Year One
Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring Jack Black, Michael Cera
Rated PG-13
Release date: June 19, 2009

There are a lot of stock catchphrases that are widely used by people to describe movies that I have grown tired of hearing. Reading a review of a film that is described as a “rollercoaster thrill ride” or a performance is hailed as being a “tour de force” stinks of laziness and unoriginality by the critic. Specifically there are two descriptions that apply to Year One that I am deathly sick of hearing across the board: “Check your brain at the door” and “the actors looked like they had fun making the movie.”

A movie like Year One wasn’t made to be dissected into deeper meaning. Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) are hunter-gatherers who are kicked out of their village for being worthless and forced into the world on their own. They have a variety of encounters that are loosely based on stories from the Bible. Dumb cavemen weaving in and out of biblical stories. That’s pretty much it. I’d like to be able to go into detail but the movie simply doesn’t provide that opportunity.

All told, Year One is Harold Ramis directing Jack Black and Michael Cera in a Judd Apatow-produced comedy. Based on the credits you would have expected that even if the whole thing didn’t work, it would have at least had its moments. It did not. Why? Because it was Harold Ramis directing Jack Black and Michael Cera in a Judd Apatow comedy. None of those names is strong enough to carry a film on its own anymore because they all rode the waves of their respective success into the ground [...]

Captain America: Reborn #1
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Penciler: Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release date: July 1, 2009

I should be more excited about this. I have loved Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America since I picked up the first trade. It’s probably my favorite book that I’m currently reading on a monthly basis. So why is ‘underwhelmed’ the first word coming to mind? I’ll tell you why: it’s mostly that too much of Captain America: Reborn #1 is spent recapping info that was recapped two weeks ago in Captain America #600. So what we get is a second issue in a row of set-up; well-illustrated set-up, but set-up nonetheless.

This issue follows from where Issue #600 left off. Sharon Carter and the Falcon take the gun that killed Steve Rogers to Hank Pym for some investigation. They discuss Sharon’s memories from when she was under the Red Skull’s control and how she saw what could be one of Dr. Doom’s Time Platforms and that the Red Skull may have already brought Steve back. Meanwhile, the current Cap and the Black Widow try to track down the Time Platform so they can see what it really is. Unfortunately, the Platform is in the custody of Norman Osborne, so they have to break into a H.A.M.M.E.R. facility, where all does not go according to plan. Finally, we get a hint of what may be happening to Steve, and how he may be brought back [...]

LOST
The Complete Second Season, Blu-ray Edition
Starring: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Dominic Monaghan, Terry O’Quinn
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release date: June 16, 2009

I didn’t start watching Lost until the second season was underway. All I knew about it before then was that everyone who watched the show was on the edge of their seats talking about numbers and hatches and “others.” All I saw was some people staring down a metal shaft with confused looks on their faces. Oh how little I knew back then.

Things really change in the second season. The survivors learn a lot more about the history of the island, the Dharma Initiative, and “The Others.” The writers also found a plausible way to introduce several new characters into the series as we see what happened to the people in the tail end of the plane (though off camera issues would result in many of the having short lived stints on the show.) We also get to meet Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), the man whose fate is intricately tied to the island and who knows what caused the crash of Oceanic 815 in the first place. Then there’s ‘Henry Gale’ (Michael Emerson), possibly the best addition to a TV show’s cast… ever.

Season two also showed the first signs of weakness in the show’s writing. While entertaining, some episodes seem to drag on, rehashing the same plot over and over in an attempt to fill in the gaps between the first and last episodes [...]

LOST
The Complete First Season, Blu-ray Edition
Starring: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Dominic Monaghan, Terry O’Quinn
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release date: June 16, 2009

Remember when the average Lost episode had a plot about finding drinkable water, shelter, and learning which survivors could hunt and which could help build shelter? Those were the days, the days before the average plot revolved around time traveling, ageless strangers, ancient Egyptian statues, and electromagnetic anomalies.

There’s nothing wrong with the new seasons of Lost, but even the most dedicated fans must admit the show’s plot has become increasingly complex over the years. The first season is possibly the only season Lost writers could refer to as “simple.” After all, this is a season where an entire episode is dedicated to looking for Sun’s (Yunjin Kim) missing wedding ring. Lost was the first TV series to be released on Blu-Ray, but they started with Season 3. So now they’ve gone back and released the first two seasons.

