Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 10, 2018

MARVEL COMICS

AUG180971    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7    $3.99
AUG180972    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7 SUJIN JO MARVEL BATTLE LINES VAR    $3.99
JUL189085    ASGARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1 2ND PTG LOLLI VAR    $3.99
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AUG180983    BEN REILLY SCARLET SPIDER #25    $3.99
JUL181199    BLADE TP BLOOD AND CHAOS    $34.99
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JUL189091    EDGE OF SPIDER-GEDDON #1 (OF 4) 2ND PTG SANDOVAL VAR    $3.99
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JUL181173    MARVEL KNIGHTS BLACK WIDOW BY GRAYSON & RUCKA TP (MR)    $19.99
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JUL188967    SPIDER-GEDDON #1 (OF 5) NAKAYAMA PS4 SPIDER-MAN VAR    $3.99
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AUG180934    TRUE BELIEVERS WHAT IF DR DOOM HAD BECOME A HERO #1    $1.00
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AUG181022    UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #37    $3.99
AUG181108    UNCANNY X-MEN BY YU POSTER    $8.99
JUL189096    VENOM #1 5TH PTG STEGMAN VAR    $4.99
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AUG180925    WHAT IF? PUNISHER #1    $3.99
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AUG181032    X-23 #5    $3.99
AUG181033    X-23 #5 YOON LEE MARVEL BATTLE LINES VAR    $3.99
AUG181105    X-MEN BLACK EMMA FROST BY J SCOTT CAMPBELL POSTER    $8.99
AUG181106    X-MEN BLACK MAGNETO BY J SCOTT CAMPBELL POSTER    $8.99
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JUL181194    X-MEN CYCLOPS & PHOENIX PAST & FUTURE TP    $29.99
JUL181193    X-MEN MAGNETO WAR TP    $39.99
JUL181192    X-MEN UNCANNY ORIGINS TP    $17.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 4, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

AUG170973    ALL NEW GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #11    $3.99
JUL178539    ASTONISHING X-MEN #2 2ND PTG DEODATO VAR    $3.99
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AUG170838    AVENGERS #672 LEG    $3.99
AUG170957    BLACK BOLT #6    $3.99
JUL171197    COLOR YOUR OWN THOR TP    $9.99
APR171131    DEADPOOL WORLDS GREATEST HC VOL 02    $34.99
JUL171230    DOCTOR STRANGE EPIC COLLECTION AFTERLIFE TP    $39.99
JUL178540    GENERATIONS IRON MAN & IRONHEART #1 2ND PTG SKAN VAR    $4.99
AUG170970    HAWKEYE #11    $3.99
JUL171195    HULK PLANET HULK PROSE NOVEL HC    $24.99
APR171130    HULK WORLD WAR HULK OMNIBUS HC    $125.00
AUG170916    ICEMAN #6 LEG    $3.99
AUG170818    IRON FIST #73 LEG    $3.99
AUG170894    JESSICA JONES #13 LEG    $3.99
AUG170989    JOURNEY SW LAST JEDI CAPT PHASMA #3 (OF 4)    $3.99
JUN171042    MARVELS AGENTS SHIELD SEASON FOUR DECLASSIFIED SLIPCASE HC    $50.00
JUN171061    MARVELS THOR RAGNAROK PRELUDE TP    $15.99
APR171135    MUPPET BABIES OMNIBUS HC    $75.00
APR171136    MUPPET BABIES OMNIBUS HC KERMIT DM VAR ED    $75.00
AUG170980    OLD MAN LOGAN #29    $3.99
AUG170930    PUNISHER PLATOON #1 (OF 6)    $3.99
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APR171133    SHANG-CHI MASTER OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS HC VOL 04 MACK ED    $125.00
AUG170944    SPIDER-MAN #21    $3.99
AUG170951    SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL #22    $3.99
JUL178541    SPIDER-MEN II #2 (OF 5) 2ND PTG PICHELLI VAR    $3.99
AUG170798    SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE #1 (OF 5) LEG    $3.99
AUG170986    STAR WARS #37    $4.99
AUG170997    STAR WARS DARTH VADER #6    $3.99
APR171129    THOR BY WALTER SIMONSON OMNIBUS HC NEW PTG    $125.00
APR171132    THOR HEROES RETURN OMNIBUS HC VOL 01    $125.00
JUL171196    THOR VS HULK TP    $29.99
JUL171231    TOMB OF DRACULA COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 01    $39.99
JUL178542    TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #20 2ND PTG ASRAR VAR    $3.99
AUG170887    VENOM #155 LEG    $3.99
AUG170947    VENOMVERSE #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
AUG170949    VENOMVERSE #5 (OF 5) CRAIN CONNECTING VAR    $3.99
AUG170950    VENOMVERSE #5 (OF 5) TORQUE POISON VAR    $3.99
JUL178543    WEAPON X #7 2ND PTG SKAN VAR    $3.99
JUL171232    WEREWOLF BY NIGHT COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 01    $39.99
AUG170857    X-MEN GOLD #13 LEG    $3.99

