BLU-RAY SPECIAL: TOP 10 STAR WARS MOMENTS

STAR WARS is THE greatest pop-culture phenomenon in the world (or the galaxy)! I grew up on Star Wars (the Original trilogy) and have been a devoted fan all of my life. No other movie has had such an impact on my life. While the prequel trilogy may not match by far the original trilogy, it does hold some merit in the Star Wars Saga as a whole. Today marks the release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray in the U.S., which includes 9 High-Definition Blu-ray discs and features over 40 hours of bonus material including deleted, extended and alternate scenes, documentaries and archive footage! The Star Wars movies have some of the greatest and most memorable moments in movie history and any Star Wars fan would have a hard time choosing their favorite. In celebration of the release of The Complete Saga on Blu-ray, Chernobog's Blog Presents: The Top 10 STAR WARS Moments!

#10 The Rise of Darth Vader (Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) - While fans have been awaiting to see the origin of Darth Vader for 30 years, the events leading up to Episode III was not without disappointment. After Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) joins Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), he helps him to destroy the Jedi, (even killing younglings) and the ultimate duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan leaves Anakin severely injured. The Emperor makes Anakin him into a half-man/half-machine. Upon reviving him, the Emperor tells Anakin that he inadvertently killed Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) in anger and thus he responds with the now infamous "NOOOOOO!"

#9 "It's a Trap!" (Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) - During the final battle between the Rebellion and the Empire over the moon of Endor, Lando Calrissian in the Millenium Falcon, leads a squadron of fighters to attack the new Death Star. Under the command of Admiral Ackbar the fleet soon realizes that the deflector shield is still operational because Han and his team have so far been unable to deactivate it. When the fleet start to retreat, they realize that the Empire has surrounded them with Star Destoyers. Ackbar says one of the most famous and overly done quotes in the whole Star Wars saga: "It's a trap!"

#8 The Death of Qui-Gon Jinn (Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) - While Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) may have seemed like an ancillary character in Episode I, he remains a fan favorite. His death causes Obi-Wan to reluctantly take on the training of Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who had previously been denied by the Jedi Council. While Qui-Gon is seen as a very wise Jedi Master, he is apparently very rebellious in his decision to take Anakin from his home and train him as a Jedi. Even Yoda, Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), and the council knew that Anakin possessed many qualities of the Dark Side, Despite their warnings, believing Anakin is prophesied to bring balance to the force,Qui-Gon defies the council and trains him anyway. His training is cut short as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) encounter Darth Maul (Ray Park), a Dark Lord of the Sith. In a desperate duel with the dual-lightsaber wielding Sith, Qui-Gonn is killed and later Obi-Wan vows to complete Anakins training.

#7 Escape from Jabba's Palace (Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) - By the final chapter of the Original Trilogy, our heroes are in the worst situation possible! When Han Solo (Harrison Ford) was frozen in carbonite, Boba Fett took him to Jabba the Hut. While Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) had already been undercover in Jabba's palace as a guard, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) also comes to Han's rescue, disguised as the bounty hunter Boussh with Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) as her captive. Although Leia tries to free Han from his frozen prison, they are discovered! Han is thrown in jail with Chewbacca and Leia is chained to Jabba's side and forced to wear a scanty slave outfit (many a fanboy's dream)! Finally Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) arrives, now a full fledged Jedi Knight, He attempts to bargain for his friends lives, but is fed to the Rancor. When Luke defeats the Rancor, Jabba then decides to feed all of them (except Leia) to the Sarlac! Ultimately, Luke escapes being eaten by the Sarlac, Han unwittingly defeats Boba Fett and Leia strangles Jabba. It all ends when Jabba's sail barge is destroyed in a magnificent explosion and our heroes escape with C-3PO and R2-D2 in tow!

#6 The Trash Compactor (Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) - When Han Solo and Luke Skywalker go to rescue Princess Leia disguised as Stormtroopers, they are cut off by Imperial troops and their only escape is through one of the Death Star's trash compactors. While trapped, they realize there is a creature living in the compactor which almost kills Luke and on top of that the compactor is activated and slowly begins to crush the three of them. If not for the bumbling efforts of C-3PO and R2-D2 they surely would've been crushed to death!

#5 The Death of Emperor Palpatine (Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) - During the final battle between the Rebellion and the Empire, Luke Skywalker has been held captive in the Emperor's throne room watching the battle alongside his father, Darth Vader. As tensions rise and Luke feels the need to kill the Emperor, battle ensues between Vader and Luke! Luke, in a fit of rage, then cuts off Vader's hand and still refuses to join the Dark Side. The Emperor responds with bolts of Force lightning, nearly killing Luke if not for Vader's ultimate sacrifice! Vader intervenes, picks up the Emperor and throws him down a long shaft but not before receiving a fatal dose of the Emperor's power. Vader soon dies as Luke finally sees the real face of his father.

