X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Well, we all know what I thought of the last X-Men movie and this one was anticipated with little if any desire, actually much dread for fear of what type of madness may unravel on the screen as far as Wolvies history would unfold. Still feeling the pangs of disgust from the previous movie and the death of Cyclops in the first five minutes of the movie, I wasn't sure if this movie should be viewed in a theater or a mortuary.

As time grew closer to the release date, I found myself invited to a sneak preview and since it was free of charge to me, I decided to give it a shot. Keep in mind that I had very low expectations and half expected to either walk out or throw up from shear irritation at what they may possibly due to Logan and his Origin.

For a decent history of Wolverine, a.k.a. Logan, check out Wolverine via wiki.

I've been a fan of Wolverine since 1980 after reading Giant Size X-men back in the early 80's. Then I got to see his first appearance in The Hulk #180 and 181. A friend of mine was a big Hulk fan and showed me the comic that came out several years before when he found out what a big fan I was. Then there was Wolvies first mini-series (of which I have two copies - wanna buy one? It's all yours for $500.00.). Great 4 part series. I have nearly every Wolverine comic since, including the original Origins back in 2001. Again, a great six part story on the origin and family history of Logan that had never been revealed before. This movie was intended to follow this storyline, but I never thought that 20th Century Fox and Gavin Hood would actually film to true story. And they didn't.

Big surprise huh? This movie was directed and produced by a very talented group of people, but the writers changed everything. Stan Lee has his name listed as a Producer of this film, and once again I find myself wondering how he can sleep at night after one of his characters is destroyed on screen. Probably a big soft pillow full of money.

Did the movie completely suck? Actually no, during the first five to ten minutes when you see Logan as a child growing up, I thought, "wow, they're actually going to do it right." Then it takes a turn and never looks back.

Hugh Jackman is a GREAT Wolverine! He has the perfect build and presence of attitude on screen, however, he's way too fricking tall to be Wolvie, as "Runt" was always the name that Sabertooth gave him. As I recall, Wolverine is about 5'2". Logan was a giant of a man by character, not in height, but I'll give that to them since Hugh is otherwise perfect.

The movie is entertaining, has some great fight scenes and I like the tie in at the very end around 3 mile island. I liked the fact that they never tell you dates as the movie progresses and explain why Wolvie has no memory of certain experiences. If I was not such a long time fan of the Wolverine comics and didn't know so much about him, I would have liked this movie. All things considered, I'd still give it a thumbs up, and actually better then any of the previous X-Men movies.

I think I liked the movie only because I had such low expectations. They completely change history and create this "Brother" thing with Sabertooth and then march through the centuries together fighting in wars. Interesting, but not true (at least in the Marvel Universe).

• Was it worth it? It was okay. It was free for me, but I'd feel okay paying to see it too.
  
• Would I buy it on DVD? No.
  
• Would I recommend it? Yes, but it's very violent and not for kids.
• Could it have been better? Of course, all of the superhero movies could be, but they are being done, and with large budgets so they don't look stupid like a certain Captain America movie I remember back in the 80's. I wish they would have stuck with the original storyline, it would not have been that difficult, but may not have been as popular.
• Will they make another one? Probably, but I think they should stop and go pick on another group of superheros. How about the Avengers?
  

Summer Movie Madness!!

What a summer for movies. There are some long awaited movies coming out for this summer. Some are worth a look and some you'll want your money back if you go see them. Here is a list of one's that I've seen, or watching closely. (Some have now been re-titled after viewing.)

• Angels & Demons (haven't seen it) - Read the book before you go
• Star Trek, or just plain AWESOME!
• Wolverine - Origins, or please make it stop, actually wasn't all bad
  
• Terminator: Salvation, or Terminator, Dumber, slower & Weaker (worst of the summer)
  
• Night at the Museum - Battle of the Smithsonian
• The Hangover
• Up
• Imagine That
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, or What half-wit wrote this movie
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
• Public Enemies
• Ice Age
• G-Force
• G.I. Joe (could be really bad too)
• District 8 (could be a sleeper hit)
• Inglorious Bastards (looks very promising)
  

These are the movies I'm interested in either because of the movie, or my families desire to see them. Stay tuned for reviews and updates as these come out. Take me at my word or go see them yourself, but it looks like a good summer to see a lot of movies.

