Archive for ‘Reviews’

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Oct16

X-Men First Class: De-constructing The Cuban Missile Crisis

by The Revenge on October 16, 2011 at 7:52 am
Posted In: My Thoughts, Reviews

So last night my cousin Joel and his wife invited me and Kaylie out for some drinks and to go see a movie. We spent the first couple of hours enjoying some drinks and playing pool, to which I might ad I played exceedingly well and made a lot of pro status shots.

We caught the 9:40pm showing and the theater was pretty much ours with the exception of a few smatterings of other people. I love it when I go to movies like this. Makes me happy. Well, makes me happy that it’s a quiet theater, but I want these movies to make more money so they make more so I can watch more.

I will be honest, I was EXTREMELY leery of this movie going in. When i first heard about it I was upset.

“why the FUCK are they making a prequal to the X-Men series called FIRST CLASS and NOT making it the ACTUAL First Class of the X-Men? Granted doing that would be IMPOSSIBLE within continuity since various characters from the O.G. team have shown up in the trilogy. I fought this movie, vocally to everyone. Claiming it was pointless and a waste of time.

Fast forward to actually seeing some of the trailers. Ok, it looks interesting. I see how they are handling this. I still don’t understand some of their plot points at this time of viewing the trailers, but I’ll be ok with it and I will still see it in theaters.

Move on to the night I went to see it. I was excited by this point and I wasn’t sure why. The trailers look good, but I HATED this idea for a movie so much early on that by the night I Went to see it I was actually rooting for it to be good.

Well, I have to say that I REALLY enjoyed it, for what it was. I thought the actors did great, the story was good and Emma Frost is fucking hot.

I think they un-lube humped some continuity parts of the X-Men film franchise. I shall touch on them now.

Scott Summers = Cyclops. He was in the first three based in modern times. We can guess his age to be mid twenties.

Alex Summers = Havok. He is in this movie with an age around late teenager.

Last time I checked Havok was Cyclops LITTLE BROTHER…So unless Cyclops just looks REALLY good for his age (Which would have been in his 60′s or 70′s in the trilogy) this is a HUGE retcon. Maybe Alex is Scotts daddy now.

Sebastian Shaw was different from the comics. I can accept this because Kevin Bacon is the fucking man.

So if Beast had a cameo in human form in X2, then full beast in X3 but then as a teenager/young adult in human and then in beast form in First Class…wait..what?

Emma Frost was in Wolverine as a younger girl along side Cyclops yet a mid twenties hotty in first class.

There are a ton more, but so I don’t seem to fan-boyish and really show my geek, I will stop here and let you make your own conclusions beyond what I have said here.

It is important to let you know that I did enjoy this movie, a lot. I would recommend it. I do not think it was better than Green Lantern, or Thor, but I think is was a great movie worth watching. Way better than I ever could of imagined when I first heard about it. So much better I hope they make a sequel.

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Jun21

Green Lantern – An awesome movie, despite what the critics say

by The Revenge on June 21, 2011 at 9:17 am
Posted In: My Thoughts, Reviews

I find it interesting that when X-Men: First Class came out it was getting praised for bringing in $54 million on it’s opening weekend, comparing it to the $54 million the original X-Men brought in on it’s opening weekend back in 2000, and how Green Lantern is getting completely the opposite spin put on it with it’s $53 million opening weekend. Am I completely blind in something here? Is $53 million not very close to $54 million? Why is this getting such different reviews and response from the movie going audience?

Why? Because it has been a bad rap ever since the Jack Black incarnation hit the interwebs back in 2004. Apparently no one in the comic book movie world has ever thought this movie would do any good, let alone BE any good.

I went and saw it with my wife, my dad and all my kids on fathers day and you know what I thought at the end of the movie? I thought it was awesome. It wasn’t to long and drawn out, the special effects where awesome, it had a good amount of humor in it and Ryan Reynolds is still hot as the sun.

