The Anime Aesthetic – Portraying Winter

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March 1, 2016

Remember back when I did my article on sexy tan girls and said that I would make this into a series of sorts? Well even if you didn’t I’m back to share with you more of the breathtaking visuals that we find in Anime. This time on the Anime Aesthetic I’ll be covering a topic that is quite in season, literally. I’m going to be talking about winter and what shows I think excel at utilizing it creatively and why I think it’s the most diverse season to portray in general. Don’t get me wrong winter isn’t my favorite season but I do see a lot of thematic merit in it. And of course like the last article most of this article will seem like self-indulging on eye candy. Yet again I’m going to express that this isn’t a bad thing and the more we recognize strengths in things such as visuals the more we will get out of our Anime as a whole. Also from here on out there won’t be any more Game of Thrones jokes, the cover photo will be the only one.

A Mirror of Character

There are a lot of series that either begin in a season and transition throughout to symbolize how the changing of seasons represent the characters emotions, which I’ll get into later. However there is a rather distinct reason that the story will linger around a certain season. That reason is stagnation, or being frozen in time.

As seen in the 2006 series Kanon there is a distinct reason that our main character finds himself back at his cousin’s house in the dead of winter. He’s lingering in a place that he can’t move on from given that he doesn’t remember spending time in this city. This has caused, in a sense, the city to be frozen in time as well as a lot of the characters. Thus our main character has to use his dick, for lack of a better word, to thaw out the emotions that have frozen himself and the other girls he finds himself around.

This is also apparent in the 2013 series Beyond the Boundary where out main character Mirai literally traps herself in a world of winter to keep someone she cares about out of harms way. Since this choice is intentional by the character, it reveals her resolve to keep things the same and accepts the burden of eternal combat in an icy prison with only a shell of the person she loves to keep her warm. Which of course shells aren’t that warm, are they? Couple that with some sweet action choreography and style from Kyoto Animation and you don’t even need to listen to Mirai express her emotions because it’s reflected in the mirror world of winter.

The World is Cold and Bleak

Now there are a lot of instances where this isn’t only true for the characters but a reflection of the world as a whole. In the 2007 film Sword of the Stranger, the transitioning out of winter is more representing on how an era is on the verge of ending. The era that Japan finds itself in is cold and merciless where death leaves its mark not only on the people, but the land as well, as seen by blood soaking into the snow. Another great thing about winter is the fact that every time someone breathes their breath can be seen. This is great for showing instead of telling. Breath gives away subtle expression that could be expressed in words but draws our attention to the persons face and how intense their feeling is. Also the expression they make can be so subtle because you will see the cold air regardless. Its like expressing emotion through air, which is something you only can see in winter. It also presents some awesome combat choreography with all the slipping, sliding and snow being swelled up with every swing of the sword.

The Beginning and End Of An Arc

Now while I only found one instance where I’ve seen winter open and close a story arc. In the 2007 film 5cm Per Second. Given the magnificent lighting that Makoto Shinkai uses in all his works, it lends itself best against the snowy back drop that appears in this movies beginning and end, in turn speaking volumes about the main character. In the beginning the winter serves as an obstacle itself that is preventing the main characters from meeting up for a romantic rendezvous. It truly tests both of their determination to meet each other and gives us a true look at how deeply they care for each other. Which amplifies the events to follow and their emotional significance, but if you haven’t seen it I won’t spoil anything.

Or course in the beginning of the movie this overcoming of adversity is endearing and gets you to care about what the characters have gone through to be together. An obstacle that makes you engage with the situation just using the weather, and in the first 10 minutes no doubt. This turns brutal however near the end where on of our main characters is walking through the winter city and remembering the earlier scene, symbolizing his inability to move on and how he’s still living in that moment. Much like in Kanon this represents a stagnation, but a much more brutal and real representation. In 5cm Per Second our main character still lives through his life with the seasons passing during the film, but once it returns to winter he finds himself still attached to the past. It represents him wasting his life away while the world still continues to go on. The world is sort of mocking him with how he can never go back to those days but has to be reminded about it ever winter. He either has to cope with the past and see it as just that, of be forever frozen.