Marvel Studios Redeemed!!!

05/02/08 - Marvel Studios made motion picture history when Iron Man was released in theaters across the United States. Why is this a big deal and why exactly were they redeemed?

They FINALLY made a decent Superhero movie!!!



I've been a fan of Iron Man since 1984. A friend got me into reading comic books, and I was drawn to Iron Man (IM) for some strange reason. Let's see, he was brilliant, tough and one of the strongest hero's in the Marvel Universe. Anyone that can take on the Hulk and live to tell about it should be respected. Here 24 years later, I still find IronMan one of my favorite of all the Marvel Hero's. ROM The Spaceknight was another favorite, but he seems to have gone the way of the dodo, so we won't discuss him.

The Movie stuck to the original origin of Tony transforming into IronMan, with a modern twist. Back in the 1960's the USofA was involved in a very unpopular war in Southeast Asia. Vietnam was where the orignal IM story evolved, but here in 2008, it fit in rather nicely with another unpopular war, this time in the Middle East, IRAQ & Afghanistan.

For years I've been waiting for IronMan to make it to the big screen, and yet at the same time terrified of what it might look like when it got there. I recall a few years back hearing the Tom Cruise wanted the role. I think I threw up a little. Ahhh, let's see he's like 5'2" and just not a good Tony Stark. Did I mention he's a nut, a scary nut and leader of his own cult? Back in the late 80's, I had the perfect IronMan all figured out, Tom Selleck. He's a bit aged now, but still perfect. He would make a good Howard Stark, Tony's deceased Father. (Same way for a perfect Wolverine, Robert Conrad. 'Nuff Said.)

When I heard the Robert Downey Jr. was going to take the role, I have to admit I was worried. He's always been a great actor, but every time I see him, I flashback to seeing him in Less Then Zero. He has lived that movie, and I was worried that he would not do the role justice, or never make it through production. I could not have been more wrong. He played that role like he was born for it!! He made the movie! It had a great cast, but he made that movie stand out as one of the best Superhero movies ever brought to the Big Screen.

The movie was completely set up for a sequel, you could tell, especially with Jim Rhodes eagerly glancing at the Armor hanging in Tony's lab there towards the end. Can you say, War Machine? I knew you could.

So, with all that said, what's next in store for Marvel? The Incredible Hulk, and it has bonus cameo's from TOny Stark to boot. (They must be getting ready for The Avengers Movie). Again, great cast, you can't get much better then Edward Norton and I've always been a fan of Liv Tyler. Will I see it on opening day? (Or did I?) No. IronMan I almost went to the sneak preview for, but not Hulk. Never been a big fan of the Hulk. Maybe this movie will make me one. Time will tell.

I am looking forward to the yet to be announced Avengers Movie and who all will be in that. Then again, it might be as bad as the XMen and I don't want to ever re-live that one again. The rest of the Summer aims to please with The Dark Knight. That looks very promising. Other then that, no SuperHero's that I have heard of. Rumor out there about AntMan (sounds lame, but he was one of the Avengers.) How about Thor? Lot's of promise there.

Anyway's, that seems to be all I've got to say for now. Way to go Marvel!! You did one right. Keep it up.

Coming Soon

Kriker is coming back!!

Soon to be published serial story of adventure, carnage, captivity, and oh so much more. Stay tuned!!

XMen III - The Ultimate Atrocity

The Final Stand. Let's hope it was the final movie of this very disappointing Marvel Movie adaptation franchise. I don't understand how Stan Lee can sit by and play cameo appearances in each film and not be just spitting bullets.

