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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for Heroes: Season 4, The Super Hero Squad Show: Volumes 1 & 2 - Quest For The Infinity Sword!, the latest episodes of The Boondocks and Haven as well as the Stephen King novels Cujo, Christine, and Blockade Billy. Upcoming reviews on this journal will include Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Nemesis, Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One Remastered, Cinder-Elmo, Elmo Saves Christmas, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, Pee-Wee's Playhouse Volume Two and Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special. Transformers Season One is still delayed.
Batman: Under The Red Hood - Two-Disc Special Edition
Just because something is better than you expected doesn't mean it's actually good. I was expecting this to be absolutely terrible, and it wasn't but I still didn't enjoy it much.
Bruce Greenwood is an adequate Batman but I have to keep wondering why they keep recasting all of these movies. It's annoying.
John Dimaggio (Futurama) channels Mark Hamill as the Joker and Jensen Ackles seems to channel Will Friedle's Terry McGuinnis as the Red Hood.
I've heard people say that this was up to Mask Of The Phantasm/Return Of The Joker standards but that's just an insult to both of those movies.
Let's talk about what I liked and didn't like.
What I liked:
The scene of the Joker getting the upper hand in the room with Black Mask where he kills all of his guards was great and unexpected.
The climax featuring Jason, Bruce and the Joker used the Joker in a psychological way which is the best way to use him.
The animation was beautiful.
What I didn't like:
The movie was no fun. I'm getting used to that with these DC Universe movies but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
Too much swearing. "Adult" doesn't have to mean vulgar.
Ironically some of the scenes in the movie weren't violent enough which is a total change of opinion from what I felt about the previous DC movies. When the Joker beats Robin to death at the beginning you can really tell the MPAA really tied the producers hands on what they were allowed to show. I didn't actually WANT to see more violence but the fact that they had to hold back was very obvious.
I've seen worse DC Animated movies but I've definitely seen better too. A mixed bag. **1/2.
DC Showcase - Jonah Hex
Very moody and the animation was gorgeous. I just hated the ending which seemed to spoil the whole procedings. I'm not quite sure why they feel the need to make these DC Showcase shorts so pitch-dark. It spoiled a story I was enjoying right until the hero felt the need to be a butt-munch.
Thomas Jane makes a good Jonah Hex and I was tickled to hear Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Michelle Trachtenberg as the Bargirl. I think the short could have been better but it was a ten-fold improvement from The Spectre. ***1/2.
A First Look at Superman / Batman: Apocalypse: Kevin Conroy as Batman, Tim Daly as Superman and Andre Braugher as Darkseid? Sold! This movie actually looks pretty good. ****.
Robin: The Story Of Dick Grayson: A short featurette detailing the comics' origin of the first Robin and his evolution into Nightwing. Neat! ***1/2.
Bruce Timm's Picks:
Robin's Reckoning: Part 1: Overrated. Yeah, I nearly cried when Dick said goodbye to the elephant too but the episode doesn't really have a great framing structure for the flashbacks. Thomas Wilson however gives a gleefully unhinged performance as Tony Zucco. ****.
Robin's Reckoning: Part 2: Solid conclusion. I really liked how they tied Zucco to Stromwell from It's Never Too Late and Robin giving Batman a shellacking at the end before realizing what he's saying is good too. ****.
Superman: Doomsday Trailer: One of those "first look" dealies. I don't remember seeing it before. It was such a crummy movie that the hard sell they try to make here seems pathetic. **1/2.
Jonah Hex Motion Comic Trailer: Will this eventually be available on DVD? It looks pretty cool. ****.
Batman: The Brave And The Bold: The Videogame Trailer: I didn't even know they still MADE standard platform games anymore. Cool. ***1/2.
Heroes Season 4
The Fourth and last season of Heroes. A disappointment. I'm glad the show ended when it did. It wasn't worth following every week anymore.
The Carnival plot was interesting though and it was nice to see Robert Knepper (T-Bag on Prison Break) getting work since that other show ended. Samuel is a bit over the top but Knepper can sell that stuff.
I'm glad they returned to the Hiro/Charlie romance even though it had a bittersweet ending, because unlike what happened with Caitlin in season two, they actually resolved her being lost in time.
Claire's "romance" in college with the annoying Gretchen could have been MUCH worse. They could have potentially used the subplot to titilate the audience and they didn't.
The Sylar stuff was better than it has been in years. I am still mad they killed off Nathan last year but it gave Zachary Quinto and Adrian Pasdar some interesting stuff to play before the storyline petered out.
Best episodes of the year are the Hiro and Charlie spotlight (Once Upon A Time In Texas). Hiro, Ando and Suresh's great escape (Close To You), and yes, the underrated series finale (Brave New World). Worst episodes are the weak two part season premiere (Orientation), Emma's first episode (Ink), the lame Acceptance, the boring Tabula Rasa, the horrible Strange Attractors, the maudlin Upon This Rock, and the ridiculous Hiro dream trial (Pass/Fail.) Season Overall: **.
Chapter One: Orientation: This 90 minute episode is the season premiere as it original aired on NBC (it was comprised of two episodes: Orientation and Jump, Push, Fall. It's easily the weakest of the season premieres and pretty much cemented the fact that the series had no idea what it was doing. The stuff with Peter was interesting and I think Sylar and Matt Parkman were great together but everything else sucked. Hiro's story was lame, Claire's was excruciating and not even Christine Rose could save Angela and Nathan/Sylar. Plus, I have never seen so clumsily handled product placements. I will give the episode props for casting Prison Break's Robert Knepper as Samuel. He was a highlight of a season devoid of them. **.
Chapter Two: Ink: Emma is a dud of a character that never led anywhere interesting. Maybe they were going to go somewhere interesting with her in season five before the show was canceled, but I said the same thing about Maya after season two. And Gretchen does nothing but grate. The stuff with Matt and Sylar was good though. **1/2.
Chapter Three: Acceptance: The Hiro stuff was excruciating and the Tracy stuff was boring. About the best thing I can say about the episode is that the Nathan stuff was all right and the cliffhanger with Sylar returning was cool. Otherwise, another dud. *1/2.
Chapter Four: Hysterical Blindness: Not bad at all. Gretchen is annoying but I kind of was amused at the idea of Claire being Single White Femaled. Even though the Emma plot ultimately went nowhere interesting I have to concede that the scenes between her and Peter enjoying her ability are pretty cool, sweet and a bit beautiful. Not a perfect episode by any means but better than most this season. ***1/2.
Chapter Five: Tabula Rasa: This episode was boring. The most annoying thing about Hiro is his impatience. We could have been rid of the idiotic Hiro dying subplot if he had stay put for another hour. **.
Chapter Six: Strange Attractors: This was so bad it was painful. Only good thing was the closing shot of Samuel exacting righteous vengeance. *1/2.
