Alien Resurrection Film Review

by The Wanderer 

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Brad Dourif, Leland Orser, Dan Hedaya, J. E. Freeman, Kim Flowers, Raymond Cruz

Series: Alien

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 109 minutes

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Alien Resurrection

(Spoilers for the previous three Alien films are below).

The ending to Alien 3 was conclusive…until Hollywood decided to make this movie.  Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is back, despite having jumped into a vat of lava in Alien 3, and is now a clone mixed of Ripley’s memories and alien genetics… she’s super strong and nearly immune to physical pain …Oh Boy!

Alien Resurrection proves that the Alien franchise should never have been brought back from the dead.  It’s not due to having a lack of talented people on hand to make this film, its the fact that the Alien franchise, or at least the parts concerning Ripley, have no room to breathe and develop as a story.

Cowboys and Aliens Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Jon Favreau

Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Length: 118 minutes

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Cowboys and Aliens feels like a worlds collide type of film.  The western meets science fiction, Indiana Jones meets James Bond, and cowboys battle aliens – this film has the potential to be seriously entertaining, and at times it is just that, but its attempts to make a more serious character driven movie fall flat.

All things considered, Cowboys and Aliens is well acted (by most of the cast), it has a good amount of action film related humor and one-liners, and its action scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat.  This is a film with a mostly great cast, a great premise, and a great mash-up of genres that had all the marks for being a success, but unfortunately it falls well short of the mark.

All-New X-Men: Here To Stay Comic Review

by The Wanderer 

Authors: Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrators: Stuart Immonen
Publisher: Marvel
Genre: Superhero

Series: All New X-Men Volume 2

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(Spoilers for All-New X-Men Volume One are below).

Yesterday’s X-Men brought the original five X-Men into the future where they’ve met the current X-Men. Taking place after the Avengers vs. X-Men sequence, the younger X-Men learn about their future fates, and they make a surprising decision at the end of the first volume and choose to stay in the future.

All-New X-Men: Yesterday’s X-Men Comic Review

by The Wanderer 

Authors: Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrators: Stuart Immonen
Publisher: Marvel
Genre: Superhero

Series: All New X-Men Volume 1

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It’s another rehashing of one of Marvel’s most lucrative (and largest) franchises … the X-Men.  I count myself amongst the skeptical readers when hearing about this relaunch, but I will say I was pleasantly surprised.  All-New X-Men comes out of the Avengers vs. X-Men story and continues from there.  You don’t have to pick that up before hand, I certainly didn’t, but it will fill in a lot of what’s going on currently at the start of the comic.

So spoilers for Avengers vs. X-Men are below ….

Watchmen Comic Review

by The World Weary  

Authors: Alan Moore
Illustrators: Dave Gibbons

Publisher: DC

Genre: Graphic Novel

Series: Watchmen

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A Stronger Loving World

 

Watchmen is the single greatest achievement in the comic book medium of all time. The brilliantly layered story, told through the eyes of the characters, news articles and books, and the fictional comic Tales of the Black Freighter is stirringly relevant. Alan Moore’s writing is astoundingly beautiful, and his ability to capture the voices of humanity makes the book breathe life into a tale that begins as a simple murder mystery, but becomes an unflinching and morally ambiguous discussion of our species’ self destructive nature. Dave Gibbon’s art perfectly blends with the narrative to create powerful, iconic imagery that makes almost every panel totally unforgettable. If you ever read one comic, read this one, as it is not only the greatest superhero story ever told,  but also one of the greatest pieces of literature of the twentieth century.

When Superman rose to fame in the 1930’s, I’m sure many Americans wondered what it would be like to don a costume and roam their towns and cities looking for wrongs to right. The idea must have been wondrously intoxicating, as it most assuredly is today. But what if? Alan Moore tackles that question with eloquent grace in his limited series Watchmen. Yet, there are many other questions that Watchmen asks, and each one has a relevant and totally morally ambiguous answer that might just leave you asking questions of your own like, “How much evil does it take to move someone to do good?”

