With recent flicks like Apollo 18 and The Devil Inside doing great harm to the “Found Footage” genre this past year, I had very low expectations for “Chronicle”. It wasn’t until I heard the decent-good reviews and I watched Max Landis’s brilliant viral video, The Death and Return of Superman, that I decided to give Chronicle a chance. I’m happy to say that I throughly enjoyed the film.

The cast and writing are probably my favorite elements of the film. The main characters Andrew, Matt, and Steve acted like real high school kids. I was glad to see some character development with each of them as they moved away from the stereotypes that they were in the beginning of the film.  They became three-dimensional characters, not cardboard cutouts like  most teenagers in movies these days.  These three “relatively” unknown actors had really good chemistry onscreen and it shows. They, and the rest of the cast, did a great job and drove the plot more-so than big action set pieces. The action pieces are built upon the drama from the characters and plot. Unlike most contemporary films where it’s either all plot or all action. Chronicle managed to balance the plot and action pieces, and instead of fighting for your attention these elements feed off each other.  As a result the film is much deeper than your typical blockbuster.  

I really loved how the filmmakers used the found footage genre to their advantage. They had the characters take turns holding the camera with their newfound telekinetic powers. This gave the audience some stability to the shots and some cinematic camera actions to this found footage piece. When there were cuts in the film it wasn’t to an omniscient point of view, but rather to another camera’s footage in the “scene”. This helps keep the premise of the found footage genre while also getting a variety of camera  angles to utilize throughout the film.

I also thought it was smart that they revealed how Andrew goes nuts in the trailer.  During the film you’re not sure when Andrew is going to go off his rocker. As a result throughout the entire film you’re wondering what person or situation is going to push him over the edge.It forces you to pay attention to every scenario in the film. Collectively each the plot points pushes him from a normal teenager into a stone cold killer.  Normally I’m not a fan of trailers “spoiling” a movie experience, but in this particular case the trailer helped with the movie going experience.

Final Thoughts: In conclusion I really enjoyed this film. It oozed with realism from the story, characters, and on down into every other production aspect. I was glad to see Hollywood take a chance with relatively unknown talents both on and offscreen, and together they produced a great film.  I would love it if a sequel was made for this fresh and interesting take on the found footage genre.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Chronicle Trailer

Well, it hasn’t fallen to the wayside…the creators, Kelly Roman and Michael DeWeese, have just been working their butts off on it.  And to prove it, they’ve released a trailer. (Watch it.)

(Seriously.)

(Have you watched it yet?)

THE ART OF WAR: A GRAPHIC NOVEL will hit stands July 31st, but for those itching to get their hands on it…there’s still the 50-page sample.

And, as always, for more information you can visit Facebook, Twitter, or the official website.

The Lives of Dexter Peterson(cover)

Contemporary Christian scene, releasing two CDs and moving to Nashville.  Shortly after that he left that scene and broke out on his own.  He gained new appreciation in the burgeoning podcast community.  He eventually moved to the north east and was poised to make a big push in the indie scene when the economy collapsed and gas prices skyrocketed making touring a dicey proposition at best.  In the virtual age he brought the mountain to the masses and did live shows streaming on the internet, building his name even further. He spent a summer playing piano at a hotel on Block Island that led him to two ideas:  1. a great song about the experience and 2. a new way of making a living.

He next step was parlaying the name he made for himself into creating a subscription based website with exclusive releases for the subscribers. The bulk of the output was a collection of live recordings and tracks that would make up his next three albums, but he has also sent out exclusive gifts to members and at the highest level supporters are invited to an annual beer bash with the artists (see matthewebel.net for more info).¹

The many iterations of Matthew Ebel have come to their logical convergence in what I will call a “tri-media blitzkrieg.”  That’s right his latest album, “The Lives of Dexter Peterson,” is part one of a much larger story.  The album has its origins in a book that Ebel wrote as part of 2005’s National Novel Writing Month.  In addition to the album, Ebel has plans to release a graphic novel and a novella that will further flesh out the story of Dexter Peterson.

Dexter has lived over 11,000 lives.  Each day he finds himself waking up a new place with a new job in a new reality.  He’s been a WWII soldier, a dolphin swimming off the coast of Hawaii, an Olympic skier, and more.  Through it all, he has his journal that somehow stays with him and allows him to chronicle his life.  Lately, he’s noticed a girl that has been following him through each life, though he doesn’t know how or why, just that they are connected.

This album doesn’t require the other pieces to be fully enjoyed.  The songs detail a ‘day in the life’ so to speak starting with Dexter waking up in New York City, through fighting the insanity of it all, to meeting the girl, wishing for a life he really wants, and wishing for a normal life.  That’s a brief overview.  Ebel’s music is as tight as ever.  He’s added in a live drummer on this one that brings a fuller sound to the whole album.  If you are a fan of piano pop, you will like this album.  If you are a geek, you will like this album and not only for the references in the track “I Wish I Were.”

Bottom line: this is a fun album.  Amazon lists it with an explicit tag (not sure about iTunes or Google Music) and it really isn’t.  There are a couple of “naughty” words in the track “The Last Pirate,” but overall it’s a PG album.  Don’t let the tag throw you off of listening to a great album.  The graphic novel portion is being previewed as a webcomic at matthewebel.com and looks pretty good so far.

———-

1 – Liberally adapted from the full bio at matthewebel.com

Lost

“Lost” took that from me. How, you ask? Meet me after the break.

The whole comic smacks of a distinct lack of touch with reality. And I don’t just mean in the story, though it’s certainly a factor. It reads like it was written by someone who has no idea what the world is actually like or how people actually behave. As if its author, Derek Glascock, hasn’t met a single person who wasn’t a complete caricature. Every character in “Lost” is an exaggerated mockery of a human being, and none of them possess more social grace than your average wolverine.

I’m not sure if artist Jaysin Osterkamp has another job, but it certainly seemed like he must. There’s no way this book was drawn by someone who devoted their full time to it. I had more than one issue with the art in “Lost,” but my biggest beef was with the characters. They look as if they were designed by someone with a How To Draw Manga book and only the basest grasp on what a human being looks like. The protagonist’s head is a rectangle, for crying out loud.

The story starts off with the main character, Chazz (yes, with two z’s), delivering his hipster manifesto. He walks around a bar talking about how pathetic everyone who isn’t him is. At least, I think it’s a bar. It could have been a diner or a coffee shop, but the lack of anything like a background in any panels makes it hard to tell. Chazz quickly establishes himself as the most pretentious human being on the planet – at one point, later in the comic, he remarks to his girlfriend how he “put his work on hold” to be with her. He calls himself a writer, but he’s never published anything. That’s fine, I get that. I know right where he’s coming from. What I can’t stand is that he’s so damned full of himself that he actually blames her for his own decision.

But it’s okay, because after several pages of generic trash talk, it turns out that Chazz is actually very insecure. Sorry, did I say “okay?” What I meant to say is that it turned the whole thing into a self-pitying rant. I’ve disliked the protagonist to a story more than once, but I don’t think I’ve ever hated a fictional character more quickly or with more vehemence than I did Chazz. It doesn’t bother me that he’s flawed and messed up. That just makes him realistic. What I can’t stand is his attitude. When he’s not feeling bad for himself, he’s looking down on everyone around him.

None of the characters are redeemable, save Petey. He’s the group’s whipping boy; the sad clown, the guy who only hangs out with the jerks he’s with because he can’t find better friends. Then we have the Rog, a sex fiend with the mouth of a pirate who seems to be entirely dead on the inside. The merry band is rounded out by Boobs. She has an actual name (Alyssa), but given her only real defining features and the only purpose she serves to the story, I’m going to keep calling her Boobs.

Chazz and Boobs start dating and, when they first talk, it seems like things are going great. They have a relationship. Or, at least, we’re meant to think they did. The only evidence we have is a single page of coupley photographs. I would have thought that a comic entirely focused upon a relationship would have taken its time to really show the audience that something was developing, but being force-fed it seems to be the tactic chosen here. Things fell apart pretty spectacularly, and it was almost nice to see it. By the time I hit forty or fifty pages in, I was thrilled to watch Chazz and Boobs become miserable.

I was almost cheering for a murder-suicide by the time I got to the end of the graphic novel. My heart yearned to watch Petey come to Chazz’s apartment for game night, only to find a hastily scrawled note and a pair of bloody corpses. Then I got to the ending, and it was the sort of ending that would have made M. Night Shyamalan throw popcorn at the screen and yell, “Are you kidding me?!” I won’t give the ending away here, but it was one of the cheapest cop-outs I’ve ever had the misfortune of living through.

Honestly, though, I think the thing that got to me the most was the editing. It was some of the sloppiest work I’ve ever seen done, with zero attention to detail or commitment to the art of writing. I’m going to take you on an imagination journey. You live in the twenty-first century and it’s your job to edit a comic. You see that a celebrity’s name has been used. What might you do in a situation like that? Maybe take thirty seconds to Google him and make sure that the name was spelled correctly? Or would you just trust that the author got it right. If you chose the second option, congratulations, you’re qualified to work on an indie comic. But to reach the lofty standards set by “Lost” editor Andrea Tyler, you’re going to have to go farther than that. You’re going to have to miss typos on words like “realtor.” You’re going to have to commit that ultimate sin of grammar: missing the wrong usage of “your.” That hit me like a slap in the face, seeing such an obvious mistake make it to publication.

Of course, given the choice between a slap in the face and rereading “Lost,” I’ll take the slap any day.

–

My intention with this writing is to expand on thoughts I have had in the past 24 hours following the end of my first viewing of The Avengers. Although I have been a superhero fan for most of my life, keeping up with the lore has been a more-recent endeavor. I’ve done my best to chronicle my expectations based both on the films and the lore of the comics historically. Admittedly, this is likely full of hypotheticals, mistakes, and a wide variety of other errors that do no justice to the points I wish to convey. Disney-Marvel is getting pretty serious about building these franchises, and assuming that The Avengers is as successful as it should be, their inhibitions should be entirely removed when it comes to producing these kinds of films.

- Brad Ysseldyke
May 4th, 2012

=====================================================================

If there is anything clear to be taken from the post-Avengers Marvel Universe, it is that, once again, we will be building to another Avengers film. As a monumental achievement in filmmaking, The Avengers has done the impossible. Joss Whedon has been able to take some of the largest characters and actors on the screen today and put them in a film where no single character really seems short-sold, or lacking attention. The scope of the film seems to be very large, but the focus of the story is very tight. Two years ago, when the project was first announced, I was one of many that believed that it couldn’t be done. Or if it was, it would not have been done properly. Instead, Whedon proved me, and many others wrong. We’re eating our shoes, and in the end, we should be very happy about it. And yet, questions remain… How do we build things from here? The advantage of the Internet today is that we get constant information on what projects are in development, and in an increasingly common fashion, we know release dates far ahead of time.

