Dorian (aka "Pal") over at Postmodern Barney has a well done piece about why a V For Vendetta film isn't going to work, and I agree with him. I think you just might, too. I just finished watching The Punisher this morning, so maybe I'm even more receptive to that message than usual...
Y'know, I've never read V For Vendetta. I remember when it came out in the 80s, but wasn't impressed by the art so I declined to pick it up. Maybe someday I'll get around to checking it out, because I've never heard anything bad about it.
I was fairly excited about the prospect of Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely doing Superman, but like Alan David Doane am less than enthusiatic about the announcement of Frank Miller and Jim Lee doing Batman. Sure, Dark Knight Returns was brilliant, although I still think it's a bit overrated by many. Plus, it was written by Miller, fresh off Daredevil, and still committed to writing good comics. Dark Knight Strikes Back was a sloppy, cynical, offputting mess, done by a creator who has lost what little regard or respect he may have ever had for his source material. Make no mistake- he's working in comics again because he's had little success in Hollywood, and he doesn't seem to be happy about it. Lee's work, while showing impressive craft (even though he is surprisingly laid-back in his work habits) is perpetually stuck in the late 80's; his hypermuscled Batman looks bloated and awkward, and more than a little quaint when compared to renditions by the likes of Mazzuchelli, Sean Phillips and Cooke. I think I'll pass on that All-Star project.
I won a copy of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Lost At Sea on eBay, and am in the process of reading it right this very minute. When I'm not typing, that is. As always, I'll say more when I'm finished.
It got kinda slow at work yesterday, so I decided to do something I'd been meaning to do for a while now: make out a complete month's order at Discount Comic Book Service, then compare it to what I would pay at my comics shop. My month's worth of comics, including bags and boards, at Great Escape would total $103.76. The total of my order at DCBS, with the weekly shipping option ($8 extra) and bags/boards: $75.78. That's a significant difference. I must ponder this further, but I'm getting tired of no discount and driving across town on Wednesday after I get off work, which is more of a hassle than you'd think. Back when I had my fairly rewarding, moderately well-paying job that was very close to my shop, it was great. Now that I have the low-paying, unrewarding job that's on the other side of town, it's kinda inconvenient. Stay tuned.
I watched the season premiere of Alias last Wednesday night, just like I said I would, and I'm afraid most of my initial objections still apply. I just wish they didn't feel like they had to stack up plot twist after plot twist on top of red herring on top of family-related angst...well, you get the point. I like the Sydney character, and Jen Garner is good in the role. The cast is fine, and most of them play interesting enough characters. It's got Carl ("John Parker" from Buckaroo Banzai) Lumbly in it, for gosh sakes. The fight on the train was well done and reminded me of many great films set on trains, like From Russia With Love and many Hitchcock pictures. I liked the little guy with the Leno chin who provides a little helpful comedy relief. I wish that I had a better idea about what had happened over the last two seasons, because much of the dramatic tension in the episodes hinged on things that had happened previously, especially the deal with Sydney's parents and sister and the boyfriend. Things were referred to, but little detail was given. I thought it was overlong at two hours- my attention began to wander about 1 hour and 15 minutes in. Will I watch it again? Yeah, probably. Especially if they continue to air the TV spots with Lenny Kravitz music. I'll most likely even borrow the DVDs from my friend the Bacardi Show Political Correspondent and get caught up. I'll know more next Wednesday.
A lot of fine bloggers like to print up the more unusual search engine referrals that they get. I get my share, I suppose, but many of them are variations on Bacardi this and Bacardi that, not that surprising. But there's one search referral that I can usually count on getting at least twice a day, and that's for a picture of the young British soul singer Joss Stone! After doing my own image search, I can see why- the picture I used to accompany this post comes up first on Altavista.com. People, I snagged that shot from VH1.com! Go there once in a while, willya? Aw, I kid. I'm happy to have readers, no matter why they stop by. I've heard two cuts from Joss's latest CD, by the way and I'm not terribly impressed with either of them- one's a jittery kinda half-assed uptempo thing with no melody, and the other's a tepid ballady Aretha ripoff. I liked a few cuts on her debut, but these two remind me of the cuts I didn't like.
Finally, BSBdG's go out today to
David Bowie, 58 today. I'm still digging Heathen very much, and I have his latest, Reality, coming in the mail. Also, the King, known to us mere mortals as Elvis Aron Presley, who would have been 70. And yes, Fred Hembeck, BSBdG's to Soupy Sales, as well.
That's all for now- comics reviews later, plus a paragraph or two about the seven-count 'em, seven! films I've watched in the last week or so.
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