One Last Bullet for 2004

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I hope that everyone made it to this side of 2005 with a minimum of damage. 2004 was a good year and I’m hoping for even better things in 2005. But before we leave ’04 completely, I thought I’d give a brief rundown of some of the highlights entertainment-wise [at least for me]…

Movies: I loved the Dawn of the Dead re-make and The Passion of the Christ. [Kinda strange that they were both about people who rose from the dead.]

Collateral was very good and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and The Chronicles of Riddick were fun rides.

Several of the best movies that I saw in 2004 were older movies that I discovered on DVD or cable. The original Metropolis was stunning even 77 years after it was made. And you know I love the whole tough guy – noir genre, so seeing movies like On Dangerous Ground, Brute Force and The Big Heat made my day.

TV: The Shield, 24, Survivor and West Wing continue to make my “Must See TV” list. And although Alias still hung in there, ER fell from the ranks. Lost soared to the top of the list and I enjoyed Boston Legal when I caught it.

Novels: The best were Portrait of a Murderer: The Jack the Ripper Case Closed by Patricia Cornwall, Double Play by Robert Parker, Sensei by John Donohue, and Rain Storm by Barry Eischer.

Comics: My favorite comic of the year was Grave Digger: The Scavengers by Christopher Mills and Rick Burchett. The writing and art meshed perfectly to create a comic that’s impossible not to enjoy. If we don’t get more Grave Digger stories from Mills and Burchett, then there’s no justice.

My favorite graphic novel of the year was The Wicked West by Todd Livingston, Robert Tinnell and artist, Neil Vokes. Anyone who is a fan of westerns, horror or simply great graphic novels would love The Wicked West.

My favorite on-going series were The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard [which just keeps getting better and better] and 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso.

Blogs: Mark Evanier’s News from ME is required reading daily. He’s funny, informative and blogs don’t get any better. Jeff Parker’s Mystifying Oracle and Mike Wieringo’s blog don’t appear daily but when they do, they’re worth a read.

Breakfast: Was a three hour marathon session [and NO, we weren’t eating the whole time] with my ole pal Jim Ivey last week. Jim will soon be 80 and we hadn’t been able to get together in quite a while. Christmas Break seemed like the right time to clear my schedule and make a trip over to see “Jimbo” and I couldn’t have asked for a better time. Jim seemed to enjoy it too. ; )

Now… on to 2005!

Anyone Going to SAHARA?

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The official site for Sahara has opened up with a Quicktime trailer.

While it looks like it’s going to be a fun movie, it doesn’t quite give me the feel I had when I read the bestseller of the same name by Clive Cussler.

For one thing Matthew McConaughey seems a bit young to be playing world adventurer Dirk Pitt. But if they’re looking to build a tentpole out of this series, then younger is probably better.

The other thing that jumped out at me as a bit diferent than the book is how funny Steve Zahn is as Pitt‘s sidekick is. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a good mix of humor in the book, but the trailer really played it up… which again, may not be a bad thing.

And Penelope Cruz is always a plus!

Sin City Trailer

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Oh, man! I just can’t wait
to see Sin City up on the big screen.

If you’re a long time ZONE reader, you’ve [repeatedly] heard how much I love
Frank Miller’s Sin City.

You also already know how juiced I became when I heard that Miller was teaming [as
co-director] with Robert Rodriguez to bring Sin City
 to the big screen.

Then the cast started coming on board… Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Benicio Del
Torro, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood…

How could it get any better?

Take a look at this trailer and you tell me!

“Cinderella Man” – Bad Title, Good Movie

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Cinderella Man [hate that title] came in under the radar.

I should have seen it coming. It stars Russell Crowe and Rene Zellweger… is directed by Ron Howard… and is the story of how Jim Braddock shook the boxing world back in the ’30’s.

Still somehow, it slipped by me until I saw the trailer.

I’ll bet it doesn’t get missed come Awards time.

RIP: Reggie White

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It’s just been posted that Reggie White died today of a massive heart attack.
Man, one of the best loved and greatest NFL defensive players ever… dead at 43.

