TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews

Monday, April 28, 2025

Comic Books, Magazines and Books from Lunar and Diamond Distributors for April 30, 2025

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

FEB252140 A VAMPIRE IN BATHHOUSE GN (C: 0-1-1) $13.99

JAN258445 ALLEY OOP AND THE MIGHTY KAFRAK GN (AL) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

JAN252247 ALPHA WOLFGIRL X OMEGA WOLFBOY GN VOL 03 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

FEB252254 ASHITA NO JOE FIGHTING FOR TOMORROW HC VOL 02 (C: 0-1-1) $59.95

DEC241545 ATLAS COMICS LIBRARY HC VOL 05 POLICE ACTION (C: 0-1-2) $44.99

FEB251617 BADGER MAD MONKEY SHOCK N ROLL #4 (OF 5) $6.99

FEB251670 BAND NERD HC GN (C: 0-1-0) $24.99

JAN251561 BESTIES GN VOL 01 PRANK WAR (C: 0-1-0) $15.99

JAN251562 BESTIES HC GN VOL 01 PRANK WAR (C: 0-1-0) $24.99

FEB252120 BLUE LOCK GN VOL 18 (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

JAN251906 BOTTICELLIS APPRENTICE GN (C: 0-1-0) $15.99

JAN251907 BOTTICELLIS APPRENTICE HC GN (C: 0-1-0) $24.99

FEB251608 CABBIE HC (C: 0-1-2) $29.99

NOV241066 CANTO HC VOL 05 A PLACE LIKE HOME (C: 0-1-1) $29.99

FEB251940 CAROUSEL SUMMER GN (C: 0-1-0) $15.99

FEB251941 CAROUSEL SUMMER HC GN (C: 0-1-0) $24.99

JAN252182 CAT MAN GN (C: 0-1-1) $14.99

JAN252183 CHECKMATE GN VOL 03 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $21.99

JAN252184 CONDEMNED VILLAINESS GOES BACK IN TIME GN VOL 04 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

FEB251515 COSMIC LION PRIMER (ONE SHOT) (C: 0-1-2) $10.00

FEB251671 COVEN GN (C: 0-1-0) $15.99

NOV242083 DAI DARK GN VOL 08 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

JAN252185 DANCE IN VAMPIRE BUND AGE OF SCARLET ORDER GN VOL 14 (C: 0-1 $13.99

JAN252186 DANGEROUS CONVENIENCE STORE GN VOL 05 (C: 0-1-0) $21.99

FEB251445 DEAD DETECTIVE #3 (OF 5) SPECIAL VIRGIN WHITE (C: 0-1-0) $9.99

FEB251446 DEAD DETECTIVE #4 (OF 5) SPECIAL VIRGIN BARRICELLI (C: 0-1-0 $9.99

FEB251447 DEAD DETECTIVE #5 (OF 5) SPECIAL VIRGIN GAY (C: 0-1-0) $9.99

JAN252188 DUNGEON PEOPLE GN VOL 05 (MR) (C: 0-1-1) $13.99

NOV241839 EC COMICS LIBRARY WEIRD SCIENCE VOL 01 (C: 0-1-2) $200.00

FEB252124 EDENS ZERO GN VOL 31 (C: 0-1-2) $10.99

DEC242129 ENNEAD GN VOL 05 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $22.99

DEC242130 ENNEAD HC VOL 05 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $29.99

