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“I Want to Read Comics After Seeing the Avengers”: Post-Avengers Comic Book Recommendations…

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Darren

The Avengers opened in a lot of major markets this weekend. It is opening in the United States this Friday. It’s set to be huge and has been quite well received by critics and audiences. Now, I know that this massive blockbuster movie won’t convert the millions of avid movie-watchers into comic book fans, if only because other comic books have failed to see that appreciable a gain from success in other media. However, on the off chance that somebody comes out of the cinema thinking “hey, I really like that and would like to check out the source material”, I’ve compiled a handy list of recommendations that should be readily available and easy to find for would-be fans looking to get a taste for the iconic characters in their original media.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, Avenger, captain america, Collecting, comic book, Comics, Henry Pym, iron man, jack kirby, kurt busiek, mark millar, marvel, marvel comics, stan lee, thor, United States | Leave a comment »

Competition! Win American Pie: The Reunion Goodies!

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Darren

Next week, the team from the original American Pie will be reuniting for American Pie: The Reunion, which sees the original gang reuniting to reflect on how their lives have changed since that iconic nineties sex comedy. My brother, who is over in Philadelphia for the summer (our American correspondent), has seen it and seemed quite impressed, so I am looking forward to it. The lovely folks at Universal Pictures Ireland have given us a prize pack to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, see below. Their facebook page can be seen here.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: american pie, American Reunion, Chris Klein, oz, Philadelphia, Record label, Republic of Ireland, Seann William Scott, United States | Leave a comment »

Ultimate Comics Avengers by Mark Millar Omnibus (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Darren

April (and a little bit of May) are “Avengers month” at the m0vie blog. In anticipation of Joss Whedon’s superhero epic, we’ll have a variety of articles and reviews published looking at various aspects of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”

Read our review of The Avengers here. And because it’s release day in the rest of the world, here’s a second Avengers-related review. And it’s a long one.

They say you can’t go home again. The Ultimates was easily one of the best comics of the past decade, and perhaps the comic that really got me into the medium. A clever, timely, astute and well-considered exploration of the superhero in the twenty-first century, Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch undoubtedly had a massive influence on everything that followed. Of course, all this would seem to be for nothing when Jeph Loeb took over the franchise for Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum, two stories that were very poorly received and damaged the franchise quite considerably. So Millar’s return to write four six-issue miniseries of Ultimate Comics: Avengers seemed like a breath of fresh air. Critical and fan reaction to his twenty-four issue run has been somewhat muted, and there’s no denying that a lot of the magic from that origin story was lost. That said, I’ll concede to finding it an interesting, complex and occasionally compelling examination of Millar’s views on superheroes.

Not quite the ultimate Avengers comic…

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Avenger, avengers vs. new ultimates, captain america, gregory stark, hawkeye, hulk, iron man, jeph loeb, joss whedon, mark millar, marvel, Millar, nick fury, Red Skull, Scarlet Witch, tony stark, ultimate captain america, ultimate comics, Ultimate Comics: Avengers, ultimate comics: avengers 1, ultimate comics: avengers 2, ultimate comics: avengers 3, ultimate comics: avengers vs. new ultimates, ultimate ghost rider, ultimate iron man, ultimate red skull, ultimate thor, Ultimates, United States | 9 Comments »

What Does It Take To Get You To See a Movie Twice In the Cinema?

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Darren

Going to the cinema is expensive. In fact, it’s been getting progressively more expensive these past few years, which seems to be a contributing factor in steadily decreasing theatre attendance. (The behaviour of fellow patrons and lax enforcement of basic cinema etiquette might be another.) Still, there’s something inherently romantic about a trip to the cinema, seeing the lights go dark and the images projected on a big screen, as they were intended to be seen. While a home cinema system offers its own perks, there’s just something inherently appealing about the real deal. Last Friday, I had the pleasure of seeing Cabin in the Woods with my better half – the second time I’d seen the film. I very rarely double-dip on cinema trips, but there were a variety of factors that alleviated my guilt. What does it take you to see a film more than once in a cinema?

Cinema is a cottage industry...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, Arts and Entertainment, Cabin in the Woods, Canada, Christopher Nolan, david fincher, Drew Goddard, film, home cinema, Indoor Theaters, joss whedon, Movie theater, Movies, Theaters, titanic, United States, Woods | 12 Comments »

Bealtaine Film Tour Schedule

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Darren

I’m always a fan of bringing cinema to as wide an audience as possible, especially to those who can’t or wouldn’t normally attend. After all, I think it’s a wonderful thing to share – but then you probably suspected as much, given you’re reading a blog about film and pop culture. Anyway, I just received the schedule for the Bealtaine 2012 festival. It celebrates creativity as we age, and involves a rich slate of cultural activities aimed at sharing culture with those who wouldn’t normally have access to it. accessCinema and the wonderful folks at the Irish Film institute (with support from Seven Seas Active 55) will be taking three films on tour, including Maggie Smith in My House in Umbria, the classic Gene Kelly film An American in Paris and the underrated Last Chance Harvey. I am quite fond of that one. For those in Dublin, the IFI will also be screening Little Miss Sunshine and Cinema Paradiso, both of which are genuine classics.

