I Hate This Kid

I hate this kid.

New Superman

Word is coming in that Brit man Henry Cavill has signed on to play the lead role in the new Superman flick which is also reportedly being called Man of Steel. I recognize this dude's face from Stardust but I didn't really remember him, nor do I watch The Tudors but he is the "lead role" in Tarsem's (The Cell and The Fall) Immortals which is suppose to be out this year. I dig how the guy looks. Not sure it's the perfect Super/Clark look but with Zack Snyder directing and Chris Nolan behind the scenes (including this casting), he should be amazing. What you peeps say? Do we have a winner?

It's Not You, It's Me...

Why do people say this? I was trying to ignore some "hot dudes from Vampire Diaries" talk tonight and I started thinking of this. It may just be the worst rejection possible. I would like to know why it's used. Tell me I'm ugly or that you find me rude and obnoxious or that you don't think I'm good enough for you but not this. To me, this is just saying that you like everything about me, but you still don't like me. Which makes no sense and is infuriating.
"Awesome. I'm smart, funny and handsome but I'm still not right. That helps."
Just say it. I get that it's the polite way to turn someone down and that you may not want to hurt their feelings but it's also false hope. Because it really is something about them. But maybe that's just me. I do tend to over-analyze a lot of things.
Which would be a good reason to not want to be with me. That and my diabetes.

The IT Crowd Saves The Day

As I turned on my computer today, I got a nice black screen with a bunch of "Boot Failure" words written all over it, asking me to insert my program disk and try again.
Ballocks.
My computer is broken. Again. And as I sat here, thinking whether I should call my computer nerd friend Aaron, I remembered the great advice that good ol' Roy and Moss taught.
I turned it off and on again.
Problem solved. Booted up just fine this time around. Thank you funny British tv show. Your quirk and wit have put me ahead of the game.

NB of the Week

Uncanny X-Force #4
I think it may go without saying that FF 587 was really the best comic of the week but because I already ranted and raved about it, I didn't want to list another post that said "See Yesterday's Post" so I'm not allowing it to be nominated for this week's NB.
Instead we get back to Uncanny X-Force. If you were actually paying attention, you'll remember that issue 3 was NB in it's week also, as it left Psylock alone in the room with Child Apocalypse. This issue ends the current story as we finally get the decision to kill or not to kill CA. Most of the issue is the other teammates making their way to Psylock and that room. We get some pretty funny parts with Deadpool trying to nurture Archangel back to life (by knifing off bits of his flesh to feed to him...) and some witty banter between Fantomex and Wolverine as they slice and shoot their way in. Opena's art is amazing as usual. He has a very refined grittiness to it that fits the dark tone of the book perfectly and it's really meant to be on a character like Archangel. As everyone converges on Psylock and the child, we find that she was not intent on killing him as the last page of the last issue suggested. Instead she makes the claim that killing a child for a future he hasn't created yet is no better then what he would do if that future actually happens. Her and Archangel fight over this for a little, with her being stopped by Wolverine as he agrees with her.

"We'll bring the boy back. Rehabilitate him. Train him best we can to--"

But he is cut off by a loud "BLAM". They turn to see Fantomex standing with a smoking gun, the child dead on the ground with a bullet hole in his forehead. As the ship begins to explode, they make the teleport off, Fantomex leaving last so he can close the child's eyes before everything is gone and we are left with a silent last page as everyone just looks lost in the decision that he just made.
Rick Remender is brilliant on this book. His dark writing fits the characters better then most books out there and yet he does it with an emotion that connects you. The last page was amazing collaboration between writing and art as you are left knowing that the right choice was made but also knowing that it's choice that nobody really wanted. If you don't know who Rick Remender is, this may be the perfect comic to read and with only four issues in and a trade looming in the distance, it won't be hard to get.

Clif-Notes: Fantastic Four #587

For months now, writer Jonathan Hickman has told us that we would be losing a member of the FF and the issue is finally upon us. To hype sales and get promotion and whatever you wanna call it, the issue was released today instead of tomorrow (cuz that makes a lot of sense...). I've really been enjoying Hickman's run and was excited to read this issue. In case you have been reading this book without me knowing, I will warn you of the spoilers. Don't read past this picture if you care.
With a sad texting face sent out, we find out why this issue was titled, wait for it....




















