02.17-19.2012: Weekend Box Office – The $

Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds broke into the weekend box office with Safe House at #1 with $27.542 million while Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams wowed in The Vow at #2 with $26.64 million for President’s Day weekend.  Fellow box office veteran Journey 2: The Mysterious Island joined the flip-flopping #1 and #2 (see 02.10-12.2012: Weekend Box Office – The $) in the same #3 spot from the previous week with $25.934 million, only an amazing 5.1% decrease.  The family adventure sequel added 30 theaters to 3,500 theaters and bested Journey to the Center of the Earth by more than $15.5 million in its second weekend.  Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, #5 spy vs. spy romantic comedy This Means War ($20.006 million) and #8 Studio Ghibli-anime The Secret World of Arrietty ($8.684 million) all debuted the holiday weekend.

A Lobster, an Albino and a Steampunk Walk into a Bar…

Review by Shaun Daniels and Edited by Sharon Wong

Dark Horse Presents #9  Written by Paul Pope, Neal Adams, Brian Wood, Mike Mignola, M. J. Butler, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Steve Horton, Andrew Vachss and Tony Puryear.  Art by Paul Pope, Neal Adams, Michael Dialynas, Kristian Donaldson, Joe Querio, Mark Wheatley, Thomas Yeates, Steve Lieber, Geof Darrow and Tony Puryear.  Covers by Mike Mignola and Thomas Yeates.  Published by Dark Horse Comics.

The last issue of Dark Horse Presents started off with a bang with the Mignola property of Hellboy, so why not go two for two and do the same with issue #9.  Instead of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.), it’s a Lobster Johnson tale leading off.  The issue also boasts the continuation of the The Massive, a steampunk sea shanty in Amala’s Blade and Alabaster: Wolves, about an albino demon killer.  DHP is quickly becoming a showcase for very interesting stories at Dark Horse, or possibly just a home for stories that otherwise would not have a book.

Land of the Rising Daywalker

Written by Shaun Daniels and Edited by Sharon Wong

Eric Brooks, aka Blade, got an anime facelift thanks to Marvel Anime on G4.  The animated series Blade would have flown completely under The Fright Channel radar if it wasn’t for our return to Attack of the Show and its commercial breaks as the show’s ads persuaded us to watch.  Our first surprise came at the end in the credits where Warren Ellis was listed as a writer for the series.  Of course, we promptly sat up and took notice though it’s unclear if he wrote the English translation but his name alone is enough to make it worth viewing.  The show is produced in conjuction with Marvel Comics Entertainment and Studio Madhouse, whom you may know from such little animes as Death Note, Vampire Hunter D: Blood Lust and Ninja Scroll.

Three You Should See – By Roger Froilan

 This past TV season has been surprisingly good considering the shows that got tanked or simply ended last spring. With the fate of the fun Terra Nova still hanging in the balance, and no Doctor Who for quite some time, we are itching for something new and unique to catch our fancy. Well, look no further! Three shows have popped up as mid-season replacements that are both unique and engaging:

Monsters & Memories 16: The Ghoul (1933) – By Ed Davis

Ahhh, My Groovy Ghoulies! It has been too long since I’ve a chance to share the great Horror and Sci-Fi films of the past with you all.  The past few months, the Missus and I have been busy with our little foster drooly ghoulie!  We’ve had a chance to put a fresh coat of mildew and cobwebs here in the crypt and are ready to unleash a whole batch of Monsters & Memories for you! I thought this movie made a fine choice to kick things off once more! Boris Karloff stuck close to the Egyptian roots of The Mummy for 1933′s “The Ghoul”.  Karloff goes seeking eternal life.  But does he find it?

02.10-12.2012: Weekend Box Office – The $

Audiences said “I Do” to Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum in the based-on-a-true-story The Vow as they celebrated the perfect Valentine’s Day movie with heartbreaking romance.  The Michael Sucsy (TV’s Grey Gardens) film was the #1 of four premieres, grossing $41.202 million to its $30 million production budget.

It’s a Dog Eat Zombie World

Review by Shaun Daniels and Edited by Sharon Wong

Rex, Zombie Killer #1  Written by Rob Anderson, Art & Cover by DaFu Yu, Colors by Kevin Volo, Letters, Logo & Design by E.T. Dollman and Edited by Paul Allor.  Pin-up Art by Mike Gallagher, Pin-up Colors by Kevin Volo, Pin-up Pencils by Stu Roddy and Pin-up Inks by Steve Bird.  Published by Big Dog Ink.

Just when you thought the zombie genre was shot in the head and dead again, a book is rising to keep the genre stumbling on.  Rex, Zombie Killer is giving its readers a dog’s eye view of the genre, literally.  Rex, the scientifically-enhanced golden retriever, traverses the zombie-infested US of A.  The oft overlooked and forgotten animal perspective of the world of zombie fiction makes for fresh storytelling and offers a unique look at the genre. 

Buffy vs. The Real World

Review by Shaun Daniels and Edited by Sharon Wong

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #6 Written by Andrew Chambliss, Art by Georges Jeanty, Colors by Michelle Madsen, Inked by Karl Story, Covers by Phil Noto & Georges Jeanty and Published by Dark Horse Comics

Since the inception of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer has encountered many a threats with much success, and a few bumps and bruises. Be it vampires, demons or a Hellmouth, there has been very little this blonde killer of vampires has yet to face but in issue 6, she confronts her toughest threat yet, real life.

02.03-05.2012: Weekend Box Office – The $

The first weekend of February at the box office chronicled a close one, $1,130,026 to be exact, between Chronicle and The Woman in Black.  The two premieres fought off The Grey, Big Miracle and Underworld: Awakening to win the weekend’s #1 and #2 spots, and boosted the weekend box office of Super Bowl XLVI 31% over Super Bowl XLV with the help of the rest of the top 12.  Meanwhile, Liam Neeson’s #3 The Grey, and Drew Barrymore and John Krasinki’s #4 Big Miracle shared the state of Alaska with scares and smiles to gross $9.3 million and $7.76 million, respectively.

02.03-05.2012: What To Watch – Weekend Theater and TV Edition

The weekend of Super Bowl Sunday starts off with Frightening Friday as Harry Potter, aka Daniel Radcliffe, returns to the big screen.  The small screen is no chopped liver…our DVRs will be working overtime.

THEATER PREMIERE

The Woman in Black (PG-13 / 94 mins / In 2D) Starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter series), Ciarán Hinds (2012′s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance), Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) and Liz White (Wild Bill).  Written by Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass).  Directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake).

The horror-thriller film, The Woman in Black, is horror-thriller novel, The Woman in Black.