Author: Robert Greenberger

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths gets big-screen Premieres on Two Coasts

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths gets big-screen Premieres on Two Coasts

  • News
  • February 5, 2010

Warner Home Video, Newsarama.com and The Paley Center for Media proudly present the bi-coastal World Premieres of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the highly anticipated next entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies, in New York on February 16 and in Beverly Hills on February 18. Filmmakers and members of the voice cast are expected to attend both events.

On February 16, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths will screen at The Paley Center in New York City (25 West 52nd Street) with a media interviews starting at 5:30 p.m. and screening commencing at 6:30 p.m. A panel discussion with filmmakers and voice cast will follow the screening.

On February 18, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths will screen at The Paley Center in Beverly Hills (465 North Beverly Drive) with media interviews starting at 6:00 p.m. and screening commencing at 7:00 p.m. A panel discussion with filmmakers and voice cast will follow the screening.

Media wishing to attend the premieres must RSVP via email to WHVRSVP@gmail.com.

A limited number of free tickets are available for the general public. Fans in New York City wishing to receive free tickets to the NY event on Feb. 16 must RSVP via email to justiceleagueNY@newsarama.com. Fans in the Los Angeles area wishing to receive free tickets to the Beverly Hills event on Feb. 18 must RSVP via email to justiceleagueLA@newsarama.com. Tickets to both events will be distributed on a “first come, first served” basis. 

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a “good” Lex Luthor arrives from an alternate universe to recruit the Justice League to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters with virtually identical super powers to the Justice League. What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan launched by Owlman, puts the balance of all existence in peril.

A star-studded cast provides the voices behind the super heroes and villains, led by Mark Harmon (NCIS) as Superman, James Woods (Mississippi Burning) as Owlman, Chris Noth  (Law & Order, Sex and the City) as Lex Luthor, William Baldwin (Dirty Sexy Money) as Batman, Gina Torres (Firefly/Serenity) as Superwoman and Bruce Davison (X-Men) as President Wilson. Other cast members include Josh Keaton (The Spectacular Spider-Man) as The Flash, Vanessa Marshall (Grim & Evil) as Wonder Woman and Jonathan Adams (Bones) as Martian Manhunter.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is an original story from award-winning animation/comics writer Dwayne McDuffie (Justice League). Animation legend Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday) is executive producer, and Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern: First Flight) and Sam Liu (Superman/Batman: Public Enemies) are co-directors.

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Review: ‘Civil War Adventure’

Review: ‘Civil War Adventure’

{{{Civil War Adventure]]]
By Chuck Dixon & Gary Kwapisz
History Graphics Press, 144 pages. $14.95

The graphic novel as memoir and teaching tool has become accepted in schools and libraries and there is a growing need for well-researched material. Thankfully, Chuck Dixon knows his history and how to do research. He’s displayed this in a rich career, covering all the eras. Here, he’s partnered with veteran artist Gary Kwapisz to produce the first in a line of Civil War graphic novels.

The first volume was recently released and makes for good, solid reading. There are seven stories in this inaugural collection, spanning the length of the war, along with single page features on terminology, weaponry and personalities. The book smartly opens with a timeline of the Battle Between the States, placing each story contained in context. On the other hand, the stories appear in a jumbled order that makes little sense.

If anything, there appears to be a preference for stories told from the point of view of the seseches, that is, the Confederacy. Their passion certainly outweighed their level of preparedness and organization. If anything. Both North and South were comprised of militias and armies that were loosely organized and commanded so sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the squads.

Dixon keeps things personal, largely following a father and son both leaving their farm to go to war, to protect a way of life that was largely unsustainable. They crop up in several stories and we’re promised more about them in subsequent volumes. Wisely, many of his stories are taken from journals and letters written during the war and lend a voice of authenticity to the book.

The stories are light on ideology so there’s little about why the Union split in two, nothing about states’ rights or even much about the slavery issue. These are the men, largely uneducated, who are fighting for freedom on the front lines, far from the news and politicians.

Kwapisz provides the majority of the artwork and is a strong storyteller. Some of his characters border on the exaggerated and backgrounds could be more detailed here and there but overall, he does a commendable job with differentiating his players and battlefields. Silvestre and Enrique Villagran each contribute art for a story, providing a little visual variety.

The volume is a nice, if jumbled, package and promises more to come. While not to be considered a sole source for readers, it certainly helps bring some of the history to life. These two have formed their own company and I wish them well so other historic times can be explored in compelling ways.