The Last Stand of Johnny Storm.
With all the members in some sort of death-peril, Johnny seemed most likely to begin with (Ben was a member of the New Avengers now and both Sue and Reed have had "deaths" before) but it was still in the air. Reed was trying his best to evacuate everyone off of Nu-World before Galactus destroyed it, Sue was caught in the middle of a power-struggle between Namor's Atlantis and the Tribes of Old Atlantis, and Johnny and Ben were trying to stop Annihilus' army from invading Earth (again). First, Reed succeeds. No problem there. Then, after Namor killed Old Atlantis' king, Sue was named their new ruler (for longer reasons then need explain). Which left either Johnny or Ben. The two along with Franklin Richards fight off the hoard as the brainy kids that have been hanging around try to solve the problem. Franklin now has his powers back, Ben is human again for a while and Johnny is Johnny. After deciding their best chance was to blow everything up, they come to the sad conclusion that the only way to do that is for someone to stay behind while they also keep the army from stopping it. Mr. Grimm is happy to volunteer. After being human he tells Johnny,
"Because of you, I just had one of the best weeks of my life... No way I go out owin' you."
As everyone heads back through the portal, Johnny goes behind Ben and throws him through the door, sealing it behind him. As Reed's daughter Val tells Johnny how to activate it, Ben actually starts changing back into the Thing, pounding on the door, hoping that it's not too late to trade him spots. With a sad look in their eyes, Ben and Johnny press their hands together over the door like it's a prison visit. Johnny then turns towards the army of insect soldiers coming at him.
"So this is it. A billion to one... You think I'm afraid of that? You Think I'm Afraid of That?! FLAME ON!"
And with that, We are left with a tear from Ben's eye as he, Val and Franklin fall into each others arms and the doorway fully closes behind them.
Say what you will about me, but this scene brought chills to me. Hickman has been great on this title and Johnny went out like the true hero he always tried to hide. No fame. No fortune. No ladies. Just doing whatever you can to protect the ones you love. Brilliant writing and great "death", even if he is just gonna come back in a year.
If you want a great comic and have been missing some good FF, read this. You won't be disappointed.

Here Ya Go, Adam

I will download this song as soon as I can, but here's the video and song for Jay Chou's Nunchucks

Clif-Notes: The Green Hornet

I hopped over to the theater this morning to check out Green Hornet. Hornet tells the story of Britt Reid as he comes to deal with the death of his media-mogul father by donning a suit and a mask with his man-servant Kato and fight crime by causing crime. Which probably makes more sense when I'm not explaining it.
First off, I was very skeptical about Seth Rogen writing and staring in this. He doesn't really strike me as the action kinda guy. However, he put a lot of time and work into this movie, including losing 30 pounds for it so he at least has my respect for his dedication.
And that was really my only worry and it actually played out pretty well. This was a really fun movie. Yes it had cheese writing at point. Yes it had less-than-stellar acting in scenes. I didn't care. It's not an amazing movie and I can't say you should run out. If somebody hated it, I could actually see them having a valid reason. But not I. Awesome, fun flick. Far from the best thing ever but very average and very good.

Clif-Notes: Gantz the Movie

Back in 2005 I found a "cheap" anime dvd at Wal-Mart that had a really cool sounding premise. After being killed, some people are pulled into a game by a black sphere called Gantz. Giving them suits to enhance their physical attributes, they are told to go hunt aliens and monsters. If you can survive, you are awarded point. If you reach 100 points, you can chose to take your life back. Even though it had a pretty slow start, I stayed with it and has pleasantly pleased by the end.
So you should be able to understand how happy I was when the theater had a special, live premiere of the first movie. 333 theaters across America had a premiere a week before it opened in Japan! How awesome is that? And the movie was totally awesome too! I'm definitely gonna have to go back and watch the cartoon cuz I'm completely excited by it again. If you like weird foreign movies, it's worth getting into. If you like anime, it's worth getting into. Cool, cool stuff going on right here.

