thick of things than he has in previous iterations, and the CGI looked great. It also made sense. One decision bt Galactus during their battle reminded me of the World War Hulk panel below, and it made perfect sense in context and in real-life too. It was a bit distressing to almost witness "spaghettification" onscreen though. 

 

This movie probably did the most to elevate Johnny Storm's character because it actually turned him into a genius. Gone is the airhead who'd mistakenly sleep with Dr. Doom's fiancee, and in his place is a subtle soul who provided one of the most important breakthroughs in the movie. Definitely didn't have this one on my bingo cards. Also didn't have Reed and Sue pegged as the kind to give us one of the movie's darker moments, but it was pragmatically handled.

The MCU and director Matt Shakman have knocked it out of the park with this film. The casting was great, and everyone felt suited to their roles. The movie is bright and colourful, the science and tech is great. Take a bow.

This movie is an A- in my books. 

God Bless.

Definitely going to watch it again...for the culture. 

Superman (2025): Spoiler Review

I have really been going through a whole set of emotions since watching this movie. It seems like a large majority of people watched and enjoyed this movie (my twin brother included), but I seriously can't relate to any of them. Initially, I thought that perhaps the Codeine + Diphenhydramine syrup that I'd taken to stifle my cough might have impaired my judgment a tad. I was actually thinking of going to watch the movie a 2nd time to see if a 2nd viewing might change my mind, but I decided against it. I figured that I already knew the major beats of the movie and a 2nd watch would be really unnecessary. In fact, I challenged myself to write down the major beats from memory unassisted; I figured if I could do it well enough, then I'd prolly remember the movie well enough to dive into a spoiler review. So this is how that looked. 

• Prologue
• Krypto to the rescue + Healing Scene; Destructive Krypto
• Back to Metropolis (Hammer of Boravia’s return to LexCorp)
• Off to The Daily Planet
• Dinner @ Lois Lane’s + Interview
• Releasing the Kaiju
• Kaiju shenanigans in the morning + Lex and Co. break into the Fortress of Solitude
• Jor-El and Lara outed
• Supes retreats and then returns to the Fortress of Solitude
• Faces off with Lex @ LexCorp
• Has a heart-to-heart with Lois (Solaris|Justice Gang Fight in the background)
• Supes turns himself in in the morning and is sent into the pocket universe (Metamorpho irradiating Supes with Kryptonite)
• Daily Planet: Lois and Co. query Supes' disappearance; Jimmy gets the scoop about the pocket universe
• Lois visits the Justice Gang; gets Mr. Terrific to help
• Mr. Terrific kicks ass, then activates the portal to the pocket universe; sends his T-spheres to look for Supes
• Metamorpho ceases the Kryptonite poisoning; recreates a mini-sun to power up Supes.
• Supes frees Metamorpho’s child, then rescues Krypto
• Fight out of the pocket universe; Mr. Terrific stays to prevent the collapsed portal from being re-activated
• Supes is taken back to the Kents to heal from the radiation poisoning
• Lex reactivates the damaged portal causing the pocket universe to become unstable and “leak out” into the real world (to draw Superman out).
• Invasion of Jharanpur is imminent, but Supes is forced to return to Metropolis
• Attack by the Engineer and Ultraman; Engineer injured and Ultraman revealed to be a Superman clone
• Justice Gang intervenes in Jharanpur
• Krypto to the rescue Part II and Ultraman|Superman fight
• Lex’s private army defeated
• Confrontation at LexCorp
• Supes + Lois reunite
• Supergirl Reveal    

I'd say that pretty much summed up the whole movie. It's not usually my intention to give people a direct blow-for-blow breakdown for what happens in movies, but this situation is kinda special. I've already mentioned in my previous review that this movie should've probably been named "Superman: Year 3". Apparently, at this point, everyone knows how the ol' Superman story goes, so James Gunn decided to do away with the origin story. He wanted this world to feel like it was a fully realized and lived-in world. I feel like his mantra while coming up with this movie was something along the lines of the meme below.

The problems with this movie began from the prologue. James Gunn decides to give us the cliff notes of this universe: 

• Metahumans around for 300 years; 
• Clark has been around for 30 years; 
• Clark has been Superman for 3 years; (most powerful of the metahumans)
• 3 month ago, Supes inserted himself into Boravia's invasion attempt of Jharanpur;
• 30 minutes ago, the Hammer of Boravia came to Metropolis to draw Supes out;
• 3 minutes ago, Supes lost for the first time

From here, we're inserted into the already released clip of Supes pancaking onto the ground, his rescue by Krypto, healing by the Superman bots, and his return to Metropolis for a 2nd short ass-whooping. You've literally watched the first 7 minutes of this movie (sans-Prologue) if you just watched those 3 clips together. My stomach basically churned once I learned that Superman had been defeated. This is not the first time the Man of Steel has been defeated onscreen. I remember him fleeing from Zod and Co. in Superman II, falling to Nuclear Man in Superman IV, being manhandled by Lex and his goons in Superman Returns, etc. I remember connecting with the characters vulnerability at each of those moments, and eventually enjoying Supes being able to power through the challenge, and triumph.

