Archive
Movie Review: Kick-Ass (2010)
Summary:
Highschooler Dave wonders why no one in real life ever tried to be a super-hero, so he orders a wet suit, dubs himself “Kick-Ass” and sets out to attempt vigilante justice. Lucky for him in his ineptitude, someone has thought of being a a superhero–ex-cop Big Daddy and his 9 year old daughter Hit Girl. Their activities land them on the mob’s hit list, and pandemonium ensues.
Review:
This is a concept–blundering wannabe superheroes–that could easily fall flat on its face, but it doesn’t. The addition of Big Daddy and Hit Girl to the scene really change the entire feel of the movie. They’re not so much superheroes as vigilantes–think Kill Bill only with superhero costumes. They bring reality back into Kick-Ass’s daydreaming. In the real world, fighting the bad guys often have serious consequences. It’s not all youtube glory.
This was based on a graphic novel, and the bright colors in the costumes help bring that feel in. The fight sequences aren’t stylized like anime, rather they feel like a typical action movie, but that was a wise choice given the basic message in the movie. Shots are smooth and stylish without reading as cartoonish.
Apparently, some people find the character of Hit Girl offensive. This surprised me since she was by far my favorite in the film. Where I see her as possessing admirable grit, raw talent, and a propensity to speak her mind others see a little girl killing people and using the c-word. I think those people are taking things a bit too seriously. Hit Girl is clearly a little girl who enjoys what she does and is being true to herself. Little girls aren’t always sugar and spice and everything nice.
Overall, Kick-Ass is a fun movie that will appeal to fans of superhero and action films alike. I highly recommend it.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
Book Review: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Graphic Novel) (Series, #6)
Summary:
Ramona Flowers disappeared,and Scott Pilgrim has spent the last four months of his life wallowing in depression in an apartment his parents paid for playing videogames and avoiding fighting the last evil ex, Gideon. His friends have got on with their lives, and they finally get around to trying to get Scott to face up to his past. Will he fight Gideon? Will he have casual sex with any of his exes? Will Ramona show back up?
Review:
I loved this book so much. It’s one of those endings to a series that makes you like the previous entries in the series even more. I’m going to have a hard time writing this review without devolving into a bunch of random squeeing, so please bare with me.
O’Malley successfully ties up all the ends without being too cute. The answer to what the subspace is makes sense and fits in with the story well. It also doesn’t talk down to the reader’s intelligence at all. Similarly, why Scott likes Ramona so much gets answered. Them dating just makes a lot more sense after reading this book.
The action and the gaming and pop culture shout-outs that fans loved in the first five books are still present here. I’m particularly fond of O’Malley’s choice to use 8-bit type drawing to depict characters’ overly idealistic memories of past relationships. All of the other gaming references are still there as well, such as where characters get their weapons from.
O’Malley’s drawing has noticeably improved this time around. My main complaint in previous books of the female characters being hard to tell apart has been addressed. I had no issue telling them apart this time around. Plus, O’Malley still pays attention to background details that make it worth looking closely at the scenes, such as setting one scene in a bookstore that’s going out of business with signs that say “Please Help Oh God” in the background.
I know some people won’t like how little attention is paid to secondary characters in this volume. That didn’t bother me, because I was so caught up in Scott’s storyline, and it is called Scott Pilgrim after all. It’s not like the secondary characters aren’t there. It’s just that their personal storylines get tied up quickly. It didn’t bother me, but it might bother some.
The only thing that bothered me at all was that there is one section of the book where the pages go blank for a bit. I’ve always felt that’s a trite story-telling mechanism, and I don’t like the message it sends. However, I just flipped past them and continued on my way instead of taking the dramatic pause I assume we are supposed to take.
These are really minor flaws when it comes to a series like this. It could have easily fallen apart or failed to tie up the important questions in the end. Instead, O’Malley addresses what is a common issue for a lot of 20-somethings in a creative manner, fleshed out with gaming and pop culture references and humor that makes it entertaining while simultaneously being touching. I highly recommend the entire series to 20-something lovers of graphic novels or older graphic novel enthusiasts who can still relate to what it is to be in your 20s.
5 out of 5 stars
Source: Amazon
Previous Books in Series:
Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life
Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Volume 3: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness
Volume 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe
Review of first 5 books
Book Review: Scott Pilgrim By Bryan Lee O’Malley (Graphic Novel) (Series, #1-5)
Summary:
Canadian Scott Pilgrim is 23 years old and has a case of what to do with myself quarter life crisis. He’s living in a studio apartment with Wallace (who is very gay), dating a 17 year old, and doesn’t have a job, but at least he’s got his band. Then he meets American Ramona Flowers and falls for her. Dating her comes with a catch, though. He’s got to defeat her 7 evil exes who really seem to enjoy jumping him when he least expects it.
Review:
Scott Pilgrim takes typical 20-something ennui and spices it up with a heavy dose of ninja fighting and videogame references, hitting its target audience dead-on. It’s the perfect mix of connection over real life issues and over generational references. It’s more than just a day in the life of Scott mixed with fighting evil exes, though. There’s a mystery to the whole situation. Why is Scott such a good fighter? Why does he fall so quickly for Ramona when nothing seems that special about her? What is up with Ramona anyway? It had me wishing that the sixth volume was out already so I could find out. (It comes out this summer).
The art is relatively average. Some of the characters and scenes are really well-drawn, but some of the minor characters blend together, particularly the women. I was left really confused about some of the women until later in the series where O’Malley put together a listing of all the characters. Even then, I thought they looked a bit too much alike. On the other hand, the art handles delicate scenes like sex and fighting really well, so it all balances out.
