I felt like doing this after seeing the movie too.

Before I complain about how awful this film was, I guess I should really talk about some of the cool things in this film. Yes, there actually were a few. Ghost Rider looks a bit cooler now. His skull is charred, as well as his jacket, so overall, the character looks a bit better than he did in the first film. The fight scenes were also pretty cool as well.

Duncan Macleod in the year 5430

Best part for me was seeing Christopher Lambert in this film. He plays a tattooed monk of a secret order that has way too much old wine hanging around. During one scene, Lambert’s character is holding a sword above a child’s head, about to cut it off, and I couldn’t help but whisper “there can be only one.” I guess it’s the little things that get me excited.

This movie also tries to take bits and pieces from Danny Way’s GHOST RIDER run from a few years back where Johnny realizes that the demon within him is actually an angel who went nuts. However, the total time they spent on this is about 2 minutes, which he has to use the angel side of the rider to heal a boy.

Directing Team From Hell

Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine were the directors of this flick. You may know them as the directors of The Gamer and The Crank films. Also, they both wrote the screenplay for the Jonah Hex film. Sadly, I didn’t know this going in, but realized about 5 minutes into the film that this looked way too much like Crank and that these guy love shaky, hand-held cameras. The last thing I want is a super shaky shot during an action scene. I have no clue what’s going on. Seriously, it’s like the camera was fed an 8-ball of cocaine before they started shooting.

There’s a few key scenes that are just plain awful, but the stand out one is when Johnny and Danny ride Johnny’s motorcycle together. It was a good 2 minutes of the directors trying to prove to me that what was on the screen was cool and not pointless in any way. I don’t care about popping wheelies and stoppies, get back to the movie please and put the camera on a tripod.

Nicolas Cage

I have a love/hate opinion of this guy. I love his serious work (Matchstick Men/Weather Man) and I even love his silly work (Con Air, Face Off), but when he gets behind a movie I actually care about, I worry. He tends to overdo it a bit, and by “bit” I mean a lot, and that’s the case in this new Ghost Rider flick. At times, I’ll admit, his acting was downright hilarious, like his work in the remake of The Wicker Man, especially during the scene where Blaze is trying to hold back the rider and yells “IT’S SCRATCHING AT THE DOOOOR!” In a way that only Nicolas Cage can scream it.

He’s over-the-top and ridiculous the vast majority of the time. I don’t know what happened between this film and the first Ghost Rider, but we’re seeing a completely different Johnny Blaze now. One that has lost his mind and completely forgotten how to interact with people without screaming.

3D? Really?

I don’t think the 3D aspect brought in anyone who wasn’t going to see this in the first place. 3D literally did nothing for this film. Sure, there were a few things flying at you from the screen, but that’s about it. No extra depth and no real purpose. The only people that got anything out of it was the movie theater when they charged me an extra dollar. Ghost Rider is among the 90% of 3D films that come out that are a prime example of what not to do with a 3D film.

No One Took Making This Film Seriously

It’s ridiculous how much no one seemed to care about making a good film… Need some proof?

Does it count as indecent exposure if you don’t have genitalia?

That’s Ghost Rider peeing fire. That’s right. The film spends a lot of time trying to convince the audience that everyone in this movie and that everything happening is cool. Ghost Rider is cool enough on his own. We don’t need the motorcycle wheelie ride, the peeing of fire, and well, everything else. This movie seems like a paycheck to everyone involved and nothing else. There’s so much potential in this series, and I feel like it was all thrown away for a few dumb jokes, a potentially good storyline that was ruined by everything else in the film, and tons of CGI.

This film is one of the worst of all the comic book films in the 21st century. There was potential for greatness in it, especially since the first film was a decent start to the series. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is a film that simply doesn’t care what you think of it because it’s the “cool” kid at the back of the party trying to play acoustic guitar over the stereo and everyone’s conversations. At first glance, you might be into it, but if you actually pay attention, you’ll realize everything about him is oh so wrong… and the only song he knows how to play is the opening verse to “Santeria” by Sublime… and he’s Nicolas Cage.

How do you fix what’s already unfixable? Well, reboots seem to be the way to go. It worked for Batman, and although this character isn’t as profitable, it could work for Ghost Rider. Just take the film and the character seriously. Is it that hard? There’s tons of great Ghost Rider stories to work with, especially the Danial Way run. Start there. Stop being goofy.

Did you guys see this film? What did you like or dislike about it?

Carl Edwards finished the 2011 season in a tie atop the points with Tony Stewart, who won the title on a tiebreaker. Edwards says he wouldn’t have changed anything about his performance last year.

