Day 3: Beasts of the Southern Wild
SPOILER WARNING!!!
What a great movie! This is the story of a young girl living on an island on the southern tip of Louisianna. The island is eroding and there is the constant threat of it being submerged in a big storm beause of the levy built in between them and the mainland.
This happns early in the movie and the rest of the film is the fallout from the submerging of the island. That's the backdrop to a movie that has so much more to it. The little girls mother left her and she is being raised by her father, who is kind of an asshole and a bad alcoholic. Early in the film, you find out that the dad is dying from blood poisoning.
At the same time this very real story is going on, the little girl learns a story from her teacher about beasts called Aurochs who are frozen in the ice caps and will be free if the ice caps keep melting. The girl then has fantasies about these beasts breaking free and coming for her. To me, this was her way of dealing with her father's death. The closer he got to dying, the closer the beasts got to her and when they finally reach her, she stands up to them and she is then able to face her dad's death.
This movie is great. It is fun and beautiful and authentic and so many other things. The standout here is the little girl, Hushpuppy. She is played by Quvenzhane Wallis and she is just amazing. Please go watch this movie. You will be glad you did.
One final note, the story of the beasts and her parent dying reminds me a lot of the comic I Kill Giants by Joe Casey. Do yourself a favor and check both of these great stories out.
Day 4: In The Loop
What a strange movie. I really liked this movie, although, I don't think it lived up to the enormous hype. Still really good though. The entire movie felt like a very long episode of British TV. It felt like a long, British version of an episode of Veep. A lot of standout performances, most notable James Gandolfini. Overall, a good movie worth a watch.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
30 Day Movie Challenge
I'm in college and since I take summer classes, the only real break I get from school is is during Christmas. Yes, I still work two jobs, but it just feels like a huge break with no classes. So, I figured since I had some time off, I'd try to catch up on movies and what better way to do that than a 30 Day Movie Challenge.
The challenge started yesterday and will continue through January 13th. The rules are simple...I have to watch at least one movie every day for 30 days. These can be movies I have or haven't seen and can be narrative or documentary. For me, short films don't count, unless I have a short film day, where I watch at least 5 of them.
Let's get to the movies!
Day 1: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
For the first day, I decided to just go to the movies and catch The Hobbit. I love the LotR movies and have read those books, but for me, The Hobbit is special. It was the first book I ever read as a kid that made me know that reading was for me. I have read the book at least 30 times and love it every time I read it.
The movie itself was amazing. Peter Jackson's visuals are stunning as always. I saw it in regular 2D, so I know nothing about the 48 fps. The way they were able to take the story of The Hobbit and throw in LotR prequel stuff was really good. My favorite thing about this movie was Martin Freeman, who plays Bilbo. You may know Freeman as the Jim character on the British version of The Office and also as Watson in the BBC Sherlock series. He was spot on and every scene that he was in was just so much fun to watch.
A lot of people are complaining about this movie because it seems more like a kids movie than the other three movies. To me, that's OK, because The Hobbit was a children's book, where Lord of the Rings was not. I love that Jackson decided to make a real Hobbit movie, rather than a Lord of the Rings version of The Hobbit.
Great first day!
Day 2: Waiting For Superman
Today, the second day of the challenge, I finally watched a documentary that I've wanted to see for a long time called Waiting For Superman. This is a great doc that explores the problems with the United States public school system.
The kids that it focuses on make for great stories and add real weight to the film. All of the interviews are very insightful and make this one of the best documentaries I've seen in a long time.
2.5: Since I was in a documentary mood today, I also watched Mansome, the new documentary by Morgan Spurlock about male grooming and Kings Ransom, the ESPN 30 for 30 doc about Wayne Gretzky being traded to the LA Kings. Both great movies.
I'll be back in a couple of days with my next two films.
The challenge started yesterday and will continue through January 13th. The rules are simple...I have to watch at least one movie every day for 30 days. These can be movies I have or haven't seen and can be narrative or documentary. For me, short films don't count, unless I have a short film day, where I watch at least 5 of them.
