Brad's Week in Dork! (2/24/13-3/2/13)

A light week.  Guess I was just taking it easy on the dorkdom front.  My enthusiasm for this year's Oscars was fairly extreme though - for the first time ever I managed to watch nearly every nomination including all of the major awards and even the short films.  Devouring that much content will get you excited for any award ceremony, even one that's as awkward and misguided as The Academy Awards.  At the very least I gotta appreciate Seth Macfarlane's obvious manhandling of the ceremony, hamfisting my favorite Federation Captain into the opening act.  Seeing Shatner floating above the stage was surreal and enjoyable, despite some lame brain comedy that didn't just fall flat, it sank like a (kidney) stone.

The big comic this week was Batman Incorporated #8.  The Big Shock of the issue was ruined for us weeks ago thanks to an annoying Tweeter, but DC Comics also ran the story in USA Today days before the release so it's hard to get upset at some anonymous internet troll when The New 52 can't keep their gobs shut either.  I get it, if you have the opportunity to promote an event in a major newspaper yer gonna do it, but does anyone in America not already reading funny books know or care about Damien Wayne?  And will that USA Today article send anyone running into the comic shops?  Not bloody likely.  But whatever, Grant Morrison is still killing it with his Bat-run and I'm dying to see how he wraps up this epic.

The 85th Annual Academy Awards:  Well, evaluating my predictions last week, I missed 6.  Argo took home the big prize; as did Daniel Day-Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, & Anne Hathaway.  No big shocks there.  I was pleased to see Christophe Waltz win Best Supporting Actor - I guess that man should never stray too far from QT.  And speaking of ego incarnate, Tarantino shockingly took home the Best Original Screenplay Oscar and despite some chatter about homage vs originality, it's hard to believe that this is his first gold statue since his writing win for Pulp Fiction.  I was too cute in my thinking as far as the Best Director category was concerned.  Spielberg & Ang Lee did not split the vote for Russell, and Ang got his accolades for Life of Pi.  Not sure I can really hate on that, he did a fine enough job on that film.  My problems with Life of Pi stem from the content of the narrative not so much the filmmaking.  As far as the show itself goes, it was the usual mess of misfires and chintzy class.  I can't say that I full-on hated Seth Macfarlane as host (especially when you consider James Franco's cokehead turn of yesteryear), but I'm a little tired of the standup routine.  I wanted more of his soft shoe and less of his dull potty humor.  At the very least he did get Tommy Lee Jones to chuckle.  Kudos.  Best bits included dancing - Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Daniel Radcliffe, Charlize Theron & Channing Tatum.  I definitely want more film celebration and less mockery.  These Hollywood egos make such easy targets anyway, and it would be nice if The Academy Awards actually had respect for their art.  The tribute to Bond was nice and all, but not much more than a glorified DVD extra.

The Walking Dead Season 3 - "Aint No Judas":  Andrea comes crawling back to the prison, and Rick & Company want nothing to do with her.  Can't say I blame them, I was waiting the whole episode for Merle to pig stick her.  Of all the tragic interpretations from comic to screen, Andrea is easily the most brutally butchered in the writer's room.  As if Dale wasn't self righteous enough, Andrea takes up his mantel, screaming her all-knowing wisdom at her former gang of sadsacks.  As the show built to its final moments I was almost certain The Governor was going to slit her throat - no real SPOILERS here, but obviously this show is still concerned with stretching the season than deliver shock & awe.  Nothing important happened here.  You could probably skip this ep altogether and not even notice.  The sick thing is though, now that my respect for this show has pretty much vanished, I'm starting to really enjoy the presence of Michael Rooker.  He's the ham of the series, and this drab narrative certainly could seriously use some ham.

