Captain America: The First Avenger Action Figure Review # 1

   Ever since I was a little boy in the 70's, I have loved Marvel comics. I remember the first comic book I ever was given and read. It was "Amazing Spider-Man # 121" AKA "The Night Gwen Stacy Died". A good friend of my mother's gave it to me during a family visit. I still remember each page of that comic as I used to read it over and over and over. I loved the art, I loved the story. . . I was a True Believer from that point on.


   As the days went on, I read many comics from different companies. I loved the superhero genre, as all children do, watching scantily clad men with capes, bulging muscles (and genitals) beat up evildoers in the name of justice! I read Marvel, DC Comics, Charlton... anything I could find! But I couldn't find a hero that I identified with, that I loved with all my heart and soul... until I met Captain America in the pages of Secret Wars.


   I started reading Captain America & was reintroduced to Nick Fury/SHIELD (whom I remembered from the old Marvel Godzilla comic). I became an instant Nick Fury/SHIELD fan. For the record, Nick, the old warhorse, is my FAVORITE non-super powered hero (yes, even more than Batman). He rarely shaves, he smokes cigars, he talks smack to anyone AND any Snake Plissken fan'll tell ya... eyepatches are cool! PLUS, he's got the gimmicks and gadgets that all super spies need to compensate for the fact that he's got no mutant powers!


   Anyway, I read Cap for years and even suffered through the old 80's movie with the writer JD Salinger's son, Matt, as Captain America and an italian Red Skull. WTF? Even Ronny Cox couldn't save that one! I never thought there would be a real Captain A film... I'm SO glad I was wrong!!

LET'S GET TO THE TOYS, DAMN IT!

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BATTLEFIELD:

   Captain America in all his glorious, vintage looking goodness! He mainly resembles the Ultimate Avengers version of Classic Cap. The original Captain America serving in WWII with his original Shield.


PACKAGING:


   The figure packaging is adequate, but it seems pretty plain to me. I'm not sure what i would have done different, but it just looks very generic and blah. It doesn't POP or stand out in anyway and is hard to notice on a toy rack full of action figures. The face on the art does resemble the actor from the film, so that's a plus. Maybe they could have made it look a little more WWII era, since the film mainly takes place in the past.

FIGURE/ACCESSORIES:   Captain America is a decent, sturdy figure... until we get to his legs. His upper body seems fine, but his legs are very flimsy and soft. His knee joints seem very weak and shaky, too. He's not that hard to stand, but it appears that his joints MAY get loose quickly.

   The Cap has a Thompson Machine gun, a .45, his original Shield, a removable helmet and removable webgear (with holster). The guns are molded out of the CHEAPEST plastic I have ever seen. This cheap plastic makes a Chap Mei weapon feel like it was made out of solid iron. No joke, they are flimsy and bend so easily that they are heading right in the garbage bin, most likely (Unless one of you guys email me and want them) I am going straight to Marauder for better replacement weapons ASAP!

SCULPTING:


   I think the sculpting is very good. The figure LOOKS dynamic and has a lot of detail. I'm very glad to see that Hasbro has been stepping it up lately. this figure PWNS any Cap figure made thus far. Those Marvel Universe 3 3/4 figure Captains can now be sold or thrown away!

PAINT:


   I had to look through several figures in the toy aisle before I found one with decent paint apps. Most of the figures paint apps were horrible. Skin color on the mask, the eyes painted too big, dots on his face, etc... After passing up about4 figures, I found the one with the best paint and snagged it.

ARTICULATION:


   The figure has decent articulation in all of the areas you would expect. The wrists swivel and pivot, too! These are the wrist joints we've begged for for years! They turn left and right AND up and down. I'm sure I will get some great poses out of this bad boy! His ankles have good movement, too!


   However, as awesome as that is, the hip joints suffer badly from crappy articulation. They turn, but you have to make sure the joint is pointing the right way or it is impossible to get a good running leg pose on this guy. Add that to the fact that the plastic is super flimsy around his knees and you can surmise that this hero is going to be shelf diving quite often. Thankfully, there is a peghole under his feet so I can put him on a stand!


