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Hulk
- Movie
The latest movie adaptation of a Marvel comics property wound
its slow way to my local cinema this week. I went in expecting
mindless fun, found myself watching a bit more. It's not as fast
paced as Spider-Man (which has the teen angst bit moving quite
quickly before the whole super powers lark) or X-Men 2, instead
it simmers gradually for half the movie before everything really
kicks off. The boisterous action is in sharp contrast to the much
calmer, thriller-esque parts of the film. The script has some
surprisingly good moments amongst general functionality and the
acting all fits fine, with the occasional moment of class from
Nick Nolte. The CG works well, meshing with the movie style and
producing something that looks "right". Ang Lee tries
an interesting comic-book-panel style approach to a lot of the
film, which is very intriguing when properly exploited but a little
off-putting when thrown in needlessly. Overall good, not the film
I was expecting and no Spider-Man or X-Men 2 but still enjoyable.
7/10
Adventures In A TV Nation by Michael Moore & Kathleen
Glynn - Book
A book that details the ups and downs & fun and frolics of
the TV Nation series. Describes some of the most interesting (for
one reason or another) segments they did and the background and
behind-the-chequebook things that went on. A worrying insight
into commercial television, as much as a very amusing and thought
provoking attack on 90s (and still today) American & global
culture. Made me laugh out loud (which is always a bonus) at their
daring/weird/controversial stunts as well as increasing my loathing
for the way the world works - which is hopefully what you'd expect
to come away with if you buy a Mike Moore book. Less preachy (not
that "preachy" is a bad thing in those two instances)
than his other two books, understandably, and a bit less scary.
Very good, even if you didn't get to watch the TV show way back
when (which I didn't).
8/10
Gasaraki - Anime TV series (25 episodes)
A mecha anime series that, oddly enough, owes more to Tom Clancy
than it does to either Gundam or Super Robot shows. The mecha
action is sparse, which didn't bother me at all but will almost
certainly upset the shallow action junkies out there, and the
talking & scheming is abundant. Manages to explore its ideas
pretty completely (though only just getting away with the
final episode) and remains almost completely serious and focused
throughout. The quality is consistently high, the animation very
nice and the sound fantastic. It felt like it was the kind of
series that will improve with every re-watch, very good stuff
and a nice break from the "robots in space" approach
of most Real Robot shows I get to watch.
8.5/10
Planetary/Batman: Night On Earth by Warren Ellis &
John Cassaday - Comic
This was my first peek into the world of Planetary and it really
did "leave me wanting more". The dialogue & story
in this is up to Ellis' usual high standard. It's a simple idea
- a criminal (perhaps) that shifts himself & people near him
into other realities by accident, therefore a priority for Planetary
to pick up & help. Of course, him residing in the Planetary-universe
version of Gotham City means that the reality switches introduce
various versions of a certain caped crusader. The interplay between
the sarcastic & venom-filled Planetary trio is wonderful to
read, as it is when expanded to include a man dressed in spandex
with a fetish for bats. I don't think I've encountered Cassaday's
art before but it was very nice indeed here, very well suited
to the book (and he draws a good Batman too, which kind of helps).
A great way to spend 48 pages of words and pictures - being a
Batman fan is not, in any way, essential.
9/10
Written to - The Ballad Of Chasey Lain
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