Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Written by Pirata Hermosa

With the crumbling economy, millions of people out of work, rampant looting and martial law instated in every city across the nation, the citizens of the United States do the unthinkable. They vote in Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown) as President.

While the country makes a remarkable recovery under his watch and superheroes who once fought against him are lining up to work for him, there’s still a couple who just aren’t buying his new-and-improved image. And when Lex’s biggest rival, Superman (Tim Daly), won’t bow down to him and take orders, he frames the Man of Steel for the murder of Metallo (John C. McGinley) and places a $1 billion bounty on his head.

Even though Superman has every superhero and every super-villain chasing him in order to collect the reward, he still has the Dark Knight (Kevin Conroy) watching his back. Together the two must fight to stay alive and prove that Lex was behind the murder. But while the heroes are being hunted, Lex has to deal with a giant meteorite made of Kryptonite that is threatening to destroy the entire planet.

The plot seems to really be stretching for a reason to put Batman and Superman together and also to fulfill every comic book fan’s wet dreams. Not only do they get to see them work as a team, but then they get to watch them take on anyone and everyone. That includes the Justice League and the Legion of Doom.

While the storyline is certainly more adult than you might expect, the death of Metallo is somewhat jarring and has some unexpected results. When the death of an actual super being occurs, the question of how much power does everyone really have starts to wander into the viewer’s mind. The murderer easily kills Metallo, yet Superman couldn’t even dent him. Then when that same murderer confronts Superman, Superman isn’t really hurt. Once the mind starts wandering like that, the entire illusion begins to fall apart. How many times can Batman, who is a normal human, be beat up, thrown around, and have his ass kicked and still be able to walk away without a scratch? And why does a small amount of Kryptonite affect Superman so much from afar, but yet a Kryptonite bullet next to his heart doesn’t seem to be that much more difficult for him to withstand. Granted it is a comic book, and you’re always going to need that willing suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy it.

The first DVD includes the 67-minute long film, and several features for upcoming and previously released DC Universe films: Wonder Woman - The Amazon Princess, Justice League - The New Frontier, and Green Lantern - First Flight. The disc also includes a look at the latest DC Comics’ event, “Blackest Night.”

The second DVD is entirely filled with features.

“A Test of Minds” – A critical look into the psyches of Superman and Batman and how their pasts have made them so different from one another but has made them both into heroes.

“Dinner with DC Universe and Special Guest Kevin Conroy” – Executive producer Bruce Timm, voice/casting director Andrea Romano, SVP of Creative Affairs Gregory Noveck, and long-time voice of Batman Kevin Conroy sit around a dining table and discuss how they came about creating the films and television shows that they’ve each been associated with.

First Look at Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths – The next movie in the DC Universe scheduled for release will pit the Justice League against their evil counterparts from a parallel universe, known as the Syndicate.

Bruce Timm’s picks from Superman: The Animated Series – “The Demon Reborn,” and “Knight Time.”

Overall, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is a fun film to watch. Not only is it cool to watch the duo stand up to just about everyone, but it’s also just as enjoyable to see them work as a team and how they truly are friends.

The Wizard of Oz - 70th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition (1939)

Written by Musgo del Jefe

It's intimidating to sit down to write a review of The Wizard Of Oz. I put it right up there with reviewing The Beatles or Huck Finn. What do you say that hasn't already been said? How do you find an angle on something in its seventh decade? For full disclosure, I have to admit that this movie has been in my Top 5 films ever since I was probably five- or six-years-old. Movies have come and gone and this film has never wavered. When we got a VCR, it was the first film I taped off of TV and watched and rewatched. When it was released on VHS, I had the deluxe edition. And back again for another version for the 50th Anniversary. In 1999, I was put my money down for a bare bones DVD version for the 60th Anniversary. Just back in 2005, I purchased the three-disc Collector's Edition on DVD. Now, Warner Bros. has gone into full Oz-mode again for the 70th Anniversary of the film.

First, the film. This is not the film that I watched year after year on CBS in my youth. The print is vibrant and living. If you haven't seen the film in years or only on television, then you haven't seen this film. There isn't a better Technicolor film out there. Simply put, this film uses color as a character. The Sepia portion of the film is so well shot and the story is so captivating, that you are lulled to sleep almost by the soft browns and whites. Once the film turns to Technicolor, the primary colors warm over all your senses. The brilliance of the Yellow Brick Road, the poppies and the Emerald City are just a few of the colors that strike you upon viewing this restored feature.

