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At the end of The Matrix, one can't help but be pumped about what comes next.  Neo, the new god of the virtual world takes the battle to the enemy and basically tells the machines to watch the fuck out 'cause the humans are on the attack.  The final scene of the movie just begs for the audience to jump and and scream "HELL YEAH!"  The addition of the Rage Against the Machine track only adds to the power of the last scene.  Observe:




Now, what I am wondering is how it is possible that the Wachowskis found it completely impossible to deliver on the promise of that one scene. It was as though Neo's final monologue didn't fucking happen. He was reduced to a whiny punk without any of the confidence or power shown at the end of the first film. What could have been a movie trilogy to eclipse both the original Star Wars and Indian Jones trilogy degraded into an incomprehensible mess of S&M imagery and philosophical bullshit.

Why am I even talking about this today?  Well, I read an article about the top songs from geek movies and the final scene from The Matrix made the list.  I was reminded how much I enjoyed the first movie and how eagerly I awaited the sequels only to be disappointed on a level almost equal to that which followed my first viewing of The Phantom Menace.  Even now watching that final scene fills me with excitement, but it is short lived as I am instantly reminded that nothing ever came of Neo's bravado.  So sad.

Thanks for joining me in this retro flashback.  Join me next time when I discuss how the legendary teaming of Spielberg and Kubrick ended in a poorly realized robot turd fest.

It was just that good.  Maybe not the BEST weekend ever as there were one or two things missing but it was damn good nevertheless.  I kicked off the festivities with a little Iron Man.

Let me just say that this movie rocked.  I don't know much about the character so I didn't bring any of that baggage with me into the theater.  I came at this film completely clean without any expectations and what resulted was a really enjoyable experience.  The film is funny in just the right places.  Robert Down Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow are absolutely perfect in their roles.  The only thing I could have really asked for would have been MORE IRON MAN.  I didn't see him kick enough terrorist ass before the film moved on to the next plot point.  Outside of that, Iron Man is a perfect superhero movie.  I am really excited to see Jon Favreau doing well as a director.  He has made some really solid films and looks to have a bright future.  I think I will always see him as the overweight pot head Gutter from PCU, but I have a newfound respect for him as a creative talent.  I hope he gets to make a sequel or two because this first outing was excellent.  I think it is Marvel's best film property to date.  Yes, even better than Spider-Man.   This is a movie you should see.  It is also a great start to what looks like an amazing summer movie season.  How can you not love a summer that includes Batman, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy, Narnia, and Indiana Jones? 

After the wonderful experience Friday at the movies, Saturday started with Free Comic Book Day at my LCS (local Comic Shop).  As always I took my daughter so she could meet some of the costumed superheros that always make an appearance at this event.  Her favorite is The Flash, but this year she took a particular liking to Princess Leia.  There is just something about little girls and princesses I guess. 

What follows is a bunch of minimally interesting, poorly written, random shit.  Enjoy.

1.  Movies:  I have seen several movies since my last update.  I don't really have the energy to fully review any of them nor do I feel any of them need a review.  So, here's to what I remember:

No Country for Old Men:  Great film.  It is beautifully shot, beautifully acted, and the writing is fantastic.  What seems to be sort of a crime drama is really a statement on the evolution of culture.  Everything you need to know about the film is right there in the title.  Javier Bardem earned every accolade he received from this movie as his work as Anton Chigurh was amazing.  I highly recommend this film although I would have like just a touch more of Tommy Lee Jones at the end. 

Forgetting Sarah Marshall:  I saw this one with the Birmingham Movie Meetup Group.  It was your run of the mill Judd Apatow style comedy.  Humorous, but nothing I would ever watch again.  I got caught off guard by the male full frontal.  I consider that very unfair especially when you consider we were not treated to any Kristen Bell or Mila Kunis boobage.

28 Weeks Later:   Saw this on pay cable while out of town this weekend.  I was disappointed.  28 Days Later is one of my favorite entries in the new zombie (yes, I know they are not REALLY zombies) genre of movies.  The sequel, however, just doesn't hold up.  It was a "more of the same" kind of thing for me without any characters I cared about or anything remotely making sense.  For example, they strap a possible carrier of the Rage virus down to a table but don't leave her under heavy guard?  Not likely.  Also, once Rage infects the father he keeps popping up EVERYWHERE.  He survives the initial kill zone, the fire bomb, and the gas attack?  Too convenient.  The movie is not bad.  I would just say it is unnecessary.

