The Lounge Version 2.0

Welcome to the new, updated (hopefully better) version of The Lounge blog! Now more appropriately called "The Film Lounge", this incarnation of the blog will a bit more ambitious effort. I have finally gotten around to breaking away just a bit from the cookie-cutter template look and added a thematic banner. Who knows what might also be added as we move along - hopefully some cool stuff.

To start, I have transferred all previous reviews over from the old site so nothing is lost. With that complete, the old blog will be deleted sometime within the next week or so since everything can be found right here. Bear with me as I play around some different arrangements for the blog over the next few days. Also, this version of the blog will feature other regular contributors who shall be introduced as they begin to post, so it won't be just me as we move forward.

Stop by regularly and see what I and others are reading and watching and what recommendations we are making. And as always, leave your comments and suggestions.

Again, WELCOME!

Kingdom Come Reviewed

Lately I have been expanding my comic horizons. Since my interest in comics really began about five years ago I've found my niche to be mostly in non-superhero and non-traditional superhero stories. The big exception to this is Marvel's Ultimate Spiderman run by Brian Michael Bendis of which I own all the available trades. But by and large the classic DC Justice League materials really haven't been a draw for me, nor have Marvel's staples like the X-Men.

Recently I found myself with growing curiosity and interest in the Green Lantern, which I've started reading. Along with that I decided to pick up DC's Kingdom Come. I have heard many good things concerning this title and I felt it was time to give it a read.

As a relative newcomer to the JLA, Kingdom Come was an interesting story to jump into and somewhat overwhelming. With little comic knowledge of the actual history of the major players (Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Batman, etc.) in many ways I felt as though I were jumping in mid-stream even though it is a stand alone story. However, a working knowledge really isn't requisite because the themes of the story are easily accessible. All you need to understand (and most people do I have a feeling) is that Superman and the rest of the Justice League have superhuman powers that they use for the cause of peace and justice on Earth. Or at least they used to before they stepped away from their roles.

Kingdom Come is a story that examines what their role really is, what their responsibilities are and how their actions ultimately impacts the course of human affairs. What we learn early on in the story is that many years prior Superman decided to walk away from his role as a protector of the innocent and champion of peace after a series of incidents soured public perceptions of his role. Due to his position of leadership in the JLA, the rest of the league followed suit, awaiting the day they would return to action.

In the interim, meta-humans rose up to take the place of the absent heroes. This new breed of "supers", led by a character names Magog, started out with the best of intentions but soon lost their way turning their focus on fighting amongst themselves leaving a path of destruction and suffering in their wake. The rest of humanity was powerless to stop them. Desperation reaches it peak when an incident in Kansas results in the complete desolation of the Great Plains and food production center of the United States. Is there anything or anyone that can persuade Superman to return to his duties as protector of humanity?

The heart of Kingdom Come is story of Superman, Wonder Woman, et al's decision to return and try to convince (or force) everyone to live in peace and pursue the cause of justice. With the Justice League returned, in some form or another, Superman and company wage an epic struggle to corral the renegade meta-human population while fighting their own personal demons. The central question: What is the cost of their noble pursuits?

In their telling of this story, Mark Waid and Alex Ross draw heavily on biblical references, specifically that of Revelations. It is therefore fitting that we experience the story through the eyes of a character who is a preacher and struggling with his own fears and doubts about humanity and it's uncertain future. The scope of this story was epic! Everything from the over-arching themes to the conflicts to the characters themselves was presented through beautiful illustration (Alex Ross) and on a grand scale making for an immersing read. While very much its own story, Kingdom Come drew many similarities to two other classic super hero tales with its subject matter, namely to Alan Moore's Watchmen (the examination of the role of the superhero) and Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son (Superman's personal struggle with tyrannical control in forcing peace on Earth).

I won't go about spoiling the ending for potential readers who haven't paged through this story. I will, however, highly recommend it. While I didn't like this story quite as much as either Watchmen or Red Son it is certainly worthy of the praise it has garnered since its publication. One of the aspects I really appreciated was its more serious and thoughtful approach to super heroes that it took. That is not to suggest that all other super hero runs are simply silly and poorly thought out. Hardly. But Kingdom Come certainly did present itself a cut or two above the norm.

