The End

Hi. So. You've probably noticed that there haven't been any new Sketched Screenings posts. That's because I'm stopping it.

I've been frustrated with it for awhile. I've sort of hit a wall with the art I'm doing for it. I've been doing it for almost four years now, and I'm really proud of a lot of the posts I've done. Sketched Screenings was started because I liked talking about movies and I needed something to force me do sketches weekly and make me improve over time. And I think it's done that. I've come a long way with my art since the start of 2011, both in quality and in my ability to put out a decent product quickly. I mean, this was my first sketch for it:

WOAH. When I was starting out I was doing 1 pencil sketch per post, and now I can do 3 or 4 inked and colored illustrations per post. That's pretty great! And I'm even getting to a point where I like my style. And I would not have gotten there if it wasn't for posting Sketched Screenings every week.

But.

I'm not happy with the stuff I'm drawing. Mostly the content. Sure it's fun when there's Godzilla or some big comics movie, but I'm tired of being stumped for ideas when an indie comedy or something that's just about people comes out. I tried moving to maybe a movie poster illustration for each but I don't have the time to do the kind of really thought out illustration that demands twice a week, especially when I'm also writing the reviews. Reviews can be fun, but I'm also not really going anywhere with them. It's been feeling more like a chore than a fun thing to do, and that's not great when it's something you're spending your free time doing and not getting paid for. I've been so frustrated that I decided to take a break from it in October to see if I missed it. And then I tried to come back to it and, well, I didn't. So I'm moving on. I'm going to find something new to do every week. Not that I'm not doing ANY art.

I'll still talk about movies and comics and TV and games on twitter if you really care what I think about the Big New Thing. And maybe if I really like something enough I'll post a review on my blog. Otherwise, if you like my art, you can read my bi-weekly webcomic, Dime-Store Noir, and follow my art on my blog, my website and my fancy new Art Tumblr. And if you REALLY like my art, you can buy something off my Etsy page, or ask for a commission, or support me through Patreon. That would be nice. It's the holidays and I do make custom greeting cards you know wink wink nudge nudge say no more.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading over the years. Thank you for following me, reblogging/retweeting/sharing my work and commenting on my articles. You've been a great audience and I hope you stick with me for whatever I do next. Thanks and so long for now!

-Josh

TV SHOWS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD YOU MONSTERS: OH GOD THINK OF THE CHILDREN: DC DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU WANT ANYMORE

It's an angry week I guess, because here's another TV SHOWS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD YOU MONSTER list. But this time we’re talking about cartoons from DC in a special DC DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU WANT ANYMORE edition!

TV SHOWS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD YOU MONSTERS: OH GOD THINK OF THE CHILDREN: WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING MARVEL

It's time for another installment of TV SHOWS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD YOU HEARTLESS MONSTERS. Today we have the THERE ARE CHILDREN WATCHING YOU HEARTLESS BASTARDS edition, featuring all Marvel cartoons!

Deadfall

Get out your snowmobiles and shotguns, we're reviewing Deadfall!

Addison (Eric Bana) and Liza (Olivia Wilde), brother and sister, are fresh off a robbery when they get stuck in a horrible snowstorm and need to lay low. They set out in different directions. Liza meets a fresh-out-of-prison ex-boxer, Jay (Charlie Hunnam), while Addison has a much harder time. Can they escape to Canada before Sheriff Becker (Treat Williams) and his daughter, Deputy Hanna (Kate Mara) catch them?

Dark City

Get out your rope and poker chips, we're reviewing Dark City!

No, not that one. Not the one with Keifer Sutherland as the mad scientist. NO, JUST-

Danny (Charlton Heston) and his gang are hard up on cash when they find an obvious mark and clean him out in a poker match. But then the gang finds out that the mark killed himself over the dishonor of losing someone else's money, and his brother ain't too happy. Suddenly, members of their group start turning up dead. Can they stop the killer before their luck runs out?

The Expendables 3

Get out your guns and knives and motorcycles, we're reviewing The Expendables 3!

After a mission goes wrong, Barney (Sylvestor Stallone) breaks up the team. He finds out an old member named Stonebanks (Mel Gibson) is still alive and has turned evil, and hires all new recruits to take him out. But then they all suck, so he brings back the old team to rescue the new team!

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Get out your trench coats and bondage gear, we're reviewing Sin City: A Dame to Kill For!

Dwight(Josh Brolin) is trying his best to lead a clean life when former lover Ava(Eva Green) walks in and needs his help. Johnny(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wants to win big at Senator Roark's(Powers Boothe) card game. Nancy(Jessica Alba) wants revenge on Roark for Hartigan's(Bruce Willis) death. You'll find all kinds of stories in Sin City.

