Monthly Archive: November 2014

Michael Davis: The Black Hollywood Shuffle

icon-6736560The image of Icon to the left was on Arsenio Hall’s Facebook page last week. There’s a funny story behind that. Well, its funny to me.

I like Arsenio. I like him a lot. I’ve met him a few times but we are by no means boys. Whenever I see him I’d like to think he remembers me but I think he’s just being polite. Each and every time I run into him, what strikes me is how polite and straight up real the man is.

Polite, straight up and real is raised to another level by a woman of his staff. What level? Putting it as politely as I can, she’s a straight up bitch, for real.

That level.

I was invited to the Arsenio show some months ago. Guests on the show that day included Don Cheadle and Billy D. Williams. It’s fair to say each have earned countless distinctive accolades but some praise could easily apply to both. Each is respected as wonderful actors from a legion of fans. They get the sex symbol nod from others and many only see two cool as fuck badass mofo’s.

Every geek and nerd sees little or none of that above noise. They don’t see Don Cheadle and Billy D. Williams hardly or at all. It’s War Machine and the greatest Black Science Fiction character to ever grace the big screen, Lando Calrissian who they see and that’s who I saw when I made a beeline for Billy D’s dressing room.

So, there I was talking some, down right, up right, San Diego Comic Con and Black Panel smack to Billy, his manager and agent both who knew of the panel and me.

That was cool.

Billy knew me also, well kind of. Each time I see him at some event or party, I tell him if he attended The High School Of Art & Design, my school, instead of the much inferior High School Of Music & Art, he’d be a successful artist today. Instead of having to fall back on that “acting” bullshit. No, I never mention I know he’s a successful painter, which would ruin a running joke nearly 20 years old.

But I digress and every time I do, Peter David gets a check a angel gets his wings and more readers get sick of reading that.

Where was I?

Where I was, about to finalize plans to honor Billy D at The Black Panel, was his dressing room, invited in by Mr. Williams himself. Then, she who would have been named but I’m not without mercy, entered and that, as they say, is all she wrote.

No idea what her title was for the show but she seemed like she was the senior, Self Hating Unhappy Negro – or SHUN. SHUN ignored my backstage credentials, ignored Billy’s agent’s assurances I was invited to be there, and in no uncertain terms told me to leave Mr. Williams alone. I tried to talk to her, Billy’s agent tried even Billy tried. She refused to believe I was not some lowly actor out to sweat Mr. Williams.

Waving a finger a hair away from my face she informed me I was one more sentence away from security being called. She was about one more inch from me becoming that nigger, but I decided against it.

No clue how I walked the fuck away without another word. I was so fucking livid I had to get out of there as my heart was racing and I’m sure my blood pressure was dangerously high and, honest to god, I felt my head was going to burst a blood vessel.

I left the building but by the time I reached my car someone from the show called my cell hoping I was still on the lot. It seems someone told SHUN who the fuck I was and just what the fuck I was there for in the place. Hint: it wasn’t to stalk Billy D. No idea to this day who I talked to but for their trouble they received a fuck you so loud it shattered the last bit of shield my brain was using to ward off a migraine and I didn’t care.

This level of pissed is rare. Even for me.

This was a big deal. You may not see it as such but yes, yes it is. Not for most reasons you would think I think. All my wrath and indignation is not towards this woman, my anger has little to do with her or what she did to me.

My anger is rooted in Black Hollywood and our rush to destroy what little we have.

Many in Black Hollywood, forget we are Black in Hollywood and I’m about to remind them.

End of Part 1.

 

The Point Radio: Why You Should Be Watching CONSTANTINE

There is no shortage of comic properties on network TV this year, but one that may have escaped your attention is NBC’s CONSTANTINE. Executive Producers David S. Goyer and Daniel Cerrone talk about their plans for the future, where it all fits into DC’s New 52 Continuity and how they want to continue to make it the truest comic adaptation ever to hit the small screen.

THE POINT covers it 24/7! Take us ANYWHERE on ANY mobile device (Apple or Android). Just  get the free app, iNet Radio in The  iTunes App store – and it’s FREE!  The Point Radio  – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE  – and follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.

