Review: Anime Winter Season 2016 – Second Episodes

If you enjoyed my reviews for the first episodes of the anime winter season, then I’m back for the second episodes. I couldn’t quite make it through everything for a second and third episode roundup, but hopefully before the fourth episodes I’ll get there. You’ll also notice that this list is much shorter… like much shorter. I trimmed the fat quickly and I don’t regret it. If there’s something you’re watching that I’m not, let me know how it’s going and maybe I’ll check it out again.

ERASED – 5/5

FUCK! This show is so fucking good! This is one of the few I already watched the third episode of, but the second episode didn’t disappoint. We see the main character, who’s 29, in his younger body trying to figure out school. He’s trying to remember his friends, where he sits and figure out why he’s gone back in time so far. We also see him connect with his mother and remember moments that he had clearly forgotten when he was older. Their relationship is very different from what we saw in the future. The only thing better about this episode is the next one. So fucking good and I can’t stay away. I had thought about waiting until it was over to binge it, but I can’t. I’m dying to see more and unravel the mystery.

SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU – 4/5

Not quite as good as the first episode because it was missing some key components, mainly the characters that were so good. It was still a really good episode though as we see the Rakugo master becoming an apprentice and the events in his life that lead him there. It’s interesting for sure and it really makes me wonder how the story arrived at the point we saw it at. I’m definitely sticking with this one and looking forward to the third episode.

DAGASHI KASHI – 2/5

I love the art. I love the character designs. I hate the story. It’s just a candy ad. Some of it is cultural and so it’s lost on me, but comedy is universal and these jokes suck... a lot. The purple hair chick should be 200 lbs considering all she eats is candy, but she’s not. She really only eats candy and the plot didn’t move forward at all in this episode. I don’t know if I’ll bother with the third.

GRIMGAR OF FANTASY AND ASH – 4/5

Grimgar is surprisingly good. We see our group kill their first goblin and it’s rough on them. They get injured and see that this goblin wants to live as much as they do. Killing it, isn’t a simple and careless task. There’s a lot of emotions put on this episode on all ends of the spectrum. Also the art looks like something off of the promo art for Final Fantasy Tactics which should be enough reason for anyone to check it out.

GIVE BLESSING TO THIS WONDERFUL WORLD – 2/5

Talk about a disappointment. The beginning of the episode was okay, but then it added the eventual third character which is a shame. This series really could have broken the mold and just kept it a duo, but nope… had to go typical. The third character is so bad and over the top that they’re not funny. Their motivation sucks and they’re there just to pad the character count. I’m giving it another episode, but I was really disappointed by how boring and generic this episode was.

MYRIAD COLORS PHANTOM WORLD – 3/5

This second episode was okay. They add another character because… anime. The new character eats the yokai to seal them and there’s more boob stuff. I did enjoy the scene in which the main character attempted not to be typical during the mandatory “fall on top of each other scene”, but that his little fairy friend got in the way and made it worse. Otherwise it was just okay and I will give it another episode.

PLEASE TELL ME! GALKO-CHAN – 2/5

Remember when I said that this was worth 8 minutes of viewing… I was wrong. Second episode sucked. The jokes are for teenagers that know nothing about human biology or at least the biology of the opposite sex and the jokes just wear thin. It should be a nice trip down, “I remember being a dumb teenager” lane, but instead it’s a little too dumb. I might watch one more episode, but the effort to view it is starting to outweigh the entertainment.

GIRLS BEYOND THE WASTELAND – 3/5

This series gets a point just for not wasting my fucking time by having them spend half the season collecting their characters together like Boring Girlfriend did. That doesn’t mean I like it, just that it didn’t waste fucking time doing that and I appreciated it. Ever since the swerve at the end of the first episode I have been bored by this “let’s explore the otaku genre” story. Once or twice is special, every damn season… not so much. It’s like a comic book about making comic books that reboots every six issues. I’m tired of it.

DIMENSION W – 3/5

I checked this one out again because Robert aka Mr. Skippo said he liked it. It was actually okay. I’m still not in love with the world and I find the mystery to be extremely transparent. Here’s a hint… there are no such thing as illegal coils. The characters are okay and I’m really not sure why they’re making the girl robot/not-robot be cutsey with the main dude, oh wait… anime. I liked his backstory and I think that would have made a better series to follow. And I have to mention that I find the dancing during the opening to be beyond ridick and doesn’t match the tone of the show. I will probably give this another shot.

BUBUKI BURANKI – 3/5

I want to rate this higher, but the story is just too fucking confusing. I like it and we get a bit more info, but some of it still doesn’t make sense. Why did the mom go to the island to stop other Buranki from falling? Why the fuck are they up there in the first place? Where the fuck are his sister and father? The entire landscape of the world is still super confusing and the dickhead character is beyond unlikable. I feel no sympathy for him because he basically kicks puppies and we’re supposed to feel bad because his dad’s got a drinking problem, pshh! My dad’s got a drinking problem I don’t go around beating up animals and being an utter dickhead. I might ride this one out to the end, but I’m beginning to think that there’s too much the world needs to explain in order for it to work and it’s not showing it, but rather telling it and even that is a rarity.

ACTIVE RAID – 2/5

More of the same. A villain is introduced and big surprise, the new girl sent to spy ends up doing the same amount of damage as the rest of the team. This series would be great if it wasn’t trying to make fun of politics at the same time. It’s too corny, too often, for me to give a damn. And as good as the art is on the suits, the rest of the animation is pretty generic. It’s good, but nothing we haven’t seen before. That and one of the gags for the episode involved the boss and her sister and they were the exact same animation. I get that that was the joke, but it wasn’t funny. Kind of lazy and stupid if you ask me. It was a maybe before and now it’s a no.

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Well there you go, second episodes done! I should have the third episodes done sooner than later and be just in time for the fourth episodes or just barely late for them. Let me know your thoughts and if any of these shows have caught your attention.

New Bruce Lee Action Figure Debuts From Bluefin

Bluefin, the leading North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan, Hong Kong and more, is proud to introduce the world’s most posableBruce Lee action figure! Renowned Japanese collectibles label, Tamashii Nations, integrates its advanced S.H. Figuarts articulation technology to reproduce all of Bruce Lee's powerful martial arts moves! For this latest release, Tamashii Nations also utilized cutting edge digital facial coloring technology to achieve a stunning level of realism and collectors will be impressed by the incredible level of overall quality.

The Bruce Lee figure debuts in February with an MSRP of $49.99 from authorized Bluefin retailers nationwide and also from a variety of leading online outlets. Pre-orders continue to be available.

The S.H. Figuarts Bruce Lee figure stands 5 inches tall and includes several trademark martial arts weapons including a nunchaku (nunchuck) and two bo staffs (short and long. Other accessories include interchangeable hands (x9) and interchangeable face parts (x2).

Bruce Lee was a pioneering Chinese American action film star, martial arts instructor, philosopher, and filmmaker. He starred in several highly influential martial arts movies such as Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon and is widely regarded as one of the most iconic martial artists of all time.

Bluefin is the official North American distributor for Tamashii Nations, an umbrella label that encompasses Japan’s top collectible brands and features products from popular giant robot shows like Mazinger Z andGundam, anime series like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon, and live action series like Kamen Rider. The mission of Tamashii Nations is to bring “tamashii,” the Japanese word for soul or spirit, into everything they create. For a complete listing of Tamashii Nations products available from Bluefin, please visit: www.bluefincorp.com/catalog/tamashii-nations.html.

Review: Lucifer 1.1: Pilot

Since Constantine went off air I’ve been desperately waiting for Lucifer to premiere. Not because I’m some diehard of the original comic (though I have started reading the new series), but rather because the trailer for the series sold me on it. We meet Lucifer and we’re introduced to his “power” in the cold opening. It’s a scene just to establish that he’s “bad” and has an effect on people. It’s not the best cold opening, but it’s a safe opening. After he makes it to his nightclub LUX, we learn through exposition and a visit from an angel that Lucifer has left Hell in favor of owning a club off of the Hollywood strip. A famous singer that he helped guide stops by the club to ask if she in fact sold her soul to the devil to which he tells her no. He seems to really care about her as he asks her to just get her life in order and nothing more.

