About two months ago, me and a friend were talking about comic books and sharing about some of the stories that we were enjoying. He was telling me about DC's Infinite Crisis, describing the story and it interested me. At the time, I thought that I had never read it before, so earlier this month, I dove right into this seven issue series. With each passing issue I kept thinking to myself, "wow, this story seems really familiar". And in fact, there were numerous times where I would predict what would happen on the next page... I must have read it before and it turns out I did. So I talked to my friend again and it turns out he had read Final Crisis, a different crossover series from DC Comics.

Looking back, this was a happy mistake because it's been a long time since I first read this story arc which I enjoyed the first time around and still enjoyed this second time. Released originally in 2006, Infinite Crisis is a crossover series in the DC Universe that sought to undo some of the changes made 20 years prior. In 1985, a crossover series called Crisis on Infinite Earths took place which in order to create a simpler continuity, managed to merge the multitude of universes that existed (the multiverse) into one single universe.

Infinite Crisis serves as a sequel to CoIE, reintroducing us to some of the ideas and characters from Earth. This time around though, a band of characters are trying to undo the changes made in Earth by separating the single universe back into a multiverse. The heroes of course join together to fight off the impending threat.

There's a good sense of mystery during this series and even when it's revealed who the true villains are, the build-up to the turn and the reveal of their intentions is equally gripping. The series has this continuing theme of heroism that calls into question the intentions and values of DC's trinity (that being Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman). At the end of the series, the three heroes come to a crossroad that leads right into the next big DC event called Fifty-Two, where for one year straight, the trinity take themselves out of a commission, letting Earth's heroes to fend for themselves (which I finished reading last week, will write up soon).

There's a line in the first book that's possibly one of my new favourite lines from a comic book. There's a series of narration where the unknown speaker tells about Superboy and it basically made me think of how God sees me in my life:


So powerful to me.

The series was an intriguing read, and even better, they did well in crafting a resolution that leads into another series. This was a good read and an absolute must-read if you've read Crisis on Infinite Earths in the past. Later geeks!

Categories: comics , crossover events , dc comics , infinite crisis

Before this movie was released last fall, I had high hopes after I initially saw the trailers. It looked like good old fashion fun with fast action and NINJAS~! On top of that, it was directed by James McTeigue, who did V For Vendetta which I enjoyed. So uber violence, ninjas and McTeigue... how could it fail?

Well, it was released in November and was universally panned by critics. I don't remember what specifically they said went wrong, but I do remember reading it's scores on RottenTomatoes and MetaCritic and the numbers spoke for themselves. It was enough to convince me that it wasn't worth the first-run cinematical viewing.

Well, it came out on DVD this month and I did finally get to check it out. The opening scene kicks off with a bang. The movie starts off with a wise old man who tells of the myth behind the ninja, building him like a legend. He warns some local hoodlums that they are marked for death, but they ignore his cautions. And wouldn't you know it, a ninja shows up and literally cuts everyone down. It's probably the most over the top violent scene that I've seen in an American theatrically released movie. The violence is quite reminicent of the type found in a Takashi Miike movie like Ichi the Killer. Blood, gore and all the mushy inside body parts litter the screen.

So when the opening scene concluded I thought to myself, "that was pretty good, how could it possibly go bad?". Well, the problem was that the movie continued.

Even though the uber violence was a joy to see on screen, the poor plot just couldn't hold the whole thing together. I only watched the movie last week and already I'm having problems remembering the plot. Usually when I write a review, I'll look at its Wikipedia entry just to refresh myself on the plot. Well, I'm on Ninja Assassin's page right now and this is a first. There is no plot summary at all. You can almost always find the plot for even the most convoluted movies, yet there is none for Assassin. Strange, yet oddly understandable.

If I can recall correctly, the story in some ways is kind of like Batman Begins. You have a young boy who is taken in by a ninja clan, trains him to be the most elite student, yet retains his morals in a heated situation which leads him to betraying his ninja clan. Years later, the clan comes after him with vengeance. There you have it, the plot to Ninja Assassin and part of Batman. I tried to simplify the contrived plot as much as I could so if it doesn't seem as loony as what you find in the movie, don't blame me. They do throw in a lot of convoluted elements that just make the whole thing ridiculous. The action is fun and slick on screen, don't get me wrong, but it's just all the parts in between that make it fall flat.

