shakedatjunk Reviews

The Vampire Diaries: My Brother's Keeper (2012) Season 4, Episode 7

Her loving Damon will never make sense

[8/10 · 22 December 2023]

When Damon killed Jeremy, & told Elena he didn't know Jeremy was wearing the ring & that he got lucky, should've repelled Elena from ever talking to him again let alone loving him. That is a pothole I can never get over & the show literally forgot about it/never mentions it again since like the 2 episodes after it happened.

All of Elena's actions & motivations & drastic measures have always been to protect her family & friends, Jeremy above all. When Damon killed him in season 2 that should've literally made her want to get rid of Damon because he was mentally unfit to be around people she cares about when mad. Damon knew that Jeremy was what she cared about most & that killing him would devastate her more than anything yet he did it anyway & she ended up forgiving him.

It's pretty wild that she show forgot about that & hasn't mentioned it again because it literally makes no sense that she would feel anything for Damon after that or at least that not being the genesis of her guilt behind having feelings for him.

Zoey 102 (2023)

Liked it, could've been better

[6/10 · 10 August 2023]

I enjoyed it for what it was but the plot should've been different. It should've been a reunion at PCA where they all stay for a weekend or something like that and they are there the whole movie mingling & catching up with a little drama. PCA was like a character itself, one of the biggest appeals of the show & at the heart of it. They could've even through in a little mystery or something with Quinn's science like they use to do in the show.

Also all the stuff with Zoey's job & her having to keep working throughout the whole movie & the guy she was managing were all really pointless & annoying. Those scenes were easily the worst & bogs it down. It could've established what she does for a living in a quick 2-5 minutes it didn't matter at all for the movie. Especially because they set it up like her whole goal is about furthering her career & moving up and like the possible reason she flaked on Chase was to pursue her career but that wasn't even the reason so it really was pointless to have all that.

A nice simple story of them all reuniting at PCA for like a 3 day reunion doing fun stuff like they did in the show would've been a much more satisfying plot. Definitely missed Victoria Justice as well.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010 Video)

Gets better every watch

[9/10 · 2 February 2023]

We got a Trinity movie with Supergirl & New Gods, and it's amazing. I've seen this movie probably 5 times now and I love it more every time. The animation is very good and the fight scenes in particular are amazing. Great choreography and physics with tangible impact showcasing powers great. This movie came out 3 years before Man of Steel and it's incredible the way they show Superman & Supergirl fighting. It also shows how powerful Superman is, in particular his speed and a crazy scene with his heat vision.

All of the characters personalities were great. Batman's logical and skeptical thinking made lots of sense for him. Superman & Clark were peak here. Diana was great too. It was awesome we got their VA's from their animated series & Justice League. Kara was very likable and her internal conflict was compelling. Her finding her own identity is a great arc. It was awesome to have Wonder Woman as well as the Amazons & the beautiful art and atmosphere of Themyscira involved.

Big Barda was a great character here and this was my favorite Granny Goodness. The fight scenes with the Furies were amazing especially their fight with WW & Barda. Darkseid was badass & entertaining with a very good voice. I love how he was spiteful at the end & couldn't stand being defeated so he pulled up unexpectedly that was an amazing fight as well. The music in this movie at times also stood out. The art was very nice too.

Justice League: The Savage Time: Part II (2002) Season 1, Episode 25

This arc as a whole is amazing

[8/10 · 4 December 2022]

I wonder how many people who have a problem with Superman killing Zod in MoS love/like this episode. This is easily the most killing I've ever seen Superman do. It's like people choose to completely forget this stuff because it doesn't fit their narrative. I don't like Superman killing either but with the world/multiverse ending threats he faces there's gotta be times where he kills these threats(such as Doomsday). I don't think his killing this episode is nearly as warranted as it was in MoS or as a situation such as Brainiac or Darkseid. He was facing men who are human with just guns & planes he should've been able to disarm & detain them all within seconds but nah they depower Superman so much in this universe even when they tried to buff him up in the 2nd season and Unlimited he's still way underpowered.

