I’ll give this week to the little boys.

On one hand its Jon Kent trying so hard to prove he can help, or Ben Guest, the sweet kid of a former assassin.

On the other end is Lor-Zod, who could have turned out so much better (I remember Christopher Kent), and Jason… who also seemed incredibly emotionally stunted for his age.

Action Comics #998
Words – Dan Jurgens
Pictures – Will Conrad, Ivan Nunes, Rob Leigh

After the dramatic end of last issue, with all the Lanes and Superman’s son lying in crumbled bullet-riddled heaps in a dictator’s banana republic, we’re reminded we have a time travel story to get back to.

Supes and Booster are still being blasted on all sides and Booster’s shields are failing.

Their only hope (Skeets) lies in a broken heap… wow that was a good story, too bad we never got to issue 1000.

Just kidding, comics don’t work that way and it is a good conclusion.

The good guys use ingenuity, improvised tools and the infighting of their enemy against them.

Booster’s heart is as large as his ability to play the incompetent fool and he shows us again why he’s the best hero the DC universe can’t know about.

(and P.S., extra point for Avengers’ reference)

Batgirl #20
Words – Hope Larson
Pictures – Sami Basri, Jessica Kholinne, Deron Bennett

The conclusion to our short wintry Penguin arc.

Batgirl is feeling played, and why is everyone so open to Penguin’s charitable charm offensive?

Not like he has decades of deceit under his corpulent belt. Could it have something to do with her friend’s new hush-hush job?

Let’s not forget Barbara is a detective, able to collect all facts – except for the cover (sigh, don’t give too much thought to the cover, it gives away plot points as bad as an anime opening).

Art and writing are (as always with this team) fun, but this arc was strained and I look forward to the next one playing out more naturally.

Blue Beetle #18
Words – Christopher Sebela
Pictures – Scott Kolins, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Josh Reed

A breather issue!

The characters could use one. Jaime’s back to his regular life, school home, friends.

Well… mostly, Naomi (his girlfriend) just found out his secret and he’s worried to pieces that he messed up everything with her because of that.

Unfortunately life does not wait for teenage crisis-es to resolve, and the job offer at Kord Industries is his only current chance to use his powers AND be able to tell his parents he has a job.

But nothing could happen on his first day to endanger his life and cause him to disappoint Naomi again, could it?

That would be risking his life twice in one day, I mean how unlucky would a guy have to be?

The Demon Hell is Earth #4
Words – Andrew Constant
Pictures – Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, Chris Sotomayor, Tom Napolitano

Walking and talking issue! (Well it is, but Constant, Walker and the rest are talented enough to pull it off.)

One of the side effect of so much Hell seeping into Earth, is the torture of a long trip becomes a literal torture. The ground and the sky conspire to make it feels like it’s going on forever.

A big fire breathing yellow demon needling you with “are we there yet?”, that’s just frosting on the cake.

Though Etrigan taking out his familial frustrations on mutated attacking wildlife almost makes up for the annoyance.

Meanwhile, his snootless father still schemes and gloats to the pretty caged Lucifer. More action to come, only two issues to go and everything that annoys Etrigan (family, ex-girlfriend, Jason Blood) is right there with him. So many demons are going to loose vital bits when they get to Hell proper.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #39
Words – Robert Venditti
Pictures – Rafa Sandoval, Tomeu Morey, Jordi Tarragona, Dave Sharpe

A learning issue here.

Apparently rings are like transplanted organs in horror movies.

If you get one, the personality of the last owner seeps into you. Now our sweet calm, compassionate Kyle is spouting jet pilot gung-ho one liners if he likes it or not.

Unsurprisingly Guy Gardner’s the first to like the change, and to quickly after that be sick of it.

But they’ll need that extra thoughtless vigor. The Guardians when brought up to date insist on deliberating among themselves before allowing a rescue effort to occur. Gee I hope the Zods aren’t known for rash, violent and fatal decisions.

The Hellblazer #19
Words – Tim Seeley
Pictures – Davide Fabbri, Christian Dalla Vecchia, Carrie Strachan, Sal Cipriano

John is back on familiar soil.

After the ruckus in San Francisco, Constantine could use the lives of his few friends not being in danger.

Unfortunately no one mentioned that to the Day brothers, the surviving one (now a well respected exorcism priest) feels real bad for turning his back on their criminal enterprises.

You don’t think someone who knows the steps and mechanisms of an exorcism could reverse the process?

That would be so unethical.

Let’s hope no attractive old flame friends of John reach out to any kindly old priests for help.

That would be too similar a threat too close together, and John might forget he pretends to be a gentleman.

Justice League of America #25
Words – Steve Orlando
Pictures – Miguel Mendonҫa, Minkyu Jung, Dexter Vines, Chris Sotomayor

I got pretty excited over the last two issues. I feel for you readers who wondered what the strange exotic hell I was talking about, because I’m there on this issue.

If you knew who Forager was before the latest mini-series, this issue is your jam.

As for me, I read it with a wiki tab ready, because many of these characters I had never heard of before.

Batman and Black Canary step away from their normal Earth to help Dreamslayer with his. Apparently, you can cruise from world to world in the multiverse via the microverse… it’s comics, sometimes you’ve got to nod and not think too hard about it.

Enemies Blue Jay and Dreamslayer had put their differences aside to try and save their world, but each attempt has failed. Maybe this time with outside help it won’t fall into a fiery post-apocalyptic ruin.

Mera: Queen of Atlantis #1
Words – Dan Abnett
Pictures – Lan Medina, Richard Friend, Vero Gandini, Simon Bowland

A very serviceable first chapter.

Wish I could give this higher praise but it’s an “everything you need to know” first issue,

There is so much laid out here between Mera’s history, Arthur’s history, Atlantis’ political history and the activities that are actually occurring in the present.

It’ll get you up to date if you’ve never heard of any of these characters before, but it is a mini-series and this does take up a sixth of it’s total run time.

I look forward to the next issue when hopefully we are given reason to care about the recovering Mera and the “conflicted” Orm who seems destined(?) to go after her.

For so much being laid out here, why he’s going to maybe hunt, maybe fight her is still unclear.

Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #35
Words – Sholly Fisch
Pictures – Walter Carzon, Horacio Ottolini, Silvana Brys, Saida Temofonte

Speaking of serviceable, Fisch brings us another issue of Scooby-Doo that feels true to both the main and guest cast, but does not challenge them or the reader.

There is nothing wrong with it, it’s a “just as described on the tin” issue and if you are a fan of the characters and want to read what feels like an episode on paper it’s amusing enough.

Art feels on-model and has good flow to it. It’s an enjoyable way to spend fifteen minutes and is all-ages enough to feel comfortable handing to a little kid to enjoy.

It knows it’s target and serves it well.

The Silencer #2
Words – Dan Abnett
Pictures – John Romita Jr. and Sandra Hope

This book took me by surprise.

It’s old-school aesthetics feel so 90’s while the storyline both fits as a movie (think “Long Kiss Goodnight” or “Kill Bill”) and in a part of the current Batman universe I hadn’t even considered.

In only it’s 2nd issue the world is deep and full of people I want to see succeed, Honor/Silencer (who earned her way out of the life and will kill to keep her family’s existence “normal”), her sweet oblivious(?) husband Blake, Ben (their precocious but not annoying little kid who’s more perceptive then they notice).

Even Talia gets some character development.

You’d never trust her to babysit but she cared enough about Honor to give her a heads up and you kinda don’t want to see her die either.

Fun stuff, I’m excited to see how far this ride goes.

Wonder Woman #41
Words – James Robinson
Pictures – Stephen Segovia, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Saida Temofonte

Both Wondy and Steve are back from their current missions.

They are one of those cute couples that can have “me time”, “you time” and “me and you time” but you know they text each other regularly when apart.

After bringing each other up to date (and cutting through each other’s BS) they’ve taken enough of the day’s stresses off to finally be relaxed with each other.

Though it’s a nice and rare private moment to see, the plot flies in from above them to keep the multiple storylines grinding forward. A good example of a “break” issue that still keeps the action going as it lets the characters decompress.

Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

It’s the end of February!

Let’s talk about some comics that came out this week!

Detective Comics #975
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Alvaro Martinez

This is an anniversary issue that doesn’t feel like an anniversary issue.

I’ve said it before here in this column that I think Tynion is running on fumes at this point.

This story concerning Batwoman doesn’t help his case much.

This issue is called “The Trial Of Batwoman.”

In it, Batwoman’s membership in the Bat-family is being called into question. Batman is questioning it. But Red Robin is defending her.

Will Batman let her stay in the family?

Find out here! The story is just okay. It doesn’t move as much as I would have liked.

The art is good. I wish there was more to it than that. Sadly, that’s all that there really is.

RATING: B-

The Flash #41
Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Neil Googe

Things are heating up over at The Flash!

Joshua Williamson really is just doing a bang up job. We are heading towards the Flash Wars, ladies and gentlemen. Let the fun times begin!

The Flash is in a bind!

He has lost something really close to him. He doesn’t know how to get it back! He only can do one thing: he has to call in Wally West in to help him! This leads to a big conflict: Will Barry cross a line he hasn’t before?

The story is fast and exciting! The art is decent as well. I can’t wait to see where this is going!

Keep it up Flash team! You’re doing a great job!

RATING: A-

Suicide Squad #36
Written by Rob Williams
Illustrated by Eduardo Pansica

Rob Williams continues to write Suicide Squad with a dose of wackiness. I enjoy it enough but I always feel like the character development is lacking. I don’t care about any of these people. I still enjoy it but I think it could be more.

This is part two of the storyline where the Suicide Squad face off against the villain, Hack!