Winter Means Christmas/New Years

Of course this thematic relation explains itself so I don’t really have to explain it. But for the sake of this article I’m going to explain how the Japanese interpret Christmas. Mostly it’s used as a romantic holiday. And with New Years right after a clear parallel can be interpreted as new love blooming. For further examples of this look to shows like Toradora, Kimi Ni Todoke, Amagami SS, and Pet Girl of Sakurasou. All love stories in their own right but follow a certain realization arc around christmas, which is no coincidence.

Time To “let it go”, This Article That Is

For all the seasons there are I believe that Winter expresses the most diverse emotions in both character and setting. It also has the added bonus of not being seen that much in Anime so it’s a treat overtime it does show up. For some reason Anime loves its spring, which I’ll talk about in a later article when spring comes. I just wish that winter got some more love. If I had to give Winter a personality trait I’d say it’s a TsunDere. It may seem cold and harsh but that’s only on the surface. Okay I think giving a season character traits is where I should end it, just to save myself some embarrassment. Join me next time on the Anime Aesthetic, which necessarily does have a topic yet, but it’ll be sure to be awesome.

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Jaime Costa Is Determined To Play Han Solo, Watch

By

Matthew Sardo

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March 1, 2016

Jaime Costa wants to play Han Solo so bad he’s willing to do it for free. The actor launched a crowdfunding campaign last week to create an 8-10 minute fan film where Han Solo goes on a daring adventure to rescue Chewbacca. What is unique about this project is Costa doesn’t want to make money, he just wants to pay his crew to make the film. That sounds, unlike Han Solo, but also sound like something Han would do.

Costa worked on a Wolverine fan film in 2013 that has 13.5 million views.

About the Han Solo Fan film:

The Universe’s favorite intergalactic smuggler sets out on an epic quest to rescue an old friend. He uses his mechanical skills, cunning wit, and his creative interpretation of the rules to fight, flirt, bribe, and barter his way to victory. But will it be enough? Before there was A New Hope, there was Han Solo — just an outlaw trying to survive in a galaxy more corrupt than he is…and far less forgiving.

The Han Solo fan film is directed by Keith Allen, from Nathaniel Nauert’s script. Costa will assume the role of Han Solo with Cory Leeper as Chewbacca.

The project has raised $6000 in eight days with 131 donations. Costa is trying to raise $20,000. The actor has two months to go.

What do you think? Do you want to see the fan film get funded and produced?

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The 5 Hardest Aspects of Managing a Comic Shop

By

Heather Hurt

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March 1, 2016

“Woah! You manage a comic book store? You have the coolest job in the whole world!”

I receive this and a small mix of other overly eager statements about how “cool” my job is on a semi-regular basis. And it is true! My job is awesome. At the end of the day, I am fulfilling a role that many, including myself, have only dreamt of. I manage a comic book store during a period where being a comic book nerd is considered “cool.” I get to read new books first. Sometimes even before release. I get to pick all my favorite variants and claim them as my own. And I do not get to simply talk with enthusiastic readers, I get to create them!

But even the greatest jobs have their moments. Comics, gaming and toy retailers are everywhere now. It is more than just acceptable to be a nerd. It is an “IT” thing. But the industry can be difficult. There are ups and downs like any other retail community. And, like many tightly knit industries, there is much conversation on the hardships of running, managing and/or owning your own store.

After a few years in the industry, five very distinct aspects have set themselves apart as the most prominent difficulties in managing a local comics location.

Damaged Product

In an industry that thrives on the “Collective Value”, having damaged product can be the massive speed bump. Dented corners, ink stains, water damage, ripped or broken boxes. Toys, comics, and statues often seem to be the most delicate and fragile product mix in the retail market.

If you follow anyone in comics retail on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, you have probably seen at least one image of poorly packaged product, smashed Funko POP boxes or the not so rare bent-right-down-the-middle comic book. Between the at-times naive packing techniques (due to admitted high turn-over rates and fast track training processes) from Diamond Distribution and the careless shipment handling of UPS, damaged product is not in question, it is an absolute.

Though much of the product can be replaced, not all is in print quantity to do so. And, trust me when I say, the most miserable thing to hear is an upset customer who “completely understands” that this is the fifth time this year that certain book did not make it on the shelf because of damages. And even worse? The all too frequently heard “Don’t worry! I can find somewhere else.”

