Dark City

1999

Staring: Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly
Director: Alex Proyas

This 1999 germ is often forgotten when people talk about truly “classic” modern films. Neo-Noir, Future-Noir, Science-Fiction Noir, whatever you want to define the film as, it is probably one of the best films to come out of the 1990s.

Mistaken for a Matrix rip-off, this film is like the Matrix in only the most simplistic of terms, beyond the vague “who am I really” themes, it’s nothing like it at all. Beyond that, it was filmed before Matrix even began shooting, with the Matrix even using some of the same sets mostly in the opening sequence of the film.

The visuals are brilliant and stunning, and if you think I’m gushing too much praise on this film, you probably haven’t seen it. This is actually how I feel about it. In many ways this film is similar to the

John Murdoch wakes up in a hotel bathtub, unable to remember how he got there or who he actually is. The only things in the room are a broken fishbowl (with fish flapping around on the ground) and a swinging hanging light. He soon realizes he isn’t alone, and that people are after him. As he makes his escape away, he soon realizes that nothing is right in the world he once knew. Is he crazy or is the world really as nuts as he’s seeing it as.

Jennifer Connelly plays his wife, Emma; Kiefer Sutherland is his purported “doctor”, Dr. Daniel Schreber; and William Hurt is Inspector Bumstead, who is assigned to the case when the previous inspector becomes delusional. With the help of the three they discover that something is not right with the city they knew.

The film has an introductory voice over – skip it, avoid it at all costs and start watching when Sutherland looks at his watch about 90 seconds into the film.

Verdict: *****/*****

Batman Begins

2005
Staring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman
Director: Christopher Nolan

Batman Begins is a complete reboot of the Batman movie series. What started off pretty promising with Tim Burton’s Batman quickly fell apart in each subsequent film that was made. Batman Returns is a generally decent film that, but it is too “dark” for darkness sake in some scenes, and far too cheesy and over the top in other scenes – the penguin army for example. Aside from the more cornball sequences, and far too “comic” design – harkening back to the 60’s Batman – Batman Forever is not that bad of a film, but it is not a great one either. While Batman & Robin was a box office success (it still made a handful, even if it was a slight disappointment over the previous films numbers), it was a dismal failure in every other arena: story, casting, set and costume design, editing, and directing.

Batman Begins sets out to fix this problem. As stated above, it is a complete reboot of the series and takes place as far back as they could possibly take the character in the Mythos. I’ve never really liked “origin” stories until now, because I feel that most characters we’ve had established enough in the past that it is a complete waste of time, this film changed all of that, at the very least it’s the exception to the rule.

You’d think that just a short flashback to that faithful night where his parents were gunned down would be enough, but this film, directed by the wonderful Christopher Nolan, frequently cuts from various parts of Wayne’s childhood and younger adult life. This film is more about Bruce than Batman, and more of both of them then the villains, which is actually quite nice for a change.

The Dark Knight is the only “superhero” comic book film I’m really anticipating, and it won’t be out till next year (Fantastic Four is a close second due to the Silver Surfer).

Verdict ****/*****

Battlestar Galactica

Miniseries 2003
Series 2004-Today

Staring: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Grace Park, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan, Tahmoh Penikett

Created By: Ronald D. Moore and David Eick

What a ride. With Rome ending just this past Sunday, and Arrested Development long off the air, the current best show on television label has passed on, to this series. Battlestar Galactica is a sci-fi series, there’s no getting past that. Fortunately, this is yesteryear’s Sci-fi, the more realistic, less “tech-y”, word jumble filled storytelling that little sci-fi has successfully pulled off for over 2-3 decades. Looking at it, it is more drama than anything else.

Genocide, sex, Machiavellian political intrigue, it really bears little similarities to the original show beyond the initial premise, the last remaining human beings have escaped their home solar system, in search for the lost colony, Earth. They are constantly perused by the Cylons, who were originally machines which were created by humans. They eventually rebelled and have “evolved” into humanoid shapes. They are nearly indistinguishable from normal humans. And as we soon find out, some are programmed to believe they actually are.

