Category: Reviews

Review: ‘Lost Season 4’ on DVD

losy-dvd-3771137

Serialized television has seen a decline in ratings after becoming all the rage, ignited largely by the originality and quality of Lost.  Created by J.J. Abrams, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, the series had an intriguing premise, an intricate mythology and a sprawling cast, but they never took the focus off the characters.  We got to know them, one by one, and came to care what happened. As several regulars died off, we were repeatedly told, this is a dangerous situation and everyone was vulnerable. This season, more favorite characters are wiped away in dramatic fashion and helps inform those who survive.

Of course, the fun of the series is also seeing the dead come back to appear in flashbacks and hallucinations so no one stays away from the show for good.

The third season was accused of losing that tight focus and its audience began to dwindle.  In spring 2007, ABC and the producers agreed to an end date for the show, spring 2010, and that freed the producers to finish plotting out the series in broad strokes.  We go the first hint of that in the season finale which had the first flash forward, showing us a suicidal Jack insisting he and Kate have to return to the island.

As a result, we were eager for the fourth season, the six-disc DVD collection, which goes on sale Tuesday and were not disappointed.  The freighter that has arrived proves not to be from Desmond’s beloved Penny but on behalf of Charles Widmore, who seems to be out to control the island and its secrets.  From that point, we delve into sixteen episodes which furthered everyone’s character arcs while introducing new wrinkles and new cast.

As one would expect, Jack and Locke are at odds as Locke’s spiritual side says they have to remain on the island while Jack remains committed to getting everyone off.  The cast splits and we follow both sides with Locke’s crew taking over the compound used by The Others, who have fled.

(more…)

batman681-22-6520554

Review: ‘Batman’ #681

batman681-22-6520554The nature of super-hero comics (and serial storytelling in TV as well) has become an incestuous thing, one that feeds on its own cast of characters, no matter how wrongheaded it might seem. In any given story arc, the reader (and the viewer) has been trained to expect The Last Person You’d Ever Expect (fill in the name of your favorite Beloved Supporting Character) to be revealed as the villainous mastermind. And/or salacious details about Our Hero. Dark secrets that threaten the very underpinnings of the lead characters’ being. The promise of certain death for players who’ve existed for decades. (No, really. We mean it!)
 
The pleasure in last week’s wrap-up to [[[Batman R.I.P.]]] was in the way Grant Morrison mocked all that. Consider yourself under a Spoiler Warning for the duration of this column.
 
At its best, the story was a love letter to Batman as he ought to be — prepared to a degree that anyone else would find ludicrous (as in a terrific flashback sequence) and uncompromising in the face of threats against the reputation of his family name. Watching him emerge from an inescapable deathtrap and wade through all comers was quite satisfying after months of questioning whether Batman had lost it.
 
Just as 1993-1994’s [[[Knightfall]]] arc gave us the ultra-violent Batman that a fringe of fandom imagined they wanted, R.I.P. delivered the story formula that readers have been conditioned to expect. And then, in the final act, Morrison pulled the rug out from under them. Think that the Black Glove was going to stand unmasked as Thomas Wayne, the father of Bruce who’d faked death and became a criminal mastermind? Lies. All lies. Waiting for the culmination of Batman’s mental breakdown? Didn’t happen (at least not to the degree it seemed). He was acting! (Thanks, Alfred!) And that caped-and-cowled, ready-for-slabbing corpse? No body.
 
I can’t help but think, too, that Morrison’s treatment of the Joker reflects a bit on the villain’s usage in the wider DC Comics line. In Morrison’s first issue (#655), the character was casually defeated by a nut in a Batman costume who shot him in the face. And in this climax, his fate was even more dismissive: He was accidentally run off the road and killed (yeah, right) by a speeding Batmobile driven by the deranged Damian. The two scenes struck me as a statement of sorts on the sheer over-saturation of the Joker, a villain who’s appeared in 44 comics in 2008 alone! A character that almost anyone in the DC Universe can hold their own against is a character who can be sucker-punched by nutty Batman wannabes. Couple that with his ubiquitous presence in Bat-books proper and the persistence in characterizing the Joker as the biggest and most unstoppable mad-murderer in history and you have a Batman who’s rather ineffectual, too. But I digress.

(more…)

44821884-einstein1-226-9721103

Review: ‘Einstein and Eddington’

44821884-einstein1-226-9721103[[[Einstein and Eddington]]] is a story about the pursuit of truth against a background of war, violence, nationalism, subterfuge, and prejudice during World War I.
 
