Southpaw

  • Title: Southpaw
  • IMDb: link

SouthpawDirector Antoine Fuqua‘s Southpaw is a relatively straightforward story of an athlete getting up off the mat after being knocked down by life. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as an undefeated boxing champion nearing the end of his career whose life is struck by a series of tragic events which cause him to reevaluate his priorities, attempt to become a better father to his daughter (Oona Laurence), and reclaim a life, both in and out of the ring, which he once took for granted.

The movie is highlighted by performances by Gyllenhaal, Laurence, and Rachel McAdams as the boxer’s wife. Both Forest Whitaker add 50 Cent a little life to the party as well, but neither is asked to color outside the lines of very basic characters.

Boxing fans are likely to get more out of the movie than others, although I think the first-person perspective used in spots during the climactic in-ring battle is a little disorienting.

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Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Chaos Theory

  • Title: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Chaos Theory
  • wiki: link

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Chaos Theory

“Chaos Theory” offers the not too terribly exciting backstory of how Andrew (Blair Underwood) became an Inhuman as Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) confronts her ex-husband about what she learned from Werner von Strucker (Spencer Treat Clark). Based on their own tip from Lincoln (Luke Mitchell), Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team, working with Rosalind Price (Constance Zimmer), also make the connection between Lash and Andrew and work to capture the threat. The team-up between the two shadowy govermnent agencies also allows for a debate between Daisy (Chloe Bennet) and Price over how the ATCU deals with Inhumans they have captured. Surprisingly Daisy is rather inept and arguing against turning innocent people, who may or may not actually turn out to be dangerous, into Popsicles without any kind of due process.

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Uncanny X-Men #600

Uncanny X-Men #600Brian Michael Bendis’ run on Uncanny X-Men comes to an end with the return of the original volume’s numbering structure (in yet another example of Marvel’s bizarre system where 600 immediately follows 35). The oversized issue brings a close various plot threads explored in his run, finds a way to bring Cyclops (at least partially) back into the larger X-Men family, the Beast being called on his (many) questionable decisions, and makes a couple of statements concerning the love lives of some of the time-displaced X-Men that other writers will have to sort out.

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