The atmosphere, direction, and writing are top of the line. The acting is top of the line as well, with so many great people in the series such as Olmos and McDonnell.

The miniseries was a little slow, but where the miniseries is lacking, the first season makes up for it in the first episode “33” and then “Water.” This in particular is one of the best seasons of any series ever made, hands down. The end of the season is a particular shocker.



Season 2 is almost as good, but has a few clunkers in the second half of the second season, Scar and Black Market are two that just didn’t work that well, even though alone, they’re actually pretty decent.



Season 3 is controversial; the first half of the season is an allegory to both the Iraq war and Vichy France. This turned off quite a few people, who are so blind that they took the entire thing as a political slash, instead of just a TV show. It’s TV people. Now, we’re at the end of season 3, and boy… this season was great. I won’t spoil this for the people I know read this and haven’t caught up, but you’ll be surprised and shocked about many of the twists that occur in each season.

At the very least any season that ends on a musical montage with “All Along the Watchtower” playing can’t be all that bad.

Verdict **** ½ /*****

Rome

2005-2007

Staring: Kevin McKidd (Lucius Vorenus), Ray Stevenson (Titus Pullo), James Purefoy (Mark Antony), Polly Walker (Atia of the Julii), Ciarán Hinds (Julius Caesar), Lyndsey Marshal (Cleopatra).

What a ride. With the series finale just coming by this past Sunday evening, I must admit that in the time period that this aired, no show even came close to matching it in quality.

Much of the story of Rome centers around two characters, Vorenus and Pullo, who follow the historical events from the last days of the Roman Republic to the eventual rise of the Roman Empire.

After finishing the series, I have to say that Purefoy was brilliant as Mark Antony. The actor has been around for some time, but I think was his huge break into “mainstream” media. Out of almost all the characters his struck me as the most solid, and there were many solid performances.

Tobias Menzies was wonderful as the traitor Brutus. It was a shame his role (and the entire plot of their escape and chase across the Republic) was reduced so much in the first episodes of the second season. The scheming Atia (Walker), was gorgeous and brutal at the same time, and was a delight to watch week after week. The ever wonderful Ian McNeice as the over the top Newsreader, telling the top “headlines” of the day to the masses as a way to transition between scenes. I have to admit that I don’t think there was a single actor or actress that was out of place in this series.

One thing that bothers many is the transition of Tobias Menzies as the young Octavian to the older Simon Woods. I don’t fault the switch, while Woods might be more “wooden” in the character than Menzies ever was, he sure does bring a better air of maturity and age to the character, where he should be if this was in fact the current time that the story is taking place in the second season. If only they had aged the other younger characters appropriately as well.

The one truly disappointing thing I have with the entire series is that they only had two seasons. Season two should have been the events that occurred between the assassination of Julius and the death of Brutus and the fall of his army, with the third season covering the entirety of events from then to Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s fall. If I’ve spoiled something by saying that, I probably shouldn’t tell you that the boat sinks in Titanic.

As I’ve heard someone else say when referencing this show: When in Rome, don’t do as the Romans do. Few words that are more truthful have been spoken in a long time.

Verdict: *****/*****

300

Staring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham
Directed By: Zack Snyder
Based on the graphic Novel by: Frank Miller

Sure 300 is not going to win any script writing awards (though it could pick up a few visual effects awards), but for what it’s worth I thought the film was brilliantly done.

The film is pretty straightforward so I won’t bore you all with any summary. I just LOVE the reaction of some people towards this film. I’ll break it down into a few different groups of people who seem to have utter contempt against this film. If only these people could come out of the woodwork for Jerry Bruckheimer schlock-fests.