Batman Incorporated #8:  I'd warn you of spoilers, but DC pretty much gives it to ya on that cover above.  One of the most notable aspects to Grant Morrison's run on Batman has been the acceptance of Damian Wayne into the hearts of DC fanboys everywhere.  Seven years ago, Morrison reached back into the 1980s and yanked the forgotten child of Talia Al Ghul & Bruce Wayne out of an Elseworld's one-shot (Son of the Demon) and plopped him into continuity.  And for that "Batman & Son" storyarc we got a lot of bitching & moaning from the internet community.  However, through much hard work and creative labor, Morrison proved the new arrogant Robin to be not only the real deal Son of The Batman, but a sidekick worthy of both Wayne & original Boy Wonder Dick Grayson. Damian Wayne is what makes Grant Morrison my favorite Bat-Writer.  He does not dismiss the whacky, crazy, or stupid of comics.  He loves it all.  He uses it all.  Bat-mite.  Knight & Squire.  Zur-En-Arrh.  Bastard children.  They all exist in his universe.  He makes the square bricks fit into the triangular holes like the meanest block smashing infant.  And his crazy multicolored tapestry is set ablaze with this single issue...out of the ashes will hopefully arise his masterpiece.  Now we all know that Dead Ain't Dead in comic books.  Damian Wayne will return - just look to your left, that's the other once-dead Robin, Jason Todd waving at you.  But for Morrison, Damian is dead.  Don't expect this writer to script another animal-loving sentiment from him again.  And for my money, Batman Inc #8 has more punch and anger than anything Scott Snyder was trying to do with his Death of the Family arc found in the flagship sister title.  This has been a long time coming and I cannot wait to see Batman face-to-face with the mother & killer of his son.  It's gonna be ugly.

Justified Season 4 - "Outlaw":  Possibly my favorite episode of the season so far.  Raylan accidentally sets into motion events that land papa Arlo into the infirmary.  There father & son exchange more nasty familial hate, and the origin of Raylan's rage is obviously buried deep within their contempt-filled stares.  Meanwhile, across town, Boyd pits the Detroit Mafia against the rich bastards controlling Harlan and despite a close call, the quickdraw Raylan Givens puts Boyd on top of the backwoods Kentucky Empire.  Of course, Cousin Johnny has other plans.  Have we now reached a point where Ralyan & Boyd will ride this season out together?  It definitely feels like we're at the end even if the whole Drew Thompson mystery seems less important every day.

Nemo - Heart of Ice:  Taking place between Books 1 & 2 of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century, this one-shot is a much needed return to the spirit of classic Adventure Comics.  As much as I loved the reference-blitzing insanity of Century, it's nice to be reminded that Alan Moore doesn't treat everyone of his creations as an acid laced internal plunge into his Heart of Darkness.  This book picks up right as Captain Nemo's daughter (Pirate Jenny) robs the American tycoon, Charles Foster Kane of some treasure that Allan Quartermain would no doubt find appealing.  Nemo's spawn escapes to Antarctica, where following her fathers rambling journals, discovers The Mounts of Madness.  Still, as much fun as you can have spotting Lovecraft and Tom Swift, Heart of Ice is singularly enjoyable as an Adventure Comic.  It's impossible for you (or at least me) to grasp all the literary links, but it's less important here than the more recent LXG outings.  Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neal are simply concocting a fun read - the winks are cute, but not necessary.

Gattaca:  Matt's been bothering me for a long time (possibly our entire existence together) to watch this flick.  It's something that's obviously near and dear to his heart.  That much anticipation can sometimes make it difficult to enjoy and I tend to drag ass when people shove dvds in my hand.  I know that's why he's never seen Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid - a film I generally pester him about.  This week he finally forced me in front of the television to watch his blu ray copy.  And it's a solid flick.  I'm not the biggest Ethan Hawke fan, but I appreciate how he inhabits a good boy 1950s attitude.  In fact, I like the general warmth that his character has towards space travel and adventures in science.  Not sure I totally agree with Matt in regards of the film's final answer to the question of Frankensteinian anti-science storytelling, and the final moments for Jude Law felt anti-climactic as well as rushed.  And yeah, I really don't like the cold blooded Uma Thurman.  She's meant to be a sterile character but she felt generally lifeless.

The Imposter:  A fascinating and mentally frustrating documentary.  There were points in the narrative that had me shouting at the screen "WHAT!?!?" or "YOU'VE GOT TO BE JOKING!"  Similar to my response to the heinous actions discovered in The Invisible War, this documentary boggled my mind as far as what people were willing to do as well as willing to accept as a means to Keep On Trucking.  A 13 year old boy goes missing in San Antonio, Texas.  Three years later, a 24 year old Frenchman claiming to be that child is accepted by both the family and the US Government.  Told talking head style from the mouths of The Imposter, the G-Men, and the family members; the mystery never quite unravels but its path is both shocking and deeply sad.  I really hope that the documentarians return to this subject further down the line, I want to know more - I need to know more.

FF #4:  Matt Fraction has delivered one of the few standouts from the Marvel Now relaunch.  Funny, considering how ordinary his sister book, The Fantastic Four, feels in comparison with this oddball beauty.  And this latest issue is an even better Valentine than last month's cute, but gloomy Sue & Reed tale.  The Moloids are madly in love with She-Hulk - an impossible, aching teacherly crush.  When they learn of her prospective date, The Moloids must act drastically.  They partner with Bentley-23, attempt to raise monsters out of oceans, and rape the mind of hapless waiters.  But all their efforts hopelessly bring She-Hulk closer into the arms of her lover.  Mike Allred continues to kill it on art, and I wanted to instagram nearly every panel of this book.  Final words: just darling.

