Columbiana Official Trailer

Zoe Saldana is quickly becoming my favorite female action star. Plus this has a very clear Taken vibe to it. Hadn't heard of this until just recently but it is now on the calendar. I look forward to it immensely.

Otterbox Defender Case for Iphone 3GS

I have had my Iphone 3GS for over 16 months now and the only reason it has lasted as long as it has is the Otterbox Defender series case. With two children under 6, it has seen its share of drops, kicks, dropkicks and the like. Now I find that there are more color options available through a third part and I'm flat out giddy.

Anyone who doesn't have a high quality protective case for their Iphone is in my mind playing a much more dangerous game than Angry Birds.

Third Party Skins for Otterbox Defender

Otterbox Official Site

Ultimate Spiderman #160 Death has lost its shock

I remember when Superman died. It was a big deal. Then Batman had his back broken. Hal Jordan became evil, We went through a dozen or so Flashes, they even ripped Wolverine's adamantium out at one point. Wildstrom killed off most of Stormwatch, (I clearly was the only one who cared) and they even cloned Spiderman before and tried to pass off a copy. In the Star Wars books, they've killed Luke (again a clone) and Chewbacca. So I'm sorry to say, I'm not impressed.

As an aspiring writer, I get how at some point a writer has nothing else to say about a character. But that's what made comics so great, a writer could take a character through a story arch or several and then move on, adding depth to the character and passing on a wealth of knowledge to the next writer. Any time a writer stays on too long, they end up going for the end game. It's not in the spirit of what an ongoing comic is. It's a publicity stunt and a cop-out. I'm sorry but I've read enough "Death of.." stories. If you want to kill someone, create a character and write the story. More comic writers need to go the Frank Miller route and create, instead of hijack.

@HuffingtonPostHuffington Post 

RIP Spider-Man: http://huff.to/lKvOVW

Metallica + Lou Reed = Feast or Famine

After reading this article from Entertainment Weekly, Metallica and Lou Reed reveal secret collaboration on full-length album, I am both intrigued and apprehensive. Obviously, both Metallica and Lou Reed are legends in music but these types of collaborations can be a landmine for all involved. For every Queen/David Bowie, there are at least three Blue/Steve Wonder's. Here's hoping James, Lou and the boys fall closer to the "Under Pressure" end of the spectrum. 

Cowboys and Aliens Trailer 2

Whenever I am having a bad day, I need to watch this trailer. I'm not sure if I've been this excited for a movie in years. It's to the point that I believe it will be good and will probably love it no matter if it is or not. The trailers have done a great job building my excitement.

Movie Review: Drive Angry (2011) Spoilers

One of the great benefits of insomnia, is that fact that it gives me literally plenty of time to find every points club, coupon site, text club to join etc. Some night, probably at about 3 AM, I joined some Redbox thing that allows me to get random texts with free promo codes. I wish I remember how I did it, because it's one of the few useful clubs I'm in.

Today, I received such a text and decided that it was the perfect opportunity to rent a movie that I just wasn't sure of - Nicolas Cage's Drive Angry. Personally I love the popcorn movie thing that Cage can do. Is it over the top? Yes. Is some of the dialog awful? Putrid. Does stuff go boom? Most certainly. But for what it is, pure popcorn movie suspension of disbelief shoot 'em up fun. Will Drive Angry win any awards? Never. But it is damn fun.

The best thing that the movie does, it know what it is. It's not a plot deep, character driven indie drama. It's an action flick. Flick as in doesn't even claim film or movie as a description. When I saw a previous Cage vehicle, Bangkok Dangerous, I expected an action flick. What I got was a boring, slow, painfully drawn out wanna-be indie critic's darling. Thank you Mr. Cage for giving up that ghost and finding a much more entertaining one.

Cage plays, John Milton (clever wink, think Paradise Lost), a father out for revenge. He's breaks out of hell and drives some spectacularly gorgeous muscle cars while trying to outrun Death (capital D) and save his grand-daughter from a creepy cult leader. Yes it sounds a lot like Ghost Rider with cool cars. That's pretty much it. It's simple, it's clear, it's a linear line that drives through anything it can find. And it works. The script literally spends more time detailing the cars Cage drives than any mythology or dogma. Grandpa escapes Hell to help Granddaughter. Which I honestly have to problem believing.

