andy wolverton

Apocalypse How?

2014-10-12T13:46:53Z

Every few days I'll find myself looking through Roger Ebert's The Great Movies, looking for drawing inspiration. I found this screenshot from Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, a great film, but one so disturbing that I'll never watch it again. Still it has a lot of great images. This isn't exactly a great image, but I liked it enough to give it a shot.

I started with my good friend the blue pencil, sketching out the main characters in the foreground and some of the people in the background. I knew right from the start that depth perception was going to be a challenge, as was the jungle background.

I decided to start with Martin Sheen first, since he's the focal point of the picture. I'm still having a really tough time with eyes, so I plan to spend a lot of time on them this week. (Hands are a problem, too. I just spent a session drawing hands this morning. Man, they're tough...) In the photo, Sheen is more muscular - I think I also dropped him about 10 pounds from the photo. I also have a lot to learn about clothes, wrinkles, how light plays on them, etc.

As I suspected, depth perception and overall composition is a problem in the finished product. I was hoping the size of the men's bodies would help convey depth, which I think it does to some degree. I think the further away figures are, the less definition they require. Of course it looks awkward that the guy on the far right has at least half of his legs visible in the drawing, but Sheen is kind of hovering in mid-air. (I also think he's much closer to the viewer in the photo. My drawing makes him look like he's standing just in front of Dennis Hopper, but in the photo he's probably several feet in front of him.) I also did a lot of not-so-good inventiveness on the part of Hopper's character and all the camera equipment. One of the biggest problems is that the background I drew is nothing like the background in the photo. To be honest, I was just overwhelmed, not knowing where to start with the background. I'm not even sure I understand the background, so I clearly didn't know what to do with it. Still, I learned a lot from this picture and learning is what it's all about.

A Few Morning Faces

2014-10-09T11:16:55Z

Just a few sketches from PIXELovely this morning. The site allows you to set a timer on each picture you want to draw; after that, the image is gone and good luck trying to find it again. I chose 5 minutes for the first one (upper left hand corner) and felt I was spending too long on it. I also didn't care for the result, so I tried to make the one in the upper right hand corner in 2 minutes, which wasn't enough time, so the others were 5-minute drawings. The lower right corner pudgy guy was better, but I think the lower left corner was the best one. I ran out of time trying to get some detail on his shirt, but didn't quite make it.

I really understand the importance of eyes and how difficult they are for me right now. I think if I'm doing a 5-minute sketch, probably at least 2 of those minutes need to be devoted to the eyes. (I'd be interested in hearing others' opinions.)

9/29/14 Exercise

2014-10-02T00:18:46Z

Well THIS was fun! The exercise, from Ivan Brunetti's Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice had you first write down eight things you heard someone say. So here they are:

Next, draw the following pictures: something funny, something sad, something sexy...

something abstract, something scary, something boring...

something you saw earlier in the day, something you dreamed (I'd dreamed I was climbing a ladder and had to jump onto a ledge of the tall building.)

THEN you randomly place the eight things you heard someone saw with each picture! Here's just one scenario:

Are you working? You'd better wake up!

Did you get a receipt for that? This really is a toxic environment.

I'm not 84. I'm not even 70. I don't feel 84. I hope I don't look it.

Where did you get that? I'm doing everything half-assed...

I don't know much about computers...

The whole point of the exercise is that surprising, even unintended things can happen when you do this exercise, and even the funniest drawings can be funnier with the right (or wrong) captions. And yes, I moved them all around several times, far too many to list here. Create your own - it was fun!

9/28/14 Sketches

2014-09-29T13:10:53Z

I know that I definitely need to work on sketching people, so I found a great site called Posemaniacs. Man, this site has everything you could imagine! I sketched this first guy twice, the one on the left was just a quick sketch; the one on the right I spent a little more time on. (Yes, I know there's a refrigerator in the upper left-hand corner. It's from another exercise I did a few days earlier, but as you can see, it didn't quite work out.)

