Monday, January 28, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
REVIEW: National Treasure The Book of Secrets, The Golden Compas (film), His Dark Materials (book)
NATIONAL TREASURE: THE BOOK OF SECRETS
Directed by John Turtletaub
Starring Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Hellen Mirren, Jon Voight, Ed Harris and Justin Bartha
Take the formula of the first film, add in another ludicrous plot, and what you have is a mediocre adventure filled with romping fun, nice little chuckles but really nothing much else.
Which is just about everything that can be said of this film, and it's first movie as well for that matter. It's been a few years since Dan Brown started a world-wide craze for Historical thrillers and nothing after his two Robert Langdon books, movie or book, has been up to par (including the film interpretation of the Da Vinci Code). This film is no exception and while others actually want you to take a serious look into their historical pedigree, doing so with this film would be a complete waste of time.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, because chances are with the way this film bounces from one clue to another, the film makers themselves are completely aware of the plot's silliness and just play along with it. If you want to get your money's worth, I suggest you play along as well, otherwise you'd be taking more trips to the bathroom than you'd initially thought you would.
When it came to the actual acting, there was nothing wrong, though nothing quite brilliant as well. The on-screen interaction between Jon Voight and Hellen Mirren are lovable but not original, and one just can't help but like the quirkiness of several of the characters.
Overall, everything about this movie just screams goofiness, and the plain result is that it's a pretty silly film. Fun -yes, well made- no. There is potential in the Family Gates adventures, but right now they just tapped out all sense of hope for a better portrayal from it. Oh well, no big loss there.
6 out of 10
THE GOLDEN COMPASS
Directed by Chris Weitz
Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Sam Elliot and Dakota Blue Richards
When I first heard of this project I was fairly optimistic. It had a good cast, lots of great names. I had also been terribly missing the good old days when there was a Lord of the Rings film coming out every December. And while no Fantasy films have yet matched in scale and brilliance, there have been solid ones, such as The Chronicles of Narnia and even the Harry Potter films have started to suck less with each film. Of course, there were apprehensions, for every Narnia or LOTR film made, there's an Eragon or Dark Seeker, films with no sense ambition and largely fails in any way to give the audience a compelling world.
I then banked quite a lot of hope on this movie. The trailer did nothing to enhance that hope, but I'm pretty stubborn. I love the Fantasy genre and Jackson's return with The Hobbit is still a long while off.
I have to say then that I am extremely disappointed, though I would be lying if I were to say that I didn't expect this one way or another.
The film is a complete mess of plotlines, and while the book may have juggled quite a bit of these as well, it did so with linear ease. This movie just seems rushed at best, and its best as well not to say the worst. Each scene seems to be a simple excuse to get to the next one and as a result, the film falters on stunning variety of levels. The script for instance draws none of the magic that Philip Pullman did with the novels. And while I understand that many plot points had to be changed for filming sake, some of the changes just seemed to do a whole lot more damage than it did good.
As for the big talents in the roster? Well they're all there, just not as big as one would hope. While the director failed to pull of any coherent story out of the film, he also fails to put to any good use many of the stars here. Kidman is effective, though nothing special. Craig is invisible (though to be fair so was Asriel in the books), Elliot is wily and good, Eva is set piece and Christopher Lee has just ONE freaking scene (another proof that they had absolutely no idea how to go around with the film) . If anything, the best performance were the Daemon voices, particularly that of the always great Ian McKellen, who embodies the only god thing coming off this film.
Armored Bears. Lots of them.
But once these cool behemoths stop smashing stuff, everything is as dull as ever. Even the bears are strangely feel only as a filler.
There was a whole line of controversy surrounding this film. I find it ironic that the Church is now laughing their heads of now that they've discovered that there really was nothing to worry about. If any sort of anti-Catholic argument was to be spread out by a film, first and foremost that film had to be good enough for people to actually get into it. And this film is far from it.
5 out of 10
HIS DARK MATERIALS
Written by Philip Pullman
I made one grave mistake. I watched the movie before reading the book.
