Proverbial Galaxies

Summer Break

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:15:00 +0000

"Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another."
--Anatole France (The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard)

As I've mentioned here before, I've started taking classes at night to complete my degree. Summer session started on Tuesday, so I am back in class again.

I also start a new job on Monday. I'm looking forward to embarking on that new adventure, even if I am a little nervous.

Work and class will take up a lot of my time this summer, so my updates here on The Film Frontier will become even more sporadic than normal.

I definitely plan to keep this site going, though, as I truly enjoy the chance to write about things I love. Keep tuning back in and you'll eventually be rewarded with some new content. I am also thinking about making some more changes. I want to further streamline some things, and expand others.

I always have fun here on The Film Frontier, but sometimes I have to step away and take a break from it. This is one of those times. Have a great summer, everyone.

Defending George Lucas

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:14:00 +0000

"When you do a movie like this, a sequel that's very, very anticipated, people anticipate ultimately that it's going to be the Second Coming. And it's not. It's just a movie. Just like the other movies."
--George Lucas on Indy IV

My Proverbial Galaxies post today is in response to CinemaBlend.com's Editorial: Play It Again, George.

With a new Lucasfilm release on the way later this month (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in case you've been living under a rock), George Lucas bashing has begun in full force. The excellent CinemaBlend.com site yesterday released the above editorial by Rafe Telsch, assistant editor, which claims that Lucas is a "menace to fandom." I encourage you to read the entire editorial before reading my response, which includes snippets from Telsch for clarity.

Telsch: "While Lucas is a fantastic idea man, most of his decent contributions have been to filmmaking as an industry rather than as a filmmaker himself. Take away Star Wars (the best of which came from other writers and directors) and Indiana Jones (which Lucas produced and came up with story ideas for, but didn’t actually write), and you’ve got a very small library of films Lucas is responsible for."

Telsch wants us to buy into a number of huge assumptions here. Did the "best of" Star Wars really come from other directors? There have been exactly three directors in the live-action Star Wars movie universe. Lucas directed four of the six films. Irvin Kershner directed The Empire Strikes Back (1980), while Richard Marquand directed Return of the Jedi (1983).

Many fans, and I count myself among them, consider The Empire Strikes Back the best Star Wars movie. For me, it's almost too close to call versus the original Star Wars (1977), directed by Lucas. Perhaps Telsch is onto something, though. However, for his point to be true, Richard Marquand's Return of the Jedi must also be better than the original Star Wars. That race isn't even close.

The Empire Strikes Back is always brought out as an example of Lucas' Star Wars concept working better in the hands of others. Yet, many of the same people who want to give Lucas none of the credit for The Empire Strikes Back want to give him all of the blame for the perceived problems of Return of the Jedi. Ranking the prequel trilogy against the originals is difficult, but I would say that two of the Lucas-directed prequels are better than Return of the Jedi.

Did the "best of" Star Wars really come from other writers? No matter which Star Wars movies you consider the best, the answer is no.

Lucas wrote the original Star Wars. Lucas wrote the story for The Empire Strikes Back, while Lawrence Kasdan provided the main screenplay. Lucas wrote the story for Return of the Jedi and co-wrote the screenplay with Kasdan. Telsch apparently counts Return of the Jedi as part of his unnamed "best of" Star Wars, since it is one of only two movies that Lucas did not direct, so Lucas' contribution to both the story and the screenplay is notable.

Lucas wrote The Phantom Menace (1999). Well, nobody's perfect. However, even The Phantom Menace has some good stuff in it, overlooked by those obsessed with hatred for Jar Jar and young Anakin Skywalker. I don't think any fan counts this film among Star Wars' best, though, so we'll move on. Lucas wrote the story for Attack of the Clones (2002) and co-wrote the screenplay with Jonathan Hales. Lucas wrote Revenge of the Sith (2005), considered by many fans to be the best of the prequel trilogy.

So, where are Telsch's mysterious "best" Star Wars movies that Lucas did not write?

With a wave of his hand, Telsch then dismisses the entirety of Lucas' contributions to the Indiana Jones franchise. Apparently coming up with the story of each of the films is not "writing" in his eyes.

Telsch's suggestion that we simply ignore ten of Lucas' biggest contributions to movies, the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, is ludicrous. That's like saying, take away the Pietà, the statue of David, and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and Michelangelo did little for art. Or, take away all of his recording sessions, concerts, and TV appearances, and Elvis Presley did little for music.

Telsch: "Sure, there are some classics in there like Willow and American Graffiti, but you’ve also got the independent studio killing THX-1138, Radioland Murders, and Captain EO to contend with."

Telsch's argument begins to make even less sense here. For Willow, Radioland Murders, and Captain EO, Lucas "only" wrote the stories and executive produced, but these movies apparently count in the Telsch world while the Indiana Jones films, for which Lucas made similar contributions, do not.

Telsch: "Basically, if Lucas hadn’t been responsible for Industrial Light & Magic, his name would be considerably less legendary. You can’t deny the industry effect his special effects company has had, but most of that is because of the artists involved with that, not because of Lucas directly, but only as the guy who hired the right people."

