Your Disc is on My List

A tip of the hat to Hall and Oates for the title today...

Anyway, I've been burning through my list of things to read and watch as I've mentioned in previous posts, and doing a not-bad job of it, if I do say so myself. In the last 24 hours I've polished off a couple of movies and a handful of comic books which I will get into in more detail below...

HALLOWEEN is one of those movies that, if you're a movie buff and you haven't seen it you should. Not because it's really great, or overly captivating, but because it's one of those turning point movies that changes how people look at a particular genre or how movies get distributed or whatever the case may be.

Now, I love John Carpenter to bits and I only just got around to seeing this movie, which is a little sad, but considering it didn't leave much of an impression on me one way or the other, I guess it's not a real tragedy either. I know why the movie is a classic, and why poeple love it, and why it did so well and all the logistical and artistic reasons why it goes on more than 25 years after it's initial release, but the simple fact is, it didn't really keep my attention. Granted, it's been my experience that when I go into a classic movie that I'm not that familiar with I often react this way (NORTH BY NORTHWEST is a good example of that) and a second viewing may change my opinion, but as it stands I give HALLOWEEN a 'meh' rating.

I read all 10 issues of B.P.R.D. Plague of Frogs & The Dead yesterday to cap off my Hellboy long weekend and, to be perfectly honest, I think I prefer them to the Hellboy series proper. Guy Davis is doing such a fabulous job of depicting the world that Mignola created and making it his own and the writing by Mignola and Arcudi has been sharp, suspenseful and keeps me coming back for more. Now that I think about it, I was genuinely creeped out by Plague of Frogs and I remember thinking to myself, even if Mignola wanted to draw this story, it wouldn't work as well as having Davis on it. He just brought a ooky factor to the whole thing that was all his own, you know? I'm really looking forward to the next 5 issues.

AUTO FOCUS is Paul Schrader's highly regarded biopic of Bob "Hogan's Heroes" Crane, nicely portrayed by Greg Kinnear. It's an interesting portrait of someone who has it all and lets it all slip away as a result of his addiction to women, sex and photography/video. Willem Dafoe does a pretty good job playing Crane's buddy John Carpenter (no relation to the HALLOWEEN guy) who accomodates Crane by supplying him with the equipment and the opportunity to indulge in his fantasies. Crane's excesses take their toll on him as he ends up divorcing twice and he watches his career go down the toilet because of his reputation around Hollywood. And, if you know anything about the story of Crane's life, you must know how it ends - with his brutal slaying in his hotel room by an unknown assailant. Interesting to watch, well acted, a nicely put together film overall. I'd probably watch it again if given the opportunity.

SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED #7 was purchased for the Karl Moline illustrated story in the back of the issue. If you know me at all you know that I worship at the altar of Karl and hungrily seek out any and all work done by the guy, so this was a no-brainer. I'm happy to say that the story, written by Matthew K. Manning, was clever, enjoyable and combined with Moline's linework, well worth the money spent on it. The lead story by Bill Rosemann and drawn by Mike Perkins was pretty average fare. Nothing to write home about.

PANIC ROOM was much better than I remembered it. I think this time I looked at it as a popcorn movie and wasn't thinking of it as the follow-up to FIGHT CLUB. I'm pretty sure the reason I hated this movie so much when I first saw it was because I expected something deeper as far as themes or character were concerned, but not even Fincher looked at the thing as more than a cardboard cut-out thriller. He was just happy to be shooting everything on one stage after the craziness that was FIGHT CLUB. I picked up my copy in a bargain bin for $6.88 so I figured I'd not only try the movie again just in case it was better than I remembered it (I could never justify buying the 3-disc uber-edition of the movie with all the bells and whistles) but it was also the first superbit movie in my collection and I wanted to try out the superior video and audio the superbit DVDs are supposed to offer. I've convinced myself to get the 3-disc set at the first available opportunity (being the features whore that I am) and to not bother with superbit discs from here on out. Either I don't have the system for it or they're really not all that.

JLA CLASSIFIED #8 was another great offering from Giffen, DeMatteis and crew. The finale (which I have yet to pick up) has gotten some lukewarm reviews, but as far as I'm concerned, this is some of the best stuff being written and drawn right now. The love these guys have for the subject matter is in every panel of every page. I'm actually enjoying this follow-up even more than Formerly Known as... and that was a masterpiece of nostalgic humour and character bits. I'll definitely be saddened when this is over (remember, I have one issue to go) but also happy that I got to spend some time with these creators and these characters one more time. The DCU is-a-changin' and I Can't Believe it's Not the Justice League was a very fond farewell.

That's it for right now, I guess. I also tried to read THE FILTH but I just wasn't in the mood for it. I got bored after the first issue and had to put it down again. Hmmm, speaking of Morrison minis, I should finish SEAGUY, too.

Until next time...

mike