The Bill April 27, 2011

Small weeks mean small preambles. Let's just cut to the chase, shall we?




The Obligatory Review:

The Mighty Thor # 1
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Oliver Coipel

Maybe it was the run up to the new movie, the positive buzz on Matt Fraction, or even the fact that Galactus was promised an appearance in this first issue; whatever it was, I was totally intrigued by this issue. "This one will be different," I thought, "Thor, the way he was meant to be."

It was exactly what I thought it would be, and I can't say that I really liked it.

Thor is a tough sell for me. He lives in a world that's completely separate from mine, speaks in a faux-shakespearean dialect, and just generally leads a life that is such the opposite of mine. Except for the slaying troll part though, because that's totally my Tuesday night.

So this issue - in which Thor dives down the shaft of the world tree Yggdrasil (which, I believe, is the sound I make when I gargle) to find it's seed, fights giant light scarabs, and has implied sex with a feisty yet respectable Lady Sif, all while Galactus speeds towards the Earth - had some awesome things in it, but was ultimately dragged down by the fact it was a Thor book.

Come back when you're more like Thor: The Mighty Avenger.



More Please:

Venom # 2
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Tony Moore


This is the book that all Marvel Comics should aspire to: big fun action with a healthy injection of weapon's grade insanity.

Is it clear that I liked this issue? Because I really did. From the opening pages of a crazed Kraven the Hunter riding a dinosaur, to the thoroughly gross and totally Tony Moore character reveal at the end, this one is fast becoming my favorite book of 2011.

Also, I totally expect it to be cancelled with issue 10. Sigh. In the meantime, I suggest any of you who loved anything about FrankenCastle or find yourself strangely drawn to the new Uncanny X-Force book to make it a point to check this one out too. You don't want to miss out on this one, I promise



There you have it. It should also be noted that the FrankenCastle Ultimate Collection came out this week, and you should all buy it. Not just because I'm suddenly in the tank for Rick Remender, but because it's totally awesome. FrankenCastle forever!

Weekend Matinee: THE ROCKETEER

It's Saturday Afternoon and if you're anything like me, you're feeling super patriotic today. At least in the sense that you could enjoy some old fashioned Nazi bashing. If so, then do I got the movie for you: THE ROCKETEER!



I find myself talking about this early 90s almost-gem a lot in these recent months. The refrain is always the same: I'm excited about Captain America because Joe Johnston did The Rocketeer. It's a fabulous, high flying, action adventure with only one fatal flaw: the male lead, Billy Campbell.

With it's crazy talented cast, The Rocketeer becomes a textbook example of the importance of a strong leading man. It's not that Campbell doesn't look like a leading man it's just, much like Orlando Bloom, he lacks the charisma to carry a movie by himself. It's such a hard thing to pin down, really, all I know is that poor Billy Campbell doesn't seem to have it.

Assuming you don't mind the lack of a strong lead, or can just roll with it, the rest of it is just plain fun. I mean, come on, it's got a guy in a jet pack fighting mobsters and undercover nazis! And the last scene takes place on a blimp! There's so much cool shit in this movie, I almost guaruntee you'll be cursing out the tepid performance of ol' Billy just as much as I am when the credits start to roll.

It's also, as I mentioned before, a nice taste of what I hope Joe Johnston's Captain America will be: Sweeping action, unquestionable grandeur, with scenes that are destined to become classic in a Spielberg-lite kind of way. And this time with the strong lead that The Rocketeer so desperately needed.

This week's clip gives you a little sample of all of that, and will totally whet your appetite for more. Enjoy!

Drive Angry: So Close To Being So Awesome

I saw Drive Angry (in 3D!) last night, and it was almost exactly what I thought it would be. It was chock full of big dumb action, a crazy Nic Cage performance, and some laugh out lines (most of which I can't imagine were intentional), but it still wasn't quite the movie I wanted it to be.



You might remember me talking about this one months ago in one of my Weekend Matinee's where I mentioned that Drive Angry looked like the movie Ghost Rider should have been. I can indeed confirm that this is the case. Regardless of any issues this one has, it's head and shoulders above Ghost Rider when it comes to that throwback 70s grindhouse esthetic. I just wish this one went a bit further for me.



Let's back up and talk about the plot. This one is pretty straight forward: Nic Cage escapes from Hell on a mission to save his granddaughter from being sacrificed by some Satanists. Typical stuff. So the first scene of the movie is Cage escaping from Hell in a suped up (I'm assuming) American Muscle car, that promptly never appears again. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was that Nic Cage wasn't driving around in an authentic Hell Dorado the entire movie, and instead opted to go with a boring old Dodge Charger.

The rest of the movie continued with this almost awesome approach. Most notably with the most amazing Nic Cage Sex Scene EVER, in which he remains fully clothed with a novelty cigar in his mouth and a giant bottle of jack in his hand until, of course, the bad guys show up and try to kill him. It's not quite as good as a similar gunfight in Shoot'Em Up, but it does have more nakedness.

Check out the clip here if you want. It's, um, NSFW if you weren't totally sure.

The villains follow this same path of almost-the-greatest-thing-ever. William Fincher was clearly having a ball as The Accountant, but accent and delivery vary wildly throughout. That said, he does get his fair of awesome scenes - Like the one involving explosions and KC & The Sunshine band, Classic - that do wonders to make me not care too much about his shifting performance.

Meanwhile, the other antagonist (Played by Billy Burke) had his moments of super creepiness and general evilness, but wasn't as cunning or ruthless as the movie really wanted me to think he was. I mean, sure he wanted to kill a baby, but come on, it's 2011 I need more than just talk if you're going to get me to be creeped out by you.

I blame basic cable and video games.



In the end, Drive Angry has a swagger all it's own. A stupid, non-sensical, and overly confident swagger, but a unique one that only it can claim. In my opinion, you should go check this out at the cheap theatre (which'll be next week at this rate) or at home while skipping all the 3d nonsense. You should save that ten bucks and spend it on whiskey.

Because believe me, it'll only make that movie that much more enjoyable.