The Colony

The Colony directed by Jeff Renfroe starring Laurence Fishburne and Bill Paxton.

The worst thing about this movie is that it doesn't even try to add anything new to the genre its fit itself into and instead just wants to be a standard thriller/horror movie.  Even that I wouldn't say it achieves well.  Characters aren't established with any level of sympathy at all, besides the standard cliche ridden ones and even the cliches seem more like cliches as I didn't really care about anyone in this movie.  Even the situations the characters found themselves were oh-so predictable in how the characters would respond to the situation: Bill Paxton's character taking over the colony - I mean who didn't see that one coming, Laurence Fishburne sacrificing himself to save a life - who didn't see that one coming as well, and they just kind of keep stacking up as the movie rolls along.  I found myself rolling my eyes for at least 1/2 of the movie because the writer didn't even try to do something new as he just rode on the coat tails of every kind of movie that's been done like this before, not even attempting to be different.  I could at least appreciate the attempt at trying something new, even if it failed - the attempt would be nice.

The one saving factor of this movie is the run time at 90 minutes it's not that long of an investment if you're looking for a movie to kill the time and be somewhat amused.  But other than that this is a been there seen that and done that kind of movie, which adds nothing new or inventive to its genre.

Black Orchid

Black Orchid written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean.

I know this is one of Gaiman's earliest works and shows.  It doesn't have near the focus or world building of Sandman and it reads as a very virgin work of his, thus I can't much compare it with his later works because of this.  Another thing about this story is that it shows the influence Alan Moore had in Gaiman's life as a writer.  Not only does this story have Swamp Thing in it (which is one of the superheroes that Moore helped to transform the comics scene with) but the story also has a Swamp Thing feel to it.  I can't blame Gaiman for this because I remember when I started writing and how I tried to copy ever author I knew.  I can't fault him for this.

This story reads very much like Swap Thing, the cliff notes version, as it deals with transformation and metamorphosis, plants and flowers play a big part in the story.  There's not really much to say about this book other than I'd recommend it for any fan of Gaiman who wants to read through his whole comic writing out put or if you're just in the mood for something that's technically a comic but doesn't read like your normal super hero comic. 

The artwork by Dave McKean is completely different from anything in the mainstream comic world and would be worth the read just to see his work in a comic instead of the many cover designs he's done in his career. 

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 1910, 1969, 2009

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill.

First off I'll get this off my chest these books are no where near on the level of brilliance as the first two volumes of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic.  And basically these three books tell one story.  The first book is the weakest by far as it doesn't really do much but set up the next books. I didn't find the story that engaging nor did it do much to set the characters up as engaging either.  Out of the mass of things I've read by Alan Moore this is one of is weakest written comics, by far. 

The one thing for sure I did take from this book is that as Moore has gotten older he's gotten more perverted on the sexual scale and it doesn't serve any part in the story but for a perverts stand point.  Don't get me wrong there were moments like that in the original League but I didn't feel that it overshadowed the story like it does in these three volumes. 

I think the one mistake Moore made in this series is not focusing on the character of Orlando.  In the final volume he does but by then it is way to late.  Orlando is a fascinating character with a rich history that isn't mined at all but is more or less just tossed around in flippant on liners that aren't explored but only washed out to sea forgotten the moment they were written.  I think having Orlando, as old as he/she is would have been a great focal point for this story that spans hundreds of years.  I really liked the third volume the best as Orlando totally helped to draw me into the story, where as the other volumes lacked this viewpoint.

The one thing these volumes do well is still establish Moore as the total anti-comic writer because he's not afraid to just have two or three people talking about things for pages and have those things have meaning not just people talking about nothing.  And he's not afraid to not have action scenes every other page or big splash pages every other page.  I've always liked this about him and it's one of the reasons I've always found his comics so interesting.  I mean his League is one of the reasons I started collecting comics again but then I found myself in a pickle of not being able to finding anything that would match the caliber of his written word. 

