WITHOUTAPADDLE is a comedy that on the one hand is not nearly as funny as it ought to be and on the other has some genuine laughs that are still funny when recalled the next day.The plot is fairly simple. Thirtyish lifelong friends Dan (Seth Green), Jer...
...LA STORY, WITHOUTAPADDLE, and 2004's Americanization of the French comedy series, TAXI. The contrast in these musical opportunities and his recognition among filmgoers between the eclectic fantasies of BUFFY and the lighter touches in AMERICAN WEDD...
A broken Superman openly faces an alien menace. A loving Wonder Woman introduces her super girl to her father. A madder-than-ever Plastic Man is released from his imprisonment. And a triumphant Batman takes everything up a notch. The world has changed sin...
Doug Jones who has played the physical role of Abe Sapien in both films will also be playing the voice of Abe in 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army.' He explained how that came about and how he drew from his past to augment his performance.
"When I was ...
I know the writer’s strike is driving everyone crazy. The brunt of it is just now really hitting and it’s only going to get worse. Seth McFarlane has stopped working on his series Family Guy in support of the strike. Seth is not...
Much like popular shows 24 and Battlestar Galactica, Lost will be airing without repeats next season.The network confirmed the good news yesterday. To accomplish this, the show will take a break over Christmas for a few weeks. It will then begin again a...
For Jennifer Garner, working with Ben Affleck on the big-budget comic book adaptation 'Daredevil' was like having a big old safety blanket to dive under when things got heavy.
However, when it came to making the 'Daredevil' spin-off, 'Elektra' Garner w...
Brian Michael Bendis is definitely one of the good guys. Not only is he one of the hardest working men in comics, with titles like POWERS, ALIAS, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, ELEKTRA, and many more under his utility belt, but he's a gracious fellow to boot. After...
David Kemper, executive producer of FARSCAPE, the Sci-Fi Channel’s prime time ratings star, issued a challenge to the uninitiated. He said, `Talk to someone who has seen this show, and look at it yourself. Just tune in once, and you’ll be hooked. It’s ce...
Whew!Most of you guys agree with me about ANGEL's Fred and Gunn being the lamest couple on network TV. It's so nice to hear from my peeps and learn that I'm not the only one out there.I should mention though, that in no way whatsoever am I saying that Fre...
What They SayThe annual class shuffle leaves a frightened Kaorin marooned in Mr. Kimura’s homeroom: hopeless, helpless, and worst of all... Sakaki-less! Back in Miss Yukari\'s class, a trip to Okinawa brings plenty of laughs, along with several firs...
If you ever wanted to enjoy going to war but did not have the courage to join the military, well Call of Duty 3 will be the game for you. Of course there have been plenty of other World War 2 games out and about, whether they be RTS, TPS or FPS. A lot...
Anonymous scooper claims that 'Blade 4' is "well underway" and that Wesley Snipes signed to do it as part of his 'Blade: Trinity' deal. Same scooper claims that part four would happen without the involvement of David Goyer, who shepherded the franchise th...
In an interview by Scott Collura carried in the current CINESCAPE magazine, QUEEN OF THE DAMNED director Michael Rymer talked about working with the late Aaliyah on her last motion picture, and how her brother helped Rymer finish his sister's final ...
Looks like Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are getting ready to step before the cameras for BAD BOYS 2, despite the fact no script yet exists.According to the report, Smith, Lawrence and BOYS producer Jerry Bruckheimer have been batting around story possib...
CBS has released images from the "Birthday Boy" episode of the missing person's drama, WITHOUTA TRACE.This week, an 11-year-old boy disappears from the subway on his way to Yankee Stadium for his birthday celebration. Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) and c...
Understanding that some collectors will not be able to attend the San Diego Comic Con but may be looking forward to adding the unique 'Hellboy' items to their collection, Sideshow is reserving a portion of the exclusives (approximately 10% of the edition ...
They're doing it. I'm not doing it. They're doing it," says director Richard Donner of the prospect of a restored version of 'Superman II'. "Michael Thau, who used to be my assistant and is a good little editor - [said that] there were so many requests to...
