Hancock

The Overview: Hancock [Will Smith] is a super hero with a bad attitude. Of course you’d probably be a bit grumpy if you didn’t have any friends or relatives, didn’t know anything about your past, didn’t know how you got your powers and felt unappreciated for your good deeds. All of that changes when Hancock meets Ray [Jason Bateman] and his wife, Mary [Charlize Theron]. To say more would be to say too much.

The Good: Will Smith, isn't he always? Jason Bateman. The story had some interesting plot twists -- some which you can see coming and others that surprise.

The Bad: The advertising for “Hancock” -- I had no desire to see this when it was at theaters, but heard some good things later from those who’d seen it on dvd. There is much more to this movie than the trailers would have you believe!

The Ugly: What happens to the two guys in prison who push Hancock just a bit too far. Yeech!

The Summary: “Hancock” isn’t a great film, but it’s much better than I thought it would be and there‘s a lot worse ways to spend an hour and a half.

Traditions

I love traditions. The family get-togethers on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. Bears games in the fall. Trips to see family members in the summer. One of my oldest traditions is watching the ball drop on New Year's Eve.

That tradition started many years ago when I was a youngster. I was spending the night with my grandparents -- my Nanny and Happa as I called them. We ended up watching Guy Lombardo's orchestra [well, I mostly listened and played with my action figures]. Everything stopped as midnight and the New Year approached. We all watched the ball drop with the countdown to the New Year. That began a tradition that continues to this day.

In the early 70's, I started watching Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve. I thought it was cool to see all the hot bands of the day kicking out their latest jams... and then the cut to Times Square in New York to watch the ball drop with the countdown to the New Year. As the years passed Dick Clark continued to host his Rocking New Year's Eve show. I grew up... finished high school... went to college... got married and Dick Clark was still bringing in the New Year from Times Square. I got a job teaching.... we had kids.. and Dick Clark continued to Rock in the New Year. When the boys were younger we would have their cousins for a sleepover on New Year's Eve. We'd make a day of it and then as the night settled in 'd set off fireworks. We'd watch some good tv [Twilight Zone Marathon] or movies and then it'd be time for Dick Clark to take us to Times Square for the drop of the ball.

My kids are grown now and it's been a few years since we've had the sleepovers with the cousins. But all over us, no matter where we are still tune in to check out the ball dropping in Times Square. Dick Clark suffered a stroke in 2004, and turned the main hosting job over to others -- the first year it was Regis Philbin and since then Ryan Seacrest. The stroke left Dick Clark with limited use of his right arm and some trouble speaking and yet he still appears on the show. You have to admire that. I guess Dick Clark loves traditions too.

Underdogs Have Their Day

If you have three minutes to spare, the video called "Underdogs Have Their Day" has some great photos and clips from the post fight interviews from UFC 92.

UFC 92 Results

Last night's UFC 92 had a few surprises.

Quentin "Rampage" Jackson (28-7) vs Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva (32-8). Because Rampage had met Silva twice before and lost both times, I thought that the third time would likely end with another win for Silva. Boy, was I wrong, Rampage won via a devastating KO in the first round. Rampage is back and although you might think that he'd want a shot at getting his title again, he's said that he'd rather get the chance to avenge his loss to Forrest Griffin. Now that's a fighter talking!

Antonio "Big Nog" Nogueira (31-4-1) vs Frank Mir (11-3). Mir had less experience and did not sound confident in pre-fight interviews. That, coupled with the fact that Big Nog gets stronger as a fight goes on [and Mir isn't known for his conditioning] led me to belive that Big Nog would probably come out the winner. Boy, was I wrong again. Not only did Mir dominate the first round, he continued to dominate in the second and knocked Big Nog out before the 2 minute mark. Mir KO'd a man who had never been knocked out before and he made it look fairly easy.

Forrest Griffin (16-4) vs "Sugar" Rashad Evans (16-0-1). I picked Griffin to win, but was worried that Evans would once again find a way earn the victory. He did. Griffin had a great fight plan which kept the fight off the mat, and Evans at bay with solid leg kicks. Griffin won both rounds one and two and appeared to be on his way to winning the third as well. That's when Evans was able to catch Griffin's leg and land a hard shot which put Griffin down. Evans followed up with repeated head strikes until the ref was forced to call it.

