Brad's Week in Dork! (11/11/12-11/17/12)

Finished off last week high on James Bond and was ready to dive right back into the world of 007.  Just three films into the Craig era and I'm jonesing for more shaken, not stirred adventures.  I don't think I'm quite ready to take on all 50 years yet, but that's probably going to happen with the Skyfall blu ray release.  Still, after debating the quality of this latest Bond with my fellow co-dork and others, I really wanted to watch all three Craig flicks back-to-back.  Was I right, is Skyfall the best?  More on that later.

This week was also a pretty fantastic week for single issue comics.  Marvel Now is really heating up, and I'm genuinely shocked to discover my enjoyment of this soft-relaunch much more than DC's New 52.  Again, Matt might differ on this matter, but we all know he's usually wrong about everything.  However, this big issue this week was definitely Scott Snyder's Batman.  His Leatherface Joker is freaking me out, and it's proof positive that Greg Capullo was the perfect artist for Snyder's Bat-Horror book.

The Amazing Spider-Man:  This is not my Spidey.  But neither was the Sam Raimi trilogy.  There are moments that skim the essence of my Spider-Man, like when Andrew Garfield (in costume) is mocking the pathetic attempts of a car thief, but for the most part this feels like some guy's idea of what Spider-Man is rather than a genuine adaptation.  And that's a real bummer.  I like Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, but her relationship with Peter is just awkward mumblings and that doesn't achieve squishy feeling of teenage romance; it's just passable WB melodrama.  And this whole "Untold Story" origin is a complete fake-out.  There are hints at a tragedy behind the death of the Parkers, but The Amazing Spider-Man refuses to pull away from the simple spider bite origin.  This reboot is just a retread.

Casino Royale:  Wow.  After plodding through Marc Webb's pedantic Spider-Man redux, Casino Royale really does feel like the genuine resurrection of what had become a rather tired and boring franchise.  But that's always been the beauty of the James Bond films.  Just when you're done with Roger Moore's outer space light show you get Timothy Dalton's D.A.R.E Avenger, and just when you're fed up of invisible cars and ice castles, you get the Post 9/11 terrorist smasher Daniel Craig.  Director Martin Campbell gives the fanboy all the traits you come to expect from the series but filtered through a wiz bang contemporary lens.  Casino Royale gives you plenty of action sequences to fetishize (the opening parkour chase through Madagascar is a series highlight) as well as giving Bond an emotional center not explored since the ill-fated On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  Discover here just why Bond ploughs his way through numerous sexual conquest - he's not just a slut, he's a shattered romantic!

Quantum of Solace:  People seem to love to hate Quantum of Solace, but I'll defend this choppy, brisk actioner till I'm blue in the face.  Yes.  It's not Casino Royale Part II.  But that's just fine.  Quantum is James Bond's revengefest.  It's what I wanted out of Diamonds Are Forever, the film following the execution of Mrs. Bond by that dastardly arch-nemesis Blofeld.  Sure, Marc Foster's camera apes far too much from Paul Greengrass's Bourne films but the chaotic action plays much better on the small screen and they're are moments of Bond rage here that really knocked this fan on his butt.  Daniel Craig bleeding out a goon on the balconies of Haiti - that's some painfully sad and angry violence.  Bond is a beast in Quantum.  Not just the rougeish brute, but a full on monster of revenge.  The film is not interested in complex, backtracking narrative.  Yes, we get a taste of an omnipotent soceity of villians but the film knows better (or at least doesn't have time) to dwell on the goofy puppet masters.  This is blood boiling A to B action and it benefits from the short run time.

Skyfall:  So, yep.  This one's still my favorite of the Craig flicks.  I love the previous two entries, but Skyfall hits all the right nerves.  You've gotten a battered and broken James Bond, stepping out of a stupor of drink & sex to help Judi Dench's magnificent M battle the sins of her past i.e. Javier Bardem's blonde joker...yeah, I acknowledge some striking similarities (both characteristically and structurally) to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight but I don't let that detract from another wonderfully broken villain performance.  I mean, Silva, Anton Chigurh, Felix.  No one is doing creepy scary quite like this man.  And the Sam Mendes/Roger Deakins combo, there has never been a prettier Bond film.

All-New X-Men #1:  After pretty much abandoning his long standing run on the The Avengers (and The New Avengers, The Mighty Avengers, The Dark Avengers, The Secret Avengers, and Avengers Assemble) comic writer superstar Brian Michael Bendis turns his free flowing pen on Marvel's X-Men. Will this be another case of a strong start/weak finish (granted, we've still got Bendis' Avengers Ultron War wrap-up waiting for us in 2013, see your loose ends tied up there).  But I'm not going to start crapping on this book one issue in - what am I?  The Internet!?!  I seriously dig the high concept of the original X-Team traveling to the modern day to witness the horrors of their future.  All New X-Men promises a lot of mutant melodrama, especially for this once die hard X-Factor fan.  Teen Jean Grey & Cyclops throwing down with fur ball Wolverine?  Yeah, this could be a whole lotta fun.

X-Men Legacy #1:  Um, I don't know what the hell was going on in this book.  It has something to do with Charles Xavier's crazy ass son Legion, and the mental prison he's got in his brain going kablooey. Frankly, I found Simon Spurrier's dialog nearly impossible to decipher and I'm not sure if that's due to bad writing or simply a result of my utter ignorance of this character.  Either way, I will not be picking up the second issue.  The first true strike out of the Marvel Now line.