FEB251616 FANAGRAPHICS UNDERGROUND BEES THE WOMEN WHO ROCKED LITHUANIA $29.99

FEB251615 FANAGRAPHICS UNDERGROUND SINCEREST FORM OF PARODY (NEW PTG) $30.00

JAN251173 FRANKENSTEIN NEW WORLD SEA OF FOREVER #3 $3.99

JAN257823 FREE FOR ALL #1 CVR 2ND PRT $7.99

FEB252129 GAEA TIMA THE GIGANTIS GN VOL 01 (C: 0-1-1) $13.99

FEB258296 GINSENG ROOTS HC (C: 0-1-2) $35.00

FEB251194 GODZILLA SKATE OR DIE TP (C: 0-1-2) $17.99

FEB251188 GODZILLA VS AMERICA LOS ANGELES #1 CVR A HARDMAN $7.99

FEB251189 GODZILLA VS AMERICA LOS ANGELES #1 CVR B GONZO $7.99

DEC241554 GOES LIKE THIS TP (C: 0-1-2) $39.99

MAR241078 GOON THEM THAT DONT STAY DEAD #4 CVR A POWELL (MR) $4.99

MAR241079 GOON THEM THAT DONT STAY DEAD #4 CVR B BERMEJO (MR) $4.99

AUG241374 HATCHET MIDNIGHT MURDERS #3 CVR A MARTINEZ $4.99

AUG241375 HATCHET MIDNIGHT MURDERS #3 CVR B HASSON $4.99

AUG241376 HATCHET MIDNIGHT MURDERS #3 CVR C CALZADA $4.99

FEB251260 HOWL #4 (OF 5) CVR A MAURICET (MR) $3.99

FEB251501 I CAN READ COMICS LEVEL 2 GN CURIOUS GEORGE SWEET SURPRISE ( $5.99

JAN251707 I WITNESSED GN LIZZIE BORDEN STORY (C: 0-1-0) $15.99

JAN251708 I WITNESSED HC GN LIZZIE BORDEN STORY (C: 0-1-0) $24.99

JAN252198 IDOL X IDOL STORY GN VOL 01 (C: 0-1-1) $13.99

FEB251594 INSPECTOR COKE TRILOGY MASTERWORK ED (C: 0-1-1) $64.99

FEB251993 JOHN CARPENTERS TALES OF SCIENCE FICTION PAUSE #3 (OF 6) (MR $4.99

FEB251942 JUNIE B JONES STUPID SMELLY BUS GN (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

FEB251449 KATABASIS #1 (OF 5) SPECIAL KYU YONG EOM $14.99

JAN257114 KAYA CHAN ISNT SCARY GN VOL 01 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

FEB251053 KILLER KOBRA HUNT BEGINS #1 (OF 3) CVR A IGOR VITORINO $4.99

FEB251054 KILLER KOBRA HUNT BEGINS #1 (OF 3) CVR B GUILLERMO FAJARDO $4.99

FEB251055 KILLER KOBRA HUNT BEGINS #1 (OF 3) CVR C JOSH BURNS $4.99

NOV247817 KILLTOWN #1 (OF 3) 2ND PTG CVR A PRIOR/GRIFFIN $5.99

JAN251709 KIRBYS LESSONS FOR FALLING (IN LOVE) GN (C: 0-1-0) $18.99

JAN251710 KIRBYS LESSONS FOR FALLING (IN LOVE) HC GN (C: 0-1-0) $26.99

FEB252037 LAST COMICS ON EARTH GN SONG OF SWORDS & STUFFIES (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

JAN251355 LEGEND OF LA ROSA BLANCA #1 CVR A HASSON $4.99

JAN251356 LEGEND OF LA ROSA BLANCA #1 CVR B LERIX LTD ED VIRGIN ART $19.99

FEB251499 LEMONADE WAR GN (C: 0-1-0) $15.99

FEB251500 LEMONADE WAR HC GN (C: 0-1-0) $24.99

DEC241924 LIFEFORM VIVIAN AN ANGELS & AIRWAVES HC $29.99

FEB251603 LOST MARVELS HC VOL 01 TOWER OF SHADOWS (C: 1-1-2) $34.99

FEB251227 LOW ORBIT TP (C: 0-1-1) $24.99

JAN252089 MISFIT DEMON KING ACADEMY NOVEL SC VOL 05 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $16.00

FEB251199 MLP TOURNAMENT OF MYSTERIES #1 CVR A GRANT $5.99

FEB251200 MLP TOURNAMENT OF MYSTERIES #1 CVR B SCRUGGS $5.99

FEB251966 MODERN ASIAN FAMILY TP VOL 01 STRAIGHT OUTTA BUSAN (C: 0-1-1 $14.99

JAN252212 MY NEW BOSS IS GOOFY GN VOL 01 (C: 0-1-1) $14.99

FEB251864 NACELLEVERSE GREAT GARLOO #0 CVR A KANO $5.99

FEB251865 NACELLEVERSE GREAT GARLOO #0 CVR B POLLINA $5.99

FEB251866 NACELLEVERSE GREAT GARLOO #0 CVR C BLANK SKETCH $5.99

FEB252132 NINA STARRY BRIDE GN VOL 09 (C: 0-1-0) $12.99

DEC240917 PARLIAMENT OF ROOKS #5 CVR A ABIGAIL JILL HARDING (MR) $4.99

DEC240918 PARLIAMENT OF ROOKS #5 CVR B ABIGAIL JILL HARDING B&W (MR) $4.99

DEC240941 PINUPOCALYPSE #2 (OF 6) CVR A TARUSOV (MR) $4.99

DEC240942 PINUPOCALYPSE #2 (OF 6) CVR B OVIEDO (MR) $4.99

DEC240943 PINUPOCALYPSE #2 (OF 6) CVR C HOMAGE (MR) $4.99

DEC241050 PRODIGY SLAVES OF MARS TP (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

JAN257297 PROFANE TP (C: 0-1-2) $17.99

FEB251516 RELIC HUNTER #1 (OF 5) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $10.00

FEB251230 ROCKETEER BREAKS FREE TP $19.99

FEB250398 SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #8 CVR A JUSKO (MR) $6.99

FEB250399 SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #8 CVR B HORLEY (MR) $6.99

