QUANTUM BREAK, 4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK, FRANKENWEENIE, & MORE quickies
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
I watch, read, listen to, and play a lot of things I don't review immediately. In an attempt to at least share some of my thoughts on these pieces of media, I'd like to do a few quickies in one post for at least a few weeks. The hope is to expand on these down the road, but for now these should maybe whet your whistle.
PUBLISHER: Microsoft | DEVELOPER: Remedy
PLATFORMS: Xbox One, PC | GENRE: Time travel third-person shooter
(reviewed based on Xbox One version)
A superpowered popcorn muncher which doesn't really try for a cerebral sci-fi story, as it is more interested in providing an experience akin to a theme park ride. Tons of enjoyable set pieces, solid pacing, the kind of fare so often labeled as "crowd-pleasers." Despite taking itself "too seriously" at times, when it tries to make you laugh it shows that Remedy still has its humorous side intact. The gameplay is punchy and varied, though some levels are invariably much more fun than others. Navigation can at times be a pain and I really wish there were more imaginative powers even if the ones in the game are fun enough. There's so much you can do with time manipulation as a conceit which QB never quite cracks. Most of the characters are interesting enough, but the main protagonist as empty suit is as it gets. Which really undercuts the live-action TV sections--which are decent enough, but never feel like anything more than cheap straight-to-Netflix tripe that's just there to pad out the spaces between all the stuff you're actually interested in. And while the visuals are clearly channeling Inception, they are executed well enough to rise above being a poor man's version of Nolan's beloved feature though not without some rough spots--particularly in terms of animation.
All in all, a fun time if it sounds like your bag, but not the transcendental experience it was supposed to be billed as.
8.5/10
Great
PUBLISHER: Black Mask | WRITER: Matthew Rosenberg | ARTIST: Tyler Boss
LETTERER: Thomas Mauer | ISSUE COUNT: 5 | GENRE: Heist comedy
I initially read this a while back, on the same day I read and reviewed another heist comic written by a Marvel exclusive writer, Rocket. Of the two, it is difficult to say which I prefer as both push all my right buttons in different ways, but I don't think it's fair to pit 4KWiaB against other comics when deciding on its merit, as it holds up on its own. Charismatic artwork and lettering make for a lot of fun. This really pops off the page, it's great. With a name and premise like this, you would expect a tongue in cheek sort of thing, but Rosenberg excellently manages to wring as much drama as possible while having the book remain a typically enjoyable read throughout. You really root for these kids, but also get to see how life is difficult for others outside this quartet. Its conclusion may be divisive, but I really appreciate how it wraps things up in a nice, neat bow, even if I don't think it wholly sticks the landing.
An incredibly compelling read and I highly recommend it.
9.5/10
Must-read
DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
ACTORS: Charlie Tahan, Frank Welker, Winona Ryder, Dee Bradley Baker, Atticus Shaffer
GENRE: Gothic stop-motion animation
Tim Burton as a filmmaker may be on a constant back and forth between genuinely phenomenal films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice, and inexplicably terrible ones like Alice in Wonderland and the recent trainwreck that is Dumbo, but it's always great to see another wonderful film from this guy. That may be why it took me so long to finally watch this (saw it in the end of February/start of March), so I could stumble onto something unique and beautiful from Burton without wanting to torture myself by sitting down for his Dumbo. Nevertheless, Frankenweenie is a terrific film, owing much to its incredible animation and expert writing by the uber-talented John August. At first the aesthetic takes some getting used to, but once that's done you can appreciate how well it fits this modern gothic yarn. Frankenweenie is the kind of family film that is unafraid to put the younger watchers at unease, and even older ones will not exactly feel at home with it either. The voice actors do an impressive job of elevating already strong material with great performances. It's also the kind of film that send-ups classic Frankenstein interpretations while also forging its own path that is less science-fearing. And while it hits a lot of the beats you'd expect from a story like this, it also will throw you for a loop at times--which I enjoyed greatly. There are definitely some problems, like the ending is poorly executed with one too many fake-outs that feel entirely unearned.
9/10
Fantastic
PUBLISHER: Del Rey | AUTHOR: Josh Malerman
GENRE: Western drama/horror
I've been itching to review Unbury Carol in full since I finished it over a few days, but have withheld on doing so for one particular reason. But this will be a decent place to air my opinions of it publicly until then.