Yes, yes I know, that is one thing a reader/viewer must never do. Rarely does a movie ever live up to the book and even when it does, it always presents a different view. And more importantly, you've already spoiled the plot.
While the film itself was a complete mess, it was still enough to ruin majority of the book's premise. What I then had to bank upon wasn't the novel's spoiled plot but rather the execution which thankfully works pretty well.
The dialogue works much better here, more natural and much more character. And while the prose isn't a literary classic, Pullman has a way of haunting you and mystifying you at the same time. The adventure here is much heavier than it was in the film, and the novel reaches far darker tones, allowing the characters to shine even more.
The more I read the book however, the more I felt just a tad bit more sympathy for the movie. This was a difficult book to translate, mostly because it was a difficult book to place.
More than a few moments however, felt like I was being dragged around in the story. I don't know if it is the fault of Pullman's constantly moving prose or the film. To be fair, I'd rather wait until the second book to judge that portion.
The book has a certain fanatical drive to it, and a fantastic world that has its own share of originality in a genre nearly pumped dry of it. It has its own feel, its own world and its own sense of grandeur. For that alone it receives applause, add the fact that this is actually a fairle well-written book I must say it is a worthy entry to the Fantasy World.
7.5 out of 10
Directed by John Turtletaub
Starring Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Hellen Mirren, Jon Voight, Ed Harris and Justin Bartha
Take the formula of the first film, add in another ludicrous plot, and what you have is a mediocre adventure filled with romping fun, nice little chuckles but really nothing much else.
Which is just about everything that can be said of this film, and it's first movie as well for that matter. It's been a few years since Dan Brown started a world-wide craze for Historical thrillers and nothing after his two Robert Langdon books, movie or book, has been up to par (including the film interpretation of the Da Vinci Code). This film is no exception and while others actually want you to take a serious look into their historical pedigree, doing so with this film would be a complete waste of time.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, because chances are with the way this film bounces from one clue to another, the film makers themselves are completely aware of the plot's silliness and just play along with it. If you want to get your money's worth, I suggest you play along as well, otherwise you'd be taking more trips to the bathroom than you'd initially thought you would.
When it came to the actual acting, there was nothing wrong, though nothing quite brilliant as well. The on-screen interaction between Jon Voight and Hellen Mirren are lovable but not original, and one just can't help but like the quirkiness of several of the characters.
Overall, everything about this movie just screams goofiness, and the plain result is that it's a pretty silly film. Fun -yes, well made- no. There is potential in the Family Gates adventures, but right now they just tapped out all sense of hope for a better portrayal from it. Oh well, no big loss there.
6 out of 10
THE GOLDEN COMPASS
Directed by Chris Weitz
Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Sam Elliot and Dakota Blue Richards
When I first heard of this project I was fairly optimistic. It had a good cast, lots of great names. I had also been terribly missing the good old days when there was a Lord of the Rings film coming out every December. And while no Fantasy films have yet matched in scale and brilliance, there have been solid ones, such as The Chronicles of Narnia and even the Harry Potter films have started to suck less with each film. Of course, there were apprehensions, for every Narnia or LOTR film made, there's an Eragon or Dark Seeker, films with no sense ambition and largely fails in any way to give the audience a compelling world.
I then banked quite a lot of hope on this movie. The trailer did nothing to enhance that hope, but I'm pretty stubborn. I love the Fantasy genre and Jackson's return with The Hobbit is still a long while off.
I have to say then that I am extremely disappointed, though I would be lying if I were to say that I didn't expect this one way or another.
The film is a complete mess of plotlines, and while the book may have juggled quite a bit of these as well, it did so with linear ease. This movie just seems rushed at best, and its best as well not to say the worst. Each scene seems to be a simple excuse to get to the next one and as a result, the film falters on stunning variety of levels. The script for instance draws none of the magic that Philip Pullman did with the novels. And while I understand that many plot points had to be changed for filming sake, some of the changes just seemed to do a whole lot more damage than it did good.