Does the story of Dorothy Gale from Kansas still stand up today? After 70 years, it's a fair question. The movie unfolds at a relatively slow pace compared to many films of today. There are plenty of songs and plot development before you ever see your first Munchkin or dead witch. But the plot never talks down to the viewer. The story of a young, misunderstood girl looking for an escape from her everyday life is one that still plays well today. I always found that the distinct beats in the story were almost planned to play on television, although the movie was made almost 20 years before it would become an annual fixture on TV. Every 15-20 minutes, there's a natural breathing point, whether when a tornado hits the house or after meeting a new character. There's an ebb and flow to the story that many screenwriters could take a clue from today. Think of the juxtaposition of the relief of finding Emerald City and the surprise tension of the witch spelling out "Surrender Dorothy" in the sky above the city. There's still plenty to enjoy about this film today.

The basic two-disc release for the 70th Anniversary is notable really only because it is the first version available on Blu-Ray. Other than that, I'm more fond of the 2005 release with its Wicked Witch Of The West packaging. There really isn't a significant difference between the two versions. The extras that have been collected around this film range from specials that appeal to even the most casual fan like "Memories Of Oz" to ones like "Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration Of Oz" for those that are concerned that a stereo track isn't being faithful to the original mono soundtrack (my favorite trivia of that special - it took 91 hours to restore the first 10 minutes of the film).

There is a four-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition that is probably more to my speed and contains new material for the uber-fans. The Ultimate edition contains a documentary on the overlooked director, Victor Fleming, a special on the surviving Munchkins, a great AMC special MGM: When The Lion Roars, and even a made-for-TV film, The Dreamer Of Oz about the author L. Frank Baum. As I collect more editions of the Disney animated films, The Planet Of The Apes series, the Universal Monster films and the original Star Wars trilogy, the extras become more important to me. I appreciate that Warner Bros. hasn't really left anything from previous editions out of this collection. But I'm not sure that it feels like they've added anything significant for this anniversary release.

Feeling overwhelmed by hours and hours of extras? Start with the commentary by John Fricke. He is a true Oz historian and I've been hearing his Wizard Of Oz commentaries since the first LaserDisc release of the film. His commentary contains a good combination of historical perspective with trivial tidbits and it's mixed with archival interviews with the film's cast and crew. The other fun extra is the 1990's documentary, "The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz: The Making Of A Movie Classic". This is hosted by Angela Lansbury and provides a loving tribute to the film and plays even more to its cultural significance than the nuts and bolts of the commentary.

I am still paralyzed to write about this film. From the very first roar of the MGM lion, I'm a kid again when this film comes on. And it's not in the "I remember watching this when I was nine" type of way. It's the magic of The Wizard Of Oz that makes now feel like then. Only a handful of films can do that. This DVD release for the 70th Anniversary won't be the last. And it may not even be the best. But every household needs a copy of the film and maybe this one is yours. The Wizard Of Oz is the reason I keep coming back to films, the reason I'm raising my children to love film.

I think they couldn't have put it better than they do in the dedication of the film:

For nearly forty years this story has given faithful service to the Young In Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion. To those of you who have been faithful to it in return . . . and to the Young In Heart we dedicate this picture.

If that is you. This is your film. And I'll meet you further down the Yellow Brick Road.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

This review really starts over 30 years ago. On a cold, wet Friday night in the mid-'70s, ABC reaired their 1973 made-for-TV horror film entitled Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark. LIttle Musgo had yet to see Jaws and he was years away from The Exorcist. Little Musgo had only been exposed to the Universal Horror films like Dracula and Frankenstein on his parent's newly acquired cable television. This movie telecast freaked out little Musgo to no end - he would have his grandparent's change the channel each commercial break, vowing never to watch it again. But before each set of ads were done, he'd be back on the channel until its terrifying conclusion.

I've blamed lots of sources for my continued interest in horror films and literature. Certainly my completely random and default purchase of two Stephen King paperbacks The Shining and The Stand at the Little Professor Bookshop in Southland Mall on an expiring gift certificate were partially to blame. So too was the continuous airing of Universal Horror films on Ch. 41 out of Battle Creek every Friday night. But this particular film also stands tall.

For years, I never forgot the film and I scoured video shelves to prove that it wasn't part of my imagination - this film was truly scary. The longer I couldn't find it, the more obsessed I became with it. The movie became kind of a Holy Grail of my video searches. I knew it was out there and in the days before eBay, Amazon and BitTorrents - I would find a listing for a 16mm version of the film or an elusive European VHS release. It wasn't until the late '90s that I obtained a tape of one of the TV airings complete with commercials. At that time, it was amazing how clear my memory of the movie was 20 years after its release.

Now, thanks to the wonderful folks at The Warner Brothers Archive Collection, the movie is available to order online only. I knew this day was not too far away when I first read word of a remake being produced by Guillermo del Toro and starring Katie Holmes. And timing it to be available to a whole new couple of generations in time for Halloween is just good business.

