Well, my charming little interwebizens, the Ratzenburgher poll has closed. It appears that, of the seven people who voted, the Underminer won as the favorite character given voice by the undisputed top choice when it comes to actors who played a mailman on Cheers. It should be noted that those seven votes constitutes a record here on weblog. Let's see if we can't get eight on the next one.
Speaking of the next one, let's do something topical. I've decided that a whole month is a bit long for a poll question, so we're gonna see how two weeks treats us. But what, you may be asking, is going to be the next poll question? I decided that in honor of the success of The Dark Knight (4.5 out 5 skulls, by the by) I would ask who is your favorite Batman villian? Check the sidebar for choices.
John Ratzenburgher Poll: 2 out of 5 skulls
This Post: 2.5 out of 5 skulls
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Soon I Will Think of a Suitable Pun for This Post's Title
Greetings and salutations, my beloved interwebizens!
If you recall from my V for Vendetta review, I am a big fan of comic books. In fact, I enjoy reading in general and so I finally got around to reading Austin Grossman's novel, Soon I Will Be Invincible. The novel is told from the perspectives of 12 time almost world conquering supervillain Dr. Impossible and superhero cyborg Fatale who has recently been promoted to the big leagues of the spandex wearing set. Every other chapter is told from the first person view of one of these two characters with Fatale getting the even chapters and Dr. Impossible (naturally) getting the odd ones. The story involves Dr. Impossible's escape from prison and ensuing evil schemes and Fatale's efforts with the New Champions to stop him. Peppered throughout are ruminations by both narrators on their pasts and on the people who have influenced or are currently influencing their actions.
Let me first state that this book is quite a fun read. It moves quickly and is very witty. It makes fun of the tropes of superhero comics without deriding them and often elicited audible chuckles from me (there were also a couple twitters and one outright guffaw). To say that I did not enjoy the book would be an outright lie. I did enjoy it. That doesn't mean that I wasn't bothered by a few things.
I found that the characters could be a little inconsistent. For a good portion of the novel, Dr. Impossible is driven by his need to reveal his identity to his nemesis, CoreFire, after he finally is able to defeat him. This is because they had known each other for years, going all the way back to high school and many of the most important milestones in each of their lives were tied together. But the thing is, two other members of the Champions went to high school with Dr. Impossible and CoreFire and it was implied that they were there for some of the most embarrassing moments in his young life. Yet does he get them in on the big reveal? No. He doesn't. I understand that your nemesis is your nemesis and you need to focus your efforts or whatever, but it rang somewhat false. That's just one example.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this book has some tremendous build-ups in its story lines, but almost all of the resolutions fall a little flat. Although, I suppose I would be kidding myself if I said that that wasn't a common occurrence in even the best superhero stories (see Ultimate Spider-Man #106-110 and both seasons of NBC's Heroes among others). Hopefully Mr. Grossman will take a cue from Dr. Impossible who, when his plans don't exactly work out perfectly, dusts himself off, escapes from jail, and starts up on something new.
Soon I Will Be Invincible: 3.5 out of 5 skulls
This Post: 2.5 out of 5 skulls
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Beast with a Billion Backs
Futurama is one of my favorite shows of all time. It combines silly non-sequiters, science jokes, nerd culture references and an occasional dash of schmaltz into a half hour pleasure-fest. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled in 2000 something or other. But good news everybody! Thanks to popular replays on Cartoon Network and Comedy Central, Fox brought the show back for a series of feature length direct to DVD releases.
The Beast with a Billion Backs is the second Futurama direct to DVD release. The story centers on a dimensional rip caused by, you guessed it, Bender’s greed and hubris. In a fit of depression, Fry seeks to end his miserable existence and cross over through the dimensional rip. When Fry returns to his own dimension he is the leader of a new religion. He offers love and happiness through a tentacle attached to the back of one’s neck. Will the world go crazy for this new fangled religion? Will the Planet Express crew save the day? Will time prove Professor Wernstrum correct?
For this review, Showtime and I will try a new format. We will post a series of e-mails we sent each other while discussing the movie. For now, let's call this new feature "Conversations"
Jukebox: Generally, I was kind of disappointed. Does anything ever live up to expectations? I don't know. Maybe I need to watch it again. Bender seemed tired and worn out. I know he is a robot and is a product of his programming but more than ever in the series he seems schtick-y. I feel like the writers had a check list and said, "Well, we haven't had the phrase 'fun on a bun' yet. How about here."
That attitude translates a little bit deeper in the movie. It seemed they were always working in the one-off characters of the Futurama universe. Did you see Leila's plastic surgeon and fellow orphan? How about Morbo's wife? Ah, they brought back Bender's amplifier friend for a walk on. Hilarious! So Eric, do all these self references make for a better movie? Are they distracting from the plot - whatever that was?
