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Reviews
Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
Nobody's Laughing
Batman: The Killing Joke is a animated movie adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name. The comic that provided the source material for this animated film is very popular and recognized for its underlying brilliance and innovation. I'll start off this review by saying that this movie does not do the graphic novel justice by any means. The movie starts off with a thirty minute prologue detailing the events (involving Batman and Batgirl) that take place before the main story. This half hour piece of garbage is most of what's wrong with the film. It involves Batman acting out of character to the point where he's not even Batman anymore, just a strange man underneath a familiar costume. Also included in this prologue is a forgettable subplot that fails to give the movie the extra substance it needed, and Batgirl complaining about her life. The rest of the movie is nothing special, don't get me wrong. It's pretty much an exact duplicate of the comic (I won't spoil anything, for those who haven't read it yet). If the film had just included the main story segment, I probably would have given it five stars. And I really wish I could. Because, even though I think The Killing Joke is a bit overrated in the world of comics, I still really enjoy it. It would have been fun to see the main story on the big screen, even if it is exactly the same as the comic book. It's not necessarily even a bad thing to take popular source material and give if a twist or add something new, but here, in this movie, it just plain doesn't work. The prologue is only there to give the movie some originality. That is what I can't accept. Adding more to a beloved story for no reason. The animator also has a weird affinity for Batgirl, showing her in a lot of revealing and sexual poses. It just feels really odd to watch an action sequence and then cut to Batgirl's ass while she's jogging in leggings. Maybe that's just me. I would not recommend this movie, or any of the animated Batman movies. If you're in the mood to watch the caped crusader, go watch The Dark Knight.
Dead of Summer (2016)
The Worst Show I Have Ever Seen
"Dead of Summer" is a supernatural horror show about a group of teens who are all counselors at a summer camp. My first impression of the show was that it was trying to feed off of the success of the recent MTV hit, "Scream". After actually watching the show, I wasn't quite sure what to think. I maintain the idea that the show-runners and writers wanted the same success as "Scream", but what I did not understand was how they could think that this show was a passable substitute. "Dead of Summer" may honestly be the worst show I have ever seen, due to the terrible writing, acting, pacing, and atmosphere. The actors all seemed bored and distant, which is very harmful to a horror show that is supposed to scare you and keep you intrigued. The writing was abysmal, it was as if this was the first script ever written by the writers, and it should be the last. For all I know, maybe this was the writers' first script, that would actually make a lot of sense. Other than the script, the pacing of the show was very weird and hard to keep up with. The show would jump from one scene to the next, with no explanation or time to develop a creepy atmosphere. It felt like the show was more concerned with just progressing to the next plot point then taking the time to actually be scary or entertaining. Not that it really could be though, with such a horrible and laughably bad story (which involved the stupidest death of a character that I have ever seen). This show really does not even deserve a chance. If you're in the mood to watch some teen horror-hijinks, than I heavily recommend Scream, which is a fantastic example of what a show like this should look like. Just please, don't waste your time with this garbage.