New Comic Blog

Just a quick thought:

Check out Shelly’s Comic Book Shelf at http://shellyscomics.blogspot.com/. I love reading intelligent female commentary on comics! (I like the look too.)

Jersy Girl: What's not to like?

I don't get it. For a couple years now, I've been hearing from seemingly everyone that Jesey Girl is one of the worst movies ever made. Ardent Smith fans have groaned and covered thier eyes at the mere mention of it's name. Comic fans (admittedly, mostly male) whine about it's girly nature and "wimpyness." They told me that: "It's a freakin' romantic comedy without any of the humor, language, or bite of any of Smith's other films."

I don't get it. I LOVED this movie. Literally, I laughed and I cried. I gasped in horror and disbelief. I enjoyed pretty much all of this film. Right now, I can't remember a single reason that I waited this long to watch it. I've already started reminding the husband that this movie would make a great gift for my birthday. So what is so wrong with the rest of Smith's fans?

Maybe they miss the language. Without all the refrences to genitalia and sexual acts that are probably illegal in several states, they don't know when to laugh. Maybe they're jealus of Afflack. People say that he can't act. I don't consider myself an expert on acting, but I was convinced. Perhaps he's just good enough at acting like an asshole that people assume that he is one? (I've never really understood the rampant dislike many otherwise normal people will hold for certain celebraties.) I don't really see the "departure" from Smith's other films. I've them all now, and while this isn't a Clerks movie, I could tell that the same person who wrote Chasing Amy was in charge of Jersy Girl. The humor was there, it just mellowed a bit. This wasn't just some normal romantic comedy. It contained a knife wielding barber, an offer of a mercy lay, and George Carlin. Come on people, name just one other "romantic comedy" that contains two of those items.

Jersey Girl: A! Finally, a movie that my husband and I can both watch and enjoy!

Final Fantasy X

So, I've been playing Final Fantasy X. I know how it ends since I watched my husband beat it a little over a year ago, but I'm still addicted. I've beaten FFX2 already and paused in the process of beating it again (better ending if I get 100%) to come back and play the original. I love these games. The stories are an interesting mix of fighting, heroism, and romance that keep me coming back for more. I get to decide the ultimate limits of what my characters can do and how well. (Plus the art is really, really cool.)

So far, I've spent about 87 hours on FFX and well over 150 on FFX2. I guess thats why my husband laughs at me when I complain that I just do not have enough time to get the "real" things in my life done. You know, like paying bills, cleaning the apartment, and working on my art.


Still, I can't help but think that the world would be a much better place if everyone could spend a few hours a week in a world where injustice was easily fought with a couple of guns or a great big sword. Admit it, you'd want to live there too. :)

(These pictures, while really cool, are not mine. As near as I can figure, they were borrowed by others from the original art of the games. Enjoy!)

Bloodrayne the "Movie"

So. I finally watched Bloodrayne last night. While it wasn't as bad as I expected, considering the harsh critisism I've heard all over the web, it was pretty awful. As the credits rolled down my tv screen, I found myself feeling grateful that all the actors involved with this film were still collecting checks and paying the morgage. Unfortunately, that's all I can really say for the lot of them after watching this "film."

Let me just state here that I have not played the video game or read the comic. My first (and to be painfully honest- probably last), contact with BloodRayne was through the movie. I've heard that this movie takes horrible liberties with this character and her story, but I don't know anything about that. I do know that this movie took horrible liberties with the actors involved in this project and my free time. I can't get it back. Even two hours of Mystery Science Theatre style razzing is just not worth the pain of actually watching this movie.

A few of the problems I had with this film:



1. What is going on with the hair on Matthew Davis (Sebastian)? At what point in the 18th century did mullets become popular? This sorry fluffy mullet was multi colored in a way that can only be described as "cheap faux dead animal" and did nothing for a man I can now assure you is pretty nice looking. (I checked out pics on the internet.) I just hope that the whole painful thing was a wig that the poor man could take off at the end of the day.

2. Fight scenes from film hell... I have nothing against gory movies. In fact, as a zombie movie addict, I firmly believe that gore and spurting blood can make a movie wonderful. But this was just a crime against common sense and decency. At what point does it do your movie good to have viewers wondering how much money was spent on fake blood that could really have helped out in the fight choreography budget? Shouldn't we be too caught up in the awful bloody spectacle to wonder about things like that? Bored looking thralls beating on a vaguely person shaped hunk of bloody fakeness with a plastic pole is a definate spectacle, but not really one I would choose to include in a film I was going to show others.

3. Speaking of facial expressions... If you can't pay your actors enough to get them to actually act, perhaps it would be wise to devise some way of hiding the bordom on their faces during key scenes. In no way should Micheal Madsen look painfully bored during his dramatic death scene. Pained, yes. Painfully bored, no. At least the choice of Michelle Rodrigeuz was a good one for the character of Katarin. Her normal perpetual scowl was sort of natual for the part she played and required little change throughout the film.

This film was full of well known and respected actors. I've seen them in numorous other films and know that they can, truely, act. But this film made them all appear to be rank (and I do mean RANK) amatures. Sad.

There were many, many other problems that I will not be bothering to discuss today. My advice? If you simply MUST see this movie, arm yourself with several witty friends who like to talk during movies, plenty of junk food to keep up your strength, and your pain-killing beverage of choice.

Girls Read Comics

Girls Read Comics (And They're Pissed)

Okay - this is one of the best (if not the best) feminist responses to comics I have ever read. Check out this Blog! Most of the nonsense I've read about comics from feminists repeatedly fails to note that women actually read and love comics. (I would know - I'm one of the fangirls!) Rather, they treat them as a punching bag for all the problems that often come part and parcel with the medium without bothering to note the great stuff that comes with it.

Anyway, if you love comics or well written feminist rhetoric - Read this blog!

San Diego Comicon

So, I spent the last several days in San Diego attending the world's largest comicon. It was truely awe inspiring! Bigger than anything I could possibly imagined only days before. San Diego (what little I saw outside of the Convention Center), is a beautiful, clean city that I plan to see in more detail some time in the future.

The San Diego Comicon is huge. Bigger than huge. I can't come up with the words to talk about how big this thing is. I saw more people in one place than lived in the entire town I grew up in. (No, I am not exaggerating - it was that big!) I could blog for pages about my life and times at the con, but if you are really interested in the con, there are plenty of others already doing it better than I could ever hope to.

So, I'll keep it short.

Best Costume: The really, really tall guy dressed as Supergirl.

Celeb I most wanted to meet: Gail Simone. (Thanks for signing my Birds of Prey comics!)

Celeb I most wanted to see and didn't: Kevin Smith. (We waited in line for an hour, then waited in the hall for another 2 hours, only to find out that he was stuck in traffic. Rosario Dawson is really cool though!)

Moment I most enjoyed: Watching my husband geek out after getting a photo with John Romita. (He was very friendly and gracious.)

Most painful Lesson Learned: Do not go into the Vender Hall on Saturday - it isn't worth life and limb!

Will we go again? You Bet!