Scott Pilgrim Versus The World

In its first weekend, Scott Pilgrim Versus The World faltered at the box office. Actually “faltered” may be too gentle a word for a movie that made a mere $10.6 million, getting buried in fifth place. While this cannot be considered a tragedy, it is a crying shame.

Here is a brief synopsis for those who failed to catch the buzz generated over the past few months or unfamiliar with the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley: Scott Pilgrim is a slacker. He has no job, he plays bass in a band (Sex Bom-Omb, a nod to Super Mario Bros. 2), and his snarky gay roommate owns most of the stuff in their residence. While he is also dating a 17-year-old high school girl name, he meets a courier that literally haunts his dreams; the mysterious Ramona Flowers. Suddenly, he finds himself fighting her seven evil exes, whom he has to defeat in order to keep dating her. These are not typical fights . . . they lean towards the epic, with speed lines, special effects, and the loser bursting into coins, just like in video games.

Sadly, one of the main reasons the movie shows signs of flopping is due to its main star, Michael Cera. Perhaps an anti-Cera backlash has taken root in the minds of moviegoers. True, Scott’s character is in Cera’s wheelhouse (a putz who is in over his head), but this time, Cera gets a chance to kick some tail in the process. Sure, at least two of Scott’s wins against the exes are cheap (as directly adapted from the graphic novels), but they are flashy fights with just the right comedic touch. Fans of the series will be happy to find that while six books compressed in slightly less than two hours, most of the key moments have been kept intact.

Beyond Cera, the cast is stellar. In particular, there’s Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells, Scott’s guy-hungry roommate. Unfortunately for Mary Elizabeth Winstead, her portrayal as Ramona is undercut by the amount of material cut for the movie; the romance between Ramona and Scott does not have enough time to truly evolve. The real scene-stealers are the bad guys. In particular, Chris Evans (who will be playing Captain America next year) as skateboarder-turned-movie star Lucas Lee, Brandon Routh (from Superman Returns) as vegan psychic Todd Ingram, and Mae Whitman (who played Cera’s girlfriend Ann on Arrested Development) as Roxy Richter, whom Ramona dated during a “sexy” phase. At the very worst, this film will be to director Edgar Wright what Hulk was to Ang Lee; a misunderstood movie that deserved far better at the box office.

Bottom line: watch Scott Pilgrim Versus The World while it is still out in theaters. Sure, the inevitable DVD will probably feature a treasure trove of extras that will make everybody happy, but the final tally in theaters should be better than Jonah Hex.

Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour

When last readers left Scott Pilgrim in his fifth book (Scott Pilgrim Versus The Universe), things had hit rock bottom. He lost his girlfriend (the enigmatic Ramona Flowers) in a flash of light, he lost his new apartment, and his friend Kim Pine moved away. And when things couldn’t get any worse, Gideon Graves – the last of Ramona’s evil exes – called and asked when would be a good time to kill him.

With the release of Scott Pilgrim Versus The World in theaters, Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour (Oni Press) completes the six-book saga of everybody’s favorite Canadian slacker. The story doesn’t start too well, with Scott in a permanent funk over his girlfriend’s disappearance. In time, he has to take a hard look at his past and the relationships with his past girlfriends, including Kim, Envy Adams (who seemingly stomped on his heart before the first book began) and Knives Chau (who finally turns eighteen in this volume). That explains why share on the cover with Scott and Ramona. Joining them is Gideon (“Occupation: Asshole”), who lives up to five books’ worth of build-up to the finale, culminating with a 100-plus page climax to the series.

While Scott Pilgrim Versus The Universe was a small step down in terms of character development for Scott, author Bryan Lee O’Malley delivers a fitting farewell for Scott, Ramona, and the rest of the characters in Finest Hour. There isn’t much action until the big fight scene, but O’Malley makes it count; one example being Scott going back home to Toronto on a bus. Not in a bus . . . on top of a bus. There’s also some bloodshed in this volume; unusual for a series where characters burst into coins upon “dying.” However, O’Malley does retain a good balance of action, comedy, and an endless array of pop culture references.

