DVD Review: With Great Power... The Stan Lee Story

If there is one man we owe a lot of respect to for his contributions to pop culture, it is Stan Lee. The man has done so much and been through so much over the years. He is almost single handedly responsible for creating the Marvel Universe. He has a larger than life personality and always seems to have a smile locked and loaded for anyone he meets. Now, most of us know there is much more to him than that distinctive voice and perpetual smile. This being true should make him a fascinating target for an in depth documentary, chronicling his rise and the rise of Marvel Comics, along with the hardships faced along the way. Is this that documentary? Sort of.

Screening Report: We Are Twisted F*cking Sister

As I have said many times in the past, I was really late getting into movies and music and it took a very long time for my taste to emerge. What this means is that I missed a lot of what should have been my glory years. I am left playing catch up with old school music and movies and exploring genres and styles and whatnot. While I have made up some good ground, I will never be able to get to everything, it is just impossible. With all that said, I am thankful for movies like We are Twisted F*cking Sister and events like the one held at the Alamo Drafthouse. I mean that will all sincerity.

Critical Capsule: Fantasm - A Look Inside Horror Conventions

So, I just watched a documentary called Fantasm and I have to say that I really quite enjoyed it. Now, this is not so much a review as it is some comments on said film and a request that you check it out. It is free to watch online through 2/28/14 at nuhofilmfest.com. It is a quick watch, clocking in at about 55-minutes, so you should be able to squeeze it in. Why should you watch it? Simply put, it takes a look at the attraction of the horror convention. If you know me, you know that I love going to conventions, this will help you understand why I do. It is not always easy to explain my fascination to those on the outside.

Movie Review: Crystal Lake Memories - The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013)

A few years ago the team of Daniel Farrands, Thommy Hutson, and Andrew Kasch made a Friday the 13th-centric documentary called His Name was Jason. It was an entertaining film, but it was not terribly in depth. It seems to have been made for the casual fan. It does feature Tom Savini acting as host, and he is always entertaining on camera. It was not exactly what they wanted, to my understanding there was some conflict with the studio over the content, as Paramount wanted to use it to push the impending release of the remake. Fortunately, this was not their only chance at documenting the storied history of the Friday the 13th franchise.

DVD Review: The Phantom of the Opera - Unmasking the Masterpiece

Every movie fan has a list of shame. There are always some movies that we should have seen considering our chosen hobby, that we have for one reason or another not gotten around to. Among my yet to be seen shamefuls is the Lon Chaney, Sr. version of The Phantom of the Opera. As well as the Jimmy Cagney version, the Robert Englund version, the Dario Argento version..... You get the picture. I have seen it on broadway and the Gerard Butler/Emmy Rossum movie. Does that count for anything?

Blu-ray Review: Katy Perry the Movie - Part of Me

I am probably the last person who should be reviewing this movie. If you know me, you know my tastes tend towards the metal side of the equation. I am not exclusively metal, mind you, but I do shy away from pop music. I understand it as a necessity and I understand that some of these people do have talent. At the same time, I am much more likely to make a sarcastic comment about it than anything else. With that said, I don't hate Katy Perry, I could not exactly be called a fan, but I don't hate her or her music.

Movie Quickie: The Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Here is a movie I stumbled across altogether by accident. I was looking for movies to see and aside from the standard run of Hollywood features I saw the name The Cave of Forgotten Dreams. I had never heard of it and new nothing of it. I decided to take a quick peek. I discovered it was a documentary, that it was shot in 3D, but not with Cameron level equipment, and, most importantly, it was directed by Werner Herzog. That last bit is what sold it on me. Now, I cannot say that I know all that much about Herzog's filmography, but the he certainly is a fascinating filmmaker who has made all manner of films over the years.

Netflix'ns: The War Game

Netflix'ns is a series of review shorts of films, new and old, seen on Netflix, be it DVD or streaming. For better or worse, I sat through these films and have lived to tell the tale. These are not so much reviews as just comments on the film watched. Some will be first time views, others will be revisits. This is a work in progress.