JAN257776 SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #8 CVR C FOC JUSKO VIRGIN (MR) $6.99

JAN251668 SEASON OF THE ROSES HC (C: 0-1-2) $29.99

FEB251836 SEVEN YEARS IN DARKNESS TP YEAR TWO (C: 0-1-1) $19.99

FEB251614 SKIN HC (C: 0-1-2) $34.99

JAN257296 SLAM COMPLETE COLLECTION TP (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

MAY240424 SPEED GRAPHER GN VOL 02 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

FEB251517 STAN VS. JACK HOW TO FEUD THE MARVEL WAY HC (C: 0-1-2) $20.00

JAN251188 STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES PHASE III #17 CVR A TOLIB $3.99

JAN251189 STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES PHASE III #17 CVR B HOWEL $3.99

JAN251191 STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC PHASE III BATTLE ERIADU ONE SHOT $5.99

DEC241023 STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC PHASE III CRASH ZONE TP (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

JAN251192 STAR WARS HYPERSPACE STORIES CODEBREAKER #1 CVR A GALINDO $4.99

JAN251193 STAR WARS HYPERSPACE STORIES CODEBREAKER #1 CVR B $4.99

JAN251194 STAR WARS HYPERSPACE STORIES CODEBREAKER #1 CVR C MURPHY $4.99

JAN251711 STRANGE BEDFELLOWS GN (C: 0-1-0) $18.99

JAN251712 STRANGE BEDFELLOWS HC GN (C: 0-1-0) $26.99

FEB251764 SUPER SCIENCE CHAPTER ZERO ONESHOT (NET) (C: 0-1-1) $0.99

JAN251669 TEDWARD HC (C: 0-1-2) $24.99

FEB251514 THE EDGE #10 (C: 0-1-2) $4.99

FEB251224 TMNT ADVENTURES COMPENDIUM HC VOL 01 (C: 0-1-1) $99.99

JAN251262 TMNT THE LAST RONIN II RE EVOLUTION #5 CVR A ESCORZAS (MR) $8.99

JAN251263 TMNT THE LAST RONIN II RE EVOLUTION #5 CVR B EASTMAN (MR) $8.99

JAN251264 TMNT THE LAST RONIN II RE EVOLUTION #5 CVR C BISHOP (MR) $8.99

JAN250410 TOXIC SUPER BEASTS GN VOL 01 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

FEB251518 TURBO HAWK #1 (OF 4) (C: 0-1-2) $8.00

NOV241559 WALT DISNEYS DONALD DUCK HC MAGIC AND MAYHEM (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

FEB251672 WARRIORS GN VOL 02 PROPHECIES BEGIN (C: 0-1-0) $15.99

FEB251673 WARRIORS HC GN VOL 02 PROPHECIES BEGIN (C: 0-1-0) $24.99

FEB251441 WHITE TP (RES) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $24.99

JAN251209 WHO ARE THE POWER PALS #2 CVR A RAAFAT $4.99

JAN251210 WHO ARE THE POWER PALS #2 CVR B BOSS $4.99

JAN251992 WICKED GN VOL 01 (OF 2) (C: 0-1-1) $25.99

JAN251563 WIZARD OF EARTHSEA GN (C: 0-1-0) $26.99

FEB251048 ZENESCOPE LEGENDS SPRING 2025 CVR A MARCO SANTUCCI $6.99

FEB251049 ZENESCOPE LEGENDS SPRING 2025 CVR B JORDI TARRAGONA $6.99

FEB251050 ZENESCOPE LEGENDS SPRING 2025 CVR C MICHAEL DOONEY $6.99

FEB251051 ZENESCOPE LEGENDS SPRING 2025 CVR D JOSH BURNS $6.99

MAGAZINES

FEB251921 CARTOONS MAGAZINE #56 CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF KRASS & BERNIE $8.99

DEC241460 COMIC SHOP NEWS (100CT BUNDLE) #1967 (NET) $18.99

JAN251573 COMIC SHOP NEWS (100CT BUNDLE) #1968 (NET) $18.99

FEB251674 HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE #1 CVR A HILDEBRANDT (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

FEB251675 HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE #1 CVR B FRAZETTA (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

FEB251676 HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE #1 CVR C LOTAY TAARNA (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

FEB251677 HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE #1 CVR D GRANT GRIMALDI (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

FEB251678 HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE #1 CVR E JANEVSKY SIXELLA (MR) (C: 0-1- $14.99

FEB251679 HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE #1 CVR F BLANK SKETCH (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

FEB251680 HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE #1 CVR G PALUMBO LOVERS NSFW (MR) (C: 0 $19.99

FEB250435 STAR WARS INSIDER #231 NEWSSTAND ED (C: 0-1-2) $9.99

FEB250433 STAR WARS INSIDER #231 PX ED (C: 0-1-2) $9.99

DEC241918 VAMPIRESS CARMILLA 2026 ANNUAL (MR) (C: 0-1-1) $10.99

BOOKS

JAN252087 ARCHDEMONS DILEMMA HOW LOVE ELF BRIDE LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 17 $15.99

JAN252095 BS SITUATION OF TOUGETSU UMIDORI LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 02 (MR) $16.00

JAN252090 BY THE GRACE OF GODS LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 14 (C: 0-1-2) $15.99

JAN252102 BYE BYE EARTH LIGHT NOVEL SC (C: 0-1-2) $16.00

FEB252219 FINAL FANTASY XIV DAWNTRAIL ART OF SUCCESSION SC (C: 0-1-1) $39.99

FEB251593 HARLEY QUINN REDEMPTION SC NOVEL (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

JAN252094 IM STRONGEST ZOMBIE WORLD CANT BEAT THIS GIRL NOVEL VOL 02 ( $16.00

JAN252093 SUMMER HIKARU DIED LIGHT NOVEL SC (C: 0-1-2) $16.00

JAN252097 SWORD ART ONLINE ALT CLOVERS REGRET PROSE NOVEL SC VOL 03 (C $16.00

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Sunday, April 27, 2025

Review: Prime Video's "WITHOUT REMORSE" is a Michael B. Jordan Showcase

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 20 of 2025 (No. 2026) by Leroy Douresseaux

Without Remorse (2021)

Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)

Rating: MPA – R for violence

DIRECTOR: Stefano Sollima

WRITERS: Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples; from a screen story by Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples (based on the novel by Tom Clancy)

PRODUCERS: Michael B. Jordan, Josh Appelbaum, Akiva Goldsman, and Andre Nemec

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Philippe Rousselot (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Matthew Newman

COMPOSER: Jon Thor Birgisson

ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jamie Bell, Lauren London, Jacob Scipio, Todd Lasance, Jack Kesy, Lucy Russell, Brett Gelman, Colman Domingo, and Guy Pearce

Without Remorse is a 2021 American action and military thriller directed by Stefano Sollima and starring Michael B. Jordan, who is one of this film's producer. Also known as Tom Clancy's Without Remorse, the film is loosely based on the 1993 novel, Without Remorse, from author Tom Clancy (1947-2013). Without Remorse was originally produced by Paramount Pictures, which was set to release it. After some delays, Amazon Studios acquired the film and released it as a “Prime Video” original on April 30, 2021. Without Remorse the movie focuses on a Navy SEAL who seeks to avenge his wife's murder only to find himself inside of a larger conspiracy.

Without Remorse opens in Aleppo, Syria and introduces Senior Chief Petty Officer John Kelly (Michael B. Jordan). He is a member of a U.S. Navy SEALs team on a mission to rescue a CIA operative taken hostage by a para-military group. The situation escalates as the SEALs discover that the captors are actually Russian military, and Kelly becomes suspicious of CIA Agent Robert Ritter (Jamie Bell), who led this rescue mission.

Three months later, Kelly is living in Washington D.C. with his pregnant wife, Pam (Lauren London), when Russian FSB operatives invade their home and kill Pam and their unborn child. The attack is part of a series of attacks on members of the SEAL team that took part in the Aleppo mission. With the blessing of his SEAL team leader, Lt. Commander Karen Greer (Jodie Turner-Smith), and Secretary of Defense Thomas Clay (Guy Pearce), Kelly joins a mission led by Greer and Ritter to Murmansk, Russia. There, Kelly hopes to avenge his wife, but he is about to discover that he is really just a pawn in a wide-ranging conspiracy that may lead to a war between the U.S. and Russia.

The late Tom Clancy was a prolific author of military-style action adventures and thrillers. I have not read any of his books, although I actually had or have copies of a few of them. Of the six feature films adapted from Clancy's work, I have previously watched and reviewed three: The Hunt for Red October (1990), Clear and Present Danger (1994), and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). I saw Patriot Games when it was originally released to theaters back in 1992, but I have never reviewed it. Concerning Without Remorse, I would put it behind Clear and Present Danger, which is one of my all time favorite films (as well as being a favorite of my late mother's), and The Hunt for Red October, which has stood strong over the years.

Without Remorse has a riveting battle scenes and shoot outs. Sometimes, I felt as if I was also there in the film ducking certain death and bullets. Without Remorse's director Stefano Sollima makes excellent use of his film editor, sound team, and stunt performers. I am surprised that the intense and gripping action did not earn Without Remorse better reviews than it received.

There are reasons for that. The film's labyrinth of conspiracies ties the film's narratives in knots and confuses things. Sometimes, I had trouble keeping up with all the Russian bad guys and how they fit in as threats to the U.S. and to the Navy SEALs. Kelly's quest for vengeance and his relationship with Lt. Commander Greer have depth and weight, but most of the other characters are more espionage and military adventure stereotypes than they are full-formed and interesting characters.

