Category: Reviews

Review: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 1 Collector’s Edition’

Review: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 1 Collector’s Edition’

If you’ve been to a movie theater in the past five months, chances are you have seen a trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s live action version of [[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]]. If you’ve been in the audience for a family friendly film, you’ve probably also heard many parents and kids excitedly buzzing about the trailers. But if the trailers for the major motion picture are all you know of The Last Airbender, you’re really missing out.

My kids and I were first introduced to the series, which originally ran on Nickelodeon from 2005-2008, when a friend sang it’s praises as a wonderfully engaging show that was appealing to both kids and adults. The series, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, follows a boy named Aang, the last-known airbender (person with the ability to manipulate the element of air) who is also the Avatar – someone who has the power to master all four elements – who is discovered by a brother and sister from the Water Tribe and sets out with his new friends (along with a flying bison inspired by Miyazaki’s catbus) to defeat the war-hungry Fire Nation from destroying the world. My kids loved it, and it quickly became a household favorite. We also soon discovered that many of our friends were fans of the show, as well.

Now, in anticipation of Shyamalan’s film, Nickelodeon is releasing a shiny new collector’s edition of the first season, which goes on sale June 22nd. In addition to having the entire, completely awesome first season, there are special features and bonuses-a-plenty. The set comes with two exclusive bonus discs, along with a preview edition of the upcoming book Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Art of the Animated Series (which was released on June 15th). The book has a wonderful collection of concept sketches and descriptions of character development for the series. My kids squealed with delight when they saw the book and actually sat together nicely for over an hour to look at all of the pictures and discuss their favorite things about each character.

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Review: ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia’

Review: ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia’

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia
DK Publishing, 208 pages, $16.99

Ever since it was mentioned in the original [[[Star Wars]]], fans have always been curious about the events of the Clone Wars. It was a never a factor in the original film trilogy, just a nifty throwaway line to add depth to George Lucas’ mythology. Then we got to finally learn of the wars’ origins in [[[Attack of the Clones]]] (2002) and [[[Revenge of the Sith]]] (2005).

But people wanted to learn more and Lucasfilm happily obliged, first with Genndy Tartakovsky’s marvelous animated series, which ran from 2003–2005 and then the more recent 3D CGI series which has been running since 2008. Character designer Kilian Plunkett referred to the imaginative work of Tartakovsky when creating the look of this series and it visually is a good fit with the live-action films.

With a sprawling cast and campaigns occurring throughout the Galactic Empire, fans, casual and diehard alike, could benefit from a scorecard. DK comes to the rescue this month with [[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia]]]. Measuring 9.25 x 6.25 inches, its at a smaller trim size than the more recent pop culture offerings.

There are 204 character profiles, a page apiece, covering the events of the first two seasons, all 44 episodes inclusive. Each page has a full-figure shot, vital statistics, some call outs to denote details and short paragraphs placing the character into context. Apparently, the content does not reflect events or characteristics from the first animated series.

Yes, the series airs on the Cartoon Network which has a younger audience, but since the book is described as being aimed for 8-17 years old, it also offers far too little in the way of detail. The uncredited writers should have given us some overview of the era, a brief timeline for events, and maybe a clue as to where each character made a first appearance.

Instead, we get surface details offering no greater understanding of the people and their place in the wars. Padme Amidala’s page, for example, tell us she is secretly married to Anakin and likes to look for the good in people. Nothing about her upbringing, her evolving relationship with Ani and other details to make her a more interesting and better understood character.

The CGI frame captures from episodes along with selected poses are a little too dark so details and expressions are needlessly obscured.

Much as we expected better from Lucas’ more recent efforts, so too have I come to expect more from DK. This book is pleasant to skim through but makes you want far more than is offered.

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Review: ‘The Illusionist’

Review: ‘The Illusionist’

Stagecraft gained special attention in 2005 when Neil Burger adapted Steve Millahuser’s story as The Illusionist, and weeks later Christopher Nolan brought us [[[The Prestige]]]. Both were engaging, entertaining movies as much about the characters as it was about nineteenth century magic.

Millhauser, a Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote “Eisenheim the Illusionist” in 1989 and explored an ever-growing fascination with stage magic in Vienna, prompting competitors to try and top one another to satisfy an eager and demanding audience. It was an era when people still believed more often than not in the supernatural, and took the magical feats at face value.

