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The Law Is A Ass #541: I Don’t Care How Many Times You Repeat the Adjective, The West Wasn’t That Wild

The Law Is A Ass #451: I Don’t Care How Many Times You Repeat the Adjective, The West Wasn’t That Wild

Night of the Skulls

I watched an old episode of The Wild Wild West the other day; well duh, there haven’t been any new episodes in decades. It was “The Night of the Skulls”, in which James West, intrepid Secret Service agent during the U.S. Grant administration and our hero, shot and killed his intrepid Secret Service partner, Artemus Gordon. And that was just in the teaser.

Now don’t worry (not that I was worried about any of you being worried; I wasn’t, because I knew you weren’t), we learned at the beginning of the episode’s first act that Artie was still alive. We learned this, because Artemus Gordon, master of disguise, was posing as the minister at his own funeral and Jim went to it to confer with Artie. It seems Jim had pretended to kill Artie to attract the attention of The Skulls, a secret league of assassins, so that he could infiltrate them and learn what they were up to. (To what they were up? Up to what they were? What say we just ignore that silly rule?) (There, I’ve always wanted to end a sentence with a proposition.)

Jim accomplished his goal. By the end of that funeral scene, the Skulls had spirited Jim away from the funeral in their personal and modified hearse. How the Skulls knew Jim was going to be present while they were planting Artie in the dirt I don’t know. I thought criminals returned to the scene of the crime, not the scene of the grime.

But spirit Jim away , they did. Soon he was standing before the Skulls. Including its leader who wore a mask to conceal his identity. I don’t know why he bothered. As soon as that earlier funeral scene went out of its way to introduce Stephen Fenlow, a United States Senator described as being fairly new to Washington, the identity of the Skulls’ mysterious leader was more obvious than the murderer in a Columbo episode.

Senator Fenlow had assembled a league of assassins with eight members. He then set them against each other in a kill-or-be-killed contest until only three assassins were left. Fenlow presumed the survivors would be the best assassins of the group so the best people to participate in the next part of Fenlow’s plan, a coordinated strike that would kill the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State. Then Senator Fenlow would offer himself up to a country that was suddenly without a leader as a replacement President and be accepted as leader by acclamation.

Other than the fact that it would have meant that the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State all had to die, I almost wish that Jim and Artie had let Fenlow get away with his plot. If only so that we could have seen his face when he learned that he had wasted his and our time with a scheme that was so far from best-laid that it had ganged agley before it even started. Fenlow, you see, would have needed to kill a lot more people in order to become President.

It may surprise you to know that the United States Constitution has a provision for what happens if the President and Vice President both die. It shouldn’t surprise you, but it may. So in case it does, let me state that Article II, § 1, Clause 6 of the United States Constitution authorizes Congress to declare who should act as President should the President and Vice President both be unable to serve in the office. Under the aegis of this provision, Congress has passed three Presidential Succession Acts: the Presidential Succession act of 1792, the Presidential Succession Act of 1886, and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.

The Wild Wild West took place during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. Grant served as President from March 4, 1869 until March 4, 1877. So the Presidential Succession Act of 1792 would have been the one in force during his terms in office. Under the Presidential Succession Act of 1792, the line of succession was Vice President, President pro tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, then the members of the Cabinet in the order that the departments over which they presided were created. (This would be Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War, Attorney General, Secretary of the Interior, and downward until you reached the lower levels of successor that ABC plumbed for Designated Survivor.)

Did you see the thing that made Senator Fenlow’s plan even more stupid that it seemed at first blush? (And that first blush was the type you’d get when you realized your dream that you were addressing an auditorium full of people while nude wasn’t a dream.) Under his plan, Fenlow would have killed the wrong people.

After killing the President and Vice President, he needed to kill the President pro tem of the Senate, not the Secretary of State, because the President pro tem was next in the succession line. Even if Fenlow had successfully killed the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State, no one would have acclaimed him President, because the next successor, the President pro tem, was still alive and kicking and would have kicked Fenlow out of contention.

Moreover, even if Fenlow killed the right three people, he would have had to kill a lot more people (the Speaker of the House and then the entire Cabinet) before the country could, or would, have turned itself over to some silly junior senator. Especially a silly junior senator who didn’t even understand the workings of the government he wanted to preside over well enough to know the presidential line of succession.

