Gotham Season One: Red Hood

"Bang!"

When several banks are robbed by the Red Hood Gang Gordon and Bullock investigate meanwhile Fish does something drastic and Alfred reunites with an old friend.

Finally get two origins I have been wanting to see for ages; Alfred and the Red Hood Gang and I didn't expect the latter until season two, I'll start with them first and I got to say that the Red Hood Gang is one of my favourite origins so far. I always enjoyed seeing them in the comic and that they are connected to the Joker however I liked that in this the red hood itself became sort of a symbol of power. It was interesting that the gang members fought and killed over it and the way it saved one of their lives, made them famous and gave other confidence made me sort of believe that it could be a kind of cursed object. I do hope the red hood surfaces again and maybe the Joker could be part of the gang in the future; I still believe he was in the last episode and not the kid at the end. As for the gang themselves I did really like them, their different personalities and goals, the cool shootout with the GCPD and that the citizens started to cheer them on as vigilantes; all in all the Red Hood Gang was pretty damn great in this episode. As for Alfred it was of course obvious for a while he had some dark military past but it was great that we got some light she'd on it. He had some great scenes with Reginald like how good friends he is with him but didn't approve of his less honourable method of fight Reginald was teaching Bruce. I think for the next few episodes it might focus on Bruce tracking down Reginald but the reveal of the Wayne board behind Alfred's stabbing was a pleasant surprise and I just wonder how Bruce will deal with them.

Avenge him Bruce!!

As for the rest of the episode Fish's eye stabbing was gruesome and cool and it is great we may see the Dollmaker soon but it felt over the top. I mean is being leader of a group of nobodies in a basement important enough to mess with the Dollmaker or stab her own eye out? However I was more interested in her former comrade Butch whose brainwashing is not what I thought it would be like. He still seems to act like himself but the scars and shaky hands is a reminder that he is different now and very helpful to Penguin by securing some booze for him. I had read some criticism that Penguin doesn't seem to know anything at all but they need to remember that he is young and new at this and I like that the brainwashed Butch is teaching him a few things. Finally the Barbara moment with Ivy and Selina would have been nice if she still wasn't drinking heavily; why do writers (Gotham and Arrow) feel the need to put their female characters through substance abuse? It gets no sympathy from me, especially with Barbara when it is ALL HER FAULT things ended with Gordon, and I just think these characters can go through different crucibles to change. Also props to Selina for wounding Barbara like that; honestly what the hell was Barbara going on about with that whole beauty weapon stuff?

Got to admit that, that is really cool

Overall despite just two minor flaws this was a really solid episode with a great origin story to the Red Hood Gang.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Origins on Alfred and the Red Hood Gang
                   Penguin and Butch team up
                   Fish stabbing her eye out but........

Let - Downs: ...........Might have been too much just to be leader of a basement?
                      Barbara as always

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;





http://screencapped.net/

Gotham Season One: Lovecraft

"Your in my world now Bruce"

The episode begins with assassin Larissa Diaz AKA Copperhead (Lesley-Ann Brandt) infiltrating the Wayne Manor to kill Selina but Alfred holds them at bay long enough for her and Bruce to run. Gordon and Bullock are called in on this and Alfred says he will help meanwhile Cobblepot is called before Falcone because of the recent robbery of his money (last episode), he swears it was Fish not Maroni but Falcone says he wants evidence. Gordon confronts Dent saying that his plan has put Bruce and Selina in danger but Dent is still adamant that Lovecraft is behind everything, Bullock and Alfred then ask a street kid about where Selina would go. In the streets of Gotham Selina wants to leave Bruce however decides not to after he impresses her by jumping across a building and takes her to a hangout of the street kids.

You go Alfred!

Bullock and Alfred then ask Fish for help, with Alfred being the one to persuade her and Selina introduces Bruce to Ivy Pepper (Clare Foley). Gordon then pays a visit to Lovecraft who swears Copperhead is after him as well and has nothing to do with the Wayne murders however Copperhead then shows up, chokes out Gordon and then kills Lovecraft with his gun. Selina and Bruce are then captured by a street dealer who wants to turn them over to Copperhead however Bullock, Alfred and Gordon soon arrive so Copperhead flees and Selina is able to escape. Later the Mayor is furious about the Lovecraft murder, so he blames Gordon for it (saying to the press he drove Lovecraft to suicide) and transfers Gordon to Arkham Asylum as a security guard. The episode ends with Selina visiting Bruce and thanking him with a kiss (because he refused to tell Copperhead anything) and Gordon arriving at Arkham.

