Welcome back to yet another addition to Binge Media’s Star Wars coverage. Though at this point, we are all getting exhausted of it. My bosses have dropped hints there is a little too much of The Force. Jason is more annoyed than usual. Even Anonymous Announcer Guy loses it in this week’s intro. Let’s not sever ties, though. Star Wars is on all of our minds, as the new addition to the universe is merely days away from being released. So of course Jason and I HAD to bring lead Adventure Amigo David Mayne in to finish discussing the released Star Wars features, specifically Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. We also predict what to expect from a little movie coming out called Star Wars Episode VIIThe Force Awakens.
Some things discussed:
How is the prequel trilogy like Indiana Jones 4?
How bad is Portman in this series?
Can the final half of Revenge of the Sith make up for a lackluster prior movie and a half?
How much are we looking forward to The Force Awakens?
Will Jason’s nightmare of discussing this franchise ever end?
Will Luke be bad?
Is the practical effects vs CGI factor THAT big of a factor?
Until December 18th knocks us on our asses, may the Force, and the beer, be with you.
Hello all and welcome back to yet another week of Comic Binge! As the year comes to an end, I’m yet again taking a look at past articles of 2015 and trying to determine what works best and what doesn’t for the future. I think it’s about time I give you more reviews, though they may have less content. I read much more on a weekly basis, but there’s often not a ton to say other than the obvious yays and nays for every book. Granted, I try to write about books where there is plenty to say, but there just always isn’t. So now, I’m going to do a little rapid fire of everything read on my vacation this week, because this is the cleansing of my shelves before I get heavily into Star Wars canon for the release of the movie! Make sure to check back next week a day or two before the release of the movie we’ve all been waiting for, to see all kinds of reviews for new canon comics and even Kanan himself! So without further ado, here, we, go…
The newest, sixth volume of Catwoman, Keeper of the Castle, sees Selina taking over the Calabrese Crime Syndicate which is associated to her lesser known family. Extending out of other books’ events, this in turn takes Selina out of the sexy suit and into more formal attire. Now, I’m not one to objectify characters for looking their bad selves, but this book takes just about everything out of Catwoman that it should be. Sure, she’s still in Gotham, and she has her run-ins with the Batman, but it’s hardly the same thing. As Selina Kyle figures out her place at the head of the crime family she’s been thrust into, she also has to deal with the absence of her alter ego out on the streets. She discovers that someone else has taken her place as Catwoman, but she cannot divert her attention from the mafia goings-on around her. This book probably would have been a lot better if she would have come full circle back to the leather onesie a lot earlier. It also probably would have been a lot better had the art not totally sucked cat milk. I know Catwoman hasn’t been one of the prouder titles in the recent New 52 lineup, but it’s gone awfully far down hill after the awesomeness that Judd Winick started with in his first two volumes. Let’s hope that this was a one time deal for the character, and that she can return to being the cat’s meow of Gotham.
Next up this week stuck with female lead characters, and that was the Angela spin-off from Marvel. Coming off the pages from the universe of Thor, Angela may be a character that is familiar to some of you. She once was spawned on the pages of Spawn, and has seen time in other books as well. I’m a newcomer in regards to the character of Angela, so I was really anticipating learning a bit more about her in this first volume of her new series. What we get in this book however, is a story that lacks any sort of clear direction or plotting. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you at all what this book was about or supposed to be about. It certainly wasn’t a starter story or an origin story, as you’re dumped into Angela’s world with absolutely no knowledge as to what’s going on. Even after a few issues, I was having trouble putting together any semblance of a story in the pages. What I could get down with though was the art, which was pretty decent for such a confusing and unclear book. I’d hope that maybe Angela gets another shot to shine, as she is a cool and badass character. Even the appearances from the Guardians of the Galaxy could not save this book, and made you wish that Rocket Raccoon would pull a fourth wall stunt and BLAM! murder this book. I might be in the minority, but this book seemed pretty empty and pointless.
The continuation from Cyclops’ solo series finally reached the desk, and boy was it disappointing. The first volume was decent, and started by telling stories about the character that happened at a much younger age than we are familiar with. This book continues that thought, but boy does it fail at making anything interesting happen. By the title, A Pirate’s Life for Me, I was really expecting some fun swashbuckling. But what I got here was again another book where I could hardly care about what was going on on the pages. This one too, didn’t have nearly as good of art as the other books I’ve been reading. The first book in the series by Greg Rucka wasn’t anything amazing, but I was hoping for a bit more from this series. It furthers the opinion that I have of Marvel and their new Marvel NOW! titles in that a good 80-90% of them are garbage. I really wish Marvel had better books, because characters like these deserve much more than they are receiving. Don’t worry about checking this series out, or the most recent book, unless you’re a die-hard fan. But even then, you may have trouble wanting to keep your eyes open, even if you don’t struggle with laser beam vision.
