NB of the Week

Green Arrow #7
The best part of this new Arrow relaunch is that they are finally just making him Robin Hood. After being revealed to the world as Ollie Queen (again...?) he has been cast out for the murder of Prometheus. They love him for what he's done but have to hold him accountable for murder like anyone else and their justice was to say that he can never come back to Star City. But things kinda worked out a little. After the devastation that ripped his city apart, Green Lantern had his Blackest Night shindig and in the explosion center of Star, there is now a mysterious star shaped forest where Arrow now hides from the law. He has since met a new stranger named Galahad (claiming to be that Galahad, yes) and teasers have shown other mystery figures coming at some point to be his "Merry Men". However, a lady his dad had a fling with is now taking over Star City using the name Queen and it's sending him in all kinds of angry directions. And thus we come to this issue.
After finding this new Queen had stolen his dead mother's wedding ring, he took it back and is soon visited by his dead mother. The cover calls her the "Lady of the Forest" but she disappears by the end so who knows if she will return. But her presence was direct. Olliver Queen must stop holding his past against himself. His guilt and his anger and his Lone-Gunman approach is all from guilt that he needn't carry around. As cliche as the premise might sound, it was an amazingly written issue with a very brash message for our angry hero. Great issue and I'm real excited for what things this book will bring next.

Shhhh! Don't Tell Anyone!

For the last few months or so, I have been sleeping like shit. My neck has been stiff and hurts to turn to the right. I wake up not being able to lift my right arm higher than my chest and my right wrist hurts to try to fully bend and sometimes hurts doing nothing. So with family in town, I decided to let my hippie sister give me some acupuncture (she is actually licensed and has a degree in Eastern Herbs and Medication or something). I think it's a bunch of voodoo nonsense. Or at least I thought.
After an hour and testing and checking my aura and chi and putting ten pins in me (1 in the left hand, 3 in the right hand, 2 in each foot, 1 a bit under my right knee and 1 in my neck) she said my channels should be more open and I should start feeling better and an hour after she took them all out, I do. My neck doesn't hurt and my right wrist popped for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long. I don't think it will ever cure my diabetes like she says it can but my body already feels better so I will take back most of what I have said about acupuncture. Just don't tell my family that. Cuz I still don't like hippies.

Spurs' Crowd Goes Silent

I try and follow what nba I can but mostly just have to watch Sportscenter every morning. Which is when I saw this one. JR Smith puts a real good quite over the audience...

NB of the Week

I gots two separate ones, for two separate reasons so here they are:

Moment of the Week - Ultimate Spider-Man #151
With all the hoopla that is surrounding Peter and May's house (they have living with them Johnny Storm and Bobby Drake since both the FF and the X-Men are disbanded and Gwen Stacey since her father died and that's while he was trying to juggle her and MJ and being Spider-Man....) Gwen actually bailed last issue and hasn't been seen since. Aunt May, loving and missing a girl who she has no idea where she is, drastically leaves her phone messages begging for her to come back. Which she surprisingly does. Telling May she went looking for her mother and finding out that she doesn't want her around any more, May responds with, "Well, then... she's a bitch."
Hells yeah Aunt May! You tell her how it is!

Book of the Week: Nemesis #4
After the huge success of Kick-Ass, Mark Millar and Marvel started Nemesis, a story they described has "Batman if he were Joker". Nemesis is a bad mother-villain who has a hate-on for everybody in a position of power. Dude just kills people. Kidnaps the president. Reveals extremely personal stuff of his security team's personal life to the media (gay son, pregnant under-aged daughter, the usual). Dude is just vicious. Issue four is the end of the first story and it's pretty awesome. I really want to get more into how it ends, but a movie is in the works and Tony Scott is set to direct and I would hate to ruin the surprise for whenever it actually comes out but it's good. Trust me.

Clif-Notes: The Fighter

The Fighter puts Mark Wahlber and Christian Bale in the very familiar seat of down-and-out boxer who gets the fight of a lifetime. Wahlberg plays Micky Ward who, after a streak of loses, decides it's time to leave his mother and brother and fight with his real potential. Christian Bale plays Micky's older brother, Dicky Eklund, who had his fifteen minutes years prior fighting Sugar Ray Leonard and is not a druggie and a has-been. The story was very unoriginal for me. If you've seen one boxing movie (or even just a sports movie in general) you get the same story. However, what brought this movie so high up for me was the acting. Wahlberg is a bit above his "Say hi to you're mother for me" self; good, but nothing amazing. However, Bale is quite a show and steals the movie from the main fight. Bale has shown he can be a really good method actor but this movie is his first one that showed me he is one of the top names. And once the credits begin, the real Dicky and Micky have a short clip and you can see just how dead-on Bale's portrayal actually is.
The story itself is almost forgettable but the acting throughout makes it a top notch movie. If you like yourself sports movies, see it. You even get to see Amy Adam's nipples....

