Monthly Archives: July 2020

Black is King

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Black Is King: A Film By Beyonce Is Visually Stunning

In a month that kicked off with Hamilton, this is an impressive way to finish July off on Disney +.

American singer Beyoncé debuted her new film, Black is King, on Disney + today and it is visually stunning, showing looks at black culture and history worldwide.

I am not that familiar with the music of Beyoncé, but, apparently, this movie is the visual presentation of Beyoncé’s 2019 record, The Lion King: The Gift, which was released along with the “live-action” Lion King remake.  The music of the film is impressive.  Beyoncé’s vocals are powerful and strong and the mix of other voices and styles throughout the soundtrack provides a broad example of black music.

The story, for what there is, basically follows the concept of the Lion King, even using some voice over from James Earl Jones’s Mustafa to make the link.  However, the story of this film is not what you are here for.  This is more of a visual medium than it is anything else and this is where the film transcends.

The imagery throughout this film is wonderfully eclectic and imaginative.  The colors, the choreography, the fashion, the display of culture blends beautifully with the music to provide a powerful viewing experience.  My favorite reference to this was to call it “musical art.”  That is a perfect description of the breathtaking visuals.

The settings of the film were scattered across the globe and provided a stunning backdrop to the dancing and the glorious movement.

Black is King is a love letter to black culture and stresses a pride in the depth of being black.  Beyoncé goes out of her way to focus especially on children, showing how they can grow into a strong and confident adult, something vitally important as of this time of the world.

As a white man, I found myself moved by the power of the movie, so I can only imagine how the black community will feel.  There is a healing tone to the film and that is something that we desperately need today.

4.6 stars 

Yes, God, Yes

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Yes, God, Yes (2019) - IMDb

Writer/director Karen Maine presents this coming-of-age story of a young Catholic girl who has found the inner desire of personal urges after coming across a racy AOL chat.  These urges made her extremely uncomfortable as she attended a Catholic youth retreat, making her afraid for her eternal soul.

This movie was wonderful and felt real.  The voice of the film was realistic and relatable.  Maine investigates the hypocrisy of the situation and does a great job of showing that many say things that they do not mean and that the sexual urges are common.

There is also a strong message about not believing everything that you hear and know that rumors were not always accurate.

The young girl, Alice (Natalia Dyer), had an innocent aura about her.  She did not even understand what the rumor that was being spread about her and another high school boy meant that she was supposed to have done.  The Catholic guilt was at full steam for Alice, who was feeling ashamed about the thoughts that she was having.

However, she kept seeing others at the retreat committing “sins” despite what they had been saying.

Natalia Dyer was amazing as Alice, as we see her initially uncertain and guilt-ridden and then grow to a confident young lady.  Dyer’s facial expressions are perfectly executed and she draws the audience in to her plight and everyone understands.

The film was paced wonderfully and not one scene in the 78 minute movie was overlooked.

This was a great film with a story that should be able to speak to most watching and was filled with a lot of real-life humor.

3.9 stars

Animal Crackers

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Animal Crackers 2 Painting by Movie Poster Prints

Looking through Netflix the other day for something new to watch, I found this animated movie called Animal Crackers that looked intriguing.  There was a massive voice cast of A-list actors including Emily Blunt, Danny DeVito, Sylvester Stallone, John Krasinski, Ian McKellen, Raven-Simone, Wallace Shawn, Gilbert Gottfried, Tara Strong, and Patrick Warburton.  With that list of talented actors and, what appeared to be colorful and engaging animation, I was ready to watch this movie.

Unfortunately, the film itself is quite the mess and way too complicated in execution.

Owen and Zoe fall in love and want to get married.  In order to be a good provider and to please Zoe’s demanding father, he leaves the family circus to take a job at Zoe’s father’s dog treats plant.  When the circus winds up in his own possession, Owen returns and tries to bring the circus back to prosperity.

When he discovers the secret behind the animals, Owen dedicates himself to the circus.  However, Owen’s uncle Horatio P. Huntington is trying to steal the secret and the circus for himself.

That synopsis is a little off, but that is because there is a lot of convolution involved in the film.  I believe that a young child will enjoy the movie with the colors and the various animals and they will not be bothered by the lackluster tale.  As an adult, though, I need more from my animation than what this movie provides.  Otherwise, what could have been a wonderful film is very empty and half-hearted.

I did really enjoy Bullet-Man, voiced by Sylvester Stallone.  This character’s running joke was the best one of the entire film.

If you need a “babysitter” for an hour and a half + some day, pop this film on Netflix and your little kids will probably be entertained.  In that case, the film works.  If you want to watch it, there is little to engage anyone over the age of ten.

2.6 stars 

 

X-Factor #1

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X-FACTOR #1

X-Factor #1

“Suite No. 1″ Prelude: Aurora Moratorium”

Writer:  Leah Williams

Artist:  David Baldeon

Cover Art:  Ivan Shavrin

I have not been a huge fan of the rebooted X-Men series.  I have only continued buying the main X-Men title since coming out of Powers of X/House of X series by Hickman.  So I did not have a lot of hope when I found X-Factor #1 in my pull box today.

Yet, I really enjoyed this book.

Northstar senses that his twin sister Aurora has died and he goes to demand that the resurrection process in Krakoa get started.   However, Hope demands proof of death before they start on the process.

Northstar and Polaris team up and recruit a group to help investigate what happened to her.

Joining Northstar and Polaris is Daken, Prodigy, Eye-Boy, and Rachel and they called themselves X-Factor.

I enjoyed the character interactions in the book.  I must say that the story of Aurora’s death was really underplayed.  I would not have minded if that had been spread out and made a little more substantial than what we got.  It felt like it was tossed in just to justify the creation of X-Factor.

However, the characterization was so good that I can excuse the lack of the plot with the hope that the story improves as the book continues.  The idea that X-Factor will be an investigative team looking for missing mutants and determining if a mutant has died is a solid hook for this comic.

I wonder if this book is just going to blend in with the other X-books and lose its identity.  That is one of the current strengths of this book so far.

It is an interesting and hopeful start at this point.

Itsfine

X-FACTOR #1

2020 Emmy Nominations

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The 2020 Emmy Nominations were released on July 28th.  This list was originally shown on EW.com.

Emmy nominations 2020: See which shows made the cut

Outstanding Drama Series

Better Call Saul

The Crown

The Handmaid’s Tale

Killing Eve

The Mandalorian

Ozark

Stranger Things

Succession

Outstanding Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Dead to Me

Insecure

Schitt’s Creek

The Good Place

The Kominsky Method

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

What We Do in the Shadows

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate, Dead to Me

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me

Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek

Issa Rae, Insecure

Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, black-ish

Don Cheadle, Black Monday

Ted Danson, The Good Place

Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method

Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek

Ramy Youssef, Ramy

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show

Olivia Colman, The Crown

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve

Laura Linney, Ozark

Sandra Oh, Killing Eve

Zendaya, Euphoria

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, Ozark

Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us

Steve Carell, The Morning Show

Brian Cox, Succession

Billy Porter, Pose

Jeremy Strong, Succession

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

The Masked Singer

Nailed It!

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Top Chef

The Voice

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Jeremy Irons, Watchmen

Hugh Jackman, Bad Education

Paul Mescal, Normal People

Jeremy Pope, Hollywood

Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America

Shira Haas, Unorthodox

Regina King, Watchmen

Octavia Spencer, Self Made

Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul

Nicholas Braun, Succession

Kieran Culkin, Succession

Matthew Macfadyen, Succession

Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show

Mark Duplass, The Morning Show

Jeffrey Wright, Westworld

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Laura Dern, Big Little Lies

Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies

Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve

Julia Garner, Ozark

Sarah Snook, Succession

Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown

Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale

Thandie Newton, Westworld

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Mahershala Ali, Ramy

Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live

Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek

William Jackson Harper, The Good Place

Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method

Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Betty Gilpin, GLOW

Yvonne Orji, Insecure

Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live

Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live

Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek

D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place

Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Dylan McDermott, Hollywood

Jim Parsons, Hollywood

Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen

Jovan Adepo, Watchmen

Louis Gossett Jr., Watchmen

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Holland Taylor, Hollywood

Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America

Margo Martindale, Mrs. America

Tracey Ullman, Mrs. America

Toni Collette, Unbelievable

Jean Smart, Watchmen

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

A Black Lady Sketch Show

Drunk History

Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Amy Poehler, Making It

Nicole Byer, Nailed It!

Bobby Berk, Queer Eye

RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race

Barbara Corcoran, Shark Tank

Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Andrew Scott, Black Mirror

James Cromwell, Succession

Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian

Martin Short, The Morning Show

Jason Bateman, The Outsider

Ron Cephas Jones, This Is Us

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away With Murder

Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black

Cherry Jones, Succession

Harriet Walter, Succession

Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale

Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Fred Willard, Modern Family

Dev Patel, Modern Love

Brad Pitt, Saturday Night Live

Adam Driver, Saturday Night Live

Eddie Murphy, Saturday Night Live

Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Angela Bassett, A Black Lady Sketch Show

Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Saturday Night Live

Maya Rudolph, The Good Place

Wanda Sykes, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Bette Midler, The Politician

Outstanding Limited Series

Little Fires Everywhere

Mrs. America

Unbelievable

Unorthodox

Watchmen

 

 

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

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There are arguments to be made that this animated version of the Dark Knight is the best Batman film ever made.  I do not think I would go that far, but it is certainly one of the most respected and entertaining Batman movies available.

The animated movie, in the vein of the Batman: The Animated Series cartoon, gives us the best example of the World’s Greatest Detective, a moniker that belongs to the Caped Crusader, though we’ve never really seen that on the big screen.  Rumors have it that the upcoming Matt Reeve’s directed The Batman is going to give us the detective which would be very cool.

In this film, crime bosses in Gotham are being killed by a shadowy, mysterious figure in a black cloak.  The police and the criminals assume it is Batman doing the deeds, but, in truth, it is a person named Phantasm, who has arrived in Gotham with an unknown motivation.  Of course, this brings the Phantasm into conflict with Batman and they wind up facing off with the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker, as well.

EYG Hall of Famers Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their roles as Batman and the Joker, bringing the perfect blend of voice work.  Dana Delany plays Bruce Wayne’s old flame Andrea.  Stacy Keach voices Andrea’s father, Carl Beaumont.

The movie has a theme running through it focusing on revenge and how it can poison a soul.  This is an intriguing idea to deal with when looking at Batman, since an argument can be made that Bruce Wayne falls into that category.  Comparing Bruce to the Phantasm is a well done tag and carries through the film.

I remember being surprised the first time I saw this movie years ago when the reveal came on the identity of the Phantasm, so the film does a good job with that.  I do believe that if I was watching it for the first time now, I would have spotted it before the reveal.

