It's Anime Expo 2018 - Celebrate Cosplay Independence (Part 2)

Take Two - The Devil You Know

Tattiawna Jones guest-stars as a bounty hunter acquaintance of Eddie (Eddie Cibrian who ropes the dectives into helping her track down a large bounty. Not listening to her partner's concerns, Sam (Rachel Bilson) jumps in with both feet which eventually gets the pair into trouble. "The Devil You Know" is a mostly forgettable episode highlighted by another Charlie's Angels style undercover turn for Sam (this time in a biker bar) and the return of Brian Markinson who plays Eddie into unintentionally helping the former judge's chances at trial through a convoluted subplot that does eventually lead to an interesting scene between the two actors. If he should be released, just how large a role with the judge turned criminal mastermind play in the episodes to come?

Action Comics #1001

Brian Michael Bendis' run on Action Comics begins with the writer quickly putting to rest the rumors that Superman is responsible for the rash of fires in Metropolis. The idea that a criminal would pay a kid to implicate the Man of Steel to shift the investigation offers some reasoning for the bombshell and also temporarily hinders Superman's investigation (although is likely a big mistake in the long term).

Killjoys - Johnny Dangerously

Last week's season premiere caught us up with Dutch's (Hannah John-Kamen) adventures in the Green and offered a flashback to how she and Johnny (Aaron Ashmore) became RAC agents. "Johnny Dangerously" catches us up with the rest of the characters including the marooned Jacobi brothers and Delle Seyah Kendry (Mayko Nguyen), and lets us know what happened to the rest of the good guys following the sudden halt in the battle against the Hullen. Stuck in the middle of nowhere D'Avin (Luke Macfarlane) and Kendry take rash action to save a dying Johnny by injecting him with the Green. The process saves his life but also makes him more unstable and unpredictable.

Bikini Chain Gang

2004's Bikini Chain Gang was a made-for-TV erotic thriller. It's the kind of low-rent, poorly written and poorly acted, and highly sexualized movie you might find late night on Showtime or Cinemax. It appears this was made $12.50 on a lazy summer day by those with only a loose understanding of what a movie is.

We begin with a waitress (Beverly Lynne) unwilling to put out for her sleazy boss being framed as an accomplice to a robbery and sent to a Maximum Security Prison where she finds herself at the mercy of a sadistic prison guard (Nicole Sheridan).

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Movie Card Trader Awesome Pack 6

For more check out Movie Pack 1, Pack 2, Pack 3, Pack 4, and Pack 5.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Very much a sequel to Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible - Fallout brings back both heroes and villains from the previous film. As we saw in Rogue Nation, the various other government agencies are still struggling to work with the IMF. This isn't helped when three nuclear warheads slip through Ethan Hunt's (Tom Cruise) hands in the opening action sequence and are about to be sold on the black market to a terrorist with delusions of grandeur.

Forced to work with CIA thug August Walker (Henry Cavill), Hunt and his team (Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg both return) accept their assignment, but, as usually happens, things don't go according to plan. Rebecca Ferguson and Sean Harris both return to reprise their roles from the last film as a potential love interest for Ethan and a villain harboring and even bigger boner for the spy who put him behind bars.

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies

Since the show's introduction back in 2013, Teen Titans Go! has met with mixed reaction from fans. Some love the madcap feel of the short adventures while other felt DC strayed too far from the earlier (more serious take) found on the first Teen Titans animated series. Even if the show's writing has been somewhat inconsistent, I've enjoyed my share of Teen Titans Go! and my only real question was whether or not its slapstick style could work stretched out over a feature film? You bet your ass it can.

Voltron - The Colony

"The Colony" offers the turning point to the season that been foreshadowed for several episodes. The return of Keith (Steven Yeun) allows for the reveal of who Lotor (A.J. LoCascio) really is, and what despicable lengths he is willing to go to in his quest for quintessence (including harvesting Alteans as living batteries). It seems there's more than a little of his father in Lotor. Unfortunately for Allura (Kimberly Brooks), Keith doesn't arrive soon enough to spare her heartache.

