The new NBC comedy, WELCOME TO SWEDEN, has a pretty interesting back story. It was created by Greg Poehler (yep, he’s Amy’s brother) and stars Greg, along with Josephine Bornebusch, in the first new U.S. series to be on both American and Swedish TV. Greg and Josie talk about bridging the cultural comedy gap, plus after 11 years in reality TV, Trista Stutter (THE BACHELORETTE, DANCING WITH THE STARS) has a new project. She joins Gretchen Rossi (REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY) and other reality celebs in MARRIAGE BOOT CAMP and they both tell us what we can expect on the series.
BURBANK, CA (July 10, 2014) – Just in time for Arrow’s third season on The CW, catch up with the hard-hitting action series as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG) releases Arrow: The Complete Second Season on Blu-rayTM Combo Pack and DVD and on September 16, 2014. The releasecontains all 23 action-packed episodes from the second season, plus the one-hour Season One recap episode, “Year One,” and over 90 minutesof extra content, including episode commentary, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, six mini-webisodes, and a gag reel from The CW’s #1 series among Total Viewers. Arrow: The Complete Second Season is priced at $59.98 SRP on DVD and $69.97 SRP on Blu-ray Combo Pack.
Billionaire archery enthusiast Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) returns for another season in Starling City. Sworn to fight crime and corruption in his city, Oliver (aka the Arrow) – with the help of the tech-savvy Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) and his iron-fisted right hand, John Diggle (David Ramsey), and the occasional, reluctant assistance of former police detective Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) – has been waging a one-man war on crime. But in all wars, there are casualties. To honor his fallen friend, Tommy Merlyn, and protect the people he loves, Oliver must rededicate himself to his mission and be more than just a vigilante. He must become a beacon of hope for the city’s most vulnerable…and a weapon of justice against those who prey upon them. Malcolm Merlyn (aka the Dark Archer) rocked Oliver Queen’s world in the first season finale of Arrow, but who’s going to pick up the pieces? Find out in season two as Oliver Queen goes from Hood to Hero!
Arrow: The Complete Second Season 9-disc Blu-rayTM Combo Pack contains 4 Blu-rayTM discs, 5 DVD discs, and an UltraVioletTM copy of all 23 episodes from season two, plus the season one bonus recap episode. UltraVioletTM allows consumers to download and instantly stream the episodes to their computers, tablets and smartphones. The UltraVioletTM episodes are a limited-time offer. Restrictions and limitations apply. Go to ultraviolet.flixster.com/info for details. The Blu-rayTM will be released in 1080p Full HD Video and will feature DTS-HD Master Audio for English 5.1.
Arrow stars Stephen Amell (Private Practice), Katie Cassidy (Gossip Girl, Melrose Place), David Ramsey (Blue Bloods, Dexter), Willa Holland (The O.C.), Emily Bett Rickards (Flicka: Country Pride), Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf, The Gates), Manu Bennett (Spartacus, The Hobbit), withSusanna Thompson (Cold Case, NCIS) and Paul Blackthorne (The River). Based on the characters from DC Comics, Arrow is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (Dawson’s Creek, Green Lantern, Brothers & Sisters), Marc Guggenheim(Eli Stone), and Andrew Kreisberg(Fringe).
BLU-RAY & DVD FEATURES
Three new featurettes:
From Vigilante to Hero– Documentary highlighting Oliver Queen’s journey from fighting injustices to becoming Starling City’s resident savior.
How Did They Do That?! The Visual Effects of Arrow– Explores how Season 2 has raised the bar for action and effects, showing how the creators can make anything the writers dream up come to life.
Wirework: The Impossible Moves of Arrow – See how the intense and elaborate fight sequences are shot for maximum realism!
Arrow 2013 Comic Con Panel
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
23 ONE-HOUR EPISODES + BONUS SEASON 1 RECAP
0. Bonus Recap Episode – Year One
City of Heroes
Identity
Broken Dolls
Crucible
League of Assassins
Keep Your Enemies Closer
State v. Queen
The Scientist
Three Ghosts
Blast Radius
Blind Spot
Tremors
Heir to the Demon
Time of Death
The Promoise
Suicide Squad
Birds of Prey
Deathstroke
The Man Under the Hood
Seeing Red
City of Blood
Streets of Fire
Unthinkable
BASICS
Street Date: September 16, 2014
BD and DVD Presented in 16×9 widescreen format
Running Time: Feature: Approx 1056 min
Enhanced Content: Approx 95 min
DVD
Price: $59.98 SRP
5 DVD-9s
Audio – English (5.1)
Subtitles – ESDH, Portuguese, Spanish, French
Catalog #1000437611
UPC # 883929375004
BLU-RAY COMBO PACK
Price: $69.97 SRP
9-Disc Elite (4 BD-50s, 5 DVD-9s)
BD Audio –1080p Full HD Video, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 – English (5.1), Spanish, French, Portuguese
BD Subtitles – ESDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Swedish
Catalog # 1000435629
UPC # 883929373451
Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Javier Fernandez and Dan Brown
I’m perpetually locked into trying new books, so sometimes I nearly forget to catch up on those I’ve most recently enjoyed. Lucky for me that the marvelous Magneto has magnetically adhered itself to the top of my pile. It was a fairly light week. For those not keeping score, I can’t recommend this series any more than I already have. What I can do now instead is really spend my time with the titular man (and mutant) hunter and see how he ticks in accordance to Cullen Bunn’s pen.