Fantastic Four #1:  This, on the other hand, could be quite fun.  I'm not going to pretend that I know much about the Fantastic Four.  I've only occasionally read the book; usually when a writer or artist I enjoy jumps on board.  In this case, I dig both.  Matt Fraction has delivered plenty of good reads in the Marvel Universe (see the current Hawkeye, and the now defunct Immortal Iron Fist) and it looks like he's got some cosmic fun in store for the super hero family.  Which is nice cuz I've always thought of the FF as a space team but it rarely seems like they spend their times amongst the stars (or dimensions). And Mark Bagley's art seems to suit the good cheer of this book.  Lots of smiley faces to go with the heroics.

Thor - God of Thunder #1:  Hmmmm, writer Jason Aaron seems like he's got a big show in store for Thor fans.  Jumping from past, present, and future Thors, the mighty son of Odin takes on the God Killer.  Don't know what that is yet, but it sure seems like an epic adversary.  Like Fantastic Four, I'm not too familar with this character but I appreciate the grande narrative being unraveled.  Hopefully he can bring it to a satisfying conclusion.  And artist Eric Ribic pulls off some real Frank Frazetta-like paintings for each an every panel.  Truly impressive art.

Batman #14:  Batman #14:  The Death of the Family story drips with blood and dread as the Joker targets the friends of Batman.  No one is safe, not even poor hammer faced Alfred.  I'm definitely not as intrigued by the story as I was The Court of Owls, but I appreciate Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo's firm grasp on the horror genre for this incarnation of the Caped Crusader.  This is just the beginning, and I'm looking forward to the depths the leatherfaced Joker is going to plunge poor Bruce Wayne...not to mention his bevy of sidekicks.

Archer & Armstrong #4:  This has quickly become my favorite book coming out of the Valiant relaunch (huh, that's a popular word this week).  Which is funny, cuz I never had any interest in the original book.  It's goofy as all hell, but just as fun as Archer & Armstrong go toe-to-toe with Hitler Monks & evil cultists.  It's certainly not for everyone, and I could see serious stick-up-the-tuchus types finding plenty to rile their nerve.  But man, if you find tiny mustaches on your Holy Warriors than you'll be rolling with laughter as all the right bad guys get punched.

Bloodshot #5:  After a couple of really fun issues, Bloodshot 5 dips a little in the enthusiasm area.  Maybe its cuz the last issue ended with Bloodshot all Commando'd up, machine guns ready to blaze but suddenly we're dipping back to the past for some exposition.  He eventually hits Project Rising Spirit with a little help from his nanite buddies but I was hoping this issue would rocket from the start.  Still, this is much, much better than I was originally anticipating from this series and I'm even ranking this above X-O Manowar at this point.

The Creep #3:  Still waiting for the shit to hit the fan.  Four issues in (don't forget #0) to this five issue mini series and we don't really have any big revelations into what the hell is going on with these suicide kids.  Ox is a fascinating character but I need this narrative to build a little quicker, and I'm afraid this book is going to rush its conclusion for its final issue.

Saga #7:  I don't know.  Maybe I've been infected by Matt's review, or maybe it's just been too damn long since the last issue, but I was just not feeling this issue.  Marko & Alana encounter his magical parents and no one is too happy with the introductions.  I'm enjoying this sci-fi Romeo & Juliette but right now I'm less interested in the parents point-of-view and more interested in Prince Robot's hunt for the young lovers, and The Will's quest for revenge.  Plus, I could never see a giant alien scrotum again and it would be too soon.

Where Is Jake Ellis? #1:  I enjoyed the original mini-series but I wasn't in love with it.  And this is a promising start to this weirdo sci-fi spy comic.  We now have a better idea of who & what Jake Ellis is, but we still don't know how he got into the miserable shape he's currently occupying.  Like all #1s, we get a lot more questions with very little answers.  Holding judgement if I'm one of the converted or not, but I'll keep on chugging with this latest series.

Steel Dawn:  Who doesn't love Road House?  Or Point Break?  Or even Red Dawn?  But this is none of those.  A cheesy, post-apocalyptic cheapie that has more in common with Roger Corman knock-offs than those other Swayze'd 80s gems.  You've got some good side characters in Anthony Zerbe, Brion James, and Arnold Vosloo but they're not enough help brand this a Swayze classic.  I mean, you at least need a good Sam Elliot to mentor his way through the ass kickery.  Sharp objects and bath tubs do not a good time make.

The Campaign:  I have a weakness for Will Ferrell.  It's mostly a result of The Other Guys and this year's Casa Di Me Padre.  So now I rent films I probably shouldn't.  Like The Campaign.  Ferrell is funny enough as the sexually demented politician duking it out with Zach Galifianakis' repressed, mentally handicapped doof.  There are a couple jokes that land.  A baby gets punched.  But it's nowhere near as quotable as the two Ferrell flicks mentioned previously and it certainly won't capture the pop culture zeitgeist like the ultra bizarro Anchorman.  A time killer.  That's as good as it gets.

