Monthly Archives: March 2010
Resurrected And It Feels So Good – Andy Burns on Captain America: Reborn
I’m guessing the title of the book in questions is a spoiler unto itself, but he warned, my friends. Here there be spoilers.
Really, how could there not be? We’re talking about a comic book titled Captain America: Reborn. You just know he’s back. It’s unavoidable. Who is he, the one person reading who has never heard of the Marvel hero with the red, white, and blue running through his veins may ask? (And by the way, your very own, genuine Biff Bam Prize to the first person who tells me what song those lyrics belong to). He would be Steve Rogers aka Captain America, the man who was gunned down in a crowded New York street following the end of the Marvel mega event Civil War all the way back in 2007. Not only did Rogers death rock the real world, getting mainstream coverage in newspapers and on television, but it capped off the first half of an amazing run of stories from the pen of comic book auteur Ed Brubaker, who not only helped make Cap cool again, but also did the unthinkable when he made Captain America’s onetime teen ally Bucky into a badass villain named the Winter Soldier.
In the subsequent years since The Death of Captain America, the Marvel Universe (and its fans) had to adapt to the absence of the character that served as the conscious of that world. Maybe ours too. Think about it. Strip away the colours and the name and you still have a character that one can hope to emulate, and in a very real world way. Captain America was always a guy who tried to do the right thing, which is why fans, creators, and his comic book compatriots admired him so. While the new Captain America (a pistol-toting redeemed Bucky in an Alex Ross designed outfit) was the only character who could step into Steve Rogers shoes at this time, it was always inevitable that the real Cap would come back. And he has, possibly sooner than any of us expected.
The recently released hardcover Captain America: Reborn compiles the recent 6 issue mini-series written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by the tandem of Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice. The story really is the culmination of the past 50+ issues of Brubaker’s vision, not just with Cap himself but also with the fates (for now) of villains such as the Red Skull and his hot to kill daughter, Sin. Of course, the book is also as advertising – Captain America is back. Reborn. Resurrected. While I won’t give you the explanation of how Steve Rogers returns to his rightful place in the Marvel Universe, I will say that in the hands of these creators the methods of his return are reasonable, acceptable, and kind of cool. And for those that would argue that Cap’s returns is as real world as a lot of the series has been, it’s worth remembering that 1) Cap was frozen in ice for decades, and 2) his villain is a guy with a red skull.
Some will argue that it was too soon to bring Steve Rogers back. Sure, we all knew that the inevitable day would come (just like the return of Bruce Wayne for all the Batman fans out there), but did it have to be so soon? Well, considering the world we live in right now, having a hero like Steve Rogers to read about is certainly not a bad thing. And with the upcoming Marvel Heroic Age imminently upon us, there’s no one else that can lead the charge more than the first and best Captain America.
Ian Rogers, The "Lost" Boy — The Cork
“Ab Aeterno” was one of those episodes that had people buzzing even before it aired. The long-awaited Richard Alpert episode! Finally, we’d get some answers about the man who doesn’t age! Unfortunately, in this writer’s opinion, the episode didn’t live up to the hype.
Now don’t get me wrong. I liked “Ab Aeterno” okay; I just didn’t love it. The first half, while somewhat interesting, didn’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know, or at least surmised, about Richard. The whole bit with his sick wife and the accidental murder and going to jail was kind of dry. Earlier this season it was insinuated that Richard came to the island as a slave on the Black Rock. This is interesting in and of itself, but by the time we get to the Richard Alpert episode it’s just filling in plot details we already know about. Even though I know the show has to go through these motions, I would have liked for them to do it a bit faster, allowing for more of the stuff we don’t know about yet. I would have preferred less of Richard’s backstory and more of Richard’s island years. His interactions with the people that Jacob brought to the island. Further encounters with the Man in Black, the Dharma Initiative, etc.
The best parts of the episode happened in the last fifteen or so minutes, starting with the scene in which Richard gets his ass kicked by Jacob. I felt this was an important scene, not just because it showed how these two characters met, but because it also demonstrated that Jacob could take care of himself when he needed to. This adds more weight to the scene in last year’s season finale when Ben killed Jacob. Clearly this was something Jacob allowed to happen, for reasons rooted in his “game” with the Man in Black in which he brings people to the island and allows them to decide whether or not they are good or bad.