So, where do we leave off at the end of The Avengers?

(Editor’s Note: Spoilers for all current Marvel movies follow the jump -Mike)

• Thor leaves with the Tesseract, which has caused so many problems on Earth, along with Loki in shackles. Thor has promised that justice will be served in Asgard, and this will presumably lead into Thor 2
• We see Hawkeye and Black Widow leaving together, along with a lengthy discussion between Nick Fury and Maria Hill about the future of The Avengers. It has been rumored that a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie could happen, but with Agent Coulson “dead,” it is difficult to know whether or not it would work out. However there is a “secret project” underway at Marvel, and that very well could be it
• Captain America is seen leaving alone, on his Harley, venturing into a new world with a young woman very interested in him. It is well-known that Whedon shot a sequence where Cap meets “old” Peggy Carter, from the first film. It is also well known that Captain America 2 is meant to take place in present day, with occasional flashbacks to WWII. Whatever is coming next, it seems to indicate that Cap will be working on his own
• Bruce Banner leaves with Tony Stark, seeming to indicate that they are working together on… something… We later see Stark rebuilding Stark Tower, left with only an “A” hanging on the side. Is this indicative of Stark Tower becoming Avengers Tower after his own condescending remarks?

Now, at the end of the credits, we see the leader of the alien Chitauri speaking to another leader about how fighting humans is guaranteed death. That “other leader” turns to the screen and reveals a somewhat familiar face. His uniform has pegged him to be Thanos, a supremely evil alien that, in the comic world, has faced-off with Thor and the others quite a few times. My initial impression was that he was a Skrull, leading to a Skrull-Kree war on Earth that had been rumored for quite some time. Although the Skrull would have been awesome, having Thanos gives me some hope for some serious world-building as well, particularly when things are based on pieces previously seen in other films.

What do we know so far on what Marvel is working on?

• Iron Man 3 is due for Spring 2013
• Thor 2 for Summer 2013
• Captain America 2 for Spring 2014
• “Mystery Project” for 2014?
• Guardians of the Galaxy, in development
• Ant-Man in development
• S.H.I.E.L.D. on/off rumor
• Hulk television program in development, will Avengers success necessitate a film?

Now, for me, a very important thread begins to emerge with Thanos showing up at the end of The Avengers. A quick look through the wikipedia page shows us several things. First, that Thanos is a very bad guy. He’s gone toe-to-toe with Thor and Hulk quite a few times, and will likely be looking to mess things up extensively in the new film. However, there are some interesting pieces of information that also emerge in several of his storylines…

1. Thanos loves Death. Literally. In The First Thanos War, In order to impress Death, he attacks Earth looking for the Tesseract. Thing is, it’s already been done. The Tesseract is in the possession of the Asgardians, along with a multitude of other powerful cosmic weapons. Would this mean that Thanos would need to attack Asgard first, before attacking Earth? Would this be a primary storyline in Thor 2?

2. In The Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos has to collect the Infinity Gems in order to wield a weapon that allows him to dominate all life in the galaxy. If you look carefully in Thor, the Asgardians are in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet, likely leading to a specific tie-in for the next film. However, it seems difficult to tell if the Gems are placed within the Gauntlet.

3. In The Thanos Imperative, Thanos goes head-to-head with The Guardians of the Galaxy. Huh, another project that is in the works…

So, we’ve got tie-ins. Tie-ins everywhere. However, it seems much of this ties in with Thor, and no one else. Interesting, particularly when Thor was such a major catalyst for events in The Avengers. Will that be the only way to spur on the next film? It is difficult to speculate this far in advance, particularly when there is so much lore to still be dealt with. For now, let’s talk about the films themselves.

Iron Man 3 – 2013

This will be the first Iron Man film without Jon Favreau at the helm. It is difficult to ascertain as to whether or not we will be dealing with the general issues of alcoholism and the guilt associated with the use of his weapons, we will likely be seeing the aftermath of The Avengers play out in a way that happens not long after the close of the film. As of now, everyone is set to return from Iron Man 2, along with Ben Kingsley in an “unknown” role. Now, the simple fact of the matter is thus: We still have unresolved business from the first film.

One of the long-standing enemies of Iron Man has always been Mandarin. Of course, that’d be a little offensive, so he was substituted in a slightly different way by the use of the “Ten Rings,” the terrorist organization that attempted to capture and kill him at the beginning of Iron Man. The ten rings themselves are what gives Mandarin his powers to wield against Iron Man. Could the Ten Rings be lead by Kingsley? It seems most-likely. But how will this tie into the Marvel Universe at large? In terms of pure speculation, the literal “rings” (one of which can be seen being worn by Raza in Iron Man) may actually be the Infinity Gems that power the Infinity Gauntlet. Perhaps Thor would show up at the end of the film to question Mr. Stark on the whereabouts of the rings, an inform him that he has no idea about the power that they hold.

But…

There is a totally separate storyline that has been kicked around by the movie blogs. It goes on to suggest that Iron Man 3 will have more to do with the Extremis storyline that came out a few years ago. Once again we see the issues of the Super Soldier program emerge, where a government-funded program that genetically alters the body and mind of the patient to become an ultimate killing machine. After a rogue group of right-wing terrorists capture the Extremis sample and infect one of their own with it, he goes on a killing rampage. Iron Man intervenes, and is nearly killed himself. He then chooses to inject himself with an altered version of the serum, which allows Iron Man to directly interface with his suit, giving him superpowers (to some extent) of his own.

With that kind of storyline, it would seem reasonable to see the Ten Rings steal the Extremis samples to help create Mandarin, and attempt to take down Tony Stark. However, tying that into the universe seems more difficult. With a storyline like that, it would seem to maintain Stark’s relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D., and to some extent, might play into the issue of Agent Coulson being dead. After all, Clark Gregg has said that he is definitely in Iron Man 3, and give the major holes that are in The Avengers surrounding his death, there is a damn-good chance that he’s still alive. Could he have been put back together using Extremis? That seems a bit more unlikely than what I’d have liked to believe.

Thor 2 – 2013

Thor 2, it seems, would be a primary catalyst once again for the films. Although, with the film coming so early in such a large group, it is difficult to say that it would be able to set so many things in motion. Clearly we will be dealing with Thor returning to Asgard with the Tesseract and a captured Loki. Having Loki be the bad guy once again seems a bit unlikely, as he has had his shot in two films previously.

Instead, some kind of threat would need to appear to threaten the Infinity Gauntlet. For it to be Thanos outright seems to be a bit of a stretch, particularly when he would likely be the major threat for the next Avengers film. Previous suggestions have been laid out to state that Thor 2 would deal with more of the science-fiction aspects of his side of the universe. But what exactly does that mean? Further implications have been made that Thor 2 will explore more of the nine worlds, beyond Midgard/Earth and his relationship with Jane Foster. Still, the Bifrost Bridge remains broken. Loki has to pay for his actions. And somehow, Thor 2 needs to tie into the universe.

My assumption here is that Enchantress will now be the bad guy in the next Thor film. She will wiggle her way into the relationship between Thor, Loki and Odin in a way that allows her to steal the Infinity Gauntlet for Thanos. However, the gems are missing (tying Thor 2 to Iron Man 3). Thor will be traveling across worlds to chase her down, likely leading to a final confrontation on Midgard/Earth. But, can we make a bigger issue out of the conclusion of the film? Although we would possibly see Thor knocking on Stark’s door, how does he get involved with the rest of the team? My only assumption could be Thor warning Nick Fury that some kind of untold evil is coming for Earth, or, Fury asking Thor to remain on Earth to help protect them from unknown threats (a common thread throughout Avengers history).

Captain America 2 – 2014

So, we know that Steve Rogers is still having to deal with the fact that he missed 70 years of history while frozen at the bottom of the ocean. It was touched on at the end of Captain America, and near the beginning of The Avengers. We already know that Joss Whedon cut a scene where he interacts with “old” Peggy Carter, which would have done well to place him in our current time. So, what exactly would Cap be up to in our modern times?

Captain America references the poor state of affairs the country is in several times in The Avengers, and more likely than not, he would be attempting to deal with them. Part of the problem here is that we’re dealing with a Cap that was thawed after 9/11, after the Cold War, and after the majority of the issues we’ve had dealing with the Middle-East in the past decade or so. The wide variety of enemies he would have faced in the time between are quite vast, and given the events of the first film, we have to narrow them down to only a select few.

First, let’s think about the loose ends. The Red Skull is the kind of baddie that never really dies, and given that he is otherwise the Nazi version of the American super soldier, it seems likely that he would have survived the fall from the bomber. We already know that, based on the comics, he’s been revived quite a few times. The chances of him returning in the new film is probably about 50/50 because of one other character, Bucky Barnes. Those of us with knowledge of the comics know that Bucky survives, although, in a different capacity from the film. In the comics, he was on the bomber over the Atlantic, and was assumed killed for many years. However, the Soviets find his body, and turn him into their own super soldier – The Winter Soldier. With his “death” in the film, it is entirely plausible that he would have suffered the same fate.

So how do we get this kind of thing to work in Captain America 2? Well, I think we’d have to use Black Widow as a primary tool to drive the plot forward. We already know that she has a very checkered past, one that she wants to get rid of as best she can. As we saw in The Avengers, we know it is a very “bloody” past, as she and Loki discussed. Could she have been tied to former operations of The Winter Soldier and his activities as an assassin? In that sense, Black Widow would have to “go rogue,” and it would be up to Captain America and Hawkeye to stop her. It would certainly play into Cap dealing with changes in the modern world, the collapse of Communism, and the role of American ideals in a dramatically different world. But, I’m not entirely convinced that chasing a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent would merit an entire film, depending on her motivations.

The threats would have to be dramatically increased, and in that there is a single solution; The Red Skull. Assuming he survived the first film, he would have to be resurrected either by the Soviets (playing into comic lore), or be “found” by the last remnants of Hydra, perhaps under the direction of a rebuilt Arnim Zola (having surviving the destruction of the Hydra facility in the first film). This would have need to have happened after the events of The Avengers, in order to fly under the radar of  S.H.I.E.L.D., who are still rebuilding following the events of that film. However, Red Skull would need some kind of motivation, and the only that I could think of would be an attempt to reconstruct Hydra. But with the Tesseract gone, is that even possible? What other methods would he use?