The FILM is based on a comic book. One of the selling points of this film was that it was almost EXACTLY the same as the graphic novel. Apparently many critics can’t get this past their giant egos. Steven Hunter, a writer for the Washington Post is one such person. Check out his second review for 300 from this Sunday where he has to defend his original position on the film by claiming that a better film could have been made decades ago about Thermopylae. Unfortunately for him there was one, “The 300 Spartans” and it was just barely “okay.” It is the ultimate example of grasping for straws and another reason why sometimes you should just keep your mouth shut when someone criticizes you by realizing that thousands of people send nasty letters for EVERY negative review you write.

The film NEVER claimed to be a bastion for historical accuracies. In fact the only people berating this film are the only ones claiming that it should be so. The people who are complaining about this film are going after the wrong “historical” culprits. Anyone walks away from this film actually thinking this is how it happened, couldn't have been helped to begin with. Films like Gladiator (which I enjoyed) do more to harm people's perceptions of history far more than 300 ever could. Gladiator, and historical films like it, bury historical a vast array of inaccuracies within a realistic setting, sprinkled with some historical truth.

It is far more obvious, and important to know that someone like Commodus (in Gladiator) was nothing at all like he was portrayed in the film and Marcus Aurelius never intended to give Rome “back to the people.” He never traveled to Barbaric Germany, and died in ancient Vienna, most likely from disease. Commodus reigned for over a decade and even co-ruled with his father. Now contrast those with the Persian Army, which had people dressed vaguely like stylized ninjas and had giants with blades for arms. Like I said before, if anyone honestly thinks this is how it happened, or even how it looked, couldn’t have been helped from the start.

Now, delving into the story itself, there seems to be a large minority that bashes the film for either “simplistic” storytelling or racist/bigoted biases. Much of the film is in actuality a story-within-a-story. This is not clear at the start, but becomes clearer later on in the film. Granted this should generally not give it free reign for films to use this technique to “wash their hands”, it’s clear in this film that the intent was not to paint any particular race or modern day culture as “evil.” This isn't a film about "race" but about Greeks vs. Persians. The non-GREEKS are depicted as brutal, savage, and effeminate. It's a subtle difference that many seem to be having trouble grasping about the film. Perhaps I am an anomaly in that race is usually the LAST thing I think about when watching something.

So why are the Persians, erm…. I mean the Iranian Government mad? It is because the Iranian government hates Western Civilization. I mean, by their line or reasoning modern day Italians should HATE the series Rome based on the portrayal of their respective “ancestors”. Never mind that both the modern Italians and Iranians are not a product of only their 2000+ year old ancestors, but that of every culture that conquered or migrated to that area all the way to today. Only a completely bankrupt person would think that a film that portrays events that happened 2500 years ago is something to get all ticked off about now. Anyway, some of the very same leaders in Iran (Mullahs, Ayatollahs) used the defense to depose the Shah of Iran that he focused too much on the very same Persian history that they are currently decrying the "twisting" of in 300.

What I gather from many is that any movie, within any historical context can't portray anyone in bad light, except for maybe those pesky Caucasians, right? I really hate it when they portray the Vikings with predominately reddish hair. It's just not fair!

On a lighter note, you knew something “cool” was coming because of the rock music that dominated the score would come full tilt blasting into all the speakers. Now THAT’S the kind of movie it was, and should be viewed as.

Verdict: ****/*****

This Weekend

MOVIES

In terms of films that are coming out, nothing looks the impressive. Looks like another week to knock out a few more beers before I hit 600 varieties instead.

I'd almost see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or *ahem* TMNT, because they were my second favorite cartoon/action figures behind The "Real" Ghostbusters, but sorry, I'm 23 and I don't plan on going into a theater to see a children's movie. The same goes for the Transformers movie, of which even if I was intrested, is directed by uber-hack Michael Bay and stars Shia LaBeouf, who only pretty much can thank every acting job he's had for the past years on Steven Spielberg (through the connection with DreamWorks SKG). How he's blackmailed Spielberg I'll probably never know.

Reign over Me - Isn't it a few years too late to jump on the "9/11" bandwaggon? I mean no offense to anyone hurt in the terrorist attacks that day, but I would have figured these sort of sappy, look-how-great-life-can-be would have been over and done with.

