MONDOmagazine

Ninja Assassin
Directed by James McTeigue
Warner Bros Pictures, 2009

By Miles Baker

It’s pretty rare for us do a second review of a film, but Warner sent me a review copy of Ninja Assassin and it’s only fair to them that I review it. And, as with most things, my take on it is different than Caesar’s. And since he and I have been having some enjoyable, passionate debates on some MONDOcomics reviews I thought I’d set this up as a response to his review.

While Caesar went “thumbs down” on this movie, I’m going thumbs up. Not way up, just up. It achieves everything it wants to. Namely, dudes get chopped up lots and it’s pretty cool. There are big plot holes, no character achieves two dimensions, and there is better action out there — yet, it’s not the worst way to kill 100 minutes. I found it enjoyable — it’s like Enter the Dragon but worse and made now.

The plot, such as it is, centres on Raizo, a renegade ninja trying to bring down the clan that trained him. The film actually spends a fair amount of time setting up Raizo’s training and defection, which is my largest complaint about the movie. Those things, I don’t care about — I just want to see ninjas fight. Neither the acting nor the script are strong enough to carry these sequences. However, once they establish the backstory, Ninja Assassin becomes the action-fest that you were hoping for. The last hour of the film is action scene after action scene — perfect. Read the rest of this entry »

Karin Randoja. Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh.

Breakfast
Written by Anna Chatterton and Evalyn Parry
Directed by Brendan Healy
Featuring Karin Randoja, Evalyn Parry and Anna Chatterton
Runs until April 4 @ Buddies in Bad Times

By Kerry Freek

Marnie’s goldfish is dead, her fridge is bare, and she’s a timid woman who stays at home on Saturdays. In her muu-muu style nightie, she is an unlikely hero, but by the time her self-help cassette convinces her to put on a pair of high heels, we know something is about to change.

Marnie (played by Karin Randoja) is bumbling through her weekend routine: pudding, coffee, self-help cassette. Licking her spoon, Marnie presses the play button and is surprised to find that it’s speaking to her, and not in that eye-rolling affirmative self-help way. Read the rest of this entry »

Ravi Jain. Photo by Mina Mikhail.

I’m So Close…
Created and performed by Ravi Jain, Katrina Bugaj and Troels Hagen Findsen
Co-written by Nicolas Billion
Runs until April 3 @ The Theatre Centre

By Helen Fylactou

Since the beginning of time, destruction has gone hand-in-hand with pairing — beginning with the pairing of particles, explains one of the show’s writers, Ravi Jain, at the start of I’m So Close…. Jain opens with the story of the Big Bang Theory, and we leap into a story that explores relationships and technological advances, and the effect they have on each other.

Steve (Findsen) is an entrepreneur who has invented an eco-friendly way of charging cell phones, iPods and laptops. Using available light to charge electronics Read the rest of this entry »

The Amazing Spider-Man #626
Fred Van Lente (w), Michael Gaydos (a). Marvel Comics.

Let’s get the dumb stuff out of the way — you can’t have a group of thugs ignore a powerless Spider-Man because he “can’t be the real deal.” Just because he failed to hit you with web, if a guy shoots web at you from his wrists, then that is Spider-Man. And the Hood is hanging around this issue — I’m pretty sick of that guy. And since when does Tombstone bite people? On the good side, the art has some really cool Spidey pics, including a visual gag where he’s slowly sliding down a wall because his powers are kind of turning off. But the most important thing is Peter sits down with his roommate and apologizes for being a jerk. It’s always surprising how much I appreciate the inclusion of a well timed apology. — Isaac Mills

Isaac’s rating: 3.5 out of 5

Avengers: The Initiative #34
Christos Gage (w), Jorge Molina (p), Andrew Hennessy (i), Edgar Delago (c). Marvel Comics.

