Dread

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Everything posted by Dread

  1. Taxi Driver: youngest wants to start watching some Scorsese movies, so the only two I had in physical media was this and Casino. Someone else has my Goodfellas and Raging Bull discs...We chose this because of the runtime, but Casino is a movie I enjoy a lot more. the laconic 70s style really threw him. The bleakness of the end turning into a little bit of vindication and heroism really shook him. "What was that movie even about?" Me: welcome to nihilism. Features: 59 Shorts: Documentaries: 6 Rewatches: 4
  2. Eat the Rich #3: honestly, this idea is good (if obvious) but this approach to it is very unique. It isn't driving me wild, but I'm glad it exists. Maw #2: still really solid Phoenix Song Echo #1: hahahahahahahahahahaeahaha....fuck no. Refrigerator Full of Heads #1: hell yeah. SHAZAM! #4: great little mini. Suicide Squad #8: oh good, Ambush Bug is leaving. Deadly Class vols 10-12: helluva way to end it. Great series overall. There's a bit of a lull, but this is still the comic book that has made me laugh out loud the hardest. It will always hold a special place in my heart. It's funny; the "special school for [wizards, assassin's, etc.] trope" is so overdone now. I really don't want to see it for a long time. Captain America Epic Collection Society of Serpents: finally got my hands on the first of this series in the Gruenwald Cap run. Great to see the last few issues of Mike Carlin's run for context as a meeting with Captain Britain turned into a battle with Modred the Mystic seems like it's not the kind of Captain America Comics that people want to read. Cue Gruenwald. Fuck, man. He moves from editor to writer and kills it from issue one. In his first issue he creates Madcap (one of my favourite weird Marvel characters_, redeems Armadillo, creates the Society of Serpents which will be a dominant villainous force in the Marvel Universe for years. Good shit. Contest of Champions: this is the oversized hardcover. What a fucking mess of a series that was. Could easily do a podcast about it. It was a cool first example of a crossover where EVERYONE shows up. Great idea with the international angle to give obscure characters like Shamrock and Peregrine something to do in continuity. Don't get me wrong, it's got a great writing team (Gruenwald again! with Defalco and Mantlo) and young John Romita Jr.'s pencils with Pablo Marcos' inks? *chef's kiss. Problem: Like JLA/Avengers and a million other event stories (shit even the battle with the Imperial Guard in the Dark Phoenix saga has the same pacing), the setup is heroes getting bunched into groups and having to complete tasks or battle each other. In this case, battle each other. The problem is, they attribute the win to the wrong "team." They fucked the whole thing up. Years later, editor Gruenwald got the opportunity to fix their mistake in a pair of Avengers/West Coast Avengers Annuals, in a really cool way. Those annuals are included in this collection. The United States of Captain America #5: as a fun harmless little miniseries, this was ok. As a new direction forward for the men who've called themselves Captain America over the last thirty years? not very good. Still, the miniseries was fun, it just did not stick the landing. Willy's Wonderland #1: nawww dog. Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #1: couldn't be more disinterested. Detective Comics Annual #7: from 1994. Pirate Batman. It ain't great. Flash Annual #7: from 1994. Talk about a great cover. Flash of this era and a couple years before had some great fucking covers. Unfortunately, the story is pretty ridiculous. Issues: 631 Trades: 10 Omnibus: 4 Graphic Novel: 4
  3. 3 episodes in and Picard fucking rules. This is peak Trek.
