This looks so darn awesome!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans Trailer
I loved the first movie, second one was decent. This one looks like it'll be it's best in the franchise! And great to see Raze in this, and love to see Lucian as the lead. He was the best thing in the first movie.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Crow = Me Update
Well, as ya'll know, I am darn excited for Halloween and I'm going to be the Crow. I wrote about it here.
Just thought I should post pics of the make-up progress as I decided to test it out today that way in case I try it the day off and it sucks. But yeah, here is he... the Crow I'll be...
Just thought I should post pics of the make-up progress as I decided to test it out today that way in case I try it the day off and it sucks. But yeah, here is he... the Crow I'll be...
Thursday, October 23, 2008
New Watchmen Trailer and Poster
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Your Top Ten X-Men
Over at the Outhouse, a forum I tend to teleport to, Bubbakanoosh started a thread where you post your top 10 X-characters and he'll tally them up to make a list of from least popular to most. Whether its members from X-men, X-Factor, New Mutants, Excaliber or whatever. Any incarnation is allowed.
Here's the thread here. Also, post your top 10 and I'll just send the list over to him. This should be fun. I'm anxious to see how this goes.
Here's the thread here. Also, post your top 10 and I'll just send the list over to him. This should be fun. I'm anxious to see how this goes.
Poetic Influence (Music)
Like a lot of folks with a soul, I am grooved by music. Next to writing, music has often been a way of therapy for me as a way of me accepting myself and as a way to calm my bones when shattering. More than most types of music I'm big on rock. In high school I used to be given a weird eye for being at first one of the VERY few black guys into rock music. Actually, I think I stood out more for being that guy and many people came to me if they got interested in the genre. I was even in an extremely short lived rock band. But yes, as the years gone by I've fallen in love with many different artists, even dwelling a little out of rock at times. I'm big on No Doubt and love that they like to branch off to different types of music despite a lot of people's disdain for it. I love reggae, LOOOVE Bob Marley, you should see my ipod. Been rocking to Aaliyah lately and the Sweeney Todd soundtrack and Smashing Pumpkins along with rediscovering my love for The Servants and the magnificent Roots Manuva.
Now for this entry I just wanted to present a few musicians that influence me as a writer, mostly poetic-wise. The three I'm specifically talking of here below are Roots Manuva, a British rapper who's my favorite rapper by far; Blindside, a Swedish rock band with such uplifting music and lyrics; and Gavin Rossdale, former frontman of Bush and Institute and a musician who I've loved for years and can't seem to get enough of dispite noticing a lot of people look down on him.
But anywho, those artist really inspire me when I want to put something creative down on paper. Now, I myself am not a rapper although I have done a few songs in high school and have performed them live, especially singing with other rappers, most of the time with one of my best friends, Teardrop Jones. A month or so ago Jones sent me a beat and told me to write to it and wrote a rhyme that I'm actually rather proud of. Throughout writing it, I thought of the way Roots Manuva would write. He definitely doesn't fit the norm of mainstream rap and he really stands out for me. His lyrics are very haunting and imaginative and very funky and it goes well with his moody atmospheric music. Blindside's Christian Lindskog probably writes my favorite type of lyrics that I myself love to analyze. Each line of lyric just have this wonderful use of imagery that I try to emulate sometimes in my writing but can never seem to accomplish. And many times listening to the lyrics and music is of me trying to rediscover who I am and just what makes me happy. I get a real sense of just spiritual and inner bliss when I listen to Blindside. You should have seen me at their concert last year, October 13! I'll never forget. I even snuck backstage to meet the band and they were all so damn awesome. I ended up stealing a drumstick from upstage which the drummer, Marcus Dahlstrom, ended up joking about with me later that night when I bumped into him. And dear ol' Rossdale! Probably my favorite living rock star today. His music with Bush has always been very influential to me and I always feel that I can just have a strength to be myself listening to him. I can't really seem to put into words my adoration for this guy's music, it just is.
But yes, below are videos from each artist with lyrics accompanying them (excluding Manuva, darn lyric for this song is hard to find!). The Blindside and Rossdale videos aren't actually videos as they're just to showcase the music. All of them are currently my favorite tracks from each artist. Blindside's City Lights is in The Great Depression album (favorite song and album by them), Let The Spirit is from Roots Manuva's latest Silme & Reason, and Rossdale's Trouble I'm In is a haunting duet with Garbage's Shirley Manson from his recent album Wanderlust. They may not be their very best in their catalogue, but these are my current favorites of theirs.