Shooter - So Mark Wahlberg has this one in the can before the Oscar nod. Couldn't hire John Cena?

The Hills Have Eyes II - A sequel to a horror film? Who would have thought? Not going to even wait for the DVD.

There are a few other films coming out, The Last Mimzy among others. I've yet to see 300, and probably won't until its on DVD, as there's no one left to see it with that either hasn't seen it, or doesn't really want to see it again. I can't blame them, a ticket is worth two beers at the bar.

TELEVISION

In television this weekend, I'm looking forward to the Series finale of the ever wonderful Rome, and the season finale of Battlestar Galactica. Look for a review of both come Sunday and early next week.

Borat

2006

Staring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, Luenell
Director: Larry Charles

I’ve been sidetracked lately, so I totally missed this when the DVD came out, so here it is.

Personally I enjoyed the film, but I can not for the life of me "see" most of the things that Cohen was supposed to have exposed about Americans. Now before the typical response that I didn't "see" it because it went over my head, I'd like to point out that a response like that only shows how ignorant many of the people viewing this film already were when making judgments about Americans.

Do people not realize that this is exactly what Cohen did to BRITISH people for nearly 5 years before coming to HBO? Far longer than he "exposed ignorance" about Americans? People are alike all over, and if some Frenchman parodied, say, an American around Germany in the same fashion as Borat, the results would generally be the same. If you think anti-Semitism is somehow only a problem in America, then you've obviously never been to Europe or the Middle East.

I actually think the effect this movie had on people is a lot more interesting than what happened in the film. It has exposed a great number of peoples intolerant perceptions of Americans, along with a number of people who appear to be some sort of self-loathing American, who assume that anyone south of the obsolete "Mason-Dixon line" is overly religious, ignorant, racist, and just a bigot through and through. These are the people who have really shown their true colors, as they're willing to marginalize an entire nation with a population larger than, and just as diverse as Western Europe, as ignorant hicks.

They seem quick to ignore the situations that many of the people were in. Just remember Borat's rantings about being a "Gypsy who shrinks people"; or when he destroyed objects that can never be replaced in a person's antique store; insults people who were kind enough to show up and be interviewed by him; insults people at a dinner party by saying horrible things to the other guests, then brings feces to the table, and finishes the evening off by bringing a hooker to the party; later he "jokingly" demonizes the Jewish couple who runs the B&B.

From what I remember, pretty much everything that Borat does before he goes on his road trip was done to get a reaction from the interviewee. Personally this is when Boart is best, as a gauge to see how over the top he can get before someone gets ticked off, and not as a so-called "intolerance gauge".

Sure there's the racist, homophobic Rodeo guy, and the racist, misogynistic, moronic frat boys (who were apparently given loads of alcohol by the crew so they'd say even more ridiculous things, and no, in vino veritas is not true), when you actually pay attention to the film, most of the people who are in it are just oblivious to what's going on and have just reached the end of their incredibly long fuse when dealing with Borat.

The entire premise that this is some “brilliant” work of art are the same kinds of fools who used The Matrix in deep philosophical discussions about what reality really is. It’s a funny, silly movie and nothing more.

Verdict: ***/*****

Star Trek Remastered

Remastering Star Trek: TOS FX

To commemorate the 40th anniversary, the folks at CBS Studios have been commissioning re-mastered editions of all 79 episodes of the original Star Trek series plus the pilot.

Back sometime last year this all came to my attention when searching for a title of a movie I saw on the Sci-Fi channel, when I saw an article called "Trek Opening Will Be Fixed". Of course I was intrigued as I didn't know it needed "fixing". After reading the article, my reaction was mixed, but after reading more about it I think that the potential behind what it will do for the show is fantastic.

