I have long been a fan of Hellboy, having read many of the comics over the last dozen years. The first movie was just so-so. They didn’t quite get it right. The sequel is certainly better. The general tone is faithful to the comic, and the story, while fairly basic, works.

The movie has a lot going for it. Ron Pearlman is pitch perfect as Hellboy, and the director has an incredible imagination, creating scenes so rich in fantasy that it’s a visual splendor. I usually don’t get caught up in I have long been a fan of Hellboy, having read many of the comics over the last dozen years. The first movie was just so-so. They didn’t quite get it right. The sequel is certainly better. The general tone is faithful to the comic, and the story, while fairly basic, works.

The movie has a lot going for it. Ron Pearlman is pitch perfect as Hellboy, and the director has an incredible imagination, creating scenes so rich in fantasy that it’s a visual splendor. I usually don’t get caught up in that so much, but the visuals are a real treat.

For me, the issue was length. The first hour was so jam-packed with action sequences I actually found myself a little bit bored, as the action was a little tedious for me. But about an hour in they slowed the pace down a little, let the movie breath a bit more, and, for me at least, the movie came more alive at that point.

[i]Hellboy II[/i] works overall, and there’s a lot to like. But at 2 hours, 20 minutes … too much. I like getting my money’s worth, but in this case, less would have been more. Still, as a comic-book/fantasy movie, it’s worth the price of admission.

Well, I can definitely say that [i]Wanted[/i] was action packed. I’m not sure I loved this movie, but it has some things going for it.

James MacAvoy is a good lead, and there’s action galore. The humor is good, too. But for me it was a bit long–and loud–and even for the kind of over-the-top movie that it was meant to be, it was almost [i]too [/i]over the top at times.

And man, was it bloody. Wow. Very, very violent.

Some of the stunts and F/X were truly impressive and quite a bWell, I can definitely say that [i]Wanted[/i] was action packed. I’m not sure I loved this movie, but it has some things going for it.

James MacAvoy is a good lead, and there’s action galore. The humor is good, too. But for me it was a bit long–and loud–and even for the kind of over-the-top movie that it was meant to be, it was almost [i]too [/i]over the top at times.

And man, was it bloody. Wow. Very, very violent.

Some of the stunts and F/X were truly impressive and quite a bit of fun. It just went too far in places for me, as I found myself getting a bit fidgety by the end. Had they toned it down just a bit, and cut 15 minutes, I would have liked it a lot more.

Overall, it’s not bad, but I can’t say I’m running out to see it again. But if you’re looking for smash, bang, boom with a cool factor to it, [i]Wanted [/i]will probably do the trick for you.

In just a two-hour window on Friday, my night got very, very … strange. This is how it started:

After work I wandered into the bar at the Grand Hyatt hotel to visit my friend Kevin, who is a bartender, when he tells me that there’s a writer’s conference of some sort going on in the hotel. Natrually, my eyes perk right up, and when an older gentleman with a name badge walked by, we started chatting to him, and turns out he was a heckuva good guy.

The convention was ThrillerFest, for tIn just a two-hour window on Friday, my night got very, very … strange. This is how it started:

After work I wandered into the bar at the Grand Hyatt hotel to visit my friend Kevin, who is a bartender, when he tells me that there’s a writer’s conference of some sort going on in the hotel. Natrually, my eyes perk right up, and when an older gentleman with a name badge walked by, we started chatting to him, and turns out he was a heckuva good guy.

The convention was ThrillerFest, for thrillers and such. Cop books, espionage, serial killer stories. Vampires. So not really the kind of thing I work on, but still, writers and writers, and you never know what can come of it.

So it turns out that it took the writer–Thomas O’Collaghan (www.thomasocallaghan.com) 12 years just to land an agent. Talk about persistence! But now he’s got two books out, which are doing quite well, and one of them is being made into a movie.

He also invited me up to see a panel he was on, which I did. The moderator was David Morrell, the author who wrote the novel [i]First Blood[/i], which launched the Rambo movies with Sylvester Stallone. And the panel itself was about villains, and how the different writers think about and approach villains, so I thought it was a pretty cool panel.

At the end of the panel I stopped by to say hello to Thomas, and he was quite nice about it. I also wound up meeting a book editor, who thought [i]Finders Keepers[/i] sounded kinda cool, and is interested in reading it. So … nice!

I called it a night after that, as I was headed off to a concert, but that’s when my evening really began to get strange …

To Be Continued

Okay, I’m finally caught up, and have now read the entire 10 paperbacks of [i]Y: The Last Man[/i].

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

Taking the entire run, I thought it was a fun, interesting sci-fi comic with a startling premise, a lot of twists, great artwork, action, flashbacks and humor. I was really into it, it read quick, and at the end of each paperback I wanted to read the next one. So it definitely gets high marks in my book. It’s a popcorn book that touches on some big themes.

As mOkay, I’m finally caught up, and have now read the entire 10 paperbacks of [i]Y: The Last Man[/i].