I really like working in blue pencil (although the pencils I'm using are NOT non-photo blue, which isn't really important right now, but may be if I ever get good enough to make serious photocopies of my drawings). I've started using it as a starting point in just about all of my drawings and it's great for sketching. Of course the advantage of using pencil is that you can make changes, like with this guy. I could've spent some time either giving less weight to his legs or more to his arms or maybe both. Or you could say that from this angle, his legs would appear disproportionately larger anyway.... Posemaniacs allows you to add a grid to each picture if you want, so I sketched in just a few gridlines (obviously not with a ruler).

Sketching in pen is a little riskier since it's permanent, but I'm sure it builds a sense of confidence and no messing around. Speaking of messing around, I couldn't help having a little fun with this martial arts guy who thinks he's all that. ;-P

9/26/14 Drawing

2014-09-26T14:24:20Z

Today's drawing comes from a photo in the first volume of Roger Ebert's The Great Movies. It's from the 1972 Werner Herzog film Aguirre: The Wrath of God starring Klaus Kinski as a Spanish conquistador searching the Amazon River for El Dorado, the lost city of gold. Great film. I've drawn/sketched a few of the other photos in Ebert's book with varying success and this one has a few good elements, but Kinski's head is too long and his helmet a little lopsided. I made up a few things, including the bag hanging from his waist, since the photo is almost completely dark below his right hand.

I wanted to make a bit of a contrast between the darkness of Kinski and the girl, but I've made her lines so light, she almost looks like a ghost (which, in reality, she's about to be, as you can tell from the arrow lodged in her chest). I'm having a tough time with faces, noses in particular. I've got a book on figure drawing that I hope to delve into before the year's out. More to come...

From 4 Minutes to 5 Seconds

2014-09-25T14:35:40Z

I'm the type of person who needs some sort of structure in my life, even in my hobbies and artistic pursuits. I've really enjoyed getting back into drawing (after a 35-year absence), working through some books that have been helpful, but still lacking in various ways. I recently got a book through interlibrary loan which is really teaching me a lot: Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice by Ivan Brunetti. This book actually was recommended in another book I recently read, Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor by Lynda Barry, which I hope to eventually work through.

One of the first exercises in the Brunetti book is to take an ordinary object - such as a car - and spend 4 minutes drawing it. Then draw it again, but in 2 minutes. Then again in 1 minute. Then 30 seconds. Then 15. Then 5. (5!!???) Especially during the last two drawings, you really only have time to doodle. What you're looking for in cartooning is something in the middle - more than a doodle, less than a detailed work. Here's what happened to me with my first such exercise, drawing a car:

Four minutes is a really long time, so I found myself drawing a driver and a cat in the backseat. The 2 and 1-minute drawings aren't really all that different. Even the 30-second one isn't too bad - probably would've been better if I'd ditched the driver and the cat...

Here are the other exercises in the lesson: a cat, a castle and a telephone:

You start to see some patterns... Again, most of the 4 and 2-minute drawings aren't really that far apart. (I will say that the 2-minute cat is awful, but the 1-minute cat looks kinda cute...) Even in most of the 30-second drawings, you can (hopefully) tell what's being drawn. But the 5-second doodles? Impossible! Yet I've seen artists crank out some amazing-looking cartoon sketches in about 15-30 seconds. It can be done. (Just not by me, at least not now!)

And just for fun, here's my self-portait sketches:

My favorite is the 1-minute me, but Cindy thought that one looked like I had a do-rag. If I ever see the 30, 15, or 5-second versions of me in the mirror, I'm either heading straight for therapy or the plastic surgeon.

The learning journey continues...

Two Goofy Drawings

2014-09-19T00:28:13Z

Just a little goofing around, based on Evan Dahm's Vattu comics, which are awesome!

I don't know who this guy is, but I'd steer clear of him if I were you... (Nice footies, dude!)