David Tennant, widely known as the latest incarnation of [[[Doctor Who]]], admirably plays Arthur Eddington, hailed as the “best measuring man in England.”  Appointed as the Director of the Cambridge Observatory, the ninth since Sir Isaac Newton held the position, he is charge with maintaining the truth of Newtonian physics against all comers.  Sir Oliver Lodge, another keeper of the Newtonian faith, is portrayed by the wonderful Jim Broadbent and assigns Eddington to investigate an up and coming German scientist, Albert Einstein whose work appears to question certain aspects of currently accepted physics.  Lodge wants Eddington to prove Einstein wrong, demonstrating the superiority of “British science” over “German science.”
 
Andy Serkis’s portrayal of Albert Einstein is heartwarming, funny, and frustrating, all at the same time.  Serkis is best known to audiences for his work as Gollum in [[[The Lord of the Rings]]] trilogy , but here we can see him as a flesh and blood actor. The character appears to be incapable of relating to most people, much to his estranged family’s dismay.  He is offered a much needed job at the University of Berlin, the heart of the think-tank for developing better ways of making war.  He cannot understand why they want to use science to build things and kill people, rather than simply love science for the sheer joy of figuring out how thing work, not bend it to their destructive will, and he is quite vocal about his position.
 
This is the situation when, much to Eddington’s dismay, he discovers that Einstein may indeed be right about flaws in Newton’s laws.  Having never met the man, he writes Einstein a letter which is simply a page of equations.  Einstein responds in kind.  Eddington, a Quaker and pacifist, had found a balance in his life between science and faith, finding room for both Newton and God.  Until he receives Einstein reply.
 
Between the lines of equations the two men share, they continue to pursue the truth behind the physics and develop an unusual friendship.  Their work continues through a series of personal trials: Einstein ’s affair which leads to a divorce, Eddington’s loss of a dear friend at the Battle of Ypres where he is killed by mustard gas, developed by the same institution employing Einstein, and both of them coming into conflict with the demands of their respective employers.
 
Something of a recluse, Eddington was never comfortable with being the focus of public attention so it was fortunate that his work brought more attention to the work of Albert Einstein and his Theory of General Relativity.
 
Einstein and Eddington is a fine introduction to these two geniuses and the science they both loved so dearly.
 
This period piece was filmed on location at Cambridge University, with Croatia and Hungary standing in for Germany and West Africa. It was written by Peter Moffat and directed by Philip Martin, the team behind the acclaimed [[[Hawking]]]. The BBC production was filmed in association with HBO and debuted on November 22 in the United Kingdom.  An American airdate on the premium channel has not been announced.

Review: ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ DVD

The very best science fiction comments on today’s problems wrapped around a provocative story involving characters and situations that people can relate to.  They are also snapshots of moments in time and The Day the Earth Stood Still is a wonderful look at America between the end of World War II and the Cold War that gripped the world for decades.

There are few genre films of this era that hold up today and if you have never seen it, this two-disc commemorative set, on sale today, is well worth your attention.

The film is loosely based on a Harry Bates short story but thoroughly rewritten by Edward North and directed with a documentary and film noir feel by Robert Wise.  The tale of first contact is nothing new, but it’s all in the telling.  In this case, the film and its characters take matters very seriously. Wise is to be credited for giving us a culturally diverse montage of reactions throughout the movie, so we’re reminded that the arrival of the flying saucer affects everyone living on Earth.

Wise and Fox’s executives were smart to cast newcomer Michael Rennie as Klaatu since audiences had no preconceived notions when they see him, as opposed to Spencer Tracy, who we learn in the extras, wanted the role.  His lean figure and serious demeanor made him appear otherworldly and human at the same time. He’s paired nicely with Patricia Neal as a widow raising her young son, Bobby (Billy Gray).

So typical of mankind, no sooner does Klaatu emerge from the starship than a nervous G.,I. fires and wounds him, activating his security robot, the mammoth Gort.  When Klaatu asks the President’s secretary to arrange a meeting with world leaders, we get a little political satire as leaders of state put ego ahead of statesmanship. Klaatu decides to go out among mankind and find out something about the people of Earth and there he takes up residence at the boarding house where Neal lives.

The scenes of Klaatu and Bobby touring Washington are nice as we see things through fresh eyes which leads Klaatu to find Prof. Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe), the stand-in for Albert Einstein, the era’s recognized smartest man alive. Fear wins the day as Klaatu is shot once more but miraculously survives in time to deliver a warning.  Mankind’s use of atomic weapons must never expand into space, threatening the galactic peace.  If they cannot do this, the planet will be reduced to a cinder. And then he leaves, mission accomplished.

