tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44175674931329702082024-02-19T04:27:33.547-08:0024 Panels Per SecondThe podcast about comic books on film with David Babbitt and Dru Jeffries. Available on iTunes.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16733379553450512870noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-59700348130590210442013-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:002013-06-24T06:00:10.143-07:00Episode 46. GANTZ (2010) and GANTZ 2: PERFECT ANSWER (2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your old lives are over. We will decide how to use your new lives. You will listen to this podcast. That's how the cookie crumbles. We close out our series of Manga Double Features with <i>Gantz</i> and its sequel, <i>Gantz 2</i>: <i>Perfect Answer</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Send all feedback to </span><a href="mailto:twentyfourpanels@gmail.com">twentyfourpanels@gmail.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Stay up to date with our blogs at </span><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panelspersecond.blogspot.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and </span><a href="http://24panels.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panels.tumblr.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Follow Dave on Twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@24panels</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and Dru </span><a href="http://twitter.com/violetbooth" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@violetbooth</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on </span><a href="http://facebook.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Don't forget to <a href="itpc://24panelspersecond.podomatic.com/rss2.xml" target="_blank">subscribe (and review us) in iTunes</a>! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Coming up on July 24: <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062861/?ref_=sr_1">Danger Diabolik</a>... </i></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b><i>Please <a href="mailto:twentyfourpanels@gmail.com">let us know</a> if you know where we can find legitimate (i.e. not illegal!) copies of English translations of either </i>Diabolik <i>or </i>Barbarella <i>comics, in preparation for our upcoming "DINO!" series</i>.</b></span></span>Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-31061412917600328612013-06-21T08:37:00.000-07:002013-06-21T08:37:32.710-07:00One Shots: MAN OF STEEL (2013)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a bird*, it's a plane, it's the most anticipated movie of the year! And more specifically, it's Dru, Dave, and James to talk about <i>Man of Steel</i>. This is a spoiler-filled discussion, but if you're precious and delicate and haven't seen the movie yet, you can safely listen to the beginning of the show to hear our general thoughts. We'll give you a head's up before we start a-spoilin'. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* A fantastic tweet from friend of the show, Jeremy Woodcock: "@Superman What on earth are you doing that people think you're a bird first? Flapping your arms? Don't do that. Don't fly like that." Follow him <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jwpencilandpad">@jwpencilandpad</a>. Seriously!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Send all feedback to </span><a href="mailto:twentyfourpanels@gmail.com">twentyfourpanels@gmail.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Stay up to date with our blogs at </span><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panelspersecond.blogspot.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and </span><a href="http://24panels.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panels.tumblr.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Follow Dave on Twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@24panels</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and Dru </span><a href="http://twitter.com/violetbooth" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@violetbooth</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Like us on </span><a href="http://facebook.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Don't forget to <a href="itpc://24panelspersecond.podomatic.com/rss2.xml" target="_blank">subscribe (and review us) in iTunes</a>! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coming up on June 24: <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1525835/?ref_=sr_1">Gantz</a> </i>and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1525836/?ref_=sr_2"><i>Gantz 2: Perfect Answer</i>.</a>..</span></b></div>
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<a href="itpc://24panelspersecond.podomatic.com/rss2.xml" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a>Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-13765529219126783042013-06-19T13:31:00.000-07:002013-06-20T06:21:58.842-07:00Preview Post: GANTZ and GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry about the lack of a preview post last month for
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death Note </i>episode, folks. It seems that
Dru tried to save a puppy from an oncoming subway train, and ended up dragging Dave into
it. Long story short, the whole thing was a mess, and as a result, the dynamic
duo is stuck having to do an episode about the 2011 films <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gantz </i>and <em>Gantz 2: Perfect
Answer, </em>as per the orders of a giant orb.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even when fighting aliens...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpwL_csmptKmpbtd_Nc_69FcehnupV-vnAPj4CXo925C7Qi04EL93Bp6wJjQznx0RtKL6O_lL4lTCIsCaVC1nw56TDROvvpdljZh4mpkNXwSBn3M5jaTdPmWC5hkhC4vl3Rmr3ul5gtc/s1600/gantz-2-perfect-answer-movie-otaku-house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpwL_csmptKmpbtd_Nc_69FcehnupV-vnAPj4CXo925C7Qi04EL93Bp6wJjQznx0RtKL6O_lL4lTCIsCaVC1nw56TDROvvpdljZh4mpkNXwSBn3M5jaTdPmWC5hkhC4vl3Rmr3ul5gtc/s320/gantz-2-perfect-answer-movie-otaku-house.jpg" width="231" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...you need perfect hair and a stylish look.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gantz </i>films
are based on an ongoing manga of the same name, which began publication in July
of 2000 in the magazine <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Weekly Young Jump</i>.
Written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gantz
</i>is the ultra-violent tale of Kei and Masaru, two young men who die trying
to save a drunk from an oncoming train, only to be mysteriously “resurrected”
by the Gantz orb. Gantz forces those it "saves" into participating in
a game to kill alien life forms on Earth for
points. If one collects 100 points, they are provided with several different
options, including opting out of Gantz’s game or resurrecting those who have
died playing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A massive hit in Japan, the manga was adapted into an anime
in 2004 for Fuji Television.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2011, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gantz </i>was
adapted into two live action features, which are to be discussed in this
upcoming episode. The films are directed by Shinsuke Sato, who previously
directed the 2001 action film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Princess Blade</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Co-starring in the films as Masaru is Kenichi Matsuyama, who
played fan favourite character L in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death
Note </i>films which were discussed in the last episode of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">24 Panels Per Second</i>. He reprised his role as L in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">L: Change the World</i> in 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what do Dru and Dave make of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gantz </i>manga and films? Will it make any sense to them? Or are they
stuck in the hell which awaits all critics? Tune in next time to find out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16733379553450512870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-56661833697034106522013-06-19T03:52:00.001-07:002013-06-20T06:18:45.747-07:00Comic Books in Spirit: DARKMAN (1990)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>While the domination of cinema screens by comic book adaptations may be a recent phenomena, comics themselves have always had an influence upon cinema in both direct and indirect ways. This series of reviews will look at the films which are not based on comics, but are comic books in spirit. This installment considers Sam Raimi's </i><b>Darkman</b><i>. </i><br />
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<a name='more'></a>This column has heretofore examined how comic books have served as inspiration for films, and indeed, there are countless films that have taken cues from the much maligned printed media – be it the goofy comic book aesthetics of <i>Condorman</i> or Richard Gere’s love of the Silver Surfer in Jim McBride’s remake of <i>Breathless</i>.<br />
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In his book <i>Superman: The Unauthorized Biography</i>, Glen Weldon writes about the reciprocal nature of the Man of Steel in various media – how the comics influenced the films and vice versa. Similarly, Sam Raimi’s 1990 film <i>Darkman</i> was informed by the pages of comic books, though it’s not an adaptation. It's also had a profound effect on the shaping of the superhero film genre. (<i>Darkman</i> was also subsequently adapted into two comic book mini-series published by Marvel in the early 1990s.)<br />
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Following the cult success of 1987’s <i>Evil Dead 2</i>, Raimi received backing from Universal with the intention to bring either Batman or The Shadow to the big screen. When the rights to both properties could not be secured, Raimi moved toward creating his own comic book-inspired hero. While equally influenced by the iconography of both pulp heroes, <i>Darkman</i> is also indebted to aesthetics and themes (notably pathos and tragedy) of Universal horror films of the 1930s and 40s.<br />
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<i> Darkman</i> concerns itself with Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson), a scientist trying to create synthetic skin. When his fiancée – lawyer Julie Hastings (Frances McDormand) – stumbles across incriminating documents which tie her boss to the mob, hired thugs destroy Peyton’s laboratory with the intention of killing Hastings. Peyton is horrifically burned in the process and presumed dead. He continues his research in anonymity to try to reclaim his life and relationship with Julie, as well as exact revenge on the mobster who wronged him. <br />
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Despite Raimi wanting Bruce Campbell to star, Neeson is great as Westlake, taking the material as serious as it needs to be but never venturing into silliness. (Campbell does have a well-timed cameo, though). The rest of the cast is great – Larry Drake relishes his role as villain Richard G. Durant and McDormand is always a joy to watch. <br />
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Stylistically, Raimi is a perfect fit for this kind of material. His energetic camera work and quirky cinematography resemble the panels of a comic book. While <i>Darkman</i> is pulpy and darkly fun, it’s often most remembered as his tepidly-received first offering for a major studio and the movie he made before <i>Army of Darkness</i>. Yet, Raimi’s film is crucial in the development of the narrative and formal conventions of the superhero film genre.<br />
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The film follows the basic origin story structure as outlined by Richard Donner’s <i>Superman</i>, taking time to establish the characters before rushing into the superhero action. Raimi streamlines this structure (and perfects it with his own <i>Spider-Man</i>) and adds two beats that become hallmarks of the genre. Where Donner’s film conveniently uses an ellipsis to bypass Superman honing his powers, Raimi provides a montage of Peyton’s trial and error developing his synthetic skin. This scene – echoed in <i>Spider-Man</i> – essentially shows Peyton creating his Darkman identity.<br />
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Perhaps the film’s most important contribution to the genre comes in the final scene: <i>Darkman</i> ends in with a voiceover and Peyton assuming his new identity. “Peyton is gone” he says; “I'm everyone – and no one. Everywhere – nowhere. Call me... Darkman.” This scene, where the hero comes to terms with his or her new identity, appears in countless superhero films that follow, including <i>Spider-Man</i>, <i>The Punisher</i>, <i>Daredevil</i>, and <i>Iron Man</i>. It’s even used in 2006’s <i>Casino Royale </i>and is cleverly inverted in 2013’s <i>Man of Steel</i>.</div>
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It may be a little rough around the edges and derivative of its influences – Darkman himself looks like a combination of The Shadow and The Phantom of the Opera – but Raimi’s film remains an exciting comic book movie that stands on its own. In hindsight, <i>Darkman</i> is ahead of its time and a landmark for the genre.<br />
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<i>Darkman </i>(1990, USA, 96 mins). Directed by Sam Raimi. Written by Chuck Pfarrer, Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, Daniel Goldin, Joshua Goldin. Starring Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Larry Drake.</div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084981459337587456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-14465826041424993562013-06-05T15:24:00.002-07:002013-06-10T17:52:55.872-07:00EVENT: Practices of World Building International Conference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://arthemis-cinema.ca/en/colloque/practices-world-building-international-conference">Practices of World Building: Fans, Industries, Media Fields</a> International Conference took place in Montreal, Quebec at Concordia University, June 6-7. I've mentioned it on the podcast a few times because I (Dru) presented some material from my dissertation at said event. Normally I wouldn't bother to mention something like that on the show, because listeners don't usually have any means of accessing academic events like these. But this one has been video archived<i> </i>online. <a href="http://arthemis-cinema.ca/en/video/jeffries-superheroes-and-celluloid">You can watch full video (minus the Q&A, unfortunately) here</a>, and you can <a href="http://arthemis-cinema.ca/en/colloque/practices-world-building-international-conference">find the rest of the talks here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It really is an honour to have been asked to participate in such a prestigious and exiting event. The line-up of presenters was really incredible. Check out the below video for more details.</span></div>
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Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-5217875349349225122013-06-04T18:59:00.000-07:002013-06-04T18:59:19.976-07:00Dru on Blu: July 2013<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Some </i>people wanted to stop me. <i>Some </i>people wanted to silence my voice. <i>Some </i>people directed a terrible <i>Captain America </i>movie in the early 1990s. But <i>some </i>people are going to have to deal with it, because I'm back with another <b>Dru on Blu</b>, covering up to the end of July 2013.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up, a few titles that are already available that slipped through the cracks on the last instalment. We'll <span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">start with a film I had not heard of, <i>Bad Kids Go to Hell</i>, which is directed by Matthew Spradlin and based on his own graphic novel of the same name. I'll be honest: never heard of either. Judd Nelson's in the movie version, and perhaps not coincidentally the logline reads like <i>The Breakfast Club </i>with a murder twist. According to IMDb, "<span style="line-height: 18px;">On a stormy Saturday afternoon, six students from Crestview Academy begin to meet horrible fates as they serve out their detentions. Is a fellow student to blame, or perhaps Crestview's alleged ghosts are behind the terrible acts?" It's been out on DVD since April 9, 2013. If you see it, let us know what you thought! Hit the jump for more...</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not sure how I missed this one last time, but </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LEGO Batman: The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">has one colon too many and is out on Blu-ray combo pack and DVD right now (street date was May 21, 2013). </span><br />
