Movie Review: Thunderbolts* (2025)

Thunderbolts* (2025) directed by Jake Schreier

Yelena (Florence Pugh), sister of the now deceased Black Widow, is doing covert black-ops for Valentina de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Valentina has a lot of work to get done because she's left her O.X.E. corporate job to be head of the CIA. O.X.E. has been doing a lot of bad, illegal things, so Yelena has been blowing a lot of stuff up. After her latest mission, she goes to see her father Alexei (formerly the Red Guardian, a sort of Captain America of Russia played by David Harbour). She's hoping for advice on dealing with ennui and wanting to quit her job. Alexei says he's content with running a limo service but as soon as he hears she has a line on covert ops work, he wants in. It's not the best father-daughter situation. Meanwhile, newly elected Congressman Bucky Barnes (formerly the Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan) is on the committee trying to impeach de Fontaine, who is trying to stay squeaky clean in the public eye.

Yelena's next assignment is to take out a thief about to infiltrate a secret bunker in Utah that has a lot of O.X.E. equipment and secrets. When she gets there, she finds Taskmaster, US Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Ghost (Hannah John -Kamen) all on similar missions to wipe each other out. As they fight, they release Bob (Lewis Pullman), a civilian who doesn't know anything about what is going on or even why he is there. The group winds up working together to make it out of the bunker (which is set to incinerate them along with all the incriminating evidence) and are forced into partnership against de Fontaine's schemes.

The movie has plenty of action and comedy but the main theme deals with dark pasts, loneliness, and depression. A lot of the characters struggle with what they have done and what they are doing now with their lives. The plot is a bit darker and moves toward a psychological resolution unlike most Marvel films' big fights. 

Except for Bucky, I haven't been that much interested in any of these characters, who were side characters in other superhero films and TV series. I have a lot more affection for them and am actually looking forward to what comes next for Marvel, which I haven't been able to say for quite a while.

Recommended. I like Captain America: Brave New World a bit better, but not by much.

Random DC Stuff April 2025

My wife had an appointment in downtown DC, so I tagged along to do some sightseeing.

I walked over toward the Capitol Building. I clearly came along the Senate side of the building since I ran into the Senate Fountain.

Fountain taller than the Capitol building?

A calmer section of the fountain

A little bit closer to the Capitol is the Summer House, a hexagonal building constructed in the 1880s. It provides a spot out of the sun and with a soothing waterfall to let travelers and visitors take a break on their visit. 

Summer house

The fountain with me obstructing it

A short walk brought me to the Capitol itself. At mid-morning, the sun was at an unhelpful, though dramatic, angle.

A hot view

Looking in the other direction

At the Botanical Garden, (just past the House side of the Capitol), I saw Iris tectorum, or roof iris, in the gardens outside.

A bit of the garden

The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la!

The garden includes a fountain designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the designer of the Statue of Liberty. 

Bartholdi fountain

The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial is a sobering memorial across the street from the fountain.

American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial

Transparent walls with trees behind

A star representing military branches

Seal of the Air Force

I unintentionally found the Dwight Eisenhower Memorial just down Independence Avenue.

Medallion on one of the columns

On another column

One of the columns

From his presidential service

From his military service

Homecoming address

Even John Marshall, early Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, has a plaza with a statue!

Near the DC courts

I also wandered through Chinatown and saw what is probably in every big American city, a traditional Chinese gate, here called the Friendship Archway.

Chinatown!

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is part of the DC public library system. They had karaoke going on outside, so I did not take any pictures there. I did spot Benjamin Banneker and find a geocache hidden in a book.

Banna-Ka (Benjamin Banneker), 2019 by Imar Hutchins

A fake book!

I was impressed with Saint Patrick Catholic Church but did not go in. 

Saint Patrick Church

I happened across Ford's Theater (where Lincoln was shot) and saw the house across the street where he died. Visitors need tickets to see either so I will have to go inside on another trip.

Petersen House

I took a fun shot at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Their fountain has a good view of the National Archives, where one of the copies of the Declaration of Independence is kept.

Fountain with building

On my way back to my wife's office, I saw the Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial. The Grand Army of the Republic was the first veterans' group in the United States and formed after the American Civil War, organized by Benjamin Stephenson. The monument has three sides.

