COMIC BOOK REVIEW: MEMETIC #1

This week, along with a hefty stack of all the other comics I’m reading, I picked up Memetic #1 from Boom! Studios. I remember reading about and the premise of a weaponized meme that destroy civilisation and bring about the apocalypse as pretty interesting. Actually a suck for apocalypstic story. That was the whole reason I saw Mel Gibsons ‘Apocalypto’, which was a great movie and you should check it out. Memetric does well at building spense and intrigue. Only a 3 part mini series so establishing world, character and atmosphere is critical special in the first few pages of a comic book. The visual sell that before moment of everyday life. With our protagonist Aaron following an argument with his boyfriend,all done via texts or facebook messenger. Aaron finds unable able to sleep so he starts scrolling through Raddit (That world version of Reddit) in his room rather than going to sleep. Not long into Aaron internet procrastinating that he comes across a picture of a sloth, smiling and giving a thumbs up surrounded by trippy circles and colours. A Raddit post author insists that the image makes them “feel amazing”. Due to Aaron all too human mutant ability to distinguish colour (other than blue). Think that Aaron having a hearing aid will play an important part of the story.

 As the day progresses all of his friends, and soon the entire world becomes infatuated with the ‘Good Times Sloth’, with everyone reporting euphoria and a general feeling of happiness.to the point where many as it a sign from god. Really like how the sloth is taking of the background of the whole book. From giant TV to community billboards. You start not being able to unsee the it. Only those who can’t see the picture, like Marcus, the blind former head of US Military Intelligence, or unique cases like Aaron aren’t infatuated. Artist Eryk Donovan does a excellent job of setting up the atmosphere of uncertainty and mystery. He captures the invisible thread of information following on top our world with bold text message blocks. Give a sense of movement having the Sloth showing up everywhere not just in the background. Show how the image has affected the person.Either by having the image set in the character eyes like it was burned in, to just being happy/crazy by thrusting the image on everything like the crazy cat lady from the simpson. 

All it excellent service to Writer James Tynion IV. The character are relatable and fauld to begin with. Then in a few short pages there breakdown into crazed killers. If his point was to ponder if a meme spread destruction worldwide would it be very successfully. Than I would answer yes it would.Memetic delivers it’s first issue in style, with a truly gripping and unique storyline brought to life with stylish visuals which help subtly illustrate the direction of the plot, this series is a must buy, departing from the traditional superhero genre commonly associated with comics to something a little more intriguing and unique.









 4 out of 5 ‘Good Times Sloth’

MOVIE REVIEW: JOHN WICK (2014)

Keanu Reeves is back to his action roots in his latest offering, John Wick. An pure-bred action movie that excels in driving home a relentless pace above all else, John Wick sees Keanu play the titular hero, a retired hitman who just wanted to be left in peace following the death of his wife (by cancer). Unfortunately, life has other plans. Unfortunate for life, that is.

His wife's dying gift to him is a dog, which he takes care of. That is, right up until some Russian thugs break in, beat him up and kill his dog. Still grieving, Keanu then decides to track down the thugs and make them pay for killing his dog, stepping back into the hired killer game. And because you know it is one of those movies, the thugs just happen to be involved in the Russian mob (one of the thugs is the head guys son),

What follows is a rampage of revenge as Keanu takes up the mantle of professional hitman once again and carves a bloody swathe through the Russian mob. He has nothing to gain from his rampage, but for the next 80 minutes we are taken with him through slick gunplay and hand-to-hand combat sequences. From the first time he glares at the camera following the death of his dog, you know it has hit the fan for the people that had the gall to cross him.

In that firs glare, you see that Keanu Reeves has nailed the part of John Wick, He has the action chops and the detached coolness that is so often misused in other movies put to great effect here. He is also backed by a stellar supporting cast playing mobsters and other hitman out to get the bounty placed on his head as everyone is caught up in a frantic pace with just enough quiet moments to let the audience catch its breath.

After every quiet moment, we get a slick action sequence where Keanu does his stuff. These action sequences feel gritty and dirty. This is because every encounter feels like anything could happen. As opposed to one character being a superhero, there is always a threat of danger and henchmen aren't treated lightly, always posing some threat to Keanu during the hand-to-hand fighting or gunplay.