DVD Review: Never Sleep Again - The Elm Street Legacy

The slasher genre may have developed its formula in the 1970's, but it was the 1980's that it got its groove with the creation of some of its most most enduring icons. One of those slasher icons happens to be the focus of this documentary. Never Sleep Again takes a look at the cinematic history of Wes Craven's classic A Nightmare on Elm Street and it's entire legacy. Now, on the surface that may not sound like a terribly engaging documentary, but believe me when I tell you that it is. It really is.

Movie Review: Catfish

This is a movie I knew next to nothing about before entering the theater. I knew it involved Facebook communication and a mystery but nothing else. It has a poster that says don't let anyone tell you what it is and a trailer that says it is the "best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made.". Needless to say these elements all added up my excitement to finally see it. I did not know if it was a documentary or a mockumentary or some manner of horror or thriller. I had sort of been hoping it was a horror film, but that is not the case. What I did see was an interesting film that plays better in the theater than it does in the aftermath of knowing the truth.

DVD Review: Here, Kitty Kitty

I must say that this documentary is a pretty interesting piece of work. At its center is a 2005 proposal in Wisconsin that sought to reclassify feral cats as an unprotected species, allowing them to be shot on sight. It is the sort of question that gets national attention due to its "what the heck?" logic, or lack thereof. Obviously, this matter brings out many opinions and can get very heated on both sides. What makes this documentary work is the fact that it does not take the incendiary approach. It looks at both sides of the issue and the interesting characters that populate them.

When it comes to pets, I have to admit to being more of a cat person than anything else. I have had both dogs and cats in the house for most of my life, although it tended to be the cats that I preferred. However, when it comes right down to it, I would take no pets over pets. I have nothing against them, and they can be a real mood lifter and provide hours of entertainment. I just don't want to take care of them, yes, I am lazy. I would never neglect a pet, just prefer not to have one. That said, the idea of hunting cats, or just taking shots at them when they appear on my property, makes me feel a little sick to the stomach. For that matter, the idea of shooting any living thing does not sit that well with me. Obviously, I am not a hunter.

Here, Kitty Kitty barely passes the hour mark in length. That may sound short, but it is not always the length that matters, it is how you use it. Director Andy Beversdorf does a fine job within that time, hitting all the major points while allowing humor to permeate the proceedings, making it an easy watch that will keep you involved to the end.

Something that I found particularly interesting is that the film does not really take sides here. Considering the thought of killing cats, I found it a logical assumption that the film would take a clear stance letting the audience know exactly where the makers allegiances lay. I was sure I was going to walk into a wall of pro-kitty propaganda, or at least a film maker who is a fan of the felines. Not to say I expected the film to be one-sided, but surely it was going to take a stand. I was glad to be wrong on that count.

The film takes us inside the community hearings, where cat lovers said their piece, cat haters said their piece, wash, rinse, repeat. It was amusing to hear what they had to say, even when it had nothing to do with the matter at hand, introducing the idea of people torturing kittens, which is not exactly the issue.

Scientific, accurate or not, depending on who's talking, data is presented that would seem to support the idea of regular cat hunts. It was determined approximately how many stray/wild/feral cats live in rural Wisconsin, it was then extrapolated to show how many birds were killed annually by said cats. This was seen as detrimental to Wisconsin, with killing cats seen as the best way to preserve their bird community.

Over the course of the hour we meet characters that range from a man who apologetically traps and drowns cats, an organization that runs Dontshootthecat.com, as well as groups that have so-called spayathons, where vets donate their time to spay and neuter feral cats before they are either returned to where they were found or sent to live on farms. All points of view are examined, and I was left with the thought that randomly killing these cats would be a very silly thing to do, but that something does need to be done to address all of the cats.

Quite frankly, I was surprised at just how many cats they had running around out there. I can see how some would consider them a nuisance. Still, I cannot advocate the wholesale slaughter of cats.

Audio/Video. This is not a big budget affair, and the tech quality reflects that. However, the mediocre quality does not detract from the film, so do not judge it based on this fact. It is not bad by any stretch, and the quality material makes up for any technical deficiency.

