Directed by Carl Upsdell
Starring Eli Gabay, Brian Drummond, Alex Zahara, Trevor Devall
Created by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee
The Inhumans, a lesser-known yet intriguing aspect of Marvel Comics, breaks out into the video market with the motion comic of Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee’s award-winning miniseries. Does award-winning comic writing still translate into motion?
The Film
The Inhumans are a secretive culture of ancient genetically-modified people who have avoided contact with the rest of mankind for their entire existence. That avoidance is tested as their home city of Attilan, located on the recently-resurfaced island of Atlantis, has become a target for greedy politicians and warmongers wanting access to the Inhumans’ advanced technology. The Inhumans, lead by their King Black Bolt whose voice destroys mountains, must defend against an invading force and an unknown threat from within.
This motion comic collects the 1998-1999 12-issue miniseries by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee, winning the pair an Eisner Award for best new series. (Eisners are basically the Academy Awards for comics) It splits focus between Black Bolt and his royal family, a young generation of Inhumans just getting their powers, the submissive Neanderthal-like Alpha Primitive race, and the humans outside.
The Inhumans are a lesser-known franchise in the Marvel universe, probably better known for their occasional run ins with the Fantastic Four. While there are small cameos by a couple of more notable Marvel characters, this is entirely their show. It does a good job catching the viewer up with the characters and the society, even the disturbing prejudice that runs through the Inhumans.
The Inhumans in the spotlight are well developed as characters, seeing their pros and cons and a wide range of emotions from frustration to elation and more. The human antagonists don’t fare as well, with shallow personalities and generic motivations.
As with every Marvel motion comic DVD/Blu-Ray release I’ve watched, this one also divides each part – all 12 of them – into its own short episodes, annoyingly playing credits between each one. With these interruptions every 10 minutes, it’s hard to stay engaged. Worse yet, the theme music used each time – an overly serious and somber tune that takes you out of the mood to watch the story.
Making the engagement matter worse is the heavy-handed third-person narration following the entire story. The dull, existentialist-wannabe narrator continually pulls you away from the actions on screen, making this work feel less like an event unfolding onscreen and more like the boring dribble you find yourself drifting off to in English class.
Perhaps because the narration and constant interruptions seem to draw this out, but the overall film feels far too long than it needs to be. Several parts in the middle could have been further compressed. What takes moments to read on a page takes considerably longer to watch play out, particularly with the aforementioned bloated narration.
With all of these hurdles, if you manage to stick with it, you do find yourself invested in the climatic payoff, only to be hampered by a weak resolution that leaves the audience unfulfilled.
I enjoy the Inhuman characters, their culture, and their culture clash with humanity. This conflict does a good job exploring all of that. The execution though, particularly in this motion comic form, is lacking.
5/10
The Video and Audio
The art drops quality from paper to motion video, not nearly as clean as Jae Lee’s original work. This is painfully obvious when you look at the cover adorned in art from the books. The animation itself is often jerky, laughably so at times.
The audio is workable. Some of the voices start sounding alike, and you start to not notice who is talking. (Also a fault of the poor animation) It doesn’t help that several of the voice cast perform multiple characters.
4/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
This one disc set in a flimsy cardboard case comes with a half-hour documentary on the making of the Inhumans comic mini-series that became this motion comic. The documentary features heavily on writer Paul Jenkins coming into the Inhumans franchise he wasn’t familiar with and working with artist Jae Lee. Also interviewed is Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada – who helped create the “Marvel Knights” label of outside creatives breathing new life into characters falling to the wayside, which included the Inhumans.
It’s usually enlightening to hear about the creative process of renowned comics, and this doc measures up. It’s honestly a more entertaining and easier watch than the motion comic itself.
With that said, the bonuses are otherwise slim pickings. Given the relative obscurity of the Inhumans over some of Marvel’s other properties, this really could have benefitted from character bios or a history recap.
6/10
Overall (Not an Average)
I read this story some number of years ago in the trade book. While I don’t remember too much from then, I know I didn’t feel like this work was as long and dull as this viewing. It’s the weakness of motion comics. Instead of properly adapting a story into a new medium in a way that better fits it, motion comics often just scan the comic and animate a character here and there. Things that work fine in print, like the narration, don’t play as well in video and audio.
I also understand that these parts, episodes, issues, or whatever were originally made to be released one at a time online, but on home video, they should be compiled for a single viewing experience without interruptions by the credits every 10 minutes. Think of trade collections versus single issues.
Until Marvel learns to adapt these comics for a video medium properly and change the storytelling aspects that don’t translate well from print to video, these home releases of Marvel’s motion comics suffer a steep handicap.
4/10
The Review
The Film 5/10
The Video and Audio 4/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 6/10
Overall (Not an Average) 4/10
Written by Corey Taylor
Art by Richard Clark
A man wakes up in a strange land with no idea who or where he is, suddenly chased by ghostly mobs and a doppelganger. Sounds intriguing enough, but does the book go anywhere with it?
The Story
This first issue follows an unnamed human male around a dreamlike field. The character is unnamed except for the label “Zero” on his jumpsuit, almost like a prison suit. He also doesn’t know who he is, so don’t expect any answers from him anytime soon.
During his escapade, he meets a ghost-like creature who takes his likeness and calls himself Allen. He warns the human of an unknown event called “The Conflagration.” Allen tells the human and us that the key to leaving this crazy world is at the House of Gold and Bones, but can the human get there before Black Jack’s ghastly gang catches up to him?
If this sounds particularly surreal, it is. We readers are as unaware of what’s going on as the human, so we become just as frustrated as he is at this confusing predicament. Why is he being chased? Where is he and where is he going? What is going on? Who is this guy? No idea to any of these.
Yes, it’s the first issue, so it’s supposed to set up the general mystery of the story. It’s also supposed to introduce us to the characters and the world so that we have a starting point we can grasp. I’m not the biggest fan of overdone exposition, but it’s better than none.
The human himself is a bland character. He’s confused and angry about this strange situation he’s in, as anyone would, but he doesn’t do anything to gain our favor as an interesting protagonist. I don’t care what happens to him and would much rather explore the world, which doesn’t get done much in this first issue. It reminds me of the 2009 The Prisoner remake with Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen, except without anyone as charismatic as Jim Caviezel or Ian McKellen.
There’s no foundation set to hook us into this world, and there’s no character we feel drawn to, so there’s no real investment to keep us readers wanting to know the mystery of this world and this book.
3/10
The Art
The artwork is serviceable for the story. Unfortunately, as the story isn’t really exciting as you can tell from the above, the art follows suit and feels bland. Several of the panels and the character blocking are bland. Some of the facial expressions are off-putting and unnatural.
The key scene for the art to make its mark – the scene where the human and we readers get a look at this strange new world – is a letdown by how unremarkable it is. This is supposed to be a strange, disorienting world, and we just see a plain valley and some mountains with a sunset.
One of the variant covers, a red and black portrait of the man screaming, is a neat artistic take with the title in white with some splattering effects and a definition of “overture” (the title of the issue). It’s a good cover, but the inside just doesn’t measure up.