Alright. I’m doing twice the amount of reviews I normally do and I want to do them in about an hour and I’m going to review them in alphabetical order. This is bad news for everyone (probably).  So, first up, I bought four Siege tie-ins this week and they were all infinitely more useful and interesting than the first two months of this crossover. With the events of Siege 3 there is a specific, important moment for all these series to tie into and it’s extremely helpful as a reader and presents a good nerd moment for the fan. This issue continues to weave a lot of first-person narration from a lot of different characters — perhaps too much — but as the concluding storyline for this series it’s appropriate. — Miles Baker

Miles’ rating: 3.5 out of 5. Crossover rating: A pleasant addition. Read the rest of this entry »

Mice Templar #6 pinup

By Owen Craig

For those of you checking out the Wizardworld Toronto show this weekend I’ve got a great recommendation for you.  Check out the table for an artist named Stuart Sayger. If you’re not familiar with his work you definitely should make sure you are by the end of this show. In addition to being extremely friendly and having an awesome Indiana accent his work is really, really good.

Having been exposed to comics at an early age, Stuart spent his high school years working at a comic book store. He was there to unpack new copies of The Dark Knight Returns #1 and Watchmen #1. “Anyone out there remember the way Elektra Assassin #1 smelled fresh from the case?”, he remembers. “Something about that book, maybe the paper or the ink, made it smell differently than the rest!” After studying journalism for a while Stuart put together some samples and brought them to a comicon in Chicago. Despite positive response nothing panned out. “It’s kind of a drag when people say, ‘Oh yes, this is good work, we just have no job for you’. So I decided to make my own opportunities.” Read the rest of this entry »

A scene from the show. Nicola Betts Photography

who knew grannie: a dub aria
By ahdri zhina mandiela
Produced by Obsidian Theatre Company
Runs until April 4 @ Factory Theatre

By Gabrielle Charron-Merritt

Seeing who knew grannie, a story of cousins meeting through the memories of their recently deceased grandmother, reminded me of my own Gaga (sadly, I did not know the childhood nickname for my grandmother would become a chart topper years later), the exchanges we shared, and the extreme closeness of two people who are many years apart.

A glance at the program led me to a back page glossary of terms. The glossary was insightful, but I didn’t catch many of the phrases or words during the performance. It did give me a pre-show idea of the themes that would be presented.

The show ran straight through for 80 minutes of uninterrupted, hearty dub. Each actor took their turn to dub to themselves and the Read the rest of this entry »

Kevin Smith's cell-out?

Cop Out
Director: Kevin Smith
Warner Bros Pictures, February 2010

By Caesar Martini

Do you like Tracey Morgan? Specifically, have you ever watched Tracy Morgan’s character on 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan, and thought, “This guy is hilarious, but I wish I could see him play the same character with a slightly better grasp on reality for 107 straight minutes while Bruce Willis stands nearby and struggles to tolerate him,” then brother, have I got a movie for you!

The movie is Cop Out, the first film that Kevin Smith has directed without also writing. It is so named as a poke at the movie studio for not accepting Smith’s original idea for the picture, “A Couple of Dicks.” The film follows partners Jimmy (Willis) and Paul (Morgan) as police officers who are tracking down Jimmy’s stolen baseball card, so he can sell it and pay for his daughter’s upcoming wedding.

Read the rest of this entry »

Amazing Spider-Man #625
Joe Kelly (w), Max Fiumara (a), Fabio D’Auria (c). Marvel Comics.

There was a very different narration style used in this issue — that of an article by Norah Winters recounting the events taking place. It was an interesting idea, but by spreading a short article, breaking it up over the course of the various pages and panels, well, you just can’t follow it. It’s an attempt to meld two very different mediums of communications that doesn’t work for me, and took me out of the story. This is a shame, because if you just sit back, just read the dialogue balloons, and look at the pretty pictures, it’d be an awesome comic. Maybe this is just because I’m anti-Norah. — Isaac Mills

Isaac’s rating: 3 out of 5

Avengers Vs. Atlas # 3
Jeff Parker (w), Gabriel Hardman (a), Elizabeth Breitweiser (c).
Paul Cornell (w), Leonard Kirk (a), Brad Anderson (c). Marvel Comics.