Along the way he picks up the heroine of the flick, Piper, played capably by Amber Heard. Heard does what Megan Fox was supposed to do in the Transformer movies. Make edgy, tough and beautiful both believable and legendary. She is not given much to work with, 65% (made up %) of her dialog probably comes from her first 10 minutes on screen. However, her inclusion in any future films/flicks will certainly garner my attention. She finds away to come across as something of a mix of Bonnie Parker and Daisy Duke. What's not to love?

Milton and Piper of course carry the film, the cult leader is creepy but ultimately forgettable and William Fichtner plays Death with his usual character actor polish. Understated is always better, I mean, who can surprise Death? All in all it's well cast, well paced an a fun rental. Especially if you manage to get it for free.

Rating: A- (Tried to steal the sex scene-shoot out from Shoot 'em Up)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) - Trailer (HD)

One of the more assuming moments during my geek movie night on Friday was during the trailers before Xmen: First Class. The following trailer came on and I immediately knew which film, I'd seen the trailer before. It's a sad commentary on both the audience and the movie's marketing that when the title rolls at the of the trailer, most of the audience erupted into shocked laughter...

That said, it doesn't look horrible. Just not sure the audience exists.

100 books/graphic novels in 12 months

New goal. Since I added graphic novels, I'm well ahead of schedule for 52 in a year. I am currently at 42 with 4 months to go. And I just joined an online book club so four more are assured. Therefore I'm revising my goal up to 100. 100 books/graphic novels in 12 months. Ideally I'd like to break down to be at least 60/40 but I've been so graphic novel heavy lately I'm sure it will be closer to 70/30 or 80/20

1. October - Interworld - Neil Gaiman

2. October - The Prince - Machiavelli  

3. November - The Bourne Betrayal - James Ludlum, Eric Van Lustbader

4. November - Catch 22 - Joseph Heller 

5. December - First Daughter - Eric Van Lustbader

6. December - Suck It, Wonder Woman - Olivia Munn

7. December - It's Hard Out Here For a Shrimp - Pepe The King Prawn

8. January - Good Omens - Neil Gaiman

9. January - A Jew Must Die - Jacques Chessex

10. January - The Pearl - John Steinbeck

11. February - Let America Be America Again - Langston Hughes

12. February - The Dream Keeper - Langston Hughes

13. February - The Tavernier Stones - Stephen Parrish

14. February - Hawkman: Endless Flight (Graphic Novel) - Geoff Johns, James Robinson, Rags Morales

15. February - The Thieves of Manhattan - Adam Langer

16. March - The Eternals (Graphic Novel) - Neil Gaiman, John Romita Jr. 

17. March - A.D. New Orleans after the Deluge ( Graphic Novel) - Josh Neufeld

18. March - The Grand Design - Stephen Hawkin

19. March - Boozehound - Jason Wilson

20. March - Sin City The Hard Goodbye (Graphic Novel) - Frank Miller 

21. March - Whilteout Vol 2: Melt (Graphic Novel) - Greg Rucka, Steve Lieber

22. March - Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty (Graphic Novel) Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, Michael Lark

