Author: Robert Greenberger

Kick-Ass Goes Digital

  • News
  • April 15, 2010

In a release from Marvel Comics, just in time for tomorrow’s premier of the Kick-Ass movie:

Kick-Ass fever is sweeping the nation and now you can discover the hit series on your favorite mobile device! The complete Kick-Ass limited series is now available in single issue format for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users through the Comixology, Iverse and Panefly applications, while PSP users can download directly to their device!

“I have an ancient cell phone given to me by a relative that’s so old it can’t take pictures so this tech is so far away from me it might as well be science fiction,” said Kick-Ass writer and co-creator Mark Millar. “But I read about it on Comic Book Resources and Marvel.com– the guys seemed excited so consider me excited by osmosis. More readers and new readers is always a good thing.”

John Romita Jr, artist and co-creator of Kick-Ass, said, “I’m excited about these advances in technology that I have been hearing about for, what seems like ten years. Now it has arrived, and all I can think of is that it advances the state of ‘comic books’ in that it will direct people to the source material. I believe this will cement the tangible material, the comics themselves, into the hands and minds of future ‘young’ generations! It always comes down to the quality of writing and the sequential art. Holding a comic and turning the page for more will forever be a novelty, even with advanced technology as an option.”

Review: ‘Cocoon’

Ron Howard was a beloved child actor who showed some directing chops with [[[Splash]]], a fantasy-themed comedy but he truly showed that he was a director to be taken seriously with his follow-up, 1985’s Cocoon
. The movie was light-hearted, but a drama, which immediately showed his range. Additionally, Howard worked with a collection of veteran actors and he coaxed terrific performances from them all, resulting in Don Ameche’s Supporting Actor Oscar.

The movie is referenced now and then but has largely slipped from the collective consciousness, which is a shame, because it’s a nice story, well told, and worth seeing again. 20th Century Home Entertainment has released a 25th anniversary edition on Blu-ray and interestingly, rather then now-common combo pack, this a single Blu-ray disc retailing for the reasonable $24.95.

Watching the movie is a delight because we see long-gone veterans like Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Jack Gilford, and Maureen Stapleton in poignant roles as seniors.

David Saperstein’s novel provided the springboard for Tom Benedek’s adaptation which posits that 10 millennia ago, beings from distant Antarea came to Earth and formed an outpost on what is now considered the lost continent of Atlantis. As the cataclysm claimed the land, all but 20 members of the exploration team left the planet. Those who remained behind were shrouded in cocoons, waiting for the day they could be brought home.

When four of their brethren return, led by Brian Dennehy, they rent a home, collect the cocoons and charge a swimming pool with lifeforce to sustain the 20 survivors until the Antareans could bring them home.

Nearby, though, is a retirement home filled with people looking at the twilight of their lives, but some refuse to give up without a fight. Ameche, Cronyn, and Wilford Brimley sneak off and take a dip in the neighboring pool, rejuvenated by the lifeforce. They’re spry, energetic, even amorous and loving every minute of it. When Dennehy discovers them, he decides no harm, no foul and lets them continue to enjoy themselves.

The one who can never take joy from life, Gilford, also learns Dennehy’s secret but stays out of the water. He sees the bleakness of life and inevitability of death so refuses to take a dip or even bring his terminal wife, Herta Ware to heal. Instead, he lets his feelings fester until he blurts out the secret and suddenly everyone else in the home wants a chance at a second life, setting up the moving denouement.

Actions, we’re shown, have consequences and Howard lets things play out nicely. It’s a relatively simple story, using a science fiction setting to tell a story about people dealing with aging and the end of their years. Even this second chance has them reflecting in touching ways, with one another, their alien hosts, and their families. There are many wonderful performances here, capped by Ameche’s winning role, but everyone rises to the occasion, even younger folk like Steve Guttenberg, in one of his less obnoxious roles.

You can’t help but like a film such as this. The video transfer is fine if unexceptional as is the audio aided by the Dolby digital. Sadly, for a 25th anniversary edition, they merely replicated Howard’s commentary and five featurettes from the 1994 DVD release, totaling maybe 20 minutes all told. While many of the performers are gone, some sort of look back was in order and this is a missed opportunity.

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Win a ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Gift Set

  • News
  • April 12, 2010

Warner Home Video is celebrating this week’s release of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy on Blu-ray and iTunes by offering one lucky ComicMix reader with a gift set that will include:

  • The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Original Theatrical Poster
  • The Lord of The Rings Playing Cards
  • Along with several other Lord of the Rings themed items including bookmarks, a small candle, a Jade ornament from New Zealand, a choker, and a pin.

So, how do you get to be the winner? Be the first person to correctly tell us the following information and you win. It’s that simple.

  1. When was The Fellowship of the Ring released in theaters?
  2. Who portrayed Théoden: King of Rohan in The Two Towers?
  3. Who sang the end credits son in The Return of the King?

