Topics

1456

Film & TV / Damnation Alley

« on: 08 July, 2009, 09:45:09 AM »

Well finally got around to watching this on YouTube - link to the first part here the other parts are linked from there

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAXWK1o7NmQ&feature=related

There's no denying its a terrible film but I found it pretty watchable. This was probably helped by the fact that the poor picture quality masked how bad the effects are meant to be! The Landmaster is pretty cool mind. Its amazing to think that this was meant to be 1977 big blockbuster Sci-fi movie and not Star Wars, hard to imagine now.

Anyway can see the clear Cursed Earth similarities though these aren't as defined as the books from the summary I've read.

Now what I've come on to say is often I've come to this area bemoaning the lack of originality in Hollywood with various remakes and lifts done badly BUT here's a clear case were a remake would certainly be justified. At the core of this rubbish film is a good story that would work well as a film and would be achievable with a reasonable budget. Instead of remaking classics such as Dawn of the Dead which are fine as they are why not take something that could have worked but for various reasons didn't and polish it up. Sure they'd be no build in audience, or only a very small one BUT at least it'd be adding something and a movie like this wouldn't be too harder sell I'd imagine.

Anyway worth watching in chunks if you have 10 minutes to waste at a time.

1457

Other Reviews / Mach 0 - specifically the ending???

« on: 05 July, 2009, 09:18:12 PM »

Huh what that's it... really...

There's a few weak ending around this time in 2000ad. Death Planet was apalling, Inferno rushed and chopped and Mach 0 completely what the f**k. I'd been enjoying the strip just fine, curious name of the villian aside as mentioned else where. Got to the end and was looking forward to the next part but no nowt there. I'm pretty confident the strip doesn't return and so it just seems to be left hanging.

Shame it had been fun up to the end with some great art at times.

1458

Other Reviews / Death Planet

« on: 05 July, 2009, 08:32:50 AM »

Not much to say about this except the planet wasn't exactly deadly was it? I mean the space pirates seemed to cope fine with it. More a case of the survivors actually being a bit rubbish. I'm not saying anything new when I say this is a bit of a 2000ad low.

1459

General / The end of 'Inferno'

« on: 05 July, 2009, 08:30:45 AM »

Just wondering if anybody can throw anymore light on the 'Inferno' trouble. Not the fact that Grant Morrison could write such terrible Dredd the other Inferno from the 70s. I know from reading Thrillpower Overload that the strip got 2000ad into loads of trouble with the publishers I'm just wondering if anybody has a little more detail about what it was that coursed the trouble.

Much of the early Inferno didn't strike me as any more shocking or violent than anything the rounds at the time. Maybe Belardinelli artworked added to the impact? Does anybody know specifically what it was that so outraged people? From my reading it was something that actually made it to print. So I'm thinking Artie pouring jet fuel on Giant and threatening to set him alight? But is that really anymore shocking that stuff doing the rounds at the time????

The last few episodes are clearly horrendiously edited so have I miss read things and it was actually the stuff that we've never seen that was edited out of those last two episodes that coursed all the fuss. In which case does anybody know what actually happened and what some of the deaths that are only refered to in captions involved?

Was the ending tacked on so quickly as a result of the fuss or was the stroy due to end that way anyway???

So many questions hopefull people may know more?

Cheers

1460

Classifieds / 2000ad swaps

« on: 02 July, 2009, 06:22:03 PM »

Hi,

I'm close to finishing my collection and while I'm still trawling ebay I realised I had accumulated a lot of doubles and duplicated material during my collecting and had some stuff I'd like to get rid of. So I figured why not see if I can arrange swaps to benefit everyone. So here's what I'm after.

2000ad: Prog 1228
Sci-fi Specials: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1986
Winter Specials: 1989, 1990, 1995
Summer Special: 1977
2000ad Yearbook: 1994
Judge Dredd Mega Special: 1996
Judge Dredd Yearbook: 1995
Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 2: 49, 55, 58, 63, 65
Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 3: 8

I'll also consider any chunks of Megazine after Volume Vol issue 23 BUT this is really a second choice for me as I'd like to close my existing gaps before creating new ones.

