30 Second Movie Review:Scream 4

Hey it's Scream again.10 years after the shitty third film,we get the next installment of Wes Craven's slasher franchise.

Scream was a hit 15 years ago,due to the fact that it took all of the plot devices and rules of a  standard slasher flick and made the characters fans of these films,so they knew what was happening ahead of time in a sense.The first film had pretty strong characters,eschewing the normal blonde,black guy,etc..for people we felt a connection with.David Arquette will always be Dewey to me,and the cast was quite good for a horror film.The twist as to who the killer was also added to the originality of the movie.

So in Scream 4 we get the rules changed again.The film follows a generation after the first film,where the kids are obsessed with cell phones and video cameras and social media.The killer in this film has motives different then the revenge fueled ones we saw in prior installments...this time it's about 15 minutes of fame,which is the world we live in now.Whats a faster way to become famous than to go on a filmed murder spree,while using the visage of Ghostface on the anniversery of the original murders?In the YouTube generation,none.

Anyways what do you expect from this film?Some good scares here and there,most of the original cast and some humor thrown in.Scream 4 is exactly what I expected and no more or less.3 stars.

Single Issue Standout

So instead of catching up on the tons of new reading that I'm always behind on,the other night I pulled out Wolverine #41,from the 2nd volume of the solo series.I had covered it as a Cover to Cover on here and that issue has stuck with me since the one time I read it in '06 when it came out,so I reread it.

Mission accomplished,further behind on new reading but this issues' excellence was confirmed.Written by Stuart Moore and drawn by C.P.Smith,this story finds Wolverine being recruited for a Black Ops mission by Black Panther.A small African country is torn between a President who is trying to make it a better place,and the rival faction of warlords who have genocide on the brain.Wakanda has a strict no messing with the neighbor's policy,so BP decides to do something about it on the downlow.Wolverine gets dropped into this country and is told to collect a package from the deposed President and get out as fast as possible.

From that point the book feels exactly as it should, like a race against time,and to add to the delicacy of the situation the package is the recently murdered President's infant daughter,whom Panther sees as the countries last chance.Get her out,let her grow up and go back to lead the people who followed her father.Wolverine has to get through dire situation after dire situation with a baby strapped to his back.The art by Smith and his colorist match the characters to the ruddy African country tones of reds oranges and browns very well.The danger level is high as Wolverine races to get the baby out of the country,and the pacing is excellent.

In the end we see why the Panther picked Wolverine over other Avengers to do this,and it has little to do with his physical abilities to take alot of punishment and recover.It has to do with what Wolverine does at the end  of the book when faced with the new Warlord President.I won't ruin it,but Cap or Iron Man would have taken a less absolute approach,and you can feel that Panther was looking for a solution.Go to your local comic shop and pick this puppy up,it's worth falling behind other stuff for.

Give Batwing A Chance

After reading the second issue of DC's "Batwing",I have to say this is the surprise book of the New 52 launch in my eyes.

Take a new character that is culled from a failed plotline("Batman,INC.",and a writer(Judd Winick)who at best can be called inconsistent,and more often not so good,and you have the makings of a piss poor book.

Now add the super clean art of Ben Oliver,and give the character the Bat tech and capability,but center the action in war torn Africa,and get the right mix of development and action,and we may have a good book setting up.

Remember it's only two issues in,this thing may be a turd in the long run,but I suggest picking up the first two books..at the very least it is some of the best art in a book right now.

Just Wrong

The Not So Human Centipede

Just What Most People Want For The Car

Love Gun means what?Pull 'em off the shelves!

My company started selling various Rock band seat covers this week.So if your '75 van with the barbarian and unicorn painted on the side isn't cool enough come see me.

It makes me laugh to think that I stress out over my job,yet my company is paying a buyer more money than I'll ever make to purchase this stuff,that no one will want,high price point or not.

Don't take this as ragging on my company,I'm not that kind,I just find it humorous that a few years ago we sold the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and were forced to pull it from the shelf the same day because it was deemed offensive.Yet a seat cover adorned with the title of a song about Paul Stanley's dick is Ok.

Yeesh.

Cover To Cover

Scott McDaniel on Batman.The Bruce Wayne:Murderer?storyline was good in the respect that it showed how far Bruce Wayne had become Batman's alter ego and not the other way around.When threatened with going to jail,Bats was willing to escape and live life sans Bruce.

This cover works well because you can clearly see that it's Bruce in the cell,but the darkened face emits only Batman.Good stuff.

Graphic Language:Pale Horse

From Boom Studios,"Pale Horse"is a 4 issue mini,released earlier this year.Written from a story by Andrew Cosby,and drawn by Christian DiBari.I picked this up at NYCC,from Dibari himself,who talked the book up and won me over with his enthusiasm for his creation,so I purchased.