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 25th to 30th, 2017 - Update #30

Support Leroy on Patreon.

 COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Rosario Dawson out and Alice Braga as "Dr. Cecilia Reyes" in Fox's "New Mutants."

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MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:  Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are developing an HBO biopic about pioneering African-American filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux.  Tyler Perry is attached to star as Micheaux.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Pediatrician Mai-Khanh Tran will attempt to unseat a 12-term, U.S. House Republican (and a powerful one at that) next year.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Michelle Rodriguez is ready to leave "The Fast and the Furious" franchise.  The actress, who plays Letty Ortiz, wants more opportunities for women in the film series.

From YahooFinance:  "The Fate of the Furious" director F. Gary Gray responds to Michelle Rodriguez.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Halle Berry said that her 2002 best actress Oscar win (for 2001's "Monsters Ball") meant nothing for diversity.

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OBIT - From Deadline:  The children's author Michael Bond has died at the age of 91, Tuesday, June 27, 2017.  Bond was best known as the creator of Paddington Bear.  The character first appeared in the 1958 book, "A Bear Called Paddington."

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COMICS-FILM - From ShadowandAct:  The return of Marvel Comics character, Blade, to the big or small screen?  Someday... says Marvel chief.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Gwendoline Christie (Star Wars' "Captain Phasma") will join Steve Carell in director Robert Zemeckis' still untitled drama.

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OBIT - From Variety:  The Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist has died at the age 56, Tuesday, June 27, 2017.  He played a rapist in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and the villain "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol."

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, her writing partner from the HBO series, "Girls," are in talks to write the American remake on the hit foreign film, "Toni Erdmann."

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Marvel Studios boss, Kevin Feige, empathizes with Lucasfilm over the "young Han Solo" film director shakeup.

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COMICS-FILM - From LATimes:  Inside the deal the brought Spider-Man to the Marvel cinematic universe.

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TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  HBO is developing a TV series from Ray Bradbury's seminal novel, "Fahrenheit 451," with Michael B. Jordan in the lead.  Actress Laura Harrier will play the wife of Jordan's character ("Guy Montag").

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CULTURE - From BuzzFlash:  How to reverse the demise of the United States.

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TELEVISION - From ScreenDaily:  Kevin Bacon says that he is working on a reboot of his cult film, "Tremors," as a TV series for Syfy.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Sissy Spacek came to fame and earned an Oscar nomination for her starring role in the film, "Carrie" (1976), adapted from a Stephen King novel.  Spacek is returning to the world of Stephen King in Hulu's upcoming series, "Castle Rock."

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MOVIES - From THR:  Warner Bros. is developing a sequel to Ben Affleck's hit film, "The Accountant" (2016).

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  Highlights from the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" press conference.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooTV:  ABC has announced Friday, September 29, 2017 as the premiere date for "Marvel's Inhumans."

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STAR TREK - From Esquire:  One of the changes that "Star Trek Discovery" will make to rules established by Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, is that Starfleet members will be in direct conflict with one another.  The first episode of this new series will air in October 2017.

----------
BLM - From WashPost:  A Black off-duty police officer tried to help stop a crime, and a White cop shot him.  Once again, the controversy is in the St. Louis area.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 6/23 to 6/25/2017 weekend box office is "Transformers: The Last Knight" with an estimated take of $45.3 million.

From TheWrap:  "The Big Sick" and "The Beguiled" open big at indie box office.

