This week we review “G.I. Joe Retaliation” and count down the top ten movies that have something to do with toys! Kristin reviews the Stephenie Meyer movie “The Host” along with Russell’s daughter Eden. Russell was also sent to see “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor”.
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This week Dan and Kristin speak about Olympus has Fallen. Russell calls in with his take. They get a special phone call from Sean Gandert about one of his favorite directors, who would’ve turned 103.
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Fritz lights up a joint whilst being harangued by his fed-up housewife and flashes back and forward through time to other ‘lives’ of his, largely involving druggy phenomena, 70s era insanity, and a continuation of the look into the decaying immoral backdrop of the American streets. Missing some of the intensity and slow falling apart into madness of the original Bakshi production, this sequel more or less recreates the general look and then delights in long psychedelic montages and the sort of humor that makes contemporary Adult Swim seem like it was made by the PC police.
–DB
Behold! The second coming of…Jesus Christ?
Religion. One of the biggest and most controversial subjects out there. There are a lot of Religions in our world, and everyone believe’s in a different one. Some people are Christians, some are Catholic, some are Jewish, and the list goes on. However, the one thing people avoid speaking of when it comes to Religion? The lack of it. That’s Right! I’m talking about Atheism. For many people, especially Americans, Atheism is incredibly taboo. It’s a subject so unspeakable for some, that any person who follows Atheism is just as taboo. Now, Atheism is a subject you normally see discussed in non-fiction novels, in news reports on the Today show, or Real Time with Bill Maher. So, Who would’ve thought it would be tackled in a comic book?
The comic in question is an amazing limited series from Vertigo called Punk Rock Jesus. Set in the not so distant future, Punk Rock Jesus tell’s a very different version of the second coming of Jesus Christ. In this version, the Shroud of Turin, believed to have been used in the burial of Jesus, is used by scientists to a clone the son of God. Once this happens, a reality TV show called J2 is produced to show the clone go from a bouncing baby boy performing “miracles” to a young atheist teenager. Yes, you read that correctly! The clone of Jesus becomes, spoiler alert, an Atheist. In fact, he becomes the voice of Atheism. He spreads the word just as the original Jesus spread the word of God, but in a more…punk rock way. Hence the title of the series.
The comic was created by one of my favorite comic artists, Sean Murphy. Murphy, whom normally just draws comics, decided to give writing a go. What he came up with has become one of my all time favorite comic series ever made. One thing that I truly love about this book are the characters. All the characters in this book are spectacular. My favorite is probably Thomas, whose the head of security of the island where J2 is filmed. While I don’t identify with him religiously, I relate more to the Jesus clone on that front, I found the character very compelling and completely badass! He’s this giant, brooding, Irish Catholic man with a somewhat dark past that we see unfold throughout the series.
Also, I loved that the story wasn’t preachy. Originally, Murphy had planned for the series to be a funnel, of sorts, for his atheistic rage. Doing that would have made the book feel very preachy, and turn off the reader. Thankfully, he was able to balance the themes out, and introduce grey areas in the story. Speaking of grey areas, the art in the book is the best! The artwork in PRJ, which is in beautiful black and white, is the best I’ve seen from Murphy. So stylized, and the layouts are astounding. Like previous comics Murphy has drawn, It was a challenge to turn the page. To look away from the beauty, if you will.
All this being said, the aspect I loved most about PRJ was the underground feel of it. The paper used, the lack of advertisements, the black and white art, all of it gave this book a really cool underground feel. Honestly, if this book were done in a more mainstream fashion, I think it would have lost something, or maybe wouldn’t have been as effective. Especially because the themes of this book are very anti-mainstream. In the end, Punk Rock Jesus is one of my all time favorites! I’m sure there will be some to find the series offensive or blasphemous, but I still BELIEVE everyone should check it out!
I give Punk Rock Jesus a 5 outta 5!
This week on The Directors Cut, we review The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, and since Kristin Elliot was sick, Brennan popped in for a few and we speak to the wonderful Casey Messer on the phone. Also, Russell reviews Snitch and our top ten list is Movies with Magic. You’ll be surprised what movie made it to number one.
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Sold mostly for Tommy Lee Jones’ performance as General Douglas MacArthur, Emperor nevertheless is set mostly around Gen. Fellers’ search for his lost love Aya while tasked by MacArthur to investigate the culpability of Emperor Hirohito for Japan’s war crimes during World War 2. The chisel-jawed blue-eyed blond-haired Matthew Fox as Fellers is a perfect sore thumb in an already shattered, slow-burning Tokyo, and despite some hammy dialog and pathos of the swelling orchestra type, Emperor nevertheless shows how the conflict of war and contrasting cultures doesn’t necessarily end when the one country surrenders and the other emerges victorious.
–DB
Ip Man (2008):
Ip Man earned a rapid cult status beyond the scope of most contemporary martial arts movies, partly because of the targeted mention that Ip Man is the master of Bruce Lee, but also because it’s that rare breed of kung fu movie that dispenses with the contrived set-pieces-towards-boss-lair set-up and actually contains character development and a plot. The story follows Master Ip’s confrontation of the occupying Japanese Imperialist Army during World War 2 by accepting an invitation to duel the dangerous Captain Miura.