SPX Report

2014-09-17T11:11:48Z

If I had to chart my comics reading life, it would look something like this:

As you can see, there was a long period when I had little or nothing to do with comics. That wasn't due to any dissatisfaction with comics, I just had other things going on (mainly music and teaching). But since I've gotten back into comics, there's so much I'm learning that I was never aware of before. For instance, last year I learned about the Small Press Expo...one day after it had ended. So I was determined to go this year.

Which I did. I took a day off from work and made up my mind I'd go for one day of SPX in Bethesda, Maryland (only about 45 minutes from my house). Although I'd been to the Baltimore Comic Con and a few others, I didn't really know what to expect, other than lots of indie creators and publishers. I'd also told my friend Derek at The Comics Alternative that I'd try to interview as many creators as possible, but also hoped that interviewing them would not take away from my enjoyment of the event. I did interview lots of creators for the podcast (You can hear those interviews here.), but also took frequent breaks just to take it all in and spend a few $.

I can report that SPX is an exceptionally well-run event. Everything is clearly marked for first-timers like me. The registration process is easy and there are plenty of friendly folks to help you if you need help. Signing schedules are posted and important announcements are made when necessary. And did I mention that everyone is friendly? (Comics people generally are.)

Although I saw just one or two people doing cosplay, there weren't many. SPX isn't that type of con. Neither is there much focus on media; it's all about the comics and there are tons of them. You'll find publishers you're probably familiar with, such as Fantagraphics, First Second, Drawn & Quarterly, Nobrow, Ad House, and SelfMadeHero, but you'll also find smaller publishers and self-publishers. You'll find people with several self-published comics at their tables and some with only one or two. Everyone I talked to was very approachable, very friendly, and very willing to talk.

Although there were several people I wanted to meet and have their work signed (Lynda Barry chief among them), I decided not to stand in line, although the lines seemed to be moving fairly quickly. I like how the organizers have the signings set up: people line up outside the doorway leading into the convention floor and once you're inside, it's just you and the creator, which makes it more of a personal, one-on-one situation. (I'm sure both fans and creators appreciate that set-up.)

The only criticism I have is with the exhibitor badges. Nowhere on the exhibitor badge is there a place for the creator's name. (Some, however, went ahead and wrote their names on them anyway.) At some publisher's tables, it would be helpful to know if you're talking to one of the creators or someone else. But it's not a deal-breaker. You can always ask if so-and-so is there...

(My loot from this year's SPX)

Some other observations and suggestions:

The price of attending the event is VERY reasonable. I would've paid twice what they charged. (Any SPX organizers reading this, please disregard the last sentence.)

Parking is free across the street at the Metro station. FREE!

If you see a book that you think you might want to buy, don't hesitate. Get it. It might not be there by the time you make up your mind.

Don't be afraid to meet/talk to the creators. They will not bite you. (Well, maybe a couple of them might, but think of the story you'll have to tell your friends...)

When you arrive, walk the entire convention floor once to get a feel for where things are and how the event is organized.

Pace yourself. Take frequent breaks.

Move out of your comfort zone. Take risks. If you see a book that looks interesting, buy it. Support the creator(s).

Vote for the Ingatz Awards. You can do it right there and it's easy.

Bring a large bag or purchase one there. Canvas bags are best.

Even if you don't buy anything at their table, at least visit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. They do a lot of great stuff and have lots of great (free) information and handouts.

Mark your calendar for SPX 2015. (I'm guessing Sept. 12 & 13, 2015.) Go to SPX. Tell your friends. Repeat.

The Progression of Black Bolt

2014-09-01T01:14:32Z

Was definitely in a Jack Kirby fanboy mood when I decided to draw one of my favorite characters from the Marvel Universe, Black Bolt, the silent leader of the Inhumans. (Forgot to draw his accordion-fins, though...) Jack's drawing has nothing to worry about, but I think I'm getting better... Anyway, I'm having fun!

