Anville

August 10, 2016 12:40 pm I'm with you guys, although I wasn't quite on the edge of an apoplectic fit as Mike was. :-) Also, just want to point out that "MacGuffin" and "Deus ex machina", are different things. MacGuffin - an object or device in a movie or a book that serves merely as a trigger for the plot. Deus ex machina - an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel

July 27, 2016 1:37 am Even though I grew up on TOS and watched my fair share of TNG, etc, I've never been a Trek superfan. I enjoyed ST2009, and "In Darkness", not so much. Only seen the recent movies once, and missed almost all the media blitz for this new one. That said, here's my reaction to "Beyond": Kinda boring. I felt like the villain and his crew were generic Trek baddies, and didn't interest me at all. The motivational reveal at the end might have helped if it were earlier. Either way, his claimed philosophical issues against the Federation didn't make sense to me. The MacGuffin of "the last piece of the magical super-weapon" really bothered me, because, well, it was *magic*. There was no explanation (I think) of what was, why it worked, where it came from. I don't need the equivalent of the Starfleet Technical Manual, but this is science fiction, not Lord of the Rings (or even Star Wars), so just give me some science-y sounding backstory, and not hand-wave it as the equivalent of the One Ring, forged by an ancient race. While I agree about Karl Urban, I'm not a fan of Quinto's Spock, and didn't sense any chemistry with his castmates. A lot of the humor fell flat for me, though I did laugh out loud once (can't remember the joke, though). On scene in particular, when Kirk and Chekhov return to the crashed saucer (an maybe another?), was super dark , and even though I was at an indoor cinema, I was having trouble making out the action. Maybe I'm just cranky, but it felt just a little too much a Star Trek veneer painted over a generic action movie. Moderately fun, but ultimately forgettable. C+

March 26, 2016 5:32 pm One other comment: The dual funeral scenes lacked any emotional punch because we *all know* that he's going to come back. Soon. Like Jesus. And the very last second of the movie removed any doubt. Why even bother "killing" him? Such a horribly written and directed movie. (Loved Mike's comments about the rain was from humanity weeping )

March 26, 2016 4:36 pm Listening now after watching the movie this morning . Thanks for providing me with laughs after a two and half hour slog of joylessness. Oy veh!

September 29, 2014 12:40 pm Glad to hear a shout-out for Secret Avengers. It took me a bit to get used to its tone, but I've been really digging the unexpected weirdness and twists. Nicely matched story and art.

November 25, 2013 8:53 pm It's more in the "tainment" than the "edu", but I was thinking of "Northlanders". A lot of great Viking history in that story.

November 25, 2013 8:51 pm I was listening to the "stereo" version today on my earbuds. It reminded me of a Beatles album.

September 2, 2013 3:19 am I had a feeling something like this might be coming. I think I'm still in stage 1 of the Kübler-Ross model, though. Bummer! I am going to miss the new comics section a lot. I never used the pull list feature, but I loved the discussion on each book, would always visit pages when I was excited about an issue I just read, to see what other people thought. I know there are other forums out there, but it would be great to see a simpler version of new comcs pages, maybe curated by volunteer moderators? The community and culture on this site is among the most thoughtful *anywhere* on the web, and I hope it continues in some form. I am quite happy, though, the weekly podcast goes on! (Yay!) Conor, Josh, Paul, and everyone ese: Thanks for all the years of work on this site!

August 28, 2013 5:53 pm In that third image (from Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #9 (1962)) , Superman's posture makes me think of Tony Soprano. "What, evil? Fuggedaboudit!"

August 8, 2013 1:24 pm Don't forget the sash.