FINAL VERDICT: B-


   My only real issue with this figure are his flimsy legs and the cheap plastic used for the weapons. He looks great, so for those collectors who keep their figs in their plastic prisons, he'll be fine. But if you're like me and love to actually PLAY with your toys, I suggest replacing the weapons.


Maisto 1928 JDH Twin Cam Harley Davidson: Series 24:


   As I was walking around the toy aisle, I stopped in the diecast car aisle and much to my surprise, found a WWII era Harley Davidson in OD Green that I quickly snapped up! I never liked the idea of Cap riding around on a red, white & blue motorcycle. It's kinda corny to make EVERYTHING this guy owns in the USA colors. I mean, I'm a patriot, but come one! Does he wear red, white and blue underoos, too?!


   But this Harley's OD Green color matches Cap's webgear PERFECTLY and I think they are a great match for some motorized Nazi butt-kicking! Cap's Shield even snaps onto the front of the bike (with some effort). I think it's the only time I was glad they used that flimsy plastic!

Winter Soldier:


   We all thought Bucky was dead for ages, until the retcon gods dredged up the cheesiest looking character and turned him into the coolest badass in recent history. What a revamp! Can something like this finally happen to Rick Jones?!

PACKAGING:


   The same blah packaging is used for the whole line. Does anyone agree that it just does nothing?!

FIGURE/ACCESSORIES:


   Winter Soldier is a great figure. Sturdy plastic is used on him, but not the weapons. He comes with a Mauser (that fits into a holster), a sniper rifle and a backpack that turns into a flight pack. Kinda corny looking and the backside is open, which makes it look pretty cheap and cheesy.

SCULPTING:


   The sculpt on this figure is dynamite. Great work here by Hasbro. We get the long-haired version of Bucky and the Straps & Buckles style is well defined here. I always attribute this type of look to Steranko, because that's immediately what I think of when I see it. But someone on the Hisstank boards said that Steranko may have lifted it from someone else. I can't remember who it was, but thankfully, the look looks good!! If I had ONE gripe... it's that the gun molded to his chest is not removable.

PAINT:


   As usual, I had to dig through tons of Winter Soldier figures before I found one with decent paint apps i could live with. MOST of the figs had horrendous applications. I was starting to lose hope in finding a good one, but i did. I was happy because this was the figure i wanted MOST.


ARTICULATION:


   The Winter Soldier figure could ALMOST be a GI Joe: Pursuit of Cobra figure, it's so cool. He moves in every way that a Joe does, but this dreaded new hip articulation makes him a bit less of a figure. So far, he is my favorite fig in the line and i will be picking up one or two more, just in case I need a spare!

FINAL VERDICT: A-


   This is THE best figure in the Captain America line so far, so I am glad I got him. he would have been graded an A if he had the pivot/swivel wrists that Battlefield Cap has. He would have gotten an A+ if he had better hip articulation. But all in all, if you want a cool looking figure that looks like it can take what you and the kids can dish out, grab this one up FAST!

COMING UP NEXT: Bring on the Bad Guys!! The Red Skull & Crossbones!

Blame it on my Dad!

   My ultimate devotion to the realm of cinema began when I was a child. My stepfather  (hereafter referred to as Dad) , Walter, was an avid film fan, but his favorites consisted of westerns with John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and... *GASP* Randolph Scott. I grew up watching "The Searchers", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", "High Noon" and my favorite film at the time, "Big Jake" (which was on cable last night).

   Whenever a great film was going to be on TV, it was an exciting event. A large Pizza was ordered, snacks were bought (chips, cheese & crackers) and the soda flowed like fine wine. (You have to understand, this was a simpler time... in the days before cable TV and most of the fast food crap that we take for granted today). The only other such grandiose event was the Super Bowl and that only came around once a year.

