June 2014

She-Hulk #5

/ / Comics

She-Hulk #5With the opening arc to the new series complete, She-Hulk #5 moves forward with finally delving into the mysterious “Blue File” concerning a law suit in North Dakota with several heroes and villains named as defendants including She-Hulk. As Angie and Hei Hei head to a North Dakota courthouse to look for records of a case that’s been buried for years, She-Hulk sends Hellcat to discuss the lawsuit with fellow ex-Avenger Tigra while the jolly green lawyer pays a visit to the Shocker.

The jump from Javier Pulido’s art (found in the first four issues of the series) to that of Ronald Wimberly is more than a little jarring. That said, writer Charles Soule does well offering the reader breadcrumbs about the Blue File while not revealing anything more than the mere mention of the plaintiff or case can cause hero, villain, or city employee to go crazy.

Pulido’s style doesn’t work for me here, particularly in the big fight between Hellcat and Tigra, but the issue does provide a few fun such as the Shocker’s misconception about just how many Thors there are in the Marvel Universe. For fans.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Rookie Blue – Blink

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Rookie Blue – Blink
  • wiki: link

Rookie Blue - Blink

Picking up where last season’s cliffhanger left off, Swarek (Ben Bass) is rushed to the hospital following the shooting inside the precinct which further rocks Andy‘s (Missy Peregrym) world after seeing Chloe (Priscilla Faia) shot in front of her by the same shooter. After Chloe wakes from surgery asking for her husband (Clé Bennett), the exhausted and emotionally conflicted pair of Epstein (Gregory Smith) and Andy find their attempted break at diner down the street interrupted by a holdup by unstable couple (Adam Butcher, Jessica Greco). The busy season opener barely takes time to breathe while putting several members of 15 Division through the ringer in a quick-paced season premiere filled with strong moments including Oliver‘s (Matt Gordon) attempts to cheer Chloe up when Epstein is nowhere to be found.

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Justice League United #2

/ / Comics

Justice League United #2With the Justice League team transported to Rann the comic explains how the Ultra Project, meant to bring a group of constantly warring worlds together in peace, has been usurped by a madman who plans to use the product of the genetic experimentation and transform it into the ultimate weapon.

Introducing Supergirl to the team for the first time (but making no effort to explain why she’s not wearing a Red Lantern ring as she has been in her own comic for the past several months), Justice League United #2 gives us the still-not-quite fully-assembled team with more of the Green Arrow and Animal Man banter that so far has been one of its biggest strengths. With Supergirl’s arrival I’m hoping writer Jeff Lemire has plans to develop strong dynamic between the two younger female members as well as Kara may finally find the friend she’s been seeking in Stargirl.

The genetic plot is pretty goofy, but I’m willing to let this opening arc play out and see if Lemire and artist Mike McKone can make it work. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Graceland – Connects

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Graceland – Connects
  • wiki: link

Graceland - Connects

Choosing to allow Briggs (Daniel Sunjata) to go into Mexico to talk with the leader of the Caza Cartel helps Mike (Aaron Tveit) gets a lead on who put the hit out on him but their decision also puts them both in the dog house with Charlie (Vanessa Ferlito). Briggs finally discovers the guilt which has led Charlie to stakeout Pantillo’s widow Kelly (Brianna Brown) and decides to do a little recon of his own by introducing himself to the woman he made a widow as a fellow AA member struggling with sobriety.

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Jersey Boys

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Jersey Boys
  • IMDb: link

Jersey Boys

From the big musical numbers, to the characters stopping at times to directly address the audience and the staging of much of the action, Jersey Boys feels every bit the adapted stage jukebox musical which spawned it. Fans of The Four Seasons are likely to enjoy themselves, although 134-minutes of Frankie Valli‘s recreated high-pitched crooning in stereo surround started to wear on me before the credits rolled.

Choosing to go mostly without bigger names to sell the film, John Lloyd Young steps in to play the role of Valli which won him a Tony Award for his performance on Broadway. Vincent Piazza, Erich Bergen, and Michael Lomenda round out the group in this mostly by-the-numbers look at the rise and fall of the 60s group who produced a number of hits including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” Walk Like A Man,” and “Rag Doll.”

A tale of a bunch of Jersey guys who made good, Jersey Boys is your typical modern musical which feels more like a greatest hits of Frankie Valli’s life and music than the true story behind the band.

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