You would be hard pressed to find a better TV show to have in high definition than Lost, too. The beautiful Hawaiian backgrounds stand out more in the earlier seasons when the island’s natural scenery was still important. The picture quality is, not surprisingly, incredible at 1080p [...]

Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel
Rated PG-13
Release Date: June 24, 2009

When Transformers came out in 2007 and was a huge hit, you had to have known that a sequel was waiting in the wings. While it was an entertaining movie, it was far from perfect, due to the fact that it had to set up a lot of the origin story. Now with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the sequel can hit the ground running, but does it deliver like its predecessor?

It has been two years since our main protagonist Sam (Shia LaBeouf) has encountered the Transformers and life has moved on. He is going to college and trying to maintain a long distant relationship with his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox). He has all but put the Transformers behind him but unfortunately, the Decepticons have other ideas. Apparently remains of the All Spark, the cube that brought all electronic machines to life, are still on Earth and hold the key to giving the Decepticons the upper hand in the destruction of the Autobots. This puts Sam smack dab in the middle of the war between the Transformers once again.

Now, just so no one gets the wrong idea, if you have seen the first movie or have seen trailers of this movie, I am already assuming that you are not paying money to see Revolutionary Road. Revenge of the Fallen is about as big a popcorn flick as can be [...]

Squidbillies
Vol. 2 DVD
Created by Dave Willis and Jim Fortier
Written by Dave Willis
Turner Home Entertainment
Release date: April 21, 2009

So Adult Swim has come up with some odd cartoons in their time, but I think Squidbillies takes the cake. Squidbillies, created by Dave Willis (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and Jim Fortier (Brak Show), follows the story of the Cuyler family, a clan of hillbilly squids that happen to live in a town in Georgia. The Culyers’ penchant for violence and racism are always getting them in trouble but their bacon is usually saved by the town sheriff, thanks to a previous federal law passed that makes them an endangered species.

If you are even a bit familiar with Willis and Fortier’s previous work, you should like this series. The episodes are short and concise, and always really have no continuity whatsoever. Characters from the cartoon are often shot, brunt to a crisp, and eaten in every episode, but show up unscathed later on, sometimes even in the same episode. The storylines are also outrageous and over the top. One of the episodes involves Grandma Cuyler getting into a botched tanning accident and rather than have plastic surgery, the Cuyler family kill various animals and sew the animal skins onto her. Though be warned: A lot of the comedy is broad, with jokes ending with the death or dismemberment of another character, and might not be for all viewers, even for yours truly who happens to like Aqua Teen and Brak [...]

Weeds
Season 4
Created by Jenji Kohan
Starring Mary Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Kevin Nealon, Elizabeth Perkins, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 2, 2009

Last year at about this time, when I reviewed Season Three of Showtime’s Weeds for this very website, I complained about how the DVD case trotted out that it was made from 100% recycled materials. I wondered who they could possibly market that fact to. People who hadn’t seen the show who felt they HAD to buy it because, well, those seasons of Six Feet Under wouldn’t allow them to be better people by having ITS packaging made from recycled shit? People who like the show and were gonna buy it anyway, even if the packaging were made from poodle ass and baby seal hymen? The point eluded me then and it eludes me now. I’m not saying you can’t make your stuff out of other folks’ leftovers, but quit being a dick about it.

Sure enough, another year, another packaging issue. Not with the packaging itself, I don’t give a fuck about that anymore, and yet I am mystified by the pull-quote from The Miami Herald that they put on the back of the box:

“Smart… Smug… And habit-forming.”

“Smug?” That’s what you’re saying to pull folks in? They… They know what that word means, right? I’m not necessarily saying the show isn’t smug (as mentioned, the show actively markets that its DVD sets are recycled), but there’s some shit you just don’t share with the rest of the class [...]

Captain America #600
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Butch Guice and others
Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Released date: June 15, 2009

The big news in the comics world was Marvel’s announcement of the imminent return of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers. Now if you’ve been reading comics for any amount of time, you probably know that death is only a temporary issue for any of the major characters, and that eventually ALL dead characters will be coming back, so I wasn’t surprised to hear that Steve would be coming back.

I had hoped that Marvel Comics would leave him alone for a while, mostly because the current Captain America series following Steve’s old sidekick Bucky Barnes as Cap has been amazing. The twenty-five issues since Steve Rogers’ “death” have been easily the best book being produced today by anyone. The series has been consistently smart, action-packed, and straight-up entertaining, and it’s all due to the writing of Ed Brubaker, who managed to bring back Bucky and make it not only believable, but compelling. Now that we’ve seen the start of the return of Steve Rogers, it will be interesting to see if Brubaker can maintain the high level of quality that he has brought to this title [...]

