October Horror Movie Challenge - Werewolf By Night (2022)

This is cheating a little bit, because it's technically a (digital) tv special not feature length movie, but I'm counting it. Also spoilers below.

Plot

Master Hunter, Ulysses Bloodstone, has passed and a group of hunters has gathered at his manor to find out who will take possession of a powerful monster hunting artifact, the Bloodstone. Among them are Jack Russell, the Werwolf by Night, and Ulysses' daughter Elsa. The pair team up to accomplish their goals and survive the night.

Review

This is a better Universal Monsters movie than any of that studios modern attempts. The black and white nature of the film, way it was shot, and just overall vibe made it feel like a classic. Speaking of black and white, there is a bit of color. The bloodstone is a vibrant red, which really highlights its power and special nature. The effects were fun too. This one is bloodier than any other MCU project, but its not gratuitous. 

The acting was great. I've never seen Gael Garcia Bernal before, but his portrayal of Jack was fantastic! I need more Werewolf by Night asap. He's tragic, yet keeps a great sense of humor. In the last few years I've been become an Elsa Bloodstone fan and Laura Donnelly does a fantastic job.

This was a fun Halloween MCU special and I really hope to see the characters again, sooner rather than later. 

In Your Game

The special introduced one of my favorite Marvel monsters into the MCU. I decided to stat him out. My build is primarily based on the official Shambling Mound stats and the 5e interpretation of Man-Thing created by Mark at Cross Planes. Also this version is a combination of the comics and his most recent appearance. You can also check out the version posted on Bell of Lost Souls.

Code Name: Man-Thing

Real Name: Ted Sallis 

Team Affiliation: Thunderbolts, Fearsome Four, Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Large Plant, Neutral Good

Armor Class: 15 (Natural Armor)

HP: 150

Speed: 25 ft., swim 25 ft., flight 30 ft.

Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP)

STR:  20 (+5), DEX: 11 (+0), CON: 20 (+5), 

INT: 16 (+3), WIS: 16 (+3), CHA:8 (-1)

Saving Throws: Str +8, Con +8, Wis +6; 

Skills: Insight +6, Intimidation +2, Nature +6, Perception +6, Stealth +3, Survival +6

Damage Resistences: Cold, Fire

Condition Immunities: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned

Senses: tremorsense 10 ft., truesight 30 ft., passive perception 16

Languages: Understands English and Primordial

Unique Abilities:

Fear Aura: Any creature hostile to Man-Thing that start's its turn within 30 feet of him must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw, unless its incapacitated. On a failed save, the creature is frightened until the start of its next turn. If a creature's saving throw was successful, it is immune to Man-Thing's Fear Aura for the next 24 hours.

Magic Weapons: Man-Thing's weapon attacks are magical.

Malleable: Man-Thing can move through any opening large enough penny to fit through.

Regeneration: If Man-Thing has 1 or more HP at the beginning of his turn, he heals 10 HP.

Sense Magic: Man-Thing senses magic within 120 feet of him at will. The trait otherwise works like the Detect Magic spell, but itself isn't magical.

Whoever Knows Fear Burns at the Man-Thing's Touch!: Any creature with the frightened condition struck by Man-Thing's slam attacks takes an additional 7 (2d6) fire damage.

Actions: 

Multiattack: Man-Thing can make two slam attacks.

Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.

New Movies: 14

Others Horror Movies Watched Since Last Post: Stay Alive

Challenge Total: 30

The Boys Season 3: Episodes 1-3 Thoughts (Spoilers)

Season 3 of The Boys debuted Friday and my hype for it is real. Decided to give my thoughts on the first three episodes (which all went live earlier).

Let me just start by saying, Amazon Prime keeps doing a stellar job by keeping everything meta and releasing in-universe content. The episode descriptions for the first three episodes of the new season are written as if you were a subscriber to Vought+.

Just wow... this show just keeps getting better and doesn't pull any punches. The season starts a year after the previous. Homelander's popularity has taken a major hit because of the revelation that Stormfront was a Nazi. The Boys are working for Hughie and the Fedaral Bureau of Superhuman Affairs. Things seem to be going well. Super related crimes are down. Butcher and crew are playing by the rules. Hughie and Starlight are doing great and Starlight has become the most popular supe. Of course it can't last...

In the first episode Hughie learns what we learned at the end of the last season, Victoria Neuman is a super with the power to make people explode. He discovers this when she's confronted by a childhood friend that brings up Red River. This season isn't the first we've heard of Red River. While it was easy to miss, it was the focus of an episode of The Boys Presents: Diabolical. Hughie's visit brought back a character we hadn't seen since Season 1. Madelyn Stillwell's son Teddy makes an appearance, now manifesting the power of teleportation. When Stillwell's house blew up in the first season and Teddy was found 17 miles away, was it his powers or Homelander that saved him? While it was probably his powers, if Homelander is keeping an eye on him, Teddy would be a scary tool for him to use.