Battlestar Galactica (1978) - "A" For Effort...

My current favorite television series is SciFi's Battlestar Galactica (or BSG for short). It is a truly great show full of action, drama and flat out engaging storytelling. I make sure not to miss an episode. However, it is not an original series, but rather it is the re-imagining of the well-known, but short-lived 1979 television series which was launched by the 1978 film of the same name. It was the late 70s and with the huge success of Star Wars in 1977, science fiction was again finding life on the big screen.

It is somewhat surprising to me that, until this past weekend, I had never actually watched the original film that started it all. I have seen random episodes now and then on TV and I can recognize the theme music, but I had never experienced the original. On a whim, some friends that I regularly watch the show with happened to find a copy for $10 and bought it out of curiosity. We weren't expecting a masterpiece, but there was some genuine excitement.

Before I dive right in, let me set the stage for those unfamiliar. Battlestar Galactica is the story of a civilization's epic struggle to survive. The setting is somewhere out among the stars where a human civilization is thriving (the 12 colonies, each sharing a name with one of our zodiac signs). It is a time of peace in the new series (and just prior to an armistice in the original) between the humans and the robotic race known as the Cylons. Long story short, the Cylons launch a massive surprise assault and almost completely exterminate the human population, hold for one human battleship - the battlestar Galactica, and a small fleet of civilian ships with around 50,000 people aboard. The story focuses on the humans fighting and running from the Cylons while they desperately search for a "fabled" 13th colony name Earth. This is the plot of the series and of the 1978 film.

Oh... my... GOSH! It turned out to be a complete bore fest and time never seemed to move so slow as it did for the those two hours that the film lasted. Of course, we felt that we should tough it out, but it was beyond trying. As I write this I fully recognize that on a certain level I really can't make an objective observation of the original Battlestar since I've already been enjoying the re-make for 2 years. It is truly like comparing apples to oranges. Yet, I don't lie when I say that the original was a misguided mess of a film. It absolutely was!

It is unfortunate that the original Battlestar fell short because it started out really very well, full of potential, even if its special effects were clunky by today's standards. The story transcended that fact. For a time. Then it fell into complete disarray, seemingly unable to maintain a focus and most certainly unable to maintain tone. If the whole of humanity was just wiped off the face of the cosmos, you could have fooled me because these characters sure seemed to be indifferent for the whole second half of the movie.

Equally bad was the bumbling romance which was as convincing as that Skywalker/Amidala affair of the Star Wars prequels. It wasn't. It was awkward, boring and wholly unnecessary. But ultimately I feel that the worst aspect of this film was that it lost its epic feel after the first 30 minutes only to devolve into what felt like an overextended episode that could have been, no, SHOULD have been captured in one hour rather than two.

I felt worse about the film seeing as two other friends who don't watch the new series watched it with us. One was visibly bored beyond belief and yet to his credit didn't complain. The other, who stayed much later and got a taste of the new series afterward, did seem legitimately interested and was sold on the new series after "sampling" 1 hour and 15 minutes of the mini-series... which flew by in what seemed like 10 minutes. It blew him away! I felt like we made it up to him for the two previous wasted hours.

Like I've said, I'm sure part of my reaction is due to the fact I was watching a much older version of a series I love. Even though I really wasn't entertained by it, I did see potential in it at the beginning. It did start off very well. In a rare testament to the cause of "re-makes", the creators of the new BSG have managed to capture all of the right elements from the original while taking in a whole new direction of their own. It just proves that, if handled well, re-makes can be great and even necessary.

In the end, 1978's Battlestar Galactica went down in flames. Unless you are a real sci-fi junkie, I cannot recommend watching the original Galactica. Most likely you'll just end up wishing the Cylons would have gotten them all. 2/10

Borat: Good For a Few Yuck-Yucks, Not Much More (Archive)

Considering that most my friends had seen Borat months ago, it is somewhat amazing that I only saw this film last weekend. Now I can join that conversation that inevitably starts up when people start talking funny movies. I... am in the "know" now.

Let me set the scene. Borat, also known as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Kazakhstan, is the film that got A LOT of press, mostly because it pushed a lot of buttons with people. It was one of THOSE comedies. Of course, that is exactly why it was popular from the first time the trailer aired in theaters- it was irreverent, edgy and generally hilarious in the eyes of movie-going audiences.

