Hello and welcome to the 12/22/15 edition of The Comic Shop Blog!
The holidays are upon us and winter has not yet descended on us Hoosiers so we must count ourselves lucky that we have such wonderful weather.
I decided to provide a review for "Creed" for a couple of reasons. The first being that director Ryan Coogler is a top name being thrown around for Marvel's upcoming "Black Panther" movie, Michael B. Jordan is an actor I enjoy (and he was Johnny Storm if you want to get down to it), and also it's my blog so sue me. Lets hit it in the traditional TCSB Good, Bad, and Ugly review style. I warn you there may be potential spoilers so be warned.
The Good:
The thing that I enjoyed most about "Creed" was the thing that enjoyed most about "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" it was that it introduced new characters and new life into their prospective franchises without being cookie cutter retread filler. Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) is a new perspective for us in the Rocky universe, and it is really refreshing that they don't use the same archetypes as the original movies.
One of the major revelations in this movie is that Rocky is in the fight of his life with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and initially it was very jarring to your humble blogger/huge Rocky fan to see one of his heroes drop his gloves and accept defeat. That's right Rocky Balboa who through sheer heart and will of human spirit defeated Apollo Creed, partial blindness, B.A. Barackus, Ivan Drago, Communism itself, and old age chose not to seek treatment for his cancer. As I said it was quite jarring, but it was a wonderful way to make Adonis a relatable character as he reacted as a Rocky fan might with disgust at Balboa's lack of fight. It was a well thought out way to make the audience feel a connection with Adonis's plight.
There are a lot of little things that are great as every character has understandable motivations. Obviously Adonis is the main story, but his love interest Bianca (Tessa Thompson) also provides a tragic story as she is a musician that faces the eventuality of complete hearing loss.
The fight scenes in "Creed" are about the best that I've seen in anything related to the Rocky-verse. It features an over-the-shoulder look that makes the action quick cut and impactful. The pacing of the fights themselves are quicker and with less of the slow-mo dramatic effects of the previous Rocky movies.
Adonis is really the polar opposite Rocky character. While both had a rough up brining Adonis was adopted by Creed's widow and lived a good life eventually holding down a successful professional career with no real need to fight other than that it legitimized him as heir to the Creed surname. As I said earlier I found it very refreshing that they took things that had almost become cliche's from previous installments and turned them on their heads.
Bad/Ugly: There isn't a lot for this category here. I initially hated that Rocky wasn't trying to survive, but as I said it was turned into a story positive by the end. I think maybe the way they unveiled the Creed surname would be my main complaint as it was just the result of sour grapes from a rival boxing manager.
I know I had more to say about this film; however, I am currently basking in the afterglow of my first viewing of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".
The review for the the big sequel will be in the very next post here on TCSB.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
A long time ago on a much, much, better blog.....
Hello and welcome to a long postponed new blog entry!
First.... Star Wars fever has enveloped your humble blogger! Less than a month from the return of Chewie, Han, Luke, Leia, R2, 3PO, and all the rest! Disney has gone full out with pushing the Star Wars franchise with all kinds of products from grilling gear to bed sheets and everything in between.
While "Jaws" was the first summer blockbuster the "Star Wars" franchise was the prototype for all things merchandising. This has often times crossed over into the world of comics as the galaxy from far far away has been the subject of countless series' regarding all sorts of subject matter. Spanning the Star Wars mythos from pre-Empire days to the continuation of Luke's adventures. While YHB has not had the chance to fully read any of the new series yet they are beautiful to look at with outstanding art, and are by all accounts wonderful reads. So head on down to your local comic store and pick up an issue of Star Wars, Darth Vader, Lando, Leia, or Chewbacca's comic and be happy because you made a great decision with your life.
Second.... THAT CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR TRAILER!!!! There are no words. There are no words.
Third..... YHB and the humble blogger's wife are about 4 episodes in to the most recent Netflix offering "Jessica Jones", and it is pretty phenomenal. It's amazing how far from the Disney/Marvel norm these shows have been. I had never been a huge fan of Krysten Ritter; however, she is absolutely wonderful as the conflicted and haunted superpowered private eye. Her performance is very authentic and she brings a lot of emotion to the screen. There are other great things, but I don't want to spoil too much. The Purple Man may very well be the best Marvel villain to date, and I don't envision him getting a cult fanbase like Loki.
Fourth.... "The Dark Knight III: The Master Race" hit shelves last Wednesday and I have to say as skeptical as I was it was actually very good. Instead of focusing on the negative things that have become Miller folklore over the last few years this issue had girl power with a single mother Wonder Woman slaying a beast while carrying her son Jonathan, the super spawn Kara taking matters into her own hands while her father-of-steel was out of commission, and finally with that big reveal at the end. This is a big departure from what most probably expected when this project was first announced as Miller has a long and dark history of portraying his female characters as "whores". We will see where it goes from here, but the first issue delivered. Bonus points for the fact that it contained an Atom mini comic that will serve to further the plot of the series.
Fifth.... I had a lot of concerns about the second season of "The Flash" on CW with each new off season week adding more and more people to the cast. It has been a wonderful thing to see how this new season has continued to top what was produced in season one. I didn't like that Zoom wasn't going to be in the traditional yellow costume, but the new version has been an actually welcomed edition. I won't get too much more into it, but suffice to say the scarlet speedster continues to be an absolute winner on the small screen.
* A small note about "Arrow" * This season has been a drastic improvement over the aimless wreck that was season 3 so be sure to check that out as well.
Wrapping Up.... I was super happy to see that the National Film Board named "Mad Max: Fury Road" the best movie of the year, but I will say that "The Martian" has overtaken Max as my favorite. If you have a chance go check it out it is a wonderful way to spend two hours at the movie theater.
As always thank you for your support and I will see you next time at The Comic Shop!
First.... Star Wars fever has enveloped your humble blogger! Less than a month from the return of Chewie, Han, Luke, Leia, R2, 3PO, and all the rest! Disney has gone full out with pushing the Star Wars franchise with all kinds of products from grilling gear to bed sheets and everything in between.