Let's get to the movies!
Day 1: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
For the first day, I decided to just go to the movies and catch The Hobbit. I love the LotR movies and have read those books, but for me, The Hobbit is special. It was the first book I ever read as a kid that made me know that reading was for me. I have read the book at least 30 times and love it every time I read it.
The movie itself was amazing. Peter Jackson's visuals are stunning as always. I saw it in regular 2D, so I know nothing about the 48 fps. The way they were able to take the story of The Hobbit and throw in LotR prequel stuff was really good. My favorite thing about this movie was Martin Freeman, who plays Bilbo. You may know Freeman as the Jim character on the British version of The Office and also as Watson in the BBC Sherlock series. He was spot on and every scene that he was in was just so much fun to watch.
A lot of people are complaining about this movie because it seems more like a kids movie than the other three movies. To me, that's OK, because The Hobbit was a children's book, where Lord of the Rings was not. I love that Jackson decided to make a real Hobbit movie, rather than a Lord of the Rings version of The Hobbit.
Great first day!
Day 2: Waiting For Superman
Today, the second day of the challenge, I finally watched a documentary that I've wanted to see for a long time called Waiting For Superman. This is a great doc that explores the problems with the United States public school system.
The kids that it focuses on make for great stories and add real weight to the film. All of the interviews are very insightful and make this one of the best documentaries I've seen in a long time.
2.5: Since I was in a documentary mood today, I also watched Mansome, the new documentary by Morgan Spurlock about male grooming and Kings Ransom, the ESPN 30 for 30 doc about Wayne Gretzky being traded to the LA Kings. Both great movies.
I'll be back in a couple of days with my next two films.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Comis & Records
I haven't posted here in quite awhile, so I thought I'd catch up with everything that's been going on in my world.
Records
Not much record buying lately, but I have picked up the Clear 7" and 2 versions of the new Mindset - Leave No Doubt LP.
Comics
I have been reading sooooo many comics.
The Comic Book History of Comics by Fred Van Lente & Ryan Dunlavey blew my mind.
Thief of Thieves Volume 1 by Kirkman, Spencer & Martinbrough was a great heist story.
Lil' Depressed Boy Volume 1 was killer and reminded me a lot of Blankets.
Reed Gunther Volume 1 was a fantastic All Ages read.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection Volume 1 is Gorgeous! Amazing hardcover.
Daredevil Volume 1 by Mark Waid deserves all of those Eisners.
Also, finally re-reading Preacher by Ennis & Dillon.
The annual Top Shelf $3 Sell was great this year. Picked up both Surrogates books, The Homeland Directive and B.B. Wolf and the 3 L.P.'s all for $12.
This weekend at Wizard World in Austin, also picked up Morning Glories Volume 2 from Joe Eisma and Crossed Volume 3.
Wizard World Austin 2012
No Sketches? NO SKETCHES!!!
I did't pick up any sketches, which is unusual for me at a comic book convention. I have still yet to frame my sketches from last year's Wizard World and just didn't feel like shelling out any money before I have taken care of that.
The con was great though. My wife and I met a bunch of great artists and The Situation. We also got to see the Men of Star Trek panel with Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes. The Walking Dead panel with MIchael Rooker & Norman Reedus.
All in all, great weekend. Checked out the Alamo Drafthouse for the first time and had an awesome time at the convention.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Art Show!
I go to a lot of conventions. Not a ton, but a good amount. As long as I've been reading comics though, I didn't start going to conventions until last year. One of the best things about a convention is original sketches. You get your favorite comic book artists to draw an original picture for you of pretty much anything you want. Here's all the stuff I've gotten so far.
Michael Lark is also a Texas native, but his comic work has been huge. He drew the entire run of Daredevil with Ed Brubaker and did a ton of work on Gotham Central at DC. This isn't one of my favorite sketches and it just seemed like he was in a hurry.