Chapter Seven: Once Upon A Time In Texas: Best episode of the season. I know that sounds like damning with faint praise, but no, it's quite good. I probably wouldn't be so fond of it had the series not resolved the "Charlie lost in time" plot by the end of the season, but they did (even if the resolution wasn't completely satisfying.) I'm knocking off half a star for the Noah/Lauren "cheatin' hearts" subplot, but really that's just quibbling. It was smart of the show to make Robert Knepper a regular. The cliffhanger with a dead Suresh was the best of the season too. The only episode of the season that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wish the rest of the season (and season three) could have lived up to the standard this episode set. ****1/2.
Chapter Eight: Shadowboxing: Good to see the Haitian again. And we FINALLY learned his name! (Renee). The Sylar/Matt stuff was great too and Peter had some nice scenes with Emma. The season has done worse. ***.
Chapter Nine: Brother's Keeper: Not the strongest episode ever but it did quite a few things right. The scenes between Hiro and Mohinder were awesome and it was pure genius to have Hiro lock Suresh in an asylum for eight weeks to keep him out of the way. I also loved Claire's foot freezing off and Tracy's horrified reaction (along with HRG's amused one). The big stuff this episode was Nathan and Peter learning Nathan was dead and Nathan's thoughts were locked in Sylar's body. Some devastating stuff between the two. Naturally, I had some beefs, but there were only two that stuck out in my mind: Peter SHOULDN'T have taken Nathan's ability because his healing power was not only needed for Hiro but was a tremendous asset at the hospital. Secondly, I don't buy for a second Matt being free and clear from the law. Didn't he have a dead body in the trunk of his car just last episode? Honestly, the writers just glossed over this oversight and hoped the audience would forget about it. I didn't. One other thing occurs to me: had Samuel kept his promise to Hiro things might have went MUCH better for him at the end of the season. Once he made an enemy of Hiro, he lost Edgar and Lydia's loyalty. He might have gotten away with it if it weren't for that meddling businessman. ***1/2.
Chapter Ten: Thanksgiving: Interesting episode. Things I liked: Hiro's trip in time with Lydia witnessing Samuel murder Joseph; Hiro's secret alliance with Edgar; HRG's amused reaction when Claire asked him at Thanksgiving dinner exactly WHERE he got the $40,000 to send her to college; Peter and Nathan's emotional confrontation with Angela; MR. MUGGLES! Things I DIDN'T like: Hiro's aphasia was the stupidest plot twist of the season and for THIS show, THAT is saying something; Sandra's new boyfriend is a dud. Random thoughts: normally Angela is the type of snake who could sell iceboxes to Eskimos but her stalling and weak justifications made the character look abnormally pathetic; HRG's and Lauren's "meet cute" in the supermarket was lame. I don't hate Lauren like I did when I first saw these episodes but that was frelling PAINFUL; Hiro telling Lydia she was seducing him was hilarious. ***.
Chapter Eleven: The Fifth Stage: I'm not too fond of this episode. Peter and Nathan's goodbye was very touching (he was robbed of a death scene last year) but I have mixed feelings about his death (and also seeing the Puppet Man again.) Yes, David H. Lawrence is awesome but I can't help feeling the rest of the season ruined his character. I like Lauren being offended when she learned HRG only reconnected with her after she Haitianed herself because he was now single though. **1/2.
Chapter Twelve: Upon This Rock: I didn't like this episode. The only thing I enjoyed was Peter's touching eulogy to Nathan and that was all too brief. Too be fair, it was also good to get some Suresh narration again too. *1/2.
Chapter Thirteen: Let It Bleed: Wasn't feeling the Sylar stuff but I like both the scenes between HRG and Edgar as well between Peter and Claire. Interesting to get an update on West too even if it was in passing. I hated that kid but always wondered where he went off to. Okay. **.
Chapter Fourteen: Close To You: Love it. Ellen Tigh! Ando and Hiro breaking Suresh out of the booby hatch was absolutely great, especially Ando verbally shellacking Mohinder for disrespecting Hiro after all he sacrificed. Also great was Suresh amusingly pointing out the flaw in Ando's worry that he might kill Hiro. Peter must have got the notion to smash Emma's cello from the Bad Idea Bears. Loved the cliffhanger too with Hiro, Ando and Suresh popping in on Bennet and Lauren mid-kiss. Hilarious. ****.
Chapter Fifteen: Pass/Fail: I didn't like this. The Claire and Sylar stuff was a chore to watch, Samuel's plot was boring and Hiro's dream trial was absolutely ridiculous (although I DID enjoy the Quantum Leap reference). Adam Monroe deserved a MUCH better episode to go out in. **.
Chapter Sixteen: The Art Of Deception: I seriously think this episode was filled with logic holes. Doesn't Sylar have super hearing? Why couldn't he hear Matt's conversation with Janice where Matt admitted he was going to betray him? And why does Sylar have the memory of himself killing Charlie? Didn't Hiro prevent that? The stuff at the Carnival was good but at the same time I don't think it needed to be stretched over three episodes. **1/2.
Chapter Seventeen: The Wall: I agree with Claire that Samuel was delusional to think seeing Noah's memories would turn her against him. But at the same time I think she got WAAAYYYY too outraged at what she saw. With the exception of threatening Gretchen none of the sins Bennet committed were unforgivable and made me MORE sympathetic to him, not less. The stuff with Peter and Sylar was less interesting but they could have built the entire episode around it so I give points to them for not doing that. ***1/2.
Chapter Eighteen: Brave New World: I'm probably the only Heroes fan in the universe who actually liked this and seeing it again, I stand by that assessment. Was it a good place to leave off as a series finale, especially since any real chance of resolution is slim? Maybe not. But I liked it for what it was. I wasn't too happy with Charlie's ultimate fate but I think it was needed. At least the older actress playing her mimicked the younger actress flawlessly. I was really disappointed with what happened Doyle too. I never liked Nowhere Man but now it's more pointless than ever. The climax wasn't exactly exciting, but at least none of the major fights took place behind closed doors (although not seeing Sylar's smackdown with the Puppet Man grates a bit). Good things? Quite a few. I loved that the writers suckered the audience into believing Edgar blamed Bennet for Lydia's death only to keep his secret pact with him after all, having NONE of Samuel's nonsense. Awesome. And even though Tracy saving HRG seemed like a cop-out when I first saw this (and it still kind of is) I'm relieved that the finale didn't feel the need to kill off another main character to be edgy. Nathan's death last year was especially cheap, and even though unlike the doomed Petrelli, Bennet got a nice "death" scene, that isn't a particular habit of the show I've enjoyed. I'm kind of glad the series ended here: Sylar redeemed, with no chance of retcons, Claire outed, and Charlie's fate learned. If the show HAD to end after one of the four season finales, I'm glad it was this one since it didn't have so many balls up in the air or a maddening cliffhanger. I also appreciated Tim Kring taking the time to film a special message for the fans before the episode after he learned the series was canceled. That was nice. ****.
