The Mosherpit

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

2012-02-26T09:11:00.003-05:00

I first saw the original Ghost Rider movie a few years ago when it came out on President's Day weekend. When I saw that the second one was doing the same, it was pure serendipity that I got a chance to see this one in theaters on that weekend. As a fan of Ghost Rider and the first movie, it was almost a moral imperative.

I'm glad I saw it. It was a fun, grindhouse-y movie that runs on kinetic energy and an inspired performance from Nic Cage that really lets him cut loose and go a little bonkers. The story seems to pull and Incredible Hulk and ignore the first movie but brings us up to speed with the origin quickly enough. Johnny Blaze isn't in control of the Rider as much as he was in the first movie, or perhaps the Rider isn't in control of himself. So when he appears on the scene, he's usually going all out and doing quite a bit of damage along the way. You see, he has a quest to seek out and burn the wicked, and he doesn't really care about the degree of evil you may have committed. He's going to punish you for it. As you can imagine, Blaze would rather this not happen and seeks a way to get rid of him for good. Which is unfortunate, as a young boy and his mother are being hunted by some shadowy, nefarious types and need his help, which may do more harm than good in the end.

Good performances by Cage and Idris Elba really help the movie shine. They bring the fun in every scene that they're in and have a good chemistry together. The rest of the cast isn't bad and there are a few surprise cameos that had me quite pleased. The effects are pretty nice, especially Ghost Rider riding around during the day. That was rather cool to see. My only complaint is that, like the first one, the fights are rather short, which is to be expected when you have humans going up against a demon, but then again, it does keep them from getting boring.

If you enjoyed the first movie, you should like this one. Don't go in expecting your typical superhero film, as the directors of Crank have done anything but that here. Instead, you get a movie processed through a 70s drive-in sensibility with a touch of overkill.

Check it out.

Doghouse

2012-02-19T08:15:00.002-05:00

The wife wanted to watch Twilight something or other last night. Not being a fan, I fired up the 3DS and Netflix and grabbed my trusty nine dollar headphones and settled down for a movie with manliness that would counteract the chick flick on the big screen--Doghouse.

The movie takes place in the UK, where a group of guys have gotten together to help a friend get over his divorce by having a guys weekend away. After starting at the local pub, they get on a bus driven by a lovely lady and head to a small town in the woods, where one of their friends has a relative with a house they can use and the population is supposed to be heavy on the women. This unfortunately doesn't turn out as planned when they get there and find that the women have gone crazy with some virus and have turned into zombie-like maniacs who want to devour the flesh of every man they see.

Not quite what they had in mind.

An entertaining mix of comedy and horror, Doghouse hits more often than misses and dishes up equal doses of scares and laughs. The guys are pretty likable, even the required asshole friend, so we genuinely care what happens to them. It helps that it takes a bit to get going so we have some time to find out what makes them tick. They act like friends, too, which is nice, where we get concern and good ribbing to go along with it. Can't say I recognize many of the actors from anything, save Mickey from Doctor Who and I believe the stoner from Severance. Good bunch though. I didn't have any complaints with them, save for one of the ones I was rooting for didn't survive the film.

It's a fun twist on the zombie genre that shouldn't go overlooked by any fan of these types of films. Check it out.

Zombie Killing for Fun and Profit

2012-02-18T19:00:00.002-05:00

Ok, maybe not profit. I am having a blast playing Resident Evil: Revelations for the 3DS. It's a nice and creepy tale that evokes the earlier games in the series but uses the control scheme (or a variant of) pioneered by RE4. So you basically you have things jumping out at you from all over the place, making you scream like a little kid, but you can run away and shoot them with ease. Until you run out of ammo.

That's another change from RE4&5. The ammo can get rather scarce, so if you decide to try and blast everything that moves, you might end up in dire straits later on. It can get hectic, so you don't have forever to aim your shots, but try and make them count. Aiming for the head, as always, is preferred, though center mass might be easier if you're in a hurry.

The bosses are nice and creepy as well, usually dropping audio cues well before you reach them to unnerve you. Then you run into them and it's a race to keep yourself alive and kill them while trying to avoid the multitude of other enemies that pop up to make life more miserable for you.

The basic plot has you on a ship as Jill Valentine, trying to figure out how the mysterious vessel ties into events from the past that seem to be coming back to threaten the world. Any more than that might give away the plot turns and twists that make the game fun. There are a few more characters besides Jill you get to play as, perhaps to prepare us for the character switching in RE6. They use the same game play, but help advance the plot without trying to cram everything into the ship.

In keeping with the newer entries in the series, there is also a minigame of sorts, much like Mercenaries from the last two console versions. This new game is called Raid Mode. Instead of trying to kill as many enemies as you can within a time limit, you have to traverse levels from the game and exterminate everything that moves and get to the end. No time limit and you can even replenish ammo from fallen enemies at times. There's also a level system. You get XP that raises you level, and as you go up, you can use better versions of weapons you find. Then have level restrictions so you might find an awesome weapon early on but not be able to use it for a bit. In addition, you can add abilities to the weapons to increase their usefulness and damage. Not quite the leveling system in 4 or 5, but still handy, considering the enemies increase in level too as you progress. You can do this alone or bring a friend along for the ride with wireless and online game play.

All in all, it's a fun entry to the series and worth picking up if you have a 3DS and want an engaging and entertaining zombie killing game and see some familiar faces.

Check it out.

RE: Revelaitons

2012-02-08T13:10:00.003-05:00

No, that's not a typo. Well, ok, it is, but it's also on the spine of the game box, which amuses me to no end. Anyhow, I finally picked up my copy of the game. It came out yesterday, apparently, even though Gamestop had said it was coming in on the 8th. Which wouldn't matter normally but I pre-ordered at the one by work so I had to wait until today to get it as I was out yesterday. Grrr.

So I have the game in hand and must now wait several hours until I can play it. Why do it do this to myself? I feel like one of the inmates in Don't Look in the Basement.

The Thing (2011)

2012-02-07T15:41:00.002-05:00

When it comes to horror movies, John Carpenter's version of The Thing is one of my favorites. Great tension, acting and plot come together to form one hell of a ride. As you can imagine, any attempt to remake this was going to be on shit list and I was going to be skeptical. Fortunately, they opted to not remake it, per se, but instead offer us the tale of what happened in the Norwegian camp that led to the events in Carpenter's classic.

It does a decent job with it. Much like the Descent and it's sequel, or Alien and Aliens, a lot of the suspense about what exactly is killing people is removed and we get much more in the way of action. The Thing goes on plenty of rampages and we see it assimilate quite a few people, or at least begin to, which in the original was mainly left off screen. It makes for a fun ride, but not one that will leave much of an impression.

The plot follows Mary Elizabeth Winstead as she gets hired to help with a dig in the Antarctic. It's all rather hush hush, and it turns out they have found a flying saucer. They've also uncovered a foreign life form hidden in the ice that they bring back to get samples from. Then it breaks out. From then on in, the movie kicks it into high gear. Most of the faces that surround her are forgettable and serve mainly to be taken over or killed by the alien. The few that are rounded out are alright, but the fact that one of them is basically your evil scientist tripe is kind of lousy. I would expect a little better, though maybe that's a nod to Howard Hawkes version.

Not a must see film, but certainly not the worst way to kill an hour and a half, if just to watch Ramona Flowers with a flamethrower.

Check it out.

Resident Evil: Revelations (Demo)

2012-01-31T12:54:00.002-05:00

I had some free time on my hands while cooped up in a hotel at night during a tradeshow, so I found myself playing quite a bit of the RE: Revelations Demo on the 3DS. It definitely has me looking forward to the full version, not like I wasn't before. So far, from the brief level we got, it appears that they're keeping the RE 4/5/Mercs control scheme but setting-wise going for a more old school feel. Indeed, Jill wakes up in the demo in a room that feels like it was ripped out of the mansion from RE1. The zombies are plentiful and take a bit of ammo to take down, making it handier to try and dodge around them or utilize your power weapons to get the most bang from your buckshot.

One neat addition is the new Item Scanner. It basically lets you target around the room and search for hidden items like ammo and health. It also scans some of the bodies left around, though I didn't see as much need for that save to increase a percentage that shows at the top of the screen. You won't find a ton of ammo doing this from what I observed, but it's enough to help you out when you're down to your last clip.

I pre-ordered this last week so I could get the free case that comes with it. I'll pick up the game and the case on Wednesday and let you know how it is.

Sherlock

2012-01-16T13:03:00.002-05:00

Finally started watching and finished off this great new series. Ok, so it's from 2010. That might make it less new but not less great. In a nutshell, the series is a series of hour and a half episodes, three in total, that feature a modern take on Sherlock Holmes. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the titular role while Martin Freeman plays John Watson, his companion. The stories for each episode are inspired in part by the original Sherlock Holmes mysteries, or at least contain nods to them, and are their own tales, so you won't feel like you're watching the same story for the umpteenth time like you would get for some of the movies.

The cast works well together. There's a great chemistry between the two leads. There's also a fun running gag about the two being a couple. Cumberbatch plays a suitably alien Sherlock, a man who observes every little detail about the world and the crimes in it but doesn't relate well with people, often times being completely oblivious to how he should treat people. Freeman is the grounding influence for his compatriot, giving an everyman point of view on the cases and teaching him on occasion how to act like a person. Still, despite the grief he gets from Holmes, Watson sticks along for the thrill of the hunt and also the money they get for solving these crimes.

Season 2 is on now, so I can finally start watching them. I'm quite looking forward to it. Check it out.

Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil on Netflix

2012-01-07T22:58:00.002-05:00

If you haven't had a chance to see this wildly funny and smart horror comedy, maybe because you don't want to shell out the bucks or your Blockbuster closed, have no fear. You can now watch it on Netflix, for, well, whatever you pay a month to watch Netflix Instant. Not a bad deal. Check it out. You'll be thanking me later after you get out of your awesome induced coma.

Also, did Netflix for Xbox change how they stream? I used to get a solid connection where after a hiccup, it leveled out so it was good the whole way through. Now it seems to vary depending on my connection speed, going from beautiful HD to blocky at times. Maybe due to peak usage on the service? I dunno. Seems good now but it was pissing me off earlier.

Anyhow, don't let that discourage you from checking out Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. It's awesomeness cannot be contained by bandwidth.

New Year's Eve 2011

2011-12-31T12:18:00.002-05:00

Sitting here watching Bubble Guppies with less than 12 to go to the new year. Just want my daughter to feel better. She has pneumonia. Hospitalized her on Tuesday. She came home yesterday. She seems to be doing better, but we probably have a long way to go on it, what with the nebulizer and trying to get her to actually drink some water and juice so she doesn't get dehydrated. She's still getting a fever about every twelve hours, which sucks but is better than every 5 or so that it had been before we took her into the ER to get some fluids. Who knew being a parent was so rough? We haven't even done Christmas yet. Here's hoping for a healthy start to the year.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T09:48:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas! Can't say it's a good one for me this year as my daughter is fighting a virus and has been for the past four or five days. By the way, viruses suck. Nothing like something that you can't get rid of outside of just resting and fighting the fever. Yay for that. I don't even know when you start counting when it starts. Is it with the cough or with the fever? That could make a difference as Cassie started coughing on Monday or Tuesday. That would mean she only has a few days left. The fever, however, started on Thursday morning, maybe late Wednesday. We only know she woke up with it. That would mean she has a lot more left if we count from there. Ugh.

Fright Night (2011)

2011-12-17T00:07:00.003-05:00

Remakes are always a tricky breed. Most of the time they don't need to be done at all. It just seems like the producers behind them think viewers can't enjoy films from a different era/language/etc. That or they find some cult IP that they want to exploit and reimagine in some "cutting edge" way. I was afraid that Fright Night would fall prey to the latter. Like kids today can't appreciate Chris Sarandon in a sweat suit.

Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. While my main motivation was to watch David Tennant, I found the whole cast enjoyable. Colin Farrell was a delight as Jerry, the vampire next door, turning the role from one of seduction to an absolute predator. The script was solid and I didn't find many things to gripe about. Even the update of the Peter Vincent character from a horror host to a magician makes sense, considering they're in Las Vegas and also that most people today won't remember horror hosts like Zacherley or Elvira.

There were some clever scenes I liked. There's an escape scene that has a particularly great payoff, that without spoiling it, I didn't see coming but fits with the way bites work. I also like that the Ed and Charlie roles were switched in terms of believing in vampires, with Ed as the one who suspects Jerry at first. Any complaints I might have actually relate to this, as it almost feels like we're brought into the story midway, with Ed having done a bit of research into killings that we don't quite get the feeling are truly an epidemic. Still, it's a minor quibble. I wish that I got a chance to see it in 3d though, as it looks like they had some cool effects for it. As it stands, the movie looks good and is thoroughly enjoyable regardless of the dimension you see it in.

It, like a lot of good remakes, pay a bit of homage to the originals without sounding like they're pandering. You even get a Chris Sarandon cameo. Nothing wrong with that, as he is quite awesome.

All in all, it's a fun film and worthy of the name, Fright Night. Check it out.

Super (thanks for asking)

2011-12-04T21:08:00.002-05:00

Finally got around to seeing this little gem from writer/director James Gunn. It's about a man whose wife leaves him for Kevin Bacon and drugs, so he decides to save her and fight crime in the city along the way. Of course, there is a learning curve for this sort of thing and he has quite a few mishaps along the way. Fortunately, he has Nathan Fillion as a Bibleman-ish character on tv to guide him and a teenage girl in the form of Ellen Page who wants to be his sidekick.

And he fights crime with a pipe wrench and the battle cry of "Shut up, evil!"

It's pretty hysterical and dark, which is good for a dark comedy. It brings to mind some of Gunn's previous films like Slither and the also superhero related The Specials. Rainn Wilson is a delight as the lead and Kevin Bacon works well as his foil. Liv Tyler is radiant as usual in the role of his wayward wife and Ellen Page is a fucking psychopath. Seriously. I like her but she seems to play the same role in my mind in every movie I see her in. It was a nice surprise to see her cut loose and not just be the wiseass hipster which Juno has forever cast her in to me.

