The Book of Clarence

Set during the time of Jesus Christ's rise in 33 A.D. Jerusalem, The Book of Clarence is a biblical comedy starring LaKeith Stanfield as a man who, due to owing large debts, sells himself off as a messiah to earn money. Jeymes Samuel's writing and direction gives this movie a very unique approach that mixes atypical biblical storytelling from the 50s with modern sensibilities and often trippy visuals. The sudden shift between the comedy of Clarence's antics and the stark drama of him being judged and crucified can be jarring, but it's a rather bold decision. Rob Hardy's cinematography, most of the score from Samuel himself, and the production values really capture the feel of the era perfectly. The performances from everyone involved are strong, but especially Stanfield who makes Clarence's change from cynical con man to absolute believer of Jesus seem believable. If there's one negative I do have to give is that while it's only about two hours there are times when it can feel a bit slow and sluggish. Regardless of its pace, The Book of Clarence is not only entertaining but does a better job at sending messages about belief than most other movies that center around similar subjects. Over all: 92%

2024 top list so far:

1. The Book of Clarence

2. Mean Girls 2024

Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 1 #8

Archie Comics has been home to many other franchises besides its signature Riverdale teens, including Sonic and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but it's a comic like Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 1 #8 that shows why the young witch is one of their strongest mascots. The issue is an anthology depicting Sabrina in some fun situations and adventures alongside her friends and family. Stories include turning Harvey, Sabrina's boyfriend, into a dog while at the beach, Aunt Hilda messing with Sabrina's friends after they mocked her, and Della telling a ghost story. Much of the writing for most of the comic is pretty simple, depicting atypical hijinks, but the ghost story at the end is definitely the best with good tension and a brilliant twist. The art is pretty typical for an Archie Comic title for most of it, but once again the ghost story absolutely shines compared to what came before. It's style is pretty much the same, but adds more shadow and lighting to certain panels as well as giving more details towards both the characters' faces and the backgrounds to really give you a dark horror story and the characters involved really show fear. Even without that final story, Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 1 #8 is still a pretty delightful read nonetheless. Over all: 100%

Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:

1. The Complete Peanuts Vol. 15: 1979-1980

2. Daredevil Vol. 1 #170

3. The New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #1

4. Green Arrow Vol. 1 #1

5. Star Wars: Dark Empire #1

6. Deadman: Love After Death #1

7. Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library Vol. 1

8. Detective Comics Vol. 1 #441

9. Eternals by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection (Eternals (1976-1978))

10. Hulk Vol. 5 #1

11. Avnegers: War Across Time #1

12. The Yellow Kid

13. Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 1 #8

14. Archie and Me #132

15. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1

16. Action Comics Vol. 1 #674

Mean Girls 2024

Mean Girls 2024 is the feature film adaptation of the stage musical which was inspired by the original non musical from 2004, itself adapted by Tina Fey from a non comedic self-help book about high school cliques. Similarly to the stage musical and original movie, it centers on Cady Heron, a teenage girl who learns to go to high school in America after spending years of being home schooled in Kenya. As she tries to fit in, Cady learns about many of the school's cliques including the popular mean girl and leader of the rich Plastics, Regina George. With Fey returning to write, this version stays true to the story of the 2004 version but focusing much of the comedy on straight forward comedy rather than the original's over the top style. For the most part it works, but certain jokes that come back don't fit this movie's style and often feel like an unneeded leftover. The cast all provide not only strong performances but perform the musical performances well, though some of the early song performances do feel a bit stiff and too quick. Angourie Rice as Cady is certainly great, but Reneé Rapp absolutely steals the whole movie as Regina, which is helped by the fact that Rapp played the role on stage. While the musical numbers themselves are mostly well done, it's the music and songs that are great but often feel a bit lacking. Regina's introduction, Revenge Party, and the secrets of the Burn Book coming out are all incredible songs, but certain songs at the start and middle feel like they go to fast and lack a bit of the strength of the other ones. 2024 starts its release of movies with Mean Girls 2024 and for the most part is pretty good, but here's hoping there's improvement as the year goes. Over all: 74%

2024 top list so far:

1. Mean Girls 2024