Order & Meaning
So, I have the track order down and wanted to post it along with a few words about each song, so here goes.
Jay-Z/Linkin Park-Izzo/In the End
Jay-Z is arguably the most talented man to ever touch a microphone, but of course if you can't appreciate rap music, you can't appreciate that. The fact that he elevates a band like Linkin Park to something that is listenable is phenomenal in and of itself, but this is probably the greatest rap/rock combo since it all began with Aerosmith and those boys from Run DMC so many years ago.
Jet-Last Chance
Hands down my favorite band to come along in the last few years, this song represents them at their best, balls to the wall rock music inspired by AC/DC, the Stones, early Beatles, and so many others. While there are slow cuts from their album, it's the music like this that makes them a band I can't wait to hear more from.
The Beach Boys-Sloop John B
I love music that tells a story, and it's one of the resons I love so much older music, it's not all "feeling on shoulders" it's the occasional wacky tale, or hell sometimes even a sad one. Sloop John B is a story set to music. It's fun, and for me that's the best kind of music.
John Oszajca-Valley of the Dolls
I could have easily made the mixtape out of only the songs on his CD. Each one has a different flavor and feeling behind it, and the man is absolutely a brilliant lyricist. This is probably my favorite song on his CD, but that's a difficult statement to make. It's folksy with a bit of a siesta feel behind it, and contains my favorite verse ever written.
Soul Asylum-I Did My Best
The CD Let Your Dim Light Shine is one of my all-time favorites, though admittedly I'm not a huge fan of the band outside of it. This song is kinda goofy in that teen-angst way, but that's why I love it. It would easily be at home on an episode of whatever teen drama is popular now (The OC I suppose), but there's still something else there, maybe it's the guitar that still appeals to me, I don't know, I just love this song.
Kanye West-Jesus Walks
Religious or not, this is a powerful tune. West is one of the best up & coming rappers and this song represents how passionate he is. He got his start under Jay-Z laying down beats, and if his first album is any indication he'll soon be better than the teacher.
Creedence Clearwater Revival-Long as I Can See the Light
It's CCR, you either like em or you don't. Hopefully everyone who gets a copy can at least enjoy this tune, especially the sax.
Alice in Chains-Would?
It's a shame we'll never see any more Chains music, and that I didn't discover them until the Seattle scene had come and gone. I think they represent the best of what was going on in that little burst that became "alternative" music, yes even moreso than Nirvana. This track comes from their Unplugged CD, which is one of my favorite albums ever, I think there's something a little more here than in the studio recordings, it's passionate and simple, good music stripped down to its core.
Beck-Girl
It's the catchiest damn song I've ever heard. I'm now a Beck fan and i'm determined to get all his CDs. When I listen to this I'm like one of those guys on Night at the Roxbury.
Bubba Sparxxx-Deliverance
Don't let the name fool you, this guy isn't your ordinary rapper. He hails from my neck of the woods, or at least as close as anyone will ever admit, and this song is about his struggle to make a name for himself and prove that he isn't just another white boy trying to rap. It's southern rap at its finest, mixing some old-school country sound with new hip-hop flavor and it's a great song. Again, if you appreciate rap.
Green Day-Macy's Day Parade
It's hard to say when Green day stopped letting punk define them and decided to begin redefining punk, but this song represents them at their modern best. I knew I wanted a Green Day song, but it was a difficult choice to make. Easrly stuff like Maria might be their most ambitious, young, pushy and no holds barred, but their new stuff contains so much maturity and is so relatable for me that it was tough. Ultimately this won out, and is probably my favorite Green Day Song.
Counting Crows- Hanginaround
Well, it's the Crows. I love them, and this is just an absolutely fun song. I don't know anyone who hasn't ever felt like this.
Phantom Planet-Lonely Day
Pop music at its best. Most probavbly would know planet from their music on The OC (they wrote the title song, which is on The Guest, the same CD this track hails from), but mostly they're probably unknown to the common listener. Jason Schwartzman was a member when this album was recorded, but I believe he's since moved on. I haven't liked any of their new stuff, but The Guest is a great pop album and lends a lot of credibility to a genre so many are willing to write off.
Willie Nelson-Last Stand
This is another song that tells a story, this one of a cowboy making his, what else, last stand, with the help of a young gunslinger. It's a great country-wester/rock song that probably has a deeper message than just that story, depending on what you want to read into it.
Robert Downey, Jr.-Smile
This is one of my favorite songs ever written, and Downey does a good job on piano and vocals here, though he still takes himself a little too serious. But, that's one of the songs many charms.
Son Volt-Drown
Another live recording. Probably their most well-known song, not my favorite but it's a good song. The live version just has that little bit extra behind it that elevates it.
Guns N Roses-Breakdown
Their best song, period. The song has a lot more meaning than the music they're known for, and if you remove the lyrics the music is just absolutely amazing. Plus, Axl quoting a famous movie line at the end makes me laugh every time.
Nat King Cole-Stardust
Once voted the greatest love song ever written, it's hard to argue with that. This has become a staple for so many singers it's hard to pick the best rendition, but I do enjoy Nat's more than any other I own.
Boys Night Out-Walkaways
Another Crows tune, but I think the Boys do it better than Adam and Co. do, as blasphemous as that may be.
The Eagles-Desperado
From the Hell Freezes Over album, again, hearing it live just makes it so much better. If I had to pick my all-time favorite song, this would be it. Preach on Brother Don.
So, there you go. Everyone who hears it will probably think "What the hell is wrong with this kid, none of these songs go together." But, hey, I love em all. Yeah, I picked more mainstream stuff than probably anyone else on the list, but I like mainstream music as much as I like indy stuff, probably more so, and i'm not a music snob either, I hope that shows. I think too many people ar willing to write off music that they just assume they won't like. I think everythying deserves a chance to sink or swim in my eyes, so i'm never quick to judge something because it's "pop" or "country" or "R&B". I hope none of the other listeners out there, at least the ones recieving my CD, do that either. I tried to pick songs that were enjoyable despite whatever their lyrics were, so if you don't "get" the words, I hope you at least enjoy the music.
-L
Friday, April 29, 2005
Score one for Lucasfilm
Actually, make that a few. The decision to pursue a regular cartoon based on the Star Wars universe (seeing as how Clone Wars was so successful, and so damn good) is probably the single best decision he's made since letting somone else direct Empire. Add to that news of a live-action show, and it looks like Star Wars may continue to live on for just a little while longer, and seeing as how none of those will be written or directed by Lucas, it's a win-win situation for fans. Add to those two things two very excellent video games that were recently released, and it looks like it's a good time to be a Star Wars fan. Well, unless you count Episode III, and I don't.
Lego Star Wars might be the single best console game ever to carry the Star Wars name. Yeah, that might not be saying a lot outside of some of the X-Wing fighter games, but it is a damn good game nonetheless. Playing out the saga as a cut little lego figure is a hell of a lot of fun, and it even makes Episode I interesting. Add in the massive amounts of unlockables (including just about every character in the SW universe), and the replay value of some of the levels, and you have a game that's likely to keep the best gamer busy for at least a few weeks, and the rest of us probably months.
Next is Republic Commando, think Halo only within the SW worlds. The gameplay is swift and it looks great. I haven't really gotten far into it due to the Lego game's distraction, but what I have played I've enjoyed immensely. With system link capability, it's probably really fun in multiplayer mode, and I hope to get more into it in the coming weeks. I'll keep you updated.
I've got lots of reviews coming up at CBG in the forseeable future, including Ex Machina Vol. 1, Helios #3, Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities #1, Beowulf #1 and Batman Chronicles Vol. 1, so I've got a lot of work to do.
-L
Actually, make that a few. The decision to pursue a regular cartoon based on the Star Wars universe (seeing as how Clone Wars was so successful, and so damn good) is probably the single best decision he's made since letting somone else direct Empire. Add to that news of a live-action show, and it looks like Star Wars may continue to live on for just a little while longer, and seeing as how none of those will be written or directed by Lucas, it's a win-win situation for fans. Add to those two things two very excellent video games that were recently released, and it looks like it's a good time to be a Star Wars fan. Well, unless you count Episode III, and I don't.
Lego Star Wars might be the single best console game ever to carry the Star Wars name. Yeah, that might not be saying a lot outside of some of the X-Wing fighter games, but it is a damn good game nonetheless. Playing out the saga as a cut little lego figure is a hell of a lot of fun, and it even makes Episode I interesting. Add in the massive amounts of unlockables (including just about every character in the SW universe), and the replay value of some of the levels, and you have a game that's likely to keep the best gamer busy for at least a few weeks, and the rest of us probably months.
Next is Republic Commando, think Halo only within the SW worlds. The gameplay is swift and it looks great. I haven't really gotten far into it due to the Lego game's distraction, but what I have played I've enjoyed immensely. With system link capability, it's probably really fun in multiplayer mode, and I hope to get more into it in the coming weeks. I'll keep you updated.
I've got lots of reviews coming up at CBG in the forseeable future, including Ex Machina Vol. 1, Helios #3, Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities #1, Beowulf #1 and Batman Chronicles Vol. 1, so I've got a lot of work to do.
-L
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
It Ain't Easy Being Green
I've gotten a lot of TMNT stuff lately, both the monthly boon and the anthology, Tales of the TMNT, have released new issues in recent weeks, and Volume 2 of the original cartoon series was just released on DVD (not to mention the new one gaining lots of airplay on Cartoon Network which helps me catch it more frequently). In my younger days I was a big TMNT fan, I loved the first film and most of the second, I followed the original cartoon religiously and had more toys than I care to remember. In fact, I recall a few Sundays sitting on a church bench ignoring what was being preached and drawing turtles on my church bulletin.
What does this have to do with anything? Nothing really.
Tales of the TMNT #9
This was a surprisingly great story about Michealangelo and his cat by Jim Lawson. Titled "The Path", it's a simple, human story about sacrifice and love. It's touching and sincere, something I've learned to expect from these latest incarnations of the Turtles. There's a good back-up that features Casey telling a story of his gang days to little kids, it's a little heavy handed, especially since the first story is so emotional, but it's still a good read. This has become as great a read as the regular series, and I hope it lasts as long as it possibly can.
TMNT #21
Seeing as how this book only gets released every two months, the series is almost four years old, and still going strong. The only monthly book more involving than this is Y, the Last Man, and you all know how I feel about it. Seeing the Turtles deal with these changes and hardships as they become more adult and drift farther away from eachother and their origins has been a most welcome change from the "kids" property I grew up with. One of these days i'll have to sit down and read all the issues at once as well as track down some of the older stuff.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 2
Knowing that co-crator Peter Laird dislikes this show makes it more of a guilty pleasure. I love it. it's dumb, kiddy, goofy as hell and keeps me smiling. It reminds me of my childhood and the more simple enjoyments in my life. It was $10 well spent for 13 episodes of a good time.
I've gotten a lot of TMNT stuff lately, both the monthly boon and the anthology, Tales of the TMNT, have released new issues in recent weeks, and Volume 2 of the original cartoon series was just released on DVD (not to mention the new one gaining lots of airplay on Cartoon Network which helps me catch it more frequently). In my younger days I was a big TMNT fan, I loved the first film and most of the second, I followed the original cartoon religiously and had more toys than I care to remember. In fact, I recall a few Sundays sitting on a church bench ignoring what was being preached and drawing turtles on my church bulletin.
What does this have to do with anything? Nothing really.
Tales of the TMNT #9
This was a surprisingly great story about Michealangelo and his cat by Jim Lawson. Titled "The Path", it's a simple, human story about sacrifice and love. It's touching and sincere, something I've learned to expect from these latest incarnations of the Turtles. There's a good back-up that features Casey telling a story of his gang days to little kids, it's a little heavy handed, especially since the first story is so emotional, but it's still a good read. This has become as great a read as the regular series, and I hope it lasts as long as it possibly can.