Dexter
The Complete Second Season, Blu-ray Edition
Starring: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Erik King, Lauren Velez
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release date: May 9, 2009

One of the most original and entertaining shows on TV returned for a second season with vigilante serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C Hall). After following Dexter’s journey of self-discovery in the first season, this time around viewers watch Dexter struggle with new, complicated emotions as he tries to evolve as a person and a killer.

The second season of the hit Showtime series has some serious strengths and weaknesses. First and foremost, the plot goes to the obvious logical step in exploring Dexter’s world by seeing what would happen if Dexter’s crimes were discovered. When a group of scuba divers discover the bodies of Dexter’s victims, he must struggle with keeping up appearances while trying to cover tracks he never thought would be uncovered.

All the while, Sgt. Doakes (Erik King), who was simply suspicious of Dexter in the first season, is now convinced Dexter is hiding something, and stalks him everywhere. This makes Dexter’s usual nighttime activities impossible. The stress of controlling his impulses, avoiding suspicion, and coming to terms with having killed his own brother, Dexter’s internal turmoil is increased ten-fold [...]

Reaper
Season 2
Starring Bret Harrison, Tyler Labine, Rick Gonzalez, Missy Peregrym, Ray Wise
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 9, 2009

The second season of Reaper had the unfortunate disposition of being seemingly cursed from the very start. After a highly-acclaimed first season gained it a large cult following, the show’s future was still in danger, and the writer’s strike did not help their cause. Eventually, when the dust settled a bit, it was decided that the show would get more of a second chance than a second season with a shortened 13-episode run. Sadly, this uphill battle ended like the finale of Glory, and at this moment Reaper has been canceled with only a few small chances at another network being it’s savior (Read: ‘Reaper’ Canceled: The CW Decides It Wants To Be Just Like Fox When It Grows Up). This of course isn’t the first time a great show was killed too early, and even in this depressing hole, Reaper still has plenty to offer those who have yet to see it. [...]

The Deadbeat
Story and Words by Jeremy Massie
Alterna Comics

After finishing The Deadbeat (Alterna Comics) a serious, graphically told story wrapped in the familiar guise of super-hero fiction, I’m left wanting more.

The story, written and illustrated by Jeremy Massie, follows an unnamed super-powered man who whose average day consists of going to the local pub to get drunk off of the chocolate-flavored beverage “YooHoo” served in a dirty glass — the only thing that’ll affect him due to his inherent invulnerability. His retirement, so to speak, came as a result of an epic battle with a mad scientist that killed hundreds of civilians, which included his wife. Distraught from this loss, he sends his infant daughter Vera to live with her aunt. Years later, he receives a letter informing him of Vera’s death, allowing him to further plunge into a shell of his former life.

When Vera, now fully grown with powers of her own, appears at the pub, our invulnerable man comes out of retirement with a new outlook on life [...]

Out there in the world, right this moment, there are countless independent comic book writers and artists trying to make their mark in the comic world. Silber Media is one of those folks, but instead of sticking on the regular path or taking the new road of digital comics, these guys and gals took an alternative path rarely traveled: mini-comics!

Mini comics aren’t comic books, and they’re not comic strips. They’re kind of a hybrid of the two. Each is about the size of a matchbook, with one panel, one picture, and one or two lines of dialogue on each page, but in the page-turning book format. Basically, you throw a handful of them in your pocket and go wherever you need to go. At a low point in your day, grab a mini-comic and go to town.

Currently, Silber has multiple mini-comic series going on, including Lost Kisses — which follows a lowly stick figure on his bitter, loathing quest for vengeance on a hated ex girlfriend; as well as Worms — a nightmare of a story that sees a girl waking up in a mysterious hospital, tied to her bed and attached to an IV with worms in it that slowly work their way into her system. [...]

The zombie genre is one of the most over-done in movies today, but fortunately for us, when executed properly, zombie movies can be a great time. Movies like Shaun of the Dead and Slither have taken the general concept of mass human infection, and offered up new and funny, as well as unique ways to present them. Following in these footsteps, a new flick called Zombieland has been catching people’s attention lately, and today we get our first look at the trailer.

