Written and drawn by Ross Campbell the same guy who does the amazing book, Wet Moon, for Minx. Minx was DC's attempt at attracting more female readers by tapping some of the industries best independent creators for a handful of really fucking awesome digest sized books.
Water Baby is the story of a young surfer who during a set gets attacked by a shark and loses her leg as a result. The story jumps forward several months where Brody is refusing to wear her prosthetic leg and now has a roommate in her best friend Louisa who has been tapped with the job of watching after Brody during this difficult time in her life. Brody is a tattooed, pierced tomboy hottie. Louisa is a little more laid back and feminine. Brody has dreams about shark attacks that become reminiscent of a Salvidor Dahli painting is it's obscurity and abstractness.
Brody's ex, Jake shows up one day saying her mom said he could stay with the duo. Brody's been trying to get over Jake, who never even wrote or stopped by during Brody's rehab or hospital stay. The next several weeks, that was only supposed to last a few days, Jake spends on the couch vegging out and not getting a job, eating all the ice cream sandwiches. This reminded me of my mom's second husband, who got fired from his job shortly after the wedding and then refused to get another, eating all the ice cream sandwiches and throwing away my stuffed animals. He was a 'Nam vet who had a drug habit. Mom didn't let that last too long tho. Brody on the other hand let's Jake just loaf and not do shit. The tool even brings some piece of jail bate to the house and almost gets laid before being caught by Brody and Louisa. Jake gets wasted one night, throwing up all over the couch and living room. To which Brody calls enough, steals her mom's car and her, Louisa and Jake are off the New York to drop Jake off at his folks'.
The road trip yields some unplanned results, including the car being stolen and Jake picking up on some other piece of jail bate at a diner. The girl ends up riding with the trio. Finally reaching their destination, Jake is dropped off and Louisa and Brody begin their long journey back to Florida where it all began.
This book had a lot of the great qualities that made me like Wet Moon, Campbell's other solo book series. But there was some stuff I didn't care for. Ross does an amazing job with facial expressions. However his lack of diversity when rendering males or seriously butch chicks is a bit frustrating. However both Brody and Louisa were wholly original in their appearances. Especially with all the ink Brody sports. Water Baby is an awesome ride, with some unforgettable characters, with the exception of Jake. But there's always got to be in order to make you love the other characters even more than you would if all the characters were equally cool.
The book fires on seven of eight cylinders. And for sheer purposes of this review, as it pertains to hardcore moments in wrestling history, I take you back to 2001. Shortly after both ECW and WCW had gone out of business. One night on Raw, during a WWF vs. WCW match Kane and Jericho took on the Awesome Mike Awesome and Lance Storm. During the match two guys jump the railing and with Storm and Awesome take out Jericho and Kane. The two are revealed to be Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer. To the rescue of the WWF superstars runs out the B team of the WWF. They face off with Kane and Y2J against the four invaders. However you realize something is off. And then it hits you. The remaining six guys are the Dudley Boys, Rhino, Raven, Taz and Justin Credible. All ECW guys. The brawl starts as the group of ten begins destroying Jericho and Kane. All topped by Paul Heyman on color saying, "I want you to remember this moment." Takes off his headset and climbs into the ring proclaiming the ECW is invading.
Showing posts with label rvd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rvd. Show all posts
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, October 1, 2010
S.K.O.W.: A Hardcore Review
The seminal 80's movie from writer John Hughes that is often overlooked in terms of holding it's place in 80's movie history is 1987's Some Kind of Wonderful. The movie follows the exploits of every man high school Junior, Keith and his tomboy best friend Watts, played by Eric Stoltz and Mary Stuart Masterson. Watts character could be described as the protagonist of the story, and is by Eric Stoltz in a making of featurette. She is also quite possibly the protagonist in my attraction to strong females with tomboyish qualities and short hair. Keith is an artist, who works at a gas station aafter school, all the while pining for some chick named Amanda Jones, who is coined as "sex" by Keith's younger sister, Laura.