4/10
Overall (Not an Average)
First issues are hard, especially for brand new series without any established characters or tie-ins. You have to hook readers right away, or else they won’t stick around for issue two. I won’t be sticking around for issue two of this one. I hope the story develops more quickly for those who do.
4/10
The Review
Story 3/10
Art 4/10
Overall (Not an Average) 4/10
Written by Tim Siedell
Art by Stephen Thompson
Darth Vader is not a particularly nice dude. He’s racked up his share of enemies throughout the galaxy, even when you don’t count the Hayden Christensen haters. Now, will one man’s vengeance finally catch up to the Sith lord?
The Story
Darth Vader is one difficult S.O.B. to kill. A grieving father has hired eight assassins to take out the Sith lord who killed his child, and all have failed. Desperate, a ninth assassin with a “bloody” high cost and a high opinion of his chances is hired to face Vader for maybe the last time.
This first issue features very little of Vader and of this as-of-yet unnamed assassin character. It instead follows this grieving father – whose son seems to be a foolhardy and dimwitted prick not entirely undeserving of his fate – searching out the assassin to exact his revenge. It’s all set up, showing the world(s) the story takes place in, rife with corporate corruption conflicting with political corruption. Also a lot of wading through a steamy swamp planet. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were Dagobah, but sadly there are no Yoda cameos.
The substance of this issue is lacking. Most of the characters who get lengthy story time are either cannon fodder or don’t matter to the upcoming drama. With so little of Vader himself or of the assassin, who seems pretty formidable in his own right, it’s hard to get hooked on the title by this issue alone. The only thing it has going for it is the hope for a Vader throw down in the future, which is whittled away with each issue that doesn’t feature that.
I want to see Vader being badass and fighting a sword-wielding, shadowy killer, and that’s what this book should be. Any actual suspense will be cut down, as we all know Vader survives this to die another day. Yet surprisingly, this issue is number one of an ongoing title instead of a mini-series. I don’t know how much even great fights can sustain an ongoing title with a forgone conclusion of failure and imperial continuance. If it continues to show little of the actual action the premise hopes for, it has an even less certain future.
To its benefit, the book has a good twist at the end to show how sadistic the assassin is when exacting his price for slaying Vader. Perhaps this is a good sign of how drastic the coming battles will be.
5/10
The Art
Before getting to the quality of the art, I want to point out that the cover of this first issue features neither Vader nor the assassin. It’s really just the grieving father meeting the assassin’s booking agent, who is simply sitting – albeit menacingly enough – on a throne. No combat. No lightsaber duals. No Vader, who by all rights is the selling point of this book. I guess Dark Horse is hoping the “Darth Vader” name will be enough to sell issues, but I’d wager the Darth Vader image would help even more.
The art is serviceable. The penciler/inker/colorer team went through a lot of work detailing the characters, their costuming, and the backgrounds. Everything looks fine. The lack of compelling story or action though makes everything feel bland though, despite the effort of the artists.
What little bit of Vader there is in this book, he looks impressive and menacing. His suit is well detailed, and with his lightsaber held up high, he looks like a silent force of death. As he should.
7/10
At first glance, I thought the title said “Darth Vader and the NINJA Assassin.” With what little moments we see of the assassin itself, that may not be too far off. That’s a missed opportunity on Dark Horse’s part. Darth Vader versus ninjas? That’s a license to print money. This book as is? It needs to work a lot harder to bring in any audience or cash.
6/10
The Review
Story 5/10
Art 7/10
Overall (Not an Average) 6/10
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Lian Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes
Have you ever seen a film that was both incredibly well produced and also so emotionally impacting that it left you awestruck and in tears at the end? Schindler’s List is one of those films, and here’s why.
The Film
Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) is a Nazi businessman who risks his fortunes and his life to save the Polish Jews he came to know within his factory. Schindler arrives in Poland on the heels of Poland’s defeat from Germany in 1939 with the idea of using disenfranchised Polish Jews as cheap factory labor. Over time, this war profiteer grows closer to his workers as his factory accountant Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley) and his Jewish employees are hunted down and placed into a concentration camp by the psychotic German SS-Lieutenant Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes). As the Holocaust grows deadlier, Schindler desperately tries to find a way to save as many of his employees as he can.
Emotionally, this is a brutally devastating film. It makes every attempt to show the horrors of the Holocaust from a personal perspective. Prepare yourself though. This is a long film, clocking in over three hours and covering a six-year time span. The first third may feel slow waiting for the inevitable conflict to kick in, but that waiting quickly turned into nail-biting suspense.
As the depths of the Nazi oppression and extermination of the Jewish people comes full focus, you lose track of time after being engrossed by the atrocities happening on screen. The film’s length benefits it by introducing you to the several supporting and incidental characters. By the time everything goes to hell – with home raids, random shootings, burning ovens, and gas chambers – you’re on the edge of your seat because you are invested in these characters, because you want some semblance of hope in this entirely bleak world.
The film’s bleakness is exemplified by being in black and white. There are a couple of instances of colorized objects and colored scenes, but they are far between. The colorized instances in the black and white are also somewhat subdued, as opposed to some other black and white films that use very intense and vibrant instances of color (*cough*SinCity*cough*).
All of this darkness makes the light at the end of the tunnel much more cathartic. This film is ultimately a message of hope and perseverance, about how anyone can make a difference. Schindler isn’t a fighter or a politician. He’s a business man, and a shady one at that. In the end, his morals aren’t as corrupt as his business practices, and even an almost unscrupulous man can do true good for his fellow mankind.
If any film teaches that lesson with such depth of feeling and long-lasting impression, it’s Schindler’s List.
10/10
The Video and Audio
The Blu-Ray of this film is gorgeous, which is almost awkward to say about this harrowing film. The high-definition video is incredibly crisp. The black and white contrast is sharp. The film is almost too clear with how some of the detail of certain scenes is too much to watch, but that’s the nature of the film. This film and its restoration are outstanding.
The film’s audio in DTS-HD Master Audio is likewise clearly audible, especially John Williams’ perfectly-somber score. The switching back and forth from German to English occasionally makes the dialog hard to follow though.
9/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
This release includes four copies of the film: a Blu-Ray, a DVD copy across two discs, a digital download code, and an UltraViolet streaming code. Oddly enough, the extras are actually on the second DVD instead of the Blu-Ray. A press release before the Blu-Ray’s release said they would be on both, so that’s going to cause some point loss.
The actual extras include the documentary “Voices from the List” – interviewing Holocaust survivors saved by Oskar Schindler through the USC Shoah Foundation, which was started by Spielberg after the film’s release. The survivors discuss Schindler himself and how he saved them, but they also go into the general lifestyle of the time and then life afterwards. These interviews were filmed sometime after the movie’s release and are shot in 4:3 fullscreen standard definition. Also included are short promotional videos of the USC Shoah Foundation and its IWitness educational program.
I honestly wanted more behind-the-scenes features and commentary on such a storied and praised film. The documentary feels like the only real added experience, which is fine on its own, but it’s hard to follow up with the depressing real story after just going through the film.