Did it move kind of fast at some points? Sure it did. Was this really a story of Green Lantern versus Paralax or a story introducing us to characters and building up the importance of the Green Lantern Corps? It was defiantly the latter. The villains where there in Hector Hammond and Paralax, but I think what most people are missing is that is not what this movie was about. I think they did an excellent job of showing you these other worldly characters in a fun and inviting way to pretty much introduce us into what could be seen by the mainstream audience as ‘to complicated’ for a movie to work.

The one thing people really need to let go of is these comic book movies being exactly like the books. None of them are, and none of them ever will be. I approach every movie as a blank slate and treat it as one. Does it entertain me? Does it make me laugh? Can I follow the story? For Green Lantern the answer to all of these is yes.

The thing I want to point out that a lot of people reviewing this movie are missing is that my wife, who has never read a Green Lantern comic or really even knew who he was prior to Ryan Reynolds casting and my fan boying over it, was able to follow the story line and the Corps idea without fail. Something anyone who has ever read a Green Lantern comic would tell you is not the easiest thing to do (in the comics that is).

I think they portrayed Sinestro very well. Mark Strong did amazing and showing him as the good guy but giving his doubts in the Corps and his inevitable turn to the Sinestro Corps. Ryan Reynolds was perfect for Hal Jordon, I really don’t care if you think differently. I love him as an actor and he always manages to surprise me. Blake Lively did great as Star Saphie Carol Ferris. Tomar-Re and Kilowog where great. Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clark Duncon where amazing in their respective roles. Granted they where just voice overs, but I loved it. I love the voice Duncon is capable of and it fit Kilowog perfectly. Rush’s Tomar-Re reminded me a lot of Abe Sabien form Hellboy for some reason, though I still felt it fit.

I honestly think people are holding the DC movies to such a high standard they can never meet the expectations people want. the public loves to hate DC. “Oh yeah? Well why did Batman do so well!” Why? Because it’s fucking Batman and nothing can stop him. Even Batman & Robin grossed $238 million. Remember The Dark Knight also had Heath Ledger as the Joker, and he has just died causing more people to go see it. Yes he did an amazing job, but if you like things to match up to the comics Christopher Nolan‘s Batman series is so far from the Batman mythology you can hardly connect the two beyond the names. I do love both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but the point needed to be made.

So seriously people, do not listen to what any fuckwad reviewer has to say, make your own judgments. Remember, Star Wars and the Donner Superman were rated one of the worst movies ever when it came out and it seemed to do OK. See it in theaters, it’s worth it.

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Apr21

Red State – holy crap

by The Revenge on April 21, 2011 at 8:00 am
Posted In: My Thoughts, Reviews

So some people might now I have had a little infatuation with Kevin Smith over the years. Not like a “oh holy hell I love that fat man” but more of a “oh holy hell I love that fat mans work” From when I first saw Mallrats on VHS as a kid to seeing Clerks II down in San Diego with by buddy Sean I have been a loyal fan of his work (though it should be noted I have not seen Cop Out or any of his Interview movies past the first one. I have however seen ‘Jay and Silent Bob do Degrasi’)

I mildly follow him online and his company View Askew through my google reader, but I generally only skim the posts. They often come in 2-5 posts at once, are generally long and full of shit I don’t care about. This one however caught my attention:

“Red State” Recoups Budget BEFORE Release!

ORLY?

RLY. Check out their post about it here.

I guess Red State only took $4 million to make, Kevin made it outside the studios through investors and such and it has ALREADY made it’s budget back and paid back it’s investors. And it’s not even in theaters yet! This is pretty frickin’ awesome. This pretty much means that no matter what it does upon theatrical release it is a success story.

Remind me next time Kevin Smith calls me to invest in a movie I say yes, and not “Kevin who? The Clerks guy? Really? You haven’t had a heart attack yet you fat bastard?”

Until then, I leave you with this.

