Boomstick Comics

Sometimes you get a film that seems so good on paper, but after you watch it, you can't help but be sorely disappointed in just about everything you've witnessed. 'Flower' is that kind of movie that had a lot of potential, but just couldn't get it together for anyone to really relate to, even though it tried to be realistic. The film was directed by Max Winkler who hasn't really done anything before this, and was written by three male writers, which is weird, because the main characters are female, which causes some strange dialogue for sure.

The story centers on a teenage girl named Erica (Zoey Deutch, the chick from 'Everybody Wants Some'), who is a fast talking, inappropriate young woman who loves to eat at the bowling alley, draw penises in her notebook, and give anyone blowjobs that crosses her path. She seems to love giving blowjobs, but she blackmails everyone she does it to for all the cash they have with the help of her two dumb friends who sneak up on her victims with their camera phones. Erica's mother (Kathryn Hahn) is trying to pick up the pieces of recent breakups and Erica's biological dad who is in jail for something "awesome", but she has new boyfriend now named Sherm who comes with a teenage son who is awkward to say the least.

Erica has no intention of being nice to this new kid who has moved in, but she changes her tune when she walks in on him trying to commit a ridiculous suicide attempt. From here, she learns that her future step brother has problems due to a former teacher who has molested him, which is the same person (Adam Scott), she has the hots for at the bowling alley. She tries to conceive a plan to blackmail this guy who has a different story of things. This is where the film turns into a ridiculous 'Very Bad Things' situation for no real reason at all and it just gets more disgusting from there. The problem here is that the writers and director failed to make Erica and her friends likable or redeeming in any way, shape or form.

http://boomstickcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/film-review-flower.mp3

Right form the get-go, you hate this girl and her friends. You'd think if this was a coming-of-age film, there would be some sort of redeeming quality or someone would learn a thing or two, but not here. Everyone is just so annoying, unfunny, and just awful people, with the exception of Sherm and Erica's mother. With this aspect, you can't expect to love or connect with the main protagonist at all. Even if this movie was in the remote bit realistic (it definitely isn't), it still would seem far-fetched and unlikable.

As for the performances themselves, I really like Zoey Deutch and she plays this part very well, but the character just gets in the way of being any sort of charming or witty. Adam Scott is fantastic in a role that's very subtly off in a bad way and he kills it in every frame. Hahn again is excellent too as the frazzled mother. 'Flower' should have been a great film, but due to the super unlikable characters and the film taking an ov...

We have a very fun 70th episode of our fun podcast under the MULTI-MEDIA MEN banner called ‘Media-Ocrity‘, where the show is just – okay. Here on the show, we focus strictly on horror/sci-fi, comic books, and video games – basically all the fun stuff that tickles your fancy. In our 70th episode, titled ‘There's Something in My Super Bowl‘, we discuss Aerosmith songs, the Super Bowl and its half-time performance, the trailers and commercials that aired, the new Star Wars news, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's new Western TV show. It was so much fun. This episode is guaranteed to thrill you, chill you, and fulfill you. I am joined pop-culture wizard Jonathan Atterbury and comic book artist Jeremy Megert.

And don’t forget to visit iTunes and Stitcher to subscribe to our podcast. Enjoy the show and see you next week! Thank you for listening.

 

We have a very fun 70th episode of our fun podcast under the MULTI-MEDIA MEN banner called ‘Media-Ocrity‘, where the show is just – okay. Here on the show, we focus strictly on horror/sci-fi, comic books, and video games – basically all the fun stuff that tickles your fancy. In our 70th episode, titled ‘There's Something in My Super Bowl‘, we discuss Aerosmith songs, the Super Bowl and its half-time performance, the trailers and commercials that aired, the new Star Wars news, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's new Western TV show. It was so much fun. This episode is guaranteed to thrill you, chill you, and fulfill you. I am joined pop-culture wizard Jonathan Atterbury and comic book artist Jeremy Megert.

And don’t forget to visit iTunes and Stitcher to subscribe to our podcast. Enjoy the show and see you next week! Thank you for listening.

 

http://boomstickcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/mediaocirty-70.mp3

Going into 'The Cloverfield Paradox', which should be renamed to 'The Cloverfield Potato', I was a huge fan of this movie universe and its mythology. With 2008's 'Cloverfield', I loved the use of handheld cameras and the found footage aspect to tell this crazy story of a giant creature wreaking havoc on everyone and everything in New York, despite the annoying characters. Some years later, we got a film set in the same universe with '10 Cloverfield Lane', which had us holed up with John Goodman and couple other great characters where something terrible was happening outside their underground bunker, just as something equally awful was happening underground. JJ Abrams had announced a third film some years ago that would take place in this 'Cloverfield' universe, but went thru many delays and a ton of titles, including 'The God Particle'.

