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.