Author: Robert Greenberger

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Review: ‘Legends of the Superheroes’

legends-of-the-super-heroes1-5014371The 1970s was not a kind decade for live-action television based on comic book heroes. First there was the Cathy lee Crosby misfire of a [[[Wonder Woman]]] telefilm then there were the Reb Brown[[[ Captain America]]] telefilms.[[[Spider-Man]]] made it to prime time as a series but it didn’t resemble the comic in tone or style and died a swift death.  But the absolute most mind-numbing and cringe worthy hours featured DC Comics’ stalwart heroes and villains.

I’ve never seen an NBC executive explain what made them think the two specials that aired in January 1979. The Challenge and The Roast, aired as [[[Legends of the Superheroes]]], were probably the first time mass audiences were introduced to [[[Green Lantern]]] or[[[Flash]]] or Hawkman but they certainly knew Adam West’s Batman, Burt Ward’s Robin and Frank Gorshin’s delightful Riddler. As a result, the aging trio donned the tights once more to anchor the two specials. A veritable who’s who of B-list performers and outright unknowns filled the remainder of the costumes.

Comic book fans probably loved seeing Captain Marvel, Hawkman, Huntress, Black Canary, and others in real life but the shows did not earn great ratings and have been derided by those who recall seeing them. While illegal bootlegs have circulated for years, Warner Archive has collected them on a single disc from the best source material available.

You have to love kitsch, bad writing, awful acting, and comic books to enjoy (or endure) these specials.

The Challenge pits a gaggle of villains led by Mordru the Merciless to once more destroy the world. The heroes split up and run around like idiots in an attempt to find and disarm the doomsday device. Mike Marmer and Peter Gallay, who wrote the script for both specials, apparently never learned that humor is derived from character and situation. Not a single hero or villain has a personality depriving the story from any humorous opportunities. The heroes act like dim-wits and never use their powers when they would be needed. The laugh track is badly handled since it is triggered by the lamest of activities. The costumes are authentic but clearly done on the cheap as were the visual effects. (And why on earth is Batman’s cowl worn over his cape?)

The Roast, hosted by Ed McMahon, has some genuinely funny lines but far too few and again, mostly ignoring their characters so are generic jokes. The villains and others arrive to roast the collected heroes, causing mayhem and nonsense.

Nicely, the disc does contain some deleted scenes and outtake, making this a true collector’s item but this is really for the die-hard fans only.

Review: ‘Toy Story 3’

  • Uncategorized
  • November 2, 2010

[[[Toy Story 3]]] is a textbook example of how to conclude a trilogy, a lesson that needs to be learned by movie studios. It also illustrates how a family film can work on multiple levels, touching all who watch it. This Pixar film is a farewell to childhood, one that parents watch wistfully and one that warns children to enjoy their youth while it lasts. Even the most jaded people will tear up during the final twenty minutes while the rest of us stated crying long before.

Disney has released Toy Story 3 in a variety of formats today, including the Combo Pack with two Blu-ray discs, standard DVD, and digital copy. Everyone should have this.

Andy has grown up. He’s packing his room, readying to leave for college and its time to part with his beloved toys. They’ve remained in the wagon-like chest for years, neglected and lonely, fretting for their future: garbage, attic or worse. The movie shows us that the attractive options also hide dark secrets and not every toy has a happy outcome. But toys endure and are meant to be handed down from generation to generation, which is what we learn once again.

Since the first film fifteen years ago, Pixar has remained at the technological edge and the characters look sharper and more refined, their movements more fluid and their world more realistic. The biggest improvement has to be in their depiction of human beings as we see Andy all grown up along with his family. Many of the key crew members involved have been along from the beginning along with musical composer Randy Newman which keeps the internal integrity solid.

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Review: ‘Moving Pictures’

  • Uncategorized
  • November 1, 2010

[[[Moving Pictures]]]

By Kathryn & Stuart Immonen
Top Shelf, 136 pages, $14.95

Kathryn Immonen has made her name as a writer for Marvel, telling quirky stories in unconventional ways. Her husband, Stuart, has proven a chameleon of an artist and storyteller, going from high-gloss super-heroes in the [[[New Avengers]]] to a more impressionistic and simplified style in Moving Pictures.