In a genius move though, the first trailer for the film played during the Superbowl, which said it would debut right after the game on Netflix. A surprise indeed it was, but after viewing the film, disappointment set in with just how lazy and horrible everything was in a film franchise that had everything going for it. With an amazing cast from all over the world, including Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, Zhang Ziyi, Roger Davies, Aksel Hennie, David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki,and John Ortiz, and a great movie universe to draw inspiration from - filmmaker Julius Onah and his writers failed miserably.

What 'The Cloverfield Paradox' does, is take a ton of other sci-fi films' plot lines and scenes and mixes them up into its own jumbled mess of mediocrity. If you were to name a few films 'The Cloverfield Paradox' takes its cues from, 'Event Horizon', 'Alien', and 'Interstellar' would come to mind, but there are countless others that come into play here, but the best parts of those films don't translate well here. Maybe, because it feels rushed, lazy, and unoriginal, not to mention that all of the characters have zero backstory, with the exception of one character, while everyone else is the one-note stereotypical space crew environment, including the comic relief, the doctor, the short temper, the boss, and the weirdo. Set on a space station above Earth, this space crew is trying to harness and energy to help Earth out with the low energy levels in order to survive.

When the space crew succeeds, it happens to transport them to another dimension with no Earth in sight. Strange noises, random people start yelling from within the walls, chests burst open, worms fly out, and more start to happen aboard the space station. Meanwhile, on Earth, well see the first 'Cloverfield' movie, as two dimensions collide. The cast is perfectly capable of being the best they've ever been, but due to this script, nobody is given any one moment to shine other than one-liners. There are moments where the film seems to be going into dark and balls-to-the-wall territory, but it always stops short.

Going into 'The Cloverfield Paradox', which should be renamed to 'The Cloverfield Potato', I was a huge fan of this movie universe and its mythology. With 2008's 'Cloverfield', I loved the use of handheld cameras and the found footage aspect to tell this crazy story of a giant creature wreaking havoc on everyone and everything in New York, despite the annoying characters. Some years later, we got a film set in the same universe with '10 Cloverfield Lane', which had us holed up with John Goodman and couple other great characters where something terrible was happening outside their underground bunker, just as something equally awful was happening underground. JJ Abrams had announced a third film some years ago that would take place in this 'Cloverfield' universe, but went thru many delays and a ton of titles, including 'The God Particle'.

In a genius move though, the first trailer for the film played during the Superbowl, which said it would debut right after the game on Netflix. A surprise indeed it was, but after viewing the film, disappointment set in with just how lazy and horrible everything was in a film franchise that had everything going for it. With an amazing cast from all over the world, including Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, Zhang Ziyi, Roger Davies, Aksel Hennie, David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki,and John Ortiz, and a great movie universe to draw inspiration from - filmmaker Julius Onah and his writers failed miserably.

What 'The Cloverfield Paradox' does, is take a ton of other sci-fi films' plot lines and scenes and mixes them up into its own jumbled mess of mediocrity. If you were to name a few films 'The Cloverfield Paradox' takes its cues from, 'Event Horizon', 'Alien', and 'Interstellar' would come to mind, but there are countless others that come into play here, but the best parts of those films don't translate well here. Maybe, because it feels rushed, lazy, and unoriginal, not to mention that all of the characters have zero backstory, with the exception of one character, while everyone else is the one-note stereotypical space crew environment, including the comic relief, the doctor, the short temper, the boss, and the weirdo. Set on a space station above Earth, this space crew is trying to harness and energy to help Earth out with the low energy levels in order to survive.

http://boomstickcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/the-cloverfield-paradox.mp3

When the space crew succeeds, it happens to transport them to another dimension with no Earth in sight. Strange noises, random people start yelling from within the walls, chests burst open, worms fly out, and more start to happen aboard the space station. Meanwhile, on Earth, well see the first 'Cloverfield' movie, as two dimensions collide. The cast is perfectly capable of being the best they've ever been, but due to this script, nobody is given any one moment to shine other than one-liners.

THE FILM

Filmmaker Mark L. Lester has sure made a name for himself in cinema world, mostly being movies from the 1980s. He gave us some of the most homoerotic action films from that time, including 'Commando' and 'Showdown in Little Tokyo' to name a few. 'Class of 1999' is no different either and is a sibling sequel to his film a few years beforehand in 'Class of 1984'. With '1984', you had a new teacher come to a violent high-school where most of the kids are in gangs and try to make a difference. Things get out of hand for sure.

