kingdom of the geek

new tv (prison break, k-ville, gossip girl reviews)

2007-09-23T15:31:00.000-05:00

Spoilers follow. It's here. I'm excited. I've seen a number of pilots that haven't aired yet, although I'll hold off my thoughts on those until other people have seen them. I will say that Journeyman was my favorite.

Monday brought us the third season premiere of Prison Break and the series premiere of the new show K-Ville. I've been a fan of Prison Break since the beginning, when FOX aired it early enough in the fall season (mid-August) to keep people hooked to it once other new shows started. It's spectacularly paced and plotted first season ended wonderfully, and I think the writers were left scratching their heads when it came to story ideas for season two. The second season of the show was a bit slow, a trait that normally comes around for the third seasons of programs of this nature. There is a midway point through season two where things got going, and the season ended on what is probably one of my favorite cliffhangers of all time.

Season three opens in this entire new world for these characters. Lincoln has been exonerated while Michael is stuck in the worst prison you can imagine, a Panamanian prison called Sona where the guards have abandoned their posts and the military keeps a perimeter. Not only is Michael stuck in there with no idea of how to escape, he's in there with the man who mad it his obsessive mission to find him, Mahone, the worst prison guard you can imagine, Bellick, and the best one-handed bad guy ever, T-Bag. All of these characters are welcomed in this new environment, especially Mahone, who is completely out of his element. Robert Wisdom (The Wire) joins the cast as Lechero, a man who has made Sona his own in the absence of authority. He points out that while there are 27 different nationalities in the prison, there is not one gang, something he wants to rectify. His scenes with Michael and Mahone are wonderful to watch.

Sucre is missed, although the actor's name still appears in the opening credits, which means he'll turn up later. Sara's absence is not really noticed, although it is one of the driving forces behind the plot of this season, it seems. I think that the writers realized their faults at the beginning of season two, and have taken the time to establish a season-long story similar to what we had in the first season.

K-Ville was a show that I was not necessarily looking forward to. I was not wowed by any of the creators or stars. The premise seemed mildly interesting, a cop show set in a post Katrina New Orleans. But that's all it is. Everything is pretty straightforward. None of the characters seem particularly interesting and all come off as one dimensional. The acting is not bad but not outstanding. The same goes for the writing. The "twist" at the end, that the main character's new partner is actually an ex-convict whose record was lost after the hurricane, is something that might have been better left until the end of the season. Instead the whole thing is unloaded in a quick bit of dialogue at the end of the episode. With so many shows out the season, this does not earn a series recording on my DVR.

Gossip Girl was a decent premiere. It comes from Josh Schwartz, the creator of The O.C. and another new show, Chuck. His name is really the only reason I was interested, although sometimes I am the 14-year-old girl who likes teen dramas. The pilot was better than I expected. It's not the best thing ever, but some annoying lines and delivery aside, it has it's share of relatable characters and
others you can't stand, like any show in it's genre. It definitely has the Josh Schwartz feel to it, although I don't know how much he's going to have to do with the show as it goes on. It has potential to it, and seems to the the child of the natural evolution of shows of this genre. It has two or three more episodes to really hook me and have me sing its praises (ala Gilmore Girls), or it could just become become another guilty pleasure (ala Grey's Anatomy).

Next week is the big premiere week. I'd like to write reviews for everything, but I don't know if I'll have the time. If nothing else, I'll talk about them on the podcast.

september

2007-09-20T12:14:00.001-05:00

Wow. It's September.

first day of school

2007-08-27T13:36:00.000-05:00

This is the second first day of school in which I am not participating. It's a weird feeling. I'm here in the library watching all the new kids come in and out. As Amanda said, I miss being 19 and knowing everything. Now I'm 24 and I don't know shit.

My work day starts at 10 or 11 in the morning and ends at midnight or so. I have this Thursday off. I plan on either sleeping all day or watching a crapload of television, because I am very far behind on shows. I don't know what I'm going to do once the fall season of stuff starts.

Amanda is moving away. This makes me sad. I think we're all going to try to have lunch tomorrow. Michael is also possibly moving away. I'm thinking of kidnapping them and keeping them locked up in a basement somewhere. It would be just like home.

I'm behind on comics, movies, TV, and my various forms of nerdness that keep me going. Being grown up is horrible. Don't let yourselves do it kids.

jobs

2007-08-23T11:58:00.000-05:00

I've gone from being unemployed for two months to now having two jobs. Things are crazy. Other things and people are good. I have this Sunday off, which will be nice. Otherwise, I have to time to watch or read anything, which is horrible. I'll fall into a rhythm. Hopefully.

mike wieringo

2007-08-13T11:40:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite comic book artist, Mike Wieringo, passed away from a heart attack on Sunday. He was 44. This is an incredible loss of talent and to the comic book community in general. This guy produced some of my favorite books in the past ten years, including an incredible run on Fantastic Four with Mark Waid and helped jumpstart Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man with Peter David. He will be incredibly missed by his fans.

comic con 2007

2007-07-29T19:13:00.000-05:00

I really wish I could have gone this year. Perhaps next year. Which I say every year.

Okay, boys and girls. Here is my attempt to bring you the most awesome of awesome news to come out of San Diego this year. And it was a lot. This is the stuff that I'm really excited about, and have stolen off of other websites who were actually in California.

Props to DC for putting their panels up as podcasts. I'm hoping Marvel will do the same (they did last year). It's just like being there without having to travel all the way across the country.

Let's give this a shot.

