Thursday, 5 June 2014

Monthly Movie Madness: June 2014

After a great May to kick off the Summer Movie Season we slow down a bit here in June but there is still some quality films hitting up your local multiplex.

5. Transformers: Age Of Extinction: Okay, I know I'm the number one supporter of franchise fatigue... Especially with the Transformers series. The first film was good, the second was a little worse and the third was downright annoying. Though even director Michael Bay must have realized this rebooting the franchise with a new star in Mark Wahlberg and the inclusion of the dinobots.

Synopsis: The Transformers film series continues with this fourth entry from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg. Mark Wahlberg and Jack Reynor star. Four years after the conclusion of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, a mechanic (Wahlberg) and his daughter discover a deactivated Optimus Prime. Meanwhile, a powerful, ingenious businessman and a group of scientists attempt to learn from past Transformer incursions and push the boundaries of technology beyond what they can control.

4. Snowpiercer: Chris Evans stars in the first English film from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host). The ratings are good as are the box office receipts as it's already earned more than 50 million in South Korea.

Synopsis: Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. When an experiment to counteract global warming causes an ice age that kills nearly all life on Earth, the only survivors are people travelling on a massive train called Snowpiercer. Powered by a perpetual-motion engine, it travels on a track that spans the globe. The inhabitants of the train soon find a class system installed, with the wealthy taking over the front of the train and the starving poor forced to live behind locked doors at the tail, where food is sometimes delivered to them in protein blocks by armed guards. The guards also periodically take some of their children. One of the leaders of the tail inhabitants, Curtis (Chris Evans), stages a revolt to unlock the doors dividing each car so they can get to where the elite live in luxury and take over.

3. Edge Of Tomorrow: Here's a movie that wasn't even on my radar. I like Cruise and Blunt but this looked like Oblivion meets The Source Code. Two movies I thought missed the mark. But the early reviews (88% on RT) are amazing so it climbed up to number 3 on my list.

Synopsis: The epic action of "Edge of Tomorrow" unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop-forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

2. 22 Jump Street: Deuces are wild here as 22 lands at 2 for my most anticipated movies coming in June. In a month lacking comedy and movies aimed at females (Fault In Our Stars excluded) 22 Jump Street is going to have big numbers as both Hill (Coming off Wolf Of Wall Street) and Tatum (Coming off The Lego Movie) are having big years thus far and it's about to get 22 times better.

Synopsis: After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don't have to just crack the case - they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow from freshmen into real men, college might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

1. How To Train Your Dragon 2: Like I wasn't going to put this at number 1? The two headed monster of How To Train Your Dragon 2 and 22 Jump Street open the same weekend and don't be surprised if it's the biggest weekend of the year. But if I could only pick one I know which I'm going to see.

Synopsis: DreamWorks Animation returns to the world of dragons and Vikings in this sequel to their successful 2010 outing How to Train Your Dragon. The original film followed the exploits of a Viking chief's son, who must capture a dragon in order to mark his passage into manhood and prove his worthiness to the tribe. It's been five years since Hiccup and Toothless have made peace with the dragons and the Vikings of Berk. During one of the adventures of Hiccup and Toothless, they come across an ice cave that serves as a haven for the dragons and Hiccup's long-lost mother Valka. Hiccup and Toothless are then dragged into a battle when the dragon hunter Drago Bludvist plans to build a dragon army to take over the world.

Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Comic Shop Corner: June 2014

The first wednesday of June is here! Let's check out my picks for this month.

June Donny-Approved Series:

Hermes Press' Scratch 9: Cat Of Nine Worlds
IDW's Super Secret Crisis War
IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time

Biggest storylines:

Dark Horse Comics: The Return of Dream Thief

That's right kiddos. Last year's breakout fast paced gritty drama is back as John Lincoln yet again dawns the mask. For those of you that missed out on the original 5 issue mini series, here's the run down. John Lincoln steals an Aboriginal mask from a museum, vengeful spirits possess his body and mind while he sleeps! As the Dream Thief, he accrues the memories and skills of murder victims and fights to stay awake, before he kills again! In Escape John must defend the felon possessed by his father’s ghost (Daddy Dearest was also a Dream Thief) . . . and get revenge against his killer! Again Dream Thief is written by Bram Stroker Award Winner Jai Nitz. But don't take my word for it... Jonathan Hickman also loves it!