Speaking of which, we still have no real explanation for why the Smoke Monster kills some people, but leaves others alive. It seems clear in “Ab Aeterno” that he left Richard alive in order to use him to kill Jacob, but if Smokey is really dead-set against people coming to the island, why doesn’t he simply kill everyone who comes ashore. He certainly made short work of the rest of the Black Rock’s crew. Does he do this every time Jacob brings people to the island? Kill most of them, but leave one or two alive to use as pawns?
I liked Jacob’s explanation that the island is a cork that prevents hell/malevolence/evil from spilling out into the rest of the world. Like any red wine, evil is hard to get out once it sets in. So does the Smoke Monster itself represent evil? Or would its escape into the world unleash something even worse? Nine episodes left to go and still so many questions…
And while I don’t completely buy the idea that a boat, even a big one like the Black Rock, could destroy a giant stone statue (and remain relatively intact), I’m willing to accept it for the sake of the writer’s explaining another one of the show’s big mysteries. At least they’re trying to get things done, even if I’m not always happy with the answers.
I enjoyed watching the Man in Black manipulate poor Richard into thinking that the island was hell (a popular fan theory that has been debunked many times over the years), that his wife was trapped there with him, and that he needed to kill Jacob (aka The Devil) in order to escape. Even back in the 1800s, the Man in Black was looking for his loophole. The conversation the Man in Black had with Jacob at the end of the episode seemed to suggest that this was the first time he had tried to use a proxy to accomplish this. Clearly it wasn’t the last.
I have to wonder, if the Man in Black wasn’t telling Richard at least a partial truth when he accused Jacob of stealing his body and his humanity. Maybe the Man in Black has a reason to hate Jacob. The show has done such a good job of blurring the line between good and evil, and playing with role reversal, that it wouldn’t surprise me if the Man in Black turned out to be not as bad as we’ve been made to think. Conversely that would mean Jacob isn’t the nice guy everyone makes him out to be, either.
Jacob can’t be all bad, though. Even when he went to talk with his immortal enemy, he was kind enough to bring the wine.
DVD Tuesday with Scotty G
Sherlock Holmes – The box office smash is the highest profile release on DVD this week. Directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, and Mark Strong, the film follows Holmes and Watson as they solve the case of Lord Blackwood, who is a serial killer and sorcerer. Blackwood is captured and Holmes and Watson think their problems are over, but Blackwood reappears and continues his killing spree. Downey received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance and the film was largely overshadowed by the success of Avatar this past Christmas, but it should do very well on DVD this week.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel – Another hit at Christmas, that was overshadowed by Avatar (it actually made more money than Sherlock Holmes). The plot follows Alvin, Simon, and Theodore being put in the care of Dave’s nephew Toby, and trying to rescue their music department from being shutdown. They can do that, but only by winning a Battle of the Bands competition. Things look good until they meet a rival group – The Chipettes. Have the Chipmunks met their match? You’ll have to watch to find out.
Alice in Wonderland – Disney re-releases their animated classic on DVD and Blu-Ray to capitalize on the success of their live action film. See Disney’s original version of the story as Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole to Wonderland and meets the Cheshire Cat, The Mad Hatter, and The Red Queen. I find it amazing that Disney films do hold up even when you grow older, so I highly recommend adding this to your collection if you do not already have it.
An Education – This film was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress for Carey Mulligan. The film follows Mulligan’s character, who is a young teenager whose parents enforce a strict upbringing in order for her to attend Oxford, and lead a better life than they can provide. Mulligan’s character ends up meeting a man played by Peter Sarsgaard who exposes Mulligan to a more sophisticated world. Mulligan loves her new lifestyle, and eventually becomes romantically involved with Sarsgaard until a secret is exposed which forces Mulligan to decide what life she wants to leave – the life she has newly embraced, or the life her parents want her to lead.
TV ON DVD
Sports Night: The Complete First Season – The acclaimed Aaron Sorkin dramedy stars Josh Charles, Peter Krause, and Felicity Huffman and follows the lives of the people involved on-air and behind-the-scenes of a sports show (like Sportcentre). It has been on DVD previously, but is getting re-released again. If you’re a fan of Aaron Sorkin’s work (The West Wing or Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), then you should check this out. The whole series is only two seasons long, so it does not take a lot of time to watch the entire series, and you can start with this DVD release.
