The Anchor by BOOM! Studios

My rule has always been a simple one; If you want Penguin Comics to review stuff then...send us stuff. BOOM! has never been very good at this. Sure I have access to their press online stuff and can read multiple issues of amazing comics. But, it isn't the same. Primarily because I hate reading anything online that was meant to be held in your hands. Comics, books, you name it.
Yeah, well I have decided to stop being a fuddy duddy and going with the fun. And to start it off I bring you this trailer for a new comic from the guys at BOOM!
Enjoy it, I'm not going to say anything else and just let the trailer speak for itself. Looks like fun.



Nuff Said!

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT

The title says it all. This is the origin of The Green Lantern. The Hal Jordan Green Lantern to be precise. And of course, we get the whole how Sinestro becomes a gigantic ass. No, no, it's okay to swear in this post because the flick is rated PG-13 and it has a few low level cuss words in it. It also has some wholesale slaughter and one horrifying scene where it implies that hundreds of lanterns meet their maker. Kind of gruesome.
That being said, this is actually my second favorite of the direct to DVD releases. Wonder Woman being the first. It has some funny, some drama and a whole lot of room to give us more of this character. Sure, there's a live action flick on the horizon, but I prefer this.
Another magnificent release form the people over at Warner Bros.
Next up is supposed to be Superman/Batman; Public Enemies. This might be pretty cool.
Anyway, here's a clip;

DC COMIC'S FIRST WAVE

Okay, I am very excited about this. Apparently, Dc Comics is doing a stand alone universe book called First Wave. It is populated by pulp heroes like Doc Savage, The Spirit, The Shadow and, my personal favorite, The Avenger. This is great news and makes me excited about going to the comic shop again. I will keep all posted as things develop.

New Releases!

Things have been a little hectic here at The Waltz Compound, but that's no reason not to let you people know what's being released on DVD.
Firdt up is the release of Season 2 of Pushing Daisies. Now I have to admit that when I saw a preview for the original first season, I was less than impressed. Then I watched some episodes of this season and I thought it was very funny, quirky and weird. Unfortunately, it's also off the air which is a real shame. Nevertheless, we have these two season and the second season is more fun than the first.
Here's a clip:





Then it's time for the kiddies with the newest disc from that world famous quartet of singing sillies, The Wiggles! Lots of songs and even the lovely Kylie Minogue as a guest star makes this one a toe tapping funfest for the little ones in your house. I do miss the original guy in the yellow shirt, however. Kind of takes away from it for me, but I'm sure the little ones won't mind.



Then we wrap up with one of those fun father daughter flicks. This time we have te advantage of TV funnyman George Lopez in the title role of Mr. Troop Mom as George becomes the only man in an entire camp of teen age girls. This is actually a pretty fun flick and the laughs are plentiful. Good for Mr. Lopez.

Tom and Jerry Chuck Jones Collection

Tom And Jerry are the archetypes for countless cartoons. No where else is this so obvious than in the work of animator Chuck Jones.
The Chuck Jones era of Tom and Jerry cartoons began when the famed animator was engaged to head a newly formed animation department at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1963. This new chapter in Jones’ career followed his nearly 30-year tenure at Warner Bros. where he honed his very distinctive style of art and comedy, creating some of the most memorable films of all time. His new arrangement with MGM led to several prominent projects including HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, the feature adaptation of THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, and 34 theatrical short subjects featuring the studio’s most popular animated characters, Tom and Jerry.
Jones brought his own unique sensibilities to the characters of Tom & Jerry, giving the cartoons a contemporary feel, and relying more on subtlety and satire for comedy vs. the more traditional slapstick gags of the earlier Tom and Jerry cartoons. This collection from WHV brings these shorts to DVD, together for the first time, completely re-mastered in their original theatrical widescreen format for stunning picture and sound quality. The 34 shorts will be available in a two-disc set, featuring new collectible slipcase packaging and two new bonus documentaries; Tom and Jerry…and Chuck as well as Chuck Jones: Memories of a Childhood.

Here's the list of cartoons in the collection.

Tom and Jerry: Chuck Jones Collection
Penthouse Mouse (1963)
Jerry-Go-Round (1966)
The Cat Above and The Mouse Below (1964)
Love Me, Love My Mouse (1966)
Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? (1964)
Puss ‘n’ Boats (1966)
Much Ado About Mousing (1964)
Filet Meow (1966)
Snowbody Loves Me (1964)
Matinee Mouse (1966)
The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse (1964)
The A-Tom-Inable Snowman (1966)
Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life (1965)
Catty Cornered (1966)
Tom-ic Energy (1965)
Cat and Dupli-Cat (1966)
Bad Day at Cat Rock (1965)
O-Solar Meow (1967)
The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off (1965)
Guided Mouse-Ille (1967)
Haunted Mouse (1965)
Rock ‘n’ Rodent (1967)
I’m Just Wild About Jerry (1965)
Cannery Rodent (1967)
Of Feline Bondage (1965)
The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. (1967)
The Year of the Mouse (1965)
Surf-Bored Cat (1967)
The Cat’s Me-Ouch (1965)
Shutter Bugged Cat (1967)
Duel Personality (1966)
Advance and Be Mechanized (1967)
Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary (1966)
Purr-Chance to Dream (1967)

And it wouldn't be Penguin Comics without a clip;

INKHEART

When I got this to review I had almost forgot this movie existed. I missed the theatrical release because, well because the movie didn't look like it was going to grab me. But, first a plot synopsis.
Seems there are these things called Silvertongues who when they read from a book, pull characters and things from the book. Brendan Fraser makes this mistake when he pulls characters from a book called Inkheart. Unfortunately, when you pull stuff out of a book it must be replaced. In this case it was his wife.
Now, he has to find another copy of the book and read his wife out of the book. Problem is that the characters from the book, for the most part, have no desire to go back and will do anything in their power to stop him.
Now, this sounds pretty interesting doesn't it? Yeah, then why was I looking at my watch after the halfway point? The movie just drags, which is unfortunate because the premise is sound. The young lady playing Brendan Fraser's daughter is charming and needed more to do and more screen time. The fact that they had Jennifer Connelly in the flick and she had just one line is astonishing to me. Is that really the best they could do with her?
Andy Sirkis gives us a classic scene chewing villain the like we haven't seen since Max Van Sydow played Emepror Ming so,m that was cool.
The disc comes with both the fullscreen and widescreen versions of the film and no extras worth mentioning.
I'm gonna call this one a fail.

THE BEST OF WHO'S LINE IS IT ANYWAY?

I remember when the original UK version of this show was on. It was hilarious and, when it came to the states, they were smart enough to get a couple of the regulars from the UK shows, Namely, Colin Mockery and Ryan Stiles. It helped ground the series in the US and made it funnier than if they had been excluded.
I got this in the mail the other day and said, "oh yeah, this was pretty funny."
Then I popped it in.
I haven't laughed that hard in my life in quite some time! With guest stars like Richards Simmons, David Hasselhoff and Florence Henderson, this is a star studded set of hilarity. Seriously! I haven't laughed this hard in forever.
Here check out a clip and see if I'm lying;



See, true comedy.
Get the set. Laugh yourself purple and thank me when you get your breath back. You're welcome in advance.