Stellar #2

Issue #2 features Stellar squaring off against her old friends while intercutting the battle and its aftermath with flashbacks to Stellar's past and how, as children, they were chosen and turned into weapons for a higher purpose by a fascist government with their own agenda.

Elementary - Meet Your Maker

While on the search into a missing online dominatrix and part-time inventor, Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Watson (Lucy Liu) uncover the fact that both the woman and her boyfriend have been making illegal guns for a local gang (who have decided to cut out the middle man, kidnap the pair, and force them to teach the gang how to make the guns on their own). In an episode packed with quite a bit of plot, "Meet Your Maker" skips over the police taking down the gang and recovering the missing pair, instead of focusing on slowly unraveling why the motives behind her disappearance.

It's Anime Expo 2018 - Celebrate Cosplay Independence (Part 1)

Batman #51

It appears even Gotham's wealthiest bachelor can't escape his civic duty. Batman meets 12 Angry Men in the first issue of the post-Catwoman arc which features Bruce Wayne selected as one of the jurors for Victor Fries' trial for triple homicide. Tied to the courtroom, it falls on Nightwing to act as a stand-in for the Batman while Bruce struggles with listening to a defense attorney rip apart the case Batman built.

First Look - Shazam!

Here's our first look at the upcoming film featuring Zachary Levi as Earth's Mightiest Mortal. There's a little too much of the New 52 version of the character creeping in here than I'd like, but it looks like there may be some fun to have with the character formerly known as Captain Marvel getting his own film. Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, and Michelle Borth also star. The movie opens in theaters on April 5th.

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Take Two - Death Becomes Him

With the help of former Castle star Seamus Dever, Take Two delivers a fun episode involving a client (Dever) who hires Sam (Rachel Bilson) and Eddie (Eddie Cibrian) to save him from a hitman he hired when he mistakenly believed he was dying of cancer. Even after stopping the hitman, however, the detectives discover he isn't the only one who wants their client dead. With a plot that could easily have been used for Castle (or a number of other shows), Take Two allows the mystery of the week to drive the show and its cast to support it (and allow for some wacky fun such as dressing up the client to attend his own funeral). Dever is enjoyable as the paranoid quality control engineer and there are more than a few false trails for Sam and Eddie to navigate before discover the true motive for the crime. While the previous episodes of the series have ranged from meh to okay, this is the first legitimately good episode of Take Two. Maybe there's hope for it yet.

First Look - Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Season Seven)

News broke at Comic-Con that Star Wars: The Clone Wars would return for a Seventh Season on Disney's a 12-episode run on Disney's new streaming service. The trailer includes fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) who was written of the show at the end of its Fifth Season and appeared later on Star Wars Rebels.

Killjoys - The Warrior Princess Bride

While temporarily putting the bizarre adventures of the Green on hold, Season Four of Killjoys opens with a bedtime story for Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen). After she is wounded inside the Green by the Lady, Khlyen (Rob Stewart) offers the daughter he raised a bedtime story which he hopes will give Dutch the strength to fight back against their mysterious adversary. That story just so happens to be how Dutch and Johnny (Aaron Ashmore) got to the Quad and became Killjoys. While I'm still very much on the fence about the Green and how much of the series the storyline has taken up, its fun to see the show return to simpler times for our two heroes.

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The Wild Storm #15

With The Wild Storm #15 the tensions between I.O. and Skywatch continue to escalate and Henry Bendix attacks the Earth from space in retaliation with of one of his little sticks. While a temporary ceasefire is put into place between the two agencies following Bendix's latest move, it is unlikely to last (especially as both sides continue to plan for the destruction of the other).