As for the big talents in the roster? Well they're all there, just not as big as one would hope. While the director failed to pull of any coherent story out of the film, he also fails to put to any good use many of the stars here. Kidman is effective, though nothing special. Craig is invisible (though to be fair so was Asriel in the books), Elliot is wily and good, Eva is set piece and Christopher Lee has just ONE freaking scene (another proof that they had absolutely no idea how to go around with the film) . If anything, the best performance were the Daemon voices, particularly that of the always great Ian McKellen, who embodies the only god thing coming off this film.
Armored Bears. Lots of them.
But once these cool behemoths stop smashing stuff, everything is as dull as ever. Even the bears are strangely feel only as a filler.
There was a whole line of controversy surrounding this film. I find it ironic that the Church is now laughing their heads of now that they've discovered that there really was nothing to worry about. If any sort of anti-Catholic argument was to be spread out by a film, first and foremost that film had to be good enough for people to actually get into it. And this film is far from it.
5 out of 10
HIS DARK MATERIALS
Written by Philip Pullman
I made one grave mistake. I watched the movie before reading the book.
Yes, yes I know, that is one thing a reader/viewer must never do. Rarely does a movie ever live up to the book and even when it does, it always presents a different view. And more importantly, you've already spoiled the plot.
While the film itself was a complete mess, it was still enough to ruin majority of the book's premise. What I then had to bank upon wasn't the novel's spoiled plot but rather the execution which thankfully works pretty well.
The dialogue works much better here, more natural and much more character. And while the prose isn't a literary classic, Pullman has a way of haunting you and mystifying you at the same time. The adventure here is much heavier than it was in the film, and the novel reaches far darker tones, allowing the characters to shine even more.
The more I read the book however, the more I felt just a tad bit more sympathy for the movie. This was a difficult book to translate, mostly because it was a difficult book to place.
More than a few moments however, felt like I was being dragged around in the story. I don't know if it is the fault of Pullman's constantly moving prose or the film. To be fair, I'd rather wait until the second book to judge that portion.
The book has a certain fanatical drive to it, and a fantastic world that has its own share of originality in a genre nearly pumped dry of it. It has its own feel, its own world and its own sense of grandeur. For that alone it receives applause, add the fact that this is actually a fairle well-written book I must say it is a worthy entry to the Fantasy World.
7.5 out of 10
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Can't believe it's Christmas already! And every Christmas, I'm left amazed by how fast the time has gone but more importantly, I'm left very grateful for everything in my life. No seriously, no joke, not on Christmas at least :D
I mean come one, I'm studying in a great university, and although it's not my ideal course, I still get to do what I love. I may not have a high tech tablet, but my graphire has been faithful to me for years and I am loving my new MacBook Pro. I may not have been the most succesful in my love life, but I've got a life. And most importantly, I'm still living it.
So tonight, I just wanted to sir down and write just a tiny little bit of my soul, squeeze them into tiny little words that will last for the many Yuletide Seasons to come. Because, come on, one day I won't have one anymore.
This year may not have been the best of years, but it is by no means the worst, Komikon was the best, working with Jean on it has been no less than exhilarating and I am doing admirably well in La Salle considering I barely study, a fault I keep promising myself to correct.
Really, there are only a few points I have yet to get over this year. First would be a love that I can't forget. No I'm not being melodramatic, but dear God I wish I simply was. No, I know I'm so far away from the man she deserves, and that I should forget but come one, a whole year and not a day goes past that I don't think of her? And lets not forget that I barely saw her half a dozen times since Graduation, now that's a stinger! No, I really wish I could do something as simple as moving on, but no matter how hard I try, the pain really is there.
Secondly are my friends. Well, I'm not exactly the popular kind but I have friends that I cherish, and the closes of which of course hasn't been with us for two years now (Merry Christmas Jans). I just really miss them, and the good times. I hardly ever hang out much with the old guys much, and not being around them just reminds me again just how lucky I was to have had them in my life. I just hope they'll still be there for the rest of the road.
But hey, I'm not being all emotional here! Really, because I want to look at the best of Christmas offerings this year around. My family's in one piece, and although not perfect, I have to say that Christmas is the time of the year that I really realize just hoe much I appreciate them being around. And come on, Christmas eve I got the usual Christmas greetings from my friends. They were by no means plentiful, but they came from the people who mattered and that's what matters to me.
