BEGGARS CAN'T BE BLOGGERS

Movies and Comics

MOVIES:

A SEPARATION – 2011 – Grade: A+directed by Asghar Farhadi, starring Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, and Sarina Farhadi



HUGE mistake not seeng this film in the theater because it could easily be my favorite film from 2011.  My wife pleaded for it, yet I kept casting my vote for flicks (like “The Artist”) that would involve less screaming.  A misconception thinking this was the Iranian “Kramer Vs. Kramer”, after my reading a review on how it detailed the collateral damage of a modern Iranian divorce.  But the bickering couple featured in the promotional material only sets the table for a rather sophisticated story of have’s & have nots.  There are toxic relationships on display, and screaming, but there are quiet, intimate moments as well.  To sell this as a “divorce story” is a disservice for the TWO court cases; and it’s the OTHER case which acts as pressure cooker for two familes, one fairly affluent and the other poor.
NO SPOILERS.  And after viewing, I can understand why A SEPARATION is so hard to promote.  There’s a conversation which takes place early on in the film between a family and a caretaker.  It’s not in anyway telegraphed how critical it will be in the course of the film, yet later I found myself wanting to rewind again to monitor the reactions of the players involved.  Was a specific character within earshot when a piece of information was exchanged?  We remember the conversation as it ‘s discussed in court, and all of the sudden the audience becomes the eyewitness; Did he/she know something beforehand then lie about it open court?
What a rewarding film.  I can’t remember the last time I watched a film set in the Middle East that didn’t have a rocket launcher.  It’s a story that could have been set in Nebraska, but thank goodness it wasn’t.  It’s backdrop and how religion drives good men & good women to the most impractical solutions is what sets it apart from most Hollywood dramas.  And don’t make my mistake in assuming it’s depressing;   You will be so interested in these richly performed non-stereotypes, and the compromises make in their journey to be bummed about anything.

 TV:

LUTHER –Season One & Two – BBC America - starring Idris Elba – created by Neil Cross  Grade A-



My wife and I joke about how LUTHER is “jump the shark proof” because LUTHER jumps one in the very first episode, with Idris Elba’s detective forging a bond with a psychopath, who later assists him in his cases. 
If you accept that premise, you’re fine.  Because the sharks lurking about weekly are shorter leaps of faith.
Like Breaking Bad and other recent cat/mouse crime dramas, if one stops to ponder the astounding coincidences which keep the heroes afloat the show will unravel.  But such incredible plots are hoisted on the backs of very capable actors.  Elba is vulnerable, intelligent, and so intense.  There’s no doubt he will be an international film star, as soon as movies discover how to harness what makes him such a special talent.

We finished Season One per the BBC America repeats this weekend then discovered all of Season Two is on demand, via the BBC America HD outlet (I’m so thrilled Verizon finally upgraded BBC America to include HD.  DOCTOR WHO’s first rate cinematography, as well as LUTHER’s, should be enjoyed in HD). 

LUTHER is part of what BBC America calls “Dramaville” in it’s Wednesday night line-up.  And it was recently announced that Elba will come back for Season 3.  I’m a fan of BBC’s short run series, Season 1 being six shows followed up by the four of Season 2.  It allows great actors like Elba, Kenneth Brannaugh, Benedict Cumberbatch and others to pursue movie projects and yet return to play detectives on the small screen.

- Dale Beggars

BEGGARS CAN’T BE BLOGGERS

Movies and Comics – I Will Try To Fix You With Comics Edition

BATMAN: SON OF THE DEMON  by Mike W Barr and Jerry Bingham DC Graphic Novel  Grade: B

Mark Hamill delivering the introduction to a book published in 1987 amuses me as it was 5 years later before he would become an integral part of Batman, voicing Joker in the classic animated series.  I think I read this 10 years ago and didn’t care for it.  But since then, two things happened which inspired me to give it another shot:

·         Batman’s child was reworked back into continuity (despite Grant Morrison stating he didn’t read SOTD before writing the origin of Damian Wayne).

·         I saw the last installment of the Dark Knight Trilogy and was underwhelmed.

This is a story of Batman’s partnership with Ra’s al Ghul and his daughter Talia.  Basically they form an unsteady alliance to take down a terrorist and his weather machine.  It’s as silly as it sounds, but I’ll admit, I’ve never read a Batman story where so much happens in just 78 pages.  It’s a lot to swallow that Batman would give up crime fighting upon learning his wife is pregnant, and then ditches her after she fakes a miscarriage.  If anyone takes a backseat, it’s Ra’s al Ghul.  Ra’s seems way too forgiving here, and he nearly gets his butt kicked before Batman bails him out.  No one wants to see Ra’s be anything else other than a complete bad ass.