#4 The Duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) - Probably one of THE darkest moments in the Star Wars saga, the ultimate duel between friends is the final step in turning Anakin to the Dark Side of The Force. It is a shock to see Anakin and Obi-Wan, who had become very close as Master and Padawan, locked in such a violent battle on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. It is one of the most powerful scenes and a dramatic moment for Obi-Wan: "You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! You were to bring balance to The Force, not leave it in darkness! You we're my brother Anakin, I loved you..."

#3 The Freezing of Han Solo (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - While there are several scenes in the Original Trilogy that deal with narrow escapes, the climax to The Empire Strikes Back is not one of them. When Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO travel to Bespin and Cloud City to seek refuge and repairs from Han's old friend Lando Calrissian, unfortunately Lando has already made a deal with the Empire and turns Han over to them! While Vader wants to use the heroes as bait for Luke, whom he intends to freeze in Carbonite for his journey to the Emperor. First, he tests it on Han. As Han is prepared to be lowered into the freezing device (which is one of the most dramatic and romantic moments in the Star Wars saga) Leia kisses Han and says "I love you", to which Han responds: "I know" and he is lowered into the freezer.

#2 Luke Vs. Darth Vader (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - The first battle between Darth  Vader and Luke Skywalker in the climax to The Empire Strikes Back is one of the most pivotal moments in the Star Wars Saga. Luke, having left Yoda's training prematurely to save Han and Leia at Cloud City is met by a trap set by Vader. As he is lured into the Carbonite Freezing Chamber he is met by Vader and the battle ensues. The fight is taken outside onto a platform overlooking a bottomless shaft in the bowels of Cloud City where Vader ultimately cuts off Luke's hand and then drops one of  the biggest WTF moments of all time: "I am your father!" The rest is history...

#1 The Battle of Yavin, a.k.a. the destruction of the first Death Star (Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) - The ultimate battle between the Rebellion and the Empire is fought by a small squadron of Rebel fighters and the enormous Death Star! (That's no moon!) With the knowledge from the secret plans from Princess Leia stored in R2-D2 the Rebels were able to find a small thermal exhaust port along a trench. Against insurmountable odds the small squadron manages to fend off defending TIE fighters and Death Star gunners until only Luke Skywalker's X-Wing remains and with only the power of The Force at his side (and a little help from Han Solo) he manages to fire a single proton torpedo into a 2-meter wide hole and BOOM! The Death Star Explodes! The Rebels win, Luke and Han get medals from Leia (but not Chewbacca?) and the galaxy is safe again...but don't worry The Empire will build another one soon!

My thoughts on the Blu-ray release: While the video releases of the Star Wars Saga have always met with some controversy, the release of the new Blu-rays is not without some debate. The THX remastered editions of the Original Trilogy released in 1995 and the Special Editions in 1997 included some subtle and some very bold changes to the films made by George Lucas himself. While some of the changes have sparked discontent and controversy in many fans (including me), any changes are remotely minor to the saga as a whole. With the release of the new Blu-rays it is obvious there will be even more changes along with even more added, deleted and altered scenes, but I hope will not "damage" the saga further! May the Force Be With You!
LINKS: Star Wars Official Site, The Official Star Wars Blog, Star Wars Blu-ray on Facebook

Remembering September 11, 2001

September 11th, 2001...it started out an ordinary day like any other. People went to school and work that morning like they did every day, little did we know that it would be day that would change our world and everything forever...

I remember where I was on 9/11: I was a college journalism student at Tarrant County College working in the newspaper office when a student came by the room and announced a plane crashed in New York City. The class quickly went to the student center where there was a big-screen TV and we saw the WTC North Tower in flames and watched as a second plane hit the South Tower. We watched the devastation in silence most of the morning and when it was announced that classes were cancelled I went to work and watched the rest of the event there. I had a friend that lived on Staten Island at that time and another friend who was in the U.S. Army Reserves and was involved in "Operation Enduring Freedom" (Nov. 2001-Dec. 2002), thankfully he came home but I have another friend currently serving in the Air Force in Iraq.

I don't usually blog about anything political or for that matter anything dealing with current events other than movies, music or TV. I admit I am not up on current events as much as I should be and am much more preoccupied with entertainment than the world's problems right now. But in light of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I felt obligated to acknowledge those events that affected so much in our world and so many people. No doubt the Internet will be full of 9/11 features and articles today and even Yahoo! News has a particularly large website devoted to 9/11 Remembered. Not since the invasion of Pearl Harbor in World War II has there been such a single loss of American lives and devastation. For my generation, this was a pivotal moment in our history, not unlike the baby-boomer generation who experienced the assassinations of John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr. Such national tragedies like the Challenger explosion in 1986 or Columbia disaster in 2003 cannot even compare to the loss of life and destruction of September 11th, 2001. We live in a troubled time, never has such a travesty caused so much fear, anger, hate, confusion and suspicion than 9/11 and if it hadn't been such a major event we wouldn't be talking about it today. We look back on the events of 9/11, a day where everything stopped and we watched helplessly as a symbol of American prosperity and power toppled in a cloud of dust and smoke, making the ground shake.

