All posts by ERTorre

E. R. Torre is a writer/artist whose first major work, the mystery graphic novel The Dark Fringe, was optioned for motion picture production by Platinum Studios (Men In Black, Cowboys vs. Aliens). At DC Comics, his work appeared in role-playing game books and the 9-11 Tribute book. This later piece was eventually displayed, along with others from the 9-11 tribute books, at The Library of Congress. More recently he released Shadows at Dawn (a collection of short stories), Haze (a murder mystery novel with supernatural elements), and Cold Hemispheres (a mystery novel set in the world of The Dark Fringe). He is currently hard at work on his latest science fiction/suspense series, Corrosive Knights, which features the novels Mechanic, The Last Flight of the Argus, and Chameleon.
Movies

Worst Superhero Movies ever…

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…at least according to Entertainment Weekly:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20246950_20263257_20186843,00.html

I have to agree with many of the choices, from Ghost Rider to The Phantom (there are several people I know who think this film has been unfairly slighted over time.  I do not.  To me, this film is not unlike The Shadow and Judge Dredd and therefore share several commonalities:  Good actors, fairly big budget, a pretty good “look”, but a story that is so lethargic and uninvolving that you can’t help but shake your head at what a missed opportunity it is).

Swamp Thing, the original film, is also listed, but I would have replaced that movie and instead posted its far, far worst sequel, Return of Swamp Thing.  While the original film might not have been any great work, neither was it anywhere near as bad as the campy sequel.

And speaking of sequels: Supergirl and Superman IV.  My only question: What kept Superman III off this list?  All three of these later Superman films should be in the comic book movie hall of shame.  I recall when Superman IV came out I went to the theater the day after it was released, a Saturday, and finding the theater completely empty except for me. Clearly, everyone else in town had a better idea of how bad this would be…

Now, getting back to Judge Dredd.  EW.com places that movie at the top of the list of worst comic book films, and I don’t disagree that the film was a disappointment.

But…worst superhero movie ever?

No way.  It was a very mediocre film that made some very silly decisions regarding how to interpret the Judge Dredd comic strip…but it is nowhere near as bad as Superman IV.  The two hours or so I spent in that empty theater watching the crumbling remains of what was once the most promising superhero movie franchise go down in flames was one of the most excruciating movie experiences I have personally ever experienced.  The effects in Superman IV were amateurish (and that’s being kind), the acting was stilted (even Gene Hackman, who I thought was excellent -others may differ- as Lex Luthor in the first two Superman films, seemed embarrassed here), the main villain was laughable, and the plot alternatively very stupid and too earnest.

The movie was also very obviously cut down in length, and sequences were disjointed.  I bought the comic book adaptation of the movie a week or two before the movie’s release and there was plenty of stuff there that didn’t make it to the film.

Not that it would have helped!

Such a shame.

Originally posted June 2009

Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Movies

Batman Year One (2011) a (mildly belated) review

There was a time when I was incredibly eager to see what Frank Miller was up to.  While I by and large missed his original run on Daredevil (I did follow his return to the character a few years after that initial run), I was a Frank Miller fan the moment I read The Dark Knight Returns #1.  To me, this single issue remains one of my all time favorite comic books.

While the rest of that series (IMHO!) wasn’t quite as good as that first issue, I nonetheless was eager to follow whatever new works Mr. Miller had going.  In 1987, he wrote a four part story entitled Batman: Year One.  This story appeared in Batman #’s 404 through 407 and was  illustrated by the great David Mazzucchelli.  The story featured, natch, the “first” year of Batman’s career.  However, the story devoted equal -perhaps even more!- time to the arrival and acclimation of one Jim Gordon to the rough streets of Gotham City.

Mr. Miller added interesting, and some not so interesting touches, to the “early” Batman legend (one can argue, for example, whether it was wise to retro-con Selena Kyle/Catwoman’s origin to be a one time prostitute).  Overall, I felt the story was strong and presented a good primer on a gritty, almost noir “take” on the Dark Knight.

