Random bits

Last time I posted something, I was having big dreams of writing all kinds of entries on here about various items. Obviously, that never happened, so find a combination of all these things after the jump.



I'd Really Like to See... Criminal: the Movie
Recently I've been big into Ed Brubaker, also known as the guy who killed off Captain America. I finished reading his series Criminal, and I liked it so much I wrote about it for Zoom In this week. Check out the full article here.

The Wrestler
I saw this movie just before the Oscars, and if I had seen this before the nominations I probably would have been bitching about the lack of recognition for this instead of The Dark Knight. I truly feel this is the best movie of 2008. Yes, Mickey Rourke gives a great performance, but why aren't more people talking about how well-written this film is? It's a simple story and a simple concept that manages to be compelling, moving, and riveting.

As a long-time fan of pro-wrestling, I also appreciate the spotlight on how hard people in this profession fall from grace. For every Hulk Hogan or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson are a couple hundred Randy "The Ram" Johnsons. It's not unrealistic to think that all of these pseudo celebrities go from filling every seat in Madison Square Garden to living in a trailer and working in a deli. Former wrestlers and ECW Champions Shane Douglas and Justin Credible have been employed at Target and Olive Garden respectively after they left the business. Wrestlers start out young and spent every night on the road away from their families getting their bodies beaten all to hell. By their 40's or 50's many of them are left with no choice but to retire at that relatively young age and go into the world with no other skills aside from what they know in the squared circle. Many kudos to Robert Siegel for putting their pain on the page, Mickey Rourke for bringing his life experience to the role, and Darren Aronofsky for helping this film become fully realized.

Friday the 13th
What a dumb movie. Seriously, just make another sequel. I know those get hokey but it can't possibly get any worse than this. Let's advance Jason's and Leatherface's stories, as preposterous as they may have gotten, instead of continually rehashing them. If you insist on remaking them, then at least get people that show love for the source material. I'd much rather see Easter eggs scattered through the film than have to make jokes about how lame it is. Seriously, we couldn't even get a crazy hobo to deliver an omen to the kids about how they're "doomed! All doomed!"?!?