Well, I’m  humbled and a little embarrassed to admit how much I enjoyed this movie. You see, before I actually started reviewing movies, this is exactly the type of film that would cause me to turn up my nose. I’ve made an earnest attempt to go outside my comfort zone, and damned if I am not pleasantly surprised every once and a while. All I knew about this film was that it starred Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. I’m not exactly a big fan of either.

Law Abiding Citizen is a bloody, sick, and twisted tale of revenge. What if you crossed a gruesome revenge movie like I Spit on Your Grave with a implausible, tech-savy caper like Mission Impossible? Why, you would get something like this film.  Suspend your logic and enjoy the ride. Wholly original, Law Abiding Citizen had me on pins and needles, and there are enough twists and turns to make even the most jaded movie-goer giddy.

Let’s get my disclaimer out of the way so we can get down to the business of reviewing the movie:

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This week’s episode opens on the day of the FlashForward in a park, with some weird-ass Bjork playing over the background. In this opening you witness everyone pass out, some planes explode and a bus drive into a pond.  In the bus, the blacked out people are drowning except for one guy who rescues a blonde.

And now this guy, Ned, is at the hospital being interviewed for some internal bruising by Dr. Olivia Benford and her resident surgeon Bryce who before the blackout was trying to kill himself. Bryce asks what Ned saw in his flash forward which was seeing himself as a black man, which is pretty strange considering Ned is about as white as Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock.

Cut to back at the Benford house where Joseph Fiennes does some Dad-humor with an egg that I didn’t really understand and Olivia makes a crack about him not exactly being the Shakespeare of Dad-humor. Considering his role as Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, this was a little cringe-worthy.

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We have successfully avoided most Star Wars fan films here on Fan Film Friday for one reason: they’re all pretty bad. If you’ve seen one dude using After Effects to add in a lightsaber, you’ve seen them all. We’ve recently come across this little fan film, Makazie One, about a bad ass stormtrooper, that may be worth the watch.

Granted, there are plenty of continuity loopholes in the film, such as the fact that the stormtroopers are fighting an army of Boba Fett’s, even though there was only one Boba, and that there are a few different troopers who get unmasked in the story, none of which are clones.

Minor geek issues aside, the film is pretty well done, considering what it has to compete with. There is an interesting war movie overtone to the film in aesthetics, which makes for something new in the Star Wars universe.

Check out the full film after the jump, and be warned, it can be long at moments.

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I’ve got to give it to Spike Jonze. He took on the Herculean task of adapting one of the most beloved children’s books of all time, and mostly got it right. I remember the book vividly, and seeing the creatures in the movie brought to life is a spectacle to behold. It is absolutely breathtaking. They are exactly as you remember them, but real.

When Jonze decided to forgo the usual CGI, film followers exhaled a sigh of relief. Instead, a combination of puppetry, live action and CGI (for the facial expressions) was employed. Jonze said that he felt a physical presence was necessary for the actor (Max Richards) to interact with. I agree. However, at times I felt the creatures tread a little too close to H.R. Pufnstuf territory, and I would be jarred out of the movie.

The film begins with the hero Max displaying the typical antics of a boy his age. He’s hyper as hell as he dashes about the house, partakes in a snowball fight in his yard, and terrorizes the family dog. He tries to get the attention of his harried mom (Catherine Keener) and is upset when his sister leaves with her friends.

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We brought you an earlier look at a trailer for Full Circle Releasing’s upcoming horror/comedy Transylmania which while funny, wasn’t able to show you everything you might want to see about this movie. Fortunately, we can remedy that problem right now by bringing you this new Redband trailer for the film which is able to show a lot more of the “flavor” you can expect.

In case this is your first experience with Transylmania, it tells the story of a motley group of college students who embark on “the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever” at Razvan University. Of course, in true horror/comedy style, the campus isn’t located in a plush, beautiful paradise but instead, deep in the heart of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle.

Once the students arrive, all hell breaks loose and they are forced to deal with all manner of strange things like black leather-clad professors, a three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses. Actually, that last one doesn’t sound so bad.

Transylmania, which features Patrick Cavanaugh, James DeBello, Jennifer Lyons and Musetta Vander, is directed by David and Scott Hillenbrand and hits theaters on December 4th. In the meantime, click through to check out the new Redband trailer. If you do, by clicking you certify that you are eighteen years of age or older.