Extras. The extras are comprised of deleted scenes that total somewhere in the vicinity of 45-50 minutes. Among these scenes is 14 minutes of additional footage from the hearings, as well as a history through ballistics. Some would have been fine had they been left in the feature, while a few were cut for obvious reasons once you see them.

Bottomline. This is an entertaining and informative documentary that takes a look at an issue that garnered national attention due to its incendiary nature. It is well made and contains plenty of information to help the viewer make their own decision. Definitely worth your time.

Recommended.


The DVD will be available through Prolofeed Studios.

DVD Review: Aural Amphetamine - Metallica and the Dawn of Thrash

I am not, never have been, and never will be a metal historian. I would be willing to take that statement a step further and say that I will never be a historian of any sort on any subject. That said, I will always have at least a little knowledge about the subject of music, not much mind you, but enough to get by. I guess this lack of true historical perspective dates back to my initial interest in music. I started late and therefore missed a lot of metal's roots, the fact that I heard any of the true metal of the 80's is thanks to my childhood friend Matt Byrne (now of the band Hatebreed), who was into the heavy stuff. This is where I first heard bands like Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, Testament, Exodus, Mercyful Fate, Suicidal Tendencies, and others. Still, I did not become a real fan until years later, after I cut my teeth on hair and glam metal. What does that have to do with Aural Amphetamine? Well, it is a documentary concerning itself with the emergence of thrash and the importance that Metallica played in its growth in popularity.

A documentary about metal would seem like an easy thing to do, get yourself some old concert footage, pick a theme, and your done. It's never that easy. When it comes right down to it, making a documentary of any sort is rather difficult. Getting the information together is the easy part, what is difficult is putting it together in a fashion that is entertaining. You have to play to your target audience and not bore them. I am sure you have all seen a documentary that was just a bunch of talking heads, not much fun, just take a look at the majority of those unauthorized band documentaries if you want to see how not to do it. Does Aural Amphetamine make the material watchable? Sort of.

Aural Amphetamine is not a terribly exciting to watch documentary, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is more entertaining in that regard. This one consists of talking head-style interviews with the occasional band photograph and some concert footage. However, what it lacks in visual excitement, it makes up for with information and quality of interviews. Yes, there are a lot of unfamiliar faces, actually, most of them are unfamiliar, but they are guys that have studied the subject with many, more importantly, having lived it. There are interviews, new and archival, with members of Elixir, Diamond Head, Metallica, Laaz Rockit, as well as other notable personalities, such as a photographer that followed Metallica all through their early years and the author of a Metallica biography.

With the style out of the way, an important part to be certain, but it is not the number one reason to check something like this out, there is the matter of the content. This is where it is important to remember my lack of historical knowledge, as I have to, more or less, accept what I am being fed. In the end, I have to say that the information given here is quite good, offering plenty of historical perspective and logic.

When I sat down to watch this, I was expecting a film that was focused purely on Metallica. I am sure that many of you are expecting the same thing. For those of you who wanted that, I am sorry to have to deliver disappointment, for those of you who did not want that, fear no longer. This is more than an origins of Metallica story. It is more an interesting look at how thrash emerged from the blending of punk and metal, pioneered by bands like Motorhead and Venom, taking cues laid out by the genre's forefathers (who are definitely not thrash) in the form of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin. It looks into this new scene and how it grew organically through tape trading and word of mouth, this is where Metallica comes in.

Metallica took the scene by force, and it is their popularity following the release of Kill'em All that helped push thrash metal to the next level, the national stage. This documentary doesn't try to convince you that Metallica created thrash, I am not sure that argument could successfully be made. Instead, Aural Amphetamine focuses on the importance of Metallica, while the scene was growing, it was the national success of Metallica that helped push thrash forward and open up this style to a new, larger audience.

Audio/Video. Nothing particularly special on either front. The audio is a straight up stereo mix, represents the music well, but is not great by any stretch. The same is true of the video transfer. The full-frame transfer does the job, nothing more, nothing less.

Extras. There is a brief interview with Harald "O", a photographer and musician who photographed the early years of Metallica. There is also a quiz on Metallica that you can take, I did pretty good on it. Finally, there are some text biographies of the participants.