So congratulations to Rampage, Mir and Evans.

Mr. Brooks: A Killer Good Time

The Overview: Mr. Brooks [Kevin Costner] has just been named Portland’s Man of the Year. He is a rich, successful business man with a beautiful wife and a lovely college aged daughter. Life would be perfect if he wasn’t overcome with urges to kill. You see, Mr. Brooks is a serial killer. After his last double-murder, his first in two years, the demon in him is loose again. But Mr. Brooks’ days may be numbered. He’s being blackmailed by a man [Dane Cook] who accidentally stumbled on to the truth and there’s that determined police detective [Demi Moore] hot on his trail.

The Good: The cast. The story. I especially enjoyed all the subplots. Dane Cook trying to control the situation in which he is out of his league. Demi Moore and the escaped killer after her. Mr. Brooks’ daughter’s terrible secret that was slowly unfolding. The way that Mr. Brooks was torn between his urge to kill and the knowledge that it was terribly, terribly wrong. The plot twists. How everything wraps up. And Mr. Brooks’ relationship with Marshall [William Hurt].

The Bad: What happens to those who fall into the path of Mr. Brooks.

The Ugly: The dreams of a serial killer.

The Summary: “Mr. Brooks" is definitely worth a look -- you'll have a killer good time.

Dead Celebrities Live

Have you seen the new ad that John Lennon did for charity? Yeah, you read that right. The new ad. Yes, I know that John Lennon was killed over 28 years ago. But through the wonders of modern technology here is John urging us to give a child a laptop.

I have mixed feelings about this type of thing. On one hand I love the possibilities the technology gives us. Think about how cool it would be to see Sly Stallone, young Marlon Brando, Humphrey Bogart and Lee Marvin acting alongside each other. The possibilities are endless.

On the other hand, we'll probably end up with more of this and this.

UFC 92 Preview

Tomorrow night's card for UFC 92 is stacked. Three fights headline the card and they should all prove to be interesting, competitive fights.

Quentin "Rampage" Jackson (28-7) takes on Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva (32-8). Jackson is the former light heavyweight champ, with the emphasis is on former. It's still fresh in most folks' minds about Jackson's erratic behavior following the loss of his title. Many are saying that the shake-ups that followed Jackson's run-ins with the law led to good things. He started training seriously, he got rid of those around him who were not the best influences and will come into this fight a changed man. He will need to be. Rampage has met Silva twice before and lost both times. I like Rampage, but plan to give the nod to Silva.

Antonio "Big Nog" Nogueira (31-4-1) matches up against Frank Mir (11-3). Again, I like both fighters. Mir has less experience. Plus, if you've heard him speaking about Big Nog in interviews, you know that Mir is concerned with the fact that Big Nog gets stronger as the fight goes on... and Mir isn't known for his conditioning. I think that Big Nog has the advantage going in and unless Mir makes something happen fast, it could be a long night in the octogon with Nogueira coming out a winner.

Forrest Griffin (16-4) puts his title on the line when he squares off against "Sugar" Rashad Evans (16-0-1). Both of these guys are former winners of The Ultimate Fighter show tourneys. Although Griffin is a slight favorite, mainly due to his popularity, Evans is the more technical fighter due to his extensive college wrestling career. I'm leaning towards Griffin finding a way to win, but am concerned that Evans has ALWAYS been able to do just that.

Free Look at "The Goon"

I've been following Eric Powell's "The Goon" since his self-publishing days. Although it's been eight years and Eric has moved into the big leagues with Dark Horse publishing "The Goon," it's as good as ever. And I'm not the only one who feels that way. This year Eric picked up two Eisner Awards [Best Painter and Best Humor Writer/Artist].

f you're already a Goon fan, then you know what I'm talking about. If you're not a fan, then you should check out CBR.com's preview of "The Goon #31." Who knows, maybe you'll become one.