Lego Justice League vs Bizarro League Coming in February

Lego_JL_vs_Bizarro_League_ONLINE_CTM_07Burbank, CA (November 13, 2014) – In the follow-up to LEGO® Batman, The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite, the Justice League is newly solidified yet faces a peculiar set of villains when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment and The LEGO Group release LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League on Blu-rayTM Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD on February 10, 2015. The Blu-rayTM and DVD releases will include an exclusive Batzarro LEGO Minifigure on-pack, while supplies last.

LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League will be available on Blu-rayTM Combo Pack for $24.98 SRP and on DVD for $19.98 SRP.  The Blu-rayTM Combo Pack includes a digital version of the movie on Digital HD with UltraViolet.* Fans can also own LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League in Digital HD on February 10 via purchase from digital retailers.

Batman has joined the newly formed Justice League in order to keep tabs on Superman, a mistrust that is complicated by Superman’s clumsy – but well-meaning – clone, Bizarro. Bizarro’s creation of the Bizarro League has caused confusion amongst the world’s greatest Super Heroes, but an even greater and mysterious threat may force the Justice League and Bizarro League to band together to defeat evil.

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is thrilled to release LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League on Blu-rayTM and DVD,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WBHE Vice President, Family & Animation Marketing and Partner Brands. “Fans of the LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes movie franchise can experience the Justice League battling all-new foes in this action-packed and hilarious film.”

LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League Special Features include:

  • LEGO® DC COMICS SUPER HEROES: BATMAN: BE-LEAGUERED TV SPECIAL – Approximately 22 minutes
  • BIZARRO! – FEATURETTE – One part oddity, one part comedic curiosity, Bizarro is a favorite among the characters within Superman’s universe. Take a look at the Man of Steel’s potent, backwards nemesis.
  • BE-LEAGUERED BLOOPERS

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS

LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League will be available for streaming and download to watch anywhere in high definition and standard definition on their favorite devices from select digital retailers including Amazon, CinemaNow, Flixster, iTunes, PlayStation, Target Ticket, Vudu, Xbox and others. Starting February 10, LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League will also be available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles.

Review: Lego Batman 3 – Beyond Gotham

screen-shot-2014-11-16-at-7-17-56-pm-9680495Make no mistake – the box says Batman 3, but this is clearly the DC response to the Marvel Lego Super Heroes game from last year.  With over 150 heroes and villains, an oncoming storm of DLC, and a sweeping plotline, this is the biggest look at the Lego DC Universe yet.

The title says “Beyond Gotham” and they follow up straight away – the opening video features the six Lantern Corps that aren’t green. Sinestro, Star Sapphire, Saint Walker and Larfleeze start off bickering but are quickly defeated and put under the thrall of the game’s Big Bad, Brainiac.  In only the opening levels of the game the narrative moves from an underground battle against Killer Croc to a outer space where Batman and Robin team up with fellow Justice Leaguers Flash, Cyborg and the Martian Manhunter.

batman3_2-550x309-5303424All the Lego games bear some common concepts – the characters fight and puzzle their way through various levels based on the narrative of the story the game is based on, a list so far including Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.   Everything is awesome destructible, the debris revealing “studs”, the common coin of the Lego realm, which can be used in between levels to purchase new playable characters.  Various characters have different powers – some can fly, some can shoot fire – and each power will allow the player access to different parts of the levels.  Since many characters and powers are not available at the start of the game, the replay value of the series is impressive, nearly exhausting for those insist on chasing the virtual dragon that is the elusive 100% completion rating.

One of the joys of each successive Lego game is to see what new gameplay is created, and what features are pulled from previous entries in the various series.  The interchangeable specialty suits make a welcome return from previous Bat-games, not only for Batman and Robin, but other heroes like Cyborg.  The score multiplier from the Marvel game has been added, and quite useful; too – the number of studs needed to fill the “True Hero” bar on most levels are painstakingly high.  Where Marvel had Stan Lee hidden amongst the levels for you to save, Batman 3 fills that role with the finest Bat-Actor to ever draw breath, Adam West.  Flying characters hake an appearance, including the first large-size mini-figs like the giant true form of the Martian Manhunter and Arkillo of the Yellow Lantern Corps.