The movie is a fun take on how crime fighting might go in the real world and Rainn does a great job in bringing us along for the ride. Definitely worth checking out if you don't mind some bloodshed with your humor, because honestly, (spoilers) the last act is a bloodbath. But awesome.

Check it out.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

2011-11-27T21:35:00.002-05:00

I had a nice four days off. Played with my daughter. Played a lot of Skyward Sword. Raked leaves and put up Christmas lights and now I'm sore and watching Walking Dead and knowing that I'm going to be hella sore tomorrow after a good night of sleep. Hope ya'll had a good weekend too. Hopefully I'll get some more movie reviews up soon.

High School of the Dead

2011-11-17T13:09:00.003-05:00

Started watching this nifty little anime the other day. I was intrigued as I like anime and zombies and this seemingly combined the two. How could I lose? Turns out to be a pretty good choice so far as I'm rather enjoying it.

The plot, in a nutshell, is that a zombie outbreak in Toyko occurs and whole parts of the city are ravaged rather quickly. The school that the main characters attend is no exception, and with just one infection, gets taken over rather quickly. The heroes, friends and strangers alike, band together to try and get the hell out of there and to safety and their families--if any are still alive.

It's got some great gore and fun characters and some fantastic zombie killing action. I think that's what drew me in from the start. The running POV that turns into some zombie smackdown is something I absolutely love about the series. It does have its share of fanservice, which gets ratcheted up rather absurdly in Episode 6 and so far in 7 is there as well. I think that kind of goofiness with the occasional humor that they have keeps the series from going too serious and grim and is a welcome change from some of the tough choices that they have to make. Also, the series has the first time I can remember someone having to pee in the middle of a tough situation, which is funny as I would probably have to do that as well. It's a nice touch and really rounds out the characters.

Check it out.

11.11.11

2011-11-11T21:41:00.000-05:00

No nanowrimo or movie updates tonight. Just me pretending to be the 11th Doctor and trying to overcome some illness. And drinking Jameson. Happy 11.11.11!

Nanowrimo 2011: Day 7

2011-11-07T15:46:00.003-05:00

I figured today was a good day to check in on the blog, since I've been slacking with updates. For those interested, I broke 10k words today. Which is a goodly amount. Unfortunately, it's rather short of where I should be, but I've been pretty busy lately so I haven't had time to focus on the writing. Which means I'll be playing catch up later, or at least there's a strong possibility of it. I have been writing every day though so a the very least, that's a good habit to get into.

Truthfully though, I don't need to hit 50k to win this in mine eyes, though it makes me a loser in terms of the rules. I was already at 50k and then some when I started Nanowrimo and now I'm sitting over 66k, possibly more as I haven't checked the full word count in a bit. That has me really excited, as I've made a huge dent in the book word count and I'm on my way to finishing it. My estimated goal is 80,000 words, but if I end up going longer, that works too. Then I can begin the long task of proofing and editing it. I actually like that though so I'm looking forward to it.

Until next time.

The November Grind

2011-11-01T20:22:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again. That's right, fellow writers. I'm talking about Nanowrimo. I haven't done it in a year as I was working on publishing the novel I wrote during Nano a few years ago, but I'm all in again. This time I'm cheating a bit, I guess, as I'm not writing something completely new but using the word count and deadline obsession to help me finish off a novel that I'm already working on. I'm still counting the words I add, rather than what I have, but I might not hit 50k as I think I'm only aiming for 80k total for the novel and I'm at 56k already. We'll see how it goes. Whatever the case might be, it's a fun time, so you should join me over there and get to writing something fun.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

2011-10-28T13:14:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else out there love this movie as much as me? For me, it's the best of the sequels and really captures the feeling of the season rather well too. It also features the return of Michael stalking his prey like a champ instead of just popping up and killing them like he did for most of the other sequels. In the original, one of the most chilling things is how he just waits and watches his prey and we get glimpses of him in the background before he disappears and eventually ends his victim's life. The mask looks better than it will in the later sequels and Haddonfield feels like a small, midwest town for once.

I like that even though the police are pretty proactive and believe Loomis when he tells them that Michael is back, the Shape always seems to stay a step ahead of them and is rather cunning in the way he plunges the whole town into chaos. Not bad for someone who never speaks a word.

The early showdown between Loomis and Michael in the gas station is great too. I think that's one of my favorite set pieces in the film, outside the scene later on in the film on the streets of Haddonfield where Michael is stalking Jamie and it ends in a rather surprising way.

It's playing on AMC quite a bit this week due to the impending holiday and I'm quite happy about that. If you haven't seen it before, I would recommend checking it out, as it's the perfect type of movie for your Halloween celebrations.

Ed Wood

2011-10-23T19:56:00.000-04:00

Missed my horror movie watching on Friday as I was cleaning and fun stuff like that, so I made up for it a little by watching this biopic of the creator of some of the worst movies around. I have to admit that I had never seen this movie before, despite seeing quite a few of the movies he directed. As nothing else was on and I had nothing else to do and was too lazy to look for a dvd, it seemed like a good choice.

The movie is almost a dual biopic that covers all of Ed Wood and also the waning years of Bela Lugosi, who was the biggest star in his films and one of his close friends. Both roles are well played by Johnny Depp and Martin Landau respectively, with Depp as the young, cross-dressing director and Landau as a morphine addicted Lugosi. They're supported by a varied and talented cast that includes Bill Murray and Patricia Arquette as particular standouts.

Director Tim Burton's choice to use black and white instead of color is wonderful. I think it really pays off as you almost feel like you're watching a behind the scenes on the filming of Wood's movies. I think the color choice too, along with the way some scenes are framed, makes you feel like Wood is a mad scientist from Frankenstein, laughing and mad and filled with a frenetic energy that he passes along to those around him.

I am saddened that I never saw this earlier, as it gives a fun and interesting account of Ed Wood that never sagged for me in its two hour run time. It was a fun ride, often hilarious and at times touching too. If you haven't seen it and have an interest in the films of yesteryear, particular z-level horror and sci-fi, check it out.

NYCC 2011

2011-10-18T13:26:00.000-04:00

In a fit of impulsiveness, me and a buddy cut out of work early to go to New York Comic Con last Friday. No photos as I forgot my camera but I had a good time. I can't believe how big the show has gotten since its inception just a few years ago. Back then, it was about half the size of Wizard World Philly. I think it's probably about 10x larger than that show was now and about 20x larger than when it started. It takes up just about the entire Javits Center, which is ginormous. They have a whole section dedicated to Artist Alley and the rest is dealers and exhibitors. Then there's the game room and autograph room. And the panel rooms.

We were only there for a bit but it was worth it. I picked up a sketchbook from Christina Strain and Adrian Alphona, a TARDIS lunchbox, a GL figure I had been looking for, a GL Ring for my daughter and some other odds and ends. And I saw Felicia Day. Who is gorgeous. And awesome.

I'm definitely going next year. Probably on Friday again as there are less people there than on Saturday, which is usually a madhouse but now is probably exceedingly crazy. And I'll take photos. And get more stuff signed. Or something. Maybe even dress up. Who knows?

Word Count: 10.18.11

2011-10-18T13:24:00.000-04:00

55088 / 80000 words. 69% done!

Been awhile, so I thought I'd update this today. Added about 4k since last I posted. Been slacking. Gotta get on that.

The Wildman of the Navidad

2011-10-13T21:43:00.001-04:00

Bigfoot movies will always have a place in my heart. Ever since I was a young and impressionable lad watching movies like the Legend of Boggy Creek and Curse of Bigfoot. Not to mention reading books on the topic in the library when I should have been reading the Happy Hollisters or something similar. So when I heard about the Wild Man of the Navidad and saw it was playing on IFC last weekend, I had to tape it and check it out.

You see, the little town of Sublime, Texas, has a secret that not many people in town know about. There's a giant of a man, a wild man, if you will, living down in the river bottom area of a local rancher's property. He lives in a symbiosis of sorts with him, getting fed rabbits or something as an offering. The rancher, Dale, falls on hard times when he's laid off from his job and he has to open the ranch during hunting season to make ends meet. As you can imagine, this doesn't sit well with the creature and soon he makes that known in a bloody way.

The movie looks to capture the feel of the 70s drive-in films like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, from the retro titles to the music. Picture-wise, it's a little too clean and could use some grain but the framing is spot on. The acting is a little rough as they used a lot of locals to help keep their budget down, but it ends up being more charming than annoying. The gore is good and great and well done. The attacks leave the victims in quite a state and the director isn't afraid to show it. I think the monster design, while unique, reminds me a little too much of Sweetums from the Muppets and while it looks good in certain shots, it tends to look more goofy than imposing. I think maybe showing either less of him or making it a more traditional Bigfoot design would have worked better for me, but that might just be my personal preference.

I expected more from the film, but I was pleased with what I got. If they tightened it up a little, maybe removed a unnecessary subplot about the pervy helper, it might be a bit stronger. Some more menacing shots of the creature would be nice. Most of the gore shots are pretty static, which in some cases doesn't work out too well. Still, it was a fun ride and if you're a fan of low budget horror or Bigfoot, you could certainly do worse.

Check it out.

Of Unknown Origin

2011-10-08T08:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight's film on Friday Night Frights answers the age old question of what you do when an intelligent and malicious rodent is menacing you and your family. If you're Peter Weller, you go fucking crazy and try to kill him using a variety of items like poison, traps and maybe a baseball bat with nails through it. Trust me, it works.

Of Unknown Origin is a fun little movie. Peter Weller plays a banker who just got a new assignment that could further his career. His hot as hell wife Shannon Tweed and his son go up to visit her father and give him a little peace and quiet so he can get the job done. Everything seems to be going fine until a rat starts making problems in his house, like chewing threw the dishwasher hose and flooding his kitchen and chewing threw things. Instead of focusing on work, Weller starts to focus on the rat, learning everything he can about them and trying every way in his power to kill it, eventually becoming obsessed by it.

I for one, can relate to his plight. As a homeowner, when you discover something amiss like pests or some other problem, it starts to consume you, and in your mania, you find yourself riding to Walmart in the dead of night to buy pesticides and the like to wage your own little war on them. Maybe that's just me. Still, it's chilling when you have a home invader in the walls, out thinking and outsmarting you at every turn.

Weller plays the part well, calmly obsessing about the rat in the walls while reading Moby Dick and watching The Old Man and the Sea. He even starts to relate what he'd learned about rats at a business dinner, disturbing the people around him, showing the first signs that he might be snapping. And honestly, I cared about his plight. I wanted to see him succeed not only with the rat, but with business as well.

And I wanted to see Shannon Tweed naked more. I'm only human.

A fun little film. A little dated but still creepy and a quick watch, clocking in around an hour and a half. Definitely worth a watch this Halloween season. Just not if you have pests.

Check it out.

A Night in the Lonesome October a day 2011

2011-10-07T16:29:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year again, the yearly reading of Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October. Since it's 31 chapters long and each one takes up a day of the month of October, the usual way to read it for me is one chapter a day. It's a pretty fun way to pass the month and a quick read. It also really puts me in the mood for Halloween. If you haven't read it before, it's not too late to get a copy and start your own tradition with it.

If you have one already, join me in the reading and let me know how you do with it.

New Photo.

2011-10-07T16:22:00.000-04:00

My buddy Jorge at work took my picture. How do I look?

The Troll Hunter

2011-10-01T08:15:00.000-04:00

Found footage movies can be a tricky watch for me. The shaky camera starts to get annoying and sometimes there's more filler/introductory stuff than necessary and not enough action. The Troll Hunter, fortunately, avoids that as the camera crew is following the main character before they even know he's a troll hunter, so right away we have all of our pieces on the board.

And what a board it is. Unlike, say, Cloverfield, we actually get frequent and good looks at the monsters in question. There are even several different types of them, each with a different look and characteristics. The camera crew realizes early on that the man they want for their story isn't a poacher at all, but a hunter the like they have never seen before and decide to record the fantastic monsters he fights. From there, they are thrown headfirst into a deadly world where the story of a lifetime might just get them killed.

The Troll Hunter is a fun ride from start to its albeit abrupt ending. I saw trolls. I saw them hunted. We got a great main character in the hunter, whose world weary nature starts to show through as the film progresses. We even get a reference to The Three Billy Goats Gruff. As a plus, we get some beautiful Norwegian countryside in the film as well and it is breathtaking. Also, the CGI is rather good as well.

There's some nice touches in the film that help sell the concept of fighting mythological creatures, mainly in the clean-up, where you find out just how involved fighting one of these things can be, especially when they turn to stone or explode. Most of it gets blamed on bears, and the wildlife official who helps the hunter is rather picky about the types of bears he wants for the job.

I'd rank this up there with Monsters as a fun, low-budget creature film that exceeds all expectations and makes for a pleasurable viewing experience.

Check it out.

Neverending Wonder Radio is in the Halloween Zone!

2011-09-26T14:04:00.001-04:00

The title speaks for itself, but I can't help but mention that this radio station is THE place to be for Halloween themed music and radio dramas. The operator has an impressively and obsessively deep collection of said audio gems and the site reigns supreme as the best Halloween radio station, hands down.

Check it out.

Neverending Wonder Radio

NNWC: 9.21.11

2011-09-21T13:19:00.000-04:00

51115 / 80000 words. 64% done!

Good session today. Almost a eleven-hundred words. I can deal with that.

Lost at Comic Con--Now Available!

2011-09-20T16:24:00.000-04:00

Lost at Comic Con by Eric Mosher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I may be biased since I wrote it, but I enjoyed every minute of it. :) It's a fun a breezy tale of four guys and their adventure at a comic book convention. Available in paperback and on Kindle with more devices to follow.

View all my reviews

Want a copy? Buy it on Amazon.com:

Kindle Version

Paperback Version

Word Count 9.16.11

2011-09-16T13:16:00.000-04:00

50087 / 80000 words. 63% done!

Got some good words in. Could write for the rest of the day if I didn't have to work. Maybe tomorrow.