Eartha Kitt - RIP

Eartha Kitt, the multi-talented, singer, actress and author has died at the age of 81 from colon cancer. Her career spanned sixty years and made her an international star.

Born to poor parents [a mother of African-American/Cherokee heritage and a white father] in 1927, Eartha was sent to live with relatives when her mother's new husband refused to have a mixed child in the house. Eartha's big break came in 1946 when she auditioned and won a spot as a dancer with the Dunham dance group. This in turn led to work on Broadway and later a Paris nightclub where she was spotted by Orson Welles who called her the "most exciting woman in the world" and cast her in his Paris stage production of "Faust."

From there her career really took off with a recording contract [Eartha could sing in several languages] and songs such as "I Want to be Evil" and the classic "Santa, Baby." At a time when women of color were often seen on television as maids and secretaries, Ms. Kitt had a reoccurring role as the sexy Catwoman on the popular tv series Batman.

In 1968, her career in the US came to a screeching halt. Ms. Kitt, along with several other important ladies of the time had been invited to a luncheon at the White House hosted by President Johnson's wife. They were there to discuss youth crime. Ms. Kitt brought up the Viet Nam war and the unrest it was causing among young people, and Mrs. Johnson took offense. The incident made the papers and suddenly Ms. Kitt found herself blacklisted. So she went overseas where she continued to perform until her return to Broadway in 1974. Jimmy Carter invited her back to the White House in 1978. In 2006, President Bush had her back once again, this time to light the National Christmas tree. Ms. Kitt never retired. She is one of the few entertainers to earn nominations for Emmy, [she won two and was nominated for three], Grammy [nominated twice] and Tony [nominatied twice] awards.

Ms. Kitt leaves behind a daughter and two grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and fans.

Talented Christmas Greetings

Believe it or not, no one is up in our house yet, but me. The kids, the wife, the dogs -- everyone is still fast asleep. That's okay though. I'm enjoying the quiet before the storm of Christmas morning.

There are so many things I love about Christmas. One of them is when folks make their own Christmas cards. The one at the top of this piece is by the uber-talented Dave Johnson. It's just one of the many posted over at Newsarama.com. Oh, and be sure and check out this really cool one by Rick Burchett and Chris Mills.

Oh-oh. Sounds like everyone is starting to wake up. Have a great day!

Merry Christmas

Happy Celebration!

It's Christmas Eve. That means tonight we'll have the traditional gathering of the Zablo clan. Despite what you may have heard, when we all get together for Christmas Eve it's pretty traditional. There will be plenty of presents for the kids, tons of laughs, good food and hopefully the creation of one or two great memories. And while nephew Bartle-Doo Corbett and Uncle Brent may have to be reined in a few times, it should be a fun night with no one going to jail or the hospital.

Here's hoping that whatever you celebrate is the best ever... and no matter what you believe, Santa still swings by.

[And a tip o' the Santa cap to Eric Powell who created the art used in today's header - Craig]

Jim Ivey Packs 2 Kinds of Heat

Yesterday John Beatty, his bride, Bella, and I drove over to Orlando to spend a little quality time with our ole buddy, Jim Ivey. The three hour marathon breakfast session included so many discussion tangents and laughs that it would be impossible to recount them all.

I will share one story though. Jim is 83 years old and he still gets up and goes on a daily early morning walk. On one of these trips as he was enjoying a hot cup of coffee and smoking one of his famous cigars a man jumped out at him from behind some bushes. Jim loudly announced: "Stay back! I'm armed!" and the man jumped back and went the other way. Knowing that Jim owns a handgun, I asked it he was carrying it. His reply, "No, but I was armed. I had a hot cup of coffee in one hand and a lit cigar in the other!"

And knowing Jim he'd have used them!

Fast & Furious Again

MTV Movies scored a first look at the new "Fast & Furious" poster. This is not to be confused with a new poster for the original "Fast & Furious" movie, but instead a new poster for a new movie of the same name. It's actually the fourth in the series... but has the same name as the original.

Confused?

Let's hope that movie-goers aren't because the new "Fast & Furious" looks like it will be as much fun as the original. You can check out a larger photo of the poster here.