Hack wants to destroy the team and will stop at nothing to make that happen!

Meanwhile, The Wall shows up and wants to be the newest hero.

It’s nuts. But I still enjoy it. The art is pretty decent in this issue to counterpoint the nuttiness. I have no idea where this book is going and I don’t have a reason to care.

Right now?

I just sit back, enjoy it for what it is, and then move on.

RATING: B-

Batman Beyond #17
Written by Dan Jurgens
Illustrated by Phil Hester

I have to say I am quite enjoying this Dan Jurgens/Phil Hester creative team. They are two creators I never thought would be together on a comic book, but they work wonderfully together.

This is part four of the storyline “The Long Goodbye.”

Batman has been defeated by the Stalker. Now he is being handed over to a mysterious enemy. He finally finds out who has been pulling the strings but what happens now?

The story is really good. I love what Jurgens is doing here. The art is surprisingly fitting. I never would have thought Hester for art duties on this title and now I want nothing but him on it forever.

Pick this up. It’s pretty damn good overall.

RATING: B+

Gotham City Garage #10
Written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelley
Illustrated by Aneke

This title certainly is far out there. But that’s okay as it’s also well thought out.

Lanzing and Kelley work well as the writers of this and its certainly some high quality and top notch stuff.

In this issue we meet the founder of the Gotham City Garage!

It’s Black Canary! But where the hell has she been these last five years?

Also, what is in the caves of Ra’s Al Ghul?

Find out here!

This is a compelling book. The art is pretty damn good here as well. Pick this up. You won’t believe how much you like it.

That’s a promise.

RATING: B

Doom Patrol/Justice League of America #1
Written by Gerard Way and Steve Orlando
Illustrated by Various

This is the finale to the “Milk Wars” storyline.

It’s quite an ending too. This whole storyline was just plain weird, but I loved it and I wish it were longer. That’s always a good thing!

The RetCo corporation is falling apart!

The Young Animal teams come together with the Justice League and other DC universe superheroes to finish up the job.

Milkman Man stands in their way. Can they defeat him?

And what do they unleash if they do so?

The story is terrifically bonkers. It’s been a fun time overall.

It will have some ramifications in the Young Animal universe and I can’t wait to see what happens from here. Well done.

RATING: A-

The Ruff and Reddy Show #5
Written by Howard Chaykin 
Illustrated by Mac Rey

This book just continues to be incredibly entertaining.

The always reliable Howard Chaykin writes this and he does an amazing job.

The story is smart but never insulting and he just draws the reader in.

Ruff and Reddy find themselves in quite a pickle. They are overwhelmed in a series of television pilots. But they have made a bad decision and now it is haunting them.

Can they get out of this predicament and survive?

Mac Rey is a great artist. He does a good job of telling Chaykin’s story and making it shine. Give this a chance. It’s a great book that is certainly underrated.

RATING: B+

Imaginary Friends #4
Written by Tim Seeley
Illustrated by Stephen Molnar

This book is just okay for me.

Tim Seeley has done some decent things in the past but this isn’t him at the top of his game.

Ah well, you can’t win them all.

Melba is in trouble. She’s been taken down to the barn by the Fraidy Cat and things aren’t looking good.

Can she get out of trouble?

Will the fiends win?

Can Melba get out of it?

It isn’t as compelling as one would hope. You read it and it feels like it could be better. The art is very good. Molnar is great and deserves more.

Hopefully this picks up. Right now it’s kind of dull.

RATING: C

Raven: Daughter of Darkness #2
Written by Marv Wolfman
Illustrated by Pop Mhan

Having Marv Wolfman writing a comic book is such a treat. He’s such a solid writer and he is still at the top of his game here! I hope DC Comics has him write more titles after this.

Trigon attacks Raven!

Raven has to defend herself against the odds. Baron Winters predicts that Raven will die!

Can the Night Force help her?

Or will she suffer the ultimate fate?

The story is very exciting and very strong. The art by Pop Mhan is fantastic. He draws a perfect Raven and Trigon and I felt like a kid again reading this. Pick it up. It’s a good comic!

RATING: B+

Teen Titans #17
Written by Benjamin Percy 
Illustrated by Ott Schmidt

I am sort of sad this book hasn’t gotten any better. It never just seems to take off and it seems a little trite. Maybe it’ll pick up. I hope it does soon.

This is the aftermath of the “Super Sons Of Tomorrow” storyline.

The Teen Titans have lost their home!

Then, a bunch of strange murders have taken place in the San Francisco area.

The Titans have decided to find the parties responsible.

It sounds compelling but it’s not. The art is the best part. Otto Schmidt is a pretty damn good artist. I would love to see him with a good story behind him. Maybe it’ll happen soon.

RATING: C+

Motherlands #2
Written by Simon Spurrier
Illustrated by Stephen Byrne

This is a book that is very intriguing.

Simon Spurrier is a strong writer and this book seems to be getting really cool. There seems to be a clear vision and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Tab and her mother haven’t seen each other in years.

Now they have to work together to capture the biggest villain in the multiverse. But they end up in one hell of a disgusting place. They then realize that they aren’t the only bounty hunters on the case.

The story is great. The art by Stephen Byrne is the best of his career. They are creating one hell of a unique book. Pick this up. It’s quite excellent.

RATING: A-

The Terrifics #1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Ivan Reis

This book is a nice surprise.

Jeff Lemire is one of the best creators in comics. I’ll pick up anything he does. This is a spin off from DC’s Metal.

While that book has been less than stellar, this is fairly decent.

Lemire takes a bunch of misfits and makes them work well together. Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Plastic Man and Phantom Girl find themselves bonded over together after a crazy accident.

They are trying to return home.

But can they do it?

And what does Tom Strong have to do with it all?

The story is very well thought out as usual from Lemire.

The art is strong as well. Reis works well with the script and makes a visually interesting book. Pick it up. Let’s see where it goes.

RATING: B

Academy Award nominee Gary Oldman gives a “towering performance” (Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair) in acclaimed director Joe Wright’s soaring drama Darkest Hour. As Hitler’s forces storm across the European landscape and close in on the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill (Oldman) is elected the new Prime Minister. With his party questioning his every move, and King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn) skeptical of his new political leader, it is up to Churchill to lead his nation and protect them from the most dangerous threat ever seen. Also starring Academy Award nominee Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James, Darkest Hour is a powerful, inspirational drama.

And we’re giving away five copies!

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

Prior to Darkest Hour, Oldman was nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for this 2012 film?

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 March 11th, 2018.

The Twilight Zone is one of the classics of television to the point that stories from the series have become so rooted into pop culture that people who have never seen an episode of The Twilight Zone know all of the major episodes by cultural osmosis alone.

With the original series running from 1959 to 1964 and being a cultural milestone in terms of not only television, but of storytelling in general, it’s no surprise that more than one attempt at reviving the series came about after creator Rod Serling’s death in 1975. There was the 1983 movie and there was a disastrously bland and pointless 2002 revival, but there was also a very interesting and overlooked 1985 version as well.

While the 1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie was being a modest hit at the box office (and despite the tragedy that surrounded the making of the film) Twilight Zone was a somewhat hot property again. The original series was doing very well in syndication and with a new Anthology series boom about to crest (with Tales From The Darkside, Amazing Stories, Ray Bradbury Theater and the new Alfred Hitchcock Presents to name just a few on the air at the time) it might be time to bring Zone back.

This was no easy task as the original series was held in such high regard and bowing to some of the criticisms of the film a deft hand would be needed if this were to work.

Philip Deguere was that hand and he knew that the success or failure of this new iteration of a classic series would rest solely with the writing. The scripts on the original series are why The Twilight Zone worked and Deguere was smart enough to realize that he needed the best writers in the field to make this work.

Established and respected writers such as Harlan Ellison (who also acted as consultant on the series itself), Greg Bear, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen King, George R. R. Martin and Rockne O’Bannon are only a small starting point to the talent that lay holding up the new Twilight Zone as it would be termed.

The new series would be on CBS and while the network was excited about The Twilight Zone, they also were not going to go nuts for it either.

The budgets per hour long episode were roughly equivalent to that of a show such as The A-Team over on NBC but the issue was that was that with a regular show they had reusable props, costumes and sets… with Twilight Zone every week at least three completely new and original productions had to be created and that budget would not suffice.

To stretch the budget farther some sacrifices were going to be made and these affected the overall quality of the show. One way they saved money was to shoot on film but to edit on video which is quite a bit cheaper but also greatly lowers the visual quality of the product. This process also renders optical special effects much more obvious as opticals. This is also why the DVD’s will never look better than than the so-so versions out there now… there are no film masters to locate… only the video tapes which have degraded over time.

The new series was determined to honor the memory of Rod Serling all the while forging it’s own path and setting itself apart. With The Grateful Dead composing the new theme song an a strong outing of writers and directors everything was poised for success.

As shooting began on the first season of The Twilight Zone (simply called The Twilight Zone but often dubbed The NEW Twilight Zone by the press) the series was not without it’s own set of controversies… most of which revolved around writer and consultant Harlan Ellison.

While Ellison is no stranger to controversy in 1985 he seemed to attract it. He almost punched a producer on the set, verbally attacked director Wes Craven over his direction on an Ellison script and fired a director (not Craven) who he (in this case rightfully) saw screwing up an episode he wrote and finally creating news covered in all the press with the dreaded “Nackles” censorship issue.

“Nackles” was a Donald Westlake story about the Anti-Santa Claus, Nackles.

