Wednesday 28 October 2009

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Cast
George Clooney
Bill Murray
Jason Schwartzman
Meryl Streep
Willem Dafoe
Michael Gambon
Owen Wilson
Wally Wolodarsky
Eric Anderson
Jarvis Cocker
Screenwriter
Roald Dahl
Director
Wes Anderson
Running Time
86m 38s

It was charming and enjoyable with lovely stop-motion animation and a good voice cast but overall it felt very slight.

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Zombieland

Cast
Jesse Eisenberg
Woody Harrelson
Emma Stone
Abigail Breslin
Screenwriters
Paul Wernick
Rhett Reese
Director
Ruben Fleischer
Running Time
87 minutes

Columbus has made a habit of running from what scares him. Tallahassee doesn't have fears. If he did, he'd kick their ever-living ass. In a world overrun by zombies, these two are perfectly evolved survivors. But now, they're about to stare down the most terrifying prospect of all: each other. (Sony Pictures)

I really enjoyed this, funny and exciting with an excellent cast.

Tuesday 20 October 2009

January Comics

Newsarama has the new Marvel and DC solicitations for January plus CBR has the Dark Horse.

This is the stuff I'm thinking about in addition to my regular pull list.


STARMAN #81
Written by James Robinson
Art by Fernando Dagnino & Bill Sienkiewicz
Cover by Tony Harris
James Robinson revives his beloved STARMAN series for one more issue as a Black Lantern Starman haunts Opal City. Which Starman has returned and who can stop him from wreaking havoc on the city? Well, the Shade would rather just continue his date with Hope O’Dare, but if no one else can be bothered, what choice does he have but to investigate? Just don’t dare call him a Super Hero.
As the rest of the DC Universe is learning, defeating Black Lanterns isn’t easy – is this the final curtain call for the immortal Shade? Find out in another of this month’s one-issue revivals of classic DC Universe titles!
ONE SHOT • on sale January 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

I have all the original series where my love of Robinson began.

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #40
Written by Sam Kieth
Art and cover Sam Kieth
There’s a new killer prowling Gotham City preying on the homeless. Batman has his suspicions, but is his normally rational mind playing tricks on him? When The Caped Crusader finally meets his suspect face-to-face, he finds that the creature knows much more than he should. Prepare for a stunning 4-part storyline written and illustrated by fan favorite Sam Kieth!
On sale January 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

The recent Batman mini he did disappointed me but I'll get this because he is capable of genius.

JOE THE BARBARIAN #1
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Sean Murphy
Cover by Sean Murphy
Having an overactive imagination can get a kid through a lot, but it doesn’t change the facts: Joe’s still the kid in school that can’t fit in. He’s the victim of bullies. His dad died overseas in the Iraq war. And then there’s the Type 1 diabetes he has to live with.
So is it insulin-deprived delirium or something much, much bigger that transports Joe to a land inhabited by all his toys – from ninja commandos to action robots to magical knights to star fleet captains? Is Joe really the savior of this wild fantasyland that’s been held under siege by dark magic and evil forces? With the help of a samurai rodent, is he ready to take back besieged castles and win the freedom of an oppressed people? Or is he just an over imaginative boy who could die if he doesn’t take his meds?
White-hot writer Grant Morrison follows up his phenomenal BATMAN AND ROBIN with an epic adventure that’s Home Alone by way of Lord of the Rings accompanied with to-die-for art by future superstar Sean Murphy (YEAR ONE: BATMAN/SCARECROW, HELLBLAZER).
On sale January 20 • 1 of 8 • 32 pg, FC, $1.00 US • MATURE READERS

Morrison for a dollar. Whether I get the rest, not sure.

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Up

Cast
Edward Asner
Jordan Nagai
Christopher Plummer
John Ratzenberger
Delroy Lindo
Paul Eiding
Screenwriter
Bob Peterson
Directors
Pete Docter
Bob Peterson
Running Time
102 minutes

Up is a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. (Walt Disney Pictures)

So I've finally seen my first 3D movie or with this new kind of 3D anyway. The glasses were lighter than I expected and they fit, I often have trouble finding sunglasses that are large enough. Unfortunately the cinema kept some spotlights in the ceiling lit so I could see the reflections of my shoulders in the bottom of the lenses but apart from that the effect was impressive but overall I think it's a gimmick albeit an impressive one. You get proper colours unlike with red/blue 3D but it's still just adds up to 2 or 3 separated layers which is not how you see things in real life.

I had to contend with a volubly disinterested group in the audience however I would say the film was good but nothing like the reviews for it. Perhaps if I could see it again in peace I would find nuances I missed but depite some lovely parts the whole was too simple and overlong. The 3D really added very little to the experience other than novelty value.

Wednesday 7 October 2009

The Hurt Locker

Cast
Jeremy Renner
Anthony Mackie
Brian Geraghty
Guy Pearce
Ralph Fiennes
David Morse
Evangeline Lilly
Screenwriter
Mark Boal
Director
Kathryn Bigelow
Running Time
131 minutes

The Hurt Locker is an intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves as if he's indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James' true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever. (Summit Entertainment)

It was good but not as much as the 94% score of Metacritic, Generation Kill starts tonight on Channel 4 and this was like a single episode of that without the context given to it by the complete series.