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Bill Sienkiewicz’s Santa storybook–This year’s holiday season gift of choice

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September 10, 2019

Review by C.J. Bunce

“The waters speak the truth, that they do. Only now have you lived long enough to know the child that you shall always remain. That which dwells in the heart can never be lost to the spirit.”

Some artists’ works are so brilliant, so evocative, so memorable, and so successful, that whenever they draw, sketch, or paint, it turns heads. One of those artists is Bill Sienkiewicz. His 1980s comic book artwork changed the way comic books are approached by artists and readers, forever. His trademark abstract works and his recurring sketches of people making the news are regular features that can make you happy to open your social media application for the day. Put Sienkiewicz together with a Santa Claus story? It’s as good as it sounds, and it arrives in stores beginning this week.

We’ve seen some incredible work on Christmas stories in the comic book medium before. Take for example the modern Batman opus, 2011’s Batman: Noel by Lee Bermejo (we reviewed it here). Now this year we have Santa: My Life and Times, An Autobiography, a lavish, updated edition to a 1998 project. It features a holiday story written by Jared Green (and Santa, of course), with vibrant and festive watercolor art, cover to cover, by Sienkiewicz. As are all good storybooks, this is a shiny, over-sized hardcover. You will get lost in the details of every page of art. Marvel at all the wintry critters. Peek inside windows. The beauty of nature’s magic is everywhere. By my count there are not only more than 100 illustrations by Sienkiewicz in this book, there are 100 poster-worthy illustrations.

The storytelling is very Victorian and grand, neither modern nor silly. This is the same voice found in the classic 1823 Clement Clarke Moore holiday staple, A Visit from St. Nicholas (aka ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas). Green’s voice of Santa is like a conversation in a good Dickens hero’s friendly voice. Think Bob Cratchit. This is a deep, rich, well-thought out fantasy. The story spreads pure goodness and joy, the kind you’ll want to read to little kids (or adults, or cats), complete with Dr. Seussian sound effects peppered about. No doubt this is the same Santa that influenced the likes of Mr. Rogers, Bob Ross, Steve Irwin, and Jim Henson. The look and feel matches the spirit of the Rankin/Bass Christmas classics perfectly.

Here are some pages of the interior art and story from Santa: My Life and Times: An Autobiography, courtesy of Titan Comics:

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Tags: A Visit From St. Nicholas, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bob Ross, Charles Dickens, Christmas classics, Clement Clarke Moore, Dr Seuss, holiday gift ideas, Jared Green, Jim Henson, Mr. Rogers, Rankin Bass, Santa Claus, Santa My Life and Times preview, Santa: My Life and Times, Santa: My Life and Times An Autobiography, Santa: My Life and Times book review, Steve Irwin, Titan Comics

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Reflections on The Muppet Movie, back on the big screen 40 years later

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July 31, 2019

Review by C.J. Bunce

Thanks to Fathom Events and other film retrospectives over the years, movie audiences can revisit their first viewings of some of the best films ever made. In that league comes The Muppet Movie, which just wrapped its 40th anniversary with two days of screenings. Like the one-of-a-kind The Beach Boys and The Bee Gees, and the symbols of goodness everywhere: Mr. Rogers, Bob Ross, and Steve Irwin, The Muppets are a truly unique team, and Jim Henson and his $65 million box office hit The Muppet Movie reflects why they created the word “iconic” in the first place. It says something when a retrospective anniversary screening can make the week’s Top 10 box office after 40 years. The Muppets are as accessible and necessary as they’ve ever been.

Paul Williams’ musical score and powerful songs might be the high point of the movie, from “The Rainbow Connection,” to “Movin’ Right Along,” to Gonzo’s emotional “I’m Going to Go Back There Again.” Or maybe it’s the magic, the forgetting we’re absorbed in characters played by actors that are a frog and a pig and a bear and a dog and whatever Gonzo is. Or maybe it’s the behind the scenes magic. Filming in the lagoon once used for Gilligan’s Island, Henson spent an entire day perfecting the scene with Kermit singing in a wetsuit under water, perched inside a metal tank, reaching upward to give Kermit his character. You wouldn’t know any of it happened that way from the perfectly still water and multiple angles the song is filmed from. Or that Kermit was operated my remote control for the Schwinn scene (but Kermit the Muppet really was riding that bicycle, no strings attached!). Jim Henson can’t be overstated as sitting among the kings of creating the fantastical.