Seeing the film for the first time in almost a decade, and finally seeing it in pristine shape - I wondered how critically I could view the film or if I'd still be a seven-year-old in my grandfather's chair watching the show. I'm happy to say that the film holds up pretty well.

The pedigree of the film isn't promising but respectable. The film is directed by longtime TV episodic director John Newland and stars Kim Darby as Sally. Kim is best known for her debut role in John Wayne's True Grit and my generation may best remember her as John Cusack's mother from Better Off Dead. Sally's husband is played by Jim Hutton who's probably best known as Timothy Hutton's father. The only other main character in the film is William Demarest as Mr. Harris, the fix-it man. William is best known to the world as Uncle Charley from My Three Sons.

The film succeeds because it understands how to tell a good horror story on a budget and it doesn't try to become something it isn't. The plot is simple - young couple moves into old family house after wife's grandmother passes away. While redecorating the house, Sally insists on opening a bricked-off fireplace against Mr. Harris' warnings. Eventually she starts hearing voices and seeing figures in the dark. Sally is slowly driven to a nervous breakdown by these figures while husband Alex doubts her stories. By the time Alex finds the real reason why the fireplace was bricked up, it might be too late.

The film brought to mind a couple of influences. The first is Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story The Yellow Wallpaper. This 1892 story about a woman descending into madness is also read as a woman's struggle against an oppressive marriage. The relationship between Sally and her husband, Alex is strained at best. He's an up-and-coming professional and spends more and more time away from the house. He continues through the film to deny her stories and blame them on external causes or her mental state. This frustration of hers really helps ratchet up the tension as she continues to breakdown. That same scenario of a young woman unsure of her surroundings and unable to convince the people around her that something is wrong is a major theme of Rosemary's Baby from 1967.

The low budget did not stop the director and crew from putting together a great package that suits the film. A majority of the film takes place in the dark. There are very few daylight or well-lit scenes. When they are lit, the film stock looks like old pictures I have in photo albums from 1973. But in the dark, a lot is left for the viewer to just hear. The sound design is wonderful. The score is worthy of a much larger film and the design of the whispers that Sally hears in the dark is about the creepiest thing about the film. The little monsters are always hidden in shadow or only viewed in very short glimpses as they run away from light. It's a very effective technique that keeps the viewer guessing and making a much scarier monster in their head than is on screen.

The made-for-television format isn't kind to films. As a director, you either make a 75-minute film that feels like it loses momentum every 15 minutes or you cater your story to the end of an emotional beat every 15 minutes. In particular, one of the most effective made-for-television films of all-time is Steven Spielberg's Duel because he understands how to use the breaks to his advantage. Instead of having to fill a few minutes with dialog to build suspense, he uses the advertisements to let little seven-year-olds twist the dial and eventually come back for more. This DVD version of the film is only lacking in that you don't have to wait for the commercials between scenes.

Does it hold up? Yeah, for the most part. It's a fun exercise in how you tell a scary story on a small budget. We're jaded consumers now and expect bigger bangs and explosions. This film tells its story in brevity and with imagination. The story is simple but has some much larger undertones when viewed through the modern eye. I'm glad that the people at Warner Brothers Archive Collection brought this back for me to share with my friends. Because the minute the lights go off in the house during the stormy night, I know it's coming but for a split second I'm seven all over again and very few movies can claim to do that.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Complete Second Season

Written by Pirata Hermosa

The second and also the last season of the television show based on the Terminator films is out on DVD and Blu-ray. While season one consisted of only nine episodes, season two is a full 22 episodes.

Set between the second and third Terminator films, this series focuses on Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) and her son, John (Thomas Dekker). The two are on the run from the terminators that have been sent back to stop John from becoming the leader of the revolution he will one day command.

But thinking ahead once again, John sent back in time another terminator to protect his younger self. This time it’s a beautiful young girl named, Cameron (Summer Glau). And along with the machine, his uncle Derek (Brian Austin Green) has also come from the future to keep an eye on him.

Under the leadership or Sarah, the four turn their attentions to more than just simple survival. They are going to try and stop the future from occurring. They are going to find The Turk, which will one day evolve into the super-genius A.I. that tries to destroy all the humans: Skynet.

At the end of the first season they managed to find The Turk, but the owners want it back and booby trap their jeep. When Cameron gets in to start it, the jeep explodes and the men go after Sarah and John. Since Cameron is virtually indestructible, she escapes the burning wreckage and rushes to John. At this point, her programming has been damaged and she reverts to her old mission of terminating John Conner.

