3 Razors

After Earth

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: After Earth
  • IMDB: link

After EarthBased on an idea from one of the film’s stars, the latest from director M. Night Shyamalan stars Will Smith and Jaden Smith as an estranged father and son in the far future who crash-land on a post-apocalyptic version of an abandoned Earth and must work together to survive. Part coming of age story, part father/son dynamic, part horror film, and part shaky science fiction, After Earth proves to be the most straightforward movie of Shyamalan’s career. Instead of twists or late reveals After Earth relies on drama, action, and ramped-up tension to play out a predictable story.

After racing through setting up this version of the future, the destruction of Earth, the settlement across the galaxy, and humanity’s battle with generic movie monster aliens known as Ursas (creatures who can smell and track fear of their prey across great distances), our story begins in earnest with General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) arriving home from his latest assignment to his talented but skittish son Katai (Jaden Smith) who on that very day has been denied advancement in the Ranger Corps for his inability to show calm in the face of danger.

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Uncanny X-Men #6

/ / Comics

Uncanny X-Men #6When I saw the line-up of this new Uncanny X-Men title the one name included that gave me pause was Magik, and it was for the probability of stories exactly like this one. Although Uncanny X-Men #6 certainly isn’t great, it’s better than I expected.

Trapped in Limbo with the demonic version of Magik known as the Darkchilde, the X-Men fight back against Dormammu (with a little help from the Stepford Sisters who embolden the team to stop wetting themselves and take the fight to the demon). Although it’s certainly not my cup of tea, Brian Michael Bendis tells the story well and provides some humorous moments (such as several of the team’s members trying to quit on the spot).

Also intercut with this is Maria Hill‘s decision that she needs an inside man, or in this case woman, on Cyclops‘ team to have a better gauge at what exactly the mutant activist wants and how far he’s willing to go to achieve those ends. Her choice is a bit ridiculous, but certainly one I can appreciate. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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G.I. JOE: The Cobra Files #2

/ / Comics

G.I. JOE: The Cobra Files #2The second issue of G.I. JOE: The Cobra Files opens with the son of the original Cobra Commander awaking from a coma. After shaking the kid up a little, the JOEs send in Chameleon for the role she was born to play, bending men to her will. Realizing his role as the team’s intelligence officer into Cobra may be diminished by Billy agreeing to cooperate, Tomax makes some moves of his own by beginning to plant seeds of discord among the ranks starting with the teams technical officer Clockspring.

Although Billy has only limited knowledge of the operation, he does offer the team a target: a Tiger Team known as the Night Creepers who recently attacked a base in Los Alamos to steal “exotic materials.” Flint‘s plan for catching the group is more than a little unorthodox as he proposes hiring the team… to break into the Pentagon.

G.I. JOE: The Cobra Files #2 is a solid issue that gives us a closer look at how the team does business, and how far they are willing to go to stop Cobra. For fans.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Nashville – I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Nashville – Why Don’t You Love Me
  • tv.com: link

Nashville - I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive

The show’s soapy First Season comes to a close with Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) reeling from the shooting of Dante (Jay Hernandez) and Jolene’s (Sylvia Jefferies) suicide, Gunnar (Sam Palladio) faced with the decision of choosing a career based on a the songs of his brother or fixing his broken relationship with Scarlett (Clare Bowen) who has been spending more and more time with Avery (Jonathan Jackson) both on-stage and off, the U.S. Attorney closing in on Teddy (Eric Close), Maddie (Lennon Stella) and Deacon (Charles Esten) learning the truth that Rayna (Connie Britton) has kept from both of them for 13 years, and the arrival of the CMA Awards.

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Natalie Maines – Mother

/ / Music News & Reviews

Natalie Maines - MotherSeven years after the release of the Dixie Chicks 2006 album Taking the Long Way lead singer Natalie Maines returns with her first solo album. Mother, a collection of seven covers songs with three original songs from Maines and her collaborators Ben Harper, Jesse Ingalls, Jason Mozersky, and Gary Louris. Although the eighth song credits her former band mates Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, the album is a complete departure from the Chicks mix of country, bluegrass, and pop that made them so successful over the years. Rather than a triumphant new beginning, Mother feels very much like Maines is still trying to find herself following her comments about George Bush and the backlash of the Chicks fanbase that led to the Dixie Chicks taking a prolonged hiatus.

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