Truthfully, I mainly wanted to catch up on my Michael B. Jordan films in the wake of seeing him star in director Ryan Coogler's incredible recent film, Sinners. Its imperfections aside, I really enjoyed Without Remorse and found it to be a very good and very entertaining film in a number of ways. I look forward to the planned sequel.

B+

7 of 10

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, April 27, 2025

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Thursday, April 24, 2025

Review: "STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH" is Darker Than Ever

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 82 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Running time: 140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some intense images

DIRECTOR: George Lucas

WRITER: George Lucas

PRODUCER: Rick McCallum

CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Tattersall (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Roger Barton and Ben Burtt

COMPOSER: John Williams

Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/FANTASY and ACTION/ADVENTURE and WAR/THRILLER

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits, (voice) Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Silas Carson, Ahmed Best, and Kenny Baker

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American science fiction, war, action, and epic space opera film from writer-director George Lucas. It is the sixth film in the Star Wars film franchise, which began with 1977's Star Wars. Revenge of the Sith is chronologically the third film in the “Skywalker Saga,” and is a direct sequel to the second film in the saga, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Revenge of the Sith opens near the end of the Clone Wars, as a Jedi Master pursues a new threat, while his former apprentice is lured into a sinister plot for galactic domination.

George Lucas had access to digital cameras, computer generated images, or CGI, and better special effects for his Star Wars prequel trilogy, technology he didn’t have when he made his original trilogy. Still, after the first two films of the prequel trilogy, it was obvious that the newer series lacked the heart of the original series. It didn’t seem to resonate with audiences, critics, and hardcore Star Wars fans the way the original had.

That changes with the closing film of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Revenge of the Sith is about three times the film that Episodes I and II are, at least the second half of Sith is. The first hour gets bogged down in those SFX that Lucas loves so much and that, because of his over reliance on them, hurt the first two prequel films, but this time improved digital photography makes the merger of the real and CGI appear seamless. Watch this film and you realize that Lucas has learned one thing – make it look so good that they don’t see the smoke dissipating and the mirrors crack.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith opens three years after the events depicted in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. The war between the Republic and the separatist’s droid army is at a standstill. Led by General Grievous, the separatists have laid siege to the Republic’s capitol home world, and Grievous is holding the Republic’s leader, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), hostage. The Jedi heroes, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), arrive just in time to rescue the Chancellor. After Anakin rescues him, the Machiavellian Palpatine, who has always taken an interest in the young Jedi hero, entices Anakin to become closer to him and takes him into his confidence.

As Jedi leaders, Obi-Wan, Yoda (voice of Frank Oz), and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) try to hold the Republic together and defeat the separatists. Meanwhile, Anakin begins his journey to the Dark Side, putting his friendship with Obi-Wan and his marriage to his wife, Padmé (Natalie Portman), who is pregnant, at risk.

The CGI (computer generated imagery) and special effects blend in so well with the real actors and (what there is of it) props, better than they have in previous Star Wars films, perhaps because the film was shot using digital cameras. Don’t know, but I know the film looks darn good. Beautiful cinematography, riveting battle scenes set deep in space, over great cities, and in exotic alien locales. Maybe, Lucas decided that Star Wars films work best when they look like the kind of video games that really click with gamers – tight story, but even tighter action. Don’t let drama get in the way of great duels, spectacular battles, and awesome explosions.

The acting is shaky, and the actors deliver 98 percent of the mediocre dialogue in a mantra-like neutral monotone. Hayden Christensen waffles between acceptable and lame. Ewan McGregor is about the same as before. Samuel L. Jackson and Natalie Portman were better than I’d heard in early reviews of this film (at least to me). Ian McDiarmid is suave and deliciously evil as the Supreme Chancellor; he’s the great villain as superb cinematic dessert. Sadly, only the CGI Yoda matches the intensity that McDiarmid brings to his performance as the wicked Palpatine.

I won’t blame it all on the actors because it’s not as if the plot, script, and concept often make sense. Anakin is lame, unlikable, and whiny. The Jedi, at least the prequel version, aren’t as bright and as perceptive as one would assume of a group that wields such power; they certainly don’t have their shit together. Watch them interact with Anakin, and this whole “chosen one” thing just seems like malarkey; he doesn’t act like one, and the rest of the Jedi certainly don’t seem like they know how to handle one or at least monitor one.

Still, in spite of shaky internal logic and the senses-shattering siege of digital glory, Revenge of the Sith is, not only the best of the prequels, it competes with Return of the Jedi to be the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back. It’s fun, and the second half is so thrilling that it makes up for a meandering first half full of overdone effects. It’s tragic. It’s dark, and it sweetly unites the prequel trilogy with the original, answering some old questions and justifying some of the revisions Lucas has been putting the original series through for two and a half decades. It’s a grand finish, and if you’ve ever seen the 1977 film, Star Wars, or any other Star Wars film, then you must also see this one.