Borat is the creation of Sasha Baron Cohen, star of Da Ali G Show. I have never seen the show but was more or less filled-in about its goings-on at a wedding reception last Fall. It sounded pretty funny and I was already curious about Borat, but never got around to seeing it theaters. And really, that wasn't requisite either because Borat was all over TV, on the late night circuit, on the Internet and being talked about by just about everyone younger than 30. I felt that I had seen most of the film before actually viewing it.

So finally I saw it. It was okay. There were definite funny spots but I never really started laughing uncontrollably, yet I was entertained.

The plot centers around the travels of one Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakh television personality who is sent to America to film a documentary on American culture. Of course, it isn't that straight forward. Borat is portrayed as one huge caricature, as is his home country of Kazakhstan. Among the many jokes are the village kindergarten being shown with 4 and 5 year olds holding guns, Borat's wife being an fat old woman and he has a cow in his house. Borat's broken English is also the intended source for many a laugh. But Borat is going to America to learn things that will benefit Kazakhstan.

He arrives in New York and chaos ensues as Borat doesn't fit in, but rather sticks out like a sore, offensive and uncomfortable thumb. Much of the movie is nothing more than situational, hidden camera gags and its funny enough, but nothing extremely memorable. It isn't long Borat and his producer and traveling companion get checked into a hotel and Borat discovers Pamela Anderson on TV during an episode of Bay Watch. Becoming obsessed with finding Pamela and marrying her, Borat break his directive and begins his crazy journey across America.

Part of the impetus behind the comedy of the film to poke fun at difference elements of American culture, including the wealthy, the ENTIRE DEEP SOUTH, urban culture, Jews, feminists, frat boys, radical evangelicals etc. Some of it worked with me and some of it was just a bit uncomfortable to watch. I found the rodeo sequence where he sings the Kazakh national anthem hilarious, I enjoyed the morning newscast segment funny and also thoroughly enjoyed the antique store bit where he "accidentally" broke over $400 in merchandise. I'm sorry, but when the store in Alabama sells bumper stickers that read "Secede: Its the Right Thing to Do", I am entertained when the stuff gets broken. However, the sequence where Borat stays the night a bed and breakfast run by a warm hearted Jewish couple and played on just about every stereotype, I wasn't laughing. It just wasn't funny. I don't care if Cohen is Jewish himself, it just wasn't that funny.

In any case, Borat continues across country hooking up with a "lady of the night", hitching a ride with some South Carolina frat boys (who ended up suing Cohen after release of the film for misrepresentation) and "finding Jesus" before he finally arrives in LA where he proceeds to ask Pamela to marry him, accosting her (very obviously pre-arranged) when she refuses. He ends up going back to Kazakhstan with a new wife (not Pamela)

Ultimately I found Borat to be a mixed bag. Some of the material was good, some was just too stupid to really be that funny and some was just flat out not funny. I laughed at a few things
but I found very little of the movie to be all that memorable in the long term. Broken down to the basic elements, this movie was comprised mostly of a bad accent and unending string of sex jokes.

On a side note, the frat boys were funny because they were so TRUE to who they were, stereotypically so. They sued Cohen claiming misrepresentation under the supposition that they were drunk during that bit of filming. Lets get serious - if you're a racist and sexist while drunk, you're racist and sexist while sober. They're not fooling anyone. They were just upset that they were exposed on the big screen across the globe. BOO HOO!

If you haven't seen Borat and you keep hearing about it, its probably worth seeing once. At least then you'll understand what the references you are hearing are coming from. If you're easily offended by nudity, don't see it because there was plenty of that. No... TOO MUCH OF THAT!! Of course, you'll have to see the movie to know what I am referencing. Borat was good for a few laughs with some friends, but if you're missing it, you're not missing much. I probably won't see it again. 5/10

Grindhouse: A Tale of Two Very Different Films (Archive)

Yes, I saw it. I wasn't planning on it. The thought had crossed my mind, but I wasn't really leaning towards going. Then I got a call from the usual group of guys and the decision was made - I was going to Grindhouse, an homage double-feature that is a collaboration between Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.