Fire With Fire:  So I redboxed this.  Bruce Willis.  Rosario Dawson.  Josh Duhamel.  50 Cent.  Why not?  Oh, because it's totally boring and mentally draining?  Right.  Willis has entered that "I'll Do Anything For A Sandwich" phase of his career, so I understand his presence here.  And Josh Duhamel has been given the chance to star alongside better actors, so good for him.  But Rosario Dawson?  You're better than this.  Someone out there in Hollywoodland need to put you front and center in a quality flick, not just firefighter actioners and unstoppable train movies.

Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 1:  Friday night was our seventh meeting of The Ultimate Justice League of Extraordinary Book Club, and I pretty much forced Invincible into the circle of trust. Once upon a time, this was my favorite super hero comic.  I read the first 38 issues, fell behind and never picked it back up.  Not really sure why I fell off the Kirkman train, but I'm sooooooo glad I'm back on board.  What starts off as a fun, teenage melodrama substitute for Brian Michael Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man quickly transforms into a cosmic familial nightmare reminiscent of those classically epic Greek Tragedies.  Mark Grayson is the son of Omni-Man, think the Image Universe equivalent of Superman.  One day while slinging burgers, he discovers that his father's extraordinary gifts have finally descended upon him.  With a smile and a great slap on his back, Omni-Man accepts Mark into the family business of Earth's protection.

The first half of this volume is mostly whacky super hero hijinx.  Mark Grayson's Invincible takes on inter dimensional warriors, bionic college-hating zombies, and Allen the Alien.  He meets other colorful cohorts with goofy names like Rex-Spode, Atom Eve, Robot, and Monster Girl.  But when this colorful comic sees red, the reader gets a strong reminder that this is no kids book.  Blood, blood, blood.  Invincible contains some of the most brutal punch-ups in comics, but there's some serious emotion packed behind each powerful punch.  This is Robert Kirkman, after all.  The man behind The Walking Dead.  He knows that the characters have to earn the violence, and as much as he seems to enjoy torturing his creations he never forgets to reward the reader with just as epic heartstring manipulation.  What started off as an Ultimate Spider-Man wannabe quickly surpassed the shiny, new & improved web head (and this is coming from an Ultimate Spider-Man fanboy).

Unfortunately, I don't think the group (including The Wife) fell as hard as I did for the problems of Mark Grayson.  Granted there was some confusion as to how many trade paperbacks were contained in the first deluxe hardcover (the answer is 3) and some of the group did not read the entirety of the first story arc.  And so much of Invincible's genius stems from the conclusion of that third trade - it's where you learn that Mark's after world of heroics really ain't that safe, and pretty much anyone associated with Invincible is gonna get devastated at one point or another.  So, I might not have made a lot of converts with this book, but it was definitely the kick in the butt I needed to catch up on the book.

Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 2:  After the devastation of the last volume, Mark Grayson attempts to pick up the pieces of his home life and fight the good fight for Truth, Justice, and The American Way.  Taking up with the Guardians of the Globe, Mark & Atom Eve try to ignore their feelings for each other while smashing their way through one of the goofiest and deadliest rogue's galleries in comics.  Throughout the second volume we're treated to the birth of Mark Grayson's Lex Luthor aka Angstrom Levy.  Along the way we get battles with the Reanimen (those college-hating bionic zombies), the mob boss Machine Head, and those pesky Mauler Twins ("you're the clone!" "No, you're the clone!").  Volume 2 is not quite the punch to the gut that was the first hardcover; it's mostly setting up future threats for our heroes.  The Sequid Invasion, The interdimensional Flaxxan threat, Robot's shadowy shenanigans.  This is just a tiny brick in the saga of Invincible.  You'll never guess where all this silliness is building, but it's definitely not Happy Days.

Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2:  A helluva way to end my Week in Dork.  I'll go & enjoy any movie.  Sure.  When this whole thing started, The Wife was taking me out to the movies.  We saw Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, & Breaking Dawn 1 all on the big screen.  Somewhere between 3 & 4, she got fed up (or bored) with the series.  When I asked her if we were gonna check out the latest (and hopefully final) Twilight flick, she said she wasn't bothered.  I jokingly proclaimed, "What?  You drag me to all these flicks and now you don't want to see it through!?!?"  I told her we were going.  And what started out kind of as a joke, quickly became a reality.  Ten minutes into Breaking Dawn Part 2 I leaned over to her and said, "Yeah, this is really terrible.  We can go."  She said, "No."  Then an hour into the film she leaned over to me and said, "Ok.  This is unbearable.  We can go."  I said, "No.  We've suffered this much, we can suffer till the end."  Breaking Dawn has a lot of talented folks behind it.  I'm not going to pretend that I'm the biggest Bill Condon fan on the planet, but the man made Gods and Monsters.  That's a kickass flick.  And cinematographer Guillermo Navarro has lensed everything from Jackie Brown to The Devil's Backbone.  And composer Carter Burwell is the man who scored every single one of the Coen Brothers films.  But there is only so much one can do with a turd sandwich.  You can throw every brilliant mind in Hollywood as well as every dollar, but Breaking Dawn can only ever be a big steaming pile of...garbage.  And frankly, it's stunning to watch with a Saturday Night crowd packed to the wall with teenage girls.  Jacob whips off his shirt and the wails of pubescent ecstasy are literally painful to the ears.  I don't know exactly when America went mad.  But with the Twilight Saga raking in billions and Fifty Shades of Grey taking the bestseller top spot...yeah that's an all time low for pop culture.  And, yep, this is easily the worst film of the year.