From GoldDerby:  "Wonder Woman" is now the highest grossing live-action film by a woman director.  It's global box office total is at just over $635 million dollars (and counting), which surpasses the the previous record holder, Mamma Mia! (2008), which grossed just under $610 million globally and was directed by Phyllida Lloyd.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  The upcoming "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is receiving glowing reviews.  The film will open nationwide on July 7th, 2017.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  There is another project being adapted for TV from George R.R. Martin, whose fantasy novel series, "A Song of Fire and Ice," became the Emmy-winning, HBO television series, "Game of Thrones."  Now, Syfy is developing Martin's novella, "Nightflyers," as a pilot for a TV series.

----------
POLITICS - From RSN:  President Trump and the Congressional Republicans are trying to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA) or BCRA (Better Care Restoration Act) to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) also known as "Obamacare."  President Obama says the AHCA/BCRA will do us harm.

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ECO - From TheNewYorker:  The race to solar-power Africa.

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CULTURE - From Newsweek:  Most U.S. terrorists are of the right-wing variety, not Muslim.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  This is the debut trailer for "The Greatest Showman," which stars Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum and also features Michelle Williams, Zendaya, and Zac Efron, among others.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for August 23rd to August 31st, 2015 - Update #16

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From THR:  Famed film writer/director, Wes Craven, has died of brain cancer, Sunday, August 30, 2015.

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From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Straight Outta Compton" is the #1 movie at the box office for the 8/28 to 8/30/15 weekend.  This is the film's third consecutive week at #1.

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From DigitalSpy:  Tid bits on "Jurassic World" sequel.

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From CinemaBlend:  Woody Allen replaces Bruce Willis with Steve Carell.

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From Deadline:  Lee Daniels' Richard Pryor biopic is apparently a go with a list of hot stars.

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From YahooMovies:  Six actors who sabotaged their own careers.

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From Variety:  Amazon preps TV series based on "Galaxy Quest."

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From InformedComment and IReadsYou:  Natalie Portman on genocide.

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From SlashFilm:  Vin Diesel confirms xXx sequel to start filming in December.

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From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Straight Outta Compton" wins the 8/21 to 8/23/15 weekend box office with an estimated take of $26.8 million dollars.

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From Variety:  Universal and Disney dominate Summer 2015 box office, leaving not much for the other studios.


COMICS - Films and Books:

From CinemaBlend:  Guardians of the Galaxy spinoffs.

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From Variety:  In an exclusive story, Variety is reporting that Marvel is courting Mads Mikkelsen to play a villain in Doctor Strange.

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From SlashFilm:  The "Blade" film franchise may be revived, but focus on Blade's daughter, Fallon Grey.  Grey is supposed to be the lead in an upcoming Blade comic book revival from Marvel Comics.


REVIEWS:

From VillageVoice:  A review of "Z for Zachariah" by Stephanie Zacharek.


OBITS:

From ESPN:  Former NBA basketball player, Darryl Dawkins, died Thursday, August 27, 2015.  Known as "Chocolate Thunder," Dawkins is remembered for his backboard-shattering dunks and also for the naming of the dunks.  I thought that he was so cool and that he remained cool in retirement.  Negromancer sends condolences to his family.  R.I.P. Mr. Dawkins.

Review: "Blade: Trinity" is An Average End to a Special Franchise (Happy B'day, Wesley Snipes)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 240 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blade: Trinity (2004)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong pervasive violence and language, and some sexual content
DIRECTOR:  David S. Goyer
WRITER:  David S. Goyer (based upon characters by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan)
PRODUCERS:  Wesley Snipes, Peter Frankfurt, Lynn Harris, and David S. Goyer
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Gabriel Beristain
EDITORS:  Conrad Smart and Howard E. Smith
COMPOSERS:  Ramin Djawadi and The RZA

ACTION/HORROR/FANTASY

Starring:  Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, Parker Posey, Cascy Beddow, Dominic Purcell, Triple H (Paul Michael Levesque), Natasha Lyonne, Eric Bogosian, Vitaly Kravchenko, James Remar, and Patton Oswalt

The subject of this movie review is Blade: Trinity, a 2004 vampire horror and superhero action movie from writer-director David S. Goyer.  It is the third and final movie in the Blade film series produced by New Line Cinema.  Blade: Trinity finds Blade a wanted man by the FBI and forced to unite with a band of vampire hunters called the Nightstalkers in order to battle his most challenging opponent ever, Dracula.