For the Christmas show of Twilight Zone Ellison was going to adapt (and update) the story as well as direct it. In the rewrite, Ellison added a great dose of social commentary about 1985 and created a very dark tale of social justice. In the script the main character (to be played by Ed Asner) was a racist social worker taking advantage of his charges so some… colorful language was used. The CBS censor went ballistic over the “Nackles” script leading to a heated conversation and (depending on who you ask) death threats from Ellison to the censor.

Ellison was fired (or according to him he quit) over this. What became known as the “Nackles Affair” was covered in Time, Newsweek and even on Entertainment Tonight. This was not the kind of press the new series needed before it even went on the air. In the end where “Nackles” would have gone was replaced with the decidedly banal and non-Christmas tale, “But Can She Type”.

Needless to say they didn’t need to worry about what viewers thought… they didn’t have many. Airing on Friday nights the series got okay ratings out of the gate, but this very quickly evaporated and the series was being ignored outright as new episodes of The Twilight Zone were regularly trounced by reruns of sitcoms.

“You have not known humiliation until you have been beaten by Webster and Mr. Belvedere“

– Alan Brennert (consultant and writer on the Twilight Zone).

Then the Nightcrawlers episode aired. This was an intense anti-war tale directed by William Friedkin and it one of the most intense 20 minutes on TV… so intense that it created quite a bit of angry calls for such a horror story to air at 7pm. Again, this did not help matters. Another season one episode, “Examination Day,” would also cause outrage when a child was killed in the story.

The series was structured in an unconventional manner which also helped alienate viewers. Each show would be an hour long, but would be broken up into multiple stories of varying length. An hour long episode might have two half hour stories in it, or three 20 minute stories or five 10 minute stories… the audience never knew.

Only twice did an episode from seasons one or two feature just a single hour long story. This meant that tuning in late or at the half hour mark was no guarantee you didn’t miss something vital.

CBS would move the show around a bit on Fridays to try and find a spot where it worked but eventually when it came time for a second season they dumped it on Saturday nights where it simply died.

Ratings never improved and while CBS was done with them, the new Zone was not dead just yet. The First Run Syndication market was very hot and many network series at this time eventually moved to First Run Syndication to finish out their runs (21 Jumpstreet, Punky Brewster etc…) so the producers figured that Twilight Zone could as well. There was one problem though and that is the hour long format for an anthology show is a hard sell in First Run Syndication so it was determined that season three would be half hour shows with just a single story.

Most of the CBS era writing staff was long gone and with the smaller budget that First Run Syndication series had new blood brought in with J. Michael Straczynski chief among them (he even brought Ellison back for an episode).

The problem they still faced though was that the typical ideal of a network show moving to syndication meant that there needed to be at least 100 episodes in the package so as to run the old show along with the new one. This was an issue as well as the inherent problems of selling a show that was sometimes an hour long and sometimes a half hour long (similar reasons are why the original series 4th season was often left out of the syndication runs as that season was an hour long).

To accommodate this the ultimate indignity was enacted on The Twilight Zone. The two CBS seasons would be chopped up into half hour episodes but due to the uneven and erratic length of the stories this meant that some stories needed to be severely cut in order to fit into a half hour and others needed to be padded (usually with barely similar footage from movies).

It should not need to be pointed out that this made those CBS episodes unwatchable in syndication. Also since Charles Aidman did the narration for the CBS episodes and was not working on the new season for a sense of uniformity Robin Ward (the season 3 narrator) would redo all of the Aidman episodes as well.

After this the The Twilight Zone receded into the darkness and was mostly forgotten, save for a comic book series by NOW! comics.

In the end the 1985 Twilight Zone became a joke when it really did not deserve to be as most people actually saw the series in this butchered syndication version. Thankfully, once the uncut DVD’s came out, the series got rightfully reappraised as there are many standout episodes which rival that of the original show.

The 1985 Twilight Zone should not be ignored.

A star-studded cast leads the powerful and critically acclaimed western, Hostiles, arriving on Digital April 10 and on 4K Ultra HD (plus Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand April 24 from Lionsgate.

The highly successful independent director, Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Black Mass) reunites with his Out of the Furnace star and Oscar winner Christian Bale (Best Supporting Actor, The Fighter, 2010) in what is being hailed by Entertainment Weekly as “the first great western since 1992’s Unforgiven.” Hostiles also stars Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike (Best Actress, Gone Girl, 2014), Wes Studi (Avatar, The Last of the Mohicans), Primetime Emmy nominee Jesse Plemons (Best Actor, “Fargo,” 2014), Golden Globe nominee Adam Beach (Best Actor, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, 2007), and Ben Foster (Hell or High Water, Lone Survivor).

Set in 1892, Hostiles tells the story of a legendary Army captain (Bale) who, after stern resistance, reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief (Studi) and his family back to tribal lands. Making the harrowing and perilous journey from Fort Berringer, an isolated Army outpost in New Mexico, to the grasslands of Montana, the former rivals encounter a young widow (Pike), whose family was murdered on the plains. Together, they must join forces to overcome the punishing landscape, hostile Comanche, and ruthless outliers that they encounter along the way.

The Hostiles 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD copies include an in-depth 3-part “making of” documentary, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $42.99, $39.99, and $29.95, respectively.

4K UHD / BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES

• “A Journey to the Soul: The Making of Hostiles” 3-Part Documentary

o   “Provenance” Featurette

o   “Removing the Binds” Featurette

o   “Don’t Look Back” Featurette

For more information, visit Facebook.com/HostilesMovie

Titan Books is delighted to announce the start of a new publishing program in collaboration with Marvel of original fiction books. Titan Comics, a sister imprint of Titan Entertainment Group, has had a long, proud history of producing products to support some of Marvel’s most popular properties, such as Thor and Black Panther. This new deal marks the start of an exciting new chapter in creative collaborations between Titan Books and Marvel.

The publishing program will include reissues of iconic and out-of-print titles starring some of Marvel’s most beloved creations, as well as brand-new novels by some today’s freshest talent. Starting with Avengers: Everybody Wants to Rule The World by New York Times bestselling author and legendary Marvel Comics writer Dan Abnett in April 2018, the series will initially reintroduce fans to books featuring favorites such as Captain America, Black Panther, Deadpool, Ant-Man and Spider- Man. Brand-new original novels for Spider-Man’s most lethal foe, Venom, and the X-Men’s cosmic nemesis, Dark Phoenix, will be released in October 2018.

Laura Price, editorial director of Titan Books, praised Marvel’s “long legacy of creating exciting and innovative IP,” adding “Titan Books is delighted to be joining this legacy, and we look forward to a continuing relationship helping to expand the Marvel Universe in collaboration with Marvel themselves.” The initial nine book program is set to run between April and November 2018, publishing in both the North American and UK market.

For more details, visit TitanBooks.com

In director Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya, screenwriter Steven Rogers successfully manages to not only juggle the conflicting points of view of 1994’s attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, but also makes the “real life bad guy” Tonya Harding into a sympathetic character.

The film presents several truly indelible performances including Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding and last night’s Academy Award Supporting Actress winner Allison Janney as Tonya’s mother, LaVona Golden 

The film’s secret weapon, however, is the brilliant and very funny performance from actor Paul Walter Hauser who plays Shawn Eckhart, Tonya’s bodyguard and best friend to Tonya’s husband, Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan).

Eckhart was the “mastermind” behind the Kerrigan attack and in an interview with Diane Sawyer, made the ridiculous claim that he was an expert in counterterrorism and counterespionage.

Paul took some time to discuss the film, his role and his upcoming projects.

*  *  *  *  *

FOG!: Paul, thanks for taking the time. Your performance was fantastic. How did you get involved with the film?

Paul Walter Hauser:  I had been in Vancouver, finishing a pilot for Lifetime, and was having a lot of fun; sort of just looking forward to the holidays. The audition came as a surprise to me. I assumed they’d cast a bigger name actor for that role, but was pleasantly surprised when Craig Gillespie had me in for a couple director’s sessions, and within 10-12 days, it started to look like it might fall my way. It did, and it obviously has changed my life quite a bit.

What in the script resonated with you?

I was attracted to the odd, funny and idiosyncratic pieces of the ensemble of characters. That “it’s so funny but it’s true” type of stuff. I was also very attuned to how it treated the characters – not as pin cushions, like the media is known to do, but as real 3 dimensional people. And our jobs as actors is to ground that material while honoring its broader, dark or comedic moments. I liked the humor and the pull-no-punches (quite literally) mentality of approaching it’s more difficult moments.

With Sebastian Stan (Image Courtesy of Paul Walter Hauser)

Tonya’s story marked the beginning of the 24 hour news cycle. Was there anything that surprised you about her story that you learned while making the film?

I didn’t know how bad she had it, growing up, and I never knew she was surrounded by such stupid, acidic people. There’s a phrase that says something like “You become the sum of the 5 people you most surround yourself with”, and if that was true for Tonya Harding, that’s seemingly a deficit for a sum.

You play Shawn Eckhardt, who passed away a decade ago. Based on the clip in the end credits, your performance is spot on. Did you meet any of his friends or family? What kind of research did you do?

I spoke with someone who went to school with Shawn, and ultimately turned Shawn into the FBI. A guy by the name of Eugene Saunders. He filled in some gaps for me, and gave some personal context with Shawn’s behavior and interests. But more than anything, I studied the Diane Sawyer interview and tried to keep my mind on what the script had called for.

There’s definitely a part of Shawn that’s a little tapped. Do you think he believed his self-described claims that he was an espionage expert who had ties to a global network?

Did he believe his claims? Absolutely not. I don’t think he was so far-gone that he bought his delusion, but he absolutely sold it. He sold it at the cost of looking like a dangerous, defective child. I think Shawn, like many political extremists in our current social climate, Shawn was more than happy to go down with the ship.