I'm a life long comic fan. In fact I started reading The Uncanny XMen back in the early 80's, just about the time that the "true" phoenix saga was occurring. I was really excited about this latest movie and even thought about taking the day off when it was released and I'm so glad that I did not. I'm also thankful that this past Saturday when I finally got to see the movie, that I only had to pay $5.00. Any more and I may have demanded my money back. (Maybe I still can...)

What was wrong with the movie? Where do I start? What was right with it? How about the opening scene where we are introduced to the incredible danger room sequence that was obviously an attempt at the issues "Days of Future Past." The original story line had Kitty Pryde, a new member of the XMen being transported into the distant future where a few of her dreams are realized and so are her nightmares. The first tinge of excitement I had was at the appearance of Colossus. We briefly saw him in the last movie evacuating children from the Mansion after an attack by the government. As I recall, he was even speaking in a Russian accent. This was the pinnacle of Peter Rasputin. He's a Russian, found by Charles Xavier during the height of the Cold War and brought to the United States to learn how to focus his mind and his mutant power. Having Colossus strut on the screen as some American, blond haired muscle freak was quite disappointing. Oddly enough, once the movie was over, the Danger Room sequence was the only memorable sequence of the film.

The next disappointment of the movie was Cyclops. Scott Summers is of course over-raught with grief after the seeming death of Jean Grey, but this rebel without a clue aspect of his character was a bit overdone. Riding off to the place of Jeans death and then hearing her voice was interesting, even if it was still weak. This whole scene was only to introduce us to the rebirth of Jean as her alter ego. Her ID and Superego fused together to create the ultimate schizophrenic class 5 mutant that Jean herself calls "Phoenix." What crap is that? I was squirming in my seat when they flashback to show Xavier and Magneto, as Erik, going to Jeans house when she is a young girl. What a load of crap. It was at this point that I started asking myself why the producers and obviously ignorant writers of this garbage could not stay true to Jeans origin and background. It was far more interesting and far more believable, especially in how Jean becomes the Phoenix. Re-birth from the ashes after sacrificing herself to save her team mates. This crap about another personality and psychic barriers for her own protection??? Oh please, the barriers Charles puts in place were to repair the damage that Jean encounters when her best friend is hit by a car and dies in her arms. Jean feels the full force of the empathic abilities that she possesses and it is too much for her. This alter ego was the first of many nails in the XMan coffin.

Next, and probably the most irritating part of the movie for me, and the part where I should have walked out, was where Scott comes face to face with Jean. He removes his protective glasses and they each look into each others eyes and then Jean basically incinerates him. What!!?? This is the same Phoenix, or Jean Grey that is supposed to have just sacrificed herself to save him and the others and also the future Jean that again sacrifices herself to save Scott and her XMen friends. She kills Scott in an instant. This was the point of no return for this mistake of a movie.

Oh, but it gets better. The next point of debauchery is where Xavier goes to Jeans Parents house to "heal" her and put the psychic barriers back in place. This from the same Charles Xavier that has just said that she is the most dangerous mutant on the planet. This fact also draws Magneto to her, wanting to harness the class 5 power that she possesses. Not even sure where to start with all the bad crap in these scenes, since there were so many. The German sounding Juggernaut, who is actually the half brother of Charles Xavier. Not in this Universe. How about Storm being this whimpy manipulator of weather. or the bad hair day Walverine? Nope, I'll jump ahead to where once again, Jean descends to the depths of utmost evil and actually kills Charles Xavier. Incineration strikes again. This scene also leads us to conclude that she has done the same to her family since there is no signs of them.

So now the two most pinnacle members of the original XMen are dead at the hands of Jean, oh I'm sorry, Psycho Phoenix. Is their no help for us now as she embraces the dark side with Magneto? What crap!? Can it get worse?

Why yes it can. Whether it’s the lame sequence with Angel, another original XMen, Rogue wanting the "cure" in a syringe, Ice Man and Kitty, or Magneto's attack on Alcatraz using the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Give me a break! How much damage can we do to the once great XMen title in one movie? Why would Magneto, the self proclaimed, and almost believably, most powerful mutant on the planet pick up and move the bay bridge? How many other ways could he have done this? It's plain stupid the way it happens. He and his band of evil-doers, flanked by the Crimson Psycho, walk across the bridge from nowhere and lift it in to place. I'm sorry, but one of the coolest things about Magneto was always how he could create such incredible fortresses, vehicles and other modes of travel by manipulating metal into an almost life-form. He creates things out of thin air, often by dismanteling one thing and creating another. This lame special effect was just that, lame.