DC Comics: The Wake Conclusion

Everyone loves Scott Snyder... Mostly for writing Batman, a little bit for Swamp Thing and Detective Comics, even more niche is American Vampire... But perhaps he is least known for The Wake... Which really is a shame since it's one of his best runs... The creator owned series that Buzzfeed called “the best horror comic of the year” and Comics Alliance rated “most unpredictable” and “uncanny and uncategorizable” comes to a shocking conclusion. Along for the ride has been artist Sean Murphy who's layouts and panels are the perfect artistic component to Snyder's writing. So in this final issue #10 we will finally learn if Leeward uncovers a history buried thousands of leagues beneath the sea – or will the waves come crashing down on what little land is left? I for one can not be more thrilled. If you missed out on The Wake make sure you pick up the trade through DC's Vertigo imprint... Like right now... GO!

*Edit: The Wake #10 is now scheduled for release July 16, 2014

IDW Publishing: Cartoon Network: Super Secret Crisis War

All your favourite Cartoon Netowrk characters are in one epic six-issue mini-series that debuts in June. The devious demon Aku has called together a League of Extraordinary Villains—composed of malevolent miscreants from different cartoon universes. When their evil robots show up in the world's of The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, Samurai Jack, Dexter's Laboratory and (even) Ed, Edd and Eddy, it's up to all these fearless heroes to band together and put an end to the League's nefarious plot of interdimensional conquest! Don't forget to pick up the 5 one-shots featuring such characters as Johnny Bravo, Cow & Chicken, The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy, Codename: Kids Next Door and Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends which will also be released monthly starting in July with Johnny Bravo.

Image Comics: Outcast

Okay so outside of Image Comics fanboys and girls this title doesn't sound like much... But dig a little deeper and there's a reson this book is basically a guranteed sell out on it's first printing. But why? It's from Robert Kirkman, Image darling/creator of The Walking Dead, It's also Kirkman's first original horror book since The Walking Dead #1 came out over a decade ago. In Outcast, Kyle Barnes has been plagued by demonic possession all his life and now he needs answers. Unfortunately, what he uncovers along the way could bring about the end of life on Earth as we know it. It's got me intrigued!

Marvel Comics: Savage Hulk

Okay in reality Original Sin is still in full swing over at Marvel in June but I just spotlighted that last month so I'm avoiding using it again which left me with slim pickings. 2 issues of Original Sins and single issues of Fantastic Four, All-New Invaders, Nova, Avengers, Deadpool, Mighty Avengers and 5(Five!?) issues of Original Sin (3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4)... So yeah but hey! Savage Hulk sounds great and you can't read too much about the Emerald Giant... Alan Davis writes and draws a blockbuster story pitting the HULK against… the X-MEN!?!?! Learn the startling secret of Professor Xavier’s connection to Bruce Banner! Guest starring the Leader and the Abomination!

Other top titles:

Boom Entertainment's Big Trouble Little China

Description: Jack Burton, a macho, truck-driving adventurer, finds a stowaway hiding on his rig, “The Pork Chop Express”, but that soon becomes the least of his troubles. He helped his best friend Wang save his fiancĂ©e from the clutches of a demon, but now the wedding has been invaded by more evil forces with one thing on their minds-revenge against Jack Burton!

Hermes Press' Scratch 9: Cat Of Nine Worlds

Description: Continuing directly from the Free Comic Book Day issue comes the all new, feature-length Scratch9 adventure. The evil Dr. Schrodinger is back and he’s out to even the score with the world’s most lovable cat hero. This time the mad scientist has help from Strick, a cat like Scratch who has power over his nine lives. Fans who read the FCBD edition are sure to be clamoring for this breath-stealing feline battle-royale for all ages! First issue of a monthly eight-issue story arc!