Maybe Fenlow shouldn’t have had all his candidates kill each other. Then he would have had a few more assassins to kill more of the successors who stood between him and the presidency. Of course. Not all of them, but some. Fenlow never had enough assassins to kill everyone that stood between him and his becoming President. It seems that when it comes to the question of who should replace the President, the United States believes that nothing exceeds like successors.

The Contradictions by Sophie Yanow

Most of the reviews and blurbs I’ve seen about Sophie Yanow’s graphic novel The Contradictions  focus on the radical politics, on how Sophie is learning about anarchism and communism and feminism and various related isms as a college student spending a year in Paris. But that seems to me to be entirely surface, and not what the book is about at all.

Sophie does meet Zena, who pulls her into that radical world. And The Contradictions is centered around a road trip the two of them make together, to Amsterdam and Berlin, the spring break of that year. But The Contradictions is about Sophie’s unrequited desire for Zena.

(Here I need to back up briefly, and explain a standard reviewer tactic. When I say “Sophie,” I mean the character in this story, as written and drawn by Sophie Yanow. When I say “Yanow,” I mean the author of the work. I have no way of knowing how close Sophie’s experiences are to what Yanow actually experienced, and that’s besides the point, anyway: I’m not talking about a life, I’m talking about a work of art. And Yanow has clearly, carefully, constructed this book – it is very much a work of art, based to some unknowable degree on her own life and experiences.)

And I mean “desire” in a broad sense. I think Yanow is showing that Sophie wants and desires so many things about Zena: her passion, her energy, her enthusiasm, the way she knows who she is and what she wants to do. Sophie both wants Zena and wants to be Zena. 

Sophie is gay: she makes that clear early on. She’s not in a relationship as the book opens; we don’t see her in any other relationship in this book. Zena is coming out of a relationship with a boy, and we don’t see her start a new one. Sophie, in the course of the book, never says anything explicitly to Zena. (There is a moment, late in the book, involving controlled substances, written messages, and a certain four-letter word.) And Yanow does not present them as being in a physical or romantically emotional relationship – though they clearly are in a close friendship, and Sophie obviously wants even more closeness.

I find it hard to believe Zena is clueless. I don’t think Yanow means to show Zena as clueless. Zena has faults – The Contradictions is in large part the story of Sophie coming face-to-face with Zena’s faults – but she is good at seeing opportunities. So I believe that Zena is deliberately stringing Sophie along.

Zena is a woman of passions , the kind of person – so common at that age – who does nothing in small ways. She’s passionately committed to veganism, to anarchism, to her own role in smashing everything she sees as horrible and making a better world. And if that passion comes out in petty theft, because that only harms evil rapacious corporations? That’s fine with Zena.

Sophie, though, needs to figure out if she’s fine with all of that as well. And if she’s fine with Zena’s lack of passion for the things Sophie cases about: art and museums and dancing, things large and small and in-between. Sophie’s politics are more centered in art and feminism; Zena’s are more performative and anarchist. Zena is the kind of passionate person who only has room in her life for her passions. And the road trip at the center of Contradictions is where Sophie has to live with Zena, and all Zena’s baggage, for an extended period of time.

If I wanted to be cute, I might say that Sophie stuck around because she thought she could become one of Zena’s passions. Maybe she did. Maybe Yanow was implying that. And maybe there was an element of how-flexible-can-this-person-be in the desire: Sophie learned that Zena was exactly as inflexible as she said she was.

Zena is not a bad person at all. By her own lights, she’s as good as a person can possibly be, and she’s not wrong in horrible ways. (Just in smaller, actually-living-in-a-world-with-other-people ways.) But she’s strong medicine, especially if you don’t agree with her on every passion. And who does agree with anyone else on every passion?

So The Contradictions is, maybe, a falling-in-and-out-of-love book. A book about an infatuation. And, yes, the politics is a huge part of the appeal: Zena, and people like her, are sexy and exciting because of their unwavering commitment to unpopular ideals. But Sophie has her own ideals, which do not entirely line up with Zena’s, and her passions may be quieter, but that does not mean they are not passions. Zena is not someone who has much time for people who disagree with her on fundamental things…and nearly everything is fundamental with Zena.

I haven’t mentioned Yanow’s art, because I’m a words person, and because it intimidates me. She has a razor-sharp ligne claire (and I feel like a poser just typing that, though it’s absolutely the right term) style that leaves nothing to chance, just precise lines on the paper and inky blacks where needed. It’s a pretty absolutist style, which is deeply resonant for a book about someone as absolutist as Zena: I don’t know if Yanow always works like this, but it’s an amazing match of matter and style.