If there’s a reason to recommend the book, it’s the art.  Bingham penciled, inked, and colored this story and it’s fantastic.   I‘ll have to remember Bingham because other than some Superman stories, I’m not too familiar with the guy.
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ALAN MOORE: WILD WORLDS DC/WILDSTORM by Alan Moore - TPB Grade: B

DC released this collection shortly after Moore completed his strong ABC run and walked away from their Wildstorm imprint.  Surely no one who purchases this trade is expecting the quality of Top 10 or Promethea.   Moore created the ABC sandboxes from scratch (except League of Extraordinary Gentlemen???), worked with better artists at ABC, and "Wild Worlds" is certainly not up to such hight standards.  But I disagree with anyone who says Moore "mails this in". Are these more mainstream adventures than what we expect from Moore?  Absolutely.  But there is still great wickedness on display here.

 In his WildC.A.T.S./Spawn crossover the main characters meet, fight each other, then fight the bad guy.  That’s pretty standard, and if Moore had pitched anything else in doing a WildC.A.T.S./Spawn crossover the book would’ve never seen print.  And I certainly disagree with the Goodreads' reviewer who typed in the single word critique of "retarded".  I'm curious why someone with such an active vocabulary would waste any time not posting comments on You Tube.

The WildC.A.T.S./Spawn adventure feels much like a 90's era Age of Apocalypse tale.  Paradox alert:  Spawn is both the main villain AND a member of the invasion party, so there are some trippy time travel elements at play here. And I forgot the obvious rule that if a new character conceals their identity, there will be a earth shattering reveal in the last act. 

He’s not reinventing comics with this one, folks.  Moore is throwing a smackdown, and anybody expecting otherwise should cool their expectations a bit.  I thought the crossover was a lot of fun, however.

The Voodoo story is challenging initially.   At first it plays like an exploitation picture, with the casual use of the N-word and several women being referred to as "bitches" And then that tone is shattered by beautiful interruptions of crackerjack prose when Moore introduces his godlings.  To top if off is a stripper, who was superhero in a former life, and there’s never any attempt to explain her motivation for going X-rated.  Obviously there are misogynist elements but nothing as offensive as a typical Garth Ennis comic.

This is about an empowered, sexy woman, who cuts loose and faces down the devil in a wild finale.  There’s no real scorekeeping as our entire cast transform into magic-washed marionettes, and parade through a battleground that is literally half church/half strip club.

This is what happens when Moore produces a drive-in movie comic, Roger Corman by way of Anne Rice.  I'm more than okay with that.

The chapter dedicated to Deathblow is perhaps the wildest read in the collection.  The title character awakens as a woman in a barely inhabited world.  She soon discovers she is only one version of Deathblow, and the surrounding world is a deathmatch arena with the "Deathblow" identity on the line. 

The Mister Majestic one shot didn't do much for me, but I will confess I'm not too familiar with the character.  Majestic is winding down and saying his goodbyes as the universe snuffs out.  The WildC.A.T.S.stand alone that closes the book is saved entirely by the artist but I had trouble remembering exactly what happened one day later.  Minor complaints for two stories which take up very little space in the book.  DC could have omitted them entirely and shaved a buck off of the price.
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THE CAPE by Joe Hill (story),Jason Ciaramella (writer) ,Zach Howard (penciler)   TPB   -Grade A+

This is a horror story which I initially balked at and dismissed as just another supes’ origin story.  Also the fact that NBC produced a miniseries with the title didn't do it any favors.  But there’s nothing ready for network primetime here.  It’s not safe, and the protagonist who wears the magic cape just happens to be a sociopath. 

The story’s inspiration seems to unfold from the urban myth of the hoodrat who ties a beach towel around his neck and takes a fatal leap from his two story rooftop.  One such child survives his brush with death but never matures into a responsible adult.  This is the “what if” story of “what if” Superman was a major jerk and took what he wanted all the time.  And didn’t care about anyone.

It’s a quick read and avoids familiarity by strapping us to the back of such a demented wild card.    And the art by Zach Howard is delish.  Take a look at this:

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BLUE ESTATE VOLUME 1 -  By Viktor Kalvachev and various - TPB -  Image Comics - Grade B+ Yes, the quotes on the back cover compare it to Tarantino, and maybe one day we'll stop doing that for every new crime comedy.  But it's appropriate here because it suffers from some of  Quentin's faults;  the zingy pop culture references and an overpopulation of hip, seedy characters.  Introducing this many colorful junkies & thieves within a modest four issue framework is, of course,  overwhelming, and the writer never gets around to an actual story before his camera swings around to another crew,  as we bob & sway through the surf guitar tracklist, and we transition from penciler to penciler.