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Both sequel and prequel to 2008's Mamma Mia!, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again returns most of the core cast for another romcom plot set to the music of ABBA. Since we saw her last, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) has managed to breathe new life in the dream of her recently departed mother (Meryl Streep) and is working towards the grand opening of the hotel. The return of her mother's best friends (Christine Baranski and Julie Walters) helps lessen the pressure of her estranged relationship to Sky (Dominic Cooper) and the absences of two of her three fathers on the eve of the big day.

There are some improvements here as co-writer and director Ol Parker limits the singing roles for some actors who struggled in the first film while allowing other actors to carry the bulk of the musical numbers. The flashback plot to Donna's original trip to Greece allows the casting of younger versions of all the characters in actors who are a bit more comfortable belting out the songs when called upon. Lily James is the stand-out as the younger Donna as the other actors look to have been primarily cast first for their physical likeness, second for their singing ability, and (unfortuantely) last for their ability to act.

Domino #4

Abandoned by their bestie, Domino's gal pals go in search of the villains targeting their friend. Unfortunately they find them. While the flashbacks suggest there might be a familial relationship between the two, Domino #4 reveals that there is indeed a connection between the powers of both Prototype and Domino. Domino's luck is derived from Prototype while making Domino hurt makes Prototype... well, honestly, I'm not exactly sure what his powers are yet.

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Superman #1

Following up the pair's six-issue mini-series The Man of Steel, writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Ivan Reis begin their run on the new ongoing Superman title. Superman #1 re-introduces readers to Superman's world, offers the creation of a new Fortress of Solitude, and includes cameos of Justice League members checking in after recent events.

Hendo Art's How-To: Prince Zuko's Burn Scar

Elementary - You've Come a Long Way, Baby

Although she doesn't appear in the episode, Jaime Moriarty's (Natalie Dormer) shadow looms large over "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" as Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) mulls over his father's (John Noble) plea for Sherlock to help him kill the only woman his son has ever loved before she kills his father. Of course there's also a case of the week to solve, this one involving murder, cigarette smuggling, and an ATF undercover operation that has spiraled out of control, but it's Sherlock's dilemma which carries the episode.

LEGO Voltron Defender of the Universe Designer Video Review

Game Night

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams star in this forgettable comedy as competitive couple Max and Annie who host a weekly game night for their friends Kevin (Lamorne Morris) and Michelle (Kylie Bunbury), and Gary (Jesse Plemons) and his girl of the moment. When Max's more successful brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) hijacks game night with an elaborate murder mystery trouble ensues as "coincidentally" Brooks just happens to be kidnapped for real on the same night he hired actors to kidnap him as part of the game. And no one realizes it isn't a game.

The script by Mark Perez (Accepted, Herbie Fully Loaded) offers some cheap laughs and chuckles, if you can swallow the absurd pretense. Lots of time is given to the relationships of the various couples, but it's really only when all are involved and the crazy is turned up to 11 (such as throwing a priceless piece of art around a gangster's mansion) that things get interesting.

Rolyat as Link (Legends of Zelda Cosplay)

Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #21

Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #21 offers two separate storylines for Ben Reilly and Kaine, while leading each down a path which should bring both Scarlet Spiders back together in the next issue. Reilly's search for the doctor who can cure Abigail Mercury ends in a fight with Sauron, and a cryptic message from the dying scientist about the Diogenes Initiative.

Take Two - Ex's and Oh's

The latest case hits close to home when Sam's (Rachel Bilson) ex-fiance (Greyston Holt), the one who dumped her on the red carpet, shows up after his home was burglarized. One of the items stolen from the apartment was the actor's laptop which just happens to include a sex tape of the pair of them he never got around to deleting. Sam and Eddie's (Eddie Cibrian) search into the burglary turns up the laptop but also draws the attention of some very bad people and the DEA who believe Sam's ex may be into heroin smuggling and money laundering. While there's still plenty of room for improvement,"Ex's and Oh's" is the best episode of the series so far offering a rationale for Sam's overreactions and more enjoyable moments between Berto (Xavier de Guzman) and Monica (Alice Lee).

