Critical Hits & Misses #251






For today's musical hit, James Corden sings for transgender troops on The Late Late Show, in response to 45's bogus ban of transgender servicemen and women.




Today's critical rolls: Happy Monday! What did you do this weekend?


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Critical Hits & Misses #250






For today's musical hit, time for some Queen Bey. Here's Beyonce and "Pretty Hurts"



Today's critical rolls: It's Choose Your Own Adventure Friday! Talk about what you want! Have a great weekend!


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Critical Hits & Misses #249






For today's musical hit, we have East Love and "Sweet Arizona"



Today's critical rolls: What's your favorite female-led action film?


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The Unbelievable Gwenpool #18 Review: Weaponizing The Fourth Wall


Issue eighteen takes a small break from Gwen's story to show Teddy's journey through the Marvel universe, beginning during the first Gwenpool-centered Christmas special. It's a fascinating look at what someone would do if they had no knowledge of the Marvel world, but accidentally got roped in. It's a similar conceit to the main premise of The Unbelievable Gwenpool itself, but with potentially even worse consequences. I'm not sure what Teddy is more upset about, not being recognized by the comic counterparts of his family and friends or seeing Gwen murder a group of criminals.


I also love the official debut of Gwen's new superpowers. She's able to effortlessly pluck objects from within panels, jump from location to location, and view 'scenes' from the comics that don't involve her. Just in one issue, we get a truly intense use of fourth-wall breaking as a power, time travel shenanigans, and a cameo from Benjamin Grimm.

I miss the Fantastic Four.

As we get further and further into "Beyond The Fourth Wall", I'm getting increasingly excited to see just how creative Christopher Hastings and Gurihiru will get. I don't know how this arc will end, but I'm sure it'll be great, especially because we'll see a fully superpowered Gwen vs Doctor Doom once Marvel Legacy arrives. Part of me hopes it's just twenty-two pages of Duck Amuck-style jokes.

The Unbelievable Gwenpool #18 is written by Christopher Hastings, drawn by Gurihiru, and lettered by VC's Clayton Cowles. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Critical Hits & Misses #248






For today's musical hit, we have Sylvan Esso and "Die Young"




Today's critical rolls: Which was your favorite trailer of the big 40 on the list above?


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Critical Hits & Misses #247






For today's musical hit, we have ODESZA and "Line of Sight"




Today's critical rolls: Who is your favorite Doctor Who? And if you're not a fan, are you going to give it a shot now with Jodie Whittaker?


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Less Than Meets The Eye: 'Transformers: The Last Knight' Review




Around each new Transformers movie, I go through a self flagellating ritual where I build up resistance, remind myself how bad the others were, remember god is dead and we're alone and then finally, finally see the f**king thing. All of these movies are bad but they're also monstrously successful, and as Werner Herzog said, we must not avert our eyes. So every time another one of these goddamn movies comes out, there I am, sitting in the theater, hoping that this one will be better.

The plot this time around consists of a semi-post-apocalyptic earth (in that some parts of it seem to be going all Fallout and the rest seems to be fine) where Transformers have been banned (like at the end of 3 AND the beginning of 4...why do I know so much about this franchise, what is wrong with me?). Mark Wahlberg's Cade Yeager is wandering around looking for homeless Transformers to bring back to his junk heap (not a euphemism).

But then he gets an amulet from a dying Transformer which drags him into a big mess for the fate of the planet, involving an order of knights descended from King Arthur's round table, the last descendant of Merlin, and a staff which can do...something? Meanwhile, Optimus Prime is still off in space looking for his creators, which goes really badly when he meets a female robot who has some sort of mind control powers.

Also Megatron is in it, but he's not Galvatron anymore, something which the movie tactfully never addresses.
That The Last Knight is bad shouldn't surprise anyone reading this. Of course it's bad. All of these movies are bad, they are bordering on bad by design. But even I was unprepared for the brazen incoherence of this film. They finally managed to cut down the length of this one to under two and a half hours (barely, 2 hours and 29 minutes, still too long but is at least approaching a human length) but they seemed to have accomplished this by carving the movie to ribbons, slicing out every bit of connective tissue, and the end result is complete gibberish.