In this movie, the ass-whooping is treated like an afterthought. Superman takes such a beating that it results in broken bones and damaged organs, but all this happens offscreen; that's just another level of insane because how is it that someone who watched the whole movie and someone who watched the clips know the same level of nothing about the ass-whooping. The Superman bots manage to essentially heal him about 80%, and then he just flies away to get summarily whooped all over again. Then we have the opening credits, and Superman shows up all spick and span, and ready for work at the Daily Planet. Supes was until then considered the most powerful metahuman, has already endeared himself to the world by his heroics, but yet we get such a muted response from the whole world when he falls. Mr. Gunn basically commits the same mistake that Zack Snyder did with Man of Steel: the sin of "Tell NOT show." Even the precipitating event of Boravia invading Jharanpur (Part 1) is only alluded to in Superman's interview by Lois Lane. Even the relationship between Lois and Clark - dating for 3 months - is just something that's there. The way it goes down, it honestly felt like Lois was being a "dick" to Superman; she just can't seem to empathize with a being who basically sits above us all, and who is morally and duty bound to help people when the situation calls for it; borders and lines on a map and political platitudes are not barriers to him like they would be for mere mortals. Lois is always portrayed as a hard-hitting reporter and I realize that this was her "Bad Cop" routine, but the scene honestly could've profited from her tempering her approach afterwards to accommodate her boyfriend's very specific conundrum.

Things aren't left to marinate for too long in this movie. A whole lot of conveniences happen which are there merely to set up the next series of events. Something that feels really off in this world is the technology available. Superman's next challenge comes from a Kaiju; Lex's henchmen pretty much release it when it's a 2-footer in the middle of the night, by morning it's grown to 7 feet, and at midday it's several storeys tall. Superman kind of empathizes with the creature, embracing the fact that it too might be alien, and would be better off "housed" in a special setting; however, he has to share this moment of heroics because we get the insertion of the Justice Gang whose response is hit first and ask questions later. Supes subsequent heroics in this scene (rescuing child, woman, squirrel, etc.) end up being in response to the fallout from the Justice Gang taking on the Kaiju. The Justice Gang is brash, callous, and end up executing the Kaiju!

In this 2 hour movie, it feels like James Gunn felt the need to load this thing with so many easter eggs that some things end up being portrayed poorly. I'll just list off a couple of these contrivances:

1. Supes' Kryptonite weakness is already known, but apparently there's none currently available on earth. Thus, they throw in Metamorpho - who's basically having his child held hostage - in lieu of creating Kryptonite
2. Ms. Teschmacher is, apparently, Jimmy Olsen's "love interest". She's pretty much a sleeper agent whose only role is exposition, exposition, exposition.
3. Krypto. He is cute and a ball of mischief. Unlike other interpretations, Clark and Krypto don't have a tight relationship, and he views the dog as a sort of nuisance. Clark lets on that Krypto is not his dog; in the end, Krypto, apart from being a Deus ex Machina, is a "tether" here for the introduction of Supergirl.
4. The collapsed portal, which Lex reactivates ends up setting the stage for a "world ending" event, which draws Superman back to Metropolis; the Justice Gang is also here to intervene in Jharanpur because Supes is held up. (which feels like Supes and the World Engine from MoS). Hawk Girl has the dubious distinction of dropping a president to his death, which can't pose anything good for superheroes from here on out. 
5. Solaris, an existential threat from All Star Superman, is thrown in as a background character whom the Justice Gang fights in the background as Superman sulks about the reveal of his parents' evil plans. 
6. This iteration of Lara and Jor-El are pretty much James Gunn's insertion of his movie "Brightburn" element into this story. MoS elevated Jor-El to the detriment of the Kents, but Gunn goes in the opposite direction demonizing the Els to elevate the Kents.
7. Ultraman is a Superman clone courtesy of Lex who was able to collect hair samples after one of Superman's fights. (kinda like Nuclear man in Superman IV). He's for the most part mute and "slow"; their way of getting past this was incorporating the "video game combo" system that Lex uses to wire him fight commands. I'm guessing this was their incorporation of Bizarro into this universe. (How in Hell do we already have a clone saga this early in this cinematic universe?)

