Category Archives: CoreCorina
Watchmen Prequels: Your Reactions
With this week’s announcement of the forthcoming Watchmen Prequels came a wide variety of reactions from fans. Our own J.P. perhaps said it best in Everything is Eventual, a solid look at this bombshell announcement; but not everyone took the news with such grace and objectivity.
Our Twitter feed has been inundated with funny and insightful fan responses to the news from DC Comics.
Short of getting Alan Moore’s reaction, these are some of the best responses we’ve seen so far:
@johnnydavisesq: What no comics fan ever wanted! The #watchmen prequels are here!
Gentlemen Broncos in Saturday at the Movies
Gentlemen Broncos is one of those awesome sci-fi movies about science fiction that is simply overlooked. The trial of a young unknown author, the plagiarism of his greatest work, good vs. evil, battle stags and yeast wars; YUP. Struggling sci-fi writers, this is a movie dedicated to you.
Like other Hess films (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) Gentlemen Broncos is non-descript, with a weird worn out kitsch character treatment; and this one is really weird – like, weird in a way that will make you afraid to use hand cream.
But if like me, you have ever romanticized the life of a successful writer or struggled to write a story; if you’ve voraciously read yellow TOR paperbacks; if you remain obsessively loyal to the campy origins of sci fi, you’re probably going to love Gentlemen Broncos.
Biff Bam Pop’s Best of 2011 – Apes, Captain America, Harry Potter and More Made A Mark At The Movies
All this week, Biff Bam Pop’s various writers will drop by with their thoughts on the best of the year when it comes to tv, music, movies, comics and more. Monday, we looked at what topped our tv list, Tuesday featured our musical faves, Wednesday was all about comics while Thursday looked at the best in video games. Today, Biff Bam Pop’s writers offer up the movies that moved them most in 2011.
Shannon Watkins:
And so comes the end of the most lucrative movie franchise in history. Yes, even more than Star Wars, James Bond and Twilight. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the final chapter of the series was not a let down. The action-packed finale flew by, feeling much shorter than it’s two hours. All the loose ends were tied up and you really get a sense of how much the series has grown with the audience. Images of Harry’s once-safe haven, Hogwarts, as a crumbling and smoking battleground feel impossibly dark when compared with the shiny-goodness of the first installment.
Biff Bam Pop’s Best of 2011 – Television: American Horror Story, Breaking Bad and More
All this week, Biff Bam Pop’s various writers will drop by with their thoughts on the best of the year when it comes to tv, music, movies, comics and more. Today, here’s a list of what topped our list of tv favourites. As you’ll see, one show in particular seemed to resonate with many of our illustrious contributors:
Corina Hitchcock:
Whenever I try to describe this show to someone who hasn’t heard of American Horror Story, it comes across as something insane -and it kind of is. AHS is a sprawling, David lynch type nightmare involving a haunted house in Los Angeles, a family torn apart by infidelity, dead starlets, teen killers, a monster-baby hybrid, a guy in a rubber suit…and so much more. I sometimes wonder how the writers are going to keep the momentum going with this one, but I look forward to following along.
Jason Shayer:
American Horror Story – Smart, clever, and damn twisted. Turned off by a really weak second season of The Walking Dead, I was looking for something with bite and this show delivered. A great, compelling drama with a jaw-dropping surprises which is rare these days.
Andrew Burns:
I have a hard time believing that American Horror Story came from the same mind that gave us Glee. I love the fact that the show is on FX, as it means Ryan Murphy can take off the gloves and let loose with some of the most twisted horror ever created for television. Sure, Dylan McDermott may cry a little too much on the show, but somebody better polish off an Emmy with Jessica Lange’s name on it, as she’s doing great work as the next door neighbour you’d never want to mess with.
