The Watcher - Men In Black 3

Agents J and K are back! It’s been ten years since we last saw the agents in black who secretly protect the Earth from a constant alien threat. Once again directed by Barry Sonnenfeld the third movie in the MiB series starts with the introduction of Boris the Animal ("It's just Boris!") played by Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Concords fame. It’s nice to see him in such a contrasting role compared to his normal comedic self. When we first meet Boris the Animal he is being kept prisoner in Lunamax which is a penal facility on the moon designed specifically for him. Of course he escapes and plans to get revenge on the man who put him there - K (Tommy Lee Jones).

Back in MiB headquarters, J and K and its other members are mourning the loss of Agent Z (excellently portrayed by somewhat disgraced Rip Torn in the previous two installments), now running things is Agent O (Emma Thompson). I personally think it's a shame that Z couldn’t return as I always felt like he was an integral part of MiB universe.

Boris the Animal plans to return to the year 1969, stop his arrest and kill Agent K in the process. So it's up to Agent J (Will Smith) to go back to '69 before Boris arrives and stop his nefarious plans. In order to do this J has to ‘time jump’ which literally involves jumping off something really high (and no I don’t mean while stoned!). The visual effects involved in this really lend to the 3D depth effect as when J is falling he actually falls through different time periods, I enjoyed this more than most other recent 3D additions to movies.

 

Once successfully back in the Sixties, J manages to find Boris but is actually apprehended before he can succeed in killing him. By whom? The young Agent K! Josh Brolin portrays the young K wonderfully, he manages to capture Tommy Lee Jones’ performance, mannerisms and voice so much so I couldn’t believe it wasn’t actually him at first! Because of J’s alien tech he is taken back to MiB headquarters and interrogated by K, he seems friendlier but doesn’t trust J. It eventually takes the truth, that J is in fact from the future for K to believe him. While on the hunt for clues they go to ‘The Factory’ and meet Andy Warhol who is secretly the great Bill Hader in disguise and an alien called Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg).

Griffin has a unique skill - he can see alternate dimensions simultaneously and thus predict the future, which helps! He informs the agents that in order to deploy the ArcNet (a shield to protect earth from the Bogladites - Boris’ species) they would have to attach it to the top of Apollo 11 before it is launched the very next day.

J, K and Griffin make their way to Cape Canaveral on massive rockets of their own! Security make things difficult once they arrive but with the help of Griffin and his talents they get escorted to the launch gantry to reach the rocket's top. Not only is Boris the Animal there ready to stop them but so is his other self - double trouble! Both agents battle their own Boris and finally succeed in deploying the ArcNet.

Certain things in this film do not quite feel right, the lack of Z in both the present and the past, K’s relationship with O (why isn’t this mentioned in the future?) and both Smith and Jones feel like they are just going through the motions. That said I did enjoy it! About the same level as the previous outings, the third movie is worth watching for the gross effects and fun 3D as well as some brilliant performances by the supporting cast - Michael Stuhlbarg, Bill Hader and of course the star player Josh Brolin.

Defend the galaxy, learn its secrets and remember just look into the light... *FLASH!*

Stefan Harkins is still sniggering at the use of the word 'penal'!

New Beginnings - Higher Earth #1

This week’s new comic is from Boom Studios, a relative baby in the comic book company stakes compared to the big two or publishers like Image and Dark Horse. However, having only been formed in 2005 has not stopped Boom from having some massive names on their credits list such as Abnett and Lanning, Mark Waid and Keiron Gillen to name just a couple. Their catalogue of titles is also very extensive with some well known brands too. They were the first comic book company to offer digital release copies of their comics on release day so they certainly haven’t been slacking either in the innovation stakes either.

Higher Earth is a brand new comic for them with no forerunner and no piggy backing from any other titles and at just $1 for the first issue it has a certain appeal too.

In a slightly similar way the writer, Sam Humphries, is also very new as well. Akin to Boom itself Sam also hasn’t been slacking and has been noticed by Marvel as an up and coming writer according to the rumours.

The story is set across multiple worlds not just the opening junkyard dystopia that the reader is greeted with. Here we have almost a slum landscape where survival of the fittest seems to be the main order of the day but also the fight for precious trinkets and novelties keep people going. Francesco Biagini has painted quite a devolved and dirty image and landscape, as if the land surrounding Mega City One in Judge Dredd had been introduced to the shanty towns of India. Our heroine, Heidi, is a native of this land and very quickly we are also introduced to Rex, a rogue soldier who knows a lot about her.