The Rocketeer - Hollywood Horror #1:  I wanted to love this book.  Mark Waid's previous Rocketeer mini, Cargo of Doom, was pure pulpy bliss.  However, Roger Langridge's work on this first issue feels rather ordinary and I don't respond well to J Bone's Darwyn Cookey art style.  It's another story in which evil scientist and government goons want Cliff's backpack - does this really have to be the plot of every Rocketeer comic?  But I'm still continuing.  After all, Cargo of Doom was only a so-so first issue and the promise of Lovecraftian tentacles (hmmmm, a theme this week) and Betty's female empowerment meddling is appealing.  We'll just have to see next issue.

Hawkeye #8:  I was kinda lukewarm on Fraction's last issue, but #8 is back in the saddle of greatness.  The mysterious redhead from previous issues appears again to make-out with Clint and embarrass him in front of all his exes (Black Widow, what a bitch).  She's got something dark & dangerous stored inside a safe, and the combination to its secrets are hidden within a batch of yellowed romance comics.  David Aja has all kinds of fun with those fake covers.  What I love so much about this title is how Fraction can take one & done storytelling and still manage to complete an overarching narrative.  The Bro Gang is back, they're chit chatting it up with The Owl & The Kingpin.  Life is only going to get more difficult for my new favorite Avenger.  Cannot wait to see more awkward pain land on his doorstep.

Gone With The Wind:  Woot!  I completed another Cinematic Resolution!  And who knew it would be so closely tied in emotion with Birth of a Nation?  I certainly had no idea I would react so poorly to the plight of Scarlet O'Hara.  But when I saw it on the AFI Silver's calendar I knew I wanted my first experience with this film to be on The Big Screen.  Not at grandma's house.  Not on Turner Classic Movies or TNT.  This movie is grande and it's meant to be seen 100 feet tall.  So The Wife, Matt, & I jumped in the car and flew to the theater Saturday afternoon.  And we all hated it.  Yes folks, wait for it...I Hated Gone With The Wind.  **GASP**  **CRY HAVOC**  and **BOO!**  One friend on Facebook told me I'm just a victim of overblown expectations.  Maybe.  But I genuinely knew nothing about this film other than "Frankly Scarlet, I don't give a damn," that it was tied to the Civil War, and that it was really, really long.  I had no idea that Vivian Leigh's Scarlet was just a manipulative and heinous human being.  I'm told we're supposed to despise her.  Mission accomplished.  I wanted to slap her across the face for nearly the entire four hour run time.  Especially since she seems to enjoy slapping the hell outta her slaves and lovers.  Clark Gable is a stunning brute.  I enjoyed his spitting dialogue and self-depricating morality.  At least he knew he was a monster.  A rapist to boot, but thankfully when morning comes, Scarlet seems to enjoy the act of rape.  No means yes after all.  But I can enjoy a film peppered with deplorable human beings (see LA Confidential, Unforgiven, French Connection, Citizen Kane, and a million other movies).  What really irked me about Gone With The Wind is its general romanticizing of the good old days - you know where "the sound of negro laughter" filled the stables.  The title itself is an insult, sweeping across the screen as blacks pick cotton in the field.  Just gross.  I love overwrought melodrama as much as the next guy, but Gone With The Wind left a shameful taste in my mouth.  Not nearly as bitter or sad as Birth of a Nation, but it shared the same flavor.

--Brad

Dork Art: The Rest of Mondo's Oscars

I'm still processing last night's Awards Show.  You had your predicted winners (Argo, Daniel Day-Lewis) and a couple of upsets (Christoph Waltz, Quentin Tarantino), and then you had all that uncomfortable standup from Seth MacFarlane - I'm still trying to figure out if I hated him as host or loved him...I'm leaning toward's Ben Affleck's obvious Seth-Hate.  But the real frustration of the night came from the constant Mondo disappointment.  I don't even know why I bothered, but when I saw these Django posters go live I was scrambling to score some prints.  I came real darn close (I think) to sneaking away with a Rich Kelly Django, but lost out at the point of payment.  Damn.

