Comic Review - Wolverine: The Best There Is #2

 WOLVERINE
The Best There Is
Issue #2 (thru 5)
Written by Charlie Huston
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

2011, 32 pages, Mature Readers

 

Re: Wolvie gets caught up in some stupid plot by a skinny guy with a cane to cure some sort of disease. Or something. No amount of reading and trying to care could make me actually give a crap about the storyline of this miniseries.
 

Outstanding: Absolutely nothing. Even the Brian Hitch covers seem phoned in.
 

Unacceptable: Where to begin. Like the previous issues, the art is horrid, the writing devoid of enjoyment and Wolverine acts nothing like Wolverine. Also, the story is stupid and pointless.
 

Summary: Possibly the worst miniseries I've ever read. 
 

1/5
 

Notes: I read the next three issues as well, and they're all equally dire, so I won't be reviewing them here. And for some reason, at some point, the art gets even worse and the colorist starts using black for blood. Which would normally make me lower my rating, but it cannot get any lower. 

Film Review - True Grit

TRUE GRIT
Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld

2010, 110 mins, [PG-13]

 

Re: When her father is killed by a man, stubborn 14-year-old Mattie hires an equally stubborn and far more drunk marshal to get revenge.

Outstanding: Oh my dear sweet lord in heaven, I loved this movie. Beautifully shot with stark violence and healthy doses of smart humor, True Grit may be one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time. The actors are perfect, some quite unrecognizable, so lost in the roles as they are, and the world the Coens created is dirty and gorgeous.
 

Unacceptable: The only thing that I disliked about this movie was the song at the end, I thought it was a bit loud and jarring. And that there aren't more westerns like this made.
 

Summary: This comes out of DVD June 7th.... BUY IT, so you may love it the way I do.
 

5/5

Comic Review - Fables - Volume 14

FABLES
Volume 14
"Witches"
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha & more

2010, 192 pages, TPB

 

Re: The title really says is all - the witches of Fables feature prominently in this trade, Baba Yaga, Ozma, Totenkinder all cruise around and talk a lot.

Outstanding: This was a unique trade, with some different stories that you'll never find outside of Fables. Buckinham's art is especially nice here, more detailed than usual, it seems.
 

Unacceptable: Which makes the guest artists stand out too much, and some of the book drags. It's started annoying me how much of these recent issues seem stagnant.
 

Summary: Worth reading, and it made me much more interested in some of the witches, who I had previously pretty much ignored, but nothing really happens in this trade to write home about.
 

3/5

Restaurant Review - Martha's Diner

Martha's Diner 
151 High St,  
Ellsworth, ME 04605
(207) 664-2495

 

Re: A very unassuming place in a brick building adjacent to a strip mall and grocery store. Martha's serves standard diner fare. We ate here for breakfast, I had a Corned Beef Hash Omelet with home fries and homemade oatmeal toast and a single pancake, my wife had an asparagus and red pepper quiche with home fries and hollandaise sauce. We had coffee too.

 

Outstanding: Oh man, their breakfasts were so good. The omelet had a thin, perfectly cooked layer of egg barely holding in the steaming, crisp and moist filling and the toast was delicious. The quiche was cooked just right, fluffy and  moist, with the veggies firm but cooked through. They used real, homemade hollandaise sauce with a strong kick of lemon. The help was friendly, efficient and even brought us water without us asking, a rarity out here. Sugar was in a pourspout container. (This is something we have begun to look for - it's less wasteful and the places that have it usually have better coffee.)
 

Unacceptable: The home fries were a little lighter than I like them - they were cooked through and tasted great, I just prefer mine browned more. 

 

Summary: I was blown away by this little place. It's obviously a locals hotspot, the waitresses all knew most of the guests by name, but we got the same sweet, friendly service that they did and the food was excellent. Very highly recommended.
 

5/5

Comic Review - The Walking Dead #83

  THE WALKING DEAD
Issue #83
"No Way Out - Part 4"
Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard

2011, 

 

Re: Rick decides to get out, taking a couple of people with him. Or trying to. Then everything hits the fan. Wow.
 

Outstanding: Talk about shock after shock! And Adlard's art is great in this issue, he spent some real time with emotions and details. The two page spread in it is phenomenal.
 

Unacceptable: Cliffhanger!
 

Summary: Great issue. Full of shocks and horror, this is the issue some readers want every month, but spaced out like this, Kirkman manages to pack an even bigger wallop.
 

5/5

Food Review - Rold Gold Cheesy Garlic Pretzel Nuggets

 Cheesy Garlic Pretzel Nuggets
Rold Gold Bakery

10oz. Bag, $2.99

 

Re: The name says it all, really. They appear to be part of a larger rollout by Rold Gold featuring new flavors and packaging.
 