--Brad

A Fistful of Fall Anticipation 2012 (Brad's Picks)

Last week, we here at ITMOD were bemoaning the mediocre Summer (well, the whole year really) and I don't see a lot of bright spots on the horizon.  Sure, sure, sure.  The Master is just a week away!!!!  I know, Internet--it's the cinematic event of the new millennium!  Yes, I'm looking forward to the latest Paul Thomas Anderson...but I'm not ready to drink his Kool Aid yet - I was one of those folks that chose No Country For Old Men over There Will Be Blood (a film I enjoyed for the first two hours but never really connected with the last third).  And then you've got Peter Jackson's The Hobbit.  Ok.  I want to see that.  But can it possibly top the Lord of the Rings?  I've read the books.  Don't think so.  And three films?  Yeah, the wind has left my sails.

But you gotta remember, this is In The Mouth of Dorkness.  We're freaks.  We'll take Liam Neeson PG13ing his way through Eastern Europe over PTA's Scientology smackdown any day.  And frankly, I'm still feeling like I didn't get the quality Blockbusters this Summer and I'm craving the more Hollywoody stuff coming around the corner.



5.  Taken 2:  The first film wasn't that good.  It was all right.  But it did seem to kickoff the Liam Neeson Asskicker subgenre I've come to love sooooo damn much (well...Seraphim Falls might be the real start, but this is where Neeson Asskickery became popular).  These films should definitely be R Rated but I was surprised with the level of electroshock brutality fed into the first flick's PG13 label.  Part II offers more neck breaking and more cell phone threatening, and I'm digging the Boris the Blade Wrath of Khan plot.  I'm hoping Famke Janssen & Maggie Grace come to an awful end.  And could we be getting more Leland Orser private military terror?  That would be nice.  I still think Taken Too is a better title.



4.  Killing Them Softly:  One of the most beautiful movies in recent memory was Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford.  And it also contains one of Brad Pitt's finest performances.  So I'm down for a little American Crime especially when it's accompanied by Richard Jenkins and Johnny Cash.



3.  Looper:  Rian Johnson's Brick is a personal favorite.  Like Miller's Crossing, it's a film pornographically in love with hardboiled language and it instantly fetched my heart.  His follow up Brothers Bloom was fun but failed to elicit those clever-clever goosebumps.  Personally I'm aching for some kick ass science fiction.  Looper looks more gangster than sci-fi but the Blade Runner blending has me excited and I think the Bruce Willis/Joseph Gordon-Levitt twinning is adorable.  Creepy & gross.  But adorable.



2.  Skyfall:  I love Daniel Craig's James Bond.  He's a monster.  A beast of a 00.  So much so that he's at the top of my fave Bond actors.  Sorry, Sean Connory.  Your films are still tops (it still has never gotten better than From Russia With Love & Goldfinger), but Craig is my James Bond.  Looking back at those pre-Casiono Royale days with all its fanboy fear whining is rather amusing.  I'm crossing my fingers that Sam Mendes is going to knock it outta the park with Skyfall.  Absolutely love the trailer and having recently watched No Country For Old Men I'm extremely excited to see Javier Bardem's grimacing blonde baddie.  And I've also been obsessing over his super scary scene in Michael Mann's Collateral.  He's mastered the creepy face villainy.


1.  Django Unchained:  Nothing's changed since last year's Dorkies, Django Unchained is still my most anticipated film of the year.  I'm just all kinds of excited to see QT take on my favorite genre, The Western even if it's being filtered through his "Southern" plot.  Jaime Foxx & Christophe Waltz six gunning their way through Leonardo DiCaprio's bevy of racist ruffians all the while QT beats the drum of Ennio Moriconne--Can.  Not.  Wait.

--Brad

A Fistful of Fall Anticipation 2012! (Matt’s Picks)

    As we head into the end of the year, I’m filled with lukewarm feelings.  This has been such a disappointing year, I’m worried about what’s still to come.  Even this list was kind of a challenge to cobble together. I mean, I want to see all these films, but other than Skyfall, I can’t say that I’m really ‘anticipating’ any of them.  After all, my two other highly anticipated films this year (John Carter and Prometheus) were major disappointments.  I hope Skyfall doesn’t send this year out with a third strike.  Oh, man.  The Dorkies are gonna be rough this year.

5:  The Hobbit:  I love the Lord of the Rings movies.  Sin of sins, I think they improve on the books, taking all the good and leaving off the overindulgences of the novels.  And though I’m not generally a reader of fantasy, I do love a good film in the genre.  I think some of the reason this film isn’t higher on my list is that I’m not really worried about it.  It’s kind of a known quantity.  I know the story, I know the director, I know the director’s previous work on this same property.  I know what to expect, and I don’t see much reason to expect I won’t see just that.  I want to see it, but there’s not a lot of mystery.

4:  The Man with the Iron Fists:  I love me some crazy Kung Fu, and I know the RZA does, too.  So now that the Wu-Tang Clan alum has gotten his hands on just that, I’ll admit, I’m pretty jazzed.  I’m not really expecting much.  This ain’t gonna be Shakespeare.  But if there’s some wacky, over the top chop-socky, and it’s not dull, I’ll be happy.