Deleted/Extended Scenes:
Like the year: shaky. Some good finds but mostly stuff that didn't even matter if it was cut or not. Overall: ***.
Chapter One: Orientation
Dr. Tells Peter HRG Is Alive: Interesting, but unneeded. ***.
Chapter Two: Ink:
Samuel Tells Lydia He's Going To The City: An extended version of the teaser scene at the opening of the episode. ***.
Emma Talks To Her Dr.: Louise Fletcher rocks! **1/2.
Matt Finds Dead Girl: A more violent version of Matt beating that guy's head in. ***1/2.
Peter Discovers Tattoo: I wish they had used this version in the episode. ****.
Chapter Three: Acceptance:
Governor Malden Wants Tracy Back: This extended scene is a snore. *1/2.
Tracy Brings HRG Home: Cute scene that they probably should have kept. ****.
Sandra and Tracy Meet: I can't believe they cut Ashley Crow out of this episode! One thing this season needed was more Mr. Muggles. Seeing Sandra getting jealous of Tracy was a treat too. ****1/2.
HRG Awakens: Cute scene. ***1/2.
Tracy Finds HRG: One of this shows RARE extended scenes that were better than what aired. This actually gives some context to the things Tracy and Noah discussed in the episode. ****.
Tracy Packs: Tracy was supposed to meet Lydia at the end of this episode! ****1/2.
Chapter Four: Hysterical Blindness:
Madeline's Late: Brief scene of Sylar's shrink running late. **1/2.
Chapter Five: Tabula Rasa:
Peter Takes Hiro's Power: Extended scene of Peter and Hiro in the hospital. Too cute for words. ****.
Hiro Struggles: I hate needles too. Funny. ****.
Samuel Introduces Sylar To The Family: VERY brief. ***.
Hiro Meets Up With Emma: Say what you will about Hiro: the dude knows a LOT about special abilities. He's this show's Professor X. ***.
Samuel Presents Sylar As Member Of The Family: The missing scene just before Sylar gets dunked into the water and an extended version of the Baptism itself. ****1/2.
Chapter Seven: Once Upon A Time In Texas:
HRG And Lauren Have Breakfast: God, I'm glad they trimmed this scene down. In one of the most unlikely plot twists it hints that Lauren is Jewish. *1/2.
Claire Encourages HRG: Not much different from the original scene, it starts at the tail end of HRG's and Claire's talk and spends a couple of seconds with Claire with the other cheerleaders. **1/2.
Chapter Eight: Shadowboxing:
Emma Saves Megan: An extended scene of Emma and Peter saving the little girl. **1/2.
Chapter Nine: Brother's Keeper:
Nathan's Worried: Good to get one last extra extended scene with Adrian Pasdar as Nathan. ****.
Chapter Ten: Thanksgiving:
Claire Wants To Drop Out: Is this scene extended? I didn't notice any difference between this and the scene that aired. **1/2.
Chapter Thirteen: Let It Bleed:
Claire Looks For Peter: Extended scene of Claire searching the building. **1/2.
Chapter Fourteen: Close To You:
Lydia Walks Through The Carnival: Nice montage. Interesting to see the Carnival without the visual effects. ****.
Chapter Fifteen: Pass/Fail:
Samuel Convinces Vanessa To Stay: Boring. **.
Samual and Vanessa Reminisce: Also boring. Glad the Samuel/Vanessa stuff was trimmed. **.
Sylar Revealed: Spooky and more than a little funny. ***1/2.
Ando Watches: More hospital stuff. ***1/2.
Deconstructing Sylar: A discussion with Zachary Quinto, Tim Kring and Adam Armus that confirms that, no, the writers had no idea what they were doing. The fact that the writers thought that it would be perfectly acceptable to turn Sylar into a bad guy again at some unspecified point in the future shows how little they cared about the audience. We can only be jerked around for so long. *.
Milo Speaks: Interview with Milo Ventimiglia. He discusses his likes and his career. Best part is his discussion of his relationship with Adrian Pasdar and how it effected him when he left the show. I still contend killing off Nathan was the most boneheaded move of season three. ****.
Sullivan Brothers Design Gallery: Animated image gallery of various set designs as well as close-up images of the various posters around the Carnival that you can only see in passing in the episodes themselves. Cool. ****.
Heroes Revolution: You know, maybe if they spent more time working on the show itself instead of all of the tie-ins and multi-media spinoffs it would suck less and still be on the air. Bonus demerits for teasing the Web Series Slow Burn when it isn't included on the DVD set itself. Bad form. *1/2.
Genetics Of A Scene:
Detailing the special effects behind specific action scenes. Overall: ***1/2.
HRG Stuck In Car: This is when Tracy tried to assassinate Bennet by drowning him in his car. ***1/2.
Samuel Draws, Doyle Drops In, Sylar Too: Sylar and Samuel's smackdown. ***1/2.
Boys Bust Out, Suresh Sends Orderly Flying: Detailing Hiro, Ando and Mohinder's escape from the asylum. ***1/2.
Wall Explodes: Sylar and Peter busting out of the dream world into Matt Parkman's basement. ***.
Samuel Buries The Trailer/Last Day Of Production: Showing how they made the effects of burying the trailer and having Tracy rescue Noah and Claire. ***1/2.
Mayhem At The Carnival/Squib School: Showing how they made the squibs for the shootout. Funny thing: those squibs look an awful lot like condoms. ***1/2.
Claire Climbs And Jumps: Claire's stunt double jumping off the ferris wheel. ***1/2.
DVD Menus: The best since the Season One menus. Absolutely, beautiful and carnival themed. Greatness. ****1/2.
The Super Hero Squad Show Volumes 1 & 2: Quest For The Infinity Sword!
This is a 2 DVD Target exclusive set of the best little kid super hero cartoon since Krypto The Superdog. A lot of fun and pretty hilarious at times. Yes, it's stupid but it's the most fun cartoon on the air. It's not as good as Batman: The Brave And The Bold or Wolverine And The X-Men but for a cartoon aimed at younger audiences it's the bee's knees.
Best episodes on the set are the Wolverine spotlight (O, Captain, My Captain!) and the Fantastic Four episode (If This Be My Thanos). There aren't any episodes on the set that I didn't enjoy. Set Overall: ***1/2.
And Lo... A Pilot Shall Come!: This is such a cute show. I wish they had done an origin story for the Infinity Sword for the first episode though. It feels like we're dropping into the middle of the story. ***.
This Silver, This Surfer!: Like the Surfer Dude version of the Silver Surfer and liked him tricking M.O.D.O.K. using riddles. ***.
Hulk Talk Smack!: The Grey Hulk is funny! Good episode! ***1/2.