ANIME FEST SPECIAL: TOP 10 ANIME

It's AnimeFest Weekend here in Dallas, Texas and unfortunately...I'm not going! Sadly, due to financial constraints, I have broken my long time tradition of being an attendee at Dallas' AnimeFest this year! But, it's not all bad, instead of spending a lot of money and dealing with the crowd, I can sit right here at home and have my own personal AnimeFest and watch all of my favorite anime! And so I thought I would post my long-overdue list of my favorite TOP 10 ANIME! This list includes both anime series, movies, OVAs, Enjoy!

#10 Macross/Robotech (1982) - In the year 1999, a gigantic spaceship crash-lands on Earth sparking a united Earth government to rebuild the ship and utilize the alien technology to develop their own new technology including fighter-planes that can transform into robots known as Veritechs! To most kids who grew up in the 80's like me who watched this little cartoon called Robotech and we had no idea it was our first introduction to anime! Although altered, diluted and Americanized from it's original format as Macross, it sparked a new popularity of anime in the 80's. The late 1970's brought "Gundam" and Starblazers to the U.S. while it remained virtually unknown, and did not seem to have the same affect, Robotech brought Japanimation to a more mainstream audience and of course the rest...is history!

#9 Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X (2000) - Set during the Japanese Meiji Era, ten years after the revolution, Hitokiri battousai, the Manslayer, the legendary assassin known as Himura Kenshin is now a wanderer who has vowed never to kill again. Armed with his reverse blade sword he finds himself protecting a small sword school led by Kaoru Kamiya. Along with a diverse cast of characters including Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Dr. Megumi Rurouni Kenshin is a delightful series full of action, comedy and romance. Also recommend Samurai X OAVs: Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal, Samurai X: Reflection and Samurai X: The Movie (a.k.a. "Requiem")!

#8 Vampire Hunter D (1985) - Set in the year 12,090 A.D., the Earth is overrun with vampires, werewolves and all manner of dark creatures. When a small village is terrorized by an ancient aristocrat vampire and his minions, a young woman named Doris hires a vampire hunter named only "D" after she is bitten. However, D is no ordinary vampire hunter...! Vampire Hunter D was one of the first mature anime movies I ever saw. I was fascinated by the mixture of dark, Gothic horror and sci-fi in the strange post-apocalyptic setting. D has always been one of my favorite animes and I was overjoyed when a sequel, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust was released in 2000, but unfortunately it doesn't equal to the original, however it did spark new interest in D as recently both the original novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, with art by Yoshitaka Amano and manga have been released in the U.S.!

#7 Samurai 7 (2004) - Based on the classic samurai film by director Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai (1954)), Samurai 7 is an anime adaptation combining both fantasy and sci-fi elements into a unique 26 episode series. When a simple farming village is threatened by technologically advanced bandits who take their crops every year, the village decides to hire samurai warriors to defend them. What they get is an unusual group of samurai including the experienced Kanbei, the young Katsuhiro and a clumsy cyborg named Kikuchiyo! Truly original and fantastic, I was already a fan of Kurosawa's films and found the anime adaptation to be an impressive and wonderful series.

#6 Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) - The year is 2015, after a catastrophic global event, the Earth is being attacked by alien creatures dubbed "Angels" and only one organization, N.E.R.V., is equipped to handle them with their own bio-mechanical mecha suits called Evangelions or EVA. Shinji Ikari, a timid teenage boy is summoned by his father unexpectedly to pilot an EVA along with two other children (Rei and Asuka) in order to save the world! This phenomenal series combined Judeo-Christian mythology with apocalyptic prophecies and giant robots to create one of the most popular anime series in the last decade. After several movies and a recent reboot Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0, there is also a live action movie in the works!

#5 Cowboy Bebop (1998) - Following the adventures of a rag-tag group of bounty hunters, Cowboy Bebop is an immensely popular and successful anime series with a huge following. This unlikely "team" of bounty hunters include Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, along with Ed and Ein the dog. Despite having only a short run of 26 episodes, Cowboy Bebop is action-packed and funny, with an amazing soundtrack by Yokko Kanno! Also see Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)!

#4 Mobile Suit Gundam (1978) - In the year 0079, the galaxy is caught up in a war between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon utilizing state-of-the-art mobile suit technology. When Amuro Ray, a young mechanical genius is caught up in the conflict he ends up piloting one of the Federation's prototype mobile suits called Gundam! Possibly THE most influential anime series ever, Mobile Suit Gundam has sparked over a dozen spin-offs (including the most recent: Gundam Seed) and several movies, not to mention a fortune in toys and models!