The movie stars Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee and Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus. Tallahassee is the guy who takes out zombies with ease…almost like it’s just a hobby and Columbus is the guy who’s really good at running away. Also in the movie is Emma Stone as Witchita; Abigail Breslin as Little Rock; and even Bill Murray apparently as a zombie.

Aside from hearing the title a few times (it’s not one you forget) and a couple of casting announcements, this is the first time that I’m seeing anything from this movie, and it looks like a great ride. [...]

[Prototype]
Genre: Sandbox Action
Rating: ESRB M for Mature
Publisher: Radical Entertainment
Format: Xbox 360, Playstation 3 & Windows
Release Date: 9th June 2009 (US), 12 June 2009 (UK)

Why do most people play videogames? Is it to feed their competitive streak in hardcore multiplayer action a-la Call of Duty 4? Or is it the epic storytelling of titles like Bioshock? Maybe it’s the ultimate cinematic experience when a true gaming masterpiece is created such as Grand Theft Auto IV.

I’m guilty of all of the above in one form or another… however my favourite games are the ones like Radical Entertainment’s [Prototype] - I’m talking about pure unadulterated laugh-out-loud FUN. Assassin’s Creed is another prime example of a game that had it’s faults, but I loved it all the same because the freerunning and combat elements made me grin like an imbecile on crack.

Like Assassin’s Creed and Mirror’s Edge before it, Prototype has tapped the freerunning market again… but is adding so much more into the mix. It is a sandbox action title that dispenses with the pleasantries and provides you with the means to decimate an entire city & it’s inhabitants with your bare (albeit mutated) hands [...]

Préliminaires
Iggy Pop
Produced by Hal Cragin
Astralwerks Records
Release date: June 2, 2009

For over 40 years, James Newell Osterberg, Jr. has shrieked, crowd surfed and wriggled his wiry, leathery torso for our entertainment. His music is often ahead of its time, even providing a catalyst for at least one significant music genre and his influence continues to shape the music of his contemporaries. Iggy Pop has not released a studio album since 2003’s electrifying Skull Ring but now the ‘godfather of punk’ is back with…a jazz album? Quite frankly, Préliminaires is nothing like I expected.

The album opens with a French jazz song from the 1940s. “Les feuilles mortes” sounds like ‘Whats Going On’ by Marvin Gaye over Serge Gainsbourg’s ‘Je t’aime… moi non plus’ with Iggy performing the vocals in spoken French. Unfortunately the language of love sounds a little like the language of the creepy old man as he talks his way through it.

What at first listen sounds like the creepy old man in English, “I Want To Go To The Beach” is actually beautifully melancholic. Iggy sounds great with a big band orchestra which he uses to great effect on the swaggering “King Of The Dogs” and this is one of the best tracks on the album [...]

X-Men: Manifest Destiny
Written by Jason Aaron, Mike Carey, Frank Tieri
Drawn by Michael Ryan, Stephen Segovia, Takeshi Miyazawa
Marvel Comics
Release date: May 13, 2009

Having been decimated, become an endangered species, and developed a Messiah Complex, it is safe to say that the X-Men have had a rough couple of years. The years have not been kind to the merry mutants as their population dwindled and the hatred toward them increase twice fold. In their latest storyline, Manifest Destiny, with their home in ruins and with no allies to be found, the X-Men have decided to abandon their home in Westchester and set up shop in mutant friendly San Francisco. It is there with Warren Worthington’s (aka Angel) money, they set up a new facility to house any mutant in need of shelter, sort of like a new age Xavier Academy.

The storyline is actually pretty entertaining but too bad it is not in this hardcover. X-Men: Manifest Destiny hardcover does not collect the main story but rather the back stories and various mini-series that spun off from the storyline itself. One of the mini-series that it collects are Wolverine: Manifest Destiny, where fists fly and kung fu chops are thrown as Wolvie must confront his past in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown. In Nightcrawler: Manifest Destiny, our favorite elf heads off to a museum dedicated to him and the monster that lurks the area. Other back up stories revolving around Iceman, Mystique, and Boom-Boom that were presented as back up stories are also published in this book [...]

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini, John Turturro
Rated R
Release Date: June 12, 2009

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is a remake of the 1974 film of the same name, which also spawned a made for TV remake in 1998; all of which were based on a novel. So there’s a book, two movie versions, and a TV version. The most obvious question beyond why it was even made in the first place is what was being brought to the table to make it worth my time? Let’s try and forget for a minute that this is yet another cog in the wheel of the Hollywood remake machine (an argument for another day) and focus on the specifics of this current incarnation.

