Monday, January 31, 2005

Another Ultraman Nexus OST?

I was browsing the Net for new Nexus info, and found out that CD Japan (www.cdjapan.co.jp) has listed an Ultraman Nexus Soundtrack 2 to be released on March 30, 2005. I was surprised to hear this, well read this, because I thought the current OST (Official Soundtrack) was pretty comphrensive. Perhaps this will contain more pop songs, "inspired by" nonsense, or at least the opening and ending songs that were not on the first one.

I'm pretty happy with the first one, that's pure Kenji Kawai BGM, so I don't think the second will be worth the effort of buying and stuff. (Unless it's 80% or more more Kawai music, then I'll think about it.) Plus, volume 2 is suppose to come with another DVD, which I can't play, can't understand, and makes the jewel case awkwardly huge.

Thursday, January 27, 2005

This Week in Comic Books

Black Widow #5: Natasha learns more about the "Black Widow Program" and doesn't like what she learns. While I'm still on the fence about tossing out the Widow's Bite, I feel that Richard K. Morgan continues to write a competent and gritty spy thriller, resisting the temptation to turn the Black Widow into another Sydney Bristow. My only complaint is that this idea of the Black Widow program seems like a poor copy of Cap's Super Soldier serium (enhanced strength, etc.) and Wolvie's Weapon X (fake memories) and the typical angst that ensues. B

Fantastic Four #522: New herald Johnny Storm confronts his new master Galactus, while Reed and gang finally show up to rescue Johnny. I like the parallels Waid addresses between Galactus' origin and the FF's origin, but I was hoping for more philosophical debate between the World Devourer and the power cosmic-enhanced Storm. But the cliffhanger just makes me want more. B+

The Flash #218: Another of Johns' Rogue Profile, this time focusing on "reformed" Rogue, Heat Wave, a pryomaniac with a history of arson. I felt this was better written than the Mirror Master profile and much more disturbing, especially considering that Heat Wave thinks of himself as a "hero." A

Planetary #22: Another retrospective issue focusing on the history of William Leather, the evil Human Torch. This issue at least moves forward the story a little as Snow is obsessed with taking down Randall Dowling. I especially liked the references to the Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, and the Shadow/Spider. Ellis and Cassaday are a perfect team. A

Spectacular Spider-Man #24: Where's Paul Jenkins? It doesn't really matter, because even he couldn't make this story interesting: Peter Parker in Paris with Gwen Stacy's illegimate daughter, Sarah Stacy. Basically a filler story until Jenkins comes back (for the final issue) and a crossover to the worst story ever written, (The Gray Goblin?!?) it's nothing more than a waste of space, time, and talent. D

Ultimate FF #15: Warren Ellis dusts off his Dictionary of Science Fiction Terms for our first look at the Ultimate Negative Zone. Clearly, Ellis' strength is science fiction, and I enjoyed everything from the giant skeleton in space to the first exchange with the aliens. Best issue Ellis has written yet. I almost forgot that they're all annoying teens. B+

WE3 #3 of 3: Grant Morrison's mini-series comes to its gruesome end as our heroes, the biorgs, fight off against the terrifying Weapon 4. This is still the most original comic book series you'll read this month, and Frank Quitely makes it all the more enjoyable. I just wished that it was a longer series so that Grant could have fleshed out the story more. B+

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

TV Review: House, M.D.

Brit Comedian Hugh Laurie has hung up his Mr. Thickie act to become the grumpy, yet usually right Doctor House who, with his team of specialists, solve mysterious diseases afflicting people.

The stories usually follow this formula: someone is struck ill brought in for treatment. House runs down the available options with his socially diverse team, narrowing it down. Then, they treat the patient, everything seems to improve, just before it all goes bad. (Enter the typical patient violently seisuring scene.) Then, they have to re-evaluate the situation, usually one of them has to search the patient's house for clues. Then, it's revealed that the illness was something simple or very unlikely, but the patient is cured, and everyone's happy.

Despite not understanding a word of medical terminology, I find myself entralled with this series. Its strength is not with the actual disease, but how doctors go about healing their patients. Most of the time, Dr. House runs up against his boss, concerned parents or other relatives, or other problems. There are moral dilemmas about if they should try new, risky treatments, or if they should try a procedure that could kill the patient. Simply put, it presents the best and worst in modern medicine.

And Hugh Laurie is the perfect choice for House. He makes House work, and I delight in seeing him handle clinic patients and their usually trivial problems. So, while the show isn't the most original out there (ER plus CSI), Laurie and gang still make it an interesting watch every week.