Walking Dead Compendium Volume Two Comic Review

by The World Weary  

Authors: Robert Kirkman 
Illustrators: Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, and Tony Moore
Publisher: Image Comics

Genre: Graphic Novel

Series: Walking Dead Compendium Volume 2

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A Larger World

A much darker book than Compendium One, The Walking Dead Compendium Two takes Rick on a harrowing journey. The book begins to become crowded with new characters and the amount of hairy situations can be a little overwhelming, but Kirkman’s fantastic storytelling is still a force to be reckoned with.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: John M. Chu
Cast: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park
Series: G.I. Joe
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 110 Minutes

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Retaliation Against Intelligence

(This review contains spoilers for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra).

After the success of 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, it was announced that another Joe movie would be coming out in 2011. However, the film was pushed back and now in 2013 the silver screens of America are tainted with this thoughtless action romp.

Walking Dead Compendium Volume One Comic Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Robert Kirkman

Illustrators: Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, and Tony Moore

Publisher: Image Comics

Genre: Graphic Novel

Series: Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1

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We Are The Walking Dead

 

Robert Kirkman’s brilliant writing and understanding of his characters makes The Walking Dead Compendium Volume One absolutely one of the greatest zombie apocalypse scenarios ever conceived. The art style shift between chapters one and two is a little jarring, but the strength of the story will carry you through this tome.

After the popularity of the AMC series of the same name began to rise, Image comics released a Compendium of the first eight volumes of the comic series. While there are obviously similarities between the two, the comic’s strengths lie in the powerful character development and not lame soap opera moments to drive the story along.

Tomb Raider Issue #2: The Four Guardians: Over the Edge! Comic Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Gail Simone

Illustrators:Nicholas Daniel Selma

Publisher: Dark Horse Books

Genre: Video Game Comic

Series: Tomb Raider Season of the Witch

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Jumping the Shark

This article features spoilers for Tomb Raider: Season of the Witch.

After the first issue of this new Tomb Raider comic series, I felt pretty apprehensive about Lara’s future adventures. For the most part the comic was pretty uneven and featured some horribly weak characterization, as well as the dreaded “Horror Mouth”. The conclusion of the issue gave me quite a shock though, and for that reason alone, I held out hope that this new issue would really kick off the series. However, like the children say, “You can’t always get what you want.”

Tomb Raider Issue #1: Season of the Witch: Survivor’s Guilt! Comic Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Gail Simone

Illustrators:Nicholas Daniel Selma

Publisher: Dark Horse Books

Genre: Video Game Comic

Series: Tomb Raider Season of the Witch

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Rocky Start

This article features spoilers for Tomb Raider (2013) and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition.

It has been a long time since I’ve read a Lara Croft comic. I remember the first one I ever bought. I was in an airport in Germany at the time, and while I was waiting for my flight I found a little newsstand with some comics off to the side. I quickly browsed through, not expecting to find much, until my eye caught the (then) famous Tomb Raider logo. Having been studying German, I bought the comic and read it over and over on the plane ride to London, trying to make sense of a whole new set of words that I had just barely begun to scratch the surface of. Self-imposed German lesson aside, I was genuinely excited to be reading about the world’s #1 video game heroine. It was the summer of 2000, and Lara Croft was at the top of her game. The Playstation and PC series of games were HUGE, and everything from feature length films, to action figures and comics, were all planned for the titular Raider. Over a decade later, Lara has come back to the forefront of gaming in a big way.

2013’s Tomb Raider, the second reboot of the franchise to date, was a massive critical and commercial success, and what better way to follow a massive success than to get the marketing train rolling again? Action figures, comics, books, they all made a comeback. Obviously though, these new things had to tie in with the new Lara. She wasn’t a femme fatale, ass kicker anymore, but rather a balanced and studious young woman who happened to get caught in a crossfire of mysticism and barbarism that changed her forever.