Then she’s gunned down… along with Lucifer.

He actually gets back up and questions the shooter who was hit by a bus. From there he decides that he’s going to basically solve the case. He meets a detective that no one on the force wants to work with and his charms don’t work on her. Their paths cross again as Lucifer seeks answers for the woman’s death and we successfully see his powers in action.

The first episode does a fine job of introducing Chloe our soon to be co-main character. For Lucifer its easy, read the bible or just the quotes that it leads off with. The point of Lucifer’s story is to present another side of the story that’s written in the bible so we don’t need backstory on him. We do need it on Chloe and we learn everything. She was an actress at one point and took her top off on camera. Then she became a cop and stood against other cops which is why she’s a pariah in the department. Her ex-husband is one of the villains from Arrow season 2 and he’s there just to look like a dick.

Lucifer, played by Tom Ellis, is the best part of the show. His voice is what does it. He has this distinguished voice. It doesn’t quite sound British, but it kind of does. I don’t know, it’s just fantastic and he really makes the entire show worth watching. I laughed hard when he said “Trixie is a hooker’s name” to a small child. A) Because it is and B) his delivery was great. Chloe, played by Lauren German was okay. She was a bit too polar for me at times. She was extreme either in her dislike or like of Lucifer and it got in the way of the believability of their budding relationship.

Interestingly enough I watched the leak pilot from a while back and noticed a startling difference… they re-cast the ex-husband. I wish they had stuck with the original guy, but Kevin Alejandro (Arrow’s Sebastian Blood) is the perfect guy to hate. Rachel Harris who plays Dr. Linda, is actually not annoying in her role as well. Which is good because according to IMDB, she’s in the next twelve episodes.

For a pilot it’s quite good. There’s some hokiness to the story in the fact that an officer would never bring along a civilian to question or arrest a suspect, but that’s TV for you. Happens every week on several different shows and we keep watching. Otherwise, if I score this just against the typical pilot, it scores high.

My only concern for the show is that it’s going to be procedural as fuck and that will kill it, just like Constantine. For this show to be successful you can’t honestly have Lucifer be a crime fighting consulting detective every week. There must be something else for him to do, but I have a feeling that it will be exactly that. Hopefully Fox’s audience will like that and support it because I really want to see more from Ellis.

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Score: 4/5

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Lucifer 1.1 “Pilot” Writer: Tom Kapinos Director: Len Wiseman Airs: Mondays on Fox

“MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN Ⅲ Dawn of Rebellion” Worldwide on-demand streaming starts!

Anime Consortium Japan will stream on-demand the newest “Gundam” series “MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN Ⅲ Dawn of Rebellion” starting May 21st, 2016 at DAISUKI.net as well as at Google Play and at Amazon Instant Video and PlayStation Network.  “MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN” is produced by the Bandai Namco Group Company, SUNRISE Inc. and Bandai Visual Co., Ltd is distributing its Blu-ray Disc. Anime Consortium Japan will deliver “MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN” immediately to anime fans worldwide. Title: MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN Ⅲ Dawn of Rebellion Available from:     May 21st, 2016

*Except for Japan, area and language will be gradually added on each site.

Available sites & Territory: DAISUKI.net

Worldwide excluding Japan and China

Google Play, Amazon Instant Video, PlayStation Network.

*Service may not be available in some territories. For available territories, please visit http://www.daisuki.net/

Rental Price:      DAISUKI.net (Anime Consortium Japan) US$6.99/72 hours

*Prices vary at Google Play and Amazon Instant Video and PlayStation Network depending on the territory.

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN Ⅲ Blu-ray Disc Collector's Edition ON SALE FROM MAY 28, 2016 ON DAISUKI.net!

【Extra features/bonuses】

1. Storage box illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (32.8cm x 32.8cm)

2. Storyboards & setting art book  (290 pages planned)

3. Illustration sheet of the storage box illustration by Yasuhiko (planned to be box-sized)

4. Cell & Line art illustrations book (10 pages planned)

5. Sleeve (O-card) illustrated by Yasuhiko

6. Booklet featuring comic text by Yasuhiko (32 pages planned)

7. Special booklet (12 pages planned)

8. Staff & cast audio commentary

9. Trailers, PV, TV-Commercial, Video of the salutations on stage at the screening of Episode 2

【BONUS ON PRE-ORDERS!】

Whom who pre-orders“MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN Ⅲ Blu-ray Disc Collector's Edition”

from DASIUKI.net will receive an additional bonus item: a piece of film courtesy of BandaiVisual Club.

*Pre-orders start date will be announced later.

Review: The Revenant

Written by guest contributor Cameron Gallagher

I’ve never sat in a theater before where I felt like I was experiencing the film, not watching it. Experiencing every emotion and being pulled through the experiences of the characters frame by frame. Experiencing “PURE ART” at 24 frames per second. This is what I felt while watching The Revenant. It is an absolutely breathtaking film, outstanding acting, and an amazing story.

The Revenant is inspired by true events and tells the story of Hugh Glass and his fight for survival while trying to find revenge after being left for dead. I don’t want to give away much more of the storyline because it is one that is MUCH better experiencing, than just hearing.

Let me first start off by saying and you can quote me on this… THIS IS THE GREATEST CINEMATOGRAPHY I’VE EVER SEEM. Yes, it took some while to finally decide that it was. Being a filmmaker myself, I know what it takes to even light one small shot, or nailing the perfect exposure outside, and this film BLEW me away! This film was filmed in 100% natural light with no use of artificial light and I could not believe what I was seeing. Beautiful landscapes, smoke and fire, fog, epic wide close ups, long battle shots. I was sitting in my seat completely stunned by what I was seeing. I would see the film JUST for the visuals.

The ccting of this film is spectacular. If Leo does not win Best Actor for this picture, I will lose faith in the Academy. With little dialogue, Leo completely transformed into a character that I could relate with, even though I am not a trapper in the 1800’s left for dead… that’s impressive. The physicality of this film is phenomenal too! It is purely brutal. Blood, death, and the bear mauling!! That scene could be one of the most suspenseful and blood curdling scene I’ve ever seen.

From a filmmaking standpoint, this film could be one of the greatest of all time. The story is so heartfelt. Genuine. Compelling. Everything you would want in a screenplay, but not only that it felt so original. It didn’t feel like some recycled garbage or overly action packed story of revenge. I also loved the message about Native Americans. Large portion of my close ancestors/family (Grandparents and Great Grand Parents) are full-blooded Native American, and it was nice to see a film that showed the truth about how Native Americans could be brutal, and seemed like “villains” but had been completely taken advantage of and killed in large amounts to steal their land.

The Revenant hit every level for me. This was the greatest cinematic experience of 2015 for me. I could not think of a single thing I didn’t like about this movie. Please go check it out, I promise you won’t be sorry!

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Score: 5/5

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The Revenant Director: Alejandro Inarritu Writer: Michael Punke Studio: 20^th Century Fox Runtime: 156 Minutes Release Date: 12/16/15

Review: The Assassin

Written by guest contributor Cameron Gallagher

Martial Arts films can be that of elegance, beauty, and a cinematic experience unmatched… or they can be like The Assassin, dry, uneventful, and quite honestly boring. When I first received The Assassin I was undeniable excited considering this had won Best Director at Cannes along with being what looked like a spectacular Martial Arts “revenge” style film, but to my honest disappointment this was far from that. As I was watching the film with my wife, we both tried to convince ourselves “something better was coming” and “is this amazing or terrible?” This film had me on the edge of my seat, because my ADHD was begging for something to happen.

The Assassin follows the story of a woman Nie Yinniang, who is an assassin who kills corrupt government officials. After refusing to kill a man in front of his son, she is punished and is sent to kill a man she was once to marry… who is also her cousin.

The Assassin takes place during the Tang Dynasty in China, but at some times during the film I wasn’t sure it’s timing or place. It almost felt like it could be in some modern world out there.

