Comic Book Review: Bulletproof Chicken - King Bone Press

Written by Jon Westhoff
Art by Bobgar Ornelas & Mat Nixon

BP is one of the baddest on the force.  Fowl mouthed, excuse me, foul mouthed and and full of rage.  Nobody stands a chance against BP, until one day in a gunfight with a lizard gang he is gunned down in an attempt to keep his now one legged wife alive.  Everyone thinks BP is dead but they had no idea what was about to happen next.

This is a fun read.  Chicken puns, bloody violence, and language not suitable for youngsters.  If you have the chance to read this comic book, pick it up.  The laughs and the 1980s pop culture references are fantastic.  C'mon who doesn't like Robocop and take a look at the logo; I instantly thought of the video game Contra..up up, down down, left, right, left, right...

The art totally works with the story and it's pretty cool that midway through the book, the artist changes yet it all fits.  Lots of blood and dismemberment fill these pages and I'm sure Bobgar Ornelas and Mat Nixon had a great time drawing this fun book.

I was fortunate enough to receive this book from the Indy Stash Subscription Box.  I received a few other books as well and you can read the review of the entire box here.  

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Movie Review: The Hateful Eight (2015)

The eight film from Quentin Tarantino brings yet another all-star cast filled with incredible performances.  Along with great dialogue, the violence was definitely not lacking.  I was originally going to see this movie as part of the 70mm Road Show.  There were about 100 movie theaters across the United States that were showing The Hateful Eight on actual film as opposed to the digital projectors.  I was excited to enjoy the viewing experience but the cost was double what I ended up paying a week later to watch it digitally.  The film is still beautiful, and I had a great time.

The Hateful Eight takes place in the state of Wyoming where a blizzard is sweeping through. Throughout the movie, you find yourself trying to figure out who the bad guy, or perhaps bad guys, are.  This proves difficult as all of the characters are more sinners than they are saints.

Kurt Russell is the bounty hunter John Ruth and he aims to collect when he delivers Daisy Domergue who is played amazingly by Jennifer Jason Leigh.  With their stagecoach driver O.B.(James Parks) hey cross paths with Samuel Jackson who played the part of Major Marquis Warren and later run into Walton Goggins' character, Chris Mannix.  These four characters have reputations that proceed them, so everyone has an idea of who they're dealing with and it's explained why everyone is on edge.

The majority of the film takes place in a cabin where nothing seems to go as planned.  This is where we meet the characters played by Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Demian Bichir and Bruce Dern.  The rest of the film is spent figuring out who is who and if anyone is truly on the up and up.

Also starring Channing Tatum, Zoe Bell, Dana Gourrier, Gene Jones, Keith Jefferson, Craig Stark, Lee Horsley and Belinda Owino.

The Hateful Eight is in theaters now and I highly recommend seeing it if you enjoy a film with gratuitous violence, remarkable banter between characters and the all around movie-going experience.  Tarantino has an eye and ear for what makes movies such an enjoyable pastime.

What are your thoughts on The Hateful Eight?  What other reviews or content would you like to see from Maskerpiece Theatre?  Please leave your comments below.

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Comic Book Review: We Stand On Guard #5 - Image Comics (2015)

Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Steve Skroce

It's the year 2124 and the war between The United States and Canada continues.  Amber and the rest of her group are moving in on the Americans.

I heard that this series is heading for an end soon.  The action increased in this issue and it looks to be at a point of no return for the Canadians.

We Stand On Guard has been a pleasant surprise.  In five issues, we have had ups and downs, lives lost and even a little bit of humor.  There's actually a fleet of supertankers the Canadian group refers to as the "Hosers."  I am really enjoying all of the Canadian humor that Brian K. Vaughan is including in this comic book series.

Get to your local comic book shop and pick up the back issues for We Stand On Guard before everyone finds out how excellent it is.  The cover price is only $2.99 per issue which has been great, especially compared to what Marvel and DC like to charge for most of their books.

What do you think of We Stand On Guard?  Are there any other comic book series' you are interested in reading?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Comic Book Review: Ringside #1 - Image Comics (2015)

Written by Joe Keatinge
Art by Nick Barber

I have been looking forward to checking out "Ringside" as I am a fan of professional wrestling as well as comic books.  I didn't read any previews prior to picking up the first issue so I had no idea what I was going to be getting into.  I was happy to find out it is looking at professional wrestling more-so from the backstage perspective.

The story centers around Dan Knossos.  Dan is a retired professional wrestler who was known as "The Minotaur."  Dan had been in Japan training younger up and coming professional wrestlers.  He is now back in the United States as he has business that needs to be handled.

The first issue of "Ringside" is a nice introduction to Dan.  He's a man who is well known inside the business of professional wrestling.  He has friends that he is able to meet and get rides around town as needed.  We also get to see some backstory and why he doesn't always like to remember his "Minotaur" days.  Dan also has a place to stay with a young woman friend who is confined to a wheelchair.

Dan is back because he heard from someone named Teddy who is apparently very close to him.  Dan goes on the search for Teddy but is met with someone else and this someone does not want Dan around.  Dan is met with a pipe wrench and a beating from a group of men and is told to leave town and forget about Teddy.