Again, Telsch's ease of dismissal here is fascinating. Now we must ignore six Star Wars movies, four Indiana Jones movies, and Lucas' groundbreaking special effects company to comply with the narrowing parameters of his argument. As a contributor to one of the best movie news sites on the net, Telsch should know that great films are all about hiring the right people.

Telsch: "But Lucas does have Star Wars as a huge accomplishment, although it’s probably not too much of a stretch to assume that someone could eventually have come up with something similar."

Telsch finally gives a bit of begrudging credit to Lucas for his masterpiece, but then claims someone else "could" have done the same thing "eventually." No matter how Telsch spins it, there would be no Star Wars without George Lucas. Star Wars provided inspiration for countless others as well, and there's no real way to measure Lucas' influence.

Telsch: "Sure, they may not have had the radical approach of capitalizing on the franchise’s merchandising – something Lucas pretty much originated. Unfortunately, that same approach quickly led to movies that were more about generating characters to cash in on instead of solid storytelling."

First of all, I don't blame Lucas for making as much money as he can off of Star Wars and anything else he creates. Just because we bought lots of tickets doesn't mean we own the franchise or the man. I, for one, am glad for all of the Star Wars merchandising from when I was a kid. Star Wars action figures, playsets, and other toys were part of the experience for me.

Second, exactly which movies is Telsch referring to here? His implication seems to be that the first Star Wars movie had solid storytelling (oh wait, but Lucas wrote and directed that one!), while its merchandising success quickly led to a focus on cashing in by The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I thought The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were Telsch's "best of" Star Wars movies, though, since they are the only two Lucas didn't direct?

Telsch: "You may have noticed solid information on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is hard to come by. Even rumors seem to disappear quickly from the Internet. This is no mistake, my friends. This is the long arm of Lucas stretching out and attempting to remove anything that may spoil his film before it has its day. [. . .] Meanwhile, rebel websites who try to run anything unofficial are threatened with being shut down (been there, done that)."

Finally, the real motivation behind Telsch's attack begins to appear. Telsch is annoyed that there is not enough official information being released about the new Indiana Jones movie to satisfy him. He's also upset that Paramount and Lucasfilm protect their interests by going after sites that release unsanctioned images, footage, and information.

Telsch doesn't like the "keep the details secret" marketing approach of Indy IV, so he wants to tear down someone he just told us had little to do with the franchise. Let's face it, Lucasfilm and Paramount don't "owe" entertainment sites or fan sites anything about this movie. How Lucasfilm and Paramount choose to handle marketing of the film is up to them.

Telsch: "Lucas has already started making his apologies, stating in interviews with Steven Spielberg that everyone is bound to be disappointed because the expectations surrounding the film are so high."

I concede that Lucas does seem to have become rather gun-shy after being roasted for The Phantom Menace. No matter who you are, not every movie you make can be a winner. However, if your name is George Lucas and you make a mediocre to good movie that disappoints vocal fanboys, watch out! Even Lucas cannot be totally immune to the unfortunate hatred spewed at him over The Phantom Menace. I'm sure the over $430 million it raked in at the box office in the US alone helped ease his pain, though.

If Lucas takes on a "they will be disappointed" stance as a defense mechanism prior to the release of Indy IV, I can forgive him.

Telsch: "Just in case Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has what it takes to please fans, Lucas is keeping a witch hunt going for anyone who might spoil his picture."

So, is Indy IV Lucas' picture now? Why do I have a feeling if Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull turns out to be a great movie, Telsch and those like him will give all of the credit to director Steven Spielberg? However, if Indy IV turns out mediocre or worse, they will shift the blame to Lucas. And, again, why shouldn't Paramount and Lucasfilm protect their interests?

Telsch: "Our inquiries have led to the possibility that this machine wasn’t just the typical studio wheels grinding, but a Lucas-led hunt to keep information off the net [. . . ]."

Secret "inquiries"? Finding a "possibility"? Who's leading the witch-hunt now?

Telsch: "If Lucas truly wanted to keep his movie a secret, there are ways to go about doing that. [. . .] Michael Bay managed to keep a lot of spoilers about Transformers off the Internet without too much cyber-bullying [. . .]."

Oh really? Then why did CinemaBlend's own Josh Tyler complain about Paramount's legal tactics regarding Transformers leaks? For instance, see:

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Rant-Hollywood-Kills-What-It-Can-t-Control-5142.html

and

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Look-Optimus-In-The-Eye-4344.html

Lucas wasn't involved on Transformers, so the common denominators for it and Indiana Jones are Paramount and Spielberg. Telsch needs to rethink his arguments.

Meanwhile, I'll continue enjoying Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and George Lucas' other contributions to the art of filmmaking.