TMNT #21
Seeing as how this book only gets released every two months, the series is almost four years old, and still going strong. The only monthly book more involving than this is Y, the Last Man, and you all know how I feel about it. Seeing the Turtles deal with these changes and hardships as they become more adult and drift farther away from eachother and their origins has been a most welcome change from the "kids" property I grew up with. One of these days i'll have to sit down and read all the issues at once as well as track down some of the older stuff.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 2
Knowing that co-crator Peter Laird dislikes this show makes it more of a guilty pleasure. I love it. it's dumb, kiddy, goofy as hell and keeps me smiling. It reminds me of my childhood and the more simple enjoyments in my life. It was $10 well spent for 13 episodes of a good time.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
List: The Vampire Hunter
Warner Bros. is releasing a slew of mini-DVDs (presumably) for play on the new Sony PSP, so those of you that could afford one, you can now go buck wild and watch more than the five or six movies Sony released for the launch, including some comic-related favs. So, check em out at a local retailer, or check Amazon.com for some pretty good prices.
Blade - Trinity (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (New Line Platinum Series)
Snipes is now suing New Line because of various things regarding this film. Including it's lack of success. I thought it did well, it got Goyer the job on Flash, as well as Ryan Reynolds possibly. Could be that Wes is jealous of the fact that Reynolds got so much kudos, or maybe he needs some more dough.
Crank Yankers Uncensored - Season Two, Volume One
I peed in the pool! YAAAAAAY!
More crude hilarity than you can shake a stick at.
F for Fake - Criterion Collection
A Welles classic in the classy Criterion format, a good buy if you can afford it.
Fraggle Rock Live By the Rule
Season sets of this are on the way, but these cheap volumes have been pretty enjoyable.
Highway to Heaven - Season One
At least it isn't Little House on the Prarie.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Eh, I really had no desire to see this, but I may rent it just to see Jim Carrey doing some of his comedic stuff.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season Two
13 episodes of the 80s classic. Turtle Power!
The Waltons - The Complete Second Season
Really, what was this shows appeal? I just don't get it.
Wild Things 3 - Diamonds in the Rough
If there was ever a movie that didn't need to be made, it was this one.
-L
Warner Bros. is releasing a slew of mini-DVDs (presumably) for play on the new Sony PSP, so those of you that could afford one, you can now go buck wild and watch more than the five or six movies Sony released for the launch, including some comic-related favs. So, check em out at a local retailer, or check Amazon.com for some pretty good prices.
Blade - Trinity (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (New Line Platinum Series)
Snipes is now suing New Line because of various things regarding this film. Including it's lack of success. I thought it did well, it got Goyer the job on Flash, as well as Ryan Reynolds possibly. Could be that Wes is jealous of the fact that Reynolds got so much kudos, or maybe he needs some more dough.
Crank Yankers Uncensored - Season Two, Volume One
I peed in the pool! YAAAAAAY!
More crude hilarity than you can shake a stick at.
F for Fake - Criterion Collection
A Welles classic in the classy Criterion format, a good buy if you can afford it.
Fraggle Rock Live By the Rule
Season sets of this are on the way, but these cheap volumes have been pretty enjoyable.
Highway to Heaven - Season One
At least it isn't Little House on the Prarie.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Eh, I really had no desire to see this, but I may rent it just to see Jim Carrey doing some of his comedic stuff.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season Two
13 episodes of the 80s classic. Turtle Power!
The Waltons - The Complete Second Season
Really, what was this shows appeal? I just don't get it.
Wild Things 3 - Diamonds in the Rough
If there was ever a movie that didn't need to be made, it was this one.
-L
Monday, April 25, 2005
Making Tracks
Jet-Last Chance
Alice in Chains-Would?
Beck-Girl
Bubba Sparxxx-Deliverance
Green Day-Macy's Day Parade
Guns N Roses-Breakdown
Creedence Clearwater Revival-Long As I Can See the Light
Kanye West-Jesus Walks
John Oszajca-Valley of the Dolls
Willie Nelson-Last Stand
Phantom Planet-Lonely Day
Jay-Z/Linkin Park-Izzo/In the End
Robert Downey, Jr.-Smile
Son Volt-Drown
Soul Asylum-I Did My Best
The Beach Boys-Sloop John B
Nat King Cole-Stardust
The Eagles-Desperado
Boys Night Out-Walkaways
Counting Crows-Hangin' Around
Now I have to decide the order! (Yes, order is VERY important.)
EDIT: Directly from Lefty himself: "I just want to clarify this isn't a contest, but a sampling of what music is connecting with (and sometimes defining) the lives of various bloggers in this cluster of folks connected in many different ways "
THOSE are the right words.
-L
Jet-Last Chance
Alice in Chains-Would?
Beck-Girl
Bubba Sparxxx-Deliverance
Green Day-Macy's Day Parade
Guns N Roses-Breakdown
Creedence Clearwater Revival-Long As I Can See the Light
Kanye West-Jesus Walks
John Oszajca-Valley of the Dolls
Willie Nelson-Last Stand
Phantom Planet-Lonely Day
Jay-Z/Linkin Park-Izzo/In the End
Robert Downey, Jr.-Smile
Son Volt-Drown
Soul Asylum-I Did My Best
The Beach Boys-Sloop John B
Nat King Cole-Stardust
The Eagles-Desperado
Boys Night Out-Walkaways
Counting Crows-Hangin' Around
Now I have to decide the order! (Yes, order is VERY important.)
EDIT: Directly from Lefty himself: "I just want to clarify this isn't a contest, but a sampling of what music is connecting with (and sometimes defining) the lives of various bloggers in this cluster of folks connected in many different ways "
THOSE are the right words.
-L
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Various things
Lots of things have kept me from posting these last few days, and I've pretty much taken care of all of them. Well, all except one.
Chris Brown is having a bit of a competion...well, that may not be the right word. anyway, a group of no more than twenty bloggers will each create a mix CD and send it to everyone else on the list. Sounds simple, yeah? Well, it's not. I'm gonna have to accurately reflect my musical taste to twenty strangers, something that may make or break any kind of respect that they may have for me. Nah, it's not THAT serious, but it is something that's difficult to pull off with any kind of success. Especially if you're tastes are as varied as mine. Ever hear Beach Boys and Wu-Tang on the same CD? It might very well happen. I'll post the list of tracks when I whittle it down to a final version.
I had some family in from out of town (Jersey & Philly) this weekend. I guess the proper term would be step-family (uncle, grandparents), but they are as close as my actual family, and I got to celebrate Passover (they're Jewish) with them last night and tonight, and it was pretty great. As someone who isn't deeply religious it's wonderful to experience bits of other cultures with an open mind, and that I was allowed to participate showed a great amount of acceptance on their part (not that they were ever unaccepting, but if you know anything about religion, you know how excluding the Christian faith can be, which is how I was raised). It was great and I hope I get to spend some more time with them soon.
Haven't done much reading lately, as with writing, it seems my head just hasn't been in it. The weather here is wacky right now which wreaks havok on my sinuses, which causes headaches like mad, so i'm hoping once it clears up I'll be a little more focused.
That's it for now, I'm off to finalize my CD tracks.
-L
Lots of things have kept me from posting these last few days, and I've pretty much taken care of all of them. Well, all except one.
Chris Brown is having a bit of a competion...well, that may not be the right word. anyway, a group of no more than twenty bloggers will each create a mix CD and send it to everyone else on the list. Sounds simple, yeah? Well, it's not. I'm gonna have to accurately reflect my musical taste to twenty strangers, something that may make or break any kind of respect that they may have for me. Nah, it's not THAT serious, but it is something that's difficult to pull off with any kind of success. Especially if you're tastes are as varied as mine. Ever hear Beach Boys and Wu-Tang on the same CD? It might very well happen. I'll post the list of tracks when I whittle it down to a final version.
I had some family in from out of town (Jersey & Philly) this weekend. I guess the proper term would be step-family (uncle, grandparents), but they are as close as my actual family, and I got to celebrate Passover (they're Jewish) with them last night and tonight, and it was pretty great. As someone who isn't deeply religious it's wonderful to experience bits of other cultures with an open mind, and that I was allowed to participate showed a great amount of acceptance on their part (not that they were ever unaccepting, but if you know anything about religion, you know how excluding the Christian faith can be, which is how I was raised). It was great and I hope I get to spend some more time with them soon.
Haven't done much reading lately, as with writing, it seems my head just hasn't been in it. The weather here is wacky right now which wreaks havok on my sinuses, which causes headaches like mad, so i'm hoping once it clears up I'll be a little more focused.
That's it for now, I'm off to finalize my CD tracks.
-L
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Constantine, John Constantine, Asshole
For those who haven't see it, that may be the worst line in the film. It reeks of "Hey, look at me, I'm a bad ass and I want you to know it!" Where as I've always seen Constantine more of "I'm a bad ass, you don't know that, but you're about to find out." type of character. But hey, that's just me.
I haven't read many Hellblazer comics at all, so I can't speak about "getting it right" really. I can say that it was an enjoyable movie. Certainly not the best, but not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Reeves doesn't suck completely as John Constantine, and Rachel Weisz isn't half as bad as I'd feared. They're helped by a good supporting cast including Shia LaBeouf as Chas, I'm not familiar at all with his comic book counterpart, so all the claims about him not being right for the part may be on the nose, but he's enjoyable for the most part; Tilda Swinton as Gabriel, making asexual sexy as hell, she's very likable in the part and almost steals the movie (Funny enought she's married to a writer/artist named John Byrne. Not that John Byrne, but it's a funny little coincidence); Gavin Rossdale's Balthazar is mostly okay, sometimes a bit over the top, and I never really understood his motives; Pruitt Taylor Vince is one of those "I know that guy!" actors who's been in hundreds of bit parts and does a terrifically brief job as Father Henessey, and finally Peter Stormare as Satan is just inspired casting. He's perfect for the part and seemed to really enjoy hamming it up. His scenes along with Gabriels were my favorite in the film, and if there is a sequel, I do hope those two come back for more.
The special effect don't disappoint, and at times they do threaten to overwhelm the plot, but it seems like a pretty fair balance. Speaking of the plot, this one is pretty standard at best, and sometimes is just confusing as hell. but, good effects and surprisingly decent acting keep it from going completely down the drain. This will be worth a second look on video for sure, and may be worth a buy for the el cheapo.
-L
For those who haven't see it, that may be the worst line in the film. It reeks of "Hey, look at me, I'm a bad ass and I want you to know it!" Where as I've always seen Constantine more of "I'm a bad ass, you don't know that, but you're about to find out." type of character. But hey, that's just me.
I haven't read many Hellblazer comics at all, so I can't speak about "getting it right" really. I can say that it was an enjoyable movie. Certainly not the best, but not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Reeves doesn't suck completely as John Constantine, and Rachel Weisz isn't half as bad as I'd feared. They're helped by a good supporting cast including Shia LaBeouf as Chas, I'm not familiar at all with his comic book counterpart, so all the claims about him not being right for the part may be on the nose, but he's enjoyable for the most part; Tilda Swinton as Gabriel, making asexual sexy as hell, she's very likable in the part and almost steals the movie (Funny enought she's married to a writer/artist named John Byrne. Not that John Byrne, but it's a funny little coincidence); Gavin Rossdale's Balthazar is mostly okay, sometimes a bit over the top, and I never really understood his motives; Pruitt Taylor Vince is one of those "I know that guy!" actors who's been in hundreds of bit parts and does a terrifically brief job as Father Henessey, and finally Peter Stormare as Satan is just inspired casting. He's perfect for the part and seemed to really enjoy hamming it up. His scenes along with Gabriels were my favorite in the film, and if there is a sequel, I do hope those two come back for more.
The special effect don't disappoint, and at times they do threaten to overwhelm the plot, but it seems like a pretty fair balance. Speaking of the plot, this one is pretty standard at best, and sometimes is just confusing as hell. but, good effects and surprisingly decent acting keep it from going completely down the drain. This will be worth a second look on video for sure, and may be worth a buy for the el cheapo.
-L
That 70's List
I think this weeks releases pretty much speak for themselves.
