Sledgehammer 44 #1

Sledgehammer 44 #1There’s something very Atomic Robo-ish about this first issue from Mike Mignola and Jason LaTour featuring a battle between men of iron in the middle of WWII (and I mean that as a compliment). Although less wacky than what you’d get from Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener, this first issue of a two-issue limited series about a man of iron who falls from the sky and the Army unit ordered to look after him is a pretty good read.

Although the art doesn’t quite explain the electric attack our metal hero uses on the Nazi troops and their robot of destruction, I really enjoyed LaTour’s designs. The mysterious man or robot in question, however, isn’t the focus of the issue as much as the unit he saves and who is tasked with keeping him out of the reach of the Nazis when his energy is spent.

I know Dark Horse, and Magnola in particular, like these two and three-issue mini-series, but I’m not sure the comic publisher might not have been better off teasing this and then releasing the whole story in a single old school double-sized issue to complete the nostalgic feel of the comic. For fans.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

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The Last Boy Scout is Under Siege after Olympus Has Fallen

  • Title: Olympus Has Fallen
  • IMDB: link

Olympus Has FallenOlympus Has Fallen comes from a long line of dumb action flicks that are more concerned about high body counts and how many rounds of ammunition can be pumped into nameless causalities at high speeds than little things like plot, logic, and character. Twenty years ago this kind of film would have starred Bruce Willis or Steven Seagal. Not surprisingly, this dumb-as-dirt action flick comes from a pair of first-time screenwriters (Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt) who pull from numerous similar films about a lone disgraced hero in over his head.

Gerard Butler stars as Secret Service Agent Mike Banning, the best of the best and a personal friend to the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart) and his son (Finley Jacobsen). In the film’s opening sequence an unfortunate turn of events forces Banning to sacrifice the First Lady (Ashley Judd) in order to save the President’s life. Although Banning’s service is exemplary, and he performed his duty perfectly, he finds himself sitting at a desk at the U.S. Treasury for 18 months (which is when the story picks back up).

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The Croods

  • Title: The Croods
  • IMDB: link

the-croods-posterIf you follow show business, you’ve probably heard that DreamWorks Animation isn’t doing too hot. Ever since they mercifully let their not-so-jolly green giant retire, they’ve struggled to find any other banner property to prop their studio on. And last year’s Rise of the Guardians was especially disappointing at the box office. To make things worse, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s studio laid off hundreds and had to break off from long-time distributor Paramount Pictures.

All of this culminates with The Croods, which DreamWorks desperately needs to be a hit to avoid slipping further into uncertainty. But The Croods is somewhat of a mixed bag. If the studio was going for a Hail Mary they failed, but it’s still a passable family film that should go down as a safe play.

The Croods is the prehistoric tale of a family of Neanderthals that have survived in a scant desert the only way they know how: by hiding in the dark almost constantly. Eldest child Eep (voiced by Emma Stone) is a teenager trying to escape the protective hold her father (Nicholas Cage! As a stupid caveman!) has held his family under to keep them from being eaten by something.

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G.I. JOE Blind Box Mini-Series

g-i-joe-blind-mini-series

From The Loyal Subjects come these 3in. Mini-G.I. JOE figures. The figures are sold separately in blind boxes, meaning you won’t know which one of the 11 figures (which include Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Destro, Cobra Commander, Zartan, Gung-Ho, Duke, and Snow Job) you’ll get, for $13 a piece. You can also plop down a hefty $208 for an entire case of 16 figures (but with the possibility of multiple duplicates still isn’t guaranteed to get you a full set).

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Psych – No Country for Two Old Men

  • Title: Psych – Psych – No Country for Two Old Men
  • tv.com: link

“Gus, don’t be the remake of Yours, Mine and Ours. For that matter don’t be the original, either.”

Psych - No Country for Two Old Men

After celebrating moving in with Juliet (Maggie Lawson) with their friends and family Shawn (James Roday) goes a bit overboard in his attempts to force Henry (Corbin Bernsen) into a friendship with Juliet’s stepfather Lloyd (Jeffrey Tambor). A simple package pick-up escalates quickly and gets his father shot at (twice). Henry’s ever-lessening trust in Lloyd isn’t improved by an impromptu plane ride into Mexico, being thrown into a Mexican jail, and being kidnapped by the most wanted man in Mexico (Tony Plana).

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