DC Comics Presents Elseworlds 100-Page Spectacular One-Shot (DC Comics, $7.99)
by Graig Kent

Back in the late 1990’s DC Comics released a spate of “80-Page Giants”, thick, squarebound one-shot anthologies housing short stories that would otherwise have no home.  One of these Giants was an “Elseworlds”, DC Comic’s “What If…?” imprint wherein its characters “…are taken from their usual setting and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others that can’t, couldn’t or shouldn’t exist.”  The imprint lasted about 15 years, and yielded a few highlights, like Kingdom Come, The Golden Age, Thrillkiller and a few others, but by and large the Elseworlds output was forgettable.

The “Elseworlds 80-Page Giant” became a standout for two reasons: first, because it was notoriously stopped on the presses by DC’s then Publisher Paul Levitz (purportedly objecting to Kyle Baker’s “Letitia Lerner, Superman’s Babysitter” story in which baby Clark winds up in a microwave at one point) only to have a few hundred copies leak out to the UK market; second, because Baker then went on to win not one, but two Eisner awards for the story, which quickly went viral on-line.

“Letitia Lerner…” went on to be reprinted (or printed anew) in the Bizzaro Stories anthology 2001, and the Bob Haney written “Return of the Super-Sons” (reviving one last time the hypothetical duo of Batman Jr. and Superman Jr. which Haney dabbled with in the World’s Finest title back in the 70’s) landed in the “Saga of the Super-Sons” trade paperback (2007) but the remainder of the tales remained only in the hands the e-bay traders.

I’m not certain what prompted DC Comics to dust off the collection and include it in its “DC Comics Presents” line of reprints but it is certainly a welcome curiosity, if not altogether a successful one.

The opening tale, “The Reaching Hand” by D. Curtis Johnson (whose Chase series gets reprinted in trade this week) and Aaron Lopresti takes Bruce Wayne into Lovecraftian territory as this gothic-30’s-set tale finds the detective narrating his investigation into a rash of mysterious deaths, leading to haunting dreams and ultimately finding a few familiar names and faces.  It’s a fun little spin that tries hard — and marginally succeeds — at avoiding parody, despite the gag surprise reveal and ending.  With a bit more refinement, the Bruce Wayne as gothic paranormal investigator would have made for an entertaining full 64-page prestige-format story.

In “Rockumentary” writer Bronwyn Carlton attempts to answer what it would be like if the heroes and villains of the DCU were part of the (pre-Napster) music industry but has nothing interesting to say about the industry or the characters involved in it.  It exists primarily as an idea, a terribly executed idea.  It doesn’t help that the art and character designs from Greg Luzniak are equally unimaginative and bland.

Baker’s “Leticia Lerner” is an homage to the Looney Toons/Tom and Jerry-style over-the-top violence, and executed to perfection. It’s hard to imagine that 12 years ago comics were so much more touchy that a genuinely silly tale such as this would stir up so much of a fuss as to both pulp the printing of a comic as well as rouse Eisner voters to rally behind it (not to slight at all Baker’s ceaselessly impressive cartooning).

Chuck Dixon and Enrique Villagran reinvent the Birds of Prey into a soap operatic comic strip in “The Vigilantes in Apartment 3-B” (satirizing the classic Apartment 3-G newspaper strip).  Dixon nails both the tone of romance strips and of adventure/superhero strips while Villagran’s work is pitch perfect in style (though it would have been even more spot on were it in black and white).  More than any other story in this collection, I wanted more of this.

What I find most interesting about “Superman Jr. Is No More” is how only a true veteran of the era, like Bob Haney, can accurately recreate the tone and style of storytelling of the time without making it overtly campy but also relying a tremendous amount on camp by its mere conceit.  It’s a fine line the post-silver age veterans tread to make something both cornball and entertaining and without a hint of irony.  Kieron Dwyer is a perfect match on art even if it seems like rushed work at times.

“Scandalgate” is a pithy look at cable news partisanship that would have been far more mind blowing prior to Jon Stewart’s taking over of the Daily Show, then 12 years hence.  Still, a very entertaining two pages from Tom Peyer and Ty Templeton.

Chuck Dixon puts in a second effort with “Worlds Apart”, a grim take on “What If… Kal-El’s spacecraft crash landed on Bruce Wayne’s parents.”  It’s a brief 7 pages, which, for the absurdity of the conceit, is still a few pages too long.  The art from Tevor Von Eeden is ugly, though taking on heavy inspiration from Frank Miller.  It’s a gag on Dixon’s part, but a purposeless and nihilistic one.

Mark Waid and Ty Templeton bring 8 “Silver Age Elseworlds First Pages” which is comic book nerd humor at its finest.  Cheesy, absurd, and loving every minute of it, from a Metallo Superman-as-John Wilkes Booth assassinating a Brainiac Lincoln to an underwater Batman and Robin the Squid Wonder.

Tom Peyer doles out a second tale with “Dark Night Of The Golden Kingdom”, a thinly-veiled parody of Kingdom Come featuring a Vegas-bound fat-Elvis-inspired Superman.  It’s a decidedly bizarre, Morrison-esque tale which is either brilliant or stupid… but with some gorgeous rendering from Ariel Olivetti, I’m leaning heavily towards the former.

The final tale is actually an additional toss-in to bolster the “80-Page Giant” into a “100-Page Spectacular”, reprinting a short story by Paul Pope that originally appeared in the quarterly anthology Batman Chronicles #11 in 1998.  Here Pope envisions what Bob Kane’s Batman might have been like were he created in Germany in 1939.  Pope is, to say the least, a unique storyteller in his field, in every sense of the word.  His visual craft is his own, but his ideas, his pacing, his structure, they’re all tellingly Paul Pope at every turn.  There’s never mistaking his work for anyone else, and “Batman In Berlin” is Pope equally playful and pensive.

As with any anthology, it’s an uneven affair, at times trapped in the era of its making, with occasional allusions to the DCU of the period as well as a couple of workmanlike efforts from industry stalwarts, and yet, the good stuff is so enjoyable that it actually makes it worthwhile, and something worth revisiting, in part at least.

Rating:

Out of a Possible 5 Stars

Daredevil #7 (Marvel Comics, $2.99)
By Bart Bishop

It’s well documented that Mark Waid’s current run on Daredevil is aiming to be more positive after a decade of all star writers (Smith, Bendis, Rucka, Brubaker, Diggle) putting Matt Murdock through the wringer. A new direction was needed. Having not read the first six issues, this felt like a good jumping on point to check out the new optimism. Unfortunately, while the artwork and dialogue are crackling, the plot is too precocious and depends on contrived mechanics to put the titular character in a position of weakness for the sake of drama.

Matt Murdock has been volunteering with the Cresskill School for the Blind, and while on a trip to the mountains the bus gets caught in a blizzard and crashes. Murdock, super senses dulled by the snow, has to guide the children to safety. This is contrasted by the events leading up to the trip, a holiday party at Nelson & Murdock Law Firm, in which Murdock banters with Assistant District Attorney Kristen McDuffie. Much fun is had at the expense of Murdock’s plausible deniability in relation to being Daredevil.