Noir Comic Week: Noche Roja

It's the final day of noir-comic-week palooza! We're wrapping up with a review of Noche Roja by Simon Oliver and Jason Latour!

Jack Cohen is a washed-up private eye. He’s trying to make a living selling alarm systems to hapless rich people when Paloma Flores asks him to investigate the kidnapping and murder of several young girls across the border in Mexico. It’s been eleven years since Cohen has been on that side of the border. Can he put the past behind him or will he be forced to dredge it up and seek answers to long dead questions?

Noir Comic Week: 99 Days

Here we are, Day 4 of Super Serious Graphic Novel Week! Today we're reviewing 99 Days by Matteo Casali and Kristian Donaldson!

Detective Antoine Davis is tasked with solving a string of brutal murders by a machete-wielding maniac. As L.A. tears itself apart with gang violence, Antoine is reminded more and more of the awful time he spent as a refugee in Rwanda. He's tried to put the past behind, but will this finally be the case that breaks him?

Noir Comic Week: Area 10

For Day 3 of super noir fun time comic happy hour, we're reviewing Area 10 by Christos Gage and Chris Samnee!

Detective Adam Kamen is searching for a serial killer nicknamed Henry the 8th when he has a near death incident: A perp drives a screwdriver through his forehead. Six weeks later, he's all healed up and the killer resurfaces, but Adam has noticed some strange things. He'll uncover a terrifying conspiracy – all coming from the hole in his head.

Noir Comic Week: Fogtown

For day 2 of Noir Comic Week, we're reviewing Fogtown, by Andersen Gabrych and Brad Rader!

Frank Grissel is a hard-boiled detective. After a young hooker turns up dead, he's paid to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. What he'll uncover could shake the city to its foundations, and reveal his true character.

Noir Comic Week: Dark Entries

I recently discovered the Vertigo Crime book series! So, to celebrate, I'm having a NOIR COMIC WEEK VERTIGO CRIME GRAPHIC MYSTERY EXTRAVAGANZA! Or something. Five noir reviews in five days! First up, Dark Entries by Ian Rankin and Werther Dell'edra!

"Haunted Mansion", a hit new reality TV show in which contestants are trapped in a house where they're subjected to scares, suddenly goes off the rails when contestants encounter things the TV crew didn't set up. The producer calls occult detective John Constantine to investigate, but the only way to find out what's happening is if he becomes a contestant himself!

Sketched Comic: The Midas Flesh

Get out your golden fingers and velociraptor scientists, we're reviewing The Midas Flesh by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb!

Joey, Cooper and Fatima are three revolutionaries looking for a way to overthrow the federation that has decimated, enslaved and ruled over their planets, respectively. Their only hope lies in a secret planet made completely out of gold. Like the Midas of lore, this planet has the ability to turn anything and anyone who touches it into solid gold. Can they investigate and harvest this ancient weapon? 

Sketched TV: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Get out your Sais and nun chucks; we're reviewing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Splinter (Hoon Lee) has raised his four turtle sons, Leonardo (Jason Biggs), Donatello (Rob Paulsen), Michelangelo (Greg Cipes) and Raphael (Sean Astin) to be highly trained in ninjitsu, and now it's finally time for them to go out into the world. They befriend a teenage human girl named April (Mae Whitman) and help her rescue her father from a new alien menace. Can they survive the human world and stop both the Kraang (Nolan North) and the mysterious Shredder (Kevin Michael Richardson) before they wreak havoc?

Sketched Comic: Five Ghosts

Get out your cutlass and psychic projections, we're reviewing Five Ghosts Vol 1,  by Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham!

Fabian Gray has the power to recall the memories and experiences of five literary heroes: the detective, the vampire, the wizard, the archer, and the samurai. With that and the help of his brother-in-law, Sebastian, he'll need to find a way to get a handle on his powers and wake his sister from a deep coma!

Guardians of the Galaxy

Get out your Infinity Stones and cassette tapes, we're reviewing Guardians of the Galaxy!

Peter Quill(Chris Prat), a thief, Gamora(Zoe Saldana), an assassin, Drax(Dave Bautista) a warrior, Rocket(Bradlet Cooper), a bounty hunter, and Groot(Vin Diesel), his thug companion, all want to make a big score. But when they find out that what they have is a weapon wanted by Ronan the Accuser(Lee Pace), they have to band together to help save the galaxy.

Sketched Comic: Young Avengers

Get out your Bacon and laser bows, we're reviewing Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie!

