The world is going through a lot right now on many levels. Currently there are protests happening around the world inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the USA. I hope for an end to the injustice suffered by my black brothers and sisters around the world. I hope we are the last generation to deal with this issue & use this moment to provide a better and equal future to the black community around the globe.
For the past few months I had planned a return to entertainment reviews and despite what is going on politically and economically, especially in light of COVID, I still want to post this & future reviews.
Considering what has been going on this year, I feel that Musty Reviews is something I want to pursue. I love talking about Movies & TV and sharing that passion with everyone who’s willing to listen. I feel guilty about posting this but if I don’t do it now, then when will I? If the past few months have taught us anything, it is that life is short and we should do what we love when we are able to.
Originally I wanted to use this moment to talk about creator burnout and how it’s effected me & how I plan on combating anxiety of social media by focusing on what’s fun and leaving the algorithms aside but the BLM movement is more important & the deathrate for COVID is frightening to say the least.
To keep things brief, I’ve decided to publish weekly notes about what I watched the previous week and my views on the topic. Short & simple and a lot less pressure to be analytical. The goal is to have some fun while discussing the things I love.
The Airborne Toxic Event
Live From East West Studio One
I started this week by tuning into the live show of The Airborne Toxic Event to celebrate the launch of their new record. The social distancing gig was broadcast live to thousands around the world. Fans were introduced to the newest member of the band, Miri M, who was fantastic, she hardly skipped a beat (except for when her mic stopped working during her first solo). For those who have been to an Airborne gig, it was business as usual, and for those who haven’t had the privilege, shows are full of energy & emotion that have you screaming & jumping to feelings you always knew you had but never knew how to express. Check out the live show here:
Hollywood Park
I took my time to get around to the latest album, I wanted to be fresh and mentally prepared for it. Off the bat, “Hollywood Park”, “Come On Out” & “The Common Touch” are great highlights. Overall it’s a slower record than expected but it’s coming from a deep place. I’ll give it a few spins in the coming days and weeks but on the whole, much like Agents of Shield, it’s nice that there is fresh new content to consume.
I have a very deep connection with The Airborne Toxic Event, they’re my favourite band. They’ve been with me from the very start of my adult life, I was 17 or 18 when I first heard them and their music not only spoke to me, it inspired me. The moment I heard Wishing Well on their self titled record, my life changed. And as I grew as a person, their music grew with me – being the soundtrack to my life and helping me get through the many highs and lows our generation face. The band has gone through changes themselves, members have come and gone and the core sound of the band has grown too. But one thing remains the same, no matter what, their music has always fit the quote “poetry you can dance to” and I look forward to dancing to this for a long time.
Agents of Shield
Greatest Hits
To prepare myself for the final season of Agents of Shield, I thought I’d re watch some of my favourite episodes, mostly season 4, but I started with season 3 episode 5, probably the best episode of Agents of Shield ever and it really set a precedent of how far this show can really go.
Agents of Shield is the first MCU TV show, tying into the movies and laying groundwork for Daredevil & The Defenders, Runaways & Cloak & Dagger. The show follows Agent Phil Coulson after the events of his death in the Avengers. Coulson assembles his own team to investigate storage objects that are appearing around the world.
For those who didn’t get into the show or lost patience with it, the first half of season 1 is pretty formulaic CSI “freak of the week” type show, until Captain America the Winter Soldier takes place and then everything moves up a gear. Season 2 follows the team squashing the remaining heads of hydra while negotiating terms with a superpower community known as Inhumans. If you can get through those 2 seasons then you’re in for a treat as season 3, 4 & 5 are probably the best and most consistent seasons of any show ever. Season 4 being my favourite season of any show ever, dethroning season 2 of Lost.
Season 3, 4 & 5 really hit the top gears, going full throttle around a race track that would have F1 drivers sweating. The seasons have the team dealing with Inhumans, Ghosts, Robots, virtual reality, aliens and much much more, I highly recommend it!
Beyond season 3 episode 6, I also watched S03 E12 The Inside Man which is a thrilling episode to say the least.
Continuing my Agents of Shield binge on Tuesday, I start season 4 with the Ghost Rider & Daisy’s awesome goth look. I love The Patriots story arc, especially the visuals. A certain character gets an excellent and well deserved redemption and I honestly have to pause and give a round of applause to not just the writing but the acting too. They were by far the lamest character of the first half of season 1 until things changed and they’ve been on one hell of a wild ride. For their character to go out the way they did was great, but this mini redemption was a surprise encore that nobody expected.
I can talk about season 4 for hours but honestly what made it so great was Gabriel Luna’s take on The Spirit of Vengeance. This version of Ghost Rider follows Robby Rayes as he gets revenge on the gang who put his brother in a wheelchair and eventually crossing paths with Quake & The Agents of Shield. There was meant to be a spin off show for him but was then cancelled since Disney+ announced a range of MCU TV shows. I really hope they can bring him over as I’m sure there is loads more to still be explored.
"Agents of Shield is available to watch on Disney+"
On Wednesday I continued the 2nd half of season 4 and a couple of episodes of season 5, notably S05 E05 Rewind. I really can’t wait for the final season of Agents of Shield. Where the other more glamorous shows like Daredevil & Jessica Jones have been cancelled, Shield was actually renewed for another 2 seasons. It was meant to end at season 5 and I can see why, season 6 felt a bit weak but it was still pretty good, I’m hoping they were holding back so they could really go nuts with season 7.
Agents of Shield Season 7 Episode 1
It’s good to be back! Meeting old friends & facing new challenges. This week the Agents set the scene and explain the boundaries in which they can operate in. I really like how they (verbally) beat up sexism & racism. Bring on next week’s action packed adventure!
Patrick (H) Willems
LITTLE WOMEN - How Greta Gerwig Revolutionized a Literary Classic
If you’ve not seen any of Willems videos, I highly recommend you do, they’re really insightful and super fun to watch. While discussing his thoughts on Little Women, Willems makes a great point, there are thousands of videos on the MCU & Star Wars, very male saturated niches, and not enough on female focused movies, so as a result, I felt that I’d partake in broadening the kind of movies I watch and including a female focused entertainment every other week or so. My idea isn’t to mansplain my way through a “chick flick” but to get an understanding of what is deemed good or bad storytelling when it comes to female characters.
One aspect of Little Women that inspired this was where the male publisher said the only way her book could be published is if the female protagonist gets married or dies – I know for a fact that studios muscle in on the creative process of a movie and change things because they feel it won’t work (Ayer cut of suicide squad, directors cut of blade runner etc) – so no doubt female protrayal on screen has had to deal with this too. I’ve always been vocal against unnecessary nudity & romance in movies & TV (star trek into darkness mainly) – so it makes sense for me to explore an entire genre of film set out to empower women & broadcast that to those who would otherwise overlook it.
Musty Reviews was meant to be a place to discover movies you probably haven’t seen, it makes sense that I watch a few films that I wouldn’t normally look twice at. And if you’re not interested in seeing something like that, you’re more than welcome to skip to the next section, I can’t force you to read. But if you are interested in my take & understanding of female focused films & you want to support me, then please add your film, TV & music recommendations in the comments.
Recap
Monday
– Agents of Shield S03
– Airborne Toxic Event : Live From East West Studio One
Tuesday
– Agents of Shield S04
Wednesday
– Agents of Shield S05
Thursday
– Agents of Shield S07E01
– The Airborne Toxic Event – Hollywood Park
Friday
– Patrick (H) Willems – LITTLE WOMEN – How Greta Gerwig Revolutionized a Literary Classic