Here’s where the dialogue really shines. Waid understands the voices of classic characters like Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson who, at this point, have been published almost continuously for fifty years. He manages to keep them consistent but self aware and therefore able to evolve, as with a nice bit of meta-commentary when Murdock disregards “the tortured, guilt ridden self-destructive punching bag” he used to be and chooses instead to be the life of the party. McDuffie is also being set up as a new love interest; not only is she portrayed as a smart, strong challenge to Murdock, but this plays into his womanizing ways, exemplifying how a good writer understands that Murdock can’t help but be impulsive no matter how much he wants to change.

It’s the rest of the issue that’s a let-down. The circumstances of the bus crashing are forced, as Murdock senses the bus driver in distress far ahead of time and doesn’t act. The danger of the kids being lost in the storm is nicely developed, as is the reasons for Murdock to be in Daredevil costume and the children not noticing, but the resolution is unearned. The panicky children suddenly finding the strength to act has little set up, and there’s a missed opportunity at an arc for Murdock. His inability to control the situation could have said a lot about his lack of faith in others, and the children saving him could’ve taught him a lesson about trust, but it just happens. There’s nice irony, but little message about strength or teamwork.

The artwork, however, is exemplary. The cover is a beautiful, counterintuitive image, of Daredevil making a snow angel on a rooftop. The sparse use of color creates a clean image that says much about the character’s current concerns: he’s happy, found a purpose and identity again, and is very much at home in his city. That is, however, another missed opportunity as nothing is made of Murdock being a big city man suddenly thrown into the wilderness. The inside recap is a nice touch, as well, as it takes the form of the front page of the Daily Bugle newspaper. Not only is this helpful for new readers, but draws on Murdock’s history with such reporter characters as Ben Urich and Peter Parker.

The rest of the issue shows how Paolo Rivera needs to be a breakout artist in the comic industry. He has a classic, almost cartoony style but has a strong sense of weight and scale. His panel layouts evoke the mood of the action (the bus crashing portrays panic, with multiple snapshots spread across a splash page) very well, while quiet moments of human interaction have unique expressions and thoughtful non sequitirs. I also appreciate the stylized depiction of Murdock’s radar sense, giving the reader a glimpse into the alien world of super powered disability like never before.

Mark Waid has long been a favorite of mine. His work in mainstream superheroes is some of the best around, although it generally goes unnoticed next to the more showy writers. Paolo Rivera is an artist now on my radar, as he provides a synthesis of timeliness and contemporary sensibility. Although I admit confusion at a few plot points (Murdock staring at what appears to be a Fantastic Four symbol, Murdock’s father’s grave collapsing into the ground at the end), this issue in particular is a nice standalone story. It’s a good jumping on point for new readers, even if it’s not the highlight of the run so far.

[Rating; 3.5]

Brody’s Ghost One Shot (Dark Horse, $3.99)
By D. S. Randlett

Like a lot of comics readers, I sort of bob and weave out of the market depending on money, time, and interest. I was lured back into comics by DC’s wave of new 52 titles, talked about them on the lovely CHUD Forum, and kindly got asked to write reviews for Thor’s Comic Column. Having been away from comics for a few years, I’ve managed to miss a lot, like the debut of Akiko creator Mark Crilley’s latest creation, Brody’s Ghost. That I had missed it was news to me, as I saw this one shot on the stands, which collects four short stories originally published in Dark Horse Presents, I had assumed that it was a completely new title. Not much later, I discovered that there were already two trade paperbacks collected.

So, basically being in the same position as a reader of Dark Horse Presents a year or two ago, I’m in the position to ask myself whether or not I want to go forward with these characters and this story.

As this is a preview for a longer series, the main thing that the reader gets are some tastes of the general tone, and the voices of the characters. As far as this one shot is concerned, those are big positives. While Crilley’s art has a definite manga look, it feels a lot like some of the TMNT comics I’d read as a kid. There is a sense of darkness, danger, and the macabre, but all the same there’s a sort of warm and cozy feeling, like going camping in some scary woods with good friends. From the brief exposure to the characters here, it’s pretty obvious that Crilley has a command over their voices and a vision for them. Despite being confined to a set of stories that basically run like jokes, he’s able to establish a pretty impressive sense of identity.

Still, it’s hard to recommend this one shot on its own as anything other than an enticement for the main series. Some of the quirkiness present here ends up feeling a bit shallow, and none of the stories have much to offer in the way of plot. That’s simply not enough content for the money, unless you’re already a fan of this series and want some material that you somehow missed.

Those trades, and any future issues of Brody’s Ghost are looking mighty enticing, though.

Rating:

Out of a Possible 5 Stars

Memorial #1 (IDW Publishing, $3.99)
By Bart Bishop

Neil Gaiman has had a huge impact on the comic book medium since the inception of Sandman twenty years ago, and the first issue of Memorial attests to that. Unfortunately, writer Chris Roberson uses all the surface trappings of Gaiman’s whimsical fantasy tales without understanding what makes them work. This issue comes across as rushed, racing to cram much borrowed mythology into little space without bothering with things like characters or pacing. This is unfortunate, as I’m a big fan of Roberson’s iZombie.

Memorial starts with a young woman stumbling into a hospital. She has amnesia, and ends up taking the name Em after the simple “M” on her necklace. This is a solid basis for a mystery, but immediately the omniscient narrator starts spoiling secrets. There’s an abrupt jump to a mystical realm called Everglade, with arbitrary exposition about it being formed of stolen memories. This does little to differentiate the setting from Wonderland, Oz, or Gaiman’s own The Dreaming.

A year passes, with Em having somehow settled into a new life without a social security number or birth certificate. She stumbles upon a fancy key in an antiques shop, which is somehow connected to at least two other silly realms called “Forecastle” and “Ruritania”…and then my eyes started to glaze over. This attempt at world building should be awe inspiring, but instead comes across as perfunctory and derivative. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been done a million times before, and better.

Still, artist Rich Ellis does an adept job at handling the multitudes thrown at him. His rounded, softer style captures big cities (the solicitation claims Portland, Oregon, but you wouldn’t know from the comic itself) as well as magical happenings, and brings a style and creativity that the writing lacks. Background details create a mystique and hint at a bigger universe, which is exactly what a story like this needs. The antique shop, especially, is a bizarre bazaar that I want to get lost in. The posters coming to life late in the issue is a nice touch, as well as the strange mythological creatures and talking cat. The cover is also a striking image, very reminiscent of Charles Vess’ work, although the little girl that must be Em is a blond while the character within the comic is a brunette.

I give IDW credit for allowing something like this to be published. The company has consistently strayed from superheroes, although it does tend to lean on adaptations (GI Joe, Star Trek) of pre-existing material. In that way the company reminds me of Dark Horse in the early ‘90s, struggling to make a dent in a market dominated by the Big Two, Marvel and DC. Still, attempts need to be made at originality rather than mimicking the success of other companies.

It’s disappointing that Roberson has created a vista upon which anything can happen, and has ended up doing the same old thing. There’s potential for infinite possibilities in later issues that can ease into the plot and characters with more grace and finesse, but I’ll wait for the word of mouth on that.

Rating:

Out of a Possible 5 Stars

Secret Avengers #20 (Marvel, $3.99)
By Jeb D.

