Top Sci-Fi/Geek Moments of 2020!

This may have been an awful year, which also caused a bit of delay in me actually posting this, but thankfully, we have our fandoms to find ways to bring us joy in such dark times. Normally I would do a little bit of a spiel beforehand, but I don't think one needs to be made at this time. What we need to do is bring shed some light of some of the best moments that were shared across TV, film, and streaming services to celebrate the moments that made us cheer, marvel, smile, and overall, knock our socks off.

As always, there is a spoiler alert in affect. Enjoy the list!

Sonic the Hedgehog - the villain dance

These types of scenes most certainly aren't new, but they also aren't always pulled off flawlessly. Before we get into this moment, let's applaud the filmmakers for listening to the fans and redesigning Sonic from that atrocious first design, and also giving us a good movie based on a video game. And let's also thank them for casting Jim Carrey, who has been too long away from our movie screens. The brilliant Carrey was the only possible actor for the role of Doctor Robotnik, bringing silliness, evil, and over grace to the role. As he runs a test on one of Sonic's energy-charged hairs, he kills time by dancing and lip-synching to the PINGAS song, "Evil Grows Inside of Me." Welcome back, Jim. We've missed you!

Star Trek: Lower Decks - a perfect blend of spoof and homage

What a show! The first episode may have frustrated many long-time fans with its zombie approach (I loved it, but there's always those anal fans), but it explored areas of the Trek universe that were long overdue, especially in the following of characters that aren't on the senior staff, and what happens after first contact is made. The best episode came when the clique of the Cerritos decided to kill time by hijacking Boimler's program interacting with the senior staff to prepare for his interview. Mariner tries to spice things up by turning his program into a movie, something that the holodeck has never been utilized for before now. Eventually Boimler finds himself being escorted to the Cerritos, which in regards to Starfleet models, is the equivalent of a station wagon. However, as the holodeck movie plays out, the Cerritos is shone in the most flattering light possible. It is replicated almost scene for scene from Star Trek: The Motion Picture when the same thing was done to the USS Enterprise, but this time with the J.J. Abrams lens flares! It pays homage to that beautifully shot yet nerd-porn moment filmed, and also spoofs the scene by doing the same to such a crummy ship like the Cerritos. Now that's the way to satisfy the die-hard fans and make them laugh at the same time!

Birds of Prey - a single brilliant character choice

There may have been a lot of problems with the film, especially with the fact that there were practically no good aligned male characters, but one thing that cannot be denied is how amazing Margot Robbie is in this role. She was perfectly cast and one of the few shining moments in the previous Suicide Squad film. However, in one particular scene, and an extremely brief moment, she positively nails the character of Harley Quinn in a way that emulated just about every iteration of her throughout animation and the multiple DC Universes. When she has her police station scene and she's firing at the officers with her beanbag gun, she gleefully proclaims, "run piggy, run!" Throughout the onslaught of superhero movies we've seen over the last decade, this is one of the few moments when an actor positively nailed that character in every perfect sense of the word.

Bill and Ted Face the Music - the Hendix/Mozart Duet

This long awaited sequel was certainly a lot of fun, and it was interesting to see Keanu Reeves back in the role of a slacker after so many years of playing serious action roles (and finally pulling off a more convincing British accent, though it still wasn't great). Although it was wonderful to see the lovable valley boys and Death again, it wasn't these three who had the best moment in the film, it was the impromptu duet when Jimi Hendrix is brought to Austria to meet Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by the titular characters' daughters, who are trying to save their dads by bringing some of the greatest musical talents in history together to help with their song. Right away, Jimi hears Mozart playing his sonata no 16 C major K 545 inside a venue and knows he follow along. In a goosebump inducing moment, Jimi waits for the right moment to join in, which confuses Mozart since electric guitars haven't been invented yet, but he keeps playing. Then, as he continues, Jimi follows along perfectly, blending a classical European symphony with psychedelic classic rock. Mozart passionately finishes his piece, then bursts out of the venue while spouting in German, wanting to know what happened. Jimi just says, "hey Wolfie," and extends his hand. Music historians and geeks went nuts with how beautifully this scene went down.

World of Warcraft - Uther's final say

Longtime fans of this gaming franchise know that some of the greatest moments of treachery and betrayal came at the hands of Arthas, who eventually became the Lich King. Among that long list, Arthas killed his mentor, Uther, when trying to prevent him from desecrating the remains of the father that he brutally murdered. In this short cinematic prior to the release of the newest expansion, Shadowlands, Uther's soul, having been ferried to the afterlife area of Bastion, is having difficult adapting because the paragons of Bastion don't believe him when he tells them that the evil they believe is locked away is loose within the universe. When he finally enlists Devos in his thirst for justice, they await for Arthas's death and claim his soul. Uther, with Arthas's body in hand, dispatches his soul back to the source of evil, the Maw, bringing his quest for justice to an end. The voice acting is superb, and Uther's soul finally achieving the peace he'd been seeking is immensely satisfying as you watch Arthas's body slowly drop into that twisting nether.

Legends of Tomorrow - a bromantic parting

Nate and Ray developed a bromance over the last few seasons, but now that Ray and Nora have gotten married, Ray keeps the promise he made to Nora's father, Damien, that he won't time travel anymore. After a bachelor party goes awry in a bar where Shakespeare happens to be penning Romeo and Juliet, he develops a version full of superheroes and action that needs to be set right. While the crew of the Wave Rider is performing the right version in the Globe, Nate, who had been cast as Juliet, runs back to the ship to catch Ray before he and Nora return to the present. Intercut between the infamous balcony scene where Constantine and Zari play the titular characters, Nate pulls off some swashbuckling action while he strips off his costume to catch Ray before he leaves. He makes it just in time, and the two declare their guy love for one another in a rare scene of what could only be described as pure friendship between two guys. It's adorable, and the parallel scene of Romeo and Juliet declaring their love makes the scene even better.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Fitz finally shows up...and is Ant Man

If you haven't seen the series finale of this show, you read that right. Fitz had been MIA throughout the entire season thus far (due to Iain de Caestecker filming Roadkill most likely), but was still the most important character now that he had been returned to Earth. The baddies of the season, the Chronicons, have a time device that allows them to get the leg up on the agents as they try to prevent them from changing history and taking over the world. They say multiple times that the key to succeeding is by finding Fitz, and Simmons has implanted herself with technology that removes any memories of him to protect him from them. After a crazy season full of twists and turns, multiple clever callbacks to previous episodes and the MCU, and even utilizing James Paxton to play the younger version of his late father's role, the team finally recovers Fitz. With the help of Enoch, the parts required to assemble the device to retrieve Fitz are brought together by other Shield agents, and Simmons has the mental faculties to put together. When she realizes that the final piece is her wedding ring, the device activates, and Fitz finally appears. Though not quite the same outfit, it turns out he had used the same technology Hank Pym used for the Ant Man suit to transport to this alternate timeline via the Quantum Realm. Not only is this a triumphant return, but the means of his return is absolutely perfect for this MCU-related show.

Red Dwarf: The Promised Land - the laser pointer wins

In this technical 13th season, though this one being one of two that were released as TV movies instead of full seasons, viewers finally got the chance to find out what happened what happened to the rest of the cat race that Cat was part of when he was left behind on the titular ship at the beginning of the series. After a series of mishaps that only the Boys from the Dwarf could encounter, and Lister trying to shake off being a god again, the cats worshipping Rodon, the baddie of this special, start to turn on him. And then one of the cats shines a laser pointer on Rodon. Suddenly enraged and feral, Rodon falls when he can't convince his crazed followers to not try to attack the red dot. It is fun to see how not matter how human this cat race can be, at their hearts they're still the loveable fluff balls so easily entertained by those lasers! Unfortunately, this clip is not available, but here's a fan made trailer to enjoy!

Star Trek: Picard - Picard says goodbye

This new Trek spinoff may have had its highs and lows amongst its all-over-the-place and sometimes nonsensical storyline, but fans of the original series and the reboots can agree that this scene was incredible. Since the end of Star Trek: Nemesis, Picard has apparently been mourning the loss of Data, the android who gave his life to save his at the last moment. Having since retired from Starfleet, Picard sets of on a mission to protect Data's supposed android daughter, Soji. The events of the series bring it to a finale in which Picard, dying from an incurable disease that's now taking its toll, finally is allowed a chance to bid his friend goodbye. Lost in unconsciousness, Picard envisions himself sitting with Data, and they have the parting words that Picard didn't have the time say. It's a beautifully acted scene that satisfied fans of all generations, and gave Picard the release he needed to accept the gift of life with no more regrets.

The Flash - Barry gets mirrored 

The Flash's season ended early and before the finale could be filmed due to Covid, so there were fewer episodes to go through. Iris made a dumb move (as she's been prone to do more lately) of breaking into a lab and being sucked into a mirror reality, replaced with a duplicate controlled by Eva McCulloch. Eva is trying to break Iris and forces her duplicate to kill Barry. If there's anything we've learned from movies like Die Hard, you never want to make contact with broken glass. Well, duplicate Iris has power over mirrors, and with several strategically set up throughout the West-Allen household, she stabs Barry multiple times when he gets near one mirror and she stabs her knife hands through one she's near. Then Eva shatters a mirror on the ceiling, and as the shards fall around Barry, duplicate Iris starts stabbing him through the friggin' pieces that are already shredding him! Brutal, badass, and cringe-worthy painful, you really feel it for Barry in this scene, especially with his speed being sapped and him unable to heal as quickly as usual.

The Mandalorian - Boba Fett earns his rep

It was a tough choice for this one, but I went with this one due to the age-old argument that's been around since Return of the Jedi: is Boba Fett overrated? Even the film Fanboys discussed this topic, when two of the characters are arguing this point, with one of the guys stating: "everyone thinks he's so cool because he had a rocket pack. Well, so did the Rocketeer!" Thanks to Jon Favreau, this argument is finally put to rest. First, Boba takes down Mando and demands to be returned his armor, which Mando recovered in the season premiere. When Stormtroopers swarm the area, he takes out the blaster-armed troops with a staff, then takes the incentive and just takes his armor. The next we see him, he is wearing the well-worn (and a bit small) armor and armed with a blaster of his own, then starts shooting missiles from his gauntlets, knee pads, and even his own jet pack! As he manages to take down two fleeing ships at once, he turns and looks back into the camera, and though actor Temuera Morrison's face is hidden by his mask, his body language and movement is enough to finally win the squabble once and for all: the Fett is NOT overrated.

