This week on The Directors Cut we review “The Internship” with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn and our top ten list is Top Ten Movies about interns or getting a job. Also, we have a brand new intern Djochoua in the studio to get our headphones among other duties. We chat with Lew Temple from “The Walking Dead” and “The Lone Ranger” about working in New Mexico.
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There is no one better to spend the holidays with then The Doctor!
HO HO Hello everyone! It’s your ghost of Christmas nerdiness, Richard, here! I hope each of you reading had the happiest of holidays this year, and got everything you asked Santa for. So, I’m a recent inductee into the society of Doctor Who fans know as: Whovians. Sounds so much cooler then trekkie or trekker or whatever the hell Star Trek fans are called. Anyway, my first episode was from season 5 when the current Doctor, Matt Smith, went back in time to see Vincent Van Gogh. It wasn’t the greatest episode I’d ever seen, but I could totally see why people were digging this show.
Eventually, via the power of Netflix, I was able to catch up on the current stories of The Doctor and his various companions. I found myself a brand new favorite show, and I’ve been watching ever since! Now, I’ve made it a Christmas tradition, as do most Whovians I’d imagine, to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special every year. Last years special, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, wasn’t exactly the mind blowing epic we’d all wanted it to be. Thankfully, 2012’s special simply titled The Snowmen was the exact opposite!
The Snowmen, set in 1892 Victorian London, shows us a Doctor who has grown apathetic of the world he used to save all the time. This new found apathy has come about through the lost of various loved ones. Specifically, the death of the Ponds from the last episode. However, a vibrant and energetic new character, sort of new, named Clara springs The Doctor from his slump so that he can help defeat this weird new snow themed villain. I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting to love this episode as much as I did. There were aspects I was thrilled to see, the new companion and the new look for Tardis and Doctor, but the commercials didn’t wow me. However, I was pleased with the outcome of this new episode!
First off, Steven Moffat is a master storyteller! Ever since he has taken over the show, I’ve been loving the stories told more then ever! Not every episode is amazing, obviously, but I’ve been loving them more then the previous stories. This latest tale, I feel, is total proof of Moffat’s story telling powers! Sure, It wasn’t the most Christmas-y Christmas special, but the script’s greatness made up for that. Also, I’m in complete pure love with Clara Oswin Oswald! I will always love Amy Pond, but there is something about Clara that drives me wild! Yea, she is freaking gorgeous and intelligent as hell, but there is something else about her. An element not yet discovered, you know?
This is something even The Doctor noticed. When I say this, I’m talking more about the gorgeous part. The Doctor seemed to be crushing on Clara as much as we all were! This is the first time, to my knowledge, where the companion isn’t the one with the crush! I can tell the dynamic between these two characters is going to be a fun one, indeed! Clara made this episode for me. Jenna-Louise Coleman, the actress behind Clara, knocked it out of the park! What an amazing performance! I can see her being everyone’s new favorite companion.
Now, not only has the companion changed, so has the look of two key elements to Doctor Who: The Doctor’s outfit and The Tardis interior. Admittedly, I’ll miss the old tweed jacket, but I am liking the new look. Mainly because The Doctor is still sporting his bow tie! If He didn’t have it, which he didn’t at first in this episode, I would have been upset. I did like the way they introduced the bow tie in The Snowmen. It showed The Doctor transforming from apathy to empathy.
Between the two new looks, I love the new Tardis more then the new outfit. The new interior is beautiful! I love the blue color, the alien vibe, everything! I Don’t know if I’m alone in this feeling, but I love it regardless! All in all, This latest Christmas adventure was the best one yet! I think even the cruddiest of Christmases could be fixed with a viewing of this new episode! I can’t wait to see what is to come in the second half of series 7!
I give Doctor Who: The Snowmen 5 evil snowflakes outta 5!
Bat’s fighting Owls? Frankenstein hunts with a team of classic monsters? VAMPIRES?!?!…Must be new Comic Book Day!
Hello Everyone! Its your comic book nerd, Richard, here! Today is Wednesday, and that means new comics are out on the shelves, or ready to download for you digital folk! So, I’ve been contemplating whether or not I should do article’s like this where I review new comics I’ve picked up during the week. I’m trying it out, seeing what you all think! ANYWAYS! This week I went home with 6 books! American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1, Batman #10, Batman and Robin #10, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #10, Green Lantern #10, and The Strain #5! Here are my reviews!
American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1:
American Vampire is probably my favorite non-superhero comic right now, and it has been that way since the inception of the series. Not too long ago, the series had its first side series, Survival of the Fittest, tied into the big Ghost War arc. Now, tying into the new Blacklist arc, is a new side series called Lord of Nightmares. Lord of Nightmares is a sequel to Survival of the Fittest. It continues the story of Felicia Book, a former member of the Vassals of the Morning Star (a vampire hunting organization), trying to escape the life. This time, she is raising a child, the baby she saved in the last story, and living a family life. However, she gets a visit from Agent Hobbes, a key member of the Vassals, and he has some terrible news.
