[DVD REVIEW] “Hellboy II” Three-Disc Special Edition

“Hellboy II” had a lot to live up to after Big Red’s first theatrical outing, as well as being Guillermo Del Toro’s first film after “Pan’s Labyrinth,” and it definitely delivered more imagination and impressive effects than most of the summer’s movie fare combined. Appropriately, the “Making of” documentary of this film—one with tons of effort put into each tiny creature it contained—is longer than the feature presentation, and that’s without the deleted scenes, troll market set tour and commentary by Del Toro.

While the copious amounts of features offer a great view behind the scenes, the features are comprised mostly of long, rarely-cut shots of Del Toro directing occasionally mixed in with interviews. This style, at times, feels like a very natural look at how the movie was put together, but mostly leaves you wishing they put as much effort into the production of the special features as they did the movie. Still, it’s a look worth having when the movie has so many “I wonder what went into that shot” moments, especially to see Mignola and Del Toro riffing ideas about monsters for the flick.

Still, the whole two-disc set is pretty much worth purchase for the amazingly cool hologram on the cover that morphs from the live-action Ron Perlman Hellboy to an illustrated Mike Mignola Hellboy. At the very least, head to Best Buy and just watch that thing work its magic for a while!

The best this amateur photog/blogger can do to capture the magic.

That Herc’s one mean CRAKKAJAMMA!

Hopefully I am preaching to the nerd choir when I confess my affection for Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente’s Incredible Herc—easily one of, if not the most, fun book on the shelves right now! Following the Lion of Olympus and is ward, boy genius Amadeus Cho, after the events of “World War Hulk,” this book has been a nonstop thrill ride and the best buddy comedy in comics, hands down!

This last issue (#122), Clayton Henry—with Salva Espin on a flashback sequence—continues art duties, and the book looks great! In this reader’s humble opinion, it’s the best his art has ever looked, and Herc is the perfect title for his style! I loved Khoi Pham’s kinetic action sequences on this title and Rafa Sandoval’s Secret Invasion tie-in was beautiful, but I think Henry may be the best artist to illustrate an arc of this sex-filled, bar-brawl of a book! The humor of this book is amplified so much by facial expressions, and Henry’s proving himself to be some sort of amplifying machine of an artist with each expressive panel (Not too mention Espin’s humorous insert into the issue)!

Here are a few examples of just how fantastic this book looks:

Without a doubt, the most hilarious sound effect ever! And, alongside Herc’s anger, courtesy of Henry, it’s that much greater!

Here’s Herc escaping the Amazonians after seducing Hippolyta. Espin delivers an example of some of this series’ epic comedy.

Back to Henry, we see Herc with the thumbs up for his sidekick, who he presumes is about to get his schwerve on. And in response, Amadeus looking none to pleased that Herc may ruin his chance to score with a mythic beauty.

Not only can Henry do teeth-gritting anger and comic mugging, but the guy can also capture Herc dumbfounded and melancholy upon finding an Amazonian head on a pike.

I’ve got more praise for this book than Homer had epithets for Greek and Trojan warriors! Save me the trouble of typing them all out, go read Herc and construct some descriptive phrases of praise for it yourself!

[DVD REVIEW] “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!”

As a reviewer of DVDs, “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!” was really a treat. I had no idea that a Colbert Christmas special was even in the works, let alone ready to be reviewed on DVD before it’s TV air date of November 23 at 10:00 p.m., so imagine my pleasant surprise when a review copy was mailed and I got a chance to check out what one might call a bit of “Christmas come early” (…and one’d be right! The review copy was sent to me in early November, far before Chrstmas!).

As a big Colbert fan, (Yep, it’s been blogged before! Check it here, here and here!) I was pretty excited to get my hands on this disc and started laughing from the second I saw the DVD cover where Colbert is wrapping dozens of copies, and holding, the very DVD case that holds the Christmas special (not to mention the TV screen fireplace on mute behind him).

The cover pretty much sets the tone for the delightfully ludicrous spoof of Christmas specials that features plenty of “in jokes” for members of the Colbert Nation. Including musical numbers by Colbert himself (one solo, one alongside “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart and featured parts in each of the other guests’ numbers), Toby Keith, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, John Legend and Feist, the hour TV special (about 45 minutes on DVD) plays off the overly musical specials of the past while delivering a playfully satirical view of America and arguably it’s biggest holiday. Elvis Costello is drop dead hilarious throughout as he dons numerous pageant costumes and delivers deadpan humor at its finest, while fans who miss Colbert in a less pundity format will enjoy getting to see a bit more of his comic acting (i.e. “Strangers with Candy”) within the world he’s established during his run on “The Colbert Report.” Comedy-wise, it’s a must-watch for the Colbert Nation and humor enthusiasts alike. Well worth the time for anyone out there with a pulse!