   My Mom & Dad would relax on the couch, while my 2 sisters and I would elbow each other for floor space in front of our family unit's only TV. I can't even remember the screen size, but it was probably not even a 19" screen. At least it was color. I miss that tv, an ancient relic now that had rabbit-ears sticking out of the top and a UHF dial! We would have to tune to UHF Channel 50 every night at 7:53 no matter what, so Dad could watch Helly Young tells us what the NJ Lotto Pick 3 number was for that evening. Dad played his Lotto religiously every day of the week. I still remember the number - 601 - straight & box.

   We would watch the movie, enraptured by the stories, the characters and the gunfights. My sisters would promptly forget them, I'm sure, but I never did.

EARLY THEATER MEMORIES:

   Being such a film fan, Dad would take us out to dinner at a diner and a movie frequently. My earliest movie-going memory is of the wonderful Steven Spielberg film, Jaws (1975). I vaguely remember the shark eating that guy and the camera shot of his leg drifting down in the water. Spooky shit for a kid to see! But I loved it, regardless. We didn't get to the beach much anyway!

   My next movie memory is of one of my all time favorite movies, Star Wars (1977). I remember being thrilled at the Creature Cantina scene and the Millenium Falcon blasting out of Docking Bay #94 in Mos Eisley. This film definitely changed my life... for the better. So, my whole cinematic loving future was shaped by two of Hollywood most enormous legends, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. But it didn't end there for me... in fact, as the Carpenters said,  it had "Only Just Begun".

   The next films I truly remember seeing in theaters were (in no specific order):

Superman: I primarily remember when he first changes into Superman to save Lois from falling out of the helicopter and an african-american dude sees him and goes "Man, that's a bad outfit!"

Grease : One of my favorites for it's pure fun cheesiness. And who doesn't dig JT?

Halloween: I mainly remember the scene where Michael escapes from the mental hospital and jumps on the hood of a car, breaking the window with his hand.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: The ending when Donald Sutherland points and screeches is a great scary moment. I also vaguely remember Kevin McCarthy running by, doing a cameo and homage to the original film.

Thank God It's Friday: I owe this "classic" to my sister Lisa's obsession with then disco-diva-supreme Donna Summer. But I remember "The Leatherman" dancing around on cars through the parking lot, ultimately falling through a soft-top convertible.

Dawn of the Dead: This one left me with nightmares for years! I remember "Miguelito" chewing his wife's neck and arm before the cops blow him away. Mostly, I remember feeling bad for Roger as he's dying and promising to try and not come back as a zombie.

Phantasm: I freely admit that Angus Scrimm's chilling portrayal of "The Tall Man" caused me to lose sleep that night and I remember having to pee so bad, but being to afraid to go myself and not wanting to bother anyone by waking them up. So, what did I do? No way was I going to put my foot on the floor only to have the Tall Man grab my ankle and yank me under the bed into his dimension. So I did what any other kid would do, I wet the bed!

Alien: I remember Harry Dean Stanton's death scene, Yaphet Koto sweating his ass off and Ripley in her panties!

The Black Hole: Mostly, I remember the robots - VinCENT, Old Bob and Maximillian.

The Jerk: I remember Steve Martin getting his rythm and the duet he sings with Bernadette Peters.

C.H.O.M.P.S.: I remember only the robotic dog, nothing else about this film (I never saw it again).

Just You and Me, Kid: A fun flick with George Burns as an aging magician and Brooke Shields.

Love at First Bite: George Hamilton as Dracula? Funniest scene is when he drinks the blood of a wino and flies around as a bat, drunk. He ends up in a poverty stricken african-american household and they try to kill him for food. "A black chicken!"

Meatballs: All I remember about this one is when they suspend the main counselor's bed from ropes! And the song "We are the C.I.T.s so pity us. The kids are brats; the food is hideous. We're gonna smoke and drink and fool around. We are the North Star C.I.T.s!" and the chant... "It just doesn't matter!"
Moonraker: I love the nemesis Jaws and he hooks up with an ugly, pig-tailed girl!

   I could go on and on and on (and ON), but you get the idea!

Truly,
D

Next Time on Mythical Microcosms: THE film that changed my life!

Smegheads! Red Dwarf MASSIVE DVD Savings Sale!