This is the kind of storyline that completely eludes me. The Winter Soldier seems to be a most-likely appearance given what Joe Johnston wanted to do post-Captain America. It fits if we want to keep the Captain America films in more of an “adventure” vein compared to other superhero franchises, crisscrossing the world looking for Black Widow, trying to stop The Winter Soldier. But how this builds in the universe, that escapes me. It seems somewhat possible that it is simply assumed that Cap, no matter what, will be serving regardless of the situation that is faced.

“Mystery Project” – 2014

Well, this one could go in a wide variety of directions. As I noted above, there are a lot of projects being batted around, both historically and presently. Would a mystery project need to include characters we already have, or would it need to add another?

Marvel has previously expressed interest in doing a Doctor Strange film, expanding on the magical elements of the Marvel universe that we’ve already seen in Thor. Now, this could play quite well if someone like the Enchantress shows up in Thor 2, or if the magical elements of the Mandarin were used in Iron Man 3, but as a standalone film? I’m not sure if the average person would be all that interested in Doctor Strange.

So, could Ant-Man be the “Mystery Project?” It is a definite possibility. Edgar Wright apparently turned in his third draft of the script, the film having been in on/off development for the better part of four years. As a founding member of The Avengers in the comics, Ant-Man would be an interesting addition to the roster, and given his rivalry with Bruce Banner, it would certainly fit in with the current story if he is staying in the US to work with Stark or S.H.I.E.L.D. Assuming they go for an origin story, and include Wasp, it is a film that could easily stand on its own. But is this really all that much of a mystery?

For that matter, what of other Avengers? Perhaps the mystery is just that… A mystery.

S.H.I.E.L.D. – ???

If there is a franchise in wait, this is it. We’ve seen the backstories get filled in, slightly, for Black Widow and Hawkeye. If I have one complaint for The Avengers, it is the limited time we spend with Nick Fury and Maria Hill. For an action-adventure film, S.H.I.E.L.D. could definitely work.

Clearly, following The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. is in disarray. Although they helped saved the world under Fury’s direction, the threats against freedom have increased dramatically. It is fairly clear that The Council do not approve of Fury’s leadership, and they remain wary of The Avengers as group. How exactly can that play going forward?

Part of the problem is that Captain America 2 will likely have to play off S.H.I.E.L.D. quite a bit. If it were to use Hawkeye and Black Widow, that’s half of the crew. If it were only Maria Hill and Nick Fury, I have my doubts if it would be able to stand on its own. So, if we had all four together, what kind of things would need to go down in order to warrant a film? To me, there are two ways to do it:

1. A historical retrospective on the creation of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, this represents some problems. In the comics, Nick Fury was a member of the Howling Commandos, under the direction of Captain America. Now, in the films, we come to know that Fury’s father served with Cap, but what his actions were after being rescued from the Hydra facility is otherwise unknown. Historically speaking, we know that Howard Stark is a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D., but we do not know exactly how long the group has been operational. In Iron Man, Agent Coulson makes it seem as though the organization had not been around all that long at all.

In that sense, a historical film would need to dive into the history of Nick Fury, Hawkeye, and more importantly, Black Widow… Particularly if would play so heavily in Captain America 2. But to some extent, each would seem to cancel one another out. If the historical perspectives were to play into the film as a whole, perhaps, that would make more sense.

2. A modern threat to S.H.I.E.L.D. that can be solved without the intervention of Stark, Cap, or any of the other “powered” Avengers. Part of the problem here is that so much of the Marvel world is fractured with the ownership of other IPs by Fox and Sony that this may not happen all that easy either. The Skrulls will have to wait, unless a S.H.I.E.L.D. film would happen after a second Avengers. Doctor Doom is a no-go, same with any threat created by Norman Osbourne, or the X-Men getting out of line.

Playing off the Ten Rings from Iron Man would be a possibility, particularly if it came down to seeking the Infinity Gems to control the Infinity Gauntlet. In that kind of situation, action-adventure would be able to play through that would involve all four of the major S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives (Black Widow, Hawkeye, Maria Hill and Nick Fury) doing the dirty work to find the gems following some kind of showdown with Iron Man. They would be aware of the danger if Thor were able to show up and explain it. If the exploits of Captain America 2 had played out accordingly, with Black Widow not be disavowed, and possibly with Bucky joining S.H.I.E.L.D., that would work out better than I would have expected.

As a separate possibility, AIM would be an organization for S.H.I.E.L.D. to go up against that wouldn’t be entirely difficult to tackle in the films. Mid-way through The Avengers, Erik Selvig asks Hawkeye something along the lines of, “Where do you find the resources for all of this?” to which he replies, “There are some who will stand to oppose S.H.I.E.L.D.” Was that a casual acknowledgement that AIM does in fact exist in this version of the Marvel universe? AIM would certainly have a place with Hydra, they would definitely have an interest in toppling Stark Industries, and they most-certainly would have an interest in opposing S.H.I.E.L.D. in any way possible. Perhaps that would also be the best way to tie the film to another franchise.

The Incredible Hulk – ???

Not much is known about the Hulk outside of the fact that things are in motion to do another television miniseries. However, based on my own reactions, the reactions of people in the theater, and what I’ve been reading and watching online… The Hulk was the runaway success in this film. Mark Ruffalo plays a convincing Bruce Banner that is clearly struggling to keep himself at peace, and keep the Hulk buried deep inside of him. Beyond that, we can also see him portraying a version of Banner that is sufficiently brilliant, something we didn’t really see with the two previous Hulk films. If they were to do a television series, the likelihood of it having the production values, let alone to the budget to support Ruffalo continuing the role seems to be slim to none, and in my opinion, not an option worth pursuing.

So, what exactly would the Hulk be doing in a television program? Would it be taking place before or after the events of The Avengers? Or would it be something separate entirely?

In my opinion, Hulk deserves a new film. Everything was so pitch-perfect in The Avengers, I would be very disappointed if they decided not to do another one. Between his handling of Loki, the exchanges between him and Thor, and the apparent acknowledgement that Banner is fully in control of Hulk, there is a lot of room to go places. But, there is a problem. If the Hulk has basically been “neutralized” in that he is working with Stark or S.H.I.E.L.D., what kind of enemies would he be fighting? Is Tunderbolt Ross still looking for him? What about Betty Ross? Established characters like Juggernaut and Abomination are out, either being of separate IPs or already having been used in previous films.

Of the leaves left unturned in The Incredible Hulk, we still have to deal with Leader after Doctor Sterns was exposed to gamma radiation. Apparently he was captured by Black Window during the battle between Abomination and Hulk, but little is known as to what S.H.I.E.L.D. did with him following the events of the film. Would it be reasonable to think that he escaped and planned to harm those who had mutated and imprisoned him? He certainly would be able to play off the sensitivities of Thunderbolt Ross following the actions of Hulk destroying a significant portion of Manhattan while trying to protect it. It would certainly maintain the “chase” nature of Hulk stories, traditionally. But, that would imply that S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark would no longer be able to protect Banner, and to some extent, that seems far-fetched.

Now, if AIM were introduced as a significant threat in a S.H.I.E.L.D. film, it would seem reasonable that MODOK and AIM would seek out Banner and the Hulk in order to control and defeat them. This would be entirely dependent on a some other kind of setup, as for the most part, MODOK is quite the odd character. This one is a possibility, but to the actual extent with which it can work, I am completely uncertain.

Guardians of the Galaxy – 2015(?)

This is a franchise I know absolutely nothing about, and based on what I’ve read, people seem to be very surprised that Marvel would be considering this franchise in the first place. Understandably, based on what I’ve been able to find, Thanos is indeed a major villain in this end of the Marvel Universe. That would most-certainly tie into a second Avengers film based on the post-credits teaser. Building upon what we know Thanos is into, we can tie his story into Thor at the very least, and possibly Iron Man and others with appropriate writing.

As something that can introduce a villain, expand the universe, and do some kind of fan service… It may be a worthwhile endeavor. But, if this is a major motion picture, I wouldn’t be too quick to expect success.

Conclusions to be Made

It is fairly clear that, even with The Avengers, Marvel is sowing the seeds necessary to create a new film within the next four or five years. The great thing is that Disney appears to give a damn about creating a universe that is cohesive, and expanding. If there is anything negative to be said, The Avengers may have set a bar so high that it will be very difficult to top going forward.

If there is one thing we know, Thanos is coming. From there, it is all speculation based on the slow drip of news that we receive on the internet each day. Much of that direction will be based on Iron Man 3, however I am fairly certain that Thor 2 will be the primary building block toward the next Avengers film. In that sense, I would suggest the following timeline based solely on what we know:

• Iron Man 3 picks up shortly after The Avengers. He is challenged by the leader of the Ten Rings, expanding on some of the magical aspects of the universe as he uses what turn out to be some of the Infinity Gems. After being defeated, some of the gems are “lost.” Thor arrives to warn Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D., putting forward events for a possible S.H.I.E.L.D. film
• Thor 2 shows events in Asgard unfolding, the Tesseract returned and being used to repair the Bifrost Bridge, and Loki being punished. Enchantress becomes the primary antagonist, attempting to “free” Loki (to be punished by the Chitauri?), and steal the Infinity Gauntlet for Thanos, leading to some kind of chase through the nine worlds, ending on Midgard/Earth.
• Captain America 3 focuses on Steve Rogers adjusting to the modern world, and presumably addressing a plot twist that involves Bucky – aka The Winter Soldier, and near the end, Thanos begins his initial attack, again calling for the actions of The Avengers.

In my opinion, we deserve another Hulk. We deserve more time with Hawkeye and Black Widow, and we certainly need more time with Nick Fury and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. Adding additional Avengers would be great for fan service, but may not be necessary to drive the story forward. If Disney wished to maintain a more conservative route on the number of characters, I would certainly understand. But, the addition of Ant-Man, or perhaps Black Panther, would be greatly appreciated.

In the end, these are exciting times to be a comic-book fan, both in print and in film. Talented writers and directors are creating films that both fans and average people can enjoy, in addition to marvelous story arcs being put together that utilize the depth of the lore to the best of their ability. Of course, the majority of this is all speculation, and we won’t know much more until the San Diego Comic-Con in July. When that hits, I’ll do my best to keep up with things while in attendance this year.