Now, many years later, DC Comics has released a film version of the four part comic book.  It was released directly to DVD and, a couple of nights ago, I finally had a chance to see it.

It’s difficult, however, to put my thoughts into words regarding what I’ve seen.  If what you want to see a very slavish copy of the mini-series done to film, then this feature is for you.  Mr. Miller’s original story is followed almost panel by panel and with no apparent deviations (there may be a couple of flourishes here and there, but they are minimal).  Likewise, the “look” of the comic book is also followed slavishly.  David Mazzucchelli’s artwork is essentially carbon copied.  Camera angles are replicated to the point where the only big difference in terms of art is that in the movie people are actually moving while in the comic book they are frozen in time.

So, again, if you want to see an almost reverential retelling of the story, this is for you.

However…

One can argue about how best one can take a story and translate it to the screen.  There are those who are irritated with liberties taken by a director or actor or screenwriter when doing a translation.  “The book was better” is one of those cliched refrains.  Others may pick apart certain aspects of a translation, noting that the author’s original intention was ignored.  Often, the connotation is negative.  Why didn’t they stick closer to the source material?

In this case, the people behind this animated movie did just that.  However, the degree to which they did so wound up, in my opinion, harming the work, though not fatally.  Let’s face it:  Comic books are not movies and vice versa.  What may work on a comic book page may not work when things are in motion.  I’m not saying that Batman Year One is a failure.  Far from it.  The work is solid and I would recommend it to those interested in either Frank Miller or David Mazzucchelli or Batman or any combination of the three.

It’s just that…I wish the film’s makers had realized that they were indeed making a movie instead of a moving carbon copy of a comic book.  They didn’t have to go with every angle and shadow that Mr. Mazzucchelli originally laid out.  They could have tried to add their own flourishes.  Mind you, what I’m suggesting is that there could have been a better balance…perhaps a little more.  By all means use Mr. Miller’s story and Mr. Mazzucchelli’s artwork as the template for the adaptation but see where things could be “punched up”.  My feeling is that the action sequences, in particular, could have worked better if the movie’s makers had decided to make a movie rather than a too perfect moving adaptation.

Still, I do recommend it, although with the above reservations.

General

Museum discovers earliest copy of Mona Lisa…

Surely the world’s most famous painting is the Mona Lisa.  Even if you have absolutely no interest in art at all you know of that painting, not just by name but by its subject.

In Madrid, the earliest copy of the Mona Lisa has been discovered, a piece most likely done by someone in Da Vinci’s studio concurrently with the production of his work and using the same model!

www.cnn.com/2012/02/01/world/europe/mona-lisa-copy-prado/index.html

I just hope it doesn’t turn out this is some elaborate hoax.  Otherwise, a terrific, intriguing story!

 

Comic Books/Graphic Novels

Watchmen 2…

…or should we say Watchmen -1?

According to Entertainment Weekly’s Jeff Jensen, a Watchmen prequel is in the works…

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/02/01/watchmen-prequels-exclusive-details/

Had I read about this a decade and a half or so ago, I would certainly have been more shocked.  Perhaps back then I may have even hoped that Watchmen series writer/co-creator, Alan Moore, might have a hand in this new series.  After all, and if memory serves, he was the one who originally thought this was a workable concept.

However, with the passage of time and further interviews with Mr. Moore, it is clear the rift between he and Watchmen publisher DC Comics is as wide as it is deep.

When Alan Moore’s first American work appeared in DC Comic’s Saga of the Swamp Thing, the book was well on its way toward cancellation.  In the store I frequented at the time, I might well have been the only person buying the book, and even I was about to give up on it when Mr. Moore showed up.

When his first issues appeared, I was stunned, shocked, delighted, amazed, and entranced.  Mr. Moore’s writing on this series, to put it bluntly, was amazing.  So much so that I had to look up his British works.  When I found out his works appeared in a magazine called Warrior, I hunted the issues down, discovering the incredible V for Vendetta and Marvelman (soon to be renamed Miracleman) and being doubly amazed by the man’s talents.  So too did others.  Swamp Thing not only wasn’t cancelled, it thrived.  While Warrior magazine was cancelled, DC Comics picked up and completed V for Vendetta while various companies picked up and completed Mr. Moore’s run of Marvel/Miracleman.

