While in my many travels across the vast frontier that is the Internet, I came across something very peculiar. It was a collection of  paintings that had been gathered together because there was something unusual about them. It took a moment and then it hit me. I recognized the faces staring back at me. Some of them were cleverly disguised while others were rather bold and showy. I enjoyed them so much that I just had to share them with you all. So here are a few of the paintings and a few clues about who is nestled in the brushstrokes of history’s long-dead artists. 

Can You Guess Who?

Clue: The Joker in Burton’s Batman can be a little Cuckoo at times.

Clue: This Princess earned Oscar favour by being down-right Miserables.

Clue: She has Friends in all sorts of Almighty places.

 Clue: All the fun and excitement of keeping House can be read about in the Jones’s Diary.

 Clue: Mister Smith decided to go to Washington to Interview the President at Eleven.

Clue: Only to discover that the Perfect time would be at Twelve.

 Clue: Branded a Libertine by some and a Pirate by others this Todd is quite the Chocolate lover.

I just finished watching the action/thriller Alex Cross, starring Tyler Perry in the title role, Matthew Fox as the psychotic villain, nicknamed Picasso, and Edward Burns as Thomas Kane, Cross’s partner in the Detroit Police Department.  The movie is based on the novel Cross by James Patterson.

Picasso has been hired to kill senior board members of a corporation looking to re-vitalize Detroit.  However, he’s not content with simply killing his targets; he likes to add torture to the mix.  After torturing and killing one board member, his attempt at the second target is thwarted by Cross and his team.  Angered by this, Picasso turns his sights on them.  His actions force Cross to go outside the normal bounds of police procedure in order to stop him.

Sounds like the makings of a pretty good movie, right?  Unfortunately, the makers of this movie let everything go wrong.  Everything about this movie is a cliché starting with the characters, both major and minor: The by-the-book cop and family man “forced” to work outside the law; the wisecracking sidekick/partner; the comic-book villain; the anonymous mastermind.  This lack of meaningful character development made me care little, if at all, about the fate of any of them.  Add to all the two-dimensional characters a predictable, paint-by-numbers plot, and what you have is a waste of 100 minutes of your life.  If you’re looking for good movies based on James Patterson novels, better to try Kiss the Girls (no longer available on DVD at VPL), and Along Came a Spider, both starring award-winning actor Morgan Freeman.

I had a few days off recently and so was able to view one of the first screenings of the political action thriller Olympus Has Fallen, starring Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman, who plays the Speaker of the House and Acting President during the crisis.  I’m sure I’m not giving anything away if you’ve seen the commercial preview, if I tell you that the Olympus in question is the White House.

During a visit by the Prime Minister of South Korea, the White House is attacked by a group of, you guessed it, North Korean commandos, in a daring daylight raid.  Many Secret Service agents and Marines are killed, and high ranking cabinet officials are taken hostage, as is the President, played by Aaron Eckhart.  The leader of the raid is Kang, played by Korean-American actor Rick Yune, ironically born in Washington, DC.  Kang’s motive appears to be related to the unification of Korea, and a long-standing grievance over America’s “interference” in the country’s civil war.  As always, there is a far more sinister motive that is revealed only near the end of the movie.  It is up to the hero of the movie, and last man standing, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), to thwart this plot and save America.

I add this note of sarcasm because the patriotic symbolism, especially around the American flag, is laid on quite thick.  But if you strip that away, it’s a pretty good action/thriller movie, and timely considering the noises coming from the Korean peninsula recently.  If you overlook the numerous improbabilities in the film, the most glaring of which is the ponderous amount of time it takes the US military to respond to the initial attack, you’ll have a great time cheering on the hero as he punches, shoots, and stabs his way through all the bad guys to save the day.

I’m not normally a fan of cop movies, but I have to say that End of Watch was not only the best cop movie I’ve seen, but one of the best movies I’ve seen in many years, of any kind (trailer). The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as Los Angeles police officers Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala.  After stumbling upon and interfering with the activities of a Mexican cartel, they become targets for assassination.