Judging from the producers of the best selling video game series Metal Gear Solid are saying, don't expect the series to end with the upcoming fourth installment. Just expect it to be Snake's last mission for the near future.Here's what producer Ryan Peyt...
Greetings fellow comic fiends, and welcome to another exciting installment of COMICSCAPE. By the end, I'll be hanging off of a cliff and you'll have to tune in next week to find out if I survive or not. Actually, I'll run my in-depth and hyperbole-free ...
While it failed to attract box office when it was released last year, Steven Soderbergh's SOLARIS may find its audience on home video. SOLARIS tells the story of Chris Kelvin (George Clooney), a psychiatrist in the future who is summoned to the space stat...
OPINION: OK, I goofed. Although it's been amended since then, any of you who read this column before Thursday will have noticed that I misattributed the recent words of Warren Ellis to M. Ali Choudhury, who reported them to me. (Amongst those who caught t...
Paramount Pictures has set John Singleton to adapt and direct the novel WITHOUT REMORSE by Tom Clancy. The studio looks for it to possibly become a franchise.The espionage thriller centers on former Navy SEAL and CIA operative John Kelly, code-named Mr. C...
MANIA.COM
Terms of Use
Effective Date: April 14, 2008
THESE TERMS OF USE, AS AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME ("Terms"), ARE A BINDING CONTRACT BETWEEN [MANIA OWNER, INC.] ...
Of all the mysteries that inhabit the island on LOST, perhaps none is as compelling as this: do these writers have a friggin' clue what they're doing or not?The argument has been seething almost since the series premiere. The haters slam the show for sta...
A strange melding of art-house sensibility and horror, George Franju`s black-and-white masterpiece achieves a beautiful poetic ambiance that contrasts sharply with the brief but effective outbreaks of violence and graphic horror. The effect is quite appal...
Graeme Revell is putting on his composing tights again, seeking the music that will strike fear into the hearts of evildoers. The last time he ventured into the wet city streets, Revell was armed with tribal percussion, eerie chants and one mean rock guit...
Happy Wednesday, Maniacs, and welcome to another sequential art escape, courtesy of Comicscape. Last week’s column about the death of Captain Americaand the successful release of 300 at the movies garnered a respectable amount of mail &nd...
Greetings, my seething minions, and welcome to another week of COMICSCAPE brilliance. This will likely sound boring at first, but I promise it gets better: last week, The Wall Street Journal published a disturbing little story about product placement dea...
OPINION: Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day and that, if you weren't out remembering those who have fought and died for our freedom, you were at least enjoying the fruits (and nicely grilled meats) of that freedom at the park or campgrounds of your cho...
What They SayTwelve girls with twelve wishes...twelve dreams. Deep in their hearts they all have a secret dream, and they\'ll all meet at Acropolis Tower to see if their dreams will come true.The Review!Eleven tales of girls in the constructed city of Pal...
OPINION: Before we get started, two plugs: one, an invitation to visit CINESCAPE's comic book message forum in addition to sending e-mail to yours truly, so that you don't have to wait for me to reprint your letter before others can respond to it; and two...
The Review!Ratings Audio: D+ Video: B Menus: C- Extras: B+ Packaging: C- Technical: F Content: B
Rurouni Kenshin is finally here on DVD, and... and... I nearly didn't buy it. Sorry guys, I haven't seen the show before, and I nearly passed on it due to t...
What They SayWhen Kumi and her friends play around with a witchboard, they accidentally summon a malevolent ghost. The ghost possesses the girls, using them to steal people\'s sexual energy. Soon, Kumi is no longer acting on her own freewill and is uncons...
Creative TalentWriter/Artist:Tohru FujisawaTranslated by:Adapted by:What They SayBoy meets girl, but the girl is a super spy who must save the world! Although she can barely remember it, 17-year-old Kasumi Asakura (Rose Hip) was trained in the special uni...
What They SaySeina Yamada is your common 15-year-old boy with one uncommon ability: bad luck. He can\'t get through a day without causing serious harm to himself and those around him. So what in the universe do two gorgeous Galaxy Police officers want to ...