While "Jaws" was the first summer blockbuster the "Star Wars" franchise was the prototype for all things merchandising. This has often times crossed over into the world of comics as the galaxy from far far away has been the subject of countless series' regarding all sorts of subject matter. Spanning the Star Wars mythos from pre-Empire days to the continuation of Luke's adventures. While YHB has not had the chance to fully read any of the new series yet they are beautiful to look at with outstanding art, and are by all accounts wonderful reads. So head on down to your local comic store and pick up an issue of Star Wars, Darth Vader, Lando, Leia, or Chewbacca's comic and be happy because you made a great decision with your life.
Second.... THAT CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR TRAILER!!!! There are no words. There are no words.
Third..... YHB and the humble blogger's wife are about 4 episodes in to the most recent Netflix offering "Jessica Jones", and it is pretty phenomenal. It's amazing how far from the Disney/Marvel norm these shows have been. I had never been a huge fan of Krysten Ritter; however, she is absolutely wonderful as the conflicted and haunted superpowered private eye. Her performance is very authentic and she brings a lot of emotion to the screen. There are other great things, but I don't want to spoil too much. The Purple Man may very well be the best Marvel villain to date, and I don't envision him getting a cult fanbase like Loki.
Fourth.... "The Dark Knight III: The Master Race" hit shelves last Wednesday and I have to say as skeptical as I was it was actually very good. Instead of focusing on the negative things that have become Miller folklore over the last few years this issue had girl power with a single mother Wonder Woman slaying a beast while carrying her son Jonathan, the super spawn Kara taking matters into her own hands while her father-of-steel was out of commission, and finally with that big reveal at the end. This is a big departure from what most probably expected when this project was first announced as Miller has a long and dark history of portraying his female characters as "whores". We will see where it goes from here, but the first issue delivered. Bonus points for the fact that it contained an Atom mini comic that will serve to further the plot of the series.
Fifth.... I had a lot of concerns about the second season of "The Flash" on CW with each new off season week adding more and more people to the cast. It has been a wonderful thing to see how this new season has continued to top what was produced in season one. I didn't like that Zoom wasn't going to be in the traditional yellow costume, but the new version has been an actually welcomed edition. I won't get too much more into it, but suffice to say the scarlet speedster continues to be an absolute winner on the small screen.
* A small note about "Arrow" * This season has been a drastic improvement over the aimless wreck that was season 3 so be sure to check that out as well.
Wrapping Up.... I was super happy to see that the National Film Board named "Mad Max: Fury Road" the best movie of the year, but I will say that "The Martian" has overtaken Max as my favorite. If you have a chance go check it out it is a wonderful way to spend two hours at the movie theater.
As always thank you for your support and I will see you next time at The Comic Shop!
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Catching up with news, Fantastic Four & Ant-man belated reviews, & more
Hello and welcome to The Comic Shop Blog!
It has been awhile, but I had the rare opportunity to sit down and get some thoughts out. So here we go!
First - Nothing has changed as of right now with me personally. I will be working 7 days a week for the foreseeable future, and budgeting to the point where buying comics weekly is not an option anymore. I had started to download select ones from the Pirates Bay; however, I no longer have time for that.
Second - The fall superhero tv shows are all back and running so make sure you are supporting your specific fandoms! I am making sure to watch "Flash" & "Arrow" as those are the two that enjoy most. I will be checking out "Jessica Jones" on Netflix in November, and waiting anxiously for the return of the best superhero show "Daredevil" in April or May.
Third - (Belated reviews in brief)
I have to start off by saying that Summer of '15 was disappointing for me superhero movie-wise. My favorite movies I saw overall were "Mad Max: Fury Road" & "Straight Outta Compton". "Black Mass" was quite good as well, and marked a return to some sanity for Johnny Depp's acting career.
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" was good, but I have to say that I expected more from the second go around, and maybe I set the bar too high. The glaring hole with most of these Marvel movies is that they rely on humor & not much else. After watching them several times it becomes like sitting next to your uncle on the couch as he elbows you until you half-laugh at the same joke he's told you a thousand times. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is my favorite Marvel movie because it actually has some subtext and gravitas to the events that transpire instead of spending much of the movie setting up elaborate sequences to make with the hardy har har. I am looking forward to "Civil War" as it seems to be the same type of movie from the outset as there will be serious repercussions from what happens. My review in the afterglow of watching AoU was probably more favorable; however, time and thinking about the movie have altered my opinion.
Fantastic Four - I'll start off by saying this I wanted to like this movie. I loved Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Josh Trank in other projects so I wanted this to be a great movie. I was sanctimonious about the bold casting choices because I wanted it to be a new era in superhero movies. Truth be told though if it were Jayden Smith and not MBJ I'd be on the side with the pitchforks and torches. Thankfully a bad superhero movie does not destroy a promising career (just ask Oscar winners George Clooney or Ben Affleck). Trank is probably done with anything big budget though as reports are that he wrapped filming without and ending and was difficult to work with in general.
There were things that I really liked about FF, but they were few and far between. I appreciated that the attempt was made to make this a horrifying experience for the inter-dimensional travelers in stark juxtaposition to other superhero movies where someone is automatically thrilled with a dramatic change in body chemistry. It was a film that attempted nobly to above all else not insult the audience's intelligence with the same trite good vs. evil story. This movie was more about the journey into heroism and the physical & mental pains to grow into something more than they were in the first act of the film.
All that said it was a bad movie with a rushed ending, and it was painfully apparent that the intention was to set up a sequel/universe with little regard to making a quality standalone film.
What happens now? I would hope to see a smart business decision between Fox & Disney in which Fox offers the valuable rights to FF, Doctor Doom, the Skrulls, & Galactus (villains that the MCU is in dire need of) for the rights from Marvel to create the X-Men tv show that Fox wants to put together. I think that would be a win-win scenario if there ever was one.