3:  Resident Evil: Retribution:  Though all too many of her movies are boring crap, I’ve had a thing for Milla ever since The Fifth Element.  She’s still the only tiny little thing that turns out to be a crazy powerful killing machine that I like (sorry, Joss).    And I’ll come back to see one of these silly, horror/action movies ever couple of years for as long as she keeps making them.  What’s going on in this next one?  I see flashes of characters from previous films who are quite dead.  What’s up?  Can’t wait to find out.  And is that Milla army still out there?  I hope so!

2:  Looper:  I love some high concept science fiction.  This one looks like it goes over some familiar territory, but with a good cast and from a good director.  This has a lot of potential.  I’m hoping it’s this year’s Moon, but if it’s this year’s Source Code, I’ll be perfectly happy.

1:  Skyfall:  Blasphemy that it is, Casino Royale is probably my favorite Bond film, and I think Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond (at least, since From Russia With Love).  I loved Quantum of Solace, too.  So, a new Craig Bond film is pretty exciting.  Yes, they’re bringing back Q in this one (I gather), which I’m not super pleased by.  His scenes in the earlier films were usually just an excuse for puns and cheap laughs, and a way to bring in lots of silly gadgets.  That was an element of the original run I was very happy to do without, so I hope they don’t bring it back.

-Matt

Full Skyfall Trailer!!!!

Remember like 30 seconds ago when I posted the latest teaser trailer for Skyfall?  Well, here's the full freaking thing and it's blown my mind.  Javier Bardem's blonde baddie is creepy as hell and he's going to give Christopher Walken a run for the money as far as Bond baddie hairdos are concerned.  Seriously, the first closeup on his face...shivers.  The man's gonna be a gross evil bastard.  And we also get the new young Q, who offers Bond a very Judge Dredd kinda weapon.

--Brad

Another Skyfall Teaser: "Take The Bloody Shot!"

Here's another quick teaser for Skyfall, which is quickly becoming my second most anticipated release for the second half of the year (right behind Django Unchained).  Love M's "Take The Bloody Shot" almost as much as I love Ralph Fiennes's contemptuous tone.  I have my fingers crossed that director Sam Mendes is going to be bring something special to the Bond franchise, something that's going to elevate the series beyond it's last two already excellent entries.



--Brad

James Bond & The Queen Arrive At The Olympics

Below you'll find the silly little skit that opened the Olympics last night.  In it, you'll see 007 arrive at Buckingham Palace to pick up The Queen for a nice hop outta a helicopter.  The best bits involve the Corgis.  And below that you'll see the TV spot for Sam Mendes' Skyfall, showing off a little more of those crazy Bond set pieces.

--Brad

Dork Art: Cantina Royale

A cool mashup of Star Wars & James Bond.  Thank You very much.  Found via Slash Film's Page 2.

--Brad

Teaser Trailer: Skyfall

Ooooooooo...the first trailer for Skyfall looks pretty darn badass.  And it doesn't look all jump cutty Jason Bourne wannabe.  I had hopes that Sam Mendes would bring a more classical direction to the action and this trailer seems to confirm that wish...or at least not dismiss it.  Absolutely love the word association opening and the Javier Bardem spooky scary silhouette.



--Brad

Teaser Poster: Skyfall

Here's the first teaser poster for Skyfall.  It's okay.  I much prefer the two teaser posters for both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

--Brad

Brad's Week in Dork! (4/14-4/21)

This was a MAAAAASSSSSSIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE Week in Dork.  Honestly, I'm amazed and disgusted at myself for cranking out 19 movies while still managing to consume a bunch of TV and comic books.  Mostly, I gotta thank my buddy Darren for hosting the first (hopefully annual) Avengers Fest on Saturday.  Taking inspiration from my own Shat Attack party (which I stole from Matt's annual Hest Fests), Darren put together a marvelous marathon of Avengers festivities that did not just include the Marvel Studios movies but a few surprises as well.  In total, it equalled 16 Hours of straight movie watching--something I don't think I've ever done before even with my previous Shat Attack and Hest Fest experiences.  At least I now know that I could totally do one of those Butt-Numb-A-Thon events down in Austin.

Another bonus of AvengersFest were the below posters crafted by Darren for our goodie bags.  A few months back he asked us who our favorite Avenger was and why, and when we got there we had these cool posters with our quotes printed on them.  The Captain America is mine and the Hulk is my other friend Brian's choice.  Matt picked Nick Fury and his poster was a really cool Steranko mashup.  

But before the Avengers Fest madness that climaxed the week, I also partook in the AFI Silver's Jack Nicholson Retrospective that will be running all the way through April, May, and June.  It started with The Departed and As Good As It Gets, but since I saw those during their initial release I didn't really care about those screenings.  I was super excited for the Monte Hellman pairing of The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind, and they looked great on the big screen even if their prints (well, The Shooting was a projected DVD) were all scratched to hell.  Actually, I love that old film scarring.  You can expect both The Shooting & Ride In The Whirlwind to be my cineAWESOME! Western reviews for next week.