What They SayThe Great Space Show of 4701 is about to begin! With less than two months until Moad's destruction, Ahab and his crew are still without Dew, withouta plan and without so much as a hope for survival. To make matters worse, the Federation has...
What They SayMitsuki Koyama dreams of becoming a singer... but she only has one year left to live! With the help of Takuto and Meroko, two Spirits of Death, she passes an audition, gets a manager, and starts recording her first song! Watch Mitsuki as she ...
Welcome to the second installment
of the DCG Flashback. Once again, we hope you'll join us as we take a look into
the hidden depths of the C2F vaults and unearth some of the classic art of
yesteryear.
Marvel Heroes vs Onslaught by ...
Greetings, Maniacs, and welcome to another mail-filled Comicscape maelstrom. Last week’s column on Marvel’s Civil War garnered some thoughtful letters – more than the paltry couple I seem to receive lately. For whatever r...
With Thanksgiving already a few days cold, the holiday season (along with all of its consumer-driven trappings) has officially arrived and though economists predict lean shopping numbers for the end of this year, you wouldn’t know it by the sheer vo...
In our last week’s column, I alluded to how passion for the arts molds that star to be elevated to a whole other echelon of achievement inside Hollywood’s history books. Certain actors find such passion with every word they utter in the gla...
Greetings, COMICSCAPE faithful, and welcome to another week of watching your credit card bill skyrocket like the national deficit. Yes, I'm hooked, too. So, don't feel bad. You've only got your wife to answer to. This week features the second (and much lo...
By Robert Stanton (rstanton@uiuc.edu)
Boogiepop Phantom is an animated series based upon the acclaimed written work of Kouhei Kadono. Set somewhere in common, urban, contemporary Japan, the dark science fiction premises of the show quickly take over and...
What They SayThe timeless anime favorite Irresponsible Captain Tylor is finally available in sterling release it deserves - a Limited Edition Collector\'s Ultra Box Set! This astounding collection includes: the entire 26-episode Irresponsible Captain Tylo...
Well, folks, we've finally come to the end of a long journey or rather I have, as the main comics columnist for CINESCAPE. I hope you've enjoyed these columns as much as I've enjoyed writing them, and if you'd like to keep up with my future work, Google ...
By Robert Stanton (rstanton@uiuc.edu)
Boogiepop Phantom is an animated series based upon the acclaimed written work of Kouhei Kadono. Set somewhere in common, urban, contemporary Japan, the dark science fiction premises of the show quickly take over and...
OPINION: Before I begin this week's discussion of the comic books you most wanted to see made into movies, I'd like to share one e-mail in particular that made a very deep impression on me, sent by no less than the producer of LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENT...
What They SayThe magic touch of master animator Hayao Miyazaki is visible from start to finish in CASTLE IN THE SKY -- an imaginative tale full of mystery and adventure. The high-flying journey begins when Pazu, a mining apprentice, finds a young girl wea...
What They SayFull of exciting adventure and great passion, this animated Japanese favorite tells the legendary tale of the mythological hero Hermes. The creator of the world orders Hermes to defeat the evil King Minos, tyrant of Crete. With his beautiful ...
In this month's Cinescape (on newsstands now), we offer up the (Super) Power 100. You got the full skinny on Numbers 1-50, but only a casual listing of who made the remaining 100. Now, only available through Cinescape.com, we proudly present the guts, the...
This isn't the first time somebody has tried to revive Rod Serling's TWILIGHT ZONE, the classic genre anthology series that originally ran from 1959 to 1964. There was the 1983 feature film version from Steven Spielberg and John Landis that was, ultimatel...
OPINION: It seems that I made a mistake while writing last week's column which has led to several helpful e-mails correcting me about something I already knew. At one point, I wrote "Eventually I'll be doing a column on which comics should be made into on...
By the time this column appears on the web site, America will either have a new President or will have re-elected a previous one. In either case, the proverbial fecal matter is probably already hitting the fan, as I don't expect either one, even the one I...