Burn

As I shower the filth and and stench of movie-theater-failure off me, I was listening to the radio and on popped this song. Turns out it is Papa Roach and I will admit that I really dig it. Roach is very hit and miss with me but when they are good, I think they're really good. But here's Burn. Tell me how much you all hate how gay they look. Cuz they do.

Late NB of the Week

Uncanny X-Force #3
A few years ago, Marvel relaunched the 90's title of X-Force but with a new spin. After mutants became an endangered species again, Cyclops took it upon himself to make a black-ops team lead by Wolverine that will do whatever is necessary in order to help keep them alive, and not have it tied to the X-Men (because Wolverine is so incognito that nobody would connect him from the four teams he was on...). Once word got out that this team was indeed sanctioned by Cyclops, feelings were hurt and what have you and Cyclops decided to end it. And to his knowledge, it was. However, Wolverine liked the idea and figures that they still need this team to survive.
Thus the birth of the newer book, Uncanny X-Force. I decided to give it a shot thanks to he writer, and have been impressed every issue in. Joining Wolverine is Deadpool (cuz he has to be everywhere, though I actually do like him in this one), Fantomex, co-captain Archangel and Psylock (in an attempt to keep Angel's Horseman of Death persona from taking over completely). Their first mission? Apocalypse has been reborn and they have to kill him before it's too late. The problem? He is in the body of a child and does not fully reflect the ideas that Apocalypse is known for having. However, they believe he will at some point and who wouldn't kill Hitler as a child if they could, right?
This issue picks up with Apocalypse's newest Horsemen having "defeated" the team. We get brief histories of the four new baddies as they kinda just stand around and taunt X-Force, while Psylock and Fantomex (both have psychic abilities) slowly but surely weasel their way around their minds. After some small battles, the Horsemen take Psylock away to the lair to keep her out of range from her team, where Ozymandias (Apocalypse's right hand man) is preparing for their departure, thinking they have no reason to oblige Force in their mission. As the other members of Force finally get themselves in a position to do something, it's too late and the lair is gone. Only thing is, they have no idea that Psylock seems to have let herself get grabbed, leaving us with a last page of her entering Kid Apocalypse's room, her sword in hand.
Pretty much any book that can make Psylock a total bad-ass is awesome but writer Rick Remender has done the impossible. Has made me like three characters that I otherwise hated while making a damn good spy/espionage book. This team may just be the best X-team since Whedon was on Astonishing. I'm amazed at how great this book really is. If you wanna try a new X-book with a new flavor, grab what ya can of this one while it's still somewhat available.

Clif-Notes: Tron - Legacy

Damn awesome. Plain and simple. Legacy was a sequel that not only was able to build upon the mytho that the original started but it was also able to start it's own course, making the first one a little useless. I enjoyed almost everything about this movie. My only problem was with the 3D and it's the same problem I have with most 3D movies and that's that it was not necessary. It had great 3D parts and if you want to pay the extra for it, I would recommend it, but there was really no part that I felt made it a must for the extra dimension. Other then that, great movie. Front to back, awesome fun.
I even liked the techno beats that Daft Punk did. And I hate techno but it fit perfectly with the movie and it was a great choice (even though it may have been sort of a "no-brainer").

Enter the Ninja

As I brought up MSN just now, they had a link to what they thought were the 10 best songs of the
year and this was on there. I wish I were kidding but I am not. And it's near impossible to explain anything from this so here ya go. Die Antwoord's Enter the Ninja.
(Not gonna lie, this video kinda freaks me out)