Speaking of Homelander, he's absolutely snapped in this season. He is seriously held back by a thread and if it snapped things would be catastrophic for everyone else. He has some really fucked up scenes in this season, but the two that stick out are him having the bed ridden and scarred Stormfront giving him and old fashioned and the second is forcing the Deep to eat his friend Timothy. That seen in particular was funny but awful. I found myself shouting at the tv. 

Butcher is a really tragic character this season. At the start he's being a good friend (and fatherly figure) to Becca and Homelander's son. Before Hughie informs him of what's going on, he really does seem like he's changing his ways. However, by the end of episode 3, he's back to being a heartless bastard (though to be fair, he did it to protect another character). Butcher also seems like he is going to become what he hates. Given a drug that grants temporary powers, he uses it to even the odds. Afterwards they take a huge toll on him. This puts the series more in line with the comic.

Starlight's ex boyfriend, Drummer Boy, seems to be a regular this season. He genuinely seems like a good guy. Honestly, this makes me distrust him more, but I want to like him. Could there actually be more than one good Vought supe in the series? 

We are also introduced to the Boys take on the Avengers, Payback. They are led by Soldier Boy, played by the always wonderful Jensen Ackles. He really is the anti-cap. While Steve Rogers is whole and straight laced, Soldier Boy is the embodiment of toxic masculinity. His team don't seem to be much better. They are bunch of dumb celebrities that have no sense of responsibility and get a lot of people killed. Two members, Crimson Countess and Gunpowder, were actually made on screen debuts in the Cameron Coleman Seven on 7 shorts. We also learn more about Black Noir in the Payback flashbacks. Unlike the comic, this version is pretty tragic. 

There's a lot of character growth this season. Kimiko laments not having a childhood and is trying to create her own life. Frenchie is there with her and is trying to move on and leave his past criminal activity behind. Maeve is secretly helping the Boys because of Homelander's insanity. A-Train goes back home to be with his brother and it seems his arc this season will see him address racism. Mother's Milk deals with personal issues and returns to the team to learn more about his father's murder.

The last thing I want to talk about is the first 20 or so minutes of the first episode. Seeing Charlize Theron playing the movie version of Stormfront was pretty cool, but I really have to talk about the following scene at Termite's party. It's pretty graphic and will make you not want to sneeze again. I won't go into details, but if you know, you know. While that was wild, my favorite part of the Boys interaction with Termite was it was definitely a nod to the "Thanus" theory. 

I'm loving this season so far, and can't wait to see where it goes. Despite my love of four color superheroics, I think this show is damn good. Can't wait to see where the story goes.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical Review

The Boys Presents: Diabolical is an animated spin-off of the comic and television series, The Boys. These shorts are done in varied styles, feature different writers and directors, and vary in quality. I'm going to break this review down for each cartoon. Let me just say that overall, I liked it, but some of the episodes really brought the series down for me. Have you seen the it? What do you think? Any episodes you loved or hated?

Episode 1 - Laser Baby's Day Out

Written by showrunners Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, this classic American animated short style cartoon centers around a Vought scientist seeking to save a "defective" super baby set to be killed. This is one of my favorites and a strong starter. This feels like any classic cartoon that features a clumsy protagonist trying to keep a roaming baby from harm. 

Watch or Skip: Watch. This is my favorite episode of the series. It's wholesome and disgusting, all at the same time.

Episode 2 - An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents

This short was written and is done in the style of Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty/Solar Opposites). The title basically says it all. The supes in this are characters that have abysmal powers and were given up by their parents. After finding out they have their powers because of their parents, they decide to get revenge. Christian Slater is the narrator. There are several other famous folks voicing the reject supers and their families, including Roiland, Kenan Thompson. Eugene Mirman, Ben Schwartz, and Kevin Smith. This one is kind of funny, but honestly just dumb. 

Watch or Skip: Skip. Unless you're a huge Rick and Morty fan, I'd skip this one. The jokes get worn out, real fast.

Episode 3: I'm Your Pusher

Written by The Boys creator, Garth Ennis, this short is done in the the style of the comic. Wee Hughie looks and is voiced by Ennis' inspiration for the character, Simon Pegg. Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, Jason Isaacs, and a few others provide stellar voice work. Billy Butcher and Wee Hughie coerce a supe's dealer to give them tainted drugs which causes a spectacular pr blunder.

Watch or Skip: Watch. This one is spectacular. It might be better than than laser baby. I'm not sure though. Of all the stories, this one seems to fit The Boys cannon most. 

Episode 4 - Boyd in 3D

This short is done in the style of French comics and cartoons. An awkward nobody tests an experimental cream that transforms in into what he wants to be. He uses this to woo his attractive next door neighbor. She then uses the cream to become a catgirl and the pair because influencer stars. This one definitely lampoons social media and influencer culture. 

Watch or Skip: Either. Honestly I didn't think this one was great or awful. Didn't care for the ending, bother otherwise it's an okay episode.