As the days have gone by since I read these I've found myself forgetting what they were about as the story just didn't resonate with me like the League did.  The League story has stuck with me over the years since I've read it.  I also didn't find the level of detail to be as rich and rewarding as it was for the two League volumes, there was just something missing this time around.

Even Kevin O'Neill's artwork didn't have the same passion and detail as it did the first time around.  Both the writing and illustration seemed to have suffered from something.  I would only recommend these for fans of the first two volumes as they do somewhat continue the story but other than that you're not missing much by skipping them.

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Williams Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Bottom line if you liked The Pirates of the Caribbean movies you should enjoy this movie, it's produced and directed by the same people who made those movies and it stars Johnny Depp.  I didn't like any of The Pirates movies therefore you should know where I stand on this movie.

First off Mr. Depp hasn't done any really acting since he took on the mantle of Jack Sparrow.  Ever since he put on Jack Sparrow every movie character he's taken on has seemed - at least to me - like some kind of variation on Jack Sparrow.  As if Jack Sparrow was acting in that movie, not Johnny Depp, which when I think about it that way, it's like Depp has somehow channeled the spirit of Andy Kaufman and turned a persona of his into an actual actor.  That's one interesting thought that I will have to think about because if he has pulled that off, he's just showing how insane Hollywood really is as it churns out movies with little regard to the actual product.  Only the bottom line matters, nothing else is taken into consideration. 

This being a Jerry Bruckheimer produced film, you should already know what kind of movie you're going to see.  I'm firmly convinced Bruckheimer comes up with an idea for a movie and then goes about setting up the action scenes for said movie.  And when he has those actions settled on, then he goes about fashioning a story line based around those actions.  This movie shows this in about every frame.

Little time is spent on character development or actual plot as cliches run a muck in about every scene and frame.  The only part of the story line I found interesting was when Tonto referred to himself as a wendigo hunter and was hunting William Fichtner's character.  This idea had a lot mythological aspects to it as well as historical implications but instead of exploring this idea the screenplay just went on to another cliched thing leaving an interesting thing behind in it's damaged wake.

The Purge

The Purge directed by James DeMonaco, starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey.

This movie works well for what it is, which is basically an action/horror/thriller story with a gimmick that the movie never fully explores.  One of the best things about this movie is the run time which comes in just under an hour and half, so no matter what you might think of the movie, when you get done watching it, the investment of time in the movie isn't that large of an amount. 

The gimmick?  One day a year our county shuts down all law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency services and allows any form of murder and killing for a 12 hour period with no consequences.  This is called the Purge.  It's a great gem of an idea but like I said before it's never fully explored as the movie just dives straight into the standard action/horror/thriller genre instead of really diving into the beautiful idea of the Purge and how it would affect people on a sociological and cultural level, which I think would have a been rather fascinating.

Another good thing about this movie is that it's very a slick and stylishly polished production that makes everything which happens on screen easy to look at.  The pacing of the whole movie moves fast with never an dull moment and  never a moment wasted.  A large part of this can be credited to the director James DeMonanco who keeps everything moving along with a pace afforded to this kind of film.

But for me it was Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey who really helped to make this movie more than sum of its parts.  They fully bought into the story and really helped to make the actions scenes flourish.  They infused their characters with more personality by just how they invested into them and helped to me care about them.  It was them that helped me to buy into this movie.

V for Vendetta

V For Vendetta written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd.

I can't even express how much better and different this book is from the movie that was spawned from it.  The comparisons are striking and a bit said when I consider how a screenplay writer could mess up a story as good as this and turn it into the muck of a movie it became.  I find the comparisons even more striking when compared to Moore's even more complicated work Watchmen, which funneled out a component film on that very layered book.  The movie of V for Vendetta pared the book down into an action film where the message or political statement seemed to justify everything that happened.  Where as the book had actually plot and characterization, while letting the political statements serve their purpose without bogging anything down.  It also had enough of a mystery that helped to keep the story progressing at a good pace. 