There are just too many irons in the fire, and things aren't given time to marinate. Perhaps they could explain away some of these advancements as the influence of smuggled tech (a la Intergang), which is an element in the animated series, comics, etc. that usually end up involving Apokolips. This movie would actually have been a better fit as a follow-up to Henry Cavill's Man of Steel, not the jump-off point for a brand new Superman. A lot of what happened offscreen could've actually made this movie a whole lot better. Maybe Mr. Gunn can only do team-up movies at this point, which would be detrimental because Superman is a big enough draw to hold up his own movie. Every minute spent on these extra characters was time taken away from the real star of the show. Stashing Supes away for about 20 minutes so that the Justice Gang and Lois & Co. could get their shine just felt like wasted time.

Lastly, I gotta take a pause for the cause to talk about the mischaracterization of the Boravia/Jharanpur conflict. A lot of people are trying to make this a direct Israel|Palestine comparison, but that is more inferred. Conflict between countries have been shown multiple times in comics, animated features and DC movies. Heck, I can still remember that one of the points in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was the destruction of nuclear weaponry. One scene that comes to mind specifically was the airplane assault scene from Superman Vs. the Elite.

Since the 2 warring nations - Bialya and Pokolistan - were evenly matched militarily, Superman's solution was to disable both their fleets to give negotiation of peace talks a chance. In the Boravia vs. Jharanpur conflict where Boravia is the obvious aggressor with military might basically swung their way by Lex, comic-accurate Superman could ONLY act in one way: even things out by protecting Jharanpur. (comic-accurate Superman wouldn't haze the Boravian president by propping his back against a cactus though!!! Damnit James Gunn, this is Superman: Year 3, NOT amateur hour!!!) If we really wanted to do a deep-dive with real world analysis, you already actually know where a comic-accurate Superman would stand on the Israel-Palestine conflict; there just wouldn't be any other possible choice. 

I wanted to love this movie, I really did; but its moments don't feel "deserved". This is a brand new Superman, and should've been treated as such. I just can't invest myself emotionally in characters that are portrayed as THIS familar without any work being done to flesh them out. This just doesn't feel like my Superman as of yet.

Superman (2025) "Spoiler-Free" Review

 

With the draft of changes that were made to the DCEU as we've known it thus far, I was looking forward to seeing what that would spell for a new iteration of Superman. Henry Cavill's Superman portrayal was rather broody, and I had a whole bunch of gripes about Zac Snyder's read of the character, and the industry's need to Nolanize everything under the sun.

Originally, this movie was to be known as "Superman: Legacy", but that eventually ended up being dropped. If I had the chance to name this movie, I would have named it Superman: Year 3. At the very beginning of the movie, we are presented with a bunch of factoids: Metahumans have been around for a while, Supes was sent here to earth 30 years ago, and he's been in action for 3 years. This time around they've done away with the need to present an origin story; the assumption is that everyone knows the typical beats, so they're depositing us into a fully lived in world. 3 months ago, Superman partook in some international incident for which we are about to experience the blowback.

For such major storybeats to be presented in this manner was certainly jarring. You feel like a lot of the story only happened offscreen. I feel like we would actually have profited from seeing Superman in the thick of the action to get a feel for what this new lore is like. My gripe was precisely that with the last iteration: they spent so much time telling us that Superman was great, and was supposed to be this big beacon of hope, but they spent very little time showing it to us. So we're immediately thrown into a fight whose ramifications don't seem to match up with what's being presented onscreen. 

We get introduced to his Clark Kent persona, which I have to say, was only sprinkled in sparingly through out this movie. He and Lois are already in a "situationship", which the movie never really elucidates. Gone is the mystique of the steps leading up to her discovering his identity, so it's a case of "Less Mystery, More History", which means we get a helluva lot more of Superman. It wouldn't be a Superman movie without the villain du jour, Lex Luthor (played very menacingly by Nicholas Hoult). This has got to be the most menacing maniacal vision of Lex Luthor that we've seen onscreen. Gene Hackman played it suave, but ever so intelligently devious; Michael Rosenbaum played him as a betrayed childhood friend; Kevin Spacey's impression was menacing with a sort of aloofness; Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor (Jr.) was an annoying rich techie with frenetic mannerisms and unexplained rage. Nicholas Hoult's impression is rather sadistic, jealous, cold and calculating, and you immediately understand that he feels Superman is the bane of his existence.