Dynasty - Season 1
House of Flying Daggers
Meet The Fockers (Widescreen Edition)
That '70s Show - Season Two
XXX (Uncensored Unrated Director's Cut)
Okay, maybe not, but I really have nothing to add. Saw Constantine last night, more on that later.
-L
I think this weeks releases pretty much speak for themselves.
Dynasty - Season 1
House of Flying Daggers
Meet The Fockers (Widescreen Edition)
That '70s Show - Season Two
XXX (Uncensored Unrated Director's Cut)
Okay, maybe not, but I really have nothing to add. Saw Constantine last night, more on that later.
-L
Monday, April 18, 2005
Quickies- 04/18/05
Codename: Knockout #1- Robert Rodi has/had a great book here. I picked this up on one of my fifty cent bin trips and enjoyed it a great deal. It's not often I can get into spy stuff, even if it is spoofy, but Rodi with the help of Louis Small Jr. makes this a really fun read. I'll be perusing eBay to track down a full run of this for the el cheapo.
The Intimates #6- I can't really say anything about this I haven't said before. It's really good. REALLY good. So good I'm still reading it despite my distaste of Joe Casey. It irks me to no end that Jim Lee gets second billing. He's not writing it and draws nothing but the covers, I don't care if he co-created it. Giuseppe Camuncoli does the interiors, and good Lord are they ever beautiful. It's one of the main reasons I'm still buying this. If a trade comes out I may have a little giveaway for my floppies.
Doctor Spectrum #6- This officially ends my monthly involvement in the new Squadron Supreme. I'll get the trades when the mood strikes me, and this wasn't a bad mini, just not a great one. It moves about as fast as the regular monthly, which means it's slow as hell, but was probably more interesting overall. It was pretty to look at as well.
Y, the Last Man #32- Almost three years in and still going relatively strong. A lot of people have their doubts about 355s lesbian activities here, but I think Vaughan has something up his sleeve. If he's proven anything here it's that nothing is ever what it seems. Still the best monthly on the stands for my money, and one of my favorite books ever, right up there with Preacher.
Marvel Team-Up #7- Geek confession: I love Moon Knight. I think the idea kicks all kinds of ass, and I hoped that Kirkman would deliver some good MK stuff here. Man, was I ever disappointed. It isn't bad, but it's not what I was hoping for. Spidey is definitely the star here and Kirkman has fun writing him, but MK just feels like "what character can I use that no one else is using?" There are a few laugh out loud moments, but mostly I was just disappointed.
Power Pack #1- Man, this book rules. If you have young kids, buy this, they'll enjoy it. Sumerak manages to tell a self contained story that falls into a bigger arc that he has planned. when's the last time you saw that in a Marvel book? Fans of the old Pack won't be disappointed either, tho Sumerak does seem to ignore most of what has happened involving the Power family in the last few years, which I find odd (the story seems to pick up right after the group gets their powers? huh?), but hey, it's still a damn good read for young and old.
Over at the Galaxy Alan has posted up a lot of reviews, two of them mine; Bluesman Book One and Stonehaven: Milk Cartons and Dog Biscuits. Bluesman was an intimidating review to write. I don't think I added much to what has already been said about it. It's a masterpiece (the book, NOT my review), and you can win a copy right here on this blog. So, if you haven't already, check out the review, then email me your name and address for a chance to win your very own copy.
Also, on his own blog, ADD recounts the life of his red car. I found out yesterday, but didn't want to address the subject until he did. As someone who is emotionally attached to his car (and no one famous has ever even seen my car, much less took a ride in it), I feel for Alan. Here's to a speedy recovery and finding a car that Alan Moore might one day take a ride in.
-L
Codename: Knockout #1- Robert Rodi has/had a great book here. I picked this up on one of my fifty cent bin trips and enjoyed it a great deal. It's not often I can get into spy stuff, even if it is spoofy, but Rodi with the help of Louis Small Jr. makes this a really fun read. I'll be perusing eBay to track down a full run of this for the el cheapo.
The Intimates #6- I can't really say anything about this I haven't said before. It's really good. REALLY good. So good I'm still reading it despite my distaste of Joe Casey. It irks me to no end that Jim Lee gets second billing. He's not writing it and draws nothing but the covers, I don't care if he co-created it. Giuseppe Camuncoli does the interiors, and good Lord are they ever beautiful. It's one of the main reasons I'm still buying this. If a trade comes out I may have a little giveaway for my floppies.
Doctor Spectrum #6- This officially ends my monthly involvement in the new Squadron Supreme. I'll get the trades when the mood strikes me, and this wasn't a bad mini, just not a great one. It moves about as fast as the regular monthly, which means it's slow as hell, but was probably more interesting overall. It was pretty to look at as well.
Y, the Last Man #32- Almost three years in and still going relatively strong. A lot of people have their doubts about 355s lesbian activities here, but I think Vaughan has something up his sleeve. If he's proven anything here it's that nothing is ever what it seems. Still the best monthly on the stands for my money, and one of my favorite books ever, right up there with Preacher.
Marvel Team-Up #7- Geek confession: I love Moon Knight. I think the idea kicks all kinds of ass, and I hoped that Kirkman would deliver some good MK stuff here. Man, was I ever disappointed. It isn't bad, but it's not what I was hoping for. Spidey is definitely the star here and Kirkman has fun writing him, but MK just feels like "what character can I use that no one else is using?" There are a few laugh out loud moments, but mostly I was just disappointed.
Power Pack #1- Man, this book rules. If you have young kids, buy this, they'll enjoy it. Sumerak manages to tell a self contained story that falls into a bigger arc that he has planned. when's the last time you saw that in a Marvel book? Fans of the old Pack won't be disappointed either, tho Sumerak does seem to ignore most of what has happened involving the Power family in the last few years, which I find odd (the story seems to pick up right after the group gets their powers? huh?), but hey, it's still a damn good read for young and old.
Over at the Galaxy Alan has posted up a lot of reviews, two of them mine; Bluesman Book One and Stonehaven: Milk Cartons and Dog Biscuits. Bluesman was an intimidating review to write. I don't think I added much to what has already been said about it. It's a masterpiece (the book, NOT my review), and you can win a copy right here on this blog. So, if you haven't already, check out the review, then email me your name and address for a chance to win your very own copy.
Also, on his own blog, ADD recounts the life of his red car. I found out yesterday, but didn't want to address the subject until he did. As someone who is emotionally attached to his car (and no one famous has ever even seen my car, much less took a ride in it), I feel for Alan. Here's to a speedy recovery and finding a car that Alan Moore might one day take a ride in.
-L
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Can you hear me now?
That's right, I got sound now! AND I fixed my DVD-ROM problem. Turns out the driver that came with my souncard doesn't work, fixed that by going to the manufacturer site (you don't want to know how long it took me before I decided to do that.) And I pulled out my disc drives to reinstall 'em only to find out the IDE cable was fried.
I'm firing on all cylinders at the moment, car's fixed, comp's fixed and things are looking up finally.
Desperate Housewives was pretty good tonight, we learn a little about what exactly is going on. Also, the season finale to Arrested Development aired tonight. It was brilliant, hope you all watched it. nice to know George Sr is kinda still on the loose, as his antics are always good for a solid laugh.
Maybe later I can actually get in a post or two about comics.
-L
That's right, I got sound now! AND I fixed my DVD-ROM problem. Turns out the driver that came with my souncard doesn't work, fixed that by going to the manufacturer site (you don't want to know how long it took me before I decided to do that.) And I pulled out my disc drives to reinstall 'em only to find out the IDE cable was fried.
I'm firing on all cylinders at the moment, car's fixed, comp's fixed and things are looking up finally.
Desperate Housewives was pretty good tonight, we learn a little about what exactly is going on. Also, the season finale to Arrested Development aired tonight. It was brilliant, hope you all watched it. nice to know George Sr is kinda still on the loose, as his antics are always good for a solid laugh.
Maybe later I can actually get in a post or two about comics.
-L
What the hell is wrong with people?
The top story on the MSN homepage is "10 Men and Women who give love a bad name." At the grocery store every magazine had a Brad/Jenifer story on the cover. Isn't there anything more newsworthy than the sex lives of celebrities? There's a bill that may be passed preventing Average Joe for filing bankruptcy on credit card debt, and this is what makes the news? What the hell people. I feel like i'm still in high school sometmes, just that the damn school got bigger.
Says the man who gets his entertainment from books starring men in spandex.
Internet seems to be fine now. After I bought a friggin' $64 modem to replace the shitty one Mediacom provides. "Brand New" my ass. I had to call "customer service" to register the thing and I still had trouble, the guy on the phone says "it's your router, you should call your router customer support to fix it." What the hell? I don't pay D-Link 100 friggin' dollars a month for internet, I pay you, you tell me how to fix it. It's sad when I know more than the guy they pay to answer my questions, because I'm an idiot. I can't even get my sound to work right, but dammit, I can tell this moron what's wrong with my computer and what he needs to tell me how to do.
Watched a movie called Danny Deckchair last night. Pretty good Australian flik starring Rhys Ifans as Danny, a man who has a stupid idea about every five seconds. One of them finally works and he goes floating away when he ties too many helium baloons to his chair. He winds up in a new town and starts a new life as his old one slowly catches up to him. Worth a rent, Ifans is great as can be expected, with a few stand-out performances from the supporting cast.
I've also decided that the two greatest lines in television history can be found in episodes of Harvey Birdman, Attourney at Law. Fred Flinstone saying "You're dead to me can opener!" in The Dabba Don and Black Vulcan saying "Maybe we should just call you White Fish." in Very Personal Injury.
It's been a long horrible day, one in which I made almost no money yet found out I got a raise. I've eaten half a bag of gummi bears and now I feal "bleh". What the hell are these things made out of? I went to Chili's for dinner, ordered a bacon cheeseburger without lettuce, tomato or pickle, the guy says "Plain then?" Not thinking, I say yes, and get a damn plain hamburger. He also never refilled my drink, which meant no tip for his ass. All you waiters out there, that's like the #1 thing for me, I need something to drink when I'm eating the spicy ass burger you just brought me.
Bought two movies today: Stray Dog and Bottle Rocket. Bottle Rocket is good, it's Wes Anderson, haven't seen the other, but it's Kurisawa, who should come up from the grave and kill George Lucas for stealing and possibly ruining his visual style, not to mention plot elements from his films.
I did make it to buy some comics Friday, ended up getting Frankenstein Mobster #3 and the new Power Pack #1. Read both, and I plan on reviewing the Frankie books when I get a fair number of issues into it. I'll talk about the Pack later, for now it's time to see if I can indeed finally fix my sound problem. I'm not quitting until it's fixed or I just break the card in half. Whichever.
-L
The top story on the MSN homepage is "10 Men and Women who give love a bad name." At the grocery store every magazine had a Brad/Jenifer story on the cover. Isn't there anything more newsworthy than the sex lives of celebrities? There's a bill that may be passed preventing Average Joe for filing bankruptcy on credit card debt, and this is what makes the news? What the hell people. I feel like i'm still in high school sometmes, just that the damn school got bigger.
Says the man who gets his entertainment from books starring men in spandex.
Internet seems to be fine now. After I bought a friggin' $64 modem to replace the shitty one Mediacom provides. "Brand New" my ass. I had to call "customer service" to register the thing and I still had trouble, the guy on the phone says "it's your router, you should call your router customer support to fix it." What the hell? I don't pay D-Link 100 friggin' dollars a month for internet, I pay you, you tell me how to fix it. It's sad when I know more than the guy they pay to answer my questions, because I'm an idiot. I can't even get my sound to work right, but dammit, I can tell this moron what's wrong with my computer and what he needs to tell me how to do.
Watched a movie called Danny Deckchair last night. Pretty good Australian flik starring Rhys Ifans as Danny, a man who has a stupid idea about every five seconds. One of them finally works and he goes floating away when he ties too many helium baloons to his chair. He winds up in a new town and starts a new life as his old one slowly catches up to him. Worth a rent, Ifans is great as can be expected, with a few stand-out performances from the supporting cast.