Eisenheim (Edward Norton) is a man jealously guarding his past from the world around him, but has also gained a fascinated fan in the form of police chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti). Uhl was also ordered to expose the man as a fraud by Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). When Eisenheim is introduced to the Duchess Sophie (Jessica Biel), he recognizes her as the true love of his childhood, complicating his life in new and exciting ways. The infatuation infuriates the jealous prince who wants Eisenheim destroyed.

The story was a terrific road map for Burger, who had previously made a documentary, to enter feature film making. He nicely visualizes the Vienna of the past (thank you Prague), creating an atmosphere appropriate to the mystic world of the [[[Illusionist]]]. The screen adaptation nicely works with multiple themes such as one’s place in society, faith versus reality, order versus lawlessness.

Burger also seems to have a nice handle on actors, coaxing nuanced performances from his talented cast. At first, you could have trouble with Biel as a gentle upper crust woman, but she gives what may be her best work to date. Giamatti is superb, bordering on the obsessive while Norton is steely. All mix together nicely, with Sewell proving to be the straw that stirs the drink and keeps things moving.

Nolan’s offering gained more notice and had bigger stars attached but this is the far more satisfying movie and well worth seeing again or a first time if you missed it.

The movie transfers nicely to Blu-ray and given the dim lighting and moody set pieces, it sharpens up well, accompanied by a nice audio track. We’re lucky the new edition is offered as a combo set since the only extras can be found on the standard DVD, all intact from its initial release.

There is a nine minute Making Of featurette which is far less interesting than its subject matter and a perfunctory Jessica Biel Interview. Instead, the best part is Burger’s commentary, talking of how he expanded Millhauser’s story for the film which meant adding in romance and a murder mystery.  Burger has made only one film since, [[[The Lucky Ones]]], and I wish he were more productive.

The set is definitely worth watching and probably owning since it holds up to repeated viewing.

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Review: ‘Showgirls’

Review: ‘Showgirls’

When you say [[[Showgirls]]], everyone snickers knowingly, usually making some joke about it being one of the worst movies since the invention of sound recording or how it’s evolved into a midnight cult classic. With the movie’s release on Blu-ray from MGM Home Entertainment today, it seemed appropriate to see how well the 1995 film has aged in 15 years.

OK, it’s still a bad movie. And yes, the transfer to high def makes the nudity all the more entertaining (look for[[[Dancing with the Stars]]]’ Carrie Ann Inaba as a Goddess dancer).

When Joe Eszterhas gained notoriety with his sexually provocative screenplays in the 1990s, he parlayed that into a $2 million payday for this story of Las Vegas showgirls. Coupled with director Paul Verhoeven, who liked to push the sexuality in his films, it was a match seemingly made in heaven for the studios. As a result, it was allowed to run as an NC-17 release complete with full-frontal nudity and many nearly explicit sex scenes that also featured graphic language and rape.

The movie was reviled for its poor structure, gratuitous sexuality, and bad acting but it was seen as so bad as to be good and became the subject of midnight screenings and private parties where mocking it became obligatory. MGM Home Entertainment has fueled this with various box sets, notably The V.I.P. Edition which came complete with two shot glasses, movie cards with drinking games on the back, a deck of playing cards, and a nude poster of Berkley with a pair of suction-cup pasties.

But let’s look at the movie itself. In the course of the 2:11 running time, we’re given a jaundiced view of the showgirl life, the cut-throat world of topless dancers and strippers willing to permanently injure rivals in order to move up the ladder towards fame and fortune. Some have charitably called this a satire but frankly, it smacks of being a setting for Eszter has to lazily find new ways to show naked people. Everyone in the story is a jerk or a detestable example of humanity with the exception of Molly (Gina Rivera) whose innocence is rewarded with a brutal gang rape.

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Review: ‘The Book of Eli’

Review: ‘The Book of Eli’

Those of us who make their living using words can fully understand how a good book can motivate people. Some of the worst fictional scenarios have involved totalitarian societies banning or burning books so the notion that The Good Book was blamed for global annihilation is a powerful notion. The burning of all bibles in the wake of some near-future event is the spark that propels the compelling [[[The Book of Eli]]]. Out tomorrow from Warner Home Video, the movie is available as a combo pack (Blu-ray, Standard, digital copies).

Written by Gary Whitta, we’re never given much detail about life before the war but we pick up 30 years later and see rural American society struggle to survive. There’s nothing about an American government let alone any sense of what is happening beyond the borders since everyone is worried about that most precious of commodities: water. People have resorted to scavenging and bartering under the bleak skies, while modern day highwaymen prey on the weak.

