My Non-Movie Review of the New Amazing Spider-Man Movie!

When I heard the word that a new, “Non-Sam Raimi”, Spidey flick was in the works, I have to be honest as a nerd, I wasn't that excited.  It's sad really …how quickly many nerds abandoned Raimi after the 3rd movie. How quickly they forget how successful Spider-Man 1 & 2 were and how they both helped usher in a new era of comic book films. What is really sad is that Raimi was not entirely to blame for the 3rd film turning out the way it did. The studios love to mess with and kick around their directors just to show them who is really in control and Sony is no exception. Usually it's Fox who can really destroy of film by micro managing it. For a good example of that watch the special features from the Alien 3 Quadrilogy box set. But in this case it was Sony who really pushed to have Venom in the film even though Raimi was not sold on the idea and had already had a script with the Sandman in it. What resulted was less than ideal.  But despite that, Raimi’s run on Spider-Man was awesome.

Yet even though I liked Raimi’s films, I am still okay with any comic book character getting rebooted after a director leaves because this is kind of what happens in the comic world as well. We get ret-cons, reboots, retellings, re-dos and alternated universes versions all the time. Some new writer/artist gets a new idea for a look or story angle and off they go with a new take on a beloved character. It’s only natural that movies follow suit with this sort of thing as well.  In Japanese anime this happens all the time.  The new version of an old anime may even have the exact same voice cast as the old take on the characters.  They simply just say this story is a new take and is not related to the old version and go on from there. Often the success or failure of rebooting a franchise is more about the take they choose to make and the timing than it is anything else.  This is my concern for the new film Amazing Spider-Man.

The new Take? From all that I have read and seen, this new film has decided to revisit the origin story of Spider-Man.  Not so new, yet a very difficult task to undertake. If the film tries too hard to distinguish itself from Raimi’s film we may get a Spider-Man that does not resemble the comic but if it does not distinguish itself in a strong enough way this new film doesn’t make its own mark. That is a tough place to be. We see this struggle play out with some of the choices the film has made. Things like: adding back the web shooters; picking Gwen Stacy over MJ as the love interest; making Peter less nerd and more modern teenage hoodie hip; and adding a really awesome cast of actors.  Quite the heroic choice. The film makers really have to web shoot there way over several hurdles to beat out or compete with summer films that don’t have as much baggage to contend with. After all that, with a sprained ankle it would still have to stick the landing and we haven’t even touched on the timing of this film.

The timing is kind of off for the new Amazing Spider-Man to come out right now. Why would a studio choice to put this film between not only the Avengers movie but up against the final Nolan Batman Film as well? Do we need to have every comic movie go head to head in order to do well and make money? Does it have to come out right in the middle of summer? Why not hold off and put it out in November when Harry Potter use to rake in the dough? It never seem to hurt that movie franchise to have its run at the end of November and roll into the December winter holiday season. When good films are released so close to one another and with money being tight in a down economy movie audiences have to make tighter choices on which films will get their money. People make quick lists of which films they want to see and with Spiderman’s baggage it quickly falls down on the list under the Dark Knight, The Avengers.

With movies being 10 dollar or more that puts Spidey at the 30 Dollar mark in movie money spent in the summer.  I want to see it. I really do. But, I only have so much money to spend.  I don't think with reviews like: "it's good but not greater than or equal to The Avengers movie" .... are going to make me part with my money anytime soon. Unfortunately Spidey, I’m going to have to catch you on Netflix.

I hope Amazing Spider-Man does enough money to justify a sequel!  I am pretty sure that that one stands a better chance of being watched higher on my list than this one does with all the competition this new one has this year. Anyhow... I wish you well Spidey and great new cast members but unless their having a free screening at Comic Con  2012 I am okay waiting to check you out at a later date. My wallet is very okay with it!

The New Before Watchmen #1: Minutemen Went by faster than Cooke-ing Minute Rice! My Comic Review!

The following is my review of the new "Before Watchmen #1: The Minute of Truth" comic written by Darwyn Cooke. The original post is over at ComicVine.com. I'm just a user there and it's just a quick users review but I like to post stuff their because I am a fan of that site. If your fan of comics or just want to know more about a character their site is one of the best!

Minutemen Went by faster than Cooke-ing Minute Rice!

It is a nice and really quick start Darwyn has Cooke'd up here for the new Before Watchmen Series and, like many Firsts in a series, this one had but one job to do! ...and that Job was to make me want to read more. Here Darwyn re-introduces us to the original Minutemen characters giving us a nice first person view from the original retired Night Owl. We get a quick nostalgic 1 to 3 pages about each of the Minutemen characters established in the original Watchmen comic. Each is told in the same vein of Hollis Mason's Tell-all book as he quickly narrates us threw his recollection of the members of the team.