Of Wrecks And Radios

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:35:00 +0000

"I don't care, I'll wreck as many cars as I need to."
--Kyle Busch, May 2, 2008 (one day prior to the wreck heard around the nation)

Just a couple of follow-ups to entries from last week. I mentioned Kyle Busch's wrecking of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., on Saturday night and called for Fox Sports to bring some new talent to the broadcast booth for NASCAR events. One thing I didn't really get into was Denny Hamlin's involvement in the situation. Hamlin led something like 384 of 400 laps before one of his tires went down and he lost the lead. He also stayed on the track, apparently hoping to ride it out since the event was almost over, as he continued to lose positions.

Earnhardt, Jr., meanwhile, assumed the lead and pulled away from Kyle Busch and had a pretty good lead built up, one second and growing over Busch. Apparently hoping not to lose a lap, Hamlin stopped his car on the track long enough to draw a caution flag, and then quickly motored to pit road for fresh tires. NASCAR agreed that Hamlin only stopped to bring out the yellow flag, so they penalized him two laps. I originally attributed this as a dunderhead move on Hamlin's part, no doubt due to his being upset at losing a race that he otherwise dominated, so I didn't really get into it in my post.

However, I read some posts by other NASCAR fans the next day that shed new light on the incident for me. Hamlin and Busch are teammates, both race for Joe Gibbs. I didn't even think about that! By drawing the caution, Hamlin not only potentially benefitted himself (though negated by the penalty), but also his teammate Busch.

Hamlin's caution fake effectively erased Earnhardt, Jr.'s growing lead and put second-place Busch within striking distance. Whether intentionally or not, Hamlin set up the disaster to come.

Busch ultimately wrecked Earnhardt, Jr., sending him to a fifteenth place finish, but the end result for Busch was the same as it would've been if he'd raced Earnhardt, Jr., clean: second place. Innocent bystander Clint Boyer motored past both of them as the wreck occurred to take the lead, which he managed to hold as third place Mark Martin distracted Busch long enough for the race to finish.

For those who don't believe that Joe Gibbs Racing and/or Toyota has Fox Sports in their back pocket, I point out that Fox's articles about the incident at the Richmond race, including one titled "Kyle Busch: Public Enemy #1," mysteriously disappeared from their website on Sunday, replaced with a week-old article about Kyle Busch winning at Talladega. Their comment blogs, including at least 20 pages of mostly anti-Busch and anti-Darrell Waltrip remarks, were suddenly gone, too. Some of those have returned, though heavily edited.

Anyway, as I said on Saturday, though the wreck was deplorable, the instant cover-up by Darrell Waltrip and company in the booth is what annoyed me most. People attribute all of the criticism of Busch and Fox Sports to "Junior Nation" but guess what, he's not my favorite driver.

I respect Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but my favorites are Kyle Petty, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, and Juan Pablo Montoya. I'm not a card-carrying member of Junior Nation, but I still think he was robbed on Saturday (which happens) and, more importantly, that Darrell Waltrip continues to do a disservice to NASCAR viewers. I'm sure he'll continue to make excuses next weekend as well.

* * *

I'm still having fun with Pandora Radio, the Internet radio music service, so I created a public station in case any of you would like to hear what I'm listening to these days.

Ty's Without A Song Radio

I've also added this as link in the sidebar of The Film Frontier's Site B backup blog. You will have to create a Pandora login to actually hear the station, but it's free and easy to do. Plus, that will let you create your own station in case my selections are not to your liking.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back On The Racetrack

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Sun, 04 May 2008 03:53:00 +0000

"You win some, you lose some, you wreck some."
--Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

Ah, the frustrations of being a race fan. The worst part tonight, though, was not just watching a fad-of-the-week driver like Kyle Busch wreck a class-act like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who was giving his competitor plenty of room to race with just laps to go at Richmond International Raceway. The worst part was hearing driver-turned-commentator Darrell Waltrip trot out another round of apologies for his new favorite son, Busch.

Waltrip was one of the first NASCAR racers to drive Toyota, in the Truck Series as his career was winding down. As far as I can tell, Toyota still has him in their back pocket, though. His brother Michael's 2007 startup team is also Toyota.

In the main Sprint Cup series, Busch started driving a Toyota for Joe Gibbs this season, you see, so he's suddenly become a favorite of Darrell Waltrip - known in the racing world as "Jaws" because he talks too much.

That nickname really hit home tonight as Jaws had to not only make the weekly excuse for his brother Michael's lousy performance, but also once again Busch.

How many times this season has Jaws proudly told listeners how much Busch has "matured"? Apparently, all you need to do to "mature" in Jaws' eyes is start driving a Toyota. While the Joe Gibbs team has found success with Toyota this year, the Michael Waltrip team, which was implicated in a cheating scandal out of the box in Daytona last season, continues to lag behind. If there's any justice in the racing universe, Waltrip's Toyota will remain at the back of the pack - or even better, off the track completely.

But I'm getting off track here myself. The real purpose of this quick rant is to complain about Fox Sports' coverage of NASCAR, particularly having to hear Jaws make excuses for Michael Waltrip and Kyle Busch at each and every race.

