Produced by Craig Anderson, Dee Wallace,
Brett Garten, Artie Laing
Written and Directed by Craig Anderson
Starring Dee Wallace, Sarah Bishop, Geoff Morrell,
Janis McGavin, David Collins, Sam Campbell

As a large family gathers on Christmas for their last holiday together in the family’s secluded home tensions run high as some family members don not wish for the home to be sold.

With the bickering put aside the family settles in to open gifts but are interrupted by the arrival of an unusual stranger who is seeking “mother”.

The stranger’s presence causes a great deal of stress amongst the family as he brings buried secrets and suspicions to the surface before being expelled from the house only to return and pick the family members off one by one.

Red Christmas is an interesting entry into the slasher sub genre that uses some of the genre’s cliché’s and tropes to tell a story imbued with heavy political themes concerning the debate around the pro–choice and pro-life movements. First time feature film maker Craig Anderson has assembled a very strong cast who all perform their roles well but I feel that the script may have failed them at times.

While the film overall is intriguing and entertaining I feel that Red Christmas ultimately doesn’t work as well as it should due to it’s lack of a cohesive tone. While the subject matter is very heavy and the characters are “playing it straight” for the most part, the overall mood of the film is constantly interrupted with goofy over the top kills that are not frightening and deflate all of the films tension.

Imagine a film made by two crews, the crew handling the bulk of the filming are trying to make a serious and tense slasher film while crew two are filming all of the death scenes as if they were intended for a Troma film.  Blu-ray extras include commentary, interviews and bloopers.

Red Christmas offers some fresh ideas and story elements and worth a watch.

The DC Universe 10th Anniversary Box Set is coming out next month retailing at $299.99. That’s a lot of spinach to fork over for a DVD/Blu-ray set!

Is it worth it though? I have to be honest, I held the box in my hands and it’s beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. If you’re a fan, it’s worth the investment.

And remember, it may be cheaper on Amazon!

I sat down with some of the creative talent last week at the New York Comic-Con and talked about the upcoming release. They were all enthusiastic and energetic about their work.

“I always knew it would be a success,” said executive producer Bruce Timm about the DC movie line in general. “We made the kind of films I would like to see and I knew that it would have an appeal.”

Timm had his earliest success as one of the creators of Batman: The Animated Series in the early 1990’s. From there he has done many classic cartoons leading up to him being one of the leaders of the animated film line. “I have the greatest job in the world,” he said.”

Timm was joined in the animated film world with his old Batman: The Animated Series partner Alan Burnett. Burnett has just retired. However, a lot of his work as an executive producer and writer are on these discs.

“I grew up on these characters,” Burnett said. “Now that everyone out there knows the characters we don’t just have to tell origin stories. We can take storylines that are fan favorites in comic books, and we can put them onto the screen. Stuff like The Killing Joke and Flashpoint has made it to the screen where we previously thought that would never happen. It’s amazing.”

When asked about retiring, Burnett warmly smiled and said, “I have been doing this for so long that I think I put my time in. But I will miss it.”

Producer James Tucker is proud of the work as well. “I love working with this group. We are our own worst critics when it comes to this, so we are very critical in making the best product possible.”

The creators behind the camera were just enthusiastic as the voice talent behind the characters. Vanessa Marshall who voices Wonder Woman calls it “a dream come true.”

Marshall also went on to say “I wasn’t able to audition for Wonder Woman initially as I was on my honeymoon. That role went to someone else. When they called me to play her later on for a film I was never so happy in my life. Wonder Woman is my favorite character.”

Jason O’Mara is clearly having a good time too. When asked if he would play Batman in a live action film he said “absolutely. Who wouldn’t want to play Batman? The neck now turns freely unlike the original Michael Keaton films. So that would be something to look forward to.”

The DC Universe 10th Anniversary Box Set has all of this talent in it plus tons more. It’s an amazing edition. Sitting with these creators you can see the love they have for the characters and the medium as a whole.

ThinkGeek, the premier retailer for the global geek community, and Marvel have teamed up to create the Marvel x ThinkGeek Gear Up Collection clothing line. This streetwear-inspired collection features twelve new items and is exclusively available from ThinkGeek.

Here are some highlights of the new products:

Asgard Twill Ladies’ Jacket

This Asgard Twill Ladies’ Jacket is a chic way to make casual fandom statement. Toss it on over a cami or a t-shirt and show everybody whose closet is truly Worthy.

Galactic Guardians of the Galaxy Nova Corps Dress

Inject a pop of that new, bold Marvel Cinematic Universe color into your closet with this Galactic Guardians of the Galaxy Dress. Practical with its side pockets, this stretchy tank dress uses a sublimation process to achieve a vibrant 360° nebula design. (That was “nebula” with a lowercase “n” we’ll point out.) And the front chest sports a gold foil version of the Guardians insignia with that nougaty Nova Corps center and the names of our main five around the edge.

Star-Lord Hockey Jersey

Keep your stick on the ice with this Star-Lord Hockey Jersey. Made from a thick athletic mesh, the front features the design from Peter Quill’s shirt from Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, and the back has an oversized design which reads “Legendary Outlaw / Star-Lord.” It’s perfect for (s)mashing up your two fandoms.

Spider-Man Short Sleeve Henley T-Shirt

This two-button heather grey henley with black contrast fabric on the collar and sleeves, features the Spider-Man logo embroidered on the chest. It’s perfect for sporting your fandom on casual Fridays.

Worthy of Mjölnir Lace-Up Ladies’ Hoodie

This charcoal heather soft hooded pullover with raglan sleeves is super comfy and also shows everybody whose closet is truly Worthy. (By the way, if you reach into your closet for this jacket one day and you can’t lift the hangar? Best go back to bed. It’s not going to be a good day.)

There was an awful lot of padding this week. A disappointing amount or watering down issues that got in the way of some potentially fantastic storylines. I guess it was the fact that a lot of the issues this week opted to pad their stories out rather than develop them and they usually opt to deliver instead of cater to the ‘made for trade’ formula.

Batgirl was fantastic, Justice League brought back a fan favourite, Teen Titans hit a home run and Scooby even got in on the action this week so it wasn’t all disappointing, they definitely exceeded themselves.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that the pay offs for these big stories are still to come… so join me on my journey into the DC Universe this week!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #17
Panic in The Microverse – Finale
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artists: Ivan Reis, Julio Ferreira & Oclair Albert

Aron Aut and Ray Palmer are at odds over the destruction of the microverse. Despite their immense power even the League cannot save the day this time. Not even Batman can think of a solution to save reality.
Ryan Choi uses some quick thinking to offer a solution to save Ignition Point but will he be in time?

Can even the power of two Atoms be enough to stop Aut? What consequences result from the heroes actions and why is Prometheus rearing his ugly head?

An enjoyable story arc comes to an end. Brilliantly written and beautifully illustrated, Orlando wrote a fitting in-continuity tribute to Ray Palmer while doing justice to all the characters. There is an introduction to a new costume and the reinforcement of Frost and Atom’s burgeoning relationship both of which were handled in a very organic way.

The book has finally hit its stride and with Prometheus about to appear it doesn’t look like it is going to slow down any time soon.

I hope we get to see Ray Palmer again, too.

HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #31
Mind Games Conclusion: Metamorphose
Writer: Robert Vendetti
Artist: Patrick Zircher

Hector Hammond is the captive of a group of alien gremlins who want to use his mental powers to conquer the universe.

Superman and Green Lantern are the only ones who can help save the day, but Hal is manipulated into living out his ideal life.

Superman struggles to stay in control of his body as the aliens force him to act against his will while Hal is too enraptured to realise his perfect life is an illusion.Hammond decides suicide is his only way out. The heroes must overcome the mind control to save their longtime foe; if not they’ll be wanted for murder!

Though this is a fun team up and insightful in its look into Hal’s psyche it felt like an unnecessary expansion to the Sinestro/Superman showdown.

I don’t think Superman even needed to be here this issue.

The dream life of Hal was brilliant to see and very sad at the same time as deep down both reader and Hal himself know that it is something that can never be.

The Donald Trump alien was exceedingly funny, thank you Zircher for throwing that in!

SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP #31
The Ghost at The Heart of The Atom
Writer: Sholly Fisch
Artist: Dario Brizuela

The Atom saves Scooby and the gang from the villainous Bug Eyed Bandit.

Grateful for the rescue, the team agree to return the favour by joining the superhero on a ghost busting mission.

Deep inside the subatomic world within Ivytown is the strange kingdom ruled by the Wizard King. It turns out the Wizard King has been ruling with trickery and it is up to Mystery Inc to expose him.

Miniaturisation is new to the gang but with the guidance of Ray Palmer, they might just save the day!

Scooby-Doo and the gang are out of their comfort zone here. No ghosts, no monsters, this time they are along for the ride as The Atom takes on a con artist.

Fisch is always great at expanding the source material beyond its comfort zone without taking it too far.

It was nice that this issue linked to the Hawkman team-up a while back and that it look like it will continue next issue. This gives the story a more epic feel, something only the DVD movies are able to do. The art is solid, with my mind wandering to Mike Parobeck when I saw Ray in action. Brizuela’s art is just superb. Perhaps a splash page or two would have enhanced the book.

NIGHTWING: THE NEW ORDER #3
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Trevor McCarthy

Did Dick Grayson make a mistake betraying the superhero community? The remaining rebellion of metahumans seem to think so.

Dick has to eat more than his fare share of humble pie to earn their trust as his sons life hangs in the balance.

Still, John Stewart is not a forgiving soul and a reborn Nightwing might have to face quite a beating first.

This started out with a promising concept but we are halfway through the story and it feels like it has suddenly run out of steam.

It could be that this is the lull before the storm, but Jake is nowhere to be seen and there was an awful lot of backstory that didn’t need to be explained thrown in.

There was an upturn when the rebels attacked so I’m hoping that they rebuild the momentum.

The twist with Bruce Wayne puzzled me with Nightwing being who he is today, but Higgins will undoubtedly touch upon this.

If that was Kori in the last few pages, this means Dick may have to face a mother’s wrath… that would be cool to see play out.

WONDER WOMAN #33
Tales Past: Grail
Writer: James Robinson
Artists: Emanuela Lupachino & Ray McCarthy

While Diana and Jason have found one another, Grail thinks back to the fight with the Justice League and her father’s current fate.

A New God reborn, Darkseid needs power to grow, to age and return to his throne on Apokolips. Grail hunts down the old Gods of Earth to give their life energy to her father and with each that falls he becomes stronger.

Unbeknownst to these evil villains Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor are already on their trail.

Another issue focusing on backstory this week and it again it feels like a little padding.

It was brilliantly written, don’t misunderstand me on that. The problem was I want to see Diana and Jason and it is frustrating that I have to wait for the next issue to address them finally meeting.

Everything about this issue was great, faultless… except its existence. Harsh maybe, but I want the main course, not the side salad.

ACTION COMICS #990
The Oz Effect: Part 4
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Dan Jurgens & Viktor Bogdanovic

Superman has been kept busy across the globe unknowingly fighting against scenarios set up by ‘Jor El’
Realising he has little chance of manipulating his son, Jor turns his attention to Superboy.

Lois & Clark finally catch up with Jor and confront him, however, they are shocked to find Jon at his side.

Superman suspects foul play and demand to know Jor’s motives. Jon reveals he supports his grandfather and the plan to leave the Earth before it destroys itself, much to the horror of his parents.

The Kents are in emotional turmoil but Jor offers them one last chance to join him and leave their home behind.

Whatever they choose – they lose!

What is going on this week! Stop padding out the stories needlessly.