IDW Publishing's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles: Turtles In Time

Description: A brand new mini-series from Paul Allor, Erik Burnham and some of the best IDW TMNT artists ever! The Turtles become unstuck in time and go spinning into the past! First stop: the prehistoric age, where they are far from the most dangerous reptiles around! Will the Turtles be able to find their way home without damaging history?

Image Comics' Wildfire

Description: Is genetically modified food an end to world hunger or a first class ticket to the apocalypse? Dan Miller is a plant biologist working with a small team perfecting an accelerated plant growth process. When things go wrong, Los Angeles pays the price in a disaster story unlike any before.

So that's it for this month, I'm glad I've been getting a lot of positive feedback from this new set-up. Unfortunetly with my commitments to blog for BigBComics.com I can't keep up with a weekly anymore but your kind words make this a lot easier to swallow. Thanks again and have a great month at the Comic Shop

Sunday, 25 May 2014

Special: Free Comic Book Day 2014 Rankings And Reviews

 You may have noticed that over on my twitter (@DonnyForTheWin) that I have been reviewing my Free Comic Book Day comics as I've read them. You may also remember that before Free Comic Book Day I posted a list here of my preliminary rankings. Well I've decided to combine the two and do a post revising my list with how the books actually were. I listed the books I got ranked from 34 to 1 and also included my twitter review as well as their original rankings there were some big movers (Hip-Hop Family Tree, Rise Of The Magi) and some big fallers (Spongebob, Rocket Raccoon) so on with the list!
 
 34. Hermes Press's Buck Rogers
Original Ranking: 52.
33. Avatar Press's Uber #0: The First Cycle
Original Ranking: 34.
32. Comic Book Legal Defence Fund's Help The CBLDF Defend Comics
Original ranking: 35.
31. Archie's Archie Digest
Original ranking: 40.
30. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Presents: Raising A Reader
Original ranking: 57.
29. Arcana's The Intrinsict
Original ranking: 21.
28. Zenoscope's Grimm Fairy Tales #0: Age Of Darkness
Original ranking: 37.
27. Perfect Square's Hello Kitty and Friends
Original ranking: 56.
26. Action Lab Danger Zone's Zombie Tramp/Ehmm Theory
Original ranking: 13.
25. IDW's Transformers Vs. G.I. Joe
Original ranking: 19.
24. Dark Horse's Avatar: The Last Airbender/Itty Bitty Hellboy/Juice Squeezers
Original ranking: 26.
23. United Plankton's Spongebob Squarepants Freestyle Funnies 2014
Original ranking: 12.
22. Capstone Press's The Adventures Of Jellaby
Original ranking: 46.
21. 12 Gauge's Sherwood Texas/The Boondock Saints
Original ranking: 20.
20. Marvel's Rocket Raccoon
Original ranking: 10.
19. Comixtribe's SCAM Crosswords #0
Original ranking: 31
18. Red 5's Atomic Robo & Friends
Original ranking: 29
17. Bleeding Cool's Bleeding Cool Magazine
Original ranking: 18
16. PapercutzThe Smurfs
Original ranking: 11.
15. Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy
Original ranking: 8.
14. Bongo's Bongo Comics Free-For-All
Original ranking: 9.
13. FantagraphicsHip-Hop Family Tree Two-In-One Free
Original ranking: 51.
12. DC's Teen Titans Go! #1
Original ranking: 14
11. Image's Rise Of The Magi
Original ranking: 22.
10. New England's The Tick
Original ranking: 6.
9. FantagraphicsWalt Disney's Uncle Scrooge & Donald Duck: A Matter Of Some Gravity


Original ranking: 4.
8. IDW's V-Wars
Original ranking: 17.
7. PapercutzMighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Original ranking: 3.
6. BOOM!'s Kaboom! Summer Blast
Original ranking: 16.
5. Archie's Sonic The Hedgehog/Megaman X Flipbook
Original ranking: 7.
4. Archaia's Hardcover Anthology
Original ranking: 15.
3. DC's The New 52: Future's End
Original ranking: 1.
2. Hermes Press's Scratch 9 
Original ranking: 2.
1. Comixtribe's Epic #0
Original ranking: 5.