23. March - DMZ (Graphic Novel) - Brian Wood, Riccardo Burchielli 

24. April - Ultimate Fantastic Four #1-#6 (Graphic Novel) Bendis, Millar

25. April - The Maverick Experiement - Drew Bergquist

26. April - The Sword - Brian Litfin

27. April - The Simple Dollar - Trent Hamm

28. April - Hitler's Pre-Emptive War: The Battle for Norway, 1940 - Henrik O. Lunde

29. May - Unwritten: Inside Man (Graphic Novel) - Mike Carey, Peter Gross

30. May - Parker: The Hunter (Graphic Novel) Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark

31. May - The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle (Graphic Novel) Jim Butcher, Ardian Syaf

32. May - Marvel 1602 (Graphic Novel)  - Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert, Richard Isanove

33. May - Daniel X: Alien Hunter (Graphic Novel) James Patterson, Leopoldo Gout

34. May - Small Gods: Killing Grin (Graphic Novel) Jason Rand, Juan Ferreyra, Kristen Simon

35. May - Fray (Graphic Novel) Joss Weadon, Karl Moline, Andy Owens

36. May - Planetary Vol 2: The Fourt Man (Graphic Novel) Warren Ellis, John Cassaday

37. May - Planetary Vol 3: Leaving the 20th Century (Graphic Novel) Warren Ellis, John Cassaday

38. May - Eye of God - Ariel Allison

39. May - Tick Tock - James Patterson

40. May - Xmen: Kitty Pryde Shadow and Flame Vol 1 (Graphic Novel) Akira Yoshida, Paul Smith

41. May - Red (Graphic Novel) Warren Ellis, Cully Hamner

42. May - Parker The Outfit (Graphic Novel) Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark

Upcoming:

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana - Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (Book Club)

Who Killed Art Deco - Chuck Barris

Pirates of the Levant - Arturo Perez-Reverte

The Last Dickens - Mathew Pearl

Shiloh - Larry J. Daniel 

The Liar - Stephen Fry 

First Snow - Eric Van Lustbader

Faithful Place - Tana French

Any suggestions on future books/graphic novels are very appreciated. 

Movie Review: Wonder Woman (2009) Spoilers

I've had the pleasure over the past few months to rediscover several classic comic book tales through the increasingly stellar animated films that both DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment have been putting out straight to DVD.

Tonight I had the pleasure of watching Wonder Woman (2009). I've read the origin of Wonder Woman many times but have never found myself completely engrossed in the character. Historically, I've struggled with the worlds of magic/mysticism collide with that of the more common superhero. It's an argument meant for a different post entirely, or for that matter a white paper. However, this streamlined version of Wonder Woman, that introduces her to the modern viewer and does a good job of not overly explaining the mythology, was an enjoyable and eminently re-watchable version.

Wonder Woman, or Diana as she is known at the beginning of the film is voiced by Keri Russell. To me it's always a credit to a voice actor when I don't spend too much time trying to determine who it is. The voice fit Diana perfectly and I didn't even realize it was Russell until the credits rolled. Diana is given enough naivety and smarts to give the character's first interactions with the modern world seem plausible and natural. What was especially pleasing is that the tone of the film seems much like Diana herself. It never questions her abilities and moves forward with a consistent and entertaining tone.

Ironically, the fact that I immediately knew the voice behind Colonel Steve also improved the character for me. Colonel Steve is a hard character to accept at times. The carbon copy handsome, talented, charming blah blah blah. He's the star quarterback who donates his time to taking meals to old ladies and saving kittens from trees. At best he's grudgingly likeable. At worst, the viewer can't stand him. In a brilliant bit of casting, Nathan Fillion was brought in as the voice of Colonel Steve. Immediately, I couldn't hate the guy, no matter how hard I try. Fillion has made a career out of being the handsome, charming, seemingly too good to be true archetype that everyone can't help but love. No matter how strange some of Colonel Steve's lines could be worried or how the swings in his character's outlook changed, it worked. Mostly because Fillion's voice reminded you of some strange combo of Richard Castle, Mal and even Captain Hammer.

The rest of the voice cast is good to passable. Oliver Platt and Alfred Molina are excellent as Hades and Ares and the animation is never a distraction. On the whole an excellent rental and enjoyable for fanboys and regular watchers alike.

Grade: A

LEGO StarCraft Siege Tank: Nugget From The Net

Lego's have to be the worlds most underrated toy. The amount of options and creative outlets that they allow are endless. I used to build Xwings and Ywings before the sets came out, pirate ships that flew and so on. Below are some of my favorite recent Lego related creations.