Jaws' fellow commentator Larry McReynolds was actually brave enough, briefly, to speak up tonight and point out that he found it disturbing that Busch's tires were turned in the direction of Earnhardt, Jr.'s car as the wreck began - implying that the action was deliberate on the hothead Busch's part. Busch, who likes to call himself "Rowdy" Busch after a character in the 1990 Tom Cruise racing flop Days of Thunder, of course claimed that Earnhardt, Jr. came down and caused the wreck, though the video evidence just doesn't support it.

After McReynold's statement, Jaws and his puppet, commentator Mike Joy, quickly came to Busch's defense. Jaws does a pretty good ventriloquist act, making Joy sound like he's talking without moving his lips. Larry Mac quickly retracted his statement as well. Wouldn't want to make Toyota or the Gibbs team upset, since they apparently sponsor Fox Sports based upon the amount of coverage they receive of late.

As far as the on-track incident goes, as disgusting as it was, that's racing. What goes around comes around, and Busch will get his.

What's more disturbing, though, is the ongoing annoyance of having to listen to Jaws and team in the booth every week. Why can't Fox Sports do like Fox News and present "Fair and balanced" coverage?

Personally, I'd prefer the option of somehow turning off the commentary all together, while keeping the other sound effects going - a "Crank It Up" channel, if you will. Barring that, I think it's about time Fox Sports varied its coverage a bit. NASCAR ratings have been falling lately, Emmy win or not, and I think booth burnout is part of the problem.

Why not vary who covers each race? Sure, let Jaws and team cover a few, but why not make other teams as well and rotate them?

For instance, I think Krista Voda would do a great job in the booth. I'd much rather hear her than a puppet like Mike Joy. Fox, and the other networks that cover NASCAR, need to think in new ways instead of always sticking with old stand-bys like Jaws and Joy.

There are other well-spoken former drivers out there. Get Jaws out of the booth and let's hear from them. Rotate Jaws out and bring in Dale Jarrett, the son of the man who was arguably the best NASCAR commentator ever, Ned Jarrett. Unfortunately for former champion Dale Jarrett, he spent his last races before retirement at Michael Waltrip racing, meaning that he wasn't competitive. But hey, there's a Toyota connection so maybe Fox Sports will let him in. I'd much rather hear him than Jaws these days.

While Larry McReynolds is the least annoying of the three, I would say the same should go for him. Build each booth team as a separate trio, so McReynolds would rotate out with Jaws and Joy and some other former crew chief or other NASCAR insider would take his place.

My real preference, though, is the "Crank It Up" channel. Then viewers would be able to opt out of the spoon-feeding from Jaws and company.

None Of The Above

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:13:00 +0000

"Why is it when there's trouble we're the ones that get into it? I mean, there's a bar full of people and we're the only ones in jail."
--Monty Brewster (Brewster's Millions)

You know, I can probably trace my love of movies back to my grandmother. It must be something in the blood. When I was a kid, she worked the box office at the movie theater. Each summer, I'd get to see a few free movies when she'd let my little sister and I up into the balcony of the theater for a matinee show.

One of those movies was Brewster's Millions, starring Richard Pryor. This was 1985, so I already knew Pryor from Superman III a couple years before. In the movie, which also featured John Candy, Pryor had to spend $30 million in 30 days in order to inherit $300 million.

One of the ways he spent some of that money was by running a political campaign urging people to vote for "None of the above." The Film Frontier is all about escapism, so I usually try not to get too political here. However, the current slate of US Presidential candidates reminds me of Brewster's Millions again and again. "None of the above" sounds like a better and better choice.

Of course, theaters are totally different now. Balconies are gone, screens are smaller, and the teenie boppers at the box office are nothing like my grandmother. I miss her, and I miss those days.

* * *

I've kept up with the double-posting over to The Film Frontier's "Site B" backup blog. It's actually cool to see all of the news, reviews, and PGX postings intermingling instead of being on separate pages like they are on the main site. It doesn't take much to amuse me, though.

The backup blog currently only goes back as far as April 2008. I'm going to start filling in back-posts to Site B, though. It'll take awhile, as there are over 400 postings to cover, if you can believe that.

* * *

Speaking of the good old days, do you remember Little Debbie's Spice Cakes? They stopped making them years ago. They were always my favorite, which is probably why they had to stop production.

Because I'm just that kind of guy, I actually checked with McKee Foods, owner of Little Debbie, about their missing Spice Cakes not too long ago. They advised me that they were discontinued due to low sales and suggested I find another favorite Little Debbie snack. Sorry, that's not going to happen!

Maybe someday, McKee's marketing department will wake up and see the potential goldmine of a campaign based on bringing back Little Debbie's original snack cake - even if "for a limited time only."

I'd buy the stores out and freeze them for posterity ("I was saving that Spice Cake!"). Until then, my favorite will have to be "None of the above" as far as their current selections go.