2.  Events:  I missed out on all of the local events this weekend because I have been out of town.  Hope the art show was good and not too wet.  I try to make this every year, but my attendance has been spotty since 2003.  Not that I spend money there anyway, but it is always nice to see what I might like one day when I go on my crime spree.  

3.  I learned something new yesterday.  Caulk remover will also remove textured paint from decorative aluminum window trim.  I was not trying to remove paint from that piece of trim but I certainly managed it.  To say this upsets me is like saying a kick to the nuts causes some mild discomfort.  I can't say enough how I hate my house.  I bought a piece of shit home and have been fighting a loosing battle to fix it up ever since.  I have a new goal today and that is to sell the house and move out within 18 months.  At this point all I want to do is break even.  I'll figure out how to afford a new home once I get rid of this money pit.  Anyone interested?

4.  I didn't get my "stimulus" deposit today.  I don't know if I was supposed to or not, but I would have liked to have seen that little bump in the bank account today.  I won't be spending it.  Well, I will be spending it but only to clear out an old bill.  Once that is paid I will have cleared three debts as of the first of this year.  It is nice to see the total number of bills I have to pay each month decreasing.  Finally getting rid of some of this old debt makes the possibility of moving within a few years much more likely.  I wonder how much this whole stimulus package with really "stimulate" the economy.  I certainly think OPEC will be stimulated, but I don't know about American business.  I don't recommend you run out and buy a new TV with your rebate.  Save it or pay off some debt.  You'll be better off than if you feed it back into the consumer culture. 

5.  I am constantly reminded how much I don't want to live in or around Atlanta.  Take a drive through downtown every so often and I think you will agree with me.

6.  As further proof I have turned my child into a major smart ass, she got lippy with me yesterday.  We decided to bake some cookies and I let her do the stirring.  She isn't quite strong enough to really mix it all together so after a few minutes I asked her if she wanted me to take over.  Her words were:

"Well, I am not done mixing, so no."

Remember that this is coming from a four year old.  My wife says that it is time to reap what I have been sowing.  I foresee much trouble in the teenage years.

7.  Toys 'R US had an amazing sale on Xbox 360 video games last week.  I got two '07 sports games for less than $15.00.  I have not played them yet, but I will.  I hope.  Right now I have three games that have never or hardly never been played.  That is odd for me.  Then again, a lot of things have been odd since I got married and had a child.  I'll get to them eventually I suppose.

7.  Finally, this getting old shit is for the birds.  I have near constant pain in my hip and left leg ever since I did whatever I did to my back a few weeks ago.  It is ok if I am up and active, but not so much when I am sitting down.  I know I need to loose weight.  I think finally my body is giving up on me.  I'll see you at the track this afternoon.

  

I actually have watched 4 films over the past week or so but I am only going to talk about two of them today because the other two are part of a trilogy and I haven't watched #3 yet.  So it goes.

I mentioned Justice League: The New Frontier last week.
Quite simply this is a great film.  The animation is excellent and really invokes the 50s era vibe.  What I really like about the film and the story is that it is a story about ordinary people becoming extra ordinary.  Although the Trinity (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) are featured on the cover, they really have little screen time.  The movie mostly follows a group of secondary characters as they find out what is important to them and what it takes to be a hero. 

The film starts roughly right at the end of the Korean War.  The communist red scare has created an America fearful of their heroes.  The classic, golden age heroes have been forced to retire or go into hiding.  Superman and Wonder Woman have signed loyalty agreements with the United States government and anyone else operating on their own, Batman and The Flash for example, are hunted by special operations teams.  The invention of nuclear weapons and the associated destructive has awakened an ancient intelligence that has deemed humanity unworthy of existence.  The world must face this new threat but with heroes few and far between can anyone rise up and defend humanity's right to exist? 