City Lights by Blindside
I took a walk down the 4th avenue when i saw it
This red line in the grey concrete
Leading somewhere out of sight
Something compelled me to stop
So I jumped over the fence and
Started following what appeared to be
The trail of a leaking tin can
Leading away from the light
Is this what needs to be done
Blacklight shining in the dark
Brings out the brightness more than in the sun
Trade love for the city lights
Tonight you chose me to stay
Trade light for the city love
Tonight you chose me to stay
So what if i continue this walk
The red line is taking me down
Trashcan lonely street, yeah
The streets have their names but how come this people doesn't love just for fun
I'm starting to smell something beautiful
Though these streets are rotten
And now is this what needs to be done
Blacklight shining in the dark
Brings out the brightness more than in the sun
Trade love for the city lights
Tonight you chose me to stay
Trade light for the city love
Tonight you chose me to stay
Let The Spirit by Roots Manuva (I find it very funny that later in the video he talks about how he doesn't know what the f**k the song even means)
Trouble I'm In by Gavin Rossdale featuring Shirley Manson
Who do you lie between
Who has your love
You give it like poppy seed
You flow in the blood
I don't wanna fight no more
I don't want to see you crying
I don't want an all out war
You got soul that's dying again and again
You gotta let me in
You gotta let me in
She's under my skin
She's under my skin
Not looking for a scientist
I don't want a lift
Not looking for a doctor
To get me fixed
I don't wanna fight no more
I don't want to see you crying
I don't want an all out war
You got soul that's dying again and again
You gotta let me in
You gotta let me in
She's under my skin
She's under my skin
All the trouble I'm in (x4)
All eyes are watching me
I'm a stranger in this town
I must have lost my way
Since I took a turn awhile ago
These streets I do not know
Who do you lie between
Who has your love
I don't wanna fight no more
I don't want to see you crying
I don't want an all out war
You gotta let me in
You gotta let me in
She's under my skin
She's under my skin
All the trouble I'm in (x4)
All the trouble I'm in (x2)
Hope you enjoyed. Tell me what you think?
Now for this entry I just wanted to present a few musicians that influence me as a writer, mostly poetic-wise. The three I'm specifically talking of here below are Roots Manuva, a British rapper who's my favorite rapper by far; Blindside, a Swedish rock band with such uplifting music and lyrics; and Gavin Rossdale, former frontman of Bush and Institute and a musician who I've loved for years and can't seem to get enough of dispite noticing a lot of people look down on him.
But anywho, those artist really inspire me when I want to put something creative down on paper. Now, I myself am not a rapper although I have done a few songs in high school and have performed them live, especially singing with other rappers, most of the time with one of my best friends, Teardrop Jones. A month or so ago Jones sent me a beat and told me to write to it and wrote a rhyme that I'm actually rather proud of. Throughout writing it, I thought of the way Roots Manuva would write. He definitely doesn't fit the norm of mainstream rap and he really stands out for me. His lyrics are very haunting and imaginative and very funky and it goes well with his moody atmospheric music. Blindside's Christian Lindskog probably writes my favorite type of lyrics that I myself love to analyze. Each line of lyric just have this wonderful use of imagery that I try to emulate sometimes in my writing but can never seem to accomplish. And many times listening to the lyrics and music is of me trying to rediscover who I am and just what makes me happy. I get a real sense of just spiritual and inner bliss when I listen to Blindside. You should have seen me at their concert last year, October 13! I'll never forget. I even snuck backstage to meet the band and they were all so damn awesome. I ended up stealing a drumstick from upstage which the drummer, Marcus Dahlstrom, ended up joking about with me later that night when I bumped into him. And dear ol' Rossdale! Probably my favorite living rock star today. His music with Bush has always been very influential to me and I always feel that I can just have a strength to be myself listening to him. I can't really seem to put into words my adoration for this guy's music, it just is.
But yes, below are videos from each artist with lyrics accompanying them (excluding Manuva, darn lyric for this song is hard to find!). The Blindside and Rossdale videos aren't actually videos as they're just to showcase the music. All of them are currently my favorite tracks from each artist. Blindside's City Lights is in The Great Depression album (favorite song and album by them), Let The Spirit is from Roots Manuva's latest Silme & Reason, and Rossdale's Trouble I'm In is a haunting duet with Garbage's Shirley Manson from his recent album Wanderlust. They may not be their very best in their catalogue, but these are my current favorites of theirs.
City Lights by Blindside
I took a walk down the 4th avenue when i saw it
This red line in the grey concrete
Leading somewhere out of sight
Something compelled me to stop
So I jumped over the fence and
Started following what appeared to be
The trail of a leaking tin can
Leading away from the light
Is this what needs to be done
Blacklight shining in the dark
Brings out the brightness more than in the sun
Trade love for the city lights
Tonight you chose me to stay
Trade light for the city love
Tonight you chose me to stay
So what if i continue this walk
The red line is taking me down
Trashcan lonely street, yeah
The streets have their names but how come this people doesn't love just for fun
I'm starting to smell something beautiful
Though these streets are rotten
And now is this what needs to be done
Blacklight shining in the dark
Brings out the brightness more than in the sun
Trade love for the city lights
Tonight you chose me to stay
Trade light for the city love
Tonight you chose me to stay
Let The Spirit by Roots Manuva (I find it very funny that later in the video he talks about how he doesn't know what the f**k the song even means)
Trouble I'm In by Gavin Rossdale featuring Shirley Manson
Who do you lie between
Who has your love
You give it like poppy seed
You flow in the blood
I don't wanna fight no more
I don't want to see you crying
I don't want an all out war
You got soul that's dying again and again
You gotta let me in
You gotta let me in
She's under my skin
She's under my skin
Not looking for a scientist
I don't want a lift
Not looking for a doctor
To get me fixed
I don't wanna fight no more
I don't want to see you crying
I don't want an all out war
You got soul that's dying again and again
You gotta let me in
You gotta let me in
She's under my skin
She's under my skin
All the trouble I'm in (x4)
All eyes are watching me
I'm a stranger in this town
I must have lost my way
Since I took a turn awhile ago
These streets I do not know
Who do you lie between
Who has your love
I don't wanna fight no more
I don't want to see you crying
I don't want an all out war
You gotta let me in
You gotta let me in
She's under my skin
She's under my skin
All the trouble I'm in (x4)
All the trouble I'm in (x2)
Hope you enjoyed. Tell me what you think?
