(Comic) Can't get the Butcher Back....a look at Oink: Heaven's Butcher

This comic was recommended by a guy I met recently when I went to see Kevin Smith and Jay Mewes at the Sydney Opera House. 

I never got his name, but apparently he went by the handle "Crowboy" on Ebay. He was in the row in front of me, so if you happen to know the guy, let him know that this one is for him.

In an Orwellian Dystopian future, humans make slaves of men/pig hybrids and force them to slaughter pigs for food. They are poorly treated and indoctrinated into a belief that they are not worthy of "heaven" because of their forms. A young priest goes to see the Oink, the pigman who butchered heaven for his final confession before he is executed. The pigman tells his story.

As a young slave, Oink sees one of his brethren brutally killed, but as far as his cellmates and the clergy are concerned, that pigman was "saved."

Questions burning in his heart, Oink challenges the system and burns it to the ground. 

Throughout history, pigs have always been a representation for uncleanliness. This comic is no exception, complete with half man, half pig hybrids. As far as most would be concerned, this is the height of abomination and filth. 

I turned the pages with a mix of fascination and horror. These people who stand at what they consider to be heaven mistreating these hybrid folk because they were different. It was unforgiving in its storytelling and was visceral in its visuals.

The art style looked to be digitally coloured and drawn and looked like it was made up of slash markings, which I found beautiful, yet difficult to look at. Like watching someone get tattooed. 

In any case, this brutal and hellish comic is more than worthy of 5 stars.

(Comic) Wrath of Khan....a look at Ms. Marvel

This recommendation comes from my best mate, Sarah. She crochets and she's pretty awesome. You can find her over on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/shinyshinycrochet

Thanks dude! 

Everyone knows of the days when Carol Danvers was Ms. Marvel. With the swimsuit looking "armour" and the thigh high boots. 

Danvers inspired many people as Ms. Marvel, but none so much as Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American living in Jersey City. A massive superhero geek and Spider-Marvel shipper, she writes fanfics in her spare time.

One night, she decides to disobey her parents and sneak out to a party to see what it's like. Once Kamala realises it's not all that it's cracked up to be, she tries to make her way home. On the way, she encounters the Terrigen Mists, that were released by the Inhuman King, Black Bolt. After falling unconscious and having a bizarre hallucinogenic dream about Captain Marvel speaking Urdu (The language of Pakistani,) Kamala steps forth with the ability to shapeshift and elongate her body.

This is the beginning of Kamala taking on the mantle of Ms. Marvel. Soon she is helping people in a trial and error fashion. Making it up as she goes and using video games to cope with combat, Kamala is a young woman the demographic can relate to. 

What's more, it's nice to see Marvel making their roster more diverse and including more than just cis gendered white people. (Funny, coming from a cis gendered white guy, but hey, everyone needs a character to relate to.)

Kamala is incredibly likeable in that she tries her hardest to do the right thing, despite her parent's rules. She also geeks out frequently, which makes her even more likeable. 

The art is unlike anything I've seen before. Everything looks so soft and has a glow about it. Seeing hard lines during the night moments make it visually fascinating to look at. 

Overall, Ms. Marvel is a compelling story that shows a lot of culture while being respectful. The panels are a feast for the eyes in their soft textures during the day and their slightly harder textures during the night. 

I'm going to give this comic 5 stars. 

(Movie) A fine wine....a look at the Intern

I went to see this with the iron matriarch on Monday. We'd seen the trailer and talked about going to see it, so we were pretty excited. (She also got out of letting pay for her ticket! Incorrigible.)

I'd seen some of the reviews for it, too (Jeremy Jahns and Chris Stuckmann are two such guys I subscribe to on YouTube,) and they seemed to enjoy it.

But enough of expectations and reviewers! Was it worth watching?

Let's find out! 

Story/Dialogue: A retired widower Ben Whittaker (Robert DeNiro) has sent in an application video for a seniors intern program at an online fashion company run by Jules Ostin, (Anne Hathaway) a quirky boss who excels at micromanaging.

As Ben deals with being back in the workforce, Jules struggles with the decision to hand over control to a CEO. 

Now, let me be very clear on this point! This is not a romantic comedy. At least, not in the traditional sense. Blake Snyder will tell you that all buddy comedies are romance stories and to a point, he's right.

However, we're dealing with love in a friendship capacity. It explores dynamic of two people with a massive age gap and no romantic interest in each other. Ben, even as an intern, plays a mentor to Jules, who challenges him and keeps him on his toes. 

It's this chemistry that works really well throughout the movie. 

The other thing is that it's incredibly funny. There were a lot of instances throughout the movie that were both tastefully done, yet still hilarious. 

While the dialogue isn't prose from the tongue of the Bard, it's perfectly suited to the film. Not groundbreaking, but not clunky. 

Cinematography: The camera seemed to reflect Jules in that there was no handheld element. Dolly shots made grand sweeps of the streets of Brooklyn and the remodelled warehouse that Jules works in. 