<a href="http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu39/blogofoa/Animated%20Series/Animated%20Appearances/Lego-Batman-and-Superman_zpsc089e38d.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu39/blogofoa/Animated%20Series/Animated%20Appearances/Lego-Batman-and-Superman_zpsc089e38d.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not sure if this just collects the cut scenes from the recent video game </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Unite </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(which I have on the Wii) or if it's got some original content. I'm guessing that this is just a cheap way to repurpose content made for the game, so I'd say this is pretty much for the kiddies only, or those who aren't interested in playing the game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It would seem that </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Robot Chicken</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'s DC Special aired on TV last year. How did I not hear about it until the video release was announced? I guess it didn't make as big a splash as the </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Star Wars </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">specials they made. Or I've just missed it somehow. Anybody seen this thing? Let us know. My lack of research is really starting to show here. Maybe Albert Pyun </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">was</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> right about me!</span><br />
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Now <i>here's </i>one that I did see, and you can hear a podcast to prove it! <i>Bullet to the Head </i>is a Sylvester Stallone vehicle that you wouldn't necessarily describe as "successful," but you could do worse for a mindless actioner if you're in the mood, as Dave often is, for mid-90s DTV level content. If you want more details, listen to the <a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.ca/2013/02/one-shots-bullet-to-head-2013.html">One Shot</a> that Andrew and I recorded when <i>Bullet </i>was still in theatres!<br />
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<a href="http://bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/Justice-League-Flashpoint-Blu-ray-550x737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/Justice-League-Flashpoint-Blu-ray-550x737.jpg" width="238" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally something that I'm looking forward to! <i>Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox</i> gets a lot of the DC Animated Universe players back together (including Kevin Conroy as Batman, which is all you really needed to hear, right?) for the kind of team-up picture that Warner Bros' live action division can't seem to figure out. There's a trailer out for this bad boy, and while I can't say that it really gets my blood pumping all that much, these DC Animated features are always worth a look, even if they don't always demand repeat viewings. Here's hoping that this is one of the high points. I don't think I read Geoff Johns' <i>Flashpoint </i>arc (though I might have and am just forgetting), but it's good to see The Flash finally getting his due. I know that they tried to make a Flash solo outing a while back, but even the Animated division couldn't make it happen. Poor Scarlet Speedster! What I really want to see, though, is a two-part adaptation of <i>Blackest Night</i>... THAT would be something!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summary:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now available: <i>Bad Kids Go To Hell </i>(<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Bad-Kids-Hell-Judd-Nelson/dp/B00B2TUI7S/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1370397255&sr=1-1&keywords=bad+kids+go+to+hell">DVD</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now available (May 21, 2013): <i>LEGO Batman: The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite </i>(<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/LEGO-Batman-Blu-ray-UltraViolet-Digital/dp/B00B8DLEIK/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1370397295&sr=1-1&keywords=lego+batman">Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet</a> or just plain old but inexplicably more expensive <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/LEGO-Batman-Movie-Super-Heroes/dp/B00B8DLERQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1370397295&sr=1-2&keywords=lego+batman">DVD</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">July 9, 2013: <i>Robot Chicken: DC Special</i> (<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Robot-Chicken-Special-Blu-ray-UltraViolet/dp/B00C3383XS/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1370397376&sr=1-1&keywords=robot+chicken+dc">Blu-ray + Ultraviolet</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Robot-Chicken-Special-Seth-Green/dp/B00C3384BO/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1370397376&sr=1-2&keywords=robot+chicken+dc">DVD</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">July 16, 2013: <i>Bullet to the Head</i> (<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Bullet-Head-Blu-ray/dp/B005S9EJVY/ref=sr_1_6?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1370397414&sr=1-6&keywords=bullet+to+the+head">Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">July 30, 2013: <i>Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox </i>(<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Dcu-Justice-Flashpoint-Paradox-UltraViolet/dp/B00CJLERM0/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1370397442&sr=1-1&keywords=justice+league+flashpoint">Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Dcu-Justice-League-Flashpoint-Paradox/dp/B00CJLERUC/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1370397442&sr=1-2&keywords=justice+league+flashpoint">DVD</a>)</span><br />
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Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-44030656424521235272013-05-24T06:00:00.000-07:002013-05-24T06:00:14.873-07:00Episode 45. DEATH NOTE and DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME (2006)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bad news, everybody: it's just going to be Dru on the show this week, as nobody can seem to locate Dave. It certainly has nothing to do with Dru having come into the possession of a mysterious black notework, into which he immediately wrote Dave's name. No, that couldn't be it. By the way, I AM JUSTICE. #wartcream</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, none of that is at all true. In fact, in addition to Dave we have a special third host this week, Corina Becker, a longtime fan of the <i>Death Note</i> series that is our subject on this month's show. As a result of some technical glitches, it's a minor miracle that you're hearing this episode at all, so you better appreciate it or we're writing all your names down...</span><br />
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<a href="itpc://24panelspersecond.podomatic.com/rss2.xml" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img src="http://assets.podomatic.com/images/subscribe_with_itunes.gif" style="border-width: 0px;" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Send all feedback to </span><a href="mailto:twentyfourpanels@gmail.com">twentyfourpanels@gmail.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Stay up to date with our blogs at </span><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panelspersecond.blogspot.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and </span><a href="http://24panels.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panels.tumblr.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Follow Dave on Twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@24panels</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and Dru </span><a href="http://twitter.com/violetbooth" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@violetbooth</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on </span><a href="http://facebook.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Don't forget to <a href="itpc://24panelspersecond.podomatic.com/rss2.xml" target="_blank">subscribe (and review us) in iTunes</a>! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Addenda: </b></span></span><br />
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<li><a href="http://twitter.com/corinabecker" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Follow Corina on Twitter</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and <a href="http://nekobakaz.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Definitely be sure to check out <a href="http://nekomics.com/">her original comics</a>!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Coming up on June 24: <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1525835/?ref_=sr_1">Gantz</a> </i>and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1525836/?ref_=sr_2"><i>Gantz: Perfect Answer</i>.</a>..</b></span></span></div>
Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-88628884281665661772013-05-18T12:47:00.001-07:002013-05-18T12:47:42.049-07:00List: THE TOP 125 COMIC BOOK FILMS<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We normally don't take content from other websites so shamelessly (maybe we should start!), but this is too cool not to share. <a href="http://www.darkhorizons.com/features/1581/what-re-the-most-acclaimed-comic-book-films">Dark Horizons</a> has done the math, averaging out the scores of Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and IMDB, and determined the top 125 comic book films ever made. And they made a real nifty graphic to go with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out the top 25 after the jump, and<a href="http://www.darkhorizons.com/features/1581/what-re-the-most-acclaimed-comic-book-films"> click here</a> for the full list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's your favourite comic book movie? (Mine's <i>The Rocketeer</i>, way down the list at #61.) Let us know in the comments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd also like to take the opportunity to remind you of how many of these we've devoted full episodes to here at 24 Panels. Check out of <a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.ca/2012/04/episode-archive.html">episode archive</a> and fill that iPod up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Source: <a href="http://www.darkhorizons.com/features/1581/what-re-the-most-acclaimed-comic-book-films">Dark Horizons</a></span>Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-9265885942393430092013-05-11T03:57:00.001-07:002013-05-11T04:09:08.360-07:00Reviews@24Panels: IRON MAN 3 (2013)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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More a follow-up to <i>The Avengers</i> than a sequel to <i>Iron Man 2</i>, <i>Iron Man 3</i> picks up some time after the events of Joss Whedon's 2012 blockbuster. Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is having trouble dealing with the emotional aftermath of the events in <i>The Avengers</i> while mysterious terrorist The Mandarin (Ben Kingsly) is taking credit for a series of bombings. Meanwhile, handsome scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) -- who has a history with both Stark and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) -- seeks a partnership with Stark Industries. <br />
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<a name='more'></a>While the film may seem crowded with characters and plot points (I didn't even mention Don Cheadle or Rebecca Hall), <i>Iron Man 3</i> never feels overstuffed and sluggish (like, say, <i>Iron Man 2</i>). Credit that to director and co-writer Shane Black. These plot elements unfold and converge in witty and surprising ways that wink at the conventions of the genre and offer a fresh take on this kind of material; where the viewer thinks the film will zig, it zags. Black's screenplay makes use of the characters to full effect, cleverly giving everyone something to do -- particularly Paltrow's Potts -- that moves the story forward without being contrived.<br />
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One of my biggest complaints about Marvel’s slate of films is the seemingly inability for directors to express any authorial voice. Only Joss Whedon’s <i>The Avengers</i> and now Black’s <i>Iron Man 3</i> are films that are distinctly products of those behind the camera. Yet there's a caveat to this: Whedon and Black also wrote their respective films and have very distinct authorial voices on the page; <i>Iron Man 3</i> is most certainly a Shane Black film.<br />
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Despite the fact that this is the third Iron Man film, and fourth to feature the character, <i>Iron Man 3</i> has more in common with Black's other works like <i>Lethal Weapon</i> and <i>Kiss Kiss Bang Bang</i>. Indeed, in the film's later half, Black seems more interested in paying homage to action comedies of the 1980s (like <i>Lethal Weapon</i> and <i>Beverly Hills Cop</i>) than exploring the superhero genre. Yet, Black has always been a master at hybrid genres -- his <i>Kiss Kiss Bang Bang</i> is a smart satire of Hollywood and a <i>film noir</i>. Black manages to make these 80s action film beats work within the context of the film, mostly because he keeps the focus squarely on Tony Stark. Unlike other superhero films, the Iron Man series is mostly star-driven. Audiences are drawn to Spider-Man and Batman films because they're transcendent cultural icons; the pure star power of Robert Downey Jr. is what has made the Iron Man films so successful.<br />
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The film is more at home when Tony Stark is out of his armour. I suppose this isn't necessarily a flaw, per se; <i>Iron Man 3</i>’s best moments are when it strays from conventions of the superhero genre. There's still plenty of superhero action in <i>Iron Man 3</i> -- and Black is a more confident director than Jon Faverau -- but it's just not as lively as when it deviates from convention (but that Air Force One sequence is incredibly exciting).<br />
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Shane Black and Marvel are smart for taking Iron Man out of the armour and away from convention. If the studio's plan to churn out several films with its characters in a shared universe, it's necessary to push genre in new directions for fear of becoming stale (look at all pre-00s superhero film sequels and tell me they aren't all the same movie). Although because the film spends so much time outside the the genre -- despite how successful it is -- I'm not sure it really succeeds as an Iron Man or superhero film. But as a purely entertaining action/adventure film, <i>Iron Man 3</i> is gangbusters.<br />
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<i>Iron Man 3</i> (2013, USA, 130 mins). Directed by Shane Black. Written by Shane Black and Drew Pearce. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Ben Kingsley.</div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084981459337587456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-1070378699962264742013-05-07T19:10:00.000-07:002013-05-07T19:10:31.178-07:00One Shots: IRON MAN 3 (2013)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ONE SHOTS are 24 Panels bonus episodes that give us a chance to discuss comic book movies that are in cinemas now. This time, Dru and Dave and tackling <i>Iron Man 3</i>, the much-anticipated kick-off to Marvel's Phase Two, inspired in part by <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Iron-Man-Extremis-Warren-Ellis/dp/0785183787/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367942372&sr=8-1&keywords=extremis+iron+man">Warren Ellis and Adi Granov's <i>Extremis </i>arc</a>. The road to <i>Avengers 2 </i>starts here! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Send all feedback to </span><a href="mailto:twentyfourpanels@gmail.com">twentyfourpanels@gmail.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Stay up to date with our blogs at </span><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panelspersecond.blogspot.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and </span><a href="http://24panels.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panels.tumblr.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Follow Dave on Twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@24panels</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and Dru </span><a href="http://twitter.com/violetbooth" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@violetbooth</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on </span><a href="http://facebook.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Don't forget to <a href="itpc://24panelspersecond.podomatic.com/rss2.xml" target="_blank">subscribe (and review us) in iTunes</a>! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coming up on May 24: <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758742/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2">Death Note</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810827/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4">Death Note: The Last Name</a></i>...</b></div>
Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-61077845461508016962013-05-04T14:26:00.000-07:002013-06-10T18:52:12.398-07:00Reviews@24Panels: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calling <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> ambitious is an
understatement. Christopher Nolan’s final chapter in the <i>Dark Knight</i> Trilogy is
epic in length, far-reaching in scope, complex and literary in its themes.
