Staying warm this month? Why not snuggle into a nice cozy theater seat, on the cheap? Or better yet, on the free? I’ve received passes for the Baltimore area screening of Focus, starring Will Smith. What’s it about? Here’s the 411:
A veteran grifter takes a young, attractive woman under his wing, but things get complicated when they become romantically involved.
Rated: R
Interested? Well then, read on…
Nutshell: If you think Robert Kirkman does a great job with characters and storytelling in The Walking Dead, Outcast will top those expectations. Perhaps a little bit too much string spooled out in the telling, but that could be because I’m dying to know more about Kyle and his…gift. Atmospheric art and muted but effective colors round out an excellent start to a new horror series. A-
Story: Kyle Barnes has been dealing with demons his whole life. No, I mean literal demons. Demons that take those he loves and destroys them, or the life he’s made with them. No wonder Kyle’s a loner now. But as he begins to come out of his shell with the help of his sister Megan and the Reverend Anderson, a man in a dark fedora comes into town. (You never can trust a fedora. I often wear one, so I know this is true.) After a few chance encounters show that demons may be burrowing into the possessed so deeply that exorcisms no longer work, Kyle’s determined to figure out what’s going on, and why he seems to have a kind of power over the possessed. But it seems the forces of evil aren’t keen on Kyle making that discovery.
Thoughts: ALF POSTER SIGHTING ON PAGE 11 — THIS IS NOT A DRILL Y’ALL.
I remember my first FANGORIA. I was wandering around the local RPG store, as you do, and decided to check out their magazines. I hadn’t picked up a Dragon in awhile, what was on the shelf for this month? Then I saw it; FANGORIA, issue #39. It had one of the lizard-aliens-in-hiding from V on the cover, in mid-reveal. I was transfixed. Could there really be a magazine out there for me, a horror fan? Don’t people dismiss this genre, and the folks that love it so? Wasn’t Famous Monsters of Filmland the only thing close to getting me my modern-day horror fix? Yes, yes, and absolutely not. FANGORIA knew there were more fans of horror out there than the general populace in magazine publishing could ever hope to understand. And they were there for us. It’s been 35 years since they cranked out their first issue, and to celebrate they put out a coffee table tome that collects all the covers gone by, along with some juicy tidbits about each issue, and some heartfelt nostalgia from some Fango greats. And it’s a must-have for fans of the magazine, or anyone interested in the development of the genre in the past 35 years. Plus, it’s a darn pretty book. Y’know, if you’re into really ghastly images. And really, who isn’t?
Cover to Cover is broken down into introductory essays/forewords, highlights of each issue, and a cover gallery. The paragraph-long blurbs discussing each issue look paltry at first, but there’s a whole lot of information packed neatly into each one. Fans of Fango, horror and film history will eat up these tidbits. And maybe there was a fist pump or twelve as I went along. Why? Well, did you know …
Nutshell: A must for anyone who wants a quick-n-easy education on the DC universe. Fan favorites and superheroes the norms probably never heard of are given their 15 minutes of fame. Like any anthology, in order to truly enjoy it you should probably savor it bit by bit. But otherwise it’s a damn good read. And dammit Pak, you made me cry. Grade: A-
Story: Like beginnings of things? Well step right up; Volume 1 tells you about Superman, Dick Grayson, Supergirl, Batman, Aquaman, Starfire, Green Lantern, Batwoman, Red Robin, Harley Quinn, Green Arrow and Damian al Ghul-Wayne. Got all that? You will.
Thoughts: Y’all had me at Conner and Palmiotti y’all. Throw in Lemire, Greg Pak and waaaay too many other top-notch talent to list here (because I’m lazy), and Secret Origins is looking like a series that wants to blow you away.
Plenty of alt-version cover/full-page art, and Lee Bermejo’s colors and inks are magnificent. Does it look like a thinly veiled anatomy and phys class? Yes. Does that kind of attention to detail make my nerd brain implode with delight? Also yes. The art within each issue is beautiful too. But it’s also a look at all types of styles, from Golden Age clarity to Silver Age pulpy fade. Add in some Bronze Age hyper-detail and a bit of today’s modern sketch/angular vibe. The editors of Volume 1 take readers through the ages of art while telling tales. It’s an excellent way to organize these stories.