Given his imposing, eccentric reputation, it’s not hard to picture Warren Ellis down the pub, knocking off his work-for-hire Marvel stuff in between pints, while declaiming to all and sundry about the stifling influence of superheroes on the field of sequential fiction. But, really, the paycheck cape gig for him is actually pretty rare (and it’s arguable that even something like Ultimate Fantastic Four was as much a last-minute favor to his pals Bendis and Millar as anything else). That’s not to say that he never puts a foot wrong, or that his spandex work hasn’t been known to disappear up its own backside now and again (see Astonishing X-Men), but for the most part, his best Marvel work (including Thunderbolts and Iron Man: Extremis) has taken good advantage of the opportunities to blend a bit of sci-fi, and a dab of politics, into the ‘splode.

His run on Secret Avengers has been generally solid, but with this issue, he absolutely nails it. The premise is, so to speak, time-honored: a mission has gone badly wrong; several Avengers are dead; only the Black Widow survives, and she’s seeking a way to put things right-which, in superhero terms, means we’re talking time-travel.

But rather than simply make this yet another tale of millennial ping-pong, Ellis makes this a story not so much about time-traveling, but about the concept of time-travel, examining its potential and contradictions both for the actions of anyone who attempted it, and the meta-textual problems it poses for the writer employing it-rather like the never-explained “fictionaut” of Planetary; and, in fact, this issue has a stronger vibe of that series than anything Ellis has given us in some time. In some ways, Natasha Romanoff serves here as a stand-in for Jakita Wagner, raising an eyebrow at the dithering of science and its quest for arcane knowledge: she just wants the damn time-machine to work, and her commentary and observations (including the exasperated conversation she carries on with one of her futuristic devices) bring just the right touch of astringent realism. And while I continue to be suspicious of the idea that “old-fashioned done-in-one” storytelling is the answer to the industry’s woes, this is a great example of doing it right.

While the Black Widow has received loving treatment from a host of artists over the years (with my farovites including Gene Colan, Bill Siekewicz, Sean Phillips, and Terry Moore), no one captures her blend of cold professionalism, intimidating brilliance, and passion for adventure any better than Alex Maleev.  There’s a level of experimentation here that’s reminiscent of his brilliant work on Scarlet, but he’s not above tossing in a two-page battle spread that Bryan Hitch would be proud of.

I only have one reservation: if we had a scoring system with quarter-stars, I’d definitely knock one off for John Cassaday’s cheesy Planetary-lite style cover, which really conveys nothing whatsoever about the tone of the book. But it’s not worth docking the book a full half-star, as long as you don’t let it stop you from picking up a terrific piece of comic entertainment.

Rating:

Out of a Possible 5 Stars

“From the mind behind the mega-hit Syfy show you’ve probably never heard of (EUREKA) comes a tribute to all those no-budget Syfy original movies and the “so bad, they’re good” films that inspired them. Move over Roger Corman, step back Ed Wood, make way on your weekend programming schedule Mr. Stern, because here comes Andrew Cosby’s 365 DAYS OF SCI-FI.

And it’s all happening here! Each day, your friends at CHUD will bring you a brand new bad movie pitch — the best of the worst title Cosby can come up with, no matter where he’s at or what he’s doing, rain or shine, drunk or sober. That’s a whole year of the quality concepts you’ve come to expect from the network that brought you MANSQUITO and SHARKTOPUS.”

365 days of Sci-Fi Archive

And now… DAY THREE-HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE:

“How can you not be inspired by Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park?”

– Andy Cosby (Twitter)

“The Sound of Victory.”

MEGA DEATH: When Earth is invaded by aliens, mankind quickly crumbles beneath their vastly superior intellect and advanced weapons of war.  One by one, the human race is enslaved, until a rebellious teenager discovers the invaders’ only weakness — Heavy Metal!  Joining with other surviving metal heads to form the ultimate garage band, they rise from the ashes of global destruction to deliver some lethal riffs and rock the aliens’ world.

Nick Says: Is Anthony Zerbe still alive? That’s the only way this thing comes off right.

Disclaimer:

This article series is in no way affiliated with SyFy. This is a creative experiment and ongoing test of nerves that is perpetrated by a few insane people and should be construed as such. If for some reason these people actually make one of these as a feature it must be chalked up to their own lunacy. These are the intellectual property of Mr. Andrew Cosby and not the property of CHUD.com or SyFy.

“From the mind behind the mega-hit Syfy show you’ve probably never heard of (EUREKA) comes a tribute to all those no-budget Syfy original movies and the “so bad, they’re good” films that inspired them. Move over Roger Corman, step back Ed Wood, make way on your weekend programming schedule Mr. Stern, because here comes Andrew Cosby’s 365 DAYS OF SCI-FI.

And it’s all happening here! Each day, your friends at CHUD will bring you a brand new bad movie pitch — the best of the worst title Cosby can come up with, no matter where he’s at or what he’s doing, rain or shine, drunk or sober. That’s a whole year of the quality concepts you’ve come to expect from the network that brought you MANSQUITO and SHARKTOPUS.”

365 days of Sci-Fi Archive

And now… DAY THREE-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN:

“At this point, cheesy zombie pitches are way outweighing Cthulhu concepts.  That’s just not right.”

– Andy Cosby (Twitter)

“He Loves His Craft.”

THE BLACKBURN COVENANT: Set against the backdrop of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, an Indiana Jones style fortune hunter specializing in the world of the occult struggles against man, monsters and madness to recover the infamous Shroud of Turin before a sinister cabal can use it to resurrect their fallen god.

Nick Says: Cheese + Cloth = Epic.

Disclaimer:

This article series is in no way affiliated with SyFy. This is a creative experiment and ongoing test of nerves that is perpetrated by a few insane people and should be construed as such. If for some reason these people actually make one of these as a feature it must be chalked up to their own lunacy. These are the intellectual property of Mr. Andrew Cosby and not the property of CHUD.com or SyFy.

Making year-end “best of” lists is a love/hate activity for me. While I nerdily relish any opportunity to somewhat arbitrarily rank things in list form, I am always left with the woebegone feeling that so much worth mentioning is getting left out. Masterpieces generally happen when amazing performances gel with amazing filmmaking, but as we all know, often some of the year’s best, most riveting performances aren’t necessarily in “great” films. And even a turd of a movie may still have a brilliant or awesome scene in it. So here is a hodgepodge of some of my favorite things from 2011 cinema, to serve as an addendum to my Top 15 Films of 2011.