Unbury Carol starts off with an excellent premise and a strong execution of said premise. However, as it continues chugging along, the prose gets more and more repetitive, and you start getting a little annoyed that a writer as clearly talented as Malerman is would use the same refrain over, and over, and over... and over again. This isn't the same as a character having a catch phrase or witty adage--the third person, omniscient narrator just continually says things like "mind's eye" like it's "the." Nevertheless, despite that niggle (no, that word has nothing to do with the n-word in case you're unfamiliar with it), the prose is otherwise strong enough to keep you interested in spite of that. The third person narrator allows for us to rocket back and forth between various characters in a savvy way that lets us to see the perspectives of these different characters, and to empathize or understand them. My biggest problem is that when we reach the conclusion, it piles so many bullshit obstacles that just feel entirely out of left field that I have decided to coin a new term for this sort of thing: "Diablo ex machina." Like a deus ex machina, but an impediment rather than a blessing.
At the end of the day, I enjoyed reading Unbury Carol even if I think it misses out on being the wonderful book it could've been.
8/10
Solid
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse | WRITER/ARTIST/LETTERER: James Stokoe
ISSUE COUNT: 4 | GENRE: Sci-fi horror
On tilt, I've never seen an Alien or Aliens film. Oh, I respect its monolithic status, of course, but only as a passing observer. That said, the only reason for that is I'm not into how cinema (as well as video games) presents horror--even the good stuff that isn't pure suspense like Hereditary, A Quiet Place, The Babadook, Us, The Devil's Candy, Get Out, The Neon Demon, It Follows, You're Next, The VVitch, and, yes, Alien(s). Just not my speed, unfortunately. But I love horror in comic form, so this was an easy sell for me. And lord is this a capital G Good comic. Stokoe's art style so perfectly meshes with the world of Alien, gifting the book with a certain uncomforting quality. The writing is mostly concerned with delivering a pitch perfect sense of atmosphere, so that when the first Xenomorph pops up with no fanfare beyond the Lovecraftian sense of dread in seeing something that could kill you in an instant just there. That moment, that honestly kinda terrifying moment, is where Dead Orbit peaks, where it goes from solidly compelling to spectacular. Okay, but here's where the problems come in: the ending is way too confusing; a fact unhelped by the characters being so indistinguishable that I was just scratching my head the whole time.
A strong read worth checking out if you're a fan of the franchise and don't mind rewarding Dark Horse after the shit they pulled last year.
8.5/10
Great
Hope this was interesting. Thanks for reading, and sayonara!
I watch, read, listen to, and play a lot of things I don't review immediately. In an attempt to at least share some of my thoughts on these pieces of media, I'd like to do a few quickies in one post for at least a few weeks. The hope is to expand on these down the road, but for now these should maybe whet your whistle.
QUANTUM BREAK (2016)
PUBLISHER: Microsoft | DEVELOPER: Remedy
PLATFORMS: Xbox One, PC | GENRE: Time travel third-person shooter
(reviewed based on Xbox One version)
A superpowered popcorn muncher which doesn't really try for a cerebral sci-fi story, as it is more interested in providing an experience akin to a theme park ride. Tons of enjoyable set pieces, solid pacing, the kind of fare so often labeled as "crowd-pleasers." Despite taking itself "too seriously" at times, when it tries to make you laugh it shows that Remedy still has its humorous side intact. The gameplay is punchy and varied, though some levels are invariably much more fun than others. Navigation can at times be a pain and I really wish there were more imaginative powers even if the ones in the game are fun enough. There's so much you can do with time manipulation as a conceit which QB never quite cracks. Most of the characters are interesting enough, but the main protagonist as empty suit is as it gets. Which really undercuts the live-action TV sections--which are decent enough, but never feel like anything more than cheap straight-to-Netflix tripe that's just there to pad out the spaces between all the stuff you're actually interested in. And while the visuals are clearly channeling Inception, they are executed well enough to rise above being a poor man's version of Nolan's beloved feature though not without some rough spots--particularly in terms of animation.
All in all, a fun time if it sounds like your bag, but not the transcendental experience it was supposed to be billed as.
8.5/10
Great
4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK (2016-2017)
PUBLISHER: Black Mask | WRITER: Matthew Rosenberg | ARTIST: Tyler Boss
LETTERER: Thomas Mauer | ISSUE COUNT: 5 | GENRE: Heist comedy
I initially read this a while back, on the same day I read and reviewed another heist comic written by a Marvel exclusive writer, Rocket. Of the two, it is difficult to say which I prefer as both push all my right buttons in different ways, but I don't think it's fair to pit 4KWiaB against other comics when deciding on its merit, as it holds up on its own. Charismatic artwork and lettering make for a lot of fun. This really pops off the page, it's great. With a name and premise like this, you would expect a tongue in cheek sort of thing, but Rosenberg excellently manages to wring as much drama as possible while having the book remain a typically enjoyable read throughout. You really root for these kids, but also get to see how life is difficult for others outside this quartet. Its conclusion may be divisive, but I really appreciate how it wraps things up in a nice, neat bow, even if I don't think it wholly sticks the landing.