Everything that happens this issue feels like a retread of the last minus the social commentary.

Superman is my favourite superhero and I am thus far pretty disappointed with The Oz Effect.  It feels like it is dragging and as a reader that is quite frustrating given how impressive the stories have been up until this point.

THE HELLBLAZER #15
The Inspiration Game Part 3: The War Against Reality
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Jesus Merino

John investigates the murder and resorts to magic. The culprits, hiding in the supernatural realm, have other ideas besides capture. They cause John to live out his dreams and even an appearance from the ‘Yoga Pants Club’ isn’t enough to wake him.

When John meets his old flame Margie, he may have found a way to turn the table on the manipulative creatures.

If he wakes from the dream, what does the future hold for The Hellblazer?

This issue was a strange one. A u-turn from the murder mystery and one that seemingly has no consequence.

When you read Constantine, you expect it to be off the wall, bizarre, non conformist.

We got that here but the lead in led me to think there would be a payoff.

It was great until this point, but I found myself scratching my head at the ending, wondering what the point of it all was.

The art this issue was lit too brightly with a lighter than usual colour palette. The last two issues were notably darker so it was especially noticeable.

TEEN TITANS #13
The Return of Kid Flash: Part 1
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artists: Khoi Pham & Trevor Scott

The Red Arrow, Emiko Queen might seem the perfect addition to the Teen Titans, but fist she must best Damian in combat to even be considered for a place on their roster.

Cue several action packed trials, but will Emi still want to be a Titan after meeting the most obnoxious boy on Earth?

Elsewhere, after the bizarreness of METAL, the remaining team mates decide to reach out to Wally to be their friend, and team member once more.

There is one catch, Damian has to apologise for being an ass. Could the Teen Titans be two members better off? What are the bets that Robin will back down?

A brilliant issue that, at its heart, is nothing to do with Emiko or Wally.

No. This issue was all about Damian and as you read it, you come to wonder how this kid leads a team or has any friends at all.

I think he’s a fun character but sometimes he’s written to being so arrogant that he borders on Jason Todd territory.
I can’t see how Jon Kent can stand to be around him and I certainly empathise with Wally and Emi. I hope Emi sticks around. She seems to be able to reach Damian’s softer side, more than any of the others on the team.

BLUE BEETLE #14
Road To Nowhere: Part 1
Writer: Christopher Sebela
Artist: Scott Kolins

The past few months have been tumultuous for Jaime, his family, friends and El Paso in general.

Deciding to find a way to relax, Brenda, Naomi, Jaime and Paco (with his Grandfather’s car) decide to go on a road trip.

When they reach Roswell, New Mexico, the scarab detects alien activity and when a strange ship tries to abduct the teenagers Blue Beetle has to spring into action.

Are the aliens friends or foe?

There was a great deal of set up this issue, moreso than plot.

As a ‘beginning’ for the series after the Posse & Arion story arc, it was wholly necessary.

If it were not the case this would have been a waste as the plot was only driven by four pages but I found myself engaged by the characters in a way I wasn’t before.

Brenda and Paco were practically planks of wood prior to this so it is good to see them fleshed out.

I look forward to Sebela’s new take on Blue Beetle, but I hope we get more action now the set up is done.

BATGIRL #16
Summer of Lies: Part 3
Writer: Hope Larson
Artists: Chris Wildgoose, Jose Marzan Jr. & Andy Owens

Barbara comes to the realisation that Mad Hatter was not the mastermind she and Dick had suspected. When they discover Ainsley and her EMJ drug nanotech is part of the plot, Batgirl realises she may have helped them develop EMJ.

That was years ago, when Batgirl and Robin were still starting their career and now, years later the Red Queen has picked up where Ainsley left off. Nightwing and Batgirl discover Ainsley has died, so who is this new villainess? How does this new nemesis figure into their first mystery and what does she want?

Larson’s story is an unexpected pleasure. To be honest I love any stories where Barbara and Dick work together and to see this flashing backward and forwards in a cohesive mystery makes this exceedingly fun.

I think I would have preferred Ainsley to still be alive as she seemed to have more to offer than the now revealed Red Queen but I am keen to find out more about why the Queen is continuing the vendetta. Some great artwork here, though I think some heavier inking would have been beneficial, but as with the writing it was unexpectedly brilliant.

Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

It’s the ends of the month! It’s been a great month for comics! Here are a few more!

Batman: The Merciless #1
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Illustrated by Francis Manapul

I have such a love for the Metal titles and tie ins.

Honest and truly, they are completely nuts. I love them because they allow creators to really shoot for the moon and use their imaginations.

Here, Tomasi writes a tale that isn’t as good as the other recent ones sadly. I expected more.

This is the Metal Batman version that reminds me of pro wrestler. What more do I have to say than that? It’s a hot mess of a character and may in fact be the deadliest of all the Metal variations. I just didn’t care as much as I have in comparison to the other titles.

The art is the best I’ve seen from Manapul. I’m not a big fan but it’s definitely better than his Trinity work.

Still, the other titles have been better in this line. Pick those up first for sure.

RATING: B-

Detective Comics #967
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Eddy Barrows

This Tim Drake Robin storyline is just place awesomeness. This is part three of the storyline, A Lonely Place Of Living and it’s a doozy.

Tynion is a better Robin writer then he is a Batman writer and here is where he excels!

Red Robin is trying to escape Mr. Oz’s crazy fortress still. He’s got bigger problems still.

What problems does he have? Well, he’s got to get back to Earth!

How the hell does one do that? Find out here!

The writing is some of Tynion’s best work. The art by Barrows is top notch. He’s become one of the greats and I always love his work now.

Pick this up. It’s a very good chapter of this exhilarating storyline.

RATING: A-

The Flash #33
Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Howard Porter

I love that this is a Metal tie-in issue. This takes place after the events of Metal #3.

The Justice League is spread across the world trying to find the artifacts that can fight against the denizens of the Dark Multiverse.

The League thinks they can defeats these Batmen from hell, but can they?

Not if the seven Dark Knights of the Dark Multiverse have anything to say about it! It’s a thrilling storyline and it just gets better and better.

Williamson has been impressing me with his writing. It’s deep, actions packed, and all around awesome. The art by Porter is top notch.

Pick this up. You have to read it to believe it.

RATING: A

Kamandi Challenge #10
Written by Greg Pak 
lllustrated by Joe Prado

This has been a great series. The issues just keep getting better and better. Each issue has a new creative team and they pick up where the last team left off.

Now, fate brings us Greg Pak and Joe Prado. And it’s damn awesome.

Kamandi has now found his way to the land of the Dead Worshippers where he must help his new allies, the Shark People, escape their current circumstances out of a crazy museum.

And this museum? It may hold the key to finding Kamandi’s parents. It’s an issue filled with suspense!

The writing is strong. Pak always delivers thrills and this is no different. The art is also good from Prado and has a lot of passion on it. Pick this up. Hell, pick up the entire series. It’s quality reading for sure!

RATING: B+

Mother Panic #12
Written by Jody Houser
Illustrated by Shawn Crystal

Jody Houser has created one of the most peculiar series I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Month in and month out, I never know what to expect from this title. This issue is no different. It’s bizarre and great from start to finish.

Mother Panic is in jeopardy of becoming a part of a terrifying art exhibit. It’s a thrilling, strange adventure as Mother Panic tries to escape her current circumstances and also deal with one of her old friends who has come back into her life.

The writing is always strong. I wish the art has a little more to it. I’m not the biggest Shawn Crystal fan and here he doesn’t do much to change my mind. Still, the story is worthwhile.

So give it a read. It’s worth looking at for sure.

RATING: B

Suicide Squad #28
Written by Rob Williams
Illustrated by Stjepan Sejic

Stjepan Sejic can do no wrong with me. His art is just energetic and beautiful to look at. Plus, he’s got some great storytelling abilities. He turns this issue, which could have been just a standard story, and makes it something special.

This is part two of the storyline “The Secret History of Task Force X.” The entire Suicide Squad is strapped to a rocket and they are sent into orbit!

They land in an abandoned satellite. There they encounter a nutty alien monster. There are also some long lost characters that are residing in the satellite itself.

The art is great. The story is amplified because of it. It makes the issue kinetic and fun. I can recommend this totals finally. So far, Williams and Sejic are creating solid entertainment. Worth looking into.

RATING: B

Batman Beyond #13
Written by Steve Orlando
Illustrated by Siya Oum

Steve Orlando takes over writing duties here and it’s a good choice! This takes place just after when Terry steps back into the Batman role. Orlando created a fast, action packed issue that never lets up!

The city of Gotham is trying to pick up the pieces after the last attack on it. But somebody has taken over the cities defense system! Terry meanwhile, cannot fly.

So he has to fight back. How? The best fighting way possible: Street level combat.

The writing is fast and furious. Oum is an artist to look at. The art is fast and frenetic and it’s new. Pick this up. It’s a great fun book and I liked it a lot.

RATING: B+

DC House of Horror (One Shot)
Written and Illustrated by Various
Published by DC Comics

Some comic books defy logic in how they got made in the first place.

Usually a comic book comes from a creative place. Good or bad, a comic book should have something behind it.

This book just plain sucks.

I love a good holiday special. And they had such a great opportunity with this. Instead it made me feel weird and uncomfortable.

The Wonder Woman story made me ill especially.

The only good thing about it is the Michael Wm. Kaluta cover. But even that isn’t enough to save it from the following rating of doom:

RATING: F

The Ruff and Reddy Show #1
Written by Howard Chaykin 
Illustrated by Mac Rey

This is a wonderful, interesting surprise.

I heard nothing about this book but i quite enjoyed it once I started reading it. It’s the first book of a six issue series and I will be here for the duration.

In the golden age of television Ruff And Reddy were super popular. But years passed and then so did their appeal.

Ruff is now a washed up television actor. Reddy is a clerk in an upscale grocery store. A hungry young agent decides he’s going to get the two back together.

Will the world care?

Chaykin still is writing at the top of his game. This is no different. It’s awesome. The art works at a high level too. Pick this up. It’s truly a high quality book indeed.

RATING: A-

Gotham City Garage #2
Written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly
Illustrated by Lynne Yoshii

This is a cool little title that many people may not be looking at. This look at a post apocalyptic Gotham is quite enjoyable and I can’t recommend enough that you give it a glance. It’s quite cool.

The person who runs the Gotham City Garage is determined not to let the new recruit, Kara, slow them all down. But they run into problems in Clayface Valley. Is Kara the only one who can save them? Find out here!

The writing is pretty damn good. The art is a little lackluster but it’s passable. Pick this up. It’s definitely worth taking a closer look at.

RATING: B+

Produced by Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun,
Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Kevin Loader
Screenplay by Armando Iannucci,
David Schneider, Ian Martin, Peter Fellows
Based on The Death of Stalin
by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin
Directed by Armando Iannucci
Starring Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale,
Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs,
Michael Palin, Andrea Riseborough,
Jeffrey Tambor, Adrian Mcloughlin

From subversive World World II comics to Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump parody on Saturday Night Live, political satire has long been an integral part of the pop-cultural landscape, serving as a cathartic breath of fresh air during trying times.

As Armando Iannucci has proved with previous directorial and writing efforts such as The Thick of It, In The Loop and Veep, he is no stranger to this type of satire, but while his previous offerings have focused on contemporary scenarios, The Death of Stalin concerns a gruesome time period that is thankfully a thing of the past.

Satirizing such a serious subject may seem like a problematic or insensitive choice to some, but as any good satirist will tell you, it is often within the most volatile political situations the most impactful satire lies, as true satire highlights the absurdity without neglecting the severity.

