June 2011

Green Lantern

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Green Lantern
  • IMDB: link

green-lantern-posterHere’s the thing, I’ve been waiting for a Green Lantern movie since 1980. That’s a long time (and a big stack of comic books). On hearing Green Lantern was finally getting his own live-action franchise I was cautiously optimistic. And then every still, trailer, and commercial I saw made me increasingly less so. Was this really what I waited so long to see?

Director Martin Campbell unleashes a CGI extravangza which certainly isn’t the Green Lantern of my childhood. However, the script by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg gets enough of the character right and does a fair job of combining various story threads, told over several decades, into a single cohesive narrative that by the time the credits rolled, I’ll admit, I had a slight grin on my face.

Of course it’s also possible that my longtime love for the character and my growing unease at something during its marketing began to look all too similar to Marvel’s botched Fantastic Four franchise may have caused a psychotic break.

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Batgirl #22

/ / Comics

batgirl-22-cover"After being tapped by Batman (the original) for an overseas mission Stephanie Brown soon finds herself in the UK only called on to save England from from a gang of ruffians pulling the sword from the stone and releasing anti-time across the world. Tally Ho!

Once again writer Bryan Q. Miller makes a pretty darn good story without having anything resembling an A-list (or even C-list) villain to work with. And although I’ve never been that big of a fan of Squire I do like the pairing with Stephanie which provides some trademark Batgirl humor (and plenty of butt kickin’). And by the end you’ll know the real reason why Greenwich Mean is so important.

There are also a few sly pop nods throughout the book to keep your eye out for (including the a nice homage to the Beatles). Dammit Steph, I’m going to miss you when you’re gone. I’m happy for Barbara Gordon fans, but I’ve got to say DC is really missing the mark pulling the current Batgirl (who has much the same feel of the original) to reinstate a character who’s outgrown the position.

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Further Reading – Green Lantern

/ / Comics, Top Tens & Lists

green-lantern-further-reading

If you’re set to see Green Lantern this weekend but would like to know a little more about the character going in, or if by the time you read this you’ve already seen the film but would like to brush up on the character’s history, I’ve got you covered. Here are a few graphic novel selections from a guy who’s been reading about the character for more than a quarter of a century.

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White Collar – Where There’s a Will

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: White Collar – Where There’s a Will
  • wiki: link

“This is a centuries old book written to a man’s dead twin brother donated by an equally eccentric recently deceased modern day Howard Hughes as part of a posthumous treasure hunt. There’s nothing simple about this one.”

white-collar-where-theres-a-will

This is a very odd episode, and the fact that the cast make it work makes it all the more interesting. When a wealthy man leaves two forged wills and treasure map for his sons (played by real-life brothers Christopher Masterson and Danny Masterson) it’s up to Neal (Matt Bomer) and Peter (Tim DeKay) to follow the clues and solve the case. And the clock is ticking as the man’s granddaughter is being held for ransom by a kidnapper (William Sadler) demanding a piece of the estate.

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