Indiana Jones And The Pandora's Box

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:10:00 +0000

"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners."
--Johnny Carson

I was watching the Star Wars edition of Deal or No Deal on Monday night and kept looking for an Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull commercial during the show. Since Indy is a Lucasfilm property, I figured it would be a natural. No trailer, though.

Deal or No Deal did at least offer up a fake Darth Vader (complete with a horrible James Earl Jones impersonation), a fake Chewie, a fake Artoo, and a real Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). There were also 26 Leia-inspired slavegirls, as promised in the promo. Contestant Brad Flinchum managed not to get too distracted by all of the eye candy, though, and walked away with $209,000. Not bad, considering that many Deal or No Deal contestants fail to quit in time. According to the show, Flinchum plans to use some of the money to renovate his basement and display his Star Wars collection.

So, anyway, I was watching some random show last night when an Indy commercial actually appeared. Much like the teaser trailer from a couple months back, the commercial was just kind of there. It didn't hype me for the movie at all, sorry to say.

I just tried to find it on the official Indiana Jones site, but that site always seems to crash my Flash player, even after just recently installing the newest version. I don't have that problem on other sites, just IndianaJones.com. Let's see, who else might have it. Maybe Yahoo. They have a TV spot, but not the one I saw. The one they had was marginally better, but nothing special.

I'd rather have a movie that's better than the trailers, than trailers that are better than the movie anyway. So, here's hoping. We'll find out in three weeks.

* * *

I've been trying out something called Pandora Radio over the last two or three days. It's a site that lets you set up a free, personalized Internet "radio" that streams songs not only by your favorite artists, but also by other artists that their Music Genome Project has identified as similar to your favorites. Due to licensing restrictions, the Pandora service is only available in the US.

You set up one "station" per artist. The cool part, though, is that you can then mix the stations so you can get a pretty good variety of music going. I've set up stations for about 40 of my favorite artists so far. The logic that picks related artists seems to work pretty well, too, as I've been liking most of the songs. Much better than a real radio station, let me tell you.

To satisfy the conditions of their music licensing agreements, it doesn't let you instantly replay a song or go to a specific song. But hey, you can't really do that stuff while listening to a real radio station, either. If you don't like a song, you can rate it a thumbs-down and it will skip to the next one. You can only skip so many songs per hour, again related to their agreements with the music industry. I've only hit this roadblock once, though.

At first I wondered why they called it "Pandora." Now that I'm addicted to it, though, I finally get it. Once you open this box, it's almost impossible to close it. Not unlike visiting here, right?

Aw, come on, you could've humored me. . . .

Elvis: Viva Las Star Wars

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:12:00 +0000

"I'm the only human who can do it."
--Anakin Skywalker (on podracing), Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace

Could Elvis Presley have been a Jedi? We may never know, but he sure raced one like one. A few weeks back, I told you about a fun article over at the Elvis Today blog listing connections between Star Wars and Elvis Presley. That article reminded me of something I noticed about a year ago.

When I first saw Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace back in 1999, I remember thinking that the podracing sequence on Tatooine seemed a little familiar. At the time, there were rumors that it was based on the chariot race in Ben-Hur, so I chalked it up to that and moved on with life.

I'm a huge Elvis fan, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to figure out why the race seemed so familiar. It didn't hit me until I was watching 1964's Viva Las Vegas, Elvis' fifteenth movie, one day last year. Though some of these connections are admittedly a stretch, several of the similarities between the two races are quite striking.

In Viva Las Vegas, Elvis Presley stars as Lucky Jackson, a down-on-his-luck racecar driver who enters the Las Vegas Grand Prix race. The event takes place in the Nevada desert. Much of the Las Vegas economy is based on gambling.

In Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace, Jake Lloyd appears as Anakin Skywalker, a young slave who enters the Boonta Eve Classic podrace. The event takes place in the Tatooine desert. Much of the Tatooine economy is based on gambling.

The beautiful Ann-Margret appears as Elvis' co-star and love interest, Rusty Martin. (Incidentally, happy birthday to Ann-Margret today!)

The beautiful Natalie Portman co-stars as Anakin's eventual love interest, Padmé. I say "eventual" because Anakin is only nine-years-old in Episode I. The real romance for them doesn't start until Episode II.

As a variety of cars take their places on the starting grid, Elvis is a late entry.

As a variety of podracers take their places on the starting grid, Anakin is a late entry.

Elvis' main rival, who is favored to win the race, drives a red-orange racecar.

Anakin's main rival, who is favored to win the podrace, pilots an orange-red podracer.

Elvis' supporters take a helicopter to watch the race from the air above the desert.

Anakin's supporters take a viewing platform to watch the podrace from the air above the desert.

In his silver and blue racecar, Elvis concentrates as the race across the desert begins.

In his silver and blue podracer, Anakin concentrates as the race across the desert begins.

Elvis tries to catch up to the leader.

Anakin tries to catch up to the leader.

Elvis checks to the right, wearing a lightning bolt on his helmet. (This actually looks a lot like the TCB lightning bolt that Elvis would use as a personal emblem about ten years later.)