Similar to Iannucci’s other work, The Death of Stalin is equally witty and sharp, however, due to the seriousness and complicated nature of the circumstances, there are additional nuances of darkness and an undercurrent of anxiousness to be found in his latest effort. As a result, the farcical absurdity of the situations depicted in this satirical mix of fact and fiction – and you may be surprised to learn which elements were true and which ones were not – are contrasted by depicting just how dire living under Stalin’s dictatorship was, which gives the film an amount of depth that is unusual for the genre.

There is no sugarcoating to be found here, but rather the startling realization of the kind of atrocities that occurred during Stalin’s regime of terror, as these are mentioned often and casually throughout the film. Such casual mention of subjects such as pedophilia, torture and executions is not callous, however, as the absurdity of the characters being casual about such serious topics is what underlines the severity of the situation.

Thus, The Death of Stalin is not a comedy that uses satire here and there as a way to force inappropriate laughs, but rather a genuinely satirical piece through and through.

As for the performances, all of them work within the absurd framework of the film’s narrative. Thanks to a combination of great casting, a well-rehearsed script and good cast chemistry, the various players may not physically resemble their real life counterparts all that much, but each cast member perfectly conveys the type of character they have to portray to create an interesting dynamic. Add to that expert comic timing and a clear sense of a method having been applied to the madness of the story, and what you have is a film that maintains its momentum from start to finish.

Among the numerous excellent performances, Simon Russell Beale – who is mainly known for his stage work – delivers a particularly memorable performance as spymaster Lavrentiy Beria. With deadpan delivery, subtle physical comedy and a truly unnerving undertone, Beale creates a character that fits perfectly into the comical mix without ever letting you forget just how monstrously callous the real Beria was and how incredibly cruel his undertakings were. Another great performance is delivered by Jason Isaacs with his boisterous portrayal of Georgy Zhukov. Making a rather spectacular entrance in the third act of the film, Isaacs steals every scene he is in, generating ample laughs in a film that already passes the Six Laugh Test™ during its first scenes.

Plenty of comedies have seen a cinematic release in 2017, and some of them have even been genuinely entertaining, but satire is usually reserved for the small screen in this day and age. To have a satirical farce such as The Death of Stalin be released is therefore a rarity, and it is even rarer that a film being marketed as a satirical piece is genuinely witty and not merely reliant on the outrage factor. Aside from its hilarious script and excellent performances, The Death of Stalin is a delightfully absurd and painfully relevant film, which makes it a truly noteworthy work of satire.

Verdict: 10 out of 10

Produced by Kevin Feige
Written by Eric Pearson,
Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost
Based on Thor by Jack Kirby,
Stan Lee, Larry Lieber,
Directed by Taika Waititi
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston,
Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum,
Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban,
Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins

On his sixth turn gracing the screen and the seventh already in post-production with Avengers: Infinity War, it’s suffice to say that Thor has been well-covered. What could be left to say?

That may be why director Taika Waititi decided to go in a completely different direction from the stoic and noble Thor the world knows.

Thor: Ragnarok takes significant departures from the tone of the franchise, and instead gives us a film that plays out like an “Adventures of Thor” Saturday morning cartoon. It’s fresh, funny, and a welcome break that keeps the fights but loses the severity.

In Ragnarok Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself on the other side of the universe and a gladiator battle against one of his own teammates. With the help of old friends and some new, he races to get back to Asgard before his sister Hela (Cate Blanchett), the previously exiled goddess of death, destroys their homeland.

There is a lot of ground to cover here. This film closes several loose ends (some relating to Infinity War) and moves pretty quickly to do so. Not only do we have a major boss battle taking place in Asgard but you also have a fair amount of fights and alliances taking place on the intergalactic dumping ground of Sakaar, where Thor unceremoniously lands after his first brush with Hela.

At 2 hours and 10 minutes this is the longest movie in the Thor franchise but Waititi uses the time perfectly. It never drags but and does not seem overly rushed except in one or two places. The pacing is some of the best in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are characters and arcs that could use a little bit more time to share back story but it’s not a significant detractor. It is a shame that the Valkyries are reduced to an all-too-brief battle flashback, but it is enough to introduce a new character. Anthony Hopkins received precious little screen time as Odin, but he is a powerhouse that makes each line worth several in inference and affect.

There’s a lot to love in this look at Thor and one gem is the acknowledgement that time spent on Earth has heavily influenced him. He makes jokes intentionally, flirts awkwardly as he tries to come off casual, and even takes selfies with fans on the street. Gone is the highborne Shakespearean-style prose of the last few outings.  It is replaced with a more colloquial and modern flow that still booms with the power of the son of Odin. His interpersonal skills have also been updated. When Thor tries to play both sides and tells the Hulk (but later, also Bruce Banner) that he “obviously prefers him over the other guy” while wheeling and dealing to get off Sakaar, the joke has several layers to franchise fans. Thor of yesteryear would never be able to handle that kind of social deception. But in this, Hemsworth makes it look not only plausible, but easy and fun.

The same goes for the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who seems to speak more lines as the green clobbering machine then the MCU has ever given him before. The short bursts of speech are funny, thoughtful, and at times vulnerable. It’s as if we are finally getting to see not just the anger but the actual character of the Hulk, separate from Bruce Banner and showing a previously unknown nuance and depth. This kind of exploring is impossible in a pack movie like The Avengers but Thor allows for it. Tom Hiddleston has Loki’s character down to an exact science of smarminess combined with last minute changes of heart, and gives us another flawless turn as Thor’s oft-maligned brother.

Do not assume that the movie is all laughs and character studies. There is a good amount of hand-to-hand combat throughout the film that showcases the sheer strength of the cast. In particular, Thor has some of the best male versus female fight scenes this year. The highlight, though, was not the pairing of Hela and Thor in the end battle (though it is one of the better ones). Instead, it was watching two of the strongest Avengers go all-out against each other in the gladiator pit. Other strong scenes include anything where Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie) gets to throw a punch.

While much of the film hangs on Hemsworth’s broad shoulders, the ensemble of Ruffalo, Hiddleston, and Thompson creates an elite and unlikely squad. Quirky performances including Jeff Goldblum channeling his own charismatic and slightly neurotic persona as The Grandmaster, and Cate Blanchett going big and having a blast as Hela, make the movie pop with energy. The only person that seemed out of place was an odd quick cameo from Doctor Strange that felt incredibly forced. It was as if the studio demanded Waititi to remind us that we are simply making a check-in between Avengers movies.

This is the third film in the MCU to come out this year with a significantly lighter feel than the way the franchise as a whole has been moving. Who can say if it is more to discover something new in the characters that we have already been watching for years, or if it this in particular is a carefully meditated move to create a relatable, funnier, and more approachable ruler of Asgard.

However this joyful new movie came to us, let’s just make sure to thank the gods.

Produced by George Clooney, Grant Heslov,
Joel Silver, Teddy Schwarzman
Written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen,
George Clooney, Grant Heslov
Directed by George Clooney
Starring Matt Damon, Julianne Moore,
Noah Jupe, Oscar Isaac

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but apparently there’s more to suburbia than meets the eye (and it’s not always the wholesome Norman Rockwell painting it’s cracked up to be)!

That’s right, folks:  in his sixth feature behind the lens as director, George Clooney bravely digs beneath the surface of manicured suburban perfection to reveal the seething racism and venality at the heart of the American dream…

…and if the preceding sentence happens to conflict with your rightward political leanings, then it’s probably safe to say Suburbicon‘s not the movie for you.

But liberals will likely find themselves rankled as well by the Cloon’s depiction of the targets of racism in this ’50s pre-fab fantasia:  a solitary black family bravely enduring the bigotry of a Klan-robe-white community who register more as symbols of “Civil Rights” than fully developed flesh and blood human beings in their own right.  Not only that, but in a particularly tone-deaf directorial decision, the African American man of the house (Leith Burke) is literally given no voice or personal history in his scant time onscreen.  He’s basically just there to weather oppression and wearily pull down a Confederate flag left by vandals on his property.

Yet what’s truly inexplicable about Clooney’s off-key agitprop is the fact that none of it ultimately has any bearing on Suburbicon‘s central suspense plot about nefarious Caucasians scheming to swindle and murder each other.  Indeed, the script, which plays like a tribute to the tropes of the Coen Brothers oeuvre (screaming fat men, off-kilter dialogue, comical spasms of murder and mayhem, etc.) was actually written by Joel and Ethan Coen with an assist from Clooney and his frequent collaborator, Grant Heslov — and let’s just say it’s pretty easy to guess who contributed the heavy-handed integration subplot (loosely based on the 1957 documentary Crisis in Levittown) and who concocted the central caper about a William H. Macy-esque weasel (Matt Damon in character actor mode, clearly enjoying the break from his square-jaw leading man day job) way out of his depth in the midst of a criminal caper gone badly awry.

To say more about the plot’s twisty schemes and double crosses would be to spoil the fun of this flawed yet highly watchable B-movie, which capably delivers a decent series of fast-paced set pieces and enjoyable turns from a top-notch cast (including Julianne Moore and a scene-stealing Oscar Isaac) basically playing live-action cartoons in a kitschy faux-noir theme park.

Only Noah Jupe (as the soulful, moon-eyed son of Damon’s shady corporate swindler) comes across as a fully-dimensional human being, grounding the story with a crucial dose of relatable humanity as he struggles to survive all the madness swirling around him in a heartfelt performance suggesting what a better, more focused version of Suburbicon might have been.

Produced by Pamela Koffler,
John Sloss, Christine Vachon
Screenplay by Brian Selznick
Based on Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Directed by Todd Haynes
Starring Oakes Fegley, Julianne Moore,
Michelle Williams, Millicent Simmonds,
Cory Michael Smith, James Urbaniak

It’s always interesting to see how one form of media can be translated into another.

For instance, there are so many amazing films out there that first started on the bookshelf. But when we go to the movies it’s expected to be a more engaging experience than reading quietly alone.

Instead, director Todd Haynes drags out what could have been a charming and magical tale brought to life and instead leaves you in the dark waiting impatiently for someone to turn the pages.

Wonderstruck is about Ben (Oakes Fegley) a young boy who, having recently lost both his mother and his hearing, travels to 1970s New York to find his absent father. 50 years prior to that a young girl named Rose (Millicent Simmonds) who was born deaf has a similar journey. As they each try to find their place in the city, their tales merge in a surprising and touching way.

Much of the movie is dependent on lush visuals rather than explanatory prose. It truly has a storybook feel, with carefully crafted scenes that could each be paused and printed. The silent exaggeration of expressions in Rose’s story made me wish that her section lasted significantly longer. Millicent Simmonds is a gift to watch as she puts a sense of wonder and charm into every movement. As we watch her try to navigate a world where she cannot communicate through voice or sign language, her liveliness keeps hope in the picture.

Hers is a story full of light and hope, and in contrast to Ben which has significantly more sharp edges. His hope is clearly clouded by frustration from being newly deaf and his emotions vary wildly. Fegley shows that he has some range, and it will be interesting to see him progress as his career goes on. The juxtaposition of the two New York’s from both the twenties and the 70s works wonderfully to show not just how separate but also how incredibly similar their worlds were. The black and white tableau of the New York skyline from the ferry looks like it could have been plucked out of a newsreel, and is in stark contrast to the warm Technicolor tones of 70s Manhattan.

As beautiful as the movie is however, It suffers greatly from a dragging pace. Constantly I found myself willing seems to be over so that we could move forward with a plot that hasn’t been explained even halfway through the movie. The “Big Reveal” at the end came too late and was too contrived to mean anything after sitting and waiting for anything to happen in the previous hour and a half. The always charming Julianne Moore could not save the end of this movie, though her performance brings a bright note and clarity to an otherwise Meandering film.

