After the release of the Watchmen motion comic, it’s very trendy to produce more motion comics. Essentially, they are the most faithful forms of the comics translated to the multimedia form with action and voices. The pages should, literally, pop out to your face. I’ve heard the Watchmen motion comics are atrocious as the voices were terrible and uneven, but Marvel Comics’ Spiderwoman should fare better. And with 5 ten-minute long episodes, writer Brian Michael Bendis is successful with his execution of entertainment.

The plot is fairly simple. Jessica Drew, the first Spiderwoman, is the most hated woman in the Marvel Universe. The shape-shifting Skrulls’ queen used her face as the instigator of the alien invasion. Now she is deeply depressed, but lands a job as an agent of S.W.O.R.D. by Abigail Brand. Her first mission is to kill a hiding skrull in the seedy Madripoor, but has to deal with prison, Madame Hydra, Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts, and more shape-shifting skrulls. There’s a special appearance from her teammates, the New Avengers, but she ultimately comes to term with her identity and takes the offer as the sole agent of S.W.O.R.D.

What’s most impressing is artist Alex Maleev’s moody and gritty artwork as it blends the voice acting and special effects. My only irritations are Spiderwoman’s characterization as suicidal and worse than Wolverine while the panels simply shift with minimal movement. These are minor issues as her characterization improves while the moving art becomes very bearable. The Spiderwoman motion comic is looking pretty good and entertaining, but I’m excited to see the X-Men motion comic, as it looks superior and badass.

Monday evening belonged to the vampires and the werewolves. And in particular, the fans of the supernatural bombarded the Stonestown mall with fanatics lined up at 7:30 in the morning. They were misled that the show was canceled, but later on in the day, MILFs, guilty college students, and middle school tweens shouted to two of the stars from the epic pantheon: Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene. Now I’m not a fan of the Twilight movies/books at all, but I was starstruck at their beauty. They are sculpted in perfection and both have charisma to woo all the audience. There were less than 1,000 people, unlike the craziness of last year’s Rob Mania. With no further ado, I provide simple pictures and vids that took place in San Francisco, Monday November 9.

The Box is an intriguing movie wrapped up in an enigma. Based on writer Richard Matheson’s 10-page short story, “Button, Button,” it’s about a suburban couple’s choice (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) to push a mysterious button that results in receiving one million dollars and a stranger dying. In this feature-length film directed by Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), the setting is rightfully set in 1970s Richmond to show the paranoia of its time. To ruin the film, the couple pushes the button and the couple is swept away to a bizarre world filled with Mars conspiracies, alien water, nosebleeds, suburban zombies, and afterlife moments.

The film is effectively creepy as it borrows elements from the Twilight Zone (the script was adapted to an episode), but the claustrophobic soft lighting and the chilling Hitchcockian/Hermann-esque music done by Arcade Fire will leave the audience in a paralysis of unexpectancy. Diaz and Marsden do fine acting, but the real award should go to Frank Langella as he plays the charming, yet sinister man delivering the box. Even his disfigured face would not surprise you, but the 70s ghastly wallpaper will. Although there is a lot to take in with all the conspiracies and plots, The Box is worth seeing, harkening back to a good suspenseful “Twilight Zone-esque” thriller.

My Rating: B

I had nowhere to input these ingenious thoughts, so I’m giving a few quick thoughts on my blog. These would have been great ideas for stories, but they still need a lot of work to fully get there. Until then, enjoy my thoughts.

Pizza Parlors:

Inside the buildings of Downtown San Francisco, there lies an underground room engorged with 80s nostalgia. Vinyl records of Madonna and Prince are plastered against the wall while the stereo plays hits like Duran Duran’s “Wild Boys” and Stacey Q’s “Two of Hearts.” No, it’s not a special 80s nightclub or a black hole leading to a 80s recording studio; it is a pizza parlor. It’s the most common place to eat, but many small pizza parlors adorn themselves with the decade of Atari, vinyl records, and shoulder pads.

By definition, pizza parlors are places where pizzas are made and sold. But the décor of the 1980s is so common for the natural observant that it’s cemented in their mind. There’s not a trace of why pizza parlors are created in that form, but the decadent decade and the pizza parlor fit perfectly with the underground subculture. Many non-bourgeoisie, San Francisco-based pizza parlors are adorned with the 80s: Escape from New York in the Haight district is named after the 80s movie, Roundtable Pizzas have the arcade games, and Blondie’s Pizza is located underground with album covers of the decade.

Cursive Writing:

It just occurred to me that no one writes in cursive handwriting. What was once a painstakingly agonizing middle school practice activity has become a relic. I remember writing to distinguish my Vs to by Us, but never got it. My teacher probably reprimanded me, but really, they are oblivious to the fact that they are teaching an activity that will NEVER be used. Can they teach useful activities like online typing? Cursive Writing is mainly used for signature writing and for those people who feel the need to write chicken scratch to their superiors. Good luck.

Slow Dancing:

What song do you remember slow dancing to in middle school? Mine? Spice Girls’ “Too Much.” I remember asking a plethora of people and they’ve named songs from Ginuwine’s “Differences” to Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road.” Memories that I believe people would like to forget. Ah, yet another lost art form that is rarely used- if ever. This lost dance form harkens back to the simple times of the middle school years. I don’t even remember slow dancing in high school. But it is a lost art form in the simple practice of courting the opposite sex- then screwing them. Sure, there are places that still use slow dancing like ballroom dancing, but in the arenas of nightclubs and bars, slow dancing is simply irrelevant. I do love the description that wikipedia.com provides:

“Slow dancing” is often associated with a particular, simple style of dance performed by middle school and high school students. Foot movement is minimal, but the couple may use their feet to slowly turn on the spot. Because the dance requires little physical concentration, participants often talk to each other while dancing. Slow dancing is often considered to be just hugging and swaying, rather than an actual dance.

This simple form of slow dancing is common at dances sponsored by schools or by religious organizations, such as churches or synagogues. In Western popular culture, slow dancing can serve as a symbol of adolescent social awkwardness.”

Halloween is one of the best holidays of the year to dress up as a freak, your inner-diva, slut, or just show up in something originally creative. And San Francisco is one of the best places to expose your imagination. San Francisco was renowned for its Halloween in the Castro, but had to end because of the stabbings, the shootings, and the AIDS-filled needles. I went three years ago, and I revisited this year. So much has changed. It’s not the happiest place, but still the busiest with more cops patrolling the streets. The clubs are over-packed, it’s hard to find a parking, can’t pee anywhere, and the streets are insanely overcrowded. Still, it’s a lot safer than before. I shall find another place to celebrate one of the best holidays of the years.

This year, I dressed up with costumes inspired by idols: Gene Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. My first costume was a sailor complete with white pants, a nautical sailor hat, a Russian navy striped shirt, and a red scarf. It’s very Gene Kelly-esque from his Anchors Aweigh film. My other costume was daring and a return to drag as I dressed up as a female socialite/call girl. The costume is very Holly Golightly/Breakfast at Tiffany’s mixed in with Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf. Here are some fantastic pictures. Can’t wait for next year; I’m already planning my outfits =)