As far as special features go, the single disc has some real fun additions to the hilarious headlining program.

Three alternate endings are included. After watching the special, you’ll almost see a few times where you think, “Huh? I thought they were going to do something else there.” A few of those moments are shown in the alternate endings that are a silly little addition, but certainly an entertaining one! Another bonus feature has Colbert doing a country-western tune called “A Cold, Cold Christmas,” which will definitely garner laughter, but doesn’t touch the DVD’s best special feature. Going by the name of “Video Yule Log of Burning Books,” this 20-minute feature is a spoof of that silly channel that pops up everywhere around Christmas that just plays footage of a fireplace. The Colbert crew do the same, but toss books into the flames throughout the duration. When a copy of “Fahrenheit 451″ hit the blaze, I lost my sh%t! I just can’t wait to slip this in the DVD player at a holiday get-together and watch as people unaware of the joke slowly go from confusion to disgust. Just one more genius bit from this DVD that should get you out there grabbing a copy (it’s on sale now!) even before you catch it on TV.

Forget Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, I’m spending my Christmas with Colbert!

[DVD REVIEW] “Kung Fu Panda”

If you haven’t seen “Kung Fu Panda” yet, you really need to go buy it and see it as soon as possible. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Buying a movie I’ve never seen? That seems risky!” Normally, I’m of the same mindset, but after seeing this flick, I can safely say that only those completely lacking a sense of humor or with hearts of stone won’t like this; or, in other words, it’s a great film for everyone!

I missed this computer-animated adventure when it hit theaters and got my first look when I was reviewing this DVD. Why I didn’t see “Panda” before is a confusing matter to look back on, considering the cover features three things I absolutely love in movies or otherwise: Kung Fu, Jack Black and Pandas! However, seeing the movie alongside the shorter DVD-companion film “Secrets of the Furious Five” made waiting for the small screen more than worthwhile. My initial enjoyment of “Secrets” came from the multitude of adorable and hilarious kung fu bunnies, but the different styles of traditional animation used (similar to “Panda’s” opening sequence, for those who have seen it) was really a treat. Plus, more time with Jack Black as Po the panda is great, too!

As far as the rest of the special features on both discs (”Panda” and “Secrets”), the people at Dreamworks really put a ton of effort towards making this DVD set an all-out experience. Between the “Making of” featurettes, “how to draw” tutorials, DVD games, historical information of kung fu and the chinese zodiac, not to mention a feature about how noodles are made hosted by Food Network’s Alton Brown, these DVDs give you everything except a whole other movie…oh wait, they did that, didn’t they?! Given, many of the activities are geared towards children, but much like this “kids” movie can be enjoyed by people of all ages, so can these features.

If a final verdict is even needed after that rave review, the bottom line is that the whole DVD experience from film to featurette is a ton of fun. So get your Panda on and go pick it up!

R.I.P. Blue Beetle

Well, some of my worst fears have been confirmed.

In a Newsarama interview with DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio, the big cheese revealed that Blue Beetle is being canceled.

I’ve feared the worst for a while, as the online rumor mill has been churning with speculation that this book was headed towards an early grave.

Here’s what DiDio had to say about Blue Beetle’s cancelation…

“One of the books that I’m most disappointed about in that regard is a book like Blue Beetle, which we are canceling. That’s a book that we started with very high expectations, but it lost its audience along the way. Recently, we felt that it was standing on firmer ground, and was getting a more positive response. The problem is that the firmer ground and positive response is not enough to keep the book afloat. So unfortunately, we had to cancel that series.

“But with the case of both Manhunter and Blue Beetle, those characters did not go away – they will be essential to the DC Universe, and we hope at some point, we can look at them again and present them in stories where they can stand on their own. When it comes down to it, most of it is business – in the case of both Manhunter and Blue Beetle, it is solely about the sales, because these are books that are both near and dear to my heart, and we tried everything we could to keep them alive.”