I’m going to be honest, I was trying to like this film. I really was. I tried with every muscle I had to watch this and feel like I was watching an award winning film, but I couldn’t. Nothing felt right to me. Let’s talk about the cinematography. This film changed its aspect ratio several times for some effect. Now a lot of films have done this such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, or Interstellar, but for this film they felt unneeded and almost put there for the sake of changing cinematography.  There was shot after shot of things that made no sense, and I’m someone who looks for symbolism within cinematography, but it just wasn’t there. Don’t get me wrong it was very appealing and wonderfully lit in most cases, but just wasn’t enough to excite me. The other thing that was quite annoying at times, is the camera would sit in a corner for a 10-minute dialogue scene. Now that would be entertaining if this was The Shinning, but considering some of these 10-minute scenes, sometimes not a single word was said.

This film is DEATHLY slow, and I saw The Revenant and Titanic. Being a long film isn’t the issue, it’s how you break it and pace the film. This film’s pacing was off by a lot. A Martial Arts film needs to find that balance between actual fighting and the “downtime” of moving sub-plots along, but The Assassin failed to hold that balance. There was about all of 4-5 fight scenes, and generally most were over within 30 seconds. I was incredibly disappointed in the lack of combat scenes, especially because when I saw the 30 seconds of fighting, it was AMAZING!

Now, I hate to sound like I’m hating on a film, but I tried SO HARD to like this movie. It felt like it had an incredible amount of potential, but was wasted on insanely long scenes with almost no dialogue that felt most times meaningless. I love long shots, long scenes, but when they are filled with emotion, and The Assassin failed to make me care for a single character.

The one thing I will say about this film that was downright awesome, was the production value. Set pieces to locations were absolutely amazing! This film felt authentic in its production design, even though at times it felt modern, I never questioned its authenticity.

Overall I was very disappointed in a good film that could have been spectacular, especially considering the hype for this film. Please, go check it out for yourself and tell me what you think!

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Score: 2/5

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The Assassin Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien Writers: Hou Hsia-Hsien, Chu Tien-Wen, Hsieh Hai-Meng, Zhong Acheng Studio: Central Motion Pictures/WellGoUSA Running Time: 105 Minutes Release Date: 1/26/16

Review: Making A Murderer

Written by guest contributor Dave Fox

Even if you haven't seen Making A Murderer yet, you have heard about. It's been a huge subject for "water cooler" discussions in offices (do offices still have water coolers?) and has blown up on social media. An online petition even prompted a response from The White House!

So why has it caused such a sensation? Ten years in the making, the documentary tells the story of Steven Avery, an unremarkable man from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. The Avery family owned a large vehicle salvage yard in Manitowoc County from which they made a modest living. Steven Avery's life took a wrong turn in 1985, when he was arrested for the sexual assault of a local woman, Penny Beernsten. He was later convicted of the crime, despite having numerous alibis for his whereabouts at the time of the attack. Avery spent 18 years in prison as a result, until DNA evidence pointed in the right direction, towards another man guilty of several violent crimes in the area. Avery was freed in 2o03, once the miscarriage of justice was confirmed. Understandably, having lost nearly two decades of his life, he filed a lawsuit against the Manitowoc County Sheriffs Department and several individuals associated with his case. He was looking for damages in excess of $30m.

Soon after filing his lawsuit, Avery found himself behind bars again - accused of the murder of local photographer Teresa Halbach. Soon after, his nephew Brendan Dassey was also accused of involvement in the violent crime. The documentary delves deep into the case, alleging a conflict of interest for the Manitowoc County law enforcement officials who dealt with both of Avery's arrests.

Because Making A Murderer is on Netflix, it's not an ordinary documentary. An hour long show, even a feature length film, would not be able to go into as much detail a this show does. The documentary consists of 10 episodes of 45 minutes to one hour, and it unfolds at a slow yet beguiling pace. The tension soon ratchets up though after only a couple of episodes, and you'll find yourself hooked.

Film makers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos do a wonderful job of using the documentary format to tell the story of a true crime thriller, with all its twists and turns. I don't want spoil anything, but even after it's over, the hours and hours of evidence, there are still questions to be asked and answered. Certainly, there are still enough theories and counter theories online to show that Making A Murderer has got plenty of amateur sleuths thinking! The film clearly has an agenda - like almost any documentary - a story that it wants to tell, and whatever you may think about the innocence (or otherwise) of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, it will certainly make you think, and wonder exactly what it says about the American justice system. And there can never be too many thought provoking documentaries made. Let's hope the success of Making A Murderer heralds a new dawn for the documentary.

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Score: 5/5

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Making A Murderer Directors/Writers: Laura Ricciardi & Moira Demos Studio: Netflix & Synthesis Films

Review: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Written by guest contributor Dave Fox

Online streaming services like Amazon Prime and Netflix have changed the television game over the last few years. Starting life content to stream films and TV shows people had already seen, they then made the leap into original programming. Ever since Netflix consulted an algorithm to tell them what people wanted to see and produced House Of Cards, they have been scrambling to out do the traditional channels and networks.

Of course, they don't even have to produce their own content all of the time. They also have the option of hoovering up the shows that traditional, risk-averse networks pass on. One such show is Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, hands down the funniest sitcom of 2015. It was the post-30 Rock creation of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, originally developed for NBC. According to Fey, the network "weren't feeling confident" about the comedy and so passed it on to Netflix. They made a huge mistake.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has one of the catchiest theme songs around, and if it sounds familiar, it's because it is. We've all seen viral memes along the same lines: an excitable local resident gets interviewed about a crime, and his words get auto-tuned into an irritatingly catchy song.

The words in the opening credits are shorthand for Kimmy Schmidt's themes: "they alive, dammit. But females are strong as hell". The four women we see emerging from a bunker in the pilot episode's cold open had been held captive in there for fifteen years by a deranged preacher, the leader of a doomsday cult. The first face we see is that of the main protagonist, Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper). It's not what you might expect. She's not cowed, scared, broken or defeated. Instead, she smiles as bright as sunshine.

Soon enough, Kimmy and her three bunker-mates are shipped off to New York for a round of television interviews, but as they head back to Durnsville, Indiana afterwards Kimmy decides to make a break for it. She doesn't want to return home where she'll forever be viewed as a victim, one of the "mole women" who escaped from an underground bunker. She resolves to make a clean break and forge a new life for herself in Manhattan.

She finds herself a tiny basement apartment complete with a crazy landlady (Carol Kane) and an out-of-work gay actor roommate named Titus Adromedon (Tituss Burgess). She even stumbles her way into a job working for Upper East Side socialite Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski). Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's first season charts Kimmy as she adjusts to her new life and tries to deal with her past - she gets a job, a boyfriend, gets caught in a love triangle and goes back to school. She - accidentally - joins another cult, this one cycling and fitness based and reluctantly attends the trial of the man who kidnapped her, Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Jon Hamm).

Ellie Kemper's larger-than-life performance steals the show, but her co-stars have chance to sign too. Tituss Burgess crushes every scene he's in as Kimmy's roommate and 30 Rock alum Krakowski is on career best form as the rich and out of touch Jacqueline.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is undoubtedly hilarious, but given the subject matter - a woman kidnapped and, it's strongly hinted, abused for 15 years of her life - is rare material for a sitcom, so maybe it's understandable that NBC passed, but the network should have been stronger and had more faith. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt doesn't make jokes about dark subjects to offend or shock in the way a lesser show would. They aren't exploitative, and Kimmy's such a well drawn character that she is more than her traumatic past. Her story didn't end when she came out of that bunker.

Ultimately, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt doesn't trade on cynicism or offence for the sake of it. It's message is one of resilience and hope. You'll come away from binge-watching the first season on Netflix sore from laughter, but with a message you can take into your daily life: find that small, unbreakable you inside yourself, and never let it go.

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Score: 4/5

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Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Directors: Tristram Shapeero, and others Writers: Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, and others Studios: Netflix, Universal Studios, Little Stranger Inc, Bevel Gears, 3 Arts Entertainment

Sequart's Image Comics Documentary Released Through Shout! Factory

Sequart Organization and Respect Films are proud to announce that Shout! Factory has picked up their documentary, The Image Revolution, for distribution! The Image Revolution examines one of the most important and daring moves in comic book history. In 1992, a group of top-tier artists left Marvel Comics to create their own company… a company that continues to influence mainstream comics and culture to this day. Image Comics was more than just a publisher, it was a response to years of creator mistreatment, and it changed comics forever.

