Dr. Brooklyn tells you what to like

Comic Book Wednesday: The 1st Annual Brookies

2011-02-07T22:13:00.000-08:00

Hello dear readers, for those of you that have been keeping up to date on current events you know that it is, in fact, 2011. Therefore 2010 is behind us.

But many great things happened in the world of Comics in 2010... and they can't go unnoticed. So I decided that I would give out the award for "Best...." in a few categories related to the funny books that I love so much.

Without further ado... the 1st annual Brookies.

BEST WRITER: This Brookie designates the writer who crafted the best stories and was... the best writer. And the nominees are...

+ Mark Millar (Kick Ass 2, Nemesis, Superior, Ultimate Avengers, and others)
+ Jason Aaron (PunisherMAX, Scalped, Wolverine: Weapon X, Wolverine)
+ Garth Ennis (The Boys and Others)
+ Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead, Astounding Wolfman, Haunt, and others)
+ Geoff Johns (Blackest Night, Brightest Day, Green Lantern, The Flash, and others)

And the winner is..... Robert Kirkman.
It seems only right that Kirkman wins this award. Even though Millar and Aaron had stellar years, Kirkman continues to write compelling stories with heavy focus on characters which I love.

BEST ARTIST: Writing is only half the creative process, this category rewards the visual half of Comic production.

+Steve McNiven (Nemesis)
+Steve Dillon (PunisherMAX, Ultimate Avengers 3)
+Francis Manupal (The Flash)
+Jason Howards (The Astounding Wolfman)
+Ryan Ottley (Invincible)

And the winner is... Steve McNiven.
Nemesis was fantastic in no small part to the beautiful and chaotic art of McNiven who helped give violent life to Millar's story about a real world super villain.

BEST LIMITED SERIES (Non Crossover): Not every series starts with the intention of a long run, this category praises the best limited series, as a rule they had to start in 2010, even if they haven't finished yet.

+Nemesis: The story of a super villain and the cop trying to stop him.
+Nancy in Hell: A girl fights her way through and out of hell, encountering zombies, beasts, and making out with Lucifer himself.
+Neonomicon: A modern update of Lovecraftian mythology, told by Alan Moore... the god-king of comics.
+Hit-Monkey: The "year one" tale of Marvel's monkey man slayer.
+Ultimate Avengers 3: A black ops team doing The Ultimate Universes dirty work, although there are three only one is nominated here.

And the winner is... Nemesis.
This should be no surprise to any readers of my CBW posts simply because I have given all the Nemesis issues above 9's. The story was compelling, the dialogue unrelenting, and the art fantastic... but it's Millar and McNiven so all that stuff was obvious.

BEST NEW SERIES: A category to praise any series that had an issue #1 released this year.
+Secret Avengers: A black ops team that consists of Marvel's bad asses doing dirty work.
+MorningGlories: A boarding school teaches 6 new students all kinds of new reasons to hate school.
+Wolverine: A revival of one of Marvel's most famous characters, kicking off with said character fighting his way out of hell.
+Namor: The First Mutant: An exciting return for Namor to his own title.

And the Winner is..... MorningGlories.
A truly fantastic start. MorningGlories weaves intrigue, romance, and teenage angst better than most of today's teen based fiction, even though it's not targeted at that demographic.

BEST COMPANY: A Category praising the company that provided the best stories in 2010
+DC
+Marvel
+Image
+Dark Horse
+IDW
+Dynamite

And the Winner is..... Marvel.
While Brightest Day was a let down, Marvel's Shadowland as well as memorable individual titles led to a very fine year from the House of Ideas, here's hoping they can continue to wow me in 2011.

BEST SERIES (On Going)
+ Captain America
+ Invincible
+ The Walking Dead
+ The Boys
+ Scalped

And the Winner is..... Scalped.
Scalped has been consistently one of the best series on the racks and the recently concluded "Unwanted" arc cemented this as not only my favorite series at the moment, but the best series to keep going strong from 2009 to 2010 and into 2011.

Well there's what Dr. Brooklyn is telling you to like when it comes to comics in 2010. Stay tuned with me through out 2011 and I'll keep you up to speed on what's worth liking and what's worth passing.

Gang Tapes: A Review

2011-02-07T22:02:00.000-08:00

When most people think of the found footage genre the immediate thought is to things like Blair Witch Project (1999) or Cloverfield (2008), as well as some other science fiction and monster movies that have tried to emulate those movies style, yet there are other movies that have done the foot footage dance without the acclaim of the avaunt garde Blair Witch Project or the mystery leading up to the viral marketing fueled Cloverfield, one of these is Gang Tapes (2001) a movie which follows a gang in Los Angeles after one of the young bloods aquires a camera and begins to document what he and his friends have to go through from drive bys to Kris's first time.

This film isn't for everyone. The main reason for this is the fact that in a lot of ways this isn't a standard movie, there is no established story arc where the story is revealed a course is set out and an end will be achieved, instead this is the definition of a "Slice of Life movie" where scenes are merely vignettes that run as long as Kris left the film rolling.

Gang Tapes isn't anything new, really, the gangster "coming of rage" (as the back of the DVD case quips) story has been around in film since the 1930s (See Little Caesar (1931) for a prime early example), but the way the film handles it is the main saving grace of a weak movie. Instead of seeing the gangsters as tragic antiheroes who are like modern cowboys we see crime as it is: beatings, cooking up some crack rocks, grand theft auto, and more are shown with brutal intensity that is helped by the fact that all but one of the leads are played by former gang members, adding a level of verisimilitude that is lacking in most gangster fare.

Though a film is not made into a good film with realism alone. The script is painfully realistic making use of the N word and the F word more often then using the word "and." Furthermore, there's no shortage of slang making Gang Tapes seem like a foreign language film to those who don't know anything about LA slang... like me for example.

The next major flaw is the acting, which is both good and bad. Yes, by casting gang members you get an added intensity that actors can't bring... yet by not casting actors you get the clunky reading of lines and horrible handling of extended dialogue that gangsters don't know how to do. I'm not saying acting is the hardest thing to do, but there is a certain level of skill that was distinctly lacking in this movie. The worst failing of this movie though is how the leads are treated like throwaway characters. Kris, Lonzo, and Cyril are the only characters that I can remember the names of... and those three have their names said a bunch of times including a monologue in which Cyril explains how he got his "gang name."

Gang Tapes sets out with a lot of ambition and a very unique premise, yet, the finished product requires a heavy dose of polish and maybe a little less ambition. There are definitely worse movies, but there are scores of better ones dealing with similar subject matter.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST WATCH this movie (6.75/10)

Review of the Titans (1981)

2011-01-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

First let me apologize, dear and faithful readers, for a mortal nerd sin... until today I had never seen the original Clash of the Titans (1981), yes I sat through the effects laden hot mess that was last summers Clash of the Titans (2010), but the original evaded me. Although, seeing as how I would have been a decade late on this movie even if I watched it my first day in existence, I don't feel to bad.

If you check IMDb, Wikipedia, the back of the DVD case, or the end credits this movie is considered a Desmond Davis picture, due to his directorial credit, but this is not his movie. No, this movie belongs from beginning to end to Ray Harryhausen and his effects mastery, because no matter how the rest of the movie shines, at the time of it's creation there was no one who could have done it like the master of old school SFX.

Though even with this praise, I must point out that this movie is infinitely less SFX based than the recent adaptation. It's weird, considering that this story is an amalgamation of the Greek myths, how original the story feels. The parts are old, but the sum is fresh, an impressive feat for a movie that is essentially a popcorn version of Greek lore. And here is where the two versions of this movie veer the most, even in the face of (at the time) groundbreaking stop motion, the story is never given the back seat.

A lesson modern blockbusters should learn, that effects are like condiments... fine on a burger, but to pour ketchup and mustard directly down one's gullet would be both foolish and grotesque. The same can be said of the special effects and movies... effects are good in a movie, but pure special effects just for the sake of special effects is both foolish and grotesque.

But don't get me wrong and think the script and story makes it the Citizen Kane (1942) of Sword and Sandal fare. Yes, it's better than some, and I'd even say most, in that particular sub genre, but above average to good is where this movie dwells. A lot of the dialogue falls under the Lucas rule: You can write it, but you can't read it, making for some clunky exchanges even if the actors could have handled more... albeit not much more. Beverly Cross does a great job of sticking close(ish) to the source material, weaving several different yarns into one nice tapestry, but the final cloth is all bright colors and not and amazing design.

When it comes to acting there is a lot of what viewers have come to expect, good enough where no cringes are induced, but not quite good enough where any one performance makes the viewer sit up whenever an actor appears onscreen. The closest a performance gets is Laurence Olivier's turn as king of the gods, Zeus, but seeing as how he has very little screen time... there's not really enough to judge the performance as great.

Although the effects may seem dated, the story and action help make the movie an exciting thrill ride and superior in many ways to the all style sequel. In terms of fun it's more than worth a watch, but it won't blow your mind.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8.25/10)

Review Carter

2011-01-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

A Muppets Christmas Carol. That was my first introduction to the legendary Sir Michael Caine. Obviously not his first movie, and not even his first movie made after I entered the world... but A Muppets Christmas Carol was the first time I had ever seen him act. Fast forward 15 odd years and I find myself watching Caine in a very different role, that of Jack Carter in the 1971 movie Get Carter.
To say that Get Carter is a different role from the previously mentioned movie would be a gross understatement, for everything about the movie except the British setting, and star, is different. Viewers here find Caine portraying Jack Carter, a hit man who's returned to his place of birth to pay his brother final respects. Although listed as the victim of his own drinking and driving, but Carter won't believe it. So begins a mystery in which Carter begins to scour the British Crime scene trying to find a man called "Brumby." But, as is typical in mystery fare, Carter has bitten off more than he's able to chew, resulting in intrigue, murder, gangsters, lots of ins, lots of outs and a lot of what have you.

For a movie with a lot of substance, there is plenty of style as well. The story unfolds in two ways: the ongoing events on the screen, but the story also unfolds in the viewers mind, with previous events being explained with later scenes, only making sense with a complete viewing. And yet, even with a tapestry of a script there is enough style to impress (Many shots suggest Quentin Tarantino took notes during a viewing of this film.) But, most of the style doesn't come from Mike Hodges, instead it comes from just how bloody cool Michael Caine is, even though Hodges brings a major portion of the cool. In many ways Get Carter was ahead of it's time, paving the way for Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, and the many others who have made movies in Gangster Suave* sub genre.

Even beyond shot composition, many style choices suggest an avaunt garde quality. There is little over laying music, instead relying on a more ambient soundtrack. Yes, there are several cases of music that isn't "in universe" but because most of the movie lacks score, there is a sense of realism that is lacked by many films even today. There are no dramatic music stabs to alert the presence of rival gangsters, no high tempo chase music to get the viewers heart racing, just the sounds caused by the people as they fulfill Hodges directions... beauty in simplicity.

But, as I hinted on earlier, all the directorial magic is meaningless unless there is a cast able to capitalize on his or her direction. The Cinema gods smiled fondly down on Hodges, granting him with one of the truly phenomenal actors of all time: Sir Michael Caine. Caine's Carter is charming, cruel, suave, and foreboding. In short, Jack Carter is like James Bond's crazy brother. Yet, even when he is beating up cronies, Carter is able to find the time to seduce several women, and be the kind of anti-hero every man secretly wishes they could be.

Surrounding Caine is a strong cast, albeit mostly of unknowns to me... due to my general ignorance of 1970s British cinema. Bryan Mosely and John Osborne are as cuddly as cobras in their roles as scheming crime lords, both trying to use Carter's rage for their own benefit. The rest of the cast supplements Caine nicely, but in so many ways this is his movie, take him out and you'd get a lesser movie... a lesson that it seems the 2000 remake learned the hard way.

Although I disagree with the Total Film claim that Get Carter is the greatest British film of all time (as I often times disagree with cross genre rankings) but Get Carter does succeed in being not only one of the better British films I've seen, but by being one of the best Crime movies I've seen.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.5/10)

*Gangster Suave is not an established genre... as such don't go looking for movies labeled as Gangster Suave... you won't find them.

Tron: Legacy: A Review

2010-12-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I reviewed the original, but here I am reviewing the sequel... and I must say I'm feeling pretty good. Tron: Legacy (2010) is very much a sequel, with more references to the former than Empire, but in many ways Legacy stands on its own in a way few sequels do. As a heads up most of the plot will be ignored due to the fact that there are several twists and turns, a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot of what have you.

To begin with: Yes, the movie is pretty. I won't spend a lot of time on this seeing as how anyone who has viewed a single trailer knows that this movie is a stunning piece of CGI. The world of Tron came to life in ways that the creators of the original probably only dreamed of, with bright lights and vivid imagery, allowing the Grid to become a world of it's own, not a sound stage with a lot of neon tubing.

Also a thing of beauty is the Daft Punk Score, as a newbie to Daft Punk I was really impressed with how they were able to mix the sound of classic video game music with new style to make probably the best soundtrack I've heard in years, frankly if Daft Punk doesn't win the Oscar, or at least gets nominated, then there is something wrong with the Oscars... well... that's a rant for another day.

Really, my only problem with this movie comes in with the Script, although when compared with the first they are on par, Legacy does what the first one doesn't... leave frayed ends. The Purge of the ISOs is touched on, but the ISOs themselves are mentioned for just a few scenes. I know Disney was gunning for a sequel to this sequel, but the way the ending doesn't show what Sam has done now that's he's back, or for that matter what happened to Tron after his lights changed back to blue, leaves the viewer with a sense of longing. Furthermore, the whole state of the Grid is in question, now that Flynn and Clu are gone, will there be some rebuilding? Will Sam rebuild The Grid? Who knows? The viewers don't, that's for sure.

Also, there was some dialogue that felt a little weird, falling under the Lucas Rule of "You can write it, but you can't read it." Though, there are few movies without an occasional snag in the script. I do appreciate all the Fan service that was done, I really do, but if you have time to include the Tanks passing in the background, then you should have time to polish the script enough to keep the ends of the strands in ~~Ole Duder's~~ ~~Kevin Flynn's~~ The Grid loose.

The acting is actually a lot better than I thought it would be. But, as could be expected, Bridges stole the show in his double role as both Flynn and Clu. What was probably the best CGI piece was "Young" Flynn, even though there were a few times that the CGI was very obvious. Also strong was Olivia Wilde, who oozed sex appeal, at the same time she seemed innocent and naive. Garrett Hedlund is very good, but he lacks the pure laid back charm of Bridges in the original, and even here.

For a sequel, you won't find much better. Plot snags aside Tron: Legacy is a very fun ride and well worth a trip to the cinema for a big screen viewing. For fans of the first... it's definitely been worth the wait.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8.75/10)

Gremlins: A Review

2010-12-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

Some movies stand the test of time not because of amazing stories or outstanding performances, but instead they just touch certain audiences in a certain way. In other words, they're just fun. Such is the case of Gremlins (1984), equal parts comedy and camp, with a delightful infusion of horror and Christmas joy to make a movie that will be remembered for decades because its fun and unique, but nobody will accuse it of being one of the greatest movies ever made.

In some ways the movie plays like a modern version of 'The Trouble with Tribbles' one of the truly classic Original Star Trek episodes, but other than the annoying, rapidly spawning creatures the similarities end there. Gremlins starts out very innocent, with a like able kid, matched with geeky yet like able parents, and a cranky old lady causing trouble in his life. In a lot of ways the characters work because they are very conventional, many are straight out of the standard 80s mold (think The Goonies). The redeeming element to this is that all the characters are very enjoyable, because viewers have seen them before.

As I briefly touched on earlier, the script, by later Harry Potter helmer Chris Columbus, mixes comedy with horror to produce a very different Christmas movie. I was kind of impressed with how interesting a movie about little monsters could be. There's the main story involving the aforementioned monsters, there's also a romantic side plot for Billy (Zach Galligan). Again, these subplots are very cliche for a movie that came out during the 1980s, but the point is that they work.

In what was probably my favorite inclusion of the movie was the constant shots of old movies, many of which set the stage for the events of the movie. Particularly The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) before the Mogwai began to break out of their own pods, it was little touches like this that allowed sci-fi genre fans an added level of enjoyment.

From the future looking back, the effects are quite lame, the creatures eyes often don't sync up and motion is very rigid and unnatural, something that today would be done easily with CGI. That being said, for the time the effects would have been cutting edge and probably would have left a young viewer or two with bad dreams for a while after seeing this movie.

Also, the human performances all fall into the "1980s camp" pile, due to shoddy acting made alright simply because the movie is shoddy itself therefore the average performance play along with the whole campy vibe, instead of seeming out of place. There are no great performances, but there's nothing on a Wiseau level, either.

As a piece of high quality cinema, Gremlins is a bit of a failure. The story is bizarre, matched with decent acting and sub par effects there's not a lot of substance. But taken as a piece of entertainment... there is a lot going for Gremlins. There are laughs, good characters, and even a bit of romance, all added up to make a very fun movie, even if it's not a Citizen Kane or a Casablanca.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8/10)

I Review You, Man

2010-12-19T20:15:00.000-08:00

Over the last few years the slacker set has invaded motion pictures and established a base camp in the romantic comedy genre. Some of the movies have turned into modern classics, with an endless stream of quoting and tie in merchandise for teenagers to wear. One of these movies was the 2009 movie I Love You, Man starring Paul Rudd (Knocked Up) and Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). In effect the movie is part of the current "slacker/striver" strain of the romantic comedy virus, but as it describes itself, it's a "bromantic comedy."

Pete (Rudd) seemingly has no friends, except his girlfriend and most of his female coworkers. With an impending wedding, Pete has a problem: He has no Best Man. As such, he decides to set out to find a best friend: involving a few gay men that think effeminate Pete is also gay, all leading to the meet cute with Sydney (Segel). The two instantly become friends and in true rom-com style spend all their free time together... falling deeper and deeper in bro-love.

As a romantic comedy there are many of the same pitfalls that plagues most movies in the genre, mainly being: Love and friendship like this is not instantaneous. Also, there's a love building montage set to "Tom Sawyer," and worst of all... two dimensional characters.

Jon Favreau is the worst offender here; as shown in movies like Swingers (1996), Favreau can do comedy, but here he is so abrasive there is little to no comedy... just... Favreau being an asshole. Rudd's character is just a loser, I'm sorry, but he is. For character's like Rudd's to work, they have to be more than just sad sacks. Tragically unhip, Pete is just a loser pretending to be cool... but the writers gave him so little real development he remains a loser acting cool. Then there's the opposite end of the spectrum in Sydney, a guy who is so hipster cool that he wears Ugg boots ironically, has a hybrid dog, and plays Rush songs. Again, there is so little characterization that Sydney is essentially what a 10 year old dreams they'll be like when they are nearing 30.

Bringing me to my biggest complaint with the movie: the script. I have seen just about the whole cast in other movies, even the back ground fillers pop up in most of the "edgy" comedy shows and movies. So I know they can do comedy and are all decent actors, leading the weakness of the movie to be shared between the script writers and the director, the latter being one of the former. There are some funny parts, but most of the movie isn't funny on it's own, laughs are only elicited because of Segel's over acting, the only redeeming part of this movie. The jokes are usually strung out longer than they should be, making them less funny than they were.

I heard this movie get hyped beyond belief, and I was a little let down. Segel and Rudd have both been in much better movies, so if you want a does of Segel or Rudd (or Segel and Rudd in some cases) check out most of the Apatow family tree. Though if you're looking for a few immature laughs and hip references check this out, but if you want a good comedy... don't.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS this movie (6/10)

Reviewer No. 1

2010-12-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

During my recent hiatus I was still watching movies, one of them being the ground breaking and controversial A Clockwork Orange (1971) which starred Malcolm McDowell. After liking him in Time after Time (1978) and A Clockwork Orange, seeing his name on the cover was enough to convince me to watch the movie Gangster No. 1 (2000).

To be frank I have been let down by several of the British crime flicks I've seen... mainly those directed by Guy Ritchie, because many times the movies rely too heavily on conventions and American precedent, but Gangster No. 1 is surprisingly original. To begin with, the movie is stylized beyond belief, shots are broken up in a nod to old pop art movies, with fourth wall breaks and a bi-linear plot of The Gangster (McDowell and Paul Bettany) in the modern times and as a young man, facing his own fall and rising respectively. Although released in 2000, the movie oozes 1960s cool, mainly because that's when the Gangster begins to make his climb to the top.

In that regard it seems like most Rise of the Gangster movies (see Scarface, Carlito's Way, State Property, The Public Enemy, GoodFellas, etc), and in many ways it is conventional: young Gangster learns from Boss, only to later usurp Boss resulting in animosity and blood shedding, but because of all the style and the variables thrown into the formula is enough to make Gangster No. 1 different and exciting.

Although it's not his first movie, this is the first Paul McGuigan movie I've seen, and I was pleasantly pleased by his eye for style. I know I have been saying the word "style" a lot, but that's only because this movie had more in the opening minutes than Snatch had in it's entire run time. McGuigan captures the brutality of the Gangster and the world around him in a way that is visually pleasing and impressive for a man on his second film.

Furthermore, McGuigan was working from a great script by Johnny Ferguson. My main problem with the films of Ritchie is that he is a so-so screen writer who tries to be edgy and funny, but fails. Ferguson on the other hand gives a subtle wit to a very violent movie, kind of like a lesser Tarantino.

The acting is all amazing, McDowell is grand, playing the character (in his own words) as an older Alex Destrange. As such the character has a roguish charm to him, despite not getting a lot of screen time until Act III. The way The Gangster narrates Act I and II though do establish him as a very strong character, despite McDowell's face being absent for much of the early stages of the film.

That being said the man playing the Gangster during Acts I and II really owns this movie; and that man is Paul Bettany. Many Americans will know him as the hype man Geoffery Chaucer in A Knight's Tale (2003), but his role here is so far removed from that film that it;s hard to imagine that same jovial man is this violent psychopath who rises to the top... of a heap of corpses. The sheer ice of The Gangster's soul shows every time Bettany opens his eyes, cold and unforgiving.

To be honest this is a very good movie: great acting, a great script, great direction, amazing style and a very cool plot roller coaster. Although it won't be on any of my crime top 5s it's a very thrilling movie and worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.25/10)

An American Reviewer in London

2010-12-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, just so you know I AM alive... but barely due to exam week. The Doctor has been getting schooled. That having been said I am making my triumphant return to the reviewing game... so buckle up... we're going to go for a little journey.

Although many don't want to admit it... the Horror genre has actually contributed some of the finest movies ever made: Dracula (1931), Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Excorcist (1973), Halloween (1978), etc. But, soon people didn't want strict fear inducing scenes, and soon horror-comedy was born. Of course to cinema goers in modern times horror-comedy is nothing new, movies like the Scream series and 2004's modern classic Shaun of the Dead have gained widespread popularity that horror movies with campy humor are almost the new status quo, but this new breed of horror movie's was not a recent creation.

In the early 80s there was a movie that challenged what people expected from horror, for example one doesn't expect a horror movie to begin with peaceful shots a a tranquil moor... matched up with a peaceful little diddy like "Blue Moon" sung by velvet tongued crooner Bobby Vinton. The more common place opening usually involves a bloody massacre to get viewers attention, making An American Werewolf in London (1981) all the more unique.

But the camp factor was not the only factor that sets this movie apart. The way David (David Naughton) discovers his condition is amongst the more inventional aspects, Landis beautifully uses dreams, flashbacks, and a chilling and chuckle inducing scene with David's deceased friend, Jack (Griffin Dunne). The script is pretty inventive, not relying solely on Werewolf canon as passed down from such classics as The Wolf Man (1941), instead flexing the mythos a tad here and there to make the movie more modern and appealing. I was also impressed with how Landis (mostly known for his classic comedies and the Thriller music video) was able to craft a very good werewolf based script... leaving behind animals like Bluto to make one of the best were wolf movies ever.

But it's not just the script that Landis got right. The over all vibe of the movie is perfect. All the archetypes are presented in ways that are both traditional and new. The creepy townsfolk provide some of the best town fillers since the robots of Thermostadt in the Futurama episode The Honking. And, although I did say that the Werewolf tale was modernized a bit, the key elements are respected such as only a loved one can kill a lycanthrope, etc. (There are none of those fake Twilight Werewolves here). But one of the true highlights is the Tarantino esque soundtrack, ironically matching songs involving the moon with intense violence and moments that one wouldn't associate with a certain song, adding to diffuse the horror and make the viewer half smile... even while David is writhing in pain during a horrific transformation.

Speaking of that transformation, the movie truly does deserve the praise for it's groundbreaking make up work. Before computers could do everything Baker and his boys put on one heck of a show during the transformations, and when Jack shows up as a decaying corpse. I do have to agree with some critics saying the real star of this movie is Baker and the make up crew.

For a horror movie, the acting is not bad. I do have to use that qualifier because the acting is not amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but compared to many other entries of macabre cinema the acting is pretty good. Naughton plays the eponymous American Werewolf with a like ability that I believe is mostly natural, and he portrays the confused young man very well, but he's not a great actor. The same can be said of Jenny Agutter, for a horror lead she is actually a strong independent woman who doesn't spend the entire movie squealing, which is refreshing. But the best acting performance is probably John Woodvine as the Dr. J.S. Hirsch, a small role, true, but Woodvine does act better than the rest.

All in all this is a very good movie, not just a good horror movie, but a good movie in general. There are some scares and more than one laugh; So if you are looking for a good way to spend an hour and thirty eight minutes pop in An American Werewolf in London, you won't be disappointed.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 3: The Rest

2010-11-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

Take heart, dear reader, there are only two more reviews for you to read, but they are also two of the best comics of the week.

SCALPED #43
Words by: Jason Aaron
Art by: Jason LaTour

It's kind of strange, I've always hated Wooster Karnow, and yet... because Aaron is such a great writer I actually feel a little for him. Not a lot, but enough for me to like a one and done starring the hate able sheriff. I guess like doesn't even cover it, perhaps truly enjoyed would better convey my emotional response to this issue. Although far from the best of Scalped, 43 holds some touching moments and was an interesting change of pace... even though I would have wanted a continuation of Unwanted which had some of the best comics I've read this year. Back to the issue at hand, the affair is genuine Aaron and Karnow is his typical braggart self but when faced with a man who's actually done what he claims to Karnow feels all kinds of inadequacy. My only complaint would be the art, after the tremendous work of Guera, LaTour's work seems to rely too much on imitation. Other than that this issue is another win for Scalped and Jason Aaron.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10)

THE WALKING DEAD #79
Words by: Robert Kirkman
Art by: Charlie Adlard

In terms of The Walking Dead, this was an average issue. In terms of most comics this was a great issue. With roamers surrounding the town and internal struggles, Rick and Company are up the creek with out a paddle with a new arc in the next issue. Adlard continues to give some of the best art in all of comics and Kirkman continues to earn all the praise he gets, but for the final issue of an arc this issue felt a little rushed, I know that 79 is just set up for 80, but still I've come to expect a bit better from Kirkman... even though it's a good issue. Other than the last panel, there seems to be little major build up, yet that final page is so mouth watering that I can't wait for #80.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

After more typing than I have typed for any previous CBW I think I'm content to say good night and have a happy thanksgiving.

P.S. Next week (due to the holiday) new comics come out on Thursday so my reviews won't hit until Thursday or Friday... because I know you'll be waiting to read them

Comic Book Wednesday Part 2: Marvel

2010-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Remember my promise of 10 marvel reviews? Well you should because it was only like 2 minutes ago... but here they are!

