Dantooine Free Press

Did you ever love something, or fall in love with someone, but for some reason, you didn’t want to admit it yourself?   Maybe that love went against an image you projected to the rest of the world.  Maybe t here was something about yourself that you didn’t want to acknowledge or admit was true.   But at some point, you just couldn’t hide it anymore, the pressure built up, and you couldn’t deny how you felt.   Well, that is the theme of the second season of D.C. Universe’s streaming cartoon series, “Haley Quinn.”   How do I know?   Well, I definitely didn’t like this cartoon series.   I just watched so I could tell you guys about it. Denial.  That is the theme that runs through season two of "Harley Quinn."  Everyone's in denial.  Harley is in denial over the fact that she acts rashly, and creates big messes because of it.  Like goading the goons into staging a revolt against the A level villains, or swearing allegiance to Darkse...

Did you ever hate a TV show so much, that you had to keep watching it, so you could have a complete and accurate list of all the reasons you hated it. But by the third episode, you finally admit to yourself, "Darn it, I like this show."  Yeah.  For me, that was "Harley Quinn." This cartoon is over the top graphically violent.  So much so, that even it's characters get sick upon seeing the blood and guts.  Profanities everywhere.  And it's so irreverent with its subject matter.  I mean, this cartoon is in your face with everything your parents taught you was bad. And it's wonderful. Basically, it's the story of a psychopathic, young, attractive, former psychiatrist coming to terms with the fact that allowed herself to get involved in a destructive co-dependent, violent relationship with the king of violent, narcissistic psychopaths.  And along the way, realizing that her romantic partner never really loved her, but loved his violent, psychologic...

Disney has released its sequel to its creative twist on the Sleeping Beauty story, Maleficent, on its streaming service, Disney+.  Is the second movie, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil worth your time? The original Disney movie, starring Angelina Jolie in the title role, focused on the story of a young naive faerie, who fell in love with a human.  That human just happens to be the self-centered and ambitious Stefan, who violently betrays Maleficent in order to become king.  Understandably, rage over this betrayal infects everything this magical faerie does, up to and including turning the magical kingdom over which Maleficent rules, the Moors, dark, and cursing Stefan's daughter, Aurora, to die by pricking her finger on a spinning wheel when the girl is to turn sixteen.  Maleficent watches over Aurora, played by Elle Fanning, as she is raised in the woods, eventually comes  to recognize the young girl's innocence, and attempts to undo her curse, but to no avail....

I used to have this need to own, in one form or another, every chapter in the Star Wars movie universe.  Episodes four through six, I have on VHS.  I have the DVDs for episodes one through six.  I own online streaming versions of episodes four through eight.  I even own online digital versions of "Rogue One" and "Solo." Yet, for some reason, I was in no rush to own a version of episode nine, "The Rise of Skywalker."  Rather, I was very much content to wait until episode nine was available through Disney+ before I watched it again. This is not to say that I think episode nine is the worst in the series.  That honor goes to episode eight, "The Last Jedi."  It's just that I was in the hospital for an extended time recovering from surgery when "The Last Jedi" was released, and the fastest way for me to watch the movie was to purchase the online digital version.  If you could return a movie to get a refund, believe me, I'd want...

It is an ambitious endeavor.  Season seven of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" takes place simultaneously with the prequel film, "Revenge of the Sith."  It is an attempt to address the plot holes and generally bad writing of the film, and tie it to other entries to the Star Wars genre. For example, this season tries to explain better the descent of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force, and connect that to the universe we see in the movies "Solo" and "Rogue One," the cartoon "Rebels," as well as the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian." One of the keys to the success of this endeavor, is the appearance of Darth Maul. Darth Maul serves as a prime illustration of one of George Lucas' most egregious sins, the under-utilization of a compelling villain.  Reaching back to the time just before "The Phantom Menace" was released, the hype leading up to the film, which was the first Star Wars film in the sixteen years ...

If I could sum up my feelings for the second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in one word, it would be: frustration.  You see, the writers and producers just couldn't decide what they want this cartoon series to be.  Was it supposed to be a kids' cartoon, with silly story lines and goofy characters?  Or was it supposed to be a mature cartoon, aimed at adult and teenage fans with more sophisticated plot lines and dangerous characters for the Jedi to face.  It is this inconsistency that drove me crazy. The season started on a impressive note.  Having introduced the nefarious bounty hunter Cad Bane in the season one finale, he returned for a story arc to kick off the second season.  He continued to be a formidable challenge to the Jedi Order.  Calculating and cold-blooded, he presents a real challenge to the show's heroes. Likewise, season two introduces us to the mythical planet of Mandalore.  Ever since the introduction of Boba Fett i...

When I heard that Disney+ had released the seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, curiosity overcame me.  I remember trying to watch the series when it was first released in 2008.  But my memories of the cartoon series was that is was horrible.  I couldn't make it through the first season, so I stopped watching.  When Star Wars Rebels came out, I found the series far more engaging.  At times, however, Rebels made reference to characters and plot lines established in The Close Wars.  I would go back and watch the relevant episodes of The Clone Wars, and discovered that there were actually a few that were pretty good, such as the Mandalore and Darth Maul plot lines.  I decided to go back and re-watch the first six seasons before jumping into Disney's newest season.  With respect to the first season, I found my memories confirmed.  While there are a few well-executed episodes, for the most part season one is horrible. That is the ...