May 2011

The Hangover Part II

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Hangover Part II
  • IMDB: link

hangover-part-ii-posterPhil (Bradley Cooper), Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Doug (Justin Bartha) and Stu (Ed Helms) are reunited in Thailand for Stu’s wedding to his new bride (Jamie Chung) in this sequel to the surprise box office hit of 2009. Once again things get crazy and a forgotten night leads to a blurry-eyed morning in a hotel room and the search for a lost member of the Wolfpack, this time the bride’s 16 year-old brother (Mason Lee).

Like most sequels, this one is far too similar to the original with almost the identical setup and resolution we got the first time around. But hey, this one has a monkey! Director Todd Phillips‘ logic is simple: If it worked once why not try it again? Not only do we get drugged-induced haziness but mistaken identity, kidnapping, and Stu’s crying over an unexpected change to his appearance.

This time the drugged setup feels even more forced the the original and creates an unnecessary change to Galifianakis’ character who was always creepy and strange, but here comes off much meaner than in the first film.

…

The Hangover Part IIRead More »

The Hangover Part II Read More »

Batman #710

/ / Comics

batman-710-coverFor an issue that is jam-packed with important events and characters I’m not quite sure how this issue of Batman is such a trainwreck. Two-Face returns to Gotham, but he’s not the only Dent who’s got a role to play.

We also get Batman (tiptoeing around like a ballet dancer on steroids thanks to Steve Scott’s art) attempting to deal with Kitrina Falcone and hunt down a psychotic Two-Face who is even more lost than usual without his trademark coin.

And then there’s the late reveal and final panel which returns Gilda Dent to Gotham as well, as the arm candy of Mario Falcone? Like everything else in this issue it takes a good idea and turns it into pure shock and filler without context or meaning.

I’ve read some bad Batman comics in my day, but this issue is such a clusterfuck it’s baffling to behold. Here’s hoping the title makes some swift changes and gets back on track as soon as possible.

[DC, $2.99]

Batman #710 Read More »

G.I. JOE: Snake Eyes #1

/ / Comics

snake-eyes-1-coverCobra Commander is dead, and he’s not the only one. Six JOEs are dead as well. Each one was personally trained by Snake Eyes and the man responsible is holed-up at the top of a mountain. As COBRA scrambles to find a new leader, Snake Eyes will lead a team (including Agent Helix, Alpine, and Iceberg) up a mountain to find the secret Himalayan fortress of Rajah Vikrim Khallikhan.

There are some great action sequences on the side of the mountain as well as flashbacks to Snake Eyes’ earlier attempts to track down Khallikhan – a man going to great links not to be found.

Robert Atkins knows how to draw Snake Eyes in both his silent somber and total kick-ass moments so well that I don’t want to see anyone else’s take on him for a long time. It’s hard to get both right and Atkins seems to do it effortlessly here. He even looks cool in his semi-ridiculous Hoth gear. The story, from Chuck Dixon, ain’t too shabby either. Must-read.

[IDW, $3.99]

G.I. JOE: Snake Eyes #1 Read More »

Batman and Robin #23

/ / Comics

batman-and-robin-23-coverWriter Judd Winick, who seems to be all over the DCU these days, takes over the writing duties with this issue. It’s appropriate that Winick writes the return of Jason Todd story as it was his tale that brought the former Robin back from the dead and transformed him into a bloodthirsty anti-hero.

Sadly Winick is forced to deal with a Jason Todd that still has Grant Morrison‘s fingerprints all over him. We get the red hair (which I’m okay with) and, if the covers are to be believed, the return of the Captain Red Penis Head costume (which I’m not okay with).

The issue begins, after a quick recap of the character, with a conversation between Batman and his former sidekick. What works so well here is how Bruce honestly doesn’t know how to communicate with someone who has gone so far off the path he laid out for him.

From their we see the Red Hood swiftly killing enemies (brutally) and prompting a prison transfer back to Arkham Asylum which results in his eventual escape (but hopefully not the return of the penis head costume).

The Red Hood is out, and things should be about to get interesting. I actually like this version of Jason Todd (in the biker outfit, not the worst comic costume of all-time), and I’m hoping by the end of the storyline we get a little better sense of how he’s going to fit into the DCU and, more specifically, the Batman universe. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

Batman and Robin #23 Read More »

Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side #1

/ / Comics

star-wars-jedi-dark-side-1-coverFifty-three years before the Battle of Yavin, and twenty-one years before the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the Jedi Council uncovers dark rumblings in the Outer Rim Territories.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan Xantos (a noble of Telos IV) will be sent, along with Jedi Master Tahl and her padawan Orykan, to Xantos’ home planet to stop a political assassination and a conspiracy which threatens the lives of everyone on the planet.

This new series from writer Scott Allie and artist Mahmud Asrar will focus on Qui-Gon Jinn’s years working on the Outer Rim long before he would take on a padawan named Obi-Wan Kenobi. The first issue sets up the characters and situations which will play an integral part in the first five-issue story arc, but it doesn’t do much more than that. I also found Asrar’s art a bit sloppy in places. The close-ups of each character are very detailed and you can tell why he was chosen for the project, but the larger shots seem rushed and a little blurry. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side #1 Read More »