If you're curious about my radio show, "Geek Culture," which is about comics, videogames, movies and other geek stuff, you can finally check it out here:

www.thisisgeekculture.weebly.com

Thanks!

-V

............

I haven't blogged in forever but I've had a lot of people ask me what I thought of the G.I. JOE flick, since I'm a big JOE Geek.

G.I. JOE is a good movie that isn't made for fans of G.I. JOE. 

That sounds harsh, but don't forget the "good movie" part of that sentence.  I thought the movie was well made, exciting, and a lot of fun to watch.  I had a good time.  It's just not the G.I. JOE movie that I wanted to see.  Everything character based in the movie seems lifted off of the file-cards that come with the action-figures, but that's where the similarities to the characters we know end (as if they were all that the writer was exposed to for reference).  There is little-to-no history from the comics or cartoon here.  In fact I think the only things included is the fact that the Destro mask is a family heritage (well, sort of in the movie) and Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow's history from the comics (although it was totally fucked up and ruined, at least it was an attempt).

Basically, the movie is it's own thing, and that kind of pissed me off, because I wanted it to be more faithful to the comics, since someone working on the film (sorry, but I can't remember if it's the producer, writer or whatever since I read the interview like a year ago) said something very close to "the movie is based on the comics written by Larry Hama."  Well, no... it wasn't.  So I guess I felt a little lied to in that regard.  If I'd known it would be it's own continuity with new character histories/relationships, etc. I wouldn't have been bothered by some of the "twists" that elicited a groaning reaction from me.

BUT, all of that being said, I have been recommending this movie left and right.  Why?  Because, as I said before, it's FUN.  Isn't that what seeing the movies is about?  I had zero expectations going in.  I figured it for another "Street Fighter". Sure, I groaned a lot at the innumerable inconsistencies, but those reactions were out-weighed by the smile on my face and "holy shit" moments.  So, you know what?  I'll take it.  This could have been like the original Street Fighter movie, where the characters looked good and had the right name (at least for American Street Fighter fans), but none of them were doing what they were supposed to be doing and the movie sucked.  Instead, in JOE, the characters looked different, but cool, had the right names, were sort of doing what they were supposed to be doing, and the movie was fun.  So I'm happy.  Maybe it sounds like I set the bar low, but my having fun at a movie goes a long way, because too few movies are actually fun anymore.  And if you're not familiar with G.I. JOE, you won't notice those differences anyway.

Highlights and lows (some BIG SPOILERS AHEAD, people!!!):

Snake-Eyes:  Because everyone wants to know.  Snakes was OK.  It's hard to mess up a character with no dialogue, although the explanation behind that is STUPID and a useless change.  In the movie he took a "vow of silence" which completely takes away his heroic saving of Scarlett from a burning helicopter that scarred his face and burnt his vocal chords to the point where speech is almost impossible.  Which has more story potential?  "I don't talk because I'm a fucking badass and a good enough friend/lover that I'll get freaking BLOWN UP to save the woman I love" or "I don't talk because I don't feel like it"?  That's the biggest mistake the movie made.  Little short-cut lines to explain things to the audience (like why Snakes doesn't talk) that effectively kill a ton of good material for a sequel to explore.  However, he looks cool and kicks ass, and that's enough for some (just not for me).  Don't expect him to be a major player like in the comics though.  His role is similar to the one he had in the cartoon.

Storm Shadow:  Way more ruthless in the movie that in the cartoon or comics, with little-to-no sense of honor (other than one line), but let me tell you, he was the highlight of the movie for me.  He grew into one of my favorite characters in the comic, and he kicks all kinds of ass in the movie.  Cool.  Although I peeked at the novelization (I read maybe 3 pages) and they cut out a VERY IMPORTANT line of his at the end.  Why?  I need to know!  On the bad side, in the comics, he and Snake-Eyes were almost closer than brothers at one point, and other than his stints in COBRA (Storm Shadow has been a JOE, too) they were the best of friends.  That's what made their battles interesting.  In the movie, I never even got the sense that they liked each other, so you lose a lot of depth/history there.  That should have been included.

The Doctor/(I won't say):  I thought I was going to hate this character, and I was bummed because he's my overall favorite from the comics, but he was actually pretty cool.  He's not at all the same character that I know and love.  TOTALLY different.  But still cool, although I thought he sounded better as "The Doctor."  He sounds too much like Darth Vader later.  Main mistake made?  YOU CANNOT EXPLAIN WHO (name here) IS, DAMMIT!  GAH!!!  Way to make a character less interesting right in the first movie.  In 25 YEARS of comics, we never learn this guy's real name, but it one movie they're like "oh, it's this guy, his name is ... and this is why he does what he's doing."  Jesus.  How about a little mystery?  To change this character though, the entire movie would have to be re-written.

