Pardon the Interruption in Service

A three-day weekend normally means a Monday update (which I guess this technically is), but we have a house guest right now, and I don't have the time for a full update. I will catch up when I have the time (which could be a few weeks).

Feeling Lazy

No post today.

No Books, Just Movies

Not that I haven't finished any books this week, but I've been putting off movies for over a month.

• Green LanternNot very good. I really do not understand the decision to open with narration over CGI stuff in space. Why not start with Hal Jordan, somebody the audience can relate to (even if he is a jerk)? He's going to have to learn the stuff that is covered in the opening sequence, so why not have the audience learn at the same time?
• RiffTrax: Galaxy Invader. A bad low-budget science fiction movie with a joke-filled commentary track. Lots of fun (the commentary, not the movie, which was pretty dire).
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Castle of Fu Manchu Teena & I watch enough MST3K movies that you know what this is.
• I, ClaudiusObtained through Netflix. This holds up amazingly well. Great stuff.
• Cowboy Bebop: The Movie [Special Edition]I used to watch a fair amount of anime. This was one of the best shows I watched, and the movie matches that quality. Good actors for the English dub, too.
• The Cabin in the WoodsReally enjoyed this. Ultimate statement in slasher movies.
• Captain America: The First AvengerPreposterous as all get out, but loads of fun. This is how you do a super-hero movie.
• Doctor Who: KindaOne of my favorite Peter Davison stories. Will be getting the sequel story, Snakedance in the near future.
• AmelieWonderful movie. Love the soundtrack too.

Catching Up.

Got two weeks' worth of books and even more movies to get through, so I'm keeping things short.

119. Essential Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man, vol. 1 by Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema, et al. Entertaining super-hero comics from the 70s.
120. Marvel Adventures Spider-Man: Sensational by Paul Tobin, Matteo Lolli, et al.
     
     More great all-ages comics.
121. Feynman by Jim Ottaviani & Leland Myrick.
     
     Biography of the physicist in comics form. Ottaviani has done some great non-fiction comics about science. This is another. (Checked out of the library.)
122. More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman.
     
     Hodgman's second book of fake trivia. (I have to admit I skipped the list of 700 mole-man names, but the rest of it was great.)
     
123. Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty by Mark Waid, Ron Garney, et al.
     
     In the 90s, Marvel published a second Captain America series. This book collects that series.
124. I Thought You Would Be Funnier by Shannon Wheeler.
     
     Single-panel cartoons from the creator of Too Much Coffee Man.
125. Showcase Presents: Young Love by various.
     
     Romance comics from the 60s. The gender politics are about what you'd expect (although they aren't too awful), but the art is fantastic. Always happy to see a non-super-hero volume of Showcase Presents.
126. Strikeforce Morituri, vol. 1 by Peter Gillis & Brent Anderson, with Whilce Portacio.
     
     This comic from the 80s holds up pretty well. The premise is that in the near future, an alien species is raiding Earth, and a process has been developed to give humans super-powers to fight the invaders. The catch is that the process will kill each subject within a year. (Library.)
127. DMZ, vol. 11: Free States Rising by Brian Wood & Riccardo Burichielli.
     
     Coming to a close. I suspect there will only be one more volume. (Library.)
128. Now We Are Sick: An Anthology of Nasty Verse edited by Neil Gaiman & Stephen Jones. Humorous, nasty poems.
129. Dar! A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary, vol. 2 by Erika Moen. I bought volume 1 from Moen at the Stumptown Comics Fest last year and really enjoyed it. So I bought volume 2 from her this year. Really enjoyed this volume too.
130. Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth Omnibus, vol. 1 by Jack Kirby.
     
     As influential as Kirby's Fourth World stories were, this may be the best thing he did for DC. Loud, brash & bombastic, everything that's great about Kirby. It's basically his take on Planet of the Apes, and it's a lot of fun. So happy DC finally put this out in a reasonably priced format.

Okay, now that I've gotten this far, I still don't feel like doing movies. Maybe next week I'll list movies and put off books.