Running (and Learning) Again

2014-08-17T12:38:02Z

While it’s not exactly the news of the world or anything, I achieved a personal milestone last week: I ran 3 miles for the first time since my back injury in April. Then I did it two more times during the week. Those 3-mile runs weren’t fast (They never are) and they weren’t pretty (They certainly never are), but I completed them. I may have looked pretty pathetic, you might’ve slowed down in your car to point and laugh, but I don’t care: I felt great for the first time in months.

When I injured my back in April, I could barely walk without pain. I missed a lot of work and had to consider the pain involved before attempting even routine activities. Physical therapy helped tremendously, but it was a long time before I could even think about running.

I know that some of you reading this blog are people of faith, fellow Christians. I also know that some of you are not. That’s okay; I’m not out to convert you. (That’s not my job anyway.) I’m just telling you my story and what it means to me. But when you can no longer do the things you once did - even for a short time - you not only start longing to be able to do those things again, you start thinking about bigger things, things you’d rather not think about.

I watched my mom’s health deteriorate during the last ten years of her life, largely due to inactivity. I love and miss my mom, but much of her trouble came from a conscious decision to be inactive. As much as we tried to get her to stay active, she simply wouldn’t take care of herself. I was determined that this would not happen to me, which is one of the reasons I started running. I never realized that not staying active would be something out of my control.

I believe that things happen for a reason and I believe God has something to teach us when those things happen, the good and bad things.

I’ll be 53 in January. When I started running a few years ago, I got to the point where I felt really good - not invincible, but really good. I’d take those online “What’s your mental/emotional age?” tests which usually said I was in my mid-30s. I was really proud of that. And running - once you get past the “I really suck at this” phase when you’re starting out - really feels great. There’s something about the movement, something glorious about the act of running, even if you’re slow like me. It just makes you feel alive, like you’re a part of something growing and thriving. I love that feeling and once you’ve gotten used to it, your body wants to experience that on a regular basis. In many ways, running is addictive.

Maybe that was my problem. Maybe that’s what God wanted to teach me. Maybe I was taking my eyes off of Him and running for a reason that was all about me and how I felt. Maybe God wanted me to focus on something else, maybe he wanted me to know that sometimes inactivity is not a choice, that sometimes you have no control over it. Maybe he wanted me to understand how other people feel, people who no longer have a choice to be active.

I admit to watching my mom’s declining health, thinking, “I’m never going to be like that. I’m going to make sure I’m never like that.” Yeah. Careful what you say and think.

I learned a lot about myself these past several months. I learned that I’ve often taken my eyes off of God and kept them focused on myself. I’m also learning not to judge based on appearances. I’m learning that anything I have can be taken away in a moment and not necessarily restored. I’m learning that the faith you thought you had when everything was going just great gets shaken sometimes and it forces you to look somewhere beyond yourself.

I’m still learning.

Guardians of the Galaxy

2014-08-04T12:47:55Z

Thoughts here. In short, GO SEE IT!

More Beatles, Please!

2014-07-25T11:13:43Z

There’s so much that can be (and has been) said about A Hard Day’s Night that I could never add anything substantial to a further discussion, but I can tell you that the new Criterion release/restoration of the film is a must-have, whether you’re a Beatles fan, a film lover, or just someone who enjoys important events in pop culture.

A Hard Days’ Night, however, goes far beyond just being an entry in the history of pop culture. It came at just the right time - just weeks after the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, turning what was already a phenomenon into something that’s still going strong 50 years later and shows no signs of stopping.

If you want to read just a few essays about the film, there’s no better place to start than Roger Ebert’s blog, where you can read at least four substantial posts. Then read the review of the release at Blu-ray.com. All of the supplements are excellent. And since this is still a dual format package, you’re getting both the Blu-ray and two DVDs (one for the film, one for the supplements) for one price.