I must add that Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is my favorite of the prequel films for nostalgic reasons. It is the only Star Wars film that I watched with a group of friends, whereas I saw the others alone.

It is not that this is a great film, and it’s more skillful than artful. This is simply the best that a Star Wars prequel film could be. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is the one that brings balance to the Force.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

May 22, 2005

Reedited and rewritten: Tuesday, April 22, 2025

NOTES:

2006 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Makeup” (Dave Elsey and Nikki Gooley)

2006 Grammy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media” (John Williams)

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Review: Merchant Ivory's "THE WILD PARTY" Gets Wild... Eventually

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 19 of 2025 (No. 2025) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Wild Party (1975)

Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR: James Ivory

WRITER: Walter Marks (based on the narrative poem by Walter Moncure March)

PRODUCER: Ismail Merchant

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Walter Lassally (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Kent McKinney

COMPOSERS: Laurence Rosenthal; Walter Marks (songs)

COMEDY/DRAMA/MUSIC

Starring: James Coco, Raquel Welch, Perry King, Tiffany Bolling, Royal Dano, David Dukes, Annette Ferra, Eddie Laurence, Bobo Lewis, Regis Cordic, Dena Dietrich, Baruch Lamet, Fred Franklyn, J.S. Johnson, Tom Reese, Michael Grant Hall, Skipper, Jennifer Lee Pryor, Mews Small, and Geraldine Baron

The Wild Party is a 1975 comedy-drama and music film from director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant. The film is loosely based on The Wild Party, a book-length narrative poem written by Joseph Moncure March and first published in 1926. Walter Marks wrote the film's screenplay and the song score. The Wild Party the movie focuses on a silent film comedian who throws a lavish party where he will screen his new silent film in hopes that it will save his failing career.

The Wild Party opens in 1929 at “St. Mark's Hospital” in Los Angeles, California. There, we meet James Morrison (David Dukes), who has heavy bandaging around his neck. He begins to recount the activities of the previous day, and the story moves to “Casa Alegria,” the palatial home of the silent film star and comedian, Jolly Grimm (James Coco), born “Carlo Grimaldi.”

James is a poet, but he did some screenwriting for Jolly's latest silent film, “Brother Jasper,” a comic and dramatic biopic about a monk. Jolly seems to have everything: wealth; a mansion; a faithful manservant and friend in Tex (Royal Dano), and an excellent maid and housekeeper in Wilma (Bob Lewis). Jolly also has a beautiful and faithful mistress, the former vaudeville dancer, Queenie (Raquel Welch). But Jolly no longer has Hollywood's interest.

Jolly was once a great star of the silent era, but sound film is taking over, and it has been a long time since Jolly has had a hit. Although he has self-financed the production of “Brother Jasper,” Jolly still needs to sell the film to a studio for distribution. He decides to throw a huge party at his mansion where he will screen the film for perspective buyers, especially the studio heads, A.J. Murchison (Regis Cordic) and Kreutzer (Eddie Laurence).

The party is complicated by the fact that Hollywood power couple, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, are also throwing a lavish gathering at their mansion and estate known as “Pickfair,” and some of the people Jolly and Queenie want to invite would rather go to Pickfair. Jolly is a heavy drinker, and at the party, the more he drinks, the angrier he becomes. The arrival of the virile young actor, Dale Sword (Perry King), and Queenie's interest in him are about to make a wild party have an ending wilder than anyone expected.

2025 is the fiftieth anniversary of the original theatrical release (1975) of the Merchant Ivory's film, The Wild Party. This month (April 2025), the cable network, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), is screening several films from Merchant Ivory Productions. The Wild Party is scheduled to be one of them. After early, moderate success in the 1960s with such films as The Householder (1963) and Shakespeare Wallah (1965), Merchant Ivory suffered some lean years in the 1970s, and The Wild Party, which yielded disappointing box office results, was one of the films that defined the lean years.

The Wild Party's wild party doesn't really turn crazy until the last 40 minutes or so of the film. Until then, the film really talks too much – for a film about the end of “Silent Film era.” Still, James Coco's strong performance as Jolly Grimm and Raquel Welch's luminous looks and subtle portrayal of Queenie have a surprising allure.

However, I must say that The Wild Party's following departments: hair and make-up, costumes, and art direction and set decoration, are also this film's stars. The American rapper who goes by the stage name, “Da Brat,” once said that she liked Old Hollywood movies because (not an exact quote) they had class and everyone dressed up and went to clubs and parties. This Wild Party, a 1975 feature film, recalls the lavish backdrops and non-stop reverie of a certain kind of Old Hollywood film.