Mitch Breitweiser is one of my favorite Captain America artists, so when I had the chance to have him draw Cap for me, I couldn't pass it up.
Kristian Donaldson is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. He's a Texas native and has done work with Brian Wood on DMZ, Supermarket and their new series at Dark Horse called The Massive. He also has a great book out at Vertigo Crime called 99 Days. This is absolutely my favorite sketch that I have. The way he used a border on the page just blows me away.
This is such a cool sketch. When we saw Brent Peeples sitting with a giant Last of the Greats poster behind him, I had remembered seeing that book on the shipping list for the next week. So, I gave it a shot and had him draw me the main character, Rick, from The Walking Dead. Little did I know that Last of the Greats would soon become one of my favorite books. This is a fairly simple sketch, but I love the extra detail in the background.
Rob Guillory is the artist of the very popular book at Image, Chew. This is such a cool "chew" version of one of my favorite comic book characters ever.
The level of detail here is crazy. I love the monster in the background. Yanick Paquette is the current artist of Swamp Thing at DC.
This is a really good sketch for being completely free. Brian Hurt is really good and I love the Sixth Gun, so I'm glad to have the main character on my wall.
Dallas Comic Con 2011
Dallas Comic Con 2011 was my first convention, so I spent way too much money on sketches. I did though end up with some really great stuff. The Matty Roth (DMZ) sketch by Kristian Donaldson is absolutely killer.
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| Invincible by Joe Eisma |
This was the first sketch I ever got. Joe Eisma is the artist of Morning Glories at Image Comics. This is a really big sketch and looks great in a frame.
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| Daredevil by Michael Lark |
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| Captain America by Mitch Breitweiser |
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| Matty Roth (DMZ) by Kristian Donaldson |
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| Jonah Hex by Jimmy Palmiotti |
This was a quick sketch done by Jimmy Palmiotti on the cover of an issue of Jonah Hex that he was signing. I think he did this for pretty much everyone that brought an issue to get signed. Still really cool though.
Dallas Fan Days 2011
Lariat and I spent 1 day at Dallas Fan Days 2011. It wasn't the greatest convention as it's main focus was on Star Wars and there were very few comic artists. We did however find a guy selling really cool prints and also saw Brent Peeples.
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| Rick (The Walking Dead) by Brent Peeples |
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| Captain America/Red Skull (print) by Chris Fulton |
Chris Fulton is a really talented artist out of Dallas who is also a tattoo artist. He does stuff like this and sells it at conventions. He doesn't do any actual comic book work, but I think he should. This is such a cool picture.
Wizard World Austin 2011
Wizard World was my first mid-sized convention. Tons of big names and for me it was great because there were so many great comic creators there. So many in fact that I had to chose just two people to get sketches from. Below are two really great sketches, but they do illustrate the difference between a $40 sketch and a $60 sketch.
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| Cassiday (Preacher) by Rob Guillory |
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| Hellboy by Yanick Paquette |
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| Boris Karloff Frankenstein (print) by Unknown |
I picked up this print of this incredible Boris Karloff Frankenstein piece at the convention too. So cool.
Staple Independent Media Expo 2012
This convention is actually going on today as I type this. We were only able to go for one day to this con, but that was plenty. It was a really small convention, but super cool, because it was all independent. Tons of mini comics and other really cool indie comics.
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| Ninja Turtle by Kevin Eastman |
Kevin Eastman, the co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was at the convention. He was doing these cool quick turtle sketches on everyone's books.
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| Drake Sinclair by Brian Hurt |
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| Animal/300 (print) by Kennon James |
I just happened upon this and had to have it. So funny and so cool. I can't say that I'm a huge 300 fan, but I love anything Muppets.
