February 2013

Red Hood and the Outlaws #17

/ / Comics

Red Hood and the Outlaws #17Set immediately following the events of Death of the Family, the latest issue of Red Hood and the Outlaws returns its main character (whose been conspicuous by his absence the last couple of months) as Jason Todd says his goodbyes around Wayne Manor before leaving with Starfire and Arsenal.

Not only does the Red Hood return here but the comic returns the focus of issue to Todd which makes quite a bit of sense as the former Robin talks with the current version, Dick Grayson, Alfred, and finally Batman himself before he’s finally ready to hit the road. I like all those conversations as well as Damian and Arsenal fighting to prove who is the more juvenile of the pair.

Red Hood has been a complicated character well before the New 52 in finding the right balance with the character’s deadly intentions and still honoring his past as Robin. For this issue writer Scott Lobdell gets it right which makes the comic’s twist all the more surprising as the Joker left our protagonist one final present which may have lasting effects on the Red Hood’s role going forward. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Elementary – Possibility Two

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Elementary – Possibility Two
  • tv.com: link

“A good detective knows that every task, every interaction, no matter how seemingly banal, has the potential to contain multitudes. I live my life alert to this possibility; I expect my colleagues to do the same.”

Elementary - Possibility Two

After making short work of the latest double homicide brought to him from Detective Bell (Jon Michael Hill), Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) is offered employment by a philanthropist (Dennis Boutsikaris) who wants Holmes’ to find the murderer he believes gave him the incurable illness which is slowly destroying his mind before eventually killing him. After initially turning down the potential client, Holmes has second thoughts when the police arrest the man for the murder of  his driver (Steven Hauck).

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Person of Interest – Relevance

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Person of Interest – Relevance
  • tv.com: link

“Set out to correct the world’s wrongs and you’ll almost certainly wind up adding to them.”

Person of Interest - Relevance

The latest number delivered by The Machine turns out to be operative Samantha Shaw (Sarah Shahi) who works for a shadowy government agency to hunt down and stop terrorist threats discovered by The Machine. Sam’s life is compromised when her partner (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) begins questioning where the numbers come from, leading the pair to be set-up by “Control” and marked for death. I’m sad to know that Fairly Legal won’t be coming back for a third season, but I’m happy to see Shahi sink her teeth into a role like this with the promise of more appearances to come.

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Robot & Frank

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Robot & Frank
  • IMDB: link

robot-and-frank-dvdSet in the near future, Frank Langella stars as a a grumpy old ex-jewel thief with early onset Alzheimer’s who learns valuable lessons about life, friendship, and family when his resentful son (James Marsden) and absentee daughter (Liv Tyler) procure for their old man a personal robot.

At first Frank is resistant to the idea of sharing his home with a robot, but when he discovers his computerized friend (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) has all the skills necessary to help him resume his criminal past he warms to the idea rather quickly. Susan Sarandon also has a small role as the town’s librarian, and Frank’s love interest.

Langella’s performance is the standout of the piece in this in this cute but schmaltzy tale that stumbles at times with bigger themes. The film works best when it focuses on Frank’s ability to manipulate those around him, including his robot, to always get what he wants. Robot & Frank is a flawed but nonetheless enjoyable film fans of offbeat heist films (such as myself) may enjoy. For more read my original review.

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G.I. JOE #1

/ / Comics

G.I. JOE #1G.I. JOE comes out of the shadows as IDW relaunches all their G.I. JOE related titles beginning here with a somewhat less covert team than we’ve seen in the past. General Joe Colton introduces Duke and acknowledges the existence of the JOE’s to the media before sending Duke and his team to to a media friendly mission to Warrenton, Ohio, where Cobra has established a chemical weapons plant.

For his team, and to fit under the Pentagon’s regulations of a proper mix of gender, ethnicity, and skill sets to market around and fulfill the mission, Duke chooses Roadblock, Quick Kick, Tunnel Rat, Cover Girl, Shipwreck, and Doc (each who has been given a new look and codenames by marketing a public affairs to enhance their likability – much to Shipwreck’s chagrin). He’s also saddled with including the JOE’s embedded blogger Hashtag.

When the JOEs walk right into a Cobra trap and get their transport shot down in the middle of downtown, what should be an easy assignment turns into anything but.

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