I've also decided that the two greatest lines in television history can be found in episodes of Harvey Birdman, Attourney at Law. Fred Flinstone saying "You're dead to me can opener!" in The Dabba Don and Black Vulcan saying "Maybe we should just call you White Fish." in Very Personal Injury.
It's been a long horrible day, one in which I made almost no money yet found out I got a raise. I've eaten half a bag of gummi bears and now I feal "bleh". What the hell are these things made out of? I went to Chili's for dinner, ordered a bacon cheeseburger without lettuce, tomato or pickle, the guy says "Plain then?" Not thinking, I say yes, and get a damn plain hamburger. He also never refilled my drink, which meant no tip for his ass. All you waiters out there, that's like the #1 thing for me, I need something to drink when I'm eating the spicy ass burger you just brought me.
Bought two movies today: Stray Dog and Bottle Rocket. Bottle Rocket is good, it's Wes Anderson, haven't seen the other, but it's Kurisawa, who should come up from the grave and kill George Lucas for stealing and possibly ruining his visual style, not to mention plot elements from his films.
I did make it to buy some comics Friday, ended up getting Frankenstein Mobster #3 and the new Power Pack #1. Read both, and I plan on reviewing the Frankie books when I get a fair number of issues into it. I'll talk about the Pack later, for now it's time to see if I can indeed finally fix my sound problem. I'm not quitting until it's fixed or I just break the card in half. Whichever.
-L
Friday, April 15, 2005
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Giving You What You Need
Can you believe I forgot to mention the new Permanent Damage this week?! I can't! Go, read, now!
Also high on my list of favorite comics commentators, Chris Allen returns to CBG with his Breakdowns column. Did someone forget to tell me it was Chrismas? (No, I didn't misspell that. Chrismas, get it?)
Speaking of the Galaxy, ADD runs down his list of favorites for the Eisners this year. I can agree with most of what he's saying when I know who he's talking about, but hey, I friggin' love Y, the Last Man, so, wherever it's nominated makes me happy. But! (Two buts in one paragraph, impossible!) I always thought of the Eisners as an event that would bring the material all the fanboys weren't reading to everyone's attention, so I can see why Alan's upset at a lot of the nominations.
Smallville wasn't that great. Can't believe we waited six weeks for that. Am I wrong in assuming that was some sort of Eclipso type of thing? I know it wasn't exactly like those Eclipso gems, but it looked kinda similar.
Caught the episode of Robot Chicken I missed tonight. If you haven't tuned in to this yet, this will get you to: Kill Bunny-starring Jesus, Santa, the Easter Bunny and a bunch of Hebrews. Think Kill Bill, only with Jesus as the Bride, Santa as Oren (Sp?), Bunny as Bill.. INSANE. Plus, there was a superhero real world parody. Seeing Hulk pee in the sink and say "Dishes Done!" got me rolling.
I haven't made it to the LCS this week, mostly because I haven't read last weeks books yet. I'll get there tomorrow.
-L
Can you believe I forgot to mention the new Permanent Damage this week?! I can't! Go, read, now!
Also high on my list of favorite comics commentators, Chris Allen returns to CBG with his Breakdowns column. Did someone forget to tell me it was Chrismas? (No, I didn't misspell that. Chrismas, get it?)
Speaking of the Galaxy, ADD runs down his list of favorites for the Eisners this year. I can agree with most of what he's saying when I know who he's talking about, but hey, I friggin' love Y, the Last Man, so, wherever it's nominated makes me happy. But! (Two buts in one paragraph, impossible!) I always thought of the Eisners as an event that would bring the material all the fanboys weren't reading to everyone's attention, so I can see why Alan's upset at a lot of the nominations.
Smallville wasn't that great. Can't believe we waited six weeks for that. Am I wrong in assuming that was some sort of Eclipso type of thing? I know it wasn't exactly like those Eclipso gems, but it looked kinda similar.
Caught the episode of Robot Chicken I missed tonight. If you haven't tuned in to this yet, this will get you to: Kill Bunny-starring Jesus, Santa, the Easter Bunny and a bunch of Hebrews. Think Kill Bill, only with Jesus as the Bride, Santa as Oren (Sp?), Bunny as Bill.. INSANE. Plus, there was a superhero real world parody. Seeing Hulk pee in the sink and say "Dishes Done!" got me rolling.
I haven't made it to the LCS this week, mostly because I haven't read last weeks books yet. I'll get there tomorrow.
-L
Hurting for Content
Well, I thought I was, but with links to my last post from ADD, Neilalien, and Chris Hunter at The Great Curve, I guess I'm wrong. While ADD has linked to me before, Chris and Neils links were a surprise, I'm fairly certain those are the first direct links I've recieved from either of them, and for a post I decided to write because I couldn't think of anything else! Thanks guys. I've been meaning to add Curve to my blog roll, I think I'll do that now.
I purchased Harvey Birdman Vol.1 today, and wow, great packaging. The DVDs aren't too shabby either. While this lacks the charm of Aqua Teen and the characters of Sealab, HB is still one of Adult Swims best shows. Where else can you see Barney Rubble, Mobster or the real story of Race Bannon and Dr. Quests relationship? Or how about Shaggy and Scooby arrested for what we all thought they were doing anyway? But, the best episode has to be Apache Chief's. Witness Black Vulcan's true feelings about the Superfriends:
"You think I named myself Black Vulcan? Hell, no! I used to go by Supervolt. 'Black Vulcan' was Aquaman's idea. And I said, well, maybe we should just call you 'White Fish'. "
"They kept pairing me up with white Superfriends, like as soon as their backs were turned I was gonna start super-lootin'."
Priceless.
Everyone catch Tuesday's Shield episode? My God what an ending. I don't think I've ever been more horrified.
I'm off to install my new DVD burner and watch Smallville. All you new folks stopping in, enter my Bluesman contest!!!!!! Free comics folks! You can't beat that.
-L
Well, I thought I was, but with links to my last post from ADD, Neilalien, and Chris Hunter at The Great Curve, I guess I'm wrong. While ADD has linked to me before, Chris and Neils links were a surprise, I'm fairly certain those are the first direct links I've recieved from either of them, and for a post I decided to write because I couldn't think of anything else! Thanks guys. I've been meaning to add Curve to my blog roll, I think I'll do that now.
I purchased Harvey Birdman Vol.1 today, and wow, great packaging. The DVDs aren't too shabby either. While this lacks the charm of Aqua Teen and the characters of Sealab, HB is still one of Adult Swims best shows. Where else can you see Barney Rubble, Mobster or the real story of Race Bannon and Dr. Quests relationship? Or how about Shaggy and Scooby arrested for what we all thought they were doing anyway? But, the best episode has to be Apache Chief's. Witness Black Vulcan's true feelings about the Superfriends:
"You think I named myself Black Vulcan? Hell, no! I used to go by Supervolt. 'Black Vulcan' was Aquaman's idea. And I said, well, maybe we should just call you 'White Fish'. "
"They kept pairing me up with white Superfriends, like as soon as their backs were turned I was gonna start super-lootin'."
Priceless.
Everyone catch Tuesday's Shield episode? My God what an ending. I don't think I've ever been more horrified.
I'm off to install my new DVD burner and watch Smallville. All you new folks stopping in, enter my Bluesman contest!!!!!! Free comics folks! You can't beat that.
-L
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
3 Steps to Enjoying Comics
It's something that's been done to death on the Net, but I don't think I've ever weighed in on the subject, and since I really have nothing else to talk about, I figured what the hell...
1.) Buy what you like. This is probably the single most important thing. If you don't like something, quit reading it. Would you finish a novel that you weren't enjoying simply because you had read the first fifty pages? No. It's the same in the world of comics. If you read an issue or two and decide you don't like it, well, don't buy it anymore. The reason there are fifteen X-Men books is because of the "collector mentality" that has a hold over the comics community, and it's total bullshit. If you really want the books, wait a few months and you can find em in quarter bins at any convention. There's no need to pay Marvel the $4 it demands for its shit on a stick simply because you've been brainwashed with this "gotta have 'em all" mentality. Vote with your dollars people.
2.) Don't be afraid to try new things. Yes, it's almost contradictory of the first step, but it's true. Do you only watch romantic comedies? Or horror films? No. And if you do, well then I'm pretty certain you're an idiot. Limiting yourself to one certain type of genre is asking for trouble. No, not everything is for everyone, but you should always be willing to try something you wouldn't normally try. As with anything, having blinders on can block out some of the best things this medium has to offer. Plus, if you quit wasting your money of those damn X-Men books, you won't even have to adjust your budget. There's a whole world of books out there waiting for you. Can't find anything at the shop? Well, there's a reason Al Gore created the internet! So you could go to Amazon.com, or Top Shelf's site, or AiT, or anywhere and find something new and interesting. Fanboys seem to want to live in this status quo lifestyle and have their reading material reflect that very lifestyle (I should know, I'm a recovering fanboy), so unless you want to live in stagnancy, try something new dammit!
3.) Share. I'm not sure why so many comic readers have this hording mentality, but it's not good for anyone. When you read a book or watch a movie that's great, you tell people, right? Well, why don't you tell 'em about that great comic you just read? Ashamed? Well, if you're ashamed you need to quit reading comics period. The industry needs you about as much as it needs those guys that read all the X-Men books and live in their parents basement. Leave good comics out around your house so that when friends come over they might pick one up. Take them to work and leave em on your desk so that curious co-workers will ask about them. Get a friggin' blog and tell the world how much you love them. Do something. There's nothing more satisfying than sharing a good thing.
Yeah, I'd have liked to have a huge list, but really, it's just those three things for now. Not only will you find that you enjoy your comics more, but you'll be helping the industry as well. It's like a win-win situation.
-L
It's something that's been done to death on the Net, but I don't think I've ever weighed in on the subject, and since I really have nothing else to talk about, I figured what the hell...
1.) Buy what you like. This is probably the single most important thing. If you don't like something, quit reading it. Would you finish a novel that you weren't enjoying simply because you had read the first fifty pages? No. It's the same in the world of comics. If you read an issue or two and decide you don't like it, well, don't buy it anymore. The reason there are fifteen X-Men books is because of the "collector mentality" that has a hold over the comics community, and it's total bullshit. If you really want the books, wait a few months and you can find em in quarter bins at any convention. There's no need to pay Marvel the $4 it demands for its shit on a stick simply because you've been brainwashed with this "gotta have 'em all" mentality. Vote with your dollars people.
2.) Don't be afraid to try new things. Yes, it's almost contradictory of the first step, but it's true. Do you only watch romantic comedies? Or horror films? No. And if you do, well then I'm pretty certain you're an idiot. Limiting yourself to one certain type of genre is asking for trouble. No, not everything is for everyone, but you should always be willing to try something you wouldn't normally try. As with anything, having blinders on can block out some of the best things this medium has to offer. Plus, if you quit wasting your money of those damn X-Men books, you won't even have to adjust your budget. There's a whole world of books out there waiting for you. Can't find anything at the shop? Well, there's a reason Al Gore created the internet! So you could go to Amazon.com, or Top Shelf's site, or AiT, or anywhere and find something new and interesting. Fanboys seem to want to live in this status quo lifestyle and have their reading material reflect that very lifestyle (I should know, I'm a recovering fanboy), so unless you want to live in stagnancy, try something new dammit!
3.) Share. I'm not sure why so many comic readers have this hording mentality, but it's not good for anyone. When you read a book or watch a movie that's great, you tell people, right? Well, why don't you tell 'em about that great comic you just read? Ashamed? Well, if you're ashamed you need to quit reading comics period. The industry needs you about as much as it needs those guys that read all the X-Men books and live in their parents basement. Leave good comics out around your house so that when friends come over they might pick one up. Take them to work and leave em on your desk so that curious co-workers will ask about them. Get a friggin' blog and tell the world how much you love them. Do something. There's nothing more satisfying than sharing a good thing.
Yeah, I'd have liked to have a huge list, but really, it's just those three things for now. Not only will you find that you enjoy your comics more, but you'll be helping the industry as well. It's like a win-win situation.