Labels:
Blindside,
Gavin Rossdale,
Music,
poetry,
Roots Manuva
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sippin' Poet #2: I, Heart
These past few days I've spoken to two of my close friends, my brothers, and they have seem to lose faith in themselves and life in general. It pains me to see them like this I wrote this poem for them or anyone else who's just felt so down in the dumps.
I, Heart
Leaves fall into a black pit
Where there's light but lowly lit.
Beyond the feets underneath
Floats a heart, leaking and in need
Of some nourishment, some stitch
But first lift it up, inch-by-inch.
There will be a heart in your palm
Still beating and pumping
But ever so gently and calm.
What's the cause of death? Must be something.
Turn it around and you shall see
A knife in place, in so damn deep.
Releasing it's cancer for the heart to to breathe
And out releases the tar. Yes, it can be cleaned.
Wipe away that filth and clear your eyes
Let in some sunshine, let go of those lies.
Think of a hush and rest from the chase
Allow yourself to love yourself into an embrace.
Step away from the dark roots
Allow the light to take hold, consume.
Smile again, release the poison in hand
Bury that hurtful memory under the sand.
Slow yourself, my dear brother
Breathe in and exhale. Now try another.
Let's drink to a new heart, a new place
Find that new glory, give it a kiss.
Yes, it's time to finally drop those tears
And always know, my man, I'm here.
So go on, man, walk.
Walk to that pit and pick up your heart.
Because it's time and the time is now.
I, Heart
Leaves fall into a black pit
Where there's light but lowly lit.
Beyond the feets underneath
Floats a heart, leaking and in need
Of some nourishment, some stitch
But first lift it up, inch-by-inch.
There will be a heart in your palm
Still beating and pumping
But ever so gently and calm.
What's the cause of death? Must be something.
Turn it around and you shall see
A knife in place, in so damn deep.
Releasing it's cancer for the heart to to breathe
And out releases the tar. Yes, it can be cleaned.
Wipe away that filth and clear your eyes
Let in some sunshine, let go of those lies.
Think of a hush and rest from the chase
Allow yourself to love yourself into an embrace.
Step away from the dark roots
Allow the light to take hold, consume.
Smile again, release the poison in hand
Bury that hurtful memory under the sand.
Slow yourself, my dear brother
Breathe in and exhale. Now try another.
Let's drink to a new heart, a new place
Find that new glory, give it a kiss.
Yes, it's time to finally drop those tears
And always know, my man, I'm here.
So go on, man, walk.
Walk to that pit and pick up your heart.
Because it's time and the time is now.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Sippin' Poet #1: To Kill You Is To Love You
One thing I absolutely love about listening to new music or appreciating music I haven't listened to in a while is just how much it influences me to write again! Mostly poetry. Thanks to tokka I started listening to Adore by the Smashing Pumpkins and rocking out to their tracks from the Batman and Robin soundtrack. The music really got my mind flowing and of course the lyrics by Billy. So today I thought of two new poems, one I'll post today, maybe the other tomorrow or later on. I'll also be posting my previous ones from months ago which I still love. But yes, without further ado...
To Kill You Is To Love You
To kill you is to love you
Don't you see, don't you read?
Taking out a seed and later conceive
To wash away your pain
And release my guilt of failure.
Raising a black flower that spreads disease
Virus of the unknown, following smudge.
Let the knife in to release the pain
The tragedy you release with each breath
The sigh eloped with each death.
Because to kill me is to love me...
Is that what you believe?
To Kill You Is To Love You
To kill you is to love you
Don't you see, don't you read?
Taking out a seed and later conceive
To wash away your pain
And release my guilt of failure.
Raising a black flower that spreads disease
Virus of the unknown, following smudge.
Let the knife in to release the pain
The tragedy you release with each breath
The sigh eloped with each death.
Because to kill me is to love me...
Is that what you believe?
Labels:
my craft,
poetry,
the smashing pumpkins
Street Fighter III: Ryu Final
One of my best friends, Lebert "Teardrop" Jones, is a huge Street Fighter fan. He's addicted to the video games and movies and is starting to become addicted to the books. Most of the time when he comes over we'd duke it out playing a Street Fighter game. Now I'm not as good as he is but I'm able to get some hits in and a few times have defeated him. I love getting in his face about beating him with Dan, a character who everyone hates and call him a weakling yet he's my best fighter next to Sagat. But anywho, TD came over a week or so ago and gave me both volumes of SF: Ryu Final and asked me to review it so I thought, "Hey, what the heck? I like Street Fighter and like reading different things than the normal standard American comics." So I started reading and began to enjoy it a lot. I was actually really impressed. One reason being that the previous SF series Udon had released I felt left a lot of be desired. Now don't get me wrong. The previous series by Udon captured the characters right and the art was amazing, but I felt more could have been done with the story. The pacing was a bit too fast and there was no meat in the overall plot. But it was still enjoyable in its own way. The art alone was enough to buy the series each month... or whatever month they decided to release it.
