Trailer: The Death of Superman Lives - What Happened?!?!?!

"Why are you bringing up such painful memories?"  I've been watching the progress of this documentary for what seems like eons.  Director Jon Schnepp (AMC Movie Talk, Metalocalypse) has spent years scrounging up interviews surrounding Tim Burton's failed Superman film, and it finally seems like he's acquired all the necessary people.  Burton is there, of course, and it looks like we get some archival Nicolas Cage bits, but no word yet if he's got anything new from the Mega Actor.  This second trailer is really just another commercial to get some spare change to finish up the project, but I like what I see.  One of my favorite films this year is Jodorowsky's Dune as sometimes the process of making a travesty is more interesting then the final project.  We now live in a world where we've had not just Richard Donner's revered adaptation, but Bryan Singer's lovefest Superman Returns and Zack Snyder's punch-em-up Man of Steel - plus the upcoming Batman v Superman & the Justice League event!!  Tim Burton's Superman Lives may have been an ungodly mess, but I really wish it could have come to fruition.  These characters are so iconic they can survive a wonky segment here & there (Joel Schumacher's Batman is proof of that).

--Brad

Adam West's Batman Surfs Onto DVD!

Well this is POP! BAM! WOW!  Today on their blog, DC Comics announced via Conan O'Brien's twitter feed that the 1960s Batman TV show starring Adam West & Burt Ward is finally coming to DVD.  It's about frickin' time, right?  It's been a long, tedious conversation involving various rights issues and I honestly thought the day would never come.  Last year saw some headway as licensing deals between Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox were struck in order to produce Hot Wheels, Action Figures, Barbies, and statuettes.  If they could play nice over toys, I guess the inevitable home video release was not too far behind.  But the question remains, will anyone buy a copy after decades of comic convention bootlegging?  I sure hope so.

Not too long ago, when Frank Miller's Dark Knight & Tim Burton's Caped Crusader were the tough new reality of costume crime fighting, it was cool to hate on the pop art of Adam West.  But times are a changing, the world of nerdom is stretching, and thanks to folks like Kevin Smith & Grant Morrison, Adam West can be cool again.  Like most kids my age, I adored the show in my youth but grew apart when my cynical teens kicked in.  It took my friend Robert to reintroduce me to the joys of the Dynamic Duo.  He snagged one of those bootlegs a few years back and we paired a couple Julie Newmar episodes with Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin for a Movie Night.  His intense love for the Dayglo Cowl opened my eyes; the great thing about Batman is that he can support every kind of genre.  We all love Miller's neck cracking badass and Bruce Timm's noir avenger, but we're not too cool to enjoy the silly of King Tut or the weird of Book Worm.  West's Batman explored the insanity of comics.  The lark of it.  And it's an essential part of the characters history.

No word yet on an actual release date, but let's hope it's sooner rather than later.  And let's also hope there is some massive, ridiculous box set in the shape of a William Shakespeare bust to sit on my mantel.  Wanna get nuts?  Let's get nuts.  Hope The Wife isn't watching too closely because I'm going to spend every last dime on "Holy Memorabilia, Batman!"  Until then, let's enjoy some brief Bat-Clips.

--Brad

"It's Out There In The Ether..." - The Death of Superman Lives Teaser Trailer

Geeks love a good What If story.  What If Conan The Barbarian death wished the streets of Modern Day New York City?  What If Rick James became The Hulk instead of Bruce Banner?  What If Tim Burton had cast Nicolas Cage as Superman?  As most of you should know, that last one came very close to a reality in the late 1990s.  Kevin Smith was one of the many screenwriters on the project, and for the longest time his College Crowd Chit Chat was the only glimpse we had into the madness of Superman Lives.  Until now.  Thanks to the all mighty power of Kickstarter, director Jon Schnepp has finally assembled The Death of "Superman Lives."  The below teaser trailer promises an in-depth look at what that fabled film could have been, as well as philosophical debates with some of the Man of Steel's greatest living comic book contributors.  Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Zachary Levi - uh...not sure why Chuck's involved, but cool!  Despite some newsreel footage of Cage, Schnepp has yet to land an interview with the mega actor, but if he manages to do so, than The Death of "Superman Lives" will skyrocket to the top of my most anticipated films.