Ok I have on offer

2000ad Progs: 58 (ok condition) 79 (pretty nice), 316, 350, 352, 992, 995, 1000-1012, 1100 - 1107, 1385, 1406, 1505, 1506, 1508, 2000
2000ad Annual 88
Titan Collections: Judge Dredd 1 (Hardcover), Judge Dredd 5, Cursed Earth 1, Judge Cal 1 and 2, Apocalyse War 2.
2000ad Extreme: 4
Complete Judge Dredd: 2-5, 7, 8
Judge Dredd Annual 1991
Judge Dredd Collection (Daily Star Strips): 2
Rogue Trooper Annual 1991
Crisis issues: 29-45, 50-52
Strip: 1-11, 13-20
Toxic: 1
Revolver: 1
Doctor Who Weekly (then Monthly): 1-100ish (not checked but thought I'd throw them in). Its worth noting that the first few issues aren't in brillant condition and they have no posters etc I think they're all complete BUT will check that if anybody is interested.

So if anybody is interested in swapping any of that let me know. Just make me any offers for any of my stuff with any of the stuff I'm after and I'll see what I think. Don't really care what gets swapped for what so if you're interested in say all my progs, and all the Titan collections and only have Sci-fi Special 81 and 83 to offer ask. Cos if I don't get any other swaps I'll like my stuff to go to a good home.

Cheers

1461

Other Reviews / Colony Earth

« on: 01 July, 2009, 11:30:52 AM »

Just finished Colony Earth, probably for the first time since it appeared. Ok so this one has been pretty much forgotten about and story wise I can defo see why BUT man I loved that art. Some great design as well, the aliens themselves aside but really loved me the art work.

Now I'm off to see if I can find a robot that I can control with my tv remote control...

1462

Other Reviews / The Visible Man

« on: 29 June, 2009, 11:10:15 AM »

Well my re-read has slowed by my new arrival and taken a turn in a slightly different direction. I've read the stories I want in The Megazine up to the point were my collection becomes spotty (around Vol. 2 issue 57) and before moving onto the 1000s + I've decided to treat myself during paternity leave and read issues 41-100 which I've collected over the last couple of years but waited to read until I had them all.

So far so good up to issue 53 and the first story I'd like to talk about is The Visible Man. What silly fun. The premise is weak,  I remember the 70s only vaguely but I'm pretty sure that being able to see a man's organs wouldn't have made him the most valuable addition to modern science but rather a circus freak as I'm sure I've heard others comment before.  I went into this story expecting it'd be hocky, it is, it'd be tenuious and it certainly is and that I wouldn't enjoy it - how wrong I was there, loved it.

So what exacty makes him a good character?  Well I'm damned if I know BUT by heck he is fun and I fully understand why the strip is remembered so fundly.

I'm loving these issues so far, even Dan Dare which I always thought was terrible (well it is but good fun with it!)

1463

Other Reviews / Hershey in the Megazine

« on: 23 June, 2009, 04:26:58 PM »

Well the re-read while slowed down a heck of a lot is still chugging along. There's probably quite a lot worth mentioning about Volume 2 of the Megazine, such as why some great Wagner scripts are being so poorly served by the art BUT for whatever reason (and it might well be tiredness) the thing I actually want to talk about is Hershey. Its so frustrating. Going in I really didn't have high expectations but Cullen's art while not immediately captivating had an ease that drew me in and the stories are almost good, just not quite. The ideas are there and bits of the scripting is fine its just over all they never quite make it.

Case in point 'The Harlequin's Dance'. Fine idea, good villian and Hershey is handled well but all that potential is lost as the story feels rushed and the ending seems to ...well... just end I guess. I'd guess that Goldkind thought it was all very clever and Vertigoesque, full of mystery and intriguing engima but I found it just vague and unsatisfactory. Real shame cos these stories in more experienced hands could have been very good?

1464

Other Reviews / All this and Sean Phillips too - 'Devlin Waugh'

« on: 12 June, 2009, 10:48:41 AM »

Having read ‘Devlin Waugh – Swimming in Blood’ over the last couple of evenings I was wondering if there really was any point me adding another thread here which really just said isn’t John Smith brilliant. I then got thinking however, can there really be too many threads in this world praising John Smith and of course I realised the answer to that one is no.

It also occurred to me that maybe I had something to say about what made it so good after reflecting on a number of things said about his latest work ‘Cradlegrave’. Now the two are clearly very different but what Smith demonstrates in both is an incredible ability to create an atmosphere that transcends other elements of the story. In ‘Cradlegrave’ he creates a creeping eerie foreboding out of the mundane. In ‘Swimming with Blood’ a scene of claustrophobia in a story that is epic and widescreen and full of glorious big characters.  

At this point it only seems fair to say how magnificent Sean Phillips work is on this story. Not only in his ability to convey the atmosphere had Smith created but also in his choice of techniques. I love the way the vampires’ scenes are rendered in a simpler more primal fashion, in keeping with their character and actions. Fantastic stuff.