#3 Princess Mononoke (1997) - The animals and spirits of the forest are threatened by the encroachment of man and when Ashitaka becomes infected by a demon, he is exiled and seeks the Great Spirit of the Forrest in the hopes it will remove his curse. Along the way he meets San, a ferocious wolf-girl, a human raised by wolves, who is about to lead a major battle against the humans! Of all the films by master director Hayao Miyazaki, it's hard to chose a favorite, but considering Princess Mononkoe was the first of his films to earn immense popularity in the U.S. and is still the #1 film in Japan at the time! Princess Mononoke was one of the first Japanese animated films to have a wide release in the U.S. due to it's celerity voice actors and English script by writer Neil Gaiman. Also recommend other Miyazaki films such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo.

#2 Ghost in the Shell (1995) - Motoko Kusanagi, an advanced cyborg, is a member of Section 9, a covert security force specializing in cyber-crimes. While investigating a case she and her team are involved with the infamous "Puppet Master", an anonymous cyber-hacker, which will change her life forever. Based on the mana by Masamune Shirow (Dominion Tank Police, Orion), Ghost in the Shell is one of the most successful anime series spawning the sequel Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and two anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and S.A.C. 2nd Gig, also the movie Solid State Society.

#1 AKIRA (1988) - 30 years after World War III where a massive nuclear explosion destroyed much of Tokyo, Japan; two young members of a biker gang, Kaneda and Tetsuo get involved in a huge, political cover-up dealing with psychic, mutant children. After a biker fight and crash, Tetsuo is abducted by scientists and experimented on, giving him psychic powers which will ultimately reawakens the most powerful psychic of all, Akira! Akira deals with love, friendship, government conspiracies, evolution and the power of the mind. Akira is written, directed and based on the manga series (1982-1990) created by Katsuhiro Otomo. Highly influential and beautifully animated, Akira is considered to be the most popular anime film of all time and is my #1 Favorite anime! "Kaneda!!! Tetsuo!!!"

Birthday Special: TOP 10 Tim Burton Films

Happy Birthday Tim Burton! (Born: August 25, 1958) I have always loved Tim Burton's films since I was young and he has directed some of my favorite movies! Once a former animator for Walt Disney Studios, Tim Burton is a successful writer, producer, director and even sometimes actor (Singles (1992)). Many of his movies are brilliant examples of his unique artistry and creativity! Tim Burton has made some of the strangest and darkest movies in the last 30 years! This is my list of the Top 10 Tim Burton movies, including some of my favorite films. Enjoy!

#10 Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985) - This was Tim Burton's first major motion picture and Pee-Wee Herman's (Paul Reubens) first movie. The childlike talent of Reubens' character with the darkly, twisted visuals of Tim Burton was a perfect combination. The character of "Pee-Wee Herman" first appeared in Paul Reubens' adult-oriented, one-man show The Pee-Wee Herman Show (1981), (which he would later reprise on Broadway in 2011). A year after the Big Adventure movie Pee-Wee would later appear in the popular children's TV show Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1990). Pee-Wee also appeared in one other movie, Big-Top Pee-Wee (1988) before the literal "death" of the character in 1991 when Reubens was accused of indecent exposure in 1991.

#9 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) - Of the many projects with director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp, one of the most unique is the movie adaptation of the musical "Sweeney Todd". Whereas movie musicals are in short supply since the 1960's, Sweeney Todd seemed an appropriate subject for Tim Burton, it's dark, it's twisted, there is a LOT of blood and a lot of singing of course! With Helena Bonham Carter (Burton's latest companion) as Mrs. Lovett whose questioningly addictive meat pies and Sweeney Todd (Depp), a bloodthirsty barber driven by revenge makes Sweeney Todd a dark, entertaining and somewhat disturbing story.

#8 Edward Scissorhands (1990) - The first among many Tim Burton films which star Johnny Depp. Depp stars as Edward, an artificial boy, leather clad, mop-topped, freak with a passion for topiaries created by Vincent Price. When discovered by an Avon salesman, Peg (Dianne Wiest) she brings Edward home to her suburban home and her daughter Kim (Winona Ryder). Soon he starts cutting womens' hair and falls in love with Kim. Soon realizing that normal people will never truly accept him, he is chased back home by a mob and presumed dead after an accident. While Edward himself is both mysterious and frightening, the story is quite romantic. The ultimate story of humanity's fear of the unknown and dangers of conformity make Edward Scissorhands one of Burton's best films and established Depp and Burton's long-time collaboration for years to come.