Acadia Cafe - Review

One of my goals for 2011 has been to widen my horizons. I tend to go the same places, eat the same foods, listening to the same music, watch the same shows. By nature I am a creature of habit. I like the comfort of an establishment where I know the menu and where the wait-staff knows me by name. Perhaps it is a curse left over from working at Cheers. Nonetheless, 2011 is about trying new things.

Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of trying out several new bars, establishments because of their live music. Last night, it was the Acadia Cafe. 

The Acadia Cafe is a small bar/eatery/music venue located on Cedar Ave in Minneapolis. They have solid acoustics, a seemingly well training sound technician and the amount of taps and beer variety you would expect from a thriving Minneapolis location. They have a mostly traditional menu with a few hip twists on old favorites like the cleverly named GLBT. 

The tap selection includes my current favorite, Surly Furious. Their Swiss and Mushroom Burger was somewhat surprisingly cooked exactly as I requested. (Truly medium rare burgers are very hard to find). In keeping with their location and audience, they "hand-patty their burgers fresh each day from humanely grown, all-natural, hormone and antibiotic-free cattle." All nice and good from a feel good stand point but even better they tasted great. I was especially pleased with the onion bun, it really added a excellent touch of flavor. 

The wait-staff was quick and responsive and very focused on the task at hand. Not to a point of rudeness but just enough business-like focus to keep my drink full and my order correct. There was an almost Scandinavian sense of work and focus. Very little nonsense. Except for the dishwasher. From my spot at the bar I could see back into the kitchen and I'll admit that I really didn't need the sight of his pants sagging so low I could venture a decent guess as to his brand of boxers. My gratitude that he avoided the briefs. That said, he and the entire restaurant seemed very clean and did in no way impact my enjoyment of the food. Just his fashion. 

The main reason I went to the Acadia Cafe last night was to see Wasted Education. I have seen them at two different venues now, The Acadia and the well known Turf Club. I'm not sure if it was the acoustics, the sound engineer or simply the band having more time together but last night's performance was vastly superior in terms of sound quality. It's always a challenge to find a correct musical mix in a restaurant, considering all the challenges that come with food prep and service. Kudos to both the band and the establishment for making it eminently listenable last night. 

Overall The Acadia Cafe is an excellent venue to listening to live local original music, have a good beer and well cooked burger. 

Grade B+ (A if you catch the dishwasher's off night!)

X-Men First Class - Fan made title sequence

Like much of my generation, I have been hooked on the X-men for most of my life. The original cartoon in the 90's was absolutely required viewing. I even set the VCR for the special prime time event one summer. I've enjoyed most of the films for what they were, fun pop culture popcorn movies. However, the upcoming prequel seems to offer some deeper subject matter.

In the X-men mythology, Xavier and Magneto are the archetypal characters. Good and Evil. Yet just like Christian theology, they were once partners, in this case even equals. What happened that drove such an incredible wedge between them? What was the ideological break? Set against the reality of the cold war and the Cuban missile crisis, the movie has the opportunity to speak to bigger themes of good vs evil or if there is even such a distinction to be made. 

The video below is a fan made opening sequence for the film. To me it's very well done but seems to be a bit heavy handed. I'm sure the actual opening will be much more modern Hollywood.

What do you think?

X-Men: First Class Title Sequence from Joe D! on Vimeo.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Teams With Stan Lee On New Comic And Cartoon

I firmly believe that creative talent ebbs and flows. Any creative mind or genius has ups and downs. However, it seems that there comes a point when the downs are all that is left. Look at some of Einsteins last work, or anything done by George Lucas since 1990 or any Rolling Stones album of the past 25 years. The well does run drive at some point, its just nature. It happens to everyone.

It's time to finally acknowledge that it has happened to comic great and icon Stan Lee. The man created some of the most memorable and brilliant characters of all time. He had a hand in Spiderman, Fantastic Four, The Xmen, The Avengers, Thor, Daredevil and literally thousands of others. He is on the Mount Rushmore of comic creators.

However, the past decade has been astonishingly bad. If you were to tell me that Stan Lee had been abducted and replaced by his evil mentally challenged twin, I would gladly believe you. It seems inconceivable that the same mind that helped to build most of the Marvel Universe is also responsible for Stripperella, Ringo as a super hero and now some ill conceived project with the Governator.