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Dec14

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – a review in the key of awesome.

by The Revenge on December 14, 2010 at 9:50 am
Posted In: My Thoughts, Reviews

Last night I went to see a movie. What was this movie you might ask? Megamind? Tangled? Some new action/comedy staring good ol’ what’s his name?

NYET!

I went to partake in the optical and audio pleasure fields that are Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

I know, I know you are like so jealous and stuff. You wish YOU could have seen it after it had already been out for over a week.  It’s ok if you even saw it before me because you failed to see it WITH me. That is what would have made this epic for you. At least in my mind.

Side note really fast, I saw the movie over a week ago and have been sitting on writing this review.  I’m, not sure why because I loved the movie. I just think I haven’t felt like writing. Well I do today! so get ready for something mildly entertaining to read about something that was incredibly entertaining to watch.

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As some of you might know I’m a huge fan of the book series and have been anticipating this movie for quite some time. In fact, I’ve been waiting for it since I read the last book, which happens to be my favorite.

I was not happy to see that David Yates was directing the last book/movie because I was insanely unimpressed with the the Order of the Phoenix movie. In fact, I found that movie to be confusing. What I mean is if you didn’t read the book how the HELL did that movie make any sense to you? I see no foreseeable way for it to have made sense. So much was missing from it. A comment my wife likes to make is that they took the longest book and made the shortest movie out of it.

But I have to say that with Deathly Hallows Part 1 he proved himself, at least a little, to me. The fact they chose to split it into two movies was quite possibly the greatest decision they have made in this entire movie series. Well, just shy of telling Stephen Speilberg his idea of a CGI Harry Potter movie was a shit idea. Seriously, that would have been terrible.

I think I loved this movie so much because the stuff from the book that was cut out wasn’t that important and didn’t hinder understanding what was happening. They cut out the wedding, with I thought was brilliant in the books but not a needed plot development for the movie. The wedding was there, but not in the way it was in the book. Other minor things where cut but overall I thought part 1 really captured the essence of the books and all the actors did an amazing job as usually.

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: (L-R) Actors Daniel R...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I do have to say my favorite part was Harry and Hermione naked and making out. Holy crap Emma Watson is hot, even hotter with her hair cut off.

If I had to rate it I would say it’s in the the top 7 for all time greatest Harry Potter films.

Go see it.

Now.

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Oct19

An End to an Era…The Microcasm has imploded.

by The Revenge on October 19, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Posted In: My Thoughts, Reviews

As you know if you have ready my blogs/comics over the past few years I have what some may call an unhealthy obsession with Andrew Schnorr’s Elderly Apple. I even have publicly noted several times that Inanimate Comics is literally an idea for a comic that came while reading Elderly Apple and was and always will be dedicated to Andrew and Elderly Apple.

I met Andrew back in my days at COTM, or Comic of the Month, when I has just brought y2cl back from a year and a half hiatus. I remember the first time I saw Elderly Apple and how it made me feel. At first I didn’t get it. I thought it was stupid and a waste of my time. That was only because I was approaching it as every other web-comic on the web and with Elderly Apple you simply can not do that. It’s so much MORE than a web-comic. It’s a collection of beautiful ideas and thoughts. Once you let it encapsulate you it is an experience like no other. Free form imagination at it’s best.

I’m not one to shy away from things I want and Elderly Apple is an idea for a comic I wish I had come up with because I see it as a liberating exercise. Create an ‘idea’ then create and image based on said ‘idea’. Flawless. You could even create the image first and the idea second, that’s the beauty of it. It truly is a free form anything goes concept that just works. You may comment on the art and how it’s childish, but sit back and take it in. The art style with the ideas is what MAKES Elderly Apple so great.

Is it funny all the time? No, but that’s not the point. Is it fun all the time? Yes, and that IS the point. Andrew Schnoorr is not a web-comic creator. Andrew Schnorr is a crafter of imagination and ideas. Elderly Apple has and always will sit in a league of it’s own as a pioneer of it’s own craft. 1,000 consecutive days of ideas. It’s as beautiful as it was fun for me to become friends Andrew and experience it myself.