Since the film takes a Rashomon-like approach, telling the story from multiple points of view, what is your take on both the incident and Tonya’s knowledge of it?

I think Tonya knew that Nancy was going to be bullied in some form, but I don’t believe Tonya knew it would be a physical tactic of any kind. As a victim of abuse herself, it would take a warped individual to give a stamp of approval for another innocent person’s abuse. I wish Tonya’s sentencing had not been so dramatic and heavy-handed.

With Margot Robbie (Image Courtesy of Paul Walter Hauser)

What do you have coming up?

I have a bit role in Super Troopers 2, due out in late April. I also have a bit role in the new season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt for Netflix. And I’m most excited about my supporting role in Spike Lee’s latest film, Black Klansman. It’s a dark and twisted drama, and similar to I Tonya, it has some larger-than-life reality that will make you cringe and shake your head.

With Spike Lee (Image Courtesy of Paul Walter Hauser)

What are you currently geeking out over?

Oh man…I love anything Kendrick Lamar, Run the Jewels or Chance the Rapper are putting out.

I’m getting back into Batman comics — the classics — as I want to play The Penguin in a forthcoming DC film; here’s hoping that’s actually a thing.

I’m always reading the Bible, and returning to favorite authors like Raymond Carver and Kurt Vonnegut. FX is great.

I love Fargo and I love how fun and original Atlanta is. Ozark and GLOW are my Netflix favorites.

For film, I STILL cannot get over how terrific that movie Good Time is, with Robert Pattinson – I’m obsessed.

But in 2018, I’ll be hitting the theatre for films like Spielberg’s Ready Player One, Jason Reitman’s Tully, Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased, Damien Chazelle’s First Man, and Adam McKay’s Backseat.

I, Tonya is now available on Digital HD and arrives on
Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on March 13th.

Kicking back and watching a movie is a great way to de-stress after a hard day at work. If you are like most homeowners, finding a way to increase the enjoyment you have while watching movies on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime is a priority. Setting up a home theater is an excellent way to make watching your favorite television shows and movies more exhilarating.

Some people fail to realize just how complicated it can be to turn their home into a lean and mean movie streaming machine. Without a great deal of time and research, a lot of mistakes can be made during the setup of a home theater. Here are some useful tips to use when constructing a movie lover’s paradise in your home.

You Have to Find Your Visual Sweet Spot

When trying to build a great looking and functional home theater, you will need to figure out what your visual sweet spot is. Without this piece of information, it will be very hard to pick out the right spot to mount your HDTV. Experts suggest that you take the diagonal screen size of your television and multiply it by one and a half.

The number that you are left with is how far you need to position your furniture away from the television. The last thing you want is to improperly position your television due to the problems this can cause. With a bit of time and research, choosing the visual sweet spot will be much easier.

Soundbars are Great For Smaller Rooms

While modern televisions have loud speakers, you will need a bit more firepower when trying to get cinematic sound quality. If you are building your home theater in a smaller room, you may want to think about getting a soundbar. These soundbars will cost less and will be able to fill your small room with high-quality sounds.

Most of the soundbars on the market will have to be mounted on the wall. Positioning this equipment directly under your television will help you get maximum output. Looking online at some reviews for popular soundbars is a great way to get the information needed to narrow your search.

Don’t Forget About the Subwoofer

While a soundbar will provide you with crisp and clear treble sounds, you will need a subwoofer to provide the right amount of bass. Once you have decided on which subwoofer to purchase, you will have to find the best place to mount it. The biggest mistake most home theater enthusiasts make when it comes to their subwoofer is placing it behind a massive entertainment center.

If you want movie theater quality sound, you need to place this subwoofer in the corner of the room. When properly positioned, these speakers will provide you with the earth shaking bass needed to bring the movies you love to life.

The Right Access Points Will Eliminate Buffering

If you are going to stream movies regularly in your home theater, having the right wireless router is essential. There are so many wireless routers and access points on the market. Checking out this access point buying guide can help you figure what equipment you need for your home theater.

Once you have purchased the right wireless router, you need to mount it high up on a wall near your theater room. The higher the router is, the easier you will find it to get a strong wireless signal throughout your home.

All Encompassing Sound 

The mark of any great home theater room is multi-directional sound. When a movie is playing, you need to make sure everything from the dialogue to the sound effects are crystal clear. Investing in small speakers to place on the bookshelves a theater room has is a fantastic idea.

Some homeowners think that the only thing they need to bring the sounds of their favorite movie to life is a set of large floor speakers. While larger speakers are a good idea, smaller speakers mounted on the left and right side of a home theater can bring more clarity to the sound.

Properly Plan For Watching 3D Content

One of the biggest trends in the world of home entertainment is 3D. In years past, the only way to watch movies in this format was by going to your local theater. Modern advances now allow people to watch 3D movies in the privacy of their own home.

If you are going to be taking part in this 3D revolution, you need to make sure you have chairs that sit straight up in your home theater. Sitting straight up is the only way to avoid messing up the 3D effect a movie has. Tilting your head to one side or the other while watching a 3D movie can mess up the visuals and lessen the experience.

Check Your Angles

Some of the HDTVs on the market can be viewed from any angle with ease. However, there are a number of televisions that will require you to sit dead-center to get the best view. Before moving your furniture into place, you will need to figure out what angle it needs to be positioned at.

Failing to consider this factor before putting furniture in place can lead to problems with visibility. While checking the angles on your television, you will also need to look to see if there are any glare issues that need to be addressed.

Consider the Convenience of a Curved Television

If you are looking for a way to easily address issues with screen glare and visibility, investing in a curved television is your best bet. The subtle bend that these televisions have allow you to view them from any angle and completely eliminates glare issues.

Prior to choosing a curved television, you need to spend some time researching all of your options online. Generally, you can find out a lot about the quality and functionality of a particular television by reading over these reviews.

Once you have all of the right elements in place, you will be able to enhance your movie watching experience. Consulting with professionals in the home theater industry can help you avoid a variety of common mistakes.

Produced by Krystle-Dawn Willing,
Adam F. Goldberg
Written by Joe Simko
Directed by Jeff Zapata, Joe Simko
Starring Jay Lynch, Mark Newgarden,
Mackenzie Astin, Len Brown, Arturo Gil
Debbie Lee Carrington, John Pound,
Rebekah McKendry, Art Spiegelman,
James Warhola, Adam F. Goldberg

Overlong but entertaining and informative documentary on the pop culture phenom of the 80s (and beyond).

Full disclosure: I was a little too old when The Garbage Pail Kids arrived and I never got into them during their initial run.  Plus, the movie was so horrendous (seriously, it’s one of the most colossally unappealing movies ever made) that it sealed the deal for me.

Until watching this doc.  The nicest personal effect of this film is the new appreciation it gave me for the creativity, artistry and humor behind the trading cards.

For example, I had no idea that Art Spiegelman – Pulitzer Prize winner for the Holocaust graphic novel MAUS – was one of the creative forces behind GPK.  It’s a treat to have him on hand throughout the doc, as well as his cohorts, such as John Pound and James Warhola.

The insane popularity of The Cabbage Patch Kid dolls led to Topps wanting another parody series (aka F*** You products). The result was the also extremely popular Garbage Pail Kids.

What I thought was just dumb and gross-for-gross-sake when I was a teenager now strikes me as funny, clever and subversive, and this film – and its many participants – agree.

We learn about the evolution of the series, the strong attempts by parents and school officials to censor them, and the adulation of GPK’s multitude of fans. The censorship angle is extremely interesting, as this aspect of the film is similar to the terrific doc on the Video Nasty controversy, Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship and Videotape.

30 Years also examines the phenomenon around the world, the rip-offs, and the court case wherein the creator of the Cabbage Patch Kids sued Topps.

We also get to find out what went wrong with the deservedly maligned film adaptation.  Star MacKenzie Astin and others relate some interesting anecdotes about the making of this truly awful film, which many argue was doomed from the start.

The home stretch of the film is particularly enjoyable, as we see the lasting influence of GPK, and grown-up fans sharing the joy of snot-covered babies and their ilk with their own kids.

At 114 mins, 30 YEARS is a tad longish, but the bulk of it is surprisingly enjoyable and insightful.  You don’t need to be a fan of the Garbage Pail Kids to enjoy this fascinating look at a piece of pop culture history.

30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story is now available on DVD and Digital HD.

Hey people, long time no see – here we are at the 90^th Annual Oscars…my last RANT.

I started writing for FOG! 10 years ago, can you believe it?

My first RANT was about President Obama’s election, which seems like an eon ago. Many things have changed, television shows, movies, and other things that have stuck in my craw.  I’m not sure if VH1 still exists, I haven’t seen MTV in I don’t know how long…I’m in my ‘50s now and don’t care who is on the Grammys – I just want them all OFFA MY LAWN!

So now, I will muster up the interest in the Oscars and see what makes me mad.

I didn’t even bother to watch any pre-game at all because I wasn’t able to watch with my friend Claire and enjoy her gigantic tv and cable.

Jimmy’s monologue was good – political and funny, just like he does on this show.

Helen Mirren as the “Price Is Right Girl” fawning over a Jet Ski when Jimmy said he’d be giving it away to whomever had the shortest speech.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Viola Davis presented in a BRIGHT PINK SEQUINED GOWN.  PEEPS PINK. I LOVE IT!

Oh, Sam Rockwell won.

BEST SOMETHING OR OTHER – Announced by Eva Marie Saint!

BEST DOCUMENTARY– Icarus. About the Russian doping scandal

And then MARY J. BLIGE took everyone to CHURCH when she sang the nominated theme song to Mudbound – PS, she set a record by being the FIRST PERSON TO BE NOMINATED FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS AND BEST SONG in the same year!