GAR Memorial

Charity side

Loyalty side

TV Review: The Grimm Variations (2024)

The Grimm Variations (2024) based on the Grimm Fairy Tales

This anime retelling of various popular Grimm's Fairy Tales goes more for dramatic twists and reinterpretations of the characters. Each show opens with a water color-style segment with the Brothers Grimm talking to a younger sister about each tale and how the story might be different. This segues into the "Variations" which do provide a lot of variety of interpretation, especially the settings which are moved from medieval Europe to mostly Japan.

Cinderella--What if Cinderella was not the hero of her own story? Here, Kiyoko loves to play with dolls, including a special doll that she carries with her. She is very kind and defers to others, even when her father remarries a former geisha with two daughters who are a bit vulgar and a bit greedy. Kiyoko's kindness makes them look worse as she forgives them for any and every wrong they do or do not do to her. They suspect something is up. They claim Kiyoko doesn't tell the truth in some situations, though everybody from her father and step-mother to the household servants believe in Kiyoko. The episode builds a lot of suspense around whether Kiyoko is being manipulative or not--why would she kill them with kindness? It makes for an intriguing twist on the Cinderella story.

Little Red Riding Hood--In a VR dominated future, rich men have a "Wolf Club" where they hunt real women for the fun of the chase and the kill. Grey is an enthusiastic member who is especially sadistic and wants to have experiences of non-virtual reality. He sets up a hunt outside of the group in a rundown section of town, leading to bad consequences for him. The set-up of the episode has some gristly sexual violence that almost made me turn off the show. I stuck it out but it was not rewarding, just more wallowing in sadism. Skip this episode is my recommendation.

Hansel and Gretel--Hansel and Gretel are young students in a boarding school with a very set routine that they like to upset. They get in enough trouble to be sent outside the school grounds, into the woods. They discover a small cabin with fantastic decor inside and lots of sweet treats...and an old woman who gives mysterious advice. The story is quite different from the original in interesting ways while still holding to the theme of growing up and having to take care of yourself. It was a lot more interesting and restored my faith in watching the series.

The Elves and the Shoemaker--Writer N is having a rough time. He had a hit ten or twenty years ago but is struggling with a long bout of mediocrity. He drinks a bit and has a run-in with a young, red-headed girl who gives him some honest feedback about his latest work. She is interested in him doing well and wants him to improve the story. Recovering from his hangover the next morning, he finds a manuscript on his writing table in his handwriting. He doesn't remember writing it but sends it off to his publisher anyway. It turns into a big hit and revives his career. He has several more "morning surprises" that get published though he feels awkward about the situation. The story ends oddly, as if the filmmakers wanted the viewer to have that same disorientation that N has. I don't know quite what to think of it.

The Town Musicians of Bremen--Mad Dog is an ex-deputy who has a very strong sense of righteousness in a mildly-cyberpunk American Old West. She was fired because the sheriff is too complacent about criminal gangs, especially the Wade Brothers who are based in Bremen. Dog wanders the deserts, eventually picking up Donkey, a steel worker with a giant hammer, and Cat, a prostitute who wants more out of life. They wander around, winding up in Bremen where they stir up trouble with the Wades. This story made for an interesting blend of genres but Cat's excessively large breasts and a sudden surprising ability undercut an interesting, fanciful story. It's the epitome of anime's uncomfortable blend of female empowerment with female exploitation. 

Pied Piper of Hamelin--An isolated village is ruled over by Grand Code, a matriarch who keeps a tight control on everyone. Children go to school till at most 17, then they work in the fields or, in the case of Maria (Grand Code's granddaughter), married to the most eligible man in their town. Unfortunately, Code's idea of most eligible is a ruffian and bully. Maria is more of a dreamer and her school teacher is infatuated with her. A traveler bursts in on the teacher on a dark and stormy night, offering a glimpse of the outside world for some shelter. He reluctantly agrees, a decision that puts him on the path to declaring his desire for Maria, causing a lot of other mischief. 

Like any anthology series, some episodes are better than others. The Cinderella episode is my favorite, then Hansel and Gretel. The rest are just okay, except for the very unlikeable Little Red Riding Hood. The idea of varying the thematic content of fairy tales is interesting if overdone in contemporary entertainment media. If you are interested enough, start with Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel and you will know from there if you'd like more.

Mildly recommended.

As I write (May 2025), this is only available on Netflix.