5/10
Overall (Not an Average)
To be honest, this is the definitive school collection of this film. In addition to the film itself being such a compelling portrayal of a tragic yet important historical event, its extras are also geared towards education and towards getting schools to work with the USC Shoah Foundation. The DVD release even has a natural breaking point between discs in case there isn’t time in class to watch all three hours. After all that, the teacher can keep the Blu-Ray for personal viewing.
Film nerds unfortunately have only one draw to flock to this release: the excellent restoration of the film itself. Is that enough? Yes. Although I want more extras and will dock the release points for that, this film is definitely worth putting on your shelf. Even if you don’t watch it often, and who can blame you after the emotional strain, it’s worth it when you do.
8/10
The Review
The Film 10/10
The Video and Audio 9/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 5/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
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Written by Alex Langley
Art by Nick Langley
Are you a young nerdling or a dissociable geek looking to level up your life? Author Alex Langley is here to help. Langley’s The Geek Handbook is a guide to socializing with fellow geeks and the common world, a road map for developing into a well-rounded adult while maintaining your geeky integrity.
This book goes into making friends, going to school, moving out, cooking, exercising, expressing your fandoms in a work environment, and a number of other general life help points, all in ways that are both tailored to work for geeks, as well as to be entertainingly read by geeks.
What is a “geek” then? Langley defines one as “anyone who has a passion for the things they love,” transcending beyond the usual fandom of popular culture and even includes geeks of food, cars and sports as examples. This puts everyone on a level playing field and shows the usual geek that he’s not so unusual. With that said, Langley knows which kinds of geek will be reading this book. As such, expect the usual references to movies, television, comics, games, and tropes we all love.
If you hate reference humor – the kind where someone mentions something from some show or movie and it’s supposed to be funny on that alone – don’t let that deter you from this book. Langley does a great job mixing his nerdy references with wit and humor where most appropriate, earning the numerous chuckles I gave it in my reading.
Enough geeky fandoms are used throughout the book to please almost any reader, from comic book to video games, anime to tech, and more. They are also well-mixed, keeping most sections from becoming monopolized from a singular fandom. The zombie references seem to get a lot of play though, with multiple discussions about making sure your home in adequately prepared for the impending zombie invasion. But I’m a bit tired of zombies these days.
Being a geek for editing and consistent formatting myself, I noticed a few editorial mishaps that probably could have been fixed with another quick run through before going to press. A repeated paragraph here, an un-bolded title in a series with bolded titles there. These mistakes are few, but they do momentarily interrupt the reading experience.
I was caught off guard though by the inclusion of a “Geek Girls” chapter, which seems like it would be segregating a subset of geek culture in a book that is otherwise progressively trying to bring everyone together. In reading though, it addresses several points which sadly still need to be pointed out to the denser male individuals in geekdom, highlighting the need to treat geeky girls as an equal part of the group.
Overall, the book was an enjoyable read. It has its ups and downs as the humor and advice didn’t always connect with me, but it will with other readers. The first thing I did when I brought this book home for review was read aloud the “Seven Types of Geek Roommates” to my own roommates, where we laughed and pointed out which aspects fit ourselves and argued which didn’t. That’s the fun of the book: reading what relates to you with the humor Langley brings to the table, and then arguing with the parts you disagree with. Just like any good geek.
Not to mention, Langley admitting he likes Ben Reilly always gets brownie points in my book. Yay, Scarlet Spider!
7/10
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Directed by Ryan Polito
Starring Chris Hardwick
Chris Hardwick of The Nerdist and Talking Dead hits the stage in this Comedy Central special, but can this nerd celebrity appease mainstream comedy, or will his geek humor fall on his face?
The Film
Chris Hardwick, the TV/internet personality known for hosting AMC’s Talking Dead, appearing on G4, and running his web channel The Nerdist, puts on his shiny stand-up suit for the Comedy Central special Mandroid.
Hardwick is a nerd’s nerd. Several of his jokes contain references to his time in chess club, Harry Potter, and Atari games. He goes on about the proliferation of geek culture as of late, compared to his almost Revenge-of-the-Nerds-esque childhood, and the differences between true nerds from hipsters and dweebs.
Unlike a lot of geeky comedians though, the simple references aren’t a crutch for Hardwick’s act, nor do they make up the entirety of his performance. Hardwick goes all over the place, from his drinking experiences to aging over 35. A lot of his routine is very relatable, nerd or not, so his comedy is still going to strike a chord even if you don’t know what Platform 9 and ¾ is.
The parental advisory on the box is no joke. Hardwick has several sexual-related bits, from virginity to shark vaginas, and even fake screwing the mic and the mic stand. It’s crude, but the humor hits its mark. Hardwick’s performance keeps everything light and playful, lessening any offense one may take. Still, keep the kiddies away.
This special is a fun hour’s worth of chuckles. It doesn’t have many stand-out memorable bits, but it’s worth the watch. Thankfully, what geeky pop-culture references Hardwick uses are fairly benign and timeless, so it won’t feel immediately out of date. That is, unless you like New MySpace.
7/10
The Video and Audio
This comedy special is widescreen, and the audio is English. The sound is clearly audible. You can understand everything Hardwick is saying. It’s a stand-up special, so nothing is exceptional in terms of the audio or visual production. Can you clearly see and hear the comedian? Yep, and that’s what matters.
Random thought: The case notes that the program is in widescreen and that the black bars on the top and bottom are normal. How much longer do you think we have to go before we can drop that message?
7/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
The one-disc DVD comes in a standard DVD. The jacket art is reminiscent of an old pulp comic or novel, with Hardwick drawn in a robot suit fighting a dinosaur on an alien planet, complete with fake worn corners. That alone is enough to make me pick up the DVD.
The feature has three extras: two comedic songs by the musical duo “Hard ‘n Phirm” (Hardwick himself and Mike Phirman), and a “Totally Hidden Easter Egg” blooper from one of their performance. The songs are chuckle-worthy. The bloopers of missed cues and screwed-up guitar playing show that sometimes the ad-libbed filler is as funny as or more than the pre-planned material, showcasing Hardwick’s adaptability.
7/10
Overall (Not an Average)
Mandroid is a fun watch, both the special itself and the bonuses. It’s not a must-have comedy special, but if you can rent or buy it cheap, give it try and then pass to your next nerdy buddy in need of some laughs.
7/10
The Review
The Film 7/10
The Video and Audio 7/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 7/10
Overall (Not an Average) 7/10
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Written by the Shire Collective (Peter Archer, Scott Francis, and Jeff Gerke)
Trying to cash in on the Hobbit craze from Peter Jackson’s first movie into the franchise last month, Writer’s Digest Books releases The Unofficial Hobbit Handbook. The book’s claim that the lifestyles of hobbits and the adventures of its more famous representatives can teach us humans in this age of modern man about how to live life. The hobbits are simple folk, after all, and we can stand to be reminded to enjoy the “smaller” things in life.