The Contradictions is a deep, resonant book that won’t tell you what it’s about; even the title slips out of your hands when you try to explain it. It is a great graphic novel that is as much about love as politics. And I hope Sophie Yanow will keep making books this strong for decades to come.

Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

Gotham City Takes the Spotlight in New Long Halloween Images

Gotham City Takes the Spotlight in New Long Halloween Images

Chasing Catwoman across the skyline of Gotham City, Batman leaps from one building to another – perfectly framed by the full moon

Supervising Producer Butch Lukic gives Gotham City the full noir treatment in Batman: The Long Halloween , Part One as seen in four new images released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

“I wanted to give the film a timeless look, kind of like the book, where you can’t pinpoint the actual time period,” said Lukic, who cited 1940s crime films and The Godfather as further inspiration for the film’s stylish, nuanced art direction. “I really set out to make Gotham City a character onto itself. All the backgrounds were thought out to have a look or feel of classic cinematography. I even shadowed most of the backgrounds myself to get the right style of lighting needed for particular scenes, and to give the film that classic noir look.”

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC, the feature-length animated Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One will be distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital and Blu-ray on June 22, 2021. 

Butch Lukic’s art direction shines throughout Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One, particularly in his use of shadows and lighting – as evidenced by this image of Catwoman (and her shadow) sprinting across a Gotham City rooftop.
Deep shadows and a dark, haunting color palette go beyond the dialogue to inform the scenes in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One, and this is particularly noticeable in this image featuring Bruce Wayne meeting with Carmine Falcone in The Roman’s office.
Wayne Manor offers an even more ominous appearance in Supervising Producer Butch Lukic’s vision of Bruce Wayne’s stately home in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One.

All Together Now by Hope Larson

There’s something deeply pure about a middle-book about middle-schoolers. The characters are in a point of their lives where they’re growing and changing – not still the people they were as kids, and not even the teenagers they will be in another year or two, much less the actual adults they will eventually become – and the story is similarly middle, starting from another book it hopes we’ve already read and handing off at the end to a book the author may not have even planned out yet.

It’s very thematically appropriate, is what I’m saying.

That’s how I think about All Together Now , Hope Larson’s new graphic novel for 2020 and a sequel to 2018’s All Summer Long . It picks up soon after the end of the previous book: Bina is still thirteen, it’s still the same year, and she still wants to write and play music. But the entanglements and problems are different, because it’s not summer anymore – All Together Now begins in September and runs through nearly the end of the year. So Bina is back in school, has formed a band with her new friend Darcy, and hardly sees her neighbor and one-time best friend Austin, who has a punishing travel-soccer schedule.

So the Bina-Darcy band needs a drummer, and gets one, which changes everything, and keeps changing things. And Austin eventually circles back, with a different opinion of Bina than he had before.

Things change. They can change really quickly when you’re thirteen.

Together is the same kind of book as Summer: episodic, quiet rather than flashy, introspective rather than dramatic. It’s about how Bina feels about what’s happening as much as it’s about the things that happen…and, to be honest, Bina isn’t really sure how she feels about the band-drama and the next-door-neighbor drama a lot of the time.

Books about people this age often have the young people bemoaning the changes, and wanting things to stay the way they were, forever – Bina had a bit of that, in Summer. She’s still not thrilled with all of the changes now, but I think she’s happier, or maybe just resigned, about the changes. Maybe she’s starting to see the places the changes could take her, and those are thrilling and frightening, like all adult life is. That’s a good sign for her: life is change , and the earlier people realize that, the better off they will be.

All Together Now is another fine, deep, naturalistic graphic novel by Hope Larson, following a long string like Chiggers and Mercury . I’m not as plugged into that world, so I hope the reason I don’t hear about her work as much is because I’m not part of that conversation, and not because she’s little-known. This book, in particular, should be in every middle-school library in the country: it has a lot to say to other actual and aspirational thirteen-year-olds.

Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

IAMTW Announces 2021 Nominees

IAMTW Announces 2021 Nominees

The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW) recognizes the wide range of authors who work on media tie-ins. Often overlooked, these writers craft exciting tales using beloved characters and settings of franchises including the likes of Mike Hammer, Firefly, Murder She Wrote, James Bond, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Star Trek. These stories can be original adventures, or adaptations of movies or television episodes. They include all genres and a wide range of lengths and formats.