Marvel
-Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise) and Humberto Ramos (Spider-Man, X-Men, other really cool things) are the new creative team of Runaways. This makes me happy.
-Amazing Spider-Man moves to three issues a month, with a series of four writers and artists alternating storyarcs. The writers and artists were announced as: Dan Slott (Avengers: The Initiative, She-Hulk), Marc Guggenheim (Wolverine, Blade), Bob Gale (Back to the Future, Daredevil), Zeb Wells (New Warriors), Steve McNiven (Civil War), Salvador Larroca (X-Men), Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis), and Chris Bachalo (X-Men).
-Warren Ellis (a generally perverse individual who has written some of my favorite comics ever) and Simone Bianci (Shining Knight and Wolverine) are taking over Astonishing X-Men from Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.
-J. Michael Straczynski (Spider-Man, Babylon 5) and Chris Weston (The Filth) are doing a mini-series called The Twelve, which looks at a number of old Atlas Comics characters from the early days of Marvel.
-A new Captain Marvel book is coming from Brian Reed (Ms. Marvel) and Lee Weeks (Hulk, Winter Soldier).
-Daniel Knauf (Canivale, Iron Man) is writing a new Eternals ongoing.
-Jeph Loeb brings Ultimatum, a six-part crossover that runs through Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men that "promises to change the Ultimate universe forever." Again.
-The next big X-Men thing is called Messiah Complex, and will be reminiscent of the big crossovers of the 1990s, because those always went so well.
-Jon Favreau (the upcoming Iron Man movie) and Adi Granov (one of the best Iron Man artists in recent years) are doing a mini-series about the character around the time the movie comes out. This should give Granov plenty of time to get behind so the book can be really late.

DC
-Grant Morrison (52, Seven Soldiers) and J.G. Jones (Marvel Boy, Wanted) are the creative team of Final Crisis, DC's next (shock) big event book.
-Bill Willingham (Fables) writes Salvation Run, a mini-series focusing of the Flash's rogue's gallery.
-Matt Wagner (several Batman books is writing a new Vertigo book called Madame Xanadu.
-Judd Winick (Green Arrow) and Ian Churchill (Supergirl) bring a new book featuring the Titans East.
-Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges (Jack of Fables bring back House of Mystery for Vertigo.
-A Hellblazer original graphic novel called Pandemonium is coming from Jaime Delano and Jock (The Losers).
-The Tangent universe returns care of Dan Jurgens (everything) in a mini-series called Tangent: Global Degree. I'm guessing it will tie into Ion and Countdown.

IDW
-A series of Doctor Who comics are coming featuring David Tennant's version of the character and Martha Jones, written by series writer Gary Russell.
-Joss Whedon helps guide a "season six" Angel series entitled After the Fall written by Brian Lynch (Spike).
-Scott Tipton and David Messina (Angel and Star Trek) are the creative team behind the next Next Generation mini-series, called Intelligence Gathering, set during the fifth season of the show.
-Darwyn Cooke is leaving The Spirit at issue #12.

Hooray for comics.

moving

2007-07-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

I'm in a new apartment. It's nice. I'm dead from moving things. I don't know why people do this. I'm never moving again.

no more gallbladders

2007-06-13T13:20:00.000-05:00

My mom had surgery yesterday. Everything went good. She might get to go home today. Hopefully. We do not like hospitals. Thanks to everybody who sent their well wishes. It's appreciated.

Here is a gigantic blog update. I'm playing office manager at work this week. It's basically "Alan-gets-to-play-on-the-internet" week once I get paperwork done. So, horay for that. But I still need to get a job somewhere else. It's bad here. I've told everybody about as to not detail things here.

My goal of going to see all the movies that come out this summer has fallen to the wayside. I still need to see: Ocean's 13, Mr. Brooks (which is actually supposed to be really good), and Knocked Up. I try to avoid reviews as much as possible, especially if it's something I'm looking forward to. And Rise of the Silver Surfer comes out on Friday. I really hope that turns out to be a good movie.

I'm moving at the end of the month. It's for a number of reasons. But I get my cable and internet for free because of connections. The apartment complex I live in is moving to a different cable company, so I'm not going to have any cable and internet until I move. Which means I'm going to miss all kinds of summer premieres, including The 4400, Rescue Me, and The Closer. I can get them once I move. It will give me a chance to get caught up on DVDs. It's going to be the summer of Chris Carter (I'm going through The X-Files, Millennium, Harsh Realm, and The Lone Gunmen in chronological order) and rewatching Babylon 5. And maybe getting through my massive Homicide box set if I can. And I have a crapload of other shows to go through. I'm really hoping my DVR still works once the cable gets shut off, because I have yet to watch the season finales of The Shield, The Riches, and the last two episodes of The Sopranos. If nothing else I can just watch them once I move. Stupid apartments.

Okay. I'm very behind on listing off comics. I've been very good about buying stuff, but I haven't found the time to list off what's coming out here. So here's about a month's worth. I'll do the pretty pictures, as well.

American Virgin #15; Birds of Prey #106; Captain America #26, which I was actually able to find; Countdown #49/3 (of 52); Criminal #6, which starts a new story; Fantastic Four #546; Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Annual #1; G0dland #18; Hellblazer #232; Heroes for Hire #10; Iron Man: Hypervelocity #5 (of 6); Irredeemable Ant-Man #8; newuniversal #6, which is the last issue for a while, yet says "to be continued..." on the last page; PvP #33; Robin #162; Shadowpact #13; She-Hulk #18; The Spirit #6; Star Trek: Blood Will Tell #2 (of 5); Star Wars: Legacy #12; Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #30; Superman/Batman #35; Testament #18; Wetworks #9; Widsom #6 (of 6); Wonder Woman #9; and X-Men #199.

Covers.

The week after that.