The Image Revolution tells the story of Image Comics, from its founders’ work at Marvel, through Image’s early days, the ups and downs of the ’90s, and the publisher’s new generation of properties like The Walking Dead. It’s the amazing account of a dynamic group of upstart comics entrepreneurs battling against not only major companies, but sometimes each other.

Click HERE to order the DVD from Amazon.

Also available from Sequart’s film division:

Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods – This master of comics psychedelia is one of the medium’s most popular writers, and one of the most controversial. Equal parts philosopher, rock star, and chaos magician, Grant Morrison has used his comics to change both himself and his audience. He is a man living on the border between fiction and reality, and this is his story.

Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts – This documentary focuses on the career and worldview of comics’ very own Internet Jesus, Warren Ellis. The film also features interviews with many of Ellis’s artistic collaborators. (If you’re interested in digging deeper into Ellis’s life/work than an 80-minute documentary can go, check out this book Sequart published that is transcribed from nearly ten hours of interviews with the man!)

Diagram for Delinquents – In 1954, psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham wrote a scathing indictment of comics called Seduction of the Innocent. His book’s central premise is that comic books were the leading contributing factor to juvenile delinquency. That same year, Wertham testified at special hearings on comic books at the Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in the United States. Comics were on trial! Diagram for Delinquents captures the zeitgeist of late 1940s and early 1950s America and investigates how the funny books found themselves on the fire.

Comics in Focus: Chris Claremont’s X-Men – During his 17-year run with the X-Men, Chris Claremont took the title from the brink of cancellation to it being the best-selling comic of all time. He co-created more iconic characters than any comic book writer since Stan Lee. Today, the “X-books” remain a massive franchise that spans comics, movies, video games, and TV. But unlike most properties, the X-Men we know and love is mostly one man’s vision. Using high-profile interviews, Comics in Focus: Chris Claremont’s X-Men explores the behind-the-scenes development of notable characters like Wolverine, Storm, and Phoenix, as well as the challenges of creating art within a corporate system.

Review: Anime Winter Season 2016 – First Episodes

There are a ton of new animes this winter season and rather than just reviewing a few I decided to do a quick review of all of them. Well, not all of them. Just the ones that were new or weren’t continuing a new season. I’ll be honest I think I skipped one or two that I just knew absolutely weren’t for me. After watching over twenty episodes… well there were a few more I wish I had outright skipped. More than likely I will check in with these reviews narrowing down my list because watching twenty plus animes is really time-consuming just for these small reviews. Though a few of the better series may actually get full episode reviews in the near future. At any rate, I will also be adding whether or not I plan on continuing with the series or not. Enjoy and please leave a comment letting us know what you’re watching or not watching.

ACTIVE RAID – Maybe

It wasn’t the worst show I watched, but it seemed fairly obvious with its formula. Mech suits and bureaucracy. The humor comes from the bureaucracy and the red tape that the team has to cut through in order to get the job done. They bend rules, blackmail and really a bunch of non-morally questionable stuff that of course goes against the rules and shit. Frankly it wasn’t very interesting and it’s pretty predictable as to what’s going to happen. The only reason I would check it out is to see if there’s any real meat to the story or if it’s just formulaic shit.

AJIN – No

I hate the art style. It’s that’s cell-shaded CGI stuff and while this is probably one of the better looking series to use it, the story wasn’t there. Ajin are basically immortals that just showed up a few years ago on everyone’s radar and now I’m to believe that they teach about them in grade school even though no one knows dick about them. Big old pass for me. Especially since it’s the whinny crybaby lead, “I don’t know why life is like this!” Yeah… me either.

FOUR RHYTHM ACROSS THE BLUE – No

Four Rhythm Across the Blue is a harem comedy of sorts. It’s about an island with flying shoes and they race calling it a fucking circus or some shit. I could actually tell you what it is, but it’s just dumb. There’s a boy that doesn’t like to use the flying tech, obviously there’s something tragic tied to his past, but a new girl will bring him out of it. I was bored with just how typical and average this was. I’m also really tired of thinking I’ve found a show without a male lead only to be duped by the art.

ERASED – Yes… hell yes.

Erased was one of three shows that I enjoyed the ever-loving shit out of from the beginning to end. The concept behind this show is kind of like the movie the Butterfly Effect, but our main character gets “Revival’s” that Groundhog Day him a few minutes into the past. After a big event happens he finds himself transported back to his childhood. Fan-fucking-tastic.

BUBUKI BURANKI – Yes

This is a very soft yes. I loved the opening and the concept there, but then it moved settings and picked up a lot of tropes that are a bit overdone now thanks to Attack on Titan. It has the potential to be good, but it depends on how revealing it’s going to be. The opening saw a father and his two kids shot back down to earth in a mech suit. The government used the crash to cause drama and basic magic users are hunted and imprisoned. There’s more, but it would take a full review. The art is great and again, there’s potential, but the main character is a bit of a crybaby and there’s a large cast of supporting characters.

DAGASHI KASHI – Yes

I expect nothing from this show. It’s about a candy shop owner who’s been recruited by a candy company heir to work for her. The catch is that he wants his son to take over their candy shop and he wants to be a manga artist. It’s weird and funny and that’s about all there is to it. It could get really typical, but for now it’s enjoyable and has great animation.

DIMENSION W – Maybe

The world has clean and free energy being pumped to it from another dimension… go ahead and guess which one. There’s a collector dude that chases down illegal “Tesla Cells” in exchange for gas for his classic car. He loves blades and runs into an android girl that’s a bit more than she appears. It was okay. I doubt very much that it has anything to offer in the way of surprises that I couldn’t already figure out for myself and may give it one more episode.

DIVINE GATE – No

Divine Gate has a tragic hero who can use water powers. Why? Because certain people can use elements and via a device and such. Our main character is literally always crying either inside or out. His parents suck and his brother probably killed them, but he took the blame because they served him cold food and made him live in the shed. It was real whatever and quickly became a chore to get through. The art was good and that was about all.

GRIMGAR OF FANTASY AND ASH – Yes

Basically a bunch of high school kids are transported to another land in which they get to live like RPG characters. It’s some real D&D type stuff and its pretty damn cool, even if they don’t know they’re living like that. I’m curious about why they’re there and if they can be successful. That and one of them actually got to pick to be a thief and join a guild. It’s cool stuff and the animation is very different. It’s like a water painting a lot of times. Hopefully it continues to be just as good as the series goes on.

HARUTA & CHIKA – No

I actually gave this one two episodes because I wasn’t quite sure after the first. It’s a solid “No” now. I love stories about musical instruments, but this one… well it could be anything. It could be a fucking kickball team because the music really doesn’t matter that much. There’s a of research, but it doesn’t seem genuine. It comes across more like someone watched Kids on the Slope and thought, I can do a story with musical instruments. That and the main character knows way too much for his age making him a very Sherlock-lite type of character, but twice as annoying. I honestly hope to never think about it again.

GIVE BLESSING TO THIS WONDERFUL WORLD – Yes

At first this seems a little like How To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, but then it got strangely good. An otaku dies saving a girl only to learn that he died of shock and the girl would have been fine. The goddess that’s in charge of his afterlife assignment entices him to pick another dimension to go to. He’ll be able to keep living there rather than be reborn or go to heaven. He’s allowed to pick one item to bring with him and he picks her. They bond in the first episode and it’s pretty deep and quite good. I really enjoyed this one and the art was of course really detailed and colorful.

KOUKAKU NO PANDORA – No

This is one of those that I should have trusted my gut about and skipped. The concept is okay. A girl has been put in an android body because of an accident or medical reason. A crime lord runs into her and befriends her, manipulates her and uses her. It’s pretty obvious where it’s going. I might end up giving it one more episode to see if I’m correct, but I won’t lose sleep over it. Great animation because it’s 100% women, I think maybe one dude might have been accidentally animated.

SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU – Yes, Fuck Yes!

This might end up being the crown jewel of the season. The first episode is the length of two normal episodes and it was incredibly good. The animation has the production value of a movie rather than a weekly TV series. The story, well that’s hard to explain. It’s about the dying art of Rakugo and it will make you want to revive it yourself. The characters are complex, the stories they tell are fitting and match what they’re going through in life, it’s by far one of the most impressive animations I’ve seen in years. Watch it!

