12 Days of Reviews Day 12: The Nightmare Before Christmas

It's only fitting with the last day of these twelve days of reviews ending on the day before Christmas to review not only a Christmas movie (or Halloween if you prefer), but also one of the most beloved. And a movie that when I was young scared the hell out of me. That I think had more to do with the look of the film and the fact that stop motion has always creeped me out. Nonetheless, when I finally did see this movie, it turned out to be one of my all time favorites. It's Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Burton's love of stop motion goes all the way back to the 80's and his short film "Vincent". The Idea for The Nightmare Before Christmas was something stirring with Burton for many years. A take on the iconic Rankin Bass holiday specials of his childhood and giving them a more gothic and frightening feel. And in 1993 with the help of the brilliant Henry Selick, his film concept would finally see release. It didn't fare too well at the box office, due to many parents believing the film would be too scary for kids. It was through home video that the film would become more than a cult classic, but a franchise that launched a thousand Hot Topics.

The film opens in a forest where we see trees that serve as portals to different holiday themed worlds. The one we start focus on is Halloweentown, a creepy place run by monsters of every shape and size, who prepare themselves for their most important night of the year in Halloween. The leader of the town is the Pumpkin King himself Jack Skellington. However Jack has become bored with the same routine every year and pines for something different.

He finds that something in Christmastown, a wonderful land of snow and festive feelings all around, being led by a man named "Sandy Claws". Jack figures that this is what he was missing, and sets out to try and take over the holiday this year. He has Santa kidnapped, while he and the rest of Halloweentown work together to make Christmas their way, filled with frightening gifts of all shapes and sizes. Will Jack succeed, or has he made a huge mistake?

First and foremost, the stop motion in this movie is fantastic. Even 21 years later if still looks beautiful. From the creepy character designs of the citizens of Halloweentown, to the designs of the worlds themselves. Speaking of the characters, the cast is pretty memorable. Jack is a fun character to focus on, his love interest Sally is likeable, albeit a bit stalkerish when you think about it. The Mayor, the wolfman, Dr. Finkelstein, and of course the big bag of bugs himself Oogie Boogie. All the characters are unique and amazing, and definitely memorable.

The music in this movie is probably the best thing about it. Danny Elfman provides not only the score, but Jack's singing voice, and it's amazing. His voice is so wonderfully dark and brooding, but can be energetic and powerful when it needs to be. My personal favorite song from the film is Jack's Lament where he sings about the longing he has for something different. The rest of the soundtrack is just as memorable and enjoyable. From the tauntingly "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" to the villainously fun "The Oogie Boogie Man", it's a perfect soundtrack without one bad song.

In the end, it's one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. It's original, creative, beautiful to look at, and just as amazing to listen. Safe to say that more than likely I'm not saying anything that anyone reading this already knows. It's perfect Christmas viewing, and a must watch for everyone. And with little time left before the big day, you should find time to give it a watch.

And that's it. 12 days of reviews in a row. Thank you for reading, and following my work for the last year. 2015 is expected to be a far bigger year for my blog and writing in general. Some interesting articles are on their way, and hopefully you'll all enjoy them. Have a happy holiday and a happy new year, and I'll see you in 2015.

12 Days of Reviews Day 11: South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

With all the scuttlebutt over North Korea and Sony, it's definitely a good time to give this movie a quick review. It's 1999's South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. A film, that for its time, and much like South Park normally does, reveled in controversy and shock value. With the show's runaway success in 1997, it was only a matter of time until we got the show on the big screen. And a helluva lot faster than the Simpsons did, that's for certain.

The plot sees our four favorite potty mouthed eight year olds from from South Park, Colorado, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormack excited about the big Terrance and Phillip movie "Asses of Fire". When they go see the film, they quickly begin to emulate the duo's potty mouthed mentality, and soon they infect all the kids in town with the sour language. This causes the parents in town to go through measures like putting V-chips in the brains of kids, to blaming Canada, and putting Terrence and Phillip to death. So, much like modern society, parental groups blame the content, and not themselves for keeping their kids away.

The capture of the farting duo causes a war between Canada and the US. Which is perfectly timed with Satan wanting to get out of hell and take over Earth, despite being manipulated by his gay lover Saddam Hussein. Also, a side plot with Stan wanting to win Wendy's affection, but that's not as important. And all this leads to plenty of craziness and crassness as only early South Park could provide.

When you look at how North Korea has reacted to something as stupid as the Interview with hacking and terrorist threats, it makes you realize, damn, Saddam Hussein had a sense of humor. Oh yeah, he was a tyrant and a monster, but media at this time made him into a punch line, and he never insisted a major terrorist attack. Hell, this movie makes him Satan's lover, and then kills him. If that was to be done to Kim Jong-un, the US would be nuked by now.

But that's almost South Park's magic. They thrive on controversy. This was several years before Trey and Matt almost incited war themselves with both Muhammad controversies. However, in this case, they make it work. Saddam is a hilarious villain, both in design and character. And that has to do with smart writing, which this movie has in spades.

In fact, I've covered a lot of adaptations this month, and this one may be the strongest. It feels like a longer episode of the show, but it never feels boring or slow in the process. It keeps moving with one hilarious moment to another. On an animation standpoint, it looks great, though with the show's better look over the years, it does feel a bit dated in design. Though to be honest, I do miss the more construction paper look of the series in its early days.

There's classic music abound. Blame Canada, which was nominated for an Academy Award, is a classic that really proves how easy people will blame others for things that they should hold themselves responsible for. It would have won that Oscar too if not for Phil Collins, and they made certain to mock him later on. The extended version of Kyle's Mom's a Bitch is also a classic, as they take this one silly song from the first Mr. Hankey episode and go full force with it.

The South Park movie is a classic. Controversial, smart, and easily remains one of the most true to the series adaptations of all time. Hell, it mocked Canada, and we didn't threaten a real war. Maybe because we're Canada and a bunch of wusses, i dunno. Either way, it's a classic, and still worth a watch.

12 Days of Reviews Day 10: The Chipmunk Adventure

Day 10 of the 12 days of reviews is here, and it's yet another animated series that got a big screen adaptation. Today we're off to see the world with 1987's "The Chipmunk Adventure", the film adaptation of the 80's reboot of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

While Dave goes off on a European business trip, Alvin laments not being able to go on a big adventure. That changes when the Chipmunks and Chipettes run into diamond smugglers Claus and Claudia, who trick the kids into believing they're holding a race around the world. So, there begins a worldwide adventure with the two teams going everywhere from Mexico, to Rome, collecting diamond filled dolls, blissfully unaware of the trouble they're getting themselves into. Or the mysterious man named Jamal who is sending hired goons after them.

There are so many things I enjoy about this movie that outweigh many of the problems I have with it. The voice acting is solid, though if you can't stand the high pitched sound of the chipmunks then you probably won't be able to stand this film for too long, but I've never had an issue with it. I will admit the issue some will have is that the places they visit do sometimes reflect negative stereotypes, but I don't think they're as extremely offensive as they could be.

What I do love with no issue is the animation, which looks great, even over 25 years later. It's a definite upscale from the original look of the Chipmunks TV show, and it really delivers. All the places they visit are very well designed and animated, the characters have a stronger range of emotions all around in this. It really feels like effort was put into this, and it wasn't entirely just a cash grab on the franchise.

You know, unlike this.

But what I really love is the music. Yes, the Chipmunks are not for everyone, as the squeaky sounds can turn you off, but the music within is easily some of their best. From the adventurous "Off to See the World", to the energetic "Girls of Rock and Roll", to my favorite track, the climactic and somewhat quintessentially 80's sounding "Diamond Dolls". It's a perfect soundtrack in my eyes. They could have just thrown a bunch of pop tracks and just chipmunked them, but thankfully other than "Wooly Bully" it's all fresh content, and some of the best the series has ever made.

I can see the hate this film does get from some people, but to me, it's a staple of nostalgia that I haven't gone blind to yet. Hell, it's still one of those "Watch on occasion" films. It's not perfect, but it's definitely a far more ambitious Chipmunks affair than most, and it's definitely one kids could enjoy. I say it's at least worth a watch.

12 Days of Reviews Day 9: Mickey's Christmas Carol

Hey look, it's nine days in and I'm finally covering something Christmas related. And while this is more a special than a movie, it's still worth giving a quick review to. And that's 1983's "Mickey's Christmas Carol, It debuted in North America along with a re-issue of The Rescuers, if you're really picky about this being a list of theatrical releases though.