--Brad

Dork Art: The Almost Supermen

Artist Jeremy Wheeler recently wrote an article for Esquire Magazine entitled, "The Men Who Were Almost Superman."  It's a fun little blog post detailing the near misses with actors Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Nicolas Cage, Christian Bale, and Joe Manganiello.   Because I'm a sickie, the only alternate version of Superman I would have ever wanted to see would have been Cage's long-haired, giant-spider bashing version.  Kevin Smith has made that failed script the stuff of legend, and I can only imagine how horrifyingly twee Tim Burton would have saturated the much beloved Man of Steel.  I do think that Christian Bale could have pulled off Supes...maybe not Clark Kent, but his Man of Steel seems the most plausible out of the bunch.  Thanks to Crome Yellow for the heads up.

--Brad

A Fistful of Inspiration! (Brad's Picks)

The Jackie Robinson story gets another go around on the big screen this weekend.  It's a crucial bit of pop culture that lead to genuine social change in America.  But my fear, based on what little of the trailer I've seen, is that 42 will ultimately be another stale biopic that fails to capture the excitement of the events, and simply delivers bullet point history.  As impressed as we all were by Jaime Foxx's mimicry in Ray or Joaquin Phoenix's hangdog wannabe jailbird in Walk The Line, they were simply just pale imitations of their real life subjects.  Icons are hard to portray.  We're all taught the basics in school.  Plunging new depths can be difficult.  It's best to either narrow your focus (like last year's Lincoln) or deal on the little known fellas (see my #5 pick on this list) instead.  The most appealing thing about 42 is director Brian Helgeland, the man to come the closest in adapting Richard Stark's Parker with Payback (The Straight Up Edition, avoid the theatrical cut).

So, this Fistufl is not a Top Five of Biopics (although some do appear).  Instead these are the top five films that inspired me the most as the credits rolled.  Films that either inspired me creatively, lovingly, or patriotically.  Films that put a lump in my throat and a chill down my spine.  Films that made me mutter "yer damn right."

5.  American Splendor:  Harvey Pekar was a grumpy little shit.  After some hard time in the Navy, a barrage of odd jobs, and an almost life sentence as a file clerk, Harvey Pekar found an outlet for his everyday rage in underground comics.  A friendship with R. Crumb encouraged the "anyone can do it" attitude and Harvey Pekar soon became the Poet Laureate of Cleveland.  Ma & Pap America may not know his name, but anyone with the slightest interest in non-spandex comics appreciates the autobiographical revolution sparked by Pekar and his peers.  The film, directed by Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini, balances fictionalized accounts with actor Paul Giamatti as well as interviews with Pekar himself.  It's not the type of film to raise hoots and hollers, but after each viewing I find myself struck by that "anyone can do it" attitude and I'll inevitably leap to the written word.

4.  A Very Long Engagement:  You can't have a list like this without an epic love story.  When her fiance disappears in the trenches of the Somme, Audrey Tautou refuses to believe that her love was lost to The Great War.  She begins an epic quest to find him or his body.  She unravels a mystery involving five french soldiers convicted of cowardice and sentenced to die in the abyss of No Man's Land.  She's kind of like a lovelorn Sherlock Holmes, cutting her way through a venomous French government and freeing the spirits of the men lost on the front lines.  Both breaks and warms the heart.

3.  King Kong:  On the surface, this might seem like a weird one for the list.  Part of the inspiration comes from the craft of it.  Willis O'Brien brought genuine life to a tiny mechanical puppet.  I'm not being cute or foolish when I type this, but even after the 30th rewatch, there are moments in this film in which I forget I'm watching an inanimate object.  I see Kong and I react in the same manner I would with an anthropomorphized puppy dog.  He's Lassie.  He's Hooch.  The other part of the inspiration comes from the tragic story itself.  Not the "Beauty that Tamed The Beast" bit, but the hateful story of the poor bugger stolen from his home in chains and staked on a stage for our entertainment.  And I respond deeply to his skyscraping climactic rage.  Inspirational anger.