Scarlett:  Scarlett was always and forever the love of Snake-Eyes in the comics (and Duke in the cartoon, sort of) but here SE is more like a buddy and it's Ripcord that has eyes for her.  I was worried about this, but it's definitely fixable in another movie.  Nobody really "gets the girl" so-to-speak.

Baroness:  You sort of look like her, but what have you done with the real Baroness?  I'm not even going to bother listing the differences in this character.  Shit.  My main disappointment, I think.

Destro:  Was fine until the end, then got kind of lame.

Duke:  I'll admit, I never really like Duke in the cartoons or the comics.  He's just too "Prototype American Soldier" to me, which I don't find that interesting.  He was pretty good in the movie though.  He wasn't the character I was interesting in, but he certainly didn't hurt the movie in any way.

I think I've babbled enough, so I'll stop.  It sounds like I hate this movie, but I don't.  It was a blast.  Just not the comic-based movie I would have preferred.

I still recommend it, especially if you're on the fence or only a so-so fan of the comics.

Movies should be fun once in a while and this one definitely achieves that.

-V

Buried our favorite cat, Petey, on Fri after having to put him to sleep. Feel like I buried a chunk of myself as well.

He was a stray we picked up back when we lived in Miami.  We saved his life and gave him a loving family.

His kidneys failed last week with no real warning.  Was at the vet for a full day with him while he was monitored/taken care of, but the damage was done.  We brought him home for one last night (we promised him that he'd get to go home) and he was his old self for about 20 minutes before settling down for a fitful sleep that night.

The Dr. made a house call Friday morning to put the little guy to sleep.  He got to pass on at home with us and my fiance and I cried for about 3 days.

That 6 or 7 years that we had with him just wasn't enough.

Everyone believes that their pet is special, but it's not often that you get out of state condolence calls from family members you don't often speak to.  We've had a handful.  Anyone who met Petey loved him.  He was sunshine incarnate.  He was never in a bad mood, always forgiving, and always blissfully happy to see us/have a home/belong, etc.

This is going to take a long time to get over...

Or, if you prefer, "An Open Letter to Alan Moore."

SPOILERS ahead.

Dear Mr. Moore,

You were right.  Watchmen in it's pure form, in all of it's subtle nuances, is unfilmable.  That doesn't mean that a pretty good movie can't come out of it though.

I liked the Watchmen movie.  It was good.  It just wasn't Watchmen, to me.  You see, the things that are captured in the movie, the overall plot, the mask killer theory, and all of that... well, those aren't really the things I like about the Watchmen comic.  They make for a pretty good movie, but it wasn't the Watchmen experience that I expected.  Of course, due to time constraints (it's still near three hours long) in a "theatrical cut," a lot of the little things that I like about the story didn't make it into the film.  Maybe I'll change my tune when the extended version comes out on DVD.  Maybe I won't.

You see, the subtle movements between panels, the ability to linger on the page, soaking in every detail (is that a femur bone or what???... Oh, why... yes.  Yes, it is), the ability to really study every "frame," well... that's just something that you can't do in a movie.  It goes by so fast (even at 3 hours or so) that you miss things.  Oh, you miss things in the book, too.  I've probably read it a dozen times by now, and I always notice little things that I didn't before.  See points of view that I hadn't considered before.  But I think that Watchmen is just too heavy and dense to make into a true "Watchmen" film.

I guess I'm asking too much.  They certainly got more right than they got wrong, as my fiance would say (she liked it.  It got a 4 star rating from her).  I'll give it an "A" for effort.  Zack Snyder's got balls, man.  The things that he didn't change were ballsy: the 1985 setting, the alternate history, the naked blue guy (which people are raising way too much fuss over.  Seriously).  But there were a few too many things changed for it not to feel like an "adaptation" of Watchmen rather than the real thing.  Which is fine.  That's what it is, after all.  But so many reviews and previews have said how literal a translation it was... I guess I got my hopes up too high.  It was kind of like the "Diet" version, and I wanted "The Real Thing."  Even a little change like Dan visiting Adrian towards the beginning instead of Rorschach... that takes away many little moments from the comic that I enjoy.  Instead of getting two men who don't like or respect each other having a one-on-one conversation, you get two old friends.  Even though the same points get made, even some of the same lines spoken... it's just too different for me.  It changes the tone of that entire scene.  That's just a small example.

