Writings
Here we have collected a number of writings over the years, some submitted to professional websites, now restored and gathered in one place for your convenience. All articles are collabs unless otherwise noted.
17+ She-Ra characters who should be in Netflix' second season
By Doug Rusley
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, the Netflix original series from Dreamworks that reboots the classic 80s cartoon, made a respectable splash when it debuted on the streaming service last December. Created by Noelle Stevenson, the show pulled off some impressive challenges…
How the MCU Challenged the Threequel Curse
By Kevin Rusley
When Nick Fury first stepped out of the shadows to greet Tony Stark in the after-credits stinger of Iron Man ten years ago, it not only signaled the dawn of a new era of blockbusters, but the next logical step in offering up a faithful adaptation of many long running comic-book properties…
Doctor Who 2018 Binge Guide
By Kevin Rusley
All right, so you’ve been avoiding “DOCTOR WHO” or just haven’t had the chance to give it the old college try. I understand. Even though I was very much aware of its return to TV screens back in 2005, I wasn’t properly caught up until after series 7 had aired...
Mini-Review: Red Riding Hood (1st Trailer)
By Douglas Rusley
Originally published to Examiner.com on December 24, 2011
We’ve all heard the saying “life imitates art” or “art imitates life” when our real lives start to resemble movies or vice versa. But what’s really weird is when the thing being imitated is parody...
Mini-Review: Battleship (1st Trailer)
By Douglas Rusley
Originally published to Examiner.com on December 13, 2011
I suppose Jerry Bruckheimer is to blame for this noise. Before Pirates of the Caribbean, nobody thought a theme park right could make a viable...
Mini-Review: The Lone Ranger (2nd Trailer)
By Douglas Rusley
Originally published to Examiner.com, December 14 2012
Will Smith was riding a wave of success in the mid-90’s. Then he teamed with a director he’d worked with before to make a big, expensive summer blockbuster...
Superhero Trilogies: The Threequel Curse
By Kevin Rusley
Originally posted to Examiner.com, 19 July 2012
The final chapter of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters this week, but first, let’s take a look back at some other superhero threequels that couldn’t quite stick the landing...
EDITORIAL: 7 things that a Batman TV series could do better than the movies
By Kevin Rusley
Originally posted to Examiner.com, January 6, 2013
We've seen what Batman can do on the big screen. Here are seven reasons why I want to see what he can do on a smaller one.
EDITORIAL: Why a Batman live-action TV show is a good idea
By Kevin Rusley
Originally posted to Examiner.com, November 29, 2010
There was a bit of a stir with last week’s completely unconfirmed and probably false rumor about a possible Batman television series after the completion of Christopher Nolan’s film trilogy, which will conclude with the release of The Dark Knight Rises in July 2012...
Hulk (2003) Review
Originally posted to Justice Bulletin, June 2012
Throughout the 80s and 90s, it wasn’t unusual to see comic book superhero movies and TV shows that deviated wildly from the source material or got dumbed down for a wider audience. Things started to turn around with the boon of the X-Men and Spider-Man movies. This is one of the reasons why Ang Lee’s Hulk is such a peculiar oddity. Rather than the usual hack director or apathetic studio messing with the material, it was an artist doing the same thing for decidedly artistic reasons...
Blade (1998) review
Originally posted to Justice Bulletin, August 2012
There was next to zero expectation for Blade upon its original release. The standard for comic book superhero films during that period was resting comfortably between mildly amusing and unwatchable. Blade even followed the same pattern as many of the crappy superhero movies of its era. It used a little-known C-list hero, it didn’t follow the comics, it employed a first-time director on the cheap...
Blade II (2002) review
Originally posted to Justice Bulletin, August 2012
Blade II, hitting theaters a full 4 years after the first film, had the difficult task of recapturing the seeming lightning-in-a-bottle success of the original Blade, which lit up the box office in the late-90s and had the distinction of being the first successful big budget film starring a Marvel Comics hero. The result, helmed by acclaimed horror director Guillermo del Toro, is as worthy a sequel as we could hope for...
Blade Trinity (2004) Review
Originally posted to Justice Bulletin, August 2012
The first two Blade films are incredibly sure of themselves. They reek of coolness in a way that’s almost effortless. They had stunning action scenes backed by tight narratives and cool concepts. It’s especially disappointing that the third and final entry Blade Trinity is such a slog to get through. Its plot is dull and meandering, the characters are obnoxious or just plain flat, and the villains are flimsy and stale...