At the onset of the relaunch (if one would consider this book a relaunch) Bunn’s Magneto sees himself a grey wound in a black and white world of scar tissue. Unhappy at the atrocities that have continually befallen his species, Erik Lehnsherr decides that he will rise to become the judge, jury, and executioner of those charged with murdering a mutant. In issue #6, the deathpool expands to those mutants who have killed their own kind. Mr. Sinister’s Marauders – as Magneto helpfully expounds to himself throughout the issue – are pawns and grunts serving a higher power. It is boy coy and intelligent then that Magneto denotes (again, to himself, I suppose) that he too once raised an army under his fist. In his case though, his pawns were at least decidedly homo-superior. No black-on-black crime for this angry Jew!
Because Cullen puts us in the position of a fly on the shoulder of the master of magnetism, it’s inevitable that we come to see him as our hero. And it’s hard to not be swayed by his joie de vivre when he brutally murders a murderer. Painted as a more elegant Frank Castle, it’s hard to deny Magneto is doing good of a sort. But any follower of Charles Xavier sees then the other side of that coin.
Do I believe in capital punishment? No. Simply put, I don’t feel man has any right – regardless of sin – to take the life of another man. I’m not overly religious (if at all), but the agnostic in me says that when murder is done in the first degree it is a pox on the species at large. I should note I’m a huge fan of corporal punishment. I say why let Hitler enjoy the freedom of death when you can pummel him daily? But I digress. In the case of Magneto, our protagonist is vindicated in his justice in spite of breaking the law in doing so. For making as many mutant killers pay the ultimate price, we see the forest for the trees. This is either Magneto doing as much righteous damage before he’s killed himself, or he’s making a final gambit to become a Batmanesque myth; to become an immortal price to be paid upon those who so choose to hunt homo-superior.
Magneto’s barely scathed in his quest. After laying several Marauders to rest (by way of some of the most inventive and gory methods one could imagine), the plan is set: Magneto will reprogram the next batch of cloned Sinister Slaves to become a new suicide-bomb-ready army of Brotherhood pawns. I don’t know if Mr. Sinister himself is still alive in the 616, but if he is, I’ll assume I should purchase flowers and a condolence card for whomever makes those crazy metal ribbon capes.
The story and pacing throughout the issue is slow, but methodical. A B-story regarding the now limbless Scalphunter leaves a few cryptic beats, and is much needed in the book. The opposing A-plot simply shows Magneto on yet another murder mission. Six issues in and Bunn has the tone and style down. From here on out – and trust me, he’s captured me – I want to see some sharper left turns. Simply put, there’s only so much hard justice a man can take without knowing the true master plan. And if the plan truly is just a death march, it can be said now, and spare us too much more of the same.
Artistically Javier Fernandez and Dan Brown continue to deliver a book that looks as gritty as it reads. The book’s hard shifts in color are some of best I’ve seen in modern comics. The heavy inks here well placed. And Fernandez’s textural shifts showcase a look that simply should not be in a Big Two book… and he’s commended for it. There’s little left to say to the art aside from simply picking favorite moments. The death of a Prism is done so well with simple storytelling that you could almost hear the faint crickle-crackle of eminent shattering. When a book is heard in your head when you’re reading it, the artists are doing their job well.
Ultimately, Magneto #6 is hopefully the last stop on the simplistic potential swan song of Erik Lehnsherr. The book has style, grace, grit, and vigor. My hope then now is to see a plan emerge, and from it, a continuous look into a villain fit to be grey in the continuously simplified world of cape and cowl comics.
When I was younger, so much, much, much younger than today, there was a television show. Then, when I was a little older, they added a second channel and we got a second show. Eventually that led to four channels and lots more shows. One of those shows was Peter Gunn.