-L
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Oceans List
All in the Family - The Complete Fourth Season
Carol O'Connor and company get away with saying things we can't even say on TV today.
The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete First Season
SWEET! One of the best sitcoms EVER on television finally hits DVD.
Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, Vol. 1
Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiird Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!
Hotel Rwanda
You can never have enough Don Cheadle. trust me.
Invader ZIM - House Box Plus Extra Disc
$27 for a house? With one DVD? It's a cool package and all, but $27?! After someone dropped the money for the series, you're talking about well over $60 invested in this series, and it's only 4 discs. Still, it is a pretty good series, especially for the goth-type of people who like books like Lenore.
The Jeffersons - The Complete Third Season
Movin' on up to your DVD shelf.
Knight Rider - Season Two
More Hasselhoff than you can handle.
Magnum, P.I. - The Complete First Season
Tom Selleck when he kicked ass.
MTV - Viva La Bam - The Complete 2nd and 3rd Seasons
This is an enjoyable show, not one I'd like to own, but i try to catch it whenever it's on.
Ocean's Twelve (Widescreen Edition)
Wait...now they have to pay the money back?
Platinum Comedy Series: Sinbad Hbo Special
I like Sinbad's stand-up. Too bad his acting is just so-so.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast - Volume Three
Screw Alex Toth, this is SG at his best.
The A-Team - Season Two
I pity the fool who doesn't buy this DVD!
Teen Titans, Volume 2 - Switched (DC Comics Kids Collection)
Read my keys WB: SEASON SETS!! Oh well, this will have to do for now.
-L
All in the Family - The Complete Fourth Season
Carol O'Connor and company get away with saying things we can't even say on TV today.
The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete First Season
SWEET! One of the best sitcoms EVER on television finally hits DVD.
Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, Vol. 1
Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiird Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!
Hotel Rwanda
You can never have enough Don Cheadle. trust me.
Invader ZIM - House Box Plus Extra Disc
$27 for a house? With one DVD? It's a cool package and all, but $27?! After someone dropped the money for the series, you're talking about well over $60 invested in this series, and it's only 4 discs. Still, it is a pretty good series, especially for the goth-type of people who like books like Lenore.
The Jeffersons - The Complete Third Season
Movin' on up to your DVD shelf.
Knight Rider - Season Two
More Hasselhoff than you can handle.
Magnum, P.I. - The Complete First Season
Tom Selleck when he kicked ass.
MTV - Viva La Bam - The Complete 2nd and 3rd Seasons
This is an enjoyable show, not one I'd like to own, but i try to catch it whenever it's on.
Ocean's Twelve (Widescreen Edition)
Wait...now they have to pay the money back?
Platinum Comedy Series: Sinbad Hbo Special
I like Sinbad's stand-up. Too bad his acting is just so-so.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast - Volume Three
Screw Alex Toth, this is SG at his best.
The A-Team - Season Two
I pity the fool who doesn't buy this DVD!
Teen Titans, Volume 2 - Switched (DC Comics Kids Collection)
Read my keys WB: SEASON SETS!! Oh well, this will have to do for now.
-L
Monday, April 11, 2005
When Will I be Loved?
Never, at least if you're a movie and that's your title. I recently watched this movie that Roger Ebert apparently enjoyed, but I find this IMDB critique by someone named Hannah to be more accurate:
When Will I be Loved is a film that attempts at many things but fails miserably. The title in itself is misleading in that it gives the impression that the main character, Vera, is searching for love that's owed her. In fact, Vera appears to have everything one could possibly wish for in life, including two caring doting parents. Why she chooses to engage in self-destructive and vindicative behavior is a complete mystery. The only reasonable conclusion one could make is that she is bored with with the perfectness of the life into which she is born and wishes to disturb that somehow by becoming attached to a hustler. This movie is pretentious and ridiculous beyond reason. The characters are written in such a way that they are not even recognizable as human, but rather just qualities. Non of the characters are accessible on any level, which makes the viewer completely apathetic to the outcome of their dilemmas. I, for one, was angry that I had wasted my time with a film that was not pleasing on ANY level. In fact, as the previous reviewer mentioned, the music that we are inundated with is distracting and serves no particular purpose. A bitter revolting taste still remains in my mouth from having watched this one hour ago.
Well, maybe it's not THAT bad. It works as a brief character study, but the ending just reeks of "What should we do now to shock everyone?!" It ultimately feels like a movie that had something to say, but lost its funding before it could say it, so what the hell, lets just end it with a bit of finality. There are moments where you begin to see that snowball rolling down the hill, getting bigger and bigger, but before it ever made it down to bowl you over, it hit a tree and exploded.
Unless you're really bored, I don't recommend it.
-L
Never, at least if you're a movie and that's your title. I recently watched this movie that Roger Ebert apparently enjoyed, but I find this IMDB critique by someone named Hannah to be more accurate:
When Will I be Loved is a film that attempts at many things but fails miserably. The title in itself is misleading in that it gives the impression that the main character, Vera, is searching for love that's owed her. In fact, Vera appears to have everything one could possibly wish for in life, including two caring doting parents. Why she chooses to engage in self-destructive and vindicative behavior is a complete mystery. The only reasonable conclusion one could make is that she is bored with with the perfectness of the life into which she is born and wishes to disturb that somehow by becoming attached to a hustler. This movie is pretentious and ridiculous beyond reason. The characters are written in such a way that they are not even recognizable as human, but rather just qualities. Non of the characters are accessible on any level, which makes the viewer completely apathetic to the outcome of their dilemmas. I, for one, was angry that I had wasted my time with a film that was not pleasing on ANY level. In fact, as the previous reviewer mentioned, the music that we are inundated with is distracting and serves no particular purpose. A bitter revolting taste still remains in my mouth from having watched this one hour ago.
Well, maybe it's not THAT bad. It works as a brief character study, but the ending just reeks of "What should we do now to shock everyone?!" It ultimately feels like a movie that had something to say, but lost its funding before it could say it, so what the hell, lets just end it with a bit of finality. There are moments where you begin to see that snowball rolling down the hill, getting bigger and bigger, but before it ever made it down to bowl you over, it hit a tree and exploded.
Unless you're really bored, I don't recommend it.
-L
Where can you go from worser?
Beats me, but my car will be in the shop til tomorrow, which means I cannot work, which means I've taken another day off which will likely be spent trying to get my comp working properly. Sucks about losing the money, but I could actually use the extra time off and maybe get something constructive done. Between the pollen and my sore throat it's becoming increasingly difficult to breathe outside, so I've decided not to leave my house til Wednesday.
If you enjoyed any of the Mitch Hedberg Humour i've posted lately, I strongly urge you to track down his two comedy albums (I believe Amazon.com has them, I'll post links when I find em). Again, it's depressing that we lost such a young great talent, and it would be nice to have more of his material available to the public, the gone but not forgotten situation. DVD's would be most welcome, maybe Comedy Central will put something together.
-L
Beats me, but my car will be in the shop til tomorrow, which means I cannot work, which means I've taken another day off which will likely be spent trying to get my comp working properly. Sucks about losing the money, but I could actually use the extra time off and maybe get something constructive done. Between the pollen and my sore throat it's becoming increasingly difficult to breathe outside, so I've decided not to leave my house til Wednesday.
If you enjoyed any of the Mitch Hedberg Humour i've posted lately, I strongly urge you to track down his two comedy albums (I believe Amazon.com has them, I'll post links when I find em). Again, it's depressing that we lost such a young great talent, and it would be nice to have more of his material available to the public, the gone but not forgotten situation. DVD's would be most welcome, maybe Comedy Central will put something together.
-L
Sunday, April 10, 2005
From Worse to Worser
And I call myself a writer. fixed my burner drive! But, alas, still no sound or DVD capability. A friend is going to check it out for me, since this is about as far as I can seem to get without professional help. The con was kind of a crap-shoot, I'm still having issues with whatever throat problem I've contracted, as it stands now I may not have a speaking voice tomorrow. On top of that I left my car in capable hands for a tune-up today and found out my valve cover gasket is cracked, which is the reason i'm losing oil. It's both a relief and a pain. I know the problem, now I have to fix it, seems everything is breaking lately.
Comics you ask? Well, I picked up a few trades/GNs for about $7 or less which made me happy: Johnny Nemo written by Peter Milligan with some art by Steve Dillon. I've never heard of it, but I like those fellas just fine, and even if it was a bit tattered, hopefully it was worth the $2 asking price. Suicide Blonde by Chris Yambar and George Broderick Jr. (never heard of any of those names I just mention....) looks like a fun read. I skimmed the art and it looks pretty good and the story blurb was quirky enough for me to bite, and at $3, I did. Two, count them, TWO Strangers in Paradise TPBs for $5 a piece. I like the one I have read enough to give em a go. Two 100 Bullets trades, Vol. 5 &6, for $13 (that's for both, not a piece). Cla$$ War Collected Ed. collect issues #1-3. I read a review awhile back that sparked my interest, but I never bothered to track it down for whatever reason, but for $6, I'm game. Brit: Cold Death completes my collection of this book I think (Brit, Brit: Cold Death, Brit: Red, White Black and Blue. Is that all of 'em?), and at $2.50 it was a friggin steal. From there it was bin-diving time, all between 50 cents and a $1. Street Angel #1 for 50 cents! Gah! YAY!!!! I finally get to read it! More Palookaville, #'s 5&8, also for a mere two quarters. Ocean #1&2, again, fitty cent, and I'm hoping I enjoy em enough to follow the rest of the series. Sleeper #1, a series which I've yet to read any of, and i'll wait while alan punds my skull in. Through? Okay! Two random books (I love random books) named Reflux #1 and Pirate Club #1. Two issues of A Distant Soil to satisfy the Coleen Doran fix I've had since I read Reign of the Zodiac #1 (I won a set of the complete series, so someone may get a copy of #1 down the line in some comics they win). All them there books was a couple of quarter too. In the $1 dept I got Meltdown #1&2, a book I always wanted to read through. I have #3&4 and liked them for the most part, but understood little of what was happening, plus I'm a sucker for sets. The rest was just filling in gaps, except for two odd Marvel books I didn't know existed: Avengers #1 1/2, and Strange Tales: Dark Corners #1, in which Alex Maleeve illustrated a Cloak and Dagger tale by Mike Baron (two other stories are contained as well).The Avengers story is by Roger Stern and Bruce Timm, which intrigues the hell out of me. so, more later.
-L
And I call myself a writer. fixed my burner drive! But, alas, still no sound or DVD capability. A friend is going to check it out for me, since this is about as far as I can seem to get without professional help. The con was kind of a crap-shoot, I'm still having issues with whatever throat problem I've contracted, as it stands now I may not have a speaking voice tomorrow. On top of that I left my car in capable hands for a tune-up today and found out my valve cover gasket is cracked, which is the reason i'm losing oil. It's both a relief and a pain. I know the problem, now I have to fix it, seems everything is breaking lately.
