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“THE EXTREMIST AGENDA” finale! The new JLA’s first adventure comes to a (multiple-)earth-shattering conclusion as Batman and his team takes the fight directly to Lord Havok. |
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"A NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller! Hailed as a comics masterpiece, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS is Frank Miller's (300 and SIN CITY) reinvention of the legend of Batman. It remains an undisputed classic, one of the most influential stories ever told in comics, and is a book cited by the filmmakers as an inspiration for the most recent Batman movies. It is ten years after an aging Batman has retired and Gotham City has sunk deeper into decadence and lawlessness. Now, as his city needs him most, the Dark Knight returns in a blaze of glory. Joined by Carrie Kelly, a teenage female Robin, Batman takes to the streets to end the threat of the mutant gangs that have overrun the city. And after facing off against his two greatest enemies, the Joker and Two-Face, for the final time, Batman finds himself in mortal combat with his former ally, Superman, in a battle that only one of them will survive. This collection is hailed as a comics masterpiece and was responsible for the launch of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies. This volume collects BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #1-4." |
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High schooler Natsuo is hopelessly in love with his cheerful and popular teacher, Hina. However, one day at a mixer, he meets a moody girl by the name of Rui and ends up sleeping with her. Soon after, his father announces that he's getting remarried to a woman with two daughters of her own. And who shows up in tow, other than both Hina and Rui?! Natsuo's outrageous new life starts now! |
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The landscape of the Marvel Universe is changing, and it's time to choose: Whose side are you on? A conflict has been brewing, threatening to pit friend against friend, brother against brother and all it will take is a single misstep to cost thousands their lives and ignite the fuse! As the war claims its first victims, no one is safe as teams, friendships and families begin to fall apart. The crossover that rewrites the rules, Civil War stars Spider-Man, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the entirety of the Marvel pantheon! Collects Civil War (2006) #1-7. |
By Scott Muller
I tell people that while I’m chronologically 40 years old, half the time I act like a 10-year-old and half the time I act like I’m 70…which averages out to 40. This past weekend, I let the 70-year-old in me take control of my movie pick, and picked Going in Style. While this movie might skew a little outside of this site’s demographic, why don’t you sit with peepaw and he’ll tell you whether or not you should see this movie? I might have a Werther’s hard candy in my pocket if you sit down and listen quietly…
If you’ve read any of my other reviews (The Belko Experiment and Sneaky Pete) I like to begin my reviews with a quick synopsis and a two-sentence review, since I know you whippersnappers have video games to play (like Mass Effect: Andromeda…that game is taking me forever) and Interwebs to surf. So, here it goes…
Three retired steel workers (Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin) plan a bank robbery…hijinks ensue…because they’re old and stuff.
This movie is one of those movies that I’ll stop and watch on TBS or watch again if it’s free on Amazon Prime. If you don’t overanalyze it, there are plenty of laughs and good-hearted smiles to be had watching this movie, but if you really want to find fault in this movie, you’ll have no problem doing so. All in all, this was a fun way to spend 90 minutes, but it’s probably better suited to be a rental or a watch on cable than a theater movie experience.
Well, for those of you who’ve stuck around, peepaw is proud of you. Have a butterscotch candy…
Anyway, to be completely honest, I went to this movie with absolutely no expectations. I couldn’t remember the last pure comedy I saw in a theater (maybe Central Intelligence, which was a perfectly fine movie), so I decided to give this a shot. Considering the talent at the top of the poster (Caine, Freeman, and Arkin), I thought that at least it couldn’t be terrible. I gave it an IMDB search and, much to my delight, discovered that Christopher Lloyd and Ann-Margret were also involved, and I was actually looking forward to the movie, but keeping my expectations in check.