Best Performances:

1. Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw (X-Men: First Class)
2. David Carr as himself (Page One: Inside the New York Times) — Given that this is a documentary, Carr isn’t giving a performance in the typical sense. But he is an all-consuming presence, and definitely giving a presentation of himself.
3. Min-sik Choi as Kyung-chul (I Saw the Devil)
4. Dominic Cooper as Uday Hussein/Latif Yahia (The Devil’s Double)
5. Jean Dujardin as George Valentin (The Artist)
6. Ryan Gosling as Driver (Drive)
7. Woody Harrelson as Dave Brown (Rampart)
8. Rutger Hauer as Hobo (Hobo With a Shotgun)
9. Gorô Inagaki as Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira (13 Assassins)
10. Eric Jacobson as Miss Piggy/Fozzie Bear/Animal/Sam Eagle (The Muppets)
11. Michael Lonsdale as Luc (Of Gods and Men)
12. Hunter McCracken as Young Jack (The Tree of Life)
13. Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud (A Dangerous Method)
14. Gary Oldman as George Smiley (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
15. John C Reilly as Dean Ziegler (Cedar Rapids)
16. Tilda Swinton as Eva Khatchadourian (We Need to Talk About Kevin)
17. Charlize Theron as Mavis Gary (Young Adult)
18. Marisa Tomei as Kate (Crazy Stupid Love)
19. Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre)
20. Kristen Wiig as Annie Walker (Bridesmaids)
21. Rainn Wilson as Frank D’Arbo (SUPER)
22. Shailene Woodley as Alexandra King (The Descendants)

Best Collective Performance:

1. Michael Fassbender (Jane Eyre. A Dangerous Method. X-Men: First Class. Shame.)
2. Jessica Chastain (The Help. The Tree of Life. The Debt. Coriolanus. Take Shelter.)

Best Duo:

1. Conan O’Brien and his assistant Sona Movsesian (Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop)
2. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (The Trip)
3. Jean Dujardin and Uggie the dog (The Artist)

Best Combined Effort Performance:

1. Andy Serkis and Weta Digital’s creation of Caesar (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Best Scenes/Sequences/Moments:

1. Birth of the universe/Evolution of life sequence. (The Tree of Life)
2. Sync sound nightmare. (The Artist)
3. Ultra-slow-mo destruction prologue. (Melancholia)
4. “The Rainbow Connection” telethon number. (The Muppets)
5. Lieutenant Chad’s meta opening monologue. (Rubber)
6. The sandstorm chase in Dubai. (Mission Impossible 4)
7. Twist ending revelation. (Final Destination 5)
8. Maurice the orangutan reveals he knows sign language. (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)
9. “A momentary relief from the existential terrors of existence.” Aka, the “Under Pressure” climax. (Happy Feet 2)
10. Freud and Jung’s first meeting. (A Dangerous Method)
11. The elevator kiss and de-facing scene. (Drive)
12. Trip to the Moon flashback. (Hugo)
13. The leaning skyscraper set-piece. (Transformers 3)
14. Magneto and Sebastian Shaw’s final face-off. (X-Men: First Class)
15. The banjo-“Flight of the Valkyries” canyon chase. (Rango)
16. Ares’ mass-decapitation-by-hammer slaughter. (Immortals)
17. “Let’s Talk About Me.” Tex Richman’s rap song. (The Muppets)
18. The Woman finally gets free and seeks vengeance. (The Woman)
19. Mavis’ pivotal chat with Matt Freehauf’s sister Sandra. (Young Adult)
20. Caesar says “No.” (The Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Guilty Pleasure:

1. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 — The existence of Twilight was all made worthwhile for me by a drunken viewing of this most unwaveringly ridiculous film of the year. Both overcooked and undercooked in all the wrong places, with grotesque body horror, no plot, and embarrassing attempts at levity peppered throughout. It is perfectly stupid.

Film Most Likely to Spark a Debate:

1. Bellflower — A friend of mine very aptly described this no-budget love-it-or-hate-it oddball as “frathouse arthouse.” I’ve heard people call it ‘brilliant,’ others call it ‘misogynistic,’ others call it ‘unwatchably bad.’ I’d say that for those who appreciate what goes into making a movie, it is one worth viewing, regardless of your reaction.

Best Surprises:

1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes — This movie had no business being so good.
2. The Lincoln Lawyer — Television has completely killed the old school procedural film, but this unexpected lil’ gem suggests hope isn’t totally lost.
3. Winnie the Pooh — Don’t let your inner cynic keep you away, this reboot is a warm fuzzy blast of goodness.
4. The Woman — While I’ve never disliked Lucky McKee, I also wouldn’t have called myself a fan. I would now.
5. The Green Hornet — Chalk this one up to inverse hype; I’d heard so many bad things about the film going in that I was pleasantly surprised by what an entertaining and inventive film I found.

Worst Surprises:

1. Paul — Someone get Edgar Wright back together with Frost and Pegg, pronto.
2. Your Highness — While I laughed at much of this movie, the jokes were too spread out; I expected more from McBride and David Gordon Green.
3. Cars 2 — Call me a Pixar bitch; I thought this film might be a step up from Cars, not a step down.
4. Conan the Barbarian — I knew enough not to expect high quality, but “dumb fun” seemed reasonable; this is one of the most inert films I’ve seen in years.
5. Sucker Punch — A rare film that managed to be worse than the bad hype I’d already heard; this is the Image Comics of cinema (good visual artists sometimes need to stay far away from the writing process).

Films I’m Pumped For You to See in 2012:

1. Bullhead — Belgian gangster film with your soon to be new favorite character actor, and presumably future Mission Impossible or Bond villain, Matthias Schoenaerts.
2. A Boy and His Samurai — New high-concept rom-com from Yoshihiro Nakamura.
3. Sleepless Night — French action-thriller; American remake already in the works.
4. Sleep Tight — Slyly disturbing French thriller-dark-comedy.
5. Headhunters — Norwegian action-thriller with Game of Thrones‘ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau; will presumably also get a remake soon enough.

“From the mind behind the mega-hit Syfy show you’ve probably never heard of (EUREKA) comes a tribute to all those no-budget Syfy original movies and the “so bad, they’re good” films that inspired them. Move over Roger Corman, step back Ed Wood, make way on your weekend programming schedule Mr. Stern, because here comes Andrew Cosby’s 365 DAYS OF SCI-FI.

And it’s all happening here! Each day, your friends at CHUD will bring you a brand new bad movie pitch — the best of the worst title Cosby can come up with, no matter where he’s at or what he’s doing, rain or shine, drunk or sober. That’s a whole year of the quality concepts you’ve come to expect from the network that brought you MANSQUITO and SHARKTOPUS.”

365 days of Sci-Fi Archive

And now… DAY THREE-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIX:

“Okay, this is technically neither sci-fi nor horror, but what the hell…”

– Andy Cosby (Twitter)

“You’re in Trouble Now, Jack!”

BLACK THE RIPPER: In this blaxploitation version of the events surrounding Victorian England’s notorious Ripper murders, set against the backdrop of 70s Harlem, an ass-kicking, tough-talking, bitch-slapping pimp joins forces with a racist homicide detective to bring down a vicious serial killer who’s been targeting hookers and their johns.

Nick Says: Amazing.

Disclaimer:

This article series is in no way affiliated with SyFy. This is a creative experiment and ongoing test of nerves that is perpetrated by a few insane people and should be construed as such. If for some reason these people actually make one of these as a feature it must be chalked up to their own lunacy. These are the intellectual property of Mr. Andrew Cosby and not the property of CHUD.com or SyFy.

First off, let me say that my list isn’t going to have a lot of films that other reviewers’ lists are going to have or films that were big in 2011.  Why?  Simple reason is that with a full time gig, writing all kinds of articles for GUY, keeping a presence on CHUD as much as I could, and trying to keep up with a fiery, energetic two-year-old, I simply couldn’t catch a lot of the big films I wanted to in 2011.  But what I did manage to do was get into the smaller, indie scene more than I ever have before.  And the majority of them were good, some truly great.  And several of them are represented here.