Jersey Shore Sucks

Call it morbid curiosity of just being dumb and lazy but I just watched ten minutes of this piece of shit show and want my money back. Not only are they horrible people that should be put down for all our sakes but they are HORRIBLE PEOPLE THAT SHOULD BE PUT DOWN FOR ALL OUR SAKES!!
What I saw was one of the dudes and his lady were leaving a bar and another man and his girlfriend were heckling them. Jersey Guy's girl started lipping off to the dude and Jersey Guy, while yelling at her to shut up, pushes her away. She gets pissy and storms off crying cuz she "will never be touched like that by a man ever again!" leaving Jersey Guy to fight with the drunken heckler.
I got news for all you ladies out there: if you start shit, you had better be ready to finish shit. If you are getting me in a fight, you had better hope that all I do is push you away. For some reason women think that just because they are women, they are safe to do whatever they want to men. Bullshit. I hate violence against women, first off. There are way too many abused women who just stand and take it, for whatever reason and the men behind that should be beaten worse then these Jersey people. But if you run your mouth and are just in general a bitch, you may need to get hit. Sorry. That's just how I feel. Equality In Disrespect. That's my motto.
But I digress. Jersey Shore sucks and nobody should ever want to emulate these people in any way.

Trailer Watch - Thor

The "official" Thor trailer was released with Narnia this week and I'm pretty excited for it. I think it looks bad-ass while my luck says it will suck. The trailer is just the Con footage they showed, chopped down a bit but here it is. Sound off for or against it. I expect feelings to be hurt.

NB of the Week

The New Avengers #7
After Siege, Marvel saw a relaunch of all their Avengers books, giving us Avengers and New Avengers back along with two new book, Secret Avengers and Avengers Academy. While I think Secret Avengers has been the best overall of the lot, this issue may just be the best reading issue. After a lengthy battle with Strange's teacher Agamotto, the New Avengers are just sit around and figure shit out. And that's the whole issue. It's Bendis doing what Bendis does best and that's making conversations feel real. Whether it's an argument over if Stephen Strange will stay with the team or interviews trying to find a nanny for Jessica and Luke's baby (which went to Squirrel Girl even after Wolverine's heartfelt speech, "Ok... I'll do it."), Bendis makes this over-fabricated characters feel real with every work. Maybe the two best moments went to Spider-Man. At one point, they find out that Commander Steve Rogers and the government will be paying them for their work as Avengers (which also had a great fight between Jessica and Luke over whether they would take it or not). Spider-Man, not being handed a check, knows he's screwed once again. Without revealing his identity to the government, they have no way of writing him a check. His frustration is great. Maybe the best moment, though, comes when he finds out their new government liaison also use to be Norman Osborn's assistant when he was in charge. He refuses to be a part of a team that would have her, only to have team leader Luke Cage tell him that is Steve vouches for her, that should be good enough. When every one tends to agree with that, he is left with a feeling that we have all had:
"But you see my problem now, though, right?"
"...... What?"
"I stood up like I was going to leave full of righteous indignation and now I don't want to and to just sit back down... Feels a little embarrassing."
"Go ahead. No one was listening."
"Thank you."
Oh Spidey. Will you're adventures outside of your own, crappy book ever cease to impress me?

Clif-Notes: The Warrior's Way

I thought this movie was pretty awesome. Gonna be up-front with this. When I first saw a trailer, I was thinking that we may have another Ninja Assassin, which would be totally sweet cuz that movie may be one of the manliest movies ever. But I digress.
Warrior's Way tells the story of one clan's greatest assassin as he is on the run after refusing to kill the last member of their rival clan: a little baby. There is nothing about this movie that will make it millions upon millions at the box office or have it's name in every category for the Oscars but it's a great flick. Even Kate Bosworth was awesome. The plus of this movie was that I actually thought it was a great, very well told story. It actually reminded me of older samurai tales like Lone Wolf and Cub or even The Samurai Trilogy with Toshiro Mifune. I think the story goes right in hand with those. The Violence was pretty cool, though I expected more of it. The end battles were really awesome with a "strobe-light scene" that may even rival that from Kick-Ass.
I give this movie a great 8/10. Better than average but not quite at brilliant. Worth seeing. Twice.

S**t You Don't Know - 16

In 1994 in La Paz, Bolivia, Maria Vasquez lost her cool when customer Luis Gomez complained that he had observed her sneezing in his soup as she was serving it. The Waitress forced him to eat it at gunpoint.

To Help Explain

I made a reference to some one about Rocket Raccoon the other week and they didn't quite know who he was. I tried explaining but I think it wasn't really helping. In it, I also brought up the Guardians of the Galaxy and how he and Groot were the best of friends. So here they are. Rocket Raccoon and Groot.
(just don't pay attention to the shield. That's part of the story and it's not important to this)

Talent That's Not Mine

But I'll still bask in it. In case anyone thought my amazing skills were a fluke, here's a card my brother gave me. After doing sketch cards for the Terminator Salvation movie set, he's been doing some for Star Wars stuff. A few Clone Wars season sets and this one is from the Empire Strikes Back, 30th Anniversary set. I thought I would brag to y'all about getting it. Look his stuff up. Hayden Davis. You'll be surprised how close his talent levels are to mine.