But I am recommending it without reservation because I WAS entertained and BLUE ESTATE is unlike most current books, even the indies.  It's perverse and Kalvachev's creative design is a punked out tribute to pulp fiction (the genre, not the movie- though Hell, it's pretty much that too.  There's a Travolta stand-in who's suggested to have intercourse with a Samuel L. Jackson stand-in).  It's very similar to 100 BULLETS without the conspiratorial nervous system, or STRAY BULLETS minus the blender narrative (though we do flash back then forward a few times).
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BATMAN: EARTH ONE - By Geoff Johns & Gary Frank - Graphic Novel - DC - Grade B+ First I want to recognize what an improvement I thought this was over SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, a book where the revamping of an origin mostly felt uninspired.  It was rumored that these books (and the ALL STAR books prior) would be DC's version of Marvel's "Ultimate" brand, a streamlining of a universe to make franchise characters more "newbie" friendly and uncluttered from continuity.  For the most part DC succeeds here, with Alfred Pennyworth landing the biggest transformation.  Taking a queue from the recent Bat-Movies and the brilliant characterization by Michael Caine; Alfred is no one's manservant but rather a scarred veteran owing a debt to Bruce Wayne's father.  It's suggested at the end that everything young Bruce knows about tracking & dismantling monsters is honed from the skills Pennyworth brought back from his war.

Is EARTH ONE needed?  Probably not.  It borrows too heavily from Batman: Year One yet misfires in remaking Jim Gordon a whelp to Gotham's corruption.  And I initially hated John's new narcissistic, celebrity cop Harvey Dent, but must admit I'm intrigued by Dent's final scene.  Also Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepott is completely wasted as Gotham's Mayor (the offscreen mayor is an evildoer we learn at the beginning but it's disclosed he's Cobblepott in the climax, right before his demise.  So what's the point burning an A-list villain?).

Gary Frank's art is solid as ever.  Wonderful facial expressions and actions scenes throughout.  I have no problem recommending such a nice looking book.


- Dale Beggars

Evil Ernie Returns (!!!!) In "Origin of Evil"

Oh my.  My, my, my... Where to begin?  I can scarcely put into keystrokes how excited this makes me.  I was an Ernest Fairchild fan as a boy back in the early 90s, when CHAOS! was putting out EE books.  

Description, from CBR:

Ernest Fairchild was a kind and gentle soul...until one day something in him snapped, leading him to one of the most notorious killing sprees in American history. With 665 kills to his name, "Evil Ernie" requires ONE more murder to complete the ritual he started and seal his deal with the Devil. Problem is: he's just been EXECUTED! What led an ordinary boy to become a leather-clad angel of death? How does he wield such blasphemous power? And what is the secret behind his hideous smiley-face button? This October, you may hate the sin, but you'll LOVE the SINNER! Jesse Blaze Snider (HULK: LET THE BATTLE BEGIN) and JASON CRAIG (FREDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH) dive into the heart of darkness with Dynamite's bold, terrifying new relaunch of EVIL ERNIE!

Issue 1 comes out in October from Dynamite, who's been releasing some pretty cool-looking stuff lately.  Check out the CBR link above to glimpse a couple of variants, etc.

- Johnny Decibel



Kids Say the Darndest Things...



NG Public Service Announcement

Misuse of Quotation Marks - avoid it at all costs and save the English language.

courtesy of Mike Sessa



Ring bell for "Meat Service"

BEGGARS CAN'T BE BLOGGERS - Movies and Comics

Dallas AnimeFest  9/3/2012

Displaced comic book fan observations on Animefest taking place at the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Dallas this weekend:

What’s a comic book fan doing at an Anime convention anyway?  Because as my niece told me & my wife, comic culture and anime culture are two totally different beasts.  I volunteered my chaperone services months ago, when I figured there would be at least one vendor who trucked along some Marvel/DC long boxes to dig through while the other two shopped the floors for buttons and trinkets. 

Nope.  Not a traditional American mainstream comic or TPB in sight.  And the young lady was spot-on about the difference between the two.  Specially now that comic conventions are overrun with “speed passes”, and  with pricey celebrity autographs & photo ops.  Animefest is a bunch of teenagers/young adults throwing a geek coming out party.  It’s more about letting the freak flag fly via Cos Play, and making connections with fellow attendees and vendors than seizing this year’s STTNG scribble to add to one’s collection.  In fact, I say this with all due respect, Animefest is closer in kinship to Warhol/Bowie than it is to Lee/Kirby.

For starters, hardly any character I saw this afternoon wore a mask.  There were bizarre blouses & gowns, tight fitting leotards, and colorful make-up, and bright frizzy wigs…but hardly anyone tried to lose themselves within a mask, cowl, or hood.  Not even those few whose gloriously wide buttocks were exposed on the opposite side.  These were all proud kids who’d been waiting for this weekend to shine, dammit. 

But yet the event’s major discovery for me, though I’m sure this is just my lateness to the party, and everyone else is aware….most of these Anime/Manga characters are androgynous.  I people-watched for a good hour and would place my odds on correctly identifying gender of Cos Play participants at about 60%.  Such a magnificent boldness on display via their attire and a refreshing disregard to communicate their sexuality.

I did scratch my head on some other points, however.   Like I said, I’m brand new, but there was a vendor dressed like Gary Burghoff from M.A.S.H.  Perhaps there’s an adaptation of the classic sitcom (???),  because one guy looked just like a young version of a clipboard-toting Radar.  I also asked my niece about the teenagers portraying Nazi footsoldiers, but she was confused by that as well.  My guess is an Anime version of Sophie’s Choice.