Episode 5 - BFF's

Done in style of Saturday morning cartoons, this is an odd one. Comedian and actress Awkwafina wrote and plays an awkward girl that takes some Compound V and gains the power to control and animate fecal matter. She excretes a best friend, who names itself Areola.  Chase Crawford who plays the Deep in the live action series, voices the character in this episode.

Watch or Skip: SKIP! Maybe I just don't get the joke, but this episode is too absurd for me. This episode is a pile of shit (all puns intended).

Episode 6 - Nubian vs Nubian

This anime inspired episode focuses on the troubled relationship between Nubian Prince (voiced by Don Cheadle) and his wife Nubia (voiced by the episode's writer, Aisha Tyler). The couple's daughter seek out their former archenemy (voiced by voice acting legend, John DiMaggio). 

Watch of Skip: Watch. I think this is one of the better episodes. If more of the series would have been like this, then I would have enjoyed the series more. It does a good job of looking at celebrity life, the stress of being a hero when you have a family, and the duplicity of supers in the world of The Boys.

Episode 7: John and Sun-Hee

Written by The Lonely Island's Andy Samberg, this episode was inspired by Korean drama and horror. A Vought employee, John, learns his wife Sun-Hee will die soon because of cancer and steals Compound V, thinking it will save her. The drug turns her cancer into an all consuming-tentacle creature.

Watch or Skip: Watch. This episode is beautiful, horrifying, and heartbreaking. The animation is gorgeous and the story is engrossing. The creature is truly frightening. This episode also has a great point, as in the end Sun-Hee must face her cancer alone. If I had any issue with this one, it just feels out of place in the greater narrative. 

Episode 8 - One Plus One Equals Two

This episode resembles modern American superhero cartoons. The animation style wouldn't look out of place in DC Animated Universe. The story focuses on a young Homelander and his early days in the Seven. He teams up with Black Noir and while he tries to do the right thing, he can't hold back with his powers and things go FUBAR.  This episode features Anthnony Starr, Giancarlo, Esposito, and Elisabeth Shue voicing their characters from the live action series.

Watch of Skip: Watch. This is another solid episode. I also feel like this one is cannon in the live action series. 

Goblin Slayer - Season 1 Review

After sharing the official npc stats of the cast of Goblin Slayer yesterday I decided to sign-up for a free trial of Funimation's streaming service and binge watch the series.

The series is set in a fantasy world filled with adventures. These adventurers are ranked and sanctioned by a guild. They take bounties and get paid. You start at rank 10 (Porcelain) and work your way to 1 (Platinum). The characters are all referred to by their race or class. The only exception I can think of is Goblin Slayer (who the dwarves call Beardcutter and the elves call Orcbolg).

The protagonist of the story is the titular Goblin Slayer. While he's a high ranking adventurer (Rank 3, Silver), he only takes missions and cares about killing goblins. This stems from tragedy in his past. The goblins of the series are similar to typical D&D goblins. They aren't smart, they're about the size of children, and they're seen as pests. However, they are immensely cruel, clever, and they enjoy capturing and raping women (whom they eventually feed on).

The first episode is brutal and is a litmus test to see if you can handle the rest. The series begins with Porcelain ranked young heroine Priestess reluctantly joining up with three other new heroes to take out a goblin nest and save some local girls. They are warned that it will be too dangerous but ignore the warnings. They're just taking on goblins. It'll be nothing. They are wrong, by the end of the encounter only Priestess reminds mostly intact. The male fighter is slaughtered, the female monk SA'd and quits the adventuring life, and the female wizard is given a mercy killing by Goblin Slayer. While the actual rape isn't show on screen the beginnings of it and the screams during can be heard and it's chilling.

This actually leads me to my issue with the series. I don't like SA being used to show how bad a villain is. Wrestlers call that cheap heat. It's lazy and anyone can do it. I  can deal with it if I have to, but I think there are better ways to show characters as monstrous. I am particularly bothered about how this is used in the series. The few times goblin captives are on screen, the shots seem to linger too much and their barely clothed forms. I'm all for fanservice and cheesecake in anime, but let's not show it while sexual assault is occurring or a character is held in captivity.

The combat is brutal as Hell. The combat is bloody and well animated. There are some amazing fight scenes and the combat will have any D&D fan salivating at the action.

Strangely, the anime isn't all doom and gloom. Like a lot of anime series, there's a great humor streak within the show. Goblin Slayer's non-human party members are all really amusing. I believe my favorite is Lizard Man Priest, who becomes obsessed with cheese and ice cream. I absolutely adore his party and their interactions.

The music and setting are excellent. It's a perfect D&D world. Actually speaking of D&D, I think the setting is actually the Dungeons and Dragons universe. They are multiple mentions of the gods rolling dice and the intros and things show dice other than d6's. While it's never addressed, I think the gods are players and a DM.

Despite my issues, I really enjoyed this series. There's been no announcement on when it will happen, but I was glad to see this after the end credits.

If you can stomach a story with sexual violence and like D&D, this is an anime you should check out. It has great style, characters, humor, action, and an interesting story.