To Err Is Superhuman!: Two things of note: it was neat to hear Adrian Pasdar's (Heroes, Profit) voice Hawkeye; and Doctor Doom apparently has a cat in his bathroom. ***1/2.
Enter: Dormammu!: Ha! Robert England! Funny to see such a wacky Doctor Strange. Although perhaps they shouldn't have gone that way for his first appearance. ***1/2.
A Brat Walks Among Us!: Funny stuff. I loved that little girl giving Abomination a bath and brushing M.O.D.O.K.'s teeth. Her dad reminds me of one of the Rescue Heroes. ***1/2.
Oh, Brother!: Yowza! Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as Number Sif! ***1/2.
From The Atom... It Rises!: This episode was boring in places but it had some cool stuff anyways. Nick Fury! And the Punisher's cameo was hilarious because they portrayed him as insane rather than "cool". Punisher is the worst Marvel character ever so I loved seeing him being taken down a peg. ***.
Night In The Sanctorum!: I can't give you any specific reasons that I liked this episode but I did. It was funny. ***1/2.
This Forest Green: I was loving the first half of this ep but it kind of falls apart halfway through. We got Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Alias) as Ant Man as well as the Hulk morphing into a Simpsonized version of himself in the theme song though so I liked that. Good episode. ***1/2.
O, Captain, My Captain!: Hilarious episode. I'm glad Wolverine finally got a spotlight. It was also good to get out of Super Hero City for the first time. Wolverine's Captain Canada costume made me giggle as did Captain Brazille's Sonic Samba. ****.
If This Be My Thanos!: The Fantastic Four! And Reed Richards if voiced by James Marsters! (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Smallville, Torchwood). I also loved M.O.D.O.K. repeatedly mocking Paste Pot Pete. What a completely weird name for a villain. Awesome episode and probably the best on the entire set. ****1/2.
Deadly Is The Black Widow's Bite: Amusingly stupid episode. Best bit was Mystique as Iron Man checking out Tony's butt in the elevator. At least I THINK it was Mystique. If not that was all kinds of wrong. ***.
Stan Lee Interview: Fun interview with Stan The Man. No, Stan. You're not hammy at ALL. ****1/2.
Music Video: SHS World Tour. Funniest bit is Squaddies in the White House with Barack Obama. *****.
The Super Hero Squad Show Trailer: An interview with Iron Man. ****1/2.
Super Hero Squad Online Trailer: No fair! How come the online game can use Spidey and the show can't?! ****.
SHS: The Infinity Gauntlet Video Game Trailer: I'm tellin' ya, the show needs Spidey! ****.
Tom Kenny Interview: Tom Kenny seems to be having a blast on this show. ****.
Heroes Profiles: Worse bonus feature on the set. The typeset in this still gallery is so small, it's nearly impossible to read. *.
Concept Art Gallery: Nice still gallery. ***1/2.
DVD Menu Volume One: Animated. Nice. ****.
DVD Menu Volume Two: I like this even better than one, even though the main menu is the only thing animated. ****.
The Boondocks "The Fried Chicken Flu"
This episode REALLY made me miss Ceasar from the comic strip. The problem with this show and the reason it's not as good as the strip is that Huey is not only downplayed in cast prominence but all of his revolutionary plans are completely ineffectual. It doesn't help that Granddad and Riley have been downgraded in intelligence and have a bigger effect on Huey than they did in the strip. Ceasar was so great because he gave Huey a foil and a co-conspirator. With every single character on the show except for Huey stupid and insane Huey stops being the Bada** he was in the comic.
This was a little funny in places but Aaron McGruder has been very disrespectful of Huey since the show started. **1/2.
The Boondocks "The Color Ruckus"
Ruckus is such a loathesome character that not even learning his troubled backstory gave me the slightest bit of sympathy for him. A complete failure on that level. **1/2.
Haven "Consumed"
A gross food episode. I was bored by the end of this. **.
Haven "Ball And Chain"
Better but I still hate Eric Balfour and this episode didn't change that. It seems like every episode of a sci-fi show has an aging episode and this one wasn't too bad. Decent. ***.
Cujo By Stephen King
I don't really find any of Stephen King's books "scary" but the best ones are suspenseful. This was one of those and I love how they tied it into The Dead Zone. I loved the mother getting her sweet revenge on that dog at the end. The end was sad, but Cujo got what was coming to him at least. ****
Christine By Stephen King
The best parts of this book are the first person narrative by Dennis in the first third and last third. The second person stuff was merely passable but Dennis knows how to spin an interesting yarn by himself. I love his and Leigh's characters and I love how Arnie was slowly driven to madness by the car. The ending was a bit too pessimistic for my tastes (I hope Dennis and Leigh continue to be all right) but that's Stephen King for you. ****1/2.
Blockade Billy By Stephen King
Containing the novella Blockade Billy and the short story Morality. Overall: ***1/2.
Blockade Billy: This was neat. I love the narrative structure of a ficticious person giving a first person interview to Stephen King. Blockade Billy is a completely creepy character and when you find out how insane he is at the end, you buy it instantly. A pretty great novella. ****1/2.
Morality: One of King's weaker recent offerings. I found quite a bit of this story improbable and hard to believe. For something that tries to give us a modern day question of scruples it doesn't seem all that realistic. **1/2.
Batman: Under The Red Hood - Two-Disc Special Edition
Just because something is better than you expected doesn't mean it's actually good. I was expecting this to be absolutely terrible, and it wasn't but I still didn't enjoy it much.
Bruce Greenwood is an adequate Batman but I have to keep wondering why they keep recasting all of these movies. It's annoying.
John Dimaggio (Futurama) channels Mark Hamill as the Joker and Jensen Ackles seems to channel Will Friedle's Terry McGuinnis as the Red Hood.
I've heard people say that this was up to Mask Of The Phantasm/Return Of The Joker standards but that's just an insult to both of those movies.
Let's talk about what I liked and didn't like.
What I liked:
The scene of the Joker getting the upper hand in the room with Black Mask where he kills all of his guards was great and unexpected.
The climax featuring Jason, Bruce and the Joker used the Joker in a psychological way which is the best way to use him.
The animation was beautiful.
What I didn't like:
The movie was no fun. I'm getting used to that with these DC Universe movies but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
Too much swearing. "Adult" doesn't have to mean vulgar.
Ironically some of the scenes in the movie weren't violent enough which is a total change of opinion from what I felt about the previous DC movies. When the Joker beats Robin to death at the beginning you can really tell the MPAA really tied the producers hands on what they were allowed to show. I didn't actually WANT to see more violence but the fact that they had to hold back was very obvious.
I've seen worse DC Animated movies but I've definitely seen better too. A mixed bag. **1/2.
DC Showcase - Jonah Hex
Very moody and the animation was gorgeous. I just hated the ending which seemed to spoil the whole procedings. I'm not quite sure why they feel the need to make these DC Showcase shorts so pitch-dark. It spoiled a story I was enjoying right until the hero felt the need to be a butt-munch.
Thomas Jane makes a good Jonah Hex and I was tickled to hear Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Michelle Trachtenberg as the Bargirl. I think the short could have been better but it was a ten-fold improvement from The Spectre. ***1/2.
A First Look at Superman / Batman: Apocalypse: Kevin Conroy as Batman, Tim Daly as Superman and Andre Braugher as Darkseid? Sold! This movie actually looks pretty good. ****.
Robin: The Story Of Dick Grayson: A short featurette detailing the comics' origin of the first Robin and his evolution into Nightwing. Neat! ***1/2.
Bruce Timm's Picks:
Robin's Reckoning: Part 1: Overrated. Yeah, I nearly cried when Dick said goodbye to the elephant too but the episode doesn't really have a great framing structure for the flashbacks. Thomas Wilson however gives a gleefully unhinged performance as Tony Zucco. ****.
Robin's Reckoning: Part 2: Solid conclusion. I really liked how they tied Zucco to Stromwell from It's Never Too Late and Robin giving Batman a shellacking at the end before realizing what he's saying is good too. ****.
Superman: Doomsday Trailer: One of those "first look" dealies. I don't remember seeing it before. It was such a crummy movie that the hard sell they try to make here seems pathetic. **1/2.
Jonah Hex Motion Comic Trailer: Will this eventually be available on DVD? It looks pretty cool. ****.
Batman: The Brave And The Bold: The Videogame Trailer: I didn't even know they still MADE standard platform games anymore. Cool. ***1/2.
Heroes Season 4
The Fourth and last season of Heroes. A disappointment. I'm glad the show ended when it did. It wasn't worth following every week anymore.
The Carnival plot was interesting though and it was nice to see Robert Knepper (T-Bag on Prison Break) getting work since that other show ended. Samuel is a bit over the top but Knepper can sell that stuff.
I'm glad they returned to the Hiro/Charlie romance even though it had a bittersweet ending, because unlike what happened with Caitlin in season two, they actually resolved her being lost in time.
Claire's "romance" in college with the annoying Gretchen could have been MUCH worse. They could have potentially used the subplot to titilate the audience and they didn't.
The Sylar stuff was better than it has been in years. I am still mad they killed off Nathan last year but it gave Zachary Quinto and Adrian Pasdar some interesting stuff to play before the storyline petered out.
Best episodes of the year are the Hiro and Charlie spotlight (Once Upon A Time In Texas). Hiro, Ando and Suresh's great escape (Close To You), and yes, the underrated series finale (Brave New World). Worst episodes are the weak two part season premiere (Orientation), Emma's first episode (Ink), the lame Acceptance, the boring Tabula Rasa, the horrible Strange Attractors, the maudlin Upon This Rock, and the ridiculous Hiro dream trial (Pass/Fail.) Season Overall: **.
Chapter One: Orientation: This 90 minute episode is the season premiere as it original aired on NBC (it was comprised of two episodes: Orientation and Jump, Push, Fall. It's easily the weakest of the season premieres and pretty much cemented the fact that the series had no idea what it was doing. The stuff with Peter was interesting and I think Sylar and Matt Parkman were great together but everything else sucked. Hiro's story was lame, Claire's was excruciating and not even Christine Rose could save Angela and Nathan/Sylar. Plus, I have never seen so clumsily handled product placements. I will give the episode props for casting Prison Break's Robert Knepper as Samuel. He was a highlight of a season devoid of them. **.
Chapter Two: Ink: Emma is a dud of a character that never led anywhere interesting. Maybe they were going to go somewhere interesting with her in season five before the show was canceled, but I said the same thing about Maya after season two. And Gretchen does nothing but grate. The stuff with Matt and Sylar was good though. **1/2.
Chapter Three: Acceptance: The Hiro stuff was excruciating and the Tracy stuff was boring. About the best thing I can say about the episode is that the Nathan stuff was all right and the cliffhanger with Sylar returning was cool. Otherwise, another dud. *1/2.
Chapter Four: Hysterical Blindness: Not bad at all. Gretchen is annoying but I kind of was amused at the idea of Claire being Single White Femaled. Even though the Emma plot ultimately went nowhere interesting I have to concede that the scenes between her and Peter enjoying her ability are pretty cool, sweet and a bit beautiful. Not a perfect episode by any means but better than most this season. ***1/2.
Chapter Five: Tabula Rasa: This episode was boring. The most annoying thing about Hiro is his impatience. We could have been rid of the idiotic Hiro dying subplot if he had stay put for another hour. **.
Chapter Six: Strange Attractors: This was so bad it was painful. Only good thing was the closing shot of Samuel exacting righteous vengeance. *1/2.
Chapter Seven: Once Upon A Time In Texas: Best episode of the season. I know that sounds like damning with faint praise, but no, it's quite good. I probably wouldn't be so fond of it had the series not resolved the "Charlie lost in time" plot by the end of the season, but they did (even if the resolution wasn't completely satisfying.) I'm knocking off half a star for the Noah/Lauren "cheatin' hearts" subplot, but really that's just quibbling. It was smart of the show to make Robert Knepper a regular. The cliffhanger with a dead Suresh was the best of the season too. The only episode of the season that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wish the rest of the season (and season three) could have lived up to the standard this episode set. ****1/2.
Chapter Eight: Shadowboxing: Good to see the Haitian again. And we FINALLY learned his name! (Renee). The Sylar/Matt stuff was great too and Peter had some nice scenes with Emma. The season has done worse. ***.
Chapter Nine: Brother's Keeper: Not the strongest episode ever but it did quite a few things right. The scenes between Hiro and Mohinder were awesome and it was pure genius to have Hiro lock Suresh in an asylum for eight weeks to keep him out of the way. I also loved Claire's foot freezing off and Tracy's horrified reaction (along with HRG's amused one). The big stuff this episode was Nathan and Peter learning Nathan was dead and Nathan's thoughts were locked in Sylar's body. Some devastating stuff between the two. Naturally, I had some beefs, but there were only two that stuck out in my mind: Peter SHOULDN'T have taken Nathan's ability because his healing power was not only needed for Hiro but was a tremendous asset at the hospital. Secondly, I don't buy for a second Matt being free and clear from the law. Didn't he have a dead body in the trunk of his car just last episode? Honestly, the writers just glossed over this oversight and hoped the audience would forget about it. I didn't. One other thing occurs to me: had Samuel kept his promise to Hiro things might have went MUCH better for him at the end of the season. Once he made an enemy of Hiro, he lost Edgar and Lydia's loyalty. He might have gotten away with it if it weren't for that meddling businessman. ***1/2.
Chapter Ten: Thanksgiving: Interesting episode. Things I liked: Hiro's trip in time with Lydia witnessing Samuel murder Joseph; Hiro's secret alliance with Edgar; HRG's amused reaction when Claire asked him at Thanksgiving dinner exactly WHERE he got the $40,000 to send her to college; Peter and Nathan's emotional confrontation with Angela; MR. MUGGLES! Things I DIDN'T like: Hiro's aphasia was the stupidest plot twist of the season and for THIS show, THAT is saying something; Sandra's new boyfriend is a dud. Random thoughts: normally Angela is the type of snake who could sell iceboxes to Eskimos but her stalling and weak justifications made the character look abnormally pathetic; HRG's and Lauren's "meet cute" in the supermarket was lame. I don't hate Lauren like I did when I first saw these episodes but that was frelling PAINFUL; Hiro telling Lydia she was seducing him was hilarious. ***.
Chapter Eleven: The Fifth Stage: I'm not too fond of this episode. Peter and Nathan's goodbye was very touching (he was robbed of a death scene last year) but I have mixed feelings about his death (and also seeing the Puppet Man again.) Yes, David H. Lawrence is awesome but I can't help feeling the rest of the season ruined his character. I like Lauren being offended when she learned HRG only reconnected with her after she Haitianed herself because he was now single though. **1/2.
Chapter Twelve: Upon This Rock: I didn't like this episode. The only thing I enjoyed was Peter's touching eulogy to Nathan and that was all too brief. Too be fair, it was also good to get some Suresh narration again too. *1/2.
Chapter Thirteen: Let It Bleed: Wasn't feeling the Sylar stuff but I like both the scenes between HRG and Edgar as well between Peter and Claire. Interesting to get an update on West too even if it was in passing. I hated that kid but always wondered where he went off to. Okay. **.
Chapter Fourteen: Close To You: Love it. Ellen Tigh! Ando and Hiro breaking Suresh out of the booby hatch was absolutely great, especially Ando verbally shellacking Mohinder for disrespecting Hiro after all he sacrificed. Also great was Suresh amusingly pointing out the flaw in Ando's worry that he might kill Hiro. Peter must have got the notion to smash Emma's cello from the Bad Idea Bears. Loved the cliffhanger too with Hiro, Ando and Suresh popping in on Bennet and Lauren mid-kiss. Hilarious. ****.
Chapter Fifteen: Pass/Fail: I didn't like this. The Claire and Sylar stuff was a chore to watch, Samuel's plot was boring and Hiro's dream trial was absolutely ridiculous (although I DID enjoy the Quantum Leap reference). Adam Monroe deserved a MUCH better episode to go out in. **.
Chapter Sixteen: The Art Of Deception: I seriously think this episode was filled with logic holes. Doesn't Sylar have super hearing? Why couldn't he hear Matt's conversation with Janice where Matt admitted he was going to betray him? And why does Sylar have the memory of himself killing Charlie? Didn't Hiro prevent that? The stuff at the Carnival was good but at the same time I don't think it needed to be stretched over three episodes. **1/2.
Chapter Seventeen: The Wall: I agree with Claire that Samuel was delusional to think seeing Noah's memories would turn her against him. But at the same time I think she got WAAAYYYY too outraged at what she saw. With the exception of threatening Gretchen none of the sins Bennet committed were unforgivable and made me MORE sympathetic to him, not less. The stuff with Peter and Sylar was less interesting but they could have built the entire episode around it so I give points to them for not doing that. ***1/2.
Chapter Eighteen: Brave New World: I'm probably the only Heroes fan in the universe who actually liked this and seeing it again, I stand by that assessment. Was it a good place to leave off as a series finale, especially since any real chance of resolution is slim? Maybe not. But I liked it for what it was. I wasn't too happy with Charlie's ultimate fate but I think it was needed. At least the older actress playing her mimicked the younger actress flawlessly. I was really disappointed with what happened Doyle too. I never liked Nowhere Man but now it's more pointless than ever. The climax wasn't exactly exciting, but at least none of the major fights took place behind closed doors (although not seeing Sylar's smackdown with the Puppet Man grates a bit). Good things? Quite a few. I loved that the writers suckered the audience into believing Edgar blamed Bennet for Lydia's death only to keep his secret pact with him after all, having NONE of Samuel's nonsense. Awesome. And even though Tracy saving HRG seemed like a cop-out when I first saw this (and it still kind of is) I'm relieved that the finale didn't feel the need to kill off another main character to be edgy. Nathan's death last year was especially cheap, and even though unlike the doomed Petrelli, Bennet got a nice "death" scene, that isn't a particular habit of the show I've enjoyed. I'm kind of glad the series ended here: Sylar redeemed, with no chance of retcons, Claire outed, and Charlie's fate learned. If the show HAD to end after one of the four season finales, I'm glad it was this one since it didn't have so many balls up in the air or a maddening cliffhanger. I also appreciated Tim Kring taking the time to film a special message for the fans before the episode after he learned the series was canceled. That was nice. ****.
Deleted/Extended Scenes:
Like the year: shaky. Some good finds but mostly stuff that didn't even matter if it was cut or not. Overall: ***.
Chapter One: Orientation
Dr. Tells Peter HRG Is Alive: Interesting, but unneeded. ***.
Chapter Two: Ink:
Samuel Tells Lydia He's Going To The City: An extended version of the teaser scene at the opening of the episode. ***.
Emma Talks To Her Dr.: Louise Fletcher rocks! **1/2.
Matt Finds Dead Girl: A more violent version of Matt beating that guy's head in. ***1/2.
Peter Discovers Tattoo: I wish they had used this version in the episode. ****.
Chapter Three: Acceptance:
Governor Malden Wants Tracy Back: This extended scene is a snore. *1/2.
Tracy Brings HRG Home: Cute scene that they probably should have kept. ****.
Sandra and Tracy Meet: I can't believe they cut Ashley Crow out of this episode! One thing this season needed was more Mr. Muggles. Seeing Sandra getting jealous of Tracy was a treat too. ****1/2.
HRG Awakens: Cute scene. ***1/2.
Tracy Finds HRG: One of this shows RARE extended scenes that were better than what aired. This actually gives some context to the things Tracy and Noah discussed in the episode. ****.
Tracy Packs: Tracy was supposed to meet Lydia at the end of this episode! ****1/2.
Chapter Four: Hysterical Blindness:
Madeline's Late: Brief scene of Sylar's shrink running late. **1/2.
Chapter Five: Tabula Rasa:
Peter Takes Hiro's Power: Extended scene of Peter and Hiro in the hospital. Too cute for words. ****.
Hiro Struggles: I hate needles too. Funny. ****.
Samuel Introduces Sylar To The Family: VERY brief. ***.
Hiro Meets Up With Emma: Say what you will about Hiro: the dude knows a LOT about special abilities. He's this show's Professor X. ***.
Samuel Presents Sylar As Member Of The Family: The missing scene just before Sylar gets dunked into the water and an extended version of the Baptism itself. ****1/2.
Chapter Seven: Once Upon A Time In Texas:
HRG And Lauren Have Breakfast: God, I'm glad they trimmed this scene down. In one of the most unlikely plot twists it hints that Lauren is Jewish. *1/2.
Claire Encourages HRG: Not much different from the original scene, it starts at the tail end of HRG's and Claire's talk and spends a couple of seconds with Claire with the other cheerleaders. **1/2.
Chapter Eight: Shadowboxing:
Emma Saves Megan: An extended scene of Emma and Peter saving the little girl. **1/2.
Chapter Nine: Brother's Keeper:
Nathan's Worried: Good to get one last extra extended scene with Adrian Pasdar as Nathan. ****.
Chapter Ten: Thanksgiving:
Claire Wants To Drop Out: Is this scene extended? I didn't notice any difference between this and the scene that aired. **1/2.
Chapter Thirteen: Let It Bleed:
Claire Looks For Peter: Extended scene of Claire searching the building. **1/2.
Chapter Fourteen: Close To You:
Lydia Walks Through The Carnival: Nice montage. Interesting to see the Carnival without the visual effects. ****.
Chapter Fifteen: Pass/Fail:
Samuel Convinces Vanessa To Stay: Boring. **.
Samual and Vanessa Reminisce: Also boring. Glad the Samuel/Vanessa stuff was trimmed. **.
Sylar Revealed: Spooky and more than a little funny. ***1/2.
Ando Watches: More hospital stuff. ***1/2.
Deconstructing Sylar: A discussion with Zachary Quinto, Tim Kring and Adam Armus that confirms that, no, the writers had no idea what they were doing. The fact that the writers thought that it would be perfectly acceptable to turn Sylar into a bad guy again at some unspecified point in the future shows how little they cared about the audience. We can only be jerked around for so long. *.
Milo Speaks: Interview with Milo Ventimiglia. He discusses his likes and his career. Best part is his discussion of his relationship with Adrian Pasdar and how it effected him when he left the show. I still contend killing off Nathan was the most boneheaded move of season three. ****.
Sullivan Brothers Design Gallery: Animated image gallery of various set designs as well as close-up images of the various posters around the Carnival that you can only see in passing in the episodes themselves. Cool. ****.
Heroes Revolution: You know, maybe if they spent more time working on the show itself instead of all of the tie-ins and multi-media spinoffs it would suck less and still be on the air. Bonus demerits for teasing the Web Series Slow Burn when it isn't included on the DVD set itself. Bad form. *1/2.
Genetics Of A Scene:
Detailing the special effects behind specific action scenes. Overall: ***1/2.
HRG Stuck In Car: This is when Tracy tried to assassinate Bennet by drowning him in his car. ***1/2.
Samuel Draws, Doyle Drops In, Sylar Too: Sylar and Samuel's smackdown. ***1/2.
Boys Bust Out, Suresh Sends Orderly Flying: Detailing Hiro, Ando and Mohinder's escape from the asylum. ***1/2.
Wall Explodes: Sylar and Peter busting out of the dream world into Matt Parkman's basement. ***.
Samuel Buries The Trailer/Last Day Of Production: Showing how they made the effects of burying the trailer and having Tracy rescue Noah and Claire. ***1/2.
Mayhem At The Carnival/Squib School: Showing how they made the squibs for the shootout. Funny thing: those squibs look an awful lot like condoms. ***1/2.
Claire Climbs And Jumps: Claire's stunt double jumping off the ferris wheel. ***1/2.
DVD Menus: The best since the Season One menus. Absolutely, beautiful and carnival themed. Greatness. ****1/2.
The Super Hero Squad Show Volumes 1 & 2: Quest For The Infinity Sword!
This is a 2 DVD Target exclusive set of the best little kid super hero cartoon since Krypto The Superdog. A lot of fun and pretty hilarious at times. Yes, it's stupid but it's the most fun cartoon on the air. It's not as good as Batman: The Brave And The Bold or Wolverine And The X-Men but for a cartoon aimed at younger audiences it's the bee's knees.
Best episodes on the set are the Wolverine spotlight (O, Captain, My Captain!) and the Fantastic Four episode (If This Be My Thanos). There aren't any episodes on the set that I didn't enjoy. Set Overall: ***1/2.
And Lo... A Pilot Shall Come!: This is such a cute show. I wish they had done an origin story for the Infinity Sword for the first episode though. It feels like we're dropping into the middle of the story. ***.
This Silver, This Surfer!: Like the Surfer Dude version of the Silver Surfer and liked him tricking M.O.D.O.K. using riddles. ***.
Hulk Talk Smack!: The Grey Hulk is funny! Good episode! ***1/2.
To Err Is Superhuman!: Two things of note: it was neat to hear Adrian Pasdar's (Heroes, Profit) voice Hawkeye; and Doctor Doom apparently has a cat in his bathroom. ***1/2.
Enter: Dormammu!: Ha! Robert England! Funny to see such a wacky Doctor Strange. Although perhaps they shouldn't have gone that way for his first appearance. ***1/2.
A Brat Walks Among Us!: Funny stuff. I loved that little girl giving Abomination a bath and brushing M.O.D.O.K.'s teeth. Her dad reminds me of one of the Rescue Heroes. ***1/2.
Oh, Brother!: Yowza! Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as Number Sif! ***1/2.
From The Atom... It Rises!: This episode was boring in places but it had some cool stuff anyways. Nick Fury! And the Punisher's cameo was hilarious because they portrayed him as insane rather than "cool". Punisher is the worst Marvel character ever so I loved seeing him being taken down a peg. ***.
Night In The Sanctorum!: I can't give you any specific reasons that I liked this episode but I did. It was funny. ***1/2.
This Forest Green: I was loving the first half of this ep but it kind of falls apart halfway through. We got Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Alias) as Ant Man as well as the Hulk morphing into a Simpsonized version of himself in the theme song though so I liked that. Good episode. ***1/2.
O, Captain, My Captain!: Hilarious episode. I'm glad Wolverine finally got a spotlight. It was also good to get out of Super Hero City for the first time. Wolverine's Captain Canada costume made me giggle as did Captain Brazille's Sonic Samba. ****.
If This Be My Thanos!: The Fantastic Four! And Reed Richards if voiced by James Marsters! (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Smallville, Torchwood). I also loved M.O.D.O.K. repeatedly mocking Paste Pot Pete. What a completely weird name for a villain. Awesome episode and probably the best on the entire set. ****1/2.
Deadly Is The Black Widow's Bite: Amusingly stupid episode. Best bit was Mystique as Iron Man checking out Tony's butt in the elevator. At least I THINK it was Mystique. If not that was all kinds of wrong. ***.
Stan Lee Interview: Fun interview with Stan The Man. No, Stan. You're not hammy at ALL. ****1/2.
Music Video: SHS World Tour. Funniest bit is Squaddies in the White House with Barack Obama. *****.