  4. Firepower #16: this is still really good. Martial arts comics are hard to do. This does it well. Justice League Infinity #4: this is nuts. Last Book You'll Ever Read #3: Ok, I think this story is moving too fast. Read the first 2 issues and then this one and try not to think it just jumped into overdrive for almost no reason. Lucky Devil #3: I'm digging this. Out #1: ok, I'm in. Red Sonja #2: Y'know, I'd love to read a Red Sonja comic with art by Mirka Andolfo, but not one they wrote. Pass. Savage Avengers #25: Fuck, this is so goddamn good. The Cimmerian: Beyond the Black River #1: this was a very faithful adaptation. Just read this novella. Very cinematic approach here.. I dig it. The Nice House on the Lake #5: this is fucking nuts. I love it. Sort of like Lost if they'd done it on Showtime. We Have Demons #1: More fun than I'd expected. Batman: The Impostor #1: this gave off BIG Gotham Central vibes. Kind of like GC meets Year One set in Year Three. Rated R. Black Hammer Reborn #4: Great issue. Deadbox #2: not the second issue I would have written. Blue and Gold #3: I posit that this 8issue miniseries could easily have been a five issue miniseries just based on reading the first three. Eternals Forever #1: noooope Gamma Flight #5: great ending. He Who Fights With Monsters #2: I wouldn't follow up a first issue that is entirely a tension-building thriller with the most boring thing you'll ever read, but that's just me. I'm out. Iron Man #13: Still crazy and good. Justice League Last Ride #6: This is not a good series. The art isn't very good. The story is clunky. It's sort of been that way throughout. King the Conqueror #3: this was solid. Good Marvel time shit. Mazebook #2: Great issue! I'm in! Ninjak #4: cute ending. Still straddling the fence on this mini. Telepaths #2: great issue. Fantastic second issue in particular. Symbiote Spider-Man Crossroads #4: so much fun. The Army of Darkness 1979 #2: Yeah, no one needs this. The Darkhold Iron Man #1: I get it. It's a two issue event with a bunch of one shots based on the Darkhold Evil Avengers or whatever? A body horror Iron Man? Ok. It's good. The Joker #8: I'm actually interested in Lady Bane now. Is her name Vengeance? I don't know. The Unbelievable Unteens #3: this is great. Might be my favourite Black Hammer Universe thing. Which is saying a lot. Titans United #2: ok, I'm down. Vampiverse #2: this is so fcuking stupid, but I love the ballsiness of it. World of Darkness: Crimson Thaw #1: ok, this is fucking rad. Black Manta #2: the art in this is very much Phil Hester-ish which is right up my alley but I can't give a shit. Green Lantern #7: fuck man, give me Tom Raney art all day. Night of the Ghoul #1: this is fun. Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla. That's a banger lineup and they pay it off. Death of Doctor Strange #2: this was a lot of fun. Blacksad: They All Fall Down Part 1: I'm probably not in the mood for this. Maybe I'll grab the trade. Issues: 620 Trades: 6 Omnibus: 3 Graphic Novel: 4
  5. Ok, everything I've seen about Picard boils down to: season three is the only one worth your time OR one and three are good. That second opinion I've only seen once, but I agree with it. At least the season one part. Season one rules. Season two is some of the dumbest shit I've ever seen. But I didn't think that until about halfway through the season. Starting three tonight. Dead Ringers on Prime is compelling, but I find it a little bit...flat. Not sure how else to say it.
  6. The Flash: counterpoint: this is far better than any movie with this many reshoots and rewrites should ever be. It's heartfelt, fun and shows the massive power of DC characters incredibly well. A little bit of hinky CGI and Supergirl isn't a character but rather a plot device. Honestly, the opening with Batfleck in the blue cowl was enough to make this awesome to me. Best superhero movie in a long time. edit: further thoughts: Keaton was fucking awesome to see in and out of the suit again. The scene with the babies is one of the most delightfully INSANE things I have ever seen in a movie, and I adored every second of it. Also, it has an ending. Features: 58 Shorts: Documentaries: 6 Rewatches: 4
  7. Finished TNG last night. Man season 7 is a real stinker overall. 3-6 have far fewer lame episodes per season, and now I'm thinking maybe I should go back to seasons 1 and 2. But I also started Star Trek: Picard last night and three episodes in it's rad. I love that it isn't so much a Star Trek story as it is a story set within the Star Trek universe. I am expecting that to change by the end, but it's a fun and nice switch from the typical Trek. Basically, I needed NOTHING from TNG to understand what is going on in Picard. It seems to be playing on things that happened since the end of TNG. Is this movie stuff or is it just made up for the show? We're all caught up on The Crowded Room too. Really well done 70s-set series. Tom Holland's American accent bugs the hell out of me. It's the same one he uses as Spider-Man. It's one of those sounds that my damaged ears can't quite pick up. Other than that, I love it. I want a lot more of Amanda Seyfreid in EVERYTHING please.
