TECH SUPPORT!

Returner

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I finally bought a copy of Returner. I brought it home, and rammed into the DVD player with quivering fingers. This Takashi Yamazaki film blends Terminator, ET, and matrix while coming up with its own reality.

For my money there just isn't enough Sci Fi around, and this film brings home some of what I love the best about the genre. You've got Takeshi Kaneshiro making like Keenu Reeves in all that sweet-black-trenchcoat-wearing-kung-fu-kicking goodness. I really like that Yamazaki didn't make Kaneshiro's Miyamoto the typical emotionless killing hero. Miyamoto weeps and bickers and whines (and boy isn't that refreshing! Then there's Goro Kishitani doing his impression of psycho with a gun.

But none of this prepares you for the delightful performances of Anne Suzuki playing the time traveling Milly or Kirin Kiki playing Xie, the aged intelligence and explosives expert, with grandmotherly charm.

Oh my God and the CGI kicks ass.

Everyone in the entire world should go out and buy this film right now to encourage more films just like it!

Astonishing X-Men #6
writer: Joss Whedon
artist: John Cassaday
published by Marvel Comics

You know...I've been reading X-Men comics for over 20 years (closer to 25!!! -- jeez, I'm old). And every once in a while, I despair for the characters I love so much.
Once in a while, I almost give up on the X-Men.
Almost invariably...they pull something like this. And I remember why I love these characters and why I've had such a long-standing relationship with them. Astonishing X-Men is the comic I've been wanting to read all these years...and on a few occasions, have gotten out of the X-books.
Comics fans love the X-Men for one primary reason. They're outsiders, just like the readers themselves. In spite of all the comic movies out there, comic fans are still looked on like they're some kinda dirt. Buy a comic book, sit in a public place and open it up. Watch the eyes that drift your way. Revulsion? Disgust? Contempt? You ain't seen nothin' yet, baby.
Where Grant Morrison's New X-Men was a celebration of the weird...an affirmation that freaks will inherit the earth...Joss Whedon's Astonishing is a reminder that the normal people won't let us.
Bleak as that may sound, keep in mind that this is the X-Men. Their goal isn't conquest. It's coexistance. It's understanding. At it's root, the story of the X-Men is a parable about racism and equality.
Whedon understands that. And he's a skilled enough writer that he can take the old notions about it, turn them on their ear and still entertain. The X-Men have readopted costumes, thanks to Whedon. They've integrated more fully into the superhero community. And they're still takin' care of business when mutantkind is threatened.
That's the case here. A clinic is offering to cure mutants, and using alien technology from a dude called Ord and DNA from Jean Grey to do it. When the X-Men raid the lab, they find Colossus...ALIVE (jooooooy) and begin to tear the place up (previous issues). Then, SHIELD shows up. And SWORD (kind of like an offworld SHIELD). Turns out they're not gonna let the X-Men deal with Ord.
Ord's race has a problem with mutants from earth. They can see into the future...and they know a mutant is going to destroy their race...probably an X-Man, even [not that they didn't just give said mutant a reason!!!]. SWORD let him come to earth and do his thing to prevent an all out war. Complicates things, doesn't it?
You wanna talk greatness? Don't even get me started about the dialogue. Joss Whedon proved on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and Firefly that he has a master's understanding of how dialogue is paced and used to effect. Couple that with one of the most insanely brilliant artists working the medium in John Cassaday and you've got pure magic in your hands. The spash pages depicting the return of the Fastball Special? I damn near wet myself. Even if I wasn't reading comics any more...Astonishing X-Men would get me to the store once a month.
I can't give up on the X-Men. They're like two-dimensional family to me.
Thanks, Joss.

Supreme Power #13
writer: J Michael Stracynski
artist: Gary Frank
published by Marvel Max Comics

Dr Spectrum #3-4
writer: Sara "Samm" Barnes
artist: Travel Foreman
published by Marvel Max Comics

So, the original Squadron Supreme series dealt with a reimagining of DC's heroes by a Marvel writer, and what would happen if they took over their world.
Then, the suits at Marvel let J Michael Stracynski, the uber-writer behind Babylon 5 and their own Spider-Man relaunch play with the toys. What's come of it? A smart, gritty, tough book that pulls very few punches and takes no prisoners whatsoever. And now, a companion book that answers the question of what would have happened had the military found out that Hal Jordan, test pilot, was the Green Lantern.
Dr Spectrum is a prequel book, so I'll cover that first. The titular character is in a coma. Colonel Joe Ledger was special forces...and a tough one at that. He was good at his job, which was eliminating obstacles to US interests abroad. Ledger was a killer, and deep down he wasn't happy with it. So, while his body's in a coma, his mind is dealing with what he's done in the service of his country. Meanwhile, since he now has an alien crystal bonded to his hand, the military is wondering what to do with him. They eventually decide to remove the crystal (along with his hand) and things...don't go so well.