Skyfall Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Sam Mendez
Cast: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris
Series: Ian Fleming's James Bond 007
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 143 Minutes 

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When The Sky Fell

A few months ago I saw the midnight opening of Skyfall in IMAX. I’ve been a Bond fan since I was a kid. I read many of the books and watched most of the films. My main problem with the franchise was how it was steadily devolving into blockbuster action flicks. The films seemed to loose touch with what made Bond interesting. Die Another Day, the last time Pierce Brosnan filled Bond’s shoes, could very well have sank the series. It was so incredibly cheesy that sometimes it felt like a direct slap to the balls to Bond fans worldwide.

Superman and Wonder Woman: Power Couple Comic Review

by The Wanderer

Authors: Charles Soule

Illustrators: Tony S. Daniel and Paulo Siqueira

Publisher: DC

Genre: Superhero

Series: Superman and Wonder Woman New 52 Volume 1

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I believe there’s an old saying that goes something to the tune of “worse than a comic book romance.”  Well whether that is an old saying or not, this comic lives up to that moniker.  Power Couple embarrasses itself along with two of DC’s longstanding veteran heroes as it tries to forge a romance that isn’t even remotely believable, and one that challenges the longtime Lois Lane/Clark Kent relationship that’s become a staple of Superman comics.

Superman: Red Son Comic Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Mark Millar

Illustrators: Dave Johnson

Publisher: DC

Genre: Superhero

Series: Superman

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Red Son Ascendant

Superman: Red Son is a fascinating and dark look at an Earth where the Man of Steel didn’t crash land in Kansas, but instead was discovered in the Soviet Union. The book draws upon decades of lore and remains faithful, while at the same time creating something totally fresh. With beautiful art and brilliant writing, this is an alternate take on Superman that is not to be missed.

Superman is as American as you can get. His earnest vow to uphold, “truth, justice, and the American way” has cemented him in our history and culture as a symbol of what we as a nation strive for. So what happens if Superman didn’t land in the United States? What if he landed in Stalin’s U.S.S.R.? This is the question that writer Mark Millar answers in his unflinchingly dark take on the Man of Steel’s legacy.

All-Star Superman Comic Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Grant Morrison

Illustrators: Frank Quitely

Publisher: DC

Genre: Superhero

Series: Superman

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The All Star

(This article contains spoilers for The Death of Superman).

All Star Superman is the single greatest Superman story ever told. With rich characters, fantastic storytelling, truly beautiful art, and a strong emotional core, this is the best experience I’ve ever personally had reading comics.

Superman has died before. In 1992 DC Comics ran the Death of Superman arc, where the Man of Steel was bested by the demonic Doomsday. Naturally, it turns out Superman wasn’t dead, but instead in a coma like state. He was awakened and promptly returned to being the end all badass. Where some might find that arc lacking emotional impact, those who read All Star Superman will find the opposite.

Superman: The Movie Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Richard Donner
Cast: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando
Series: Superman
MPAA Rating: PG
Length: 143 Minutes 

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You’ll Believe

Everybody knows the story. Little Kal-El of the planet Krypton is launched in a ship away from his home by his wise father Jor-El as the planet explodes. Years later the boy lands on Earth and is discovered by Jonathon and Martha Kent. The Kents take the boy and raise him as their own. As the boy grows, he discovers that the sun’s rays give him super strength and speed.

Upon his 18th birthday, and after Jonathon suffers a fatal heart attack, Kal-El finds a mysterious crystal that grows into a giant fortress. Inside the fortress, Jor-El has gathered all the knowledge of the 28 known galaxies and imparts that alongside a healthy dose of paternal wisdom to his son. Twelve years later, Kal-El tasks himself with the protection of his new home and it’s inhabitants. Thus, was Superman born.

Max Payne 3: The Complete Series Comic Book Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Dan Hauser and Sam Lake

Illustrators: Fernando Blanco

Publisher: Titan Books

Genre: Video Game Comics

Series: Max Payne

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A Healthy Outlook on Life

This article features minor spoilers for Max Payne, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, and Max Payne 3.

