4 posts tagged “review”
When I first heard that Joss Whedon was writing an X-Men run, it was like both of my Christmases had come at once.
Astonishing X-Men
This run is a direct continuation of Morrison's run (and New X-Men shold be read first); Gifted (1-6) and Dangerous (7-12) take place in the first school week of the year following that story. Torn (13-18) takes place after House of M.
It is obvious Whedon has been reading X-Men for a long time. He writes the characters with all the insecurities and frustrations they should have developed over the years. Cyclops is becoming jaded, Beast and Emma are both unsure of themselves, and Wolverine has become a believer in the Professor's cause. Kitty does not like Emma's influence on Scott, and the Professor himself is continuing his perpetual dark curve.
While there have been complaints about the pacing of the comics, it is not an issue here. The complaints were that Whedon was writing for the TPB, and that the plots were not paced fast enough for a bi-monthly book. But reading in paperback form, the plots are tight and addictive. The only frustration is the cliff-hanger ending of Torn.
I'm not going to recommend it, as good as it is. Wait to see if it comes out in hardcover when it's finished.
I'll use this qotd as an excuse to start reviewing the latest books I've bought. Comics and games are the only non-essentials I really spend money on, so here goes. I'll start with the most expensive book I've ever bought.
New X-Men Omnibus
Writer: Grant Morrison
Various artists.
This collects Grant Morrison's X-Men run, from the destruction of Genosha to [SPOILER]. At the end of the book, along with a few scripts, is Morrison's submission/manifesto where he states his ambition to revitalise and simplify the series. He succeeds.
The dialogue is great, and the stories are well paced. Almost nothing is extraneous, and once you've finished it you start noticing things you missed the first time. Morrison understands the characters well, and those he invents are strong and endearing. The only exception is the first villian he introduces, Cassandra Nova, whose motives are dull and unambiguous.
The artists vary in quality, although none are bad. My main complaint is that no-one except Ethan van Sciver seems capable of making Emma Frost look like a human. The final chunk of the book is set in an alternate future, which seems like an entirely different story, but does explain a lot of the preceding events.
I would seriously recommend this book, huge as it is.
Sad Note: Just as the Dark Phoenix story was later ruined by bringing Jean back to life, a similar thing is done to this run. It doesn't happen within the book, but is just another example of the danger of editors being driven by the desire to feature popular characters with no regard for the story or the fans.
I'm normally not the type to do this, but I just did a test that was actually pretty interesting.
You're not a hoopy frood |
You thought you were really with it and in with your younger colleagues but they just laugh at you because you can't hear beyond this! The highest pitched ultrasonic mosquito ringtone that I can hear is 14.1kHz |
| Find out which ringtones you can hear! |
It just has a bunch of mp3s of different frequencies; you just go through them till you can't hear.
And a movie review!
On a related note, I saw Noise the other day at the Newtown Dendy; it's as good as the reviews say it is. It has some very funny moments, it's not maximum tension for the entire movie (cough Sunshine cough), but it is still completely engrossing. The lack of any identifiable plot actually adds to the suspense, and the acting is subtle and makes the world of the film seem very close to you.
Definately watch it while it's still at the cinemas; unless you have a kickarse speaker setup at home, it just won't be the same on DVD.
I feel a bit ignorant reviewing this, givent that I have yet to see Infernal Affairs, but here goes.
It starts well, a monologue by Jack Nicholson (Frank Costello) that perfectly establishes his old-school hardman character; through him you meet Matt Damon's character (Colin Sullivan). The movie spends a few minutes hopping through his life, done at just the right pace but it still feels a little forced. This ends with him being interviewed by Wahlberg and Sheen, who next interview Leo DiCaprio (Billy Costigan), where Wahlberg recites Dicaprio's biography to him. And that's the exposition done with.
The film focuses on identity and loyalty; both of the two main characters know where their loyalties lie, except for one point late in the film where they seem to go native for a moment, but otherwise seem to have little trouble continually lying to people who trust them; their issues are with the dangers to themselves.
The action scenes are as good as you expect from Scorsese, and the pace is kept up almost perfectlyfor the entire 2.5 hours. I say almost because the movie reaches a climax with several scenes left to go.
The Boston and Irish accents are mostly great, the camera work is superb and the characters are all consistent and believable. The gunshots sound perfect.
Don't wait for DVD or torrents; see it on a big screen.