Like a classic children’s picture book, this is a story told mainly through imagery and suggestion instead of lengthy prose. But due to an big reveal that comes far after anyone would have vested in the characters, we are left with an unsatisfactory ending. Wonderstruck is certainly a beautifully-crafted tale, but what does that matter when you are unable to keep your eyes open to see it?

Since the film version of Super Mario Brothers first hit cinema screens in 1993, there has been a steady flow of other icons from the world of video games and popular culture making the crossover into other media. Whether it’s live action movies based on the adventures of Lara Croft, the characters and storylines generated by Mortal Kombat or Resident Evil, or the more light-hearted animated fun of Angry Birds or Pokémon, video and electronic games have continued to be an ongoing source of inspiration for movie makers.

The reasons behind this are not hard to fathom. With a highly successful video game, you already have a guaranteed audience for your film to some degree, as many devotees will likely want to see their heroes transported to the big screen, perhaps irrespective of how good or bad the film adaptation is (well sometimes, anyway). Similarly, brand recognition is not as issue in the same way that it is for other films where the characters or themes are not already known.

Of course, some crossover releases do better than others, but the most popular films in the genre have always done extremely well at the box office — for instance, Warcraft has taken more than USD$433 million in receipts, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time more than USD$433 million, while Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the latest film in the franchise released in early 2017, has grossed over USD$312 million.

And the trend doesn’t look like abating soon. There are films based on Sonic the Hedgehog and Minecraft, and another instalment of Pokémon, all scheduled for release in the next year or so. Clearly, studio bosses have determined that this is a popular format, and so cinemas will continue to welcome figures from the world of gaming onto the screen for the foreseeable future.

And why wouldn’t they, when the worldwide popularity of some video games has meant that they have also been a further source of inspiration beyond movies. Several games that were turned into movies have also been adapted into online slot games. Perhaps the most successful of these is Lara Croft, who has inspired two slot machine games, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider: The Secret of the Sword, while games like Hitman, Street Fighter and Resident Evil have also become online slots.

What’s interesting about this particular arena, however, is the question as to what is required to create a successful slot game adaptation. Whilst the Lara Croft games and Hitman have undoubtedly become extremely popular, others haven’t quite reached the same heights. In large part, it comes down to the online slots game developer. The big-name games producers, like Microgaming, simply get more exposure as their games appear in more online casinos than others, and so their games naturally get more players and attention.

However, it also comes down to the quality of the adaptation, and how well slots games producers are able not only to capture the look and sound of the original video game (or its film counterpart), but how well they recreate its spirit or essence. Less successful slots game adaptations have on the whole not been inventive enough in their gameplay to recreate the essential character of the original, and so they appear rather dull and unimaginative. The best online slots games based on video games, however, manage to combine the characters and themes from the game and/or film, while also incorporating innovative gameplay that manages to capture the spirit of the original, and which is also engaging in its own right.

So, while some video games have transferred to other media like movies and online slots games with a large degree of success, others have not proved so popular at the box office or with online casino game players.

There are no hard and fast rules for determining why some video games successfully make the crossover and others don’t, but one rule would certainly seem to be, “Don’t take your audience for granted.”

While basing a film on a popular video game will naturally bring with it some level of guaranteed audience, the ultimate lesson is that an adaptation of a game still needs to be a good film in and of itself — simply relying on and a game’s name and its loyal followers is not enough to automatically ensure good returns at the box office. Film producers and directors need to make a game’s players feel that they are getting something new when they watch a cinematic version of their favorite video game — simply rehashing the game without thought for original stories, or ways in which you can take the characters in new and unexpected directions, can seem a little cynical to today’s media-savvy gamers, and their loyalty won’t automatically extend to their forking out for movie tickets uncritically.

There have, of course, also been some adaptations that have gone the other way i.e., successful movies and franchises that have been turned into video games. These tend to be big, spectacular action-based movies, as these lend themselves more effectively to gameplay by giving players adventures and quests to follow, and providing identifiable hero characters that players are keen to identify with.

Some of the iconic names that have made their way from the big screen to the console include the Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings franchises, as well as some more unexpected titles, like Reservoir Dogs and The Godfather.

However, it would seem that films that become games don’t have the same impact on the gaming world as entirely original games manage to do — for instance, would Lara Croft be the international video game icon that she is had she appeared as a movie heroine first?

While it’s hard to pin down precisely why this is case, it is nevertheless reasonable to assume that game developers who are working from a film are more restricted in what they can do with the characters and the plots (due to copyright, etc.) and so these games tend to lack the freshness, originality and innovation of video games with entirely original plots and heroes.

Perhaps this is why the most fertile ground for these types of film-to-video game transitions has been children’s movies. Everything from SpongeBob SquarePants, to Winnie the Pooh, to Ice Age, to Lego Ninjago has found its way to becoming a video game in one form or another. Animated movies, in particular, lend themselves especially well to being adapted into games, largely because the end result can look almost identical to the original, thus ensuring instant brand recognition from players. The restrictions on game producers also aren’t necessarily as limiting in kids’ games (perhaps because the audience is ultimately less demanding), and so these sorts of films seem to make this ‘reverse’ transition much more effectively.

Given all of the above, it seems fairly safe to say that pop culture crossovers are here to stay. After all, they are nothing new — films have been turned into TV series and vice versa for years, and with the growth in demand produced by the ever-increasing number of steaming services, this is likely to continue to be a boom industry as well.

And just as importantly, we as cinema audiences and video gamers seem to want these cross-media products, and as long as we do, movie studio bosses and game producers are sure to oblige.

Produced by Ed Guiney, Yorgos Lanthimos
Written by Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman,
Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy,
Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Camp

There’s little that’s creepier than perfection.

Teeth that are blindingly white, a house with nary a napkin out of place, a garden without a single blade of grass moving the wrong direction.

But this is the kind of family that director Yorgos Lanthimos puts forth to be tormented in a cruel way by a capricious teen who believes thoroughly in justice being served a way that balances the equation.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is part horror, part thriller, and a large helping of the suspension of disbelief.

A talented cardiac surgeon (Colin Farrell) seems to have the perfect life. He has a beautiful wife (Nicole Kidman) who is also a ophthalmologist and two lovely children. When the son of a deceased patient starts becoming close to the family, the balance of power becomes horrifically skewed.

This film was somewhat disturbing on many different levels, from teenage smoking to infidelity to murder. Throughout the many strange scenes, the cast speaks with the same lack of emotion that the director used comically in The Lobster. There is something wooden and plastic about the entire family that, as the movie goes on, does not warm up under pressure so much as this stoicism freezes up and splinters apart.

When his family suddenly becomes ill, Steven starts to become unhinged as it is clear that the cause is not physical or can be explained in the scientific Manor. Watching Colin Farrell move from the easy and kind doctor success story into a man beside himself with grief, guilt and indecision is engrossing. His turns as a serious actor are becoming more and more enjoyable as his career matures.

Though all the performances are excellent, the standout star this movie is definitely Barry Keoghan. In a complete departure from the sweet and sensitive character he plays in this year’s Dunkirk, he is a dark, calm, and intense villain. With an endless stare he commands even the scenes he shares with powerhouses Kidman and Farrell. Each star turns in a better performance than their recent pairing in The Beguiled. Here it is actually the lack of chemistry that does so much for the progression of the story. To see how each of them breaks down separate from their spouse gives more weight to the idea that guilt is a different burden on each family member.

This is not the movie to see if you want to be uplifted. This is the movie to see if you want to remind yourself that there is a darkness inside of humans and a need for settling of scores rather than moving past them in reconciliation.

If you find your faith in humanity becoming too high, your nearest screening of The Killing of a Sacred Deer will do much to remind you of the wickedness in our hearts.

Hailed as “brilliant…an uncompromising work of art” (Entertainment Weekly), TWIN PEAKS: A LIMITED EVENT SERIES will arrive December 5 as multi-disc Blu-ray and DVD collections from Showtime Networks, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution. Both collections include all eighteen (18) parts of the acclaimed SHOWTIME limited event series directed entirely by four-time Oscar® nominee David Lynch, plus over six (6) hours of special features which take fans behind the red curtain for an up-close, exclusive look at   the making of “the best show on TV” (Vulture). Over eighty (80) minutes of additional behind-the-scenes content will be available exclusively on the Blu-ray release.

Appearing on both the Blu-ray and DVD collections, IMPRESSIONS: A Journey Behind the Scenes of Twin Peaks is a series of ten (10), approximately thirty (30) minute films directed by longtime Lynch documentarian and friend Jason S. (Interview Project), who was given unparalleled access to document the making of the series.  Each of these ten (10) films capture the triumphs and tribulations of a master director and true artist at work.

The collections also include Phenomenon, a three-part featurette in which series cast and crew join artists, musicians and creative personalities to reflect on the enduring legacy of Twin Peaks; the Twin Peaks panel at San Diego Comic-Con® 2017, moderated by Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers, Lost) and featuring Lynch’s on-camera introduction; series promos produced by Lynch for SHOWTIME, as well as one for in-cinema play; a grouping of all eighteen (18) different Rancho Rosa (the series’ production company) logos from the top of each part; and a behind-the-scenes photo gallery. Lastly, through seamless branching, both Part 1 and 2, and 3 and 4 of the series are included individually, as well as in combined feature-length presentations, as they were originally shown on Showtime in the U.S.

For fans who want the definitive version of TWIN PEAKS: A LIMITED EVENT SERIES, the Blu-ray, featuring deluxe packaging, will contain three additional behind-the-scenes films. The independent filmmaker, photographer and Twin Peaks’ Ben Horne – Richard Beymer – directed two compelling featurettes, Behind the Red Curtain and I Had Bad Milk in Dehradun, that follow Lynch and company as they shoot in the Red Room. In A Very Lovely Dream: One Week in Twin Peaks, filmmaker Charles DeLauzirika, who has produced and directed numerous featurettes for previous Twin Peaks home entertainment products, documents a week on the set when the cast returned to Snoqualmie and North Bend locations from the original series 25 years later.

Starring Golden Globe® winner Kyle MacLachlan (Blue Velvet, Dune), the SHOWTIME 18-part series picks up 25 years after the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town were stunned by the shocking murder of their homecoming queen Laura Palmer. TWIN PEAKS is written and executive produced by series creators Mark Frost and David Lynch, and is executive produced by Sabrina S. Sutherland.

The special feature breakdown is as follows:

BLU-RAY AND DVD:

• IMPRESSIONS: A Journey Behind the Scenes of Twin Peaks
  • The Man with the Grey Elevated Hair (29:40)
  • Tell it Martin (29:08)
  • Two Blue Balls (24:14)
  • The Number of Completion (29:17)
  • Bad Binoculars (28:08)
  • See You on the Other Side Dear Friend (30:00)
  • Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers (26:44)
  • A Bloody Finger in Your Mouth (26:49)
  • The Polish Accountant (28:05)
  • A Pot of Boiling Oil (38:32)
• Phenomenon
  • Part 1: Creation (4:40)
  • Part 2: Life After Death (4:50)
  • Part 3: Renaissance (4:50)
  • Behind-the-scenes Photo Gallery
• Rancho Rosa Logos (2:25)
• San Diego Comic-Con 2017 Twin Peaks Panel (61:26)
• David Lynch Produced Promos
  • Piano (1:02)
  • Donut (:32)
  • Woods (:32)
  • People (:32)
  • Places (:32)
  • Albert (1:02)
  • In – cinema (1:32)

Adam West’s final film puts him back in the cowl facing off against ’60s television hero William Shatner in Batman vs. Two-Face.

