James Philbrick

WARNING: Major spoilers for Arrow , The Flash , Legends of Tomorrow , and Supergirl . There is no denying that CW’s Arrowverse is pretty amazing. What started off with Arrow soon spawned The Flash , then Legends of Tomorrow . After Legends of Tomorrow came crossovers with Supergirl , Constantine , and even an animated series, Vixen . This universe has had many successful moments, including the introduction of the Flash, the Invasion crossover, Deathstroke, Flash vs. Arrow, and much, much more. However, this does not mean the universe is perfect. Other than Arrow season 4, there is one problem that sticks out to me whenever I think of the Arrowverse: there are absolutely no consequences. Comic books have a habit of bringing dead characters back to life. With so many different creators, series, crossovers, and more, it is not hard not to see why characters return from the dead. After so many different versions and years of comics, it is understandable that characters get...

  These past few episodes have proven how far Agents of SHIELD has come over the past 4 seasons. The Framework has given us wonderful insights on the characters and certainly leaves the audience with much to think about. Agents of SHIELD is currently at the top of its game and we are seeing characters and plots from the entire season finally paying off. This episode starts off with Coulson and Mace, aka the Patriot, staging a car crash so they can get a Hydra bus to pull over. They hoped to find Skye and another mysterious prisoner, but they were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Mace and Ward don’t trust Simmons because they think she is hiding something. Simmons decides to tell Ward and Mace the truth and they don’t take it well. Mace refuses to believe people died for nothing and Ward refuses to believe he isn’t real. Inside the Framework, Elizabeth Henstridge as Simmons has shined. I love her portrayal of Simmons while she is inside the character and she brings a certa...

In 1980, Robert Redford released his dramatic coming of age film that was nominated for 6 Academy Awards and won four, including best picture and best director. Ordinary People is about a family dealing with the death of their son/brother. The film offers many perspectives on mental illnesses and how people deal with them and at the same time explores how our culture views mental illness. The film revolves around Conrad, who is the son of Beth and Calvin. Conrad’s brother died in a boating accident. Conrad, blaming himself, tries to commit suicide and is put in the hospital. Upon his release, his father encourages him to see a doctor and eventually Conrad is on the road to overcome his depression. At the same time, Beth and Calvin have to deal with the death of their first-born son and they both do it different ways. Calvin realizes he has a problem and takes care of it himself while Beth refuses to believe she needs help.  The theme of Ordinary People is mental illness is ...

               In 2004, Clint Eastwood released his dramatic sports film that was nominated for 7 Oscars and won 4 including best picture. Million Dollar Baby is about a woman who must overcome many obstacles to achieve her goals, despite when everyone is telling her that she can’t. Million Dollar Baby tells the inspirational story of Maggie Fitzgerald, a hard working, dedicated, and inspired rookie boxer who will do whatever it takes to be the best. Maggie wants to be a boxer even though she is in her 30’s, which is an unusual age for beginner boxers. The theme is of Million Dollar Baby is that life is unfair, but you have to keep working hard anyway to achieve your goals.  Million Dollar Baby is my favorite film because it has a complex, but understandable plot and has complex characters. It is important to have a complex plot because a simple conflict can often become a bore in a drama film. If the conflict is complex then the audien...

Daisy struggles to adapt to the Framework. Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD has tackled a lot of famous Marvel storylines and this week the show tried something very bold. Marvel Comic's “What If?” series takes famous stories and characters and asks the question of “What if instead of this happening, this happens?”. Marvel has tackled famous questions like, “What if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four?” or “What if Captain America hadn’t vanished during World War 2?”. Now, Agents of SHIELD asks, “What if the world was taken over by Hydra?” The answer results in a thrilling episode and a fresh take on some of our favorite characters. In the previous episode, Daisy and Simmons enter the Framework, a computer programmed world, with a job to find their friends and meet at the extraction point to escape the virtual reality. We learned Daisy is in a relationship with Ward, Coulson is a high school teacher, Mack is enjoying a quiet life and has a child, Fitz is successful and in a r...

Ellar Coltrane throughout the 12 years of filming. Déjà vu is a strong sensation of feeling as if you have already lived in certain events but are experiencing them again. Déjà vu can be strange and confusing, but it also can be joyful like the 2014 drama film Boyhood. Boyhood was nominated for a total of 6 Oscars and was directed by Richard Linklater. Boyhood stars Ellar Coltrane as Mason, a boy who lives with his mom (Patricia Arquette) and his older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater). The story is told through Mason’s eyes as he grows up and faces the similar challenges we all had to face growing up. Whether it is the struggle of moving to a new home, coping with divorce, or dealing with his annoying sister, Boyhood has something everyone can relate to. The most amazing thing about Boyhood is its scale. Filmed over the course of 12 years, you get to literally see the cast grow before your eyes. You are reminded of your childhood as you watch the cast go through so ma...

Rick gets ready to kick some ass. Rick and Morty are back and Adult Swim played us all like fools with the best April Fools’ joke ever: the premiere of season 3! I can’t tell you how many people I know who missed the episode because they thought it was a joke. Hell, I almost missed the episode because I thought it was a joke! This episode starts out with aliens trying to get the portal gun information out of Rick. However, Rick outsmarts them and uploads a virus that allows him to transfer his brain into a different body. Meanwhile, Summer tries to convince Morty they need to rescue Rick from prison. She digs up the dead Rick in the backyard (from season 1 episode 6), but an intergalactic robot attacks Morty and Summer. In an attempt to escape, Morty takes Summer to his old home, which is now ruined due to Rick’s love potion. In this alternate reality Summer meets Morty’s real family who is the lone survivors of a planet taken over by Cronenburgs. The Councils of Ricks pic...