The problem with this book is that it doesn’t know what it wants to be. At the beginning and various middle parts, it is very much the life-guide book it professes to be. The book celebrates the hobbits’ cultural love for food and friendship, teaching how to be a good host. It professes how hobbits value their work and responsibility but also take time to enjoy their leisure.
However the book also tries to switch into a reference guide, explaining in layman’s terms the different races, cultures, monsters, and magic of Middle Earth. At times, it even tries to halfway academically explore the adventures of Bilbo and Frodo, comparing them to Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey and exploring them as coming-of-age tales.
This split focus then splits the dedication to each focus, lessening each. More importantly, it loses the audience that gets hooked on a single focus. Personally, I prefer the reference guide portions, explaining in simple language the various creatures in Tolkien’s works and the way magic works. Tolkien’s verbosity does occasionally leave one wanting some simpler explanation. What I don’t want or need is to be explained to that The Hobbit is a tale about growing up or that the One Ring is a parable of power and responsibility. I got that from the stories themselves (and from Spider-Man).
With that said, the life lessons from the book do convey from the lives of hobbits are good ones. Valuing relationships over material gains, and staying open to always making friends, things like these are good to keep in mind. The book even compares these to modern day, equating to hobbits’ nature of making friends to an overflowing list of Facebook friends, or even using five-toed shoes to mimic a hobbit’s barefoot lifestyle.
The question is: does anyone need this supplemental book to teach these lessons, or don’t they get them anyway from the actual books or their film adaptations? I’ve got to go with the latter, and while the book has some occasional good zingers, the writing isn’t entertaining enough to rehash what I’d rather re-experience from rereading The Hobbit, which is only slightly longer and much more fun.
4/10
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Made by Moleskine
Moleskine, renown premium notebook, has released a set of notebooks inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” (and also by Peter Jackson’s new film as well). Yes, I’m reviewing an empty notebook. No actual plot or content inside, simply blank pages. But follow me for a bit, because this is a cool notebook.
First off, the book looks good from the start. The dark brown cardboard-bound cover is silkscreened in black with the Wilderland map – showing the world of Tolkien’s The Hobbit – creating a neat and subtle pattern with the stand-out decoration of the ruby red dragon Smaug on the front cover. Smaug looks better than he’s likely to in Peter Jackson’s film, and serves as an attractive stamp that this book may be full of fantasy and adventure if you so wish.
The front and back interiors of the book have a small Smaug stamp, with the front having space for contact information with a playful fantasy tone about returning it if lost for reward and honour.
The interior pages are what you’d expect: blank pages for writing and drawing. All together, there are 240 pages of acid-free paper. I appreciate that the pages are in a faded off-white color of parchment, instead of simply bright white paper. It fits the book better.
I noticed a tiny mark or scuff on one single page, but it’s nothing to write home about. It would be less of an issue in a ruled book meant more for writing, but such marks may annoy those with plain-page books who wish to draw.
As for the extras (yes, it has extra material), these Hobbit-themed books come with a copy of the Wilderland map and Thorin’s map from the books and film. They’re reversible on the same sheet of paper. It’s kept in a surprising expandable pocket on the inside back cover, along with the Moleskine multi-language pamphlet on the brand and its quality control.
The book also included an attached brown ribbon bookmark and a brown elastic band on the cover to keep shut.
There are four versions of this notebook. For review, we were sent the brown plain-page, full-sized 5×8.25-inch book. This same book also comes in a 3.5×5.5-inch pocket size. A differently adorned burgundy version with ruled pages comes in the same two sizes. I would prefer the pocket-sized version in personal use, but for a quality review, this one still holds up nicely. I appreciate the choice between ruled and plain too.
The price breaks down on moleskine’s website as $21.95 for the full-sized books and $16.95 for the pocket-sized. That price may sound steep for a simple notebook. Moleskine provides quality service, guaranteeing that each book has been checked for flaws, giving each one its own production identification number, and even offering a replacement book if a book has been proven to be defective (but you do have to prove it).
Overall, it’s a nice-looking notebook fit for you to fill with whatever fantasies you wish. And that’s ultimately the hardest part. I like the look of the book so much, but I don’t know what to write inside!
6/10
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Created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy
Starring Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, Walter Jones, Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Jason David Frank, Johnny Young Bosch, Karan Ashley, Steve Cardenas, and Catherine Sutherland
Almost 20 years after five teenagers with attitude first shouted “It’s morphin’ time!” and jumped into battle, do their adventures stand the test of time?
The Series
Five teenagers with attitude are empowered to transform into multi-colored warriors and protect the world from an evil sorceress and her army of monsters. Together and with the power of their giant robotic dinosaurs, they fight monster after monster. With a growing list of allies and weapons replacing those before them, the Power Rangers face ever-growing threats with each villain more evil than before.
All of that sounds great, just as much as it did in 1993 when the series premiered on television, but does it hold up to my memory of childhood wonder, which was captivated by bright colors, expressive martial arts coordination, and giant robot battles? Sadly, not as much as I wished, but not all as badly as I feared either.
This collection includes the three seasons of the original 1993-1995 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, as well as the ten-episode 1996 Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers miniseries which serves as a bridge to the not-included follow up Power Rangers Zeo. All together, that’s a whopping 155 episodes of Power Rangers.
The show starts its first season trying to be Saved by the Bell with superheroes. Its characters are overburdened with ’80s-’90s teen stereotypes, from the valley girl shopaholic to the unintelligible techno-babble nerd. Even the generic punked-out bullies are present as comic relief Bulk and Skull, lambasting our heroes as geeks because they choose to be generally normal and upstanding. Thankfully, the stereotypical ’90s-ness dies down. As the series progresses, the characters are fleshed out and find their footing as themselves and not clichés.
The writing is hit-and-miss. The memorable stories – such as the evil Green Ranger or the first appearance of the big bad Lord Zedd – still stand out as these sympathetic hero teens face legitimate threats with skill and teamwork, but now we see their flaws with hammed-up acting and rushed writing. Even those notable arcs are few and far between, as the majority of episodes are generic monster-of-the-week with even more bland building messages about friendship, doing well in school, and you being yourself. It’s an afternoon kid’s show though with a ridiculous production and airing schedule – over 140 episodes in three years – so you’re going to get a lot of crud.
Soon, you start to realize this series has no real overarching plot going anywhere. Its writers care less about internal logical consistency or legitimate story progression, and more about slapping a half-baked story together to fit Japanese stock footage.
Its Japanese source material is often awkwardly placed between the American-made footage, showcasing obvious juxtaposition of Japanese signs and locales and shoddy-in-comparison American props and costuming. As an adult, it’s laughable, yet still admirable, to see how hard the production staff tried with so little to work with. Even still, I cut a lot of slack to production quality of live-action children superhero series, but this series makes even my tolerance difficult with obvious differences in prop design and quality between American and Japanese footage.
Even the martial arts work the series was known for – spurring a junior karate craze in the mid-’90s – doesn’t entirely hold up. Some of the stunt work and fight scenes are still impressive, easily proving worthy of the attraction from its audience. Some fight scenes though, often those using the actual actors or American stunt crew, fall flat with lack of coordination or fluidity.