That's it for now. We'll be hitting at least a couple more conventions this year, so expect more. We will for sure be going to Fan Days and Wizard World. No Dallas Comic Con this year since I will be getting married the same weekend.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Archaia Press - Jim Henson's The Storyteller and Rust: A Visitor In The Field
Archaia Press is doing something really special. They are putting out amazing comics with presentation that is just incredible. This is the first batch of comics we'll be talking about here and these two books definitely deserve to be first. We reviewed Rust on the show last week and two weeks from now will be reviewing The Storyteller. Here are the two books front and back.
There's just something really great about the books that Archaia is putting out. These could sit on a shelf with any hardcover novels in a bookstore.
The first book up is Jim Henson's The Storyteller. This is based on the 80's HBO show of the same name. If you haven't seen the show, get on it. It's John Hurt playing titular character and Brian Henson (Jim Henson's son) as the voice and puppetry of his dog. The storyteller tells the dog stories based on European myths and they are shown through some of the best puppetry and creature creation I've ever seen.
This book brings together a ton of great comic book creators to tell even more great European myths. With the television show, they did a second series that was Greek Myths, in which Michael Gambon played the storyteller. In this comic, there are no Greek myths, but we do get some fantastic Asian folk tales. Some of the creators on this book include Roger Langridge, Colleen Coover, Chris Eliopoulos, Jeff Parker, Tom Fowler, Marjorie Liu, Paul Tobin and Ron Marz. There is a huge amount of talent contributing to this book and it shows.
This book is incredible. It is an ALL AGES book. That means that an adult can enjoy it as much as a kid and if you have a kid, they would love this book. The final story is based on an unproduced episode of The Storyteller TV series and is the standout of this book. If you can, get your hands on this book.
The second book is Rust: A Visitor In The Field. This book's plot is too intricate to explain, but it is a very good book.
And while the story is really good, it's the art that makes this book stand out so much. The way the writer/artist, Royden Lepp, is able to draw light and focus is something I don't think I've ever seen in a comic. It really is quite an accomplishment.
Here's a really good example of both.
So, with our first comic book post on this blog is two books from an incredible publisher that everyone that is interested in reading something other than capes and cowls should check out.
There's just something really great about the books that Archaia is putting out. These could sit on a shelf with any hardcover novels in a bookstore.
The first book up is Jim Henson's The Storyteller. This is based on the 80's HBO show of the same name. If you haven't seen the show, get on it. It's John Hurt playing titular character and Brian Henson (Jim Henson's son) as the voice and puppetry of his dog. The storyteller tells the dog stories based on European myths and they are shown through some of the best puppetry and creature creation I've ever seen.
This book brings together a ton of great comic book creators to tell even more great European myths. With the television show, they did a second series that was Greek Myths, in which Michael Gambon played the storyteller. In this comic, there are no Greek myths, but we do get some fantastic Asian folk tales. Some of the creators on this book include Roger Langridge, Colleen Coover, Chris Eliopoulos, Jeff Parker, Tom Fowler, Marjorie Liu, Paul Tobin and Ron Marz. There is a huge amount of talent contributing to this book and it shows.
This book is incredible. It is an ALL AGES book. That means that an adult can enjoy it as much as a kid and if you have a kid, they would love this book. The final story is based on an unproduced episode of The Storyteller TV series and is the standout of this book. If you can, get your hands on this book.
The second book is Rust: A Visitor In The Field. This book's plot is too intricate to explain, but it is a very good book.
And while the story is really good, it's the art that makes this book stand out so much. The way the writer/artist, Royden Lepp, is able to draw light and focus is something I don't think I've ever seen in a comic. It really is quite an accomplishment.
Here's a really good example of both.
So, with our first comic book post on this blog is two books from an incredible publisher that everyone that is interested in reading something other than capes and cowls should check out.
Friday, February 10, 2012
React! Showcase Box Set (Color)
This is something that Aram and React! have put together for both of their showcases. At the 2010 showcase, they had put a few 7" records in the box set, but for the 2011 box set they went all out with 5 LP's. I didn't previously own any of these records, but I have heard each one. The thing here and why I paid Aram $90 bucks for this set is the presentation and what went into putting this together.