GIRLS BEYOND THE WASTELAND – Maybe

I’m getting a little tired of the Otaku harem genre. This one almost seemed interesting because I didn’t read the synopsis beforehand, but then when the swerve came at the end I sighed a lot. Let’s make a dating sim… oh well. The animation was actually really good, mostly it was the coloring and I enjoyed how it started off just showing this dude’s life and how he was a bit different from everyone else. Then it went typical and that sucks.

SCHWARZESMARKEN – No, Hell No

Schwarzesmarken is the result of combining Attack on Titan with the mech suit genre and some weird fascination with Germany post World War II. If you know your history you should be a little concerned about this fascination because the creators are trying to basically make a new Nazi empire, but they’re doing it subtly. It’s not great. It’s pretty bad. The characters suck. The world sucks. The CGI on the aliens suck. It’s not a good story and you really could have played another angle with another country and maybe been fine. Instead it went risqué and it didn’t pay off in my book. Instead it raised some flags.

UNDEFEATED BAHAMUT CHRONICLE – No

Let me get this straight… you have a school of elite soldiers, all of which are women, but when a real attack comes they all run and leave the one dude on campus to do most of the work in defeating it? Now that doesn’t unempower the entire school now does it. This story has one and only one interesting thing going for it: the former royalty has to wear collars as punishment. That’s it. The rest is so typical fan service, with mech’s as the added element. Lots of mech stories this season, not a lot of fan service shows and even less that are actually good.

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2: THE ANIMATION – No

This is a commercial for the game right? The game that you can’t play because Sega is a shell of its former self. The story is about a high school boy picked at random to be the student council vice president and his only job is to play Phantasy Star Online… 2. It’s terrible. It’s predictable. It made me want to play the game, but I know it’s so far past its prime that it’s not worth it. It brought back some good memories and for that I thank it, but I will bow out before it ruins said memories.

PLEASE TELL ME! GALKO-CHAN – Yes

This is one of those really mature short animations. There’s not really a story, just a big boobed blonde and her know-it-all friend. They’re all sexual or weird questions that are asked and then answered and then somewhat acted out by the blonde… because she’s dumb. It’s okay, for 8 minutes I can keep watching it and hope for a few laughs.

NURSE WITCH KOMUGI-CHAN R – No

This was another show I knew wasn’t for me. What I didn’t know was that it was for kids. It’s basically just the magic girl genre mixed with the new idol genre that seems to be growing and growing. Sorry, but cartoon idols aren’t interesting to me and so I don’t watch any show with idols in it. Also, no idea where the name comes from. Must have missed it when I started zoning the fuck out.

NORN 9: NORN + NONET

Everyone’s got powers, the time line is wrong, they’re on some kind of fucking space ship and one of them is a traitor. That’s all I got from this show. I could again tell that it wasn’t for me, but I tried. I hated it. The story was intentionally confusing which isn’t the sign of complex storytelling, but rather people who think they’re being complex. It came across as a show that was trying to give people characters to cosplay rather than characters to care about.

RAINBOW DAYS – Maybe

I didn’t expect much from this one since I usually would have passed on it. An emotional teen boy has found his dream girl, but she’s weird and sleeps a lot. She also works at a karaoke club and sleeps on a teacher’s couch a lot. It was okay, but only because of the supporting cast. I would give it another few episodes before I decided to drop it completely. After all, it’s rare to find an anime about one boy and one girl.

MYRIAD COLORS PHANTOM WORLD – Maybe

Fan service and yokais. That’s basically all there is to this. I’m not joking. I have nothing else to say about it. It could get decent, but considering the main female character must rub her breasts to use her magic… well that says it all.

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THUNDERBOLT – Yes

You cannot like the mech/Gundam genre, but you’d be hard pressed not to like this series. It’s mature, its animated like a movie and the jazz is great. It’s Gundam through and through, but there’s just something really gritty about this iteration. The story is pretty typical at the moment, but it’s clearly going to follow two soldiers, one in the Gundam and one in whatever they’ll deck him out with. But it’s an interesting look at war and reminds me of World War II dog fight pilots. Good stuff.

LUCK & LOGIC – No

I’ve seen enough magic harem comedy/actions to know that Luck & Logic isn’t anything special. It’s trying to be, but it introduced all the tropes for this hodgepodge genre in the first episode. It also took forever to get rolling and even longer to make sense of what the timeline was. It was really whatever and I didn’t even care to finish the last few minutes it was that redundant of a show.

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Well there you have it. Since the second episodes for most or all of these shows are already out, more than likely I’ll jump back on with the third episodes for my review, but you can expect at least three individual series reviews in the future as well. I’d love to hear what others are watching or not watching.

New POKÉMON Home Media Releases Announced By VIZ Media

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, expands its POKÉMON catalog for anime fans as it announces a pair of new home media releases. Inspired by the latest generation of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y video games, POKÉMON THE SERIES: XY Set 2 is available now on DVD. POKÉMON: THE MOVIES 1-3 STEELBOOK BLU-RAY COLLECTION contains a trio of full-length POKÉMON feature films and will be available February 9^th. Both are rated ‘TV-Y7’ for viewers ages 7 and older.

POKÉMON THE SERIES: XY DVD SET 2 · MSRP: $26.95 U.S. / $31.98 CAN · Available Now

In the latest home media set inspired by the new generation of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y video games, Ash Ketchum and his friends venture ever deeper into the Kalos region! Ash takes to the skies in a wing suit in his first aerial battle, and the group explores exciting new areas like the majestic Kalos Canyon, the mysterious Cave of Mirrors, and Professor Sycamore’s Pokémon summer camp. Meanwhile, Miette and Serena’s rivalry over Ash heats up, and Team Rocket flummoxes everyone with clever disguises and Pokémon-nabbing schemes! And of course, everyone’s after the secrets of Mega Evolution—but will anyone get a handle on its consequences? The new set contains 3 discs featuring 24 episodes (25-48), presented with dubbed English dialogue.

POKÉMON: THE MOVIES 1-3 STEELBOOK BLU-RAY COLLECTION · MSRP: $39.99 U.S. / $46.99 CAN · Available February 9^th     

A special 3-disc Steelbook set featuring three complete POKÉMON feature films— POKÉMON: THE FIRST MOVIE, POKÉMON THE MOVIE 2000, and POKÉMON 3: THE MOVIE. Films are each presented with dubbed English dialogue.

In POKÉMON: THE FIRST MOVIE, the adventure explodes into action with the debut of Mewtwo, a bio-engineered Pokémon created from the DNA of Mew, the rarest of all Pokémon. After escaping from the lab where it was created, Mewtwo is determined to prove its own superiority. It lures a number of talented Trainers into a Pokémon battle like never before—and of course, Ash and his friends are happy to accept the challenge!

In POKÉMON THE MOVIE 2000, just one person can make a difference… In the Orange Islands far south of Kanto, a Trainer named Lawrence is on a sinister quest: catching the Legendary Pokémon Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres in an attempt to awaken Lugia, guardian of the sea! When Ash and friends arrive, the islanders ask him to gather three elemental orbs from different islands. As the weather across the world goes out of control, it becomes clear that the capture of the legendary trio has thrown the environment out of balance! With Lugia’s help, can Ash find the orbs, restore the balance, and be the “chosen one” that everyone turns to?

In POKÉMON 3: THE MOVIE, a crystal catastrophe is unleashed upon Greenfield, and Ash, Pikachu, and friends must figure out how to undo the damage to the once-beautiful town. But the unthinkable happens when Ash’s mother is kidnapped by the powerful Entei, a Pokémon thought to have existed only in legend. Now Ash must go to her rescue, uncertain of what he’ll uncover when he unlocks the real secret power behind the unbelievable turn of events: a young girl whose dream world is being turned into a nightmarish reality by the mysterious and unstoppable Unown!

POKÉMON is one of the most successful international entertainment franchises of all time. More than 275 million POKÉMON video game titles and over 21.5 billion Pokémon Trading Cards have been sold in more than 74 countries in addition to substantial publishing and merchandise sales. VIZ Media is the official North American distributor for a wide variety of POKÉMON home media releases including animated series and films and also publishes a variety of POKÉMON manga graphic novel series including POKÉMON ADVENTURES X•Y, POKÉMON ADVENTURES, POKÉMON ADVENTURES: DIAMOND AND PEARL, POKÉMON ADVENTURES: HEART/GOLD & SOUL/SILVER, POKÉMON ADVENTURES: BLACK & WHITE.