Considering how old this story is, it's relevance is still apparent in a story where Big Brother has taken control of everything in a world where fascism is the ruling power and there is only the poor and rich in society.  Government serves the people with an iron fist all in the name of compassion.  It is into this shackled world where the character known as "V" comes to wreck his, ultimately, vengenance on a gonvernment that has oppressed the people long enough.

This book actually dared to somewhat get into the history of what made a man turn into V.  I can't for the life of me figure out why the movie would reject this plot in favor of actions scenes because the history of V is so paramount to not only him but also to the ruling government and other characters in the story.  Not only that I found his history quite a riveting narrative in it's right, proving once again what a master of storytelling Moore can be.  I've read a lot if his comics just so you know my background when writing about Moore: Watchmen, Promethea, The Saga of the Swampthing (his entire run), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (all of them written so far), Tom Strong vol 1 - 3, Batman: The Killing Joke, From Hell and Top 10 Comics vol 1 -2.  So I have a good foundation when I write about Moore and his storytelling style.  This goes without saying, this is one of best stories that he's written, it also shows how he has grown as a writer of comics, and why he's one of the best comic writers ever to write for comics.

In the comic Moore invests a lot more time with the historical aspect of not only V but also the main character Evey as we follow her transformation from an enslaved subject of a fascism government to a person inspired to create a new world.  This is one of the most brilliant things Moore does with the story as he gives the reader enough of background of V's history for the reader to see where he came from but then he mirrors Evey's metamorphosis and V's.  By doing this he shows how similar their change was so that the reader can fill in the pieces without feeling like questions weren't answered.  Let me tell you that is a great logical way to fill in gaps and reveal things without having to actually reveal things, a great many people could learn from this.

Another thing that makes this an interesting comic is the art by David Lloyd.  This is not the typical art found in comic books, this at first is quite jarring. as it took me awhile to get used to because the art is that different.  But the style does work well with the story as this isn't a typical nerd comic with spandex, superheroes, or giant ideas .  Lloyd's art is detailed without being distracting and his characterization of the people is his strongest suit as this is a very character driven story.  Even the angles he draws in certain scenes are bold and very effective as they give the comic a movie type of feel just by the choice of "shots" within the page.

This is one of Moore's first big comic works that he did and the genesis of his amazing panel layouts have their early roots in this comic book and came to their full fruition with Watchmen and Promethea.  V for Vendetta is populated in various places page by page with the panel layout I've seen in his later works but only certain scenes march out with his future panel flare and I think story works better without that flare.  There's a certain realism he's working with within this story that the flare of panel layouts later one would only intrude and distract from his message, I think.  By sticking with the typical panel layouts found in comics at the time Moore is using the tools and conventions of the superhero comics to unleash his vendetta on the spandex powers he so despised.  Then by throwing in his unusual panel layouts in various places he was showing the comic powers that be what their comics could accomplish if they chose to think outside of the box.  Make no mistake this is an outside of the box comic in all of it's glorious ways.

It does start slow but once it gets rolling I found myself thoroughly engrossed in the story being told as the characters and plot enfolded around me with its cocoon shell only to have itself emerge with beautiful and intricate wings when it broke free.  How the movie could have messed this story up will puzzle me for a long time because there is so much here to enjoy from a storytelling stand point that it belittles everything to reduce it all down to an typical action movie. 

Eternals

Eternals written by Neil Gaiman illustrated by John Romita, Jr.

The concept behind this story is interesting but I never felt the execution of it lived up to everything that it was supporting it. I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's comic book stuff but this isn't one of his better efforts and seemed more like just any other writer, wrote this comic. 

