3 Razors

XIII – The Bank Job

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: XIII – The Bank Job
  • tv.com: link

xiii-the-bank-job

XIII (Stuart Townsend) follows former Director of the CIA Frank Giordino (Paulino Nunes) to Moscow where he is trying to retrieve his box of dirty little secrets in an FSB controlled bank before regrouping and figuring out his next move. To get to Giordino’s burn box first XII and Agent Jones (Aisha Tyler) recruit a Federally imprisoned safe-cracker (Nicholas Campbell) and their favorite genius computer hacker (Aaron Ashmore) for a government approved bank robbery in Russia.

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Rookie Blue – I Never

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Rookie Blue – I Never
  • tv.com: link

rookie-blue-i-never

In the season finale Gail (Charlotte Sullivan) deals with being stuck behind a desk following her recent suspension while the precinct hunts down kidnapper Jon Grey (Greg Bryk) who has escaped custody. Andy (Missy Peregrym) and Epstein (Gregory Smith) try to find the young girl (Niamh Wilson) who the man kidnapped and kept in a basement against her will for seven years while Swarek (Ben Bass) and Collins (Peter Mooney) try to get clues from the man’s cell mate about what his next move might be.

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Robot & Frank

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Robot & Frank
  • IMDB: link

robot-and-frank-posterRobot & Frank isn’t the kind of film that will surprise you. The story about a grump old ex-jewel thief with early onset Alzheimer’s who learns valuable lessons about life, friendship, and family is fairly predictable, and more than a little schmaltzy.

Frank Langella stars as Frank, a thief who spent the better part of his offspring’s childhood in prison creating a resentful son (James Marsden) and a loving absentee daughter (Liv Tyler). Unable to give his father the daily care he needs in the New York wilderness outside the small town, his son comes up with a solution – a personal robot.

Although initially resistant to the idea, Frank begins to soften to the robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) when Frank sees the potential to use his criminal past and the robot’s skills to resume his life of crime. As you might expect from a film like this, Frank begins to see the robot as more of a friend than a tool and the robot proves to be far more human than Frank, or the audience, is initially led to believe.

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Winter Soldier #9

/ / Comics

winter-soldier-9-coverBucky searches frantically for the Black Widow who has been kidnapped and reprogrammed by Soviet sleeper agent Leo Novokov into her former role as Russian assassin/classically trained ballerina. Of course all this leads to a big fight in the middle of a ballet performance between Bucky and Natasha, much to Novokov’s glee.

I’m not fully on board with the story arc that turns Natasha back into a brainwashed killer simply because it doesn’t go anywhere new and any fallout (such as the predictable bloody twist at the end) can be swept under the rug because Natasha isn’t responsible for any of her actions.

That said, even if I have problems with the concept, Brubaker’s execution is still well done. The comic does have a couple nice moments, my favorite being Bucky’s internal monologue as he squares off against Natasha and realizes how much she’s been holding back during their sparring sessions. Does a brainwashed Black Widow make for a dangerous adversary? Sure, but with the character currently involved in other Marvel titles I don’t see this arc having any immediate impact. For fans.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Justice League International Annual #1

/ / Comics

justice-league-international-new-52-annual-1-coverThis is an unusual comic, and not only because it’s an annual for a series that’s been cancelled, introduces characters we may never see again, and shows us there’s no hope the team, in any recognizable form, is returning anytime soon in a new title.

In Justice League International Annual #1 Guy Gardner quits (again), and Booster Gold puts together a new team from the ashes of the old JLI by welcoming O.M.A.C., Blue Beetle, and the Olympian. However, the new JLI will last less than a full issue as O.M.A.C., now under control of Brother EYE, goes berserk and tries to kill every other member of the team.

Even if it does feel rushed, and kind of a mess, the story does have some important moments of note including Godiva and Booster’s kiss (I’m sad it looks like these characters won’t be together anymore), Blue Beetle being sent to the homeworld of the Reach, and our the first time Booster’s time traveling for Rip Hunter has been officially made part of New 52 continuity.

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