Let me first say that the extras were well worth it! The spoof trailers tagged onto the two features were some of the funniest stuff I have seen in awhile and the experience was only made better in the company of a bunch of friends. Now the rumor on the street is that the funniest of the bunch, a film called Machete, is indeed going to be made. If true, I will attend. Of that there is NO DOUBT!

Now, as for the films, lets get to it. The first was Rodriguez' flick, a picture called Planet Terror featuring Rose McGowan as the heroine along with a cast including Freddy Rogriguez, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin and even a brief appearance by Bruce Willis. This film was a raucous, over-indulging gorefest that was so over-the-top and outrageous it produced nearly non-stop laughter beginning to end. Of course it wasn't meant to be taken seriously so the mission was most definitely accomplished.

Lets face it - a woman loses a leg and it gets replaced by an M16 machine gun. Yes, that makes no sense except for the fact that she and her friends are on the run from an endless horde of zombie-like humans who have been affected by a biological weapon which is causing them to mutate, eat brains and cause general havoc. So, as luck would have it, the M16 leg was just what the doctor order. And of course there was a full helping of slapstick comedy, grindhouse-style movie spoofs and fight sequence involving a grown man riding at 60 miles per hour on a pocket motorbike. I am only scratching the surface here.

Planet Terror was graphic beyond belief but it did serve a purpose lampooning a whole genre of movies and causing a chorus of loudly yelled "oooh"s and "eeeeeewww"s from the audience. If you are a fan of alien invasion movies, horror flicks, zombies or hardcore gore and action, I'd say this is a must see. It was simply too funny to dislike. Bravo, Mr. Rodriguez. Bravo! 8/10

That brings me to the second half of this double feature, Death Proof. Quentin Tarantino films don't have a good history with me, but after Planet Terror I was stoked and ready to go. And what should happen but that I get bogged down and bored out of my skull with a film that was way too talky for its own good and I would add simply disturbing in some respects. This film gets a big thumbs down from me. I couldn't wait for it to be over and had I been alone I would have walked out. To his credit, I think Kurt Russel played his character Stuntman Mike very well and he was the lone bright spot to this picture.

As I've said, this film was way too slow and talky from the get-go. It centers around a deranged man (Stuntman Mike) who gets some kind of sick satisfaction from spotting women and then ultimately killing them by means of his "death proof" stunt car. Or wait... did it center around two separate groups of girl friends who are going out on the town and hanging out in bars and talking... and talking... and talking.??? I really can't decide, but then again it isn't worth the effort to figure it out In fact, the first third of this film was two really long, really boring conversations. My friends and I kept looking at each other during the film and rolling our eyes. It comes down to this - if I wanted to spend a night out on the town with some girls, I would go spend the night out on the town with some girls. I didn't want to, I don't and it was completely lame.

Tarantino likes to pride himself on clever dialogue in his films and I'm sure his intent with these women were no different. However, these conversation were like watching paint dry. (Did you notice the impressive 25 minute long shot without a cut in the bar? No, because my eyes glazed over and I checked out after 15 minutes.)

Then there was the just plain disturbing nature of the rest of the film wherein a guy hunts down and kills women for sport with his car. I can tell you that I don't get any entertainment out of that and I didn't need to see a high speed car wreck in slow motion repeated three times. This film had no appeal to me, bored me to tears and disgusted me. Had it not been a double feature, I would have demanded my money back. Planet Terror is definitely worth paying for, but you won't miss much by ducking out early after its over. Death Proof sucked! 3/10

Now, I have heard some comments that Death Proof should have been shown first and been followed by Planet Terror, but I really think they made the right choice putting it second. Had it been the other way around, I think a lot of people would have simply walked out and missed a great time at the movies in Planet Terror.

As for Tarantino and me... of his films that I have seen, here is the rundown.

Liked: Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Volume II (own it)

Disliked: Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill Volume I and Death Proof


Edit: So after a well stated comment by good friend and film aficianado Jacob, I am adjusting my ratings for Death Proof and Planet Terror. He made some valid points and also upon further reflection, my ratings were out of whack. Notably, I can't justify to myself rating Planet Terror higher than Snakes on a Plane. So, let it be noted that the new ratings are adjusted.