Setting that dork sadness aside, I gotta say that the crop of prints revealed last night are some of Mondo's finest.  I love the Stout & Kelly of course, nothing new there - they're always excellent.  Kilian Eng's Argo is easily my favorite with it's Jack Kirby lovefest.  I just wish more of this bizarro subplot was explored in the film.  David Peterson's Brave print is even stronger than the actual film.  More of this image and less of the mother/daughter shenanigans and you could have had a real classic and not just a Just Cuz Oscar winner.

--Brad

Dork Art: Scott C's Gallery for The Academy Awards

Why should Mondo have all the fun?  ITMOD favorite, Scott C is putting his unique smiley stamp on the award show as well.  Not surprisingly, my favorite piece is the one devoted to Django Unchained.  The perfect scene for Scott C's brush, Django's stairwell confrontation with Stephen.  All smiles meets unstoppable killing.  My second favorite would have to be Beasts of the Southern Wild.  Hushpuppy staring down the great beast.  And it amuses me that the completely fictional confrontation from Argo is the one moment Scott C decided to highlight.  Biting commentary?

--Brad

Dork Art: Gallery 1988's 85th Academy Awards Posters

Not letting the BAFTAs have all the fun with their pamphlet art, Gallery 1988 just announced an exhibit showcasing this year's 85th Academy Awards nominations.  The artists so far are as follows:

"AMOUR by artist Matt Owen, ARGO by Anthony Petrie, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD by Rich Kelly, DJANGO UNCHAINED by Mark Englert, LES MISÉRABLES by Phantom City Creative, LINCOLN by Jeff Boyes, LIFE OF PIby Tom Whalen, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK by Joshua Budich and ZERO DARK THIRTY by Godmachine."

But there is promise of more to come.  Very cool, I say.  Every year I enjoy the Oscars more and more despite my dwindling respect for the nomination process.  It's a joke, we all know it.  But it's a special time of year when the rest of the world seems just as enamored with cinema as I am on a daily basis.

--Brad

Dork Art: The 2013 BAFTA Brochures

These latest batch of brochures for the 2013 BAFTAs are even better than last year's work.  The artist is Jonathan Burton and you can purchase them as prints if you're willing to part with your hard earned American dollars.  I even like the images done for my two least favorite of the nominated films, Life of Pi & Les Miserables.  I know these Award Shows are complete nonsense, but I still can't help getting swept up in the movie making enthusiasm.  Really looking forward to the absurdity of The Oscars on February 24th.

--Brad

Brad's Week In Dork! (10/21/12-10/27/12)

This Week in Dork saw the death of my annual October Horrorathon.  My heart was just not in it this year, and after suffering through the abysmal Sinister early in the week I simply just had to throw in the towel.  The idea of being bombarded by more jump scare violin strings is the true horror of this month.  Maybe next year I'll refocus and (more importantly) rediscover my love of the genre but for now...I'll find my entertainment elsewhere.

Body Double:  This is Brian De Palma at his most Hitchcockiness. Chomping off large, bloody bits from both Rear Window & Vertigo, and it's easy to dismiss Body Double as another Wannabe from that perverted boobies loving De Palma... That being said, I love this era of De Palma sleaze and I'll take Body Double, Blow Out, and Sisters any day over Scarface, Road To Mars, and The Black Dahlia. Craig Wasson is a weakling, phobic actor turned heroic creepy peeper when he witnesses the murder of his naughty nude neighbor at the hands of a Rondo Hatton looking driller killer. This is not high art, but it is fun pretend art. And horror fans should get a snicker from a don't-blink cameo from a straddling Barbara Crampton.

Hellboy - House of the Living Dead:  I completed my marathon devouring of Hellboy comics with this enjoyable, goofy, gloomy sequel to Hellboy en Mexico.  Wandering the saloons and luchadore rings of 1950s Mexico, HB thrashes hapless opponents in an effort to escape the horrors of past failurs.  Enter Frankenstein's monster...some mad doctor has come across the creature and wants to pit its might against Hellboy.  Then there's the werewolf and the vampire.  A tribute to the Universal Monster mashups like House of Frankenstein & House of Dracula, but despite the high concept geekery this Mignola/Corban teamup still doesn't grab me as much as I want it too.  Nor is it as sad and spooky as the original borderland tale.  Still, curious to see other lost adventures from this Drunken Blur period.

Sinister:  There seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for this film out there in Internetland, but I just couldn't get into this boring jump scare pornography.  Ethan Hawke is a failing true crime writer desperately trying to rediscover his bestseller status while investigating a quadruple homicide.  He moves his family into the slain family's home and discovers a box full of snuff films in the attic.  A concept I've always been fascinated with, but seems to rarely pay off in cinema.  Sinister can't rely on the Nic Cage insanity of 8MM so it falls back on tired boos and creepy crawly children imagery.  I'm not sure if the horror genre is completely dead, but Sinister appears to be another nail in the coffin.