The series so far: B

Saturday, January 22, 2005

Comic Review: Waterloo Sunset #1-3

London's a strange place: the Thames dried up, alien creatures roaming outside the city limits, and the mysterious Cartel ruling over them. Enter Hunter Esau who shoots down and captures a stranger named Nina Lombardi. She's come a long way to tell the Cartel to turn off the "Device," or the planet's doomed. Or so her superiors on Earth tell her. Hmm? Where's London, you ask? Well, that'd be telling.

Andrew Stephenson and Trevor Goring have succeeding in creating their own little world in Waterloo Sunset, one that holds tightly to its secrets. Only as we follow Esau and Nina do we slowly learn more about them and what has happened to Earth in the last fifty years. Most of the story so far is basically dialogue between the two of them as they travel to the Cartel's base to meet them, and you can tell that Stephenson enjoys writing that British future-speak.

Not to say there's no action at all. There's those "jip=jiks" that roam around and have a taste for humans. Not to mention that the Mayor of London doesn't trust Esau and has a bunch of his henchmen stalking them, hoping for a chance to do them some bodily harm.

His overall pacing is that of a novel, the gradual revealing of this strange world through the breadcrumbs the writer leaves us. There's no hurried exposition followed by many bouts of violence like some comics and most movies. The characters are realistic, each given motives and depth. The main characters do come off a little stiff at times, but that might just be because of the sometimes awkward future-speak.

Much like Goring's photo-realistic art. I'm glad that it's in black and white. Modern computer coloring technology would surely clash with his shadowly figures and sombre settings. While there were a couple of examples in issue two where a couple faces looked a little distorted or hastily drawn, for the most part, Goring's art shows real potential.

One of my only beef with the series is it's 7 dollar price tag. Okay, yes it is a 48 page prestige format with no ads, but it's not printed in color. Couldn't that drop the price a few bucks? It just makes it hard for someone with limited resources who already buys way too many comic books to get involved in the series.

Anyway, besides those who pick it up not expecting its novel-like pacing, sci-fi buffs should really being eating this series up. B

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Ultraman Movie Review

Go to ultramanlah.com to read a great review of the new Ultraman movie, which was originally posted on Henshin Online. Sounds like a pretty awesome movie. Hey, did he say "marketed to world-wide distrubutors?" We can only hope that includes the US.

Monday, January 17, 2005

Movie Review: Elektra

In this Daredevil spin-off, Jennifer Garner returns to the role of tortured-soul-turned-assassin Elektra, in which Elektra must protect a father and daughter from the Hand while also trying to conquer her own inner demons.

I have to say that Jennifer Garner should get most of the praise for this movie and in bringing Elektra alive on the screen. She maintains the same physical prowess that Alias fans love while juggling with the range of emotions Elektra stumbles through in the course of the movie, though she does retains enough of her usual good-girl image that makes her less believable as a cold-hearted assassin iat the beginning of the film.

I have to praise Terence Stamp who really makes an awesome Stick, the blind mentor of Elektra and Daredevil. Other obscure Marvel characters who appeared in this film are Stone, one of the Chaste, who is now a bad guy with similar powers, and Typhoid Mary who bears little resemblence to her comic book alter-ego, Daredevil's multiple personality/telekinesis foe. And let's not forget everyone's favorite clan of evil ninjas, the Hand.

I like the "homages" at the beginning of the film to various issues/themes from the now-canceled Elektra series. The scene when Elektra defeats the security team and kills the man in the chair seemed to come almost straight out of one of Robert Rodi's first stories. The movie also attempted to capture Greg Rucka's idea of Elektra's restlessness between jobs.

But this movie's anything but perfect. The whole idea of kimagure seemed vaguely explained and just an excuse to give Elektra a "super power." The movie doesn't seem to care to explain how Kirigi and his gang got their powers or how Elektra contacts him for their final fight. (Ninja telepathy?) It also brings up this idea that Elektra has OCD, but does nothing with this which could have put an interesting slant on the character.

Like its predecessor, movie cliches and sloppy writing mar an otherwise promising film. I don't know exactly what Elektra fans will think of the film, but Jennifer Garner fans will love this movie. C

Sunday, January 16, 2005

The Horror

It seems that the latest trend in Hollywood is horror movies though I can't fathom why.

From Jason Vs Freddy to Michael Keaton's latest, White Noise, there's been an increase in horror films, for better or worst. Usually, it's because of one successful (i.e. money-making) movie that everyone tries to capitalize on. For example, both X-Men and Spider-Man are responsible for the latest superhero movie craze.

Remember back in the late 1990s, when disaster films were the big thing? That was for two reasons: a.) Twister made a lot of money, and b.) it was nearing the end of the century, and we were all in our y2k-mode. I can even understand why superhero movies are popular since they give us hope and courage during these times of Osama and Saddam in the same way that the original superheroes were symbols of hope during the Depression and World War II.

(I could even understand if disaster films were popular again, because the sad truth is that we're living in a disaster film what with the devastating tsunamis, floodings, and mudslides.)