The movie's plot takes Keith through the wringer of falling for Amanda and doing everything in his power to ask her out. She accepts on the basis that she has had enough of her boyfriend's cheating ways. Amanda is then thrown into a world she knows nothing about, as she comes from a working class family, but is "allowed" to hang with the "richies." Keith gets detention to be able to spend time with Amanda, who has plans of her own for avoiding the whole ordeal. In sitting through detention, Keith makes friends with the school misfits, lead by Duncan. Through their mutual dislike for Hardy Jenns and both being artists of sorts, they become friends.
The moment of truth in this movie might be the practice kiss between Watts and Keith for most viewers. However for this reviewer, the moment to watch is when Keith drops by Watts' to talk. He lays down on her bed, and she plops down next to him. The tension in that moment is classic as Watts has been in love with Keith for some time. Only seeing what he wants, Keith misses the whole thing, until he sees Watts at the end of the movie standing my the car she drove for Keith while on his date with Amanda. He flashes back to the kiss, and suddenly knows it was always her that he really loved. The last line of the movie when Watts puts on the diamond earrings Keith bought for his date with Amanda. She asks, "how they look?" Keith answers with a classic line, "You look good wearring my future."
This is my favorite 80's movie. And the best written John Hughes film ever made. Even though he didn't direct it, it was his movie. In my own grading system, this movie rates Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn for the ECW World Television Championship at Hardcore Heaven 1999. It was 20 plus minutes of action the likes of which had ever been seen. The two had a handful of matches, none of which delivered quite like this, with both combatants being knocked cold during the match. The major moment of the match was Lynn's Somersault Flip over the top rope, sending Van Dam through a table that exploded from the impact.
There are a few things in life that no matter what can make me happy. This movie is one of those things.
The movie's plot takes Keith through the wringer of falling for Amanda and doing everything in his power to ask her out. She accepts on the basis that she has had enough of her boyfriend's cheating ways. Amanda is then thrown into a world she knows nothing about, as she comes from a working class family, but is "allowed" to hang with the "richies." Keith gets detention to be able to spend time with Amanda, who has plans of her own for avoiding the whole ordeal. In sitting through detention, Keith makes friends with the school misfits, lead by Duncan. Through their mutual dislike for Hardy Jenns and both being artists of sorts, they become friends.
The moment of truth in this movie might be the practice kiss between Watts and Keith for most viewers. However for this reviewer, the moment to watch is when Keith drops by Watts' to talk. He lays down on her bed, and she plops down next to him. The tension in that moment is classic as Watts has been in love with Keith for some time. Only seeing what he wants, Keith misses the whole thing, until he sees Watts at the end of the movie standing my the car she drove for Keith while on his date with Amanda. He flashes back to the kiss, and suddenly knows it was always her that he really loved. The last line of the movie when Watts puts on the diamond earrings Keith bought for his date with Amanda. She asks, "how they look?" Keith answers with a classic line, "You look good wearring my future."
This is my favorite 80's movie. And the best written John Hughes film ever made. Even though he didn't direct it, it was his movie. In my own grading system, this movie rates Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn for the ECW World Television Championship at Hardcore Heaven 1999. It was 20 plus minutes of action the likes of which had ever been seen. The two had a handful of matches, none of which delivered quite like this, with both combatants being knocked cold during the match. The major moment of the match was Lynn's Somersault Flip over the top rope, sending Van Dam through a table that exploded from the impact.
There are a few things in life that no matter what can make me happy. This movie is one of those things.
The Wrestler; A Hardcore Review
I have seen this movie four times now in this new year. This is the first time I watched it legally. That should tell you all something. That I would get a bootleg, watch it three times and then go and get the movie when it's released on BluRay.