New Mutants - can't really blame Berto's statement...

I'm wasn't entirely sold on this film. It was fine, but ultimately it didn't really seem to have any relevance except in the brief mentioning of Essex and introducing Magik, whose human name is Ilyana. In any case though, there was a moment I thought worthy of my list. When Dani's fear of bears manifests itself, Ilyana uses her mutant powers to battle the beast, along with her now living stuffed dragon, Lockheed. As she and Lockheed take on this magical bear, Berto watches through the window and declares, "I'm gonna marry that girl." With all the badassery Ilyana embodied in this scene, I'm not going to argue with his reasoning.

Crisis on Infinite Earths - TV Flash meets DCEU Flash

This crossover miniseries began strong but ended on the weaker side, though it had an interesting development in which the DC universe was consolidated to one earth. Before this happens, Barry Allen enters the speed force to find a way to bring the universe back to a balance so that they can restore all life. The previous three episodes had a plethora of former DC character actor cameos, but shockingly, another showed up that literally NOBODY predicted. Ezra Miller, currently cast as the DCEU version of the Flash, makes a quick appearance in the speed force! His version of the character is freaking out more because he's unaware of the multiverse, but the CW Barry tries to calm him down without telling him too much that would overwhelm him. Then there's the moment when they both realize they're different versions of each other and compare how impressive the other's suit is. It was a massive surprise to see Ezra show up, and it's given fans hope that the upcoming Flashpoint movie will feature a cameo from Grant Gustin. Fans and waiting with baited breath to see if this moment crosses over into the DCEU!

Onward - the spell works just in time

Disney/Pixar's fantasy film was, as always, a fun adventure with several refreshingly original twists. In search of a power crystal that will allow fledging wizard Ian to complete a spell to bring his long-dead father back for a short time, he and his brother Barley travel their world and find themselves back in their hometown to recover the crystal. After battling a dragon pieced together from the debris of his high school, Ian is trapped beneath this same debris, but has the chance to use the crystal before the spell runs out of time. Though safe and mostly unharmed, he is unable to escape in time to meet his now fully-formed dad. He watches as his dad reunites with Barley, and though the audience isn't able to hear what is said between the two of them, we are able to see Ian's reaction as he registers awe and happiness that his brother is at least able to reconnect with the father he lost and Ian never met. And then the emotional gut punch comes when the sun sets, ending the spell, and their dad dissolves in Barley's arms. It was a creative, bittersweet way to subvert expectations.

Star Trek: Discovery - Georgiou changes her future

At long last, I was finally able to check out this series. My initial excitement over the series lay mostly with Michelle Yeoh, as I've been a fan of hers since I saw her in Tomorrow Never Dies. She is the only actress in Hollywood with the ability to make vulnerability look badass. And she demonstrates that incredibly unique skill when her character of Phillipa Georgiou, whose existence is threatened because she is not only from the Mirror Universe, but also in the future, causing her physical form to destabilize. After encountering the Guardian of Forever, she is transported to the day she was forced to kill her adopted daughter, Michael, after she set up an assassination attempt. As the captured Michael spews what she really thinks of her "mother," Yeoh gives an outstanding performance as she tries to retain her merciless façade while also registering the pain of Michael's words. She finally has enough and takes her sword, then, the face of Michael's defiance, she swings in a move to remove her head, but then stops short to only break Michael's skin. Originally, she didn't stop, but this time, in this action, she takes a chance on showing mercy to the only person she truly loves, thereby erasing any advantage she had in retaining her power as empress. Still retaining a sense of control, she tells Michael, "as of right now, our future is unwritten. Let's make it count, shall we?" Rarely do characters in any franchise throw away opportunities to have the upper hand, but Georgiou does so with zero regrets, and still reacts in a human way.

What We Do in the Shadows - the scatting necromancer

The second season opener showed us we were in for something different when Haley Joel Osmont took the screen, and even more shockingly when his character, Topher, was dispatched just as quickly. While his performance as an eventual zombie was incredible, I'm going to give this season-stealing moment not to him, but to the necromancer tasks to resurrect him, played by Doctor Strange's Benedict Wong. An old friend of Nadia's, the gang recruits him to bring Topher back to life. Let's also mention that the only item they could bring of Topher's to act as a link to his past was his mini-fridge, which they bring along. Then the necromancer starts his work, which he begins with by snorting like a pig, and then just begins scatting, which starts off in regular English, and then just drops into pure gibberish. And, before the ceremony is completed, his phone gives him a notification which he also needs to answer. He completes the ritual and Topher achieves reanimation. Necromancy in fantasy is often portrayed as dark and scary and sometimes silly, but Wong sells the ridiculousness of this scene flawlessly. In a show full of original ideas, it's the scatting that stands out as the best moment.

Supernatural - thanking the fans

Every fandom out there has its quirks and types of fans, but the Supernatural fans are a rather notorious group for how deep their devotion to the show has endured throughout this long-running show's duration. After an emotional series finale, stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles filmed a brief message to their fanbase, wearing the costumes they wore in the very first episode and thanked them for their all their love and dedication. It's not often that a show lasts this long, and even rarer than such appreciation is shown to the viewers by the main stars and crew. And we salute all of you, too!

Wonder Woman 1984 - Astra is alive!

Wow....what a disappointment. It was exciting to see Wonder Woman again, but she deserved better than this movie. How could such an interesting concept go so wrong? I won't go into the many discrepancies this movie has, though I will say that Cheetah's design is still better than the full cast of Cats. After careful consideration, the real best moment of this film came with the post credit scene. A pole comes loose and nearly crushes a child, but a woman using telekinetic powers stops it midair, and a local takes it and puts it back where it belongs. As the relieved mom fervently thanks this woman and asks who she is, she turns, and it's none other than Lynda Carter, the original Wonder Woman. The great Amazon, Asteria, whose armor Diana dons in the third act of the movie, was assumed to died a hero's death. Not only is it a wonderful way of utilizing the incomparable Carter, it also opens the door to make her a part of the DCEU!

Animaniacs - Benedict the dragon

This one went over my head at first, and probably went over the heads of a lot of viewers. Pinky and the Brain are off on their latest attempt in taking over the world by hiring a dragon to slay so that they can establish their dominance over the medieval kingdom and force the king to pass his crown to Brain. First, I need to include the moment where Pinky charges into the dragon's den yelling, "Leroooooooooooooooooooooy Jeeeeeeeeeenkins!" (YES!!!!!) and when Brain follows, he's nearly stepped on by this dragon. It turns out the dragon, who introduces himself as Benedict, has no appetite for destruction, but is an aspiring thespian and minstrel, complete with a posh British accent! And it took me several days for it to click as his voice echoed through my head; this dragon is meant to be directly spoofing Benedict Cumberbatch, who, in addition to being a highly respected British actor, also voiced the dragon Smaug in the Hobbit movies! This rebooted series may be lacking the magic it had in the 90s as a kids cartoon, but this subtle humor is still in practice, and leaves a crazy sense of having been played when it finally becomes clear!

And now, time for the best geek moment of 2020!

The Mandalorian - Luke does his father proud

Come on, did you really think I'd leave this entry off my list? Mando and his strong supporting ladies are barricaded in the command center of Moff Gideon's ship, and have that fabulous baddie with them, as well as Grogu, and are about to be attacked by Gideon's super-droids that have been enhanced by Grogu's DNA. As the droids begin trying to tear down the door, an X-Wing passes by the windows, further upping the tension. But then, the cloaked occupant, armed with a green light saber, starts taking out the droids left and right. In a scene that is clearly inspired by the previously listed moment on my blog from Rogue One where Darth Vader takes out the rebels as they pass the Death Star plans off between them, the Jedi advances toward the command center, also using the Force to easily overpower these dub-step inspired droids. When he finally dispatches all of his foes, he enters the command center and pulls back his hood, and it's none other than Luke Skywalker. Also finally done good after The Last Jedi brought him down lower than he deserved, Jon Favreau restored the honor of this original sci-fi hero, and wrapped up Grogu's storyline beautifully. Jon, thank you for all you've done.

Geek MVP of the Year: Ming-Na Wen

In 2020, Ming-Na Wen was awarded the first title holder of the "Disney Hat Trick," in which she is the only actor in Hollywood to have played a Disney Princess, a Star Wars character, and an MCU hero; all three franchises owned by Disney. Not only does she have these credits, she was awarded the "Disney Legend Award" in 2019, and has enough geek cred with her turns in film and TV projects including Street Fighter, Stargate: Universe, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and Eureka, and let's not forget that she was also featured in the live action Mulan remake, making her the only original Disney voice actress to appear in the live action version. Currently the Queen of the Geeks due to her new title, she can easily rise to Empress if she takes a role in any Star Trek projects. Make it so, Ming-Na!!!!!

Addressing and Rewriting a Problematic Moment

Remember how I mentioned that Iris from The Flash is way too prone to making stupid decisions lately? Unfortunately, this is becoming a trend among characters who are said to be "strong female characters" and arguing against the fact is considered backward thinking. A few years ago I praised the rise of these strong characters, but at this point, I'm mostly over it. The truly well-written characters, such as the ladies from Agents of Shield, have to take the back seat over more popular franchises.

One who was brought back this year was Seven of Nine, originally from Trek: Voyager, now integrated into Picard. One of the most divisive scenes to come out this year came from Picard, where Seven's adoptive son, Icheb, is being brutally dissected for his cordical node, which the medics performing the procedure are anaware that he donated to Seven. This extremely uncomfortable torture scene has been seen as unnecessarily violent, though it does act as a jumping off point for Seven's story arc.

However, since she never joined Starfleet, she spends the end of the episode shooting up Bjayzl's palace and everyone inside of it. This also didn't sit well with many viewers because it seemed out of character for her to go on such a murderous rampage after all the character development she had in Voyager, in which she had several episodes where she had to come to terms with the guilt she discovers from the assimilations she carried out as a drone. And there's also the fact that she walked away from this slaughter completely unharmed.

