Monthly Archive for January, 2009

Battlefields: Dear Billy

Published on January 31, 2009 in Comics.

Garth Ennis continues his superb Battlefields series with Dear Billy, a three issue mini-series focused on a British nurse and R.A.F. fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Ennis presents the story in a series of flashbacks as a nurse is writing a letter to her presumed lover, unveiling secrets she’s kept hidden from everyone.

Most World War II stories focus on the European theater of war, with the Allies versus the Nazis. Everyone knew who the bad guys were, it was clear cut and people had no problem identifying the enemy. In the Pacific theater it was a bit different, the Japanese were known for their savagery. Soldiers were fearless, ferocious and committed acts against civilians and military forces that none had seen before. People weren’t used to battling the Japanese, it was a new experience and the style of the warfare was unfamiliar to them. It was something they had to quickly adapt to.

From the opening pages, Ennis portrays how brutal the Japanese forces were. From raping and murdering nurses to executing wounded soldiers, the tone has been set for what we can expect. In a testament to his writing, Ennis is then able to transport us to a charming and innocent love story. The transition is smooth and fits the story perfectly. He creates characters you care about and sympathize with.

Artist Peter Snejbjerg did an excellent job with the art chores. He’s got a simple, line drawn style but one that’s expressive. The characters faces tell the story and you’re able to feel their emotions when reading what’s going on. The range of emotions you see really emphasize the severity of the situation their in. It gives the art a sense of life.

Battlefields: Dear Billy is a finely crafted comic. From the excellent writing to the expressive artwork is clear that we’ve got another winner on our hands. More people should be reading Ennis’ works, and that includes his Battlefields series. Whether you enjoy a good war story or not, this is something that you should be reading.

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Idiot of the Week – Pt. 179

Published on January 30, 2009 in Idiot of the Week.

Capac, Mich. (AP) – Authorities in Michigan say a 24-year-old man broke into a gas station and called 911 on himself, claiming he wanted to go to jail to be with his incarcerated brother.

St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon tells the Times Herald of Port Huron that deputies obliged, arresting the man early Tuesday.

Authorities say the man called the emergency number about 4:30 a.m. from inside the gas station in Capac, a village northeast of Detroit. He said he had had broken in about 20 minutes earlier.

The man’s name wasn’t released pending an arraignment.

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Hulk Vs.

Published on January 29, 2009 in Movies.

Marvel has been steadily releasing direct-to-DVD animated films based on their properties for the past few years, starting with Ultimate Avengers in 2005 we’ve seen the House of Ideas offer new interpretations of familiar characters. With their latest release, Hulk Vs., fans get to see the green goliath battle two of Marvel’s mightiest heroes.

Unlike past releases, this “movie” is broken into two animated episodes, with a total running time of just over an hour and twenty minutes. Given that there are two separate stories, the time allotted to each doesn’t do them justice. The stories feel rushed and could easily be tackled in one of Marvel’s latest cartoon series.

The first story is Hulk Vs. Wolverine, inspired by events from the first Wolverine appearance in comics, The Incredible Hulk issue 180. Tthe story takes place in the Canadian wilderness where the Hulk appears to have gone on a rampage and Wolverine is called in by “Department H” to stop him. Unfortunately a team from the Weapon X project is also tracking the Hulk and they come across the two knee deep in action. The Weapon X team, comprised of Deadpool, Sabretooth, Omega Red and Lady Deathstrike manage to capture both Logan and the Hulk and transport them to a secret facility where they plan on transforming both in human weapons. The remainder of the film deals with Wolverine and Hulk escaping from the facility where they’re being held. It was more, Hulk and Wolverine vs. Weapon X then Hulk vs. Wolverine.

The second story is Hulk vs. Thor. In it, with the help of Amora, Loki brings Hulk to Asgard during Odin’s annual winter rest, a time when the kingdom is vulnerable to attack. Loki, the Viking god of mischief and mayhem and step-brother to Thor, is able to separates Banner from the Hulk giving us two separate beings. Loki then takes control of the Hulk and storms the gates of Asgard in an attempt to overthrow the kingdom. His plan is to use the Hulk to kill his brother and take control. Unfortunately his control over the Hulk is broken and he green goliath heads straight for Odin’s tower. Without Odin, Asgard would fall and the Ragnarok would be unleashed.

The only way to stop the Hulk is to reunite him with Dr. Banner. Unfortunately Loki killed him and we find that Banner has been sent into Hela’s realm. With the reluctant help of Loki, Thor must find a way to bring Bruce back and stop the coming of Ragnarok. One problem I had was that it’s never made clear as to why the Hulk has decided to attack Asgard and head for Odin. While he’s gone berserk, he’s still aware enough to know exactly where to strike. He still has enough sense to plan attacks and execute him, it doesn’t make sense really.