Honorable Mentions: Puncture, Griff The Invisible, Fire of Conscience, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, Black Death, Rubber, Stake Land, X-Men: First Class, Thor.

Films I Missed: A shload of films I know I should have seen but didn’t / couldn’t for one reason or another: Attack the Block, Moneyball, The Ides of March, Tintin, Shame, Hanna, The Artist, Tree of Life, Contagion, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Iron Lady, Bridesmaids, The Descendants and so on and so forth.  Nevertheless, these are the ones I did see and did enjoy.

David on Bay Rong (Clash):

Going back over the films I’d seen this year for this list, I revisited my review for this Vietnamese actioner from director Le Thanh Son and starring Johnny Tri Nguyen and Ngo Thanh Van and realized that I probably enjoyed it even more in retrospect than I did when I saw it.  Fantastic martial arts action and gunplay, a story that parallels Ronin to a degree – definitely more in homage than in ripoff – and a cast of lowlifes and double-crosses for a case that controls a military satellite.  Tri Nguyen pulls off some unbelievable fight moves in this thing, and Ngo was no certainly no slouch herself in that area.  And they clicked on the drama side, and there were several twists and turns in the story.  What I especially liked is that Le didn’t cheap out with extreme close-ups and migraine-inducing cutting of the action.  There are plenty of nice master shots of the fights, which were all well choreographed, with an MMA tilt to them.  The film has a nice gritty, washed out look and you can get a good feel for the underworld of Ho Chi Minh City.

Current rating:3.5 out of 5

Contributing factors: The look of the film, Le’s action directing, Tri Nguyen’s and Ngo’s fighting ability and chemistry in the non-fighting.

Performance to savor: Ngo was the most complex character in the piece.  And holy crap is she gorgeous.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “You simply can’t go Rong with this movie!”

The CHUD Review

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David on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo:

David Fincher films are simply not to be missed.  And this one seems to be the biggest departure for him from what we’re used to.  I went into this film fresh, not having read any of Stieg Larsson’s books nor having seen the original, so there were no preconceptions for me.  What I understood was that there was a 40-year-old mystery to be solved and that Rooney Mara is getting a lot of lip service from her performance, which are well deserved.  I just caught it this weekend and for the first, say, 110 minutes, I liked how Fincher, Daniel Craig and Mara unraveled the mystery, though the film did drag at times.  But I was very interested in Mara’s half of the film and Lisbeth Salander as a character, with a lot of layers and baggage.  The scene you probably know about is terrible, but her payback isn’t and I was just all over Mara’s performance in the movie.  Daniel Craig as Michael Blomkvist wasn’t nearly as engaging, but he was passable enough to shepherd us through the mystery half of the film until Lisbeth joined him and they had good chemistry I thought.  Really could have been a much better movie if not for the completely unnecessary epilogue, though.  Or, rather, I’d like to see more of what Lisbeth was doing in said epilogue.

Current rating:3.6 out of 5

Contributing factors: Fincher’s solid construction of the film.

Performance to savor: Again, Rooney Mara owns in this movie.  Most fearless portrayal I’ve seen this year.  I actually saw her much smaller film, Tanner Hall, this year and though that was pedestrian at best, she was fine in it.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Best Swedish tattoo mystery remake this year.”

David on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol:

I’ve enjoyed most of the MI movies over the years and this is just an example of a great popcorn flick by one of the biggest action stars in the world in a franchise that has always suited his particular talents.  Two words in that last sentence should particularly stand out to you: action star.  Why?  Because there was minimal CGI bullshit in that crazy Burj Khalifa scene.  Dude got out on the friggin’ building and did his shit.  Maybe not for every single shot, but dude was hanging outside the tallest building in the world for a movie.  Cruise always delivers that level of commitment, particularly this franchise and I just respect the hell out of him for doing it.  Yeah, there’s been the rough patch for him personally in the middle part of last decade, but Cruise is still one of the true movie stars in the biz and a talented performer.  Another thing I liked about this installment was that it was the most straight-up film in the franchise.  No IMF traitor lurking in the shadows as in all the three previous films.  Just a mission, limited time and no chance to prepare.  Now the keepaway scene in the parking garage is a bit much, but that chase scene in the sandstorm can’t be denied.

Current rating:3.7 out of 5

Contributing factors: Again, the Burj Khalifa Spider-Man bit, the sandstorm chase, Brad Bird’s solid direction…and maybe Paula Patton stripping in the car.

Performance to savor: This is Cruise’s movie through and through.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “You’ll jump on your couch for it!”

David on Hobo With a Shotgun:

The trailer for this film from director Jason Eisener was the winner of a Grindhouse competition by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino that threatened to out grindhouse Grindhouse itself.  Back in April I called it a “batshit rendition of a Canucksploitation joint…that unloaded both barrels on restraint and sanity with this hyper-violent, blood-soaked, squishy and at times laugh-out-loud-funny effort.”  Hauer was choice as a grizzled hobo that rides the rails into some Canadian shithole (aka Halifax) run by scumbag kingpin Drake (Brian Downey) and his two offspring paragons of ’80s assholery, Slick and Ivan (Gregory Smith, Nick Bateman).  So what makes the place bad?  The usual: crime, hobo fighting, random murder, drugs, roasting busloads of children, manhole cover decapitations.  Then of course, there’s The Plague.  If you can imagine satanic Knights of the Round Table bikers in cast iron armor and a penchant for heavy metal and pet octopi, you might have a sense of the lunacy that kicks up a notch from its already considerable level before they blaze onto the screen.  Hauer saying “enough!” and taking the law (i.e. the shotgun) into his hands and offing the miscreants surrounding him made for a hell of a fun ride.

Current rating: 3.7 out of 5

Contributing factors: Did I mention The Plague?  I want my spinoff movie stat.

Performance to savor: Hauer is back, baby.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Boomstickalicious!”

The GUY Review

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David on A Better Life:

A moving tale of illegal immigration that very well could force even the most staunch conservative to at least give a second thought to his position on the issue.  Director Chris Weitz’ film echoes to a degree De Sica’s The Bicycle Thief in the tale of illegal immigrant, Carlos Galindo (Demian Bechir), who is faced with a major and very risky decision to try to better his and his American citizen son, Luis’ (Jose Julian) precarious situation in Los Angeles.  Day laborer Galindo has the chance to buy his boss’ landscaping business and truck and take over his clientele.  But since he doesn’t have the money, he has to make a desperate plea to his sister, who is legal by way of marriage.  When his sister comes through, things are looking up.  But then the unthinkable happens and Galindo must try to make it right or risk losing everything, especially the chance to try to reconnect with his son, who knows nothing of his heritage and is distant from him.  Bechir was recently recognized with a SAG Award Nomination for his stellar performance.  His Carlos is hard working, honorable to a fault and regretful that he and his son have drifted away from each other.  His performance is really stirring, and the film has a lot to say about the complexities and realities of illegal immigration.  It’s really shot and acted well all around.

Current rating: 3.8 out of 5

Contributing factors: The lip service Weitz gives to the underground Latino situation in L.A.