The ideas in this book are huge and deal with, more or less, gods, Gaiman does his best to make these gods relate-able but I never really connected with any one of them.  Another problem I had with the story is that there wasn't a main character.  It started out with one but then the focus shifted to another person and from then on out the focal point shifted to another character than what the comic originally started with, which really doesn't help a reader to relate to the story when there is so much jumping around on point of view. 

This comic book is very forgettable, even as I write this review, the fact I read this comic is slipping from my mind.  I can't remember much from it and it wasn't that interesting, to me it just seemed like any other comic on the shelf.  And coming from a comic written by Gaiman, that just shouldn't be.  I  just wish Gaiman had explained more things about the Eternals, the Celestials, and their origins because when he did start talking about their mythology it was interesting but flew by so fast I got the feeling he was bored with them.  I don't know why he didn't explore those wild and insane mythologies because would have made things way more interesting than the normal story he ended up writing.  I just hate things that have a bunch of interesting ideas with little or no pay off for anything, I end up thinking I've wasted my time (Lost and X-Files being prime examples of this).  I really hate that feeling.

I will say this though the art by John Romita, Jr was top notch and made the lack of story at least visually pleasing to the eyes.  His concepts of the alien tech, the Eternals, and Celestials were inspiring.  I've always liked his style and it blended well here with the story being told, I just wish Romita had a better story to combine with his are like he did with Frank Miller's Daredevil mini series.  He's always an interesting artists to get for a project.

The Wolverine

The Wolverine directed by James Mangold, starring Hugh Jackman, Rila Fukushima, a lot of Asian people, and one Russian model/actress (don't they all seem to be now-a-days that is a model turned actress).  Oh, there's also a wicked cameo after the credits that's almost better than the whole movie.

Before I go any further into the review of this movie I will say I really like the poster design for The Wolverine.  I thought they got it completely right as it totally sets the tone for the movie and shows this is going to be a different movie than the first time around.  I really like the simplicity of the poster above mixed with the black and white color, works extremely well.  Even after saying all of that I don't think the movie lived up to the campaign built up of the poster as I will share below.

I don't fully know what to make of this movie.  I like the concept behind what they were doing but it was the execution of it that failed.  They were aiming for a more character based storyline that wholly focused on Wolverine and they delivered on that part but somewhere in between the focus got lost again, which is a shame because this time around there's a good story line lurking beneath the depths of this movie.

Whereas the first movie played so fast and furious with the storyline that the action and secondary characters made sure the story line was the least focused on from everything in that movie.  Here, the fast and furious pace of the first movie becomes replaced with slow as a turtle for this movie, there just doesn't seem to be a good balance here.  The Wolverine is a lot more focused in the story line department this time around but there still doesn't seem to be a lot room to let the character breath like in Nolan's Batman movies (which will be a comparison I will forever be making when watching a comic book movie from now on).   Most of the action scenes in this movie don't fit in with the tone of the movie and had me laughing at how ludicrous and over-the-top they were compared with the story line that was trying to be serious.  There was only one action scene that fit in with the tone and concept of the movie and didn't feel like it was added just to add an action scene.  It was the first action scene at the funeral, where the action and fight scene was blended so well into the movie and character of Wolverine that the organic quality of it never felt forced, I just wish more of them had been of this high quality because as the movie progressed it became everything became worse and worse.

The Wolverine started out well and had a good first act, I just wish the rest of the movie had been as focused as the first part.  I think they should have just stayed focused on Wolverine and the samurai way with the concept of the ronin floating behind everything as the Japanese culture seemed to fit him better than the Western culture.  I do mean they lost their way in the second and third act, the second act is one slow plod through boredom as they don't give the audience much of anything to explore Wolverine character, like Nolan did with Bruce Wayne as he made him interesting.  They don't do that with Logan and for some reason he comes off as rather boring when the second act starts rolling along.  I can't understand how they could lose their way as he is a fascinating character and there's a lot things they could explore that would make the audience care more about him.  The action scenes they blend into the second and third acts don't help their cause any either as they seem way more forced then the previous one.