As much as I have loved Seven over the years, and was very happy to see actress Jeri Ryan wearing some comfortable clothing, I wasn't entirely sold on how she was written for Picard. Now the scene where she shoots up the palace could have made some sense due to what happened to Icheb and other parts of her history that weren't addressed had the writers chosen to do so. But going overboard to that length without her experiencing any injuries at all was just a bit too far. She isn't Captain Marvel and impervious to most weapons; she is, in essence, a superhuman due to her Borg enhancements, but she's still very much as vulnerable as anyone else.

Since the writers chose to give us what they did without allowing the viewers to know all of Seven's history since Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant, they could have at least satisfied fans of the show for not only Seven's sake, but also for Icheb's. Icheb had a special friend who should have been brought into play.

I would rewrite this scene where Seven shoots 'em up with just a very slight change. As she prepares to assassinate Bjayzyl for what she did to Icheb, Seven would say to her, "I almost forgot. I may have told you all about Icheb, but I never told you who his best friend was." And suddenly, a flash of light appears, and there stand none other that Q Junior. With that smirk on his face, he would say, "hello. I am Q." Cue the shocked looks on Bjayzyl's and her lackeys' faces when they realize that Seven has the power of a literal god on her side before she starts her blasting. And as she blasts, Q just watches, and only intervenes when she is wounded. He acts as her healer while he allows her to tank her way through the palace.

This may seem like a way to say that Seven needs a man around to survive, but I disagree. The Q are omnipotent beings, and Q and Icheb did become close friends. If something had happened to Icheb, then logically, Q would have wanted to know what exactly had happened. By bringing him into this scene and him allowing Seven to do the dirty work for him while he protects her shows not that she needs help, but rather that even the omnipotent beings of this universe are on her side, which I think would have made an even more powerful statement, even if Q is a male. 

This isn't Q Junior, couldn't find a gif of him. But this one of Q felt appropriate

That's just my two cents. Icheb deserved better, and bringing in Q Junior would have also opened doors for his dad, Q, to return and annoy Picard in the next season.

Coming in 2021

So I've begun another blog and have been working on that, which is why this one was delayed a little over a month, but I do have some ideas that I would like to work out here if I have the time. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for the best scenes of this new year, and hopefully it'll be a long list!

Top Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Geek Moments of 2019!

It's the end of the year, so what does that mean?

ANNUAL REVIEWS!

Please hold you excitement.

This list is harder and harder to do with each passing year because there's just so many geek fandoms out there now, some of which are only accessible to specific streaming platforms. With an insanely busy schedule even though I'm recently unemployed, and launching a new travel blog, I've compiled my annual list. Hopefully this coming year I can find time to watch the shows I've been meaning to check out like The Expanse and even Star Trek: Discovery, but if there's anything this last year taught me, it's that life is super unpredictable. And yes, there are geek shows and movies I saw that weren't worthy to make my list.

Of course, you cannot proceed without this:

You have been warned!!!

The Flash - Gorilla Grodd vs. King Shark

Fans of the comic book hero had been waiting for this battle to go down since both characters were introduced, and rejoiced when it finally happened. King Shark has been transformed back into his human self, but when Grodd overpowers Barry and Nora (too bad he didn't kill Nora) and starts telepathically controlling the citizens of Central City, he opts to go back to his shark form to battle Grodd. The battle is a little shoddy due to the limits of the CW's CGI department, but they do the best they can with a limited budget and deliver a very entertaining and suspenseful fight scene.

Legends of Tomorrow - the Monitor is not amused

The Monitor is essentially a minor god in the Arrowverse who pops up from time to time and gives the heroes updates on the upcoming crisis. In the season finale of this show, the Legends use a book that brings to life whatever is written in it and use it to create a theme park to show that the monsters they've been collecting over the season aren't scary, but are good and misunderstood. Now the Monitor makes a surprise appearance and is watching the Legends do a corny action show to introduce the monsters and is clearly not impressed with their shenanigans. The crowd is also not happy and starts booing until another monster not on the schedule pops up: a dragon. Not only is the crowd more entranced, now the Monitor is too. The camera zooms in to him and he's now clearly entertained and eating popcorn while he watches. He's such a serious character, but it's fun to see him enjoy himself and not be as stoic. Check out this clip at 11.57 down below for this scene.

Spiderman: Homecoming - the bus leap

He may be our friendly neighborhood Spiderman, but Peter Parker is still a high schooler even after having been snapped back to reality. Tony left him a pair of glasses that command Stark technology, including satellites and drones, and Peter doesn't take the time to find out all the ins and outs of his incredibly powerful gift. When caught in a compromising position with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent by his romantic rival for MJ, Brad, he decides to use the glasses to prevent him from showing the picture he snapped and accidentally calls a drone strike on his class's bus! When he gives the wrong command and the drone sends a missile at the bus, his quick response of shooting web at the steering wheel only destroys the driver's side mirror. With another strike coming, Peter distracts the class by claiming he sees mountain goats, then leaps up as the bus still moves and shoots webbing to stop the drone. It's a slo-mo scene that works to show how quickly Peter can recover from setbacks, but the scene setup shows just how much Peter still needs learn about being a hero.

Shazam - say what?

What a fun surprise this film turned out to be! This unorthodox superhero film did a good job of subverting typical superhero tropes while also integrating elements of horror similar to what Aquaman did last year. One of the ways it went against norms was in the final battle between Shazam and the baddie, Dr. Sivanna. While Shazam's foster siblings take on the seven deadly sins below, he and Sivanna take to the skies. Shazam eventually eludes Sivanna until he finally sees him a good distance away. Sivanna begins to do the stereotypical villain monologue, but he's so far away that Shazam can't hear what he's saying. He constantly tries to reiterate that he can't hear Sivanna, but he can't hear either and just keeps talking. For a moment taking place in a fantasy universe, this is a realistic look at how acoustics would work in this situation.

Jumanji: The Next Level - Milo's hidden stat

Who would have known that the third movie in this trilogy would hold up so well? I would like to give some serious props to Kevin Hart for his turn portraying Danny Glover, and Awkwafina when she had her turn playing Danny DeVito's avatar. Jack Black was just as awesome as the last one, and the entire cast does an amazing job, but those two did exceptional jobs. Now for the best moment from this film: after the original five with Milo and Eddie meet up in-game and realize that five of them need to switch avatars with each other, Eddie takes over the pickpocket character of Ming and Milo takes on the horse that Bethany entered the game as since her original avatar was being played by Fridge. Milo and Eddie are captured by the baddies and when the team splits up, Alex goes to rescue Milo. After two failed attempts that suck up two of his three lives, Alex finally reached Milo and frees him. Before he continues, he taps Milo to see his stats and becomes excited when he sees them but the viewers don't. At the climax of the game, Eddie rides Milo toward the ledge of the fortress to catch the jewel needed to win the game. Eddie begins to panic but Alex confidently tells everyone to wait. Milo leaps over the edge, and then wings spread from his back, exposing that he was a Pegasus all along. It was a beautifully done scene with a twist that had a very satisfying payoff.

Detective Pikachu - the Toterra garden

Tim and Lucy, with Piakuchu and Psyduck in tow, barely manage to escape the compound where Mewtwo escaped when Psyduck becomes too agitated and sends out a psionic wave that prevented the Greninjas from capturing them. Unfortunately, the wave also causes the terrain around them to move. The team struggles to stay together, not knowing what's going on until they are able to see that the reason why the world is moving: they're not a solid earth, they are on the backs of giant Toterras! So much happens in this scene that you really do need to see it because I can't describe it all. Enjoy!

Xfinity TV Presents: The E.T. Holiday Sequel

We are currently being overloaded with long awaited and never-asked-for sequels and reboots left and right. Hollywood, we're tired of this! And now, Xfinity changes everything with a 4 minute commercial about a reunion between E.T. and Elliot. This commercial plays homage to the film by bringing back Henry Thomas meeting E.T. when he drops into Elliot's backyard and meets his kids. In this very brief movie commercial, it hits on all the important parts of a good story: E.T. getting to know Elliot's kids, enjoying Christmas activities with the family, E.T. introducing Elliot to his family by a communication device (that he probably should have had in the actual movie), and then returning to his space ship when the kids take E.T. via bike to the landing site exactly how it was done in the movie. It was absolutely perfect, and it was just a commercial. This was all we needed, and it was provided flawlessly. And don't tell me some of you didn't cry because I know you did!

World of Warcraft - Sylvanas's power play

I haven't been able to play this game in a few years, but I have been keeping track of the expansions and the lore. With Battle for Azeroth changing a lot of character motivations, one of the characters whose alterations weren't making many people happy was with the Banshee Queen, Sylvanas. With the upcoming expansion of Shadowlands, the game developers chose to push Sylvanas slightly out of the way of becoming Garrosh again with the new trailer. She has an epic battle against the new Lich King, Bolvar Fordragon, and pulls some awesome moves to overpower him. When she removes his helmet, all fans collectively held their breath, fearing that she was going to become the new Lich King. Then, as she raises the helmet, she pulls. She breaks the helmet, thereby destroying the Lich King's power over the undead and opening a portal to the lands where the citizens of Azeroth travel after death. While this action is still iffy to most fans (myself included), Sylvanas's expert power play in bringing down the Lich King was quite the suspenseful moment. Here's hoping the game devs make the expansion worth it!

The Orville - the genocide

This second season almost became more Star Trek than the Galaxy Quest-type feel the first season was. In a darker episode, the android, Isaac, freshly in an adorable relationship with Claire, suddenly goes offline and needs to be taken to his home world to be reactivated. Yet as the crew clashes with the Kaylon race, Claire's son Ty goes exploring and finds himself underground. When Claire goes looking for him, they uncover millions of bodies, leading to the discovery that the Kaylons are not the indigenous race of the planet; they completely annihilated their organic creators and took over the planet. This discovery then spurs the entire Kaylon race, including Isaac, into a galaxy-wide invasion to be continued in the next episode. Very few sci-fi shows dare to tackle genocide of this scale, and boy was it a shocker to watch!

