Movie Mondays!

The Secret? Don’t watch this film - just not that good. Would make a mediocre Twilight Zone episode (the original series that is). Stretched out over 92 minutes it becomes a bit plodding. Also there are discomforting implications by the scope of the story... my wife, my daughter, my wife, my daughter. If you’re a big fan of any of the actors in the cast you’ll probably want to see it otherwise it’s not worth your time.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Periods

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

HEY REMEMBER US?!!?!?!?

Egypt's army has cracked down on protests in Cairo's symbolic Tahrir Square, leaving at least one person dead and dozens injured.

The violence occurred overnight as the army tried to clear protesters calling for ex-President Hosni Mubarak and his family to be tried for corruption.

The injured suffered gunshot wounds but the army denies using live rounds.

Oh, that’s right. I’ve forgotten. In today’s world where we have the attention of fruit flies and the media is ever on the lookout for the next big story, we tire of the very things that are presented to drive us into some kind of righteous indignation.

Can you say bread and circuses anyone?

ZOINKS!

Where have I been? Where am I?

Busy, busy, busy!

One of those things I fill up free time with is cranking more things into a burgeoning iTunes library. Tonight I was pulling some cds out of a seldom used CD carousel player that was sitting unused. One of the things I flowed in was the song below.

Funny enough, we are now 18 years from when this song was originally released (March ’93)! WTF! Still there’s something about it that holds up:

Movie Mondays!

It’s enjoyable and may well be better than the original theatrical release but considering Donner has had so much time to fine tune the ideas he had it’s nothing spectacular. Much more interesting though is how this film works in the overall Superman mythology especially considering what Bryan Singer did with his film. This movie acts as a true bridge between Superman 1 and the Singer film. Lois Lane’s storyline (Margot Kidder) works much better in this film as do the storylines of the three Kryptonian exiles and that of Superman himself. I found the ending a bit of a non-starter if only because of how it worked with the first movie (too much repetition for my tastes). Of course it also gets good marks for the strength of Christopher Reeves performance. True fans will love this film, casual fans will find it mildly entertaining.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Birthdays

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

Movie Mondays!

David Schwimmer directs this enjoyable romp, a Simon Pegg vehicle that proves to be quite a lot fun. Pegg already has shown his comedic skill in both Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead but here his character rounds out more as the absentee dad trying to do right by his estranged family. Hank Azaria is his foil his former flame's current suitor. Solid marks for what proves to be a light hearted and warm comedic film. Oh, as a bonus it has a great soundtrack too!

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Sexual Frequency

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

Movie Mondays!

Stephen Frears crafts a taught and compelling film. Caught in the strange limbo of the undocumented alien in London, these characters walk a delicate tightrope as they try to survive in a society which treats them as more of a commodity than individuals. What happens though when the fragile existence is challenged by the knowledge of a crime? What are the challenges faced ethically and morally in the fight to survive under such tenuous circumstances? I really enjoyed this surprising gem that wasn't at all what I expected it to be.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Male Crying

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

Send in the clowns.

The big news over the weekend was this:

Western forces hit targets along the Libyan coast on Saturday, using strikes from air and sea to force Muammar Gaddafi’s troops to cease fire and end attacks on civilians.

Libyan state television said 48 people had been killed and 150 wounded in the allied air strikes. It also said there had been a fresh wave of strikes on Tripoli early on Sunday.

There was no way to independently verify the claims.

CBS News on its website said on Sunday that three U.S. B-2 stealth bombers had dropped 40 bombs on a “major Libyan airfield” that was not further identified. A Pentagon spokesman said he had no information about such an attack.

So the question of the moment is where are all the outraged masses? Where is all of that righteous indignation we saw back when the U.S. went back into Iraq to clean up the mess that lingered for a decade plus after the ‘first’ Gulf War?

I’m curious because anyone who doesn’t think this is just as much about oil as it was in Iraq, is living in a huge state of denial. I’m curious because this is so much about regime change and the parallels are so stark (between Libya today and Iraq a few years back) that the amazing irony of it all could only be lost on only the truly stupid.

Dare I say, there is a different measure put to the current chief executive only because he is a Democrat?

And anyone who for a moment thinks things might be different if HRC had gained the Presidency, need only look as far as the current Secretary of State’s actions and statements of the last few weeks to have that notion dispelled:

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that a U.N. no-fly zone over Libya would require bombing targets inside the country to reduce the threat posed by Moammar Gadhafi’s forces...

“A no-fly zone requires certain actions taken to protect the planes and the pilots, including bombing targets like the Libyan defense systems,” Clinton said as she neared the end of a Middle East trip dominated by worries about Libya, where a rebel offensive is apparently flagging.