An incredibly compelling read and I highly recommend it.
9.5/10
Must-read
FRANKENWEENIE (2012)
DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
ACTORS: Charlie Tahan, Frank Welker, Winona Ryder, Dee Bradley Baker, Atticus Shaffer
GENRE: Gothic stop-motion animation
Tim Burton as a filmmaker may be on a constant back and forth between genuinely phenomenal films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice, and inexplicably terrible ones like Alice in Wonderland and the recent trainwreck that is Dumbo, but it's always great to see another wonderful film from this guy. That may be why it took me so long to finally watch this (saw it in the end of February/start of March), so I could stumble onto something unique and beautiful from Burton without wanting to torture myself by sitting down for his Dumbo. Nevertheless, Frankenweenie is a terrific film, owing much to its incredible animation and expert writing by the uber-talented John August. At first the aesthetic takes some getting used to, but once that's done you can appreciate how well it fits this modern gothic yarn. Frankenweenie is the kind of family film that is unafraid to put the younger watchers at unease, and even older ones will not exactly feel at home with it either. The voice actors do an impressive job of elevating already strong material with great performances. It's also the kind of film that send-ups classic Frankenstein interpretations while also forging its own path that is less science-fearing. And while it hits a lot of the beats you'd expect from a story like this, it also will throw you for a loop at times--which I enjoyed greatly. There are definitely some problems, like the ending is poorly executed with one too many fake-outs that feel entirely unearned.
9/10
Fantastic
UNBURY CAROL (2018)
PUBLISHER: Del Rey | AUTHOR: Josh Malerman
GENRE: Western drama/horror
I've been itching to review Unbury Carol in full since I finished it over a few days, but have withheld on doing so for one particular reason. But this will be a decent place to air my opinions of it publicly until then.
Unbury Carol starts off with an excellent premise and a strong execution of said premise. However, as it continues chugging along, the prose gets more and more repetitive, and you start getting a little annoyed that a writer as clearly talented as Malerman is would use the same refrain over, and over, and over... and over again. This isn't the same as a character having a catch phrase or witty adage--the third person, omniscient narrator just continually says things like "mind's eye" like it's "the." Nevertheless, despite that niggle (no, that word has nothing to do with the n-word in case you're unfamiliar with it), the prose is otherwise strong enough to keep you interested in spite of that. The third person narrator allows for us to rocket back and forth between various characters in a savvy way that lets us to see the perspectives of these different characters, and to empathize or understand them. My biggest problem is that when we reach the conclusion, it piles so many bullshit obstacles that just feel entirely out of left field that I have decided to coin a new term for this sort of thing: "Diablo ex machina." Like a deus ex machina, but an impediment rather than a blessing.
At the end of the day, I enjoyed reading Unbury Carol even if I think it misses out on being the wonderful book it could've been.
8/10
Solid
ALIENS: DEAD ORBIT (2017)
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse | WRITER/ARTIST/LETTERER: James Stokoe
ISSUE COUNT: 4 | GENRE: Sci-fi horror
On tilt, I've never seen an Alien or Aliens film. Oh, I respect its monolithic status, of course, but only as a passing observer. That said, the only reason for that is I'm not into how cinema (as well as video games) presents horror--even the good stuff that isn't pure suspense like Hereditary, A Quiet Place, The Babadook, Us, The Devil's Candy, Get Out, The Neon Demon, It Follows, You're Next, The VVitch, and, yes, Alien(s). Just not my speed, unfortunately. But I love horror in comic form, so this was an easy sell for me. And lord is this a capital G Good comic. Stokoe's art style so perfectly meshes with the world of Alien, gifting the book with a certain uncomforting quality. The writing is mostly concerned with delivering a pitch perfect sense of atmosphere, so that when the first Xenomorph pops up with no fanfare beyond the Lovecraftian sense of dread in seeing something that could kill you in an instant just there. That moment, that honestly kinda terrifying moment, is where Dead Orbit peaks, where it goes from solidly compelling to spectacular. Okay, but here's where the problems come in: the ending is way too confusing; a fact unhelped by the characters being so indistinguishable that I was just scratching my head the whole time.
A strong read worth checking out if you're a fan of the franchise and don't mind rewarding Dark Horse after the shit they pulled last year.
8.5/10
Great
Hope this was interesting. Thanks for reading, and sayonara!
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