Steven Seagal: Lawman – The Complete Season One – The A&E show comes out on DVD today, and it follows action star Steven Seagal as he takes on a new role in his life (or new to us, as apparently he has been doing this for two decades). He is a fully-commissioned deputy with the Jefferson’s Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana. The debut episode of the series was the highest rated for an A&E show in its history, so Seagal still has his fans.
Until Next Tuesday!
Off To See The Wizard…World: Andy Burns On The Latest Toronto Comic Convention
Leading up to this weekend I really wasn’t sure if either my wallet or my comic book geek lovin’ heart could handle yet another comic convention. But that’s what the folks from pop culture magazine Wizard were offering up to the city of Toronto – Wizard World Toronto, aka Toronto Comic-Con. My first question when I heard about this announcement so many months ago was, “do we really need another comic convention in this city?” Every summer Hobby Star’s Fan Expo takes over the Metro Toronto Convention Centre with a combined Comic/Sci-Fi/Horror/Gaming/Anime festival that’s literally the geek highlight of my year. Rows of dealers, genre celebs, costumed characters, along with insightful lectures from the folks at DC and Marvel, all make for an incredibly fun time. Not to mention successful – last year’s Fan Expo brought in 59,000 over the course of three days. Could Wizard World compete? With their successful cons running across the United States (three of us made the trip to Chicago Comic-Con back in June 2008 and it was an amazing time), you’d think they had a chance. But you may have thought wrong.
The first shot against Wizard World was location. Their inaugural effort was stationed at the Direct Energy Centre at the Canadian National Exhibition. While it is accessible via street car, with plenty of parking on offer, I can tell you trekking to this particular venue in March isn’t exactly a treat. It’s borderline inconvenient. Then there’s the fact that the convention’s original main draw, Eliza Dushku of Buffy and Dollhouse fame, whose visage had been posted all over the website and initial handouts for the months leading up to the convention, silently disappeared from any promotion not long before the actual convention began. I started to wonder if Wizard World Toronto would be anything resembling a success. Would it remotely compare to the amazing experience I had at the Chicago convention, or my annual Fan Expo fun?
I arrived at the Direct Energy Centre on Friday night at around 6pm, six hours after the doors had opened. I walked in with my mouth agape. The floor was virtually barren. The logical part of me thought that this made sense. A bad location. A ridiculous start time. Little in the way of compelling programming. What could anybody expect? Had the proper thought been put into the event, the doors would have opened at 4 or 5pm, and stayed open until 9. I think that more people would have likely arrived and your dealers and celebs wouldn’t have been sitting around all day dealing with sparse crowds.
As I wandered the hall easily (at Fan Expo, like it or not, there’s always a crowd), I noticed a few things. From the comic perspective, there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of retailers on display. Iconic Toronto comic shop Silver Snail didn’t have a display, while 1,000,000 Comics (another T.O. comic landmark) didn’t have the same massive presence that they usually set up at Fan Expo. Of the retailer’s that were on hand, a few of them did offer up the deals I’d be looking for, so that was a plus.
Another plus for me, yet surely a minus for everyone else involved, was that, because of the low turnout, I could walk up to the celebs I had an interest in saying hi to without dealing with any sort of line-ups. That meant I chatted with TNA wrestler Kevin Nash for a few moments about the state of the industry. When I congratulated him for TNA’s move to Monday nights to go head to head at 9pm against WWE and Monday Night Raw, Nash thanked me, but stated “I wish we were on unopposed from 8-10”, an honest and unexpected admission from one of the smartest guys in the business which I didn’t expect to hear.
I also chatted for a while with David Richmond-Peck, who plays resistance member Georgie on the new V. I mentioned to him right off the top that I was enjoying the series and I hadn’t been sure if I would, being such a die hard fan of the original back in the day. From there we talked about the high production values of the new series and the likelihood of V getting picked up for a second season once the final 8 episodes air. David was an incredibly friendly guy (we Canadians are like that) and I enjoyed talking with him.