It sort of reminds me of Gamer and even the Crank movies. Those two were both brainless and violent movies, yet the plot was kept simple making it easy to follow and enjoy. Had they used a simpler plot for Assassin, I think it would have been an easier pill to swallow.

It's too bad too, they did work hard in piecing together the origin story so it leads me to think that they were hoping that this would have spawned a franchise. All that backstory for nothing. It's too bad for Rain, the Korean superstar and main star of this movie. Had this movie been a success, it would have made him a huge star stateside.

This movie was no good, don't bother with it. If you desperately want to see ninja action, I'm sure you can find something better on store shelves. It's a gorefest but unfortunately, also a snorefest. Pass! Later geeks!



Categories: action , movies , ninja assassin , ninjas

Oh man, what a day. Yesterday was a long day of travelling from one end of the city to the other... up and down, left and right all over the subway grid. I woke up at 9 in the morning (ohhhhhh...) and finally arrived back home 10:30 at night. While I was travelling around on the subways and streetcars, it gave me time to meditate as well as reflect on several things.

But what does this all mean? I think the rugged epic beard can represent many things. For those blessed with the right genes (and apparently not me) the beard is something that grows naturally and freely if you let it. There it hangs on to the face in its glorious manner as it vies for the attention of passersby. When the wind blows at it, the beard moves but it never flies off because it's attached to the face. It loves the face. The face is its home.

FreeChurch sort of takes on some of these characteristics. One of the things that stood out to me when I first visited FT was how freely everyone was when singing praises to God. People were welcomed to belt out as loud as they could, wave their arms in the air (like they just don't care), and like the epic beard, allowed to move around freely without any restraint. But it's not like people were punching each other out in worship of God, just as the beard doesn't punch the chin of its owner; the beard respects the face just as the worshipper respects his brother and sister.

FT is located in the heart of downtown Toronto and when the weather's right, the doors are flung wide open as we worship God. Much like the epic beard, we hope that we can catch the attention of those passersby, not from the glory of ourselves but rather from the glory of God.

Let's face it, we're all sinners; we've all fallen short. Sometimes we do the things that we know aren't right. We are weak, but it is okay, for He is strong and provides a solid way. Even the beard understands this. The wind might blow at it sometimes, tempting it to move in one direction or the other, but the hairs on the beard are smart, knowing that its foundation lies on the face where it won't let it just fly off.

Lastly, growth. Just as the beard yearns to grow everyday, so does the church at large. The more its allowed to grow, the more epic the beard will get. When I refer to growth in a church, I don't necessarily mean growth by numbers. Sometimes numbers are just numbers, they're only a statistic. More importantly, the growth that we can experience within ourselves is what can make the church epic. Be a bit more loving, a bit more joyful. Be a bit more peaceful and patient. Be kind and good, faithful and gentle. Experience that self-control.

Much like the unruly beard, this post sort of took a life of its own. But it makes me wonder what kind of a beard Jesus had. Later geeks.

Categories: christianity , freechurch toronto , life stuff

Well as they say, if it ain't broken, don't fix it. That seemed to be the approach that the director adopted in making The Descent Part 2. The first movie quickly became a cult favourite when it was first released. Combined with the horror and eeriness of the caves was this deep sense of claustrophobia that really helped in creating a terrifying experience. As the girls were trapped, you felt trapped too; the perfect way to elicit fear to the viewers of a horror movie. I really loved the first movie and actually never even realized they were working on a sequel until it came out.

The movie picks up exactly two days after the first one ended. The only known survivor, Sarah, is taken and kept at a hospital after a local discovers her wounded body. The sheriff, fearing that there could be more survivors in the caves and that Sarah could be the killer, quickly assembles a team to head under and investigate the cave. They take Sarah down with them as the sheriff suspects that she knows more than she's revealing. Unbeknownst to the sheriff and his crew, the caves are still full of the cannibalistic dwellers that devoured Sarah's companions.

There's a few twists thrown along the way; most are welcomed but there is one glaringly stupid twist that they throw in that almost ruined the whole experience for me. I'm not going to spoil what it is but it happens at the very end. Before the last 24 frames, this movie was a surefire thumbs up movie but those last frames became my lasting impression and it soured me so much that I lowered it to a thumbs in the middle.