Angel of Death Trailer

We've been talking about Ed Brubaker's "Angel of Death" for a while. The trailer is now available on line. Before you go check it out, let me say that it has a lot of violence, at least one shocking/gross scene and comes off like a movie that you'd see in a drive-in. If like me, you're okay with that, then click here.

Robert Mulligan - RIP

Robert Mulligan, 83, the Oscar nominated director of "To Kill a Mockingbird," died at his Connecticut home Friday from heart disease. Although the classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" is his best known effort, Mr. Mulligan's credits include films such as "Love with a Proper Stranger," "Up the Down Staircase," "Summer of 42," "Same Time Next Year," and "Bloodbrothers." Known as an actor's director, Mr. Mulligan repeatedly worked with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood including Gregory Peck, Steve McQueen, Tony Curtis, and others.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

A Little Elfin' Fun!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Here's a little elfin' fun!

"Knowing" A Little

A new trailer for "Knowing" is now available. You can see it at the official movie website or here on Youtube. It looks kind of interesting. I'll post more when I know more.

Oh, Oh, Oh! Ho, Ho, Ho!

You all remember my buddy, Jim Ivey, right? Yeah, he's the 83 year old political cartoonist - former owner of The Cartoon Museum in Florida - co-founder of OrlandoCon - author - teacher - card player - and all around good guy.

I received my Christmas card from Jim today and it's a tri-fold job that he created. The first two folds are show above. Click here to see the reveal. Not only do I hope I have as much wit and energy as Jim when I'm 83, I wish that I did now.

Francesco's Sweet Deal!

I recently discovered that Francesco Francavilla was offering a free quick sketch with every sketchbook purchased from his blog. Since I'd been a fan of his work for a while, I decided that the time was right to take advantage of the deal. I checked to make sure that he was down for a Stallone piece [he was] and then Paypalled him some of my hard earned smack-a-toons for a copy of Chiaroscuro Volume I and a Stallone quick sketch.

Francesco quickly contacted me to say that he'd received the order and that he'd be sending it out by the end of the week. About midway into the next week a securely wrapped package arrived. [Francesco must have heard about my mail carrier!] I opened it to find the sketchbook and Francesco's take on Sly as Freddy in Cop Land. I sat down and checked out the book which is chock full of sketches -- everything from Batman to Zorro to Sin City to Judge Dredd, the Fantastic Four, Hellboy and so much more!

Talk about a great deal -- the sketchbook and original piece of art for twenty-three bucks including postage! I plan to go back for the second sketchbook, Schermoscuro Volume 1 after the first of the year. Check out Francesco's web site and you may want in on the deal yourself.

PS -- I plan to post Francesco's Cop Land piece this weekend.

Wolverine Trailer

The trailer for "Wolverine" is now on-line and can be seen in all it's glory here. I have to admit, that it doesn't look half bad.

The Crow is Reinvented

Variety has announced that "Stephen Norrington has signed on to write and direct a reinvention of “The Crow,” based on the comic created by James O’Barr." Norrington is best known as the director of "Blade" [which most folks liked and I didn't care for] and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" [which was almost universally panned, and I enjoyed].

Since I'm a fan of the original comic by J. O'Barr, I'm happy to see the character return to the big screen. Let's hope that this "reinvention" is more like "League" than "Blade."

The Eternal Prison

The last time I mentioned Jeff Somers here at the ZONE, it was in praise of his second Avery Cates novel, The Digital Plague. I know it's hard to believe, but I enjoyed The Digital Plague just a bit better than The Electric Church [which I loved].

Over at his blog, Jeff recently posted the Jae Lee cover to the third book in the series, The Eternal Prison. If you haven't yet read the first two Avery Cates novels, now is the time to jump on board. The third one doesn't come out until next year and that would give you plenty of time to catch up.

You could also hang out at Jeff's blog where he regularly posts and interacts with fans. [I guess you could hang out there even if you didn't read his books, but if Jeff found out he'd probably send his winged monkeys after you. So if you choose to do that, you do so at your own peril. You have been warned!]

