Geek Shows On the Horizon We Can't Wait to Binge

It’s a golden age for fans of TV shows, streaming, binge watching and geeky TV. Every other week a new show is announced that makes geeks and nerds feel like they are eight years old ago. So, let’s look at some of the incredibly new (and old) shows that are going to be available towards the end of this year and into 2018.

The Punisher

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Daredevil Season 2 might have been a mixed bag, and The Defenders didn’t quite live up to the hype. Combined with the the weird pacing of Luke Cage and the controversy surrounding Iron Fist, the Marvel Netflix shows have been on a slightly downward slope lately. However, we’re confident that in November that’s all about to change because we get the punished. Arguably, this character was the brightest part of Daredevil Season 2, and Jon Bernthal has brought the character to life in a new and exciting way. The full trailer is right here https://www.youtube.com/ and we’re eager to see what Marvel have in store for this dark and bloody character with what is hopefully a truly epic full season arc. Expect this one to drop around November.

Stranger Things Returns

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Just in time for Halloween, Stranger Things is returning. We’ve already had tantalizing teases with the boys in Ghostbusters costumes and posters resembling those of classic horror movies. We’ve got so many questions. Will eleven return? Almost definitely but how is a completely different question. According to https://netflixupdate.com/, season 2 has a one-year time jump, so we’ll certainly have a lot to catch up when we return to that eerie American town at the end of October.

Young Justice Season 3 (Finally!)

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Cartoon Network viewers were truly heartbroken when Young Justice was canceled because...not enough toys were sold. WB should have realized that the demographic for this show was significantly older than they expected with a loyal fanbase made up of a significant amount of students. But now it’s returning with the original voice cast, the original show runner and a story revolving around meta human trafficking. It doesn’t sound like the TV show is going to shy away from the deep, complex storylines that made it such a hit. But where is it going to be released and when? While it seemed likely that Young Justice would hit Netflix at some point, WB has opted instead to create their own streaming service. Along with all their existing and older shows this service will include one other, exciting piece of original content.

Titans!

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Or rather, Teen Titans, except they can’t call it that incase it’s confused with the humorous yet shallow Teen Titans Go. The cast has slowly been unveiled, and we know it’s releasing in 2018. That’s all the information we have on this show. We do know it’s a live action series. But we’re not even sure whether it’s a half hour dramedy or a full hour action adventure drama. It could even be linked to the DCEU, and it’s the mystery that perhaps makes this one so exciting. You read more about this on http://www.denofgeek.com/.

So which one of these shows will be distracting you from your work? Or, are you planning on binge watching all of them?

Weekly Geek Outs - 08/19/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice - Ultimate Edition

Long story short, they got me. I bought this extended cut of the movie on Blu-Ray. Not worth it, does not make this complicated movie any better (see my review for more detailed thoughts). This movie is overstuffed as it is, and the scenes cut help weave some minor plot points together better, but the movie is still not great. Wonder Woman is still awesome though and should have been in the movie more.

• Capital Area Food Bank

I'm going to volunteer here with my partner with the great Day of Service Paid Time Off benefit I have with my job. They recently implemented this initiative and I'm excited to take advantage of it. I have more days to use and I look forward to building a relationship with this great community organization.

• Thought

I've said this a few times in conversation recently, and thought I'd share it with you: I didn't even know my job and the company I work for now existed when I started job searching last year. Now that I'm here, I couldn't be more grateful I stumbled upon this company and this job. My thought and advice for those worried about figuring out what is next for them or what to do with their lives; it may just be out there waiting for you to discover it. Or it may not even exist yet, either way, you just need to be patient, do good work, and put yourself out there. Luck happens more often to those that are prepared for it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Justice League - Flashpoint Paradox

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2013 animated film, Justice League - The Flashpoint Paradox.

I love this movie. I watched it for the first time with my brother a little while back, and revisited it recently since it is now available on Netflix.

The plot follows Barry Allen (The Flash) as awakes in an unfamiliar world, ravaged by war, and where he is no longer the beloved Scarlet Speedster. He eventually discovers that something happened to alter the timeline, and he has to work together with these very different versions of superheroes from his world to get back to his own reality.

This is not a great movie for kids. It is rated an appropriate PG-13, since there is visceral violence, dark themes, and the story may be a little too much for a child. This isn't to say it is bad however. It is a really great story and overall movie. There are emotional moments, intense action sequences, and intriguing changes to the stories we all know about the members of the Justice League.

The animation in the movie is also well done from what I can tell. Watching it over again, I can notice some sequences of obvious CGI, but they're brief and don't take away from the overall experience. The entire package of this movie is fun to watch, and sets up a cool world that just begs to be explored (and you can in Flashpoint comics that were released). DC strikes gold again with this movie, and continues their positive streak of animated films.

Go check out Justice League - The Flashpoint Paradox, streaming right now, on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 06/03/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• DC

I've been living in the Greater DC area for almost a month now, and since I've only visited here a few times previously, I'm excited to explore with my partner. We've gone to some places for drinks, visited some museums, and are planning to do much more. We're grateful to live in an area with more going on as well as being closer to friends and family. Stay tuned for more thoughts from our adventures!

• Happy Endings

This show was recently put on Hulu in its entirety, and I enjoyed watching it back in the day when it was on. I've been rewatching it with my partner and we've both really been liking it. It was a fun, clever, unique show with smart and silly humor. It was right up my alley and it is always great to share things I love with my partner. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good comedy to watch through.

• Work

My new job has been picking up lately, which has been both a good and a bad thing. Good because I'm excited to do the work and get more involved helping our students as well as my team. Bad because it has taken up more of my time and energy away from the blog. I haven't been able to write as much as I like, nor have I been able to come up with new ideas to write about even if I had the time and energy. I know I just need some space and I need to make the time after I adjust to all the change that has been going on in my life. This blog means a lot to me so I want to keep it going. I appreciate folks patience with the lack of fresh, new content.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 05/27/16

Greetings!

I've been busy this week but was able to catch the season finales of some of my favorite shows on the air right now (still need to catch up on SHIELD...) so I wanted to share my (spoiler-free) thoughts on those episodes and their respective seasons here:

• Arrow

I've ordered these bullet points generally in order of my least to most favorite season finales. Arrow has been struggling for a little while now, with weak flashback stories and frustrating plot points. It's a shame since it was the genesis of the DC TV Universe, but the show hasn't really figured out a good path forward. With major characters being killed off or quitting being heroes, lackluster villains, and character moments being rushed or poorly done, Arrow has some structural flaws to address going forward. I would hate to see this show go on life support in terms of quality, but it seems to be trending that way. I have faith it can shape up, but I could also see it becoming a show that gets too comfy and gets lazy. I'll be watching season 5 but might let go of the show if it doesn't keep me engaged since there is plenty of other great TV on right now.

• Legends of Tomorrow

On a more positive note, LoT grew in a positive way over the course of its first year. Struggling with similar flaws like Arrow with its villain, LoT eventually got to a good place by investing better in the great cast of characters they have and keeping the tension at a decent place. Strange that time travel adventures could feel a tad boring at times, but nevertheless, LoT looks to be heading in the right direction with season 2, especially with the teaser that happened at the end of their satisfying season finale.

• The Flash

The Flash is still easily my favorite show of this bunch. It fully embraced its comic book roots early on, has kept a good pace (for the most part), and Barry Allan and the crew are just great fun to watch. While season 2 got a little darker, it was still great TV, and wasn't afraid of going down some different dramatic and intriguing turns, especially with the finale. I loved the inclusion of time travel within this show (for the most part) as well as the acknowledgement of alternate Earths. There still seems to be so much they can explore with all of that, so I'm more optimistic for The Flash than some of its sibling shows.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 05/06/16

Greetings!

Here's what I'm geeking out about this week:

• DC Animated Shows

I recently saved this article that highlights some great Batman & Superman episodes from their own respective animated series as well as the Justice League animated series. I hadn't really watched any of these series growing up. I was more into the Spider-Man and X-Men animated series of the '90s and other random shows of my youth. They now exist on various streaming platforms, and they held up to the test of time, so I figured I'd check out some choice episodes. I haven't watched everything from this list yet, but what I have watched has been good and inspires me to check out more of these series in the future.