Performance to savor: Bechir is excellent.  Period.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “It should be illegal how good this movie is!”

The GUY Review

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David on Captain America: The First Avenger:

Was this the movie that fans of the comic book (including me) were waiting for?  For the most part, yes.  This Joe Johnston film was a cog in the wheel of the pending Avengers movie, but a fun outing on its own.  Johnston gave it that right blend of retro, futuristic and Americana, with solid performances on both sides from stars Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving.  I remarked in my review that the work from both stars was no surprise.  At this point, who doesn’t know that Evans is a more-than-amiable screen presence capable of handling action and drama just fine (check him out in Puncture, one of my hionorable mentions).  Also, he’s already cut, but that shot of him emerging from the Project: Rebirth chamber showed the extra work he put in in getting ready for the physicality of Cap.  I’ve liked him in everything I’ve seen him in, including the two Fantastic Four movies.  And if you need any convincing on Weaving, well then I weep for you.  Hayley Atwell was also a worthy match to Evans.  I called her performance as Peggy Carter “competent and measured, not prone to fawning, and tough but not inaccessible.”  Tommy Lee Jones adds his own deadpan one-liners charm and Stanley Tucci is great as he usually is as Dr. Erskine.  As far as the visual effects, the cut and pasting of Evans onto Rogers’ pre-procedure body was seamless I thought.  The rest of the film looked great as well.  The costume in particular came off well.   From what I saw so far, I fear that the modern one in Avengers won’t be as good.  Drawbacks though include not enough attention being given to the Howling Commandos, and really, some second act adventures of them with Cap, which was generally glossed over by Johnston, would also have been welcome.  But overall, I really liked the finished product.

Current rating: 3.8 out of 5

Contributing factors: Production and costume design were also very good.

Performance to savor: Tucci does much with not a lot of face time.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Imperious Rex, that was entertaining!”

The GUY Review

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David on Rise of the Planet of the Apes:

It’s surprising that this film was this good, and squarely because of the apes and not the humans involved.  Not only do the apes rise in this movie, but so does mo-cap, which gave an unbelievable quality to the simians on screen, particularly Andy Serkis, whose work in this area is going to get him an Oscar nod at some point in his career.  Really, the apes and the story are the main thing going on here, but it’s more than enough.  It’s a clever and faithful precursor to the films that people of my generation (yes, I’m old) generally love.  And really, I didn’t think there’d be any reviving this franchise after the 2001 remake.  But Rise not only revives it, it kicks it into a potential new franchise of its own, one that’s more than worthy of the original.

Current rating:3.8 out of 5

Contributing factors: Mo-cap.  Mo-cap.  Mo-cap.

Performance to savor: Serkis.  Serkis.  Serkis.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “You’ll go apeshit!”

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David on Margin Call:

Detailed and engrossing Wall Street drama with a fantastic ensemble performance that bypasses all of the ancillaries that can be found in a movie of this type like an inside informant, whistleblower, evil corporate executive misdeeds, federal indictments, murder and such.  It’s a real-world take on the beginnings of the 2008 Financial Crisis, headed up by erstwhile Spock, Zachary Quinto (who also produced), Paul Bettany, Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker and Jeremy Irons.  The film really benefits by the non-sensationalism on display here.  It just features an A-list cast doing great work in a play-by-play analysis of a firm (said to be based on Lehman brothers) that never veers into the boring, especially considering that the majority of the film is dialogue.  This could just as easily have been a play, in fact.  It’s an accessible account of a complicated situation, written smartly by first-time director, J.C. Chandor.

Current rating:3.9 out of 5

Contributing factors: This is all about the script and the performances.

Performance to savor: Spacey, Tucci, Irons.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Invest in this movie!”

The GUY Review

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David on Warrior:

Rousing fighter movie reminiscent of Rocky 2 (don’t get caught up in all the Rocky hype associated with this movie, Edgerton’s story is straight up 2) that features strong performances by the two leads, and also Nick Nolte as their formerly abusive drunk father on the slippery path to redemption.  Keeping with the Rockyverse, I mentioned that director Gavin O’Connor goes more Clubber Lang than Apollo Creed with the many heartstring moments, but the two-pronged story of brothers who clash in an MMA tournament is nonetheless a stirring experience, particularly in the last half of the film.  The fighting is bonecrunching, particularly from Hardy, and the submissions feel like they’re forcing your own leg up your poophole.  O’Connor is really good about putting you inside the ring.

Current rating:4.0 out of 5

Contributing factors: The physicality on display is terrific.

Performance to savor: For me, Hardy, hands down.  His was the more meaningful arc between he and Edgerton (who was also good).  His opening scene with Nolte I remarked as: “The disdain is rolling off of Hardy and he barely has to say a word.  But nearly every word he does say is a veiled dagger aimed at his old man for his past misdeeds.”

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “It’s one Angle Slam away from true greatness!”

The Two-GUY Review

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David on Drive

Typically, when a film is titled Drive, and about a wheelman available for hire to the criminal underworld, but doesn’t really feature all that much actual driving, one might think that that would be cause for valid resentment of the film.  After all, The Transporter was about exactly the same thing and had crazy driving.  Fortunately, some atmospheric direction from Nicholas Winding Refn, coupled with his strangely pseudo-timeless placement of the film (this looked like it could have taken place in the same universe and time as 8 Million Ways to Die or To Live and Die in L.A., especially with those opening credits and Ryan Gosling’s scorpion Members Only Jacket), make for a winning combo.  Albert Brooks is some evil gold and Ron Perlman livens the place up in his inimitable style.  But of course, the true draw is Gosling, who was pretty much owning this entire year.  His sedate performance (sedate at least until it’s time to waste the ever-living shit out of bad guys) is really something to be enjoyed.  Nary a wisecrack nor a one-liner to be had.  Just all business, introspection and the most relaxing getaway drive in recent memory.

Current rating: 4.0 out of 5

Contributing factors: The soundtrack was quite good as I recall.

Performance to savor: Er, uh…Gosling.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “One of Car and Driver’s Ten Best!”

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David on A Bout Portant (Point Blank)

A Bout Portant is an espresso shot of a film.  It wakes you up in a hurry and doesn’t last very long.  It’s 84 minutes of tense action and gripping situations, with a manic portrayal by Giles Lellouche as an everyman caught up in a situation way over his head.  Lellouche is Samuel Pierret, a nurse’s aid in a hospital who saves the life of a thief, Sartet (Roschdy Zem), after an assassination attempt by some people who hired him.  But soon thereafter, Pierret’s wife, Nadia (Elena Anaya), who is in the middle of a high risk pregnancy, is kidnapped.  Pierret is told if he doesn’t spring Sartet from the hospital, she’ll be killed.  From there, Pierret must navigate the Paris underworld, where the roles of law and criminal are reversed and there’s no one he can trust accept the man he just sprung from custody.

Current rating: 4.0 out of 5

Contributing factors: The French underworld is a complicated place.

Performance to savor: Lellouche and Anaya portray a really believable, loving couple.  It’s easy to see why he’d go through what he does to try to save her.  And she has a great fight with a female cop who’s looking to chuck her and her unborn baby out a window.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Mon dieu, that was exciting!”

The GUY Review

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David on Viva Riva!