Picking up eight years after the events in <i>The Dark Knight</i>, Batman has not been
seen since the night Harvey Dent died. Yet, a new threat emerges in Bane (Tom
Hardy), a terrorist determined to overturn the social classes of Gotham and
make the wealthy confront their sins. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is coaxed out of a
self-imposed exile by sexy cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway). Plus
there’s stuff involving beat cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and wealthy
industrialist Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard).</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first two-thirds of <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> balance and pace
all of these elements incredibly well, thanks to Nolan’s assured direction and
very good screenplay; it’s nearly flawless. However, once the film moves into
its final act, it begins to come apart. The action set pieces run a little long and the screenplay loses focus. The previous two chapters -- <i>Batman Begins</i> and
<i>The Dark Knight -</i>- were concerned with exploring psychological realism and
pushing the conventions of the superhero genre, but <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i>
relies too heavily on those genre conventions without doing anything with them. Sure,
it’s well-crafted, but it comes across as somewhat hollow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That said, the rest of the film is borderline great.
Nolan draws parallels and connects the previous two films thematically in a way
that’s quite impressive. The film also has standout performances from those new
to the series, particularly Hathaway and Hardy, whose Bane is as frightening
and captivating as Heath Ledger’s Joker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It may be heavily flawed at the end (and contains an
egregious cheat), but <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> is ultimately a satisfying
conclusion to Nolan’s ambitious re-imagining of the Batman mythos.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Dark Knight Rises</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (2012, USA/UK, 165 mins). Directed by Christopher Nolan. Written by Jonathon Nolan and Christopher Nolan. Starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Micahel Caine, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman.</span></div>
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084981459337587456noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-75989594893797678362013-04-25T06:39:00.001-07:002013-04-25T06:39:49.304-07:00Trailers@24Panels: THOR: THE DARK WORLD<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. This time, we take a look at the first trailer for</em> Thor: The Dark World, <em>from director Alan Taylor </em>(<em>episodes of </em>Game of Thrones <em>and </em>Nurse Jackie).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>DAVE: </b>So, the trailer for <i>Thor 2 </i>is here, and it looks... well, just about what you think <i>Thor 2 </i>would look like. And that isn't a bad thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If there was any real question surrounding what we were going to see in the first footage from the film, it was mainly the degree to which the change in directors was going to impact the overall style of the sequel. What we see here pretty much confirms what I think most of us were expecting: Alan Taylor is making a film which very much feels like a direct continuation of the first film. The overall look might have a little more grit to it, but beyond that, there does not appear to be any significant alteration from the groundwork set in the first film by Kenneth Branagh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As such, the main emphasis here seems to be on how the sequel will be continuing the story threads from the first film, and it is about what you would expect: the relationship between Thor and Jane Foster will continue to develop; a big new threat seems to be facing the whole of reality; the relationship between Thor and Loki will continue from </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Avengers</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> as Loki gets dragged into the action; and so on, and so forth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know that it might sound like I am being dismissive of the trailer, and I really don't want to give that impression. I like what I see here, but there is nothing to make me any more interested in the film than I already was. The amazing Christopher Eccelston looks and sounds like an imposing villain, and the action is fantastic. What is missing from this trailer though is some sort of hook to really grab the viewer and get them excited</span><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Iron Man </em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 has been playing up the emotional aftermath Tony Stark is dealing with post-</span><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Avengers</em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, as well as paying off plot threads from the prior two films; the next </span><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Captain America </em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">film is going to have the whole man-out-of-time and Winter Soldier hooks to grab the audience with. So far, there doesn't appear to be an obvious hook to sell </span><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thor: The Dark World </em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with. Instead, we have a </span><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Superman II </em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">style trailer which tells us that "the adventure continues, the romance continues, etc." Which, to reiterate, is fine. It just means that I have little more to add than "I'm looking forward to the film."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What about you Dru? How did this trailer strike you?</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DRU:</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> You're right that there isn't much "new" here: the Anthony Hopkins voice-over suggests Brando in </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Superman</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the threat over London calls </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Star Trek Into Darkness </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to mind</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and the alien design screams </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prometheus</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. And that's just the first 30 seconds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once Thor shows up, though, it's clear to me that this is very different tonally than the previous entry in the franchise. Branagh really played up the "fish out of water" aspect of Thor's coming to Earth, mostly for comic effect (I recall Pop-Tarts, smashing coffee cups, and a mid-sentence collapse into unconsciousness). That's being reversed here, with Natalie Portman's Jane being swept away to Asgard, where most of the film will presumably take place (or, if not Asgard, other non-Earth realms). Jane strikes me as less inclined to react to Asgard with hilarious results; I'm guessing they're going to be pushing the "wonder" aspect a little harder. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's glimpses of a forest-set battle that more closely recalls <i>Lord of the Rings </i>than the frost planet of the first <i>Thor</i>, and I'm thinking that's a smart card for the marketing folks to play. <i>The Hobbit </i>may have been a steaming pile, but it also made a steaming pile -- of cash! -- so people obviously still have a hankering for these kinds of spectacular fantasy worlds. That bodes well for <i>The Dark World.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like <i>Iron Man 3</i>'s promotional material, this trailer also ends on a bit of a down note. The suggestion that Thor will have to make some significant sacrifice (Jane? Loki?) in order to vanquish his foe echoes, for me at least, Tony Stark pulling his suit behind him through the snow. These heroes will be challenged in Phase Two, and I have no doubt that it's going to build towards something immense in <i>Avengers 2</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two final points: (1) How great is the Hannibal Lecter-esque treatment of Loki in the post-title card sting at the very end? You had to assume that Loki would be some kind of uneasy ally with Thor in this, and I like how they're handling it based on that quick glimpse. This is precisely the advantage of keeping continuity across all of these films and franchises: this will be Loki's third Marvel film, and he's already had quite the journey. I'm sure I'm not allowing is looking forward to seeing where this film takes him. (2) Where is this Christopher </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eccelston of whom you speak? I'm not familiar with his work (he's on some stupid sci-fi thing, right?), but I'm guessing he's the dude with the long braid and the half burnt face? He's got one line and you see his face in one shot! Can't really tell too much from that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I'm excited for this one. How about you, James?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>JAMES:</b> For me, <i>Thor</i> was the most perfunctory of the pre-<i>Avengers</i> films, which had the thankless task of establishing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I thought Branagh's film, while entertaining, could've accomplished what it set out to do in far less time. Because of that, <i>Thor</i> feels incredibly padded, shoehorning in the introduction of Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye. This is all a long-winded preamble for me to say that this film has a lot of ground to make up for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From this first glimpse of <i>The Dark World</i>, my reaction seems the same as both of yours: "it's fine." What I am looking forward to in this film is the action taking place on Asgard (or should it be <i>in</i> Asgard? Anyway...). So many superhero films have fantastical elements to them that are so under-explored in film for the sake of not alienating viewers and keeping the material "grounded" (I'm sure budgets have something to do with it too). With its recent successes, Marvel's taking more chances on this front; I mean, we are getting a <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> movie. I'm really hoping the film explores these worlds. As for what we get of the plot, it looks like typical superhero sequel fare in terms of bigger threats and difficult emotional choices (see <i>Superman II</i>). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What really got me excited, though, was the appearance of Tom Hiddleston's Loki; I think he'll be the most interesting part of the film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But you're both right,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thor: The Dark World</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">looks and feels utterly familiar, which, I suppose, isn't necessarily a bad thing. And I think part of that is Marvel's approach to filmmaking, which is an awful lot like the Classical Hollywood studio model or the television model. Marvel has a tendency to hire directors and writers with no distinct style -- which isn't to knock Jon Faverau or Kenneth Branagh. Marvel is meticulously creating a universe that has a unified look and feel across several films that is becoming almost impenetrable by a director's personal style. There are only so many films I want to see with the same look, same feel, same sound. I get Marvel is going for a sense of consistency, but I don't think it needs to be that strictly adhered to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ultimately, <i>The Dark World</i> looks fine and I'm sure Marvel will turn out another fine product, though I'm not expecting something as exceptionally entertaining as <i>The Avengers</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andrew, what say you?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ANDREW: </b>I'll be totally honest: I thought that the first Thor was going to suck. It certainly had a number of A-list names attached to it - Portman, Hopkins and Branagh (which still baffles me) - but it didn't seem like it would work in practice. The two leads were completely unknown to me at that point, and at the end of the day, I just didn't care all that much about Thor as a character. In all fairness, this was largely because my encounters with Thor didn't come from his own books, but through his supporting appearances in arcs like Infinity Gauntlet and Siege, but the film certainly didn't scream "must watch."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Then I finally did see it, and realized how wrong I was. Thor caught me totally off guard, able to blend the familiar elements of the superhero film with Norse mythology while grounding it in some excellent and deeply human performances. It's almost banal to talk about how good Tom Hiddleston is as Loki (both here and in The Avengers), but the rest of the cast more than held their own, and the film struck a good balance between action and the typical origin arc of learning to use your powers responsibly without lapsing into paint-by-numbers archetypes. On the whole, Thor turned out to be my own sleeper hit of the Avengers cycle, and was certainly a better film than I figured it had any right to be.