May movies, part 3 of 3.

97. (1326.) The Case of the Howling Dog (1934)
The first filmed Perry Mason mystery! It's a bit dry, and Perry is quite unlike what those of us used to Raymond Burr would expect (any lawyer who behaved this way on a regular basis would soon be answering to the bar). That said, the mystery was good and the twist ending was a nice touch.

98. (1327.) Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter (1939)
This was the third Nancy Drew movie ever made, and the third of four to feature Bonita Granville in the title role. (I've reviewed the others here and here.) I'd say this was my third favorite.

99. (1328.) Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
There's a lot I didn't like about this adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic: too much CGI, too many Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes-style action scenes. However, Kenneth Branaugh's Poirot is delightful, and the film, as a whole, is so very much better than the dull 1970s movie adaptation that no one ever needs to watch that one ever again.

100. (1329.) Battle of the Bulge (1965)
Robert Shaw is the prototypical Nazi tank commander in this vast oversimplification of one of the most well-known battles of World War II. I find little to recommend here.

101. (1330.) How to Be a Latin Lover (2017)
This is a light comedy about a delusional, selfish man learning to be part of a family. It's cute. Not a terrible way to pass a couple of hours.

More to come.

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Spotted on Twitter:

This panel is about as accurate as anything else you might expect to find on the Internet, by which I mean it's not true. Nothing like this happened in a Superman comic. Not exactly like this, anyway. To see who Superman was really talking to, see "The Superman Super-Spectacular!" in Action Comics #309, 1964.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, DC Comics is planning to restore their lapsed Vertigo imprint. Vertigo was prominent in the late 1990s as home to creator-owned, outside-the-mainstream, usually non-superhero storytelling. My personal favorite previous Vertigo title was Garth Ennis' Preacher, in which Jesse Custer hunts down God to make the creator atone for the suffering he has brought to humanity.

I'm particularly pleased by this announcement mainly for one reason: Mark Russell. Russell is the writer whose sharply satirical take on the most hypocritical and destructive tendencies of modern American life have made placed recent DC series Prez, The Flintstones, and The Snagglepuss Chronicles on my must-read list.

Next year, Russell looks to be starting a new Vertigo comic, Second Coming. Per the advanced solicitation description:

God sends Jesus to Earth in hopes that he will learn the family trade from Sun-Man, an all-powerful superhero, who is like the varsity quarterback son God never had. But, upon his return to Earth, Christ is appalled to discover what has become of his Gospel and vows to set the record right.

Great Caesar's Ghost! What morally perfect, solar-powered, faster-than-a-speeding-bullet, stronger-than-a-locomotive superhero could be the inspiration for Sun-Man? (Hint: it's not Batman.)

Yes. I will definitely be reading this.

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All-Star Superman #10

Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain, an estimated 865 less-famous Americans.... This week could have used a little more Superman.

(See also: "Superman and the Jumper" from Superman #701.)

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More movies from May:

92. (1321.) Spy (2017)
From trailers, I was expecting this Melissa McCarthy movie to be a gender-swapped The Man Who Knew Too Little, but it manages to treat everyone (except Jason Statham) with at least some modicum of sympathy and respect. I enjoyed it.

93. (1322.) Baywatch (2017)
I can't say this film was exactly respectful of its characters (truly, the villains were all so paper thin, their names didn't even matter), but it wasn't nearly as ruthlessly deconstructive or lunkheaded as so many dramatic-television-shows-turned-comedic-movies tend to be. I enjoyed this, too.

94. (1323.) It (1927)
No, this isn't the killer clown movie but the silent film that made Clara Bow a household name as The "It" Girl. I didn't care for the predatory aspect of the gold-digging shop girl trying to land her rich boss, or the complication that he'd turn his back on her after a misunderstanding over what may be her child, but it has held up well enough that it wouldn't be too out of place in, say, Jennifer Lopez's filmography.

95. (1324.) Lady Bird (2017)
Every bit as good as advertised. (I admit I'm an utter sap for a good coming-of-age yarn.)

96. (1325.) There Goes My Heart (1938)
This romantic comedy starts with some really snappy dialogue. It needs this early good will when it struggles to get over the inevitable third act "will they or won't they" hump on its way to the inevitable "yes."

More to come.

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