But even all of those great components can’t beat the storytelling. Full of honesty and heart, Kermit’s path is a classic reluctant hero’s journey, equal to that of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Luke in Star Wars, Frodo and Bilbo in Tolkien’s stories (Fozzie is a great Samwise), Harry in J.K. Rowling’s series. Here our green felted friend assembles a group of new friends to help him succeed by story’s end. The Muppets had already been known to us through The Muppet Show, yet this movie succeeded in getting audiences to meet them all over again. The story is playful, too, allowing its own script to become a plot device with the characters.

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All the movies you’ll want to see in 2019

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December 25, 2018

Merry Christmas!

It’s that time of year again, time to take a look forward at what movies should be on your radar for 2019. Are you going to see them all? Heck no. These are the genre films we think borg readers will want to know about to make their own checklists for the coming year–and they are only the films we know about so far. We pulled 78 of the hundreds of films that have been finalized or are in varying stages of final production, slated for next year’s movie calendar.

What looks to top the list for most fanboys and fangirls? The last of the nine films in the Star Wars saga. Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Shazam! is DC’s contribution. Quentin Tarantino returns to movies to direct Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Martin Scorsese is back with an all-star cast in The Irishman (on Netflix). M. Night Shyamalan finishes his dark superhero trilogy with Glass. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton return in Terminator. Jordan Peele is back with another horror film with Us.

Do you like sequels? This is your year. Another Men in Black, X-Men, Shaft, Happy Death Day, Lego Movie, Hellboy, John Wick, Kingsman, Jumanji, The Secret Life of Pets, How to Train Your Dragon, Fast and the Furious, Zombieland, Addams Family, Charlie’s Angels, Godzilla, Shaun the Sheep, Annabelle,and Stephen King’s It and Pet Sematary—Disney is trying to get you to move into your local theater with another Toy Story, Aladdin, Dumbo, Frozen, and Lion King–all in one year. Yep, lots and lots of sequels are coming.

Some films don’t have locked-in release dates yet. Amazon Prime and Netflix haven’t revealed dates for these 2019 releases:

Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman, a film about Jimmy Hoffa starring Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, and Bobby Cannavale (Netflix)
The Kid, a Western biopic with Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Dane DeHaan, and Vincent D’Onofrio (Netflix)
The Man Who Killed Hitler Then Bigfoot, starring Sam Elliott (Netflix)
6 Underground, a Michael Bay film starring Ryan Reynolds, Ben Hardy, Dave Franco, and Mélanie Laurent (Netflix)
The Last Thing He Wanted, Dee Rees directs Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Willem Dafoe, and Toby Jones; journalist quits newspaper job to become an arms dealer for a covert government agency (Netflix)
The Laundromat, Steven Soderbergh directs Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, James Cromwell, about the Pentagon Papers (Netflix)
Radioactive, Rosamund Pike plays Marie Curie, with Anya Taylor-Joy (Amazon)

Some of these films will have revised release dates, or get pushed to 2020.

So grab your calendar and start making your plans–here are the movies you’ll want to see in 2019 (and many you might not):

January

Glass – Superhero, M. Night Shyamalan trilogy part 3, stars Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy; continues where Unbreakable and Split left off – January 18.

Serenity – Mystery/Thriller, stars Anne Hathaway, Jason Clarke, Djimon Hounsou, Jeremy Strong, Diane Lane; sorry, no relation to Firefly – January 25.

King of Thieves – Heist Comedy, stars Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Charlie Cox, Michael Gambon, and Ray Winstone – January 25.