<br /><br />Thor 2, however? To be honest, as much as I liked the first, I'm not exactly clamoring for more. Chris Yost on script is a good sign, insofar as comic writers are more likely to have some base understanding of the characters and the world (as opposed to Marvel buying the script for a 48 Hours reboot and casting Thor and Loki as the leads). Branagh has been swapped out for Alan Taylor, which is a little more mixed; yes, the man has directed for an impressive number of acclaimed series (including Oz, which needs to be more popular than it is, and certainly more enjoyable than Raimi's recent film adaptation...I kid, I kid), but it's hard to say if he'll have the skill to make a big-budget film on par with the first.<br /><br />As for the trailer itself, it suggests the film is going to follow the typical super-sequel pattern of resolving plot threads from the first - Thor returning to Earth and bringing his lady love to Asgard - while increasing the scale and size of the action sequences - a few really big spaceships, as opposed to that Day The Earth Stood Still-looking thing from the first. Odin's back, and it looks like there's going to be some kind of traumatic death or noble sacrifice, enough to make Thor do the Vader scream (though being a comic book, I think we all know that death is hardly permanent).<br /><br />Visually, the film looks very polished, and while little details are revealed by the trailer, it signals enough to give a general sense of what the arc is going to be, and what's on display is certainly fine. I guess my reservation, aside from a new director at the helm, is whether we're going to see a post-Avengers comedown in the current cycle. In other words, during the pre-Avengers phase, each individual film alluded to a larger future narrative in the works, whereas in this cycle, we know that Avengers 2 is a given. Consequently, I'm worried that there will be less of an impetus to make a solid standalone film in favour of four films that exist solely to get characters from one team-up to the other.<br /><br />I suppose that only time will tell on that one. At any rate, Thor 2 has me intrigued, but not salivating. That may change as more trailers get released, for better or for worse, but Thor has proven me wrong once before. Whether lightning will strike twice remains to be seen, but I suppose that handling lightning is well within our resident long-haired Norse god's wheelhouse!</span></div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16733379553450512870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-7036073979905844882013-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:002013-04-24T06:29:08.522-07:00Episode 44. LONE WOLF AND CUB: SWORD OF VENGEANCE/BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After his wife is killed by the corrupt government, Dru gives up the life of a respectable samurai and decides to take his small child, the adorable and improbably bearded Baby Babbsy, across Japan in search of work as assassins. They are known throughout the podcast world as Lone Bull and Calf, and this week they will discuss the first two (of six) <i>Lone Wolf and Cub </i>films, adapted from the long-running manga series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Send all feedback to </span><a href="mailto:twentyfourpanels@gmail.com">twentyfourpanels@gmail.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Stay up to date with our blogs at </span><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panelspersecond.blogspot.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and </span><a href="http://24panels.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panels.tumblr.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Follow Dave on Twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@24panels</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and Dru </span><a href="http://twitter.com/violetbooth" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@violetbooth</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on </span><a href="http://facebook.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Don't forget to <a href="itpc://24panelspersecond.podomatic.com/rss2.xml" target="_blank">subscribe (and review us) in iTunes</a>! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Addendum:</b></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coming up on May 24: <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758742/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2">Death Note</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810827/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4">Death Note: The Last Name</a></i>...</b></div>
Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-38890969384896650182013-04-19T08:24:00.001-07:002013-04-19T11:46:19.600-07:00Trailers@24Panels: R.I.P.D.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. This time, we take a look at the first trailer for</em> R.I.P.D<em>., from</em> RED <em>director Robert Schwentke</em>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously, this trailer could not have made a worst first impression. From what we can see here, <em>R.I.P.D. </em>is supposed to be a buddy comedy in the vein of <i>Men in Black</i>, only with the supernatural in place of aliens. So naturally, Universal cut a trailer which gives us no indication as to the comedic chemistry of Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds. Hell, Reynolds does nothing more than stare blankly at the events going on around him in this trailer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead, the trailer focuses on showing off Jeff Bridges' kooky character, and sweet mother of god, you know something is wrong when I can say that a performance by Bridges looks terrible. I swear his goal here is to be the live action Yosemite Sam, and by all appearances, he seems to be succeeding. By the half-way point, Bridges' accent and behaviour were already grating on me, so I can already imagine how annoyed I might be watching the whole of the film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you get right down to it though, the main problem with the trailer, and potentially with the finished film, is the tone. Films like <em>Ghostbusters </em>and <em>Men in Black </em>work because of the very fine tonal line they walk, and so far <em>R.I.P.D.</em> doesn't even seem interested in walking it, instead go for the most extreme choices across the board. The end result, at least in this trailer, is just plain alienating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What about you James? What do you make of this mess?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>JAMES:</b> I've also not read the comics, so I've got no opinion on that front either. And based on this trailer, I won't be rushing out to read them. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Mess" is as good a place to start as any;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the trailer for <i>R.I.P.D.</i> leaves me completely uninterested and kind of angry. Boy, this really doesn't look good. I'm always weary when the majority of a trailer is dedicated to exposition -- which is the case here, spending a good chunk of it's 2:51 setting up the premise. Hey, while we`re here, has anyone noticed that trailers are getting longer? Trailers are roughly 2:20, yet in the last month or so we've seen some around 3 minutes in length (</span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.ca/2013/03/trailers24-panels-kick-ass-2-2-guns.html">2 Guns</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.ca/2013/04/trailers24panels-man-of-steel-trailer-3.html">Man of Steel</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). Just an observation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dave, I was thinking Bridges was affecting a cartoony Rooster Cogburn from <i>True Grit</i> (that performance is stellar, by the way), but Yosemite Sam seems more accurate. I love Bridges, but this performance doesn't interest me in the least. I'm also starting to get Ryan Reynolds fatigue. He's been in far too many movies in the last few years playing the same notes, and here it just looks like he's sleepwalking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But beyond uninteresting performances and a bit of a gimmicky premise (it's <i>Men in Black</i> but with dead people!!), it's the stale jokes and cartoon violence that turn me off (hey look, the young attractive guy really looks like an old Chinese man and the old guy looks like an attractive woman ha ha so funny). The film is obviously trying to replicate <i>Ghostbusters</i>, but I feel with each subsequent viewing of that film -- and with every <i>Ghostbusters </i>clone (<i>Ghostbusters II</i>, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Men in Black</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, <i>Evolution</i>, etc.) -- that Reitman's 1984 classic is an anomaly and cannot be recreated</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. So Hollywood should stop trying.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>R.I.P.D.</i> feels about 15 years too late. It looks like the kind of contrived, big-budget buddy/comedy-fantasy disaster that seemed to crop up in the late-90s/early-00s (I'm looking at you, <i>Wild Wild West</i>). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The icing on the cake is that </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">R.I.P.D.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is in 3D. Maybe there's something more to it, but I don't care to find out. Actually, writing about it has made want to </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">not </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">see it even more. This looks stupid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">R.I.P.D. <i>opens in theatres July 19</i>.</span></div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16733379553450512870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-77981940160641005162013-04-17T14:24:00.002-07:002013-04-17T19:06:49.855-07:00Trailers@24Panels: MAN OF STEEL Trailer #3<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. This time, we take a look at the final trailer for Zack Snyder's </em>Man of Steel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>DAVE:</strong> Wow. Just....wow.</span><br />
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Dru, James, I think we have just witnessed the new gold standard for trailers when it comes to superhero films. Just in terms of the sheer art of selling a film, this <em>Man of Steel </em>trailer gets everything right: it clearly indicates the tone of the film; it clearly indicates what the story of the film is without spelling it all out; and most importantly, it gives us a taste of what the film offers without spoiling it. So, on that level alone, I say "good work Warner Brothers."</span><br />
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As for the content itself, however, I am honestly in awe. The goal of the previous trailers seems to have been to indicate that what we would be getting is a film that is a reverent take on the Superman myth, and this latest trailer builds on that groundwork in a big, emotional way. On the most superficial level, the trailer clearly shows that we are going to be getting a Superman on film who is going to do the big scale stuff we've always wanted to see. But what impresses me most here is that these shots are not being included here just as empty spectacle, but work to really build on the idea that we are seeing a big, moving MYTH (yes, in full caps) playing out in this film. And I love that.</span><br />
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We are also finally given a bunch of firsts with this trailer, from Zod to Lois and even the score. There still isn't really much that can be said about Michael Shannon's Zod yet, other than that he appears imposing. Amy Adams' Lois, however, looks fantastic. We seem to be getting a real, flesh and blood human being this time out, rather than a screwball counterpoint to Clark, and thank God for it. That isn't to slam the prior takes, but I get the feeling I am likely going to be moved to tears by the Lois and Clark relationship here, and I look forward to that.</span><br />
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Hands down, however, the best thing in this trailer is the music. Right from the first chord, I had a chill of excitement There is something very operatic in what we are hearing, which feels right in a Superman film. Best of all, it doesn't just sound like a riff on what John Williams did in the 1978 film, nor overly bombastic like many a recent superhero music scores have been. Hopefully, the rest of the score will be just as good, and I have faith that it will.</span><br />
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What about you James? What did you make of this?</span><br />
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<b>JAMES:</b> I want to write down my thoughts, but I also want to watch the trailer again and again. I too am in awe after seeing this. Allow me to crib from my comments when we looked at the <a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.ca/2012/12/trailers24-panels-man-of-steel.html">initial trailer back in December</a>: Yes, Zack Snyder’s <i>Man of Steel</i> looks to be a thoughtful,
reverent take on Superman dealing in capital-M Myth. Amir Mokri's striking cinematography and Hans Zimmer's score emphasize the intimacy and the mythic grandeur of
Superman in equal parts, which is no easy feat especially in three minutes.</span><br />
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While this trailer doesn't hit me as hard as that initial one, it's pulling on different strings. Here we get more of an idea what the film will be like as a whole, with lots of "whoa!" moments during the action. Besides getting Clark's personal journey, it also looks like we'll be treated to a rousing sci-fi action film, something that's never been done with Superman on film, which really excites me. Yet, the best moment for me is that the "S" isn't a family crest, doesn't mean "Superman," but stands for "hope" (a nice reference to Mark Waid and Leinel Francis Yu's <i>Superman: Birthright</i>). I'll admit it, I got choked up.</span><br />
