Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The Good:
The special effects were great. Cool explosions, neat aerial combat.
Finn, Rey and Poe were all nice groundwork for a new round of heroes.
I most enjoyed the parallels between this film and A New Hope.
Nostalgia.
I liked the return to the more straight-forward lightsaber combat. It was very refreshing to this after years of high-flying-kung-fu fighting with lightsabers.
Chewbacca.

The Bad:
The plot was mediocre. Seemed a little too much like the original three for me. The Resistance IS the Rebellion. The First Order IS the Empire. Even the dichotomies within the bad guys and the good guys seemed all-too-familiar. And they blew up the Death Star AGAIN?!?!? I mean Starkiller Base.
It seemed broad-casted too much and "less real" when the big character died.
No one character really grabbed me (even though a few were nice starts to a character arc).

Overall: I would give the newest Star Wars a 7 X-Wings dog-fighting out of 10. Fun, but not great.

Daredevil (TV/Netflix 2015)

     Something that is different and wonderful--that is the way I would describe the Netflix's original series Daredevil. If you are looking for "fast-paced, high-octane action" with witty quips and a host of flying superheroes and repulsor rays, wait for Avengers 2 and skip this series. If, on the other hand, what you would like to see is the subtle development of a "more down-to-earth" hero with a great cast, set in the gritty noir background of the Marvel cinematic universe, this is it!

     I was a little skeptical going into the series, Netflix has produced some good and not-so-good series so far. As the story builds and the character's backgrounds and motivations are revealed, the series really captures your attention. Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil is great, with just the correct amount of cocky mixed with the unsure. Deborah Ann Woll, Rosario Dawson, and Elden Henson are all wonderful as more than just secondary characters, but as full characters in their own right. Vincent D'Onofrio is not just strong and powerful as Kingpin, but believable. Also, Toby Leonard Moore as Wesley was very good, and Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich deserves a very special nod as he often steals the show when on screen.

     This should be a welcome change and thoughtful breath of fresh air to fans of the comic. And it is an enjoyable experience to anyone wanting a neo-noir series that is engaging and cool. I would recommend this for sure, and I am looking forward to the other Marvel Netflix originals.