The montages are really great this year, especially the thank you to the film going audience.  I welled up with tears. The editors deserve an Emmy next year.

BEST SOUND EDITING – Dunkirk

BEST SOUND MIXING – Dunkirk

That Walmart commercial with Mary J. BLIGE made me cry tears of joy!

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – The Shape Of Water

Oh yes – RITA MORENO! They gave her a nice little shoutout – she announced the BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – A Fantastic Woman – from Chile.

The time is 9:25 and I’m yawning.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Allison Janney

Short – Dear Basketball – Glen Keane & Kobe Bryant

Feature – Coco! It’s one of the best ever, if you missed it in the theater, find it somewhere else!!!

The speeches were great and I hope they’re giving Trump a headache.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – Blade Runner 2049

BEST DILM EDITING – Dunkirk

One of Jimmy’s gags from his show, he took a bunch of stars from the audience and walked them across the street into a sneak preview of A Wrinkle in Time to surprise the audience..

And we’re back, and the audience went wild.

Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph did a funny bit about how progress has been made, but there are still so many white people around.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT – Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM – The Silent Child

DAVE CHAPPELLE! – he announced the song for Marshall.

Common & Audra Day CRUSHED IT. The song was written by Common & Diane Warren. I never thought I’d write that.

It’s now 10:25

Oooh, three women who called out Harvey Weinstein – Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek, and Annabella Sciorra – the talked about Time’s Up, #MeToo, diversity and equality with a good montage of film clips. More great editing!

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – Call Me By Your Name – James Ivory

Here’s Nicole Kidman announcing the BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – JORDAN PEELE for GET OUT!!!!

Oh, hello Sandra Bullock – BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Roger Deakins for Blade Runner 2049.

Wow, the performance of “This Is Me” was heart wrenching!

Hey, it’s Christopher Walken! His pants are hiked up to his chest.

He’s announcing the BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – Alexander Desplat for The Shape Of Water

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – “Remember Me” from Coco.

It’s 11:04, and I’m pooped.

Here’s the “Parade of the Dead” – and Eddie Vedder sang “Room At The Top” by Tom Petty. Nobody clapped for the montage. They included Chuck Berry!

It’s 11:12

Here’s Emma Stone to announce the BEST DIRECTOR – Guillermo del Toro, his first win!

BEST ACTOR – Gary Oldman

His speech was too long to win the Jet ski.

BEST ACTRESS – Frances McDormand! Her speech was electrifying, and I’m happy she got every woman in the house…SOLIDARITY

THE TIME IS 11:37

And now the FINAL AWARD, announced by Warren & Faye

BEST PICTURE – THE SHAPE OF WATER

Well, it’s 11:48 and it’s finally over.  It was kind of a yawn, while also inspiring because of the WOMEN and DIVERSITY!

I can’t be snarky about that.  I also want to believe that this will be the beginning of a sea change for awards shows, and I’m easy for Jimmy Kimmell to host it again next year.

I would like to thank all of my readers, fans, haters, followers, for spending time with me and my RANTS for the past 10 years.

I’ve had a great time writing for FOG! and I can’t thank Stefan enough for the opportunity.

I’m off to write at least two books and turn them into TV shows. If you’d like to follow my other writing, look for me at The Z Review where I have a music column and other crazy stories, political ravings, and stories of my life.

Produced by Sabrina Schmidt Gordon
Directed by Jonathan Olshefski
Featuring Christopher Rainey,
Christine’a Rainey, P.J. Rainey,
William Withers, Price, David Barnes,
James Blakely, Isaiah Byrd,
Nicole Byrd, Adia Dillon

Jonathan Olshefski takes us on a multi-year journey with the Rainey family of North Philadelphia.

In the interest of full disclosure this is a really hard film to digest.

First of all the timeline is enormous. It’s a decade of the Rainey family’s journey through the world and the lives they touch and touch them.

How do you cram a real life decade into a documentary less than two hours long?

You do it with difficulty, extreme time jumps and glossed over details.

This film has won a lot of awards and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It’s an achievement in documentary filmmaking. After watching it, I think I figured out why.

Quest: A Portrait of An American Family is audacious in scope and sometimes the attempt at greatness is in itself, great. Audacity should be lauded because it encourages other people to make the leap.

The great Carla Harris wrote in Expect to Win, “Always default to the try,” and Olshefski does. There is power in the attempt.

Taking a decade and shrinking it to less than two hours drains a lot of that power away. We are robbed of the depth that some of the stories require. The Rainey family is likable and sympathetic while they persevere through trial after trial. They endure poverty, disappointment, disease, violence and through it all maintain a connection to their community and the people in it.

Olshefski described the film as a love story between a husband and a wife, but in reality they don’t spend much time on screen together.

As a white writer, writing about a white director telling the story of an African American family it is going to be easy for me to fall down some sort of privileged rabbit hole and pass judgment on things I have no business judging, but it is impossible to ignore the missed opportunity for the film to drive understanding in a city that’s suffered from a severe racial divide for a long time. When the family suffers random violence the story briefly focuses on a white police officer who showed a compassion and depth that is rarely depicted in day to day news coverage. It’s only in a film like this that the story of connection and bridge between races can be really explored. I understand the need to stay focused on the family, but we could have gone deeper.

There is a political undertone to the film. Some of the editing and background audio lays out the timeline from President Obama’s election, re-election and President Trump’s election. This is really very interesting, because baseline life didn’t really change for the Rainey family throughout Obama’s presidency.

It would have been powerful to hear their perspective on the impact of Obama’s election vs the reality of living under his presidency. I think it would have been powerful. I don’t know, we don’t hear about it.

The community aspects of the documentary are very valuable. There is a moment when an enraged community member is shouting in the streets about gun violence and what it’s done to their children. There is so much anger as he rants about politicians showing up for a sound bite, disappearing again and nothing being done.

Who was he? I wanted to know more. If the goal wasn’t to delve into the political side of inner city life, why did it keep showing up? Why just touch on it instead of diving in?

The familial emotions are also, to a certain extent, given short shrift.

If this had been an eight hour documentary series I think it would have served the subjects much better. There is just too much. My family is relative boring and if you try to bottle a ten year period into two hours you would be really hard pressed to do it.

This family goes through it all and we are robbed of the depth of what they suffer. It is hard to watch this movie and not care about this family, but I wanted more. I think that speaks to Olshefski’s talent. Even just scraping the surface of serious, life changing events, he punches the viewer between the eyes. Perhaps he made the editorial choices he did to avoid crushing the viewers, but I would contend we were there for just that reason.

Quest is a very solid documentary. It isn’t surprising Olshefski is showing up on lists of emerging directors. The visuals, sounds and editing are all excellent, but in the end, the lack of depth is what keeps this film from greatness. I strongly recommend watching it. See if you agree with me.

4 out of 5 stars

Quest is now available on DVD.

Produced by Jim Whitaker, Catherine Hand
Screenplay by Jennifer Lee, Jeff Stockwell
Based on the book by Madeleine L’Engle
Directed by Ava DuVernay
Starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon,
Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peña,
Storm Reid, Zach Galifianakis, Chris Pine

When something is beloved since childhood, sometimes it is hard to appreciate interpretations that mimic feeling but not content.

The book A Wrinkle in Time was originally written in 1962 and has been cherished by young readers for decades.

Impressions of its physics and fantasy heavy themes vary, so it is no surprise that an assessment of Ava Duvernay’s attempt to bring it to the screen is not straightforward.

The film acts as a love letter not to those who grew up with it, but to those who Duvernay hopes to enchant for the first time with its universe.

The story follows thirteen-year-old Meg (Storm Reid) who is having a difficult time dealing with the mysterious disappearance of her scientist father (Chris Pine). When three celestial beings (Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling) appear with a mission to save him, Meg, her brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), and new friend Calvin (Levi Miller) rush off into the unknown to find where in the universe her father has gone.

For a tale about time and space, it suffers somewhat in pacing.

Some parts, such as a few of the world explorations, feel rushed. There is a sense that in a need to get to the next scene full explanations were cut. At an hour and 40 minutes, the movie is an appropriate length for youth, but the 15 minutes that were trimmed would have added much-desired storytelling.

I would love to have stayed and explored just a bit more in the rich and inviting CGI landscapes Meg and her friends visited. As Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) speaks to a field of bright pink flowers in their native language of color, the petals themselves felt anthropomorphised in how vibrantly they interacted with her. There are many little touches of surreal beauty throughout the film that make it clear how unique each corner of the universe is.

The investment of time that was spent learning about the relationship between Mr. Murry (Chris Pine) and Mrs. Murry (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) would have been better served exploring more about Meg.

Though both adults were great in their roles, Storm Reid was a true delight to watch. Her obstinance was fiery and her passion for her family was gripping. But through all that shone a vulnerability that has you constantly rooting for her to see the inner strength that is immediately visible to those around her. Less engaging was Levi Miller as Calvin. His character was given one note: pleasant. With no sharp edges or tests of character, it was hard to see him as anything but a shallow device. Deric McCabe, however, was able to extend himself from charming to insidious and remain believable every step of the way.

Mrs. Which (Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Witherspoon), and Mrs. Who (Kaling) were excellently cast. Oprah Winfrey was regal, and emmenated grace and wisdom. Witherspoon was a perfectly bright and chatty choice. But it’s Kaling’s turn as the ever-quoting Mrs. Who that may be most surprising, as it is a departure from the ditzy character we’re used to seeing her play on the small screen. There was a dignity in her performance that showed more of a range than her previous work.

This movie will satisfy those who are purist in feelings and tone, but may be lacking for anyone who is looking for a shot-for-shot interpretation.

The book has always been ahead of its audience, but the film is destined to be a favorite for a younger crowd.

As adults, we’ve had our experience with this charming tale.

Understanding that, Duvernay has done a masterful job crafting a message for each 13-year-old girl who needs to be reminded how universally amazing they are.

Warner Archive Collection (WAC) celebrates the 20th anniversary of Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero with a remastered Blu-ray release of the award-winning animated film. Now available for preorders, Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero will be available March 27, 2018 via wb.com/warnerarchive and your favorite online retailer.

To hail the arrival of Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero on Blu-ray, WAC will host an hour-long panel at WonderCon on Friday, March 23 at 1:00pm in Room 300B. Warner Archive Podcast hosts D.W. Ferranti & Matthew Patterson and some surprise guests will show remastered footage and discuss the film and the evolution of Mr. Freeze from a goofy villain into an endearing multi-dimensional character who just wants to find a cure for his dying wife.

Originally released as a direct-to-video film on March 17, 1998, Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero
 will be released on Blu-ray in its original 4×3 Fullframe aspect ratio. The 67-minute film will be accompanied by several special features, including Art of Batman: Music Montage; Get the Picture: How to Draw Batman; the film’s theatrical trailer; and the Batman: The Animated Series/The New Batman Adventures/Batman Beyond “Mr. Freeze Saga” in chronological order – four episodes entitled “Heart of Ice,” “Deep Freeze,” “Cold Comfort” and “Meltdown.” The episodes will be presented in standard definition.

In Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero, Batman faces his coolest case ever when Mr. Freeze returns to Gotham City and kidnaps Batgirl. While unraveling the mystery of Batgirl’s disappearance, Batman and Robin discover that she is part of Mr. Freeze’s frigid plan to save his dying wife – no matter what the cost. With time running out, Batman and Robin must find Gotham’s most cold-blooded villain and prevent him from putting Batgirl “on ice” forever.

Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero is directed by Boyd Kirkland, who also helmed 21 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series as well as serving as a sequence director on Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. The script is written by Kirkland and Randy Rogel, who penned nine episodes of BTAS – but is probably best known for his prolific songwriting on Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs. Andrea Romano (of course) served as casting and dialogue director.

The film was honored as the Annie Award winner for Best Home Video/Animation.

The voice cast is led by Kevin Conroy, the preeminent voice of Batman, who went head-to-head with Michael Ansara (Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Harum Scarum) as he also reprised his BTAS role of Dr. Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze.

“Watching Michael Ansara portray the anguish and passion in Freeze’s love for Nora was beautiful,” recalls Conroy. “It was an acting lesson.”

Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero also reunites key members of the Batman: The Animated Series cast, including Loren Lester (Robin/Dick Grayson), Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (Alfred), Robert Costanzo (Detective Harvey Bullock), Robert Hastings (Commissioner Gordon), Marilu Henner (Veronica Vreeland), Mari Devon (Summer Gleeson) and Liane Schirmer (Lt. Renee Montoya).

George Dzundza (The Deer Hunter, Law & Order), who voiced several characters in BTAS, joined the Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero cast as Dr. Gregory Belson. The film also features Mary Kay Bergman in her first and only turn as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, and Dean Jones (The Love Bug) as Dean Arbagast. The cast also includes Rahi Azizi as Koonak, Lauren Tom as Mariko, and veteran voice actors Frank Welker, Tress MacNeille, Townsend Coleman, Neil Ross, Randy Thompson and Ed Gilbert. Notable on-camera actors Brian George (Seinfeld) and Carl Lumbly (Alias, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited) also provide voices for the film.

Produced by Jim Whitaker, Catherine Hand
Screenplay by Jennifer Lee, Jeff Stockwell
Based on the book by Madeleine L’Engle
Directed by Ava DuVernay
Starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon,
Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peña,
Storm Reid, Zach Galifianakis, Chris Pine

The classic sci-fi novel A Wrinkle in Time has long been considered an “unfilmable” novel, and, sadly, the arrival of Ava DuVernay’s big-named, big-screen adaptation has not changed that status.

With any fantasy film, you have to let the film convince you that the worlds it is showing you are real.

I fondly (but somewhat distantly) remember the book and its sequel, A Wind in the Door, and I really wanted to love this movie.

But A Wrinkle in Time never lets you fully believe in it.

Despite hurling our heroine Meg (Storm Reid) across the universe in a search for her missing scientist father (Chris Pine), the film just never takes flight the way it should.

Maybe it’s the overly busy CGI. Or maybe it’s that the ever-changing universe of the film is never fully established, so none of it ever feels real. So even when Meg flies, we never feel the same wonder as, say, when Harry Potter soared into the sky on the back of a Hippogriff. We’ve seen all this before in countless fantasy films.

The makeup and costumes of the three mystical beings played by Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Oprah Winfrey are often the best part of the film.

As the whimsical Mrs. Whatsit, Witherspoon offers a ditzy and even somewhat rude introduction to the world of “tessering,” that is folding space to end up in a different part of the galaxy. Kaling is an earth-motherly Mrs. Who, who speaks mostly in quotations. That leaves Oprah as the larger-than-life Mrs. Which, who offers the most moral guidance and empowerment of the three women.

The 1962 novel has been updated in many ways, including that Mrs. Who now quotes Outkast and Chris Tucker along with Shakespeare and Winston Churchill. The themes of hope, loyalty and believing in yourself are, of course, timeless.

In the book, Meg was a 13-year-old misfit white girl who hated her mousy brown hair, braces, and glasses. In the film, Meg (Storm Reid) also wears glasses and hates her unruly hair. The fact that film Meg is biracial (Mom is Gugu Mbatha-Raw, dad is Chris Pine) is never used as one of the reasons she’s bullied. She’s a target because she’s shut everyone out after her dad disappeared. And because having a mysteriously missing dad is an easy way to pick on someone.

Meg and Charles attend James Baldwin school and there’s a quick, clever shot where little brother Charles Wallace sits in a chair just like the real James Baldwin in the photo on the wall behind him. The effortless diversity of Meg’s real world — and the film’s fantasy world — points up how often we don’t see that in blockbusters. And while it’s an enormous plus, it’s not enough to make up for the parts of the film that just don’t work.

Part of the problem here is simply in adapting a classic children’s novel. The adventuring kids you liked so much and identified with in the books can often be, when played by real children, annoying as hell.

Storm Reid is sympathetic and relatable as Meg, as is Levi Miller as Calvin, a popular classmate who — somewhat inexplicably — joins her on his journey. But Meg’s little brother, Charles Wallace is another story.

In the book, he’s adorable, a child prodigy who seems to have an unerring instinct for knowing what’s about to happen. As played by 9-year-old Deric McCabe (who was cast over thousands of other actors), he’s insufferable. The wise-beyond-his-years little brother is now a wiseacre who you just want to shut up. His big scenes fall embarrassingly flat in the film’s climactic showdown, which also chokes on too much CGI.

Also cringe-worthy: A quirky man-bunned Zach Galifianakis as the “Happy Medium,” who helps guide Meg with some New Age-y advice.

As for that new Sade song? Like the other pop songs in the film, it completely pulls us out of whatever peril Meg is supposed to be in at that moment.

Every now and then the central message of the film — that you need to embrace the light so you can fight the darkness — begins to resonate. And then we’re flung into another CGI landscape and that feeling quickly fades.

But if little girls are seeing the movie and walking away feeling encouraged and empowered, then the Mrs. W’s haven’t failed.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

So many people think they’re sooo clever this week, whether it’s Oliver Queen (though that’s a trademark of his really), Nightwing‘s The Judge (debatable whether he was trying to make Nightwing his friend through the toughest love), The Sasquatch Detective who just needs the right motivation to prove herself, or the people plotting against Harley Quinn.

Not everything will be resolved this week but the supreme confidence of it all does help make the ride fun!

Green Arrow #38
Words – Benjamin Percy
Pictures – Juan Ferreyra, Deron Bennet

It’s finally the day of Queen’s trial! Kate’s there to defend him and his friends (in and out of the courthouse) and lucky enough Oliver even made it. He thanks her profusely, them gives her an “I’ve got it from here”(winky face!) look.

They say the man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client, but most don’t have Benjamin Percy writing their dialogue for them.

I appreciate how that the scene inside the courtroom is toned more pastel, reminiscent of the sketch-work of courtroom artists. It’s just an extra bit of visual glee to show Ferreyra is a fun illustrative maestro.

It’s an issue that pays off for the reader how this story’s been building, and gives you the mad friendship fluffies.

Green Lanterns #42
Words – Tim Seeley
Pictures – V. Ken Marion, Sandu Florea, Oinei Ribeiro, Dave Sharpe

Simon and Jess make their final preparations to break into the space-church and break out all the kidnapped super-people.

Our scrappy space-pirate Scrapps is offended she was used for such an operation (she’s a pirate but all about freedom!) so insists on helping.

You would not be wrong to wonder about the character whiplash, but sometimes you need to pull a face-turn to keep an interesting character in a story.

The church (The Order of the Steed) is as creepy as you imagine, with a section of space gated off as their registered “sacred site”, using followers for fodder, and chips for brain hijacking.

But all the icky cult explanations are done by the Corp’s legal council Mr. Dasam (though this might be a misspell of Malet Dasim?) and I thank this issue for the introduction.

We only get four panels, would it be too much to ask for a chapter on the life of this guy?

Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica #6
Words – Paul Dini, Marc Andreyko
Pictures – Laura Braga, Arif Prianto

All the people Betty and Veronica know and love stand within yelling distance.

That’s great and all, except for all the live explosives planted all around the swamp ready to go off just under their feet.

But if everyone good, bad and crazy can work together, Riverdale might not gain a new blast hole.