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Dave, what I like -- as you point out -- is that we only get glimpses of supporting players. I really think whoever cut these trailers deserves an award for whetting appetites without spoiling the meal (does that analogy work?). I like the teases of Amy Adams' Lois Lane -- she's one of my favourite actresses and I think she can really knock the character out of the park, especially if we can see her actually do her job. I also want to see more of Russell Crowe's Jor-El and Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent. But we also get some enticing footage of a different Krypton, which looks utterly fantastic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />This trailer epitomizes everything I love about Superman: wonder, intimacy, grandeur, adventure, hope. Like I've said before, <i>Man of Steel</i> seems to be shaping up to be the Superman film I've always dreamed of.</span><br />
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<b>DRU: </b>I don't disagree with a single salvo of the above. It's beautiful, grand, mythic, intimate, and a host of other superlatives. In the same way that <i>The Amazing Spider-Man </i>fulfilled a lifelong dream for me of seeing a particular vision of Spidey on the big screen, I think that <i>Man of Steel </i>looks poised to have me weeping like a child in the best possible way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to register a few complaints, however, if only in service of tempering my too-high expectations. Firstly, I was disappointed to not see more Zod here. From what we do see, it's clear that Michael Shannon is killing it, and I simply want more. Like we got in this mysterious TV spot from earlier in the week:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To borrow from <i>The Dark Knight</i>, Heath Ledger changed things when it comes to playing supervillains onscreen, and there's no going back. He inaugurated a return to <i>bigness</i>, to performances defined by bold choices made by great actors in great films<i>. </i>And I would certainly nominate Michael Shannon as one of the best "big" actors working today. When he's extreme and intense, he's <i>extreme </i>and <i>intense</i>. That's what a superhero movie needs. It's not enough to affect some vocal mannerisms (I'm thinking primarily of Tom Hardy in <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i>, which I just rewatched, but I'm also a bit worried that Ben Kingsley's take on The Mandarin in <i>Iron Man 3 </i>will be primarily from the "unique cadence" school of supervillainy): there has to be more to it. And as much as I want to see more, the fact that they aren't selling the movie based on Zod suggests two things to me: (1) that there are plot surprises in store that showing Zod would necessarily reveal, and (2) that Shannon is bringing it in a way that can't be done justice in a trailer. I'm excited by both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, so I guess that wasn't really a complaint. I have have a legit cause for concern, though: David Goyer. I've been re-watching the Nolan Batman films for my dissertation over the past couple of days, and Goyer is definitely not the MVP of that series. (<a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.ca/2012/05/episode-28-dark-knight-2008.html">See our episode on <i>The Dark Knight</i> for more of my complaints about that film</a>.) In fact, his clunky dialogue, overly complex plots, and non-sensical twists </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">constantly threaten to derail the series like the monorail at the end of <i>Batman </i></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Begins</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. It seems to me that they're selling this on the beauty of the cinematography, the grandeur of the action, and the intimacy of the performances. What we're not getting a great sense of is the <i>actual story </i>(beyond the obvious elements) and how it will play out. Will Zod's scheme be full of unnecessarily Rube Goldbergian machinations, as were Joker's and Bane's in the previous Batman movies? Has he remembered how to use callbacks in a way that makes sense? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In any case, if Goyer's going to hammer the themes into our skulls with the force of a Superman punch, at least it looks like he's chosen the right themes. Like you, James, I'm thrilled to see them emphasizing "hope" as the singular thing that Superman stands for above all else. That's what he's always meant to me, and that's why he is the greatest superhero character. I hope that this movie is worthy of him, and this trailer gives me that hope.</span></div>
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16733379553450512870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-23954102676679745872013-04-12T18:53:00.004-07:002013-04-14T07:29:16.199-07:00Preview Post: LONE WOLF AND CUB: SWORD OF VENGEANCE and BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the next episode of the 24 Panels Per Second, Dru and
Dave kiss North America goodbye and head to Japan for the first of three double
bills! This time out, the duo will discuss the first two films in the <em>Lone Wolf and Cub </em>series,<em> Sword of Vengeance </em>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baby Cart at the River Styx</i>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyvTEtK_l6Tye-ey7CpU2mXsTQxSgx03L3ISAjlqro0-7WkO6UfaDWKVKOUmAAU1af7ARhEgg77DZzBgcbjOK4UlGBFJpupplLgsjXu9gXUg-_FICpVd0r27oMcd2r-oTlD_enACMuSk/s1600/LWACPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyvTEtK_l6Tye-ey7CpU2mXsTQxSgx03L3ISAjlqro0-7WkO6UfaDWKVKOUmAAU1af7ARhEgg77DZzBgcbjOK4UlGBFJpupplLgsjXu9gXUg-_FICpVd0r27oMcd2r-oTlD_enACMuSk/s320/LWACPoster.jpg" width="227" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6_kQEWF8aTZGX-cIKXUHHjEAHYKOTQRC9ENI4POrwWlU79lvmgyhx4wG_hvX2KLp-fMXht3yGI5wjm8xkQcCGQ_9OferolkpVPssMx17hRbLO3E8zuwm6p5u9AkxA7DR77TNGh0065w/s1600/BCATRS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6_kQEWF8aTZGX-cIKXUHHjEAHYKOTQRC9ENI4POrwWlU79lvmgyhx4wG_hvX2KLp-fMXht3yGI5wjm8xkQcCGQ_9OferolkpVPssMx17hRbLO3E8zuwm6p5u9AkxA7DR77TNGh0065w/s320/BCATRS.jpg" width="223" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The films, both released in 1972, are based on the beloved
manga epic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lone Wolf and Cub</i>, which
ran from 1970 to 1976. The manga is the tale of Ogami <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Ittō and his (initially) infant son Daigorō, who
wander across Japan and take on assassination jobs as they seek vengeance
against Yagyū Retsudō, who -- along with his clan -- murdered Ogami’s wife and
framed Ogami as a traitor to the Shogunate. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Created by writer
Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, the comic gained a massive audience in
Japan, and would go on to influence American comic creators, including Frank
Miller and Max Allan Collins. The comic first appeared in the American market in translated editions in 1987, before finally being collected in full by
Dark Horse Comics in the early 2000s.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shortly after the
manga first appeared, the first film adaptations followed, beginning with the two films
which will be under discussion. The series as a whole
is comprised of six films, all of which star <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tomisaburo Wakayama in a career defining role. Closely involved in the writing of the films was comic co-creator <span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kazuo
Koike.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span>While the films would
eventually be made available outside of Japan, the first and second films were
edited together for Western markets and released under the title <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shogun Assassin </i>in 1980. This compiled
version of the films also included a new score by Mark Lindsay of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paul Revere and the Raiders</i> fame.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">These films were not the only time <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lone
Wolf and Cub </i>have been adapted to media outside of the comics, however.
Shortly after the release of the first two films, the comic was adapted to
television over the course of three seasons, with </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Kinnosuke Yorozuya starring as Ogami. The intro to the series can be <a href="http://youtu.be/hY-_59CHcSw">found here on YouTube</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A second
adaptation was produced for television in 2002.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The property also made a return to Japanese cinemas in
1992 with the release of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lone Wolf and
Cub: Final Conflict</i>, starring Masakazu Tamura</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> as
Ogami. Unlike the 1970s film series, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Final
Conflict </i>attempts to tell the entire tale of Ogami and his son in the
course of a single film, and the film has had limited release outside of Japan.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what will Dru and Dave make of these beloved classics? Tune in next time to find out!</span></div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16733379553450512870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-69163220655232094702013-03-31T12:21:00.001-07:002013-03-31T12:55:39.621-07:00Trailers@24 Panels: KICK-ASS 2, 2 GUNS<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. Click through for the 24 Panels take on new trailers for </i>Kick-Ass 2 <i>and </i>2 Guns...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>DRU: </b>Alright, first up is the new international trailer for <i>Kick-Ass 2</i>, a film for which I'm struggling to find any feelings other than indifference. I always found Chlo</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;">ë</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Grace Moretz's performance in the first film to be a real low point -- she's so <i>mannered</i>, and I always got the sense that she's trying too hard to be a bad-ass, which may be the point of the character but it doesn't work for me personally -- and this film looks to be very much The Hit-Girl Show. Scribe of the original comics Mark Millar has promised that the film will be based not only on his <i>Kick-Ass 2</i> series but also that the first act of the film is essentially an adaptation of his <i>Hit-Girl </i>miniseries. I've liked Moretz elsewhere (particularly in <i>Hugo</i>) but I find her pretty insufferable in badly written roles (<i>Dark Shadows </i>probably being the worst offender). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I read a couple issues of <i>Kick-Ass 2 </i>and lost interest (it's almost impossible to sustain my interest in a monthly series, so that's not a huge slag on the books), but I think I've got the gist of the film's premise, at least. I'm curious to see if the film is able to shake me out of my apathy for the franchise (I did kinda enjoy the first one, with reservations), but I'm not really champing at the bit to see it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andrew, I know you've got pretty strong feelings about the first <i>Kick-Ass. </i>Feel free to briefly summarize your thoughts on the first one and where you stand regarding what we've seen so far of the sequel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ANDREW: </b>Let me begin a little abstractly. You guys all remember the weird kid in high school? The one who would show up dressed like a Victorian gentleman and have a pet iguana on his shoulder or whatever? And you'd feel bad that this guy kept getting harassed by everyone else, only to realize that his “weirdness” wasn't a genuine expression of his interests, but a calculated effort to alienate everybody else as a show of superiority? That kid grew up to be Mark Millar, and the iguana turned into <i>Kick-Ass</i>.</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's rewind a bit. A few years back, I read Millar's <i>Kick-Ass</i>, and while I didn't exactly love it, it did a few interesting things in terms of subverting and deconstructing the superhero origin narrative. Soon after, I saw the red-band trailer for the film (my first red-band ever!), and my curiosity was piqued. However, the finished film was remarkably disappointing. Don't get me wrong -- it was well shot, generally well acted, and reasonably faithful to the book. However, the film deviated at a few critical points -- giving Big Daddy a tragic origin, having Katie decide to date Dave in the end, and of course, jetpacks -- which effectively turned <i>Kick-Ass </i>into just another stock superhero film, and completely negated <i>the entire point of Millar's text. </i>We were left with a film that offered no new takes on the genre beyond totally-in-your-face cursing and occasional moments of ultraviolence, and a general sneering attitude that wasn't justified by any formal or narrative creativity.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Needless to say, I haven't been following much of Millar since. <i>Kick-Ass 2 </i>went unpurchased and un-leafed through at the comics shop, and when I heard that it would be adapted into its own movie, I busted out a trademark Babbsian face-palm. My fear was/is that a sequel would continue to neuter all the book's intriguing elements, and offer continuation to a narrative that doesn't really merit it in the first place. So, having seen the trailer, where do I stand? In pretty much the exact same spot, as the trailer makes <i>Kick-Ass 2 </i>look like more of the same.