Bottomline. Fans of thrash with an interest in its origins would do well to check this out. It is not the most exciting, but it has plenty of interesting information, some great old footage, and gives insight to the beginnings of a great style of music.

Recommended.

Movie Review: Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show - 30 Days & 30 Nights, Hollywood to the Heartland

Looking for something a little different? Are you tired of romantic comedies that deliver neither, Asian remakes that lose the bit of the original, and spoofs that don't understand the concept of comedy? Do you thirst for something a little different, something other than the latest product of the Hollywood hype machine? Well, perhaps this Vince Vaughn vanity project is the film for you. Or maybe not. However you want to look at it, Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show is different from the rest of the offerings that are currently in wide, or near-wide, release. It is not a slickly produced studio backed journey, rather it is more akin to a frat boy road trip of self-discovery and laughs. It is a project whose theatrical aspirations are questionable, but whose entertainment value is plainly apparent.

The film has had very little in the way of promotion, at least that I have witnessed. This lack of promotion was probably a large contributing factor to the extraordinarily small audience on opening night (at the start of the show, I was one of three people in attendance). Not the smallest opening night "crowd" I have witnessed, that would be DOA: Dead or Alive where I was one of two. Still, this does not bode well for any long-term success. Vince will likely have to be content with better potential on the DVD circuit, where it will probably be in a very short time.

What the Wild West Comedy Show delivers and what I expected turned out to be quite different. I did not know all that much, aside from what was shown in the trailers, and what I was expecting was, more or less, a clip show of the concert tour that spotlighted the bigger jokes and guest stars. Yes, that was delivered, but it was more than that. Surprisingly, it was that "more" that made the movie simultaneously more watchable and a bit slower. I hesitate to say it transcends what is generally thought of as the comedy concert movie, but it does offer more insight than I would have expected, while not attempting to be too deep or revelatory. After all, this is about a bunch of comedians on the road, if it's not funny, what's the point?

The footage was taken back in September 2005 when the tour was going down. Vince Vaughn decided to do something inspired by his love of the traveling wild west variety shows of old. Of course, with his comedy background, it was modified to be more of a stand-up revue than a recreation of the variety show. Along the way we get to learn a little about what makes those involved tick, as well as how tough it is to put on a show like this.

It all started with Vaughn, after deciding to do this, picked four comedians currently working th clubs of Hollywood, stuck them all in a van together and head out on the road. For 30 days they put on shows, with the occasional special guest, for people around the country. Besides making thousands of people laugh, they had the opportunity to hone their skills and see what worked and what didn't, thereby improving their craft.

The four featured comedians are Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, and Sebastian Manascalco. All four of them were very funny, although the standouts for me were Caparulo and Ahmed. Those two really stood out as being the funniest and most talented of the quartet. Don't get me wrong, the other guys were funny too, but you know what I am talking about. Given more than one, you will always gravitate to one more than the other. It's natural, and it does not necessarily mean you think less of the others. It's all about preference.

The movie contains generous doses of each of their sets offering plenty to laugh at. Ahmed's comedy was sprinkled with references to his ethnicity (Egyptian), and is just really funny. Caparulo has this vulgar kid sensibility, an innocence that makes his style work. Ernst has a frat boy charm to him as he acts out his comedy, while Manascalco is a tried and true guido who embraces what he is. All of them display a good amount of talent while also recognizing areas that need a little work. The trouble areas are magnified by doing so many shows to widely varied crowds in a short period of time. It is interesting to watch as they have to rework their bits before/after shows, and sometimes live in the middle of a set.

Besides watching the comedians work, it is interesting to watch them between stops, and particularly in the aftermath of Katrina. We get to see them personally invite evacuees to a show and how they made a few stops benefit shows to help the effort. Some of it was funny, some of it personal, but all worth seeing.

On top of the comedians, there were a few special guests that made appearances. These stars include Justin Long, Jon Favreau, and Dwight Yoakam. Not to mention one of the producers, who makes plenty of appearances in the movie, is Peter Billingsley, better known for his starring role in A Christmas Story.

