Walking Dead, New Comics, Movies

New comics!

Black Cat 3

Lots of fun.  Standard “resist temptation of infinite power” plot, but Jed MacKay makes it a fun ride.

Captain Marvel 26

Great ending for a fun Elseworlds story.  Even better is the effect it has on Carol’s life - She breaks up with Rhodey because she isn’t the mother of his future daughter.  It’s a time travel twist that I haven’t encountered before, and it’s an intriguing one that’s sad and thought provoking.  

Movies that I’ve been watching:

Straight Up

An entertaining romcom where the ostensibly gay protagonist explores a nonsexual romantic relationship with a girl.  A few things that stood out to me: 

The dialogue is sparkling and hilarious on the same level as the best Gilmore Girls episodes.  (Fitting, considering their first conversation is about that show.)  I wish that there was more exploration of Rory (Katie Findlay), there are hints of a traumatic past that were teased but never fleshed out.  I don’t know why all the supporting characters were so convinced that Todd’s gay, I would have preferred more possibilities for his sexual confusion; It would have brought a much more interesting, less seen dimension to the film.

Great performances by Findlay and writer/actor James Sweeney, which make this worth watching.

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: Yes

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Nice

Booksellers

A documentary about the rare book selling business in New York City.  It delivered exactly what I was looking for going into it.   I love documentaries like this, exploring a fascinating corner of the world that I’ve never explored before.  

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: No

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Nice

The Farewell

Finally got around to watching this a couple of years after the initial release and hype.  Given what I knew going in (Awkwafina returns to her birthplace in China to say goodbye to her terminally ill grandmother (who doesn’t know she has cancer)), there are absolutely no surprises through the whole film.  That said, it feels remarkably authentic and Chinese.  All of the characters feel real, with no hint of “acting” from the performers.  These are all people that could be family members of my own.  

The culture clash between East and West over the ethics of not telling the elderly patient is one that I’ve gone through myself.  (I still don’t know where I come down on the issue.  It’s probably a situational thing for me.)

I’m glad I watched it, but it wasn’t the unforgettable experience I’d read about.

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: No

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Nice  

Map of Tiny Perfect Things

There have been a lot of time travel movies lately.  This offering from Amazon Studios takes the teenager romance track.  Kyle Allen and Kathryn Newton are a most adorable pairing.  (Their first kiss is awfully sweet.)  They both pull off the long-take perfect day scenes like choreographed, graceful dancers.  The pseudo-twist where this is actually Newton’s story and not Allen’s forces a nifty re-examination of the film. 

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: Yes

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Pretty good

Walking Dead 1-42

Not a lot to say about this.  I bought this series as each trade came out, every six months or so.  Every time, I’d be enthralled by Kirkman’s ability to write gripping situations and his mastery of the cliffhanger.  But I eventually stopped buying it with the 28th (!) volume.  That’s how long it took me to get sick of the cycle: Rick finds a seemingly safe place to stay.  Something goes wrong, people die, and he moves on to the next location.  Each “episode” is well-crafted, but the repetitive nature of it finally wore me down.  All the cruelty, death, and endless grind proved to be too much.  And while that may be what the characters all feel as well, I at least had the option of getting out without dying a grisly death.  

I’m going into this expecting to cut this from my collection; I haven’t ever wanted to re-read this, and the 28 books are just taking up shelf space.  But 6 volumes in, I’m certainly engaged and can’t bring myself to get rid of them.  But there’s plenty of story to go.  

To keep myself occupied, I’m keeping track of all the deaths in the storyline in a spreadsheet.  I’m curious to see how it looks by the end of it.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good