With co-star Burt Ward by his side, West and company reunite with other cast members of the ’66 series, most notably Julie Newmar as Catwoman and an appearance by Lee Meriwether as Lucilee Diamond.

Shatner plays a Batman ’66 version of Harvey Dent / Two-Face, a character that unusually never appeared in the show. The Dynamic Duo faces the entirety of Gotham’s rogue gallery that includes Hugo Strange, The Joker, The Riddler, Penguin and even King Tut and this reviewer’s personal favorite, Bookworm.

The story kicks off with Strange and assistant Harley Quinn extracting evil from all of Gotham’s bad guys.

When the machine goes Ka-Blam!, the essence wipes out star district attorney Harvey Dent and transforms him into Two-Face.

Batman and Bruce Wayne are naturally disturbed by this turn of events. Wayne uses his resources to restore Dent’s face to its natural look, but the evil Two-Face could very well be lurking below the visage.

The pace and tempo of West’s dialogue, long ingrained into our collective consciousness, is slapped right up against Shatner’s staccato delivery, making you wonder if we haven’t been missing Shatner in the Batman Universe for our entire lives!

In 2014, “The Two-Way Crimes of Two-Face,” an episode written by sci-fi and Star Trek writer Harlan Ellison was released in comic book form from Len Wein (RIP) and artist José Luis Garcia-Lopez as Batman ’66: The Lost Episode #1. After seeing these pages, we’d love to build a time machine and persuade the network to make this happen with William Shatner in the role.

King Tut plays a role in moving the story along as the Dynamic Duo begins to rub two pieces of evidence together the clues that Two-Face is at the heart of Gotham’s current crime spree. In fact, even as Batman and Robin clobber Two-Face and his goons, Batman isn’t entirely convinced that Harvey is the bad guy. Two-Face does use his signature coin to decide his captors’ fates, but that could be his downfall in the end.

As a sequel to last year’s Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, Batman vs. Two-Face once again bridges the fifty year gap between the stories by incorporating a darker feel and modern storytelling by introducing a more complicated plot and a grittier Gotham. That’s not to say the camp has gone away completely, quite the contrary, the actors have a great time steering into the nostalgia of the franchises while breathing new life into their old roles.

Shatner really nails it, as someone who is drawn on screen as a younger version of himself. When he plays Dent, he’s as sweet and caring as Ward or West are as the heroes. When Two-Face takes over, he’s scary and intimidating.

Two-Face captures the Boy Wonder and infects him with the evil formula, forcing Batman to recreate one of the internet’s favorite memes. Batman slaps ‘Two-Face Robin’ with a healthy gauntlet across the cheek before bringing him to the Batcave to cure him.

In a callback to the original series, large props and easy jokes like, “Batman, look at the size of those … balls” almost obliterate Batman and Robin on an oversized pool table.

Two-Face collects the rogues once again to unmask the duo for the highest bidder. The last third of the movie reveals Dent’s evil plan on unleashing evil on the innocent citizens of Gotham.

Can the Dynamic Duo stop this Duplicitous Dandy from turning the entire city into Doctors Jeckylls and Mr. and Mrs. Hydes? Luckily, there is even a narrator for these movies. You’ll have to tune in to find out.

This is highly recommended for children of all ages and the credits include a tribute to Mr. West. For Burt Ward and William Shatner, two heroes of ’60s television (along with the Catwomen of course) to send off the Batman ’66 series with such a great story filled with easter eggs and the sincere tones of friendship in every line is really a touching tribute. To lots of us, Adam West is Batman and were crushed by his passing. The cowl isn’t so much as passed on to someone else, but the spirit of Batman ’66 can live on in Batman vs. Two-Face.

Could they possibly recast West’s close friend and impressionist Ralph Garman as the voice of the Caped Crusader? Who is to say, but one thing for sure is that introducing Shatner to the cast, even if 50 years too late was the perfect addition to our childhood head canon. This Two-Face can now be as authentic as Cesar Romero’s painted over mustache when thinking fondly of the contributions to pop culture that Adam West was responsible for.

This, like many movies of people that have passed on before they were released, has the unique responsibility of being a highly regarded work as part of West’s oeuvre and also needs too serve as a tribute to all that came before. I truly think this accomplished both beautifully, with lines about friendship between Batman and Robin that mirrored the closeness of Adam West and Burt Ward off screen. Please rent and buy this movie as a small way to give back to the West estate and enjoy it with love and justice in your heart!

The 2017 PORTLAND FILM FESTIVAL, PRESENTED BY COMCAST, will screen 152 narrative and documentary films October 30^th through November 5^th, 2017, at Portland’s iconic Laurelhurst Theater.

The festival will include special opening and closing night screenings and parties, a Pittock Mansion Gala, educational panels, workshops, special presentations and daily networking events and opportunities throughout the festival.

This year’s fifth edition will present two opening and closing night films (a documentary and a narrative film on each night) and feature and short films in the following sections: Narrative and Documentary Competition Feature, Narrative and Documentary Spotlight, Shorts, Indigenous Voices, Portland Lens, and Special Screenings. This year, 89 of the films programmed (59%) were directed by women.

Said Josh Leake, Portland Film Festival Founder and Executive Director, “Hearing from independent voices has never been more important as it is today. This year’s movies, panels and programs are from engaging new filmmakers, the best of new indie film, and icons of classic cinema. We’re proud to present this year’s program – especially our Portland and Indigenous Voices sections, which will screen films each day to local audiences. In one week, we will present more independent cinema than most theaters screen in a year.”

Comcast is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2017 Portland Film Festival. Supporting Sponsors include: Koerner Camera, SAG-AFTRA, ABI Insurance, Whole Foods, Portland Monthly, Crank PDX, The Oregonian, Plum Tree Mortgage, KINK FM, Pro Photo Supply and others.

Established in 2013, the Portland Film Festival is one of Oregon’s largest film festivals, and was named “one of the coolest film festivals in the world,” by MovieMaker Magazine.

All screenings will take place at the historic Laurelhurst Theatre at 2735 E. Burnside Street. Tickets, general info and merchandise will be at the Laurelhurst throughout the festival.. Presenting Sponsor Comcast will host The Comcast VIP Lounge at the Cardinal Club, 18 NE 28^th Ave.

FEATURE FILM PROGRAM BELOW:

OPENING NIGHT FILM (Narrative)
ZILLA & ZOE
Zoe, age 10, is obsessed with directing horror films, but to win a filmmaking contest, she must shoot her next film at her sister’s wedding.
Portland | 104min Director: Jessica Scalise in attendance

OPENING NIGHT FILM (Documentary)
WHEN THEY AWAKE
A generation of established and emerging indigenous musicians in a moment of cultural and political resurgence. USA Premiere
Canada | 91min Directors: P.J. Marcellino & Hermon Farahi in attendance. Special music guests in attendance.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM (Narrative)
CRASH PAD
About an eccentric misfit in love with an older married woman and his misadventures with her husband.
USA | 99min Director: Kevin Tent in attendance. Stars: Christina Applegate, Domhnall Gleeson, Thomas Haden Church

CLOSING NIGHT FILM (Documentary)
OUT OF STATE
Held thousands of miles from their island home, native Hawaiians inmates and their culture in an Arizona prison.
USA | 82min Director: Ciara Lacy in attendance

OFFICIAL COMPETITION TITLES

A jury comprised of industry professionals and acclaimed filmmakers will present awards to films in both the Documentary Feature and Narrative Feature competition categories. There will also be an Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Feature, and Best Short Film.

NARRATIVE COMPETITION FEATURES

Six films showcasing fresh voices telling new stories with imagination and style.

#WANDERLUST
Two friends set out on a Hawaiian adventure for Instagram fame, but ultimately discover deeper meaning in their lives.
USA | 75min Director: Maggie VandenBerghe in attendance

BROWN’S CANYON
Two life coaches set out to launch a mindfulness retreat, but soon discover that the Universe has other plans in mind.
USA | World Premiere | 95min Director: John Helde in attendance

A SIBLING MYSTERY
A brother and sister become consumed with investigating a mysterious woman they suspect has stolen their lottery ticket.
USA | 81min Director: Dan Erickson in attendance

THIRSTY
A post-queer musical film as dramatic as it is entertaining.
USA | West Coast Premiere | 97min Director: Margo Pelletier

THE VALLEY
An immigrant entrepreneur’s seemingly idyllic life is shattered by the suicide of his daughter.
USA | 100min Director: Saila Kariat

WE WERE ÍSLANDS
Strangers to lovers to strangers again.
USA | 80min Director: Amrita Pradhan in attendance

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION FEATURES

Six new films from around the world that tackle real life stories with bold vision and energy.

DAS WA$$UP
Follow the musical group ‘Yo Majesty’ through its trials and tribulations in the music industry.
UK | 96min Director: Johannes Schaff in attendance

DIRT BAG: THE LEGEND OF FRED BUCKLEY
Fred Beckey is the iconic “Dirtbag” mountaineer who rebelliously conquered peaks and lived life on his own terms.
USA | 96min Director: Dave O’Leske in attendance

MASHPEE NINE
Story of injustice and vindication that emboldened cultural pride and integrity for Mashpee Wampanoag 40 years ago.
USA | 55min Director: Talia Landry in attendance

ON A KNIFE EDGE
A Lakota boy learns what it means to enter adulthood in a world where there are no sidelines.
USA | 90min Director: Eli Cane in attendance

OUT OF STATE
Held thousands of miles from their island home, native Hawaiian inmates and their culture in an Arizona prison.
USA 82min Director: Ciara Lacy in attendance

STICKMAN
A homeless man’s passion for carving walking sticks launches him on an incredible journey of transformation.
USA | 103min Director: Margaret Galbraith in attendance

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT

Unique films, marquee names, and highlights of the best of modern film.