Other than all that, this episode is fantastic as is The Savage Time as a whole. It's amazing to see the League fighting in tandem with WW2 soldiers against the evil and them having each others backs. This episode has an overall great sense of heroism and selflessness.

Storm of the Century (1999)

Amazing atmosphere

[7/10 · 6 October 2022]

Love the first episode and the ending. The atmosphere and location shots are mesmerizing. Also the practical water effects during the storm were great. I don't like how they spoiled what the stranger is so early and kept cheesily showing the teeth. The messages he was leaving started to get very repetitive as well as the Teacup song and his little sayings that he repeated. The cinematography was great and acting was its best in episode 1. It feels very much like it's trying to capture the mood and feeling of Twin Peaks, from the wide long outdoor shots and the similar music cues. Also the setup of the mystery and the interactions between all the town's people. The way the murder shakes the town and kicks off the darkness to follow. You really got the sense it was a small connected community and they felt like real people. All this feels very Twin Peaks like along with the supernatural element.

You can also tell this series was a very big inspiration on Midnigt Mass, as there are a lot of similarities and the visual cues are even similar. I compared Midnight Mass to Twin Peaks occasionally as well. The moral dilemma in this show was also very similar to Midnight Mass.

I love the start of this show, felt like it was slightly dragged out and lost some steam along the way. But I also think the ending was very strong made you feel something and definitely ponder your thoughts. The kills were also decently bloody for being TV-PG on ABC. Very close to being great but some things hold it back slightly but a very enjoyable binge worthy watch.

Wizards (1977)

Unbelievable & influential

[8/10 · 13 April 2022]

Post apocalyptic medieval fantasy with some 20th century tech. This movie is ridiculously bold and original.

The lore & backstory are amazing, the art & animation beautiful yet can also be very gritty & psychedelic, the battle scene at the end is one of the best animated battle sequences of all time. The use of rotoscoping during big sequences was fantastic and I love the animation/art styles switching up.

The movie slows down in the middle but the first act & third act are incredible. I love the world building and the parallels to WW2, even though it was very in your face but that was part of the plot.

I love the idea of magic and tech being an almost eradicated relic of the past, kinda like GoT. The archaeological angle of using WW2 weapons and imagery was pretty crazy, those elves were absolutely shook. I can't believe this was PG, I love it.

This movie was what truly enabled Bakshi to make the '78 LOTR, and he used a lot of the methods employed in Wizards. LOTR & Wizards battle sequences are revolutionary and they're pretty much some of the first times we've seen battles on this scale & brutality in live action or animation, save for maybe Spartacus or Zulu and some Kurosawa movies, although those weren't fantasy.

Without this movie, Bakshi probably wouldn't have done '78 LOTR, Peter Jackson would not have been inspired, and the PJ LOTR trilogy would be extremely different or not even exist at all.

I love Bakshi's passion for original storytelling and wanting to bring a level of sophistication to animation and "family" movies. We need more creators with his creativity and drive.

Aside from this being a fantastic movie(with some flaws), this is also a very important movie which doesn't seem to get the recognition it deserves.

Will be rewatching at some point for sure.

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian (2022) Season 1, Episode 5

Loved it

[9/10 · 26 January 2022]

Best episode so far. Basically like a between seasons Mandalorian special. I love the steady pacing that allowed scenes to be drenched in atmosphere and make you feel like you're in the world. The fights that we got were the best fights of the season and felt brutal and how a Mandalorian/bounty hunter actually should be fighting. I also loved his training session. Sucked he got booted from their group, you definitely felt bad for him there.

Cinematography was beautiful and it felt so good to have some space flying and planet hopping. Being on Tatooine for so long has been painful so this episode switched up the atmosphere great.