Anakin checks to the right, while a lightning bolt helps power his podracer.

Elvis' supporters watch the race with mounting dread.

Anakin's supporters watch the podrace with mounting dread.

Elvis finally begins to close in on the leader.

Anakin finally begins to close in on the leader.

Elvis pulls alongside the leader, who has a much bigger racecar than he does.

Anakin pulls alongside the leader, who has a much bigger podracer than he does.

Elvis' supporters can't watch, for they fear he will crash out of the race.

Anakin's supporters can't watch, for they fear he will crash out of the podrace.

Elvis' rival crashes and the rest of the field passes by.

Anakin's rival crashes and the rest of the field passes by.

Elvis' supporters celebrate as he takes the lead.

Anakin's supporters celebrate as he takes the lead.

Elvis wins the race!

Anakin wins the race!

And Elvis gets the girl! (Lucky marries Rusty.)

It takes another ten years, but Anakin eventually gets the girl, too! Anakin (Hayden Christensen) marries Padmé in Episode II.

So, there you have it. Evidence that the Force was with Elvis Presley. As for Anakin Skywalker, sure, he may have been one of the most powerful Jedi ever, but could he belt out songs like "Viva Las Vegas" and "What'd I Say"? I don't think so.

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Do You Remember This Saturday Morning Show?

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:49:00 +0000

[3/25/2008, Update: I found it! See comments section.]

"The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time."
--Friedrich Nietzsche

Over a year ago, on this very blog, I posted some memories of Saturday morning cartoons. While I remember a lot of my favorites, today I'm stuck trying to remember one specific show. I've searched imdb and wiki, to no avail. I'm sure it's there; I'm just overlooking it.

Since I can't find it, I thought I'd send out the sketchy details that I remember to the brain trust and see if any of you out there in web land can help me.

Though it may have been produced earlier, I watched this Saturday morning show somewhere between 1982 and 1984. I believe it was a mix of both live action and animation. There may have been a kids-themed news segment to it.

The part I remember most, though, is an animated globe of the Earth with blue arms coming out of his sides and a face and big nose right on the globe. Or maybe he was supposed to actually be Earth and not a globe. In any event, he asked you to write in to join a pen pal group.

I actually did this and corresponded for about two letters with a blond-haired kid named Ray C. in some other state, possibly Minnesota. [I actually remember his full name after only two letters from him. I have a weird memory like that, though. Despite the fact that I can't remember the actual show!]

I know this isn't a lot to go on, but does anyone remember the name of this Saturday morning series that aired in the US? I figure the best clues to go on are the animated Earth/globe and the pen pals bit. Post a comment below or drop me an e-mail if you remember.

Of Movies And Cubes

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:02:00 +0000

"Thanks to my solid academic training, today I can write hundreds of words on virtually any topic without possessing a shred of information which is how I got a good job in journalism."
--Dave Barry (Dave Barry is from Mars and Venus)

I need a break from what I'm supposed to be working on right now, so I thought I'd come by and ramble on for a bit about nothing in particular.

It's funny, when this year started, I was most excited about seeing Star Trek XI, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Dark Knight, and Get Smart, in that order. Now, the list has almost turned upside down.

Star Trek XI was bumped to next year, so that's out of the running for now. The Indy IV teaser trailer seems to have deflated some of my enthusiasm for that movie. I'm still looking forward to it, just not as much for some reason. The death of Heath Ledger has dampened my enthusiasm for The Dark Knight.

That leaves Get Smart as my most anticipated movie for this year. All of the clips I've seen from this one, in both trailers, have looked fantastic. Both Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway seem to be taking the right approach to the characters. Who knows what I'll be doing three months from now, but I sure plan to find the time to have a seat in a theater that weekend to check this one out.

Of course, there is also the unexpected gift of Star Wars: The Clone Wars this year, but that animated movie just doesn't take the spotlight away from Get Smart for me. Besides Star Trek in 2009, a movie I'm really waiting for is the sequel to Superman Returns - maybe 2010.

* * *

Do you know that I have two, count them, two Rubik's cubes here on my desk? One is the standard version and the other is a miniature keychain version. Both share one thing in common, though: They are unsolved. They will likely remain that way, too, as the only reliable way I've found of solving a Rubik's cube is to disassemble and reassemble it. (Sure, you could take the stickers off and reapply them, but that's not a very elegant approach.) The only other way I've found is to work step-by-step through a solution book or site. It's a lot more efficient to just disassemble it, though.

I found that trick in a solution book I read when I was a kid. I also worked through the manual solution portion, but found the disassembly trick to be a lot more convenient. It all comes down to the fact that, when it comes to Rubik's cubes, I'm pretty much an idiot. I've never been able to beat the cube without cheating. I doubt that will change anytime soon. Maybe I should get one of those new 2x2 versions - but what if I can't even solve that? Better not to know.

The Essential Star Trek (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:45:00 +0000

"In every revolution, there's one man with a vision."
--Captain James T. Kirk (Star Trek, "Mirror, Mirror")

Last year, I started a list of the must-see episodes of the original Star Trek.