Virginia Aquarium, Virginia Beach

The Virginia Aquarium is on the outskirts of Virginia Beach. It has two buildings separated by a nature trail that includes some viewing platforms along Owl Creek and an Adventure Park. We started our visit by trying to find parking in a very full parking lot. Once that was done, we got in line to buy tickets and enter the north building.

Virginia Aquarium (north building)

Welcoming sign

Bypassing the photo room (they take your picture and try to sell you the photo at the end of your visit), we enjoyed the upland river exhibit, with some catfish and other fresh-water fellows.

Catfish

The coastal river exhibit includes some more traditionally land animals, like snakes and turtles.

Too hot to come out

A massive turtle

A ferocious little crab with one big pincer!

Around the corner is the Komodo Dragon exhibit. We saw two of them. The exhibit has a spot to crawl underneath and peek up through a dome. Our youngest did that but did not stay long enough for me to get a picture since the dragon was headed straight for the dome!

Enjoying a rest

Getting a drink before attacking young children

The next exhibit was a two-story tank where visitors walk through a tunnel in the middle. Seeing fish above, to the left, and to the right was amazing.

Under a ray

One section of the aquarium is dedicated just to sharks. In addition to the big tank, side exhibits show the skeletons of sharks (made of cartilage, not bone) and lots of other interesting facts.

Shark and shadow

More rays

A mixed community

Another section is dedicated to sea turtles, massive creatures that move slowly and majestically.

Sea turtle

A dry touching pool let my son feel the hard shells of hermit crabs.

A hands-on exhibit!

We walked south to the other building which had an empty river otter exhibit (bummer!), and a very full area of jellies. While they live in the ocean, jellies are not considered fish and are a separate part of the animal tree, much like mushrooms are not considered plants even though they grow in the ground.

Creepy lighting for creepy creatures

Another touching pool let my son feel the top of the jellies. The curator had visitors (not me, I did not want to touch!) wash their hands before carefully feeling when the jellies flopped right-side up. They spent a lot of time sideways and upside down, though I suppose they don't think about it since they don't have brains, only nervous systems.

Touching a jelly

Another exhibit showed off amazing superpowers of some fish, like eels that live in the sand and rocks, only poking out to get food. We spent so much time talking there, I didn't take pictures.

The walk back to the car, back down the nature trail, took us past the Adventure Park, a high ropes adventure system that we did not try out. It looked very popular and had too many other children for my kids to be interested. Maybe sometime when it isn't spring break week?

Adventure Park (at least some of it)

Batman Vol. 2 by S. Snyder et al.

Batman Volume 2: The City of Owls written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV and illustrated by Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Rafael Albuquerque, and Jason Fabok

After barely surviving a fight with one Talon (an especially enhanced assassin) from the Court of Owls, Batman has to fight dozens of Talons that the Court resurrects to wreck havoc on Gotham. He gets the other members of the Bat-family (Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, etc.) to protect the Gotham elite who are targeted by the Court. The fight reveals more of Bruce Wayne's history, along with some of Alfred's. The book ends with two one-off stories involving an electrician who taps into Batman's Gotham surveillance and a new origin story for Mr. Freeze.

The wrap-up of the Court of Owls story is mostly satisfying. I was a little underwhelmed by some of the vagueness and the origin of Alfred which does not quite line up right with the timeline as I understand it. The Mr. Freeze story was also underwhelming as it undercut the Batman: The Animated Series much better take on the character.

Mildly recommended--if you read the last volume, you'll want to finish the Court of Owls story (which is 95% interesting).

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible Catch-Up Part II

Seeing that the (maybe) final installment of Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible series is coming out today (as I publish), I thought I would rewatch the series. Frankly, after the third film my viewing (and memory) is spotty. I am sure I watched at least one of the subsequent films in its entirety and parts of the other films but it is all a jumble in my head. To unjumble things, I am doing this series. See my reviews of the first three here! 

Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) directed by Brad Bird

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is busted out of a Moscow prison by an IMF team to help with a new mission. Someone is trying to steal missile launch codes from the Kremlin and the IMF director wants Hunt to stop it. Hunt naturally accepts with the help of Benjy (Simon Pegg) and Jane (Paula Patton). The Kremlin job literally blows up in their faces, causing high tension between Russia and the U.S.A., along with the disavowal of the entire IMF force. That won't stop Hunt from continuing the mission, which gets bigger and more outlandish as the plot moves along at a breakneck pace, traveling from Europe to Dubai to India, with plenty of amazing stunts, fights, and chases.