Some great Easter eggs and we got some history/backstory on Mandalore, the Dark Saber, Bo Katan, and some other things people who haven't watched Clone Wars & Rebels would be a little confused on.

I loved the incorporation of stuff from the prequel movies. The ship building & flying scene was amazing.

They did well on connecting his story to the current Boba Fett plot and it definitely looks like this show will be taking a big step up from here.

The Batman: Riddler's Revenge (2007) Season 4, Episode 10

Best on screen Riddler

[8/10 · 25 January 2022]

Prior to the release of The Batman 2022, this is definitely the best on screen version of The Riddler we have had besides the maybe one in the Harley Quinn series.

We got to see his backstory, his motivation is well written and understood, we got to see his first villainous act and how he connects to Batman, and we get to see him act very human while telling his story to Batman. It was great to see him genuinely heart broken at the end of the episode and added an extra dimension we haven't really seen from him. His personality is darker than usual while maintaining his playful charm, which is great. He actually felt like a villain unlike more of a trickster in other depictions. This episode demonstrates how smart Riddler is and also shows that his main goal is basically being as smart as possible and gets agitated when he's outsmarted which was also shown in "Riddled".

The design of this Riddler is awesome and he even talks about how Batman inspired it. He looks menacing with his shock rockesque attire and hairstyle. I also like how he has some fighting prowess and uses weapons which makes sense for Riddler because he's definitely smart enough to make some cool ones. Also being voiced by Robert Englund is incredible.

This is surely the best written Riddler we've gotten so far as well as having the best balance of seriousness and playfulness. He takes the cake as best Riddler until March 2022. This is a much watch episode for any Batman fan and any Riddler fan.

Peacemaker: A Whole New Whirled (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

Surprised

[8/10 · 15 January 2022]

Great first episode. Better than I thought it was going to be and I'm very happy about it. Aside from it being funny and heartfelt, the fight scene at the end may be the best filmed hand to hand fight of James Gunn's career.

They're very obviously setting up a character arc for Peacemaker to become more respectful and humble as well as learning to work better with others.

Peacemaker's dad's tech room and the metahuman adversary also adds another level of intrigue and makes you wonder how deeply it connects to other DC stuff. The things that the different helmets can do are amazing and the kill with one of them at the end was hilariously awesome.

My expectations were exceeded and I'm excited for more.

Attack on Titan: Judgment (2022) Season 4, Episode 17

Amazing

[10/10 · 10 January 2022]

Beautiful animation and the fighting was so good. Eren's big haymaker on Reiner had me going nuts. The choreography looked very good and was extremely well shot. I'm so happy we finally got to see Eren using the Warhammer Titan. Galliard swinging around looked fantastic. The one shot we got of the scouts using ODM gear was very nice.

The episode also had emotion especially the conversation between Connie and Onyakapon. I like the conversing and decision making from our main group. It is full on war as we see very violent deaths from soldiers on both sides which definitely adds to the intensity and emotion.

Great continuation of the first half and let's hope all this leads to a different ending from the manga!

Arcane (2021– )

Wow

[9/10 · 29 December 2021]

Amazing show. Just about everything is great.

The emotion, characters and relationships are amazing. The fights are unbelievable. The use of visuals and music and action simultaneously is done in a way I've never quite seen before. Spider-Verse and Mob Psycho 100 are the closest I can think of that achieve the unique flavor that this show does. Those 2 properties also have visual similarities to Arcane, especially Spider-Verse.

I'd say this show along with Spider-Verse have officially started a new style of animation that many other properties will be trying to mimic from here on out. I fully welcome it too because it's just stunning as well as being crazy to look at. Blends 3D and 2D amazingly and can do much more than what live action can capture. The aesthetic is beautiful, lots of steampunk inspiration mixed with some other styles of retrofuturism and some mysticism.

This show is almost the opposite of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, which is a show I often compare it to very favorably. The world of this show also reminds me heavily of Alita, Dorohedoro, New Genesis from DC, Space Sweepers, Akudama Drive, Code Geass, slightly Legend of Kora, and both Paradis(Levi OVA) and Marley in Attack on Titan.

