Speed Racer

Well, I enjoyed it. And I really thought I would be disappointed. Maybe it was the innovative Wachowski Brothers direction and quirky writing that is in reverence to the original 1960's animated series, or the tight resemblance to the original characters, or the whirlwind action and attention to detail. It was probably all of those things. I was never bored even after 130 minutes. Don't listen to the poor reviews and go see it.

Iron Man

Saw Iron Man. Loved it, loved it, loved it. It you have not yet seen it, DEFINITELY sit through the credits for an extra special bonus scene at the end!

"Adult Graphic Novels for Every Library" Rocks NJLA 2008

This past week at the New Jersey Library Association annual conference, I presented on a panel entitled "Adult Graphic Novels for Every Library." With me on the panel were my esteemed colleagues Tyler Rousseau, Laverne Mann and Karla Ivarson. We are all library professionals here in New Jersey and we have in common, amongst other things, a love of comics and graphic novels. So, we attempted to help our librarian friends attending the conference with their collection development needs by suggesting graphic novel titles that should form the basis for a collection designed for adults. I recommended Watchmen, Pride of Baghdad, Daredevil: Born Again and All-Star Superman, Vol. 1. It was a great pleasure and an honor to present with these friends. Click on the picture to get a better look at the entire panel (l to r: Dave, Laverne, Karla, Ty). Photo courtesy of Lisa Coats (thanks Lisa)!

My Summer Movie List

Summer is almost here and it's time for my annual list of the movies that I want to see. Whether I go into the demilitarized zone to see them is another story.

May: Iron Man, Speed Racer, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Postal.

June: The Incredible Hulk, The Happening, Get Smart, The Love Guru, Wall-E, The Mother of Tears.

July: The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Hancock, The Dark Knight, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

August: Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Rocker, The House Bunny, Hell Ride, Babylon A.D.

Grindhouse: The Complete Starz Experience!

I just have to say a big Thank You to Starz! for bringing back the original three-plus-hour-long Grindhouse feature film to On Demand. It's currently unavailable on DVD after Planet Terror and Death Proof were split up for release on home video in the States. Here's hoping that there is a special edition DVD release in the future for the complete film as it originally appeared in theaters.

2.4 and Me

The newest WoW patch is upon us: 2.4 (and perhaps the last one before the Wrath of the Lich King expansion later this year). I'm liking several things about it: the new daily fishing quests, the friends list notes feature, the new Sunwell Isle zone. Updating to this patch went better for me than any other yet. Most of my favorite add-ons were even updated upon release. Cartographer, Auctioneer, Pawn and Outfitter all had 2.4 compatible versions available on Tuesday. The success of 2.4 just goes to prove what an entertainment value World of Warcraft is. Some 3.5 years after release, it is still being rigorously updated with new material and has the largest player base ever. So, here's to my favorite virtual home; may you live on. At least until World of Diablo.

Sci-Fi Channel in HD?

I was super excited to hear the rumor that Comcast will start to carry The Sci-Fi Channel in HD this week. I mean, how disappointing was it to watch Tin Man shoved into a box with bars around the sides and top?