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Thursday, May 19, 2011

Thor is...good?!?

That's right. Marvel has perfected a formula for its origin series in anticipation of The Avengers. a) Casting is key. Even Anthony Hopkins, normally laughably melodramatic, seems good for the role. b) After casting, make sure they act...and act well. As I said, Hopkins performs admirably as Odin, and previously unknown Chris Hemsworth(unless you knew him as Kirk's father in the Star Trek reboot) is a great Thor. c) Don't fuck around too much with the original story from the comics. No new villains or characters people neither recognize nor give a crap about. I do wish they would find a way to plug in Beta Ray Bill, but I'll settle for now. Oh, there is a D! d) spend a shit ton of money. And they did. And it shows. Thor was fun, and I expect more from Captain America. Not so sure about Green Lantern, as it's DC Comics's baby, but Batman went well...oh, wait, Christopher Nolan brought that back to life...uh oh...

Monday, May 9, 2011

I admit it. I was wrong.

I just started watching The Walking Dead, this time leaps and bounds more soberly than the first attempt(in the middle of a bar after 11 hours of drinking). Originally, I had found it trite and unoriginal. I was wrong. This product has the unmistakable aroma of a Frank Darabont effort(he's a co-writer/executive producer). If you aren't familiar with Darabont, he's the guy who directed some of Stephen King's short stories. Maybe you've heard of The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile(and The Mist, which my wife HATES). Then again, maybe you haven't...which would be really weird...
In traditional Darabont fashion, The Walking Dead delves into the emotional, social and ethical ramifications of  living during a zombie apocalypse(it's coming, folks! How could TV be wrong?!?). As in his previous work, Darabont attempts to breach the haze which surrounds our mundane, humdrum lives as we search like zombies for meaning in a cruel, cruel world, keeping the viewer ever-mindful of the "walkers' " past humanity, and the crumbling of our ethos and mores when all hope is lost. It's an existential full course meal. I usually suggest to the reader viewing films which are awful and hilarious. This show is neither of those, and you should watch it. And reinforce that shitty cardboard door of yours. Zombies can get through that shit in seconds. Just a friendly tip so my friends don't become flesh-hungry zombies who I hafta shoot in the head. I'm sure it would make me upset. Really, it would!