Love it, need season 2.

The Fairly OddParents: The Crimson Chin Meets Mighty Mom and Dyno Dad/Engine Blocked (2002) Season 3, Episode 5

The Chin-Verse

[8/10 · 26 December 2021]

I really enjoy the comic book references and homage in this show. As a kid it helped inspired my love for old school superheroes. You can tell Butch loved the Adam West Batman show as well as Super Friends and maybe even Captain Planet.

Looks like Butch Hartman might've saw the Spider-Verse arc from the '90s animated Spider-Man show because the team up between all the Chin's was great and seemed inspired by it. Seemed to have a Sgt Rock Chin, a Punisher Chin, a Captain America or Captain Marvel(Shazam)esque Chin, and even a Chin akin to Superman-Prime 1Million. I love how the Nega-Chin is a lot like Reverse-Flash. Clefto and Ace the Chin Dog is a nice reference to Batman and Superman's dogs. Timmy's Dad using Spider-Man webbing was funny.

The episode was fun and I really liked the impact of the blows during Timmy's parents' fight with the villains. I like how the Chin and Timmy's parents both had a solo episode before their team up like the Avengers.

These episodes are always great to revisit as an adult.

Young Justice: Nomed Esir! (2021) Season 4, Episode 10

Lore & Phantom Stranger

[8/10 · 10 December 2021]

I love the story of how metahumans, Atlantis, homo magis and homo mermans have came to be over these episodes. The evolution from Vandal being affected by that meteor is so intriguing. Its awesome how they take heavy inspiration from real life anthropology and incorporate it into the lore with metahumans and sorcerers and Atlanteans. Very cool how the power of the Lords of Order merging with Arion's DNA is what birthed magically born humans.

Atlantis was beautiful and I enjoy them explaining that the city was built on technosorcery. I love their take on the sinking of Atlantis and it makes total sense. Vandal is all about advancement and evolution and he believes there needs to be a certain amount of crisis in order to achieve that and it's terrible yet genius. Nothing will ever satisfy him he'll always want more, as we know him and Darkseid are trying to conquer the universe together.

It's pretty funny that Vandal is making Warworld a hotel so the magic beings can fight the Lords of Chaos.

The Phantom Stranger was cool and mysterious as he should be. It's awesome that he's assembling a team of magical beings to be able to stand up to the power of the Chaos Lords, he needed Zatanna to realize they currently stand no chance and the world would be wrecked during the battle.

Very excited for the last 2 episodes of this arc. I hope we get Constantine and Raven.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021)

Good but the live action one is better

[6/10 · 3 December 2021]

I really enjoyed Rowley here, he felt more calm and collected and didn't let stuff bother him at all. You felt bad for live action Rowley but I like his personality here, didn't let Greg's douchery affect him. You really hated Greg for a bit which is what the movie wanted, but you also understood him big time. I definitely enjoyed the adaptation of the book's art style. The facial expressions got the job done better than I thought it would but I do wish they would've added some color around the pupils. I also thought the backgrounds were very nice to look at and felt like you could step in and live there. The neighborhoods and school looked great. I enjoyed the hand drawn sequences as well.

I like how they didn't hammer in the message, you understand the character development and apology by Greg taking the heat for the cheese at the end. He knew he was wrong and Rowley forgave him.

Rodrick was a huge step down here as were the parents. The dad was much more fun in live action and Rodrick was much funnier and actually in it. I also think the Halloween sequence was better in the live action because it was a little longer and you felt more danger from them being trapped in the house and scratching the truck.

This movie was more bare bones, I like how the live action one lasted longer in the school year and had more seasons and scenes at school. The live action one just overall had more in it and I think that was a good thing. I wish this was longer and added more so you could feel the actual journey and character development better.

Overall though definitely enjoyable and I'm excited for Rodrick Rules.