The breadth and depth of characters in the game is truly staggering.  From the A-list JLA members to the mid-carders like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, even villains for the other heroes to fight, like The Cheetah and the Rainbow Raider.  Guest stars from past the fourth wall are a new addition – DC creators Geoff Johns and Jim Lee get the mini-fig treatment, as do Conan O’Brien and Kevin Smith.  In addition to his cameos as a hapless actor in distress, Adam West also voices the Batman from the classic 1966 TV series (now out on DVD) in a special level, complete with retro Batcave and minifig design, and the comic-booky sound effects that have so inextricably affixed themselves to any news media coverage of comics.

batman3_1-550x309-6387633But they don’t stop there. This game ties into Batman’s 75th anniversary, and as such pulls in characters and suits from many media.  In addition to the Batman suits from the movies, Batman Beyond is featured in the game, along with his villains like Inque.  Batman The Animated Series gets a tp of the hat with The Gray Ghost, and of all people, Condiment King, and Brave and the Bold brings us the Music Meister.

In a first, the cast of the WB’s hit series Arrow appear in the game, with voice provided by Stephen Amell.  Felicity Smoak, Malcolm Merlyn and the Huntress will be making an appearance in a DLC pack.  But if I had to choose the single most WTF-y included character, it’d have to be The Green Loontern, AKA Daffy Duck, AKA Duck Dodgers from the episode of the TV series where Dodgers accidentally got Hal Jordan’s laundry by mistake.  THAT’S what I call obscure.

In addition to the common design and base gameplay, surely the most beloved common feature of the Lego games is their wacky sense of humor, and this game does not disappoint.  In addition to the wonderful and fun plot and dialogue, be on the lookout for endless throwaway gags in the background.  As Hawkman (or is he?) enters the Hall of Justice, he passes various souvenir stands dedicated to the heroes, including an Aquaman booth choked
with unsold merchandise.  Or as Princess Diana takes to the air, the classic Wonder Woman TV show theme starts to play.

It is not unreasonable to say that there are those who are playing each and every Lego game because of their love of the series, over and above the licensed property that the latest game based itself on.  This game will satisfy both Bat-Fans and Legomaniacs alike.

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is available for all current Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo platforms and handhelds.

Mindy Newell: Sephora Kicks Super-Ass!

“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.” – Gwyneth Paltrow

“I fought a killer and didn’t even smudge my makeup.” – Rose Pressey, Flip that Haunted House

After a fun time with my grandson – soon to be 14 months old! What’s that saying about time flying? – on Friday at Gymboree, I drove over to Sephora to buy some concealer for my 61 year-old under-eye bags and of course ended up spending too much money on other shit that I probably didn’t need and which I justified by telling myself that I hadn’t splurged on said self in a year so stop worrying and learn to love the bomb, as Kubrick so aptly put it.

Anyway, driving home I got to wondering about what kind of skin care and make-up the superheroes use.

There are dozens – hundreds? – of mascaras that claim to be waterproof (though I’ve never used one that stands up to the pool or the ocean) and that will stand up to the most exhausting and sweat-inducing workouts and ultra-triathlons. There are dozens – hundreds? – of foundations and blushes and lipsticks and eye shadows made by companies, from deluxe department store brands to those found on a drugstore carousel rack, that claim to “lasts all day!,” withstanding everything from a walk in a tropical monsoon in Mumbai to a passionate, epic 24 hour tumble between the sheets. And there dozens – hundreds? – of skin care products promising to turn back the clock and/or replace more invasive products like Botox or Juvaderm or – going all the way – cosmetic surgery.

So what does a superwoman wear while she’s pummeling – and being pummeled by – her equally meta-powered enemy? Surely Superman needs a little styling gel to keep those oh-so-sexy Kryptonian curls and waves mussed in just the right places?

After all, no super hero wants to be seen with puffy, dark-circled eyes and a turkey neck. Doesn’t inspire much confidence in the civilians to be seen looking “tired and drab” when you set out to stop the latest threat to Earth.

WHOOSH! The Flash needs help. Yeah, that – ahem – flashy red suit of his is designed to withstand the friction and wind he creates as he rushes to help, sometimes hitting velocities beyond the sound barrier. But what does he use to prevent the certain skin damage to his wind burned and chapped cheeks, chin, and lips?