Not that the stuff I can understand makes me feel super excited about the plot. To put it simply, the majority of it is raw nonsense and what isn't is just weirdly bad. Whether it's saying that Cade is the last knight because he hasn't gotten laid in a while, or stating that a watch, which is naturally a Transformer, is what really killed Hitler (neither of those are jokes or things I'm inferring, both of those are explicit text), the plot has no interest in being anything I can take remotely seriously, even by Transformers standards.

Not that Bay is willing to help keep things coherent. The restrictions on 3D Cameras have forced Bay to calm down a lot from the incoherent heights of Revenge of the Fallen, but that's not the same thing as saying I can tell what the hell is going on. And that's not just in the action sequences: At one point Bumblebee separates from the group (for...some reason) and after an action beat, he's just standing there with them, and I'll be damned if I know how he got there or what he'd been doing in the meantime.

"Am I in this movie?"
"I dunno dude, I got hung up on John Turturro's character being back for no reason."
And of course the movie continues the franchise's history of theoretically including awesome elements but then never actually utilizing them. This time around, the trailers have been promising that Optimus Prime is going to be evil, but just like the Dinobots in 4, don't believe them. Optimus is evil for approximately one fight and everyone forgets it. I'd almost say that his absence means that some other Transformers might get to share the spotlight, but honestly, it's just Bumblebee.

None of the actors are up to the task of saving this, and none of them are really willing to try. Wahlberg is particularly bad, throwing most of his lines out in a petulant whine, which makes him extremely wearing to watch. Anthony Hopkins still has the soothing tones of...well Anthony Hopkins, but his dialogue is so absurd that even Daniel Day-Lewis couldn't make it sound believable, and he's totally and completely checked out. Isabela Moner is actually really solid, especially for a child actresses, but she's only in like 10 minutes of the movie tops. And then there's Laura Haddock who...certainly is in the movie.

I know the eyes changing color is supposed to signify he's evil, but I choose to believe he's a White Walker.
So it's bad, but you knew that. All the Transformers movies are bad. But what really shocked me about this one is how little effort Bay seems to be putting into it. He's always made his bread and butter borrowing from other movies, but this one contains one of the most blatant ripoffs of another movie I've ever seen (and the movie isn't even a year old). It's clear Bay doesn't care about these movies even as a technical exercise anymore (they seem to exist mostly to fund the projects he does care about). And if Bay doesn't care, why should I? And I don't care, why would you want to read this? I might as well end this review mid-sentence, mid-word ev

Elessar is a 27 year old Alaskan-born, Connecticut-based, cinephile with an obsession with The Room and a god complex. 

Critical Hits & Misses #246





For today's musical hit, we have Andra's "Love Can Save It All"




Today's critical rolls: With all the trailers and news that came out of SDCC this weekend, what are you excited about?


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Critical Hits & Misses #245





For today's musical hit, we remember Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin Park, who committed suicide this week. May you find the peace you did not find in this world, Chester.

Here's "Talking To Myself"



Today's critical rolls: It's Friday! What's on the agenda for the weekend?


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Critical Hits & Misses #244

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For today's musical hit, we have Demi Lovato and "Sorry Not Sorry"



Today's critical rolls: Indie comics! Do you read them? What do you like? What's good that we might not have heard of before?


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Critical Hits & Misses #243






For today's musical hit, we have "Transgender Dystopia Blues" from Against Me!



Today's critical rolls: So uhh, Disney movies have a lot of problems, for sure. When I was a kid I loved Aladdin and thought Jasmine was awesome. As an adult and a feminist, I understand now the massive problems in it. What other kids' media, Disney or otherwise, do you remember loving as a kid but now realize they are problematic?


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Critical Hits & Misses #242





For today's musical hit, we need some Lindsey Stirling goodness in our lives, so here's one of her latest, "It Ain't Me"



Today's critical rolls: Will Smith as the Genie? In one of Robin Williams' most iconic roles? What do you think? Is there someone else you would rather cast in Aladdin?


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Critical Hits & Misses #241

Whittaker becomes the 13th actor to take on the iconic role — and first woman.




For today's musical hit, we have "#1 Must Have" by Sleater-Kinney





Today's critical rolls: Are you excited about the first female Doctor? Are you an existing fan of Doctor Who? If not, does this news make you more likely to watch it now?


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #240



For today's musical hit, we have the old but powerful "Four Women" by Nina Simone



Today's critical rolls: It's Friday! What's on your agenda for the weekend?