The problem with a movie like The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is that it is not the type of movie you can just like on its own merit. It’s a heist movie — and a fairly boring one at that — so you have to find something else to like about it. Because the film isn’t strong enough on its own to let this happen, your level of appreciation will be strongly dictated by any comparisons you are able to draw from the pieces of its construct.

There is potential to be found in that this is the fourth time director Tony Scott has teamed up with Denzel Washington (Déjà Vu, Man on Fire, and Crimson Tide). With the exception of Déjà Vu, this pairing has been pretty good. Washington is usually as reliable as it gets. Even in an inferior film he has the ability to rise above a mess and stand out. And while one could argue that substance isn’t a spice Scott often takes out of the pantry, when he’s on his game and the project warrants his spastic style, he can turn out a decent movie [...]

So, the last time I told you about the Second Player’s handbook, this time I’m going to go into what it feels like to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons in it’s new style, that we like to call 4th edition. I’m also going to go into what you need to start a game of your own, and where the best resources are, and if there are any good places I don’t mention, feel free to leave a comment, because I can always use them myself.

The first thing you’ll notice when actually playing a game of 4th ed is the strategic and board game elements that have been added to the game. This is the first time that the D&D miniatures game has been fully integrated into the game-play of the RPG, and I kind of enjoy it, but I can see the problems. Gone are the days when you had to picture the entire scenario of battle in your head, and then move and attack according to that picture. Now all the players have a pseudo-3D representation of where the enemies are, exactly how many there are, and where they are in relation to the players. You might say that half of the fun of the game was the imagination you put into creating the environments in your head, and I’d be forced to agree with you. However, what you get for more reliance on the miniatures is an increase in strategic elements for battles. Positioning has become very important as there are many bonuses that come from being certain distances from characters, bonuses for flanking enemies, you have to be aware of how many spaces you are away from enemies, and so on. If you’ve ever played a collectible mini-game such as Heroclix or Mage Knight, you’ll have a good understanding of what battle looks like now. Getting back to the player’s use of imagination to establish the action, I’d say you still use it to a certain degree, just that some of the heavy thinking has been removed. This is going to be a recurring element in 4th edition.

UFC Classics, Volumes 11 & 12
Directed by Mark Lucas
Starring, Tank Abbott, Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Jerry Bohlander, Vitor Belfort
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 10, 2009

For all of you hybrid geeks out there, such as myself, who love sports as much as they love movies and games — here’s some more good old fashioned Ultimate Fighting Championship action for you. This time we’re looking at the 11th and 12th volumes of UFC Classics.

The last time I reviewed UFC Classics, it was for volumes 5, 6, 7, and 8. When I did that review, there was oh, so much I could say about the UFC as a very passionate fan of mixed martial arts. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that I would have the chance to do more of these reviews, which leaves me with much less to say. This becomes a problem, as it’s very difficult to actually review fights. You can read my previous review here to catch up: DVD Review: UFC Classics Collection Volumes 5-8

These classic events are still back when the UFC was still a no rules competition that was banned in many countries. Being a big fan of the sport, I can watch these and find entertainment, but if you’re not a super-fan, you may not be as impressed. [...]

The Burrowers
Starring Clancy Brown, Sean Patrick Thomas, William Mapother, Doug Hutchison, Karl Geary
Written and Directed by J.T. Perry
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: April 21, 2009

Sometimes when you have a seen a lot of movies, you tend to jump the gun on your opinion of the film before you watch it. When I looked at the cover for The Burrowers, I have to tell ya, I thought the movie was going to be terrible. It is not rare occurrence. When you review a lot of types of movies, they are not all gems. Some are just dreadful but sometimes, when the stars are aligned, a movie can really surprise you and this movie did just that.

The Burrowers is a movie mash up like once you have not seen. It is 1879 and when farmhand Coffey discovers his betrothed has been taken by Indians in the dead of night, he rounds up a few good men to find her and bring her back. What they find on this journey are freakish looking monsters called Burrowers that only come out at night and have a penchant for grabbing, paralyzing, and eating humans.

There are many things that I liked about this movie but above all else, I like it because it has everything stacked up against it to make it a terrible movie. The plot is borderline absurd, no one on the cast is a household name, and the concept in itself is hit or miss. I mean cowboys vs. monsters? It just sounds so silly but somehow the film works, and there a several reasons for this [...]