The Pros
As first issues in a series go, I think this issue is just fine.....Not to heavy not too deep. Like a baseball on a T, Cooke sets up the characters quite nicely without any weird loose ends or running off on any wild tangents. I Think the artwork is great! Typical of Darwyn's style, this issue is very similar in look to the now classic Justice League: The New Frontier style art! Which, I think, works great for the era this comic takes place in. All in all, it was easy to read and not all hard to follow.


The Cons
That being said, the comic doesn't take a lot of chances or tell a whole lot of the story but just T's it up to the rest of the series to arc out a decent story-line from here on out. Perhaps, like slowly stepping into a hot bathtub, this careful approach of not revealing too much of any of the future plot is an attempt to ease people back into the Watchmen universe with out burning or scalding any of the fans. If so it's not a bad strategy but it definitely is a not a daring one, either. But that is okay for a first issue!

Final Verdict
I feel if your a Watchmen fan, you have nothing to fear from reading this comic. It really feels like It could have easily been added between the pages of the Watchmen trade paper/ hardcover or as part of an addendum in the back of one of the re-issues. No real verdict can be made by books end whether this story will be as good as it's predecessor but it definitely does not ruin or in any way deface what the original Watchmen was able to accomplish.

In other words it does not "Jar Jar it up" or put "walkie talkies" instead of guns in hands of the cops! It does, however, put a lot of pressure on the next issue to be good since it barely did anything but intro the characters. Like I said before, first issues have but one job to do and that is to make me want read more. Though it is brief and not all that deep, I do think this issue has kind of peaked my interest to see where they are going. If nothing more, it does make me want to go back and look at the Minutemen as they each appear in the original Watchmen comic! So final verdict? Allen Moore has nothing to fear so far (well from this comic anyway)....and Before Watchmen #1 is Not too bad!!!

12 Netflix and Hulu Picks for Nerds who like Good Shows and Cool Flix!

I hate the cable company. I mean really, really, REALLY, hate them!  So much so that I am one of a new breed of TV watchers who has downscaled my Cable use to the point where I don’t even have a box or any package at all (hmm, that doesn’t sound right). In fact, the only reason I even have channels 2-13 with the cable wire is because those evil “Feh Feh Pi Goh”  tried to get into my home without permission and do something improper to my cable internet access because they know I watch most of my TV online!

I am not alone! A few of us have decided to minimize the role of the evil dictatorship that is cable by sharing various picks of favorite or amusing shows we've watched via Netflix instant watch and Hulu Plus.  It’s been fun sharing little gems and things we have found on our journey to find watchable material via old and new shows available at the push of a button.  People often wonder how we are able to watch so much material in order to find the good stuff.

Believe it or not, it’s not as hard as you might think to find a decent show or movie and it definitely beats having to flip through 200 channels of mostly crap shows in order to find something watchable on cable. I mean, common on, a guy can only flip through so many Filipino and Spanish tv programs in order to find anything decent to watch. I hate sports, I don’t care who’s on what runway and if I have to watch crappy anything that has a Kardashian in it I think I might go postal!

So, we few Browncoats, who have  have ventured into the black and sought refuge in "the Verse", like to share with each other little gems of entertainment we have found along the way. It’s our way of sticking it to the Unholy Alliance that is the Cable Companies of America.  

As of today April 24, 2012 here are my 12 Netflix and Hulu Picks for Nerds who like Good Shows and Cool Flix!

Ghost in the Shell Standalone Complex :

If you have read my past blog about Otaku anime picks for n00bs who want to get into Japanese anime without watching someting that will bring on nightmares, then, you would know my love for this Manga turned anime show that inspired the Matrix. Now you can see for yourself how much the Matrix ripped off this lovely anime right down to the jacking in the back of the head. Check it out on Netflix!

Planet Hulk:

Tired of watching really bad live action versions of superhero flicks?  I recommend you watch these animations from Marvel Animation Studio. Produced and designed before the big Disney acquisition, these stories were not afraid to be as faithful to the comics as they can and still turn out a good story. I am amazed at how many times I have watched an animation only to find that it was better than most of the live action movies. And Planet Hulk is one of those animations. Based on one of the most popular Hulk Stories to date, Planet Hulk is what happens when you mix the big Comic Green Monster with the Movie hero Maximus from Gladiator and throw him out into space. It’s a great comic and a great story. Check it out on Netflix right now or HULK WILL SMASH YOUR PUNY HUMAN FACE IN!

Sherlock:

I know everybody thinks Robert Downey Jr. is the Best Sherlock Holmes since Data’s version from the Star Trek The Next Generation. But as much as I love RDJ, Nothing holds a candle to this new hip but still faithful adaptation of Sir Conan Doyle’s famous Detective as played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Mr. Cumberbatch is soon to be even more famous here in the states since he has been cast as the villain in the new J.J. Abram’s Star Trek Sequel and will also be portraying Smaug the Dragon through motion capture in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit! So before everyone finds out how great this guy is, check out the roll that that brought him to the attention of two of Hollywood’s best directors. Check it out on Netflix!