First person to post all three correct answers in the comments section (along with a legitimate email address that we can reach you at) wins. Good luck!

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Review: ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’

rsz-thomas-crown-8420147Forget about whether or not this is a good remake of the beloved Steve McQueen. This is a smart, stylish drama that treats its characters like adults as it also respects its audience. The Thomas Crown Affair was released in 1999 and remains one of Pierce Brosnan’s most popular films because of his nuanced interpretation of Crown, a wealthy businessman who steals because the challenge keeps him alive.

When he steals from an art museum, insurance investigator Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) assists Detective Michael McCann (Denis Leary) in the investigation. Banning, an American based in Europe, pretty quickly targets Crown as her man. As she lays her sexy trap, we see them toy with one another, leading to a sexually charged sequence that continues to smolder on the Blu-ray release, out this week from MGM Home Entertainment.

The film is based on the 1968 McQueen box office hit which had Crown portrayed as a bank robber, committing two crimes before the story reached its climax.  The film’s original downbeat ending was tweaked for something more satisfying as you find yourselves rooting for Brosnan and Russo. Faye Dunaway, McQueen’s love interest, returns as Brosnan’s psychiatrist for a handful of scenes that don’t really move things along. In fact, we never really get into Crown’s head; never really get to understand why he needs to break the law to feel alive. Nor do we understand why he never married or had family, great challenges themselves.

Still, the film has interesting twists and while the stakes are high. No one is dead serious, they allow themselves to live and even be humorous.

The climax, as Brosnan honors his commitment to restore the painting without being caught, remains a delight to watch again.

Brosnan’s suave demeanor made him perfect for the remake but he held out for director John McTiernan to come aboard and make sure this was done right. The director insisted on numerous story changes, distancing itself further from the original and keeping it more in line with modern day sensibilities.

No one was happy with the video transfer when the DVD was initially released and people were leery of the Blu-ray’s release given MGM’s spotty reputation. The good news is that this is a superior image compared to the DVD. Not the sharpest Blu-ray release, but certainly an improvement. Additionally, Bill Conti’s excellent score and soundtrack sounds fabulous. Even his choice of songs, such as Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” shows a decision to appeal to the older viewers, rather than filling it with soft rock or pop numbers. The soundtrack stands out on its own.

Oddly, the only extra is McTiernan’s 1999 commentary, which can be found on the Standard DVD disc. Yes, this is released in the combo pack so Blu-ray, standard and digital discs for a reasonable price of $24.95.

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Review: ‘A Home for Mr. Easter’

A Home for Mr. Easter

By Brooke A. Allen
NBM, 197 pages, $13.99

What’s nice about the graphic novel format is that is can take great children’s book ideas and let them breathe rather than truncate them to fit the slimmer requirements of the genre. Brooke A. Allen is a SCAD student making a splash with her fist book and it’s a fast-paced, somewhat madcap but tender-hearted tale.

Tesana is an oversize adolescent, never fitting in with her peers, which has resulted in her moving from school to school. Whatever is the cause of her physical and emotional issues, she’s clearly a Special Ed student with anger management problems. Her loving mother seems somewhat clueless about getting her proper school supervision and is at her wit’s end regarding her only child. We don’t know where Dad is and what their circumstances, and frankly, little of it matters.

Our heroine is special and despite her best intentions, things always seem to be spiraling out control. When her guidance counselor suggests she try an extra curricular activity in order to make friends, she tries to assist the pep rally club. They don’t want her and her good intentions backfire, resulting in live rabbits being accidentally released. The story really takes off when Tesana discovers one bunny has stayed by her side and she becomes determined to return the animal to its home.

Just one thing. The rabbit is magical and may well be the proverbial Easter Rabbit, especially since it appears to be laying brightly colored Easter eggs that contain special gifts. Oh yeah, and it talks to Tesana. As she attempts to find the rabbit’s habitat, she encounters a crooked stage magician, animal rights’ activists and a lab using animals as test subjects. With Tesana missing, her mother and the police are also part of the chase, sort of bookending the comical procession.

The evolving relationship between the girl and the rabbit, dubbed Mr. Easter, forms the emotional core of the story. Allen’s storytelling propels the pair from place to place in a somewhat breathless manner but never forgetting to fill each encounter with detail. Her black and white artwork is unqiue and comical, with enough realistic touches to ground the story in our world, without telling us when or where this story takes place. That in itself makes it both magical and timeless.

Her characters are not terribly deep and we don’t stop to learn much about any of them, even Tesana, but they have specific speech patterns and appearances giving the book a nice variety. We’re given pretty much exactly what we need to see and read before moving towards the inevitable and most satisfying conclusion.

This is a terrific first effort and I look forward to more from Ms. Allen. This book is good for early graphic novel readers right on up. 