The movie is a big fun summer action entertainer. Sadly, they immediately dump Ethan's wife from the last film at the beginning, though that change becomes more plot-relevant later in the film at several moments. So the humanistic bent introduced by J. J. Abrams in the last film hangs on, raising this above just a dumb action film. The story is fun and much easier to follow. Having the whole IMF disavowed amps things up, but can they amp things up further? The spectacular set-pieces, including Tom Cruise climbing on the windows of a skyscraper, are amazing and fun.

Recommended--not as good as the last one, but in the same ballpark.

Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015) written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Ethan Hunt is sure that a new threat, The Syndicate, is out there ready to go from individual acts of terrorism to a full-out war of terrorism. The Syndicate uses rogue agents from countries all over the world, presumed dead but now working as the bad guys. Unfortunately, no one else is convinced and the CIA director (Alec Baldwin) gets the IMF Agency shut down by Congress. Hunt is still in the field and continues his pursuit of The Syndicate. He's helped by his usual crew (Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Jeremey Renner) while also working with a British mole named Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) in The Syndicate. The chase is world-wide and full of danger and intrigue at every step.

The plot really strains at the edge of believability but the movie moves so quickly along that it's hard to keep up, as if the holes in the story are part of the fabric the filmmakers are weaving. The action is amazing and still more over the top, though CGI is starting to infiltrate the purer stunt work. The cast is charming and enjoyable with characters that play to their strengths (Baldwin as the bit of smarminess and self-obsessed; Renner as the bit of reasonableness in an otherwise chaotic and over-the-top group, etc.). It is a fun ride that both demands and tries to avoid thinking it through too much.

Recommended--better than the last one, but number 3 is still number 1.

Mission: Impossible: Fallout (2018) written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Hunt's team loses three plutonium cores when Ethan has to choose between saving teammate Luther (Ving Rhames) and protecting the cores. Things start to spiral out of control as recovering the cores gets complicated. Ethan tries to imitate the buyer who is meeting the White Queen (Vanessa Kirby), though the buyer is both the head of the remains of The Syndicate from the last film and is targeted by Ilsa who is trying to prove her loyalty to MI-6. If that was not enough trouble, the CIA, who has been mopping up Syndicate remnants, saddles Hunt's team with one of their own operatives (Henry Cavill) to make sure the mission does not get messed up.

This is another stunt-and-chase extravaganza. The movie clocks in at almost two and a half hours, which is mostly excitement and action. There are human moments and comic moments to balance things out but I did find myself (1) watching this in two parts and (2) thinking at some points, "how much longer is this?" I wasn't really bored but I did feel like things were taking longer than they should have, squeezing in one more fight or obstacle that maybe didn't need to be there. Of course, if you are watching this for fights and obstacles, that's a plus.

Mildly recommended.

Here's my previous review of the penultimate movie, so you don't have to click through a link...

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) co-written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has a new mission--he needs to track down half of a special key that is part of a larger conspiracy that threatens the whole world, though his employer doesn't know what the key unlocks. Just it is a big threat. Viewers have seen where the key goes in a pre-credits sequence--a new AI system on a stealth Russian submarine goes rogue and scuppers the sub. The AI has been infiltrating many intelligence agencies from many countries, making it a valuable weapon for whichever country can get control of it. Ethan's mission is to find the key and return it to HQ. Ethan, who has had a problem with going rogue before, decides he needs to destroy the AI if he can find the original source code. A lot of action and hijinks follows with an unresolved cliffhanger ending (not a spoiler since the movie's title ends with "Part One").

The plot is the usual over-the-top nonsense that comes from this franchise. The execution is so much fun, it makes up for the daftness of the story's core. Ethan has to get the old band back together, so Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson are back. Grace (Hayley Atwell) is an exceptional thief who is also after the key for a mysterious employer (guess who?). Ethan crosses swords with her before he winds up working with her and recruiting her for the Impossible Missions Force. The action sequences are fun and over-the-top, so fitting with the story and the series as a whole. Cruise is his usual charming self and the rest of the cast also shines. The movie is an entertaining popcorn romp. Even though it is only half the story, it is still almost three hours long. I never found myself bored watching it, so it is like the Peter Jackson King Kong, which was way too long but I find it hard to recommend what to cut out.

Recommended.

It's probable that I will wait till home video for the final installment of this franchise. The three-hour running time is a bit daunting. Time will tell...