CAPTAIN AMERICA #612
Words by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Butch Guice

The Trial of Captain America is on... well, the pre-trial is on. This issue doesn't really deal with the trial, other than a bunch of set up. Brubaker introduces us to Bucky's Lawyer, and there are a few scenes with her that make up the meat of the issue, but there is also the interesting sub plot of Sin being freed by Master Man with hopes of Reich's and Aryan nations all around. But that's pretty much it, still setting up all the players in the trial, there isn't anything truly ground breaking in this issue. It's good, don't get me wrong, but there's no real substance, it's all just expository scenes and interactions. I also can't help but notice the constant presence of Steve who it seems is making his way firmly back into the Cap main title... I'll let you think of that what you will.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (7/10)

DEADPOOL #29
Words by: Dan Way
Art by: Carlo Barberi

Deadpool's main title is really the only one worth a darn at the current time, and this issue reassures it's readers that yes... it is worth a darn. Mixing the hilarious antics of Deadpool with such serious characters as Steve Rogers, Black Widow, and Moon Knight was a genius stroke by Way. In the conclusion to possibly the best arc since Monkey Business (yeah I know there's only been like... 2) Deadpool uses his own brand of "tactical genius" to bring Dr. Bong down, all the way cracking funny jokes and saving the day, truly becoming a hero. Now I'm curious as to where this arc will send the Merc with a Mouth next. Barberi's art continues to be some of my favorite art out there and the writing is returning to some of it's best moments.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.5/10)

DEADPOOL: PULP #3 (of 4)
Words by: Adam Glass and Mike Benson
Art by: Laurence Campbell

I know it's a constant gripe but you'll only have to hear it one more time... this is a great series, but a horrible Deadpool series. I believe given an actual Deadpool 616 title Glass and Benson could knock it out of the park, because they truly have a great grasp on his inner monologue, it's just that they've made the external dialogue of Wade so not Deadpool-y and the rest of the series is so not Deadpool-y that I can't truly love this series as much as I want to. This issue finds Wade flashing back to a war (which war is not specified) at the same time General Stryfe is instituting his master stroke to start WWIII and return America to it's natural state... one of war. The art is superb and the writing is exactly what you'd want in a story like this, except when there are actually any genuine Deadpool moments they seem more out of place than if Batman decided to wear a lime green cowl. I do recommend this series greatly because I like it and I'm positive you will too, but don't go in expecting to get Deadpool squaring off with a hit-man whose a monkey.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #32
Words by: Matt Fraction
Art by: Salvador Larroca

If you've been reading this blog regularly you know I've been losing my faith in Invincible Iron Man. Luckily for the money counters at Marvel Fraction was able to revive my faith in him with a good issue, bringing back what I loved about the earlier issues of this series. Instead of Tony Stark just moaning about the environment and running Oil out of business we get to see Tony being Iron Man and delivering repulsor based whoop-ass to the drones and Detroit Steel. But even cooler than that we get to see Pepper and Rhodey destroying drones too, giving us the first mission for Team: Iron Man. The issue returns to the action aspects of the first arc (The Five Nightmares) and gives both Pepper and Rhodey some development to the side, showing that with a threat like this Tony can't lone wolf it. Larocca's art is some of the best I saw this week and with visuals like this it's easy to forgive sins of the past.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT #4
Words by: Stuart Moore
Art by: Andres Guinaldo

What a way to end the first arc of a series! In a final climactic showdown Namor fights his grandfather and leader of the Aqueos Thakorr, while his team is out fighting the rest of the threat in true Return of the Jedi fashion. The art is slightly off, with Guinaldo attempting to recreate Olivetti's art from issue's 1-3. But other than the slight gripe about the art style this was one of my favorite issues this week. As a Namor fan I am really excited to see when Moore takes this series when it leaves the "Curse of the Mutants" banner and begins to deal with some original plot lines. This series should definitely be on your radar, because I have a feeling that it'll keep getting better and better.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

SECRET AVENGERS #7
Words by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Mike Deodato

Although another exposition heavy issue from Brubaker (see above) SA sets up a lot of plot lines that the first arc indicates will be brought to a glorious conclusion. Shang-Chi's father is proved to be risen, which spells disaster for the rest of the world. And as such the Secret Avengers begin to mobilize with sweet fights (beautifully portrayed by Deodato) and intrigue (beautifully written by Brubaker) all leading up to a big reveal of another member of the Shadow Council, John Steele... the first Super Soldier. In what is quickly becoming one of my favorite series, Brubaker continues to develop the team dynamic of the Avengers and we get not only a cool martial arts story, but a cool military story as well... all added up to an awesome issue of an awesome comic.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

SHADOWLAND: BLOOD ON THE STREETS
Words by: Antony Johnston
Art by: Wellington Alves

I am really sad that Shadowland is ending, but with the continuing amount of good issues coming out as of "3 of 3"s and "4 of 4"s the pain is being comforted. In the stunning conclusion to Blood on the Streets, or the story of Misty Knight, Paladin, Silver Sable, and Shroud hunting down the fake Hand. In one of the best twists of Shadowland yet, revealing that the cops have taken advantage of the Hand's fear tactics to bring "justice" to the criminals that escaped real justice. But, the way Johnston frames how Misty and crew deal out real justice is quite interesting, reminding the readers in the midst of a crossover that is questioning the effectiveness of the police that real justice isn't anybody who kills a criminal. Alves gives gritty visuals and closes off this mini with a vengeance. I can honestly say that after SL:Moon Knight Blood on the Streets was my favorite mini.

SHADOWLAND: POWER MAN
Words by: Fred Van Lente
Art by: Mahmud Asrar & Ray-Anthony Height

Another end to a Shadowland mini... another fantastic end to a Shadowland mini. I may have said some unkind things about SL:PM over the course of the last few months, but this last issue actually begins to redeem the series a little. With the final assault on Shadowland happening Power Man has gone in secretly to rescue his cousin, which results in the Beast of the Hand thinking he could take Power Man... long story short he was wrong. The story ends with Power Man realizing that he can't do it alone and if anyone can teach him things, it's Danny Rand, a.k.a. The Immortal Iron Fist. I also liked the semi Rocky III end, with Power Man and Iron Fist sparring in Rand's dojo. I will admit that I didn't like the series, but I will also admit that this was a great capstone and the best issue of the mini.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

ULTIMATE AVENGERS 3 #4 (of 6)
Words by: Mark Millar
Art by: Steve Dillon

I must begin by saying that Blade breaking up a scene from Twilight was probably the best Twilight Parody yet. I have found that when an issue starts that strong it usually declines a little... unless it's written by Mark Millar, and then the only place it can go is up. And it goes up, up, and away. With Captain America breaking free and the Stark brothers unwilling to admit that Cap isn't just infected, but a Vampire, Blade relates the Ultimate history of Vampire hunters and reveals who's in Starks Mark I armor. Speaking of that suit of armor, Nerd Hulk whose now Vampire Nerd Hulk, begins to get a little cocky leading to a show of strength between Anthony and Nerd Hulk... spoiler alert Hulks always win the shows of strength. The writing continues to be top notch stuff with great art from a living legend Mr. Steve Dillon. With a set up of epic proportions coming this series is just outside my Top 5 Comics series, and this issue is my favorite of the week.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10)

UNCANNY X-FORCE #2
Words by: Rick Remender
Art by: Jerome Opena

So issue one of this series was good... issue 2 was great. Following up with UCF's mission to kill the child Apocalypse, we see Wolverine toughening up his team... except Deadpool. When the team locates the child on the Moon, they set out to find him... only to bump into War, Pestilence, Conquest, and Death... leading to an epic fight in space. But the team is still a little green and they get captured, and Apocalypse will decide how they die. I like how Apocalypse is being portrayed like a cross between Damian and Rosemary's Baby being raised and groomed to bring the end of days. The art by Opena is just what the writing by Remender demands, I am quite impressed by this creative team and am looking forward to more... hopefully a lot more.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

Whew... did you have as much pain in your fingers reading that as I did typing it? No? Oh, well never mind then. But I still have two more to review so stay tuned for "The Rest."

Comic Book Wednesday Part 1:DC

2010-11-24T19:10:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it's that time of the week already... time for some more of my Comic Book Wednesday entries discussing the comic books I bought this Wednesday. To begin with I've decided to go with DC, so... here we go.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #17
Words by: Paul Cornell
Art by: Scott McDaniel

I never thought I'd say it... but I miss Grant Morrison. Although I didn't review any of them I read the first 16 issues of this series over the last few weeks and I fell in love with this series, and then when I found out that Peter Tomasi (Green Lantern Corps) would be taking over I was thrilled, but then I found out Cornell would be doing a three issue interim arc and I thought that it would be alright. Faithful readers... it is not alright. The plot seems alright, a cult that is trying to find the missing piece of their wedding (the bride and groom) and it is revealed that the missing Bride is a woman that has recently been robbed from her grave, and used to date Batman. See? The Plot is kind of creative... but the dialogue is... hideous. I'm relatively new to the works of Cornell, so this might be the norm for him, but it all just seems so weak and disheartening after Morrison's amazing run on the series. The art is kind of average, and as such doesn't really help or hinder Cornell's writing. I don't know how much this arc will set up Tomasi's run so I'm going to check it out just in case, but dear reader if you haven't jumped on yet... wait until issue #20 when Tomasi takes over, jumping in now would be like waiting to dive off a diving board until a person has drifted into the landing zone on an inner tube.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS this issue (4/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #14
Words by: Judd Winick
Art by: Aaron Lopresti

Let me get this crack out of the way... I think a more appropriate cover would have been this. All kidding aside, the issue isn't a rip off... per say. I mean, yes a hero from the modern times getting sent to a dystopia where giant robots are killing heroes does sound a lot like the Uncanny X-men issues that make up Days of Future Past, but here the future is a different story. Captain Atom (who dueled with Magog in the last issue) finds himself 112 years in the future, teamed up with a grizzled team of Justice League descendants. Together they embarked to shut off an OMAC reactor... they don't and in the fight they realize that Captain Atom must come back tot he modern time and stop Max Lord from killing Wonder Woman which kicks off the war that lead to the dystopia that the heroes are in. Although not the best issue of JL:GL it's far from the worst, mixing a cool plot line with a cool future JL and bringing the climax that much closer. Winick continues to weave his tale in a splendid fashion, easily making this the best Brightest Day tie-in.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

So there's DC, a good and a bad... a little short though. But don't fret, I have 10 issues from marvel coming your way!

The Public Review

2010-11-22T22:34:00.000-08:00

Alright, I'll admit the title is a stretch (I'll also admit they all are), so to make it a little more understandable I'll inform you what movie I'm reviewing now, the Gangster cinema classic The Public Enemy (1931) starring king of gangster cinema Jimmy Cagney. Completing a gangster double feature for me, as seen by my earlier review of Carlito's Way (1993).

Released four months after Little Caesar (1930), The Public Enemy is credited with many things... but the most influential thing the movie did was to solidify the gangster movie as a profitable genre (spanning nearly the entire run of talkies) but probably more importantly is that the movie gave cinema a young actor names James Cagney, a vaudevillian turned film actor.

Following Little Caesar was a big deal, considering it was one of the truly great crime movies, and as such this movie had some not so little shoes to fill. And, instead of trying to replicate the exact same hood turned boss, this movie creates a different kind of gangster in Tom Powers (Cagney): The Gangster from infancy. Beginning in 1909, the film viewer is introduced to Tom Powers as a little boy, pulling all sorts of shenanigans that aren't to foreign from the opening scenes of Manhattan Melodrama (1934) in which young Blackie is shown to be a criminal from birth.

From there the movie becomes a pretty typical rags to riches to morgue gangster story, with the inevitable end for the central gangster being a maelstrom of lead and blood, but considering that Little Caesar was the only real one to come first, it was pretty original and must be viewed in that context. That being said, the movie is a very good example of the Rags to Riches to Morgue movies, and perhaps among the best I've seen in the sub-genre.

One of the main sources of this movies greatest comes from the daring script. In the pre-code world of cinema the only thing holding back film makers was their own conscience, but Warner Bros. decided to make a movie with tough guys being tough, no holding back (well, swearing was still taboo). The entire plot is risky, tackling Prohibition and it's problems during the whole fiasco, but when you add all sorts of scenes such as real live gangsters being portrayed (although taken out in the 1949 post-code release), and a new use for grapefruit (although improvised) the sum is a tough look at crime that would set the standard for decades to come.

But, the main source is the Man himself... Jimmy Cagney. It's not hard to imagine why this movie made him a star, especially when he edged out the man originally play Powers. Frankly, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role. Cagney is cocky, tough, jovial, and formidable making the perfect cocktail of the archetypal screen hoodlum. The rest of the cast serves as mere props to Cagney's Powers who stands head and shoulders (oh the irony) above the rest of the cast when it comes to acting. They are all good, don't get me wrong, but when matched with a truly great performance, good looks average.

In terms of classic gangster fare this movie ranks amongst Little Caesar (1931), and White Heat (1941) standing out to this day as truly great works of cinema. If you consider yourself a fan of crime fare, this is most definitely a don't miss movie.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.25/10)

Carlito's Review

2010-11-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

From the violent beginning, to Carlito's speech patterns, right down to the director this movie seems like its trying to be a follow up to the 1983 classic Scarface, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The only possibility of that attempt at becoming a bad thing is that Scarface is one of the greatest crime movies ever made, with classic lines, an iconic poster, and possibly the most bad ass ending of any movie ever... so any attempt at, even a solely thematic one, continuing that movie sounds doomed to fail.

But I won't spoil the fun and tell you here if it was a failure or a success.

Carlito's Way (1993), despite my intro paragraph, is a very different movie (plot wise, at least) from Scarface. Where as the latter is all about the rise of an immigrant from low level hood to kingpin of the Miami drug trade, Carlito's Way is more of a post-rise movie. Admittedly, this is a very interesting take on the genre. Consider, if you will, most of the great gangster movies. Little Ceaser... a hood rises to rule, then falls. Goodfellas... a hood rises to power, then falls. Scarface, a hood rises to rule, then falls. State Property... I did say great didn't I? never mind State Property then... I believe you get the picture now. But this movie is a man who has already fallen, being released from Priosn, Carlito is no longer the drug Kingpin he used to be, but nobody in cinema has ever been able to walk away from the former lifestyle of violence, just ask William Munny.

The cinematography is gorgeous in an almost ironic way. The back ground scenery is shot with a way to show the grimy under belly of society that is being portrayed by the characters in the shots. Furthermore, Stephen H. Burum and Brian de Palma shoot the movie as if following a page from the Sergio Leone guide to Westerns, intense close ups, graphic deaths the film is made that much more of a gripping experience.

The voice overs are interesting, and they do move the story along well... but I feel like the script lacks the punch of Stone's Scarface script or Pileggi and Scorcese's Goodfellas script. Although trying to tell the story of a man seeking redemption, not fame and wealth, there was a certain level of hardened dialogue missing. And when the hardened dialogue was used, it seemed almost forced (e.g. John Leguizamo's first appearance at the club). Although, that doesn't really bog down the movie. There is a lot of great dialogue and exchanges, like when Carlito reunites with Gail, and those scenes really elevate the movie above the average crime fare, but the aforementioned script troubles mixed with some of the key problems keep the movie out of the truly great category.

Al Pacino turns in another great performance, although there seems to be too much Montana seeping into Carlito. Although the character does stand alone, it seems like Pacino slipped into the comfort zone of Latin American born gangster created by the most iconic of the bunch. Furthermore, Sean Penn is (don't stone me) average. He's definitely not bad here, but there's nothing that he does that is really all that inventive/creative/breath taking. There's also Guzman, who is alright in these bit parts (think Boogie Nights) but again not great. Although only briefly in the movie John Leguizamo's Benny Blanco is actually a pretty good performance, but it keeps par for the course, making my biggest complaint the lack of great acting, not just really good acting.

In terms of cinematic experience, Carlito's Way is a very good way to spend 2 hours and 25 minutes, but if you are searching for a truly moving and hard edged gangster film instead pick up Goodfellas, Scarface, or any number of films that do a similar kind of movie, but better.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8.75/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 3: The Rest

2010-11-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

So here;s the third and final section of this week's CBW triumvirate... loosely title The Rest.

The Astounding Wolf-Man #25
Words by Robert Kirkman
Art by: Jason Howard

Because #24 came out before this blog started you have never heard my love of this series, and as such you don't know how sad this final issue made me. I have a few problems with this issue, the first one being how Zechariah (the primary antagonist for most the series) gets taken out in a fistful of seconds. I know the issue was supposed to be about the Elder and Gary Hampton (the eponymous Wolf-Man) and their duel, but Zechariah deserved better... at least death by Gary in payback for Rebecca (Gary's wife). My second problem is the ending... or lack there of. This issue was supposed to be the final issue of the series, and it is... but with the first ending in which Dracula is shown rejoicing the demise of the Elder and Zechariah and talking about his grand plan... we're left craving more, at least the other ending has been told when we'll get more, Kirkman outlines in Fang-Mail that GTG #3 will include the Wolf Corps. But beyond those gripes, I think this was a fitting end, with all the other loose ends being wrapped up quite nicely. I want to take this chance to thank Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard for giving us this great series (even though I know they've never heard of this blog).

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10) Also... definitely go get the first three tpbs and pick up vol. 4 when it drops in a week or so.

THE BOYS: HIGHLAND LADDIE #4 (of 6)
Words by: Garth Ennis
Art by: Jphn Mcrea

For those keeping score my problem with HL has been the ubiquity of Scottish slang that is unknown to people who don't live in that area... luckily this issue has little to none of that. Instead we get the back story of Annie "The Lamplighter" January, also known as Wee' Hughie's former dame. The issue isn't nearly as good as #47 in which the two broke up, but there is needed back story and some touching dialogue showing once again why Ennis is one of the best at what he does... but what he does isn't very nice. I'll say this now, I greatly prefer Robertson's work to Mcrea's but he's not bad. Furthermore, I liked seeing Hughie returning to his innocence, something I felt like the last few issues of The Boys have been stripping him of. Although not amongst the best issues, HL #4 is very good and definitely the best of the HL spin off.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10)

MORNINGGLORIES #4
Words by: Nick Spencer
Art by: Joe Eisma

In what is quickly becoming one of my favorite series the first arc begins to come to it's climax, as the Glories continue their rescue plan. The only problem I have with this series is that it's all quite predictable. Who's the snake in the grass? Oh yes, the sleazy jerk of the group. The Sweet and Like able nerd is the one that the strong and independent leader of the group is attracted to? Go on! Spencer is a good dialogue writer, and the plot is pretty inventive, but I can't get over how the twists and such are even more straightforward than most of the average plot. The Characters are all well developed, so I'll give him credit for that... but I think Spencer needs to watch a few Hitchcock movies and learn a little subtlety. That being said this series is amazing, matching beautiful art with cool story and great dialogue. It's just not as twisty as I think Spencer wants it to be.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

SUPERIOR #2
Words by: Mark Millar
Art by: Leinil Yu

Continuing a series that is kind of like Big meets Shazam! Mark Millar is crafting what might be one of his best stories yet. Yeah, I said it. The story has something most of is tales don't, heart... lots and lots of heart. Yu's art is gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but the story here is incredible... you could almost say Superior. The story starts with Chris and Simon figuring out what all Simon can do now, and that's all fine and dandy, but there's so much more including a very touching segment in which Simon reveals what the best part of super powers is. And as simple as the story starts is as how intense it ends, yeah they space station is crashing towards earth. Although it might not be as good as Kick-Ass or Nemesis, Superior has the potential to be one of the best stories of the year.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10)

And that's what I have for this weeks, CBW. I'll see ya'll down the trail.

Comic Book Wednesday Part 2: Marvel

2010-11-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

With the fat DC week it means there had to be a lean Marvel week (but my The Rest is comparable to DC). Anyways, here's the only Marvel book I bought this week.

DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #3
Words by: Dan Way and Marjorie Liu
Art by: Giuseppe Camuncoli

It's weird seeing Mystique actually care about someone. It's also weird to know Daken cares about someone. But over all the issue isn't weird... it's good. The restaurant from #2 has turned into a crime scene with Logan raising hell in all kinds of ways. Mystique escapes, saddened by Daken's death... or should I say, his fake death. There is a body burnt up inside the restaurant, that is taken away, but Daken watches from a nearby building, flashing back to a lesson from Romulus about the benefits of invisibility. Way and Liu deliver a pretty good story and have really made me want to go back and read their previous work on the character. Camuncoli's art is amongst my favorites right now and this series has me hooked for quite some time.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10)

So that's all I've got from the Marvel front... stay tuned for The Rest.

Comic Book Wednesday Part 1:DC

2010-11-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

Last week was a lean week, this week was a fatter week (especially in the realm of DC). I never know what to say in these intros, so I say to heck with this and let's get right into the comics.

BATMAN: THE RETURN (1 Shot)
Words by: Grant Morrison
Art by: David Finch

Unless you've been living under a rock you know that Bruce Wayne was officially brought back last week in Return of Bruce Wayne #6 (sure Batman and Robin #16 came out first... but... So to return Bruce to the DCU a one shot was needed, and here it is. Mainly the issue concerns itself with establishing Wayne's intentions for Batman Inc. which I feel is a really dumb idea. But the issue is alright, the art is good, exciting me for Batman: The Dark Knight with Finch's words and art. That being said, if you don't plan on reading at least one of the new post return Batman series than this issue won't have anything for you. In terms of story telling this issue is more akin to the amazing Batman and Robin and not the less than zero Return of Bruce Wayne.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

BRIGHTEST DAY #14
Words by: Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi
Art by: Ivan Reis

The cover promises White Lantern Batman... but in all honesty we only get WL Batman for about 3 pages, a let down for sure. But the issue also serves as a bit of a let down because now the series, it seems, is getting back to the heroes running around with their hands in the air going "Why were we brought back?" only now the cry will be "Who's the chosen one?" But, I've read worse entries into the Brightest Day series. Some highlights, especially for me, include the final panels with Batman uttering the phrase "We need to talk about Maxwell Lord." Peaking my "Generation Lost" fan boy nature. Also in the final panel (bizarre when the title of the next issue can get one excited) the foreshadowing piece of "Whatever happened to the Manhunter from Mars?" again touching the soul of m being. For a Brightest Day issue it's pretty good, but that's a relative good when most of the Brightest day stuff has gotten negative feedback from this blog.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (7.5/10)

THE FLASH #6
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Francis Manapul

If you haven't jumped on this series, wait until #7, seeing as #6 is the end of an arc... a decent end of an arc. The Renegades have gotten a hold of Flash... or so they thought and faster than you can say 'it's just a jump to the left' The scarlet Speedster is back in our time to save Iris and bring The Top to justice. There's a high speed fight where The Top confesses to everything, only to be stopped when the Flash enters him and spins him the other way, stopping him and allowing the Renegades to capture the traitor ~~Phantom Limb~~ The Top and return him to the future for some justice. The issue actually has an interesting commentary on the nature of justice in both the future and our modern time, with an innocent man being cleared. Although the issue's not the best issue I read this week it is very good and Manapul has become one of my favorite current artists.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.5/10)

GREEN LANTERN #59
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Doug Mahnke

This issue is kind of hard to judge, mainly because nothing really happens. Sure there's great dialogue between Allen and Jordan, but it seems weird how it just... happens while Adara is a few feet away. Also of note is a conversation with the Guardians who are plotting to have someone watch Hal because he's trying to avoid detection. I like the way Johns handles the dialogue and the set up of Parallax becoming the fastest man on Earth is pretty enticing, but the subplot of having the Indigo lanterns essentially a mind washed cult seems forced, I think mainly because all the characters are freaking out because Blank Hand is now peaceful and compassionate... the fate they sentenced him to. Why would they complain that he's not a murderous creep obsessed with death anymore? THAT WAS THE POINT OF SENDING HIM OFF WITH THE INDIGO CORPS IN THE FIRST PLACE!! In what's more a set up issue, 59 isn't entirely strong but far from weak.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #54
Words by: Tony Bedard
Art by: Tyler Kirkham

In another case of the cover betraying the interior, the readers are expecting an epic duel between Rayner and Sinestro... but what we actually get is Sinestro beating the shit out of Rayner... three times over as many pages. But, the rest of the issue makes up for the apparent lie on the cover. Carrying on from previous issues The Weaponer has Soranik captured, but Sinestro won't pay the piper and go to try and save his daughter. I especially like how The Weaponer is being painted as a tragic character, trying to redeem himself and save his world (I've had little to no introduction to him before now). It's kind of weird, but I actually am looking more forward to the next issue of this than the main Green Lantern series.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

Once Upon a Review in the West

2010-11-14T11:14:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure you've figured out , I like Westerns. Although, my dear reader, I don't know if you, knew that my favorite sub genre of the Western genre is the Spaghetti Western, mainly for the unflinching way that this particular sect of movies handles the true violence and degenerate nature of the real west, with that being said, I felt like a bad fan being that I had not seen one of the true classics of not only the sub genre, or even the genre... but instead cinema itself. Of course I'm talking about Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) directed by a true master Sergio Leone.

There is a lot going on in this movie (think Inglorious Basterds in a Stetson). But the movie can be boiled down to three main plots...
1) Frank (Henry Fonda) being hunted by Harmonica (Charles Bronson)
2) Cheyenne (Jason Robards) being accused of the murder of a child
3) Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) trying to hold onto her land, despite Frank wanting it.
With this much going on, I'm afraid, that there was a high potential for cinematic fat. True, Leone has The Dollars trilogy to support that his movies have all the fat content of an apple... but this movie is more along the lines of a burger, delicious... but not entirely healthy. I know I don't have a film degree or any credentials as a critic, but I feel like West has several scenes that border on unneeded, such as the opening scene on the homestead which continues for several minutes where the only important thing to happen is a fly buzzing around. There are other scenes later on that Leone allows the camera to linger too long, resulting in a movie that has some love handles, but is by no means obese.

The movie is classic Leone, the Monument valley filming location reflects the barren wastelands that the characters call souls, mixing arid desert with bleak horizons. As stated in my reviews of various other westerns I prefer the real desert feel to the panoramic vistas. As would be expected Morricone's score is gorgeous with the true highlight being "The Man with a Harmonica," mixing the haunting harmonica of... Harmonica with an anachronistic electric guitar to create one of the greatest "character" scores of all time.

In terms of the four Leone movies I've seen, this one certainly has the best acting with Bronson, Fonda, and Cardinale being specifically strong. I've seen Charles Bronson in a few movies, all tough guys, but Harmonica stands above the rest of his roles, mixing the revenge themes of Death Wish with the intensity of his role in The Magnificent Seven. But, I don't mean to discredit Fonda who plays the first villain I've seen him play. He plays the role of Frank with a level of sleaze I didn't expect him to be capable of, but I was wrong.

The movie is definitely a classic, changing the Western genre, but the movie seems to be too epic in scope for one movie... not really an insult, I know, but a critique all the same. Perhaps this movie could have been improved (only slightly though) by predating Kill Bill in dividing the movie into two volumes, but it didn't, and as such I can't bring myself to give it a perfect score. The movie receives my recommendation, yes, but a 10/10... no.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.75/10)

Review the High Country

2010-11-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

If you believe the Leonard Maltin quote on the back of the 2006 DVD Ride the High Country (1962) is "considered by some to be Peckinpah's finest film," and being that this is the man who directed The Wild Bunch (1969) and Straw Dogs (1971) that is a doozy of a claim. I will let you down now, it is not better than the two movies I listed, but being shy of two movies which combine to attain a 20/20 is not an insult by any stretch of the imagination.

Thematically this movie seems more like it should be an adopted child of Peckinpah, surely not his by... blood. (Pun sort of intended). Arguably, that is a true case, being that this movie was not in fact written by Peckinpah as the other movies of his reviewed on this blog have been. Not to try and take away from N.B. Stone, Jr., the writer, but where as TWB and SD circumvent convention and turn stereotypes and formulas on their heads, with TWB changing westerns (and cinema) forever... this movie seems to play more in the conventional sense of both westerns and buddy films. That being said, the movie does succeed in being funnier than the other two combined matching sly zingers with great interactive dialogue the script is stronger than most, but weaker than some.

The storyline is quite straightforward, a few men, trying to make a buck, set out to gold mine to try and bring back some treasure for their employers, inventive yes, but regrettably the men are typical cowboys. Both are aging lawmen with eyes on that final ride into the sunset, but of course there's one more mission they've got to complete before they can meet history on an amber horizon. And as such, one could plug in any cowboy actor of the early sixties (i.e. John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart) and the movie would have progressed the same way, not a bad thing, but not a great thing.

Next is the direction, which is another place where I felt let down by the film again. The Wild Bunch is a brutal western, parched Mexican landscapes matched with vicious men made it feel exciting and new, on par with such classics as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966) when it comes to an unforgiving west, but this movie in everything from the sprawling vistas to the shots of the characters whilst conversing is just so typical of ever other western at the time.

Although I did say they could be filled by most any veteran western actor, Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott are quite good as the two aging gun men, but there's nothing really done here acting wise that hasn't been done with the character type better else where.

Much of this movie boils down to standard western fare, but luckily there are enough inventional plot devices to make this movie more than an AT LEAST WATCH and into the realm of the LIKE.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 3: The Rest

2010-11-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

And last but not least is the Image comic I bought and read this week...

NANCY IN HELL #4 (of 4)
Words by: El Torres
Art by: Malaka Studios, Antonio Vasquez, and Juan Jose Ryp

In what I think might have been the most underrated and missed gem of the year, Nancy Simmons (with a little help from Lucifer) fought her way through and out of Hell. Perhaps it was because I'm lamenting this being the series end, but this issue seemed to be a little bit on the anticlimactic side. Yes the last few pages were a great end and one of the "best" endings in that manner since the original Doom. But, I expected a grander fight at the Gates and a little bit more of a showdown with the beast, but the art remained visceral and the writing maintained it's impact, establishing Nancy Simmons as a truly great heroine. Although not the best of the series, NiH #4 is one of the best issues I read this week and is a fitting cap to the series, even though it's not the best one that could have been.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 2: Marvel

2010-11-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

Let the record show that for one of the first times on this blog the DC section is bigger than the Marvel section. But, that doesn't mean Marvel didn't have anything good to offer.

INVADERS NOW! #3 (of 5)
Words by: Christos Gage
Art by: Carlo Reis

If you remember I trashed issue 1 and loved issue 2, and issue 3 falls somewhere in between the two. There's less drama than 2, but more plot than 1, although it just doesn't escape the "good" zone. The Invaders fight the Axis team from the end of last issue, and that is cool, I'm really starting to like Reis's visuals. But Gage is starting to slide closer to the stilted writing that made the dialogue of #1 unbearable. The story remains creative, but poor writing kills creative story lines. I know it seems like I've been bashing this issue quite a bit, but there are some redeeming qualities such as the dramatic final panels where Steve Rogers outlines the Invaders plan and some parts in the middle where Union Jack and Spitfire encounter some troubles, but all in all the the issue is pretty generic and average.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (6.75/10)

SHADOWLAND: DAUGHTERS OF THE SHADOW #3 (of 3)
Words by: Jason Henderson
Art by: Ivan Rodreiguez

It makes me sad that Shadowland is ending, with this month being the final nail in the coffin and this series being one of the first tie ins to take the bow before the curtains, but for this tie-in at least, the third act was the weakest. SL:DotS started strong, with plenty of drama that helped develop Shadowland, but this last issue was a little too... small in scope. Instead of the wide spread stories that have made Shadowland good, we are given a story that focuses on two duels between various Daughters of the Nail. There is little to no talk about the events of Shadowland that are coming up, and as such I felt a little cheated by this issue. It's not bad, with the writing and art consistently good, it just wasn't a good tie in.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (7.5/10)

And there, dear readers, is my Marvel section, with very little to rave about.