Well, I'd like to end in a happier note, a note of hope and cheer, a note that looks into the horizon and the next sunrise. A hope that sees visions of the future as well as nostalgic memories of time long gone. But that's a thing for the New Year, for another dawn. For now, it's simply the twilight hour, the day has finally ended, the sun has finally set. The star twinkles above the shambles and blazes with Heaven's beauty. Christmas is here, Jesus is born, and I couldn't love it more. It's by no means the perfect ending for the year, it was by no means the perfect year. But hey, it's Christmas, whatcoo gonna do, eh?
Thank you, Lord.
And Merry Christmas to everybody :D
God Bless you and your family.
I mean come one, I'm studying in a great university, and although it's not my ideal course, I still get to do what I love. I may not have a high tech tablet, but my graphire has been faithful to me for years and I am loving my new MacBook Pro. I may not have been the most succesful in my love life, but I've got a life. And most importantly, I'm still living it.
So tonight, I just wanted to sir down and write just a tiny little bit of my soul, squeeze them into tiny little words that will last for the many Yuletide Seasons to come. Because, come on, one day I won't have one anymore.
This year may not have been the best of years, but it is by no means the worst, Komikon was the best, working with Jean on it has been no less than exhilarating and I am doing admirably well in La Salle considering I barely study, a fault I keep promising myself to correct.
Really, there are only a few points I have yet to get over this year. First would be a love that I can't forget. No I'm not being melodramatic, but dear God I wish I simply was. No, I know I'm so far away from the man she deserves, and that I should forget but come one, a whole year and not a day goes past that I don't think of her? And lets not forget that I barely saw her half a dozen times since Graduation, now that's a stinger! No, I really wish I could do something as simple as moving on, but no matter how hard I try, the pain really is there.
Secondly are my friends. Well, I'm not exactly the popular kind but I have friends that I cherish, and the closes of which of course hasn't been with us for two years now (Merry Christmas Jans). I just really miss them, and the good times. I hardly ever hang out much with the old guys much, and not being around them just reminds me again just how lucky I was to have had them in my life. I just hope they'll still be there for the rest of the road.
But hey, I'm not being all emotional here! Really, because I want to look at the best of Christmas offerings this year around. My family's in one piece, and although not perfect, I have to say that Christmas is the time of the year that I really realize just hoe much I appreciate them being around. And come on, Christmas eve I got the usual Christmas greetings from my friends. They were by no means plentiful, but they came from the people who mattered and that's what matters to me.
Well, I'd like to end in a happier note, a note of hope and cheer, a note that looks into the horizon and the next sunrise. A hope that sees visions of the future as well as nostalgic memories of time long gone. But that's a thing for the New Year, for another dawn. For now, it's simply the twilight hour, the day has finally ended, the sun has finally set. The star twinkles above the shambles and blazes with Heaven's beauty. Christmas is here, Jesus is born, and I couldn't love it more. It's by no means the perfect ending for the year, it was by no means the perfect year. But hey, it's Christmas, whatcoo gonna do, eh?
Thank you, Lord.
And Merry Christmas to everybody :D
God Bless you and your family.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Review: Wicked, World War Hulk and The Kingdom
WICKED
by Gregory Maguire
Thing is I've read Wicked earlier this year, this summer in fact, but have only gotten the chance now to put up a review. Perhaps as a testament to it's strength, I'm still determined after all this time to still put the book into writing and so here it is.
I'll be the first to tell you honestly, it was the broadway that made me read the book. No I haven't watched it, though I wish I have, but the songs were interesting enough to be curious as to what's in the book. And when I did open the book, I saw a world built upon the wonderful imagination of L. Frank Baum and I saw it twisted into a new light, a light filled with deception, political tension, psychological complex characters and most importantly a world that dimmed the boundaries of good versus evil. In other words, morally speaking this is a very gray- or should I say- green book.
