WTF Was That? 5 Reasons Why "True Detective Season 2" Ended Up Shitting The Bed...

Soooo... Season 2 of True Detective on HBO is in the books and I have had a night to digest the season as a whole. I wanted to start writing this article last week, but I thought it best to reserve judgement until the full story was told. If I learned anything from watching various TV shows lately its that: a) a good finale can totally change the trajectory that a show has been on for a whole season and b) the events in the finale might actually make up for any shortcomings that the show may have created for a viewer. I definitely want to give Nic Pizzolato the chance he deserves to tell his own story. Anybody that knows ME or follows us on social media (search CCD.NYC on all media platforms and find us) knows that early on in Season 2 of TD I took the "wait and see what happens" approach before condemning the show. It gave me enough imagery and potential in the first few episodes to spur my interests, and I had high hopes for a second half comeback on the show the way Harrelson & McConaughey came through in the end. But now that it is all over, I am sitting back and shaking my head wondering what "could have/should have" been in the sequel season of the century. So here are my 5 biggest problems with the show, and in my humble opinion the reasons why the show disappointed so many people. Enjoy....

When Will It Stop: Why Are All The Nerds On The Internet Hating On The Ant Man Trailer? - A CCD Rant by Mike D

As I sat in my favorite bar n Brooklyn, the Irish Haven, watching Agent Carter with a few of my customers that are nerds like me I began to get excited. As the first hour came to a close (on a pretty great show, cause you know its Marvel...) I was anticipating the premiere of the Ant Man trailer. But then they announced that there was another hour of Agent Carter coming. Wait... what? How did I miss this? It was a 2 hour premiere? Ok... 1 more hour to anticipate the trailer. Hour 2 of Agent Carter was even better, and boy oh boy it was 9:55 Pm and we were finally here. It started... and I was completely breathless for 90 seconds. Trying to take it all in, I didn't want to miss a thing. And as I turned to my friends at the bar, they seemed about as jazzed as I was. I couldn't wait till the next morning when it hit the 'Net and I could get a proper breakdown (like this great one from the Den of Geeks!) of the whole packed trailer screenshot by screenshot. So imagine my surprise when I saw a bunch of my friends (and fellow nerds) on FB bashing the 90 second trailer, and then found a majority of articles doing the same... WHAAAAATTTT??? I can understand why a non comic fan might not be excited, but what did all these (supposed) informed nerds watch to be so mad about? I felt a rant brewing, and after a few days I have to unleash....

More after the jump...

Mike D's 5th Annual Top 10 Anticipated Summer Movies (Not Including Sequels, Prequels and Remakes!) - The 2014 Edition

So with arrival of Captain America 2 a few weeks back and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 today, it seems Hollywood has succeeded in pushing back the "Summer Movie Season" from June 1st to mid April. But after this weekend the movies really start pouring in. Now when I do my 'Top 10 Most Anticipated Summer Movie' list I have a few ground rules. #1) No Sequels or Prequels: I love myself some sequels, prequels... pretty much all -quels. But for this list I leave them off. Cap was high on my list. So is Spidey, X-Men, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Transformers 4 (which I really am looking forward too) and others. But I will stick with first timers for this list. #2) No Remakes: Make no mistake about it, Godzilla has me more intrigued then pretty much ANYTHING coming out in the next few months. But it is old hat, so it stays off the list. So will something like Jersey Boys, which although is a 1st time film its a remake of a play. #3) This is MY MOST ANTICIPATED LIST... not a best of list, or most successful list. Strictly what I WANT TO SEE, not anything more or less.

So now that we got the rules out of the way, lets get right into it:

A CCD Rant by Joe Esq: Am I The Only Nerd Who Gets Annoyed...

... When they change stuff in the comic book to make it match the movies? Ok look, I understand the corporate robot-think that leads to comic book companies doing this, but I find it contemptible and I'll never agree with it. And that's not just nerd-rage talking, the way I see it, its a really shortsighted and stupid thing to do.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier or How Marvel Keeps Making Nearly Perfect Movies & Why I Love Them - A CCD Rant by Mike D

There are a lot of bigger, better, corporately sponsored websites & blogs out there covering pop culture, movies, and comics that get the scoop long before a movie is commercially released. They get to sit down with the creators, pick the brains of the actors involved, and visit the sets to see whats going on. They get to critique the films with early viewings, sometimes being able to watch the movie multiple times even before it gets released. And that is all fine and good... there is a place for that. But this is not that kind of place. I am just a regular schnook, running a regular blog from my house... and the closest I can get to a scoop is watching the movie at a midnight showing the day it comes out. That is good enough for me, and often leads to some of my aforementioned CCD RANTS by Mike D. They are often cathartic for me, and they get a bunch of my readers and friends to comment about my pros & cons. Today, the morning after watching Marvel's latest opus 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', you guys get another rant from me.