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For TV shows that run as long as CSI it’s expected that characters will leave the series at some point. Law & Order is a perfect example of this. However, there are rare instances when an actor or actress exits a show only to return later. Usually it’s because they realized the would-be breakout movie career they were aspiring for fell flat.

The latest comeback is by Jorja Fox who played (and will play again) Sara Sidle on the original CSI series. Producer Carol Mendelsohn stated Fox’s original five-episode run has been extended indefinately.  She went onto say:

“We will be seeing a lot more of Jorja,” says Mendelsohn. “The season is about bringing the [CSI] family back together again, so [this] was just a natural. Jorja has been the glue that has really helped to reform the bond of our team.”

“Glue”? Really? It’s been awhile since I’ve watched CSI but I never got the impression Sara was the person holding everyone together. Nevertheless, Sara’s coming back for a lot longer then anyone thought. Hey, a girl has to eat.

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Like we reported the other day, it looks like XBox Live’s Twitter, Facebook and Zune functionality will be going live soon (Nov. 17th according to the supposed UK slip). Yesterday, on XBox community manager Larry “Major” Nelson’s website, he posted the link for the Preview Program which would allow any Xbox users chosen to take a sneak peek to test this new functionality.

Larry wrote:

“I am happy to announce that we’re doing an Xbox LIVE Update Preview program for upcoming features such as Zune, Facebook and Twitter. Much like we have done in the past , you’ll need to visit the Microsoft Connect site from this link and sign in with your Windows LIVE ID that is connected to your Xbox LIVE Gamertag.”

Once you do that, you need to fill out the “Xbox LIVE Update Preview Sign Up” survey in order to be considered for receiving the Preview System Update. We’re asking a few questions about where you live, your home network, ISP connection and a few other pieces of information. We are looking for a good cross-section of our members in order to get the best feedback we can.

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Those who have been a fan of Warner Bros’ Supernatural know that the show has only gotten better in it’s four and a half seasons. The show struggled on the WB for a while, but then thrived when the network made the switch to the new “CW”.

This season has been heating up quite a bit and we’ve got a brand new video package showing us clips from the next three episodes of the show. First, from tonight’s “I Believe the Children Are Our Future”, A series of strange and seemingly unexplainable deaths in a small town lead Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) to the home of a young local boy, whose true identity has Castiel (Misha Collins) bent on his immediate destruction.

From “The Curious Case of Dean Winchester”, airing next Thursday, when a 25-year-old man drops dead of old age and a 60-something man goes missing, only to turn up young and extremely healthy, the Winchesters investigate and discover a backroom poker game where players gamble to win or lose years of their lives. And finally, in “Changing Channels”, airing on November 5, Sam and Dean find themselves living their lives on what appear to be TV shiows. It takes an interesting turn when the show changes from sitcom, to soapy hospital drama to Japanese gameshow.

Catch the preview clip after the jump, and be sure to catch Supernatural on the CW every Thursday at 9pm ET/PC.

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We don’t usually post video from late night shows like Jimmy Fallon’s unless they contain something very special. Well, in this case, these three videos do contain something very special. In a very rare TV appearance, the surviving members of the legendary Monty Python appeared on television as guests on Jimmy Fallon last night — and we’ve got video.

On the show, Fallon asked the guys about how they started the group, where they got their name and their new IFC documentary. Plus, Eric Idle got up on stage with The Roots to perform the Python classic “Always Look On The Bright Side of Life.” I’m not going to lie, I love Monty Python and seeing these guys together sure is fun. Yes, I realize they were probably on the show in large part to promote their upcoming IFC documentary but who cares, its frakking Monty Python!

Anyway, be sure to check out the three videos (complete with descriptions) after the break. Monty Python’s IFC documentary “Almost the Truth” airs October 18-23 on the channel.