Ant-Man - I am of really mixed opinions about this film. There were things that I absolutely loved & things that I rolled my eyes at. I think Marvel specifically made this movie to accomplish two side goals. The first was to establish that the hero is not always the same person (in this film Hank Pym was in fact the first Ant-Man, but the mantle passed on) they did this because many of their more high profile Avengers' contracts are about to be up. So Tony Stark may be IronMan today, but it doesn't always have to be that way or we could see Sam Wilson or Bucky Barnes may pick up the shield of Captain America. It was smart and sublte of them to introduce this concept to their audience, and it will make the heroic transitions down the road a lot more easy. The second underlying goal I think was to bring shrink the size of the action. We've seen city, dimensional and worldly destruction time and time again in these movies, but this one climaxes in Scott Lang's daughter's bedroom.
Overall, I really enjoyed the performances of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, & Michael Douglas. I thought Douglas especially shone as the conflicted & regretful Pym. Rudd fulfilled the lead Marvel smartass with great efficiency.
I did not enjoy the villain-of-the-week-evil-businessman-who-is-evil that has become a crutch for Marvel movies. Corey Stoll was a mustache away from being a mustache twirling bad guy, and it was just 50 shades of terrible. These two-dimensional villains are bringing down the quality of the Marvel movies and I would hope it will be something that they can fix in the future. I may have complained about the Raimi Spider-villains, but at least they were interesting! This is just boredom and suck incarnate.
I liked it overall though so I'd definitely watch it again. 4/5
I think that is all for today so thank you for reading. I will be back when I have more to talk about or share, but I can't honestly say how long it will be.
It has been awhile, but I had the rare opportunity to sit down and get some thoughts out. So here we go!
First - Nothing has changed as of right now with me personally. I will be working 7 days a week for the foreseeable future, and budgeting to the point where buying comics weekly is not an option anymore. I had started to download select ones from the Pirates Bay; however, I no longer have time for that.
Second - The fall superhero tv shows are all back and running so make sure you are supporting your specific fandoms! I am making sure to watch "Flash" & "Arrow" as those are the two that enjoy most. I will be checking out "Jessica Jones" on Netflix in November, and waiting anxiously for the return of the best superhero show "Daredevil" in April or May.
Third - (Belated reviews in brief)
I have to start off by saying that Summer of '15 was disappointing for me superhero movie-wise. My favorite movies I saw overall were "Mad Max: Fury Road" & "Straight Outta Compton". "Black Mass" was quite good as well, and marked a return to some sanity for Johnny Depp's acting career.
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" was good, but I have to say that I expected more from the second go around, and maybe I set the bar too high. The glaring hole with most of these Marvel movies is that they rely on humor & not much else. After watching them several times it becomes like sitting next to your uncle on the couch as he elbows you until you half-laugh at the same joke he's told you a thousand times. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is my favorite Marvel movie because it actually has some subtext and gravitas to the events that transpire instead of spending much of the movie setting up elaborate sequences to make with the hardy har har. I am looking forward to "Civil War" as it seems to be the same type of movie from the outset as there will be serious repercussions from what happens. My review in the afterglow of watching AoU was probably more favorable; however, time and thinking about the movie have altered my opinion.
Fantastic Four - I'll start off by saying this I wanted to like this movie. I loved Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Josh Trank in other projects so I wanted this to be a great movie. I was sanctimonious about the bold casting choices because I wanted it to be a new era in superhero movies. Truth be told though if it were Jayden Smith and not MBJ I'd be on the side with the pitchforks and torches. Thankfully a bad superhero movie does not destroy a promising career (just ask Oscar winners George Clooney or Ben Affleck). Trank is probably done with anything big budget though as reports are that he wrapped filming without and ending and was difficult to work with in general.
There were things that I really liked about FF, but they were few and far between. I appreciated that the attempt was made to make this a horrifying experience for the inter-dimensional travelers in stark juxtaposition to other superhero movies where someone is automatically thrilled with a dramatic change in body chemistry. It was a film that attempted nobly to above all else not insult the audience's intelligence with the same trite good vs. evil story. This movie was more about the journey into heroism and the physical & mental pains to grow into something more than they were in the first act of the film.
All that said it was a bad movie with a rushed ending, and it was painfully apparent that the intention was to set up a sequel/universe with little regard to making a quality standalone film.
What happens now? I would hope to see a smart business decision between Fox & Disney in which Fox offers the valuable rights to FF, Doctor Doom, the Skrulls, & Galactus (villains that the MCU is in dire need of) for the rights from Marvel to create the X-Men tv show that Fox wants to put together. I think that would be a win-win scenario if there ever was one.
Ant-Man - I am of really mixed opinions about this film. There were things that I absolutely loved & things that I rolled my eyes at. I think Marvel specifically made this movie to accomplish two side goals. The first was to establish that the hero is not always the same person (in this film Hank Pym was in fact the first Ant-Man, but the mantle passed on) they did this because many of their more high profile Avengers' contracts are about to be up. So Tony Stark may be IronMan today, but it doesn't always have to be that way or we could see Sam Wilson or Bucky Barnes may pick up the shield of Captain America. It was smart and sublte of them to introduce this concept to their audience, and it will make the heroic transitions down the road a lot more easy. The second underlying goal I think was to bring shrink the size of the action. We've seen city, dimensional and worldly destruction time and time again in these movies, but this one climaxes in Scott Lang's daughter's bedroom.
Overall, I really enjoyed the performances of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, & Michael Douglas. I thought Douglas especially shone as the conflicted & regretful Pym. Rudd fulfilled the lead Marvel smartass with great efficiency.
I did not enjoy the villain-of-the-week-evil-businessman-who-is-evil that has become a crutch for Marvel movies. Corey Stoll was a mustache away from being a mustache twirling bad guy, and it was just 50 shades of terrible. These two-dimensional villains are bringing down the quality of the Marvel movies and I would hope it will be something that they can fix in the future. I may have complained about the Raimi Spider-villains, but at least they were interesting! This is just boredom and suck incarnate.
I liked it overall though so I'd definitely watch it again. 4/5
I think that is all for today so thank you for reading. I will be back when I have more to talk about or share, but I can't honestly say how long it will be.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Jurassic World review
Hello and welcome to an ultra brief edition of The Comic Shop!
