* The carnival of Acme Novelty Library #19 Final Crisis #7 continues: Here are 7 Reasons Why Douglas Wolk Loved Final Crisis. Kevin Melrose rounds up some info on the comic’s prominent, Dark Reign-undercutting use of a superheroic Barack Obama analogue. And the jibber-jabber about Morrison’s post-game comments about Wonder Woman continues in this comment thread.
* I know I swore off posting links to promotional stuff for Watchmen–you haven’t seen me link to those not-as-convincing-as-people-seem-to-think Dr. Manhattan period images, for example–but a couple of rather lovely image galleries went up recently. First there’s this series of black and white portraits of the main cast, taken from an upcoming book of such images. And second there’s this gallery of things like Nite Owl’s snowsuit, some of the World War II villains the Minutemen fought–you know, geeky stuff–taken from another, different upcoming book of such images. Regarding that first set, quite frankly, this picture of Malin Ackerman as Silk Spectre is stunning.
I can’t remember if I’ve discussed this on the blog or not, but one thing I was a little skittish about regarding the film was how drop-dead gorgeous Ackerman looks as Laurie, versus the somewhat more contextualized beauty of the character in the comic–she’s attractive to the other heroes in the book at least partially the same way the pretty girl in your office or your honors chem class is, you know? That girl probably couldn’t compete with an airbrushed Bar Rafaeli swimsuit layout, but because she shares your interests and is part of your world, why should she? But now I’m thinking that maybe it’s the same deal as those movie-fied costumes: Zack Snyder’s dealing with people’s expectations derived from Jessica Alba in a blue jumpsuit, and he has to shift things accordingly. Maybe that’s more thought put into the reasoning behind having a smoking hot woman wear next to nothing in your movie than is strictly required, I dunno, but that’s what I’m thinking. It’s also kind of amusing how much of the already meager costume they’re apparently taking out in post, as it were. (Links via everyone.)
* Heidi MacDonald notes concerns that a pair of British anti-obscenity laws could spell trouble for any number of media, though in the comment thread UK native Paul O’Brien says it’s much ado about nothing.
* Tom Spurgeon takes a look at a recent issue of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark’s Daredevil, emphasizing the sheer craft chops on display. That’s something that impresses me more and more about Brubaker’s superhero work.
* Rambo in America? Sure, I’ll eat it.
* I’ll admit it, this this gallery of/McG interview about Terminator Salvation concept art and design work has me intrigued. (Via I forgot whom.)
* I’m not going to read the whole review because I haven’t seen the movie yet, but from what I skimmed, CRwM‘s argument that The Strangers should be viewed as an update of the slasher film rather than part of the post-torture-porn “home invasion horror” subgenre was interesting to me.
* Cryptomundo’s Loren Coleman reprints a 1940 article on the sasquatch that presents the phenomena strictly in terms of a possible early-man angle, which is interesting.
* Josh Cotter’s Driven by Lemons: still killin’ it.
* I liked this piece by Closed Caption Comics’ Molly Colleen O’Connell, who I believe is Italian-American.
* Independence Day at the Overlook Hotel. When I was at Wizard we frequently ate at a restaurant that had a picture that looked just like this. It was screwed to the wall, dammit.
* Morrissey naked. The pleasure and the privilege is yours.
* Finally, this made me do one of those “slow-building applause that leads into a raucous ovation” kinda things. Then my wife and I made love on a bed of Kramers Ergot 7 comp copies, after which we smoked cigarettes we lit by burning whichever pages were still dry enough to catch fire.
Good points about Laurie’s attractiveness in the comic vs. the movie! But then, unless I’m reading you wrong, you make it sound like the spaces between the black parts of her costume are bare flesh. They’re not–they’re yellow costume.
Oh no. I thought my enthusiasm for the Terminator concept had gone out with the window with the last film and the TV show. Both of them are competent enough, but they just aren’t exciting.
But after that first trailer and that link there, (especially the stuff about ‘machine music’), I am now really, really looking forward to the new Terminator film.
This will only end in tears.
Curt: Re: the costume, I think it’s supposed to be yellow but also translucent, like it is in the comic. (Only here it’s more PVC-fetishy than it is lingerie-like.)
Bob: That made me laugh out loud. And it’s funny because it’s true.
HA HA HA. And you know what I mean.
I do and I agree with you 100%.
I can’t imagine what a Rambo movie set in America might look like.
First Blood?
But my guess is your point is that things have changed a lot for the franchise since then.
Haha – no, I was just being a smart ass because the Ain’t It Cool guy didn’t mention First Blood, which I think would be necessary if you’re talking about the possibility of another Rambo movie set in America.
However – you’re right: things have changed, esp. in terms of public perception of Vets.
And it would be (too) easy to just take John Rambo and throw him into a Die Hard-like situation rather than figure out a way to make the character’s history important/meaningful.
But I trust Stallone to come up with something good…