Finally, the build up to next month's Shat Attack V has begun.  We're going to have a big group this year at the apartment and we're going to have to get creative with the spacing.  But I'm hoping this fifth year of Shatner madness will be the biggest party yet.  Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is going to be the main course, but the day starts at 10 AM and we've got all kinds of good stuff for consumption.  From episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents to Shatner's first film, The Brothers Karamazov.  Shatner goodie bags.  Shatner food.  Shatner party games.  I only wish I could make this event open to the public.  That's the dream.  And it's going to be a reality one day.

TV OF THE WEEK!

Bored To Death Season 2:  After a fairly lukewarm response to season 1, I found the second season of this half hour HBO comedy to be totally charming.  What gives?  Maybe I was in the wrong headspace two weeks back, or maybe I just needed my wife & Matt to keep telling me over and over again that Bored To Death was genius before it finally sank in.  Or maybe, season 2 is just a whole lot better than the first.  But from the very first episode where Jason Schwartzman is running around in full gimp suit mode to Zach Galifianakis' insane encounter with egomaniac Kevin Bacon, season 2 of Bored to Death had me giggling with delight.  Looking forward to the third (and final) season and I'm looking forward to rewatching season 1 with fresh eyes.

Star Trek "Where No Man Has Gone Before":  With Shat Attack V just around the corner, I thought it was about time to start getting in the mood with some TOS Star Trek.  The Wife had never seen this episode before and she had a lot of fun spotting the oddities (Sulu's in Blue! Where's McCoy! Spock's so Green!)  But for a (2nd) pilot, there is a lot of great stuff here--in fact, some of the best thought provoking science fiction of the series can be found right here with Gary Mitchell & Captain Kirk.  I really do hope that Benedict Cumberbatch is playing Mitchell, he'd be an excellent type of non-villian/villain for the new cast to tackle.  Something different than just another Khan substitute.

Star Trek "The Man Trap":  Next to the Gorn, The Salt Vampire is my favorite Star Trek alien.  And I love how this shapeshifter really messes with McCoy's lovesick emotions.  It takes a little time to get going, but once the lifeform reveals itself all hell breaks loose on the Enterprise.  Plus, you've got some great Uhura/Spock flirtations here and I'd like to think this is the ep that gave the 09 Trek writers the inkling to spice up their love life.

MOVIES OF THE WEEK!

Ravenous:  "I said there was no food, I didn't say there was nothing to eat." Disgraced coward, Guy Pearce is banished to the wilderness of California where he finds a collection of oddball Army outcasts led by nutcracker Jeffery Jones. But a life of tedium is interrupted when crazybrain Robert Carlyle stumbles into their fort with tales of lost caravans and cannibalism. Unfairly labeled as a "black comedy" and just as unfairly dismissed in 1999, Ravenous is my all time favorite Weird Western highlighted by the Pearce/Carlyle battle of Wendigo wills and their epic climactic, gory smackdown. And as good as they are, and the supporting cast is as well, the incessant, picking score is even better.  For more Ravenou raving, check out my review over at cineAWESOME!

Day of the Warrior:  "That Son Of A Bitch Has One Of Those Big Guns Too!" Yowza! Not since the first Malibu Express film has Andy Sidaris succeeded in making such a spectacular piece of garbage. Julie Strain leaves her bad girl act behind to lead the CIA Secret Super Team, the L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies! Along with the fake breast behemoths Julie K Smith (Cobra!) & Shae Marks (Tiger!) as well as the Asian Vegas showman Elvis Fu, they take on the half Native American Gunrunner/Porno Producer/Professional Wrestler Marcus Bagwell aka The Warrior. The Guns, Girls, & G-Strings set has been filled with plenty of terrible scripting, dialog, and acting but Day of the Warrior stands out as one of the absolute worst films...and as a result it is one of the most entertaining.  Highly recommended for fans of trash cinema.

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol:  The fact that Tom Cruise can come off one of the craziest nutbag periods of his life--and the flop of Knight & Day (HEY! I Still Say That's A Great Movie!) and still capture the hearts of the action film obsessed masses is quite a feat. I say, people are born with an inherent willingness to love Tom Cruise, even when he's gone bonkers. Of course, a lot, if not most of the reason why MI:IV works so dang well is director Brad Bird who removes himself from his animation wheelhouse and into the globe trotting explosion world Summer Blockbuster and their unlimited budgets. Cruise & his IMF team battle Michael Nyqvist's Bond Villain within the Kremlin, atop the Burj Khalifa, and inside super tech Indian car factories. One thrilling set piece after the other, and at the credits you'll be chanting for part 5. Seems bonkers, but there you have it.

The Shooting:  After his brother runs off and a fellow miner is shot dead, Warren Oates & the dimwitted Will Hutchins become hired hands to Millie Perkins' shrill vengeance seeker. Unfortunately for all involved Jack Nicholson's shootist lurks in the background. Monte Hellman directs this ultra low budget, but plenty mental Western for Roger Corman and where it succeeds is in its eagerness to tell a story. Oates is always entertaining as the hardened cowpoke and his sparring with the prickish Jack Nicholson almost as fun as the eye rage he directs towards Perkins. The shocking conclusion is not that shocking, but it works.