My copy was hand numbered 12/15. I think they printed up 100 of these box sets and 85 were on black vinyl that they sold at the show. The other 15 were on color vinyl and were given out to friends that helped with the showcase. So...this is a pretty awesomely rare vinyl find.
Once you open the box, the 5 LP's are all in white sleeves with a hand stamped band logo on each sleeve. They even went to the trouble to tie a bow around the 5 records.
Here are the 5 LP's that came with the box set.
ON - Double Vision on clear
Skin Like Iron - Arrival on yellow
Get The Most - Collection on maroon
Common Cause - Statement of Purpose on blue
Get The Most - Together on clear blue
Also inside is a copy of the special edition of Effort Fanzine that was put together for the showcase and this box set. This is a really thick issue and has interviews with every band on the label and the other bands that were playing the showcase. They even interview all of the folks that run React! Great fanzine!
The box set also came with all of the writings that are typical of a React! release.
...and a whole bunch of stickers and download codes for each album that we will be giving away on the show very soon.
The first record in the set is ON - Double vision on clear vinyl. This is the second pressing of this record that was co-released by React! and Reaper Records. The clear is out of 400. This is such a solid record. ON is comprised of members of Champion, Go It Alone, Blue Monday and Lights Out. How could this band not be good. Double Vision collects the bands two out of print 7" records Control and Vital Times. I had previously got a copy of Control but have never been able to find a decently priced copy of Vital Times, so it's nice to have them collected here. And man, do I love clear vinyl.
Next up is Skin Like Iron's React! debut, Arrival on yellow vinyl. There were 200 pressed of this color. I've had the MP3's that were sent to me to play on the show from React! for awhile and have never been able to get into it. I guess I didn't give it much of a chance, because I cannot stop spinning this record. It's kind of a strange band to be on React! This is more of a metal album than a hardcore record and mostly sounds like a crust record. Very very good though.
Common Cause Statement of Purpose on blue out of 300. This is such an awesome record. Not much else to say about it. Great from start to finish. We play this on the show all time time, so if you're into it, listen to the show for your chance to win a downloadable copy of this album.
Get The Most were the first band on React! Records and this showcase was their last show. Very sad that I never got to see them live, because this is one killer band. Both of these records are just incredible. Together on blue out of 400 is such an insane record and Collection on maroon out of 300 is even better than the first. Every song on this album is straight forward, in your face, fast hardcore.
This is definitely the best piece of my ever growing record collection. So glad to have this and be able to listen to these 5 records.
Coming up later, we're talking about a couple of Archaia comic book releases and a new game shop that we discovered here in Stephenville.
The front and back of the box set are both screen printed with the normal React! logo on the front and React! Showcase 2011 on the back with the dates.
My copy was hand numbered 12/15. I think they printed up 100 of these box sets and 85 were on black vinyl that they sold at the show. The other 15 were on color vinyl and were given out to friends that helped with the showcase. So...this is a pretty awesomely rare vinyl find.
Once you open the box, the 5 LP's are all in white sleeves with a hand stamped band logo on each sleeve. They even went to the trouble to tie a bow around the 5 records.
Here are the 5 LP's that came with the box set.
ON - Double Vision on clear
Skin Like Iron - Arrival on yellow
Get The Most - Collection on maroon
Common Cause - Statement of Purpose on blue
Get The Most - Together on clear blue
Also inside is a copy of the special edition of Effort Fanzine that was put together for the showcase and this box set. This is a really thick issue and has interviews with every band on the label and the other bands that were playing the showcase. They even interview all of the folks that run React! Great fanzine!
The box set also came with all of the writings that are typical of a React! release.
...and a whole bunch of stickers and download codes for each album that we will be giving away on the show very soon.
The first record in the set is ON - Double vision on clear vinyl. This is the second pressing of this record that was co-released by React! and Reaper Records. The clear is out of 400. This is such a solid record. ON is comprised of members of Champion, Go It Alone, Blue Monday and Lights Out. How could this band not be good. Double Vision collects the bands two out of print 7" records Control and Vital Times. I had previously got a copy of Control but have never been able to find a decently priced copy of Vital Times, so it's nice to have them collected here. And man, do I love clear vinyl.
