The Unholy Dragon

RE: DoN's price point. All In was $40 with it going up free on NJPW World next day and word was the PPV numbers were good. A hot product can command more $$$ than a lukewarm one, especially since it's not a monthly deal (yet).

I just got the Artist's Edition in at work and I can't wait to be able to pay for the thing, take it home, and really dig into it. Also got New Gods, The Maxx, and Byrne's X-Men to join Romita's Spider-man at home. I love Artist Editions even as my wallet hates them.

I have Detective Pikachu at 8th because I see a lot of stuff being rotten this year. What's going to sink me is Stuber at 14th. Did not think it'd be one critics would favour and I'm gonna pay for it.

Just read advance copies for the first issues of both Event Leviathan and Superman: Year One. Event Leviathan is a Bendis super espionage crossover. It's pretty good but a very talky first issue. The art by Alex Maleev is the real selling point, I think but it's quite good so that's not really an issue. Superman: Year One is another case of Frank Miller being back on form, I think. Has a couple things I could do without, but is more wonder than grit and makes for a strong start honestly.

What are you talking about? $58 million is a really solid opening, particularly since Endgame is still pulling strong. The first Captain America opened to $65 million. Factoring the international in (which we don't for the competition) it's up to $170m and that's before considering stuff like the money they're making from Pokemon card box sets off this. Like I really don't get how you look at those opening weekend numbers and think it's a failure. Divorced from wherever you thought it would land in the competition, obviously.

So, related to my last post, a lot of the plot doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Namely? This is the ONE reality in which they win? Because like, if for whatever reason Nebula didn't go back in time? Past Thanos doesn't come forward. Also, I get how and why they kinda have to play the hand they're dealt when the bomb drops on them at first, but why didn't they split up the gems once Thanos was chasing them rather than leaving the completed Gauntlet together? Barring using the Gauntlet to wipe out his forces, they needed to beat Thanos' army anyway so give Carol and Thor a stone each and have them go to town, then split up the rest so they can't be easily assembled. Just...a lot of writing the characters as dumb as hell in order to get things where they needed to be. Also, it's downright hilarious that the finger snap went from an illustrative example of how easy it is to fuck with reality using a full set of Infinity Stones and became the literal mechanism by which it's done. Infinite power requires RHYTHM! Also, if ever there was time for a Damage Control series, doing it on Disney+ as a way to address the legal and logistical issues of both snaps would be a great idea.

The more I think about it, the more Endgame becomes a Civil War redux to me. A thoroughly enjoyable film that coasts on great acting, character moments, and action but falls apart under any real scrutiny. Which isn't as much of a dig as it sounds like. I've watched Civil War like four times. That said, I don't think I *like* Endgame's highs as much as I do Civil War's so...

New printing coming later this year. I'm getting too old to work FCBD. My shop is a smaller one and we were still packed.

To be the first fresh video game movie on RT, obviously.

Locked in for that AB pointage. Nice.

Added! Thanks! EDIT: Edited because I typo'd the number first go, whoops.

Box Office 1) Toy Story 4 (Jun 21) 2) The Lion King (Jul 19) 3) Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (Aug 2) 4) Spider-Man: Far From Home (Jul 2) 5) Aladdin (May 24) 6) The Secret Life of Pets 2 (Jun 7) 7) Men In Black International (Jun 14) ? Dark Phoenix (Jun 7) 9) Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31) 10) Detective Pikachu (May 10) 11) New Mutants (Aug 2) 12) Child's Play (Jun 21) 13) John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (May 17) 14) Shaft (Jun 14) 15) Long Shot (May 3) RT 1) Toy Story 4 (Jun 21) 2) Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Jul 26) 3) Spider-Man: Far From Home (Jul 2) 4) The Lion King (Jul 19) 5) Long Shot (May 3) 6) Men In Black International (Jun 14) 7) John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (May 17) ? Detective Pikachu (May 10) 9) Aladdin (May 24) 10) Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31) 11) Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (Aug 2) 12) Child's Play (Jun 21) 13) New Mutants (Aug 2) 14) Stuber (Jul 12) 15) Dark Phoenix (Jun 7) Tie Breaker: Toy Story 4 - $320m WOO! Thanks for running this again SKOS! SUPER PUMPED TO SEE HOW I FAIL THIS YEAR YEAH~!

Given how they've been messing around with that I have concerns with how it'll shake out as well honestly. But I may just be bitter because they cancelled my Kyle Rayner series.

It really is, though the Cap in Vietnam story it teases us with is even more interesting to me.

My favourite thing about Flashpoint is that every issue ended with Barry looking like the dumbest putz alive. The #2 cliffhanger and #3 resolution is such a hilarious 1-2 punch for it as well since it basically has no consequence anyway.

Given his age, Evan Alex was ridiculously impressive. He conveyed a lot in both roles with his face and body language in a way a lot of adult actors struggle with. If he keeps at it, he could be an all timer in the making.

He's hoping for it by end of 2019 but no fixed dates given.

Okay since this is now a spoiler thread I'm assuming spoilers are fair game. Really liked this and will probably settle to love because it's sticking with me and there's a lot there to love, but I did have a couple nagging issues which held it back from that. The big one is the whole "It's a US military experiment...somehow? For reasons?" I thought it worked way better with no outward explanation and honestly the bit where they lay it out just KILLS the suspense and momentum. I would have handled the big ending twist differently, I think. It felt pretty telegraphed and then overdone. That said, thinking back on it does recontextualize the whole film so it's hard to say it didn't work, especially since Peele was going for the Twilight Zone vibe. Everything else is gold. I love the focus on tension and long term creep factor over short term scares. The acting was off the charts great, from Lupita Nyong'o especially but Winston Duke brought it and the kids were GREAT as well. There's a lot of smart pacing notes like how the bit with their friends is handled and acts as the rug pull for the second act stuff. The coincidence stuff was great though it's disappointing it didn't go anywhere after the start. Really close to a perfect horror flick to me which is a lot of why the sticking points hit me so hard because they're all in the go-home. I'm still gonna be recommending it to friends and going to see it again though because there's a LOT there.

Last bit of DLC announced and it's SUDA51 writing a sequel to the story mode he made for the original Fire Pro in 1994. Which is...a weird story. Kind of a cool idea actually.

NEW GRENDEL COMING! Devil's Odyssey, Grendel Prime searching the stars for a new home for mankind. 8 issues. I'm pumped.

Given Liam Neeson's press presence in February this absence was probably a blessing in disguise actually.

Collette gets a lot of hype for it and deservedly so, but I think Alex Wolff deserves a ton of praise too. He doesn't get as many big scene hogging moments but his portrayal of a teenager slowly destroyed by guilt and neglect is understated in the best ways and totally brilliant.

At least a couple times. Pretty sure he beat him in Legacy and he for sure beat him just after Forever Evil even if some of their other encounters could be considered dicey.

Saw Happy Death Day the other month and followed with 2U this week. Loooooved the former, just a really great film for reasons that have been discussed ad nauseam here. 2U was not what I expected but still a great sequel idea. Could have used more horror but the character stuff was great and finding a way to put a new twist in things ruled. I did HATE that it came down to Full credit for the trailer being a complete fake out.

I really liked how Return of Wolverine #5 rolled right into Infinity Watch #1. Very cool with both dropping the same week.