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Review: ‘Steel’ on DVD

  • Uncategorized
  • April 6, 2010

Less than five years after his introduction in comics, [[[Steel]]] made it to the feature film pantheon of super-heroes. At one point, Warner Bros. was intending to produce a film adaptation of the best-selling [[[Death of Superman]]] storyline and it was decided that a Steel spinoff movie made sense. When it became clear that major [[[Superman]]] buff Shaquille O’Neal was serious about an acting career and that the Death movie was not going to happen, Warners decided to go for a modestly budgeted film anyway.

The $16 million project was handed to science fiction television veteran Kenneth Johnson whose only previous feature experience was directing [[[Short Circuit 2]]]. They were betting that he would bring the same magic here as he did with the[[[ Incredible Hulk]]]. He wrote and directed a film that was lambasted upon its August opening, earning a meager $1,686,429.

Now, as a part of the Warner Archive series, Steel comes to DVD this Tuesday. You have to love the basketball superstar or the character to put up with this poorly conceived adaptation.

Here’s the official synopsis: When evil scientist Judd Nelson ([[[Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back]]], [[[The Breakfast Club]]]) begins selling top-secret weapons to LA’s street gangs, former military researcher Shaq joins forces with a brilliant electronics expert to build an invincible suit of armor. Layered in his magnetic metal sheath and armed with his own hi-tech weaponry, Shaq transforms into his mythic alter-ego, Steel. From a secret command center, Steel sets out on a high-powered silver motorcycle to confront Nelson and rid the city of crime.

As you can see, it has no bearing on the Steel spinoff comic book that at least had Steel taking on a company did that him wrong. Instead, you have Nelson as an unconvincing evil genius who lacks any sense of threat.

Shaq is physically fine as John Henry Irons but the man can’t act and once he donned the armor, couldn’t move with the grace we saw for over a decade on the basketball court. His armor looked fake and the hammer just didn’t have that menacing feel.

The best thing about the film was Annabeth Gish as Susan Sparks, a wheelchair bound ally who evokes thoughts of the comics’ Oracle. Her performance was the most convincing in the largely flawed film which was shot like a TV movie, not a big screen feature. You would have thought[[[ Quincy Jones]]], who co-produced the movie, would have insisted on a little more gravitas or at least made some connection between Steel and his namesake, the American folklore hero John Henry. Instead, they drag in Richard Roundtree to lend the movie some street cred (audiences could see him and think, “ooh, Shaq and Shaft, this could be good” then get disappointed).

As an Archive film, you get an adequate transfer and zero extras. If you are a DC super-hero completist, then this film’s for you. For people looking for action and adventure, look elsewhere.

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Review: ‘Lord of the Rings Original Animated Classic’

Ralph Bakshi has been a visionary filmmaker and animator, whose ambitions always seemed larger than his talent. After cutting his teeth at Terry Toons, he talked his way into running Paramount’s dying animation arm before moving on to work such as the ABC Saturday morning [[[Spider-Man]]] series. He finally gained recognition when he set out to make feature-length films, beginning with the X-rated [[[Fritz the Cat]]].

Bakshi’s tastes have always run towards edgy fare and he’s produced animated film son subjects Walt Disney or Don Bluth would never have approached, such as [[[American Pop]]] and [[[Hey Good Lookin]]]’ and for that he deserves credit. Unfortunately, in just about every case, the projects have been flawed, largely because not enough money was spent on the animation or the story so they never felt finished.

In the 1970s Bakshi was in the right place at the right time when he managed to get the rights to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s [[[Lord of the Rings]]], a project that had previously stymied filmmakers such as Stanley Kubrick and John Boorman. He set about to create a new look for Middle-earth by using the rotoscope technique, to shoot large portions of the film as live-action and then provide the footage to his animators to essentially trace.

The results arrive Tuesday as Warner Home Video releases a combo pack edition containing Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy discs, the same day it also debuts the Peter Jackson trilogy on Blu-ray.

Tolkien fan Chris Conkling was first hired to do research then was given a shot at writing the first screenplay which oddly decided to tell most of the story in flashback from Merry’s point of view. Bakshi wisely shelved it and brought in fantasy master Peter S. Beagle to rewrite the script. Beagle, of [[[The Last Unicorn]]] fame, followed Bakshi’s instructions to preserve as much of Tolkien as was possible.

What’s interesting is how Beagle and Jackson made many of the same decisions regarding what to drop or change. While there was a huge cry about the absence of Tom Bombadil in the live-action film, he’s also gone in Bakshi’s film and no one screamed in those pre-Internet days. They also both chose to have the Ringwraiths themselves seen attacking the seemingly slumbering hobbits at Bree.

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Easter Goodies from 20th Century-Fox and MGM

  • News
  • April 2, 2010

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment has released Easter-themed family friendly fare complete with Easter Basket Approved! stickers. 

