Havana Split Vol. 1, Graphic Novel

At this point, it seems pretty clear Edmund Burke was right to caution restraint when it comes to Revolutions. Aside from the Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution, every revolution since the American Revolution has brought even greater suffering and oppression than the people endured under the prior regime. Look at the Iranian, French, and Cuban Revolutions. Yet, activists and college kids still think it is cool to be a revolutionary. Cuba is a perfect case in point, but this graphic novel ignores all the future censorship, imprisonment, and torture. Instead, Brremaud largely tells a cynical gangster story in Havana Split, Volume 1, illustrated by Vic Macioci, which goes on-sale tomorrow.

Apparently, the CIA kicked John Botia to the curb, because he was too violent. Nevertheless, he is one of the good guys. Since then, he has worked for Arnaldo Valdes’s sleazy detective agency, reluctantly partnering with slimy Jose Cojones, who makes it even sleazier. Valdes’s daughter Lily Turner left them because of their seediness, but she returns after her mother’s death, having tired of her step-father, for undisclosed reasons.

It turns out to be a heck of time to visit—and not just because of the ruthless Communist guerillas in the jungle. Using a gambling debt as a pretext, gangster Don Alfonso kidnaps Valdes, demanding Botia and Cojones abduct his rival’s lover, in exchange. Ordinarily, “The Ambassador” is nobody to trifle with, but his irrational love for the starlet Concepcion has become a clear liability, which Don Alfonso intends to exploit.

The gangster versus gangster skullduggery is reasonably amusing, but Brremaud constantly undermines the good will with kneejerk anti-Americanism. It is particular insulting to the memories of the 141 fallen CIA officers, who are commemorated with a star on the Agency’s Memorial Wall. Basically, this graphic novel accuses the agency of mass murder, just to appeal to some readers’ biases. That’s pretty irresponsible (especially since there is not a single word of implied criticism of Castro and the horrors to come).

It is a shame, because Macioci’s art nicely evokes the hip, sophisticated vibe of 1950s Havana. Rather ironically, they also include the great Cecilia Cruz in a scene, because Castro loved her music, but she despised the dictator and mourned the pain he inflicted on her nation.

The Transformers: The Movie, in Cinema Daily US

THE  TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE is a nostalgic blast to watch on the big-screen with fans. Fathom Events' 40th anniversary presentation adds a brief but classy tribute to Peter Cullen and thee brand new, slightly odd short film epilogue, OPTIMUS PRIME: AWAKENING. The original 1986 film still holds up nicely. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Watch Instead: Green Lantern, the Animated Series

There are not that many significant identifiably Jewish superheroes. Marvel has Marc Spector, a.k.a. Moon Knight, and Ben Grimm, better known as The Thing in the Fantastic Four. DC has Hal Jordan, one of the Green Lanterns. One might argue Jordan is the single most prominent Jewish superhero, since Grimm gets equal billing with his teammates. That is why it is so suspiciously alarming to watch HBO’s Lanterns constantly tear down Jordan, turning him into a morally-compromised and corrupt anti-hero, who has violated his oath—and apparently dies in the future, based on brief flashforwards teasing his death.

No other ethnic minority superheroes would get this kind of treatment from Hollywood. Yet, Lanterns has steadily undermined Hal Jordan, turning him into a borderline sociopath. Granted, they have not called out Jordan’s Jewish heritage, but according to the language currently used in the comic industry, this clearly constitutes “erasure.” At best, you could call it Jewish-washing. At worst, it is a deliberate effort to destroy a figure of Jewish heroism.

Admittedly, some casual fans might not know Jordan is indeed Jewish. This aspect of his character was first revealed in January 2016 with the publication of Justice League: Darkseid War: Green Lantern #1¸written by Tom King. However, the Lanterns writers should surely be aware, since the series was created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. Frankly, longtime Lantern Corps fans are annoyed in general by the show’s shabby treatment of Jordan. It feels especially unhelpful coming at a time of exploding antisemitism.

There is a far superior streaming alternative that portrays Jordan in the kind of heroic light fans would hope for. It happens to be animated, but that should inspire confidence in viewers, because DC animated films have often outshined their live-action counterparts. Green Lantern: The Animated Series was originally created by Bruce Timm, Giancarlo Volpe, and Jim Krieg in 2011 (before the aforementioned comic), to tie-in to publicity for the ill-fated Ryan Renyolds movie—immediately proving the point regarding DC’s animation and live action disparity.

The twenty-six episodes tell a largely continuous story that feels more like epic science fiction than a conventional superhero drama. Apparently, the Guardians of Oa had appointed Green Lanterns (like Jordan) for the furthest sectors of the universe, but given the extreme distances, they have only just surmised many of them have been assassinated. Unfortunately, they would rather dither than act, so Jordan “borrows” their experimental Interceptor space craft to investigate what he fears might be some sort of invasion.

Much to his regret, his gruff fellow Lantern, Kilowog, accidentally joins him on the mission. They soon find the Guardians’ evil rivals, the Red Lanterns, have targeted Green Lanterns, as part of their mysterious long-term plans. As Jordan and Kilowog learn to work together as a team, they successfully recruit Razer, who was manipulated into committing genocidal crimes by the Red Lanterns, by exploiting the grief and rage provoked by his wife’s death.

Unfortunately, Razer still struggles with anger management issues, which makes him somewhat unreliable as a teammate. However, the ship’s. AI system, Aya, offers Razer friendship and understanding. In fact, they both develop deeper feelings for each other, which leads to shocking complications later on. By the way, it is worth noting the animated Green Lantern series pre-dates Spike Jonze’s Her by two years.

Knife, in The Epoch Times

KNIFE provides an unusually personal portrait of the understandably private Salman Rushdie, documenting his difficult recovery from the 2022 assassination attempt. Yet, the powerful film also delivers an urgent message regarding extremists, who believe they have a right to exercise veto power over our rights of self-expression. EPOCH TIMES review up here.