 Again, I just wonder why there hasn’t been this call to rally in the streets. But wait, it gets even better:

In the months before Libyans revolted and President Obama told leader Moammar Gadhafi to go, the U.S. government was moving to do business with his regime on an increasing scale by quietly approving a $77 million deal to deliver at least 50 refurbished armored troop carriers to the dictator’s military.

 Sometimes, you just got to go out and buy yourself some waders to make it through the bullshit.

Movie Mondays!

X-fans will not be disappointed by this action packed flick that touches all the bases. The comic book geek in me loved this Origin tale featuring Hugh Jackman reprising the role of Wolverine. The movie stays remarkably true to the characters’ history and where it veers off, it does so in an intelligent way given the limitations of film. There’s quite the array of familiar characters too: Deadpool, Sabretooth, the Blob and Cyclops just to name a few. There are even a few surprises appearances thrown in for good measure as well that will have fans leaving the theater smiling. Not the best as these kind of films go but still entertaining and fun... and definitely worth catching!

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Babies

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

A very important anniversary.

You know, it’s been very quiet around here for reasons I will divulge another day but tonight I had the chance to look in on the blog and see what has been publishing (yes, much of the posts were done awhile ago when I had more free time and scheduled to post so there is regular content around these parts). Still I like to fill in around things and while I was watching The Pretenders video that went up earlier this week, I found myself looking up more old videos I have fond memories of.

And to that end I realized we are coming up on a very significant date...

The date is August 1st 1981 – 30 years on we may forget what the world was like in those days. Certainly there are many who can’t even begin to fathom how different a place the world was just three short decades ago.

No one had cell phones – if you wanted to make a call and you weren’t home you had to find a pay phone, you had better have some change and also you had better hope someone was home because answering machines were just starting to appear on the market (voicemail was a dream of some engineer’s).

There were no personal computers (don’t even imagine a laptop).

Internet? Yeah, it was there for a few Universities and for the Military but there wasn’t any web.

Cable? Some people had cable. Most people just had broadcast TV though and there wasn’t much in the way of 24 hours of entertainment.If you lived in New York you were lucky because you had a wealth of channels - 2 (WCBS), 4 (WNBC), 5 (WNEW - MetroMedia), 7 (WABC), 9 (WOR), 11 (WPIX) and 13 (WNET). Maybe you got some channels on UHF if you could manage to twist the antenna enough but if you were one of the fortunate you had gotten something that had come in and was starting to take hold in the last couple of years... cable.

And on August 1st, 1981 everything changed. Not just for TV either but, for radio and for music and it all started with this:

Another one of those songs I love.

And every time I hear it, it makes me think of one person.

Tuesday RSA is over for the time being so if you’re here looking for that it’s on hiatus until further notice.

Movie Mondays!

Anyone who loves Stanley Kubrick’s films will find this enlightening and comprehensive retrospective of his career entertaining. Starting from childhood through the completion of Eyes Wide Shut, this biopic doesn't miss a beat. Kubrick stands alone as a director having birthed some of the most unique and stunning films of the last half century but yet he remains an enigma to many. Via both interviews and clips of the director’s work Kubrick’s life is laid bare; from his early love of photography, to his first attempts at film and his life as a quiet family man once he achieved success. I found this biography highly engaging and recommend it to any lover of Kubrick’s work or the medium of film.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

You know it’s March 14th and all you girls should know what that means...

You know the drill. Every 14th of February you get the chance to display your fondness for a significant other by showering her with gifts, flowers, dinner, shows and any other baubles that women find romantic. Every Valentines day you rack your brains for that one special, unique gift that will show your wife or girlfriend that you really do care for them more than any other. Now ladies, I’ll let you in on a little secret; guys really don’t enjoy this that much. Sure seeing that smile on your face when we get it right is priceless, but that smile is the result of weeks of blood, sweat and consideration. Another secret; guys feel left out. That’s right, there’s no special holiday for the ladies to show their appreciation for the men in their life. Men as a whole are either too proud or too embarrassed to admit it.

Time to show the man in your life just how much he means to you.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Penis Pics

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

Tuesday RSA.

Movie Mondays!

A fascinating glimpse into the world of competitive gaming – not gaming as we come to use the word today but instead, those very special video games a generation grew up with and which were so widely popular in the 80s. Yes, there really is quite a subculture here and it’s a very competitive one at that, as rivals jockey for position and upstaging one and other is the norm. No, it won’t earn a living for any of the people obsessed with these games but it makes for one interesting story. Quite entertaining.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Cruising for Sex on Craigslist

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

Tuesday RSA.

Movie Mondays!