• Captain America: Civil War

I have been anticipating this movie for a while. In the shadow of Deadpool and Batman V Superman, Civil War looks to be a standout comic book movie that handles a lot of characters as well as important themes well, a unique spot that sets it apart from these two movies. Deadpool was great because it was a smaller scale movie, and BvS had a lot of its own problems to deal with, so it read this post if you want to go there. Anyway, Civil War has been getting awesome early reviews, and I'll be sure to share my full thoughts about it after I see it this weekend with my brother to help celebrate his birthday. #TeamCap

• Moving!

I am moving down to Maryland this weekend for my new job, which I am very excited about! I'll be getting my first apartment, living with my partner, building our life together, and all of this is taking place while I start a new job at an awesome new company and live in a cool area neighboring two great cities. I'm looking forward to getting settled in and exploring my community. I know it is going to be a bit stressful getting to that point, but I know it will be worth it. I'm hoping this move and period of newness won't interrupt the regularly scheduled programming here on the blog and elsewhere. I'm going to do my best to plan ahead and have stuff scheduled to go out ahead of time. Wish me and my partner luck as we make this big move!

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Batman v Superman - Dawn of Justice

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the recently released Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenburg, Gal Gadot, and strong (and large) supporting cast.

I talked about some of my initial impressions of this movie in my geek out last week, and I just wanted to go a bit more in depth with my thoughts here with this highly contentious movie. The critics have not been kind to this one, and many comic book purists are having issue with it as well. I will say that I think it is not as bad as some people are making it out to be, but it is not a great movie by any means. It is confusing, unfocused, and needlessly boring for the subject matter. While I don't need a MCU clone, I would have hoped for a more fun movie.

To balance things out, there were some things I enjoyed about the movie, and it seems are pretty universally appreciated. Ben Affleck did well as both Bruce Wayne and Batman where other actors seemed to do well as one or the other. He portrayal was his own and he succeeded where many thought he would fail. Gal Gadot makes the most of her (very) limited screen time as Wonder Woman, especially in the final fight sequence. I will admit to getting chills when she hit the screen and her music kicked in. It was really well done and I look forward to what is to come in her solo movie next year. Jesse Eisenburg did pretty well as the manic, eccentric, egotistical manipulative, genius Lex Luthor. While some of the confusion comes from his character's motivations, some of the plot holes could just be explained away by his paranoia and/or hubris.

While I appreciate the attempts of this movie to play catch up to the MCU, I felt like the nods to other Justice League members to be underwhelming and sort of forced. It leaves me wondering how it will all work in a bit of a bad way, but we are getting Justice League, Part 1 next year so maybe it will all be a bit of rush job. Looking back it was nice to have a movie to get to know each of the members of the Avengers before bringing them together. Part of what holds Dawn of Justice back is that we don't get to know Wonder Woman or Batman as well as we could have to have their big team-up really resonate. Wonder Woman will at least get her own movie before Justice League, but other than Superman with Man of Steel, she is the only one.

Dawn of Justice is a movie that has a lot riding on it. I would liken it to Amazing Spider-Man 2 in how it must have been viewed by the production people. They both wanted so bad to set up their own movie universes, that, especially with Spider-Man, they suffer under their own weight. We can see where Dawn of Justice falters with that weight at times, but it holds steady, despite many issues (like the ending, was not a fan! And all the dream sequences?!).

I am very curious to hear other people's thoughts, so leave them in the comments below.

You can check out Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at a theater near you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 02/26/16

Greetings!

Here's what I'm geeking out about this week:

• Love on Netflix

My partner Jenn and I blew through this show over this past weekend, and we loved it (pun intended)! An atypical romantic comedy series from Judd Apatow, Jenn and I really connected with the main characters. The whole show is very unique, engaging, and funny. Sharing a similar space to its Netflix sibling show, Master of None, Love is a very real look at modern relationships and how we make decisions about who to be with. I highly recommend this show! We'll get season two next year and I can't wait!

• Vixen on Arrow

We were treated to the live action debut of Vixen, who was originally featured in the CW Seed web series set in the DC TV Universe. She brings a fun attitude, an awesome female character, and cool mystical powers. I'm glad they got the same actress who voiced Vixen in the animated web series to depict the character in live action. Just provides some nice consistency and the actress nails it. I hope we can look forward to more Vixen on Arrow and Flash in the future!