So what does the show still have going for it? Bits of quality still come through. When the stunt work and special effects are good, they are spot-on entertaining. Impressive costume design and fight scenes, mostly those from the Japanese stock footage, are still delightful. The basics of the story still shine through the cheese, despite hammy delivery and often awful scripting. Five fairly normal teens are chosen to save the world with badass weapons and awesome giant robots. I wanted to be that when I was young. I want to be that NOW! I want to be Jason, the Red Ranger, fighting Goldar with my Power Sword and riding my Tyrannosaurus Zord into combat.
What this series still has going for it is a childhood dream continued. When the memorable rock opening theme pops up and the DVD menu goes to to the Command Center, it really pumps you up. Unfortunately in many cases, the idea is better than the execution. Still, this series lets you relive that idea of changing – or morphing – from the normal person you are into the superhero you know you are.
If you never got on the Power Rangers bandwagon, you might enjoy the absurdity and cheesiness of it, but if not, the cheap writing and bad acting, as well as some laughable editing and effects, will likely drive away most anyone outside of adolescence. If you’re like me, a fan from the beginning, your nostalgia goggles will get cracked when you realize the bad qualities, but you’ll still get a kick from the fun of being a kid again. By now, you may have kids to show this to, and hopefully they will enjoy this as you once did, which would be a worthwhile joy all on its own.
5/10
The Video and Audio
The video and audio are all as they were in their original broadcasts, complete in fullscreen and stereo. Time hasn’t been kind to the footage. Quality varies greatly from scene to scene. Some footage is flurried with static, while other footage is hazy, all the more apparent when switching to perfectly clear footage. Plus, experienced viewing eyes will easily spot awkward switches between American and Japanese footage, ones that my adolescent self missed entirely. It would make sense if the quality drops were just between the American and Japanese footage, but it’s throughout all the American footage itself.
3/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
This impressive 19-disc set is divided between five regular DVD cases (with episode listings on the inside jackets) and one slim case specifically for the two discs of special features. All the DVD cases come in a shiny and attractive box adorned with the logo and Ranger images. Included with them is a well-made guide book containing episode descriptions and character bios, with some impressive photos that stand the test of time better than the television footage.
The two discs of bonus features include three retrospective featurettes with cast and crew made for this release. These featurettes are a joy in revisiting with these actors almost 20 years later. They also shed some light onto the process of making the series, which will impress and lead you to respect the cast and crew for all the work that went into the show, even if the final product doesn’t hold up as much as you’d like. Most of the surviving Ranger cast is featured; although notable exceptions include original Red Ranger Jason’s Austin St. John and original Pink Ranger Kimberly’s Amy Jo Johnson (Yellow Ranger Trini’s Thuy Trang has since passed away and thus couldn’t be included).
The bonus features also include several direct-to-video specials produced while the show aired. These include holiday specials, compilation clip shows, a recording of the stage show, and even a martial arts tutorial by the Green/White Ranger actor Jason David Frank. It’s not a comprehensive set of the various Power Rangers archives, missing other holiday and martial arts specials. Given how much the featurettes go into the making of the series, I’m surprised to see the pilot missing. However, especially with the stage show and fan club video, it’s impressive to see how the series pandered to its fans beyond its regular television schedule.
9/10
Overall (Not an Average)
This is an impressive release for a series that captivated a generation of children in the ‘90s. While the show itself doesn’t match its memory, this is a quality release that stands as a tribute to nostalgia with its packed extras. I would like to see more, such as the pilot or commentary on key episodes, but what we get is no trifle. It’s a collection worthy for fans to look back and relive their childhood, even with the eyes of an adult seeing the flaws. If you never got into the series, you can give this a pass. Curious viewers would be better served with modern entries into the franchise.
7/10
The Review
The Series 5/10
The Video and Audio 3/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 9/10
Overall (Not an Average) 7/10
Created by: Hasbro Studios
Starring: Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Jeffrey Combs, Ernie Hudson and Steve Blum
The incredible latest entry into the Transformers franchise finally releases its second season, but does it measure up to the intense bot-on-bot action and quality storytelling of its first season?
The Series
Season two of Transformers: Prime picks up right after the climatic finish of season one, with the Autobots desperately trying to save their leader Optimus Prime from the clutches of the vile Megatron and his Decepticons. Megaton’s plot sparks the principle effort of this season – a race between the Autobots and the Decepticons to find ancient Transformer weapons hidden on Earth millennia ago.
This season also sees the return of M.E.C.H., the human technology terrorist group from season one that covets the Transformers’ advanced tech for their own purposes. Just as with season one, it’s good to see that this series expands beyond the usual Autobot-Decepticon warring, that humans play an active part as both the good guys and the bad outside of being simple sidekicks.
With most of the character introduction out of the way from season one, season two gets to hit the road from the start with further developing these characters in new scenarios. Starscream in particular is all over the map with his character journey. The power balance between the Autobots and the Decepticons is in constant flux with new weapons and team members joining the mix. Throwing in rogue humans and Transformers alike, the struggle between Autobots and Decepticons become all the more complex and intriguing.
The characters remain superb. Peter Cullen and Frank Welker are always treats as their respective Optimus Prime and Megatron. All of the returning crew of Transformers and humans continue to do solid jobs. There’s a middle point though where the series almost forgets about the human kid characters, with their absence from several episodes, which feels like a weird transition when they come back in. That could have been handled a bit better.
In season two, we do get to see some new bots. Some are great additions, such as the Decepticons Dreadwing and Shockwave. The sole Autobot addition Smokescreen, however, suffers from annoying, over-eager rookie syndrome, which takes a good few episodes to die down. To make up for that, we get more Wheeljack after his one-episode appearance in season one. All together, more bots is always a good thing.
This series continues to be a great culmination of all things Transformers, with compelling stories, well-developed characters, and great action. With an emotional start and finish, and fun adventures in between, this season is a must watch for any bot fan.
9/10
The Video and Audio
The video is presented in 1080p widescreen, and the audio comes in both 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo English tracks. The CGI is still well detailed and fairly fluid in movement. The video is crisp and colorful. This is a good-looking series. I am surprised though to find that this set doesn’t have subtitles, and looking back, it seems neither did the first season release. It’s a silly oversight that pushes away those viewers hard of hearing.
8/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
The whole season comes on a four-disc set in a Blu-Ray case. Unfortunately, this season pales in comparison to season one’s extras. Season one included behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary tracks on several episodes, and even a comic included in the box, while this season two only has two extra features found on the last disc: a retrospective of season two and a SDCC interview of Optimus Prime’s voice actor Peter Cullen.
The retrospective discusses the evolution of the overall Prime story and the changes going into the season. Producers, writers, designers, and directors all have their say about how they developed season two. The Peter Cullen interview, titled Optimus Prime: Up Close and Personal, is surprisingly conducted by interviewer extraordinaire Larry King. Cullen delves into his start in acting and the creation of the Optimus character before taking audience questions, including from some adorable children who will probably always remember the time Optimus Prime talked to them personally. All together, they’re both fun and informative, but they still fall short compared to what the first season offered.