If you haven't seen the series, you’ll be a little lost - it’s not the going to play as well to the uninitiated but for fans of the show, it's great to see these characters return for another go. Unfortunately Laura Harris who played Daisy in the series couldn't return (she’s played by Sarah Wynter) and Mandy Patinkin isn’t back. I missed both but still enjoyed the film quite a bit. Enough to give it a high recommendation but only for fans of the show. I'm hoping the film does well too because it's good to see these characters back.


I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Skid Marks

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

I thought I posted this!

And I probably did but I’m having a brain fart at the moment so I’ll just post it again because it is that good!

CAKE – Sick of You.

An afternoon at the gallery.

Daredevil_i58_p02_Colan-Shores
Matt Murdock has just finished making his closing argument in a court case against one of the minions of the crime boss known as Crime Wave, his first job as special assistant to the district attorney. After the jury goes to deliberate the verdict, Matt reflects back to the events that led to this turn of events.Flashing back to the night he revealed his identity to Karen Page, he proposed to her and she accepted. Returning to New York, Matt revealed that he "survived" the plane crash that apparently took his life (making up a fake story for the press) and being appointed special assistant to the D.A.Matt promises to Karen that after making an appearance at the United Fund Parade, he would be retiring his identity of Daredevil for good so that Karen wouldn't fear for his safety. However, before DD can announce his retirement the parade is interrupted when it's attacked by the Stunt-Master – A washed up stunt motorcyclist who is hired by Crime Wave to take out Daredevil.After quickly defeating Stunt-Master, when asked what his special announcement was by Foggy, Daredevil says it was nothing, which upset Karen to the point that she walked away from the scene. Returning to the present the jury finds the crook working for Crime Wave guilty. Although it's a victory for Matt, Karen is still mad at him for not retiring his DD identity as he promised.

This page is the classic courtroom scene featuring Matt, Foogy, Karen and Willy. In the lower left panel there is a patch (the judge). A Romita fix?

Check out my Comic Art Fans Galleries! © All scans copyright PJ Mungiole 2011 - may not be reproduced, reused, reposted without permission.

There are a lot of things comics fans take for granted these days. One of those things is how a single artist could be so strongly identified with a character. So much so that you really couldn’t think of that character without thinking of the artist.

Long before Frank Miller came along, Gene Colan was THE Daredevil guy. As a matter of fact as much as I liked the Frank Miller run at the time it came out, I find I like it a lot less as so many have come down the road since trying to be Frank Miller, taking the elements he introduced and bastardizing them to such an extent that it’s no longer fun to read Daredevil.

Back when Gene Colan was drawing DD, the book was more about Matt Murdock’s life as a lawyer in a law office with his pal Foggy Nelson and the beautiful, wistful secretary whose love he could never bring himself to acknowledge even though he felt as strongly for her as she for him.

In this instance, I remember buying this in a basement of all places!

There used to be these regular ‘comic events’ (I wouldn’t call them cons) held on a monthly basis in a church basement on the west side of Manhattan round about 57th and 9th.

Albert Moy was in attendance and he had the page for sale and I couldn’t resist. I’ve never been sorry for buying it and it made up a little for passing on another Gene Colan page I could have bought from the owner of St Marks Comics a bunch of years earlier.

The great thing about this page (which you can’t really see) is the patch.

Yep, there’s actually a part of the page where there is an art correction on one of the faces and my bet would be it was done by none other than Jazzy John Romita himself who at the time was the main person responsible for such fixes.

Also, there are great notes in the margin in non-repro blue regarding story elements. These are no doubt notes from Stan the Man himself!

So, the thing is a bit of a treasure. Who knows, maybe one day...

Some things are just f$&%ed up!

McDuffie died Monday, a day after his birthday, of complications after undergoing emergency heart surgery at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, said Gary Miereanu, a publicist for Warner Home Video.

As a comic book writer, McDuffie had stints working on DC’s “Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight” and “Justice League of America,” and for Marvel’s “Fantastic Four.”

As a television writer, story editor and producer for animated series, he had credits on “What’s New, Scooby-Doo?” “Teen Titans,” “Static Shock,” “Justice League,” “Ben 10: Alien Force” and “Ben 10: Ultimate Alien.”

Man! It just proves to me once again that there are no guarantees so you better make use of the time you have. It’s a sad day.

Tuesday RSA.

Movie Mondays!

The Wachowski brothers do a terrific job bringing this franchise to fruit as a live-action movie. While much of the film is "green-screened" it works well here in only because it is in keeping with the feel of the original cartoon. It's a piece of fluff to be sure but even so it winds up being the kind of movie everyone in the family can enjoy!

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Fat Guys

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.