Walking out of the venue on Friday night (I saw Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka as I was leaving, who had a big smile on his face when I thanked him for the memories), I wondered how anyone could have been happy with the turnout. Granted, I was there at the end of the day, but from what I gathered talking to a few volunteers and vendors, the day was ominously quiet. Expectations were higher for Saturday to deliver the people and to a certain extent those expectations were correct. Saturday morning myself and BBP contributor JP walked the floor together, and while there were certainly more people than the night before, it was far from what you would call crowded. There were a few more celebs on hand to be sure, which meant I spent about a minute staring at Adrienne Curry, while complimenting Battlestar Galactica’s Kandyse McClure on her death scene. But this was far from the packed to the gills Saturday one can expect from a Fan Expo Saturday.
Sunday I was back for more, this time with The Queen on my arm (or I was on hers, depending on your outlook). This was Kids Day and there were indeed quite a few more children wandering the aisles. But one of my favourite things to do, the last day of a Con haggling, just wasn’t happening. I did manage to say hi to a few creators (including Batman and Robin’s Cameron Stewart, Ty Templeton, and The Dark Tower’s Richard Isanove, who told me how he listened to all 7 Dark Tower audio books in preparation of his drawing the recently completed DT miniseries, The Fall Of Gilead) . I was even given a hug by Doug Jones after I told him how much I enjoyed his performance as the Silver Surfer. That was awkward but sweet.
At the end of the first Wizard World Toronto convention, I was left feeling somewhat blah about the whole event. I didn’t ever feel any sort of buzz the way that I do at the Fan Expo every year. Seeing kids walking around on the Sunday was great and the less than capacity crowd meant you could have some decent moments to chat with artists and guests, but that sort of interaction may not be what the organizers were hoping for. Should Wizard come to town next year, I’ll surely go again, but for the full blown geek experience, Fan Expo has got me covered, hands down.
Scotty G’s Box Office Wrap-Up Report
This weekend provided us with a new #1 film with How To Train Your Dragon taking first place at the box office. Hot Tub Time Machine had a disappointing opening weekend, and the holdovers had grosses close to what I expected. I predicted all five films in the top five, and correctly guessed the finishes on three of them. Here’s how the weekend broke down:
Debuting in 1st place was How To Train Your Dragon with a gross of $43.3 million (I predicted a 1st place finish and a gross of $75 million). The film had a per theatre average of $10,678, which was the 2nd highest out of any film this weekend. Although the first place finish is great, the opening weekend gross has to be considered a big disappointment. I took a look at the opening weekend grosses of other Dreamworks animated films on Friday, and now let’s see how they all rank in terms of opening weekend grosses (with the exception of the Shrek films):
1) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa – $63.1 million opening weekend
2) Kung-Fu Panda – $60.2 million opening weekend
3) Monsters vs. Aliens – $59.3 million opening weekend
4) Shark Tale - $47.6 million opening weekend
5) Madagascar - $47.2 million opening weekend
6) How To Train You Dragon - $43.3 million opening weekend
7) Over The Hedge - $38.4 million opening weekend
8) Bee Movie - $38 million opening weekend
I really did expect a higher gross, as I thought the 3-D aspect of the film would help its total box office, but as you can see above How To Train Your Dragon’s numbers were not even close to the top end of other Dreamworks animated films. I had an extremely liberal prediction, and I thought that if Alice in Wonderland could gross over $100 million with the help of 3-D, and the fact that the previous Dreamworks animated 3-D film (which was Monsters vs. Aliens) could gross just under $60 million, How To Train Your Dragon could gross over $70 million with ease. I was wrong. Its hold on first place will be short lived, as next weekend brings a strong crop of movies, and it will be interesting to see how How To Train Your Dragon holds up (Side note: I think it takes some skill to use the word “how” back-to-back in the same sentence). On a more positive note, How To Train Your Dragon has the fifth highest all-time opening weekend gross of a film that opened in 3-D. Here’s the list:
1) Alice in Wonderland – $116.1 million opening weekend
2) Avatar – $77 million opening weekend
3) Up – $68.1 million opening weekend
4) Monsters vs. Aliens – $59.3 million opening weekend
5) How To Train Your Dragon – $43.3 million opening weekend
What bothers me is that How To Train Your Dragon is receiving some of the best reviews in Dreamworks animation history, so it should be able to attract adults who would bring their kids to see it. Somewhere along the way, audiences did not seem to be all that interested, so Dreamworks will have some analyzing to do.