Reasoner's Review - Batman Vampire

Author James Reasoner really enjoyed the Batman: Vampire compilation. [Of course what's not to love when it's written by Doug Moench with art by Kelly Jones and John Beatty?] Here are a few quotes from the review:

This is classic Batman with a horror spin... Doug Moench was one of my favorite comics writers... His scripts on these three Batman stories are excellent, with plenty of action and angst... the artwork in this collection by Kelley Jones reminds me a little of Gulacy’s work, as well as Berni Wrightson’s... I’m glad I was able to catch up to these three stories all in one book, and if you’re a Batman and/or horror fan, I think you’ll enjoy them, too.

You can check out Reasoner's full review here and the Batman: Vampire compilation here.

Zablo's Kingdom

Disney World is a magical park. They say it's the happiest place on earth. Soon it will be even more fun! [Thanks and a tip of my mouse ears to Mark Evanier!]

Randy Couture is Expendable

Ain't It Cool News has reported that Randy Couture, former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, has joined Sly, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Forrest Whittaker in "The Expendables." Filming starts in February and you can read the whole piece here. - Craig

Bettie Page - RIP

Bettie Page, the legendary 1950's pin-up model has passed away at the age of 85. Ms. Page who quit modeling at the height of her popularity and disappeared from public view [although not our imagination] went on to become a pop culture icon inspiring generations of fans. Fans like Mark Evanier, Christopher Mills, Rafael Kayanan, Steve Thompson, Ivan Shreve have all written remembrances, but they need not worry... Bettie Page will live forever.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and fans.

Robert Prosky - RIP

I just read over at Ivan Shreve's site that character actor, Robert Prosky, has died at the age of 77. Mr. Prosky was a star of the stage, television and movies.

I first saw Mr. Prosky in "Thief" [his feature film debut] with James Caan. Mr. Prosky owned every scene he was in. Mr. Prosky worked continouously alternating roles in films, television and stage. He made every thing he was in just a bit, and sometimes a lot better. [And that includes "Eye See You" with Sylvester Stallone.]

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Prosky's family, friends and fans.

Dead Irons Lives

Back in October of this year I posted a piece about "Dead Irons" the genre bending mini-series about werewolves, vampires and bounty hunters in the old west. Today Newsarama posted a look at some of cover artist Jae Lee's character sketches and more. I especially liked when "Dead Irons" artist Jason Alexander said:

"This is seriously the darkest book I've ever worked on... it's so well thought out, it really feels like a classic Sergio Leone' film, with werewolves and vampires.

You can check out the full post here.

"Killer of Demons"

If you're a fan of "Frailty" or "Shaun of the Dead" then you might want to check out the three issue mini-series "Killer of Demons" by Chris Yost [writer] and Scott Wegener [artist]. Yost summarizes the series by saying:

Dave Sloan, who wakes up to see that there are actual literal demons from hell among us,” he told CBR, “and a heavenly cherub angel is telling him to kill them all. Which he does, with swords, axes, guns and even a pen. But Dave starts to realize that things aren't necessarily as they seem.

I think the series looks like fun and plan to order it. CBR.com has a preview of the first issue and a brief interview with Yost and Wergner. Check it out and maybe you'll want to give it a chance too.

No Longer Incognito

If you're a fan of Ed Brubaker and/or Sean Phillips then here's something worth checking out -- CBR.com has an extensive first look at the premiere issue of INCOGNITO. Before you click over, know that this is for mature audiences!

Clint Made My Day!

Despite earlier reports that announced he was ready to, Clint Eastwood said in an interview yesterday that he's NOT ready to quit acting. Talk about "Make My Day"! I hope that the time never comes that Clint decides it's time to stop acting or directing.

Big Beatty's Bailout

We've been hearing a lot of talk about bailouts lately. [Lord knows I could use one. Bet you could too.] Barack Obama is proposing a bailout. So is President Bush. The problem with both of their proposals is that politics gets in the way, slows things down and gums up the works.