Comic Book Wednesday Part 1:DC

2010-11-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Another week, another grouping of comics that I'm going to review, but sadly (like last week) there wasn't a lot on the racks that I was desperately wanting to buy, but these 6 titles did make the cut so here's the first subgroup: DC.

BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #6 (of 6)
Words by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Lee Garbett

So... Grant Morrison is an enigma. I've been reading through his Batman and Robin series and I've been loving it, his ability to weave characters is amazing, but at the same time... B:TRoBW remains to be the clusterfuck I've accused it of being for the last few issues. In quite possibly the most scattered issue yet, Morrison officially returns Bruce Wayne to the limelight, bringing him out of the time stream and... well... I don't even know what happened. I mean, Batman gets fused with some bizarre robot thing that's apparently sent from Apokolips to kill Batman, yadda, yadda, yadda. There's no period work like the first 5 issues, and there's less plot. Most of the issue is spent flipping around with panels out of order and random voice bubbles to show that the time stream is being tampered with, but that just makes the issue seem like it's just trying to be trippy.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS on this issue (4/10)

GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #4
Words by: Peter J. Tomasi
Art by: Fernando Pasarin

There are two distinct story lines in this issue, but they aren't equally good. The first is the continuing road trip of Guy, Arisia, Kilowog, and (as of last issue) Bleez deep into the unknown sector, and the other is an entirely expository talk of Sodam Yat doing... something. I think it's implied he's going to blow up or just move a planet, but... that's not really fleshed out (hopefully next month). But, back to the first plot line, the Road Warriors stop on Daxam, for a few pages, just to tie their arc in with the new Sodam arc. The issue isn't really great, it's good, but when compared to the last few issues this issue seems more like a typical Green Lantern issue than Emerald Warriors.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (7.75/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #13
Words by: Judd Winick
Art by: Joe Bennett

As the last issue closed readers knew that #13 was going to give readers an epic fight between Magog and Captain Atom, and Winick and Bennett deliver. But, the pacing of this issue was slightly off. The fight was spectacular and the way Booster and Blue Beetle appeared scared, but trying to be heroic was a needed addition to the issue's script that broke up the fight with a human element, though there were too many panels of fighting and not enough of furthering the plot, with this issue JL:GL has crossed the halfway point and as such issues here can't be devoted to full on brawls with only a few panels of Max Lord being a basterd. That having been said, the issue is among the better issues that I read this week, and it does carry on the legacy of this great series.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

And there's the DC part of this weeks Comic Book Wednesday, stay tuned for Marvel and The Rest

Straw Dogs: A Review

2010-11-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

There's violent cinema, and then there's a Peckinpah movie. You see, the difference between today's violent cinema and Sam Peckipah is all in the mind, where most violent movies just splatter red dye mixed with corn syrup across everything for two hours, Peckinpah takes a different road... a full frontal assault of your mind, one of his most famous cases of this is the 1969 western classic The Wild Bunch, a movie that took westerns, and all cinema for that matter, to a whole new level. But it wasn't until 2 years later that Peckinpah really upped the anti, taking a step beyond blood squibs on Ernest Brognine's chest to show a rape of a woman, that turns mid way into consensual sex, in one of the most controversial movies of recent decades: Straw Dogs (1971).

The plot starts out in a pretty mundane way, newly wed couple moves to a small town, shenanigans ensue, not sounding like a real groundbreaking movie, does it? WRONG! The way the story unfolds shows a tortured underbelly to small towns not seen in any other movie (well, maybe Hot Fuzz). But as a microcosm of the whole town there is an even more central conflict, that of David and Amy (Susan George). Amy and David clash pretty much from the opening credits. And the camera work reflects that, Peckinpah shoots even the most mundane marital conversations like the filmed the train robbery of The Wild Bunch, quick shots and cuts, wide trailing shots, muted colors, all leading to the growing struggles around David, segueing into the themes of masculinity later covered.

And here I shall run my train of thought down the rails laid down by Joshua Clover in the booklet inside the DVD case I rented, Peckinpah makes his first trip away from westerns, but this movie is really not a western in setting only. The character types are all there David Sumner, Played by the ever great Dustin Hoffman, fulfills the classic western role of new guy forced to the gun. Consider Ransom Stoddard in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. A presumably weak man arrives in town in harassed by the local toughs, long story short he turns to a gun and defeats them, after unlocking a previously unseen facet of his personality, in the case of Stoddard it's courage, in the case of Sumner it's rage and brutality. Next is the cause of all woe, as told from the Western genre's perspective: The woman, who entices both sides into violence, culminating in the hero having to rescue her. Then there a the thugs who are desperately clinging to the old violent days before the hero rode to town and "corrupted" it.

But of course Peckinpah can't leave these motifs alone. In his own genius way, Peckinpah twists and corrupts the Western Hero into a bitter man who has hints of pedophilia tendencies, the woman becomes not a dame in distress but a villain in her own right, and the thugs are more brutal than anything Leone or Ford could have dreamed of. And that is where the movie gains it's strength: subliminally telling the audience their heroes are flawed, criticizing and satirizing a different genre with out even uttering the word "Partner."

As I touched on earlier, Hoffman is amazing, blending the personality of Ratso Rizzo with the demeanor of Benjamin Braddock, but worse than either of them. Boiling beneath his sweater is a killer, a subtle comment on the violent nature of man, and Hoffman is able to portray this better than just about anyone.

Also of note is Hoffman's opposite, Susan George. It's not an easy task to go two hours with Hoffman and hold your own. But George, succeeds, providing a balance of equal unlike ability to Hoffman's amoral mathematician. neither character is really like able, but when compared with the rest of the cities rogues gallery Hoffman and George instantly gain like ability points. George is stunning, subtle, passionate, but simple: Truly a great performance.

All in all this is one of the most violent and (dare I say) disturbing movies I've seen. It's not disturbing like the "torture porn" horror genre, but it's believability makes it terrifying. The acting is all top notch, the directing superb, and the script assaults your mind and leaves you hanging like a cat in a closet.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

Bob & Carol & Dr. Brooklyn & Alice

2010-11-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks I've been trying to watch generally praised movies, most of them have been serious drama's about man be it failings (Citizen Kane), The strength of the human spirit (Mr. Smith goes to Washington), and the power of memory and the abstract term "The Truth" (Rashomon, not reviewed). So, to change the pace just a tad, I decided to watch a movie also about man, but this time about how they... um... fornicate, hence my film selection for tonight Bob & Carol &Ted & Alice (1969).

Citizen Kane, it's not, but the movie has something that Kane lacked... laughs a whole lot of laughs, admittedly Kane was not about laughs it was about holding a mirror to the life of William Randolph Hearst. Although you might not think of a movie about couples cheating on their respective spouses as humorous. Even by today's the standards the plot is really inventive: Two middle aged couples, one ventures out to a "retreat" and returns... changed. By that I mean sexually free, and what better way to be sexually free than with a couple you know? Bob and Carol (the retreat/returning couple) begin a crusade to get Ted and Alice into the bedroom for shenanigans most foul.

The movie handles the subject matter of affairs and the sexual revolution both maturely and immaturely, the former with the high level of humor and dry wit, and immaturely because... well, they just have free sex. There are moments of drama, and moments of comedy, perfectly blended into a black comedy of tremendous charm and... sex appeal (mainly Natalie Wood).

It's not often I say it in these reviews, but the score is so perfect. Quincy Jones provides a soul tot he movie with his beautifully conducted ~~porn music~~ smooth jazz. It's not a make or break deal, but it does help tremendously to set the mood.

But, all the above is worthless if the four people in the bed had porn quality acting to match the porn quality jazz. Luckily, the movie has three strong performances... for those keeping track at home there are four main characters. Elliot Gould was great: quirky, nerdy, down right like able. He portrays Ted as just the kind of guy you'd want to have a beer with, he'd be fun but he wouldn't be too much, match that with the chemistry between himself and Dyan Cannon (Alice) their relationship isn't perfect like most comedy marriages, but they really try and because they really love each other they are willing to try anything. Also strong is Natalie Wood, who as I mentioned earlier, is damn sexy in this movie. She balances out nerdy couple Ted and Alice perfectly, by playing a character that would fit in perfectly on Wysteria Lane. (DISCLAIMER: I only watched that show the times I did because of Eva Longoria-Parker).

Which brings me to Robert Culp.

I don't know how to say this without sounding like a nit picker... oh why not. Culp is the weak link because of his physical demeanor and mannerisms. Yeah, that's what brings this movie down, stuff Culp had no control over. Now, dear reader, let me explain. The character of Bob is supposed to be cool, he's a film director, rich, married to a hot woman, he does recreational drugs (not advocating but going into the archetype of 'cool' people in cinema...), he's even seen wearing leather jackets and (at the time) hip clothing and speaking in the parlance of the times. That having been said... Robert Culp is not that guy. To describe his square peg in a cool hole: Imagine if Cyclops got some fake claws and tried to convince everyone he was the best at what he does, but what he does isn't very nice. Nobody would fall for it because that's just not who Cyclops is, the same situation plays itself out here, a tragically unhip guy trying to be the coolest guy in the room... he fails.

Other than that, the movie is pretty solid with a nice (used loosely) story, coupled with great acting, cool music, and nice camerawork. Although not the funniest or most touching movie, it's still better than the drivel that gets released nowadays.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8.75/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 3: The Rest

2010-11-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

And last but not least is my "The Rest" section which consists of my second favorite series newest installment.

THE BOYS #47
Words by: Garth Ennis
Art by: Russ Braun

First off let me say that this issue has the best cover of any series for the entire year. The brilliant TDKR parody made me laugh my ass off when I saw that it was coming about a month or two ago and when I actually got it in my hands I beamed from ear to ear. Thankfully the interior is just as good. Coming off of one of the best issues of the series, The Boys couldn't help but take a slight down turn, and it is a down turn, from #46. This issue focuses mainly on two arc: Butcher talking to MM and a new woman learning how to deal with The Seven. There are a few hints as to what Homelander is planning, but still it's a mystery for all involved... except him, of course. Also of note in this issue is the scene with Black Noir and the Noir Plane, shown to be going rogue, Noir kills his instructor and just walks away, which (for some reason or another) upsets The Homelander who quickly goes to follow him, but their meeting is not seen. This arc has the makings of something great, so I say stay tuned.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 2: Marvel

2010-11-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

So Marvel didn't provide me with too much more than DC, but thank the comic Gods because both of the Marvel issues were decent to pretty good.

NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT #3
Words by: Stuart Moore
Art by Ariel Olivetti w/ Fernando Blanco

To be frank, this was probably the worst of the three issues. I'm not saying it's bad, but relatively it's not great. The art is still strong, but the problem is that the issue starts a little slow, and by that I mean the first few pages are devoted to some back story and exposition that sets up the latter parts of the issue, but it still kind of bogs it down a bit. Overall it's not a bad issue, with some cool action and I'm still digging the Aqueos, but like I said the action is all in the second half and the plot is almost all in the first, pacing slows down this issue, but it's still got a nice jog going.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (7/10)

WOLVERINE #3
Words b: Jason Aaron
Art by: Renato Guedes

What could be more bad ass than Wolverine inspiring a rebellion in Hell? Oh yeah, when the Saint of Killers served Satan a lead dinner. Which brings me to my complaint of not just this issue, but of the series thus far. There's really nothing being done here (except Wolverine's body haunting his loved ones) that wasn't done better in The Saint of Killers mini. Aaron is one of my favorite writers at the moment, and the series is strong, I just can't help but make comparisons and in those match ups this series loses. Don't get me wrong this was a good issue, I particularly enjoyed how the story remained in hell for most the issue giving Wolverine and Old Scratch a few really intense showdowns, including when Logan spat on Satan; I also am impressed by Guedes work, visceral and gritty his art captures hell pretty well I think. So in conclusion, good issue/arc just not the greatest "guy in hell" story.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

And there's what Marvel offered me this week... not a lot, but both were worth the read

Comic Book Wednesday Part 1:DC

2010-11-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

So I don't know about y'all, but my Comic Book Wednesday this week was terribly lame. I only got four total titles... well, some back issues were bought as well, but here I am to review the few issues I bought, and I'll start with DC

BRIGHTEST DAY # 13
Words by: Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi
Art by: Ivan Reis

So... how come when the issue focuses on Hawkman and Hawkgirl they get the whole bloody issue? I mean, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman split most of their issues, but the Hawks get cover to bloody cover... which is horrible reading if you hate the hawk people, and if the story is lame. And that's what we have with this issue, a lame plot involving the Hawks being tortured to open a gate for Hawkgirl's mother to go invade Zammarron. Like I said, the story line is convoluted, and if you don't like the characters (like me) the issue lacks any real punch, especially when you consider that it does absolutely nothing to further the brightest day plot line, something that can be overlooked in tie-ins but not the main series.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS on this issue (4/10)

So that's all I read from DC this week, I kind of regret that with how badly BD stunk.

Dr. Brooklyn goes to Washington

2010-11-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

I didn't review it, but a few weeks back I watched All The King's Men (1941) in which a humble small town dreamer turns into a backstabbing Politician... a tad redundant, I know. For decades that movie has been seen as the true face of politics, hearkening back to the old quote "Power corrupts and Absolute power corrupts absolutely." But, with the elections of last Tuesday (for any Americans reading this) the American public went out and struck down Republicans and Democrats in a manner showing they are tired of the tried and true descent to corruption usually found in politics, and instead said they want men and women like... Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) from the movie which will be reviewed here Mr. Smith goes to Washington (1939).

The movie is surprisingly relevant, with the press being called out for half truths, politicians lying and making back room deals, and the Congressmen forgetting that they were elected by the people to serve the people. And with today's political climate, this movie speaks as loudly now as it does then. There's discussion of over-complicated bills, and the people that write them. As an American this movie speaks to me because it both criticizes and reminds me of all our Legislative branch can be.

Warning: The next paragraph has some political opinions in it, which may be offensive to some readers, proceed at your own choice, or jump to the paragraph after ti for a return to straight up reviewing.

Also, at the risk of alienating some readers, this movie seems like it was advocating The Tea Party before the Tea Party was even a fever dream. Stewart's Smith is the quintessential Tea Partier, a patriotic, Jefferson quoting man who truly believes every word of praise he spouts about the glories of the constitution and believes everyone's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be defended.

The Sidney Buchman screenplay is stunning, painting the career politicians as the ruthless men (at the time they were all men) who care more about lining their pockets and getting under the table favors than serving their constituents. But Buchman also shows Smith as a naive man at first, quickly developing into a politician in his own right, but the kind that Americans want: honest hardworking men who think of their people back home before they think of themselves.

Also of note is Jimmy Stewart, the only man I've ever seen in cinema who could play this role. Stewart made a career for playing folksy down to earth guys (See George Bailey, Ransom Stoddard, Tom Jeffords, etc.) but here he takes it to a new level, in probably his best performance that I've seen him give. His ability to play a "Joe Six-Pack" is unparalleled and his ability to make the audience fall for his characters in each movie is unrivaled as well, the man was truly one of, if not the, greatest American actor.

All that being said, I can see how some people wouldn't like this movie, mainly political insiders and pro-big-government people, especially with the way Buchman and Capra present all the senators except Smith. I personally feel that the reasoning would be the fact that the man in the mirror is sometimes the ugliest person you'll ever see.

Perhaps the greatest political movie of all time, with a high running for greatest American film, Mr. Smith goes to Washington is a beautiful movie with a tight script, great acting, and a truly great look at smoke filled back rooms of Washington.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

Citizen Kane: A review

2010-11-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

Some movies are above the standard label of "movie." Yes, even the truly great works like Casablanca (1942) and The Godfather (1972) are at their hearts merely movie pictures, but they are also so much more. Truly, movies such as these have earned their own spots on Movie Olympus where they will be worshipped by the cult of cinephiles for decades to come. Yet if these movies are Hades and Poseidon, there is still a vacancy for the spot of chief Olympian: Zeus... well, any good film buff can tell you what the Zeus of cinema is: Citizen Kane (1941)

I think that objectively the opening seconds of Citizen Kane (1941) may be the most iconic scene in film history, the extreme close up on Kane's lips, the slow whisper mixed with subtle death rattle and the utterance of the first great movie "twist/mystery": "Rosebud."

From there we get a beautiful news reel that relates some of the big events of Charles Foster Kane's life, and Welles dives head first into the plot... and talk about a plot. The movie is mainly flashbacks with a framing device of a group of journalists trying to uncover the meaning of Kane's dying word.

The script is tight as a snare drum. From the very beginning Rosebud is in our face, but Welles hides it under snow, pressed against a man's chest, etc. And despite moving at a rapid pace, the dialogue is sharper than most motion pictures I've ever taken in, and yet it all seems so... not a movie. As bizarre and abnormal as it sounds this movie seems to transcend it's status to become more than a movie, but a slice of culture itself. I know I'm just gushing right now, worse than Chris Matthews the first time he heard Obama speak, but I think anybody who has seen this movie will understand.

Beyond the script, which I truly believe ranks amongst the finest of all time, the direction and Camerawork is riveting. Welles was truly ahead of the curve when it came to converging angles, pans, really everything he does here is among the finest that those techniques have been used, making it hard to believe that Citizen Kane is turning 70 next year. The shots are fresh and bold, exciting and daring. I don't really know if there's anything I can insult.

But scripts and direction are useless unless there are quality actors reading said script and follow said directions and... this movie cornered the market on quality performances. Everyone from Welles as Kane right down to Guy standing on the corner #3 the acting is better than a good chunk of all other movies. But Welles Kane steals this movie, so egotistical, so driven, so charming, and so slimy that you can't help but loather him and respect him. You cheer for him during his rise, but you also smile at his fall. A truly balanced and incredible performance in every sense of the word.

I could prattle on and on like a school girl about this film and it's greatness for multiple posts, but dear readers I won't. I will wrap it up with the following recommendation and all the praise I can heap on this movie. If you haven't seen this movie, rush out and watch it, if you have seen it... watch it again, it'll be worth it.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

Top 5: Ongoing Comic Series

2010-10-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

In a lot of my CBW posts I comment about how "this series is one of the best out there" or "This series is one of my favorites right now" so I decided to actually narrow it down and give you a real list of my favorite comics at the moment in one of my Top 5s. So doing this list is kind of tricky because there are things like Justice League: Generation Lost which I love, but it's a limited series and will only have 24 total issues, same with things like Kick Ass 2, Nemesis, Neonomicon, etc. so this list has these guidelines that it will follow
Guidelines: 1) The series must be current. 2) the series must not have an end in sight.

5. Deadpool:

Current Writer: Dan Way

Why I love it: It is consistently one of the funniest comics on the racks.

Best Arc: Deadpool #19-21 (Monkey Business)

Alright, you know I love Deadpool, and this main series is why. The humor is constant and it's actually hilarious no forced attempts at quirkiness (every other DP title) no lame fart jokes, not stupid-to-be-funny plots (every other DP title), just good humor, awesome fighting, sweet plot lines, and one of my favorite writers all add up to make this a truly great series. There have been some lean issues, but over all everyone of Dan Way's issues have had some laughs and some like the introduction of Hit-Monkey have been so golden they've spawned off shoots (The Hit-Monkey mini). With all the funny of 60s Batman and all the insane action of a Robert Rodriguez movie, Deadpool is a series that you shouldn't miss.

4. Captain America:

Current Writer: Ed Brubaker
Why I love it: It adds so much to not only Cap, but to all his supporting players, working some truly amazing plots coupled with great action.
Best Arc: Captain America v5 #1-9,#11-14 (The Winter Soldier Saga)
As you learned from my Top 5 Superheroes my all time favorite character is Captain America, it used to be Batman, until I started reading what Ed Brubaker did with the character and then in all good faith I couldn't ignore the awesomeness that is Captain America. The Stories balance Captain America's love of his country, love of liberty, and how behind the mask he's just a man... a Super Soldier, yes, but more so just a man trying to be a better man. Cap is painted with a sympathetic brush and we see The Sentinel of Liberty receive amazing characterization, but we also see Bucky become more than just a kid sidekick, we see him become a tragic character as Winter soldier, and then an even more tragic character as Cap himself in #26 and onwards.

3. The Walking Dead:

Current Writer: Robert Kirkman

Why I love it: The writing is incredible matched with gorgeous art.

Best Arc: The whole series because it really is one big story arc (that's a cop out I know)
What can I say about this series? It's like a soap opera with zombies, but with some of the best writing out there. I don't think there are any other comics out there with characters nearly as human as TWD, except maybe Scalped. Rick and his motley ~~crue~~ crew are so human that you can almost see this being a docu-comic, written as true accounts of people, they are so flawed yet heroic at the same time you can't help but fall for this group. Also Michonne's ability to win Zombie Kill of the Week every week since Tyreese died is no laughing matter. But maybe more important to this story than Kirkman's words are Moore (at first) and now Adlard's amazing art capturing the horror and terror felt in each panel beautifully. And admit it, you cried when you found out who Rick was talking to on the phone.

2. The Boys:

Current Writer: Garth Ennis
Why I love it: The Gore, the satire, the awesome writing
Best arc: TIE We Gotta go Now #23-30 and Herogasm: Herogasm #1-6(Herogasm is technically a spin off)
Probably the goriest, funniest, and most touching series out there The boys may be Ennis's masterwork, which is saying a lot because he is the guy that gave the world Preacher and resurrected Frank Castle as one of the industries top Bad Asses. centering on Wee Hughie, The boys follows a CIA backed Super Team sent to kick the shit out of all the other Super teams. Sex, there's a lot; fighting, even more, but through all that we get many scenes that pull at us readers heart strings like the last issue which deals with Hughie and Annie's break up, as well as several Man to Man talks between Butcher and Hughie that show beneath the supe-blood caked skin of Butcher is a man who's not all evil, he's just been hardened by the oppressive supes.

1. Scalped:

Current Writer: Jason Aaron
Why I love it: The amazing characterization, great dialogue, take no prisoners action, and grat art that capitalizes on the grimy atmosphere.
Best arc: Unwanted #39-42
It's actually a funny story how I got hooked on this series. I was at a con and Jason Aaron was a featured guest. So I had my Punisher Max and Captain America: Who Won't Wield the shield (he said it's one of the only one's he's signed... I doubt that) and he had a stack of DC's reprint of Issue #1 and he asked if I wanted one I said sure and he signed it and gave it to me... and the rest is history. It's not often I get hooked on a comic series because the creator hands me an issue, so this series had a special place in my heart before I read it. Well, if you read my CBW posts (which I'm sure you do) I actually spoiled this one the other day when I said that Scalped is probably my favorite series right now, but now I'll fully explain why... well, actually I already did look up 5 lines and you'll see. Aaron writes with an intensity most comics can only dream of, his characters have been kicked around by life and they are truly hardened because of it, no pseudo tough guy dialogue like in most mainstream tales this story holds nothing back using every words from 'the' to 'c**t'. The characters are so complex any one of them could fill a series all by themselves, but putting them all together is like The Sopranos meets Broken Arrow (1950). There's romance (kind of) violence (a lot of violence) drugs, gambling, intrigue, and all sorts of plot twists.

Comic Book Wednesday Part 3: The Rest

2010-10-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

And last, but certainly not least (actually probably the foremost) is the Veritgo offering from this week... Scalped #42.

SCALPED #42
Words by: Jason Aaron
Art by: R.M. Guera

If you remember (and you'd better) I raved about the last Scalped and called it the best of the series, well, sadly this issue doesn't top it, but it does stay high up on the quality meter. We get the result of Dash and Carol running into each other, and we also get one of the most touching moments of the series... the opening of the issue is Carol dreaming about the perfect life Her and Dashiell are married, completely cleaned up, she doesn't have her tattoo's they live in a nice apartment they're happy and kind... but that's not how it is, because Carol and Dashiell aren't the ideal story book relationship. Furthermore, we get a conclusion to the Unwanted arc... Carol goes to Planned Parenthood and... well I'm sure you can put it together from there. I don't feel ashamed to say this at all... Scalped is the best series on the racks right now. The art is great and Aaron has a mastery of neo-crime with peers like Tarantino.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 2: Marvel

2010-10-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Alright, here's where most of my comic book money was spent this week, making sure Joe Quesada's kids have food. I don't really know how else to set this up... so here ends my framing device, and here also begins my reviews.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #611
Words by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Daniel Acuña

So at the end of last issue we were told that Bucky was going on trial, and as such the media storm starts in this issue. We also see a lot of Steve Rogers, and now that raises a question... why would there be more of Steve Rogers than Bucky Barnes in the current Cap comic? Here's my theory and make sure you remember this so I can do the I told you so dance soon... Steve Rogers is going to be Captain America before this time next year. The Trial doesn't actually start in this issue, but all the set up and expository details make a good story, blending the other heroes reactions, with Bucky trying to block it out, all under the umbrella of Steve that connects the two. I have high hopes for this arc, but this issue is another strong Cap story from Brubaker.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

SECRET AVENGERS #6
Words by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Mike Deodato

This series' first arc was fantastic. We got an amazing team book with super fights, great tech, and cool locations... three things required for a great super team book. But we also get a team that interacts superbly, they are all different, but they obviously share a mission and are like able as a unit. And this next arc seems like Brubaker will take it to the next level. The Shadow Council is after the Eyes of the Dragon, jewels able to raise the dead. And as such their mission is to raise Shang-Chi's father to lead the new Hai-Dai, which means the Secret Avengers are going to be try and get the jewels first. The writing is just as strong as before, with Deodoto continuing to give equally great visuals.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.5/10)

SHADOWLAND: MOONKNIGHT #3 (of 3)
Words by: Gregg Hurwitz
Art by: Bong Dazo

Moonknight has become one of my favorite characters this year, and it's stories like this that have made it so. Moonknight follows Khonshu's urging to Naw'leans (New Orleans) to find the Sapphire Crescent (which he finds) only for Shadowknight to steal away the crescent and cue a climactic battle between the Moon and the Shadow, and in a moment that seems to counteract the current Vengeance of the Moonknight ongoing... Moonknight finishes Shadowknight, and takes back the crescent... heading into Shadowland to use the Crescent to try and kill Daredevil, of course we can't see that because there are still five SL titles to come. But I think the most crucial part of this story is the Epilogue to this tie in... we see Moonknight standing on the belcony, with Marlene on the bed staring at him, calling him to bed, but of course she calls him Jake Lockley, his current name, to which he responds Jake (his peaceful cabbie alter ego) is dead... and his name is Marc Spector (His violent former merc alter ego) setting up more Moonknight arcs with his return to violence... to say the least I geekgasmed when I saw that panel.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10)

SHADOWLAND: THUNDERBOLTS #149
Words by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Declan Shalvey

The review on the cover from Newsarama says it all... this book is like a comic version of The Dirty Dozen. Sure there are some Shadowland elements, but this series just has the banner and the ninjas to try and squeeze a few more dollars out of the Shadowland completests... and since I've bought two Thunderbolt issues in my life obviously I'm one of those completests, furthermore Marvel's ultimate Adrian Veidt scheme is coming to fruition... once Shadowland ends I'm going to continue buying The Thunderbolts because Parker is a great writer, and the characters are gritty, real, and exciting. Shalvey's art matches that feel providing a 1-2 punch and knocking the reader out. This issue finds the T-Bolts still in the sewer fighting the ninjas they were trying to find in #148. Oh... there's also a dragon. But this issue includes something even cooler... Crossbones with superpowers. Yes, one of Marvel's best (current) bad guys has some super powers... what could possibly go ~~wrong~~ right?

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

ULTIMATE AVENGERS 3 #3 (of 6)
Words by: Mark Millar
Art by: Steve Dillon

The pure win that is this issue can be summed up in three words: Vampire Captain America. Yes, dear readers, The Red, White, and Blue shield slinger is now a child of the night... allow me to geek out a tad.
(one geek out later)
Alright I'm back. The issue's plot resolves around Fury and the rest of the Avengers rushing the bitten Rogers back to the Triskelion to try and save him, but soon they are all fainting, an unexplained event... well that is until a certain half-vampire vampire slayer shows up to drive a wooden stake through the heart of the sentinel of liberty. This series is truly incredible, I mean the first two arcs were great but... damn, number 3 is amazing, matching one of the greatest writers of all time (Millar) with one of the true living legends of comics (Dillon) was destined to be good... but how good I am still unable to fathom.

LIKE this issue (10/10)
ULTIMATE MYSTERY #4 (of 4)
Words by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: Rafa Sandoval

Ugh. The real mystery is why some people think BMB is one of the best writers Marvel has. The plot remains just as convoluted as issue #1... which shouldn't happen by the final issue of a mini. Bendis here continues to weave his yarn, but the tapestry looks more like a four year old's attempt than that of a (alleged) master. Captain Marvel is captured and held by Fury, Danvers, The Torch, and The Thing... but during the interrogation there are voice bubles going to the wrong people (unless The Thing and Sue Storm are suddenly siblings) and the dialogue is just as amateurish as always, with zingers barely zinging and big reveals feeling like... well... seeing something that has been in the open for awhile now because Bendis is a terrible writer. I can't really describe how awkward and crappy this issue is... oh wait yes I can!