After his excruciatingly close loss to Tony Stewart for last year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, it might be very easy for us to envision at least two scenarios for Carl Edwards:

He falls into a deep depression, goes into hiding and doesn’t emerge until mid-January. He looks like a hermit.

He gathers members of his team together and demands that they join him to scrutinize everything about their performance in 2011, right down to the last detail. It doesn’t matter how long it takes.

Somewhere there has to be the one mistake that cost them the title and can be avoided in 2012.

Truth is the last time I saw Edwards didn’t look like a hermit. He was the same ol’ Carl.

And he didn’t play slave driver to his team.

Edwards has accepted his narrow defeat with the knowledge that he and his team did their best.

Could they have done any one, single thing to change the outcome?

“I’ve been asked that question 4,000 times,” Edwards said. “But, hey, I understand.

“We sat down and we had a meeting. We all sat there and it was Jack (Roush, team owner), Robbie (Reiser), Bob (Osborne, crew chief) and me, and the first thing Jack asked was that same question.

“And I started to kind of think and Bob said, ‘Hey, no. If we started that Chase again right now, we’d do the same thing. We’d put our effort in the same places and I wouldn’t change a thing.’”

Edwards’ bid to win his first Cup title is now part of what is the closest contest in history – one that has already become a part of NASCAR lore.

When the Chase began after the 26^th race of the season, at Richmond, Edwards was fifth in points, eight points behind leaders Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.

Stewart was ninth in points without a victory. He was so disgusted he claimed his Stewart Haas Racing team wasn’t good enough to be in the Chase.

But Stewart quickly began the remarkable run that would carry him to the title.

Edwards and his wife Kate attended last year’s NASCAR Awards Ceremony as runnerup. If Edwards has his way that will change for the better this year.

He won the first two races of the Chase, at Chicagoland and New Hampshire. He vaulted to first place in points, three spots ahead of Edwards.

Two races later, Edwards was first, Stewart seventh after two consecutive finishes well out of the top 10.

Another two events later Edwards still clung to first place. But Stewart streaked to second, just three points in arrears, after consecutive victories at Martinsville and Texas.

There were two races left in the season.

Edwards finished second at Phoenix, Stewart third. Edwards led Stewart by three points.

In the last race of the season, at Homestead, Stewart won his fifth race of the Chase while Edwards finished second. The season ended with 2,403 points for each.

In boxing it would have been a draw. There are no draws in NASCAR.

The sanctioning body used the championship tiebreaker. Because Stewart had five wins on the season and Edwards only one, the title went to Stewart. It was the third of his career.

It doesn’t matter what sport it is or who the athlete is. To lose a championship in such a way has to be deflating.

Edwards certainly felt his share of disappointment. But he remains philosophical, practical and realistic.

“As we sat there and talked about it, there were some races, Martinsville and Kansas in particular, where we were truly running somewhere in the high twenties or low thirties,” Edwards recalled. “We were running laps down and we were able to come back those days and finish ninth at Martinsville and fifth at Kansas.

“I know that doesn’t seem as exciting as a victory, but on those days I was more proud of those guys and our ability to gather up points.

“Those two days themselves were probably 40 points we didn’t really deserve, so at the end of the championship, when you look at it, we tied a guy who won half of the races, and I venture to say that if we would have been able to win half of those races, we’d have just dominated that thing.”

Edwards noted that his team’s efforts throughout the Chase, and not just at Martinsville and Kansas, were the biggest reasons he was able to contend for a title at all.

“We did the very best we could and there weren’t any races where I got out of the car and felt like, ‘Oh man, I could have gotten another spot,’” Edwards said. “I got out of the car in seven or eight of those races and I thought, ‘Thank you Lord for the spots you gave me,’ and we were able to capitalize on them.”

In 2012, Edwards is off to a good start. He won the pole for the Daytona 500, leading a Roush Fenway sweep as teammate Greg Biffle earned the other spot on the front row.

Stewart qualified No. 10, but he, too, has made an auspicious start. He would have won the Budweiser Shootout if not for some brilliant driving by a victorious Busch, who nipped Stewart in the closest finish in the history of the Shootout.

Edwards and Stewart will not be overlooked when it comes to Daytona 500 favorites.

Of course, it is ridiculously early to suggest Edwards and Stewart will again fight it out for the championship. But then, they’ve already made some headlines.

On the other hand, Edwards and team have made no changes. He believes none are necessary.

“In the end, it ended up a tie and that’s it,” he said. “I don’t know how else to look at it.

“Another simple way to put it is we didn’t lose it. We didn’t go out there and do anything wrong. We went out and raced hard and raced well and they came and they beat us.”

http://motorsportsunplugged.com.

