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Adam Strange: Planet Heist (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Darren

This month I’m taking a look at DC’s massive “Infinite Crisis” Event. Although it was all published in one massive omnibus, I’ll be breaking down the lead-in to the series to tackle each thread individually, culminating in a review of the event itself. Check back for more.

Note: Although technically not a lead-in, and not included in the Omnibus, Planet Heist leads directly to Rann-Thanagar War, so I thought I’d take a look at it. Also, it’s a pretty damn fine series.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Adam Strange. Along with The Flash, Strange’s adventures in Mystery in Space are among my favourite of DC’s Silver Age comic books. (That would suggest a fondness for Carmine Infantino, who – his Batman work aside – is certainly a favourite of mine.) I’m boggled that DC has never managed to make more of Strange than they have. A delightful science-fiction concept, blending John Carter of Mars with a fifties ray-gun aesthetic, it seems ripe for pulpy exploitation. In fact, before Marvel announced Guardians of the Galaxy, I figured that Strange might prove DC’s best big screen hope of distinguishing themselves from Marvel.

Andy Diggle and Pascal Ferry’s Planet Heist is a delightful eight-issue miniseries featuring the character, updating him for a new era. I can’t help but feel a little sad that the pair didn’t extend the miniseries into a run, and that Adam Strange remains a neglected character in the DC pantheon.

All the Strange, Strange people…

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Adam, Adam Strange, Andrew McCutchen, Andy Diggle, Astronomy, Australia, batman, Carmine Infantino, dark knight returns, Diggle, Health, John Carter, Omega Men, Rann, September 11 2001, United States, War on Terrorism, Warfare and Conflict | Leave a comment »

The House at the Abbey Theatre (Review)

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Darren

Tom Murphy’s The House is big play with some clever ideas, but not quite enough to fill its somewhat extended run time. In fact, the first half of the play, as Murphy tries to settle into his groove, seems to run nearly forever – to the point where, sitting in my seat, I was starting to wonder if the actors had simply forgotten there was supposed to be an intermission. The second half, however, is much stronger and much more tightly focused. While the production itself is nothing less than impressive, one wonders if an editor might have been well-suited to take a hacksaw to Murphy’s script, or perhaps director Annabelle Comyn might have cut down on the staring into middle-distance.

House that now?

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Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: abbey theatre, Alison Croggon, arts, Australia, Bunty, Canberra, Downton Abbey, dublin, england, house, Ireland, Irish American, Irish diaspora, London, Murphy, Performing Arts, Public Broadcasting Service, Theatre, United States | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Collateral

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Darren

Collateral is a masterpiece. I think the only Michael Mann movie I’d rate against it would be Heat, which puts it in very good company. It’s probably my favourite neo-noir film, and I actually ranked it as my favourite film of 2000-2009. There are a lot of reasons for that: I think it’s the best example of digital video cinematography I’ve ever seen, the script is superb, the two leads are fantastic and it’s an utterly compelling examination of urban isolation. The screenplay was originally set in Manhattan, but I think the decision to transpose the story of a cabbie and his client to Los Angeles was actually quite clever – there’s generally an eerie emptiness and anomie to how life in Los Angeles is portrayed, and Collateral captures it perfectly.

Top gun...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: anomie, Ashlee Simpson, Australia, Ching, collateral, collateral (film), Darwin, Darwin City, Darwin Northern Territory, film, heat, isolation, L.A., los angeles, max, michael mann, Movies, Municipalities, New York City, non-review review, Northern Territory, Oceania, review, Vincent | 6 Comments »

A Month on the BBC Global iPlayer…

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Darren

Thanks to the wonderful folk at the BBC, I’ve been given a month’s subscription to the BBC Global iPlayer to try out the service. The BBC is probably the best national broadcaster in the world, and the international standard for original drama. There’s a reason that so much talent (whether in front or behind the camera) developed there. So the app handily streams BBC content to my iPhone to enjoy at my leisure. It seems perfect for the traveller on the go.

Over the next month, I’m going to be using it, reviewing some content and trying to appraise the service. If you have anything on the BBC you’d like to point me to, feel free to leave a comment below. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I’m looking forward to tucking into a rick library of shows I missed the first time around. I’ll be back at the end of the month with a more in-depth review of the service, and with my own findings. I’m already ready to tuck into Wallander and Sherlock.

Thanks again to the great sports at the BBC for giving me access.

Filed under: Television | Tagged: Australia, bbc, BBC iPlayer, Handhelds, IPad, iphone, IPod Touch, Smartphones | 1 Comment »

Non-Review Review: Project X

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Darren

Project X is a mess, but it’s a high-octane and energetic mess, with an incredible youthful exuberance and a desire to throw anything it can at the wall to see if it sticks. Though it starts out a bit slow, it accelerates pretty quickly, with the film managing to hold itself together as the party on-screen starts to fall apart. The best way to describe Project X might be to define it as Superbad‘s hyper-active, less focused, more crass, more direct and less sweet younger brother. It lacks the heart that defined that other recent coming-of-age teenage comedy, but it more than makes up for its relative shallowness with an enthusiasm that’s infectious and hard to resist.

Razing the roof...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: art, Arts and Entertainment, Australia, business, comedy, Disc jockey, Document review, film, House Party, Movie, Nima Nourizadeh, non-review review, Project X, Protagonist, review, Shopping, Superbad, Thomas Mann, Todd Phillips | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Darren

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: no more f%$#ing Abba!

The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert is one of those wonderfully fun and upbeat little movies that often can’t help but draw a smile from even the most cynical of viewers. Despite a somewhat bitchy and frothy exterior, the film is a charming little road movie about a quirky little pseudo-family unit making their way through the heartland of Australia.

Bus-ted...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Australia, Benny Hill, film, films, Guy Pearce, hugo weaving, Movies, non-review review, review, Terence Stamp, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Tony Sheldon, Village People | Leave a comment »

Non-Review: Lover’s Jump

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Darren

I had the pleasure of checking out Lover’s Jump, a short film directed by Mark McCombe. It’s a short piece, clocking in at under four minutes – the writing is efficient, but perhaps a little busy (if only it seems that there’s quite a lot going on to fit into four minutes). I won’t spoil it for you by discussing the plot – only to suggest that it is well worth your time. The film distinguishes itself on the technical front, featuring a superbly haunting soundtrack from Rich Keyworth underscoring McCombe’s atmospheric direction. Despite the limited runtime, McCombe efficiently establishes mood – he creates a wonderful impression through a series of carefully chosen shots complimented by the eerie music in the background.

McCombe is undoubtedly aided by his lead actor, Laurence Fuller, who conveys a lot through controlled and restrained body language. There’s a lot of ways to read the scene when it opens, and Fuller manages to keep it open-ended without seeming indecisive. I’m not entirely sure what to make of the short’s ending – it seems so much about mood and emotion that it seems counter-intuitive to stick a twist in (given that there’s really only about a dozen lines of dialogue in total). I suppose that’s probably an unfair criticism to make, given the time constraints – but it still struck me on watching it.

Setting the bar...

Still, it’s the intensity of the short which really makes it work – it conveys a sense of foreboding and dread effectively within four minutes, to the point where the actual dialogue and plot seem almost perfunctory. I can see great things on the horizon for McCombe. He’s certainly skilled. His approach is relatively minimalist, but he gets a lot of impact for that. It’s well worth your time if you can get a look at it. I suspect it will be appearing as a special feature on the DVD of McCombe’s directorial debut soon enough.

Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, Australia, Filmmaking, india, Keyworth, laurence fuller, lover's jump, mark mccombe, Movies, non-review review, review, Short film | Leave a comment »