Comics for 9.14.11

2011-09-14T21:38:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the week again. Wednesday, when new comics come out and joy spreads throughout the land to millions of people. Fuck them, though. I'm only interested in what came out for me to read. :)

ASM# 669: Spider Island continues, with most of the island of Manhattan being infected now and spider powers developing in all of them. Peter and his girlfriend try to get to the bottom of the matter and find out who is behind it all. They're close, but then a new twist in the plot makes the infection worse than it seems. Good issue. Solid art and dialogue. My only complaint is that since it's an event, there are things that are dealt with in issues outside of the main title and we get allusions to them but not much more. My fault for being on a budget and not getting them all, though Venom looks rather bad ass. A fun story. Hard to believe that a few years ago we were all bitching about One More Day. They've certainly turned it around since those few beginning story arcs when even the die-hards like me were thinking about dropping it.

JSI #1: Big thanks to Pete at Comics Plus for snagging the next shipment of DC #1s and getting me this issue which I missed. A fun issue. I think more happened in it than in JLA #1 and even though this had a bunch of relative B-listers by most standards, it was more fun. I might actually have to get this on a regular basis, especially if they keep Guy Gardner in it for my GL connection.

GL#1: An alright issue. Hal is all sad face because he doesn't have a ring anymore and Sinestro is all angry face because he does. More character development than anything. Should pick up in the next few issues. If you were a new reader picking it up, you might be disappointed.

Red Lanterns #1: Also introspective for the lead character, which in this is Atrocitus, but features some decent action set pieces and back story to make it more accessible for new readers. Not only do we learn about his past, but his future may include a mutiny in the very Corps he created. Until he ships the oh so sexy Bleez off to the New Guardians. Good story and great artwork by Benes.

That's all for this week.

Bad Teacher

2011-09-13T21:14:00.001-04:00

Just watched Bad Teacher last night. Damn, that is a funny movie. Like he did with Orange County, director Jake Kasdan knocks it out of the park with a fun comedy that despite some of the vulgar trappings, offers a little growth and revelation at the end for its characters. But mostly it's Cameron Diaz being a completely drunken wreck of a teacher who does and says what she wants and was almost out of the profession until her boyfriend dumped her because she was a gold digger. Now she has to play relatively nice with her fellow teachers while trying to snag a rich new substitute and avoid the advances of the stoner gym teacher played by Jason Segal.

I didn't have much in the way of expectations going into this one so I was pleasantly surprised. Jason Segal is a blast as the gym teacher and always seems to be a step ahead of the people he mocks. Cameron Diaz, who I'm not really a fan of, is fantastic in this and I found her slutty bitch of a character quite hot. She should do it more often, as it comes across a little more real than the ditzy blonde she plays in films like Charlie's Angels.

Well worth checking out.

Elvira's Haunted Hills

2011-09-11T10:21:00.000-04:00

I wanted something a little lighter this time around on Friday Night Frights, after seeing the serious yet great All the Boys Love Mandy Lane last week. So I decided on one featuring one of my favorite crushes of all time, Elvira. Given how many times I've watched Mistress of the Dark, it is surprising I haven't seen Elvira's Haunted Hills yet, especially since it came out ten years ago. What can I say, I've been slacking?

Much like it's predecessor film, this movie is more comedy than horror, though unlike the first film, this one seems to be more of a spoof of particular films/genres. In this case, the haunted castle genre with a cursed family to boot. Indeed, the movie brings to mind many of the Poe films of Roger Corman and Black Sunday by Mario Bava popped into mind, especially since one of the characters reminds me of Barbara Steele. Not a bad thing. There's even that old trope of a character being a dead ringer for a dead one. Good times.

The plot revolves around Elvira and her woman servant traveling through the European countryside on their way to Paris. They hitch a ride from a smarmy doctor and soon find themselves at a castle where everyone seems a little batty. Elvira and friend rightly want to get the hell out of there, though a hunky stable hand does sway her a bit (he's even dubbed, which is a nice throwback to the old Italian films).

There's bad jokes, cleavage shots aplenty, some funny characters and decent send-ups of older horror movies. Elvira herself is an anachronistic chaotic force in this 1800s set film but that's a lot of her humor. I think Mistress of the Dark is a more complete film, but this one certainly entertains and titillates. You can do worse as a way to kill some time. Incidentally, the tenth anniversary edition is coming out in October, so if you haven't seen it before, that would be a good one to pick up.

Check it out.

New Novel Word Count: 9.9.11

2011-09-09T13:22:00.000-04:00

48603 / 80000 words. 61% done!

Got some good writing in during lunch today. That's what happens when you forget part of your meal at home. Now I'm satisfied at my productivity but craving yogurt.

New Comics: 9.8.11

2011-09-08T21:35:00.000-04:00

Light week this time around, considering I'm not buying all of the 52 #1 issues. I would have picked up JLI and Swamp Thing but they were sold out so I didn't get them. Might get the trades on them if they're good. Next week is a little heavier, especially if I get Mr. Terrific for some Karen Starr action. Assuming she's in it.

Anyway.

Godzilla - Gangster and Goliaths #4: Monsters are attacking Tokyo and a Yakuza member seems to be in charge of everything now that he possesses the Elias. Fortunately, our favorite detective isn't down and out yet and he's got a plan. Mostly a set up issue with some fun monster fights. The final issue should be fun with the return of an old favorite. I love the way this is tying into the ongoing series and it's a joy to see the movie monsters in it. Too many series had to make up other monsters because they didn't license anything other than Godzilla. Not so here, and it shows with awesome action.

Danger Girl vs. The Army of Darkness #3: Most of this issue is backstory on Sydney Savage, which is pleasant as I don't remember any on her before. Then we're back in on the story with her springing Ash from jail because they need his help to destroy the Necronomicon. More set-up but with some fun action and buxom women and our hero Ash doing a little butt kicking of his own. Decent fun for a team-up that actually does make some sense in a weird sort of way. I'm enjoying it.

The Boys #58: It's the beginning of the end as events move the Boys into conflict with the Seven. Good issue and the next issue looks like it's where shit starts to go down. I think the end is near, as I remember Ennis saying it was supposed to run 60 or so issues in total. Some say it's crass and childish. I think it's a fun ride that titillates yet raises some questions about superheroes and whether they do more harm than good with all the power they have. Plus Hughie looks like Simon Pegg. That's pretty damn awesome. Can't wait to see how it all ends.

That's all for this week.

Thor

2011-09-05T22:05:00.000-04:00

You know, after hearing all of the comparisons between Thor and Green Lantern, I expected it to be better. People were downright brutal when at heart, they're very similar movies, with each learning how to become a hero. Thor does have Anthony Hopkins and dudes being smacked by a hammer, so there is that.

That's not to say it's a bad movie, but the way people raved about it, I thought it was going to be the bees knees. I can't say I'm much of a Thor fan though I do enjoy the character in the comics. He's a fun guy. Drinks. Fights. Drops lightning bolts on people. In this case, we're exposed to the more arrogant, not yet a hero version of Thor. He is the son of the king and feels pretty entitled to being the heir and doing whatever the hell he wants. Unfortunately, that backfires and he's exiled to earth to learn a little humility. That's ok though, since he's palling around with Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard.

If that's what exile brings you, sign me up, because it sounds pretty fucking awesome.

It's a decently written movie with good performances from the cast and good special effects. I particularly enjoyed the way they had the advanced civilization of the Asgardians be portrayed as gods. The outfits are a step up from the comics, too, though honestly the only one that would be a problem is Loki, as he's kind of goofy. They do his costume justice here.

I think the high point of the film is the appearance by another Avenger in it. I think that got the biggest thrill from me as the dude in there is quite a badass. Just another way that Marvel shows they know what they're doing with their universe building. They name drop other heroes and they show up in the films and it makes you feel like there's actually some substance to it all. Contrast this to the DC world where the heroes never meet.

All in all, Thor is a fun film, but I think Green Lantern hit more of the right notes for me as a fan of the comics. That doesn't mean I'm not psyched for Avengers though. I cannot wait for that movie.

Novel Word Count: 9.4.11

2011-09-04T16:54:00.000-04:00

47104 / 80000 words. 59% done!

Looks like someone was productive today. Might be this guy right here.

Amber Heard

2011-09-03T08:30:00.000-04:00

You know, after wiki-ing Amber for a bit for research, I think she might have bad luck with horror movies. First All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is still unreleased and then John Carpenter's The Ward is delayed a year or so with it finally getting picked up during the summer. Odd. A shame too, since she's a talent that needs to be seen. And I need to see more horror movies.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

2011-09-03T08:10:00.000-04:00

Unreleased movies can be hit or miss. A lot of times they're unreleased they're terrible and I guess the studio doesn't think they can make their money back on it and don't want to release a dud. Other times, it seems like they've just fallen through the cracks due to one reason or another. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is one of the latter. It has been finished, it had a distributor that dropped it and now it seems like nobody wants to pick them up. Yet it has a release in Europe on dvd, which is where I got it. It's a shame, too, because it's a really good little slasher movie that people should be able to watch.

Amber Heard stars as Mandy Lane, the titular girl and an outsider that, well, all the boys love. She gets invited out to a weekend getaway at a friend's Texas ranch and they all pile into the car and go out there. Unfortunately, it seems like someone else is following them and once they get there, the kids start getting picked off one by one. It seems like someone might love Mandy Lane enough to kill for her.

It's not a groundbreaking film and won't change your views on slasher movies, but it's a solid flick. The acting is tight and Amber Heard shines in the lead. I can believe all the boys want her. She's beautiful. The rest of the kids are decent and despite a lot of them being kind of dicks and only wanting to nail Mandy, you actually start to care a bit for them before they start getting offed. They're not terrible people. They're just kids.

And the cinematography is gorgeous. There are some shots that are absolutely breathtaking in this movie and they make the most out of their environment with great shots of folks running in the fields and great use of color too. One of the best looking horror movies that I've seen in awhile.

The story is pretty lean but kids go to party all the time so that's not a stretch and they all have some interesting backgrounds and are fairly fleshed out. The killer's identity might not come as a surprise but then again, since his identity ties into Mandy, it makes sense, which is more than I can say for some other films.

Random note: before watching this movie, I thought it was a different type of movie. I didn't expect it to be a slasher film. By the title and some out of context shot on the net, I thought it would be like that Valentine's Day episode of Buffy where Xander casts a love spell and all the girls in the town want him and try to get him by any means necessary, with Mandy fending off the guys and maybe having to kill him. I was kind of disappointed when it wasn't but not much, since it's a fun movie. And now I can make the other one. :)

God knows when you're going to be able to see this movie, but the dvd is region free if you find a place to import it from. It's definitely worth a watch.

Check it out.

Comics for 8.30.11

2011-08-31T22:56:00.000-04:00

Got some new comics today and they were pretty damn good.

JLA#1: The first issue released from the 52 issue reboot of continuity by DC Comics. It was good. Definitely an opening issue to get people on board with the forming of the league, and it mostly centers on Batman and Green Lantern meeting for the first time. Well drawn and well written, my only complaint would be that I already know they know each other in the other continuity so I just want to see them go kick ass. It's a set-up issue but worth your time if you want to check out an iteration of the league that features the big guns.

ASM #668: Spider-Island continues, with the infestation brawl from last issue concluding thanks to your friendly, neighborhood...Peter Parker? Good issue. I love the chaos that's spawning from a bunch of NY citizens getting spider powers. Great appearances from other heroes and there an ongoing mystery I must have missed in previous issues concerning the identity of one of the researchers at Horizon Labs, where Peter works. The character is hidden and we only get vague references to their identity. Wonder who it is?

Angel & Faith #1: Spoilers, if you haven't been reading Buffy and pick this up just for the title characters like I did, you will have parts of that series ruined for you. I didn't really care as I dropped off that series about halfway through. This is a fun little issue, following the legacy of a character and how Angel and Faith are going to make things right. I love both characters so having an series with them in it is rather fun. I believe it's a mini, but I'll probably get it all now.

Goon #35: Pick this issue up. Seriously. It's hilarious. Guest writer Evan Dorkin spins a tale of the Goon and Frankie and a mysterious carnival. Fantastic stuff. It seems like every panel has a gem of a quote in it and I couldn't stop laughing at it. The art, as always, is beautiful and by Eric Powell. One of my favorite series and I'm so glad it's back off of hiatus. Everyone needs to be reading this series. For crying out loud, I did a spit take during this issue, though to be honest, I tend to do one with every issue of the Goon. It's just that good and I should really know by now not to be drinking anything when I start perusing the pages of a new installment. Cheap whiskey went everywhere.

Doctor Who: The Monsters Inside

2011-08-30T19:57:00.000-04:00

Doctor Who: The Monsters Inside by Stephen Cole

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A decent little read that finds the Doctor taking Rose to her first alien planet. Unfortunately, this gets them locked up in the local prison system and now they have to get out before an old enemy takes them out for good. Not my favorite monster of the Doctor's but one that is put to good use in the setting and I love reading more of Christopher Eccleston's Doctor and his adventures. A pleasant way to pass a warm summer evening.

View all my reviews

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-28T12:32:00.000-04:00

Jeez. In a week where we already had an earthquake, we get hit with a Category 1 hurricane named Irene. Granted, the earthquake was just a little wobbling, this was a much bigger deal, especially when you're near the shore and there's a possibility of flooding and downed trees and the like since that was the zone it was likely to hit. I'll admit I was nervous. Not to a crazy degree like some people who went mad buying supplies, but I made sure my ducks were in order, that is for sure with crank radios and cell phone chargers and water and the like. And it was my first hurricane in the new house, so understandable I was a little shaky hoping my home would stand up to it.

How was it?

Well, it wasn't as bad as I expected, but it was still a little scary. The winds around 9pm on were terrifyingly strong and blasting the house with rain, of which we got a ton. And it went on forever, it seemed. Eventually there was a tornado warning and we vacated to the basement of the house where it was much quieter and I actually fell asleep down there on an inflatable mattress. Still some residual stuff to pass through right now and then hopefully we'll be done by, I dunno, tomorrow? I had been through hurricanes before but I think that was the slowest one and Saturday seemed to go on forever waiting for it.

I hope those others out there who went through it got out alright and everything is ok with your and yours.

Also, we cleaned up the yard but left a straggler out there in the hurricane. Fortunately, he survived and didn't budge an inch.

Go VT gnome!

Earthquake!