The animation has style, but it is the choppy, 90s-like animation of the cartoon.  If there is a weakness of this film, the animation would be it.  However, at the time, this was acceptable and does not pull me out of the movie.

The back story of how Bruce Wayne takes up the costume is very well done and fits with this narrative.  Although the film adds Andrea into the mix for storyline purposes, it does not detract from our Dark Knight’s arrival.  In fact, it gives Bruce another conflict within him to struggle with.

This is a great Batman movie, for sure, although it is not my favorite ever.  It is a solid story with very good pacing that shows Batman in the style that he really should be shown.

vintage

Amazon.com: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Movie Poster (27 x 40 ...

The Rental

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The Rental (2020) - Movie Posters (1 of 1)

Actor Dave Franco has his directorial debut with the thriller/horror film, called The Rental.  Unfortunately, this film is not the stellar debut one might have wanted.

Two couples rent out a vacation home and head out to spend a weekend.  Two members of the couples are brothers, Charlie (Dan Stevens) and Josh (Jeremy Allen White).  Josh is dating Mina (Sheila Vand), a close co-worker of Charlie.  Michelle (Alison Brie) is with Charlie.  The two couples seem happy, but Mina is looking for a fight with the owner of the house, Taylor (Toby Huss), who they perceive as racist.

Eventually, the group begins to believe that Taylor has been spying on them during the weekend.

I am going to talk about this film with SPOILERS because a huge part of the problems with this movie comes about because of them, so be warned.

The first night finds Charlie, Josh and Mina partaking in some drug use, though Michelle is too tired.  This leads to Josh passing out and Charlie and Mina in the hot tub.  What starts out innocent, leads to the two of them kissing.  Instead of continuing out in the open in the hot tub, they take it to the shower and they have sex.

The next day, after agreeing that their encounter could never happen again, Mina goes to shower again, but finds a hidden camera in the shower nozzle.  They immediately jump to the assumption that this is Taylor, being more than just racist.  They also begin to panic, because they had their tryst in the shower, so there is visual evidence of their bad deeds.

Michelle, who is unaware of any of this, calls Taylor to come fix the currently broken hot tub, and Mina cannot help herself.  She confronts him in the bathroom and they get in a fight.  Josh comes running into the bathroom and beats the crap out of Taylor, leaving him unconscious in the tub.  The group gets together to try and decide what they were going to do.  Meanwhile, a gloved hand covers Taylor’s nose and mouth, suffocating him.

This is, of course, one of the biggest issues here.  We did know that someone had been watching this group, but there was no indication anywhere that that person was a killer.  We knew nothing about this man or the situation that was happening.

At this point, the film basically turns into a slasher film, with this killer in a weird mask.  That comes completely out of nowhere and changes the tone of the film 100%.  Amazingly though, after hour plus of character development, I could not have given two craps about these characters.  None of them were worth anything.  I wonder if that was the idea.  Provide the audience with four characters that could be easily bumped off, that you would want to see killed.  That did not work for me, since I did not have any emotional connection to these four, I did not have any feeling of anxiety for them.  The whole slasher film part just felt out of place, if not even just tacked on.

The cast is great.  I just wish they were given something with more substance to it for them to dig their teeth into.

There are some hilarious moments in the film too, and I am not sure it is intentional.

This had the potential to be something good, but the execution of the plot was ineffective and boring, the characters were all unlikable and the movie takes an odd twist from out of nowhere.  The Rental is a disappointment.

2 stars 

The F**k-It List

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The F**k-It List (2020) - IMDb

I am not sure that there could be a bigger example of white privilege out there than this new movie on Netflix.  The F**k-It List has come out in the most unlikely time in the history of our society and gives a big F**k-It to everybody.

I mean… high school senior Brett Blackmore (Eli Brown) is the soon-to-be valedictorian of his senior class and has spent his entire educational career studying and placing his nose to the proverbial grindstone to get ahead.  His friends pick on him for his single-mindedness but it does not affect his choices and he was having great success as he had been accepted to 7 out of the 8 Ivy League colleges, with Harvard only placing him on the waiting list.

However, when he was talked into attending senior prank night, things get out of hand.  Several of his friends accidentally unloose a gas main (very easily, for a very expensive looking high school administration building) and they run to get Brett to fix things.  Brett realizes quickly that there is not much that can be done and they get out of the building, moments before it explodes.

The few cameras that survived the massive explosion gave authorities a picture of Brett running through the halls of the building prior to its ignition.   Brett takes full responsibility for the explosion (despite him not being responsible at all) and his potential future opportunities went up in flames with the building.

After this, he unintentionally posts a video to social media of a rant of his saying that he felt free and that he was creating a f**k-it list.  This video, of course, goes viral and suddenly Brett is a social media superstar inspiring other kids to take the attitude of f**k-it.

Brett’s parents (Jerry O’Connell and Natalie Zea) are shocked by their son’s behavior but continue to let him do whatever he wanted to do.  The film wants you to believe that Brett’s entire life was ruined, but watching him think about his life options while floating on a device in their pool kind of defeats that purpose.

The parents are shown to be totally tone deaf to their son and utterly privileged in their thought process as they tried to use their money to get Brett into college.  In fact, the parents here could be the worst characters in the movie as they even cooked up a scheme for the mom to do “whatever” one of the Harvard board members wanted, going more than implying that she would have sex with him to get Brett into the college.

Then, perhaps I missed it, but the fact that Brett took the full blame for the accidental explosion was never referenced by his friends again, even when Brett, who was not allowed to graduate, comes to see them at the graduation ceremony.  If they did express their gratitude to him, it was certainly subtle enough that I did not catch it.

