‘Flight’ was a truly remarkable movie portraying an alcoholic airline pilot named Whip Whitaker, played by Denzel Washington. The movie mainly focuses on character development, which is why Denzel Washington was the shining star for this movie. However, the cast also included impressive actors like Don Cheadle, who plays Whip’s attorney, as well as John Goodman, whose purpose is to act as the comic relief. Whip is obviously the main focus in this movie, but Cheadle and Goodman serve as spectacular supporting actors who help make the movie such a success.

What made the movie a success was Denzel Washington’s emotional portrayal of Whip. He clearly portrayed Whip’s aggression, charisma, flaws, and extreme alcoholism; he causes the audience to develop a love/hate relationship with Whip. The fact that the audience could not make up their mind about whether to like Whip was also an added element that made the movie interesting; most times, the protagonists in movies are either loved or hated, but Whip was both. Whip was definitely a hero, but he was also an intense alcoholic whose illness put others in danger several times and should really be in jail. However, despite Whip’s poor choices and obvious flaws, the audience cannot help connecting to him and ultimately rooting for him to succeed.

The main mystery behind ‘Flight’ was how Whip was able to land a plan and save nearly all of its passengers. The truth is that nobody should have been able to save them. After the crash, simulators were developed for other airline pilots to try to “save” the plane like Whip did, but everybody failed the simulator test. As the investigations unravel, Whip’s alcoholic tendency emerges to the surface and investigators suspect he was under the influence when he landed the plane. Interestingly enough, even though this definitely has some adrenaline pumping moments, mystery, and intrigue, it is not an action movie. The action and suspenseful moments take a sideline to the true purpose of the movie: to portray the life of an alcoholic hero.

Despite the fact that Denzel Washington did a superb job at playing Whip, it was disappointing that the movie was based more on following the life of an alcoholic rather than having more pulse-pounding action sequences. The audience was definitely able to connect with Whip, but it would have been nice to see more action throughout the movie. The movie was also a bit too long when it did not need to be. Despite these minor complaints about the movie, it is still worth seeing because of Denzel Washington’s brilliant performance.

4/5

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When I was offered the chance to review the first issue of The Occultist, I was excited. I’m a huge fan of contemporary fantasy, and the series description sounded intriguing. I was expecting something like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but alas my hopes were dashed.

The hero of the series is Rob Bailey, a college student who has received mystical powers from an arcane artifact called “The Sword.” Now he must learn to use his new-found powers while avoiding death at the hands of  a bunch of “hit mages.” Apparently, this series is based on a one-shot comic that appeared last year.

I haven’t read it, but the writers do a decent job of getting the newbie reader up to speed on what’s come before. Apparently, Rob’s friend/mentor Jacob Elder died in mysterious circumstances, and Rob feels some regret that he was not able to save him. The police get involved, and they suspect that Rob might be hiding information, but he’s able to divert their attention by means of his magical mojo.

But when the buxom lead detective goes hunting for clues, she inadvertently stumbles onto something much more sinister, setting the stage for an epic battle between Rob and a bunch of supernatural baddies. Throughout the issue, it’s clear that writers Mike Richardson and Tim Seeley are determined to keep things as mysterious as possible.

The reader doesn’t learn much about Rob’s power. Rob’s hand is green, and when he gets frustrated, his eyes glow green as well. He’s able to manipulate the mind of the detective who comes to visit him and survive a leap from the roof of his dorm, but it’s clear that Rob himself is as much in the dark as we are as to the exact nature of his “gift.”

Unfortunately, despite the promising setup, the first issue ends up falling flat. The writers are so busy trying to be mysterious that they forget to make the reader care about the main character. Rob isn’t particularly interesting, and his power isn’t well established enough to draw the reader in.

We know he’s in some kind of danger, but it’s all kind of vague at this point. The issue ends with the promise of a big battle, but the whole thing is set up at the last minute, making it hard to get terribly excited about it. Art-wise, The Occultist is quite well done, though artist Victor Drujiniu seems to be a bit unsure of how to portray Rob, and his appearance varies from page to page.

Drujiniu is clearly targeting a male audience, as almost every woman in the issue has mountainous breasts and isn’t shy about showing them off. The Occultist has an interesting premise, but fails in the execution. There are some tantalizing hints of interesting things to come, but right now the story is just too inchoate to be interesting.

OVERALL GRADE: C

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Jonathan Rhys Meyers, well-known actor and model, was rushed to the hospital Tuesday June 28^th when he was rumored to have attempted to take his own life. Meyers was found at his home in Maida Vale, London where authorities believe that he had taken a large amount of pills.

More recently, a source has told US Weekly magazine that he was not suicidal, but rather just intoxicated.

Paramedics tried to help him for a half hour when they found him before calling the police when the actor refused to cooperate or accept any treatment. When sent to the hospital, Meyers was treated in the urgent care. Police also confirmed their role in the intervention at the actor’s home. Meyers, however, had no comment for the press.

Whether or not Jonathan Rhys Meyers tried to take his own life might remain a mystery, but it is confirmed that he has struggled with alcohol abuse for years. Just one month ago he checked into rehab for the fifth time at a five-star center in South Africa. It is rumored that the actor uses alcohol to suppress his pain, especially following the death of his mother in 2007.

The actor, who owns homes in Los Angeles, Dublin, London, and Monaco, was born in Dublin and lived in Ireland with his parents and three younger brothers until his parents’ separation when he moved in with his mother.

Rumors are circulating that this recent episode is connected with his struggling seven-year relationship with heiress Reena Hammer, daughter to the owner of the Urban Retreat spa in Harrods department store.

Meyers has even spoken about his addiction in the past admitting, “When I do drink…I’m all over the place like a 16-year-old kid.” He has also been arrested twice for drinking-related incidents. The first arrest was made in Dublin Airport in November 2007, but the charges were dropped.  The second arrest occurred at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris in June 2009 where he allegedly assaulted a bar staff member.

It was reported in May 2010 that United Airlines banned the actor from flying their airline after an alcohol related incident at John F. Kennedy airport. He was reportedly behaving in a “belligerent” and “disruptive” manner.

Meyers is most known for his role as Henry VIII in the BBC series “The Tudors”. He also starred in “Mission Impossible III,” “Alexander,” “Bend it Like Beckham,” Woody Allen’s “Matchpoint,” and “August Rush” where he showed off his musical talents. In 2005 he received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win for his role as rock king Elvis Presley in the four-hour CBS mini-series “Elvis”.

Signed with London’s agency Independent Models, Meyers has had a successful career working with some very big names. He was chosen to be the face of Versace men’s collection in 2006 and 2007. He has also remained the face of the Hugo Boss fragrance since 2005.

Meyers has also been the celebrity ambassador for the charity The Hope Foundation since February 2008.

Currently, Meyers is preparing to check into rehab for the sixth time to finally get the help he needs for his addiction.

Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com

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