- Dale Beggars



The First X-Men #1

Last week I stopped by Titan Comics here in Dallas and snagged a copy of The First X-Men #1.  The book is the first installment of a new mini that serves as a prequel to the founding of the mutant superteam known as the X-Men, written by Neal Adams and Christos Gage, and penciled by Adams. 

The book finds Sabretooth and Wolverine working together to find and recruit mutants in order to gain some strength in numbers and fight mutant persecution.  In the first issue, they find a powerful young man by the name of Anthony, and a woman named Holly Bright (aka Holo).  They also encounter a young Charles Xavier, currently attending university at Oxford and dating Moira Mactaggert.  Xavier is not (yet) the least bit interested in having his life's path dictated by his mutant gift.  It should be noted, this title takes place even before Xavier and Magneto meet.  

Okay, so here's my rundown:

The storyline is pretty cool, and serves to fill some gaps in the X-titles' continuity.  It's set about "thirty years ago" but not tied to any particular year.  As has been said, the writers aren't referencing cell phones or the internet, but they also aren't referencing disco, either.  

That said, honestly, I don't care for the art.  I know Neal Adams is a comic book legend, but frankly, I don't think the art on this book is up to par with what I've seen of his earlier work.  Also, the pacing of issue 1 felt really rushed.  It was as if they were trying to pack so many thing into the issue, parts of it felt rather glossed over.  I believe this has something like a 5 issue run, so it remains to be seen if this is merely to cover some standard "set-up" ground, or if the whole run will be this...quick.

Shortcomings in pacing and artwork notwithstanding, it should serve as a decent mini in the X-universe.  It wasn't the greatest, but again, is an interesting historical look at the beginnings of the modern mutant era.  The book is basically saved, in my opinion, by the sheer intrigue in the premise.  Flaws and all, I'll still probably pick up issue #2.

The cover alone looked interesting enough to warrant that:

- Johnny Decibel

One to Watch: Lilyhammer

So, I'd heard for a while about this series, which is the first Netflix original programming series (yep, they're also bringing back Arrested Development).  It is a "classic" fish out of water tale, but with a unique twist.  The always cool Steven Van Zandt plays Big Apple mobster Frank Tagliano.  After Tagliano testifies against the new boss, the Feds place him in witness protection.  A-ha, but here's the twist.  Our man Frank says he doesn't want to relocate within the States, as it's "not safe around here these days."  He asks to be sent to far away and picturesque Lillehammer, Norway, admitting he fell in love with the place after the 94 Olympic games.

All 8 episodes of the series are available for instant streaming on Netflix.  I won't give away many plot lines, but so far (after watching the first 3 episodes), I'm really enjoying it.  Van Zandt essentially plays the exact same character, Silvio "Sil" Dante, as he did on The Sopranos, right down to the pompadour hairstyle.  This isn't a bad thing, at least for me, as Sil was one of my favorite characters on that show.

I was fearful going in that the series would stray into predictable territory and story lines, where Frank "gets things done his way" in every episode.  The pacing is pretty quick essentially, but then, we've only 8 episodes to get things covered here, so I forgave that early on.  Once he's quickly settled into his new digs in the gorgeous mountain community, the action starts to pick up right away.  

The series isn't perfect, of course, but every time I feel like they're almost stepping into predictability, the sheer strangeness of the setting and premise assure me, the viewer, that nothing should be taken for granted. Often, first seasons are a time for not much more than establishing plots and characters, and essentially setting things up.  Further seasons, if a show is lucky enough to have them, can dig in a little deeper for some real character buildup.

Tagliano does indeed feel like an outsider to the rather docile Scandinavians, but in his usual affable way, he makes new acquaintances quickly, giving ample room to some of the great supporting cast, which includes Trond Fausa Aurvag, Marian Saastad Ottesen, Sven Nordin, Kyrre Hellum, and Anne Krigsvoll.  

The series, created and written by Anne Bjornstad and Eilif Skodvin, premiered in January 2012 and drew a record 998,000 viewers (one fifth of Norway's population).  The series has been commissioned for a second season, but no production schedule has been announced yet.

Overall, the series is much more than your classic "mobster show" and sheds some light on another nation and their culture, and is definitely One to Watch.

- Johnny Decibel

Goodnight, Mr. Armstrong (RIP Neil Armstrong, 1930 - 2012)

NBC News has reported the passing of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, earlier this afternoon, reportedly from complications following a recent cardiac bypass surgery.  He was 82 years old.  Rest in peace, Mr. Armstrong.

To the stars...

(photo source: I Fucking Love Science Facebook page)

BEGGARS CAN'T BE BLOGGERS - Movies and Comics

Was derailed this week from sharing almost anything movie and comic wise by an amazing TV show, but I do want to share a very bizarre scene from a Tony Scott movie called “The Last Boy Scout”.  I won’t speak ill of the dead because I’ve seen a lot of people come out on Twitter and praise Scott for being a stand-up guy and a mentor, which he probably was… As a young man I got fired up every single time I saw “True Romance” but upon last viewing a few years ago,  I cringed at everything but Hopper/Walken showdown (which still holds up).  

