Getting hooked on LOST GIRL

I recently started watching this cool show called Lost Girl on SyFy channel last year and immediately fell in love with it. The series just had it's third season premiere last night and it's better than ever. It's about the intriguing and unbelievably sexy Bo, a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans. But she refuses to give in to those dark desires and instead help people by becoming a private investigator who specializes in those weird cases. Bo is played by the wonderfully named Anna Silk, and just exudes so much sexual energy, you can just feel it. I mean she is a succubus after all. Her friend Kenzi (played by the also wonderfully named Ksenia Solo) acts as her conscience and also provides a lot of humor. Now I'm still trying to get up to speed on this show as I have seen most of season 1 and a few episodes of season 2 but I still don't know all the characters and the over-reaching storyline as of yet. But it is certainly fun doing so. If you haven't been watching Lost Girl, I suggest you give it a try. It airs on SyFy every Monday night at 10 pm EST with Season 3 now just underway.

CAPTAIN AMERICA is another winner from Marvel Studios

I keep waiting for Marvel Studios to drop the ball and release a stinker. Well they are three for three this year with Thor, X-Men:First Class, and now Captain America. The story is set in 1942 and centers on a young man named Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) who is repeatedly rejected for enlistment in the army due to his numerous health problems and physique. But when a scientist named Dr. Erskine (played by Stanley Tucci) recruits him for his super soldier project to turn him into the perfect weapon to defeat Hitler, he accepts. Rogers is not the first person whom Erskine has tried his experiment on. Years ago Johann Schmidt (played by Hugo Weaving) was subjected to the treatment but had a dangerous side effect as his skin was mutated into a horrible red and skinless shape. And now he is power mad to rule the world, even disobeying orders from his superior Hitler himself. He calls himself The Red Skull now. Flash forward a few years and now Rogers survives the process and gains superhuman strength, speed and endurance to become a super soldier. His initial training sequences while he is still the scrawny recruit under Colonel Chester Phillips (a scene stealing performance by Tommy Lee Jones) are priceless. Rogers also catches the eye of British agent Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell who shines in a great role). Also on board is Howard Stark , yes Tony Stark's dead. He is played by Dominic Cooper and like father like son, has a weakness for the ladies and drink.

The first half of the movie is structured as the origin and more plot driven before it gives way to the action packed second half. Not to say the first half doesn't have action. There is an exciting chase sequence by Rogers after some enemy agents who have destroyed the location of the super soldier research building. Rogers is at first kind of worried and unsure that he can become the hero we all know he can be. So a lot of his early scenes are him learning on the go. Very comparable to Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

When he finally dons the uniform of Captain America, awesome and indestructible shield included, you can't help but swell up inside and say here we go. His fight scenes with Hydra agents and then finally The Red Skull himself are pretty intense. But this movie is more than just about the action. The budding and tender romance between Steve and Peggy is not normally seen in a comic book movie and it is very well done. You really care and hope that these two will hook up. The finale wraps up with a slam bang aerial showdown aboard Red Skull's huge aircraft as he intends to strike multiple targets all over the world with it's destructive power.

This was pure comic book bliss and the ending sets up the forth coming Avengers movie perfectly. As Cap will be joined by fellow heroes Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye under the guidance of Nick Fury (once again played by Samuel L. Jackson). AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! But we have to wait until next year for that. In the meantime we can enjoy Captain America till our hearts content.
B+

By Odin's beard, THOR brings it....

The latest Marvel super-hero to grace the silver screen arrives in the form of the God of Thunder, Thor. The brash warrior is played with effortless charm by Chris Hemsworth who loves a good battle. The action unfolds in the mystical realm of Asgard, another world which is part of connecting planets throughout the universe which includes Earth. Thor's father Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins) is about to crown Thor King of Asgard when their hated enemy, The Frost Giants invade the castle. After a brief skirmish, Thor demands retaliation but Odin forbids it. Thor's brother Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) manipulates his brother into a journey to the Frost Giants world. That sets up an epic battle right out of Lord Of The Rings, with Thor and his fellow warriors taking out waves of the giants. It's cool seeing Thor cut loose with his mighty hammer, Mjolnir as he spins it very fast or throws it and it always comes back to him. Pure comic book bliss.