The movie begins with retired steel worker Joe (Caine) at the bank trying to figure out why he’s about to lose his home. Turns out that he fell for a “teaser rate” that a scummy bank employee (played with amazing sliminess by Josh Pais) pushed on him. Joe has little time before his home, where his daughter and granddaughter also live, is taken from him. In the middle of his meeting at the bank, the place is robbed by masked, gun-wielding baddies. The robbers, however, only rob the bank and not the customers. One gunman, in particular, passes up the opportunity to rob Joe, instead offering that a society needs to take care of its elderly. The scene ends with Joe smiling…a light bulb going off in his head.
As the movie progresses, we meet Joe’s buddies, Willie (Freeman) and Albert (Arkin). Willie is a laid-back grandpa who doesn’t get to see his family enough and Albert is a grumpy old codger who cracks jokes about his mortality pretty much every 30 seconds. After the three learn that the steel plant at which they worked is moving overseas and using their pension fund to pay off debts, Joe offers up the plan to rob the bank that’s doing all the taking. At first, the two scoff at the idea, but as events unfold, they both hop on board.
Now, as far as this movie goes, you’re not really getting anything new. You’re going to see three old guys do things old guys do a lot: stumble and fall down, complain about being old, gripe about current technology, complain about being old, talk about the old days, and complain about being old. Have you heard these jokes before? Absolutely, but that doesn’t make them any less amusing. I got some good belly laughs from this movie, including a fantastic scene where the three buddies “practice” robbing a grocery store. Is this plot something new and fresh? Nah, but it had a couple legitimately good moments that I didn’t see coming. Plus, it really is a pretty warm movie. I’m sure your typical movie critic will call it “sappy” or “syrupy,” but I genuinely enjoyed the movie and its message. It certainly helps that the five over-75-year old stars (Ann-Margret is the “youngest” at 75) are all fantastic, delivering lines that would be far less funny if a crappier actor was delivering them. Even Lloyd, who is essentially playing an older version of his Reverend Jim Ignatowski character from taxi, made me laugh once or twice.
Does this movie have its flaws? Sure. If we were to really examine whether three 80-year-old men could rob a bank with two weeks’ preparation, I’m sure we would be able to poke tons of holes in the plot. This movie has definitely been done before, with old guys trying to do things that young guys usually do, whether it be boxing (Grudge Match with De Niro and Stallone), partying (Last Vegas with Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, and De Niro), or going into space (Space Cowboys with Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, Jack Lemon, and Tommy Lee Jones). There will always be a movie that has old people doing things that it’s humorous for old people to be doing. That doesn’t necessarily mean the movie’s bad. Hell, how many more superhero, zombie, vampire, or drunken sex romp movies do there need to be? I was willing to overlook the flaws for 90 minutes to just enjoy a fun, lighthearted, silly movie that made me laugh.
For the sake of a real review, it’s tough to give this movie a score. I enjoyed the movie, but I realize that if someone were going to this film expecting a comedic masterpiece, they might be disappointed. I think, to be fair, I would have to give this movie a six as a theater movie and an eight as a rental or Netflix watch. It would probably top out as a nine as something on network television.
In summary, skip this movie in the theater, or wait until it gets into a dollar theater or comes out on DVD or Netflix and get some friends together to watch. It’s a fun way to spend an hour and a half, unless you’re a grumpy old codger or a young hoodlum who has no respect for your elders. Otherwise, give this movie a watch and you’ll see it for what it is, five fantastic older actors doing what they do best.
By Mary Rakas
When Bravely Default was released for the Nintendo 3DS system in North America in 2014, it changed role playing video games as we know them.
I’ve been an avid gamer for most of my life. The RPG genre is one of my favorites. Paper Mario, Fire Emblem, Golden Sun, and Shining Force rank among my staple series in the RPG category. Perhaps a negative to role playing games is that they all follow the same generic system. Most games in the genre use a turn-based or an active time battle system.
Most RPGs also follow a standard system for leveling up. Whether they belong to a ‘class’ or a ‘job’, characters gain experience and increased stats through combat. With few exceptions, such as Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Final Fantasy V, a character’s job or class cannot be altered. For example, a fighter cannot be turned into a mage.
