4.5 Razors

Rebirth of a Hero

/ / Comics
  • Title: Green Lantern: Rebirth
  • Comic Vine: link

Green Lantern: Rebirth

In late 2004 the state of the Green Lantern was a mess.  Ron Marz’s (also known as Satan in many comic book circles, and rightly so) ill-conceived “Emerald Twilight” storyline, which turned one of the greatest heroes of the DC Universe into a murderer, had destroyed the legacy of the old comics, killed off the Green Lantern Corps, and left one new and unproven Lantern, Kyle Rayner, to carry the franchise.  Hal Jordan became a villain, then later died in a final heroic act before returning as the Spectre.  It was a mess.  DC, wanting to undo what it recognized as one of the biggest mistakes in its 70+ years of operation, turned to Geoff Johns to fix what Marz had screwed-up a decade before and return Hal Jordan and the Corps to the stars.

Kyle Rayner returns to Earth with the body of Parallax.  Elsewhere the Spectre seems to be losing control and the heroes of the DCU gather together to once again stop a man who was once one of their own only to find others with power rings in their way including Guy Gardner, Kilowog, and John Stewart, and the last of the Guardians of the Universe, Ganthet.

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  • IMDB: link

Harry Potter finally gets a little style. Harry Potter’s 5th installment of the film is well balanced in acting, technique, mood and storyline, and is a complete joy to watch. I found myself more enthralled in the characters and their relationships with one another instead of being completely bashed with one special effect after another like the 4th film. The Order of the Phoenix kept a great balance with their computer-antics and maturity of characters. Harry has his first kiss, Ron is no longer the complete blubbering idiot, Hermione isn’t so girly and winy and plenty of screen time for characters that had such small parts in the past. Getting a few extra storylines from other characters like Sirius Black, Fred & George Weasley, Neville, Luna and Cho makes the film feel more complete and a whole than just focusing on Potter’s little group. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the best of the 5 to date.

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Once

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Once
  • IMDB: link

once-poster

Once

is an unpretentious film that has all the makings of a huge hit, between the music and chemistry amongst the leads there is no escaping the compassion that overwhelms. Humorous and poignant, this independent Irish driven musical doesn’t get caught up in the mundane, but rather keeps in tune with an inspiring romance.

Once showcases the talents of Glen Hansard, singer/songwriter for the popular Irish band The Frames, and the delicate voice of Markéta Irglová, a new and refreshing face to the big screen. No worries if you are not a big musical fan, Once doesn’t pound you over the head with one song after another, but adds a perfect mix of dialogue and character interaction to accompany the music.

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Ocean’s Eleven

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Ocean’s Eleven
  • IMDb: link

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George Clooney, Bernie Mac, Brad Pitt, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle and Julia Roberts play off one another as if they have been acting together all their life. With a cast like this do you need any other reason to watch such a film, besides the excitement and the magic?

Close to the 1960’s Ocean’s Eleven, here is an exciting adventure and puzzle to watch. Ocean’s Eleven starts with a bang and ends with a complacent group standing in front of the Bellagio fountain light show. Danny Ocean (George Clooney), recently released from jail, gathers just the right group of con artists, pick pockets and immoral crew to pull off the biggest con ever, robbing three Vegas casinos owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Amongst the talented crew is the dashing and always eating Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), a young pup of a pickpocket Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), and a British accent pyro Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle).

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TMNT

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: TMNT
  • IMDb: link

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What was your introduction to the turtles?  Was it the, best forgetten, live-action films?  Or was it the late 80’s cartoon with their jokes, and commercial and toy tie-ins?  Or the recent Fox cartoon relaunch?  Or was it the slew of arcade and Nintendo games?  Or were you, like me, introduced to the foursome through the original pages of a black and white comic book Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles?

I ask because whatever your vision of the turtles is will color how you view the film.  Fans of the games, the cartooons, and even the other films, may indeed be disappointed as the characters, for the most part, are stipped bare to more closely resemble the original creations.  It may surprise many, who keep refering to the “new look” of the film, which is anything but new.  It’s not a perfect film, but for a comic adaption to a series that had lost all credibility it’s as close to perfect as you can fit into a PG film.  The turtles have finally come home.

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