Despite all that I enjoyed, this is not a perfect film. There are moments where it starts to drag, but they fortunately do not last all that long. I also would have liked more of the comedy. I suspect that there will be a bunch more footage on the DVD release.

Bottomline. If you like comedy and documentaries, this may be worth checking out. Whether or not it really deserved the big screen treatment over, say, an HBO special is debatable. Still I am not disappointed for having seen it and would watch it again. Definitely worth watching.

Recommended.

Movie Review: Sicko

I cannot claim to be a big fan of Michael Moore, not can I claim any great knowledge of the subjects he goes after. Not to say I am completely ignorant, but let us just say that it is not my strong suit. If nothing else, Moore makes entertaining pieces of docu-propaganda that work well as conversation starters. Wonderful conversation starters filled with personality, humor, and a vigor not found in many documentaries. There are very few documentary filmmakers that can open a film in a wide theatrical release, and Moore is at the top of the pile. Sicko is an affecting film that covers much of what is common knowledge (that being our healthcare system is seriously broken) and delivers it in an entertaining, if at times depressing, manner that is eminently watchable, if not quite as deep as it could have possibly been. Again, film as conversation starter.

The film was garnering attention very early in its process. I recall, not exactly when, that healthcare companies were sending memos to employees warning them that Michael Moore may be coming around to ask questions, and urging them not to speak with him should he make an appearance. Moore and Sicko were once again in the news earlier this year when the US government was investigating him for breaking the trade embargo with relation to his trip to Cuba with rescue workers from Ground Zero that were not receiving the care they required. The stories went on to say how Moore had taken the original negatives and were storing them at locations where they would be safe from being seized by the government. Lastly, there was the posting of the entire film on YouTube, and its subsequent removal. All of this adds up to free publicity and spin fodder for Moore to use in the films promotion.

Michael Moore takes aim at the US healthcare system, how damaged it is, some of the reasons why that came to be, as well as showcasing the successes of the universal systems in four other countries (Canada, England, France, and Cuba). Besides all of the horror stories that Moore has picked to show us of failures of the system that have resulted in tragic death, debt, and other effects on the family, it brings up the question: if it works so well for those other countries, why can't it here? Well, the first answer would have to be that the insurance companies wouldn't allow it. The second would be that the lobbyists have Congress in their pocket. Mix and match to your heart's content. Surprisingly, Moore seemed to go rather easy on the government, aside from the pro-Clinton/anti-Bush sentiment (which seemed a bit out of place in this context). Still, the questions are there, and runs deep throughout all of the archival footage, interviews, US horror stories, and foreign fairy tales.

I have learned to take all of Moore's facts with a grain of salt. Sure, there is a ton of truth, but there is also a lot of editorial discretion in how the facts are presented, ensuring that they back his vision. There always seems to be a "this is the truth, just not the whole truth." Fortunately, I do not expect, nor require all sides of the issue to be contained in the work. My main focus is the entertainment factor, the throught provoking factor, does it succeed at the filmmaker's purpose? The answer is yes.

Sicko shows us just how badly the current healthcare system has failed so many, to heartbreaking effect. I am sorry I cannot recall all of their names, but the stories they shared of their personal issues, of loved ones lost, and of those working within the system are enough to bring a tear to your eye. It makes me hope that I never find myself in a similar situation, but with the way the system goes, who knows what the future holds. By the same token, Moore does not really show any of the shortcomings of the foreign universal systems. I am sure that they have their issues, but again, not really the point. The main point is that their systems work worlds better than our own.

Bottomline. This is a very good film. It again shows how well Moore can present material of a rather dry nature, and keep an audience interested for two hours and take them through laughs and tears. Again, I would not dare swallow this as the whole truth, but it is still a movie that will make you think about something you may already know, but give renewed perspective on.

Recommended.

DVD Review: Starbucking

If ever there was a pointless documentary made about an oddly obsessed individual and a quest that does not seem to have any real worth, or an end for that matter, this is it. I have to wonder what possessed this man to make him want to go on this particular journey. This is a a movie that I cannot really make a good argument to watch this movie, but if you happen to start watching it, there is a very good chance that you will not be able to look away. So, if you have ever wanted to know what it was like to drive around the country and drink gallons of coffee, Starbucking is the movie for you.