The particular set I got for review also has a glaring error in some episode playback. The episode “Armada” constantly loops between the cold opening and credits, without ever getting on to the rest of the episode or even allowing the menu control to return. I had to restart my Blu-Ray player just to leave the endless loop and choose a different episode. I hope this isn’t a problem in the final releases, but it hurts this one.
6/10
Overall (Not an Average)
Season two of Transformers: Prime remains a strong entry in both the Transformers franchise and in all-ages sci-fi action television in general. Don’t let this set’s lower number and quality of extras keep you from continuing this great show.
8/10
The Review
The Series 9/10
The Video and Audio 9/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 6/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
Directed by John Cassaday, Neal Adams, and Jesse Cote
Starring Mark Hildreth, Laura Harris, and Brian Drummond
Created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
The complete landmark run of famed creator and The Avengers director Joss Whedon and current Uncanny Avengers artist John Cassaday is completely collected in motion comic form. Is it a suitable alternate that adds to the original book, or does it pale in comparison to the printed page?
The Movie
In a time where most X-Men stories take a more militant view on the characters, treating them as the police and enforcers of all mutant kind, Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men takes the team back to its roots by putting them back in tights and making them super heroes again. This astonishing team consists of its leader Cyclops, Wolverine, Emma Frost, Beast, Kitty Pryde, and the recently resurrected Colossus. It’s a good mix of old school, fan favorites, and drama queens (I’m looking at you, Emma).
The overall story is divided into for arcs, which are also the episode divisions used in this release. The first, “Gifted,” introduces the X-Men to the new villain Ord and his home planet Breakworld, which is bent on destroying mutants to prevent one prophesized to destroy their world. It’s a good starter in introducing or reintroducing us to the stars of the story. It’s also where the mutant cure concept comes from, which was also used in the third X-Men film X-Men: The Last Stand. The less said about that though, the better.
The story hits a lull in parts two and three, “Dangerous” and “Torn.” The “Dangerous” arc sees the X-Men fight a sentient and personified version of their highly-advanced training room. The “Torn” arc breaks the team down with psychic attacks from the villain Cassandra Nova. Both need more familiarity with back history than the first and last arcs, especially about Cassandra Nova and her destruction of the mutant nation of Genosha from Grant Morrison’s run. “Dangerous” feels like a slowdown from its prior arc, and “Torn” is overly convoluted, but both still have shining moments.
The story comes right back around with the highly climatic adrenaline rush of “Unstoppable” – the final arc. The X-Men make for Breakworld to confront its residents and save the Earth, and they might not all have a ride back home. This final part is the peak of Whedon’s writing, expertly combining action with deep characterization and witty dialog.
I really like Whedon and Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men. I think bringing them back to being super heroes is the way to go, having the X-Men represent the best of mutant kind and really all of us, to be on par with the Avengers. Whedon plays to his strengths with an ensemble cast, as well as being one of the few writers to realize that less is more with Wolverine. Cassaday’s art is a perfect companion to the story, displaying both the super and the human side of these characters with incredible skill.
The story on its own gets a 9 easy, only because of the lull in the middle. But this is a motion comic, and that affects things a bit. The acting is average, with some really deadpan line delivery where there should be emotion. And each arc is divided into minisodes that are made of each individual issue of the story, sandwiched by opening and ending credits that run three minutes together every ten or so minutes of story. That totals to over an hour of wasted time spent constantly interrupting the viewer throughout the feature.
Again, the story is top notch, but as a film, it loses points due to presentation.
7/10
The Video and Audio
The Blu-Ray sharpens the art and cleans up a bit of the noise versus the DVD copies. It’s still not quite on par to the pages themselves, but it’s not far off. However, it doesn’t stop how jerky and laughable some of the full-body motion looks.
The audio maintains the weaknesses found on the DVDs, namely the sound effects occasionally playing against dialog and rendering it inaudible. I’m actually a fan of Whedon’s dialog, so that’s a no-no.
Not only is the dialog occasionally inaudible, there aren’t any subtitles for when you can’t hear. I find it somewhat ironic that a comic book, which prints the dialog on the art itself, removes any possibility of text on screen even for those who can’t hear. It might as will print on the box “For subtitles, consult comic.”
4/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
Unlike the DVD copies I’ve previously reviewed, this two-disc set comes with a selection of extras. One, a music video made up of the first issue and a half of the story, is forgettable. The other two, interviews and behind the scenes, are more notable.
In a half-hour interview with Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada and the first arc’s co-director (and comic artist in his own right) Neal Adams, Quesada discusses how the Whedon-Cassaday Astonishing X-Men came to be, which is an interesting tale. Adams goes on about how motion comic animation is a new and exciting medium, which feels too aggrandizing. The five-minute making-of featurette better sells the effort that goes into making what otherwise looks like cheap animation.
6/10
Overall (Not an Average)
Astonishing X-Men, the Whedon and Cassaday run that’s adapted into this collection, is a landmark work in X-Men stories and comics in general. It’s a great title even for those not familiar with the X-Men. Especially for those not familiar with the X-Men. Unfortunately, thanks to poor presentation, average-at-best acting, and inaccessibility to the hearing impaired, I cannot recommend THIS presentation of Whedon and Cassaday’s now-classic tale of our merry mutants. Thankfully, this title is easily found in its original print format through various trade collections.
If you are determined to watch this on a big screen though, this Blu-Ray set is the way to go. Skip over the DVD releases if you haven’t seen them already. The sharper image quality and extras make this one something you can admit to owning, so there’s that.
5/10
The Review
The Movie 7/10
The Video and Audio 4/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 6/10
Overall (Not an Average) 5/10
Directed by Jesse Cote
Starring Mark Hildreth, Laura Harris, and Brian Drummond
Created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
The fourth and final arc in Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s run brings the story to a climatic finish, but how well does it play out once it’s in motion… comic?
The Film
The “Unstoppable” arc wraps up Whedon and Cassaday’s landmark run on the X-Men. While the second “Dangerous” and third “Torn” arcs are arguably lackluster compared to the bang of a start that was the initial “Gifted”, this is where it all comes together in a climatic finish that brings the story to its peak of storytelling and excitement.
The X-Men are jettisoned off to Breakworld, the planet prophesized to be destroyed by the X-Man Colossus and the home of their new adversary Ord. Basically, not an all-around friendly place for our merry mutants. In an uneasy alliance with Agent Brand of Earth’s extraterrestrial defense agency S.W.O.R.D., the X-Men fight their way through Breakworld’s military might to stop Breakworld’s doomsday weapon from destroying Earth.
Whedon’s writing is in top form in this arc. The constant action and running around is kept at a fast pace. Even when characters are talking and planning, you’re still on a rollercoaster ride. Speaking of talking, Whedon’s trademark witty dialog is peppered throughout, with every character having plenty of good one-liners. There’s really no low point in this particular arc.
The most surprising (and possibly the most impressive) of Whedon’s story is how likeable and badass he makes Cyclops. Cyclops, typically the butt of lame boy scout jokes, becomes a hardened and competent leader, with a good mix of strategy and action. Whedon shows you why Scott is ultimately the perennial leader of the X-Men.