OPINION: First of all, a point of clarification: a certain web site which shall remain nameless felt the need to link to last week's column with the headline CINESCAPE BLASTS HELLBLAZER'S CONSTANTINE, with a "synopsis" line reading "Who needs to see a mov...
When Cannon Films offered Sidney J. Furie the opportunity to direct Superman IV, he considered it a no-lose situation. `Without being catty,` says Furie, `Superman III screwed up, and it screwed up because a brilliant director had full reign and he didn`t...
If one was to philosophically understand what Paul Verhoeven is trying to accomplish with the much anticipated Hollow Man, perhaps you could sum it up as, `The art of invisibility without being invisible.` Hollywood is again revisiting the past by re-inve...
I'm not sure whether the subject of comics and politics was simply not of much interest to everyone, or whether people were simply too stunned by the election results to write in about it. Perhaps it was a combination of both. However, a few of you did wr...
It’s a no-brainer. Ask anyone what made Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace cool and they’ll invariably repeat two words: Darth Maul. Switch gears to their biggest disappointment, and the answer is equally predictable: Not enough Darth Maul. Witho...
Even though NBC’s Emmy-winning hit The West Wing was last Wednesday night’s ratings champion by a huge margin, the fall debut of Star Trek: Voyager brought in more young male viewers than any episode of the past three years. Average viewership was up over...
To quote Yakov Smirnoff, "What a country." Yes, what a country indeed. With July 4th here, a day celebrating our independence, what better time to reflect on the independent producers and directors that have brought us our greatest films? For as we all kn...
THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH isn't exactly a good movie, but neither is it as bad as its handling might suggest. In fact, back in the '70s or even the early '80s, it's possible to imagine this might have been a modest hit. Today, if this were a release fr...
One of the first comic book series I can remember feeling addicted to was Marv Wolfman and George Perez's New Teen Titans. There was just something about these characters: Wonder Girl, Starfire, Raven, Kid Flash, Cyborg, Changeling and Robin that struck ...
I don’t think anyone can disagree that podcasting has changed audio entertainment. We’re not stuck with commercials and bad music; we can now pick and choose what we want to listen to and when we want to hear it. Outside of free, pod-safe m...
Sometimes death sneaks up on you. I had every intention of devoting this week’s Comicscape to an in-depth look at the film adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300, which premiered last week to both box office success and mostly positive cri...
Greetings, Maniacs, and welcome to another weekly web of Comicscape wonder. For the past couple of weeks, we talked about Spider-Man 3 in lieu of discussing the end of DC’s weekly maxiseries, 52. The film came out the same week as the final issue of...
Do you remember a time when you were young? When you could get on something like a skate board without worrying if your back would go out or how much your insurance rates will go up if something went wrong? Well EA Games has launched a new game ...
It`s incredible that Walter Hill would take his name off of SUPERNOVAand Brian DePalma would leave his name on MISSION TO MARS. Although M2M arrives in theatres without the pre-release baggage warning of imminent disaster, it is actually a far bigger dis...
When I first started writing about the comic book industry, one of the first people in the industry that I became fast friends with was colorist Laura Martin. She was working with the online magazine, Sequential Tart and coloring a multitude of proj...
Writer Mike Carey is getting all technical on us, through his work with the Ultimate Universe's version of The Vision. Carey and artist Brandon Peterson have got five issues to further her story and we've got a few details from Carey on what that st...
No one can ever accuse my of being a shill for DC again. Whomever at Marvel decided to bring annuals back needs a promotion seriously, the corner office and everything. Annuals were left by the wayside by the early 2000s for some reason, and I can only...
I got a great batch of mail from last week's column about Marvel's Ultimate and DC's All-Star imprints. But before we get to your letters, a couple of things happened in the comic world upon which I must opine. The X3 trailer hit the web on Monday. You ca...
The weird tales of Howard Phillips Lovecraft are among the most potent horror stories of the last century. Told through a careful and precise narrative ambiance, H.P. Lovecraft's tales of the undying manifestations of monstrous, cosmic evil and arcane sor...
Although it turns on a fantasy plot element, THE LAKE HOUSE mostly feels like a regular romance, minus the dopey misunderstandings that almost always keep the lovers apart. Here, what's separating our soul mates is time he's in 2004, she's in 2006. If th...