While there are a couple of self-contained episodes, the series is mostly serialized and it’s important to follow in sequential order. There are also a lot of different plot elements with plenty of twists and turns, but unfortunately a lot of unanswered questions by the end of the season. What is John and Cameron’s relationship in the future? Catherine Weaver (Shirley Manson) is a T-1000, but is she good or bad? Will Sarah ever get cancer or has she found a way to avoid it? Finally, how is John going to get back home? With the cancellation of the series they will probably never be answered.

There are a lot of extra features on the Blu-ray and are all shot in High Definition.

Exclusive on Blu-ray: “Collision with the Future: Deconstructing the Hunter Killer Attack” - From production to final product the viewer can change viewpoints between four different perspectives during an action scene in the season finale. While watching one, the other three are also on the screen set in small boxes that allow you to switch between them by either highlighting the box or pushes the multi-colored buttons on your remote. If the switches were done smoothly it would be worthwhile, but there’s a couple seconds hesitation between them, and since the commentary over the top is also different, it can get quite confusing when switching around a lot.

Commentaries on four key episodes by executive producer Josh Friedman and Cast/Crew: “Samson and Delilah” “Allison From Palmdale” “Adam Raised a Cain” and “Born to Run.”

“The Continuing Chronicles” - This is one giant documentary on how the season was shot, broken into eight different categories. Each one is interesting, but they run a little too long.

“Terminated Scenes: Unaired Moments” – were cut from the televised episodes and are scattered throughout the five-disc set.

“The Storyboard Process: Cameron Goes Bad Illustrates How Key Sequences are Mapped” – Using a scene from the first episode of the season, you get an in-depth look at how John stops Cameron from killing him and manages to overwrite her programming.

“Cameron VS. Rosie Fight Rehearsal” – This feature shows everything from storyboard to rehearsals to final cut showing you all the steps in the creation of this scene.

Gag Reel - Standard gag reel filled with lots of interruptions such as overhead planes and props failing to function properly.

The Blu-ray offers 1080p High Definition 16x9 with a 1.78:1 ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1. The quality of the picture is crystal clear and looks more like feature film quality as opposed to the often grainy and washed appearance that you get on standard network television. The sound quality is better as well from the gun shots that come from every direction, to the eerie sounds of the machines and the background music that helps set the mood.

It’s a shame that the show was cancelled after this season. The stories are well written and there is plenty of action and excitement in every episode. The characters are fully fleshed out and the acting is superb.

While the last two Terminator films have been a disappointment, the television series is as good as the first two and makes a great addition to the overall mythology and to any fan’s collection.

Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana

Written by Pirata Hermosa

While the name leads you to expect a massive crossover between three popular Disney Channel shows, The Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck, and Hannah Montana, it’s actually an episode of all three shows shot aboard the S.S. Tipton and glued together using the cast of The Suite Life.

Any of the three segments could be watched as a stand-alone episode, but it’s a little disappointing that there’s not more cohesion. There are no cast members from Hannah Montana in the first segment and no cast members from Wizards in the last. And even during the middle part you never get all three casts on the screen at the same time.

“Castaway (To Another Show)” – Justin (David Henrie) wins an essay-writing contest and as his prize all family members under 18 receive passage on the “S.S. Tipton Teen Cruise to Hawaii” and a photo-op with debutante London Tipton (Brenda Song). While Justin tries to impress London by pretending he’s a doctor, his siblings have their own agendas. Younger brother Max (Jake T. Austin) is trying to beat Zack (Dylan Sprouse) at every contest imaginable to prove who can be the biggest troublemaker. Alex (Selena Gomez), who only got on board because she promised her parents that she would do summer school on the ship, magically teleports her best friend Harper (Jennifer Stone) on board to take her science classes for her while she parties.

“Double Crossed” – After Cody (Cole Sprouse) tells Bailey (Debby Ryan) he personally knows Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus), she says that if he can get tickets to the concert she will love him forever. That leaves Cody scrambling to get tickets and sends him off trying to win the cruise’s scavenger hunt, which is offering two tickets to the concert for the winner. Hannah and her best friend Lilly (Emily Osment) find themselves trapped in their cabins as throngs of adoring fans block their exit and enjoyment of the cruise. Meanwhile, Alex pulls a prank on her older brother by putting blue dye in the hot tub, and both Justin and cruise director Mr. Moseby (Phill Lewis) try to prove whether the prankster is Alex or Zack.

“Super(Stitious) Girl” – When Hannah loses her mother’s lucky anklet, the young pop star is suddenly struck with a streak of bad luck. She completely tanks her rehearsal, she loses her blonde Hannah wig, and she ends up dying her hair green. While Lilly helps her tear the ship apart looking for the anklet, her father Robbie (Billy Ray Cyrus) is seasick and in bed, and her brother, Jackson (Jason Earles) and friend Oliver (Mitchel Musso) are living it up big back home since they have the entire place to themselves.