Superman is not alone in the heroics this time around; a sponsored team - The Justice Gang (consisting of Mr. Terrific, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Hawk Girl) is acting parallel to him at this point. The standout of the group was Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), but the adddition of this group to the mix does exactly what the JSA did to the Black Adam movie: it detracts from the story of the main character. I can't for the life of me figure out why James Gunn chose to play things this way. One moment which seemed pivotal from production stills was Superman seeming almost sullen and defeated as "Solaris" run amok in the Metropolis background. What should've ideally been a moment of gravitas, ends up being tossed aside as a joke. The movie is just too busy with "too many irons in the fire". 

One thing that'll also stand out is the technology of this movie. Going along with the theme of this being a "lived in" world, seemingly impressive technology just exists. I don't know if this is James Gunn preparing us for the influence of Intergang and technology smuggled in from Apokolips, but I just couldn't get a grasp of it. Due to the fact that I've watched the Superman and Justice League (Unlimited) series, I can kind of see what they're trying to do, but without it being couched in the new lore that they're setting up, I feel rather rudderless. 

At least James Gunn got the Kent parents right; you don't see too much of them, but you get the impression that they care about Clark and they're happy about his decisions. You could actually see Clark wanting to be a Superhero this time around; however, for the life of me I do not understand why they take such a sharp U-turn with Lara and Jor-El. We already know the beats of this story and that Clark can benefit from the influence of both his biological and adoptive parents; there is no need to change such foundational truths, and then just leave us stranded like a bunch of hobos. 

Whereas Zack Snyder left us with the impression of spectacle and grit, James Gunn has given us spectacle and whimsy without any sort of emotional tether. He's dug deep and mined the intellectual property for deep cuts that might make sense in future, but for now we can't really see how all those things fit together. It turns out that even the introduction of Krypto (the dog) is something that's there as a placeholder.

This movie really broke me. I wanted to love it. I enjoyed the music which harkens back to a lot of John Williams' original theme. Perhaps there is a story to be told here, but it is concealed by all the responsibilities that this movie has to bear as the rebirth of this DC universe franchise. The hullaballo about Immigration, Wokeness, etc. is misplaced. It's shown up multiple times onscreen (Heck, it was very well done in "Superman vs. The Elite"), and any Superman fan knows that as an idealized figure, he typically stands above the typical selfish nationalistic tendencies seen in typical life; as an alien with an affinity for earth, he's expected to make the most benevolent choice.

As much as it pains me, this movie is worthy of a "C Grade". I might watch it again just to see if a repeat viewing will help tie all these concepts together in a better fashion. 

God Bless.  

Thunderbolts* "Spoiler-Free" Movie Review

The MCU has been a bit of a hit-or-miss affair lately. I've missed a few movies and mostly stayed away from the TV shows. Captain America: Brave New World appeared to be a welcome return to form, though it carried on the story from one of the weakest MCU entries: The Incredible Hulk. 

Well, this week I got to check out  "Thunderbolts*". This is their team-up movie in the similar vein as "Guardians of The Galaxy" or "Suicide Squad". All the individuals on the team are 'augmented', but their power sets basically makes them street tier level superheroes. The team of Winter Soldier (Bucky), White Widow (Yelena), Red Guardian (Alexei), US Agent (Walker), and Taskmaster mostly plays up as a team of anti-heroes who for the most part don't work well with others. In fact, they are merely brought together by circumstance due to the machinations of CIA Director Valentina Allegra De Fontaine, and for the most part you feel they'd betray each other given the chance. Into this already tumultous mix, a seeming nobody named Bob ends up worming his way into their ranks. Now, if you'd watched any of the trailers, you'd know that Bob is basically the answer to the age old question of whether anyone can be super or if anyone SHOULD be super. Like Dr. Malcolm would say, 

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should!" 

In the MCU, this dichotomy has existed in the case of situations like Capt. America (Steve Rogers) vs. The Red Skull or even US Agent, and The Hulk Vs The Abomination who kinda end up with similar "juice", but end up with varyingly different results.

Sebastian Stan's "Bucky" is the veteran on the team this time around, and he anchors us to previous Avengers team members. Ghost was introduced as a tragic figure in the stellar Ant-Man 2, but has been incognito for a while; White Widow, Red Guardian and Taskmaster were fleshed out in the Black Widow movie (which I haven't watched yet) and US Agent was basically a Capt. America replacement from Falcon and The Winter Soldier, who's basically what you'd end up with if the American Army was the deciding factor in choosing Cap, and not Dr. Erskine - a big douchebag!!! I can attest that despite not spending too much time on their related backstories, the movie still fleshes them out enough that you won't feel cheated if you haven't watched prior movies or related series involving the characters. Bucky shines through as the leader, but the plot mostly revolves around redemption of these disparate characters, and it is chiefly typified by Yelena's story arc. Red Guardian is the most whimsical of the lot, and acts as the cheerleader of the group; he needs it to gel and work most of all, because through the group he feels like he attains a sense of purpose. Him being Yelena's father figure also reinforces his role as the "heart" of the team.