Peter Gunn was a private eye show that aired on NBC then ABC from September 22, 1958 until September 18, 1961. It starred Craig Stevens as the eponymous P.I. and is probably best remembered for its jazz sound track and the theme song written by Henry Mancini. Even if you’ve never seen an episode of the show, I’ll bet you’ve heard the theme song.
I’ll also bet you don’t think I’m here to write about a TV theme song. There, you’d be correct. I’m here to write about the show. Specifically, Season 1, Episode 28, the April 6, 1959 episode, “Pay Now, Kill Later.”
The episode started with a SPOILER WARNING. Okay, it didn’t start with a spoiler warning. Like many episodes of Peter Gunn did, it started with a murder. It didn’t continue with a Spoiler Warning, either, but I have to. Because in order to discuss the legal ramifications of the episode, I have to give away details of the plot including its ending. So here goes.
John Abbot played a scientist who discovered a new miracle fabric in Manchester, England in 1945. But Abbot didn’t want to share the expected profits of this miracle fabric with his business partner played by Torin Thatcher. So Abbot hired a man who looked a little like him to be a caretaker of the textile mill he and Thatcher owned. Abbot tricked the man into wearing Abbot’s clothes then knocked him unconscious, left the man on the floor of the textile mill, and blew it up. All to frame Thatcher. Thatcher was convicted of insurance fraud for blowing up the mill and manslaughter in his partner’s “death.” (That’s what the show said, manslaughter. Personally, I don’t know why it wouldn’t have been felony murder or even premeditated murder, but I didn’t get a chance to ask the show, what with it being a TV show and rather nonresponsive and all.)
Fourteen years later, Thatcher was released from prison. He had always suspected that John Abbot wasn’t dead and had English detectives trace Abbot to America. Thatcher came to America and hired Peter Gunn to track down Abbot. Abbot had changed his name and was now the successful head of his own textile firm, but Gunn tracked him down anyway.
When Gunn reported to Thatcher, Thatcher revealed his real purpose; he wanted to kill Abbot for ruining his life. He said he wasn’t worried because, he’d already been convicted of killing Abbot and under the Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution, he couldn’t be tried for the same crime – killing Abbot – a second time.
Gunn and his police liaison – back then all TV P.I.s had police liaisons just like all sit-com families had wacky next-door neighbors – Lt. Jacoby learned that Abbot was going to exhibit at a fabric show which was conveniently in the same unnamed river front city where Gunn operated. They went to the show to arrest Abbot for murdering the caretaker. But Thatcher also showed up with a gun so he kill could kill Abbot. Gunn and Jacoby tried to talk Thatcher out of this. While they did this, Abbot threw a bolt of cloth at them and bolted himself.
A gunfight ensued, as it did so often in Peter Gunn and virtually every other TV P.I show of the era. Abbot, who had his own gun, shot at Gunn and Jacoby. Jacoby and Gunn shot at Abbot. Then Abbot ran out of bullets and, rather than characteristically throwing his gun at Gunn, just tried to make a break for it. That’s when Thatcher shot and killed Abbot. Thatcher surrendered to Jacoby and Gunn said, “It should make an interesting trial.”
Not really. It would have been a pretty straight forward trial. Thatcher killed Abbot in front of a respected P.I., a police lieutenant, and several other eyewitness; including the, in the 50s, stereotypical screaming woman. And Thatcher had no defense.
He had no defense under Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth, because it didn’t apply to his case. As Gunn and Jacoby pointed out, the Double Jeopardy clause commands that a man cannot be tried for the same crime two times. But Thatcher’s killing of Abbot wasn’t the same crime. After being framed, Thatcher had been convicted of killing Abbot in Manchester, England back in 1945. That wouldn’t apply to his actually killing Abbot in America in 1959. To quote the show’s accurate statement, “It’s a new and separate crime. Another time, another place.”
Nice to know that this low-budget half-hour TV show from 1959 managed to get the law correct, considering Double Jeopardy, the big budget 1999 movie starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd, with basically the same premise got it all wrong. Repeatedly.
See Double Jeopardy doesn’t actually apply to the crime charged, that is what penal code violation was committed – in this case murder. Double Jeopardy applies to the criminal act that was committed. If you kill a man in 1945 that’s one criminal act. If you kill a man in1959, that’s a separate criminal act. You may get charged under the same statute, but you’ve committed two distinct and different criminal acts. You haven’t committed the same crime, you’ve violated the same statute two different times.
Even if the victim of both crimes happens to be the same man, because you didn’t really kill him the first time around, it doesn’t matter; it’s still two distinct acts and two distinct crimes for which you can be prosecuted two distinct times. Oh, you may be able to sue for wrongful imprisonment for the first murder prosecution, as you obviously didn’t commit that murder, what with the purported victim being alive and all. But you’d be enjoying your money in prison after being convicted of the second murder.
Suppose Baby Face Braunschweiger and the Light Fingered Five Minus Two rob the Frostbite Falls Bank in 1961, then are caught and convicted. Does that mean that, after they’re released, they get to rob the Frostbite Falls Bank any time they like with impunity, because they’ve already been convicted of that crime? No. They have been convicted of the crime once, but each time they rob the bank, they’re committing a new act. They may be breaking the same law, but they’re breaking it a second or third or fourth time. Even under Double Jeopardy, they can be prosecuted a second or third or fourth time. One prosecution for each new criminal act they commit.
And, in case you were wondering, because I said “Thatcher has no defense,” Thatcher can’t use self-defense in his trial, either. Yes, Abbot had been shooting at him and Gunn, and Jacoby. But there are two problems with him using self-defense. First, you can’t use self-defense if you are responsible for putting yourself in jeopardy in the first place. You can’t start a bar fight with someone then, when your opponent hits you back, get to claim self-defense when you hit him back for hitting you back. When Thatcher confronted Abbot with a gun and said he intended to kill Abbot, he initiated the confrontation. In this scenario, Abbot would be able to shoot at Thatcher in self-defense, but Thatcher wouldn’t be able to shoot back.
Second, when Thatcher shot Abbot, Abbot was out of bullets and running away. At that point, he no longer presented an immediate threat of bodily harm that necessitated any defense. So, again, self-defense wouldn’t apply.
I offer this week’s column as a public service. If you’re thinking of framing yourself for a murder that didn’t happen so that you can be convicted and go to prison, in the hopes that years later, you can then murder the still-living victim for real and not be prosecuted because of Double Jeopardy; don’t. That defense won’t work.
I ran out of energy over the holiday weekend. Instead of going on picnics or watching fireworks, making potato salad (which I loathe) or lying on the beach, I binge-watched Orange Is the New Black. I’m late to this party, and even with four days of inertia, not being able to leave my chair except to eat, sleep and throw toys for the cat, I only got halfway through the second (and current) season.
Why did I wait so long? The initial hype turned me off. I thought it was going to be played more broadly, and I didn’t want to see women in prison played broadly. My son told me I would like it and I still didn’t watch it.
But then I read this, an article that criticizes the show for not paying enough attention to men. That pissed me off enough so that I had to watch.
See, OITNB is based on a book written by a woman about her experiences in prison. The show, like the book, represents her point of view. It’s not a documentary about our prison system, which would be a much harsher series, and much more difficult to watch. It’s a story. A story with characters.
It’s the author’s perspective. If she didn’t perceive the men in her life at that time as fully-rounded characters, well, then that is her life and how she chose to portray it in her book. And, since she’s a producer on the program and has described the show as “96%” accurate, I’m assuming she signed off on the television versions as well.
Every work of art does not have to represent the universe. In fact, I would say that is almost impossible. Every work of commercial entertainment does not have to represent the universe. As a consumer, I would like to have the choice of a universe from which to choose. I would like to be able to get the perspectives of men and women, queers and straights, people of all colors and cultures and social classes.
When I want a creative fictional depiction of the male experience in prison, I can watch Oz: The Complete Seasons 1-6. You may notice that there are not many women featured, and yet I don’t recall complaints at the time. Because those complaints would have missed the point!
My pal and colleague Michael Davis started The Black Panel at the San Diego Comic Con as a place where people of color could talk about their own creativity, rather than simply gripe about the racism of corporate comics. Instead of kvetching that Spider-Man isn’t black, or that DC wouldn’t let African-American creators work on Superman, Davis urges people to make their own art, providing examples and role models on the dais. Watching OITNB excites me in the same way. It’s a show created by women, based on a book by a woman, with women in the majority of roles.
If you find yourself with time on your hands, a Netflix subscription and you haven’t yet done so, I highly recommend OITNB. The physical contrast to most commercial (and, let’s face it, indie) entertainment is startling. I can’t remember the last time I saw so many women on a program, with so many different body types and colors and ages. Some have bad skin. A few have really bad teeth. They have bad haircuts. They sag. Their clothes do not fit well.
The characters, all of them, are rich and complex and heartbreaking. Even those I don’t like, I want to see pull through. The actors really nail it (although I’m sure the scripts and the direction contribute, I think it is, ultimately, the actor here). After I watched a bunch of episodes, I went to see what else I could find about them. When I saw this, when the cast dressed up for an awards show, I could not believe how well everybody cleaned up. And how much I missed their fictional selves.