   Sci fi nerds rejoice! Red Dwarf is one of my favorite britcoms EVER! And now you can own over 20 years of episodes for the LOWEST prices in the universe!

   Set in the late 22nd century, an on-board radiation leak of Cadmium II kills everyone except for low-ranking technician Dave Lister, who is in stasis at the time, and his pregnant cat, Frankenstein, who is safely sealed in the cargo hold.

Dave Lister: Last Human in the Universe

Following the accident, the ship's computer, known as Holly, keeps Lister in suspended animation until the background radiation dies down—a process that takes three million years. Lister therefore emerges as the last human being in the universe—but not alone on-board the ship. His former bunkmate and immediate superior Arnold Rimmer is resurrected by Holly as a hologram to keep Lister sane.

Holly & Arnold J. Rimmer:

At the same time, a creature known only as Cat is the last member on board of Felis Sapiens, a race of humanoid felines that evolved in the ship's hold from Lister's cat, Frankenstein, and her kittens during the 3 million years that Lister was in stasis.

The Cat:

   The main dramatic thrust is Lister's desire to return home to Earth. As their journey begins, the not-so-intrepid crew encounters such phenomena as time distortions, faster-than-light travel, mutant diseases and strange lifeforms that have developed in the intervening millions of years. Before long, the crew finds a stranded Service Mechanoid, Kryten, and invites him to join the crew. Hilarity ensues!

Kryten 2X4B-523P:

Seasons 1 -6 are only $11.99! (Usually sells for $19.98)
Season 7 is only $18.99 (Usually sells for $44.98)
Season 8 is only $20.49 (Usually sells for $34.98)
The entire series set is ONLY $77.49! (Usually sells for $199.99).
Red Dwarf: Back to Earth is only $14.99 (Usually sells for $24.99).

Click this link for some smeggin' goodness - http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=Red+Dwarf&x=0&y=0

If you've never seen Red Dwarf before, pick up Series One for a steal. Guaranteed to be the best $11.99 you've ever spent on a DVD set!

Evil Dead 2 is on IFC Tonight @ 11:35pm!

One of my favorite low-budget films of all time is on tv tonight! Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn directed by Sam Raimi and starring B Movie icon, Bruce Campbell.

Be there or set your DVR! "Stay Groovy!"

thanks,
Dino

Palisades Army of Darkness Pit Battle Ash & S-Mart Ash for sale .

   Several years ago, a toy company called Palisades made my life a little happier by releasing 1/18th scale figures of one of my favorite movies of all time "Army of Darkness". I picked up the first wave immediately and the second wave was blind boxed, which was a pain in the ass to get the figures you wanted. Well, MOST I wanted the Pit Battle Ash and luckily bought 8 figures the first day they were released at Suncoast motion Picture Company (a venue that I sorely miss). I got 3 Pit Battle Ash's, an S-Mart Ash, 2 Winged Deadites and Arthur's Knight.

   Palisades is long gone and so is Suncoast. The only thing that remains are trhese figures... and they are now up for sale! if you look around eBay, you will see that Pit battle Ash commands $200.00 alone and S-Mart Ash goes for around $70.00. Well, check out MY auction and Buy It Now (Free Shipping)!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220739633537&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT]Palisades Army of Darkness Pit Battle Ash & S Mart Ash - eBay (item 220739633537 end time Feb-21-11 06:57:56 PST)

truly,
Dino, The Supreme Backward

Coming in January 2011 - a New and Improved Microcosms!!

It's been crazy during the silly season so far and it's gonna get crazier, but STAY TUNED!!
Coming next month is the unveiling of a sweet new blog directive!

MULTIPLE POSTS per week! Actual in-depth articles! And maybe, just maybe... a guest review or two!

See you on One/1/eleven!!

"The Walking Dead" Television Premiere Review

   I have loved zombies all of my life. I suppose I have to blame (or thank, as the case may be) my oldest sister, Lisa, for this absolute truism. From my earliest memories, I know that I have been a lover of the horror genre... and here's why.