Because FOX keeps a tight lid on its clips, here's the trailer for the episode. But if you can check out the entire episode, DO IT. This is insane!

The Boys - I have a baby and I'm not afraid to use him!

In light of all the superhero shows out there, the new show The Boys flips all those tropes on their heads showing the collateral damage of having super powered humans. Of course there's many layers to this show, and it's soon discovered that superheroes are actually being bred to be exploited later in their lives! Well, put my second favorite Kiwi, Karl Urban, on the job and he'll never disappoint. Urban is Billy Butcher and he infiltrates the compound where these kids are being brought up, but he's soon caught by security. Pinned down by the guards, Billy finds the real-world equivalent of Jack Jack from The Incredibles movies and points him in the direction of the guards. Commence a scene of a baby shooting lasers out of its eyes and pulverizing the guards. Played with gleeful gusto by Urban, this scene is one of the best all year!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Yo-Yo stops the virus

This poor team just can't seem to catch a break. Yo-Yo lost her arms last season and broke it off with Mack before this season began, but found a new relationship with a new agent, Keller. After encountering a living virus that was seemingly killed by a special knife from other world travelers, the team makes the dumb mistake of removing the knife and the virus, shaped like a bat-like creature, goes right into Keller's body. As Yo-Yo tries to get him out of the bunker, the virus takes complete control of Keller's body and begins mutating it, then spreads in the form of deadly crystalline matter. There's only one thing to do, and Yo-Yo doesn't hesitate to do it: she retrieves the knife with her super speed and kills her boyfriend. The last bit of humanity in Keller blinks understandably at Yo-Yo as he slips away and she reacts to what she's done. Once again, this series is criminally overlooked with its subtle acting, so I'll put it here. Good job, you two, for a superb performance.

Game of Thrones - Brienne is knighted

Geek opinions have been ruling the internet forums lately, and regardless of how disappointing this final season was, there was one moment that fans collectively agreed was a great one. Fan favorite Brienne has been one of the hardest working characters, but she's never been recognized as a knight because she's a woman. Well, Jamie Lannister decides to change that and bestows that knighthood that has so eluded her throughout the series. And while this is a special scene for her, it's Tormund's response that sells this scene. No one's prouder than him. Too bad she didn't choose him in the end. For a more satisfactory fan made ending, check this out.

Joker - the gun in the children's hospital

Bravo, Joaquin Phoenix! I could easily make a top ten list from this film alone, so I'll stick with one of the most memorable and suspenseful scenes. Arthur is brutally beaten at the beginning of the film and buys a gun off of one of his coworkers for protection. Later, as he's performing as a clown at a children's hospital, the gun falls out of his pants, which he then chases as it slides across the floor. He then sticks it back in his pants and coolly plays it off as nothing when he puts his finger to his lips and goes, "shh." Obviously, he's fired for what happened, but boy, was that a brilliant scene! Other fantastic actors have played the Joker in the past, but only Phoenix could have pulled off this scene correctly.

Stranger Things - Mike is dumped

Ah, young love is so adorable until reality sets in and you realize that teenagers are super immature. After Mike lies to Eleven about Nana being sick and then taking off to the mall where Eleven happens to be, she confronts him as only she can, seeing right through his lie and asking why he's done it. When he doesn't answer, she walks right up to him and tells him, "I dump your ass!" while Foreigner's "Cold As Ice" starts to play. Short and not-so-sweet, that sweet 80s tune captures the essence of what just happened!

The Witcher - Toss a Coin to Your Witcher

I have read the books but not played the games. As a reader, I had in mind that Jaskier would be Donkey-like to Geralt's Shrek, but I wasn't expecting him to have such an amazing voice. With this little ditty he composes after he meets our anti-hero and subsequently survives their capture by elves, he swarmed geek forums and YouTube. Within days, "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" generated hundreds of videos of the original song, each having been viewed hundreds of thousands of times at the lowest, and by the millions at the most before it had even been out for a week. This incredibly catchy tune has already been covered by numerous YouTube singers and will likely continue to be. The phenomena of this song being just so darn captivating is something that no other geek song has achieved in so short a time frame.

Picard Trailer - Picard's dog

This show isn't set to premiere for another few weeks, but the trailer (which was difficult for me to dig up when it premiered because I was in Italy at the time) shows promise and I am definitely going to check this one out. Those of us who grew up on Next Gen are all too familiar with Picard's moniker for his first officer, Will Riker, "Number One." In the trailer, Picard has a dog named Number One. Cue the squealing! That's almost too adorable for our Shakespeare-loving Captain. And I have to give a minor shoutout to Jeri Ryan returning as Seven of Nine, and she's wearing a loose sweater. Thank God for that, at least Jeri will be more comfortable this time around!

Crisis on Infinite Earths - you can't leave us hanging like that!!!!

The multiverse ended!!!!!!!!! The five-episode crossover blended the casts between the six shows of the Arrowverse: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman and Black Lightning, plus a handful of celebrity cameos, such as Burt Ward, Wil Wheaton, Tom Welling, and Kevin Conroy. There were some notable flashbacks as well, with Brandon Routh (FINALLY) returning as Superman, and John Wesley Shipp being referred back to his stint as the Flash in the 80s. For the first three episodes, The Monitor is trying to assemble a team of Paragons, which wind up being White Canary, Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Routh's version of Superman, Martian Manhunter, and a human named Ryan Choi. In the end, the Anti-Monitor, having taken over Harbinger's body, battles and defeats The Monitor, but Pariah uses the distraction to transport the seven paragons to safety where the Crisis event cannot touch them. But once they reach safety, Superman begins to convulse. Kara desperately tries to do something to save him but doesn't know what's going on, so she can only watch in horror as he stills....and is replaced by none other than Lex Luthor. Lex used the Book of Destiny to disguise himself as Superman and has now replaced one of the seven paragons, the only people who can save the universe. Seriously, WTF???? We have to wait till mid-January to find out what happened????

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker - Ben gets the light saber

This is a post about the top geek moment from this film and not my personal opinions on the movie, though I will say that J.J. Abrams really shouldn't have stuck to his plan with The Force Awakens in cashing in on nostalgia after the dumpster fire of undermining expectations that Rian Johnson pulled. There were a few notable moments that were worthy of being on this list, but I will go with one that I think J.J. did well with. The Last Jedi established the bond between Kylo Ren and Rey, and in this one, it expands to where they can exchange items, take them, or even if they accidentally knock over something nearby it will fall near the other. After Kylo redeems himself and goes after Rey to help her defeat Palpatine, he's almost to her when he's ambushed by his own knights. Rey, about to seemingly fulfill Palpatine's wish for her to kill his body so that his spirit can inhabit hers, then brings Leia's light saber behind her back, which Ben is able to take. It may be a little on the predictable side, but Ben handling his mother's blue light saber, showing his true allegiance to the light side and that his mother's death was not in vain, is a very cool moment.

In the meantime, I would like to thank Adam Driver for being the best part of this series. And to John Boyega, I want to thank him for doing his absolute best despite the writers mostly screwing him over. You deserved so much better and were the most adorable fanboy ever!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters - Mothra's reveal

I was horribly sick over my birthday in 2018 and came across a network TV channel that showed all the Mothra movies, so of all the monsters that came out of the original Godzilla universe created by Japan, she holds a special place for me. Although used in many adverts for this latest installment in the Monster-verse, it was still a sight to behold, not just in scale, but also in beauty. In a franchise that focuses on the battles of giant monsters, the reveal of a monster aimed in showing its glorious grace rather than how distinctive it is by the scale and type of damage its likely to deal is a smart move in contrasting the types on monsters we'll be seeing.

Zombieland: Double Tap - the Zombie Kill of the Year Award

Man, that Easter Egg ending with Bill Murray was really tempting, but I just had to go with the award Columbus gave out. The award is mentioned earlier in the film, but pops up again when Columbus is about to give his and Tallahassee's Graceland kills as best of the year but finds out he's been usurped by a clever Italian named Matteo Bianchio. Matteo sets up several mannequins, then yells stereotypical tourist phrases to attract the nearby zombies. They attack the dummies while the Italian starts using a tire jack...and knocks over the Leaning Tower of Pisa onto the zombies. Yup, in any best of the year awards, this one takes it.

Oh yeah, and I can't go without mentioning Columbia Picture's clever opening. In the company introductory logo of the Columbia Lady holding her torch, the fanfare music is played, and suddenly some zombies enter the moment! Columbia then takes her torch and quickly dispatches of the zombies. This has to be the best studio opening since the 8bit Scott Pilgrim one with Universal!

Captain Marvel - Hello...kitty?

I enjoyed this film, but it seemed more generic than the majority of the origin stories from the MCU (and Brie Larson should really stop talking). Yet when I reviewed it what stood out to me was the one moment that actually did catch me off guard and impress me. Unfortunately, it doesn't involve Captain Marvel because, while I liked the movie, I found it way too predictable. The one moment that stood out for me was the one with Goose, the Flerken in cat form. It's been established for a while that Goose isn't as cute as he seems, but now that Maria and Nick are out of firepower, it's his time to shine. Four Kree warriors have them cornered, but then tentacles shoot out of Goose's mouth and snap up all four of them. Shot from the side, and then with only sound effects before the tentacles and the warriors are retracted, it's a scene that delivers shock, humor, and little bit of horror at the implications of what you don't see.

The Mandolorian - Mando goes after the Jawas

If there's anything that the Star Wars universe has definitely established, it's that Jawas are horrible people. They steal with no conscience and will do pretty much anything for money. The second episode of the series has Mando returning to his ship after he recovers Baby Yoda only to find that it has been picked apart by Jawas. In a cool scene, he snipes several of them, but they manage to escape in their crawler with all the major parts of his ship so he cannot leave the planet. He follows in pursuit and takes on the crawler by himself! He attempts to scale up the side but is constantly thwarted by crazy driving, Jawas throwing items down at him, and almost being smashed into the side of a rock face like Indiana Jones. And the best part? Baby Yoda's pod is following him the whole time. As Mando risks his life in a very futile manner, there's a baby innocently following because his pod is programmed to follow by Mando's gauntlet. It's a ridiculously fun scene! Unfortunately, Disney is Disney and doesn't like their clips out for free, but YouTuber Charlie of Emergency Awesome covered the episode and briefly looks at this scene. Skip ahead to 5.57 to watch what he shows.