Comics you ask? Well, I picked up a few trades/GNs for about $7 or less which made me happy: Johnny Nemo written by Peter Milligan with some art by Steve Dillon. I've never heard of it, but I like those fellas just fine, and even if it was a bit tattered, hopefully it was worth the $2 asking price. Suicide Blonde by Chris Yambar and George Broderick Jr. (never heard of any of those names I just mention....) looks like a fun read. I skimmed the art and it looks pretty good and the story blurb was quirky enough for me to bite, and at $3, I did. Two, count them, TWO Strangers in Paradise TPBs for $5 a piece. I like the one I have read enough to give em a go. Two 100 Bullets trades, Vol. 5 &6, for $13 (that's for both, not a piece). Cla$$ War Collected Ed. collect issues #1-3. I read a review awhile back that sparked my interest, but I never bothered to track it down for whatever reason, but for $6, I'm game. Brit: Cold Death completes my collection of this book I think (Brit, Brit: Cold Death, Brit: Red, White Black and Blue. Is that all of 'em?), and at $2.50 it was a friggin steal. From there it was bin-diving time, all between 50 cents and a $1. Street Angel #1 for 50 cents! Gah! YAY!!!! I finally get to read it! More Palookaville, #'s 5&8, also for a mere two quarters. Ocean #1&2, again, fitty cent, and I'm hoping I enjoy em enough to follow the rest of the series. Sleeper #1, a series which I've yet to read any of, and i'll wait while alan punds my skull in. Through? Okay! Two random books (I love random books) named Reflux #1 and Pirate Club #1. Two issues of A Distant Soil to satisfy the Coleen Doran fix I've had since I read Reign of the Zodiac #1 (I won a set of the complete series, so someone may get a copy of #1 down the line in some comics they win). All them there books was a couple of quarter too. In the $1 dept I got Meltdown #1&2, a book I always wanted to read through. I have #3&4 and liked them for the most part, but understood little of what was happening, plus I'm a sucker for sets. The rest was just filling in gaps, except for two odd Marvel books I didn't know existed: Avengers #1 1/2, and Strange Tales: Dark Corners #1, in which Alex Maleeve illustrated a Cloak and Dagger tale by Mike Baron (two other stories are contained as well).The Avengers story is by Roger Stern and Bruce Timm, which intrigues the hell out of me. so, more later.
-L
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Long Day
10+ hrs of work have me exhausted right now, plus I managed to get some sort of bronchial/respitory thing that has me coughing something awful, and I've got some HTMLing to do so that Alan does not think I'm never going to send in another review, and on top of that my comp still isn't back up to full speed (burner/sound card/dvd-rom drives will not work for some damn reason, I suspect they all have something in common as to why, but hell if I know, but, I did manage to save everything that I needed off my bad HD, so thank God for that!). So, yeah, looks like a day without an official update. I got Seven Samurai in from Netflix, I'm looking forward to watching it again, it's been awhile, and I really can't afford it on DVD.
I've actually done some extracarricular writing in the last few days, and finished something that resembles a comic book script (vaguely) and found someone who may be willing to illustrate it if I can ever manage to stop spending money. It's not excellent by any means, nor is it personal, just a fantasy-ish type of story. Not big news to anyone but me, as it's just a personal goal, I never finish anything I start, so it made me a bit happy.
I'm going to a small convention tomorrow, and I'm hoping Top Shelf will be there (it's in Atlanta, relitively close to their home base) so I can pick up a few quality things. I completely forgot to confirm my order on the sale they ran weeks back and feel like an utter idiot for it. Of course, the dough came in handy when buying the new HD, so maybe it's not such a bad thing.
Full report on books I grabbed at the Con. Bob Burden will be there, so the flyer says, wish I had some books for him to sign, or even a copy of Mystery Men, but I don't think I do, but if nothing else it'll be nice to just meet him. So, yeah, come back tomorrow and I'll talk comics. I swear.
-L
10+ hrs of work have me exhausted right now, plus I managed to get some sort of bronchial/respitory thing that has me coughing something awful, and I've got some HTMLing to do so that Alan does not think I'm never going to send in another review, and on top of that my comp still isn't back up to full speed (burner/sound card/dvd-rom drives will not work for some damn reason, I suspect they all have something in common as to why, but hell if I know, but, I did manage to save everything that I needed off my bad HD, so thank God for that!). So, yeah, looks like a day without an official update. I got Seven Samurai in from Netflix, I'm looking forward to watching it again, it's been awhile, and I really can't afford it on DVD.
I've actually done some extracarricular writing in the last few days, and finished something that resembles a comic book script (vaguely) and found someone who may be willing to illustrate it if I can ever manage to stop spending money. It's not excellent by any means, nor is it personal, just a fantasy-ish type of story. Not big news to anyone but me, as it's just a personal goal, I never finish anything I start, so it made me a bit happy.
I'm going to a small convention tomorrow, and I'm hoping Top Shelf will be there (it's in Atlanta, relitively close to their home base) so I can pick up a few quality things. I completely forgot to confirm my order on the sale they ran weeks back and feel like an utter idiot for it. Of course, the dough came in handy when buying the new HD, so maybe it's not such a bad thing.
Full report on books I grabbed at the Con. Bob Burden will be there, so the flyer says, wish I had some books for him to sign, or even a copy of Mystery Men, but I don't think I do, but if nothing else it'll be nice to just meet him. So, yeah, come back tomorrow and I'll talk comics. I swear.
-L
Friday, April 08, 2005
Links
My brain is currently not functioning well, so here's a few places you can actually read some material.
There's a new Permanent Damage up, so if yiu haven't seen it yet, please, do so now. As always Mr. Grant delivers the goods, including his next section of Creating Comics.
Ian Brill got to see Greant Morrison in person and has the rundown on his blog: Part 1 Part 2 I've been meaning to link to it for sometime, but you know how it goes. It's great stuff, and Morrison is such a strange guy, Ian does a great job of reporting here, and like ADD said, his blog has become a favorite 'Net hang-out of mine recently.
Franklin's Findings is going the way of Clandestine Critic. Seems alot of my newfound favorite bloggers are moving on to better things. here's hoping the call of the blog doesn't keep 'em away too long!
Before it slipps my mind again, Comic Book Galaxy is holding an absolutely wonderful James Kochalka contest. With plenty o' prizes to give away, odds are good you might win something, so go enter.
JB (does that make me Terry? I hope not, howie gets all the chicks!) looks at Rima, the Jungle Girl. As much as I love hearing his thoughts on some of the newer comics and such, these explorations of older material are just completely fascinating for me. As someone who came into the world of comics in the 90s, I have the displeasure of not knowing much about what came before. Sure I know alot of the major things, but stuff like this and his multi-part look at DC's Frankenstein are just amazing for me. Keep it up JB.
The Sin City reviews are all over the place. Mostly positive too. Looks good for the residents of Basin City.
And finally, JK over at Trash Heap is holding his own contest, for you to win a copy of Vertigo's new First Taste trade. so go enter already! While you're at it, don't forget to rnter my Bluesman giveaway! Free signed comics, what could be better?
-L
My brain is currently not functioning well, so here's a few places you can actually read some material.
There's a new Permanent Damage up, so if yiu haven't seen it yet, please, do so now. As always Mr. Grant delivers the goods, including his next section of Creating Comics.
Ian Brill got to see Greant Morrison in person and has the rundown on his blog: Part 1 Part 2 I've been meaning to link to it for sometime, but you know how it goes. It's great stuff, and Morrison is such a strange guy, Ian does a great job of reporting here, and like ADD said, his blog has become a favorite 'Net hang-out of mine recently.
Franklin's Findings is going the way of Clandestine Critic. Seems alot of my newfound favorite bloggers are moving on to better things. here's hoping the call of the blog doesn't keep 'em away too long!
Before it slipps my mind again, Comic Book Galaxy is holding an absolutely wonderful James Kochalka contest. With plenty o' prizes to give away, odds are good you might win something, so go enter.
JB (does that make me Terry? I hope not, howie gets all the chicks!) looks at Rima, the Jungle Girl. As much as I love hearing his thoughts on some of the newer comics and such, these explorations of older material are just completely fascinating for me. As someone who came into the world of comics in the 90s, I have the displeasure of not knowing much about what came before. Sure I know alot of the major things, but stuff like this and his multi-part look at DC's Frankenstein are just amazing for me. Keep it up JB.
The Sin City reviews are all over the place. Mostly positive too. Looks good for the residents of Basin City.
And finally, JK over at Trash Heap is holding his own contest, for you to win a copy of Vertigo's new First Taste trade. so go enter already! While you're at it, don't forget to rnter my Bluesman giveaway! Free signed comics, what could be better?
-L
Thank you
To everyone who has entered and/or linked to the Bluesman giveaway, thank you!
To blogger: Thank you so damn much. You finally did something fantastic...other than just being Blogger. i can now recover a post if it's lost!
To Mr. Ben and his partner Mr. Jerry: Keep making Oatmeal Cookie Chunk and I'll be fat forever. it's possible that could happen no matter what, so yeah, just keep making it.
Anyone else seen Wonderfalls? I know it got cancelled, but damn was it ever a good show! If you catch the DVD on sale, or have the extra dough, check it out. It's about a woman, Jaye, and the twists and turns of her life when inanimate objects (always animals) begin talking to her. Very Joan of Arc-ish, and it predates the current show with that similar format. Here we do not know who or what is trying to communicate with Jaye, only that they tell her vague instructions and she has to figure out what they mean. Mostly it's an "everything works out in the end" show, but with some honest surprises along the way. The twists and turns in and out of genres is a nice thing to see too, no two episodes feel the same, and the cast is brilliant, as is the writing. It's one of the freshest ideas to come to television (too bad it failed and then got ripped off...) and everyone involved should be commended. If you see this, rent it, you won't regret it.
-L
To everyone who has entered and/or linked to the Bluesman giveaway, thank you!
To blogger: Thank you so damn much. You finally did something fantastic...other than just being Blogger. i can now recover a post if it's lost!
To Mr. Ben and his partner Mr. Jerry: Keep making Oatmeal Cookie Chunk and I'll be fat forever. it's possible that could happen no matter what, so yeah, just keep making it.
Anyone else seen Wonderfalls? I know it got cancelled, but damn was it ever a good show! If you catch the DVD on sale, or have the extra dough, check it out. It's about a woman, Jaye, and the twists and turns of her life when inanimate objects (always animals) begin talking to her. Very Joan of Arc-ish, and it predates the current show with that similar format. Here we do not know who or what is trying to communicate with Jaye, only that they tell her vague instructions and she has to figure out what they mean. Mostly it's an "everything works out in the end" show, but with some honest surprises along the way. The twists and turns in and out of genres is a nice thing to see too, no two episodes feel the same, and the cast is brilliant, as is the writing. It's one of the freshest ideas to come to television (too bad it failed and then got ripped off...) and everyone involved should be commended. If you see this, rent it, you won't regret it.
-L
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Sin City
Spoilers ahead.
Where do I start? I guess the beginning is a good place, huh? Josh Hartnett opens the film as a killer for hire, and unlike most people, it was one of my favorite scenes. Marley Shelton (I believe that's her, am I wrong?) It was the very first thing filmed and was used to show creator Frank Miller that not only could they make Sin City, but they could do it faithfully. I think Hartnett pulls of a hell of a good job considering his acting chops, for once his stiffness isn't a liability, but an asset. It sets a great tone for the movie you're about to see.
I love that they used the original artwork in the opening credits, they're great, and that's really all there is to say about them.
Next up is the first part of the Hartigan storyline (played by Willis), and just like that the movie went from promising to "man, I hope the rest of it isn't like this." I thought Willis did a decent job as Hartigan and that Nick Stahl is excellently creepy as Junior, but Bob (played by Madsen) almost kills the entire story. I realize I'm probably in the minority, but it seemed like he was reading his dialogue from off camera. It's too stiff (in this film that's like saying the Pope was too Catholic) and it doesn't really vibe with Willis' portrayal of Hartigan. It was like trying to watch Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner competing to see who could over-act the most, you want to both laugh and cry. But, fortunately it gets better. The opening storyline should have very well been Marv's, though i do understand it was important to get Hartigan's opening out of the way so that he could basically be forgotten about.