But horror films? If I feel the need to become scared, I just turn on the local news. There's no real reason why I should shell out the five to ten dollars to see a movie about an imaginary friend who kills. And why are talented actors like Robert De Niro, Famke Janssen, and Elisabeth Shue in "Hide and Seek" anyway? Did director John Polson blackmail them into it?

My point being that not only is there no real good reason for the flood of horror movies, but none of them look any different than any horror movie that has come before them. Of course, there's Stephen king's new television movie, Riding the Bullet.

"Maybe it will be fresh and original while being scary," he said sarcastically after discovering that King's Kingdom Hospital is as scary as ABC's According to Jim. Well, According to Jim is scary in its own way...

Friday, January 14, 2005

Support Jon Stewart!

Comedy Central's showing the movie "Death to Smoochy," a chilling depiction of children's television. Actually, I've never seen it, but it always looked interesting in a deranged sort of way. Anyway, Daily Show anchor Jon Stewart, whose movie resume is frightfully too short, stars in this film.

Also, Elektra's out in theaters. Anyone seen it yet? Is it any good? (Has to be better than Catwoman, right?)

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

DVD Review: Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence

Oshii's breathtaking sequel is treated with respect... sort of.

Presentation: With a cover that makes it look like it belongs in the kid's section, Innocence comes in a standard DVD case with no booklet. The main menu's animated with Kenji Kawai's music, but then there's also that annoying transitional clip with the exploding robot face... C

Audio/Visual: It comes with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Surround in Japanese only. I was surprised that there was no English dub. English dubs are tricky: some are really good while others are just plain awful. The reason I mention the English dub is because if there was one, I wouldn't have to use the subtitles.

The subtitles are the most frustrating thing about this DVD. There are way too large, taking up about a fourth of the widescreen picture. The least they could have done was drop them down into the letterbox region. Also, the subtitles double for the hearing impaired so every sound is also mentioned, and that can detract from the viewing as well.

And it's a real shame because the transfer looks utterly perfect. The animation of the film is a combination of CGI and traditional cel art, and both show up on your screen without any hitches. B+

Content: Innocence is the sequel to Oshii's 1995 film, Ghost in the Shell, which is based on Masamune Shirow's awesome manga. This film is not directly adapted from anything Shirow has written, but follows Section 9 officers Batou and Togusa on a case three years after the disappearance of heroine Motoko Kusanagi.

The beginning of Innocence intentionly echoes the beginning of the first film, and Batou is assigned to a case involving rogue dolls killing their owners. But that's not the true purpose of the film. While most films has a mystery as the central plot with various philosophical and moral themes to add depth, it is the opposite for Innocence. It is the philosophy that takes center stage while the case is only there to add some additional motive and suspense.

Innocence focuses on the dolls, or pure robots, instead of the cyborg- what makes us human if we're half robotic theme of the first film. Why do humans make things in their own image? Can dolls be made so lifelike that they could be considered alive? Do dolls have souls?

But all of this philosophy dedicates only 20% of the film to senseless violence, which will surely put off some viewers, as will the fact that Motoko isn't in the film. (Or is she?) Personally, I believe it was worth seeing just for the scenes in Kim's palace. B+

Extras: A director's commentary with subtitles, a 15 minute documentary, and the really long Japanese trailer. Pretty good effort for a foreign film. C+

Overall: Mamoru Oshii is one of my favorite Japanese directors and his mesmerizing film is simply a work of art. I just wished DreamWorks had put a little bit more effort into making the perfect DVD for it. B+

Monday, January 10, 2005

TV Review: Boston Legal

I had never watched The Practice before last year when James Spader joined the cast as the amoral Alan Shore. Unfortunately, Spader's (and frequent guest star William Shatner) were not enough to save the show. But that's what spin-offs are for.

But Boston Legal is not the Practice with a new name. Gone are the multi-episode trials and Marco Beltrami's subtle score. They're replaced by episodic stories and funky transitional music. If the Practice was a serious drama focused on the court system, then Boston Legal would be its comedic cousin. As Spader and Shatner both struggle to be the firm's most eccentric lawyer, only Mark Valley and usual guest star Rene Auberjonois act like they belong to a serious law firm, while Monica Potter is stuck in the middle, usually employing her Deer in the Headlights look.

In yesterday's episode, "Schmidt Happens," Candice Bergen joined the cast and immediately clashes with Shore and while dealing her old relationship with Denny Crane. I'm hoping that Bergen will breathe some new life into the series and its characters, showing that not all of the female lawyers in Boston Legal are there just as eye candy or to flirt with Shore.

I also enoyed the Spader sub-plot, which seemed to be one of his better cases of the season. He is called to a timid man's house, under the impression that the man had murdered his mother, only to find out that she's still alive. Next week, apparently Shore must once again deal with this character who "accidentally" killed someone else...