You Had to Be There

The 1970s were weird. There were drugs and disco, but also a weird flowering of hippie Chrisian revivalism. Passion plays were translated into “youth culture”-friendly Broadway musicals. Jesus Christ Superstar remains the most successful, but the more hippyish Godspell was also a sensation at the time. It was such a hit, the producers quickly launched regional stagings in major cities, including Toronto, where it became an unlikely incubator for a generation of Canadian comedy stars. The famous cast looks back on their first big gig in Nick Davis’s documentary, You Had to Be There [with the excessively long subtitle: “How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community that Changed the World (in a Canadian Kind of Way”)], which opens today in theaters.

The show is based on the Gospel of Matthew and concludes with the Passion. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t sound like obvious comedy fodder. However, cast of characters mostly consists of modest followers, who are clownlike in appearance. The structure of the show leaves considerable room for improvisation, which suited the talents of many future Second City troupe members, notably including Martin Short, Eugene “Schitt’s Creek” Levy, Andrea Martin, and Dave “Strange Brew” Thomas. Jayne Eastwood (the Big Fat Greek Wedding movies) was also cast, while Victor Garber (Alias) starred as Jesus. Plus, the music director was Paul Schaefer.

Together, they made the show work, while also earning many laughs. It became a local sensation, attracting the attention of the producers and composer Stephen Schwartz, who cast Garber in the movie. Ironically, Levy was eventually elevated from the supporting cast, to replace his replacement.

The basic story of the Toronto production might sound vaguely familiar to 80s kids who remember watching Schaefer on the Letterman show back when it was still funny. It has become the stuff of show biz lore. Of course, there is no video record, because taping Broadway shows is illegal. Nevertheless, Short secretly brought a tape recorder to capture a few numbers, for which Davis will surely be eternally grateful.

Slow Horses Season Six, in Th Epoch Times

SLOW HORSES season six mainains the razor-sharp writing of previous story-arcs. It is still the mst mordantly funny spy series currently streaming. EPOCH TIMES review up here.

Cregger’s Resident Evil (2026)

This franchise is the main reason the Hollywood knows anything about survival horror games. It was such a bestselling phenomenon among gamers, the Capcom software company hired George A. Romero to direct a commercial. They should have hired him for the films too, but they didn’t. Nevertheless, the Paul W.S. Anderson movies were solidly successful. Frankly, they look even better compared to the 2021 reboot and the 2022 streaming series, which is probably the most despised show Netflix ever produced. Fortunately, the rights managers finally found a filmmaker who gets the franchise. Although it avoids directly incorporating any of the video game story arcs (unlike previous films), the aesthetics and energy of director-co-screenwriter Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil (2026) will appeal to fans when it opens tomorrow in theaters.

Poor Bryan is a total loser working as a medical courier. Usually, he transports organs, but savvy viewers might suspect there is something else in the cooler he agrees to deliver to Raccoon City Hospital. The job pays double, but he really just accepted it to avoid talking to his girlfriend about her surprise pregnancy.

He really should have stayed home. The weather is terrible, so he accidently hits a woman, but bizarrely, she pops back up and runs off into the woods. He is a schmuck, but he is a decent schmuck, so he follows her—through the looking glass.

Cregger’s pre-credits prologue is essentially a first act in itself. It is also a masterclass in building tension. His panning camera perfectly mimics a gamer’s field of vision, but this extended sequence is still massively eerie and unsettling to non-gaming viewers as well. Franchise fans will also appreciate the way the farmhouse he soon stumbles into gives off vibes reminiscent of the creepy mansion in the original game.

To an extent, the film loses some of its mojo when Bryan finally arrives in the urban environment of Raccoon City, but not before Paul Walter Hauser brings some much-needed comic relief as Carl, an Umbrella Corp. scientist, who inspires little confidence.

Frankly, the monsters in Cregger’s Resident Evil (2026) are better described as mutations than zombies. However, there is surely enough horde rampages to satisfy zombie fans. They will also appreciate how luckless Bryan closely tracks his dwindling supply of ammunition. The stakes are truly life-or-death, because he is so ill-prepared and constitutionally ill-equipped to handle such an apocalyptic crisis.

Run Hide Fight: Infidels, on Daily Wire+

The innocent janitors who were held hostage by Palestinianist extremists at Columbia could have used the help of Devlin Reed and his roommate. Admittedly, they benefit from some helpful guidance from former Navy SEAL Captain Clay Saunders. They also team up with a resourceful campus security guard, but the Islamic terrorists have them far outnumbered. The local Palestinianist activists helped pave the way for them, but boy, are they surprised by their patrons’ lack of wokeness in director-screenwriter Kyle Rankin’s Run Hide Fight: Infidels (a thematic but unrelated sequel to Run Hide Fight), which premieres today on Daily Wire+.

Reed is not concerned with politics or the state of the world. He lost interest after his father died under Saunders’ command, while apprehending a terrorist in Somalia. However, everyone else on Laughton University’s campus seems to be mega-political. The loudest are the Palestinianists, who have occupied the quad, forcing the annual carnival to set up in the parking lot instead. There are dissenters, like his roommate, P.J., who uses the GI Bill to pay his tuition, but never saw combat during his service.

Reed’s crush and potential girlfriend, Lizzy Dupree, might be another exception. Her friends sound woke, but she asks Reed to attend Saunders’ upcoming speaker appearance with her. Naturally, that is exactly when Ibrahim Asad Melod decides to strike. He has a personal grudge against Saunders. However, his plans are bigger than mere revenge. Initially, he launches a Mumbai-style terrorist attack, but he hopes to force his captives to convert and use them as fodder for his envisioned caliphate.

Communications are jammed, explosive drones are flying, and snipers are ensconced in the bell-tower. As a further setback, a gunshot sidelines Saunders. However, the good guys have some things going for them. He might be a blowhard, but at least P.J. had weapons training. As a scholarship track athlete, Reed is fleet of foot. Like many security guards, Terrence Kirk lacks an athletic physique, but his key card allows access to every building on campus.