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

Taking the entire run, I thought it was a fun, interesting sci-fi comic with a startling premise, a lot of twists, great artwork, action, flashbacks and humor. I was really into it, it read quick, and at the end of each paperback I wanted to read the next one. So it definitely gets high marks in my book. It’s a popcorn book that touches on some big themes.

As much as I really did like it, in the end, I’m not totally sure it all came together for me plot-wise, as there seemed to be a bunch of threads that didn’t resolve in a way that was totally satisfying for me. It’s tough when you have such a large overall scheme with various mini-arcs to follow. I ran into a similar situation when writing [i]Finders Keepers[/i], so I certainly understand what it’s like to create a universe that seems to expand as you write it.

In lesser hands, [i]Y: The Last Man[/i] could have been a mess, but the creative team held strong throughout, and went for an unconventional ending, which I thought was excellent on the one hand, and a little unsatisfying on the other.

Overall [i]Y: The Last Man[/i] was good throughout, with elements that were great, really kept me guessing and wanting more, although it didn’t quite hit the "great" plateau for me in total. Still, I give [i]Y: The Last Man[/i] high marks–7 out of 10. One of the better ongoing series I’ve come across in a while. You are not likely to be disappointed.

Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/07/23 05:10

Yesterday was not a good trip home from work.

The day itself was pretty busy throughout, with a few particularly annoying patches thrown in, but I can live with that. The walk from the office to subway wasn’t great, as it was hot and humid–and congestion-heavy Midtown–but I can live with that too.

But what I’m finding harder and harder to live with is the consistently decreasing quality in NYC subway service. Those platforms are hot, humid and just no fun at all during the summer, Yesterday was not a good trip home from work.

The day itself was pretty busy throughout, with a few particularly annoying patches thrown in, but I can live with that. The walk from the office to subway wasn’t great, as it was hot and humid–and congestion-heavy Midtown–but I can live with that too.

But what I’m finding harder and harder to live with is the consistently decreasing quality in NYC subway service. Those platforms are hot, humid and just no fun at all during the summer, which is rough enough, but the MTA has clearly cut back on the number of trains that run–during rush hour, no less–which means spending longer times on those crumby, crowded platforms. In a suit.

But what really gets me, I mean what really just pushes my button–in full disclosure, I was already bickering to myself at how bad the service was; I was that annoyed–is that, forget having to let three trains go by because they were crowded, and then finally having to get on a train and still [i]not [/i]get a seat, is that there was NO FRIGGIN AIR CONDITIONING!

IT’S THE 21ST FRIGGIN CENTURY! HOW CAN THERE BE NO AIR CONDITIONING?!!!

So I make my peace with that lovely bit of business, standing up, on the local train, sweating my ass off, until finally I can switch to an express train in Queens. And guess what? Yep, you nailed it:

THERE WAS NO AIR CONDITIONING ON THAT TRAIN EITHER!

OH, COME ON!!!!!

And you want to know the final kicker? When I finally got off at my stop, getting off my non-air conditioned train … I happened to pass by the next train car, and you know what?

THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS ON FULL BLAST!!!!

So, yeah, yesterday was a [i]really [/i]fun ride home.

Sunday was a wild swing of a day, with a fighting spirit in two very different settings, on two distinct parts of the globe.

In the late morning, Liz and I drove over to see my grandmother, who lives nearby in Flushing, Queens. She is 87, and took a strange fall this weekend. Simply trying to get out of bed in the middle of the night, she slipped and fell, landing square on her face. She now has a black eye, but worse, she broke her left shoulder, but such that there is no cast and won’t neSunday was a wild swing of a day, with a fighting spirit in two very different settings, on two distinct parts of the globe.

In the late morning, Liz and I drove over to see my grandmother, who lives nearby in Flushing, Queens. She is 87, and took a strange fall this weekend. Simply trying to get out of bed in the middle of the night, she slipped and fell, landing square on her face. She now has a black eye, but worse, she broke her left shoulder, but such that there is no cast and won’t need surgery. She’s in a sling, and the doctor’s say it will be about two months to recover. She virtually no ability to move her left arm, so she needs help doing everything.

Now, my grandmother is a tough cookie. She’s got more fight in her at 87 than most people have at half her age, but it’s tough to see her like that, and I’m sure no picnic for her. So Liz and I went over for a visit. My mom stayed with her all weekend, and my sister came by, too.

And when Liz and I came home we settled in to watch the most rousing, exhalarating tennis match I’ve ever seen. Federer/Nadal at Wimbleton 2008 was one for the ages. I’m not a huge tennis fan overall, although I do like it, but this match was so good, to intense, so thrilling, I’ll never forget it. Nadal wins the first two sets, Federer the next two. Two rain delays. Tie breakers. And then Nadal winning his first Wimbleton ever, beating Federer, who had won five in a row. Amazing.

So the day went from one extreme to the other–from my grandmother in a wheelchair to some of the greatest athletes on Earth in fierce competition–yet fighters were on both ends of the day.