Early in Blade: Trinity, a group of vampires by led nasty girl vamp princess, Danica Talos (Parker Posey), awakens the original vampire, Dracula (Dominic Purcell), who is buried deep within a pyramid in Iraq.  Apparently, the vampires are desperate to rid themselves of their mortal enemy, the vampire hunter, Blade (Wesley Snipes), aka the Daywalker, and hope Dracula, who goes by the name Drake, will defeat Blade.  Meanwhile, Danica and her crew have also set Blade up so that he mistakenly kills a human he thinks is a vampire.  The murder sets the corrupt police and media against him.  The FBI track Blade to his new lair and launch an attack.  During the strike, Blade’s mentor, father figure, and weapons creator, Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), is killed, and the FBI captures Blade.

Enter The Nightstalkers, a group of human vampire hunters, Blade never knew existed.  One of them is Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel), Abraham Whistler’s out-of-wedlock daughter, and she is an ass-kicking, bow-hunting babe who doesn’t flinch from going toe to toe with bloodsuckers.  Add a third partner to Blade and Abigail, and you have a trinity.  The third player is the buff, wise-cracking Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds), who was once turned into a vampire, and later cured by Abigail.  Together, the trio must hunt down Drake and his vampire cabal and stop them from implementing the vampire final solution against humanity.

Blade: Trinity is the least in terms of quality of the three Blade films, but it still manages to be a thrill (sometimes).  Writer/director David S. Goyer (who also wrote the screenplays for the previous Blade films) and cinematographer Gabriel Beristain (who also shot Blade II) were also determined to make this film look different from the previous two.  Blade: Trinity looks like an extended music video, but the photography has the crystal clear quality of digital video, so much so that the film looks like a television program shot in high definition.  Goyer also dropped a lot of the muddy and murky CGI that didn’t always work in Blade II.

It’s the performances that really hamper Blade: Trinity; in fact, it wouldn’t be too mean to say that the acting is atrocious.  Wesley Snipes always played Blade as stoic, with little to say except for a few lines delivered in a thuggish monotone.  However, Snipes is often too stiff, here.  He’s is too “in character,” and that keeps Blade from interacting with the other characters.  Granted Blade is a loner, but he goes overboard this time.  There are huge segments in this film in which he hardly utters more than a few grumbles.  Thankfully, towards the end of the film, he does come to life as a badass delivering the kind of lines that would fit right into a blaxtiploitation or Quentin Tarantino movie.

Ryan Reynolds really tries to liven up this film as Hannibal King, but rarely is anybody up to his challenge.  His lines are always funny, but often fall flat or are lost in the moroseness of the rest of the cast.  Jessica Biel is almost undead herself in this film, but she’s fine and pretty and moves well; that saves her performance (a little).  Parker Posey is miscast and is made up to look like an ugly, pasty-white trash, hag vampire.  Though she has a (very) few moments, she’s simply annoying.  If Dominic Purcell gets anything out of this film, it’s that he’s one of the worst and least intriguing Dracula’s in cinema history; that would include Dracula’s that have appeared in Scooby-Doo cartoons and other Hanna-Barbera animated programs.

The stiff (non) acting is what makes Blade: Trinity seem so listless and clunky for about half the film’s running time – that and the fact that the vampires spend most of the time brooding and hiding in their tacky skyscraper/palace.  Blade: Trinity is as much a hunt as it is a waiting game, but the waiting is the hardest part.  The film is pretty to look at, and the film score (co-written by The RZA of The Wu-Tang Clan who also co-wrote music for Tarantino’s Kill Bill films) and soundtrack are killer.  But for all the credit I give Goyer, the film’s plot is… dumb and stretched thin, and falls apart to almost nonexistence.  At times, the film is lethargic and meanders, playing a waiting game until the final act.  Though I love Blade, even I have to admit that unless you’re a fan of the series, you can catch this one when it’s on home video.

5 of 10
B-

Update:  Wednesday, July 31, 2013

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"Blade Anime" and "Wolverine Anime" Now in Stores

BLADE ANIME & WOLVERINE ANIME Strike DVD July 31st

Each Two-Disc Set Includes 12 Episodes and All-New Featurettes!

Catch some of Marvel’s most dangerous Super Heroes when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Marvel Animation release BLADE ANIME and WOLVERINE ANIME on DVD July 31st. The two-disc sets will include all 12 episodes from each series, with epic battles and action-packed storylines, as well as six all-new featurettes. The series are guided by The New York Times best-selling author Warren Ellis (Iron Man: Extremis, Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis), and produced by Madhouse for Marvel Television and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan (SPEJ). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the distributor.