But Odin becomes furious with Thor for his reckless actions and strips him of his powers and banishes him to Earth to learn some humility. It's there he encounters scientist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) and the two quickly form a friendship. While on Earth, Thor runs afoul of those pesky SHIELD agents and has an exciting fight that sees him take out about 20 of them. It's also where we get a glimpse of ace archer Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner). The crowd immediately was in heaven when they saw Clint grab his bow and arrow.

Back in Asgard, Odin takes ill and Loki assumes the throne and forms an alliance with the Frost Giants to finish off his dad. Loki also sends the massive weapon of destruction called The Destroyer to finish off Thor once and for all.

I love this movie. They got everything right from the beauty that is Asgard to the way Thor talks to his mannerisms. The visual effects are impressive. The battle scenes are exciting. And there is enough humor to keep things from getting to serious. Hemsworth is indeed a fine choice to play Thor and he is backed up by an impressive cast, especially Portman and Hiddleston. As Loki, Hiddleston is the master manipulator of all those around him.

This movie works on every possible level and Thor fits right in the Marvel universe of heroes like Iron Man and the upcoming Captain America. I can't wait to see all these guys together next year when The Avengers hit the screens.
B+

Justified on FX (Tuesdays, 10 pm EST)

Just watched the premiere of this new show on the cable network FX called Justified. And I enjoyed it. The network describes the premise as such: U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is a modern day 19th century-style lawman, enforcing his brand of justice in a way that puts a target on his back with criminals and places him at odds with his bosses in the Marshal service. That conflict results in a reassignment for Givens to the U.S. District covering the town where he grew up. He is an anachronism - a tough, soft spoken gentleman who finds his quarry fascinating, but never gives an inch. Dig under his placid skin and you'll find an angry man who grew up hard in rural Kentucky, with an outlaw father, who knows a lot more about who he doesn't want to be than who he really is. Timonthy Olyphant is perfect as Givens. You may remember him from the HBO western, Deadwood, as Sheriff Bullock. While Givens is just as forceful and take charge, he is also a little more friendlier. But he still will drop the bad guys without hesitation. The opening scene has Givens in a tense confrontation with a slimeball at a ritzy hotel having lunch. Givens says the guy has 2 minutes to leave town before things get messy. It's a situation that is just brimming with hostility and drama. I won't give away what happens though. Trust me, it gets your attention. Then Givens arrives back in his hometown to help with the US Marshal office there and immediately is thrown into a case involving his high school flame Ava and his ex buddy Boyd ( a wild eyed Walton Goggins, who was Shane from FX's other cop show The Shield). Boyd is running a white separarist group who is into blowing buildings up and making money from drug gangsters. When Givens rolls back into town, the former buddies meet and greet like all old friends do, but then things get violent. Givens stares down one of Boyd's lackeys who comes to fetch Ava (a beguiling Noelle Carter) who just recently shot and killed her abusive husband, who also happens to be Boyd's brother. Givens, who has a shotgun drawn on him by the guy just calmly says "Think you can rack in a load before I put a hole in you?". Tough guy talk in the Dirty Harry mold. Justified is not all about action though. In fact there are only 3 action scenes in the premiere episode but one involves a trio of US Marshals surrounded by the bad guys in a wild shootout in the streets. And then there is the climatic showdown between Givins and Boyd at the end. But Justified mixes the action with drama very well and Olyphant gives a commanding, centered performance. I intend to add Justified to my list of shows to watch and judging by the first episode, I'm in for an entertaining time.