All this and some more great Smith characters. I’m not just talking about Waugh himself here but across the board, Landis, the big Vampire whose name I forget the Warden, Essex the lot really.

Another Smith masterpiece.

1465

Film & TV / Futurama IS back!!!

« on: 10 June, 2009, 10:40:30 AM »

I have no idea about the quality of the news source BUT this is good enough news to put aside any doubts and just have some blind faith that its true!

http://http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/06/its-official-futurama-returns.html?cnn=yes

This would be very good news indeed.

Edited to add - its on Reuters now with quotes and everything so looks pretty defo!

WAYHEYYYYYY!!!!!!

http://http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE55909G20090610

1466

Other Reviews / Red Razors

« on: 08 June, 2009, 04:33:31 PM »

Now I was pretty tired when I read this so that might have coloured by perspection a little, but I found it, well kinda ok I guess. Which to be honest was quite disappointing as I remember loving it when I first read it. I guess I went into it a little less expectantly than I might having just the second story in 2000ad which I just plain hated, but Steve Yeowell's brillant art soon got me hoping this might be the story that would break my run of whinging about Mark Millar stuff, Manic 5 aside. I guess in a way it did but not quite as emphatically as I'd hoped.

Its a fun little story but does feel like it trying a little too hard to be cool. It has some great characters, Mr Ed and some ok ones, Razors himself. The villians were, yeah ok not to bad and it was certainly chock full of ideas. The trouble is most of those ideas weren't terrible but weren't great either.  Yeah so Red Razors, fantastic art, the rest not bad.

1467

Other Reviews / Al's Baby

« on: 07 June, 2009, 12:15:16 PM »

My re-read has taken a slight detour before what I thought would be the start of the issues I'd never read with issue 1000 and I'm going through the first couple of volumes of the Megazine.

Assuming that everyone thinks that America is a classic the first thing to really grab me was how brillant Al's Baby was. Now I haven't heard much talk about this. It doesn't seem to be percieved as classic Wagner (I might well be worong here????) but I loved ever clowning minute of it. Its just classic comedy Wagner and brillantly done. All this and glorious Ezquerra art too boot make it for me a bit of a classic. So I'd be really intrigued to hear what others think?

1468

Other Reviews / Cal Files

« on: 01 June, 2009, 10:26:16 PM »

Well its becoming increasing evident that even though 2000ad was arriving at my parents house I was no longer reading them when I got home from Uni during the holidays. If I had I would have surely read the 'Cal Files' and if I'd read that I'd defo remember quite how brillant it was. The Wagner Dredd's have been getting increasing good since issue 950 and the 'Cal Files' is quite possibly the best Dredd I've read, certainly since the Wagner and Grant days and it would probably rank very highly event in those halcyon days. Loved it.

Thats even before I start to wax lyrical about the John Burns art. Oh sod waxing lyrical its chuffing gorgeous stuff. Some of the best Dredd art ever in my mind and so wonderfully atmospheric for a Dredd strip of this type.

I'm really looking forward to reading the Dredd's I have ahead of me as what was my re-read now becomes my first read of all the issues from 962-1504. If the Dredd stuff continues to be as good as this you'll have to excuse me coming on here endlessly going on about how good it all is!

1469

Other Reviews / Ram Raiders

« on: 30 May, 2009, 06:21:26 PM »

Hey that didn't suck. After all the bad press I'd heard I thought this would be terrible but it was a nice bit of fluff fun. Not brillant, not challenging, but not as terrible as I'd been expecting. Great art in the first half and fun characters I'd have happily seen more of.

Also reminded me how little of 2000ad I was reading at this point for whatever reasons. Defo never read this before.

1470

Film & TV / Alien remake/reboot????

« on: 28 May, 2009, 11:34:20 AM »

This might fall into the category of rumour mongering at this time but I've stumbled across some talk of Ridley Scott being involved in some kinda of reinvention of the Aliens franchise.

http://http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/05/27/carl-erik-rinsch-to-direct-alien-remake/

Now if they hadn't made such an unholy mess of the whole Alien vs Predator thing then I would see absolutely no sense in this. Not sure it needs doing anyway now.

That said why is Hollywood so bereft of ideas that so many things that have gone off the tracks, or gone out of date are having to be relaunched or otherwise snaffled from tv, comics or other media. I personally think the whole film industry needs to look very closely at whats unique about a 1 1/2 - 2 hour (not 3 hour please!) bit of cinema and try coming up with ideas unique to that media that play to its strenghts or long term there is real trouble ahead.