The weak point of this film comes from the vast scope of its villain's threats. In a world of established superheroes, you always wonder where the stronger heroes are when something seemingly insurmountable threatens to take over the world; why would you only send in the B-Team? (on a separate tangent, this was the same scenario in the first Suicide Squad movie and also interestingly the Justice League Unlimited episode, "Patriot Act). Also, in an era where we've been able to explore horror elements in the Dr. Strange branch of the MCU, why they didn't play up the horror angle of the final antagonist is beyond me. I can appreciate that the MCU has now given us a condition which is infinitely worse than being blipped from reality, but didn't pay as much attention to its progenitor.   

Sadly, Marvel has also Von-Struckered another villain. This is sadly one of the flaws that they've carried over into many of their movies, and most people had already hinted at this from watching the trailers. At this juncture it just seems like cruelty is the point, because, coming from the comic book world, there's so much to tap into and glean in order to expand the characters; offing them summarily seems a little defeatist.

The ending, while trying to wrap everything up in a neat bow, ends up feeling a little like being robbed. One character was due for a very big comeuppance, but instead we get a Hail Mary play that just comes out of nowhere, and saves the character. It's kind of played for laughs (like Tony Stark's engagement to Pepper Potts in Spider-Man: Homecoming when Peter snubs the chance to be an Avenger), but it felt like levity just wasn't the right fit for the moment. It sets up a complication that the 2nd post-credits scene hints will be more prominent in future instalments. 

Also, just like in Brave New World, against this big of a threat, you just know that the protagonists are going to have to apply a lot of "Talk No Jutsu" to resolve the conflict. Makes you wish that you'd actually have a god-tier hero to deal with a god-tier threat. It's something that the writers have to learn to deal with, but it seems that they'd already painted themselves into a corner. 

All in all, this is a new direction for the MCU; it doesn't quite stick the landing, but I hope they finetune the formula so that we can get more movies with heart and stakes (The Marvels felt like a movie where nothing was really at stake, and I don't think I could take something like that again; Thor: Love and Thunder was a TRAVESTY that will remain unspoken!)

Grade: B-

P.S: Planning to catch a second viewing of this with my twin brother, so let's see if it marinates better second time around. 

God Bless   

In Memory of Lyle Mays

It has been almost 4 years since Lyle Mays passed away. I knew him as the co-principal of The Pat Metheny Group (PMG), which I happened to delve into deeply towards the end of my (Messiah) college days. In fact 2005 - the year I graduated - stands out to me because as I was preparing to head back home to Kenya, the group released their last album: the magnus opus, "The Way Up". In a strange way, I got acquainted with them in their last iteration, but worked up to discovering a host of other gems that they had made in their long storied careers. Most of the music they made is timeless, classic, so much so that it pretty much stands up to scrutiny till this day. Later on I found out that Lyle - encouraged by Pat - had dabbled as a single artist and had 4 solo albums to his name: his eponymous first album - Lyle Mays, Street Dreams, Fictionary and Solo Improvisations for Expanded Piano. 

On the day of his passing (10th Feb 2020), I couldn't help but listen to "September 15th", Pat and Lyle's dedication to commemorate the passing of Bill Evans. The beauty and intricacy of the piece speaks to my heart regardless of the season as it wasn't written to be a dirge: it's a ballad, a waltz, a true work of art celebrating an inspiration. It is fitting that the piece that Pat and Lyle crafted together so long ago could provide the solace needed; to calm the waters on his sudden demise. September 15th happens to be the birthday of a very good friend from College (Janice), and I do believe I have tried to have her listen to the piece. 

Lyle was a master of his craft, classically trained but incorporating all the new elements that were being fused into Jazz in those early seminal years. His profile speaks of his excelling in multiple arenas - mathematics, architecture and even computing. As technical an instrument as the piano is, I'm convinced that learning to play and master it just ends up wiring a brain for greater things. I recall that my College Organic Chemistry teacher was a beast on the keys; probably wasn't a coincidence.