Speaking of skin care, here’s some other meta-human types that could some help with their epidermis:

  • The Thing. ‘Nuff said!
  • Iron Man. “What?” you say. “Tony Stark is enclosed in technological armor. He doesn’t have to worry about sun exposure!” Yes, but it gets hot inside that face plate. After a hard day at the office, there’s nothing the man needs more than a really good skin care regimen to cleanse out those pores and remove the layer of dead cells. May I suggest a little exfoliation two to three days a week with an at-home peel?
  • Power Girl: You do a good job covering up, Kara, but you’re forgetting that delicate skin in your décolletage area. I recommend a moisturizer with an anti-antioxidant ingredient (vitamins C and E, for instance) and a SPF factor of at least 25. But stay away from moisturizers containing retinoid or alpha hydroxy acids, because they can make your skin more sensitive to the sun and its photo aging properties, especially in the summer or in equatorial climates where the sun is always strong.
  • Starfire: Lady, I know you’re an alien, and that orange skin indicates the presence of melanin which helps protect the skin from sun damage, but really! With that costume exposing more skin to photo aging than Bettie Page on a beach shoot, you are risking looking like a prune before you’re 30! Hey, I’m the first one to say flaunt it if you’ve got it, but – never mind the moisturizer, you must cover up if you don’t want to develop a raging case of melanoma!

If looking delectable and gorgeous is part of the “brand” of taking on super villains, do ultra-women deliberately choose to look their best as they beat the crap out of some megalomaniac with phasers and lasers or even “old-fashioned” dirty bombs and plans for world domination as a subtle means to throw their villains off their games? Think about it. Wouldn’t, say, Arcade, so taken with Storm’s exotic beauty, deliberately lower the level of “play” in his Murderworld so as the woman wouldn’t be too bruised or battered?

Or, on the other hand, would Diana’s Amazonian beauty, enhanced with the understated mineral powder foundation and bronzer, the finest kohl eyeliner, the warmest clay lipstick offered by the cosmeticians of Themiscrya, only work to throw Barbara Minerva, aka the Cheetah, into a jealous frenzy of the nth degree, giving her even more of an excuse to rip her talons into Wonder Woman’s face?

Maybe the Grecian powerhouse should rethink her look when she’s up against women who hate her.

Yeah, if I lived in the alternate realities of Marvel and DC and Image, et. al., and I was a smart marketing or R&D executive at Lancôme or MAC or Estee Lauder or Maybelline or Revlon or Urban Decay, et.al., I’d convince my bosses to develop a line of skin care products and make-up specifically tailored to the super set.

And if it’s good for them, just think of what it would do for us working slobs.

Talk about product placement!

 

It’s the Halo: The Master Chief Collection

BOX 1[1]Title:                          Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Publisher:                 Microsoft Studios
Developer:                 343 Industries
Format:                     Blu-ray for the Xbox One video game and entertainment system; Xbox Live-enabled 
ESRB rating:             M for Mature

halo1picExclusive to the launch event of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Hydro74 created four different designs celebrating  the launch of each of the previous Halo titles – Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4.

About the Artist: Hydro74, is a Orlando based designer, otherwise known as Joshua M. Smith who created this poster. Joshua’s unique vector design style is highly recognizable, with a heavy dose of animals, skulls, gothic ornaments, pop culture and lettering. With his “say it how it is” attitude, Hydro74’s career is focused on pushing the boundaries of what is relevant to the market, extracting elements and trends, and offering them up in his personal and client work. His only goal is to be the best in what he does and to own it with a high sense of pride the craft.

halo2picProduct overview:      Halo: The Master Chief Collection offers the complete story of “Halo’s” legendary hero, the Master Chief, for the first time on one console, including an entirely re-mastered version of Halo 2 – Halo 2: Anniversary – in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the fan-favorite classic.*

Halo: The Master Chief Collection brings the ultimate Halo collection together (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary Halo 3 and Halo 4) with a unified Master Menu that features every campaign chapter unlocked, enabling fans to experience the Master Chief’s story and “Halo’s” legendary multiplayer like never before. Play “Halo” your way, with curated playlists from the campaign and more than 100 multiplayer and Spartan Ops maps from across all four “Halo” titles.

halo4picEvery game in Halo: The Master Chief Collection is visually enhanced for Xbox One, with “Halo 2: Anniversary” featuring a fully re-mastered campaign.  All four games will run at 60 frames per second on dedicated servers.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection also includes access to the new live-action digital series, Halo: Nightfall, and the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta, which are launching in late 2014.