Anyhow, if we can ignore those last few seconds, then this would of been a pretty great movie. It's almost exactly the same as the first Descent, so it's neither better or worse. There's still the same atmosphere, same dwellers and like it or hate it, that same sense of claustrophobia.

They did up the gore factor in this movie, so expect more edgier blood and guts than from the first. They also have probably one of the grossest things I've seen in recent cinema that just had be groaning out loud. Just to give you an idea, it involves the cave dwellers shit.

Director Jon Harris helmed this feature and I do give him credit for getting it (mostly) right. He captures the same feelings and emotions that Neil Marshall did with the first one, so I'd have to consider this movie (mostly) a success. I just really wish he didn't go with the ending that he did.

I say check it out if you can. If you can somehow not watch the ending, I think you'll be better for it. Til next time, later geeks!



Categories: descent , horror , movies

"Who do you trust?"

Secret Invasion is the 2008 cross-over followup to 2007's World War Hulk from Marvel Comics. It's a return to form for writer Brian Michael Bendis, who also scripted the much talked about Civil War for Marvel.

Secret Invasion tells a fascinating story. What if the heroes you knew all along were really Skrulls? Okay, let me back up for second. In the Marvel Universe, Skrulls are a shapeshifting alien race, often adversaries of the Fantastic Four. So yes, staple heroes like Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine... what if they weren't who you thought they were? That's the heart of the story in Invasion.

The series had its share of ups and downs, and like Civil War before it, more intrigue came at the end of the series than the duration. But much like Civil War, Invasion succeeded in creating a dialogue amongst the Marvel fans; whether it be positive or negative, people had something to talk about. I think there lies Bendis' strength; in crafting stories with a little real world flavour but that's never too contrived for the comic book world.

This idea for Secret Invasion was years into the making. When Bendis first started working with Marvel apparently he left clues within the books he was working on that foreshadowed some of the things to come in this series. He was also able to bring up events of past and merge them into this story to create a greater sense of continuity.

The series had some great concepts and ideas but the problem for me came down to the execution. The series spans only eight issues and for the first five or six, the bulk of the heroes spend their time on the Savage Land wondering "what's going on?" or "are you the real _____ (insert name)". There could have been so much more to do if he were to bring the story more on the homeland side rather than the island. When the series came to its finale, it felt all too rushed for one issue, cramming everything together and tying loose ends.


I think the grandest mistake that he made was to tie up all the loose ends. Basically all the proposed changes that he introduced in issue one and built upon throughout the series were reversed by the time the story ended. So it's almost as if nothing changed at all. At least with Civil War it left a lot open and seemed more of a jumping point to other stories rather than ending with such finality. But as I mentioned before, there is intrigue left at the end (I think the final panel actually) leading to the Dark Reign storyline, which according to some fanboys, is the better story.

The series captivated me in its first issue, but with each progressing issue, my interest waned. They had some really great ideas that they could have had fun with, instead we were stuck on an island. But on the plus side, overall the story was more compelling and interesting than World War Hulk, so it has that going for it. It's a worthwhile read if only to get to that point of asking questions about our heroes. Later geeks.



Categories: comics , crossover events , marvel , superheroes

I'm glad that Martin Scorsese finally won the Oscars for best director and film with The Departed a few years ago. Now that he's accomplished that, there's no more of those Oscar-baiting movies. With Shutter Island it seems like he's done making movies to entertain the Academy audience, and rather, he's making the movies that he wants to make.

Based on the novel of the same name, the story follows Teddy, a US Marshal, and his partner Chuck as they investigate the disappearance of a criminal patient held at a remote psychiatric facility called Shutter Island. As they continue their investigation on the island, they find that there's a shroud of mystery surrounding all the staff members and doctors working on the island. Teddy uncovers what he believes is a giant conspiracy perpetrated by one of the head doctors... but oh, there are twists along the way.

I had a good time with this movie. It's a much smaller scale story than any of Scorsese's latest fares, probably since Bringing Out the Dead, which really added to my enjoyment. Also, in writing the above description, I'm trying to be generous as there are a number of twists that are thrown at you and it would take away the fun if I delved into it. The ads they play on TV claim that the twists in this movie are some of the most shocking in recent cinematic history. I don't know if I'd buy that unless by 'recent' they mean 'this week'. What they throw at you is quite predictable but I guess every now and then, these kinds of endings couldn't hurt.
The only real problem I had with the movie was how they carried out the ending, rather than the idea of the ending itself. I thought that there was way too much exposition at the end and it was like the characters were reading a book to me. I'm sure there could have been a more creative way to show us the twist reveals.