The rest of the movie if not all of it was predictable. Wolverine and Storm come to the rescue with the rest of the New XMen and it all comes down to Wolverine. He's got to, "sniff, sniff” kill the woman he loves. Oh be strong Wolvy. Its okay, we know you can do it. Then were all done, evil psycho girl is dead at the hands of Wolvy and we must decide the fate of the Mutants. Yeah whatever. Lame, lame, lame! I'm ashamed to see anyone seeing me come out of this movie. Is it too late to get my money back?? I couldn't get out of the theatre fast enough. Too bad I dropped my cell phone and had to go back and get it.

Well, it stunk! In my opinion and any other XMen fan, a "steamy pile o' poo." There were three highlights in the movie, but still too few to save this final atrocity. The first was the introduction to "The Fastball Special." This is where Colossus throws Wolverine at the Sentinel, which is a classic move. The second was where Ice-boy finally ices up and becomes Iceman. The third and final was where The Beast says, "oh my stars and garter." That's classic Beast terminology. Kelsey Grammar is also by far the best actor and XMen of the movie. Very well done, but alas not enough.

Stan, I don't know what you were thinking or how much they had to pay you, but you did the XMen wrong. You're best selling most popular comic ever created by Marvel went down in flames. If I were Wolverine, I'd be comin' fer ya bub, cause you dishonored the man who does the best at what he does, and that’s not very nice.

Top 10 Bumper stickers I might consider...

10.) Careful, I’m not wearing clean underwear!
9.) Did you just fart or did you always smell that way?
8.) Do I look like a freakin' People Person?
7.) Dyslexics of the world, untie!
6.) Everytime you speak you make someone dumber for listening to you.
5.) Got Brains?
4.) Hang up and drive!
3.) Honk if you love Rush.
2.) BOMB SQUAD: If you see me running you better catch up! (Only certain people will get this one)
#1: Forget World Peace. Visualize Using Your Turn Signal!

Honorable Mention:
- I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.
- I don't do mornings.
- I hate bumper stickers!
- It takes a Viking to raze a village.

Stupid Bumper Sticker

"You can't be Pro-life when you're Pro War"

So I'm driving home yesterday, and every once in awhile something catches my eye attached to someones car, or as in this case, the bumper of the car in front of me. I thought to myself, "okay, a pansy liberal." Then I thought, "Hum, I wonder how hard it is as the President of the United States to declare War on another country."

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not Pro Bush individual, I just think that this is a very stupid statement. Can you imagine how difficult of a decision it would be to go to war with another nation. You have the lives of two nations in your hands and affect an entire generation by your actions. No matter what the outcome, you will be blamed for the deaths that will occur. This sticker might as well say, "Hi, I'm anti death, but pro abortion." Dumb ass. Next time you have the whim to put a bumper sticker on your car, think about what you're really saying. Don't be stupid.

Turn Signals are not Optional Equipment

Why is it that people just don't use their turn signals? They are in working order when you buy the car. They are even tested at the Emmissions centers. What's wrong with people?!?! They are not optional equipment People!!

Do everyone else on the road a favor, Turn off your phone, look where you're going and act like you really do know how to drive a car. After all, It won't be much longer till we're all in horse drawn carraiges again.

Just in case you all care, see how dumb you are at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12594142/

Kriker got an 80%

Let us Begin

A long time ago....

In some unknown apartment complex there was a game...

A game that called for creativity, imagination, and dedication...

A character of, shall we say, explosive and semi-psychotic tendencies was created...

One with brutal strength, average intelligence, and an overwhelming capacity for mischif and irresponsible behavior was created...

His name was Kriker