2.  Ed Wood:  This is not an "anyone can do it" movie.  It's a "you have to be a passionate mad man to do it" movie.  Made back in the good old days of Tim Burton talent, Ed Wood is the frenzied saga of a wannabe cinematic maestro who might have lacked the talent, but certainly had the blind will to burn his stories onto celluloid.  Portrayed by Johnny Depp, Ed Wood is a gleeful, lovable loon.  Through sheer love, he got his stories out to the people - and when their love was not quite like his love, it hurt.  Painfully relatable, but also delightfully inspiring.

1.  12 Angry Men:  This should be required viewing every 4th of July.  Nothing makes me more proud to be an American than 12 Angry Men.  On a hot sweaty day in New York City, 12 jurors file into the room and decide the fate of an alleged murderer.  11 men are quick to vote guilty.  One man, Juror #8, raises his hand.  He has a few questions and doesn't believe a man's life should be settled in the manner of minutes.  For the next 96 the 12 men shout, scream, and exhaust each other.  But the defendant is granted the conversation.  Thanks to one man with a raised hand.  Henry Fonda exudes morality.  He speaks, I listen.  He's the man I aspire to be.  Group think is evil.  Be an individual, be Juror #8.

--Brad

Dork Art: Mars Attacks Judge Dredd!

Have you been paying attention in your local comic shops this month?  Mars is Attacking Everyone!  Comic publisher IDW is pitting our favorite Ack Ackers against the rock band KISS, Transformers, The Real Ghostbusters, Chew, Popeye (yes, Popeye) and Judge Dredd.  I'm not sure I want to shell out the cash for all these tie-ins, but I definitely appreciate the bonkers attitude.  Especially this beautiful image posted above.  What are those poor Martian devils thinking going up against Mega City One's toughest lawman.  Those buggers don't have a chance.

--Brad

New Release Tuesday! (1/8/13)

The second week of 2013 DVD releases is decent enough, but there really is only one flick to get excited over.  And it looks like that's going to be the case for the first few months of the year.  I'm still waiting to hear word of another Epic Release like last years JAWS, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or Lawrence of Arabia transfers.  Criterion has some typically exciting discs on their way like Badlands, Ministry of Fear, On The Waterfront, etc...  And Scream Factory has some real gems with Lifeforce, Prison, The Vampire Lovers, From Beyond, Phantasm II.  But where are the blu ray upgrades of John Boorman's Point Blank, David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, Orson Welles' Touch of Evil?  Just to name a few off my wish list.  I need me some classics.

MUST BUY DVD OF THE WEEK!

Dredd:  My 8th favorite film of 2012.  Dredd nearly captures everything that's so abysmally pessimistic of the 2000 AD comic series - yes, they could push the fascism a little bit further but I'm just thankful for the lack of "I Knew You'd Say That" catchphrases and SNL sidekicks.  Karl Urban is a perfect Judge Dredd.  His frown is living art.  I only wish the film had been successful cuz I would have loved to have seen the world of Mega City One expanded outside the confines of this siege film.  As is, we'll just have to settle for the ultra violence splattered across the Peach Trees apartment complex.  And, yep, I'm  really looking forward to doubling this up with The Raid - Redemption.  Don't worry folks, there's plenty of room in this world for two corridor-of death movies.

BUY!

The Lost Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis:  I'm not going to pretend that I'm the world's biggest Herschell Gordon Lewis fan, but I really do enjoy the hell outta 2000 Maniacs.  And I'm always on the lookout for more greasy exploitation cinema.  This set consists of 3 supposedly lost sexploitation films (Ecstasies of Women, Linda & Abilene, and Black Love) from the Godfather of Gore, and I'm sure they're all reasonably crappy.  But at just over 20 bucks I'm willing to prop them next to my favorite Roger Corman nurse pictures.

RENT!

Frankenweenie:  It's hard to remember a time when I ever enjoyed the films of Tim Burton.  But the man has made some of my favorite movies - Ed Wood, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Batman, Batman Returns,  Mars Attacks.  Sigh.  It's such a shame that somewhere in the late 90s (about halfway through Sleepy Hollow) his imagination stunted, and I've had to suffer through far too many Johnny Depp vanity projects.  I'm told that Frankenweenie is a return to form.  I enjoyed the original short and I do love me some stop motion animation...but Dark Shadows was just a few months ago.  And that taste of flop sweat is still far too fresh for me to get my hopes up.