Cheer up Gordon, it might be rather nice inside

Took me a while to get round to this but that was because I was busy with my Arrow and Flash reviews but this was the mid season finale so I had time. Anyway this was a good follow up to the Harvey Dent episode and introduced another DC villain; Copperhead, however this one was based on the female Copperhead from Arkham: Origins game because the two from the comics are both men. I didn't like Copperhead in the game because she was practically a nobody when I wanted all the contract killers to be more well known however I liked this version of her. Maybe because its a re telling of Batman's villains featuring their younger versions so they can build up her character a bit more here. I like all of the scenes she was in and used her contortionist skills to choke out her victims like the snake she was named for. So well done with this character, like Zasaz it was a strong introduction for her.

"Why does it have to be kids?"

I was also glad that this episode largely focused on Bruce and Selina in the streets of Gotham because like I have said before these two a great together. It was assuming seeing Bruce unsure of himself in the streets and it is Selina who has to watch out for him. However a real standout in this episode was Alfred and that is because he kicked all kinds of ass! The guy managed to hold off three assassins (also the only one to fend off Copperhead) and persuade Fish to help while bribing and beating up others for information. We also got a touching scene between him and Bruce when they where finally reunited and highlights the bond that they have between them.

"So we just eat with dead body?"

As for the rest of the episode I actually think Fish was okay in this one for once, maybe that is because she was helpful to Alfred and didn't act like a b***h she usually is. I am also interested to see what is going to happen to Gordon's storyline now since he is at Arkham, I have read some people complain about this but I like it. He is obviously not going to be there forever and while he is there we might meet other characters like Hugo Strange or Scarecrow. However what I didn't like was how Dent was portrayed in this because it wasn't the mistake with Lovecraft that annoyed me because he is still young it is the fact he agreed with the corrupt Mayor. Maybe he has a plan but I just didn't like that he back off because of the Mayor's threat so easily.

"If only you had a cape to glide across when you jump" 

Overall I this was a good episode and Gotham has been a strong series so far so I can't wait for it to come back.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Copperhead was a great villain
                   Alfred was a scene stealer
                   Selina and Bruce

Let - Downs: Dent seems a bit out of character

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/  

                           

Gotham Season One: The Mask

Possible Black Mask cousin ?

The episode begins with two masked men in suits fighting each other in an abandoned office which ends with one being killed by the other while someone watches on camera. The body of the defeated is later found washed up and is investigated by Nygma, Gordon and Bullock who finds a severed thumb in the man's mouth. Cobblepot later meets with Fish to go over the terms of peace between Falcone and Maroni however Fish stabs Cobblepot in the hand which his mother notices when he visits her. Meanwhile Bruce is being sent back to school by Alfred who thinks it is best for him however Bruce is unsure, at the GCPD Bullock is disgusted by the cowardice of the police force to which Essen agrees. Gordon and Bullock later talk to a black market doctor who had a patient with severed thumb and gives them a business card the man dropped however Gordon then arrests the doctor which angers several other officers because they have deals with him.

"If you've got another riddle for this, then I swear to God....."

Gordon goes home and find that Barbara is still shaken about being kidnapped by Zsasz but he assures her everything is alright. In the morning Nygma performs an autopsy on the body while Bruce is again at school and is bullied by Tommy Elliot (Cole Vallis) however he seems to be doing alright with the girls! Liza visits Fish who wants her to steal important documents from Falcone after knocking him out meanwhile Gordon and Bullock go to Sionis Investments and immediately become suspicious because of the amount of injures the employees have. They then question Richard Sionis (Todd Stashwick) and Gordon suspects he is behind the murder but is unable to get anything out of him however they do arrest an employee with a severed thumb. Elsewhere Cobblepot brings in one of Fish's men and has him beaten for information while Bruce is beaten by Tommy which angers Alfred when he finds out.

"My maths teacher gave me a B.....lets beat him up next!"

After questioning the man with the severed thumb Gordon and Bullock find out potential employees must fight to gain a position which sometimes ends in death and Nygma has found out that similar murders have happened before. Gordon and Bullock later split up to investigate Sionis's properties to find out where they could be staging the fights however Gordon is knocked out by Sionis. Bruce then beats up Tommy after Alfred gives him his father's watch to wrap round his fist and Gordon wakes up in an abandoned office surrounded by three masked men who have to kill him for employment. Luckily Bullock manages to round up some of the other officers to save Gordon before he can be killed by Sionis, Gordon thanks Bullock for this but says he will never stop fighting corruption. Cobblepot later finds out that someone close to Falcone is working for Fish while Lisa wants out of her job but Fish convinces her to continue by spinning some BS story. The episode ends with Barbara leaving Gordon, Bruce asking Alfred to teach him to fight and Selina once again arrested by police and asking Gordon for help.

