Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay Review

credit: Warner Bro. Animation

Hey O&G fans, today we have a review of DC/Warner Bro. new animated movie Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay. As always before a review here is a quick synapsis of the movie.

Amanda Waller’s secret team Task Force X (consisting of Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn and Copperhead) is sent to retrieve a powerful mystical object that they will risk their lives to steal. Unfortunately for the Suicide Squad, there are other villains who want the prize, and they must win a race to get it, in order to stay alive.

A Little about the Movie

Credit: Warner Bros.

Following Ocean Master's defeat, Amanda Waller dispatches  Task Force X, consisting of Deadshot, Count Vertigo, Black Manta, and criminal couple Punch and Jewelee, to recover a flash drive from Tobias Whale. Despite the team successfully completing the mission, Vertigo and Jewelee betrays the others by attacking Deadshot and killing Punch. They reveal to Deadshot that they have been working together since their time in jail. Unknown to them, Waller was listening to the conversation the whole time because she suspected there was a traitor and activates nano-tech bombs implanted in Vertigo and Jewelee's necks. Vertigo is killed by the bomb while Deadshot shoots Jewelee out of mercy, much to Waller's intrigue.

REVIEW

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is a Dark and Bloody animated movie with some laughs, but not quite as good as Escape from Arkam. Like Escape From Arkam, Amanda Waller (The Thinner Version) sends Task Force X  on a secret mission to obtain a supernatural McGuffin. ( No Spoilers you will see what it is when you watch the movie). This is a non sanctioned mission for the Squad, they are stripped of their usual resources and gear and are reduced to driving across country in an RV (imagine an all Super Villains road trip lol).

The movie set up feels like a 70's grind house film with blood, gore and sex, which isn't a bad thing, but it doesn't seem to fully work for this animated feature.   The fight scenes look great, but the more conversational scenes in between don’t fare so well. Especially the arguments between Deadshot and Bronze Tiger, it gets old quick. The characters have these stiff stoic expressions whenever they talk. Because of this, jokes and one-liners end up falling flat.

As always a solid voice cast with these DC Universe Original Movies, and this is no exception, with standout performances by Vanessa Williams (Amanda Waller), C. Thomas Howell (Professor Zoom), Greg Grunberg (ahem..."Steel Maxum"), and James Urbaniak (Professor Pyg). My personal favorite is Tara Strong who gives another great performance as Harley Quinn.

Overall I did enjoy the movie, the action and story were good. I would rate the one lower compared to the other films in this series. Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay will release digitally on March 27, 2018 and is released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 10, 2018.

By Sean Tucker

Lenni Reviews: "Blood Borne" by Archer Kay Leah

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*This review was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Ress is cornered between two opposing factions while all he wants is a quiet life with his family. Arden is trapped by duty to the Shar-denn and the orders to hunt down Ress for betraying them yet Arden finds the growing feelings for Ress may outweigh the task.

Setting aside how fucking confusing the pronouns for a nonbinary/gender queer character (Arden) are without knowing them before you start this book and think they are typos, it is the characters that make this book. The writing makes them come alive but the rest? I sadly found it tiresome. Boring isn't quite the word because I made it through the book without my mind fogging and my eyes glazing over but if what made the impact is the new pronouns making me feel like an out of touch old geezer, then something is missing. Not bad, took a chance with a character like Arden which needs to happen more, but ultimately a 3.5.

Lenni Reviews: "Bettie Page" Vol. 1 by David Avallone

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is recommended for older readers.

In this collection of "secret diaries," we follow our femme fetale, Bettie Page, as she dodges the cops, secret agents, and cult members all while trying to make a living as a model and movie star of B movies with aliens... All while helping beat the bad guys.

This book is a whole lot of cheese and I kinda love it for that. I am an absolute sucker for pin-up art and all the guest art and the comic itself is lovely to look at; even with the batshit crazy ideas. However, there's this sensation of being in a glitter bomb; shiny, pretty, but confusing in all it's bright colors and movement. At the end, I had to re-read it all because I didn't remember what exactly happened. Gotta give it a 3 out of 5 for that but it sure is pretty.

Lenni Reviews: "Fire" (The Ninth Circle #1) by C.A. Harland

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the adventures of Tala and Aiva Morgenstern as they search for their missing sister, Hartley, in a world filled with magic and demons.

The way this flows is just like episodes of a TV show; absolutely riffing off Buffy, Angel, or Supernatural. If you like those shows and want some fastpaced urban fantasy, this isn't half bad. I don't wanna give away too much since there's a lot going on. Sometimes the writing felt forced; trying too hard to be badass but overall, it's a fun read. A bit gory but hey, there's demon killing happening so that's to be expected. 3.4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Witch Creek" by Laura Bickle

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

Petra's husband, Gabriel, has gone missing and despite her body being currently ravaged by chemotherapy and cancer, she devotes her remaining days to finding him by any means necessary, even going so far as to adventure into the underworld.

There is a lot going on in this book. Aside for Petra, there's a coverup about Gabriel's disappearance, wolf clans, a mermaid seeking revenge for her imprisonment, a long lost son, a whole bunch of stuff. But it is cool stuff. We have a diverse cast of characters who meet up by chance, fun action, and interesting magic. I had a good time reading this but it didn't leave much of an impact after it was done. 3.8 out of 5.

Rainbow Dash (Review)

Reviewed by Justin D Williams

Rainbow Dash is a lightweight and colorful platformer suitable for adults and children alike. The game was developed by solo developer Austin Sojka because he wanted to make a game which was easily accessible to his niece.

Lenni Reviews: "Contemporary Draconic Hoarding Practices" by Dae Richards

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

While Clayton splits his time between his graduate thesis and being a teaching assistant, he meets dragon and magical teacher Syralis; who is in possession of manuscripts crucial to Clayton's work. Syralis is intrigued by the magic surrounding Clayton and agrees to teach him how to control his abilities. But there is an obvious attraction between Syralis and Clayton and when a dragon wants you, they want to keep you like any other pretty bauble they possess and Clayton doesn't want to be a prisoner for the rest of his life.

This story does have a good plot and introduced the reader to an interesting world of magic and magical creatures but the length doesn't allow the reader to enjoy much of it. This is another short story where I feel the world and characters could use a longer narrative. This is a fun little romp though and is good for readers who may want the titillation of lust but no actual boning. 3.7 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Sovereign" by April Daniels

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this sequel to Dreadnought, Danielle is working hard as the new hero in town but between kicking butt and maintaining her reputation with the press; and without even being fully licensed due to her age, she is feeling the strain. But Dreadnought is needed now more than ever as a worldwide threat lingers on the horizon.

I can't quite put my foot on what it is but this is not as enjoyable as the first book. Don't get me wrong, this is still a well-written superhero story with high stakes and plenty of thrilling action; by no means a bad book. A teenager dealing with the harsh realities of being a superhero AND transgender AND some topical threats to humanity deserves this darker tone. But in comparison to the first, the darkness is unpleasant instead of intriguing or compelling. I want to like this more than I do. If you ware interested in following Dreadnought's next steps as she develops as a hero, this entry is just ok. 3.5 out of 5.