Brad Ysseldyke
May 4th, 2012

The Avengers

First, because it doesn’t really matter what I say about it, you’re most likely going to see it regardless. This movie has had so much hype built for it, and the fan base is so huge that I’d imagine a vast majority of the populous is going to go see it no matter what the reviews say (although the generally positive response its gotten so far probably doesn’t hurt).

Secondly, this movie is huge. Its budget, its cast, its huge fan base. Everything about this movie blows every other “event film” out of the water. The Avengers has had itself built up in the way that Deathly Hollows Part 2 became the end of an era or the way that Revenge of the Sith was the last Star Wars film ever (until The Clone Wars came out in theaters). Its a massive movie that has had multiple films leading up to it and over the course of years built up a huge fan base that’s is dressing up, lining up, and celebrating its release as though it were a holiday. However, I would argue that it’s taken a step above and beyond what these others did because it’s not the end. Its the start.

And the third reason that The Avengers is so hard to review? Well… because there aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how good it is.

I’ve been burned before by hype. Just last year I had about ten people tell me that Drive was the best movie of the year. It got to the point that by the time I actually did get to go see it, I was expecting the film to be some sort of mutant offspring of Citizen Kane and The Shawshank Redemption. Now, the movie was good. Really good. But it still didn’t manage to live up to the rather lofty expectations that I had set for it.

It was because of experiences like these that I went into The Avengers with so much hesitancy. I found myself asking questions like: How is a movie like this going live up to the hype? Or how are they going to give each character the amount of respect that they deserve? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of a way in which the movie would manage to live up to all the expectations that were being set for it.

But it did. And not only that, it exceeded all of the expectations that I could have ever thought of.

Joss Whedon (pictured below) is the man who’s responsible for the movie’s success. He’s proven himself time and again as more than capable of handling an ensemble cast of characters so it’s natural that he was so easily able to make the leap from shows like Buffy and Firefly to a blockbuster like The Avengers.

So, let’s walk through how the movie came together under his guidance.

If you’ve seen the trailers then you’ll know that The Avengers follows the characters of previous Marvel movies as they team up to fight off Loki and his alien army. This is true. Aliens are invading. Loki is… kind of leading them. But the real heart of the movie isn’t about this fight. It’s about the formation of the Avengers themselves. This is how the movie manages to balance all the various characters properly. It focuses on them and their interactions more than the big conflict. The conflict itself is just the reason to bring all these characters into a room together. From there, the actors and their witty dialogue speak for themselves.

Speaking of the character, I’d like to spend a little bit of time on each of them.

First, we’ve got Tony Stark (aka Ironman) who started the modern age of Marvel movies. Robert Downey Jr. absolutely knocks his portrayal of the character out of the ballpark. After two dedicated Ironman movies, I thought that I would have seen all that RDJ had to give to the character. But instead, I got a whole new level of snarky billionaire playboy philanthropist that I would rather watch than either of the other two movies on  their own. And the scenes between Tony and Pepper? Absolute money.

The other character that blew me away was Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk). I loved Ed Nortan in The Incredible Hulk and thought that there was no way that Ruffalo would be able to beat him out. But now I can’t wait for the newly announced Hulk movie to come out in 2015. Many of my favorite scenes (of which there were many) were directly related to The Hulk and I could go on and on about them… but I think it would be better if you just went and saw it for yourself.

Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Hawkeye also got their time to shine in The Avengers, and all played a pretty large role in the movie’s “main plot” of “Help us, help us, the chitauri are coming.” (And on a side note, the fact that they are chitauri is a rather inconsequential fact. Loki (who in another side note, is completely out of his league on every front) just needed an army and they were the most convenient.) And finally, we have Cap and Thor, who while fantastic in their own rights, don’t quite live up to the Ironman and Hulk’s roles.

All-in-all, the character’s really make the movie. And while there are some plot holes, the movie does a fantastic job of filling them in to the point that they’re all rather minor. Stuff like Thor being able to travel to the Earth without the Bifrost are explained by Odin’s Black Arts. That kind of thing. The story was enjoyable and it was probably the most fun I’ve had at a movie theatre in a long time.

Also the fights were fantastic.

So go see The Avengers. Right now.

Like before, there are so many panels to see; panels that talk about the future of the comic book world. One such panel was Vertigo New Blood, where the writers and artists of new and old series came to talk about what’s coming next.

Panel Members:

• Will Dennis
• Scott Snyder
• Sean Murphy
• Brian Azzerello 
• Ryan Kelly 
• Bill Willingham

So, the way this is going to go is I will show you the sneak peaks and previews of the series in the order the panel went through them, including the author’s comments. Some may be long and some may not be so long depending on who was talking and how much they wanted to share. So, here we go.

Punk Rock Jesus

Writer/Artist: Sean Murphy (Release Date: July 11)

Punk Rock Jesus is  a limited miniseries coming out in early July. The story is about the first human clone, and it just so happens to be a clone of Jesus Christ. The clone is taken into a television made home, like The Truman Show, but he then figures it out and escapes from captivity… then starts a punk rock band. He is followed by his body guard, a former IRA agent and a roman Catholic who believes that the clone has a greater purpose. “I wanted to write a story that addresses my religious and political concerns that is fun but doesn’t disturb people too much,” said Murphy about the project. The six issue mini series comes out July 11, and is in black and white. However, the other writers and artists who have seen it described it as “stunningly beautiful.”

Fairest

Writer: Bill Willingham

Fairest will be the home of smaller stories from the Fables universe. Since Fables really focuses on big stories by the popular characters, Fairest follows the smaller characters that are still interesting. The latest arc follows Briar Rose, “[B]ut it seems more like the snow queen is taking it over”, said Willingham. After the current arc, and yes that was all they said about it, Willingham talked about the next two arcs. The Second arc follows Rapunzel being in Japan while the third arc, written by Sean E. Williams, will bring some of the Fairest characters to India and introduce Indian folklore. The overarching theme of the comic deals with who is the fairest in the all the land. Hence, the title.

The brilliant thing about Fairest is that it invites other writers to do story arcs and miniseries of their favorite characters to add onto the Fables universe, without doing any damage to the main book. Because, as Bill Willingham stated, “That’s mine. It sounds selfish but that’s how it is. It’s mine, mine, mine,” which brought several chuckles to the crowd and panel board.

The New Deadwardians

Writer: Dan Abnett

They described it as “The Walking Dead meets Downton Abbey.” The story follows a detective in England as he deals with a vampire burlesque/brothel. The first issue was released in March.

Saucer Country

Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist: Ryan Kelly

A story about a politician running for president. “It has aliens and politicians and naked people and all that good stuff,” said artist Ryan Kelly.

Voodoo Child

Writer: Selwyn Hinds

Supernatural book set in New Orleans. (At this point they weren’t really saying a lot about the comics other than, “They’re really good!”)

American Vampire

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque

Newest arc picks up right after issue 25. It takes place in the 1950′s, the attack on Henry forces Pearl to team up with Skinner in Hollywood. “It’s about coming home and returning to stuff mentioned in the first arc,” said Snyder about the newest arc. He also told us something artist Rafael Albuquerque said about the arc, “If we died after this arc I’d be okay because I think it’s our best arc.” Needless to say, if you aren’t already, pick up American Vampire.

Lord of Nightmares

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Dustin Nguyen

Focuses on the organization that hunts vampires in the American Vampire universe. Follows Felicia and Hobbes as they learn more about why things are the way they are with the vampires in their world.

Spaceman

Writer: Brian Azzarello

“I’m gonna use that word fun. Cuz we’re having it. I love working on this book.” And that’s about all was said about it.

Sweet Tooth

Writer/Artist: Jeff Lemire

These next issues (33 and on) will tell the story of the plague and why the world of Sweet Tooth is the way it is.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Writer: Denise Mina

A comic adaptation of the Swedish novel. The writer, Denise Mina, worked close with the editors of the novel and made this a very close and unique adaptation of the book. The Free Special Edition Preview comes out on Free Comic Book Day and the issues will be free even though they aren’t part of Free Comic Book Day.

Get Jiro

Writer: Joel Rose, Anthony Bourdain
Art: Langdon Foss

A new series co-written by Joel Rose and Anthony Bourdain, yes… Anthony Bourdain. The story follows a world were food is the last sense of culture and two factions of food who are having knife fights in the street. It’s Gourmet vs Organic in a knife fight for streets and the rightful way of food. “It’s Red Harvest in a Blade Runner setting…about food.”

Scalped

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: R.M. Guera

Issue 60, the final issue. All that was said was, “Thins aren’t gonna end the way you think it might.”

Collider

Writer: Simon Oliver
Artist: Robbi Rodriguez

“It’s like the A-Team with Quantum Physics.” The story follows a storm chaser like group but instead of chasing storms they chase quantum occurences. It’s fast paced action with fun art.

The Mars Volta was formed in 2001 by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala out of the ashes of their previous band At The Drive-In. Since then, The Mars Volta has gone onto critical and limited commercial success, though the band-members might not be the same from record to record. Ex-bandmates on some the previous albums have included Flea and John Frusciante of RHCP fame as well as a cadre of drummers which include Blake Fleming, Jon Theodore, Thomas Pridegen, and Dave Elitch, as well as a whole host of other guest artists attached to this project.

Despite the revolving door of band-members, two things have remained the same: Omar and Cedric and their unique sound–which at best can be described as progressive rock meets latin elements, concepts albums as epic as Pink Floyd, and on the new record some elements of electronic music. So let’s dive into Noctourniquet, the sixth album from The Mars Volta and see what their newest album sounds like.

1. The Whip Hand: 4 out of 5 stars. Right off the bat we’re introduced to the electric influence of the latest record. I kinda like it though, and I really enjoy all the sweeping guitar effects that pick up halfway through the song. The synths and vocal effects are a new dimension to the sound of this band and I’m glad to see them experimenting right away on the album and getting out of their comfort zone.  All in all, a solid opening track to this record.

2. Aegis: 4.5 out of 5 stars. I absolutely love the drums on the intro and throughout the rest of the song. All of the members seem to be on the same page on this track, and the song builds rather nicely from a nice quiet song to a high tempo rock jam. Everybody has a place on this track and fits in rather nicely.

3. Dyslexicon: 4 out of 5 stars. The Mars Volta gets back to their roots on this track and throw the kitchen sink on this track. Some nice guitar playing and effects by Omar and, as always, some nice drumming and percussion.

4. Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sound: 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really like this song a lot. It’s like a mini-record within the song. It tells a nice story just on a instrumental level. Cedric also delivers lyrically; more so on this song than a typical ‘Volta tune. I had trouble hearing him at times (either due to distortion effects or his speedy delivery) but it was nice to be able to ponder over his lyrics instead of straining to keep pace with him. It’s songs like this that will attract more mainstream listeners to The Mars Volta and I’m always a fan of artists working outside of their comfort zone. My only real complaint with this song is that it might be just a hair too long.

5. The Malkin Jewel: 5 out of 5 stars. This is a very good choice for a lead single. It’s classic of this band, but with some nice use of the electronic influences that showcase the new direction of  this album.

6. Lapochka: 5 0ut of 5 stars.  Another great track that captures the classic sound of TMV and also adds some cool turn-table, spacey sounds to the track. This song has a very Pink Floyd aesthetic to it and it sort of captures a mood and tone for the album.

7. In Absentia: 2 out of 5 stars.  This one misses the mark for me. I think that TMV had perhaps a little too much fun experimenting with everything. Instrumentally, it seems like a mess and lyrically, it’s impossible to decipher what is trying to be communicated. Each individual element isn’t bad per say, but just how all of them are mixed together just didn’t work for me.

8.  Imago: 4 out of 5 stars. This is a welcome change up from the last track. A slower tempo song where each element can stand up and support the track. It sorta sounds like Pink Floyd with some synths. It’s nice to see this band do a more traditional song for lack of a better word, and not just long protracted jam ideas going over 5 mintues. This track is a radio-friendly, under-4-minute track.

9. Molochwalker: 5 out of 5 stars. Classic Mars Volta here. Going more up-tempo and blending some hard rock/blues influenced guitar and experimentation all within 3 minutes. I would love to hear this track on the radio for sure!

10. Trinkets Pale of Moon: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Woah acoustic guitar what are you doing on a Mars Volta album? A nice little ballad shall I say. There is some interesting musical stuff going on. There’s some distorted conversation and acoustic guitar going on throughout the song. Then halfway through these electronic beats and chimes come in. It’s nothing special but not a bad song.

11. Vedamalady:  4.5 out of 5 stars. A very nice song that builds well. It starts out on an almost Nintendo’esq  8-bit intro. Then the drums come in beautifully halfway through. Cedric does an amazing job with the vocals of the track. They just sound amazing.

12. Noctourniquet: 4 out of 5 stars. Some interesting elements going on during this song. A lot of stuff to digest instrumentally, but unlike  Trinkets Pale of Moon this song is more focused and easier to listen to. A nice bass line toward the end is what takes the cake for me on this track.

13. Zed and Two Naughts: 3 out of 5 stars. I’m not sure if I would have ended the album on this track. It reminds me of an old school MV song but an average old school one at best. I don’t know I’m not that blown away by this track.

Final Thoughts:  All in all, this a very nice album from The Mars Volta. They stay true to their unique roots, but weren’t shackled by them. They still had the courage to experiment in other sounds and genre that they hadn’t experimented with on previous albums. The album is so rich musically that you have to listen to it over and over again to pick up on all the different elements of each song. Even still, when I go back and listen to it I find new elements that I hadn’t heard before. This album should please most Mars Volta fans and for music listeners who haven’t listened to them before, I think they will enjoy it as well. Noctourniquet has an accessibility factor that I think other albums by The Mars Volta didn’t have. If you’re interested in checking out the this band, I would suggest you check out this album.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Songs I’d Recommend You to Download: The Whip Hand, Aegis, The Empty Vessels Make The Loudest Sound, The Malkin Jewel,  Lapochka, Molochwalker, and Vedamalady

“The Malkin Jewel” Video

If you’ve ever walked the hallowed halls of a venue before coming into the main room of a comic con, you’re bound to feel some anticipation. What pop culture has taught us is that there are two types of people who frequent cons: attractive girls in costumes and unshowered nerds. It’s also taught us that you might see really famous actors; well-known artists/writers; Batman.

The only thing it doesn’t lend us is what we’ll actually do while we’re there. You’ve read the fliers and checked out the website…sure, looks like some cool exhibits and different displays to check out. But what do I do during the time it’s open? And do I stay the entire time?

I went to MY first comic-con this month…and, subsequently, it was Lexington’s, as well. Two first-timers met that day: myself and Lex-con.

Neither of us were disappointed at the end of the day.

So, two things before I launch into my tale. A) I decided to cosplay.

Taken by comic artist Scott D M Simmons

B) I’m glad I did. Besides the fact that a lot more people were open to speaking to me as Roxie Richter, I didn’t leave at the end of the day feeling as though I’d spent it in a sauna. For future reference: these things get HOT. My shorts and tights ended up keeping me nice ‘n cool…as opposed to the large population of people walking around with their hoodies over their arms/tied around their waists.

  Walking into Heritage Hall, the first thing I noticed was just how packed it was. This was Lexington’s trial-run, of sorts–could they bring in enough people from local areas (or perhaps even beyond) to warrant doing it again?–but they completely surpassed any and all expectations.

Reportedly, over four thousand people showed up to the event…and that’s not even including the exhibitors.

But I was working for DestroyTheCyb.org!, so I wanted to stay professional. I knew they were having a Power Rangers reunion of sorts…and I wanted to relive my childhood get an interview. So I made my way to the back of the hall, and lo and behold…

Be still, the 8-year-old version of my heart.

It was Jason David Frank…TOMMY! Right next to Catherine Sutherland, who was near Nakia Burrise! Green/white, pink AND yellow Power Rangers, all there to take pictures and sign autographs!

…for a price.

What! I hadn’t planned on spending money to meet my childhood heroes! I looked among them, pleading with my eyes to let me through to the front of the line and, for no cost, into their hearts.

No dice.

I walked on, passing another table and noticing the long line in front of it. Then I saw the men behind it.

Bulk and Skull. Bulk and Skull were there. And they weren’t charging. Roxie Richter did a happy dance.

So I waited in line. 10 minutes pass. My friend and I somehow started talking to a teenager who’d begun writing a fanfiction based around Digimon and Power Rangers. 20 minutes. Someone asked if I was a character from Sucker Punch…I cried inwardly. Finally, 30 minutes had passed and there was Jason Narvy, signing autographs and taking pictures. I walk up to him.

Me: “Mind if I get an interview with you for the website I work for?”

Jason: “Totally. But I want to make sure I get to the other fans as well, so not too long, okay?”* (What a guy.)

Boom. Done. What next?

Winner of 'Best Costume'.

Checking out the different tables became the next task, but no one in a costume walked for too long before a photo opp turned up. I was among the costumed, so I was asked a few times. There were others, though, and camera lenses searched them out FAR more than me…my own included.

But…what was this? It wasn’t JUST females that were cosplaying! And the people taking pictures WEREN’T just nerdy guys in hoodies! In fact, everyone there was pretty normal.

Pop culture had failed me again.

Wandering around, I found myself face-to-face with quite a few notable–though previously unknown–people. I interviewed Dean Lorey, one of the writers of Arrested Development, before finding myself speaking with The Ghosts of Pineville webcomic artist/writer Sara Turner.

Whoa. I knew that webcomic artists went to conventions (enough of them talk about it on Twitter to know that they do)…but to see their media go from the computer screen to my hand was magical.

At that point, I decided to be a little less self-indulgent and begin doing a little more…ooh. Is that THE DeLorean?

Rene here from DestroyTheCyb.org! coming at you live from McCormick Place here in Chicago, IL at C2E2!

As you can probably imagine there’s lots of fun stuff to see here at the con but for those of you who aren’t here, we at the Destroythecyb still wanna let you inonthe juicy secrets wereigin ding out at the panels.

For example, Marvel’s Television panel which showed the best and latest news ocurrent and upcoming cartoons on Disney XD.

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures for you. The stuff we saw was so top secret they checked electronics at the door and threatened to have security escort you out if caught filming. Yikes. But I still have plenty of juicy stuff for ya.

Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel Television Productions, was there togreet everyone and give us a few sneak peeks of what’s to come in the next few months for Marvel. This included a look at new projects like Marvel Mashup, which is using old footage from classic Marvel shows(like Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends) while having new comedic voiceovers. They are not rereleased episodes but cut up comedic shorts written by a variety of writers (one beinfront of the writers of Space Ghost?)

Loeb also showed a sneak peak of a new Marvel Cartoon, to be released in 2013, as well as a one minute animation clip. The new show is none other than Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.

I know. It sounds awesome.

Pall we know is that it follows Hulk and his team of powere house crazies taking on monsters. The team includes She-Hulk, Red Hulk, A-Bomb, and Skaar. It’s gonna be good.

We also saw the ninth  episode of the new Disney XD show Ultimate Spider-Man where a very familiar face, and claws, appeared.The third episode of season two of The Mighty Avengers was shown. Where hints of a skrull invasion were shown as well as rhe appearance of Surutr. Let’s just say Marvel is going to be sweet this year in the television section.

Cast

Kristen Connolly – Dana Polk
Chris Hemsworth – Curt Vaughan
Anna Hutchison – Jules Louden
Fran Kranz – Marty Mikalski
Jesse Williams – Holden McCrea
Richard Jenkins – Steve Hadley
Bradley Whitford – Richard Sitterson
Amy Acker – Wendy Lin

Directed by Drew Goddard

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity.

Review

Before I begin my review for this film, I want to say that this review will be as spoiler-free as possible. Due to this, some sections of my review may seem vague. While it may be confusing, it is beneficial to you if you plan on seeing the film.

In 2009, Cabin in the Woods began filming. C0-written by nerd god Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (Hot off writing the hit found-footage film Cloverfield), the film was intended to take a long, hard look at the horror genre, much like the Scream franchise. Filming wrapped in early 2009 and was planned for a October release. Then it was delayed to early 2010 (look at the release date on the poster I chose for the review) to be converted into 3D, which thankfully never happened. But then it was delayed until January 2011. Then indefinitely.

Are you beginning to see a pattern?

Usually, when a film is delayed for any considerable period of time, it means one thing: The movie is unbearably terrible and the studio is trying to bury for as long as they can. However in this case, there were more issues than content as the film was being made by MGM, which was going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the time. After being in film limbo for three long years, the horror-film-connoisseurs at LionsGate purchased it and now Cabin in the Woods has been unleashed to the movie-going public.