For the uninitiated, wrestling is a dance of sorts. And this movie chronicles a short period of time in the life of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestler who is past his glory days. Ram, as I will sometimes refer to him during this review, is played by Mickey Rourke, who as perhaps destiny would have it is a past his prime actor, whom many critics have said has revitalized his career with this flick. Ram is broken down, physically and mentally by the business and life. As many wrestlers will attest, being on the road as much as wrestlers are, he has become estranged from his daughter. This was probably the most realistic depiction of the life of a professional wrestler EVER! The road and the wrestling life does weird things to otherwise normal and honest people. Drugs, cheating on spouses. Drinking and driving. The famous time when Triple H met Ric Flair for the first time, in the buff with a balloon attatched to "Space Mountain." Fucked up shit happens on the road. There's not a lot to do when you live out of a suitcase and the cheapest motel you can find is your home 300+ days a year. It's a tough life. And when people say, "well making a hundred grand a year is worth it." Try staying away from your loved ones, your home and yourself in all actuality for over 300 days a year and see if the money is worth it. Not the least to add to that is also the fact that you wrestle five days a week, twice on Sunday and you get no time to recover from the injuries that pile up on you. And after you see this movie and learn a little about the world of pro wrestling, you will know that it is probably the least fake industry in the world. These are real men and women whose lives get torn assunder because they do what they love.
This film is gritty and quasi documentary-like in cinematic scope. Shot with a "live" feel to it, where you feel like someone who is in on the action, you become privy to all the once secret brotherhood of pro wrestling.
Ram's only interpersonal relationship is with over the hill stripper, Cassidey, played extremely well by Marisa Tomei. Cassidey is Ram's confidant. She knows more about him than his own daughter. And when he decides to mend broken fences he finds out just how much of that bridge he burned.
This is the story of a man, who never learned to follow what should have been important in life and instead persued unhealthy relationships, prolonged a career that he was not willing to let go of twenty years ago when he was on top.
This analogy came a week ago when Michael Jordan was voted into the Hall of Fame. It is from ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning. Jordan was the best in his field for 14 years. Basically the entirety of his career. But 14 years is well short of a lifetime. And for someone who once had the adulation of millions, and was revered by little boys and girls on every playground basketball blacktop in the world, it is very hard to stop and become a normal person. It's the reason soldiers have terrible times acclimating to mainstream society after seeing the worst toils of war. Someone like myself can be an artist and a writer until the day I drop dead. Even if I were to ever be thought of as the best, I can still do what I do for as long as I choose to. It is harsh to think of the devastation this wroughts on men, who in their fifties are still vital, physically and mentally and just not viable commodities in the field they chose.
This industry is brought to the forefront of the public eye. Wrestlers are not offered health insurance. They are a select few without pensions, or retirement options. These are men and women who give of themselves for the love of those who come to see them. This is something Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter need to look at and realize that withouth these men and women killing themselves night in and night out are left bankrupt, homeless, without families and without futures in broken down shambles of human bodies. This industry needs to change. And you the fans, and people who believe everyone in this country deserves that chance to have a future can help make that possible. Voice your opinions. Make the change happen. Vince can afford to give his employees health insurance. Right now all wrestlers are "independant contractors" and that means Vince and Dixie can make all the profit off their backs they want, and not pay into the system.
For everything this movie has done in being a great film and bringing awareness to the public, the honor I bestow upon it is not another hardcore moment in wrestling history, but a spot in my Top Five favorite movies of all time. I was asked why I did not have a typical grade for this film. I thought that placing it in my top five favorite movies was enough, but here goes. The grade I give this dates back to 1996 when a new feud was begining. A broken ring and a one hour time delay could not keep these two combatants from tearing the house down. Rob Van Dam and Sabu put up a four star match which included the ring ropes breaking during the match, the two wrestling around the arena and then pulling off a great finish. Triple Jump Moonsaults, Super Arabian Facebusters, all with a broken set of ring ropes. It may be known as the broken ring match, but many remember this as the match that started the war between two men who flew higher and performed crazier acrobatic stunts than the next five fliers in total. RVD v. Sabu was one of the most entertaining feuds from ECW, as they teamed up while they still hated each other to capture the Tag Team Belts, and then battled over the ECW World Television Title all while being cheered on by fence sitter Bill Alphonso, who finally joined with RVD after Sabu was released from his contract in 2000.