I do not have the technical skill to unwind and lay out all the "voodoo" that Mr. Mays was able to convey through the keys, but I think that I can share my passion for his music. What better way really is there for me to introduce anyone to the world of Lyle Mays than to share a few choice songs of his that have impressed me through the years. Now Lyle mixed things up quite a bit; he was the soul of the  PMG, and with his playing he provided a sort of sonic score/scaffolding upon which many of their songs were based. Sometimes the playing was orchestral, straight ahead, "smooth" or downright even avant garde and crazy; there really is something for everyone to appreciate from the easily approachable songs to some of those technique-heavy songs that maybe only true music majors would appreciate.

Here's my list:

1. September 15th  - Cannot sing enough praise for this song. It just has to be heard for you to understand
2. Slink - Wonderful jazz bassline, but there is some dissonance between the sax, piano (synth) and guitar. All that notwithstanding, still a very beautiful song with a whole lot of soul.  
3. Mirror of the Heart - Beautiful ballad which shows off his ability to weave the tapestry of a tune in many directions. I think if you want an idea of what he can do in his longform compositions, this is a good starter. For more obvious longform work there's always Solo Improvisations for Expanded Piano.
4. Alaskan Suite: Ascent - The Alaskan Suite consists of 3 portions with more shared elements between Parts 2 and 3. I've always gravitated to Part 3: Ascent. Bill Frisell's guitar playing is as dissonant an element as you're ever going to get, but the Sax seems a bit dissonant too. To go from all that to the beautiful final section is a work of genius that brings this work home.
5. Close to Home - A song conveying a deep longing, yearning, but he plays it somewhat upbeat. Even without lyrics, he gets the job done. Consequently, even when lyrics are applied to the song (like Milton Nascimento's "Quem é você), the eternal beauty remains. I think we could do it justice with some Kiswahili lyrics.
6. Ozark - If you ever needed any proof that Lyle was no slouch on the piano! Just listen to him cut loose on that piano.
7. The Awakening - I'm sad that no live version (by the PMG) of this song exists. Apparently, it was something that they just felt they couldn't get right live. This is a tight structured 9:28 that was built to evoke the hills and nature of Scotland (an aire). The whole group is in on this, but Lyle's piano is the most prominent element. This song is a literal rollercoaster from start to finish and well worth the playing time. They managed to weave a portion of "Imaginary Day" just prior to this song crescendo-ing into heights unknown. This truly was the highlight of "Imaginary Day".
8. Farmer's Trust - As I've written before, I came across this at the end of the movie "Fandango" ("Goodbye Dorman"), and I remember thinking that this was probably just a beautiful score element from the movie. Imagine my surprise at finding the whole song on the Travels album. It is a beautiful sparse piece that evokes the beauty of a picturesque forlon landscape. Definitely one of my all time faves. 
9. Travels - Yet another song that I think could benefit from a rendition with added Swahili lyrics. In the vein of PMG songs that convey longing and distant travel through lands unknown, this is your elixir. There are multiple versions of this song, but the best version is indeed the PMG version of the live album. 
10. Street Dreams - Street Dreams is actually a suite of 4 songs, but I gravitate towards Part 4 because it has this beautiful R&B vibe. For the longest time, I felt like Janet Jackson's "Living in a World (they didn't make)" and it's "Interlude" were in fact built off of this song. Part 2 is a sweet listen too and quite a riot because its drumline suggests something Brazilian inspired, but the initial piano orchestration seems to do away with that thought; then they cut loose, and show that Brazil/Samba was the plan all along.
11. First Circle - This is a PMG staple in their world music vein of songs. I don't know much about "counting time" in music, but I've listened to it so often that I can clap in time to the unique time signature of hand claps they chose for this song. The music builds, then incorporates Pedro Aznar's beautiful wordless vocalizing, and then settles; and Lyle is allowed to shine brightest on this because he has the only solo. This is one where you'd benefit from also watching the live versions because as much as Pat's strumming his guitar like crazy, he's basically serving as a background element. This song is pure perfection.
12. San Lorenzo - The longest piece from their White Album (clocking in at 10:14), this is some of the PMG's older work, but it has aged well. The song is built beautifully off of Lyle's playing, and waxes and wanes with a mastery that was proof of what was later to come from the group.
13. Minuano (Six Eight) - This is one of their longform songs that's easy to miss if you can't sit patiently for the 2nd act to begin. The intro in no way prepares you for where the rest of the song is headed. If you stay the course, the experience is worth it. (Most live performances by the PMG in latter years did away with the intro).
14. Dream of The Return - Pedro Aznar sings on this song in Spanish no less, but that doesn't diminish this in the least. Lyle's piano lays the soulful base for this song. 
15. Letter From Home - Equal parts Mays and Metheny giving us a short and sweet 'dirge'.
16. Badland - I decided to throw in one of their slightly crazy arrangements. When they did this album (Quartet), they sometimes strove for the unusual like Lyle playing on a not-quite properly tuned piano. The strings on this piece get a bit jarring, but this is one of those "you can't appreciate the sweet without the sour" kind of moments; very beautiful resolution.
17. Language of Time - Don't know why this song struck me as being "mathematical"; the groovy bassline in this, especially the song's resolution casts some very much needed light on Steve Rodby, one of their longterm staples. Straight ahead jazz for those who'd appreciate it. 
18. Across the Sky - This is a rather subdued song. Don't know what Lyle is playing on those keys, but it is dissonant enough to give this song a rather spooky feel. Note: watching the live version of this is impressive for just how much Pat was shredding through the song, forgoing his subdued playing on the album and just cutting loose. (I digress, another similarly amped up PMG song to listen to would be the live "Cathedral in a Suitcase"). 
19. Proof - The PMG in the start of their last iteration. There are 3 solos in this song, but it takes flight when Lyle is allowed to soar on those keys. A special moment to look out for in the end is the interplay of Pat, Lyle, Cuong Vu accentuated by Antonio Sanchez's cymbal work. Never gets old.
20. The Way Up - The Magnus Opus. Where they put it all together. Pat always looked at their songs, all the albums they did together as one long cohesive work. This is a long suite: 68 minutes to be exact, and some parts of it stand out as easier listening than other; but it is a beautiful cohesive work. It is a work of art