Starbucking is a document of a man named Winter (yes, just Winter) who has set out to visit each and every Starbuck's coffee shop in the world. It is a quest that has lasted for the past ten years, and has had him visiting well over one thousand of the shops at a clip of 20-30 a day at some point. It plays out like a cross of the charm of Supersize Me and the obsessive-compulsiveness of Grizzly Man, without the doctors and without becoming coffee flavored bear cuisine.

The movie does not go after the evils of corporate expansion, nor is it a study about the value of the food and drink offered by the chain. It is about a man who may, or may not, have some sort of mental issue. It is brought up that he may suffer from OCD, and it is even suggested that he may be bi-polar.

Like I said, this is a movie that is hard to look away from. It does not take you very far into the minds of men, just a charismatic individual who spends most of his camera time hopped up on caffeine. He is a truly odd individual, and is a good example of the effects that caffeine can have on a body in such high quantities. Watch as Winter dances in line, rubs his hands together, gets a caffeine crazed look in his eyes, runs down streets and through traffic, and just jitters his way through the 73 minute documentary. I cannot say that I learned much about Winter, other than that he seems to obsess about this to the level that any type opf relationship he has, or attempts to have suffers in the end. To that end, Starbucking gives you a look inside the life of man that begins and ends with Starbucks coffee, the occasional strip club, and a man who does not seem to have much going for him outside of this quest and the shallow spiritualism that seems to have grown out of his never ending desire to visit all of the shops.

The DVD is presented in the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio of the guerilla documentary. It is shot in whatever light is available, so the source quality is suspect at times, but the transfer is clean and free of any technical issues. The audio is a fine sounding stereo mix. As for extras, seven deleted scenes, and a commentary track with Winter and director Bill Tangeman which is an intriguing extension of the neverending pointlessness of the quest.

Bottomline. This is a strange film, if you start, you will finish, however you will question why you watched it, why he is doing this, and why the movie was made. I cannot recommend that you buy this, but if you happen to Netflix it, you could do worse. Winter is a kind of sad personality, although he will always have a friend at the next Starbucks.

Mildly Recommended.

DVD Review: Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman

Continuing Warner Brothers' media blitz build up to the upcoming release of Superman Returns, comes this documentary from Kevin Burns and Bryan Singer. The documentary is worth it for the sheer fact that Kevin Burns directed it. If you are unfamiliar with the name, he was also in the chair for the excellent Star Wars documentary, Empire of Dreams, that appeared in the box set a few years back.

This film tracks the long and storied history of Superman from his creation in the 1930s, up to Singer's film, and everything in between. This is a very well put together overview of the various changes and incarnations the Man of Steel has appeared in over the 70 years since his creation.

The story begins with the early collaborations leading to the creation of the superhero by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster. It took them a number of attempts before they were able to get the character into the action anthology startup for what would come to be known as DC, Action Comics. The character was a hit and would soon get his own book. As the character grew in popularity, his powers also developed, because he was not nearly as strong as he would become later on. From there we move to the very first screen incarnation, which came in the form of Max Fleisher's cartoon shorts. The animated product gave fans their first look at Superman in action. The animation was as stylish as the stories were simplistic. The 1940s also brought changes to our hero, as he was used in wartime propaganda, and was portrayed as fighting Nazis. This moves into the serials of the early 1950s, a series of theatrical run shorts featuring our hero.

As the 1950's rolled on, we were introduced to George Reeves and the first television series for the boy scout, Adventures of Superman. The series ran for six seasons, before it's cancellation. We move into the 1960s and the ill fated musical. The history continues into the 1970s when Ilya Salkind decided to bring Supes to the bigscreen with director Richard Donner. There is a lot of interesting footage here, including audition footage for those who were not cast. The 1980s brought the reboot with John Byrne, along with the Superboy series. Keep moving forward to the 1990s and you get the romantic side of Superman on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Keep on going and in the new millenium you get a new take on the mythos, focusing on the teenage years of Clark Kent on Smallville. The journey ends with a look at Superman Returns.