Ebeneezer Scrooge (Played by, obviously, Scrooge McDuck) is a cold hearted miser, who hates Christmas, and is only concerned with greed, and even overworks his employee Bob Cratchit (Mickey Mouse). However, his life begins to change when he is given a warning by the ghost of his old partner Jacob Marley (Goofy) that he'll be visited by three ghosts, which show him his once happy past, the present with Cratchit's ailing son Tiny Tim, and the grim future that Scrooge will face if he doesn't change his ways.


So, in essence, it doesn't really deviate too much from the Dickens plot. But I'm kind of glad they don't, because the story flows and moves so well that it really doesn't need to ever be more than a retelling of a classic tale. The animation is great, with some really nice visuals, and beautiful art. It holds up wonderfully 30 years later.

On the voice acting standpoint, as is the norm with Disney, it's top notch. The most notable voice actor being Alan Young as Scrooge. This would be the first time Young voiced the character, and certainly would not be his last, as only a few years later, Disney would give us the timeless classic known as Ducktales. All the other characters sounds great too. Though Goofy as Marley does sound weird, though that has to do with me being more used to Bill Farmer. Hal Smith does a fine job, it just doesn't feel as Goofy as what Farmer would bring later on.

Overall, this is my favorite Christmas special of all time, and easily my favorite adaptation of the classic Dickens tale. It can be funny, it can be sad, it can be dark, and it does all these well. It's a pitch perfect retelling of the tale, and one of Disney's finest works. If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it.

12 Days of Reviews Day 8: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

Let's flash back to 1990. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise was still at its nuclear height of hotness among kids. And then all of a sudden a live action movie is announced, and kids go nuts for it. And, lo and behold it's not only a great movie with some impressive puppetry and costume design for its time...

Mostly.

As if it was any doubt, it made massive bank at the box office, and has held up for the most part, being one of the first pieces of media to come close to the original comics, while still sticking to the lighter charm of the 1987 animated series. It had action, comedy, the Shredder, the turtles. And of course the awesomeness of Elias Koteas as Casey Jones.

Flash forward to one year later. The franchise is coming under heavy fire from parental groups for its violence. The most notable issue being Michaelangelo's nunchucks, which ended up being removed entirely from the cartoon. This would play a massive issue when it came to the obvious sequel for the film, which is today's choice for quick review, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.

It's not too long since the defeat of the Foot Clan and the literal crushing of the Shredder. However it's long enough for April O'Neil to transform from Judith Hoag to Paige Turco. The turtles and Splinter are still living with her while trying to find their new home, while also fighting thugs with everything but the weapons strapped on their back. Also, no Casey Jones. Boo. Instead we get some kid named Keno. I don't care for Keno.

However things change when it turns out the Shredder is still alive and reforms what's left of the Foot to raid the TGRI laboratory, which is where the ooze that mutated the turtles and Spinter is located. The turtles learn of the ooze as well, and try to get it back first. However, Shredder lucks out, and kidnaps the lead scientist (Played by David Warner) to help him create two mutant warriors of his own. And they are of course, not Bebop and Rocksteady, but Tokka and Rahzar.

So, it's a battle between the Ninja Turtles and Shredder's baby mutants, which leads to far less action, more corny one-liners, and what will no doubt always be a relevant moment, a fight in the middle of a Vanilla Ice concert.

I don't know why this one was my favorite as a kid, because this one is definitely not as good to come back to. It has its moments, and is far better structured a movie over the third film. The puppetry has improved over the last one, albeit the turtles have a more cutesy, and far less gruff look that they did in the first. This would sadly be the last film work of Jim Henson before his passing, and the film is dedicated to his memory.

The first movie knew how to be gritty and dark, while still having those moments that were fun for kids. On this occasion, it's too much focus on being kid friendly that really hurts the film. They never use their weapons, and without their weapons, they lose a lot of what makes them ninja turtles in the first place. On the note of Tokka and Rahzar, I don't mind them, but everyone wanted Bebop and Rocksteady. And you can get pissed at Michael Bay for a lot of things, but apparently plans are for the rhino and warthog to finally make their big screen debut in the next Turtles movie.