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Welcome to The Pull List Comic Reviews! Get comfy as a few titles elected to go with short stories this week, meaning we’ve got a lot to cover. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

PULL OF THE WEEK:

Deadpool #900 – Marvel Comics – $4.99 US
Writers: Jason Aaron, Fred Van Lente, Mike Benson, Joe Kelly, Duane Swierczynski, Victor Gischler, Charlie Huston Artists: Chris Staggs, Dalibor Talajic, Damion Scott, Rob Liefeld, Shawn Crystal, Sanford Greene, Kyle Baker
Score: 9.0

Has there been a hotter commodity in recent times than Deadpool? Hard to argue, but looking back you’ll find that the first issue of this title was launched last year amid much fanfare. Fast-forward twelve months and the character has starred in a one-shot (Deadpool: Games of Death), a mini-series (Deadpool: Suicide Kings), a second ongoing series (Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth) and an upcoming third ongoing (Deadpool Team-Up). What better way to hammer home his arrival in the spotlight – yeah, there was a Marvel Spotlight issue, too – than to give him a #900 issue, a first for comics?

The line-up of creators that contributed to this issue is ridiculous, so it’s no surprise that these seven short stories completely shine in their own right. Not a single dud in the mix. How could there be? He fights mimes in one short while staging a Vegas CSI scene in another, both with cataclysmic results. He gets abducted by aliens (poor aliens!) and spends quality time with his shrink (poor shrink!). He even puts the blinders on as he aims to collect on a childhood bet! Obviously, there’s no limits where ‘Pool is concerned.

Fourth walls be damned, in one memorable short he has a philosophical debate with his other inner-voices to determine which came first, the chicken or the egg. Accompanied by Kyle Baker’s visually trippy art, said short doesn’t end well for one reader, and bodes nothing but ill tidings to the rest of the readers out there, yourself included. But fear not as Deadpool embarks on a vacation cruise, systematically infuriating the entire crew and guests, and ultimately settling his differences with a fierce battle against Doc Ock… in ping pong.

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As you have seen, we’ve been closely following the release of DJ Hero, the next step in rhythm gaming from Activision. Today is no exception as the company has now released the full 93 song set list for the game. While all club styled mixes, remixes and mashups, DJ Hero boasts one of the most varied collection of artists in any Hero franchise release.

With everything from the Jackson 5 to 2Pac, Daft Punk to Queen and everything in between, that variety of DJ Hero’s playlist is unmatched, as long as you like mashups and remixes. If you are a musical purist to the extreme, this game isn’t really what you’d be looking for.

In addition, the game will feature 10 tracks where players can plug in their Guitar Hero guitar and play alongside their friend on the DJ Hero turntable for a true real time rock / dance mashup. But the track we are most excited to try out… Vanilla Ice “Ice Ice Baby” vs. MC Hammer “You Can’t Touch This” which brings together the two most famous “hip hop” acts from our youth and combines two of the catchiest songs of the early nineties.

Click through to check out the full set list.

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I’ve known James Sime for several years now. What I’ve learned about the proprietor of San Francisco’s Isotope Comics Lounge and his staff is that they always strive to make Isotope quite different from your average comic book store. Currently, James and his staff are preparing for some big upcoming events.

On October 17th and 18th at the Concourse is the annual Alternative Press Expo (APE), and for the seventh year, James and his staff will be handing out the Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics at their 8th annual APE Aftermath on the 17th. But this year, James is also having comic artist-extraordinaire Dean Haspiel for an in-store event on Friday the 16th, the night before APE is officially underway. Recently, I had a short talk with Sime about these events, his store, and well, comics.

Joey Pangilinan: What makes selling comics so fun for you?

James Sime: Well, it’s the greatest job in the universe. I love comics, and I love people. And I love that every time someone comes into the store,  I instantly have something in common with them. Even if they don’t already read comics, they’re interested in reading comics.

They’re like “Well, that looks neat, I’ll go in the front door of that place.” I love that I have that instant connection with people through comics. But I was freaked out that first day. It was terrifying. I was terrified the first three years.

JP: When did you know you had a good grasp on how to run the store?

JS: I always thought that long before I owned a comic book store, that what I wanted to do with a comic book store would be awesome. I always thought comic book stores should have an art gallery, it should have a lounge, they should throw events, they should have tons of community stuff to support. If you make some little book in your basement, they should be excited to see it. I always thought one of the big problems about comic stores is that I thought they were kind of unfriendly to new readers and women.

I’m from the bar industry, and the old bar adage anywhere there is five women twenty-five men will find them. And I was like “Why isn’t somebody making a comic book store for women? Women love to read. They love comics. What’s wrong with them?” So I made a comic book store for girls, and boys, too.

JP: Is that the biggest carry-over lesson you learned from life as a bartender to now as a comic store owner?

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