When I first heard about Watchmen, I eagerly anticipated it.  When it came out, I devoured each issue.  While the series mined the same general material as Marvelman, it was a great series…until its end.  One thing I came to realize was that as good a writer as Mr. Moore was, the conclusions to his tales, especially the longer running ones, were often anticlimactic.  In the case of Watchmen, unfortunately, the entire ending to the series wound up being a retread of and old episode of The Outer Limits entitled “Architects of Fear“.  I don’t know if this was intentional or unintentional on Mr. Moore’s part.  Regardless, toward the very end of the series, tellingly, we have a panel showing a television set.  An announcer notes that they’re about to play that episode of the series…obviously a nod by Mr. Moore to that particular show.

Regardless, I was still a big fan of the man’s works, and I was hoping to see more from Mr. Moore.  Especially his take on DC characters.

This was not to be.  The success of Watchmen, ironically, created a rift between Mr. Moore and DC Comics.  Though I don’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of the situation, Mr. Moore broke away from the company and, in subsequent interviews, repeatedly expressed the cause of the rift a desire to gain control over Watchmen.  DC Comics apparently had a clause in the Watchmen contract that ensured they retained control of the property as long as they kept it in print.  If that’s the case, it is possible the Watchmen prequel may be an attempt to continue doing just that.

As the years passed and Mr. Moore moved on, I found myself less and less interested in his subsequent works.  I tried many of them, some which received considerable positive reviews, but they just didn’t appeal to me as much as his earlier stuff.

The line up of talent involved in the Watchmen prequel books is unquestionably impressive, but even if Mr. Moore himself were somehow involved in this new book, I don’t think I’d pick it up.  While I retain fond memories of the original series despite certain flaws, the book featured a completely self contained story.  Even when I originally read it, I didn’t think there was a need for more stories set in this universe, whether before, during, or after the events presented.

I still feel that way.

But I’m just one voice.  If nothing else, I’m curious to see how this series does with modern audiences.

Movies, Uncategorized

I watched every Steven Spielberg movie…

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…and now Slate author Bill Wyman wishes he hadn’t:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_completist/2012/01/steven_spielberg_movies.single.html

While I found the article an interesting read and agreed with some of the points Mr. Wyman is making, I couldn’t help but also feel this is the type of career tear-down is also rather unfair.

Let’s face it, there is no more famous/well known director of motion pictures in this world than Steven Spielberg.  His reputation is very well earned because he has delivered some truly memorable, enjoyable, and terrific films.

And in Mr. Spielberg’s defense (as if he needs me to do that!), one simply cannot remain a viable creative force for 40+ years without a) coming out with clunkers now and again and/or b) repeating yourself.

Clunkers are to be expected.  Not everything you try winds up working as well as one hoped it would.  Sometimes, the “clunker” turns out to be a career-ender. Sometimes, the creative person simply hits a “rough patch” and may find their legs again…or sometimes the clunker is an early indication of the creative person’s descent.  Subsequent projects may be good but never quite achieve the level of previous works.  Is Mr. Spielberg in one of these three areas?  A few years back he hit a “rough patch” and pulled himself up with works like Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan.  Lately, it appears he was once again slipping, only to release two films this winter, War Horse and Tintin, which have garnered generally good reviews…if not box office hit status.

As for repeating oneself, that too can, and does, happen.  Ironically, we sometimes react negatively when an artist strays from their “comfort zone” and creates works that are too far removed from the works we are accustomed to them making.  Yet there are also times we may react negatively when an artist does repeat him/herself.  In the end, I’m not terribly bothered by the fact that Mr. Spielberg has used certain cinematic techniques/stories over and over again.