I don't hate this movie. It's still fun in a lot of places, but compared to the first one, this is an okay at best turtles movie hampered by butting in of parental groups. I'd say it's still worth a watch at least, but go in with low expectations. Though I will say, for as wussified as this movie was...

It could be a lot worse.

12 Days of Reviews Day 7: A Goofy Movie

It's weird to think that of all the cartoons from the Disney Afternoon lineup, the only one other than Ducktales to get a theatrical release was Goof Troop. But looking back at Goof Troop, it wasn't that bad a cartoon, even if it felt like the polar opposite of most of the shows on the block that were high on adventure. But, maybe the fact that it was a simpler, more sitcom-esque cartoon mixed with Goofy's... well... goofyness, it all made for a fun little toon. And, surprisingly, the movie is actually far better.

Goofy's son Max (Now in High School) is desperately trying to win the affection of Roxanne, the girl of his dreams. So his big plan involves him staging a concert as Powerline, the biggest music star of the time. He wins her affection, but also gets in trouble, which causes Goofy to fear that his son may be going down the wrong road, and there might not be much time left to bond with him. So he takes Max on a fishing trip against his will, despite it being Max's one big chance to finally be with Roxanne. However, Max makes things worse by telling her that he knows Powerline, and will be at the big upcoming concert, so he sabotages the trip unbeknownst to Goofy.

The voice acting retains most of the original cast, with the exception of Max, who is played by James Marsden, who does a pretty good role, and has pretty much been his voice in any other media featuring him. Bill Farmer's back as Goofy, Jim Cummings is once again the perfect Pete, and Rob Paulsen is PJ. No Peg or Pistol interestingly enough, which makes me think that more than likely Peg and Pete got a divorce in between. Also added to the cast is (shudders) Pauly Shore as Bobby, who is pretty much just playing Pauly Shore. He always felt like a character that was never needed, but then again that kind of is the career of Pauly Shore in a nutshell, innit?

The animation looks great, almost on par with that of the bigger Disney films at the time like The Lion King and Pocahontas. There are some really outstanding scenes like the opening dream sequence which at first feels like something really artsy, then becomes straight up nightmare fuel with Max morphing into Goofy. The Powerline concert at the end is also really well animated, and damn if you'll ever be able to get his songs out of your head. Powerline was performed by Tevin Campbell, and they are insanely catchy, particularly I2I.

On a story standpoint, it's nothing too amazing. You've gone down these roads before. Character tells major lies and tries to manipulate things into going their way, eventually gets revealed, things get tense, but everyone turns out happy at the end. But when the reveal happens, it really does feel intense. I mean this may be the only time you'll ever see Goofy, animation's most beloved happy-go-lucky character, suffer from a range of emotions. From being legitimately upset about being duped, to actual anger. But the movie's messages of growing up, and especially its story of a father having a hard time letting go really work, especially for a movie that you at first think is just going to be a... well... goofy movie.

Like a lot of movies I've reviewed for these 12 days, A Goofy Movie wasn't a massive box office hit, but found more love on home video, and has since become a more beloved film, as well as one of my favorite Disney films. Is it perfect? Not entirely? Does it feel a tad too 90's at times? Definitely. But there are more than enough laughs, songs, and charm to this movie that it can easily appeal to all audiences. If you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth a watch.

12 Days of Reviews Day 6: The Lego Movie

You probably thought these 12 days were going to be nothing but old movies from the 80's and 90's, well you thought wrong,  as it's been way too long since the Lego Movie came out, and I never really gave my thoughts on this. Is everything awesome about this movie?

Created by Phil Lord and Chris Miller of Clone High/Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs fame, this adaptation of the beloved toy line proved to be more than just a lazy toy tie in, as it's one of the more creative and imaginitive movie in the last few years. And the Audience has thought so too with it making over 450 million at the box office and holding a strong 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Our hero is Emmett, an average lego Brick construction worker, who lives in a world that follows the instructions. When he sees a mysterious woman named Wyldstyle, he ends up accidentally getting himself stuck to the piece of resistance, which is the only thing that can stop the evil Lord/President Business, who plans to use something known as the Kragle to stick every lego person in place. With everyone believing that Emmett is "The Special" It's up to him, and a rag tag group of master builders, including Wyldstyle's boyfriend Batman, to put a stop to the Kragle, and save the day.

