Archives for January, 2009
So The Skrull invasion is done and the Dark Reign has begun and it has not disappointed! What would happen if a series of happenstances allowed the Earth’s mightiest villains to take control of the planet? Wonder no more as Brian Michael Bendis kicks off a thrilling new ride in the Marvel Universe. Yes we had some problems with Secret Invasion but so far Dark Reign has been riveting.
We were lucky enough to recieve som early art from New Avengers #50 where our heroes face their new place in the world under the thumb of the Dark Reign! The art in New Avengers has been solid regardless of what story is being told and these pages, including a variant cover by Adam Kubert http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.6719, and interior art by series artist Billy Tanhttp://marvel.com/news/comicstories.6689.
We’ll have more sneak peaks soon!
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Directed by Sean Cunningham
Starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Kevin Bacon
Every era has at least one iconic character that represents the boogie man whether it’s Dracula, Frankenstein, Michael Myers, or Freddy Kruger. While there were a few in the 70′s and 80′s it’s hard to deny that through 80′s Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 31th films was one of the most recognizable horror movie monsters. The movies have been on tape and on DVD many times but now just in time for the release of the new film to theaters we get the classic first film on Blu-Ray.
The Movie
When Cunningham and crew sat down to create this little film which they call a “pot boiler” the story wasn’t as clichéd as it would later become. They even admit to having watched Halloween for influence and inspiration but the camp counselors and the killer that are the basis of this story are much more obviously ripped off by future films. It’s hard to believe that someone doesn’t know the story of poor Jason Voorhees. As a young child Jason is ignored at Camp Crystal Lake as he drowns by counselors that are busy having sex. Those counselors are murdered and years later when the camp reopens the murders begin again. …continue reading
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![Super 8 (Single-Disc Blu-ray Edition) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JFt1LlPoL._SL75_.jpg "Super 8 (Single-Disc Blu-ray Edition) [Blu-ray]")
Directed By: Blake Edwards
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Epsen
This double disc set is the fifth movie in Paramount’s Centennial Collection and the fourth one featuring Audrey Hepburn. This time playing opposite George Peppard as Holly Golightly a young woman trying to get by in New York City.
The Movie
The movie opens with a long morning shot of an empty 5th Avenue in New York City. As Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini’s Moon River plays a solitary cab floats down the street and stops at the corner of 57th and 5th in front of the marble facade of Tiffany’s. A lone figure emerges from the cab in a simple black dress and pearls to do a little window shopping while sipping coffee and enjoying a croissant. …continue reading
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BURN NOTICE, the hottest show last summer returns for its second season continuation with seven all new episodes on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 10/9c. BURN NOTICE is a sexy action-packed series starring Jeffrey Donovan (“Changeling”) as Michael Westen, a blacklisted spy who finds himself stranded in sun-soaked Miami without money, resources, or a clue as to who burned him, or why. The only tools at his disposal are his wits, his charm, his special ops training and his “friends:” Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar – “The Tudors”), a beautiful ex-IRA operative who also happens to be Michael’s ex-girlfriend, and Sam (Bruce Campbell – “Evil Dead”), a washed-up military intelligence contact who works as Michael’s sidekick, and his mother (Emmy Award-winner Sharon Gless – “Queer as Folk”), who Michael has spent most of his adult life trying to avoid. Visit the official site at www.burnnotice.usanetwork.com
or join other fans on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Burn-Notice/7750605107?ref=ts
Have you been burned? We have your ultimate survival prize pack! One lucky winner will receive:
- Burn Notice Mesh Case,
- Casio Watch,
- Mag Flashlight
- Binoculars
- Burn Notice Season 1 DVD
- Burn Notice Mini-Football
To be entered to win sbmit your name and mailing address. Hurry up, Fiona will cover you!
Submit
Contest ends February 17th!
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Directed By: Stanley Donen
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thompson
Funny Face is number four in Paramount’s and the third featuring Audrey Hepburn. This fashion fantasy musical, the first of the series in color, finds Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire falling in love in Paris.