It seems that destiny has other ideas for Heidi and not on this Earth - we are quickly introduced to the concept that if you punch a hole through space you will find another Earth beneath you, and beneath that and so on. There are hundreds of different realities all stacked upon each other so why not move up through them instead? Given a mere minute to choose Heidi has to decide whether she is staying in the wastes or moving up through the realities. After a tumultuous arrival and gaining herself the illegal “immigrant” status she arrives in Sunshine Earth 9.

As far as stories go it’s certainly different but I found myself mentally referencing a number of different films where I felt influences had come from either in physical form or a subtle feeling. I’m sure the phrase “come with me if you want to live” wouldn’t have gone amiss. Even the artwork reflects this in some cases such as the final panel which lets the eye fall away into a massive city which is heavy in contrast to the previous pages.

My concern is that is it deep enough though? The artwork can come across sometimes a little shallow with faces not carrying as much emotion as other artists could, yet in other cases you get a fantastic spread of colour and landscape.

Humphries’ story also isn’t as deep as you may like. Details and ideas are presented - though not forced - in a convenient way as it needs to build a premise quickly. It does make it feel as if the first issue has been rushed though and you’re left knowing nothing about where it will go. This may be a massive draw for some but didn’t quite hook me.

Potentially still one to follow though; if Humphries is a new big name then this is where beginnings are also made.

Matt Puddy is preparing to love or loathe Before Watchmen...

Big Game Hunting - TableTop

If you enjoy games and haven't yet seen TableTop, you are truly missing out on a great webshow. TableTop, written and hosted by Wil Wheaton, is a series that aims to introduce people to table top gaming, and get them interested in the many different games out there. With four episodes aired and a new episode due this Friday, it's already doing a fantastic job.

So far the show has covered a good range of board games, such as Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Zombie Dice. The show is structured with an introduction to the game by Wil to explain the basic concept and rules. This is followed by twenty minutes of gameplay, where any additional notes or rules are explained as they appear. These are often shown as screen overlays, providing information without slowing down the skillful pacing of the show. Every game is described in just enough detail to be able to follow along without difficulty.

However, not every aspect of gameplay is explained particularly well. In every game, there seems to be a few things that are left out. Sometimes information is left far too late into the episode, such as the importance of re-deploying units in Small World. Other times an important facet of the game is barely touched on, and not featured at all in the gameplay. This is particularly true in Settlers of Catan, where the ability to trade with the bank and the usefulness of port settlements is all but ignored.

Each episode also features several guest players. The list of guests so far has provided a very good mix of people, ranging from people who play games all the time to those who have played a game of Monopoly or two. So far we've seen the likes of Jenna Busch, Grant Imahara, Freddie Wong, James Kyson and several others. Wil Wheaton's wife Anne has even joined in! This mix allows for a great deal of banter and plenty of energy in the episodes, making them a joy to watch.

Well, this is true for most episodes, at least. The second in the series, which features Settlers of Catan, is by far the least entertaining of the bunch. The conversation is often limited to players trying to trade resources, and the energy in the game is almost nonexistent. It must be said that watching a game of Settlers is always less entertaining than playing it, but this one quickly becomes tedious.

Even with its flaws, TableTop achieves what it sets out to do, and has shown me a few new games that have since become personal favourites. There's possibly no better way to get a bird's eye view of how these games are played and introduce them to new players. Each episode also links to player interviews and gag reals for additional content if the episodes themselves aren't enough!

For more from guest blogger Rae Gould, please check out her website

Opening Times - Bank Holidays and new comic delivery dates in June

Make a note folks. Due to the Bank Holiday weekend and the Queen's Jubilee, Proud Lion will be closed Sunday 3rd June through to Tuesday 5th June.

The shop will re-open for business on Wednesday 6th June. New comics will arrive for the first half of June on Thursdays. So that's Thursday 7th and Thursday 14th June. It will then return to Wednesdays for the rest of June - Wednesday 20th and Wednesday 27th June.

Starting from June however, Proud Lion will now open on the last Monday of the month from midday - 2pm, giving those of you who always have Sundays-Mondays off as well, a chance to pop in to the store. I appreciate it's only a small window, so plan accordingly. That starts with Monday 25th June.

Finally, please note that Proud Lion will not open until midday on Tuesday 29th May. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.