August 2015

Sense8 – W. W. N. Double D?

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Sense8 – W. W. N. Double D?
  • wiki: link

“I sense a costume opportunity.”

Sense8 - W. W. N. Double D?

As Amanita (Freema Agyeman) gets insight into Nomi‘s (Jamie Clayton) past as a hacker, skills she puts to good use to try and trace back who is behind the forced lobotomy of patients around the world with symptoms similar to her own, the pair discover just how large the stakes are when they get an up-close glimpse of the violent world they have peeled back the curtain to expose. Despite growing comfortable in his new role Capheus (Aml Ameen) is also awakened to the fact of just how violent a world he too now finds himself while working for a man willing to chop off a man’s hands with a machete without a second thought.

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Justice League: Gods and Monsters

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Justice League: Gods and Monsters
  • IMDb: link

Justice League: Gods and MonstersI was ecstatic when I heard Bruce Timm was returning to DC for a new animated feature. One of the creators behind Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited, the animated DCU just hasn’t been the same since his departure. When I heard the premise of the movie, however, I was more skeptical. It turns out I need not have feared that Bruce Timm might be corrupted by the grit of the New 52 that’s turned so much of DC’s comic and video output to shit. Timm certainly delivers a darker and more adult story than expected but it’s still grounded in a profound understanding and love for these characters that is far too often lacking in much of DC’s current output.

Although the word Elseworlds doesn’t appear in its title that’s exactly what Justice League: Gods and Monsters is: a story set in an alternate version of the DCU vastly different from the any we know. The result is as unexpected as it is enjoyable. It may not be classic Timm, but the man certainly hasn’t lost his knack for characters, design, or storytelling.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #18

/ / Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #18“Old Demons” comes to a close as despite Archaeus‘ temporary hold over Angel pitting Buffy‘s ex against her current undead boyfriend, and having a host of lesser demons to fight off the rest of the Scoobies, the gang finds a way to come through in the end. Despite the fact that the arc comes to a close here with Archaeus’ defeat neither the demon nor the “Restless Door” artifact are taken out of play leaving the opportunity for one or both to make an appearance later in the season.

The further Buffy gets from the end of Season Three the less weight an appearance by Angel has on the character. More fun is the interaction between Spike and Angel (part of what made Season Five of Angel so entertaining). Not only does Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #18 finally allow the pair to bury the hatchet but it also forshadows future trouble for Buffy’s rekindled romance (although I’d be happy to see Angel proved wrong).

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2000 – Bring It On

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Bring It On
  • IMDb: link

“I am a choreographer.  That’s what I do.  You are cheerleaders.  Cheerleaders are dancers who have gone retarded.  What you do is a tiny, pathetic subset of dancing.  I will attempt to turn your robotic routines into poetry, written with the human body.  Follow me, or perish, sweater monkeys.”
 

bring-it-on-posterReleased on or around this date 15 years ago, here’s a look back at 2015’s Bring It On. Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst) gets her dream when she becomes the captain of the Fighting Toros cheerleading squad, only to find her world go downhill faster than a cheerleader on the football captain.

On her first day one of her teammates is injured (Bianca Kajlich) causing a mad search for a replacement.  Torreance, against the wishes of most of her teammates, chooses new transfer, punk girl Missy (Eliza Dushku), who has the gymnastic background but not the usual cheer spirit.

Torreance’s world gets even crazier when Missy informs her that the award-winning cheers the Toros are using were stolen by the former captain of the Toros (Lindsay Sloane) from a nearby urban high school (led by Gabrielle Union).  An attempt to use a choreographer (Ian Roberts) to create the team a new routine blows up in her face, and her cheating and unsupportive college boyfriend (Richard Hillman) destroys he confidence and prevents her from acting on her feelings for Missy’s brother Cliff (Jesse Bradford).

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Mr. & Mrs. Smith

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
  • IMDb: link

Mr. & Mrs. SmithOriginally released in theaters 10 years ago, Mr. & Mrs. Smith stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who, unbeknownst to each other, are rival spies for competing spy organizations. Doug Liman‘s 2005 film has held up pretty well over the past decade. Pitt and Jolie are fun together in a script that allows them to play off each other and, when called for, kick each other’s ass in one hell of a prolonged action scene that leaves their suburb home destroyed.

Most notable for its action set pieces, Simon Kinberg‘s script also has its share of humor (including a Fantasy Island joke that never fails to tickle my fancy no matter how many times I see the movie). It’s not a great film by any standard, but it still works well as a mostly-entertaining action flick (especially the first hour). Released several times on both DVD and Blu-ray, the new version includes pre-released extras and a digital copy of the film but sadly the Blu-ray only includes the theatrical cut of the film as the unrated extended version isn’t available on this release.

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