Like it or not, “Paranormal Activity” was the indie success story of the decade. After the big take off of “The Blair Witch Project,” director Oren Peli proved a valuable successor to the end of the twentieth century sensation by providing a horror film for the digital age where the chronicling of a couple at the mercy of a demon was filmed through HD camcorders and the advent of the then seasoned instrument of the worldwide web. “Paranormal Activity 2” commits what is almost an impossible task. It completely compliments the storyline of the original film while also adding to it.
Tag Archives: Prequel
Let Me In: Crossroads #1
Intent on following on its own path from the original film, Dark Horse releases the official prelude to the 2010 film “Let Me In,” an introduction four part comic book that takes the time out to remind us that this is its own beast but also very much like the story it takes from with this new version. And much like the remake currently in theaters, the prelude is about as dull as the live action narrative primarily because as a story about a vampire the entire atmosphere drains the life out of the reader from page one. Rambling and meandering, the entire comic takes so many pages of dialogue and drab art to set up the ultimate hook of the entire prelude which will lead in to Abby and Thomas moving in to the apartment tenement that leads Abby to meet Owen.
Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
Shepherd Book is one of the greatest male characters of the Whedonverse, one who is bound by his strict sense of morality and religious beliefs, but one who isn’t at all overbearing. He uses his religion as an instrument to help and guide folks, he never uses it as a means of clubbing non-believers over the head. When we see him in the first episode of “Firefly” he meets a band of wicked sinners and criminals, but he never judges. He lives and lets live and that’s likely why he’s become such a beloved fixture of the “Firefly” universe for such a long time. He’s not only the heart of the crew, but he’s also the wise father everyone on the ship needs. By the time we reach “Serenity” and the crew are on their last options against the operative, even Mal has realized that Book is the man he needs in times of great stress who can offer wisdom, knowledge, and strategy where everyone clearly lacks it.
Day of the Dead: Desertion
If Stefan Hutchinson and Robert Kirkman ever teamed up it would be such an unbridled wave of creativity, I don’t think my heart could take it. Current favorite writer Stefan Hutchinson continues his spree of paying homage to horror classics with “Day of the Dead: Desertion.” Meant as part-prequel/introduction to Romero’s “Day of the Dead,” this one shot is an attachment for the upcoming Blu-Ray special edition of “Day of the Dead,” and it is pure quality from page one.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
The character of Wolverine has always been a hard sell for yours truly. As a comic book superhero, Wolverine has always been one of the more overrated in Marvel Comics in spite of his rabid following. Wolverine’s progression from this tier villain to top tier superhero has been nothing short of remarkable, so when he received his own spin off that unfolds to tell his story once and for all, I was quite confused. The entire “X-Men” film franchise have already been nothing more than vehicles for the Wolverine with the X-Men taking nothing more than a supporting status to what he can do on screen. We’ve already had three Wolverine films, did we really need to see another with the furry one front and center? Yes and no.
Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans (2009)
I guess there was nowhere else to go with the series after the first two films pretty much accomplished all that it could. “Underworld” has been a very mediocre film franchise but with a surprisingly interesting mythos involving lycans and vampires and to prevent us from watching a repeat story similar to the first two, we instead get a prequel, the story of the feud between the lycans and the vampires that we only got a taste of in the first “Underworld.” While “Rise of the Lycans” does have its problems, the special effects can sometimes become some great eye candy that makes up for the poor story.
Transmorphers: Fall of Man (2009)
Tiny Juggernaut’s special effects are pretty good when compared to other indie productions and though it’s all mostly takes on the Transformers, the robot menaces are pretty sleek and cool to watch as they fuck shit up in civilization. I’m still not sure why we need an attack from a cell phone, but Tiny Juggernaut keeps the special effects standard and old school quite often. And who ever creates the one sheets over at The Asylum, I commend them on their artistic ability. If anything The Asylum is great for providing great cover art for their productions. I also enjoyed some of what director Wheeler brings to the screen. There’s even a really ominous sequence where our hero and heroine realize that the signal these robots have sent out just didn’t get intercepted and comets are falling to the sky with the alien menace in tow. It’s a great scene that is thankfully sold by star Shane Van Dyke’s shocked reaction.