The Punisher : Frank Castle is darkest turn yet for Netflix-Marvel

Marvel’s The Punisher comes out on Netflix on Friday, Nov. 17 and provides a story of pain and grief as Frank Castle tries to live his nightmare. Audiences were introduced to Frank Castle in Daredevil season 2. The character was on a warpath of vengeance as he sought retaliation for the death of his wife and children. The gangland murder also left him for dead, but he survived the bullet to his head, and now much deal with the constant turmoil of living a nightmare with seemingly no resolution in sight. The Punisher showed his rage, violence and aggression in Daredevil but now he has his own standalone series on Netflix that will dive deeper into the character and those around him.

The Punisher has the darkest storyline of any of the other Marvel characters on Netflix and that’s the compelling reason to watch when the series drops at midnight PST on Friday morning. The review is based on the first six episodes of the 13-episode season and sees Frank Castle struggling to process his grief and his pain. He’s walled himself off to everyone and after faking his death in Daredevil, he has to adopt a new identity. He lies low, grew a beard and doesn’t talk to anyone, other than Karen Page and his former military buddy Curtis (Jason R. Moore). It’s how Frank lives that is more fascinating as the series begins. The viewer knows what he’s capable of and the trauma he’s experienced. He’s a rubber band on the verge of snapping. A character on the brink of no turning back. He’s isolated and struggling with not only the loss of his family but from the post-traumatic stress from his time in the military and the things he was ordered to while overseas. This attention to veterans and the care, or lack thereof, they receive when they return stateside.

The Punisher isn’t just a story about a vigilante who has a war chest of assault rifles and a penchant for inflicting pain. The Punisher is a story about a man mourning and unable to process the emotions of the devastating losses he’s experienced and the lingering trauma it causes. The fractured masculinity gives way to the supporting characters from law enforcement who are investigating something devious that happened in Kandahar and a private securities firm that crosses paths with Frank.

I enjoyed what I saw from The Punisher and the continuation of the storyline first introduced in Daredevil. The supporting characters, especially David Lieberman aka “Micro” as the super spy with a past connected with Frank makes for good drama and suspense to make it feel “Marvel” in a show that otherwise feels like its own thing. And it’s because of that feeling that I think it’s one of the best shows from Marvel and Netflix. Having said that, The Punisher isn’t going to be for everyone. If you didn’t like his turn in Daredevil, I don’t suspect you’ll be watching his own show. The violence is extremely present and the use of guns to carry out that violence may be a sensitive subject for viewers, especially in the wake of mass shootings happening with regularity in the United States. I understand the sensitivity in that regard, but at the same time, this is a fictional story based on a comic book character. Frank Castle is not a hero. This is not a guy that is going to have a happy ending. He is a broken man and he is beyond repair. Watching the extent of the pain and grief he’s experiencing and the lengths he’ll go to alleviate that is what makes The Punisher a must-watch.

The Movie Bad Boys TV Spin-off With Gabrielle Union

Plans for Bad Boys 3 may have stalled, but there’s may still be some more action yet in the form of a new Bad Boys TV spin-off. The planned show will focus on Gabrielle Union‘s character from Bad Boys II, an undercover operative with the DEA. While it’s doubtful Will Smith or Martin Lawrence‘s characters will show up, anyone looking for a Bad Boys fix might be keen to give the show a shot. Remember the Bad Boys series? Michael Bay‘s ultra-slick, ultra-violent saga that starred Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as two hot and cold cops who caused a ton of destruction while trying to catch criminals? Bad Boys II hit theaters in 2003, and seemingly ever since then, there’s been talk of a Bad Boys 3, but nothing has materialized.

Recently, co-star Martin Lawrence claimed that a Bad Boys 3 was unlikely at this point, saying, “I don’t think we’re going to get one, not the way everything’s turning out. Will is off doing another movie, and I don’t think it’s going to happen.” However, soon after Lawrence’s statement, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said that a third Bad Boys was still a possibility once scheduling-conflicts are cleared up and a script is in order:

“Well, we’ve been developing it for I don’t know how many years now and we had a period of time where it got pretty close and then it drifted away a little bit and hopefully it will drift back again. We have a new writer on it who’s working on it right now, so that gives me encouragement.” Just where, exactly, Bad Boys 3 stands right now is anyone’s guess, but in the meantime, if you want more Bad Boys action in your life, good news: shit just got real. In the bombastic Bad Boys II, Gabrielle Union played Sydney “Syd” Burnett, sister of Martin Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett.

Unbeknownst to both Marcus and Smith’s Mike Lowery, Sydney was an undercover special agent with the DEA tracking dangerous money launderers. Much mayhem and several car chases followed. Deadline reports a Bad Boys TV spinoff centered around Union’s character is in the works, with The Blacklist writers Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier working on the script for the as-of-now untitled spin-off. Just how much interest there is for a Bad Boys spin-off not featuring the two main bad boys themselves remains to be seen, but per the Deadline story, the potential show has “garnered strong interest from multiple places and is expected to land a major commitment.” Just when and where this Bad Boys TV spin-off will end up is anyone’s guess, but in the meantime, why not watch an absolutely ridiculous chase sequence from Bad Boys II?

‘Stranger Things’ Is Getting Its Own After-Show on Netflix

As we hour just hours away from the much-anticipated season two premiere of Stranger Things, fans now have even more to look forward to as The Hollywood Reporter has disclosed that Netflix is also giving the program an after-show. Beyond Stranger Things is set to debut October 27, just like the show’s second season, hosted by writer, producer, actor and super fan Jim Rash. The post show will delve into behind-the-scenes details and inspiration surrounding the series, all while taking a closer look at various aspects of season two, and answering a number of more pressing questions.

All seven episodes of Beyond Stranger Things will be available at once, although you’ll want to finish the entire new season of Stranger Things before diving in because spoiler alerts. The post program accounts for Netflix’s first-ever after-show, as it is being referred to as its own Netflix original series, produced by Embassy Row, the company responsible for popular post show, Talking Dead, among others. You can look forward to guests such as creators Ross and Matt Duffer, executive producer and director Shawn Levy, and Stranger Things stars Millie Bobby Brown, Sean Astin, Linnea Berthelsen, Natalia Dyer, Brett Gelman, David Harbour, Randy Havens, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Dacre Montgomery, Paul Reiser, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink and Finn Wolfhard all appearing on Beyond Stranger Things.