I do love this show. “Last Call” involves a 135 year-old bottle of scotch, a rustic tavern, and murder. This isn’t the best episode of the show (oh, it is a darn fine one!), but it does have a little of everything that makes Castle work including some great moments for its two stars to shine such as this scene between Beckett (Stana Katic) and Castle (Nathan Fillion) before questioning a murder suspect.
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There are certain movies that become impossible to separate from your specific movie-going experience. 127 Hours is such a movie for me.
I had heard the advance hype on Danny Boyle’s dramatic and joyous 127 Hours from the festival circuit: People are passing out in the theater because one particular scene in the movie is so intense.
Without giving too much away, the film is based on the true story of college student Aron Ralston (played by James Franco), who found his right arm trapped under a boulder on a solo mountaineering weekend in a remote Utah canyon. The infamous scene occurs towards the end of the film.
Through a combination of sound effects and music (along with the added dread of knowing what was coming for the 80 minutes leading up to the scene), Boyle created a sequence that had me raising one hand in front of my face. There is certainly a bit of a gory element to it, but that is unavoidable—and I humbly submit that it’s not the gore that is so affecting.
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It begins when the Spirit catches sight of Ophelia Ottoman at the funeral of her husband, gangster Jimmy Bauhaus. Concern for the attractive widow, and a nagging suspicion that everything isn’t quite as it seems, lead the hero to shadow Ophelia and try to uncover the secret she’s hiding.
After she kills the son of one of the other crime families tensions immediately rise and our gallant hero steps in, only to discover that the death of the accused rapist and the apparent death of Jimmy might not be what they seem.
Aside from the cover (ugh, can we get rid of these “First Wave” bars at the top and bottom, please!), there’s much to enjoy here. David Hine has gotten better over the series and here seems to have gotten the tone and humor of the character just right, and the art by Moritat proves to be seductive, humorous (I love the Sprit’s smirk!), and a little bit naughty. The comic also includes another b&w Spirit adventure by Walt Simonson. Worth a look.
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There is a point not too far into Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 where Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) informs Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) that everything going on, the sacrifices being made, the world falling into darkness, isn’t only about him. This is a sentiment backed-up by the rest of the film. Harry might still be the most important character, but he’s certainly not the only character.
There are several telling differences here. The first scene in the film doesn’t involve Harry at all, but Hermoine (Emma Watson) and the difficult choice she makes with respect to her “Muggle” parents (Ian Kelly, Michelle Fairley). If this dramatic opening isn’t enough to clue you in we’re in for a far darker Harry Potter then scene directly following will leave you no doubt.
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The cover has Bane riding a miniature Tyrannosaurus Rex, do I really need to give you a reason to pick this issue up? Okay, how ’bout Catman as the new Warlord riding a giant freakin’ cat through the armies led by his former teammates? In three words: Oh Hell Yeah!
The story itself is a little messy. Bane’s recovery and Scandal Savage‘s guilt take up quite a few pages, as does the dance between Amanda Waller and Spy Smasher (which ends satisfactorily with Waller turning the tables). It’s also unclear what changes the minds of Catman’s squad from seemingly abandoning their mission to going right to the palace and joining the army.
By the end of issue #27 we’re still left with two separate squads and only one issue left to conclude this fun, but bizarre, story arc. It’s not the best issue of Secret Six, but it’s a hellova lot of fun. And, did I mention it has Catman riding a giant freakin’ cat and mauling an entire army. Yeah, that’s pretty cool.
[DC $2.99]