At More Easter Fun there are Easter activities including downloadable character coloring pages,
coupons, games, and a chance to win a $50,000 Nest Egg.

The titles involved include

Alvin and the Chipmunks                                  
Horton Hears A Who                                                      
Ice Age                                                        
Ice Age: The Meltdown                               
Night at the Museum   
The Black Stallion                                
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang                                      
The Pink Panther 2                                                        
The Secret of Nimh

Personally, we here at ComicMix can recommend the Ice Age films for modern day humor and The Secret of Nimh as a fun, underrated animated escapade. And while Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is based on the Ian Fleming book and features that nifty car, it was too long and devoid of magic.

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‘Sherlock Holmes’ Blu-ray Events

  • News
  • March 31, 2010

Warner Home Video released Sherlock
Holmes yesterday and tomorrow, those
possessing the combo pack can participate in a Live Community Screening
of the film with star Robert Downey Jr. participating. The event is
scheduled for 9 p.m., April 1 (no fooling) and people can sign up here.

Additionally, in support of the DVD release, WHV held a contest where a fan was chosen to learn the same sorts of stunts Downey mastered for his role as the detective. Take a peek at the results.

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Review: ‘Sherlock Holmes’ on Blu-ray

[[[rsz-1000110510brdlefo-6248156Sherlock Holmes]]] has been indelibly etched in the mass consciousness of pop culture consumers thanks to a steady stream of adaptations and homages of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories almost since they were first published. As a result, you say Holmes and a certain set of images come to mind beginning with the deerstalker hat and the cloak. Watson is always seen as comic relief, more bumbling aid than professional doctor.

As a result, Guy Ritchie’s take on the duo in 2009’s Sherlock Holmes was cause for debate. Some felt he was being blasphemous; others applauded how much more closely this interpretation hewed to the source material. The film opened to mixed reviews, skewing more positive than not but it also failed to ignite the box office. Still, earlier this month, the sequel went into pre-production and today, Warner Home Video releases the movie in a combo pack complete with Blu-ray, standard and digital discs.

The tale of Holmes and Watson dealing with the occult-minded Lord Blackwell is larger than most any other story, certainly larger in scope and menace than any of the original stories. Story writer/producer Lionel Wigram explains in the extras how he wanted to touch on the occult, then a popular subject in English society but without turning Holmes into a horror story. Instead, the clever Blackwell has spent months planning what is essentially a coup only to cross paths with Holmes, out to stop him.

Holmes and Watson are playing catch up, constantly finding new clues and adding them on the fly as the hunt for Blackwell continues. Meantime, complications arise as Watson is in the process of moving out of 221B Baker Street and preparing to marry Mary while Irene Adler, the one woman in his life, returns unexpectedly. The intertwining sub-plots are intended to flesh out the characters and relationships along with making it certain Holmes doesn’t catch Blackwell too quickly.

The problem is, Ritchie made a somewhat lifeless movie. His previous works are filled with memorable characters and inspired performances; here, everyone is fine and solid, not spectacular. Robert Downey Jr. is a fine Holmes, mumbling and wide-eyed as befits the constantly distracted character and his pairing with Jude Law’s Watson works well on the buddy level. Law, though, seems to lack the inner strength to do what is necessary, always having a weary look as he constantly comes back to Holmes’ side to finish the case. Similarly, Mark Strong is cool and evil, but flat as Blackwell and Rachel McAdams can’t make Irene sparkle, not enough to convince us she’s really the woman of Holmes’ dreams.

What had some diehard fans in an uproar was the action quotient. After all, Holmes is a cerebral detective, seeing everything and making deductions that stagger the imagination. Seeing him in numerous fights was the largest change from previous adaptations and Ritchie is a good action director. But, here things were too large and there was at least one fight too many. The entire sequence at the shipyards could have been excised since it doesn’t fit the rest of the film and was overlong and overdone.

The most effective thing in the film may be the production design which largely relies on CGI to transform modern day England into its earlier 1891 incarnation. The city lives and breathes and feels right. Hans Zimmer’s score helps as well.

Overall, the movie looks great on Blu-ray with solid visuals and fine 5.1 Dolby sound. The Blu-ray also offers us the film in the Maximum Movie Mode, wherein Ritchie appears throughout the film and discusses how things were shot or why decisions were made. The split screens and pausing for explanation are interesting with some nifty tidbits tossed in. This version runs just three minutes longer and is an interesting way to see it a second time. There are 31 minutes of assorted behind-the-scenes featurettes discussing how the source material and era informed the film. An additional 14 minutes has Ritchie and Downey discuss Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented. Surprisingly, there are no deleted scenes offered.

This is a perfectly serviceable adaptation of Holmes but as a film experience, it is lacking in the qualities one has come to expect from Ritchie.

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