So, yes, Infidels generally follows a Die Hard-on-a college-campus playbook, but it adds a layer of reality, in the form of Islamist terrorists, for extra added novelty. The two-hour-plus running time should have been somewhat condensed, but the action scenes are realistically executed. The stakes are high and the characters are far from invulnerable.

The cancel chorus will never forgive Jonathan Majors, but his credible and commanding turn as Capt. Saunders could be the start of a comeback for him. JC Kilcoyne and Tyler Aser have appealing chemistry as Reed and Dupree, while David Lucas helps lighten the mood as the wisecracking Kirk. In fact, all the performances are professional grade—and then some.

Return to Sleepy Hollow, Graphic Novel

In his own way, Washington Irving profoundly influenced comic book history. He is generally credited with popularizing “Gotham” as an informal monicker for New York City. (Of course, it became a city unto itself, in Detective Comics.) His most famous tale also inspired Walt Disney and Tim Burton, but neither has yet produced a sequel. However, IDW has, continuing the story of Burton’s characters. Fifteen years after he dispatched the Hessian back to the way-down-below, Ichabod Crane is summoned again in Casey Gilly’s Return to Sleepy Hollow, illustrated by Savanna Mayer, which releases today.

Initially, Crane left town with Katrina Van Tassel and his orphaned ward, Masbath. However, she apparently returned to Sleepy Hollow, to assume family’s leadership position and atone for their sins. She dutifully serves the community as their undertaking and a pioneering, but unofficial, pathologist. Unfortunately, she has had way too much work lately. That is why she wrote to Crane (a criminologist rather than Irving’s schoolteacher) requesting his help.

Except, she didn’t. It was one of the restless spirits possessing her medium daughter, Lotte. The Van Tassels know there is Headless Horseman-level supernatural danger afoot. However, Crane has been in denial, having convinced himself the occult events of the movie were really just a collective delusion. Once again, he must learn the truth the hard way.

The highest praise you can give a licensed property like Return to Sleepy Hollow is that fans of the film will enjoy the comic sequel almost as much. That is largely true in this case. Gilly’s story hews closely to the tone of the original and treats the surviving characters with the respect they deserve. Honestly, this is a perfect example of why licensed comics and novels are often far superior to studio-produced sequels and reboots. They give the fans what they want.

Admittedly, the characters do not resemble the original cast, but that is probably a function of rights and permissions. Johnny Depp has excellent lawyers—just ask Amber Heard. While Mayer’s Crane is closer to Depp than her Van Tassel is to Christina Ricci, what really matters is the way Gilly’s narrative feels like a logical extension of Andrew Kevin Walker’s screenplay.

The Weight, Starring the Hawke and the Crowe

People had to be hard to survive the Great Depression. Samuel Murphy is an engineer, but he is sufficiently tough. He can even endure the prison chain gang he was unjustly sentenced to. However, he cannot bear to lose his daughter Penny, who will become fodder for the foster system. Therefore, when the Warden offers him a special assignment in exchange for his freedom, he accepts, despite his wariness. Not surprisingly, that too-good-to-be-true deal turns out to be exceptionally dangerous in Padraic McKinley’s The Weight, which opens this Friday in theaters.

Not surprisingly, the Depression makes single fatherhood even worse for Murphy. Yet, he remaiins a decent, church-going man. Rather gallingly, his landlord evicts the Murphys while they were attending Sunday services. A subsequent altercation lands Murphy in jail, but he accepts a spot on Warden Clancy’s work detail, because each day busting rocks decreases his sentence more. Unfortunately, the state will soon demand Penny from the Church relief organization currently sheltering her, if Murphy cannot claim her.

Impressed with by Murphy’s problem-solving skills, Clancy offers him a “deal.” Technically, this offer was made possible by FDR. Following the imminent nationalization of gold, the local mine will shutter. Naturally, the criminalization of private gold ownership will cause the value to skyrocket. The mine is supposed to turn over its fruits to the government, but Taggert, the general manager, intends to smuggle a good portion out.

Taggert also happens to be one of Clancy’s cronies. They hatch a plan for Murphy to carry $100,000 in gold bars across the forest to a predetermined rendezvous point, with the help of three fellow prisoners, schlepping under the watchful eye of Taggert’s enforcers. Upon delivery, Clancy promises to sign Murphy’s release papers, which is within his powers “as the law in these parts.” Ironically, Anna, a native mine worker, tags along to escape the abuse she suffers from her partner, but she soon finds herself in an “out of the frying pan” situation.

Of course, Taggert and his goons are not trustworthy. The forest and limited infrastructure are also fraught with peril, including a suspended bridge that cannot support the weight of a man carrying a rucksack full of gold. This is a tense and cleverly executed scene that partially inspired the title and earned the film comparisons to Wages of Fear. However, it is a relatively short sequence, so some viewers might feel the undeniably cinematic bridge is somewhat over-hyped.

Nevertheless, fans of B. Traven will embrace the film’s gritty naturalism. McKinley and the battery of screenwriters clearly understand the era, including the honest, rugged Christian faith held by folks like Murphy. The complicated intergroup dynamics of Murphy’s chosen convicts, particularly the hot-and-cold comradery of the Communist-seduced Singh and on-again-off-again racist Rankin also ring true to the characters’ times and circumstances.

Hope, in Cinema Daily US

The Korean creature feature HOPE boasts wildly deranged action sequences and gleefully over-the-top gross-out humor, which more than makes up for the derivative science fiction premise. CINEMA DAILY US review up here.

Angel in the Rubble, on Lifetime

It didn’t end on the 11^th. Everyone who was in New York City during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center will remember the heart-wrenching sight of the missing posters distributed by family members desperately looking for their missing loved ones. In most cases, those pictured were already tragically dead. Genelle Guzman was one of the few happy exceptions. She was also the last. It was an incredible rescue—one that she believes had divine help. Her perhaps miraculous rescue unfolds in Manu Boyer’s Angel in the Rubble: The Genelle Guzman Story, based on her memoir, which premieres tonight on Lifetime—marking the 25^th anniversary of her rescue.