If you remember I had Andrew on y2cl Radio on episode 5 where we celebrating his birthday as well as his 500th comic. We plan to have him on again to do a retrospect of his 1,000 days of ideas so look for that within the next two weeks!

I’d like to end this with telling Andrew thank you. Thank you for Elderly Apple. Thank you for letting me in the world. And most of all, thank you for the kind words in your post.

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Jul16

Draw Until It’s Funny

by The Revenge on July 16, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Posted In: My Thoughts, Reviews

So this new comic popped up, you might have heard about it. It’s called ‘Draw until It’s Funny‘ and brought to you by Ryan Hudson from Channel ATE! and Justin Boyd of Left Handed Toons.

The concept is easy enough, you start a comic and draw until it’s funny, or 15 panels. You just get an idea for the first panel then run with it. Sounds like FUN! What’s that you say? You want to make comics like this? Well luckily Ryan and Justin are kind, soft hearted individuals and have already set up way for you to be a part of the action! All YOU have to do is have a web-comic, and make an attempt and being funny! That second part might be hard if you don’t have a web-comic, but then again if you have one you should be funny by trade! Right? Moving Along…

I plan to email Ryan and Justin a few DUIF comics, get myself DUIF’d (why do I think of The Simpsons when I say it out loud?)

So look for one from myself and from Joe of For The Reels within the next 2 years! I promise! (assume they publish them)

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Jul15

Slightly Off Topic – a review in the key of ‘why didn’t I think of that name?’

by The Revenge on July 15, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Posted In: My Thoughts, Reviews

Slightly Off Topic

Where there are topics, there are topics that are slightly off. This is not one of them it the topic is awesome. I’m writing this little review as I am reading through the comic, so that will make my reactions more organic and real as opposed to looking back and trying to remember what I liked, I can just tell you. Let’s start this out with a bang. THIS is my favorite comic that Slightly Off-Topic has done.

I should tell you that I read nearly all of the archive and have been sitting on this post for about…a month. Why? Well I wasn’t sure where to take it, I forgot, I wanted it to be perfect, and I forgot. Not that Slightly Off Topic is forgetable, far from it, but because I got busy and didn’t want to rush it. I wanted it to be a well thought out and meaningful review. This is my attempt at that.

I went into this review by simply thinking I would skim the archive, pick out a few of my favorites then write up some thoughts on it. As I read through the comic though I fell in love with it’s charm. The artwork is not the greatest, but it has improved over the years. I also found out that the creator David Adams has his daughter draw the comic as a way to motivate her for school. This my friends is an AWESOME idea! If my kids where older I would completely steal this idea…in fact watch out David, I will probably steal this idea when my kids get older. At least you have been warned.

A lot of the comics are on the social commentary side and tend to vier away from any sort of storyline (for the most part), and it is also the only comic I have found out there that celebrates peoples birthdays with a comic like I do so right there it gets +50 to the awesome-o-meter. Besides being number buffers to your bottom line I see them as a nice way to give shout outs to people you love and possibly want to buy you something nice for YOUR birthday.

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May15

Seattle Geekly Pimps y2cl!

by The Revenge on May 15, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Posted In: AdHap, My Thoughts, Reviews

Ok so this is probably more then this deserves…BUT I love hearing y2cl talked about everywhere I can. On the most recent episode of Seattle Geekly their topic was web-comics. Naturally I gave it a listen. Much to my surprise about an hour and 18 minutes (1:18:36 to be exact) they are giving a list of web-comics you should check out and low and behold they mention y2cl! Though they said ‘y2christ-lite’ (a name I haven’t used in over a year) they still gave me props. They also pimped Elderly Apple and Rick the Stick, two other great comics you should be reading.

Head over there, take a listen and leave a comment saying you love y2cl and love them for mentioning it!

