"No, I'm Iron Man."

I've been wanting to do this ever since I saw The Iron Giant; take footage from the Japanese cartoon Gigantor and place it against Black Sabbath's "Iron Man". I kicked my own ass and got it together this weekend. Enjoy!

Wonder Woman (Lauren Montgomery, 2009, USA)

While every superhero around seems to be scoring a movie deal (Thor? Man-Thing?) or even getting a reboot (The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four), Wonder Woman just can’t get a break. There have been talks of the Amazon princess coming to the silver screen for years with nary a glint of her golden bracelets or star-spangled bustier in theaters. Having experienced a rash of laughably bad superhero films, it may be best that Wonder Woman be spared the humiliation. Instead, she’s found a safe haven in the Warner Brothers feature length cartoon from Lauren Montgomery.

Like all superhero films, Wonder Woman is an origin story. We see the young Princess Diana (Keri Russell doing her best Holly Hunter) among her fellow Amazonian hotties. When hotshot pilot Steve Trevor (Nathan Fillion) crashes on the hidden Paradise Island (AKA Themyscira) he’s hunted like a human on the Planet of the Apes. Queen Hippolyta (Virginia Masden) decides to send him back to the good old U.S.A. and holds a contest to determine who can escort him. Let the tickle fights begin! It doesn’t take a magic mirror to divine that Princess Diana wins and outfitted with her signature satin tights, lasso of truth, and sent out into the patriarchal world to constantly save Steve’s ass, take down renegade god Ares (Alfred Molina), and teach little girls to play a little rougher with boys.

Wonder Woman has undergone several updates throughout the years. Most of the changes have toned down the overt kink of the original William Moulton Marston comic book (wherein Wonder Woman would get tied up a half dozen times an issue while her human chum Etta Candy would often be seen overseeing the spanking of her sorority sisters while scarfing down chocolates). There’s little bondage and no spanking in Wonder Woman though Steve Trevor does admit to being “into the kinky stuff too” when he’s interrogated with the lasso of truth. What Wonder Woman lacks in sexual content it makes up for in violence. Its PG-13 rating is justified by the brawls, beheadings, and bloodshed that run throughout this animated film. Don’t mistake this one as something for the kiddies!

Like Superman: Doomsday, Wonder Woman is a proper, respectful adaptation of a classic hero.

Introduction and Foreword of the CdC Book

I'm happy to announce the folks who took the time to write an Introduction and Foreword to the Cashiers du Cinemart book: Herschell Gordon Lewis and Chis Gore.

I know very few people with their own Wikipedia entries but Herchell Gordon Lewis is one of them. One of the most influential pioneers of exploitation cinema, Lewis anticipated both the "nudie cutie" (The Adventures of Lucky Pierre) and "splatter" films (Blood Feast). Some would even credit him for starting the biker film with his She-Devils on Wheels. The "Godfather of Gore" has made films about politics, fairy tales, swinging, and so much more.

And speaking of Gore (rimshot), Chris Gore should be a familiar name to readers of Cashiers du Cinemart and to film fans in general. Gore made a name for himself in the 1980s via Film Threat magazine. A fellow Michigander, Gore's written books, directed films, and hosted TV shows including a segment on G4's Attack of the Show and IFC's Ultimate Film Fanatic -- of which I was a contestant until I got booted.

That's a long story... one I wrote about in great detail in CdC #14. Now, readers will get to read the other side of the story with Gore's touching foreword to the Cashiers du Cinemart book.

I'm proud to include words by Lewis and Gore in the pages of my book. They're among some great company what with pieces by Rich Osmond, Chris Cummins, Andrew Grant, Skizz Cyzyk, Leon Chase, Michael Thompson, and Andrea White. The book also has original artwork by Nathan Kane, Jonathan Higgins, Pat Lehnerer, and Dean Stahl. With cover art by... well, let me have something to share next month. Stay tuned!