Eli Brown and Madison Iseman, who played Kayla Pierce, Brett’s longtime crush, are both solid and even charming at times, which takes the coming of age story to a little higher level.  The movie’s problem is that it never sets Brett up to feel as if he were ever in jeopardy.  He looked to be nothing more than angry about having mom and dad push him to academic excellence for his youth. Kayla has a more interesting back story which is the strongest part of the film.

At one point in the movie, Brett tells his father, who is preparing to tell his son something he had done as a child,” not to claim that he knows kids because “he was one once”  and that “nobody’s had it like we do these days.”  Could he be a little more pretentious?

The film wants to pretend that it has some deeper message about school and about money, but it is nothing more than surface level at best.  The F**k-It List is the worst of the entitled world these days.  But hey, just float in your pool.  It helps.

2.2 stars 

Eisner Award winners 2020 SDCC at home

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The Eisner Awards were presented at the San Diego Comic Con at home edition, on YouTube.  The Eisner Awards are present to the top in the area of comics publishing.  Winner listed in red below….

 

Best Short Story
  • “Hot Comb,” by Ebony Flowers, in Hot Comb (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • “How to Draw a Horse,” by Emma Hunsinger, The New Yorker
  • “The Menopause,” by Mira Jacob, The Believer
  • “Who Gets Called an ‘Unfit’ Mother?” by Miriam Libicki, The Nib
  • “You’re Not Going to Believe What I’m About to Tell You,” by Matthew Inman, The Oatmeal
Best Single Issue/One-Shot
  • Coin-Op No. 8: Infatuation, by Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Books)
  • The Freak, by Matt Lesniewski (AdHouse)
  • Minotäar, by Lissa Treiman (Shortbox)
  • Our Favorite Thing Is My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
  • Sobek, by James Stokoe (Shortbox)
Best Continuing Series
  • Bitter Root, by David Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image)
  • Criminal, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
  • Crowded, by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt (Image)
  • Daredevil, by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto (Marvel)
  • The Dreaming, by Simon Spurrier, Bilquis Evely et al. (DC)
  • Immortal Hulk, by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and Ruy José et al. (Marvel)
Best Limited Series
  • Ascender, by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen (Image)
  • Ghost Tree, by Bobby Curnow and Simon Gane (IDW)
  • Little Bird by Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram (Image)
  • Naomi by Brian Michael Bendis, David Walker, and Jamal Campbell (DC)
  • Sentient, by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta (TKO)
Best New Series
  • Doctor Doom, by Christopher Cantwell and Salvador Larocca (Marvel)
  • Invisible Kingdom, by G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward (Berger Books/Dark Horse)
  • Once & Future, by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora (BOOM! Studios)
  • Something Is Killing the Children, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera (BOOM! Studios)
  • Undiscovered Country, by Scott Snyder, Charles Soule, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Daniele Orlandini (Image)
Best Publication for Early Readers
  • Comics: Easy as ABC, by Ivan Brunetti (TOON)
  • Kitten Construction Company: A Bridge Too Fur, by John Patrick Green (First Second/Macmillan)
  • The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! by Mo Willems (Hyperion Books)
  • A Trip to the Top of the Volcano with Mouse, by Frank Viva (TOON)
  • ¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market, by Raúl the Third (Versify/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
  • Who Wet My Pants? by Bob Shea and Zachariah Ohora (Little, Brown)
Best Publication for Kids
  • Akissi: More Tales of Mischief, by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin (Flying Eye/Nobrow)
  • Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic Graphix)
  • Guts, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic Graphix)
  • New Kid, by Jerry Craft (Quill Tree/HarperCollins)
  • This Was Our Pact, by Ryan Andrews (First Second/Macmillan)
  • The Wolf in Underpants, by Wilfrid Lupano, Mayana Itoïz, and Paul Cauuet (Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group)
Best Publication for Teens
  • Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh (DC)
  • Hot Comb, by Ebony Flowers (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Kiss Number 8, by Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw (First Second/Macmillan)
  • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (First Second/Macmillan)
  • Penny Nichols, by MK Reed, Greg Means, and Matt Wiegle (Top Shelf)
Best Humor Publication
  • Anatomy of Authors, by Dave Kellett (SheldonComics.com)
  • Death Wins a Goldfish, by Brian Rea (Chronicle Books)
  • Minotäar, by Lissa Treiman (Shortbox)
  • Sobek, by James Stokoe (Shortbox)
  • The Way of the Househusband, vol. 1, by Kousuke Oono, translation by Sheldon Drzka (VIZ Media)
  • Wondermark: Friends You Can Ride On, by David Malki (Wondermark)
Best Anthology
  • ABC of Typography, by David Rault (SelfMade Hero)
  • Baltic Comics Anthology š! #34-37, edited by David Schilter, Sanita Muižniece et al. (kuš!)
  • Drawing Power: Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Survival, edited by Diane Noomin (Abrams)
  • Kramer’s Ergot #10, edited by Sammy Harkham (Fantagraphics)
  • The Nib #2–4, edited by Matt Bors (Nib)
Best Reality-Based Work
  • Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations, by Mira Jacob (One World/Random House)