To recognize the accomplishments of the unsung authors in this particular field, the IAMTW sponsors the annual Scribe Awards. This year’s awards have six categories to highlight excellence in Novels (Adapted and Original–General, Original–Speculative), Short Stories, Audio Dramas, Young Adult/Middle Grade works, and Graphic Novels.

Congratulations to all the nominees.

AUDIO DRAMA:

The Enemy of My Enemy by Tracey Ann Baines

He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not by Carrie Thompson

Out of Time by Matt Fitton

Save Our Souls by Scott Handcock

Tropical Beach Sounds and Other Relaxing Seascapes #4 by Tim Foley

GENERAL ORIGINAL NOVEL AND ADAPTED NOVEL:

Masquerade for Murder by Max Allan Collins

Mindgame by David J. Howe

Day Zero (Watch Dogs Legion) by James Swallow & Josh Reynolds

The Rise of Skywalker (Star Wars) by Rae Carson

GRAPHIC NOVEL:

Blade Runner by Michael Green and Mike Johnson

Darth Vader Volume 1: Dark Heart of the Sith by Greg Pak

Horizon Zero Dawn by Ann Toole

Life is Strange by Emma Vieceli

Two Doctors by Jody Houser

ORIGINAL NOVEL–SPECULATIVE:

Firefly: The Ghost Machine by James Lovegrove

MCU Avengers: The Extinction Key by Greg Keyes

Star Trek Discovery: Die Standing by John Jackson Miller

Star Trek (Kelvin Timeline): More Beautiful Than Death by David Mack

Star Trek (TOS): Agents of Influence by Dayton Ward

SHORT STORY:

“Extermination Examination” by Robbie MacNiven

“Scritch, Scratch” by Monica Valentinelli

“Stone by Stone” by Christie Golden

“Useful Parasites” by M. K. Hutchins

“A View from Olympus” by Gareth Hanrahan

YA/MG:

In the Study With the Wrench by Diana Peterfreund

Liberty and Justice for All by Carrie Harris

The Rise of Skywalker by Michael Kogge

The Rise of the Archer-Illager by Matt Forbeck

The Faust Award

It’s with great pleasure that the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers presents the 2021 Faust Award for lifetime achievement to the wonderfully talented and incredibly prolific Max Allan Collins.

Mr. Collins’ has developed a dozen Mike Hammer novels from Mickey Spillane’s files.  For the popular CSI TV series (and its spinoffs), he wrote ten best-selling novels, four graphic novels, and four award-winning video games—and several puzzles!  He has written tie-in novels for NYPD Blue, Dark Angel and Criminal Minds.  Other tie-in work includes such diverse franchises as Dark Angel, G. I. Joe, Maverick, Saving Private Ryan, and The Mummy (to name only a few).  His tie-in books that have appeared on the USA Today and The New York Times bestseller list include Saving Private Ryan, Air Force One, and American Gangster.  Among his other movie novels are Dick Tracy, Maverick, The Pink Panther, Windtalkers, Waterworld, U-571, The X‑Files: I Want to Believe, and Road to Perdition from his own graphic novel.

In addition, Mr. Collins’ produced screenplays include Mommy and The Last Lullaby, based on his Quarry novels, also the basis of a recent Cinemax series.   He has scripted the Dick Tracy comic strip, Batman, and co-created Ms. Tree and Wild Dog.  On top of all those accomplishments—and plentiful other awards—Mr. Collins co-founded the IAMTW.

The Sounds of Raiders Of The Lost Ark With Ben Burtt and John Roesch

The Sounds of Raiders Of The Lost Ark With Ben Burtt and John Roesch

To celebrate today’s release and the upcoming 40th Anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, legendary sound designer Ben Burtt and foley artist John Roesch came together on the Foley stage at Skywalker Sound in Northern California and used props to demonstrate how they developed the distinctive sounds.

In the above video, go behind the scenes with Burtt and Roesch and watch as they recreate some of the iconic sounds that help make Raiders of the Lost Ark a true cinematic classic. Experience face punches, sword swishes, snake slithers, and more!

Called “the father of Skywalker Sound” by Steven Spielberg, Ben Burtt is an Academy Award®-winning sound designer, as well as an accomplished filmmaker who has written, directed and served as film editor on a vast array of projects. John Roesch is a professional Foley artist who has worked in the film business for over 40 years. With nearly 600 credits, Roesch has lent his skills to many of the biggest blockbusters of all time.