Showtime: I've gotta say that I mostly agree with your review. I didn't quite get the sense of catch-phras-itis that you site, but I can see how you felt that. What I really had a problem with was the inconsistencies in the story. David X. Cohen points out in the commentary that they had just finished a very emotional arc involving Fry and Leela, yet they just zipped Fry right over to Coleen without a second thought. Speaking of Fry and Coleen: that story was not funny or interesting. At all. Frankly, I didn't really care much for the Yivo story either.
The parts that I really responded to were Kif and Amy's wedding/widowhood/break-up and Bender's adventures with the League of Robots. I know you weren't crazy about the Bender storyline, but I loved it. I enjoyed looking at the background and seeing Humorbot and a variety of other classic peripheral characters. Also, I like Bender's shtick and I like seeing said shtick unfolding on the screen.
I guess what I'm saying is that I was not distracted by the peripheral cameos because their presence distracted me from a plot that I really didn't care for. And that, my esteemed colleague and brother, brings me to a question for you. What did you think of the actual main plot of the movie? It left me cold, but I would like to hear your take on it.
Jukebox: I suppose I could have spoke about the actual movie, not just the ephemera. Can we edit this to make it look like I started with an actual review, not just fan-boy griping? No matter. Did I miss my chance to mention that I liked the murderball/Wernstrom plot line?
The plot was gonzo and not really fun gonzo. A being from another dimension is good sci-fi stuff. A good writer ought to be able to get some milage from the enslavement of Earthicans. I guess it was okay. I like that it brought Farnsworth and Wernstrom together. I didn't expect Kiff to die. But the whole heaven thing? And then Bender as a pirate with the Robot Devil's army? I just don't get it.
What is the message of this movie? Is it that we all need to sit down and give plural marriage another look? Okay, I get it the symbolism. Fry fell in love with a girl and that girl was in love with several other men. Then Fry fell in love with a giant tentacled monster who had the capacity to love all the people of the world. If the goal is to throw out our previous notions of monogamy then I would recommend the book Stranger in a Strange Land.
Here is my problem. Too many plots and too many characters for an 90 minute movie. It lacked cohesion. How many of the plot lines we mentioned could be cut up into their own half hour segments? How many of the plot lines would be entertaining as a non-serialized, episodic, stand alone adventure? More to the point, brother o' mine: Are Futurama and its fans well served by these movie releases that could just as easily be individual episodes?
Showtime: You, brother mine, have posed the twenty thousand dollar question. On the one hand, I would say that any new Futurama is a good thing. There are so many shows that I wish I could see more of: Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Arrested Development, etc. And I believe that Futurama was canceled before it should have been. However, I now worry about the taint that this movie (and, to a lesser extent, Bender's Big Score) is applying to the Futurama legacy. I would hate to see these movies become the Futurama equivalent of recent seasons of The Simpsons. Occasional moments of brilliance, surrounded by uninteresting, tangential dreck.
That being said, I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel. Bender's Big Score was pretty good and The Beast with a Billion Backs had some good stuff mixed in there. I still have hope that David X. Cohen and crew can right the ship. However, if the next DVD is of similar quality to this one, I'm out. I don't want to run the risk of these movies giving me a retro-active distaste for a show that I care deeply for in the same way that the fourth and fifth seasons of scrubs ruined the first and second (yeah, I used to like Scrubs. I know I lose, like, fifty million HDB points for that, but I'm okay with that).
Jukebox: Y'know what I like about us? We hit the nail on the head. I'm not ready to give up, either. I am looking forward to the next movie. It looks like the nexus of all things nerdy as the Planet Express crew goes into the world of Gary Gigax.
Hey, this was fun! The post is the longer than all of our posts put together, but it was a blast. Let's do it again sometime!
The Beast with a Billion Backs is the second Futurama direct to DVD release. The story centers on a dimensional rip caused by, you guessed it, Bender’s greed and hubris. In a fit of depression, Fry seeks to end his miserable existence and cross over through the dimensional rip. When Fry returns to his own dimension he is the leader of a new religion. He offers love and happiness through a tentacle attached to the back of one’s neck. Will the world go crazy for this new fangled religion? Will the Planet Express crew save the day? Will time prove Professor Wernstrum correct?
For this review, Showtime and I will try a new format. We will post a series of e-mails we sent each other while discussing the movie. For now, let's call this new feature "Conversations"
Jukebox: Generally, I was kind of disappointed. Does anything ever live up to expectations? I don't know. Maybe I need to watch it again. Bender seemed tired and worn out. I know he is a robot and is a product of his programming but more than ever in the series he seems schtick-y. I feel like the writers had a check list and said, "Well, we haven't had the phrase 'fun on a bun' yet. How about here."
