1. As per usual, I went to the comic book store today. I'm always tempted to write a "What I'm reading" entry, where I go over every title I picked up. For the most part, this would be done moreso for me so I could assess whether I should keep reading that particular series or not. I'm not going to do it today, but I just wanted to point out that I expected to spend well under $10, and I managed to just slide under $50. I picked up some interesting stuff though, one was the collected edition of Marvel's recent adaptation of The Iliad. Considering that the pre-honors Freshmen have it on their reading list, it'll be a quick way to refresh my memory on what happened. (Assuming it's as accurate and as well done as their version of The Odyssey.) As much as I love mythology, I wasn't that high on reading that one again this summer, especially considering all of the other reading that I have to do.
2. Scott C. Harris pointed out something on a recent blog of his (the same one that prompted me to write my entry about Sean "Dijon is Elitist" Hannity). He pointed out how he was troubled by all the students he had who proudly proclaimed on their MySpace pages that they "hate to read". I've noticed this as well, and it bugs me too. I've heard students say out loud, "I hate reading!" Call me an elitist (after all, I do have some Dijon mustard in my fridge) but to me, that's the equivalent of saying, "I'm an idiot, and I want everybody to know this." My guess is that they have parents who don't read much - they probably don't even have any books at their house. The question is, how exactly is somebody like me supposed to teach these kids? I suppose that I might win one or two over every now and then, but I'm not the flippin' Miracle Worker. Maybe the following will encourage them:
3. Even though I'm probably a bigger fan of the character Wolverine than I am a fan of the whole Star Trek concept, the new Trek movie kicked the Wolverine movie's ass by a mile. It just goes to show that you can have a fun, action-packed movie that also has engaging characters. Too bad with Wolverine though, as he is a great character. Unlike The Punisher, he's a dark hero about whom a decent movie can be made, as he at least struggles against his baser instincts. They did well by him in the first two X-Men movies - here's hoping they'll get it right for the next solo adventure. (Chances are they'll try to jam-pack it full of other mutants though.) What's REALLY sad is that Wolverine is doing much better business than Watchmen. It's not surprising though in the least.
4. There is no way in hell that I'm going to see the next Transformers movie. I wrote my review of the last one some time ago, but the one thing that just keeps getting to me is that they somehow managed to dumb down the concept, which is an amazing accomplishment. Also, they have robbed the Autobots of any dignity that they have. What's up with that part in the trailer where Bumblebee is STILL using the radio to talk, always having the appropriate song queued up and ready to go? Not only that, but he's gotta snap his fingers and do a little dance to "I'm So Excited"? Bumblebee - you haven't been treated this poorly since the GI JOE team mistook you for a Decepticon and blew you up, only to later rebuild you into Goldbug. (No, I'm not making that up - see the old Marvel GI JOE Versus The Transformers series. Actually, just take my word for it. Don't look it up. Seriously, I warned you.) And dammit, what's with the flames on Optimus? That ain't right, dammit!
And again, while looking at the effects, I don't even see how people can like it on THAT level. I can't even tell what the hell it is that I'm looking at half the time.
5. As bad as that looks, GI JOE looks even worse! What's up with those robot costumes that they're wearing? That was never part of the story. Seems like a lame excuse to do a bunch of slo-mo "kewl" action sequences. What can you expect from the guy who directed The Mummy? Don't get me wrong, the original is an amusing film with some fun effects, but ever since then, that guy has gone totally overboard with the CGI.
6. They haven't announced the cast for the Green Lantern movie, but the director is the guy who directed Casino Royale. Here's hopin' for something good!
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