Friday, October 19, 2007

SWEET! NOT SWEET!

Like a blitzing bullet of opinion cutting down the maudlin middle and giving you the best and worst of all things I have returned with another sassy edition of… SWEET/NOT SWEET!

SWEET! Punisher War Journal #12
Matt Fraction
celebrated the first year of his first Marvel book by writing PWJ’s best issue yet. Knife guns, an artificial symbiotic battle suit, and beautiful Ariel Olivetti artwork (this is his last issue.) But the greatest gift of this issue was the word “meat-shells”. "Meat-shells" should move into an apartment with “Fleshy Ones” from Nextwave and just hate a humanity that loves them forever.

NOT SWEET! Mighty Avengers
This book has a lot of problems. There is of course the chronic lateness. Frank Cho has been very apologetic about it so it’s hard to be mad. The MA team has made more appearances in New Avengers and World War Hulk then there own book. I think its cool that Cho has realized this book is not up to his speed but the fact he’s leaving still bites. Hopefully this book can find its foothold in 08.

SWEET! "Superman: Doomsday" DVD
This was actually pretty good. I didn’t know what to expect from DC’s DVD line because Marvel’s line has been lacking so far. Superman: Doomsday starts with a big brutal fight between the two title characters and than becomes a sort of a tender Lois Lane story before the action finale at the end. This gives me a lot of hope for the New Frontier movie.

NOT SWEET! Sticking Conclusions in Annuals
The biggest perpetrator of this is the Superman line. Action Comics, Superman and Superman: Confidential have all of their first--FIRST--arcs concluding in a special or annual at a later date, and pressing ahead with filler material or new arcs. Wonder Woman did this too. Lame.

SWEET! Autumn!
If you’re a hairy guy who hates the heat like me and Phil Southern, then this summer felt like being hit with a flaming tree branch everyday from May to last Tuesday. But now that it seems that fall has kicked in, all is well. It’s temperate with a nice breeze, everything has a nice warm color, and all the TV shows are back. Plus, Halloween and Thanksgiving the greatest holidays known to man. I’m gonna kick back with a bowl of Count Chocula and watch scary movies.

NOT SWEET! "Grindhouse" on DVD
So now the original intent of the movie and all the cool fake trailers are out the window. It kind of takes the fun out of the deal. Rent them definitely but wait for the Director’s Cut to buy it.

9 comments:

Dustin Harbin said...

1) Did you miss my birthday? Easily the top holiday. "Thanksgiving"? On Thanksgiving we celebrate not having missed my birthday.

2) Ixnay on the Indhousegray! Although I appreciate the admonition to wait for a more complete version. But I haven't seen the movie itself yet. And kinda want to. Is it as good as "Big Trouble In Little China"?

Daniel said...

Well they both have Kurt Russell and that's reason enough right there, cause he's the best part of every movie he's in.

Dan Morris said...

Grindhouse < Big Trouble in Little China

The Rodriguez part is a lot more fun than the Tarantino part which seems to be an exercise in every Tarantino cliche possible. Besides, Big Trouble in Little China has Victor Wong in it which easily makes it the more entertaining of the films being discussed.

Daniel said...

Well if there his cliches then I don't see the problem with it.

Dan Morris said...

Personally I saw it as the kind of self-indulgent filmmaking that I've come to expect from Tarantino. Death Proof just wasn't a fun movie to sit through for me. I really haven't had a whole lot of fun watching a Tarantino movie since Pulp Fiction.

Jason Wheatley said...

Isn't the point of doing a vanity project is that it's self-indulgent?

Rusty Baily said...

Self-indulgent/exploitive is Tarintino's style. You should know this going into ANY Tarintino movie. Pulp Fiction, Foxy Brown, Kill Bill, he's a master of the extreme unnecessary...but highly entertaining!

Dustin Harbin said...

Well, I still haven't seen it, but I do have to point out "Jackie Brown", probably his best movie, adapted from "Rum Punch", one of Elmore Leonard's best novels. Dan, put down your film criticism syllabus and go rent Jackie Brown toot suite!

Rusty Baily said...

Yeah, that's it! "Jackie" Brown. My bad! But his best MOVIE, in my humble opinion would have to be Out of Sight! It's dynomite! Crazy, sexy, cool!