John Wick is a really good action movie. It never tries to be anything more than what it is and drives a relentless pace forward. It also puts in enough quite moments so that the audience isn't too overwhelmed with a cacophony of noise.

5 out of 5 Wick'ed Waffles.

Sword Art Online

I used to love anime when I was youngling, from pokemon to evangelion and everything in between. The shows were completely different from the usual cartoons I would watch. Was the main reason I became curious about japanese culture. As I grew older I found that anime was just the same stereotypical characters placed in another different setting. My interest in the medium dried up, except for Miyazaki films. My recent trip to japan and the advent of site that stream anime has seen my enjoyment of the medium return.One thing I learnt is that there is a massive amount of anime. Was a rather daunting task, trying to pick one to start watching.

The premise of Sword Art Online is instead of being stuck in the matrix your were instead trapped in World of Warcraft.  Our story follows Kirito, one of the 10,000 lucky people to log into Sword Art Online, a new, highly anticipated virtual reality MMORPG. Eventually  the players discover that they cannot log out when the creator of the game, Akihiko Kayaba issues them an ultimatum: if they die in the game, so will their bodies in the real world. The only way out is to pass all one-hundred floors—each a self-contained world in and of itself—and defeat the game's final boss.

The idea a might not have been very original but I thought there was a lot they might be able to do with the series. The first few episode are a bit flat, as the character and the world are only just started to be fleshed out. The series shined from around episodes 4-13 and I wish they would have kept with that pace. I was totally loving the show in those episode, watching Kirito go from noob to badass was great. 

 Seeing how others character adjusted to their new lives inside the game drew me in. The psychological implications of being in a virtual reality for so long that you start to wonder if the real world even exists. And if it does exist, should everyone still be trying to get back to it instead of giving up and starting to make new lives for themselves inside the game world. That was so smart and played out in the background of the shows main story. Allowed the creator time to play with different story ideas. Sometime  it's a mystery; sometimes it's a love story; sometimes criminal suspense; sometimes supernatural horror; and sometimes it's a straight-up fantasy adventure.

It was such a disappointment that halfway through the series they resolve the main arch of getting out of the game. Which would have been fine, if they decided to focus their attention on the players adjusting back into the real word. It was so frustrating to watch the show just repeat itselfs. I wanted to know how Kirito would handle being powered down to normal human after being a super saiyan ninja warrior. Do we get that explanation ? Nope. He just wakes up and moves on to finding his girlfriend. It was such a missed opportunity. The show just feels like it became a wish-fulfillment drug for male teenagers and adults who are addicted to online gaming and can't deal with real-life challenges.

Really annoys me that they went in the same direction. Would have been great for the show to talk to its audience about an issue that relevant to todays society. As gaming addiction is real, I myself have had a good friend lose themselves to it. More important to show these issue and how they affect people. If handled well it could have been a better story then the fantasy one. Highly suggest watching the first 14 episode, they’re highly enjoyable. After that just take sometime to think about the message the shows is talking about.

3 out of 5 virtual reality super saiyan ninja warriors.

Exodus: Gods and Kings

While sporadically stirring, and suitably epic in its ambitions, Exodus: Gods and Kings is uneven and lacking in emotion. The real shame is watching famed British director Ridley Scott, the visionary behind such classics as Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator. In a creative dead zone. The movie hits all the major points, like checking off boxes on a list, yet tells its tale at an arms-length with paper-thin characters. I would actually suggest watching DreamWorks, The Prince of Egypt to get a more nuance and emotional oomph then Exodus.

Exodus is one of the most telling examples of storytelling mediocrity .Which is completely overshadowed by amazing  production values. The visual are clearly lavishly splurged upon . From the monuments through to the slums of the slave's right down to the extra clad streets, Exodus brims with life and a detailed and often incredible visual palette. What’s the point to all these amazing production values if the script never engages it’s characters. Feels like Scott has become more concerned with spectacle than story.

