2 Razors

Civil War II #1

/ / Comics

Civil War II #1Apparently the House of Ideas is out of, well, ideas. Attempting to cash-in on the name recognition of one of Marvel’s biggest events, which coincidentally were just adapted for the basis of Marvel’s latest summer blockbuster, Civil War II offers a new story of the Marvel Universe heroes splitting into two “surprisingly” equal sides. While Civil War focused on what it meant to be a hero and offered debate about freedom and privacy versus safety and control, it’s sequel (as sequels are known to do) feels lightweight in comparison.

It all begins with an Inhuman who gets visions of tragic events yet to occur. With the Avengers, which apparently includes every single hero ever created by Marvel Comics at this point (except or Daredevil and Howard the Duck), the Inhumans are able to stop a Celestial from destroying the Earth. While Iron Man is reluctant to put his faith in one man’s visions of one possible future, and is squeamish for the moral implications of preemptively acting to stop a situation that might unfold differently than the Inhuman foresaw, Carol Danvers believes Ulysses’ abilities can help them save countless lives. Her choice to act on this knowledge creates the center of Marvel’s new rift.

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Beauty and the Beast – The Complete Third Season

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Beauty and the Beast – Season Three
  • wiki: link

The Third Season of Beauty and the Beast pits Vincent (Jay Ryan) and Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) against the dangerous Liam (Jason “Iron Eagle” Gedrick) who attacks the pair’s personal and professional lives to settle and old score. The season also introduces Gloria Votsis as the scientist responsible for engineering Liam.

Despite the introduction of legitimate threat in Liam, the quality of the show’s writing continues to be hit-and-miss. Three seasons in we still have the same problems from the show’s First Season: Kreuk still hasn’t convinced me she can play a cop and a GQ beast is pretty damn stupid.Highlights of the season include a fake wedding, Vincent and Catherine befriending a pair of assassins, and Vincent becoming more beast-like thanks to Liam’s influence before a rather disappointing finale.

Collected on DVD in a four-disc set, extras include deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

[Paramount, $45.98]

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Beauty and the Beast – Monsieur et Madame Bete

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Beauty and the Beast – Monsieur et Madame Bete
  • wiki: link

Beauty and the Beast - Monsieur et Madame Bete

With Liam (Jason “Iron Eagle” Gedrick) defeated new troubles threaten the happily married couple of Vincent (Jay Ryan) and Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) causing the pair to end their honeymoon prematurely. First, Vincent beasts out in order to save a French couple from a traffic accident. Second, a well-known conspiracy blogger begins putting together the pieces to uncover the truth about beasts. And finally, J.T. (Nina Lisandrello) and Heather (Nicole Anderson) are put themselves in danger investigating the blogger and finding a professional killer (Peter Wingfield) hunting the elusive beast.

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Legend

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Legend
  • IMDb: link

LegendBased on the lives of English gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray (both played here by Tom Hardy), director Brian Helgeland’s film is as unengaging a crime drama as I can remember. I gave the film multiple chances but other than offer Hardy the chance to play dual roles the movie has nothing going for it. In terms of nuts and bolts, Legend is competently made but lacks the heart to make us care about either of the Kray brothers or those whose lives were effected by their choices.

Helgeland wastes a solid supporting cast (Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, and Chazz Palminteri) on a story that doesn’t have much to say about gangsters we haven’t seen before. Legend isn’t an awful film, just a lifeless one (which in someways is actually worse than a truly awful film which can, on occasion, be entertaining for all the wrong reasons).

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Batman #51

/ / Comics

Batman #51The final issue, an epilogue if you will, to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s 4-plus year run on Batman comes to a close with what is very much a microcosm of Batman‘s self-titled comic during the New 52. Filled with some striking art, some questionable choices (why is Batman driving a penismobile?), humor, and a somewhat tantalizing mystery that ultimately leads nowhere all that interesting, Batman #51 is a fitting end to a period of the Dark Knight’s history I’d rather forget.

After the lights go out in Gotham, Batman is on the scene to keep the peace. However, in a switch that’s more than a little hard to swallow, nothing really happens on a night the lights went out in the crime capital of the DCU. While it works as a coda for the pair’s run, this is one of the most forgettable Batman stories I’ve read recently (which is still better than most the New 52 mediocrity).

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