Luther:

Before there was controversy about a black man playing the Norse god Heimdall in the movie Thor,  Idris Elba was kicking butt and winning awards for his portrayal of an “on the edge cop” named Luther in the BBC smash hit show with the same name.  Check out Idris in this great show before you catch him in the Ridley Scott Alien prequel Prometheus. It will only make you even more excited to see him in that movie when you already know what he is capable of. Check it out on Netflix!

The IT Crowd:

I know this show may not be for everyone but if after watching the episode entitled, “The Work Outing” and it doesn’t make you laugh even a little then you may want to get your sitcom funny bone checked.  For every nerd who ever had to deal with explaining to your parents how to hook their printer to their laptop or download pictures to their Facebook page this program is for you!  Repeat after me, “Have you tried turning on and Turning it off again?” Check it out on Netflix!

Warehouse 13:

If you like your “Neo X-Files” type shows to be a little corky and fun then Warehouse 13 is the show for you.  This show is about two secret agents who hunt down cursed or magical items and store them in a very lucky numbered building.  It’s filled with tons of sci-fi cameos (Capt. Janeway/Kate Mulgrew for one) and has been known to crossover with another SyFy show Eureka from time to time. It’s silly, it’s fun and it has a unique charm. Check out the old episodes on Netflix and, if you like it, check out the newest Episodes on Hulu!

The River:

The River is like combining the show Lost with the movie The Shinning but a lot easier to follow.  It’s creepy, it’s eerie, and it has been badly advertised and slotted by ABC. The bad news is ABC has all but officially cancelled the show.  The good news is that it may be one of the first shows to be resurrected by Netflix picking it up for its new original Netflix only content.  Watch the remaining shows, if you dare, on Hulu for now and if it does move over to Netflix all the better.

Ironclad:

Ironclad is a brutal sword and stone movie about a rough band of misfit swordsman fighting off the brutal King John of England (played wonderfully by Paul Giamatti). Though it borrows most of its story line from  greater films like The Seven Samurai and  The Magnificent Seven, the hard fought action battles and great character actor performances elevate it to a greater level than most films that plagiarize to this extent.  The actual  siege battle at Rochester Castle did take place in history and the story of what happen after the King John signed the Magna Carta is an interesting one.  fair warning... the battle scenes are brutal and realistic. Check out this movie via Netflix and you will wonder why you never heard about this flick playing in theatres.

Nerdcore Rising:

You think it’s hard out there for a Pimp? Try being taken seriously by anyone in the industry when you call yourself a Nerdcore Rapper.  This well done Documentary chronicles the rise of MC Frontalot and the Nerdcore hip hop scene.  It’s a must for people who call themselves nerds and want someone to represent!  Check this movie doc out on Netflix!

Legend of the Seeker:

I know fans of the Terry Goodkind books are torn by this short-lived TV show but I really enjoyed it. This Sam Raimi Produced show is much like Hercules and Xena but more contemporary and fun than its predecessors.  When it ran on TV, it ran late at night and at weird times of the day. Sadly, it was cancelled after two seasons. But it is worth a watch. What can you say of a show that has a Wizard, a guy with a magic sword and a beautiful companion who stares deeply into men’s eyes and make them fall in love with her?  The sword play was much better on this show than on Xena and Hercules and the effects were not as cheesy. People often ask me who I would cast in a Wonder Woman movie and I always say, hands down, Bridget Regan from Legend of the Seeker. Check this show out on either Netflix or Hulu and let me know if you agree!

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller:

This show was a short lived show from the late 80’s that featured the magic of Henson’s Muppets and the fairy tales of medieval Europe. It Starred John Hurt (Harry Potter’s Wand Supplier Mr. Ollivander) as the lovable narrator who told old fairy tales to is puppet dog!  If you like movies like the Dark Crystal and Labyrinth you may want to check this series out. If you like it, you can also watch the second season called  Jim Henson's the Storyteller: Greek Myths, Both of which can separately be found on Netflix.  

Hulk VS.

Now, I put this here at the bottom not because it was the worst of my pick but more so because this animation is really a double feature. The problem is the First movie is not as good as the second.  The second movie is, “Hulk vs Wolverine” and it is great.  If, like me, you were a little disappointed with the lack of blood in the Wolverine and X-Men movies then you will not be disappointed here.  Wolverine actually stabs people with those sharp pointy things he waves around at people. It’s a shock really, to find that the best version of Wolverine is not only in an animation, it’s in an animation that doesn’t even have his name in the title but here he is….in all his “snikt” slashing, awesomeness.  Now the first movie, “Hulk Vs. Thor” is not awful or anything it’s just not nearly as good as Hulk Vs. Wolverine.  So don’t let the first half distract you from getting to the second half when you stream it on Netflix. Both are definitely worth a watch.