Features:

The Complete Master Chief Story – Honoring the iconic hero and his epic journey, the Master Chief’s entire story is brought together in one package, on one console with Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Delivering a total of 45 campaign missions from Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4, all unlocked from the very beginning, Halo: The Master Chief Collection showcases improved visual fidelity running at 60 frames per second in every game, with Halo 2: Anniversary featuring a graphically re-mastered campaign. Including new prologue and epilogue cut-scenes foreshadowing Halo 5: Guardians, this is the collection “Halo” fans have been waiting for, all on Xbox One.

“Legendary” Halo Multiplayer – Featuring more than 100 multiplayer and Spartan Ops maps from across all four Halo titles (Halo: Combat Evolved maps playable on Xbox Live for the first time) running on their original multiplayer engines, Halo: The Master Chief Collection offers unprecedented choice to enhance your Halo multiplayer experience. Using the Master Menu, select from curated playlists of your favorite Halo multiplayer maps and game types, and then go to battle with your fellow Spartans on dedicated servers.

Halo 2: Anniversary – Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, the iconic fan favorite returns, featuring a visually re-mastered campaign with “Classic Mode,” which allows you to instantly switch between the re-mastered game and the original from 2004, as well as all-new cut-scenes.  Uncover new story elements in hidden terminal videos, and utilize all new skulls to experience the campaign in a whole new way.  Play the game that defined online multiplayer on consoles with all 25 original Halo 2 multiplayer maps, just as fans remember them, plus 6 completely re-imagined “Halo 2” maps.

Master Menu – Seamlessly navigate the Master Chief’s story and customize your multiplayer experience across more than 100 maps using the all-new Master Menu.  Play all four completely unlocked campaigns, beginning to end, or jump from mission to mission across each game in any order you choose.  Enjoy cross title themed campaign playlists created by the game’s designers for new fun and challenging experiences, and easily find and play your favorite multiplayer game types from multiplayer and Spartan Ops maps.  It’s everything “Halo,” on your terms, simplified.

New Halo: Nightfall Live-Action Digital Series – A strange and treacherous world exposes elite UNSC operatives to a much deeper danger in this live-action series from 343 Industries and Scott Free Productions. Executive-produced by Ridley Scott and Scott Free TV President David Zucker and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Battlestar Galactica Pillars of the Earth, Heroes), Halo: Nightfall”is an exciting new story for Halo fans and new audiences alike.

Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta – Be among the first to experience a new generation of “Halo” multiplayer in the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta. Gear up for the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta by unlocking exclusive content in “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” and Halo: Nightfall. These exclusive items will carry over into Halo 5: Guardians.

4 More Clips Spotlighting Batman: The Complete Series

With Batman: The Complete Series now out and earning superlative reviews and blockbuster sales, the Warner Home Entertainment marketing machine is keeping things revved up with an array of video clips to whet the appetites of those who have yet to succumb to temptation.

Pop Culture

Batmobile

Celebrity Villains

Cesar Romero

John Ostrander: Belief Suspended

There’s the concept in fantastic literature known as the “willing suspension of disbelief” by which the reader/audience accepts fantastic elements in a story that are not found in reality, semi-believing them for the moment for the sake of the story. If the creator is invoking it, he or she must be careful not to jar that suspension of disbelief.

It’s an important concept for those of us who labor in the fields of SF, fantasy, horror, and comics. Two things I find crucial to make the concept work – an internal consistency within the story and a consistency within the continuity. By an internal consistency I mean that something that was given as true on page five remains true on page thirty. If the character knows something they can’t suddenly un-know it just for the convenience of the plot. Likewise, if something has been established as part of the continuity, you can’t just disregard it willy-nilly. It doesn’t mean that continuity can never change but there needs to be reasons that it changes unless you’re going to do what DC does and just throw the baby out with the bathwater and start continuity over.

Something else that confounds my suspension of disbelief is when something in the story just ignores reality. I went to Independence Day and I wasn’t expecting much, just a good mindless action film. Unfortunately, there was incident after incident of things that were just patently impossible that it threw me right out of the story. To wit: Air Force One is taking off despite explosions going on all around. In fact, one explosion almost engulfs it. It comes up the tail of the plane before the aircraft manages to speed away. Never mind that the shock waves would have torn the plane apart – it was a Cool Visual.

Take an episode of Doctor Who this past season, Robots of Sherwood. Aliens are escaping Sherwood Forest on a ship that uses gold to power its furnace. A little more gold will cause the power plant to overload and explode. With the help of the Doctor and his companion, Robin Hood shoots a golden arrow at the ship that causes the ship to go boom. Never mind that the arrow would have just hit the hull and never come near the power plant. Never mind that the weight of an arrow made of gold would cause it to fly about three feet.