I didn't set out to have the list so long, but I think this is an appropriate start for anyone dipping their toes into the pool of his work. Fortunately, all this stuff is available on YouTube so you can easily check it out when it's convenient. Though he is no longer with us, his great body of work remains, ready to inspire at a moment's notice. 

Rest easy Lyle. You will be fondly remembered.

God Bless

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves "Spoiler-Free" Review

 

Today was a day when I just felt I needed to get out and watch a movie. There's so much at the theaters that I haven't yet watched, but I had a feeling that Mario Bros. was what I was likely to watch, with Dungeons and Dragons as a possible second choice. After only getting to the theater slightly late, I was treated to a fiasco of having so many kids in line before me (which had proved to be an all too aggravating for me during Antman:Quantamania). With the Easter season still in play, it was guaranteed that that entire ensemble of kids was headed to watch Mario Bros., and I wasn't in the mood to deal with shenanigans. So as soon as I got up to the counter (sure that I'd be late to get into the movie), I bought a DnD ticket, and went straight to Screen 3. The room was mostly empty; couldn't have been more than 10 of us in that room. Simply blissful! (and on time!)

Personally, I've never played any DnD. My experience pretty much involves the 80's cartoon version (which saw the heroes dragged into a fantastical world, but never ever managed to return them home), and every once in a while a YouTube vid or some show like Stranger Things regales us with a bunch of nerds taking turns at the tabletop game. Suffice it to say, the movie respects that, and you don't really have to be a diehard DnD fan to get into it. This movie has a lot of exposition, but in much the same way that a Dungeonmaster would build the world of a DnD game, control its pacing, and continuity, etc., this very art of exposition is weaved into the movie. Most of this is done through Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), a harper; he is the master strategist who is full of bravado and contingency plans to boot, and has a knack for getting the members of his troop in all kinds of mischief and schemes. Though Michelle Rodriguez has played the same mean, gruff character in practically all her movies, here - playing Holga Kilgore, a barbarian - she produces the best permutation of that character. She play second fiddle to Edgin, and the humour that the movie is able to extract from the interplay of the two characters is extremely rewarding.  

Justice Smith plays Simon Aumar, the wizard of the group; he is the most disregarded member of the group, drawing ridicule from other members (Edgin excluded), but still manages to come through for the team when they need him the most. I feel like he excels at playing the bug-eyed hesitant group member (similar to his role from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom). Sophia Lillis of IT fame portrays the shapeshifting Doric, perhaps the most versatile member of the group, and its most reluctant. Each of these characters is perfectly cast, and every interaction and line of dialogue melds their relationships even tighter. These are characters that you can, and will fall in love with as the story goes on.

 

The showstopper has to be Regé Jean Page's Xenk Yendar, a paladin. Full of wisdom and an age that is not betrayed by his youthful look, he is the stoic character who contrasts greatly with the skullduggery of Edgin's troop. He is, however, a literalist, immune to sarcasm, irony, cynicism, etc. He plays it off even better than Guardians of The Galaxy alum, Drax the Destroyer.

Hugh Grant as Forge Fitzwilliam is the wily quick-talking scoundrel of the lot; always in for a scheme, and egging Edgin on to even bigger schemes.