· The Essential Star Trek: Part 1
· The Essential Star Trek: Part 2

Here is part three of that four-part series. As before, episodes are in production order—which I recommend for best understanding the evolution of the series and characters. Disc references are to the DVD season sets released in 2004.

#35 The Doomsday Machine
Season 2, Disc 2
"The Doomsday Machine" was one of those episodes that could have been expanded into a breathtaking film. The Enterprise encounters a robotic "planet killer" capable of destroying entire solar systems. Already crippled by the planet killer is the USS Constellation; her sole survivor is her commander, Commodore Matt Decker. Decker is obsessed with destroying the ultimate weapon.

While "The Doomsday Machine" is full of effects, ultimately the top-notch writing and acting have made the episode so memorable over the years. "You mean you're the lunatic who's responsible for almost destroying my ship?" demands Kirk of Decker at one point after he assumes command of the Enterprise and takes her on a suicide attack run.

Decker later pilots a shuttlecraft into the machine's maw. When contemplating the death of his friend, Kirk says, "He gave his life in an attempt to save others. Not the worst way to go." Appropriate from the man who would years later give his own life to save millions in Star Trek Generations.

#39 Mirror, Mirror
Season 2, Disc 1
Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, and Scott are victims of a transporter mishap and arrive in a parallel universe where the Federation is a savage empire, and Kirk rose to command the Enterprise by assassinating Captain Pike.

Besides displaying the "evil" alter egos of various crewmembers, this episode contains lots of attention to detail. The Enterprise sets are redressed to represent the mirror version of the ship. Uniforms are also slightly redesigned, giving a feeling of authenticity to the episode.

While most things in the mirror universe are inverted, it is notable that the Halkans - the residents of the dilithium-rich planet in dispute - are a peace-loving people in both universes.

This is a standout episode for Uhura, who unfortunately was rarely featured the way she is here. She outwits the mirror Sulu and even beats the "Captain's Woman." Truly a fun episode.

#40 The Deadly Years
Season 2, Disc 3
After visiting a planet near the Romulan neutral zone, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott, and Galway experience rapid aging. The only member of the landing party not affected is Chekov. McCoy runs multiple tests on him to determine why he's immune to the condition, allowing Walter Koenig to provide comic relief.

William Shatner's portrayal of the aging Kirk is quite convincing, which makes the episode all the more realistic. Fantastic makeup effects by Fred B. Phillips also convey the illusion of age. McCoy takes on a thicker-and-thicker Southern accent as he ages, in a wonderful performance by DeForest Kelley. He says, "I'm not a magician, Spock. Just an old country doctor."

"Yes, as I had always suspected," retorts Spock.

To top it all off, there's a showdown with the Romulans. "The Deadly Years" even includes references to previous episodes ("Balance of Terror" and "The Corbomite Maneuver"), a rare touch for the original series. All in all, an episode I'll remember in my old age . . . which won't be for some while I hope.

#42 The Trouble With Tribbles
Season 2, Disc 4
Many episodes of Star Trek had comedic moments, for humor was always an integral part of the original series. However, the show only had three episodes that I would consider outright comedies: "I, Mudd," "The Trouble With Tribbles," and "A Piece Of The Action." Though all are worthy episodes, the most effective of these comedies is "The Trouble With Tribbles."

The Enterprise visits a space station to protect a special shipment of a wheat-like grain from the Klingons. On the station, Uhura is given a small, furry animal called a tribble. Though they seem to make great pets, tribbles consume lots of food and give birth to new tribbles almost constantly. There are lots of great moments in this episode. The banter between Spock and McCoy is some of the best in the series. Spock also gets to display his dry wit.

Kirk: "I heard you."
Spock: "He simply could not believe his ears."

While some people seem to enjoy making fun of Star Trek's original effects, there are actually some great shots in this episode of the Enterprise approaching and later leaving the space station.

#44 Journey To Babel
Season 2, Disc 3
Spock's father takes ill aboard the Enterprise after becoming the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Though they would later appear in the films, "Journey to Babel" is the first and only episode of the original Star Trek to feature Spock's parents. His Vulcan father, Sarek (Mark Lenard), and his human mother, Amanda (Jane Wyatt), display both extremes of his own personality.

In case you were wondering why they didn't show up a few episodes back for the important Vulcan ritual in "Amok Time," we learn that Spock and his father have been feuding for eighteen years over his decision to enroll at Starfleet Academy rather than the Vulcan Science Academy. This episode also marks the first time that Kirk meets Spock's parents, so it will be interesting to see if this remains the case with the Star Trek XI prequel.

#47 Obsession
Season 2, Disc 4
While "Journey To Babel" is an important Spock episode, "Obsession" is an important Kirk episode. It reveals more of Kirk's past, namely his time as a Lieutenant aboard the USS Farragut. When a malevolent, gas-like being attacked the Farragut, the young Kirk hesitated for a split second before firing phasers. Since that time, he has blamed himself for the subsequent loss of life. When the Enterprise crew encounters a similar cloud, Kirk seemingly becomes obsessed with hunting it down.