Action Comics #850, which is another fill-in thing; Amazons Attack #2 (of 6); Blue Beetle #15; The Boys #7, which is very welcomed; Countdown #48/4 (of 52); Crossing Midnight #7; Daredevil #97; Deadman #10; Deathblow #5; Fallen Angel #16; Green Lantern #20; Hawkgirl #64; Hellboy: Darkness Calls #2 (of 6); JSA Classified #26; Justice Society of America #6; New Avengers: Illuminati #3 (of 5); New Excalibur #20; Punisher: Barracuda #4 (of 5); Silent War #5 (of 6); Silver Surfer: Requiem #1 (of 4); Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Space Between #5 (of 6); Teen Titans #47; Ultimate Fantastic Four #42; Wolverine #54; and X-23: Target X #6 (of 6).

More covers.

Here's last week's stuff.

The All-New Atom #12; Avengers: The Initiative #3, which I want to be good; Battlestar Galactica #10; Birds of Prey #107; Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4, which makes me happy in my special places; Countdown #47/5 (of 52); Daredevil: Battling Jack Murdock #1 (of 4); The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #5 (of 7), which makes me happy in my other special places; Detective Comics #833; The Exterminators #18; Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears #5 (of 6); Invincible #42; Iron Man #18; Irredeemable Ant-Man #9; Jack of Fables #11; Jonah Hex #20; The Lone Ranger #3; The Loners #3 (of 6); Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness #4 (of 4); Midnighter #8; Ms. Marvel #16; New Warriors #1; Nightwing #133; Omega Flight #3 (of 5); Outsiders #48; The Punisher #48; The Sadhu #8; Scalped #6; Spider-Man Family #3; Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #19; Supergirl #18; Superman #663; 30 Days of Night: Eben and Stella #2 (of 4); Uncanny X-Man #487; and Welcome to Tranquility #7.

More covers.

And the stuff that comes out today.

Amazing Spider-Girl #9; Avengers Classic #1; Batman Confidential #6; Blade #10; B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls #4 (of 5); Conan and the Midnight God #4 (of 5); Countdown #46/6 (of 52); DMZ #20; Exiles #95; Fables #62; Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #21; Gen 13 #9; Green Arrow #75, which is the last issue of the current series; Green Lantern Corps #13; Gifter/Midnighter #4 (of 6); Hawkgirl #65; JLA Classified #39; Justice #12 (of 12); Loveless #18; Mystic Arcana: Magik; New Avengers #31, which is supposed to "change everything;" Nova #4; Punisher War Journal #8, which will kick your ass and then eat a steak; PvP #34; Star Wars: Legacy #13; Stormwatch PHD #8; Sub-Mariner #1 (of 6); Superman/Batman #36; Tank Girl: The Gifting #1 (of 5); Treasure Island #1 (of 6), because I'm a gigantic nerd; Trials of Shazam #7 (of 12); and World War Hulk #1 (of 6), which I'm actually looking forward to.

The last of the covers.

I will not get that far behind again.

Quote of the current moment (from and older episode of the LostCast): "Chuck Norris wears Jack Bauer pajamas."

Work is not good. I'm going to make that change soon.

gallbladders

2007-06-12T09:04:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what they do, but my mom is having her's removed at some point today. We're not sure when, but I hate having to be at work and not with her at the hospital. I'm covering for the office manager who is out of town, so it's pretty much "Alan-gets-to-play-on-the-internet" week once I finish the paperwork. Hopefully I can work a half-day and then get to go be with her.

Here's hoping, anyways. Keep her in your thoughts, please. Should anyone need more information, please give me a call. I'll keep people posted on here, though.

post soon

2007-05-30T12:26:00.001-05:00

Been busy. Expect a full post tonight or tomorrow. Complete with comics and some tv stuff I never got around to doing last week. Things have been hectic.

cbs's fall schedule

2007-05-16T20:01:00.002-05:00

Three down, two to go.

Returning shows: All three CSI shows, Cold Case, Shark, The Unit, Criminal Minds, and Numb3rs.

I love my cop and lawyer shows but come the fuck on. Really? All of those are cop and lawyer shows. That's all CBS has anymore. And none of those are just my favorites that I have to watch right away. I still do enjoy the hell out of the original CSI sometimes, though.

New shows: Cane and Moonlight.

Cane is created by people I've never heard of. It has a hell of a cast, though: Jimmy Smits, Nestor Carbonell (who I was hoping would stay on Lost), Rita Moreno (Oz), and Hector Elizondo. It's about a rum and sugar business. Like I said, a hell of a cast.

Moonlight is from a people I don't know and stars people I don't know. It's about a vampire who is a private detective. What the fuck? Not even Angel was the first show to do that premise. Remember Forever Knight? I'm livid.

Cancelled shows: Jericho.

Fuck CBS. Jericho was quite possibly the best new show of this season. Better than Heroes in certain parts. Goddamn. Stupid old person channel. Cop and lawyer shows my ass. Fuck.

abc's fall schedule

2007-05-15T17:23:00.000-05:00

The television geek in me is happy. Here's ABC's schedule for later this year. Or, at least, it's stuff that I find interesting.

Returning shows: Boston Legal and Grey's Anatomy.

Because William Shatner and James Spader are the most awesome people ever. And because I'm a girl. I saw yay to both of these.

New shows (about half of which will be quickly canceled, I'm sure): Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Big Shots.

Private Practice is the Grey's Anatomy spin-off from the same creative team. It has what might be one of the most awesome cast ever assembled: Kate Walsh, Merrin Dungey (Alias), Tim Daly, Taye Diggs, Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy), Paul Adelstein (Prison Break), and Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars). It has potential.

Pushing Daisies is from Bryan Fuller (Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me) and stars Kristin Chenoweth and Chi McBride. It's about a guy who can bring things back from the dead. It's Bryan Fuller, so I say yay.

Dirty Sexy Money is from Greg Berlanti (Everwood) and Bryan Singer. It stars Peter Krause (Six Feet Under) and Donald Sutherland. It's about a lawyer and his family. But it's Peter Krause, so I'm there.

Big Shots stars Michael Vartan (Alias), Dylan McDermott (The Practice), Joshua Molina (The West Wing), and Christopher Titus (Titus). It has to do with executives or something. Wonderful cast they've put together.