For more information on other POKÉMON manga and anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.

Review: American Horror Story: Freak Show

Written by guest contributor Cameron Gallagher

After having watched Hotel, and just coming from Coven, I skipped Freak Show, because I was waiting for it to come to Netflix. Coven, has been my favorite of the entire shows run so far with the magical sense of horror and a compelling plot to go along with it, but after watching Freak Show, I have a new favorite.

Freak Show follows the story of a Freak Show (obviously) and their leader, Jessica Lange, and basically it is all of the insane things that come with a new addition, Sarah Paulson, a two-headed human, and how she basically creates the fall of the beloved Freak Show. This show had a lot of things going against it. Coming off a season like Coven, there is a lot the show would have to accomplish in order to not push away its viewers.

I think this show really flourished in its storytelling and visuals.  In previous seasons like Asylum and Murder House, the stories seemed to be sewn together, just barely hanging on by a thread and seeming a little too convenient for my liking, but Freak Show raised the bar for really bringing in multiple stories, and having them all fall nicely together, and being not only coherent, but VERY entertaining.

This is by far the best visually of the series. Everything from camera movement to the color palette of the series blew my mind. The style was pushed so heavily by the production team, you can feel the authenticity in its costumer design, sets, and cinematography. Every time I would see the circus tent, I would imagine what it was like to be there and the warm and hot feeling the Florida air had. It created a very surreal feeling.

The acting was phenomenal, as most of the seasons have been. Particularly the character of Dandy Mott. The psychological depth and hatred you had for this character… made you love him. You basically watched the beginning and formation of a serial killer, and it was incredible to watch how his character would justify things and his recklessness. I was very impressed with Finn Wittrock’s performance in the role.

Jessica Lange’s narcissistic backstory seems to be getting a little repetitive, considering all of the seasons have really had that same message behind her character, and the show can be a little slow at some times, but it was made up for in its acting and production value. AHS gets it’s well deserved 4/5. Make sure to check it out yourself and enjoy!

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Score: 4/5

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American Horror Story: Freak Show Directors: Various Writers: Various Studio: FX Episode Total: 13

Review: Sisters

Written by guest contributor Cameron Gallagher

Sisters is a film based around two things, and only those two things only. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Feeling like a midlife crisis version of Project X, Sisters didn’t only disappoint because of its lack of originality and abundance of montages, but I was disappointed in Tina Fey in particular in how her role felt so forced and honestly not even a bit funny.

Sisters is about two middle-aged sisters, on total different sides of life. Tina Fey, living in her friend’s kitchen with a daughter who doesn’t care to be around her, lives in the remembrance of her party days, wishing she could have it back. Amy Poehler on the other hand, is a respected and well off divorcee, who is to straight up to date or even socialize properly.

As their parents sell their childhood house, the two decide to revive their high school parties and create the Project X of their generation. BUT… this movie did none of that excitement for me. This film felt like a jumble of party scenes mashed together by “compelling” dialogue and exposition.  This movie was so bad I honestly don’t have a lot to say about it. The cinematography was very boring.

Probably the worst part of this entire film was its climax. The climax of this film was so ridiculous and beyond dumb, that I almost didn’t believe it was going to be the height of the movie. I never once felt that there were stakes.

I didn’t enjoy any moment of this except for one. When a character is playing charades with two others after snorting “Stevia.” I died laughing… otherwise I didn’t laugh once. Overall I would not suggest seeing this movie AT ALL, go see Star Wars again or The Revenant.

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Score: 2/5

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Sisters Director: Jason Moore Writers: Paula Pell Studio: Universal Pictures Running Time: 118 Minutes Release Date: 12/9/15

BLUEFIN Releases New STAR WARS Samurai "DAISHO" DARTH VADER Figure

Bluefin, the leading North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan, Hong Kong and more, moves to the Dark Side for its latest Star Wars collectibles product with the release this month of the Samurai General “Daisho” Darth Vader. The high-detail, 7 inch poseable figure is newest addition of the Meisho Movie Realization Star Wars figure line by Tamashii Nations. The Meisho Movie Realization Star Wars line pays homage to the Samurai aesthetic and artfully reimagines iconic Empire characters from the legendary films with feudal-style Japanese armor and weaponry.

The new “Daisho” Darth Vader figure depicts the Dark Sith Lord as a Samurai General, clad in sinister black “Death Star” armor, and debuts with an MSRP of $92.99 from authorized Bluefin retailers nationwide and also from a variety of leading online outlets. The figure is constructed with hybrid materials and features 15 points of articulation to create endless posing possibilities

Meisho Movie Realization Samurai General “Daisho” Darth Vader

Height: Approx. 7 inches; MSRP: $92.99

The greatly popular Samurai General Darth Vader makes a comeback in an all new Death Star motif. Another stunningly unique artistic interpretation master crafted by acclaimed artist Takeya Takayuki, Darth Vader - Death Star Armor - has a revamped armor design. Most notable is the fearsome Death Star-style crest on the helmet and highly detailed chest plate pattern. Set includes interchangeable hands, gun (large, small), and katana sword (light saber and regular).

Fans can also enjoy other figures from the Meisho Movie Realization Star Wars product line – available now – that include the “Ronin” Boba Fett, “Ashigaru” Stormtrooper, and the Samurai General “Taisho” Darth Vader. Each is clad in a unique set of armor and comes with an array of weapons and other accessories. Additional new figures will be announced in coming months.

For more information on Meisho Movie Realization Star Wars figures distributed by Bluefin, please visit: www.bluefincorp.com/catalog/tamashii-nations/meisho-movie-realization.html.

Review: The Hateful Eight

Written by guest contributor Dave Fox

At some point, all genius filmmakers lose their way. Francis Ford Coppola made Jack. Steven Spielberg was behind the camera for Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. Michael Scorsese directed Gangs Of New York. And after the near-perfect run of three films that kicked off his career, Quentin Tarantino can join the list of directors who lost their way after following up Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown with four films that wasted good ideas and even better casts.

That's not to say that lost directors can't make comebacks. Lincoln and Bridge Of Spies proved Spielberg still had the chops to make a good film, while Scorsese scored hits with Shutter Island and The Wolf Of Wall Street. For many, the hope was that The Hateful Eight would set Tarantino on the path back to greatness.

It certainly has a promising premise. In an unhealed, post civil war America, bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his carriage driver O.B. Jackson (James Parks) are transporting wanted murderer Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to the town of Red Rock to be hanged. When they are caught in a blizzard they pick up two fellow travelers - bounty hunter and disgraced former solider Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and the would-be new Sheriff of the town Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins).

Unable to reach Red Rock due to the snowfall, they stop over at a cabin called Minnie's Haberdashery, which is in the temporary control of a mysterious Mexican named Senor Bob (Demian Bichir). There they meet others bound for Red Rock and beyond - the hangman of Red Rock, Oswald Mobray (Tim Roth), ex-Confederate General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern) and sullen cowboy Joe Gage (Michael Madsen). Ruth soon deduces that one - or more - of the inhabitants of the haberdashery are in league with Domergue and plotting her escape. He forms an uneasy alliance with Warren to find out who's plotting against him. In the meantime, there's also a rescue plot staged by Domergue's brother Jody (Channing Tatum) to deal with.

The plot and setting are reminiscent of the classic Reservoir Dogs, the film that launched Tarantino's career, but the similarities don't extend much further than that. The idea of these characters, each with their own rich backstory and shady motivation, in a tense standoff is an exciting one, but sadly a film that could be a thrilling ride is instead a slog - The Hateful Eight is as slow as a horse trudging through a blizzard. The film takes an age to get the haberdashery, and when it does it still moves, as John Ruth would say, "molasses-like".