I will say this though Hugh Jackman is the Wolverine much like Robert Downey, Jr is Iron Man, they both their characters and alter egos perfectly.  I can't really see anyone else taking over for those parts.  I also liked the actress who played the Asian girl who helps Logan along.  She did a great job and I was expecting her to annoying, but they didn't writer her that way and she played her with some gusto and flair.  The story actually made her interesting and I like the fact she stays with Logan when the movie ended.  Here's hoping they keep her in other movies. 

  

Red 2

Red 2 starring Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Catherine Zeat-Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox and Byung-hun Lee.

Well I can say this, this movie wasn't as good as the first one, not by any comparison, but it was still highly entertaining and there is one reason why: the actors in this movie.  First off I would like to say this movie did suffer from not having Karl Urban in it.  I really liked his character in the first movie but I didn't fully realize how much he impacted the story line until I saw Red 2.  His presence was sorely missed this time around.

The main reason, and really the only reason, to see this movie is because of the cast list, which was the main reason I wanted to see the first movie, and it delivered on everything it promised.  This movie suffers in the the story department from something that I can't quite put my finger on, but the cast elevates everything in it to give the audience a rock and rolling good time.  They deliver on every bit of their talent. 

Helen Mirren is once again a total delight to see kicking but and taking names.  There's just something about her holding a gun, blowing things, and doing action that fully justifies Brian Cox's character total love towards her.  I get it completely, the whole head over heels for her and I never thought it would work, but Mirren pulls it off in wonderful, wild ways that a movie based on her character, doesn't seem like a bad idea.  Her scenes with Malkovich and, the Asian actor, Lee are some of the best scenes in the movie and made me wanting more of her.

I've never been a big Malkovich fan but this is one of the best roles he's ever played that fully utilizes his eccentric behavior to full effect, without it  becoming some sort of parody.  He seems completely at home and comfortable playing this character.  His choice of wardrobe only further helps to make his character embody the oddness and conspiracy laden character he is.  The screenplay servers his character right by giving him small doses throughout the movie and never letting him take full center stage, by doing this he never over stays his welcome and becomes a very memorable character because of it.  His character is best served in small doses.

I don't where this Byung-hun Lee came from but he certainly brought some much needed youthful energy to the movie and I never felt his character got out of control.  He held his own with the more seasoned actors in this movie, though he didn't have much acting to do, but his screen presence alone made his character interesting.  Lee did a lot of acting with facial expressions, not so much his voice, but his expressions did the job well.  His scene with Mirren and the car was delightful and funny.  I wouldn't  mind seeing those two pair up again later on.

Mary-Louise Parker as always is doing what she does best, bringing her A game to the table and acting it up the good actors surrounding her.  She more than holds her own, just like she did in the first movie, and just like she does in everything shes acts in.  Since her characters isn't a deadly assassin or a crack killer, she brings the outsider perspective to the movie, only this time around it isn't as a wide eyed wonder but more someone who wants to participate in adventure of the people around her.  This time around she knows what she's getting into and actually wants to go on that adventure. 

Bruce Willis is probably the only one that I would say that doesn't really do anything new here.  He's just playing a character he's played in every action movie he's been in before.  But then again Willis does this kind of thing in all of his action movie, so he's not really stretching himself here, and he knows it.  So he does what he does best and does it well.  One could make the argument, this is John McClane, if he had joined the spy world.

Here's hoping they bring back Karl Urban if they do a third movie as I think he teaming up with everyone else would be a good thing.

Dreams and Shadows

Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill.

What an interesting take on the fantasy genre and quite a refreshing one.  This is not typical Tolkien or fantasy at all.  I would classify this as Urban Fantasy, with the emphasis heavily on Urban. 