Dan goes back to the friend with whom he is staying and it looks like he has no plans of leaving town.

This was a very good first issue and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.  I like that it's not just about professional wrestling comic but it still includes plenty of violence.  If you're looking for a comic book series to get started on, this would be a nice one to start on as the series is just getting started.  Even if you are not a professional wrestling fan, this is a cool and brutal book.            

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Movie Review: Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman (2012)

A video game loving DJ named Santiago(Matias Oviedo) overhears a conversation he should not have involving mob boss Che Longana(Jorege Alis).  In order to get out of being killed, Santiago says he is able to bring them the Machine Gun Woman(Fernanda Urrejola) - dead or alive.

I'm sure you can guess by the name, that this movie does not take itself too seriously.  Director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza puts this film together in a really fun and creative way.  The movie looks like you're playing the video game Grand Theft Auto in the country of Chile.  Characters are introduced with a video game look and once Santiago gets started on his "mission," you will feel like you're watching the game. The shots of the car on the way to missions and the final battle scene shows that this was the exact look they were going for.

The flow of the film works for what it is going for and the run time is only 73 minutes.   If you're in the mood for something artsy and Oscar-worthy, you will want to look elsewhere.  If you're looking for late night laughs, insane violence and fun cheese then give it a shot.

"Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman" is subtitled as it was shot in Spanish.  The original title is, "Traiganme la Cabeza de la Mujer Metralleta."

On the scale of up to 5 Pile Drivers, "Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman" receives 3.

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

This blog came from one of my earlier reviews on Cinema Head Cheese.

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Comic Book Review: The Goddamned - Image Comics (2015)

Written by Jason Aaron

Art by r.m. Guera

Cain has been alive over 1600 years and is forced to walk the Earth.  He's not a real big fan of God and he curses him every chance he gets.  

Taken from the biblical tale, Jason Aaron is telling the story of Cain and his struggle of being forced to live on Earth as the inventor of murder.  Cain must deal with barbarians and other monsters in this tale.  To say this book is violent would be the 2015 winner of "Understatement of the Year."  Page upon page of killing and maiming.  It's truly an incredible find.  

r.m. Guera is able to tell Jason Aaron's story from the visual aspect extraordinarily well.  Blood, guts and other stuff that comes out of the body are prominently on display panel after panel after panel.  

The first book is called "Before the Flood" so I'm sure you can guess who else we might be running into with this first issue.

If you want to get started on a series from the start, run to your closest comic book shop and pick up issue one of "The Goddamned" right away!

You can read more of my blogs here on Maskerpiece Theatre and also on http://cinemaheadcheese.blogspot.com/

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

"Hitman: Agent 47" Review

"Hitman: Agent 47" is the second film based on "Hitman" the popular video game series available for Xbox and Playstation. In 2007 Timothy Olyphant shaved his head and took up the mantle as one of the worlds best assassins and now in 2015 the audience is given an entirely new cast and premise. By no means is this film a sequel. Directed by Alexander Bach "Hitman: Agent 47" takes the audience on a brand new trip around the globe while Agent 47 (Rupert Friend) attempts to locate Katia (Hannah Ware) before the Syndicate search team led by John Smith (Zachary Quinto) finds her and forces her to locate her father who holds important information that could change warfare, forever.

The film has enough enjoyable twists throughout to keep you engaged even though the cuts/edits draw your attention away from what's happening on screen. If you have any sensitivity to flashing lights this film has the potential to give you epileptic seizures but is entertaining enough that you probably won't be mad once you stop shaking. Additionally, the action sequences had potential if not for the fact the camera angles almost seemed intentionally distracting leading the viewer to assume these actors couldn't fulfill the physical requirements of the film.

The story is entertaining enough to warrant a watch either at matinee prices, a Redbox rental or online via an Apple TV download once available. However the cost of a full evening ticket price might leave some disappointed as the film falls short on the technical aspects that help drive the story & keep viewers engaged. The flashback sequences had an intentional blur effect to remind viewers the adult just on screen is now the child on screen (which wasn't necessary). Very little was left to the viewers imagination in this regard unfortunately.

There is good news. The fact this films protagonist is an assassin certainly suggests that action would be a driving force for the story. The violence didn't disappoint and if you just want a film that allows massive explosions, clever methods of killing people, helicopter rides and car chases this movie won't disappoint. The amount of action met if not exceeded expectations.

The special effects and music were reminiscent of the late 80’s and early 90’s action films. There was even some dialogue that felt like it was paying homage to the films that were featured during a period when the American slogan “movies for guys who like movies” was popular. One shouldn't be surprised considering the film is about an assassin and the last chatty film assassins I can remember were Martin Blank (John Cusack) and Grocer (Dan Ackroyd) in "Gross Pointe Blank" back in 1997.  This film was not heavy on dialogue and rightly so; however, the story telling then relies on the visual medium and while the action was ever present the special effects were blatantly obvious and the edits/cuts were so choppy it was at best a distraction.

If you want to see a film that's action driven with little thought required this is the perfect choice for you. It delivers on popcorn action sequences that excite even if they don't necessarily make sense.

I give it a shoulder shrug & a smile. No thumbs up though & zero high fives.

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