Well, this time they give the reigns to Masahiko Nakahira who writes a great tale of a warrior, Ryu, who is in search of the "Power of the Soul" which will then help him to prepare himself to become a true martial artist. But before he could become a true martial artist he must first embark on a journey where he must defeat the true martial artist himself, Akuma - who in a way is a dark reflection of our protagonist. Through both volumes we embark alongside with Ryu and Oro, a hermit who randomly popped out of nowhere and puts Ryu through some torturous exercises and even getting him into trouble. Oro adds a great amount of humor into the story where you just laugh at what the character puts Ryu through. And Oro is just one colorful character among the other numerous characters that help Ryu discover something about himself. Hugo, a giant childish man puts Ryu through an exciting battle with a ending that catches you off guard, Yun and Yang, twins that are willing to challenge the great Ryu in order to test their strength which just leads to hilarity, Dudley, a polite boxer who helps Ryu become one with the Earth, trees, and the wind to help him achieve the ability and strength to form his "Killing Strike" that will eventually help him battle Akuma. And of course I must mention my man Sagat, an honorable fighter who has nothing but respect for Ryu after behind defeated and scarring him but still battle as if bitter enemies. Once the fighting ends, there's nothing but a smile and promises between the two. That is one thing I really enjoy about this book also. Each character is given a humanity to them that helps you get immersed into the character. Even Akuma gets his moments, for example when he and Ryu have a little banter before their final battle and they share a laugh. Once again at the end of their battle there's no contempt, just honorable respect.
Now the art is beautiful. Next to the good writing Nakahira's art helps the story really pop out. The fights are very clear and very breathtaking to watch. He takes advantage of panel placements to help emphasize impacts and the beauty of the specific moves being done, for example the way the Shoryuken (Dragon Punch) is displayed just has you in fascination as you just stare at the page looking at each moment when it's used. And man, some of the fights are just plain brutal! The fight between Ryu and Dudley is a particular favorite of mine as Dudley just send quick blow after blow and you just shake your head wondering how Ryu will get out of this one. There's a part where Ryu sends a harsh blow into his arm that causes his muscles to burst as blood just pops out of the arm. It's truly a sight to behold.
Reading this also help me get into more of a mindset for in case I want to really go for the 24 Comic Book Challenge. I was thinking of a story that incorporated martial arts and just seeing the fights in this book just fascinated me and got me pumped.We'll see if I go through with it, heh heh. Also reading this got me into the mindset to practice more in the SF games. It really inspires me the play the video games more and finally defeat my bastard rival, Teardrop Jones once and for all. Sure, I've had a few victories over him, but let me give you a bit of estimation on our battles. Think maybe 25-250. You can guess who the 25 is, haha! That's if I even got that much to begin with! Sheesh! But I will say, the battles where I do win are always a blast to watch. Heh heh. And I know he hates it when I defeat him with Dan, the weakest character in the game. But that just gives me some bragging rights, heh.
Well, this time they give the reigns to Masahiko Nakahira who writes a great tale of a warrior, Ryu, who is in search of the "Power of the Soul" which will then help him to prepare himself to become a true martial artist. But before he could become a true martial artist he must first embark on a journey where he must defeat the true martial artist himself, Akuma - who in a way is a dark reflection of our protagonist. Through both volumes we embark alongside with Ryu and Oro, a hermit who randomly popped out of nowhere and puts Ryu through some torturous exercises and even getting him into trouble. Oro adds a great amount of humor into the story where you just laugh at what the character puts Ryu through. And Oro is just one colorful character among the other numerous characters that help Ryu discover something about himself. Hugo, a giant childish man puts Ryu through an exciting battle with a ending that catches you off guard, Yun and Yang, twins that are willing to challenge the great Ryu in order to test their strength which just leads to hilarity, Dudley, a polite boxer who helps Ryu become one with the Earth, trees, and the wind to help him achieve the ability and strength to form his "Killing Strike" that will eventually help him battle Akuma. And of course I must mention my man Sagat, an honorable fighter who has nothing but respect for Ryu after behind defeated and scarring him but still battle as if bitter enemies. Once the fighting ends, there's nothing but a smile and promises between the two. That is one thing I really enjoy about this book also. Each character is given a humanity to them that helps you get immersed into the character. Even Akuma gets his moments, for example when he and Ryu have a little banter before their final battle and they share a laugh. Once again at the end of their battle there's no contempt, just honorable respect.
Now the art is beautiful. Next to the good writing Nakahira's art helps the story really pop out. The fights are very clear and very breathtaking to watch. He takes advantage of panel placements to help emphasize impacts and the beauty of the specific moves being done, for example the way the Shoryuken (Dragon Punch) is displayed just has you in fascination as you just stare at the page looking at each moment when it's used. And man, some of the fights are just plain brutal! The fight between Ryu and Dudley is a particular favorite of mine as Dudley just send quick blow after blow and you just shake your head wondering how Ryu will get out of this one. There's a part where Ryu sends a harsh blow into his arm that causes his muscles to burst as blood just pops out of the arm. It's truly a sight to behold.
