DVD

Bubba Ho-Tep

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Anybody who loves movies is familiar with the term “B-movie.”  Usually it refers to those movies that are not very good, but are high on the “cheese” factor.  Back in the day, theaters would play the bad movies as part of a double feature — the B selection.  We see this mirrored in the days of vinyl with 45-records having the hit on the A-side and another song on the B-side.

Since the early 90’s, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell have teamed up to make some memorable B-movies (Evil Dead).  Even into the 2000’s, Bruce Campbell seemed to relish being able to camp it up a bit on screen and TV.  So it was a no-brainer for him to take on the role of Elvis for a movie about a mummy spirit invading a rest home.  Ossie Davis, in his final screen appearance, plays a black JFK and provides the right chemistry to be Bruce’s sidekick.

A lot of the movie deals with Elvis’s thoughts and backstory — this could have been eliminated to add more danger from the monster.  The monster only got 2 people and was never on-screen long enough to make me fear that he might destroy everything.  What saves this movie is the relationship and the action sequences at the end.

The DVD features the normal extras, with the following bonuses:

  • Commentary by Elvis, in addition to the director
  • Music videos
  • a leather Elvis jumpsuit sleeve for the case

My advice: if you like Bruce Campbell, check it out; otherwise, be prepared for it to be slow in a lot of places…

Editorials

To Thumb or Not To Thumb…

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For anyone born in the 70’s, you grew up, as I did, knowing what “Two Thumbs Up” meant. Siskel and Ebert, along with Joel Siegel and the guy on Crook and Chase (whose name escapes me and IMDB is not helping with), helped form a broad spectrum of reviewers I trusted. Like many others, I was saddened when Gene Siskel passed away, but was glad that Roger Ebert chose to carry on.

Lately, Roger has been sidelined due to medical reasons, but the show continues. It was with sadness that I saw mention on Ain’t It Cool News and Roger Moore’s blog about the removal of the thumbs from the show.

Here is the statement from Roger Ebert’s site regarding the issue:

Ebert’s Statement re: Thumbs™

/ / / August 24, 2007

Roger Ebert’s statement in response to a recent Disney press release:

I am discussing with Disney my association with the show that Gene Siskel and I started more than 30 years ago. In addition to my personal involvement, we are discussing the continued use of our Thumbs™ trademarks, owned by myself and the Siskel family.

Contrary to Disney’s press release, I did not demand the removal of the Thumbs™. They made a first offer on Friday which I considered offensively low. I responded with a counter-offer. They did not reply to this, and on Monday ordered the Thumbs™ removed from the show. This is not something I expected after an association of over 22 years. I had made it clear the Thumbs™ could remain during good-faith negotiations.

During my absence from the balcony, I have been excited to participate in the show in ways other than being on the set. I love the show and I love the Thumbs™ and I hope we will all be reunited soon.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070824/EDITOR/70825001

I agree with Roger’s last line — “I hope we will all be reunited soon.”

DVD

Serenity

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In a previous review, I discussed the television series Firefly.  Serenity is the movie that was made two years after Fox canceled the series.

Joss Whedon had an interesting dilemma — create a movie that anyone could see without having to see the TV series, while adding new stuff for those who did see the show. Given that task, I think he did a decent balancing job.

He brought back the original actors, some with slightly different situations.  He did a good job of wrapping up some loose ends from the show and the ending was satisfactory.  I may not have liked where some characters ended up, but then it was not my story to tell — that may be because I watched the series immediately before watching the movie.

The DVD includes:

  • deleted scenes
  • audio commentaries
  • documentaries

My advice:  enjoyable.  If you are wanting something that is not your typical sci-fi movie, then check this one out…

DVD

Firefly: The Series

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One of the great uses of DVD technology is the ability for those of the TV age to collect those series that we connected with and enjoyed. Additionally, it gives us the chance to revisit some series that were critical successes, but could not find an audience. Firefly is one such series.

Firefly is a western series set in space, and comes from the mind of Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. This is actually a smart concept, not just from originality, but from a business standpoint. Very few sci-fi special effects were needed and the Western U.S. became his backlot.

So why did it not last?

Well, Fox refused to air the show in the correct order. For a show like CSI, this is not a big deal; but imagine watching Lost out of sequence. Then Fox scheduled it for Friday nights, not the place for a series to catch on. Finally, Fox would air for 2 weeks and then take it off for 5 weeks.

With the release of the series on DVD, people could now see the show as it was intended to be watched. Thus, the demand grew for more — that led to the creation of a major theatrical release. Only one other show generated enough buzz from DVD sales to be brought back in any form and that was Family Guy.

The show centers around a ship and her crew. Much like Han Solo and Chewie, the crew of Serenity travels around, providing services such as transport and smuggling to those that want to avoid attention from governmental entities. At one of their stops, they take on some passengers that become part of the crew.

All 12 episodes are strong with story and do a good job with character/relationship development. I wonder how deep the series would have gotten had it been allowed to build. The cast was well-picked and directed.

The DVD box also includes:

  • Theme song video
  • video of Joss Whedon singing the theme
  • deleted scenes
  • gag reel
  • some commentaries for certain episodes
  • quick interview clips

My advice: Find the time to watch this series. It will show you what Fox passed on to bring you the latest iteration of So I Want to Marry My Farmer’s Pig…

Movies

The Simpsons Movie

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I know, I know — I still have a pile of reviews to write, but I am going to write this first…

1989 was an interesting year.  It ushered in the era of Macaulay Culkin, the beginning of Tim Burton’s vision of Batman, and the beginning of a 6-year hiatus for the James Bond series.

1989 was also the year I discovered Fox TV programming.  Due to a series of unfortunate events, I found myself in a hospital where Fox was one of the stations.  It had only been a national network for about three years, marking success with Married….With Children and The Tracy Ullman Show.  In watching The Tracy Ullman Show, I, along with the rest of the country, was introduced to an animated family that seemed to take the antics of the Bundys a step further.

After returning home, I was greeted with two pieces of news that would have a huge impact on my TV viewing habits: 1) Fox was finally being offered in Panama City; and 2) The Simpsons would become its own series in December, 1989, with a Christmas special.  Over the next two years, the country was caught in Simpsons mania, with its merchandising battling New Kids on the Block for parents’ hard earned dollars.

As with all things, the hype died down and most people expected the show to only last another season or two.  After all, The Flintstones had only lasted 4 seasons and that was considered the hallmark of animated, prime-time series.

Fast-Forward to 2005…

Seven years after the release of the South Park movie, based on the show that could be the heir to the Simpsons’ crown, it was announced that a movie would be finally made of Bart and the gang.  A lot of fans went into worry mode.  I asked one friend what the worst that could happen and they reminded me of the Flintstones/Jetsons animated movie featuring Tiffany as Judy from years ago.  I simply shuddered.

Fast forward to last weekend…

Due to other commitments, I had to delay seeing the movie.  I finally was able to head to Altamonte AMC to check out the first showing of the day.  I walk in just as the trailer for the live-action Chipmunks is playing and I shake my head.  Jason Lee — where has your movie career gone?  Better not walk away from TV anytime soon.

The movie starts up and for the next hour and a half I am with the residents of Springfield.  Lots of sight gags, movie parodies, and they even got Green Day to perform the theme song.  The animation was beautiful and the story was actually fairly strong.  My fears were for naught — Groening and company delivered.

My advice: see it on the big screen — to wait for DVD is idiotic.  This one is good for everyone and worth the time in the theater…

My thoughts on the world of movies…