Wednesday 25 July 2012

The Dark Knight Rises

Cast
Christian Bale
Tom Hardy
Anne Hathaway
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Marion Cotillard
Tom Conti
Matthew Modine
Gary Oldman
Michael Caine
Morgan Freeman
Screenwriters
Jonathan Nolan
Christopher Nolan
Director
Christopher Nolan
Running Time
164 minutes

It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

It tried to do too many things without giving enough time to explore each one. Also the violence happening just out of frame didn't help matters. It was alright but given my level of expectation I was disappointed.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

October Comics

CBR has the new DC, Dark Horse, Marvel and Image solicitations for October.

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




CYBER FORCE #1 – GEM OF THE MONTH
story MARC SILVESTRI & MATT HAWKINS
art KHOI PHAM & SUNNY GHO
cover MARC SILVESTRI
OCTOBER 3
32 PAGES / FC / T+
FREE
TOP COW’S TOP-SELLING SERIES RETURNS IN A GROUND-BREAKING WAY!
Top Cow celebrates its 20th anniversary with the return of the series that started it all: CYBER FORCE! Top Cow founder MARC SILVESTRI (THE DARKNESS, INCREDIBLE HULK) returns to his first Image series as co-writer, art director and cover artist! Co-writer MATT HAWKINS (THINK TANK, LADY PENDRAGON) and artist KHOI PHAM (MIGHTY AVENGERS, DAREDEVIL) join SILVESTRI to bring you a contemporary re-imagining rooted in cutting edge, real world technology.
Carin Taylor, codenamed Velocity, has escaped from the CDI-controlled Millennium City and is desperately trying to find the one man she believes can help her prevent the end of the world. When she runs a group of other CDI escapees, will they help her… or turn their backs?
Not content in pushing the envelope just in terms of story and art, Top Cow will be the first major US comic publisher to launch one of their biggest properties with top tier creators concurrently for both the traditional print market and exploding worldwide digital market for FREE. That’s right: Thanks to the support of fans through Kickstarter and participating comic shops, you can get the first FIVE issues of CYBER FORCE at no cost.

Hey it's free!



HALLOWEEN EVE (one-shot)
story BRANDON MONTCLARE
art / cover AMY REEDER
variant cover AMY REEDER
OCTOBER 10
40 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99
Eve has an imagination that’s more than active – it can be downright dangerous! Working late at the costume super-store Halloween Land, she gets lost in her own thoughts until something goes bump in the night. The rubber masks and plastic novelties are coming to life, and Eve must face ghosts, goblins, and gorilla suits made real.
High fantasy and heartbreak in an oversized holiday one-shot by BRANDON MONTCLARE (FEAR ITSELF: FEARSOME FOUR) and Eisner Award nominee AMY REEDER (BATWOMAN, MADAME XANADU).

Big fan of Amy Reeder.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

The Hunter

Cast
Willem Dafoe
Frances O'Connor
Sam Neill
Sullivan Stapleton
Morgana Davies
Screenwriter
Alice Addison
Director
Daniel Nettheim
Running Time
101 minutes

The Hunter is the story of Martin, a skilled and ruthless mercenary sent into the Tasmanian wilderness on a hunt for a tiger believed to be extinct. Hired by an anonymous company that wants the tiger's genetic material, Martin arrives in Tasmania posing as a scientist. He proceeds to set up base camp at a broken-down farmhouse, where he stays with a family whose father has gone missing. Usually a loner, Martin becomes increasingly close to the family; however, as his attachment to the family grows, Martin is led down a path of unforeseen dangers, complicating his deadly mission. (Magnolia Pictures)

Engrossing but didn't really go anywhere.

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Magic Mike

Cast
Channing Tatum
Alex Pettyfer
Cody Horn
Matthew McConaughey
Matt Bomer
Olivia Munn
Kevin Nash
Joe Manganiello
Screenwriter
Reid Carolin
Director
Steven Soderbergh
Running Time
110 minutes

Set in the world of male strippers, "Magic Mike" follows Mike as he takes a young dancer called The Kid under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

An entertaining and well told story.

Wednesday 4 July 2012

The Amazing Spider-Man

Cast
Andrew Garfield
Emma Stone
Rhys Ifans
Denis Leary
Campbell Scott
Sally Field
Martin Sheen
Screenwriters
James Vanderbilt
Alvin Sargent
Steve Kloves
Director
Marc Webb
Running Time
136 minutes

The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker, an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy, and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero. (Columbia Pictures)

First off the whole crane thing was ridiculous but the film was fine overall although the end fight kind of bored me.