Bravely Default threw a fantastic monkey wrench into the turn-based combat model. Players input actions for all four party members to start a turn, with player-controlled units and CPU units acting in order of the highest speed stat to the lowest. The difference? Players can ‘brave’ to use multiple actions in a single turn. In most RPGs, players can defend for a turn to take less damage. In Bravely Default, the ‘default’ action not only limits damage, it also builds up brave points. Using these points, players can perform for or five actions in one turn depending on what skills the character has equipped. However, if a player uses multiple turns without having extra BP, he or she will go ‘in the red’ and be unable to act until the counter resets.
Bravely Default also enables characters to change jobs at any time. All four characters start out as ‘freelancers’, but players can unlock 23 more jobs. In addition to leveling up characters, players can earn job points to unlock abilities and skills for each job. You can fight one battle as a ninja and the next as a vampire. However, each job must be leveled up for each character.
Originally intended as a sequel to Final Fantasy IV, Bravely Default kept some features from the series. For example, players can perform special weapon-based moves similar to those in Final Fantasy XI. A variation on the summons system from Final Fantasy IV is even included. The ability to change a character’s job is similar to that of Final Fantasy V, though Bravely Default expanded on it, allowing players to combine abilities from up to five other jobs.
A vast array of scenery and cultures abound in Bravely Default. From the desert sands of Ancheim to the lively gardens of Florem, surprises are always in store as players traverse the world of Luxendarc. The backgrounds are hand-drawn, giving locations and the various inhabitants their own flavor. The art style, in tandem with the 3D feature of the Nintendo 3DS, gives the game the distinctive look of a pop-up book. The design is definitely a path less followed.
The wind, water, earth, and fire crystals keep Luxendarc in balance. The crystals are protected by a religious group known as the Crystal Orthodoxy, which is opposed by the Duchy of Eternia. Darkness takes over the crystals, causing a giant chasm to appear and destroy the village of Norende. Tiz, the sole survivor, meets Agnes, the vestal of the wind crystal (and her fairy, Airy), and the two set out to restore the crystals and repair the chasm.
A traveler named Ringabel, who suffers from amnesia, and Edea, the daughter of the Duchy’s ruler, later join Tiz and Agnes in their quest. The group discovers there are parallel worlds, and that restoring the crystals linked the worlds together, enabling a dark being to destroy them. The gameplay becomes repetitive toward the end of the game, but discovering secrets within the story help get you through it. Plus, an extra dungeon can be unlocked near the end of the game, which adds replay value.
There’s more good news about Bravely Default; a sequel was released in North America last year. I’m currently playing through Bravely Second: End Layer, and so far it doesn’t disappoint. There are new bosses, new jobs, and new playable characters, though familiar faces make appearances. Players do visit many locations from the first game, but there are twists with these, as well as new dungeon areas, to keep things fresh.
Bravely Default has become a new favorite video game series of mine. If you’re looking for a lengthy game to keep yourself busy, you’ve found it. A complex storyline and comedic cut scenes will keep you entertained in both installments. Bravely Default’s fresh take on turn-based gameplay, combined with familiar elements from other beloved franchises, raises the bar on the RPG genre and sets it apart as a classic.
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A NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller! A new edition of one of the most important and critically acclaimed Batman adventures ever, written by Frank Miller, author of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS! In 1986, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli produced this groundbreaking reinterpretation of the origin of Batman--who he is and how he came to be. Written shortly after THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, Miller's dystopian fable of Batman's final days, YEAR ONE set the stage for a new vision of a legendary character. This edition includes the complete graphic novel, a new introduction by writer Frank Miller and a new illustrated afterword by artist David Mazzucchelli. Completing this collection are over 40 pages of never-before-seen developmental material such as character and layout sketches, sample script pages, sketches and more that provide a glimpse into the making of this contemporary classic. This volume collects BATMAN #404-407. |