What I like about the Lego movie is its look. It's CGI, but the design of the world and the characters feels like it's almost stop motion with how everything looks like a near realistic Lego world. And when the action picks up, it's some of the most amazing animation brought on screen with how fast and fluid it is. It's action that definitely keeps your eyes glued to the screen. On a voice acting side, this film has one hell of a cast. Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Alison Brie. They all do an amazing job, and it never feels like they ever phone it in.

Without spoiling too much of the big twist in the climax of the film, I will say it's probably the strongest part of the movie, when you discover this Lego world isn't exactly what it appears to be. While you could say this twist comes out of nowhere, I think it really doesn't when you consider how this world feels like it could come from the imagination of a child, so when we get to the big swerve, it doesn't feel like it's out of place.

If I were to gripe about anything, I would say the comedy at times is a tad hit and miss. When there are good jokes, they are amazing (Case in point and time you see Superman and Green Lantern together), but a lot just feel very bland. The movie thankfully doesn't suffer from gross out humor and the pop culture references within are far more timeless than what you'd see from an early Dreamworks movie. But I'd be lying if I said this movie doesn't take a little while to truly pick up.

But with that said though, I thought the Lego Movie was okay. It didn't wow me like it has most people, but I do appreciate the visual effort, the story, and everything that went into it. And if you haven't checked it out yet, what's stopping you? Give it a watch and then try to get that darn "Everything is Awesome" song out of your head.

12 Days of Reviews Day 5: Jetsons: The Movie

When it comes to movies I've often wrestled with the idea of inducting to Tooncrap, one has been the 1990 film adaptation of The Jetsons. But when I looked back at the film, I found that it wasn't a particularly bad film. Not a particularly good one either, but compared to a lot of animated franchises getting the big screen treatment, it probably fared better than expected. That said, there are things about it that do bother me about it, so at least with this quick review I can air those grievances.

The Jetsons have been around since the early 60's. Hell, it only lasted a season, yet those 13 episodes aired ad nauseam on Saturday mornings for over 20 plus years. However, in the 80's Hanna Barbera decided to bring the franchise back with new episodes. There were also plans since the mid 80's to bring the Jetsons to the big screen. Including that seemingly impossible hope of a live action version. But in 1990, Universal pictures finally gave us a Jetsons movie.

The plot of the film takes us to an asteroid that's being mined by Spacely Sprockets. However the drilling is constantly being sabotaged. With every vice president quitting the job, and Spacely hell bent on his one millionth sprocket, he sends the only man stupid and loyal enough to take the job. That man, of course, is George Jetson, who moves the family (His boy Elroy, Daughter Judy, Jane his Wife, Astro, and Rosie the Robot) to   the apartment complex near the asteroid. Where they meet new friends, new loves, and learn that the sabotage is caused by the creatures living on the asteroid.

In terms of story, it's really nothing amazing. Your standard mix of "temporary moving" story with sprinkles of an environmental message throughout. In terms of comedy, it's pretty basic and bland, kinda like the Jetsons has always been. But it's harmless writing that little kids would still find entertaining. And at the end of the day, this really is a movie made more for kids, though with better offerings, especially in 1990, this can look kinda corny in comparison.

On an animation standpoint, this movie looks great, especially for the Jetsons. The use of CGI for many of the shots in space, and of the asteroid are really well done, and still hold up much better than most early uses of the style. The soundtrack is pretty decent as well, mainly containing music by Tiffany, which will come into play when I get into voice acting. Also, this is another early 90's movie that has a rap ending, though this one does do it a lot better than most.

On the voice acting side of things, that's where things start to get a bit depressing. During production, both George O'Hanlon (George Jetson) and Mel Blanc (Cosmo Spacely) passed away. And if that wasn't enough, Janet Waldo, the original voice actor for Judy Jetson, completed her lines for Judy, only for her entire role to be replaced by Tiffany. I don't blame Tiffany for it, I doubt she intentionally wanted to just steal the role. This felt entirely like a case of Universal Executives trying to get the most from Tiffany's involvement with the movie and felt having her star in it would be a bigger incentive for people to go see. And I don't even think Tiffany is that bad as Judy, it's just that this whole situation is really disgusting, and kind of a spit in the face of longtime fans and the longtime cast of the cartoon.