Throught the 110 minute feature are interviews with many notable figures. Among those interviewed are Bryan Singer, Richard Donner, Margot Kidder, Noel Neill, Jack Larson, Annette O'Toole, and Dean Cain. This is a fascinating look at Superman, showing a lot of information I didn't know, as well as much that I did, all in an interesting manner.

Audio/Video. The technical presentation of the disk is flawless. It looks and sounds great, but then again, this isn't a full featured film. There is nothing to complain about, it looks great.

Extras. None. However, there is a two disk version also available which contains Bryan Singer's production diaries for Superman Returns.

Bottomline. This is an excellent look into Superman's career, and well worth taking the time oto watch. My only hesitation is the possibility of this material appearing in the massive box set coming in the Fall.

Mildly Recommended.

Movie Review: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

Before getting into the film, I thought I'd give you a little background on my own journey to discovery of the metal realm. I have to admit that I was considerably late getting into music. It was the latter years of the 1980's and my first attraction was the pop metal that was popular at the time, bands like Poison, Warrant, Def Leppard, Europe, Motley Crue, and the like. My childhood best friend, and currently the drummer for Hatebreed, introduced me to the heavier side of metal. He had me listening to Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, WASP, Testament, among others.

DVD Review: The Beatles - from Liverpool to San Francisco

Let me get this out of the way right upfront, if you are looking for Beatles music, look elsewhere. This is not an official Beatles DVD, therefore, no music rights were granted. It's too bad, as the music that is here is rather lame and annoyingly repetitive. However, there is a distinct reason for the Beatles fan to want this, it is filled wall to wall with vintage interview footage. On top of that, the footage is in surprisingly good condition, there are marks and such, but it is better than I had expected.

This disk assembles the footage, and adds some rather lame voice over work to connect the clips, to document their iconic rise to world musical dominance throughout the 1960's. Fortunately, the quality and amount of footage more than makes up for the lack of any real documentary information.

All of the clips are arranged in chronological order and are a mix of interviews with the band, stock footage of them arriving at various points, and interviews with people associated with them or their controversy. I'd give you some details about the footage, but I don't want to spoil your viewing, but I guess giving you a little bit wouldn't hurt.

Some of the footage concerns how much money they are making, this is from early on when they weren't making all that much. There are interviews with Ringo, when he was sick and missed a few weeks on tour. See the controversy surrounding John Lennon's comment that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus, this also includes interviews with teens in the Bible belt and with religious leaders, not to mention the KKK!

Again, this suffers from not having any actual music, and it is not a documentary. The footage is fantastic and any aficionado should want to add this to their collection. I would warn off the casual fan, stick to the music, or find an actual documentary.

Bottomline. Fine archive of rare footage, in excellent shape. It was fun watching the boys back in the day, and seeing some of the craziness that followed them. It is good to have this footage available, much of it has probably not been seen in a long time. Overall, this is a fine set.

Recommended.

Movie Review: Magnificent Desolation - Walking on the Moon 3D

Earlier this year, I had my first experience with an IMAX theater. I had gone and seen Batman Begins and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both of those experiences were amazing experiences, besides both being good movies, seeing them on this enormous screen with such clarity was mind blowing. Ever since then, I wanted to see a film that was made specifically for the IMAX experience. This past week I had that opportunity, as an added bonus, it is IMAX 3D.

The film was Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D. It is a wonderful, but brief exploration of the history that he have with walking on the moon. It pays tribute to the twelve astronauts who have set foot on the faraway landscapes, while contemplating what it means to go there, and what it could possibly be like to think about going there.

The film has a short runtime at less than 45 minutes, so the information that it can impart and the depths to which the information can mine is brief. That is not to say that it isn't informative it is, it just doesn't get as deep as it may have wanted to. We learn that through history there have been many theories as to what the moon was and what it was made of, but it wasn't until we landed there in 1969 that definite answers began to arise.