  • Grass, by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translation by Janet Hong (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos, by Lucy Knisley (First Second/Macmillan)
  • Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight, by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm (Hill & Wang)
  • My Solo Exchange Diary, vol. 2(sequel to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness), by Nagata Kabi, translation by Jocelyne Allen (Seven Seas)
  • They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker (Top Shelf)
Best Graphic Album—New
  • Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden (First Second/Macmillan)
  • Bezimena, by Nina Bunjevac (Fantagraphics)
  • BTTM FDRS, by Ezra Claytan Daniels and Ben Passmore (Fantagraphics)
  • Life on the Moon, by Robert Grossman (Yoe Books/IDW)
  • New World, by David Jesus Vignolli (Archaia/BOOM!)
  • Reincarnation Stories, by Kim Deitch (Fantagraphics)
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
  • Bad Weekend by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
  • Clyde Fans, by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Cover, vol. 1, by Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack (DC/Jinxworld)
  • Glenn Ganges: The River at Night, by Kevin Huizenga (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • LaGuardia, by Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford (Berger Books/Dark Horse)
  • Rusty Brown, by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
Best Adaptation from Another Medium
  • Giraffes on Horseback Salad: Salvador Dali, the Marx Brothers, and the Strangest Movie Never Made, by Josh Frank, Tim Hedecker, and Manuela Pertega (Quirk Books)
  • The Giver, by Lois Lowry and P. Craig Russell, (HMH Books for Young Readers)
  • The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel, by Margaret Atwood, adapted by Renee Nault (Nan A. Talese)
  • HP Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, vols. 1–2, adapted by Gou Tanabe, translation by Zack Davisson (Dark Horse Manga)
  • The Seventh Voyage, by Stanislaw Lem, adapted by Jon Muth, translation by Michael Kandel (Scholastic Graphix)
  • Snow, Glass, Apples, by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran (Dark Horse Books)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
  • Diabolical Summer, by Thierry Smolderen and Alexandre Clerisse, translation by Edward Gauvin (IDW)
  • Gramercy Park, by Timothée de Fombelle and Christian Cailleaux, translation by Edward Gauvin (EuroComics/IDW)
  • The House, by Paco Roca, translation by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
  • Maggy Garrisson, by Lewis Trondheim and Stéphane Oiry, translation byEmma Wilson (SelfMadeHero)
  • Stay, by Lewis Trondheim and Hubert Chevillard, translation by Mike Kennedy (Magnetic Press)
  • Wrath of Fantômas, by Olivier Bouquet and Julie Rocheleau, translation by Edward Gauvin (Titan)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
  • BEASTARS, by Paru Itagaki, translation by Tomo Kimura(VIZ Media)
  • Cats of the Louvre, by Taiyo Matsumoto, translation by Michael Arias (VIZ Media)
  • Grass, by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translation by Janet Hong (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Magic Knight Rayearth 25th Anniversary Edition, by CLAMP, translation by Melissa Tanaka (Kodansha)
  • The Poe Clan, by Moto Hagio, translation by Rachel Thorn (Fantagraphics)
  • Witch Hat Atelier, by Kamome Shirahama, translation by Stephen Kohler (Kodansha)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
  • Cham: The Best Comic Strips and Graphic Novelettes, 1839–1862, by David Kunzle (University Press of Mississippi)
  • Ed Leffingwell’s Little Joe, by Harold Gray, edited by Peter Maresca and Sammy Harkham (Sunday Press Books)
  • The George Herriman Library: Krazy & Ignatz 1916–1918, edited by R.J. Casey(Fantagraphics)
  • Krazy Kat: The Complete Color Sundays, by George Herriman, edited by Alexander Braun (TASCHEN)
  • Madness in Crowds: The Teeming Mind of Harrison Cady, by Violet and Denis Kitchen (Beehive Books)
  • Pogo, Vol. 6: Clean as a Weasel, by Walt Kelly, edited by Mark Evanier and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
  • Alay-Oop,by William Gropper (New York Review Comics)
  • The Complete Crepax, vol. 5: American Stories, edited by Kristy Valenti(Fantagraphics)
  • Jack Kirby’s Dingbat Love, edited by John Morrow (TwoMorrows)
  • Moonshadow: The Definitive Edition, by J. M. DeMatteis, Jon J Muth, George Pratt, Kent Williams, and others (Dark Horse Books)
  • Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo: The Complete Grasscutter Artist Select, by Stan Sakai, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
  • That Miyoko Asagaya Feeling, by Shinichi Abe, translation by Ryan Holmberg, edited by Mitsuhiro Asakawa (Black Hook Press)
Best Writer
  • Bobby Curnow, Ghost Tree (IDW)
  • MK Reed and Greg Means, Penny Nichols (Top Shelf)
  • Mariko Tamaki, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass (DC); Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me (First Second/Macmillan); Archie (Archie)
  • Lewis Trondheim, Stay (Magnetic Press); MaggyGarrisson (SelfMadeHero)
  • G. Willow Wilson, Invisible Kingdom (Berger Books/Dark Horse); Ms. Marvel (Marvel)
  • Chip Zdarsky, White Trees (Image); Daredevil, Spider-Man: Life Story (Marvel); Afterlift (comiXology Originals)
Best Writer/Artist
  • Nina Bunjevac, Bezimena (Fantagraphics)
  • Mira Jacob, Good Talk (Random House); “The Menopause” in The Believer (June 1, 2019)
  • Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, Grass (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • James Stokoe, Sobek (Shortbox)
  • Raina Telgemeier, Guts (Scholastic Graphix)
  • Tillie Walden, Are You Listening? (First Second/Macmillan)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