Ever since the first Max Payne game, fans have clamored for a comic following everyone’s favorite alcoholic, pill popping badass. Seeing as the first two games’ cutscenes were done in a comic panel style, it only seemed appropriate. Time went on, and nothing came of it, and after Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, it seemed like fans would be stuck without what they wanted. Then, Rockstar Games, who had purchased the rights to the franchise from Finnish developer Remedy, announced Max Payne 3, and as a part of their marketing leading up to the game they would release three official comics written by resident genius Dan Houser, and Max’s original scribe, Sam Lake.

Lost Girls Comic Reviews

by The World Weary

Authors: Alan Moore 

Illustrators: Melinda Gebbie

Publisher: Knockabout Comics

Genre: Comic Pornography

Series: Standalone

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Porno for Professors

Lost Girls is an extremely graphic exploration of sexuality that builds to insane levels of pornographic madness. Alan Moore was quoted as saying he wanted to bring some dignity to an otherwise cheap and notoriously lowball genre, and he succeeds. His literary prowess is still in top form, and Melinda Gebbie’s art is haunting and sometimes terrifying, while still managing to capture beauty. A strange read, certainly not for the conservative, Lost Girls is a opium and bodily fluid soaked trip.

Until recently, I always entertained the notion of a “classy” porno, and Playboy doesn’t count. Sure there are the big budget films like Pirates and its sequel, but those films were still little more than sex scenes strung together by a loose and mostly void plot. I wondered what it would be like if someone tried to bring some artistic merit to the genre, while still making a erotic spectacle. Well, Alan Moore, writer of Watchmen, had the same thought. The difference is, he put that thought into action.

Total Recall (2012) Film Review

by The Wanderer 

Director: Len Wiseman

Cast: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, John Cho, Bill Nighy

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Length: 118 minutes

Buy on Amazon!

 

Bang Bang Boom Boom

Hollywood seems to like remakes, and they really like Philip K. Dick – so we now have another Total Recall.  Is this as good as the previous Total Recall, no.  Is it even a good movie – not really.  I will say this version of Total Recall is very fast paced, the film can’t seem to go five minutes without having an explosion, a shoot out, or some other random act of violence.  So people who like action films should end up being entertained.

But the movie drops the ball on developing and creating characters that the audience can empathize with – usually sacrificing precious character development time for a few extra explosions.  Total Recall has some nice special effects, but that’s about the only nice thing about it.

The Last of Us: American Dreams Comic Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Neil Druckman

Illustrators: Faith Erin Hicks

Publisher: Dark Horse Books

Genre: Video Game Comic

Series: Last of Us Issues 1 - 4

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They Grow Up So Fast…

This review is of the Trade Paperback edition which collects issues 1-4.

It’s a mad world we live in. As an adult, it’s hard not to reminisce about a time not so long ago, when things seemed better and hope was within reach. I look at young people these days and wonder how different it must be for them. To them, the wars in the middle east, the increasing tensions between Russia and the rest of the international community, the oils spills, the invasion of our rights by our own government, Edward Snowden, the internet, and a slew of other red letter issues are as normal as “Say no to drugs”, having either one of the Bush men in office, Monica Lewinski, anthrax and bomb laced packages, and the end of the Soviet Union were to my generation. These are just things that are happening elsewhere in the world while they try to figure out what their purpose in this world is, what they want to do. Amidst so much chaos and uncertainty, these fresh youths manage to somehow still maintain their innocence and lust for fun. You would think that all these crushing realities would bother them, and they certainly do, but in their world the greatest calamity is not figuring out who they are. All too often, youths in media are portrayed as arrogant, self absorbed little snots, and to a certain degree that may be correct. However, most media never explores why kids are the way they are and instead just passes their complexities off.

The Killing Joke Comic Review

by The Wanderer   

Authors: Alan Moore

Illustrators: Brian Bolland

Publisher: DC

Genre: Superhero

Series: Batman

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Madness Is The Emergency Exit

In 1988 Alan Moore had just finished writing arguably the greatest graphic novel ever, Watchmen. His next project saw him jump into a world inhabited by a mainstream superhero, the world of Gotham City, the world of Batman.  While Batman plays an important role in Moore’s story, he instead focuses on the psychology behind his arch-nemesis, the Joker. In what is easily one of the best Batman stories ever told, The Killing Joke introduced major new plots for future Batman writers, especially concerning Batgirl, and it defined the Joker’s backstory.