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Review: ‘Planet Hulk’ on DVD

Review: ‘Planet Hulk’ on DVD

When Greg Pak received his dream assignment, writing the [[[Hulk,]]] he was handed a few notions that Marvel’s editorial team conjured up, starting with exiling him from Earth. From there, Pak spun the Planet Hulk epic which was the first the jade-jawed giant was allowed to cut loose in years.

Exiled to space by the Illuminati, the Hulk crashed on an alien world and suddenly was surrounded with assorted aliens who could give as well as he could. Enslaved, he suddenly was an underdog, just another mongrel to fight for the rulers’ pleasure in the gladiator games. Seeing no Banner and all-Hulk helped make this a standout adventure.

Yeah, its [[[Spartacus]]] to a degree, but seeing the Hulk in chains then in armor was cool. It made sense to ship him off Earth to spare humanity and we all knew he’d be back and there’d be some serious payback involved. But first, he had to survive.

The story was engaging and ripe for adaptation as part of Marvel Animation’s series of animated features for Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The highly promoted event arrived in stores this week. In 81 brisk minutes, the story is boiled down by Greg Johnson and streamlined, bringing this to a satisfying closing point (and leaving room to finish the adaptation in a sequel).

On the other hand, Johnson spoils Pak’s work by writing flat characters and providing everyone with stilted and trite dialogue. For legal reasons, the Silver Surfer couldn’t be used and rather than drop the moment, he’s replaced with Beta Ray Bill but also means there’s a flashback setting up Bill that doesn’t add anything to the tale and tells us nothing about Bill. It’s pretty but pointless, taking away from the main story.

The animation from Sam Liu and his team is superior to last year’s Hulk Vs. effort but could have added a little more texture and detail to the various aliens and architecture. The Hulk looks pretty ferocious and proportional for a gladiator. There are some nice subtle touches, especially in the final scene.

Overall, this feature may well be the best of the Marvel films but all fairly pale in comparison with the superior Warner Premiere efforts culled from the DC Universe.

The two-disc DVD comes with a digital copy and a ton of bonuses. There’s an informative[[[A Whole World of Hulk]], making of featurette; Let the Smashing Commence! which gives Pak his due along with penciller Aaron Lopresti; commentary from Liu, character designer Philip Bourassa and key painter Steve Nicodemus. We’re also shown the opening to 2011’s [[[Tales of Asgard]]], which actually looks even better. The Wolverine segment from Hulk Vs. is repurposed along with the motion comics for [[[Spider-Woman]]] and Astonishing [[[X-Men]]] along with music videos and too many trailers.

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Review: ‘Whip It’ on Blu-ray

Review: ‘Whip It’ on Blu-ray

When people get excited about something, they blossom and their affection can become contagious. Such is the case for screenwriter Shauna Cross, who stumbled across the world of roller derby and decided to get her story into print. She wrote it first as a young adult novel, Derby Girl
and then managed to option it to Drew Barrymore’s production company. Barrymore loved the material so much she decided to turn it into her directorial debut.

Whip It [Blu-ray]
opened last fall to generally positive reviews but middling box office, vanishing without much of a splash, which is a shame because the movie is pretty good and worth your attention. Out this week from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, the movie is available in the usual formats with the Blu-ray edition containing a digital copy disc.

Much as Cross, who wrote the screen adaptation of her book, came to love the rough and tumble world, so too does Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page). A high school senior, Bliss is the dorky good girl who goes to school and lets her mother push her into competing on the pageant circuit. Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden) is a former beauty queen now working as a mail carrier, eking out a lower middle class existence with her husband Earl (Daniel Stern) and is somewhat smothering with her love and attention.  A chance encounter at a store acts as Bliss’ entrée into the roller derby world and after watching one competition with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat), decides to try out. Her speed earns the awkward athlete a spot on the team and the beginning of a new world.

Pretty quickly, Bliss, now dubbed Babe Ruthless, is accepted by the team who become a circle of friends despite the disparity in their ages. Now, Bliss has to juggle school, work at the local BBQ joint, the pageants and the derby. Along the way, her arrival acts as the catalyst the team needs to evolve from losers to competitors. And she meets Oliver (Landon Pigg), the somewhat older guitarist in a band. Cue the violins.

Harden and Stern make an odd but effective couple of parents, grounding the film every time it feels ready to speed off track.

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‘Avatar’ Gets 9 Oscar Nominations; ‘Star Trek’ Misses Best Picture

‘Avatar’ Gets 9 Oscar Nominations; ‘Star Trek’ Misses Best Picture

  • News
  • February 2, 2010

The 82nd Annual Academy Award nominations have been announced with Avatar and The Hurt Locker , racking up nine nominations each.