But this scene may be one of the craziest, illogical ways to take down an armed thug EVER:

Dr. Who – BBC America

Soooo late to this party, and being aware of all the praises and accolades bestowed upon the recent version(s) of Who, I'm very happy to report it lives up to it's reputation.  But let me warn you, I'm still very much a newbie.  I'm have virtually no familiarity with the Who Multiverse.  I'm not aware of any cute nicknames for fans of the show, even though I consider myself among their number.

I've seen roughly 10 shows (9 with Christopher Eccleston and 1 with Matt Smith) and here are my scattered bulletpoints:

1. Dr. Who (who is only referred in the program as "The Doctor") is the last of a race called the "Time Lords".   
2. The Time Lords were wiped out in a war with their arch-enemies, The Daleks, a race that's similar to Star Trek's Borgs, substituting exterminating for assimilation; The Daleks are genetically altered to remove all emotion from their minds except for Hate, and there for want to destroy all existing life except for Dalek.
3. Dr. Who prefers to travel with a "companion".  I gather that they are almost always human and female.
4. Dr. Who has two hearts.
5. Dr. Who regenerates into a new body, and this is why different actors can cycle through without calling for a complete reboot.  Why he regenerates I still don't know.  But it appears his memories don't upload immediately afterwards.
6. His ship is called the "TARDIS".  I don't know if this is an acronym.
7. TARDIS is alive.
8. TARDIS looks like an old fashioned Police Box (similar to a phone booth), but due to a dimensional masking property it's secretly as big as a hotel .  I'm aware of it containing a bridge, a wardrobe, and a swimming pool but I'm quite sure there are many other rooms.
9. TARDIS doesn't arrive to the next adventure via flight most of the time, but rather beams in and out similar to Star Trek.
10. Dr. Who rarely uses a gun (though he isn't above it, specially when it comes to Daleks), but instead utilizes his brain or a "sonic screwdriver".
11. The Sonic Screwdriver is also similar to data devices used on Star Trek, but it's also a master key to almost any locked door the characters stumble across.
12. The few I've watched were mostly time travel stories rather than space travel.  But the spectrum of adventure is huge.  One episode may be hanging out fighting zombies with Charles Dickens and the next may be 200,000 years in the future fighting an oppressive television network executive.
13. The show is driven by fantastic writing.  It does contain special effects but they never overwhelm the story.   
14. It's a family friendly show.
15. But that doesn’t mean it’s not sophisticated science fiction.

Now, like I said, this is what I have inferred from just a few shows so I could be offbase about a number of points.  But my biggest misconception going in was that the show was too cerebral for me, or too dry.  It's actually very easy to follow, and yet retains it’s wit & charm, and some damned scary monsters as well.
The following scene produced one of the greatest “Fuck Yeah” moments I’ve seen on any show.  This episode was written by Stephen Moffat, who is also responsible for another “Fuck Yeah” reboot, the series Sherlock, also on BBC.  This is Matt Smith’s debut as The Doctor.  Watch how he gets dressed in the climax on the rooftop, casually talking a little trash to a monster while dawning his superhero bowtie.

The Doctor
Here’s a better question; Is this world a threat to The Atraxi?    …. Well, come on.  You are monitoring the whole planet- Is this world a threat?

(The Atraxi Eye Avatar projects a hologram of human history on the rooftop, and scans all of human history in seconds)
                                            
Atraxi Eye Avatar
No!

The Doctor
Are the peoples of this world guilty of any crime by the laws of The Atraxi?
(The Atraxi Eye Avatar scans hologram of the faces of Earth citizens.)      
                                                         
Atraxi Eye Avatar
No!                            
                                                        
The Doctor
Okay…… One more.  Just one…. Is this world protected?


The way Matt Smith is adjusting the tie while the hologram gives the audience a curtain call for every actor who ever played The Doctor is the greatest “Fuck Yeah!” moment I’ve seen in a long, long time.

- Dale Beggars

NEW TUNES: James Blake and Trim Release "Confidence Boost"

English electro producer and singer-songwriter James Blake has teamed up with British grime MC Trim (formerly of Roll Deep) to release music under the moniker Harmonimix (an alias Blake has previously used to re-imagine tracks by Lil Wayne, Destiny's Child, and others).  Below is the first single, "Confidence Boost", released on R&S Records September 24th. 

The cut is pretty sparse (typical of Blake's work, as himself or otherwise), but grows on you after a listen or two.  It doesn't benefit from Blake's syrupy blue-eyed soul vocals, however, but gives Trim the lead on his own lyrics (over Blake's astute sonic stinginess).  

Ultimately, the track works precisely for what Blake is known for, subtle complexity masquerading as simplicity.  Neither big nor bombastic, "Confidence Boost" is direct and deliberate, and despite itself, actually quite catchy. 

Give it a listen (or three):

- Johnny Decibel

Why Marvel Comics Is Starting To Piss Me Off

Big M, I love ya...but you need to New 52 this shit, pronto.