Just wanted to take a minute to give my two cents on the hottest movie on the planet. Not sure what I could add to the discussion at this point, but I will do my best.
Once I heard the chords of the theme from the original "Jurassic Park" play and saw the gates open I was instantly transported back to a time when I was 10 years old. Movies have always had a kind of magic to me, and for pure nostalgia reasons I sat with goosebumps through a good majority of this one.
I thought it was extremely high brow that the park on the screen in a lot of ways was a commentary on the movie. It mocked the pervasive corporate nature of most things nowadays "the Indominus Rex brought to you by Verizon Wireless" while being an abject lesson on brand identity/inclusion (the park came complete with a jewelry galleria, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, and many other identifiable corporate set pieces).
I make no bones about the fact that I am a Pratt fan, and he absolutely shines in this vehicle. While some complaints about his "Guardians" persona were that it was not all together different from his Andy Dwyer character his "JW" characterization was a world different than what we have seen before. His character is powerful, fun, and his motivations are easy to understand.
The other actors/characterizations in the movie are good enough if not a little two dimensional. We have the busy-business-woman-who-is-too-busy-with-business-to-do-non-business-things-woman played acceptably by Bryce Dallas Howard. There is the evil warmonger that wants innocent scientific discoveries put to use for his evil warmongering played by the kingpin of crime Vincent D'onofrio. We also have brave console nerds, generic army dudes, other generic army dudes, and kids we are supposed to like. So it goes without saying that all the recognizable tropes are present and accounted for, but the movie was so fun that I forgave that quickly.
While nothing can or will replicate the magic of Stan Winston's original dino creations the first "Jurassic" film broke new ground on computer generated images, and this one continues that tradition with dinos that look and feel authentic.
The plot is somewhat predictable, but the execution is outstanding. Seeing Pratt ride off into battle on a motorcycle flanked by his velociraptor pack made me as giddy as a schoolboy. "Jurassic World" hits on all the wonderfully absurd and creative notes with a gusto like no other.
In all I have to say although I was not expecting a lot from this movie going in the more I heard about it the more my interest grew. Then when I actually saw the finished product on the screen I was absolutely thrilled with what I was watching.
I give it a very solid TCSB rating of two thumbs up!
Just wanted to take a minute to give my two cents on the hottest movie on the planet. Not sure what I could add to the discussion at this point, but I will do my best.
Once I heard the chords of the theme from the original "Jurassic Park" play and saw the gates open I was instantly transported back to a time when I was 10 years old. Movies have always had a kind of magic to me, and for pure nostalgia reasons I sat with goosebumps through a good majority of this one.
I thought it was extremely high brow that the park on the screen in a lot of ways was a commentary on the movie. It mocked the pervasive corporate nature of most things nowadays "the Indominus Rex brought to you by Verizon Wireless" while being an abject lesson on brand identity/inclusion (the park came complete with a jewelry galleria, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, and many other identifiable corporate set pieces).
I make no bones about the fact that I am a Pratt fan, and he absolutely shines in this vehicle. While some complaints about his "Guardians" persona were that it was not all together different from his Andy Dwyer character his "JW" characterization was a world different than what we have seen before. His character is powerful, fun, and his motivations are easy to understand.
The other actors/characterizations in the movie are good enough if not a little two dimensional. We have the busy-business-woman-who-is-too-busy-with-business-to-do-non-business-things-woman played acceptably by Bryce Dallas Howard. There is the evil warmonger that wants innocent scientific discoveries put to use for his evil warmongering played by the kingpin of crime Vincent D'onofrio. We also have brave console nerds, generic army dudes, other generic army dudes, and kids we are supposed to like. So it goes without saying that all the recognizable tropes are present and accounted for, but the movie was so fun that I forgave that quickly.
While nothing can or will replicate the magic of Stan Winston's original dino creations the first "Jurassic" film broke new ground on computer generated images, and this one continues that tradition with dinos that look and feel authentic.
The plot is somewhat predictable, but the execution is outstanding. Seeing Pratt ride off into battle on a motorcycle flanked by his velociraptor pack made me as giddy as a schoolboy. "Jurassic World" hits on all the wonderfully absurd and creative notes with a gusto like no other.
In all I have to say although I was not expecting a lot from this movie going in the more I heard about it the more my interest grew. Then when I actually saw the finished product on the screen I was absolutely thrilled with what I was watching.
I give it a very solid TCSB rating of two thumbs up!
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Mad Max: Fury Road review
Hello and welcome to a special 05/17/2015 edition of The Comic Shop Blog!
Before I get started on a really brief review I wanted to cover a few administrative topics really fast. This format is going to be going away as soon as I get squared away with podcast equipment that I can use competently. This was just a decision I made that will make what I do more inclusive and have opinions other than my own. I have several ideas for show topics and segments, but I won't move forward with the Shopcast until I return to work from my current FMLA. I think it will be a lot of fun as I have had a handful of fun people offer to come on to discuss different things. So please stay tuned for that.
I do have a couple of topics that I want to cover with this blog before I shut it down, so keep checking for those as I will post them when I have time.
Mad Max: Fury Road Review
There isn't much that I can say that hasn't been said at this point, but I will give it the best try I can. I will start by saying that Charlize Theron is the absolute stand out in this movie as Imperator Furiousa. Her portrayal of the powerful war rig driver is simultaneously stark, terrifying, sympathetic, moving, and powerful. There has been a lot of manimist backlash that Furisoa is in many ways more integral to the plot than the titular character, but I have to say that it kind of fits the wandering kung fu style anthology that the Mad Max story seems to be transforming into. Without Max Furiosa could not have achieved her goal of redemption and creating a new start for Immortan Joe's treasures. With a sequel tentatively titled "Mad Max: Furiousa" it seems like the character will find herself in another difficult situation that requires the help of the post apocalyptic maurader.
My second favorite performance in the movie comes by way of Nicholas Hoult's War Boy Nux. The journey that he goes through hits a lot of high points. He goes from a hyped up pawn on Joe's chess board to this beautifully tragic and sympathetic character. It is a wonderfully written and wonderfully acted character arch for Nux. I can't say much more about it, but it is something to see play out on the screen.
