NOC Reviews ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’

April 7, 2014April 27, 2021 Brandon Easton

Saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier and really have nothing bad to say at all. There were a few issues with story logic but outside of minor nitpicks, I’d have to say this is as good as The Avengers and definitely the best “solo” Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to date.

The best way to describe this movie is “balanced.” It achieved an almost perfect balance between comic book-style action, humor, character development, and story sophistication. Taking a page from the Robert Ludlum/Tom Clancy school of 1970s-era Cold War espionage pop culture storytelling, The Winter Soldier (at the very least) establishes a formula for Marvel Studios that, if used repeatedly, should guarantee the cinematic dominance of Marvel IPs for the next generation.

Minor spoilers follow.

Martial Arts, Movies, Reviews3 Comments

NOC Reviews The Raid 2

March 31, 2014September 8, 2019 Brandon Easton

Now that I’ve had a day to process it, here’s my take on The Raid 2: Berandal. (Caution: there will be minor spoilers here.)

Let’s get the negatives out of the way — the only thing that (some ADHD-riddled folks) will complain about is the length and the subtitles. Also, a few cinephiles may not be happy about the recycled story concept — it’s a high-octane martial arts re-imagining of the outstanding Hong Kong police thriller Infernal Affairs that was later re-made into the Academy Award-winning Hollywood film The Departed. The plot and characters can get a little labyrinthine with the double-and-triple-crosses but that isn’t a complaint just a heads-up that this action film has a strong component of character development and interaction.

With that said, The Raid 2 picks up right after the end of the first movie and puts main character Rama (Iko Uwais) back into the mix as an undercover agent sent to bring down two Indonesian crime syndicates. I have to say, the acting in this movie is strong from top to bottom. You get to know each character and why they do what they do — and some of them are slimeballs but others are crimelords with a sense of honor and duty.

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Comics, Reviews4 Comments

‘Letter 44’ Delivers a Political What If?

December 11, 2013March 24, 2023 William B West

What if George W. Bush’s presidency wasn’t as bad as many think? Sure, there were wars and the economic meltdown, but what if that was all part of a greater plan? Like Sway, we don’t have the answers. But what if there was a method to the madness? That’s the jumping off point for Letter 44 from Oni Press.