But if you can overlook that damning situation, then the Jetsons Movie is an okay at best little film. It's not the best animation to film adaptation, but it is watchable, has a good message, some decent music, and some great early 90's animation that still looks really well done. There are far better alternatives that didn't involve disgusting acts by executives, but if you're a fan of the Jetsons, and want to see the final performance of Mel Blanc, then this is still a must watch.

12 Days of Reviews Day 4: Space Jam

Why does this movie exist? I don't mean that in a negative way, but when you really think about it in what way, shape, or form was there a need for Space Jam? I can understand most big screen adaptations of classic cartoon characters, and I can even understand movies intended to be intended to inflate the ego of a particular sports star. But Space Jam is definitely one of the strangest ideas ever brought to film.

And it's awesome for it.

Actually, for all my questioning, I do know why this exists. The success of the Nike commercials with Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny. And with the Looney Tunes still as important as ever in the mindset of mid-90's America, and his Airness still considered a god on the basketball court, it was only a matter of time until this would lead to 1996's Space Jam.

The movie tells the tale of Michael Jordan's return to basketball after a failed attempt at baseball. Turns out that it all had to do with aliens trying to capture the Looney Tunes and make them the star attractions of space zoo named Moron Mountain, owned by the evil Swackhammer (voiced by Danny DeVito). To ensure their freedom, the Looney Tunes challenge the aliens to a basketball game, believing their wimpiness will be easy to defeat.

Unfortunately for the toons, the aliens steal the talents of some of the 90's biggest basketball stars, and become the hulking Mon-Stars. Now completely screwed, Bugs Bunny and the gang have only one last hope, and that's to try and convince Michael Jordan to team up with them in order to win their freedom. Also, a new character named Lola Bunny and Bill Murray end up on the Tune Squad team as well.

Right off the bat, my biggest issue with this film is that Michael Jordan is not an actor, nor does he really pull off any attempt at acting. He sounds monotone for the most part, and considering that he's being paired with the Looney Tunes, some of the most entertaining characters of all time, it just feels strange. Yet, for the lack of charisma from Jordan, it still strangely works.

The animation and live action blends together nicely. It's perhaps the best blending of both since Roger Rabbit. Yet while Roger Rabbit comes real close to feeling like it could almost be real, for some reason it never feels that close to realism here. It just feels like Michael Jordan in front of a green screen for over an hour. The voice acting is top notch, with all your favorite toons getting a line or two.

Space Jam is corny, and dumb, but endearing. For most, it's a childhood favorite that hasn't suffered from not holding up, and that's how I feel about it. Is it perfect? Not really. But I highly doubt those making this film were attempting a film to rival Citizen Kane. If you haven't watched it in a while, it's definitely worth another watch.

12 Days of Reviews Day 3: Darkman

 

We go to the year 1991 for this edition of the 12 days of reviews for a look at the Sam Raimi superhero film Darkman. Following the success of the first two movies in the Evil Dead series, Sam Raimi wanting to try his hand at the superhero genre. After failed attempts at getting the rights to Batman and the Shadow, Raimi instead came up with his own superhero, and on August 24th, 1990 after a strong advertising campaign, Darkman was released to theaters and made around 48 million at the box office, tripling its 16 million dollar budget. 

Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) is a scientist trying to create synthetic skin. Despite his best efforts, the best he gets is skin that can stay solid for 99 minutes.But before he can celebrate his success, a group of criminals led by the evil Robert Durant show up and destroy the place, killing Peyton's assistant, and leaving Peyton to die in an explosion. The explosion doesn't kill him however, but it leaves his body scarred and burned, and his sanity all but fully destroyed. Managing to find what was left of his synthetic skin experiment, he sets out to get revenge by using the skin to take the place of the criminals who ruined his life, and kill them off one by one.


But the other reason for the need for synthetic skin is to make some to try to find some way to regain his relationship with his girlfriend Julie (played by Frances McDormand). But he soon begins to learn that he may never truly be happy, and that he's nothing more than a freak now. Things unravel as to why Durant attacked Westlake, and who is involved, as we get tons of action and thrills by movie's end.

Sam Raimi originally wanted Bruce Campbell for the role of Peyton, and while I love Bruce, Liam Neeson is the perfect choice for this role. Going from the kindly Peyton to the scarred and disturbed version he later becomes. You really couldn't cast this role with anyone else and receive a better performance. And the makeup effects are amazing as well. The rest of the cast is also top notch. I especially like Larry Drake as Durant, as he makes a pretty menacing villain.

