Morning Glories #37

Morning Glories #37The latest issue of Morning Glories centers around yet another of the Truants as it follows the roaming astral body of the comatose Akiko who, while talking to her comatose body, roams various moments of her past, current unfolding events around the school (and possible future?) including meeting Danielle Clarkson, her days growing up and learning in Abraham’s Camp, a ballet recital for the older Jade, and making it down to the basement to comfort the blinded Fortunato.

Given that all we see in this issue occurs during a dream state, albeit a far looser one than some that we have witnessed in the past, its unclear how much is true and how much (such as the visions the young woman sees when performing in front of an older version of Jade she seems to know but can’t possibly have met yet) is actually true and how much is simply the dream. As to the lessons learned from Akiko’s experiences, even if her dreams are more clear, the meaning behind much of what we see continues to be suggested but largely shrouded in mystery (as fans have come to expect).

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Pretty Little Liars – Unbridled

  • Title: Pretty Little Liars – Unbridled
  • wiki: link

Pretty Little Liars - Unbridled

Setting up next week’s season finale, “Unbridled” gives the Liars an excuse to dress up in bridal gowns to get backstage and snoop in the DiLaurentis home following Ezra‘s (Ian Harding) bombshell that he believes Mrs. DiLaurentis (Andrea Parker) is A. Still reeling from her break-up, Aria (Lucy Hale) has mixed emotions with the surprise return of her mother (Holly Marie Combs) while Emily (Shay Mitchell) still struggles to deal with Paige‘s (Lindsey Shaw) betrayal which has Gabriel Halbrook (Sean Faris) digging up Alison‘s (Sasha Pieterse) grave for answers.

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2004 – Spartan

  • Title: Spartan
  • IMDb: link

“Where’s the girl?”

Spartan

Ten years ago today David Mamet‘s thriller Spartan opened in theaters starring Val Kilmer (in one of his best roles) and a relatively unknown actress (Kristen Bell) only months away from her career breakthrough as a spunky teen detective. Although my favorite Mamet scripts are his satires (State and Main, Wag the Dog), Spartan is an underrated gem that received neither the box office nor critical success it deserved.

Kilmer stars as a member of Delta Force tasked with finding the President’s daughter (Bell) before anyone realizes the young woman is missing. As with other Mamet thrillers, the plot offers twists and turns in a slowly unraveling mystery involving white slavery, kidnapping, family secrets, and questionable orders that costs several good people their lives and careers.

As you would expect from a Mamet film, the supporting cast is top-notch including Derek Luke as Kilmer’s junior partner, Clark Gregg, William H. Macy, Tia Texada, and Ed O’Neill.

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Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Yes Men

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

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Yes Men

The Asgardian siren Lorelei‘s (Elena Satine) arrival on Earth brings trouble to Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team when the enchantress bends Ward (Brett Dalton) to her will, as she does with all men she meets, and sets her sights on building and army and conquering all of Misgard. Luckily for S.H.I.E.L.D., Odin has sent Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) to Earth to help stop Lorelei and bring the witch home.

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Magneto #1

Magneto #1Over the years Magneto has been many things: super-villain, teacher, victim, wanderer, savior, and enemy to all human-kind. With Magneto #1 writer and artist find a new path for old warrior who has left Cyclops‘ camp and begun a journey of his own seeking out those who have harmed mutants and exacting revenge.

Far more low-key than usual, this version of the character does his best to stay off the radar of various government agencies like S.H.I.E.L.D. while performing his own kind of brutal justice. Although his power-set is still limited the character seems far more in control of his powers than we saw in Uncanny X-Men as he has no trouble in taking out an entire police station and an Omega Prime Sentinel left in the world to target those just like him.

I’ll admit I’d have preferred the character to stay with Cyclops rather than becoming the vagabond vigilante we see here. However, it’s certainly an intriguing set-up and offers a variety of stories to be told in the coming months. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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