   I grew up during, and through the aftermath of, the Vietnam War. The world that existed, back then, was such a different place. In many ways, I believe we were a tougher country back then. Not because we were at war, but because kids were treated differently. We were not treated like adults, but we were expected to have brains enough to understand like adults. We certainly were not over-babied the way children are protected today. George Carlin calls it the "Pussification" of the American culture. Being American and seeing this pussification firsthand, I agree with the theorywhole-heartedly.
   As a mere child, I was allowed to enter the movie theaters of New Jersey and New York City to see the roughest, baddest movies of the day. And I'm not talking about the standard Hollywood horror fare of the era; I'm talking about the exploitation flicks that rocked city audiences. (Even though I saw all the Hollywood stuff, too)!
   At eight (8) years old, I proudly sat in smelly, old theatres and watched Don Coscarelli's "Phantasm" starring Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man. I marveled at George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead", crying when Roger was dying and told his friends that he was going to try not to come back as a zombie and not to kill him until they were sure. I was in attendance for "Hard Core" with George C. Scott when I was still too innocent to wonder about what was making the floor sticky. And I loved watching Wings Hauser beat the living hell out of hookers as Ramrod in "Vice Squad", a violent achievement of low budget cinema. And in most of these masterpieces, there were plenty of b-movie breasts. And all of this before the age of 10!!
   Now, before you start judging my parents, you should know that, back then, no one questioned these films. Children were expected to understand; it's just a movie, so view it as such. And for the most part, we were fine with it, too. Except, I did wet the bed the night I saw "Phantasm". (It was honestly one of the longest nights of my life and there was no way I was stepping foot off the bed. Why? So the Tall Man can grab my ankle and yank me under the bed after spouting his catchphrase... "Boy!")
   So, I developed a taste for film, the horror genre specifically, which was fed by my older sister's few "Fangoria" magazines. Man, I would spend hours begging her to let me read them and swore I would take care of them. When she would relent, I would read about such people as Dario Argento and John Carpenter and couldn't wait to see their next movies, which were filled with weird, horrific concepts and the origins of the "slasher" movies. But it was that George Romero guy who left an indelible stain on my cinematic heart.

   Which brings us to "The Walking Dead". I have the first three black & white, softcover, collected works that I picked up when they were first released a few years back. So, I've been familiar with the property from the start, but since I don't pick up individual comics anymore, I usually just wait for a trade paperback reprint. The TPB is several issues reprinted, bound and usually sells for cheaper than getting each issue would, so why not? The only reason I stopped collecting them after #3 was not because I didn't like the story, it was because I had lost my job and couldn't find the loot to pick up the rest. I fully plan to do so now.
   The Walking Dead is not ABOUT zombies. Sure, they are there and often in droves, but the story is not about them as they rarely further the plot. The story is about survival, specifically Rick Grimes' survival and coping with his desperate situation. I was suprised that many issues went by that didn't have zombies in them at all!
   I waited patiently for Sunday's premiere, hoping and praying it would be a decent adaptation. I was not disappointed.

MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD:

   The show's opening scene begins after the zombie apocalypse as Officer Rick Grimes, on his way to Atlanta, pulls his police cruiser over to salvage gasoline, to no avail. He spots a little girl carrying a teddy bear walking away from him and calls to her. She spins around and, you guessed it, she's zombified, braces and all. Rick reluctantly pulls his revolver and ventilates her brains. We're treated to a slow motion shot as she hits the ground. Fade out; Title Sequence.

   The next scene is Rick and Shane, his partner, discussing women in good old boy fashion. Shane's kinda funny telling Rick the truths he'd LIKE to say to women, but admits he speaks to them nicer than he really wants to. He's also a little too greedily interested for information about the trouble that Rick and his wife, Lori, are having in their relationship. He asks Rick very personal questions and Rick feels he can confide in him, because they are cops together.
   In the line of duty, Rick is careless and is shot by a suprise assailant on his upper left side. Shane tries comfort him and the next thing Rick knows, he's flashing in and out of conscienceness in a hospital bed and Shane is bringing him the cheapest flower bouquet you ever saw and says that everyone chipped in on them. Rick wakes up and talks to Shane but no one's there. We notice Rick has a several week old beard on his face and those flowers he thought Shane just dropped off are as old and dry as Betty White's dusty muffin. Despite not having water or food for who knows how long, Rick seems okay, if still a little wounded.