The only downside of course to some detractors is the "Lucas" factor. If not for him, digital "updates" would most likely not have the reputation they have now. Silly updates that add nothing to the story such as Jabba's inclusion into Star Wars was completely redundant as everything gathered from the scene is either implied elsewhere or has no flavor such as poor replacements to the Cantina, but I digress. George Lucas has tarnished the potential of this tool. But, while there are the Star Wars "special edition” films in one hand, there are a few notable exceptions that illustrate how such a device can be used effectively.

Off the top of my head, classic Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Motion Picture were the ones to get the digital "modifications" right. Star Trek's first film was always looked on as a black sheep, painted as too "cerebral". While the film doesn't really fix the problems with the plot, it certainly packs a far greater punch because of director Robert Wise's (yes, the guy who brought you West Side Story) editing of superfluous shots that added nothing to the film and the re-integration of new effects into the film, as per the original shooting script. It doesn't make the film great, but it certainly makes the film much easier to watch. Doctor Who was a low budget television show that had budget that made even Star Trek's look massive. On recent DVD releases, there have been a number of CGI replacement shots that integrate new effects into the episodes. The shots replace things such as a floating space station that clearly has a string attached on the top. Those new effects are optional on the DVD.

The changes that have been made:

* Space ship exteriors - The Enterprise, as well as other starships, will be replaced with state of the art CGI-created ships. The new computer-generated Enterprise is based on the exact measurements of the original model, which now rests in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
* Show opening - The Enterprise and planets seen in the main title sequence will be redone, giving them depth and dimension.
* Galaxy shots - All the graphics of the galaxy will be redone.
* Exteriors - The battle scenes, planets and ships from other cultures (notably the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers) will be updated.
* Background scenes - Some of the flat, matte paintings used as backdrops for the worlds will get a CGI face-lift, adding atmosphere and lighting.

Frankly since I was a little kid, I was still a bit disappointed by some of these things, most notably, the boring one color atmospheres that existed on all the planets that didn't look like either a studio or one of the old back-lots (aging 50s western sets). Another issue I had was when they would show the Enterprise orbiting a atomic Green and Yellow planet, and when they show the surface, it would look like Earth. I'm sorry, but a planet wouldn't look like that in orbit and then look like Southern California on the surface.

Some find old effects "quaint", I don't. Not to say that I don't think that we should "update" everything out there or we get into the old Ted Turner "I want to colorize every b/w film" phase of the late 80s and early 90s. The inclusion of new graphics doesn't automatically mean "Greedo shoots first". As an option, I say, why not?

Many episodes later, I can safely say that so far the experiment has been a success. When “Amok Time” aired, they actually made Vulcan look like Vulcan in the establishing shots. Spaceship effects that they originally had to skimp on look as real as possible, and are certainly more real than the original effect.

The episodes are being aired on local channels at various times depending on the station. Check your local listings. The DVD of the first season should be out by the end of the year.

Batman

1989
Staring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Whul
Director: Tim Burton

Summary:

Gotham is gripped with crime. The streets are ruled by thugs, and the city is controlled by the tight grip of gangsters. Hold on, I’m speaking about this film like people have never seen it, let alone never heard about it.

Batman and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne fight off the evil henchmen of Carl Grissom (Jack Palance), and later that of the Joker (Nicholson). Vicky Vale (Basinger) and reporter Alexander Knox (Whul) both investigate Batman and Bruce Wayne, with only the former beginning to figure out there is a connection between the two “separate” men.

Review:

Batman is a great film, while not as great as Batman Begins was, for the over a decade Batman was the best Comic Book movie ever made. The film holds up surprisingly well even to this day, with only a few brief moments of “cheese” that the film could have gone without.

The movie is better than the Shumockery of Batman, which occurred partially by the third film and completely in the George Clooney junk-fest.

Verdict: *** 1/2 /*****

Gate into the Mind’s Eye

1994
Director: Too many to mention
Music By: Thomas Dolby, Dr. Fiorella Terenzi
Edited by: Michael Boydstun

Summary:

Like the original, the plot is divided into music videos, each displaying different animation and music to fit the mood of the piece. This is a fully computer animated film from 1994, which showcased dozens of animator’s talents.