Last but not least, I caught up a bit more with some of New 52’s Suicide Squad title. I’ve been a bit behind on the series because it’s been hard to get my hands on the books. I got a hold of the third and fourth volumes this week, and I have the fifth on deck for the weekend. The third volume saw a sort of Death of the Family vibe, much like the rest of the Bat titles in New 52 around this third volume period. Harley is tempted by the Joker’s return, as he comes in and shows her how much she’s changed into a goody two shoes. We see the struggle of the two unfold before us, but outside of the Joker-Harley scenario, there isn’t much to read for here. It was a decent volume, but nothing special, and the art was a little different too. Then the fourth volume saw the return of the Squad into more relevant stories, but now they’re up against Waller, who put the team together in the first place. Waller has found herself working along with the son of Gordon, who some may know as the villain of some recent Batman epics, Black Mirror being one of them. Waller and Gordon team up against the Suicide Squad, and a new member of the Squad is still a mystery to us. After a few battles and the Squad getting out of captivity, we see an awesome scene between Harley and Waller which was too cool. Waller had been picking away at their weaknesses, and so when Harley gets her hands on her it becomes a mess. Afterwards we see them tackle a monster in Vegas, followed by a Harley origin comic and a Deadshot origin comic. This had me thinking that we’re going to see some more origin and also maybe a new team and a re-branding of this team as the movie nears release. I am definitely looking forward to that, because Suicide Squad has been a decent, fun, and entertaining bad guy comic since its beginning here in the New 52. The following review numbers will be for the better, fourth volume titled Discipline and Punish.
We are coming down to the wire folks. We are mere days away from the release of perhaps the most anticipated film of our, or any other, generation. Yes, Episode I can definitely compete with being up there in terms of how bad all Star Wars fans wanted to see it. But the whole after effect of the film did not settle well. I kept telling people, and promising myself, that it was indeed a good movie. And I will hold true to that statement. However, with all that being said, I do not want the feeling I had in 2002 be the one I have in 2016 and beyond. In 2002, I was not sure if I wanted another Star Wars film if it meant a few years more of waiting for that definitive one. And even worse, if this one’s failure meant for the potential of that one movie which would eventually see the formation of Darth Vader – letting us down as well
Background: I have said it at least a dozen times, and I will probably say it at least a dozen more. I will probably always hold 1977’s original Star Wars film as the best out of the entire saga, if only for the simple reason that it did not have to live up to the hype of being a Star Wars film. By the time Attack of the Clones rolled around, there was not as much joy in the film world’s atmosphere as much as there was pessimism. Word had come out that fan backlash had caused George Lucas to do away with more storylines involving one Jar Jar Binks, and fan adulation of a certain character caused major changes to the original clone origins. Catering to fans’ needs is the biggest catch .22 in film circles. On one end, you are pleasing those who pay their hard earned money to see your project. On the other side of the coin, you are tinkering with your original vision, which can in turn hanker your final product.
Though there are those who claim Lucas was never that big a visionary to begin with. Sure, he could create worlds and environments with all forms of characters inhabiting them. But it was only when he brought in true effects artists, as well as his Oscar winning editor/ex wife Marcia Lucas, to tinker with it did Star Wars end up becoming as big a success that it was. And it took Lucas bringing in Lawrence Kasdan for the full potential of character development in this space opera to take place. I don’t feel there is any doubt that the combination of Irvin Kershner’s directorial touch and Kasdan’s sharp pen is what made a scene like Han and Leia talking about dirty hands come off as well and, perhaps most importantly, seemingly natural that it did.
So without Kasdan or Kershner at his disposal, Lucas took on the task of writing and directing the love story of the saga. Basically, Attack of the Clones could not dilly dally around and skip emotional beats. It was vitally important for the mother and father of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia to fall in love right in front of our eyes. Sure, he brought on one of his old Young Indiana Jones Chronicles buddies Jonathan Hales to spice up the romance aspect of the story. But the God’s honest truth was there was no caking, or for that matter cloaking, this love story with action oriented frosting. It was front and center, and there were questions if the man who brought us Jar Jar could even come close to pulling it off.
