Sunday, July 28, 2013
The Walking Dead Volume 18: What Comes After (2013)
I've failed to enjoy The Walking Dead for so long, I decided to go back and read my previous reviews to determine when exactly the worm turned. I didn't cover Volume 11: Fear the Hunters in January of 2010, probably because I was bogged down with other things, but I described it as "incredible" while I moaned about the plodding, repetitive Volume 12: Life Among Them. It occurs to me that across three years and seven volumes, the cast is still basically in the same exact place, both in location and emotion. There are a few less people still with us (I predicted the wrong dead old timer of 17: Something To Fear, but the event itself played out as expected with a different neck in the noose,) although everyone is a shadow of their former self anyway, so what does that matter? I think 14: No Way Out was where the troubles really began, since it was built up at a time of maximum cross-media Walking Dead hypeage, but ended up circling right back to where it started from. As the band mourned deaths of folks most cared fuck all about in 15: We Find Ourselves, I found myself talking as much or more about the TV series, as it seemed to take two mediums running stories concurrently to give me enough material to write about for one review. The third season of the show managed to outshine the current books, if not the story's source material. It went out with more of a whimper than a bang, but Season 3's heights were high, and the trailer for Season 4 has me hyped for more Tyrese (who I've missed terribly in the comics) being joined by fellow The Wire alumni D'Angelo Barksdale. Now there's a show I need to get back to and finish.
Where was I? Oh yeah-- I thought all those menacing faceless figures on covers to comics collected in the previous volume, Something To Fear, meant that we'd get some cross-pollination; having Merle and Daryl Dixon turn up in a vicious rival group. The tease didn't amount to much-- a new villain named Negan who's kind of like TV Shane taken to the nth degree. Kirkman's also sworn to never use Daryl in the comics, but we'll see how long that oath lasts when the sales dip. This volume dealt with learning the vulnerabilities in Negan's group, and becoming better acquainted with the nutbar himself. This is done through a difficult to swallow contrivance, at a time when more and more ridiculously fantastic Mad Max elements are being introduced. The book has broken away from any semblance of reality, and gotten campy to the point where its increasingly limited appeal is skewing toward schadenfreude. "All Out War" is supposed to be the next big thing, and it had better be damned good, because otherwise it'll be really hard to rationalize continued purchase of a book doing donuts for half a decade.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
A Frank Review of Film/TV/Performance/Arts
[REC] (2007)
[REC] 2 (2009)
28 Days Later... (2002)
28 Weeks Later... (2007)
42nd Street Forever Vol. 1 (2005) & Vol.2 (2006)
50/50 (2011)
200 Cigarettes (1999)
A History of Violence
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Across the Universe (2007)
Aeon Flux (2005)
The Amateurs (2007)
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) American History X (1998)
American Reunion (2012) Amores Perros ("Love's a Bitch," 2000)
The Astronaut Farmer (2006)
Ator: The Fighting Eagle (1982)
Ator l'invincibile (1982)
Avatar: An IMAX 3D Experience (2009)
Avengers Assemble (2012)
BaadAssss Cinema (2002)
Le Battement D'ailes du Papillon (2001)
The Beast Within (1982)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Bigger, Stronger, Faster* (*The Side Effects of Being American)
Birth
Blood Mania (1970) Blood of Dracula's Castle (1969) Blue Manhatten (1969)
Boy Eats Girl (2005)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
The Brother From Another Planet
The Brothers Bloom (2009)
Brüno (2009)
Burn After Reading (2008)
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) The Candy Snatchers (1973)
Captain America: The First Avenger 3D (2011)
Casino Royale (2006) Che: Part One & Part Two (2008)
Children of the Living Dead (2001) Choke (2008)
Chronicle (2012) Coraline (2009)
The Crazies (2010)
Cruel Intentions 3 (2004)
D.C. Cab (1983)
D.E.B.S.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Dark Corners (2006)
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Dawn of the Dead: European Version (1978)
Day of the Dead: The Need To Feed (2008)
Day of the Dead 2: Contagium (2005)
Day of the Woman (1978)
Dead and Gone (2008)
Deadgirl (2008)
Death Wish (1974) The Devil's Hand (1961) Diarios de Motocicleta (2004)
George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead (2007)
The Dictator (2012) Die Hard 4.0 (2007)
District 9 (2009)
Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Dredd 3D (2012)
Emmanuelle (1974)
Evil Dead Trap
Exit to Eden (1994)
Eyes Without a Face (1960)
Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Farinelli: Il Castrato (1994)