There are not very many bonus features on the DVD and the two that are, are rather short.

“Justin’s Award-Winning Essay” – Justin Russo gives a how-to demonstration on writing an essay using his siblings as examples of what not to do.

“Backstage Disney: It’s A Suite Life Having Fun with Hannah and The Wizards” – The actors discuss what it’s like to work with one another and be out of their element on a new set. It’s interspersed with the shows bloopers and blunders.

If you enjoy these three shows, then you’ll probably like the DVD as they stay pretty close to their individual formulas, but it’s interesting to see how some of the characters interact in a new setting and especially entertaining is when Alex gets stuck in Zack’s bedroom while Mr. Moseby questions him about the blue dye he found outside his room. The only thing missing is a little more interaction between the different casts. The writers also missed a big opportunity by not having Hannah and Alex meet, since Hannah’s pop rival, Mikayla, is also played by Selena Gomez.

JONAS, Volume 1 - Rockin' the House

Written by Pirata Hermosa

This is the newest show to come to the Disney’s Sunday night lineup starring the Jonas brothers: Kevin, Nick, and Jo. Not only are they high school students, but they are also members of the world’s biggest pop band, JONAS. Trying to give them as normal a life as possible, their parents send them to private school where the kids are used to their celebrity. Well, everyone except Macy Misa (Nicole Anderson) who is not only the president of the JONAS fan club, but ends up turning to mush every time she interacts with any of them.

Stella (Chelsea Staub) is Macy’s best friend, and has known the brothers all of her life. She is not only their fashion advisor, but is Jo’s best friend and the two have a not-so-well-hidden affection for one another. An affection that neither one is willing to act upon in case it should end up destroying their friendship.

Their Father (John Ducey) is their manager and is always looking for the newest JONAS product for the boys to endorse, while their eight-year-old brother Frankie (Frankie Jonas) is always trying to find some way to be part of the band and get some attention of his own.

The DVD contains five episodes from the first season, plus bonus features.

“Groovy Movies” – After finding out that they forgot their mother’s birthday, the boys decide to record all the family’s home videos onto DVDs. Everything that can go wrong does, and they end up destroying the tapes. Knowing that they can’t fix the problem, they decide to reenact and record all the old memories in a new way.

“Wrong Song” – When Nick falls too hard and too fast over a girl at school, he does what every young rock star does: he writes a song for her. Unfortunately, she thinks he wrote it for her to perform and dedicates the song to her boyfriend. Stella and Macy work on developing breakaway clothing (Stellcro) for the band so that when fans tear at the clothes the entire outfit isn’t ruined.

“Pizza Girl” – Picarillo’s is the worst pizza in town, but they have the prettiest pizza delivery girl. After spending $500 on pizzas, dad is forced to put down the law, forcing the brothers to go against the “Sacred Book of Jonas Law,” and compete against one another for her affections.

“Band’s Best Friend” – Jo’s best friend from elementary school comes for a visit, but he’s not the same person they remember. He’s gone rock-star crazy and needs to be shown what the rock-star lifestyle is really like. At the same time, Stella and Macy fight over a $50 potato chip Macy bought because it looked like Jo. The problem is that she paid for it using the money that she borrowed from her friend.

“Chasing the Dream” – Just before the president of the record company comes over to hear some of the new tracks the boys have been working on, they find out that their background singer is sick. So without thinking and not knowing she sounds like a wounded manatee Kevin invites Macy to sing on their songs. Now they have to find a way to hide her voice, while at the same time not hurt her feelings.

Bonus Features - Two previously unreleased episodes:

“Beauty and the Beat” - The three brothers accept an invitation to be the celebrity judges at the “Miss Most Amazing Teen Competition.” While Stella looks down on the pageant as a bunch of bumbling airheads on parade, she finds herself joining the contest after the guys say that they don’t think she’s pageant material.

“Cold Shoulder” - While on a world tour, Kevin falls for the Scandinavian fan club president. When she transfers to his school he is ecstatic that finally he has someone to share his unique perspective on life. But when she finds herself not fitting in and the other students laughing at her, she gets Stella to help her become a typical American girl.

“You’ve Just Been Jo Bro’d!: Surprising Chelsea Staub” - The Jonas brothers play a prank on co-star Chelsea Staub. While preparing for a photo shoot, the boys have another actor come in to harass Chelsea and pretend to be the prop master. The entire setup takes too long and unfortunately, he really doesn’t do anything that funny or interesting.