Dr. Brooykln says: PASS this issue (3/10)

So that's Marvel's offerings this week, most of it was solid but as usual the Bendis title was the one lacking what I want in my comics: Quality.

Comic Book Wednesday Part 1:DC

2010-10-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hello True Believers, and yes I did take last Wednesday off, but in my defense I picked up over 15 comics and by the time I had finished them... I was tied and didn't feel like going through and reviewing all of them. BUT this week you're lucky/damned, because I only have 8 titles to review, and as such I will review them. So sit tight, and get ready to see what was worthy reading for the Comic Book Wednesday Oct. 27th, 2010.

BRIGHTEST DAY: JUSTICE LEAGUE GENERATION LOST #12
Words by: Judd Winick
Art by: Fernando Dagnino

So I've been pretty smitten with this series for #1-#11, As I'm sure you've been noticing, but this issue... before I continue let me set the record straight, dear readers I don't hate back story, but I do hate back story in the middle of an intense action scene. This issue finds Ice at a heightened state of power, like we left her at the end of last issue, and this issue finds us in a showdown between Fire and Ice, with Fire trying to calm down the angered (or as the cover says berserk) Ice. But we can't just get that, we get a bunch of (imao* unneeded) back story concerning her controlling grandfather, her discovery of her powers, and how she matured and developed into who she is, and that's all fine and dandy, but I would rather have this series continue to move forward, developing the plot more. Beyond the back story we get two or three pages of Blue Beetle III, Booster, and Captain Atom... only for Magog to show up and give us a cliff hanger. Like I said the issue's not bad, but with the high quality of the previous issues I felt a tad let down, but with Magog and Captain Atom squaring off in probably the next issue, I have hope.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

So yup, that was my only DC title this week, but luckily it was good. And I do recommend it, but if you want a long multi title review stay tuned for the Marvel review it has 600% more reviews... so it's got something going for it.

*in my arrogant opinion

Top 5: Super Heroes

2010-10-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

So the title is pretty self explanatory, but I'll give a brief intro. I am a huge comic book nerd, (as I assume you are if you read this blog) and so I think it's time I detailed and outlined my Top 5 Super Heroes, giving you a glimpse inside the mind of the madman who's blog you read.

5. Namor (a.k.a The Savage Submariner)
Company: Marvel
Powers: Namor is super strong (able to fight Hulk), ability to breath under water and in the air, and flight

Alright, so technically he's an anti-hero, but I don't care: Namor is Bad Ass. So many heroes try and be truly heroic (i.e. Superman) or are vigilantes (i.e. The Punisher) or even a basic Anti-Hero (i.e. Wolverine), but nobody plays aloof to a specific role like Namor, hell he's even invaded New York. The first anti-hero in Marvel's roster Namor has been good guy, bad guy, and even tragic Romeo, known for his many relationships including his most famous one... The Invisible Woman. I can't wait until Marvel and Sony get it worked out for Namor to pop up on screen,

4. Deadpool (a.k.a. The Merc with a Mouth)
Company: Marvel
Powers: Regeneration

Again, technically not a hero, but Deadpool has a special place in my heart for being awesome. Nobody cuts bad guys with swords and words quite the way The Merc with a mouth does, and that's the main thing I love about him... the humor. Most heroes these days are very serious (i.e. The Punisher, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Namor, Thor, Hulk, etc) but Deadpool revels in the silliness of old school comic shenanigans, mixing Adam West Batman with Tarantino-esque hyper violence Deadpool is one of the greatest heroes of all time because he's able to save the day... and make you laugh while he does it.

3. Martian Manhunter (a.k.a. The most underrated character in the DCU)
Company: DC
Powers: Super Strength, Flight, Telepathy, Shape Shifting, Laser eyes, and Martian Breath.

Have you ever noticed how early on in any major JLA arc Martian Manhunter is taken out of commission so Superman or Batman become the only ones strong or smart enough to save the day? Yeah... so have I. Yet I 've read Martian Manhunter solo titles and realize that Martian Manhunter is one of the coolest characters out there. The last son of Mars, J'onn J'onzz is one of the big seven of the JL, yet he never gets the respect he deserves. Strong as Superman, as smart as Batman, and also the most powerful telepath in the DCU Martian Manhunter is overlooked because he could overshadow the big three, and DC can't allow that.You don't believe me? Go look up some Martian Manhunter stuff and see how cool he is... do it, this post will be here when you get back.

Ah, you're back, isn't Martian Manhunter awesome?

2. Batman (a.k.a. The Caped Crusader, The Dark Knight, and many other nicknames)
Company: DC
Powers: Technically none.

What do I need to say about Batman? Batman is on this list because he inspires people that they cab do whatever they put their mind to, no matter what the obstacles are. Batman has exchanged blows with Kal-El, faced aliens, seduced women, and trained with ninjas... he's pretty much the ultimate man. But even beyond his brawn is his ultimate attribute... his brain. Batman has long been the brain power of the DCU's best teams, providing solutions and ways to beat bad guys that nobody else could. Also he has a way to take down EVERY member of the JLA. Yeah, ALL of them. How awesome is that? You piss of Batman you can be taken care of whether you're a Clown in a tacky suit or the last son of Krypton.

and if you know me at all number 1 shouldn't be a surprise.

1. Captain America (Steve Rogers of Course)
Company: Marvel
Powers: After receiving the Super Soldier Serum, Steve Rogers became the pinnacle of what a man can be.

Call me old fashioned but the Red, White, and Blue shield slinger is still the ultimate hero, not only because he's a bamf, but because he has morals and honor, two things lacking in most of the modern tough heroes (including the current Cap and former Winter Soldier, James "Bucky" Barnes). Rogers always stands up for what he believes in, and did I mention he's a bamf? Yeah, he's fought Hulk, he's fought Giant-Man, he's fought pretty much everybody and usually comes out on top. The ultimate hero and the ultimate character, Steve Roger's Captain America will (probably forever) be my favorite hero.

There you go, don't like it? Comment below, like it? Well then, you obviously have good taste

Forbidden Review

2010-10-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry dear readers, I know that title writes a check that the rest of this review can't cash, it sounds steamy, sexy, and erotic, three things that have never been said when referring to this blog. For this review I didn't tackle anything that bears an X-Rating, it was instead a classic sci-fi movie entitled Forbidden Planet (1956) another title that is a tad misleading.

But this futuristic take on the Shakespeare play "The Tempest" is lacking nothing.

We find a space captain (played by the [at the time] stoic Leslie Nielsen, but we all know how his career changed) and his crew landing on a planet, distant and uninhabited... or so they think. The Away party soon discovers they aren't alone, and as such the plot develops out of the natives not being entirely altruistic.

The crew meets Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter Alta (Anne Francis), who live in a remote house on the planet. The Dr wears all black and talks in a creepy intelligent manner... obviously he isn't an entirely good guy. For a sci-fi movie from the 50s the plot is pretty inventive, I won't spoil it but if you watch it I'm sure you won't be let down.

As I went into the movie I already knew that the Great Bird of the Galaxy himself (Gene Roddenberry for those of you that have girlfriends) cited this movie as a chief inspiration for Star Trek: TOS, and it's obvious from the beginning. The Captain (Cmdr. John J. Adams) is kind of a Kirk-esque character, charming, heroic, and tough. Also his right hand men are Farman (Jack Kelly), the pilot, and "Doc" (Warren Stevens) the... uh... you know.

For 1956 the effects are breath taking, in some cases this movie could have been seen as the Avatar of it's day with space ships, laser battles, and most importantly Robby the Robot (The star of the movie). I was quite impressed with the way the effects were handled, mainly to enhance the story not try and over shadow (Michael Bay... take some notes). I also must add this, as a fan of Star Trek TOS's ingenuity this is meant as a high compliment, to predate TOS by 10 years the effects were equal to or beyond that of Star Trek, which I find quite impressive, especially when these days ten year old movies seem dated in most cases.

Also of note is the hypnotic, electric score. Everything sounds futury, not contemporary forced on a future time period.

For acting it's all pretty standard, no truly great performances, but nothing worth harassing. But in some cases (especially when there is a strong script like this one) average acting is alright.

This is a short review, I know, but I just have good things to say about this movie, even though it seems like a missing Star Trek Pilot.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)

Top 5: Westerns

2010-10-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

I've said a few times how "This western could be in my top 5" but I don't think I've actually fully stated my top 5, I know in one post I listed some really good ones, but not 5, and not in order. So I'm sure you, dear reader, are smart enough to figure out where this post is going.

5. True Grit (1969)

True Grit is pretty simple for a western, girl's father is murdered so she rounds up a posse and goes off to hunt him down, but the thing that makes this movie so special is Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne). Wayne won his only Oscar for this movie (He probably should have won for The Shootist but he had tough competition that year). The movie has everything a good Western has a grizzled gun fighter, a basterd of a villain, and a final shoot out that will be remembered for years. True Grit is truly one of the Duke's finest and one of the finest Westerns Period.

4. Unforgiven (1992)

Unforgiven is it's own monster. The movie doesn't rely on too many conventions and it doesn't try and recreate all the movies that came before t, it just tells it's own tale and tells it incredibly well. Clint Eastwood is William Munny, a retired gunfighter trying to live a peaceful life as a farmer (Think the Saint of Killers and Old Man Logan) but he's called back into the Saddle and brings hell to Big Whiskey. All the acting is truly top notch here and the story is powerful and moving tearing down the myth of the west well building up the real west.

3. The Wild Bunch (1969)

Where as even the Spaghetti westerns lacked a certain level of faux blood, The Wild Bunch aimed for realism and captured the true violence of the old west, too bad the last remaining gun fighters weren't in the old west, they were in 1910s Mexico, and were still living by the Old West code. The movie works beautifully commenting about how the Old West needs to stay in the West and the final showdown may be one of the greatest movie showdowns of all time.

2. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

I know that if I get any comments on this post it will be about giving TGTBATU number 2, but I stand by this. TGTBATU is one of the greatest films ever made. The acting is amazing, the score is haunting, and the story is consistently strong even as it approaches the 3 hour mark. Some of the most iconic western moments happen in this movie, and it deserves every bit of praise, but this is MY top 5, and that's why my number 1 is...

1. The Man who Shot Liberty Valence (1962)

Yes, I believe that The Man who Shot Liberty Valence is a better movie than TGTBATU (sue me). Jimmy Stewart (in my opinion) is the greatest American Actor and AFI agrees with me (kind of) he got #3 on their list. The movie involves Lawyer Ransom Stoddard arriving at a western town to try and bring the law to the West, but he realizes that as long as there are villains like Liberty Valence (Lee Marvin) he can't just bring law to the town. With a little help from Tom Doniphan (John Wayne) Ransom learns how to fire a gun and finally faces Liberty in the streets and everyone sees him shoot down Liberty Valence. The movie has a good wist at the end though, and really comments on violence and the law. While the rest of this list is truly great, TMWSLV holds a special place in my heart and is my all time favorite western.

Panic Review

2010-10-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Remember the other day when I said I was going to watch the complete Fincher catalogue? well tonight I completed the third leg in that race by watching Panic Room (2002) directed by David Fincher and starring Jodie Foster.

I must confess, I might be on the path to Fincherphelia, but not as bad as some people I know. The shots he employs (the zooms through the house) and the slow eerie score couple to add tension to each scene. Like Se7en (1997) none of the scenes are really throw away scenes, Fincher packs every frame with character development and plot and I must give him credit for that.

The plot kicks off quickly (15 minutes into a 112 minute movie the break in occurs) and I appreciate how even though it seems sped up at first, the pacing works itself around and we get a pretty fine film. But there is little action in the Hollywood sense of action. Keeping in line with the other Fincher movie's I've seen the action is all psychological, building a sense of fear inside the panic room and a sense of hostility and aggression on the outside. Also the plot is rather simplistic, the movie takes place in just a few rooms with the only real story being three robbers trying to get into the panic room of two victims.

For the sake of discussion there are really only five characters in this movie, but because they are so beautifully directed and their acting is all top notch the movie gets away with such a minimalist approach to casting.

In the lead role is Jodie Foster, and actress that much is expected of, and she delivers. Unlike the last movie I saw her in (The Silence of the Lambs) Foster does not bring a hardened agent in training angle to this role, but she does bring a perfect amount of concerned mother and panicked individual. If Foster had brought toughness the part would not have worked because so much of the movie hinges on the fear of Foster and Stewart, which brings me to the next actress I intend to discuss.

Kristen Stewart is most famous now for locking lips with "vampires" and hanging out with shirtless men, but she can actually act... even though she chooses to hide it now. She balances Fosters fear with a precocious bravery.

Jared Leto as the leader of the three burglars turns in a good performance as a guy who is sleazy and looking for money, that he could wait to inherit but he decides instead to steal it. There are a few things like this that do negatively impact the movie, although Leto is good, the motivation is flawed: What kind of heir plans a daring robbery of money they'll get anyways? This just struck me in a bad way.

Forest Whitaker is another actor that greatness is just expected of, and like Foster he delivers again. Whitaker's Burnham is the only one of the three who doesn't have malice as a motivation, he instead is looking out for his kids. He is actually like able, even though he's committing a felony.

But, even with all this the movie is stolen by a Country singer... Dwight Yoakam. His performance as Raoul was brilliant, equal parts sadistic and just a total bastard Yoakam holds his own with Foster and Whitaker and gives a strong performance that is one of the best in the movie.

So far I've seen three of Fincher's films, and this one is the worst (but that doesn't make it bad, it's just not as good as Se7en and Fight Club) The movie has a few plot holes (like the above stealing inheritance and other things like the husband knowing where the house was even though the call got cut off, etc.) but the movie is still very enjoyable and a very good movie.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8/10)

The Review of the Lambs

2010-10-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

There are few psychological thrillers that have garnered as much acclaim as The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Gaining rave reviews from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences down to average movie goers who ahve seen this movie in the 20 years that it has been released.

That being said, I had the pleasure of enjoying this movie, joining those masses, for the first time. Fromt he very beginning of the movie, you know Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster fourteen years after inspiring a man to try and kill Reagan) is not your typical female protagonist, instead of seeing her due her hair or prepare breakfast we see her for the first time as she completes a FBI training obstacle course. I was immediately intrigued by this new role of a woman in a movie with a serial killer.

But more on that later, for first I must discuss the movie as a whole before discussing it's parts, and boy is there a lot to discuss. I shall begin with the script a great place to start when discussing any movie. Primarily the moments (all 16 minutes worth of screen time [Yeah, Hannibal Lecter is only on screen for 16 minutes]). The script is sharper than Buffalo Bills blades, cutting with an intensity rarely seen. The movie's source was that of Ed Gein, the Wisconsin madman who made a three piece suit out of female flesh, as well as decorating his home with their bones, tne M.O. of Gein also inspired (albeit loosely) Psycho (1960) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). The similarities with both those movies ends there, as this is a whole new level of fictionalization here, mainly that of the plot. I think that for this movie's script to not walk off with that golden effigy of a man and a sword, would have been the all time Oscar snub.

Next comes the direction from Jonathan Demme. Demme may have created some of the best "across the table" showdown scenes of all time when he filmed the scenes with Starling and Lecter, true cinematic genius. Furthermore, there are all the great scenes in Buffalo Bill's lair, and so on and so forth. The pacing is tremendous, the movie clocks in at just under two hours, yet it seems to move faster than some movies 2/3rds that length, easily making Demme worth his Oscar.

Speaking of Oscars, how about I discuss the other two people to win Oscars for this movie: Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, and did they earn them. Foster is truly stunning as Starling, she balances the tough facade and the innocent girl buried beneath it. Both fierce and timid, Foster earns her Oscar again and again with every line and every scene. And the same goes for Hopkins, despite his aforementioned lack of screen time. My only problem with this movie is Hopkins "physicality." He nails the part of psychotic intellectual with an unrivaled fervor, and yet they present Hannibal Lecter as able to over power larger and stronger police officers, as well and raising a body and supporting it from the ceiling all by himself. I don't find it hard to believe a man could do that, I find it hard to believe THAT man did it. That minor transgression aside I can't think of anyone I would have rather played Dr. Lecter.

This movie is probably as close to being the perfect psychological thriller as one can imagine: smart, frightening, and insanely well made The Silence of the Lambs delivers on every aspect.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

I might make this a recurring theme when I watch movies with parodies... but here's something a little lighter.

Top 5: My Top 5 Movie Reviews and Top 5 Reviewed Movies.

2010-10-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Call me egocentric (don't actually) but in honor of my blog's two month anniversary I thought I would go through and do a special Top 5, my personal Top 5 Movie Reviews.

I've reviewed several movies ranging from comedies to dramas, and as suchmy reviews have changed. And at the same time I'll then rank the 5 best movie's I've reviewed.

Now I won't do the sub reviews I do on most Top 5's mainly because there will be links to the actual reviews

TOP 5 REVEWS:

5. Network (1976)
4. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966)
3. Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
2. Unforgiven (1992)
1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

My Top five movie's I reviewed (these are not my top movies of all time, just the ones I've reviewed)

5. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
4. Unforgiven (1992)
3. The Wild Bunch (1969)
2. The Deer Hunter (1977)
1. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966)

So there's my take on the brief history of my blog, so yeah... hooray for two months!

A Mo7ie Re7iew

2010-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

I hope from the title you were able to infer what movie I'd be discussing in this particular blog post. If you haven't it's the 1995 David Fincher crime movie Se7en. Being that the only Fincher movie I've seen is Fight Club (1999), and some of my friends have chastised me for that *cough*David*cough* and I've decided to now go and master the entire Fincher catalogue, this time with one of his movies I've been meaning to see for years, the aformentioned Se7en.

The movie is obviously from the man who directed Fight Club, the lighting, music, and over all feel just reek of Fight Club, or I should say that Fight Club reeks of this movie due to their respective release dates. The movie reflects the script in a truly dark mirror, with a perfectly matched atmosphere for the dark dialogue and the grotesque imagery, especially during the opening scene portraying the Glutton victim.

I can see why some people would have an (albeit unhealthy) obsession with David Fincher. The movie plays out beautifully, every shot builds tension, and every line of dialogue is vital, no throw away scenes are in the 127 minute run time of this movie. The movie is full of gorgeous scenes, such as Somerset (Morgan Freeman) walking through the library to classical music, a brilliant juxtaposition to the horrors of the two crimes that procede this moment.

The John Doe killer is one of the most inventive I've seen put on screen, where as many killers have motives based on revenge, etc, John Doe doesn't really have a motive, well punishing the wicked is a motive, but the over all randomness of his victims is scary, scarier than a freak in a hockey mask or a tacky sweater.

The Chemistry between the actors also plays a big part of this movie, Morgan Freeman is brilliant (of course) delivering a great performance of a man who is at the end of his rope. He sees a city around him dying of rabies, and he's doing everything he can to whip the flecks from it's mouth. And we also get a strong performance from Brad Pitt, balancing out Freeman's intellectual, cultured, cop that's tired of the city with a young brash detective trying to make a name for himself. The two bounce off eachother quite well and as such create one of the best cop teams of film history.

Over all this movie is one of the best Crime movies and dare I say over all movies I've ever seen. From now on this movie will be one of my "If you liked that, you should see..." reference points. I say Kudos to Andrew Kevin Walker and David Fincher for one hell of a film.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.75/10)

And after such a heavy movie I think we all could use a laugh... don't you?

A Review of Blood

2010-10-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

It seems hard for someone like me to review a work, this time Throne of Blood (1957) of one of the truly great auteurs, Akira Kurosawa, mainly because I'm an untrained cinematic observer, and as such my opinions matter little, but I give them anyways... because I'm just like that. I'm am still a Kurosawa neophyte, but it is within my powers to declare this a masterpiece of a movie and second only to his greatest film, and one of the all time classics: The Seven Samurai (1951).

The movie is supposed to be Macbeth transposed to feudal Japan, and as such is full of all the bloodshed and political turmoil that are the hallmarks for that play. Now to make a confession, I have not read Macbeth, and as a former drama student I rarely utter the word, but after observing the majesty of this movie, I will begin a reading of Macbeth shortly, despite my disdain for William Shakespeare.

Throne of Blood has all the hallmarks of a Kurosawa flick, There are duels, political back stabbing, and Toshihiro Mifune. All of which work perfectly. As per the usual, the cinematography is gorgeous, capturing the emotion and the action with a sweet eye for detail possessed by a select few directors, the elites of the elite. Kurosawa truly is one of these blessed few. We get gorgeous wide shots of feudal palaces, but we also get Leone style close ups (But a certain Japanese director did come first). Furthermore this is one of the few Black and White movies that is ultimately vibrant, a rarity in a dark medium.

Like I said I have not read Macbeth, but I do notice the high flowing dialogue typical of Billy S. is lost in this movie, instead being replaced by the very succinct and formal dialect of the Samurai, furthering how Kurosawa takes the bare bones structure of Macbeth and turns it into his own story.

Mifune is truly stunning Taketoki Washizu, also known as Macbeth. His inner conflict is beautifully portrayed to the watcher, as he wrestles with committing high treason to obtain some power. Although I don't watch a lot of Japanese cinema, Mifune truly stands out as one of the finest from that particular nation, stealing all of the Kurosawa movies I have seen him in.

But also turning in a strong performance is Isuzu Yamada, portraying Lady Asaji (Lady Macbeth). If this were a Bugs Bunny cartoon she would the Bugs dressed as a devil who sits on the shoulder of the real Bugs Bunny. Cruel and Calculating she truly personifies the Rudyard Kipling quote "The female of the species is more deadly than the male." I was quite surprised with her strong performance, and will hunt for more of her movies.

Over all Kurosawa captures all the right Shakespearean touches, while making the movie his own, all at the same time. If you haven't seen this movie check it out, even with a minimal knowledge of Macbeth, you won't be left in the dark. The script is strong, the acting, stronger, and the direction stronger still. Kurosawa hits not just a home run, but a grand slam.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 2:DC

2010-10-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

Alright, here's the highly anticipated sequel to my earlier blog post, you can stop holding your breaths now. As you can assume, based off the title, this section is devoted to those crazy bastards over at DC.

BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE 5 (of 6)
Words by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Ryan Sook

Okay, so I haven't been a fan of this series... I mean, it's been kind of fun, but the covers are far and away the best part of this series. And this issue is no exception. The story is kind of.... well, an accurate description is cluster fuck. Bruce arrives in the 20s and is conned by... his mother (?) into becoming a "bat man" to help pull off a scam, but then the scam is revealed to be... getting Bruce to be a sacrifice in the family cemetery of Wayne Manor. Okay, so my reaction when I set this down was What the Fuck? I just... I really don't know what to say... I mean, the art was good but... that's not enough to salvage a comic with story this bad. Sorry Morrison, you get my only pass of the week. I just can't wait until this arc is done, Wayne returns and a new guy takes over Batman.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS this issue (4/10)

GREEN LANTERN #58
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Doug Mahnke

The issue starts with The Butcher (The Red Lanterns Entity) causing hell at a prison, but we don't get a lot of that... but I do appreciate the foreshadowing. The issue is much more episodic than I would like, working more like a really good BD issue as opposed to a strictly GL tale, but that doesn't hurt it at all. For me (being a hopeless romantic) I kind of would have liked more between Carol and Hal, but overall the issue has little to knit pick, balancing out the 'meh' BD series that Johns is also working on.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #3
Words by: Peter Tomasi
Art by: Fernando Pasarin

This is a series quickly climbing the ranks of things I look forward to. In the main GL title, we have Hal being a fine upstanding guy, but in Emerald Warriors we get Guy being Guy, leading a rag tag group of Kilowag, Arisia, and now Bleez. The story looks like it's going to turn into the catalyst of the next GL crossover (seems all of DC's crossovers have to involve the GL corp, but whatever) Anyways, the story and art are both equally strong and we get to see some badassery, so check this series out if you like good comics.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #11
Words by Judd Winick
Art by: Aaron Lopresti

And the love affair continues. I know I gush for this series like the media gushed for Obama, but it's worth it... for serious. The story now pits the JLI against the Metal Men (and woman) thanks to Max Lord reprogramming them. The two teams fight hard, but then the Metal Men unite and become a mega Metal... person. This series continues to be my favorite DC publication at the moment, with smart writing, cool art and the only direct BD tie in that does anything. I think I might be at that point where all I have left to say is gushing compliments, so I'll cut this review short.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10)

So there's this weeks DC stuff... that I bought. Check some of that stuff out if you feel like reading some good stuff, but avoid B:TRoBW

Comic Book Wednesday Part 1: Marvel

2010-10-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Alright, another week of comics has come and sadly gone, so it seems like its time for me to tell you what comics you should pick up, provided you have bad taste and didn't pick these up already (well, in some game good taste should have scared you away) So here we go with some reviews and cynicism.

DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #2
Words by: Dan Way and Marjorie Liu
Art by: Giuseppe Camuncoli

I was really pleased with Issue #1 of this series, but often times strong initial issues are followed with lackluster sequels... luckily this is another strong issue. Continuing the story from Wolverine #1 Daken finds himself dealing with Wolverine's body that is causing all kinds of hell (no pun intended) here on Earth while Logan fights his way through scores of people he's already killed. The majority of this issues works around Daken sweet talking Mystique out on a date, only for Wolverine to cut in. The writing is great as Way and Liu bring a nice balance of manliness and a feminine touch, I've met Dan, but not Marjorie so my knowledge of her is slim, but Dan's touch is very much on this story. The art is kind of... well, it's not bad, but it's not great the facial proportions of Daken change a little too much for my like, but it's not enough to detracts from the story.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

INVADERS NOW! 2 (of 5)
Words by: Alex Ross and Christos Gage
Art by: Caio Reis

If you are one of my faithful readers, you observed me giving the first issue in this mini a 6.5/10 and a mediocre review... Ross and Gage really stepped it up with this issue, providing a really strong story that looks at what happens in war and when their can be justification, and what's too far. Frankly, the issue was pretty damn good, except the art is kind of weak. When I look at comic art I want strong form and nice color, this art is just not good enough for the quality of writing that Ross and Gage put down in this issue.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #31
Words by: Matt Fraction
Art by: Salvador Larroca

So these Marvel guys seriously like making me eat my words. If you remember I said that IIM is getting ready to jump the shark and gave the last issue a pass... so Matt Fraction reads my blog* and uped the quality of this issue. Where the last few issues have been lame Eco-Friendly tales, this last story gets back to what Iron Man is all about, sex, tech, and explosions. This seems to be a recurring theme, but the art was a little... weird. I mean, I know Larroca is talented, seeing it from #1-31 of this series, but there were some things off this issue. The Story is starting to return to the High Quality that the series began with, and I am very pleased with that, being that IIM was one of my favorites, it might just sneak back into that elite group.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

*Yes I know Matt Fraction has never even heard of my blog, I just like to dream

SHADOWLAND #4 (of 5)
Words by: Andy Diggle
Art by: Billy Tan

Holy Shit. Yeah I started my review of The Boys #47 that way, so you should know how this review will end. That being said I will still give you a nice review. The story is really coming to it's climax now, we see a loose collection of street level heroes on their way to kill Matt Murcok, needless to say, they don't succeed. But the issue ends on a high note, Matt laughing off Wolverine who ended a leap with all six claws into the Man without fear. For one of the best crossovers of the fall, this issue ranks among the best and it seems like the climax next month will be some of the most exciting stuff of the year.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10)

SHADOWLAND: BLOOD ON THE STREETS 3 (of 4)
Words by: Antony Johnston
Art by: Wellington Alves

This subseries has been pretty interesting, a series of murders that match the Hand's M.O... but it's not them! And as such, there is a mystery that several of the detective characters have been working on, despite all that's going on. This issue reveals some clues, but they obviously won't be revealed until next months #4. The plot continues to be good stuff, and I am very much so intrigued by this series and am really sad that it's going to end.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

Unreviewed

2010-10-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

When Westerns started they were violent and cruel, like The Great Train Robbery (1911), short sweet and packed with cops shooting bandits, bandits shooting cops, and an explosion here and there. Then dialogue came, and Westerns (like the real west) were tamed a bit. Then a man by the name of Sergio Leone teamed up with a young T.V. actor named Clinton Eastwood Jr. (coming off Rawhide). Leone had an idea, take the samurai classic Yojimbo (1961) and move it to the west. The result, of course, was A Fistful of Dollars (1964), one of the most influential westerns of all time. The same tones and themes would carry on through the rest of the "Dollars" trilogy, and then Eastwood would adopt a similar style for his own directorial attempts, such as High Plains Drifter (1973), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and then his most acclaimed Western, Unforgiven (1992)

Unforgiven is obviously a post-Dollars, post-Wild Bunch (1969) Western, with real cussing and real violence, no beautiful vistas and "pure hero" John Wayne types riding in to save the day from marauding Indians. The men portrayed here are truer to that of the real west, violent despicable people trying to use the west as a refuge from civilization. And yet, in all this is a man trying to reform from his past: William Munny (Clint Eastwood). If you've read Old Man Logan, you know the character type. A man who used to be violent, meets a nice young lady and reforms... actually, that sounds an awful lot like the Saint of Killers mini from Preacher, now that I think about it.