I think what I enjoyed most were some of the technical aspects with the movie. I loved the way the movie was shot and the musical scored intertwined throughout it. These two aspects alone helped in creating a creepy atmosphere letting us know that something was afoot on the island.

Dicaprio is an actor who's really grown on me lately. I've enjoyed just about all of his movies and I find that he's continually getting better and better. I read the feature article about him in this month's issue of Esquire and it's fascinating reading the way he constantly challenges himself with each movie by finding new lessons to learn to fine tune his craft. This summer comes Inception with Leo in the lead role being directed by Christopher Nolan. I can't wait. But until then, Shutter Island should tide you over. Later geeks.


Categories: drama , martin scorsese , movies , mystery , shutter island

The plot as summarized on IMDB:

"The story revolves around the passengers of a yachting trip in the Atlantic Ocean who, when struck by mysterious weather conditions, jump to another ship only to experience greater havoc on the open seas."

When I first read that blurb before queuing up The Triangle, I was hesitant to continue because of the ho-hum sounding plot. All I was thinking was, "oh boy, another one... another one to snooze through". Imagine my surprise.

What they do with the story is what makes the movie so captivating. At the core is a mystery that has its layers peeled off slowly, unearthing new elements as the movie progresses. Soon we find elements of thriller, sci-fi and horror... it becomes contrived but never TOO contrived. Without getting too much into the spoiler territory they play around a lot with the whole space-time continuum and try a few things that you don't see much in mainstream films. Even on a limited budget, they were able to create some truly frightening and terrifying imagery. I watched the movie a month ago and yet one of the scenes still haunts me in the back of my head.

The movie stars Melissa George who used to be in commercial movies but I guess is slowly fading into obscurity. She does quite a good job as the lead here all things considered. The movie was helmed by Christoher Smith who also did the cult favourite, Severance. I watched that a few years ago and as I recall, I liked it up until the third act. I thought that this was a much better movie that held itself together due to the better story.

I've been pretty happy with my DTV experiences lately. For the most part, they've ranged from decent to good... no titles really getting my blood boiling. This is another title that I haven't fallen asleep to, so it seems I'm on a roll! Later geeks!

(Inserted below is the trailer but I find it's a bit spoilerish, so I'd avoid it if it's the type of movie that you'd consider.)



Categories: dtv madness , horror , movies , the triangle

A late Friday afternoon posting! It's been a few months since I've done any Review Haikus, so here you go.

From Paris With Love

Parisian action!
Meyers with pedo moustache;
Travolta's all wrong.

Morel's third feature.
D-13 was way more fun.
Taken was better.







Jennifer's Body

Megan Fox love fest.
Blood and guts good for gore hounds;
Acting weak; cast cheap.

Was fun but not great.
Getting too old for this shit.
But I love horror.







Law Abiding Citizen

Plot was too contrived.
Bloodier than I had thought.
Hurrah! Colm Meaney!

Foxx was passable.
Butler is in everything!
I did fall asleep.





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Seeya next week! Later geeks!

Categories: from paris with love , jennifer's body , law abiding citizen , movies , review haikus

Released in the Fall of 2008, Call of Duty: World at War saw the series return to its World War II roots. The game was developed by Treyarch Studios and utilized the same engine borrowed from Infinity Ward who did Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

I love World War II shooters so it was easy to enjoy COD: WAW. But I feel like the single player campaign in this game lacked the same punch felt in COD4: MW. None of the missions seemed to have the same degree of ruggedness and urgency. And because of this, the campaign did not seem as memorable.

The campaign pits you off in two different scenarios. On one side you'll play as Private Miller, part of the American Marine Corps, against the Japanese army in the Pacific, while on the other side, you play as a Russian soldier named Demetri who aids the Red Army against the Nazi invasion. In keeping with the consistency of history, there's no real last boss or central figure that you're up against rather just the armies themselves (I guess they don't want you killing Hitler a la Inglorious Basterds). After playing MW a few months earlier, the lack of a main antagonist was really felt and I tihnk detracted from my experience. Couple that with a short campaign (it took me about 8-9 hours) and it almost feels like a failure. But what redeems them is their multiplayer modes.