These Amazing Shadows:  "As a child movies are not good or bad, they're just movies." That brief quote from one of this docs many talking heads struck me hard. That pretty much sums up my current outlook towards cinema and I love that I now have a quote to hang on my insanity. As far as the rest of the documentary, These Amazing Shadows is essential viewing for film fans and even though it's just one big commercial for the National Film Registry, I am totally on board. And who doesn't love hearing Rob Reiner geek out over It's A Wonderful Life or John Waters on The Wizard of Oz or John Singleton on why the Ku Klux Klan love letter Birth of a Nation needs to be preserved.

Candy Stripe Nurses:  A trilogy of promiscuous nurses find numerous ways into trouble while fighting off Rock N Roll Rapists, charming gangbanger crooks, and loving Speed addicted basketball stars. All kinds of awkward 70s sex comedy mixed with horrifying violent drama...in other words, another Roger Corman (& wife Julie Corman) classic. 80 minutes of nonstop crazy, well worth a rent if not a straight up buy for fans of this sorta thing.

Night Call Nurses:  Starting your Nurse film with a plummeting nude girl suicide definitely sets Night Call Nurses down a darker path than Candy Stripe Nurses and the LSD Trucker Nightmares, Black Power Prison Escapes, Mental Manipulating Psychiatrists, and Transvestite Knife Wielding Maniacs don't lighten the mood. And the complete lack of goofy fun turn the proceedings incredibly creepy and just downright uncomfortable. Still, there's another Dick Miller cameo and that's a bonus even if he doesn't play the flasher, but yet another cabbie.

The Great Dictator:  Had this on in the background while my friend Whitaker & I blathered on about the state of dorkdom and even though this film deserves our full attention it was still great to fade in & out of it's brutal comedy. I'm stating the obvious here, but it struck me on this viewing how much Mel Brooks' humor comes right outta Chaplin; Blazing Saddles & The Producers are born straight outta The Great Dictator. Funny as hell, but painfully biting.

Ride In The Whirlwind:  Three cowboys (Jack Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell, & Tom Filer) are mistaken for outlaws after spending the afternoon with the nefarious Blind Dick (Harry Dean Stanton) and must result to dastardly deeds to survive. The first half of the film is filled with the Vigilante Committee's incessant gunfire, but when the canyon trapped leads stumble upon the clan of meek Millie Perkins, the film slows nearly to a halt. Not nearly as surreally badass as The Shooting, Ride In The Whirlwind is still a strong cheapie Western from director Monte Hellman and The School of Corman.

Casino Royale:  Much like the rest of the internet in 2006, when he was first announced, I was not at all confident in Daniel Craig as James Bond. But once he started bashing scum's heads into bathroom sinks and crashing through walls, I was all on board for James Bond as monster. There's a little less winky charm to him than Connery's Bond, but he has all the animal of the assassin. Casino Royale has the epic scope required for this Batman Begins not-really-a-reboot flick, and even though it meanders a little bit too much in the middle, it is a great start for the new millennium's double o. And weepy Mads Mikkelsen a great, classic villain.

Quantum of Solace:  This one gets unfairly maligned by the internet. Picking up immediately after Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace strips away the convoluted plot and presents a brisk 105 minute Revenge Chase picture in which Craig's Bond stabs and bludgeons his way through the bastards he deems responsible for the killing of Vesper. Sure, Marc Foster relies too much on his Bourne second unit director and the shaky cam fighting grates the nerves, but the brutal hostility on display is unlike anything we've experienced in this decades old franchise.

Iron Man:  In 2008 it was hard to believe that they could make Iron Man cool for the public let alone a whole Avengers team-up. But director Jon Favreau, his army of Marvel screenwriters, and Robert Downey Jr made it possible. Taking the Batman Begins/Casino Royale approach to the origin, spending nearly the entirety of the film to build character rather than just jump from action set up to action set up, Iron Man succeeds on the charm of its super hero scamp Tony Stark. By 08 I was getting a little tired of the comic book story setups, but at least this is one of the sub genre's best examples, and all the actors involved excel in the playground.

Iron Man 2:  Picking up perfectly after the "I Am Iron Man" climax of the first film, this sequel seems more interested in world building than telling a single Tony Stark story, but I am more than okay with all this Avengers prequeling (seriously, how do we live in such a blessed era?). After the events of the last film, Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark has managed to hide his vulnerably pretty well under a thick layer of booze and ego and he falls pretty damn hard before rising again to Nick Fury's Avengers standards. I definitely appreciate the Terrance Howard War Machine replacement of Don Cheadle and Mickey Rourke's slippery lipped baddie is disgustingly, cartoonishly villainous. But for me, Sam Rockwell's anit-Stark, Justin Hammer steals the show with his sniveling scenery chewing. His back & forth with Downey is the best stuff in the movie.

Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD:  "Let Us Rock and Let Us Roll." While still in the thick of Baywatch, David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff took a little break to film this absolutely mystifying telling of Marvel's Howling Commando Secret Agent. And it's as terrible as you think it to be. But damn. It's a fun kinda bad. Especially for fanboys. The Hoff spits out one bad line of dialog after the next, and he chews on that cigar like his life depends on it. And director Rod Hardy knows just the right angels to shoot this leather clad behemoth. Lisa Rinna is horrifying as Contessa Valentine de Allegro Fontaine but not nearly as scary as Sandra Hess' Andrea Von Strucker Lady Viper and her intense hand acting. The proceedings feel like a failed attempt at a really awful Sci-Fi Channel original series but we can all thank the comic book gods for just giving us a taste of this atrocity and not seasons after seasons worth. Still, it's pretty fun to watch a train wreck.