Which brings us to Marv, played by Mickey Rourke. Unlike some I think Rourke has tremendous talent, just nowhere to exhibit it properly. Seems Rodriguez has made it a mission of his to show the world that "B" movoe actors can be just as good as "A" list actors. Rourke was solid in Once Upon A Time in Mexico, and even moreso here. It's probably the best casting in a comic book film since Hugh Jackman signed to play Wolverine, the difference being Rourke looks just like Marv. Yes, the make-up can be distracting if you let it be, which can pull you out of the movie, and I will tell you it's an easier pill to swallow the second time around. Marv's stpry moves too quickly for my taste, I don't think we're given enough time to grasp what Marv is and what he's about, which is a shame. Rourke captures equally the toughness and the tenderness that is Marv and with more time to soak it in Marv would have been a more relatable character, instead we're given a fast-paced action short that mostly succeeds at what it's trying to achieve. Jamie King is great as Goldie/Wendy, she's anoth "B" lister that doesn't get her due. Carla Gugino is good for what she is, and for those that care, she has a nude scene (Upon which my brain exclaimed "Holy Shit, the mom from Spy Kids is naked!"). Frank Miller and Rutger Hauer (another "B" who deserves more credit) pop in for brief scenes with Rourke's Marv and they do alright. I'm not gonna get into Miller's attack on the Catholic church, make of it what you will, but it's not as if Catholics have never been portrayed as bad guys (Look as far back as Dumas' Three Muskateers, or hell, the history of the Catholic Church, it's there). But, the man that almost steals the show never utters a single word of Miller's over-the-top dialogue. To say Elijah Wood is creepy as Kevin would be a tremendous understatement. He captures the depraved cannibal perfectly and in the end you're completely glad that he gets what's coming to him.
The Big Fat Kill is hands down the best stuff in the movie. Clive Owen as Dwight is inspired casting, and no one has ever come as close to looking the part as Rosario Dawson playing Gail. Del Toro's Jackie Boy is equally tragic, disgusting and comical, and I don't believe anyone else could have pulled that off. The scenes between Dwight and Jackie are some of the best in the movie. Brittany Murphy as Shellie appears to have had the most fun in her brief role, she chews the scenery like it was made out of chocolate and in the end leaves you wanting more. Michael Clarke Duncan's Manute is one of the story's weak points. He does an okay job, but the character feels too out of place in this world of hookers with guns. I can't really put my finger on it, but he just doesn't fit. Devon aoki as Miho is up there with Elijah Wood's Kevin, no lines and a great performance. Alexis Bledel as turncoat Becky was interesting, not the kind of role you'd expect to see her in, but she doesn't hold he own with the rest of the crowd, it's obvious from the getgo she's hiding something and it's no real surprise when you find out. Tarantino makes his "guest directing" credit here, with the scene between Jackie and dwight, which is a bit of a surprise; hookers with guns and swords seems like a definite match for him, but considering the way the car scene turned out, I'm glad he chose to do it, it's a standout moment in the film.
Back to Hatigan for the wrap-up. There's not much to add, other than alba gives a better performance than I dared even hope and Nick Stahl is perfect as Junior (wait, I said that...). It doesn't hold up that well with the rest of the movie and feels out of place mostly. It's not bad, just not as strong as the other material, perhaps because it is so serious and less tongue-in-cheek. Powers Boothe gives a powerful (pardon the pun) performance as Senator Rourk for his brief appearence, but the story is just too serious to be in a movie like this. That Yellow Bastard would have worked well as a seperate, longer film, giving it more time to establish the characters and their motivations. as it stands it's just a decent cop fights rapist tale with a few moments of greatness.
The movie ends as it began, on Hatnett, and rightfully so, he introduced us to this world and he should take us out of it.
All in all, Sin City is a damn fine film. It's stylistic and fun, moving at times, humourous at others, and very, very violent. The score, as some have said, is a bit distracting as the movie progresses, which keeps the viewer from ever really diving into the world completely. But, who's to say that's not its intended effect? Perhaps we aren't meant to be so involved in this movie, but view it as a complete outsider, no emotional ties to the characters, no judgements of what they do, we're just here to watch, like a stage play on film (in fact at times it feels like you are watching a stage play). The spot coloring isn't distracting at all, not for me, it lends alot to the visual style of the movie, as do the reverse B&W shots. It looks fantastic, like the comic come to life, and love it or hate it, that's what fanboys have been bitching for since this comic movie craze began. I admire Rodriguez for sticking to one artistic direction and following through, his love and faithfullness to the material shows and he actually pulls it off in the end. So, if you like the books, you're sure to like the movie.
-L
Spoilers ahead.
Where do I start? I guess the beginning is a good place, huh? Josh Hartnett opens the film as a killer for hire, and unlike most people, it was one of my favorite scenes. Marley Shelton (I believe that's her, am I wrong?) It was the very first thing filmed and was used to show creator Frank Miller that not only could they make Sin City, but they could do it faithfully. I think Hartnett pulls of a hell of a good job considering his acting chops, for once his stiffness isn't a liability, but an asset. It sets a great tone for the movie you're about to see.
I love that they used the original artwork in the opening credits, they're great, and that's really all there is to say about them.
Next up is the first part of the Hartigan storyline (played by Willis), and just like that the movie went from promising to "man, I hope the rest of it isn't like this." I thought Willis did a decent job as Hartigan and that Nick Stahl is excellently creepy as Junior, but Bob (played by Madsen) almost kills the entire story. I realize I'm probably in the minority, but it seemed like he was reading his dialogue from off camera. It's too stiff (in this film that's like saying the Pope was too Catholic) and it doesn't really vibe with Willis' portrayal of Hartigan. It was like trying to watch Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner competing to see who could over-act the most, you want to both laugh and cry. But, fortunately it gets better. The opening storyline should have very well been Marv's, though i do understand it was important to get Hartigan's opening out of the way so that he could basically be forgotten about.
Which brings us to Marv, played by Mickey Rourke. Unlike some I think Rourke has tremendous talent, just nowhere to exhibit it properly. Seems Rodriguez has made it a mission of his to show the world that "B" movoe actors can be just as good as "A" list actors. Rourke was solid in Once Upon A Time in Mexico, and even moreso here. It's probably the best casting in a comic book film since Hugh Jackman signed to play Wolverine, the difference being Rourke looks just like Marv. Yes, the make-up can be distracting if you let it be, which can pull you out of the movie, and I will tell you it's an easier pill to swallow the second time around. Marv's stpry moves too quickly for my taste, I don't think we're given enough time to grasp what Marv is and what he's about, which is a shame. Rourke captures equally the toughness and the tenderness that is Marv and with more time to soak it in Marv would have been a more relatable character, instead we're given a fast-paced action short that mostly succeeds at what it's trying to achieve. Jamie King is great as Goldie/Wendy, she's anoth "B" lister that doesn't get her due. Carla Gugino is good for what she is, and for those that care, she has a nude scene (Upon which my brain exclaimed "Holy Shit, the mom from Spy Kids is naked!"). Frank Miller and Rutger Hauer (another "B" who deserves more credit) pop in for brief scenes with Rourke's Marv and they do alright. I'm not gonna get into Miller's attack on the Catholic church, make of it what you will, but it's not as if Catholics have never been portrayed as bad guys (Look as far back as Dumas' Three Muskateers, or hell, the history of the Catholic Church, it's there). But, the man that almost steals the show never utters a single word of Miller's over-the-top dialogue. To say Elijah Wood is creepy as Kevin would be a tremendous understatement. He captures the depraved cannibal perfectly and in the end you're completely glad that he gets what's coming to him.
The Big Fat Kill is hands down the best stuff in the movie. Clive Owen as Dwight is inspired casting, and no one has ever come as close to looking the part as Rosario Dawson playing Gail. Del Toro's Jackie Boy is equally tragic, disgusting and comical, and I don't believe anyone else could have pulled that off. The scenes between Dwight and Jackie are some of the best in the movie. Brittany Murphy as Shellie appears to have had the most fun in her brief role, she chews the scenery like it was made out of chocolate and in the end leaves you wanting more. Michael Clarke Duncan's Manute is one of the story's weak points. He does an okay job, but the character feels too out of place in this world of hookers with guns. I can't really put my finger on it, but he just doesn't fit. Devon aoki as Miho is up there with Elijah Wood's Kevin, no lines and a great performance. Alexis Bledel as turncoat Becky was interesting, not the kind of role you'd expect to see her in, but she doesn't hold he own with the rest of the crowd, it's obvious from the getgo she's hiding something and it's no real surprise when you find out. Tarantino makes his "guest directing" credit here, with the scene between Jackie and dwight, which is a bit of a surprise; hookers with guns and swords seems like a definite match for him, but considering the way the car scene turned out, I'm glad he chose to do it, it's a standout moment in the film.
Back to Hatigan for the wrap-up. There's not much to add, other than alba gives a better performance than I dared even hope and Nick Stahl is perfect as Junior (wait, I said that...). It doesn't hold up that well with the rest of the movie and feels out of place mostly. It's not bad, just not as strong as the other material, perhaps because it is so serious and less tongue-in-cheek. Powers Boothe gives a powerful (pardon the pun) performance as Senator Rourk for his brief appearence, but the story is just too serious to be in a movie like this. That Yellow Bastard would have worked well as a seperate, longer film, giving it more time to establish the characters and their motivations. as it stands it's just a decent cop fights rapist tale with a few moments of greatness.
The movie ends as it began, on Hatnett, and rightfully so, he introduced us to this world and he should take us out of it.
All in all, Sin City is a damn fine film. It's stylistic and fun, moving at times, humourous at others, and very, very violent. The score, as some have said, is a bit distracting as the movie progresses, which keeps the viewer from ever really diving into the world completely. But, who's to say that's not its intended effect? Perhaps we aren't meant to be so involved in this movie, but view it as a complete outsider, no emotional ties to the characters, no judgements of what they do, we're just here to watch, like a stage play on film (in fact at times it feels like you are watching a stage play). The spot coloring isn't distracting at all, not for me, it lends alot to the visual style of the movie, as do the reverse B&W shots. It looks fantastic, like the comic come to life, and love it or hate it, that's what fanboys have been bitching for since this comic movie craze began. I admire Rodriguez for sticking to one artistic direction and following through, his love and faithfullness to the material shows and he actually pulls it off in the end. So, if you like the books, you're sure to like the movie.
-L
Catching up still
Long work day today, so I didn't get near as much done as I'd hoped, and I'm still playing "fix the computer" for the most part, reinstalling drivers for my hardware, took me hours just to find the one for my video card. Speaking of, a big F*ck you too, to the folks at 3dfx for pretty much leaving the support for their products in the hands of idiots. It sucks you couldn't stay in business, but did you have to screw the people that actually bought your stuff? And if I ever get another comp, it'll be anothe Gateway, they are awesome on support, unlike say, Dell.
I did watch Elektra again last night, and still enjoyed it, much moreso than Daredevil, and it blows crapola like LXG and Catwoman out of the water, which is no surprise. Garner is excellent here, where she was barely mediocre in DD, the supporting cast does their job, except for her "agent/handler" type person, he kinda sucked, and General Zod as Stick was pretty damned cool. So, fanboys, why the hate? How come you'll go see the testosterone driven homo-erotic, walkin' around in tights, bat-nippled mainstream superhero movies, but no love for a pretty decent flik starring current It-hottie Jen Garner? I mean all you guys drool over Alias, but you can't get off your couch to go see this? I bet you'll be lined up like sheep to be spoonfed the next piece of shit George Lucas is rolling out (I have hope, but very, very little), but you can't show a little support for this girl-powered action flik? I mean, they even added a girl-on-girl kiss to the film and you STILL didn't go! Why? Really, it's not bad, give it a chance.
That said, the Matt Murdock deleted scene is creepy-cool. Also, no commentrak? WTF man! I was hoping for a track with the resident baddies, cuz I liked every damn one of em.
Also, if you like westerns, or just like Silverado specifically, pick up the new Special Edition release, well worth the $15. While you're at it, but the new Beck CD. I don't even like him all that much and I think it friggin' rocks.
Okay, Sin City thoughts later, first sleep!
-L
Long work day today, so I didn't get near as much done as I'd hoped, and I'm still playing "fix the computer" for the most part, reinstalling drivers for my hardware, took me hours just to find the one for my video card. Speaking of, a big F*ck you too, to the folks at 3dfx for pretty much leaving the support for their products in the hands of idiots. It sucks you couldn't stay in business, but did you have to screw the people that actually bought your stuff? And if I ever get another comp, it'll be anothe Gateway, they are awesome on support, unlike say, Dell.