There are also a few story lines that start separately, but get twisted into one solid yarn. There is that of Munny, hired by a young man to seek vengeance on a violent cowboy who cut up a member of the worlds oldest profession. The girls "lover" comes across Munny and get's him (literally) back in the saddle to serve as gun for hire to get vengeance. But, no man can go it alone in a western, Munny's first stop is to Little Bill Dagget (the demi god Morgan Freeman) the two agree for one last hoorah and are off on the war path.

Then there is the tale of Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman in an Oscar winning role), the sheriff of Big Whiskey. His tale is mainly noted by the English Bob arc, an unnecessary series of scenes with Richard Harris as a gun fighter from England with the reward on his mind. The Bob character could have been omitted, and doesn't serve the plot in any way at all.

The acting is all top notch, with Eastwood receiving a Best Actor nom, Hackman receiving the Oscar, and Freeman being Freeman... but the Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) is the weak link. I mean, it's probably not so much his acting as it is the way he was written. But he's very one dimensional. He's cocky, arrogant, plagued with hubris, and a big ego. Yes, I know those all mean the same thing... because that's all he is. I was a little let down by this character, because the rest of the cast is fleshed out beautifully, but he is just a cheeky buggar. Well, let me retract that,with 20 minutes to go in the movie, he does show some remorse and humility... but in a 2 hour movie 20 minutes isn't much.

All in all this is a damn fine movie, probably Eastwood's best (acting) movie. The story (with the exception of English Bob) is superb and ranks high amongst the best Westerns ever committed to film, probably making my top 5.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

The Enforcer: a Review

2010-10-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

Ah the tried and true Cop movie formula, grizzled veteran forced to work with a rookie that is book smart, but has no experience. The former never likes the rookie, mainly because they are green behind the ears, and know the law, but have never enforced it. The rookie continues to try and prove themselves, but in vain until later in the movie when the rookie does something to show they can be just as grizzled as the senior. Follow that scene up with a "Louis, this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship" kind of scene and you have yourself a cop movie.

This formula gets used in The Enforcer (1976), the third movie in the classic Dirty Harry series. For this feature the grizzled veteran is (of course) 'Dirty' Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood), who is forced to work with a new partner, rookie homicide detective Kate Moore (Tyne Daly).

The movie is standard Dirty Harry fare, Harry foils a crooks plan using his own brand of bad assery, then uncovers a grander plot. Along the way Harry clashes with his superiors, yet continues to do his job. The main difference is the romantic subplot, true there was one in Magnum Force (1973) but this one is different because the context is not a horny neighbor, but instead a cute partner, who Harry takes a liking too because she doesn't take his crap. And she falls for him because... well... in movies every girl falls for the bad boy with good intentions.

Beyond the obvious formulas, the movie is not bad. The villains are a group of terrorists who have been bombing buildings and taking hostages, all the while extorting the city like Scorpio in the first movie. Although the villains are slightly more fleshed out than those in Magnum Force, they are better because unlike Magnum Force, you can't see justification to their actions. These people aren't violating the laws to try and defeat other lawbreakers, they're breaking the law to get money, a much more malicious pursuit.

Clint Eastwood brings the same ferocity to the role that he brought in DH and MF, no doubt about that. But it's not a truly great performance.

More impressive in this movie was Tyne Daly, who shows a nice range of emotion and a nice arc of maturation from beginning to end, developing the streetwise skills she needs to not only defeat terrorists, but to also win the heart of Harry Callahan. Daly was a strong counter balance to Harry, providing a female edge to an otherwise testosterone laden movie.

Overall, the movie is pretty good. It's not the best in the series, but it's not the worst. I do recommend the movie, but I recommend Dirty Harry more.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8/10)

Comic Book Wednesday the You should probably ge tused to these coming on thursday Edition Part 3: The Rest

2010-10-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

THE BOYS #47
Words by Garth Ennis
Art by: Russ Braun

Holy Shit. This issue was good. Like high up there for best The boys issue good. And that's saying something. The way Ennis portrays Butcher and Hughie at the beginning of the issue, then Annie and Hughie, and Finally showing us a glimpse of The Homelander scheming this issue sets up all kinds of hell to come, for The boys AND The Seven. Without a doubt this is a must read series, and this issue which concludes the BELIEVE arc maybe be exhibit A-F in the case to prove it. Although it doesn't really talk about Believe, this does give some closure to the main elements of that arc, and as a direct result sets up the next arc.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10) Get used to those in this section.

METALOCALYPSE: DETHKLOK #1
Words by: Brendon Small, Jon Schnepp, and Jeremy Barlow
Art by: Lucas Marangon

To appreciate this issue, you must like the show. STOP! If you don't like the show don't read this review or this issue, you won't like it. The plot is simple, the band endorses some frozen foods and causes mayhem. The humor then comes from the same kind of dialogue and situational black humor that makes the show great. The only problem was the song at the end, it's one thing to listen to metal... it's another to read it with no music, but that's a nit pick. I laughed quite a bit during the reading of this issue and I think you will too if you like the show.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

NANCY N HELL #3 (of 4)
Words by: El Torres
Art by: Antonio Vasquez

This issue is actually deep. While the first two have been exploitation fun, this one actually questions the superiority of humans to angels, and makes Lucifer reexamine himself, giving us a unique look on the Fallen Angel himself. The art is pretty consistent with what the rest of the series has had, just good gory fun. Overall this series has turned into a hidden gem, which I'm afraid most people will miss out on. if you like chainsaws, the undead, demons, and hot chicks you'll love this series.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.5/10)

NEONOMICON #2
Words by: Alan Moore
Art by: Jacen Burrows

remember in my first post when I linked to my friend D**** S****'s blog? Well, me and him have been waiting like crackheads for a rock for this issue, and it doesn't disappoint. The story is full of more Lovecraft references than the first, and finds Brears having sex with an old one in the final panels. The plot gets the two agents undercover, where they are invited to a ritual, trying to get a lead on Carcosa. But the ritual is actually an orgy and Brears finds herself being raped by a hideous monster after watching her partner get shot in the face. This is a very graphic issue, with lots of sex, dicks, and blood, so if you are squeamish at all, pass on this issue, or better have someone read it too you, because you don't want to miss this one.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10)

SCALPED #41
Words by: Jason Aaron
Art by: R.M. Guera

The Unwanted Arc is probably the best of the series thus far, mainly because it has allowed for so much characterization of Dashiell and Carol, and this issue doesn't slow that down. We open with a flashback to Carol's mother, then we return to the modern with Carol dealing with her pregnancy by consulting Dino Poorbear, another of the Rez's parents with a lot of troubles. But the gem of this issue is Dashiell and Carol searching for each other through out the town, Dashiell learning carol has kicked the drug habit, and Carol learning Dashiell has been distancing himself from her father, ending in them finding each other in a "romantic" passing. Just like this week's The Boys, this issue ranks up with some of the best Scalped issues.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10)

Comic Book Wednesday the You should probably ge tused to these coming on thursday Edition Part 2: DC

2010-10-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah, with all the Marvel and Miscellaneous comics I read I only had skrilla to buy 1 DC, and it was

BRIGHTEST DAY #11
Words by: Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi
Art by: Ivan Reis

I am going to assume Geoff Johns reads my blog, and that's why he has taken BD from crap to one of the best issues I read this week. The opening bit is clearly the best, setting up a massive conflict between Black Lanterns and the raised White Lanterns, all while claiming the new saviour. FINALLY PLOT!!! seeing the big splash page of the black lanterns was nice, and I am pleased to report there wasn't a single utterance of the phrase "Why were we brought back?" the entire issue. #11 knocks it out of the park and rivals some of the best BN issues. (even though most of the early BD stuff was shit).

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

Yeah, I gave a Brightest Day issue a 9, maybe 'm just getting softer in my old age.

Comic Book Wednesday the You should probably ge tused to these coming on thursday Edition Part 1: Marvel

2010-10-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

So, I read a LOT of comics this week (11 to be exact) and I have a big chunk of marvel stuff, so I'm going to get right into the whole review thing i do.

Also, sorry about not having a review last CBW, but I only got 3 issues, and I didn't think you would need those reviews.

DEADPOOLMAX #1
Words by: David Lapham
Art (and I use the term lightly) by: Kyle Baker

I will begin this review with three words, and because it's a MAX title I won't get censored: WHAT THE FUCK?! I have said a few times I'm tired of all the Deadpool titles, yet I always buy them and this one... ugh... this one was a waste of $4. First off, Hydra Bob's role is the ass slave of a gangster, now I know HB isn't the toughest guy, but aren't there better ways of infiltrating the mob that letting the mob infiltrate you? Second, this should have been called Hydra Bob MAX, because Deadpool is hardly in this, like Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, the name has nothing to do with the contents. The story uses the MAX imprint to it's full extent giving us blood, swearing, and sex... but that doesn't make an issue good. Especially when the art sucks this much. I love the cartoony style that some artist's have, particularly Jason Howard of Image, but Baker's was cartoony without proportion, realism, or anything redeeming.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS on this issue (4/10)

DEADPOOL PULP #2 (of 4)
Words by: Mike Benson and Adam Glass
Art by: Laurence Campbell

Remember my review of #1 of this series? How it was good but not Deadpool? Well, same problem here. The story is actually really cool, and the art is very slick, but it's just not Deadpool. The humor is very out of place here, and all in all it doesn't fit in with the tone of anything else featuring the Merc with a Mouth. That being said this series could be really good. The dialogue is strong and DINO (Deadpool in Name Only) is a very cool character, vaguely reminiscent of Grendel. I do recommend this issue (and series) because it is a nice Pulpy story, but don't expect the zany antics that define Deadpool, they won't be here.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS if you want a Deadpool story LIKE if you want a good story (8/10)

SHADOWLAND: SPIDER MAN (1 shot)
Words by: Dan Slott
Art by: Paulo Siqueira

In there last two weeks there has only been 1 Shadowland story, but luckily it was pretty good. The story revolves around Spider-man (duh) and Shang-Chi. That's the issues right there. The story mainly works because once Shang Chi touches Mr. Negative he begins to rationalize DD's plot, and then Spider-Man has to break him free from the spell-y thing. Honestly, this was a nice look at Shadowland from a real world perspective, almost tapping into Watchmen about Why Vigilantism doesn't work, but it's short so don't expect anything new in that discussion. All in all the book was solid from cover to cover, little knowledge of either character is needed, but don't read it without knowledge of SL.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

UNCANNY X-FORCE #1
Words by: Rick Remender
Art by: Jerome Opeña

As a fan of Secret Avengers i decided to read this because the plot synopsis makes this sound like the Secret Avengers of the X-Men. and the first issue has a lot of exposition, realizing most people need an introduction of sorts to the characters, that being said I would have preferred an introduction to the plot. The issue starts with Deadpool discovering a hidden fortress, and then the X-Force has to fight with their demons and then starts making their way to the fortress... we don't know what's in the fortress, we don't know why they need to go to the fortress, we just know they are going to the fortress. you can tell once this book gets going, it'll be a good team book, but as of this issue it's not anything spectacular and as such I can't give it a great score.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (7/10)

WOLVERINE #2
Words by: Jason Aaron
Art by: Renato Guedes
This is easily the must read Marvel book of the week. Wolverine is in Hell and his past is (literally) closing in around him, all the while Satan is laughing about how he's going to break Logan. With words by Aaron you know it'll be good, so you didn't need me to tell you, did you? This series is looking like it will become a memorable run on the character, one that people will be talking about. I love how Aaron balances Earth and hell, creating intrigue on both sides of the Styx, weaving a web that catches up characters and gets them devoured. That being sad, this arc does kind of seem like the poor man's version of The Saint of Killers Mini from Preacher.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

so that's it for Marvel, stay tune for DC, and The Rest.

The Wild Review

2010-10-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

It seems like I've only been reviewing good movies lately, with classics like The Deer Hunter (1978) and modern movies that slid under the radar (Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)) and that streak continues (kind of obviously) with western masterpiece The Wild Bunch (1969), one of the defining works of one Sam Peckinpah.

The movie revolves around the eponymous bunch, a group of ne'er do wells that seem like they could be the Inglorious Basterds (2009) of the Old West. The movie opens with a bloody gun fight, leaving the Bunch with a bag of ~~silver rings~~ washers. The job was supposed to be a last hurrah, but the... undesired loot forces the Bunch to head to Mexico and a showdown with a town caught by the Mexican Revolution of 1913.

Now, when I say The Wild Bunch is like Inglorious Basterds, I mean that it is really like Inglorious Basterds. The plot revolves around a group of ~~basterds~~ bastards who are on a mission. The mission takes them through a foreign country and involves a heavy plot and violence... lots of violence.The main differences are that this movie has one main plot, not several that intertwine, and there is a lot more action than one massive fire fight in a theatre.

The cinematography is gorgeous, capturing both of Mexico's climates, not just desert and not just the more moderate parts. Where Leone captures his men in close ups, Peckinpah employs a wider style, meaning that this movie must be watched in wide screen to truly enjoy it.

The script is fantastic, portraying wild west men as truly wild men, modern barbarians wielding guns instead of clubs. To the 1969 crowd, raised on the exploits of The Duke this movie must have been a swift kick to the cojones. Blood squibs portrayed death not as something that happens to nameless characters on the horizon of the camera's view, but instead as people right in front of the camera, showing the collateral of the big shoot outs shown in movies like this. Furthermore, Tarantino owes a thing or two to this movie, from the editing right down to the style of dialogue Peckinpah paved the way for hyper violent filmmakers like Rodriguez and Tarantino.

And with a script and a director this good, it only makes sense for the acting to be just as good... and it is. And like an good ensemble movie it's about the whole Bunch, not just two guys. Sure Borgnine and Holden get the most lines, but that's because they are the biggest stars of the movie, and not because their characters are more important. Of course William Holden turns in a great performance, the man is a true acting deity, and to expect anything less would be blasphemous. the rest of the cast was strong, but the movie is mostly filled by The Wild Bunch and Mexican extras... who all die.

Over all the movie was not only a tremendous western, but an amazing film. I would not feel bad about putting The Wild bunch alongside The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966), True Grit (1969), High Noon (1952), and my favorite The Man who Shot Liberty Valence (1962).

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

Zombieland: A Review

2010-10-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

I'll admit I don't watch a lot of Zombie movies. Sure, I've seen Night of the Living Dead (1963) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) undeniably the two best zombie movies ever made and some others, and I've read every issue of The Walking Dead, but for the most part zombie cinema has left me by. But there was one Zombie movie that struck a chord with me: Shaun of the Dead (2004).

It was mainly it's use of humor in juxtaposition to the gore that created a brilliant "yin-yang" of a movie, and I figured out what kind of Zombie movie I liked, a satiric tongue in cheek movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't hold back on the gut blowing... or the gut busting.

Zombieland (2009) carries on that tradition of the ZomRomCom started by SotD. Giving the viewer an action filled, comedy, with a side order of romance.

Unlike most movies, the exposition is not laid out in a simple 1st act kind of deal, instead a slow and steady revelation of the characters back stories is actually a truer to life way of things happening, and I enjoy that.

The soundtrack is beautiful, mixing rock and electric music to provide the perfect soundtrack to the zombocolypse, making the heart race and get the adrenaline pumping.

The movie centers on 4 characters: Columbus (Jeese Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), and Wichita (Emma Stone) who make the group from TWD look functional. The four play off each other amazingly and have tremendous chemistry and in a style that most movie casts dream of having. The entire cast is fantastic, especially that guy who shows up about mid way through... his name escapes me. I honestly don't think that with out the rest of the cast any one of these actors could have carried this movie, working truly as a unit this group delivers laughs, tears, and bad ass zombie kills.

Now about the rules, I really liked how they did the rules. It seems almost requisite now that slasher movies address the rules of slasher movies, only to have violations and "self aware" deaths. So it was nice to see a movie handle the rules for Zombie movies in a creative way, not some douche's you know won't see act II laughing about how to avoid Jason.

Overall the movie was good, not as good as SotD, but still a funny and scary movie that requires at least one watch, but deserves a lot more.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)

Review after Review

2010-09-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

Jack the Ripper, one of histories greatest unsolved mysteries. So what if that man escaped the time, and that was how he escaped the law? Perhaps he wasn't found because he was no longer in the Victorian age? That is the central question at the heart of Time after Time (1979) the directorial debut of Nicholas Meyer, the man who would give us the greatest Star Trek movie of all time Wrath of Khan (1982). But Jack comes forward with a special device, The Time Machine... of H.G. Wells design.

In a direct result the author charges through time after the madman, who was one of Wells' close friends (according to the movie). Arriving in the (then) modern times, HG finds himself in a museum exhibit... dedicated to him. From there Wells tracks White Chapel Murderer through San Fransisco... providing a plot hole. In the book The Time Machine, the machine does not travel in multiple dimensions, The machine only travels through time, not over distances. The movie tries to explain this by the time difference that there is in London and Frisco... but that doesn't really make any sense, because the time difference is relative and there fore wouldn't affect the machine, but this movie is science FICTION, not a documentary.

The movie's humor is derived mainly through the counter clash, like Wells consuming McDonald's for the first time, and his ignorance of the World Wars, and one seemingly unneeded scene involves Wells noticing the jeweller has numbers on his fore arm, but no dialogue mentioned it, so Meyer's choice to include the few second shot seems bizarre.

And there is plenty of humor, especially if you know something about HG Wells and his personal life. Mainly his desire for utopia, and how the future is kind of a let down to a futurist like himself. Which results in Jack the Ripper declaring himself "home" after showing Wells (with a TV) the horrors of the 'modern' world including War, Football, and Jimi Hendrix. The Ripper then declares that "90 years ago I was a freak! Now I'm just an Amateur!" Satirizing the regression in true humanity that has happened in the 20th century, all wrapped up in a funny Sci-Fi 'cat and mouse' movie.

Malcolm McDowell stars as HG Wells, and plays him beautifully. At the beginning of the movie he portrays the intellect and hope for the future, during the later acts he handles the 'fish out of water' mentality just as well, if not better. McDowell's physical comedy and deadpan shock at the progression of history, provide most of the humorous side of the movie. But McDowell also adds a human side to Wells, who now is seen as a minor god of Sci-Fi. I really was impressed with McDowell, who I've mainly seen in supporting roles.

And the other man who shares the spotlight is David Warner, as the ultimate Slasher. Warner does not get a lot of face time, but when he does he serves as a dark mirror reflecting that killers and backstabbers (no pun intended) fit in perfectly to our modern world. Warner is creepy, yet intellectual. Brooding, yet disarming. He plays how I picture Jack the Ripper must have been, a 19th century Ted Bundy. But, I have no way to prove that. (And you have no way to disprove it!)

Although now she's most know for roles in Lifetime Original movies and as the mom in RomComs, Mary Steenburgern puts in a nice portrayal of Amy, the woman that Wells falls for in the current time. In a supporting role Steenburgen is able to make a lasting impression and helps develop the human side of Wells.

All in all the movie is fun, even though it is not historically sound... at all. recommend this movie because it's funny, engaging, and has a sprinkle of romance, all adding up to a fun ride.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8/10)

Mean Streets: A review

2010-09-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

For Westerns it was Stagecoach (1939) That epic first team up of two men (John Ford and John Wayne) who would come to change the genre forever.

For Crime Drama it was Mean Streets (1973) when a young director named Martin Scorsese made his first major feature film (after minor movie Boxcar Bertha (1972)) and gave a supporting role to a Robert De Niro, who had a few successes, but was not a true star... yet. Like Ford and Wayne these two men would go on to make many films together that would garner critical and box office success, such as Taxi Driver (1976) and GoodFellas (1990), but it all started with this one.

And what a place to start.

The film tells the story of two men, Charlie (Harvey Keitel) and Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro). The two are friends, but their friendship has some bumps in the road, mainly Johnny Boy's dead beat ways and Charlie's desire to climb the mob ladder, which often times means collecting debts.

The two play off each other amazingly well, with both providing great performances. But De Niro and Keitel are only expected to be great, and when Scorsese is telling them what to do there can be only one out come... a masterpiece of crime cinema.

For a movie that close to the release of The Godfather (1971) I was pleasantly surprised that with the exception of the playful trash can fight, there were no direct allusions or homages. Mean Streets doesn't try to recreate that masterpiece, it tried to be it's own monster, and it succeeds, creating a truly original and masterful look into the mob and the everyday lives of the people that make it in a way that hadn't really been seen before (Well, there was that one movie from a few years before I mentioned).

Like I touched on briefly, Harvey Keitel puts in a strong performance as Charlie. Working off the Scorsese Mardik Martin script to show the conflict of a Catholic in the Mob. The Bible tells him thou shalt not steal... but his boss tells him he should and that creates a conflict, which Keitel handles masterfully. The other main conflict of Charlie is his relationship with Teresa, his epileptic neighbor, whom his "family" has deemed "sick in the head," and there for undateable. So, Charlie has to decide between seeing his girl... and keeping his "family" happy, and adds a romantic subplot to this violent movie.

Although he isn't in the movie nearly as much as Keitel, De Niro turns in a typically amazing performance, but it is not his best. Johnny Boy is a kind of one dimensional character, but De Niro is able to make him seem at the very least 2 and possible 3 dimension, simply because he may be the greatest actor alive today.

All in all this is a very good movie, and should rank up with GoodFellas (1990), Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994) as some of the best Crime movies out there.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)

Top 5: Bad Ass Jedi

2010-09-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

For those that don't know, huge Star Wars fan, I am. And I have been wanting to do this list for a while, and I decided that today is as good as any to finally put fingers to keys.

And one more rule, they have to be from the movies, I don't buy into the whole EU thing.

5: Qui-Gon Jinn
Defining Bad Ass Moment: The One on One with Darth Maul at the start of Phantom.

I know he was only in one episode, but QGJ is still one of the most Bad Ass Jedi's shown, mainly by being that quite guy that you know could beat the shit out of you at the drop of a hat. He is a skilled swordsman, even though Maul beats him, and this combination of prescence, knowledge of the force, and ability to wield a sabre allow him to claim a spot on this list.

4: Luke Skywalker
Defining Bad Ass Moment: The Final Showdown with Vader

Take New Hope out and Luke is actually a pretty tough dude, no longer whining about things he can't control he pulls on his big boy underwear and takes down the empire working his way up from the common stormtrooper to beating his Father, and allowing Vader to realize his destiny and bring balance to the force. The evolution of Luke is a great arc, from farmboy to pilot, to Rebel leader, to Jedi master all in the course of three movies. In the movies no other Jedi is shown to go to Master that fast, let alone doing it with as little training as Luke had.

3: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Defining Bad Ass Moment: The Final fight in Sith

Even though the prequels were no where near as good as the OT, they did give us bad ass Obi-Wan. In Phantom he's a mild mannered padawan, until the end when he fights, and bests, Darth Maul. From there on we see Obi-Wan mature as a truly great swordsman, and we even see him become a General. Let's look at some of the characters Obi-Wan has beaten in Comabt: Darth Maul, General Grievous, and Darth Vader (Anakin had taken the mantle before the fight), who just happen to be three of the most bad ass characters in Star Wars.

2: Yoda
Defining Bad Ass Moment: The Showdown with Dooku

In V and VI we see Yoda old and dying, and his great feats are only hinted at. Then in Phantom Menace we meet a younger Yoda, but we still don't see him fight. Then comes Clones, when Dooku has beaten Obi-Wan and Anakin... but Yoda steps up and gives us one of the best Sabre fights of the entire Saga. In addition to being one of the best swordsmen, Yoda is the only Jedi shown to redirect Sith Lightning with his own hands, not a sabre. Pretty easy being Green, if you ask me.

1: Mace Windu
Defining Bad Ass Moment: When Mace tops the Emperor in a duel.

Palpatine has no problem going through the three Jedi Mace brought with him, but then Mace, the only man able to wield a purple light sabre and look cool doing it, steps up and fights the Emporer into submission, turning him into the wilted piece of wax we see in the OT. It's not until Anakin betrays him and removes his hand that Mace is beaten. Being able to take out Jango fett, and if he had been so inclined, the Emperor, it's hard to imagine a more bad ass Jedi that Mace.

There's another award winning* top 5 from Dr. B. I hope you agree... because if you don't tha means you're wrong.

*Best Blog at the 2010 Vulcan Blog Awards

Top 5: Futurama Episodes

2010-09-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

Alright, this just struck me as a good thing to do, being that Futurama is one of my favorite shows ever, and I've seen every episode, time to impart my wisdom on you, dear reader, and show you the top 5 Futurama episodes of all time.

5. Brannigan Begin Again

Why it's Awesome: Short Version: Zapp Brannigan recreating scenes from Midnight Cowboy. Longer version, This is Zapp's finest episode, showing him to be one of the greatest TV characters of all time. In 'Loves Labours Lost in Space" we are introduced to Zapp, but her we meet him, and we see that he's a shallow, lonely, horrid, pitiable, and the greatest Captain Kirk parody of all time. The humor continues from beginning to end, and this episode sticks out among the best. Just ask IGN who also named this episode #5.

4. The Luck of the Fryish

Why it's Awesome: In a show that's as funny as Futurama, it's hard to imagine that there would be some truly touching episodes, and the greatest one of these is The Luck of the Fryish in which we see Fry mature a bit, and we learn about how Fry became the man-boy he is today, but we also get a touching story of the love brothers have, even if they don't always show it. I couldn't pick Jurassic Bark because I hate dogs, and I couldn't pick The Sting, because it's too trippy, I had to pick the Luck of the Fryish because it's beautiful and displays the kind of story telling that the new episodes missed.

3. War is the H-Word

Why it's Awesome: As a fan of Starship Troopers, M*A*S*H, Star Wars, and War movies in general, this episode went straight to my heart, touching all sorts of things I love and illustrating them in a way that is beautiful and original, amalgamating all sorts of different pieces into a beautiful puzzle. The episode truly shines in the extended M*A*S*H parody scene, with Zoidberg, iHawk, and the Squid Nurse thing. A satire on War itself, this episode does what the new episodes couldn't, blend satire and the style of humor that made Futurama unique, and not just The Simpsons in space.

2. The Farnsworth Parabox

Why it's Awesome: This episode doesn't have the heart wrenching emotion of my #4, or the satire of #3, but it has humor... lots and lots of humor. Ranging from the various universes to the interactions of Universe 1 and Universe A this episode has quite possibly the sharpest script of any of the episodes and has been a favorite of mine since I saw it for the very first time. The only part of the episode I didn't like was the lack of alternate Zapp and Kif, how epic would that have been?

1. Where No Fan has gone before

Why it's Awesome: It's got everything amazing: Zapp. The Shat. And more Star Trek references than an episode of Star Trek. Being a Trekkie (We're taking the word back) I can't pick any other episode as better, mainly because the tongue in cheek presentations of the actors was so brilliant, I couldn't help but love it. The plot is strong, with a nice framing device and so many excellent references to TOS that you might need to have seen all the episodes of TOS to get them. Although it won't make you cry from being touched, it will make you cry from laughter. And this episode goes where no other episode has gone before... to the top of a Dr. B Top 5.

So there's my top 5, like it or love it.

Better Review Tomorrow

2010-09-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Fine, I'll admit it, when I think of crime movies I don't think of a bunch of high school aged Asians (one of which is John "Harold" Cho). I know that sounds racist, but I don't mean it that way. Crime movies are supposed to feature mumbling Sicilians or Bible quoting hit men, not Harvard applicants, and thus the MTV (don't judge me) Films movie Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) seems like a bizarre premise for a crime movie.

But, it works.

Much like Election (1999), the movie focuses on the over stressed upper echelon of the high school, and how often times they are not the squeaky clean future rulers of the world they appear to be. And this is how Daric begins a Fight Club like manipulation, taking the Academic Decathletes and insults them, tricks them, and over all uses them to run his various criminal enterprises which go from cheat sheets to cocaine use to a little bit of murder.

I'm kind of surprised, but MTV (A channel I despise for it's lack of music and it's abundance of 'reality' shows) has made two of my favorite high school movies, delivering winning satires of the group I avoided contact with, the Valedictorians, mainly because one broke my heart, but that's a story for another day.

Furthermore, this movie, and Justin Lin directs one heck of a movie, capturing the actors with a brilliant use of wide angles and close ups that would make Sergio Leone proud. The editing is (pardon the pun) fast and furious, capturing the 'on the edge' style of the lives of the characters.

The acting is superb, with all the actors bringing a true sense of high school angst to their respective roles, but the screen is mainly occupied by Parry Shen as Ben, who plays the classic crime archetype of "Well meaning Guy sucked into crime" See Michael Corleone, Henry Hill, The Narrator from Fight Club, etc. And as the rule of crime movies goes, the "WmGsiC" must go down, and that is no different here.

For anyone that has had the honor of listening to one of my rants on Heathers (1989), they know my lack of love for that movie comes from it's lack of like able characters, horrid script, etc. This movie succeeds where Heathers fails, where the latter fails to make the satiric points it strives for, Better Luck Tomorrow beautifully mixes Fight Club, Goodfellas and Election to create an amazing High school satire, and an interesting crime movie to boot.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)

The Deer Reviewer

2010-09-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Wow.