Sure it’s a cautionary tale and far more simplistically told than the remake coming December 12 which changes fear of warfare to fear of ecological disaster.  Still, for its time, the movie is quite sophisticated in its script, direction, acting and message.  There’s an ironic moment as we see medical staff marvel over Klaatu’s prolonged lifespan as they light up cigarettes.

The first disc opens with Exclusive First Look At The New Movie [[[The Day The Earth Stood Still]]] which probably should have followed the feature.

The extras put the film into context starting with archival commentary from Wise (who died in 2005) and Nicholas Meyer (who followed his footsteps as a Star Trek director). The Making of The Day the Earth Stood Still does a nice job telling you the basics behind the film’s history but it’s the second disc that gives you “Decoding ‘Klaatu Barada Nikto’: Science Fiction as Metaphor” giving you the historic perspective.  The first disc also offers up “The Mysterious, Melodious Theremin” which even puts Bernard Hermann’s haunting score into perspective.

On the second disc there’s also a fairly rote look at the history of flying saucers plus bio pieces on Bates and North.  North made an anti-atomic bomb documentary, [[[Race To Oblivion]]], starring Burt Lancaster, this is also included.  Original trailers and a 1951 Fox Movietonews  round out the visuals. Still galleries including lobby cards, one sheets and the complete shooting script.

tropcthndr-2dsc-dvd-3d-2-9133241

Review: ‘Tropic Thunder’

tropcthndr-2dsc-dvd-3d-2-9133241Movies about movie making can be filled with inside jokes that lose the audience or use the miniature world of a set to tell a dramatic story.  Then there’s [[[Tropic Thunder]]], a broad comedy poking fun at multiple Hollywood types in one stroke.

Ben Stiller, aided and abetted by Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen, wrote a movie about a stereotypical misfit cast that is making a war story but find themselves in a real jungle battle.  Not the most original of ideas, but as handled by the ensemble, it’s remarkably refreshing and entertaining. When the film opened in August, it was like a tonic to the explosive super-heroic fare and lackluster comedies.

The movie sends up Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, and other modern day war dramas, not just in structure, but in the way scenes are staged, lit, and performed.  There’s affection here, respecting the source material but using it as a launch point for some strong satire.

Stiller is joined by Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr., Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel and Danny McBride as the actors who are either over the hill, uninsurable or so full of themselves that there’s a wonder how the studio green lit the project in the first place.  First-time director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) is in over his head with the uncontrollable cast and mounting budget issues.  He’s supported by his dancing producer is played with delicious irony by Tom Cruise under pounds of latex and steals every scene he’s in.

Everyone else has heaped superlatives on Downey as playing an actor who turns himself black to play an African-American character so I’ll skip him and note that Baruchel, McBride, Coogan and Brandon Jackson are relatively new to me and rise to the occasion, not letting themselves get overshadowed by the more recognizable names. Nick Nolte has a small role and seems interested in spoofing his career.

The film is clearly not for everyone but film aficionados will enjoy it along with fans of Stiller, Black and Downey.  The Director’s Cut is 13 minutes longer and the only version included in the two-disc set.  In most cases, scenes are a little longer.  One key addition is a party sequence that spotlights the actors before they begin shooting the troubled film.

The fun continues in the second disc filled with features.  Divvied up into bite sized chunks, you can see how the film was conceived, designed, shot and edited.  Extended and deleted scenes come with some good commentary and an alternate ending shows they made the right choice. The cast each get a profile and there’s a fun mockumentary, [[[Dispatches from the Edge of Madness]]], satirizing documentaries the Eiropean host goes in search of Cockburn during the troubled production.  There are other features to round out the disc and are the usual assortment we’ve come to expect.

Review: ‘Abe Sapien: The Drowning’ and ‘B.P.R.D.: 1946’

abe-sapien-drowning12-5691492

It’s always a bit sad when someone quits a job, especially a well-loved and -trusted colleague who did a huge amount of the work. Sure, you’ll all take him out to lunch on his last day (or as close to it as you can manage), but that’s for his benefit. The next Monday, you all have to go back to work, and try to make up for what he used to do as well as you can.

Hellboy has been gone from the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development for a while, now – since 2001, though the stories take place in various eras and times – and they’re still trying to make up for the loss. In an office, that would just entail some cursing, some longer hours, and a lot of questions about how to fill out the TPS forms. But for the B.P.R.D., there’s the little matter of saving the world without a nearly indestructible red guy with a sledgehammer for a right hand leading the way.

Since [[[Hellbo]]]y left the B.P.R.D., Dark Horse has published an increasingly proliferating array of stories set in the same world: an ongoing sequence of B.P.R.D. miniseries, and then short series about Lobster Johnson and Abe Sapien.