Relive the unforgettable exploits of world-renowned, globetrotting hero Indiana Jones in spectacular 4K Ultra HD when the INDIANA JONES 4-MOVIE COLLECTION arrives in a new 4K Ultra HD set June 8, 2021 from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Entertainment.

The INDIANA JONES 4-MOVIE COLLECTION includes a collectible booklet with behind-the-scenes images from all four films.  Each film is presented on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc with original theatrical trailers and access to digital copies.  The set also includes a Blu-ray™ with seven hours of previously released bonus content as detailed below

On Set with Raiders of the Lost Ark

  • From Jungle to Desert
  • From Adventure to Legend

Making the Films

  • The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981 documentary)
  • The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • The Making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
  • The Making of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
  • The Making of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (HD)

Behind the Scenes

  • The Stunts of Indiana Jones
  • The Sound of Indiana Jones
  • The Music of Indiana Jones
  • The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones
  • Raiders: The Melting Face!
  • Indiana Jones and the Creepy Crawlies (with optional pop-ups)
  • Travel with Indiana Jones: Locations (with optional pop-ups)
  • Indy’s Women: The American Film Institute Tribute
  • Indy’s Friends and Enemies
  • Iconic Props (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) (HD)
  • The Effects of Indy (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) (HD)
  • Adventures in Post Production (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) (HD)
The Walking Dead Season 10 arrives on Blu-ray and DVD 7/20

The Walking Dead Season 10 arrives on Blu-ray and DVD 7/20

The Whisperer war is upon us when Season Ten of The Walking Dead arrives on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital) and DVD July 20 from Lionsgate. The Walking Dead Season Ten , containing 22 episodes, stars Norman Reedus (The Boondock Saints, Triple 9, Blade II), Danai Gurira (Black Panther, All Eyez on Me, Avengers: Endgame), Christian Serratos (The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Selena: The Series, Twilight franchise), Golden Globe® winner and Academy Award®/Primetime Emmy® nominee Samantha Morton (Golden Globe®: 2008, Best Supporting Actress – Television, Longford; Academy Award®: 2003, Best Actress, In America; Primetime Emmy®: 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Longford), and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen, Supernatural and Grey’s Anatomy). Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, The Walking Dead Season Ten Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the price of $80.99 and $70.98, respectively.
 
BLU-RAY / DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

  • IN MEMORIAM
  • AUDIO COMMENTARIES

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
Winter has turned to spring, and the collected communities are grudgingly respecting the new borders imposed upon them by the ever-brutal Alpha. But having organized themselves into a militia-style fighting force, our group of survivors is prepared for battle – though they’re keenly aware that the Whisperers, and the horde of dead they mingle with, pose a threat unlike any they’ve ever faced. Paranoia, propaganda, secret agendas, infighting – all of these will test the group, individually and collectively, with the survival of civilization in a world filled with the walking dead hanging in the balance.  
 
Featuring the six additional episodes of the extended 10th season, including Negan’s long-awaited backstory, “Here’s Negan.”
 
CAST
Norman Reedus                     Boondock Saints, Triple 9, Blade 2
Danai Gurira                           Black Panther, All Eyez on Me, Avengers: Endgame
Christian Serratos                  The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Selena: The Series, Twilight franchise
Samantha Morton                  Harlots, Minority Report, In America
Jeffrey Dean Morgan              Supernatural and Grey’s Anatomy, Watchmen
Melissa McBride                     The Mist, The Dangerous Life of Alter Boys, Dawson’s Creek

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2019-2021
Title Copyright:The Walking Dead © 2019-2021 AMC Film Holdings LLC. Artwork and Supplementary Materials are TM, ® and © 2019–2021 AMC Network Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Type: TV-on-DVD
Rating: Not Rated
Genre: Horror, Drama, Thriller
Closed-Captioned: N/A
Subtitles: French, Spanish, English SDH
Feature Run Time: Approx. 1005 minutes (43-51 minutes per episode)
Blu-ray Format: 1080p High Definition 16×9 (1.78:1) Presentation
DVD Format: 16×9 (1.78:1) Presentation
Blu-ray Audio: English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Surround
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Audio, French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Surround

NOBODY Arrives on Digital June 8 and on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD June 22

NOBODY Arrives on Digital June 8 and on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD June 22

Universal City, California, June 1, 2021 – From the writer of legendary action film John Wick, comes NOBODY, the story of an ordinary, family man (Bob Odenkirk, “Breaking Bad”, “Better Call Saul”) who will stop at nothing to defend what is his. NOBODY is available to own for the first time on Digital June 8 , 2021 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD on June 22, 2021 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.  Bring home “one of the best action films in over a decade” (Scott Menzel, We Live Entertainment) now with exclusive bonus content, including deleted scenes, a look inside Director Ilya Naishuller’s style and sensibility in creating the film, and a breakdown of the stunt choreography.