Another thing I really like is the concept of synthetic skin, which is done in a process that feels like it was the inspiration for 3D printing. And for early 90's CGI, it all still looks really cool. The movie's score is also pretty epic, as we get Danny Elfman on the job. However, I would gripe that the main theme suffers from the same issue Dick Tracy does in that it sounds a little too familiar to the Batman theme. But I guess Danny was just going with what works, because it's still a great sounding track.

I do think my only other gripe is that the film does feel a tad like Robocop. Nice guy gets pretty much killed by criminals, is given a 2nd chance at life albeit either deformed or transformed, they seek revenge, and soon learn that the criminals that destroyed his life are working for someone who is higher in power. Still, even though they feel similar in tone, I still enjoy Darkman's look, feel, and tone. It knows when to be sad, when to be disturbing, when to be exciting. And the whole story gives it a feel of if some sort of Phantom of the Opera-esque superhero movie. If you haven't seen Darkman, I definitely recommend it. If you're looking for a classic, and often overlooked superhero flick, this is one you can't do wrong with.

12 Days of Reviews Day 2: UHF

It's day two of the 12 Days of Reviews and today we're taking a quick look at one of my favorite 80's comedies, and to this day the only feature film staring "Weird Al" Yankovic, UHF.

The career of Al Yankovic is a storied one. The accordion wielding master of musical parody started in the late 70's thanks to the exposure of Dr. Demento, and thanks to the birth and rise of MTV in the 80's, Weird Al became a household name with his spoofs of everyone from Michael Jackson to Madonna with classics like "Like a Surgeon", "Eat it", "I Lost on Jeopardy" and so on.

Yankovic's popularity would soon catch the interest of fledgling Orion Pictures, who had hoped to make Al the face of their studio. And in 1989, UHF was released in theaters. Directed by Al's longtime manager Jay Levy (who is even in the film as a gun toting bad ass Mahatma Gandhi) The movie is a wacky send up of television and pop culture as only Weird Al could do.

Al plays George Newman, a man with a big imagination, but an even bigger inability to hold a job. When his uncle Harvey gives him a struggling channel 62 UHF station, George is immediately up to the challenge, only to see the channel suffer due not only to lackluster programming, but the successful competitor in Channel 8 run by the evil R.J Fletcher (played by Kevin McCarthy). The job at the station also almost costs him to love of his girlfriend Teri (Played by Victoria Jackson) It seems like George is about to give up, but when he allows goofy janitor Stanley Spadowski (Michael Richards) time on the air, he becomes an instant success, and Channel 62 begins to find its audience.

And what we get from there is a ton of great parodies, and all around wacky television shows. Classics like Wheel of Fish, Conan the Librarian, Strip Solitaire, and who can forget the classic commercial for Spatula City. So much crazy variety that you almost wish channel 62 was an actual station. Sure beats most of the garbage we get on TV today, that's for certain. If there was an issue I have with the movie, I would say Al is a bit wooden at times, and definitely not as good an actor as he is a musician. But with such a strong supporting cast including the likes of Fran Drescher, Billy Barty, Gedde Watanabe, Trinidad Silva and more, it's hard to really have much of an issue with Al's performance. He tries, but you can tell he's stronger at music than movies.

UHF hit theaters on July 21st, 1989, and was not only slaughtered by critics, but only made a measly six million at the box office. Though while that is pretty minor, it is forgivable considering how stacked the summer of 1989 was. Ghostbusters II, Batman, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Lethal Weapon II just to name a few released that year. It's not hard to see how a smaller film like UHF could get lost in the shuffle. But thanks to cable and home video, it did eventually find its audience and has since become a cult hit, which perfectly fits such a wacky and fun film.

The film was recently released on Blu-Ray by Shout Factory, but I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. I do still have the DVD version released by MGM back in the early 2000's, and it's one of my all time favorite DVDs. You get tons of content including deleted scenes, the UHF music video, and a fun commentary with Weird Al and Jay Levy, which tells you everything you probably never needed to know about the filming of UHF, and even features guest commentary from Emo Philips and Michael Richards.

