1.5 Razors

Batman #11

/ / Comics

batman-new-52-11-coverThe “Court of Owls” storyline mercifully comes to an end here as Batman faces off against the head of the Court of Owls, a mad man who believes himself to be Bruce Wayne’s brother. Although Snyder backtracks a bit from last month’s reveal of the real identity of Lincoln March as Thomas Wayne, Jr. things are left far from settled as the issue, and arc, come to a close.

Most of the issue is little more than Batman and March (in some knock-off Iron Man armor the Court must have just had laying around) fighting around the rooftops of Gotham as March endlessly drones on about his right to the Wayne name, fortune and legacy.

Not surprisingly, the issue ends with Batman knowing that March was likely lying but unable to prove for certain. We also get scene between Bruce and Dick to smooth over the whole Batman cold cocking him thing and another chapter in the truly awful back-up story involving Alfred‘s father. Pass.

[DC, $3.99]

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Batman #10

/ / Comics

batman-new-52-10-coverUm… what? Writer Scott Snyder joins Jeph Loeb (who invented Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend turned super-villain) and Grant Morrison (who basically has carte blanche to do whatever the hell he wants concerning Batman and his history including turning him into 1970’s Tony Stark) in writing a major departure for the character that gives Bruce Wayne… a brother?

Batman (and several more victims than initially believed) have survived the “Night of the Owls.” Batman tracks the Court of Owls back to their base where he discovers they have apparently taken their own lives to escape justice.

However, Batman learns the truth as he discovers Lincoln March is alive and responsible… and claims he is Bruce Wayne’s brother?? And, given the back-up story (which appears to support his claim) it might even be true. Stop the merry-go-round, I want to get off. Snyder better have one hell of a twist up his sleeve to try and salvage what, apparently, this whole arc was leading up to. Pass.

[DC, $3.99]

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(They Sunk My) Battleship

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Battleship
  • IMDB: link

battleship-posterI don’t know the history behind how this movie based on a Hasbro board game got made, but I have an idea. I’m pretty sure director Peter Berg must have found himself at a Hollywood party where the alcohol was flowing freely and he stated emphatically that Michael Bay was a hack and anyone could make one of his movies. Battleship, I assume, was his attempt to prove this point.

Even for a movie based on a board game, Battleship is dumb. In fact it’s incredibly, inexcusably, mind-numbingly dumb. And for a film filled with explosions, big budget special effects, and alien attacks, the film is neither all that exciting nor enjoyable.

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Justice League #5

/ / Comics

justice-league-new-52-5-coverWow. This was just… Wow. If you could sum up the trainwreck DC’s New 52 has become in a single issue you might choose Justice League #5 as a prime example.

Writer Geoff Johns delivers more of Hal Jordan being brave but completely useless and Batman doing maybe the craziest thing the Dark Knight has ever done (and that’s saying something from a guy who trained a street kid with no scruples to become a lethal fighter and let a mentally unstable assassin for God run around in the Batsuit for the better part of a year).

Batman, in the middle of the battle takes off his cowl, exposing himself to Green Lantern, proceeds to tell Hal his life story… and then runs away.

Seroiously DC, WTF? I know Geoff Johns is capable of writing better dialogue and stories than this. However, I’m growing less and less sure that “artist” Jim Lee (and I use that term loosely) is capable of putting a panel of the Justice League together that doesn’t look completely half-assed and photoshopped. An early contender for worst comic of the year – Pass.

[DC, $3.99]

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The Most Overrated Movie of 2011

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Bridesmaids
  • IMDB: link

bridesmaids-posterBack in May a little film starring a mostly female cast and led by Kristen Wiig hit theaters and became the unexpected breakout comedic hit of the summer. Marketed to audiences as a The Hangover for women, Bridesmaids won favor not just with critics but with movie goers who stuffed theaters for months ballooning the film’s total domestic box office to almost $170 million. What follows is a dissenting opinion.

In the past, along with my Best of the Year list, I’ve occasionally done a list for the worst films I’ve been forced to sit through as a film critic over the same year. Rather than do that for 2011 I decided to take a look at films which generated discussion and praise and find the one which rankled me the most. There was one clear winner.

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