Most of the time fairies and their immortal folk are treated with honor and reverence as the pinnacle of some sort of evolution.  The only book I've read so far about them as I think their nature would actually be is by Jim Butcher in his Dresden series: and that is their view on life, time, mortality, and immortality would be completely opposite from that of mortals.  It was refreshing to read this book as it treated these immortal beings and their perspective like the Dresden series.  This story is violent, blood drenched, vicious, brutal, sadistic, and very bloody, also it's all the better for it.  Fairy folk are not to be trifled with and blood is a currency they constantly deal with and deal with in delight.

This is also a story that plays around with "the Chose One" scenario and does some very interesting things with it, ones I was pleasantly surprised about.  The story revolves around two mortal boys who meet when they are young, that meeting forms the foundation of everything that follows later in the story when the boys get older.  I'm not going to go into detail on everything as it was fun to watch the story unfold as I read it. 

But I will drop some teases: there is a very powerful wizard but not in the vain of Gandalf or Harry Potter, more in the vein of the character from Neil Gaiman's Books of Magic, as this story plays around with magical themes ultimate power and ultimate knowledge and who those two things can shape a person.  There is also a genie who grants some wishes to a boy, then the story follows the consequences of those wishes.  There are all kinds of magical fairy creatures as Cargill introduces all manner of fairy folk with some crazy, wild ideas that just set my mind ablaze with the concepts.  

Speaking of Neil Gaiman, this book is the book he's been trying to write for years but I don't think has.  After reading some of Gaiman's books (his novels not his graphic novels because his style of writing seems to fit more with comics than it does with novels and his Sandman series is hands down one of the best series I've ever read) Cargill's writing style is very similar to Gaiman's but his storytelling abilities are a lot more focused.  Gaiman's writing style for novels seems to be rather schizophrenic I've noticed.  I think his mind seems more at home in comic medium, which is completely fine with me.  Cargill has found the balance Gaiman has been looking for as his writing and pacing are great, making this book a good read and well worth your time.

Bad Teacher

Bad Teacher directed by Jake Kasdan, starring Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, and Jason Segel.

This was a first time in a long time I had a comedy weekend of watching movies.  For those of you who don't know I'm not that huge a fan of comedies, especially comedies made now-a-days because they seem to rely too much on shock or gross-out humor instead of subtly and wit.  I watched This is The End, The Heat, and Bad Teacher.  The worst one by far was Bad Teacher, while the other two were well worth the time it took to watch them, with The Heat being the best of the three.  But back to the focus of the review and I can tell you why I didn't fully buy into this movie.

The main reason is the main character Cameron Diaz plays.  I could never sympathize with her throughout the movie.  Her character had nothing I liked about her and I couldn't understand her character from the viewpoint of the movie.  She was a school teacher yet acted nothing like a college educated person and I couldn't really tell what she taught.  I think it was English, in fact the more I think about now, I'm sure it was English, but from what I know about English majors and Literature majors, Cameron Diaz didn't act like one at all.  I wonder how she even graduated from college, because, like I said above, she didn't act like teacher or even someone who had a four year degree.  She was shallow and extremely superficial, to a fault.  She cheated, stole, and manipulated without any form of scruples or conscience.  I felt more sorry for the so called "villain" of the movie because at least her motivation was justified for the good despite the fact she was supposed to be working against the main "hero".  

One of the easiest movies to compare this film with is School of Rock and I feel the comparisons are justified.  The story line is somewhat similar, only in School of Rock Jack Black's character actually wanted to help the kids he was teaching, and in Bad Teacher Diaz seems to do everything but teach the students in her class.  In fact the screenplay goes to great lengths to show how much she doesn't care, and I can say this, if she doesn't care, that was the same feeling I had towards her.  This can be contrasted with Black's character because when he started to care for the students in his class, it helped me care for him.  

The best part of this movie was Jason Segel.  He stole every scene he was in and completely brightened up the movie when he entered it.  Even Justin Timberlake was funny and nerdy in his role and it has been interesting watching him grow as an actor because I honestly didn't think he was going to make it.  I can admit when I was wrong about someone.