Sadly, not all the acting is up to par. For the most part, it’s averagely decent. Mark Hildreth’s Cyclops is probably the best example. On the other hand, Colossus’ bad Russian accent makes it hard to take him seriously. And often, every actor falls flat on an emotional or humorous line, leaving the audience let down. I suspect part of this could be bad audio directing or editing, with some dialog almost running unnaturally together.
As with the previous releases, this one too divides each issue into their own short episodes, annoyingly playing credits between each one. That leads to roughly a three-minute break every ten minutes, making it very difficult to stay in the story with these constant interruptions.
This “Unbreakable” arc is probably the high point of an already acclaimed series, all rightfully so. The only down side to this experience is sadly on the motion comic side – bad acting and disjointed credit breaks. Otherwise, it’s an excellent example of comic story telling.
8/10
The Video and Audio
The art drops quality from paper to motion video, not appearing as sharp and crisp as Cassaday and his team originated. The animation itself is pretty jerky, laughably so at times. It’s in stark contrast against unmoving backgrounds and other elements in the shot. All together, it’s distracting from the story at hand
The singular problem with the audio is the poor leveling between sound effects and dialog. The dialog constantly loses out to sound effects, making occasional lines inaudible. Given that Whedon’s dialog is a selling point of the story, that’s not a good thing.
To make matters worse, there are no subtitles. When you can’t hear the dialog, I guess you’re out of luck.
3/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
The same as the previous release, this final arc comes on a single disc in a cardboard case, with no extras. That’s it.
2/10
Overall (Not an Average)
“Unstoppable” is my favorite part of Whedon and Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men. It’s climatic action and characterization is at its best in this arc. I even still enjoyed it in the motion comic form, but that’s because I look past the weak adaptation to the strong story I already know. If you had to get a motion comic, if they’re you’re thing, then Astonishing X-Men is a great story to go with. Having already seen the Blu-Ray though, I have to recommend it over this standard, no-thrills DVD.
3/10
The Review
The Film 8/10
The Video and Audio 3/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 2/10
Overall (Not an Average) 4/10
Directed by Seiji Mizushima
Starring Adam Gibbs, Emily Neves, and Hilary Haag
A constantly defeated detective continues digging for the truth with his otherworldly partner with a knack for inspiring honesty.
The Series
In a near-future Japan ravaged after a recent war and political machinations, Shinjurou Yuuki is a young detective hell bent on discovering the truth.
The series and each mystery are inspired by the “Ango Sakaguchi’s Meiji Kaika Ango Torimonochou” – “Ango Detective Mysteries” – by mid-20th century Japanese author Ango Sakaguchi. From my understanding thanks to the extras and also searching online, the original stories take place during the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th and featured mysteries that struck at the heart of political intrigue both of that era and of the mid-20th century when they were written.
Likewise, so do these stories, murder mysteries which touch on government cover ups and information manipulation through technology. Even references to recent events and conspiracy theories after the turn of the millennium play a part in setting the mindset of a police force that constantly shields the public from truths they deem too dangerous. All of which run counter to detective Shinjurou who believes truths must be brought to light.
This show plays like a procedural detective drama, which I’m all for (as my countless Law & Order marathons can attest). Its gimmick though is its supernatural element in the character Inga, who forces anyone she wants, or as directed by Shinjurou, to answer one question truthfully. It’s a cheap dues ex machina, speeding along the plot without explaining why or adding to the story itself until the last story arc and the special theatrically-released “Episode 0: Chapter of Inga,” which is included at the end of the episode order.
This feels like a style-over-substance show, being surreal at times just for the sake of being surreal, but I still like it. I enjoy the main character Shinjurou working with, yet pitted against the police and their consulting detective. Both trying to discover the truth in each murder case, yet both competing about what to do with it. The mysteries are complex in some cases, with several turns and tangents that may lose viewers who aren’t paying attention. It’s not a show to have on in the background.
Some of the convoluted plots and cop-out mysticism may turn off some viewers, but it ties itself together better at the end, with its compelling mysteries and characters, into a decently satisfying series.
8/10
The Video and Audio
The series is presented in 1080p HD and 16×9 widescreem. The audio comes in English and Japanese, both in 2.0 stereo. The animation is crisp and active on this Blu-Ray collection, with vibrant colors. It’s a nice-looking series that doesn’t look like it skimps with overused still shots and static animation. The animation company Studio Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist, Eureka Secen, Scrapped Princess, Soul Eater, etc.) typically does a good job, and this series upholds that.
The audio is likewise clear, and the music is catchy, except the climax theme that sounds like the audio freezes for a bit.
8/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
This two-disc set comes packed with an impressive set of features, but the quantity doesn’t ensure quality. Most of them are different promotional shorts or alternate scenes. The diamonds come through with the “All Night” event recording and the “Conversation with Ango Sakaguchi,” which is technically a conversation with the writer ABOUT Ango Sakaguchi and modernizing his work into the series. It’s pieces like these that give insight into the making of the series and expand their enjoyment.
Unfortunately subtitle issues in these extras, from missing subtitles to subtitles stacked on top of one another, hurt the understanding of some of these.
7/10
Overall (Not an Average)
Un-Go is a compelling whodunit series with intriguing, albeit somewhat convoluted, mysteries. Its supernatural elements may initially attract or detract an audience, especially the latter in the beginning of the series, but those who stuck through the end will be pleased they did.
8/10
The Review
The Series 8/10
The Video and Audio 8/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 7/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
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Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
Starring Nadezhda Markina, Andrey Smirnov, and Aleksey Rozin
Caught between a well-off life in her second marriage and her son’s jobless and impoverished life, Elena takes matters into her own hands to make sure her family is taken care of, even if it means losing the new family she has.
The Film
In this Russian-language character drama, Elena is a retired nurse living the good life while her family lives below the poverty line, and she means to fix that. Elena’s son from a previous marriage is poor and lives in the slums of the city. Vladimir, her well-off and elderly businessman husband, shows no love for her family, and more importantly, no financial support. With more grandchildren on the way and her eldest grandson facing compulsory military service, Elena takes matters into her own hands.
This film examines two different lifestyles: the haves and the have-nots. Vladimir is quite successful in whatever not-mentioned business he is in. His home is a large apartment with granite and wood surfaces. He drives a nice, shiny car. He keeps stacks of money in his safe. However much he has, it’s enough to keep his heirs interested.
In contrast is Elena’s son Sergey, who lives with his wife and two children in a cramped apartment within a cramped apartment building in the ghetto. He’s unemployed and relies on his mother’s pension funds to get by.
Also in contrast is how these characters act and interact with others. No one in this film is without flaws, but Vladimir at least treats his family well (his wife Elena and his estranged daughter Katerina). His attitude towards Sergey is less of a disdain or indifference and more like that crotchety old-man “back in my day, we worked for what we wanted” mentality, viewing his poor lifestyle as laziness. He’s probably right. Sergey uses his mother’s money to drink while he dominates over his wife. Instead of facing issues, he plays Playstation games with his son. No effort in the film shows him trying to overcome his situation. And Elena plays blind to her son’s slothfulness.