The story is set in World War II, after Paris has fallen to the Nazis. As the French try and catalogue their works of art then hide them from the enemy’s grasp, the occupying Germans also want the works catalogued so they can divvy up the spoils of war. Ila Gardner has given her passport to a friend, helping her escape, and comes under interrogation by  Rolf Hauptman, a German officer, and someone she is also involved with.

Kathryn weaves a story told in parallel time periods as we learn about Ila and Rolf while at the same time, Rolf questions Ila. Slowly, the truth between them is revealed and layers of artifice are stripped away from both, leaving raw emotions exposed.

We see how the French value their great works and one another. The dialogue is spare and you learn as much from body language and gesture as you do from the words. Here, Stuart does a masterful job with the black and white form and simplified drawings. He sets the characters against the artwork in question, letting the paintings loom over the people, threatening to crush them with their historic significance.

A visual trick with papers allows the couple to shift the story from time period to time period and you’re never lost. In fact, your attention does not wander as you get caught up in the tension between Rolf and Ila, wishing to learn more about both.

While set against true events from the war, this is really a slice of life that craves both a beginning and ending. You enjoy what there is but their work is crafted well enough to leave you desiring more.

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Review: ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ 35th Anniversary Edition

rocky-horror-picture-show1-8243298I had heard about [[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]], that it was this amazing off-the-wall show that had become a midnight phenomenon and people even began interacting with it. Obviously, this was something I had to see but being away from New York City, attending college at Binghamton made that problematic. That is, until my roommate booked it as an offering during the school’s weekly free film program. We kept a 16 mm film projector in the dorm room and several times a week, we’d knock off studying, order a Domino’s pizza (because we had no other choice) and screen a film.

John insisted Deb and I had to see the film in our room to appreciate the story and song before we attended a full-fledged screening so we understood when to scream out or throw toast or duck from the rain. I’m glad he insisted because I could see it as a movie before I saw it as a pop culture icon.

I’m therefore delighted to now recommend the 35th anniversary Blu-ray edition of the movie, now out from 20th Century Home Fox Entertainment. First of all, owning it is just cool. The care in restoring and transferring the film to high definition shows in the brilliant look on screen. Yeah, it was shot on the cheap and now the flaws are glaringly obvious, but so are the inventive sets, costumes and dance moves. It’s the best the film has looked since 1975 when the prints were still pristine. The sound is equally luscious so you can sing along with gusto.

It’s certainly fun to join Brad and Janet on that dark and stormy night, revisiting the house of Dr. Frank N. Furter and his oddball servants. The performances are over-the-top and never fail to entertain. Richard O’Brien’s madcap tribute to the science fiction movies of his youth has aged quite nicely.

The film is available in this two-disc set that contains all the existing extra features and then some new ones for the anniversary celebration. You get commentary from O’Brien and Patricia Quinn (Magenta); a track offering you audience participation prompts; a piece on the late night performances that have endured nearly as long as the film itself, plus a trivia game, a story building game, a screen saver, cast and crew bios, and web links. The participation track, Rocky-Oke: Sing It! is great so you can host your own event or prepare for a more public event.

The second disc offers up two deleted songs: “Superheroes” and “Once in a While”, with one of them remastered from the UK so appears in HD while the other is in standard definition. There are also “A Few From the Vault”, outtakes, clips from the VH1 special, a short documentary on the film and its cult following, a misprint ending and an ending featuring “The Time Warp” instead of “Science Fiction Double Feature,” the film’s original trailers, and the VH-1 Pop-Up Video version of “Hot Patootie”. [[[The Midnight Experience]]] offers you multiple options on exploring the cult phenomenon, so you can use the Trivia Track, Vintage Callback track from the 1983 audience Par-tic-i-pation album, a virtual Prop Box to hurl items at the screen using your remote, and The Late Night, Double Feature, Picture-in-Picture.