The multiplayer aspects of the game are what I did enjoy the most. I love cooperative gameplay and WAW really delivered in this regard. The game gives you a few options in doing the campaign missions. You can either conquer them by yourself, with friends cooperatively, or with friends competitively by competing for the most kills and highest scores. Tackling down the missions with a group of four players makes even the toughest missions seem like cakewalk and is really fun as you try to one up each other in scoring.

Probably my favourite mode of all, trumping the single player campaign, is the Nazi zombie survival mode. Together with up to three team mates, your team is locked off into a small area where you have to fend off increasing waves of Nazi zombies. You start off with only a pistol, but you gain points as you kill more zombies allowing you to purchase new weapons from the walls or even random weapons from a magic chest. This is the funnest mode in the game and easily could have been a successful standalone game if they fleshed it out with more maps.

I haven't played much of the competitive multiplayer modes, but from what little I did, it seemed as though the same system used in MW was used in this (eg. kill people, gain points to gain ranks, unlock weapons and perks).

I had fun with the game, but I admit that that if it were not for the Nazi zombie mode, that it wouldn't have been particularly memorable. And now that I've picked up Modern Warfare 2, I have almost little reason to return to this game unfortunately. That's about it for today, later geeks!

Categories: call of duty , gaming , world at war , xbox 360

I try not to hide the fact that I'm a big wrestling fan. I'm what the internet geeks would call a hardcore fan or a mark. As a kid (and in some ways still) the wrestler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, was always my favourite because to me, he was like a hero. He always fought for the good and cut down all the bad. Even when he would turn in storyline into a bad guy, I would still cheer for him because he was Canadian and he represented our country. To me, Bret Hart was always the infallible, indestructible and invincible hero.

Then a funny thing happened 3 years ago. Back in the fall of 2007 he released his much anticipated autobiography, a book touted as the best wrestling biography ever written. It must have been one the books I was most anxious to read in my life. As I started reading it, I was really smiling because I was getting to learn more about my childhood hero. But as I read the book further, my smile started to straighten, and then curve down. I felt sad. The memories I had of my hero were broken. Here was a man who I thought was infallible, indestructible and invincible, yet in the pages of this book he talked about doing drugs... sleeping around with multiple women... cheating on his wife. It was a tough read, but it really put things into perspective. Even the greatest hero can falter.

It seems as though the story of superheroes going bad is becoming the next hot thing in the geek community. I think the success of the movie adaptation of The Watchmen really helped propel this genre. But I have to say, the reboot of the Batman franchise really got the ball rolling on this first. It introduced the public to the idea that superheroes can be taken seriously. They're not always wacky, colourful and full of action like the Spider-Man or X-Men movies. They can be realistic. And like in reality, they can be fallible.

A few months ago, I did a review of a title called Irredeemable by Mark Waid. At least so far, the first story arc is about the world's strongest and most respected superhero turning his back completely on the human race. One day he just got fed up with the bickering from the humans. DC's The Mighty follows quite a similar storyline, leading the readers through the rise and fall of a superhero. Although the ideas are the same, the executions are different. While Irredeemable takes a more grander approach, The Mighty goes for a more intimate story.

The Mighty tells of a story about the relationship between the world's greatest superhero, the aptly named Alpha One, and his human liaison, a detective named Gabriel Cole. Together, the two work like clockwork catching criminals and fighting crime. As we learn more about Alpha One we see that there's an undertone of... creepiness. We know something is wrong with him, but we don't know exactly what. Gabriel Cole also suspects something awry with his superhuman partner and soon a mystery unfolds and a grand diabolical scheme is unveiled.

Written by Peter J. Tomasi, what makes this story work and feel so intimate is that he kept the major players as Alpha One and Gabe Cole. There are side and supporting characters, but this story is clearly based on one man and his relationship with his childhood hero. It's the story of this relationship that makes the comic so gripping and so relatable.

This title was a fantastic read and at twelve issues long, it's also quite a short and enjoyable read. The story is just crying to be made into a movie. It's a story that I think would be simple to tell on the silver screen. But we'll see. Til next time, later geeks!

Categories: comics , dc comics , the mighty