The villainous Sofina, (Daisy Head) is the big bad", and doesn't have a single redeeming quality about her; she is evil incarnate, and totally menacing. Her role is somewhat subdued (for the mechanics of the movie), but she is shrouded in a foreboding aura that suggests that there is more darkness  soon to follow where she treads.   

I predict that this movie will be the sleeper hit of the season. The only other time I've been this surprised at the movies is when I RELUCTANTLY got to watch the first "How to Train Your Dragon". It totally caught me by surprise! The pacing is perfect with nary a wasted moment; the humour could very well have gone the Marvel-esque route, but it surprisingly fits so well. The emotional weight that every character is given will have you rooting for the protagonists, and have you invested in each of them. The action is well-choreographed and well weaved into the story, and all the CG and practical effects are a pleasure to watch.

I will definitely be going in for a rewatch. This movie is an A+ in my books.

God Bless

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever "Spoiler-Free" Review

After the disastrous Thor: Love and Thunder, an MCU outing so terrible that I've never been able to pen even a decent review for it, this movie was needed as something of a palate-cleanser; there was just no way that it could sink any lower. Low expectations can be a blessing at times. There was a lot of hype surrounding the original Black Panther, some of which it didn't exactly fulfill; being an MCU movie, it fell into the trope of having the Super hero fight an exactly similar super villain, and it also killed off good protagonists who perhaps had more to add to the future of the MCU.

In an case, this movie starts off as a dirge. It is, after all, the first chance that we get to address the passing of Chadwick Boseman on film since his untimely passing. They address this at the start of the movie, and in a very realistic way, the passing of King T'challa hits us like a sledgehammer (an exact replication of the true life event). This movie gives us a chance to grieve in a most colourful celebration only the likes of which Wakanda could provide. With the passing of the King and the vacancy of the Black Panther mantle (thanks to Killmonger's antics from the last film), the world powers continue to antagonize Wakanda sensing that the nation is at its weakest. It is in fact a facet of this antagonism that sets in motion events that reveal to us Namor the Submariner, and his Kingdom of Talokan.

This movie definitely marks a return to form for the MCU. With the new additions of movies and characters that have made their way into the MCU recently, a lot of the recent stories have emphasized the cosmic otherworldly portions of the MCU, and it can become rather easy to get lost in the mix. Here we have a more grounded story, which at its heart is centred on dealing with grief and embracing loss. Angela Bassett steals every scene as the strong Queen Ramonda who has faced more than her fair share of loss, and finds herself having to steer Wakanda's affairs yet again as its leader. She also has to deal with a despondent Shuri (Letitia Wright) who despite probably being the smartest person in the MCU, is unable to reconcile the mixed bag of emotions she's experiencing, tradition and the spirituality that she's grown up with her whole life.

Thrown into the mix to stir things up even more is Namor (Tenoch Huerta), an imposing figure who rues the antics of the colonizer that he has witnessed in a storied life. While the Wakandans chose to reveal themselves to the rest of the world in the last installment (and even played a part in saving the world from Thanos in both Avengers' wars), Namor craves secrecy for himself and his people. He views the rest of the world as an impediment that might eventually bring war to his doorstep, and he is not averse to waging an preemptive strike to quash any such issues. His mythos is really well done (changes from "Atlantis" and all), and well established. He is a complex villain, but this is well balanced with the fact that the world powers are pretty much established to be just another set of villains sitting at the same table, jockeying for position. His love for his people is unquestionable, it's just that his methods are unsavoury. He marks a new start for the MCU as they finally give us Marvel's roster of mutants. 

I really enjoyed this movie. It was tight-knit and cohesive, and never once did my attention wonder. Character favourites like Okoye (Danai Gurira) and M'Baku (Winston Duke) are a joy to watch whenever they're on screen; despite their slightly reduced screen time, they manage to provide both moments of levity and gravitas; and the "colonizer" aka Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) has his story interwoven herein too in a very sensible way, and binds him further to the Kingdom and story of Wakanda. The MCU chose this moment to introduce IronHeart aka Riri Williams, another genius in the vein of Tony Stark. I don't believe she got much love in the comics, but this MCU portrayal might be a chance to update that (just like the Spiderverse did so well for Miles Morales).

Everything fits so well in the story, and it was a joy to watch. I am sad that we lost Chadwick Boseman, and the story had to pivot so much to embrace that. The war between T'challa and Namor is legendary in the comic books, and I think we lost an opportunity to see that fully brought onto the screen; but I have to admit that despite many constraints, this movie made a wonderful soft landing. All thanks to Ryan Coogler and a wonderful cast for a job well done. 

Definitely an A- in my books.

God Bless.