This November, award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios and Twentieth Century Consumer Products are pleased to announce they will launch DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, a new comic book limited series based on the new film from 20th Century Fox.
Written by Michael Moreci (CURSE, Hoax Hunters), the six-issue series bridges the 10-year gap between the Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apesfilms, chronicling the fall of humanity and the rise of Caesar’s ape civilization. Additional creative team details will be revealed at a later date. While the apes of the world have yet to advance as a species, Caesar (portrayed by Andy Serkis in the films) must find a way to unify them to one cause. On the other side of the country, Malcolm (played by Jason Clarke in the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes film) must venture into the decaying Americas with his family to find a cure for the plague slowly killing his wife, Rita.
If my eight year-old self had seen Earth to Echo this weekend he would have loved it. It’s vaguely science-fiction-y and soft sci-fi was my jam back then. It features clever resourceful kids and clueless adults and what kid doesn’t like to think themselves cleverer than their oppressors? Earth to Echo also has a good pace to it, it goes quickly from action piece to action piece with very little fluff holding it down. Unfortunately I had to see this movie as my 30 year-old self and so I enjoyed it a bit less but I would probably recommend it to my non-existent friends with kids in this age group who absolutely had to take their kids to a movie in a theater.
He is many things to many people. Hero. Teacher. Friend. X-Man. Avenger. But above all else, he is one – Canadian. Today, Marvel unveils “Canada Variants” for all four issues of the highly-anticipated DEATH OF WOLVERINE series. Charles Soule & Steve McNiven explore the untimely end of the Great White North’s most well-known mutant hero. Each cover features stunning cover art rendered by Steve McNiven that proudly displays the Maple Leaf flag of Logan’s proud home and native land of Canada.
There is so much to love about Littlest Pet Shop! Not only are they just about the cutest little toys ever with their big eyes, and bobbly heads, but they also have a cartoon series on Hub that Maddy is obsessed with. And now they also have a comic book series thanks to IDW! Oh and did we mention Blythe Baxter’s perfect hair and a pair of diabolically evil twins? Watch our review & then ask yourself, as we do often, why there isn’t a Brony-like following (yet) for LPS.
All right, everyone quiet down and take a seat. I’ve been asked to remind you about the pep rally and don’t forget that finals are week after next. Now, where were we…
Today we’ll begin with a brief review of the material we covered last week. You’ll remember that we began by discussing what Batman’s mortal enemy – I refer to the Joker, of course – called Batman’s “wonderful toys.” We mentioned the Batmobile, the Batplane and that line-shooting device, the technology of which would surely be revolutionary though Batman seems to take it for granted. Putting the shoe on the other foot…the Joker, who does not appear scientifically inclined, mixes up some sort of disfiguring goop that can be passed off as over-the-counter cosmetics – in itself, no mean feat – and then smuggles it into retail packaging throughout the city. His point is to distress the citizenry and apparently he succeeds.
I explained these wildly improbable events by suggesting that the screenplay which encapsulates them is a hybrid of funny animal/funny person cartoon shorts, the likes of which were movie theater staples when I was a nipper and can sometimes be found on television, and crime drama: call it badge opera, if you like. The critter on the screen, human or otherwise, has what he needs when he needs it and we don’t care where he got it, only how he’s going to use it. Outrageously, we hope.
But, for a moment, consider: Could the script have been written in such a way that the anomalies are explained? Well, don’t expect me to write it, but the answer is a qualified yes.
I choose to believe that the very bright guys behind Hollywood computers are capable of the kind of mad ingenuity the job would require. In fact, they and other scriveners do something like it every day.
Let me remind you of a basic: art, which includes storytelling, involves a process of selection: the writer determines which incidents, real or imagined, will best tell his story and those are what he shares with us. He has to determine how deep into the story he wants to go. Go too deep – put in too many trivialities – and he risks boring his audience; put in too few and the thing might not make sense. Do we care where the hero bought his trusty .45? Probably not, so don’t bother to distract us with the sales slip. But if the plot requires him to shoot the sweat off a bumble bee at 100 yards, maybe we’d better have some idea of how he acquired that skill, lest in wondering where the skill comes from we lose interest in the hero and his world.
It seems to be a matter of degree, doesn’t it?
Ol’ Nobel Prize-winning Papa Hemingway had opinions on this matter and they’ll do to end this session.
Know what to leave out.
Write the tip of the ice-berg, leave the rest under water.