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Tags: 2019 movies, 6 Underground, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, Aardman Animations, Ad Astra movie, Adam Lambert, Addams Family 2019, Al Pacino, Aladdin 2019, Alan Arkin, Alan Ruck, Albert Brooks, Alexandra Shipp, Alfre Woodard, Alison Brie, Alita: Battle Angel, Amy Adams, Anna Paquin, Annabelle 3, Anne Hathaway, Anthony Mackie, Antonio Banderas, Anya Taylor-Joy, Arctic 2019 movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Avengers: Endgame, Ben Affleck, Ben Hardy, Ben Mendelsohn, Beyoncé, Billy Magnussen, Bobby Cannavale, Bobby Moynihan, Brad Pitt, Bradley Whitford, Brie Larson, Bruce Willis, Call of the Wild, Call of the Wild movie 2019, Captain Marvel, Captive State, Cate Blanchett, cats, Channing Tatum, Charlie Cox, Charlie Heaton, Charlie Hunnam, Charlie's Angels, Charlize Theron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chloë Grace Moretz, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Christian Bale, Christmas 2018, Christoph Waltz, Clive Owen, Cold Pursuit, Colin Farrell, Common, Craig Ferguson, D.B. Sweeney, Daisy Ridley, Dakota Fanning, Dan Stevens, Dana Carvey, Daniel Dae Kim, Daniel Radcliffe, Danny DeVito, Dave Bautista, Dave Franco, David Harbour, Death on the Nile, Dee Rees, Dennis Quaid, Diane Lane, DJ Khaled, Djimon Hounsou, Donald Glover, Donald Sutherland, Downton Abbey, Dumbo 2019, Dwayne Johnson, Eiza González, Elisabeth Shue, Elizabeth Banks, Emma Thompson, Emma Watson, Emmy Rossum, Eva Green, Evan Peters, F. Murray Abraham, Finn Wolfhard, Ford vs Ferrari, Frozen 2, Gabriel Bateman, Garrett Hedlund, Gary Oldman, Gemini Man, Gemma Chan, Glass, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Greyhound 2019 movie, Happy Death Day 2U, Harrison Ford, Harvey Keitel, Helen Mirren, Hellboy, Hellboy 2019, Hellboy 2019 movie, Helter Skelter, Hobbs and Shaw, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Ian McShane, IT: Chapter 2, Jackie Earle Haley, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Cromwell, James Earl Jones, James McAvoy, Jason Clarke, Jason Statham, Jay Baruchel, Jeff Fahey, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Jeremy Strong, Jesse Eisenberg, Jessica Chastain, Jessica Rothe, Jessie T. Usher, Jim Broadbent, Jim Carrey, Jim Gaffigan, Joaquin Phoenix, Joe Pesci, Joel Kinnaman, John Goodman, John Lithgow, John Malkovich, John Oliver, John Wick: Chapter 3, Joker movie 2019, Jon Bernthal, Jonah Hill, Jordan Peele, Josh Gad, Josh Lucas, Jude Law, Judi Dench, Jumanji 2, Karen Gillan, Keanu Reeves, Keegan-Michael Key, Keira Knightley, Ken Watanabe, Kenan Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Kenneth Branagh movies, Kevin Dunn, Kevin Hart, King of Thieves, Kingsman 3, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kristen Stewart, Kurt Russell, Kyle Chandler, Laura Dern, Laurence Fishburne, Lee Pace, Leonardo DiCaprio, Liam Neeson, Linda Hamilton, Little Women, Luke Kleintank, M. Night Shyamalan, Mads Mikkelsen, Mahershala Ali, Maisie Williams, Margot Robbie, Mark Strong, Martin Scorsese, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Masi Oka, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick, Matthew Vaughn, Meghan Trainor, Melanie Laurent, Men in Black International, Meryl Streep, Michael Bay, Michael Fassbender, Michael Gambon, Michael Keaton, Michelle Rodriguez, Midway movie 2019, Mila Kunis, Milla Jovovich, Millie Bobby Brown, Mira Sorvino, Missing Link 2019, Mr. Rogers, Naomi Scott, Nicholas Hoult, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Oscar Isaac, Patrick Wilson, Patton Oswalt, Pedro Pascal, Pet Sematary 2019, Playmobil: The Movie, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Quentin Tarantino, Radioactive, Rashida Jones, Ray Winstone, Rebel Wilson, Rene Russo, Richard Roundtree, Rocketman, Rosamund Pike, Ruby Rose, Ryan Reynolds, Sally Hawkins, Sam Elliott, Samuel L. Jackson, Sasha Lane, Serenity 2019, Shaft 2019 movie, Sharon Tate, Shazam, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sophie Turner, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spies in Disguise, Star Wars Episode IX, Stephen Fry, Steven Soderbergh, Stuber movie, Taron Egerton, Terminator movie 2019, Tessa Thompson, The Aftermath, The Good Liar, The Hustle 2019, The Informer, The Irishman, The Last Thing He Wanted, The Laundromat, The LEGO Movie: The Second Part, The Lion King 2019, The Man Who Killed Hitler Then Bigfoot, The New Mutants, The Secret Life of Pets 2, The Woman in the Window, Thomas Haden Church, Tim Allen, Tim Blake Nelson, Tim Burton, Tim Miller, Timothy Olyphant, Toby Jones, Tom Bateman, Tom Courtenay, Tom Hanks, Tom Holland, Tommy Lee Jones, Toni Colette, Toy Story 4, Triple Frontier, Us 2019 movie, Velvet Buzzsaw, Vera Farmiga, Will Arnett, Will Smith, Willem Dafoe, Wonder Park, Woody Harrelson, Wyatt Russell, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, You Are My Friend, Zach Galifianakis, Zachary Levi, Zazie Beetz, Zoe Saldana, Zombieland Too