Compliance:  Here's another flick that seems to get a lot of people up in arms.  Some folks are calling it one of 2012's Best, and others are condemning it as deplorable manipulation.  Watching the trailer below, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable.  I'm curious.  Sure.  But I'm also not rushing out to see it.  Agitation Cinema is not why I watch movies.



AVOID!

Stolen:  Ugh.  This last year was a bad one for Nicolas Cage.  Ghost Rider 2, Seeking Justice, Stolen.  The man needs a hit...or at least another trilogy of fun, craptastic flicks like he had in 2011 (Drive Angry!!!!  So good!).  I grabbed Stolen outta a Red Box and despite a few wonderfully goofy moments from villain Josh Lucas, there is nothing worthy of your attention from this Direct-To-DVDer.  Con Air/EX2 director Simon West runs through the motions of this Taken-lite and Cage seems to realize this character is not worth is usually excitable Mega Acting.  Later this year, one time indie darling director David Gordon Green promises to return Cage to his Oscar caliber with their collaboration, Joe.  But I'm not sure the rest of the world can handle that concept anymore.  Personally, I think Cage needs to continue in the direction of Vincent Price admiration and only pick the whackiest of screenplays.  Lets get nuts, lets have fun.

House at the End of the Street:  I do not care how much you love Jennifer Lawrence.  I do not.  From Winter's Bone to X-Men First Class to The Hunger Games.  She's dullsville.  And the idea of her in yet another final girl slasher flick bores me to sleep.  I'm glad to see that Elizabeth Shue is still working even if it means she's been relegated to Mom roles, but that's certainly not reason enough for me to waste my time and dollars on this sophomoric pap.

--Brad

New Release Tuesday! (9/18/12)

Oh boy.  This week is gonna be hard on the wallet.  I've already snatched up the Indy box set and as I type I'm halfway through the third film.  So dang good.  But this week also offers up one of this year's best films, some classic Mario Bava, the best film in the Halloween franchise, High Def Ed Wood, and The Winchester Brothers.  Frankly, this is all Must Buy stuff for me but if yer only going to go with one purchase this week you already know it's gotta be --

MUST BUY DVD OF THE WEEK!

Indiana Jones Blu Ray Box Set:  Watching the films this very second, I gotta say that the transfer is not the mind blowing experience that was the Jaws disc from a few weeks back.  Still, Raiders of the Lost Ark & Temple of Doom are absolutely gorgeous looking movies.  Not to mention that the Indy movies (yes, including Kingdom of the Crystal Skull--shut up, haters) are some of the best examples of Adventure Cinema going.  Harrison Ford's Dr. Jones was probably my first cinematic role model.  Sure, my first love was the Star Wars trilogy but as a kid the guy I wanted to grow up to be was Indiana Jones.  Cool.  Rough.  Did the right thing, but wasn't afraid to shoot a guy when his back was up against a wall.  And yeah, a little fortune & glory would be nice.

BUY!

Halloween III - Season of the Witch:  This might be blasphemy to some and a few of you might jump ship at the following thought, but Halloween III is the best of the franchise.  You heard me, forget the John Carpenter original.  I like my pumpkin holiday with a heavy dose of sex machine Tom Atkins and mind warping druidic television commercials.  Season of the Witch is a weird, weird, really freaking weird addition to the Halloween saga and I really wish it had been a success so that we could have been gifted with a whole series of Twilight Zoney flicks rather than the endlessly bland resurrections of Michael Myers' stab-a-thons.

Cabin in the Woods:  I'm not sure I totally buy the hype with this flick, but at the same time Cabin in the Woods is still one of the best films of the year so far (queue ITMOD bitching about what a crappy year 2012 has been).  Joss Whedon's script is very Joss Whedony and I'm not even sure if that annoys me anymore in these post-AVENGERS IS THE GREATEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD days.  If I had any complains about this film is that the Horror Elements are not nearly as effective as the wink-wink comedic bits.