When we cut to 'Class of 1999', the same kind of setup is provided, but this time the gangs of kids are forced to deal with new teachers that are actually robots hellbent on not just teaching lessons, but taking lives too. You can see the similarities between 'Robocop', 'Westworld', 'Terminator', with a little 'Fury Road' throughout the film as a recent student named Cody (Bradley Gregg from 'Stand By Me'), who has just gotten out of jail and wants to change his ways, enters the high school with the new teachers who are in fact robots that look human.

These robots, played by Patrick Kilpatrick, John P. Ryan, and Pam Grier don't mess around and are not above beating students bloody, killing them, and in some of the more homoerotic scenes - spanking them hundreds of times in front of people. Don't get me wrong, these high-schoolers need discipline, but to what ends? The students must band together and fight these robot teachers, while trying not to kill each other. The nostalgic 80's wardrobe, one-liners, practical effects, and feel all comes to light in this one movie. It's a trip down memory lane and is still quite fun to watch, even if the whole story and premise is over-the-top and ridiculous.

The film always sticks to its guns and goes all the way, never afraid to turn away to violence or even its cheesiness. This is what the early 80's thought the future was going to be like as far as education and students go, which needless to say, they had no faith in us. It also gives us a satire on how far should the government and private companies go in showing discipline at schools. 'Class of 1999' is sure as hell entertaining, even to this day, and has some fun cameos, including Stacy Keach and Malcolm McDowell. The practical effects of the robots and gory wounds all look excellent with no sign of CGI yet. I still love this film.

THE VIDEO/AUDIO

The Video: 'Class of 1999' comes with a 1080p HD transfer and is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Vestron says this is a newly remastered and digitally restored print and it looks very good for one of those early 80's action movies. There are some problems here though for sure. Grain is to be expected with these films and I even welcome even layers of grain that give movies filmic presentations and not something looks like it's been put through a digital sleek carwa...

You've heard the names Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, and Michael Myers before, and you know what they're capable of. In addition to those names, you should get to know Victor Crowley, who has earned a spot right next to these horror icons with his own film franchise called 'Hatchet'. Director Adam Green (Frozen, Hatchet, Holliston) comes back to the director's chair for the 4th installment in the 'Hatchet' franchise called 'Victor Crowley'. Green, being a passionate fan of the horror genre himself, has taken his favorite elements from all of our favorite horror movies from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and injected them into his films in the best ways.

The overall story plot to these films is nothing new in that a group of people usually find themselves in the cajun part of the country where a supernatural monster kills his victims one by one. It's how Green writes his characters and story, which gives these films a fresh and original outlook for the horror genre, not to mention they are a ton of fun with a treasure trove of dark comedy bits. 'Victory Crowley' is no different either.

Set a decade after the events of the third film, we focus on Andrew Yong (Parry Shen, who's been in every 'Hatchet' film), as his new book about the Victory Crowley murders is making the rounds on the talk shows and numerous book signings that have some hilarious and odd requests. His manager Kathleen (Felissa Rose from 'Sleepaway Camp'), is trying to secure the most money for him and herself as she can, which is why she enlists a film crew to make a a short film on the Victor Crowley murders where they originally took place. Yong is reluctant to go, but ends up right where he doesn't want to be again with more soon-to-be victims.

Crowley shows up in his beefed up stature and overalls and starts to brutally kill everyone in his path. What Green does very well is stage his death scenes with some amazing and gooey practical effects. Brains fall out, limbs are severed and perhaps the best scene in a film of recent memory comes to play here with a severed arm, a mobile phone, and a crotch. It's one of those movie moments where you yell out in joy. With all of the gooey bits being thrown around, Green also keeps the silly comedy flowing as well with his unique dialogue and character actions.

Kane Hodder, who is no stranger to playing iconic movie monsters, dons the Victory Crowley makeup and just owns every scene he's in with the intense body language. 'Victory Crowley' might be the most fun you'll have watching a horror movie this year, as it brings back all of the nostalgic elements you fell in love with growing up in horror.

Written By: Bryan Kluger

THE FILM

Filmmaker Mark L. Lester has sure made a name for himself in cinema world, mostly being movies from the 1980s. He gave us some of the most homoerotic action films from that time, including 'Commando' and 'Showdown in Little Tokyo' to name a few. 'Class of 1999' is no different either and is a sibling sequel to his film a few years beforehand in 'Class of 1984'. With '1984', you had a new teacher come to a violent high-school where most of the kids are in gangs and try to make a difference. Things get out of hand for sure.

