Friday, November 30, 2007
Bob Sanders had his cake, and he ate it too
More Bob Sanders facts can be found here...via Stampede Blue.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
"New Frontier" press release and images
BURBANK, CA, (November 27, 2007) - Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new original movie Justice League: The New Frontier on February 26, 2008 on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc, distributed by Warner Home Video. The original movie will also be available OnDemand and Pay-per-View as well as available for download on February 26, 2008.
Based on the graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke and produced by Michael Goguen and animation legend, Bruce Timm, Justice League: The New Frontier is the epic tale of the founding of the Justice League. The animated film, written by Stan Berkowitz, features an incredible celebrity-laden voice cast including David Boreanaz, Brooke Shields, Lucy Lawless, Neil Patrick Harris, Miguel Ferrer, Kyra Sedgwick, Jeremy Sisto and Kyle MacLachlan and will be available on DVD for $19.98 SRP. There will also be a 2 disc Special Edition DVD available for $24.98 SRP which contains additional bonus features including a documentary about the pathology of the super villain and three bonus episodes from the Justice League animated series selected by Bruce Timm. All the content from the 2-disc Special Edition DVD will be available on HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
The New Frontier takes viewers on an action-packed adventure, exploring the origins of the Justice League. DC Comics legends Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are all featured in the film as well as Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and The Flash - as they band together to form the legendary super team. Strangers at first, these very different heroes must overcome fear and suspicion to forge an alliance against a monster so formidable, even the mighty Superman cannot stop it alone. If they fail, the entire planet will be "cleansed" of humanity.
Justice League: The New Frontier DVD will feature incredible extras including: "Super Heroes United!: The Complete Justice League History"- The documentary is a comprehensive forty seven year Justice League chronology from the inception in the comics to vivid animated renditions. The story is told with a myriad of interviews tracing back the early days of DC Super Hero team ups during the Golden Age, to the Silver Age rendition where the established heroes emerged and beyond. Interviews include Paul Levitz (President of DC Comics), Dan Didio (SVP Executive Editor at DC Comics), Michael Uslan (Historian), Gregory Noveck (SVP Creative Affairs DC Comics), Mark Waid (DC Comics Historian and Writer), Mike Friedrich (Writer JLU), Denny O'Neil (Writer and Editor at DC Comics), Mike Carlin (DC Comics Executive Editor), Stan Lee (Marvel Comics Co-Creator) and Marv Wolfman (Writer of Fantastic Four).
"Sneak Peak: Batman: Gotham Knight" - One part anime, one part Caped Crusader, the result is a glimpse at the world of Eastern anime sensibilities combined with a Western tradition of Batman. A detailed look at the world of Warner Bros Animation, and how they joined forces with the renowned Japanese animators to create the highly anticipated anime film of 2008.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Batman...not dead
Apparently DC Comics has come to their senses with regard to killing off Bruce Wayne and making him a New God...while one of the Robins would take over being Batman.
Via Comic Book Resources (by Rich Johnston)
That was another thing...why would you kill off Batman when The Dark Knight is getting released next summer. Bad Timing...simply...bad idea. Thank goodness it is not happing...not that I was losing any sleep over it...yet.
Via Comic Book Resources (by Rich Johnston)
Oh and Dead Batman/Todd Batman/God Bruce Wayne? So not happening. You can still expect a status-challenging new scenario, still expect Alex Ross covers and designs, still expect some intricately complex yet instantly entertaining Morrisonia, just, expect something else. Did Internet reaction affect this? Not one jot it seems. All decisions are taking place at a much higher level, and Warner Bros. have made their feelings known.
That was another thing...why would you kill off Batman when The Dark Knight is getting released next summer. Bad Timing...simply...bad idea. Thank goodness it is not happing...not that I was losing any sleep over it...yet.
Monday, November 26, 2007
"Bee Movie" movie review
We continue our look at films already in the cineplexes. This week it is the animated adventure, Bee Movie. Produced and co-written by Jerry Seinfeld, Bee Movie tells the tale of a young bee, named Barry, who dreams of life outside the hive. Getting his wish, Barry soon learns that humans are abusing bees to get their honey. So what does Barry do? He sues the human race. Lending their voices to the project are Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick and John Goodman.
Andy: Bee Movie is a strange animated feature. It doesn't seem to be committed to targeting children or adults so it ends up reaching neither very well. It is a cartoon about talking bees and it is rated PG, so it seems like a kids movie. But most of the dialogue and plot seem pointed directly at the adults. The result is that the concept of the film, much like the plot, remains disjointed and unclear throughout the duration of the movie.