And if this doesn’t scratch your Beatles itch, I’ve got another item for you: Mark Lewisohn’s Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years Volume 1, which so far (I’m 200 pages in) is superb. The book is painstakingly researched and detailed and just a lot of fun to read. Yes, it’s 944 pages AND it’s only the first of three projected volumes, so pace yourself.

Enjoy!

The Small-Town Movie Theater is NOT Dead!

2014-07-21T12:54:54Z

While we were on vacation last week, I knew we had to stop at the Star Theater in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, an independent locally-owned movie theater that’s been showing movies since 1928. The theater - run by Jeanne Mozier and Jack Soronen - is open Thursdays through Sundays for one 8:00 pm show (as well as an occasional Sunday matinee). The price? $4.50 for adults and $4 for kids under 12. With those prices, you’d think you’re going to see movies that are at least a year or two old, right?

Nope. These are first-run movies - maybe not in their first week of release, but still pretty current. When we were there last week, we just missed X-Men: Days of Future Past, but did see Edge of Tomorrow. Starting August 21, you’ll be able to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes at the Star, just a little over a month after its initial release. (I should probably also mention that there’s not another movie theater around Berkeley Springs for 40 miles.)

I paid Jack for our tickets and couldn’t help noticing he used an old-fashioned red mechanical punch cash register, which still does the job quite well. I also couldn’t help noticing that Jack seemed not only pleasant, but genuinely excited about opening the doors and welcoming customers, something he’s undoubtedly done thousands of times over the years.

As we walked into the theater, I told my wife I was having a dejá vu moment. The seats and their arrangement looked exactly like the ones we had at the Town Theater in Forest, Mississippi where I grew up: wooden-backed seats covered in red leather (although I don’ t think the seats at the Town were red) and a long center section with ten-seat rows flanked on either side by a strip of four or five-seat rows. Interspersed were a few couches, which you could enjoy for an extra fee (50 cents).

Most of the seats I noticed were in good shape, but a few looked like they’d seen better days. Still, the theater seats 325, so a few imperfections isn’t too bad. (And hey, there are always the couches...)

Digitalization has been the kiss of death for many small-town theaters in America, but the Star has managed to stand strong, having upgraded to a digital projector in 2013, which is pretty much essential these days. The picture looked great throughout, and although the sound quality was not as strong as the picture, it certainly wasn’t a deal-breaker by any stretch.

My visit to the Star held many moments of nostalgia, but I realized the best aspect of the experience is one I hadn’t thought of in decades, probably because I hadn’t experienced it since the last time I visited the Town Theater in Forest: community.

When you think about it, when you walk into a movie theater these days, you only know the people who came to the movie with you. Sure, you might see one or two other people you know, but that’s usually about it. Growing up in a small town going to the movies, you knew everyone there. You’d see friends and people from school there, even if they weren’t sitting with you at the time. And when the movie was over - or maybe later at school - you could talk about the movie, act out scenes, and generally fanboy/fangirl over the stars. That was a shared community that you don’t really have anymore at the local cineplex. True, part of that sense of community comes from living in a small town, and another part is the recognition that movies were sometimes the only game in town, but there’s something about that community aspect that’s been lost with the demise of the small-town movie theater.

But not so in Berkeley Springs. I saw people talking to each other about the movie they’d just seen and about how they’d see each other at the next movie next week. I don’t know how many of these people knew each other, but they obviously felt some type of connection. They’d all seen the same movie and - for a brief time - they were all a part of that movie-going community. They shared something in common, even if it only held them together for a couple of hours.

Of course we can still share that sense of community, even in larger theaters and even in watching movies in our homes. But it’s not the same. It’s similar to - but not quite the same as - watching your local sports teams (amateur up to professional) play live. Win or lose, there’s always something to talk about and if you have season tickets, you know you’re going to see those people again soon. But the movies are different. We all walk in to a darkened room, see the same presentation, and are taken to another world. Sometimes that world is one of wonder and magic, and sometimes it’s a world much like our own. We can laugh, cry, cheer, yell, and get the pants scared off of us in various ways, but when we walk back out into the real world, we know that we’ve experienced something together. That something is passing away with the shrinking number of small independent movie theaters, but thankfully is still alive and well at the Star Theater. Thank you, Jeanne and Jack. Keep up the good work - I hope to see you again soon.