Before seeing the movie, the media were making a lot of noise around the casting of actors in Exodus. I honestly don't care, Hollywood been making biblical movie with high profile actors since forever. What’s more important to me is if the cast can turn that performance into something. That’s their job. Christian Bale fairs the best, only because he’s imitating Russell Crowe from Gladiator. His incarnation as Moses is unbalanced, they’re moments of

humanity but he feels more a like BC batman. You never really feel the weight of Moses actions and as a audience you don't care what he does. Because you are never given a reason why Moses care about his people. Bale is also the only character in the film that looks like he ages or gets hurt. Everyone else just seems to get sand or dirt on themselves.

Joel Edgerton general looks confused. Like he not sure what to do with his character. The performance is decent but lacking. He plays Rhamses like a confused child with

eyeliner and grizzled looks. It would have been better to just do full over the top villain. The rest of the cast is sadly mis handled. Signorine Weaver is in this movie. She literally does nothing. Then disappears into the background never to be seen again. Aaron Paul's Joshua and Ben Kinglsey's Nun do nothing memorial. They occasionally get to make a face between angry, confused or battle mode. The film has a few genuine moments of memorability, that being all largely related to the onset of the plagues. 

These really are the set piece for seeing the movie. The impressive visuals, stunning sets and genuinely wow moments concerning the plagues lift the movie up. Shows off Scott’s masterful direction of his production department. Like a conductor of biblical mayhem. It’s not enough to save this emotionally void epic from a giant wave of the mundane. 

I hope he can break his slump and remember how to portray his characters actions. Rather than relying on visual effects.

2 out of 5  confused actors with eyeliner and grizzled looks.

Interstellar

I really haven't been in the mood to watch a movie. Been avoiding seeing Interstellar because it would require me to sit in the one spot for 3 hours. I just feel like that could be time spent on doing other things. Like understanding how science works. Plus I was still disappointed by the dark knight rises. My curiosity for the movie out weighed these issue, plus it was so hot outside. That the idea of sitting in a room with air conditioning for 3 hours was the real reason why I went and saw Interstellar. The film begins by establishing its own rhythm. Along with setting out its ambitions: man overexploiting land resources, humanity forgotten they’re explores and the pursuit of science is a waste of energy. The best we can hope for is death by suffocation. It’s a rather bleak scenario. Which I found contrasted against the mid west america corn fields where the sky is still bright blue and the fields are green gave a sense of hope. So you never really get that imminent death feel. In the cornfields of the midwest we meet Cooper or as I called him Claudius the Slack Jawed Space Pilot played by Matthew McConaughey. A man in born at the wrong time. We spend just enough time with Cooper and his family before he is whisked away into space to try and save humanity.


Once in space the movie really turns into a epic journey. One that goes beyond space and time. It’s also Nolan most emotional film to date, about love and time. But it's so much more than that too. I found the the script balanced the both the hard science elements and emotion human side really well. The visual effects are an amazing achievement. To see a black hole created through visual effects in such a way, with pages theoretical equations provided by Kip Thorne (theoretical physicist, of whom's work inspired the film's genesis); what you see in the film is the most realistic depiction of a black hole.


Just a shame that all the alien planets were so bland. Watch as Claudius the Slack Jawed Space Pilot, Science Woman and Sci-Fi mash up bot explore Ice Planet, Water Planet and Rock Planet. These are minor issue. Think the film biggest asset is the family/love connection that Cooper has with his daughter, personal feltl it keeped me tethered to the film. Have to admit it got me in the feels a few times, especially after they returned from Water Planet. The emotional core of this story is the relationship of Matthew McConaughey's character and his daughter - Mackenzie Foy' and Jessica Chastain' character. McConaughey acting was really great.. All the drama and tragedy of the relationship of father and daughter in this film will not leave anyone indifferent. Anne Hathaway, Wes Bentley, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Ellen Burstyn and other actors also coped with their roles and presented the film's supporting characters very realistic.

I would particularly like to note a small but important role of the two robots that accompanied our heroes in this difficult journey. As they added a nice touch of humor. Interstellar is a film that wins the hearts of the audience not only with its sci-fi splendor, but also an emotional story that lies at its very heart. This film is not only about the discoveries, space exploration and the final frontier of mankind, but also about the relationship of we share. I would say these is Nolan's best film to date. It takes on a heavy subject matter, yet doesn't feel like its ever taking down to you. Was nice to see a movie with heart and a brain. The story is punctuated with moments of true human values ​​and emotions. Has outstanding performances, breathtaking visuals and a epic and dramatic soundtrack.Christopher Nolan has create a masterful sci-fi epic in the league of 2001 Space Odessy.  