The world is in chaos. The battle to save Earth wages on, and it looks like all is lost. The only way to end it all is to start completely over. Will the new world suffer the same fate as the last?

Review:

While I said nostalgia was the reasons I enjoyed the first movie in the series more than its “technically” superior sequel, it is not true for “The Gate.”

Visually stunning, some elements almost hold up even today (if not at least 5 years ago). The music is hypnotizing, and fit better in this film than even the previous to films did. Of course there are some pretentious critics, claiming that this film is “behind the times”, even for 1994, the freaking dawn of commonplace computer animation.

This entry into the seriously has an mildly loose theme running through most of the film.

In addition to the “apocalyptic Earth”/”Rebirth” theme, there are a few music video style stand alone shorts towards the end. “Armageddon” and “Nuvogue” are the highlights of the video.

Verdict: ****/*****

Beyond the Mind's Eye

1992
Directed By: Too many to name
Music By: Jan Hammer

Summary:

Like the original, the plot is divided into music videos, each displaying different animation and music to fit the mood of the piece. This is a fully computer animated film from 1992, which showcased dozens of animator’s talents.

Review:

This film, while for nostalgia reasons, is not as good as the original, is a solid continuation of the work done in the original Mind’s Eye film. Again, someone watching this today, without the proper context would probably think that it’s garbage. People who do realize the value of the work that was done 15 years ago, and I suppose someone on many illicit drugs, would probably agree that the entire thing is suburb.

Unfortunately it looks like this film has dropped off the DVD production line, so it’s nearly impossible to find.

Verdict: ***/*****

Zodiac

2007
Staring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox
Director: David Fincher

I finally saw this film this weekend, and frankly, it was brilliant.

Summary:

The film takes place primarily in the 1960s and 70s San Francisco Bay Area. A serial killer contacts the police and media dropping clues about the various murders that have taken place in the area. Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist at a San Francisco newspaper becomes obsessed with the story, even when all others stopped caring. His interest in the Zodiac puts himself closer and closer to danger.

Review:

The events are actually based on a true story of the Zodiac Killer, and while not an expert on the subject, this story seems to actually take the source material seriously. It takes place when it happened and sticks to “just the facts”, with little deviation, like with the “adaptation” in Dirty Harry (the character Scorpio was loosely based on this).

I came into the film not knowing a single thing beyond what I had seen in the commercials. I never saw the trailer, and didn’t read a single word about it before going in. I did not realize it was a David Fincher film. Sometimes going in blind, with only the word of mouth from trusted individuals that it is a good film is enough.

Verdict: **** ½ /*****

Halloween and Halloween II

Directors: John Carpenter (1), Rick Rosenthal (2)
Staring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Charles Cyphers

Summary:

On October 30th, Michael Meyers, an insane mental patient escapes from Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) and returns back to Haddonfield, his hometown. A local store is broken into, and a mask is stolen. Loomis is hell bent on tracking down Michael before it is too late for those who have yet to be sliced and diced in Michael's path. Yes, the Boogieman is real. With Michael almost caught, and thought dead, everything goes awry when Michael's body disappears. How could he survive so many gunshot wounds? Still on the loose, Michael's sister Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is still in mortal danger, along with every living soul in the town. Even after the commotion, the town still seems to not know of what has already transpired in the evening. Can he be stopped before everyone is dead? Where will Loomis end this quest to rid the world of such a cold hearted mass murderer?

Review:

Now I normally judge the Halloween series based on the franchise’s pretty mediocre sequels. The third film had nothing to do with the rest of the series, and when they brought back Michael in the fourth film, they made him an invincible, devilish villain, in the same vein as Jason. For what it’s worth the fourth film wasn’t too bad, but the direct sequel to that one wasn’t good. I have never seen the sixth film, and the series should have stayed buried with H20 and definitely with Resurrection. So pretty much, Halloween 1 and 2 is where it is at. Unlike the majority of sequels, this one takes place IMMEDIATELY after the first, minutes, more like seconds to be exact.