BLADE ANIME features the voice of Harold Perrineau (TV’s “Lost,” Matrix trilogy) as Eric Brooks, otherwise known as Blade. The three new featurettes on this two-disc set include The Marvel Anime Universe: Blade Re-Awakened, which explores the process that went into developing this new take on the vampire-hunter. Other featurettes also include Blade: The Vampire-Slayer, comparing Marvel’s Blade with traditional vampire stories, and Special Talk Session: Marvel Anime's Blade and Wolverine, an interview with series creators.

WOLVERINE ANIME stars Milo Ventimiglia (TV’s “Heroes,” TV’s “Gilmore Girls”) voicing the title character of Wolverine. The three new featurettes on this two-discset include The Marvel Anime Universe: Wolverine Reborn, providing insights into the process for creating the series. The Ferocious Anti-Hero: Wolverine Defined exploresthe hero’s character, and Wolverine Meets X-Men contains an interview with the creators of the Marvel anime Wolverine and X-Men.

BLADE ANIME SYNOPSIS: Eric Brooks – known as Blade - seeks revenge on Deacon Frost, the vampire who killed his mother while she was still pregnant with him. With all the powers of a vampire and none of their weaknesses, Blade's quest leads him throughout Southeast Asia in search of Frost. In the Golden Triangle, he discovers a vampire plot that threatens to take down the whole world.

WOLVERINE ANIME SYNOPSIS: The love of Logan’s life, Mariko Yashida, is taken back to Japan by her father Shingen, a notorious crime lord. Once in Japan, she is forcibly betrothed to Kurohagi, a cruel criminal associate of her father, to solidify their business interests. Logan is determined to get her back, yet is plunged into a tangled web of corruption and violence at every turn. But with the help of young assassin Yukio, he just might manage to claw his way through the criminal underworld to confront Shingen and save Mariko.

Review: "Blade II" is Still Too Legit to Quit (Happy B'day, Wesley Snipes)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 26 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blade II (2002)
Running time: 117 minutes (1 hour, 57 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong pervasive violence, language, some drug use and sexual content
DIRECTOR: Guillermo del Toro
WRITER: David S. Goyer (Blade based upon the character created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan)
PRODUCERS: Peter Frankfurt, Patrick J. Palmer, and Wesley Snipes
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Gabriel Beristain (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Peter Amundson
COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami

ACTION/FANTASY/HORROR/MARTIAL ARTS

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, Norman Reedus, Thomas Kretschmann, Luke Goss, Matthew Schulze, Danny John-Jules, and Donnie Yen

The human/vampire warrior Blade (Wesley Snipes) returns to do his thing, which is hunt and destroy vampires. While in Prague, Czech Republic to rescue his old partner Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), Blade receives a summons from Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann), the overlord of vampires. A new breed of creatures, The Reapers, is loose, and they feed on both humans and vampires. Damaskinos has formed a vampire tactical unit dubbed the Bloodpack to hunt the Reapers, but he also wants Blade’s assistance and offers a truce. The Reapers, however, led by the powerful Nomak (Luke Goss), prove to be a formidable foe.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro (Mimic), Blade II is that rare sequel that not only surpasses the original in quality, but also manages to be very different than the original. This is primarily through the efforts of del Toro; his sense of visual style has a huge impact upon this movie, and the look is seemingly based on art rather than music videos. (Stephen Norrington, the director of Blade, was also a director of music videos). He plays with light (natural and artificial) and darkness to set mood and tone, but also to suggest character motivation and plot elements. del Toro works like a painter, and he makes Blade 2 a wild ride, but reveals a thoughtful composition behind the camera.

In fact, the art department played a huge role in the look of the film. Wayne D. Barlow, the head creature designer, is famous in science fiction and fantasy circles for his drawings of aliens. Mike Mignola, the concept artist, worked on Atlantis: The Lost Continent for Disney. Timothy Bradstreet, a comic book artist and illustrator like Mignola and like Blade 2 storyboard artist Leo Duranona, designed the vampires in this film. Bradstreet’s work, according to him, probably influenced the look of the Blade character in the first film.

The dark and decayed look of inner city Prague is absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing even in the dankest and dirtiest sections. Kudos to the art directors and set decorators; they manage to make Blade 2 one of the most gorgeous looking movies ever that used low rent sets.