There’s also a Jonas trading card that could possibly be autographed by Nick.

Whether you are a fan of their music or anything else they’ve done up to this point, JONAS is the most entertaining of the Disney channel shows. The closest thing that it can be compared to is The Monkees television show, which aired from1966 to 1968. There’s plenty of slapstick, and running gags throughout each episode. They might speak directly to the camera, random props can appear in their hands, or they could break into the middle of a music video. You never know just what to expect next. It’s nice to see a television show that can be really funny and still remain family friendly.

Book of Jonas:

THE INFORMANT!

Written by Hombre Divertido

There are many red flags associated with The Informant! before one even walks into the theater. The advertising has been excessive, and the commercials show little other than lead character Marc Whitacre (Matt Damon) acting foolish. One might conclude that this is a one-joke pony. Not to worry. This pony dies long before the joke ever arrives.

Director Steven Soderbergh and writer Scott Z. Burns have taken what should have been an interesting story to tell, filled it with cartoon characters, and given them little to do.

Marc Whitacre is an executive at an agricultural corporation who turns informant for the FBI when his company becomes involved in price fixing. Whitacre is inept in his new role, but not enough to generate any real laughter other than which had already been seen in commercials, and those moments don’t come along until well into this 108-minute film that seems much longer.

Damon seems to be trying anything and everything to give life to his character, but the depth to Marc Whitacre develops far too late into the film, and ends up leaving the audience wondering what it would have been like had the powers that be chosen to tell us the story of Marc Whitacre trying to deal with his issues. Instead the audience is left to feel like they have just seen people making fun of what should have been an incredibly interesting story.

The music by legendary composer Marvin Hamlisch also seems to be working too hard to add a lighthearted element to a story that shouldn’t be, and many of the songs have an Austin Powers feel to them.

Near the end of the film Whitacre is heard to say to his interrogators: “I’m sorry. I feel real bad” and it seems as if Damon is talking to the audience.

Recommendation: Subtle does not have to mean boring. This lackluster film cries for a sequel as the story that should pickup where this one leaves off has the potential to delve deeply into a character that we wasted well over an hour in The Informant! before we actually started to get to know him.

The red flags should be heeded here, as what is advertised as a comedy, is an overly forced tale that had potential to be a story with depth had the producers, writers, and directors given it the respect it deserves.

For a more satisfying character study, try Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt or Nicholas Cage in The Weatherman. Both are vastly more entertaining than The Informant!

The Our Gang Collection

Written by Musgo del Jefe

Little Musgo came to Our Gang the way most of his Gen X generation did - through The Little Rascals on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the '70s. To add to my confusion, much of the same cast appeared in similar shorts under the name, Our Gang. I was a huge fan of these kids and my friends and I knew them all by first name - quite a feat for shorts that were 40-50 years old by the time we saw them. It was only later in life as I tried to collect these fond memories on video did I discover some of the long twisted history of this series.

Hal Roach started the series in 1922 as a collection of silent shorts. Sound was added to the series in 1929. Some of the early cast of children included Sunshine Sammy, Mickey, Mary Ann, Joe Cobb, and Farina. By the time sound arrived, the Gang had added Wheezer, Stymie, Chubby, Jackie Cooper and Pete The Pup. The beauty of these early films is the naturalism of the children's behavior. Much like the other Hal Roach shorts of the '20s - Laurel and Hardy in particular, the two-reel length (around 20 minutes) allowed for the stories to naturally develop and not feel hurried.

By 1938, Hal Roach had produced about 80 shorts. But economics were pinching the series. Laurel and Hardy had made the transition to feature length films but Our Gang had been relegated to one reel (10 minutes). The cast had continued to change over the decade as kids grew older and were replaced. By 1936, the cast settled in to what most people remember as the "core" cast - Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Porky and Darla, with Butch and Waldo as Alfalfa's rivals for Darla. Before Roach could end the series, MGM agreed to purchase the series from him and take over production. The 80 Roach sound shorts would become that package that most people know from TV as The Little Rascals. MGM would go on to produce 52 more Our Gang shorts between 1938 and 1944. These shorts are collected for the first time uncut on the five-disc The Our Gang Collection from Warner Bros. Archive Collection.

The first thing that strikes you when viewing these shorts is the general change in tone between the earlier Roach shorts and the MGM-produced shorts. The earlier films had young, cute kids in generally unscripted and natural situations. The production values alone made these seem like home movies of kids being kids. The MGM shorts here are very stylized. The camerawork is top notch and the sets look like they are trying to hard to look "natural". The dialog is presented by the actors as if it is being fed to them from off camera - it's awkward and unnatural. What really hits home when watching them in succession is that the focus has really changed. These shorts rely on the cuteness of kids often being in adult situations or interacting with adults instead of just peeking in on the children's world where adults are only an afterthought.