You're welcome.... you're all WELCOME!!!

So here it goes. My Pros (many) & Cons (a few) of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Enjoy it (or rip it apart) after the jump...

My Top 10 Oscar Memories of 2014... and Three Things I Hated: A CCD Rant by Mike D

So... it's finally over. Now that the Academy Awards have taken place, people can shift their bitching and moaning from who was nominated & who was snubbed to who won and who got the shaft. The Oscars always are divisive and cause arguments among film fans, but that is why they are so epic. I remember getting the pull outs of the nominees the day of the awards out of the Sunday paper as a kid and filling out my bracket, and often remember my parents and grandparents helping me to see all the films that were nominated. It holds a special place in my heart, so watching the show now if more of a "must do" behavior as opposed to "want to" behavior. I have to watch the show. That about sums it up. But there were some moments that were just perfect... basically the things you have come to know and love from the show. There were also a few things I hated. Not many, but a few. So here it goes... my 2014 Oscar recap rant, in all its snark and splendor. Hope you enjoy it...

Ben Affleck Ain't So Bad For Batman: A Rant by Mike CCD

Soooo... the news broke last night that Ben Affleck is going to be Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel 2. This has been the casting choice that has been hanging in the air for a month since Warner Brothers announced that there would be a Batman appearance in the Superman sequel. This is the movie that is to lay the groundwork for the future DC Comics cinematic universe, and by default set up the team for the Justice League movie that WB wants to get to so bad. And it seems that they have tapped Mr. Gigli himself to don the cowl. Now any comic fan worth their weight in salt knows that Bats & Supes are the cornerstones of any future success DC/WB can ever hope to have... and Man of Steel did do quite well ($650 million worldwide so far!)... so is DC finally on the right track after misfires like Green Lantern and Nolan's Batman trilogy coming to end? Could be... but is Affleck the guy to be the Bat for this whole transition? The general consensus is FUCK NO... and most people are shaking their heads in disgust that Big Ben got the role. They think he will suck it up, ruin everything, and set DC/WB is about to lose any traction they FINALLY gained with Man of Steel. But I think this could be a GOOD thing for the whole future DC Cinematic Universe... and I got some points to prove it. Check out after the jump why I don't think Affleck is all that bad as The Dark Knight....

Why 'The Wolverine' Is The Best Thing To Happen To The Character In A Long Time: A Rant by Mike CCD

I am never one who pulls punches or doesn't like to give an opinion. I have definitely never been accused of being afraid to open my mouth and voice my opinion. If anything I have been accused of making excuses for things that I enjoy even if they are considered to be shitty (John Carter was fantastic... fuck all you haters!) At the ripe old age of 34 I firmly believe that I am living in the midst of the Geek Golden Era. With comic books, movies, TV shows, and everything else blurring together, I am getting everything I ever wanted in life handed down to me. 10-12 years ago I could never imagine the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that culminated in The Avengers. Even after groundbreaking movies like Raimi's Spider-Man & Singer's X-Men, we were much more prone to see missteps like Electra, The Punisher and Daredevil rather than epic movies like Watchmen & The Dark Knight. But lately things have been much more hit than miss. Sure, you still get some stinkers... but for the most part, geek movies/TV are getting it right. Why is it all coming together? I think 'The Wolverine' provides us with a perfect explanation of whats right & wrong with geek entertainment culture today. Check out exactly what I mean after the jump...

The Hangover 3: Could This Be The Death of The Sequel As We Know It ??? - A Rant By Mike CCD

Last night was setting up to be one of the best nights I had planned in a while. It started out with L & B pizza for dinner. Any night that includes L & B is a great night... but it was set up to get even better. Tara and I had tickets to go see The Hangover 3... and we couldn't be more excited! I was a huge fan of the first film in the series and is one of Tara & I's earliest movie memories. We laughed so hard in that film that I almost choked to death... literally. So when the second movie came out last year,  we were there opening night... and were promptly disappointed. We both really didn't like the second film. It was a complete re-hash of the first film in every which way: They got drugged again? The baby replaced by the monkey? Chow in the freezer instead of the trunk? Teddy missing instead of Doug? Paul Giamatti giving the gang deadlines instead of Chow? It was a complete re-do, and not nearly done as well. Now I will say that upon further viewings of  The Hangover II I have come to appreciate it. It is still unoriginal and kinda dumb... but it does have some funny parts. I can watch it and smile. Not nearly as good as the original, but a decent comedy. But The Hangover 3? Pure shit. I have never seen a more unfunny film in my life... especially one that was poised to be so great. So is this the death of the sequel craze as we know it???

Please read more after the jump... *** No real spoilers for the Hangover 3, I promise****