That's why I'm happy to say that the third fellow pictured above is proposing a different kind of bailout. His name is John Beatty and he's proposing a Christmas Bailout that is guranteed to help those the bailout is for [namely John and his family] PLUS it offers something back to those doing the bailing [Namely a sweet comission at a really decent price AS WELL AS a free sketchbook should your piece be included]. You can read the full details here.

Man, if only our country's economic woes could be solved so quickly and with everyone coming out a winnah!

Fringe's Watcher

If you've been enjoying "Fringe" [even half as much as me] you're going to love this. If you haven't yet checked out the show, then by all means take a look at the video. It might peak your interest enough that you give it a try.

Welcome to the Jungle

I don't know anything about the new A&E show Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force other than I really like the poster promoting it. The poster is better than most created for today's feature films. In fact, if the show is as good as the poster it'll be worth viewing. I think I'll tune in and see. [In other words the poster did it's job.]

Nazi Zombie Action

Harry over at Ain't It Cool News posted a link to a trailer for "Dead Snow" -- a zombie movie that was screened at the 09 Sundance Film Festival. Knowing how much ZONErs love horror movies, and the zombie genre, I thought a link here would be appropriate... but first a few words... there's violence [zombies eating, killing and being killed] and strong [subtitled] language -- this is not appropriate for younger readers. As I watched the trailer with the Nazi zombies I kept thinking, "Boy, do they need Hellboy to show up!"

With that said, if you're age appropriate and want to see some Nazi zombie action, then click here.

Forrest J Ackerman - RIP

Forrest J Ackerman has died at the age of 92. Probably best known as the founding editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, Ackerman made his living as a literary agent, magazine editor and occasional actor.

I grew up loving monster movies and of course Famous Monsters of Filmland. Although it was chock full of movie stills, interviews with the folks behind those movies, and more -- it wasn't until I was in my late teens/early twenties that I discovered that nearly all of those things that I enjoyed about the magazine came from Forrest Ackerman. His collection of memorabiliai ncluded many original movie props, autographs, over 50,000 books and much, much more. He kept it all in his house. Fans were often invited in to hear classic anecdotes as they toured. Sadly, in his later years Mr. Ackerman was forced to sell off his collection piece by piece.

Mr. Ackerman is said to have discovered Ray Bradbury and to have coined the term "sci-fi." And while both of those are "definite claims to fame" -- I don't think that my childhood would have been as fun without Mr. Ackerman's influence on Famous Monsters of Filmland.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his fans around the world.

Not the Worst

O.J. Simpson was sentenced today to at least 15 years in prison.

All I really have to say about that is, what kind of person must you be if you're convicted of a dozen felonies, including armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, conspiracy and assault and those aren't the worst crimes you've ever been charged with?

Marlow: Soul of Darkness

The Pitch: A hardcase with a secret leads a small group of mercenaries onto an island full of zombies in order to rescue a scientist.

The Good: The concept. The Marlow character and his associates. The art by Mathew Reynolds shows a lot of promise with inspired panels/poses. Running some of the original proposal pages [by a different artist] was cool.

The Bad: The lack of backgrounds -- at times it works, but as the story progressed I missed them and wanted more than just gray-scale figures, etc. The fact that Marlow almost always has a cigar in his mouth became a bit much.

The Ugly: The logo needs to be reworked. The shop owner where I bought Marlow said he had no idea what the title was when he first looked at the cover. The price tag of $4.95 felt a bit high.

The Summary: Marlow was created by Aaron Thomas Nelson and Dario Carrassco Jr. The first issue is 46 black and white pages with a color cover, written by Aaron Thomas Nelson art by Mathew Reynolds. I enjoyed the first issue and feel like Nelson and Reynolds could have a hit on their hands if they stick with it. Check out this preview and see what you think.

Bill Black Takes It Off

He's never done it before, and he may never do it again... but....

My buddy, Bill Black is having a 50% off sale on all dvds in his catalog ordered through his on-line store. If you like old-time movie serials, tv detectives, old westerns and more, then click here and start shopping!

Looking for Leverage

I'm not much of a Timothy Hutton fan, but I have to say that "Leverage" looks like it may be pretty good. I plan to check it out when it premieres next Sunday on TNT. Anyone else going to give it a shot?