Quentin Tarantino’s love it or hate it  Inglorious Basterds received eight nominations while Precious and Up in the Air got six; Up has five; District 9, Nine and Star Trek with four; and An Education, Crazy Heart, The Princess and the Frog and The Young Victoria with three.

Star Trek had been on many lists as expecting a Best Picture nod given the Academy’s expansion of Best Picture nominees from five to ten; but instead settles for three technical awards. The genre didn’t fare badly with District 9, Up, Avatar, and the parallel world of Inglorious Basterds making up four of the ten films named.

And while Avatar has plenty of nominations, none of its performers received recognition, adding fuel to the motion capture isn’t acting debate.

Michael Giacchino’s score for Up, the best part of the movie, is my odds on favorite. (more…)

Review: ‘Adam’ on DVD

Review: ‘Adam’ on DVD

It used to be, actors could stretch by performing “ugly”, burying themselves under layers of makeup or by playing disadvantaged people such as Dustin Hoffman’s [[[Rain Man]]] or Larry Drake’s Benny on LA Law. The current favorite seems to be playing people with Asperger syndrome as popularized with Christian Clemson’s award winning work on [[[Boston Legal]]]. As with anything on a David E. Kelly series, the portrayal tended to be over-the-top or poignant and rarely anything in between.

A more authentic performance can be found on Adam
, a small movie you probably overlooked last year. 20th Century Fox released the movie in the fall and the DVD is being released Tuesday. The film stars Hugh Dancy ([[[Beyond the Gates]]]) as the title character and Rose Byrne ([[[Damages]]]) plays his neighbor. The movie won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance and is well worth a look.

The disorder is considered by many to be some form of high functioning autism but it means the person has difficulty “reading” people and is prone to repetitive patterns of behavior. Adam has been cared for by his father since his mother died when he was eight, but the film opens at his father’s funeral. Left alone, the only one seeming to look out for him is Harlan ([[[The Wire’s]]] Frankie Faison), Adam’s dad’s war buddy. Without him, Adam is the kind of person who would fall through the cracks in society’s safety net. While capable, Adam still doesn’t fit in well with others so he loses his job at a toy company and is left adrift.

During this time, he meets his new neighbor, Beth, a budding children’s author and school teacher. She thinks he’s cute and just a little weird, but he also opens her eyes to the wonders of the world, beginning with a tour of the universe starting with the Big Bang. When she learns of his condition, rather than be repulsed, she reads up on it and a romance begins.

While Adam struggles to find a new job and adjust to Beth being a part of his life, she is tormented by her father (Peter Gallagher) being tried for fraud, shattering her rock steady belief in him. When she needs Adam the most, he is incapable of giving her the emotional support she craves.

The film was shot in 28 days and the chemistry between Dancy and Byrne helps make the movie work. Both give solid performances and Dancy of course, shines by making Adam sympathetic and real. The movie was written and directed by Max Mayer, who ComicMix readers know from Alias
and he clearly has affection for these people but wisely avoids predictable moments, including the ending.

The movie is accompanied by a fine commentary track and the original Sundance ending among the bonuses. Five deleted or alternate scenes are included, complete with Mayer’s commentary. Of them, we see that Faison’s Harlan was trimmed from a more substantial part and it’s a shame since he helps keep things warm. Fox Movie Channel also ran a nine minute piece where the Australian-born Byrne talks about the acting craft with three college students.

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Review: ‘Doctor Who: The Complete Specials’

Review: ‘Doctor Who: The Complete Specials’

Doctor Who made Scottish actor David Tennant a big star while Tennant helped take the new incarnation of the venerable British series to greater success after relaunching with Christopher Eccleston. In many ways, they needed one another so when Tennant received numerous other acting opportunities, his schedule grew complicated. Then, as was inevitable, he announced he was moving on.

Series producer Russell T. Davies oversaw the revival and helped successfully spinoff [[[Torchwood]]] and the [[[[Sarah Jane Adventures]]]. But even he announced the time had come for new challenges so it was decreed that in 2009, there would not be a new season, but instead there would be four specials scattered throughout the year.

Now that the TARDIS has been officially handed over to Matt Smith, who will headline a new season this spring, BBC Video has collected the specials in a lovely box set, going on sale Tuesday. Included is 2008’s Christmas special [[[The Next Doctor]]] along with [[[Planet of the Dead]]], [[[The Waters of Mars]]], and the [[[End of Time Parts One and Two]]].  The five disc set also comes complete with all the [[[Doctor Who Confidential]]],[[[ Doctor Who at the Proms]]], Deleted Scenes and other featurettes.