Tom Hardy is a very good replacement for that other guy in the role of Max Rockantasky. He is not given a lot of lines of dialogue, but he absolutely shines on screen. While he spends the first act in bondage he more than makes up for it in the later parts of the film (Although his most badass scene happens off camera.) With the promise of more action to come I was more than satisfied with what we got out of Max this go round.
This film is a combination of summer blockbuster and art house cinema. It has tons of creativity & potential, so much so that you forget that at it's base it's an extended two hour chase scene. The thing that is missing now with so many of these franchises is that they are lacking in movies that can stand on their own. This entry into the "Mad Max" franchise could more than stand on it's own as a solo entry into a new film franchise.
In all my reviews are almost always overwhelmingly positive, so consider the source but I would say that "Mad Max: Fury Road" is a must see on the big screen. I can't wait to see whatever comes out of the mind of George Miller next!
Thank you for reading and I will see you next time at The Comic Shop!
Before I get started on a really brief review I wanted to cover a few administrative topics really fast. This format is going to be going away as soon as I get squared away with podcast equipment that I can use competently. This was just a decision I made that will make what I do more inclusive and have opinions other than my own. I have several ideas for show topics and segments, but I won't move forward with the Shopcast until I return to work from my current FMLA. I think it will be a lot of fun as I have had a handful of fun people offer to come on to discuss different things. So please stay tuned for that.
I do have a couple of topics that I want to cover with this blog before I shut it down, so keep checking for those as I will post them when I have time.
Mad Max: Fury Road Review
There isn't much that I can say that hasn't been said at this point, but I will give it the best try I can. I will start by saying that Charlize Theron is the absolute stand out in this movie as Imperator Furiousa. Her portrayal of the powerful war rig driver is simultaneously stark, terrifying, sympathetic, moving, and powerful. There has been a lot of manimist backlash that Furisoa is in many ways more integral to the plot than the titular character, but I have to say that it kind of fits the wandering kung fu style anthology that the Mad Max story seems to be transforming into. Without Max Furiosa could not have achieved her goal of redemption and creating a new start for Immortan Joe's treasures. With a sequel tentatively titled "Mad Max: Furiousa" it seems like the character will find herself in another difficult situation that requires the help of the post apocalyptic maurader.
My second favorite performance in the movie comes by way of Nicholas Hoult's War Boy Nux. The journey that he goes through hits a lot of high points. He goes from a hyped up pawn on Joe's chess board to this beautifully tragic and sympathetic character. It is a wonderfully written and wonderfully acted character arch for Nux. I can't say much more about it, but it is something to see play out on the screen.
Tom Hardy is a very good replacement for that other guy in the role of Max Rockantasky. He is not given a lot of lines of dialogue, but he absolutely shines on screen. While he spends the first act in bondage he more than makes up for it in the later parts of the film (Although his most badass scene happens off camera.) With the promise of more action to come I was more than satisfied with what we got out of Max this go round.
This film is a combination of summer blockbuster and art house cinema. It has tons of creativity & potential, so much so that you forget that at it's base it's an extended two hour chase scene. The thing that is missing now with so many of these franchises is that they are lacking in movies that can stand on their own. This entry into the "Mad Max" franchise could more than stand on it's own as a solo entry into a new film franchise.
In all my reviews are almost always overwhelmingly positive, so consider the source but I would say that "Mad Max: Fury Road" is a must see on the big screen. I can't wait to see whatever comes out of the mind of George Miller next!
Thank you for reading and I will see you next time at The Comic Shop!
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Avengers Assembled: the good, bad, & ugly and other comic related tidbits
Hello and welcome to the 05/03/15 edition of The Comic Shop! A very happy early May the 4th to you all!
So all formalities out of the way "Avengers: Age of Ultron" lets get at it!
The Good:
Two things that really stood out to me as phenomenal when watching this movie and they were the absolute high points for me as a fan of storytelling & narrative.
The first is that screenwriter/director Joss Whedon used Hawkeye to establish a passenger for the audience to experience the movie through. While the team is comprised of many different people most of them have superhuman to near superhuman capabilities while Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye is "a guy with a bow & arrow." It was quite a clever gambit on Whedon's part to set up Hawkeye as a father with 2.5 kids and shacking up with Velma from the "Scooby Doo" movies. The end result is that he becomes the most Avenger that is most easy to relate to. He's nothing superhuman he's a guy doing his job like a police officer or a soldier. The archer has no higher aspirations than to do his duty and get back home safe to his family. Without this emotional human tether this movie could've faded even further into the "big, loud, stupid, unmemorable fight scene after unmemorable fight scene" of summer movie purgatory. This narrative raises the stakes in the final climax of the film, and makes the events that transpire all the more heart wrenching by putting our view into this world in danger.
The second is that there is a very clear distinction made early that this film is the anti- "Man of Steel". There is a very clear emphasis throughout the film that protecting the people near the scene of the action is what is of the utmost importance. In fact part of Banner/Hulk's story arch is that he feels extreme guilt for his battle with "Veronica" and how it endangered people, but we will get more into that later. I really felt that it makes those final climax scenes all that more important to realize that these are real lives that matter, and to see the struggle that these heroes face to ultimately do the noble thing when they have other clearly dangerous matters at hand. I don't say this to be flip about "MOS", but I think it also served as the antithesis of the original "Avengers" where we saw very little care or concern for the city & citizenry of New York in the final battle.
There are a lot of strong performances in this movie, but I have to say that Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch was the most riveting for me. Getting a little bit into spoiler territory, but when she returns to battle after having a minor mental breakdown she absolutely starts incinerating Ultron drones and it gave me as much joy as when Hulk smashed the giant snake transport in the original "Avengers". I wanted to jump out of my seat and scream "HELL YES!" It is wonderful to have such a powerful female Avenger who can absolutely hold her own and wreak her own brand of chaotic ass kicking.
James Spader's Ultron was a performance that weighed heavily upon me, because I openly questioned why he was making jokes for most of the movie. After thinking more about his relationship with Tony Stark it made sense to me that this AI would be a bit of a smartass.