#7 Mars Attacks! (1996) - In this parody of classic sci-fi movies based on a series of 1960's Topps trading cards, Martians arrive on Earth. Although they seem peaceful at first, a horrible invasion begins, which can only be stopped by the warbling yodels of country music...? Mars Attacks is a quirky and hilarious movie with a star-studded cast which includes: Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox , Sarah Jessica Parker and a young Natalie Portman!

#6 The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - While not directed by Burton himself, "Tim Burton's:" The Nightmare Before Christmas is in fact pure Burton. Directed by Henry Selick and produced and based on a story and characters created by Tim Burton, "Nightmare" is a beautiful stop-motion animated feature set in the dark and twisted world of Halloween Town. When Jack Skellington (voice:Chris Sarandon/songs:Danny Elfman)"The Pumpkin King" grows tired of the same old thing every year, he discovers a magical door to Christmas Land and devises a plot to kidnap Santa Claus and takeover Christmas in his own creepy way! With incredible animation and ingenious songs by long-time Burton collaborator Danny Elfman, "Nightmare" is a favorite holiday movie!

#5 Batman Returns (1992) - Following the phenominal success of the first Batman (1989) movie, Tim Burton was set to direct another delightfully dark sequel with the addition of two of Batman's most popular villains: The Penguin (Danny DeVito) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfieffer)! The grotesque Penguin and the seductive Catwoman added much to the already dark and disturbing story. Although the sequel had a bigger budget and earned a bigger salary for Michael Keaton (Batman), producers at Warner Bros. soon decided to bring in director Joel Schumacher for the third movie, Batman Forever (1995). While successful to most fans, it was a joke, and the fourth movie, Batman & Robin (1997), would soon prove to be a horrific end to the first Batman franchise.

#4 Ed Wood (1994) - In this quirky bio-pic of Hollywood's Worst Director of All Time: Edward D. Wood, Jr., Tim Burton directs this entirely black-and-white story based on Ed Wood's biography "Nightmare of Ecstasy". Johnny Depp plays Ed Wood alongside Martin Landau's Oscar Winning performance as Bela Lugosi. Burton was the perfect director to pay tribute to the worst director, who oddly enough is remembered fondly for directing some of the worst and best B-Movies of the 1950's and 60's such as Bride of the Monster (1955), Night of the Ghouls (1959) and of course Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)!

#3 Beetlejuice (1988) - One of Burton's most well-known movies, Beetlejuice is a black comedy on death. Starring Michael Keaton as the disgusting and vulgar Beetlejuice (oops, I said it three times! LOL), a self-proclaimed bio-exorcist who wants to "help" recently dead newlyweds Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) remove a live family from their house. Their plan soon backfires as the "ghost with the most" becomes uncontrolable and wreaks havoc on the living! Brilliantly dark and funny with Burton's distinct touch, Beetlejuice is one of my favorite Burton movies!

#2 Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Although "loosely" based on the timeless novel by Washington Irving with a little inspiration from Disney's animated short, Sleepy Hollow is one of Tim Burton's most successful and big budget blockbusters! Full of Gothic atmosphere and blood, Sleepy Hollow is a new spin on the classic tale with Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) as a police constable from New York who is sent to the town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of bizarre decapitations.  He soon becomes involved in a complex plot of conspiracy, murder and black magic. Christina Ricci stars as Katrina Van Tassel with a group of Burton regulars including veteran actor Michael Gough (which would be his last movie) and Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman with stunts by Ray Park.

#1 Batman (1989) - Batman, one of the greatest comic book crime fighters of all time finally gets a blockbuster movie which redefined the comic book movie/summer blockbuster! Tim Burton's dark vision of Gotham City brought the Dark Knight to life, with music by Danny Elfman and the perfect cast of Michael Keaton as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson as The Joker. The Batman movie was one of the defining movies of my childhood and established my lifelong love of the Caped Crusader. While Jack Nicholson almost stole the show as the Clown Prince of Crime, it established Tim Burton as one of the biggest directors of the last few decades and paved the way for many of his films!

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: "HELLBOY: THE FURY"

R.I.P. HELLBOY (1944-2011)