For the uninitiated, wrestling is a dance of sorts. And this movie chronicles a short period of time in the life of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestler who is past his glory days. Ram, as I will sometimes refer to him during this review, is played by Mickey Rourke, who as perhaps destiny would have it is a past his prime actor, whom many critics have said has revitalized his career with this flick. Ram is broken down, physically and mentally by the business and life. As many wrestlers will attest, being on the road as much as wrestlers are, he has become estranged from his daughter. This was probably the most realistic depiction of the life of a professional wrestler EVER! The road and the wrestling life does weird things to otherwise normal and honest people. Drugs, cheating on spouses. Drinking and driving. The famous time when Triple H met Ric Flair for the first time, in the buff with a balloon attatched to "Space Mountain." Fucked up shit happens on the road. There's not a lot to do when you live out of a suitcase and the cheapest motel you can find is your home 300+ days a year. It's a tough life. And when people say, "well making a hundred grand a year is worth it." Try staying away from your loved ones, your home and yourself in all actuality for over 300 days a year and see if the money is worth it. Not the least to add to that is also the fact that you wrestle five days a week, twice on Sunday and you get no time to recover from the injuries that pile up on you. And after you see this movie and learn a little about the world of pro wrestling, you will know that it is probably the least fake industry in the world. These are real men and women whose lives get torn assunder because they do what they love.
This film is gritty and quasi documentary-like in cinematic scope. Shot with a "live" feel to it, where you feel like someone who is in on the action, you become privy to all the once secret brotherhood of pro wrestling.
Ram's only interpersonal relationship is with over the hill stripper, Cassidey, played extremely well by Marisa Tomei. Cassidey is Ram's confidant. She knows more about him than his own daughter. And when he decides to mend broken fences he finds out just how much of that bridge he burned.
This is the story of a man, who never learned to follow what should have been important in life and instead persued unhealthy relationships, prolonged a career that he was not willing to let go of twenty years ago when he was on top.
This analogy came a week ago when Michael Jordan was voted into the Hall of Fame. It is from ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning. Jordan was the best in his field for 14 years. Basically the entirety of his career. But 14 years is well short of a lifetime. And for someone who once had the adulation of millions, and was revered by little boys and girls on every playground basketball blacktop in the world, it is very hard to stop and become a normal person. It's the reason soldiers have terrible times acclimating to mainstream society after seeing the worst toils of war. Someone like myself can be an artist and a writer until the day I drop dead. Even if I were to ever be thought of as the best, I can still do what I do for as long as I choose to. It is harsh to think of the devastation this wroughts on men, who in their fifties are still vital, physically and mentally and just not viable commodities in the field they chose.
This industry is brought to the forefront of the public eye. Wrestlers are not offered health insurance. They are a select few without pensions, or retirement options. These are men and women who give of themselves for the love of those who come to see them. This is something Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter need to look at and realize that withouth these men and women killing themselves night in and night out are left bankrupt, homeless, without families and without futures in broken down shambles of human bodies. This industry needs to change. And you the fans, and people who believe everyone in this country deserves that chance to have a future can help make that possible. Voice your opinions. Make the change happen. Vince can afford to give his employees health insurance. Right now all wrestlers are "independant contractors" and that means Vince and Dixie can make all the profit off their backs they want, and not pay into the system.
For everything this movie has done in being a great film and bringing awareness to the public, the honor I bestow upon it is not another hardcore moment in wrestling history, but a spot in my Top Five favorite movies of all time. I was asked why I did not have a typical grade for this film. I thought that placing it in my top five favorite movies was enough, but here goes. The grade I give this dates back to 1996 when a new feud was begining. A broken ring and a one hour time delay could not keep these two combatants from tearing the house down. Rob Van Dam and Sabu put up a four star match which included the ring ropes breaking during the match, the two wrestling around the arena and then pulling off a great finish. Triple Jump Moonsaults, Super Arabian Facebusters, all with a broken set of ring ropes. It may be known as the broken ring match, but many remember this as the match that started the war between two men who flew higher and performed crazier acrobatic stunts than the next five fliers in total. RVD v. Sabu was one of the most entertaining feuds from ECW, as they teamed up while they still hated each other to capture the Tag Team Belts, and then battled over the ECW World Television Title all while being cheered on by fence sitter Bill Alphonso, who finally joined with RVD after Sabu was released from his contract in 2000.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Body Bags: A Hardcore Review
This Jason Pearson original from the 1990's, published by Dark Horse holds up like few others. Panda is in search of her dad Mack in an effort to join him as a body bagger, or bounty hunter. Mack, otherwise and better known as Clownface is a vicious, monster of a man, who's penchant for the violent and mostly irrational line of thinking in quelled to a degree by his mentor, Pops. After being without him for ten years, Panda hops a plane to Terminus, Georgia to join up with Mack and begin her training as a body bagger.