NB of the Week

Brightest Day #18
Since their creation (or at least since I've been reading them), Hawkman and Hawkgirl have been torn lovers. The premise being that every time they fall back in love, they are again killed by Hath-Set, forcing their rebirth and traveling the journey all over again.
So image my surprise whey Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi killed Hath-Set, broke the curse and made the Hawks completely "human" again because that's what just happened in Brightest Day. They can live Love each other freely and grow old together. At least for a few pages. As they were both brought back by the White Lantern, their mission was completed when they became free to love and live. However, this also happened at the time Deadman's White Lantern ring had finally powered up to 100%. Deadman suddenly appears in front of them, all White Lantern'd up, with a message from the ring:
"Carter Hall and Shiera Hall of Earth. You must live life separately to live life stronger. This is part of the plan. The Champion-to-be must be serviced above all others."
"We're not a part of anyone's plan anymore. We're not living life apart again. Not this time. Not Ever!"
"So be it."
And with that, they are both turned into what appears to be a pile of white dust. Now, the ring has made it known that it's whole purpose (and Deadman's mission) is to find the Avatar of Life. It would make sense that this has something to do with that, but I don't know because that's how they ended the issue. Bastards! I loves me some Hawkman and to give him that which he has been seeking since I first read him, only to possibly take it away? Bastards! Hopefully in two weeks the next issue will shed more light (pun intended) on the subject but it probably won't. Cuz they're Bastards.

Dark Knight Announements

WB and Christopher Nolan have announced that Tom Hardy will be playing Bane in the new Bat-flick and that Anne Hathaway has be signed to play Catwoman. A lot of rumors have been plastered around for a while now as to who Hardy would be and what lady would play a female and/or villain role and it's all over now.
When it comes to Bane, I really don't are who plays him. Bane in a Nolan Batman movie will be super bad-ass! Millions better then that retarded version that was in Batman and Robin. Tom Hardy doing it should be awesome on it's own but with Nolan behind it, I expect great things.
Hathaway is a toss up for me. I love her and would be kind enough to let her have my babies but I don't know how I feel about her as Catwoman. It's just hard to picture her as that kind of character (though seeing her in a costume for it will probably make me need new undies...) but I'm on board.
Nolan behind these characters will be awesome. Pretty much anyone he casts should be awesome. Looks like we have some awesome shit to look forward to with this movie.
(and I defy you to tell me that Hardy in that pic from Bronson doesn't look Bane)

Awesome

Remember back when I told you of the movie Ip Man, based on the life of Bruce Lee's master? Well, as I looked for the infamous 10 man fight scene from it, I came across this. It's apparently from a movie titled All's Well, Ends Well 2010 but that really means nothing to me. But this fight makes fun of it and it's hilarious. So enjoy.

New Spartacus

200th Post! And it's all about nudity and violence! Sorta!

Starz announced today that they have officially replaced Andy Whitfield in the title role of Spartacus. Season 2 is set to begin on Friday with a prequel story. I do believe they were doing that for the first half and then coming back to current events the back half, However, Whitfield's cancer came back strong and was forced to drop from the show. Along with his full endorsing, they have since cast Aussie Liam McIntyre.
The show started out slow with the main focus seemingly only on the sex and nudity but about half way through the story took over and it ended very awesomely. I'm still a bit skeptic about replacing Whitfield cuz he was the best part of the show but I suppose only time will tell. Here's pics of Whitfield (left) and McIntyre. Both pretty rugged (if I do say so myself) but we shall see.

Clif-Notes: Black Swan

I am a very skeptic fan of Darren Aronofsky. I hated both The Fountain and Requiem for a Dream but am a huge fan of The Wrestler. And if I'm honest, Black Swan mostly intrigued me for the "sex" scene between Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman. The movie ended over an hour ago and I can't atop thinking about it.
Portman was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. It's very disappointing to see her in other films, not living up to her potential and this one nails it. She should win the Oscar, easy. The movie itself wasn't an original story (a take on Swan Lake, in case you didn't already know) but she made it brilliant along with her. And Aronofsky's direction somehow lifted the mood of it even higher. His freaky-ass story-telling and weird methods match Portman's psycho-breaking method perfectly. I don not think this movie would have been as good if not for Portman's performance. With it, however, I say watch it. Her alone makes it worth the two hours.

