Before I talk about Magic Mike XXL (Blu-ray combo pack, available now!), let’s talk about Magic Mike – the original movie that started it all.

I loved Magic Mike. The attempt at a plot was weak, and the story was dreary, but that didn’t stop me from loving the movie. After all, Channing Tatum? Stripping his clothes off and dancing? With a bunch of other ripped dudes? Sign. Me. Up.

So now fast forward three years to Magic Mike’s triumphant return in the form of Magic Mike XXL. This movie has more dancing, more hot guys, and a cheerier storyline that was both fun and heartfelt. Therefore, it’s safe to say that I liked this one even more!

Plot spoilers ahead. But let’s be real, you don’t watch Magic Mike XXL for the plot.

If you the reader have ever enjoyed anything I have written, you owe some thanks to Chris Delloiacono and Daron Kappauff.   Chris has been a close friend and writing partner since we met over 15 years ago working at K-B Toys.  Chris ended up doing some writing at 411mania, so I followed the site regularly, though I was annoyed at the time by their lack of coverage for Crossgen.  So I sent an email to the editor, Daron Kappauff, and he basically told me, “If you like Crossgen so much, write up a sample review and I’ll put you in charge of writing for Crossgen.”  I basically had never done a review before, but I gave it a shot, and Daron clearly saw something in me as he hired me.  And I’ve been writing about comics ever since.  Chris ended up at Critical Blast, and as usual, I eventually tagged along and that is how I got here.

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

After two relatively small weeks, this week is just about the biggest week of comic buying I’ve had in a very long time!

Wow. That’s all I have to say about tonight’s choice, and the fact that I’m starting it at almost three in the morning. I’ve been doing this movie thing for a few years now, though without the reviews, and this is a movie I’ve been passing up since the beginning. No real reason, I mean, I always look at it and say “Eh, maybe tomorrow”, but you know what? IT’S TOMORROW RIGHT NOW! It’s time for ATM! No, it’s not a porn, it’s an actual horror movie about people at an ATM.

God help me.

Some dude is checking out maps of the highway and a parking lot, working out all the angles (literally, he’s even drawing lines with a ruler and pen). Like, dude is putting in the work for, what I assume, is murders at an ATM on this map. He’s all shadowy, and he puts on a hooded parka (like Cold in Flash) over a hoodie, for double the head covering. Dude is MYSTERIOUS.

Happy music and trains during the credits. And Santa jingling for the Salvation Army.

Cheap Pops - October 4, 2015

by Chris Delloiacono, Mike Maillaro and Jeff Ritter

This week!

- NXT Takeover Predictions

- WWE sets new record for low ratings

- PWS Results - October 3, 2015

Front Lines Reviews by Mike Maillaro, Mike Weaver, Grey Scherl, and Gina Maillaro

E IS FOR EXTINCTION #4 by Chris Burnham, Dennis Culver, and Ramon Villalobos

Half the fun of going to Archon is visiting with old and new friends, and sitting in on interesting panel discussions.

The other half of the fun is rushing around breathlessly to those panel discussions, lugging with you about a hundred pounds of books and visual aids, which you rush to get put up before the first guests arrive.

Prepare yourselves for the Friendship Games! The Mane 6, and their new friends, will participate in a long-standing competition between rival schools Canterlot High and Crystal Prep! And soon you can own this musical adventure to enjoy time and again!

Available nationwide on October 13th, 2015 in Blu-Ray and DVD format you'll be able to meet the brilliant cast and creators behind this magical film. Experience the journey as Twilight expresses her struggles to make friends at school, in a film about being yourself and building valuable friendships.

Archon, like many other science fiction conventions, is a showcase for cosplay. Here are just a few of the folks who are having a blast with critical blast at our con this year.

Few men in the genre of science fiction stand as tall as does Harlan Ellison. From anthologies to comic books to television episodes to movies, if it's science fiction Harlan Ellison has been there, done that.
 

It was my distinct privilege and honor to speak with Mr. Ellison has he attended Archon 39.