ABC didn't really cancel anything that I didn't already know about (Day Break or The Nine). They look to have some good stuff for next season.

new tv and comics for this week

2007-05-14T18:54:00.000-05:00

This is the May upfront weeks, where the major television stations reveal their schedules for the fall. This makes tv nerds like me happy. Today was NBC, and I'll go over it real quick right after I do the comics for this week.

Action Comics #849; All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #5, which is late enough that I don't really care; Army at Love #3; Batman #665, to which I say yay; Battlestar Galactica #9; B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls #3 (of 5); Catwoman #67; Checkmate #14; Conan #40; Countdown #2 (of 52), which I refuse to count backwards; Ex Machina #28; Exiles #94; Fables #61; Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #3 (of 5); Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #12; Gargoyles #4; Highlander #7; Justice League of America #9, which is part three of the crossover; Mighty Avengers #3, which is beautiful; Moon Knight #10; Painkiller Jane #1; Red Sonja #22; Sidekick #5 (of 5); Supergirl #17; 30 Days of Night: Eben and Stella #1 (of 6); Ultimate Spider-Man #109; Ultimate X-Men #82; Ultimates 2 #13 (of 13), which is late but should be awesome; Uncanny X-Men #846, which is the last part of a year long storyline; X-Factor #19; and X-Men: First Class Special.

And some covers.

And now the television. I'm only going to talk about shows I care about. NBC announced their schedule today.

Returning shows: Heroes, SVU, Earl, The Office, Scrubs, 30 Rock, ER, Las Vegas, Friday Night Lights. Law and Order and Medium return mid-season.

I say yay to Heroes, 30 Rock, The Office, Earl, Friday Night Lights, SVU, ER, Law and Order, and Medium. I enjoy watching all of those shows. Although they've moved Friday Night Lights to Fridays, because apparently people are stupid. Either people will watch it because they now know when it is on, or it will do horrible. I think Scrubs is almost over. And I despise Las Vegas yet can't stop watching the horridness of it. Tom Selleck is in this new season.

New shows: Journeyman, Chuck, Bionic Woman, and Life.

Journeyman stars Kevin McKidd (Lucius Vorinus of Rome fame) and Reed Diamond (Homicide). It's about a guy who can travel in time to fix things. It sounds a bit Quantum Leap, but it's created by some people who worked on The West Wing It's worth checking out.

Chuck stars Adam Baldwin (the man they call Jayne) and some other people. It's from Josh Schwartz (The O.C.) and is about a guy who gets recruited as a secret agent after he learns all kinds of things about the government that he shouldn't. Adam Baldwin and Josh Schwartz means I'm there.

Bionic Woman stars Michelle Ryan (a hot British actress), Miguel Ferrer (Crossing Jordan), and Molly Price (Third Watch). It's from David Eick and Glen Morgan (Battlestar Galactica), Jason Smilovic (Kidnapped), and Bruno Heller (Rome). It's a remake of the old show from the 1970s, but with the people involved in it, I'm hoping it's going to be great. Also, Katee Sackhoff is in the pilot.

Life stars some people I've never heard of and is from other people I've never heard of, but the premise sounds awesome. It's about a cop who is let out of prison after serving part of a life sentence and goes back to work with the people who put him there. I love me some cop shows.

And the cancelled stuff: Studio 60, Crossing Jordan, Raines, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Fuck you, NBC. Studio 60 was about as close to greatness as you could get. At least we'll get the last episodes at the end of the month. Crossing Jordan had a good enough run, I suppose, although we never did see the Jerry O'Connell spin-off. Raines had some potential, but no one watches a show put on Friday nights, especially this late in the season. And Criminal Intent is moving to USA, so it's not really cancelled.

Good stuff to look forward to. I'm geeking out for the rest of the week. More tomorrow.

comics for this week

2007-05-09T19:39:00.000-05:00

Dallas was fun. The new job is interesting. It;s like working for Travis's dad.

Comics, quickly.

Amazing Spider-Girl #8; Amazing Spider-Man #540, which is good; Battle Pope #14; Black Panther #27; Blade #9, which is really good; Countdown #1 (of 52), which starts something new; Desperadoes: Buffalo Dreams #4 (of 4); DMZ #19; Friday the 13th #6; Gen 13 #8; Ghost Rider #11; Green Arrow #74; Green Lantern Corps #12; Grifter and Midnighter #3 (of 6); Immortal Iron Fist #5, to which I say "yay;" Invincible #41; Jack of Fables #10; JLA Classified #38; Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, which will probably sell out; Mystery in Space #8 (of 8); New Avengers #30; Nightwing #132; Nova #2; Outsiders #47, which continues Checkout; Punisher War Journal #7; PvP #32; Red Sonja: Vacant Shell; Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #2 (of 4); Star Wars: Legacy #11; Stormwatch PHD #7; Tales of the Unexpected #8 (of 8); Thunderbolts #114; Transformers: Target 2006 #2 (of 6); Ultimate Power #5; Wolverine: Origins #14; and Y: The Last Man #56, which is nearing it's end.

All for now. Other things. Zam clam.

dallas

2007-05-04T00:23:00.000-05:00

I am in Dallas until Sunday. It is awesome and neat. People are cool.

It is fun all around. I wish more people could have come with me. And by that I mean anybody. It was a lonely drive up here.

More later.

recent comics and other things

2007-05-02T14:50:00.000-05:00

Here's an incredibly large post to catch up on everything I'm behind on.

First off, here are some quick reviews of Lost since it's return from hiatus in February.

Not in Portland - This was the first episode back after a fairly lackluster premiere. The not so interesting cliffhanger is tied up. We get a Juliet flashback, which is neat. They are starting to give us some insight into how the Others operate. The Jack/Kate/Sawyer stuff is coming to a close, which is great. 3/5.

