Review: ‘Red Cliff’ on Blu-ray
The history of the world is rich with stories of personal triumph and epic events. In fact, so many stories remain to be told to modern day audiences, you would never need to leave the non-fiction section to find stories to tell. In school, we’re given such a surface review of global history that we’re constantly amazed to find out what really went on.
Take China for example. The country is our partner and rival in modern day affairs but what do we know of a land that can trace its culture back thousands of years? Sure, we were taught they were largely xenophobic and measured their rulers by dynasties but little else. But, to those growing up in the Pacific Rim, the stories of great warriors outnumber those we can tell about out forefathers.
This point is brought home in the release this week of the stunning [[[Red Cliff]]]. Director John Woo has wanted to tell this story about the fall of the Han Dynasty since childhood and spent years researching it, more years to craft a script and then months to film the story.
In 208 A.D., the Han Dynasty Emperor grants permission to the greedy General Cao Cao to form a movement that will pulverize two warlords who stand in his way. The warlords, Liu Bei and Sun Quan, are sworn enemies but know their only hope for survival is to band together and counter the attack. Although outnumbered by Cao Cao’s vast and fast approaching army, the warlords put their rivalry behind them and end up surprising all those who doubted their small brigade.
History, as we know, is written by the victors so most accounts make Cao Cao out to be evil incarnate but Woo wisely sourced most of the facts and character descriptions from the more level-headed Records of Three Kingdoms. This certainly makes all the players far from cardboard caricatures.
The story was so epic in scope, akin to [[[Lord of the Rings]]], that he shot a four hour film that was released internationally in two parts. A 148-minute edited version came to America last year, garnering excellent reviews although it didn’t perform well at the box office. The movie has been released by Magnolia Home Entertainment in a variety of formats such as the two-disc Blu-ray International Edition with the complete film or the single disc with the shortened version. Both come packed with extras galore.
In watching the 148 domestic version, I thought I had seen enough. The problem for me was that too many of the key players were not developed as characters with Woo’s emphasis on his trademark action sequences which were larger and more involved than ever. As a result, Cao Cao is not the standard movie villain but also remains enigmatic, his true goals and desires absent. Similarly, Liu Bei and Sun Quan’s enmity is left mentioned and unexplored so their alliance is missing the significance it should otherwise posses.
On the road again… see ComicMix folks Robert Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Aaron Rosenberg, Matthew Weinberger, and probably even more of us this weekend at 
Ever since Hulk was little boy, his favorite show was Diff’rent Strokes. Hulk’s favorite episode was from the 7th season, entitled ‘A Special Friend’. Why was this Hulk’s favorite episode? Because Hulk learned about Arnold’s friend, and her epilepsy. Hulk take this disease very seriously. Way more seriously than Hulk take his own comic serious. You still think fans care about Red Hulk? Fans know there be only one Hulk. And Hulk is green. Green with purple pants. Now me remember! Hulk came to ComicMix today to talk about Purple Day! Hulk wear purple pants to raise awareness for epilepsy!
There’s only one reason for Warner Home Video to release the 1993 disaster of a film, 
Robert Culp, best known to genre fans as FBI Agent Bill Maxwell on The Greatest American Hero and as Trent in the Outer Limits episode “Demon With A Glass Hand”, passed away after a fall outside his Los Angeles home. He was 79.
I think it’s fairly safe to begin talking about 
by stipulating that they’re amazing. Most, if not all, of you have no doubt seen these Pixar films in the movie theaters if not on cable or DVD.
There’s a documentary about to open, [[[Waking Sleeping Beauty]]], focusing on the decade that saw Walt Disney Studios regain their mojo and produce a new generation of wonderful animated films beginning with [[[The Little Mermaid]]]. I’m really looking forward to seeing how that happened but we all know how it ends. Pixar’s CGI efforts arrived with [[[Toy Story]]] and suddenly 2-D movies looked like something from a fairy tale, old and tired. Disney shuttered the animation department.
After announcing the acquisition of the British hero Marvelman last summer, Marvel Comics finally has scheduled their initial offerings. In a press release, the company said they would be celebrate the rich history and reprint material from the beginning.