Yesterday - the chat with John Lennon

Oh man, this is easily one of my favorite scenes of the year, regardless of the fantasy element. Jack and a few other people inexplicably find themselves in a world where the Beatles never existed, and he takes that opportunity to take their music and make it his own. After two others who also remember the legendary band meet with him and personally thank him for preserving the Beatles' music, they refer him to this world's John Lennon, who never became a musical icon nor was assassinated. This version of John is living life doing what he wants to be happy, and is succeeding. I don't want to explain this scene because it's just such a beautiful moment with stellar acting and spot-on casting. Enjoy!

Alita: Battle Angel - one limb is all she needs

On a very serious note here, this movie was superior to Captain Marvel in many ways, not the least of which was that Alita was a much more interesting character. Her crowning moment is when she battles Grewishka and is brutally defeated when all but one of her limbs is cut off. Even then, with only one good arm, she still doesn't back down. He taunts her before he intends to dispatch her, but she breaks free, lands perfectly on her one arm, then launches herself upwards, jams her hand into Grewishka's eye, and drops one hell of a comeback on him. This one scene at least cemented Alita as being a better written character than most of the "strong" female characters we've been told to like.

What We Do in the Shadows - the vampire tribunal

If they're played a popular vampire, they were probably here. Excluding the Twilight series (THANK GOD!). This tribunal scene features the original cast of the popular New Zealand film by Taika Waititi, and has a couple of vampires on trial for attempting to kill another, and I'm just going to leave it at that because this clip does enough to explain the situation for itself. This is only a partial clip, but if you aren't sure who the other vampires are, check out this article here.

Broadway's Beetlejuice the Musical - Beetlejuice rides the sandworm

Now here's an unorthodox one! I was blessed this year with the opportunity to see a Broadway musical, and my friends and I landed last-minute tickets to see Beetlejuice the Musical. And wouldn't you know it, they had an absolutely spectacular moment that needed to make this list! The musical does change a lot from the original Tim Burton film, especially in regards to the ending. If you recall, Beetlejuice is defeated when Barbara rides the sandworm into the house where it promptly eats the titular character. In the Broadway version, Beetlejuice is sucked into the afterlife and Juneau is the villain who needs to be defeated. When all seems lost, Beetlejuice comes bursting onto the stage riding the sandworm and waving about a cowboy hat as the sandworm eats Juneau. So here's a behind the scenes look at the show that tells you about riding "Big Sandy!"

And finally...

Avengers: Endgame - the Captain is worthy

I don't know about you, but the entire experience of seeing this movie for me was a treat. I saw it opening day and was in a theater filled with geeks, and I'm telling you, I have never seen a geek reaction to this moment EVER in my entire life! In the battle against Thanos, Thor is armed with both Stormbreaker and Mjolnir, and when they battle, Thor drops Mjolnir and Thanos is about to drive his own axe into his chest. But then Mjolnir movies, knocks Thanos away from Thor, and goes straight back...to Captain America. Even better was the line that even hearkened back to Avengers: Age of Ultron, when Thor says, "I knew it!" Never has a setup that has taken 5 years to come through been so satisfying and epic!

I would also like to mention two fan videos made to further enhance this moment. This first one added dialogue from Odin from Thor's first film, followed by the clip replayed but with Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," notably used in the prior Thor film, Thor Ragnarok.

The next is the final battle from the film masterfully intercut with the rendition of "Holding Out for a Hero" covered by Jennifer Saunders for Shrek 2.

Honorable Not-Quite-Geeky Mention - Aunt Helene in Ready or Not

This film was just okay by me, but I absolutely have to give a big honorable mention to Nicki Guadagni who played the sinister Aunt Helene in this horror comedy. She is one of the most imposing characters I've seen all year in any form of entertainment, and she takes way too much pleasure in the idea of killing her new niece-in-law. I would definitely list this film as one to see for one character, and she would be it. Thank you, Nicki, for a performance that was way more entertaining than expected.

So this is my list for 2019! I've been saying for years that I'm trying to do more writing and I haven't been doing it, so please accept my apologies if you've been wanting to read more. I'll try to knock out at least one more for my geek blog. Otherwise, check out the new travel blog linked above!

Thanks for reading, and have a great 2020!

Top Sci-fi/Fantasy/Geek Moments of 2018

Well, it's another year, and another list has been compiled!

Geek culture is constantly on the rise, making it a bit tough to keep up with everything related to sci-fi, fantasy, and everything geek-related, but that's a good thing! While it may be possible to see everything, I personally didn't have the time to do so, but I saw as much as I could. And boy, were there so many great moments to choose from!

Of course, there are some that I did see that didn't stand out, so they are unfortunately not going to be mentioned on this list (sorry Crimes of Grindelwald, too many plot holes). There are also others that I was told to not waste my time on (*coughJurrasicWorldcough*), so I skipped them altogether.  But, as always, there is  big...

...In effect. And now, let us begin this list with a king!

Black Panther - the coronation ceremony

Well done, Ryan Coogler, well done! Black Panter exceeded expectations and provided not only a reat MCU flick, but also the best Disney princess (go Shuri!)! There were many great moments to choose from, but from the start, I knew which one stood out the most: the coronation scene. It begins as a massive celebration on a procession of hovercrafts as the Wakandans drain a river right before it spills over into a waterfall. The Wakandan tribes then fill up the rocky crevices, cheering as T’Challa comes forth for the ceremony. The camera pans across each Wakandan tribe, showing the distinct differences in their clothing, jewelry, and makeup. Each tribe is awash in vibrant colors the celebrates both their tribe and country, allowing for them to be separate from the other tribes and yet whole together as a people. And this royal ceremony isn’t just a party for their new king, it is a celebration of their culture. The feeling of pride and excitement is beautifully and masterfully captured in this scene, and in a unique method for every MCU film to date, the viewers can share in this same sense of enthusiasm. Never has any moment in the MCU felt like it was welcoming everyone to be part of this world.

The Flash - Iris jumps off a building to save Barry

Iris got a lot of flack after the show's 4th season. She may have had her episode when she was accidentally transferred Barry's powers, but her incorporation as the "Team Flash" lead didn't fly so well with fans. The 5th season, however, seemed to have the idea to break Iris of her do-nothing leadership. When Barry is kidnapped and his powers inhibited by Ragdoll, it's up to Ralph and Iris to save his life. After Ralph drops a fourth wall breaking quip about getting around the city because he "saw it in a comic book," (I personally think he was referencing The Incredibles), they reach the rooftop where Barry is held captive, and Ragdoll shoves him over the edge when Iris puts her gun down. Without a second thought, she leaps right over with him, clutching the key to the power-inhibiting cuffs as she matches Barry's rate of falling. She unlocks the cuffs, and his powers are back in full gear. Her courage and gusto in this scene renewed the faith in her character for many of the show's previously disappointed viewers.

Annihilation - the tattoo appears on Lena's arm

This surprisingly deep and beautiful film didn't do so well at the box office, but it was so mind-boggling that it spawned dozens of videos on YouTube deconstructing and analyzing every scene. While many go off on wild theories, some do ground the film as being a metaphor for suffering. The five main characters enter the "Shimmer," the alien entity that is transforming a section of the world that the military has sent several troops into without any returning. The mutations of the flora and fauna are beautiful yet grotesque, and soon the ladies are starting to notice that they themselves are starting to experience strange mutations too. As it turns out, they each are suffering from different tragedies, ranging from physical they have no control over, to life events, to self-inflicted. One of the ladies, Anya, has a very distinct and noticeable tattoo on her left arm, one that matches the tattoo of the soldier who was featured in a video of the mutations affecting him. She is killed by a bear after experiencing a nervous breakdown, and Josie willingly allows the mutations to claim her and transforms into a human-shaped bush of otherworldly flowers. Lena, totally alone at this point, breaks down and sobs, and as she rises, ready to seek out the last surviving member of her party, Ventress, her left arm comes into view; she has the tattoo now. It's a very subtle change, but makes an impact as it ties together Lena with others in the Shimmer before her.

To better explain this moment, as it's a bit too deep for me, and also because I don't want to completely parrot the words from the gentleman who did do the research, please check out this wonderfully made video by Dan Olson, who does a lovely job of explaining what's really going on in this film, and the significance of the tattoo.

Deadpool 2 - The Vanisher's identity is revealed

Deadpool always delivers, but I need to give the spot from this film to a character not named in the title: The Vanisher. As Deadpool is rounding up a ragtag group of wannabe heroes so he can rescue Russell, he is given a resume for a person simply called "The Vanisher." When he looks up, there's nobody there. Still, Deadpool offers him the job. As his group is getting ready to parachute from a plane, everyone in his team is buckled in, and you notice that one seat is noticeably empty, but the seat belt is still buckled, giving the audience a moment to take in that this is the Vanisher sitting there. As they jump from the plane, the camera follows each member of the team, making sure to focus on the one chute that is also falling in perfect formation. Then, one by one, each of Deadpool's team is killed off by landing in unfortunately circumstances. The one chute is no exception, as it suddenly crashes into a power line, revealing who the invisible Vanisher was all along: Brad. Pitt. This shocking and hysterical reveal isn't just one of the best in this film, it's one of the best of the entire year. Hats off to you, Brad. I didn't know you had it in you.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Simmons tests fate

Another season, another long list of moments to pick from. The Philinda kiss was beyond satisfying, Yo-Yo losing her arms, Mack being the adorable romantic he is and bringing Yo-Yo mechanical arms from an android he killed, Deke being revealed to be Fitz's and Simmons's grandson, Coulson facing off against apparitions of the previous seasons' big bads...these are just a few of the highlights this year, making it another tough season to find the top moment. After learning that in the event of Earth's destruction, she, Fitz, and Yo-Yo will be among the survivors, Simmons adopts the attitude that all three of them are invincible, and they need to convince Mack of this so he can release Fitz (after he allowed his Framework self to take over and forcibly remove Daisy's inhibitor) and they can stop the supposed culprit from destroying the world: the Hydra-raised Ruby. Yo-Yo brings Mack to Simmons where she tells him if she convinces him she is invincible, he needs to let Fitz out. By doing this, she takes 4 small beakers, fills 3 with water, and the other with some clear acid. Yo-Yo mixes up the beakers, and slowly, Simmons drinks from two of the beakers as poor Fitz freaks out in his cell and Mack tries in vain to stop her. When there's two left, she calmly drinks from one, then collapses in pain. Fitz begs to be let out because he knows how to counteract the acid, and just as Mack opens the door, Yo-Yo shoves him inside and locks him in. Simmons then stands, showing that she had faked her reaction to that last beaker she drank from. But before the three move out, she pours out the contents of the last beaker, and sure enough, the liquid starts eating away at the metal tray it's on. This scene makes the list for its superb acting from all four actors, the high stakes, and the payoff to make the viewers believe that maybe Simmons is right; that she, Yo-Yo, and Fitz are invincible.