20 WEEKS
A couple must decide on how to move forward when their baby is diagnosed with a serious health condition at the 20 week scan.
USA | 89min Director: Leena Pendharkar

200 HOURS
A group of graduate students conduct a sleep deprivation study in the 80s, but something goes terribly wrong with a test subject.
USA | 91min Director: Phillip Guzman

AXIS
On the morning he is set to star in a career-changing film, an Irish actor trying to live down his rocky past confronts a series of events that threaten his sobriety.
USA | 85min Director: Aisha Tyler

D-LOVE
Not all who wander are lost.
USA | 97min Director: Elena Beuca in attendance

DIM THE FLUORESCENTS
A struggling actor and playwright pour their creativity into the only work they have: office role-playing demonstrations.
USA | 128min Director: Daniel Warth

DIRTY LAUNDRY
The search for a missing mob boss’ finger is on and laundromat employees Wim and Kevin are caught in the middle.
South Africa | International Premiere | 101min Director: Morne du Toit

FIX IT! ALEXIS
When socially invisible Alexis’s “before” photo gets posted on Facebook, she’s mistaken for being pregnant.
USA | USA Premiere | 77min Director: Elizabeth Spear

FOR NOW
Four twenty somethings take a road-trip through California, only to confront their relationships with one another.
USA | 80min Director: Hannah Barlow in attendance

GUN
A washed up, ex-prize fighter makes a comeback to boxing after his top heavyweight contender son is blinded in the ring.
USA | 90min Director: Sam Upton in attendance

HER SIDE OF THE BED
When two best friends share an intimate night, everything changes.
USA | 102min Director: Bryn Woznicki in attendance

THE HOLLOW CHILD
A troubled foster teen, Samantha, works to expose a dangerous supernatural imposter in her new family.
Canadian | 88min Director: Jeremy Lutter in attendance

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIVING
A depressed woman discovers the bucket list of her deceased fiancé and sets off on a journey to redeem his last wishes.
USA | West Coast Premiere | 76min Director: Sarah Heinss in Attendance

KHALI THE KILLER
When white kids jack his Hyundai full of cash, an East L.A. hit man must come out of retirement for one last job.
USA | World Premiere | 86min Director: Jon Matthews

KUPAL
You can’t be alone in this world!
IRAN | 81min Director: Kazem Mollaie

LAURA GETS A CAT
Laura tries to juggle an unexciting boyfriend, an affair with a performance artist, and a vivid imaginary life.
USA | 83min Director: Michael Ferrell

SECRET SANTA
When a Xmas gift unleashes her family’s inner demons, April will try to save those she can and survive those she can’t.
USA | USA Premiere | 89min Director: Adam Marcus in attendance

THE VELOCIPASTOR
A priest gains a mysterious ability that allows him to turn into a dinosaur, which he uses to fight crime and ninjas.
USA | World Premiere | 71min Director: Brendan Steere in attendance

WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT (‘AK-ZIL’)
2 Guys 1 Camera.
South Korea | World Premiere | 100min Director: James Hutson in attendance

WOL-HA: VERY BAD MOON RISING
The tombstone of the kisaeng (Korean Mistress) Wol-ha, who dies under a false accusation, is found!
South Korea | 80min Director: Inchun Oh in attendance

WOMEN & SOMETIMES MEN
Sara has some questions.
USA | West Coast Premiere | 87min Director: Lesley Demetriades in attendance

DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT

Celebrating the best in contemporary documentary filmmaking.

#TAKEMEANYWHERE
Shia LaBeouf embarks on his latest performance art project by roadtripping across the United States.
USA | min LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner

BREAK THE CHAIN
Survivors of human trafficking provide a harrowing look at how this overly sensationalized issue hides in plain sight.
USA | 65min Director: Laura Swanson in attendance

CATCHING SIGHT OF THELMA & LOUISE
Revisit the extraordinary journey of Thelma & Louise through the lens of viewers who saw the namesake film in 1991.
USA | 87min Director: Jennifer Townsend in attendance

CURTSY, MISTER
Ronnie Grant shares his misadventures through the fashion and beauty industries, overcoming drug addiction, and eventually, becoming a fashion editor at Essence Magazine.
USA | 60min Director: Angela Robinson Witherspoon

DRIFTING TOWARDS THE CRESCENT
As the diesel barges ply the Mississippi River, the river no longer needs the towns, but the towns still need the river.
USA | 84min Director: Laura Stewart

FAKE BLOOD
Rob Grant and Mike Kovac investigate their responsibility creating violent movies after receiving a creepy fan video.
USA | 81min Directors: Rob Grant in attendance

KIM SWIMS
An inspiring story of a swimmer’s attempt to become the first woman to swim the world’s hardest open water swim.
USA | 75min Director: Kate Webber in attendance

LAST SONG TO XENITIA
Centenarian poet journeys to Greece, endeavouring to pass on an ancient oral tradition to the next generation.
USA | 74min Director: Athena Scotes

LIVING ART
A captivating sensory journey into the art practices & aesthetics of seven African contemporary artists in Maputo, Mozambique.
Mozambique | 52min Director: Tina Krüger

LIYANA
Five children in Swaziland collaborate to create an original African tale about a young girl on a dangerous quest.
USA | 76min Director: Amanda Kopp & Aaron Kopp

NOT A WAR STORY
Hollywood collides with a group of veterans who decide to make an original lm without any experience.
USA | 83min Director: Tim O’Donnell

RUN WHILE YOU CAN
Sam Fox’s quest to run the 2,650 mile-long Pacific Crest Trail for Parkinson’s Disease becomes a test of character.
USA | 78min Director: Marion Mauran

ZERO WEEKS
Weaving powerful personal stories with insightful interviews, explore America’s paid leave crisis and the cost of doing nothing.
USA | 87min Director: Ky Dickens in attendance

INDIGENOUS VOICES

Films that document, highlight, and celebrate Indigenous voices in contemporary cinema.

MASHPEE NINE
Story of injustice and vindication that emboldened cultural pride and integrity. West Coast Premiere. DOCUMENTARY
USA | 55min Directors: Talia Landry & William Nay in attendance. Special music guests in attendance.

ON A KNIFE EDGE
A Lakota boy learns what it means to enter adulthood in a world where there are no sidelines. DOCUMENTARY
USA | 90min Director: Jeremy Williams in attendance

UNAUTHORIZED! THE FIGHTING SIOUX
When the NCAA bans a small hockey town’s Native American name and logo, a battle begins to save the college icon. World Premiere. DOCUMENTARY
USA | 88min Director: Matt Fern in attendance

THE WATCHMAN’S CANOE
A young girl of mixed Caucasian and Indigenous descent moves to a reservation where she struggles with local bullies. NARRATIVE
USA | 101min Director: Barri Chase in attendance

WHEN THEY AWAKE
A generation of established and emerging Indigenous musicians in a moment of cultural and political resurgence. USA Premiere. DOCUMENTARY
Canada | 91min Directors: P.J. Marcellino & Hermon Farahi in attendance. Special music guests in attendance.

PORTLAND LENS

Celebrating narrative and documentary films made in Portland and/or by Portland filmmakers.

ALIEN BOY
One man’s struggle with schizophrenia and examines the actions of the police officers responsible for his death. DOCUMENTARY
Portland | 90min Director: Brian Lindstrom in attendance

BENEFITS OF GUSBANDRY
One woman, one man, a lot of weed, a little crying, and no sexual attraction whatsoever. NARRATIVE
Portland | 99min Director: Alicia J. Rose in attendance

BUZZ ONE FOUR
The mystery of two thermonuclear bombs crashing 90 miles from Washington DC explored by the grandson of the pilot. DOCUMENTARY
Portland | 60min Director: Matt McCormick in attend.

DRYLAND
The fate of rural America reveals a paradoxical struggle between technological advancement and the dwindling family farm. DOCUMENTARY
Portland | 65min Director: Sue Arbuthnot in attendance

ORACLE
A trio of sisters make a documentary film about the true nature of the world, on the eve of a possible apocalypse. NARRATIVE
USA | World Premiere | 89min Director: Hale Mednick in attendance

SOAR OREGON
Take pride in this lush, green, beautiful state with this wonderful new perspective of touring Oregon! DOCUMENTARY
Portland | 50min Director: Ryan Ao in attendance

TOMORROW, MAYBE
An ex-con father reconnects with his daughter, who might not be so willing if her life wasn’t suddenly falling apart. NARRATIVE
Portland | 84min Director: Jace Daniel in attendance

THE WATCHMAN’S CANOE
A young girl of mixed Caucasian and Indigenous descent moves to a reservation where she struggles with local bullies. NARRATIVE
USA | 101min Director: Barri Chase in attendance

WOODSRIDER
An introspective young snowboarder camps alone, anticipating a winter of adventure and self-renewal. NARRATIVE
Portland | 83min Director: Cambria Matlow in attendance

ZILLA & ZOE
Zoe, age 10, turns her sister’s wedding week into a horror film to win a filmmaking contest. OPENING NIGHT NARRATIVE
Portland | 104min Director: Jessica Scalise in attendance

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

A curated selection of special-event new films, classics and surprises.

DARKEST HOUR
During the early days of World War II, the fate of Europe hangs on the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds.
UK | 2017 | 125 min Director: Joe Wright

CTHULHU
A Seattle history professor discovers aspects of his father’s New Age cult, which take on a dangerous and apocalyptic significance.
USA | 2007 | 100 min Director: Daniel Gildark

OVERBOARD
A cruel and beautiful heiress cheats over a hired carpenter. When she gets amnesia, he decides to introduce her to working-class life by convincing her they’re husband and wife.
Screenwriter Leslie Dixon in attendance
USA | 106min Director: Garry Marshall

THE SINS OF MY FATHER
The incredible story of Pablo Escobar, the infamous boss of Colombia’s Medellin drug cartel, told by his son Sebastian and his widow Maria Isabel Santos.
Argentina & Colombia | 94min Director: Nicolas Entel in attendance

For complete festival lineup, passes, and
individual tickets available, goto www.portlandfilm.org

Scott Dunbier’s Artist’s Editions from IDW are pretty much review proof. If you’re a comic book fan and you like a certain artist’s work, it’s a given that you will like an Artists’s Edition photographed in high definition wholly or mostly from the original art with stamps, blue pencil, white paint, marginal notes, editorial comments, etc. It’s the closest most of us will ever get to holding original art from some of the masters of the field in our hands.

And it follows that if you’re a Silver Age/Bronze Age comic book fan, you’re a Jack Kirby fan, because other than a handful of contrarians who stubbornly refuse to concede it, at his peak, Jack Kirby WAS comics.

And it’s at various peaks where you’ll find the King of Comics in the four books I’m writing about today:

• Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four—World’s Greatest Artist’s Edition
• The Jack Kirby Forever People Artist’s Edition
• Jack Kirby Kamandi the Last Boy On Earth Artist’s Edition, Vol. 2
• Jack Kirby Pencils and Inks Artisan Edition

The first of these books, featuring the FF, is quite literally my childhood.

Early on, Fantastic Four became my favorite comic book and eventually I amassed a complete collection (which I later had to sell, I’m sorry to say).

I would lie in bed not just re-reading issues but staring at the art and trying to figure out just how Jack made wood look so much like wood, metal look so much like metal, or stone look so much like stone.

And how he made everything crackle with energy just by seemingly dipping the eraser end of his pencil in black ink and stamping it all over the page!

This volume offers a few complete issues and a whole big bunch of key pages, pin-ups, and posters, as well as a long run of original art covers, starting, appropriately enough, with the first ever issue of FF I ever saw back in the mid-1960s, # 53!

The large format easily allows for one to spot the subtle differences here between the inks of Sinnott, Giacoia, Ayers, and Chic Stone. There are even pages from the issue where Wallace Wood inked Daredevil and my favorite to pore over, the one where Steve Ditko inked Kirby!

Along with Daredevil, as mentioned above, and the Sub-Mariner—two characters Jack Kirby did NOT create–this volume is filled with some of Jack’s most famous sixties characters—the Black Panther, Medusa and the Inhumans, Dr. Doom, the Silver Surfer, Sandman, Klaw, the Watcher, Dragon Man, Wyatt Wingfoot, and the Puppet Master. Even the original X-Men pop up briefly.

The FF volume ends before the period where Jack was becoming disenchanted with Marvel. That was what ultimately led to his move to DC where he took over Jimmy Olsen and immediately unleashed his high concept Fourth World/New Gods saga.

The first book in that series was Forever People.

Forever People # 1 was another personal milestone for me as it was the comic book that convinced me, at age 11, to continue collecting comics even though I had discovered girls. I actually gave up comics for a couple of weeks but one of the last books I had bought was Forever People’s first issue.

When I finally got around to reading it, it was back to the candy store to catch up on all I’d missed during that two weeks off! Girls would just have to wait.

Kirby was on the march again!

Inker Vince Colletta’s reputation has suffered in recent decades but I’ve always appreciated the softness he brought to Kirby’s often rough-edged imagery without destroying the power therein. (Well, when he wasn’t erasing things in the background but that’s another story.)