Great fight

What an episode! last one we had the arrival of Zsasz this time we have a possible reference to one of my favourite Batman villains; Black Mask. Obviously the real Black Mask wasn't in this because he has a skull mask, his name is Roman Sionis not Richard and Richard died at the end in any case. However this makes me hopeful for the real Black Mask to appear soon as maybe a relative of Richard, shame that Todd Stashwick wasn't the real Black Mask because he was really good. I liked his mask and his obsession with killing and power and the cool fight he had with Gordon using a sword. His method of hiring new staff was really interesting and maybe it is another nod at the bad economy in Gotham but anyway those fights where really cool and I laughed when Gordon said "oh crap" when Richard put 1 million on his life.

Hopefully soon Fish the Penguin's going to kill you

However if Richard Sionis really is a relative of a comic book character we at least got the introduction of a real comic book character; Tommy Elliot. I have thought for ages that Tommy would be a great addition to the younger cast because in the comics he is a childhood friend of Bruce who becomes one of his most dangerous foes. It was a good take how they made Tommy in to a bully in this and I really hope that Tommy isn't just a one time character and we see more of him. Also he was part of a good subplot for Bruce this episode; of him learning to stand up for himself and wanting to learn how to fight. Again Alfred just continues to impress me when he encouraged Bruce to beat Tommy's face in with a watch.

"I was never going to stay away for long"

Other things I liked in this was Bullock being more and more of a good guy with backing up Gordon at the end and getting the other officers to help. He was damn right; the cops in the GCPD are cowards and Gordon is a constant reminder of their cowardice because he is an honest one. I did like how all the cops did the right thing in the end and I hope that is just the start of them being good officers. Lastly Nygma is really assuming in this because it again shows how he really doesn't care much if people die because their deaths are more curiosities to him then anything else.

At least it's less painful than an interview

Now for what I didn't like and it one again involves my two least characters; Barbara and Fish. I know I mentioned that Barbara was good last episode, well she completely ruined it in this one by walking out on Gordon. Overall she has become a really weak character with no interesting subplots in this series, kind of hope she has walked out for good now since she has already done it twice. Then there is Fish and I just absolutely hate her; Liza is right she really has no reason to get more power since she already has everything. She tired to explain it with that story but that was a load of BS anyway; I just hate her plans, her character and basically everything about her. Also I have had just enough of her injuring Cobblepot and getting away with it, she just deserves to be killed off.

Guess who Tommy becomes

Overall the majority of this episode was really strong and I seriously hope that we get a real Black Mask soon and Tommy has more roles in future episodes. Oh yeah I am finally up to date with the UK releases of Gotham and The Flash, so now that I only have to do one review of those shows a week I'll start reviewing Arrow and more anime.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Richard Sionis's fights and possible connection to Black Mask
                   Tommy Elliot and Bruce and Alfred's subplot with him
                   Bullock and Nygma  had some great moments too

Let - Downs: Fish and her stupid plan
                      Barbara with a weak subplot

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/   

Gotham Season One: Viper

The episode begins with Bruce creating his own investigation board which includes information on the crime families and Arkham, he also wants to speak to the board members of Wayne Enterprises. Meanwhile a man with a messed up ear gives a vial of green liquid to a guitar player who inhales it which turns his skin pale and his veins green. The guitar player than causes havoc at a store where he drinks lots of milk and uses superhuman strength to break a baseball bat and carry a ATM machine on his back, Gordon and Bullock are on the case. Falcone then calls a meeting of his street bosses, which includes Fish, and even though most want to retaliate against Maroni, Falcone says its not the time. Gordon and Bullock find the location of the guitar player but he dies when he tries to lift the ATM machine and it crushes him. Later the man with the messed up ear is giving out more Viper.

Now that had to hurt!

Alfred tells Bruce he is invited to a charity event and Bruce accepts because he might be able to question board members there. At GCPD numerous Gotham citizens are being brought in under the affects of Viper and dying as well. Nygma has analysed a sample and says that Viper gives the user superhuman strength but feeds off the user's calcium (hence the addiction to replenish with milk and cheese) and eventually their bones break down and they die. Gordon and Bullock question a member of the medical company WellZyn (an offshoot of Wayne Enterprises) because they have the best equipment to make Viper and they learn of a former employee named Stan Potolski who could be behind it. Later Gordon is later brought before Don Maroni to save Cobblepot's life because he told him he used to work for Fish.

