2.5 Razors

Uncanny X-Men #31

/ / Comics

Uncanny X-Men #31Uncanny X-Men wraps up the Matthew Malloy storyline with a bit of a cheat and in a way that teaches Tempus a horrible lesson about how messing with the past to remove someone from all existence is a good thing for a hero to do. First, I don’t buy Professor Xavier taking such a stance. And second, Tempus’ threat to do the same to Cyclops is not only out of line but also empty as any erasing of the existence of Scott Summers (who matters far more in Marvel history than Mally) would lead to any number of dire futures completely destroyed by the Phoenix or ruled over by Apocalypse or Magneto.

The other problem with the arc’s wrap-up is that removes the intriguing character of Malloy in a way that admits he doesn’t really matter (an argument at odds with everything the X-Men have stood for over the last half-century) as the character was never designed to be anyhing more than a plot device from the beginning. The fallout also leaves several questions about the future direction of this title with Scott closing his school and (apparently) choosing to roam the Earth like Caine in Kung Fu. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Guilty Pleasures – Once Bitten / Love at First Bite

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Once Bitten / Love at First Bite
  • IMDb: link
  • IMDb: link

Once Bitten / Love at First Bite

Sometimes studio released dual-packs are an odd mixture of movies thrown together. That’s not the case with Scream Factory’s new Double Feature of insane vampire parodies from the late 70s and mid-80s. Once Bitten stars a young Jim Carrey as a sweet high school virgin seduced by a mysterious older woman (Lauren Hutton) who just happens to be a vampire in need of his blood to continue her immortality. Mark’s increasingly odd behavior doesn’t going unnoticed by his equally chaste high school girlfriend (Karen Kopins) who, in true sex comedy fashion, will discover the perfect solution to saving Mark’s soul.

Love at First Bite is arguably even more ridiculous starring the world’s tannest man George Hamilton as Count Dracula who attempts to fit into New York City while stalking a fashion model (Susan Saint James) he belives to be the reincarnation of his great love and being perused by a descendant of the world’s greatest vampire hunter (Dick Shawn).

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Marvel’s Agent Carter – SNAFU

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Agent Carter – SNAFU
  • wiki: link

Marvel's Agent Carter - SNAFU

With next week being the season finale and last week seeing Peggy (Hayley Atwell) discovered and arrested by her own colleagues “SNAFU” is the episode everything has been leading up to… with, as we come to expect, mixed results. Peggy’s guilt or innocence is eventually sussed out through a convoluted hour where Dr. Ivchenko (Ralph Brown) lays his hands on the Stark invention Leviathan is so enamored with and the SSR team suffers another loss. Once again Peggy’s colleagues blindly stub their toes for most of the episode believing her to be a traitor in league with Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) which actually seems far more plausible than her list of actions over the course of the previous six episodes.

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Batman ’66 #19

/ / Comics

Batman '66 #19Widening the cast of villains, as the show did in the 1960s, to allow more variation unfortunately sometimes leaves you will bad guys like Lord Marmaduke Ffogg who arrives in Gotham City with his Londinium fog to plague the Caped Crusaders in the older sections of the city.

As expected given its guest-villain, Batman ’66 #19 is a mostly forgettable affair. There are a few bizarre touches like FFogg’s ridiculous giant pipe (which somehow steals Time Lord technology as it appears far larger on the inside), but I found the art of Leonardo Romero very inconsistent throughout the issue. Given that the story (with a villain whose motives are questionable at best) can’t stand on its own that leaves the reader with a very mixed bag. The villain’s henchwomen, and their obvious attraction to Robin, are actually more entertaining than the main villain.

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The Boxtrolls

/ / Home Video
  • Title: The Boxtrolls
  • IMDb: link

The BoxtrollsBased on the novel Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow, The Boxtrolls is the latest offbeat stop-motion adventure film from the same production company which gave us both ParaNorman and Coraline. The film centers on an orphaned boy named Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright) raised by an underground group of Boxtrolls hunted by an evil exterminator (Ben Kingsley) vastly exaggerating the creatures monstrous tendencies for his own ends.

As with the studio’s previous two films the animation is impressive while offering a rather straightforward message for children. But it’s nowhere near as entertaining as The LEGO Movie which Boxtrolls beat out for an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film. Although technically impressive the film itself is little more than a mild diversion.

Available on both DVD and Blu-ray, extras include commentary by directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, and ten short featurettes on various aspects of the movie. The Blu-ray also includes early storyboard animatic sequences and a digital copy of the film.

[Universal Studios, DVD $29.98 / Blu-ray $34.98 / 3D Blu-ray $49.98]

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