Legends of Tomorrow - Mallus vs.....Beebo?

Just when you thought this show couldn't get any wackier, this happens. Beebo is the Arrowverse's recurring gag of a toy that appears to be a combination of a Tickle-Me-Elmo and a Furby, and has made several appearances throughout the CW shows since he was introduced last year. A demon called Mallus has been released by Damian Darhk, and the Legends have the totems that, when used all at once, can create a guardian that has the power to defeat Mallus. Their first attempt fails miserably, but upon their second try, Nate pulls a Ghostbusters boo-boo and allows his idea of a guardian to form: Beebo. So this demon, Mallus, who has been imprisoned throughout time and space for his horribly evil nature, is going to take on a giant, lovable toy, to save all of history. In one of the most ridiculous fights ever to be put to TV, the Legends, controlling the giant Beebo, battle Mallus, complete with his ridiculous phrases, bubbly giggles, and movements inspired by The Matrix. And how does it end? Beebo launches Mallus into the air, then, slams him into the ground in a puff of blue, heart shaped dust. Mallus is defeated, and the Legends emerge in a huge crater, covered in blue fur and fluff. For how amazingly silly this boss battle was, it further incites our imaginations, wondering what other goofy match-ups are coming in the future.

Incredibles 2 - the movie goes meta

We've waited 14 years for this film, and while it had its strong points, it didn't come close to surpassing the first film. Still, Brad Bird is an excellent filmmaker, and I wanted to focus on an aspect of his film that went overlooked by most because it perfectly showed the message he was going for. Bird often puts messages in his films, such as the anti-guns in The Iron Giant, and the multiple themes going on in the first Incredibles movie. He demonstrates the underlying message of this sequel in one of the most clever ways possible: by showing. Elastigirl and Evelyn have developed a means of tracking where the Screenslaver is projecting their message, and when they interrupt Helen's interview, she tracks it, then starts to swing her way toward the signal. All the while that she's closing in on the signal, the Screenslaver speaks out on the various ways people are easily distracted and it makes them impressionable. The Screenslaver's speech is perfectly illustrated as their words are simply background noise while the viewers watch Elastigirl close in on them. We're not paying close attention to what we're hearing because we're too engrossed in what we're watching. Brad Bird just showed us what it is that the Screenslaver sees is a problem with society. Well played, Brad.

Solo - a mistake is fixed

I may be a Star Wars fan, but Disney seriously needs to think twice before milking that cash cow beyond its limits. That being said, Solo was definitely not a bad movie, but the Star Wars universe would still be complete without it. There were a few moments that stood out, but I chose the moment that sticks it to George Lucas's face: Han shoots Beckett in the middle of his monologue. Back in the late 1990s, Lucas added new scenes and effects to the original trilogy, adding an absolutely deplorable moment in A New Hope, instead of Han shooting Greedo in the Mos Isley cantina first, Lucas edited the scene to show them shooting at each other at the same time, and Han moving his head out of the way at the last second. This is a moment that never should have happened and has inspired a line of products stating, "Han Shot First." This is why the moment where Han shoots Beckett is one of the best moments of the year: Ron Howard undoes the stupid decision Lucas made 20 years ago and shows that Han is the type that will always shoot his threats first. Thanks, Ron.

Avengers: Infinity War - Scarlet Witch does what no person should ever endure

It was tough to single out one moment from this intense film, but upon taking a closer look at this particular moment, I realized that it really was far more important than most viewers realized. Scarlet Witch received a lot of flack in Captain America: Civil War for her powers being too powerful and caused her to go on the run with Vision in tow. When the threat of Thanos is realized, Wanda is told that she has the power to destroy one of the Infinity Stones and prevent him from carrying out his genocidal plan. During the battle of Wakanda, it finally falls on Wanda to destroy the Stone, which is also the life force behind Vision, after Shuri was prevented from attempting to remove it with the chance of him being able to live without it. In an agonizing scene, Wanda, standing between Thanos and Vision, is charged with one of the most difficult actions ever put to film: hold off one of the most powerful beings in the universe while destroying a nearly indestructable Infinity Stone, which also means certain death for the man she loves, when she's already lost her own family and the world has marked her for a villain. With tears in her eyes and the weight of the universe on her shoulders, she manages to succeed, if only for a brief moment.

Ready Player One - Daito enters the battle

This is one of my all-time favorite books, and I'm very glad that author Ernest Cline was involved with the project, or else the (sadly) necessary changes would have ruined the whole thing. The Shining sequence was brilliant, the Iron Giant segment was awesome, but I'm going to give the best moment to Daito in this list. Daito was killed midway through the book in both the OASIS and reality, so it was nice to see him survive the film. First of all, when I saw this movie in the theaters, I was nerding out so much when I saw that they kept the Sorrento piloting MechaGodzilla scene that I wasn't ready for the moment-topping action. Daito has been meditating in the real world while the rest of his team has been battling Sorrento and the IOI Sixers, and when he enters the OASIS, he is totally calm and ready for the fight. As the camera focuses on MechaGodzilla crushing his opposition, you see a ship appear in the sky above him: SERENITY.

And then it gets better.

Daito's avatar, in full samurai armor, opens up his inventory and selects his fighter bot to combat MechaGodzilla: GUNDAM RX-78-2.

Nerds and geeks alike pretty much couldn't take much more awesomeness than this. Of course, Daito/Gundam unleashes the most damage on Sorrento/MechaGodzilla, and when he can no longer keep the Gundam form, he presents his middle finger to Sorrento before his blows Daito's avatar away. I just can't even anymore. This was incredible.

Ant-Man and The Wasp - Luis's storytelling skills never fail

Truthfully, this is one I wanted to put on my list in 2015, but that moment between Scott and Cassie was too precious to skip. So now that Ant-Man has come back, I absolutely have to give this spot to Luis. Luis is one of the greatest side characters in film history, and his storytelling skills are one of the highlights of the year, not just in geek films. Luis, Dave and Kurt are held hostage by Sonny's goons and he is chosen for interrogation to find out where Scott is. After a fun bit of whether or not the drug used is a truth serum, Luis jumps right into how he first met Scott in prison, and when told he doesn't need to go back that far, Dave pops in with one of the best lines in the MCU: "you put a dime in him, you gotta let the whole song play up." So I'm not going to say much else because Michael Pena can speak for himself as to why this scene is one of the best this year.

Although I will add, watch Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as they reenact Luis's version of the story, it really adds to this scene.

Wreck-It-Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet - Ralph's final trope

Ralph certainly meant to live up to the title of his second movie. To raise money for a new steering wheel for the Sugar Rush video game, Ralph, exploring the internet, strikes up a partnership with Yesss, who will pay him for the likes he earns on videos and gifs. In order to achieve this, Ralph releases videos of himself playing with cats, cooking, going Bob Ross (complete with the fro!) with painting, and allowing himself to get hurt in silly pratfalls. He hits on just about every trope and cliche found in popular videos across the internet. But if you left the theater right after the movie ended, you missed the final one that, when you really think about it, is nuts that you didn't think of him doing this too. Ralph, in the post-credits scene, Rick-Rolls the audience. Yes, he actually sings, "Never Gonna Give You Up." It's a true ending that lives up to the title of the film and brings the most appropriate true ending. And better is that Rick Astley shared his reaction video!

Venom - Venom's temporary host

This film may have ranked low with critics and mixed reactions from audiences, but we gotta hand it to Tom Hardy for this role. If it weren't for him, this film wouldn't have worked in any way possible, and completely lacking any fun at all. Despite the film itself being fairly weak, the conversations between Eddie and Venom were a hoot. The scene that stood finds Eddie, having been separated from Venom, being led out to the woods to be executed after being interrogated by Drake/Riot for Venom's whereabouts. As Drake's goons are readying to shoot him, one by one, they are sucked away by Venom, but Eddie doesn't know where Venom is coming from. Down to the last one, Venom finally appears...in a woman's body. Venom chomps off the dude's head and throws the body away, and as Eddie vocally admires his appreciation for Venom's new form, specifically She-Venom, she grabs him and kisses him passionately, and Venom transfers himself back to Eddie, revealing that his temporary host was Anne, Eddie's ex-fiancee that Venom is shipping hard. Once Venom is completely absorbed back into Eddie, Anne suddenly reacts in shock at the revelation that she bit off a guy's head. Not only is this one of the best kisses in geek history, it's wrapped up nicely with Michelle Williams' quip.

Lost in Space - Robot saves Will

There's a right way and a wrong way to reboot a franchise. The Lost in Space reboot is a rare example of the right way to do it. From the first episode, there were twists and turns regarding all the characters, not the least of which was the clever means of having Doctor Smith being a woman. One of the standout parts of this series is the relationship between Will Robinson and Robot, having the two share a special bond after Will saves Robot's life, which in turn causes him to become his companion. When the Robinsons try to free the Jupiter 24 from the ice, Will and Robot are trapped in a closet that has no safety harnesses. After the very narrow escape before the ice crushed the ship, Mrs. Robinson runs off to find Will. Will is found in the closet, clinging to Robot, who is comforting him in one of the most human forms he can take. It's a very sweet and standout moment, demonstrating how strong they've become thus far, and setting up the upcoming emotional gut punch when Will has to order him off a cliff later.