Reviewing this as a piece, we see that the Doctor is solitary creature and is a cranky one at that. He needs a companion, someone to anchor him to humanity and remind him of the mortal stakes that sometimes might slip a Time Lord’s mind. Sure, he takes delight in new places and situations, but when the tension rises, without a trusted ally, he is less than his best.

Davies had a finite number of shows to work with and seeded the changing of the guard by mentioning the four knocks early on but unlike the Bad Wolf business, these are far more disconnected than one would have expected. Spoilers ahead…

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Review: ‘Wolverine and the X-Men – Fate of the Future’ on DVD

Review: ‘Wolverine and the X-Men – Fate of the Future’ on DVD

As one would have expected, Marvel revisited the animated adventures of their merry mutants to capitalize on the anticipated success of the [[[Wolverine]]] feature film. As a result, the fourth iteration is named [[[Wolverine and the X-Men]]] and the first season aired throughout 2009 on Nicktoons. Lionsgate has been dutifully collected handfuls of episodes for single-disc collections with the fourth volume, containing five episodes, being released Tuesday.

While the [[[X-Men]]], their friends and foes are familiar, this has no bearing on the previous animated series or the comic book source material, As a result, we’re getting yet another look at familiar themes and storylines such as the Days of Future Past and Genosha. Unlike the immensely popular 1990s Fox series, 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. The only other animated series this ties to is the Hulk Vs. direct-to-DVD as noted when Nick Fury asks Wolverine to have a rematch against the jade giant.

This disc contains “Stolen Lives”, “Hunting Grounds”, “Badlands”, “Code of Conduct” and “Backlash”. Having not seen any of the previous episodes, I would have appreciated a “Previously” recap at the beginning but I quickly figured things out. The first episode focuses on Kristie, the young mutant daughter of Maverick and introduces us to X-23.

The second story skips Wolverine for the most part, focusing instead on the odd friendship of Scarlet Witch and Nightcrawler as they work together to escape Mojo’s World. It also introduces us to Magneto’s other daughter, Polaris. After that, we skip ahead to the devastating future as the descendant and survivors fight the Sentinels for survival. The just-introduced Polaris is revealed to be the sole survivor of Genosha and wanders around wearing dad’s helmet. The storyline is picked up again in the fifth episode, which has the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the X-Men trying to destroy the Master Mold, to prevent the horrific future from happening.

In between, Wolverine’s backstory is explored in a tale that introduces viewers to the Silver Samurai and Mariko. The battle for control and honor takes up much of the episode and apparently was deemed inappropriate to air in the UK.

Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, who graduated from Marvel Animation to fine comic book writers, are back and their expertise helps a lot. They’re ably abetted by Greg Johnson, a writer I’m less familiar with. As a result, the stories are strong in the Marvel flavor, heavy on the anti-mutant theme, and replete with characters with some genuine personality. They come across as teens or adults, experienced or tyro.

The animation design is leaner than previous version but they come across inconsistent in size. In some cases, Wolverine is taller than Mystique but still called a runt. Everyone is a little too lean but the overall animation direction is reasonably strong. The best part of the technical side is that the voice cast is sharply superior to the 1990s version.

Other than some commentary, the disc has no extras but does have plenty of trailers including an intriguing glimpse of next year’s [[[Thor: Tales of Asgard]]] direct-to-DVD feature.

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Review: ‘The Invention of Lying’ on Blu-ray

Review: ‘The Invention of Lying’ on Blu-ray

Ricky Gervais is a terrific writer and comedian but since the success of [[[The Office]]], he has struggled to fully realize his ideas in the limitations of a motion picture. Last year’s Ghost Town had terrific ideas that weren’t fully explored and the same fault spoils [[[The Invention of Lying]]] from being a more satisfying movie.

Now out on DVD from Warner Home Video, the movie stars Gervais in a parallel reality where no one knew how to lie. When he has a brain spark and tells the first lie, hilarity ensues. As we open, the world is not only colorless and devoid of joy, but people feel compelled to offer unsolicited information. As we meet Gervais’ loser of a screenwriter, he is picking up Jennifer Garner for a date only to have her greet him with the news that she was upstairs masturbating, a joke that’s overplayed in the following minutes.