For anybody who watched the movie and wants to delve into the original material, Finest Hour is not the place to start. Begin with Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life and follow the path leading to the finale. Casual fans will like Finest Hour, but those who stuck with Scott and O’Malley for the past six years are those who will reap the biggest rewards.

- words by Jason Borelli

Far below eye level on 14th Street, lies a modest establishment where anybody can stop in. Not for a bite or a drink, but to check out some badass artwork. This is P.J.S. Exhibitions, and it's exactly what a gallery should be—simple, white walls solely standing to showcase art.

P.J.S. Exhibitions Presents: "Metanoia" from Revery Media on Vimeo.

Detective Adam Kamen has problems. Between headaches dealing with an ex-wife and a head-lopping serial killer known as Henry VIII, Adam needs more troubles like he needs a hole in his head. But after an encounter with a screwdriver-wielding madman, that's exactly what he gets.

Area 10 (DC Comics/Vertigo Crime; $19.99) is an offbeat police procedural by Christos N. Gage, who has written for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Numb3rs. Gage visits the arcane art of trepanation, the process of drilling a hole into the skull, allegedly for the purpose of mind expansion. In Adam's case, it means seeing the past and possible futures of those he meets. One danger this book presents is that trepanning is glamorized. Someone could get past the "Suggested For Mature Readers" warning, marvel at the near-supernatural abilities that Henry displays, and get ideas involving a drill.

Despite the slim potential of real-life disaster, Gage manages to craft an intriguing mystery, even with a limited amount of suspects and an ending with an obligatory twist. Artist Chris Samnee does well on the artwork, clearly depicting the characters, including the gruesome remains of Henry's victims. Area 10 continues the successful run of Vertigo Crime graphic novels.

The year is 2060. Boney Borough is a model community that has survived the second American Civil War. But in this seemingly Eden-like place grows a plant that will change its denizens forever.

BodyWorld (Pantheon Press, $27.95) is Dash Shaw's follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2008 graphic novel, Bottomless Belly Button. Originally published on Shaw's website (www.dashshaw.com), BodyWorld is another high-concept story from the author, mixing relatable situations with surreal imagery.

The main protagonist is Paulie Panther, a visitor to Boney Borough who discovers the drug properties of the plant. Paulie is a disruptive force in the community, though he is more of a putz than an outright evil figure. Through the plant's special psychedelic effects, he falls for Pearl Peach, a graduating high school student who wants to leave Boney Borough and childhood behind. Rounding out the main cast are teacher Jem Jewel and Billy Borg, Pearl's boyfriend and star dieball player.

While BodyWorld isn't as epic a tome as Bottomless Belly Button, Shaw does keep things interesting, as Paulie crawls inside the heads of Pearl, Jem and Billy, and they return the favor. The imagery in some of the scenes is richly surreal, aided by the smoked plant's unique properties. The others' interactions with each other also resonate, though a scene between Jem and Billy feels gratuitous and tacked on.

In conclusion, BodyWorld asks readers questions on the nature of individuality which are tough to answer. BodyWorld may be a step down from Bottomless Belly Button, but it's only a small step for Shaw.

-Jason Borelli

Our Philly correspondent, Vanache, now has his own web series. Check out the first episode, where he meets up with the guys from Fresh Melt Water.

BRM teamed up with the multi-talented LOOSEWORLD to present a unique competition called nosfeROCKtu. Unaffiliated musicians and filmmakers were paired together to create a winning product. The filmmaker of the team had to make a short, silent film. The musician(s) of the team then had to score it... live!... in front of hundreds of drunk people at Crash Mansion in NYC. Competition was tight, but Lowry and Daniel Brothers came out on top with their project, Waves and Tides. Check it out, along with a video wrap-up of the night, below.

And if you happen to have a longer attention span than most, check out the photos here.

Waves and Tides from LOOSEWORLD on Vimeo.

nosfeROCKtu wrap up from LOOSEWORLD on Vimeo.