Ip Man 2 (2011):
Donnie Yen returns as Ip Man, master of famed Bruce Lee, in a movie that is much more genre kung fu than the first installment. At first it seems like a set-up for escalating duels as Master Ip attempts to start a new school in Hong Kong, only to have to bid for acceptance in the Martial Arts Club, headed by Master Wong, who is matched in skills and talent. However, the movie gladly continues with the occupation of foreigners motif started in the previous film, this time featuring an English boxing club that’s exploiting the martial arts schools’ for profit. This iteration comes complete with a moral-of-the-story speech and a variety of silly accents that can’t seem to decide whether they’re English, Australian, or American, but who’s tracking?
–DB
Orson Welles’ most financially successful film has a plot that mirrors Hitchcock’s earlier Shadow of a Doubt (with a Nazi as opposed to a serial killer), a Welles monologue on the banality of evil that warms him up for his cuckoo clock speech in Reed’s later The Third Man, and an ending right out of his very first short film, The Heart of Ages. It was also the feature where the studio held the tightest reins and shows it, as clear cuts can be seen and Welles’ own performance is kept understated by the presence of the inimitable Edward G. Robinson.
–DB
Nothing better then a little escapism!
Hello everyone! I am Richard! The Awkward and Hilarious! Today I present to you a comic review. So sit back, relax, and read on! Anyways, one of the biggest movies that came out this week was Oz the Great and Powerful. As a Sam Raimi fan, I was really pumped to return to that magical dream land. Thankfully, when I saw the movie, I left the theater with a smile on my face. Unlike Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, a film I’m 100% sure this movie will be compared to a lot, Oz is a movie I’m not afraid to say I enjoyed without being made fun of. It wasn’t necessarily Great or Powerful, but it was just a fun time at the movies. Also, after I left the theater, I began thinking of some of my favorite tales with a similar premise. Someone from our world, in need of change, being transported to a brave new land of fantasy and impossibility.
Now, normal people would probably think of more traditional examples. Me, I thought of an awesome 3 year old comic called Joe The Barbarian. The story of Joe is penned by comic book legend, Grant Morrison, and is drawn by a favorite of mine, Sean Murphy. Joe The Barbarian follows a boy named Joe Manson. Joe, a creative and diabetic young lad whom tends to escape the harshness of his real life, fails to receive his daily needed dose of glucose. Once this happens, Joe begins to hallucinate a fantasy world inhabited by mystical monsters, as well as his action figures. Upon arrival, Joe learns he is the prophesied Dying Boy come to destroy King Death, and save the land for all!
In 2010, when this story was being told, I was only reading Batman related series. Later in the year, I began to explore other areas of the comic world. Specifically comics written by people I really love. One of my favorite writers of all time is Grant Morrison. At the time, the only Morrison book I was reading was his amazing Batman and Robin series. One day, I had a conversation with a fellow Morrison fan, chit-chatting about the latest adventure of Batman and Robin, and he told me about this awesome book called Joe the Barbarian.
It was a limited series, written by Morrison, being done over at Vertigo, which is an imprint of DC Comics. Once he gave me a short summary of the story, I became incredibly excited to read it. So, I patiently waited for the hardcover to be released. Once it hit the store shelves, I raced to the nearest shop, grabbed myself a copy, threw about thirty some dollars at the cashier, and raced back home! I didn’t leave my room at all that evening. I was so into what I was reading.
One of the aspects I loved most was the character of Joe. I related to him in so many ways. Minus the diabetes, the kid was basically me. I’ve always been someone who kind of lives inside their own head. Trying to escape reality because it’s too much for them to handle. Admittedly, I related so much that it was kind of hard to read this book. It reminded me of similar struggles I’m going through currently that I’ve tried to avoid through escapism. That being said, It was good to be reminded of those things, strangely. It made me even more invested and sucked into this comic.
Another interesting aspect was the way it was written. While this comic features the usual Grant Morrison writing style, it didn’t feel like a typical comic from him. The story was much more straight forward, and less metaphorical. It’s always nice to see writers challenge themselves and/or try something new. All that being sad, the greatest thing to come out of me reading this comic was discovering Sean Murphy. Murphy’s art work in Joe was so amazing that it became difficult to even turn the page. I’d literally just be sitting on my bed, gazing upon a brilliant castle, witnessing an epic battle, or marveling at the forest lands of this beautifully drawn world.
After I read this book, I fell in love with the work of Sean Murphy. Since then, If I ever find anything sporting his name, I instantly have to purchase it. Even the freaking cover of the hardcover, depicted above, is amazing! Just look at it! It’s all kinds of spectacular! Anyways, if you haven’t been able to tell, I really loved this comic. It’s not my favorite tale from Morrison, but I consider it one of his best!
I give Joe The Barbarian a 5 outta 5!
This week Dan and Kristin review “Oz The Great and Powerful” Plus! they discuss whether or not a remake of Dorothy and Oz would work. Also, a countdown of the Top Ten prequels. Russell Pinkston calls in to chat about “Dead Man Down” & “Oz They Great and Powerful.
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