As for me, I was almost immune to feeling one way or the other. I was not front and center with my fandom, and in fact had been spending months singing the praises of one Sam Raimi’s foray into comic book filmmaking called Spider-Man. Much like The Matrix did in 1999, Spider-Man had stolen a lot of the thunder behind my very own Star Wars hype train. Nonetheless, I gathered four geeky friends and headed toward the local theater for the film’s very first midnight showing. Despite the fact I had to work at 4 the next morning.
What I Thought Then: Sitting back in the ‘defense of Star Wars’ chair was not an easy thing to do. Especially after seeing Attack of the Clones. Here we had a petulant, creepy, bordering on maniacal character named Anakin Skywalker. A character whose journey toward the dark side we were being asked to think of as a tragedy, but in the end came off as almost anything but. As Anakin and Padme, showing damn near no chemistry, would bicker, snicker, and fiddle with the love tree, we were stuck in what I have always classified as the least Star Wars feeling film out of the entire Star Wars saga. Though there was a nice looking, intense Clone War battle to feast our eyes upon, it would always be interrupted by either Padme falling perfectly out of her ship or a fake Christopher Lee fighting a fake Yoda. And by fake, I do not mean faux. What I mean is Lucas had almost completely abandoned any form of physical interaction at this point, and watching a digital Yoda jump around as if he was swinging a laser sword on a pogo stick, while fun and gave the audience something to laugh at, did not exactly instill any beats I had felt before. For all the shit Episode I gets, I can defend its existence by saying it is the most Star Wars feeling out of the entire prequel trilogy. Jar Jar was not exactly Jawa levels of background fodder. But it still took place inside the fantastical universe we have always been familiar with, giving it an aesthetic that I still classify as unsleek and Star Wars-ish.
With Attack of the Clones, I felt none of that. Between Count Dooku, a character who people outside the Star Wars canon had no idea of existing, running around with plans to the Death Star, and Hayden Christensan riding a fake CGI animal -poorly, I might add- I did not like where I was, and was not in any hurry to return. By the time its DVD release rolled around, I went to the S’s alright. But instead chose to pick up Spider-Man before Star Wars Attack of the Clones. 25 years after dazzling audiences with his original vision, I as a former die hard fan was stunned at what I had just seen, and that bitter taste would last for quite some time.
What I Think Now: In rewatching Attack of the Clones today, I am far less harsh on it than I was. Much like Anakin in The Phantom Menace rubbed me the wrong way until I realized Jake Lloyd’s personification of him is probably exactly how a slaved nine year old boy would act, I grew to become more comfortable with the man who once again took the brunt of criticism in the outpouring of hate, Hayden Christensan. I have said it in every podcast and I will say it again, I think the direction Christensan was taking had more to do with what came across onscreen than how he personified it. I began this article saying that there was not going to be much more to latch onto in Attack of the Clones except the love story which takes place between the future parents of Luke and Leia. And in my mind, with the exception of one look Natalie Portman gives while they are sitting in grass, I did not feel an ounce of emotion. Even now it is hard to watch.
Funnily enough, the storyline I DID enjoy much more this time than last was the one involving Obi-Wan Kenobi and his surveying of the clone army’s construction. Now take into account how much I enjoyed this section of film, and think about how much more I would have liked it had there been a cloned character I gave two ounces of feelings about. Jango Fett -and this is not a knock on Temuera Morrison- is just not a strong enough presence for me to even care. Not to mention, how and why Palpatine even chose him to be the main clone is never even explained. Hell, Lucas’s original plan of Lando makes more sense the more I think about it. But Lucas changing this pivital storyline points to the fan service these films ultimately ended up being instead of the organic feeling story it should have been. Jango’s inclusion is pandering toward that cult of audience who for some reason clung onto a jet pack wearing bounty hunter named Boba Fett in the last series. The same section of fans, mind you, who claim Fett went out ‘like a bitch’ in his final moments of Jedi. Did we REALLY need to see the shot of Boba holding his father’s helmet after the Geonosis battle was over? Did we really need to sit and listen to that kid’s cheering as each shot at Kenobi in the asteroid field is followed by another? As good as I find that asteroid field sequence to be, I am always distracted by that child’s laughter as his father tells him what he is going to do next. And the final thing we take away from this sequence, which is Boba figuring out that Han uses the same hiding technique in The Empire Strikes Back that Kenobi uses here, is reaching higher than a 5’0 person reaching for a 10′ basketball hoop. I’m not buying it.