Strolling through all this is Eli (Denzel Washington), a man on a mission. For years now, he has been headed west because he heard a voice telling him to head there, protecting his precious cargo: the last known copy of the Bible. When he arrives in a small town, trading KFC handwipes for a battery recharge and a pair of winter gloves for a refilled canteen, Eli comes to the attention of Carnegie (Gary Oldman). They are men of a certain age, elders compared to so many others, able to read and are literate. Carnegie has forged a small government, using brute force to keep the peace and try to restore some semblance of society. All along, he has roving bands of brigands seeking a Bible, so when it becomes clear Eli is carrying a copy; he wants it at any cost.

He tries bribery, even sending Solara (Mila Kunis), daughter of Claudia (Jennifer Beals), the blind lover to Carnegie, to bed Eli, who rebuffs her advances. Solara finds him fascinating and begs to learn of life before the “Flash”. When Eli manages to leave town, she follows and in time he accepts her as his companion, recognizing his job is to protect and teach her.

Eli is a quiet man, but cross him and he becomes a tornado of violence, using hands, feet and a large knife to dispatch any physical threat. How he was trained and what made him such a deadly accurate shot and archer is never addressed. Given that he was on “a mission from God” it could be chalked up to divine intervention.

The play between Eli and Carnegie which forms the spine of the film is well handled by both Whitta and the directors, The Hughes Brothers. Carnegie is driven to obtain the Bible so he could harness its power to restore some semblance of society while Eli is out to protect it at all costs. Both remain convinced of the correctness of their actions making both men interesting figures. There are some twists in the final act which I won’t discuss but was pleased with them and felt they added something mythic to the overall story.

The world was envisioned by comic book artist Tommy Lee Edwards, Chris Weston and Rodolfo DiMaggio and successfully brought to life. Washington, Oldman, and Kunis give lovely performances while Beals and an uncredited Malcolm McDowell deserved more development.

The disc comes with about an hour’s worth of extras including talking heads on what it would mean for American society to be Starting Over. Eli’s Journey is a production featurette that shows how the story evolved and how the comic art was rendered for the film. A useless featurette was a look at The Book of Eli Soundtrack. Edwards provided the art to [[[A Lost Tale: Billy]]], a motion comic of sorts exploring Carnegie’s childhood. There are just a few deleted scenes which don’t add much to the film itself.

Overall, this is a thought-provoking tale that could have used a few less repetitive fight scenes and just a tad more character and backstory. By all means, you should be checking this out.

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Review: ‘Daria’

Released on May 11th, eight years after we’d
bid our
misanthropic heroine escapee from [[[Beavis & Butthead]]] and beloved
Lawndale adieu,
we have Daria: The Complete Animated Series
on DVD.

Well, almost complete. They did not get the rights to all
the
really cool songs that had once perfectly punctuated every episode – too
expensive and the main reason for the long delay. So what we have are
large
chunks of the series that have no musical background at all and parts
that have
some generic music inserted to fill the gaps – though they did include
all of Mystik Spiral’s songs, thankfully! So as I watched the five seasons
of
merriment and mayhem, yeah, I could not escape the feeling that
something was
missing, ‘cause it was. But don’t despair. [[[Daria]]], Janey, and the rest
of the
crew are there in all their cartoony glory, and that’s something to
raise an
amused eyebrow about.

The opening sequence, where Daria just stands there
and puts
one hand out during volleyball, sums up her character perfectly (only
shown
once per disk). So I tried to mainline this series multiple seasons in
one
sitting. Don’t try this at home, kids. The extended deadpan will kill
you.

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Review: ‘Cinema Pride Collection’

Review: ‘Cinema Pride Collection’

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has collected ten films from their vault and colorfully packaged them in the just released Cinema Pride Collection
, celebrating homosexuality on the silver screen. As a straight man, I find the movies a sometimes accurate window into a lifestyle not my own, and at other times, I cringe at the horrible stereotyping that goes on.

Gays in the cinema started off as stock sissy characters that knowing audiences recognized queerness through characterization. It wasn’t until 1936’ [[[My Man Godfrey]]] before any touching was allowed and even then, the briefest of beard strokes. Gays continued to be see in parts that never acknowledged their sexual identity although they were trotted out now and then as the villain such as Clifton Webb’s murderous Waldo Lydecker in Laura.

If the movies touched on homosexuality at all, it was to imply that all male environments, notably the military, was a hotbed of opportunity. Gay men and women were often depicted as self-hating and suicidal because they could not “cure” themselves or overcome societal shame. This brings us to the oldest film in the collection, 1962’s [[[The Children’s Hour]]], one of the first Hollywood productions to even attempt an honest portrayal of lesbianism. The adaptation of Lillian Hellman’s play, directed by William Wyler, was drastically watered down thanks to the existing production code of the day but still offered fine performances from Karen Balkin, Fay Bainter, Audrey Hepburn, and Shirley MacLaine – notable that two acclaimed adult actresses played lovers.

While Andy Warhol’s shorts were among the first American productions to openly display same-sex romantic scenes, the Europeans were far more open and accepting of different lifestyles. Their emphasis on dramatic storytelling and avoidance of typically pat-endings allowed gay cinema to evolve more rapidly allowing them to laugh at 1979’s wonderful [[[La Cage aux Folles]]], also included here. By the time that charming French film was remade in America as [[[The Birdcage]]], everything was far brighter, far more over the top and filled with welcome star power (Robin Williams, Gene Hackman) to overcome any squeamishness over the subject matter. Comparing the two in this set, I still prefer the original in its more low key, honest portrayal of more varied gay relationships.

Once again, the Europeans show how portray the human condition in stark terms with 1985’s [[[My Beautiful Laundrette]]]. Hanif Kureishi adapted his stage play that mixes in many messages, not just homosexuality but also England’s struggle with the immigrant experience, class structure and social mobility. Stephen Frears directs a largely unknown cast in a strong story that earned its accolades.

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Review: ‘Alice in Wonderland’

Review: ‘Alice in Wonderland’

On the face of it, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp teaming up to interpret Alice in Wonderland sounded ideal. Too perfect and maybe that was the problem. Burton is no stranger to flights of fancy and provided us with a modern day fairy tale in [[[Edward Scissorhands]]] (just named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the top 10 characters of the last 20 years). His visual imagination is apparently limitless as he provides a fresh eye to each film he makes. His collaborations with Depp lead to engaging performances as the actor vanishes into each role.

And yet…

And yet, the spring film did not excite me. Not an adaptation of the Lewis Carroll books, but instead a sequel of sorts, as Alice returns to Wonderland. We open with a nearly 15 minute set-up as we learn that young Alice, just back from her first journey, has lost her father and the she and her mother must shoulder on. We then cut to thirteen years later and now Alice, 22, is being pressured by society to marry a bore of a Lord. Just as he prepares to publically pop the question, a rabbit catches Alice’s eye and back to Wonderland she goes.

Things are much bleaker since she last visited now that the wicked Red Queen has used a Jabberwocky (depicted as a dragon-like beast) to terrorize Underland.  Few believe she is the same Alice but must be since there is a recent legend saying that only Alice, on Frabjous Day, will free the people by slaying the creature.

To reach this inevitable point, Alice is shuttled between the Red Queen and the White Queen with all the Carroll characters showing up for a cameo or to advance the plot.

While Burton said he didn’t adapt the [[[Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland]]] and [[[Through the Looking-Glass]]] because he didn’t feel an emotional connection to the stories, he fails to make audiences feel any connection to Alice and her cronies. We’ve seen them in endless interpretations and our expectations were that Burton would show us something new, make us drop our jaws and whisper, “Wow”.

Didn’t happen. At least now while I watched it at home on the crisp Blu-ray disc, released as part of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s combo pack released this week. Maybe something magical happened on the big screen and in 3-D. But I felt like we were being put through the paces, setting up a way we’ve seen a million times before, and certainly not helped when Alice arrived in armor borrowed from the [[[Narnia]]] films. It’s fitting that the final battle takes place on a chessboard field.

The performances – from Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover — are larger than life as befits the source material. But everything is too on the nose, from the uptight British high society to the Mad Hatter. We’re not surprised or enchanted and are ultimately left feeling disappointed. It could be that Burton could never live up to the expectations, the price one pays for having a reputation for being a visionary.

The movie looks and sounds great on the Blu-ray disc. While those watching just the DVD get three bonus features, there are  plenty of goodies packed on the other disc. You can watch the cast and crew pontificate on six of the characters in the shorts labeled Wonderland Characters. There are six other shorts found under the Making Wonderland umbrella. You get a sense of how much was shot live and just how much was shot using green screen and digitally added (allowing Burton’s visuals to be faithfully reproduced).

For a film that quickly took in over a billion dollars since its release I came to this expecting far better but sometimes, peering through the looking glass, all you see is a pale reflection or something all too familiar.