So those are my 12 Netflix and Hulu Picks for Nerds who like Good Shows and Cool Flix! I will, from time to time, recommend new things as Netflix and Hulu show and movies tend to come and go with time. Let me know what you think of my picks and if you have any shows or flicks you would like to share let me know in comments down below!

Rumor has it: No San Diego Comic Con 2013 Tickets Will Be Sold at the Event this Year!

San Diego Comic Con 2012 is around the corner and rumor has it that no 2013 onsite tickets may not be sold this year. like old Obi Wan's feeling about Alderaan, I find this very disturbing. (Here and here are some links to other site about the rumors).

     I have had the privilege of going to Comic Con for about 10 years now and… My, my, how things have changed. Unlike a lot of fellow Nerd Hooligans, Pappy doesn't mind change if the changes are for the good. Over the years, I've seen a number of changes in the way Comic Con has evolved to what it is today. Most of them have been in security and improvements on how to manage the ever growing interest in the largest convention in the Americas. It was reported that Comic Con had well over 130,000 attendees in 2010. And I am sure that number is low since children under 12 are free with an adult. 

     These high number attendance records and the many changes they have brought on are relatively recent. It was only 4 or 5 years ago that one could simply walk right up to the registration area where next year’s tickets were being sold and buy a ticket without any fuss whatsoever. Earlier, back in 2006, there wasn't even a line.

     But Boy… did that change. Last year the interest for online tickets got so crazy that it took them months to even sell the tickets without the computer crashing within the first 15 minutes; which it did on 3 separate occasions. It was a nightmare. I was online last year refreshing my browser well over a 100 times or so in  the 3 hours it took me to get tickets. Luckily, I was able to purchase tickets but only individual tickets for each of the days. Forget preview Night. I missed it.  You still cannot buy tickets to preview night alone. I had to buy individual day passes because the 4 day passes "With Preview Night" and "Without Preview Night" were sold out within 10 min or so. 

     So, last year at the convention, I made sure to buy an onsite ticket for this year. Little did I know that I would spend 3 days of precious Con time just to find a line that had not sold out already. I spent the better part of Saturday in line reading comics and waiting for my turn to buy the holy grail four day ticket.


A strange lady gave me this card to fill out telling me I would need it to register my new Comic Con User Name but she did not know why onsite people needed a User Name since we were paying in person.  Later I found out that they were using the same program onsite to buy tickets as the online program they hope to be using this year with their new open online registration.


The new online ticket buying program will not allow you to buy a ticket without an official registered user name and now you can only by one ticket per user name. We were the guinea pigs, I guess. So, After much waiting (which I have become quite Zen about over the past 10 years of waiting in lines at Comic Con) I was happy to slap down my money and buy my ticket for 2012. 

     Then I heard how a few weeks ago online tickets for 2012 sold out in about an hour. I felt like Noah on the ark as the flood started. YIKES. Oh well, I thought. I don't mind waiting in line this year at the convention for tickets next year (2013). And the reason I don't mind is because at the end of the wait I always got a ticket. But then I hear that last year may have been the last time they will sell onsite tickets to Comic Con.  I screamed like Darth Vader at the end of Episode III (NOOOOOOOOOOoo). Are these rumors True? I hope Not!

If the Comic Con site is any indication, I think it is a possibility until they officially post something about 2013 onsite pre-reg. (Click here to see the Official SDCC "No New News as of yet" page). Until they fill in this page, I will continue to worry. 

     I do understand how a policy change like this would allow new people who are interested in attending for the first time a fair chance at getting tickets. Yet, I am sad that after 10 years of being able to go, the fact that attending my no longer be inevitable for me is a cold reality. I hope it doesn't come to that. Fingers crossed people!!! I also worry that these possible new attendees will just be a part of the recent fad crowds of fans who have been attending solely to see one panel.... like Twilight! It is sad that the only reason someone would buy a very expensive ticket is not because they love comics or sub pop culture at all but solely because they love only one mainstream pop sensation.

    But such is life! And, if I cannot attend Comic Con by purchasing the much coveted 4 day pass, hopefully, I will be able to snag a day pass or two. I am also slightly comforted in the knowledge that Wonder Con has moved to Anaheim for the time being and perhaps this will be were all us "non-golden ticket" rejects will be able to gather for our sub pop fix. (He says, as he tries to convince himself that this is true).

What do you think? Has the last few years of Comic-Con ticket hunting turned you off? Are you worried (as am I) that you might not be able to go next year at all?  Or, are you perfectly thrilled with the possibility that they might do away with onsite registration and you may get your chance to finally get a ticket? Let me know! We may talk about it on the soon to return NerdHooligan Podcast!