The Amazing Spider-Man #1

Although I like the character, the are a couple of reasons I haven't been a regular reader on one of his titles for quite some time. The character's convoluted, and often retconned, history (which has been patched so often you can't see what it was originally supposed to look like) and writers who focus on making Peter Parker's life a struggle without capturing the joy of being Spider-Man, have too often made Spidey comics a chore to read.

The New Legends of Monkey - Hope Must Never Die

Although the set-up in the first episode of The New Legends of Monkey is a bit awkward, there is some fun to be had. In "Hope Must Never Die" we are introduced to a young monk (Luciane Buchanan) who, after the death of her master and a group of four warriors at the hand of a demon (Jarred Blakiston), it will fall on to bring back the Monkey King who can help restore order to the demon infested lands. Initially our heroine has the crown of the Monkey King in her position but doesn't know his location and is preparing a long quest to find him, and then all of the sudden she lacks the crown but knows exactly where the trapped body of the Monkey King resides. Like I said, a bit awkward. The episode spends quite a bit of time introducing us to characters irrelevant to our monk or her champion, who she does free at the end of the episode and takes on the name Tripitaka to help fulfill her master's quest.

ANIME EXPO 2018 COSPLAY

Voltron - Monsters & Mana

Okay, that was awesome! With their down time, the Paladins of Voltron sit down with Coran (Rhys Darby) for an Altean roleplaying game known as "Monsters & Mana." Almost completely separate from the other storylines of the season, the Dungeons & Dragons style episode proves to be the best of the series. Given the opportunity to play as different characters, we get Pidge (Bex Taylor-Klaus) as a Dwarf, Allura (Kimberly Brooks) as an archer, Hunk (Tyler Labine) as a mage, Lance (Jeremy Shada) as a thief, and (to the disappointment of all) Shiro (Josh Keaton) as a Paladin, as they work together to complete their quest and leave the larger issues of the galaxy to be solved for another day.

FanimeCon 2018 Cosplay Music Video (Part 6)

Star Wars #50

Issue #50 kicks off a new arc that shows the culmination of the Rebellion's hard work. The Rebel Fleet has finally been assembled. It's an impressive sight to behold. Finally, the Rebellion has a weapon to fight back against the Empire. While showing it off new toys and new level of unity to their closest allies, however, things begin to go horribly wrong.

The Outpost - One Is the Loneliest Number

Even with accomplished actors, a substantial budget, and intelligent writing, it's difficult to make fantasy work on-screen. The Outpost has none of these things. A cross between a fan film and a larping expedition, the opening episode of The Outpost introduces us to an elfish young woman named Talon (Jessica Green) who has lived in hiding as a human since her family was butchered by human soldiers 13 years ago. Working as a barmaid has its privileges it seems, as it has somehow also given her great abilities with a sword (enough to kill several fully-armed soldiers). After waiting for years, Talon is off to find and murder the men responsible for the death of her family which leads her to an outpost on the frontier where she comes face-to-face with her first intended victim.

The Man of Steel #6

The Man of Steel #6 wraps up the six-issue mini-series with one more confrontation between Superman and Rogol Zaar who battle from inside the Earth's core all the way to outer space and back to Earth. With Supergirl making the smart play and stepping in to end the conflict by trapping the villain in the Phantom Zone, neither Zaar nor Superman actually wins the fight and several questions remain about the alien, his hatred of Kryptonians, and Krypton's destruction.

Anime Expo 2018 Cosplay Gallery

Here's some cosplay from this year's Anime Expo.