All told, this is one of those cultural Must Haves and it’s about time we had it looking this good.

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Review: ‘Bones: The Complete Fifth Season’

bones-season-51-5862338There’s a certain grisly reality to CBS’ collection of [[[CSI]]] series that does the procedural part well, but depicts its characters as a particularly colorless bunch, overly serious and making the shows just a tad less engaging. Fox, wisely jumped on the police procedural bandwagon with something similar but certainly livelier.[[[Bones]]], based on Kathy Reichs novels, is a veritable rainbow of character types that has kept things captivating for six seasons now.

The fifth season, now out on DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, takes a mature set of characters and stirs the pot a bit as the season progresses. The basic set-up has a team of forensic anthropologists working for the Jeffersonian, standing in for the Smithsonian, handling cases for the FBI, led by Special Agent Seely Booth. The title character is the nickname of Dr. Temperance Brennan and while she’s the focal point, the series has evolved into a wonderful ensemble. Over the previous four seasons, we’ve seen the cast grow as we’ve met friends and family of each of the core characters, most of whom serve to counterpoint the actual cases being investigated.

Since the third season, the series has also been having a rotation of interns working for Brennan, each with their own personality and quirks, so they also serve as a constant freshening of the characters and situations. Hart Hanson, who has adapted the novels for television, has done a strong job with keeping the series fresh and never less than entertaining. He also allows his characters strong points of view so Brennan, who is so literal minded she has trouble interacting with most people, is constantly trying to understand why people do what they do. Booth, on the other hand, is a practicing Catholic and dislikes having his faith challenged but also explains the world to Brennan in ways that make her reconsider the world.

Hanson did a great job casting David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel as the leads since they not only play well off one another, but have grown as performers. The remainder of the cast has also been well populated with a strong group of characters. They spark off one another quite well.

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Review: ‘Dragon Puncher’

dragon-puncher-6719976[[[Dragon Puncher]]]
By James Kolchalka
Top Shelf, 40 pages, $9.95

James Kolchalka is an inventive cartoonist who likes to have fun with his subject matter and his artwork. In his latest offering from Top Shelf, this whimsical children’s tale mixes photography with simply drawings in an appealing way.

In his own words, the book is “about a cat in a battle suit that punches dragons, basically.” The title character is a figure with a picture of his family cat in place of a face, while his seven year old son Eli plays the eager Spoony E and the artist himself lends his face to the fierce dragon.

This is certainly a fast-moving story about good versus evil and friendship, making it an engaging children’s book. The art and photography are not seamless but play nicely with one another, with the figures set against green grass and blue skies. His offbeat humor comes through as the hero does not want a sidekick and Spoony E remains eager and oblivious to the cat’s distaste for him.

Together, the two have endure the dragon’s stinky breath and slimy drool. There’s a simplicity and an originality to the book that should enchant the parents who read this to their children or the children using it to launch their own imaginations.

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Review: ‘The Horror! The Horror!’

  • Uncategorized
  • October 29, 2010

[[[the-horror-the-horror1-3807478The Horror! The Horror! Comic Books the Government Didn’t Want you to Read]]]
By Jim Trombetta
Abrams ComicsArts, 304 pages, $29.95

Comic book fans certainly know enough history to understand that the comics industry bowed to public pressure and created the Comics Code Authority to clean up its image. It resulted in countless professionals losing their livelihoods and publishers dropping like leaves during autumn. We know that it also shuttered the great EC horror comics and forced [[[Mad]]] to evolve from comic book to magazine.

But just how horrid were these stories? Were the drawings that graphic and lurid to cause parents to ban them from the house? Was Dr. Fredric Wertham right that they contributed to psychological disease? Was Senator Estes Kefauver correct in considering the comics a cause of juvenile delinquency?

