io9 
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San Francisco, 11:37 PM
Fri Dec 4
24 posts in the last 24 hours
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08/01/09
08/01/09
08/30/09
08/01/09
Any decent fan of comic books, casual or no, has to read Astro City: Confession. Brilliant Batman-inspired story from the perspective of the sidekick.
08/01/09
07/31/09
Note: that still doesn't mean I'm watching GI Joe, Lee Byung-Hun's American debut (as Storm Shadow, fyi). Can't believe that dude went from a modern cinema classic in The Good, the Bad, and the Weird to GI "starring Dennis Quaid" Joe.
08/01/09
08/03/09
...then again, Depp's acting debut was in Nightmare to Elm Street, so I suppose there's still time.
07/31/09
I wouldn't mind a return to something more like JSA, wherein the characters were actually relateable, instead of something like the Vengeance trilogy, that seemed like just pushing a character as far as they could go before they snap, and voyeuristically watching their descent. Thirst seems more like the latter, unfortunately (please tell me I'm wrong!). I get that people are fragile and corruptable, Mr. Park, I'm just not sure I want to devote another 2 hours to a movie it feels like I've watched two or three times before.
07/31/09
07/31/09
08/01/09
I haven't seen the film, but from your description, it sounds as if those extra, almost repetitive, scenes you mention regarding the subplot are present to provide contextual counterpoints to the main events. I'm curious, did the couple's guilt feel weightier or lifted with each subsequent scene?
08/01/09
But really my complaints about this film were extremely minor. I thought a lot of the drawn-out, weird scenes worked well to convey a sense of unease, and I made that quite clear in my review.
08/01/09
07/31/09
Have you seen Big Man Japan? Can you write a review for it?
Here's an excerpt of Ebert's review:
Well, I guess this is the movie I’ve been asking for. Whenever I see a superhero epic, I’m always nagged by logical questions -- like, when the Incredible Hulk becomes enormous, how do his undershorts also expand? "Big Man Japan" answers that question with admirable clarity. Before the Big Man grows, workers winch an enormous pair of undershorts up on two poles, and he straddles the crotch. Then he expands to fill them. Had to be something like that.
07/31/09
08/01/09
Ebert's review from a few months ago is what turned me onto the film. You could see he wanted something like this from HANCOCK, but just didn't get it...
BMJ streeted this week and I caught it Tuesday. The first 30 minutes are so subtle that it's barely the comedy its billed as, but as it goes along it ventures off into some inspired everyday lunacy. It's like a mumblecore Kaiju...
08/01/09
Came out last week on DVD. It is quite amusing, but I wonder if a lot of the Japanese in-jokes will soar over people's heads.
The ending is amazing.
08/01/09
Does the country still harbor that much anti-American sentiment, or was that ending just the filmmaker's way paying thematic homage to the king of Kaiju, Gojira?? BMJ is a pretty scathing indictment of Japanese pop-culture and sheep-like mentality w/ regard to fads, not to mention the younger society's pack-like tendencies towards the weak (ie. bullying). Are American's supposed to be the Kaiju Bully Kings???
Didn't you just love Big Man's reaction to everything taking place?
07/31/09
07/31/09
07/31/09
08/01/09
07/31/09
Now how could you make a list like this, and leave out Rev. Nicholas D. Wolfwood from the Trigun series? Dude's weapon was a modified machine gun and rocket launcher-packing Cross. Now that's how you deliver the wrath of God unto the wicked.
07/31/09
07/31/09
07/31/09
Jesse Custer wasn't a bad guy, but he made the list, so I took it as "scary" didn't exactly mean "bad."
07/31/09
07/31/09
07/31/09
07/31/09
Of course, by now, everyone knows of the dubious histories of the various churches as Christianity evolved, and as society has become more civilized, atrocities in the name of God on the magnitude of The Inquisition or The Crusades are less common (although, if rumors are true, and Dubya really was talking to Baby Jesus, then we're in the midst of one now...) These characters automatically bring with them that history of menace and it provides writers with a way out of having to come up with a convincing backstory for a character. Why bother when you have 2000 years of history to provide all the menace you want???
Is it really that hard to write a priest as 99.999% of them actually are - good people who have decided to live a life of service?
That being said, there's one Evil Priest so badass that he could only be played by Robert Mitchum. As Harry Powell in the classic NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (a noir with serious horror overtones), Mitchum is so iconic that Spike Lee even lifted an entire speech of his for DO THE RIGHT THING in order to give Radio Raheem some character. Most of today's cinema audiences don't even realize the impact Powell has on today's cinema - even THE BLUE BROTHERS lifts ideas from this one.
07/31/09
In the recent io9 review of an anthology Joe edited, SON OF RETRO PULP TALES, it's mentioned that he revives a character from his zombie western classic, DEAD IN THE WEST - Reverend Jebediah Mercer. Mercer might actually be the most well-rounded of the "evil" priests that I've come across, and I use the word "evil" liberally here. He's certainly doing his best to serve the lord, but he's done some murdering in his past, which might explain why he's so good at killin' zombies. His current sins seem more prone to the "of the flesh" variety.
07/31/09
@Allen_Richards:
These Triviagasams rarely include things without pictures although Dead in the West was adapted into a series for Dark Horse Comics. This is the cover for the non-graphical novel.
07/31/09
Lansdale seemed to have an in at Dark Horse back in the mid-90's as they also released the 3-issue mini of BY BIZARRE HANDS (I never could figure out why Avatar adapted 2 of the same stories for their 6 issue BBH mini).
In case anyone is interested, you might still be able to find ATOMIC CHILI: THE ILLUSTRATED JOE R. LANSDALE which includes both mini's, among other things.
07/31/09
Now, as for things actually done on the behalf of God...that only counts if God actually asked them to.
08/01/09
As for Dubya, all those accounts of him talking to God and Jesus are just second-hand rumors, but they do make for a good story (ask Oliver Stone). ;)
07/31/09
Don Filippo Neri from State Buoni Se Potete. Not a very famous flick but we had a copy when I was growing up and man-o-man did it creep the shit out of me.
Father Hennessy from Constantine. He wasn't evil in any sense of the word but his creepy eyes and deathly pallor were enough to make me want him dead. He looks possessed.
Silas from The Da Vinci Code. I didn't like the movie but a demented albino, penitante who could probably put up a good fight with Bond? Yeah. Win.
Eli Sunday from There Will Be Blood. If you don't know, I can't explain.
Cardinal Richelieu from The Three Muskateers. He even has the awesome moustache to boot.
Cardinal Rourk from Sin City. He aids, abets and loves a creepy hobbit cannibal. Plus, heeee's sooo paaale.
Mola Ram? from The Temple of Doom. He...can...take...your...heart...
and
Harry Powell from The Night of the Hunter. He's sexy, evil and was the first dude to get tattoos on his fists.
Not all sci-fi, but whatever.
07/31/09
07/31/09
07/31/09
07/31/09
Not Fictional! Otherwise a perfect choice.
07/31/09
07/31/09
07/31/09
only the devout catholic children... the others can die painful deaths
08/02/09