   Rick leaves the room and notices the hospital is abandoned. He tries to make his way out of the hospital, coming across a half eaten corpse of a woman in the hallway (perhaps the nurse left behind to watch over the coma patients?) and a locked door with the legend spraypainted across it "Do Not Open. Dead inside" (my ex-gf had that same phrase tattooed over her heart). There are groans and fingers poking through the cracks of the door as Rick tries to understand what the hell is going on.
   Rick passes dozens of dead bodies laid out in rows outside the hospital and as he makes his way home, he finds an abandoned 10 speed bike next to a legless female zombie. This is the first time he really begins to get an idea of what has happened. Once home, he finds it devoid of his wife and son plus their family photos. (Andrew Lincoln, the actor who plays Rick, brought some real emotion to these scenes. I never have seen him perform before, but I was impressed with what he brought to the first episode.)

   Rick sits on his front stoop and is promptly knocked unconscious by a shovel wielding young boy. The boy, Duane, and his dad Morgan are survivors who have set up shop in Rick's neighbor's home. (The boy's name is Duane Jones, homage to the actor who played Ben in the original "Night of the Living Dead".)
   Once Rick wakes up and explains his situation, he convinces them that his still-healing wound is NOT a zombie bite. They explain that they are trying to get over the fact that their loved one, Morgan's wife and Duane's mom, has become a zombie and often returns to the house that they inhabit. Morgan has not yet talked himself into shooting his dead wife through the head.
   Rick learns that the CDC aka Center for Disease Control had set up shop in Atlanta, GA and surmises that his wife and son, Carl, went there for safety. He decides to go there to look for them.

   The next morning, Rick, Morgan and Duane head to the Sheriff's Office and Rick kills his first zombie by bashing it's head in with a baseball bat. It's pretty savage and sickens Rick, but he seems to be a tough guy and can take it. All 3 survivors happily take a shower at the station, Duane singing and dancing his appreciation for the hot water (it shows how the simple little things like a hot shower can really mean a lot), since there has been no hot water for weeks.
   Rick arms himself and dresses in his Sheriff uniform, giving Morgan some weapons and ammunition. Duane wants to learn to shoot and Rick teaches him to respect the weapon. Morgan promises to show him how to shoot, but won't give him a gun before he does.
   Morgan tells Rick that he and his son are going to stay in town for the time being and Rick gives him a radio, telling him that he will turn it on every day at dawn, in case Morgan and Duane head to Atlanta, so they can find him. As they prepare to leave, Rick sees a zombie Sheriff's Deputy outside the locked gate. He recognizes him and says that the deputy was pretty much a fool, but that he doesn't deserve to be walking around undead. He mercifully shoots him in the head, ending his torment. Rick takes his police cruiser and heads out.
   Before Rick leaves town, he stops at the spot where he found the 10 speed bike and finds the legless female zombie who has crawled a ways away, in search of food. The zombie looks weak and hisses at him, reaching it's bony arm toward him. It's not threatening at this point, just miserably sad. Rick speaks to it, "I'm sorry this happened to you". The zombie just gurgles at him and Rick performs a mercy killing.
   Morgan and Duane return home and Morgan heads to the second floor, telling Duane to stay downstairs. Morgan starts blasting zombies through the head from the upstairs window, hoping to draw his wife out. She finally arrives and Morgan sets her up for the kill, but he just can't do it. He cries and gets angry with himself, try to pull the trigger, but he cannot bring himself under control and lets her walk away. Duane is left downstairs, terrified. (Lennie Jones as Morgan is exceptionally good in his emotional scenes, just watching his torment over the decision to put his wife to rest made my eyes well up with tears.)

   Rick heads to Atlanta and tries his CB radio. Suprisingly, a group of survivors hear his call and answer, but they are unable to make contact as Rick doesn't hear anything on his end. They call someone over to work the radio and it happens to be Shane, Rick's partner! He tries to answer the call, but cannot get a clear signal. He speaks to Lori, Rick's wife, and we find out that they are romantically entangled, as they make out for a few seconds, until Carl, Rick's son, shows up and Shane acts like nothing and walks away.

