May 2016

X-Men: Apocalypse

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: X-Men: Apocalypse
  • IMDb: link

X-Men: ApocalypseX-Men: Apocalypse is a bloated film that wants more than anything to be epic in scale. Stuck with a ponderous first 45 minutes resetting up the world of the X-Men one decade after the events of X-Men: First Class (where apparently only some of our characters have actually aged) the movie has to spend far too much time catching us up on current events. With the script hamstrung by the need to properly introduce not only the movie’s villain Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), which means flashbacks to ancient Egypt, but also several new characters who will make up both Apocalypse’s Four Horseman (Olivia Munn, Ben Hardy, Alexandra Shipp) and the new version of the X-Men (Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Lana Condor) it takes quite some time before director Bryan Singer‘s movie gets on track.

With the resurrection of Apocalypse, who begins recruiting new mutants for his army, the movie begins in earnest with Mystique‘s (Jennifer Lawrence) return to the mansion and Professor X‘s (James McAvoy) abduction. After an appearance by Stryker (Josh Helman), used only to shoehorn in a cameo of Singer’s favorite mutant, Mystique will gather a few mutants together to reform the X-Men.

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Legend

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Legend
  • IMDb: link

LegendBased on the lives of English gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray (both played here by Tom Hardy), director Brian Helgeland’s film is as unengaging a crime drama as I can remember. I gave the film multiple chances but other than offer Hardy the chance to play dual roles the movie has nothing going for it. In terms of nuts and bolts, Legend is competently made but lacks the heart to make us care about either of the Kray brothers or those whose lives were effected by their choices.

Helgeland wastes a solid supporting cast (Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, and Chazz Palminteri) on a story that doesn’t have much to say about gangsters we haven’t seen before. Legend isn’t an awful film, just a lifeless one (which in someways is actually worse than a truly awful film which can, on occasion, be entertaining for all the wrong reasons).

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Arrow – Schism

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Arrow – Schism
  • wiki: link

Arrow - Schism

Just once I would like Arrow to end a season without Star City in flames. Is that too much to ask? “Schism” wraps up the season-long arc of Oliver Queen‘s (Stephen Amell) battle with Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) for control of Star City. Despite his bunker being destroyed, Darkh reacquires A.R.G.U.S.‘ missle technology with plans to start a nuclear holocaust to wipe out all civilization on the planet. Without a plan, Oliver makes a plea to the city to prevent it from tearing itself apart its final hours. It’s that small kernel of hope which Green Arrow uses to turn the entire city against Darkh.

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Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #15

/ / Comics

Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #15Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #15 takes Mystery, Inc. from Central City to the darkest jungles of Africa for a team-up with the Flash. After helping the Scarlet Speedster take down the Mirror Master, Scooby and the gang hitch a ride to Gorilla City where everyone, even Grodd, needs their help in dealing with a Gorilla Ghost haunting the city of telepathic apes.

Sholly Fisch and artist Dario Brizuela certainly have fun playing with the Flash’s super-speed (while making note of how everyone involved really should have their own television show). Choosing to make Grodd a victim rather than the gorilla behind the haunting of Gorilla City proves to be a nice twist.

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