Batman Incorporated #4:  Sure, Grant Morrison's Batman Inc appears to be set in a universe completely separate from the New 52 but that's no reason to get your panties in a twist.  Morrison continues his Silver Aged obsessed hunt for Talia Al Ghul and enlists an unlikely alley into his cadre of Batmen.  Who is Wingman?  The answer is not as interesting as what the revelation does for poor demented Damian.  There's a lot of exposition to wade through with Morriosn, but the muddy narrative path is just as exciting as punch 'em up fight scenes.

Talon #1:  Ugh.  Yeah.  I'm done.  Talon takes everything that I found mysterious and creepy in Scott Snyder's Bat book and forces it into the light.  And it's lame lame lame.  Mr. Rose returns to Gotham in the wake of the Owls downfall but the evil 1%ers are alive & well & still hunting for his blood.  Snooze.  I'm not going to continue.

Punisher - War Zone #1:  The Punisher vs. The Avengers.  Yeah, sure.  That's a fair fight.  Spider-Man gets all righteous after Frank uses one of his web shooters during a mob assassination.  Apparently a couple cops get killed.  Time for Cap & Co to take out the vigilante.  So issue #2?  Thor brings down the hammer smashing Frank's molecules into oblivion, right?  Game over.  Well, I guess Wolverine might be on the side of The Punisher or something. I'm not going to bother to find out.  Super Heroes is just not what I want from a Punisher book.

Wolverine Max #1:  It's Wolverine with swearing!!!! Oooooo.  Another snooze from Marvel this week.  I dig the Jock cover but that's about it.  Wolverine crash lands in Japan and looses his memory.  Really?  More amnesia nonsense.  Plus Logan vs. Shark = lots of blood & guts.  But these Max books can sometimes feel like poor excuses for potty language and gore.  The story seems very been there done that.  Tell em I'm wrong and I might pick up issue 2.

Captain America #19:  In his eight year run on Captain America, Ed Brubaker produced one of the greatest super hero comics on the stand to one of the most disappointing.  The Winter Soldier.  The Death of Captain America.  Amazing.  Cap Reborn?  Terrible status quo rebooting.  And Brubaker returning Cap to the typical tights action from the gritty espionage business?  So sad.  But here's his final statement on the series.  And it's appropriately bittersweet.  Steve Rodgers visits the crazy 1950s Cap in the hospital.  He apologizes for the effect the Captain America legacy has had on this nutjob.  But in doing so he also states why he must carry on the symbol.  Whatever missteps this series might have taken lately, the writer proves that he still understands the appeal of the character.  It's time to go Brubaker, but damn, you will go down as one of the all time great shepherds of the character.

Argo:  Ben Affleck continues to prove his mastery of tense crime dramas with this breakneck telling of the Iranian Hostage Crisis...or at least one tiny and bizarre aspect of the Crisis.  Argo plays like a whackjob Ocean's 11 with Ben Affleck's company man reaching into the banal B.S. of Hollywood as a means for military rescue.  With the help of the Planet of the Apes wizard John Chambers (John Goodman) and money man Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) as well as artistic talent of Jack Kirby (Michael Parks...ok, he's only in it for two seconds and he's never named on screen but that's JACK KIRBY!  Holy Cow!  Jack Kirby on Screen!  New Gods Saves The Day!) Affleck stages a daring if completely insane rescue of the six embassy workers hiding out in Victor Garber's Canadian embassy.  Argo will send shivers and create panic attacks; it's easily one of the most thrilling film's of the year and I am in awe of Ben Affleck's transition into filmmaker.

Seven Psychopaths:  Did someone turn on the time machine and transport us back to 1995 where every film wanted to be Pulp Fiction?  Seven Psychopaths feels right at home with films like 2 Days in the Valley and Albino Alligator.  And if you cram in Spike Jonze's Adaptation and voila!  That being said, I really enjoyed it.  Not as much as the director's previous In Bruges, but the diabolical fun these actors are obviously having is infectious even when it's just scenery chewing.  The hospital staredown between Christopher Walken and Woody Harrelson is worth the price of admission alone.  And Tom Waits' bunny lover?  Yeah, that's a bag of crazy worth subjecting yourself to.  But for me, this film is all about Sam Rockwell.  He's batshit.  And utterly pathetic.  But he deserves his shoot out and so do we.

--Brad