I've been a fanboy since about...1988 or so.  I would have been 10 then, so that sounds about right.  In particular, I have been an X-Men fan for ever and always - since then.  I grew up in a rural area outside a small town - where the only place to buy comics locally was at the grocery store.  Ewwww, non direct-only versions.  I know.  Whatever.  I started buying comics when cover price for a standard monthly was 75 cents.  Yeah, I'm that old.

I digress.  There was one X-Men title: the classic, Uncanny X-Men (R.I.P.).  I remember what a humonstrous deal it was when the X-Men series came out.  Of course, there was also X-Factor and The New Mutants, which became X-Force.  But that was it.  Easy to keep up with.  Pretty self-contained, save the occasional cameo appearance across one book or another.  

In the ensuing years, however, we've been given bludgeoned to death with X-Man, Astonishing X-Men, Ultimate X-Men, X-Men Legacy, Uncanny X-Force, X-Statix, X-Men Legacy, Generation Hope, Wolverine and the X-Men, X-23, and probably 150 or so that I'm forgetting.  Not to mention all the "event crossovers" and mini-series.  Don't get me wrong, some of those were (or were probably) good to excellent books.  *Full disclosure: I stopped reading regularly around 1996, picked up again around 2000/01, and stopped again around 2003, until 2010/11.*  Here's my problem:  I don't care.  Oh, and I don't make enough money to support any semblance of keeping up with all the goings-on in the X-Universe. 

I still love the X-Men.  And Marvel, I still love you too as a whole, but bro...why are you fucking with me?  I can't keep up with your ways anymore.  You're getting sloppy.  Lately, I'll admit, my eye has been wandering more than usual.  Yeah, I'll admit I've been creeping on Oni and Image...hell, even calling up old Wildstorm and Dark Horse back issues for some quick fun.  What do you expect?  Cut the shit.  You got way too much drama for me right now.

Oh, and...where the fuck is Dazzler????  Find a way to properly utilize her already.  

Hell, give me a title (even the Avengers have, what, 30 or so now?) - I'll build a new team consisting of Dazzler, Cloak and Dagger, Saint Sinner (yes, from Clive Barker's Razorline...line), Moon Knight, Penance (er, Hollow now, apparently), Chamber, and Nightmask.  Hire Jae Lee or Chris Bachalo (haha, like I could afford them) for the art, Neil Gaiman for the writing (again, what's my budget here????) and make it Marvel's dark, twisted fantasy of a book.  

- Johnny Decibel

BEGGARS CAN'T BE BLOGGERS - Movies and Comics

Outbreaks:  Real Life and Fiction - Contagion and Vito
Contagion – Warner Bros. – PG13
Vito – HBO – Not Rated

There’s plenty reason to revisit "Contagion”; the big budget suspense from 2011 which divided critics, yet was a modest success.  It’s solid storytelling all the way around, from a script which avoids the clichés of last minute antidotes interstate highway traffic  jams , etc… to it’s haunting score by Cliff Martinez.

Living in Dallas County in the midst of a West Nile Virus outbreak, where 10  have died (so far)of the 217 cases reported, I find myself returning again to it’s message,  that our world has traded immunity for speed.  And the local controversy ensuing over today's aerial spraying confirms, like many of the film’s characters soon realize,  there are no compromise-free solutions  in the age of digital media, and the mass hysteria that accompanies it. 

Director Steven Soderbergh makes the inspired choice of allowing the Nipah virus be the main character, in a film peppered with A-list stars, like Matt Damon & Kate Winslet, all of whom disappear for large amounts of screen time as we shift to another spot of global outbreak.  The virus kills a major actor in the first 15 minutes and it’s immediately unsettling because no one's safe .  No matter the billing, or how prominently the actor is featured in promotional material.

And, yet, the film's message about the media/government war in controlling the story is what unsettled me most.  Those responsible for spreading truth, whether it's the CDC's Laurence Fishburn or blogger Jude Law, are compromised by a need to protect loved ones, or their opportunity to make money in promoting alternative treatments.  If an outbreak of such magnitude occurs, "Contagion" says it will be almost impossible for those individuals in power to not recognize it as a chance for advancement, instead of the catastrophe that it truly is.

The film's aftermath shows us the trash on the streets, the looted homes, the people shot dead in their drive-ways... Millions dead.  Governments crippled.  Some A-list actors survive, but the modern world has changed significantly because of a microscopic organism.  A tiny organism within a grotesque one, whose antibodies were long ago overwhelmed by personal status updates.

With the coverage of West Nile locally, I've also been thinking of another film recently, the outstanding documentary "Vito”, about the life of activist and film scholar Vito Russo .  As West Nile related deaths emerged in Dallas over the years the local newscasters would close stories with a disclaimer; the victim was elderly or infirm.  It struck me as admittance that West Nile was NOT a concern because it only killed sick & old people.  