Ryan: For the most part, Bee Movie is a pretty entertaining animated feature. The movie is not a Pixar classic but it's better than a majority of animated films that get released. I agree with Andy's sentiment that Bee Movie is not a typical animated movie. A movie like Shrek is geared towards kids but contains many allusions that appeal to adults. Bee Movie has a large number of allusions that appeal to adults but unlike Shrek, Bee Movie's narrative is aimed at adults with a story filled with lawsuits and a trial. A great number of kids will like the movie because it looks great but they are not going to get what the movie is about even on the literal level.
Andy: Animated, anthropomorphized, animal, adventure movies often have an underlying message that allows the movie to be read as an allegory or at the very least an extended metaphor. Reading Bee Movie in this way leads to questionable conclusions. The bees discover that the dominant culture (humans) is taking their product (honey) with little or no compensation. After an attempt to rectify this injustice is made, the entire ecosystem begins to fall apart, and the bees realize that they were happier when they were making honey for the humans. So the lesson here is its okay for a dominant culture to exploit an entire class of workers because that is the natural order of things. In fact, that's what the workers want.
Ryan: The biggest problem with the film's conclusion is how unclear it is. Because of that one could make case for Andy's argument in terms of the film's message. I don't 100% agree with his argument but I do see how one could think that. One could read the film's resolution that has Barry (the bee) and Vanessa (the human florist) in business together as a harmonious balance between bee and human. Whether one thinks that or not, ultimately the loose ends of the plot are not clearly spelled out. Because of that, the movie ends on a choppy note.
Andy: Bee Movie was uneven, disjointed, and had a plot that was not particularly enjoyable to watch. However, there were several moments in the movie that were brilliant, laugh-out-loud funny on the scale of Seinfeld's best television shows. So in spite of its shortcomings elsewhere, Bee Movie is funny enough that it ends up being a pretty decent movie.
Ryan: With Seinfeld's involvement, it is no surprise that Bee Movie has quite a few funny moments. I found myself laughing quite a bit-- more so than with most animated features. The movie is quite heavy with it's dialogue and while I found that enjoyable I don't think many young kids will. Also enhancing the film is the voice work especially that of Zellweger's. In this case she seems to be really into the voice work and does a stupendous job with it.
Bee Movie is not the most consistent animated feature but it is a charming film for both kids and adults. Final grade: B-.
Andy: Bee Movie is a strange animated feature. It doesn't seem to be committed to targeting children or adults so it ends up reaching neither very well. It is a cartoon about talking bees and it is rated PG, so it seems like a kids movie. But most of the dialogue and plot seem pointed directly at the adults. The result is that the concept of the film, much like the plot, remains disjointed and unclear throughout the duration of the movie.
Ryan: For the most part, Bee Movie is a pretty entertaining animated feature. The movie is not a Pixar classic but it's better than a majority of animated films that get released. I agree with Andy's sentiment that Bee Movie is not a typical animated movie. A movie like Shrek is geared towards kids but contains many allusions that appeal to adults. Bee Movie has a large number of allusions that appeal to adults but unlike Shrek, Bee Movie's narrative is aimed at adults with a story filled with lawsuits and a trial. A great number of kids will like the movie because it looks great but they are not going to get what the movie is about even on the literal level.
Andy: Animated, anthropomorphized, animal, adventure movies often have an underlying message that allows the movie to be read as an allegory or at the very least an extended metaphor. Reading Bee Movie in this way leads to questionable conclusions. The bees discover that the dominant culture (humans) is taking their product (honey) with little or no compensation. After an attempt to rectify this injustice is made, the entire ecosystem begins to fall apart, and the bees realize that they were happier when they were making honey for the humans. So the lesson here is its okay for a dominant culture to exploit an entire class of workers because that is the natural order of things. In fact, that's what the workers want.
Ryan: The biggest problem with the film's conclusion is how unclear it is. Because of that one could make case for Andy's argument in terms of the film's message. I don't 100% agree with his argument but I do see how one could think that. One could read the film's resolution that has Barry (the bee) and Vanessa (the human florist) in business together as a harmonious balance between bee and human. Whether one thinks that or not, ultimately the loose ends of the plot are not clearly spelled out. Because of that, the movie ends on a choppy note.
Andy: Bee Movie was uneven, disjointed, and had a plot that was not particularly enjoyable to watch. However, there were several moments in the movie that were brilliant, laugh-out-loud funny on the scale of Seinfeld's best television shows. So in spite of its shortcomings elsewhere, Bee Movie is funny enough that it ends up being a pretty decent movie.
Ryan: With Seinfeld's involvement, it is no surprise that Bee Movie has quite a few funny moments. I found myself laughing quite a bit-- more so than with most animated features. The movie is quite heavy with it's dialogue and while I found that enjoyable I don't think many young kids will. Also enhancing the film is the voice work especially that of Zellweger's. In this case she seems to be really into the voice work and does a stupendous job with it.
Bee Movie is not the most consistent animated feature but it is a charming film for both kids and adults. Final grade: B-.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
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