Dropping from 1st place to 2nd place is Alice in Wonderland with $17.3 million. (I predicted a 3rd place finish and was bang on with my prediction as I also predicted a gross of $17.3 million). The film dropped only 49.4% from last weekend, and had a per theatre average of $5,112. Its total gross now stands at $293.1 million. To show you how rare it is for a film released between January-April to gross over $300 million, I bring you this stat. Only one film in history has grossed over $300 million that was released between January-April, and that film was 2004’s The Passion of the Christ, which has a total gross of $370.7 million (that includes its re-release which hardly accounted for anything). Alice in Wonderland will join that rare club in the next few days.
Debuting in 3rd place with a very disappointing result is Hot Tub Time Machine, with a gross of $13.6 million (I predicted a 2nd place finish and a weekend gross of $24 million). The film’s per theatre average was a very mediocre $4,956. It’s funny that I mentioned films that have their plots explained by their title on Friday. I referenced Snakes On A Plane as an example, and that film opened with a gross of $13.8 million back in 2006. Maybe Hollywood will rethink how they name movies. I do think the title turned off some people, because it is a so-called “dumb” title. The film did receive positive reviews, so I’m sure the studio was hoping to get some adults in because of that, but it failed to materialize. The opening was in line with other John Cusack headlined films. Here’s the some of the list that I gave on Friday, and how they all fare when it comes to opening weekends:
1) 1408 – $20.6 million opening weekend
2) Identity – $16.2 million opening weekend
3) Hot Tub Time Machine - $13.6 million opening weekend
4) Serendipity – $13.3 million opening weekend
5) Must Love Dogs - $12.8 million opening weekend
I’m sure Hot Tub Time Machine will find a bigger life on DVD, as it does feel like a film that you would rather see at home.
Dropping from 3rd place to 4th place is The Bounty Hunter with a gross of $12.4 million (I predicted a 4th place finish and a gross of $9.3 million). The Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler action-comedy held up quite well in its second weekend considering the very negative reviews the film has received. The per theatre average for The Bounty Hunter was $4,034, and its gross was down 40.1% from last weekend. I guarantee that this will be the last weekend that The Bounty Hunter is in the top five. After two weekends, the film has grossed $38.8 million, and will make back its budget shortly, as the cost of the film was estimated at $40 million.
Dropping from 2nd place to 5th place is Diary of a Wimpy Kid with a gross of $10 million (I predicted a 5th place finish and a gross of $8.4 million). Diary of a Wimpy Kid took the largest percentage drop in the top ten as it lost a lot of its audience to How To Train Your Dragon. It was down 54.8% from last weekend, and had a per theatre average of $3,244. The film has more than doubled its budget (estimated at $15 million), so it is a hit for the studio, but the film will definitely fade fast from theatres if it keeps dropping at this rate. After two weekends, Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s total gross is $35.7 million.
In other news, the battle for sixth place is between four films – YES – four films.
Currently, here are the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th place films at the box office:
6) She’s Out Of My League – $3.526 million
7) Green Zone - $3.350 million
8) Shutter Island - $3.175 million
9) Repo Men - $3.048 million
So we’ll see if those positions stay the same when final numbers are released on Monday.
In limited release,
Chloe finished in 15th place with a gross $1,002,000 from 350 theatres. It had a terrible per theatre average of $2,863.
Waking Sleeping Beauty had a gross of $33,100 from 5 theatres giving it a per theatre average of $6,620.
Lbs. had a gross of $10,900 from 1 theatre, so it has the same per theatre average.
Ca$h and Dancing Across Borders have yet to report their box office totals for the weekend as of this writing.
So to recap, here were my predictions:
1) How To Train Your Dragon – $75 million
2) Hot Tub Time Machine – $24 million
3) Alice in Wonderland – $17.3 million
4) The Bounty Hunter – $9.3 million
5) Diary of a Wimpy Kid – $8.4 million
And here are the actual numbers:
1) How To Train Your Dragon – $43.3 million
2) Alice in Wonderland – $17.3 million
3) Hot Tub Time Machine – $13.6 million
4) The Bounty Hunter – $12.4 million
5) Diary of a Wimpy Kid – $10 million
My top five predictions were off by $46.8 million.
Next weekend, How To Train Your Dragon will try to be the #1 film for the second weekend in a row against the action adventure film Clash of the Titans, Miley Cyrus’s latest film The Last Song, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too, and Brendan Fraser takes on nature in Furry Vengeance.
Check back next week for my predictions!
