5 Razors

The Human Target #2

The Human Target continues to surprise as the second issue introduces the dying Christopher Chance to the Justice League International‘s Ice in something of a femme fatale role who charms Chance into spending the day with her (using up one of his 11 remaining) while offering her help on the case and attempting to convince him that her best friend, despite strong motives, isn’t responsible for the attempt on Lex Luthor’s life.

Ice, rather than Fire, is an interesting choice for this role which seems far removed from her role within the JLI but still fits within the established character while offering something new. She mesmerizes Chance who notes both her coldness and the warmth of her charms. Chance accepts Ice’s help, and a late reveal gives an interesting spin on their entire day together, but our dying hero can’t help but speculate if he’s already met his killer.

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Summer of Soul

  • Title: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
  • IMDb: link

Summer of Soul movie reviewIn the same summer as Woodstock, the Harlem Cultural Festival held a series of concerts to celebrate African American music and culture. The more than 40 hours of concert footage has been sitting around for decades and now can finally be seen.

Director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson weaves the performances together with a cultural narrative and interviews from surviving performers and attendees. Along with the numerous great performances, Summer of Soul also captures the immense crowds present at the events only to see the concert be lost to time. Until now.

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1991 – The Silence of the Lambs

  • Title: The Silence of the Lambs
  • IMDb: link

The Silence of the Lambs movie review30 years ago, on Valentine’s Day, The Silence of the Lambs was released in theaters. While not the first of Thomas Harris‘ novels to be written about Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), nor the first to be adapted to film, The Silence of the Lambs stands out from the rest for the odd pairing central to its story. With prequels, sequels, and even television series, Hollywood has searched for a way to recreate the magic of a film that took home Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay while earning a reputation as an instant classic. 30 years later, they’re still looking.

The first thing you notice about watching The Silence of the Lambs is how well it holds up building tension and teasing the audience where the story will lead next. We start with the introduction of a FBI trainee sent to interview the former psychiatrist and currently incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer. The unusual relationship between the pair will provide the heart of the film as Lecter offers to help Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) hunt down a current serial killer, and former patient, Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), as the tabloids have named him, who is killing and skinning young women.

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Young Justice #17

Young Justice #17 comic reviewI kinda love this issue. Taking place after the dust has cleared between the epic battle between the Justice League and the Legion of Doom we get a quiet standalone story featuring the League and Young Justice doing clean-up in Metropolis and teenager Yolanda Chan being bowled over at what she is witnessing.

There are some nice moments of camaraderie here as the Young Justice team continues to gel along with some sweet mentor/apprentice conversations between League members and the Young Justice heroes (the best of this involves Wonder Woman checking in with Wonder Girl and the Flash, thankfully minus all the extra crappy New 52 additions to his costume, catching up with Impulse at super-speed).

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Black Cat #12

Black Cat #12 comic reviewBlack Cat versus Iron Man, ’nuff said. After stealing herself some Stark armor, Black Cat leads Iron Man across the city on a joyride filled with some fun banter and a solid twist that leaves old Shellhead shell shocked. It’s the perfect culmination to Felicia’s recent notable thefts.

Black Cat #12 is the best issue of the series. Sadly it’s also the final issue of the series. Despite being in the middle of the year-long arc of Felicia’s war with Odessa Drake and the Thieves Guild, Black Cat has apparently become a COVID casualty. Still, the story teased at the end of the issue, which would have appeared in Black Cat #12 featuring a fight with Queen Cat will apparently take place in the upcoming Black Cat: Queen in Black (although no word yet on Felicia’s war with the guild).

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