Customers

The obligatory “customer complaint”. There are a LOT of amazing customers out there. People who genuinely love the industry. But there are those who also love to play the comics game. From the incredibly rude speculators, to unbelievably creepy whom we have had to call security on, to the dismissive parents who disapprove of any help or support you offer. Like in every other retailer industry: there are no customers like comic customers.

In absolute seriousness, I had one customer tell me that neither he nor his family would ever return to our store due to content of some of our books. His example? Story of My Tits. More specifically, the word “Tits”. For those who do not know, Story of My Tits is the graphic novelization of writer and artist Jennifer Hayden’s breast cancer survivor’s tale. And the reason the gentleman will never return to my store? A single word on the cover of a book that he does not want his three-year-old daughter to read.

Before you ask, yes. I did inquire if he knew what the book was about. His response, “Yes, I can read the back. I know it is about cancer.”

Content (which I will get to later) is an entirely acceptable reason not to want to come into a comic shop. Comics can be incredibly explicit. But his ignorant attitude towards a book simply due to a single word of a title on a book about surviving breast cancer? When he told me he would never be back, I thanked him for his opinion and walked away.

But that is only the beginning… Don’t worry, though! There are more fun customer experiences further on.

The Age Gap

Some of you may have seen my statement on understanding the Age Gap, especially with characters like Deadpool, in the current comics industry. But the frustration from the retailer perspective can be just as challenging to swallow as that of parents who must listen to their children cry about how they want to read Batman but can’t.

Our world, not just the comics industry, is changing. We can accept darker, more openly explicit and brutally realistic stories and events far easier than we ever have in any time past. And comics are following that fad. The darker and more real the books get, the further and further the age gap in books grow.

The industry has somewhat compensated with incredible book series like DC Comic’s Board Books, DisneyXD’s Marvel’s Avengers Assemble and incredible stories like Action Lab’s Princeless by Jeremy Whitley. Or the numerous graphic novel series from Scholastic such as the New York Times Bestselling and Eisner winning series Smile by Raina Telgemeier.

But these books do not appease every child. The Young Adult reading sections are growing, but many “older” kids want Batman. They want Deadpool. They want Walking Dead. These are stories and characters they see on television and in movies and video games. So why can they not read them? Books do not have the restrictions of cable television or the simple rating system of movies. Due to the unlimited opportunities, it is entirely acceptable to put anything and, very literally, everything into a book.

Now, try explaining that to every single parent, politely, who walks in the door.

Variants

On January 14, 2015 Marvel’s Star Wars #1 hit the market. With over 60… SIXTY different covers! Not books, just different covers by artists from every corner of the comic industry. Two of my customers have quoted me over $3,000 in the hunt for collecting every single variant. With money spreading throughout the industry like that, it would seem that variants are great for the industry, correct? Nope!

The most common variants on the market are called “Incentive” variants. These books require stores to purchase certain quantities of one cover to receive a limited numbers of another. Many variant hunters know what a 1:50 (1 in 50) book means. These are books that require a location order 50 copies of one specific cover, just to get ONE of the 1:50 variant. But what many hunters and variant fans do not know are the new and quickly spreading trend of percentage variants.

In July of 2015, it was announced that Marvel would be releasing a series of special Hip Hop variants based on some of the most iconic Hip Hop albums. This was received with great applause by audiences. But what was not announced? The fact that comics retailers who had already been having financial difficulties due to the Marvel’s Secret Wars and DC Comic’s Convergence crossover events, would have to purchase certain (seemingly random) percentages of books just to be able to order the Hip Hop Covers in mass. Sometimes 200% of the most random and non-connective issues that would frequently require retailers to order two to three times the amount of books they would regularly purchase for their shelves.

Well, retailers do not have to purchase these variants, right? Nope. Due to the outreach of the announcement, non-comic readers began pouring into stores in anticipation for the variants. But, when the percentages were given and comics retailers learned they would not qualify, those customers began looking elsewhere.

