Now I Want a Dragon

Dreamworks Animation gets a lot of bad rap in the film review industry I feel. Unfortunately they have to go toe to toe with Pixar who (let’s face it) make not only the best animated films but some of the best films period. Pixar is sort of like the Studio Ghibli of the West (although comparing those two it isn’t much of a contest…Ghibli hands down) while Dreamworks is treated like the red headed stepchild of the animated world. If I had to hazard a guess why is that Dreamworks is known best for the Shrek and Madagascar films which throw pop culture references (often dated by the time they come out) at you a mile a minute until one or two stick and you laugh, while Pixar has been slowly making more serious films that treat animation as a reason to tell a great story and not just try to entertain kids. At least that’s the general idea. However you know what? I really liked the Shrek movies, and the Madagascar films. Are they as great as Up or Wall-e? No. Are they funny and entertaining? Yes. Plus they’ve given us Over the Hedge, Flushed Away and most recently the amazing Kung Fu Panda. So note to other film reviewers (especially snarky online ones) Pixar is awesome we all know that, stop comparing them to Dreamworks and enjoy their films. Especially How to Train Your Dragon because it is really good. … Continue Reading

Alice in Stalingrad

War, war never changes.

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is a difficult movie to approach simply because there are so many different renditions of this beloved classic, and there are so many different ways of approaching what Lewis Carroll gave us to work with.  The first film version appeared as early as 1904 (that’s right), a silent interpretation directed by Cecil Hepworth.  Then, there were a couple versions in the 1930s (one including W.C. Fields and Cary Grant), and of course, the 1951 Disney version that we’re all a bit sentimental toward.  Of course, my personal favorite is the 1985 CBS version with Sammy Davis, Jr. as the Caterpillar—and damn, what a good Caterpillar he was—but there are just too many versions to mention (even a trippy surrealist version from Czech director Jan Svankmajer).

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Best of the Wasteland

(left to right) Crockett, Tiger

A long line has been drawn in the sand, stretching all the way from 1975 to 2010.  On one side, we have the die-hard advocates of A Boy and His Dog, fan boys (and girls) who would place this film at the heights of the post-apocalyptic wasteland genre; on the other side, we have the nay-sayers, those who see the film as a juvenile and dismissible approach to a severe and difficult subject.  Wherever you may stand, A Boy and His Dog is a movie that seems to elicit a strong reaction from everyone I know who’s seen it.  I believe this is partially due to the controversial subject matter addressed in the film (and the message therein implied).  It also has something to do with the pacing; with moody, extended establishing shots, this film takes its time in addressing plot concerns.  For the same reason that Blade Runner and THX weren’t instantly palatable to mainstream audiences, A Boy and His Dog is lost on some.

Follow me through the break.

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Having a Solarbaby

Magic sauce circle

When talking about 80s cinema, it’s impossible to overlook movies like The Goonies and Monster Squad, two family-friendly films which have built massive fanbases over the past couple of decades.  It’s hard to say why movies like these have been elevated from a cult-like status to a sacred place in the Pantheon of Geekdom.  Some people say that they hearken back to a simpler time, a time of quirky characters and formulaic adventures that are both heartfelt and lighthearted, a time when kids’ movies were a little cockier and a lot less p.c.  These movies have a certain rebelliousness to them, an assuredness that bleeds through in their borderline-inappropriate dialogue and ridiculous plot-points.

Although The Goonies and Monster Squad are two of the most famous of these 80s family fantasies, one film seems to have been overlooked by the majority of the Geekiverse: Alan Johnson’s 1986 masterpiece, Solarbabies (that’s right, masterpiece).  If you haven’t heard of Alan Johnson or Solarbabies, you’re not alone; not too many people have—that is, unless you’re a dancer: Johnson is an Oscar-nominated Hollywood choreographer.  Written by Walon Green and D.A. Metrov (two guys who brought you a handful of episodes of Law & Order and, oh yeah, Robocop 2), this movie seems to have taken the breakfast club (sans Judd Nelson) and dropped them into a dystopian wasteland.

Heres the plot, and I’m not kidding: a group of teenagers living in a High School/Prison Camp leave the comfort of their home in search of a boy who is (in turn) in search of a glowing sentient orb that was stolen from him by a Native American shaman with wanderlust.  If it sounds fantastic, it is.  The best part is that during the course of their adventure, they are pursued by an evil corporation bent on needlessly keeping the wasteland planet devoid of water.  The evil corporation is more like a murderous version of the principal in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and although a few scenes are more reminiscent of David Lynch’s Dune than a heartfelt children’s movie, this film straddles that magic line between lighthearted romp and wasteland horror.  If you like your movies campy, and if unfocused genre-benders seem more intriguing than off-putting, then I recommend you check out Solarbabies: it’s Goonies for the rest of us.

Tom Selleck’s Mustache Stars in Runaway

Recently I was laid up on my couch sick and watching movies. Instead of my usual Law and Order: SVU marathon I decided to browse my recently reactivated Netflix account to see what there was to see.

What I saw nearly blew my mind: Tom Selleck with a laser gun. I flipped past it, and then had to return just to make sure that what I saw was real. Now you have to understand how much I like Tom Selleck. Sure he has never been a huge star but he has been in some good stuff and that mustache is totally manly. Also I had a standing movie night with one of my best friends everytime a Jesse Stone movie came out on DVD. (Do the math there: Robert B. Parker book + Robert Harmon directing + Tom Selleck’s ‘stache= awesome) We had picked the first one up for a laugh during a bad movie night and found that it wasn’t bad at all but actually good and Selleck’s performance was impressive.

Anyway Runaway also has Gene Simmons as the bad guy. I immediately hit play now. … Continue Reading

Planet Hulk Is a Smash… on DVD!

Yes, sorry for the bad pun. But it is true. I truly enjoyed the hell out of this new Marvel Animation movie. It’s the first one that had me smiling throughout the whole film from beginning to end. I have yet to see Next Avengers, but that can be saved for another article.

If you’re not familiar with the comic book storyline by Greg Pak… well… then go out and buy the damn trade paperback and read it 12 times like I did when it initially came out. Yes, true believers, I read the comics as they came out and then bought the trade paperback as well. Hardcover too. That’s how amazing that story is. When people ask me what it’s like, I tell them it’s Conan in space.

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Slow Burn in Utopia

Sometimes, you see a movie, and you despite all of the problems you have with it, you can’t help but like it.  This is how I feel about Visioneers, a debut attempt by Brandon and Jared Drake (two fresh faces who seem to have accomplished something substantial right out of the gates).  This movie has heart and ambition in a serious way, and if it seems amateurish to a lot of viewers, well, that’s only indicative of two young filmmakers with more talent than practical experience.

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