Of course, Guzman had had a regrettable fight with her frustrated partner, Roger McMillan the night before. That will be one of the things Guzman regrets as she lies trapped in the rubble. However, her guilt regarding her daughter, currently living with her father, torments her even more.

Guzman and her friends at the Port Authority almost left when the first hijacked plane hit their tower. Unfortunately, they delayed when they heard rescuers were coming up to get them. However, when they saw the other Tower collapse, they belatedly started climbing down the stairs, passing NYFD firemen heading up.

Soon, the North Tower collapsed, leaving Guzman trapped under the debris. Yet, she was not alone. She could hear an NYPD officer similarly trapped, who tragically succumbed to his injuries. Then an apparent “rescuer” named Paul reaches her, promising to stay with her, holding her hand until a search team arrives.

Sure, there is some melodrama involving Guzman’s unfinished personal business. However, the early scenes depicting the moments directly following the first impact are surprisingly eerie. The sequences amid the rubble are also just as credible as those in Sergio, but they take a much more uplifting turn. Some of the recreations of the World Trade Center are not very convincing, particularly the stairwells (for those who have seen many 9/11 documentaries), but most viewers probably won’t notice.

102 Minutes Inside the Towers, on History

Far too many people try to make 9/11 all about them, even though they just watched on television. That is not true of the subjects of this History special. They were there, working in the World Trade Center. Viewers hear their survival stories and see visual recreations of the harrowing events they witnessed, inside the buckling walls of the Twin Towers in 102 Minutes Inside the Towers, directed and produced by Grace Chapman, which premieres tonight on History [Channel].

Ironically, some of the survivors knew less about the events unfolding than those watching breaking news, because they were trapped inside, cut-off from the outside world. However, what they saw was inconceivably shocking, like the first plane Rob Chess saw flying straight into the North Tower, only a few floors above him. Simultaneously, Lolita Jackson watched it happen from the South Tower, while sitting in a morning meeting.

As the title suggests, 102 Minutes uses its participants testimony to assemble a minute-by-minute chronicle, from the first impact to the final tower collapse. The visual effects are eerily realistic looking and quite dramatic. Viewers see the smoke, the fire, and the dead-end death traps caused by debris and structural damage. It is especially intense to watch the images generated for Harry Waizer, as he recalls the fireball that shot through the elevator door to engulf his face. (According to doctors, his glasses most likely saved his eyesight.)

Nevertheless, some of the most heartrending moments do not involve special effects. The really tough stuff are the honest, raw emotions expressed by survivors like Felipe Oyola, who never saw his wife and Fuji Bank co-worker Adianes again after they were separated in the chaos. There is also the courage of first-responders like Port Authority Police Officer David Lim, who remembers guiding panicked tenants to safety, as the first uniformed responder to enter the lobby. Soon, he headed up, evacuating tenants, floor by floor, until he encountered a frail woman, whom carried out of the crumbling building.

Knightfall, Co-Starring Geoffrey Moore

Ros Knight suspects there is a mole in MI5. Her old-school estranged father Charles would be shocked if there wasn’t yet another mole in MI5. He is a cynical old goat, but he is the only person she can trust. That doesn’t make it any easier to ask for his help in Ben Fortune’s Knightfall, which for some unfathomable reason, the distributor decided to release on the 25^th anniversary of 9/11.

Usually, Knight is not assigned to field ops. However, her infectious disease specialization makes her presence necessary on a mission to recover a strain of mega-super-deadly bacteria. The commando team resents babysitting her, because they are either chauvinist meatheads or her secret lover. That last one would be Hugh (no last name, because he is a secret agent).

Of course, the hand-off they try to intercept takes a disastrous turn. The bad guys are in the wind with a briefcase full of demon-bacteria. However, Knight has the presence of mind to grab the special key. Without the key, the case aerosols the bacteria killing everyone around it. Only the team and their boss Julian Pollard know Knight was the bug-chaser assigned to the op, so when assassins start trying to kill her for the key, she and Hugh realize their much be a mole in MI5—yet again.

Geoffrey Moore (who previously co-starred in two of Andy Sidaris’ soft-core girls & guns capers) resembles his famous father, Sir Roger, enough to work steadily in low budget VOD movies, if he wanted to. He rarely has since the Sidaris movies, but he rather surprisingly agreed to this one.

Regardless, he has enough of the old man’s charm to convincingly portray suave Hugh. He is one of the two things Knightfall has going for it. The other is Ian Ogilvy (recognizable from Witchfinder General and dozens of U.S. and British TV shows), who hams it up marvelously as crotchety old man Knight.

In contrast, Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott (who is married to the producer Jonathan Sothcott) completely lacks their presence and credibility. Honestly, listening to her stumbling over her bacteriological exposition is rather painful. (And it is almost condescending when she reminds her colleagues, in chess, the Queen is more powerful than the knight. Wow, what a strategic thinker.)

Black Zombie, The Ideologically Charged Zombie Doc

The Universal Monsters are still potent, because what makes them monstrous are really elevated aspects of their prior humanity (love, remorse, exhaustion, loneliest, and anxiety). However, zombies scare us more today because their humanity has been stripped away. That is the greatest consistency with the zombies of Haitian lore. Filmmaker Maya Annik Bedward examines the original Haitian mythos and traces similarities to the modern George Romero-inspired zombies in the documentary Black Zombie, which opens in theaters this Friday (why the filmmaker and distributor would agree to such a tragically significant release date is absolutely baffling, but they did).

The title will evoke themes of racial politics for many readers that are indeed prominent throughout Bedward’s film. It is specifically intended as a direct rejoinder to Victor Helperin’s White Zombie, the grandaddy of all zombie movies. To Bedward, it establishes a template for subsequent vodou films, in which white visitors are preyed upon by black Haitian practitioners. Yet, White Zombie does not really fit the formula it supposedly establishes, since the vodou master is portrayed by Bela Lugosi.

