October 2014

Begin Again

  • Title: Begin Again
  • IMDb: link

Begin Again

Released this week on Blu-ray and DVD, writer/director John Carney‘s tale of the unexpected friendship between a down-on-his luck record label exec (Mark Ruffalo) and a heartbroken singer-songwriter (Keira Knightley) ranked at the top of my favorite films from the first-half of 2014. My opinion hasn’t changed.

With a pair of terrific leads and a talented support cast that includes Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, Adam Levine, Mos Def, and James Corden, the movie works as well on home video as it did in theaters as the mismatched pair of attempt to record an album on the fly around New York City in an enterprise that is at least as much about getting over life’s recent hurdles as the finished project. For more, read my original review.

The Blu-ray includes music videos for the movie’s big numbers and a single behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the film.

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Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – A Fractured House

  • Title: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – A Fractured House
  • wiki: link

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - A Fractured House

When HYDRA mercenaries begin publicly targeting high-profile targets under the guise of being S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Coulson (Clark Gregg) orders his various agents around the world to go to ground and sends May (Ming-Na Wen), Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki), and Hunter (Nick Blood) to prevent the next attack. The poor publicity, the need for a politician on their side, and the unique leverage they can bring to bear also causes Coulson to reach out to Senator Christian Ward (Tim DeKay) who is either kinder or most sadistic member of the Ward family depending on who you chose to believe.

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Arrow – The Magician

  • Title: Arrow – The Magician
  • wiki: link

Arrow - The Magician

Alliances shift quickly in “The Magician” as Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law) arrives in Starling City in search of Sara and her killer as well as bring news of Malcolm Merlyn‘s (John Barrowman) survival of the Undertaking. From the looks of things in this episode Oliver (Stephen Amell), Thea (Willa Holland), and Malcolm are going to be tiptoeing their way around the truth quite a bit this season before all secrets are eventually laid out on the table.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #39

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #39Old Hob‘s would-be mutant army gets its first test when Pigeon Pete accidentally leads Rocksteady and Bebop right to them. Of course, it doesn’t take long for all hell to break loose. Realizing the danger her former enemies are in, Alopex steps out of the shadows and enlists the help of Angel and her high-tech suit. Donatello it seems has other plans.

More concerned with the events in Dimension X and the construction of the Technodrome nearing completion, Donatello leaves the group to enlist the help of Harold and work towards stopping the Krang invasion of Earth which he sees as a far greater threat that the Shredder‘s vendetta against Splinter and his family. I don’t expect this split to last all that long but it does open Donnie up for his own storylines while opening a spot on the team for my favorite new character of the series. Yeah, I’m pretty happy Alopex is back in action once more (now would somebody get busy making me a figure?). Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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