Marvel Reveals

A pic of Andrew Garfield moping around as Spider-Man was released today. It's not much and it says absolutely nothing about his acting but I think he really looks the part. What say thee?

Also, a grainy pic of Evans in Cap Gear popped up. Not the best quality but I'm giddy.

NB of the Week

Heroes for Hire #2
Even though Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are semi-leaving the cosmic scene for Marvel, they still get their chances at bad-ass writing. Last month, after the fallout of Shadowland, they relaunched the book Heroes for Hire, taking the "street-level" heroes from it and forming another version of Power Man and Iron Fist's legacy, but with another twist, this one working much more in it's favor.
Misty Knight is Control, calling out to any hero who is for hire whenever she needs then. Issue one saw her call on the help of Falcon, Moon Knight and Elektra and it ended with the "huge surprise" of the Puppet Master being their financial backing. Awesome issue, lame ending. Until this issue.
Turns out Misty has Paladin following around the heroes, keeping an eye on them and cleaning up any messes left behind. What he finds is that the men she had Elektra kill last issue aren't who they appear to be. Not entirely. They have been using Demonica. Guns called Soulcutters that pull the spirits outta their victims and eventually feed the life outta their shooter as well. Sadly, Misty has already hired in Silver Sable to go after the head honcho, not knowing about the guns. To help get her out she also hires Ghost Rider to stop it all and take out cheesy, old-school baddie Baron Brimstone. Rider gets her out, saves the day, yadda yadda yadda. It was all cool but then we get to the end where Paladin, in talking to Misty, trails back to her Control Room where he finds nothing but dust-covered computers, even though she says she has been there for four months. Turns out the Puppet Master has her in his control, making every choice for her.
I was a little let down when the first issue showed that Master was the money man. Not much going there and a villain secretly being the leader has been done plenty of times before. However, throwing in Paladin and making the discovery so soon, show a lot of promise. That maybe this won't be the long, drawn-out plot that the first issue lead me to believe it would be. Paladin has been a bad-ass and he's only done anything in this one issue. DnA are making him into their Rorschach or their Question from JL Unlimited. He knows shit is going down and he's not gonna stop until he get his answers.
It's been a great start to a new book that I'm sure more people should be reading then actually are. Not that any of you will, but give it a shot. It's worth it.

Clif-Notes: The Social Network

There is vulgarity after this picture. You are warned.





















I thought this movie would be shit. This movie was total shit. You apparently have to be an asshole to get anywhere in life.

Countdown to Cancellation

_BC aired the two-hour premiere of The Cape Sunday (with rerun on Monday) and I sadly don't think it will last. It had cheese, fluff, bad acting and bad dialogue and I loved every minute of it but this is not a show that can sustain an audience. It is the perfect show based on the perfect Image comic of the 90's that was never made. And I know it wasn't that good but I will take cool shit like this any day over dumb shit like Glee that continues to pull in viewers. Give this show a chance. You will not think it's a good show but I hope you will at least think it's a fun show for total geeks like us.

Clif-Notes: The Book of Lies

After a few weeks of ADD kicking in and leaving it on the shelf, I finally picked this book back up and finished it. A great book that made me want to almost read part of the bible. Almost.
Written by Brad Meltzer, Book of Lies tells the story of Cal Harper as he finds his long, lost father, shot and dying. Even more peculiar is that the gun used is traced back to the murder of Mitchell Siegel, father of Superman creator Jerry Siegel. Even more peculiar-er, a man with the mark of Cain is set on killing them both now. How is the murder of Cain's brother Abel connected to the creation of the world's greatest icon and how did Cal's father get dragged into all of it? And why am I asking so many rhetorical questions?
This book was pretty awesome and took me quite by surprise. I found the hardcover at Barnes N Noble for only seven bucks and figured it was worth a shot. I liked the comics that DC got Meltzer to write so this couldn't be that bad. However, outta religion, mysteries and comics, I do only tend to like one of them so it was a risk for me. And it paid off. The end was a little quick and even though it fit the story, it didn't really fit the tone for me but I still liked it. Worth reading if you ever get the chance and don't mind a lot of... "off theories" about the story of Cain and Abel and even that of Superman and Jerry Siegel. Great read.