Back in Supreme Power, Nighthawk and Hyperion are tracking a serial killer who might just be superpowered. Turns out the government was experimenting on prisoners. Bad idea. When Nighthawk tracks the guy down, he finds out just how bad an idea it was when the killer hands him his ass on a TV tray. But, Nighthawk's a smart guy...and backup's heading his way at supersonic speeds...

Both of these books feature top notch writing. I've never heard of Samm Barnes before...though I suspect she used to be a TV writer, like Stracynski...but she manages to preserve the tone of Stracynski's book while adding her own unique touches (Joe's inner dialogue is really the heart of the book, at least for now). Stracynski, of course, is brilliant. Marvel needs to continue kissing his ass, because he's still knocking 'em out of the park month after month. I have YET to read his Strange...but it's in the pile!
Gary Frank's art is another wonderful thing about Supreme Power. Somewhat similar to Steve Dillon, but more dynamic in its capture of motion (a good thing on a sooperhero title) and more generous in its use of shadow. Lovely stuff.

Ocean #2-3 (of 6)
writer: Warren Ellis
artist: Chris Sprouse
published by DC/Wildstorm Signature Series

So, there's a bunch of coffins under Europa's ocean...and they're a prehuman race, a billion years old.
Nathan Kane and the crew of the Europa UN mission have to uncover who they are and what they're doing there...and quick. There's also a weapon of some kind in the water with the capsules, which is why they sent a weapons inspector out first.
The Doors corporation, a future analogue of Microsoft, is already studying the coffins and the weapon system and they're about ready to have the weapons online. Kane takes a jaunt over to their station and finds that corporate life has gotten rougher in the future. The Doors workers are subjected to a corporate personality implant that directs how they act, respond and even move. Of course, as with all programming...mistakes can happen.
It's an interesting hard sci-fi story from one of the more interesting writers working today. I'm positive it'll be collected, so by all means, check it out.

Wolverine #21-23
writer: Mark Millar
artist: John Romita Jr
published by Marvel Knights

Millar's "Enemy of the State" storyline is going to have some wide-ranging afteraffects on the Marvel Universe. Well, it should...but the current policy of eschewing continuity for short, free-standing story arcs might negate that.
Wolverine's been kidnapped and killed by an alliance of the Hand, Hydra and a Japanese mutant group called the Dawn of the White Light. He's being sent to terrorize the US, and also to kill select superheroes so that they might be similarly brought back as terrorists by the Hand.
Wolverine is dealing out the death in major amounts, bombing power plants, causing chaos and tearing through SHIELD soldiers like they were paper cutouts. And all the while, he's a prisoner in his own mind, struggling against the conditioning that's making him into a weapon again.
Millar's a smart writer. I enjoy his stuff immensely. And this is one of his better efforts. The brilliance of the plan, to use superheroes as a weapon against their own kind, is the kind of mean-spirited thing that a superscience superspy supervillain like Baron Strucker would do.
The focus on SHIELD and Elektra is refreshing, too. Dammit, Millar could write a kick ass Nick Fury book...or a great Elektra book, if he didn't get bored and pissy. Hell, I'd pay good money to read a Fantastic Four book by Millar. In this story arc, the FF gets a visit from Wolvie...and they hand him his ass. They're not just four of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, they're the smartest. And they show it. Damn, do they show it.
As it is, I'm thankful for this absolutely kick ass storyline, and can't wait to see how it turns out. Hell, I can't wait to see what happens in part 5! Part 4 ends on a terrific cliffhanger that has to be giving Brian Michael Bendis an ulcer.
John Romita Jr has always been a favorite of mine, but his style shift over the last few years has made him simply amazing. The dense, panel-packing nature of his art as well as his slightly sparse design creates a unique look that few in the industry can top his stunning visuals and gorgeous splash pages. He doesn't so much draw a book as unleashes it on your eyes. And with a top notch artist like Klaus Janson inking his pencils, Romita's work becomes the comic equivalent of high art.

Y: The Last Man #28-29
writer: Brian K Vaughn
artist: Pia Guerra
published by Vertigo Comics

I still have no idea where this series is heading. As with my other monthly Vertigo must-have, Fables, every issue is a delightful surprise. I appreciate that.
To say that this is continuously one of the strongest ongoings out there would be an understatement. Brian K Vaughn hit the comics industry like a ton of bricks, and they've been smart enough to let him do his thing -- tell the stories he wants to tell. He's just so damn talented, and he makes it look easy.
When last we saw poor Yorrick, the last male left on the planet, he was keeling over -- perhaps finally stricken with the disease that wiped out half the earth's population (the male half) -- and mumbling about losing the ring he intended to give his girlfriend when he asked her to marry him. So, 355 heads out to find it, just in case it might have something to do with his mystery immunity to the plague.
Meanwhile, Yorrick's sister Hero wanders the streets looking for him, lost in her own mentally unstable head.
A showdown's a coming...and even that doesn't turn out quite like I'd have expected it to. Nor does Yorrick's illness. Issue 30 is going to finally have the major revelation of how Yorrick survived the plague. And maybe some ninjas.
Ninjas are cool.