2011-08-23T19:41:00.000-04:00

Really odd day today. It was a normal day at work and I was done with lunch and getting back to work when I noticed I was wobbling in my chair a bit. I thought someone was fucking with me but when I turned around, nobody was there moving the chair and it was moving me of its own accord. Then I noticed that other things in the room were moving and when I stood up, the wibbly-wobblyness continued.

After going out into the hall and conferring with other bewildered co-workers, we figured it was an earthquake and then it was pretty much over. Turns out that there was a 5.9 magnitude quake in central Virginia and we felt the shocks all the way up in NJ. Hell, they even reached as far as Toronto.

No damage and I checked to make sure my family in VA was ok. They were. Odd experience. I mean, nobody really expects an earthquake so having one hit you is a rather unusual feeling. I'm glad everyone is ok.

Now after this, we have to worry about the fucking hurricane that's heading our way. Joy.

New Novel Word Count: 8.22.11

2011-08-22T13:21:00.001-04:00

44197 / 80000 words. 55% done and climbing. I need to take a day off and write. All of this stopping and starting just kills me. Though honestly, I'd probably just end up playing MW2 so this lunchtime writing is good for now.

Monster X Strikes Back/Attack the G8 Summit

2011-08-21T15:42:00.000-04:00

I decided on some lighter fare this time around on Friday Night Frights, so I popped in the copy of Monster X Strikes Back from Netflix. This film, a not-serious sequel to The X from Outer Space, is mainly a comedy and parody of giant monster flicks. The plot revolves around the G8 Summit, where leaders have gathered to discuss the state of the world. They're rudely interrupted when Guilala, the X from space, decides to crash land on Earth and wreak havoc. Now, the leaders are faced with a true crisis that they seem to be unable to handle. Meanwhile, two reporters have stumbled upon a remote village where they might have the scoop of a lifetime when the village god, Take-Majin, decides to answer their prayers and get involved in the fray.

This god is played by and meant to represent Takeshi Kitano. That is awesome. The rest of the movie is decent as well. I think it can be enjoyed by all, but a knowledge of monster movies will help you get the most of it, as there are references to several Godzilla films, Daimaijin and more that you might miss otherwise. The score even resembles that of some of Akira Ifukube's more popular themes and music from the Godzilla movies. Most of the tropes involved should be familiar enough to even passing fans though so I don't see anything being lost.

The acting by the Japanese members of the cast is good. The English speaking cast members? Not so much. That might be part of the humor too, as they're regularly terrible in Japanese monster films, though there are exceptions. It's a comedy though so I'm not looking for much, though I guess hammy acting would have been better than the cheese we got. I did get a kick out of the UK representative of the summit, who had no accent whatsoever. Could have tried a little bit, I think. Ah well.

It's not the best monster movie, or even the best monster movie comedy, but it's a decent effort and the nuttiness and charm win you over rather easily, especially after a beer or two.

Check it out.

Hobo With a Shotgun

2011-08-21T08:08:00.001-04:00

It was a tale of two movies last night, though ultimately I only watched one all the way through. We had started off with Sucker Punch, as I didn't think I could go wrong with girls fighting ridiculous creatures with guns and swords. I found out that indeed, I could. I was bored to tears, even during the fight scenes and abandoned the movie after about 25 minutes, which is unusual. I mean, I sat through freaking Octaman. Anyhow, after that dismal choice of a film, I booted up Netflix and convinced the wife to watch Hobo with a Shotgun instead.

Now THAT was a fun flick.

Done in the style of the 70s/80s thriller exploitation flicks, Hobo with a Shotgun stars Rutger Hauer as the titular character who comes to Scumtown, where the Drake family rules with a deliriously crazy fist and murder people in the streets. Well, the Hobo has enough of that early on and due to some events that leave him beaten and scarred, decides to clean up the town with, well, a shotgun. And clean it up he does, as heads are blown off, chests are exploded and limbs are amputated with pump action fury.

And it has Stanley Tweedle in it. You know, the janitor/captain from Lexx? No? Well, go hunt that down if you want some additional lunacy. He turns in a great turn as Drake, who stages most of the murders in the town with the help of his sons, who are also maniacs. Hauer is fantastic as the Hobo, gruff, yet compassionate and also full of some righteous, rail-riding anger.

There's blood, guns, guts, boobs and more and it comes together well in this gleefully violent romp. I'd say out of the two movies I watched, this one actually delivers to the audience and keeps you wanting more. It might take a bit before the Hobo starts shotgunning people, but you're actually interested in his plight. Wish I could say the same for Babydoll and friends in Suckerpunch.

As I said on twitter, I should start up a Saturday Night Splatter tag, though I have enough trouble rocking out the movies on Friday, that to take the tv from my wife for two days in a row might get me in trouble.

Check it out.

Ghost Story

2011-08-20T11:40:00.001-04:00

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WARNING: Spoilers for Changes, the previous books, within. Though they are on the book cover so it might not be necessary.

Jim Butcher knocks it out of the park again with the latest in his Dresden Files series. Ghost Story picks up where Changes (and by extent Side Jobs) left off with wizard Harry Dresden dead but not out of the picture, as his ghost has returned to earth. What's he doing there? He figures it's to help out a few of his friends and maybe help stop Chicago from going to hell without him.

It's a fun tale, even if the main character is dead, and we adapt to his new situation as he does. It's interesting to see Dresden, who is a rather gung-ho character, have to stop and think this time around instead of brute forcing his way through everything. After tearing through the previous novels last summer, I've been waiting for this novel for awhile and it doesn't disappoint, hitting all the notes that are expected in a Dresden novel, answering some questions and setting up others for future novels. And after the way this one ends, I can't wait for the next one either.

Check it out.

View all my reviews

New Novel 8.19.11

2011-08-19T13:06:00.000-04:00

43493 / 80000 words. 54% done!

More words. Not a big jump today. I was fixing up some previous entries so there wasn't much new stuff put down on the paper.

New Novel Word Count

2011-08-18T13:23:00.000-04:00

42922 / 80000 words. 54% done!

Because, why not? I don't really know if 80k words is going to be the end/limit of this novel, but it seems like a good number to me. I'm about halfway there and it feels like it, story-wise. I've been writing for awhile but haven't thought to put a meter up. I like it and it helps keep me motivated and now I can share with everyone.

The name of the novel? The Secret Life of Astro-Girl. It's a superhero novel and should be some fun.

MTG Playmat

2011-08-14T17:02:00.001-04:00

Finally finished a custom MTG playmat that I had begun awhile ago. I ordered the playmat months ago and had the art created in Photoshop and printed onto iron-on transfers but I lacked one important thing. An iron. I also didn't have some paint that I wanted to use to color in the top and the bottom of the playmat and doing that with the iron-ons might have been difficult in terms of lining them up. It also made it a little less plain as the images on the white mat might not have been enough to bring it all together. Then last night I got an iron and finally had some time to do it today. I think it came out well for a first attempt.

I was working on the art for two mats concurrently, though I'm not sure if I'll use that for the next one. This one, obviously, is of a few Green Lanterns. Namely, my favorite, Kyle Rayner and the two loves of his life, Soranik Natu and Jade. Though Jade's costume is more Savage Land in the art I found than GL. And I put in Power Girl too. And green Dalek that appears to be startled by Power Girl's crotch. I'm a pervert though so that's probably the reasoning behind it. That and I like Power Girl and Daleks and it seemed like a good way to fit them in.

The next playmat I had art for would actually be all Power Girl. I might try something a little less benign for play in the store though as I don't want to weird people out. Though maybe that could be an advantage for me if they're distracted while they play.

The ironing method of playmat creation seems to work pretty well so far, though I haven't tried any durability test or anything on it. It looks nice though there are a few spots where it burned a bit during the overlapping transfer paper. Note to self--don't do that. Also, getting the backings off of them was difficult as I cut them around the art and that makes it tricky around arms and legs and smaller parts of the art. Next time I might just make some rectangles or squares to put on instead. Might look nicer and give me a cleaner border.

It's cheaper than getting a custom one printed via a few of the online venues and better looking I think than some of said online ones where it's not a playmat but some other thing like a doormat or bar mat that you're basically re-purposing. I might try one of the online ones later on but at 30-50 bucks a pop. This came out way cheaper at around 20 for the mat and the paper, maybe a little less.

I'll report more on it as I get some use out of it.

Octaman

2011-08-12T23:57:00.000-04:00

From the depths of, um, a river, comes a horrific horror the likes of which nobody has ever seen before. Behold, the eight armed maven of massacre, the OCTAMAN! That sentence right there, kids? That's more excitement than you'll find in the movie, and I just made that up. Still, tonight's Friday Night Fright was entertaining in its own, charming way.

The plot of the movie follows a scientist studying the pollution levels around an area in Mexico and wondering if the radiation will have any effect on the wildlife. He needn't have wondered, as these conditions have already spawned a horrific creature that is part octopus and part man and all nutty. Though honestly, I'm not sure the radiation/pollution angle was responsible for the monster as apparently he attacked some dude's relatives in a flashback, which makes it seem like the creature has been wandering around for awhile.

And wander he does. While the scientist captures the Octaman's children and stuffs them scientifically into buckets, the monster wastes no time in moseying on down to the RV that the people are using as a base and freeing them, usually with some hot tentacle slapping action and possibly a strangulation or two. For a creature seven feet tall and covered with suckers, he sure manages to sneak up on people quite a bit. I can't imagine that he has ninja-like abilities, but apparently, he can pop in and out faster than the Majini zombies in last week's RE: Afterlife. Also, he can turn around and blend in with the terrain, if you think that the back of a rubber suit matches said terrain, that is.

The acting is wooden and the plot lifts a bit from Gorgo, but the creature costume is where the movie really shines. The design is interesting, albeit executed not as well as it could be, with some shots of it really making it look horrific and covered in slime and imposing, whereas others (most of the film) look like it just rolled out of storage for a quick take.

And they don't skimp on the monster action. In too many of these films, they hide the design and the action scenes are few and far between. It might not be for the best, but Octaman shows off the creature during the opening credits and its rare for the movie to go more than ten minutes without him popping up in either an impromptu attack or just to leer at the lady in the film, who sadly, remains clothed. Or maybe gladly, as it didn't seem like she had assets that would improve the film.

If you're a fan of men in rubber suits for your monsters, I would check this one out, simply for some nostalgia of when they tried to make some good monster flicks for TV. This may not be one of them, but as a kid watching horror host shows on Saturday afternoons, this would have been a gem.

Check it out.

Hercules

2011-08-07T19:40:00.000-04:00

I have to hand it to the Italians. Just as I was entering a funk over my vacation ending, I find a film that turns it all around with its insanity. That gem is Hercules, as recommended to me by The Vicar of VHS and his numerous tweets celebrating the insanity of the film and persuading me to watch it.

I'm glad I did, for the movie is a veritable smorgasbord of bizarreness and hysterical production choices. As you guess from the poster, the film is a very science-fiction inspired version of Hercules, replete with flashing lights and cyborg creatures and of course, SCIENCE! In what could be one of my favorite opening sequences ever, we're treated to a retelling of the origin of the universe that involves a computerized Pandoras's Box breaking open and ample explosions and lens flares. And it goes on for about five minutes, where we're finally treated to the idea of Hercules as he is fashioned by Zeus up on the moon and sent to Earth as a ball of light that invades a baby and takes him over.

It only gets better from there.

After being saved from the murders that claim his real parents, Hercules lives the life of a farmer with his family until his father is killed by a bear, which our hero promptly tosses into space and his mother I believe is killed by what proves to be the first of many robots. I was rather inebriated by the film though so I might be misremembering. After that, he torches the family home and heads out for adventure where he meets Cassiopea and her kingly father and then becomes embroiled in a battle to save the world from King Minos and his fabled science and robots. And Sybil Danning. In the process he befriends a sorceress named Circe and performs many feats of derring-do.

What kind of feats? Cleaning stables, fighting a clockwork hydra, throwing beams into space. The usual.

This movie is a fantastic cure for the summertime blues. It's played straight and that makes it all the more fun as Hercules fights ridiculous foes and situations with a serious face and sometimes dodgy effects. The stop motion is actually rather good in this movie and one of the highlights whenever it shows up. There are a lot of lens flares and other extraneous effects but they just make it more over the top and fun. The only complaint I might make is that there was a severe lack of nudity, but that might just be because I expect it in my sword and sorcery flicks.

As with most Cozzi films I've seen, this one rips off quite a few others, like the Beastmaster (bear killing the father). It's all in good fun and spotting the possible influences just adds to the experience.

Check. It. Out.

Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-08-04T08:53:00.001-04:00

I don't get out to the movies often as of late, but somehow I managed to go see Green Lantern and now Captain America this summer. Cap was my first 3D movie too, unless you count Nightmare Before Christmas when that was released in 3D awhile back. They were both done in post, so I'll allow it. I have to say, I'm not really sold on the technology. It annoys me to wear glasses over glasses and I don't really need to see scenes of Steve Rogers doing push ups in 3D. I'd rather they did what some of the Harry Potters did in IMAX and just have you put them on for certain scenes. Might be easier on the eyes too.

But I digress.

I thought Captain America was well done. It really captured the feel of the comic and also the look of the old serials, which isn't a surprise and Joe Johnston, the director, was also responsible for The Rocketeer, which also captured the 40s well. If you're not familiar with the story, it's basically about how a young man who isn't a prime physical specimen but has a good heart becomes a super soldier after scientific experiments. As far as origins go, it's simple, but they draw it out rather long and while it is done well, I think it detracts from what could have been more action later on.

The cast is great. I think Evans is a fair Captain America. He does well with the material and I'm a fan, but I think his look is a little off and someone like John Barrowman might have a more Captain America-ish look. Tommy Lee Jones is great as his commanding officer and the love interest in the movie, whose name I can't be arsed to look up, is pretty and charming and kicks some tail. I think the real scene stealer is Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull. He takes what could have been someone who just stands around laughing maniacally and gives him some real depth and determination in his quest to conquer the world.

It's a fun flick, though I'd see it in 2D instead, unless you're a fan of 3D, in which case do whatever you like. Personally, I hate paying more for it and then they ask me to recycle my glasses afterward. Fuck that noise. I paid for them. They be mine and are coming home with me.

