Review – Marvel’s Iron Fist Season 1

by Nile Fortner

Does Marvel’s Iron Fist Deserve More Respect?

Netflix has been kickin’ ass with all these Marvel shows. We’ve seen some really great stuff out of Marvel and Netflix.  Many people, including myself, have been saying that Marvel, the superhero genre in general, needs to mix up the bag a little bit. All these movies, all these shows are starting to resemble one another. Marvel heard the criticism, and decided to go in different direction. Keep the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies a little light in tone, while making their Netflix shows, that still relate to the MCU a little darker in tone.

For example, in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy you have Baby Groot, a trash talking raccoon, and a duck drinking martinis at the end credits. Netflix on the other hand, has drug dealers, mobsters, sex, violence, goons, an extreme vigilante with blood smeared on his face and a huge skull on his chest. Talk about diversity. For those who do not know, or aren’t as geeky as I am. All these Marvel and Netflix shows have been leading up to a superhero group, known as The Defenders. To keep it simple, The Defenders are like The Avengers of the suburbs. The cast of heroes consists of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Punisher, Misty Knight, Claire Temple, Elektra, and Iron Fist. It was also reported that Signourney Weaver (Aliens, Avatar) has joined the cast as well.

But Iron Fist is the last piece in the puzzle before we get The Defenders.  What I personally enjoy about the MCU Netflix shows is how different they are.  Meaning, they offer something new to the genre, keep the genre fresh, and there is something there for everyone.  If you want to see a beautiful badass woman, you can check out Jessica Jones. Or if you want to see urban justice you can check out Luke Cage. Every show feels like it offers something new. Whether it be the R&B and Hip Hop soundtrack of Luke Cage or the dark tone of Daredevil.

Iron Fist has been getting a lot of hate, and has been called the worst of the Marvel Netflix shows. I watched all 13 episodes, of this series. I enjoy the MCU Netflix shows, and I was looking forward to what they do with this show.  Honestly, I would have to agree that this is one of the weaker shows. That does not mean it is horrible, because it is not. It’s just more of the same we’ve seen before, and does not offer anything new like the previous MCU Netflix shows.

Continue reading

Sweet Christmas! Marvel and Netflix Have Done it Again With Luke Cage!

1

by Nile Fortner

Netflix has been on the role with shows like Jessica Jones, and Daredevil, but ever since the trailer for Luke Cage came out, the general reaction was nothing but joy. Now I know I may be late to the party, because a huge majority of people already seen the whole series. On the other hand, I took my time to watch it and enjoy it. Now if you have been sleeping on Marvel and or Luke Cage, you need to certainly wake up! Netflix’s Season one of Marvel’s Luke Cage is one of the best things Netflix has done!

Continue reading

Netflix Announces New Series Friends from College from Acclaimed Comedy Writer/Director Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco

smulders-key-savage.jpg

Netflix, the world’s leading Internet TV network, today announced a new comedy series, Friends from College, from Nick Stoller (Neighbors, Neighbors: Sorority Rising, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek) and Francesca Delbanco. The husband and wife team will serve as executive producers and writers on the series and Stoller will also direct all eight episodes. Production will begin this fall in New York.

The eight episode series will feature an all star cast including Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele, Keanu, Don’t Think Twice), Cobie Smulders (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Avengers, How I Met Your Mother), Annie Parisse (Vinyl, The Following), Nat Faxon (Married, American Dad, Ben & Kate), Fred Savage (The Grinder, The Wonder Years) and Jae Suh Park (The Mindy Project, The Big Short).

“Nick is a comedic mastermind. With Friends from College, he and Francesca have created a world that is both moving and very, very funny. We are thrilled to be working with them and this incredible cast, and look forward to audiences around the world laughing with and at these relatable characters,” Cindy Holland, Netflix Vice President of Original Content.

The show centers on a group of friends who went to Harvard together and are now facing down their forties and experiencing a range of success, or lack thereof, both professionally and domestically. With interwoven and oftentimes complicated relationships with one another, the series is a comedic exploration of old friendships, former romantic entanglements and balancing adult life with nostalgia for the past.

Delbanco and Stoller both attended Harvard University. Delbanco went on to receive her Master’s Degree in fiction writing from the University of Michigan.

Nicholas Stoller is a director, writer and producer of intelligent, character-driven comedies. He recently directed the hit comedy Neighbors and its sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. He is currently working on the the upcoming animated film Storks for Warner Brothers. For TV, Stoller co-wrote and is an executive producer working on the third season of The Carmichael Show, and was an executive producer on comedy seriesThe Grinder starring Fred Savage and Rob Lowe. His other credits include The Five-Year Engagement which he co-wrote with collaborator and star Jason Segel. He also teamed up with Segal to write and executive produce The Muppets and he went on to write and executive produce the sequel Muppets Most Wanted. Stoller made his directorial debut in 2008 with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and went on to make Get Him to the Greek, which he wrote, directed and produced. His other writing credits include Yes Man and the 2010 re-imagining of Gulliver’s Travels. Stoller’s first job in the entertainment industry was comedy writing for Judd Apatow’s Fox television series “Undeclared.”

Courtesy of Netflix

New Stranger Things: Season 2 Details Released!

strangerthingsseason2

As you know, Netflix renewed the drama for nine episodes due out in 2017.

Stranger Things creative team — led by creators Matt and Ross Duffer — is looking for at least three actors to board the sci-fi thriller and play characters new to Hawkins named Max, Roman and Billy. Both Max and Roman are billed as series regulars, while Billy is listed as a potential series regular.

Max is a tough and confident 13-year-old female whose appearance, behavior and pursuits are more typical of boys than of girls in the era. She has a complicated history and has a difficult relationship with her stepbrother, Billy, that’s made her protective of her past and generally suspicious of those around her. She’s also good on a skateboard, which she uses to get around pretty much everywhere.

Billy is a super muscular, overconfident 17-year-old. He’s so captivating and edgy that there are rumors flying around that he killed someone at a school he attended in the past. Billy steals peoples’ girlfriends, is a drinking-game pro and drives a black Camaro. But his violent and unpredictable nature shows itself to those closest to him, especially to ones who are younger than he is.

Roman, meanwhile, is described as a male or a female of any ethnicity between the ages of 30 and 38. After growing up homeless with a drug-addicted mother, he or she suffered a great loss at an early age and has been seeking revenge ever since. Roman is ultimately an outsider who doesn’t understand how to connect with people.

We can’t wait to meet these guys!

Details courtesy of Netflix

Review – Stranger Things (2016)

stranger things

by Henry Hill

The newest Netflix Original series Stranger Things is a terrific throwback to the Spielberg movies of the ‘80s. Think Goonies meets E.T. Meets John Carpenter’s The Thing. Featuring a Carpenter-esque theme song and score, Stranger Things is full of horror, mystery, drama and most of all, fun. It is full of fun easter eggs that will have viewers pausing and rewinding to see what they can spot in the background. Posters for films like Jaws and The Evil Dead hang on the walls in the kids bedrooms and The Clash’s hit 1982 song “Should I Stay or Should I Go” is played on the record player. Needless to say, after five episodes I am hooked.

Continue reading

Review – The Ranch

The-Ranch.jpg

by Taylor Lunsford

As Netflix continues to produce more original content, they are beginning to attract bigger. Hollywood names to be part of their projects. The Ranch is the newest of those products. The Ranch features the reunion of That 70’s Show stars, Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson, as well as legendary tough guy Sam Elliott as a broken family who comes together to save the ranch they grew up on.

Continue reading