Frankly, the stylish White Zombie deserves more credit than it gets. However, the film’s coverage of white (and undeniably insensitive) adventure writer William Seabrook, who first popularized Haitian zombies for American readers is quite intriguing. Likewise, the interviews with Wade Davis, author of The Serpent and the Rainbow are rather fascinating in the way his Haitian field work and publishing compares and contrasts with Seabrook’s sensationalism. Davis insists he was appalled by the way Wes Craven’s adaptation added horror elements that were never present in his book, but explains he never criticized the film during it release, because it paid for his house (fair enough).

Bedward’s experts do a nice job disentangling zombie legends from vodou practice, making a convincing case they both reflect the religious roots of Haiti’s former slaves, but are in fact separate and distinct. On the other hand, Bedward often muddies the film’s themes by incorporating extensive Haitian history. It is tragic, in many ways, but it seems like a stretch to argue films like Val Lewton’s I Walked with a Zombie reflected anxiety regarding the Haitian Revolution of 1791.

Joann Sfar’s To Life

It was hard for Jewish Americans see how the world turned its back on their pain and suffering in the days following the 10/7 terrorist murders and sexual assaults. It was probably even worse for their French counterparts. At least most mainstream American political leaders expressed their outrage, including Biden. In contrast, Macron fell mute and disappeared for a week, while voices of hate immediately started protesting the victims. It was particularly painful for French leftwing Jewish intellectuals like cartoonist-filmmaker Joann Sfar. In the days that followed, he tried to make sense of the world’s twisted reaction in his notebooks, which have been polished into To Life, which just released in stores.

To Life has enough structure to pass for a graphic novel, but the term notebook warns readers to expect a looser flow. Even before 10/7, French Jews were increasingly reluctant to display the Star of David (and Macron said nothing). Yet, Sfar was rather defiantly inclined to start wearing the Chai, because of its meaning: “to life.”

As the news of Hamas’s mass murder and weaponized rape trickled out, Sfar desperately sought news of his cousins in Israel. Although he briefly lived in Israel with his parents, they quickly repatriated back to France, so he always considered himself French—and rather left-of-center. Nevertheless, the surge in anti-Semitic violence (predating but accelerated by 10/7) and the Charlie Hebdo assassinations already started challenging his world view.

Eventually, Sfar visits Israel, to check-in on family and collaborate with the crew producing a TV series based on his Klezmer graphic novels. The great irony of To Life is that Sfar feels like a liberal Jewish Frenchman in Israel, where engages with Arab Israelis and Jewish Israels who are keenly critical of West Bank Settlers, Netanyahu, and the ultra-Orthodox. Yet, in France, he feels increasingly like an outsider.

Batman: Knightfall—Part 1, on BluRay

Batman is a superhero, but he is not superpowered. The titular fan-favorite 1993-1994 multi-title, multi-issue story arc fully embraced that premise. Considered the Bat-equivalent of the “Death of Superman,” the Knighfall continuity previously spawned adult and YA novelizations. Now Warner Animation has launched a three-film adaptation, the first of which, Jeff Wamester’s awkwardly titled Batman: Knightfall—Part 1: Knightfall releases tomorrow on BluRay.

Over the course of the next two punishing days, Batman meets Bane for the first time. If you know your Batman lore, you know that will be very bad news for Batman. However, he must first fight his way through a rogue’s gallery of Batman villains. Ominously, the worst of Gotham’s worst escaped Arkham Asylum thanks to a freak explosion.

Of course, it was actually by design. Bane orchestrated the mass escape to wear down Batman. Thanks to his prison upbringing, Banee has an extremely Darwinist perspective on life, so Batman’s do-gooding violates the savage behemoth’s ideology. Unfortunately, he launched his evil scheme at the perfect time. Still grieving the death of Jason Todd, a.k.a. Robin #2, Batman over-protects Tim Drake (Robin #3), to the point of pushing him away.

The Batcave also has a houseguest, who has his own issues to work through. John-Paul Valley is trying to regain his memory and his sanity, after a Templar-like cult transformed him into the super-berzeker vigilante Azrael.

Even if they are not familiar with the comic series, most viewers probably would not expect much closure for the first part of a promised trilogy. However, Knightfall ends with a particularly shocking cliffhanger. Casual fans might prefer to binge the completed trilogy, but regular Batman readers will want to see how Wamester and screenwriter Jeremy Adams tackle this explosive narrative. They should consider the R-rating a good sign.

Without question, this is the most violent animated DC movie. It is unusually dark, but action-packed. Thanks to Bane’s Arkham distraction, it also features at last half a dozen fan favorite super-villains. Frankly, Knightfall might be too intense for fans who prefer Lego Batman and the Adam Westverse. Nevertheless, there is a strong psychological aspect to the drama, so it isn’t merely a barrage of explosions.

In Remembrance of Comic Strips: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet

It has a claim to fame that will never be matched. It premiered first-run episodes on the primetime line-ups of the ABC, CBS, NBC, and DuMont networks. Fans of vintage TV know almost none of DuMont’s programming survived. Unfortunately, the other three networks were not much better archiving the series, despite its obvious popularity. Four national networks would not have picked-up Tom Corbett, Space Cadet if nobody was watching. Indeed, the series spawned books, merchandising, and a newspaper comic strip. That strip only lasted two years, more or less, largely due to competition from other long-running science fiction continuity franchises, but in some ways, it was superior to the TV show it tied into. This week, give a salute to Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, which ended its run on this day in 1953, almost exactly anniversarying its September 9^th premiere date.

Although Bailey had a scientific advisor, much of the science is dated, in a rather charming way. For instance, Corbett’s fellow Cadet, Astro (predating George Jetson’s dog), hails from Venus. Corbett is adventurous, but responsible, as a good cadet should be. Astro is hard-working, but a bit of meathead. Much to their frequent frustration, their assigned duty-mate, Roger Manning, is an arrogant troublemaker, who is often more trouble than he is worth.