  • Ian Bertram, Little Bird (Image)
  • Colleen Doran, Snow, Glass, Apples (Dark Horse)
  • Bilquis Evely, The Dreaming (DC)
  • Simon Gane, Ghost Tree (IDW)
  • Steve Pugh, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass (DC)
  • Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me (First Second/Macmillan)
Best Painter/Digital Artist
  • Didier Cassegrain, Black Water Lilies (Europe Comics)
  • Alexandre Clarisse, Diabolical Summer (IDW)
  • David Mack, Cover (DC)
  • Léa Mazé, Elma, A Bear’s Life, vol. 1: The Great Journey (Europe Comics)
  • Julie Rocheleau, Wrath of Fantômas (Titan)
  • Christian Ward, Invisible Kingdom (Berger Books/Dark Horse)
Best Cover Artist
  • Jen Bartel, Blackbird  (Image Comics)
  • Francesco Francavilla, Archie, Archie 1955, Archie Vs. Predator II, Cosmo (Archie)
  • David Mack, American Gods, Fight Club 3 (Dark Horse); Cover (DC)
  • Emma Rios, Pretty Deadly (Image)
  • Julian Totino Tedesco, Daredevil (Marvel)
  • Christian Ward, Machine Gun Wizards (Dark Horse), Invisible Kingdom (Berger Books/Dark Horse)
Best Coloring
  • Lorena Alvarez, Hicotea (Nobrow)
  • Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Middlewest, Outpost Zero (Image)
  • Matt Hollingsworth, Batman: Curse of the White Knight, Batman White Knight Presents Von Freeze (DC); Little Bird, November (Image)
  • Molly Mendoza, Skip (Nobrow)
  • Dave Stewart, Black Hammer, B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know, Hellboy and the BPRD(Dark Horse); Gideon Falls (Image); Silver Surfer Black, Spider-Man (Marvel)
Best Lettering
  • Deron Bennett, Batgirl, Green Arrow, Justice League, Martian Manhunter (DC); Canto (IDW); Assassin Nation, Excellence (Skybound/Image); To Drink and To Eat, vol. 1 (Lion Forge); Resonant (Vault)
  • Jim Campbell, Black Badge, Coda (BOOM Studios); Giant Days, Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship (BOOM Box!); Rocko’s Modern Afterlife (KaBOOM!); At the End of Your Tether (Lion Forge); Blade Runner 2019 (Titan); Mall, The Plot, Wasted Space (Vault)
  • Clayton Cowles, Aquaman, Batman, Batman and the Outsiders, Heroes in Crisis, Superman: Up in the Sky, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (DC);Bitter Root, Pretty Deadly, Moonstruck, Redlands, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); Reaver  (Skybound/Image); Daredevil, Ghost-Spider, Silver Surfer Black, Superior Spider-Man, Venom (Marvel)
  • Emilie Plateau, Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin (Europe Comics)
  • Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (IDW)
  • Tillie Walden, Are You Listening? (First Second/Macmillan)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
  • Comic Riffs blog, by Michael Cavna
  • The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, RJ Casey, and Kristy Valenti(Fantagraphics)
  • Hogan’s Alley, edited by Tom Heintjes (Hogan’s Alley)
  • Inks: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society, edited by Qiana Whitted(Ohio State University Press)
  • LAAB Magazine, vol. 4: This Was Your Life, edited by Ronald Wimberly and Josh O’Neill (Beehive Books)
  • Women Write About Comics, edited by Nola Pfau and Wendy Browne
Best Comics-Related Book
  • The Art of Nothing: 25 Years of Mutts and the Art of Patrick McDonnell(Abrams)
  • The Book of Weirdo, by Jon B. Cooke (Last Gasp)
  • Grunt: The Art and Unpublished Comics of James Stokoe (Dark Horse)
  • Logo a Gogo: Branding Pop Culture, by Rian Hughes (Korero Press)
  • Making Comics, by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Screwball! The Cartoonists Who Made the Funnies Funny, by Paul Tumey (Library of American Comics/IDW)
Best Academic/Scholarly Work
  • The Art of Pere Joan: Space, Landscape, and Comics Form, by Benjamin Fraser (University of Texas Press)
  • The Comics of Rutu Modan: War, Love, and Secrets, by Kevin Haworth (University Press of Mississippi)
  • EC Comics: Race, Shock, and Social Protest, by Qiana Whitted (Rutgers University Press)
  • The Peanuts Papers: Writers and Cartoonists on Charlie Brown, Snoopy & the Gang, and the Meaning of Life, edited by Andrew Blauner (Library of America)
  • Producing Mass Entertainment: The Serial Life of the Yellow Kid, by Christina Meyer (Ohio State University Press)
  • Women’s Manga in Asia and Beyond: Uniting Different Cultures and Identities, edited by Fusami Ogi et al. (Palgrave Macmillan)
Best Publication Design
  • Grunt: The Art and Unpublished Comics of James Stokoe, designed by Ethan Kimberling (Dark Horse)
  • Krazy Kat: The Complete Color Sundays, by George Herriman, designed by Anna-Tina Kessler (TASCHEN)
  • Logo a Gogo, designed by Rian Hughes (Korero Press)
  • Madness in Crowds: The Teeming Mind of Harrison Cady, designed by Paul Kopple and Alex Bruce (Beehive Books)
  • Making Comics, designed by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Rusty Brown, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
Best Digital Comic
  • Afterlift, by Chip Zdarsky and Jason Loo (comiXology Originals)
  • Black Water Lilies, by Michel Bussi, adapted by Frédéric Duval and Didier Cassegrain, translated by Edward Gauvin (Europe Comics)
  • Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin, by Tania de Montaigne, adapted by Emilie Plateau, translated by Montana Kane (Europe Comics)
  • Elma, A Bear’s Life, vol. 1: The Great Journey, by Ingrid Chabbert and Léa Mazé, translated by Jenny Aufiery (Europe Comics)
  • Mare Internum, by Der-shing Helmer (comiXology; gumroad.com/l/MIPDF)
  • Tales from Behind the Window, by Edanur Kuntman, translated by Cem Ulgen (Europe Comics)
Best Webcomic
  • Cabramatta, by Matt Huynh
  • Chuckwagon at the End of the World, by Erik Lundy
  • The Eyes, by Javi de Castro
  • Fried Rice Comic, by Erica Eng
  •  reMIND, by Jason Brubaker
  • Third Shift Society, by Meredith Moriarty