Interestingly, this was the period where DC was having Superman and all associated characters retouched or pasted over by Al Plastino or Murphy Anderson in order to keep the house look uniform. On these pages, it looks like a lot more than a pasteover. It looks like Plastino may have been handed the pages to fully ink Superman and Jimmy Olsen either before or after Vinnie did the rest of the story.

Colletta, who had inked Jack Kirby’s Thor for years at Marvel, was insisted on by DC management but, at the earliest opportunity, Jack switched to his hand-picked inker of choice, Mike Royer. Both Colletta and Royer are represented in this volume.

Kirby’s Forever People hasn’t aged as well as his other titles from the period, probably because it was essentially about a group of space hippies. Darkseid and his sadistic sidekick, Desaad made their earliest appearances in this title and, as with all the Fourth World series, were the overarching antagonists.

Kamandi, the Last Boy On Earth, stars in the next volume.

This was perhaps Kirby’s best and most popular series during his time at DC in the 1970s. It was certainly the longest running, continuing on a bit even after Jack’s departure back to Marvel!

With Royer at his best channeling the King’s intent here through his inking, these stories, covers, and pages showcasing Jack’s long-haired, half naked,post-apocalyptic teen boy and his adventures with Planet of the Apes-style animal/human hybrids were and are an imaginative hoot!

I’m personally not the biggest fan of Mike Royer’s inks over Jack but I have to remember that Jack himself WAS and that obviously counts for a lot. Nothing against Mike personally, mind you. I’ve met Mike and I think he’s fun and cool!

He even writes a very informative introduction to our next volume, The Pencil and Inks Artisan Edition.

We’re still at DC here, but now alternating pages from Kamandi and Jack’s other big post-Fourth World title, The Demon.

One thing in particular that jumps out at me here in comparing penciled pages and inked pages, is the importance of the lettering, which was also done by Royer. As the full writer by this time, Kirby would always pencil in dialogue, sound effects, titles, and captions, but it was up to Royer as his trusted finisher to bring it all together.

There’s a lot more Kamandi here but, along with The Demon, you also get a full issue of OMAC, a late entry also-ran title at the time whose concepts were later incorporated more into the DCU.

These types of books are not about the stories, they’re about the art, but keeping in mind that comic books are a unique art form in which the illustrations are part and parcel of a narrative, Scott and his researchers try and largely succeed at keeping the pages intact and sequential so you can also enjoy the stories!

As wacky as the later ones sometimes seemed at the time, hindsight has shown that Jack Kirby’s unbridled imagination was still something to be reckoned with.

My only real criticism of any of the Artist Edition books from IDW is that they should come with a warning to be careful not to drop them on your toes! I underestimated the weight of the Wally Wood EC volume a couple years back and might’ve broken my foot if I hadn’t had shoes on!

And why they even try to sell these at cons I don’t know. It’s not like you’re gonna just carry it around with you all day. But I digress.

Anyway, if you’re a Kirby fan, you already have these or have them on a wish list. If not, you should. If you have ever once held an original Kirby page of art in your hands, you undoubtedly felt the magic emanating from it. That magic emanates from these pages—even in my PDF review copies!—almost as much as from the real thing.

I think Scott has crafted more than 50 of these things now! Steranko! Eisner! Wood! Crandall! Just mortgage your house and give IDW all your money. If you’re a comics fan of the right age, it’ll be worth it.

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The making of Blade Runner was a seven-year odyssey that would test the stamina and the imagination of writers, producers, special effects wizards, and the most innovative art directors and set designers in the industry.

And journalist Paul M. Sammon was there to document the entire process.  In his book, Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner, Paul documented the intensive, intimate and anything-but-glamorous behind-the-scenes account of how Ridley Scott purposefully used his creative genius to transform the work of science fiction’s most uncompromising author into a critical sensation, a commercial success, and a cult classic that would reinvent the genre.

With the recent release of Blade Runner: 2049, Future Noir is once again available in an updated and expanded edition which also includes new material including interviews, a look at the theatrical release of The Final Cut, as well as a look at the long awaited sequel.

Paul was extremely generous to take some time to discuss the book, his relationships with cast and crew and his thoughts on Deckard being a replicant.

*  *  *  *  *  *

FOG!: I read the first edition of Future Noir when it came out and I’ve since read the new edition, which improves on what is already considered to be an indispensable book.  I can’t imagine many films today allowing a journalist the level of access you had during a film’s production.  How did you find yourself getting involved with Blade Runner?

Paul M. Sammon: My Blade Runner involvement actually stretches back to 1959, when I read my first Philip K. Dick story as a boy. That was “The Father Thing,” which remains one of Dick’s most disturbing shorts. I subsequently sought out any and everything with the name Philip K. Dick attached – which wasn’t easy during that period – and bought a first edition paperback, in 1968, of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which is Blade Runner’s source novel. Then I was fortunate enough to meet PKD at a lecture he did at Cal State Fullerton in 1973.

After his speech, I approached him, and told Phil my first experience with his work was “Father Thing.” He roared with laughter and apologized for screwing with my head. Luckily, Phil was very open and warm. We exchanged phone numbers, and kept in touch during the Seventies.

Fast-forward to 1981. At that time I was both a prolific free-lance journalist and a member of the professional filmmaking community: for instance, I had already crewed on a film titled Silent Running in 1971, worked as genre publicist for Disney’s The Black Hole in 1978, and was employed by Universal in 1981 as a Junior Vice President of Specialized Publicity, to help promote Conan the Barbarian, among other films. So by ‘81 I was both a writer and a studio employee.

Also in 1981, when I heard that Blade Runner was going to happen, I actively lobbied Cinefantastique and Omni magazines to allow me to cover the production as it occurred. I then arranged a meeting with Michael Deeley, Blade Runner’s producer. Michael was impressed with the samples I’d brought showing what I had written in the past, and, I think, reassured when he discovered I was part of the Industry. Meaning that I was aware of the unspoken protocols surrounding the film business and, hopefully, wouldn’t be a pain in the ass. Deeley next walked me down a hall and introduced me to Ridley Scott, who’d just been hired to direct Blade Runner. Ridley and I then spent hours talking about every topic under the sun. Two days later I received a letter from Michael granting me complete access to all phases of Blade Runner’s production. And I ran with that.

You were writing a bit at the time for such publications as The American Cinematographer, Omni, Cinefex, and Presumably you were a science fiction fan?

I was and remain a lifelong SF aficionado, both of the films and SF in print. However, I was raised in a household filled with eclectic autodidacts; my parents literally read everything, from Emerson to Bradbury, and I picked up their habit. So as much of an admirer as I am of science fiction, I also read and enjoy non-fiction books (on neurology, astronomy, quantum physics, contemporary politics, philosophy, film studies, biographies, etc). As for fiction, I routinely peruse literature (authors like T.C. Boyle and George Saunders), mysteries (I am particularly in love with Irish author John Connolly’s Charlie Parker novels), horror (Robert Aickman, Laird Barron, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Thomas Ligotti) and many other genres. Finally, SF; Greg Bear, Ted Chiang, Alastair Reynolds, Adam Roberts, and Tim Powers are just a few of the authors I turn to.

So yeah, I’m a science fiction fan. More a constant, compulsive reader, though. Of anything. I’ll read the ingredients on a cereal box!

How long were you on the set of Blade Runner?  What was your relationship like with Ridley Scott, Harrison Ford, Michael Deeley and other key cast and crew?

I was involved with the entire production for roughly 16-18 months. This included prep, principal, post and the model/photographic effects. My relationships were, on the whole, good. 35 years later, Ridley and I still speak, Michael Deeley is a friend, Joanna Cassidy and I go to the movies together (often-she’s a film buff like myself). I just spoke with Sean Young a few days ago. Plus, I deepened my friendship with Phil Dick. What a shame that he died and never saw the completed movie.

Sammon (left) seen with Rutger Haurer at Blade Runner event at BFI Southbank. Photo by Linda Nylind.

During the actual process, I basically observed and stayed out of the way. Tension was high during the shoot. Harrison was unhappy, for various reasons, but I never had any problems with him. In fact one night we sat in his trailer talking about Russian literature, or, rather, The Master and Margarita, Bulgakov’s classic Stalinist satire. Ford is very, very smart, highly verbal, and, best of all, likes to have fun. A total pro.

Was writing a book the ultimate goal?

Never. I thought that once I’d turned in my original 25,000 word Cinefantastique article (titled “Welcome to Ridleyville”) and the three articles I did for Omni magazine in 1982, my Blade Runner reportage was complete.

But I kept thinking and thinking about that production. Kept it on my personal radar as Blade Runner gained traction via home video during the remainder of the 1980’s and flew even higher after 1992’s release of The Director’s Cut. I basically became increasingly obsessed with what I saw as this visually magnificent, thematically rich, amusingly weird film as the years rolled by.

Additionally, by the early 1990’s I’d worked on quite a few other films. Things like Lynch’s Dune and Blue Velvet and RoboCop.  But very few other than the titles I just mentioned matched Blade Runner’s pedigree. Plus, here was a film that was obviously such an influential Earthshaker.

So why had it failed? And why hadn’t someone (else) done a book about what I’d first-hand witnessed during the making of this one-of-a-kind production?

I then started to write articles about the film again, for mags like the late, great Video Watchdog. I concurrently revisited the tons of interviews and notes I’d gathered and never used for my original articles, and, finally, one day I just called up Ridley to say, “Hey. It’s 1993, and I think Blade Runner is going to continue to grow in stature well beyond where it is now. Do you mind if I write a book about it? Would you be onboard and willing to cooperate with that? I want to compose something that not only chronicles Blade Runner’s history, but will give readers a better insight into what really goes into the making of a major motion picture.  Besides, maybe once I do, people will stop asking us if Deckard’s a replicant!” Ridley laughed at that last one and said “Sure.”

I subsequently spent about three years of further research and interviews and collating my old material to come up with the 1996 edition of Future Noir. And I’ve never really stopped working on revising the book since then. Although I’ve actually written about 20 other books too! But Future Noir is, I guess, my crown jewel. Simply because it documents such a seminal motion picture.

Although the film wasn’t a box office hit, it’s influence and fanbase continues to grow even today.  What about Blade Runner do you think resonates so much with audiences?

What usually strikes initial Blade Runner viewers is its incredibly intricate world building. Even now, 35 years on, you can freeze just about any shot and see layer after layer of detail tucked away in same. Ridley and his designers did an astonishing job of making this alternative 2019 Los Angeles such a bristling, living space.  That design is tremendously catholic, and diverse, yet believable, too. Crappy old diesel-powered junkers are puttering down on the streets next to sleek flying cars. Blade Runner’s architectural mash-ups and wardrobes have proved influential as well. In the latter instance, Blade Runner’s costumes were brought into the film from many then cutting-edge fashion designers , everything from punk to retro-chic to the absolute pinnacles of current haute couture.

Anyway, by then by mixing everything up so realistically, Blade Runner’s never looked dated. It still seems real.

That’s one reason the film’s endured. What’s on its surface. But there’s more to Blade Runner than meets the eye. The mood of the film is so deeply hypnotic and melancholic; Vangelis score, Terry Rawling’s editing, Ridley’s direction, all helped solidify Blade Runner’s mesmerizing sense of sadness. Part of that tone also, of course, arose from Ridley’s decision to overlay old 1940’s film noir clichés – the shadow, expressionistic cinematography, the endemic societal corruption, the femme fatales, the flawed hero –  with real-world concerns. I mean, look at what you see in BR: overpopulation, the degradation of the environment, homelessness, the yawning divide between the haves and have-nots.