But wait! There are more! There are also store variants. These are books that require locations to order mass quantities to order a specialty cover specific for their store or chain. Hot Topic, the clothing and accessories chain, even had their Star Wars #1 variant. There are also cover price variants such as DC’s celebratory month variants. This month is dedicated to legendary comics artist, Neal Adams. These are books that can be ordered in any number amount but cannot be included with books that have percentage incentives on them.

Confused? Yeah. Us too!

The idea is there. People love variants. Collecting art by their favorite artists or seeing many of our favorite Hip Hop albums Marvel-ized is exciting or grabbing that Blank Cover to have an artist eventually draw something special on it. Variant hunting can be thrilling. But it is creating a significant division between the smaller and larger comics retailers.

Direct vs. Mass Market

All over the internet and throughout the industry the terms “direct market” and “mass market” are thrown around but only given a light explanation. The direct market is that of your local retailers who sell you your favorite toys, comics, and statuary. People who build their business within your community. While the mass market is a far more common term. In relation to the comics and toys industries, these are companies such as Barnes and Noble and F.Y.E.

In name and size, there is very little comparison. The mass market vastly out-weighs the direct market in availability and connectivity. But in product, we are the similar. You can find PX Exclusive (Diamond Distributor’s direct exclusives) Funko POP’s in F.Y.E. locations. As well as trade paperbacks and limited statuary at stores such as Barnes and Noble. The mass market, though rarely mentioned, also includes online companies like Amazon and their recently purchased digital comics distributor, Comixology.

A larger market is not disliked. Competition breeds opportunity. But what the mass market brings to the table is lower prices. Prices the direct market cannot remotely compete with.

DC Comic’s The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland is not only a Batman staple but an industry staple. At 2015’s San Diego Comic-Con it was announced that the fan-favorite would be adapted into an animated film. So not only is it a must for classic comics fans the world over, it is now required reading for newer fans. Due to discounts provided by Diamond to local retailers, most of the direct market charges cover price. For the “deluxe” hardcover (the only version, other than digital available on the market) you would be spending $17.99 (pre-tax). But at Amazon it is currently available for $10.19 and a touch less at $10.16 from Walmart.

They order their books in quantities local retailers could only dream of. Thus, their wholesale is much, much, MUCH less which permits discounting. The average wholesale rate for direct market retailers can frequently be near the same as what some mass market companies will sell their product for online.

And I will not even get started on digital prices (sometimes as low as $.99) versus the direct market rack book prices (that range from $2.99-$5.99).

From the direct market’s perspective, we would love to save you as much money as possible. But things like price-matching and availability are near impossible to what the mass market can offer. Though the industry and fandom are growing, the direct market is having difficulty keeping up. And, once again, turning this back to the problem of explaining the market to already frustrated customers, the amount of disdain can be terrifying.

As of late Yelp has gained a negative reputation for itself by accepting profit for better reviews but it is still one of the most regularly visited review sites. My store has 10 reviews. One of the newest is a 2 out of 5 star review. Not because of bad service or the tidiness, he did mention those were fine, but two other specific factors. The first is a complaint about the amount of children’s product we carry (which for me accounts for nearly 40% of business, though the customer does not know that). While the second is how Amazon sells the exact same thing we carry for far less. That is it! And I am not the only person in the area whom the gentleman has reviewed and said the same thing.

Not to stand on a soap box, but supporting the direct market is greatly appreciated among the local retailers. But understanding where saving money is a benefit is both a major issue within the industry and something we, as retailers, completely understand.

Though many of these issues may seem benign and, individually, can appear more as whining than as concern. The reality of managing, running and/or owning your own store can be very difficult. Comics, toys and gaming locations are popping up like Starbucks. In many areas you can find several within only a few miles. But it does not mean that it is a piece of cake to open one up. Between the already mentioned concerns, your potential location (location, location) and your particular area demographic, managing a comics retailer can be trying.

Yet it is far more than the negatives. First and foremost, managing a shop within the industry has created some of the best memories and many of the most incredible opportunities. Though getting over the hiccups can sometimes cause headaches, they are simply that. Hiccups!

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The Rolling Stones Playing a Free Concert in Havana

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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March 1, 2016

The Rolling Stones, easily the biggest-ticket rock band (still) going today, have announced they will put on a free concert in Havana, Cuba on March 25.