Gregory Maguire's protagonist is dear Elphaba, and the book chronicles her life by skipping between important timelines. It begins with her conception, jumps to her childhood, then to her school days and so on and so forth. At 406 pages this is a hefty length novel, and by the end it seems satisfying enough that these moments were chosen. Though I have to say that the skips between chapters sometimes becomes a bit dodgy, as the previous characteristics of Elphaba are mostly wiped clean. There is an excuse, of course. Take for example the leap from teenager to adult. I was thoroughly engrossed in the teenage Elphaba. She was misunderstood but was also a rebel, kind-hearted at the center but had the sharpest of wits and a kind of cold disposition that made you smile. Her interactions, her development brought more complexity of characters from a Magical School than anything else I've read (I'm looking at you, Potter). But come the section of adulthood, she seems partly broken, her words are not as sharp and her demeanor significantly changed. I understand that throughout the years in between a lot happened, but in a way I felt that it was throwing out great character framework from the previous chapter without much of a build-up at the very least.
But while I may have some problems with the framework and the pacing at some of the parts (some chapters were easily better than others) there is no denying the ingenuity of the book. While many magical worlds, including the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz relied on magical story-telling, whimsical characters and imaginative worlds, Wicked discards this importance like a tabby-cat choking on your used toilet paper. Not that there's any magic, or whimsical characters, but they are kept close only the most satisfactory of levels. No, the true magic comes in the story itself, and how Maguire captured perfectly the characters and the theme that surrounded them. Part political satire, part psychological analysis and a fully emotional tale, this book spins a yarn filled with so much stuffing you're brain will be amazed on how much it picks up and how much it has to work to fully appreciate this wonderful book.
I don't see the upbeat musical numbers or the catchy tunes within the pages of the Broadway's source material like I thought I would. Instead I found a world much more sobered up, a new light unto a great villain (or hero depending on your views) and a great book to look back to whenever one needs the inspiration for something of real value.
And yes, Elphaba kick's dumb ole Dorothy's ass anyday... and Toto too!
8.5 out of 10
WORLD WAR HULK
Story by Greg Pak
Art by John Romita Jr.
A friend of mine told me he loved the World War Hulk storyline because of how it turns the tables. I mean, here was the big green dude and he's smashing up just about every beloved Marvel hero without much of a fuss. And that brings us to the first, and most likely only good thing about this over-hyped mega event.
It's filled with lots and lots of Green-blooded, heart-pounding, building-smashing and face-punching action. If I can count the number of times someone gets punched in the face in this series alone I'd still be counting by the end of this review.
Don't get me wrong, everyone loves some good action in the comics. And this series does not fail to disappoint in that area, in fact it contains some of the best action sequences I've seen in comics for quite some time.
But the main reason I had been interested in this series in the first place was how it looked at a different side of Hulk. This wasn't just Hulk smashing out in anger, this was him in vengeance and that played a whole new ball game for the Marvel Universe. This line of vengeance and tragedy that haunts our protagonist is what kept his whole crusade interesting, not just how he bloodily humiliates The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The U.S. ARMY, The X-Men and The Illuminati. But as each victim fell under the Hulk's wrath, there seemed to be nothing much portrayed but the continuing insistence that Hulk wants revenge and that this time he's really REALLY angry. That's two "really"s right there! Look, I understand he's really angry and all, but I want the story to develop on that. Instead I got a series that shows a definitive pattern.
1- Hulk defeats an Earth hero/Earth line of defense.
2- Book insists that Hulk did this because this time he's VERY angry.
3- Hulk whines about dead wife and kid.
4- Repeat step 1.
By the time the storyline was half way done, I had lost every sympathy or care for Hulk and his motives. By the last issue, the only one where actual story progression seemed to take place, the story tries to salvage some of its dignity by adding some inert twist or emotional epiphany withing the Geen Giant. It's a nice change, but four issues too late.
One would think that if Greg Pak faltered in this book, at least John Romita Jr. could give us a reason to stay with his art. But I don't know. Truth be told I wasn't always the biggest fan off his art but this time around, it seemed way off from the potential of this world-breaking tale. Many of the pages actually undergo lower, much more rshed quality than the others and I can't help but think that cover artist David Finch would fare better. Look at that cover I put up here, now that's a World-Breaker.