Still Working On It

2014-07-07T13:33:13Z

So I've been working on this book, You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler, which has taken me more like 180 days, but I'm almost finished with it. My biggest challenge is finding a consistent drawing time each day. I've rearranged a few of my morning activities, so I hope to be drawing something everyday, even if it's only stick figures. The exercises in the Kistler book are good and very doable, starting with basic shapes - spheres, cubes and their variations - before going on to studies in perspective. Sometimes I take breaks from the book and just do my own thing, usually copying stuff I like (such as Hellboy). Only in the last part of the book does Kistler touch on drawing people. Then it's on to another book.

Here are a few drawings from the past weeks/months:

I kinda like these little Michelin-Men guys....

I'm watching you, tube patrol....

Don't go in there.... seriously....

Catching Up

2014-07-05T11:10:48Z

June was a pretty sad month for movies, but we're only four days (and some change) into July and I've already equaled June's movie numbers (and will exceed them at today's Summer Blockbuster Classics event at the library!).

I did much better with graphic novels! Here's what I read: Part I, Part II, and Part III. Surely there's something there to strike your interest. (There is something there, and don't call me.... Oops. Sorry!)

Also here's an interview Derek and I did with Zita the Spacegirl creator Ben Hatke. If you love great adventures on other worlds, love strong female characters and haven't checked out Zita, DO SO NOW!

Movies and Comics - What Else?

2014-06-20T12:21:02Z

The wonderful weirdness that is Eraserhead will be arriving to Blu-ray thanks to Criterion, not on the expected Halloween release date, but on September 16.

I haven't really watched an awful lot of movies so far in June, but The Cooler has some good performances, even though the film has lots of problems.

Plenty of graphic novel reads going on this month, though. Here's just a few.

And a few things I've had my eye on this week....

Just Two Guys...

2014-06-16T13:34:42Z

These two guys were a huge part of my growing up. One of them passed away yesterday, the other - nearly 40 years ago.

I don't know how many years I listened to American Top 40, but I probably started when I was about 12. Casey Kasem just had one of those great broadcasting voices. He sounded like somebody you could trust. Kasem passed away yesterday at the age of 82.

Rod Serling died 39 years ago on June 28, 1975 when he was only 50. Serling has always been an important figure to me and continues to be an enormous influence on television today. Further thoughts on Serling here at Arts of Darkness.

Criterion Collection Format News

2014-06-15T13:24:16Z

There's some changes going on over at The Criterion Collection, changes I'm disappointed with, but others have welcomed. More here.

Reviews of Herobear and the Kid, Afterlife with Archie, AND Tweeting!

2014-06-13T18:59:46Z

I've recently reviewed two new trade collections over at The Comics Alternative:

Mike Kunkel is celebrating the return of Herobear and the Kid after a 10-year absence with a rerelease of Herobear and the Kid, Vol. 1: The Inheritance - a great kid-friendly title that I'm delighted to see back in print - and a new story arc that's in comic shops now.

If you've been living on another planet and aren't aware of the phenomena of Afterlife with Archie, you really must pick up the first story arc, Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale. Trust me, you won't regret it.

And finally, I'm now on Twitter! I'm still figuring a lot of things out, but you can find me @awolverton77. Hope you'll follow me or at least check out what I'm tweeting and retweeting. Happy reading!

Upcoming Movies and a Pretty Cool (if somewhat depressing) Website

2014-06-07T11:17:58Z

I often take a look at the Release Calendar over at www.blu-ray.com, usually just for fun, seeing not only the new "just-got-out-of-the-theater" movies, but releases of movies I haven't seen in years/decades. Here's a little bit of both that, although I probably won't buy many of these, I would like to see the upgraded versions. See more here.