Nutshell: The creator of Transmetropolitan, Global Frequency, and so many other instant-classics has dropped another on our doorstep. There’s love, human sexuality, nature, evolution, on a world stage. And unseen aliens that don’t give a crap about us and our petty lives. Hop on board this train, so you can be one of the cool kids that can say you started reading way before everyone else. A
Story: Ten years ago aliens — in the form of giant monolithic “Trees” — landed on Earth. Now, things have settled back into a strange new version of normalcy. From Italy to China, NYC to Norway, Somalia to Paris; humans are doing their thing. But the trees don’t care. Or are we missing something?
Thoughts: I always feared I wasn’t cool enough for Ellis. Like I was reading his stuff on the sly, and once found out, I’d never make the cut again. Luckily, I’m ready to give up on that bit of mental self-flagellation. Basically, Trees Vol 1 is the beginning of an epic. The storylines criss-cross in and out of each other, some connecting and others not. Together they show what life would be like if Earth was occupied by silent alien life. And that’s exactly how you’d expect; we’d freak out a little, and then things would shuffle around a bit and then resume their course to normalcy, incorporating/ignoring the new bits as necessary.
Books are a lot like meals; sometimes you want something long, drawn-out and filling, other times you want something light and easy, but with enough substance to make it worthwhile. I have to admit that my current diet of epic-length tomes left me wanting something I could sink my teeth into without sinking into the couch for an inordinate amount of time. So when this book came to my attention, I thought, tea-time it is!
With sections on tea in the morning and evening, shopping for tea, and tea while traveling, Ms. Wilson gives a peek into the world of tea in English society at all levels. There is also a section on tea and health that gives a disturbing look at how far smugglers would go to sell “tea” to their customers (the image of modern day drug peddlers cutting their wares with rat poison springs to mind), but also shows that even in that period, tea was taken for medicinal purposes. I’d take a cup of tea rather than a bowl of leeches any day!
Information is presented in a variety of ways, from general discussion to historical example and descriptions of famous places like Twinings and Sydney Gardens. Quotes from Jane Austen’s own personal letters, as well as her famous novels, illustrate most of what is discussed. The author blends all of these different voices together seamlessly. The sections are easy to read and can be broken down into their smaller parts and enjoyed a little at a time, great while taking a quick break with a cup of tea, which I wouldn’t doubt was completely intentional.
Guillermo del Toro films are always highly anticipated, and rightly so. Folks have been buzzing about his newest, Crimson Peak, for awhile now. The cast, which includes Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska! The amazing set design, costuming and cinematography! The spooky premise kept under wraps! Well, here’s a peek at the new trailer, and it doesn’t disappoint.
Here’s the synopsis from IMDb:
In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.
Oooh!
Peep the trailer…and if you dare, Crimson Peak hits theaters October, 2015.
Happy Valentine’s Day weekend! Or, if you’re like me and are an unrepentant styling nerd, happy post-MUAHS awards day! This year’s winners are not only well done, they’re super popular too: Guardians of the Galaxy, Birdman, Grand Budapest, Downton Abbey…even Brodway’s Kinky Boots. Check out the pics!
Read on for the full list of winners. And congratulations to all!
This year’s Distinguished Artisan Award will go to Pan’s Labyrinth & Pacific Rim‘s Guillermo Del Toro, an amazing choice! (Johnny Depp took this honor last year.) And this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to one of my heroes, Rick Baker! (Last year’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dick Smith, so it’s obvious this Guild knows what it’s doing.)
The list of presenters are pretty cool too. Can this be broadcast live, please?
Read on for the full press release!
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What’s he doing? And, more importantly, who’s he doing it to? I know, I wanna know too! And I kinda want his sunglass/goggles. They look perfect for the current round of snow days on the East Coast.
Answers to these questions — except for maybe where to get those goggles — will be revealed when Spectre hits theaters November 6th, 2015.
Daniel Craig stars as James Bond in SPECTRE (Image: Sony/EPK.tv)
Got a dollar to spare? A quarter?
Kim Wilson: Tea with Jane Austen
Atomic Fangirl 