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May08

Star Trek review by the y2cl guy

by The Revenge on May 8, 2009 at 10:56 am
Posted In: My Thoughts, Reviews

My sister got a wild hair up her ass last night and decided she wanted to go see Star Trek at the 10:05pm pre-showing. She called me and my dad and of course we said ‘hell yes we will go!’ And go we did.

First thing I want to say is that my stupid ass drank an ENTIRE large soda BEFORE the movie started. Needless today I had to pee 30 minutes into the movie. More on that later.

The tailors start, and I don’t know but maybe it’s just me, but I am REALLY sick of seeing ads for Terminator: Salvation. I could honestly care LESS about that movie. I might be inclined to see it if they called it ‘Batman vs Terminator’. Honestly though, and I’m sure it will be a good action movie, T3 sort of did it in for me. That and the fact that Arnold is not in this movie. /rant.

On to the actual movie! It starts epic with a battle scene and someone dies. Right out of the gate. Moves on to more epicness, I still have to pee, sprinkled in with a little awesomeness and me trying not the wet myself topped off with a little HOLY SHIT THAT WAS AMAZING-ness.

The ENTIRE cast was fantastic. Simon Pegg was a great Scotty. John Cho was a great Sulu. Sylar made very convincing and awesome Spock. The Hulk did a great job as the villain Nero, very evil and unforgiving, even for a Romulan. I think they way they used Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime was excellent. I was very pleased with the amount of screen time he had throughout the movie. I’ve always thought he IS Spock, so it was nice to be able to see and compare him to Zach Quinto’s performance.

The only thing that bothered me, and I might just not be remembering this right and if so I’m sorry, but I don’t remember there ever being a love interested between Spock and O’Hura. It sort of seemed like an ‘after thought’ in the movie. Something used to ‘humanize’ Spock. That’s exactly what it did, but I’m just unsure of it.

I DID really like how they stuck very close to the Star Trek legend while still making it their own new entity. I am REALLY looking forward to seeing more Star Trek films with this crew. Good show all around.

After the movie ended I RUSHED to the bathroom, where I stood for 10 minutes trying to drown a fly. Then when I got home and went to bed, I did this all over again. And then again at 4am. HOW in the WORLD was there that much urine in my bladder? This probably falls under the TMI rule huh? Oh well, sorry about that. Final verdict? Star trek was awesome.

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May04

TGT Web-Comics in the hizzie!

by The Revenge on May 4, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Posted In: My Thoughts, Reviews


So have you heard? There’s this website called TGT Web-Comics where two guys talk about web-comics. What they do is bring on creators from web-comics around the net, interview them and help spread the joy of their comics and comics everywhere to the world.

I had the pleasure of being a guest on episode 36 back in March and it was a great time. Unfortunately that episode was recorded late due to my own children being sick so it was not as long as it probably would have been had it not been very late where Kurt was. The whole process was a ton of fun. They asked me very intriguing questions and even got a few exclusive spoilers out of me about where y2cl is headed. (if you want to know what spoilers I gave out, you’ll have to head over there and take a listen.)

The other day over at TGT Web-Comics there was a Tri-Fecta interview with George from Dungeon Legacy, Samantha from Life’s a Witch and Ryan from Channel Ate (which is increasingly become one of my favorite comics out there). During the interview Kurt had a fire alarm go off and had to exit the interview (might funny if you ask me) but luckily Robert P Shelly from Pawz to Clawz and Samantha from Life’s A Witch where there to take over and continue the round table discussion.

Interestingly enough I did get into this podcast until an hour and half into it, But Samantha from Life’s a Witch was kind enough to announce my arrival and talk a little about what I’ve been doing. Thanks Sam! Want to hear it? Check out an 1 hour and 42 minutes into the podcast.

You should definitely head over there on their live update days and partake in the chat while one of the TGT podcasts are taking place. The chat room is always poppin’ (like my to-cool-for-school talk there?) with creators and fan’s asking questions, talking crap and having a good time all around.

Don’t just take my word for it, ask anyone of the growing number of comic creators who have been on TGT and have listened in on how great it is.

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