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A look at the biggest comics, movies, TV and video game releases for this week
By Wade Gum |
Posted May 21, 2007 9:55 AM |
Movies
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Friday, May 25
Rated PG-13
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 Last year’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” broke the record for the biggest opening in box office history. “Spider-Man 3” fired back by breaking the record once again just a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s Jack Sparrow’s turn to try to take back the crown of box office supremacy. Can he possibly beat the web-slinger with a longer running time and a smaller screen count? Does it really matter? Screw the box office take, just give us a good movie.
“Dead Man’s Chest” suffered from that middle malaise that most of the second films in movie trilogies have. It seems like that’s an inevitable consequence of filming two movies at the same time. Let’s just hope that the third film sends the series off with a bang—a “Return of the King,” not a “Matrix Revolutions.”
Bug
Friday, May 25
Rated R
Being stuck in a hotel room with Ashley Judd may seem like a dream come true, but it’s a nightmare in this tense psychological thriller. If you’re in the mood to see something disturbing like “Jacob’s Ladder” or David Cronenberg’s “Spider” instead of more mainstream fare like foppish pirates, “Bug” is right up your alley.
Judd plays a character on the run from her abusive husband who shacks up with a new lover. Too bad he’s off his rocker and starts going on and on about conspiracy theories and bugs crawling through his veins. Oh well. We all have our little character flaws.
Television
24
8 p.m. EST
Monday, May 21
Fox
It’s season finale week! Things kick off at 8 with back-to-back episodes of “24.” Television aficionados will have a big decision to make after the first episode. Do they continue watching Jack Bauer try to defeat Cheng and reacquire the component, or do they switch over to “Heroes”? It’s no secret that “24” has been kind of lackluster this season after the nuclear bomb was detonated. It’s pretty hard to top that, but the writers didn’t even seem to try.
In a season dominated by the drama of CTU employees like Chloe and Nadia, let’s all hope that the final two hours can offer a tiny bit of redemption by focusing on Jack putting the smackdown on his deadbeat father and the villainous Cheng. Remind us all of why we liked “24” in the first place, oh brilliant writers. This season, many viewers stuck to the bitter end because they’re in an abusive relationship with the program. Next season, they might not come back. Instead, they’ll be watching…
Heroes
9 p.m. EST
Monday, May 21
NBC
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 Yeah, it cribs from a lot of comic books. Yeah, Alan Moore might sue if he ever came out of his cave or paid attention to mainstream entertainment. Still, it’s an entertaining show, and at least it cribs from the good comic books instead of the bad ones! The final chapter in Volume 1 of the “Heroes” saga unfolds this week as the season-long plotline about New York being destroyed comes to an end.
Will Peter Petrelli go nuclear and take out the Big Apple? Will Nathan Petrelli sit back and let it all happen? Will Hiro go through with his plan to kill Sylar? Will Matt Parkman, uh, continue to be chubby and lovable? All these questions will be answered! The show’s creators have hinted that next season may follow a new set of characters, so this could be your last chance to see some of your favorites.
Comic Books
The Other Side TPB
Jason Aaron (W); Cameron Stewart (A)
Vertigo
Some artists are willing to go above and beyond for their craft. Cameron Stewart hopped on a flight to Vietnam to scout locations for this comic set during the Vietnam War. Not many comic book artists do things like that. You never see Jim Lee scoping out bodybuilders in the locker room to get inspiration for drawing superheroes with insane physiques. You never see Frank Cho peeping through a hole in the girls’ shower room to get inspiration for Ms. Marvel’s, uh, attributes. You want to know why you never see them doing that? Because they’re really good at hiding.
The Other Side is a surreal miniseries based in part off the writings of Gustav Hasford, the man whose writings provided the basis for portions of “Full Metal Jacket.” He’s also the late cousin of writer Jason Aaron, who currently pens Scalped for Vertigo. This book was nominated for an Eisner, man! What else is it going to take for you to check it out? A candy bar taped to the inside cover?
Criminal #6
Ed Brubaker (W); Sean Phillips (A)
Icon
The grim and gritty world of Criminal is back for its second story arc. Penned by the world’s top Kristen Bell fan, Ed Brubaker, and drawn by Sean “Marvel Zombies” Phillips, it’s a series that no fan of crime comics can afford to miss. Perhaps the title of Criminal gave you some indication as to whether this comic involved crimes. Just be sure to actually buy the book instead of stealing it. Live out your criminal inclinations vicariously through fictional characters, lest you incur the wrath of the Bru.
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