"the passing of a LEGEND!"

Found out late Monday that the art world had lost yet another legend, internationally famous fantasy artist/illustrator Frank Frazetta passed away after suffering a severe stroke in south Florida....he was 82 years old.

I had never met Mr. Frazetta but his work was a major inspiration to me and was a key motivator in me wanting to become an artist. In my youth I collected the now valuable posters of his works, and later on his original art book series which not only featured his now famous lushly colored portrayals of beautiful, voluptuous women but also detailed black and white plates also depicting fantastic creatures, exotic settings, and hardened heroic figures. Frazetta got his start in the comics field in the late 40's mainly illustrating westerns and science fiction subjects, even at an early age his painstakingly detailed hand was apparent. His work, especially his fantasy paintings were a huge hit in the late 60's through the 80's and made his work instantly recognizable making him a rarity in the field...highly successful and recognized.

His cover art for the paperback series of Robert E. Howard's infamous barbarian; "Conan" not only expanded his popularity but also introduced a new generation of readers to Howard's work. Over the years and to this day his work has not only inspired generations of would be artists but also art directors and film makers who have delved into the fields of fantasy and science fiction.

The master is gone but his countless masterpieces live on in museums, art books, posters, and comics to further inspire us all and to leave an indelible impression on generations to come.

R.I.P Frank Frazetta 1928-2010

"IRON MAN 2", a real "CLUNKER"!

Just returned from seeing the latest mega budgeted, highly anticipated, and highly hyped Hollywood sequel, and boy it did not dissapoint, well it did actually and looking back I should have expected it. I am speaking of "IRON MAN 2", the latest addition to the ever growing highly budgeted comic book adaptation film industry.

I did a review of the first "IRON MAN" film right here in "SURFACEWORLD" just a few short years ago and despite the fact that I wasn't much of a fan of the character I came away liking the film very much, not only with the storyline and direction but also with the performances by the fine cast that was assembled for the feature....This time however, I cannot same the same for this follow up. I wanted to go and enjoy the film, and visually it is very enjoyable, and no I am not just talking about Scarlet Johanson although she was a big source of the visual delights of the movie, I wanted to have the same experience as I did watching the first film with its high octane action sequences, smooth storytelling, and powerful direction and performances...it just didn't happen! This sequel, as with the first film, was directed by Jon Favreau("Swingers") but for some unexplainable reason it did not have the same "flow" to it, it did not sail as smoothly as it's predecessor. Granted most if not all films have a slow spot, a short period where things bog down a bit and these spots can be noticeable-very noticeable in a high action story such as this one and in my honest opinion thats what hurts this film most...lack of "flow".

The effects are top notch, again an expectation in todays films of such subject matter. Favreau does his best I guess, and sometimes it comes off that he may be trying to hard, perhaps to compensate for the story which was kinda weak. I do give the film credit in delving more into the character of Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr.) who is dealing not only with the legacy of his long dead father, but with possibly fatal health matters concerning "the suit". The story also delivers an interesting antagonist in the person of Ivan Vanko(Mickey Rourke), Russia's answer to the technical "wunderkind" Stark. The character based on a lame villlian named "Whiplash" in the comics is effectively portrayed in the film as a failed son of a disgraced industrialist wizard whose partnership with Stark's father destroyed him.

The cast just seemed like they were going through the motions in my opinion, I'll be the first to admit that I am not an actor but I know my movies and know when an actor/actress shows up and performs-this time around it just seemed that everyones heart wasn't into the show. A lot of "flash" and hardly any "substance".

The new members in this film are Sam Rockwell("Moon") who plays Justin Hammer, a high tech weapons designer/manufacturer and old rival of Starks and Scarlet Johanson("Ghost World") who plays Natalie Romanoff aka Natalia Romanov("Black Widow") a S.H.E.I.L.D agent assigned to Stark Industries under the guise of a legal assisstant, and Don Cheadle("Hotel Rwanda") who replaced actor Terrence Howard("the Brave One")in portraying Stark's friend, Colonel James Rhodes aka "War Machine". Both actors are highly talented and praised but here they too seem to have been compensating for the story, too much Rockwell, and not enough Johanson, not enough Cheadle in this case. The story has so many plot holes that it almost resembles Swiss Cheese, holes I might add that any 2nd grade fanboy could drive a semi rig through. This comic book sequel is not near as dissapointing as a; "Batman & Robin" or a "Spider-Man 3" but it came dangerously close.

***SPOILER ALERT: Now you can stay through the credits if you like, and yes there is a little film vignette at the end but it is lame! It was even more dissapointing than the 2 hour film I had just seen, I mean, c'mon I watched through the credits just to see a smoldering hammer stuck in the middle of a large crater...."WHAT THE HELL"?