| |
 
| |
|
 |
|
A look at the biggest comics, movies, TV and video game releases for this week
By Wade Gum |
Posted July 2, 2007 10:55 AM |
MOVIES
Transformers
Tuesday, July 3
Rated PG-13
|
 So the giant killer robots from another planet can transform into vehicles and disguise themselves. So what? So there are good transforming robots that come down to Earth to protect humans against the evil robots. Who cares? Humans and Autobots working together to save the world from the evil Decepticons. Boring! No one cares one bit about the Transformers. This movie is going to be a success for one reason and one reason alone—Shia LaBeouf.
Who could miss the opportunity to see LaBeouf in action? He’s already had a No. 1 box office hit this year with “Disturbia.” He thrilled us with his performance in “Constantine” and gave us laughs aplenty in “Even Stevens.” After “Transformers,” he’ll be showing up as Indy’s son in the fourth Indiana Jones adventure. Face the facts—it’s a LaBeouf world, we’re just living in it.
License to Wed
Wednesday, July 4
Rated PG-13
Hide your children, stockpile firearms and board up your house—a new Robin Williams movie is upon us. Well, this one might not be so bad. John Krasinski from “The Office” and Mandy Moore co-star as an engaged couple forced into pre-marriage counseling by a preacher.
The grueling counseling process requires Krasinski’s character to endure a gauntlet of Robin Williams films, including “Father’s Day,” “RV,” “Bicentennial Man,” “Patch Adams” and “Flubber.” By the time it’s over, he’ll be begging for “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
VIDEO GAMES
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Tuesday, July 3
PlayStation 3
$59.99
Ninja Gaiden has already had two iterations on the original Xbox, but if you’re still not tired of Team Ninja’s insanely difficult sword-slasher, here’s yet another version with better graphics and more gameplay. There are new playable characters, new weapons, new enemies, new bosses, new ninja techniques and Sixaxis control. Unfortunately, this new version is also missing some things, including the NES and arcade versions of the original Ninja Gaiden.
|
 When did this series get so serious in tone? Half the charm of the original games was the inane plot twists that we all put up with simply because Ninja Gaiden was one of the first series to actually have a story. Today, the story about the demon statues, Jaquio and a brainwashed father seems like every anime cliché mashed up into one, but it’s still more fun than trying to locate a missing sword.
TELEVISION
UFC 73: Stacked
Saturday, July 7
10 p.m.
Pay-per-view
The UFC is on a roll lately and they’re not stopping with this latest event, which certainly lives up to its namesake of “stacked.” The fight card features undefeated Rashad Evans facing off against the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” Tito Ortiz. In addition, two titles will be put on the line when middleweight champion Anderson Silva takes on Nate Marquardt and lightweight champion Sean Sherk steps into the octagon with Hermes Franca.
As the UFC continues to add more fighters from Pride and the “Ultimate Fighter” reality show, the talent pool just gets deeper and deeper. Each victory means that much more, and the loser of Evans-Ortiz could conceivably have a long wait before he ever gets a title shot. Love him or hate him, Ortiz certainly is an interesting fighter who commands attention. It shouldn’t be hard for Evans to hit his head, given that it’s the size of a large pumpkin.
COMICS
Thor #1
J. Michael Straczynski (W); Olivier Coipel (A)
Marvel
The Odinson hath returned! Murderous robotic clones created by Mr. Fantastic are nothing compared to the might of the real Norse god of thunder. The last time we saw Thor, he squared off against Those Who Sit Above in Shadow and defeated them in combat, apparently dying in the process. Of course, no one ever stays dead in comic books, so here he is again.
What will Thor have to say about the current state of the Marvel Universe? What will Thor do when he learns about Tony Stark heading up S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Superhuman Registration Act? What will Thor do when he learns that the Hulk is back on Earth and tearing things up? What will Thor do when he learns that Ant-Man was canceled? Whatever Thor has to say about these subjects, people will listen to him, because he has a big hammer. If you want people to pay attention to you, you should carry one around too.
Y: The Last Man #57
Brian K. Vaughan (W); Pia Guerra (A); Jose Marzan Jr.(A)
DC/Vertigo
Pia Guerra is back on the title she helped co-create and used to pencil, just in time for the final story arc before the series ends. If you’re one of those types who waits for the trades when it comes to this series, stop reading now lest you be spoiled into oblivion.
With the mystery behind the deaths of all the males on Earth solved, the chief driving force behind the title now is Yorick’s potential reunion with Beth. The two finally got together at the end of the last issue, so all that remains to be seen is what they’ll do now. They’ll surely have tons of fun and zany stories to share about their adventures in the all-female world of tomorrow. Remember that time Yorick came down with botulism? Good times.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