And in the 80's activists like Russo and Larry Kramer knew the Reagan Administration wouldn't lift a finger to combat AIDS until, in Russo's words, "the right people started dying".   And, this is just opinion, but the face of HIV changed nationally when Magic Johnson announced he'd been infected.  Which, along with Reagan's exit, perhaps went a long way to proving Russo's point.

Anti-Reagan protests footage is featured prominently in "Vito" as Russo, Larry Kramer, and their colleagues make desparate efforts to no longer be ignored.  It's amazing to survive the 1980's and wonder how the hell so many of us didn't care that the Feds disregarded a health crisis, based purely on a prejudice for the victims.

But the biggest reward in "Vito" is learning that Russo was not so incredibly different from any passionate film buff, like myself or the friends I grew up with.  The way he recharges himself with film, and then channels that into one the great essays about not only gay culture, but to old movies, "The Celluloid Closet", is an inspiration to all of us freaks who stay up late watching TCM.    

It's through Russo's fascination with old cinema and it’s stereotypes that he researched and authored the book, which was later turned into it’s own documentary.  Some “Closet” clips are featured in the HBO film, in brilliant testimony of how Hollywood completely undermined the legitimate status of a culture.  We see, for instance, how many Hitchcock films featured a gay conspirator or remorseless killer.  

And suddenly, I get why so many people were upset with Sharon Stone’s bisexual character in Basic Instinct.  It's not that there aren't gay criminals and killers in the real world.  There are.   

But there are almost never any gay heroes in the film world.  And that ultimately is why you should see "Vito".  Vito Russo is one.

Random Fandom

Comics

Suicide Squad - DC- New 52 - 1 through 12

The DC Comics clearing house of super villains known as the New 52 monthly title, "Suicide Squad" has been back for one year, and it just gets better and better.  Admittedly, I came late to the party, being a fan of Gail Simone's version of Deadshot and not being familiar with writer Adam Glass.  Also the brief controversy about the new younger, slimmer Amanda Waller at launch allowed me to wrongly conclude this was a soulless, extreme makeover of one of DC's better team concepts.   

It started getting really good with the Harley Quinn origin story, complete with Joker flashbacks and a really creepy showdown between Quinn and Deadshot.  These two, with government liason Waller, are the major players of "Suicide Squad" with King Shark popping up in (cannibalism) relief.  Don't think too hard about the logic of a rogue cannibal team member.  League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Ultimates, and The Dark Avengers all had cannibals, but I must admit King Shark is the first one who's consumed a teammate who went on living within his intestinal tract before making a grand escape (why I love comics).

The stakes are enormous in Task Force X, where members carry a surgically implanted neck bomb.  Glass doesn't play with our expectations too much in this respect; Chances are if it's a villain you've never heard of, they won't make it through the arc without Waller igniting a neck bomb, or King Shark turning them into a human PEZ dispenser.   This is the fun of it.  Metas get lied to by the government.  They die horrible, final, goodbye forever deaths within the confines of a monthly title.  Go figure.

DVDs

The Grey ***1/2 - Way better than it has any right being. In the age where "Man vs Nature" is a requirement for Hollywood to overdose a movie with CGI & 3D, The Grey dares to be existential.  At one point I felt like I was reading the greatest Wolverine comic ever written.  I mean that as the highest compliment.  It's a beautiful, bloody film about the shadows in our own hearts, and the shadows where the beasts prowl.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel *** - Predictable as hell, but a joy to watch.  Reminded me of those Neil Simon movies from the 70s where a list of comic actors have their lives changed on holiday* (* also see "The Love Boat"). Three locks on Oscar noms for Dench, Smith, and Wilkinson, all playing transformed

seniors.  And if you love Indian Food and aren't craving it at the end of this movie, then you filled up on too much popcorn.

Audio

The Nerdy Show Podcast - Gay guys talking movies and comics. The panelists stray into some explicit descriptions about what they would do sexually with certain teddy bear comic writers, requiring FF>>or fighting through. But I like listening to these guys, especially the episode where one expressed outrage at Chick-Fil-A, and then two minutes later admitted eating there that week (but justified it because his coworkers paid for it).

- Dale Beggars

BEGGARS CAN’T BE BLOGGERS – Movies and Comics

Texas Theater is showing “Dark Side of the Rainbow” on 8/24.  When I brought this up to my wife she didn’t sound so excited by the prospect of catching a contact high.   You know you’re old when you have that conversation.  At some point “contact high” crossed over from the “Pro” side of my page and entered the “Con” side.
Anyway, if you have never witnessed that groundbreaking mash-up, from before we knew to call them “mash-ups”, it’s pretty fantastic.

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My personal choice among the 5 Best DFW Movie Theaters is the Dallas Angelika at Mockingbird Station.  Yes, there are better on-screen presentations elsewhere and more charming venues, certainly, but crotchety old me loves Angelika mostly because parents don't dump hellspawn there for the entire day (See Northpark, just down the road).  So most of Angelika’s clientele are film lovers from University Park and surrounding areas.  Occasionally there’s the RTF drop out who challenges himself to shout answers to all the trivia slides.  But I've run into jerks at Angelika only a handful of times.  Wes Anderson movies will attract more feet proppers than most films.  Stay away from exclusive engagements of director Wes Anderson, unless you like feet smell.
The "Cry Baby Matinees" Angelika offers is a terrific opportunity for parents who can't afford or don’t trust baby sitters.  Parents can watch sophisticated flair and not be concerned with fellow patrons wishing death on their kid.