Supernatural Season 7:  Not my favorite season of the show.  In fact, it might be my least favorite season so far.  Lots of good humor and action from the boys but the whole Leviathan plot never quite gelled in the same fashion that the War in Heaven did.  But where do you go once you've stopped the Apocalypse?  But they still make me squeal and I'll keep watching until its finally cancelled.

Black Sunday:  One of three Bava flicks hitting blu ray today, Black Sunday is the quintessential Italian Horror mashing the queen of scream Barbara Steele with the intoxicating camera of Bava.  Surreal, diabolic, intoxicating.  It's been a few years since I've had the pleasure and I'm quite looking forward to wrapping myself in the grip of Bava's HD Iron Maiden.

Judge Dredd:  Ok.  Yeah.  This sucks.  Rob Schneider...damn, you are the worst thing to happen to 2000 AD.  And the helmet comes off and stays off and that's horrendously offensive to Euro Comic fans.  But, at the same time, Judge Dredd movie!!!!  Even in the great franchise grab of the 1990s (ha! as if there's an end in sight!) the idea of a Judge Dredd movie was freakishly unreal--and we're getting another one this very month!  Wow.  The Stallone flick is only 10 bucks on blu and it's worth that, a good dip into Mega City One before we hopefully get the genius of Karl Urban's lawgiver.

Ed Wood:  Man, it's so easy to hate on Tim Burton these days.  Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.  Alice in Wonderland.  Dark Shadows.  Terrible.  But once upon a time, Tim Burton was one of my favorite directors and Ed Wood is his masterpiece.  Burton drenches this film with love and affection, and this allows you a window into the beauty of trash filmmaking.  You don't mock Ed Wood, you cherish his enthusiasm, you admire his tenacity.  You don't feel sorry for him, you envy him.  Lovable little weirdo.  And yep, Johnny Depp has never been better.


RENT!

The Babymakers:  "The Jizz is up."  Groan.  Olivia Munn.  Double groan.  However, The Babymakers is directed by two members of the Broken Lizard gang and after my rewatch of The Slammin Salmon  I've been craving their obscene brand of oddball comedy.

The Victim:  Michael Biehn directs himself and his wife in this backwoods horror story and as much as I'm in the mood for the mean, axe swinging butchery of grizzled Michael Biehn the trailer for The Victim looks mediocre at best.  And I have not heard good things.  But, dammit, this is Navy Seals here.  He can do no wrong. ... ... ... Look, I've already admitted that I enjoy Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, that Halloween III is better than the John Carpenter classic, and I have an unhealthy affection for Sam & Dean Winchester, so I might as well go all out and say that Navy Seals is a helluva good time at the movies.

--Brad

Dork Art: The Evolution of Batman

Terrifying, I know.  Artist Anthony Geoffroy shows us the horrifying evolution of the Batman movie franchise through a series of creepy ass caricatures.  The George Clooney brings the largest smile to my face and the Val Kilmer scares me the most.  You can find them at the Behance Network.

--Brad

Dork Art: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 1996

Etsy artist Davinder Brar postulates his own League of Extraordinary Gentlemen from the magical year of 1996.  Sadly, Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neal's latest Century novel proves this to be just a fantasy, but I'd gladly read the adventures of Scully and Zach as they travel the time circuits of Bill & Ted.  And let's not forget the teachings of Sledge Hammer...

Unfortunately, the print measures a measly 11 x 17 and will set you back $50.  That doesn't quite work for me, bump up the size, drop the price a bit and I'll bite.  Until then, I'll just admire from afar.

--Brad

Brad's Week In Dork! (7/1/12-7/7/12)

This week finished up the Bat-Mania that I started with last week.  Man, Joel Schumacher.  Yer one strange fella.  And Burton, yer not much better.  But my favorite bit of Bat Dorkery I accomplished this week was Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated.  I can't believe it, but I'm all caught up on his books and I'm ready to dive back into the monthlies.  Again, this is The Brave & The Bold told deadpan.  It's not gonna be for everybody but for those ready & willing Morrison's mad run is pure bliss.

Other stuff this week was just random.  Yeah.  Saw The Amazing Spider-Man.  Yet another Summer Movie I found to be tremendously disappointing.  The friends I saw it with seemed to dig it, but I gave it a big meh.  And I concluded the week with Brave.  It was really good, but it also was no UP.

