11/22/2010

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS
DC Comics’ super-complicated Multiverse is introduced in this fun (if slugfest-heavy) animated film pitting Superman, Batman, the Flash, et al against The Crime Syndicate, their evil doppelgangers from an alternate Earth where Lex Luthor’s a hero! A bonus short featuring The Spectre is predictable, but awesomely gruesome.

Tosh.0

TOSH.0
I never liked AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS and am not a big YOUTUBE user. Slapstick Vérité just doesn’t do it for me. Besides, I’m depressed enough about the impending IDIOCRACY to watch morons and douchebags gain pseudo-celebrity and Fratty host Daniel Tosh’s poop/sexist/racist gags thuddingly lack Sarah Silverman’s palatable detachment.

11/16/2010

Southern Culture on the Skids, The Kudzu Ranch

Southern Culture on the Skids, THE KUDZU RANCH
Further evidence that this ain’t no novelty band (chicken tossing and blue beehive wigs aside). SCOTS serves up another greasy slab of bootylicous, country-fried, twangy debauchery, all wrapped up in a beeeyoootiful package! For almost 25 years, nobody does rockabilly surf country better than the pride of Chapel Hill!

SHAZAM! The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal

SHAZAM! THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD’S MIGHTIEST MORTAL by Chip Kidd & Geoff Spear
It’s no surprise that this Kidd-designed collection of vintage Captain Marvel memorabilia is a visual feast. The revelation is the breadth of material, offering a stunning glimpse into a bygone era when the Big Red Cheese was comics’ biggest hero (before being sued out of existence by DC Comics).

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret

THE INCREASINGLY POOR DECISIONS OF TODD MARGARET
David Cross co-created and stars in this pleasantly excruciating tale of a hapless half-wit sent to England to sell an undrinkable energy drink. The culture / intelligence clashes are funny, but Will Arnett steals the show as Todd’s unrepentantly evil, walking id of a boss.

11/13/2010

Absolute All-Star Superman

ABSOLUTE ALL-STAR SUPERMAN
If ever a story warranted the Absolute format, it’s Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s exquisite ode to the Silver Age Superman. Anyone who says the Man of Steel is a dull character needs to be whopped upside the head with (and then read) this compelling, moving evidence to the contrary.

Storm Chasers Season 4

STORM CHASERS Season 4
This show follows a Type-A aggro-douchebag meteorologist and his whipping boys and a nail-biting, insecure control freak filmmaker and his suffering lackeys (along with a few actual scientists) but all of them, claims to bettering humanity aside, honestly just get off on chasing tornados. It’s aggravating, but sometimes fascinating TV.

11/08/2010

Palookaville #20

PALOOKAVILLE #20 by Seth
The precious cartoonist (Chris Ware influence raging) adopts a precious hardcover format to continue his precious tedium, CLYDE FANS, detail a precious model city project and spew more of his unrelenting love/hate relationship with himself. A sketchbook section is the only bright spot in a tome that’s way too… precious.

Catfish

CATFISH
I call bullshit on this supposed documentary about a NYC photographer who gets into an online relationship with a girl who turns out to not be what she seems. Plausibility is strained from the outset, but what’s even worse is the possibility that it’s a vile, exploitative piece of half-truth.

For much more, see here.

11/02/2010

The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

THE RALLY TO RESTORE SANITY AND/OR FEAR
Hmmm… I’m torn. This was certainly a noble cause from true American heroes, but too much meh! music, an exercise in stupidity from the Mythbusters and comedy that didn’t really work in a huge outdoor setting mostly made for, sadly, not great TV (but how was it in person?).

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

THE AVENGERS: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES
Odin’s Beard, I love this show! This smart, stylized, fast-moving animated precursor to 2012’s movie sweeps across the Marvel Universe like Bruce Timm’s JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED did for DC. At long last, after decades of clunky dreck, here’s a Marvel cartoon that doesn’t suck (okay, except for the theme).