November 2010

Faster

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Faster
  • IMDB: link

After spending 10 years in prison for his part in an armed robbery a man who is only ever referred to as “Driver” or “Ghost” (Dwayne “Stop Calling Me The Rock” Johnson) walks out of the big house and immediately begins to hunt down the men (including Courtney Gains, John Cirigliano, Lester Speight) who robbed his crew and killed his brother (Matt Gerald).

 

If you’ve seen the trailer for Faster you might assume that’s the entire story. It’s not. Not satisfied with simply delivering a good ol’ revenge tale filled with an ever increasing body count, screenwriters Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton give us not one but two more stories.

The first involves a burned-out detective (Billy Bob Thornton) who is days away from retirement, has a nasty drug habit and an estranged wife (Moon Bloodgood) and son (Aedin Mincks), and who is assigned to the case – much the dismay of the lead detective Carla Gugino. Most of this plotline deals with chasing down “Driver,” but we also get several unrelated scenes of the cop’s screwed-up life.

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127 Hours

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: 127 Hours
  • IMDB: link

There are certain movies that become impossible to separate from your specific movie-going experience. 127 Hours is such a movie for me.

I had heard the advance hype on Danny Boyle’s dramatic and joyous 127 Hours from the festival circuit: People are passing out in the theater because one particular scene in the movie is so intense.

Without giving too much away, the film is based on the true story of college student Aron Ralston (played by James Franco), who found his right arm trapped under a boulder on a solo mountaineering weekend in a remote Utah canyon. The infamous scene occurs towards the end of the film.

Through a combination of sound effects and music (along with the added dread of knowing what was coming for the 80 minutes leading up to the scene), Boyle created a sequence that had me raising one hand in front of my face. There is certainly a bit of a gory element to it, but that is unavoidable—and I humbly submit that it’s not the gore that is so affecting.

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Luther

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Luther – The Complete First Series
  • tv.com: link

DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) is a brilliant detective but a flawed man. As the series begins Luther allows a child killer (Anton Saunders) to fall to his death rather than save him. The killer survives in a coma, and after a lengthy suspension and investigation Luther is allowed back on the force.

While working a different case every week Luther must also deal with his estranged wife Zoe (Indira Varma) and her boyfriend (Paul McGann), and the attentions of psychopath Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson) who takes a shine to him after he is unable to prove she killed her parents.

Created by Neil Cross Luther is a character driven procedural drama that works because of the flaws of our main character. He’s intelligent, driven, but also moody, reckless, and far too likely to put himself in the line of fire by offering himself as a target (a decision which triggers his unusual relationship with Alice). The final two episodes take a dark turn involving his close friend (Steven Mackintosh) and the fallout over a robbery and kidnapping gone horribly wrong.

The two-disc set includes all six episodes of the first season but not much in the way of extras. Still, for those who like cop dramas with a twist, and a fair share of strong performances, Luther is worth a look.

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Comic Rack

/ / Comics

It’s a new week so it must be time to talk about comics! Welcome to the RazorFine Comic Rack boys and girls. Pull up a bean bag and take a seat at feet of the master as we offer you this quick list of all kinds of comic book goodness set to hit comic shops and bookstores this week from all your favorite publishers including DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, BOOM!, Dynamite, Archie, Image Comics, and others.

This week includes Batman and Robin, Batwoman, Bomb Queen VI, Captain America, Deadpool, Detective Comics, Dracula: The Company Of Monsters, DMZ, The Guild, Incorruptible, Jughead, Magdalena, Red Sonja, Secret Warriors, Teen Titans, Uncanny X-Men, Usagi Yojimbo, Wildcats, the first issues of Chaos War: Alpha Flight, Firebreather Vol. 3, Kull: The Hate Witch, Traveler, Vampirella, and the final issues of Fringe: Tales From The Fringe, Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force, Madame Xanadu, Shadowland: Blood on the Streets, and Terminator 1984.

Enjoy issue #106

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The Spirit #8

/ / Comics

It begins when the Spirit catches sight of Ophelia Ottoman at the funeral of her husband, gangster Jimmy Bauhaus. Concern for the attractive widow, and a nagging suspicion that everything isn’t quite as it seems, lead the hero to shadow Ophelia and try to uncover the secret she’s hiding.

After she kills the son of one of the other crime families tensions immediately rise and our gallant hero steps in, only to discover that the death of the accused rapist and the apparent death of Jimmy might not be what they seem.

Aside from the cover (ugh, can we get rid of these “First Wave” bars at the top and bottom, please!), there’s much to enjoy here. David Hine has gotten better over the series and here seems to have gotten the tone and humor of the character just right, and the art by Moritat proves to be seductive, humorous (I love the Sprit’s smirk!), and a little bit naughty. The comic also includes another b&w Spirit adventure by Walt Simonson. Worth a look.

[DC $3.99]

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