Direct Link to the What Is It? trailer

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What Is It?

I went to the House of Flying Daggers and all I wrote for you is this lousy review!

OK. House of Flying Daggers has been out for a week. I know this. However, in that week's time, I've seen the movie three times in the theater (twice at the Temple of Moviedom, the Arena Grand and once at the Dirt Theater, aka the AMC). And I watched it once on DVD. Because I'm special.
There's really a lot going on and I wanted to make sure I was clear on my feelings about this movie. I've attempted to write this review four times now, and I'm going to struggle though it as best as I can.

The story takes place in 700 AD. The Tang Dynasty is in decline, riddled with corruption and bureaucracy. A rebel group, the House of Flying Daggers, has been fighting against the oppression of the current regime. However, their leader has been recently assassinated by the local militia.
Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro from Wong Kar-Wai's movies), a young captain of the guard, is assigned by his superior Leo (Andy Lau) to infiltrate the New Peony Pavillion, a brothel where it's suspected that members of the rebel group may be hiding out.
The prime suspect: a new dancer by the name of Mei (Zhang Ziyi), a beautiful blind girl with surprising grace and martial prowess. The old leader of the Flying Daggers had a blind daughter, and she disappeared shortly after his death. Jin hires her for a dance, then attempts to take advantage of her to get them both arrested.

The madame makes a plea to Leo to spare Mei from jail because of her rare talents as a dancer, and Leo consents to play the Echo Game with her. They place drums around a chamber and Leo flicks almonds at them. Mei must correctly match each tone by striking the drums with the sleeves of her robes. It's a gorgeous sequence, from the design of the magnificent chamber to the dance Mei performs. It seems to be what the people I drag with me to see the movie take out with them.
Mei concludes her dance by attempting to kill the police captain, and Leo subdues her and throws her in irons. Then, he has Jin break her out so she'll head back to the Flying Daggers and the army can attack them.

The plot is, of course, far more intricate than that, involving betrayal, lost love, subterfuge and a few phenomenal action sequences. But, to tell you more might let you in on the twists and turns to come. You learn to like the characters, then you learn something more about them and are back to square one with them. Each revelation propels the story forward, and makes the double crosses and betrayals that much more important. There's no clear hero. No true victory. And in the end...nothing but regrets for those involved.
Where Zhang Yimou's previous martial masterpiece Hero was all about the imagery of the old Chinese folk legends, House of Flying Daggers is all about the melodrama. It's still visually gorgeous. I'd say a few sequences even surpass Hero in bold use of color to tell the story.

The acting is top-notch as well. If you've seen Takeshi Kaneshiro in Chungking Express or Fallen Angels, you know he's great at evoking the weary angst necessary for his character. He's charming, duplicitous and in the end, perhaps even true. There's conflict and perhaps even a little bit of hope in his heart...which leads the character down the obvious road to ruination.

Zhang Ziyi is, of course, gorgeous in an ethereal and almost alien sort of way. She radiates a confidence and strength in her performance that one wouldn't expect from someone so tiny and frail looking -- and she's always wholly believeable whupping a man's ass. Go figure.

Andy Lau has long been a fan favorite in Hong Kong, both for his Cantopop (ugh) albums and his wide-ranging film roles. Hopefully this film (and the Miramax DVD of Infernal Affairs) lets the world know he's a guy to watch.
If you haven't seen this movie in the theater. Go. Even if you own the import DVD. Really. It's that spectacular, and it BEGS to be seen on the biggest screen possible with the best available sound. It's a cinematic experience to be savored. You owe it to yourself.

(Besides, you get to see the trailer for Kung Fu Hustle, Stephen Chow's new film!)

Commentary Review -- Dodgeball

On this commentary you get Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn chatting like gal pals of a cup of mocha lattee, and director Rawson Marshall Thurber tagging along like the unwanted little sister in pigtails toting a teddy bear and sucking her thumb. They end up discussing the fairly mundane issues about the film, mostly logistical details such as Ben calling up folks for cameos, but do get into Thurber's writing process a bit. You're certainly not going to understand how Vaughn works or how Stiller works after this commentary. You're not going understand how such an unlikely film got made really. You will learn that they all had to read guideline's from Fox before making the commentary, and that they all managed to muster up somewhere between seven and eight ounces of enthusiasm for this movie.

In short this commentary is a long slow walk to no-where land population--boredom.