Anyhow, for a fun popcorn movie this summer with superheroes, check out Green Lantern. If you can't find that, Captain America will do you just fine.

Resident Evil: Afterlife

2011-08-04T08:36:00.000-04:00

It took awhile, but I finally saw Resident Evil: Afterlife, the latest and greatest RE movie. I was going to watch it awhile ago on Netflix, but Sony wigged out and had their shit removed while they hammered out a contract that I still don't know if they finished. So I taped it off of Starz. Works for me. Unfortunately, the film didn't.

Honestly, it was boring.

And that's a cardinal sin for an action horror film. I can't say that the third movie was fantastic, but it at least kept me interested and the first two films I think are great fun. The movie did look pretty and had some interesting set design and zombie choices, in particular the majini zombies and the executioner, who is my nemesis from RE5. The characters were interesting enough for the film too, but they just don't get much to do. Alice spends quite a bit of time flying around talking to the camera, eventually finding Claire and then flying around and talking to the camera. Which is a letdown after watching Alice multihandedly take down an Umbrella base in the beginning.

The deaths were few and uninspiring. A lot of the cast gets taken quickly and without a lot of gore by the majinis, who are like ninjas, apparently. The others don't die in an interesting manner. The effects, when used, were well done, however.

It was nice to see more of the human side of Alice, since we're used to her being an unstoppable killing machine and you get some fan favorite characters making their appearance in the series, or reappearance, if you count Wesker having more to do. He doesn't get used well though. You see him in the beginning and I'll spoiler nothing really in saying he's the bad guy at the end, who doesn't show up until the movie is almost done. I think that's the big problem with the plot. You basically have several situations to deal with. Alice is looking for a place called Arcadia and can't find it. Then she goes to a prison and they have to get out before they're overrun. Then you deal with the villian. It seems like the two points could have been saved for separate movies, with finding Arcadia being one and maybe the prison being another. As it is, you don't spend enough time to care about them.

A lackluster entry in a fun series, but there's not much excitement or a body count in a series that has killed off the entire earth. They might have jumped the gun there and if they had drawn it out and maybe only infected some countries.

If they make another using the villain they have set up, I'll be very happy though. Just saying.

Drive Angry

2011-08-02T08:08:00.001-04:00

No, it's not what I do on the GSP. Ok, it's not just what I do on the GSP, it's also a movie starring Nicholas Cage and it is fantastic. Cage stars as a man who is hunting down a charismatic cult leader before said leader can sacrifice a baby to the Devil. Cage, named John Milton, has a few secrets of his own, having escaped from what he refers to as "prison" and everyone he meets seems to think he was dead. He is joined on his quest by a waitress, played by Amber Heard, and stalked relentlessly by a man who calls himself The Accountant (William Fichtner). Oh, and Milton has one hell of a special shotgun in a wooden case in the back of his car, along with his trusty pump action shotgun, which he uses to great effect.

I loved this movie. I had heard almost nothing on it, save for a few blurbs in Fangoria that said it was fucking awesome and to check it out as nobody did in theaters. I'm glad I did. It's an action-horror film, complete with gore, cultists and some supernatural elements. And really sweet cars. It seems like almost every scene is a car chase or a gunfight in the cars, when they're not having gun fights out of the cars. It's fun and doesn't take itself too seriously and I think even works as a companion piece to the Ghost Rider films, though this one is clearly a little more on the violent side of vengeance.

A fun ride from start to finish with some solid performances from the actors involved and well worth checking out. Too bad I didn't see this on Friday, as it could have been part of Friday Night Frights. Maybe I can do Monday Night Maniacs too? We shall see.

Balthor EDH

2011-08-01T14:13:00.001-04:00

Finally got a card order last week so I could finish off my build of a Balthor, the Defiled EDH deck. I went with a zombie tribal theme, so much so that all of my creatures are zombies in one form or another. I know a lot of others use utility cards and other creatures to support them but I chose not to do that. It could work against me, but I have my hopes. I am also lacking a lot of the standard acceleration items for it and other staples. Not because I don't have them physically, but more because I don't think they necessarily fit the theme I had going. I can always throw them in later, but I want to see how it fares first. I am very creature heavy though so I might end up cutting some in favor of some equipment or more spells. It was hard finding spells that fit what I wanted to do and were cheap, too. I wouldn't mind blowing a fat wad of cash if I had lots of expendable income, but I don't, so even something like 10 bucks a card is a little pricey for me.

I'll have a full list posted sometime soon. No time now. Then I'll ask for some suggestions. I'm happy with it and can't wait to test it out. My bro is coming up this week so maybe we can try some EDH games, though I'm not looking forward to trying to shuffle 100 sleeved cards. Yikes.

Storm Front

2011-07-30T11:16:00.000-04:00

No, not the Dresden novel, which is awesome. I'm talking about the hellacious storm that hit NJ last night and apparently my section of town the hardest of all. Trees and limbs down everywhere. For quite a while, it was a wall of white water outside the door and you couldn't see farther than a few feet. Lightning was striking everything and the thunder was shaking the houses. Even though we are on the hospital grid, power was out until midnight. It was like judgment descending on us. And thus I watched no horror movies last night and have to bust out my axe and chop some limbs. Tree limbs, that is. Hell of a night.

Rotting Legion 3D

2011-07-24T18:05:00.000-04:00

Finished off a Rotting Legion 3D card. Sounds like a movie. It's not. But it certainly lends itself to layers. Probably could have done more but I didn't trust myself with the small cuts yet.

Workspace

2011-07-23T15:57:00.001-04:00

For those curious, this is a shot of my work space. Nothing permanent, as I usually have to move everything before dinner. A cutting mat is key as it helps you prolong the life of your blades. I use an exacto knife and #11 blades, though others might suffice. I find them rather durable and flexible though so I stick with them. To paste them together, I use Aleene's Tacky Glue. Just a dab will do you and it doesn't seem to permeate and warp cards like Elmer's White Glue does.

3-D Magic Cards

2011-07-23T15:51:00.000-04:00

Besides movies and comics and customs, one of my other hobbies that I picked up is making 3-D renditions of Magic cards. Basically, you cut out several layers and toss in some spacers and glue them all together and then you're done. That's more of a simplification of it but it can be rather simple, as I've illustrated below with a few tokens.

Goblin Token with new background

Myr Token

Germ Token

Soldier Token with new background

It's a fun way to pass the time and invest myself in something I love. I also make life counters out of them, which is a little more involved, but not much more, as it just means cutting out a space for some counters.

Enjoy.

Doctor Who and the Daleks

2011-07-16T09:10:00.000-04:00

I decided to keep my fare a little lighter this Friday as I was short on time for a movie. I chose Dr. Who and the Daleks as my film of choice. This non-canon production was part of two movies developed by Amicus for the big screen and featured Peter Cushing as Dr. Who. Yes, he's actually called Dr. Who in this one.

Dr. Who builds TARDIS and with Susan, Barbara and her boyfriend Ian, they take it for a spin and end up on a world ravaged by war between two races, some peace loving farmers who look like Stuart from MadTV and the titular Daleks. The Daleks look really striking in this movie, coming in an assortment of colors that makes me want to catch them all. I think one was even in D&H livery, which means I have trains on the brain from work. They're appropriately menacing and devious and I always like seeing them on the screen. Dr. Who and his family are well done too, actually feeling like a unit as they try to survive.

It has decent effects for the time and the Daleks actually look more imposing than the ones on the little screen from around the same time, standing taller. I'm looking forward to watching the sequel soon as it brings the Daleks to Earth to cause some trouble. The film is definitely worth a viewing just for completionist's sake and Cushing makes a great Doctor, even if it isn't canon. I enjoy the doddering inventor take on the character though he handles himself well in crisis.

Check it out.

Planechase: Zombies will murder you

2011-07-14T19:15:00.000-04:00

Ok, so that's not the name of the deck. I think it's Zombie Empire but I can't really be bothered to check right now. I bought it awhile ago but since my playing partner has been MIA, it has languished as I prepare to break it up for an EDH deck. I wanted to play it at least once though so I jumped at the chance to use it today. I basically played it as is, though I dropped in Lashwrithe because I wanted to use that badly.

First game wasn't very stellar. It did show me some of the limitations of the deck and also of my bad shuffling. I landed some good creatures but the deck I was playing against (Dragons from Knights vs. Dragons) had just too much removal or damage and I got burned from the board and then to death. I will place a little blame on letting my opponent just draw lands from the bottom of his deck and not shuffle afterward because it was casual. Never again. For all I know he could have been top decking all the good stuff he was playing. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered. Maybe he would have drawn better stuff if he had shuffled. Still, I lost and I didn't really have any answers or good critters in hand to do any damage.

The second game went a little better. I pulled my seven and forgot to cut my deck so I shuffled again and let it get cut and then drew. I had a better hand than the one I did originally, with 3 swamps, an Ascendant Evincar, a Dark Ritual, Lashwrithe and something else being the draw. The first two turns I played swamps and a weak zombie I pulled. Turn 3 I played a swamp and Dark Ritual for the Evincar, giving my zombie a buff and destroying 3 of my opponent's creatures. Turn 4 I land another swamp and play Lashwrithe and then pay 4 life (2 Phyrexian Mana) to equip it. Then I swing with the Evincar. On my opponents turn he plays two 1/1s that immediately get sent to the grave, one of them dealing me some damage as the result of an ability. Turn 5 I play another swamp and a Profane Command that I had pulled a previous draw and choose to do him three damage and put three -1/-1 counters on his wall, killing it. Then I swing for the win.

A draw like that is pretty baller though lucky, considering I only had one Evincar and Lashwrithe in there. That's they way the deck is built though, with few duplicates of cards as it is mainly a toolbox type of build. I like the deck. It has the potential in the long game to get some big beats onto the board with its lords and features some recursion to bring back a threat. It's a little light in the weenie department and I could have benefited from some quicker guys to get in some hits early on. Something like a Drudge Skeleton or a Re-Assembling Skeleton would be perfect, as I could chump and recur and with the ability of the Death Baron, buff them and make them even more deadly blockers. I think it could use a better mana curve, too. Yes, there are some means to get the big guys out fast as I did the second game, but I wouldn't rely on them unless I upped the Dark Ritual or Cabal Coffers count, the latter of which I didn't see at all.

Of course, some of this might be to blame on Planechase, as the deck is clearly meant to take advantage of the different planes that come with the deck. Perhaps next time I can use them.

Offhand, I can think of a couple of additions. One or more lords. Another Warchief and Death Baron or two would be perfect, especially with the low cost of the DBs and their ability to buff skeletons as well, of which the two I mentioned would be perfect. More removal would be nice, or some more recursion. Maybe both. I had some clever stuff, but I would have killed for a Doom Blade that first game. It's too good not to have in. Coat of Arms could be interesting, though it could work against you depending on your opponent's deck. Vampire Nighthawks I think would be great. They're still undead so kind of thematic, get buffed by the Evincar and provide some flying bodies that will deter dragons and other annoying creatures from striking at you. When equipped with Lashwrithe, they're absolutely stellar. By turn 4 or earlier, you could be hitting them for 8 life and gaining that much, which helps offset Phyrexian mana usage and the Phyrexian Arena.

Overall, I like it. I might hold off breaking it up for the EDH deck (I'm missing the general anyway) and give it another shot once I meddle with it a bit.

Memorial Valley Massacre

2011-07-12T20:33:00.000-04:00

I got delayed a bit on Friday as I was watching Torchwood: Miracle Day, so I didn't get a chance to check out this gem until Saturday evening. I got it on a Brentwood dvd set that I'm finally going through, initially only watching the two blind dead films on it. I was missing out on a lot and I can only hope the others are this good.

The basic premise of the story revolves around a brand new campground that is opening on Memorial Day. Unfortunately, there have been some strange happenings around the site and soon those happening escalate to murder. Also, they're being perpetrated by a caveman-like hermit. Honest. Anyhow, quite a few people up and leave right at the beginning, leaving us with our cast that ranges from likable, like the hero and his love interest, to despicable, which would be a rude little fat kid who steals things. Throw in some horny campers, bikers and some ex-military folk and have a dynamite mix.

Memorial Valley Massacre teeters on that fine edge of greatness and crap. Some of the characters are honest, simple sorts. Others are rather ludicrous, resulting in some fine moments like the impromptu cocktease dance in the rain (to no music!). Then there's the caveman. Much like feral kid from the Road Warrior all grown up, the caveman stalks and hunts his prey and is prone to sudden fits of smashing things. He doesn't like dogs or campers very much and hates ATVs. Also, he might try to get a little boob grab in when he's attacking you. A caveman has needs, I guess.

If you're looking for the best slasher set in a campground on Memorial Day in Memorial Valley, look no further. Watch it with some friends and get your drink on and you have a good and short way to kill some time. The kills are decent too, with some spears through the chest, some neck breaking, explosions, an axe to the chest and even death by pickup truck. Check it out.

It Came From The Attic

2011-07-09T13:18:00.000-04:00

When I get bored on a three day weekend, unproductive things happen. This is one of them.

The H-Man

2011-07-04T12:06:00.000-04:00

TCM was really knocking it out of the park with some fun sci-fi marathons on Thursdays last month. Most of them were movies I had seen already, but last week they showed one that I had sadly never seen before--The H-Man, a science-fiction film from director Ishiro Honda. It was rather amazing.

After a nuclear explosion, some creatures are formed. These monsters are a living liquid that creeps and crawls and dissolves people, which is their way of eating people. They also can take on ghostly, monstrous forms, which also dissolve people. A scientist, the police, a night club singer and mobsters are all woven into the tale which pits them against each other and the creatures as they try to survive.

It's a quick and fun movie, with decent special effects. The dissolving scenes are rather creepy and the ooze itself is well done, looking better than a similar monster in The Blob. I found it interesting that at its heart, the movie is a mobster movie with the monsters really playing more of an incidental part until the end scenes in the sewers. The similarities between these scenes and the remake of The Blob lead me to wonder if the latter film took inspiration from this movie. Any movie with a scantily clad cadre of night club singers is fine by me as well.