This movie is made to appear as if it has been shot mostly with the handheld camera one of the characters was carrying, giving it that homemade POV (point of view) feel. Only occasionally would it revert to the usual 3rd person storyteller. The action and the dialogue were raw, while the quiet moments were sweet, funny, and very human. I found myself carried along and carried away with the characters as if they were real people; their love, laughter, adrenalin, horror, fear, grief, and sorrow. I can’t recommend this movie highly enough.

Over the past ten years the realm of comic books and superheroes has grown exponentially in main stream culture.  To some the fantastically clad caped crusaders are a recent fascination that has captured the minds of fans both young and old alike. To others, the world of comics is a life-long love affair that stemmed from that first viewing of Christopher Reeves in the iconic red cape, or the powerful turbo-whine of the Batmobile. Every fan has their own story as to how they fell in love with the genre and I had the opportunity to sit down with one such fan who has turned his love for all things comics into a full-time hobby of bringing his favourite fictional characters to life.

Meet the man who has dedicated countless hours, sleepless nights, and endless amounts of modeling clay to bringing the fantastic to life. Andrew Speranza is the founder and creative mind behind A.S Creations. He specializes in building to-scale models and replicas of the most well-known superheroes and other iconic fictional characters.

Having a stead-fast love for all things Batman since he was four, comic custom designer Speranza took up the his sculpting tools one day and got down to work. Self-taught from the get-go it has been a steady march of progress since he casted his first wearable latex Batman cowl. With each new creation he has perfected his technique to the point where some of his life-sized figures have often been confused for the real thing.

When asked which comic franchise he prefers, Marvel or DC, it was no surprise that Mr. Speranza tips his creative hat to the DC world.  For him it will always be Batman. When asked why a straightforward response summed it up nicely.

“He’s one of the top five major superheroes that doesn’t have a superpower but is a successful crime fighter none the less. Batman has the cape, gadets, the iconic ride. He’s rich, lives the high life, and yet has another alter-life. He fights crime. There’s a much darker side to him. With Batman it’s truth, justice…beat the bad guys to a pulp…”

With the release of the Christopher Nolan origins triology a whole new wave of creative inspiration has come in the form of some of his best selling creations. Last year’s Bane’s mask was a fan favourite at comic conventions in Toronto and across southern Ontario. After taking a look at what he was able to magic up it comes as no surprise as to why it became impossible to keep up with the demand.

What Batman fan wouldn’t want one?!

 Some of A.S. Creations most impressive and elaboration creations are of a Marvel origin. With the upcoming third installment of Iron Man 3 all things Iron Man are going to be hot ticket items this summer. And by hot, think more along the lines of blazing arc reactor powered power repulsors hot. That would be the only way to describe the popularity of the hand-crafted wearable Iron Man masks that range from classic Tony Stark polished ready-wear to what Iron Man would look like after he crash landed into the Manhattan pavement after saving the world for the umpteenth time.

Like Tony Stark, nothing is ever simple. Life-sized Iron Man busts, complete with a glowing arc reactor, are a much-loved a fan favourite. It is a long process to create one of these busts from start to finish and it is a labor of love that is appreciated by many. The only thing these true-to-life figures don’t do is fly or let loose snappy one-liners that could trip up most Super-villains. Hey, it’s Iron Man.

Creating such highly detailed artistic pieces is a serious undertaking. Each new design, be it a bust or a mask, needs to be created from scratch and the average time to complete a new piece can be anywhere between 35 – 40 days from start to finish. On average it takes one month to sculpt, one day for the mold to set, and a day to paint.