What really makes the series, though, is the creativity of the exes and the battles. They range from skateboarding to evil robots at concerts to races through value warehouse stores to (my absolute favorite) vegans with superpowers. Seriously, they have superpowers because they’re vegans. It’s the most awesome idea! Plus, there is a recipe for vegan shepherd’s pie given in the context of the story that I absolutely must try.
I definitely recommend this series to all 20-somethings, videogamers, and ninja-lovers. Plus, the movie version starring Michael Cera is coming out this summer, so you may as well whet your appetite for it by reading the books first.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Borrowed
Books in Series:
Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life
Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Volume 3: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness
Volume 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe
Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour (release date: July 20, 2010)
Book Review: Battle Royale Ultimate Edition Volume 1 by Koushun Takami (Manga) (Series, #1)
A Note on Me and Graphic Novels:
This, believe it or not, was my first foray into the world of graphic novels. I was spurred into this new territory by my intense love of the movie Battle Royale. I know that there’s also a traditional book out there, but I’d heard the manga is what the author feels really fulfills his vision of the story. I received the first volume of the ultimate edition, which contains the first three mangas in the series, for Chrismukkah. I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy reading a graphic novel. I tend to associate them with superheroes, and I’m not generally a fan of superhero stories (except Ironman. Robert Downey Jr., *swoon*). But this. This was a story I already knew I liked, so I came at the genre with a much more open mind than the once or twice I flipped through a superhero graphic novel. You guys, I absolutely love the feeling of reading a graphic novel. I could literally feel different parts of my brain working at it than that work when reading a regular book, playing videogames, writing, or watching a movie. It’s like a portion of my brain was like “Oh hai. You finally remembered I exist!” I love that I’m only reading dialogue, because I hate extensive descriptions in books. I love that the drawings are art that I actually enjoy looking at the fine details of. I love it that when I flip back to show scenes to other people, I notice things in the drawings I didn’t see the first time around. I’m officially a convert to the genre, but you still won’t see me reading about superheroes anytime soon.
Summary:
In an alternate history of Japan, Japan comes under the rule of a totalitarian, isolationist government after WWII. The government rules through terror, and part of that terror is selecting, supposedly via lottery, one 9th grade class every year to compete in a televised game where it is kill or be killed. Shuuya never expected to win this lottery, but when his class goes on a field trip, upon arrival they discover that they are this year’s participants on an island location. They discover collars on their necks that will detonate if more than one is left alive at a certain point and also if they wander into the randomly assigned and changing forbidden zones. As the teens attempt to survive the game through various methods, flashbacks tell the story of the 9th grade class members.
Review:
I absolutely love this story. I love violent, gory stories, and there are creative deaths galore here. For instance, the weapons include a scythe, and that scythe gets used. In one particularly memorable scene, a girl desperately attempts to stuff a boy’s brains back into his skull. It’s freaking amazing. There’s also graphic sex, ranging from rape to love. I don’t like my books to pretend like sex doesn’t happen in the real world, because um, it does. The fact that sex can be wonderful and about emotions or horrible and about power is wonderfully depicted.
The manner of introducing these characters tossed together in a horrible situation then expanding on who they are via flashbacks is very reminiscent of Lost. Of course, here the characters knew each other, at least somewhat, before the game. The flashbacks fit in perfectly with the action of the game, and they reveal just enough about the characters without revealing too much. From a cooking class that solidified a friendship to crimes committed to lessons learned from an activist uncle, the flashbacks are endlessly fascinating.
Seeing these characters in what most certainly feels like a hopeless situation orchestrated by a powerful government far bigger than they are is truly powerful reading. It leaves the reader wondering not only what makes people do bad things, but also how to define what is good and bad given various situations. Is it actually good to team up and attempt to buck the system or will that just cause more pain in the end? Is suicide a bad thing when it’s kill yourself or kill others?
If you enjoy Lost, The Hunger Games, violence, psychology, or even just graphic novels, you will enjoy this book. I highly recommend it and can’t wait to read the next volume!
5 out of 5 stars
Source: Gift
Reading Goals for 2010
I don’t want to over-plan my reading for 2010, but I do want to give it a loose structure and maybe broaden my horizons a bit. I also want to be practical about my reading, for instance the fact that I rarely have time to go to the library (erm, the public one, not the one I work at 5 days a week). Anywho, with that in mind, my loosely-defined goals for 2010 are:
- Read the books I bought for undergrad classes but didn’t have time to read then. Seeing as how my two majors are topics I actually like (History and English and American Literature), I actually do want to read these old “assignments.” Expect to see a bit of ancient literature, Chekhov, and noir.
- Read a bit more nonfiction in areas I want to be more educated in, preferably science. Seeing as how I work in a medical library, this should be pretty easy to pull off cheaply.
- Utilize Swaptree to get rid of books I weeded from my collection at the end of the year and in turn get books I want to read. Since I’m doing an exact 1:1 exchange, this should keep my book collection on the smaller side.
- Courtesy of a challenge from @shaindelr over on Twitter who gasped about my not having read any poetry in 2009–read one book of poetry. However, I’m not making any promises that it won’t be of the ancient variety. ;-)
- Finally, watching Japanese movies got me pretty into the stories their culture has to offer. That along with seeing some graphic novels in friends’ houses made me want to give the genre an official shot, so I’ll be reading at least 3 graphic novels/manga in 2010. I’m super-excited to read my first Battle Royale, which I wanted to read after seeing and loving the movie.
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This work by Amanda Nevius is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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