2.5 Razors

Zoom

  • Title: Zoom
  • IMDb: link

ZoomThrowback Tuesday takes us back to the box office and critical failure of 2006’s super-hero comedy Zoom. The film stars Tim Allen as a former teen super-hero brought back to the secret government program 30 years later to help train a new generation of heroes (Michael Cassidy, Kate Mara, Spencer Breslin, and Ryan Whitney). As with most of these team hero tales, about half of the powers turn out to be useful while the rest are used mainly for comic relief (although rarely for big laughs).

The supporting cast is made up of over-the-top characters in charge of the program played by the likes of Courteney Cox, Chevy Chase, and Rip Torn. Unaware of the looming threat (which turns out to be his long lost brother, played by Kevin Zegers, driven insane by government testing), and resenting being drafted into service against his will, Allen is stuck is schmuck mode for the first-half of the film.

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The Lost Symbol – The Araf

  • Title: The Lost Symbol – The Araf
  • IMDb: link

The Lost Symbol - The Araf

Professor Robert Langdon (Ashley Zukerman) and Katharine Solomon’s (Valorie Curry) treasure hunt continues in the second episode of the series as the pair get some assistance from a mason (Tyrone Benskin), and friend of Katharine’s father, to elude the CIA and figure out what their next move should be. The “big” reveal here is that the incomplete pyramid is a map to this mysterious portal and translating it has something to do with a Bible verse. Um, okay. Meanwhile, Peter Solomon (Eddie Izzard) makes marginal progress in an escape attempt, only to be dragged back into captivity, and the mysterious Mal’akh (Beau Knapp) offers Langdon an ultimatum about his travelling companion (which doesn’t make much sense if he wants Langdon to succeed as he’ll need all the help he can get).

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Green Lantern #6

Green Lantern #6Green Lantern #6 is notable mostly for the first meeting between Sojourner Mullein  and Sinestro on New Korugar while Simon Baz looks to calm down the out of control of the rampaging Teen Lantern (mostly off-panel, which turns out to be just as disappointing as it sounds).

The issue doesn’t offer much in the way of action, but the first meeting between Sojourner and Sinestro is pretty good stuff with each feeling each other out and get an understanding where the other stands in a universe with the Green Lantern Corps in shambles.

In the B-story that won’t die, the comic also catches back up with John Stewart, the refugees he rescued from the void, and the rest of the former Lanterns heading off to save Kilowog from some Gold Centurions (whatever those are).

[DC, $3.99]
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The Lost Symbol – As Above, So Below

  • Title: The Lost Symbol – As Above, So Below
  • IMDb: link

The Lost Symbol - As Above, So Below

Adapted from Dan Brown’s 2009 novel of the same name, the opening episode of The Lost Symbol might be the most Dan Brown thing ever captured on film. As seen in The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno, Professor Robert Langdon (played here by Ashley Zukerman) is pulled into a bizarre mystery where his knowledge of history, symbology, art, cryptography, and obscure religious trivia will be put to the test against a secret cult (what else) determined to find secrets buried hundreds of years ago. The first episode focuses on Langdon being lured to Washington, D.C. to discover his mentor Peter Solomon (Eddie Izzard) has been kidnapped by a shadowy conspiracy hoping to force Langdon into discovering the location of their prize.

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Lady Bloodfight

  • Title: Lady Bloodfight
  • IMDb: link

Lady Bloodfight movie reviewThrowback Tuesday takes us back to to 2016 and an all-female martial arts tournament called the Kumite. The script by Bey Logan and Judd Bloch is more confusing than it needs to be with unnecessary subplots getting the way of what should be a straightforward fight film. The movie opens with two competitors fighting to a draw in the tournament, and each given the opportunity to train a fighter for the next Kumite. Each take their sweet time, finding a suitable student at the last minute.

The tranquil Shu (Muriel Hofmann) chooses the unlikely American Jane (Amy Johnston) whose sudden trip to Japan is more about learning about father’s participation years ago (when it wasn’t an all-female tournament?) than running away from the brutal beating she gives would-be gang rapists offering a particularly vulgar Southern hospitality half a world away. The vengeful Wai (Kathy Wu) chooses street thief Ling (Jenny Wu) with a mean streak that matches her own (in yet another twisty subplot). Despite the talented field, and the tampering of an unscrupulous gambler, there’s never a doubt who will settle the feud in the tournament’s final match.

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