Inception

  • Title: Inception
  • IMDB: link

The latest from writer/director Christopher Nolan is complicated, reality bending, multi-layered look inside the world of unconscious imagination. In the near future the ability to enter into an individual’s dreams and extract information has become a profitable, but highly illegal, enterprise. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb the leader of a group of experts who are the best at this type of information extraction.

As Cobb’s past catches up with him, both in the real world and that of his dreams, he’s offered a single chance to reclaim the life which was taken from him if he can perform the impossible: Inception. The idea is not to steal information from the latest subject, the heir to a business empire (Cillian Murphy), but instead implant an idea in his mind which will grow naturally and change one choice in the real world which could mean billions for Cobb’s client.

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Cyrus

  • Title: Cyrus
  • IMDB: link

At a time when lo-fi music is getting a lot of attention from critics and listeners alike, it’s not surprising to find a similar movement emerging from film. Dubbed “Mumblecore,” these movies forsake high production value for handheld, affordable cameras and a production style that emphasizes improvisation – whether it be camera angles or dialogue. The posterboys for Mumblecore are Jay and Mark Duplass, two brothers that have gotten some attention for their movies including Baghead, and last year’s Humpday (both of which are availible of Netflix Streaming.) They’ve come far enough that, despite taking advantage of low-budget limitations to inform their films’ style, their newest film, Cyrus, was actually financed by a major studio.

Whereas you can easily imagine filmmakers doing totally different things with their budgets when they expand from five to seven digits, it turns out that Cyrus keeps the same aesthetic. The only difference here is that, instead of using themselves and their friends as actors, Cyrus has some pretty well-known talent in front of the camera.

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Covert Affairs – Pilot

  • Title: Covert Affairs – Pilot
  • tv.com: link

First days on the job can be hard, especially if you’re a spy. In Covert Affairs Piper Perabo stars as FBI Agent Karen Sympathy…wait, that was something else. Perabo stars as CIA trainee Annie Walker who gets thrown into the field for a special assignment. Christopher Gorham and Anne Dudek also star. Although the Pilot is a little rough in spots, I could do without the jealousy of Annie’s boss (Kari Matchett) to her husband (Peter Gallagher), and I’m still very much on the fence of the mysterious love angle, there’s definite promise. If you like the short clip take a gander at the rest.

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Batgirl #12

batgirl-12-coverI’ll admit, originally I was less than happy with the choice of Stephanie Brown as the new Batgirl, but writer Bryan Q. Miller has proven me wrong. In this case I’m more than happy to admit my mistake.

“Batgirl Rising” concludes here as Batgirl sets out to save Oracle from the clutches of the Calculator with the help of the villain’s daughter (and one-time SuperFriend Wendy Harris).

Once again a strong issue all around. And I’ll give a shout out to artists Lee Garbett and Pere Perez for giving us just the right look for our spunky, smart, and sassy heroine.

A new Batgirl has found her place in the DCU, and I’m glad. Worth a look.

[DC $2.99]

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Secret Six #23

secret-six-23-coverWhat can you say about a comic where Bane rips off a man’s arms and beats him to death with them, Catman goes back on the hunt, Rag Doll eats off a man’s face, and Deadshot shoots down a chopper with a single bullet?

Fun? Yeah, fun.

Guest writer John Ostrander’s tale of the Six being hunted on an island is an intriguing one, but it lacks some of nuance and twisted glee Gail Simone usually provides. And personally I wasn’t a fan of the (almost pretty) art by RB Silva & Alexandre Palamaro which didn’t seem to fit the scruffy and gruff nature of the story.

Even if it’s not quite as good as usual there’s plenty of mayhem and madcap action that makes this issue worth a look.

[DC $2.99]

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