Assembling a team full of previous Whedon collaborators and a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth, most of the characters are memorable in their own ways. Unfortunately, the most disappointing character is Williams’ Holden who, while having a few brilliant moments early on, is absolutely forgettable as the film progresses. He just is not very interesting and probably could have been cut if it were any other film. On the other hand, the standout of the film is Mikalski’s dopey stoner Marty. He is seemingly the only character who has a handle on what is actually going on throughout the film and attempts to fight it in the most passive of means, and as a result is one of the highlights of the film. In a humorous twist, Marty even resembles another famous “stoner” from mystery/horror entertainment history, making his character that much greater.

Admittedly, Hemsworth and Hutchison aren’t given much to do but they still perform admirably. Hemsworth thrives in his overly macho role and even manages to give one of the more humorous scenes in the film. Meanwhile, Hutchison actually manages to give a good performance despite having one of the most one-dimensional characters in the film. She shows a gradual change from who she is at the beginning to what she becomes at the titular cabin. Finally, Connolly’s Dana brings the quirky charm and lovable face to the bloodbath, and she plays the damsel in distress well, and is definitely one of the most likable characters throughout.

As is obvious to see from the TV spots and trailers for the film, it is not a conventional entry into the horror genre. While there are the cliches and troupes we all know and hate, their existence in this world that Whedon and Goddard have created is intentional. In fact, the film goes as far as to explain why all horror films follow the same tired formula again and again. Not content with just critiquing the lackluster American horror films, the film even goes after other countries’ attempts that have affected America’s films, most notably Japan.  As a result, a majority of the film’s first two-thirds are fairly standard horror fair, with mutilations, nudity and those god-awful jump scares that have long past worn out their welcome.

Despite this predictability, it absolutely works. The film wants us to know what is going to happen next because it is all part of the plan and it relishes in it. At some points the film practically turns and gives a shit-eating grin to the audience, and this is one of the its greatest strengths. While the Scream franchise is almost self-referential to the point of irritation, Cabin in the Woods allows the clichés to critique themselves, only occasionally letting our protagonists realize the absurdness of the situation and their actions. Even then the characters still manage to fall into the pitfalls of the genre, sometimes by their own decisions but more often than not from some overt manipulation–a little more on than later. What is important to realize is that the film succeeds in getting its point across, and does so by almost flawlessly exploiting its own weaknesses.

While all of what I have mentioned above is all well and good, it’s the third act of this film that launches it to be a must-see. Throughout the film, we are given glances that everything, beyond the obvious grotesque violence and terror, is not quite what it seems. Then in the final blood-soaked thirty minutes of the film, all hell breaks loose and Cabin in the Woods becomes something absolutely magical. During this chaos we see the full scope of why the events of the film occur and it even manages to make a few nods to other great horror films in the process. It is the perfect payoff for everything that happened in the first two acts and the film’s climax has several big twists at the end, making for one of the most explosive endings to a horror film in an extremely long time.

Bottom Line

While it may have taken forever to come out, it is clear that Cabin in the Woods was not held up due to quality. The cast is great, the direction is fantastic and the story is the perfect combination of terror, humor and suspense that you would be doing yourself a disservice not seeing it. Goddard and Whedon have created something fantastic with this film, and it is definitely one of the best films of this still-young year, if not the best. While I am sure most of this review made little sense, all I can say is go see Cabin in the Woods. It was worth the wait, and it is worth every penny you will pay.

The Cabin in the Woods Theatrical Trailer

Mumford & Sons was a band that I had always heard about from friends and they’ve told me you have to listen to them, but for whatever reason I had never gotten the chance to sit down and listen to them. That changed recently thanks to the powers of Spotify. I was finally able to get a chance to listen to their album Sigh No More and let me tell you, I’m more than just a little impressed with this album.

1. Sigh No More: 4 out of 5 stars. A great opening track that starts off slow and builds real nicely. The vocals on this track is a preview of what’s to  come

2. The Cave: 5 out of 5 stars. The lyrics might be a tad bit morbid and overdramatic, but everything else on this track more than makes up for it. I love the folk rock feel of this track and once again the lead singer is doing an awesome job. There’s so much pain in his voice that cuts deep into your bones.

3. Winter Winds: 4.5 out of 5 stars. The banjo and strings do some of the heavy lifting on this track and are a nice change of pace from the opening two tracks. This song has a very Southern folk kind of charm to it, minus the Southern accent and then horns come up in the last-minute to finish the song off.

4. Roll Away Your Stone: 5 out of 5 stars. A slow intro that builds into a nice mid tempo ballad with great acoustic guitar licks

5. White Blank Page: 4 out of 5 stars. Once again, the lead singer’s vocals are off the chart. It almost felt like he was letting his other band-members take a bit of a break and said “Hey guys I got this. Just play a little bit here and there and we’ll have a song.”

6. I Gave You All: 5 out of 5 stars. The lyrics and the sad melody ooze raw emotion here. In this case, the emotions are raw pain and sadness. This song is so powerful that to give it anything less than a five would be an insult to true power of this song.

7. Little Lion Man:  5 out of 5 stars.  After all the depressing sounding songs, it’s great to get a track that is a bit more uptempo and more upbeat lyrically (well compared to the rest of the other songs). This is definitely a nice change of pace that gets me out the doldrums that was the previous track.

8. Timshel: 4 out of 5 stars. A slow acoustic track that mellows you out after the upbeat “Little Lion Man.” I love the lyric “You’re not alone in this,”  as one brother is comforting the other about his new-found fatherhood.

9. Thistle & Weeds: 3 out of 5 stars.  This song is like the only one that I really wasn’t feeling. It started off slow and built up a bit. However, for me, it didn’t build up enough for me musically or lyrically compared to the other ones. A good track however against the other ones not nearly as good.

10. Awake My Soul: 5 out of 5 stars. A great mid-tempo track that builds rather nicely and just sounds excellent. My only complaint with this one is that I wish this song had been the closer on this album and not the next two. I mean no offense to the other two songs, but it’s just so good that I felt it was the natural closing point for the album.

11. Dust Bowl Dance: 4.5 out of 5 stars. This song is a bit different from the rest of the album. The piano and electric guitar make the entire song feel a bit more blues influenced than the more acoustic/folk sound of the rest of the album. I really like it along with how it was recorded. The acoustics/reverb on the track make it sound like the band is performing live in a local pub. It creates a very interesting vibe  and I really like it.

12. After The Storm: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Lyrically a good song but musically, I didn’t find it all that spectacular. Like I said earlier, I feel “Awake My Soul” should have been the ending track on this album which could be why I wasn’t feeling this song as much. It just feels like an okay ending to a great book.

Final Thoughts: This is one of the better albums I’ve listened to in a long time. Top to bottom there isn’t a weak track in the bunch just ones slightly less awesome than some of the other ones. It’s a joy to listen to all the way through and is diverse enough musically to keep my attention. The lyrics,vocals, and instrumentals are in perfect harmony and form a perfect storm of an album for me. I can’t recommend this album enough! Please go out there and pay a few bucks to get this great album!

Final Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Songs I’d Recommend You To Buy: I’ll save to the trouble of listing them all and just recommend you shell out the money and buy this amazing album!

The Cave Music Video

Okay, okay…that’s not descriptive enough. YOU probably know him better as ‘Skull’ from the Power Rangers series. (Unless, of course, you’re in one of his classes at the Concordia University of Chicago, where you’d know him better as your professor.)

And let us tell  you…he STILL has that laugh down.

He and Paul Schrier (AKA ‘Bulk’, who also attended the con) were the two longest-appearing characters in the show, from the original Mighty Morphin days to their adventures In Space. We talked to Dr. Narvy (oh yeah, he has a PhD) about the old days, his transition into teaching, and why you have to dedicate yourself to your passions.

DestroyTheCyb.org: How was the transition from being an actor on such a popular kids’ show to being a professor?

Jason Narvy: Heck of a change, I’ll tell you that. It’s interesting, because the students are basically people that grew up watching the show–and being that I teach theater and acting, it makes my job easier. So that part’s the easy transition. The academic part’s a little bit more difficult.

DTC: Do you have to explain yourself at the beginning of every semester–let the people know that that was then, this is now?

JN: No! I never explain myself. If they know me, great. If they don’t, great. They’ll figure it out, because they’ll come to class one day and everyone will be looking at me with their mouth agape. (Laughs) But! What you DO have to do is explain the difference between comedy and drama. And, really, what you kind of teach is that it seems to manifest itself differently…but they’re not that separate in terms of how you approach it.

DTC: So how did you get your teaching position?

JN: I went back [to school] and got my Master’s and then my PhD…and then I searched for a job. And yeah, academia is MUCH harder than acting. (Laughs) It REALLY is much more brutal.

DTC: So, obviously, you’re a fan of people going to school for acting?

JN: I think you need to dedicate yourself to your craft–you have to indoctrinate yourself into what it is that you’re doing. You can’t just say, “I have a talent!” and not do anything with it. You need to hone your skills! [For instance, acting] is a brutal industry…thousands and thousands of people out there want to do it. You need to give yourself a fighting chance. You need to know what your identity is as an actor. And you need to know how to expand yourself, so that you have a lifetime vocation and not just a whim of fancy that burns out by your late 20s.

DTC: When you started acting, did you EVER imagine this is where you’d end up?

JN: No! No. Not in a MILLION years. I mean…we thought we had 6 months of work [in Power Rangers]. And when I started acting, I figured I would struggle until I was about 30 and then maybe get some traction and go. I didn’t expect that in my first year out of high school…that I would have to drop out of acting school just to keep up with my actual acting hours.

DTC: So are you happy with where you are, then?

JN: Absolutely! I love it. I love mentoring young people, and I love being in an intellectual environment.

Why?

Well, you know that show Arrested Development? He helped write it!

(And, if we’re going to be realistic, if you’ve never even mentioned the series before…you probably live under a rock.)

 Unfortunately, the only picture we could get of him was with me. Whoops.

 DestroyTheCyb.org got a chance to talk to Lorey at the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention…about becoming a writer, being disposable, and Arrested Development episodes still to come.

DestroyTheCyb.org: You’ve helped with scriptwriting on a lot of these projects [Major Payne, My Wife and Kids, Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday]. How did you get started?

Dean Lorey: Well, I always loved to write. And I went to college for scriptwriting–I went to NYU. So I had written a bunch of screenplays when I was in college and one of them was called “Johnny Zombie” at the time. That sort of made its way around, and ultimately got into the hands of Sean Cunningham (producer, director of Friday the 13th). Sean wanted to make it, and it did ultimately get made through Disney. It was called My Boyfriend’s Back–they’d changed the title. That’s how I got my start.