The eclecticism of the cast also adds to the aura of this movie. Snipes is clearly more confident and more comfortable in his role. He dropped his monotone delivery from the first film for more effective banter this time around, and he portrays Blade throughout this film more as the bold warrior who finished off the original film than the one we first saw.

Kristofferson’s role is a little weightier this go round. Whistler has an air of mystery and intrigue about him, and every time he is on screen, there is something about him that makes you wonder about his motivations. His verbal jousts with his replacement Scud (Norman Reedus) brings a little humor to the film.

Although Kretschmann and Goss are good in their respective roles as Damaskinos and Nomak, the Bloodpack are the true supporting vampire stars. Leonor Varela as Nyssa, Damaskinos’s daughter, brings beauty and a hint of sexuality to these mostly male proceedings. Fight choreographer Donnie Yen also has a small role as Bloodpack member Snowman. Ron Perlman also does a nice turn as Reinhardt, Blade’s opposite in the Bloodpack.

Visually exciting, intriguing, and beautiful, Blade 2 is unique horror movie simply because of the way it looks. It is an exciting action movie filled with leather suits and high tech chop-socky. The CGI fights scenes are a little off in some instances, but for the most part are very good and only add to Blade 2’s exceptional look; it gives the movie the feel of being something other than just another violent action movie. The fight scene between Nyssa and Asad (Danny John-Jules of the British sci-fi television series “Red Dwarf”) against Blade, alone, is worth the price of admission because it tops anything in the first film. It stands with some of the good fight scenes found in Hong Kong movies (thanks to Donnie Yen).

Guillermo del Toro has created a special cinematic visual experience in Blade 2, which adds to the appeal of seeing his other work. Simply put, in popular parlance, Blade 2 rocks, and it is worth repeated viewings.

8 of 10
A

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Review: First "Blade" Still Cool

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 23 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blade (1998)
Running time: 120 minutes (2 hours)
MPAA – R for strong, pervasive vampire violence and gore, language, and brief sexuality
DIRECTOR: Stephen Norrington
WRITER: David S. Goyer (based upon characters created in the comic book Tomb of Dracula by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan)
PRODUCERS: Robert Engelman, Peter Frankfurt, and Wesley Snipes
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Theo van de Sande (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Paul Rubell
COMPOSER: Mark Isham

HORROR/ACTION/FANTASY/MARTIAL ARTS

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N’Bushe Wright, Donal Logue, Udo Kier, Arly Jover, Traci Lords, Kevin Patrick Walls, and Sanaa Lathan

Blade (Wesley Snipes) is a vampire hunter. Born Eric Brooks, his mother died from a vampire attack, and Eric, still in the womb, underwent a change in his DNA, which made him part human and part vampire. He has all the vampires' strengths but none of their weakness. As a adult, Blade seeks revenge on all vampires.

Blade’s war on the vampire nation focuses on Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), an ambitious bloodsucker who plans to resurrect the vampire god, La Magra. Blade rescues Dr. Karen Jenson (N’Bushe Wright), a doctor attacked by one of Frost’s henchmen, and she joins Blade and his fellow soldier/father figure Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) in the battle to stop Frost and his world ending plans.

Directed by Stephen Norrington, Blade is an exhilarating, action thriller/horror. Before The Matrix, Blade featured sped up motion and high tech chop socky. With a pumped up electronica soundtrack and the visual panache of a music video, Blade didn’t have to lean on its skimpy story. It is amazing eye candy: cool, fast paced, violent, gory; it is a part arcade game, part music video, horror movie, action movie, and all around good time.

The performances are decent. Snipes is dead on monotone as the super vampire killer, and Dorff is the delightful, eternally young and sexy bad boy. Kristofferson is cardboard gruff and Ms. Wright is earnest, if not a bit over reaching, in her determination to act like the serious doctor/scientist.

A review can’t really do this very fun film the justice it deserves. Blade is not smart. It’s perfect action movie entertainment that delivers much more than it initially seems to offer. Reading this won’t do it. Blade and Deacon Frost are all bad boy cool with a very good movie as the backdrop. Just see the damn thing for yourself.

7 of 10
A-

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Time Runs Out for Blade; Snipes Must Report to Prison

E! Online has reported that Wesley Snipes has been ordered to report to prison immediately to begin serving his 3 year sentence on charges of federal tax evasion.