What I thought the author was dead right about was the fact that Mr. Spielberg does indeed have one clear difficulty, and that is in doing comedy.  Yes, there are humorous elements in many of his films, but often that humor is in the context of a film that is something else, whether it be horror, suspense, action, etc.  When his movie focus is entirely on comedy (1941, Always), he does appear to stumble.

Having said all that, to me there is no denying Mr. Spielberg has created a captivating body of work, warts and all.  The very first film I ever saw and understood as a 5 or 6 year old child was Duel when it originally premiered on TV.  It wasn’t until many years later that I realized Mr. Spielberg was the movie’s director.  If you watch Duel and his first mega-hit film, Jaws, back to back, you can see how the former was clearly an influence on the later.

Both films remain two of my all time favorites, along with a few others he’s had his hand in.  I don’t think I could sit through every Steven Spielberg movie…I have neither the time or the patience.  However, there are those I could see over and over again, and enjoy them each and every time.

General

Politically correct Disney

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This post originally appeared in November of 2011.

When you have a company that primarily caters to younger audiences, it isn’t too terribly surprising the people behind the scenes make sure the material presented to these young people is in no way controversial.  There is added difficulty when your company also happens to have existed for many, many years, and what might have been acceptable at one time becomes unacceptable in another.

Of the many films produced by Walt Disney Studios, the one you cannot get your hands on is an official release of Song of the South.  This despite the fact that the film features one of the more recognizable Disney songs ever created (Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah) and has a ride (Splash Mountain) based on the animated segments in the film.  It is the non-animated segments, however, that are -to put it mildly- a source of controversy given the depiction of African Americans in post-Civil War times.  But the movie isn’t a unique example of Disney studios going back and changing things that may be, in these modern times, deemed at best “touchy” and at worst “offensive”.

I’ve been going to Walt Disney World near Orlando for years, and it is curious to note the subtle and not so subtle changes to some of their rides.  The 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage ride has been completely done away with.  Two others have featured some notable changes.

The first is the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  With the success of the movie franchise, audiences have witnessed the appearance of an animatronic version of Capt. Jack Sparrow.  His presence isn’t all that bad, but it does change the focus of the ride from one of amorphous idealized pirates to a focus more in line with the movies.  What I found most intriguing was the way they changed one of the ride’s more elaborate jokes.  After we pass the “women’s” market (where a pirate group is selling women off to leering pirates, the joke being that the current woman on sale, a fat one, is of no interest in the buyers.  They have their eyes on the next woman in line, who is a knockout.  The way things are going, I suspect this particular joke won’t remain in the ride much longer!), we come upon a besieged town.  Originally the joke presented here was that we see one pirate chasing a woman around her house.  Then another doing the same.  When we get to the third house, however, the woman is far larger than the pirate and, instead of him chasing her, she’s chasing him around the house, swinging her broom at his head!

This joke was completely killed off for obvious reasons.  After all, what are the pirates doing chasing the women?  Because they are hungry and want the women to make them some breakfast or lunch?  Are they cold and want the women to fetch them a warm drink?

Clearly, this is not the case.  In fact, the “joke” presented here is that these women are in the process of being assaulted.  Once the pirates “catch” them, what follows can only be one thing.  The people behind the scenes at Disney, I’m quite certain, decided this “joke” was a little too risqué and nixed it.  Now, the first house has a pair of pirates running around in circles while carrying a (no doubt pilfered) treasure chest.  The second house has (I believe) a woman chasing away a pirate, and the third has the same big woman chasing a pirate.  The joke is officially expunged.

This last time I went to Walt Disney World, I noted another change.  If you go to the Haunted Mansion ride, in the preamble, you’re “locked” in a room with your fellow park attendees and listen as the narrator talks about the mansion.  The walls seem to move, and the lower parts of painted pictures reveal humorous “hidden” bottoms containing macabre jokes.  Toward the end of this segment, the narrator notes that the audience is trapped in a room with no doors or windows.  How, he wonders, are we to find a way out?  Our narrator then states that in a room without doors or windows, there is only one way out.  Then, you hear a scream and lightning reveals a hidden attic above us, showing…not much.