  8. Blood Creek: rewatch before recording Features: 57 Shorts: Documentaries: 6 Rewatches: 4
  9. I would argue that Empire has an ending. This film does not.
  10. All caught up on Platonic on Apple TV. I really like Rose Byrne. She makes Seth Rogen entirely tolerable. Didn't mention that I finished Severance. Fucking crazy. Just about done with season 6 of TNG now.
  11. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Jeff Strand told me to watch the movie before I read his novelization, so I did. This movie is surprisingly funny. I laughed throughout. There's a crazy real helicopter crash in the opening minutes of the movie and then the rest sort of proceeds like a loose plot delivered more like a sketch show pacing. I can't wait to see how he turned this into a novel. Haha! Features: 57 Shorts: Documentaries: 6 Rewatches: 3
  12. Shit, I've definitely missed some, but just in the past two days: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: this one had a lot more of the different animation styles side by side and it did it beautifully. The writing is good, for the runtime of what we are given. I loved that we saw Spider-Gwen's story (a character I don't like in the comics but love in these movies) and the drumming thing in the intro was one of the coolest things I've seen in a movie in a long fucking time. That all said, this should have had a "Part 1" attached to the title. Otherwise, it's a bad look to do To Be Continued after 2 hours and 20 minutes of a kids' movie. I loved what I saw, but I walked out pissed off. Knock at the Cabin: marketing issues aside (and they are big issues), I thought this was awesome. Dave Bautista was actually incredible in this. So was the little girl, and both of the dads. Great acting. The movie is damn near note for note perfect as an adaptation. I see why Shyamalan went with a different ending than the book, but I don't like his ending. Still, this is a banger. Features: 56 Shorts: Documentaries: 6 Rewatches: 3
  13. Deadbox #1: this is a really interesting premise, but I'ma little leery of the execution. I'll give it another. Defenders #2: this is fucking wild and fun. Deadpool: Black White & Blood #2: not as good as the first, but still pretty good. Eve #5: didn't really stick the landing, but I sort of saw that coming anyway. Extreme Carnage Toxin #2: the last two of these could ave been one issue. Green Lantern #6: pretty wild shit going on in the GL book. Green Lantern 2021 Annual #1: see above. Justice League infinity #3: interesting. Using the team and the framework and the art style of the animated series and telling a story that series would NEVER tell. Infinite Frontier #6: crazy. Last Book You'll Ever Read #2: still good. Lost Falls #2: ehhh...I think I'm out. Mazebook #1: intrigued. Savage Avengers #24: they tease a last page appearance of "most unexpected Marvel superstar of the month" and, let me tell you, it is far from unexpected. Love this series though. Search for Hu #1: this is fucking rad. Just off the tali of watching a bunch of Jackie Chan, I read this. Awesome. Suicide Squad #7: I'm mostly liking this, but Ambush Bug I've always found to be a little much. Suicide Squad Get Joker! #2: rad Suicide Squad 2021 Annual #1: this was also good. The Army of Darkness 1979 #1: Ok, this is AoD if Ash went back to 1979 instead of medieval times. Not as exciting or cool. Just an excuse to put Ash from Evil Dead into The Warriors. Dumb. The Nice House on the Lake #4: crazy ending for an issue that was not really anywhere near an issue's worth of story. The Unbelievable Unteens #2: this is good. Black's Myth #3: ok, I'm done with this. Eternals Thanos Rises #1: boring Extreme Carnage Agony #1: oh, ok, this is nuts. Fantastic Four life Story #4: lovely Hellboy and the BPRD Family Ties: this was a decent one-and-done. Godzilla Rivals vs. Mothra: ugh...barely readable. Iron Man #12: this is a great series and issue. Justice League Last Ride #5: excellent. Kang the Conqueror #2: ok, this is really fun. Maw #1: I'm in. This is wild. Ninjak #3: It's a dichotomy. I really don't like the style of the art, but I recognize that the storytelling of the art is 100%. I like it, but it's a nagging thought. Primordial #1: this was fucking wild. Ok, I'll do more. Rorschach #12: it took twelve issues, but they finally made a nice, breezy issue. Seeing Red #1: I'll pass. The Invincible Red Sonja #4: This was pretty good. The Last Annihilation: Wakanda #1: what the hell is happening? Wakanda is an interplanetary empire now? So confused... The Joker #7: this is still awesome,e. I'm still not reading the backup. The Mighty Valkyries #5: decent ending. Vampiverse #1: weird, but I guess everyone has to get