To sculpt, a generic head and shoulders torso bust is used for the base model. Sculptor’s clay is added while each section is shaped and sculpted. Once the major pieces are done the fine detailing is added.  The next step is to create a two-part mold out of a cement base. From this mold latex copies of the design are pulled. Each first latex copy is kept aside as a “Master Copy” which will be used as a generic mock-up for future designs or reissuing of an old one. Each latex takes around a day to dry and once dried it can be removed and then painted.

The painting process is done mostly through airbrushing for a number of reasons. Air brushing cuts down on the drying time, allows for easy access and handling during the painting process, and it is easier to cover up any mistakes that may occur. Also airbrush paint when applied to latex will not crack or fade over time so every A.S. Creation is a life-long investment .

This year A.S. Creations will be hitting the road and making appearances at a number of comic conventions across Southern Ontario. If you happen to be in the Toronto area during the weekend of March 9-10, why not swing by the Metro-Toronto Convention Center for the 2013 Toronto Comic-Con. Andrew Speranza will be here along with a number of his creations for the public to purchase and enjoy up close. If this weekend is a bust never fear for A.S. Creations will be attending the 2013 Fan-Expo,Toronto’s biggest Comic Convention. So if you’re in the mood for getting your fandom on, drop in and say hello! Tell him the Librarian sent you.

In 1987 vampires were all the rage. And they didn’t sparkle.

Their hair was wild. Their clothes were loud. Their bikes were tricked out. Their teeth were pointy. And that’s not even the best part. In the 80′s teenage vampires loved to party and their favourite post-bonfire bonanza was guzzling the blood of material girls as if they were chugging beer at a frat party. Did they pine and moan about their cursed fate and the deep emptiness that dwells within the far-reaches of their ever-expansive souls because they could not spend their unending existence with their One True Love?

Oh hell no.

They rocked, they flew, they slew, they partied, and they didn’t give a tinker’s ding dang dong about it. The Lost Boys, the 80′s film that defined the Paranormal Wild Child, was a film that yanked bloodsuckers out of tuxedos and satin-lined capes and showed them as they would have been during the neon hair metal decade. Mullets were never so fierce.

This was Generation X taking over the paranormal realm and people dug it. Vampires were cool and they were the ultimate bad boys.

Another film to hit the big screen in the same year was Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark. It has a slightly different take on vampires from the Deep South of America. A rag-tag “family” of gun toting bloodsuckers who are always on the move and are not the least bit squeamish about who or what they have for dinner. They avoid the sun at all cost but that doesn’t prevent them from inducting a new brother into the fold. Family bonds are bound in blood and those ties aren’t so easily broken. This film contains an iconic scene of daily vampire life that has never quite been matched. And for good reason. Redneck vampires and a sleazy roadside bar make for one heck of a good time. Bloody perfection at its finest. (Warning: This film contains graphic content but then again what else would you expect from killer vampires? Polite dinner conversation over cocktails?)

So, do these vampires glitter? Do they mope and whine and waste their time fixing their hair and shopping for high-end fashion?

No, they don’t. They burn. They bleed. They bite. And they have a good time doing it.

 Another point of interest about this film is its cast. Recognize any faces? If you’re a fan of the original Alien movie then this should come as a pleasant surprise. Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, and Jenny Wright teamed up together a year after Aliens to give the vampire genre a try. They work together so seamlessly that it is hard to see these three as anything but now.

The Lost Boys and the Near Dark gang aren’t the only vampires who were not afraid to bare their fangs with pride. Quentin Taratino and George Clooney starred in the hair-raising vampire flick From Dusk Till Dawn in which two criminals unknowingly go to ground with their hostages in a biker bar that is a cover for a vampire nest. It’s Tarantino and vampires. Not just any vampires, creepy Salma Hayek erotic table-dancing-with-snakes vampires. Taratino style mayhem and mind-boggling old-school special effects make vampires worthy of scare. And because of that this film has a Must be 18 years or older to borrow this item clause that goes with it.