A richly-characterized crime noir with a distinctly African flavor.  This is essentially the first major film to come out of the perennially-troubled Central African nation of Congo in two decades.  In that time the country has seen repeated warfare and infighting, and continues to struggle with a stigma of poverty and rape among other things.  But Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga shows us that, while the country does have its problems, it has some interesting stories to tell as well.  Viva Riva! won a bunch of African film awards and has several memorable performances backing up Munga’s exploration of a Congolese hustler, Riva (Patsha Bay), debauching himself in Kinshasa after stealing a truckload of gasoline from his Angolan boss, Caesar (Hoji Fortuna), which is the equivalent of gold in the gas-starved city.  Caesar shows up in Kinshasa with a couple of men murdering their way across the the city in order to track Riva down.  And Riva’s obsession with the seductive Nora, (Manie Malone), the moll of a local crime boss only adds to his troubles.  I’ve spent time in Kenya and seen local productions and from countries like Nigeria, and they’re not usually very good.  But this is not only a great African film, it’s a great film period.

Current rating:4.0 out of 5

Contributing factors: Munga giving you the unedited flavor of Kinshasa, for good and bad.

Performance to savor: All around, but mostly Bay, Fortuna, Marlene Longange and Malone is great as the alluring Nora.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Riva bomaye!”

The GUY Review

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David on Troll Hunter:

An unexpected and entertaining delight and an example of how the recent trend in found footage films should be done.  The movie tells the story of the footage shot by student filmmakers, Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and their camera-man Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen), who accompanied a Norwegian troll hunter (Otto Jespersen) on the job.  And it played like the funkiest Discovery Channel documentary ever filmed.  The trolls were usually obscured by low light, nighttime or night vision, but were still rendered well, and were at times hilarious and others quite scary.  Rules for hunting trolls and how to eliminate them are laid out well.  Like for instance, if you’re an Evangelical, probably best to stay out of the country altogether.  The hunting footage is often tongue in cheek and adrenaline-inducing.  And the added measure of the Norwegian government, and their local representative, Finn Haugen (Hans Morten Hansen), head of the Norwegian Wildlife Board, trying to keep the secret of the existence of trolls comes off like mockumentary fodder.  The mix of dry humor and tense action scenes made this an engaging winner.

Current rating: 4.1 out of 5

Contributing factors: Proper usage of found footage technique, highly convincing trolls.

Performance to savor: Jespersen…and the trolls

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Troll!”

The GUY Review

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David on Fast Five:

What the hell business did this movie have being as good as it was?  It’s the fifth installment of a franchise that’s finagling with it’s own timeline with each subsequent film.  And it turns out to be the best one yet.  Don’t know what’s keeping Mark Wahlberg and company from coming out with The Brazilian Job, but they may as well go ahead and pick a new location for their sequel if it ever occurs, because this film has flat out stole their thunder.  And what’s more unanticipated is that now it’s effectively changed the entire basis of its own franchise from street racing into a full-on heist pictures, which are already poised for two more outings.  Director Justin Lin, who has steered the franchise since the third film, Tokyo Drift, is turning himself into a highly bankable action director, with an eye for his own continuity and what the fans want.

Many are the film series that crank out sequels with little to no reference to prior installments.  Few are the ones that not only have a sense of from whence they came, but a willingness to reuse its own characters to continue the story.  Lin did that in a big way, recruiting talent from all of the previous installments (save Tokyo Drift, which technically hasn’t happened yet), to assemble a cast for this ensemble heist yarn.  At the center are the series’ main three: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster.  And the supporting members of their team, Rome (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Vince (Matt Schulze), Han (Sung Kang), Gisele (Gal Gadot), Leo and Santos ( Tego Calderón and Don Omar) all are given proper attention and character moments and aren’t just scene fillers.

And the addition of Dwayne Johnson as the hulking (holy shit The Rock has never looked more intimidating) DSS Agent, Luke Hobbs, added the Rock vs. Vin dimension that fans have been talking about for years.  There are plenty of good character moments interspersed with great action, including the long awaited Johnson vs. Diesel slobberknocker, a foot chase through Rio’s (i.e. Puerto Rico’s) favelas, shootouts and a thrilling bank vault heist through the streets of Rio.  This was easily the best action film of the summer, with a hell of a surprising twist to set up the next two installments.

Current rating: 4.2 out of 5

Contributing factors: Character moments, action, gunplay, car chases, a really big safe.

Performance to savor: The Rock, back at the proper level of screen baddass-ness.

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “It’s Fastastic!”

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David on Le Noms Des Gens (The Names of Love)

Truth be told, I would have been good rearranging this top five a number of ways.  But when I think of the story told by Le Noms Des Gens, and the type of movie it is – namely a romantic comedy…I don’t do romantic comedies – I’ve got to give it to this film from French director Michel Leclerc.  Actually, to call this film just a romantic comedy is to sell it way short.  Back when I reviewed it, I mused on whether it’s a “treatise on French race relations and socio-political discussion wrapped up in a romantic comedy.”  Or “an introspective exploration of family heritage and coming to terms with a painful past.”  Or “a light and seductive ‘opposite attract’ romancer with something to say on the rejection of societal labels, taboos and expectations.”

Well, it’s all those things, told via the engaging story of Baya Benmahmoud (the luminous Sara Forestier), a brash young French-Algerian Muslim liberal hipster whose main hobby is converting men on the opposite end of the political spectrum to her way of thinking by engaging them in naked, carnal political debate, which she always wins.  But she soon meets her match in conservative Arthur Martin (Jacques Gamblin) – named just like the French pressure cooker – a veterinarian who works for the French government to assess the possible threat posed by bird flu cases via necropsy.

Arthur is immediately smitten by Baya, who interrupts a radio interview in which he’s partaking to express to him that his views on the dangers posed by bird flu are merely a furtherance of misleading conservative government propaganda.  They’re soon drawn to each other, much to the delight of the younger version of Arthur’s self, with whom he has regular conversations about how he’s not living up to his earlier version’s expectations of his life.  He also occasionally sees his dead grandparents, whom he never even knew.  This is indicative of deeper goings-on with both Arthur and Bahia concerning their complicated family histories.  Namely, Arthur’s mother is notoriously tight-lipped about her experiences as a young Jewish girl under Nazi occupation, and in fact living a very Anne Frank life after her parents, Arthur’s spectral grandparents, were dispatched to Auschwitz, never to return.  And Baya’s father witnessed the slaughter of his family at the hands of the French military in Algeria as a youth, but it didn’t stop him from immigrating to Paris illegally and adopting the French lifestyle, and even marrying a French woman with no afterward malice to the country.  But Baya is distressed that he gives everything he has to his family and never seeks any enjoyment for himself, especially denying himself the expression of his considerable artistic talent

Thus both Arthur and Baya, through these different scenarios, have had no real connection to their Jewish and Muslim backgrounds until they meet each other and begin to question who they are and their origins.  Plus, a sexual assault Baya endured as a small child informs on the reckless manner in which she approaches relationships.  Then there’s commentary on race relations and immigration policies in France.  And all of this is covered while Arthur and Baya engage in this whirlwind and complicated love affair.  As heavy as some of the issues raised in the film can be, the film never is.  And there’s really so much going on in Le Noms Des Gens, punctuated by a simply marvelous and quite fearless performance by Forestier (let’s just say she has no problem with public nudity) that it seems a miracle that Leclerc could squeeze it all in and still make the film as charming as he does.  Gamblin is also quite good as the repressed Arthur.  And Leclerc’s and co-writer Baya Kasmi’s intricate and unpredicatable script is weighty and light at the same time.  It’s really not hard to pick this as the best film that I saw this year.