For me, the announcement of Cartoon Network’s “DC Nation” shorts was one of the best pieces of TV news in recent memory. As much as it focused on the big names like Superman and Batman, one of the best things about shows like Justice League Unlimited was getting to see a spotlight on some of the more obscure characters, and a series of shorts built on that same idea, including a return of the animated Teen Titans, is pretty exciting.

But the most exciting thing by far has been the announcement of Super Best Friends Forever, a series about Supergirl, Batgirl and Wonder Girl developed by Lauren Faust. This week, TV guide unveiled the character designs, and as you might expect from the creator of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, they are adorable.

Faust posted a scan of the article at her DeviantArt page, which included a brief quote about the “visual joke” style of the shorts:

“[SBFF] has plenty of action and fighting, but is really much more focused on comedy and laughs and how much fun it is to be a superhero,” says producer Lauren Faust. “It’s like taking a teenage experience but putting a super-hero spin on it. In one episode, Supergirl ad Batgirl try to convince Wonder Girl to sneak out in Wonder Woman’s invisible jet and go for a joyride.”

Considering that my favorite Supergirl story of the past decade was Supergirl’s Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, that sounds like exactly what I’d like to see.

In addition to the first look at character designs for SBFF, the TV Guide article also included a few other tidbits about the DC Nation Block, including the confirmation that those Plastic Man shorts we were excited about last year had finally found a home in the block, as well as shedding some light on a few of the other characters that we’ll be seeing.

For those of you who missed it, yes: We are now living in a world in which there is technically a cartoon all about the breakdancing gang member-turned-super-hero star of the “Justice League Detroit” era, Vibe.

Believe me, I’m as surprised as you are.

It’s also worth noting that the DC Nation block is set to air on Saturday Mornings at 10 AM, which means that it’s in the same time slot as new episodes of My Little Pony on the Hub, meaning that Faust’s fans will have a difficult choice to make.

Unless they remember to set the DVR to record one, I mean.

(Via Spinoff)

Tags:   Batgirl – DC Nation – DcNation – Lauren Faust – LaurenFaust – My Little Pony – MyLittlePony – Super Best Friends Forever – SuperBestFriendsForever – Supergirl – Wonder Girl – WonderGirl

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/02/21/super-best-friends-forever-dc-nation-lauren-faust/#ixzz1n3iv6MT7

After some serious taunting by the Undertaker tonight on Raw, Triple H has finally agreed to face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. However, that doesn’t signify the end of the story. Triple H has told the Undertaker he will face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, but only if it’s a hell in the cell match.
What a firework right there. The Undertaker has had some of the best moments in WWE history in Hell in the Cell matches, so in this, likely his final match, going out in Hell in the Cell against another future hall of famer….wow. This could be the match of a lifetime.
I will now certainly tune in to Wrestlemania and see what goes down.

http://network.yardbarker.com/wwe/article_external/triple_h_will_face_the_undertaker_at_wrestlemania_in_a_hell_in_the_cell_match/10027381

- During an interview with SportsVibe.uk, former WWE Diva Trish Stratus teased a possible match with Divas champion Beth Phoenix at WrestleMania 28. Stratus, who has been going back and forth with Phoenix on Twitter, had this to say about a possible match:
“Beth was saying that she was the most dominant champion, so I thought I would just let her know that title is already taken. As for a match between Beth and myself at WrestleMania that is an excellent proposition and I think the fans would love that. I’ve actually had the opportunity to tangle up with Beth Phoenix a couple of times and I think that she is amazing in the ring and I would love to kick her ass actually.”

A brief summary of activities appear below, which though we do not consider as spoilers (there are no plot points for the episode being filmed), some readers may prefer not to continue reading!

Cast

The first guest star for the series has been revealed as the comic/actor Mark Williams. Having come to fame as one of the faces of The Fast Show, Williams has appeared in a variety of television and films, most recently on Sunday evenings as vampire lore-master Regus in Toby Whithouse‘s supernatural show Being Human. Arguably, though, the actor is now recognisable worldwide though his role as Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise.

On Location

Recording took place inside a private house in Church Road, Penarth, which had been dressed to represent the Amy/Rory household. Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan were on set, as was Mark Williams.

Resident Grace Jenkins kept Twitter followers appraised of activities inside, including set-dressing the week before:

Fri 12:20pm Living room has been cruelly disfigured so they can film Doctor Who in it.
Fri 4:26pm Rory and Amy Pond’s wedding photos are now on my living room wall and will be all weekend as they’re filming Monday.

8:18am I just met Mr Weasley!
8:51am What a lovely group of people.
9:18am Karen Gillan keeps playing my piano.
10:18am Blows my mind how many people it takes to make a tv show. I’ve counted at least 50.
1:58pmSO glad I can finally just get a bloody cup of tea without tripping over camera leads.

Although cosplay has been present for decades within the comics, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy fandoms, social media has played an integral role in the thriving community of costuming that exists today and cosplay communities such as Cosplay.com and the Superhero Costuming Forum. In honor of the many fans who’ve displayed excellence in the mastery of homemade disguise, craftsmanship, and sartorial superheroics, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), a weekly collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we’ve discovered and assembled into our own super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent.

Frodo & Samwise, photographed by Judy Stephens

Batman ’66, photographed by Sandman-AC

Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, & Detective Gumshoe, cosplayed by CaptainMiles, cupcake-rufflebutt, & GeronKizan

Silk Spectre/Sally Jupiter, cosplayed by FireLilyCosplay

Misty & Staryu, cosplayed by JadedInNowhere

Nightwing, cosplayed by Stargazer-Gemini

Hikaru, photographed by evalime

Serah Farron, cosplayed by Salvarion

Morpheus, cosplayed by Sarcasm-hime

Alucard, cosplayed by Faeryx13

Black Canary, cosplayed by clefchan

Fujimoto & Granmamere, cosplayed by alita-b-angel & arlo-arleh

Livewire, cosplayed by 4Shikatsu4

Black Cat, cosplayed by Lady-I-Hellsing

Kamen Rider Kiva, photographed by hellsign

Do you have a stellar costume that you would like to share with ComicsAlliance? Submit your photos HERE!

Tags:   best cosplay ever – BestCosplayEver – cosplay

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/02/20/best-cosplay-ever-this-week-02-20-12/#ixzz1mwSX23Wg ]]> http://kesslerkomics.com/130384/httpwww-comicsalliance-com/fan-tastic-cosplay-including-adam-west-batman-black-canary-morpheus-and-more/feed/ 0 http://kesslerkomics.com/130386/httpwww-comicvine-com/batmans-night-of-the-owls-crossover-goes-to-the-old-west/ http://kesslerkomics.com/130386/httpwww-comicvine-com/batmans-night-of-the-owls-crossover-goes-to-the-old-west/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:05:00 +0000 G-Man http://www.comicvine.com/news/batmans-night-of-the-owls-crossover-goes-to-the-old-west/144306/ Continue reading →]]> Ever since Scott Snyder brought the idea of the Court of Owls to Gotham City, we’ve been seeing bits about their history. The Court has supposedly existed for over a Century yet Batman was certain there was no truth to that. He discovered their true nature the hard way.

With the upcoming Night of the Owls crossover in all the Bat-Family titles, it’s not just today’s heroes of Gotham that will be dealing with them. We’ll also be seeing the Court’s existence going back to the 1880s in the pages of ALL-STAR WESTERN.

Late last week, DC’s The Source revealed some of the plans in how Jonah Hex will be dealing with the Court in his time period. ALL-STAR WESTERN co-writer, Justin Gray, said the following:

‘Plans within plans.’ That’s one of my favorite lines from Frank Herbert’s eco-sci-fi epic, Dune. It is also one of the hardest things to convey in a monthly comic where readers are often second-guessing the outcome or direction of a series. There is always a larger plan at work and things are never quite what they seem. Both Batman and Jonah Hex have been discovering this fact in their own unique ways. Having chosen Gotham City as the unlikely setting for ALL-STAR WESTERN, Jimmy and I thought long and hard about the different ways we could make the book interesting to both new readers and the Jonah Hex faithful. To do that we began our initial arc with the secret society called The Crime Bible trying to establish its roots in 1880’s Gotham. At the same time over in BATMAN, readers were introduced to The Court of Owls.

By now you know both organizations existed long before the caped crusader launched his one-man campaign to save the soul of a city. So starting in May, The Court of Owls, the Talon, the secret history of Gotham, Crime Bible, Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham…some of the most unlikely and surprising elements start falling seamlessly in to place. It has been months and months in the making, but the plans within plans are coming to fruition and even the most cynical fan has to admit this New 52 thing is pretty damn exciting.

If seeing the Court back in the 1880s wasn’t enough, DC has also shown Greg Capullo‘s designs for a ‘mid-Victorian’ era Talon that will be a threat in the pages of BIRDS OF PREY during the crossover.

Capullo commented:

Now I’m thinking Jack the Ripper. Cloaks and lots of layers. A bird’s feathers are all layered. Perfect.

Guess we’ll be finding out a little about the Court from the 1840s as well. This appears to be DC’s first major crossover since the “New 52″ started and it’s shaping up to be one of the best we’ve seen in a while.