Overall, another disappointing and over hyped mega-event from the House of Ideas.
4 out of 10
THE KINGDOM
Directed by Peter Berg
Starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper
I enjoyed the movie, that much can be said outright before we say anything else I might regret. I'm neither American nor am I Arab so at the very least I can be as neutral as I can about the portrayal. And while I do commend the fact that this movie surprisingly strived to bring forth some of the Arab good guys to a better light, it is inevitable that this American film seems at times to be paying homage to American brilliance and ingenuity in the face of the generic Middle-Eastern terrorists.
But political sublime messages aside, this film is actually filled with more brain work as it is action. In fact, aside from the initial terrorist attack and the adrenaline-induced finale, this movie revolves around two things - the cultural interaction between the American investigators and the Arabian government; and a C.S.I. like investigation set against the Arabian city background.
None of the portayals were anything significant and each character seemed to fill out their role just good enough to serve a purpose in the film's over all plot. The only character that displayed any intrigue was Col. Al-Ghazi, the officer charged with the American's safety. And even that only got it so far.
The movie pacing however was convulsed and a bit of a mess. A lot could be fixed by a smoother story-telling.
Everything else aside, there is nothing horribly wrong with this movie. Some Arabians may find it distasteful and for valid reasons, I for one think that it does good in at least attempting not to make the movie's heroes all about the Americans, although it still does manage to partially do that. There is little, however, brilliant in this film as well. I enjoyed the high octane action in the end, and the terrorist attack at the beginning was chilling. But with the slight exception of the film's final lines, this movie was nothing memorable.
6 out of 10
by Gregory Maguire
Thing is I've read Wicked earlier this year, this summer in fact, but have only gotten the chance now to put up a review. Perhaps as a testament to it's strength, I'm still determined after all this time to still put the book into writing and so here it is.
I'll be the first to tell you honestly, it was the broadway that made me read the book. No I haven't watched it, though I wish I have, but the songs were interesting enough to be curious as to what's in the book. And when I did open the book, I saw a world built upon the wonderful imagination of L. Frank Baum and I saw it twisted into a new light, a light filled with deception, political tension, psychological complex characters and most importantly a world that dimmed the boundaries of good versus evil. In other words, morally speaking this is a very gray- or should I say- green book.
Gregory Maguire's protagonist is dear Elphaba, and the book chronicles her life by skipping between important timelines. It begins with her conception, jumps to her childhood, then to her school days and so on and so forth. At 406 pages this is a hefty length novel, and by the end it seems satisfying enough that these moments were chosen. Though I have to say that the skips between chapters sometimes becomes a bit dodgy, as the previous characteristics of Elphaba are mostly wiped clean. There is an excuse, of course. Take for example the leap from teenager to adult. I was thoroughly engrossed in the teenage Elphaba. She was misunderstood but was also a rebel, kind-hearted at the center but had the sharpest of wits and a kind of cold disposition that made you smile. Her interactions, her development brought more complexity of characters from a Magical School than anything else I've read (I'm looking at you, Potter). But come the section of adulthood, she seems partly broken, her words are not as sharp and her demeanor significantly changed. I understand that throughout the years in between a lot happened, but in a way I felt that it was throwing out great character framework from the previous chapter without much of a build-up at the very least.
But while I may have some problems with the framework and the pacing at some of the parts (some chapters were easily better than others) there is no denying the ingenuity of the book. While many magical worlds, including the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz relied on magical story-telling, whimsical characters and imaginative worlds, Wicked discards this importance like a tabby-cat choking on your used toilet paper. Not that there's any magic, or whimsical characters, but they are kept close only the most satisfactory of levels. No, the true magic comes in the story itself, and how Maguire captured perfectly the characters and the theme that surrounded them. Part political satire, part psychological analysis and a fully emotional tale, this book spins a yarn filled with so much stuffing you're brain will be amazed on how much it picks up and how much it has to work to fully appreciate this wonderful book.