Preacher - Gonna Hurt

Despite their wishes to leave, Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) and his friends remain trapped in Angelville for another episode as Jesse begins to work off the cost of Tulip's (Ruth Negga) resurrection. Despite warnings to Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) about hiding his true nature, the vampire is discovered by Jesse's family leading to the re-opening of the Tombs (yet another comprise Jesse promised never to make). Tulip's attempts to find a way out for Jesse lead her to make a dangerous choice with an unlikely new frenemy. While it's likely best for everyone if Madam Boyd (Prema Cruz) helps Tulip, it looks like she's going to need a little convincing

Catwoman #1

After the wedding to a certain Dark Knight Detective which didn't happen, Selena Kyle slinks off attempting to run away from her pain in the gambling dens and casinos. However, when Catwoman is framed for murder by an impostor, an exhausted Selina reclaims her role and hits the streets once more.

Elementary - The Adventure of Ersatz Sobekneferu

With Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) preoccupied with the arrival of his father (John Noble) in New York and the discovery that a potential assassin is trailing him, Watson (Lucy Liu) takes the lead in an odd case where a woman was murdered and had begun to be mummified by one of the world's most famous forgers (Stephen Spinella). The investigation leads to another forger (Julian Sands), and the father of the murdered young girl, but the real culprit is closer than the NYPD realizes.

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Take Two - Taken

Sam (Rachel Bilson) and Eddie's (Eddie Cibrian) vastly different histories with a night club owner create conflict when they accept the case to find the club's missing DJ (who turns out to be the mobster's illegitimate son). The case includes your usual amount of twist and turns, giving mystery a very Castle-esque feel (even if the dialogue and character interactions fail to measure up), before the pair recover the missing DJ and uncover the identity and motive of the kidnapper. The episode also offers more interaction between the assistants as Berto (Xavier de Guzman) and Monica (Alice Lee) try unsuccessfully to pump each other for information about their bosses' secrets. I think there's something worth tapping here, but it's still a bit unclear just big a part of the show these two will be. There's also some team building between the partners and Bilson in a ridiculous pizza costume in a subplot that would only make sense pre-Internet.

Captain America #1

If my math is right, this is the eighth relaunch of a Captain America title in the last 10 years. The latest finds a country broken and divided thanks to Hydra's recent takeover. It's not spelled out here exactly how Steve Rogers isn't responsible for being a Hydra agent, etc. (but, as no evidence is presented to the contrary, I'm just going to assume that some Web-Head made another deal with Mephisto). While setting up a new threat in Russia, most of the comic deals with Captain America and the Winter Soldier fighting the tail end of a battle in Washington D.C. by taking down some shitty wannabes idolizing an evil shittier original character.

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The Top Ten Movies of 2018 (so far)

With the year now half over, it's time to look back on 2018 to find the best movies released so far this year. This year's list includes super-heroes, animation, bold new worlds, nostalgic looks back, death, dark comedy, longing, and more. Here's a look at The Top Ten Movies of 2018 (so far).

The Death of Stalin

Very often, comedy comes from tragedy. The Death of Stalin is an unusual film. The political satire set during the days immediately before and after Joseph Stalin's (Adrian McLoughlin) death in Russia, the film follows the infighting and backstabbing among Stalin's most loyal subordinates who maneuver to control Russia following the party leader's death.

Rather than assemble a Russian cast, director Armando Iannucci brings together a group of primarily English and American actors (including Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, and Michael Palin), allowing each to perform in his natural accent. The result only increases the absurdity of the proceedings which is counter-balanced by the darkness of Stalin's policies.

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Batman #50

The wedding day finally arrives in the over-sized Batman #50. While the main story features the bride and groom to be getting ready for the big event, the comic is a standout for a series of full-page art by various DC artist capturing Batman and Catwoman over the years. My favorites of these are the classic 70s and 80s pages from José Luis García-López and Jason Fabok, the classic 50s look from Andy Kubert, the fun Spidey pose from Rafael Albuquerque, and the longing in Becky Cloonan's page. My only real complaint is that Bruce Timm isn't included (although Ty Templeton's take harkens back to that style).

Charlie's Angels #1

The classic TV-show Charlie's Angels gets new life as a comic. Dynamite Entertainment's new series keeps the Angels in the 1970s, and opens with the trio working undercover in the Limbo Lounge to overhear a meeting between a skeezy crook forcing his way into the profitable night club and his equally sleazy guest.