Well worth checking out.

Green Lantern

2011-06-27T21:24:00.000-04:00

I miss the days when I could just run out and see a movie opening night. Having a baby necessitates that I must reign in such desires, at least until I can get a baby sitter. Well, with a sitter gotten, the wife and I rolled out to see our first movie in awhile, and it was Green Lantern, one of my favorite super heroes. Being a big fanboy for GL, what did I think of this film that seems to be reviled by most? I loved it, of course.

I'm sure my fanaticism for it helps fuel my liking for it, but really, it was actually quite good. Is it going to blow you away? Maybe if you're a big fan. I think if you liked something like Iron Man, you'll enjoy this. There's a lot of material that they try to fit into the movie and I'll admit that distilling the essence of the early Hal Jordan stories, most of which was expanded on over multiple issues, is a daunting task. There's Hal Jordan's history and his friends and family. There's the history of the Corps itself. There's Parallax, the villain of the piece. Can't forget Hector Hammond, a sympathetic villain who is actually used better than in the comics. And more. It's all balanced rather well and we jump from Earth to space and back again and cover quite a lot of territory in the sub-two hour run time. And it's necessary. By getting this out of the way, we are free to frolic in a sequel. But that's the future.

Ryan Reynolds is great as GL. He brings a humanity and humor to Hal Jordan that is missing from the comics, where the character comes off as rather bland. He's a real great in and out of costume and does a fantastic job acting against a green screen and in a mocap suit for most of the movie. Blake Lively is sexy and confident as his boss/friend, Carol Ferris. Mark Strong is suitably tough as Sinestro and Peter Skaarsgard is a sniveling Hector Hammond.

The effects are top notch and I had little complaints about them as they brought to life Oa and multiple members of the Corps in their fights against Parallax. Indeed, any complaint I might have is that we didn't see enough of the Corps. I could just watch as the camera panned from member to member, but that wouldn't have been very exciting for everyone else, but the ones we're left with like Tomar Re and Kilowog are fantastic.

It might not be everyone's cup of tea and maybe a knowledge of the comics would help more people, but I think the movie does a fine job of providing an intro into the world of Green Lantern and sets us up with plenty of places to go in the next installment.

Check it out.

Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy

2011-06-25T09:35:00.001-04:00

I make no secret of it. I love men in rubber suits. Not the bondage kind, the monster kind. Godzilla. Gamera. Ultraman. I think the movies and tv shows are fantastic. So you can imagine my glee when I booted up Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy where I got to see just about every Ultraman and a slew of monsters that they face duke it out as the good guys try to stop the evil Ultraman Belial.

Ultraman Belial, the aforementioned villian, once was a hero. He tried to take the light that keeps the planet of the Ultramen alive and was exiled for it. After combining with an evil monster, Belial tried to take it again but this time was imprisoned by Ultra King. Well, it's years later and some enterprising monster decides to free Belial so that he can have his help in conquering the universe. That goes over well as can be expected with an immediate betrayal and Belial succeeds in his quest to steal the light after fighting every Ultraman that gets in his path, plunging the planet into freezing night. It's up to a cadre of humans working with Ultraman, Mebius and Seven as well as the new Ultraman, Zero, to get the light back and rid the universe of the menace of Belial and save the world.

I won't tell you if that happens, but what I will say is that this movie knows how to deliver. It's almost constant action, with fight after fight from the opening minutes to the very end. Single combat. Group battles. Space battles. This movie has it all in spades. I have to say, it was awesome seeing Ultraman and Seven back in action again, as I grew up with them, as well as seeing all the other different Ultras that I have a passing familiarity with. The new monster design is off the chain too. Belial looks like Lord Zedd mixed with Carnage but not hilarious. Instead, he's very sinister and monstrous. The end monster is a fantastic creation that needs to be seen to be believed. Epic is the only word to describe it. And maybe creepy. I could almost throw this under a horror movie tag just for that creature alone.

I wasn't sure if I would like Zero but I think he's pretty badass, if a little overpowered in some of the fights, though he needs to be considering the power level of his opponents. He even has an almost mega-smasher-like finish. That gets cool points. Chest beams are cool. Trust me.

There's a sequel I'll have to check out now. If it's anything like this one, I'll be very entertained. Check it out.

Wizard World Philly 2011

2011-06-19T08:09:00.001-04:00

It was that time of year again. A time when comic fans from all over congregate in the city of Philadelphia for the Wizard World in our neck of the woods. This year was my first in awhile and my buddy's last for a bit. I had no real agenda this time around, having lost my Starman list of remaining issues I need for the whole set of floppies. We basically just rammed around jumping from booth to booth and checking out things that caught our eye.

The first thing we noticed was the largest line for WWP that I've ever seen. I've waited in line to get in there before, but that was usually before they opened, not an hour afterwards. It moved pretty quickly, but it was still annoying, though a larger turnout this year might mean a larger setup next year, which would be key, as it was still a relatively small show compared to past years when it felt like I could wander for hours and not see everything.

There were a bevy of stars there like Bruce Campbell, Pam Grier, Richard Roundtree, Nicholas Brendon, Torrie Wilson (so hot), Kristanna Loken (so hot) and more. I was more interested in the half priced trades and picked up two volumes of Morrison's New X-Men and the Jason vs. Freddy vs. Ash sequel that I trade waited on. I was hoping someone would have the new Commander decks but the few places I saw that might have them were sold out on Friday so I'll have to wait until new shipments come in.

I did pick up some new prints though not all that I wanted. One guy had a sweet Darkhawk print but I couldn't find another one he had that would let me take advantage of his pricing scheme. 15 for one was a little high but 20 for 2 is a little better. I did get three prints of the Doctor (4th, 9th and 10th) and a sweet Greg Horn Power Girl painting. Hopefully he finishes the one with the model train in it so I can get that too. I would have settled for the b&w art but that was not for sale.

It's not the biggest show, but it's a fun one and easy to get to for me since I just take 95 all the way in to the convention center.

Now to save up for NYCC in the fall, which should be a real blast if I can go.

Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes to War (review)

2011-06-12T20:58:00.000-04:00

Well, it finally aired last night so I figured I could post some more in depth thoughts on the episode. I was loathe to do so before it aired in the US as there's always the odd chance someone will stumble upon this little blog and have it spoiled for them and I would hate for that to happen.

Now that that's out of the way.

The episode was fantastic. It's a really good cap off of the first part of the season. Amy is in the hands of a shadowy organization and the Doctor calls in a few favors to raise and army to kick some ass so that they can get her and the baby back. Rory dons the Roman armor again and the first casualty of the war are some Cybermen who might know where the base for the enemy is. Great stuff. Always love to see the metal men getting their asses kicked.

It's a rollicking good time, too. It's fun seeing the different people show up at the Doctor's behest and despite being a fairly serious episode, it still manages to be loaded with a lot of fun. Space pirates. Lesbian Silurians. Headless monks. Exploding Cybermen. Hell, we even find out a bit about River Song, as to exactly who she really is. We're still waiting on who she is to the Doctor and who she killed to get locked up, but it's the little things that keep us hanging on.

I can't wait to watch it again, I enjoyed it so much. Brilliant stuff that reminds me a lot of Eccleston's finale, where he goes balls to the wall to fight off the enemy.

Check it out.

Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes to War

2011-06-05T08:08:00.000-04:00

SPOILERS!

It's awesome.

Doctor Who: S6E6

2011-06-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

After being off for a week due to Memorial Day, we finally got to see the second part of the Doctor Who arc with the Flesh and the acid island. I think it was worth the wait. A little drawn out, I think, for what they wanted to do, but it was fun. We even get a creature out of it, of sorts. And a wall of eyes.

This episode continues the story of clones, called Gangers, that are usually used and disposed of, but this time have come to a life of their own and they intend to fight for it, even if it means killing the Doctor and the other humans. It's a nice tale that explores what it really is to be a person. It's not what your body is made of but what is inside that counts. The Flesh is an interesting concept, functioning a lot like an Auton, but with more sentience. Sorry Rory. I loved the setting too. The old church filled with acid was a nice touch.

Also, the discoveries here lead directly into the next episode, giving us quite the the cliffhanger until next week's half-season finale. Check it out.

Zombie Honeymoon

2011-06-05T07:35:00.000-04:00

I remember hearing about Zombie Honeymoon before it came out. Not a review. Just that they filmed in New Jersey, pretty close to where I live. I thought that was cool and made a note to check it out whenever it hit dvd as I was fairly certain I would miss it in the theater. Well, after languishing in my Netflix queue for ages, I picked it up for five bucks at Walmart with the intention of watching it. Then it sat there on the shelf for a year or so until I remembered I had it and checked it out for this week's Friday Night Fright. Was it worth the wait?

Well, no. Not due to any hype I had for the movie. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid little film, but for some reason I have a feeling that it's been done better in another movie I've seen, but for the life of me I can't remember what I'm comparing it to in my head. The movie is about two newlyweds, obviously, who get married and head down to the shore for their honeymoon and lots of sexing. One day, while at the beach, they're chilling when all of a sudden a zombie comes out of the ocean and vomits into the husband's mouth and dies. Of course the husband isn't feeling well so they take him to the hospital where he dies but then comes back ten minutes later, feeling fine and ready to go home. Unfortunately, like most returns from beyond the grave, he has come back wrong and starts to develop a hunger for more than just his wife's love. Slowly, he's turning into the undead and his wife is determined to stand by him in sickness or in health.

The acting is decent, particularly by the wife, who is dressed for the wedding like Lydia in Beetlejuice, red dress and all. She even looks like Winona Ryder at times and best of all, she shows some skin, which is important for these smaller productions. It's nice seeing the shore in a movie, though it looks like they didn't do much filming in Spring Lake, where the flick is set. Not a big problem but I was hoping to see more landmarks from the town. Looks more like Deal, really, though that might have been necessary to get the secluded beach they needed for the initial zombie attack. More importantly, they do deliver on some zombie goodness, with some brutal kills and decent make-up. If you're looking for hordes of the undead, look elsewhere, as the film is about a man's deterioration from infection and spreads by an odd vector, not just biting.

I think the movie is a little confused about what it wants to be. It plays like a straight horror movie, but at times it seems like they want it to be a horror comedy, what with the infusion of psychobilly music and the way some of the attacks happen. It's only a moment or two, so it's a bit out of place.

I would say it's an average movie, done well for its budget and small cast, but not the cult classic ala Evil Dead that some reviews would have you believe. If you're in the mood for a subdued, personal horror film about the things we'll do for love, even if one of us is the undead, this one is for you. Worth a watch, especially to support a homegrown NJ director, but you won't be getting repeat viewings on this one, I wager. I hear that the director wants to make a sequel, too. If so, I hope he sets it at the shore again. Always great to see the state in a movie.

Check it out.

Pre-con: Relic Breaker

2011-06-01T20:19:00.000-04:00

I got to test out a pre-con that I had for awhile now during my weekly MTG lunch that I have with my friend at work. I've been doing well with the decks I created and since I had this one lying around after my brother gave it to me, I decided to give it a whirl. As you can tell by the name, it has a specific set of skills that the deck relies on to function. Namely, relic (artifact) breaking. Most of the creatures you have in the deck are geared towards this, from the foil rare to several of your beaters. This is great for a relic heavy block like Scars of Mirrodin. Not so much against regular decks.

Today I was matched up against the Knights deck from the Knights vs Dragons duel deck, as it was one of the few Jesse had handy. I had a bad feeling about choosing a red deck against it, since the Knights are geared towards taking down dragons, something my deck was rather light on. To do this, they're pretty aggro oriented and sure enough, I was up against a full board a few times that I had to get creative to beat. The Knights deck hits hard and fast and does it well. That's not to say that Relic Breaker is any slouch. It's just not as light on its feet as I would prefer. Check out a more in depth review over at Ertai's Lament.

The low drops in the deck are the mana myrs and they're not going to do too much against the fast knights. I had none of those in hand, opting to keep two Barrage Ogres and an Sylviok Replica as my creatures. I eventually pulled one, but not until after I had to take down a few knights with spells like Arc Trail and Untamed Might on a chump block. I landed a cudgel troll, who turned out to be the MVP for me, landing the majority of the damage I had until I dropped the Ogres. That wasn't going to help me when Jesse landed a dude with protection from red. I had to play around him, fireballing his troops and then sacrificing my myr to the Ogre to ping another guy for two. I swung for four and brought him into range for a bum rush. He played another creature who could block me and might turn the tide in his favor, with me having been whittled down to four health. Fortunately, I had a panic spellbomb to pop and that cleared the way for me to win.

It's a fun deck, but it clearly needs some low end help. I'll probably be tossing in some Furnace Scamps as a one drop, giving me the ability to hit for four on the ground if the way is clear, giving me some leverage against early attacks. Why swing at me for two if I can return for four if you're using your only blocker? Seems like a plan. I think I need some more burn in there too. I feel the need for some bolts. They're too good not to have and can either clear the board of some troublemakers or finish the opponent off. I shall meddle with it. I was pleased with it though. A solid player for the one game I played. I'll need to get some more in before I can really judge the weaknesses better, though they seem to be as I suspected.

Galaxy of Terror (Erin Moran has Crazy Eyes!)

2011-05-28T08:37:00.000-04:00

I was motivated last night and finally got to watch Galaxy of Terror, which I had taped about a month ago off of the delightful Turner Classic Movies station. As a Corman fan, the movie sounded familiar to me, but honestly I probably wouldn't have been so excited for it had I not read this review by the amazing Vicar of VHS. Read his site. Do it. Now that my Friday nights are freed up from Supernatural, I have brought this back as my next Friday Night Fright viewing. Which is a just a goofy name I give to watching horror movies while my wife is at work.

Anyhow, on to the movie.

Galaxy of Terror is an ambitious little B movie that has us following the exploits of a spaceship crew sent to rescue some comrades who have fallen to an unknown fate on a distant planet. Well, unknown to them. We know that they're all dead, killed by something or other. The team is made up of such genre luminaries as Sid Haig, Robert Englund and Zalman King, with a side of Edward Albert and Erin "Joanie" Moran, as well as some other folks I don't quite recognize. Oh, and Ray Walston, who has always seemed like he was 70 years old.