Flashes Before Your Eyes - This is the Desmond flashback/time travel episode. Such great and wonderful stuff. Desmond is a great character that Henry Cusick brings to life so well. This is one of the great episodes of the whole show, and sets up the Charlie storyline that runs through the rest of the season. 5/5.

Stranger in a Strange Land - Jack is not interesting. I do not care about his tattoos. At all. What a crap story. The saving grace of this was the Juliet stuff with the trial. And Jack yelling at people from inside a cage. The Ana-Lucia mention also hits home. 2/5.

Tricia Tanaka is Dead - This is really were the third season started to take off, I think. Which is weird, because it's more or less a stand alone episode. Hurley is one of my favorite characters on the show, and while the flashback wasn't that important to the show, his storyline on the island is great. He's the guy we most identify with. And Cheech Marin as his dad was great. 5/5.

Enter 77 - A good Sayid episode. Again, a kind of pointless flashback, but good none the less. The main island story was amazing in this episode. We meet Mikhail, get some more information about what's going on (although not all of it might be true), and learn that John is on a mission of is own. Also, the bible verse/compass heading will tie into something at the end of the season, I'm thinking. 4/5.

Par Avion - Probably my least favorite of this batch of episodes, but still good. The big reveal of Claire's father is neat, and I like the idea that her and Jack will never know. The fact that Jack doesn't appear in this episode makes it all the better. The current story is neat, too, carrying over the Desmond/Charlie storyline a bit further. 3/5.

The Man From Tallahassee - This is the episode the fans were waiting for. Great Locke stuff, but it always is. We get the answer to a question from the very beginning of the show. Always remember, if you're screwing with people you're not supposed to, John Locke will fuck your shit up. Wonderfulness all around. 5/5.

Exposé - The other episode people were waiting for. I wasn't in the crowd of fans that hated Nikki and Paulo, but I will agree that I didn't really see their purpose as being there, much less being listed in the opening credits with all the other regular actors. But if you're going to go out, you want to go out like this. I don't know if this episode was meant to be as funny as it was, but I laughed so hard while watch it. If you liked these two characters or not, you have to admit that this was a great episode. 4/5.

Left Behind - This was a fairly standard Kate episode, meaning you see a bunch of stuff you already know and wasn't that interested in in the first place. Juliet is great in it. The Hurley/Sawyer stuff is always fun, although didn't really move anything forward. Giant props for the smoke monsters and sonic fence stuff. 3/5.

One of Us - The flashbacks pick back up where the mid-season premiere ended. Great Juliet stuff. We get to see Ethan and Goodwin, and figure out exactly what Juliet was wanted for and how she passed some time. I love the way they develop characters after they've killed them off. Ben is wonderfully creepy. Mikhail's appearence is wonderfully utilized. The Claire stuff is interesting enough, and this episode has one of the greatest ending cliffhangers of not only the series, but possibly any series. Just great stuff all around. 4/5.

Catch 22 - This was the one co-written by Brian K. Vaughan, one of my favorite comic book writers. His voice is definatley present throughout the whole script, and not just the Superman/Flash debate between Charlie and Hurley. Again, we get some more great Desmond stuff which really shed some light onto who this guy was before he found his way to the island. And there's another great cliffhanger. Good episode all around. 4/5.

D.O.C. - This was last week's episode, which had some great Jin and Sun stuff in it. Everytime they pop back into the foreground I'm reminded why they're such great characters. The Sun/Juliet story is great, with a great ending that follows up on some previous storylines. The Desmond/Jin/Charlie/Hurley stuff is great too. It answers some questions and raises some completely new ones that I'm fairly certain will be answered by the season's end. Another great episode. 4/5.

And there are only five new episodes in the next four weeks. Tonight's promises to be fantastic, as it's another Locke-centered episode. The remaining episodes offer us flashbacks into Ben (and I'm assuming the role of the Dharma Initiative in all of this) and Charlie, with the two-hour finale apparently being about Jack. Although knowing how they do the finales, I'm guessing there will be more to it than just that. Also, because the season finales of this show have proven to be some of the best hours of television ever produced, but also that no good really comes from a Jack episode. So, we'll see. They've won me back to this show in a big way.

CAPE is this weekend in Dallas. I'm heading up there either tomorrow or Friday. I need to pack and get some comics together that I want to get signed. It should be a lot of fun. I'll get to see Luke and Greg and tons of comic writers and artists. I'm also hoping to see Spider-Man 3 in IMAX.

Danielle is missed. She loaned me her car while she's in New York. This makes her one of the most awesome people ever. Hooray for Danielle.

I got a new job that I'm starting on Monday. It's database and clerical stuff for a disel company. It should be good. It pays very well, so I'll be able to keep up with comics. And save up for a new television. And a new stereo.

Grindhouse is an amazing experience. Hot Fuzz is exactly the movie it should be. I love Simon Pegg. There is a movie coming out pretty much every week this summer. Here's a bit of a rundown.

May 4 - Spider-Man 3. Because it's freaking Spider-Man. I love the first two movies. I think they are some of the best comic book adaptations out there. Although, Kristen Dunst annoys me the more I see her. I don't think she really understands what this is about. I'm hoping they can pull it off a third time.

May 11 - 28 Weeks Later. I love 28 Days Later. And with a cast of Harold Perrineau, Idris Elba, and Robert Carlyle, I want to believe that this movie will be awesome. But it's from Fox Atomic, the same fine studio that brought you Turistas and The Hills Have Eyes 2. So, take that for what you will. We'll see how it goes.

May 25 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Love the first movie. The second one is okay, but not without its faults. But the trailer for this looks amazing. I have high hopes.

June 1 - Knocked Up. Because Judd Apatow really is a comedic genius. If you didn't like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, then just look to Freaks and Geeks, one of the great cancelled to soon shows of our time. Go get the DVD. It's worth it.