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's run down the list:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dave showing off his teenage awkwardness? Check.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Red Mist doing something goofy that he thinks looks totally cool? Check.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mindy saying something offensive before killing somebody? Check.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A-list actor that has lapsed into self-parody playing a self-parodic character? Check.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Really artificial looking rooftop sequences? Check.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ramping aplenty? Check.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, there's often a world of difference between trailers and films, so the finished work may actually do something considerably different. However, on the basis of the trailer, I can't honestly say I'm any more or less excited to see <i>Kick-Ass 2</i>, simply by virtue of the fact that it's presented as the exact same movie, only with a few more crazy costumes. That said, you guys may have had a less reactionary response, and I'm guessing you each had pretty different responses to the first film as well. James: what did you make of the trailer, and does it make the continuing adventures of Dave Lizewski a “must see,” a “must torrent,” or a “must avoid?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>JAMES:</b> The first <i>Kick-Ass</i> is kind of fun and interesting to a point – it has some good observations about the superhero genre and the YouTube age, but as you point out, Andrew, it abandons critiques of those things in the latter half of the film and opts for playing into the genre just with more obvious jokes. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did some extra research and watched the </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UMbwxbgv8U" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">red band trailer</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (NSFW, peeps). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It comes as no surprise to me that the trailer for the second one looks almost exactly like the stuff I didn’t care for in the first one. I’m intrigued by Jim Carrey’s presence, but only because he’s playing against type. I also don’t have much interest in a film that plays a hyper-violent, foul-mouthed 15 year-old girl and a villain named M-----f----r for laughs. To crib from Third Eye Blind (yeah, for real), “we wanted clever but settled for stupid.” I’ll be skipping this one most likely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Next up is the trailer for </i>2 Guns<i>, which you can find over on </i><a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/2guns/" style="font-style: italic;">Apple</a><i> (couldn't locate an embed!). It's not based on a comic that too many people have heard of, so feel free to check it out on </i><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Two-Guns-Steven-Grant/dp/1934506249/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364661320&sr=8-1" style="font-style: italic;">Amazon</a><i>. Will it be </i><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.ca/2013/02/one-shots-bullet-to-head-2013.html">Bullet to the Head</a><i> all over again? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>JAMES:</b> Like just about everyone else, I had no idea this was based on a comic until it started popping up in my news feeds. I’ll say it right out, I’m sold. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are both charismatic and likeable leads, and this looks like a fun buddy action movie along the lines of <i>Midnight Run</i>. Fun action/comedies are few and far between these days, and I don’t know if I’m getting nostalgic for days of yore, but I would like to see more of them. Plus look at that supporting cast: James Marsden! Edward James Olmos! Bill Paxton! Fred Ward! That said, it looks like the kind of movie that could go sideways really easily and turn out to be something offensively bland like a Brett Ratner movie. I’ve not seen anything else by director Baltasar Kormákur (I hear <i>Contraband</i> is okay), so I’ve got no frame of reference. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />My only complaint is that it looks like they let the biggest gag out -- that both Washington and Wahlberg are government agents. That would’ve played really well.</span><br />
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<b>DRU: </b>Well, I was completely uninterested in the movie until they let that gag out, so I think it was a necessary move in order to market the movie effectively. I had low expectations for this, but it does look like it has the potential to be fun. I don't expect anything on the level of <i>Midnight Run</i>, but <i>Bullet to the Head </i>has set the bar pretty low for bi-racial buddy cop movies based on comics this year, so I think it'll be up to the challenge. </span><br />
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At this point, I'm not sure that Washington <i>is </i>a charismatic lead, though. It looks like he's got a bit of a schtick in the movie -- the gold teeth and the scumbag goatee do most of the acting for him, I think -- but ultimately I think it's Wahlberg's movie to lose. Plus he was in <i>The Departed</i>, and this movie looks like it was pitched as "What if <i>The Departed </i>was a buddy cop comedy?" </span><br />
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Anything to add, Andrew?</span><br />
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<b>ANDREW: </b>From the trailer, <i>2 Guns </i>seems to be positioning itself as an action movie first and foremost, and only a comic book movie as an afterthought, which means we likely won't see anything particularly novel at the level of adaptation or remediation. Yet there's something to be said for a well-made genre film; it would be nice if every movie reinvented the wheel, but the majority do not, and still remain pretty entertaining. Sometimes, your film can succeed simply by having all the familiar parts arranged in the right order. <i>2 Guns </i>looks like it could do just that.</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The usual action movie trappings are there -- humourous cutaways interrupting gunfights, an “opposites attract” plot dynamic, and a “no-look” explosion -- though as you've both pointed out, the cast is talented enough to make it work. Say what you will about Denzel's range, but he's one of the best at suave and charming anti-heroes in the business. As for Wahlberg, he's somehow transitioned from a lousy rapper to one of the better leading men around. Sure, this movie will be a lot more <i>Italian Job </i>than <i>The Fighter</i>, but Wahlberg has shown that he can do drama, action, and comedy in equal measure. Also, he has this natural sense of vulnerability that I just find impossibly endearing. Throw in “The Pax,” and you have three actors who can sell a weak script or an unoriginal premise on charm alone.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>2 Guns </i>may not turn into our generation's <i>48 Hrs.</i>, or even <i>Another 48 Hrs.</i>, but I'm certainly much more interested in this one than <i>The Last Stand</i>, <i>G.I. Joe: Retaliation, </i>or any of the upcoming <i>Die-Hard-</i>in-the-White-House movies.</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kick-Ass 2 <i>and</i> 2 Guns <i>hit theatres this August</i>.</span></span></div>
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Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-9930566256945981202013-03-27T17:41:00.001-07:002013-03-27T17:51:40.371-07:00Trailers@24 Panels: THE WOLVERINE<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Here at 24 Panels, we like to give each new comic book movie trailer the roundtable treatment. Click through for the 24 Panels take on the long awaited domestic and international trailers for James Mangold's </i>The Wolverine...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>DRU:</b> Well, I guess you can colour me underwhelmed on this one. <a href="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/the-wolverine-poster.jpeg">After a pair of utterly ludicrous one-sheets for <i>The Wolverine</i></a>, these trailers had a lot to make up for, and I'm not sure they accomplished that. There was so much goodwill going into this project starting with Darren Aronofsky's attachment and solid word-of-mouth on the screenplay, but once Aronofsky left, leaving James Mangold to fill his shoes, I think most of us adopted a "wait and see" attitude towards the film. I'm going to maintain that attitude until I see the final product, but I'm not sure I can blame anybody for assuming the worst at this point. I mean, come on, those posters! <a href="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/the-wolverine-poster-1.jpg">Have you ever seen anything so ugly</a>? (Especially after the beautiful <a href="http://static.hypable.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/The-Wolverine-teaser-poster.jpg?4dd970">Criterion-worthy teaser art</a>.) I only watched each of these trailers once, but my initial response is that it looks like <i>X-Men Origins: Wolverine </i>all over again. It's all very serious and dour, with the narrative motivated again by Logan's inability to move on from the Weapon X experiment. Wasn't he more or less at peace at the end of <i>X3</i>? I know that he had gone through some serious tragedy there (killing the woman he loved -- who reappears here in an atrociously aestheticized flash that I can only assume is a dream or flashback -- and witnessing the death of his mentor) but I figured that he knew it was time to step up and be a team leader with Cyclops and Xavier both gone. Instead he see him wandering (again), taking out his aggression on random barflies (again), and getting involved in a painful biological experiment (again). Will this film have anything new to offer us (besides swords)?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That said, there are some elements that hold out promise for me. First, the neon streets of Japan have the potential to provide some striking cinematography. (I just hope that the film's DP, Ross Emery, took plenty of notes during <i>Skyfall</i>'s Shanghai sequence.) Secondly, Silver Samurai -- who is seen only briefly in the international trailer, and not at all in the domestic version -- looks like a pretty badass antagonist. I haven't read the source material for this film, so I don't know what the character's all about, but I always like to see a bold costume choice (especially in a series defined by the very absence of bold costume choices). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, I'm curious about Mark Millar's involvement here. This will be out first peek of the Millar-run Fox-Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I wouldn't be one bit surprise to find a post-credits sting that teases the next X film, or possibly even the <i>Fantastic Four </i>reboot or something else from Fox's upcoming slate of Marvel films. (With Bryan Singer's <i>Days of Future Past </i>in production now, that's the most likely candidate, obviously.) But on the subject of Millar, I'm wondering if the "quest for mortality" plot is simply a way to set up Hugh Jackman's continued involvement in the franchise as an aging man. Just as <i>Origins </i>was basically a long (and unnecessary) prelude to Logan losing his memory, I fear that <i>The Wolverine </i>will ultimately be reduced to a single function in the franchise: to keep Wolverine around but to justify the actor's inevitable aging. Millar might ultimately be gunning to get one of his own most well-loved limited series, <i>Old Man Logan</i>, up on the screen. (Perhaps as a tie-in to the future envisioned in <i>Days of Future Past</i>?) Lots to think about there regarding the future of the franchise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, Dave, what are your thoughts on these trailers? Do they make you more or less excited about the movie and the future of the X-Men franchise? Do you think it's in good hands?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>DAVE: </strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I wouldn’t say that either trailer is great, my
response overall is far more positive than yours, Dru. Mangold has been
promising that the big theme of the film is the cost of immortality, and both
trailers effectively make that point. Moreover, the biggest compliment I can
give this trailer is that it looks like this film has <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">focus</i>, which cannot be said of the last film.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And while the mood of these trailers is somber, given what
the film is dealing with, it feels natural, rather than the ham-fisted self-seriousness
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Men Origins: Wolverine</i>. I mean,
that film wanted the audience to take its so-called</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">drama seriously while at
the same time featuring the Blob, Will I. Am., and a villain who faces our hero
with an avatar controlled like a video game character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, the stakes seem far more personal and
interesting: Logan is just plain sick of living, and has to confront those
feelings when an opportunity to act on them comes up.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That isn’t to say I am entirely sold on this film as of yet.
While the theme and mood of the trailer appeal to me, the plot which is
suggested by the trailer -- Logan is duped into giving up his abilities as part
of an evil scheme -- could be a bit cliché depending on how it is handled.
