#JustaQuickiePlease: Iron Fist (2017) Review

Despite the best efforts of the misguided and misinformed Social Justice Warriors of the world, Scott Buck's telling of Marvel's mystical martial artist was able to achieve an unexpected success, and deservedly so.  This fifth entry into the Defender's continuity is entertaining, engaging, authentically told, and chock full of action with relatable and genuine characters.  A bit slow to start out, which was necessary to add a credible level of realism to its tale, the story flows in a convincing way with some definitive twists and surprises.  What is more remarkable, but seemingly missed, is the underlying tale of a man struggling with severe PTSD and his attempt to overcome it through training and discipline, all the while, combating an eternal rage threatening all he holds sacred.   Now, there are moments where the acting is a bit ragged and over the top, with a noticeable overuse of cry talking but overall the performances are above average and the character evolutions quite satisfying and legitimate.  Jones was a solid casting choice for his role, based on Buck's vision, and the remaining cast compliments each other with a marked definitiveness.   This may not be the best of the bunch but it is still a welcome and enjoyable addition.  3 out of 5 Kernels: A solid dragon punch to the critics who misjudged this series based on their personal agendas rather than actual production quality.

Arrow Grade: F

Arrow Grade: F

This show makes less sense than DC Legends of Tomorrow anymore...

And, that is quite the accomplishment...

Oh, and spoilers...

1. Uh...

How exactly did this episode happen if The Legion of Doom has already changed all of reality...

Oh, and, in that reality Damian killed all of the vigilantes...

Things that make you go...

Hmmmmm...

2. Two words...

Dirt...

Bikes...

The streak is over...

3. So, he's only a killer when he wears the suit...

Is that it...

4.  I guess the Bratva Bromance is over...

5. The guy just admitted to you that he kills because he likes it...

Then hires a hitman to kill his enemy...

And, pays said Hitman off with drugs that will be used to create a new form of heroin potentially addicting and killing millions throughout the globe...

Diggle..."I know you Oliver, you are not that man!"

Uh, no John...

He pretty much is that man...

6. Apparently, Helix has now installed the same security system that The Quiver uses...

The greatest weapon against the enemies of the Arrowverse is...

ADT...

Who knew...

7. T-Spheres...

The tech term for plot device...

8. No wonder Star City needs vigilantes...

The SCPD makes the Keystone Cops look like S.W.A.T...

9. Everything on this show is bulletproof until it is not bulletproof...

10. High paid Russian Assassins are apparently the inspiration for the Empire's eventual Stormtrooper program...

#CW #WCCB #Arrow #Faileditsfans

DC Legends of Tomorrow Grade: Reality Bending F

DC Legends of Tomorrow Grade: Reality Bending F

I truly believe other countries torture their captives by forcing them to watch this show...

And, North Korea is using it to advance their nuclear and science programs...

Oh, and spoilers...

1. Again, I ask, can we use the Spear of Destiny on the writing staff...

2. Well, look at that...

A nuclear reactor can destroy the Spear of Destiny...

It's a good thing we don't know any superheroes that possess that power...

3. It's official...

Mick is the most intelligent person on this show...

4. Janitor guy can instinctually invent a device that bends reality without any real resources, technological background, and a definable power source...

Would we have expected anything less from this show...

5. Nate and Ray can take on Sarah and Vixen in a fist fight....

Okay, now we have breached the limits of any reality...

6. Felicity is just as annoying as a masked vigilante as she is as normal Felicity...

Who knew...

7. Guy with magic powers can't beat a speedster...

Huh...

Seems to be a running theme this week...

Ha...running...speedster...get it...

8. So, instead of quality script writing...

We will just throw random fandom items into the mix...

Oh, hey look the Hall of Doom...

Sort of...

Well, that makes everything better...

What an awesome show...

9. Overtly predictable result after unnecessary and cliched bad guy speech is overtly predictable and cliched...

10. Always a good idea to keep your enemies around after you succeed in your evil plans...

Apparently, the Legion of Doom's greatest adversary is plot device...

Bonus: The only show that can make Snart as interesting as watching snow melt...

Kudos, guys...

Kudos...

#CW #WCCB #Legends #DC #LegendsofTomorrow #DCWTF

Flash Grade: B+

Flash Grade: B+

Redemption for the musical crossover...

ACHIEVED!

Oh, and spoilers...

1. Last week it took him 5 minutes to travel down a hallway at S.T.A.R Labs...

This week he can outrun a time ship...

Savitar isn't Barry's greatest enemy...

Plot device is...

2. How the hell am I supposed to take Abra Kadabra seriously folks...

Like his name wasn't goofy enough...

Y'all had to add that look and overacting to the mix...

It's like Donald Trump and William Shatner had an ADHD baby...