In this idealized future, Space Academy often assigns its cadets supporting roles on active-duty Solar Guard missions. Consequently, Corbett, Astro, and Manning face danger foiling a Mercurian invasion of Venus, investigating corruption on Jupiter’s Titan Moon, and battling Martian separatists (referred to as Marsian Divisionists”), under the Command of either Captain Steve Strong or Commander Arkwright.

In fact, “Revolt of the Marsian Divisionists” is one of the best adventures written by Paul S.  Newman, who also penned Dell’s Prince Valiant comic books. While it nicely combines political intrigue with space opera, some stories, like “The Mercurian Invasion” are somewhat hampered by its kid-friendly mandate. Regardless, many fans bitterly disappointed by Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will find Newman’s Space Academy much more disciplined—and considerably more entertaining, while exploring similar themes.

Burning, from Kyrgyzstan

Is it a “jinn,” or is it Kyrgyz society? Even if it is the former, the superstition and sexism Kyrgyz women like Asel face can make anything worse. The question remains, what plagues Asel? The answers vary depending on her neighbors’ perspective in Radik Eshimov’s Burning, which is now streaming on IndiePix.

Tragedy has befallen Asel and her husband Marat, so their neighbors are doing what they do best: gossiping in the Kyrgyz equivalent of the local bodega. Everyone knew there was trouble in the family, even before fire erupted in their home. They agree things had been tense for a while, but matters really came to a head when Marat’s mother Farida arrived. However, they disagree whether Farida was an instigator or an agent of moderation.

Screenwriters Aizada Amangeldy and Dastan Madalbekov use a Rashomon-style device to retell the family’ descent into madness through three very different competing narratives. However, their Rashomon is not so very Rashomon-like. The film only consists of three half-hour versions of Asel and Marat’s “truth.” Somewhat naggingly, each “storyteller” also prompts untrustworthy flashbacks of events they could not have possibly witnessed firsthand.

Nevertheless, Eshimov nicely shifts the audience’s understanding of Asel and Marat over the course of the film. Aysanat Edigeeva and Kalicha Seydalieva both contribute extraordinary mirror image performances as the good and bad Asel and Farida. They also share one scene (realized two ways) that is amazingly disgusting and largely vindicates Burning’s billing as a horror film.

Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass

Tom and Jerry were meant to hit each other over their heads with frying pans. They aren’t superheroes, even though they often display super healing powers. Yet, somehow, they agree to work together to defeat a demonic entity and restore the celestial balance. That is a lot for two rivals who can barely stop fighting each other, but their latest adventure was intended to appeal to the Chinese market. The enduringly popular cat and mouse just happen to find the powerful artifact sought by Chinese demigods in Zhang Gang’s Chinese co-production Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass, which finally opens today in theaters, one year after its Chinese release.

Jerry is excited to visit a new exhibit of Chinese art, but Tom, the museum guard, is determined to enforce its no-vermin policy. In the resulting scuffle, they unknowingly activate the Astral Compass, which whisks them away to Golden City, the fantastical, pseudo-Ming Era mortal settlement under the protection of the Phoenix Master.

The fallen god was once a resident of Heaven. However, when he lost the Astral Compass, Phoenix and his squawking sidekick, Lil’ Feeney were banished to the human realm. They were given 300 years to find the Compass and attain enlightenment or their banishment becomes permanent. Their time is almost up when Tom and Jerry burst through the clouds, with the Compass clutched in Tom’s hot little paw.

Through various ploys, Phoenix and Feeney try to trick Tom into relinquishing the Compass. Feeling abused and neglected, Jerry throws in with Mega Rat, a steampunk-ish demon, who holds a grudge against Phoenix.

Forbidden Compass probably sounds like Tom and Jerry were just randomly plopped into a Chinese fantasy like Monkey King or Ne Zha, because that is exactly what they did. It is an odd marriage that lacks any sense of cohesion. The slapstick action is rather tame by the Hanna Barbera duo’s standard, while the original Chinese characters are a dull, selfish, and annoying lot.

Li Wake’s The Crack, at the Asia Society

Xiang Yang is a badly messed-up person. The CCP, the Gang of Four, and Chairman Mao are responsible for messing him up. He started life with a “bad class background” and things only got worse from there. Not surprisingly, the film telling his tragic and lurid story has been strictly censored in China, but Li Wake’s The Crack screens safely and legally for New Yorkers this Sunday, as part of the Asia Society’s Chinese Artists on the Edge film series.

It is not hard to deduce why the Party never wants its obedient subjects to see Li’s film. Not only does it forthrightly depict the cruelty of the Cultural Revolution, it is also extremely frank in terms of sexual subject matter, which offends the Party’s puritanical sensibilities. This is no joke. The Wake is not for children—but it should be widely screened by free thinking grown-ups.

Young Xiang Yang’s life took an ugly turn when the pretty tenant next door was fatally brutalized by the Red Guards. Even before that, she was victimized with impunity by her so-called “lover,” because he had the “right” class background. Xiang Yang would voyeuristically watch through a hole in their shared wall. Clearly, those experiences started warping his understanding of sexuality.

In the 1980s, the grown Xiang Yang yearns to attend art school, but again, his bourgeoise background represents an insurmountable obstacle. Instead, he must labor in a factory until he deliberately maims his own hand. The disability allowance gives him some leeway, but his sexual hangups will most likely undermine any serious attempts at a relationship.

It is quickly apparent why The Crack is so politically radioactive under the CCP’s jurisdiction. Li clearly suggests the violence and corruption of the Cultural Revolution directly leads to Xiang Yang’s anti-social perversion and his compulsive auto-eroticism. In fact, Xiang Yang’s self-gratification becomes a metaphor for the sloganeering and theatrical outrage roiling China during the 1960s.

Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers

Initially, it might strike outsiders as rather odd that Jimmy Buffett fans, so-called “Parrot Heads,” rival the “Dead Heads” as a musical subculture. However, it might make more sense if you know his backing band are known as the “Coral Reefers.” (“Reefers” as in madness.) Buffett’s longtime sidemen could flexibly incorporate many different styles of music. They could also handle the rigors of touring and the hard-partying that came with it. The Reefers and Buffett’s closest associates look back on their glory years with the “Mayor of Margaritaville” in John H. Cunningham’s documentary, Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, which starts its theatrical tour tomorrow in Key West.