The films are better than I remember. Ignore the rest of the series and just watch these.

Verdict:
Halloween: *** ½/*****
Halloween II: ***/*****

TV: Mind of Mencia

On a cable channel that has brought a few gems to the world like South Park and Reno 911, and a lot of garbage like “Con.” Mind of Mencia is no exception to the latter bunch.

I was duped years ago, back freshman year of college, into watching nearly every Comedy Central Presents (mostly ones aired between 99 and 01). There were hits such as Jim Gaffigan’s great stand up routine, and ones that I quickly realized were not that good after watching them a few times. Pablo Francisco comes to mind, unfortunately because from all the material I’ve seen, he’s been doing the same standup routine for about a decade. That stuff only works with Yakov Smirnoff, people.

So anyway, after about the second or third time watching a comedian by the name of Carlos Mencia, I came to realize that his standup routine was not a some deep message he made it out to be, but a veiled attack at pretty much all races, most creeds, and mentally deficient people. Very nice.

Unfortunately, years later after Dave Chappelle went crazy, they got Mencia to “take over” the standup/skit show format they had going. If there was anyone more different than Chappelle, Mencia would be it. He’s the bizzaro Dave, someone who insults the audience maliciously, discusses race issues with all the subtly of a bulldozer, and who tries to pass off what he’s pushing as if it was some brilliant piece of investigative journalism “exposing” societies ills. The sheer vitriol he spews is maddening.

Okay, we get it. When will you finally fill in your fans that this entire experiment was to expose the fact that they are bigots by going along with everything you said? You’d think people would be brighter than to take nearly 30 episodes to see this.

Verdict: 0/*****

The Mind’s Eye

Released: 1990
Director: Too many to mention
Staring: Strictly animation

Summary:

The plot is divided into music videos, each displaying different animation and music to fit the mood of the piece. This is a fully computer animated film from 1990, which showcased dozens of animator’s talents.

Review:

Now some of you readers may not feel that this is worthy of mention, as it was a direct to video production, but since I get the final say on what goes here, here it is. Looking at this today, some people might find the animation to be anything but good. If you didn’t get the chance to see this gem in the early nineties, then you may be lost forever. The shear quality of some of the animation, especially for much of it being done in the late 80s, is astounding. I get mesmerized by the entire thing each time I watch it. Since it is not available on DVD anymore, it may be nearly impossible to find this one anywhere.

Verdict ****/*****

Metropolis

1927 - Silent

Director: Fritz Lang
Staring: Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Brigitte Helm, Rudolf Klein-Rogge

Summary:

The year is 2026, and the human race is divided between the thinkers and workers. The thinkers don’t know how to do anything but plan, and the workers know how to execute the plans but don’t have vision to create plans.

The workers secretly listen to Maria, who wants to find a mediator to link the two halves. The son of the thinker’s leader, Joh Fredersen, travels into the underground to see what his fellow men do. The shock and awe that Joh goes through seeing his fellow men suffer for hours and hours each day to keep his world running smoothly.

Joh’s father decides that Maria must be stopped. To keep everyone in place he contacts Rotwang, the inventor, and they both plan to stop her. Unfortunately Rotwang has other plans for Maria, and his newly created robot.

Review:

Metropolis is stunning. Absolutely stunning. The most unfortunate thing about the film is that a quarter of it is lost, most likely forever. The story itself might seem naive to some, simple to others, and boring to even more still. They just don’t get it.

Camera techniques were so advanced for the time; they almost seem out of place, especially when the advent of sound films destroyed the state of cinematography, and nearly took two decades for it to even partially recover. The film uses multiple-exposed shots, which were created on set (not in post-production) by exposing the camera sometimes up to 30 times!

If you call yourself a film buff and you haven’t seen the film, don’t hesitate and watch it as soon as possible!

Verdict: *****/*****