Moreover, for a tale that is supposedly more personal, the action appears to be
fairly grandiose, which leaves me thinking that the story/theme of the film will be at odds with the (supposed) needs of a studio blockbuster.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main thing I came away with from these trailers though
is that the biggest stumbling block for the film will be fans, regardless of the
quality of the finished product. The Wolverine comic by Chris Claremont and Frank
Miller, which this film is ostensibly based upon, is held in high regard
amongst fans, and while elements of the film certainly appear to be taken from said comic, the
narrative of the film appears to be radically different. For me, that
degree of change is fine: I don’t think the Japan arc from the comics is nearly
as great as it is made out to be. It has some great ideas and moments, for sure,
but overall the comic comes across as the work of two men who marathon-watched a bunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of samurai, ninja and yakuza films before heading into work Monday morning. But
fans being fans, I think they will go ballistic when they see that the film is
going to radically rework the source material.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">James, you recently reviewed all of Fox's X-Men films to date for the 24 Panels blog. What do you make of these trailers?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>JAMES: </b></span>Dru and Dave, thanks for inviting me to weigh in. Let me address a couple of your comments first. The “quest for mortality” motif is a staple of the genre. The hero has had enough and wants to live a normal life (<i>Superman II</i> and <i>Spider-Man 2</i>, for example). The somber mood, I agree, feels natural here. Many of Logan’s loner adventures in the comics have that inherent melancholy, and it seems well represented.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">Well, my expectations for this film are quite low, given that I did not have many nice things to say about <i>The Last Stand</i> or <i>Origins</i>. And though my expectations are low, <i>The Wolverine</i> seems to have -- like you say, Dave -- a narrower focus, which makes me somewhat hopeful it’s on a better path. <i>Origins</i> is essentially no different than any of the other X-films, considering they’re jam-packed with unnecessary characters as fan service. The trailers at least don’t have any recognizable faces other than Jackman.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">Seeing Logan strapped to another machine that will ultimately make him yell in pain, I thought the same as you, Dru -- the details of the plot feel altogether too familiar. (While we’re at it, can we put a moratorium on characters being pulled out of exile with long hair and bushy beards? There are other ways to show isolation and loneliness, people!) However, in capable hands, it may be handled with finesse and offer nice parallels to the Weapon X experiments. That said, director James Mangold is a journeyman who specializes in putting out movies that are entertaining, while mostly forgettable (I know I saw <i>Copland</i>, <i>3:10 to Yuma</i>, and <i>Knight and Day</i>, but I couldn’t tell ya what happened), so that’s keeping my expectations low.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">Ultimately, I was left with a shrug after these trailers. Since we recently learned that this was not another prequel, but rather takes place after <i>The Last Stand</i>, I am curious to see how much of that film is referenced -- either directly or indirectly (or at all) -- and how much groundwork will be laid to bridge the other films with <i>First Class</i> leading into <i>Days of Future Past</i>. It’s a pretty sad day when an X-film sparks my interest only in how it will fit in with the series overall like it’s a puzzle, which I think either speaks to my dwindling interest in the franchise or an emerging trend in Hollywood cinema (as wells as film studies and criticism) more concerned with a franchise at large than producing engaging, focused narratives.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">But the fight on the train looks cool. I’m a sucker for action scenes on trains.</span></span></div>
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Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-36888857117404534202013-03-25T09:59:00.000-07:002013-03-27T09:02:35.277-07:00Dru on Blu: April-June 2013<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are lots of comic book films coming out soon on Blu-ray/DVD. Here's a round-up of what's most interesting. All links take you to Amazon.ca. (We're not an affiliate, and we don't get any money for clicks, FYI. This post is merely informational!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to <a href="http://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/032213_1300">The Digital Bits</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Shadow-Blu-ray/dp/B00BYS0UWK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=4D5UAIRR30NF&coliid=I34LMXV8YW6KVX"><i>The Shadow</i></a> will finally be coming to Blu-ray on June 4, 2013. It looks to be pretty reasonably priced, and we can safely assume that the AV quality will be an upgrade from the full-frame DVD (widescreen, please), which is heretofore the only release of the film as far as I know. No word on special features yet, but I wouldn't hold your breath for anything... Click through for information on more upcoming releases!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Out a little bit before that on May 21, 2013 is the "long-awaited" release of <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Captain-America-Collectors-ed-Blu-ray/dp/B00BCMT49I/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=4D5UAIRR30NF&coliid=INSG6I7NSETAD">Albert Pyun's <i>Captain America </i>in a "Collector's Edition" Blu-ray</a>. This was promised to us a while back through Pyun himself, but ended up being either a scam (emails sent to Pyun's website were never returned) or just something that fell through. I think it's been available in the States for a while through MGM's DVD-on-Demand program, but up Canada way this is the first that we'll see of Salinger's Cap in HD. That said, I wouldn't expect this to <i>actually</i> be in HD. In terms of video quality, I'd be shocked if it was a hair better than a 3rd-gen VHS dupe. (When I saw this screened at FantAsia last year they actually had to screen a downloaded VHS dupe when Pyun failed to show up at the screening with his print.) So, you might be better off sticking with that bootleg you got off eBay... [EDIT: Please see the comments section for additional information.]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recent home video releases of non-English comic book movies also include <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Mars-Avril-Jacques-Languirand/dp/B00AWDXCRS/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1364399980&sr=1-1"><i>Mars et Avril</i> </a>(DVD only), from Quebecois director Martin Villeneuve (and based on his own graphic novel) and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Poulet-aux-Prunes-Chicken-Plums/dp/B00AIAQDTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364229671&sr=8-1">Chicken with Plums</a> </i>(also DVD <span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">only) from <i>Persepolis</i> directors <span class="itemprop" itemprop="name">Vincent Paronnaud and</span> <span class="itemprop" itemprop="name">Marjane Satrapi and based on the latter's graphic novel. Both look fantastic and I can't wait to check them out.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's also a glut of animated superhero fare being released from Marvel and DC. Beginning with the House of Ideas, on April 16, 2013 <i><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Iron-Man-Rise-Technovore-Blu-ray/dp/B00BACT1IY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pdT1_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=4D5UAIRR30NF&coliid=I35Z461EKYDRRR">Iron Man: Rise of Technovore</a> </i>comes out on Blu-ray and DVD. The animation style looks similar to the Marvel Anime series released a while back, and I suspect that it's part of that initiative. The following week sees the release of a team-up movie between ol' Shellhead and ol' Green Skin in <i><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Iron-Man-Hulk-Heroes-Blu-ray/dp/B00AY8ZQ84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364229919&sr=8-1">Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United</a></i> on Blu-ray. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner's chemistry was one of the high points of <i>The Avengers</i>, so perhaps Marvel is looking to capitalize on that with this straight-to-video animated release. The animation style looks a little wonky to me based on what I've seen, but perhaps it will look better in HD than it did on YouTube.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most exciting upcoming release of all, in my opinion, is <i><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Dcu-Superman-Unbound-Blu-ray/dp/B00BBAQD8G/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=4D5UAIRR30NF&coliid=IJVYMVXH3MKP">Superman Unbound</a></i>, the latest offering from the DC Animated Universe. The film adapts the "Superman: Brainiac" storyline by Geoff Johns from a while back. I think I was buying <i>Action Comics</i> around when this storyline was happening because of the run that Johns was co-writing with Richard Donner that immediately preceded "Brainiac", but I think I stopped buying regularly when this storyline started. I'm looking forward to going back and seeing what I missed! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This Blu-ray/DVD combo pack also comes with an Ultraviolet copy of the film for exactly nobody. (Seriously, give us iTunes downloads or nothing at all. I'm guessing that anybody with the tech savvy to use Ultraviolet also has the tech savvy to rip a DRM-free digital copy of the DVD they just paid for.) Street date is May 7, 2013.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summary:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now available: </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Poulet-aux-Prunes-Chicken-Plums/dp/B00AIAQDTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364229671&sr=8-1">Chicken with Plums</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i>(DVD)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now available: <i><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Mars-Avril-Jacques-Languirand/dp/B00AWDXCRS/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1364399980&sr=1-1">Mars et Avril </a></i>(DVD)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">April 16, 2013: </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Iron-Man-Rise-Technovore-Blu-ray/dp/B00BACT1IY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pdT1_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=4D5UAIRR30NF&coliid=I35Z461EKYDRRR">Iron Man: Rise of Technovore</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Blu-ray and DVD)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">April 23, 2013:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Iron-Man-Hulk-Heroes-Blu-ray/dp/B00AY8ZQ84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364229919&sr=8-1">Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Blu-ray)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May 7, 2013: </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Dcu-Superman-Unbound-Blu-ray/dp/B00BBAQD8G/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=4D5UAIRR30NF&coliid=IJVYMVXH3MKP">Superman Unbound</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i>(Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet Combo)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May 21, 2013: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Captain-America-Collectors-ed-Blu-ray/dp/B00BCMT49I/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=4D5UAIRR30NF&coliid=INSG6I7NSETAD" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Captain America: </i>Collector's Edition</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i>(Blu-ray)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">June 4, 2013: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Shadow-Blu-ray/dp/B00BYS0UWK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=4D5UAIRR30NF&coliid=I34LMXV8YW6KVX" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Shadow</i></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i>(Blu-ray)</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That'll do it for this round-up of upcoming comic book films on home video. Let me know if you found this helpful, and if you'd like to see this kind of article in the future!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-200395204632407592013-03-24T06:00:00.000-07:002013-03-26T14:02:20.353-07:00Episode 43. HELLBOY (2004)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you found us through /Film's <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/superhero-bits-397/3/">Superhero Bits</a>, we thank you for coming by and encourage you to check out our back episodes! Here's a link to our <a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.ca/2012/04/episode-archive.html">complete episode archive</a>, and note that you can find the most recent episodes in our iTunes feed! Please subscribe using the link below! Thanks for listening.</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjGH4VhFATMj1rvKihzO5F82FFWf-ptbf4l1azqvTqD-Sfkmvc8rQ8Uqdekbw0MFVIml1tBoGSpmLB2cud3dmQzJn8qVNsOcjCH6-cPgiyVw3n7rEhF2P0w0Kv53ME_0hVR4tw6PUs42C/s1600/Hellboycoverart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjGH4VhFATMj1rvKihzO5F82FFWf-ptbf4l1azqvTqD-Sfkmvc8rQ8Uqdekbw0MFVIml1tBoGSpmLB2cud3dmQzJn8qVNsOcjCH6-cPgiyVw3n7rEhF2P0w0Kv53ME_0hVR4tw6PUs42C/s400/Hellboycoverart.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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Dru and Dave finally re-emerge, stinking of smoke and brimstone, to close up the interdimensional portal and finally put a cap on the "24 Panels Goes to Hell" series with a discussion of Guillermo del Toro's 2004 adaptation of Mike Mignola's cult comic hero <i>Hellboy</i>. Make sure you stay tuned through the end of our discussion to hear which films we'll be covering in the next 3 months on 24 Panels!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Send all feedback to </span><a href="mailto:twentyfourpanels@gmail.com">twentyfourpanels@gmail.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Stay up to date with our blogs at </span><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panelspersecond.blogspot.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and </span><a href="http://24panels.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panels.tumblr.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Follow Dave on Twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@24panels</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and Dru </span><a href="http://twitter.com/violetbooth" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@violetbooth</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on </span><a href="http://facebook.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Don't forget to <a href="itpc://24panelspersecond.podomatic.com/rss2.xml" target="_blank">subscribe (and review us) in iTunes</a>! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Next episode: <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068815/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_4">Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068816/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_5">Baby Cart at the River Styx</a></i>...</b></span>Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-43269362932797959062013-03-21T14:48:00.003-07:002013-03-21T14:49:09.553-07:00Reviews@24 Panels: LEGENDARY: A MARVEL DECK-BUILDING GAME<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a first for 24 Panels, but since I've been getting more into board games lately I thought I might as well review a few for the blog! The subject of my review today is, in my opinion, one of the coolest things that Marvel has licensed their characters for in some time (other than the films, of course). I'm talking about <i>Legendary</i>, a deck-building game featuring Marvel superheroes designed by Devin Low and released by Upper Deck. Click for the full review...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="395" src="http://castlesandcooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/marvel-legendary.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As noted above, <i>Legendary </i>is a deck-building game, which means that it has similar gameplay mechanics to other popular games like <i>Dominion</i> and <i>Ascension</i>. The major difference between games like this and something like <i>Magic: The Gathering </i>is that when you buy <i>Legendary</i>, every card there is comes in the box. There's nothing more to buy until they release some (optional) expansions, and even then, your game is complete. (Sidebar: I remember </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">when I was a kid</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and my friends got into </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Magic </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">how frustrating it was that I couldn't compete with them without blowing every cent I had on buying better cards. I didn't like the game enough to put much money into it, so I gave it up pretty quickly.