Obviously, this story is not without some cliches. Although they are really useful in propelling the story. Mack wants little if anything to do with Panda. He made his choice ten years ago and hasn't really looked back. Right before Panda's arrival, Mack and Pops are almost killed in a bombing by a rival body bagger and potential movie star, Janus. But Mack catches up with him and ruins his pretty boy good looks.
The ante is upped when on her plane ride into Terminus, Panda is groped by the son of Antonio Scorsese, obviously some fat cat crime lord. Panda responds in kind by knocking out five of "junior's" teeth and pretty much fucking up his weekend plans. His step mother, Maureen tries to broach the subject with Panda and offer her apologies for "junior's" remarks and busy hands.
Thing is Pops is dying, and he sent for Panda to join Mack. Mack doesn't want his daughter to follow in his footsteps. Not so much for the danger factor as much as the high annoyance factor that Panda brings. She's pretty high profile for being such a pint sized would be killer. And a pain in Mack's ass.
Next up is taking a hit job to get money to try and save Pops. Nothing is easy in the life of a body bagger, not even a tank like Clownface. It was all a setup, and everything that could possibly go wrong does, including losing Pops in the melee.
In the end, Panda and Mack have at it and go toe to toe. Father against daughter. Muscle and years of training against pugnacious ability and a mouth that won't stop. In the aftermath, Panda is left in critical condition with a bullet wound and Mack is left the make the biggest decision of his life.
Things I really liked about this book are the characters. A lot of black people complain that there's not a lot of blacks represented in movies, television, and comic books. Well to those who are complaining, think about this. There are even less representations of Hispanics in those three forms of media. With Body Bags, the two main characters, Mack and Panda are Mexican. But not in a stereotypical way. You might say that Mack abandoning Panda ten years ago is a stereotype of typical Hispanic males not taking responsibility for their children. But this is a totally different case. Mack is a body bagger. He hunts people. That's not really a family type environment, no matter what Duane Chapman might have you believe. Although there is a stereotype involved. That hot Latin temper. As it curses both Panda and Mack.
For years and years follow up stories of Body Bags have been planned. However due to certain personal setbacks, Jason Pearson scrapped plans for the sequel. However, re-releases of Body Bags have been printed, which include the characters appearances in Dark Horse Presents anthology. There was also a one shot comic involving mainly Panda released in 2008. Body Bag fans have been waiting patiently for years now. Hoping and praying for Pearson to release some new adventures of Mack and Panda.
The grade for this long thought dead property is fitting in it's pure hardcore feel and leaving the people clamoring for more. The year was 2001. About six months after ECW went out of business. People hadn't seen Rob Van Dam wrestle in half a year, and they needed their fix. But just as we thought we wouldn't get it. Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer appear on Raw is War helping to set off the "Invasion" angle. Rob set his sights on the Hardcore Championship which was held by Jeff Hardy. The only Alliance member who got a pop, Van Dam went into the Invasion pay per view as the crowd favorite. Hardy and Van Dam went all out, including bringing a ladder into play. In Hardcore rules, falls count anywhere and there are no count outs or DQ's. RVD brought out the steel chair and made Hardy pay by hitting a huge Van Terminator on the stage, sending Jeff tumbling to the floor. In the end, Van Dam placed the Hardcore Title on Hardy's chest, jumped to the top turnbuckle in one catlike motion and let loose the 5 Star Frog Splash for the first time ever on a World Wrestling Federation pay per view. The man known as "Mr. Monday Night" gelled his spot in the WWF and became a mainstay in the minds of wrestling fans who had never done the double thumbs or chanted, "he's the WHOLE FUCKIN' SHOW!" live at a pro wrestling event.