In "Party Fever" (1938), the boys compete for Darla's attention by running to win "Mayor For The Day". The ten-minute reel ends up being a forum for political party and election jokes. It's cleverly written for the most part, but here the children's acting doesn't bring home the satire. And part of the problem might have been MGM's insistence on keeping Spanky and Alfalfa as the main characters as they aged from 11 to 13 in the first couple years of the MGM shorts. The series had always relied on a new crop of cute younger kids around the ages of 7-9 to drive the stories.

The chemistry between Spanky and Alfalfa saves most of these shorts. The boys really learned from being around the same studio of Laurel and Hardy. They are best when left to the more broad humor. My favorite of the early shorts on this collection is "Practical Jokers". The short is essentially one extended joke as Our Gang attempts to get back at Butch for his practical jokes. Spanky is the brains in most of these plans and comes up with an exploding cake for Butch. But it's Alfalfa that has to sing "Happy Birthday" while holding the cake. The anticipation is fun and the kids play the physical humor well.

MGM relied on many recycled plots to keep the series cheap and to try to please their audiences. The most often-used plot, used by my figuring about 25% of the time, is the kids have to put on a musical/play/circus of some sort to raise money/win a prize/impress someone. Inevitably, Alfalfa will be the star of the show and sing one of his off-key songs and Buckwheat and Porky will be the comedic duo.

Just as the series is really losing momentum in 1939, Porky left the series because he was getting too old and was replaced by Robert Blake as Mickey. His appearances in "Dad For A Day" and "All About Hash" revitalized the series briefly. His fresh face was cute and the camera loved him. Within five shorts, he went from setting up his mother with the gas station attendant in "Dad For A Day" to saving their marriage in "All About Hash". "All About Hash" illustrates another departure of the MGM shorts that I never noticed in the Roach-produced shorts - the "lesson". This was about appreciating what you have (even if it is hash for dinner every Monday) or in "Time Out For Lessons" when Alfalfa learns to do his homework before football practice. These "lessons" take some of the fun out of the series as the children seem so out of character when they have to explain what they learned.

That 1940 year would introduce Froggy and see the departure of Alfalfa. Just about halfway through the MGM shorts and the series really starts to flounder. Alfalfa's last short, "Kiddie Kure" is also among the best of the MGM shorts. It's on the middle of Disc 3 and represents the high-water mark. After this, the series just won't find the same heart as it does here. In "Kiddie Kure", the kids break a window of an old man while playing baseball. The man feigns illness to convince his wife they don't need any more children, but Our Gang wins him over changing his outlook on life. In this instance, the lesson feels more natural and the results are satisfying.

By the end of 1941, Darla leaves and the series continues to try to find it's way in a very different world than it started in the 1920s. The plots will become even more patriotic and more lesson-oriented. At the end of 1942, Spanky ends his 11-year run as a teenager in "Unexpected Riches". The plot is too basic - the boys get a fortune about buried treasure, find "treasure" without digging because of generic bad guys. The payoff is forced and not very funny. This would leave only Buckwheat as a cast member still there from the Hal Roach days and he would remain until the end.

Mickey and Froggy take over the lead in most of the remaining shorts. There are still forced musicals like "Calling All Kids" that just don't have the same energy as even the earlier MGM ones with Alfalfa. And finally in 1944, after 220 shorts dating back to the silent era of film, the series limps to an end with "Dancing Romeo" (a failed Froggy love story) and "Tale Of A Dog" (a one-joke Buckwheat story about a dog named Smallpox).

It's great to see these shorts again despite some of their shortcomings. I think the series worked better in the earlier years because of the improvisation of the stories and the twenty-minute length. The shorter one-reel length of the MGM shorts and the insistence on scripted action with established children actors led to the downfall of the series. This type of series can't exist in today's market and it's missed. There isn't room for 10-20 minute short subjects and that's a real loss. I recommend that you enjoy the whole Our Gang canon and keep encouraging Waner Bros. to release more from their archives.

The Our Gang Collection is only available from Warner Bros. Archive Collection and for a limited time at price of only $34.95.

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season

Written by Pirata Hermosa

The second season of the critically acclaimed comedy created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady about four nerdy geniuses and the beautiful girl next door has been released to DVD just days before season three premieres.

From the very first episode you can see that this season contains a lot more character development and interaction as Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) go out on their very first and last date. During the first season, a lot of emphasis was put on the possible romance between them, so it was a little strange that they threw the two together so quickly just to rip them apart in the very next episode. Even stranger is that the show is much better off with them separated but continues to have awkward moments when they make references about the time they were dating yet it was only one date.