I did watch Elektra again last night, and still enjoyed it, much moreso than Daredevil, and it blows crapola like LXG and Catwoman out of the water, which is no surprise. Garner is excellent here, where she was barely mediocre in DD, the supporting cast does their job, except for her "agent/handler" type person, he kinda sucked, and General Zod as Stick was pretty damned cool. So, fanboys, why the hate? How come you'll go see the testosterone driven homo-erotic, walkin' around in tights, bat-nippled mainstream superhero movies, but no love for a pretty decent flik starring current It-hottie Jen Garner? I mean all you guys drool over Alias, but you can't get off your couch to go see this? I bet you'll be lined up like sheep to be spoonfed the next piece of shit George Lucas is rolling out (I have hope, but very, very little), but you can't show a little support for this girl-powered action flik? I mean, they even added a girl-on-girl kiss to the film and you STILL didn't go! Why? Really, it's not bad, give it a chance.
That said, the Matt Murdock deleted scene is creepy-cool. Also, no commentrak? WTF man! I was hoping for a track with the resident baddies, cuz I liked every damn one of em.
Also, if you like westerns, or just like Silverado specifically, pick up the new Special Edition release, well worth the $15. While you're at it, but the new Beck CD. I don't even like him all that much and I think it friggin' rocks.
Okay, Sin City thoughts later, first sleep!
-L
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Elektric List
Catwoman/Gothika
See, this makes it easier to avoid crap, package it together!
Elektra (Widescreen Edition)
This movie really did get a bad rap I think, it wasn't bad at all, better than Daredevil by far, and the DVD has the deleted Matt Murdock scene, so geek completists take note! (Yeah, I already bought my copy...)
The Greatest American Hero - Season Two
Listed at Amazon and nowhere else apparently...I think it may be delayed, not sure, but I enjoyed the first season, could be worth checking out, or renting via Netflix.
Outside Providence
Not a new release, but a price drop, it's worth checking out if you've never seen it, it's a Farrely movie that doesn't suck!
Queer as Folk - The Complete Fourth Season (Showtime)
Even at Amazon's $76, this is waaaay out of my price range, which is ashame because under all the crappy glitz and sex they mostly try to portray as the homosexual lifestyle (when I watched the show they made it seem more about the sex than anything, maybe it's changed somewhat?) beats the heart of a very good show with talented actors and great writers, but if I wanted to watch gay porn, I'd watch gay porn. They seems to think that by constantly showing the world that men have sex with each other that suddenly the homo-fearing people will just accept it. Hate to say it, but something like that usually has the complete opposite effect than intended. Not that Will & Grace is any better. But, hey, they're not my shows, are they.
Sideways (Widescreen Edition)
Still haven't seen it. Maybe soon.
Silverado (2 Disc Superbit Gift Set)
Sweet!
Spanglish
I hope to get around to seeing this soon as well.
That about does it. Enjoy the new Mitch quote, I'm still completely saddened by his death. He was so damned funny.
-L
Catwoman/Gothika
See, this makes it easier to avoid crap, package it together!
Elektra (Widescreen Edition)
This movie really did get a bad rap I think, it wasn't bad at all, better than Daredevil by far, and the DVD has the deleted Matt Murdock scene, so geek completists take note! (Yeah, I already bought my copy...)
The Greatest American Hero - Season Two
Listed at Amazon and nowhere else apparently...I think it may be delayed, not sure, but I enjoyed the first season, could be worth checking out, or renting via Netflix.
Outside Providence
Not a new release, but a price drop, it's worth checking out if you've never seen it, it's a Farrely movie that doesn't suck!
Queer as Folk - The Complete Fourth Season (Showtime)
Even at Amazon's $76, this is waaaay out of my price range, which is ashame because under all the crappy glitz and sex they mostly try to portray as the homosexual lifestyle (when I watched the show they made it seem more about the sex than anything, maybe it's changed somewhat?) beats the heart of a very good show with talented actors and great writers, but if I wanted to watch gay porn, I'd watch gay porn. They seems to think that by constantly showing the world that men have sex with each other that suddenly the homo-fearing people will just accept it. Hate to say it, but something like that usually has the complete opposite effect than intended. Not that Will & Grace is any better. But, hey, they're not my shows, are they.
Sideways (Widescreen Edition)
Still haven't seen it. Maybe soon.
Silverado (2 Disc Superbit Gift Set)
Sweet!
Spanglish
I hope to get around to seeing this soon as well.
That about does it. Enjoy the new Mitch quote, I'm still completely saddened by his death. He was so damned funny.
-L
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Bigger, Faster, and Dedder Than Ever
Okay, so I avoided posting this to the blog because I wasn't sure how long it would take to get up and running, but my Hard Drive went kaput Friday, and after dropping $120 and spending a godawful amount of time last night doing it, I'm back up to speed, running with 160 Gigs, even got more RAM and a new keyboard finally(no more worries about spaces, I'm sure you'll thank me...), along with a mouse, both wireless and very friggin' cool.
So, while I was out I watched Sin City twice, along with a number of other fliks and TV Shows (mainly Wonderfalls, and man do I love it!). But, all that'll come later. Right now I've got even more work ahead of me recovering "lost" files and such and installing all of my old programs. Not as daunting as installing an OS on a new HD, but it's not really my idea of fun. But, I promise, there will be something in the way of new content tomorrow, more than likely a Sin City review along with a few other things.
Good to be back, even if no one knew I was gone.
-L
Okay, so I avoided posting this to the blog because I wasn't sure how long it would take to get up and running, but my Hard Drive went kaput Friday, and after dropping $120 and spending a godawful amount of time last night doing it, I'm back up to speed, running with 160 Gigs, even got more RAM and a new keyboard finally(no more worries about spaces, I'm sure you'll thank me...), along with a mouse, both wireless and very friggin' cool.
So, while I was out I watched Sin City twice, along with a number of other fliks and TV Shows (mainly Wonderfalls, and man do I love it!). But, all that'll come later. Right now I've got even more work ahead of me recovering "lost" files and such and installing all of my old programs. Not as daunting as installing an OS on a new HD, but it's not really my idea of fun. But, I promise, there will be something in the way of new content tomorrow, more than likely a Sin City review along with a few other things.
Good to be back, even if no one knew I was gone.
-L
Friday, April 01, 2005
Win Bluesman Book 1!!!
It's a book that Alan David Doane calls "One of the most thoughtful, moving and human stories I've ever read in any form." and Marc Sobel says "This is an outstanding, unique story, crafted by an artist and a writer who are passionate about their subject matter."
Lem Taylor and Ironwood Malcott are a pair of travelling blues musicians who come to the town of Hope looking for food, rest, and a place that will let them preach their own brand of gospel. Set in 1930s America, Bluesman promises to be another fantastic story from the Eisner-nominated creative team behind The Castaways, Rob Vollmar and Pablo G. Callejo.
Here at the House we've got two copies of this wonderful first volume to giveaway. All you need to do is email your name and address to dedpool1979@aol.com by midnight, April 30th and you could recieve a copy! Winners will be chosen at random and announced on May 1st right here at the House.
EDIT: Author Rob Vollmar has agreed to sign both copies to sweeten the pot, so get those entries in!
Links to the blues:
US Publisher-Absence of Ink
Alan David Doane's 5 Questions with Rob Vollmar
The PULSE interviews Rob Vollmar
Shawn Hoke looks at Bluesman Book One (some scrolling required)
Don MacPherson reviews Bluesman Book One
Marc Mason reviews Bluesman Book One (also some scrolling required)
Copacetic Comics on Bluesman Book One (more scrolling, they also have it for sale)
Brian Hibbs on Bluesman Book One
Artbomb Bluesman blurb
-L
It's a book that Alan David Doane calls "One of the most thoughtful, moving and human stories I've ever read in any form." and Marc Sobel says "This is an outstanding, unique story, crafted by an artist and a writer who are passionate about their subject matter."
Lem Taylor and Ironwood Malcott are a pair of travelling blues musicians who come to the town of Hope looking for food, rest, and a place that will let them preach their own brand of gospel. Set in 1930s America, Bluesman promises to be another fantastic story from the Eisner-nominated creative team behind The Castaways, Rob Vollmar and Pablo G. Callejo.
Here at the House we've got two copies of this wonderful first volume to giveaway. All you need to do is email your name and address to dedpool1979@aol.com by midnight, April 30th and you could recieve a copy! Winners will be chosen at random and announced on May 1st right here at the House.
EDIT: Author Rob Vollmar has agreed to sign both copies to sweeten the pot, so get those entries in!
Links to the blues:
US Publisher-Absence of Ink
Alan David Doane's 5 Questions with Rob Vollmar
The PULSE interviews Rob Vollmar
Shawn Hoke looks at Bluesman Book One (some scrolling required)
Don MacPherson reviews Bluesman Book One
Marc Mason reviews Bluesman Book One (also some scrolling required)
Copacetic Comics on Bluesman Book One (more scrolling, they also have it for sale)
Brian Hibbs on Bluesman Book One
Artbomb Bluesman blurb
-L
Mitch, We Hardly Knew Ye
Mitch Hedberg, one of the funniest men to ever walk the face of this planet, has died at the age of 37 from a heart attack. Like Tom I can only assume it was drug related, which makes me furiously saddened. Like so many before him, this habit has taken down a man in his prime, on the verge of becoming a widely known, headlining talent. If you ever saw him either live or on his frequent Comedy Central spots, you know how great he was. Mitch, I'll miss you, you always put a smile on my face, and even as I sit here both depressed and angry at the news, reading your words from Ian's site made me laugh out loud. You were one of a kind.
My heart goes out to both his friends and family in this tragic moment of their lives.
My favorite Mitch joke: "I bought a doughnut and they gave me a receipt for the doughnut. I don't need a receipt for the doughnut - I'll just give you money and you give me the doughnut. End of transaction. We don't need to bring ink and paper into this. I can't imagine a scenario in which I would need to prove that I bought a doughnut. Some skeptical friend... don’t even act like I didn't buy a doughnut, I've got the documentation right here. Oh wait, it's back home in the file... under "D", for doughnut."
Ian has others, and I'm going to try and run a few more in the coming week in honor of this wonderful man.
R.I.P. Mitch, we loved you.
Mitch Hedberg, one of the funniest men to ever walk the face of this planet, has died at the age of 37 from a heart attack. Like Tom I can only assume it was drug related, which makes me furiously saddened. Like so many before him, this habit has taken down a man in his prime, on the verge of becoming a widely known, headlining talent. If you ever saw him either live or on his frequent Comedy Central spots, you know how great he was. Mitch, I'll miss you, you always put a smile on my face, and even as I sit here both depressed and angry at the news, reading your words from Ian's site made me laugh out loud. You were one of a kind.
My heart goes out to both his friends and family in this tragic moment of their lives.
My favorite Mitch joke: "I bought a doughnut and they gave me a receipt for the doughnut. I don't need a receipt for the doughnut - I'll just give you money and you give me the doughnut. End of transaction. We don't need to bring ink and paper into this. I can't imagine a scenario in which I would need to prove that I bought a doughnut. Some skeptical friend... don’t even act like I didn't buy a doughnut, I've got the documentation right here. Oh wait, it's back home in the file... under "D", for doughnut."
Ian has others, and I'm going to try and run a few more in the coming week in honor of this wonderful man.
R.I.P. Mitch, we loved you.
And the Winner Is...
Vol. 1 is going to Aaron Doane so that his sister can no longer hold her volume over him in that mean way sisters have of doing things (I have quite a few, fortunately all younger), so Aaron, congrats, hope you enjoy it!
Vol. 2 is going to Jim McGrath, why he wants them, other than the fact that they're pretty good and free, I do not know, but he's getting them!
To the rest of you, hang in there, I've got more to give away soon...like starting tomorrow.
-L
Vol. 1 is going to Aaron Doane so that his sister can no longer hold her volume over him in that mean way sisters have of doing things (I have quite a few, fortunately all younger), so Aaron, congrats, hope you enjoy it!
Vol. 2 is going to Jim McGrath, why he wants them, other than the fact that they're pretty good and free, I do not know, but he's getting them!
To the rest of you, hang in there, I've got more to give away soon...like starting tomorrow.
-L
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