Outstanding: Great texture, pretty good size for easy snacking, not messy.
 

Unacceptable: Oh man, these make your breath BAD. I even got complaints after brushing, flossing and gargling mouthwash. Do not eat in mixed company or around loved ones that you wish to remain loving.
 

Summary: I was very impressed with the flavor and texture of these - They're crisp and light, with an almost flaky consistency. The flavors start strong with a sharp cheddar taste, followed by a strong garlic kick, and both are present throughout the pretzel, not just stuck to the outer layers.
 

4/5

Comic Review - Tomb Of Dracula Presents - Throne Of Blood

 Tomb Of Dracula Presents:
Throne Of Blood
Written by Victor Gischler
Art by Goran Parlov

2011, 35pgs, $3.99

Re: Dracula tells the tale of a Japanese vampire
 

Outstanding: The story is clean and easy to follow, incorporating elements of both vampire lore and Japanese history. Some of the artwork has a casual beauty and skill to it that I envy. An interesting take on the vampire origin story. Beautiful cover by Bryan Hitch.
 

Unacceptable: Every once in a while, the artwork falls really flat, leaving an uneven feel on some pages. The story offers no opportunity for Gischler's brand of hardboiled chaos and dialogue.
 

Summary: I'll buy anything that Gischler writes - partly because I think he's an awesome guy and partly because I think he writes some great books. I have a hard time finding his comic book work though, so I was excited to read this. The idea that Dracula is hanging out in his throne room, telling stories about other vampires to a ninja is hilarious. And I have no idea where this falls in continuity or for that matter, who any of the characters are, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the story.
 

4/5

Television Review - Game Of Thrones S01E05

GAME OF THRONES

Season One, Episode Five
"The Wolf And The Lion"
Directed by Brian Kirk
Starring Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Mark Addy 

2011. 60mins, HBO

 

Re: Ned continues to investigate the death of the previous hand and the genetic heritage of King Robert's children, while also disagreeing with the kingdom's plans to kill Dani and her unborn son. He rages and throws down the sigil of his office, storming out. Meanwhile, Catelyn takes her captive dwarf to her sister, high in the aerie.
 

Outstanding: This was a great episode. Violence, intrigue, humor, great performances and some gorgeous new settings. 
 

Unacceptable: Once again, the crowds at the joust, which got an encore in this episode seemed woefully small. The book spoke of the city overflowing with people - this looked like a rodeo in Downey, Idaho.
 

Summary: A really excellent episode, probably my favorite of the season. A ridiculous amount happened, sometimes so fast I had a hard time believing it had happened already, but never feeling forced. I can't believe there's only five episodes left in the season!
 

5/5

Comic Review - Wolverine: The Best There Is #1

 WOLVERINE
The Best There Is
Issue #1
Written by Charlie Huston
Art by Juan Jose Ryp

2011, 32 pages, Mature Readers
 

 

Re: Wolverine gets thrown into a pit, kills some things, goes to a club, dances, has a head trip.
 

Outstanding: It has a nice Bryan Hitch Cover and a clever title.
 

Unacceptable: 

 

 

Summary: This was a horrible book. From the stupidly incomprehensible story to the truly bad art, to the inexplicably bleeped swear words amongst the graphic violence, this was one of the worst Wolverine comic books I've read in a very, very long time.
 

1/5

Book Review - The Academy by Bentley Little

 THE ACADEMY
by Bentley Little

2008, 400 pages, eBook

 

Re: John Tyler High has just been made into a charter school, with all of the benefits and challenges that come with it. Which is apparently hellish rituals, death, torture, uniforms and pimples.
 

Outstanding: Parts of this book were really fun. There were some great scary moments and a few characters were appealing.
 

Unacceptable: But the rest of the book was ridiculous happenings, written for shock value. But they never went far enough to be shocking, merely boring.
 

Summary: I liked the book well enough to try some of Little's other work, but there was so much in here that I'd wished they'd gone further with or not bothered with at all that it became a slog to finish.
 

2/5

Comic Review - Fables - Volume 13

FABLES
Volume 13
"The Great Fables Crossover"
Written by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges
Art by Mark Buckingham, Tony Akins, and More

2009, 232 pages, TPB

 

Re: Jack and the Fables crew team up to prevent their creator from putting pen to paper and destroying our world. 
 

Outstanding: A lot of humor in this trade, both broad and subtle. I love the Literals, they're a brilliant invention and hilarious. Pretty much anything with Jack is funny as hell, even when he's being very annoying. 
 