Shannon Watkins:
Episodes on Showtime: A TV show about making a TV show. More specifically, a TV show about an American studio ruining an adaptation of a successful British comedy. Playing himself playing the leading man, Matt Leblanc does a fantastic job of both roles. His willingness to have a major plot point hang on the fact he isn’t a particularly funny or talented actor shows that he is, actually, quite hilarious and capable of range in his portrayal of characters.
JW Ward:
Best: Community on NBC/CityTV – NBC might have decided to put the show on hiatus mid-way through its current season, but the adventures of the study group at the fictional Greendale Community College continue to be the most inventive half-hour of television you’ll find on any of the big networks.
Joel McHale, Allison Brie, Danny Pudi and Donald Glover form the best parts of an ensemble cast that delivers comedy gold week after week. From making an entire episode about role-playing games, to an exploration of western film tropes via paintball, to even the more recent homage to Heart of Darkness (because it was way better than Apocalypse Now), Community came into its own in 2011 and deserves six seasons and a movie, even if it’s now nearer to the fate of shows like Arrested Development and Firefly.
Worst – Smallville finale on The CW – Filled with more plot holes than a Michael Bay film, the culmination of Superman’s ten-year coming-of-age journey made it feel like the Boy of Steel would never man up.
When it finally came time for Tom Welling’s emo-tending Clark Kent to put on the tights, all viewers got to see was a flying animation at a great distance – not even one shot in the full super-suit. Starting out with a Clark & Lois wedding that never finishes, the epilogue skipped ahead seven years to find Lois (Erica Durance) and Clark still unmarried. And what was with Chloe, her kid and that comic book? Does that mean everyone in their universe knows Clark Kent is Superman, working away at the Daily Planet?
An angry fan could go on. Thankfully, the show didn’t.
Corina Newby:
- South Park: always relevant with a little as 6 days to air, fearless satire and a stand alone animated series
- Parks n’ Recreation: hilarious and bold character development, and a great alternative to the office which had yet to recover from the loss of steve carrell
- American Dad: jumped ahead of the Seth MacFarlane pack long ago, Roger is a beacon of comic genius, and continues to cement itself as best franchise of all three.
- Children’s Hospital: always edgy, riddled with an obscene number of comedy cameos, and heading in to its 4th season for 2012. Thank god for Rob Corddry.
- Dark Matters (doc): great documentary released round halloween about dark, twisted and true tales from scientific history.
- and although I just started watching and only in 2nd season, Breaking Bad: Bryan Cranston’s ongoing lead is nothing short of spectacular and continues to impress even after 4 incredibly high intensity seasons (heading into its fifth in 2012)
Biff Bam Pop’s Holiday Gift Guide Day 18, Part 2: iPhone Projector Case
Apple fanatics… we all know at least ONE; and for the iPhone junkie who has everything we’ve got the perfect present! In part two of today’s Holiday Gift Guide, we look at the iPhone Projector Case from Texas Instruments (TI) and specialty retailer Brookstone.
Whether you’re buying for yourself or for a fellow Apple fan, this powerful pocket-sized projector makes an awesome gift. With Texas Instrument’s Pico projector technology, this device allows you to plug your iPhone in for on-the-go video projection.
But of course the real appeal here is the prospect of subjecting others to your personal photos, videos, and apps; anywhere and at any time. With a 15-lumen-LED projection lamp (located near the headphone jack at the top) and a 0.5-Watt speaker (on the back) this device truly is a portable screening room for whatever you can access via iPhone. It works with with any app that supports dock-connector video out, including the stock Videos, Photos, and YouTube apps, and some third party apps. Reviews confirm that the Projector Case delivers on its promised up to 50” display with 640×360 native resolution. Like any projector, it works best in a dark room but can be whipped out just about anywhere. At $230 this is a beautiful price point for a device that lets you virtually photo and video bomb people with your iPhone content. You can order it from Brookstone here, and though it won’t arrive in time for the Holidays it WILL be there in time to show off all those embarrassing New Years photos. If you have an Apple fanatic on your list, the Projector Case is sure to impress!