Brain Tunes

Lord help me, I think the music that won't leave continues to get worse. I heard this song on VH1 one morning (I know. I was surprised to see that somebody still played music too) and I can't get it out. On the plus side, I actually think he has a good voice, mostly in the chorus, but at least it's not all bad. I actually think he has a weird connection in his voice like Michael Jackson had. Now, before you get mad, I'm not comparing him in the least in terms of having the power that Jackson had. But his voice is one that can hit all the pretty notes like the other crappy bubble-gum pop but I also think once that chorus hits he has a darker presence that also brings him a little above that. It's a weird thing that Jackson had and I think it's cool. But here is Bruno Mars. Proceed to make fun of me. I deserve it for this one.

NB of the Week

Daredevil #512
3/4 of the books today were involved in Shadowland somehow, with this one being the best. But since it followed the ending of Shadowland #5, I must, absolutely must recap what happened first:
-Daredevil became leader of The Hand, seeking to reform them into a force of good
-Daredevil killed Bullseye after he destroyed a city block, killing 107 innocent people
-Daredevil Builds his fortress, Shadowland, on that same city block and starts waging war on most everyone. He appears much colder and more brutal than ever.
-Turns out he has been taken over by The Beast. An ancient demon who is Lord of the Hand.
-Daredevil's friends have tried to reason with him, to stop his reign of terror, but nothing is working.
-Iron Fist is able to hit him with a chi blast, connecting him to what is left of Matt Murdock in Murdock's body
-Through fear and self doubt, Murdock truly becomes a Man Without Fear, "killing" himself in his soul.
-Murdock's body goes missing
-All his friends are left wondering what happens now
-Kingpin takes over The Hand
Sadly, this is probably the quickest and smallest recap you will ever see from me. But now into Daredevil...
For reasons nobody understands, Shadowland still stands in the middle of Hell's Kitchen. "Ninja stuff" is all anybody knows about it. As the city tries to begin repairing the damage and figure out what to do, a warrant is issued for the arrest of Matthew Michael Murdock for being the cause of it all. That is, if they can find him and if they can prove it. More over, Foggy and Becky (Murdock's law partners) part ways as she refuses to forgive Matt for this. She tells Foggy it's time to stop carrying him and start his own, solo firm. Foggy stays behind, not wanting to leave his best friend in this time of need, but not certain it would do any good if he does. Even more over, Cage and Iron Fist patrol the "unprotected" streets, looking for DD. Just when they think they have found him, it turns out it's actually Black Panther, claiming Hell's Kitchen is now his neighborhood and that they should "spread the word" (which is my least favorite part. DD Reborn is a coming mini but the book Daredevil changes to Black Panther: Man Without Fear. Because Marvel needs two books out there with a Black Panther in it, even if the other one is his sister. Bullshit.). And as everyone is left with questions wondering what will happen to to HK and Daredevil, we are left with Murdock doing his best Bill Bixby impersonation, walking down a desolate road with his knapsack over his shoulder, traveling "Down a long and lonely road, paved with good intentions."
Overall, Shadowland felt a little rushed and like some things were left out for time and spacing but through it all, the DD title tie-ins were great character stuff and this one was a great close-off to everything. I have no interest in the BP Man Without Fear crap, but am really intrigued with DD Reborn to see what kind of Hell Matt puts himself through in order to find what he will consider redemption. Great stuff and worth the read, even if it felt sloppy at points.

What Does It Mean?

I found myself listening to Disney music today and I came across some realizations that confound me. First, why are all the good songs the ones by the female characters? And why are those the ones I know the most? Sure we have Go The Distance from Hercules and I"ll Make A Man Out Of You from Mulan but that's really it. Other than that we have... what? Hakuna Matata? I Just Can't Wait To Be King? Disney is known for their princesses so I suppose I can't really be too surprised. It's just weird for me to sing lines like "who is that girl I see, staring strait back at me" and "bet ya on land, they understand that you don't reprimand their daughters. Bright young women, sick of swimming".
But the biggest problem that came to me was that I was trying to decide on whether Part Of Your World or A Whole New World was the better song. That's when things hit me. That's when I realized that there is a reason I am single and in my parents basement. I just do too many things that scare people away...