Unacceptable: The art can be uneven. While it doesn't bother me while reading the titles separately, for some reason, the similarity of the art made the disparity show up more... if that makes any sense. A little bit anti-climactic after the build up...
 

Summary: But I guess that's expected when the villain essentially just needs to have his pen taken away from him. A lot of drama and fanfare for a story that's pretty simple, but a fun read nonetheless, and a few new dynamics for the next issues.
 

4/5

Food Review - I.M. Good Red Licorice

Red Licorice
I.M. Good

14oz Bag, $3.29

 

Re: Thick Red Licorice pieces we found in a gas station in Belfast.
 

Outstanding: They looked quite tasty and had a few other flavors too.
 

Unacceptable: Unfortunately, these were the worst pieces of licorice that either of us had ever tasted. Thick and overly firm, with a flour taste, coated in what appeared to be a sheen of rancid sunflower oil. 

Summary: I don't understand how something that has oil as an ingredient and leaves my hands, skin and teeth coated in a slick of putrid grease could be considered fat free. The only answer I can offer up is that it's because no one would actually keep one of these horrid candies down.
 

1/5

Comic Review - The Walking Dead #82

THE WALKING DEAD
Issue #82
"No Way Out - Part 3"
Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard

2011, 32pgs, Mature Readers

 

Re: The dead continue to flood the town. Morgan arm is bitten and is feverish from the steps taken to save him, speaking to Carl but seeing his dead some Duane. Rick decides that escape is the only option left.
 

Outstanding: This issue seems to be leading up to a lot of dramatic events. The conversations between Morgan and Carl are really good. Touching and sad.
 

Unacceptable: Glenn is uncharacteristically pessimistic and most of the other people are pretty whiny this issue too.
 

Summary: The weakest issue of this run so far, it seemed short and I was unhappy with a lot of the character's attitudes.
 

3/5

Film Review - Thor

THOR
Directed by Kenneth Branaugh
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins

2011, 114 mins, [PG-13]

 

Re: After nearly shattering a tentative peace that has lasted for years, young god Thor is cast out of Asgard by his father to find his way on earth. New Mexico to be specific.
 

Outstanding: A lot in this flick, actually. The design of Asgard was creative and beautiful, the cast was terrific, from the stars to the supporting roster. There was a lot of genuine humor, great special effects and some little nods to the history of the character.
 

Unacceptable: At times, the frost giants came off as a bit too CGI-y and seemed to change size in relation to the humans. Thor's mom was kind of a wimp, I expected a lot more out of her.
 

Summary: Overall, I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this movie. Branaugh, taking a break from Shakespeare has a sure hand with the camera and gets some truly excellent performances. Hemsworth - buff, pale, cocky and outright gorgeous - is perfection as the young god and his friends are excellent too. Portman and Denning are an adorable pair of scientist friends and while they're never really convincing as scientists, they're cute and damned funny.
 

5/5
 

Notes: Stay after the credits for a sneak peek at the Avengers! 

Comic Review - The Walking Dead #81

 THE WALKING DEAD
Issue #81
"No Way Out - Part 2"
Written by Robert Kirkland
Art by Charlie Adlard

2011, 32pgs, Mature Readers

 

Re: Worried about Andrea, who is outside the wall in her sniper position, a few members of the crew decide to try and get to her. Meanwhile, Rick leads the rest in an attempt to shore up sections of the wall, which are slowly bending under the weight of the undead on the far side...
 

Outstanding: Another fine issue! Quiet and desperate and well written.
 

Unacceptable: Their plan to use a rope to get across the wall seemed doomed from the start, and could have been planned much, much better.
 

Summary: Another great installment in the "No Way Out" segment of the saga. 
 

4/5

Restaurant Review - Bolley's Famous Franks

 Bolley's Famous Franks  

38 Water St,  

Hallowell, ME 04347
(207) 622-2951

 

Re: A small restaurant with a large sign, outside of Augusta and next to one of our favorite cemeteries. We technically ate here twice on our trip, once on the way there, when we grabbed a couple of pastries and we ate dinner there on the way home. We bought a whoopie pie, a strawberry pastry, a rasberry pastry, one frank($1.75 or 3/$3.33), a chicken basket ($6) and a lobster roll basket($10).

 

Outstanding: Everything they make there is amazing. Decadent, perfectly prepared and made quickly. The pastries were so light and fluffy you couldn't hope to eat them neatly and their unconventional lobster roll was a unique treat. Their prices are very reasonable. The Chicken strip dinner I got was $6.

 

Unacceptable: The service, while efficient is pretty surly. The young girls that waited on us clearly preferred to be chatting with their co-workers. They weren't rude, just uninvolved and a bit annoyed with our indecisiveness. The dining room leaves a bit to be desired.