I know, I know.  You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.  You get too literal, people complain.  You're not literal enough, people complain.  I guess I'm just a Watchmen literalist, who believes that not a single thing should change, it's fine as it is... but then, who's gonna sit through a six hour movie, besides me?

I would have liked it if it had ended with Rorschach getting arrested (or when they decide to bust him out, which would probably be more of a "midpoint") and then, maybe this winter, or next year, have part two.  But I'm not sure that that would hold the interest of anyone besides fanboys (like me).

I see the conundrum.  I guess I haven't really figured out how I feel about the movie yet.

The simplest way that I can put it right now is that Watchmen makes for a pretty good movie, but it's a terrific book.

I'm really glad now that I bought "The Complete Motion Comic" DVD, which itself is not really "complete" as it has a few lines omitted here and there, but overall was a much more enjoyable experience for me.

I'm gonna have to sit on this one.  I may change my tune when I see it again on DVD and I'm not dissecting every minute of it.

Later,
-V
(who's curious to know what others think)

I wanted to go to the midnight showing, but YW wants me to see it with her... so I have to wait.

Anyone who's been privy to my rantings over the last few weeks knows that I love Watchmen.  It's a comic that's so ingrained into my geekdom that I don't even remember buying it or reading it for the first time.  Much like Dr. Manhattan, it exists in all times, like it's always been there, a part of my nerdy assed life.

In short, I can't wait to see the film.  I know things are changed and I hope that the changes don't bother me, but even if it sucks, I'll always have the original.

If done right, I think a lot of people will love the film, and I also think a lot of people will hate it.  YW isn't a big fan, but hopes the film will work for her, unlike me who thinks it's the equivalent of modern day Shakespeare.  

Those initiated into the world of Watchmen know that it's a story that delivers a punch.  Some people just don't like getting punched.  It makes sense.  Getting punched hurts.  To others, it's like an eye opening experience that exposes you to the cruelty and reality of the world the first time it happens to you and ultimately you're thankful it happened because... well, because it's a defining moment in your life.

Wow, what's with the odd prose and long-winded musings?  I don't know.  Watchmen is a hard thing to discuss without giving anything away.  I'll stop now, lol.

Check back and sometime within the week I'll let you know what I thought of the film.

-V

Holy crap.

To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to this one.  I mean, it looked cool and all, but I dunno... it just wasn't doing it for me.  Until now.

This trailer officially has me dying to see this movie.

I hope Sabretooth is a really sick bastard.

Watch:



-V

Hey, all. 

At first, most of this was a response to one of Jake The Snake's blogs (yes, that Jake The Snake), but I thought that it warranted it's own brief post here, as well, since most of my wrasslin' buds know that I am a HUGE Kane fan.  It also ended up being my Amazon review...

I should also add as an introduction that Wendy asked me how much spooge I left all over Wal-Mart when I saw this thing (I somehow had no idea it was coming out).  My answer: A whole hell of a lot, lol.

(Jake was talking about wrestling today versus wrestling of old)

...That's funny, because I was watching the new "The Twisted, Disturbed life of Kane" DVD set yesterday (awesome set, but I can't help but be puzzled as to some of the match choices...) and my fiance summed it up in a nutshell.  She said "you watch this older stuff because you miss the spectacle and not all of the jawing that they do now."  I couldn't have said it better, myself.

THE DVD:

This review contains one spoiler, but since it from a match that happened many years ago, I'm not sure if that's relevant.  I figured I had better mention it, anyway.

I, myself am a huge Kane fan and this is a good, but not great Kane DVD set.  It's more of a match retrospective than a career retrospective.  And some of the matches chosen are odd choices.  Overall, the production is great, and other than one match where the sound is messed up (it probably was during the television broadcast, as well) it's tops all around as far as quality.

As far as match choices, I know that wins and losses aren't really a big deal in Kane's career, but some matches that they went with were just weird choices.  A lot of losses on this set.  An example: They wanted a match from when he teamed with Undertaker (when Taker was doing the biker thing, which I kind of liked, admittedly) and they picked the tables match with them against Edge & Christian and The Dudleys... a match that Kane and Taker lost and honestly didn't fare that well in (and were out of character, staying out of the match for several minutes due to chair shots, something that neither Kane nor Taker usually had much trouble with, so that the other teams would wrestle a while).  Why wouldn't they show one of the numerous matches that they won and actually put the team over, since they're supposed to be so "dominant?"  Odd.  Even the tag match between Kane and Taker against HHH and Steve Austin would have been a better choice than my example.  At least that match had some good psychology (Kane being injured and isolated from his partner).  They still lost, if I remember correctly, but at least it was a better match.  I don't mind a good tables match, or ladder match or whatever, but this one wasn't even that good, IMO.