Harley Quinn: Hot in the City Comic Review

by The Wanderer   

Authors: Jimmy Palmiotti 

Illustrators: Amanda Conner and Chad Hardin

Publisher: DC

Genre: Superhero

Series: New 52 Volume 1

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One of the two greatest character creations from Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn gets her own comic as part of DC’s New 52 relaunch.  Thus far I have not been a fan of DC’s New 52 comics, they’ve been decent at best, and sadly this comic is no different. Below is back-cover quote from Amazon about the plot:

“Fresh from BATMAN: DEATH OF THE FAMILY and SUICIDE SQUAD, Harley Quinn returns to her first solo series in the New 52! The writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti (ALL STAR WESTERN) and Amanda Conner (BEFORE WATCHMEN: SILK SPECTRE) unleashed Harley on an unsuspecting DC Universe, as she encounters various heroes and villains … and leaves no one unscathed in her wake! With art by Chad Hardin and a slew of comics’ best artists including Darwyn Cooke, Sam Kieth, Tony S. Daniel, Paul Pope, Walter Simonson and Art Baltazar!”

Two things should immediately standout with this quote.  One: there’s no mention of a plot … because guess what … there isn’t much of a plot (only a weak shadow of one).  Two: there are a lot of artists mentioned here, a lot more than you will find in any other typical comic.

Ghost World Graphic Novel Review

by The Wanderer   

Authors: Daniel Clowes 

Illustrators: Daniel Clowes

Publisher: Fantagraphics

Genre: Graphic Novel

Series: Eight Ball #11-18

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I Can’t Relate To 99% Of Humanity

If The Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caufield ever had a twin it would have to be Ghost World’s Enid Coleslaw. These two characters hate everything about the world.  Every person. Every place. Every thing.  On and on it goes. While Catcher in the Rye builds towards an emotional climax that finally reveals the one thing Holden does enjoy, Enid’s on the other hand is left in a lot of ambiguity.

Ghost World is a segment from author Daniel Clowes’s Eight Ball series. Since its release in the mid-90s, it has become a cult classic amongst readers, and it was even turned into a critically acclaimed film that continues to make its way onto Top-10 comic film adaptation lists everywhere. The acclaim is not undeserved as Clowes crafts an engaging story about two teenage girls and their transition to adulthood.

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear Comic Review

by The Wanderer   

Authors: Frank Miller 

Illustrators: John Romita Jr.

Publisher: Marvel

Genre: Superhero

Series: Daredevil

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The Blind Man Comet

Frank Miller’s Daredevil: The Man Without Fear begins the origin story of Matt Murdock, the man who would eventually become known as the Daredevil.  I’m not the biggest fan of the Daredevil character, especially since my introduction to him was the 2003 Daredevil movie starring Ben Affleck. But this is a pretty strong comic, even though the plot was used for the first half of the before-mentioned movie. A lot of the little things that didn’t make it into the film really make a difference, and that’s why this version of the Daredevil story is successful and the other was not.  Also the comic doesn’t have Ben Affleck in it.

Blankets Graphic Novel Review

by The Wanderer   

Authors: Craig Thompson  

Illustrators: Craig Thompson

Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly

Genre: Autobiographical Graphic Novel

Series: Standalone

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Heaven is a hope, and Eden is a memory

Blankets is the autobiographical account of author Craig Thompson’s formative years in rural Wisconsin brought to us via graphic novel.  Craig reminisces about his relationship with his younger brother Phil, his fundamentalist Christian parents, and his first love Raina all while growing up and discovering his calling as an artist.

Blankets received the Harvey Award, Eisner Award, and Ignatz Award for best graphic novel, and was rated the best comic of 2003 by Time Magazine. It frequently is featured on, or even tops many greatest comic of all time lists. It deserves the acclaim. Where comics frequently feature explosive action and vigilantes battling for justice, Blankets finds itself occupying a niche that was rarely explored in comics at the time.