I gotta say, as usual, I really dug this issue! These side stories are always a nice way to expand the AV universe, and based on this issue…looks like s**t’s ’bout to go down, yall! Scott Snyder continues to make American Vampire the best of the best. On the art side of things, this new mini-series is drawn by the always fantastic Mr. Dustin Nguyen. His artwork is just fantastic to look at, and is a perfect fit for the series! That being said, there are some points when the art could have been a bit better. It wasn’t always consistent in style. However, still really enjoyed the artwork!
Final Score: 4.5/5
Wow! Just wow! You know, one of the questions I asked early on was if Scott Snyder would be able to top his Black Mirror Batman story with his New 52 run on Batman. After reading this issue…The SOB did it! He f**king did it! Holy crap! This Court of the Owls story Scott’s been telling has been big, epic, touching, haunting, and now Its game changing! Its going to be sad to see it end when issue 11 comes out that’s for sure. I can see this issue, based on the big reveal towards the end, being the much discussed issue of the week. No question about it! I loved the way Scott finally revealed whom the mastermind behind the Court of Owls was. It started off like “I figured it was that person” then BAM! FYI, I’m trying so hard not to spoil it right now!
I will say, based on the reveal, Scott has been doing his Bat-homework! Like Grant Morrison, he puts an amazing spin on an already existing character. Fantastic! Artistically, Greg Capullo has been rocking this series since issue 1, but This is, by far, his best work! Half the time, when Batman appeared, I wanted to turn the pic into a poster for my wall! Also, there is a new part in the back-up story, Fall of the House of Wayne. since its inception, Its been a welcome addition to the Batman series. I’ve really been digging the tale, and how it enhances the main feature.
Final Score: 5/5
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again…I find it strange that I hate the Batman and Robin movie, but I love The Dark Knight. On the comic book series side, I hate Batman: The Dark Knight, and I love Batman and Robin. Good move, DC…good move. Anyways, that love continues with this awesome new issue of Batman and Robin. This issue starts off with a brand new arc, showing off some of the more “scarred” criminal’s Batman has face. Also, the current Robin, Damien Wayne, is trying to prove he is the best Robin by challenging all the former Robins. Peter Tomasi continues to do an amazing job with this series. He struggled at first with the tone of Damien, but he is starting to get the hang of it! However, maybe he is getting too comfy with it.
As much as I loved this issue, I kind of felt Damien was going back to his old self. The huge brat that made Jason Todd look decent, you know? Thankfully, old Damien didn’t appear much. I guess it really only shows when he is near Tim Drake, I don’t know. I just don’t want A-hole Damien, I guess. The story, in general, seems to be building up to something pretty big. So, that alone really excites me. Art wise, Patrick Gleason is fantastic! His work is so spot on, detailed, and high quality. It never ceases to amaze me. I, especially, love the way he draws action. Very dynamic and stylized!
Final Score: 4/5
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #10:
So, I’ve been pretty positive in the past three reviews, but that is about to change, sadly. Now, I’m not saying this is a bad issue, but I am saying its missing the spark it used to have. This was a strong fear I had for this series. Jeff Lemire recently Left the series to go and write Justice League DARK. Matt Kindt has now taken over, and it shows. Now, this issue still sports the fun zaniness of the previous issues, but It just…feels like it lost its spark. As I was reading, it felt like creative ideas were there, but were just generically executed. I don’t know, really. This is a head scratchier. I’ll probably give it one more issue, but I have a feeling I’ll be saying bye-bye to Frankenstein from DC.
Final Score: 3/5
Geoff Johns + Green Lantern will always = genius! That’s 100% the case with his latest issue! The newest issue concludes the Indigo Tribe arc, and What a fun conclusion it was. I, sadly, didn’t get to experience John’s previous GL titles when they were being released, but I’ve always heard good things. Now, I’m actually getting that experience, and I’ve loved every second of it. What I love most about this new series is the buddy-cop type story Johns tells with Hal Jordan and Sinestro. However, like AV this week, the cliffhanger at the end might indicate the best has yet to come! The art in the series has also blown me away! Doug Mahnke has always been a favorite of mine, especially his work on The Mask, and every time I see his art…Man, it just blows me away! The downside to this issue, was that it felt like it ended kind of quickly. Kind of rushed, if you will. It could just be me, but that’s how I feel.
Final Score: 4/5
FINALLY! Its taken this issue forever to come out, huh? Normally, when a book is delayed this badly, You can’t help but expect s**t. However, This new issue was able to break that stereotype because I really liked it! This series has put a really awesome spin on a classic mythological creature. I have the first book of the novel series as well, but I’ve yet to read it. Because of this, I don’t know 100% if this comic book is truly an amazing adaptation.
That being said, I really feel the comic has captured the way I imagine the book, if that makes sense. The book, not the comic, is written by Guillermo Del Toro, and every time I look at the art and writing, It just feels like I’m watching one of Del Toro’s movies. What I love most about this current Issue was the look into Abraham’s life before the present. Hes been an interesting character since issue #1, and now we get a nice glimpse into his past.
Final Score: 4/5
So there you go, My short reviews of all my books of the week! In the comment section below, Tell me what books you got this week! Also, which one was your favorite! Also, Tell me what you think of this kind of article. It is quite long, but I liked doing it. Can it be a thing? That’s all up to you! Bye now!