But Vladimir’s daughter Katerina is no shining apple either. Name a vice, and she’s apparently an addict of it. Alcohol, drugs, sex, what have you. And she has no interest in starting a family and continuing Vladimir’s family line.
All of this on class differences, on if our positions in life make us who we are, or do we make our own place in life, would be better served if the film doesn’t feel cut off instead. The film builds itself as a suspense piece, making the audience wonder if Elena will get away with her ill-gotten goods. And then it ends, with no climatic build up or resolution. The climax ends up actually halfway through the film, and the denouement falls flat as you’re left wondering about the crime thriller aspect. It’s after reflection that you realize that the film isn’t about the thrilling suspense, which isn’t all that thrilling or suspenseful, but is about these two dynamically different class structures that Elena straddles the line of, and how everyone is almost equally screwed up, just in different ways.
It’s almost a fake out, and that may throw some viewers off. Not finding out if Elena gets caught, if her efforts help her family or not, so much about the film is left to question without answering anything. Some people like that. Me, I like a little bit of concrete with my interpretive endings. The film is otherwise well put-together, but its slow pacing and a frustratingly unsatisfactory ending leaves the film falling flat.
5.5/10
The Video and Audio
The film is in 2.35:1 widescreen. The film is crisp and sharp. It’s a generally dim film, not too much sunny weather, but what color there is comes through well. The audio is all in Russian, with both 5.1 surround and stereo tracks, and English subtitles so you know what’s happening, but otherwise the audio is nothing impressive.
6/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
The label on the disc is a sticker that wasn’t applied well, so there’s a crease in it. It makes this release look like a cheap bootleg. Since there’s nothing on the packaging or sent with the DVD that implies that this is a pre-release review copy, I can only assume that’s what it will look like in retail, which is kind of sad.
The extras included are a half-hour interview with director Andrey Zvyagintsev, the U.S. theatrical trailer of the film, and a video showing the screen printing of the movie poster. The director interview is scattered in how it covers the film, jumping around without really maintaining interest.
Sadly, the most interesting extra is the poster screen printing video. The movie poster, which is also the box art, is a simple and clean silhouette. The actual process is fun to see. Also, local fact, the image’s designer Sam Smith and the print shop for the posters Kangaroo Press are in Nashville, TN, as is this review’s writer and CineGeek in general, so yay local props. Not enough to help much though.
4/10
Overall (Not an Average)
This will be a rough film if you don’t know what you’re getting into. Despite the premise and the plot of a suspense piece, it does away with that by the end to solely compare and contrast these two lifestyles of the well-off and the welfare-needing. Even knowing that, the film’s ending will still leave you wondering where the rest of the story is.
5.5/10
The Review
The Film 5.5/10
The Video and Audio 6/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 4/10
Overall (Not an Average) 5.5/10
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Created by Mitch Glazer
Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olga Kurylenko, Steven Strait, and Danny Huston
Extravagance is what you get when you visit Magic City and Ike Evans’ Miramar Playa Hotel, with mob hits, romantic trysts, and high-rolling wining and dining to spice things up. But is the show simply all dolled up, or is it as deep as the murky water where they keep the bodies?
The Series
On Miami Beach in 1959, the Miramar Playa Hotel is the epitome of luxury, and the man responsible for making the dream for its guests is its stalwart owner Isaac “Ike” Evans. Maintaining the illusion of glamor becomes harder and harder as Evans and the hotel are swarmed with mob hits, underground gambling, spouses sleeping around, multiple break ins, and police investigations into Ike’s mysterious business partner Ben “The Butcher” Diamond. Can Ike hold his family and his hotel together as everything tries to tear it down?
This series is an ensemble piece of well-acted characters, but the focus is centered on Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Isaac “Ike” Evans. Ike is a burdened man, stressed with providing for his family and protecting his life’s work. Morgan does a great job looking like he has the weight of his world on his shoulders, and he also knows how to make the character put on a smile and be a generally likeable guy. Morgan’s Ike earns the adoration of his employees, almost so that you want to work for him.
Pitted against Ike Evans is his business partner and sinister mobster Ben “The Butcher” Diamond, eerily played by Danny Huston. Huston effortlessly adds a sadistic undertone to every scene he’s in, even when he’s simply playing cards by the pool. As predictable as much of the actions in the series may be, Huston’s Diamond is just enough off-kilter that you still fear for Ike’s close ones when Diamond’s gaze is turned towards them.
Continuing a trend of mid-20th century period pieces, Magic City sets itself at the end of the ‘50s in Miami, FL, utilizing that sharp ’50-‘60s fashion and the real life tension of the times. The mob was in full force, and Fidel Castro was taking over Cuba just miles off Miami’s shores. Unlike current period piece champ Mad Men, the setting doesn’t beat you over the head with itself. It’s less of a main feature and selling point, more of a backdrop. The history of the time sets up the environment the characters live in, but these characters could stand out at any time, which is its own selling point.
Unfortunately the story isn’t quite as strong. The show, especially early on, is plagued by obvious turns, actions whose results are called well ahead of time. It’s easy to see who the mob is going to knock off, why some girl is bad news for some guy, and how some characters are just fated for despair from the get go.
Then we have one of the biggest downfalls to this first season in its season finale, which I didn’t even realize was the season finale until no more episodes followed. There’s no thematic break to lead from one season to the next. Hardly any of the story lines resolve or reach a logical breaking point before the almost year-long pause for season two. It feels more like “we’ll be back next week” instead of “we’ll be back next year,” leaving the audience underwhelmed and less likely to stay on the hook until season two starts.
The show doesn’t bring anything new to the table with the businessman-mobster relationship story, but it dresses it up nicely with style and immersive characters. Its predictability will likely keep some away early on, but the characters will still be a treat for those who stick around.
7/10
The Video and Audio
The series is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen with English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound audio. For our Spanish speakers, you only get mono audio though, or Spanish subtitles of you prefer. For the most part, everything comes out clearly. The brightness of sunny Miami, the warm glow of the blue water, all of the color is nice and crisp.
The opening credits though, an underwater montage, have a graininess the rest of the show doesn’t. I don’t know if that’s intentional, to evoke the idea of television of that era, or what. If I can’t tell, though, then it might not be working.
7/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
The three-disc set comes in a folding case. The inside has a nice panoramic cast shot, with the episode titles neatly hidden under each respective disc.
The bonuses are made up of short featurettes covering various aspects of the series, from the cars to the fashion, music to the setting, and so on. Personally, I would have preferred more from the segments covering the history of Miami during this period and the construction of the impressive Miramar Playa Hotel sets.
6/10
Overall (Not an Average)
The show is a fun run on the Miami Beach with enjoyable characters that you get invested if you give them the time. The story takes some effort to build into something more interesting, and even then it’s not much, but if you stick with it, you’ll probably find yourself glad you did. Just don’t expect much extended value from the bonuses.
6/10
The Review
The Series 7/10
The Video and Audio 7/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 6/10
Overall (Not an Average) 6/10