Please Stan, just stop. Don't let people know you as the reality show shill and cameo creep. It overshadows the really impressive and worthwhile previous years of genius.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Teams With Stan Lee On New Comic And Cartoon

Movie Review: Superman/Shazam Return of Black Adam *Spoilers*

One of the biggest challenges as a movie fan is that it seems that often the marketing wing of a studio has no idea what a movie is about, so they just punt on the trailer, title etc. Superman/Shazam is a perfect example. What I completely missed is that on Netflix instant watch at least, it is actually a compilation of shorts about some of the coolest, underutilized characters in the DC universe. But the title and cover made me think it was a full Superman/Shazam movie. .

Due to this fact, it sat unloved on my cue for months. I'm not a huge Shazam/Captain Marvel fan. I think the introduction of "magic" as another Superman vulnerability smacks of writer desperation and the boy becomes superhuman with a word gimmick doesn't seem to work on a large scale. This is why I think that Captain Marvel, despite his obvious name issues, has historically been a mostly forgotten and underutilized character.

If the title of this film was DC Showcase: Forgotten Heros or even DC Showcase: Characters you really don't know, then I think it would have moved up my Netflix cue much faster. There are four separate shorts starring, Superman/Shazam, The Spectre, Green Arrow and Jonah Hex. The voice cast and art for each of the shorts is superb.

Each of these characters honestly couldn't carry an entire film (see Jonah Hex) but in a short, they shine. Superman/Shazam is passable, The Spectre is appropriately creepy, Green Arrow lasts just long enough for the character to be enjoyed but the holes not to show and Jonah Hex is a nice easy cowboy revenge story that doesn't need to waste time with details or character development.

If you're a fan of DC Comics or any of the animated series created or produced by Bruce Timm, I highly recommend giving this compilation a shot. Don't be fooled by the complete failure of the marketing department, there is value here beyond the tagline.

Grade: B+

Movie Review: From Paris with Love

Action movies are a interesting genre. The audience expects to be entertained, surprised, and amused. However, each movie treads a very thin line between worthwhile and worthless. At best an action movie can feel like a roller coaster of explosions, wisecracks and clever ways for bad guys to die. At worst it can seem disjointed, overly full of itself, packed with lame jokes and seemingly pasted together. From Paris with Love is a perfect example of both the highs and lows.

The Jonathan Rhys Meyers/John Travolta 2010 action flick has some very well scripted and shot action sequences. The rest is pretty much bunk. Rhys Meyers plays an ambassador's aide, James Reece, who also is evidentially a low level black operations agent. His main contact is a disembodied voice on the phone who Reece seems to blindly trust without giving the audience any reason to the he should. Travolta, playing a American spook stereotype and looking a bit like Mr. Clean's evil twin, is dropped into the movie as the main source of conflict and action. He kills without remorse, he cracks jokes, he makes Reece take drugs and wreaks general havoc on Paris. The first 40 minutes feel painfully like a forced overacted version of Training Day.

As a viewer, I kept waiting for the twist, the big bad guy reveal or the double cross. When it finally comes, in the form of Reece's fiancee, it seems completely out of context and laughable. In an attempt to shock the audience the move comes off nothing more than that. From that point on Travolta changes from lunatic to mentor and the second half of the movie feels entirely different from the first. The film hits rock bottom with a scene that clearly was added to the script once Travolta signed on. After a shoot out and the killing of several supposed terrorists, the two main characters share a heart to heart moment about killing and their work while Travolta eats and references his "royale with cheese". I kid you not.

As Redbox or Netflix rental, the action sequences and the overacting by Travolta are almost worth it. However with the sheer number of action movies available, I highly recommend finding another option. Michael Caine's Get Carter is a classic that show an action movie can be a true thrill ride without being just plain asinine. A much better option in my opinion.

Grade: C.

