What did we talk about on Critical Blast this week?

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On July 21, Disney debuted the long-awaited DESCENDANTS 2 on pretty much every channel Disney owns. You had your choice of watching it on Disney Channel (with limited commercials, unlike the other channels), Disney XD, Freeform, ABC, Lifetime, and Lifetime Movies.   

The Mystery Inc gang is back in another hair-raising (or hair-popping-off) adventure. Set in the wonderfully self-referential world of LEGO, SCOOBY-DOO: BLOWOUT BEACH BASH finds the gang trying to take a break from mystery solving, with Fred and Velma trying to overcome their square personas after Daphne and Shaggy have teased them about being unable to have fun. Their quest leads them to a beach celebration, where the two coolest teens are crowned "Captains of the Bash" for having led the other teens in having the most fun. It's a musical adventure straight out of a Frankie Avalon / Annette Funicello flick.

Unfortunately, the boardwalk is finding itself under attack by a pair of ghost pirates from the past, which isn't good for business for either the greedy land developer who's buying up the boardwalk, or for Mr. and Mrs. Holdout who run the Holdout Inn and refuse to sell it. Think you know who the mystery bad guy is already? You'll have to think again.

ATOMIC BLONDE is a stylish retro romp through the world of Cold War cloak and dagger. It’s also a strong debut by director David Leitch, though the tangled web they weave in trying to deceive the audience is ever so slightly overwrought. Then again, it’s bloody lightyears better than that Aston-Martin car wreck that was the last James Bond film, SPECTRE.

Cookies are for Closers -- and so is this lunchbox and Blu-ray set for DreamWorks Animation's THE BOSS BABY, starring the voice of Alec Baldwin.

Designed to look like a briefcase, this metal lunchbox is just the thing to give your midday meal both a modern and retro touch.

DreamWorks Animation presents the fun-filled, feel-good comedy of the year, THE BOSS BABY! Seven-year-old Tim Templeton suddenly finds his share of parental love plummeting when his new baby brother (Alec Baldwin) arrives -- wearing a suit and toting a briefcase -- and makes it clear to everyone that he's in charge. But when Tim discovers that Boss Baby is on a secret mission, he reluctantly agrees to team up with his pint-sized sibling for an epic adventure that might just change the world!

Every so often, and far too infrequently, the world produces an actress with a face like Michele Martin's -- attractive yet versatile, able to portray just about anybody in any genre. And Michele has done just that, with performances ranging from Shakespeare on the stage to co-starring in horror/thrillers like COFFIN 2, not to mention her copious writing credits.

Michele will shortly be portraying Natalie Wood as the lead in the premiere of AVALON at the Edinburgh Fringe, opposite Sean Cronin (FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM) as King Arthur. (The two meet each other as ghosts in the titular Avalon, between Heaven and Earth. Guinevere is going to be so jealous!) But before she hits the boards there, she sat down with us to talk a little bit about some of her upcoming projects -- one of which premieres on an entirely new digital platform!

Welcome back to Critical Blast’s weekly look at what new comics you should check out each week.   Just a warning, I make these picks pretty much a week BEFORE I actually get to read any of these comics, so if something is a stinker, I take no blame on that.  Let's get to it!

Comics shipping this week

Zach and Kevin travel down memory lane as they share funny and memorable stories of each other on the show. Do you have a best friend or person in your life with a funny or memorable story you would like to share? 

Yeah we want to hear it Boo! 

Are you an aspiring musician? An upcoming Youtuber? Have a Podcast waiting to start? Well whatever the case may be, the boys at Game Jab have got your back once again with a brand new giveaway. You need a free mic? Well, we’ve got a free mic. We are giving away to one lucky winner a FREE CAD U37 USB Studio Condenser Recording Microphone brand new and ready to be used.

You wanna win it, don’t you? You want that mic so bad that you can almost feel it. Well look no further because we’ve got the scoop on all you need to know on how to enter the giveaway to obtain this fine beauty. Use the RaffleCopter form below where you can easily get in it to win it, and find out ways to better your chances. The whole thing is easy as 1 2 3!