But really everything I did this week was just a distraction from the approaching San Diego Comic Con trip.  It's so close I can almost taste it.

TV OF THE WEEK!

Batman - The Animated Series Season 2:  The show only gets better in the second season.  With episodes like "Night of the Ninja" and "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne" the character of Batman is expanded in a way not seen in the original five Bat films.  But my favorite ep is "Almost Got 'Im," in which Batman's Rogues share tales of near Bat-Murder.  It's goofy and silly and kinda sad.  But Season 2 is still not the genius that Season 3 will eventually reveal.  I love this show, but it's not till 3 where I can honestly claim that Bruce Timm's Batman is the best Batman.

MOVIES OF THE WEEK!

Batman Forever:  So much neon. And you know you're in trouble when The Fab Knight's first words in the film are, "I'll get drive thru." After the lukewarm public response to the perceived "darkness" of Tim Burton's second film (what crack were they smokin?), Warner Brothers dumped Bats into the nipple-suited brain of Joel Schumacher. Now, if you're in a particularly goofy Adam West kinda mood than you can have some silly fun here with Tommy Lee Jones & Jim Carrey's loud and screechy interpretations of a couple of Bats' most notorious rogues, but if yer craving Nolan or even Burton than you shouldn't bother. I do think Val Kilmer could have been a solid Batman in a more serious vein and Nicole Kidman is lovely...but soooooo much Neon!

The Amazing Spider-Man:  In just ten years we Spidey geeks have been blessed (or cursed) with three goofy Sam Raimi-helmed Web Heads and now one Marc Webb reboot. That's a lot of wall crawling and a lot of disappointment for this filmgoer. The latest cinematic entry rushes through the origin despite adding some mysterious Parker parent hullabaloo that never builds into anything serious as the film is just another CGI punch-em up with a big green bad guy. Andrew Garfield is kinda great in the suit, finally adding some much needed Spidey fight monologuing, but his Peter Parker is mostly an asshole to his family and friends when he's not being over-emo awkward with Emma Stone and her constant knee high socks. And James Horner's score? It definitely matches the banality of the script.

Inception:  Our Man Leo and his Dreamscape Rat Pack infiltrate the fantasies of Corporate Muckety Muck Cillian Murphy on the behest of the other Corporate Muckety Muck Ken Watanabe; much subconscious gunplay to duck & dodge. "The Mind is the Scene of the Crime." It's a cool concept. And it's well executed and performed. I absolutely love fellow thieves Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt--they should have a half hour buddy cop romcom. And it's amazing how Marion Cotillard can be absolutely lovely one moment and then completely, disgustingly terrifying the next. However, I never really did connect to the emotions or even the narrative goals of Leonardo DiCaprio's character.  For me, Inception is more about the execution than the character arcs.

Batman Returns:  Depending on my mood, I often feel that this is the superior Tim Burton Batflick.  Here Michael Keaton feels a little more Batmanesque with his stance, pauses, and terse language. There's a lot of duality at play in the flick; Danny DeVito's Oswald Cobblepot is a mirror for Bruce Wayne, and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman does the same thing for Batman. And I love, love, love Christopher Walken's Citizen Kane-like Max Shreck--definitely the uber-villain of the piece. But the film is very Burton, Burton! Gothy exaggerated sets and characters, and if yer not into that than stay away.

The Adventures of Tintin:  A light, whimsical adventure story from a Steven Spielberg I once thought lost somewhere in the late 1980s. Imagine a slightly more childish incarnation of Indiana Jones wrapped in the fetishistic craft of mo-cap animation. Jaime Bell is a stunning Tintin and Daniel Craig has the perfect voice for the evil, bearded pirate descendant. Not sure this film has enough weight to go down as a classic, but it's certainly a popcorn fueled joyous night at the movies.