June 8 - Ocean's Thirteen. Love the first two movies. The first one more than the second. I love Steven Soderbergh. I'm sure this is going to be great.

June 15 - Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I'm one of the few people who kind of likes the first film. It, too, is not without its faults, and some major ones at that. But the full trailer for this looks amazing, and it seems the horribly miscast actors might have found the characters they were supposed to be playing in the first film.

June 29 - Live Free or Die Hard. Because Bruce Willis will still kick your ass at the end of the day. The first movie is a classic. And I dig the third one. I'm hoping this is enjoyable. Also, Death at a Funeral, which looks like a cool indie type film with a good cast in it.

July 6 - Transformers. Not really. I'll see it. I have no real desire to, though. Fuck Michael Bay and his stupid sweeping shots of people looking at the sky.

July 13 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Reading this book now. I have been for a while. It's kind of boring. Nothing much happens, but what does will make a good flick. I like the third and fourth films quite a bit. This one should be a dark and gothy. Also, 1408, which has John Cusack and Sam Jackson in a Stephen King movie. I don't need much more to pull me in.

July 27 - Skinwalkers. This has been pushed back a lot, which is never good. It's about werewolves and has Jason Behr and some other good actors in it. I've been wanting to see it for a while. Also, The Simpsons Movie, which I'm thinking more and more that they might just get right.

August 10 - Stardust. Because we love the Neil Gaiman. And it has a great cast attatched to it. I'm really looking forward to seeing this.

That's all the movies, but I always miss some. It will be a good summer film wise.

Here's the comics that came out last week.

Action Comics #848; Amazons Attack #1 (of 6), which will either suck or be really good; Batman Confidential #5; Blue Beetle #14; Catwoman #66; Connor Hawke: Dragon's Blood #6 (of 6); Crossing Midnight #6, which is a pretty decent new series; Daredevil #96, which is still one of my favorites; Devi #10; Exiles #93; The Exterminators #16; Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #2 (of 5), which has pretty Ed McGuinness art; Fantastic Four #545; 52 #51 (of52); Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #35; Heroes for Hire #9; JSA Classified #25; Justice #11 (of 12); Justice Society of America #5, which is the second part of a crossover; New Excalibur #19; Ninja Scroll #8; Outsiders Annual #1, because I'm a sucker for the annuals; Powers #24, which is always good; The Punisher: Barracuda #3 (of 5); Red Menace #6 (of 6); The Sadhu #7; Se7en #4 (of 7); Silent War #4 (of 6); Snakewoman #10; Star Trek: Blood Will Tell #1 (of 5); Star Trek: The Next Generation - Blood Will Tell #4 (of 6), because I really am a gigantic dork; Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #29; 30 Days of Night: Spreading the Disease #5 (of 5); The Walking Dead #37; Wetworks #8; Wisdom #5 (of 6); Wolverine #53, which is beautiful, but needs to pick up soon storywise; Wonder Woman #8; Wormwood Gentleman Corpse #7; and X-Men: First Class #8 (of 8), which is becoming an ongoing series in a few months.

I couldn't find any free covers from last week.

And here's this week. Which is now designated the awesome week of the month because there's so much awesome stuff that comes out.

The All-New Atom #11; American Virgin #14; Astonishing X-Men #21, which I absolutely love; Avengers: The Initiative #2, which I'm giving a second chance; Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3, which makes me do the dance of joy; Checkmate #13; City of Others #2 (of 4); The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #4 (of 7), which also makes me do the dance of joy; Deadman #9; Detectice Comics #832; The Exterminators #17; 52 #52 (of 52), which is the end of something really special; Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #20; Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears #4 (of 6); Giant-Sized Red Sonja #1; Green Lantern #19; Hawkgirl #63; Hellboy: Darkness Calls #1 (of 6), which is the first main Hellboy story ever not drawn by Mike Mignola, which means we'll wait and see how that goes; Incredible Hulk #106, which is all about World War Hulk; Iron Man #17; Jonah Hex #19; The Loners #2 (of 6), which is a neat spin-off from Runaways; Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #3 (of 5); Midnighter #7, which is a one-shot from Brian Vaughan and Darick Robertston; Ms. Marvel #15, which is still extremely under-rated; Omega Flight #2 (of 5); The Punisher #47; Runaways #26, which is another dance of joy book; Scalped #5, which is another great new series out of Vertigo; Sensational Spider-Man Annual #1, which looks pretty; Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil #3 (of 4); Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #18; Superman #663; Teen Titans #46, which I think is Geoff Johns's last issue; Thunderbolts: Zemo - Born Better #4 (of 4); Transformers: Escalation #6 (of 6); Ultimate Fantastic Four #41; Welcome to Tranquility #6; Wonder Man #5 (of 5); and World War Hulk: World Breaker, which kicks off something I've been looking forward to.

And some real covers.

That's everything. More later. I should have time to do things.

post soon

2007-04-26T17:08:00.000-05:00

I have a blog dump post coming soon. I hate being busy.

comics for this week

2007-04-17T12:24:00.000-05:00

I hate making decisions. I need someone to make them for me.

Here's comics for this week. I'm going to purchase some of these tomorrow.