Then, underneath that, you have these extremely adult questions and existential concerns-what does it mean to be empathic? To be human? Are our machines more human than those who created them? Why are we here? Why can’t we defeat death? Have corporations gone totally amuck? Are we rushing headlong into a doomed, soulless future?

Finally, look at Blade Runner’s characters! Crazy, charismatic Roy Batty, sly punker Pris, impossibly gorgeous Rachael, alcoholic burn-out Deckard, reptilian, manipulative Tyrell…with all that, is it any wonder that Blade Runner never seems to get old?

Were you surprised when Ridley and Harrison announced that they would be collaborating on Blade Runner 2049?

Not really. They’d buried the hatchet years ago. I was surprised and delighted that they waited for such an excellent script and director, and didn’t jump at the first opportunity to do another type of sequel. I should give a shout out to Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, Bud Yorkin’s widow, for making Blade Runner 2049 happen the way it did. She’s the unsung hero behind this worthy sequel.

What are your thoughts regarding Deckard as a replicant?  Ridley says he is, Harrison says he isn’t.  What do you think?  Is Deckard a replicant?

I’ve already written this in Future Noir but, to a certain extent, it depends on which version you see.

In the original theatrical cut, the one that doesn’t have Deckard’s unicorn daydream, Gaff’s leaving the tinfoil unicorn behind at Deck’s apartment at film’s end basically means he came to that apartment, found Rachael, and didn’t retire her, as payback for Deckard offing the other replicants. Which he didn’t, of course, but never mind.

However, in the Director’s Cut and Final Cut, the one with the Unicorn daydream, that tinfoil origami Gaff leaves at the end signifies something deeper-that Gaff knows Deckard’s private thoughts. Which means they could be artificially inserted memory implants. So it somewhat depends on which version of the film you see.

I really should point out, though, that during the making of Blade Runner, Ridley originally wanted to only suggest that Deckard might be a replicant, not that he was one. That ambiguity seemed to become more literal as shooting progressed. But that’s part of the fun of the film – is he, or isn’t he? Not that that question has been definitively answered; while Harrison and Ford were making Blade Runner 2049, they were still arguing this point!

What are you currently geeking out over?

Wow. Well, movies music and books remain the three things I’m most passionate about, so I can go on and on and on here. Let me give the short reply. Short by my standards, anyway.

Books? I already gave a pretty thorough rundown on what I’m reading these days – oh wait, I left out all the books about Stanley Kubrick that have finally started pouring out, and I really like a film book titled A Cinema of Loneliness, by Robert Kolker. Magazines I often read include Sight & Sound, Film Comment, Little White Lies, Granta, Cineaste, Wired, Entertainment Weekly, The Atlantic, and a billion other pro and semi-pro zines.

As for streaming services, I like the Shudder Channel (some tremendous domestic and international horror films there, like They Look Like People and Resolution and Ben Wheatley’s Kill List and The Autopsy of Jane Doe). For my cinematic vegetables, I turn to Filmstruck, for its art films and Criterion Collection titles. I also dig shows like Fortitude, on Amazon, which is this crazy-cool drama/SF/mystery hybrid taking place in the Arctic Circle –  but nobody seems to be watching it.

Music? Anything of excellence; Explosions in the Sky; Sia; Lettuce; the Swedish folk-rock duo First Aid Kit; Antibalas; This American Afro-beat; Deep Funk Revival Band; Children of the Wave, an experimental electro-duo; David Lynch’s Crazy Clown Time album; Grady Champion and BB King for some blues; La Luz; Lana del Rey; Washed Out…

Comix? I finally got around to buying Charles Burns’ graphic novel Black Hole, which I’m eager to start. That’s nestling alongside all the various psychedelic Steve Ditko collections that are finally coming out.

And oh yes, one last shout out; The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049, by Tanya Lapointe. What an excellent melding of text and art and photos. If you loved the first Blade Runner sequel – which I did – you gotta get this one.

Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner is available now

It is Halloween and that means horror and what was the movie studio that made gothic horror cool again after the Universal Monsters faded away?

Hammer. Since this is a television column I think you can guess that Hammer also did TV work as well… although not because they wanted to but I will get to that.

Hammer is the horror house known for it’s fashionable updating of classic gothic horror in the 1960’s and 1970’s but they also dabbled in television as well as the cinema screen. Hammer first attempted to break into television with the 1958 pilot Tales of Frankenstein. Shot in black and white with the signature Hammer style. Sadly this never came to be more than a curiosity and a valiant (if not short sighted) experiment.

In 1968 Hammer again attempted to get into the TV scene with Journey To The Unknown, this time with 20th Century Fox as a partner. A scant 17 episodes in the UK edited into 8 TV Movies in US.

By the 1960’s though Hammer was quickly becoming THE horror movie production house outside of America. Gorgeous sprawling sets, gothic architecture and modern takes on the classic monsters who had once been the backbone of Universal Pictures in the 1930’s. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman and the Mummy stood along side witches and other new monsters with Hammer blazing a trail into the night. With this recontextualizing of the old horror though new traits had to be added, namely gore and boobies were now stars alongside the monsters and madmen. Hammer films were never shy about the skin nor what lies beneath.

Alas as the 1970’s were coming to a close Hammer was unable to keep up the quality (not to mention their market being flooded by the likes of Roger Corman and Charles Band). Becoming somewhat desperate it was time to look at television once again.

In a kind of last ditch effort to save the company Roy Skeggs and Brian Lawrence pitched an anthology TV series. This kept the name out there while the company attempted to stay above water and find new film ventures that could save them. This would not come to be.

Hammer House of Horror was shot in early 1980 and aired in the UK on ITV  where the 13 episodes were quickly forgotten and mostly lost to time. Not being aired in the US was a huge detriment to the success of this Hammer Studios idea.

Carrying provocative titles such as: Witching Time, The House that Bled to Death, The Silent Scream, Children of the Full Moon and Visitor from the Grave who could resist a Hammer TV show? Everyone apparently. It seemed that by 1980 Hammer had lost it’s luster even to British audiences.

There is also the odd choice that outside of a single flashback sequence in the first episode everything in Hammer House Of Horror is set in contemporary 1980.

Sure the old crew was back behind the camera and some of the old cast were in front of it (most notably Peter Cushing) but this did not feel very much like Hammer.

Gothic landscapes and crumbling mansions were the Hammer trademark and when they attempted to go contemporary in the mid-1970’s with the later Dracula films… it was not well received by the audiences. That alone makes the decision to set all the stories “now” ever more risky. I wager it was budgetary as the studio was on it’s last legs, desperately trying to stay alive and shooting in the present day was far cheaper than finding a location which can pass for “period” or building sets. Intentionally or not the entire series of Hammer House Of feels like an updated version of Boris Karloff Presents Thriller. That is not an inherently bad thing.

American audiences only could read about the show and didn’t get to actually see it until The Sci-Fi Channel aired the episodes in the early 1990’s… or so they thought. Actually US audiences DID get to see the series… they just didn’t know they did.

In 1985 IVE Home Video created a sub-series titled “Thriller Video” which was hosted by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, herself. This tape line was old movies such as The Monster Club and Dead of Night (1977). The line also had some strange “movies” that were new to Americans; Witching Time, The Thirteenth Reunion, Rude Awakening, Growing Pains, The House that Bled to Death, Charlie Boy, The Silent Scream, Children of the Full Moon, Carpathian Eagle, Guardian of the Abyss, Visitor from the Grave, The Two Faces Of Evil, and The Mark of Satan, formerly known as episodes of Hammer House Of Horror.

Yes indeed, “Thriller Video” simply lopped off the Hammer openings and sold each episode of the show as a “movie” and we were none the wiser (to be fair it was obvious after a while these were television episodes but at the time with no internet we could not quite nail it down). The Elvira bits were quite possibly the reason this series sold as many units as it did but overseas US audiences thought they were getting something new when in fact they were being sold a 5 year old British TV show one episode at a time.

In the early days of the Sci-Fi Channel the show was aired (with the Hammer titles intact) for the first time since 1980. In 2012 Synapse Releasing put the series on DVD.

By 1984 Hammer was beyond desperate and their final gasp was again a TV anthology series.

Teaming up yet again with 20th Century Fox Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense came to be. This time, though in case the series was not a success, Fox wanted to hedge their bets; so each episode was 90 minutes (75 without commercials) and was able to be sold as a TV movie if need be (this was indeed done internationally). With FOX on board another concession had to be made… US stars. Each episode was shot in Europe with a name American star in the lead. David Carradine, Dirk Benedict, Susan George, Dean Stockwell and Peter Graves are just a smattering of the recognizable faces in this incarnation.

Obviously eschewing the horror that Hammer was so famous for in favor of mystery the series was not nearly as good as it’s predecessor. Aired in a slapshot fashion in the UK with different episodes playing in different regions and in America the series running as “Fox Mystery Theater” losing even the Hammer brand recognition. The 90 minute runtime made the episodes feel padded and bloated and the lack of the Hammer name in the US hurt more than anything. So stretched was this version that 2 episodes (A Distant Scream and In Possession) are actually remakes of Out Of The Unknown stories (a BBC series from years prior).

Until 2008 this would be the last production to bear the Hammer logo and this new version is not really Hammer… it just has the name.

The Hammer House Of series are worth checking out as there are some exceptional episodes of both series but as complete shows they are severely lacking in staying power. As stated you can get Hammer House Of Horror fairly easily while House of Mystery and Suspense is rather hard to find, never having had a US DVD release (there is a UK one).

I recommended at least finding these (one from each series):

Hammer House Of Horror:
The Silent Scream with Peter Cushing(!) and Brian Cox.
Cushing is a simple pet shop proprietor who happened to be a former concentration camp guard and still retains some… tendencies. Cox (a recently released inmate) becomes the subject of a very sick and strange social experiment. Arguably the best episode of the series and a damn fine hour of television.

Hammer House Of Mystery And Suspense:
Child’s Play with Mary Crosby.
Waking up one day to find that every entrance (and exit) to their home is bricked up a family soon finds themselves cut off from the world and being stalked by something in their home. A fantastic and bonkers twist at the end. A tense episode reminding one of The Outer Limits.

And we’re giving away three copies to FOG! readers!

To enter, send an email with the subject header “PREDATOR” to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following question:

Kevin Peter Hall, who played The Predator, took on the role after this actor was fired?

Please include your name, and address (U.S. only. You must be 18 years old).

Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on November 6th, 2017.

Chances are if you’re reading this site you’re either watching or planning to watch today’s release of the second season of Stranger Things.

And our friends at BoxLunch have revealed several exclusive items and several are on sale now!

Hawkins High Duffle Bag and Crewneck that showcase the school’s signature color. Both exclusive to BoxLunch.

All tees exclusive to BoxLunch. The Sketch Tee gives us a closer look at the “Shadow Monster” that has been seen in the season 2 trailer. The middle Teaser Tee gives us a sneak peek at the gang’s Ghostbusters costumes in the Halloween episode. And lastly, the Pixels Tee is an ’80s styled videogame graphic of Dustin.

The longsleeve on the left showcases a scene with Eleven from season 2. More ’80s inspiration for the other two tees; ringer tee is inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, a popular game from the era that the gang enjoys, and the Merril’s farm tee recreates a scene from season 2 in an 8-bit graphic.

Limited edition Madrid Skateboard decks. The skateboard deck on the left features an ’80s inspired title graphic. Middle deck is a replica deck that a new character will be favoring in this forthcoming season. And the right one features poster artwork from season 2!

And last, but not lease – This is a BoxLunch exclusive holiday sweater, inspired by The Upside Down.

For BoxLunch’s complete Stranger Things merchandise selection, click HERE!