According to the news at The Hollywood Reporter, “the Stones will play in Havana’s Ciudad Deportiva three days after President Barack Obama visits Havana.” This concert is expected to draw an incredibly large audience since Havana – and Cuba overall – hasn’t had much of a rock and roll influx. Young Cubans were persecuted regularly for listening to rock music, with officials claiming it was nothing more than a tool of Western ideology.

Cubans also have been economically crippled for decades now under Communist control, so the idea that The Rolling Stones would play in Havana immediately raised questions about ticket prices, as the band is the most expensive ticket in rock. Luckily for the Cuban community, The Stones have announced the show will indeed be free.

The Rolling Stones delivered their own statement about the free concert:

“We have performed in many special places during our long career but this show in Havana is going to be a landmark event for us, and, we hope, for all our friends in Cuba too.”

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David Lawson aka WRLD Drops New Track ‘Drowning’ For Monstercat

By

Matthew Sardo

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March 1, 2016

WRLD is 18-year-old Dutch producer, David Lawson. The young man dropped his latest track ‘Drowning’ featuring Ehiorobo last week which will appear on the ‘Awake’ EP from Monstercat on July 3.

According to Indie Shuffle, Lawson’s backstory reads like a dream. He started messing around with different types of music making software programs and came up with something he liked. Lawson forwarded it to Monstercat, an Independent Canadian-based EDM and dubstep label founded in 2011. Monstercat signed Lawson, and he’s been producing music for them since 2014.

And apparently, Lawson likes his Pokémon too.

20 years of Pokémon so I decided to finally play Pokémon Red! #pokemon20 #gottacatchemall @pokemon

A photo posted by WRLD (@thewrldmusic) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:17pm PST

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Stephen King Confirms Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey for The Dark Tower

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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March 1, 2016

Stephen King took to Twitter to confirm both Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey are on board for the adaptation of The Dark Tower:

It's official: The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed. #DarkTowerMovie @McConaughey @IdrisElba

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 1, 2016

Matthew McConaughey actually mentioned the filming a few minutes before King as well…

https://twitter.com/McConaughey/status/704673186697256960

While Idris Elba’s role hasn’t been confirmed, it seems now he is on board and ready to shoot The Gunslinger, book one in The Dark Tower series. McConaughey has been set for a while, playing the mysterious man in black.

The Dark Tower series takes plays in a post-apocalyptic world (think Mad Max, only less populated). Here is the synopsis of the first book:

The opening chapter in the epic Dark Tower series. Roland, the last gunslinger, in a world where time has moved on, pursues his nemesis, The Man in Black, across a desert. Roland’s ultimate goal is the Dark Tower, the nexus of all universes. This mysterious icon’s power is failing, threatening everything in existence.

This first film will be directed by first-time director Nikolaj Arcel, who’s also writing the screenplay adaptation. The Gunslinger hits theaters January of next year.

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Road to Batman V Superman: The Dark Knight Rises

By

Nick Enquist

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March 1, 2016

Batman’s last film with Christopher Nolan is an interesting conclusion to the trilogy. It wasn’t as strong as The Dark Knight, but then again that was a hard act to follow. The Dark Knight was catching lightning in a bottle, and it still holds up as a great crime drama with a superhero twist. The Dark Knight Rises made the mistake of trying to up the ante and attempted to recreate that magic that worked in the previous film. Nolan should have realized that The Dark Knight was a once in a lifetime movie and its sequel probably should have been something simpler, but since it was a Nolan movie it became more complex than it needed to be. The movie wasn’t panned and it did great at the box office, but it just didn’t live up to its predecessor.

“What do you mean I barely wear the suit, Nolan?”

Like other films in The Dark Knight trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises is influenced by some of Batman’s most famous comics. But, while Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight borrowed ideas from one or two books, this film crams in multiple story lines from different graphic novels. The three most notable are The Dark Knight Returns, No Man’s Land, and Knightfall. Just one of those stories would be difficult to adapt for film, but this film also has to continue the plot established in the other two films. This one had a lot riding on it, and on top of everything, Heath Ledger’s unfortunate death prompted a rewrite of the movie to exclude The Joker.