Hutch is a nobody. As an overlooked and underestimated father and husband, he takes life’s indignities on the chin and never rocks the boat. But when his daughter loses her beloved kitty-cat bracelet in a robbery, Hutch hits a boiling point no one knew he had. What happens when a pushover finally pushes back? Hutch flips from regular dad to fearless fighter by taking his enemies on a wild ride of explosive revenge. NOBODY showcases Emmy®-winner Bob Odenkirk as fans have never seen him before: an average family man who becomes a lethal vigilante unlike any ordinary action hero.

The “high octane, fist-pumping thrill ride” (Inverse) stars Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman), RZA (American Gangster) and Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future). The film is directed by Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry) and written and executive produced by acclaimed action filmmaker Derek Kolstad (John Wick franchise). NOBODY was produced by Kelly McCormick (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw), David Leitch (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw), Braden Aftergood (Hell or High Water), Bob Odenkirk and Marc Provissiero (“PEN15”).

BONUS FEATURES on 4K UHD, BLU-RAYTM, DVD AND DIGITAL:

  • DELETED SCENES
  • HUTCH HITS HARD – Discover how Bob Odenkirk trained to bring his character “Hutch Mansell” to life.
  • BREAKING DOWN THE ACTION (Bus Fight, Home Invasion, Car Chase and Tool & Die Sequences) – A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the film’s explosive set pieces.
  • JUST A NOBODY – A look at the personal beginning of the story for Bob Odenkirk and the unique style and sensibility that director Ilya Naishuller brought to the film.
  • FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH ACTOR/PRODUCER BOB ODENKIRK AND DIRECTOR ILYA NAISHULLER
  • FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR ILYA NAISHULLER

NOBODY will be available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital.

  • 4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience.
  • Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
  • Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
  • The Movies Anywhere Digital App simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-rayTM and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere.  Movies Anywhere is available only in the United States.

FILMMAKERS
Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA and Christopher Lloyd
Music By: David Buckley
Costume Designer: Patricia J. Henderson
Editors: William Yeh, Evan Schiff
Production Designer: Roger Fires
Director of Photography: Pawel Pogorzelski
Executive Producers: Derek Kolstad, Marc. S Fischer, Annie Marter, Tobey Maguire
Produced By: Kelly McCormick p.g.a, David Leitch p.g.a, Braden Aftergood p.g.a, Bob Odenkirk, Marc Provissiero
Written By: Derek Kolstad
Directed By: Ilya Naishuller

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD:
Street Date: June 22, 2021
Selection Number: 1961211375 (US) / 1961215236 (CDN)
Layers: DVD 9
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 16:9 2.39:1
Rating: R for strong violence and bloody images, language throughout and brief drug use.
Languages/Subtitles: English, French Canadian and Latin American Spanish
Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 for Bonus Content), French Canadian (Dolby Digital 5.1), Latin American Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Run Time: 01:31:39

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY™:
Street Date: June 22, 2021
Selection Number: 1961214290 (US) / 1961215237 (CDN)
Layers: BD 50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:9 2:39:1
Rating: R for strong violence and bloody images, language throughout and brief drug use.
Languages/Subtitles: English, French Canadian and Latin American Spanish
Sound: English (Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 2.0 for bonus content), French Canadian (Dolby Digital 5.1), Latin American Spanish (Dolby Digital 7.1)
Run Time: 01:31:33

TECHNICAL INFORMATION 4K UHD:
Street Date: June 22, 2021
Selection Number: 1961214291 (US) / 1961215238 (CDN)
Layers: BD 66
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:9 2.39:1
Rating: R for strong violence and bloody images, language throughout and brief drug use.
Languages/Subtitles: English, French Canadian and Latin American Spanish
Sound: English (Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 2.0 for Bonus Content), French Canadian (Dolby Digital 5.1), Latin American Spanish (Dolby Digital 7.1)
Run Time: 01:31:33

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine

Adrian Tomine has always struck me as the closest thing to a literary short-story writer in the comics field – our Raymond Carver, perhaps – with his tight, focused stories of real people in real worlds dealing with mundane lives and just interacting with each other. It’s the kind of work that sounds dull when I try to describe it, but is thrillingly true when done right, and Tomine generally gets it right.