Slowly, the team gets picked off in a variety of ways. Space leeches. Shadow Monster. Insect thing. Rape Worm. And more! The worm is one of the more controversial, I guess, scenes in the movie, where a buxom blond who hates worms gets killed by a maggot that is blown up to amazing proportions. Though, where everyone else gets killed in gruesome ways, she gets covered in slime and makes noises like she was being sexed to death. It fits with the things you find out at the end of the movie and is rather tame, really, compared to the tree rape in Evil Dead but still rubbed people the wrong way. Regardless, the team gets whittled down and soon they will come face to face with whatever has been killing them--but will the survive it?

This movie reminds me of why I loved 80s sci-fi, even the bad stuff. It's because that even when the budget is low, they really seemed like they were trying. Here we get some great set design for the ships that actually looks functional and more than just a slab of silver with a button on it. The backdrops are nice too, giving the wide shots a better depth and realism than if they had done the green screen that is commonplace now. Galaxy of Terror also reminded me of Aliens in the way a lot of the scenes were shot, especially the outside scenes with the miniatures and backdrops. Wiki-ing it, I found out that is because James Cameron was an assistant director on it. The more you know. It also says that Galaxy of Terror inspired Aliens, which I think is a bit of a stretch. I would say it owes more to Starship Troopers, but different strokes and all that.

Good acting, good gore and a decent plot help raise this movie up from the depths of others of its ilk. Joanie's crazy eyes alone make it worth it. Seriously. All whites, all the time. Scary stuff. Robert Englund turns out a more heroic role than we're used to from him now, save for the turn in V. And Sid Haig is a quiet thug with crystal ninja stars and foreshadowing. Check it out.

Doctor Who: S6E5

2011-05-25T19:14:00.000-04:00

I've been slacking this week. Here I watched the new Doctor Who episode on Saturday and I don't have a post about it until Wednesday. It's with good reason I didn't, as I had some pressing matters to attend to and couldn't get in front of the computer to compose my thoughts until now. That and my daughter let me.

Another solid episode for the season and the first of two parts. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until after the holiday weekend to see the second part. There is a marathon going on though so that's a plus. Anyway, the new episode finds the Doctor, Amy and Rory at a small castle that seems to be retrofitted with some high tech equipment, some of which is pumping acid out of the location and to the mainland. To deal with this hazardous material, the workers clone themselves using something called Flesh and basically remote control the bodies with their minds while hooked up to a machine. The bodies are supposedly brainless, but there's a solar storm and the bodies seem to have a life of their own, as well as thoughts. In a mash up of The Thing and Blade Runner, the Doctor has to try and keep human and clone from killing each other and figure out what happened and how they can all get out of there.

A solid thriller of an episode. I quite enjoyed it and look forward to the second part. Decent plot and story and there's a fun plot element for Rory, possibly making Amy jealous. I love the way that the show can get such mileage out of a small location like a castle and the claustrophobic nature of the corridors mixed with pipes of strong acid make for a tense time.

Check it out.

Doomsday

2011-05-22T08:24:00.000-04:00

In honor of the impending rapture on Saturday, I decided on Friday to watch an appropriately themed movie. Doomsday fit the bill quite nicely, though it doesn't deal with the rapture but instead a virus decimating the world. It started with Scotland years ago and a giant wall was erected to keep the infected inside the borders. Fast forward a few decades later where the virus as reappeared in London. The government decides to send a special team in lead by Major Eden Sinclair, who escaped Scotland when the wall was going up and knows the area well. Turns out that there are survivors beyond the wall, and they might have a cure for the disease and she has to find it.

The movie is a mix of several other futuristic/apocalyptic films, most notably Escape from New York, with the hardass hero leading a team against his or her will, and Mad Max, with bands of crazy renegades running around in questionable costume choices. The mix works well and the story is pretty solid, or as solid as you can get when you're building a wall around a country and sentencing the people inside to death. It's a rather action packed movie too, with some great effects sequences and fights that kept me amused and looking for the blood. Also, there's a hot tattooed chick running around. Never a bad thing to have one of those.

The cast is solid. Mitra is one of a few recognizable faces and does a good job as a bad ass. I always liked her on Boston Legal and it's nice to see her carrying a film. Also, since she's a female hero, it's nice that they didn't put her in some provocative outfit, not that I would have minded, but it wouldn't have made sense from an armoring point of view. Nope, she's geared up properly for the battle a ahead.

It's a fun and rather enjoyable flick, much different from director Neil Marshall's previous films, The Descent and Dog Soldiers, though his stamp is all over it. Definitely worth checking out.

Epic Mickey

2011-05-15T20:48:00.000-04:00

I got Epic Mickey for Christmas this year and after months of playing it, I finally beat it. No, it's not that long. I just have ADD with games and got some others and it fell behind in the queue while I beat others. I digress.

For those unfamiliar with the game, you play as Mickey Mouse, who earlier on in his career, jumped into the mirror and entered the workshop of the Sorcerer from Fantasia and messed up a model world that he had. Years later, the repercussions start to be known as a phantom blot of ink starts wreaking havoc in the model, which is actually another world. Mickey gets dragged into the world and now he has to save it to find his way out. To do this, he's armed with a magic paint brush that he grabbed on his way in. This allows him to either use paint or thinner to defeat foes and change parts of his environment so he can proceed. Along with the choices you make, using thinner or paint to solve a problem like a boss can determine how other characters react to you and also the ending of the story.

All in all, it's a satisfying game, though it falls a little short of epic. This is mainly due to the camera. It's clunky and unrefined and makes doing simple things a chore. The camera in Super Mario 64 was more responsive and considering how many third person games out there get it right, there's no real excuse for it. The level design is quite entertaining, at least once you get past the opening levels, where they start to incorporate more from the theme park so it goes from being generic to being steeped very thoroughly in Disney lore. Each level and sections of a level is connected using movie screens that you jump through and enter a 2d platforming world where you try and get to the end of an old Disney cartoon. I could almost go through those all day long. The platforming is easy, but it's just the fun of going through cartoons I saw when I was younger that really grabs me.

It's definitely worth a play, though the camera may make or break you. To be honest, it isn't too terrible until you get to the end levels, where it starts to actively hamper you. Check it out.

Doctor Who: S6E4

2011-05-14T22:54:00.000-04:00

Another weekend, another glorious new episode of Doctor Who, as seen on the BBCA channel. Check your local listings and all that jazz. I know a lot of people didn't like last week's episode, because, well, they hate fun. How can you hate something that has the Doctor and pirates. If it were the third sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, I could understand, but it wasn't so I don't. This new episode should have all of the nay sayers being a bit happier.

In this one, the Doctor is summoned to a strange planet by a telepathic cube, which we haven't seen in the series in years, since The War Games, if the internet is to be believed. Once there, things start to go south in a spectacular fashion, with the Tardis depowering and then getting stolen with Amy and Rory aboard while the Doctor deals with a crazy woman who seems to know him quite well.

All in all, it was a fantastic episode. Writer Neil Gaiman, who has written other things you should probably have read by now, really knocks it out of the park with a tale that delves into the history of the Tardis and its relationship to the Doctor and is fun as all get out. Plus there's the return of the Ood, though they're a stand in for a new creature they just didn't have the budget to realize. Doesn't matter, as it fits in and is nice to see them again. Matt Smith really shines in particular when dealing with all of the revelations in the episode and although it doesn't really advance the story arc for the season, it's an altogether brilliant episode that really showcases what the Doctor is about--traveling to new places and doing the impossible.

Check it out.

Doctor Who: S6E3

2011-05-08T08:01:00.000-04:00

Fun episode of Doctor Who last night. Doesn't advance any of the plot points from the last episode, but sometimes you just need the fun one off. And fun it was. The Doctor and his companions land on a pirate ship that is under attack by a strange siren that keeps taking crew members, leaving not a trace on board. Does she want their blood or is there something more afoot?

I don't want to spoil it for anyone so you'll have to watch to find out for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed. You wouldn't be missing anything groundbreaking but come on, it's the Doctor and pirates. What else do you need?

Deck Building: Blue/Black Controlling Infection

2011-05-04T20:16:00.001-04:00

I bought the Deadspread deck when it came out for Scars of Mirrodin, mainly because I thought that Carnifex Demon was pretty cool looking. The deck left something to be desired, mainly because I was more interested in poison rather than proliferating -1/-1 counters on everyone. I decided to break it up and use some of my extra cards to change it over to infect. It's a work in progress, but I have a nice shell for what I want to do. I probably won't be able to drop in anything expensive like a Jace 2.0 or a 1.0, or even a Skittles. I'm going to try and get some Phyrexian Crusaders though because they're just too good. Maybe some vatmothers as well. I'm open to other suggestions, as blue isn't really one of the colors that I'm familiar with.

Here's the deck list. It's not standard at all, by the way. It's kind of standard, but I didn't have a ton of counterspells from standard that I liked so I went out of the block a bit. Also, I didn't have enough for 4x a lot of stuff. Hopefully I can round some of the selections out more.

Island x10
Swamp x10

Spells:
Negate x1
Rune Snag x1
Mana Leak x2
Steady Progress x2
Grasp of Darkness x1
Doom Blade x2
Distortion Strike x2
Corrupted Conscience x1
Virulent Wound x2

Creatures:
Skinrender x2
Neurok Invisimancer x2
Plague Stinger x2
Silver Myr x2
Leaden Myr x1
Plague Myr x1
Phyrexian Juggernaut x2
Core Prowler x2
Thrummingbird x3
Vector Asp x2
Necropede x1
Carnifex Demon x1
Septic Rats x2
Contagion Clasp x2
Contagion Engine x1

As you can see, the deck has a bit of an identity crisis. I blame it on not having better infect options free from other decks. I might cut the mana myrs, at least the non-infect ones to get some more land and infect creatures out there. Maybe Ichor Rats so I can get a poison counter on to proliferate. Skinrenders are nice but if I can get some Crusaders, I'm cutting them in favor of the knight. I'm not sold on the contagion engine either. Six mana is a lot for it and clasp comes down earlier and I can activate it twice by the time I drop the engine, though the double proliferate on the engine is nice.

What say you?

Doctor Who S6E2 "Day of the Moon"

2011-05-01T10:23:00.000-04:00

After what seemed like an eternity, or at the very least a really, really long week, I finally got to see the second part of the season premiere of Doctor Who. They left us on a hell of a cliffhanger after the last episode, what with the Silence bearing down on them and Amy shooting at the astronaut.

It definitely was worth the wait. Without spoiling anything, the Doctor devises a plan from a perfect prison to end the Silence, at least on earth. We find out a bit more about Amy's confession about being pregnant and whether her aim is actually worth a damn. Hint from the trailer: it's not.

While answering some questions, it certainly raised other, such as the identity of the little girl, why the Silence had a spacesuit on her, who the hell the Silence really are and if they were messing with shit last season, who River Song really is and more. Really it is just setting up arcs for the rest of the season but done rather well, so we get a conclusion, but we're still left with a bit of am mystery that doesn't need to be solved just yet.

Also, Mark Sheppard is a regular guest on two of the best shows on tv right now. Good for him. Especially since he's just so damn good and his characters are great. Crowley on Supernatural is fantastic and Canton Everett Delaware III is good too. Simply amazing.

Check it out.

Power Girl #23

2011-04-30T17:26:00.000-04:00

I swear, I never thought I would ever be uttering these words, but damn if I don't look forward every month to a book written by Judd Winick. I started my hate with him back when he was abusing Green Lantern and it evolved to cover other titles he wrote. I shuddered as if something fell had walked over my grave when I heard that he was taking over Power Girl after the amazing team of Palmiotti, Gray and Connor left. I thought I would end up dropping the title as I couldn't stand him, no matter how much I loved Power Girl.

Color me surprised, it's actually been really, really good. This issue continues that trend, dealing with the setup from last issue where Power Girl and her cousin Superman are fighting dinosaurs and other creatures summoned up by a magician to is trying to take Zatanna's powers for himself. It's a nice two issue arc and the characterizations are great and the story is fun and light, which is nice after tying in for several issues to the serious Generation Lost. The art continues to improve and be amazing, and while I still miss Amanda Connor, I'm finding this is a nice replacement.

Check it out. And Judd, I'm sorry I doubted you.

The Things of Nightmares

2011-04-27T21:31:00.000-04:00

Damn you, Moffat. Just when I thought it was safe to watch Doctor Who without it having nightmarish creatures or Billie Piper. Well, at least we haven't had Rose back in it yet. It's been great so far. Watch it on BBCA.

The Doctor Cometh

2011-04-24T13:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the long awaited premiere of Doctor Who Series 6 aired on BBCA. How was it? In a word, amazing. Granted, I may be biased since I love the show. I thought it hit all the right notes. It kicked off with us meeting up with our old friends Rory and Amy Pond, River Song and the Doctor. Then it turned it up a notch with quite a shocking turn of events that eventually leads to the discovery of a monster we didn't see but plagued us last season. And they're some creepy looking bastards, too. If you're going to do aliens, do them with style, and they did. I can't wait to see how the second part turns out next week. It's almost too long to wait, but considering I was waiting months for the first part, I think I can handle a few days. Check it out.

Doctor Who?

2011-04-23T15:31:00.001-04:00

Yeah. I'm kind of excited for the premiere.

And for a libation...

2011-04-23T12:43:00.001-04:00

Don't forget to mix yourself up a nice drink with your sonic screwdriver. :)

Series 6

2011-04-23T12:37:00.001-04:00

Just a reminder that the new season of Doctor Who starts up tonight on the BBCA channel, for all of us on this side of the pond. Too bad it's not this side of Amy Pond. Anyhow, you should watch it, because it is a great show. Give it a shot. BBCA is having a little marathon of Series 5 today if youw ant to catch up. Plus there's a recap episode before the new episode airs. And then they're playing another showing of last year's Christmas Special, which was fantastic.

And I found this. Enjoy.

RIP Elizabeth Sladen

2011-04-19T20:35:00.000-04:00

Sad news today. Elizabeth Sladen, known for playing Sarah Jane Smith on Doctor Who, has passed away. She was still so young, but fighting a battle with cancer took its toll on her. I'll remember her fondly as part of my childhood, growing up watching her adventures with Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor, on PBS. Hopefully, she's riding in that great big TARDIS in the sky. We'll miss you.

