Batman: Under the Red Hood

  • Title: Batman: Under the Red Hood
  • IMDB: link

Jason Todd. The mere mention of his name can lead to hour-long discussions between longtime Bat-fans. The street thug, who took over the mantle of Robin after Dick Grayson moved on to a new persona, died at the hands of the Joker (and, to be fair, at the hands of thousands of Batman fans). It took 17 years but, as comic characters have a habit of doing, Jason returned to the DCU in the guise of a sociopathic anti-hero: The Red Hood.

The latest direct-to-video feature from Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation is a faithful recreation of the Under the Hood storyline by Judd Winick (who also penned the script to the film). The film begins with the brutal death of Jason Todd (Jensen Ackles) from Batman: A Death in the Family before jumping right into the Red Hood’s first appearance in Gotham cowing local drug lords and forcing them under his thumb in his attempt to take the role as Gotham’s #1 crimelord from Black Mask (Wade Williams).

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Salt

  • Title: Salt
  • IMDB: link

Originally intended as a vehicle for Tom Cruise Salt was shelved and then given an impromptu sex change operation to ready the way for Angelina Jolie to headline the shoot ’em up. When your leading man becomes a leading lady the original script by Kurt Wimmer (Ultraviolet , Street Kings) had to be rewritten by Brian Helgeland (Conspiracy Theory, Assassins, Man on Fire), and director Philip Noyce (The Bone Collector, Clear and Present Danger) was tasked to make it all work. That’s an awful lot of time and effort to put into a project well before shooting was scheduled to begin. Too bad it wasn’t worth it.

Angelina Jolie stars as CIA Agent Evelyn Salt, a fugitive on the run after being accused, by the questionalbe word of a dying former Russian spy (Daniel Olbrychski ), of being part of a top secret Russian sleeper cell doomsday scenario more than three decades in the making.

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Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1

time-masters-vanshing-point-1-coverAs the cover tells us: “The Search for Bruce Wayne Begins!” (Actually, the search began two-and-a-half months ago with The Search for Bruce Wayne #1, but that’s neither here nor there.) Booster Gold, Superman, Green Lantern, and Rip Hunter will attempt to find Batman before he can cause irreperable harm to the timestream.

For the first time we’re given a reason (an analogy to a healthy body and a virus) why Bruce Wayne’s travel through time isn’t a good thing. It’s not the best rationale for the problem of why time seems to be unraveling, but at least we’re finally given one. I guess it will have to do.

I actually enjoyed this issue more than I have so far with The Return of Bruce Wayne. The perspective shifting to the group searching for Wayne instead of somewhat bewildered Batman (three issues in, it’s still unclear exactly how much of his real life the Dark Knight remembers) makes the quest more interesting.

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Psych – Romeo and Juliet and Juliet

  • Title: Psych – Romeo and Juliet and Juliet
  • tv.com: link

Let’s take a moment to celebrate the return of Psych for a fifth season. The opener, entitled “Romeo and Juliet and Juliet” involves rival Chinese Triad families, kidnapping, and a pair of star-crossed lovers. Here’s a clip of Shawn and Gus stealthily tracking a ninja (and not so stealthily breaking into his lair). Great stuff! The new season continues tonight on USA.

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Birds of Prey #3

birds-of-prey-3-coverThings go from bad to worse for our plucky heroines. Gail Simone has a couple twists up her sleeve, one of which should stop the bitching over the deaths of two marginal characters last month.

By the final panel the villains will stand revealed, along with a much larger plot, and none of it looks good for our heroes. (I can’t be the only one hoping Hawk gets killed, right?)

There are a couple of really nice moments here including Oracle‘s stunned surprise, a tearful possible farewell between Black Canary and her mates, some lurid daydreams by the Penguin, and Zinda‘s distaste at Hawk’s attempts to shield her from danger.

Next month’s conclusion of this first story arc should be a doozy. Worth a look.

[DC $2.99]

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