While this is an animated film, I will caution anyone looking at this for their children.  There is one of camera suicide, on on camera battle ending in a gunshot to the head, and some other themes, like racism and sexism, that may not be suitable for children.  You know what you children can handle and what you have the ability to explain so make that judgment call as necessary.  Otherwise the film is easily one of the best superhero films ever made.  Live action or otherwise.  It is certainly better than the Fantastic Four garbage that has come out over the past few years.  Highly recommended.

Also this week I watched the documentary Air Guitar Nation.

Air Guitar Nation is exactly like what it looks like.  A movie about grown men performing air guitar.  If you did not know, there is such a thing as competitive air guitar.  No really, I'm serious.  Their is a WORLD CHAMPION air guitar player.  In fact, the best ever has already retired from competition because he felt the sport needed less of a "personality".  Just about the time you think the world can't come up with a bigger waste of time it does. 

Air guitar is fucking HUGE in Scandinavia.  In the US, however, it has been much more of a hobby than a competitive sport.  No longer.  A couple of guys, I guess with nothing better to do, started an air guitar league in order to send an American to the world championships in order to bring the title home to the land of Rock and Roll.  That pretty much covers the entire plot of the movie.

I thought the film had some interesting parts, but overall I couldn't find the heart of the movie.  The underdog, Bjorn Turoque, (get it???) is really just a major douchebag that should really find something to do with his life.  He reminded me a lot of that guy in high school that always loved to act like a freaking idiot and then insist it was genius performance art.  I could have done with a lot less of this guy.  The American Champion, C Diddy, is a genuine guy who is just out having some fun while working on his acting chops.  His real name is David Jung and has since had some minor TV roles including on in Heroes.  The film was very straight forward and followed the process of finding the American Champion and sending him to Finland for the world championships.

While watching the movie I kept comparing it to King of Kong in that they both deal with some fringe, weird competitions unfamiliar to the general public.  They both also deal with a rivalry between two competitors.  The two movies, however, are very different.  Kong tells a compelling story about people who really care about what they are doing while Air Guitar Nation feels completely fake.   I guess that is to be expected considering that air guitar is a pantomime in the first place.  Dan Crane (Bjorn) is obviously trying to get someone, somewhere to notice him but he only comes of as trying too hard.  Jung, is interesting to watch but it is clear that he hopes that the air guitar thing leads to future acting roles.  These ulterior motive leave the viewer with the feeling that there is just something not genuine with the entire film.

So, was the film enjoyable?  Yes.  I especially enjoyed the international championships and I would have liked more of that footage in the movie.  In the end, however, it is mostly forgettable.  I certainly recommend King of Kong first. 

One of the most enjoyable things I have found since coming back to comics full force is the quality of writing that can be found in both mainstream books and independent work.  The stories being written today are so much better than what I was reading back in the early 90's.  They are more complex and certainly more adult.  Some think this is bad for an industry that needs an influx of younger fans and I can see their point, but I don't thinking kiddiefying the stories is the right way to go.

One of the best examples of some of the really great stuff you can find in comics today can be found in Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier



The New Frontier begins during the ends days of the Korean War.  America has turned on its masked heroes because of the red scare and most of them have retired or have gone into hiding.  Man has conquered the atom and appears to no longer need super humans and has pushed them away.  Superman has signed an oath of loyalty to the US and is acting for the government in foreign lands.  It is really a time without heroes.  The creation of the atom bomb, however, has awakened an ancient force that believes it is time to eliminate the human threat and its new, destructive power from the Earth.  It is in this environment that the men, women, supermen and superwomen of Earth must not only stand up and fight but come together to tackle a common foe.

The New Frontier recreates the DC universe from the ground up.  Classic characters and their origins are intertwined in a single story.  Each with different motivations and back stories that play into their characterizations throughout the work.  The reader sees both their amazing strengths and crushing weaknesses as each character tries to understand where the fit in to post war society.  This book deals with racism, sexism, and a whole host of issues that arose during the late 50's.  It is an amazing work for both comic fans and casual readers.

I think it is also important to note that it is not exactly for the elementary school set.  Death, suicide, and murder are all part of the story which younger children will probably not understand.  These themes, however, are crucial to the narrative and not just "thrown in" to make the book appeal to adults.  These events bring a realness to the story and are critical to the growth of the heroes, especially my all time favorite, Hal Jordan - The Green Lantern.

Yesterday saw the release of the animated film version of The New Frontier. 


I have been looking forward to this movie for some time now and went ahead and downloaded it last night in HD on my XBOX 360.  I did not get to watch all of it because I was just too tired, but what I saw was phenomenal.  The animation was gorgeous and this makes me want to go out and buy a Blu-Ray player so I can watch the film in all of its high definition glory again and again.  Some of the story from the book has been left out but the reviews on the movie have been overwhelmingly positive.  Again, I don't recommend this for younger kids, but otherwise this is a film everyone should see.  I promise you it is better than most live action superhero movies.  Yes, I am looking at you Fantastic Four!   A review of the film will be coming within the next day or so but I have no problem giving this my highest recommendation even without having viewed the entire film. 

Get the book (be sure to get both volumes), watch the movie, and thank me later.

I have only seen 1 film over the last two weeks.  So, I am going to start doing these quickie reviews by the film instead of the week.  If anyone cares about such things.

Up on the sacrificial table today is Fido.

As any regular reader knows I am a big fan of zombie movies.  Some of my all-time favorites include Day of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead.  Fido, while still steeped in the traditional zombie conventions (no fast zombies here), is much more of a straight up comedy Shaun.   Overall it was enjoyable but not something I think I will come back to in the future.

The film is set in a post war, 1950's America.  Everything is idealized in that Norman Rockwell way that we often see portrayed in 50's era television, movie, and art.  The neighborhoods are crisp and clean, everyone drives shiny, art deco cars, the women work in the home while the men go to jobs and play golf on Saturday.   It is a very technicolor world.  Think Pleasantville type of setting.  As an aside, I don't think I remember seeing any minorities in the film.  I could be wrong about that, but I don't remember any.  I wonder if that was a stylistic choice in that the filmmakers were trying to create an America that never existed or if it was for some other reason.  I can see them making the choice if they were trying to create this world that only existed in shows like Leave it to Beaver.  Again, they did a great job of taking that fake ideal of America of the 1950s and bringing it to film.

Everything seems great except for one thing, there has been a zombie apocalypse.   The living have been able to beat back the zombie hordes and have fenced themselves into their perfect worlds.  The zombies, however, have not gone away and not only are they right outside the fence, they are inside too.  You see, in this world, the zombies have been domesticated.  Through a miracle of modern science, zombies can be controlled through a little collar around the neck.  Kind of like the shock collar sometimes used to control dogs.  Well, with the collar in place, zombies become more like slaves than flesh eating monsters.  They can cook, clean, play ball with the kids, deliver the mail, and even work at the local school.  Having a zombie is a status symbol.  Of course, things don't always go so well and sometimes the zombie control company, Zomcom, has to come in and do a little clean up.  Hey, to have such a perfect world sometimes you have to deal with unfortunate occurrences.

The film has plenty of laughs, from kids learning to make headshots with a rifle in school, to Tim Blake Nelson's sick "romantic" relationship with his "fresh" zombie there are plenty of laugh out loud moments.  Most of the chuckle variety, but they are funny.  I am not sure I really believed Billy Connolly as a zombie though.  It was something about his eyes.  They were way too clear and focused to belong to a member of the undead.  Carrie-Anne Moss was great as the 50's housewife.  Her and the boy are what gave life to the film.  Moss fills the shoes of the woman who has realized that her life should not be about taking care of her husband but she is also concerned about appearances and keeping her family together.  These opposing forces put her in the position to cover up things like Fido eating the school bully and her son basically causing a zombie outbreak in the city all the while keeping her hair, make-up and clothes perfect. 

Although it is a comedy, the film has a few messages to get across.  First there is the subtle statement against slavery and servitude.  Secondly the film deals with the relationships between children with fathers who are there, but not really "there".  Finally the film is pretty clear in its message that all zombies really should be killed.  Nothing good can come from having flesh eaters in your home, even if they are good with the kids.

The movie is fairly light on gore with a few juicy spots withstanding.  There is no sex in that 50s separate bed kind of way and the violence is minimal.  I think Fido is a fun movie especially for people who might be turned off by the gore of Shaun of the Dead.  Those nostalgic for the old TV shows of yore will also enjoy the film as it does a really great job of duplicating that early TV feel. 

Two gnawed off thumbs up for Fido!

I'd like to alert those of you in the Birmingham area of a few community type things you might be interested in.

First is a new meetup.com group.  The Birmingham Movie Fans group has had two screenings and has a third scheduled for later this month.   I haven't been able to make a meeting yet, but I am excited about the opportunity to view and discuss movies with a group of film fans.   I hope the group grows and that the meetings become regular and well attended.  Check out the group if you have some time.

The second thing I hope to gain some attention has been inspired by the first.  The functionality of meetup.com leaves a bit to be desired.  I have regretted not being able to make the first two meetups and thought it would be nice if there was a central location for group members to discuss films even if they could not make the scheduled screening.  Therefore, I bought a couple of domains to facilitate these discussions.  Both www.magiccityfilmclub.com and www.magiccitymovieclub.com point to a forum I set-up for this purpose.  If you are a film fan and would like to contribute to the discussion, please come on over and sign up.  Right now everything is in the beginning stages and I could use some ideas.  I tried doing something similar directly from this site last year, but I think maybe it will work better as its own thing.  The forum is open to everyone both locals, members of the meetup group, and even those not in Birmingham.  I have posted a quick review of a movie I watched over the weekend, Fido, to get things rolling.

Finally, the 2008 Movie Challenge continues.  I have only been able to watch one film over the past two weeks but I will be posting that review shortly. 

This was a very light week.  I did make it to the theater last night to view the latest film catering to the geek hype machine. - Cloverfield. 

This week I saw two films that in many ways dealt with similar themes, but in different ways.

First up, I Am Legend.  As always, spoilers will probably be contained below.

The film is based on the novella by Richard Matheson.  In the film version, a scientist develops what appears to be a cure for cancer but ultimately kills nearly 90% of the world's population.  Of the remaining survivors, most become vampire/zombie like creatures that then feed on the remaining "immune" population.  Robert Neville, the only apparent survivor, is left to fend for himself while working to reverse the infection.  Right about there is where the story stops making any kind of sense.  Robert Neville, the military scientist that may be the only person on Earth that can reverse the infection is both somehow immune to the virus and able to survive the vampire apocalypse.  That's pretty convenient, but as we will later find out, it was all according to "plan".  Neville spends many years working on a cure only to discover it minutes before he is killed, but that's ok because "God" sent a couple of random people to take his cure to a protected settlement of survivors.  Yep, that's right, the movie is ultimately about divine intervention.   So, we see a world where science has gone wrong and nearly destroyed the human race.  However, science also has the power to redeem man, but only after God takes care of some of the details.  I found this to be very heavy handed and it comes in the last 20 minutes completely out of left field.  I don't generally have a problem with religious messages even though I don't believe in such things, but the way it was handled in this film just didn't fit.  It felt slapped on when the screenwriters couldn't figure out a way to end the film.  Bad writing at best, pandering at worst.

Now, let's talk about the one thing I REALLY didn't get.  Apparently there is at least one zombie/vampire that can think on a level a little higher than the others.  He is smart enough to lure Neville into a trap and also seems to have some kind of control over the other zompires (eh, how do you like that word..."zompires"?).  Why then, when it comes to the "climax" of the story does the brainy zompire resort to banging his head against a Plexiglas enclosure for ten minutes trying to get at Neville?  Couldn't he get one of the other's to do it?  Ok, how about this?  Most of the human "food" has been gone for years by the time of the story.  How are thousands and thousands of zompires feeding well enough to have six pack abs and new superhuman strength?  Yes, I realize animals are running free in the streets of New York, but they would have exhausted that food supply long before the events of the film take place.  Thirdly, can a virus be so mutative that it changes human cranial and mandibular structure and not be 100% fatal?  This stuff just doesn't add up even in Hollywood fantasy land.

DC Comics fans will not the Superman/Batman billboard in Times Square.  Is this a subtle hint of a movie to come?  We can hope.  Observant viewers will also see references to Green Lantern and Teen Titans.  Cross promotion at its best eh?  I didn't get the Shrek thing though.  I thought that was a Dreamworks film.  Wonder how Warner got the right to use that one.  You know, that was really the best part of this film...looking at the background.  Sad isn't it?