Books I didn't get with original rankings:

55. Drawn & Quarterly Presents: Shigeru Mizuki's Showa: A History Of Japan

54. Udon's Les Miserables: The Fall Of Fantine

53. Gemstone's Overstreet's Comic Book Marketplace

50. Alterna's Fubar: The Ace Of Spades

49. Diamond's Previewsworld Spectacular

48. Oni Press's Courtney Crumrin

47. Th3rd World Studios Presents: Finding Gossamyr: Way Of The Bladeslinger

45. Graphix Spotlight: The Dumbest Idea Ever

44. Epicenter's Magic Wind

43. Aspen's World's Of Aspen

42. Top Shelf's Top Shelf Kids Club

41. Antarctic Press's Steam Wars

39. Epicenter's Entropy

38. Valiant's Valiant 2014: Unity Versus The Armor Hunters

36. Red Giant's 4 Comic Bundle (Giant-Size Fantasy; Action; Adventure; Thrills)

33. Action Lab's Skyward/Midnight Tiger



32. 2000 AD's 2000 AD Special

30. Viz Media's All You Need Is Kill/Terra Formars

28. Automatic Picture's Ipso Facto

27. Dark Horse's Project Black Sky

25. Valiant's Valiant Universe: Handbook 2014

24. Udon's Street Fighter #0

23. Automic Picture's Far From Wonder: Volume 1: Hatter M

Saturday, 24 May 2014

Top 10 Countdown: May 24, 2014

10. Mayday Parade - Hold Onto Me
Last week: 10.

9. Man Overboard - Wide Awake
Last week: NEW!

8. The Mezingers - I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore
Last week: 9.

7. Man Overboard - How To Hide Your Feelings
Last week: 4.

6. All Time Low - The Irony Of Choking On A Lifesaver
Last week: 7.

5. A Loss For Words - All This Time
Last week: 6.

4. Brigades - Small Time Crooks
Last week: 5.

3. The Summer Set - Lightning In A Bottle
Last week: 3.

2. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! - All Star
Last week: 2.

1. The Wonder Years - Dismantling Summer
Last week: 1.

Sunday, 18 May 2014

Special: Godzilla Review

Well this Sunday I'm being lazy. Me and my good friend Mike have started a new blog over at www.flyingmonkeyreviews.blogspot.ca and today we tackled Godzilla. So check that out here and we'll see you next weekend. http://flyingmonkeyreviews.blogspot.ca/2014/05/flying-monkey-reviews-godzilla-2014.html?m=1

Saturday, 17 May 2014

Top 10 Countdown: May 17, 2014

10. Mayday Parade - Hold Onto Me
Last week: NEW!

9. The Mezingers - I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore
Last week: 10.

8. Modern Baseball - Your Graduation
Last week: 8.

7. All Time Low - The Irony Of Choking On A Lifesaver
Last week: NEW!

6. A Loss For Words - All This Time
Last week: NEW!

5. Brigades - Small Time Crooks
Last week: 5.

4. Man Overboard - How To Hide Your Feelings
Last week: 1.

3. The Summer Set - Lightning In A Bottle
Last week: 4.

2. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! - All Star
Last week: 3.

1. The Wonder Years - Dismantling Summer
Last week: 2.

Saturday, 10 May 2014

Top 10 Countdown: May 10, 2014

Saturday! Music! Yay!

10. The Mezingers - I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore
Last week: NEW!

9. Taking Back Sunday - Stood A Chance
Last week: 4.

8. Modern Baseball - Your Graduation
Last week: 9.

7. Fireworks - Glowing Crosses
Last week: 7.

6. Fall Out Boy Feat. Courtney Love - Rat A Tat
Last week: 2.

5. Brigades - Small Time Crooks
Last week: 8.

4. The Summer Set - Lightning In A Bottle
Last week: 6.

3. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! - All Star
Last week: 5.

2. The Wonder Years - Dismantling Summer
Last week: 3.

1. Man Overboard - How To Hide Your Feelings
Last week: 1.