Just for fun, I checked out this website called You're Getting Old, which is pretty cool. I never use my real birthday on these sites, but I always come close. On this site, I found out that:

The total number of candles on all my birthday cakes so far is 1,326.

The moon has orbited the earth 687 times since I was born.

The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea was over half my life ago.

Hey, maybe this is a depressing site after all.... :(

Movies Watched in May 2014

2014-06-03T11:18:26Z

Not a ton of movies in May, but hopefully some old and new films for your consideration:

Safety Last! (1923) Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor [Criterion Collection Blu-ray] (2x)

From time to time it’s my job to provide a movie for the students in our church’s college ministry to watch and discuss. I wracked my brain for something new and edgy to talk about, something relevant to the times we live in and maybe even something “straight from the headlines” (or the Facebook posts). Then I decided to go in the complete opposite direction and show them a silent movie that’s over 90 years old, Harold Lloyd’s classic Safety Last!

I wasn’t sure how the students would like the movie, but they were on the edge of their seats during the climbing sequences, gasping and clutching their chairs. I also wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the film as much on a second viewing, but I enjoyed it more than the first time, having a greater appreciation for Lloyd’s masterful timing, charm and ability to make us laugh - and grip our chairs in suspense.

5/5

Dallas Buyers Club (2013) Jean-Marc Valée [library DVD]

I’ve always thought Matthew McConaughey a talented actor who often rises above his material - sometimes too much so, due either to a bad script or as a result of his presence being too strong (or possibly unchecked). In his Oscar-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club, he’s certainly worthy of the award, even though I didn’t always think the movie worked as a consistent story.

3.5/5

The Mummy (1932) Karl Freund (2x) [Blu-ray]

Watching some of the old horror classics shows you just how good some of these filmmakers were at what they did, considering what they had to work with and what - compared to modern times - they didn’t have. Boris Karloff shows why he remains one of the giants of cinema, but much credit has to go to makeup pioneer Jack Pierce, a man who is still not given the recognition he deserves. Also noteworthy is a striking performance by Zita Johann, who was far stranger in real life than the role she plays here, that of a woman who may or may not be the reincarnation of an Egyptian princess. You can learn more about Karloff, Pierce, Johann, and the film itself in the Blu-ray’s excellent extras.

4/5

Lars and the Real Girl (2007) Craig Gillespie [Netflix streaming]

Lars and the Real Girl comes oh, so dangerously close to disaster in so many places that I marvel at its tone and construction. By now, everyone knows the plot: Lars (Ryan Gosling) - an extremely shy, awkward recluse - orders a lifelike doll from an adult website and acts like she’s a real woman, showing her off to everyone in his small Wisconsin town. Credit director Gillespie for making us believe in the premise, but also credit Gosling for an incredibly restrained performance that, somehow, works.

4/5

Eye of the Needle (1981) Richard Marquand [DVD] (2x)

Maybe you’re not familiar with director Richard Marquand, but after Eye of the Needle, he did a little movie you might’ve heard of called Return of the Jedi. I’m not exactly sure what George Lucas saw in Marquand from this film, since it’s a pretty pedestrian adaptation of Ken Follett’s novel of the same name, minus most of the suspense and character development. Even musical score legend Miklós Rózsa stumbles badly in places. (Nothing can ruin a spy film faster than overscoring.)

Still, the story itself is good: Donald Sutherland plays a spy for the Nazis who discovers the location of the D-Day landing. On the run, he crashes a boat near a remote island in an attempt to reach a radio so that he can warn the Nazis of the impending attack. The sole inhabitants of the island - a family of three - find him, believing him to be a innocent (and rather incompetent) sailor. Earning their trust (especially that of the wife, played by Kate Nelligan), “The Needle” seeks to reach a radio in time to foil the Allied attack.