That attitude translates a little bit deeper in the movie. It seemed they were always working in the one-off characters of the Futurama universe. Did you see Leila's plastic surgeon and fellow orphan? How about Morbo's wife? Ah, they brought back Bender's amplifier friend for a walk on. Hilarious! So Eric, do all these self references make for a better movie? Are they distracting from the plot - whatever that was?
Showtime: I've gotta say that I mostly agree with your review. I didn't quite get the sense of catch-phras-itis that you site, but I can see how you felt that. What I really had a problem with was the inconsistencies in the story. David X. Cohen points out in the commentary that they had just finished a very emotional arc involving Fry and Leela, yet they just zipped Fry right over to Coleen without a second thought. Speaking of Fry and Coleen: that story was not funny or interesting. At all. Frankly, I didn't really care much for the Yivo story either.
The parts that I really responded to were Kif and Amy's wedding/widowhood/break-up and Bender's adventures with the League of Robots. I know you weren't crazy about the Bender storyline, but I loved it. I enjoyed looking at the background and seeing Humorbot and a variety of other classic peripheral characters. Also, I like Bender's shtick and I like seeing said shtick unfolding on the screen.
I guess what I'm saying is that I was not distracted by the peripheral cameos because their presence distracted me from a plot that I really didn't care for. And that, my esteemed colleague and brother, brings me to a question for you. What did you think of the actual main plot of the movie? It left me cold, but I would like to hear your take on it.
Jukebox: I suppose I could have spoke about the actual movie, not just the ephemera. Can we edit this to make it look like I started with an actual review, not just fan-boy griping? No matter. Did I miss my chance to mention that I liked the murderball/Wernstrom plot line?
The plot was gonzo and not really fun gonzo. A being from another dimension is good sci-fi stuff. A good writer ought to be able to get some milage from the enslavement of Earthicans. I guess it was okay. I like that it brought Farnsworth and Wernstrom together. I didn't expect Kiff to die. But the whole heaven thing? And then Bender as a pirate with the Robot Devil's army? I just don't get it.
What is the message of this movie? Is it that we all need to sit down and give plural marriage another look? Okay, I get it the symbolism. Fry fell in love with a girl and that girl was in love with several other men. Then Fry fell in love with a giant tentacled monster who had the capacity to love all the people of the world. If the goal is to throw out our previous notions of monogamy then I would recommend the book Stranger in a Strange Land.
Here is my problem. Too many plots and too many characters for an 90 minute movie. It lacked cohesion. How many of the plot lines we mentioned could be cut up into their own half hour segments? How many of the plot lines would be entertaining as a non-serialized, episodic, stand alone adventure? More to the point, brother o' mine: Are Futurama and its fans well served by these movie releases that could just as easily be individual episodes?
Showtime: You, brother mine, have posed the twenty thousand dollar question. On the one hand, I would say that any new Futurama is a good thing. There are so many shows that I wish I could see more of: Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Arrested Development, etc. And I believe that Futurama was canceled before it should have been. However, I now worry about the taint that this movie (and, to a lesser extent, Bender's Big Score) is applying to the Futurama legacy. I would hate to see these movies become the Futurama equivalent of recent seasons of The Simpsons. Occasional moments of brilliance, surrounded by uninteresting, tangential dreck.
That being said, I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel. Bender's Big Score was pretty good and The Beast with a Billion Backs had some good stuff mixed in there. I still have hope that David X. Cohen and crew can right the ship. However, if the next DVD is of similar quality to this one, I'm out. I don't want to run the risk of these movies giving me a retro-active distaste for a show that I care deeply for in the same way that the fourth and fifth seasons of scrubs ruined the first and second (yeah, I used to like Scrubs. I know I lose, like, fifty million HDB points for that, but I'm okay with that).
Jukebox: Y'know what I like about us? We hit the nail on the head. I'm not ready to give up, either. I am looking forward to the next movie. It looks like the nexus of all things nerdy as the Planet Express crew goes into the world of Gary Gigax.
Hey, this was fun! The post is the longer than all of our posts put together, but it was a blast. Let's do it again sometime!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Put It On the Wall (-E)
There is not a whole lot that I can say about WALL-E that could not be relayed to you, my dear denizens of the interweb (I shall, from here on out refer to you as interwebizens), by Mary Poppins' tape measure. It is practically perfect in every way. I have to watch it again, but I think this might just be my new, all-time favorite movie. That's a pretty big statement because, lately, I've been trying to avoid sweeping hyperbole of the sort found in the previous sentence. I have mostly taken to delving into my favorites in very specific sub-genres (see the sidebar). This movie, though, has me breaking rules with a giddy, reckless abandon. Words cannot describe the quality of this film.
Arbitrary rating systems, on the other hand, do a pretty good job.
WALL-E: 5 out of 5 skulls
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