Luke Cage - Soul Brother #1

You know, it would be easier to take Luke Cage seriously if the all the villains on the show didn't appear to have been transplanted from a Steven Seagal movie. A bad Steven Seagal movie. Since we last saw Luke Cage (Mike Colter) his celebrity around Harlem has only grown stronger (his appearances are even the subject of a new phone app). Of course there are still threats, such as a new street drug being sold under his name and Shades (Theo Rossi) and Mariah (Alfre Woodard) are still around with a score to settle and plans to sell off their business and go legit. Misty (Simone Missick) is still around as well. Despite her handicap, she decides to return to the job.

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Mary and the Witch's Flower

Based on The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart, the Japanese anime Mary and the Witch's Flower begins in fire prior to settling down and introducing us to the precocious Mary (Hana Sugisaki/Ruby Barnhill) living in the lonely countryside with her Great-Aunt Charlotte (Shinobu Otake/Lynda Baron). Despite her best efforts and sunny attitude, Mary struggles with the lack of other children to play with and still not quite fitting in with the adults.

Over the course of a handful of days, Mary will make several discoveries which will change her life beginning with meeting a neighbor boy and discovering the rarest of flowers deep in the woods. While not initially connected, both will be part of Mary's introduction to a larger world of witches and magic which will amaze and frighten her as the flower and a broomstick, both left abandoned in the woods long, long ago, lead her to the gates of Endor College for witches.

Astro City #52

The longest continuous run of Astro City comes to a close in issue 52. Writer Kurt Busiek and artist Brent Anderson aren't going away as they still have several projects in mind to continue and explore a world where heroes are observed by, and often interact with, the city's locals. Even knowing that there are other graphic novels, mini-series, and one-shots still to come, it will be missed.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

2015's Ant-Man was a fun and lighthearted entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe that, while mostly enjoyable, would certainly rank among the weaker (and more forgettable) entries to the MCU. Ant-Man and the Wasp brings back former thief turned super-hero Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), the original Ant-Man Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), and most of the supporting cast and characters from the first film including Scott's former prison buddies and family. As in Ant-Man, several people are after Pym and his work. And given Scott's improbable return from the Quantum Realm at the end of the first movie, Hank Pym plans of his own.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay

Obviously inspired by the "Unhinged" story arc from Gail Simone's Secret Six, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay offers us the Suicide Squad after a mystical artifact in a grunge house style animated straight-to-video movie. Lacking the broader personalities of the Secret Six, the film does offer appearances of half their number with Deadshot (Christian Slater) working for the Suicide Squad and both Scandal Savage (Dania Ramirez) and Knockout (Cissy Jones) working for a competing interest that wants a mystical Get Out of Hell Free Card which will offer one lucky villain a trip to Heaven.
Opening with an unrelated mission featuring team members turning on each other, strippers, and a bloody body count, the tone for the film is set early on. Vandal Savage (Jim Pirri) and the Reverse-Flash (C. Thomas Howell) both seems an odd choices to be interested in the card, and I'm guessing they were used more as villains of convenience (which ties in the previous films and also allowed for Scandal's inclusion). Taking it on its own, it works as a sleazy B-movie. But comparing it to Simone's original tale, it's hard not to be disappointed.

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Take Two - Smoking Gun

After catching a Hollywood director (Jonathan Silverman) over a dead body with the murder weapon in his hand, Sam (Rachel Bilson) still isn't convinced of his guilt. Over Eddie's (Eddie Cibrian) objections, the pair take the case and begin to uncover clues that suggest Sam's gut (despite the obvious evidence against the murder suspect) may be right. When they uncover the fact that the producer's mistress was actually a grifter and blackmailer, an entire new pool of suspects is discovered. However, the real motive for the case turns out to be tied the producer's latest project involving a federal witness and those who want her dead before she shares more of her story.

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