The Movie
The movie opens with a dilemma. Maggie Prescott, played by the incomparable Kay Thompson, the editor of Quality a fashion magazine, finds the upcoming issue completely unacceptable. She marches through the surrealistic lobby into her office and calls for all of her assistants. After all of her assistants file into the room she explains just how bad the issue is and why it would be a disaster for American woman, nay women everywhere if the magazine went out like it is. …continue reading
Written and Art by Jeff Lemire
Non-fiction has long been the realm of autobiographical tales. This is even true of graphic novels and comics. However, the mixture of fictional accounts of real life places is more rare. Interestingly enough, Jeff Lemire takes a route made famous by authors such as Stephen King and William Faulkner: fictional stories about real places. In Lemire’s case we get the second part of his Essex County trilogy, Ghost Stories, set in Ontario, Canada.
The Book
Essex County Vol. 2 Ghost Stories is the story of the two LeBeuf brothers, Lou and Vince. Both are minor league hockey players who leave the farm to play in Toronto. However, the rest of the graphic novel deals with relationships and isolation, in its many forms. Lemire gives us a story concerning how we deal with family, friends, and love. …continue reading
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Directed By David Fincher
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal
Wow, was I ticked off when I saw on the first DVD release of Zodiac an advertisement for bonus features that were to appear on the upcoming 2 disc edition of the film. Literally one of the bonus features on the disc was an ad for a double dip of the film. Well, now we have the teased version of the film, and we have it in hi def, again.
This the film first came out in a very slick HD-DVD version that you can probably find in a discount bin for $3.99 somewhere if you have an HD-DVD player. If you chose the Blu-Ray route then you’re now in luck as Paramount is bringing the film and all the bonus features to that format. …continue reading
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This week the gang talks LOST, Watchmen, A 3-D Ride to Hell, new Image comics and they introduce a new segment, 60 Seconds ith The Scottish Rocket!
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Directed by Peter Segal
Starring Chris Farley, David Spade, Bo Derek, Brian Dennehy
Chris Farley is one of those actors that divides people: either you love him or you hate him. I am one those that saw that Chris Farley could be great if he is given strong comedic material. Tommy Boy is one of Chris Farley’s best cinematic moments. Tommy Boy:Holy Schnike Edition Blu Ray was recently released on DVD by Paramount Home Video.
The Movie
The shoes of Big Tom (Brian Dennehy) are awfully hard to fill. He runs one of the most successful auto parts businesses in the U.S. While his son Tommy (Chris Farley) loves his dad, it isn’t hard to see that Tommy is an idiot, albeit a lovable one. Big Tom would love to see Tommy take over his company, but Tommy’s brain is oatmeal. Big Tom has employed one of Tommy’s classmates/enemies Richard (David Spade) who knows that Tommy is a disaster with a capital D. …continue reading
![Band Of Brothers [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Wb5TwvL1L._SL75_.jpg "Band Of Brothers [Blu-ray]")
“The Beast,” starring Patrick Swayze and Travis Fimmel, centers on an unorthodox but effective FBI veteran, Charles Barker (Swayze), who takes on a rookie partner, Ellis Dove (Fimmel), to train in his hard-edged and psychologically clever style of agenting. The mischievous veteran hazes his new partner as they work undercover, brilliantly manipulating situations, constantly testing his new partner and pushing him to delve deeper into his “roles.” As Dove realizes he can no longer maintain normal relationships and still do his job, the rookie is confronted with yet another challenge: An FBI team trying to enlist him as a double-agent in the bureau’s investigation of his partner. Don’t miss new episodes of this hard-hitting drama, Thursdays at 10PM ET/PT only on A&E.
Visit http://www.aetv.com/the-beast/ for more information..
“The Beast” Prize Package Includes:
- T-shirt
- Hat
- Patrick Swayze DVD package featuring: Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Road House and Point Break.
Submit your name and mailing address to be entered to win. One lucky winner will be drawn at random on February 1st!
Submit
Contest ends 02/01/09
Directed By Alexandre Aja
Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart
Alexander Aja burst onto the scene with a somewhat flawed but still phenomenal horror opus in High Tension (get the uncut and undubbed import version). After that film, he did a respectable job with the remake of The Hills Have Eyes. His work isn’t necessarily as innovative as it should be or could be, but he’s still a shining light in the cavernous darkness that is American horror film. Yes, he’s French but he’s been working in the United States since High Tension.