Day three! Otherwise known as the night I realized that I had yet to set up a queue on Netflix! Seriously, going through the list on my Xbox is one star this, PG-13 that. Fuck that. PG-13 horror is for kids. Though I will say that the storage unit movie sounds appealing, yes, I found another one called. This one is called Storage 24, and the bad guy is aliens, and maybe I’ll do it in a few days, but for now, Would You Rather!

Would You Rather, now that’s a game I haven’t played in years. Or sober.

Hot blonde interviewing at a restaurant, no experience, apparently had to come back home to take care of her brother. Job isn’t much, but she seems to get it.

Day two of Greytober is upon us, and I’ve got another movie! I have not a damn clue what it’s about, and I don’t know if it’s any good, but hey, that’s half the fun, right? What is The 13th Unit?

Oh goody, the movie starts with ominous music over background text. Something about mutilated bodies in Chicago in 1937, and them all being suspects in a robbery. A robbery of ancient artifacts! The killer and artifacts were never found, and the case went unsolved. Fast forward to NOW!

Storage lockers and squeaky noises. Someone getting ready for an auction? Where’s Barry? Alright, this guy doesn’t look too happy, looks like he had a bad day at work. Then there’s a dude brushing his teeth, and now we’ve got a couple where the guy is getting kinda handsy for a public storage locker. Death must be imminent.

Back On the Streets….that might be a good name for this column, not just this trade this week.  Open Mike Night is back from our summer hiatus!

Transmetropolitan Vol. 1 - Back on the Streets

Here’s a formula you wouldn’t expect to work very often in cinema and television: an entire show centered around one person trying to survive in a hostile environment with only his wits and found materials to help them through. And yet it’s been done before, notably by Tom Hanks in CAST AWAY and more recently by Sandra Bullock in GRAVITY. This time its acclaimed director Ridley Scott is putting the hero though hardship after hardship in THE MARTIAN, an adaption of the popular novel by Andy Weir. Starring Matt Damon as astronaut Mark Watney, a biologist who is part of a manned expedition to Mars, THE MARTIAN is fantastically crafted science fiction and proof that Ridley Scott still has the directorial chops to make must see cinema.

Welcome to Greytober! The annual celebration of my favorite month, where I watch my favorite genre to ridiculous excess and remind myself that I’m incredibly desensitized! Last year I managed fourteen movies, despite not starting my marathon until the second week of October. This year? This year I’m going to kill that. First up...The Town That Dreaded Sundown!

So apparently this is a sequel/remake to a movie I’d never heard of, which I didn’t know until I went to look up the opening scene of the town watching...The Town That Dreaded Sundown. I can dig it, meta-horror can be good; look at Scream and Scream 4.

The BH Productions animation before the movie is great, and I wasn’t aware of how many of their movies I’d already seen, or how many were on my ‘watch this month’ list.

Several months ago we covered the launch of the website for the girl-focused: DC Super Hero Girls. Now, USA Today has provided us with a 'First Look' at what to expect. It appears as though Amanda Waller will be the school's headmaster as she introduces viewers to the goals of the school. During the introduction, we see some of our favorite boy heroes flying and running about as well.

Despite the title, this show could appeal to all children.

Here's the introductory clip, now available on dcsuperherogirls.com:

FAMILY PETS is a just about a perfect graphic novel. It’s nice when you can get a complete story in 6 issues for less than 10 bucks. That doesn’t happen much anymore, everyone seems to be looking to use mini-series to launch longer stories. Granted there is some space for a sequel here, but I still think we got a perfect, self-contained story here. Highly recommended!

Entourage is basically just high-end mindless entertainment, which is what the show always was to me.  If you’re willing to just let yourself go for two hours without carrying any social agenda, you will probably enjoy it.

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! 

I'm probably the only person in the world who sat down to watch the Blu-ray release of MARVEL'S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON who had, in fact, not seen the movie in theaters (or, indeed, at all). But I was excited! All that hype, all that action, all those heroes!

And it certainly delivered the spectacle. The dialogue was spot-on for the banter I would expect from this team, the visual effects were stunning, the choreographed fight scenes were amazing.