Daredevil: End of Days #2 Review

Daredevil: End of Days is a real downer of a book. It features great writing, stunning artwork and a killer story that all work in harmony to bum you out. Daredevil is dead and nobody cares. Nobody, except Ben Urich. The somewhat familiar structure works wonderfully in a dark, noirish tale. This book serves as a great reminder as to how grim and gritty can be done right in a superhero book.

As most of us know from his old, pre-Marvel work, Brian Michael Bendis truly excels with crime-centric stories. So far, Daredevil: End of Days is not much a superhero story and that is totally fine. The dialogue is great, Ben's inner monologue is brilliant and the pace is spot on. The only big question this series leaves us with is how it can possibly last eight issues? This formula could easily wear a little thin, but hopefully Bendis has prepared enough twists and turns to avoid any tedium.

Klaus Janson is a true legend in the world of comic book art. Add in finishes and paintings from Bill Sienkiewicz and Daredevil: End of Days quickly becomes a master class in comic storytelling. This issue is a true feast for the eyes. From the opening double-page spread to the final, tense confrontation, every single page nails it. Every page is a thing of beauty; each of them deserves to be hung in your dining room and the subject of awkward dinner conversations between friends and family. Daredevil: End of Days is so dark and bleak and heartbreakingly gorgeous that it'll make you want to throw up and cry with joy.

Benjamin gets so happy sometimes, he throws up. That's normal, right? You guys do that, right? Follow Benjamin on Twitter @616Earth, or find him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Iceman Review

Richard Kuklinski worked as a contract killer for the mob for four decades. He claimed to have murdered at least 100 people and possibly more. He died in 2006 while serving out five consecutive life sentences in prison. He was characterized as brutal and unflinching and an outwardly emotionless man. He had a grisly penchant for chopping up his victims and freezing them before disposal hence the underworld moniker “The Iceman.”

Michael Shannon plays the terrifying title character with amazing control. His performance is an exercise in precision, showing us a coldly exacting killer boiling just under the surface. His tightly-controlled performance works so well because we see the character under incredible stress. Kuklinski may have been a hardened killer, but he was also a family man. He had a wife and children who knew absolutely nothing about his mob work. To them he was a devoted husband and father, perhaps a bit distant at times, but unequivocally a good man. Balancing this double life proves ample fodder for a fascinating film.

The Iceman himself is a truly captivating character, but, unfortunately, as memorable as Shannon’s performance is the same can’t be said about the other actors. It’s definitely an interesting cast, and they all seem to be trying, but no one here is acting on the same level as Shannon. Kuklinski’s wife Deborah is played amiably by Winona Ryder. It’s nice to see her in a substantial role again, but this is not her best performance. When she gets mad and starts yelling at her husband, you’ll totally believe his reaction but her end of the argument just isn’t quite there.

Similarly, the rest of the supporting cast gives passable performances that might work in a different film, but when put up directly against Shannon’s Iceman pale in comparison. Ray Liotta shows up and doesn’t stretch very much to play mob boss Roy DeMeo. Small scenes with James Franco and Stephen Dorff are both overly emotional and end up coming off as artificial. The only actor who really comes close to standing toe to toe with Shannon, surprisingly, is Chris Evans. He plays another contract killer, Robert Pronge, nicknamed “Mr. Softee” after the ice cream truck he drives around town. Since his character is written more as a peer to The Iceman perhaps that gives him an edge on relating to him more believably. Pronge and Kuklinski develop a respect for each other’s work and eventually start taking jobs together.

The kills here are suitably gruesome, but they’re all designed to serve the story. There’s nothing gratuitous here. Kuklinski is cold-blooded, never betraying emotion outwardly, but we can see there’s more going on. It’s the contrast between the public Kuklinski and the inner one that makes this film such a fascinating character study. You keep watching because you want to see how he holds it all together under such enormous pressure, what might break him, and where those boundaries lie.

The Iceman is a good film despite the secondary characters falling flat. The central story is excellent, and Michael Shannon gives a praise-worthy performance. This is the kind of character study that makes you question how some people can be the way they are … or realize that people are definitely not all they seem to be.

Source : ign[dot]com

Breaking Bad: "Madrigal" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

Awesome.

We open to a killer scene of some clearly distracted man eating chicken nuggets and trying different sauces in front of several—I don’t know—taste scientists; all of it in German.  The scientists seem to know what they’re talking about, at least.  It’s obtuse and sterile and kind of weird.  Turns out this is part of Madrigal.  Madrigal, if you remember the fake ad from a couple of seasons ago for Los Pollos Hermanos, is the distribution company for Fring’s enterprise.  Fring used the distribution company to ship out meth and oh, yes, OK, now I get why this guy seems so despondent, he must’ve known everything.

The man, who we later find out is Mr. Schuler, grabs a defibrillator while law enforcement bangs at the door and he shocks himself to death.  I didn’t know you could rig a defibrillator like that, and I’m a little shocked a corporate executive knew this, but it was damn cool (and a poetic way to go out—damned by his own tongue either way).

The entire scene was absolutely amazing, perfect in execution.  It’s its own little universe.  Even though the man doesn’t say a line, we know why he’s despondent, why law enforcement is there and why he kills himself.  These cold openings have rarely disappointed.