 

Empyre: Avengers #1

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Empyre: Avengers (2020) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel

Empyre: Avengers #1

“Seeds of Conflict”

Writer:  Jim Zub

Artist:  Carlos Magno

Cover Art:  Steve McNiven & Morry Hollowell

Marvel Comics newest gigantic crossover event is Empyre and, as most of these type of events, there are a ton of secondary issues outside of the actual Empyre limited series.  Exactly how many issues are unknown because I have heard some of them may have been cancelled because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The fact that some of the issues can be cancelled in this story and not have them affect the overall event tells you something about a lot of these tie-in issues.  They are not necessarily important to the story.

However, there are positives to Empyre: Avengers that, while may not be vital to the story, make for a nice side tale worth reading.

This takes place within the continuity of the Empyre saga and I very much liked the group of characters that are involved.  By doing this, we get a more detailed look at these characters.

There are two prongs to the story.  My favorite part was seeing Brother Voodoo, Ka-Zar, Scarlet Witch, Black Knight and Zabu return to the Savage Land to face off with the the Cotati. In the Savage Land, we get a couple of cool cameos that could lead to some excitement next issue.  The other prong of the story was less interesting which included Quicksilver, Mockingbird and Wonder Man who wind up stuck in the middle between the forces of the Kree/Skull alliance and the Cotati.  There is a short third part involving Vision, Luke Cage and Doctor Nemesis too, but this was a very little piece of the book.

The deep roster of characters allow this book to focus in on other Avengers besides just Cap and Iron Man.

While the book may not be relevant for the overall story of Empyre, I did like the pieces that they are telling us of the outlier of the tale.

ReadIt

Empyre: Avengers (2020) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel

X-Men + Fantastic Four #4

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X-Men + Fantastic Four #4

“Welcome to the New World:  The Might of Latveria has been Unleashed”

Writer:  Chip Zdarsky

Artist:  Terry Dodson

Cover Art:  Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson

This is one of the many mini series/regular series that have suffered because of COVID-19.  It has been such a long time since we saw the first three issues of this series that it really made this climactic chapter in this mini series feel like an after thought, and that is too bad since I had really been enjoying this series up to this point.

Everybody is trying to get their hands on Franklin Richards for their own reasons.  The series does a good job of presenting the different sides to the argument over Franklin whether it is the plans of Dr. Doom or the X-Men or Franklin’s parents.

I have to say that the art of this book has not been my favorite so far (in particular the faces of the characters), but I really think this issue stepped it up.  Some of the art here is so wonderful, especially with the images of Franklin and his power, so it helps the issue.

However, the ending scene (which I will not spoil) with Professor X and Magneto doing something that made me reconsider those two characters and their motivation.

The series also seemed to wrap up pretty easily.  Made me think about those sitcoms that introduce the story and it gets wrapped up in the half hour.  The characters’ changed their minds quickly.

The series was a decent overall read, and , if you did not have the months in between, I think it would have been all the better.  The minor quips I have are nothing major, but the final issue was not as great as my memory told me about the previous issues.

Itsfine

 

Daredevil #21

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Preview: Daredevil #21 | Graphic Policy

Daredevil #21

“Truth/Dare Part 1”

Writer:  Chip Zdarsky

Artist:  Marco Checchetto

Cover Art:  Marco Checchetto & Erick Arciniega

The Daredevil series has been such high quality during this recent run by writer Chip Zdarsky and this week’s Daredevil #21 is a good example of why.  If you are being honest, nothing actually happened in this book.  And yet, it was thoroughly compelling and engaging.  I found myself turning the pages with a renewed vigor.

The battle of Hell’s Kitchen is over and now the fall out happens. Daredevil decides that he must turn himself into the police to face the consequences of his actions.  This issue is going from the end of the battle to DD turning himself in.  While there was not much plot-wise involved here, there was a bunch of remarkable character beats for Daredevil and the others involved.

There is a tense scene between Daredevil and Spider-man (with a great throwback to the previous cameo with the Wall-Crawler).  There are some amazing scenes with DD and Foggy.  Detective Cole North has become a top notch character in this arc and he continues as a fantastic piece.  DA Hochberg and Daredevil have an amazing interaction too.

Then the comic begins a new arc that is perhaps going to be one of the most intriguing and potentially influential plot in a superhero comic.  I am very excited about where this comic is headed.

Marco Checcetto’s art in this book is fabulous.  There are so many panels that jump off of each page.  His work truly sets up the tone of this book and helps with the enjoyment of the book.