   Rick's police cruiser runs out of gas and walks to a nearby farmhouse. Looking into the window, he sees that the previous tenants have already killed themselves. He finds a horse in their stable/barn and saddles up like a real cowboy.

   The next scenes are my absolute favorite in the premiere. They show Rick on horseback, riding up to and through, the deserted Atlanta streets. It's so eerie seeing a big city so devoid of life. Deserted military vehicles are left abandoned in the streets and there is garbage everywhere. As Rick and his horse trot through this ruined nightmare landscape, he hears a strange noise in the sky; a helicopter flies overhead! As he giddyups the horse, they turn a corner and run into... a street filled with the corpses of The Walking Dead.
   He tries to escape, but they are behind him, as well. These zombies are quick, too. Not as fast and enraged as in "28 Days Later", but fast enough to grab Rick's horse. As he scrambles away, he watches the Dead pull the horse down and begin to tear it apart, eating it.
   He drops his duffle bag filled with weapons and ammo, but notices a tank nearby. He crawls beneath it, but the Dead begin to crawl after him. He tags a few in the head with his revolver, but there are just too many, so he puts the gun to his temple. At the last second, he notices there is an open hatch on the underside of the Tank and crawls into it. He latches it behind him and scrambles to the top of the tank to shut the top hatch. He is now safely locked inside... a tomb.
   Or so he thinks, a zombie soldier is in the tank and Rick blasts him, almost going deaf in the process. Rick tries to keep his cool while his ears stop ringing at the loud shot in such an enclosed metal space. He starts to consider his next option, but it doesn't seem like he has one since there are hundreds of the Dead right outside this location.
   It is at this point, the military radio in the tank crackles and someone calls Rick a dumbass. Before Rick can understand, he hears the male voice ask ask "You in the tank. Are you cozy in there?"

   The last scene of the episode is a great overhead pullback from the tank with hundreds of zombies banging on the tank, eating the horse and generally staggering around the area. All the while, a weird happy-sounding pop tune plays over the soundtrack. Smash cut to BLACK.
   I loved the premiere episode and watched it twice, so far. I am sure I will watch it again before next weeks episode, just to refresh my memory. I can't wait to see how the show deviates from the comic.

   I feel that the acting was superb all the way around. Andrew Lincoln and Lennie Jones get major props for showing their emotional acting chops! The rest of the people in this episode were only in a scene or two and didn't get to do much, but I know Sarah Wayne Callies as Lori will show us some decent acting skills. I remember watching her in "Prison Break" and enjoying her performance in that show.
   In the series preview, they showed scenes form the next several episodes and I noticed that Michael Rooker shows up. Mr. Rooker is a good actor that shows up from time to time in genre flicks, usually as a villain. He was a demented murderer in "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", a jealous husband/murderer in "Sea of Love", a good guy cowboy in "Tombstone", a good cop in "The Dark Half", he played a bald "Pop Svenning" in Mallrats for Kevin Smith and the man/monster in "Slither". I can't wait to see what he does in this series!
   Jeffrey DeMunn shows up for a scene, also, but that's too be expected since he is a Darabont favorite. He was in "The Shawshank Redemption", "The Green Mile", "The Majestic" and "The Mist". He's a capable actor and a lot of fun to watch, adding realism to every role he is in.
   The rest of the cast are unknown to me and I like that. Sometimes, casting too many stars in a production can weigh it down or give you some kind of expectation that can alter the way you view it. Imagine if Bruce Willis was cast as Rick Grimes... tell me you wouldn't expect him to be talking smack after each zombie headshot! Or if Russell Crowe was Rick, he'd just snarl at everyone and furrow his brow at everything (that's all he does in every role he's ever had).
   I like going into watching a show with (mostly) new faces and not knowing anything they have done. That way everything is fresh, from the faces of the actors to their performances.

Sincerely,
Dino