At this moment, I can't think a better reaction to the 1978 Best Picture winner, The Deer Hunter. To call this movie a masterpiece is to insult it, to call it near perfection is still a slight. I, as an amateur movie buff and reviewer, don't even feel worthy to critique it, positively or negatively, but here I go.

The movie begins with a wedding, for one of the men in a group of steelworkers. The opening scenes establish the drunken revelry of a bachelor party, followed with the wedding and three of the men: Nick, Steve, and Mike (Christopher Walken, John Savage, and Robert De Niro) going off to the 'Nam.

There various things happen, but they can be summed up mainly in two words: Russian Roulette.

I could say more, but I don't want to spoil the movie, which, I will say now, I highly recommend.

The script is tight, with a strong sense of friendship between the guys, romance between De Niro and Streep, the horrors of war, and many more topics are covered with a maturity and a skill not usually seen.

In addition, the actors portraying the script could not have been better, first I'll start with the Deity that is Robert Di Nero. This man is easily among the top 5 actors to ever live. When I was watching him I could only imagine him as being Michael Vronsky (Travis Bickle who?) for a man who has defined method acting for 40+ years he was so immersed in the role you forget this man has been nominated for 6 Oscars, you actually start to think they got a real guy to play the part.

Next. Chri.sto.pher. Wa.lken. At times, its hard to remember Christopher Walken has done things other than demand Will Ferrell give him more cowbell, and stash a watch up his ass. But, this turn gave him an Oscar, and he deserved it. His turn as Nick was fantastic, and I dare to say probably his best. I dare anyone to watch the final RR scene and not get a lump in your throat. I never thought I'd say it, but there is a movie with Robert Di Nero... and he doesn't give the best performance.

Next, the girl that both men pined after, Meryl Streep... that's pretty much all I have to say here and you know how the performance was. Streep brought a subtlety to the role that was needed, being the girl two men were fighting to get back too. I could go on, but with Maryl Streep giving her praise is almost cliche.

The rest of the acting is very strong, but these three easily cast a shadow over the rest and make the movie their own.

For a sophomore film, Michael Cimino knocks it out of the park, and earned all 5 of the Oscars this movie received. I truly cannot heap enough praise on this movie, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

Comic Book Wednesday (The "sorry-about-all-these-late-editions" Edition) Part 3: The Rest

2010-09-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

So I know Icon is a Marvel imprint, but i put vertigo here, so why not put Icon here as well?

NEMESIS #3 (of 4)
Words by: Mark Millar
Art by: Steve McNiven

Only Millar would have a super villain impregnate a girl, using her gay brothers sperm... and then rig her womb to destroy itself if the baby inside is destroyed. Keeping his monopoly on awesome bad ass stories, Millar delivers an action packed extravaganza, while continuing to embolden the legacy of one of the greatest villains ever to hit comics. McNiven's art is as brutal as Millar's writing and the only bad part of this issue is that it's arrival means there's only one more issue of Nemesis.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10)

THE WALKING DEAD #77
Words by: Robert Kirkman
Art by: Charlie Adlard

this issue seems more like it's setting up the next arc than telling it's own story, but I'm okay with that because it means there's more TWD coming! Other than that nothing MAJOR happens, other than Glenn is going back to the city (setting up the arc called "No Way Out") and Rick capitally punished Pete, which will set up social and in community political fall out, but in this issue there's no more of that. I like the issue because it is setting up a bunch of stuff, but let's just see if Kirkman can capitalize on that.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

Comic Book Wednesday (The "sorry-about-all-these-late-editions" Edition) Part 2: DC

2010-09-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

So, as usual I read some DCU stuff as well, and here's the reviews of those issues.

THE FLASH #5
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Francis Manapul

In a continuation of the time-travelling what have you fest story line, The Flash and the rogues square off against the futuristic Renegades and... yeah... that's pretty much the issue. The fighting takes the first 13 pages, then we get a mind trip after The flash breaks Mirror Master's mirror and unleashes the Mirror Lords, then the flash is taken back to the future for trial. That's pretty much it. the Art is superb, in my opinion, with a cartoon edge, and an almost JRjr feel, but the story lacks emotion and a reason to care.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (7/10)

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #52
Words by: Tony Bedard
Art by: Ardian Syaf

This issue was another 'meh' issue in a week of 'meh' issues. I believe the problem is that brightest day has failed to make me care about it, and this issue is trying to advance the BD story line... therefore I don't really care. I mean, I understand that cyborg Superman was menacing, but this whole arc has been kind of lame and not really engaging. The cover makes t seem like there will be an epic showdown, CSM gets his beating in 3 panels. sorry DC, you are really turning me off to your stuff.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS this issue (5/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #10
Words by: Judd Winick
Art by: Joe Bennett

Much like my hate for BMB, my faithful readers will know I love this series. And this issue just keeps the awesome train going. this time they finally reveal what War Max Lord needs to stop... by recreating the future and showing Magog and his brigade fighting parasite, who rips open Captain Atom... and starts the events of Kingdom Come. FINALLY! MEANING IS GIVEN TO THE EVENTS OF A BRIGHTEST DAY TITLE!!!! THERE IS PURPOSE!!! THERE IS A CONNECTION!!!! The quest to to remember Max is still cool, with the dynamics of the JLI still working and making this a very cool read, especially if you're a fan of KC.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

so, not a lot of DC stuff, and not a lot of good DC stuff... hopefully there will be some good titles in the 'The Rest section' *spoiler alert... there are*

Comic Book Wednesday (The "sorry-about-all-these-late-editions" Edition) Part 1: Marvel

2010-09-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

Alright, first I haven't posted anything recently because I lost my password. That having been said here is my comic reviews for yesterday, starting with Marvel.

HIT+MONKEY 3 (OF 3)
Words by: Dan Way
Art by: Dalibor Talajic

I am actually kind of sad that it will be a while before I get more Hit Monkey. And so I was going into this issue with a heavy heart, luckily Way and Talajic delivered a good final issue. continuing from the first issues in this mini Hit Monkey andto this series. That being said, this issue just felt like it was missing something... I'm not sure what, but- oh yeah, I do know... an end. We go from HM taking out some Yakuza guys to flying through a city with a cheesy "You are a legend... a Killer of Killers... forever to be known as... Hit-Monkey!" 'The End.' Leaving a whole slew of questions as to how HM goes fro Bullseye are set to face off for a final time, and the wait was worth it, seeing Hit Monkey do his bad ass monkey thing was awesome (punching Bullseye, hitting him with nunchucks, Seducing women... kind of) was an awesome end m this Year One mission to the Monkey Business arc of Deadpool. I liked the issue, don't get me wrong, but it just needed a better ending.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (7.75/10)

SECRET AVENGERS #5
Words by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: David Aja

This issue has the same pitfall of Shadowland: Moonknight #1 (of 3)... It's not really a Secret Avengers tale. sure Steve Rogers is there, Nick Fury pops up, you've got Sharon Carter as well... but that's it. It's much more like Brubaker's earlier Cap stuff than Secret Avengers 1-4. A Nick Fury LMD shows up and begins to raise all kinds of hell, but this issue is pretty much all back story, that 'm sure will become vital for #6, but as a stand alone it could be better. The Art is good, and I believe that this issue has potential to set up a really cool arc, and my score is based more on that than anything else.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

SHADOWLAND: DAUGHTERS OF THE SHADOW (2 of 3)
Words by: Jason D. Henderson
Art by: Ivan Rodriguez

I liked the first issue of this mini quite a bit, I enjoyed be introduced to some bad ass females, but this issue doesn't really build upon that. I mean, the story is decent, starting with some liberating and then some more liberating, and then an attempt at further liberating, then a cliff hanger, but it seems kind of repetitive. Yes, we just saw the nail liberate women in a slave ring two pages ago, I don't think the same group liberating women from the same slave ring just a hand full of pages later makes for a great (or even good) issue. Other than Power Man all the Shadowland stuff has gotten good grades... but sadly, this one ranks more along side PM than it does "Funeral for a Fiend."

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (7/10)

SHADOWLAND: MOONKNIGHT 2 (of 3)
Words by: Gregg Hurwitz
Art by: Bong Dazo

My main problem with the first MK tie in was that it was pretty much Vengeance of the Moonknight #11, not really a SL tie-in, but thankfully this issue not only remedies that, it makes MK a central player in saving NYC. during the Super Hero intervention from previous issues, MK squares off with DD and the beast n DD stares him down, only for Khonshu to show up and scare the beast off. Marc then begins to wonder what happened, and Khonshu explains that he's the only one who knows how to kill the beast and we get the set up of how the beast will be killed, and some foreshadowing that Matt will die. this was easily the best Marvel issue this week, with cool art and a great story reestablishing MK as a bad ass, I can't wait for #3 and the rest of SL.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

ULTIMATE MYSTERY #3 (of 4)
Words by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: Rafa Sandoval

Some of my faithful readers will realize I hate BMB, yet I read his stuff mainly because I get in and then I need to know how it ends. And UM is nearly over... THANK GOD! The story continues to be typical Bendis cluster fucking. "Clever" dialogue matched with mind numbing action and no coherent plot. I really should keep this review short because It's only going to be more and more BMB bashing, which I'm sure most of you don't want to read. I will say this though, BMB has made Ben Grimm a human again... what the fuck?

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS this issue (4/10)

And there's my Marvel list (well, technically Icon is Marvel, but I saved that for the 'The Rest' section) Be sure to check some of this stuff out.

Comic Book Wednesday (The day late edition) Part 2: DC

2010-09-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

As has been typical, I read a lot more Marvel than DC, but here's the DC stuff I read.

BIRDS OF PREY #5
Words by: Gail Simone
Art by: Alvin Lee and Adrianna Melo

Over at the WCM boards I've insulted DC a few times for ripping off Marvel (Batman fighting his way through time to come back from the dead is the main example) and this issue displays a similar rip off. Black Canary is swept off to Hong Knog and is given the reigns to a ninja organization... when she builds a castle in Gotham then I'll be really pissed. I'm not a huge Simone fanboy, but i know she, and DC, know better than this. The issue has it's moments, but all in all the story is kind of weak and short.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ this issue (7/10)

BRIGHTEST DAY #10
Words by: Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi
Art by: Ivan Reis

I have been hating on BD for some time now, but all of a sudden Johns is turning this series around, but I don't think it'll be enough to salvage it entirely. The new Aqualad shows up and we get some great character stuff, and Firestorm goes through some changes, mainly releasing a Black lantern Deathstorm who has the power to destroy the universe with a new Bigger Bang (stay seated Mick Jagger). The writing is back to par with Johns great GL stuff, but still not as good as BN at it's best. Like I said, the series is turning towards positive ground, but it might be too late for a limited series.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #2
Words by: Peter Tomasi
Art by: Fernando Pasarin

This series has some potential, I just wish they would let Guy actually swear. The plot continues from the secret deal at the end of BN between Ganthet, Guy, and Atrocitus. But it is now kind of implied that the other lanterns are starting to realize that Guy is up to something, and Kilowog and Arisia go on a mission (that Guy wanted to be a solo mission) and disrupt some of his plans. Depending on how this continues, I think this could become one of the best series out there, it's really handling the darker side of the Green lantern corps, and I like that.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

So, I didn't read a lot of DC stuff, but what I did was good for the most part.

Comic Book Wednesday (The Day late edition) Part 1: Marvel

2010-09-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm tardy to the party, but a calculus quiz and last minute studying kept me from reading my comics until later, and then I watched RwaC, and by the time I finished my comics I didn't feel like reviewing. BUT! I know what my people want (actually I don't because I keep this blog going). So, I'm going to get things started with Marvel.

DEADPOOL #27
Words by: Dan Way
Art by: Carlo Barberi

I was pretty down on the last DP issue because it seemed really short, but this issue, also kind of short on plot, sets up something much bigger. Deadpool starts the issue in a convenience store, only to be caught in a robbery attempt by fellow regenerates (yet to be explained). After a fight, a chase, and a showdown the action has moved to a weapons Cache under the store, owned by a Arab terrorist, who three of the Secret Avengers show up to foil. One terrorist foiling later, Wade and Steve Rogers are having a talk, and Steve says 'Wanna come work with me?' For those who read my blog you know I love Secret Avengers, and now I want to know if Deadpool actually joins the team, or if this will be like his X-Men stint. Either way, I am eagerly awaiting #28.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

SHADOWLAND: GHOST RIDER (1 shot)
Words by: Rob Williams
Art by: Clayton Crain

First off, the art in this issue is mindblowingly amazing. Honestly, I think Crain may have just made my top five artists list. That being said, the story does not skimp at all, we get an awesome tale of Ghost Rider trying to break free, like Freddy Mercury. And we get a bunch of angels coming down and killing Hand Ninjas all kinds of dead. All in all, this is one heckuva story and now I'm even more pumped for what's going down in SL #4.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

SHADOWLAND: POWERMAN #2 (of 4)
Words by: Fred Van Lente
Art by: Mhmud Asrar

I didn't really like #1 of this tie-n. I thought it didn't really give the new power man any characterization, etc. (The review is on one of the CBW posts). This one starts to change that, giving us a nice human side to the new Power Man, who was starting to look like a Super Whore. My only problem is that it seems like he's going to end up WAY overpowered. furthermore, the art in this issue was really substandard for my liking. The story was better than #1, but that's not saying a lot.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS this issue (6/10) but AT LEAST READ IT if you're a Shadowland completest.

SHADOWLAND: THUNDERBOLTS
Words by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Declan Shalvey

Three words: Juggernaut versus Ninjas. You can skip to the score now, you know this issue will get a great score. The story is an exposition tale, Cage calls the T-bolts and they have to go to the sewers to find the Under-Hands Under castle. But then ~~Baron Unterbheit~~ a shit ton of ninjas show up. a fight ensues and the T-Bolts get ready to continue down the rabbit hole. I don't read the Thunderbolts, but I just might after this bit of awesome.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.75/10)

STEVE ROGERS: SUPER SOLDIER #3 (of 4)
Words by Ed Brubaker
Art by: Dale Eaglesham

So, I was taken aback when saw the "of 4," seeing as how the first two don't say that. So I'm now intrigued where this will take the former Shield-slinger. anyways, the issue is pretty solid, like every Bru/Cap title.The art is solid, but I really like how Cap does a look inside kind of thing and realizes that even without the shield and the muscles, he's still Cap. I really liked this issue, and feel like it's working towards Steve donning the costume again, or maybe that's just the fanboy in me talking.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

So that's what Marvel had that I read... yup.

Review without a Cause

2010-09-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

When one thinks of James Dean two things come to mind, the song by the Eagles and the movie Rebel without a Cause (1955). This movie is still the defining moment of Dean's short career, and with good reason. From the opening credits we meet Jim Stark (Dean) and see him drunk while in public, and then we go to the police station with Stark who obviously was arrested for being drunk in public.

Before I go on, what is with fictional characters with the last name of Stark and a problem with the bottle?

Anyways, when Stark is taken to the drunk tank to sober up we meet Judy (Natalie Wood), Jim's girlfriend who is having troubles of her own, Wood starts to display her Oscar nominated talents from the beginning.

Keeping with (or starting) the convention of the Bad boy with a heart of gold, Dean offers his jacket to a cold boy, and thus Stark is one of those boys that has an edge, but is a sensitive guy, the kind of guys that girls love.

The movie doesn't start slow, continuing right from the aforementioned police station scene we get some exposition about Stark's relationship with his parents, why they moved, etc. From here we go on to learn that Stark his developing feelings for Judy, who is dating his rival. From there the two clash in multiple testosterone laden challenges for the heart of Judy, the only logical way to handle a situation like that, and I don't feel like spoiling the movie from there,
Like many of the older movies, all the movie conventions are here, mainly the whole "Teen Angst" sub genre is so derivative of this film that it's almost sickening. A rich set of parents with a kid who feels like they need to rebel because they are trying to get the taste of the silver spoon out of their mouth, yadda yadda yadda. Furthermore, cinema buffs will recognize the "tough/but not tough at all gang" format from movies like Grease, American Graffiti, West Side Story, need I go on?

James Dean turns in a stellar performance as Stark, at the same time being some one you pity, and envy. He's not really a "rebel" (but the gang harassing him is not really a gang). You feel for Jim when he gets his tires slit, or when he gets rejected at the start by Judy, but you also see that he is going to be a hero down the road, and you anticipate that.

Natalie Wood, also turns in a great role, playing the girl who feels like she's growing up too fast. Now, personally I don't think Natalie Wood is hot, she's cute, but not overly attractive, yet her character is still attractive in away, because Wood plays the girl next door who doesn't know what she wants so perfectly any guy who's been through high school will fall for her.

Corey Allen, though not in the movie for long, turns in a good performance as Jim's rival Buzz. As shown before the Chicken Run scene, Buzz isn't a bad guy, he's just trying to preserve his honor, and that of his ~~fucking lady friend~~ special lady.

But, the main secondary actor is that of Sal Mineo, who plays the part of Jim's hanger on with an amazingly touching side. Unbeknownst (or made to appear as such) to Jim Sal's character John/Plato displays homosexual tendencies, and his implied crush adds a sweet subplot, touching and subtle, so that one could ignore it if they try, but it is obvious.

There are many movies called "classics" and there a select few that truly earned the title, "Rebel without a Cause" is one of those. If you haven't seen it, then you should, if you have seen it, watch it again.

Also, as a thing that made me smile Jim is seen wearing a red jacket, a white tee-shirt, and blues jeans when he goes out at one point ~~to get a job at Planet Express~~.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.75/10)

The Caine Review

2010-09-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? ~ Juvenal

A question that has been around for centuries, and truly there is no right answer. When a person is place in a position of authority, and in a position of supreme authority in a remote location (such as a war ship), who is to watch the watcher? And thus is the spring board for the plot of The Caine Mutiny (1954).

The setting: The Caine, a mine sweeping vessel in the south pacific. Let me rephrase that, a mine sweeping vessel that has never had to sweep for mines.

The Watchman: Captain Queeg, played by the king of old Hollywood, Humphrey Bogart. Queeg is a by the book kind of guy, quite unlike the rogue that Bogey plays in movies like Casablanca (1942) or The African Queen (1951), but the Caine is a ship of guys that are not going to be in a Tom Clancy novel any time soon.

The plot unfolds through the eyes of Lt. Willie Keith (Robert Francis). Graduating in the top 5% of his midshipmen class, he gets assigned to the Caine, a let down for him, due to WWII going on Keith thought he deserved a battle ship or carrier post. After Keith's first few days on the Caine reveal a laid back atmosphere, and a group of misfits, Queeg comes to the Caine, and brings hell with him.

In a routine training exercise, Queeg makes his first faulty call, and as a result the target the Caine is towing is left a drift, a minor transgression, but Queeg begins a descent down a slippery slope, climaxing in the titular mutiny after Queeg leads the Caine into a vicious storm. The acting of the side characters, though, is over shadowed by Bogey, who truly shines.

Queeg is played brilliantly by Bogart, with all the quirk and eccentricity of Charlie Allnut (his drunk rogue from The African Queen.) As a Bogart fan I like seeing him not only as Rick Blaine, Philip Marlowe, or Sam Spade, but I do appreciate him in "anti-hero"/villain roles. I truly believe that Bogart is one of the finest actors America has produced, but because of the type casting of many of his roles. The way he plays a hardened s.o.b. is brilliant and at the 27th Academy Awards the Oscar didn't go to Bogey, only because it went to Brando for On the Waterfront.

But, for every yin there must be a yang, and for every Queeg there must be a Lt. Maryk, played here by Van Johnson. A lesser actor would have been content in Bogey's shadow, but I was impressed with Johnson, who held his own against Bogey's strong acting and makes for a memorable turn as the like able executive officer.

If you are looking for one heck of a good naval movie, look no further. This picture has a solid script matched with great acting. I highly recommend this movie, not only as a Bogart fan, but as an amateur critic.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.5/10)

Faust: A Review

2010-09-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Long has it been considered that man's ability to discern good from evil has been one of the main differences between man and beast, but what would happen if a man were asked to choose evil to facilitate a good? Well, that is the question at the center of the Silent masterpiece Faust (1926), directed by one of the grand masters of silent cinema, F.W. Murnau.

A wager is made between a demon and an angel over the purity of man. Like the question of a zebra's color and that of it's stripe the angel and demon argue whether man is good with tinges of badness, or bad with tinges of goodness. The demon Mephisto wagers man is bad and to prove it sets a plague to Faust's village, knowing that Faust will be wracked with guilt as the leading scientist, but not being able to cure anyone. With this as a foundation, Mephisto knows Faust will make a deal with Satan to provide him the ability to cure and heal, with the only caveat: Faust's soul shall be bartered to the father of lies.

And Faust takes the bait.

The movie unfolds from there tackling tough issues such as reliance on faith as opposed to science and other such issues. Very Avant-Garde for it's time, and still a very controversial topic 80 years later. I do have to sit in wonder, as I write this review, of how a movie could stay so relevant and thought provoking after all this time. Will our movies today be watched in 80 years and make the audience consider their faith and their science?

The physical acting is key here, as the silence takes away much of the actors ability to convey emotions, and I feel the clear victor in that aspect is Emil Jennings, who plays the demon Mephisto, perfectly capturing the demonic aspects of the embodiment of evil. As a relevant fun fact, the demon Chernobog in Fantasia's "Night on Bald Mountain" is based loosely on Mephisto from this movie.

Also of note is Gösta Ekman, who plays the titular doctor. Ekman plays a very conflicted man, and he plays it well. When Faust is granted youth, you see a man who is not trying to live forever, but trying to relive the life he now feels is full of mistakes. And it's touching and sincere, not hammy and over played like could have happened.

In short, the movie is superb, a brilliant use of early special effects and a very forward thinking drama of morality and the condition of man.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8.75/10)

Comic Book Wednesday (Thursday Edition) Part 2: DC

2010-09-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Keeping the status quo, I read a lot more Marvel stuff than I did DC stuff, but this week i read a DC book not tied directly into Brightest Day (Shocking I know).

BOOSTER GOLD #36
Words by: Keith Giffen
Art by: Pat Olliffe

For fans of Booster Gold this will be fun, Michael Carter is typical him and the interactions between himself and Blue Beetle II are gold (no pun intended), but sadly the story is quite week. I laughed a few times at the antics, but this movie seemed like a Will Ferrell movie a bunch of one or two page gags strung together with spider web thick plot. A loose tie in to JL:GL (see below) the story doesn't do a lot to affect the series like Blood on the Streets does with Shadowland. And this issue felt especially shallow when compared to the JL:GL issue that came out today as well.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS this issue (5/10)

GREEN LANTERN #57
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Doug Mahnke

After me trashing Brightest Day for weeks now I am so pleased to read more GL stuff, because it reminds me that Johns is actually a really good writer. this story doesn't have a lot, but what it does have sets up a lot of stuff, like a possible break-up of Carol and Hal, and Hector still being on the loose. Also, it's got Larfleeze, who doesn't like Larfleeze? The plot in Vegas s good, and the comments made about love are pretty deep I think, and what it sets up makes me want more from Geoff Johns (as long as it's not BD)

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #9
Words by: Judd Winick
Art by: Fernando Dagnino

Yeah, I've been talking about it pretty much the whole time I've been reviewing today, ans with good reason. This story furthers the plot, and builds more tension inside the reformed JLI, as well as actually bringing the team face to face with Lord in a great pseudo climax, but as the last page indicates this isn't the peak of this arc. I have been very pumped about this series for as long as it's been going and this issue doesn't let up, giving us great rising action for the next issue, and characterizes Booster Gold better than his own series. The action is intense, the art is vibrant, and the story is cool, I highly recommend this series to all reading this blog.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

So, with the DC stuff I read this week you can't go wrong with anything other than Booster Gold.

So there's this week in comics, I hope these reviews can point you to some awesomeness and I hope you guys come back for m next post

Comic Book Wednesday (Thursday Edition) Part 1: Marvel

2010-09-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone enjoyed labor day, I didn't because my comics got pushed off a day so I had to wait one more day before feeding the monkey on my back. But, today the monkey was fed, and here is a review of the meal I served to it.

DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #1
Words by: Dan Way and Marjorie Liu
Art by: Giuseppe Camuncoli

If you've read Dan Way's Deadpool stuff you know the man is a master of silliness, but he's also very adept at more serious stuff, and blending in some lighter moments. This issue is a prime example of that skill. A sort of tie in to "Wolverine #1" D:DW focuses on Wolverine's bastard and explains How Daken is making his way in the post Dark Reign world, not having read a lot of that stuff, I was slightly unfamiliar with the character, but after a few pages I knew I would like this series. The writing is strong, like I sad blending some serous drama (Daken hunting down Wolverine) with comedy (The part with the strawberry seduction of the designer) and making Daken a truly despicable bastard, but also charming in a Devil may care way. To appreciate this story you don't have to have read W #1, or any of Way's earlier work with Daken, but i can see how it would help. Still this book was a fun read and I look forward to more.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

DAREDEVIL #510
Words by Andy Diggle and Antony Johnston
Art by: Marco Checchetto

For the last few weeks my Marvel-centric reviews have just been love letters to Shadowland and all it has done/is doing. And Diggle steps it up another notch. Matt Murdock is essentially dead, now his body is just the vessel for a Beast coming to destroy the world and guide the hand to dominance, and the heroes know that his days must be numbered. In a startling turn of events the heroes decided, with Foggy Nelson and Dakota North as the only detractors, that ~~Edith Keeler~~ Matt Murdock must die. Now, none of them are willing (or able to) kill the man without fear so they turn to some one who has been trying to since DD #1 appeared, Wilson Fisk himself. Diggle really out does himself raising the Shadowland Bar yet again and showing us that this Daredevil is some of the best Daredevil since that lanky psuedo-fascist stopped writing. The art continues to be above average and the writing continues to be superb.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10)

INVADERS NOW! #1 (of 5)
Words by: Christos Gage
Art by: Caio Reis

As a fan of the Invaders I was inclined to pick this one up, and it seems like Marvel is trying to do a version of Justice League: Generation Lost. The story unfolds like this, a ghost from the past of the Invaders forces them to get the band back together and the old guard meets with some of the new incarnations of various heroes (Cap and Union Jack) and they have to stop them like they did in the old days, because The avengers can't handle it. Sadly, the best part of this issue is the Alex Ross cover (which is like sex). The interior seems like a watered down Marvel-ized version of JL:GL, but not as good. I was let down by this story, but it does seem like the later issues may have some potential, so I recommend this one only because I hope this is the foundation for a good story.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST READ THIS ISSUE (6.5/10)

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #30
Words by: Matt Fraction
Art by: Salvador Larroca

A much as it pains me to say think IIM has been setting up a shark tank, a ramp, and getting a motorcycle to jump said shark with. The whole Iron Man suit being inside Tony's body was okay at first, but now I feel like the story s getting Tony away from being Tony, and I hate that i am losing that loving feeling. Right up until Stark got his mind back this series was one of my favorites, but then, I feel, it started to slip and this issue proves it. Tony and Justine Hammer are driving and she starts putting moves on him and blocking his sight, so he activates his knuckle "eyes" and drives the car with those. They get in a crash, and he walks out unscathed because his suit is inside him. I think what's happening is stark is becoming over powered, or at the very least Powered and that is not the point of Stark, he's not a super hero, he's a hero who does super things. And I feel like the last 7-8 issues have started to lose a grasp on that and it pains me so so much.

Dr. Brooklyn says (Mother, Forgive me): PASS this issue (5/10)

SHADOWLAND: BLOOD ON THE STREETS #2 (of 4)
Words by: Antony Johnston
Art by: Wellinton Alves

If you're tired of the Dr. B/SL romantic subplot of this blog, skip to the next review. This next installment of the Shadowland tie-in series delivers more excitement, with Shroud and Paladin facing off and Misty Knight coming to a startling realization... some one is framing the Hand. the issue then revolves around Knight and paladin trying to find out who, only to be set up themselves, facing down the guns of mobsters, standing over a dead body. The Multiple stories all serve to further the plot and I am fond of the dark and gritty coloring that the SL tie-ins have had, giving it a look and feel that this is darker than the rest of the 616 universe.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

ULTIMATE AVENGERS 3 #2 (of 6)
Words by: Mark Millar
Art by: Steve Dillon

Three words can sum up the awesomeness of this issue: Vampire Nerd Hulk. Oh wait, I need to add three more: Vampire Captain America! The issue starts with Cap telling Nerd hulk he's a Nerd (Um... it's even in his name, shouldn't that have been a clue to him?) and this makes NH run away, and run he does right into a Vampire ambush. the rest of the issue has the avengers hunting down NH, only for Cap to be bitten by Vampire Daredevil. The story is hard hitting, and Dillon's art is awesome (but does anyone expect less from the legend that is Dillon?) Ultimate Avengers may just be my favorite Series right now (up there with TWD, Captain America, Scalped, Secret Avengers, and Shadowland stuff)

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9.5/10)

So this week if you're buying from Marvel you can't go wrong with Shadowland stuff or Ultimate Avengers, but some of their other stuff isn't as strong.

Born to Review

2010-09-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Most people know Lawrence Tierney from his later role, that of Joe Cabbot in Reservoir Dogs (You know the Fantastic Four? Lawrence Tierney looks JUST like the Thing), but long before he was yelling at Mr. Pink for not tipping, he was playing roles such as John Dillinger in Dillinger (1945), and Sam Wild in Born to Kill (1947), the latter being the focus of this review.

