30+ years of backstory (and real-time aging) adds weight, pathos, and depth to what feels like it may be the last Maggie story. In 100 short pages, Xaime cements his status as one of the greatest creators in the history of the comics medium.
8/20/2014
The Love Bunglers
30+ years of backstory (and real-time aging) adds weight, pathos, and depth to what feels like it may be the last Maggie story. In 100 short pages, Xaime cements his status as one of the greatest creators in the history of the comics medium.
Lee Daniels' The Butler
A “biopic” so filled with apocryphal clichés and soap operatic overacting that it’s more fiction than fact, further tainted by head-scratchingly misguided stunt casting (John Cusack as Nixon?!?!). The civil rights struggle was handled with more depth and complexity on GOOD TIMES. How does pap like this become so venerated?
6/28/2014
Dear Mr. Watterson
Joel Schroeder’s ode to CALVIN AND HOBBES and its creator is a little too heavy on gushing but pointless fan sycophancy and self-validation from crappy contemporary cartoonists who unabashedly rip off Bill Watterson. Still, the subject matter shines brightly enough to make you want to revisit its brilliance and magic.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Brett Ratner’s risible THE LAST STAND is rendered mostly moot by Bryan Singer’s entertaining but underdeveloped adaptation of an iconic Marvel storyline. But too much whining by Professor X and some unanswered questions of plot and continuity may forever render the cinematic X-verse too muddled to elicit unequivocal raves.
Genius, Animated: The Cartoon Art of Alex Toth
IDW’s Toth trilogy wraps up with a treasure trove of character designs, storyboards, and presentation pieces from the master’s years in animation, including many previously unseen works. Again, thoughts of what might have been add a melancholic tinge to the documentation of a brilliant career self-immolated by perfectionism and misanthropy.
5/15/2014
The Rise and Fall of the Clash
There’s precious little “rise” in this autopsy of the tragic slow death of the Only Band That Mattered. Surviving parties (including a magnanimous Mick Jones) mostly blame Svengali manager Bernie Rhodes’ ill-advised, narcissistic machinations, while tales of the late Joe Strummer’s ultimate contrition only add to the mournful tone.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The palpable Garfield / Stone chemistry, a surprisingly moving Sally Field, and staggering effects are the best parts of this overstuffed installment, which turns SPIDER-MAN comics’ arguably most dramatic storyline into a BATMAN FOREVER-evoking mishmash of too many villains, forced set pieces, and way too much sequel setup.
Bazooka Joe and His Gang
As with the original comics, you may need a magnifying glass to scan every detail in this exhaustive, beautifully designed confection of art, merchandise, history, and essays celebrating 60 years of the admittedly lame, but heartwarmingly iconic bubble gum mascot in all his iterations. A pop (sorry) treasure trove.
4/14/2014
The Grand Budapest Hotel
While too much Wes Anderson can be the cinematic equivalent of eating an entire wedding cake*, anyone who avoids this multi-period caper movie is missing out on a truly immersive, ebullient experience. A tour-de-force for Ralph Fiennes and an incredible supporting cast, it’s Anderson’s best since THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS.
*Wedding cake simile adapted from a comment by Sam Wood circa 1982 re: going to an ABC concert. Thanks, Sam.
TV Sound, Amber Glass High
Kearny NJ’s seminal punk / mod band comes roaring back after 14 years with an utterly timeless slab of hooks, riffs, and attitude. The intervening years’ hiatus did nothing to dull the edge of one of the best bands you probably never heard. Rectify the oversight now.
Superman: The Silver Age Dailies 1959-1961
Poor reproduction (due to lack of source material) only slightly detracts from this collection of newspaper strips from the Silver Age written by co-creator Jerry Siegel. Superman tackles alien filmmakers, evil paramours, conniving thugs, and the I.R.S. (as well as Lois Lane’s unending advances). Glorious, often goofy fun.
White House Down
DIE HARD at the White House, via Hanna-Barbera. The broad-stroked characters (starting with Jamie Foxx as THE PRESIDENT), ludicrous situations, rampant clichés (watch that pocket watch!), and utter predictability make for an eye-rolling yawn only slightly more exciting than any given SCOOBY DOO mystery. C’mon, Roland Emmerich! Try harder!
4/08/2014
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Marvel’s answer to THE DARK KNIGHT is a genre-crossing thriller that emphasizes character and political intrigue as much as action. The ever-escalating destruction and (always off-target) bullet count in these films remains tiresome, and the handheld camera renders much action illegible, but the noise doesn’t trump the story.
Portlandia, Season 4
What was once a clever semi-spoof of a subculture masquerading as a city has devolved into a dull, unfunny pastiche of wigs, non-sequiturs, and pointless cameos, all seemingly self-satisfied with their (usually poor) improv skills (big exception: Jeff Goldblum). PORTLANDIA now feels like a tired chore... to make and watch.
Pim and Francie
Al Columbia’s compilation of unfinished works takes the already creepy look of 1930s Disney cartoons to disturbing depths, adding crawly creatures, cannibals, zombies, and mistrustful elders way more terrifying than anything on THE WALKING DEAD, culminating in a book that may lack a narrative, but could still give Lovecraft nightmares.
The Spider-Man Vault
Another poorly-assembled Marvel vault, with mostly pointless inserts (that could easily have been printed pages), tons of uncredited or just flat out bad artwork, and a heavy slant towards the convoluted glut of titles of the 1990s and beyond. As history, SPIDER-MAN: THE ICON does the job way better.
3/14/2014
This is the End
While I may welcome it in real life, enough already with the movies about mankind’s demise! But I’m even sicker of Hollywood celebrities (particularly this grating cast) pretending to mock themselves, which always feels even more self-congratulatory than a tearful Oscar speech. Okay, Michael Cera was funny. But that’s it.
Not Fade Away
David Chase’s poignant and evocative ode to the alchemic power of ‘60s rock is the gritty Rolling Stones to Tom Hanks’ glossy Beatles ala THAT THING YOU DO! Clashing egos remain the conflict, but the music feels weightier, the seemingly inevitable fate more bittersweet. A true, overlooked gem.
True Detective
In the wake of the season’s end, I have to change what would have been an unequivocal rave to a mitigated cry of Entertaining Bullshit after one of the most disappointing, off-key, and unsatisfying climaxes in TV history. Was Nic Pizzolatto out to make fools of us from the beginning?
Somm
As an amateur oenophile, I’ve always respected wine experts. Or at least I did until I saw this film, focusing on a bunch of fratty, egomaniacal, hyper-competitive Master Sommelier candidates who give parsing varietal complexities the tenor of locker room jockstrap snapping. It’s surprisingly annoying rather than inspiring.
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story
For fanboys, a riveting, eye-opening peek inside the fabled “Marvel Bullpen,” revealed as less Stan Lee’s jolly clubhouse than a frustrating sweatshop that devolved over the years into a shrill gimmick factory, passed from owner to owner like a radioactive hot potato. Be warned, True Believers, ye shall cry heresy!
A Good Day to Die Hard
A profoundly stupid stew of testosterone and lead, this fifth entrant continues the series’ steady slide from brilliant, believable action classic to ridiculous cartoon, as the aging, yet now seemingly invulnerable, terrorist-battling John McClane survives hailstorms of bullets and ten-story falls with his estranged dullard of a son. Painfully putrid.
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