One more word on this movie and I am done.  Why, why, why, did this film need computer generated zompires?  Much better effects could have been done through traditional make-up with only the occasional CG effect needed to fill in the environment.  The producers, however, decided that all CG monsters would be best and this was a bad idea.  They look horrible and are completely unconvincing.  Someone should really be ashamed. 

The next film I saw this week was one I have been waiting on since early last year.  Danny Boyle's Sunshine.

I have been a Danny Boyle fan since Trainspotting and one of my favorite films of recent years was 28 Days Later.  I don't remember when I heard about this film but I know I was looking forward to it for most of 2007.  It opened in very few theaters and I never had a chance to see it during its initial run.  The film came out on DVD last week and I got it through Netflix on release day.

Sunshine is about a future where our Sun is dying.  Solar winter has engulfed the Earth and the inhabitants of the planet have made a desperate attempt to re-ignite the Sun.   The first mission, Icarus I, was sent to the sun with a nuclear payload designed to restart the Sun 's hydrogen fusion process.  The Icarus I, however, was lost and Earth sent a second mission to the Sun.  This is where our story starts.  The Icarus II's mission is proceeding according to plan until Mercury passes through the ship's flight path.  With Mercury blocking some of the Sun's interference, Icarus II detects Icarus I's distress beacon.  A choice is made to intercept Icarus I and add its payload to Icarus's II payload thus increasing the chances of re-ignition success.  This choice, of course, proves fatal and the crew end up struggling to stay alive and complete their mission.

This film become the antithesis of I Am Legend.  The captain of the Icarus I somehow manages to survive the 7 years it took Icarus II to reach Icarus I.  Most of his body is burned from prolonged exposure to the Sun and he is completely insane.  Captain Pinbacker has become convinced God has chosen him to be the last man alive.  He feels it is his duty to see "God's Work" done and the Earth destroyed.  It is for this reason he tries to sabotage Icarus II.  Here, however, the fanatic loses and science wins out.

Again here is a film that goes completely weird in the last reel.  Pinkbacker surviving his unbelievable even in the best of circumstances, but managing to continue to live even though he is completely covered in 3rd degree burns is stretching it a bit.  Boyle also choses to shoot Pinbacker in trippy, unfocused manner which is distracting to the point of taking the viewer out of the story.  Supposedly the reason for this is to provide a sense of unreality to a film that, up until Pinbacker's reveal, is filmed as realistically as such a thing can be filmed.  The last 20 minutes or so leave the viewer with a "huh?" feeling and completely ruin what was a really good film. 

The film is well shot, well acted, and well executed, but the story falls flat in the end.  The effects, unlike some of the stuff in I Am Legend, were really great.  Sadly, Boyle has stated that he will not visit the Sci-Fi genre again.  I find this sad because there is some really good stuff in this try it just all didn't come together.  I think he has the look and feel of good Sci-Fi down and his style in this film is very reminiscent of Ridley Scott's Alien.  The production process, however, seems to have been a little too difficult for Boyle and he has sworn off Sci-Fi.  Overall though I think it is a good film, but it misses out on being great.

I really enjoy the Netflix service.  I get much more bang for my buck on rentals and the service itself has been darn near flawless.  I didn't get to watch enough movies last quarter of 2007 but I am starting to make up for that now.  I have not experienced any problems with throttling and my movies take about 2 days to turn around.  Basically if I mail a movie back today I will get one 2 days later.  Pretty darn good if you ask me.  I know some people that have tried the Blockbuster service and have good things to say about it as well.  I haven't tried their service and since all of the Blockbuster's in my area are closed I don't see any reason to switch. 

I am going to try and integrate my Netlix Queue and At-Home list on my site, but MT 4 has not been easy for me and I may switch platforms first.  However, here are the the RSS feeds for my Netflix data if anyone is interested.

Currently At-Home

My Netflix Queue

I am always changing my queue so stuff at the top today may not be there tomorrow.  You will find new and old movies as well as some TV shows.  It looks like as over today I have over 180 titles on my list.  I wonder if I will get through all of that this year.  Even 1 a night only gets you through 365 titles.  That's a lot of couch potato time.  Anyway, that's my pointless blog post for the day.   If you have any recommendations, send them my way.