Wiccan is in a relationship with Hulkling, and he feels bad that Hulking's mother is gone. So with his powers, he looks through the countless Marvel multiverses and finds one where his mother was about to die and pulls her out. But when he does, he pulls out something wrong. Now Wiccan and Hulking, along with other young heroes including Marvel Boy, Hawkeye(Kate Bishop), Prodigy, Ms. America and even Kid Loki will have to pull together to get this Mother out of their universe!

Hercules

Get out your bone whips and lion hats, we're reviewing Hercules!

The legendary Hercules(Dwayne Johnson) and his posse of warriors are hired by the king of Grace, Lord Coyts(John Hurt) to save their city from the tyrant warlord Rhesus(Tobias Stantlemann), who's said to be a sorcerer leading an army of Centaurs. Can Hercules live up to the legends that precede him?

Sketched Comic: SEX: The Summer of Hard

Get out your strap-ons and domino masks, we're reviewing SEX: The Summer of Hard by Joe Casey and Piotr Kowalski.

Simon Cooke returns to Saturn City after giving up being a superhero. Now he has to work to have a normal life, but can he even figure out what that is?

Escape from Tomorrow

Get out your Mickey Mouse ears and secret cameras, we're reviewing Escape From Tomorrow!

Jim(Roy Abramsohn) is a recently unemployed actor taking his family on vacation to Disney World when strange and terrible things start to happen.

Snowpiercer

Get out your protein blocks and future crack, we're reviewing Snowpiercer!

After humans have inadvertently caused another ice age, the only survivors are those aboard a train called "the Snowpiercer", that has an everlasting engine and makes one full ride around the world each year. Curtis(Chris Evans) is one of the people on the tail end of the car, those that are the bottom class and are treated as though they're living in an internment camp. But Curtis and others are massing a riot to take over the engine and break the system. Can they pull it off?

Dawn of the Rise of the Movie of the Apes of the Planet of the

Get out your APES with GUNS, we're reviewing Dawn of the Planets of the Apes!

It's been 10 years since the events of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes when the "simian flu" broke out and killed most of humanity, and Caesar(Andy Serkis) has made a thriving community for the now genetically smart apes. But when a new group of survivors show up, led by Malcolm(Jason Clarke), to restore power to parts of San Francisco to keep humanity alive, war between the apes and humans threatens to break out.

Sketched Comic: Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow?

Get out your rockets and duck n' cover videos, we're reviewing Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? by Brian Fies!

This is the story about a father and son, Pop and Buddy respectively, growing up in the age of rockets and spaceships and seeing how they and the times change with each passing decade.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Get out your robot dinosaurs and gun-swords, we're reviewing Transformers: Age of Extinction!

Cade Yeager(an actual name someone came up with played by Mark Wahlberg), a hapless inventor who is taken care of by his teenage daughter, Tessa(Nochola Peltz), discovers a beat-up truck that's actually Optimus Prime(Peter Cullen). When the CIA want to track down and kill all of the Transformers, Cade, Tessa and Optimus have to go on a journey to unite the Transformers, stop an evil company from making knock-off transformers, and save the Earth from the same bomb that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Seconds

Get out your giant robot dinosaurs and pew pew lasers we're revie-wait I didn't see Transformers yet shit um

oh crap uh shit damn it uh um OK DON'T PANIC

*scrounges around old movies*

Ok um get out your new teeth and burned-off fingertips, we're reviewing Seconds!

*whew*

Arthur Hamilton(John Randolph) seems to be bored of his old life, so he has a sketchy company "kill" him off, completely reconstruct him with plastic surgery, and give him an exciting new life as Antiochus Hamilton(Rock Hudson). But is this really the life he wants?

Sketched comic discussuion: Being terrible without being awful

This is something different today. There are a few graphic novels, specifically noir books, that I wanted to review, but I didn't know how to feel about them. One the one hand, I feel uncomfortable by the source material because there're some things in these that are misogynistic, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist and really just hateful. But on the other hand, a lot of noir is about terrible people doing and saying terrible things in a den of seedy grime.  I want to unequivocally like these noir stories. I love noir. But I don't feel right recommending them to people when they outright demean marginalized groups. I don't always want to have to call out when one more story is about a cis straight white male with daddy issues and herteronormative sex hang ups and all the things surrounding him are problematic. I don't want to have to keep calling it out on every single story. Should I?  Can we have great noir stories about filthy, reprehensible people without contributing to an overall narrative that seems to alienate anyone who isn't white, straight and male?