Hawkeye: Echoes (2021) Season 1, Episode 3

Big step up

[8/10 · 1 December 2021]

Easily best episode so far. Echo and her father figure's relationship was very touching, those scenes were peaceful. Can't wait to meet Uncle, hopefully it's who we all want it to be.

The action this episode was great, the car chase was insane and Echo's fight skills are amazing. The choreography between her and Hawkeye was awesome and very well shot. First 2 episodes had too many cuts and close ups, this episode nailed the filming of the action. The POV shots inside the car were great. The bow & arrow scenes and when Kate and Clint jumped together in slowmo was so sick.

The incorporation of Christmas music was pretty cool too. This episode was great and shows much promise for the rest of the season.

X-Men: The Animated Series: Captive Hearts (1993) Season 1, Episode 5

Meme

[8/10 · 19 November 2021]

The '90s New York dirty lived in atmosphere of this show is amazing.

I really enjoyed the Morlocks and their motivation. You definitely feel empathy for them but can easily see how they can go bad. It plays on the lore of mutants that dwell in the sewers or underground that have appeared in other stories such as Beneath the Planet of the Apes or Futurama or The Ninja Turtles. The duel with no powers between Storm and the Morlock leader was awesome and very good for a TV-Y7 show in the '90s.

I love the art and atmosphere and vibes of this show especially this episode. The drawings of NYC and the architecture makes it feel so dirty and lived in yet enjoyable and very very '90s. The underground was dripping with atmosphere also. Feels like The Warriors and the Ninja Turtles completely also like Spider-Man and Hey Arnold.

Great meme from Wolverine. You really dive into his psyche this episode along with very good character moments from others as well. This episode shows many different perspectives especially the Morlocks who are even more scrutinized than the average mutant.

Justice League Unlimited: Kids' Stuff (2004) Season 1, Episode 3

Couldn't stop laughing

[8/10 · 10 November 2021]

This episode is hilariously ludicrous they just kept the jokes coming and it all landed. Seeing the heroes like this was too much I could barely even watch the episode but in a good way.

Dexter: New Blood: Cold Snap (2021) Season 1, Episode 1

Everything you came for

[9/10 · 7 November 2021]

The cinematography, set locations, production design, and directing is immaculate.

Feels familiar yet it's a breath of fresh air. The episode pretty much plays how you would expect it but at the same time you're still guessing along the way. Sets up great things for the future episodes and I can already see a tragic possibly bittersweet ending incoming. Things seem to have been going well for Dexter, we know that can't last very long.

We got the Dexter tropes we all love with a new twist. Very refreshing yet we feel at home.

Justice League: The Brave and the Bold (2002) Season 1, Episode 12

Infuriating inconsistencies

[5/10 · 3 November 2021]

So Flash can only run 50 mph chasing a car but can run light speed saving stuff from dropping on peoples heads or moving them from in front of a car? Come on man. Why do they nonsensically nerf characters for TV so bad just for the plot to move? It sucks because there's so much great stuff about this episode like the world building and characters.

The opening chase with Flash was visually awesome but shouldn't be happening at all. He runs light speed, they even mention it in the show. He should be able to catch the vehicle and stop them almost immediately without letting any other collateral damage happen. They shouldn't be able to see him to even shoot at him. But no instead he can only run 50 mph when chasing a car but can run light speed to prevent debris from crushing people then back to slow again allowing more damage to happen during the chase. This was very infuriating to watch.

I couldn't shut my brain off during the Flash stuff because it was so blatantly insulting to the audience, which sucks because this show is known for never dumbing it down for kids.

The bad outweighs the great.

Justice League: The Terror Beyond: Part II (2003) Season 2, Episode 16

Wow

[9/10 · 2 November 2021]

I never thought in my life I would cry for Solomon Grundy, an already dead being. Literally Solomon Grundy made me cry.