It’s too bad, too; I actually really enjoyed the episode up until then.

I’m willing to suspend my disbelief; after all, I was raised Roman Catholic and you’re told by the Church to believe that a wafer of bread becomes the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ and that you are supposed to eat it. As a kid, I just accepted that. I’m open to all kinds of things.

Every time I open a book or enter a movie theater or turn on the TV, I’m willing to accept the premise as possible at least for the duration of the experience. It’s when I’m not allowed to stay in that moment because I’m jarred out of it by something stupid that violates the premises listed above that I actually get a bit pissy about it. My time has been wasted and I do not take that kindly.

My own rule of thumb is to always ground the fantasy in as much reality as I can. The more accurate and real the non-fantasy parts of the story feel, the more the reader can identify with it and the more likely it is that they will accept the fantasy elements. Earn a reader’s trust and they will follow you anywhere. I know I do.

 

One More Look at Tuesday’s Guardians of the Galaxy Release

guardiansofthegalaxy3dcombopack-e1416016918345-7942044Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy film has earned over $645 million worldwide and recently passed the $300 million mark at both the domestic and international box offices. Guardians of the Galaxy opened domestically August 1 with $94.3 million to become the biggest August debut of all time and ultimately the biggest August release ever; it’s also the highest grossing film of the year and the first to surpass $300 million in 2014 domestically. After becoming the 10th straight Marvel Studios film to open at #1, Guardians of the Galaxy occupied the top spot domestically for four of its first six weekends in release.

Synopsis:                                 From Marvel, the studio that launched the epic franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Marvel’s The Avengers, comes an unlikely new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy.  The Marvel Cinematic Universe expands into the cosmos when brash space adventurer Peter Quill steals a coveted orb and becomes the object of a relentless bounty hunt. To evade his enemies, Quill forges an uneasy truce with Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly assassin Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb, he must rally his ragtag band of misfits for a desperate battle that will decide the fate of the galaxy. Featuring amazing new characters and exclusive bonus features, this must-own blockbuster will have you hooked on a feeling… of pure adrenaline!

Cast:                                           Chris Pratt (The Lego Movie, Parks and Recreation) as Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) as Gamora, Dave Bautista (Riddick, The Man with the Iron Fists) as Drax, Vin Diesel (Fast and the Furious series, Riddick) as Groot, Bradley Cooper (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook) as Rocket, Lee Pace (The Hobbit series, Lincoln) as Ronan, Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) as Yondu Udonta, Karen Gillan (Oculus, Doctor Who) as Nebula, Djimon Hounsou (How to Train Your Dragon 2, Gladiator) as Korath, John C. Reilly (Wreck-It Ralph, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) as Corpsman Dey, Glenn Close (Damages, Tarzan) as Nova Prime and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, The Usual Suspects) as The Collector.

Director:                                 James Gunn (Movie 43, Super)

Screenplay:                           James Gunn (Dawn of the Dead, Scooby Doo) and Nicole Perlman (Thor)

Producer:                               Kevin Feige, p.g.a. (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World) 

Executive Producers:      Nik Korda (Robin Hood, The Golden Compass) Stan Lee (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) Victoria Alonso (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World) Jeremy Latcham (Marvel’s The Avengers, Iron Man 2) Alan Fine (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World) Louis D’Esposito (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World)

Release Date:                       11/18 for Digital 3D and Digital HD

12/9 Digital SD, 3D Blu-ray Combo pack (3D Blu-ray + Single Disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy), Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand

Bonus Features:

(Digital HD*, Disney Movies Anywhere, 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray)

  • Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes
  • Making-of Featurettes
  • Exclusive Look at “Marvel’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron”
  • Gag Reel
  • Audio Commentary

 (DVD)

  • Exclusive Look at “Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron”
  • Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scene
  • Digital bonus offerings will vary per retailer

 
Ratings:                                    PG-13; PG for CE; G for CF
Feature Run Time:            121 minutes
Aspect Ratio:                        Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray & DVD: 2:40:1
Audio:                                       Blu-ray 3D & Blu-ray 2D = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, French-Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Latin Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital
DVD = English/Latin Spanish/French Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital
Languages:                             English, French & Spanish
Subtitles:                                English, French & Spanish

REVIEW: Batman: The Complete Series

batmancomplete60sopenfinalbrdOpening Batman: The Complete Series, I said, “This is my childhood in a box.” When the ABC series debuted in January 1966, I was seven, the exact perfect age to be utterly captivated by seeing a comic book faithfully adapted to the small screen. Without fail, I was glued to the television set on Wednesday and Thursday evenings right until the final episode aired in March 1968, leaving indelible images in my mind. These were reinforced just a few years later when local syndicated reruns burned the stories, sounds, and characters deeper into my psyche.

