3.5 Razors

Batgirl #16

/ / Comics

Okay, so Batgirl is on the run from Gotham PD who think she’s murdered a college student. The real killers are the “Order of the Scythe” (horrible name, by the way). Not only have they got Stephanie running from the police but they’ve stolen technology including a speed suit.

Thankfully, the Batgirl most wanted storyline is dealt with in this issue and we won’t have it weighing down the title for months. Aside from their awful name, the secret society or guys dressed up as reapers aren’t bad villains for the title. Okay, they aren’t going to find their way into the best Bat-villain list anytime soon, but they work well enough here.

And after being framed for murder writer Bryan Q. Miller has given Stephanie the added incentive of revenge to track them down. We also get some great trademark great dialogue between Stephanie and Oracle and another appearance by “Detective McCute.” It may not be the title’s best, but there’s plenty here worth reading. Worth a look.

[DC $2.99]

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Tangled

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

During it’s heyday, Disney made a name for itself by turning out classic tales about princes and princesses, true love, and triumph over evil (usually with a few songs and cute creatures thrown in). With the studio’s 50th animated film, Disney goes back to the well with Tangled, based on the fairy tale Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm.

To save the life of their unborn daughter, the King and Queen steal a magical flower from the evil witch Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy). As revenge, the witch kidnaps the young baby whose hair had captured the healing powers of the flower which has kept Gothel alive for years. Her hair holds the power as long as it allowed to grow.

As the story opens, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) who has grown up in a secluded tower her whole life believing the old witch to be her mother, convinces a young thief, Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi), who breaks into her tower while fleeing the palace guards, to help her sneak out and see the world on her birthday.

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Luther

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Luther – The Complete First Series
  • tv.com: link

DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) is a brilliant detective but a flawed man. As the series begins Luther allows a child killer (Anton Saunders) to fall to his death rather than save him. The killer survives in a coma, and after a lengthy suspension and investigation Luther is allowed back on the force.

While working a different case every week Luther must also deal with his estranged wife Zoe (Indira Varma) and her boyfriend (Paul McGann), and the attentions of psychopath Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson) who takes a shine to him after he is unable to prove she killed her parents.

Created by Neil Cross Luther is a character driven procedural drama that works because of the flaws of our main character. He’s intelligent, driven, but also moody, reckless, and far too likely to put himself in the line of fire by offering himself as a target (a decision which triggers his unusual relationship with Alice). The final two episodes take a dark turn involving his close friend (Steven Mackintosh) and the fallout over a robbery and kidnapping gone horribly wrong.

The two-disc set includes all six episodes of the first season but not much in the way of extras. Still, for those who like cop dramas with a twist, and a fair share of strong performances, Luther is worth a look.

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Avengers #7

/ / Comics

The recent launch of several new Avengers titles, and new teams, has been a mixed success. The characters I like seem stretched across multiple teams, and the dynamic I enjoyed in the old New Avengers still has yet to be replicated.

I wasn’t impressed with the first story arc of this title involving time travel, Kang and futuristic versions of Tony Stark and the Hulk. The story didn’t work for me, and it seemed the team was missing something. Maybe they’ve found it.

Issue #7 introduces the Red Hulk as a possible new member of the team. Okay, I’m intrigued. I’m a little less intrigued by the villain which will force the team to accept the Red Hulk’s help – Parker Robbins, who it seems Marvel Comics is insistent on making a cosmic level bad guy, again. His latest ploy is to collect two of the Infinity Gems (with unheard of ease, by the way) giving him immense power and the ability to bend reality.

If the story moves forward Parker should be a match for the Avengers, and a villain worthy of the team needing all the help they can get. I just hope writer Brian Michael Bendis isn’t set on putting all the gems in the hands of this two-time loser.

[Marvel $3.99]

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Fair Game

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Fair Game
  • IMDB: link

Although Fair Game has the dubious honor of sharing a title with a truly awful Cindy Crawford/William Baldwin flick, thankfully that’s all the two movies have in common. Based on the true story of Valerie Plame, Fair Game focuses on the consequences of one man standing up for what he believes in, a talented woman who loses her job and reputation by no fault of her own, a government hell-bent on destroying the lives of two respectable citizens simply to change the news cycle, and how easily one piece of information can change everything.

Naomi Watts stars as CIA undercover operative Valerie Plame. After her husband Joe Wilson (Sean Penn) takes an information gathering assignment to discover if Iraq is buying yellow cake uranium from Niger, he’s horrified to learn the truth of his findings have been perverted to help justify the United States going to war with Iraq.

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