3/5

A River Runs Through It (1992) Robert Redford [DVD]

Many of my friends love this movie based on a semi-autobiographical novella by Norman Maclean, but I found it to be too openly sentimental and nostalgic for my tastes. The story of two sons (Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer) of a Presbyterian minister (Tom Skerritt) in Missoula, Montana roughly during the 1920s and 30s contains some absolutely stunning cinematography, but you can predict just about everything that’s going to happen. Worth watching for the cinematography and to see a very young Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

3/5

The Conjuring (2013) James Wan [library DVD]

Good gracious, this scared the crap out of me! Leave the lights on and don’t see it by yourself - that’s all I’m going to tell you. (That and never, ever play hide and seek again!)

4/5

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) Brian Singer (theater)

Marvel is finally starting to figure some things out. Just give us a good story and most moviegoers will be happy. It’s more important to have a solid story than to have stuff blowing up every 10 seconds, and while some stuff does blow up, the story drives the film. This is a movie you can go to and just have a good time. (And isn’t that why we go to the movies anyway?) I’ll leave you with one word: Quicksilver.

4/5

X-Men: Days of Future Past and Graphic Novels Read in May 2014 Part II

2014-05-31T20:09:20Z

I usually only see theatrical releases of films months after they've run their course and have arrived on DVD or streaming, but today I went to see X-Men: Days of Future Past which I enjoyed very much. Along with Captain America: Winter Soldier, Marvel seems to be kicking DC's butt as far as movies go. (Haven't seen the new Spider-Man movie yet, so I can't say it's a trifecta.) No spoilers, just a good, fun superhero action flick.

Also I've posted the rest of the graphic novels I read this month. Let me know what you read.

In the Dark: A Horror Anthology plus Graphic Novels Read in 2014 Part I

2014-05-30T00:25:23Z

In the Dark is a brand new graphic novel horror anthology (edited by Rachel Deering) that's a real winner. Trust me, there's lots of stuff in there that will seriously creep you out. You can read my review of it at The Comics Alternative.

Also I've read so many graphic novels this month, I had to break it up. Here's Part I of the graphic novels I read in May. (And you must read Sock Monkey Treasury!)

Can We Say "Out of Control"?

2014-05-27T12:29:52Z

Well, we're back from out mini-vacation to the Northern Neck of Virginia - a vacation recommended by one of the guys in my Guys Book Club (Thanks, Joe!). The food and accommodations were exceptional at The Inn at Montross. We'd certainly go back.

Of course, we spent a lot of time navigating The Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail, as you can see. And we didn't even get to all the wineries! More on the trip (and the wines) later.

Reading Challenge Completed!

2014-05-19T14:31:22Z

Look, don't be too impressed. Many of the 100 books I've read so far in 2014 have been graphic novels and J-Fiction novels. But I have read some pretty meaty stuff, too. I originally intended to read one "hard" or "classic" book a month. I haven't done too well with that, but there's still several months left.

The book that took me to the 100 mark was, no surprise, a graphic novel; actually a collection of newspaper strips from one of the form's absolute masters Milton Caniff and his Steve Canyon Volume 1: 1947-1948. I'll have more to say about that one in the coming days.

So far, here are some books of interest:

Biggest Pleasant (and Creepy) Surprise:
The Black Spider (1842) by Jeremias Gotthelf

Best Discovery:
the hard-edged, hard-boiled Ghostman (2013) by Roger Hobbs

Best Mystery:
Steve Hamilton's The Lock Artist (2009)

Best Re-Read:
The Brilliant Disaster: JFK, Castro, and America’s Doomed Invasion of Cuba’s Bay of Pigs (NF 2011) by Jim Rasenberger

Best Weird Fiction:
Annihilation (2014) by Jeff VanderMeer

Best Christian/Spiritual Book That Taught Me Some Hard (and Valuable) Lessons:
What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done (NF 2014) by Matt Perman

And I haven't even covered the graphic novels yet.

Be sure to tell me what you've encountered so far this year....