Batman_and_Robin_06I was too young to understand the context of the show and its impact on popular culture, DC Comics, or the world of licensing. I didn’t get the wry jokes, it’s knowing pop camp approach to storytelling, or how it cleverly worked on multiple levels (a rare occurrence on prime time back then). Instead, I just knew that it was the Dynamic Duo getting into amazing fights, escaping inventive death traps, and keeping Gotham City safe.

MR_FreezeAs the show continued to be rerun, I grew up and came to appreciate the challenges confronting William Dozier, hired by 20th Century Fox to adapt the character. He wanted Dick Tracy or Superman, but those rights weren’t available. 20th settled for Batman in 1964, just as the character was being reinvented by editor Julius Schwartz, saving the Gotham Guardian from possible cancellation after a decade of benign neglect. It was also a time of convergence as a new wave of influences was seeping throughout American culture. The Beatles had stormed America. Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol were rewriting the rules of modern art. Fashion designers were shortening skirts and introducing brighter colors. American households were buying more and more color televisions so by that fateful January nearly all of prime time programming was being broadcast in color, in some cases highly saturated color.

Batman_and_Robin_Wall_GreenHornetBatman was also the beneficiary of good scheduling. ABC had several shows perform poorly that fall so conceived the marketing concept of a Second Season launching right after the holidays. As a result, it received tremendous marketing and a hungry audience awaited that first fateful episode.

Milton_BerleLorenzo Semple Jr. worked with Dozier to set the tone that would be slyly wink at the parents, offer sexy molls to the teens, and pure action for the main viewers: the kids like me. His two-parter was almost perfect with Frank Gorshin’s manic Riddler, Neil Hamilton’s stoic Commissioner Gordon, Jill St. John as the distracting femme, and of course, Adam West and Burt Ward as our dashing heroes. The camera angles, jazzy soundtrack, and brilliant colors all came together and ignited Batmania.

Clock_King_02The 120 episodes comprising the three seasons are incredibly uneven in their quality, especially the full second season which seemed to exhaust all concerned. There is lazy acting, very bad writing, and increasingly implausible storylines and death traps as the camp overshadowed the other aspects that made the initial season so memorable. Also, as the second season rolled onward, rather than continue to mine the comic books for villains plot lines, the writing staff seemed encouraged to find roles to fit available actors or try and match two decades of inventiveness from DC’s stable of writers, led by Bill Finger, Batman’s co-creator. It’s a shame Finger only got to write one two-parter given how much of his DNA can be found throughout the show, from the origin story (mentioned rarely) to the oversized props.

King_Tut-tombBut when the series was good it was very, very good and rewatching them as an adult, some even got better. The performances from the core villains, starting with Gorshin but including Burgess Meredith (Penguin), Cesar Romero (Joker), Victor Buono (King Tut, the only original creation that worked) and Julie Newmar (Catwoman) showcase some genuinely fine performances and its clear all are enjoying their work. Newmar’s Catwoman was slinky to the 7-year-old and downright sexy and alluring to his adult self. They get to chew the scenery with gusto but credit also has to be given to silent film star Hamilton and Alan Napier (Alfred) who worked hard to ground their characters, so the absurdities were heightened.

batgirl_02-e1416013621423-8367023By season three, ABC saw the craze was dying out and cut the show from two nights to one, cramming a lot of story into thirty minutes while also introducing Yvonne Craig as Batgirl, a logical way to extend the franchise. Her cute face and balletic moves endeared her to males of every age while girls finally had their own positive role models. But even she was not enough to save an oversaturated public and like a brightly burning candle at the end of its wick, the light went out.