After the twiddling of thumb last issue, this one redeems the series completely. A healthy fight scene followed by a healthy exposition scene to get the plot moving. It’s classic, old school comics with a modern twist (book quote me, Marvel!). No wheels have been reinvented, it’s just well-executed fun. Increased points for a hilarious back up by Cornell and Kirk. Kirk really brought his A-game to it. And-and-and… I figured out why Marvel keeps hiring Ramos to do covers! It’s to make Liefeld’s art look well-structured. (Yes, Liefeld jokes. Fish in a barrel.) — Miles Baker

Miles’ rating: 4.5 out of 5 Read the rest of this entry »

Peter Donaldson as Marc, Evan Buliung as Yvan and Colin Mochrie as Serge. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

‘Art’
Written by Yasmina Reza
Directed by Morris Panych
Featuring Colin Mochrie, Peter Donaldson, Evan Buliung
Runs until April 10 @ Bluma Appel Theatre

By Daina Valiulis

Yasmina Reza’s ‘Art’ explores the essence of character and friendship over a heated debate about a piece of modern art. Serge (Mochrie) buys a white painting for 200,000 francs – an “Andrios” – pridefully showing it off to his good friend of fifteen years, Marc (Donaldson), a committed classicist who is appalled by this “piece of shit” and Yvan (Buliung), who has no real opinion at all. A heated debate on these different perceptions and definitions of art ensues, and ultimately reflects each man’s character, growing more personal and uglier as the play progresses, calling into question their very friendships. Read the rest of this entry »

Alice in Wonderland
Directed by Tim Burton
Walt Disney Pictures, 2010

By Sean Kelly

I have to preface by saying that I consider Tim Burton one of my all-time favourite directors and I usually end up loving whatever he does. However, I am sure that more casual viewers are happy that Burton is back with a bright and colourful movie after going into much darker territory with 2007’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

This film, of course, is based on Lewis Carroll’s novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. The film is more a reinterpretation of the novels, rather than a straight adaptation. However, the basic story is still the same: Alice chases a white rabbit down a hole and she encounters the world of “Underland” and its many strange and unique inhabitants.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Amazing Spider-Man #624
Mark Waid with Tom Peyer (w), Paul Azaceta with Javier Rodriguez (a), Andres Mossa (c). Marvel Comics.

After reading this issue I couldn’t help but wonder what fellow MONDOreviewer Isaac Mills thought of it. I believe that man loves Spider-Man more than I will ever love anything. Here the titular does the wrong thing, for the right reason, with good reason, but it blows up in Peter’s face. It’s classic Spider-Man, but did Peter go too far? I could see Isaac falling either way on the issue. It’s an interesting question and I think the creative team doesn’t have an answer for us, and I like that. It’s a point of debate and there aren’t any right answers, and that’s how I like my comics. – Miles Baker

Miles’ rating: 4 out of 5

Batgirl #8
Bryan Q. Miller (w), Talent Caldwell, Yvel Guichet, John Stanisci (a), Guy Majoy (c). DC Comics.

The art is really bad in this book, no two ways about it, and it only gets worse when the second art team take over the last few pages. They may not have had all of Caldwell’s early pages to know how to emulate it, but I’m sure he’s done earlier issues, his style can’t come as too much of a surprise. They cram a lot of story in this single book, and as always, I prefer that to the alternative. That said, Red Robin’s sudden acceptance of the new Batgirl could have used some more inner monologue explanation on his part. Having Batgirl always think “Onward and upward” was pretty annoying, by the way. – Isaac Mills

Isaac’s rating: 2.5 out of 5 Read the rest of this entry »

The Hurt Locker. A triumph for film?

By Shane McNeil

The Oscars are a fickle, fickle business. Whichever picture emerges at the end of the night is gauged not only as the preference of the select few voting Academy members (and, somehow, the Three-6 Mafia) but, as the years pass, the picture that best defined an encapsulated the year that was.

It’s not always about picking the best film, as other factors contribute to which film ends up as the last one standing. The social and political mood of the voters comes into play as sometimes does the track record of the filmmakers and where it stands within the canon of their work.

Sometimes it’s a matter of a film that just struck at the right time (American Beauty, Ordinary People), sometimes it’s about giving someone their due (The Departed, Unforgiven) and sometimes, it’s just a film that’s too big to ignore (Titanic, Return of the King).

It’s what makes the Oscars a tricky barometer of cinematic history and what makes Oscar prediction a slippery science. When it goes wrong, the idiocy of an aging group of voters gets heinously exposed (Rocky, Crash) however, when it goes right, you get the lasting films and smart choices that at the very least make a lot of sense in hindsight… like picking The Hurt Locker over Avatar!

With that in mind; I give you the 10 best choices of the last 40 years.

Read the rest of this entry »