I think the only instance where I was irked by the lighting was when Jules was in bed and even though the lights were off, there was this weird glow as if there was a skylight right on their bed. It was an interesting shot, but it kind of took me out of the story, which bugged me. 

Unlike the camera shots, the framing was often unbalanced. Characters would all stand to one side leaving 2/3's of the screen empty. However, this is not a complaint, merely an observation. It allowed all the focus to be on the characters in the scene, but didn't allow for much visual storytelling. 

Audio: The score contained a lot of flutes, which made the shots of Brooklyn feel whimsical. It also included a lot of upbeat piano and more bar appropriate music in those scenes.  A lot of the other times, it wasn't all that memorable.

The atmos tracks were well layered and added an air of authenticity, while maintaining that same movie quality. It's often difficult to balance that, so it's something that I greatly appreciated.

Overall: Frankly, this movie was everything I hoped for and more. The acting was excellent, the humour was funny and tasteful and you can't help but like each of the characters. It really shows that even though you may be retired, you still have plenty more to teach and to learn. 

Lastly, I also loved how the beginning and the end shots mirrored each other. It was a nice touch.

5 Stars.

Thus ends this review.

(Movie) I need some space....a look at the Martian

When it comes to watching movies, I have two rules.

1: Anything surrounding hype is not to be watched until the hype has died down. (I've still yet to see Frozen)

2: Pick movies based on the story, not on the cast in the movie.

This movie is the first in which I've broken the rules I've set for myself. 

Why?

Let's review! 

Story/ Dialogue: The story follows a crew on a mission to Mars. One of the crew is presumed dead and left behind on the red planet after the crew had to leave abruptly. This crew member, Mark Watney (Matt Damon), must survive a certain amount of solar days until NASA can get him home.

This is a classic tale of man vs. nature. What's interesting however is that it cuts between Earth, the Hermes (the ship that the rest of the crew are on,) and Mars. Everybody has their own way of handling the situation. Teddy Sanders, played by Jeff Daniels, is trying to not cause a panic and doesn't want to tell the crew, because he wants them to focus on the mission.

Meanwhile, Mark needs to find a way to grow food while everyone finds a way to get him back.

Arguably the best thing about this movie is Mark's determination to survive. He tackles the task with humour and a plucky, can-do attitude. It makes you want to root for him and make sure he gets home.

The other thing is the tension. This guy is in space, so making sure he doesn't suffocate is the top priority. Even though the situations are different, the tension only increases. I was literally on the edge of my seat by the climax of this film.

The dialogue is snappy and a lot of it makes you laugh. There's even a few references in there to satisfy your inner geek.

Cinematography: You and I have seen deserts. Sandy with a couple of rocky mountains, right? Well, if you add a filter, you can make it look like Mars. I know this probably sounded sarcastic in your head, but it was actually praise. They resolved the challenge of making a desolate place interesting. With all the sweeping shots, you really get this sense of isolation. The framing is well composed and nothing looks visually boring. 

One of the better parts about the visuals is that you couldn't tell what was green screened and what wasn't. I mean, the space scenes were (or were they? CONSPIRACY!) but the rest of the scenes look liked they'd been shot in the same place Mad Max: Fury Road was shot.

Seriously though, fantastic visuals and framing.

Audio: I love how a lot of the music tied into the story. It added humour and an extra layer of suspense to the overarching story. What's more is that I really enjoyed how balanced the sounds, dialogue and music were well balanced. None of them seemed to overtake the others, which I really liked. 

The score had an tension raising element with some electronica flowing throughout which I really enjoyed.

Overall: The Martian is a movie best seen from the edge of your seat. Not only is there a fantastic cast, there's more funny moments to outweigh the crap (if you've seen the movie, you'll understand the pun,) Mark gets into. 

It's well worth the watch and is one of my picks for best movies of 2015. 

Which is also why it warrants a Ravensmark (Picture pending,) a symbol for movies, comics and books of the highest calibre. 

Thus ends this review. 

(Comic) Let's do the time warp again! A look at Marvel 1602

I read this back in 2008 and while I fell in love with it (I'll explain why in a moment,) I didn't pay attention to the author.

Years and a growing admiration for Mr. Gaiman later I come across this story again.

As I swipe right to turn the pages on my tablet I fell in love with this story once more.

The story follows Nicholas Fury and Stephen Strange, the head of intelligence and court magician respectively to Queen Elizabeth the 1st.

Now, while both of these characters might not surprise you, there are other characters that feature in this story. Matt Murdoch, better known as the Daredevil, Peter Parquagh and Carlos Javier and his band of Witchbreed.

The story focuses on a treasure being brought back from the Crusades in Jerusalem and people are trying to find it. There's also a sense that the timeline is out of whack and they need to find the cause.

Now, I'm not usually one for what if stories as that's my entire process as a writer. It literally starts with, "What if?" So when I usually see things like this, I question the point of their general existence.