DTC: So [to get started as a scriptwriter] is it just knowing the right people, or sending your stuff in?

DL: I think the best way to do it is to just write a lot of material and get it into as many hands as you can. Again, with “Johnny Zombie”, I just gave it to a friend of mine, Adam Marcus, and he happened to be best friends with this kid Mull Cunningham (son of Sean Cunningham). I didn’t give to Adam in the hopes that that would happen…he was just one of many people that I gave my material to. And that’s how it happens for most people. The hope is that somehow there’s a connection made with one of those things and it moves forward. Virtually everyone I know started their career through some sort of fluke like that one.

DTC: So when you wrote–or helped to write–all of these projects, did you visit the sets?

DL: Sure. For the TV series’, I was one of the producers on all of them, so I was on set constantly for all of those. For the movies, less so…as a screenwriter in movies, you’re a little bit more disposable.

DTC: Okay, let’s talk Arrested Development…what’s coming up?

DL: Well, we’re doing ten new episodes for Netflix. So we’re in the process of writing them right now.

DTC: How’s that going?

DL: It’s good. It’s just as difficult as it always is–it’s a hard show to write. It’s just an endless accumulation of what we HOPE are good ideas. It’s going well…we’re excited to do it–it’s hard to believe it’s got a new life. But we have an opportunity to do it, so we’re doing it.

DTC: Were you surprised to get the call to start writing for it again?

DL: Yeah! I didn’t know there was going to be a future to it–we finished the series [in 2006]. We always wished we could revisit it, but we figured we’d never get the opportunity.

DTC: So how do you think the fans will enjoy the new Netflix series?

DL: I think they’ll love it. We’ve really been writing it with the fans in mind. We know how they enjoyed previous seasons, and the expectations they have about the way we do comedy in the show…we’re trying to go even a step past that. Trying to figure out ways to keep it fresh. But we’re still in the middle of writing it–we’re not even shooting yet.

DTC: Is there any one part of Arrested Development you’re proud to have helped come up with?

DL: It’s such a collaborative process because there’s so many writers that are contributing to it…but yeah, you do have little pet jokes and things that you love. One that I wrote that I always loved–and it’s almost hard to pitch because it’s so visual–was an episode where G.O.B.  is with his son (but doesn’t know it’s his son) at this father-son reunion ["The Cabin Show", season 3]. There’s a statue there at the organization of a little kid holding the hand of a man, and you only see a little bit of the man’s arm…you know, just enough to suggest that there’s a man there. And that was ALL a setup for G.O.B. saying, “I kind of feel like that kid who found the severed hand.” I was proud of that.

The Arrested Development mini-series is slated to begin in 2013.

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence – Katniss Everdeen
Josh Hutcherson – Peeta Mellark
Liam Hemsworth – Gale Hawthorne
Willow Shields – Primrose Everdeen
Wes Bentley – Seneca Crane
Elizabeth Banks – Effie Trinket
Lenny Kravitz – Cinna
Woody Harrelson – Haymitch Abernathy
Stanley Tucci - Casear Flickerman
Donald Sutherland – President Snow

Directed by Gary Ross

Rated PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images – all involving teens

Review

This year’s most anticipated movie not named The Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers has arrived. Based on the hit series of young adult novels, The Hunger Games is attempting to make the squeal-ly, easily amused tweens forget all about that other franchise based on a best-selling young adult franchise (but no too much, as distributor Lionsgate is now getting some of the Twilight pie). Featuring a talented cast, a dark subject matter and all the hype that goes along with this kind of adaptation, The Hunger Games is poised to take the world by storm. But is it actually deserving, or is it just another series trying desperately to take center stage outside of Harry Potter and Twilight‘s large shadows?

Before going any farther I will admit that I have never picked up any of Suzanne Collins‘ Hunger Games novels. My reasoning is that it is unfair to compare books to their film adaptations, there will always be something lost in translation, and it is a disservice to the filmmakers if I went in constantly judging their work on the source material. So need to say, I went into this film not particularly knowing what to expect beyond what I gleamed from the trailers: A dystopian future where every year Battle Royale occurred. What I got was… a film about a dystopian future where every year Battle Royale occurred. And it was run by a race of Dr. Seuss characters.

This brings me straight to the problem I had with The Hunger Games: Nothing particularly stood out to me as an original idea. For every trick, theme and piece of technical wizardry they attempted to pull off, I was able to think of at least one film that did the same thing, and did it better. Due to this, it was difficult for me to get excited about anything that occurred within the Thunder Dome that the children of Districts One through Twelve were forced into. In turn, I did not entirely care what happened to any of them.

But even that does not seem to matter to director Gary Ross, as he never bothers letting the audience to know any of the combatants, which is strange to me since we spent at least twenty minutes stuck at watching all of them train before the games. In the span of time, we basically learn three things about the children: 1) Districts One and Two are the pompous rich kids, 2) District Twelve are the scrappy underdogs and 3) Every other District is pure cannon fodder. As an audience member, it made me completely detached from everyone, including the leads who, while not as boring as Bella Swan or Edward Cullen, just aren’t that engaging.

While it is understandable that the filmmakers have to condense a lot of information into a short window of time, they wasted a lot of time building up nothing. This leads up to yet another problem with the film: It drags. There is so much time dedicated to trivial items such as the training and Katniss hiding in a tree that the plot just slugs along. We get that Katniss and Peeta are the good guys. Is it so hard just to have a quick three minute montage of them training with a few shots of the District One and Two stooges laughing condescendingly at them every now and then?  I feel as if this film wanted to be an edge of your seat thriller with strong social and political undertones, but the way they paced it made it feel like it was more Syriana than The Bourne Supremacy.

However, I think the technical process of the film is more maddening than anything else about the film, as Director of Photography Tom Stern should just stick to Clint Eastwood films. He tries so desperately to imitate the frenetic camera work of Paul Greengrass‘ films that he goes completely overboard. About five minutes in, when the camera was acting like there was an earthquake during a shot were a child was simply lying in bed, I had more than enough. But even when we get to a place where frantic, shaky camera would work, the editing makes it indecipherable. So during the intense sequences where we are supposed to experience the horrors of the Hunger Games, all we see is blurs vomiting CG blood for two seconds before moving on to the next blur then to Katniss staring, dumbfounded. The reason behind the cuts is painfully obvious: In order to keep a PG-13, they needed to show as little child bloodshed as possible. But isn’t that the point of the film, to show these horrors so that we understand how cruel the Capitol is? Whatever their intentions, the action turns out being a complete mess that further took me out of the experience.

Despite all these flaws, there is still something to like about the film: The supporting cast. Katniss and Peeta’s support team, played by Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson and Lenny Kravitz (yes…that Lenny Kravitz). They feature some of the most development out of any characters in the film, as my perception of both Banks and Harrelson was completely different by the end of the film. They seem cold and/or menacing at the beginning of the film, particularly Harrelson’s Haymitch, but midway through he warms up and becomes one of the more interesting characters. But the most surprising out of the three is Kravitz who, while only having a small role, actually has some acting ability and some pleasant screen charisma. Additionally, the fantastically bearded Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane, the game’s Dungeon Master if you will, is also one of the more interesting characters to watch, as he struggles with the hand he plays in the game as it goes on. At times, this ensemble of skilled actors is more interesting and fun to watch than what the film is actually about, and part of me wished there was more of them throughout.

Finally, some of the evil conspiracy materials hinted at by President Snow, played by the scruffy and menacing Donald Sutherland, was able to grab my attention. The filmmakers were effective in teasing the audience into wondering why the games were necessary, and made me want to know if there was more to them than just punishing the districts for past transgressions. Sadly, these moments are not as frequent as they should be, and it left me wishing for less time watching the games and watching more of the politics that go on outside the dome. They were by far more exciting because of those outside characters having more development than our primary protagonists and antagonists.

Bottom Line

The Hunger Games is not a bad film. While it falls flat at being a bold and thrilling look at a dark future, it still has some likable qualities. The end’s tease of the repercussions from the game, while not enough to redeem the film entirely, at least gives hope for a more exciting sequel. And it’s the combination of great performances of the supporting cast, the terrible cinematography and editing, and poor character development that make this film simply okay. The franchise still has two more books to go through, so growth and development may be in the cards in the future. For now, The Hunger Games is merely an okay first step in what may be an exciting trilogy.  Fans of the books will find things to like about the film, but those going in cold may be a bit more turned off than engaged.

The Hunger Games Theatrical Trailer #2

We're Just Kids Album Cover

His most famous songs are parodies/covers of Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and even Rihanna songs. Besides doing parodies and covers he also creates original songs, both pop and pop-punk alike (and the occasional hip-hop/rap.) Days is also currently touring with other YouTube musicians on the 2012 Digitour.

On January 7, Dave Days posted a video on YouTube saying that after his last EP,(Dinner and a Movie) and his 100th video (Never Gonna Stop) he had decided to return to his roots and create a new EP that was pop-punk based. The new EP, We’re Just Kids, was released on March 7.

Unlike Dinner and a Movie, which had a pop feel, We’re Just Kids truly brings out the sound of Dave Days’ earliest pop-punk music. The new EP truly shows how much Dave Days has grown, both in maturity and musical talent. It’s no lie that Dave Days is able to play a multitude of genres as well as instruments, but this EP truly shows where his heart lies in both the music and the lyrics.

The first track on the EP, Alive and Ready to Die, starts off with a steady guitar rhythm and kicks into the first verse with the drums and bass in classic pop-punk fashion. The breaks before the chorus bring back the familiar sounds we’ve heard from bands like New Found Glory, All Time Low, and even Blink-182(slightly.) But Days does a great job at adding his own style to the genre and making it feel nostalgic and new at the same time. The lyrics of the song show Dave’s maturity in his song writing. The song expresses going out and having fun, causing havoc, and just living which gives off an overwhelming sensation of bliss which makes everything feel settled. In the sense that if everything ended right now…it’d be okay.

The second track, We’re Just Kids, is the title track of the EP and is the second single Days released on YouTube. We’re Just Kids is the perfect recipe for a teenage anthem for today’s youth. It starts off with a slow piano intro and Day’s softly singing the chorus and then kicks off into rock part of the song. It’s a song you just want to get up and rock to. And quite possibly the most amazing thing about this song is that after the bridge of the song it slows down once again to have a choir-ish version of the chorus. Why is that cool you ask? Well because the choir are real Dave Days fans. On Feb. 11, Days posted a video asking for help from his hands to send in recordings of them singing along to the chorus of the song. He stated that their voices would be in the song as part of the choir…and knowing that those are the voices of people sharing the dreams and hopes of the artist is a powerful thing. The songs bridge and chorus also express the depth of Days growth not only with it being his first song where he curses but also the subtle messages behind every word.