The list of vampire films that have a great bite to them goes on and on. If they were to be all listed here it would take quite a while. So instead to wrap things up the best of them all has been saved for last. Six seasons worth of demonic demons, villainous vampires, nefarious necromancers…it all boils down to a Californian Blond and her Scooby Gang of Sidekicks. Todays vampires may sparkle like cheap costume jewelry but don’t fret the fearful. There will always be Buffy The Vampire Slayer to bring balance to the Netherverse.  A perfect ending.

To be honest, it looked boring to me from the synopsis and the trailers and even what I’d heard people say about it.  Last night, however, on a girl-date with an especially good friend, I went to see Silver Linings Playbook and oh my gosh did it rock!  I haven’t laughed so hard since Jim Carrey was in his prime.  But this moive isn’t about dumb, crude, disaster-based, or slapstick humor, it’s the best kind of humor, or the kind that I like best, at least.  My favorite part has to do with Earnest Hemmingway’s A Farewell to Arms and if you go see it, you’ll know what I mean.  Sorry, no spoilers, it’s too good to ruin like that!

I loved it; I simply can’t gush enough, and if it won the Oscar for Best Picture, I would be cheering right alongside the crew and cast.  As great as *some* of the acting was in Le Mis, in terms of how it settled as a complete work, I don’t think it deserves to beat out Silver Linings (I’m not too sure about the rest of the competition for B.P., but I’m trying to make my way through a chunk of them).  I was positively bored during much of Le Mis, and I’m a musician who typically adores musicals, and even studied opera for a time.  There are girls in high school choirs who I’ve seen sing some of those pieces better, and they did it live with no extra takes (“On My Own” – cough cough).  Anyway, enough about that.

Silver Linings Playbook will be graciously added to my modest little film collection at home the momement it gets released – you’ve got to see it, seriously.  Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence turned out to be fantastically entertaining, but I give the biggest kudos to Mr. David O. Russel for the brilliantly written screenplay and, of course, to Mr. Matthew Quick for writing the book. (sometimes I think actors get too much credit because, at the end of the day, isn’t it the story that really draws us in?  And the ideas conveyed through that story, through the lines that actors are fed, but did not personally prepare in the kitchen where geniuses brew and simmer and saute their elegant thoughts?  It’s like giving the compliments to the wait staff for your perfectly grilled steak; what chef?  While the wait staff may legitimately be amazing, don’t forget who fills the plate, my esteemed friends) 

Next on my list of things to see is Life of Pi – so we’ll see how it stands up!

 You see this man? This is international best-selling author Dan Brown. He’s the man who took the literary world by storm with his octane-paced page-turning mystery thrillers with the release of The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and The Lost Symbol. There was a time when this was all anyone could and would ever talk about. Renaissance art, the Catholic Church, secret organizations, conspiracy theories, the Illuminati, The Freemasons, Rome, France, Washington, monuments, Hollywood contracts, Tom Hanks…the list just goes on and on. Book sales went through the roof, people were interested in reading again, and the best part was Brown’s novels unplugged people from the constant streaming of the wireless network and had them connect with others. People actually sat and talked face-to-face about what they had read, their thoughts, their theories and ideas, heck people even wanted to read up on the people, places, and events that were discussed in the novels. It was incredible!

When Hollywood came out with the two blockbusters Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons that were headed by the SS Ron Howard/Tom Hanks Express, it started all over again. And for good reason. Dan Brown knows how to write a wicked story. They are works of fiction but like a six-layer of double decadent chocolate cake they keep getting better with each and every bite.

So why the big hoopla over Dan Brown? It’s been years since the Lost Symbol was released. What’s the big deal?

Save the Date: May 14, 2013

That is the day that publishers are set to release Dan Brown’s newest installment in his Robert Langdon series with the book Inferno. Brown is taking on the literary masterpiece, Dante’s The Divine Comedy: Inferno, with Langdon racing across Italy attempting to solve the impossible while a dangerous adversary tracks his every move. It’s the same and much loved formula that the other two Langdon books are based on but this time there is hell to pay. Literally.