Instead of stuff from books, I'm just sketching more diverse nori characters.
And if you don't like it you can PUT IT IN THE SUCK IT BUCKET. 

Sketched Comic: Rocket Girl

Get out your jetpacks and and pink hair, we're reviewing Rocket Girl from Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare!

It's the far flung future of 2013 and teenagers are the new future police with jetpacks and flying cars! But something isn't right, the future shouldn't be this way, so 15 yr old officer Dayoung goes back in time to 1986 to fix it! Will she succeed?

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Get out your flaming swords and leather gliding suits, we're reviewing How to Train Your Dragon 2!

It's been five years since the events of the first movie, and everyone's taken to dragons pretty well. While Hiccup(Jay Baruchel) and Toothless are out mapping the region, he learns of a dangerous new threat named Drago(Djimon Hounsou) who wants to hunt and control all dragons, along with a suspicious dragon rider(Kate Blanchett) who turns out may have connections with Hiccup.

Vampire Academy

Get out your silver stakes and secret blood connections, we're reviewing Vampire Academy!

Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch) is a guardian to the vampire princess, Lissa Dragomir (Lucy Fry) and together they attend an academy where Lissa can master her magic powers and Rose can become a better guardian. After an accident and year long absence, Rose and Lissa are brought back to the academy with a strange new psychic connection. But someone or something wants them out! Can Rose figure out who or what it is, while protecting Lissa?

Edge of Tomorrow

Get out your exo-suits and alien blood, we're reviewing Edge of Tomorrow!

Officer Cage (Tom Cruise) tries to escape filming the war effort on the front lines, but ends up getting railroaded into fighting on the front lines instead. After killing one of the creatures, he finds out that he's living the same day over and over each time he dies. With the help of war hero Rita (Emily Blunt) who's been through this before, can he find a way to win the war and break the chain?

Sketched Comic: Dynamite Duble Feature: Masks and Miss Fury

Get out your masks (get it) and capes, we're reviewing Masks Vol. 1 and Miss Fury Vol. 1!

Miss Fury is about Maria Drake, a costumed thief/adventurer known as Miss Fury. She’s trying to steal a precious crown. In the process, she’s thrown forward and backward in time from 1943 to 2014, as she fights undercover Nazis and tries to get back to the man she loves. 

Masks is about a number of pulp superheroes, including The Shadow, The Green Hornet, The Spider, and even Miss Fury, banding together to stop the evil "Justice Party" from taking over the government and subverting the law.

Maleficent

Get out your evil curses and shape-shifting crows, we're reviewing Maleficent!

Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) is a fairy in charge; she’s the self-proclaimed protector of the Moors, home to all sorts of magical creatures. But when a childhood sweetheart, Stefan (Sharlto Copley) comes back to betray and disfigure her, she becomes bitter and hateful. One day, she hatches a plan to get her revenge by cursing his only daughter, Aurora (Elle Fanning). But this is not the story of Sleeping Beauty that you were originally told.

Sketched Comic: The Big Feminist But

Get out your cats and tinfoil men, we're lookin' at The Big Feminist But!

This is an anthology talking about feminism, why it's needed, and those times we say, "I'm not a feminist but," or "I'm a feminist but," with stories from a myriad of artists and writers such as Lauren Weinstein, Gabrielle Belle, Vanessa Davis, Jen Wang, and more!

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Days of Future Past

Get out your time travel and energy guns, we're reviewing X-Men: Days of Future Past!

In order to stop homicidal robots called Sentinels from destroying all of humanity, a ragtag band of mutants including Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), and Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from killing Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) and stopping the future before it ever happens!

Sketched Comic: Federal Bureau of Physics

Get out your, um – physics books? Look, all of this stuff is a bit over my head. Just go read FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics by Simon Oliver, Robbi Rodriguez, and Rico Renzi.

In a world where the physical laws of the universe are broken, there's only one organization to call: The Federal Bureau of Physics. Adam Hardy is one agent trying to keep the world from breaking apart, but he'll soon find out that there's a mysterious group trying to break the laws of physics on purpose!

Godzilla

Get out your radiation detectors and nuclear bombs, we're reviewing Godzilla! 

Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) is in charge of a nuclear power plant in Japan when something goes HORRIBLY WRONG. Fifteen years after the "accident," he's still trying to prove something weird happened, but his son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) just wants him to drop it. Then they discover what it is and things go EVEN MORE HORRIBLY WRONG. Meanwhile, the head scientist (Ken Wantanabe) of a super-secret organization knows only ONE other force of nature that can take on this new threat...

Sketched Comic: (not) Noir

Get out your bullwhips and ancient maps, we're reviewing Noir by Victor Gischler and Andrea Mutti!