 

Summary: Man, we love everything we've had here, and it's gonna be torture driving past the restaurant every day to and from work now that I know how good it is. Their chicken basket  is especially impressive - hot and crispy with juicy chicken and a breading that lets the flavor of the meat shine through, coupled with fresh tasting crispy french fries.

5/5

 

Notes - Bolley's is pronounced Bowl-Eees. Just in case.

Television Review - Game Of Thrones S01E04

GAME OF THRONES
Season One, Episode Four
"Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things"
Directed by Brian Kirk
Starring Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Mark Addy 

2011. 60mins, HBO

 

Re: There's a joust, some detective work, brother and sister bickering and a dwarf in a tight spot.
 

Outstanding: Like the previous episodes, number five has some great acting and sets. I'm consistently impressed with the King's Landing location, the grandeur with just the right amount of lived in feeling.
 

Unacceptable: This episode felt pretty light on plot and I think part of that was the direction. The joust was woefully short and severely lacked the grandeur and spectacle it needed.
 

Summary: A lot happened, but it felt like the whole episode was a waste of time. It was odd that as I watched it, I was enjoying everything but as the credits rolled, I felt like I hadn't watched anything worth remembering. The strains of a TV budget are showing a bit here and there, with the small, straggling Horde of Dothraki and the abbreviated joust.
 

2/5

Comic Review - The Walking Dead #80

THE WALKING DEAD
Issue #80
"No Way Out - Part 1"
Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Charlie Adlard

2011, 32pgs, Mature Readers

 

Re: After rebuffing an attack by outsiders, Rick and crew are dismayed to see that their gunplay has attracted a herd of zombies, with more arriving all of the time. Can they survive the winter? Will the walls hold? With the worst at their doorstep, Rick hands out weapons and the residents prepare for the worst.
 

Outstanding: This is the kind of quiet, subdued terror that Walking Dead does so well. There's enough of a zombie attack to keep the action going, but most of the issue is given over to interpersonal events.
 

Unacceptable: One could argue that nothing much happened in this issue.
 

Summary: But one could say that about half of the series, it's always been more about the people and their reactions to the chaos around them than the zombies themselves, and this issue is a good example of that.
 

4/5

Film Review - Hobo With A Shotgun

  HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN
Directed by Jason Eisener
Starring Rutger Hauer

2011, 86 mins, [R]

 

Re: An idealistic hobo arrives in a town ruled by some guy that should have had an Irish accent judging by his dialogue. He and his sons rule the town with sadistic violence and drugs. The hobo hoped to buy a lawnmower. He ends up with a shotgun instead.
 

Outstanding: An homage to 70's grindhouse splatter, HWAS revels in gallons of bright red blood and over the top violence. Rutger Hauer is immensely watchable the entire film and the music is spot on.
 

Unacceptable: Everyone else, however operates at a high school drama club level of overacting and the director makes a shambling mess of black lights and dodgy effects.
 

Summary: I wanted to love this movie, and at times I was overjoyed, but most of the time, I was bored out of my mind with the nonsensical attempts to one up the previous scene in the violence department. Hauer is great, there's a few good lines, inexplicable giant tentacles and a sadly underused Sawed-Off Shotgun/Axe, but that can't save this mess of a film.  
 

2/5

Film Review - Feast

FEAST

Directed By John Gulager
Starring Jenny Wade, Krista Allen, Navi Rawat

2005, 95 mins, [R]

 

Re: A bar full of characters in the middle of nowhere is attacked by a band of horrible creatures.
 

Outstanding: Throws a lot of the rules out of the window, along with some surprising characters in this goofy, gory movie. No one is safe, and the monsters are a creepy combination of hulking horrors and rags of bones and skins that are surprisingly resourceful. Also, Henry Rollins plays a somewhat dorky motivational speaker - That's pretty awesome.
 

Unacceptable: A lot of the actions scenes were filmed horribly. I don't understand why a director thinks they have to throw the camera around the room to make a scene exciting. Some of the humorously gory parts were lame, over the top things that made me roll my eyes.
 

Summary: I'd heard of this flick before, but never really paid it much attention. While the plot was something I love, I get annoyed with shaky-cam gross out horror pretty quick. But this had Jenny Wade in it, and I'm sufferring from some serious "Good Guys" withdrawl, so I checked it out. It was pretty fun. It's saved from being just another splatter film by ingenious monster designs, some decent acting and surprising twists.
 