"I'm sure there is a riddle for this"

Gordon and Bullock question an old professor of Stan who says Stan helped created Viper for WellZyn but had a breakdown when realizing they wanted to use it for warfare (and have even created Viper's successor Venom). He says that Stan will contaminate the WellZyn/Wayne charity event before injecting himself with Viper but his killed by Gordon and Bullock. They race to the event and manage to stop Stan who commits suicide off the roof after breathing in Viper but not before telling Gordon to check a certain warehouse, he goes to it but finds all the evidence gone. The episode ends with Alfred finally helping Bruce with his investigation, Cobblepot back in Maroni's good graces by helping rob Falcone and Falcone himself meeting Liza in a park.

At least make some tea Alfred, you both got a lot to read

Gotham has taken it's first step to being not that grounded after all with the use of the drug Viper, like with Arrow I didn't want this series to be too realistic and this is a good start. I did really like the Viper drug because it was a really cool effect when the victim's face goes all pale and their bones crack and fail. However I kind of felt that it was wasted because we barely got to see any action from it; Gordon and Bullock just witnessed the guitar player being crushed and I expected Stan to act like some boss but he just jumped off a roof. I know there are limits to how Gordon and Bullock can approach the villains because they are not vigilantes but that doesn't mean we can't see them put up a fight. Also I am glad they mentioned Viper's successor Venom because it is possible we could see Bane in the future or Venom - enhanced soldiers.

Maybe they should but a restaurant like Maroni? It would be a better place to meet 

Another part of the episode I liked was how Bruce got a lot more involved this time and actually stepped out of Wayne manor. The way he made that investigation board and then questioned one of his own employees was really cool. I want to see more of Bruce and Alfred like this; taking a more active role in the story instead of waiting for Gordon to come to them. Speaking of Gordon I did like the scene in the restaurant when he is talking to Maroni on behalf of Cobblepot, you really got the sense that a wrong word would have got them both killed. I also wonder why Cobblepot told Maroni who he really is but like I mentioned in my last review I'm sure he has a big master plan.

"The one time I leave the gas masks at home"

Other things worth mentioning is that I found it funny how Nygma was more fascinated with the effects of Viper and not seeming to care that much about people dying. Reminds me of the Riddler from comics and Arkham games where he only thinks of others as a means for his riddles. I didn't care much for Stan because he was even less developed than Gladwell I think and since it was more about Viper in the end I didn't care much for the guy who was giving it out. We also see that Wayne Enterprises might be as corrupt as the rest of Gotham and I want to see how Bruce tackles this problem and finally it seems that Fish has put her plan in to action at the end, lets she if Liza succeeds.

"Like how I treat my guests?"

Overall this was a good episode but we barely got to see the superhuman part of Viper and even thought they exist in separate universes it kind of felt they where copying Arrow's Mirakuru.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Bruce having a better role in this episode
                   The effect of Viper was really cool
                              
Let - Downs: Viper felt wasted
                       Didn't care at all about the villain

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

Film Review: Psycho (1960)

My first film review and I thought I would on one of my favourite films and an all time classic; Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Like all my other reviews this will contain SPOILERS so I advice you to only read on if you have seen the film.

This film stars Janet Leigh as Marion Crane who steals $40,000 from the realtors office she works for in hopes of giving it to her boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin) because he is massively in debt and does not want to marry when he can barely afford it. Marion flees out of town and ends up staying a night at the Bates Motel run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a troubled man with a domineering mother. That is the first half of the story, the second half stars Marion’s sister Lila Crane (Vera Miles) who searches for her and also introduces the character Milton Arbogast (Jon McIntire) a private detective.

I really liked this story; it is simple but effective and really gets the audience involved with it. It also has a lot of suspense, for example when Marion is on the run there is a cop who stalks her and you just don’t know his the cop suspects her or not. (MASSIVE SPOILER) This film also contains the famous shower in which Marion is killed by Norman Bates and it is one of the best film scenes I have ever seen. The camera work and the acting by Janet Leigh is so convincing, this was a time when bloody violence and nudity was frowned upon but they do an amazing job making it as realistic as possible. That is another thing I really liked about the film; the brilliant camera work, they do a lot of excellent close up shots on the faces of the characters and there is a great scene where Arbogast is falling down the stars and like the shower scene they really convince you it is happening.

Every single character’s performance in this film is perfection but the highlight of them all is Anthony Perkins for his portrayal as Norman Bates. He makes the character seem as polite and shy as possible while at the same time really disturbed, especially during the conversation he has with Marion and he explains his hobby about taxidermy. The music is also great in this as well, the one that plays during the shower scene has become iconic and the fast paced one that plays when Marion is on the run really suits the moment.

Overall this is one of the most iconic films ever created and one of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest. Even though this film was not the first slasher film it is certainly started off a new craze for it that began in the 1980s. I really do not have anything bad to say about this film because it is a fine example of cinema at its best.

SCORE: 10/10