A few years back, we got David Hadju’s nicely researched [[[The Ten Cent Plague]]], which gave us the tenor of the times but now we have Exhibits A-Z. Jim Trombetta has carefully researched hundreds of comic books and organized them by theme to present modern day readers with a glimpse into the past. The Horror! The Horror! is an oversized, handsome package that lets us clearly look at the artwork and read a handful of the stories to give us a sense of what terrified the populace during the 1950s.

Comic books evolved rapidly in the wake of World War II’s conclusion. Readers no longer needed super-heroes to defend the American way, but they craved entertainment so new genres sprouted up including the western, romance, and crime comics. Horror titles grew in importance and became a prevalent genre found on newsstands. Every publisher used different standards in terms of the quality of the writing and artwork and just how graphic their horror can get.

Overall, despite familiar names here from Charles Biro and Don Heck to Lee Elias and Steve Ditko, much of the work here is pretty bad. The artwork is generally poor and the writing overwrought or poorly constructed. As a result, Trombetta’s thoughtful essays probably give these lost titles a little too much credit. In a style that is engaging and scholarly without being dry, he breaks the horror titles down into categories including [[[The Magic Code]]],[[[ the Werewolf]]], [[[The Dead Don’t Die]]], [[[The Hunger]]], [[[The Grin]]], and [[[Death and the Maiden]]] among others.

Each section features a variety of covers to illustrate his point with credits where the talent is known and offers up a sample story or two to show how the theme played out back in the day. From today’s perspective, a lot of these images are run-of-the-mill or tame, but viewed through the prism of a conformist American society, these were unseemly concepts, not at all appropriate for the children.

The book is a wonderful time capsule to an era that would have collapsed under its own weight had Congress butted out. Proving the point is the bonus DVD, included with the book. After the hysteria died down and the Code came in and cleaned house, [[[Confidential File]]] aired a special on the threat of these comics. The October 9, 1955 is an alarm signaled after the fact and a cultural curiosity, nicely restored and a real treat.

Overall, the book does a fine job exploring what all the fuss was about, making it a fine companion to Hadju’s history.

Final ‘Tron: Legacy’ One-Sheet Unveiled

  • News
  • October 21, 2010

Tron: Legacy hits theaters everywhere in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D on December 17, 2010 and this afternoon they unveiled their final one-sheet.

The eagerly-anticipated film features Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett and Michael Sheen. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, from the screenplay by Eddy Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, the movie is the sequel to the Disney cult hit from the early 1980s and one of the first films to use computer-enhancements for the visual effects.Here’s the official synopsis: Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-winner Jeff Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading video-game developer.  When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn’s Arcade—a signal that could only come from his father—he finds himself pulled into a digital world where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years.  With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe—a universe created by Kevin himself that has become far more advanced with never-before-imagined vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape.  Presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and scored by Grammy® Award-winning electronic music duo Daft Punk. 

Notes:

Producer Steven Lisberger co-wrote and directed the original Tron (1982).

Jeff Bridges, winner of both the Oscar® and Golden Globe® for his role in Crazy Heart, reprises the role of Kevin Flynn, which he originated in Tron (1982).

Bruce Boxleitner reprises the roles of Alan Bradley and Tron, which he originated in Tron (1982).

Tron: Legacy forges a new frontier in filmmaking with its avant-garde, cutting-edge technology—set to blow away today’s audiences. Among the film’s firsts: it is the first 3D movie to integrate a fully digital head and body based upon an existing actor, creating the younger version of Jeff Bridges’ character; it’s the first movie to make extensive use of self-illuminated costumes; it’s the first movie to create molded costumes using digital sculpture exclusively, creating molds directly from computer files using CNC (Computer Numerical Cutting) technology; it’s the first 3D movie shot with 35mm lenses and full-35mm chip cameras; and it’s the first movie to record uncompressed HD Video to Hard Drive.

The world of Tron: Legacy has an exciting, pulsing vibe that sets its lifestyle apart from any other on or off the planet. From electric light suits to state-of-the-art hair and makeup, elements of the trend-setting world of  Tron: Legacy are showing up on fashion runways, and companies such as Hurley, adidas, Oakley and Burton are featuring  Tron: Legacy-inspired lines targeted for the young male consumer in collaboration with Disney Consumer Products.