There are more problems here than the pacing, though. Tarantino's films have always relied on the writer/director's ear for dialogue, but in the Western setting, his attempts at period-speak often hit the ear wrong. Thankfully he has a cast of talented actors who can, at times, spin gold from his thin threads. Samuel L. Jackson's easy charisma and underlying menace carry the film, while Walton Goggins gives the kind of scene stealing performance that can catapult a career into the stratosphere (even if his Gomer Pyle-esque accent takes some getting used to). Jennifer Jason Leigh, meanwhile, as the cackling unrepentant outlaw Daisy Domergue, imbues the unlikeable character with an unexpected resilience.

Elsewhere, Roth plays Mobray with a twinkly-eyed sense of fun that suggests he studied Christoph Waltz' Django Unchained performance closely, but Maden is underused as the gruff Joe Gage and General Smithers doesn't give Bruce Dern much of a chance to flex his acting muscles. Tatum excels, cast against type in a small role, and his scenes here suggest he could make a menacing villain in the right project.

It's the interplay between the actors that saves the film from sinking under its own weight. By this point in his career, Tarantino is clearly in love with his own voice: rather than edit Kill Bill down into a manageable film, he split it in two. Half of Death Proof was entirely unnecessary, but was somehow spared the cutting room floor. Both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained were flabby and contained unneeded detours that distracted from the story. The hope was that The Hateful Eight would bring Tarantino back to his roots. But it did not do so. Remember, Reservoir Dogs ran at a taught 99 minutes. Instead of that, this film runs to a bloated 167 minutes.

Clearly someone, somewhere, needs to make sure Tarantino harshly edits his films in future - but let's face it, it won't happen. No one will say no to Quentin as long as his films keep bringing in money, and they do. Those of us who were once enraptured by his genius will have to simply hope that he realizes where he has gone wrong, and knows how to fix it. Maybe then the ninth film by Quentin Tarantino will finally live up to his lofty reputation.

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Score: 3/5

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The Hateful Eight Director/Writer: Quentin Tarantino Studio: Double Feature Films Running time: 167 minutes Release date: 12/30/15

Review: American Horror Story: Murder House & Asylum

Written by guest contributor Dave Fox

Every well-regarding TV show in history has had its detractors. Even a classic like Twin Peaks divided opinion. Lost often split audiences right down the middle. I even know people who find documentary-of-the-moment Making A Murderer boring. But there's one show that seems unanimously loved, at least by people I know: American Horror Story.

Ever since the show debuted in 2011; friends, co-workers and relatives have been telling me to watch it. I always resisted, horror isn't really my thing, and there are so many shows to catch up on that it was always very low on my list of shows to watch.

But, one fateful day recently, I was browsing listlessly through Netflix when my fiance suggested that we watch American Horror Story to "see what the fuss is about". I agreed, and it's a decision I will always regret.

The anthology series is currently on its fifth season, American Horror Story: Hotel. Naturally, my experience started at the beginning with American Horror Story: Murder House. It's the season that is almost universally regarded as being the best. Given how much I hated it, I can only imagine how awful I'll find Hotel once I get to it (if I get to it!).

Murder house follows the Harmon family: psychiatrist Ben (Dylan McDermott), his wife Vivien (Connie Britton) and their moody teenage daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga). They move into an old mansion in L.A. and are haunted by strange happenings and the apparitions of anyone who had ever died in the infamous "murder house".

Haunted house tales are as old as time, and the setting is perfect, in theory, for a creepy, suspenseful thriller. But instead of that, Murder House delivers a shrill, jumbled mess. The Harmon family seem to be going through about twelve different crises at once while the house itself is haunted by what seems to be an innumerable number of ghosts. Not content to tell a simple ghost story, the show throws everything at the wall to see what sticks: a school shooting, suicide, rape, a mutation in the basement, scientific experiments gone wrong, the antichrist...it's all there. And most of it doesn't need to be. Murder House feels as though it's written by an excitable child with ADHD.

American Horror Story's second season, Asylum, is much the same. It's worth mentioning that American Horror Story is an anthology series like True Detective and Fargo. Each season is distinct, following a different story and a different cast of characters, albeit with a revolving cast of actors playing different roles. So Asylum takes place in, well, an asylum. Unlike Murder House, it isn't set in the present day but in the 1960's. The season follows the lives of the nuns, doctors and patients who occupy Briarcliff Mental Institution. Again, the setting is interesting. Given the horrors that were seen inside the walls of mental institutions during this period in history, the potential was there for some really creepy, unsettling television. Creator Ryan Murphy even said the season was "based largely on truth and truth is always scarier than fiction".

"Based largely on truth"? Asylum contains with in its walls a former Nazi in hiding, experimenting on patients; mutated, feral, cannibalistic ex-patients who live in the woods, a serial killer who kills women and wears their skin, exorcisms, devil possession, the Angel of Death, rape (yep, again), oh, and aliens. Because why the hell not? It's fair to say that it has absolutely nothing to do with the truth. In Asylum, just as in murder house, a promising setting is ruined by jumbled storytelling. Absolutely nothing in Asylum makes any sense. In fact, both of the first two seasons lurch from idea to idea and don't seem to settle on anything at all. It's irritating, it's distracting, and it's certainly not scary.

I haven't yet moved on to season three (Coven), but I'm sure it will have as much frenetic, unfocused energy as Murder House and Asylum. All I want is for American Horror Story to live up to its name and tell an actual story. A solidly plotted story that sticks to an idea for more than five minutes, and carries it through to the end. Sadly, I think it's far too much to ask.

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Score: 2/5

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American Horror Story: Murder House and American Horror Story: Asylum Director: Bradley Buecker and Various Writers: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Various Studio: 20th Century Fox

DREDD on Netflix? Fan campaign calls on TV firms to pick up franchise

The fans behind the ‘Make A DREDD Sequel’ campaign for a follow-up to the 2012 movie starring Karl Urban are calling on TV producers to pick up the franchise. Superfans Frank Palmer and Brian Ritchie are calling their campaign ‘Bring Back DREDD’, and are hoping to apply pressure to Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, and other TV producers.

They’re calling on fans to sign the petition – which already stands at 136,000 names – calling for more media based on the Pete Travis and Alex Garland movie, whose dedicated fanbase has continued to grow online as more people discover the hard-edged sci-fi thriller starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, and Lena Headey through DVD, Blu-Ray, and streaming services.

They believe that the success of series such as Daredevil and Jessica Jones proves the market for adult-orientated sci-fi, which Dredd provided in spades.

The petition can be signed at www.2000ADonline.com/dreddsequel

The campaign’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bringbackdredd now has more than 100,000 supporters while Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby have both sent the campaign messages of support.

Frank Palmer said: “When Brian and I first began the ‘Make A DREDD Sequel’ page on Facebook we never dreamt we’d get this level of support from fellow fans. And when 2000 AD got in touch to say they’d like to support us, it was a dream come true and the petition we started has gone on to number 136,000 names.

Last year’s annual Day of Dredd event was our biggest ever, with the campaign going viral on Twitter and Facebook, and thousands upon thousands of people buying the DVD and Blu-Ray to show there’s a market for more from the world of the 2012 movie!

“For a while now we’ve thought about broadening the campaign out – so with things having gone quiet on the possibility of a movie sequel, we’ve decided to take the fight to the TV producers who have done such good jobs with other comic book properties such as Daredevil and Jessica Jones.

“We’ve discussed this with 2000 AD and they’re happy for us to shift our focus to campaigning for a Judge Dredd TV series in the style of the movie. We’re relaunching the petition and we call on all fans of DREDD to join 136,000 other people in calling for people with the vision and the finance to make it happen to step up and give us what we want.

“In the next few days we’ll be organising activities so that people can lobby companies such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO, and show their support as we all say – “Bring Back DREDD!”!”

Jason Kingsley, co-owner of Rebellion and 2000 AD, said: “What Frank and Brian have achieved over the last three years has been incredible – they’ve kept the fires burning and their decision to open out the campaign to include TV AND films is a sensible one. Who amongst us wouldn’t want to see a DREDD series from Netflix or Amazon? I wish them all the best and thank them for keeping the faith. In the meantime, we’ve been doing – and will continue to do - all we can to give the fans what they want, which is more from the incredibly rich world of Judge Dredd.”