When we cut to 'Class of 1999', the same kind of setup is provided, but this time the gangs of kids are forced to deal with new teachers that are actually robots hellbent on not just teaching lessons, but taking lives too. You can see the similarities between 'Robocop', 'Westworld', 'Terminator', with a little 'Fury Road' throughout the film as a recent student named Cody (Bradley Gregg from 'Stand By Me'), who has just gotten out of jail and wants to change his ways, enters the high school with the new teachers who are in fact robots that look human.

These robots, played by Patrick Kilpatrick, John P. Ryan, and Pam Grier don't mess around and are not above beating students bloody, killing them, and in some of the more homoerotic scenes - spanking them hundreds of times in front of people. Don't get me wrong, these high-schoolers need discipline, but to what ends? The students must band together and fight these robot teachers, while trying not to kill each other. The nostalgic 80's wardrobe, one-liners, practical effects, and feel all comes to light in this one movie. It's a trip down memory lane and is still quite fun to watch, even if the whole story and premise is over-the-top and ridiculous.

http://boomstickcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/class-of-1999-blu-ray.mp3

The film always sticks to its guns and goes all the way, never afraid to turn away to violence or even its cheesiness. This is what the early 80's thought the future was going to be like as far as education and students go, which needless to say, they had no faith in us. It also gives us a satire on how far should the government and private companies go in showing discipline at schools. 'Class of 1999' is sure as hell entertaining, even to this day, and has some fun cameos, including Stacy Keach and Malcolm McDowell. The practical effects of the robots and gory wounds all look excellent with no sign of CGI yet. I still love this film.

THE VIDEO/AUDIO

The Video: 'Class of 1999' comes with a 1080p HD transfer and is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Vestron says this is a newly remastered and digitally restored print and it looks very good for one of those early 80's action movies. There are some problems here though for sure.

You've heard the names Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, and Michael Myers before, and you know what they're capable of. In addition to those names, you should get to know Victor Crowley, who has earned a spot right next to these horror icons with his own film franchise called 'Hatchet'. Director Adam Green (Frozen, Hatchet, Holliston) comes back to the director's chair for the 4th installment in the 'Hatchet' franchise called 'Victor Crowley'. Green, being a passionate fan of the horror genre himself, has taken his favorite elements from all of our favorite horror movies from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and injected them into his films in the best ways.

The overall story plot to these films is nothing new in that a group of people usually find themselves in the cajun part of the country where a supernatural monster kills his victims one by one. It's how Green writes his characters and story, which gives these films a fresh and original outlook for the horror genre, not to mention they are a ton of fun with a treasure trove of dark comedy bits. 'Victory Crowley' is no different either.

Set a decade after the events of the third film, we focus on Andrew Yong (Parry Shen, who's been in every 'Hatchet' film), as his new book about the Victory Crowley murders is making the rounds on the talk shows and numerous book signings that have some hilarious and odd requests. His manager Kathleen (Felissa Rose from 'Sleepaway Camp'), is trying to secure the most money for him and herself as she can, which is why she enlists a film crew to make a a short film on the Victor Crowley murders where they originally took place. Yong is reluctant to go, but ends up right where he doesn't want to be again with more soon-to-be victims.

http://boomstickcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/victor-crowley.mp3

Crowley shows up in his beefed up stature and overalls and starts to brutally kill everyone in his path. What Green does very well is stage his death scenes with some amazing and gooey practical effects. Brains fall out, limbs are severed and perhaps the best scene in a film of recent memory comes to play here with a severed arm, a mobile phone, and a crotch. It's one of those movie moments where you yell out in joy. With all of the gooey bits being thrown around, Green also keeps the silly comedy flowing as well with his unique dialogue and character actions.

Kane Hodder, who is no stranger to playing iconic movie monsters, dons the Victory Crowley makeup and just owns every scene he's in with the intense body language. 'Victory Crowley' might be the most fun you'll have watching a horror movie this year, as it brings back all of the nostalgic elements you fell in love with growing up in horror.

Written By: Bryan Kluger

This is our 18th episode our amazing podcast called ‘Wrestling is Everything is Wrestling‘ or WEW for short, which is part of the Boomstick Comics brand on the Multi-Media Men Podcast label. That was a mouth full. Angi Sanders and  Bryan Kluger discuss in detail what happened at the 2018 Royal Rumble. We talk about the matches, the theories for Wrestlemania 34 and the 2018 Elimination Chamber PPV. If you’re a wrestling fan, you’re gonna have a good time with us. Enjoy!

And please let us know what you think by going to our Facebook page, which you should visit to catch up on all the latest information. And don’t forget to visit iTunes and Stitcher to subscribe to our podcast. Enjoy the show and see you next week! Thank you for listening.