Hellboy is DEAD! After 18 years of being one of Dark Horse Comics' most popular characters, his reign has finally come to an end! When the latest Hellboy storyline "The Fury" (written by Mike Mignola and art by Duncan Fegredo) was released back in June, fans had no idea it would be his last. This Wednesday saw the release of issue #3, the final chapter in "The Fury" and this message from Mike Mignola himself on the Dark Horse Comics website) confirmed the demise of Hellboy.
It has been a busy year for Hellboy, since being lost at sea (see: "The Third Wish") he has been in England along with Alice Monaghan, his new lover. When he was invited by witches of England to be the new king...he of course declined. The witches then reluctantly accepted a new queen, Nimue, who declared herself Goddess of War! Now she has gathered together an unholy army whose purpose is the destruction of all life on Earth! The only one who stands in her way is Hellboy, who has recently discovered he is descended from King Arthur!? While the noble dead have risen from the grave to follow their new king against Nimue's army, Hellboy gave his left eye to Baba Yaga (see: "Darkness Calls") in order to get past Nimue's army and into her tower where she transforms into the Dragon of Ragna Rok!
"The Fury" is the culmination of one of the longest Hellboy storylines ever, only to end with the ultimate battle of good vs. evil and the apocalypse! "The Fury" also marks the return of the Ogdru Jahad and Hecate. "The Fury" is one of the best Hellboy storylines ever and although creator Mike Mignola admitted that the death of Hellboy was inevitable this is not really the end of Hellboy... With the epic final confrontation and demise of Hellboy in "The Fury", fans should not be too discouraged as we eagerly await the return of Big Red in "Hellboy: In Hell" in 2012!

SPECIAL SUMMER MOVIE REVIEW!

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

 While this summer has already been overly saturated with comic book/superhero movies there is one that has been highly anticipated particularly since the new Marvel Studios started their latest run of movies since Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk in 2008 along with various sequels (Iron Man 2)and reboots (X-Men: First Class) )and not to mention, the release of Thor back in May has finally paved the way for Marvel to introduce the last and certainly not least member in it's superhero movie pantheon: none other than Captain America: The First Avenger!
When Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) goes to enlist in the army during World War II he finds that he is unacceptable (not-surprisingly) due to his frail and scrawny physique, but as he displays an immense tenacity and ambition to fight for his country he attracts the attention of a secret government program to create super-soldiers and volunteers for a procedure that turns his weak form into Captain America! As he now possesses incredible strength and stamina he unfortunately starts out as merely a USO sideshow but when action calls he steps in and soon becomes a powerful force against the Nazi's Hydra division led by The Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) who has harnessed the power of an ancient artifact to develop a terrible weapon that will change the outcome of the war unless Captain America can stop him!
I have been a big fan of the latest Marvel movies and was looking forward to this movie with much excitement, however there was always one aspect of this movie that bugged me from the moment it's star was announced: the fact that Captain America was going to be played by Chris Evans who already earned Marvel movie fame with his role as Johnny Storm, a.k.a. "The Human Torch" in two of Marvel's "Fantastic Four" films including The Fantastic Four (2005) and The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). Evans had already well established himself as the sarcastic Human Torch and I thought it would be hard to accept him as both Torch and Cap...however, I was wrong! Evans successfully pulls off the All-American/Boy Scout Steve Rogers/Captain America with a flair and not without a little CGI help to make his pre-Captain America-self appear small and scrawny! As always with any great hero there is a great villain and Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull is perfectly suited to the sinister super-villain and his appearance is as close to the comic book as ever.
Director Joe Johnston (Hidalgo (2004), The Wolfman (2010)) seemed like an unlikely choice to direct the greatest American superhero movie but with his pre-directing experience alongside greats like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg he was a prime candidate. Captain America: The First Avenger is one of the best Marvel superhero movies this summer next to X-Men: First Class and completely buries the competition with the very disappointing Green Lantern movie. Now that Cap has finally been revealed, Marvel Studios can now make way with The Avengers (2012), directed by Joss Whedon, which will include Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and of course Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), in what is sure to be the ultimate Marvel movie! (We shall see...)

COWBOYS & ALIENS
What do you get when you have James Bond and Indiana Jones fighting aliens in The Old West...? You get Cowboys & Aliens! Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man 2 (2010) Iron Man (2008), Zathura (2005) put two action movie greats, namely Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones, Han Solo) and Daniel Craig (James Bond) together for a truly unique take on the Western movie, combining a Sci-Fi alien invasion with cowboys and Indians! When Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the middle of a desert with no memory and a strange device attached to his wrist it leads to one bad situation after another when aliens invades a small Arizona frontier town. Based on the 2006 Independent graphic novel from Platinum Studios. While the movie is based on the comic, surprisingly the film actually has very little to do with the comic retaining similar theme and story but including very different characters. Despite the story's source material, Cowboys & Aliens is a surprising mixture of the cowboys and Indians Western with the "War of the Worlds"-like alien invasion. Harrison Ford stars alongside Craig as Woodrow Dolarhyde a ruthless cattle baron and former Civil War Colonel. Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy) stars as the mysterious and seductive Ella Swenson. Craig and Ford make a great combination in this exciting movie. Cowboys & Aliens has all the alien intensity of Independence Day (1996) with the Old West drama of Unforgiven (1992). It is hard to take the outrageous scenario seriously, but the intense story and incredible characters make for an amazing experience!