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Review: ‘Peanuts 1970’s Collection Volume 2’

Review: ‘Peanuts 1970’s Collection Volume 2’

As [[[the Peanuts]]] gang further cemented themselves into the fabric of American society, one could always count on the animated specials arriving each year. Unfortunately, as the 1970s progressed, the strip and specials continued to lose their charm and appeal, coasting on their heyday a decade previously.

That regression is fairly evident in [[[Peanuts 1970’s Collection Volume 2]]], out today from Warner Home Video. The two-disc set contains six episodes, one of which makes its home video debut. Absent are two self-congratulatory specials which also aired during this period.

The vocal cast changed as actors aged but remained in the same range and was likely not as noticeable year to year but is more obvious in rewatching these in a short order. There are also some odd proportional changes, notable in the final two specials contained here. There’s a different change as Vince Guaraldi’s death robbed the specials of their jazz-inspired music, which was often the best thing about any one of these.

[[[Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown]]] (1/28/75) opens the set as the gang at Birchwood Elementary School grows obsessive about the romance in the air. Linus suddenly has the hots for his teacher at one end and then there’s Schroeder, who’s fairly oblivious to the day. And then there’s poor Charlie Brown, hoping for valentines and receiving none.

There are several lapses in logic beginning with Sally and Linus suddenly in the same class as their older siblings while Peppermint Patti and Marcie are now attending the same school as their cross-town pals. Worse, the teacher has abandoned the class in the middle of the class party (with Shermy making a final cameo appearance). In during the more lax era, no adult would walk out of school leaving a room full of children unattended. Perhaps the best bit is Linus tosses away the chocolates he failed to give his teacher, unaware each piece is being gobbled up by Snoopy and Woodstock.

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Review: ‘Daybreakers’

Review: ‘Daybreakers’

One of the interesting themes rarely explored in vampire movies is the idea that the more vampires you create, the more demand there is on the human blood supply. That changed earlier this year with Michael and Peter Spierig’s Daybreakers
. The movie opened in January and explored an America that saw human beings on the brink of extinction while the ruling vampire majority was on the brink of rioting as the blood began getting rationed. Lionsgate released the film on DVD earlier this month.

We’re told some medical pandemic turned mankind into vampires but the rules of vampirism are barely sketched out causing confusion. We do know that blood deprivation begins mutating the vampires from humans with fans to “subsiders”, something more like a man-bat hybrid.

On the one hand, you have pharmaceutical company Bromley Marks, led by the cold, calculating Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). Then you have vampire hematologists Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) and Chris Caruso (Vince Colosimo) working on the desperately-needed blood substitute. Until then, they continue to milk captured humans, attached to rigs to steadily drain the blood and keeping them barely alive.

On the other hand, you have the remaining humans working for survival as exemplified by Audrey (Claudia Karvan) and Elvis (Willem Dafoe), who has somehow been cured of the disease. Audrey reaches out to Edward to enlist his support in working on a massive cure to save vampires and humans alike. Of course, not everyone endorses this sort of cooperation.

Much of the dramatic tension is seen through the relationship between Edward and his soldier brother vampire Frankie (Michael Dorman). While Edward is trying to help, all Frankie has it a hatred for humans and close-minded attitude despite the growing crisis.

The movie’s strength is in how society has changed and yet remained startlingly familiar as humans ceded society to the vampires. People still buy their blood-laced coffee, board the subway and go to work in their suits. Cars can switch to daylight mode, sealing off the windows with three video monitors showing the traffic and geography outside.

What is missing from the worldbuilding is any sense of what the rest of the world is experiencing and how other countries are handling the panic. No geopoltiics are raised at all which is odd considering the Australian pedigree of the production crew.

While the society is interesting, the characters are flat, dour, humorless people. The film has one tone and never varies so you have no highs and lows. You feel nothing for any of them, human or vampire, because the writing gives them no dimension. As forces move towards one another, stemming public riots or undermining the humans’ efforts to cure the disease, you see a lot of sound and fury and fangs and blood and you feel nothing. The all-too-obvious tension between brothers and romance between Edward and Audrey fails to engage the viewer. Worse, the horror things Charles inflicts on his daughter Alison should be an emotional highlight but is dull and uninteresting.

The movie is supplemented with 1:24 Making of… feature showing the development of the project from the 2004 script to the 2007 production. Some of the best parts are showing us the work from New Zealand’s Weta Workshop, which created the creature effects. Interestingly, the film sat on the shelf until it began screening around the world in 2009, ending with the American release. You also get a Poster Art Gallery, trailer and nothing else.

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