Fatal Beauty (1987) Fidel (2000)
Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw (2006)
Food, Inc. (2009)
The Fountain (2006)
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Fright Night (2011)
Funny Games (1997)
The Fury
Gakuen Mokushiroku (2010) The Gathering (2002/2007)
Ghost Rider
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Gods and Monsters (1998)
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
The Green Hornet (2011)
Green Lantern (2011)
Hacked To Pieces: The Rise and Fall of Slasher Movies
The Hamiltons
Happenstance (Le Battement D'ailes du Papillon, 2001)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: An IMAX 3D Experience (2009)
Henry & June (1990)
Hey, Mom! (1969)
Highschool of the Dead (2010) The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
A History of Violence
The Hole (2001)
Hooker's Revenge (1974)
The Howling (1981)
Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985)
Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988)
The Hunger Games (2012)
I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
The Ice Harvest (2005)
The Incredible Hulk (2008) The Invasion
Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man 2: The IMAX Experience (2010)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Jisatsu Saakuru (2002)
Juno (2007)
Karla
Kuffs (1992)
Låt Den Rätte Komma In (2008)
Léolo (1992)
Let the Right One In (2008)
Little Children
Live and Let Die (1973) Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Looper (2012) Lord of the Flies (1963 & 1990)
Machete (2010)
Madmen of Mandoras (1963)
Maid in Sweden (1971)
Man of Steel (2013) Marvel's The Avengers (2012) Milk (2008)
Mindhunters
The Monster Squad (1987)
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Network Two-Disc Special Edition (1976)
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
Night of the Comet (1984)
The Night We Never Met (1993) Nightmare in Wax (1969) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
ParaNorman 3D (2012) Penny Dreadful
Persepolis (2007)
Phantasm (1979)
Phantasm II (1988)
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994)
Phantasm: OblIVion
Pineapple Express (2008)
Popcorn (1991)
Prometheus (2012) Pumpkin (2002)
Punisher: War Zone (2008) Quantum of Solace (2008) Quills (2000)
Rambo (2008)
[REC] (2007)
[REC] 2 (2009)
Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (2010)
Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
Resident Evil: Retribution 3D (2012) Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)
Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (2005)
Revolver
Rise: Blood Hunter (2007)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Rocket Science (2007)
Rogue Male (1976)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Rudo y Cursi (2008)
The Ruins (2008)
The Running Man
S. Darko (2009) The Sand Pebbles (1966)
Scanners
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) Seraphim Falls (2007)
Sex Drive (2008)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
The Shining (1980)
The Short Films of David Lynch
Shortbus (2006)
The Singing Detective (2003)
Sinister (2012) Skyfall (2012) Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Snatch (2000)
Son of Greetings (1969)
Southland Tales
St. Ives (1976)
Stand By Me
Stanley (1972) Star Trek (2009)
Suicide Club (2002)
Super 8 (2011)
Syriana (2005)
Teknolust (2002)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Terrified! (1963) Terror in the Aisles (1984) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000)
They Call Her One Eye (1974)
They Saved Hitler's Brain (1963)
Thor (2011)
Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1974)
Trailer Trash (2007)
Tropic Thunder
True Blood (1989)
V For Vendetta (2005)
V/H/S (2012) Venus
Videodrome (1983)
W. (2008)
Waitress (2007)
Walk The Line (2005)
Watchmen (2009)
White Zombie (1932)
The Wolfman (2010)
The Woman in Black (2012) The Wrestler (2008)
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Zombi (1978)
Zombieland (2009)
Book vs. Movie/Movie vs. Movie
Abre Los Ojos vs. Vanilla Sky
Lord of the Flies (1954/1963/1990) Reservoir Dogs vs. The Usual Suspects
Slaughterhouse-Five
Superman II: Richards Donner vs. Lester
Television/Direct-To-Video
Dead Like Me: Life After Death (2009)
Doctor Strange (2007)
The Girl's Guide to Depravity: Season 1 (2012) Girls: Season One (2012) His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2009)
Masters of Horror: Cigarette Burns
Masters of Horror: Imprint
Night Court: The Complete First Season (1984) Night Court: The Complete Second Season (1984-1985) Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
Superman: Doomsday (2007) Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000)
V, Season 1.1: 'Pilot' and 1.2 'There Is No Normal Anymore'" (2009)
The Venture Bros. - Season One
Music Videos
Retrospective: The Videos of Suzanne Vega (2005)
Other
AES+F
Juliana Hatfield at The Engine Room (2005)
Kids in the Hall 2008 Tour
Veruca Salt at The Engine Room 10/17/05
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