MouseTrapAs has been made clear through the years, there were numerous reasons why the series remained unavailable before this week. The best coverage appears to be at Wired but one good thing has come from the delay: technology has advanced to a degree where the digital restoration work is the highlight. The colors are more vibrant, the detail to the costumes and props is riveting, and the care means we’re getting the best possible version of these now cherished episodes.

Joker RomeroThe series comes in a variety of packages and price points but reviewers were sent the Limited Edition box set which has all the bells and whistles you could want, starting with the sound chip in the packaging letting you hear the Neil Hefti theme. There’s the Hot Wheels diecast metal Batmobile, complete with Batcave background panel and a sampling of 44 of Norm Saunder’s fine artwork from the Topps Batman trading cards from that era. Within the colorful box is a small book with photos from Adam West’s collection, which is a nice assortment of familiar and new images.

RiddlerThere are twelve discs in the box, the final one being nothing but special features. If there
is any fault in the collection it is that many strong opportunities were missed in favor of some overly simplified, gimme pieces. The Bat-gadgets and villain props should have received recognition and in some ways George Barris’ groundbreaking work on the Batmobile is underplayed while no real mention is made of the Batboat, Batcopter, or Batgirl’s frilly cycle. Craig herself is oddly missing from all the interviews, which is a shame since she is one of the few remaining performers still left. None of the secondary players even get a chance to discuss what it has meant to be on the show. Finally, a piece about the comic book’s influences on the show, including which issues provided inspiration, would be in order but the comic is often left out of the discussions at all.

batman_3-e1416014137863-9933930Which is not to underplay the value of the extras we do get. We start with the West-centric Hanging with Batman (29:56), a career retrospective that shows what the struggling actor’s career was like before receiving this part. Perhaps not enough is done about the dry spells of the 1970s and 1980s before his career renaissance at the hands of my generation who were now in a position to hire him.

Holy Memorabilia Batman! (29:59) heavily spotlights collector and radio personality Ralph Garman and Guinness record holder Kevin Silva as both show off their vast collections. West even visits Garman’s home and tries on a replica cowl, having fun at the same time even he seems awed by how much stuff was generated in so short a period of time. Fiberglass replica master Mark Racop is the only one to give the cool car and Barris their due.

Batmobile 1966Batman Born! Building the World of Batman (29:41) is the one piece that takes a serious, academic approach to putting the show’s phenomenal success into perspective. Of course, much of that comes from former DC president Paul Levitz, who can reliably be counted on for such things along with the ubiquitous Michael Uslan, West, Ward, Newmar, animation director Bruce Timm and even comics historian Andy Mangles helps flesh things out. This should have been the disc’s centerpiece and needed far more time to properly explore the subject.

On the other hand, Bats of the Round Table (45:08) sees West host a conversation with director Kevin Smith, Garman, actor Phil Morris, and DC Comics’ copublisher Jim Lee. Why on Earth is Morris there? There needed to be people with more gravitas to make the conversation more useful and less gushing. (And someone should have been there to correct all the misstatements of fact.) If you skip any feature, this is the one.

West recorded audio commentary for the episodes some time back and it would have been nice to have them here. Instead, we get the interesting Inventing Batman in the Words of Adam West, as he sits with his pilot script and walks us through how he developed his performance, showing off his original handwritten notes. As result, we can rewatch “Hi Diddle Riddle” and “Smack in the Middle” and see an actor working on his craft but you’re dying to hear him riff about working with Gorshin or St. John, et. al.

Na Na Na Batman! (12:15) is a filler feature where the camera crew wandered the Warner Bros soundstages and interviewed cast and crew from their other series about Batman. Some of it cute but given what’s missing, this stands out as a very cheap marketing ploy.

kapowFinally, we have Bat Rarities! Straight from the Vault, nicely cleaned up versions of things we’ve seen before but want now.  We have the mini-Batgirl TV pilot (7:54); Adam West and Burton Gervis’ screen test (including solo Gervis moments proving he, now named Burt Ward, deserved the role (6:16); a screen test featuring Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell, making it clear why Deyell did not get the role while Waggoner would have been interesting (4:23); and an archival clip of James Blakeley, the series’ Post-production Supervisor, which is interesting since he was the one to develop the way of splicing in Joe Letterese’s onomatopoeia text during fights (2:24).

Summing it up: given how long fans of all ages have been waiting for this released, Warner Home Entertainment does not disappoint. For those curious about the frenzy, these are the versions you want to sample in their clean, crisp, uncut glory.

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