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Book review–Meet the man behind the show in The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Comics & Books, TV — Leave a comment

November 9, 2018

Review by C.J. Bunce

What can you say about Mr. Rogers that you didn’t learn from his more than three decades on television? Plenty, as you’ll find in The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers, a new work of non-fiction by Maxwell King that we previewed earlier at borg here. If you could meet any creator of the past fifty years, it would be difficult to find anyone as sincere and genuine as television’s Mr. Rogers. Maybe Jim Henson? Bob Ross? Mr. Rogers was a man whose private life was every bit as real as his persona on television, according to hundreds of people who knew him that were interviewed for King’s new book.

The fear for a reader of the book is like any behind-the-scenes peek at a beloved film or television series: As with learning the magician’s secrets or seeing a Muppet with a hand stuffed up its back, the man that became Mr. Rogers has his flaws, and his several TV projects, books, speeches, and other works reveals in many ways and from many avenues that he really was just a man. So for some, there’s too much to see here. Yet readers will not be surprised that no matter who was asked and prodded, there were no skeletons in his closet to reveal–King even notes the categorical rejection of so many Internet myths that have arisen about him since his death in 2003. All, of course, are false. What you saw was what you got: an educated thinker who chose to help people with his singular career path.

Yet was he really just a man? Would any other person have so many incredible encounters? An autistic child visited his set with his family, only to speak for the very first time when Mr. Rogers addressed the child directly through the famous puppets King Friday XIII and Queen Sara Saturday, which the boy had watched for years on TV at his home? Or when Koko the gorilla, who passed away earlier this year, visited him, she took him into her arms. Koko was a long-time fan of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, and when they met the two spoke to each other in American Sign Language and took photographs of each other. Before the advent of the literal movie blockbuster, Mr. Rogers had thousands of children and their parents lined up around city blocks for a chance to meet him in person. Clearly, if Mr. Rogers was just a man, he was like no other before or since.

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Tags: Abrams Press, Fred Rogers, Koko the gorilla, Maxwell King, Mr Rogers Neighborhood, Mr. Rogers, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers book review, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers preview

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A biography of Mr. Rogers is now available, and you can learn how to make his signature sweater right now (free!)

Filed under: Comics & Books, Con Culture, Retro Fix, TV — Leave a comment

September 23, 2018

This month Abrams Books released The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers, an account of Fred (you know him as Mr.) Rogers, his show, and his lifetime of good works, written by Maxwell King, available now here at Amazon. As part of the roll-out of the book, instructions to make a cardigan sweater like the famous one Mr. Rogers wore on his show is now available to download for a limited time. From the publisher: The Good Neighbor, the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers, tells the story of this utterly unique and enduring American icon. Drawing on original interviews, oral histories, and archival documents, Maxwell King traces Rogers’s personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work, including a surprising decision to walk away from the show to make television for adults, only to return to the neighborhood with increasingly sophisticated episodes, written in collaboration with experts on childhood development. An engaging story, rich in detail, The Good Neighbor is the definitive portrait of a beloved figure, cherished by multiple generations.

Abrams Books is releasing another book next month, Amy Herzog’s Ultimate Sweater Book, which ties nicely into the Mr. Rogers biography. A big plus for Mr. Rogers’ fans: It will include directions for a sweater like Rogers wore on his show. You can pre-order Herzog’s book now here at Amazon, and we’ve included a preview of the book below. He wore several sweaters and different colors on the show over the years, but has anyone counted the number of times he wore a sweater?

Knitters (and friends of knitters) should take note: For a limited time you can download the complete pattern and instructions from Herzog’s book to make your own cardigan, just like the one Mr. Rogers had. Who better to cosplay than America’s most beloved icon?

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