As it happens, Key West is where it all started for Buffett. After a few life setbacks, he found himself living in a house on the beach, with numerous roommates and little responsibility. He had an interest in busking, but while playing at a local bar, he started honing his idiosyncratic sound and laidback party lyrics.

Admittedly, it is hard to classify Buffett, but some viewers might be surprised he served as a formative influence on several country artists (including Kenny Chesney, who is a prominent commentator throughout the film). Likewise, Jerry Jeff Walker was an important early influence and mentor for Buffett. Yet, if you think about it, you can probably hear an apostolic connection between “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and XXXXX” and “Friends in Low Places.”

Nevertheless, Buffett was still rock & roll enough to open (and sometimes outshine, according to his road manager, Bob Liberman) the Eagles. Indeed, Liberman saw and survived a lot, as did the rest of the Coral Reefers. They all look back on the hedonistic years with nostalgia and pride. Clearly understanding his target demo, Cunningham delights in their rock-star reminiscences. Aside from periodic discussions of the music, Occupational Hazard mostly just tells tour anecdotes, usually involving booze, drugs, and other forms of indulgence. It is like a vintage Behind the Music installment, but without the tragic overdoses.

The Girl in the River

Maybe Amelia Pembrook and Will Trent could meet at a conference. It could happen, if their fictional worlds ever intersect, since she works for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, while Trent serves its Georgia counterpart. The state bureaus might be enjoying some pop culture attention, but nobody will enjoy the case that brings her to Canton, a small Mississippi town that “will surprise visitors in all the worst ways.” It also happens to be her first field assignment in director-screenwriter Brando Benetton’s The Girl in the River, which releases tomorrow in theaters and on VOD.

Pembrook is considered a brilliant instructor at the MBI academy, but the Bureau director, Erica Graysmith, must push, shove, and even threaten to fire her before she finally agrees to investigate in the field. Her partner is certainly experienced—possibly too experienced. Alan Kramer inadvertently attained John “Mindhunter” Douglas-like prominence, but the tragic death of his young son left him a shell of his former self.

Kramer wants to retire, but Graysmith needs him to solve the case of the abducted Otto twins, Anna and Greta. The body of one was recovered from the river, but the other is still of assumed a captive of their kidnapper. The crime itself has outraged the community, but their wealthy grandfather Arthur’s political connections put added pressure on Graysmith.

Shot on location in Canton, Jackson, and Vicksburg, Girl in the River soaks up the local vibe quite nicely. It is rather refreshing to see a film largely set outside the major urban areas that isn’t yet another smalltown Hallmark romance. Unfortunately, the mystery is disappointingly simplistic. Anyone who hasn’t cracked the case halfway through might be tempted to buy the bridge the body was dumped off.

It is shame, because Benetton pulled off some interesting casting. Tiffany Hadish is surprisingly successful playing it almost entirely straight as Graysmith, the canny cop and administrator. It is weirdly nostalgic to see Andrew Stevens, the star of several 1970s miniseries and the 1990s Night Eyes franchise, appearing as distraught old man Otto (and also producing). As a bonus, Devon Sawa convincingly broods as haggard Kramer.

Mayday, on Apple TV+

Thanks to Top Gun, 1987 was a fun year to be a Naval aviator—except for Lt. Troy “Assassin” Kelly. He will be shot down over the Soviet Union flying a top-secret spy flight. Those who understand Navy tradition know call signs are created to be mockingly ironic, so “Assassin” is probably ill-suited for behind enemy lines urban warfare. However, he meets a Russian with precisely such a skillset. Whether he can fully trust mysterious Nikolai Ustinov is another question in director-screenwriters John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein’s Mayday, which premieres Friday on Apple TV+.

The super high-tech spy flight will be crewed by a humorless, uptight Air Force pilot and a wise-cracking, flying-by-the-seat-of-his pants Naval aviator. Logically, the Naval aviator will be played by Ryan Reynolds. Tragically, Captain Sanders will not survive the crash. As it happens, the ejection shakes up Kelly pretty badly as well, but Ustinov, a bushy haired recluse, successfully performs the necessary treatment in his cabin.

Although rustic, Ustinov’s home is filled with American pop culture contraband, including a bootleg copy of Top Gun that plays almost constantly. Given his enthusiasm for America, Ustinov assures Kelly that he will not turn him over to the KGB. Nevertheless, he is reluctant to help the pilot escape from the USSR, because he fully understands the dangers that would entail—only too well. After all, Ustinov used to serve in the KGB, before his estranged daughter’s conscience shamed him into retirement.

The stakes are higher than either man realizes, because KGB spymaster Alexander Volkov intends to use Kelly to discredit Glasnost and undermine Gorbachev. Of course, he must capture “Assassin” before he can extract a false confession of attempted assassination.

As action comedies go, Mayday does a fairly nice job balancing the laughs with the mayhem. Most of grizzled old Ustinov’s fight scenes have a comedic tone, but the hard-charging stunt work is still impressive. Staging the big set-piece chase scene amid the annual militaristic May Day parade represents a flash of subversive inspiration. There are also two nicely executed aerial scenes.

Not surprisingly, Reynolds talks a mile-a-minute as Kelly, but he has a facility for such one-liners. Kelly’s loving and dutiful relationship with his cancer-stricken father Harold also greatly humanizes the hotshot pilot. Plus, Kenneth Branagh clearly had jolly good time playing the lethal Ustinov, who looks like Rasputin, but fights like John Wick.

Maria Balakova is fine, but unremarkable as Anna Ustinov. In contrast, David Morse brings more dignity and pathos to ailing Kelly Sr. than viewers have a right to expect from a jokey buddy-movie. Polish thesp Marcin Dorocinski is convincingly cold and calculating as Volkov, notably playing against type, since he is known for films like Jack Strong and Rose, which incisively critiqued oppressive Communist-era Polish regime.