• Legends of Tomorrow

This week's episode takes us to the Star City of 2046, a dystopic wasteland with an older, grizzled (and one-armed!) Oliver Queen who has become a recluse in the wake of the tragedies that have befallen his city. This glimpse was a tease of a potential future that would be really neat to explore more as a sort of what if scenario. This week's episode of LoT struggled a bit with a weird romantic subplot, but otherwise it was a cool episode and I'm always eager to see where the team ends up next!

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 02/05/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Flash and Supergirl Crossover

I am super excited for the recently announced crossover episode of The Flash and Supergirl to finally happen! Ever since Supergirl premiered, fans have been hoping for this to happen, and the creators of the shows have been playing coy for a while about it, but we got the official announcement on Wednesday that the episode of Supergirl featuring Grant Gustin's Flash will air sometime in March. It's so soon! I'm assuming they'll utilize the multi-verse premise to easily segue into the crossover without having to do much narrative legwork. These are two solidly entertaining heroes that will be a lot of fun when they team up. I need to watch more Supergirl to prepare!

• Maine Craft Beer & Growlers

Something I've really enjoyed about living in Maine has been all of the fine local, craft beer there is to enjoy. I've been getting into bringing home my own growlers of beer since it is a bit more sustainable and cost effective to do so, and especially for the beer that I can't buy in a store. Some of my favorites around here are Orono Brewing Company, Black Bear Microbrew, and Baxter Brewing Company. There are so many more good ones, but I encourage anyone to check out if they have any cool local breweries in their area. Support local business and enjoy some uniquely tasty beer at the same time!

• Fitness Trackers

My partner and I have been researching different fitness trackers, like FitBit and Pacer. We have settled on getting an actual physical tracker of some sort, with most of our friends recommending FitBit (in addition to the plethora of mostly positive reviews on Amazon). It's been tough though to figure out exactly which brand to choose and which version of which brand's fitness band to get, especially since I have never had one before and they are just enough money I feel like that I want to make sure I get something I like. I'm hoping to settle on one soon with my partner, so that we can share the same technology and work together toward our wellness goals!

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 01/22/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Agent Carter

Some of my favorite shows are coming back this week, which makes me very happy. One of them is the limited series Agent Carter, which like last year, is covering the mid-season break of Agents of SHIELD. Season 2 premiered with a two-hour event on Tuesday, and I'm excited to continue to explore the story of Peggy Carter. These first two episodes (out of a total of 10 this season) were great and I'm looking forward to where the rest of the season goes. They have done her very well in the past, and she is a hallmark character of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I'm optimistic that they'll continue this trend. There is so much of her story to tell too, since we know she has a big role to play the in the creation of SHIELD, and based on the beginning of Ant-Man, is still influential up until at least the late 1980s. So that means we still have over 40 years of story to cover for Peggy, and I hope we at least get to glance at some of that at some point in some form or another. I'd be totally down for some deep, Cold War Agent Carter action!

• The Dark Knight Returns

I checked out this two part animated movie on HBO Now the other day in anticipation of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, which takes some inspiration from this story. I had some cursory understanding of what this pivotal comic book was about, but I never read it so I was really excited to delve into the story deeper. The setting is a dystopic 1980s America, where a older, grizzled Batman comes out of hiding to free Gotham from the grips of a new wave of criminals. There are a bunch of nods to the rest of the DC Universe's fate in this timeline, which is cool, and I overall enjoyed everything about this. The action is good, the animation is solid, and the performances are good too. It's a unique interpretation of classic characters and settings, but I liked it's take on everything. These alternate universe stories always intrigue me since they allow for very fresh interpretations of well known tropes, and at times have no responsibility to be accountable to what came before or what comes after. Seeing this also has me even more excited for what Dawn of Justice will entail, and we're only like two months away now!

• Legends of Tomorrow

This brand new series just premiered last night and sets up a tantalizing premise of what boils down to Doctor Who with superheroes. The first episode has me excited for what is to come, and the time travel inherent to the show will allow for some cool DC Universe nods, like Jonah Hex. It will exist outside and alongside it's sibling shows of Arrow and Flash, since, again, with the time travel ability, the characters can come right back to where they left their timelines (a clever trick) which I'll be intrigued to see how that exactly works in practice versus in theory. For the next couple of months, we'll be spoiled with new weekly episodes of Flash, Arrow, and LoT, further bolstering their already robust shared DC TV Universe. As much as I enjoy Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD, DC has them beat here.

Thanks for stopping by!