So keep an eye on the Vaughan Public Libraries Online Catalogue for your chance to request Dan Brown’s Inferno because this book is primed to ignite bestsellers charts and get everyone talking!

 Greetings! Long time no see. How’s it going? How’s the family? Excellent. Let’s take a moment now and contemplate one of life’s more important questions. What is that one go-to movie for all things? Goods times and bad. When you’re happy or sad. When life’s a bowl of cherries or nothing but the pits? (No these aren’t the lyrics to an 80′s one hit wonder even though it sounds like it. Cha!) Think about it, but not too hard. If it hasn’t already popped into your head by now then you seriously need to spend more time in the Vaughan Public Libraries’ most excellent feature film collection. And on that note I’d like to share one of my all time favourites, the Golden Only, on this frigid day of days that also happens to be my birthday. Thank you, thank you, I’m flattered, really!

 Wayne’s World. You or life can never go wrong with Wayne’s world. Why? It comes with one of the greatest tag-lines in modern filmistry. You’ll Laugh. You’ll Cry. You’ll Hurl. Excellent! What more could you want? What’s that? Not enough? Ex-squeeze me? Baking powder? Do you not realize that this film defined an entire generation of early 90′s kids? One of the most quotable films of the era when grunge was in and the taint of pop-tart boy bands and Eurotart spice racks had yet to make an an appearance? I’ll bet you a hundred Twinkies that you have probably heard of one or more of these quotes before. You just never knew where they came from.

For example: “I say hurl. If you blow chunks and she comes back, she’s yours. But if you spew and she bolts, then it was never meant to be.”

“No way! Way!”

“Shwing!”

” Turn it off man, turn it off! It’s sucking my will to live! Oh, the humanity!”

“It will be mine. Oh yes. It will be mine.”

“I’ll use the “May I Help You” riff…”

(Points to “No Stairway to Heaven” sign) “No Stairway. Denied!”

“Game On! Yeah! Game On!”

“Wayne’s World! Wayne’s World! Party time! Excellent!”

Or my all time favourite that I have vowed to reenact if I ever have the good fortune of crossing paths with Alice Cooper (hand over heart). “Hang with us? With Alice Cooper? We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy! We’re scum! We suck!”

Am I right or am I right? Cha! Thought so. But the quotes hardly compare to the undeniable fact that Wayne’s World is and always will be a good time. Sure some of the references and cameo appearances may be dated but this film is a bridge for generations, especially now when the slapstick train has dried up into a shriveled hand that has been run over repeatedly by the Crazy Train (Ozzy reference. Just go with it). Mike Myers and Dana Carvey bring their characters Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar out of the SNL power minute skits of the late 80′s and onto the big screen as two metal-headed best buds who broadcast their show live from the basement of Wayne’s parents place. From there crazy hi-jinks ensue along the lines of electric guitars, beautiful babes, Milwaukee, Alice Cooper, big bad television executives, crazy ex-girlfriends, T-1000, Chris Farley and more! It’s a non-stop laugh riot that keeps delivering the punches 21 years later. It was funny in 1992 and it’s still just as funny today. Don’t believe me? Check it out and if you find yourself singing Bohemian Rhapsody in your car with the windows rolled down and the tunage blazing then my work here is done.

 Introducing Queen to new generations from the back of the Mirthmobile. Galileo!

Dufferin Clark Library’s Family Movie programming continues! Every other Wednesday evening, starting at 6:30 pm, we will screen a movie that the whole family will want to see, and we’ll offer juice and popcorn to snack on. We hope to see you there!

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March 13 – Wreck-it-Ralph (PG) 92 min (1:32)

Wreck-It Ralph, a videogame character, longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix. Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes… so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun, Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan – win a medal – but soon wrecks everything, and accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade.

[Animation, Adventure, Comedy]