Buffy sells out

Writer Joss Whedon’s magic touch with comic book readers and retailers seems to be as strong as ever. Dark Horse Comics has announced that Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1, the debut of the “unfilmed” 8th season of Whedon’s signature creation, has sold out immediately at the retailer level, and that a they are “rushing” back to press for a new printing, with a variant cover.
Retailers are also reporting brisk sales and high interest in the new series.
The new printing is expected in stores on March 28th.

Deal Breakers: Freddy Vs. Jason

This a feature about sequels that are so bad or pointless they kill the franchise. We have seen them, the movies we wish hadn’t been made in the first place. Leave your comments or thought about the particular movie or give the site a few suggestions.

History
Two of the greatest cinematic boogeymen battle to the death in this 2003 late summer hit. In the right corner, we have Jason (of the Friday the 13th series) and on his own he has delivered more than half-a-dozen Deal Breakers and slaughter more than 300 horny teens. In the left, we have the razor-gloved Freddy Krueger who infuses witty banter with gore and proud child murderer. Both franchises have generated more than $300 million at the domestic box office and spawned millions more in merchadise. Freddy’s first misstep came with A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge and then the ultimate turd was conceived A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. Meanwhile, Jason has hand viewers countless more as every installment after Friday the 13th Part 2 following the same plot, the same deaths, and the same characters, with the only difference being the setting. Freddy Vs. Jason was supposed to be the pinnacle of both franchises, but instead just further distilled the horror titans.

The Culprit
The finger of blame can pointed directly at the weak screenplay the movie had to work with. The story gave some sufficient background for each of the demented killers but lacked a fresh element which originally drew audiences to these characters. The plot had holes large enough to hide an elephant and even that would have been understandable if the concept itself wasn’t so completely moronic. Besides the obvious problems with the script, Freddy Vs. Jason was also hindered by muddled direction and horrid acting. Sometimes when a script is bad, it can be outweight by stellar performances or inventive direction, but those were sevrely lacking as well. Monica Keena, Jason Ritter and Kelly Rowland should have placed in an acting class for the untalented after the release of this film. Neither of those actor showed even an ounce of promise and together they put the nail on the coffin for this flick. The direction never elevate past the usual genre cliches. In better hands, Freddy Vs. Jason could have a vastly more enjoyable monster mash because honestly no one was expecting Citizen Kane here. We were just looking for a sign of life to hold on to through the 90-minute void.

The Aftermath
While no sequel has yet to be announced, it is not off the table assuming the right script comes along. Freddy Vs. Jason reaped more than $36 million in its opening weekend and finished with $82 million at the domestic box office. It was the most successful entry in both franchises. Immediately following the film’s success, talk began about sequels to both series, but nothing has come of it.

Parting Thought
As a horror fan, this was a film I was extremely excited to see and though my hopes weren’t that high it still managed to disappoint. I was expecting the glorious return of Freddy but instead I was given a character who edge had become dull. Freddy Vs. Jason was as satisfying as a glass of weak old milk left on the counter. It takes several rinsing to get rid of its bitter after taste.

Watch the beginning of the film: