November 2014 Television Reviews

Marvel Knights: Eternals

Shout! Factory

Street: 09.16

With Eternals, writer Neil Gaiman and artist John Romita Jr. revisit some of the more obscure corners of the Marvel mythos. Much like the rest of the Marvel Knights series, the animation is taken from the pages of the original comics, giving a sense that you’re reading a comic book with moving panels rather than watching an animated series. Romita’s Jack Kirby-esque artwork marries the modern style of comics with an old-school flourish. However, even with one of fantasy’s most respected authors and a legendary Marvel artist, the production falls flat in a few key areas. The first is a set of remarkably wooden voice performances by Sebastian Spence, Trevor Devall, Lisa Ann Beiley and the rest of the acting crew. Beyond that, the episode format seemed more than a little superfluous. It seems like it would have been pretty easy to just let each episode flow into the next without cutting to opening and closing credits every ten minutes. However, these are just a couple of small issues with an overall very well-produced package. It even comes with a short, interesting interview with Romita, who reflects on his collaboration with Gaiman. Eternals is ultimately worth watching, scars and all. –Henry Glasheen

Introducing Morrissey

Reprise/Rhino

Street: 09.09

Punctuated by his recent well-deserved accolades for his massive Vauxhall and I album, this ironically named 1995 UK concert film captures Mozzer during one of the peaks of his solo career. With a variety of performances now available on DVD, this is simply one of his best. Ably backed, he is in fine voice and flirty, but it really is just about the music. Vauxhall gems “Billy Budd,” “Spring-Heeled Jim” and “Why Don’t You Find Out for Yourself” shine alongside that album’s singles, and fine tracks from Your Arsenal, like “We’ll Let You Know” and the controversial “The National Front Disco” are here, as well as a few b-sides, such as “Jack The Ripper,” “Whatever Happens, I Love You,” and his luscious cover of “Moon River.” “Boxers” is announced as being a “big hit nowhere,” and ending on a high with the ripping “Speedway” is simply magnificent. –Dean O Hillis

The Musketeers

BBC America

Street: 04.08

The Musketeers is all sorts of swashbuckling fun with a villain that you love to hate. In case you’ve never read Alexander Dumas’ book, this is set in 17th century Paris where the King’s men are the honorable Musketeers. The best and finest of which are Athos (Tom Burke), Porthos, (Howard Charles) and Aramis (Santiago Cabrera). The Musketeers are damn good at their jobs and they have a ton of fun doing it. It’s no wonder D’artagnan, (Luke Pasqualino) works tirelessly to join their ranks. This leads to fantastic adventures and myriad sword fights, which are beautifully choreographed. The Musketeers aren’t just about brute force: they’re incredibly intelligent—there’s a lot more detective work going on than I expected. Peter Capaldi plays Cardinal Richelieu; he is so deliciously devious, especially in the last few episodes. I’m a little sad that he won’t be back for Season 2. There are also plenty of interesting special features like a look into Musketeer boot camp, and the creation of the streets of old Paris. It’s not coming back for quite a while (2015) so you have plenty of time to catch up—it’s definitely worth a watch. –Ashley Lippert