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

The Flintstones #12: A Worthy Conclusion


With this issue, Mark Russell and Steve Pugh's landmark run on The Flintstones comes to a close. Over the past installment, they have routinely shown that it is indeed possible to turn a cheesy, pun-filled animated sitcom into a comic with a surprising amount of depth. Many articles have been written on the transformation, and I really have nothing more to say that hasn't already been said. On a personal note, I know what to say in regards to my own feelings.

Back when I first started reviewing The Flintstones, I felt skeptical. If you go back and read my review of the issue, you can see that I had misgivings about the premiere, finding it unnecessarily dark. Some of the other cosmetic changes also didn't gel with my notions of what a Flintstones series should be, such as the war plot and "yabba dabba doo" being changed into an anger management mantra.

After I promoted the review on Twitter, Steve Pugh actually responded, reassuring me of the world-building process. Over one year later, I can definitively say that he was absolutely right. The series manages to combine darker elements with ridiculous satire in a marvelous fashion.



This issue serves as a capstone to the series, embracing everything that we've come to love about the comic and tying up some of the loose ends in the story. From Gerald to the anthropomorphic animal appliances, the subplots are wrapped up in an efficient manner. I do wish that Mark Russell had more issues to flesh out some of the other concepts, Bam-Bam's origin definitely among them, but twelve issues and a crossover special is nothing to sneeze at.

It has been a pleasure to read and review this comic and I hope that Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Chris Chuckry, and Dave Sharpe can continue to produce quality work for years to come. Who knows, maybe the upcoming Snagglepuss comic will bring about a reunion.

The Flintstones #12 is written by Mark Russell, drawn by Steve Pugh, colored by Chris Chuckry, and lettered by Dave Sharpe. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

SNL Scraps: All Twenty-Two Emmy Nominations, For Your Reading Pleasure


There's still a couple of months until Saturday Night Live returns to the airwaves, but we have some new bits of information to tide us over. Firstly, despite the final episode of season forty-two implying that Alec Baldwin wouldn't be sticking around to play Trump, Alec himself revealed that he would be reprising his role in the upcoming season. It makes sense, as the show runs on current events, and they need to get someone to play the role. However, I have a feeling that Alec Baldwin won't be playing the role as often, based on previous statements declaring that he was getting tired of the role.

In more recent news, the nominations for the 2017 Emmy Awards have arrived, and some accolades have been given to NBC's prized sketch comedy show. For the award of "Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series", Alec Baldwin has been nominated for his portrayal of Donald Trump. I find it funny that he's nominated in that category, seeing as he's not actually a cast member in the show. Still, he's certainly made enough guest appearances in the season to count. Meanwhile, Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer, and Leslie Jones are all candidates for the "Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series" award.

Kate McKinnon has been playing almost every politician on the show recently, including a remarkable Kellyanne Conway impersonation, while Leslie's Weekend Update performances and prerecorded sketches have been increasingly well-received. Vanessa Bayer is no longer a member of the show, having left after the most recent season finale, but it would be a great way to cap off her last episode by winning an Emmy.

Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Tom Hanks, Dave Chappelle, and Lin Manuel-Miranda have also been nominated for the respective categories of "Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series" and "Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy." I definitely approve of this, seeing as those episodes were some of the best of the season. By the power of 'Sean Spicer' and David S. Pumpkins, let any of them win! The show itself has also been nominated for the category of "Outstanding Variety Sketch Series."

Emily Blunt's episode of the show has been nominated for the "Outstanding Costumes For Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Programming " Award. The designers up for it are Tom Broecker and Eric Justian. Don Roy King has been nominated for "Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series " for Jimmy Fallon's episode of the show. That same episode has been nominated in the category of Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Series. For "Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming", SNL's skit about Kellyanne Conway has been nominated. I don't know specifically which one, but I would suspect that it's the Fatal Attraction parody.



Next, the Dwayne Johnson-hosted season finale has been nominated for the "Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special" award. The specific crew members are Jodi Mancuso, Jennifer Serio, Inga Thrasher, Joe Whitmeyer, Cara Hannah Sullivan, and Christen Edwards. For a non-sketch award, the official app has been nominated in the category of Outstanding Interactive Program.

Additionally, the Alec Baldwin episode has been nominated for Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic) and the category of Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or Special, in a Schrodinger's Cat situation. In a rather unexpected move, Chance the Rapper actually got nominated for "Jingle Barack", a song that he wrote with Kenan Thompson and Will Stephen last year. His category is the "Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics Award." It appeared in the Casey Affleck-hosted episode.


