Batson's Blog

The Huntsman: Winter's War I was actually excited about this movie. Even though the first one had a few issues, there were some positives. Chris Hemsworth did a great job. It was somewhat of an action movie, but it wasn't about a flying God in a cape. Therefore it was in Hemsworth's wheelhouse but it wasn't the same old thing either. Plus, it gave a fresh spin on the tale of Snow White. I thought the second one might be as good, but unfortunately it ended up falling short of my expectations. There was the sister of the Evil Queen. Then there was the Huntsman's former wife. They were both taken in as children and trained by the Evil Queen's sister. Meanwhile the Evil Queen comes back into the story, too. It felt like it was all just a little too much. Too much going on, too much of an attempt to build a backstory. I guess it's good that they put effort into it, but the backstory they used felt a little too standard. No surprises, really...

It was announced recently that, after her outstanding performance against Asuka at Takeover: Toronto in NXT, Mickie James has signed a new, 3-year contract with WWE and will be assigned to the Smackdown brand. Mickie is one talent who has only gotten better with age. She was a good wrestler when she first signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2003, but since then she's refined her skills, expanded her move set and truly lives in the moment during her matches.  As a result, her matches have psychology and lack the rehearsed feeling that sometimes even Sasha Banks and Charlotte end up having. I'm very happy, as a longtime Mickie fan, that she's getting a second shot in WWE and will, hopefully, end her tenure on a better note. I see a Hall of Fame induction in her future. Meanwhile, there's another former Diva who I hope will attract some interest from WWE: Melina . For several years after being released back in August of 2011, Melina kept a relativ...

As a fairly knowledgeable fan of the Star Wars franchise (I've seen all the movies, but not over and over again like some have), I wasn't extremely excited about Rogue One . First of all, it was a prequel story and I'm not always the biggest fan of those. Sometimes it ends up being a money-making attempt by the studio rather than a full force effort to produce something of quality. Second, it wasn't going to feature any of the classic Star Wars characters or any of the newer ones from Episode 8. However, when I went to see Dr. Strange there was a trailer for the Rogue One movie and I was impressed. I was faced with the decision of being stubborn and refusing to go see Rogue One or putting my pride aside, admitting I was wrong and going to see the movie. I decided to go with the later. And I'm glad I did because it was a great movie. I haven't read any full reviews yet, but I saw some tweets and/or headlines that mentioned some continuity iss...

We're halfway through Pumpkin Spice season here, so I figured I'd review a few of the items I've tried since I'm (slightly) Pumpkin Spice-obsessed. Pumpin Spice Twinkies I didn't see this last year, so, whether or not it was actually new, this amazing item was new to me. Ever since they went defunct and then came back a few years ago, Twinkies has been experimenting with different flavors (chocolate covered, banana flavored, etc.). Their experimentation paid off. Twinkies usually gets the flavoring right and, in this case, it was no exception. It's got the soft outer layer of a Twinkie, but has a very nice (and not overwhelming) pumpkin spice flavored-filling inside. Sometimes companies that go the pumpkin spice route end up missing the flavor.  The pumpkin spice M&M's, for example?  Way too much spice there.   Final rating on this one: 4 and a half stars out of 5 . Pumpkin Spice Extra From a new item to an old one.  I'm not s...

In the day and age of epic Avengers movies and Batman vs. Superman , it seems that ensemble superhero movies are the new norm. You have Hulk apparently appearing in the next Thor movie.  The Flash appeared in an episode of last season's Supergirl . Superman (not Henry Cavill) is going to be making appearances in this season of Supergirl . Then you have Ghost Rider appearing in this season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D . In Season 2 of Daredevil , you had Elektra and The Punisher making appearances. Even Deadpool had a little crossover assistance from Colossus (because Fox couldn't afford to get any big names, as Deadpool stated in the movie). That's a lot of crossover situations there. I'm thrilled, as a fan. It's fun to see different superheroes interact with each other and it really stirs up the storylines. It got me thinking though: are there any superheroes left who could carry a television show or box office on their own? The X-Me...

Two characters in the 1980's Filmation Masters of the Universe series who were somewhat underused were King Randor and Queen Marlena --- the parents of Prince Adam/He-Man. Of course, due to them being the King and Queen of Eternia, they were fairly prominent in terms of their status.  They certainly had more appearances than someone like Ram Man or Buzz-Off, but what they contributed to those episodes was usually fairly minimal. The 2002 Mike Young Productions writing team seemed to focus a little more on Randor and Marlena --- treating them more as a king and queen, showcasing how they made decisions on Eternia and had parts in peace treaties. It was definitely a little more realistic than the more kid-friendly Filmation version. As far as costuming goes, I think Randor's depiction in MYP is the way to go over the very jester-looking depiction in Filmation. Marlena is a different story. She looks extremely bland, to me, in the MYP version. She stands out a bit ...