Army at Love #2, because all this new Vertigo stuff has been really good; Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II #8 (of 8), which I've very much enjoyed; Battlestar Galactica #8; Birds of Prey #105; The Brave and the Bold #3, which is the awesome; Conan #39; DMZ #18, which I'm getting caught up on; Ex Machina #27, which is late but welcome; Fallen Angel #15; which is wonderful; 52 #50 (of 52), which is going to go out with a bang; The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #11; Hellblazer #231; Invincible #40, which is consistantly great; Justice League of America #8; which starts a crossover with Justice Society of America; Manhunter #30; Mighty Avengers #2; which should be as good as the first issue; Moon Knight #9, which I might enjoy more if I knew anything about the character; Nightwing Annual #2, because I have a love for annuals; Red Sonja #21; Robin #161; Sensational Spider-Man #37, which is another book I'm slowly getting caught up on; Shadowpact #12; The Spirit #6; Squadron Supreme: Hyperion vs. Nighthawk #4 (of 4); Superman/Batman #34; Testament #17; Ultimate Spider-Man #108; Ultimate X-Men #81; World War III: A Call to Arms; World War III: The Valiant; World War III: Hell is for Heroes; World War III: United We Stand, all of which tie into this week's issue of 52; X-23: Target X #5 (of 6); X-Factor #18; and X-Men #198, which is gearing up to something huge.

And some pretty covers.

All for now. Workings and choice makings.

comics for this week and last

2007-04-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

Finally getting around the this. I'm ordering stuff tomorrow or so.

The All-New Atom #10; American Virgin #13, which I'm finally getting into; Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #2 (of 2); Avengers: The Initiative #1, which I was not impressed with; Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2, which is fucking awesome; The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #3 (of 7), which is also, if I might say, fucking awesome; Detective Comics #831; Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #1 (of 5), which is pretty; 52 #48 (of 52); Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #19; Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears #3 (of 6); Immortal Iron Fist #4, which I've been really impressed with; Incredible Hulk #105; Iron Man: Hypervelocity #4 (of 6); Irredeemable Ant-Man #7; Jack Of Fables #9; Jonah Hex #18; Justice League Of America #7; Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #2 (of 4); Midnighter #6; Ms. Marvel #14; New Excalibur #18; A Nightmare on Elm Street #7; Nightwing #131; Omega Flight #1 (of 5), which I'm going to break down and get; Painkiller Jane #0; The Punisher #46; Runaways #25, which is wonderful; Scalped #4; Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Space Between #3 (of 6); Supergirl And The Legion Of Super-Heroes #28; Supergirl #16; Superman #661; Superman/Batman #33; Thunderbolts: Zemo - Born Better #3 (of 4) and Welcome To Tranquility #5.

Covers.

And this week.

All Star Superman #7, which is a beautiful book; Amazing Spider-Girl #7; Battlestar Galactica: Zarek #4 (of 4); B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls #2 (of 5); Conan and the Midnight God #3 (of 5); Desperadoes: Buffalo Dreams #3 (of 4); Fables #60; Fallen Angel #14; Fell #8, which is great; 52 #49 (of 52), which is a feat in itself; Friday the 13th #5; Gen 13 #7; Ghost Rider #10; The Great and Secret Show #11 (of 12); Green Arrow #73, which is the first of the last three issues; Green Lantern Corps #11; Grifter and Midnighter #2 (of 6); Highlander #6; Iron Man #16; JLA Classified #37; The Loners #1 (of 6), which I'm looking forward to; Loveless #17; New Avengers #29, which makes me happy; newuniversal #5, which is great; Nova #1, which I'm curious to check out; Punisher War Journal #6, which is full of awesome; Rush City #6 (of 6); She-Hulk #17; Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #1 (of 4); Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #17; Stormwatch PHD #6; Tales of the Unexpected #7 (of 8); Teen Titans #45; Thunderbolts #113; Trials of Shazam #6 (of 12); Uncanny X-Men #485; White Tiger #5 (of 6), which works for what it is; Wolverine: Origins #13; and Wonder Woman #7.

More covers.

Grindhouse is the great. Aqua Teen Hunger Force tonight.

busy busy

2007-04-11T22:47:00.000-05:00

I've been busy. Life changing stuff. I'm 23 and I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I'm in the process of figuring it out.

Really post tomorrow, maybe. Comics and all. Maybe some Lost reviews.

I loved the season finale of Prison Break. And Lost was awesome tonight.

More later.

comics for the last two weeks

2007-03-26T13:33:00.000-05:00

I've been busy. There are lots of comics.

The season finale to Battlestar Galactica was amazing. I love being shocked and awed by stuff. I haven't seen anything that good in a while. It pains me we have to wait until 2008 for new episodes.

Here comics for last week.

Amazing Spider-Man #539, which starts Back in Black, because black is cooler than red and blue; Army at Love #1, which looks interesting; Batman Confidential #4; Battlestar Galactica: Zarek #3 (of 4); Birds of Prey #104; The Brave and the Bold #2, which is beautiful; Checkmate #12, which I love; Civil War: Battle Damage Report; Conan #38; Criminal Macabre: Two Red Eyes #4 (of 4); Darkman vs. Army of Darkness #4 (of 4); Deadman #8; Deathblow #4; Detective Comics #830, which is wonderful; Exiles #92; The Exterminators #15; 52 #46 (of 52); The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #10; Hellblazer #230; Ion #12 (of 12), which I'm getting caught up on; Justice Society of America #4, which is so good; Ms. Marvel #13, which more people should read; The Omega Men #6 (of 6); Punisher: Barracuda #2 (of 5); Red Menace #5 (of 6); Runaways Saga; The Sadhu #6; Shadowpact #11; Shrugged #5; Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #16; The Spirit #4; Supergirl #15, which I always enjoy; Testament #16; 30 Days of Night: Spreading the Disease #4 (of 5); Ultimate Power #4 (of 9), because apparently Hyperion is a wrestler; The Walking Dead #36; Wisdom #4 (of 6); Wonder Man #4 (of 5); X-23: Target X #4 (of 6); X-Factor #17, which is really good; X-Men #197, which is also really good; X-Men: First Class #7 (of 8), which is going to be an ongoing; and Y: The Last Man #55, which is beginning of the last storyarc.

And some covers.

And here's the books for this week. I'm getting behind again.