The philosophical conversations in this episode were also very good. The visuals and fighting were awesome. Doctor Fate was also sick in both this episode and the previous one.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (2021)

Amazing/Best villain of 3 films

[9/10 · 31 October 2021]

Best superhero movie of 2021 so far prior to Spider-Man.

The villain of this movie was the most compelling of the 3 films so far. Reasoning and plot was the most interesting. His quirk was cool kind of like a nomu but in a different way.

The fights and animation were absolutely incredible. Just ridiculous. There are no words. All the fights ended crazy and for different reasons. The choreography and kinetic impact of everything was nuts. This is Bones at its best. 10/10 fighting and animation.

The characters who got attention were great wish others could've got some more attention too but it's a great ensemble. Rody the new character was very fun and emotional.

Loved it. Definitely better than season 5 and 4 but that's Bones own fault. Nonetheless amazing. Cannon in my mind.

Justice League: Hearts and Minds: Part II (2003) Season 2, Episode 10

Amazing action

[8/10 · 27 October 2021]

Incredible visuals and some nice emotion. That fight between John and Despero was nuts! I love the the little bit of lore and backstory of the planet. Martian Manhunter shows again why he's so incredible basically Superman with psychic telepathic abilities. The friendship between Wally and Kiliwog was pretty funny and enjoyable. I also enjoyed the Star Wars reference.

Family Guy: 80's Guy (2021) Season 20, Episode 4

Hilarious

[8/10 · 22 October 2021]

The jokes were funny plus the poking fun at everyone's nostalgia craze calling it living in the past but also acknowledging it as very enjoyable was good. Stewie's plot was stupid but the dialogue with him and baby Jerry was definitely funny. Below average size 1st grader had me dead.

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

It's Texas Chainsaw meets Freddie

[7/10 · 20 October 2021]

On its own merits, very good acting and cinematography. Interesting plot and mystery. The main characters were both pretty awesome and had a great relationship that felt real. The road rage scenes were gripping. Also some good special effects, though some shots do look dated. It got annoying how the main girl lead still didn't trust the person warning them even though it was obvious she knew what they were going through.

I very much enjoyed the meta self awareness obviously inspired by Scream. This was also obviously inspired by It. Honestly The Creeper could be an offspring of Pennywise that ventured out from Maine long ago. Also slightly by Freddie with the song and some of the ways he moves.

I like the Texas Chainsaw/Hills Have Eyes/Deliverance/Just Before Dawn/F13/Evil Dead feel. Seems like this sparked a trend with backwoods horror because Texas Chainsaw and Hills Have Eyes both received remakes after this along with F13 a few years later. Also the Wrong Turn and Hatchet franchises were created shortly after, along with a handful of other backwoods and cabin in the woods type of movies.

The action movie music didn't always fit, felt extremely '90s but it was kinda charming. Wish they used more horroresque music.

Also the creature design in this movie no doubt had an influence on Midnight Mass.

This movie is a monster/creature movie while having characteristics of a slasher and action movies. I also love the Scream influence, "this is that part in a horror movie where..." "they never are (dead)" "it's not like watching a movie, there are parts missing sometimes".

Injustice (2021)

Haven't played game or read comic

[7/10 · 19 October 2021]

Not having any prior expectations for the story, I for sure enjoyed this film for what it was. It definitely had some issues. Some parts definitely felt rushed and like they could have expanded more. I also think they dropped the ball on character development for some characters and felt like they just forgot about some by the end. But I don't have any problems with the story, characters characterization(mostly), or progression and where things went. I also thought the concept of the ending was pretty great with mainstream universe Superman showing up. The only parts that irk me is Flash dying so early and the movie not discussing it at all after. Also them not touching on Dick's new abilities enough and it didn't show how it affected Damian enough. Movie should've definitely been at least 15 minutes longer maybe even up to an hour longer haha.

Really enjoyed it though. Some very surprising and heart wrenching moments. Very emotional and some great action. I like the ending a lot but it was abrupt.