There were several other choices like this as well, where there was a much better match that could have been chosen over what they went with.

Just odd choices in some cases...

I'm happy to see one of the WWF/WWE's best workers finally get a long-overdue retrospective DVD, but I can't help but think that they could have done better.  There are a lot of good matches on here, but a lot of asking the question "why did they put this match on here?  Why not this one???"

If you're a Kane fan, you'll love it (and I do), but it's not perfect.

I still await a true career retrospective DVD, with behind-the-scenes footage and commentary from his peers, but this is a great way to feed that hunger while I wait.

I still recommend it for Kane fans, as it's got some great moments and matches, but prepare to be puzzled if you're at all familiar with Kane's history in the ring.

EDIT: Here's a trailer for the DVD:



Peace,
-V

Hey, all.  This blog is sure to offend some people, and I really don't care.

I liked Hillary and voted for her in the primaries, but I'm now a big Obama supporter.  I believe in him and I'm incredibly proud to have a person of color for President and proud of America for choosing him so decisively.  It shows the kind of forward thinking that's been lost over the past 8 years while we've had to deal with a extremely right wing idiot in the White House.

However, I've been kind of pissed the past few days because, while I've known that the "Bible Belt" South has the reputation elsewhere for being filled with ignorant rednecks, I'd actually thought that that wasn't as true as people make it out to be.  Unfortunately, since Obama was elected, I've been proven wrong and apparently have been acting under the false assumption that the Bible Belt didn't deserve this reputation.

In the past few days, I've had to hear countless "nigger" jokes and people stating how things can only get worse with a President that's "the wrong color" (apparently most of America disagrees with you).  How the "national fruit" would be watermelon, how the Statue of Liberty would be changed to "Mrs. Butterworth holding a bucket of KFC" and worse.  I'd considered these people my friends and I'd admired them, despite their political leanings.  But now it appears that true colors are being shown and it makes me sick.  I don't care if you're "just joking around" because it's not funny.

I already no longer consider these people true friends, and I plan to stop censoring what I say in their presence.  I've been careful over the past few years not to be too open about what I believe because I was afraid.  I was in the minority.  What if people didn't like me anymore? 

I don't give a shit about that anymore.  I don't give a shit about fucking Christmas because I celebrate the Winter Solstice.  And I'm going to say "Goddamn" and "Goddammit" as much as I want to (silly, I know), two things that I'd not really done much because I didn't want to offend them because of their beliefs.  Well, since they obviously don't care about offending me or the things that I believe in (gay rights, being pro-choice, Paganism), why should I care, either?

Furthermore, I have no problem with other people having different views in life as I do, but if you, yes YOU, dislike someone simply because of the color of their skin, or their sexual orientation, or thier religion, etc, without even taking into consideration thier own personal worth, I'd like you to to do me a favor.  Delete me as your friend.  I don't want to be associated with people like that, even on an internet site.  Fuck off.

If you're American, and you say you believe in equality, but don't like people of other races simply "because," then you don't believe in equality.  If you don't like someone simply because they don't have the same religion as you, or *gasp* , have no religion at all, you don't believe in equality, and so on and so forth.  Over the past 8 years, we've had to deal with an administration that dealt with things in very black and white terms.  Very little in life is black and white, but equality is.  You either believe that every man (and WOMAN) is equal in this country or you don't.  Stop lying to yourself, and stop lying to others.

Jesus, by the way, was not a Caucasian man with long brown hair, he was Palestinian.  He'd probably get pointed at in an airport nowadays and be accused of being a terrorist.  Think about it.

That's it.

-V

I thought that there may be a few here that would be interested...

This past Friday, I proposed (some would say "finally") to my longtime girlfriend.

She said "yes!" :-D

For those curious, I carved "MARRY ME?" into a pumpkin and lit it up as a surprise jack-o-lantern :-)

We both adore Halloween, so it was natural ;-)

Also, it's the Pagan New Year, so it's the perfect time for "new beginnings" :-D

Check for pics soon in the "various stages of me" folder :-)

Yay!

-VENOM

If you wanna get involved in the latest campaign to save Spider-Girl, this is the group to join.

If you've heard about us on www.SaveSpidergirl.com or know how the fans have saved the book numerous times before, come see what all of the fuss is about.

Membership is open to anyone who wants to help.

http://groups.myspace.com/teamspidergirl

Or check out www.comicboards.com/spidergirl to see where this all started, years ago.

-V