So it was strange first to see that his new book last year, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist , was a memoir – I wondered if that knife-edge would still be there when writing about his own life. (It wasn’t, obviously, in his wedding-favor-cum-celebration-GN Scenes from an Impending Marriage , because if a book like that was in the typical Tomine tone, it would be a horrible sign for the marriage in question.)

And it was even more surprising to meet eight-year-old Adrian on the first page, on his first day at a new school in Fresno in 1982, declaring his undying love for John Romita. OK, sure, he was mercilessly tormented for it – that’s how he remembers it, so I’ll buy it on that level, but my memory is that eight-year-olds in 1982 liked to read superhero comics a lot, though I was not in hoity-toity Fresno – but the origin story of Adrian Tomine, as he presents it here, is basically the same as every other Gen-X cartoonist: imprinted on Marvel early, spent too much time in his own room making comics, ended up socially stunted and possessed of a massive imposter complex.

I’m being reductive, here. And Tomine doesn’t linger on that childhood: it’s the one quick sequence at age eight, and then smash-cut to 1995, when he’s on his way to his first San Diego Comic-Con. The bulk of Loneliness is made up of scenes from his professional life – moments when he’s “on-stage” as a cartoonist, at a signing or convention or publicity interview or just in public where someone recognizes him. And these moments are the ones I would have expected from Tomine: they’re all ones where things go wrong, or he’s embarrassed, where he says the wrong thing or is more clearly lonely and confused and out-of-place than he wishes he was. It could be a giant wall of cringe, but it’s all particular and grounded in the kind of person we learn Tomine is: he’s a creator, who spends his days in a chair thinking up stories. People like that always have trouble interfacing with the world: other people don’t know their lines in your story, and wouldn’t follow those lines if they did.

Tomine quietly keeps the focus on himself and his insecurities. There’s a number of places where names and faces are obscured – comics insiders probably already have a secret cheat sheet to figure out who all of those people are – so that the story is not “big name pro was mean to Adrian Tomine!” but instead stays “Adrian Tomine is insecure and obsesses about these moments, which exist in everyone’s lives.”

So Loneliness is the story of a career, but only the worst, saddest moments. The moments that you remember when you wake up randomly at 3AM, the ones that you can’t stop thinking about and that you can’t do anything about. Because it’s Tomine, it’s very specific: these are his issues, his anxieties, his worst moments.

The last thirty pages are the culmination of the book, a sequence of events in 2018 that I probably shouldn’t go into too much depth about. He presents it as what drove him to make this book, and that makes sense…but I think a lot of these moments have been in his head a long time, and he had been trying to figure out a way to contextualize them and turn them into a story and not just a list of bad moments.

It may be more personal , but it’s still an Adrian Tomine book. He doesn’t tell the reader how to feel in the end, he doesn’t contextualize it all and wrap it up in a bow. He does have a long speech, at nearly the very end, that comes close to explaining it — he even says outright “my clearest memories related to comics – to being a cartoonist – are the embarrassing gaffes, the small humiliations, the perceived insults.” But is this book his way to get beyond those moments? Or does it come out of a realization that the material that hits you the hardest is the stuff you need to do next? Or both? Or neither?

We’re not all famous cartoonists. (Tomine might even say that he isn’t a famous cartoonist, except in very specific circumstances – that’s the buried message of the first two pages.) But we all obsess about things. We all have memories we don’t want to think about but keep coming back to. Loneliness is the exploration of one life through those moments, by a master cartoonist and storyteller.

Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1 Unleashes the Batmobile

Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1 Unleashes the Batmobile

The Batmobile takes centerstage in an all-new clip from Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC , the feature-length animated film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital and Blu-ray on June 22. 

Batman (voiced by Jensen Ackles) speeds the Batmobile through the streets of Gotham City in hot pursuit of mobster Mickey Chen (Gary Chun) in this all-new clip from Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One. The clip also includes Police Captain James Gordon (Billy Burke), police officer Pearce (Gary LeRoi Gray) and Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred (Alastair Duncan). Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the all-new feature-length animated film arrives on Digital & Blu-ray on June 22.

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