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

 "The Planet of the Apes" series is one of the oldest and longest running Sci-Fi franchises, through many sequels, TV shows and remakes, it was long thought that the franchise was long gone. However, with the trend of franchise reboots and prequels it was the right time for "The Planet of the Apes" to beat it's chest in theaters again with Rise of the Planet of the Apes! At a genetic research laboratory in San Francisco, Will Rodman (James Franco) is using chimpanzees to search for a cure for his father's (John Lithgow) Alzheimer's Disease. After an incident involving an ape test-subject, Will takes a newborn chimp home to raise and experiment on named Cesar. After years of experimentation, Cesar grows incredibly intelligent but restless in wanting to escape from captivity and Will is forced to put Cesar in a primate sanctuary. Soon, Cesar releases his fellow apes and leads a rebellion against the humans!
Directed by independent director Rupert Wyatt, who is co-founder of Picture Farm, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is essentially a prequel to the "Planet of the Apes" series which started in 1968 with the first movie: Planet of the Apes (originally based on the novel Monkey Planet by Pierre Boulle), directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Charlton Heston, now a Sci-Fi classic! Since then the series has included: Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) also including the TV series Planet of the Apes (1973) and Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975) AND not to mention, the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes directed by Tim Burton and starring Mark Wahlberg!
 Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an amazing movie, with an intensely cerebral storyline, sympathetic characters (both ape and human) and amazing CGI effects. Although Cesar isn't a real chimpanzee, the motion-capture effects provided by none other than Andy Serkis, who was made famous for providing motion-capture performances for Gollum in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (and the upcoming The Hobbit) as well as another famous ape in King Kong (2005), are phenomenal! Although Cesar is completely CG, he is an incredibly convincing character. Even though we humans should feel appalled at the plight of humans as apes rise to take over the planet, Cesar and his ape-kind are incredibly sympathetic and touching creatures. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a surprisingly incredible movie and I only hope they can successfully jump start a new "Planet of the Apes" series or trilogy!

TOP 10 SAMURAI MOVIES

I've made a LOT of TOP 10 Movie lists on my blog and while most of them have been about horror movies or comic book movies, this time I wanted to focus on a specific genre of movies that may not be so widely known but is very special to me: Samurai films! I have always had a great interest in the Japanese Samurai with their unique culture and philosophy. I think my first introduction to them was through my Dad, who is a big James Bond fan and in the Bond movie You Only Live Twice (1967) where Bond (Sean Connery) travels to Japan for a mission and is indoctrinated into the world of the Samurai and the Ninja. Later, already huge Star Wars fan since I was a kid, a very good friend of mine from high school introduced me to foreign films and of course Japanese Samurai films. I believe one of the first ones was Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress (1958) and as I was watching it, I made a startling revelation, this WAS Star Wars! Admittedly, George Lucas took a lot of inspiration from Samurai films and even the Jedi who are like samurais get their name from the Japanese word Jidaigeki, which means "period drama" which usually takes place during the Samurai era of Japanese history. There are many great stories and characters in Samurai films, the most widely known and popular are from director Akira Kurosawa and  with such actors as Toshirô Mifune and Shintarô Katsu. There are many great Samurai movies but there are only a few which define the genre that have brought the past alive since the 1950's. Here are the TOP 10 SAMURAI MOVIES...Enjoy!

#10 The Last Samurai (2003) Directed by Edward Zwick and starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe - The Last Samurai is a beautifully made American Samurai film, set in the Meiji Era, a turbulent time in Japan's history where the country was gradually losing it's samurai heritage, eager to embrace more modern Western ways. Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a former U.S. soldier, now a drunk has-been, who is hired on by a Japanese ambassador to train the Imperial army to fight against the last remaining band of Samurai warriors led by Katsumoto (Watanabe), a highly revered leader and former teacher of the Emperor. When Algren leads an unsuccessful and unready army against Katsumoto's army he is quickly defeated, wounded and then captured. While in captivity he comes to respect the samurai way, befriends Katsumoto and ends up joining the samurai in a final battle, months later against the same army he trained, only to be defeated again but not before he impresses the young Emperor.  The story is told in a unique American point of view although narrated by a British translator (Timothy Spall).

#9 - Zatôichi: The Blind Swordsman (1989) Directed, Written and Starring Shintarô Katsu - Katsu reprises his role in his last performance as the blind, masseur/yakuza swordsman: Zatoichi, made famous in over 26 films during the 1960's and 70's and in the 1974 TV series. This film is the culmination of a lifetime career as one of the most memorable samurai characters ever. I highly recommend any of the older Zatoichi films as well as this one, however this one had the biggest budget and Katsu's most involved project.

#8 - Ran (1985) Directed and Written by Akira Kurosawa, Starring Tatsuya Nakadai. In this brilliant adaptation of William Shakespeare's King Lear set in 16th century Japan. When an elderly Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Nakadai) abdicates to his three sons, his two oldest sons, driven by greed and power wage war against each other. Now a broken man, Hidetora descends into madness surrounded by death and destruction.