Matinee:  Joe Dante does what he does best, celebrates B-Movies and the art of William Castle in this Cuban Missile Crisis set coming of age tale. John Goodman is the Castle-esque Lawrence Woolsey who's traveled down to Key West to premiere his nuclear horror film MANT! Part Man! Part Ant! He's MANT! But he's really just a supporting player in the background as kid actors Simon Fenton and Omri Katz attempt to navigate their budding sexuality and the chaotic spazzing of fear loving grown ups. The A Story is fun enough, but this dork found the most pleasure in the B Movie references and cameos. And as always, more Dick Miller please.

Justice League - The New Frontier:  Based on Darwyn Cooke's utterly brilliant maxi-series of the same name, Justice League - The New Frontier is easily the best film from the modern wave of DC Animated direct-to-dvds. Not just an origin of the most famous super team, The New Frontier explores the birth of DC Comics set in the appropriate Silver Age of 1953. The Korean War has come to a close: Hal Jordan attempts to recover from that horror by diving into his speed demon test pilot persona, the Martian Manhunter arrives on Earth, Batman contemplates a more kid-friendly costume, and Superman struggles with his role in government. But all that is small potatoes when the mysterious being known as The Center plots global destruction. Besides being one of the most epic narratives, The New Frontier also succeeds in capturing the retro vibe of artist Darwyn Cooke.  And that in itself is worth consumption.  If you love comics and super hero films than you really must experience The New Frontier.

The Villain:  "Piss on the white man." Kirk Douglas is a goofball bank robber in pursuit of Ann Margaret's Charming Jones and her asexual guardian Arnold Schwarzenegger. Horribly awkward with its old man humor and loony tunes pratfalls, The Villain is a film you enjoy as an oddity more than a quality Western. Seriously, if you're a fan of the slide whistle sound effect and sped up frame rate hijinks than this is the film for you--uh, does such a Comedy Western fanboy exist? I really can't understand what the state of the world must have been like in 1979 where a film such as this could be considered as passable entertainment--a fascinating history lesson.  Check out more confused rambling over at cineAWESOME!

Batman - The Movie:  Cheese! Pure, glorious cheese! For part of me, Batman will always be the late Nick At Night reruns of this classic camp Caped Crusader. The film is a little rambling and a tad overlong, but they had to cram in ALL your favorite rogues to propel against rich boys Adam West and the young Burt Ward. And in some glorious future the lawyers will get all the rights issues for the TV show squared away and we can bask in the glory of Vincent Price's Egghead.  But until then we've got this theatrical gem. Classic bits of "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb" and Shark Repellant Bat Spray and "Yo Ho!" Hydrating goons really make this silly flick watchable. Biff! Plop! Krack! And, yeah, this is still my favorite Batmobile design.

Brave:  Pixar's first Princess is a fiery haired warrior not interested in giving out her hand to the strongest brute in the kingdom, and when her feminist ideals clash with her mother's unwavering traditions it's going to take some serious celtic magic to keep the kingdoms from erupting into war. Possibly one of the most beautiful films produced by Pixar and saddled with some of my favorite voice talents, Brave doesn't quite reach the levels of Up, The Incredibles, or Finding Nemo but it is an exciting adventure story not often seen in contemporary animation. It's got the laughs. It's got the song. But it's also got a giant ass scary one-eyed bear that feels like he's charged right outta a Don Bluth nightmare. And that's awesome.

COMICS OF THE WEEK!

Batman Incorporated:  Grant Morrison's insane Silver Age love affair has all been building to this James Bondesque bit of insanity exploding from Bruce Wayne's Days of Future Past vision...or, rather, his ever inflating ego. Batman has gone global. Gotham City is too damn small and Wayne needs a Bat in every major city on the planet. Japan, you get Mr. Unknown. Argentina - El Gaucho. The Lakota tribe has Man-Of-Bats & Raven. The International Batmen is too dang bonkers not to be based in classic comics and Grant Morrison is My Hero for re-introducing this weirdo idea back into the mythos; where fanboys might be screaming for The Dark Knight Returns over and over again, Morrison is gonna show you the fun of Mighty Lord Death Man (well, he's actually kinda terrifying) or even the Adam West era. You wanna get nuts, let's get nuts.