As far as my gaming addiction goes (yes, it is an addiction), I can safely say that I grew up playing id Software's games. From feeling sick the first time I fired up the original Doom, to gems like Quake 1, 2 and 3, I've gone from being a teenage...
What They SayTo Split Infinity The Review!Much like Ayaka comments on at one point, the series simply finishes out with an anticlimactic feeling.
Audio:
The two audio tracks included on this release are quite solid though the edge definitely goes to the...
Creative TalentWriter/Artist:MorinagaAiTranslated by:Laura Jackson and Yoko KobayashiAdapted by:What They SayReiichi is the quintessential nerd: thick glasses, coarse and unkempt hair, short, fat and ugly. His classmates constantly make fun of him, and h...
Creative TalentWriter/Artist:Iwase Masatsugu (Concept by: Yatate Hajime/Tomino Yoshiyuki)Translated by:Jason DeAngelisAdapted by:What They SayIn the world of the Cosmic Era, war rages between the genetically enhanced humans known as Coordinators and those...
Creative TalentWriter/Artist:Yuriko NishiyamaTranslated by:Shirley KuboAdapted by:What They SayThe continuing adventures of Nate Torres, a teenager who always thought of himself as a quitter - until he entered the world of street basketball.
Sapporo has...
Creative TalentWriter/Artist:Min-Woo HyungTranslated by:Jessica KimAdapted by:What They SayVascar De Guillon was once willing to give his life for the cross serving as a knight in the crusades. His faith was shattered after he lost his wife and children t...
Creative TalentWriter/Artist:Makoto TatenoTranslated by:Melanie SchoenAdapted by:N/AWhat They SayAfter Nozomi loses a street fight, he gets sold to the online peep room \"Digital Angels.\" Though repulsed by Coyote, the incredibly beautiful, mysterious ma...
The Review!Heading into the body of the show Please Teacher returns for a round of three highly entertaining episodes. In some ways this disc offers more depth than the previous episodes have had. The disc includes some serious relationship plots that add...
The Review!And so ends Evangelion. A show that showed so much promise, only to utterly collapse in the end.
Technically, this disc is quite good. While the Audio and Video quality is nothing to drive home about compared to some of the other excellently ...
It's not often when a director will sit down with fans before a high-profile movie gets released and answers tough questions relating to his project. That's exactly what Chris Weitz, director of THE GOLDEN COMPASS, just did for a Q&A session over at M...
What They SayAfter fifty days of confinement, the killings continue, and Light and Misaare released, only to face the ride of their lives with a seemingly crazed Soichiro. Then Light rejoins L in the investigation and notices a strange connection between...
The scope of the problem the world faces becomes all the more apparent as the Shadow Angels set about to ensure their survival.What They SayBetrayal and death raise the stakes of this end-times battle that is systematically destroying two species. Each be...
The original release from ADV Films receives a bit of a face-lift with its packaging and arrives on the scene once again for new fans to discover.What They SayDemons and devils beware, the sexiest slayer to ever swing a soul -sword is back! Yohko Mano has...
Creative TalentWriter/Artist:Yeon Joo KimTranslated by:Christina SohnAdapted by:Christina SohnWhat They SayA fast-paced journey into a fantasy realm unlike anything you've ever seen! Auna is a rich girl who is forced into servitude of a petulant princess ...
Creative TalentWriter/Artist:Shigematsu TakakoTranslated by:N/AAdapted by:What They SayThere\'s a new music teacher at SeikaAcademy, and all the girls are talking about him. When Ayase-sensei\'s fingers caress the piano keys, it\'s like magic -- and if H...
One can say little about The Dark Knight that other reviewers haven’t already uttered a thousand times. The film has received an overwhelmingly positive critical response, along with the record for the most financially successful opening weeken...
This years Otakon marks the fourth time I\'ve gone to one. And after the problems of last year, I definitely wasn\'t sure if it would be my last or not, dependent on how the problems played out this year. Thankfully, the majority of the problems seemed to...