The full schedule for the May festival is below. I’d just like to reiterate how cool it is that they do this, and to encourage any readers with any elderly friends or relatives to consider checking out some of these. Visit their official website here. Continue reading →

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: art, arts, CaherciveenLibrary, Cloughjordan, CountyMuseum, dublin, last chance harvey, Maggie Smith, Maynooth, Movie, Organizations, paris, Tralee, United States | 2 Comments »

Captain America by Jack Kirby Omnibus (Review)

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Darren

“All the years of combat against forces of overwhelming power have done little to prepare Cap for the terrifying experience of being thrust under the Klieg Lights amid an undulating sea of precision dancers…”

– Oh no! Cap’s fatal weakness! Precision dancers!

It seemed like a bit of a no-brainer. With America’s bicentennial celebrations approaching, Marvel decided to put comic book legend (and co-creator) Jack Kirby on the comic book. Publishing two annuals, twenty-two issues of the on-going Captain America and Falcon book, and the iconic Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles, Kirby celebrated two centuries of the United States in style, crafting Captain America stories that were at once anchored in the past, yet boldly forging forward. He also seemed to embrace the crazy and energetic potential of the medium he helped define, producing a run on the character that was borderline surreal, occasionally crazy, but never boring.

The most awesome comic panel ever…

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Benjamin Franklin, captain america, doctor doom, ed brubaker, Falcon, grant morrison, Henry Kissinger, jack kirby, Joe Simon, joss whedon, Kirby, Klieg light, marvel comics, nick fury, Rolling Stones, stan lee, United States | 2 Comments »

Does Cabin in the Woods Out- “Hunger Games” The Hunger Games?

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Darren

Sometimes I form weird movie connections in my head – tying two particular films together even if there’s very little common ground on which to link them. For example, I sat through quite a bit of Shame thinking of Collateral, a film linked tangentially thematically, as both offered rather scathing portraits of anomie against the backdrop of a major American city. On the other hand, I also formed a rather strong connection between the superb Cabin in the Woods and the mega blockbusting phenomenon The Hunger Games. As I watched Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s powerful exploration of the horror genre, I couldn’t help but feel that this was exactly what The Hunger Games wanted to be, even if the film adaptation couldn’t quite manage it.

The show must go on!

Note: This article contains some background information on Cabin in Woods. Nothing too big, but I would honestly recommend that you see the film as blind as possible. It is, by some considerable margin, one of the best films of 2012, and entirely deserving of both your time and your money. This article will still be here when you get back.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Anna Hutchison, arts, battle royale, bbc, Cabin in the Woods, chris hemsworth, debate, Drew Goddard, films, Horror fiction, Hunger Games, joss whedon, meta-fiction, Movies, reviews, social commentary, Suzanne Collins, United States, Woods, Year of the Sex Olympics | 9 Comments »

The Sopranos: College (Review)

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Darren

College is interesting because it perfectly captures a lot of the themes at the heart of The Sopranos, effortlessly blending Tony’s upper-middle-class concerns with his familial obligations (both to his nuclear family and to the mob). At the same time, it explores many of the inherently contradictory aspects of modern living, including the implied acquiesce to a culture of greed and corruption. College is the first time that we really see Tony get his own hands dirty, and it’s the point at which we explore how complicit Carmela is in his shady dealings and illegal activities. I think it’s a show that really pins down what the show is going to be – and it’s no surprise that the episode won Chase his first writing Emmy for the show, and is reportedly his favourite episode of the series.

Driving the conversation...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: american dream, Anthony, art, Beatles, Carmela, Carmela Soprano, Chase, David Chase, hbo, Italian American, Jennifer Melfi, Jesus, John Lennon, Meadow, Organized crime, Ritual, Soprano, Tony, Tony Award, Tony Soprano, United States | Leave a comment »

There Will Not Be Blood: Thoughts on Movie Ratings and a PC Culture…

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Darren

I feel decidedly behind the times in writing this. After all, the gigantic scuffle over the MPAA’s rating of the documentary Bully seems to have resolved itself, with both the Weinstein company and the MPAA reaching a settlement that both can agree on to get the film distributed with a rating that won’t alienate its target audience. However, I can’t help but feel like this single case of compromise managed to avoid the heart of the issue at question. By allowing this single film to slip through the net, the censorship authority avoid an actual discussion on the role and obligations of a ratings authority. It’ll only be a matter of time before another controversy erupts, and that will undoubtedly be dealt with on its own terms as well, avoiding any actual debate or discussion about how censorship bodies rate particular films.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Blue Valentine (film), Bully, Child, dark knight, film, Harvey Weinstein, Hunger Games, King's Speech, motion picture association of america, Motion Picture Association of America film rating system, Movie, mpaa, political correctness, Saving Private Ryan, United States, weinstein, weinstein company | 4 Comments »

Mighty Avengers: Dark Reign (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Darren

Read our review of The Avengers here.

Dan Slott’s Mighty Avengers is so distinct from Brian Michael Bendis’ run on the second Avengers flagship book that it might as well have been a different title. Indeed, the name (and, arguably, the use of thought balloons) represent perhaps the only ties to the second major Avengers title. While still defined by it, the status quo has little to do with the aftermath of Civil War, and the lineup is markedly different. In a way, you could argue that Bendis and Slott had similar goals with the title: an attempt to tell more bombastic and traditional Avengers stories, with high stakes and a global focus, in contrast to the relatively “urban” feel of Bendis’ New Avengers. There’s no denying, however, that Slott handles the nostalgia and conventional superheroics with far more aplomb than his predecessor.