Reading this also help me get into more of a mindset for in case I want to really go for the 24 Comic Book Challenge. I was thinking of a story that incorporated martial arts and just seeing the fights in this book just fascinated me and got me pumped.We'll see if I go through with it, heh heh. Also reading this got me into the mindset to practice more in the SF games. It really inspires me the play the video games more and finally defeat my bastard rival, Teardrop Jones once and for all. Sure, I've had a few victories over him, but let me give you a bit of estimation on our battles. Think maybe 25-250. You can guess who the 25 is, haha! That's if I even got that much to begin with! Sheesh! But I will say, the battles where I do win are always a blast to watch. Heh heh. And I know he hates it when I defeat him with Dan, the weakest character in the game. But that just gives me some bragging rights, heh.
Labels:
Japanese Manga,
manga,
Masahiko Nakahira,
Street Fighter,
Udon
Oh, The Horror! #11: Uzumaki
Thanks a freakin' lot, Junji Ito! Now I'll never look at spirals the same again!
Months ago I was reading some stuff on Hine (my favorite writer who everyone should know by now!) and I saw he was into this horror manga called Uzumaki by Junji Ito. As many of you know and can tell I'm a horror fan and lately I've been trying to expand my horizons, from movies, art, etc etc. I've actually never read a horror manga and I looked up the main plot for Uzumaki and found it to be pretty weird, but something about it just stuck to me as for months I always had it in my mind to check out the story. I had asked a few people I know about it, most of them manga fans and they always told me no, they had not heard of it or read it. Finally I got to read the books. I started yesterday and the only thing that stopped me from reading was my friend coming over. This morning I woke up to catch TMNT but my cable service was messed up so I just went straight to Uzumaki and read the whole series. This thing basically consumed me! I just couldn't stop reading!
For those who don't know, uzumaki is the Japanese word for spiral. The story of this manga is about a small town in Japan called KurĂ´zu-cho that, well... gets haunted by spirals. At first it starts off as an obsession for some characters, that leads to some people being afraid of spirals, which leads to death... and... stuff. Heh, I don't know how to quite explain it. Throughout each chapter we follow around Kirie Goshima as she watches the horrific events happening in town. Her boyfriend's father is the first person we see who's obsessed with spirals. He won't eat anything that doesn't look like a spiral, he won't even bath in the tub without making the water move like a whirlpool. Eventually he kills himself by twirling his whole body into a spiral. And that in turn brings the rest of the town in a downward spiral. One person gets so frightened of spirals that she cuts off her fingerprints! Hell, some people even begin to turn into snails! Each chapter gets weirder and weirder and you've no idea how many times my mouth just opened itself in horror when I looked at a new page and there's been times that I've been so submerged into the story that I find myself jumping from an image on the next page. There is not one chapter that doesn't catch you off guard and surprise you. I had no idea whatsoever where this would take me. One of my favorite sequences was the Romeo and Juliet type story where the two lovers at the end twist their bodies then twist them together to be one and disappear from their warring family.
Eventually the town starts to go mad, as if it weren't already, but you'd have to see it for yourself in what I mean. While the first two volumes focused on a different character connecting to the spirals, volume three begins to show the whole town together in turmoil after a hurricane nearly destroys the town. No one can escape as they're constantly being brought back into the town and people begin to get rather desperate in their ways of living there. As I read through this I kept thinking how I would be affected by this town. How crazy would my own mind be driven. Now I wasn't really attached to much of the characters but the things that would happen to them just made me feel so sorry for them. This is seriously a horror story and the author is damn cruel to treat his characters this way, haha! And I laugh especially thinking about some of the crazy stuff happening because some of the stuff is in fact rather humorous. When I was telling my friend about the first six chapters yesterday I couldn't help from dying in laughter at each ending of the chapters.
Now, the ending is random. I understand it but don't at the same time. When everything gets explained, it seems a little out of nowhere but then again with the previous chapters... I mean, c'mon. It makes sense given the world it's in but at the same time there's no explanation within that explanation... okay, it's confusing the way I'm trying to say without spoiling it so you'd have to check it out for yourself. But yes, once again I will never look at a spiral the same again. That's true horror for ya! Check it out, its good fun. And from what I understand there was a movie made of this. That I may have to check out!
Months ago I was reading some stuff on Hine (my favorite writer who everyone should know by now!) and I saw he was into this horror manga called Uzumaki by Junji Ito. As many of you know and can tell I'm a horror fan and lately I've been trying to expand my horizons, from movies, art, etc etc. I've actually never read a horror manga and I looked up the main plot for Uzumaki and found it to be pretty weird, but something about it just stuck to me as for months I always had it in my mind to check out the story. I had asked a few people I know about it, most of them manga fans and they always told me no, they had not heard of it or read it. Finally I got to read the books. I started yesterday and the only thing that stopped me from reading was my friend coming over. This morning I woke up to catch TMNT but my cable service was messed up so I just went straight to Uzumaki and read the whole series. This thing basically consumed me! I just couldn't stop reading!
