OK, here is my dilemma. I’m a little in love with Frank Castle (a lot of women are, apparently- it’s unbelievable how often that guy gets laid, considering his chosen career). The Punisher is my favorite comic character, due to his complex psychology and sheer badass factor (and the fact that my own personal savior Garth Ennis has written him for so long on the Marvel Knights and Max series).

So far Hollywood has screwed me twice on Punisher movies; first with Dolph Lundgren on a motorcycle, then with Thomas Jane, who would have been good if he’d had anything at all to work with. God strike that memory from my brain!

But Marvel is finally making their own movies. And they are using Jigsaw, one of very few recurring Punisher villains (for the obvious reasons). And as much as I am wary of the casting of the stupid guy from “Rome”, he looks a lot like Frank from the Marvel Knights series.

But just once, ONCE, I would like to see the white boots and gloves. I know they’re impractical, but it’s my favorite Punisher costume! >whines<

Help me Yellow Menace readers, you’re my only hope! Should I give movie Frank one more chance?

http://www.punishermovie.com/

Just a heads up - the trailer for Zack Snyder’s Watchmen is hitting Empire Film tonight at midnight, EST. For those of us who won’t be in a theater watching Batman: The Dark Knight - this is our consolation prize…

Will the film live up to fan’s expectations? Probably impossible - but I’m willing to give Snyder the benefit of the doubt. My only hope is that we get a look at Snyder’s vision for Dr. Manhattan - I’m guessing he’ll be in a slight reveal at the tail end of the trailer, or not at all.

Never mind all that crap - here it is! And boy was I wrong about Dr. Manhattan. Can I get a double-W00t!?!

Ah, Hell - they nixed the YouTube version…never mind. It was crap quality anyhow. Here’s a link to the re-vamped website, which has the trailer available in a variety of formats. Enjoy!

I knew I was going to like ABC Family’s new show ‘The Middle Man‘ when the above line was uttered about two minutes in. Based on a graphic novel by ‘Lost‘ scripter Javier Grillo-Marxuach, ‘The Middle Man‘ is a veritable pop-culture feast. The humor is decidedly self-referential, and even when the jokes don’t work (and they fall flat about as often as they fly) the show’s heart is definitely in the right place. I mean - where else can you hear hentai references in American prime time?

Better yet, you don’t even have to have cable television to enjoy it - ABC Family is thoughtfully making the series available online.

Link to Episode 1

Our good friend Jason (aka ‘Centurion’ for old-skool Yellow-Menace / Destroy-All-Monsters visitors) sent us this short-but-sweet review of the new Iron Man movie.

Much to the surprise of some of my friends, I didn’t read comic books when I was growing up. I watched cartoons like other kids, but I never really got into the whole comic thing. I knew the headliners like Superman, Spiderman and Batman mainly because their either had their own movies or their own cartoons. I may have heard of Iron Man and knew a bit about the character: Billionaire playboy turned superhero who flies around in a metal suit blowing shit up. That was pretty much all I knew, but it was enough. When I heard this movie was coming out I had a mix of boyish excitement and nervous dread. An Iron Man movie could either be very very cool, or very very horrible. My first question of course, was who is going to play lead head.

The answer was Robert Downey Jr., and I can honestly say once I heard it I was intrigued. I had long been a half-hearted fan of Downey ever since I first saw his drug addict performance in Less Than Zero; a movie which would ironically describe long periods of Downey’s life. Downey was this somewhat insane and unpredictable Hollywood cat. He was Johnny Depp before Johnny Depp was, although with a lot more drug and criminal baggage (or at least his was more public). In addition to this he was by all accounts, a complete asshole. Right or wrong he was at least up front about it, and that at least I always admired. I mean, who better to play a ruthless, cold, sarcastic, egotistical weapons dealer than Robert Downey Jr.? I think the trailer speaks for itself.

Even as cool as this all seemed, however, I had to know if it would live up to the hype. After seeing the movie I can honestly say it does, and then some. It is dramatic and cool without taking itself too seriously. There are a lot of comedic moments, mainly Downey’s, that just work. The script, the performances, the special effects, the direction and even the pace of the movie are superb. I’m not one to geek out when I’m at a theater, but I can honestly say I was alternating between laughing out loud, clapping, cheering and just sitting there staring in amazement. I think the best compliments I can pay the movie are these: First, I was so into the story that the special effects took a back seat, which is very impressive considering what an effects-driven movie this is. Second, I’d pay to go see it again, tomorrow.

If you are even remotely interested, or if you just want to feel like your money is well-spent when you go to the theater, then go see Iron Man. Now.