Daredevil #21 felt like a transition, but it was a transition at the highest level you can get.

excelsior

Preview: Daredevil #21 | Graphic Policy

 

Spirited Away (2002)

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Ever since I began this journey through the catalog of Studio Ghibli films, I have been looking forward to one particular film.  Spirited Away has been spoken of with such reverence that I have really anticipated reaching the film in the watch.  Today was the day.

I was very excited to watch Spirited Away this morning, though I did approach it with some trepidation.  The word of mouth had been so overwhelmingly positive that it threatened to raise my anticipation levels too high.  Would Hayao Miyazaki’s reputed classic be able to reach the levels of my expectation?  It would not be the first movie that I went into with high expectations only to come out shrugging my shoulders.

That was not the case.  Spirited Away is a masterpiece.

During her families move, unhappy 10-year old Chichiro and her parents got lost and discovered a deserted amusement park.  Before too long, Chichiro learned that there was more to the amusement park than you could see.  There was magic and a world of amazing creatures.  Chichiro investigates the area as her parents hungrily eats food at a local establishment.  When she meets a young boy named Haku, she is warned that she and her parents need to get out of the place before nightfall.  Rushing back to them, Chichiro finds that she was too late and that her parents had been transformed into pigs, forcing the young girl into a world of mystery.

As with all Studio Ghibli films, the animation here is amazing, but this film takes it to another level.  The character design on every creature, character or setting is utterly breathtaking and is filled with such specific details and stunning imagery.  The characters creation informs you about the characters brilliantly, presenting both sides to these complex characters.

There are some of the best characters that I have seen yet in this series of movies, including the bathhouse owner Yubaba is a marvelous construction of imagination and creativity.  Haku and his other part fits right in with the Japanese ideals and he is a beautiful design.  Lin is another great character who helps Sen, the name given to Chichiro by Yubaba as a way to control her.  No-Face is a spirit that comes into the bathhouse and seems to be a kindly spirit…until he was not.  That moment when No-Face turns completely shocked me and created a remarkable uneasiness in my mind.

Spirited Away reminded me immediately of The Wizard of Oz, as that film seems to share many of the same themes.  Both have a young girl as the main protagonist.  This young girl finds her way to an odd and magical world where she is just trying to return to her own life, trying to avoid the witch who has power around the land.  I have also seen people understandably connected it to Alice in Wonderland.  I saw Dan Murrell review this film and he said that the parents into pig scene reminded him of the kid turns into a donkey scene from Pinocchio.   These nods to the classics of children’s fantasy and literature create a richness in the story telling that helps flesh out everything for Spirited Away.

I love the character arc for Chichiro, as she starts as a fearful and depressed girl who whined a lot into a brave and heroic figure you goes out of her way to help the people that she cares about.  You can see how Sen grows with each situation she finds herself in.

For such a hyped film, Spirited Away paid off big time.  I loved this so much and it was a masterful animated movie like few that have ever came out.  A beautiful epic.

paragon

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My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)

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The next film in the Studio Ghibli list of films is My Neighbors the Yamadas.

I have to say, this one is an odd one.  It is not a typical narrative.  It is actually a group of vignettes that are strung together about the same group of characters.  The family includes Takashi and Matsuko (the father and mother), Shige (Matsuko’s mother), Noboru (aged approximately 13, the son), Nonoko (aged approximately 5, the daughter), and Pochi (the family dog).

The animation of the film is different than any of the previous Studio Ghibli films.  This has a very stylized comic strip feel to it, with a soft look and fewer details.  It was a very interesting animation to watch.

However, I have to say that I did have trouble staying interested in the film as the shorter vignettes failed to catch and maintain my attention.  There were some funny moments that made me laugh, but I just could not get into the film.

Still, there was one vignette where they sing the song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” that I enjoyed a great deal.  There were a couple of the shorts that were better at drawing my attention, but, unfortunately, overall I could not keep the focus on the film.

There are definitely some great parts of the film, but I failed at engaging myself into the overall movie despite them.  Perhaps this is a film to revisit down the road because there were some good aspects to My Neighbors the Yamadas.

Underwhelming

My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) - Posters — The Movie Database (TMDb)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

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Shane Black directed this comedy/mystery film starring Robert Downey Jr, who was on the cusp of his major come back from his own personal demons, and Val Kilmer.

The film featured several techniques of storytelling that you do not see that often in major movies.  In particular, the breaking of the fourth wall with Robert Downey Jr’s character being the narrator and going through certain tropes of a detective/mystery movie and calling them to light.  This is the type of technique that could get old, but Kiss Kiss Bang Bang does it extremely well.

Harry (Robert Downey Jr), a small time thief, winds up accidentally in an audition for an acting role, a part of a detective.  The studio sends him for detective training with a real detective Perry (Val Kilmer), but the constantly unlucky Harry winds up in the middle of a murder mystery that reunites him with his old crush from high school, Harmony (Michelle Monaghan).

The plot of the movie is simply there to place these three characters into certain situations and to create the mood of a film noir.  Once there, they are masterfully funny and engaging.  Robert Downey Jr. shows the skills that would provide him the opportunity to become Tony Stark in the MCU.  He is quick-witted, snarky and snippy and very intelligent, even if the character he is playing is not quite so bright.

As I stated, I loved the technique of the narration and how RDJ would speak about individual specifics on a movie, pointing out when there are examples of that in the film that you, as an audience member, was watching.  It worked mainly because of the sarcastic nature of Downey Jr and the clever writing of Shane Black.

I enjoyed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang a lot.  This is a clever, intelligent film with a great chemistry between its stars.  This is well worth the watch.

vintage

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