Fatima - The Blood Spinners #1:  Yeah. So. There is something extremely compelling about the art of Gilbert Hernandez. I cannot quite put my finger on what it is about his style that immediately draws me into the story, but that’s just what happens. Fatima centers around a future society in which a drug called Spin turns good citizens into crazed, raccoon eyed zombies. And Fatima is the government agent sent in to brutally execute the junkies. Not really sure about the story yet, but I certainly love Hernandez’s depictions of blood and brains exiting the zombie noggins. Weird book, but I’ll keep going.

Hawken #4:  I’m still really enjoying Ben & Tim Truman’s weird Western. It’s the closest thing we’ve had to a Joe Lansdale scripted Jonah Hex in quite some time.  Miss that totally Mojo mini series.  Sigh...anyway.  Hawken is still plagued by the ghosts of his kills, but he’s now bedded the evil celestial from the previous issue thanks to the ground up bones of mermaids. Gross. Similar in effect even if it’s wildly different than Gilbert Hernandez’s style, Tim Truman’s art is beautifully ugly and every now and again a panel will punch me smack dab in the eyeballs. Wonderfully strange adventure reading.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #12:  I was kinda hoping we were gonna finally get that meeting between Aunt May and Miles Morales but it looks like we’re going to have to wait for a while. Cuz right now Miles is too busy beating the hell outta his evil uncle Prowler. A good action book with a pretty fantastic ending--did not see that coming. And man, I’m really happy to be back on monthlies with this story.

ROAD TRIP PREPARATION OF THE WEEK!

The San Diego Comic Con:  Ok.  I'm just days away.  The Wife & I fly out on Tuesday, should be arriving around 10AM.  And I'm stoked.  Granted, it kinda sucks that I couldn't score a Four Day Pass for The Wife (she can only attend Thursday & Saturday) but we're both craving the fanboy madness tingles we experienced last year.  Once you drink from the Kool Aid there's no going back to a non Comic Con lifestyle.

Right now, as I type this, The Wife is scrambling to clean and pack our clothes.  I'm going over our checklist with a fine tooth comb.  Cannot forget a thing, but we always do.  And we're debating what panels are essential and what panels we can afford to miss.  And we also have to accept that we're not gonna see everything.  It's impossible.  But what is the dream?  What are the sights we're dying to see this year?

I think the panel I'm most excited to see is Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim.  I still hate that title, but the idea of Del Toro pitting Giant Robots against Giant Monsters...oh yeah, that gets me giddy.  And I really need something from GDT.  It's been too long and this fanboy has been surviving on scraps.

But Comic Con also promises Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, The Expendables 2, Iron Man 3, The Hobbit, Resident Evil 5, William Shatner's Get A Life, and Roger Corman's Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader.  And a Dredd screening Wednesday night to kick it all off.  Fingers crossed on that one, doubt I can make it happen but we'll try.

And The Exclusives!  I snagged a few last year (Gentle Giant's Movie Cap Bust, Entertainment Earth's Twilight Zone Bob Wilson, Dark Horse's Spider-Man/Peter Parker), but I might go a little crazy this year.  Or at least I'm going to give it a try.  I love the MAD Magazine Bats & Robin, but I think my favorite SDCC 2012 exclusive is the Blade 2 Blu Ray & Reaper bust.  And Gentle Giant also has a gorgeous Pale Man statue!  I don't know how I'll get it back to DC but that sure would look pretty in the office.

Then you've got Mondo up to their usual panic inducing tricks.  Looks like artists Olly Moss & Daniel Danger have been partnering up for some really weird Batman prints set to debut on the show floor.  Each print depicts The Batman perched atop a retail chain.  Beautifully weird with a little bit of fanboy commentary.  Don't know if I'll shell out the cash for these but I can't wait to see them at the booth.  And maybe score some other Mondo surprises and rarities.

Right now I'm just counting down the seconds until the plane touches San Diego soil.  Only doing 7 days in the city this year, but we've got a few other non-comic con adventures we want to attend.  And frankly, as much as I'm looking forward to the Con, I'm really just looking forward to a little break from this Virginia weather.  It's freaking sweltering here, and I could totally use some mid range California heat right about now.

I'm going to bring my laptop with me, but I still wouldn't expect a lot of posts from me this week.  If you want all the dirt on Comic Con 2012 though, I will be tweeting like a madman (as usual) from @MouthDork.

--Brad