This year has already seen the Lobster Johnson trade paperback, and eighth volumes of both Hellboy and B.P.R.D. (which I reviewed together back in June), and now there are two more Hellboy-universe books to keep us busy.

[[[Abe Sapien: The Drowning]]]
Story by Mike Mignola; Art by Jason Shawn Alexander
Dark Horse, September 2008, $17.95

Abe has been at the center of several B.P.R.D. stories before, but this was the first time he got his name in the title – it’s a flashback story, set in 1981, when Hellboy was on an extended leave from the B.P.R.D. but supernatural mysteries still needed investigating.

B.P.R.D. head Trevor Bruttenholm had recently discovered that a British supernatural agent had used a rare and powerful Lipu Dagger to kill the evil Dutch warlock Epke Vrooman in 1884, near the Atlantic coast of France. Vrooman’s remains and the dagger are at the bottom of the sea, in a shipwreck. But surely an amphibious man wouldn’t have any trouble in diving down and retrieving the dagger?

(more…)

Review: ‘Batman Cacophony’ #1

The eagerly anticipated [[[Batman: Cacophony]]] #1 finally hit shelves this month, and, on many levels, it did not disappoint.  The three-issue series is authored by famous screenwriter/director Kevin Smith, and his signature style is evident.   Smith, as always, manages to weave in a healthy dose of crude, sexual humor, and it is surprisingly successful coming out of The Joker’s mouth.   The tone of the book, however, is not as dark as one would think.  The atmosphere created by the creative minds at work is more a cartoonish, brightly colored Pulp Fiction than the noir-esque Batman of years past.   A color palette of burnt oranges, yellows, and primary colors adorn the pages in the book, and this tone nicely compliments Kevin Smith’s clever, quick witted humor. 

On the topic of art, the book is drawn by illustrator Walt Flanagan, making his DC debut.  Although he shows promise, his style is definitely that of a rookie and not a seasoned veteran.   The drawings lack the stylistic flair that many accomplished comic artists have mastered.   While the absence of pop in the drawings can be distracting, Smith manages to set the stage for what is sure to an interesting story.  He is weaving together a tale that links the Joker to a ring of Greek mobsters and designer drugs which is also peppered by the presence of the always fascinating villain Onomatopoeia, not seen since Smith introduced him during his short run on [[[Green Arrow]]].   Onomatopoeia happens to be one of the characters that is drawn very well by Flanagan, and the story lines are sure to collide and provide solid entertainment for any reader who shows interest.

Review: ‘Wall*E’

Pixar movies are the kind of family movie you can enjoy without the family.  There’s something there for the adults and the themes tend to be universal ones. Pixar’s creators understand how to think and laugh like a kid and tailor their movies for the broadest possible audience without feeling the need to dumb down the content or characterization.  Instead, their movies are smart and funny and usually heartwarming.

For the first time, a socially responsible theme became a focal point in [[[Wall*E]]] and it’s a welcome one. The movie, out on DVD today, tells of an Earth where consumerism has ruined the planet, making it uninhabitable.

The Wall*E units tried to keep up with the trash but failed, until one is left.  Humanity is long gone, mostly relocated to a pleasure yacht voyaging amongst the stars.  Wall*E has gained an unusual degree of artificial intelligence and as a result has wistful thoughts about being with others, hence his repeated watching of [[[Hello, Dolly]]] on a battered video tape.  His longing to hold another’s hand is heartbreaking.

His years of solitary toil end when an exploratory craft comes and dispatches an EVE unit to seek evidence of organic life symbolizing the planet being ready for repopulating. Wall*E is, of course, smitten with the sleek, rounded object.  Slowly, she exerts her own individuality and budding friendship forms.

Wall*E follows her back to the ship and by then, the beeps and clicks are supplemented with other sounds including human voices.  We meet the last remnants of humanity, soft, obese forms that had mechanical support in every aspect of their lives.  When Wall* E arrives, several are woken up to learn there are other ways to live.

As Wall*E pursues EVE, the ship’s captain is fascinated about returning to earth and what that would mean.  He comes into conflict with the ship’s Auto Pilot who is fulfilling its final commands from the original designers: Earth is dead, you cannot come home.

The struggle to exert free will is the overall theme of the film but told in such a delightful way that you don’t realize until you sit to write the review. Watching the 98 film, you laugh at the winks and nods to other SF classic movies and the patented Pixar humor. There’s little doubt they succeeded given its universal praise and steep box office receipts.