The Incredible Hulk:  I'm one of the few guys on the internet who actually loves Ang Lee's HULK and I was all set to enter this reboot with heaps of contempt, but dang, director Louis Leterrier and Edward Norton pull it off. The Incredible Hulk is a fun monster mash with Bruce Banner running all over South America as William Hurt's mustached general storms after him. And it's about time we get some beast on beast action with The Abomination; the final smackdown in NYC is perfect comic book action with cop cars as boxing gloves and bones being broken off for stabbing instruments. HULK SMASH!

The Incredible Hulk Returns:  Don't know how, but I somehow missed this one when it originally aired on tv. It's been a few years since his on the road Fugitive epic, Bill Bixy's Banner has finally settled upon a cure for his Hulking Out. Unfortunately, Tim Thomerson (Jack Deth!) and Charles Napier (His Worst Nightmare is Rambo!) have planes of their own for his gamma transformer. And that's when Thor shows up. Wha? It's bonkers but Banner and Dr. Donald Blake team up with the God of Thunder to take down some California thugs. Silly. But fun.

Thor:  In the modern era of Avengers building, Thor is shockingly the most entertaining film of the bunch. Not saying it's my favorite, but you'll laugh more and cheer more at Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder than at any of the other super heroics. This is fish out of water comedy handled perfectly from director Kenneth Branagh but he also hits the Shakespearean emotion of the father/brother stuff. Anthony Hopkins is a too-perfect Odin and when he hisses at chomps at his sons its damn scary. I am still in awe of how they pulled off this Marvel concept of Asgard and made it fit in the world of Iron Man & Shield. Bravo.

Captain America:  Holy Cow. And I thought the Nick Fury movie was bad? It's got nothing on this 1979 version of Captain America. But it's glorious. Acting Titan Reb Brown stars as the beach bum, water color loving Steve Rodgers who after two nearly fatal car accidents is injected with the F.L.A.G. serum transforming him into Super Soldier Captain America. He has super senses, super strength, a pretty rockin' van, and a jet assisted motorcycle. AND he's going to spend most of this film's run time driving around on the bike or driving around in his van or driving around in his helicopter. Eventually he's going to jump real high and punch a goon or two. But the gems come from Brown's crazy stilted performance and when he "jams Captain America down their throats." Uh. He loves jamming.

Captain America - The First Avenger:  I still say the climax rushes too quickly to The Avengers and that WWII action montages are no replacement for straight up action sequences, but Steve Rodgers' origin story is handled so well in the first half and captures the good heart of his weakling perfectly that I hold Captain America: The First Avenger above all other Marvel Studios movies. Chris Evans is my Cap. And that makes me so dang happy. Director Joe Johnston reaches into his Rocketeer bag of tricks and presents a fun, warm adventure. And man, it really does end on a future stuck downer, but hopefully it will provide for some serious emotion in next month's Avengers.



COMICS OF THE WEEK!

BPRD - The Long Death #1-3  This was a short, brutally sad mini series from the BPRD gang.  Still plagued by hate-filled rage for the destruction of his human host, Agent Johann Krauss takes a team up into Canada to battle it out with the jaguar god.  Mignola & Arcudi do such a bang up job with Johann.  He can be such an ass but you also understand where he's coming from.  Daimo is no saint but he's a sad beast as well.  And then there's Darryl the Wendigo.  That's a trilogy of sadness that makes for some seriously good monster drama.  Sure, it's a bummer that Guy Davis is no longer drawing this series but James Harren's interiors are breathtaking.  His depiction of the zombie moose and the jaguar monster brawl is gory gorgeous.  I hope he sticks around for a long time.

Ragemoor #2:  Okay.  So this series is going places and I have no idea what the destination is going to be...all I know is that I love it.  This issue explores the grounds of the living castle with Skull Headed Ape Men battling it out with white slug monsters.  Richard Corben excels with these gross, ugly panels and I wish Ragemoor would go on more than just four issues.  I can sense an epic here but I know the sales are not what they should be and I'm going to have to be happy with what we get.

Secret #1:  This could either be the start of something great or something I don't give a damn about.  As is, I'm just going to wait and see what others think before I buy another issue.  We've got some fairly typical crime/corporate espionage at work here and this first issue didn't surprise me one bit.  It did and went exactly where I thought it was going to.  But it's hard to judge a series on its first 32 pages so I'm not ready to condemn it yet.  But I'm also not ready to care yet either.

Winter Soldier #4:  Bucky & Doctor Doom team up to save the United Nations form EXPLOSIONS!  Man, I want to love this series so dang much but I can't just seem to make it happen.  Brubaker's first five years on Captain America was absolutely amazing but his Winter Soldier saga is starting to loose some steam for me.  Still, I want to keep going.  Cuz I want it to be great again.  Plus, issue 5 is gonna have more machine gun monkeys!

The Shadow #1:  The creator of Preacher & The Boys takes a crack at one of my favorite pulp characters and it's a lot better than I thought it was going to be.  At least The Shadow bits were rather exciting.  Still not sure he's got a handle on the Lamont Cranston side of things, but again, it's too early to tell.  I'll definitely pick up the second issue.

--Brad