Obviously the usual players like Chris Evans' Captain America, RDJ's Iron Man, Scarlet Johanson's Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo's Banner/Hulk, and others turned in their normal solid performances. It was really cool to see Don Cheadle suit up as War Machine and join the team in the final battle, and it was nice to see Sam Mackie back as Sam Wilson to tease the plotline for the next Captain America solo outing.
Visually this movie is very beautiful to look at in 3D, and all the vocals are very clear and concise. I thought Paul Bettany's Vision was especially a work of art as I couldn't tell if it was makeup or prosthetics when he finally made his onscreen debut. He is a very neat character visually, and I am very interested to watch him grow in the future of the Avengers film franchise.
One of the stronger points of Scarlet Witch's characterization was that they did a wonderful job explaining her powers, and then showing the different levels that the worked on. The different fever dreams that she caused the Avengers to have were especially poignant and powerful images.
There is a lot of good humor in this film and while it can be a bit too much at times it seems that Whedon strikes a decent balance between the comedy and drama so that either doesn't become too overpowering for the viewer. In a meta sense he actually uses Hawkeye as I discussed earlier to poke fun at the absurdity of the whole affair, which I found quite fun.
The Bad:
The film's biggest plothole is easily either it's disregard or ignorance of the events of the finale of "Iron Man 3". While that movie may be no one's favorite in the Marvel catalog it is disrepectful and damaging to blatantly ignore the fact that Tony Stark had already decided to quit being the man in the suit. When this movie picks up he's in suit stomping out Hydra bases with the rest of the team. There is NO explanation of how or why he decided to get back into the suit, and for me that is quite a plot hole to just leave hanging. Something that could be explained away in 2 lines of dialogue is instead a distraction from the main narrative of the movie.
I was not a fan of the Black Widow-Banner/Hulk romance. Not for any comic reason, but just that I felt that it was unnecessary and it took time from other things. It did nothing for the plot other than to possibly set up tension in the next movie, and set up one of the more comical bits of dialogue. Hopefully the Russo Brothers will not feel the need to pick up on this useless contrived romance.
Speaking of pointless. Thor's vision quest was literally a commercial for the "Infinity Wars" movies to come. I wish when he went in that cave of reflection they would've just shown the trailer for the upcoming two-parter as it would've achieved the same end.
The Ugly:
As far as we know this is the last time that Joss Whedon will handle this team of Avengers. The contracts for Evans & Downey Jr. are coming to the end, and they will likely be replaced on the team one way or another. It was fun with these two movies and I'm sure it will be great with the Russo's back at the helm, but it's always cause for concern when one creator sets something up and hands it off to someone else.
I think at this point the question also has to be asked "why are they continuing with solo films with established Avengers?" Sure newbies like Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Ms. Marvel, and others deserve a right and proper introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but are there really things that Thor, Cap, & IM don't need the Avengers to deal with? It sure would've helped to have the team's help when Tony was getting his ass handed to him in "IM3", or when Thor was trying to save an entire universe in "Thor: The Dark World". I'm not saying there is anything wrong with solo sequels as "The Winter Soldier" is probably my favorite Marvel movie, but I think the stories would be even better with the Avengers team on the case. In fact why call it "Captain America 3: Civil War" if it's going to feature Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, and others? Why not "Avengers: Civil War?" Just my opinion on the subject as it appears that these solo films are nothing more than a cash grab if they have no impact on the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In all: I have to give this movie about an 8.5/10. It's not perfect, but it is of good quality for the summer movie season. The bad stuff doesn't weigh it down too much and it actually accomplishes quite a bit.
Batman #40: Endgame Review
I don't know how to really do this without getting into spoilers, so SPOILERS people. When we last left our heroes Batman, the Bat-family, and most of his rogues gallery waded through the huddled, infected masses of Gotham to try to get some of Joker's spinal fluid to get a cure for the poison that he used. As it turns out the whole "final" battle was a bit anticlimactic in an effort to set up the real final battle between Batman and the Joker. This is because the only way to extract a cure was to tap into a final dionesium deposit in the caves under the city. As writer Scott Snyder confirmed both men knew entering the cave that they would not be leaving alive. The final battle was fantastic as the two wrestle with their issues while pummeling one another. After Joker is killed by falling rock, a dionesium sample is extracted and removed from the cave Batman finally decides to lay down for a nap next to his longtime "friend".
I thought this was a really great arch that lived up to the "Endgame" name. This is how I think most Batfans knew things would eventually have to play out as Batman would eventually have to end Joker to preserve life in Gotham. It was refreshing to have a creative team that didn't embrace the constant will-they-or-won't-they of the history of the characters. Snyder & Capullo once again blazed a brand new trail and did it their own way, and I enjoy them all the more for it.
That's all for today folks! I'm sure there is more that I wanted to cover, but I'm ready for an eight hour nap. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading and your continued support!
See you next time at The Comic Shop!
So all formalities out of the way "Avengers: Age of Ultron" lets get at it!
The Good:
Two things that really stood out to me as phenomenal when watching this movie and they were the absolute high points for me as a fan of storytelling & narrative.
The first is that screenwriter/director Joss Whedon used Hawkeye to establish a passenger for the audience to experience the movie through. While the team is comprised of many different people most of them have superhuman to near superhuman capabilities while Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye is "a guy with a bow & arrow." It was quite a clever gambit on Whedon's part to set up Hawkeye as a father with 2.5 kids and shacking up with Velma from the "Scooby Doo" movies. The end result is that he becomes the most Avenger that is most easy to relate to. He's nothing superhuman he's a guy doing his job like a police officer or a soldier. The archer has no higher aspirations than to do his duty and get back home safe to his family. Without this emotional human tether this movie could've faded even further into the "big, loud, stupid, unmemorable fight scene after unmemorable fight scene" of summer movie purgatory. This narrative raises the stakes in the final climax of the film, and makes the events that transpire all the more heart wrenching by putting our view into this world in danger.