in on the multiverse these days. Titans United #1: This was intriguing. Aquaman The Becoming #1: Bored to tears. Not for me. Bunny Mask #4: this was so good and such a nice surprise out of nowhere. Babyteeth #20: they stuck the landing. Hell yeah. Black Hammer: Visions #8: contender for best issue of these yet. Death of Doctor Strange #1: Great start. Dark Blood #3: for a third issue of 5? This is way too slow. I'm out. Eat The Rich #2: this is really good. DIE!namite Lives! #4: crazy First Degree: A Crime Anthology: it's a mixed bag. The art is pretty great, but some of the stories are ho-hum. Good stuff overall from Humanoids. Frontiersman #1: really enjoyed the art and the premise, but the story didn't quite do it for me. Amazing Fantasy #3: man, this was way more enjoyable before the three storylines collided. Checkmate #4: fucking great Gamma Flight #4: Also pretty great. He Who Fights With Monsters #1: this was good, but the story felt pretty padded. I'll give it one more before I decide on it. Moon knight #3: this got really good. Phantom Starkiller #1: Man, this is basically a pitch for a Super 7 ReAction Figure. The dude was a nigh-invulnerable ultra badass bounty Hunter before he became an undead completely unstoppable force. Not a great premise for a protagonist. Looked cool. But that's it. The world doesn't need Crimson Ghost meets Darth Vader. Radiant Black #8: still really fun Red Room #4: came pretty full circle. Piskor has got balls. I'll give him that. Something is Killing the Children #20: still so good Shazam! #3: this got really cool. Symbiote Spider-Man Crossroads #3: I'm so confused about this comic book, but I'm also really enjoying it. That Texas Blood #10: Great issue The united States of Captain America #4: The worst issue of the run, but it kind of needed one. Vinyl #4: man...I don't know. X-Men Onslaught Revelation #1: Fuck this. X-Men Legends #7: not what I would have wanted in a Larry Hama return to Wolverine, but I'll finish the story. X-Men #3: I'm out. Impenetrable. Stupid. There is a factory dedicated to bringing mutants back to life repeatedly. Nothing means anything anymore. I'll come back when there's a sea change (read: writer/editorial change). Embarrassingly bad comics. Probably not a popular opinion, but man...they turned the X-Men to shit. Batman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham #1: nahhh...I'm good. Crossover #8: this is a weird get back on track issue Deathstroke Inc. #1: this was good enough for a second issue. Just. Human Remains #1: ok, this is nuts. I'm in. Extreme Carnage Omega #1: great ending. The symbiotic shit is just plain ruling these past couple years. Inferno #1: another X-no. Superman '78 #1: Again, it works if the subjects actually look like their counterparts. Without that, the fun just isn't there. The Darkhold Alpha: Dope. The Golem Walks Among Us! #2: this was awesome. A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance #1: a Vancouver-set story that has heavy Korean thriller vibes. I'm down.Winter Guard #2: solid Chicken Devil #1: this is also nuts. Fantastic! Dark Ages #2: this was...fine, I guess. A real step down from issue one. Not sure if I'll read more. DC Horror Presents Soul Plumber #1: I didn't know this was by the Last podcast on the Left guys. It was a pretty solid first issue. 90s Ennis vibes here. Deadpool Black White and Blood #3: the worst of the issues so far, but still pretty good. Defenders #3: god, this fucking rules. Dirtbag Rapture #1: not gonna lie, almost quit reading, but by the end I'm intrigued enough for another. Eternals Celestia #1: better than the previous Eternals stuff. Dracula Vlad the Impaler: this trade collects the three issue Roy Thomas/Esteban Maroto miniseries telling the "historical" story of Vlad Tepes with a little historical and supernatural flourish. Really beautiful in black and white. Issues: 584 Trades: 6 Omnibus: 3 Graphic Novel: 4
  14. I recently started rewatching TNG at season 3 and have breached season 5. It's pretty excellent overall. There are a couple dumb episodes (mostly weird romantic shit with Crusher/Troi [boy this series really had problems with their female characters] that doesn't mean much) but, I'm enjoying it. I have also recently snagged the steelbooks of the Original Series, so I guess those are next. I also landed the movie collection so I may do those first. I'm rewatching TNG to check out Picard, as I don't think I ever finished TNG. I just floated over to DS9 because it was so much better to me at the time. I've only seen the first four original films (still not sure about 3), Generations and Nemesis of the TNG movies. So I'm intrigued to watch them all in order at some point.