4/5

Book Review - The Hunt For Atlantis

THE HUNT FOR ATLANTIS

Andy McDermott

2007, 544 pages, eBook

 

Re: Nina Wilde, a... researcher, or professor, or something, thinks she knows where Atlantis is! But her college says Poo-Poo. Lucky for her, trillionaire Frost is very interested in finding it too, and sends her off, accompanied by the supposedly charming and mysterious Brit, Eddie Chase and overly talented Kari Frost. But Atlantis is being pursued by another hardcore rich dude and there may be more to Frost's interest than just uncovering a long lost civilization...
 

Outstanding: Action, action, action! Non-stop and often creative. The buildings of the Atlanteans are vividly described.
 

Unacceptable: The witty comments and charming barbs here fall totally flat, with comments about Eddie not being able to talk about doing something supposedly daring getting old really fast. And making clever references to films, only to have the exact thing happen 3 minutes later is.... Well, it's stupid, that's what.
 

Summary: I was really hoping for a book reminiscent of early James Rollins here and got a pale imitation. It took me forever to slog through it - and McDermott's constant use of the dash - like for every paragraph - got on my nerves. I'll check out his later books because he does have a way with a creative action scene and I love a good adventure novel, but this was a disappointment.
 

2/5

Now Reading - 

THE ACADEMY
by Bentley Little  

Film Review - Troll Hunter

TROLL HUNTER
(Trolljergeren) 
Directed by Andre Ovredal
Starring Otto Jesperson, Robert Stoltenberg, Knut Naerum

2010, 90 mins, Unrated

 

Re: A trio of wannabe news reporters stumble across a mysterious man while following a story about a dead bear. Thinking he's a poacher, they trail him until his true occupation is revealed - He's a hunter of Trolls!
 

Outstanding: Totally serious, hilarious and well made, this movie was a joy to watch. They stick incredibly close to the legendary descriptions of trolls, from their fear of sunlight to their ability to smell Christians.
 

Unacceptable: This is a subtitled movie and all filmed from a hand held camera, documentary style, so if that isn't your thing, you might not like it, but I found it actually increased my enjoyment in this case. And there were a couple scenes that were obviously not filmed by the trio, mostly establishing shots while they were driving that spoiled the illusion somewhat.
 

Summary: Apart from the amount of time spent driving around, which, while a bit boring, increased the feeling of realism, I loved every inch of this movie. There was some great humor and action and the special effects and sound was top notch!
 

5/5

Lego Review - The Lego Death Star

 
#10188 - THE DEATH STAR

Lego Star Wars

2008, 3803 pieces, $400, Ages 14+

 

Re: THE LEGO DEATH STAR! Really, what more can be said?

Look at all of these Minifigs!

 

Outstanding: This is a monstrous set, tons of creative little details, lots of minifigs, sturdy construction and an instruction book that is spiral bound and the size of my table. The ultimate Star Wars Lego set.

Unlike the Alamo, The Death Star does have a basement!

 

Unacceptable: That said, the assembly is a bit repetitious, with most of the bricks being the same color and lots of flats layered on top of each other. And while it is big and huge and awesome indeed, each of the rooms are almost humorously small compared to the real thing. The elevator is very poorly designed.

I have no idea why there's only one lonely trooper in this pic.

 

Summary: But those are minor niggles, knowing full well that a real scale Death Star would be ludicrous. Lego did a great job representing most of the major events in both Death Stars here, with throne rooms, meeting chambers, gaping pits and more! If I was being realistic, I should consider a 4/5 score, just because a 3,000 piece medieval inn would be so much more fun to assemble, but every time I look at the completed model or the ludicrously oversized instructions, I giggle like a small child and cannot resist giving a full 5/5.

The Superlaser - A little fragile, but awesome.

 

5/5
 

Notes: Here are some more photos of the set, with a few comments - 

The Book and four giant boxes of Legos inside of the big box.

Stormtrooper - in a huge hurry to get off of that rickety elevator!

The... rotating platform things room, and where they watch TV.

Maintenance Room

Dual Lasers - There's no door into this room, maybe they're what the rotating chairs control.

Tarkin hated it when he was the first to arrive to meetings.

Bored, he started rooting around under the table. Booty!

Aiming the superlaser.

A tiny platform, but reminiscent of the room where Threepio and Artoo hid out in A New Hope

Silly tiny ship in the bay.

Freight elevator that is far more efficient than the regular one.

Fight!

Awesome perspective in the cell block.

I don't know why this was so blurry.

The garbage chute!

Leia, chilling in her cell.

A blurry shot of the trash compator. Could have used more trash.

Swing!

A cool cannon.

I don't know why the guard is there... Coffee run for the Emperor?

Run for the Falcon!

Spectacular!!!