OMAKASE KICKS OFF OTAKON 2016 REGISTRATION WITH AMAZING BUNDLE FOR ANIME FANS

OMAKASE, the new subscription service that offers bimonthly boxes of curated merchandise, ad-free anime streaming and original digital comics and music, and Otakorp, Inc., the educational non-profit who organizes the massively popular Otakon convention, announced today an amazing bundle that includes a two-month membership to OMAKASE and membership to attend Otakon 2016. “Otakon is the driving force behind anime fandom and Japanese popular culture on the East Coast,” said Rob Pereyda, Chief Executive Officer of Viewster Inc. “We were thrilled to exhibit at Otakon last year, and know that their fans are trendsetters, influencers and the very people who are the bedrock of the anime community.”

Currently, this promotion is the only way to register for Otakon 2016. There will be no better deal after this promotion ends. Fans can receive membership to Otakon 2016 by doing the following:

• Sign-up for OMAKASE at full price ($29.00 plus $6.00 shipping & handling in the USA) between 12:00PM (PST) on January 11, 2016 and 11:59PM (PST) on January 23, 2016
• Receive an email from Viewster on January 26, 2016 with a link to a redemption form to obtain Otakon 2016 membership
• Fill out the redemption form and agree to Otakon’s Terms & Conditions by 11:59PM (PST) February 2, 2016
• Enjoy America’s premier anime merchandise subscription service as well as the East Coast’s premiere anime convention all for one amazing low price!

Eligibility Period: must subscribe to OMAKASE at regular price between January 11, 2016 at 12:00PM PST and January 23, 2016 at 11:59PM PST. Any customers who used coupons or other bundles will be ineligible for this promotion.

Email Delivery: Viewster to email customers at the email address they signed up for OMAKASE with, on January 26, 2016. Email will be sent from Viewster’s SurveyMonkey account via MailChimp. Customers must disable their spam filters and check their spam folders to ensure they receive this email.

Redemption Period: customers must redeem by February 2, 2016 at 11:59PM PST.

The current theme for OMAKASE’s upcoming subscription merchandise box (January 2016) is Naruto Shippuden. Items include an exclusive Gold Naruto Mininja, an exclusive Sasuke Highly Articulated Figure, a mystery Gaara item and more action-packed surprises. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga properties. The series spawned multiple anime series, movies, novels, video games and more, and is beloved by millions worldwide. The manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) and animated counterpart (Naruto and Naruto Shippuden rated ‘TV-14’) are both published by VIZ Media in North America.

OMAKASE, operated by Viewster, shipped its first merchandise box in November 2015 to universal acclaim with Kill la Kill. Items included a gold foil hardcover manga, a Senketsu scarf, a Mako Mankanshoku towel, a Mittsu Hoshi wristband and a Guts button. All merchandise inside OMAKASE is officially licensed, including OMAKASE’s upcoming use of Naruto Shippuden, which is officially licensed by TV TOKYO and VIZ Media.

Get more information and join OMAKASE at http://www.viewster.com/omakase.

Worst Movies of 2015 #1

You can't have the "Best" without the "Worst" so in typical Comic Bastards fashion we're bringing you the worst movies of 2015. Yeah we're steadily into the new year, but let's not forget what made for some painful cinema last year. Also, we could only pick the movie's we've seen. So if something isn't on our list and you're surprised... don't be. That means it was so bad we didn't even waste our time.

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DUSTIN: Jupiter Ascending

No joke, this film does almost the same thing as Star Wars and Jurassic World in that it tries to rip off the Matrix and fails. Which is really sad considering it’s made by the people who made the Matrix. The performances suck. The CG sucks. The story is beyond suck. Even suck looks at the story and is embarrassed to be seen with it. It’s the worst movie of the year and it had an incredible budget. Instead it just ends up looking like a movie too heavily influenced by the 90’s rave scene. If you want to punish yourself, watch this three-hour turd and try not to laugh at the stupid fuck ending which does not match up with the rest of the fucking story.

DAVE: The Ridiculous Six

I’ve already reviewed The Ridiculous Six for this site, giving it a score of 1/5 and frankly it was lucky to get that “1”. That few meagre positives it did have were supplied by cameos from the likes of John Turturro, Harvey Keitel and Nick Nolte, who must have known they were in a terrible film and decided to have fun with it. The actual plot involves Sandler’s Tommy (aka White Knife) and his five half brothers, all of them different one-note stereotypes, rescuing their father (Nick Nolte) from generic bad guy Cicero (Danny Trejo). The loose plot doesn’t really go anywhere, and recurring jokes about Native American names and donkey shit tell you the intellectual level this is operating at. Sandler phones in a peformance as usual, and even he looks fed up by his films at this point. I can think of absolutely no reason to recommend this overlong, boring mess of a film to anyone. But then, I don’t need to - at the time of writing, this is the most watched film ever on Netflix. Maybe it’s about time for the seas to rise and claim us all.

CAMERON: Ted 2

I loved the First Ted. I saw it 3 times in Theaters. The first Ted film, was so funny, because it felt like a Real Life Family Guy. Ted 2…………..I honestly was speechless when I saw this film. About 20 minutes in, I realized the film began (I’m not kidding) Ted 2 felt like they had a bunch of random scenes and jokes with almost no story and had to piece it together. Mark Wahlberg was horrendous in this film. He barely seemed to show up and when he did, it just felt boring and sad. Also, I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but Ted 2 had almost no music throughout the film. Ted 2 was so bad, I didn’t even care to watch the ending. I turned it off about half way through. This was not only the worst but most disappointing film of 2015.

Worst Movies of 2015 #2

You can't have the "Best" without the "Worst" so in typical Comic Bastards fashion we're bringing you the worst movies of 2015. Yeah we're steadily into the new year, but let's not forget what made for some painful cinema last year. Also, we could only pick the movie's we've seen. So if something isn't on our list and you're surprised... don't be. That means it was so bad we didn't even waste our time.

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CAMERON: Trainwreck

When my wife and I saw this in theaters, we contemplated leaving several times during this film. The film was HORRIBLE. If you’d like to see my in-depth review, check it out here, but at the time of my review, this was the worst film I have ever seen. I didn’t have much faith, because I feel Amy Schumer is not very funny, but this was cringe worthy. The dialogue is banter and meaningless, and not only that, but it was so vulgar and pointless, it just became annoying. Also, this film was like over 2 hours long, and that is INSANE for a comedy, especially considering the plot was so basic and obvious. Trainwreck smashes down to my #2 spot.

DAVE: United Passions

It seems a bit unfair to include this laughable FIFA propaganda film on this list, but after a year that has seen crook after crook get their comeuppance after years of bribery, corruption and Mafia-style omerta, it seems oddly appropriate. FIFA spent about $24m of its slush fund (but it’s a non-profit organisation, of course) on this self-serving mess, recruiting reasonably respected actors like Tim Roth, Sam Neill and Gerard Depardieu to come on board. The oddest thing about the film is that it’s a football/soccer film that places meetings, boardroom deals and advertising contracts above the actual sport in importance.

Roth plays recently-deposed FIFA president Sepp Blatter who, along with his mentor Joao Havelange (Sam Neill) reforms FIFA and makes the World Cup the world’s grandest sporting spectacle. Also, if you want to swallow the propaganda, the two ended apartheid, survived bankruptcy and beat internal corruption (it seems laughable now, given how many of these men and their cronies are - or soon will be - behind bars). Someday there might be a film about what really happened at FIFA as it went from an insular, loss-making organisation to making more money than the GDP of a small country, but this film is not that. More importantly perhaps than any of the nonsense the film spouts is the fact that it’s more boring than one of those FIFA meetings.

DUSTIN: Vice

I know that some of you are probably wondering how the fuck this isn’t my number one movie. Let me explain, the number one movie had a budget and filmmakers that should have been able to make something better than a turd. Vice was a bad movie on a terrible budget. I suspect that they spent all their money, getting Bruce Willis or even worse this film was tanked by Willis’ Expendables 3 paycheck being pushed over to Vice’s check book. Whatever the case, the story is god awful. A city that people can do whatever they want and A.I.’s that are so lifelike that they have to wipe their memories… because they’re murdered and raped daily. For some reason the Punisher is there, but he’s not the Punisher, he’s just a cop with morals. We never learn why. He kills real people to set the A.I. people free… it’s a piece of shit and the filmmakers should be embarrassed and so should the actors.