Action Comics #847, which starts a run of fill-in stuff; Batman #664, which is great Grant Morrison stuff; Black Panther #26, which I readlly enjoy; Blue Beetle #13; Catwoman #65, which I haven't read in a while; City of Heroes #18; Conner Hawke: Dragon's Blood #5 (of 5); Crossing Midnight #5; Daredevil #95, which starts the next big thing; Devi #9; DMZ #17; Fables #59; Fantastic Four #544, which I hope doesn't start sucking; 52 #47 (of 52), which is winding down to something great; Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #34; G0dland #17; Gargoyles #3, which starts some real new stuff; Green Lantern #18; Hawkgirl #62; Heroes for Hire #8; Hunter/Killer #12; JSA Classified #24; Ninja Scroll #7; Sensational Spider-Man #36; Silent War #3 (of 6), which is really good; Snakewoman #9; Star Wars: Legacy #10; Superman Confidential #4; 24: Nightfall #5 (of 6); Transformers: Escalation #5 (of 6); Ultimate Fantastic Four #40; Ultimate Spider-Man #107; Ultimate X-Men #80; Wetworks #7; Wolverine #52, which is beautiful; and Wonder Woman #7, which starts a new arc.

And more covers.

I think that's all. We really need to do a new podcast. Keep watching. Michael won't be busy forever. Hopefully.

film reviews

2007-03-14T13:24:00.001-05:00

I have seen several movies recently that deserve some short mention here. Look for a new podcast by the end of week, hopefully.

The Descent - wonderful old fashioned monster movie. It's been years since I've seen a good horror movie, and there have been three or four in the past year that I've really enjoyed. It takes a little bit to get into, but once it does it's well worth it.

Highlander: The Source - thank you internet for letting me see this early. I'm not really sure what I thought about this. It's Highlander set in the future. It'd got Duncan, Joe, and Methos. But Methos is kind of a dick throughout the whole thing. It's a good story, but it's executed a bit oddly. I did not understand the end. The whole movie is shot like a damn music video. I think it requires a second viewing.

Zodiac - Holy motherfucker. David Fincher is so awesome. This is the perfect film in so many aspects. Robert Downy, Jr. is such a talented guy. Beautifully shot. Wonderful script. Everything in this film goes so well together. It's nothing like Se7en or Fight Club but you can really see the evolution of Fincher as a film maker. Just great stuff.

300 - This is Sparta, bitch. I'm not the world's biggest Frank Miller fan, but son of a bitch they can make a damn good movie from one of his books. I love Sin City. I've never read the book this film was based on. I kind of wanted to see it fresh. Here is another example of how everything just came together really well. And it has Dominic West in it. So that's always good. Go see this. Preferably without other people, because they yell things at the screen.

Black Snake Moan - boobs and the blues. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this film, but I walked away pleased. The ending is a little weird. And the chain. But in the end it's about friendship and needing someone. Also, Sam Jackson yells things. And it has Christina Ricci. So, double plus.

I'm still waiting for Spider-Man 3.

comics for this week

2007-03-10T16:20:00.000-06:00

Not a lot going on. I need to call my dad.

Lots of good stuff this week.

Amazing Spider-Girl #6; Angel: Auld Lang Syne #5 (of 5), which is neat; Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #7 (of 8); Battlestar Galactica #7; Blade #7, which is really good; B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls #1 (of 5), which makes me happy; Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1, which makes me full of joy; Civil War: The Confession, which looks beautiful; Fables #58, which is always good; 52 #45 (of 52), which I'm getting caught up on; Friday the 13th #4; Gen 13 #6; Ghost Rider #9; Green Arrow #72; Green Lantern Corps #10; Grifter/Midnighter #1 (of 5); Irredeemable Ant-Man #6; JLA Classified #36; The Lone Ranger #5; Martian Manhunter #8 (of 8); Moon Knight #8, which is really good; Mystery in Space #7 (of 8); New Avengers #28, which is also really good; Punisher War Journal #5, which is just wonderful; Robin #160; Spider-Man: Reign #4 (of 4); Stormwatch PHD #5; Superman #660; Tales of the Unexpected #6 (of 8); Teen Titans #44, which is still going strong; Thunderbolts #112, which is neat; Thunderbolts: Zemo - Born Better #2 (of 4); Wolverine: Origins #12; Wonder Woman #5; and Wormwood Gentleman Corpse #6.

This week will be full of World of Warcraft.

marvel is stupid

2007-03-09T14:11:00.000-06:00

I can't get their big book. It's rather annoying.

comics for this week

2007-03-05T15:04:00.000-06:00

Long week coming.

Here's comics for this week.

The All-New Atom #9; The Authority #2, which is neat; Bullet Points #5 (of 5), which is a wonderful mini-series; Captain America #25, which should be big; Civil War: The Initiative, which is also big; Criminal #5, which is such a wonderful book; The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #2 (of 7), which makes me full of joy; Detective Comics #829; which is so good; Fantastic Four #543; Fantastic Four: The End #6 (of 6); 52 #44 (of 52); Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #18; Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears #2 (of 6); Helmet of Fate: Zauriel; Highlander #5; Incredible Hulk #104; Iron Man: Hypervelocity #3 (of 6); Jonah Hex #17; Justice Leauge of America #6, which makes me happy; Loveless #16; Manhunter #29; Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #1 (of 4); Midnighter #5; Mighty Avengers #1, which looks beautiful; newuniversal #4, which is really good; A Nightmare on Elm Street #6; Nightwing #130; Outsiders #46; The Punisher #45; Red Sonja #20; Scalped #3; Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil #2 (of 4); Star Wars: Legacy #9; Superman/Batman #32; Ultimate Spider-Man #106, which starts a new story; Ultimate Vision #3 (of; 5); Uncanny X-Men #484, which is really good right now; Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #8 (of 8); Welcome to Tranquility #4; and Worldstorm #2.

And some covers.

The pain.