Plus there are places to sit inside and drink a cocktail if one is chronically 30 minutes early.  We grab whatever free literature is lying around and head for the big cushy chairs on the far right side.  And there are so many cool spots nearby, like Trinity Hall,  Premiere Video and Keith’s Comics, it’s so convenient to  partake in double features, buffering dead time with alcoholic shopping sprees.

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Here’s something I learned this week:Since Toy Story's debut in 1995 over 70 computer animated films were produced by major studios and very few of them earned less than $100 million. And these are just the earnings before studios factor in fast food promotions, DVD sales, and all of the merchandising. 17 of the top 20 computer animated films have been produced by Pixar or Dreamworks, grossing over $13 Billion.

No wonder a sequel to Finding Nemo was recently announced.  A perfect film never needs a sequel, but the king-sized payday Finding Nemo 2 provides may bankroll a half dozen other potential hit films ( before the creative accountants get to it).

- Dale Beggars

Today's Awesome: Boy George Covers Lana Del Rey's "Video Games"

How did I miss this?  The inimitable Boy George recently offered up an excellent cover of LDR's 2011 Born To Die track -the one that went viral with it's grainy, lo-fi video clip.

The one-time Culture Club frontman, born George O'Dowd, gives a commanding performance, his voice still rich and textured.  He arguably possesses one of his generation's finest voices, and showcases it well on this cover, which is unique while not straying too far from the feel of the original.  According to his website, the song will appear on a new covers album (no release date given) that will be available exclusively through his website.

Aside from the great cover, it's accompanied by an equally arresting video treatment by Mike Nicholls, documenting memories-from-happier-times of two young lovers.  Enjoy.

BEGGARS CAN’T BE BLOGGERS – Movies and Comics – Dale Beggars

My wife and I were watching Jack Goes Boating last night and it occurred to me how just one random minute of it’s running time contained more truth about relationships than the entire run of comics featuring Black Panther and Storm as a married couple.  So what’s so shocking about Avengers VS X-Men #9?

And, no, we don’t buy comics to see T’challa get reamed out for pubcrawling by a curler wearing Storm, so Marvel creators don’t explore the same themes as the movies.  But can we be honest and say the last time T’Challa was interesting was the first 6 issues of the Reggie Hudlin run? And with Storm, we’d go way back to her mohawk days, back when she listened to The Exploited.

And the whole “Marvel doesn’t know how to portray positive black relationships” argument doesn’t work, because this was a Wakandan king marrying a mutant “goddess”.  The only way these characters get more dull is if they speak in verse.  At least Brian Michael Bendis, for better or worse, injects the Luke Cage/Jessica Jones marriage with real world problems.  Even Bendis’ critics must admit he’s trying to show married people struggle with anxiety and identity within the 616 area code.  

It’s hardly surprising Marvel employs an event comic to undo T’challa & Storm’s  vows since editors were inventing new ways for them to live separately.  My god, last year T’challa was running a diner in Hell’s Kitchen!  He had a greater shot of bumping into this guy than his wife .  His wife, who was joining one more superteam under Marvel’s cart-before-the- horse braintrust.  A therapist might ask one of these workaholics if professional obligation was but a convenient excuse to stay away from their spouse.

Speaking of Storm’s mohawk days, one of my favorite 80’s X-Men memories was when the powerless Ororo Munroe took her sabbatical to Dallas, Texas (where I live).  I loved the way JRJr drew Forge’s skyscraper so close in proximity to Reunion Tower.  And BWS would step in for those ” Life/Death” specials.  What a story.  Do you think Forge would ever lease a floor to the Kardashians, if the 616 Lakers traded Lamar to the 616 Mavericks?   Would Forge expose the Kardashians for the Dire Wraiths they truly are?  Before embarking on the destruction of the Seacrest Empire?

Thumbs of for Jack Goes Boating, by the way.  My wife hated it, and it’s very similar to Punch Drunk Love  which also starred Hoffman.  But I’m sucker for stories where repressed manchildren learn to contain their rage and speak to women.  Probably because it’s so different from my own life.

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On today’s pile was BOOM! Studios’ Steed And Mrs Peel 1-6 by Grant Morrison, Anne Caulfield, and Ian Gibson.  

Of course, I had no idea BOOM! republished these from a 1990’s Eclipse title.  It’s a terrific showcase for artist Ian Gibson, who I remember from the 90’s and looks better than ever on the improved paper.  It’s a very trippy read and, unlike some of Morrison’s more recent work, I wasn’t exhausted by all of the ideas he tossed in.  Morrison’s wonderful , but I admit sometimes I wish he’d throw in one less alternate universe Superman.

- Dale Beggars