So, in closing, while the show needs some improvement in the writing department, it still boasts a great cast (yes, even Shatner) and has a great potential to becoming a hit. Two words: Denny Crane.

The series so far: C+ "Schmidt Happens" B

Sunday, January 09, 2005

Character Profile: Zoey Walker (2)

They didn't need the things that they stole; they just enjoyed the thrill of stealing them. The Hacker gang liked to stalk out 24 hour stores, usually Mom and Pop stores.

"No security in those non-corporate types," remarked Circuit-Breker. Zoey had a big crush on him and his long dark hair. His slight Asian features were covered with a 5 O' Clock shadow, while his eyes were usually hidden in shadows. Zoey was at first invited to join the Hacker gang becuase of her usual mischief at school, but they soon found out that she was one of the best hackers at her school.

You see, with the amount of time Zoey spent at the arcades, she soon became interested in how they worked. She would stay after hours to help fix broken machines from the random gang fights. It was only a matter of time before she learned about computers. All this did not ease the burden of her Grandmother, who worried about Zoey staying out so late in the dangerous City Zone.

Soon, Zoey's abilities became obvious to all of the regulars at the arcades. Her hacking of "Spark Fire: Legend of Mountain Gold" became legendary, as her virtual character beat the near-impossible Level Boss Torvus Tik-Tik. This is what made her priceless among the Hacker gang.

So, the Hacker gang reigned as their spree of petty crime continued throughout the city. Zoey enjoyed feeling useful and the attention the Hacer gang gave her, but deep down she knew what she did was wrong. But she tried to ignore that quiet voice, because she was having too much fun with her "friends."

Circuit-Breker soon gave Zoey her own Hacker name: Binary.

CD Review: Ultraman Nexus OST


Ultraman Nexus offers a typical soundscape that Kenji Kawai fans have come to expect: horn and string instruments with emphasis on percussion and synth sounds.

Two of the main themes that I'd like to focus on are the main Nexus theme and the Night Raider theme. Both are pretty simple in composition but are also catchy and apt for the series.

All four of the Night Raider songs contain variations of the Night Raider theme. Scramble is basically the Night Raider theme in its entirely: a energetic piece fitting of its title. Patrol is the quiet version of the theme, while Attack is another action-oriented piece which benefits from the addition of the electric guitar. Battle is more fast-paced that contains more fragments of the Night Raider theme.

Now, the Nexus theme is actually the instrumental version of the song Fight the Future, performed by Project DMM. While similar to the Night Raider theme, the Nexus theme sounds more noble and at times, heroic as well as it should considering that it's Ultraman Nexus' theme.

We're introduced to the theme with the Main Title jingle, and then the next track, Encounter, which provides a more ambient version of the Nexus theme. I enjoyed the atmospheric tone of this track which is similar to another track, Disappear. But don't fear, there's also more pumped up versions of the Nexus theme. Dash is the first track to illustrate the Nexus theme's effectiveness as a battle theme, but it just doesn't have the energy that Heroic has. But that's just my opinion. Final Fight is a tense number that also contains portions of the Nexus theme.

The album also contains many other impressive tracks, such as Awakening and Charge. I wished that the eeiry Violation was longer, but most tracks aren't much longer than one and a half to two minutes. Also, The TIme fot the Decisive Showdown sounded similar to something you would find on his Patlabor movie soundtracks.

With just under seventy minutes of music, this has to be the definitive collection of music for this series. It doesn't contain the opening or ending songs, but I don't think that hurts the album that much. Ultraman Nexus fans will greatly enjoy this as much as Kenji Kawai fans will.

The CD also comes with a Region 2 DVD with (I've heard) a small amount of behind the music content, making the jewel case double in size. The booklet looks like it has a lot of comments on the series and the music, but I can't read Japanese. I was surprised how plain the booklet was designed and that the pictures were in mostly black and white.

But overall, a great CD that I recommend to those who're willing to put in the effort of tracking a copy down. B+

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Buckaroo Banzai Comic Book

I read on Comics Continuum the other day that Moonstone Books, a small press company, has obtained the rights of Buckaroo Banzai for a new comic series. It will be written by Banzai creator Earl Mac Rauch and drawn by Stephen Thompson. For the uninitiated, feel free to pick up the novel adaptation written by Rauch.

In other news, there's been rumors buzzing about the Internet that Dreamwave Comics, who currently hold the Transformers licence, are going out of business. There's no official word either way from Dreamwave itself, but it doesn't sound promising. I personally hope that this is just a bad rumor, since Dreamwave showed that you don't have to be DC or Marvel to be successful in comics.

It didn't hurt that they were making comics based on a famous '80s cartoon series. Anyway, Marvel had bankrupt problems a few years ago, and they're still around...