The movie starts with a scene of exposition, a pretty young thing named Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) stands on some courthouse steps discussing her divorce, and then a discussion of upcoming revelry. Change of scene!

Now we're with Wild, a hit-man who is committing a job, and now he's got to get out of town for a while, wait for the whole thing to cool down, but when Wild goes to the train he and Brent met up for the second time (they met at a casino) and soon the romantic tension begins.

The Script by Eve Greene and Richard Macaulay is a tad forced, like the above scenes. Exposition is not spoon fed, but shovel fed, such as how by minute 19 Wild and Brent are already putting the moves on each other, and at 23 the conflict is firmly established, in the clever guise of Helen Brent's clean cut fiance, Fred, a classic example of the bad boy and the clean cut, all American guy squaring off, a trend that's been repeated a few times...

But that doesn't matter, the way it is done here is more on the unique side. Not only does Tierney go after the heart of Brent, but he marries Brent's foster sister before pursuing Brent, and pursue her he does. The two bounce off each other, hating that they love each other, but of course they must pursue their forbidden love. Even though at the beginning the script feels rushed, it does even out during Act II, and into Act III. I give credit here to Robert Wise, the director of this picture, who also has brought out great performances in The Day the Earth Stood Still (The Real One), The Sound of Music, and West Side Story.

While all these tangled webs are being woven, Albert Arnett (Walter Slezak) is tracking down Wild for the early movie murder. And Arnett is the only truly like able character. Now, the rest of the cast has ironic charm, a killer, a girl cheating on her husband, yadda yadda yadda, they are all terrible people, except our rotund detective.

The acting is pretty good, with a strong performance from Lawrence Tierney, who plays Sam Wild with a great balance of charm and an edge. Unlike many actors who can play tough guys (Lee Marvin) or charming guys (Paul Newman) Tierney does make it very believable that he is a tough as mails bamf, and that girls have a hard time not falling for his confidence, muscles, and that edge of danger women so greatly love.

On the other end of the central affair is Claire Trevor, who matches Tierney's foreboding with a certain strength herself, and being that woman that Wild wants more from than just sex. The two leads have amazing chemistry, and that really helps the average script.

I know it seems like I spent most of this review bashing the movie, but it's really not bad, it's just not amazing. The acting is strong, and the direction is superb, but the script is forced and uneven to start and the pacing seems off, being that it is only a 83 minute movie.

Dr. Brooklyn says: AT LEAST WATCH THIS MOVIE (7/10)

Bottom 5: Least Favorite Cartoon Characters

2010-09-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

Everybody has favorite cartoon characters, some of mine are Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, Quagmire (despite me not watching Family Guy anymore) Kyle and Cartman, and Dale Gribble (for starters).

But on every show there has to be a character that you just can't stand. And because I almost exclusively watch cartoons, it is really easy for me to pick characters from this genre that I love... and pretty easy for me to pick characters I hate.

5. Peggy Hill

FROM: King of the Hill
Oh Peggy Hill, how do I loathe thee? I really like King of the Hill, I watch on average three episodes a day, but I can't stand Peggy Hill. Her arrogance and often times cruelty (though not from malice) make her really unlikeable, especially when compared to people like Dale, Bill, Boomhauer and Hank, who are flawed, but at the same time like able through their innocence (Bill), their insanity (Dale), their genuine good nature (Hank) and just being awesome (Boomhauer). Furthermore, people like Peggy irk me in real life, because as the saying goes "those who pretend to know it all ruin it for those of us who do."

4. Peter Griffin

FROM: Family Guy
It's not just that I don't like family guy anymore, but Peter always annoyed the crap out of me. In a role trying to emulate Fred Flintstone and Homer Simpson, Peter comes across not as like able and love able in an oafish way, but boorish and horrid. We get it, Peter's fat and unlikeable but he has a hot wife, wow... hilarious and original, Seth. but beyond that I hate how Peter is just crass, not witty like Cartman. At first I found him tolerable, but as i watched more and more Family Guy I learned to just despise him.

3. Sheila Broflovski

FROM: South Park
I know you're not supposed to side with her a lot, but the goal of a character, even if it's Hannibal Lector, is to be like able enough where you don't hate every minute they are on the screen, and sadly Mrs. Broflovski is one of those characters. for many of the reasons I don't like Peggy and Peter, i don't care for Sheila, because she's loud mouthed and brash, just sucking the life out of Gerald and the rest of South Park (on some occasions). On a show with such amazing characters as Eric Cartman, Butters, Mr/Mrs. Garrison, and Randy marsh, Sheila stands out for having a paper cut out thing character... pun not intended.

okay, yes it was.

2. Sierra

FROM: Total Drama World Tour
Duncan and Courtney made my top 5 couples list, and are my favorite characters from one of my favorite shows at the moment, but Sierra is not even close to the top. On a faux-reality show Sierra plays the role of obsessed fan who finally gets on the show, but instead of being like able in a geeky way, she comes across as creepy and essentially a stalker, well, she is. My main problem with her is this, if you bring in a new character, to replace an old character, the new character had better be better than the new. two of my favorite characters (Geoff an Trent) were left off the show and this unlikeable waste of animation made the cut? that Dog won't hunt Monsignor.

1. Beth

FROM: Total Drama Island, Action, and Aftermath episodes of World Tour
Yeah, it's ironic that one of my favorite shows would give me my top (or bottom) least favorite characters, but the Total Drama series succeeded in not only giving me Sierra to hate this season, but Beth from season one. Beth is like Napoleon dynamite, but a female, and with out the social graces. She does stupid stuff, and as shown in TDA does underhanded things behind peoples backs, so any likability she had... was lost. In addition, she was actually cursed in one episode, and routinely took punishment, a clue that even the writers don't like her. And for that I salute Beth as the worst cartoon character.

So, there's my Bottom 5, if you disagree comment... and then I'll tell you where to put that comment.

In the comment section, duh.

Network: A movie review

2010-09-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

This review is about Howard Beale, who was the network news anchor on UBS tv.

Some movies serve just to entertain. Things like 300 and Sin City don't try to make you think, they make you feel comfortable and just use visual cues that will trigger positive responses whether they be inspirational in the form of few fighting many, or testosterone in the form of Dwight and Marv kicking the shit out of Jack Rafferty and Cardnial Roark.

Then there are movies like Network (1976) which tries to entertain, but it tries harder to make the viewer think about stuff. Stuff the viewer doesn't want to think about.

Right from the start you are forced to think about suicide and how ratings dominate the lives of all involved with TV news. Then segues into how the ratings have actually become more valuable than the lives of the people tasked with obtaining them. Much like the South Park Episode "Quest for Ratings"

For example, the first idea is for a show to follow a terrorist group and use actual footage of the terrorists robbing and killing, simply because it would bring ratings. Tv shows about horrible human beings that commit crimes and generally waste valuable resources? At the time it must have been deemed appalling, now it's called VH1 Celebreality (Too far?).

Then Howard Beale goes on his first rant of the movie, calling everything from God to the News "bullshit," and in a piece of irony, the iconoclast giving his last hurrah draws ratings the network hadn't dreamed of, and as a result... Beale becomes a folk hero, giving voice to the pissed off American, and thus gets to keep his job.

As the movie goes on Beale becomes a Glenn Beck like figure, capturing minds and ranting on everything, becoming bigger and bigger, pissing off more and more people, but not the viewing people who keep turning in.

But what goes up, must come down ~~spinning wheel, got to go round~~ And soon Hackett plans that Caesarian downfall, and Beale's assassanation is planned, and committed.

The script is strong, really strong. I am amazed at the way that Paddy Chayefsky captures the slimy underbelly of Network news, much like Wilder and Brackett captured Hollywood in Sunset Boulevard (Bizarrely, both contain great performances from William Holden). In today's world, looking back on Network it seems like the movie should be set in 2010. People upset about war, the economy ("You think they'll quite their Jobs for you? Not in this Recession."), feelings of mistrust towards the president and government in general, thus Beale's appeal. Beale is written not in a way that only people in 1976 would relate to, but people would relate to as long as there is a world for there to be problems in. But don't listen to me, listen to the Writers Guild of America, East who voted this script as one of the 10 best... ever.

Beyond the script, the acting is fantastic, with three oscars being given to three actors (Best Actor: Finch, Best Actress: Dunaway, and Best Supporting Actress: Beatrice Straight)

Let me begin with anchorman, Howard Beale, or the Late Peter Finch (One of Two to win a posthoumous Oscar). Finch plays this role with conviction and also a very believable insanity. In playing a role like this an actor could be tempted to over act, but Finch doesn't. He keeps his insanity not as over done, but reigned in enough to create controlled chaos.

Next to discuss is William Holden, has he ever given a weak performance? Holden plays an aging UBS employee Max Schumacher, fired and vindictive. With a friend like Beale it is hard to come across as a true friend (Patrick Wilson had a similar challenge in Watchmen), but Holden does it. He makes you believe that he truly cares for Howard Beale, a man creating himself as a prophet. The sincerety which Holden brings to the role makes him the true hero of the movie, by being that man who can stay true to himself, even when those around him care more about beating ~~Animals Close Up With a Wide-Angle Lens~~ every other show.

What movie would be complete without a strong female lead? Not this one. Faye Dunaway delivers a truly amazing performance as a ratings hungry TV exec. Equal parts cunning and greedy (and foxy) Dunaway earns her Oscar with every line. This is the first movie I've seen with her, but now I want to rush out and watch more titles with her.

And finally Robert Duvall, a.k.a.Tom Hagen. Duvall does something incredible, he's the least likeable person in this movie. And because of that he is likeable it an ironic way.

All in all this movie is a brilliant piece of satire, and a scathing review of TV in general. If you haven't seen it, go and watch it.... now!

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

Vanishing Point: A Review (The UK release)

2010-09-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

Nothing screams manly like driving a muscle car. Sure, that's stereotypical but it you jump in a Dodge Charger, turn the AC/DC to 11 and hit an open stretch of road, I dare you to not feel bad ass. And as a result of this feeling a sub genre of Action was born, The Car Chase movie, also known as Carsploitation.

This movie is a prime example of that type of movie.

Vanishing Point (1971) is all about living hard and driving fast, kind of like the 1971 version of Fastlane (02-03). Kowalski (Barry Newman [Hhheelllloo Newman.]) sets out of Denver, trying to drive his all white Charger to San Francisco... in 15 hours. As a result he's destined for a couple of face offs with Johnny Law, and no road movie is complete with out bumping into a bunch of wild and crazy guys (Thank you Easy Rider for establishing precedent).

The first crazy guy is Super Soul, a blind DJ played by Cleavon Little (The Sheriff from Blazing Saddles). But SS isn't your average blind DJ, he's also a blind African American Nostradamus, yes, because he's blind he can see the future. Who serves as a narrator in a way, describing Kowalski's trip on his Radio program. Furthermore, Super Soul gathers a counterculture following for Kowalski, even contacting Kowalski via the Radio.

Shortly after that, Kowalski bumps into a Snake collector/Prospector, who catches snakes and trades them for supplies. Acting like a sunburned Yoda, the man offers Kowalski advice and helps him avoid the cops, and getting him back on his way to Frisco.

And what road movie would be complete without a group of faith healers? Kowalski and the Snake Man stop to trade snakes for gas, and other supplies, and after a brief interaction, Kowalski's off down the road again.

In addition to the vast range of characters above there's a gay couple, who try and rob him, leading to a two on one fight inside the charger and a hasty exit for the pair, leaving Kowalski by himself with the road,

This movie, (Which Tarantino loves [watch Death Proof]), is obviously an influence of Tarantino. The sound track is quite eclectic, overlapping smooth jams and high octane chases in some scenes, which all really reeks of our man Quentin, also, a song with lyrics such as "Love one another, pretend we're all brothers" plays when a group of racists come to beat up Super Soul and his fellow black radio men, a very Tarantino kind of scene.Furthering the Tarantino-esque feel the story jumps around. routinely going from Super Soul, back to Kowalski, and then to the Police, with flashbacks (to Kowalski's racing days) and the start of the movie being after the rest of the plot. Also, as can be discerned from the above character descriptions, Tarantinos knack for unique and memorable side characters may come from his respect from this movie, but it's hard to tell for sure.

The cinematography is gorgeous, easily on par with Easy Rider, from wide shots to show the road and the Charger in all it's made in America glory, as well as the extreme close ups worthy of Sergio Leone, this movie is shot fantastically well. And because it came long before the "shaky cam" revolution you won't get motion sick as Kowlaski drag races across the desert.

Kowalski himself, kind of has a "Man with no Name" vibe, sure he's known as Kowalski, but his first name is unknown. And he doesn't really say enough for us to get to know him, he just drives fast, and kicks ass. He does have a history, as a soldier, a cop, a Demolition derby driver, and all sorts of criminal activities that set him up as a rebel without a cause.

Basically, this movie is kind of like Easy Rider, but with cars. There's drugs, sex, and political messages all veiled by a loud muscle car. I personally prefer this to Easy Rider, because the plot is more coherent, it blends the drug culture and the road, much better, with out just focusing on the drugs.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8.5/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 3: The Rest

2010-09-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

In addition to DC and Marvel, Image and Dynamite make my long box, and here's what they had to offer this week:

Oh yeah, Spoiler alert now!

NANCY IN HELL 2 (of 4)
Words by: El Torres
Art by: Juan Jose Ryp

After issue 1 I thought this series would just be a balls to the wall action series, but issue 2 actually adds depth and Religious elements, along with beautiful art. As Nancy and Lucifer try and leave Hell, we learn a lot about Lucifer, and a bit about Nancy, while at the same time a villain (yes, Lucifer is a protagonist) is starting to take more prominence. The writing is cool, with Nancy being more like Ripley from Aliens than a generic Slasher movie Bimbo, and Lucifer is actually a tragic character. And if you start to feel for the father of lies, you know the series isn't bad. I have high hopes for this series, and I hope you guys give this series a chance.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8.5/10)

THE BOYS #46
Words by: Garth Ennis
Art by. Darick Robertson

As a Catholic I'm not totally sold on this Believe arc, mainly due to it's total faith bashing, but Ennis is such a good writer, I can't wait for more. This issue in particular furthers the Hughie's spiral after finding out that Annie is Starlight... oh and he finds out she sucked the dicks of Homelander, The Deep, and A-Train. But more importantly we see Butcher being Butcher, trying to be a good guy, but knowing he has to be harsh with Hughie. The Art is brutal, and the writing is graphic, but damn is this series awesome! I particularly love how Ennis is still giving new depth to his characters (even after 46 issues). I highly recommend this series (but make sure you read it from the beginning)

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 2: Marvel

2010-09-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Unlike DC, I read a fistful of Marvel comics, so here goes some reviewing.

WOLVERINE: ROAD TO HELL
"Falling"
Words by: Jason Aaron
Art by: Renato Guedes
"Brace for Impact"
Words by: Dan Way and Marjorie Liu
Art by: Giuseppe Camuncoli,Onofrio Catacchio, and Will Conrad
"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"
Words by: Rick Remender
Art by: Leonardo Manco

If you aren't planning on reading the new Wolverine series (So my question is why the hell don't you plan on reading it?), Daken: Dark Wolverine, or Uncanny X-Force this issue is a total pass. Frankly, there is nothing here except Marvel pimping several upcoming series. All the stories are a few pages, then a "continued in..." There's also some sketch pages, which are cool, and there are two other previews to Namor #1 (which came out last week) and a preview for Uncanny X-Men: Generation of Hope. So, really, this issue doesn't serve any purpose except a few pages that seem like they could have been cut out of Wolverine #1 (see below).

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS on this issue (5/10)

WOLVERINE #1
Words by: Jason Aaron
Art by: Renato Guedes

After reading Road to Hell (see right above), I was a little less excited about Wolverine #1, but boy was I wrong. Aaron delivers one hell of a punch , from beginning to end this issue is full of "Kapow!" after "BOFF!" right to the gut of the reader. This issue sets up a lot, Logan gets to Hell where Old Scratch pretty much says he's going to use Logan as an ass bitch, while Logan's girlfriend is hunted by a group of Slasher movie rejects, only to be saved by Mystique. The art was the right amount of dark and devastating, and the writing is quality stuff, not Scalped of Punishermax good, but Aaron still ranks higher than most other writers today. This book was a really fun read and I can't wait for more.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

SHADOWLAND: ELEKTRA (1 SHOT)
Words by: Zeb Wells
Art by: Emma Rios

This was the issue of Shadowland I was looking forward to the least, I knew Elektra would be coming back, but I'm one of those guys who when Miller said he intended Ms. Natchios to stay dead... she should have stayed dead. But, here we are... and I was pleased. The Issue serves mainly as a set up to SL #3 (see next review). While pulling a job, Elektra is contacted by Izo, informing her of Matt ~~going batshit crazy~~ ~~making some ill informed choices~~ going batshit crazy and stabbing Bullseye, which in a very touching sequence, causes Elektra to smile and say 'Thank You', which causes Elektra to agree that she will help infiltrate Shadowland and try to save Matt Murdock. And if you read my post the other day, you know why this issue made me happy.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

SHADOWLAND #3
Words by: Andy Diggle
Art by: Billy Tan

After SL #2, I figured that the series couldn't continue to go up... I was wrong. Diggle is telling a great story here, and this issue really cranks it up to 11. The opening panel continues from SL:MK, with Jake Lockley (Moonknight) fighting a shit ton of ninjas.From there, Ghost Rider comes in, kills the ninjas and rides into the night. From there we go to the Super Delegates from #2, who are getting their asses handed to them by the Hand, and then Dardevil goes on a BAMF spree. Taking out Iron Fist and Shang-Chi and dodging Spider-Man's blast, and then gives the order to kill the heroes... who are saved by the Mutha Fucking Punisher wielding a min-gun The issue ends with Daredevil digging up Bullseye, with plans of pulling a Herbert West. And everyone's favorite Greek Ninja showing up. The art was average, but Damn, Diggle knows how to craft a story, perfectly giving each side story a bit of panel time, without cutting any of them short. Like I've said with all the Shadowland issues, READ SHADOWLAND!!! NOW!!!!

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this Issue (9.5/10)

DEADPOOL PULP 1 (of 4)
Words by: Adam Glass and Mike Benson
Art by: Laurence Campbell

I am getting a little tired of seeing Deadpool's name on the Comic rack at The Top Comics. It's almost as bad as the nigh infinite Green Hornet titles Dynamite is putting out, but I buy most of the Deadpool stuff, and as such I picked up Deadpool Pulp. And this series seems to affirm my statement that if it's not by Dan Way it's not Deadpool. This series doesn't know what it is, yet... that I know of. If Glass and Benson know, they are hiding it from us. The art is dark and grungy, as is 98% of the dialogue, but Deadpool's voice boxes pop up and completely go against the rest of the issue. The other problem is that the hyper serious 98% is not Deadpool, Deadpool just decides to be a pirate one day and has HYDRA Bob dress like a parrot, not this Deadpool In Name Only.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS on this issue (6/10)

The Shadowland stuff was easily the best stuff from Marvel I read this week, and that's the series that you guys really need to read... so go read it! (After you read my next post, of course)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 1:DC

2010-09-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the week again, and being a major nerd I went out and bought some comics, and here's what I thought about the DC comic I bought.

BRIGHTEST DAY #9
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Peter Tomasi

If you've read my last few CBW posts you know I haven't been too hot on this series, or the various tie ins. But, this issue, following #8 is starting to make an upward swing, with plot development and characters getting fleshed out. In this issue, Aquaman hunts ~~the girl with a dragon tattoo~~ the boy with an eel tattoo, who lives in New Mexico and seems like a Storm-Aquaman hybrid. But the main plot of this issue is that of Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow getting some leads as to what they need to do, as well as setting up Martian Manhunter as big part for the future of the DCU, after BD ends. Frankly, I liked this issue, well, I really only liked the MM parts, but BD is finally picking up, and if #10 keeps this upswing going I might be able to forgive Johns for 1-7.

Dr. Brooklyn says: At least Read this issue (7/10)

So, because BD #9 was the only DC comic I read, it was the best... but... it still wasn't great.

Tron

2010-08-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Don't stone me, but for the first time in my life I watched Tron. I am ashamed it's taken me this long, but I don't have to turn in my "Geek" Card, because I've finally seen it.

And it was worth the wait.

For those of you that don't know, Tron is about Kevin Flynn (Played by ~~The Dude~~ Jeff Bridges) getting sent into the virtual world while trying to find evidence on Mr. Dillinger (His Nemesis), and ~~get his rug back~~ get the rights to the video games he created back. During his quest he gets help from Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) and Yori (Cindy Morgan).

Frankly, this movie was all about the special effects. I'm not trying to take anything away from the movie's plot, which I did find pretty original, but this movie was taking advantage of the newfangled CGI capabilities of 1982. And even now that CGI is cool, I particularly loved the computery feel of it all, it truly seemed digital, instead of looking like... Tron Guy. In addition, the light cycle sequences were pretty awesome, and makes normal cars seem boring, I now want a gold wall to follow my car so I can cut off my driving enemies.

The acting was all pretty solid, but no stand out performances from anyone. I mean, Bridges was very like able as Flynn, and Boxleitner does play the heroic Tron well, but this movie was designed to be just fun, and that's what it is... a whole lot of fun. In my opinion as an amateur critic, this movie wasn't great, but it was pretty good, and really fun.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8/10)

The Good, The Bad, and This Review

2010-08-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

From the moment that score starts you know you're in for something magical. Like I said in my Scott Pilgrim review, there are only a handful of movies that the opening credits or a title card can get you so pumped, you go into the movie.... socks already blown off, this is one of those.

For those that don't know The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (or Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo) is a continuation of the loose "Dollars Trilogy" (Fistful of Dollars/Per un pugno di dollari , and For a Few Dollars More/Per qualche dollaro in più ). In this movie Clint Eastwood returns with the mantle of "The Man with No Name" and also the subtitle of The Good, which means you know Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef are going to be right ~~basterds~~ bastards.

And bastards they are.

The plot, for a western, is pretty inventive. Instead of stranger riding to town, fighting banditos, riding off to the next town, the movie is full of anti-heroes, parched Spanish desert the movie really establishes Revisionist/Spaghetti westerns that replace John Wayne smacking Pilgrim's in the jaw with the likes of Eastwood snarling around a cigar, shooting up scores of Italian/Spanish extras. This movie instead has Wallach and Eastwood hunting riches in the Civil War dominated West, facing off with bandits, the Yanks, the Rebs, and the fact that they are both ruthless cut throats.

But those two only account for the Good and the Ugly... where's the bad?

Enter Senteza/Angel Eyes Lee Van Cleef, a bounty hunter/mercenary/bad ass. The two meet the one when Joe (The Man with no Name's name) and Tuco (Wallach) after Wallach stupidly insults the union, while the pair is wearing Rebel get up. The three then form an uneasy alliance to go get the money, and all kinds of hell breaks loose.

Frankly, this might be the best western of all time, definitely in the top 5. There are many things about this that make it great, and I don't have enough space to tell you all of them, but I'll start with the Cinematography. Never has miles of sun burned desert looked so damn good. I prefer this kind of western to those other kinds with the sprawling landscapes and gorgeous mountains, so I was in hog heaven watching this movie.

Next is the score, which I touched on before. Ennio Morricone creates a dynamic stylized score, that compliments the harsh landscape, just as well as it compliments the three bastards that are at the heart of this movie.

Finally, The acting.

The Good: Eastwood is typical Eastwood. If you've seen the first two Dollars movies than you know what to expect here. Eastwood snarls, growls, and chomps his cigars the same way as in the first two, luckily that works perfectly. The character of the MWNN demands the level of grittiness and anger that Clint Eastwood brings to the screen, in short he was born for this role.

The Bad: In a part that was meant for Charles Bronson, Von Cleef makes you wonder why Bronson was even considered. Angel Eyes is a bastard ( I know I've used that word a lot, it's just so perfect), and he knows it. Much like an early version of Clint Barton Von Cleef is a sharpshooting sun of a bitch who actually succeeds in making Clint Eastwood come across as the good.

The Ugly: Eli Wallach steals this movie. As a drunk, vicious, murdering, rapist Wallach plays the part so despicable, and so disgusting, you can't help but like him. Wallach shows a level of basterdry that in this movie is peerless, hell for most of cinema he's peerless.

Like I said before, this is an amazing movie and certainly deserves a spot on any top 5 western list, maybe even the top spot.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

Shadow of the Review!

2010-08-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

In 1922 the Vampire Genre made one of it's first (and greatest) forays into film in Nosferatu, a hallmark of silent cinema. In 2000 the classic got a revision, of sorts, in Shadow of the Vampire, exploring rumors that Max Shreck (Count Orlock in the '22 classic) was in fact, a child of the night... and I don't mean a hooker.

The plot to this movie revolves around the filming for Nosferatu, with shot for shot recreations, while the focus is on the crew of the movie, and Shreck trying to hide his Blood sucking ways, trying to keep his agreement with Murnau. There is no doubt in the mind of the viewer that Shrek is a vampire, but the crew, with the exception of Murnau, all believe he's a method actor, one that would put DeNiro's quirks to shame. But as the plot develops they all begin to realize, climaxing in Greta (Catherine McCormack) noticing Shreck doesn't reflect well... or at all. This subplot of the cast figuring it all out is portrayed beautifully, and makes the movie, in my opinion.

One thing I loved was when a recreation was shown, the film took on a sepia tone or black and white, as to further the illusion of it being the actual film, furthermore, there are multiple scenes with "silent" title cards, just like in the original. This technique could have come off as a tad gimmicky, but it doesn't. Especially if you've seen Nosferatu.

Sadly, I think that's what makes most of this movie work, is how well you know THE silent Vampire classic. If you're not familiar with the movie, many of the jokes and the awe-inspiring eye for detail of E. Elias Merhige will go woefully unnoticed, lost like so many tears in the rain. I have seen the movie this movie is built around, so I loved it, but I can see someone who hasn't seen the first, wouldn't enjoy the latter.

The only other real problem I have with this movie (and I'll lead off with saying that this is a superficial problem) is that it feels like this movie isn't so much about the plot, as it is the acting, primarily that of Willem Dafoe. I've seen Dafoe in a number of things, but this is his best performance in my mind. Not just the makeup, but his acting makes it as if he's not even him. In a borderline horror movie, Dafoe turns in a truly horrifying role, adding a needed dark side to this character piece.

But for every villain, there must be a hero, and that is played by John Malkovich, portraying F.W. Murnau. You truly believe that Murnau started with the best intentions, but as we know AC/DC's Highway to Hell is lined with them. You feel bad for Murnau when Shreck begins to Vamp it up, and you also feel indifference, because he caused it all. It is a rare case when you respect, hate, admire, and loathe the same character, and it is rarer to find an actor good enough to do it... and Malkovich is one of them.

Other highlights in the cast include Eddie Izzard, who's brief appearance is enjoyable, as well

If you go into this movie expecting a great vampire movie, you will probably be let down, but if you go in expecting a great movie with vampires, then you will be in for one hell of a treat.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.5/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 3:The Rest

2010-08-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows DC and Marvela ren't the only two companies, but like the political parties they are the two that most comic stuff comes down to. But I like me some Image (and Dynamite when the Boys are involved) So here is a review from some of them.

AND... before I go on I know Vertigo is a part of DC, but because it's not DCU I decided to put it here. I'll do that same stuff with Icon and Marvel's adult imprints... so don't comment about that.

GUARDING THE GLOBE 1 (of 6)
Words by: Robert Kirkman and Benito Cereno
Art by: Ransom Getty
Robert Kirkman has come to be known as a quality writer, that isn't something I'm going ot argue, Invincible is amazing, Asonishing Wolf-Man is superb, and do I even have to elaborate on The Walking Dead? But this book is not one of his best. It seems... a tad... clustered. Where as Invincible and TWD are very intricate and wound stories, this issue seems like it is just... generic. It seems like an average team book, not what i was expecting from the guy who is writing arguably the greatest zombie story ever told. I was let down to say the least, but I will give the rest of this a shot, hoping Kirkman works some more of his magic.

Dr. Brooklyn says: At Least Read it (6/10)

SCALPED #40
Words by: Jason Aaron
Art by: R.M. Guera
Holy shit I love Scalped! It seems like this series started with the question What if Blly Jack was a heroin addict? and ran with it. And it ran to first place. As Dash's (the main character) life plummets to an all time low, this series is still going for a high. The characterization is gorgeous, the flashbacks to Dah's mother and father, and the parallel story of Carol carrying Dash's baby, while trying to kick heroin is touching, gritty, and quite possibly my favorite series going. I reccomend everyone with money to go buy every trade and issue available and get caught up before #41 drops, it'll be worth it.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (10/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 2: DC

2010-08-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

I didn't read a lot of DC stuff this week... I read two things, but they were both pretty good, so I'm going to get right into reviewing and ranting.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #8
Words by: Judd Winick
Art by: Aaron Lopresti
This series is one of the only good things about BD. It's got ana amazing cast (The Old JLI with some updates), It's got an awesome Plot (Max Lord tricked the world [except the JLI] into not believing he exists and is causing all kinds of hell with a true get away with anything card), It's got humor and intrigue, and great art to boot. The plot for this issue has the JLI breaking into Checkmate to find Lord, of course they get caught so they try and fight their way out, strengthening their friendships and themselves on the way, including maybe a future romantic plot between Fire and Rocket Red? Perhaps, I mean even communist scan love... right? Frankly, I have nothing but good things to say about this book, other than that it's number 8 so jumping in now would be a bad idea, I highly reccomend getting (and reading) this series.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #48
Words by: James Robinson
Art by: Mark Bagley
Remember how last week I was raving about JSA? Well, the JLA half of the story falls short of last weeks JSA. Don't ask me to explain why, it just does. The plot seems to be a tad Deus Ex Machina, for my tastes, and seems almost sappy with a triumphant Alan Scott, but it seems like the contents of this issue sould have been two, and given us more action and build up. Really, it's all good except the pacing. I still reccomend the issue, I do, and I liked the arc, but this issue as a climax/close seemed a tad rushed and short.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this ssue (7.5/10)

Well, JL:GL obviously won here, but only because I pulled a technicality which you'll see in my next post... so make sure you read it.