For those who don't know, uzumaki is the Japanese word for spiral. The story of this manga is about a small town in Japan called KurĂ´zu-cho that, well... gets haunted by spirals. At first it starts off as an obsession for some characters, that leads to some people being afraid of spirals, which leads to death... and... stuff. Heh, I don't know how to quite explain it. Throughout each chapter we follow around Kirie Goshima as she watches the horrific events happening in town. Her boyfriend's father is the first person we see who's obsessed with spirals. He won't eat anything that doesn't look like a spiral, he won't even bath in the tub without making the water move like a whirlpool. Eventually he kills himself by twirling his whole body into a spiral. And that in turn brings the rest of the town in a downward spiral. One person gets so frightened of spirals that she cuts off her fingerprints! Hell, some people even begin to turn into snails! Each chapter gets weirder and weirder and you've no idea how many times my mouth just opened itself in horror when I looked at a new page and there's been times that I've been so submerged into the story that I find myself jumping from an image on the next page. There is not one chapter that doesn't catch you off guard and surprise you. I had no idea whatsoever where this would take me. One of my favorite sequences was the Romeo and Juliet type story where the two lovers at the end twist their bodies then twist them together to be one and disappear from their warring family.
Eventually the town starts to go mad, as if it weren't already, but you'd have to see it for yourself in what I mean. While the first two volumes focused on a different character connecting to the spirals, volume three begins to show the whole town together in turmoil after a hurricane nearly destroys the town. No one can escape as they're constantly being brought back into the town and people begin to get rather desperate in their ways of living there. As I read through this I kept thinking how I would be affected by this town. How crazy would my own mind be driven. Now I wasn't really attached to much of the characters but the things that would happen to them just made me feel so sorry for them. This is seriously a horror story and the author is damn cruel to treat his characters this way, haha! And I laugh especially thinking about some of the crazy stuff happening because some of the stuff is in fact rather humorous. When I was telling my friend about the first six chapters yesterday I couldn't help from dying in laughter at each ending of the chapters.
Now, the ending is random. I understand it but don't at the same time. When everything gets explained, it seems a little out of nowhere but then again with the previous chapters... I mean, c'mon. It makes sense given the world it's in but at the same time there's no explanation within that explanation... okay, it's confusing the way I'm trying to say without spoiling it so you'd have to check it out for yourself. But yes, once again I will never look at a spiral the same again. That's true horror for ya! Check it out, its good fun. And from what I understand there was a movie made of this. That I may have to check out!
Labels:
Horror,
Japanese Manga,
Junji Ito,
manga,
Uzumaki
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Oh, The Horror! #10: Hellboy (film)
Well, after reviewing Hellboy vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others it only seems plausible to watch Hellboy and review it. Only, I didn't finish watching it again and I was actually going to write a review about it before my friend even let me borrow the Hellboy trade. But yes, anyhoo, my baby sister decided to put the DVD on so it played in the background while I surfed but still turned around to catch most of the movie. Damn good movie this is. The direction, the make-up, the actors, the characters, the score, everything! Heck, the score is playing in the background right now as I type this! My sister just let the credits play until it's now at the disc menu just replaying itself. But hey, I love the music, so I won't shut it off. And who doesn't love that magnificent score piece during the funeral of Hellboy's dad? That is just heart rendering.
Ron Perlman is much too awesome as Hellboy. He gives him such a charm that it's hard not to fall in love with him. The same goes to Abe Sapien who is played by Doug Jones and voiced by David Hyde Pierce. I love the two of them together in Hellboy 2 as they most certainly bring out such great laughs, especially their drunken scene when they sing Barry Manilow. But that's the sequel! This is about Hellboy 1! Once again, great movie. It's funyn how much I love this movie now as when I first saw it in theaters I didn't like it at all. My family did, but I didn't. When it came out on DVD I somehow ended up buying it, watched it again and still didn't like it, thinking I wasted my money. And SOMEHOW I watched it again and just fell in love with it. I dunno what it was. But I'm glad I did because now I love the character and the mythology around everything of his and his world. I love how the movie tries to depict Hellboy wanting to be a man and that's pushed even further in the sequel. I also love his love him/hate him relationship with John Mayers, played by Rupert Evans. It saddened me that Evans wasn't in the sequel but it's a little hard to wonder how he would have fit in. Especially given that he's not a character from the books. And of course we have Selma Blair as Liz, the firestarter! One of my absolute favorite scenes is when she gets kissed in her sleep which causes her to blow up a whole asylum!
The villains! How can you not love the villains?! You have Gregori Rasputin, who in this movie starts off working for the Nazis as he's a man of great knowledge of the occult and eventually brings Hellboy to our world as a cute lil' thing. He comes back later, hoping to bring the demons Ogdru Jahad to our world that brings Hellboy straight into the main plot where he has to stop him and over-come his destiny of being a God of Destruction. Then there's Kroenen who totally steals the movie for me. A deadly killing machine who's blood has turned into dust but just keeps on ticking. He is a victim of plastic surgery and has such a beautiful face. My oh my. And who doesn't love that creepy scene where he gently goes down those steps to kill Hellboy's father, Professor Broom played by John Hurt. And then later in the film you cheer on when Hellboy packs some much deserved pounds into Kroenen's face!
