Review: Beyond the Black Rainbow

Beyond the Black Rainbow is either one of the most gripping film experiences you will have, or a confusing, overly-long and boring let-down. Either way, the end result will say more about your own mind rather than the movie itself.

Review: National Comic's 'Looker'

Just kidding.

Unlike those with corporate freebie connections, or those fortunate enough to work in a LCS, I actually buy everything I review here. And his artwork aside (see above), you didn't seriously expect me to put money in the pocket of a hate-driven, homophobic / Islamophobic militant Christian fundamentalist like Mike S. Miller, did you? Go forth and Google some of the horrifying beliefs he has. Made all the more disturbing by how completely civilized he can appear on message boards. Even if you're one of the people that will be 'drowning in a river of blood'.

DC has some interesting hiring practices though, don't they?

Review: Marvel Tales by Alan Davis

A three (arguably four) part ClanDestine story, Marvel Tales by Alan Davis begins through a 'stealth prologue' in Thor: The Truth of History. It then casts a wide, appealing net to draw readers in through Fantastic Four Annual #33, funnels them down through a sliding scale of interest (ClanDestine fans vs.  non-fans) in Daredevil Annual #1, and finally drips the remaining few out of Wolverine Annual #1. Dr. Strange is also utilized as a linking thread throughout all three annuals, acting (just as the title characters) in varying degrees of importance with each issue. 

Scattered Thoughts.

Nostalgic Thought: I miss comic characters from my childhood that have disappeared, apparently never to be seen again.

Apologetic Thought: Have you ever flopped down on your bed, resulting in an irritated, indignant, squished meow from somewhere underneath the covers? I always feel bad when that happens.

Psychological Thought: I wonder how many people that play customized video game characters take the time to make the toon look exactly like themselves? Is that ego-centric? I just find it strangely compelling to be able to watch a digital duplicate of myself ride a horse down on bandits, or run away from a giant, or flail wildly off a cliff. Is that ego-centric? Self-hating? Both?

Reflective Thought: When I was very little, my Grandpa convinced me that the entire world was black and white until 1939, and then color spontaneously burst into existence. Hollywood captured the precise moment on film by coincidence, while shooting a movie at the time. My Grandpa was a strange man who fed me weird stories. Sometimes I believed them. But the idea of a 'God' never took.

Tail-puffed Thought: My boyfriend and I were playing Borderlands together for the first time, and we stumbled across a porn magazine in the game called 'Heavy Fire'. It featured a considerably-large, naked, red-haired woman on the cover. He laughed himself to tears. I punched him in the arm.

Delicious Thought: Mexican Coke is the best. Fact. Not opinion.

Review: Wonder Woman T.V. Pilots (1967, 1974, 2011)

Wow. Just....wow.

First, to clarify: the 1967 and 2011 pilots feel so ass-backward and dated that they feel like they were shot in the mid-fifties and mid-nineties, respectively. The 1974 pilot 'feels' about right for the time period, but what do I know? My perception is after-the-fact, since I didn't quite exist at the time. 

Review: Hawkeye #1 (2012)

What do you think the result can be when you create a superhero comic with no super powers, no costumes, no grand epic battle, no explosions, no teams, and not a single use of the main character's signature weapon? A compellingly heart-felt and wonderful character study, it turns out.

Scattered Thoughts.

Baffled Thought:  I have a confession. I do not like Big Bang Theory. I've tried. I've watched multiple episodes. Despite being a card-carrying geek my whole life, I can't stand that show. It's not only *not* funny to me, I also find it stupidly-pandering, with 'geek' references that come off as desperate and off-putting. As opposed to Community, which I love, and feel is the exact opposite. I wonder if I'm the only one that feels that way. Is this what geeks who don't like Star Wars feel like? Personal opinions are a strange and funny thing.

Depressed Thought:  Have you ever been hanging out with a group of relatively new people, either at school, or work, or online, or wherever, and you feel like you've gotten to not only know them pretty well, but actually kind of like them? And then completely out of the blue, they casually and repeatedly drop a racist / bigoted / phobic / sexist hate word, like 'nigger', 'cunt', 'tranny', 'faggot', or 'retard'? And it's like a punch to your emotional stomach? You wonder if confronting them would do any good, but realize they've made it clear how they feel about 'others'? So you just walk away, wondering how you could have been so completely wrong about them? Yeah, that feeling is the worst.

Happy Thought:  If the entire world could sit down and eat my African Curry Chicken and homemade apple pie, there would be no more war. I'm just sayin'.

Wishful Thought:  I've said it before, I'll say it again: Shoot the next Fantastic Four movie with retro lenses, lighting, and studio logos, but with cutting edge effects, and have it take place entirely in the 60's. Shoot Doctor Strange dirty grindhouse style (roughed-up prints and all), lace the story with Lovecraft-esque horror and have it take place in the 70's. Not everything has to be contemporary.

Exhausted Thought:  My boyfriend took me to see The Dark Knight Rises. That movie is 8 hours long, two hours wide, and 6 full hours around. Impressive-looking, but too much to take and still be enjoyable.