The film takes place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight and it starts with a broken Bruce Wayne who has quit being Batman. This is where the concept of reality becomes a drawback for a superhero movie. In a more fantasical world one could have a character like Batman constantly fight crime without actually breaking himself beyond repair. In Nolan’s universe Batman still needs to follow the rules of gravity, physics, and body’s natural ability. So, it’s not that much fun to see a character that’s supposed to be the epitome of human prowess forced to use a cane and be a recluse shut in. It also goes against the triumphant note The Dark Knight ends on; there Batman vows that he will continue to fight crime and endure whatever Gotham City throws at him. Also, Bruce Wayne’s retirement just doesn’t feel much like Batman; in The Dark Knight Returns Batman quit, because Jason Todd died. Here, Bruce quits, because he got hurt a lot; that reasoning just doesn’t have the same muster behind it.

The story is a bit of a mess as it introduces three new villains, a bunch of new characters that have little weight on the overall plot, and still give a satisfying conclusion to this Batman’s story. The script could have been a lot more focused if Nolan and co. focused on one of the stories they were semi-adapting. My suggestion would have been to focus on No Man’s Land as the main story line; it has the most unique setting for the story. This way they could have still had Bane, Catwoman, and Talia Al Ghul but focus on a more audience pleasing Batman. The product we saw isn’t bad, but it was just trying to be so big and epic like the other two that it falls under its own weight.

The acting is solid though; as much as I make fun of Christian Bale, he does a good job being Bruce Wayne, and balancing out the oddities of being a vigilante. Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine reprise their roles and give the same great performances they did in the last two movies. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a composite of all three Robins, which I’ll admit I wasn’t a big fan of, but he does a good job. Marion Cotillard is a fun Talia Al Ghul, but she doesn’t get as much of a chance to shine. However, Tom Hardy as Bane, and Ann Hathaway as Catwoman steal the show. Their both very diabolical, memorable, intimidating, and even funny. They were great villains and in some cases even matched with Heath Ledger’s Joker.

Honestly, I would love to see Hathaway play Catwoman again.

Gotham City wasn’t filmed in Chicago this time, instead it was filmed in Pittsburgh, and it just doesn’t have the same scale and intrigue of Chicago. I am biased, because I’m the City of Broad Shoulders, but yeah I just don’t feel the majesty of Gotham City in Pittsburgh. Again, I’m biased. But, the movie is shot very well as most Nolan productions are. One thing I haven’t mentioned about these movies is Hans Zimmer’s score, it’s phenomenal, exciting, and totally engrossing for the film series. Aesthetically, the film is just as on par with the other movies.

Once again, the script is the major culprit that hurts the movie. There are too many long speeches, too many overly philosophical bits of dialogue, and just a sense that the characters are all trying to sound smarter and deeper than necessary. John Blake’s story and reveal as Robin is kind of pointless in the end. The nuclear fusion thread is convoluted and turns the story into a “Batman just can’t get rid of a bomb” story. And as mentioned earlier the plot is all over the place; Nolan tried to recreate something that he couldn’t, and it just doesn’t work. Especially for something that could be so simple. Simplicity isn’t always a bad thing, and this film definitely could have followed the K.I.S.S rule.

“Now let’s end this silliness with me faking my death and sacrificing Gotham City for sex. Cause that’s what a hero would do!”

This movie isn’t bad by any means, but it just couldn’t live up to the last film it was trying so hard to be. It’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of Nolan’s Batman. And, it does have some great scenes worth mentioning, Bruce Wayne’s climb out of the prison is wonderful, the destruction of the football field is great, the opening scene with Bane’s hijacking of the plane is quite possibly the best scene ever put to film, and the fight between Bane and Batman is just perfect. Again, it’s a good movie, just not a great one.

Well that concludes all the live action adaptations of Batman and Superman. Except for Smallville, The Adam West Batman show, The George Reeves Superman movies and shows, the 1940s Batman serials, and all the other live action adaptations I couldn’t get to due to time. However, the live action films aren’t my favorite interpretations of these characters. Don’t get me wrong there are some damn good live action movies, but the animation movies and shows just blow the live action films out of the water.

So, next time I’ll be looking at 20 great episodes of Superman The Animated Series. One of the greatest adaptations of The Man of Steel ever.