3. Caitlin's surgery...

Apparently, as far as science goes...

We are now taking script notes from Legends now...

4. Who else wanted Cisco to say...

Barry...we have to send you...

BACK TO THE FUTURE...

And then have a Huey Lewis tune break in...

5. You think a guy named Vibe would be on every girl's most wanted list...

Just saying...

6. Who else didn't see the whole Killer Frost thing happening...

Oh, everybody...

Everybody, saw it coming...

Okay, moving on...

7. Was March just rip off J.R.R. Tolkien month on the CW or something....

8. You know it's gotten bad in Central City when a low flying time ship can just buzz by and create a wormhole and the general public has zero reaction...

9. Cause negotiating with magical beings from the 64th century is ALWAYS a good idea...

Joe, did you forget he turned your Glock into a water pistol only one scene ago...

10. Wally West...

When you need a speedster...

That gets his arse handed to him on a regular basis...

#CW #WCCB #Flash #WhoisSavitar
#IamtheFutureFlash #NoComma

Supergirl Grade: F

Supergirl Grade: F

The best part of this show...

The credits...

Oh, and spoilers....

1. Mon-El...

More like Man-Less...

2. Once again, Supergirl's greatest enemy is...

Bad cosplay...

Like Party City level, bad...

3. Those Alex and Maggie scenes...

As purposeful and entertaining as an Arrow Season 4 flashback...

4. Martian staring contest...

Three, two, one...go...

5. Kryptonite Sais...

And, I thought my future mother-in-law was tough...

5. When did Darth Revan start working for the Daxomites...

6. Nice to see the move to the CW hasn't circumvented our goal to officially turn this show into Gilmore Girls with Capes...

7. Always a good idea to give your Fortress of Solitude's location to every enemy you face...

Clark, you might want to re-explain to Kara the whole concept of a Fortress of Solitude...

8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Teri...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Teri...

Beeyotches with Kryptonite...

Hatcher Power...

C'mon...

You know you sang it in your head...

9. Apparently, breaches in the hull of a spaceship in...

Well, space...

Do that...

Huh...

And, here, all along, I was encumbered by science stuff...

10. Sheesh...

The President...

I wondered if she was really a woman...

Bonus: We finally figured out Mon-El's superpower...

Kissing Kara's arse...

So glad these writers avoid stereotyping or generalizing characters...

#Supergirl #WCCB #CW #DCWTF

The #DuskSeries Episode 4: Some Things Don't Stay Buried (Filmed LIVE)

The #DuskSeries Episode 4: Some Things Don't Stay Buried (Filmed LIVE)

https://www.facebook.com/duskseries/videos/1301264419963850/

Starring:
Megan Rogers as Maleficus
James Hurley as Fenton Rivers
Dennis Walls as The Chief
Cinematography/Editor...Tyler Suggs
Director of Photography...Jonathan Thompson
Written and Directed by Ronald J. Rossmann
Boom Operator...Madison Smith
Music by Isaac Moore
Shot on location @ Optima Engineering in Charlotte, NC
Special thanks to Keith and Kathy Pehl

#Dusk #Darknesswillfall #vampire #werewolf #witch #magic #supernatural #paranormal #series #webseries #livestream #FacebookLive

Who will stand in the gap? A Tribute to Henry Hodge.

Who will stand in the gap?

A Tribute to Henry Hodge.

Adam and Joe asked me to speak to you today about their father.   It is an honor that I cannot find the words to describe.  After a lengthy and intense discussion on how best we could describe the man, Henry was, one verse kept coming to my mind.

That verse is Ezekial 22:30.

It speaks about the Lord asking who will stand in the gap for him, for Israel.  Unfortunately, He could find no one to answer his call.

That was of course because Henry was not yet around.

Now, I could begin by telling you what kind of man and father Henry was, but you see, that would be quite redundant.  That is because you already know, as most of you have witnessed it, in one way or another.   Very few practice what they preach, especially in today’s culture.  Henry was that rarity, a precious and blessed oddity in a world full of the entitled and cynical.  

So, how do I describe who Henry was to his two sons, to me, in a way which does him justice?  What description can I provide that will express the deep love and admiration his family will forever have for him?  In my quest for discernment, a single word kept coming to my mind.  A word that kept repeating until I had no choice but to explore it and when I did, in context to Henry, I realize that it did not define him.  No, it was Henry who gave this word its significance.

The word is hero.

Now, the word hero gets thrown around a lot.  So much so, it has lost much of its potency as a title or designation.   Pretty much everything now, no matter how small and silly the accomplishment, quickly falls under the umbrella of hero.  In a culture of participation trophies and minuscule expectations, being a hero has lost all of its specialty.   So, the world needs someone to provide that word the prowess it once possessed.  

