Hot Fuzz

Don't get me wrong, I love these guys. I'm a huge fan of Shaun of the Dead, as well as "Spaced" and even that terrible "Red Dwarf" wannabe that Nick Frost was in. Like I said, I love these guys. That said, Hot Fuzz was not what I expected.

The ads and previews make it out to be sort of like Airplane or "Police Squad!" only in a decidedly British vibe. There is a lot of that, and a lot of Shawn too. Like Almodovar or Robert Rodriguez they is much the same cast, sometimes in almost the same part, like the husband and wife pub owners. The flavor is there as well, but.

Well, in the middle of this police comedy, the flick kinda turns into a vintage Hammer horror. Again, don't get me wrong. I'm a big Hammer fan, and the boys pull off a great homage, but... I was left wondering, until the movie clicked back into police comedy mode, what the hell it was doing there. It was one hell of a ten to fifteen minute non-sequitor. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but my bride was giving me that look. You know the look that says, "You said this was a comedy, not a horror movie" and "Boy, are you going to get it when we get home."

Still, Hot Fuzz was very good, despite the slip into Hammer territory and the over the top gore effects (Timothy Dalton's fate was my favorite). Check it out, it's worth it, just brace yourself for a different kind of flick.

You've all read my thoughts on comics, here's your chance to hear what I have to say. All Things Fun, a wonderful comics/gaming/toy store in West Berlin, New Jersey, has just started their new podcast. Check it out here.

Strange Confrontation

"Strange Confrontation" - my comic book review of New Avengers #29 written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Leinil Yu is now online at Avengers Forever.

You can check it out here if you're into that sort of thing.

Enjoy. And if you'd like to discuss the review, the issue or anything Avengers-related, check out the Avengers Forever Forum.

Lady and the Bandit

Stingaree (1934) - Richard Dix plays the classic charming Ausssie outlaw Stingeree to Irene Dunn’s feisty wannabe opera singer in this forgotten William Wellman directed flick. The dashing swashbuckler and highwayman, Stingaree, had appeared in two previous silents in 1915 (of which this is a remake) and 1917. He was one of two serial characters created by screenwriter E.W. Hornung (brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle), along with Raffles, the amateur cracksman, who was also brought to film and later television. This movie features a wonderful Max Steiner score as well as an appearance by a young Andy Devine, Mary Boland as the monster who treats Dunn as her slave, and the talents of the always incomparable and endlessly entertaining Una O’Connor. Well worth hunting down and checking out.

"The Comeback"

When you come right down to it, reality television is really about voyeurism, and not nice voyeurism either. Just to get something straight up front - I'm one of the guilty here because I love it, so it's not like I'm accusing anyone. But, folks who watch reality television enjoy the misfortune of others.

Think about it. Most of the reality shows out there are, at their core, about us watching others crash and burn. And crash and burn brilliantly and dramatically. Yeah, that's entertainment. ;-) Here's a show that plays specifically to that viewer factor.

HBO's "The Comeback" is not a reality show but it pretends to be one oh so well. The concept revolves around an aging former sitcom star, Valerie Cherish, played wonderfully and sadly by Lisa Kudrow of "Friends" fame. Cherish is followed constantly and invasively by a reality show camera crew while she's trying to make a comeback to sitcom television. Her attempts to make herself look good are tragic, bittersweet and hapless. You really feel for her in a world she once ruled but now shuns her.

"The Comeback" plays up every angle of network television manipulating everything behind the scenes in both reality and sitcom television, and in short is both a terrific satire and commentary on the industry. Kudrow is at her best when she reveals for very brief moments that she knows what's going on. Great show, definitely check it out.