However, (and I'm not saying this because I love Gaiman's work,) I found it incredibly immersive story wise, the characters are likeable (Try and not like Matt Murdoch, I dare you,) and seeing the true nature of characters is fascinating to look at.

One of the reveals in this left me going, "huh, well that's a thing," in a scenario that people would normally try to play up. But no, it's done with respect and tact and they move on from that.

I feel as though in some instances I remove myself from the story as it gets to be too dialogue heavy and I want to focus on the artwork.

The artwork drags your eyeballs further into the world as the pieces add another dimension to the old school atmosphere of the comic.  

Overall, this piece by Gaiman and his crew is excellent, but at times I wished it weren't so dialogue heavy. I found this incredibly disconnecting.

So I'm going to give this four and a half stars.

(Comic) Be vewy, vewy qwiet......a look at Batman: Hush

Many thanks to Josh and John over at Gotham Knights Fan Films for this recommendation! Give their facebook page a like. https://www.facebook.com/GothamKnightsFanFilms

As a kid, I grew up watching the Tim Burton Batman films. The music in those films was awesome and I was always running around like I was in the Batmobile.

Funny story, when I was 5, I tried to leave the house dressed as Batman to fight crime. At like, midnight. 

I was the night....until my mum tried to catch me leaving the house. 

In any case, let's talk about Batman: Hush.

This story follows Batman and his quest to find the person messing with him and his city. It features a large cast of heroes and villains that are intricately interwoven throughout the plot. In the story we see Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, Clayface, the Joker, amongst. This also includes Oracle, Nightwing, Catwoman and Red Robin.

As we follow Batman, we learn more about his childhood friend and how a man wrapped in bandages is using him like a puppet on a string. We see the bandaged man, who knows so much about Batman that we wonder who he truly is.

What's brilliant about this comic's writing is that you never truly know who Hush is until the very end. You're lead on a merry journey that immerses you in all the Batman lore or at least a lot of it. 

What's more is that I like the dynamic between Batman and Catwoman. While yes it's a heteronormative relationship, Catwoman is her own woman. Yes she takes orders from Batman in some instances, but she's still her own woman and it's great to see her exercise her own power. The fact she keeps Bruce on his toes is super important and I respect the writer a lot for that.

I loved this comic and would love to check out more. 

So I'm going to give it 5 stars.

(Movie) Why so complicated? A look at Fallen Angels

This film was recommended by Paz (pazvsstuff.blogspot.co.uk) Thanks Paz! 

After last week's review of Chungking Express, I made a friend in Paz and she looked over the review. Naturally, her response was that we can't be friends, but she was obviously kidding, otherwise I wouldn't be doing the review she recommended. 

The question is, did this movie redeem Wong Kar-Wai in my eyes?

Let's review!

Story/Dialogue: Like its predecessor, Fallen Angels is set into two parts. The first story follows a hitman who gets his jobs from a woman who cleans his house. She has a crush on him but he can't reciprocate, as he ends up with a blonde. This leads us into the second story, where she finds out about 'Blondie' and we're introduced to a mute escaped convict who is hiding out with his father. For work, he breaks into other people's businesses and treats it as his own, often physically forcing people to buy his wares. 

The story in this sequel (In a lot of ways, that's what Fallen Angels is,) is a lot more cohesive and it tends to jump back and forth between the characters, which is something I really appreciated. When I get involved with a film, I like knowing who my characters are in the beginning and why I should care about them. Though the ex-con was introduced later, he was introduced in a subtle fashion and woven into the narrative a lot better than the characters in the previous movie. 

I found the characters likeable, if somewhat ridiculous (Perhaps that's why I liked them,) and found the story a lot more engaging than Chungking. Though it has a few references to the first movie, it could be classed as a stand alone if you've never seen Chungking Express. 

Cinematography: Wong Kar-Wai's handheld style feels a lot better in this story, giving us a fly on the wall perspective and letting us look at people from angles that we'd never consider. This gives the shot an out of place look, which shows our character's discomfort in some instances, or makes them feel small in others.

There was a scene filmed an ice cream truck which I found funny as there were people packed in like sardines and you could practically feel the discomfort of the tight space.

I also really enjoyed the film's shots on the roads. Sometimes it'd up or lower the frame rate, depending on the atmosphere and it worked really well in terms of story.

Audio: The tracks of this film really set the atmosphere. From jaunty, jazzy beats to distant sounds of nightclubs, you always got the feel of Hong Kong nightlife. Even its pockets of people listening to individual tracks that didn't feel as though fit in actually worked out well to represent how a person feels in the midst of their experiences. 

The subs were well written, and easily understood.

Overall: Yet again I was pleasantly surprised this week. Fallen Angels ended up being a lot better than I expected. There was a lot more structure to the story and it was a lot easier to follow. While in some cases the acting was a bit ridiculous and the narration kind of bugged me, (Though it was necessary for the mute,) overall, this movie was a delight to watch. 

5 Stars.