Current rating: 4.5 out of 5

Contributing factors: Complicated and winning script, bursting with commentary and charming characters.

Performance to savor: Forestier in the best performance by an actress I saw this year.  In my review I described her Baya as “complicated, opinionated, dedicated, deadly serious and lighter than air all at once.”

CHUD.com Pull Quote: “WTF?  It’s a romantic comedy.  A French romantic comedy!  In French!  Yep, and it’s still damned good.”

The GUY Review

“From the mind behind the mega-hit Syfy show you’ve probably never heard of (EUREKA) comes a tribute to all those no-budget Syfy original movies and the “so bad, they’re good” films that inspired them. Move over Roger Corman, step back Ed Wood, make way on your weekend programming schedule Mr. Stern, because here comes Andrew Cosby’s 365 DAYS OF SCI-FI.

And it’s all happening here! Each day, your friends at CHUD will bring you a brand new bad movie pitch — the best of the worst title Cosby can come up with, no matter where he’s at or what he’s doing, rain or shine, drunk or sober. That’s a whole year of the quality concepts you’ve come to expect from the network that brought you MANSQUITO and SHARKTOPUS.”

365 days of Sci-Fi Archive

And now… DAY THREE-HUNDRED AND FORTY:

“Because I love my craft, here’s some more Lovecraft.”

– Andy Cosby (Twitter)

“Daddy Seems Different.”

THRALL OF CTHULHU: After visiting an exhibit of rare and exotic Babylonian antiquities at the local museum, a 40-something family man begins experiencing nightmarish dreams and delusions as he slowly falls victim to possession by an evil elder god from some hellish nether-dimension. Ultimately succumbing to these unyielding hallucinations, he dedicates nearly every waking hour to studying the dark arts and trying to bridge the gap between our world and theirs.

Nick Says: What a terrific star vehicle for the delightful and oft-underused Cole Hauser.

Disclaimer:

This article series is in no way affiliated with SyFy. This is a creative experiment and ongoing test of nerves that is perpetrated by a few insane people and should be construed as such. If for some reason these people actually make one of these as a feature it must be chalked up to their own lunacy. These are the intellectual property of Mr. Andrew Cosby and not the property of CHUD.com or SyFy.

“From the mind behind the mega-hit Syfy show you’ve probably never heard of (EUREKA) comes a tribute to all those no-budget Syfy original movies and the “so bad, they’re good” films that inspired them. Move over Roger Corman, step back Ed Wood, make way on your weekend programming schedule Mr. Stern, because here comes Andrew Cosby’s 365 DAYS OF SCI-FI.

And it’s all happening here! Each day, your friends at CHUD will bring you a brand new bad movie pitch — the best of the worst title Cosby can come up with, no matter where he’s at or what he’s doing, rain or shine, drunk or sober. That’s a whole year of the quality concepts you’ve come to expect from the network that brought you MANSQUITO and SHARKTOPUS.”

365 days of Sci-Fi Archive

And now… DAY THREE-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE:

“Only one month left to go.  Ask me how happy I am.”

– Andy Cosby (Twitter)

“Anything Can Happen.”

BIZARREMAGEDDON: When a Higgs Boson particle collision goes horribly wrong, the fundamental laws of physics begin to break down, ultimately creating a universe where the improbable becomes likely and the definite is nearly impossible.  Set against the backdrop of this backwards new world, a talking cow and his artificially intelligent bicycle become mankind’s last and only hope for survival.  Or not.

Nick Says: Mr. Cosby is off his meds again.

Disclaimer:

This article series is in no way affiliated with SyFy. This is a creative experiment and ongoing test of nerves that is perpetrated by a few insane people and should be construed as such. If for some reason these people actually make one of these as a feature it must be chalked up to their own lunacy. These are the intellectual property of Mr. Andrew Cosby and not the property of CHUD.com or SyFy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has two post-Expendables movies lined up, and currently they both seem remarkably similar, as both have Arnold as an unlikely hero going up against a small army of bad guys in the desert. Turns out one of them just got a little weirder though…

So following The Last Stand—the Lionsgate film about Sheriff Arnold stopping an escaped drug kingpin as he blazes through town with his army of henchmen–Schwarzenegger is set to star in Black Sands, about a guy who takes it upon himself to destroy the operations of a southwestern weapons manufacturer. Little is known about this second film, but word is that ArnoldFans.com managed to corner the former Governor and get him to acknowledge his role and that his character “is kind of an angel,” before refusing to say more. The site goes on to say the film is being compared to Constantine and Commando, though it’s unclear if they’re actually got a source on that comparison, or if are just leaping on the “angel” comment.

The one interesting note is that the film’s PR firm has apparently corrected the site on their incorrect (and widely picked-up) news that the title had changed to Black Sunday (it’s still Black Sands), but apparently didn’t feel the need to dispel any supernatural rumors…

While we’ve got more than a year to wait for The Last Stand, filming on Black Sands will begin in April, so it shouldn’t be too long before we hear more definitively just what the hell is up with this movie. I hope so, because a very few words are being stretched a very long way at present…

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(via Collider)

Sundance approaches, and from its website we get our first little glimpse of Red Hook Summer, Spike Lee’s new film. This will of course precede the director’s new take on Oldboy, and is distinctive return to his roots by means of a story told in a summer-scorched Brooklyn. Also notable is that Lee has reportedly resurrected his character Mookie from Do The Right Thing for the film, though whether that’s for a small cameo or for a sizable part isn’t yet clear. We do have a better idea of the overall story of Red Hook Summer though, thanks to this new synopsis:

When his mom deposits him at the Red Hook housing project in Brooklyn to spend the summer with the grandfather he’s never met, young Flik may as well have landed on Mars. Fresh from his cushy life in Atlanta, he’s bored and friendless, and his strict grandfather, Enoch, a firebrand preacher, is bent on getting him to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior. Only Chazz, the feisty girl from church, provides a diversion from the drudgery. As hot summer simmers and Sunday mornings brim with Enoch’s operatic sermons, things turn anything but dull as people’s conflicting agendas collide.

Playfully ironic, heightened, yet grounded, Spike Lee’s bold new movie returns him to his roots, where lovable, larger-than-life characters form the tinderbox of a tight-knit community. A story about the coexistence of altruism and corruption, Red Hook Summer toys with expectations, seducing us with the promise of moral and spiritual transcendence. Spike is back in the ’hood. – C.L.

The film’s not a short one– the 2hr 15m runtime caught my eye, and it definitely sounds like the kind of wish-fulfillment cinema where a world-wise aging director gets to teach a kid to pull up his pants and respect his elders. I’m still interested to see what Spike does with this environment these days, and where it will put him as a filmmaker immediately before he pushes headlong into the world of studio remakes of foreign films.

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(via JoBlo)