The Human Target: One of the coolest new shows on TV

Thanks to some friends at work, I have been watching the supremely entertaining new series, The Human Target. The show, which airs on Fox on Wednesdays is a breath of fresh air amid all the reality shows, crime procedurals and medical series currently dominating the TV landscape. Mark Valley, fresh off of playing a twisty FBI agent in Fringe from last year, is perfect as Christopher Chance, a unique bodyguard/private detective who interferes with murder attempts by impersonating the intended victims to draw the killers' fire.While he is helping his clients, he is also trying to stay hidden from his former employers, who remain a mystery. But evidently they have a grudge against Chance and they can't wait to find him. Valley is supported by Chi McBride, who plays Winston, Chance's handler. And Jackie Earle Haley is on hand as Guerrero, a tech savvy specialist. The trio make a well oiled team. And Valley handles all the action scenes with a healthy dose of real he-man heroics. But he also manages to keep the show very light as things never get too serious or dark. Which is a good thing. There has also been an abundance of guest stars galore, in fact several from Fox's hit show back in the day, The X-Files. The Cigarette Smoking Man and Director Skinner have made memorable appearances so far. Also there is a fetching woman every episode that gets entangled with Chance. Nothing romantic but still entangled. The premiere episode featured Tricia Helfer (Number Six) of Battlestar Galactica fame. The Human Target is actually based on a DC comic book series created back in the early 70's. They even tried to launch this before as a Rick Springfield vehicle back in the 90's, which was just awful. But here, the series works because of the engaging cast and the wonderful mix of humor and action. A must see show that is devoid of heavy CG use and instead relies on good old fashioned stunt work. There have been 6 episodes so far and the series is on break until March 10th but you can catch the first episodes online to get up to speed. You won't be disappointed.

Review: Smallvile - Absolute Justice was absolute crap

The much hyped 2 hour Smallville event this past Friday night entitled Absolute Justice had me all jazzed to watch it. I really haven't watched Smallville ever since they unceremoniously dumped Kara aka Supergirl in Detroit a few years ago (with amnesia to boot) to get rid of the competition between Laura Vandervoort (Kara) and the other actresses Erica Durance (Lois Lane) and Allison Mack (Chloe). Well, that's the way I took it, I may be wrong. Don't get me started on that. Anyway, Smallville is in it's 9th season which is unbelievable in itself and Lex Luthor is long gone. His disappearance is still a mystery, his body was never found. So they bring in new villian Tess Mercer (one of the few bright spots on the show as played by Cassidy Freeman. Anwyay Green Arrow is still hanging around, don't know why and Clark is still not flying, which is ridiculous. I know the original mandate Smallville imposed on itself when it launched on the WB back in 2001 was NO FLIGHTS, NO TIGHTS. Which was fine for 5 or 6 years ago but Clark has exhibited all of Kal-El powers except for flight. The only time he has flowned it was when he was possessed by another Kryptonian or some other entity. I mean when Supergirl showed up, she was flying immediately. But I'm losing focus, I should be talking about Absolute Justice.  It did have a promising story as the villian called Icicle was knocking off former members of the super hero group, Justice Society. Chloe picks up on it and tells Clark he needs to find the other targeted heroes before it's too late. The heroes include Hawkman, Dr. Fate, and Stargirl. Plus Green Arrow and Martian Manhuter are on hand too. And they can't handle one little drip of a villian like Icicle. I kept waiting for Clark to show up and zap him with heat vision and say "Oh, ok what else do you guys need help with?" Come on, really. I just felt this event was padded to fill 2 hours when things could have been wrapped up in a single hour. I do like how they are trying to bring more of the DC universe into the show with Chloe running the Watchtower like Oracle does in the comics. And they introduced Amanda Waller, director of Checkmate, who runs her own little group called the Suicide Squad. She is effectively portrayed by Pam Grier. But the main thing with Smallville is now that the action is set in Metropolis and Clark and Lois have their back and forth banter, Clark still has not donned the famous red and blue suit. He is styling a long black leather coat and a shirt with a big S emblazoned on it. He really has taken hold of the concept that he is the greatest hero ever. It's time for him to step up and be the legend we all love and know. It's going on a decade now and we should be seeing more of the spectacle of Kal-El whizzing above Metropolis, doing his thing.What the hell are they waiting on. It they do that, Smallville could be come really good again. And play up the rivalry between Lois and Tess would be really good too.
D+