Stuck writing about the 13th Century, Gervais apparently has struggled to make the Dark Ages interesting and is fired by his weak-willed boss (Jeffrey Tambor). Low on cash, he can’t pay the rent, until he suddenly is inspired to tell the Bank Teller that he has more money in his account than the computer records. Beginning here and throughout, the lie is never challenged, never verified, so he tells people things and they accept it on face value. Skepticism seems missing in this reality as well.

When his dying mother (Fionnula Flanagan) fears the great void of an afterlife, his newfound gift provides him with the words he needs to comfort her. Those overhearing him believe he knows things they do not and embrace the newfound truths. The world beats a path to his door, demanding to know what he knows. In one of the best scenes, Gervais composes ten rules about the Afterlife, tapes them to two pizza boxes and arrives bearing the equivalent of the Ten Commandments.

As his romance with Garner evolves, the movie loses track of how the world changes based on these new rules. A series of newspaper and magazine headlines give us a glimpse but it’s a missed opportunity. Instead, we focus on the odd triangle of Gervais, Garner, and Rob Lowe with Garner struggling to decide between optimal genetics or someone who will make her happy.

A humorous romantic comedy is spoiled by Gervais’ unwillingness to really see how things change as he becomes the world’s first liar. The unrealized opportunities would have made this a far richer and more enduring movie instead of this mildly entertaining bit of floss. Gervais surrounds himself with terrific comedians such as Tambor, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill then gives them nothing to do. Gervais is aptly cast in a film he co-wrote and directed. Garner is sweet in her simplicity and watching her evolution is one of the few highlights although is totally predictable.

The Blu-ray edition looks and sounds sharp, not that it needs to be at its best. The extras are a rich assortment, beginning with a nearly 18 minute feature on a Brit pal coming to America to appear as an extra in a scene that wound up cut and is included in the deleted scenes. The scene, the dawn of man, comes complete with narration from Sir Ian McKellen. Among the 13 minutes of deleted scenes we see some glimpses of a larger world but the cuts aren’t necessarily missed. A Truly “Honest” Making-of Featurette provides 7 minutes of humorous asides and not much real information. Better is the gag reel and forgettable are the four video podcasts. Following their new format, this comes complete with a digital copy.

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Ralph Bakshi ‘s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Coming to Blu-ray in April

Ralph Bakshi ‘s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Coming to Blu-ray in April

  • News
  • January 28, 2010

While we all knew to expect the Blu-ray debut of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy this spring, Warner Home Video issued a release regarding the previous film incarnation of the classic tale. Here’s the release:

BURBANK, CA (January 27, 2010) – Journey back into the world of Hobbits, Humans, Elves and Dwarves in the all-new The Lord of the Rings Remastered Deluxe Edition coming April 6, 2010 from Warner Home Video.  This original animated classic from acclaimed director Ralph Bakshi and Academy Award Winning producer, Saul Zaentz, has been remastered with pristine New Dolby 5.1 audio and picture quality and will be distributed as a single disc DVD and Blu-ray combo which features a Blu-ray, DVD and bonus digital copy.  The film will also be available for Digital Download. This film is rated PG.

One of the great visionary animation directors of the modern era, Bakshi went to artistic extremes to meticulously bring the legendary world of J.R.R. Tolkien to animated life – adding yet another stunning title to the director’s canon of ground-breaking films. Bakshi’s animation accomplishments include Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic, American Pop, Wizards and Cool World.

All the magical adventure of the fantasy classic comes to life in Bakshi’s brilliantly animated tale of the enchanted land of Middle-earth – and the brave band of Hobbits, heroes and Wizards who set out to protect it. When a dangerous and powerful gold ring falls into his hands, a courageous Hobbit named Frodo embarks on an epic adventure. Along with the mighty Wizard Gandalf and some daring Elves, he defends his homeland from the Dark Power  who would destroy it. Set in a mystical age of magic, monsters and unlikely heroes on incredible journeys, The Lord of the Rings will cast its spell over the entire family!

The deluxe edition also features a never-before-seen, 30-minute in-depth interview  with legendary director Ralph Bakshi entitled Forging Through The Darkness: The Ralph Bakshi Vision for The Lord Of The Rings.  This special feature explores his concept for creating an illustrated film, his pioneering rotoscoping process, and inspirations for his visual storytelling.

“The Lord of the Rings is a timeless classic that continues to be a favorite for generation after generation,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Partner Brands Marketing. “The theatrical release in 1978 had a domestic total gross of nearly $90 million at the box office and shipped 1.1 million net videos. We are looking forward to offering this remastered deluxe edition to the fans for their library collections and providing endless enjoyment for years to come.”

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