While, at least in theory, we cheer for the victory of the heroes, it is often the villains that define a work, and certainly the villains tend to get the best lines, best music, and commonly the coolest "style" in a work. This probably partly stems from the fact that villains are more "free" than the heroes; they get to do what they want rather than what they should or must. In addition, the villains tend to be in control, the ACTIVE force, in the story, at least up until the end; the heroes spend much of their time reacting [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Flash Gordon
October 7, 2013 By 1 Comment
"Will you destroy this… 'Earth'?" "Later! I like to play with things a while… before annihilation…" Perhaps best known for its awesome rock soundtrack by none other than Queen, Flash Gordon is a cult favorite movie beloved for its unabashed and magnificent cheesiness. Based – with, as to be expected, considerable latitude –on the classic comic strip and old movie serials, Flash Gordon tells the story of Earth natives "Flash" Gordon (quarterback, New York Jets), journalist Dale Arden, and scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Big Trouble in Little China
September 20, 2013 By 3 Comments
"You know what Jack Burton always says?" "Who?" "Me. Jack Burton. Jack Burton always says… ahh, what the hell." Kurt Russell's played many roles throughout the years – from the Computer in Tennis Shoes to Snake Plissken to Colonel O'Neill in the original Stargate. But in many ways my favorite is his two-fisted everyman trucker, Jack Burton, who gets into a pulp-fiction adventure way over his head… all because he wins a bet and agrees to do a favor for a friend on the way to collect. Big [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: My Neighbor Totoro
September 18, 2013 By 1 Comment
In any discussion of anime, there are very few names that are spoken with almost unqualified awe and pleasure. There is Osamu Tezuka, "Anime no Kami", the founder of the industry in many ways. One could make a case for Leiji Matsumoto, creator of Space Battleship Yamato (Star Blazers), Galaxy Express 999, and Space Pirate Harlock. And there is Hayao Miyazaki, sometimes called the "Japanese Disney", creator of some of the most wonderful, magical films ever made (which I will review later), including Laputa: Castle in [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Galaxy Quest
September 16, 2013 By 6 Comments
"By Grabthar's hammer… by the suns of Warvan… you shall be avenged!" Galaxy Quest is a parody and tribute to the original Star Trek (with some added flavoring from Next Generation). For those unaware of the basic "setup", it takes place in a world like this one, in which the famous classic SF TV show was called "Galaxy Quest" which featured a fancy starship called the NESA Protector which had a crew featuring a womanizing captain, an alien science officer, and a token female communi... er, comPUTER officer,, and [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Pacific Rim
September 11, 2013 By 2 Comments
Giant robots versus giant monsters. Done awesomely. I could pretty much end my review there, as it says all the important things right up front. But that would be probably overly short, and maybe just copy-and-pasting "GIANT ROBOTS versus GIANT MONSTERS" would get a little boring. Oh, and technically the title of this post should be "Going to be On My Shelves", I suppose, because I haven't got it yet. When I saw the trailers for Pacific Rim, I knew I'd be going to see it. But I still braced myself for [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: The Incredibles
September 4, 2013 By 6 Comments
There are very few movies – or, indeed, stories of any sort – which approach perfection. The Incredibles, Pixar's superhero-themed offering, is one of those few. Make no mistake – most of Pixar's work has been stellar, and even their worst products have managed to be entertaining. This is a track record unmatched by any other studio I can think of. But even within Pixar's oeuvre, The Incredibles stands out. I remember seeing the original advertisements – teasers – featuring Mr. Incredible getting a call from "the red [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: The Addams Family/Addams Family Values
March 20, 2013 By 4 Comments
Girl Scout: "Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?" Wednesday: "Are they made with real Girl Scouts?" I never watched the original TV series,and had only seen a few of the Charles Addams comics, but I saw The Addams Family on the recommendation of a few friends, and found it to be a tremendously entertaining film – and one with some rather unusual elements. The same was true of its sequel, Addams Family Values; I've watched both films several times. (NOTE: The link above goes to a combo deal for both movies on DVD, [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Van Helsing (2004)
March 18, 2013 By 3 Comments
"To you, these are just monsters, waiting to be vanquished. I'm the one standing there when they die… and become the men they once were." --Gabriel Van Helsing As many readers have undoubtedly noted, I have sometimes unconventional tastes in my entertainment, and it will therefore perhaps be something less of a surprise to hear that I (and my wife) find 2004's Van Helsing, starring Hugh Jackman, to be one of our favorite films of the last ten years. This oft-mocked semi-steampunk horror movie from begins with a [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Speed Racer (2008)
March 1, 2013 By 2 Comments
There are movies that as soon as you hear about them, you know you're going to go see them. Movies that are the realization of some childhood dream come true, that you shout "YES!!" as soon as you hear they're going to be made. Speed Racer was NOT one of those for me. My wife showed me the first trailer, and said that she wanted me to take her to see it. My eyeballs crossed at the psychedelically intense colors and the apparent cheesiness of the trailer itself, but she had been a Speed Racer fan when she was [ Continue reading... ]
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