I don't see the upbeat musical numbers or the catchy tunes within the pages of the Broadway's source material like I thought I would. Instead I found a world much more sobered up, a new light unto a great villain (or hero depending on your views) and a great book to look back to whenever one needs the inspiration for something of real value.
And yes, Elphaba kick's dumb ole Dorothy's ass anyday... and Toto too!
8.5 out of 10
WORLD WAR HULK
Story by Greg Pak
Art by John Romita Jr.
A friend of mine told me he loved the World War Hulk storyline because of how it turns the tables. I mean, here was the big green dude and he's smashing up just about every beloved Marvel hero without much of a fuss. And that brings us to the first, and most likely only good thing about this over-hyped mega event.
It's filled with lots and lots of Green-blooded, heart-pounding, building-smashing and face-punching action. If I can count the number of times someone gets punched in the face in this series alone I'd still be counting by the end of this review.
Don't get me wrong, everyone loves some good action in the comics. And this series does not fail to disappoint in that area, in fact it contains some of the best action sequences I've seen in comics for quite some time.
But the main reason I had been interested in this series in the first place was how it looked at a different side of Hulk. This wasn't just Hulk smashing out in anger, this was him in vengeance and that played a whole new ball game for the Marvel Universe. This line of vengeance and tragedy that haunts our protagonist is what kept his whole crusade interesting, not just how he bloodily humiliates The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The U.S. ARMY, The X-Men and The Illuminati. But as each victim fell under the Hulk's wrath, there seemed to be nothing much portrayed but the continuing insistence that Hulk wants revenge and that this time he's really REALLY angry. That's two "really"s right there! Look, I understand he's really angry and all, but I want the story to develop on that. Instead I got a series that shows a definitive pattern.
1- Hulk defeats an Earth hero/Earth line of defense.
2- Book insists that Hulk did this because this time he's VERY angry.
3- Hulk whines about dead wife and kid.
4- Repeat step 1.
By the time the storyline was half way done, I had lost every sympathy or care for Hulk and his motives. By the last issue, the only one where actual story progression seemed to take place, the story tries to salvage some of its dignity by adding some inert twist or emotional epiphany withing the Geen Giant. It's a nice change, but four issues too late.
One would think that if Greg Pak faltered in this book, at least John Romita Jr. could give us a reason to stay with his art. But I don't know. Truth be told I wasn't always the biggest fan off his art but this time around, it seemed way off from the potential of this world-breaking tale. Many of the pages actually undergo lower, much more rshed quality than the others and I can't help but think that cover artist David Finch would fare better. Look at that cover I put up here, now that's a World-Breaker.
Overall, another disappointing and over hyped mega-event from the House of Ideas.
4 out of 10
THE KINGDOM
Directed by Peter Berg
Starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper
I enjoyed the movie, that much can be said outright before we say anything else I might regret. I'm neither American nor am I Arab so at the very least I can be as neutral as I can about the portrayal. And while I do commend the fact that this movie surprisingly strived to bring forth some of the Arab good guys to a better light, it is inevitable that this American film seems at times to be paying homage to American brilliance and ingenuity in the face of the generic Middle-Eastern terrorists.
But political sublime messages aside, this film is actually filled with more brain work as it is action. In fact, aside from the initial terrorist attack and the adrenaline-induced finale, this movie revolves around two things - the cultural interaction between the American investigators and the Arabian government; and a C.S.I. like investigation set against the Arabian city background.
None of the portayals were anything significant and each character seemed to fill out their role just good enough to serve a purpose in the film's over all plot. The only character that displayed any intrigue was Col. Al-Ghazi, the officer charged with the American's safety. And even that only got it so far.
The movie pacing however was convulsed and a bit of a mess. A lot could be fixed by a smoother story-telling.
Everything else aside, there is nothing horribly wrong with this movie. Some Arabians may find it distasteful and for valid reasons, I for one think that it does good in at least attempting not to make the movie's heroes all about the Americans, although it still does manage to partially do that. There is little, however, brilliant in this film as well. I enjoyed the high octane action in the end, and the terrorist attack at the beginning was chilling. But with the slight exception of the film's final lines, this movie was nothing memorable.
6 out of 10
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