The Wild Party was apparently a troubled production, and neither director James Ivory nor producer Ismail Merchant found the endeavor pleasant. That aside, I like this film (although director Damien Chazelle's 2022 film, Babylon, is better at depicting the chaos of the transition from silent film to sound motion pictures). Although it never really comes together until the party really gets wild, there are a number of stand-out scenes, and many of the supporting actors and actresses have a moment to really shine. The Wild Party isn't a typical Merchant Ivory film, but it shows that everything they touch has, at the very least, the air of high quality, even if the substance of high quality is not present.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, April 24, 2025

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Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Review: "STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES" is Stuffed with Spectacle

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 93 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

Running time: 142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)

MPAA – PG for sustained sequences of sci-fi action/violence

DIRECTOR: George Lucas

WRITERS: Jonathan Hales and George Lucas; from a story by George Lucas

PRODUCER: Rick McCallum

CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Tattersall (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Ben Burtt with George Lucas

COMPOSER: John Williams

Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/FANTASY and ACTION/ADVENTURE/WAR

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz (voice), Ian McDiarmid, Temuera Morrison, Jimmy Smits, Ahmed Best (voice), and Anthony Daniels & Kenny Baker

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American science fiction, war, action, and epic space opera film from director George Lucas. It is the fifth film in the “Star Wars” film franchise, which began with 1977's Star Wars. Attack of the Clones is chronologically the second film in the “Skywalker Saga,” and is a direct sequel to the first film in the saga, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Attack of the Clones finds a Jedi Master investigating the mystery behind a secret clone army allegedly created at the behest of the Jedi, while his young Jedi apprentice engages in romance forbidden by the Jedi Order.

What a difference a year makes. When I first saw Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in theaters last year, I hated it. Now a year later, I’ve watched it on home video, and the movie sure seems a lot better. Attack of the Clones is the second of three prequels to Star Wars, the 1977 film that had two sequels. The prequels, of which includes this film and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, are the backstory to Star Wars, what happened before the 1977 film that is now called Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. For one thing, the plot of Episode II is much better than Episode I’s plot.

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones begins something like 10 years after Menace. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is now the Padawan learner (apprentice) to his master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). The Jedi Council assigns master and student to guard Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), who has had two close attempts on her life.

While Anakin guards Amidala, Kenobi rushes across the galaxy to track the assassin who targeted her, a bounty hunter named Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison). Kenobi discovers a mysterious Clone Army supposedly ordered ten years earlier by representatives of the galactic Republic. That is just the outer strand of an ever-widening web of mystery and intrigue that began with an attempt on Amidala’s life. Meanwhile, Anakin and Amidala are dangerously falling in love against a backdrop of political turmoil.

There are two holdovers from The Phantom Menace that I had hoped would not make it to Clones, mediocre acting and wooden dialogue. Although the actors seem more comfortable and there is a tad bit more rhythm to the acting, the performances are still too stiff and formal and the dialogue is delivered in an awkward fashion as if everyone in the cast were rank-amateurs. Sometimes I get the feeling that director/creator George Lucas thinks he’s making some great sprawling British epic film in the vein of Sir David Lean, so all of his actors’ speeches must be affected. It just comes across as fake.

The action sequences and fight scenes are good, especially the Yoda (voice of Frank Oz) and Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) lightsaber duel, which has to be seen to be believed. I never knew Yoda had it in him. The special effects in The Phantom Menace were impressive, but no thanks to The Matrix, released the same year, the SFX in The Phantom Menace suddenly seemed dated, compared to the revolutionary work in The Matrix. The SFX are still good in Attack of the Clones, and there is so much of it; sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between what’s live action and what’s computer-generated. However, Star Wars SFX is no longer as awe-inspiring as it once was; now it comes across as looking like the effects in a really good video game.

The film does have the feel of a sprawling epic, but Lucas’s direction hops around too much. He seems uncomfortable dealing with emotion and love in his story lines. He doesn’t have to turn on the waterworks as if this was some Technicolor melodramatic weepy, but he should give the actors enough screen time to make the emotions palatable. Before any kind of mood can be established, Lucas is racing off to the next battle scene. He comfortable staging awesome battles filled war machines of the most fantastic and imaginative designs. However, his “character moments” feel as if he shoehorned them in, if only to remind his audience that this is supposed to be the love story of Anakin and Amidala that would later lead to such tragedy and heartbreak. Before any heat can generate, he drops the personal moments like soiled diapers and is off to the next videogame-style battle scene.

Still, Star Wars fans should like Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (which Disney renamed Star Wars: Attack of the Clones) for the most part, and I imagine that it will hold up over time. I know Star Wars fans always have such high hopes. However, after the first two prequels, I think we should understand that the films are meant simply to enforce brand awareness and sell merchandise. Any pretense to cinematic art is just that – a pretense...