Comic Book Wednesday Part 1: Marvel

2010-08-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

So hey, it's CBW again and as such I feel inclined to report/review the comics I read today and dug. Starting with Marvel...

NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT #1
Words by: Stuart Moore
Art by: Ariel Olivetti
As some of you found out the other day... I love Namor. He is a hero, but a raging dickhead at the same time.... what's not to love? And when I found out he was getting a series I was sold, and then I found out he'll be taking on underwater Vampires... I was tempted to buy two copies. Overall this issue doesn't do a lot more than set up the story, but being as this looks to be an awesome story, the exposition was of the same type. Namor returns to the water (he's still with the X-Men, though) and immediately begins bad-assing things up. Like a sub aquatic John Wayne he rides in, rounds up a posse, and heads off to fight the Vampires, which he does, in the process recovering the head of Count ~~Chocula~~ Dracula. The issue ends with the Vamps regrouping and deciding they are going to have to teach ole Pointy Ears a lesson. Moore (not Alan sadly) paints a great story, playing up Namor's ego and his heroic side (at the same time!) and the art by Olivetti is dark and gritty, perfect for this book because it's about vampires... and it's deep under water. I am pretty pumped for issue 2.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

CAPTAIN AMERICA #609
Words by Ed Brubaker
Art by Butch Guice
Let me start by saying Steve rogers is Captain America. Not in this book, but n my heart Steve Rogers will always be Cap. BUT, Brubaker still writes a damn fine Cap story, even if the cap is Bucky. This story finds us in the penultimate issue of an arc that pits Bucky against Zemo and his demons, I'm hoping that this means Steve will wield the shield soon, but for now I'm content with Bucky. Back on topic, Bucky goes to face Zemo, fights him and gets beaten because Zemo's a cheater (Zemo doesn't play by the rules? But I thought all guys in purple hoods were on the up and up, like X the Eliminator) The issue ends, sort of abruptly in my opinion, with Zemo taking Bucky to the island n the English Channel where Winter Soldier was born, setting up a damn fine showdown betwixt our current shield slinger and the current Zemo. The writing was good, but it felt a little too much like it was aware it's only set up, and I want issues like this to feel like their own story, not just filler. Still, Brubaker s one of my favorite writers and I did have fun with this issue.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (8/10)

SHADOWLAND: MOONKNIGHT
Words by: Gregg Hurwitz
Art by: Bong Dazo
This is a great Moonknight story... but a lame SL tie in. Hurwitz, who writes the character in Vengeance of the Moonknight, only writes 7 pages with SL material... the rest plays out like a VotMK tale, which is alright with me because I love that series. My issue becomes the lack of true tie-in material. All the other tie-ins have been extensions of the SL issues and the DD issues, this seems like it's own beast, with enough connection. Frankly it's like Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup, the headline says Chicken, but all you get is noodles with a piece or two of chicken. But, that's the end of my qualms with this issue. There is the introduction of a new MK villain, MK's girlfriend reveals she's pregnant, we get to see MK wrestling with Khonshu's influence, and much more which makes me wish this was VotMK #11 instead of a tie-in, but still it's one of the best SL things I've read so far.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

I'm sure you're now noticing I've been giving out 9's like Oprah, but thank goodness BMB is here so I can give a not 9 score (well, other than that 8 I gave)

ULTIMATE: MYSTERY 2 (of 4)
Words by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: Rafa Sandoval

I don't like Bendis. Mostly because his work on Ultimate X-Men (following Millar) but i just think he thinks he's got Tarantino's ear for dialogue... he doesn't. And there are several exchanges in this issue that show that. What is intended to be sharp and witty comes of as snarky (not in a good way like Joel McHale, but a bad way like Chelsea Handler). If you read Ultimate Enemy and issue one this book is worth the read, because it does further the plot a bit, but there are four pages of just explosion, two each to two explosions, and the plot seems forced and not very well mapped out.

Dr. Brooklyn says: PASS this issue (5/10)

So here's what I read from Marvel this week, and Namor and ~~Vengeance of the Moonknight~~ SL:MK were some of the best this week had to offer (from all four companies I read this week, but the true true winner is coming later) Stay tuned!

Top 5: My Top 5 Favorite Fictional Romances

2010-08-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves a good romance, but if you're like me you like them unconventional. Sure there's great straightforward ones, but for some reason I always love the pairings that have a bunch of problems. So, to quote a wiser man than myself "Heeeere we go!" boop boop boop boo-boobooboo

5. The Spirit and Sand Saref

From: The Spirit (primary issues: "Sand Saref" and "Bring In Sand Saref" by Eisner, and "Sand" (my all time favorite Spirit Story) by Darwyn Cooke

I know you're supposed to like Ellen Dolan, because she's the girl Denny needs, but if you've read Eisner's Spirit, or Cooke's (imho superior) run you know Denny will always have a huge spot in his heart for Sand. She's the one who got away, but not because of anything Denny did. It's the classic story of bad girl, good guy and how guys (to quote Stan Lee) want not the girl next door, but the "Slut down the street." I love this pairing because I see a lot of myself in The Spirit, a charmng john everyman that always falls for the wrong types of girls, hurting himself as much in the process. Able to share only a few issues and still be one of comics lethario's true loves, Sand is almost as iconic as the blue mask.

Also, as a huge Miller fanboy that kiss at the end of The Spirit (2008) brought a lump to my throat for a bunch of reasons.

4. Duncan and Courtney

From: Total Drama Island, Action and World tour

Alright, I'm sure all three of my readers are ignorant to this show, but it's one of my favorites, mainly because of the arc of these two characters. As a point of reference Courtney is based on Tracy Flick from Election, and Duncan is a stereotypical rebel. As was seen from the beginning they hated each other, but as the series went on they began to admire each other, and became like a modern Danny and Sandy. I love this pairing partly because I like chicks like courtney, partly because I like Emilie-Claire Baarlow (Courtney's voice), and mainly because the writing is smarter than most children's shows, and thus gave them a real romantic arc, instead of the usual "hey, let's date!" one episode plot that most kid's show romances have.

3. Swan and Mercy

From: The Warriors

You'll notice most of my other pictures are of the couples kissing or holding each other showing how much they love each other... but the reason I love this pairing is because they show their love in the opposite way. For those who haven't seen the movie, the above image is from a scene near the end, when gangster Swan and slut Mercy are nearly back to Coney Islan, with the rest of Swan's gang. The subway stops and two prom couples get in, dressed nice and laughing, while Swan and Mercy look like that. Mercy reaches up to fix her hair and Swan stops her, silently saying that she doesn't need to fix her self for them, that she's better in his eyes then they'll ever be. There are other scenes like this, and Beck and Van Valkenburgh have amazing chemistry. I love The Warriors (I've seen it over 20 times), I've beat the video game several times, and my favorite thing about the movie is the romance of Swan and Mercy.

Well... that and the Baseball Furies

2. Daredevil and Elektra

From: Daredevil (Primary Issue Daredevil #168 "Elektra")

Yes, Frank Miller admitted that he ripped off #168 from the earlier mentioned Spirit issues involving Sand Saref, but the dynamic of these two is very different from Denny and Sand, which is why these two are ranked so much higher. Their origin is similar, they met young, grew apart and when Elektra returns trouble comes with her. The difference is that Elektra isn't gone after two issues, she stays around and tension builds as Elektra of the Hand is fighting Daredevil, but at thesame time they are fighting their feelings. I love everything about them and I'm not too proud to admit I shed a tear when Elektra was killed, and Matt began to spiral. Miller proved with this that not only can he write "Gun Porn" to quote a WCM forum legend Vynson, but also touching romance.

But honestly, there can be only one couple...

1. Batman and Catwoman

From: Batman

Yeah yeah yeah, Batman get's around, I know that. He's wined and dined probably more women than is healthy, but there's always one he comes back to... Selena Kyle, and that above Lee work is the thing think of whenever some one mentions The Cat and The Bat. I love this couple for many of the reasons I like Colt/Saref and Murdock/Natchios: They love each other but can't be together due to ther sins. This is one of those, another town and another time and they could have been true loves, but in Gotham, love is a four letter word you just can't say. For some reason I love these two more than the rest... and it's not just the cat suit.

So, thank you for reading, please comment with some of your favorites... and I'll see you soon with some more reviews and such

Anatomy of a Movie (a Review of Anatomy of a Murder)

2010-08-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched Rope and today I watched another Jimmy Stewart vehicle... Anatomy of a Murder. Going into this movie I knew it was considered one of the greatest Court Room movies ever (On par with To Kill A Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men) and the hype does not do the movie justice.

This movie is 160 minutes long, but the pace and beautiful acting from George C. Scott and Stewart move the movie along as a great pace, no scene seems too long, no dialogue is considered "throw away," and nothing happens with out reason. The script, is beautiful (get used to that adjective for I shall use it a lot) Wendell Mayes gives snappy dialogue (both comedic and dramatic) worthy of a Denny Crane or Alan Shore cross examination. Stewart's "simple country Lawyer" (In this case from the U.P. of my state) while George C. Scott represents the Attorney General from Lansing, the juxtaposition here serves to bring the crowd behind honorable Stewart, the handsome and seemingly noble Gazzarra, the pretty Remick, and away from the creepy Scott, who intimidates and badgers Stewart and his witnesses.

Speaking of the cast... let's speak of the cast. As I said in my review of Rope, Stewart is an acting god. You'd be hard pressed to find a film critic worth a darn that denies Stewart is one of the finest actors to grace the screen. His entire persona establishes himself as the everyman, but he is also a hero, much like his role in "The Man who Shot Liberty Valence."

George C. Scott, is the same but for different reasons. Another fantastic actor here he banks on his ability to be the most arrogant guy in the room... and it works. Everything from his body language to his tone of voice makes you despise him, but at the same time respect his knowledge of the law, and his passion for justice. His performance leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, but a smile on your lips from the beauty and mastery of his acting abilities.

These two are the core of the movie, with notable side performances from Ben Gazzarra, Arthur O'Connell, and Eve Arden, among others but the supporter who comes closest to Scott and Stewart is Lee Remick as Laura Manion. Remick uses her beauty (see I told you I'd use it a lot) perfectly to play some one you don't know if she's used by men, or using them. But, if you've seen "Days of Wine and Roses" it should come as no surprise she can act.

From the script to the acting this movie is a true example of a "Classic." If there are flaws with this movie, I can't think of any.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)

Shoot 'em Up: A Review

2010-08-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

Listen here first

The above video is about a lover, that when found... the singer's questions are all answered. Too few times is this feeling felt with a movie, and I know I'm trardy to the party, but Shoot 'em Up is that kind of movie. Where has this movie been in my life?

From the start of the movie it is hard to believe this is not video game related, it obviously takes influence from video game physics, but the plot is original.... very original. When one thinks of classic movie weapons things like a .44 Magnum, a Lightsabre, chainsaws, and machetes come to mind... but now a Carrot should be added to the list of truly classic Movie armaments. Also, I haven't seen many movies where a lone gunman isn't lone, but toting the baby of a dead stranger.

The dialogue is so delightfully cheesy from "What's up Doc?" to "Nothing like a good hand job" this movie plays out like a group of fourteen year olds wrote it, but in it's cheese ball dialogue and Giamatti and Owen's deadpan performances the dialogue works, just as well as the action.

Speaking of the action each scene with guns plays out like a dance. bullets and gun fire create a beautiful opera that sets the score for the characters in the foreground. Who slide, jump, bob, and weave like a crazed mixture of The Matrix and Sin City. The camera work is also superb, showing the gritty contrast of Smith's home and lifestyle with Hammer and Rutledge. The angles and soundtrack also recall gun movies from the days of black and white to the current era. Be they set in NYC or the old West.

I haven't seen Giamatti in a lot. He was great in Sideways, and some other roles I've seen, but his serious way of playing a psychopath makes me lament that he's too old to play Bullseye, who his character here is essentially a middleaged version of. Honestly, I think he steals this movie, he's cold to the point of mental disorder, but in his own demented way, he's... funny and likeable.

Owen, also good for a few of the same reasons. His deadpan delivery of cheesy line's like the aforementioned "Nothing like a good hand job" make it seem like he thinks this dialogue is worthy of Tarantino, but it also suggests he's in on the joke. Which brings me to the next point, Owen is on a short list of actors being considered (from hearsay) to be Butcher in The Boys which, even after seeing this movie I just can't see him in that role, but that's not the topic at hand. SEU is. Owen is goo, maybe even great in this part, but like I said this is Giamatti's flick.

Monica Bellucci is good as the "lady of the evening." She is believable as a slut, as mean as that sounds, but also as the nurturing mother figure. She doesn't have a lot of lines, but her chemistry with Owen is like a modern version of Swan and Mercy from "The Warriors" two people who are far from perfect, but they are still trying to be better people.

To make a long story short (too late) this is a fantastic action movie, with laughs, blasts, and some sexy ladies... three things that make movie's great.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)

Rope: A Review

2010-08-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

A Hitchcock movie is much like a ball of multicolored yarn. Even once you have unraveled the yarn and then rewound it, the second time through each new color amazes you as much as the first time, for now the subtle irregularities in the coloring and thread quality seem even more wondrous, lines of dialogue seem wittier, acting is more sublime, and surprisingly the suspense is just as grand.

So was the case of my second viewing of the sadly overlooked movie "Rope." As a quick piece of background history the movie is based on the Loeb-Leopold case (which happened about an hour and a half from my town) and concerns to wealthy boys who decided to try and commit the perfect murder... long story short they failed.

The movie changes the setting (No longer the Loeb farm near Charlevoix) and changes the characters, but the "thrill kill" element is there.

The movie opens with the murder of David Kently, and that is the last we see of him, for the movie does not revolve around his murder, but the events following it, and primarily the interactions between the two conspirators (John Dall and Farley Granger, but more on them later) and their former Professor (James Stewart). From there the movie proceeds like a Columbo episode, a celebratory party is hosted by Dall, in which Stewart slowly unravels the crime and pins the two boys.

The plot is full of all the twists and turns one would expect from Hitch, shots, not score, build suspense. The Camera spends much of the time focused not on the action, but of the subject of conversation, most often the chest, which serves as Mr. Kently's temporary grave. Other than the chest, though, the apartment is very simple, for this movie is not about scenery, it's about the characters that fill it.

Let me start with Farley Granger. His role is much that of Freud's superego, not wanting to murder he is forced into it by Dall, the id. Granger performs admirably, but no enough to hold his own with the other two of this movie's three dominating actors.

Which leads me to James Stewart. Honestly, what needs to be said about the man AFI ranked the third greatest actor in film history? The man knows how to act. It doesn't matter the role, he can make you feel proud to be human, he can make you question what it takes to be a man, he can captivate and audience, even in a supporting role. I don't think I am worthy to appraise Stewart, beyond saying we may never have another actor quite like him.

And lastly of the big three is John Dall. With all due respect to Stewart, this is Dall's movie. He was in 8 movies total, and is solely remembered for this role, for great reason. Dall brings a cold sadistic air to him worthy of Adrian Veidt. Deciding that he is fit to play God he plans and commits the murder of his former classmate and friend. But it is in the aftermath, the way Dall presents the murder like a sexual act that brings him the praise he so deserves. Acting like murder was not only okay, but a RIGHT, and being so arrogant you want to kick him off a roof, Dall steals the show and dare I say even upstages Stewart.

The rest of the cast serves as little more than props. they are there to enhance the plot slightly, but this movie would have worked just as well with only the three men I mentioned, and an extra to play a corpse.

If you have not seen this movie... what the hell is wrong with you? Go rent it, now and be amazed at the genius of Hitch, the mastery of the craft of Stewart, and the sublime acting of John Dall.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9/10)

Comic Book Wednesday Part 2: DC

2010-08-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back, i'm glad you stayed with me. Now for DC... which to be honest is all Brightest Day stuff at the moment. Let's just get into it.

BRIGHTEST DAY #8
Words by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Ivan Reis
This series has been a thorn in my side. Blackest Night got me so pumped for the DCU. i was buying books for characters I'd never ehard of, I geeked out everytme I checked DC's website and saw more BN stuff coming, I bought the BL ring as soon as could, the rest shortly after I was pumped. Then I heard of Brightest Day, and my heart soared, after the amazing wonder of BN BD must be great, right? Wrong. The first 7 issues of the main series have been the characters walking around, shoulders shrugged wondering why they are all back, Side stores like GL, GLC, And Justice League Generation Lost have kept my attention, but the BD series itself has angered me on a two week cycle for a few months now. BUT BD #8 shows something that the first 7 lacked: plot. All the side stories across the DCU are coming together, what's with he Hawks, What happened to M'gnn, and what's Boston Brand up to. Also, there was no Aquaman, which is a major plus. Sadly... that is one of the few plusses. Because other than the J'onn arc (My second favorite DC character) the plots have been so slow in starting (Seven issues to be exact) I don't care about them anymore. With Marvel doing Shadowland, an amazing crossover, this feels even MORE lackluster than I already thought. The writing is okay, but I feel like this series is a let down from Johns, who's GL is still among my favorites.

Dr. Brooklyn says: Only Read it if you are following Brightest Day and have been from the beginning (5/10)

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #42
Words by: James Robinson
Art by: Mark bagley
After BD #8 I was a little mad, which is why 'm so glad I read this story. The arc involving the Starheart ahs been superb, involving twists turns and a great meshing of two generations of heroes. This seems liek the climax before the climax, after Faust exposes "Alan" Dr. fate is freed, who is then able to go help the others, yadda yadda yadda, the "real" Alan shows up and shit is getting up to go down. The art is stronger than most, but the story is beautiful. Elements of love gone sour, coupled with magic, intrigue, and Grayson still trying to fill the Bat-Shoes of his mentor, this book was a treat to read. The arc "Dark Things" (this is part 4, btw) is a great introduction to the characters, but it's also not really releant to the BD crossover that t falls under. This is just a pick up and read kind of story (but start with "DT" Pt. 1-3 first)

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this book (8/10)

GREEN LANTERN CORP #51
Words by: tony Bedard
Art by: Ardian Syaf
This arc is titled Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns, but a more fitting ttle would be "The Madness of Cyborg Superman." This arc is not about the Corps, thus far, it's about Ganthet, Sora, Kyle, John, and Stel fighting the Alpha-Lanterns and their leader, Cyborg Superman, who is fucking nuts. This is another Part 4 of an arc, so don't start here if you're not following it, but read the arc, I beg you. The interactions of the Lanterns shows, in case you forgot, that they are Not just Green Lanterns, they are a corps, or a body. Beautifully shown by Bedard, Kyle, Sora, and John are trying to rally an army of robots to fight the Alpha Lanterns and save Stel, which isn't going well for them. Calling in Hannu they are able to defeat Boodikka, recharge with a glorious final panel of the three lanterns reciting the oath, and get ready for the final showdown (coming in #52).

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue. (7.75/10)

The winner this week was obviously not BD #8, but it was JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #42, thanks to solid story and art.

thank you for reading my CBW posts and I'lll probably do a rant or something cool tomorrow... maybe

Comic Book Wednesday Part 1: Marvel

2010-08-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Alright so here's how my CBW reviews will break down, I'll divide it amongst multiple posts with one post per company, mainly it'll just be DC and Marvel though. As you can tell from the title this post is devoted to the Marvel series I got today, which honestly is not a lot, but here we go. Oh and um... spoiler alert

First up...
DEADPOOL #26
Words by: Dan Way
Art by Carlo Barberi
For those familiar with (this) Deadpool series Deadpool is pulling a Nic Cage and is leaving Las Vegas. The Merc with a Mouth starts the book by wiping out his former employers and ditching the suit that he used in the previous arc, to which I say THANK GOD! I have read every issue of Way's run, but the last arc lacked the creativity and vibrancy of say Deadpool offing Skrull as the Phillie's Phanatic, or him becoming a pirate, or... Hit-Monkey (Nuff Said?) [Nuff Said.] The issue has some laughs, but not as much as an average Deadpool comics because as soon as Wade finishes hs task a certain hothead shows up and drags him away. Most of the issue (which doesn't kick off a new arc, but instead is a one and done tale) is a retrospective of how Deadpool became who he is, but that is a story that should be told in an arc or limited series (Much like Way's Bullseye's Greatest Hits) The issue's worth checking out, but overall it doesn't do much and ends kind of fast.

Br. Brooklyn says: It's worth a Read (6/10)

SECRET AVENGERS #4
Words by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Mike Deodato
It seems like just yesterday that Osborn was still leading the avengers, then Siege occurred, and enter in the corniest Crossover title ever (The Heroic Age) and then there were a bunch of new Avengers books (The, Young, New, Secret, ~~Uncanny~~). I tried "The" and, not being a BMB fanboy I was let down that THAT was the series that got JRjr. I also tried "Secret" which is becoming one of my current favorites. Ending an arc that involves the team on Mars, #4 shines showing once again that Steve Roger's isn't like Peter Parker or Clark Kent, even though Steve doesn't wield the shield he is still Captain America. Everything he says and does is what Cap would do, and I love that. In addition to him as front man, this band has one hell of a cool lineup (Valkyrie,War Machine, Ant-Man [O'Grady], Beast, and Moon Knight, for starters). Nova is defeated once Steve dons the helmet and delivers a cosmic beat down, Fury is caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and The universe is saved, but this issue is mainly about what Rogers has been Asking of O'Grady from #1, "Nut up and be a man," which here means stopping nuclear suicide bombers from attacking the team on mars. The Art is good, but Brubaker's story and character development over shadows it, making it deeper than it s pretty.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (9/10)

SHADOWLAND: DAUGHTERS OF THE SHADOW (1 of 3)
Words by: Jason Henderson
Art by: Ivan Rodriguez
If you aren't following Shadowland turn off the computer, go to your nearest comic shop and buy everything that has the aforementioned words at the top. The series is really asking tough questions about vigilante's, corruption in government, and what truly makes a hero. This issue is no exception. Told in a First Person narrative the story follows Colleen Wing, a Samurai chick who wear tight white spandex. My first exposure to the character couldn't have been told better, we meet her as her. She walks you through her life, you get her perspective and you learn about her past in a exposition heavy middle, but the dialogue keeps it moving so it's not overbearing. About 2/3rds of the way through the issue Wing arrives at Shdowland for a st down with Daredevil, the latter tells the former about her mother and recruits her into the Hand as part of the Fox Force Five ripoff, The Nail. Rodriguez doesn't do anything too inventive here, His art is the generic stuff you'd find in any title, but Henderson introduces us to many of the questions I was talking about and sets the stage for conflicts that I can't wait for.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this issue (7/10)

SHADOWLAND: POWER MAN (1 of 4)
Words by: Fred Van Lente
Art by: Mahmud Asrar
From the opening panel you know this comic is going somewhere. The simple flashbacks matched with the one page splash of a glowing hand rising from the rubble sets that this will be good... but sadly, True Believers, the maic ends there for most of the book. This Power Man is not Luke Cage, who is in the book though, he IS a hero for Hire, but he's more of a ~~jack-ass~~ ~~merc~~ jack-ass. focusing more on the hire than Hero this Power Man is not like able, and that's what most the book focuses on. He's cleaning up Spanish Harlem, true, but he's doing it fifty bucks at a time. Not until the end is there any real rising action: There's pimps, there's ho's, there's ninja, but the best part of this book is the interactions of Luke Cage and Iron Fist coming to stop the new guy, leaving us hanging with a fight breaking out between Power Man, Power Man, and Iron Fist. The Art is average and the writing is the same. If you're following Shadowland it's a must read because this will definitely make a splash, but if you are just curious it's a pass kind of deal.

Dr. Brooklyn says: It's worth a Read (if you are reading SHADOWLAND) (5/10)
PASS (if you're not reading SHADOWLAND)

And if you've been keeping score (which you don't have to because I do) this weeks clear Marvel winner is SECRET AVENGERS #4 Go check out this fine book and the first 3 issues, this is a series you don't want to be left behind on.

Scott Pilgrim vs. this Blog Post (A Review)

2010-08-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Where to begin, where to begin?
How about the Beginning? (Good Idea, Brooklyn)

There are few movies that when you see the company logo you are already geeking out. Star Wars with Lucasfilm Ltd., Watchmen with the WB/DC on yellow, and Scott Pilgrim with the 8-Bit Universal Logo. As soon as it started I began smiling, and thankfully that smile didn't fade for quite some time.

I am very pleased that the movie didn't beat aroudn the bush and establish each character with added exposition, like the books you are planted smack dab in the middle of Scott's first romantic arc, Knives. From there most of the plot is the same as the books, but perhaps viewed through a fun house mirror: Everything is there, but the way it is viewed is quite different. Scenes are kept mostly intact, but scenes like the Lucas Lee fight are editted to add MORE referencial humor (is that possible?) to the world of SP vs TW. As a rabid Warriors fan, this scene made me geekgasm a little. The Exes are faced and each are given sufficient screen time, like an episode of Seinfeld the background characters get equal screen time, but the movie is no doubt about Scott and his Precious Little Life.

I have no major gripes with the changes, unlike some that happened to another comic book movie this year (Jetpack anyone?) these changes don't overshadow the movie, change the tone, or ruin the realism (In that OTHER movie). These changes are like adding a garnish lettuce to a dinner platter, no change in the quality of the dinner, but the presentation only becomes that much better.

Now, to the characters and those who portrayed them. First up... Kieran Caulkin stole this movie. For me he didn't steal the books, but this movie was his. (Sorry Cera) [He'll get over it]. From the very beginning Kieran captured the cockiness and dry humor that makes Wallace wells the coolest Gay character ever (Other than Adrian Veidt) [That was never proven].

Michael Cera, it's hard to imagine it's only been three years since we saw him trying to deliver liquor to a party with Jonah Hill, (Longer still since he was George Michael... but... that's not relevant). since that time we've only seen young Mr. Cera play Young Mr. Cera, but I think he finally has changed that here. I will admit, I was on the fence when I heard Cera was playing Pilgrim, I hadn't read the books, but I doubted that he would be anything other than himself. He shows all the emotions that Scott does in the books, and plays that perfect blend of Innocent Asshole that is required to translate this character to the screen.

Also, I would fail in my duties as giving a review if I didn't talk about the movie's biggest bag of adorable crazy... Ellen Wong. Every body know's a Knives Chau, that high school girl who thinks she's mature enough to know everything about love, but in her ignorance she is little more than a stalker. To play a character like that still takes talent, much like Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder folly of going "full retard" Wong could have gone "full stalker" but she didn't. She had an edge of innocence, a pinch of sadness, and a cute likeability that helped her not be that creepy stalker chick, but a stalker chick you felt sorry for.
The rest of the cast was also solid, but I don't feel like they need full analysis. Winstead was what I expected Ramona to be, Pill made up for her (well, I don't know how to say this and not seem like a total ass) physical cuteness as Kim with her solid funniness and unique take on the voicing, I always thought Kim would be more on the emotional range of Scott, and not Data, but it worked. Like I said before, it was like a Seinfeld episode where all the background characters got their fair time, but Cera remained the focus.
Edgar Wright is a genius. Spaced shows that, every episode seems like a mini moive of amazingness. (Tiny Epics of Epic Epicness, if you will) Look at his visual knods in SotD and HF and you know he know's film. Even on the show Asylum his genius shines. I can't say anything that good that hasn't been said about this guy.

Overall, the movie works. The humor is very present. The quirky characters are shown in an amazingly vibrant Toronto. I say congrats to all involved, they made one hell of a movie, and one hell of a great adaptation.

Dr. Brooklyn Says: LIKE this movie (9/10) on the like scale

First post or: How I learned to stop worring and love the Blog.

2010-08-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

After months of dragging my feet... after many moons of whining about not having the time or effort to blog here I am... typing away at the first entry of a blog I'm going to use to assert my superiority in all things pop culture.

Like all stories it starts with a villain, this one is named D**** S**** or AYBGerrardo for short. He has an awesome blog and I decided that there would be enough people I know doing it to not appear foolish. So, how to begin a blog? I could go right into a self righteous diatribe, I could start with a review, I could do a top five for the kicks and giggles, I could just continue to list possible ways to fill this Genesis of blog posts... OR I could just rap it up shortly because I actually DON'T have a perfect solution to start with, but as the first offical thing "Dr. Brooklyn says to like" I place this Blog.

Sorry for not really giving you anything but a glorified blog tease, but tomorrow I'll hit the ground running with reviews of several comics that drop and maybe a movie... I dunno yet.

Until then my lovelies, your's truly~ Dr. Brooklyn