The story follows black bounty hunter Cole in the Old West,circa the Civil War.Cole finds his wife raped and murdered,only able to save his baby son,whom the wife hid away.Cole gets his revenge,and in the process becomes a wanted man himself.

We pick up several years later,as Cole and his son have been picking up bounties as he teaches the boy how to survive in a dog eat dog world.Most of the book follows Cole as he moves from troubled situation to troubled situation.Eventually we are introduced to a Union General who wants Cole dead,and may be more than he seems.John Wilkes Boothe shows up in quite the interesting role,as we learn more of Cole's history with the General and the War.

The story is good,yet a little sparse to start and then packed with a bit too much in it's final chapter especially.Uneven is probably the right word.DiBari is quite talented,and has a scratchy murky style,assited greatly by his colorist who drenches everything in an earthy pallet.

3 stars,enjoyable read.

You Declared You Would Be Three Inches Taller

The 2CD set gives a unique insight into the creation of this landmark album and will feature a re-master of the original double album, alongside 8 of Pete Townshend's previously unheard demos including songs that didn't make it onto the original album. The Deluxe Edition also includes two books with unreleased photos and new essays by Pete.

"Tommy"gets all the attention for being the great concept album that it is,but did you know The Who recorded a better one several years later?"Quadrophenia"is getting the deluxe remaster treatment and I cannot wait to hear it.The story of a lonely English lad stuck between the Mods and the Rockers during the early 60's,and the four aspects of his personality.This thing goes on sale in November,otherwise pick up the regular version anywhere that sells great music.

30 Second Movie Review:The Thing

The Thing,2011 model is a prequel to the outstanding 1982 film by john Carpenter,which is also a remake of a 50's film.You would normally expect a prequel to a remake be terrible,but I am happy to report good results.

As a fan of the '82 version,I was really pleased with the amount of detail and continuity that the filmmakers used in stringing this story directly into the Carpenter version.In that film we are made aware that there was another scientific base(manned by mostly Norwegians)that had run afoul of the alien terror found deep beneath the Antartic ice.This is the story of what happens to those characters and how the events lead to the '82 film.Despite knowing the fate of these characters can't really be good,there is still tension built,and hope that survival is an option.

The cast is solid,the effects are a good mix of CG and practical,and the film is a credit to it's predecessor.Stay thru the credits to see the definitive bridging scene between this film and the Carpenter version.4 Stars.

What Was Wrong With Me?

I watched alot of Sci Fi TV as a kid,the original BSG,Star Trek,V,and Buck Rogers,which as a kid was probably my favorite.There was one episode in particular that terrified my young brain,and that was "Space Vampire".Long story short,Buck and his posse end up on a space station inhabited by a ,well a space vampire.

This creature put the fear of god into my probably 6 or 7 year old self.I could'nt sleep at night,I was convinced this motherfucker wanted to drain me of my lifeforce just as badly as he wanted poor Wilma's on the episode.I was also at the time terrified of Bela Lugosi's Dracula,as I had seen him battle Abbott and Costello in what I'm sure amounts to the least scary film ever.Vampires just freaked me out man.

Oh,the reason I posted this is because I recently saw a pic of the space vamp and would like to punch my young self for being such a puss.

Here it is!

Indiana

This is my dog Indiana.We named her after Indiana Jones.She was a rescue dog from Georgia,abandoned with several of her sisters by a real fine person who left her and 4 other dogs underfed and full of ticks and fleas to die in the middle of a field(in a crate sized for one dog).They were found,nursed to health and when she was about 5 months old we adopted her and had her shipped up.

She can be difficult but I love her,and I figure she deserved a little love,so a post was in order.Here are some of Indy's likes and dislikes.

Likes-

Food,real food hound,and I have seen her twice eat cat vomit...

My wife...Indy is a true Momma's girl,they have a unique connection.

Walking and being outside in general,she loves it.

Dislikes-

Strangers,and in that case men in general.

Cats and squirrels,no tolerance for them.

Being left home alone,she is at her happiest when family is together.

So yeah,it's corny,but Indy deserves a mention,and I love her,so there ya go.

Ultimates

Alright,I am finally excited for this movie.

Musical Interlude:Patrick Stump and Daryl Hall

Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy and Daryl Hall and his band doing a great rendition of Sugar,We're Going Down on Hall's web series.

Jor-El

Russell Crowe in the first pic of Jor-El from the upcoming nineteenth Superman reboot film.I like the Kryptonian outfit over what looks to be Superman's suit,complete with the S logo on chest,suggesting it is the family crest as in the '79 film.

Musical Interlude

The Swell Season performing Lies.If you haven't seen Once,it's one of my favorite movies of the last few years and features these two great musicians,and is full of their music.