Warrior Nun – Psalm 46:5

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Warrior Nun – Psalm 46:5
  • wiki: link

Warrior Nun - Psalm 46:5 television review

Adapted from the comic book Warrior Nun Areala, the opening episode of Warrior Nun introduces us to a world where a legion of heavily armed nuns fight battles against an unknown foe. The field leader of the group (Melina Matthews) is injured in an attack and unable to be saved by the medical nuns (guess they have every type of nun in this series) with the yet-to-be-named enemy at the door. The opening episode of Warrior Nun could use a bit more world building as we’re left largely as clueless as to how the nuns operate (are they known? work in the shadows? vigilantes? some kind of official law enforcement?) although Father Vincent‘s (Tristán Ulloa) musings to a bartender near the end of the episode seem to point to most people being unaware of their existence and at least explain what the group is fighting against: demons on Earth.

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Batman: The Adventures Continue #8

/ / Comics

Batman: The Adventures Continue #8 comic reviewThe two part “Darker Knight” story concludes as Batman and Azrael discover who stole the Shawl of Magdalene from the Order of St. Dumas.

As in the first-half of the story, Batman’s concern over the the ferocity of Azrael’s actions (such as beating a lead out of the Penguin) continues to grow. However, despite the foreshadowing of a possible physical altercation between them, the pair do not come to blows as Azrael confronts Mister Freeze who hopes to use the shawl to save the life of his wife Nora. Fortunately for Azrael, after biting off more than he can handle in Freeze, Batman arrives in time to save the day wrapping up the tale and leaving the heroes on good terms.

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Altered Carbon – Phantom Lady

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Altered Carbon – Phantom Lady
  • wiki: link

Altered Carbon - Phantom Lady television review

One of the most intriguing aspects of both the show’s premise and the open-ended Season One finale, is that Altered Carbon can be reset with a new actor and new story whenever necessary (not unlike Doctor Who). 30 years after the events of last season’s finale, “Phantom Lady” opens with Takeshi Kovacs living in the body of a lounge singer waiting for payment. The arrival of a bounty hunter (Simone Missick) working for Horace Axley (Michael Shanks) forces Kovacs back to Harlan’s World in the body of a new sleeve (Anthony Mackie) with a new mystery to solve and a new lead to the whereabouts of Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry). The circumstances of Kovacs being reborn in Mackie’s body make sense (even if it leaves questions unanswered about the sleeve he ended Season One in), and the set-up will offer a new mystery to solve, although I’m mixed on the choice to make the new mystery as personal (involving the love of his life) at the outset as last season (which involved his sister).

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Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful
  • IMDb: link

Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful movie reviewAlthough the provocative photographer passed away more than a decade ago, Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful showcases the work Helmut Newton left behind as it views his life and career through the lens of models, editors, publishers, and family who knew him best. The documentary by Gero von Boehm may not offer many surprises, but it does celebrate the decades of work from Newton and make good use of interview footage of the man prior to his death in 2004.

Without making any attempt to offer a linear structure, Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful examines the roots of Newton who came of age in Germany during the rise of Nazism and the early influences in his life as a student for Yva and, in stark contrast, the work of Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl whose strong blond female subjects would become a staple of Newton’s portfolio. The film also addresses the charges of misogyny against Newton painting him as a naughty boy who loved and respected women while still wishing to push boundaries as a provocateur.

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