Still, Attack of the Clones was released the year one of my best friends got married, and I was even able to stand as an usher in, what is an unadulterated inhumble of opinions, one of the coolest karate gi/lightsaber holding outfits of all time. That night still stands out as one of the best wedding nights I have ever attended, and I will never forget it. I am also pleased to say they are still married to this day. And from what I hear, their house is barely big enough to contain their excitement over this month’s Star Wars event.
In Conclusion: Well, what else can I say? Attack of the Clones still holds that mantle of being my least favorite film out of the entire Star Wars saga. Though again, I am not as harsh on it as I once was. While The Phantom Menace‘s lightsaber duel brought up my hopes for another great one, I have accepted the fact that the ending battle accomplishes what it needs to accomplish. And, the love story is what it is. Still, in looking back at Attack of the Clones, should a fan say ‘they have learned to live with it,’ as opposed to ‘it lived up to all my expectations.’ Especially since my expectations were hardly up there to begin with? Unlike 13 years ago, today I like and accept Attack of the Clones. But I sure wish I could love it.
Welcome to week two of The Binge Movie Aftertaste’s three plus week Star Wars retrospective. Here, Jason Morris and I once again welcomeAdventure Amigos‘own David Mayne to go over Episodes 6 and 1, Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace respectfully. In going through the trenches of this space fantasy franchise, Jason has become gradually more annoyed, with Dave and I sometimes praising it too much. But our senses will be put to the test this week, as we find out whether even Dave and I can defend the Ewoks and Jar Jar. Or, will Jason surprise us all and be the defender?
Grab your beer and get ready to shift through this continuous look at the saga that began it all.
What happens when you get four drunk Bingers (Bingers?), three of them are Supka’d, one of them is ACTUALLY Supka and throw on Empire Strikes Back? Another BingeCast commentary of course!
In this installment, the boys try to figure out what Cloud City actually is, why Lando is smooth, if Luke actually sped up Yoda’s dying process and more.
It’s here people. Starting today, you have 24 days to get all your shopping done. Here you will find ten great gifts from all different prices for the special people on your list. Hell, maybe you’ll even ask the fat man to deliver these to you come Christmas morning! Check em out below:
Playing cards are something that any worldly individual needs. Nothing says “I’ve seen some shit” than a cadre of well-worn playing cards. Personally, I have a poker set that houses cards ranging from Showgirls to Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Star Wars and I’d love to add this deck to the collection. What sets this apart from other collections is the art style for the cards is particularly cool with a painted-flair that really sells the set well. As a stocking stuffer you can do a lot worse.
When you talk about great movie poster artists there are a few names that should come to mind immediately. Right up there with Drew Struzan is Saul Bass, known mostly for his work on Vertigo, The Man With The Golden Arm and West Wide Story. Bass’ minimalism created a genre of poster art unto itself that is still being imitated to this day. This coffee table book is a must have for the more seasoned movie buffs.
Movie art is big in my house. I have a small collection of Mondo originals as well as some autographs and classic movie posters hanging all around the apartment. They help define my living space and let anyone who enters know exactly what I’m about. I usually like to add the stranger stuff and pepper it throughout the place, and I can totally see this weird Wheel of Fortune/Edward Scissorhands/Pee Wee/Goonies print being right at home here. For the more eclectic looking for a half-gag gift, this could be the best available this season for the price.
Sideshow Collectibles always knocks it out of the park with their figurines but the Predator seen here is a step above their usual level of talent. Predator is one of the absolute great movie monsters of all time, and the detail in this figure justifies (almost) the $150 price tag. If you’re in the market to expand your collection with a showcase piece, this may be just the thing.
This is easily the toy of the century. This toy represents the possibility of Star Wars actually bleeding over into the real world. Do you think that 40 years ago George Lucas ever thought we would have a computer in our pocket that could control our own personal droid? The jury is out on whether or not The Force Awakens will be better than the prequels, but this droid is truly something special. With the hefty price tag being the only deterrent, this toy will be in my future.
One unforeseen aspect of the smartphone is the decline of the wristwatch. In what has become a cultural shift, the ability to see what time it is on your phone has made many to ignore the classic piece of gear. With tan lines being the only downside, it’s a shame that the wristwatch is moving towards obsolescence, but the CUCOL Bamboo Wooden Watch is an inexpensive talkpiece that makes telling the time an event. Any machinery created utilizing wood rather than metal or plastic is already impressive, but add the bamboo finish and this watch is a fantastic buy.
