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A look at the biggest comics, movies, TV and video game releases for this week
By Wade Gum |
Posted June 25, 2007 9:30 AM |
Movies
Live Free or Die Hard
Wednesday, June 27
Rated PG-13
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 John McClane is back and he’s, uh, kind of old. No matter. Even in middle age, McClane is still the only cop capable of stopping…Internet terrorists? No matter. Internet terrorists are scary! They shut down the United States’ traffic light system and cause mass havoc. The only way McClane can stop them is by tracking down Matt Farrell, played by…Justin Long from the Mac ads. No matter. Surely even McClane’s rugged terrorist-killing skills can make Justin Long cool, right? At least the film has Timothy “Hitman” Olyphant as the villain and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as McClane’s daughter! It’s going to be the kill fest of the summer…except that it’s PG-13.
So there’s a lot to naysay about the fourth film in the Die Hard series, but it’s crucial that we all keep the faith. We look back at history with rose-tinted glasses; honestly, “Die Hard 2” was a little on the silly side. Bruce Willis was upset at the decision to edit this latest installment to PG-13 and personally feels that this one is even better than the first. If you can’t trust Bruce Willis, who else can you trust in this world of ours?
Ratatouille
Friday, June 29
Rated G
The unwise nature of giving a film a title almost unpronounceable to Americans (ra-tuh-TOO-ee) aside, this movie should do gangbusters at the box office because it’s from Pixar. “Cars” wasn’t too hot and it still made more money than the economy of several Third World nations combined. Even the older among us have reason to be excited about this latest Pixar effort, because it’s directed by Brad Bird, the man behind “The Iron Giant” and “The Incredibles.” To be fair, director Jan Pinkava was the one responsible for coming up with the concept and the characters before being replaced by Bird.
The nerd appeal continues with the voice casting, which includes Patton Oswalt as the lead character and Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett and even Bird himself. Before the film, audiences will be treated to a short called “Lifted,” which is about an alien taking his abduction exam by kidnapping a farmer. Given that it’s a family film, there probably won’t be any probing, but we can always hope.
Sicko
Friday, June 29
Rated PG-13
If you’re one of the people who watches 24-hour news networks or listens to talk radio a lot, you’ve undoubtedly heard a lot about this film. The talking heads have probably told you exactly what to think about the film and which talking points you should use when fruitlessly arguing with other people, but if by any chance you’d like to see the film for yourself with an open mind and make your own decisions, it’s opening in theaters this week. It also opened on the Internet a few weeks prior, but that’s because the Internet is full of filthy pirates. If only John McClane were real, he could deal with this.
“Sicko” is Michael Moore’s latest documentary and focuses on the failures of the United States’ healthcare system. The most controversial aspect of the film involves Moore taking several World Trade Center rescue workers who can’t afford medical care in America to Cuba in order to receive treatment.
Video Games
Pokémon Battle Revolution
Monday, June 25
Nintendo Wii
$49.99
If you’ve been enjoying Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, it’s probably a given that you’ll want to pick up this newest title to see your little pocket monsters do battle in glorious 3-D. It’s a lot like Pokémon Stadium in that you transfer your monsters from the DS to the Wii and then do battle with much flashier effects. It’s fun and almost a must-buy for Pokémon fans, but it’s hard to not want something more.
In an era dominated by MMORPGs, it’s hard not to think how great a Pokémon MMO could really be. Come on, Nintendo! You seemingly hate Internet multiplayer, but just think of all the money you could make! The Nintendo DS and Wii are already money-printing machines. Getting children hooked on monthly fees for MMORPGS will give you enough cash to buy all of Japan. Get to work!
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 The Darkness
Monday, June 25
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
$59.99
Hey there, Top Cow fans! You’ve had to sit back and watch all the Marvel and DC superheroes get video games of their own while you get the shaft. Well, now you can flaunt this one in their faces, because it looks like one of the best comic book games to come along in quite a while. Developed by Starbreeze Studios, the guys behind the great Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, The Darkness is a first-person shooter that lets you take control of supernatural hitman Jackie Estacado and kill the creatures of the night.
Comic Books
Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special #1
Geoff Johns (W); Ethan Van Sciver, Dave Gibbons (A)
DC
Sinestro used to be the greatest Green Lantern of them all, but then he got kicked out of the corps. Did he take his expulsion like a man and move on to other endeavors? Did he write a tell-all book about Oa? No, he whined like a little baby and pestered Hal Jordan for years. Now he’s upping the ante. If he can’t be in the Green Lantern Corps, then he’ll make his own corps full of 7,200 evildoers ready to spread fear across the galaxy.
This is the launching pad for the Green Lantern Corps/Sinestro Corps war that will continue throughout Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps.
X-Men #200
Mike Carey (W); Humberto Ramos, Chris Bachalo (A)
Marvel
The “Endangered Species” backup stories start off with a bang in this milestone issue. It’s all leading up to the “Messiah CompleX” crossover later this year that sees the mutant team competing with the Marauders for possession of the first new mutant born in a year. It’s like “Children of Men” but with mutants! Rogue and the rest of her X-Men team face their greatest challenge yet, and all of the team members might not make it out alive. So, it’s like most X-Men stories, except with a David Finch cover. Yeah!
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