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Spoiler Review: 11.22.63 ‘Other Voices, Other Rooms’ – A Jump In Time

By

Cade Onder

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February 29, 2016

11.22.63’s third episode shifts focus back towards the main plot of the show and introduces some new themes like love and even racism. As we get closer and closer to the fateful day in 1963, Jake settles down with a new friend while he waits for Lee Harvey Oswald to return from Russia in 1962.

The episode starts with Jake going to Dallas with Bill Turcotte to settle down while Jake waits for the alleged assassin of John F. Kennedy. Bill begins to question everything about Jake; Jake has no choice but to tell Bill everything he knows and bring him along for the ride. The two partners in crime spend a night in a motel when Jake has a nightmare that flashes back to the horrific events from the end of the second episode. He sees the monster that was Frank Dunning, haunting him. Jake lunges at his sleeping partner and tackles him to the floor, choking him, shouting “I killed you!”. Jake’s nightmare apparently shows that he has PTSD from strangling Frank to death, which as a viewer makes me question how he is going to stop Oswald if just killing this one man left such an impact on him. Can he handle killing another person in order to save one more life and change history or will this take him over the edge?

Once he arrives in Texas, he and Bill go to a small town just outside of Dallas where Jake applies for a teaching position at a high school, ironic I know. Jake nails his interview when the principal asks him whether or not ‘Catcher in the Rye’ belongs in a school library. Jake response, it shouldn’t be a question since they live in America, land of the free, home of the brave. The principal gives him the job right there but says the book still doesn’t belong in the library, but he liked the answer Jake gave him. Once Jake gets the job, he is introduced to a black office secretary who we will come back to in a little bit.

Jake stashes Bill in a rundown apartment right next to where the infamous Oswald will be living in two years. The show then jumps forward two years to 1962; we see Jake has adjusted to his new habitat and is patiently awaiting the return of Oswald. Jake and Bill have set up their little base of operations in the rundown apartment with recording equipment and other gadgets that’ll help them spy on Oswald. When Oswald finally returns to the United States, he brings back a woman and a child who is presumably his. Jake decides now is the time to plant bugs in Oswald’s apartment, which doesn’t make a lot of sense since they had two years to do this. Of course, Oswald returns with his mistress during Jake and Bill’s mission, so Jake and Bill scramble into the attic of the small apartment and go to crawl out through a small hole to the outside. The scene creates high tension and ends with Bill crawling into a cobweb of small insects like the ones we saw in the first episode when Jake is hiding from the guards at the JFK rally. Bill freaks out and alerts the two lovers to their presence. Time is pushing back and trying to prevent Jake from stopping the assassination of JFK because the killing is fate. It’s supposed to happen, and time doesn’t want Jake to toy with that.

As Jake and Bill wait around for answers to come up, Jake develops a new relationship with a familiar face who is starting a new job at the high school he works at. Sadie Dunhill, who you may remember from the first episode, reappears two years after her first encounter with Jake. This time, she is divorced and finds interest in Jake, and they share a special night with each other at a school dance when they have to chaperon together. It’s a beautiful relationship, and James Franco and Sarah Gadon have great chemistry together. She also proves to be a strong female character when Jake stands her up and leaves her by herself at the dance to go spy on Oswald. She confronts him about it and tells him she wasn’t too fond of what he did to her and how she would like him to take her on a date and be a true gentleman for her. I have a feeling in the future she and Jake will be presented with some danger, but she won’t be some damsel in distress and will continue to prove to be a strong female character.

Jake also continues to show how caring he is of others. When he goes to get some gas, he sees the black secretary from before walking out of the gas station in anger and frustration. It’s revealed to Jake that the gas station doesn’t serve people of color. Jake being the caring man, he confronts the gas station attendant and asks to pay for the woman’s gas. When the attendant starts to argue with Jake, he intimidates the scrawny gas attendant and takes a gas can without paying for it and drives off with the woman.

The show begins to wrap up when Jake and Bill get their investigation set back to the start by a local bully who trashes Jake and Bill’s base of operations. Jake and Bill devise a cunning plan and pretend to be FBI agents and kick in the bully’s door and beat him up and take back their equipment. It’s scenes like this that make me love Jake. It shows how quick-witted he is and how he stays calm under pressure. At the very end of the episode, Oswald gives all the evidence Jake and Bill need when he drunkenly confronts General Walker.