The second is that there is a very clear distinction made early that this film is the anti- "Man of Steel". There is a very clear emphasis throughout the film that protecting the people near the scene of the action is what is of the utmost importance. In fact part of Banner/Hulk's story arch is that he feels extreme guilt for his battle with "Veronica" and how it endangered people, but we will get more into that later. I really felt that it makes those final climax scenes all that more important to realize that these are real lives that matter, and to see the struggle that these heroes face to ultimately do the noble thing when they have other clearly dangerous matters at hand. I don't say this to be flip about "MOS", but I think it also served as the antithesis of the original "Avengers" where we saw very little care or concern for the city & citizenry of New York in the final battle.
There are a lot of strong performances in this movie, but I have to say that Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch was the most riveting for me. Getting a little bit into spoiler territory, but when she returns to battle after having a minor mental breakdown she absolutely starts incinerating Ultron drones and it gave me as much joy as when Hulk smashed the giant snake transport in the original "Avengers". I wanted to jump out of my seat and scream "HELL YES!" It is wonderful to have such a powerful female Avenger who can absolutely hold her own and wreak her own brand of chaotic ass kicking.
James Spader's Ultron was a performance that weighed heavily upon me, because I openly questioned why he was making jokes for most of the movie. After thinking more about his relationship with Tony Stark it made sense to me that this AI would be a bit of a smartass.
Obviously the usual players like Chris Evans' Captain America, RDJ's Iron Man, Scarlet Johanson's Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo's Banner/Hulk, and others turned in their normal solid performances. It was really cool to see Don Cheadle suit up as War Machine and join the team in the final battle, and it was nice to see Sam Mackie back as Sam Wilson to tease the plotline for the next Captain America solo outing.
Visually this movie is very beautiful to look at in 3D, and all the vocals are very clear and concise. I thought Paul Bettany's Vision was especially a work of art as I couldn't tell if it was makeup or prosthetics when he finally made his onscreen debut. He is a very neat character visually, and I am very interested to watch him grow in the future of the Avengers film franchise.
One of the stronger points of Scarlet Witch's characterization was that they did a wonderful job explaining her powers, and then showing the different levels that the worked on. The different fever dreams that she caused the Avengers to have were especially poignant and powerful images.
There is a lot of good humor in this film and while it can be a bit too much at times it seems that Whedon strikes a decent balance between the comedy and drama so that either doesn't become too overpowering for the viewer. In a meta sense he actually uses Hawkeye as I discussed earlier to poke fun at the absurdity of the whole affair, which I found quite fun.
The Bad:
The film's biggest plothole is easily either it's disregard or ignorance of the events of the finale of "Iron Man 3". While that movie may be no one's favorite in the Marvel catalog it is disrepectful and damaging to blatantly ignore the fact that Tony Stark had already decided to quit being the man in the suit. When this movie picks up he's in suit stomping out Hydra bases with the rest of the team. There is NO explanation of how or why he decided to get back into the suit, and for me that is quite a plot hole to just leave hanging. Something that could be explained away in 2 lines of dialogue is instead a distraction from the main narrative of the movie.
I was not a fan of the Black Widow-Banner/Hulk romance. Not for any comic reason, but just that I felt that it was unnecessary and it took time from other things. It did nothing for the plot other than to possibly set up tension in the next movie, and set up one of the more comical bits of dialogue. Hopefully the Russo Brothers will not feel the need to pick up on this useless contrived romance.
Speaking of pointless. Thor's vision quest was literally a commercial for the "Infinity Wars" movies to come. I wish when he went in that cave of reflection they would've just shown the trailer for the upcoming two-parter as it would've achieved the same end.
The Ugly:
As far as we know this is the last time that Joss Whedon will handle this team of Avengers. The contracts for Evans & Downey Jr. are coming to the end, and they will likely be replaced on the team one way or another. It was fun with these two movies and I'm sure it will be great with the Russo's back at the helm, but it's always cause for concern when one creator sets something up and hands it off to someone else.
I think at this point the question also has to be asked "why are they continuing with solo films with established Avengers?" Sure newbies like Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Ms. Marvel, and others deserve a right and proper introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but are there really things that Thor, Cap, & IM don't need the Avengers to deal with? It sure would've helped to have the team's help when Tony was getting his ass handed to him in "IM3", or when Thor was trying to save an entire universe in "Thor: The Dark World". I'm not saying there is anything wrong with solo sequels as "The Winter Soldier" is probably my favorite Marvel movie, but I think the stories would be even better with the Avengers team on the case. In fact why call it "Captain America 3: Civil War" if it's going to feature Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, and others? Why not "Avengers: Civil War?" Just my opinion on the subject as it appears that these solo films are nothing more than a cash grab if they have no impact on the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In all: I have to give this movie about an 8.5/10. It's not perfect, but it is of good quality for the summer movie season. The bad stuff doesn't weigh it down too much and it actually accomplishes quite a bit.
Batman #40: Endgame Review
I don't know how to really do this without getting into spoilers, so SPOILERS people. When we last left our heroes Batman, the Bat-family, and most of his rogues gallery waded through the huddled, infected masses of Gotham to try to get some of Joker's spinal fluid to get a cure for the poison that he used. As it turns out the whole "final" battle was a bit anticlimactic in an effort to set up the real final battle between Batman and the Joker. This is because the only way to extract a cure was to tap into a final dionesium deposit in the caves under the city. As writer Scott Snyder confirmed both men knew entering the cave that they would not be leaving alive. The final battle was fantastic as the two wrestle with their issues while pummeling one another. After Joker is killed by falling rock, a dionesium sample is extracted and removed from the cave Batman finally decides to lay down for a nap next to his longtime "friend".
I thought this was a really great arch that lived up to the "Endgame" name. This is how I think most Batfans knew things would eventually have to play out as Batman would eventually have to end Joker to preserve life in Gotham. It was refreshing to have a creative team that didn't embrace the constant will-they-or-won't-they of the history of the characters. Snyder & Capullo once again blazed a brand new trail and did it their own way, and I enjoy them all the more for it.
That's all for today folks! I'm sure there is more that I wanted to cover, but I'm ready for an eight hour nap. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading and your continued support!