We’ll be there, and you know we’ll be waiting for you. See you at the finish line Boo!

GHOST IN THE SHELL (available July 25 on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD) tells the story of a special anti-cybercrime unit identified as Section 9 whose job it is protect the citizens of the world in the future of 2029, where the gap between human and cyborg has blurred to the point that almost every human has some form of cyber enhancement. Section 9’s leader, “Major” (Scarlet Johansson), is the ultimate expression of human/cyborg integration, where the only part of her that is still human is her brain. After being told she was rescued from a near death experience, her mind was put in a totally cyber body--the first of her kind, she is told. As she and her team are investigating a dangerous criminal who is killing top executives of a major cyber technology company, Major discovers a shocking truth about her identity and past life, and seeks to exact revenge against the company that created and tried to control her.

One might say that writer W. Bruce Cameron has gone to the dogs -- and the author probably couldn't be happier. The writer of several best-selling novels such as 8 SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER and A DOG'S PURPOSE has recently released a new touching novel about canines and the people they care about with A DOG'S JOURNEY.

We were fortunate to have a few moments to sit down with Cameron to discuss the titles he writes, the movies that have been made, and even some of the unexpected controversy thrown his way.

1. Looking at your title history, things seem to fall into either of two categories: "Dads" and "Dogs." What's the connection there?

Well, you know, if you're the father to some children, and you're the father to some dogs, there's a very clear emotional connection between the two.

In this fun new rhyming picture book, Walter and the Wallet by Billy Bloom (illustrated by Tanya Leonello), 9-year-old Walter Collingsworth is having an awful day – until he finds a wallet on the ground, filled with cash. Walter’s day goes from gloomy to great when he starts picturing all the fun things he could buy with his new money. But when he overhears a devastated old man who is the wallet’s rightful owner, will Walter keep the cash or turn it in?

"In the latest season of The CW's hit show, the 100 are still fighting for survival after suffering devastating hardships that have almost completely torn them apart. The fight has taken countless lives and set Earth's survivors against each other, but can this group of heroes protect each other from the most dangerous threat yet? Join members of Skaikru as they work to save the human race when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) releases the exhilarating The 100: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD on July 18, 2017. The 100: The Complete Fourth Season will feature all 13 episodes and will be available to own on July 18, 2017 for $24.98 SRP."

Zach and Kevin are not only lost in this spooky mansion but they seem to have lost themselves in this long journey.

With VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER seasons 1 and 2 currently available on Netflix, season 3 arrives on August 4th and we have a trailer!

In addition to that news, it was announced that fans will only need to wait TWO MONTHS before watching season 4! Which is expected to drop on Netflix in October! That being said, it appears that Dreamworks Animation has opted for shorter seasons in order to accomodate the increased frequency.

Because many people bing watch a season in just a few days, splitting up the seasons may actually benefit Dreamworks. It should extend the life of social interactions so it doesn't die out after the first month. Once fans have finished watching season 3, they can begin their excitement for season 4.

We'd love to tell you all about how freaking cool it is to see Richard Browning flying -- yes, you read that right, flying -- over the pavement in his homemade Iron Man suit at the San Diego Comic Con.

But we think you'd be much more impressed in seeing it for yourself. So for all you folks who couldn't make the SDCC scene this year, we present the following video so you can see it for yourselves.

He lives! He walks! He conquers! But best of all -- he flies!

Excelsior!

I want to be upfront and say that I've really never had much of an interest in the Inhumans.  I do think some of the characters can be cool at times (like Karnak and Maximus), and I do like Ms Marvel and Moon Girl, though the least interesting thing about those characters is "They happen to be Inhumans."  But on a whole, I mostly skip reading comics featuring the Inhumans.  I even stopped watching Agents of SHIELD when it becomes "All Inhumans, All the time."  They just are a pale substitute for mutants, to me.  Been a huge X-Men fan since I started reading comics more than 25 years ago, and the Inhumans will just never replace them for me as a reader or watcher of superhero movies/TV shows.

What did you miss on Critical Blast this week?

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