Volume 19, No. 4
December 2012 ISSUE • 9
pale as snow
SHARK, THE GEEK. OH, YEAH, THE SHARK, TOO TARANTINO BLU RAY COLLECTION — Here’s the big one. All of Tarantino’s movies in high definition in a super snazzy box set. “Reservoir Dogs,” “True Romance,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Jackie Brown,” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “Kill Bill Vol. 2,” “Death Proof” and “Inglourious Basterds,” plus two discs of never-before-seen extras. Boom. Sold. You can say what you want about Tarantino but the man knows how to get great performances out of his actors and his movies feel like movies. They feel like the creation of a writer/director and a group of actors, not like some ham-fisted cash grab set up by studio executives. There’s real passion in these films and it comes through in every gorgeous frame. Plus, Pam Grier, Bridget Fonda and Uma Thurman in high definition. Who could pass that up? WARRIOR BY KE$HA — I’m not going to lie to you folks, I love Ke$ha. I’m not going to apologize for it either. I am one of her Animals and damn proud of it. With “Warrior,” Ke$ha has been drawing influence from psychedelic rock as well as her time as a global ambassador for the Humane Society. Yeah, you read that right. A full grown woman with a dollar sign in her name is the first global ambassador for the Humane Society. Take that, high school guidance counselor.
INTO THE FUTURE BY BAD BRAINS — Got a friend who loves punk rock and always gives you a hard time about the “music” you listen to on the “radio?” This is the gift for them. Bad Brains set the tone for East Coast punk in the 80s and the group is still going strong. After sticking to live shows in their hometown of Washington D.C., the band is finally back with a fulllength studio album. If your friend likes punk and doesn’t like Bad Brains, then they are a figment of your imagination and you should probably stop reading this and get some kind of help. SPIDER-MEN BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS AND SARA PICHELLI — In Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, which is now more than a decade old, Peter Parker died a hero’s death protecting his neighborhood of Forest Hills in Queens from the wrath of Norman Osborn. Since his very public death, a young boy named Miles Morales has taken on the mantle of Spider-Man. Here’s where it gets weird. Peter Parker from the main Marvel Universe has accidentally been transported to the Ultimate Universe, meeting Miles and pretty much freaking out about the whole situation. It might sound a little complicated but trust me, this is the best mini-series I read all year. It’s a coming of age tale about someone who knows how hard life can be preparing a young man for the harshness of the world. Peter Parker is dead. Long live Peter Parker.
MAN-THING OMNIBUS — Ever been reading a horror comic and thought, “Man this is great but I doubt I could actually murder someone with this book?” Have I got a gift for you. Created in 1974 by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, Man-
Thing is our guide through the weirder sections of the Marvel Universe. A mass of plant matter with supernatural, fear-based powers, the Man-Thing is a truly odd creation from the House of Ideas. This omnibus collects more than 40 issues in a gorgeous hardcover that you could easily use to kill someone with. But whatever you do, don’t lose your cool, man. Just remember; “Whoever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing.” And on that cheerful note I must bid you adieu. I am off to pour something in my hot chocolate to make the day pass a little faster. Bundle up out there you poor souls and pray for me if that’s your bag. I’ll be muttering to myself during Rockets games most nights. Have a safe winter. I’ll see you all again in the summer to talk about which remakes and reboots I’m dreading/secretly loving. Mahalo!