#7 - Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972) Directed by Kenji Misumi and Starring Tomisaburo Wakayama - Ogami Itto (Wakayama) was once the Shogun's executioner, but when the Shogun becomes paranoid, he sends assassins to kill him, killing his wife instead, Itto escapes with his son Daigoro and becomes a ronin (masterless samurai) for hire. This film, along with Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance, was later combined and re-cut into a dubbed American version known as Shogun's Assassin (1980), directed by Robert Huston. Lone Wolf and Cub was based on the famous Japanese manga/comic book created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. It spawned dozens of films and a TV series in the 1970's and remains one of the most popular Samurai franchises ever!

#6 Throne of Blood (1957) Directed and Written by Akira Kurosawa, Starring Toshirô Mifune - One of Akira Kurosawa's first adaptations of William Shakespeare's work, Throne of Blood is a Japanese retelling of Macbeth. Lord Taketoki Washizu (Mifune) is an ambitious noble who lusts for power, when his wife Lady Asaji Washizu (Isuzu Yamada) plots to fulfill a prophecy to make him Emperor but ultimately leads to their death. The final scenes are intense as hundreds of arrows are shot at Taketoki. The story has many similarities to Macbeth although the Weird Sisters are combined into one old Ghost Woman.

#5 Yojimbo a.k.a "The Bodyguard" (1961) - Directed and Written by Akira Kurosawa, Starring Toshirô Mifune - This is one of the most popular and world renowned Samurai films of all time. Mifune stars as a nameless ronin samurai (later named Sanjuro in the sequel Sanjuro (1962)), who journeys to a town where two rival gangs battle for control. He ultimately plays both sides bringing both gangs to an end. Mifune's Yojimbo has been a source of inspiration and emulation on several movies: the most obvious being The Bodyguard (1992) starring Kevin Costner, which references the film. Also Yojimbo has been remade in several different genres like westerns in A Fistful of Dollars (1964) Starring Clint Eastwood and gangsters with Last Man Standing (1996) starring Bruce Willis.

#4 Rashômon (1950) a.k.a. "In The Woods" - Directed by Akira Kurosawa, Starring Toshirô Mifune - Rashômon is a brilliant crime drama set in Medieval Japan that focuses on four points of view. The story is told by a monk who takes shelter from a storm in a ruined temple along with two other men. Mifune plays Tajômaru, a lowly thief and murderer who is accused of killing a samurai and raping his wife. When Tajômaru is captured and put on trial, the story is revealed by four witne, one being from the spirit of the dead samurai as he possesses his own wife! (Talk about a surprise witness!) Rashômon is an intense and captivating film!

#3 The Samurai Trilogy (1954-1956) Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, Starring Toshiro Mifune -  - This is THE Ultimate Samurai Saga, based on the life (and novel by Eiji Yoshikawa) of the legendary Samurai swordsman: Musashi Miyamoto (Mifune)! These three acclaimed films, Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, Samurai II: Duel At Ichijoji Temple, Samurai III: Duel At Ganryu Island, are Samurai film classics. The first film won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

#2 The Hidden Fortress a.k.a. Kakushi-toride no san-akunin (1958) - Directed and Written by Akira Kurosawa, Starring Toshirô Mifune - Set in Medaival Japan, two peasants are forced to escort a man and woman across enemy lines while smuggling royal treasure when they finally reach their destination they discover the man is a General and the woman is actually a princess! Mifune plays General Rokurota Makabe. After seeing this film the similarities to Star Wars are blatantly obvious: Mifune's character is Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara) is of course Princess Leia, and the two bumbling peasants Tahei and Matashichi are C-3PO and R2-D2. Even the villain, the Old General (Takashi Shimura) is like Darth Vader. George Lucas has even admittedly said in interviews of how Kurosawa's films had inspired him to make Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress is an epic classic for any fan of film or samurai films!

#1 Seven Samurai a.k.a. Shichinin no samurai (1955) - Directed and Written by Akira Kurosawa - When a poor farming village is raided annually by a group of bandits, they finally decide to travel to the city to find samurai to hire to defend them. They ultimately find seven ronin and prepare to defend their homes with the help of the brave warriors. Seven Samurai is an epic story that has transcended time and multiple genres. Not just a samurai film, it is an epic story of heroism, human resilience and friendship. Among the ensemble cast of samurai is Toshirô Mifune as Kikuchiyo,  bold, but inexperienced ronin and Takashi Shimura as Kambei, their leader. Seven Samurai has inspired films and stories for years and has been remade as American westerns such as The Magnificent Seven (1960) starring Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen; in animation as in Disney/Pixar's A Bug's Life (1998), in the anime Samurai 7 (2004) from Funimation, and in Cartoon Network's animated show Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2010), Season 2 Episode, "Bounty Hunters".