While Johnny and Penny were the main two characters during season one, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) completely steals the show. The more you get to know about his idiosyncrasies and phobias the more the show begins to revolve around him. In order for the rest of his friends to function, Sheldon must first be appeased. In many shows this could make for an annoying character, but while he may be annoying to his friends, the audience finds him incredibly likeable and entertaining. He approaches everything with such sincere innocence and with complete honesty that you can’t help but like him.

More time is also spent on the characters of Howard (Simon Helberg) and Rajesh (Kunal Nayyar). We meet their parents and see that they actually have homes and don’t just sit around Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment all day. Rajesh finally gets some recognition by People magazine and we get to see how much he can talk and hit on women when he’s drunk. Even Howard becomes a little less sleazy (for a moment) and can actually have his feelings hurt, which was an unknown possibility up until now.

Every episode is filled with some of the best comedy writing currently on television, so choosing the best ones out of the season is pretty tough. Three episodes that particularly standout are:

“The Barbarian Sublimation”: Penny is feeling depressed after a bad breakup. Her life isn’t what she thought it would be, so she channels all her energy into The Age of Conan, an MMORPG that takes over her life. A kind of role reversal, as the four guys have to talk her out of doing something that they usually do.

“The Lizard-Spock Expansion”: Sheldon comes up with a new way to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" by adding two more possibilities, lizard and Spock. But the fun and games are halted when Howard calls for help. It seems that he has managed to get the Mars rover stuck in a ditch.

“The Terminator Coupling”: While on the way to a symposium by train, the four men find that actress Summer Glau is aboard. Three of them compete for her affections, while Sheldon tries to get Penny to find a flash drive with a research paper that he forgot back at the apartment so he can present it to Dr. George Smoot who is a Nobel Laureate for his work on the actual Big Bang Theory.

The DVD contains three special features.

The Big Bang Theory: Physicist to the Stars – UCLA Professor David Saltzberg, who is the creative consultant on the show, explains how he got involved and what he does to add real physics into the storyline. The cast and creators also weigh in on his contributions.

Testing the Infinite Hilarity Hypothesis in Relation to the Big Bang Theory – This is really well done and gives you not only an overview of the characters and how they have grown, but also gives a nice recap of the season.

Gag Reel - The gag reel is a little longer than on most DVDs. It starts off fairly bland and is pretty much the same thing that’s been done before, but about halfway through it starts to pick up the pace and by the end will have you laughing out loud.

BAD RONALD

Written by Hombre Divertido

In 1987 Patrick Dempsey plays a curly brown-haired, nerdy outcast, high school student by the name of Ronald who pays the head cheerleader to date him, in hopes of becoming popular, in the classic ‘80s teen comedy Can’t Buy Me Love.

Thirteen years earlier, an eerily similar looking Scott Jacoby plays Bad Ronald, a curly brown-haired, nerdy outcast, high school student, who accidentally kills a young girl who is mocking him. At the insistence of his mother, Ronald takes refuge in a secret room in the house to avoid authorities, in this made-for-television classic. After his mother leaves home for an operation and dies, Ronald continues to live in his secret room as the house is sold and a new family, with three young daughters, moves in.

Generally considered intense for a television movie in 1974, Bad Ronald is still fun, but quite tame by today’s standards. The main problems with the movie are that it is hard to tell this story in only 71 minutes, thus there is little character development, and the story comes to a conclusion too quickly and conveniently.

More importantly, Bad Ronald is really not that bad. He accidentally kills a young girl, at the beginning of the film, and then follows that up with bad decisions by both he and his mother. The seclusion eventually impacts him negatively, but he is primarily just a Peeping Tom until the nosy neighbor slips and falls after seeing Ronald, so he drags her under the house. As things get more desperate, he attacks a boyfriend of the one of the girls, but does not kill him. The film contains little or no blood or graphic violence.

The performances and overall tone are campy, and Jacoby fails to create any intensity with his portrayal of Ronald. Kim Hunter is creepy as the mother who is somewhat off and it’s fun to see a young Dabney Coleman as the father of the family that moves into Ronald’s house, but his performance is one-dimensional. The movie still looks good after all these years, though certain scenes are reminiscent of an ABC After School Special.

Bad Ronald is part of Warner Brothers Archive Collection and is available at their website. The release contains no bonus material.

Recommendation: If you enjoyed this film in the seventies, it is fun to revisit, but may not be as scary as you remember. If you are not familiar with Bad Ronald, and are looking for some fun family fare for a rainy Saturday night, grab some popcorn, and enjoy some made-for-television camp.