The Movie
Most horror films hitting theaters these days are remakes of films from around the world, most often from Asia. Mirrors is one of those films, unfortunately. With that said, this version of the story is substantially different from the original in a ton of ways, but that doesn’t mean this one’s better unfortunately. Sutherland plays Ben, a laid off police detective who is struggling to put his life back together. After killing a man, Ben sank into a bottle and ended up separated from his wife and kids and laid off from his job. A year later he has stopped drinking and moved into his sister’s (Smart) house and taken a new job as a nighttime security guard for a burned out department store. …continue reading
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Directed by : Joshua Michael Stern
Starring: Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammar, Dennis Hopper, and Nathan Lane
Swing Vote is based on a simple, yet improbable concept: what if a major election was actually decided by one vote? We’ve been told this all of our lives, but could it happen? While unlikely, this film gives us an interesting version of “What If?”. However, the film does need a bit more satire and less preaching.
The Movie
Swing Vote is actually about one vote changing a tied Presidential election, but the filmmakers try to add a good back-story concerning a washed up father, Bud, played by Kevin Costner, and his political savvy pre-teen daughter. Seems Bud can’t keep a job and is still hung up on his divorce. We get lots of father daughter tension throughout the film. These scenes work well at times, but the specter of cliché comes knocking too often to be truly heartfelt. …continue reading
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.6MB) | Embed
This week finds us discussing the latest in the Watchmen fiasco, comic book sales figures, Dollhouse, racoon meat, and FOOD SHOULD TASTE GOOD!
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New York – January 12, 2008 — The Coalition of Living Museums (CLM), a *group of 76 zoos, botanical gardens, and aquariums in New York State, released a video that it hopes will go viral as a part of an effort to convince Governor Paterson not to cut its members’ funding by 55 percent this year and totally eliminate it next year.
Paterson proposed cuts to the Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquarium (ZBGA) budget line is looming over CLM members. The group has gone full-throttle with a creative approach to convince Paterson and Albany legislators to reconsider these disproportionate, draconian cuts.
A Bronx Zoo “employee” is rendered speechless in the video. While commended for his role in helping the state’s economy and bringing in some of the more than 12 million annual visitors to the Coalitions’ facilities, the “employee” is ultimately let go.
“We hope to engage viewers with one of our best ‘spokespersons,’ an animal ambassador representing all of the zoos, botanical gardens, and aquariums across the state,” said John Calvelli, Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President for Public Affairs, which operates the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium. “In the video, visitors are then encouraged to send letters of support asking Governor Paterson to restore this critical funding source.”
Karl Lauby, The New York Botanical Garden Vice President for Communications commented, “Living Museums, like The New York Botanical Garden, provide educational services to hundreds of thousands of area children and families, all inspiring future generations of environmentalists who will care for the fragile plants and wildlife of the Earth.”
“In these challenging times, families both need and deserve these refuges across the State to experience and learn about nature. Imagine if these sanctuaries were no longer as accessible to millions of New York residents,” said Sharon Myrie, Vice President of Education at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
According to a 2008 national public opinion survey, 79 percent of Americans believe that zoos and aquariums are good for their local economy, and an impressive 80 percent believe that zoos and aquariums are important enough to local communities to be supported by government funding.
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Written by Adam Freeman & Marc Bernardin
Art by Bruno Redondo, Penciller
To coincide with this week’s official launch of the PUSH website we’ve got reviews of issue 2 and 3 of the PUSH comic book adaptation! The film stars Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, and Djimon Hounsou! Check out our review of the latest installments of the comic and then head on over to the official website to get ready for the film’s release on February 6th!
I have no shame when it comes to seeking instant gratification. So when I was handed Push, 2 and 3, I didn’t hesitate to dive right in despite the fact my OCD/ADD would prefer I wait for the trade paperback version. Score a major win for instant gratification, complete with happy dance.
I might have had a better chance resisting the temptation if I weren’t also kind of a MySpace whore. Go see the Push MySpace (www.myspace.com/push) campaign complete with profile, movie preview, and a contest for one lucky person to have their likeness drawn into the last issue of the comic. I promise you’ll be blown away by the image of Dakota Fanning, who plays a watcher in the movie, looking like the by-product of an Olson Twin/Christina Ricci ménage à trois. …continue reading