Great humor, great action, and great everything! Watch this movie and just let it take you into a magically world. Then catch the sequel which just multiples everything into total bliss! I can't wait to see the sequel again and review it.
Ron Perlman is much too awesome as Hellboy. He gives him such a charm that it's hard not to fall in love with him. The same goes to Abe Sapien who is played by Doug Jones and voiced by David Hyde Pierce. I love the two of them together in Hellboy 2 as they most certainly bring out such great laughs, especially their drunken scene when they sing Barry Manilow. But that's the sequel! This is about Hellboy 1! Once again, great movie. It's funyn how much I love this movie now as when I first saw it in theaters I didn't like it at all. My family did, but I didn't. When it came out on DVD I somehow ended up buying it, watched it again and still didn't like it, thinking I wasted my money. And SOMEHOW I watched it again and just fell in love with it. I dunno what it was. But I'm glad I did because now I love the character and the mythology around everything of his and his world. I love how the movie tries to depict Hellboy wanting to be a man and that's pushed even further in the sequel. I also love his love him/hate him relationship with John Mayers, played by Rupert Evans. It saddened me that Evans wasn't in the sequel but it's a little hard to wonder how he would have fit in. Especially given that he's not a character from the books. And of course we have Selma Blair as Liz, the firestarter! One of my absolute favorite scenes is when she gets kissed in her sleep which causes her to blow up a whole asylum!
The villains! How can you not love the villains?! You have Gregori Rasputin, who in this movie starts off working for the Nazis as he's a man of great knowledge of the occult and eventually brings Hellboy to our world as a cute lil' thing. He comes back later, hoping to bring the demons Ogdru Jahad to our world that brings Hellboy straight into the main plot where he has to stop him and over-come his destiny of being a God of Destruction. Then there's Kroenen who totally steals the movie for me. A deadly killing machine who's blood has turned into dust but just keeps on ticking. He is a victim of plastic surgery and has such a beautiful face. My oh my. And who doesn't love that creepy scene where he gently goes down those steps to kill Hellboy's father, Professor Broom played by John Hurt. And then later in the film you cheer on when Hellboy packs some much deserved pounds into Kroenen's face!
Great humor, great action, and great everything! Watch this movie and just let it take you into a magically world. Then catch the sequel which just multiples everything into total bliss! I can't wait to see the sequel again and review it.
Watchmen trailer
A buddy of mine, Rex, asked me to put it up, so why not? It's a comic book film and such a brilliant book. The trailer is darn amazing too, with an amazing track to go with it. It'd be crazy if this movie is as brilliant as the book.
Labels:
alan moore,
dc comics,
watchmen,
Zack Snyder
Rx Tales: Stories To Make You Feel Better Update!
Well, guess what!? yesterday George sent me the a few scans of the pages dear Kotsu penciled for my script In Loving Memory... and it looks amazing! I'm so damn excited it's not even funny. My mouth was just wide in excitement. And to think this great art is going to be my first published script! Sheesh! And the girl believes this was rush! What is wrong with you, dear Kotsu? LOL! And besides my collab with Kotsu, George informs me that the other stories have been coming along great, so great news all around.
Once again, a great big thanks to Kotsu and George!
But yes, below are a few preview pages.
Once again, a great big thanks to Kotsu and George!
But yes, below are a few preview pages.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Oh, The Horror! #9: Hellboy Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others
I love Hellboy. Yes, I do! I think he's a great character and I just love his world and the other folks he surrounds himself with. I love both the fantastic movies directed by the great Guillermo Del Toro and I love the animated movies. One problem, though... I've never really read Hellboy. Some kinda fan I am, ay? Years ago I've read the famous The Corpse story, and I've read the crossover with Savage Dragon. One thing I've ALWAYS loved was the wonderful art done by the creator Mike Mignola. But yes, a few days ago I went to one of my friends' house to discuss our film assignment for film class. I saw he had a few comics and I asked if I could borrow Hellboy. I would have loved it to be Vol. 1, but it was Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others, but who was I to pass up a chance to FINALLY read the damn book?! So I borrowed it and finally read it earlier today, and holy moley was this a blast to read! Each chapter was a short issue or a few pages all introduced by Mignola himself on the background of the story.
You can totally see Mignola having tons of fun writing and drawing this comic and coming up with the stories. It's seriously like watching a boy play with his toys. Mignola is highly imaginative with each panel-to-page of the stories, but at the same time produces the complexity of everything to a very simple story that's enough to have you cheering for the hero. Mignola is a HUGE folklore junky and his stories are deeply inspired by old folklore that range from all types of cultures. That's one thing that's always fascinated me about the character even in the movies, live action and animated. In this specific volume, there's inspiration from English, Irish, Russian culture, even a bit of Frankenstein! I would love to see what Mignola could do with Haitian folklore. That'd definitely get my fascination to the upteen level!
I would highly recommend this for anyone who's a fan of the Hellboy movies, horror, or monsters. I actually got such an aura of inspiration reading this and makes me really excited to produce something of this caliber someday. It's definitely pumped me up for the upcoming 24 Hour Comic Challenge I posted earlier about. Also, once again, the art is just... magnificent. I really wish Marvel and DC books would put more art like this into their books. Artists like Mignola, Riley Rossmo, Irving, etc. These types of artists are what I find to be more appealing than the art we're seeing in the Big 2 books today. Now, I do enjoy a lot of the art there and the artists are extremely skillful and talented, but it's time we've had some change with the style of art, you know?
But anywho, Hellboy! I'm so gonna need to start buying the other trades of this book! So do you all!
Labels:
awesomeness,
dark horses,
Hellboy,
Horror,
Mike Mignola,
monsters
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Oh, The Horror! #8: Ab-Normal Beauty
Ab-Normal Beauty
Really bizarre film, and maybe a little un-balanced. In a way it works for it but at the same time doesn't evoke much feeling. Well... it really depends. This is another Asian horror film about an artist who doesn't like doing the typical flowers and trees in her art and is extremely fascinated by death. She carries a camera with her wherever she goes and takes snap shots of people who happen to die around her and of people killing animals, such as fish and chicken. There are some rather lovely shots and nice use of color in certain scenes and they all help establish a disturbing emotion to the lead. She is really frightening, especially around the people who care for her.
As her fascination for death grows, someone gets fascinated in her and begins to stalk her and begins to send her snuff films. The second part of the movie is what sort of throws you off because it seems to randomly appear out of nowhere, but I think it shows an interesting contrast with the twisted things people find beautiful until they're on the receiving end.
From the first part of the movie, I really thought the film would go a different route. I thought in her fascination of death, some supernatural element connected to death itself would become fascinated in her, etc. Especially after a specific scene where her mind plays tricks on her.
Watching this also gave me a few ideas, so good thing I watched it. Overall, not a great film, but some interesting things if you're into weird stuff like what I described above. There was a scene which was really well done where the lead mentally rape the boy who has a crush on her in order for her to create a piece of art. Weird, I know.
Labels:
Ab-Normal Beauty,
Asian,
Horror,
Oxide Pang Chun
Rx Tales: Stories To Make You Feel Better
As many of you know my big dream is to be a comic writer, and my cousin-in-law, George, has made my first step a reality! Mighty good thanks, George, you've no idea how much this means to me! See, George Hartman is married to a cousin of mine, Shirley, and every time there's a family gathering all we do is talk comics! One day he informed me of an anthology he was going to do and then asked me if I'd like to contribute! Imagine my excitement! Of course, you can guess my answer! The story, though, had to do with medical stuff. Anything from doctors, patients, nurses, hospitals, anything. That very same night I started scribbling down ideas for a story till I finally had one and finished it asap and am damn proud of the script. George helped me out a little, him being editor and it was for the best. But then came the hassle of finding an artist for the darn thing! It took forever but he finally came across Kotsu! (Click name for deviant page) She's a lovely artist from Virginia and I was excited when I saw her art work. I quickly went to add her to my myspace only to find that I already had her as a friend (what a coincidence, heh!) But yeah, we e-mailed a bit and she truly is a kool girl and I'm glad to be working with her.
Today George informed me that Kotsu's pages are finished but the lettering and just imagine my damn excitement! I can't freakin' wait to see the pages. I think Imma cry, haha! Thank you, George and Kotsu!
Today George informed me that Kotsu's pages are finished but the lettering and just imagine my damn excitement! I can't freakin' wait to see the pages. I think Imma cry, haha! Thank you, George and Kotsu!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
24 Hour Comic Challenge
Every year there's a challenge run that has participants getting together and making a 24 page comic in within 24 hours. This year's challenge is October 18. You can either go to a hosted store where there's tons of people participating next to you or can do it at the comfort of your home. You just need to follow the rules and sign this form and send it to Scott McCloud along with your comic. I think I'll be doing one this year. Sounds like a bunch of fun. And so what if my drawings suck? Heh. Tokka, you should definitely try it! I'd also like to see if Tristan would do it!
Here are the websites where you can find the rules, etc etc.
http://24hourcomicsday.com/
http://www.scottmccloud.com/inventions/24hr/24hr.html
Here are the websites where you can find the rules, etc etc.
http://24hourcomicsday.com/
http://www.scottmccloud.com/inventions/24hr/24hr.html
The Crow = Me
Well, Halloween is coming up, a big favorite of mine. Last year was the first time I celebrated since being in Junior High and was mostly dragged by my friends to the Halloween parade in Manhattan then we walked around 14 Street where all the freaks came out in costume and I had a BALL! I was Phantom of the Opera. This year I decided to go all out and become the Crow. I'm a huge fan of the original comic and the first movie. At first I wanted to be Brother Voodoo this year, but that'll be for a later time. This year I'm The Crow and I'm excited! I already bought most of my make-up and even have a lovely crow for my shoulder. My new best friend.
But yes, for this section of my blog I'll be posting some stuff of the Crow, mostly me getting ready for Halloween later this month. So yes... I decided to do a sketch of most likely what I'll be looking like! Tell me what you think!
But yes, for this section of my blog I'll be posting some stuff of the Crow, mostly me getting ready for Halloween later this month. So yes... I decided to do a sketch of most likely what I'll be looking like! Tell me what you think!
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