11.22.63’s third episode is fantastic even if it has some moments that make you question some of the logic of the characters. Be sure to come back next Monday when we review the fourth episode, ‘The Eyes of Texas’.

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The 2016 Razzie Award Winners

By

Anthony Wendel

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February 29, 2016

The Oscars may get more attention as they broadcast but there is another award given out the same night which gets a lot of attention, but it’s for the exact opposite of reason. The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation was set up to award the worst movies and performances of the previous year for their less than noteworthy contributions to cinema. Their award, The Razzie, is given to those who are willing to receive an award honoring the terrible product which was delivered to the viewing public in the previous year.

This was another year where the Worst Picture award went to two films as a tie was struck between Fantastic Four and Fifty Shades of Grey. Both films would go on to win several more awards before the night was over. The Fantastic Four film got more attention as Director Josh Trank won the Worst Director Razzie and the film also received the Worst Ripoff/Sequel/Remake Razzie. Meanwhile, Fifty Shades of Grey garnished the Razzie for Worst Screenplay and helped Jamie Dornan, and Dakota Johnson receive the Worst Actor and Worst Actress Razzies. The pair also won Worst Screen Combo for their work in the movie.

Their was more bad acting to award which didn’t come from Fantastic Four or Fifty Shades of Grey. The Worst Supporting Actor Razzie went go to Eddie Redmayne for his role in Jupiter Ascending, and The Worst Supporting Actress recipient was Razzie Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting for her roles in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip and Wedding Ringer.
The only award an actor would actually look forward to from The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation is their fairly new award, The Razzie Redeemer Award. This award is given to the actor or actress who was able to make up for some of their previous poor work and made a successful comeback in the last year. The 2016 recipient of this honor was Sylvester Stallone for his roles in Creed. It may not be the Oscar he had hoped for, but it’s good to know others are recognizing his attempts to redeem himself.

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Oscars So Sci-fi: Not Really

By

Chad Descoteaux

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February 29, 2016

With all of the focus on diversity at this year’s Oscars, one group has gone ignored and unnoticed. Science fiction fans. The few science fiction films that have ever been nominated for Best Picture Oscars lost to more artsy films and were isolated to tech categories praising their special effects and sound. (Annie Hall vs. Star Wars in 1977) LOTR: Return of the King is the closest we’ve ever come and, well, obviously science fiction and fantasy are two different things, but it was a monumental win for what my mother calls “silly stuff”.

District 9 should have won in 2009. Gravity almost doesn’t count as sci-fi because it’s too real world. Yes, there are some things in that movie that no one could actually do in space, but if impossible stunts qualify a film as science fiction, Fast and Furious is science fiction. Either way, Gravity didn’t win Best Picture.

Well, there are two science fiction films nominated for Best Picture this year. And the Oscar goes to… (yes, I wrote this first part before I knew who won)

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwdCIpbTN5g[/embedyt]

Far be it from me to be mad at an exposé about systemic child abuse in the world’s largest professed Christian religion. Haven’t seen it yet, but I plan to, as religious history is an interest of mine and Boston is semi-local to me here in Rhode Island. Did anybody expect Mark Ruffalo to Hulk out while watching his impassioned speech at the end of this trailer?

Seriously, as awesome as The Martian and Mad Max may have been, I don’t mind science fiction films losing out to films with such powerful real world messages like this or 12 Years a Slave. You know, why? Because there are far more oppressed minorities in the world than science fiction geeks, as evidenced by two of the last three Best Picture winners that we’ve seen at the Oscars, both of which have something to do with oppressed groups (abuse victims/slaves). It would have been nice to see Ex Machina get nominated, robots have it BAD!

It was nice to see former Batman, Michael Keaton play an actor who used to play a superhero who dresses up like something that can fly in last year’s Best Picture win Birdman. For sci-fi/comic book geeks, that’s something. Besides, we always have the MTV Movie Awards.

What do you think? What science fiction films for next year do you think have a shot at winning Best Picture at the Oscars? Ready Payer One? Rogue One? Something else with the word ‘one’ in the title? Let me know in the comments section below.

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