The Three Musketeers - Paul W.S. Anderson

I so badly want to love this movie. Dumas is arguably my favorite French writer. I love story of The Three Musketeers. I really like much of the cast, Milla Jovovich, Ray Stevenson, Matthew Macfadyen, Christoph Waltz. It seems like they are playing with the story a bit, adding a bit more over the top themes (flying ships anyone?). I'm 90% of the way hooked and then the title screen pops up....

3D. Really? That's just pandering. Even my two children are tired of 3D. Ugh.

That said, my devotion to Alexandre will probably have me in line opening night. Even with the ridiculous prices and glasses.

Captain America Trailer

I've never been a huge Captain America guy. In fact, I've never purchased or even read an entire Captain America comic book. However, I'm cautiously excited for the upcoming film. While I generally like Chris Evans, who's Push is highly underrated, I'm not sure he's the prototypical actor for Captain America. However, Marvel Entertainment hit a home run with Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stack and seems to be right on with the upcoming Thor as well - so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Plus the trailer seems to be spot on.

Movie Review: Paul

Tuesdays are currently my favorite day of the week. They often involve outings with my son, to the library to the pub for lunch, to the park etc. And Tuesday nights are the one evening that I don't have work or kid commitments, so it's all mine. Yesterday I have the pleasure of finally taking in a movie at an actual movie theater.

Paul starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the creative minds behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz is unique for me in a way. It was the first movie that I have gone to see strictly because of it's promotion on Twitter. I've been following Simon Pegg (@simonpegg) for more than year and his updates have had me eager to see Paul for months. In fact, on the way to the theater I realized that I hadn't even seen a trailer for the film!

As Shaun of the Dead was to zombie movies and Hot Fuzz was to action so Paul is to science fiction. It exists as both an homage and a something of a spoof. Smartly written by Pegg and Frost, the script bounces from memorable landmark to the next in a cross country road trip that is part Crosby/Martin and part Tommy Boy.

It's clear that Pegg and Frost as writers love the subject matter as much as the characters they portray. The ensemble cast as a whole, is excellent with Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Jeffrey Tambor, Jane Lynch and more. There is even a vocal cameo by Steven Speilberg.

Paul is well paced and just long enough. It's smart enough to step up the line and just barely cross it. All in all, it was exactly as I expected. A clever, funny, well done film thats as much about science fiction fans as it is aliens.

Grade: A

A Decent into Hell - Surly style

I have been a huge fan of the Surly Brewing Company's Furious for almost two years now. When I venture out to my favorite neighborhood bar/eatery, I almost always have a Furious. In fact, the bartenders and waitresses are caught off guard when I order anything but a Surly Furious. (The fact that bartenders and waitresses know me by name and sight can be discussed at another time.) But when your ex-wife asks if you would like free beer that was left in her fridge and it has an ironically perfect name, well you just shake hands with fate and take a sip. This is how I came to try Surly Hell for the first time. A unique introduction to a unique lager.

Surly Hell comes in a can, like all Surly varieties do when not purchased by the keg. One of the things I love about Surly Furious is the fact that it cannot be "chugged" or in the very least isn't easily "chugged". I've past the "chugging" phase of my life, and prefer to enjoy my beer a bit longer than I used to. (Clearly, I am still in the overuse of quotation marks phase however), (ditto parentheses). Hell on the other hand, can clearly be "chugged". As a member of the Surly family is it a much lighter and lesser flavorsome cousin to the Furious. As a lager it is vastly superior to the most of it's mass produced competitors.

While Furious is high on hops flavor, Hell sends the hops to the side and allows the sweetness of the malt to control the pallet. The color is traditional for a lager, a more conventional "beer" color. The can itself calls Surly Hell - "fiendishly drinkable" - while I am not a fan of lagers as a whole, if I choose to drink one, there's better than a snowballs chance it will be Surly Hell.

To begin at the middle

I have always had a hunger and desire to write. I just haven't ever had anything to say. I have created this blog as an outlet for that desire to write. It will include music, movie, media reviews, short anecdotes, hypothetical questions and most probably emotionally laced rants against or for some seemingly inconsequential topic.

I am not an expert in anything other than my own thoughts and opinions. But you'll never really convince me of that.