UHF is a fun, wacky, and irreverent knock on television that is still a fun watch over 25 years later. Sure, we live now in a world where the term UHF is dead, and the concepts of television have gradually changed since, but it's got Weird Al, and even a scene with Dr. Demento eating whipped cream. What's not to love? If you're a fan of 80's movies, Weird Al, or just want a fun comedy for all ages, UHF is one worth tuning in to.

12 Days of Reviews Day 1: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

It's Christmastime once again, and since I'm in a generous mood (And need to bump up some more content on the blog) I figured that why not celebrate Christmas with 12 straight days of reviews. Now this series of quick reviews will range from movies of practically any genre I'm down to look at. As long as I own a physical copy or it's easily available to me right now, it fits the criteria.  And what better way to kick things off than looking back at Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

1989 saw Batman's popularity reach a massive peak with the release of the Tim Burton theatrical adaptation. Bat-mania was near unstoppable at the time, with the film breaking box office records for the time, and even being the first VHS to get a release only around six months after its release. Remember when waiting for a movie to make it to video would take over a year? Now we complain if it takes three or four months. Regardless, it was a great time to be a Bat-fan.

And that would prove even more true when on September 5th, 1992, Batman: the Animated Series would debut on Fox Kids. Created by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, this take on the caped crusader stayed true to the darker and more action packed tones of the comics, which made it feel a lot more than just another kids superhero cartoon. It was a cartoon that could entertain kids, but was perfect for adults and longtime bat-fans.

Honestly, when you look at most 90's cartoons, very few even hold up slightly. In the case of Batman TAS, it holds up superbly. From beautiful art depicting Gotham City in a world that mixes a modern society with a 1940's gritty film noir style world, to amazing orchestral scores, and the most important to all animated adaptations, the voice acting, headed by Kevin Conroy who has pretty much become the quintessential Batman voice.

In late 1993, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm would hit theaters. It would sadly only make about five million at the box office. Though that blame comes mostly from poor advertising of the film, and the fact that it was released smack dab in the middle of December, right before Christmas. Though I'd also argue the lack of box office success came from people who thought they were just getting an extended episode of the TV show. Which I guess is true, but that shouldn't discount the quality of the movie within. And this is definitely top quality.

The plot goes as follows, gangsters in Gotham City are being killed off by a mysterious vigilante known as the Phantasm. However, this causes the blame for the deaths to be shifted to Batman. It appears this so called "angel of death" has a history with the gangsters it's killing. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne receives a blast from his past when Andrea Beaumont, the woman he loved, returns to Gotham for the first time in ten years. This gives us a lot of back story on how Bruce almost had a chance at happiness, and how he almost gave up the vow to his parents.

These flashbacks also show us a lot of what birthed the Batman character. From the origin of the Batmobile and the Batcave, to some of Bruce's first fights as a vigilante. Which makes this movie a lot more important to the mythos of the series, and not just another throwaway movie based on a cartoon where the consequences involved within hold no bearing on the world like so many others do.

In the present, if it's bad enough that the police are after Batman, and the Phantasm is offing gangsters, things get even more deadly when the Joker gets involved. You'd think that the Joker was just added to the film in hopes of drawing audiences to a familiar face and giving him no importance to the back story being given, but no. As the film progresses, you learn that Joker is just as important to the past as he is the present. Mark Hamill once again portrays the clown prince of crime, and once again proves why he is the greatest representation of this classic character. He can be silly, snarky, and downright frightening, just like how the Joker should be.

On an animation standpoint, it's about the same quality as the TV show, which is definitely not a knock at the quality in any way. Considering the show was always one of the best animated for its time, it looks even better in a theatrical format. There is a bit of CGI in the opening, but even that doesn't look dated or bad, especially for 1993.

If you haven't seen Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, or haven't in a long time, it's definitely worth checking out. It's one of the deeper representations of Batman on the big screen ever, and gives a lot more weight into Bruce Wayne's decision to honor his parents and become the Batman. It's chock full of action, never feels like it goes too slow, and never feels like it tries to insult the audience. Even the revelation of the Phantasm, which isn't too hard to guess by the time the revelation is made, still works for this great mystery. The voice acting is great, the animation is great, it has a great orchestral soundtrack, it's the perfect Batman story, and the perfect batman film. Perfect for day one of the 12 days of Reviews.