The direction in “Madrigal” was gorgeous, the opening scene being a microcosm for it.  The episode itself was a magic trick.  We were looking out the peep hole waiting for our answer to come through the door and it came in through the back.

“Madrigal” dropped into our main storyline with Walt and Jesse talking to Mike.  Mike started it certain he wasn’t going to join Walt and there was a good portion of the episode where it looked like Mike may actually not.  There was a gateway where the writers could have followed him around to watch the aftermath of Walt’s decisions and tie in Hank’s investigating with Walt’s elusion.  It could’ve worked.  Meanwhile, Jesse was sent to find [ingredient name - anyone in the comments catch exactly what it was?] so he and Walt could start cooking again.

So while we were watching Walt make orders and Jesse run around, Mike saw 12—err, nine good people lose all of their money.  And instead of repeatedly saying he’s doing it for his family, he’s just doing it.

There’s your juxtaposition—the long-awaited comparison between someone who’s actually doing it for his family (Mike) and someone who’s using his family as an excuse because he likes the power (Walt).

Mike: "Get rid of the magnets and maybe I'll come back."

Mike told everyone to stay calm, everyone's been prepared for a scenario like this, and Lydia, the woman at the restaurant -- who I thought was maybe an accountant -- turned around and tried to kill everyone that could connect her to Gus after the police shut down the international accounts.  Mike then nearly dispatched her, but not before getting the one thing that could possibly bring him back in — the [ingredient name].  Turns out she’s a supplier for the chemistry side.  Lo and behold, she has something Walt needs.  Lo and behold, Mike needs money and needs money for His Guys.  Mike is pretty awesome.

As an aside, how awesome was that scene between Mike and Hank?  Great scene.  And Mike being from Philly and a former police officer, being smart as heck, a seasoned pro, and an actual family man, it’s hard not to root for him.  I hope he doesn’t die.

“Madrigal” also tied up some loose ends that were, well, big questions from the end of last year.  Or rather, one question.  What happened to the cigarette?

Walt got the cigarette back from Saul last episode (who had Huell lift it off Jesse in last season’s finale) and Walt attempted to plant a stand in cigarette in Jesse’s house and search with him.  The scene opened with Walt dissecting the cigarette and taking out the poison and replacing it with salt—then hiding the real poison in his house behind an electrical plug in the wall — all while Jesse vented to Walt his anxiety over the phone.  So stylized.  So cool.  So lean and efficient.  When they found it — bringing back the roomba — Jesse broke down and cried because he nearly shot Walt.  It’s been a long year or two for Pinkman.

This is the scene that ties everything together.  Nobody, myself included, really thought about the emotional implications for Jesse, and it’s because we knew Walt manipulated Jesse.  He then did everything in his power to hide it — and wow was that a long way — and Jesse, who’s been misguided, is now filled with regret for pulling a gun on Walt and nearly killing him, even though it was the right decision.

Walt attempted to console Jesse, but it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t give a hoot.  Probably because he’s become a complete liar.

This whole thing says to me Breaking Bad is still at its peak.  It hid so well from us the meaning of that scene until it was nearly over because we, like Walt, were kind of lost in the details.  What happened to that cigarette?  What was Walt going to do with Jesse?  Was this going to be a loose end until Jesse found out the truth?  Et cetera.  And it played with our heart strings a bit.

I’ve seen shows that can play with heart strings without manipulating and I’ve seen ones that fooled me really well.  I’ve seen ones plan meticulously and I’ve seen shows deliver on punches while making the non-explosive parts just as interesting. I’ve never seen a show that put it all together as well as Breaking Bad; not The Wire, not Lost, not Arrested Development.  Every show, I’ve had questions for that could never be answered — except Breaking Bad.  Season 5 is perfectly in line with everything before it.

It’s good to be back.

Source : ign[dot]com

Could Ptch be the Instagram of Videos?

The production company behind Shrek and Madagascar thinks it has the next killer social media app on its hands.

Referring to Instagram’s unlikely success among a sea of photo-sharing apps, Dreamworks Animation CTO Ed Leonard told Fast Company, “They had a very particular vision about creating something that had a strong point of view and ease of use. We're trying to do a similar thing in the world of media mashup."

Ptch, available now for video-equipped iOS devices, allows users to mix, share, mashup and re-remix media content with friends. The app is more involved than many existing social video apps, but giving users more editing options than filter selection should make for better videos.

Ptch’s dead-simple drag & drop interface lets you import content (the Ptch team calls it “Living Media”) from your camera roll and other social networks, and lets you mashup video clips with photos, add captions or a soundtrack, and apply “themes” for a finishing touch. Ptches are limited to 60 seconds, so your friends can’t subject you to more than a minute-long montage of how cute their kids are.

Sound familiar? The Ptch team acknowledges they’re not the first social video app. The spin, they say, is the option to make your Ptches available to friends for further remixing and mashing-up. So if you post a video from an Arcade Fire concert, I can replace the audio with a Coldplay song and make you look like a sap. Ha!

Ptch is a free download in the app store. The app team, which is being run as a startup within Dreamworks, plans to generate revenue from micro-transactions—licensed audio & video content, premium “themes”, etc. Unfortunately, no plans have been announced to let you pitch your Ptch-es to Dreamworks Pictures; looks like your Bee Movie sequel will have to wait.

Source : ign[dot]com