The Sparrow is hired to steal a rare Moonstone from a Museum. But when a mysterious buyer comes along offering a higher price, she holds out and stiffs the original client. Now, with some help from The Shadow and Miss Fury, will she get a big payday or a bullet in the head?

Sketched comic: Afrodisiac

Get out your afros and evil computers, we're reviewing Afrodisiac by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca!

Oh I didn't forget the 'D'.

Afrodisac is a comic about a comic, featuring an average man named Alan Deasler who, through multiple origins, is turned into Afrodisiac, a pimp with a supernatural ability to seduce any woman he wants.

A.C.O.D.

Get out your drum sets and old pictures, we're reviewing A.C.O.D.!

Carter (Adam Scott) is an Adult Child of Divorce. He seems to be adjusting well now that he owns his own restaurant and is in a relationship with Lauren (Marie Elizabeth Winstead), but when his brother Trey (Clark Duke) suddenly gets married and asks him to get their parents (Richard Jenkins and Catherine O'Hare) together, he finds out he's not so well-adjusted, after all.

Sketched Comic: Rat Queens

Get out your healing spells and prayers to your flying squids, we're reviewing Rat Queens Vol. 1, by Kurtis Wiebe and Roc Upchurch!

Hannah the rockabilly Elven mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven fighter, Dee the Atheist human cleric, and Betty the Hippy Hobbit thief, are the 4 bad-ass members of the adventuring group known as the Rat Queens. They're defenders of the small town of Palisades, and willing to kill anything for the right amount of money. But when they're drunken bar fights get them into trouble, they'll be forced to take a quest that will stretch their abilities and tempers to the limits!

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Get out your web-shooters and rhino suits, we're reviewing The Amazing Spider-Man 2!

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is trying to balance his superhero life and his love life with Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone), but that's going to be hard when new electrified villain Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) and long-lost friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) come into his life.

Sketched Comic: Satellite Sam Vol. 1

Get out your space props and whiskey, we're reviewing Satellite Sam: Vol 1, by Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin!

"Satellite Sam" is a hit sci-fi TV show being produced in the 50's, starring Carlyle White in the pivotal role of Satellite Sam. But when the actor is found dead in a seedy apartment, surrounded by tons of pictures of women in lingerie, it's up to his alcoholic son, Mike, to solve his father's murder AND step into the role as the title TV character to keep the show on the air.

Sketched Comic: Bikini Cowboy

Get out your surfboards and whips, we’re reviewing Bikini Cowboy by L. Frank Weber!

Rod McCloud is a kid on the run, and the only one who can help him is Whiskey Jill, a cowboy who wears nothing but a bikini and carries a surfboard wherever she goes. But does she have ulterior motives for saving him?

Stripped

Get out your quill pens and drawing tablets, we’re reviewing Stripped!

Stripped documents the history of comic strips, from the early days of newspaper strips to the modern days of webcomics. It includes interviews from classic favorites like Scott Mccolud and Bill Watterson and new cartoonists like Danielle Corsetto and Kris Straub.

The Raid 2

Get out your hammers and baseball bats, we're reviewing The Raid 2!

After the events of The Raid, Rama (Iko Uwais) goes undercover to take down more corrupt cops, and bring Bejo (Alex Abbad) who killed his brother, to justice. But things get complicated when he becomes a bodyguard to Ucok (Arifin Putra), the son of one of the three mob bosses.

Sketched comic: Spider-Man: Spider Island

Today we’re reviewing the Amazing Spider-Man story arc: Spider Island!

How does Peter Parker and every Marvel superhero in New York deal with every person on the island of Manhattan getting spider-powers? And just who is behind this crazy plot?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Get out your indestructible shields and robot arms, we're reviewing Captain America: The Winter Soldier!

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is still getting acclimated to the world of today, and he's not too keen on what Nick Fury(Samuel L. Jackson) and SHIELD are doing in the name of peace and security. With the help of Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) they'll uncover a conspiracy that will rock the Marvel world!

Under The Skin

Get out your limitless black room with engulfing watery floor, we're reviewing Under The Skin!

Scarlet Johansson plays an alien(?) looking and acting like a pretty girl in order to lure men back to her home(??) for sinister purposes(?!).

TV SHOWS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD, YOU MONSTER! THERE ARE CHILDREN WATCHING, YOU HEARTLESS BASTARDS!

Get out your angry yelling voices we’re doing a special cartoon version of TV SHOWS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD, YOU MONSTERS! This time I’m going to talk about five great cartoons cut in their prime!