I have petitioned and petitioned and petitioned for this book (in our review column, Thursday Morning Quarterback, and on this very blog) because it’s great, but—sadly—sales weren’t enough to keep the blue boy going even though the title was—as he told Newsarama—near and dear to DiDio’s heart, as it is to mine.

Time to head home and crack open a brew and raise a toast for yet another great, under-appreciated comic going to that big, back-issue bin in the sky! Here’s to you, Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle, you’re one helluva hero!

A Hodg(man)e-Podge post

Ok, I’m here to run down a few things that were all spurred on by this Onion AV Club interview with John Hodgman.

Picture shamelessly stolen from The Onion, so GO READ THE ARTICLE!

Now if you are only familiar with Mr. Hodgman as the PC in those Mac commercials, then you need to get your ass in gear and check out the man’s writing and other hilarious TV appearances including numerous appearances on “The Daily Show,” a sure-to-be-awesome upcoming stint on “Battlestar Galactica” and an episode of one of my favorites, “Flight of the Conchords.”

I loved Hodgman’s first book, the laugh-out-loud compendium of fake trivia The Areas Of My Expertise, and saw his new book(More Information Than You Require) over the weekend and immediately scooped it up. While I haven’t started into More yet, if it promises half the laughs of Areas it’ll be more than worth the investment.

Seriously, go pick both of these books up. You’ll be hard pressed to find a funnier read!

I know I mentioned it above, but I have to say I am super excited to see Hodgman on “BSG.” Think he’ll be the final cylon?!

Lastly, all this info about the frequent “Daily Show” contributor led me to realize I hadn’t given any sort of update on my trip to see a taping of “The Colbert Report,” which I attended this past Thursday (Oct. 23).

If you get the chance to reserve tickets for a taping of “The Report,” do it! Colbert is hilarious in person and even answered questions out of character before the taping, which was both fun and interesting. The guy is spry as heck and just keeps a smile on your face or has you buckling over with laughter the entire time. The comedy is gold when you watch the show on TV, but in person, it definitely reaches a new level of hysterical.

Now, while you can’t see me in any crowd shots of the show I attended, when Colbert ran over to meet his guest (Newsweek senior editor Jonathan Alter) he stopped to right in front of my section of the audience and raised his hands in the air. I stood and applauded, first among my entire audience section. And, if you’re paying attention and looking closly, you can see Colbert’s nod to me, featuring eye contact (which you can’t see on TV), before he sits with his guest.

Ok, that does it for today, folks! Thanks for your continual patronage on this blog that sometimes has a point, and other times (i.e. today) is just rambings about things that interest me.

Presidential (Comedy) Material!

Two week’s ago, IDW Publishing put out two books which gave comic book backstory/biographies of the two presidential candidates: Barack Obama and John McCain. While the book’s put together a pretty interesting little history of each candidate, there were a few humorous panels I just had to call out!

Apparently, though Barack Obama’s body has aged, his face has looked the same since he was just a wee lad among the waves!

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McCain is for real…FOR REAL! Do not miss with this dude! He will F–K you up!

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BUMP IT!

How super is your squad?!

Just e-mailed over from the Marvel offices, this teaser image arrived alongside the cryptic message, “Are you ready to hero up?” Now, as a fan and collector of the Hasbro’s popular Super Hero Squad toy line—which features cute, kidsy versions of Marvel’s mightiest in a 2-inch format—the style of art used definitely looks like the characters on the toy packaging and the art released from the upcoming cartoon based on the figures.

After the release of this image—which, I think, has a comic book feel that is similar yet distinctly different than the few images released of the animated series—I have to wonder whether this is the first teaser to a Tiny Titans-esque all-ages book starring Marvel’s cutest toys…because it certainly looks like it…and that has this collector wondering just how super the comic squad will be?! Odds are: extremely super!

More Colbert and Spider-Man!

Continuing the Colbert and Spidey news, here’s the first look at the Joe Quesada variant to Amazing Spider-Man #573, just released by Marvel…

HOLLA ATCHA BOY!

The recent relaunch of Deadpool has been quite the comic treat so far. Writer Daniel Way is exhibiting better control with ol’ Wade Wilson than…well, anything he’s ever written! By far his best work, and just a must-read (I’ll gush a bit more about it with a review tomorrow, so check back)!

I’m enjoying it so much that I decided these last two panels of issue #2 (which came out this week) had to get a call out in my “Great Comic Quotes” section, so here they are!

Great art by Paco Medina, as well!