Just a quick one today, but I wanted to wish everybody a happy Fourth of July.

Liz and I are home today, but off to a BBQ in New Jersey tomorrow, so that’s where we’ll do our Fourth of July festivities. And in an unusual July 4th event–although perhaps not, if you understand who’s involved–I’m actually taking some pictures (of me) today for a special writing project I’m hoping will debut at the San Diego Comi-Con. I don’t want to spill the beans just yet, but if it plays out, it’ll be a rJust a quick one today, but I wanted to wish everybody a happy Fourth of July.

Liz and I are home today, but off to a BBQ in New Jersey tomorrow, so that’s where we’ll do our Fourth of July festivities. And in an unusual July 4th event–although perhaps not, if you understand who’s involved–I’m actually taking some pictures (of me) today for a special writing project I’m hoping will debut at the San Diego Comi-Con. I don’t want to spill the beans just yet, but if it plays out, it’ll be a riot.

Happy Fourth of July!

So here’s the latest on [i]Finders Keepers[/i] and its travels through the world of publishing.

Last month a leading sci-fi/fantasy publisher requested [i]Finders Keepers,[/i] and is reading it now. This is a strong publisher, so I’m pretty psyched about it. Keep the good vibes coming.

There’s another publisher in play as well, and with some very interesting possibilities, although that one is more backburner at the moment. But it’s definitely encouraging that multiple publishers areSo here’s the latest on [i]Finders Keepers[/i] and its travels through the world of publishing.

Last month a leading sci-fi/fantasy publisher requested [i]Finders Keepers,[/i] and is reading it now. This is a strong publisher, so I’m pretty psyched about it. Keep the good vibes coming.

There’s another publisher in play as well, and with some very interesting possibilities, although that one is more backburner at the moment. But it’s definitely encouraging that multiple publishers are interested in [i]Finders Keepers[/i].

And then, of course, the San Diego Comic-Con is coming up in a few weeks, and I’m having some promo copies printed up to give to Hollywood producers so I can get that big movie check!

Lots o’ good stuff groovin!

As always, I’ll keep you posted as things develop. Stay tuned …

In what will be my first baseball game of the year, I’m heading off to Shea Stadium in about an hour to watch the last game of the Yankees/Mets Subway Series.

Today’s match up is Darrell Rasner for the Yanks against Oliver Perez for the Mets.

I’d much prefer it be at Yankee Stadium, but hey, we can’t have everything, and the tickets were a gift. And pretty much any day at the ballpark has a very good chance of being at least as good–if not better–than being almost anywhere else.

In what will be my first baseball game of the year, I’m heading off to Shea Stadium in about an hour to watch the last game of the Yankees/Mets Subway Series.

Today’s match up is Darrell Rasner for the Yanks against Oliver Perez for the Mets.

I’d much prefer it be at Yankee Stadium, but hey, we can’t have everything, and the tickets were a gift. And pretty much any day at the ballpark has a very good chance of being at least as good–if not better–than being almost anywhere else.

But on a slightly more somber note, I dedicate this blog to good friend Terry Spillane, who died a few days ago–quite unexpectedly at age 52–of a heart attack. Terry was a big-time Yankees fan, and we talked baseball a lot. But more than that, he was a quality person–a real Mensch–and everyone who knew him in any capacity already feels his loss.

Terry was a very good friend to me in the 3 1/2 years I knew him. He’s a big reason why I have the job I have now, and partially why I changed careers at all.

Terry was loyal and honest, a true family man who never did anyone wrong. He leaves behind his wife and two young daughters–who they adopted from China–so it’s a sad experience all around.

And yet while my grief–and shock–is still strong, I choose, on this day at least, to embrace the Terry Spillane that I remember most–T-Bone–a truly excellent person, and a Yankee fan to the core.

I miss you, already, Terry.

I will remember you always.

I was reminded recently of an Arabian proverb, as it tied into something that’s been on my mind a bit lately. I’ve been thinking about my place among my peers. The respect that goes back and forth, the sense of trust and understanding, how we all tie in together.

And as part of this process, I’ve been thinking about the people who I confide in, and who confides in me, and to what degree. And what I find tricky at times is the ego element of wanting to be welcome in the inner sanctum, but aI was reminded recently of an Arabian proverb, as it tied into something that’s been on my mind a bit lately. I’ve been thinking about my place among my peers. The respect that goes back and forth, the sense of trust and understanding, how we all tie in together.

And as part of this process, I’ve been thinking about the people who I confide in, and who confides in me, and to what degree. And what I find tricky at times is the ego element of wanting to be welcome in the inner sanctum, but also the corresponding responsibility that comes with that.

If you want to be on the inside–and remain inside–you have to honor what that means.

As part of this stream of consciousness, this Arabian proverb was passed along to me:

[i]He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool – shun him.

He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is simple – teach him.

He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep – waken him.

He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise – follow him.[/i]

And when I think about which of those four categories best reflects me, to different degree, it’s probably a combination of them all.