3.5 Razors

Samsara

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Samsara
  • IMDB: link

samsara-blu-rayNearly five years in the making, director Ron Fricke‘s attempt to capture the Buddhist idea of samsara (the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth) on 70mm is an intriguing proposition. Filming in more than 25 countries across five continents, Fricke and his team captured shots across the globe of nature, temples, ruins, cityscapes, their various inhabitants, and more.

Samsara doesn’t have a narrative structure in the conventional sense, but the amazing amount of timelapse footage from Fricke and his team paints a beautiful (and occasionally creepy) picture of our planet and its inhabitants sometimes set to music and sometimes set only to the natural sounds of the surroundings.

As as a cinematic achievement Samsara is impressive, however some viewers may find the film’s lack of structure or more coherent message disappointing.

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The Mentalist – Days of Wine and Roses

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Mentalist – Days of Wine and Roses
  • wiki: link

the-mentalist-days-of-wine-and-roses

The CBI is called in to investigate the murder of a rising young model who was killed in the park after sneaking out of a California rehab center. Meanwhile, Lisbon continues her investigation into Tommy Volker (Henry Ian Cusick), who has gotten away with a pair of murders including a witness she promised to protect.

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The Flash #15

/ / Comics

the-flash-new-52-15-coverAs Grodd and his gorilla army continue their assault on Central City the Rogues continue to do their best to fight back and Patty Spivot discovers the truth about Barry Allen.

I wouldn’t call the third issue of “Gorilla Warfare” filler, but does feel like The Flash is taking a bit of a breather before setting up the rest of the arc. The Flash spends nearly the entire comic comatose, his mind racing through the Speed Force showing him glimpses of the past and possible futures.

The art of these future-glimpsing splash pages is great, as we’ve come to expect from writer/artist Francis Manapul, but it does mean we get a little less content than usual. By the final panel of the comic our hero finally awakens, with the knowledge of the only way he can save his home is to turn himself over to Grodd.

With two issues left in the arc our hero is back on his feet with an impeding conversation with Patty, and a gorilla army to stop. Oh yeah, and Iris is still lost in time. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Promised Land

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Promised Land
  • IMDB: link

promised-land-posterHow far will you go for your job even when you know what you are doing is wrong? That’s the question at the center of director Gus Van Sant‘s Promised Land. Matt Damon (who co-wrote the screenplay with costar John Krasinski) stars as Steve Bulter, a rising star for a natural gas company sent in to a small town with his partner (Frances McDormand) to get his company an initial foothold in the state.

Butler is a closer, known for his ability to use his own small town upbringing to close communities far faster than anyone else. His last trip in the field before his big promotion leads him to a small town hit by hard economic times looking for just the kind of relief his company can offer.

What starts out as a simple sale is complicated by a variety of factors including a local science teacher (Hal Holbrook) against the dangers of natural gas, a possible love interest (Rosemarie DeWitt), and the arrival of a do-gooder (Krasinski) who scares off potential buyers with horror stories of how fracking has destroyed similar farming towns.

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