Both stories were written and produced by comic scribes Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost. They have a familiarity with the characters and try to deliver what the fans want to see, but they lack a coherent way of stringing the story together. It’s always exciting to see the Hulk and Wolverine going at it, but after a while it gets a little old. There needed to be more meat to the stories, instead all we get are fight fests. While they might be fun to watch, they don’t make for a compelling movie.

One particular thing that bothered me was the portrayal of Dr. Bruce Banner. Banner was a pioneer, a genius forced to run from the rage and destruction that his anger caused. He was a tortured soul, but he wasn’t a weakling. He wasn’t a coward. Unfortunately, that’s how he’s portrayed in both of the “movies”. It goes against almost everything we know of Dr. Banner and the Hulk.

Art wise, it looks fantastic for the most part. The backgrounds are painted and look superb, especially in HD on blu-ray. At times the characters might look a little odd in their presentation, but this was primarily limited to the Thor “movie”. It looked rushed in some parts, and others it looked superb. The Wolverine story looked great and it was fun seeing their interpretation of Deadpool, Sabertooth and company.

Overall, while Hulk Vs. is nothing more then a smash fest with very little substance. It’s always a pleasure to see Wolverine tearing it up, but if there’s no connection to the story it gets boring. The decision to break it up into two separate stories ultimately hurt the “movie”. There wasn’t enough time to draw you in and make you care. This is probably Marvel’s worst animated release so far.

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Have You Seen This Cat??

Published on January 28, 2009 in Funnies.

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Defiance

Published on January 27, 2009 in Movies.

Edward Zwick is back behind the camera in his latest reality based movie, Defiance. Starring Daniel Craig, Live Schreiber and Jamie Bell, the film is based on the Bielski brothers and their courageous act in saving over 1,200 Jews from the Nazi’s in Belorussia from 1941-1943.

Summer of 1941 saw the Nazi’s invade Belorussia as part of Operation Barbarossa. With the Nazi forces taking command of small villages came the inevitable atrocities, Jews being rounded up and shot dead. Off in the woods witnessing the atrocities was Zus Bielski, played by Schreiber, and his younger brother Asael, played by Bell. After the Nazi’s move on the two brothers venture onto their families farm only to find their parents killed. Luckily their youngest brother Aron, played by George MacKay, was hidden under the floorboards of a closet, and managed to survive. The brothers decide to make a run for it in the woods that they grew up in, in the hopes that they could survive the occupation.

The three brothers meet up with the eldest brother Tuvia, played by Craig, and start accepting other displaced Jews into their group. Soon they find themselves forming an armed resistance and their numbers begin to swell. The more that join the group the more aggressive the brothers become in their resistance to the Nazi’s. This also put the two eldest brothers, Tuvia and Zus at tactical odds with each other. Zus wants to be more aggressive while Tuvia feels compelled to protect those that sought their protection. The prompts Zus to leave the camp and join with the Soviet Army that is operating out of the Belarus woods.

Tuvia manages to keep the refugees in relative tact throughout the harsh winter but with Spring approaching the Nazi’s ramp up efforts to oust the resistance. The entire camp sets out to relocate, although not everyone makes it. After a long and arduous journey the survivors believe themselves to be safe when they are attacked by a German patrol. Through Tuvia’s heroic actions and the arrival of Zus’ partisan forces the Germans are neutralized and the Jewish refugees able to carry on.

Written by Director Edward Zwick and Clayton Frohman, Defiance is based off the 1993 novel Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec. The adaptation briefly touches on the fact that the Bielskis were smugglers before the war, and it is this experience and familiarity with the surrounding woods that allows them to survive for so long. While there are certain elements of the story left out, and some historical inaccuracies the movie still manages to adequately touch on the fact that the brothers were simply trying to do the right thing and not be touted as saviors.

Casting wise the production team did an outstanding job. Daniel Craig’s performance as Tuvia was outstanding. Jamie Bell did an excellent job as Asael, and Liev Schreiber’s portrayal of Zus one of his strongest and best performances to date. The supporting cast was also well chose, with a number of remarkable performances put in by the various actors and actresses.

Overall, Defiance is one of Zwick’s best recent works. With a solid story and strong performances from the entire cast the movie manages to stay on focus the great majority of the time with only a few instances of Hollywood cliches occurring. Thankfully they’re short and don’t bog down the story. Defiance is powerful and moving film, one that should be viewed by everyone.

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