Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Time to change things up again! I'm actually blogging about a TV mini-series. A very clever, delightful comedy/musical: 2008's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

No one knows this. But, yes, it was on TV. It even won a prime time Emmy (Outstanding Special Class - Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Programs).

Everyone who's already seen this thinks it went straight to the Internet. Where it gained so much fame (Joss Whedon fans are devoted!) that you can no longer view it at its website. It is, however, available on Netflix (streaming!) or to buy via Amazon.com and other places, I'm sure.

As eluded to, Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, Angel, Firefly) and his brothers Jeb and Zack wrote this... I'll just call it a Short (42 min total). It stars Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, MD.) as Billy who is trying to cement his role as Dr. Horrible, evil genius/super villain, and impress his wanna-be girlfriend, Penny. Standing in his way is Captain Hammer, played by Nathan Fillian (Firefly, Castle).

The Whedon brothers are very crafty mixing live action with Dr. Horrible's blog (actually a podcast), and the musical numbers fit in perfectly. Most of the songs are really good, too. Maybe not Roger's & Hammerstein, but they are surprisingly complex (in places), catchy, witty, drive the story...you know, good. But the biggest surprise: Doogie Howser can sing!!

The writing is spectacular. Very few could execute so well the idea of someone trying to become a member of the "Evil League of Evil", and still make the character sympathetic and real.

I found this an absolute joy to watch. But I should point out that this is not all flowers and wine - after all the main character is an anti-hero.

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight

This review falls under the category of "I can't believe some of my friends have never seen this movie".

In 1995 HBO brought their award-winning series to the big screen with Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight. A Classic was born.

Like the TV series, it's an homage to B movies: kinda campy, and a bit adult (gore, nudity & language). But, also like the series, it's totally engrosing, not too scary or long (92 min), funny, well written and acted.

I'm not going to tell you the plot. Don't look it up. It's not very complicated. Just watch it!

I'll just say I love this movie for what it is: a perfect distraction. Not Academy Award material but just plain fun. Its witty writing, decent story and awesome acting (esp. Billy Zane!) keep me watching it to this day.

GasLand

Here's a MUST-SEE: 2010's GasLand!

Josh Fox kinda does a Michael Moore - rising from obscurity by finding a huge problem close to home and he makes a really good documentary about it.

Josh takes on the unregulated, insidious practice of "fracking" - natural gas mining by Big-Oil in rural America. Unfortunately, fracking is so demonstrative I'm not even going to attempt a description of the method or to spell out the many, many serious effects. See the movie!

Big-Oil gets away with this because in 2005 the George W. Bush's administration (and more specifically their "Environmental Board" which contained all Big-Oil reps and zero actual environmentalists) passed a law stating Big-Oil is no longer subject to the clean water and clean air acts enabled in the 1970s. The EPA no longer regulates drilling inside the USA.

Josh Fox doesn't include the humor of a Michael Moore, nor does he really "take on" Big-Oil. But there are a few humorous bits and a few attempts at getting interviews with the companies. And it does start a bit slow, but that ends abruptly. I was engaged and outraged soon enough.

This is as upsetting and thought-provoking documentary as I've ever seen!

House on Telegraph Hill

Here's an old movie (1951) but definitely worth your time.

House on Telegraph Hill is billed as a Film-Noir. But I think that's a misnomer - it is much more of a Hitchcockian thriller.

The story is about a WWII concentration camp survivor who, after the war, assumes the identity of her dear friend so she may come to San Fransisco to look after her friend's son. Things soon unravel when she gets to the states and odd "accidents" consume her imagination, paranoia, and/or guilt.

I really liked this movie because it's an edge-of-your-seat thriller...FOR THE TIME. Aside from the first 20 minutes or so, this is paced like a good Hitchcock mystery - slow, deliberate, and very suspenseful!

Some (not most!) of the acting, dialogue and direction/editing you could easily point fingers at - criticizing for not being up to today's standards.

This is missing the point. This is a 1951 movie. Take this for what it's worth: a great story, told well!

...and those of you who "cannot watch black & white films"... Grow up.

Dersu Uzala

Here's an older movie. 1975 according to imdb.com but that may just be the US release date - there were 2 copyright dates on the dvd box ('71 and '74), so I'm very confused...

I am positive, however, that I really liked this movie - Dersu Uzala.

Akira Kurosawa was commissioned to direct this Russian epic adventure: the story of an early-20th century mapping quest into the Siberian wilderness. The company of Russian soldiers happens upon an older nomad (Dersu), who at first seems antiquated and eccentric. Dersu soon earns their trust and much more as he guides them through the uncharted, vast, VAST wilderness. But over the course of just a few years, as the wilderness becomes tamed, Dersu's usefulness comes into question...

This is a sloooooooooooow (old!) movie, yes. But anyone interested, REALLY interested in film should see this. It is a cinematic masterpiece. An absolute wonder to look at. This is what kept my interest throughout the film. I don't think any other director could pull off this movie.

Akira captures the bleakness of the landscape, he catches it's rugged beauty. EVERYTHING is in focus (thanks to his use of long lenses). But there are a few scenes that will stay with me, if not forever, for a long, long time - not for the action (old movie!), but for the absolute beauty in the picture!

The dvd case did not say anything about remastering or enhancing the video. But the colours were so vibrant, so clear I'm not sure they didn't lie. That's how good this film looks.

Rent to watch. Watch and learn from the master.

Ip Man (eep mun)

Sorry for the long delay in posts. But I haven't been really passionate about anything I've seen lately.

...That was until I watched Ip Man (2008).

Here's an amazing movie that, unfortunately, I think only a very few people I know will enjoy. This is a great drama with a lot of great martial arts. I felt equal parts sad, happy, touched, and that adrenaline rush that you get from amazing action scenes.

Set in the 1930's, more specifically the Japanese occupation of China, it follows the life of a man aptly named Ip Man. He's an expert it Wing Chun kung fu and a gentleman of leisure (very much a gentleman) before the war. Then during the occupation a Japanese general tries to prove that Japanese martial arts is superior to the Chinese. Ip Man refuses to fight. Conflict ensues.

The cast is excellent. Especially Donnie Yen as the lead. He's so engaging and charismatic in both dramatic and action scenes that I was on his side almost instantly. And if you didn't know any better you'd think he had been practicing Wing Chun all his life (rather than 9 months prior to shooting). But the supporting cast is very good too.

There are a couple caveats to watching this movie: 1) Some of the action is a bit brutal here and there. occasionally it looks really, REALLY painful. They did a really good job keeping the various styles of martial arts specific and accurate. A little wire-work seeps in, but it's mostly good old fashioned butt-kicking and is shot really well.

2) Watch this (please!) in it's original Cantonese with English subtitles. I prefer when the actors' mouths sync up with what it sounds like anyway. But there are subtleties that the English dubbing does not do justice to. But more importantly, there are a couple times during the film that they explain stuff that happens historically. And unless you can read Chinese you will miss a lot.