The Super Hero Squad Show Trailer: An interview with Iron Man. ****1/2.
Super Hero Squad Online Trailer: No fair! How come the online game can use Spidey and the show can't?! ****.
SHS: The Infinity Gauntlet Video Game Trailer: I'm tellin' ya, the show needs Spidey! ****.
Tom Kenny Interview: Tom Kenny seems to be having a blast on this show. ****.
Heroes Profiles: Worse bonus feature on the set. The typeset in this still gallery is so small, it's nearly impossible to read. *.
Concept Art Gallery: Nice still gallery. ***1/2.
DVD Menu Volume One: Animated. Nice. ****.
DVD Menu Volume Two: I like this even better than one, even though the main menu is the only thing animated. ****.
The Boondocks "The Fried Chicken Flu"
This episode REALLY made me miss Ceasar from the comic strip. The problem with this show and the reason it's not as good as the strip is that Huey is not only downplayed in cast prominence but all of his revolutionary plans are completely ineffectual. It doesn't help that Granddad and Riley have been downgraded in intelligence and have a bigger effect on Huey than they did in the strip. Ceasar was so great because he gave Huey a foil and a co-conspirator. With every single character on the show except for Huey stupid and insane Huey stops being the Bada** he was in the comic.
This was a little funny in places but Aaron McGruder has been very disrespectful of Huey since the show started. **1/2.
The Boondocks "The Color Ruckus"
Ruckus is such a loathesome character that not even learning his troubled backstory gave me the slightest bit of sympathy for him. A complete failure on that level. **1/2.
Haven "Consumed"
A gross food episode. I was bored by the end of this. **.
Haven "Ball And Chain"
Better but I still hate Eric Balfour and this episode didn't change that. It seems like every episode of a sci-fi show has an aging episode and this one wasn't too bad. Decent. ***.
Cujo By Stephen King
I don't really find any of Stephen King's books "scary" but the best ones are suspenseful. This was one of those and I love how they tied it into The Dead Zone. I loved the mother getting her sweet revenge on that dog at the end. The end was sad, but Cujo got what was coming to him at least. ****
Christine By Stephen King
The best parts of this book are the first person narrative by Dennis in the first third and last third. The second person stuff was merely passable but Dennis knows how to spin an interesting yarn by himself. I love his and Leigh's characters and I love how Arnie was slowly driven to madness by the car. The ending was a bit too pessimistic for my tastes (I hope Dennis and Leigh continue to be all right) but that's Stephen King for you. ****1/2.
Blockade Billy By Stephen King
Containing the novella Blockade Billy and the short story Morality. Overall: ***1/2.
Blockade Billy: This was neat. I love the narrative structure of a ficticious person giving a first person interview to Stephen King. Blockade Billy is a completely creepy character and when you find out how insane he is at the end, you buy it instantly. A pretty great novella. ****1/2.
Morality: One of King's weaker recent offerings. I found quite a bit of this story improbable and hard to believe. For something that tries to give us a modern day question of scruples it doesn't seem all that realistic. **1/2.
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no subject
Date: 2010-08-16 08:03 am (UTC)Get used to Bruce Greenwood. ;0
I don't know if I getting used to it or if it's getting better, but hardly noticed the CG vehicles until the 3rd viewing.
The scene that surprised me the most was when the Joker got doused with the flame retardant and he's just standing there in disbelief for a second. It cracked me up.
But the thing that I liked the most about this movie is how it was more character-driven than big overarching story like essentially all the others were. No alien menaces (Superman Doomsday, The New Frontier, First Flight), mythological pricks (Wonder Woman), or parallel universe hokum. This is pretty self-contained.
Jonah Hex
Much better than The Spectre but essentially the same story. Crazy money hungry broad gets her just desserts from the morally gray lead character that gets lumped in as a hero most of the time. From what I've gathered on the next short, it will be a departure from these past 2 and blow 'em out of the water. Plus with who's writing it. Winner chicken dinner.
Heroes
To stoke the fire, you know that film that Samuel has Hiro steal, with 1961 Chandra on it? Well, around the time those episodes aired that had it, they released 5-6 full 5 minute versions online at nbc.com in addition to the Slow Burn webiseries. And they were awesome. Well, I say that about anything that adds to the Heroes mythology but man. They didn't put a webiseries on the season 3 set either, Destiny. Such an awesome one. It went back to the season 1 theme of a person discovering his power, not knowing what to do, then becoming entangled in a shadowy company.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-16 11:07 am (UTC)Jonah Hex: I noticed the similarities to The Spectre too. But you're right it was MUCH better. I thought the Spectre short sucked.
Heroes: I have to wonder why they left them off. Battlestar Galactica left of the web series Face Of The Enemy from it's sets and it turned out that had to do with rights issues. I wonder if the same thing happened to the missing Heroes shorts.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-16 11:29 pm (UTC)Heroes: Good point. It could be some point of contention with Sprint, who sponsored the online shorts.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 01:33 am (UTC)Heroes: Actually if it WAS a rights issues I doubt it had anything to do with Sprint. The Sprint logo and products popped up repeatedly in the episodes themselves. Something tells me that if it WAS rights (rather than DVD set incompetence which is always a possibility) it probably had to do with writer or actor royalties. Webisodes were a point of contention in both the writers' strike and the aborted actors' strike.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 01:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 12:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-18 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 08:12 am (UTC)Jonah Hex - Easy, because no one wants to see a feature length movie with heroes of questionable morality. Wait, I guess they do, but not in animation. You're judging them from a modern day perspective, though, in terms of the Old Testament and the lawless Old West respectively, Spectre and Hex are heroes.
Super Hero Squad is fun, but again, I just don't like the fact that this is the only time we get some of these characters. I think A Brat Walks Among Us was kind of weak, personally. I love Punisher in From The Atom... It Rises! too.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 10:04 am (UTC)Jonah Hex: It's just no fun to watch. I hope the Green Arrow and Superman/Shazam cartoons are easier to take.
Super Hero Squad: I enjoyed "Brat" more upon a rewatch. I didn't think it was so great when I first saw it either. Punisher in "Atom" was awesome!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 07:47 am (UTC)This may make me sound like a hypocrite, but I hate the Punisher and love Jonah Hex. Go figure.
I am going to buy Super Hero Squad on DVD some day, so we'll see.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 08:53 am (UTC)Jonah Hex: I hate the Punisher. My biggest problem with Hex is the Confederate uniform. I loved him in BTAS when he was dressed as a regular cowboy.
Super Hero Squad: Make sure to get the Target exclusive version. It has Volumes 1 and 2 in a two disc collection so it's actually like a half season set.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-29 01:31 am (UTC)Well, Hex wasn't in the Confederate uniform in this, right? Just good ol' fashioned wild west justice.
Thanks for the Target tip!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-29 01:31 pm (UTC)