Brain Tunes

For whatever reason, this popped into my head yesterday and it keeps coming back. It's a fun song and the movie is great but I have no idea why it decided to pop in there (that's what she said).

I Think Romania Has It Right...

I saw this article today and I'm just waiting for us to steal it and claim we did it first.

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania has changed its labor laws to officially recognize witchcraft as a profession, prompting one self-described witch to threaten retaliation.

The move, which went into effect Saturday, is part of the government's drive to crack down on widespread tax evasion in a country that is in recession.

In addition to witches, astrologists, embalmers, valets and driving instructors are now considered by labor law to be working real jobs, making it harder for them to avoid income tax.

For months the measure had been debated, protested by witches and mocked by the media.

On Saturday, a witch called Bratara told Realitate.net, the website of a top TV station, that she plans to cast a spell using black pepper and yeast to create discord in the government.

NB of the Week

The Thanos Imperative: Devastation
After the wreckage that Mar-Vell and the Cancerverse left and the lives lost to stop Thanos, pieces have to be picked up. Unfortunately for the Inhumans, that means Blastaar thinks it's the perfect time to invade and take over. However, through flashbacks we are brought into the new fold of things as he is stopped by the newly formed Annihilators. Having shown that the galaxy really does need it's guardians, Cosmo (the psychic, Russian dog) has brought the galaxy's biggest hitters together, following Star-Lords last wishes before he sacrificed himself with Nova.

"The galaxy doesn't need guardians! It doesn't need brave souls! If it's going to survive another one of these, it's going to need absolute bad-asses! It's going to need the biggest guns of all! Cosmic heavy hitters as scary as the menaces they have to face! It's going to need flarking annihilators!"

And that's who he brought together. Gladiator, Ronan The Accuser, Quasar, Beta Ray Bill and The Silver Surfer. The toughest SOB's this side of the universe who will stand together as the galaxy's last resort.
If you know anything about the Marvel space scene, these are the dudes you want fighting in your corner. One of them is always the "secret weapon" for the Avengers what shit hits the fan and all together, the baddies better take notice. Not sure how far Marvel will play this out but I'm certainly on board for the four issue mini coming up, even if it is $4.99 an issue. Bring it on, cuz I don't plan on missing it.

This Is Why He's Awesome

Tell me this picture doesn't make Ryan Reynolds even cooler. Do it. I dare ya.

Top 5 of 2010

I was trying to go through all the movies that came out this year and make a favorites list but that turned real hard (that's what she said). So here are my top five of the year to the best of my memory. Somebody will probably name another movie and I will probably say that one deserved to be on the list by oh well. I'm not so smart and that's what you get when dealing with me.

5)True Grit - I never saw the original and I'm not much for westerns but this movie was pretty damn cool. Bridges is awesome in most everything he does and killin' outlaws is high on that list. Add in a "newcomer" like Hailee Steinfeld as the vengeance seeking Mattie Ross and you've got a winner.

4) Kick-Ass - Not much has to be said about this movie other than the title. This movie did just that. Aaron Johnson did it. McLovin' did it. Chloe Moretz really did it. And even Nic Cage did it. This movie was just awesome.

3) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - I don't think any movie this year was as much fun as Scott Pilgrim. Start to finish, this was a blast. It should have done better in the theaters then it did because it really deserved it. If you haven't seen this one yet, do yourself a favor and go buy it. Not rent. Buy.

2) Inception - Everyone and their dog has seen this movie and everyone seems to have "their own" opinion on it but I don't think any movie this year made me think as hard as this one. Usually I don't like that but it really worked in this one. Great acting, great action and amazing visuals. This one should prove that Christopher Nolan is among the top filmmakers of this time.

1) The Town - A know some people that I recommended this film to didn't like it as much as I told them they would but I can sum up why this is my number one in one statement: Ben Affleck wrote, directed and starred in this and I would still watch it again. That's how simple it was for me. The movie blew me away the he blew me away. Every member of the cast was amazing and BEN AFFLECK WAS GREAT!!! That's the only reason I need.

Now tell me what movies I forgot and how silly I am for my number one pick (also, I never got to see movies like Black Swan or 127 Hours so those don't count to me)