The action is better than you’d expect, and the threads built through the last five issues are all paid off (our peach headed gangster has never looked so good!).

With this issue our fun romp comes to a close, but the girls can always be visited in their respective books.

Harley Quinn #39
Words – Frank Tieri
Pictures – Inaki Miranda, Alex Sinclair, Jeremiah Skipper, Dave Sharpe

Harley continues to be way preoccupied foiling crime in New York, but it’s way too busy – like even the cops who appreciate the help (that’s a new one for Harley) are worried for her.

And no one is asking why is New York suddenly every episode of Law & Order all at the same time.

But maybe, just maybe that’s why no one seems to notice the Mad Max-ness that’s befallen poor Coney Island. (and P.S. If you loved the “who is that character from Batman’s past last issue, this one has Crazy Quit, Ten-Eyed Man and Penguin’s henchmen have names on their shirts like in the 60’s series!)

Even if Harley’s pushing everyone else away, Red Tool and Coach refuse to give up. One watches over Harley’s crazy tired butt directly while the other detectives back home.

Coach has so much of this figured out while I’ve spent the last three issues trying to figure what real life dolls the creepy Bat-Harley doll reminds me of. (Monster High it would fit into that easily)

Justice League #40
Words – Priest
Pictures – Pete Woods, Chris Sotomayor, Willie Schu

Even though they were thrown to the edges of the Earth by their demented “fan” they continue to underestimate him.

For one thing they never asked themselves, “if he was able to get to the position where he was working with others to do such things as build and repair The Watchtower, do you think he found some allies?”

The lawyer we met just last issue, that no one questioned and was brought to and left alone on The Watchtower – turned out to be there to wreck the place. Okay fine, we’ll chalk that up to the hearings putting a lot of extra stress on them, but this is your last mulligan Justice League!

They better get both Crisis-es handled quick, because as ambulance-chase lawyers are putting together class-action lawsuits the team ported into The Watchtower (all escape pods were ejected) as it’s plunging to it’s fiery upper-atmosphere demise.

Well… if they burn up they can’t be sued!

Nightwing #40
Words – Sam Humphries
Pictures – Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo

Nightwing’s been holding his breath since last issue.

But as the saying goes – sometimes you have to headbutt a squid in the eye to save your life (nobody says that ever).

The Judge is either an insane accidental immortal or just thinks he is.

It’s a good thing then that Nightwing’s dealt with such things before (with help).

But now he doesn’t know who he can trust and his stupid pride is too much to ask for any help from the outside. Both Dick’s life and Blüdhaven are crumbling at an insane rate. We as the reader can see how it got here but does that help the last bits stick together?

If anyone is going to make it out alive, forgiveness will have to be found; for Lucy who wanted to keep her casino open, for Guppy who realized too late what respect wasn’t, Detective Svoboda who wanted her family to stay safe, and maybe even Dick for the crime of being a fallible human.

Exit Stage Left: the Snagglepuss Chronicles #3
Words – Mark Russell
Pictures – Mike Feehan, Mark Morales, Paul Mounts, Dave Sharpe
Sasquatch Detective in “Unsolved Mysteries”
Words – Brandee Stilwell
Pictures – Gus Vasquez, Ross Campbell, Dave Sharpe

We get a lovely, well paced “day in the life” issue.

There’s some gentle character and world building moments, I adore it and it scares the heck out of me. This is a calm before the storm issue and darn it this team makes me not want horrible things to happen to Snagglepuss, Huckleberry and the rest.

But the clues are there and even as characters do their best to make their friends and the world happier the claws of outside forces are already surrounding them, inextricably closing in until they are crushed.

It only makes it worse that it won’t be personal. Destroying their lives is but a power play in a larger game of politics position and money.

Sasquatch Detective was six pages of a writer’s spitball session super-caffeinated and pixie stick fueled. Tonya is goaded (mostly by herself) to solve more cold cases over lunch than an entire season of procedural dramas. Then there’s cringe humor with an egg salad sandwich.

I’ll admit this wouldn’t have bothered me as much if the story before it in this same book hadn’t been so good, but I didn’t made the choice to marry them together. There are many little interesting little visual jokes in it for a second read-through, but that does not help the manic and then- And Then- AND THEN!!!! gait of the entire piece.

The Jetsons #5
Words – Jimmy Palmiotti
Pictures – Pier Brio, Alex Sinclair, Dave Sharpe

Remember how the last issue left us with a difficult decision the Jetsons had to make?

There was room in Spacely’s ship only for three of them.

Don’t worry, something comes up that was not foreshadowed in the past four issues at all to decimate that tension (Though it is spoiled on the cover).

It’s not the only plot twist of the issue.

George’s wacky “sometimes” telepathy comes back, but only to read Astro’s thoughts.

So I guess that makes this book more true to the cartoon now?

Unfortunately the issue had panels of the dog being joyful and of people sadly crying, neither of which the artist was able to convincingly pull off.

If I seem harsher this month it is directly related to a painting given to George (in this issue) for his birthday. It is an obvious take on Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” but the creative team has the characters misidentify it, not even in a winking or cheeky way.

The issue’s exhaustingly packed with one left field pull after another, (I’m letting my bet ride from last month’s review) one more issue and this story is behind us.

I, Tonya is a darkly funny and entertaining examination of Tonya Harding, the most controversial figure in the history of figure skating, and the headline-grabbing scandal that mesmerized a nation.

Presenting multiple, and at times contradictory, perspectives of the events, the film explores the ways public opinion can be permanently shaped by news agendas and tabloid culture. But beyond the headlines, I, Tonya tells a complex story of resilience and perseverance, as a rebellious working-class girl pursues her dream competing in a “ladylike” sport, only to be caught up in controversy and criminal circumstances created by her involvement with those closest to her.

Based on the incredible true events, I, Tonya is a darkly comedic tale of American figure skater, Tonya Harding (actress/producer Margot Robbie), and one of the most sensational scandals in sports history. Though Harding was the first American woman to complete a triple axel in competition, her legacy was forever defined by her association with the infamous attack on fellow Olympic competitor Nancy Kerrigan.

I, Tonya also stars (Allison Janney, Academy Award winner Best Supporting Actress), Sebastian Stan, Bobby Cannavale and Julianna Nicholson, and is directed by Craig Gillespie from an original screenplay by Steven Rogers (P.S. I Love You).  The film offers an often absurd, at times irreverent, and always piercing portrayal of Harding’s life and career in all of its unchecked––and checkered––glory.

And we’re giving away 10 copies on Blu-ray!

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

Alison Janey won her first Academy Award for I, Tonya.  How many Emmy Awards has she won?

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 March 18th, 2018.

Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

It’s March and it’s one week closer to spring!

Let’s talk some comics!

Batman #42
Written by Tom King
Illustrated by Mikel Janin

I’m not the biggest fan of Poison Ivy as a character. That’s being said, I’m really digging Tom King’s take on her.

He actually does something interesting with her rather than the traditional slugfest and it works incredibly well.

Poison Ivy has used her powers to the fullest. That means that every man, woman and child on earth is now under her control!

Only Batman and Catwoman have escaped her influence.

But are the two of them strong enough to save the world?

Let’s hope or it’s all going to hell!

The writing is sharp and strong. King is doing a masterful job for sure. Janin is my Batman artist of choice.

This is another great issue. Pick it up for sure. It’s getting really good.

RATING: A

Bane: Conquest #10
Written by Chuck Dixon
Illustrated by Graham Nolan

My gosh, is this book just wacky. I love it.

Chuck Dixon has just one mode in writing a comic book.

What mode is that?

Bombastic!

He used to have some subtlety to his writing that is just gone now. It’s still enjoyable however.

Bane is off to fight Kobra on his turf. He’s building an army! So he recruits twelve of the nastiest pieces of work he can find. To get them prepped, Bane sends them on a crazy mission!

That crazy Bane is using the mission as a test!

The art by Nolan is great here. The action flows seamlessly and it’s exciting. The fight scenes are clear and concise.

All in all it’s not a bad book. Its entertaining. Just don’t look for anything deeper than that.

RATING: B

Batman: White Knight #6
Written and Illustrated by Sean Murphy

Sean Murphy is killing it on this title. The writing is as strong as can be. We are headed towards the conclusion of this miniseries and this story keeps on getting better and better!

Gordon is done trusting the Batman!

He’s had it. He tries something to stop him but it fails.

Meanwhile, Jack Napier’s pills start becoming ineffective. This could wind up being bad for everyone.

The story is moving along at an incredible pace. Murphy knows what he is doing and it shows. The art is wonderful as well as he’s one of the best in the business.

Pick this up immediately. It’s really something great.

RATING: A

Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #5
Written by Tony Isabella
Illustrated by Clayton Henry

This series is rocking and rolling right along!

I’m sad it’s a limited series as it’s very compelling. Tony Isabella is the man, and he writes one hell of a story. This is another fine issue for sure.

Black Lightning and Tobias Whale come face to face for the first time!

The two enemies have a huge fight for the future of the city!

But is it a trap designed to end Black Lightning?

Of course it is!

What will happen?

The story is strong as stated before.

The art by Henry is just wonderful. He’s one of my favorite modern artists. He can literally draw anything with a straight face and make it work.

Pick it up. This is pretty awesome overall.

RATING: A-

Bombshells United #13
Written by Marguerite Bennett
Illustrated by Sandy Jarrell

This book is always a joy to read.

Bennett puts a lot of enthusiasm into her writing and it’s super cool. She’s passionate about these characters and it shows. Bennett’s also very skilled and talented.

The Batgirls are back in Gotham City! But some may be leaving it before long.