“Today our beloved husband, father and friend passed away,” White‘s wife, Sara, said in a statement through a family pastor. “His family appreciates your thoughts and prayers as we mourn the loss of Reggie White. We want to thank you in advance for honoring our privacy.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Reggie‘s family and friends.

AC Comics @ FX

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If you’re planning to attend the FX show in Orlando next month [January 28th -30th], in between getting autographs from movie and tv stars and sketches from comic artists; you may just want to try and get yourself one of the exclusive toys and collectibles available only at the FX Show!

My buddy, “Wild” Bill Black, publisher of AC Comics will debut three limited edition versions of a new line of action figure toys based on Bill‘s Femforce and major AC characters. These toys are 8 inches tall with full articulation, created in the Mega style of the 1970’s, and will actually wear a costume made of cloth which is applied over the plastic figure. The figures, produced by Cast-A-Way Toys, are planned for early 2005 release but the limited figures [Fighting Yank, Black Terror and Miss Masque] will be available ONLY at the FX show.

Bill‘s a great guy. If you make it to the FX show, please be sure and swing by Bill‘s AC booth and tell him, “Hi.” He won’t pressure you to buy anything, but after you meet him, I’ll bet you may walk away with something… and it may even be one of his new action figures!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

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It’s just a bit after six AM, and the family is still sleeping.

Although the house is quiet now, soon the sounds of Christmas morning will be everywhere.

Still in this period of calm, as I reflect on the many blessings that I have, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Wonderful Kwanzaa, or great whatever you celebrate. And if you don’t celebrate anything, have a good day anyway!

Are You Stressed

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With Christmas quickly approaching, I’m sure that many of us are experiencing various levels of stress. As a public service to Zoners everywhere, here is a quick stress test that was used in a major hospital study to determine stress levels in patients.

The picture below has 2 almost identical dolphins in it. Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical.

A closely monitored, scientific study of a group revealed that in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress would find differences in the two dolphins.

If there are many differences found between both dolphins, it means that the person is experiencing a great amount of stress.

Look at the photograph and if you find more than one or two differences you may want to take a vacation.

War of the Worlds

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Cruise and Speilberg are teaming to remake “War of the Worlds” as a big summer movie… you just KNOW that it’s gonna rock.

The new trailer is out. I really like how the voice over works. Using the original lines with this updated version is creepy… still, the trailer left me wanting more.

Which could be a good thing.

Especially if the movie is as good as I’m hoping it’ll be.

Flight of the Phoenix

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Flight of the Phoenix premieres this Friday. And although I won’t be able to see it opening day, I am planning to catch it on the big screen.

If you haven’t heard about it or seen the trailer check it out.

Doesn’t it look like a fun movie?

Dennis Quaid isn’t usually one of the first actors I think of when talking about favorite actors, but he probably should be. Quaid has a habit of picking good projects and I think Flight of the Phoenix will be another to add to his list!

 

Here Come the Holiday Specials

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One sure way to tell that Christmas is upon us is that the networks start airing holiday specials like A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

As kids, we always looked forward to the Christmas specials. They were sort of an appetizer to the coming holiday. And doesn’t it seem like everyone has seen A Charlie Brown Christmas at one time or another.

Don’t believe me? Ask your friends. It may be their favorite holiday special, but I’ll bet they’ve seen it.

I remember seeing A Charlie Brown Christmas when it premiered in 1965 and the next day in school, it was THE topic of discussion. [Now you have to remember that I was in first grade at the time.] Seems everyone saw it and everyone loved it. Surprisingly though, it almost didn’t get made! “Television executives hated it from the start… It was criticized as being too religious…for featuring contemporary jazz… for not having a laugh track…” and for even using the voices of real children instead of actors. Despite all of these concerns, A Charlie Brown Christmas was an instant hit.

You can read more interesting facts about A Charlie Brown Christmas by clicking HERE. Then I’d love to hear which special is your favorite.