Milligan’s Animal Man run is 6 issues that varies between inspired energy and forced strangeness.
Author Archives: Pseudoplasm
Batman (issues 452-454) – Peter Milligan ♦♦♦ [three out of five]
One of Milligan’s Bats tales, from issues 452-454 “Dark Knight, Dark City” is mostly just a fun little story. Once a couple pieces are in place the story is mostly obvious, but Pete does a good job of pumping excitement into each issue. Alfred gives him an outlet for his literary references, and the flashbacks give him an outlet for his more poetic leanings.
But where is my outlet for my unnecessary need to review everything?
My Winnipeg •••• [four out of five]
There’s really no perfect way to explain this movie. I’ve never seen a film like it before, and while I find it hard to directly recommend it, I also want everyone to watch it.
Immortals • [one out of five]
Spectacle, thy name is ‘Immortals.’ Goodness.
Absolute Zero • [one out of five]
I understand that you can’t expect much from low-budget high-spectacle movies, but perhaps it’s ‘Absolute Zero’s’ willingness to ignore itself that makes it even less tolerable than the norm.
Apollo 18 •• [two out of five]
Despite the bad press, “Apollo 18” deserves notice for trying to bring something new to the found-footage genre, breaking some pacing trends to deliver an almost real sense of fear. Notice given? Okay. It’s still not a very good film, however, mistaking pacing accuracy for interest, and when it ends up giving into the demands of it’s genre anyway… well.
Bill Cunningham New York •••• [four out of five]
If you don’t care about photography – like me – then you’ll probably need someone else to point you in the direction of this documentary. So point I shall, because you listen to every word of mine you read, and ‘Bill Cunningham New York’ is definitely worth your time.
The Chaser •••• [four out of five]
Tragedy is what seeps through even in the moments of levity. On the trail of the killer, we continue watching the film because of how well woven the story is, how gracefully and directly Hong-jin Na captures everything, from interrogations to torture to chase scenes, and because maybe we’re supposed to seek out films that don’t just tell easy tales.
The Divide • [one out of five]
UGH.
Two For the Money – Max Allan Collins ♦♦♦♦ [four out of five]
I could’ve sworn this was a modern book, and yet “Two For the Money” combines two Max Allan Collins books published in the 80s – Bait Money and Blood Money – his first two with character Nolan. This speaks of the timelessness of certain concepts that are popular in crime/noir books, but moreso of the strength of Collins writing, imbuing his stories with very distinct characters and dialogue that you can feel existing in the real world…
Would you believe I wrote all these reviews in the 80s? …R… Really?