The three DVD set comes complete with a digital copy disc along with bonuses galore. “Presto”, the de rigueur Pixar short that opened with Wall* E is here and is a salute to Loony Tunes.  A new short focuses on Burn*E, a repair robot and is cleverly intertwined with the film’s events so you can see how frustrating it is to fix a light pole when Wall* E is around.

There are some legitimate deleted scenes along with director Andrew Stanton’s commentary.

The second disc is replete with the usual Disney assortment of background pieces including “[[[The Pixar Story]]]”, additional deleted scenes (yes, they should have all been on one disc) and Making Of featurettes. For the youngsters, there an interactive storybook. Al together, this is a must have item and certainly should find its way under many a Christmas tree this season.

reaper-box-6238692

Review: ‘Reaper Season One’ DVD

reaper-box-62386922007 was a pretty big year for television, bringing us great shows such as [[[Pushing Daisies]]], [[[Californication]]], and [[[Chuck]]], and some duds like [[[Cavemen]]], [[[Bionic Woman]]], and [[[Aliens in America]]]. One gem that seemed to slip through the cracks you can now catch on DVD, in the ABC Studios and The CW’s [[[Reaper]]].

The show followed ne’er-do-well Sam Oliver (Bret Harrison) on his 18th birthday when he is told by his parents that they sold his soul when he was born and now must suffer the wrath of The Devil (Ray Wise). Turns out that the Devil actually likes Sam and proposes that, rather than go to hell for eternity, he takes the role as the Reaper, a bounty hunter capturing escaped souls and returning them to hell. Sam reluctantly agrees, tries to fight it, but eventually comes to the realization that this may just be the first thing he’s actually good at. Alongside Sam are his faithful companions Sock (Tyler Labine) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez), his girlfriend Andi (Missy Peregrym) and along the way they come across a cavalcade of TV favorites, including names like Patton Oswalt, Michael Ian Black, and Angel‘s Mercedes McNab. The show may be about demons and the different levels of hell, but at it’s core; the show is about the birth of a hero, and what it takes to balance the live of fighting evil, with a part time job at a home improvement store.

The show was bounced around more than once on the schedule, finally finding a home right after [[[Smallville]]] on Thursdays. Once the writers’ strike hit, the show suffered like many others, and went into a several week hiatus, but returned strong and finished off season one with a bang. Finally, you can catch all of the laughs and thrills of the season at your leisure as Lionsgate Home Video released Reaper Season One on DVD.

Along with all 18 episodes on 5 discs, you get a great collections of extras including audio commentary on the pilot episode from series creators Tara Butter, Michele Fazekas, and Debra Spera. Also included is a gag reel that shows just how much laughs go into making us laugh (running at 4:30) and a collection of deleted and extended scenes from the past season, which runs at 7:22. The packaging of the box comes together pretty nicely, with a lenticular cover and a plastic slipcover, it would be a nice addition to your DVD collection.

Overall, Reaper is easily one of the better things produced on TV over the past 2 years, and with another 13 episodes picked up for 2009, you are going to want to be caught up on this Network TV Gem, and you won’t be disappointed. 

Overall Rating: 8/10

Review: ‘The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #4’

The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #4: Claudia and Mean Janine
By Ann Martin, Adapted by Raina Telgemeir
Scholastic Graphix, $8.99

[[[The Baby-Sitters Club]]] was perhaps the first series of novels written for the Tween audience before the demographic term was coined.  Ann Martin managed to tap into the interests of adolescent girls and depicted their interests, fears, and friendships. Just about every YA series since owes a debt to Martin and her four plucky sitters.

Artist Raina Telgemeier grew up reading the books and therefore brings a level of passion and insight into her adaptation of the books as graphic novels for a new generation of Tweens.

The fourth book in the series focuses largely on Club president Claudia and her brainy sister Janine as the summer after seventh grade begins. To make money, the club decides to run a day care babysitting service for the neighborhood and they find themselves filled with kids and sometimes their pets (never mind questions about liability insurance). Claudia’s summer is turned upside down when her grandmother has a stroke and needs to relearn how to function.

The book moves along briskly enough, giving each character a distinctive look but all the characterization is entirely surface.  There’s really not enough to show us who they are as individuals and why they are such good friends.  The book moves along until Claudia and Janine have it out and discover things about each other that one would think they knew as siblings under the same roof.

Lined notebook paper with a club member’s thoughts act as chapter breaks although they oddly tell you what you’re about to read rather than reflect on the actions that just ended. It robs the work of an opportunity for some depth.

The book has the 162-page adaptation followed by a short look at the process Telgemeier uses to adapt each novel.

For the intended audience, this will have all the same charm as the original prose works.

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks