3.5 Razors

River’s End

  • Title: River’s End: California’s Latest Water War
  • IMDb: link

Using California, specifically Southern California’s heavy irrigation and consumption of water pumped in from Northern California and elsewhere, director Jacob Morrison examines a growing water crisis involving far too many players fighting over far too scarce a resource.

At the heart of the film is the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta which provides water to much of the state including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and one of the largest (and most profitable) corporate industrial agricultural businesses in the world. The Delta also provides water to its existing area, including farms and an increasingly fragile ecosystem feeling the effects of decades of too much water being taken out of the Delta. The documentary offers examples of the ecological disaster of Lake Erie and the destruction of the Owens Valley as potential futures for the Delta unless changes are made.

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The Amazing Spider-Man #77

Peter Parker is in the hospital fighting for his life. The Beyond Corporation has bought the rights to Spider-Man. And Ben Reilly is back as Spider-Man. Things certainly have changed. Personally, I’d much prefer to see Reilly as the Scarlet Spider which was far more successful that his last stint stepping in for Peter. But it looks like that’s not in the cards. Ben Reilly is now Spider-Man (and with an entire conglomerate working on gadgets and doodads for him).

After seeing Ben in action for the past couple of issues, The Amazing Spider-Man #77 takes a step back and examines the life of a corporate super-hero trying to live up to both internal and external expectations. If Ben is likely to have struggles, they may be more from Beyond than what he faces on the streets. It’s more building block than standalone issue, although it does offer Spidey versus Morbius for a late fight cliffhanger.

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Silk Stalkings – Witness

  • Title: Silk Stalkings – Witness
  • IMDb: link

The murder of the week involving the death of an actor shot in the middle of a cuckold threesome takes backseat to Rita’s (Mitzi Kapture) interest in the 15 year-old homeless girl (J.C. Brandy) who witnessed the body dump. While there is a murder to solve, Rita’s attention is focused on keeping the girl safe from the killer and attempting to get her the help she needs (even after she steals from the soft-hearted detective). Morgan Brittany guest-stars as the woman whose bed the victim dies in while Barry Laws plays her jealous murdering husband. The episode also introduces Kristen Cloke as former model turned clothing designer Annie Overstreet who will stoke Chris’ passions for a handful of episodes before exiting, stage left.

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Stargirl – Summer School: Chapter Twelve

  • Title: Stargirl – Summer School: Chapter Twelve
  • wiki: link

The penultimate episode of Stargirl‘s sophomore season works mainly to set the stage for next week’s finale and the big showdown with Eclipso. Returned from the Shadowlands, Courtney (Brec Bassinger) reluctantly accepts the help of Cindy Burman (Meg DeLacy) while trying to put the rest of the new JSA back together. Cindy’s involvement proves to be the one thing to tempt Yolanda (Yvette Monreal) back into action. Meanwhile Mike (Trae Romano) tracks down Thunderbolt, and Pat (Luke Wilson) makes a (somewhat scary) trip to the hospital to get the other member of the team out of prison. The episode ends with the heroes reunited but with looming trouble as Eclipso eyes his new host foreshadowed by Jennie (Ysa Penarejo) vision.

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Leverage: Redemption – The Jackal Job

  • Title: Leverage: Redemption – The Jackal Job
  • wiki: link

The team gets their newest client when Sophie (Gina Bellman) and Breanna (Aleyse Shannon) cross paths with a legendary grifter (Joanna Cassidy) fighting early-onset Alzheimer’s who a crooked guardian (Kraig Dane) and an unscrupulous judge (Bill Kelly) are taking advantage of. Somewhat similar to “The Van Gogh Job,” the episode includes a flashback story with one of the cast taking on the role of the main character as the team work with the legendary grifter to remember her biggest score and find what they need to free her from her current predicament.

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