Screencap from We're Just Kids Music Video

The third track is a sort of small break in the EP and is kind of a funny song. My Dad’s Bigger Than Your Dad only about 36 seconds but it has a fun guitar and a quick pace. It has that sort of childish mentality that kids use their dads as threats and it’s just a very fun song.

The next song, First Kiss, was the first single from the EP to be released. The video starred Dave and his old friend Chris who used to be in all his older videos. Days left from his home a few years back to move out to LA to further his career both as a musician and as a YouTube persona. It was cool to see Dave and Chris reunited and  they even brought back a few memorable things long time Dave Days fans surely appreciated. The song itself is incredibly catchy and has a great pop-punk feel with strong guitars and a quick drum part. The song also keeps the theme of We’re Just Kids in being young and alive, obviously going with the experience of a first kiss. Days has always talked about love and romance in his songs but this time it was portrayed in a different light. The song takes place during the moment and the feelings you have before, during, and after a first kiss. It does a great job at keeping the emotions real and even though it’s a romantic song it rocks hard enough to sing aloud in public.

The final track on the EP is Don’t Let Go which starts off with a killer bass solo that then picks up the drums and leads into the first verse. The layers continue to add with the guitars right before the chorus and kicks right into a great rhythm that has the feel of a younger All Time Low. The song is very catchy and has a great rhythm, it’s not too rocky but it’s not to slow, the perfect combo for a groove song.

We’re Just Kids was actually the first piece of music this year that I couldn’t wait to listen to. I am a Dave Days fan and I absolutely love it when he makes pop-punk stuff cuz that’s my candy and I just eat it up like crazy. I loved listening to this EP and have literally not been able to stop listening to it since I bought it. My only complaint with it is that it’s too short. By the time Don’t Let Go is over I feel like I had just started the cd a minute earlier. Which really only makes me want to listen to it more, which is a good move by Dave Days but now I just want more. Someone sign this kid to a label and make him record a whole album, I mean seriously.

Dave Days Playing Live at Digitour

We’re Just Kids is great proof that pop-punk rock isn’t dead and that kids today still have the same problems and the same spirit that we did when we were younger. It’s a great EP both musically and lyrically and I can’t wait to see what Dave Days does next. If you don’t believe me about this EP then you’ll just have to buy it and see. Seriously, go buy We’re Just Kids by Dave Days on iTunes today. You won’t regret it.

Well, the horse capital of the world is adding something to the list: a comic convention.

He may LOOK angry, but that’s his ‘happy to be here’ face.

That’s right! The first ever Lexington Comic & Toy Convention is coming March 24th. In a state that brought us Robert Kirkman (you know, the man who wrote The Walking Dead), you’d think the biggest surprise would be that it took so long for central Kentucky to hold a comic con.

That is, until you see who’s attending.

For the comic fans, creators Mike Grell (Green Lantern/Green Arrow), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Craig Boldman (Superman; Jughead), Mark Kidwell (BUMP), and Allen Bellman (Marvel Mystery Comics, among others) will be in attendance.

Those with high senses of nostalgia will get a kick out of the Power Rangers cast in attendance: Jason David Frank, Nakia Burrise, Catherine Sutherland, Jason Narvy, and Paul Schrier.

Along with guests, several Q&A sessions and guest panels will be held, as well as a costume contest for attendees.

It will be held in the Heritage Hall East at the Lexington Convention Center in downtown Lexington. For more information, you can check out their Facebook/Twitter, or else go to their official website.

(Note: won’t actually affect your REM cycle.)

Now that you’re well and confused, I’ll explain: there’s an EP being released March 6th called No Sleep (via 3|4), and DZ Deathray–its creator–wants you to have a little taste of it.

Did your coffee taste like sulfuric acid at all? No? Oh…no reason…

This Australian thrash-metal duo is known for their live act…and they’ve certainly had their practice. They recently ran around the great Down Under, playing with such bands as Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Foo Fighters. Eventually, Shane Parsons (vocals/guitar) and Simon Ridley (drums) settled down long enough to record their first EP…and now we arrive at the present.

I wasn’t joking about EVERYONE getting “No Sleep”.  It’s the titular song from DZ Deathray’s EP, and you can listen to/download it here.

As for the future of this two-piece band, you can see them live at SXSW. Otherwise, check out their Facebook for tour dates (or their Twitter, YouTube or band site to learn more).

The Reverberation Appreciation Society and The Black Angels confirmed April 27th through the 29th to be the official date for Austin Psych Fest 2012!

I’M FREAKIN’ OUT, MAN.

The fifth annual festival will be held at Emo’s East & Beauty Ballroom. (Don’t let the name fool you: this place caters to a multitude of different music genres.)

Weekend passes for the event are currently at $120, though daily tickets will be available in March for $45 (as more artists and daily schedules are announced).

They’ve even released a mix-tape–made by Al Lover–of what to expect at the fest.

If you love music (let’s be real) and plan on being in or around Texas in April (why not?), check out Austin Psych’s Facebook for more details.

Or just go to their website. That works, too.

Peace, love, and hugs not drugs.

(By the way, do you get the title line now? No? …)

Anyway, you can watch their music video here.

Also, here’s a tour poster (just in case you enjoyed their music video enough to want to see them live!):

And that’s not all! Check out their Myspace for a free download of their first EP “Lions”, or just check out their Facebook for more information!

Cheers! (Lookie there, british-talk! Cheerio, pip-pip, Doctor Who and all that.)

Do you just plain enjoy comics?

(Better question: do you have a pulse?)

WELL, IN THAT CASE!  You should head over to the Michigan State Comics Forum, an annual event that celebrates…well…comics!

It takes place at the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and has free admission.

Yeah.

You read that right.

Free admission.

Even if you’re not a Beatles fan, you should still get this reference.

The keynote speaker is Harvey award-winning comics creator and professor Jessica Abel.  She wrote the textbook Drawing Words & Writing Pictures with her husband, cartoonist Matt Madden (as well as the graphic novel La Perdida, which also earned a Harvey Award).

Saturday will feature an ‘Artist’s Alley’ from 11AM-6PM, in which panel discussions will abound with academics studying comic books and professionals working in the comic book industry.

Guests and artists will include such names as James Anderson (ellieonplanetx.com), Denver Brubaker (thecheckeredman.com), Ryan Claytor (elephanteater.com), Matt Feazel (cynicalman.com), Joe Foo (desmondscomic.com), Jeffrey J. Manley (punching-the-clock.com) and many, MANY more!

For more information on the MSU Comics Forum, visit their website.

The first half of the event was a recording of his podcast Jay & Silent Bob Get Old, which typically involves Jason Mewes telling stories about his sexual exploits and previous problems with drugs. This episode was no exception, except Kevin Smith talked quite a bit about preventing one of his pet tortoises from raping the other one. It was an entertaining installment of the series, and it was interesting to have a visual for something typically experienced audibly. One of the high points of the episode was when the power went out in the theatre, prompting Smith to ask “Is Toronto under attack?”

The second half of the three-hour event was the more daring part, as the people in the theaters were encouraged to tweet questions for him to answer in his Q&A session. He alternated between answering questions from the live audience and taking questions from Twitter. He had a lot of interesting answers to some of the questions he got:

• He came out firmly against SOPA and PIPA, stating that the “try before you buy” method of getting his movies has generally been a positive experience for him.
• He admitted that Dan Didio & Jim Lee offered him one of the upcoming Watchmen prequels, but he declined, feeling that he couldn’t follow in Alan Moore’s footsteps.
• He talked about his original ending for Red State, and how he challenged himself during the writing process.
• With an audience member, he discussed the various people and things that Batman could fight: Childhood Obesity, Apathy, a Giant Robot piloted by Stephen Hawking, etc.

As a general rule, the Twitter questions were more interesting and less meandering. Kevin Smith’s relative accessibility to his fans was a bit of a drawback when the live audience asked questions. People kept giving him gifts, asking him to go to karaoke, and one woman asked him to be the MC at her wedding. At a prior panel, she had dragged her boyfriend (now fiance) and ex-husband (a groomsman in the upcoming wedding) on stage to take a picture together with Smith. The people screening audience questions at this event could have done a much better job.

All in all, this will make a good DVD with a little bit of editing, although it was fun to follow along with #livefrombehind in the theater as it was happening. And I look forward to him doing this with another Smodcast, preferably Hollywood Babble-On.

Overall the album works.  The sound is an alternative rock that falls into same vein as Death Cab for Cutie, Snow Patrol, The Fray, Five for Fighting, etc.   It is a well produced release with strong lyrics.  Musically the players are on the same page with each other and it shows.  The whole album should translate well in a live setting.

Having said that there really isn’t any new ground being tread on here.  That isn’t to say the album isn’t worth your time.  If you are a fan of this sub-genre of alternative rock you should definitely check this release out.  The album does, in some ways, risk a chance of getting lost in the shuffle of the bands mentioned above.

If I had to guess this album stands a musical testament to the past nine years of the band’s life.  Lyrics cover topics of loss, love, pain, and overcoming all of it.  The driving instrumentals betray lyrics of longing and pain, but frame even the darkest thoughts with a sense of hope. Through several listens this album has not been boring in the least.  New hooks and lyrics I didn’t hear before come to light each time.

My recommendation is that you check it out, especially if you are a fan of alternative rock.  The album is solid both lyrically and musically.  While it may not stick out from the crowd in new innovation, it does do the standard formula well.

The Jealous Sound Website

The Jealous Sound on Facebook

WAIT! COME BACK! You will be getting something for free!

The Violet Lights are kicking off a 45-city North American tour come January 25th, and graciously decided to share the titular song from their debut EP. The name? You guessed it…SEX & SOUND.

Am I the only one who feels like she’s staring into my soul?

Mix a little Brit-pop, a little indie-pop and a tiny dose of NYC garage rock, and you have this Wisconsin-grown, LA-processed band.  They made their way West with no money or plans–just a simple blog to tell the tale.

SEX & SOUND was recorded at the legendary Hollywood studio Sunset Sound, and was both self-funded and self-produced.

For more information on The Violet Lights, you can check out their site, their Facebook, or their Twitter.