This clip is currently unavailable, but here's a clip focusing on Will and Robot's friendship.

Daredevil - Matt's faith is restored

This third and, sadly, final season for Matt Murdoch has been a roller coaster from start to finish. As a superhero that has the uncommon character trait of being religious, faith played a major role this time around. Although the fight choreography exceeded itself yet again, and Daredevil finally had that showdown with Kingpin, it's the moment that bring Matt back to his Catholic roots that stands apart. One of Kingpin's goons was Ray Nadeem, whose conscience was troubled by his deals with the baddie. He finally can no longer take the guilt of his actions and then makes the fatal decision to testify in court against Kingpin, and is promptly shot afterwards. However, Ray's complete commitment to doing the right thing in putting Kingpin away was enough for Matt to reevaluate his beliefs, and his faith is later restored. Matt is a good example of someone rightfully questioning and losing their faith after traumatic events, and Ray's self sacrifice provides Matt the convincing means to believe again. For a more in-depth look at Matt's spiritual journey, as well as this particular scene, please check out the video below.

Tomb Raider - Lara's first kill

In terms of an origin story, Tomb Raider did a fine job of following Lara Croft as she became the adventurer we know her to be. Undoubtedly, the most important scene in the film is the one where she's practicing MMA and has to tap out when she's bested by her opponent. After surviving a narrow escape from Trinity, Lara is tired and injured, hiding out in the wild. One of the Trinity goons finds her and attempts to take her in, but she fights back, using her MMA training. She fights for her life while he fights in order to subdue her. She soon reaches the best possible position and has him under her, not realizing that she is holding his mouth and nose under the water of the oversized puddle. Very slowly, he begins to succumb to the lack of oxygen, and yet Lara still holds him until he goes limp, and one last bubble breaks the surface of the water. It's then that Lara realizes that the guy is dead, and she lets him go, looking vulnerable and shocked as she mentally digests what she's just done. The scene is sold by Alicia Vikander's incredible performance, and the realism in both the survival instincts taking over Lara, and the perfect choreography that adds to the depth and emotion of the scene.

Black Lightning - Black Lightning meets Thunder

And the biggest oops of the year goes to....Jefferson. Until recently, Jefferson had been in retirement as Black Lightning for years, and completely unaware than his metahuman powers could be passed down to his daughters. His elder daughter, Anissa, has discovered that she has super strength and is bulletproof, but she has only told her mother, Lynn, and doesn't know that her father is Black Lightning. Anissa, under the hero name of Thunder, jumps into action when Lynn is beset by thugs, and takes them out easily, then goes to Lynn to free her from her restraints. But then, Jefferson appears to do just the same: save Lynn. Unbeknownst to him, Anissa isn't the enemy, so he blasts her with his lightning. The two do battle as Lynn, still bound and gagged, watches in horror as her husband and daughter blindly battle each other. Also note actress Christine Adams' face as she tries to make eye contact with Jefferson before he engages Anissa; she does try to stop him, but is powerless to do so. It's a great scene in that the two are both fighting each other for the same reason, and how neither recognized the other until the fight is over.

Doctor Who - bubble wrap

Well, they've done it again. Doctor Who has a habit of taking the most random, everyday items and making them terrifying. From stone angels to libraries, gas masks, and even breathing, this show can and will make just about anything simple deadly. So what does The Doctor do this time? Turn bubble wrap into a deadly device. In a future where a company called Kerblam acts like a futuristic Amazon, one of the workers that's caught Ryan's attention, a young lady named Kira, opens a box and pulls out the bubble wrap. Poor Ryan watches in horror as Kira slowly fingers one of the bubbles in the wrap, and then pops it, promptly causing an explosion that incinerates her. Thanks a lot for making us scared of bubble wrap now, writers! Geez...

The Walking Dead - the torch is passed

We lost Rick this year, but since Andrew Lincoln is signed on for more TWD projects, we will definitely be seeing more of him in the future. So.....what to do while we wait? Well, we follow after the newly appointed lead. After Rick's exit, the show jumps ahead 6 years to find a new group of heroes fleeing from zombies, all of which are fighting back, but despite their resistance, are still being swarmed by zombies. Just as everything looks grim, several are shot, clearing a way for these survivors to escape. A voice calls from afar, telling them to come, and when they do, they introduce themselves to their savior: a 7-year-old girl, armed to the teeth. When they ask who she is, the camera cuts to Carl's familiar hat on the ground, which she picks up and puts it on, saying her name: "Judith. Judith Grimes." Moving the show forward 6 years was a risky choice, and putting the role of primary hero in the hands of Rick's (step) daughter was just as bold.

Supernatural - nobody puts Baby in a hypothetical situation

If there's one constant in Dean's life, it's his love for his Impala, Baby. There was even an entire episode that was filmed from Baby's point of view, demonstrating just how important of a car this bad girl is. In this episode, Sam is trying to get Dean to think hypothetically, and uses the example of "if somebody stole the Impala, what would you do?" Dean freezes with a deadpan face, and with that face translating through his voice, he gives his one word response: "murder." The dialogue continues, Sam still trying to get his point across, but Dean is still bent on making it clear what his actions would be should his previous Baby be taken from him. Brilliant moment, and great acting!

My Hero Acadamia: Two Heroes - David's picture

The popular anime had a film released this year, focusing on Deku and Allmight attending a superhero conference, and meeting up with Allmight's college buddy, David. David is later revealed to be the source behind a coup that incapacitated Allmight, leaving Deku, David's daughter Melissa, and his other friends from school to try to save the day. David's only motivation was to cause a distraction so he could use some technology to help save Allmight, not knowing that he is willingly transferring his One for All powers to the quirkless Deku. Then, the head goon, Wolfram, rises up, revealing that he had a master plan all along and shoots David. David watches in horror as Wolfram's powers amass, but Allmight and Deku are able to defeat him with the infamous "United States of Smash" attack. As David watches, he released that he snapped a picture of Deku during the fight. He had always had a picture of Allmight in his heyday on his phone, looking at it from time to time to remind him of his goal to stabilize his friend. With the picture of Deku in its place, he then realizes that Deku is meant to be the next Allmight, having not yet been told, or even figured it out until then. He smiles when he finally understands that his friend knows what he's doing, and at the revelation that Deku will eventually be what Allmight was. As one who's not too familiar with the anime, I still found this moment powerful and touching, showing how far a best friend would go to save his, and secure in the knowledge that in the end, his hero is making way for the new and very worthy hero.

The clip is currently unavailable, but here's a review of the film from one of my favorite channels.

Also, Melissa was an awesome character. Just sayin'.

A Quiet Place - world building done right

This surprise hit is filled with details in every scene that show exactly what this world is like, where monsters that cannot see but can hear even the smallest sound terrorize the country. In a perfect example of "show, don't tell," everything you need to know about how the Abbott family survives in this deadly environment, and how the world has adapted to this new threat. The barefooted Abbotts are silently raiding an abandoned store for cough medicine, with the aisles mostly picked clean except for a few foods that are too noisy for consumption. One of the boys, Beau, has found a toy rocket, but since it makes noise, his dad tells him he needs to leave it behind. His deaf sister, Regan, has a brief chat with him, removes the batteries, then hands him the rocket, signing for him to keep it their secret. But as they leave, Beau snatches up the batteries and installs them as he lags behind the rest of his family. When he turns on this rocket, it wails out basic toy sounds, and he is totally enraptured, but the rest of his family spins around in utter horror. Lee tries to run to him, but it's too late, one of the monsters gets to him right before the camera cuts away. In just under 5 minutes, the audience is completely aware of the circumstances and dangers of this world, setting everyone off on a crazy ride.

Aquaman - Mera utilizes wine

A fun and surprisingly beautiful movie, Aquaman gave us a better introduction to Arthur's eventual lady love, Mera. Mera is not only a cool character, she also has the underused ability to control water, particularly in being able to draw it from any source she can find from. After she and Arthur are attacked in Sicily, they are split up while four Atlanteans follow after Mera. After a crazy rooftop chase, Mera crashes through one roof, then takes out one the soldiers responsible. Analyzing her surroundings, Mera finds that there are wine bottles all around. When two more soldiers track her, her eyes begin to glow as they do when she channels her powers, and she draws upon not just the water in the wine, but the wine itself to create burgundy spears. The soldiers are skewered by her wine shards and promptly defeated. Mera's distinct power over wine and being able to utilize it the way she did was a clever means of subverting the expectation the audience had on her powers of water.

Since this film just came out, the clip is not yet available. I was able to find a TV spot that does have pieces of this particular scene, so I guess it'll have to do!

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth - the Daughter of the Sea

Blizzard's release of the latest WOW expansion, Battle for Azeroth, had so many pre-release products going out, mostly in the teasing betas, the Before the Storm book (good read, if you're into WOW), other short stories and artwork sold with the collector's edition package, and finally, the Warbringers shorts. Some of these Warbringers were released before the previous expansion, Legion, but this particular patch was going to focus on the ladies: the Horde Warchief Sylvanas, the fallen High Elf-turned-Naga Queen Azshara, and the mage who sacrificed nearly everything for peace only to lose it all, Jaina Proudmore. In trying to bring peace between the Alliance and Horde, Jaina lost her love, Arthas, whom she also had a hand in defeating, her own father when he refused to stop attacking the Horde leader Thrall in a time of peace, her entire city of Theramore, her protege Kindi, and because she didn't take part in the battle against the Legion at The Broken Shore, her own king. Few characters in Azeroth have dealt with the loss that Jaina has. In her Warbringers short, she sings a shanty that was written about her at the time her father was killed by the Horde, which was was responsible for, telling all who hear to beware "the daughter of the sea" and telling the tale of how her father was slain as she let him die. The song continues as Jaina is rowed out to sea by a walking skeleton and tormented by the lost souls of people who died that fateful day. As the song begins to wrap, Jaina raises her father's ship, previously lost to the depths, and says, "I'm listening now...father." The skeleton boatman comes in to focus, then fades away, showing that her father himself took her to his ship's final resting place. Now that it's been surfaced, Jaina takes command of the ship, finishing the song herself. It ends with: "beware, beware, the daughter of the sea, beware, beware....of me." This entire short, from start to finish, was one of the most satisfying, exciting, and overall best non-game items that Blizzard ever released (the later released short, "Old Soldier" about Saurfang is an extremely close second). Jaina's back, and this time, she's holding nothing back.