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The way deck-building games work is that there's a central pool of cards available for purchase at any given time, which are replenished from the deck as players acquire them. Each player starts with a relatively weak deck, which they use to acquire better, stronger cards as the game progresses. After acquiring cards, they go in your discard pile and ultimately get shuffled into your deck, where you get to use them to acquire more cards and fight villain cards. What separates this from the other deck-builders I mentioned earlier is that this one is co-operative (you wouldn't want superheroes fighting each other, would you?). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the beginning of the game, you'll get to choose which heroes you want in your hero deck, which mastermind you want to fight, and which villainous scheme you're trying to dismantle.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Every player builds their deck from the pool of hero cards, and you're all working together to fight the game... but the game fights back. Villain cards emerge at the beginning of each turn, some of which will have immediate (ambush) effects, while others hurt or help you after you defeat them on your turn. Each scheme lets you play out a different narrative from Marvel lore (e.g. Earth's leaders replaced by Killbots, Superhero Civil War, etc.) and has unique play mechanics and victory conditions. You're all working together, but you can still tally up your victory points after all is said and done to determine who played the best.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The strategy, fun, and replay value comes from the variety of combinations that are possible between all of the different decks. Some heroes will work really well together, while others just don't have any chemistry. There are really a lot of cards in this box (560!), and it'll take you a whole lot of hours to use them all. There are only four masterminds included in the base game (in increasing order of difficulty: Red Skull, Magneto, Dr. Doom, and Loki) but there are many more villain groups and henchman groups, which provide greater variety both on a turn-by-turn basis and from game to game. Best of all, they included a lot of superheroes, though they chose the roster predictably. We've got Avengers (Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Nick Fury, Thor), </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">X-Men (Cyclops, Emma Frost, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Wolverine) and some lone wolves (Deadpool, Spider-Man). Each hero has its own deck that has different powers that are both unique and character-appropriate. (One of the most fun things about these kinds of games is seeing how the creators twist the characters' superpowers into card-related actions. Well, for me, anyway.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The game comes with a really large board to play on, which I appreciate as it keeps the cards nicely organized during gameplay. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without a lazy susan, though, it might be difficult to play with friends around a table. Since I'm mostly playing by myself, I particularly appreciate that there are modified rules for solo play built into the game, unlike <i>Dominion </i>or <i>Ascension</i>. Games typically take between 30 and 45 minutes, and it flies by. My biggest complaint is that there's a lot of set-up time, and getting all of the decks back into individual piles takes a few minutes after the game is over as well. I guess I'm used to playing </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ascension </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on my iPad, so I've been spoiled until now. Let's just say that my card-shuffling skills have improved exponentially since getting <i>Legendary</i>!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Box art for<i> </i>the upcoming <i>Dark City </i>expansion.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upper Deck has already announced that they're planning a pretty aggressive expansion strategy for <i>Legendary</i> to keep us playing (and sending our money their way). June 2013 will see the release of <i>Dark City</i>, which will feature 350 new cards. New heroes will concentrate on the X-Force and Marvel Knights groups, and confirmed heroes include Cable, Colossus, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and Jean Grey (plus 12 others: no word on Moon Knight's inclusion at this time). They'll be up against new masterminds including Kingpin and Apocalypse (plus 3 others), and there will be lots of new schemes, villain groups, and henchmen groups as well. I read online that a smaller, Fantastic Four-specific expansion will come later in the year as well, and that will give you the opportunity to take down Galactus. Exciting, nerdy times ahead.</span></div>
Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-65012323165309760772013-03-13T07:19:00.003-07:002013-03-21T13:43:20.748-07:00Festival Report: Dru@Fantasia 2012<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dru here --</span><br />
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<a href="http://synoptique.hybrid.concordia.ca/index.php/main/article/download/5/20"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/fantasia-international-film-festival-2012-e1341838533629.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you were following this blog in the summer of 2012, you may have read my blog recaps of the Fantasia Film Festival. Those blog entries have since been removed; the reason for this is that they have been repurposed into a proper festival report in <a href="http://www.synoptique.ca/">Synoptique: An Online Journal of Film and Moving Image Studies</a>. I definitely encourage all of our readers to check out this open-access, free-for-all, peer-reviewed film journal, and if you want to read my festival review, you can <a href="http://synoptique.hybrid.concordia.ca/index.php/main/article/download/5/20">download the pdf at this link</a>.</span>Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-5413083017116322792013-03-06T11:38:00.003-08:002013-03-21T13:43:10.006-07:00Preview Post: HELLBOY<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dru and Dave wrap up the "Hell" series by confronting old horn
head himself. No, not Beelzebub: Hellboy! More specifically, the less than dynamic duo take a
look at Guillermo Del Toro’s 2004 film adaptation of <i>Hellboy</i>,
based on Mike Mignola’s cult favourite comic book.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I dig this poster, Selma Blair's pose doesn't really reflect the character of Liz Sherman at all.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Hellboy</em> is cool and all, but where is our <em>Monkeyman & O'Brien</em> film?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mignola’s famous creation first appeared in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">San Diego Comic-Con Comics </i>#2 in 1993. Shortly thereafter, the character starred in his first mini-series, <em>Hellboy:
Seed of Destruction, </em>the comic which serves as the primary source material for the film. A blend of classic pulp
storytelling, Lovecraftian horror and folklore, the Hellboy comics tell the
tale of Anung Un Rama, a demon summoned by an occult division of the Nazis in
the latter years of World War II. Instead of arriving as a full blown monster,
however, Anung arrives as an infant, and is soon found by the Allied Forces,
including Professor Bruttenholm. Raised by Bruttenholm, Anung, dubbed "Hellboy," grows up to battle evil supernatural forces for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence. Fighting alongside him are a variety of other gifted indivuals, include the mysterious Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2004, the film adaptation
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy </i>was released in theatres.
The film is co-written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, whose feature film
career launched with the Spanish language, sort-of-vampire horror film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cronos</i> in 1993. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cronos </i>also marks the first collaboration between Del Toro and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy </i>star Ron Perlman, who features
in a supporting role in the film.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prior to </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">,
Del Toro made his first leap into the comic book superhero/horror genre in 2002
with </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blade II</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the sequel to the 1998
hit directed by Stephen Norrington. Infusing the film with his more gothic
sensibilities, </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blade II</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> met with
stronger critical notices than the first film and solid box office. Also
turning up in </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blade II</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">? Ron Perlman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, Del Toro returns to directing after an unplanned
hiatus with the big budget blockbuster <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pacific
Rim</i>, a kaiju/mecha film which stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko
Kikuchi, and, yes, Ron Perlman. (He's also rumoured to be putting together a crossover film featuring horror-themed characters from DC comics, including Swamp Thing, Deadman, and John Constantine! We'll keep you updated on that one here at 24 Panels.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So how does <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellboy</i>
stand up nine years on? Check your iTunes feed on March 24 to find out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16733379553450512870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-1195400548305447492013-02-24T06:00:00.000-08:002013-02-24T06:00:05.863-08:00Episode 42. FROM HELL (2001)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjUDhoTJFJF2MbjC7sFcpkK3ERrW3IAlZXqWu-NBYW9mHTWDtVxO8bYjpIxyR6jAcDPHox3FcXlgXDzoXPfACnRrL9g8ajASMwvfWRK2BNBdu-hiOjg3WGWZc89VAMfKkPTSPfISnM2tb/s1600/FromHellCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjUDhoTJFJF2MbjC7sFcpkK3ERrW3IAlZXqWu-NBYW9mHTWDtVxO8bYjpIxyR6jAcDPHox3FcXlgXDzoXPfACnRrL9g8ajASMwvfWRK2BNBdu-hiOjg3WGWZc89VAMfKkPTSPfISnM2tb/s400/FromHellCoverArt.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The case was never closed. Theories have circulated for decades, but none is definitive. The question lingers on from one century to the next, to the next... Who is lamer: Dru or Dave? We'll let YOU, the listener, be the judge, on this episode of 24 Panels Per Second, in which we explore <i>From Hell</i> in both its graphic novel and cinematic manifestations. Other questions emerge... Whose text offers a more compelling telling of the Jack the Ripper case: Alan Moore/Eddie Campbell's or the Hughes Brothers'? The answer to this one is a little more cut and dry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Send all feedback to </span><a href="mailto:twentyfourpanels@gmail.com">twentyfourpanels@gmail.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Stay up to date with our blogs at </span><a href="http://24panelspersecond.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panelspersecond.blogspot.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and </span><a href="http://24panels.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">24panels.tumblr.com</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Follow Dave on Twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@24panels</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and Dru </span><a href="http://twitter.com/violetbooth" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">@violetbooth</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Remember that Dave live-tweets a different movie every Saturday night at 11PM! Like us on </span><a href="http://facebook.com/24panels" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Don't forget to <a href="itpc://24panelspersecond.podomatic.com/rss2.xml" target="_blank">subscribe (and review us) in iTunes</a>! And if you like the show, please share it with your friends and on your social networks!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Next episode: <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167190/">Hellboy</a></i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120681/">.</a>..</b></span>Druhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588066922380662371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417567493132970208.post-52171851369085539732013-02-07T13:46:00.003-08:002013-02-07T18:07:07.574-08:00Preview Post: FROM HELL<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is one of the most notorious unsolved cases in all of
history, a series of brutal murders whose perpetrator is known only as Jack the
Ripper. Since the original murders, the case has taken a particular place in
pop culture, and has been examined over and over again in various forms and styles. And in
the next 24 Panels Per Second, Dru
and Dave are going to take a look at a feature film loosely adapted from a
sprawling, complex comic about the case. The title? <i>From Hell</i>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The case of Jack the Ripper happened in the Whitechapel
district of London in 1888. In short, an unknown serial killer murdered a
minimum of five prostitutes – more are suspected</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> – </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and mutilated their bodies.
The crimes generated an extensive public uproar, but the police investigation ultimately
did not result in the capture and trial of any suspect, and the murders eventually ceased. Given the lack of closure, various
theories as to the identity of the killer have emerged over time, though none
have been proven.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the original murders, the Ripper case has been the
subject of various works of fiction across a variety of genres. Authors such as Robert
Bloch (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psycho</i>), Harlan Ellison (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Boy and His Dog</i>),and Gardner Fox
(noted DC comics writer), among many, many others, have used the Ripper case as the subject of some of their fiction. Likewise, Jack the Ripper
has featured in episoes of various television programs, including the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Trek</i> episode “Wolf in the Fold”…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />…and the first ever episode of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kolchak: The Night Stalker</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to literature and film, the Ripper case has been the basis of numerous films. In 1979 alone, Jack the Ripper featured in two major studio films: the Sherlock Holmes mystery </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Murder by Decree...</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">…and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time After Time</i>, in which H.G. Wells and the Ripper travel to San Francisco 1979 via time travel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Between 1989 and 1996, writer Alan Moore and illustrator
Eddie Campbell produced <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">From Hell</i>,
an examination of the Ripper case based upon the theory that the murders were
sanctioned by the Royal Family over Prince Albert Victor marrying and fathering
a child with a commoner. Initially published by several different companies,
the comic was eventually collected into a massive trade paperback form.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPBpz9CpwNT7qaDOm7oWkDdFaJn1lE-Kywh0oOVD9TzotLka-Du01cM10lBBUHqcmpkV14tVikS-1j4h1K7oqvDNzI3_3XH_Vk0tmSFGGp8X5wRQehyVKO0LLkOF7lbDR7IDdh7eBfko/s1600/FromHellcomic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPBpz9CpwNT7qaDOm7oWkDdFaJn1lE-Kywh0oOVD9TzotLka-Du01cM10lBBUHqcmpkV14tVikS-1j4h1K7oqvDNzI3_3XH_Vk0tmSFGGp8X5wRQehyVKO0LLkOF7lbDR7IDdh7eBfko/s320/FromHellcomic.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While ostensibly about the case of Jack the Ripper, Moore
and Campbell’s work is more of a study of Victorian society and its values,
with issues of gender, sexuality, race, and class closely examined, amongst
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2001, a film adaptation of the comic was released.
Starring pre-box-office-superstar-era Johnny Depp and Heather Graham, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">From Hell </i>is directed by the Hughes Brothers,
whose work also includes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Menace II Society</i>…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">…and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book Of Eli</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what will Dru and Dave make of the film? Will they even
survive reading the mammoth comic? Tune in on February 24 to find out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16733379553450512870noreply@blogger.com0