Next, I've been mentioning the Creating Saturday Night Live shorts on the official YouTube channel. It turns out that the web series has been nominated for the Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction Or Reality Series award. For Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Comedy Series Or Variety Program, Brian Smyj has been nominated.


Finally, the show has been nominated for the Jimmy Fallon episode in terms of "Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Series" and all of the writers as a whole have been nominated for "Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series." Best wishes to them all!

Wow, that was a long list. SNL has tied Westworld with twenty-two nominations, bringing the official total for the long-running sketch show to 231 nominations over approximately forty-two years.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Critical Hits & Misses #239







For today's musical hit, we have Dolly Parton and "Just Because I'm A Woman"



Today's critical rolls: Who are some of your favorite villains in comic books and why?



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Josie And The Pussycats #8 Review: Guest-Starring The Archies!


The newest issue of Josie And The Pussycats shows just how the creative team has gloriously reinvented the characters. The original series had a very similar style to the main Archie comics, to put it charitably. Even before the band was integrated in 1969, the series generally featured the same 'wacky teens' stories, right down to the love triangle. Even when the band officially began, it also stuck with the love triangle and slowly phased out some of the weirder aspects. For example, Alexandra had magical powers.

If you don't count the temporary manga-influenced run in the back of Archie & Friends, then the "New Riverdale" imprint acts as the first drastically different interpretation of the characters. The foundation still exists, but the creative team puts a new spin on the characters and plots. Cameron and Marguerite have taken various aspects of the franchise from the original comics, the 2001 film, and even the various animated series and distilled them into a series that feels both familiar and brand new. It's the DC Rebirth of the "New Riverdale" universe in that way.

Just like the series itself, the title characters also have a more mature feel to them. They're no longer in the same vague high school age as the Archie crew, instead being somewhere in or post-college. I like seeing the Pussycats act as mentors to them. It allows the reader to see how they mesh as characters, both in terms of similarities and differences.


In fact, my only real issue with the comic would be the revelation that it's the penultimate installment of the comic. To be fair, I knew that it hadn't been seen in the solicitations, but the Archie Comics, Inc. series have gone on hiatus before. Maybe I should have been clued in based on the solicitation's mention of a finale, but the wording was just ambiguous enough to make me believe that it was an ending for the current arc.

Josie And The Pussycats #8 is written by Cameron DeOrdio and Marguerite Bennett, drawn by Audrey Mok and Kelsey Shannon, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick and Matt Herms, and lettered by Jack Morelli. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Critical Hits & Misses #238







For today's musical hit, we have No Doubt and "Just A Girl"



Today's critical rolls: Are you into fancy or ethnic food at all, or do you prefer simple and familiar? Are you willing to try out new foods?


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Critical Hits & Misses #237

This is my "WTF, I'm disappointed in you" face


For today's musical hit, we have XRay Spex and "Oh Bondage! Up Yours!"




Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #236





For today's musical hit, we have Bikini Kill and "Rebel Girl"



Today's critical rolls: Did you see Spider-man: Homecoming this weekend? What did you think? If not, are you planning on seeing it, or just waiting for another Marvel film?


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #235

Photo credit: College Humor's "Which is Nerdier" video





For today's musical hit, we have The Julie Ruin and "I'm Done."



Today's critical rolls: Star Trek or Star Wars? Marvel or DC? Hunger Games or Divergent? What do you think of competing fandoms, and have you ever encountered a rabid fan (or maybe you are one yourself!) and had to deal with it (online or in person). Let us know!


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #234



For today's musical hit, we have MIA and "Boom (Skit)"



Today's critical rolls: If you're on the internet, you've run into trolls. Have you ever shut down a troll before and have a good story to tell about it?


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #233


Happy Belated Birthday, America! And Happy Belated Canada Day to our friends in the north!

We took yesterday off since it was a holiday in the US, but we're back!




For today's musical hit, we have Santigold and "Girls"



Today's critical rolls: What other feminist kids films do you enjoy? Let us know!


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #232


The King of Rock & Roll... but also the King of Cultural Appropriation?

For today's musical hit, we have Lorde and "Liability"




Today's critical rolls: Have any of your heroes or cultural icons or feminist icons ever disappointed you, by going astray? Or maybe you used to look up to an actor or someone else, only to find out later that their politics or social stances are disappointing? Let us know!


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.