You see, for me, a hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice everything, anything for the people they love.   There is no doubt Henry did that.  Adam and Joe’s first words to describe their father was Great Man.  That greatness came from a consistent example of sacrifice and unconditional love demonstrated every day towards his family both immediate and adopted.  

In fact, the one thing the three of us came to the quickest agreement on is that idea that if we could grow to become half the man, Henry was, in dignity, humility, clarity, Godliness, and grace.  That achievement would be a treasured accomplishment indeed.   Adam went as far to say that he was glad, that unlike other children, he and Joe realized how thankful they were for their father, not taking the gift of his presence for granted like so many do, of their parents.  

There was an unmistakable and unrelenting gratefulness in their eyes and tone.  It was truly humbling.   What encapsulated it was a tearful and heartbreaking sentence Adam expressed as he struggled to convey the best way to demonstrate that gratefulness.  After pushing pass the grief, he simply looked at me, damp eyes, trembling lips, and said, “Throughout our lives, our dad took care of us, how blessed we were, that when the time came, we were able to finally take care of him.”

But the hero Henry did not stop by simply sacrificing all he is and was for family, but he also did so for strangers, in a uniform of green on foreign soil.   He did so for his church and congregation.  He did so for the friends who were in need.  He did so for a young man he did not know, going through a darkness so thick, it threatened his faith.   For that man, he not only stood in the gap, but he did so defiantly, until the light of his and God’s love showed so bright, it shattered both fear and pain.

The last trait of this hero called Henry is something that will not be forgotten.  Henry possessed an impossible, implausible joy.  No matter what the circumstance, tragedy, or trial, Henry’s unrelenting faith, allowed him to find a solution to sorrow and happiness in hazard.   The one thing I will miss most of all was his laugh.  Sincere, heartfelt, piercing the most intense situation, Henry’s laugh was a force of its own.  If laughter is the best medicine, Henry was the greatest of physicians.

Now we all know that Adam and Joe are the most prompt individuals on the planet.  Not many have such a definitive punctuality.  Joe spoke about how much he loved attending Family Reunions with his father and how, each year, they seemed to find a new reason to be late.  On one occasion, the hood latch of their vehicle was loose, and Henry, thinking himself as good as a mechanic as he was a phone tech, assured the boys that everything would be fine.  Half way there, the hood obstructing their windshield begged to differ.  Returning all the way home, they picked up the Mustang and ventured back.  Of course, they were late, but that was now expected.   Henry joked with me, as we returned from the hospital, that the only thing that worried him about staying with the boys is that they might make him late for heaven.

Joe also spoke of how much he appreciated all the family vacations they went on together.  From the humble beginnings of a tent and station wagon to cruises with Ryan and Tina, Joe treasured every moment spent with his dad and family.  He fought back tears as he thanked the Lord for their last trip together.  The chance for his father, for the first time, to visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC.

As we concluded our talk and finished the last few notes both the boys spoke of the greatest gift their Father had given them.  The gift of Legacy.  Not memory or sentiment, but a call to arms.  To live up to the standard he had set for them, for us all.   Adam said he was given his father's name for a reason.  Henry didn’t want a third, he wanted a name that carried a heritage but also forged a new path.  At first, it seemed so benign but now, it is a blessed challenge.   Seldom has a moniker had such meaning and value.  Seldom has a son had such a determination to honor that heritage.

Henry was a disciple and apostle of old, living his example and life, in front of us.  In fact, I can imagine that grandiose Table of Knowledge he now sits at, with the likes of Paul, Moses, John, David, Solomon, and such.  And we all have to believe that Heaven has its own Bojangles, or at least it does now.  I also have to believe Henry’s sister Anne has never been happier to know, there is no gloating in heaven.  Although knowing God’s sense of humor, he may have allowed a few subtle boasts.

In conclusion, this man, who was son, servant, friend, soldier, husband, father, and hero, is not being laid to rest.   He will not become a memorial or mere memory.  Although we bury what remains of the flesh, the spirit lives on.  Of course, we as Christians understand how that works.  But I am not referring to heavenly realms or celestial rebirth.  His spirit lives on with his sons.  It lives on through his daughter, her husband, and their children.  It lives on through his family and friends.  A man like Henry is an unassuming pebble dropped in water whose ripples spread out to a near infinity.  The effect of his life touching all of us, for the better.  He reminds us of what a hero is and that each one of us can be that same hero.

The hero of our own story.

A champion of Christ.

Forging our own legacy.

And how, you might ask.

Because Henry understood who the real hero of his life was; his Savior, Master, God, and because of that, we were all privileged to see that hero live through him.

We love you, Henry.

Thank you, for being the hero we needed.

Thank you for standing boldly, without hesitation, in the gap.