We learn that the astronauts went through years of training, have to learn how to operate the equipment, plus having to work within an extremely tight schedule. Having only the air you brought with you will definitely have an impact on the amount of time you can spend there and the distance that you can travel from the lander. In the end, the best thing about the movie is that time is given to the names of the brave astronauts who went up there. Most of us only know Neil Armstrong, a few will know the names of Buzz Aldrin or James Irwin. It is a shame, I count myself among the masses who do not know their names.

It is narrated by Tom Hanks, who also filled the Producer's shoes. Hanks has a very personable voice, and very easy way of speaking. His narration is conversational in nature and works well with the pacing. There are also a number of celebrities who lend their voices as stand ins for the astronauts. Celebrities such as Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Bryan Cranston, Scott Glenn, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, and John Travolta.

The thing that I loved the most about Magnificent Desolation was the 3D. It uses the polarized process, not the red/blue shift style with the little paper glasses. I have seen this process before on short attractions at Universal Studios, but never have I experienced anything like this. We really get the feeling that we are there on the moon. Inside the lander, roving the surface, watching the astronauts work in the recreations. Plus the magnificent use of the 3D format. There were other screens that would come into frame and overlay a moonscape or some other background image. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to position the images and get everything to do what it should.

Bottomline. This was an amazing experience. It looks great, it sounds great, and it has spectacular 3D. I salute Tom Hanks and director Mark Cowen for bringing this to the screen. If you have the opportunity to see it, do so.

Recommended.

DVD Review: Eminem - The Complete Story

What's the best way to kick off a documentary about one of the world's hottest rappers? With some canned scratches and beats accompanying a few red carpet clips of other artists praising your subject. What's the next best thing they can do? Bring in a proper British accented woman to narrate the proceedings. Then proceed with talking head style interviews with family(?) members and friends(?) to talk about the past of the subject.

The subject in this case is Eminem. Eminem is an intriguing public persona, his seemingly meteoric rise to fame and fortune, his tumultuous relationship with now ex-wife Kim, not to mention that with his mother. There is also the prosperous relationship with Dr. Dre, and his popularity across the board. If anything, his background is a wealth of interesting tales and adventures. So, this begs the question, why is this so dreadfully dull? I really cannot see a fan of Eminem's sitting down and watching this all the way through.

The majority of the sixty minute runtime is taken up by uninteresting people that are supposedly from Eminem's past. The people who ran rap battles, people who listened to his early tracks, family members who helped raise him, they all parade across the screen never making much of an impression. A few of them tried to be clever, but it was forced and unfunny. Some of the, ahem, anecdotes that they share are so pointless and don't offer any genuine insight into his start, rather they seem to just want to be on camera.

Also mixed in here and there were some old clips of interviews. You don't here the questions, just him talking about whatever, but at least we get a little bit of him. It was better than listening to these nobodies. We may not get the context, but it was refreshing to see him once in awhile.

It just boggles my mind how dull this is. The canned music, the interview subjects, the British narration, nothing here meshed. On top of that, this appears to be another renaming of an older release (See also: Metallica: Out of the Loop, Green Day: Suburbia Bomb, U2: The Complete History), the menu and the documentary display a title of Eminem: Behind the Mask. This is unauthorized, which explains the use of canned music as the real thing wasn't licensed, and also the lack of any original interviews with Eminem.

Do, if you are looking for anything with the Eminem name on it, you'll want this. But, if you are a little more discriminating, you will want to pass this up. It does not offer any insight into the artist, the information is just not terribly interesting. Although, I did like the clip early on of Courtney Love, with a silent Michael Stipe, where she calls Marshall "The first truly post modern artist where if you take away his context and producer, he's a fool, but when you put him with his producer and his corporate sponsorship, he's a genius." Read that again, it sounds as if she is giving him a little dig, a backhanded compliment, if you will. Possibly the only interesting moment, and it comes at less than one minute into the program.

Bottomline. Eminem has had quite a run over the past 7 or 8 years and his life is ripe for the picking if one set out to make an interesting document of his life. This just seems like a slapped together attempt to make some money off of his name. You'd do best to pass this up.

Not Recommended.