4.5 Razors

Begin Again

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Begin Again
  • IMDb: link

Begin Again

Released this week on Blu-ray and DVD, writer/director John Carney‘s tale of the unexpected friendship between a down-on-his luck record label exec (Mark Ruffalo) and a heartbroken singer-songwriter (Keira Knightley) ranked at the top of my favorite films from the first-half of 2014. My opinion hasn’t changed.

With a pair of terrific leads and a talented support cast that includes Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, Adam Levine, Mos Def, and James Corden, the movie works as well on home video as it did in theaters as the mismatched pair of attempt to record an album on the fly around New York City in an enterprise that is at least as much about getting over life’s recent hurdles as the finished project. For more, read my original review.

The Blu-ray includes music videos for the movie’s big numbers and a single behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the film.

…

Begin AgainRead More »

Begin Again Read More »

Atomic Robo: The Knights of the Golden Circle #4

/ / Comics

Atomic Robo: The Knights of the Golden Circle #4Atomic Robo‘s Old West adventure continues as the time-displaced science-adventurer and his new companions Doc Holliday and U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves face off against the army of cyborg warriors created by Baron von Helsingard’s in his secret war zeppelin factory hidden in the Rocky Mountains from which he plans to attack the United States. Got all that?

Quickly running out of power, Robo doesn’t allow that to stop him from jumping straight into the fray and attempting to stop Helsingard’s army before it is unleashed on the country (all while debating the time ramifications of such an occurrence taking place). And despite the odds, Holliday and Reeves continue to lend their support (even when it means jumping through the air to land on a moving zeppelin).

Brian Clevinger and artist Scott Wegener don’t skimp on the action or humor as the latest Atomic Robo limited series continues to rolling along towards its conclusion in the next issue. Worth a look.

[Red 5, $3.50]

Atomic Robo: The Knights of the Golden Circle #4 Read More »

Person of Interest – Prophets

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Person of Interest – Prophets
  • wiki: link

Person of Interests - Prophets

Other than being forced to live their days in their new cover identities and be far more careful of helping the numbers delivered to them by The Machine, the world of Finch (Michael Emerson) and his friends hasn’t been largely effected by Samaritan going online. That all changes here. In an episode that offers flashbacks to Harold’s own difficult creating a trustworthy artificial intelligence, “Prophets” showcases what a system without his painstakingly-created safeguards is capable of accomplishing in almost perfect secrecy.

…

Person of Interest – ProphetsRead More »

Person of Interest – Prophets Read More »

Astro City #16

/ / Comics

Astro City #16Born out of an unpublished Superman script that was never published, Kurt Busiek’s “Wish I May…” examines the tragic super-hero/super-villain relationship between teen hero Starbright and his high school nemesis Simon Sez. With a pair of different narrators, both looking back from the future, the structure of Astro City #16 is more complicated than your average comic book put the pay-off is certainly worth it.

Dealing with themes of heroism, bullying, sexual identity, revenge, rebirth, redemption, and the tempestuous crucible that his high school, Astro City #16 delivers by looking back on a single day with the hero and villain declared a truce in order for both of them to get what they wanted (if only for 24-hours).

The result is another great addition to the current Astro City series, a heartfelt message to those still struggling to find themselves during adolescence, and a hero in Starbright who I hope to see much more of in the future. Must-read.

[Vertigo, $3.99]

Astro City #16 Read More »

Grendel vs. The Shadow #2

/ / Comics

Grendel vs. The Shadow #2The three-issue mini-series resumes as Grendel continues to grab control of the city’s various crime families and bring them under his banner while ruthlessly killing any who stand in his way. Grendel vs. The Shadow #2 also gives us the first meeting between the pair which both Lamont Cranston and Hunter Rose will think long and hard about in the days to come as each has apparently met an adversary they may not be able to defeat.

Despite the $6 price-tag, Matt Wagner again delivers with a terrific double-sized prestige comic pitting the iconic hero against Wagner’s greatest creation. Following the battle, much of the comic is set aside for each man to contemplate his enemy. Hunter Rose also continues to make a professional splash in his new home, and charm a crime boss’ daughter as well. And Grendel gets the best of The Shadow not once but twice. First, despite his defeat, he survives and escapes their initial encounter (something few villains can brag about accomplishing). And second, he immediately recognizes Cranston as the man behind the scarf setting up another battle in the final issue. Must-read.

[Dark Horse / Dynamite, $5.99]

Grendel vs. The Shadow #2 Read More »