At least now.

Yes, there’s the sound of crashing and you see a ragged figure above you, but the whole conclusion to the narration makes little sense.  Why?  Because the original “way out” was clipped.  For the original “way out” was…suicide.

When the narrator says there is a way out, originally when you heard the screams and the lightning flashes illuminated the room above you, the ragged figure you saw was clearly hanging from her neck on a rope.  The implication was that in a room with no exit, the only exit is to kill yourself.  Not the most ideal of “jokes” to present little kids!  Now, the ragged figure does not sway on any rope, but is immobile, making the ending of this part of the ride rather confusing (although, granted, far more politically correct than showing the ragged remains of some poor forgotten soul who has committed suicide!).

Anyway, if you’re interested in more changes (some dealing with far less controversial material within the parks), I found this pretty interesting website that details some of those people have noted:

http://www.wdwradio.com/forums/i-remember-lost-attractions-wdw-more/18772-attraction-changes-over-years.html

General

Funniest Animal Photobombs Ever

Found this on The Huffington Post.  Too funny:

www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/best-animal-photobombs-photos_n_1224360.html

My favorite has to be photo #6 (the look on that cat’s face is priceless).  The rest aren’t too bad, either!

Computers/Electronics

Apple vs. Android…

Fascinating, and brief, article by Dan Lyons for The Daily Beast regarding the Apple vs. Android patent war and the possible outcomes…

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/01/22/apple-vs-android-war-without-end.html

One of the most beautiful things about Captialism is that when companies fight head to head, the end result is usually a net benefit for consumers:  In theory, each company tries very, very hard to ensure their product is better overall (function, form, durability) than their competitors.  And if the products are comparable (or even identical), then consumers could also benefit from price wars.  After all, if the companies’ products are indeed identical, the only way to get consumers to buy one product over the other is by selling them for less.

With regards to computers and computer related products, unfortunately for Apple much of their technology -great thought it may be- was not created in a vacuum and it was only a matter of time before others would compete head to head with them.  Looking at Apple’s products, from my perspective the company has taken many common individual components (personal computers, touchscreen technology, cellular phone systems, etc.) and mixed them together to create their beautiful package.

The problem, for Apple, is that because the individual components are common, it is difficult to then turn around and say the overall package is somehow unique.  This is why I suspect Apple isn’t doing quite as well with their patent lawsuits as they probably hoped they would.

Then again, I’m far from some technological wizard and for all I know every bit of opinion presented above is dead wrong.  Regardless, I hope that Apple continues to make their beautiful products.  I also hope that the lack of success in their lawsuits against other companies encourages them to up their competition with the Android market and make even better products.

And I hope the Android makers do the same.

In the end, we the consumer will be the beneficiaries.

Music

Top 10 David Bowie songs…

…at least according to Time magazine:

http://entertainment.time.com/2012/01/10/top-10-david-bowie-songs/?iid=ent-main-populist-widget#life-on-mars

Can’t argue with their choices.  I love what was written at the end of their description for the song “Heroes”:

When U2 went to Berlin to make Achtung Baby,they were trying to make this song. The entire Arcade Fire catalog came out of this song.

Ok, I think I’ve done enough David Bowie related posts for now.  I’ll give it a rest…until his next birthday! 😉

General, TV

Lincoln assassination witness…

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I couldn’t find the actual post, but as I was thinking about posts from my old blog that I wanted to re-post to this new one, there was one that simply had to appear again.  The video below is from the Feb. 9, 1956 episode of I’ve Got A Secret, a game show involving celebrities figuring out, natch, what “secret” the person appearing before them has.

In the case of one Samuel J. Seymour, it turned out his secret was something both unique and quite incredible:  As a very young child, he was present in the Ford Theater the night that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

The fact that he could still remember some of the details all those years later is incredible.  I think it’s fair to say on the night of the taping of this program Mr. Seymour was the very last living person to have been present at the Ford Theater that tragic night.