Obviously, this story is not without some cliches. Although they are really useful in propelling the story. Mack wants little if anything to do with Panda. He made his choice ten years ago and hasn't really looked back. Right before Panda's arrival, Mack and Pops are almost killed in a bombing by a rival body bagger and potential movie star, Janus. But Mack catches up with him and ruins his pretty boy good looks.
The ante is upped when on her plane ride into Terminus, Panda is groped by the son of Antonio Scorsese, obviously some fat cat crime lord. Panda responds in kind by knocking out five of "junior's" teeth and pretty much fucking up his weekend plans. His step mother, Maureen tries to broach the subject with Panda and offer her apologies for "junior's" remarks and busy hands.
Thing is Pops is dying, and he sent for Panda to join Mack. Mack doesn't want his daughter to follow in his footsteps. Not so much for the danger factor as much as the high annoyance factor that Panda brings. She's pretty high profile for being such a pint sized would be killer. And a pain in Mack's ass.
Next up is taking a hit job to get money to try and save Pops. Nothing is easy in the life of a body bagger, not even a tank like Clownface. It was all a setup, and everything that could possibly go wrong does, including losing Pops in the melee.
In the end, Panda and Mack have at it and go toe to toe. Father against daughter. Muscle and years of training against pugnacious ability and a mouth that won't stop. In the aftermath, Panda is left in critical condition with a bullet wound and Mack is left the make the biggest decision of his life.
Things I really liked about this book are the characters. A lot of black people complain that there's not a lot of blacks represented in movies, television, and comic books. Well to those who are complaining, think about this. There are even less representations of Hispanics in those three forms of media. With Body Bags, the two main characters, Mack and Panda are Mexican. But not in a stereotypical way. You might say that Mack abandoning Panda ten years ago is a stereotype of typical Hispanic males not taking responsibility for their children. But this is a totally different case. Mack is a body bagger. He hunts people. That's not really a family type environment, no matter what Duane Chapman might have you believe. Although there is a stereotype involved. That hot Latin temper. As it curses both Panda and Mack.
For years and years follow up stories of Body Bags have been planned. However due to certain personal setbacks, Jason Pearson scrapped plans for the sequel. However, re-releases of Body Bags have been printed, which include the characters appearances in Dark Horse Presents anthology. There was also a one shot comic involving mainly Panda released in 2008. Body Bag fans have been waiting patiently for years now. Hoping and praying for Pearson to release some new adventures of Mack and Panda.
The grade for this long thought dead property is fitting in it's pure hardcore feel and leaving the people clamoring for more. The year was 2001. About six months after ECW went out of business. People hadn't seen Rob Van Dam wrestle in half a year, and they needed their fix. But just as we thought we wouldn't get it. Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer appear on Raw is War helping to set off the "Invasion" angle. Rob set his sights on the Hardcore Championship which was held by Jeff Hardy. The only Alliance member who got a pop, Van Dam went into the Invasion pay per view as the crowd favorite. Hardy and Van Dam went all out, including bringing a ladder into play. In Hardcore rules, falls count anywhere and there are no count outs or DQ's. RVD brought out the steel chair and made Hardy pay by hitting a huge Van Terminator on the stage, sending Jeff tumbling to the floor. In the end, Van Dam placed the Hardcore Title on Hardy's chest, jumped to the top turnbuckle in one catlike motion and let loose the 5 Star Frog Splash for the first time ever on a World Wrestling Federation pay per view. The man known as "Mr. Monday Night" gelled his spot in the WWF and became a mainstay in the minds of wrestling fans who had never done the double thumbs or chanted, "he's the WHOLE FUCKIN' SHOW!" live at a pro wrestling event.
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