Salt

Cast
Angelina Jolie
Liev Schreiber
Chiwetel Ejiofor
August Diehl
Daniel Olbrychski
Screenwriter
Kurt Wimmer
Director
Phillip Noyce
Running Time
99m 51s

As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who Is Salt?" (Columbia Pictures)

The bbfc site says it was cut to make it's rating which is annoying. It was perfectly fine, it could have been much better.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Cast
Nicolas Cage
Teresa Palmer
Jay Baruchel
Toby Kebbell
Alfred Molina
Monica Bellucci
Alice Krige
Screenwriter
Carlo Bernard
Director
Jon Turteltaub
Running Time
108 minutes

Balthazar Blake is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath. Balthazar can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler, a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It'll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." (Walt Disney Pictures)

It started with something like a "previously on" bit which had me thinking whether this was a sequel although I knew it wasn't. I was enjoying it a lot but it seemed to go wrong somewhere but it was still pretty good. I can't quite place what goes wrong but the thing is the comedy sidekick has somehow become the lead which is kind of strange although his performance is good. There's a lot of explaining which isn't unusual but somehow here it was weirder. When the Nicolas Cage / Monica Bellucci plot-line moved to centre stage at the end, because you had only really seen snippets in the prologue and some explaining scenes it seemed to come out of nowhere.

November Comics

CBR has the new DC, Dark Horse and Marvel solicitations for November.

This is the stuff I'm thinking about in addition to my regular pull list.



BATWOMAN #0
Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III & W. HADEN BLACKMAN
Art by J.H. WILLIAMS III and AMY REEDER with RICHARD FRIEND
Cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III
1:10 Variant cover by AMY REEDER
“I suspect that Batwoman is socialite Kate Kane. I intend to prove it beyond a shadow. I need to know if she can be trusted, what her motivations are. I’m going undercover.” – Batman: Mission Log Entry 2756
Featuring a unique story composition that combines the art of Eisner Award-winner J.H. Williams III (DETECTIVE COMICS, PROMETHEA) and Amy Reeder (MADAME XANADU), this special #0 issue acts as a new introduction into the life of Batwoman! Things pick up roughly where the BATWOMAN: ELEGY HC left off, and this issue acts as a primer for the upcoming new series featuring multiple award-winning creators!
Retailers please note: This issue ships with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale 24 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Read the dollar reprint of Detective Comics #854 so providing it drops to $2.99 next month I'll get this.


SUPERBOY #1
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by PIER GALLO
Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
1:10 Variant cover by JOHN CASSADAY
Superboy is back in a brand-new ongoing series! Join Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH) and amazing up-and-coming artist Pier Gallo as they take Superboy on a journey to a side of Smallville not even Superman knows about! What mysteries lurk beneath the surface of this all-American town – and what are their direct ties to Superboy? The start of the next great DC Universe epic begins right here!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale 3 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Maybe this, got to tackle my pile of Sweet Tooth to help me decide.

The Karate Kid

Cast
Jackie Chan
Jaden Smith
Taraji P. Henson
Wenwen Han
Rongguang Yu
Zhenwei Wang
Screenwriter
Michael Soccio
Director
Harald Zwart
Running Time
140 minutes


12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying—and the feeling is mutual—but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts “the karate kid” on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has no one to turn except maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life. (Sony Pictures)

I was surprised by how good this was. It outstrips the original in almost every way except maybe "wax on, wax off" beats "jacket on, jacket off" because it's visually clearer how that works. It was surprisingly violent and some of that must have been cgi aided but I didn't spot it although the final blow seemed odd because surely they weren't close enough for that to have really connected.