4 out of 5 Claudius the Slack Jawed Space Pilot

MOVIE REVIEW: SIN CITY- A DAME TO KILL FOR (2014)

 Calling the original Sin City (based on a comic written by Frank Miller) one of my favourite movies is a bit of an understatement. I loved the style it was filmed in, the stories it told and the whole "bad people doing bad things for good reasons" vibe from all the stories. So to call the latest instalment of Sin City- A Dame to Kill For (from now on called Dame) underwhelming would also be an understatement.

 Dame is set in the same style as the original, telling 3 (or maybe 4, I am struggling to remember) separate stories that are kind-of interwoven. There is the titular Dame story, the story about a gambler trying to win big against a congressman, and a sequel story about Jessica Alba also getting revenge against the congressman who killed Bruce Willis in the first movie. Some of these are prequel stories to the original movie as well, just to try to keep riding on the coat-tails of a better movie.

 The immediate problem Dame has is how much the sequel feels like it has condensed the world. Instead of telling 3 unique stories that might have passing tie-ins to the original, it instead recycles most the characters and locations. Instead of Sin City feeling like a city where anything can happen and anyone can be brought, you are left with a story where everything seems to revolve around the one seedy place. This is in contrast to the original where 3 separate stories were told that just happened to go through some of the same locales.

 Along the way, it also seems to lose the sense of style that defined the first one. Without this style, even the first movie would have felt mediocre. Of the new stories told, the Dame story is the best, and even then it feels like it lacks any real depth. Too often it seems to fall into hero worship of the original characters (such as Marv and Miko), and it never feels like there is any real threat to them. When any of your characters feel like they can blast through the most dangerous henchmen that the most dangerous man in the city can muster, then the gritty style of the original movie is lost, and that feels like a problem for this kind-of movie.

 There are other issues also present. Most of the acting isn't very good. The special effects look decidedly second-rate. The movie seems to go out of its way to prove that the main characters aren't bad people. But this could have all been forgiven if they nailed the gritty style of the original. They didn't so it ended up being quite a bore and easily missable.

 1 out of 5 Waffles To Kill For.

The Magicians

As much as I enjoyed the Harry Potter novels. I always struggled understanding why Harry was a rather slack student. He loves magic, yet never seem to  enjoy school. Sure school sucks, but at least he had magic.

In Lev Grossman’s  book The Magicians he creates a fantasy world that feels more real and rewarding by combining popcorn fantasy and the mundane. It’s like someone wrote a book about all the boring procedural things that make life boring and wrapped it in a layer of magic . Like Law and Order but more interesting because they would solve crimes with magic.

The Magicians is heavily inspired by the Narnia series, with a dash of Harry Potter and a gooey Tolkien centre. The story centre around Quentin and a bunch of kids who attend a college designed to teach them how to use magic, and who later visit a magical world populated by talking animals.  The biggest difference is that Grossman treats his magical world very seriously.

More than anything, it’s about the  revelation that even a world containing magic is a cold, harsh place, where true love doesn’t always conquer all. Being noble doesn't mean you’ll defeat the big bad.  Found that is one of the few fantasy books I’ve read that really ponder the psychology of its world.  

Really loved Magicians episodic nature. Gives the book a brisk pace that leaves you wanting more. Felt it gave the character and you the reader some space to reflect on the protagonist journey.  Each character was given more depth than just your usually cookie cutter archetypes, the young man raised by non-magical parents who discovers a world of wonder, a  smart girl whose super smart yet socially awkward, and a sidekick .

Eventually these characters are fleshed out to include a self-loathing alcoholic, a drama queen and assorted of others personality flaws. Their connections are tenuous but real, the hurt they deal to each other stings, and there’s no Dumbledore to help save the day. Everyone in The Magicians is capable of great damage and great kindness, but not everyone realizes it.

After years of watching and reading about fantasy character that go on amazing journeys, it was refreshing to read one that brought the world of fantasy crashing down to reality.

3.5 out of 5 alcoholic Dumbledore riding a self-loathing Aslan