See you next time at The Comic Shop!
Monday, April 20, 2015
Getting Personal: Your guide to the Marvel/Fox kerfuffle
Hello and welcome to the actual 4/20 edition of The Comic Shop! I have a feeling Bluntman & Chronic might not be able to put a stop to Cock-knocker's shenanigans until some point tomorrow.
Anyhow....
Marvel has revealed some significant changes to it's upcoming line-up. Among the more noteworthy of these are the cancellation of the "Fantastic Four", the death and replacement of Deadpool, & the new title "Uncanny Inhumans" that is clearly taking the place of another long running "Uncanny". Even more controversial than this was the decision to retcon Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver)'s parentage to remove Magneto.
Most of the vitriol about these changes is born out of the fact that they are the direct result of Marvel not wanting to have anything to do with properties that Fox currently owns the rights to.
As I have said before it is a shame that the two sides couldn't work something out because they have a license to print money at this point. Whether Disney/Marvel agrees with the direction that Fox is going with FF/X-men or not a good capitalist would pocket the money from the merchandising, and go on with their lives. Instead they chose to give the middle finger to people that spend money monthly to keep up with their favorite heroes.
At this point I feel like I have to say DISNEY HAS EVERY RIGHT TO PROTECT THEIR SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT. I may not agree with their course of action as a business, but I will not say it is not without merit. Making Wanda and Pietro Inhumans boosts the marketability and the identity of one of the lesser known Marvel properties instantly. I am a huge comic fan, but I honestly think Black Bolt is the only Inhuman I can name off hand. Add to that Johnny Storm joining the lineup of the Inhumans in the new "Uncanny Inhumans" title, and that is another character that people know and identify with. So no the entire F4 clan isn't going into a black hole never to be seen again as we probably thought when the cancellation was initially announced.
Fox refusing to allow Marvel to use the word mutant in their movies kind of started this whole thing in my opinion. As Marvel had to get creative to use characters THAT THEY OWN AND HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO USE IN AN AVENGERS MOVIE by referring to Quicksilver & Scarlett Witch as "the age or miracles" or some such B.S. It makes every bit of sense to make them Inhumans with the group being promoted Marvel wide from their own anticipated movie, the "Agents of SHIELD" are uncovering Inhuman technology, and as I said the appearance of the twins in "Avengers: AoU".
I am trying my best to see both sides of this, but at the end of the day the easiest way to reconcile it as a fan as that these two uses of the twins take place in different universes in a multiverse. In one universe the original parentage might remain with Magento being their father while in the other Magneto does not even exist. I believe Dan Slott even said on twitter that all movies are elseworld tales...let the comics be comics...let the movies be movies and just try to enjoy the overall experience. Or as one clever Redditor wrote "why would you want to watch a direct adaptation of shit you've already read".
These changes open up the door to a whole new plethora of opportunities for creative and unique storytelling. Comics are one of the most progressive and ever changing forms of media in existence. That's why my personal philosophy is to embrace the changes and find good things about them because they will either be something I look back fondly upon (Superior Spider-man), or they won't last that long anyway.
Just food for thought...I don't expect people to agree with me, but thanks for reading! Thanks for your continued support!
See you next time at The Comic Shop!
Anyhow....
Marvel has revealed some significant changes to it's upcoming line-up. Among the more noteworthy of these are the cancellation of the "Fantastic Four", the death and replacement of Deadpool, & the new title "Uncanny Inhumans" that is clearly taking the place of another long running "Uncanny". Even more controversial than this was the decision to retcon Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver)'s parentage to remove Magneto.
Most of the vitriol about these changes is born out of the fact that they are the direct result of Marvel not wanting to have anything to do with properties that Fox currently owns the rights to.
As I have said before it is a shame that the two sides couldn't work something out because they have a license to print money at this point. Whether Disney/Marvel agrees with the direction that Fox is going with FF/X-men or not a good capitalist would pocket the money from the merchandising, and go on with their lives. Instead they chose to give the middle finger to people that spend money monthly to keep up with their favorite heroes.
At this point I feel like I have to say DISNEY HAS EVERY RIGHT TO PROTECT THEIR SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT. I may not agree with their course of action as a business, but I will not say it is not without merit. Making Wanda and Pietro Inhumans boosts the marketability and the identity of one of the lesser known Marvel properties instantly. I am a huge comic fan, but I honestly think Black Bolt is the only Inhuman I can name off hand. Add to that Johnny Storm joining the lineup of the Inhumans in the new "Uncanny Inhumans" title, and that is another character that people know and identify with. So no the entire F4 clan isn't going into a black hole never to be seen again as we probably thought when the cancellation was initially announced.
Fox refusing to allow Marvel to use the word mutant in their movies kind of started this whole thing in my opinion. As Marvel had to get creative to use characters THAT THEY OWN AND HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO USE IN AN AVENGERS MOVIE by referring to Quicksilver & Scarlett Witch as "the age or miracles" or some such B.S. It makes every bit of sense to make them Inhumans with the group being promoted Marvel wide from their own anticipated movie, the "Agents of SHIELD" are uncovering Inhuman technology, and as I said the appearance of the twins in "Avengers: AoU".
I am trying my best to see both sides of this, but at the end of the day the easiest way to reconcile it as a fan as that these two uses of the twins take place in different universes in a multiverse. In one universe the original parentage might remain with Magento being their father while in the other Magneto does not even exist. I believe Dan Slott even said on twitter that all movies are elseworld tales...let the comics be comics...let the movies be movies and just try to enjoy the overall experience. Or as one clever Redditor wrote "why would you want to watch a direct adaptation of shit you've already read".
These changes open up the door to a whole new plethora of opportunities for creative and unique storytelling. Comics are one of the most progressive and ever changing forms of media in existence. That's why my personal philosophy is to embrace the changes and find good things about them because they will either be something I look back fondly upon (Superior Spider-man), or they won't last that long anyway.
Just food for thought...I don't expect people to agree with me, but thanks for reading! Thanks for your continued support!
See you next time at The Comic Shop!
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