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

RE-edited with some rewriting: Monday, April 21, 2025

NOTES:

2003 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Visual Effects” (Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll,and Ben Snow)

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Monday, April 21, 2025

Comics Review: "UNCANNY X-MEN #1" Rises from the Ashes

UNCANNY X-MEN #1 (2024)

MARVEL COMICS

STORY: Gail Simone

ART: David Marquez

COLORS: Matthew Wilson

LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles

COVER: David Marquez with Matthew Wilson

EDITOR: Tom Brevoort

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson; David Marquez with Matthew Wilson; Jim Lee with Alex Sinclair; John Tyler Christopher; Leinil Francis Yu with Sunny Gho; Luciano Vecchio; Pablo Villalobos; Scott Koblish with Rachelle Rosenberg; Stephen Segovia with Jay David Ramos

40pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (October 2024)

Rated T+

X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

“Red Wave”

The X-Men are a Marvel Comics superhero team. The team was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1 (cover dated: September 1963). The X-Men are “mutants,” and Marvel's mutants are humans born with a genetic trait called the “X-gene,” which naturally grants them superhuman abilities. Being different from normal humans makes mutants the subject of prejudice, discrimination, and violence from humans. Founded by Professor Charles Xavier a.k.a. “Professor X,” the X-Men fight to protect Earth for both humans and mutants, often battling various “evil mutants” and otherworldly threats.

Over the decades, especially over the last four, there have been countless comic book publications featuring the X-Men. The X-Men flagship comic book was entitled “The X-Men” beginning with Issue #1 lasting through Issue #141. With Issue #142, the title official became “Uncanny X-Men.? Over the last decade Uncanny X-Men has been relaunched a few times, each news series beginning with a new Issue #1.

The latest relaunch began last year (2024) during the late summer. The 2024 iteration of Uncanny X-Men is written by Gail Simone; drawn by David Marquez; colored by Matthew Wilson; and lettered by VC's Clayton Cowles. The new series takes place in the wake of the “From the Ashes” crossover publishing event and finds the X-Men without a home and without Professor X.

Uncanny X-Men #1 opens in Westchester County, New York, specifically at the former “Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.” Diabolical forces have taken over the campus and are making plans to transform it from a school into some kind of detention center or prison.

Since the fall of the island-nation slash mutant paradise of Krakoa, mutants have been left adrift across the globe. Rogue, Gambit, and Wolverine are in Mexico, specifically Teotihuacan, where they will face a dragon. Next up is “the University of Mississippi Medical Center,” where they engage in a mission of mercy for Nightcrawler and a low-level, dying mutant boy named “Harvey X.” Before long, the quartet will encounter what may be some new mutants, but is Rogue willing to become the new leader of the X-Men? Should the X-Men even continue to be a thing?

THE LOWDOWN: I am not on any kind of comp list that provides me with review copies – PDF or otherwise – of Marvel Comics publications. That leaves me free to say what I want without feeling that a bad review could get me excommunicated. [Despite what the marketing people at publishers say, a slip-up of any kind can get a reviewer removed from a comp list.]

By the time I read this new Uncanny X-Men #1 and began to write the review, this series' first trade collection, Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1: Red Wave, had been in stores for a week and a half. I am still not going to post detailed spoilers, and I suspect there is a lot to spoil over the entire arc. I like the vibe that Gail Simone brings to the series. It is part traditional X-Men, but with an offbeat wild vibe that is similar to what readers found in New X-Men #114 (cover dated: July 2001). I don't know how new and original the new mutants presented in this issue are, but Simone seems to be aiming for a new direction in this first issue of her run on this venerable series. I think she is the first woman to be the regular series writer on Uncanny X-Men, which is disgraceful that it took decades for that to happen.

As for the art by David Marquez: his work has looked better and the storytelling has been much more potent. His graphical style was simpler and cleaner in the classic Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (cover dated: July 2014). Now, Marquez is more stylish and impressionistic that he has ever been, but the storytelling here substitutes flash action for meaningful drama. The great Matthew Wilson makes the art pop off the page with his rich, earthy hues. As usual, letterer Clayton Cowles is solid, but his lettering does not get in the way of the way of the story's action.

So I don't know if I will seek out the trade for this first arc of the new Uncanny X-Men. This first chapter of “Red Wave” is somewhat intriguing, but I feel like Simone put off too much of the narrative in order to focus on Rogue's melodrama. I assume the best is yet to come, so I will recommend that X-Men fans give this series a try.

Yes. You can describe me as ambivalent about this first issue. I am still curious about X-Men comic books, but my passion for them has cooled over the years.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of X-Men comic books will always want to see what's going on with the Uncanny X-Men.

[By Marvel's legacy numbering, Uncanny X-Men #1 (2024) is also Issue No. 701.]

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

The first trade collection, "Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone Vol. 1: Red Wave" is now available at Amazon.

https://x.com/Marvel

https://www.marvel.com/

https://www.marvel.com/comics

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