Adam Wingard’s Onslaught

There are two types of super-soldiers in the movies. There is the virtuous Steve Rogers type (a.k.a. Captain America), who realizes the technology that strengthened him is too dangerous to ever use again. Then there are the super-psychos, like Dolph Lundgren in Universal Soldiers. Don’t you miss Air Force Colonel Steve Austin, the “Bionic Man?” It hardly needs to be said considering the key art, but these super-soldiers will be the crazy homicidal kind, who meet a surprisingly resourceful opponent in Adam Wingard’s Onslaught, which opens Friday in theaters.

Apparently, Dr. Hans Kammler is one of those National Socialist scientists America brought over after WWII, some eighty years ago, or maybe a descendant, or a spiritual heir? Anyway, he is a creepy doctor working on a super soldier research program, using three of the absolute dirtiest military prisoners available. Of course, they get lose, because Kammler’s team forgets their abilities to slow their hearts rates mere minutes after someone mentions it.

Having sprung themselves, the terrible trio are heading in a straight line towards the Windy Oasis Trailer Park, managed by Celeste. Although she exhibits antisocial behavior resulting from PTSD, she still loves her daughter Daisy, who was just dropped off for a surprise weekend with her mom. Celeste has a fully stocked gun rack, but it will take more than bullets to stop the deranged killers known as “The Butcher,” “The Cockroach,” and “The Crybaby.” Pervy molly-popping secret agent Cyrus has been activated to handle the situation, but the deep state military industrial complex wants him to observe Kammler’s work in the field rather than save lives. That means Celeste and her Windy Oasis neighbors are on their own.

It is not just super-soldiers. It seems Hollywood can only portray two types of veteran characters, both of which are stereotypes. They can either be tormented victims of PTSD or unhinged psychopaths. Frustratingly, they are never allowed to function as productive members of society while they work on their issues. They must be symbols for something darker. Obviously, Wingard and co-writer Simon Barrett indulge both stereotypes.

Indeed, the anti-veteran bias of Onslaught is pernicious and pervasive, which is a real downer. It is a shame, because Wingard has a talent for staging gory, over-the-top action scenes. However, the best thing Wingard and company accomplish is the creation of a real sense of community in Windy Oasis. This is a place worth fighting for. Indeed, the chemistry between Celeste and her Vietnam vet neighbor Reginald VelJohnson (Sgt. Al Powell in the Die Hard movies) is almost redemptive.

Songs of Slow Burning Earth, on OVID.tv

What do you do when you suddenly find yourself in a war, not of your country’s making? If you are like the Ukrainians, you carry on. You also document the atrocities around you. There have been many documentaries preserving a visual record of the carnage and destruction wrought by Putin’s invasion. Yet, just about each and every one of them finds new and revealing material to mine. From the nation’s perspective, that is probably more of a curse than a blessing. Regardless, Olha Zhurba shows the world what war means to average Ukrainians in her documentary Songs of Slow Burning Earth, which premieres tomorrow on OVID.tv.

Perhaps the most striking sequences incorporate real emergency service calls recorded on the night of the invasion, reporting massive explosions. Imagine what you would do if that happened to your neighborhood. If you were a 911 operator in such a situation, how would you respond?

Although Zhurba employs almost no traditional interview techniques, there are segments that are so moving, they should shame decent viewers. The sight of dozens, maybe even hundreds of provincial Ukrainians kneeling along a winding highway as a fallen soldier is carried to his final resting place, is nothing less than devastating. Did the Queens soldier who recently died from an Iranian attack receive a similar show of respect in New York City?

The Twilight Zone: Stories from the Fifth Dimension, Graphic Novel

When this classic franchise premiered on television over sixty years ago, it spawned its own genre. Some of its stories had elements of horror or science fiction, but in nearly every installment, fate played an active and ironic role in characters’ lives and fates. We know what a “Twilight Zone” story means, but writing a good one is no easy task. Yet, the example of the original series has inspired three follow-up TV series, a theatrical film, and multiple runs of comic books. Real series fans have to give the latest comic incarnation props for printing the stories in glorious black-and-white. Consequently, fans will experience some of those good old eerie vibes when they read IDW’s The Twilight Zone: Stories from the Fifth Dimension, a bind-up of issues #1-5, which goes on-sale tomorrow.

These stories never have an “on-screen” presenter, which is maybe a missed opportunity, but it is maybe more respectful of the late, great Rod Serling that way. However, the covers often visually allude to classic episodes, as well as the art of the title sequences. Fittingly, the first story, “Blanks,” written by Dan Watters and featuring Morgan Beem’s art, is by far the most Twilight Zone-ish of the collection.

A cutting-edge medical researcher has been summoned to a remote island laboratory and treatment center, with the goal of literally curing death. The billionaire funding the research has only a few months to live, so he insists on serving as the first test subject. However, when he wakes, he finds the serum has been successful, but has also caused some highly ironic (a word you have to over-use when writing about the Twilight Zone) unintended side effects. Cue that famous music. This is a particularly good “issue” because Watters’ narrative allows Beem to create images that are reminiscent of classic episodes, but the particulars are entirely specific to this story.

“World of Your Wildest Dreams” written and drawn by Tom Scioli, also starts with very Zone-worthy premise, as a crew of astronauts approach a mysterious planet to explore. What happens on the surface initially feels somewhat familiar (in fact, Star Trek fans might notice similarities to one of that series’ classic episodes). However, Scioli gives it another half-twist at the end, which gives it an ironically sad tone. It also represents a bit of a ringer in the collection, because Scioli uses color tints. Ordinarily, that would not be an issue, but it sort of feels like cheating, when compared to the other stories.

Frankly, writer-artist James Stokoe’s “The Relic” might be the weakest link, even though his post-apocalyptic art is often stunning. However, the heavy-handed treatment of its themes (particularly the legacy of American “commercialism”) often feels like a finger-wagging lecture.