And let's not forget her awesome moment of enabling that boat to fly and fire arcane cannons during the siege of Lorderon!

iZombie - the melodramatic response

This is a first time entry on my list, having finally been able to actually remember to watch this show. Liv's most recent brain meal belonged to a hopeless romantic named Annie, who was supposed to meet with another hopeless romantic when she was killed. Liv meets this date, Allan, played by Sam Huntington, when she interviews him for info on the murder. Allan, completely in love with Annie, has no idea that his dream girl is dead. When Liv reveals this to him, Allan spreads his arms, and wails the most melodramatic, heart-wrenching "NOOOOOOO!" you will ever see. It's a brilliant performance from the delightful Huntington that stands out as one of this year's best geek moments.

The exact clip is sadly unavailable, but here's a short one that comes afterward that still shows how well Sam fits into this role.

The House with a Clock in its Walls - Cate Blanchett takes out the pumpkins

This movie could have been much better without all the body fluid jokes. The premise was interesting, and the banter between Jack Black and Cate Blanchett was spot on, but the film ultimately failed to impress. However, Cate is someone I haven't had a chance to put on my list for a while, and she is just too awesome to pass up. Having recovered her dormant powers, Mrs. Zimmerman is ready to battle the Izards and prevent them from destroying the world. As she approaches the house with Jonathan and Lewis in tow, their path is blocked by scary jack-o-lanterns. Raising her wand, encased in an umbrella, Mrs. Zimmerman goes into terminator mode and takes out each and every one of those creepy pumpkins. In the hands of a less skilled actress, this moment wouldn't have been that great, but this being Cate Blanchett, her demeanor demonstrates the high stakes of the situation with just a hint of fun, and she sees each and every one of those pumpkins as the extreme threat they are in this universe. Ain't nobody gonna mess with Cate, she's the real deal! This moment is briefly shown at the end of this clip.

The Big Bang Theory - Sheldon sees Amy's wedding dress

The long-suffering Amy is finally marrying Sheldon, so naturally, she wants everything to be perfect. As she tries on wedding dress after wedding dress, it's easy to tell that it's going to be a difficult choice for her because she looks lovely in all of them. And then...she finds the one that she wants: the ugliest, fluffy Southern Belle-esque monstrosity that makes her look like a walking cake. Bernadette doesn't have the heart to tell her how awful it is when Amy buys it, but later in the episode, she comes clean, and Amy is distraught. She tries the dress on at home to see it again, and Sheldon happens to walk in. His reaction: he gasps, and says, "WOW! You look beautiful!" Amy has caused much positive growth in Sheldon's life, and this reaction to this horrendous dress more than makes up for it. Amy may have horrible taste in dresses, but Sheldon loves it. And that's enough for all of us!

Anna and the Apocalypse - "Soldier at War"

I had to double check on the year this film was released. Technically, it was released at several European film festivals in 2017, but it was released to the public in 2018, so in my mind, that counts. I was unfortunately unable to see it since it wasn't released in my area, but I did listen to the soundtrack, which did feature some pretty catchy tunes. One that stood out to me was the song "Solider at War," performed by Ben Wiggins, about taking the lead in smashing the zombies invading Scotland. The music video features the song intercut with scenes from the movie itself, showing the various zombies being dispensed with in entertaining fashions, students dancing in the streets amid zombies running amok, and, my personal favorite, zombies popping out of random places, the best being a ball pit. I hope to see this film so I will be able to enjoy all these sequences in the order they were meant to be seen, but so far, "Soldier at War" is one of the best geek songs to be released this year.

Arrow - the final jail fight

First of all, Daredevil clearly had the best single shot fight scene of the year, but they have a much bigger budget and can do more with their choreography. But ever since Oliver was jailed at the end of the sixth season, there have been fight scenes galore during his time in the slammer that, on a much smaller budget, are still just as impressive. Just when you thought you might get sick of them, Oliver is cleared for release and all the prisoners riot. Although Oliver is on his way to leaving as a free man, he and Ben notice that there are some prison guards, some of which have abused him during his time, are being brutally beaten within an inch of their lives. Oliver won't leave those guards behind, so he and Ben advance toward them. They use two different levels to reach the incapacitated guards, and the camera changes back and forth in a single shot, following Oliver and Ben as they make their way toward the guards, using the quickest and most effective combat strikes and moves as they go. The use of the camera and the fact that this was a 40 second sequence shot flawlessly with believable choreography makes for a smooth scene that doesn't make the viewer dizzy, but enhances the action without looking too cliche or ridiculous.

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies - Robin's nightmare

Now here's a moment that came out of nowhere! Robin is always idolizing Batman, and in this film, he falls asleep, dreaming of the day that Batman names him his successor. He begins to dream in a sequence that completely rips off The Lion King! Instead of a sun rising, the Bat-signal is shown, and the various Justice League members head for Gotham City, some actually chewing on grass, in various animal formations to meet for this momentous event. Then, when Batman reveals Robin, he holds him out over the city the same way Rafiki presented Simba. However, instead of all the heroes cheering, Flash has to point out that Robin isn't a new hero, he's just a sidekick. Poor Robin despairs as Batman falls to peer pressure and just drops Robin off the side of the building, prompting him to awaken. It's common for animation studios to brazenly take massive shots at Disney, but when they're done right, they're amazing. And this was one of them!

Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse - Spider-Ham takes on Scorpion

Can everyone agree that this movie was ridiculously amazing? There was so much fun to the story, the voice acting was spot on, and they used the exact right amount of different variations of Spiderman across the multiverse to not feel too overdone. One of the most interesting choices of Spiderman was Spider-Ham, an actual pig with the powers of the radioactive spider. Being that he is an anthropomophic pig, Spider-Ham/Peter Porker is the silliest of the incarnations. During the final boss battle as the various Spider-Heroes duke it out against Kingpin, Doc Ock, and Scorpion, the latter is dangerously close to taking out Spider-Girl. And out of nowhere....and anvil drops on his head. Spider-Ham is also imbued with the comedic powers of a Warner Brothers cartoon character. This moment literally comes out of nowhere and makes it to the top of the list from this film.

Honorable Mention: Weezer's Africa music video

Weezer is a band I enjoy but not one I follow on a regular basis. Upon seeing that they had released a music video for their cover of Toto's "Africa," I wasn't too interested because I hate covers. But then I saw the full title of the video: it featured "Weird" Al Yankovic! The video is incredibly simple, with the band members just playing their instruments and singing, although lead singer Rivers Cuomo isn't as well lit as everyone else. When the lighting improves, Rivers no longer has his guitar, but an accordion. He was never there at all, Al was! He was lip-synching and faking the guitar playing right from the beginning. And, in true Al fashion, goes to town with his accordion while still lip-syching, and the rest of the band follows suit. To mix a performance like this with such a beautiful song as "Africa" seems completely ridiculous, almost on the verge of sacrilegious. But boy, there was only one was to make it work, and I'll be danged if these lads didn't do it!

Dishonorable Mention: Pacific Rim: Uprising - Mako is killed off

I will admit, I didn't even see this movie. I did see the first, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but when I found out that they actually killed Mako, I refused to see it. Come on, she was a great character, and the filmmakers didn't even allow for her character's death to have an impact on the rest of the movie. So not cool. I'm not even putting a clip of this up, it sucks that much!

Biggest Letdown: Incredibles 2 - where's the greatest good we are ever gonna get?

I said this with the previous mention of the Screenslaver moment: we waited 14 years for this movie. We were promised more Honey. She had only 2 lines. Honey, in the first Incredibles movie, set herself as one of the all-time greatest off camera characters to grace the silver screen. But....only TWO lines???? We deserved more Honey, and she was too good of a character established in a short scene to just give two measly lines to!

Brad, PLEASE! Was giving Honey a few more lines really too much to ask for???? She was eventually included in a deleted scene on the Blu-Ray, and the scene wasn't that great, but Brad was definitely capable of doing something better with her.

Personal Favorite: The Flash - Ralph picks the best soundtrack

Ralph Dibney, the Elongated Man, has been a fun addition to Team Flash, although he has had a tough time of fitting in with the group. In the episode's 100th episode, there's an elaborate plot to assemble a weapon to best this season's big bad, Cicada, so Barry and his daughter, Nora, go back in time to several key moments in the show's history. As they're about to run back to the past, Ralph adds to the moment by striking up Huey Lewis and the News' classic Back to the Future tune, "Back in Time." As both a geek and classic rock lover, I've been waiting for a moment like this in another geek-related show or movie for a long time. And Ralph speaks up for those of us who have been waiting: "when am I gonna get the chance to do that?"

And because I can, here's my favorite Ralph quote from 2017: "For the love of Jeff Goldblum, stop!"

Cutest Moment: Legends of Tomorrow - Brandon Routh sees his wife

Brandon Routh's real-life wife, actress Courtney Ford, was established last year as villain Damian Darhk's daughter, Nora, and came back again in this current season. Naturally, there was chemistry between the two characters whenever this couple played opposite each other. By the end of last season, it was clear that Ray fell hard for Nora. In the 4th season premiere, Ray and the rest of the time are high on a unicorn's magic haze, and Ray, under the influence, hallucinates that he sees Nora. The look on his face when he says, "she's here!" it too bloody adorable, and when the camera cuts to his vision of her, then back to him, it makes you wonder if that's the look he had on his face when she walked down the aisle at their wedding. I'm not much of a romantic, but man, it is so rare to find married actors who go full out like that!

And now, for the best moment of the year!

Incredibles 2 - Jack Jack vs. the Raccoon

You all knew this was coming. And this scene is so amazing it needs no introduction. Enjoy watching it again!

So that was 2018! Hopefully I'll have the time to look into more TV shows this year, and I apologize for not putting up any other blogs despite my promising to do so. I will do my best to have at least 1 up before year's end, should me year be less eventful than 2018 was.

In the meantime, happy new year!