With a film version on the way courtesy of James Franco and Seth Rogen, now is the time to catch Greg Sestero’s infamous behind the scenes tell-all detailing his experience filming The Room. Something tells me the Franco/Rogen version is going to take some liberties, so it is probably best to digest this now, fresh, without any influence. At just under ten bucks this is another fine steal.
In my family, my Grandad started a tradition when I was young of gifting everyone with a new Pez dispenser each Christmas as a little bonus stocking stuffer. The quality of the dispensers has been pretty wide, ranging from 5 different Santa Claus dispensers to Wolverine and Batman. As such, I have a collection now and this Star Trek set is definitely one of the nicer ones. Granted, Pez candy sucks, but I have a nostalgic connection to the things so this is definitely something I’ll want to add to the collection some day.
Another book being adapted by Seth Rogen (what a weird coincidence), Preacher is coming to AMC soon. Now is the time to check it out and see what all the fuss is about. In all honesty, I have yet to read this so I can’t tell you much about it other than it’s one of the most highly regarded comic book series of the past thirty years and may be the hottest thing since The Walking Dead come next year. Get ahead of the hype and give this a shot.
Keeping with the idea of a monthly subscription service, Moviepass is here to make the Summer movie season even crazier. Here’s the concept: pay Moviepass $30 a month and go to the theater as much as you want (limit once per day). Granted, some months are slower than others, but buying a subscription at the start of the summer may actually save you money in the long run. A great gift for anyone who loves movies.
So what do you think, Binge readers? Anything else I missed that you’re looking forward to? Comment below with your wishlist items and, as always, Binge On!
Come celebrate Moreno’s birthday with us as Ammon, Law, and Pete MC try heir hardest to make Moreno stick around for his own party. Pete has an incredible new sounder to kick off the Christmas season. Moreno drunk dials a STAR WARS hotline. Google voice turns into a knighting of one of our favorite callers. And we watch a bunch of movies and shit. Including THE GOOD DINOSAUR, THE 33, THE FINAL GIRLS, EX MACHINA, JURASSIC WORLD, HOME ALONE, PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES, Fargo, South Park, Ash vs. Evil Dead, The Affair, and Jessica Jones.
One thing I have noticed around Binge Media is the lack of Star Wars coverage. So what did I do? After being away from each other’s microphonic paths (eww) for more than a year, the head of my former internet home Adventure Amigos himself, Dave Mayne, has brought his Star Wars (and beer oriented) knowledge and fandom with him for this series of three Binge Movie Aftertastes. Just like Luke Norris and I did with Rocky, Dave is joining myself and the lovely Jason Morris on an epic journey through the Star Wars franchise. all ending with an epic review of The Force Awakens, coming your way December 19th from Walt Disney Pictures.
For this first show, we will look at Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Setting the stage for the next thirty five plus years, the first two films of the franchise are generally looked at as the best of the series. But do we think so?
Some things we cover:
Why does Obi Wan Kenobi sacrifice himself while in battle with Darth Vader on the Death Star?
What was Han doing before joining the rebels?
Why is Yoda so high when we first meet him in Empire?
Why is Luke so damn whiny?
Colt .45, anyone?
Why does Jason’s son know more about this franchise than all three of us?
Why doesn’t Chewbacca get a fucking medal at the end of Star Wars?!
What in one of our opinions is the best performance of the entire series?
Who does Jason consider to be the stupidest characters in the whole saga (hint: it’s NOT the stormtroopers).
Why did Jason watch the saga out of order?
So strap yourselves in and get ready for another ride down Star Wars lane. Don’t forget to check out all of Dave’s douchebaggery on the Adventure Amigos and myriad of podcasts onDark Barn Radio.
Here we are again Bingers. Halfway done. Halfway there. Halfway….to the Force Awakening.
The relatives have left. The leftovers are gone. The football is over.
Why not settle in for a brand new Binge Star Wars commentary?
Join Garrett (for about an hour. Slacker), Jack Valley, and Batch as they wax & blab while watching Star Wars Episode IV: The New Hope. Or as it is really called, Star Wars.
There is no doubt Star Wars changed cinema forever. But how did it change our lives, and why is Jack looking for Tom Brady in the medal ceremony? Find out in this grand addition to the Binge Commentary bin, and be on the look out for The Empire Strikes Back next week.