Alysia and Felicity head for Hawaii to investigate radio signals causing troubles from around the world.

But they find a new adversary while doing so!

Yikes!

I love Sandy Jarrell’s art. I loved it on Archie and I just love it here. It’s so appealing and super cool.

Pick this up. I liked it very much.

RATING: B+

Deathstroke #29
Written by Christopher Priest
Illustrated by Diogenes Neves

Christopher Priest is just doing a bang up job on this title. Every issue is strong and fascinating and I just love it. This will be a run to be remembered.

It’s this conclusion of the Chinatown storyline, Deathstroke takes on a whole lot of people in this issue.

He takes on the Super-Man of China! He has to take on Dr. Ikon. He takes on members of his own team!

He just doesn’t care! The art by Neves is something special. He’s been doing a great job and he’s underrated.

Pick this up. It’s another great issue in a great series.

RATING: A-

The Wild Storm #12
Written by Warren Ellis
Illustrated by Jon Davis- Hunt

This has been an epic series.

Warren Ellis is an excellent writer. He has taken these almost forgotten Wildstorm characters and made something new. I love the way this is turning out.

Angela Spica is hidden in one of Marlowe’s hidden labs and she’s about to get found out!

The Wildcats are in Jeopardy.

IO and Skywatch are close to a hot war.

The stakes are high, ladies and gentlemen!

Whats going to happen?

Jon Davis-Hunt is just a phenomenal artist. Ellis could not have picked better. The two work wonderfully together.

This has been a great 12 issues. Here’s to 12 more ladies and gentlemen! A must.

RATING: A

Injustice 2 #21
Written by Tom Taylor 
Illustrated by Daniel Sampere

Tom Taylor is a hell of a writer.

He takes these archetypal characters and spins them into new places. It’s a hard balancing act yet he pulls it off issue after issue.

And he makes it look easy!

Booster Gold is back! I love him.

In this issue, he trains Blue Beetle.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman trains Supergirl!

Damian goes to Gorilla City to join Ra’s al Ghul. But there’s a rebellion going on against King Solovar!

This whole issue is just nuts!

The story is fun. The art is very good and is fitting for this title. Pick this up.

I said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s the best comic book you are not currently reading.

RATING: B

Shade The Changing Woman #1
Written by Cecil Castellucci 
Illustrated by Marley Zarcone

Shade the Changing Girl has now changed into Shade the Changing Woman.

That’s about the only difference between this and the last series.

The same creative team is back and rocking and rolling on this new book.

Shade has shed her alien body.

Now she has fled from the Earth body she had and into another one.

But new emotions start to form and Shade must deal with them. She has a lot to face, including coming to terms with some things in her past.

Castellucci is just a phenomenal writer. It’s sweet, funny, and strange. The art by Zarcone is tops.

Pick this book up. It is quite excellent.

RATING: A

Superman #42
Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Illustrated by Patrick Gleason

This was a fun issue.

All of the hype has been about the upcoming Brian Michael Bendis run on Superman. People forget what a tremendous team Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason.

In this issue, Superboy comes face to face with Boyzarro!

Boyzarro is Bizarro’s boy!

It’s a crazy match indeed. But something crazier may be coming. You guessed it: Bizarro himself!

The story is very fun to read and it’s very engaging. The art is wonderful as well.

Pick this up. It’s another great issue by one of the finest creative teams out there.

RATING: A-

Produced by Rebecca Yeldham, Beth Kono,
Nash Edgerton, Charlize Theron,
Anthony Tambakis, A. J. Dix
Screenplay by Anthony Tambakis,
Matthew Stone
Story by Matthew Stone
Directed by Nash Edgerton
Starring David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron,
Joel Edgerton, Amanda Seyfried,
Thandie Newton, Sharlto Copley,

Gringo was not what I expected.

From the marketing I was expecting was just another Pineapple Express. What I got was something much smarter and more entertaining.

Gringo is the story of a Nigerian immigrant, Harold (David Oyelowo), who believes in the American dream.

Harold works the typical middle management position for an up and coming Chicago based Pharmaceutical company. His naivety, hard work, and friendship are taken advantage of by his American business colleague and “friend”, Richard (Joel Edgerton).

While on a business trip to Mexico, to visit one of the company’s factories, Harold eyes are opened to the reality of his life. With no job, no friends or family to return to, Harold embarks on a desperate plan to take back part of what Richard has stolen from him.

Inspired by Mexican News headlines, Harold stages his own kidnapping in an effort to have Richard’s company pay the ransom to him. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong and Harold finds himself mixed up with the local drug cartel and hunted everywhere he goes. How and if Harold will get himself out of this mess makes for a funny and oddly endearing comedy.

David Oyelowo shines as Harold. Usually cast as serious and stoic characters, Oyelowo is the perfect mix of the straight man, who is the punchline of the joke, the comedian that gets a laugh through physical comedy, and the dramatic actor who makes the quiet emotional scene pull on your heartstrings. Oyelowo is the perfect foil to Joel Edgerton’s bro-like Richard and Richard’s man-eating business partner Elaine, played by Charlize Theron.

Both Edgerton and Theron do a fantastic job of representing the worst of white collar Americans. You will love to hate them. Charlize’s does such a great job being the cutthroat executive, outplaying the men in a man-centric executive world, that you can’t help but cheer for her just a little. Each member of the cast is just the right ingredient for what the story needs.

The excellent cast is not the only the stars of Gringo. The writing and the action shine as well. Writers Matthew Stone and Anthony Tambakis count on you having watched at least a dozen films that are similar to their story. The writers use it to their advantage in the film. They know you have seen films like this on an airplane or late at night when you can’t sleep. They give you just enough of the usual beats and situations you have seen repeatedly, so you think you know where the story is going. Then they turn that film trope on it head. They turn left when you are expecting the movie to go right.

Director Nash Edgerton knows how to pace a film. Gringo lets you experience the film and become attached to the main character of Harold. You feel the danger of the Cartels, you understand and hate the arrogance and entitlement of the Americans. The actors are allowed the space to open up and give you something to latch on to. When Edgerton shifts gears and takes Harold and the rest of the characters on this wild ride you are left wondering how could it all possibly work out.

Nash Edgerton’s previous experience as a stunt man comes through in well directed action sequences that took me by surprise. It makes sense that the action and intensity seemed natural for him. It is refreshing that the heart and the humor of the film were handled with as much aplomb.

Among the film releases this spring, Gringo is a bit of an underdog as much as Harold is. If you are wanting a well-made, gripping film that is both funny and a heartwarming, then I can’t recommend Gringo enough.

Executive Producers: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Produced by Atsuko Hirayanagi, Han West,
Jessica Elbaum, Yukie Kito
Written and Directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi
Starring Shinobu Terajima, Josh Hartnett,
Shioli Kutsuna, Kaho Minami, Megan Mullally

Oh Lucy! is writer/director at Atsuko Hirayanagi’s feature debut.

Based on Hirayanagi’s short film of the same name, Oh Lucy! follows Setsuko Kawashima (Shinobu Terajima), a quiet, unassuming Japanese woman.

Everything about Setsuko marks her as a failure in Japanese society.

She is over forty, a spinster with no children, and working a mundane job where she is neither liked nor respected.

The monotony of her life is interrupted when her niece talks her into taking an unorthodox English class, taught by an overly friendly American, John (Josh Hartnett).

Each student is given an American name and encouraged to adopt a cartoonishly relaxed personality. Setsuko beings to feel connected to John and tentatively beings to embrace her American alter ego, Lucy. John suddenly leaves the country, and Setsuko is left wanting for something in her life. When she discovers that her niece has run away with John to America, Setsuko follows them to California. Her journey reopens old wounds and forces her to confront new desires as she vacillates between being the mild manner Setsuko and the adventurous Lucy.

Hirayanagi’s film deftly paints Setsuko’s struggle to try and claim a life of her own after being marginalized and ignored for so long.

While most American audiences will only recognize Josh Hartnett from the cast, Hirayanagi has assembled a stellar ensemble of Japanese actors.

Shinobu Terajima’s performance as Setsuko is heart-wrenching. Even as Setsuko continues to make one bad life choice after another, it’s through Terajima’s raw performance that I sympathized with the character.

Kano Minami’s portrayal of Setsuko’s controlling sister, Ayoko, dovetails well with Terajima’s lost Setsuko. The two actresses work well off each other to give verisimilitude to the sisters’ strained relationship.

I was surprised to see renowned actor Koji Yakusho (who I have followed for years from Tampopo to Memoirs of a Geisha) given such a small supporting role as Tom, Setsuko’s English classmate. Although his role almost qualifies as a cameo, Yakushino brings an earnestness to the character that makes the last scene in the film that saves the story from being another Indie film of hopelessness.

One of my favorite touches to the story is how it tackles stereotypes.

Several times I expected characters that appeared to be from rough backgrounds to be a threat to Setsuko. On the contrary, they were the people who showed Setsuko small kindnesses, whereas the people she knew well and were “respectable” were often the ones who were most cruel. Hirayanagi constantly challenges the viewer to define what makes a “good” person, and often people are “bad” only because they are wrapped up in their own drama.

Oh Lucy! is an intriguing film, and I am looking forward to see what Ms. Hirayanagi will make next.

Isle of Dogs tells the story of Atari Kobayashi, 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by Executive Decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies to Trash Island in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.

Please join us for the advance screening of
WES ANDERSON’S ISLE OF DOGS
on Monday, March 26^th at 7PM  at the AMC Boston Common.

To download passes, click here: http://www.foxsearchlightscreenings.com/IODFOG

Seating is first come, first served and not guaranteed.
Please arrive early to get in line and get a seat! Each pass is ADMIT TWO.