  15. I think I mostly came down in agreement with Mike. I still havent seen Solo or the third one of the new ones. I don't plan to either, but Rogue One is the best by a huge margin for me.
  16. Antman Wasp Quantumania: I thought this was upper tier Marvel. Still took two sessions to watch it. Probably 20 minutes too long. Interesting to see how they're going to play this now that they have a decent villain, but the actor is a piece of shit. Features: 54 Shorts: Documentaries: 6 Rewatches: 3
  17. Godfather II (easily) Hot Fuzz (just barely) The Thing (easily)
  18. Honestly, we all wish there were actual Christians to shut down people like her in real life, but here we are.
  19. Because I'm pathological, I decided I can't start Picard, because I never finished TNG. So, starting with season 3 because I'm not a fucking masochist, I'm doing a rewatch. Finished 3 and started 4 last night with the two-part Best of Both Worlds. This show is firing on almost all cylinders. Out of all the episodes (26!) I think there's only three I outright didn't like. Seeing it in HD is funny because the effects look quite good, but Data's makeup is often uneven. I may watch the DS9 pilot again just to fully integrate this moment into the "Picard is a real asshole" realm.
  20. Police Story/ Police Story 2: since I was incapable of reading for several days, I knew the healing powers of Jackie Chan so I watched these. They're both fucking great and full of amazing action better than damn near anything you will ever see in the western hemisphere. And they're funny. Hard to pick which one I like more, but I think I might go with 2. The first one feels more about set-pieces while 2 has a more definitive story. Supercop (PS 3) isn't streaming anywhere, but I need to get my hands on that blu ray. The Call: this is from about 20 years ago. Halle Berry plays a traumatized 911 dispatcher helping Abigail Breslin who has been kidnapped by a dangerous man (Michael Eklund) and is in his trunk for a good portion of the movie. It's tropey and dumb and not as good as the similar one from last year with Jake Gyllenhaal, but it was still decent. Features: 53 Shorts: Documentaries: 6 Rewatches: 3
  21. Thanks. I'm better today. Just a little wiped out. Some coughing, some sniffles. Thank god the brain fog is mostly gone. Man, I did not enjoy that at all.
  22. New Barry ruled. Binged all of The History of Swear Words on Netflix featuring the delightfully ridiculous hosting of one Nicolas Cage. Fun. And informative!
  23. Well, it finally happened. I woke up with Covid 19. Since it is mild, I was all like "I can catch up on writing, and maybe read another chunk of that Joe Lansdale book. But, sadly, my brain doesn't work for reading right now. This shit is no joke. All visual media for me!!!! Count Me In: a great documentary about drumming in popular music. Sinister Squad: I think I posted the announcement for this movie in the thread about Suicide Squad (the first one). It's like Zenescope comics version of Suicide Squad, the baddies are all fairy tale villains. Review forthcoming. Riding the Bullet: never got around d to watching this when it came out. It never really gets going for me. Mick Garris calls it his most personal and best film, but I can't see it. Spoonful of Sugar/Speak No Evil: reviews forthcoming. These were from earlier in the week, so I can't blamee Covid for forgetting to log them. Features: 50 Shorts: Documentaries: 6 Rewatches: 3
  24. Blood Creek: been meaning to watch this forever, It was good. Review forthcoming Features: 46 Shorts: Documentaries: 5 Rewatches: 3