Next up is Skin Like Iron's React! debut, Arrival on yellow vinyl. There were 200 pressed of this color. I've had the MP3's that were sent to me to play on the show from React! for awhile and have never been able to get into it. I guess I didn't give it much of a chance, because I cannot stop spinning this record. It's kind of a strange band to be on React! This is more of a metal album than a hardcore record and mostly sounds like a crust record. Very very good though.
Common Cause Statement of Purpose on blue out of 300. This is such an awesome record. Not much else to say about it. Great from start to finish. We play this on the show all time time, so if you're into it, listen to the show for your chance to win a downloadable copy of this album.
Get The Most were the first band on React! Records and this showcase was their last show. Very sad that I never got to see them live, because this is one killer band. Both of these records are just incredible. Together on blue out of 400 is such an insane record and Collection on maroon out of 300 is even better than the first. Every song on this album is straight forward, in your face, fast hardcore.
This is definitely the best piece of my ever growing record collection. So glad to have this and be able to listen to these 5 records.
Coming up later, we're talking about a couple of Archaia comic book releases and a new game shop that we discovered here in Stephenville.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Dead End Path - Blind Faith LP
The first thing we wanted to post about is something we can't stop listening to for the last couple of weeks. I saw Dead End Path a few months ago with Bane and Defeater in Dallas. They really struck me when I saw them and the vocals were really cool and interesting. It took me quite awhile to order this, but I just happened to be on the Triple B webstore ordering Give - I Am Love and Disengage - Expressions (future posts) so I thought I'd pick this up to.
This is such a great record. There are a few tracks that get a little too moshtastic for my tastes, but overall, it is a super solid album. I can't wait to see this band again at Chaos in Tejas in June.
The color I picked up was called cotton candy, but it's mostly just pink. It's actually a really cool looking record as I haven't had many splatter prints in the past.
This is also my first gatefold cover and except for production sake, I can't really understand the need for this. It's just another picture of the band, but I guess it's cool.
And the back cover...
The insert to the album is really big and pretty cool. Just more really good production on this thing, which is something Triple B obviously knows how to do. This side is another group photo.
The other side is the lyrics sheet and since this LP is 10 tracks and none of these songs are really short, it's nice to not have them crammed on a single page.
And that's it. I hope everyone enjoyed the first post. Listen to the show if you can and support hardcore. Head over to www.triple-brecords.com to grab a copy of this and all of their great releases.
Get PUMPED!!! Next post is going to be about a couple of great releases from Archaia Press. Jim Henson's The Storyteller and Rust: A Visitor In The Fiend. And for those not into comics, we have plenty more hardcore vinyl to show off.
This is such a great record. There are a few tracks that get a little too moshtastic for my tastes, but overall, it is a super solid album. I can't wait to see this band again at Chaos in Tejas in June.
The color I picked up was called cotton candy, but it's mostly just pink. It's actually a really cool looking record as I haven't had many splatter prints in the past.
This is also my first gatefold cover and except for production sake, I can't really understand the need for this. It's just another picture of the band, but I guess it's cool.
And the back cover...
The insert to the album is really big and pretty cool. Just more really good production on this thing, which is something Triple B obviously knows how to do. This side is another group photo.
The other side is the lyrics sheet and since this LP is 10 tracks and none of these songs are really short, it's nice to not have them crammed on a single page.
And that's it. I hope everyone enjoyed the first post. Listen to the show if you can and support hardcore. Head over to www.triple-brecords.com to grab a copy of this and all of their great releases.
Get PUMPED!!! Next post is going to be about a couple of great releases from Archaia Press. Jim Henson's The Storyteller and Rust: A Visitor In The Fiend. And for those not into comics, we have plenty more hardcore vinyl to show off.
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