Never Forget

2011-04-16T11:20:00.001-04:00

Starman: Omnibus 5

2011-04-14T21:38:00.000-04:00

I think I have an addiction. You know, besides good bourbon. And cheap bourbon. Bourbon in general. I'm addicted to Starman. I didn't even really know about the character save for some appearances in the JSA until I read about the series on the Penny Arcade forums where it came highly recommended. So I picked up the first trade.

I feel like my eyes were opened that day, opened to awesome comics. Comics that moved past the issue to issue stories and characterization that lasted until that writer finished his run. Indeed, it was a genius story that spanned the entire run of issues, helmed by one writer, James Robinson, for that entire span. Hell, DC loved it so much they complied with his wish that nobody use Jack afterwards and let him have his retirement.

Maybe I'm overstating things. I had read good comics. I had read great comics. I had read even awesome comics. What I think I'm trying to say is that this was the first time I had read such a complete run, a complete story for one character. Not only was it the run that created the character of Jack Knight as Starman, but it defined him as well. I can't think of many writers who did that. Certainly there are runs that defined existing characters, but this was a first for me. I think it was because Jack was so relatable. He wasn't destined for greatness. Jack was just a guy who collected things. Old shirts. Old records. Old everything. He never thought that he would collect the mantle of his father in the process, learning how to use it and making some mistakes and fighting the good fight like one of us would.

For my collection, I've gotten all of the trade paperbacks available, including one I had to get while I was in Ireland as it was out of print here. I'm missing about four issues in my singles collection and I've gotten five of the omnibuses. Is that love? I think so?

Is it worth it? Yes. For one, the omnibus format is great. The trades had most of the issues, but some were trimmed and things were left out. The omnibus collection has everything, uncut and more, such as issues that weren't part of the main title's run but ones that pertained to him nevertheless, like the crossover with Batman and Hellboy or the Shade's miniseries. The art is reproduced masterfully and we got prologues and epilogues from people involved with the series.

Did I mention that they're hardcover?

In terms of value, they're great. In terms of story, they're even better. If you have any interest in comics, I beseech you to seek out the Starman series if you haven't already. You will love it. It's everything good about comics and everything a comic should be.

Now I need to get the last volume. Then maybe I can work on the Morrison JLA trades.

Assault of the Sasquatch

2011-04-10T11:08:00.001-04:00

At the behest of Pete from Comics Plus (the recommendation was in with my comics for the week), I checked out a little gem of a movie called Assault of the Sasquatch for this week's Friday Night Fright. I was told that it was a great terrible movie. Oh, it was, it was.

Cribbing the plot from Assault on Precinct 13, and thus, Rio Bravo, the movie is basically about a sasquatch running amok in a town and trying to kill the occupants of a police station, both law abiding and criminal. The humans must band together if they want to survive the assault. Why is the sasquatch doing this? Oh, because some bear poachers ran into him and captured him but were then arrested, bringing the poachers and the truck to the police station, where the sasquatch woke up and then started to wreck shit.

The acting is so-so, which is about part for a low budget beauty like this. It makes up for it by having a quick moving plot that never lets up and doesn't skimpy on the kills. Having a poacher who looks like a cross between Deathstroke the Terminator and Willie Nelson is a good start, as well as a ex-stripper receptionist who fights with a knife and riot shield, Modern Warfare 2 style. While I can't say I cared for any of them enough to hope they live, they did keep in interesting. The two nerds running around trying to capture more footage of the sasquatch were rather fun too, culminating in a rather rude awakening for the two of them when they finally do meet up.

A plus for this low budget great is that they went with practical effects for the most part, especially for their monster. Yes it looks like a guy in a suit, but it's a nice throwback to 80s creature flicks and looks a lot better than cheap CGI would. I think they do use some CGI for a few dismemberments, but it looks good and they stick to fake blood and dummies for the good stuff, including a sasquatch fist through the face. They give you a variety of kills as well, including my favorite, which involves a hapless victim being pelted by a variety of items, such as rocks, tires and even a mail box. It's fantastic.

I wish Sci-fi would show monster flicks like this instead of some of the creature of the week crap they usually do, as it's a well done low-budget movie that will have you chuckling and keep you entertained for all of its brief 83 minute run time. You can check it out on Netflix like I did though so you can get the blood, swearing and sasquatch peeping shower scene.

Well worth the price of admission. Check it out.

Bomb Queen vs. Hack/Slash

2011-04-09T12:47:00.000-04:00

You know, sometimes I buy a comic and wonder why I did later. I'd have to say that Bomb Queen vs. Hack/Slash falls into that category. As a fan of Hack/Slash I thought I would enjoy the crossover. I read an issue of Bomb Queen once and didn't think it was too bad. I would say I even enjoyed it. Something about this comic really rubbed me the wrong way though.

It's got hot women, which I like. It has violence, which I like. It has Cassie and Vlad, who I definitely like. There are even some lesbian undertones, which I enjoy. I also like the occasional vulgarity. For some reason, I didn't really enjoy it here. It almost felt vulgar for vulgarity's sake and actually over-sexualized. The art was nice at least. Can't say I'd check out more Bomb Queen after this though apparently the writer doesn't let his characters get stagnant, as the last time I read it there was an actual city and now it's a nuked wreckage. Gotta give him props for that.

I think it's because the two properties don't really mesh well. Cassie Hack hunts slashers. Sure there are some criminals coming in from BQ's world, but they're not anything like the villains she normally fights. So why bother coming in at all? It's almost like she's the Punisher, stopping every bad guy, instead of just the supernatural ones. Previous crossovers like where she fought Chucky made more sense to me, as he fits into her oeuvre of villains. Meeting up with Ash from Army of Darkness would probably have been a much better fit.

Still, I've read worse. I've also read better, which might be why it suffers. How can any book compete after Annihilators this week? If you're a die hard fan of Hack/Slash or Bomb Queen, check it out. Otherwise, you can probably give it a pass.

Lost at Comic Con Editing

2011-04-09T11:43:00.000-04:00

Got the proof of my book and I'm editing it again. I still need a cover as the one I'm using in the meantime kinda sucks. I'm just amazed at how much I catch things better when they're in print. Maybe it's just because I'm so used to looking at the computer screen that I glaze over it. Anyhow, it's progressing, slowly but surely and I'm marking up the pages with a massive amount of red pen. Hopefully I can add some more pages to my editing count today. I was hoping to have it all done this weekend but I don't think that's happening. I'll have to bring it along to work and do that during lunch instead of writing The Secret Life of Astrogirl.

War of the Green Lanterns

2011-04-07T21:00:00.001-04:00

Picked up my comics for the last couple of weeks at Comics Plus yesterday. Among other books, I got the first three parts of War of the Green Lanterns. I thought it was actually rather good. I was disillusioned after Blackest Night, where the GL titles felt almost like filler compared to the main BN title and minis, though GLC rocked throughout it. Now, all the GL titles are where the story is at, just like they were in the Sinestro Corps War, and I like it.

The story brings to a boil threads that had been going on in the titles, culminating with the mad Oan Krona capturing all of the entities of the various Corps and putting them under his control, threatening not only the GLC, but the entire universe with his plan, which I haven't quite figured out yet. The way it's shaping up though, it's going to be the four human lanterns against the odds and possibly without rings as they're the only ones free from Krona, currently. I'm actually hoping they bring in the Corpse, as Hal and Guy are meeting on an ice planet much like the one Guy met the leader of the GLC black ops division so long ago with Ramey, the hot butterfly girl. Wishful thinking, maybe.

It's well worth checking out if you're a fan of some good cosmic storytelling and it seems like Johns is going back to telling a grand old epic that we can all enjoy. I'm very much looking forward to the next installment, though reading all three at once was a treat. I might have to wait and do that again.

New Green Lantern Trailer

2011-04-03T17:02:00.000-04:00

The new Green Lantern trailer from Wondercon. I have to say, I was excited for the first one, but now that they're showing off even more sfx and making it a tad more serious instead of wacky Ryan Reynolds (who I love anyway) I am hooked. I can't wait to see this when it comes out.

Some of the figures don't look to bad either from the movie toy line. Some are crap, and they should really take a page from Hasbro with the Iron Man toys. Those things were slick. I understand cost is an issue, but for some reason, Mattel has problems with the series that are its bread and butter, giving us too much of one thing and not enough of another, such as putting numerous Supermen and Batmen on the shelves but leaving us scrambling for other figures in JLU and shortchanging us on guys in DCUC, though for some reason the 6" market is prone for that, as Toy Biz Marvel Legends taught us back in the day. Thanks for all the Beasts, guys. Ah well. I'll get what I can.

VW Part 2

2011-03-27T16:11:00.001-04:00

Here's a link for anyone interested: http://villagewhiskey.com/

Fantastic!

Village Whiskey

2011-03-27T16:03:00.000-04:00

Spent a night in Philly. Tried out a new place while we were there. Well, new for us. Village Whiskey, on 20th and Sanson, I believe, though if you search it you'll find it. I was intrigued by it mainly for the whiskey aspect. They have an amazing list of bourbons and scotches and whiskeys of all sorts. And they were divine. But the food. Oh my good, the food was amazing. It was a limited menu, with mostly burgers and sandwiches available. I got the pulled pork sandwich and my wife got a burger. Both were fantastic. There were also friend pickles and pickled beets and fries that were fried in duck fat. Divine. I think it spoiled us for dinner, which was great, but the fantastic lunch at the place just completely ruined us. If you're there and don't mind the walk from you hotel or a drive, check it out.

Monsters (2010)

2011-03-19T10:40:00.000-04:00

I read recently that Gareth Edwards was picked to helm the new American Godzilla movie, based on his work on the film Monsters. Having never seen it, I decided it was a good choice for this week's Friday Night Fright.

The basic premise is that after a NASA deep space probe contacts alien life and crashes to earth, the alien life forms start to spread across Mexico, resulting in an area known as the Infected Zone between the US and non-infected Mexico. However, this movie doesn't take place during the outbreak, it takes place well after it, when everything is semi-stabilized and people are trying to live with the fact that giant things could crush them should they go near the zone.

This brings us to Andrew and Samantha, the photojournalist and the daughter of his employer who he is sent to bring back to the US. Conventional routes are closed or closing off and expensive, but Andrew manages to buy Samantha a ticket on a ferry back home. Unfortunately, due to some bad luck, he manages to screw that up and they're forced to find an alternate route home through the Infected Zone, a place where death is most likely going to find them.

Monsters is less an action movie and almost more of a travelogue, as we follow the protagonists as they journey through a land of giants. Newbies to the culture around the monsters as well, we get to discover the world of the Infected Zone with them as they try to get home, seeing the devastation wrought by both man and monster as they struggle for dominance. Its a really enjoyable one too. The main characters are likable despite their flaws (he's kind of a lech and she's kinda spoiled) and you find yourself rooting for them to make it through alive, much better than Cloverfield, where I was hoping the dvd would just break in half while watching it, since both man and monster in that one were terrible.

The monster designs are interesting, kind of like an undersea type of animal or the big walkers from out of The Mist, or maybe Phyrexia. They have crab legs and tentacles and a big glowing brain/heart thing that looks awesome. You see them in flashes at first and then get some good looks at them and they're impressive, especially for the low budget of the film. Sci-fi channel, take note--this is how you do creatures.

If his Godzilla movie is half as good as Monsters, I'll be pleased, as Edwards has the ability to balance human drama and monster attacks almost perfectly. Check it out.

Tron Legacy

2011-03-12T10:17:00.001-05:00

I'm a big fan of Tron. I loved the movie as a kid and I still enjoy it now. Sometimes I even try to break out the frisbees and get people to play with me. No luck. Fortunately, I had another way to get my fix with the release of Tron Legacy. I was pretty excited for this film. Same characters and actors, new graphics, Olivia Wilde being sexy. What's not to love?

The movie takes place 20 years or so after the original. Flynn has been missing for years and his son wants nothing to do with the company, aside from playing pranks and being a troublemaker. One day, however, Alan shows up with his pager, saying that it came from Flynn's old office at the arcade, which has been closed for years (a shame, as arcades are awesome). Sam goes there and gets sucked into the grid, where a computer program clone of his father, named Clu, has made the place into, well, much as it was during Sark's rule with the MCP. It's a bit more built up, ok, a lot more, and similar to our world, but it's still the grid and oppressed and in need of some freeing. Unfortunately, Sam doesn't have many allies in this fight, save for Quorra (Wilde) and some rebels and hopefully, his father.

I really enjoyed this one. It's true that it's a nostalgia trip for people who enjoyed the first movie, a love letter to them, really. There's light cycles, there's disc chucking and even a solar sailer. There's the familiar blue and orange lined outfits we've come to love. And there's Jeff Bridges. The plot isn't anything really to write home about, but it was just great seeing these characters again. Even those who aren't fans should be drawn into the story easily and enjoy the great special effects and solid acting. And Olivia Wilde. I've been a fan of hers since Turistas and seeing her in a Tron outfit is like seeing heaven itself. She just looks fantastic. Seeing Flynn back in action was great as well, though he does take a back seat to his son and Quorra.

It's well worth checking out for fans of Tron and sci-fi in general, and for those that who aren't as big into it, the movie is a nice way to spend two hours and shut the brain down for awhile and enjoy yourself without giving yourself brain damage like the Clash of the Titans remake might do to you.

The New Doctor

2011-03-05T12:09:00.000-05:00

After rolling through a massive amount of the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) episodes of Doctor Who, I wasn't sure how I would like the 11th Doctor. I mean, Ten had almost become like a member of the family or an old friend, as it seemed like we were spending every night with him. I gotta say, I'm enjoying what I've seen on Matt Smith so far. He kind of reminds me of Jared Padalecki, feature-wise. He's got some good comic delivery and the way, as the youngest Doctor, he dresses like an old man is rather charming. It's like he's an old soul at heart. I can't wait to check out some more of his episodes as the wife and I get ready for Series 6 come April. I can't wait.

Geronimo!