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Review: ‘Pretty Maids all in a Row’

  • Uncategorized
  • October 21, 2010

Before he was canonized as a futurist, Gene Roddenberry was a failed Hollywood producer, having watched two series crash and burn after short-runs on prime time television. He began shifting his focus from[[[Star Trek]]] during the series’ third season, working for his buddy Herb Solow at MGM. In 1970, Solow asked Roddenberry to take on a problematic script, an adaptation of a novel by Francis Pollini called[[[ Pretty Maids all in a Row]]]. It was to be the American film debut of director Roger Vadim, fresh off his pop culture hit [[[Barbarella]]].

The story of a series of murders at a California high school was blended with sexual hijinks as one story featured a guidance counselor who was bedding as many comely teenagers as possible and a sexually frustrated student who couldn’t stop getting excited at all the braless wonders in their teasingly short skirts. For a major studio production, it was one of the first to freely feature copious amounts of onscreen nudity and can be seen as a precursor to the sexual romps seen in the smarter [[[Animal House]]] and raunchier [[[Porky’s]]].

Roddenberry wrote and produced the adaptation, which was a good fit for the randy man who also had a well-known eye for a pretty face. Matched with Vadim, who shot his cast lovingly, this should have been an intelligent, funny bit of entertainment instead of a vapid train wreck. The movie, released this week for the curious by Warner Archive, can be seen as a cult favorite or as a glimpse into Roddenberry’s skills before his unsuccessful string of pilots that marked his 1970s (and all of which are now out from Warner Archive).

The film has an A-list cast fronted by Rock Hudson and the gorgeous Angie Dickinson as faculty and a pre-Kojak Telly Savalas as the investigating detective. The cast also includes familiar faces like Roddy McDowell, Keenan Wynn, and for the Trekkies among us: William Campbell and James Doohan. ComicMix fans can check out the future Isis, JoAnna Cameron in an early role. William Ware Theiss was unfettered for the costume design and he made sure to show off the sexiest, skimpiest contemporary fashions that few high schools at the time would have ever allowed.

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Review: ‘Wolverine and the X-Men The Complete Series’

Wolverine and the X-Men was created to capitalize on the anticipated success of the Hugh Jackman Wolverine movie. The series aired on Nicktoons and freely adapted stories taken from the decades of [[[X-Men]]] stories. Despite being the title character, Wolverine was often taking a step back to let the army of mutants take on the stories.

Lionsgate has been releasing the episodes in low priced sets, but now, in time for the holidays, the entire series has been put in one set, now on sale. ComicMix has previous reviewed the final three releases in the series and overall, I have not been overly impressed. Visually, the animation designs are satisfactory but Marvel has never gotten a good handle on their voice casting and the show suffers for it.

Structurally, I previously noted “this has fewer sub-plots that require episode to episode viewing. On the other hand, there are plenty of sub-plots running through the 26 episodes comprising the first season. There are also dozens of characters to meet and recall and often they arrive unnamed or their powers unspecified. As a result, you’re required to watch knowing which version of the x-verse you’re paying attention to.”

Despite reasonably good ratings, the second season was canceled after work had begun so this set is all you will get. If you’re a fan of the characters or really liked the series, then this is for you.  Frankly, you’re better off with the original source material, all of which has been collected in one form or another.

Steve Gordon, Greg Johnson, Craig Kyle, Joshua Fine, Nick Filippi, and Boyd Kirkland mastermind the series and bring their previous Marvel animation experience with them. The writing is sharper than before In reviewing the final volume, I noted, “All the threads and main players throughout the season turn up and have their moment as the conflicting timelines and threads are woven together into a massive climax.” There’s even a final scene hinting at the direction of the second season that will never be.

Other than trailers, there are no special features on this set so it’s for collectors and fans only.

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