Scott is extremely pushy and annoying in this episode, constantly reminding Kirk that the Enterprise needs to rendezvous with the Yorktown to pick up perishable medical supplies. He even breaks in on a communication that Kirk is having with someone else to remind him of this. Kirk shows a lot of restraint by not throwing him in the brig.

While one minor character is annoying, another one getting the rare chance to shine offsets it as Nurse Chapel uses a prescription card bluff to get her way with a patient.

#48 The Immunity Syndrome
Season 2, Disc 5
This is a terrific but often overlooked episode that aired just three months after the similarly-themed "The Doomsday Machine." While "The Doomsday Machine" featured a planet killer constructed by a warring civilization, "The Immunity Syndrome" features a naturally-occurring, living organism that presents as much, if not more, of a threat. The gigantic "space amoeba" of this episode can reproduce, resulting in enough offspring to destroy the entire galaxy. Like "The Trouble With Tribbles," this episode contains some of the best effects work of the original series.

When the USS Intrepid goes missing, the Enterprise is diverted from shore leave to find out what happened. Fearful of facing the same fate as the doomed Intrepid, some suggest fleeing the area. "Our orders do not say 'stay alive' or 'retreat.' Our mission is to investigate," Kirk admonishes them. They soon discover they are being drawn towards the space amoeba.

McCoy, Spock, and Kirk argue with each other over which of them gets to take on the suicide mission of investigating further with a shuttlecraft. The episode includes some classic McCoy vs. Spock moments, and the Vulcan seems quite pleased when Kirk picks him over McCoy for the mission. Spock points out that it is not the first time that superior capability has won out over higher credentials. It's a bumpy ride as Spock flies into the amoeba, and he notes, "Oh, and Dr. McCoy, you would not have survived it."

"Wanna bet?" Bones answers.

When the Enterprise takes the shuttle in a tractor beam (against Scott's wishes, I might add, for the chief engineer appeared perfectly content to leave Spock behind), Spock complains that they should release the shuttlecraft rather than risk the starship to save him. "Shut up, Spock. We're rescuing you," McCoy tells him.

Sounding almost amused, Spock actually gives in, "Why thank you, Captain McCoy."

#49 A Piece Of The Action
Season 2, Disc 5
The Enterprise discovers a planet of mobsters who have patterned their lives on a book called Chicago Mobs of the Twenties. The book was among the items left behind by the USS Horizon, which visited about a hundred years ago and prior to the adoption of the non-interference directive. It's up to Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to undo some of the damage.

William Shatner proves yet again that he's great with comedy, when given the right material. As Spock, Leonard Nimoy is the ultimate straight man. In fact, much of the back and forth between Kirk and Spock in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the pinnacle of Star Trek comedy, is reminiscent of "A Piece Of The Action."

After riding along in a 1920s style car driven in fits and starts by Kirk, Spock dryly notes, "Captain, you are an excellent starship commander but as a taxi driver, you leave much to be desired."

Later, when they need the car again, Spock hesitates and notes that it's not as safe as walking.

"Are you afraid of cars?" asks Kirk.

"Not at all. It's your driving that alarms me."

The mildly insulted look on Kirk's face after Spock's retort is priceless, as is this episode.

How To Spend An Extra Day

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:05:00 +0000

"The only thing worse than watching a bad movie is being in one."
--Elvis Presley

Finally, February is over and spring is almost here. Now that we've made it to another month, it's time for me to once again apologize for neglecting this section of The Film Frontier. I've had a hard enough time keeping up with all of the news lately, much less add in reviews and my idiosyncratic thoughts on life.

Though I'm no fan of February, it does have one redeeming factor: Leap Day. I spent part of 2008's extra day watching Superman Returns. February 29 is Superman's kinda-sorta birthday, after all. It's been nearly a year since I last watched this movie and I continue to be impressed by it. I hope that both Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh will return for a sequel within the next two or three years. I've seen rumors on both sides, but no confirmation either way.

I also watched some Star Trek episodes on Leap Day. No real connection there, I just felt like watching. I watched the original versions of "The Apple," "Mirror, Mirror," and "The Deadly Years." Turns out that "The Apple" is also this weekend's episode of Star Trek: Remastered. This means I won't be watching, though, because "The Apple" isn't an episode I could watch twice in the same weekend.

No Star Wars on Friday, but I did sneak in an Elvis movie - Harum Scarum. Definitely not one of his best, but interesting to me as an Elvis fan since I haven't watched it in a long time. Mary Ann Mobley sure made a beautiful princess in 1965. Earlier that same year, she had a smaller role in another Elvis movie, Girl Happy.

When I was a kid, the local UHF syndicated station seemed to show Elvis movie marathons nearly every Saturday afternoon. Coming from a family of Elvis fans, I spent a lot of time watching them. I won't lie to you and tell you that Elvis made the best movies, but most of them do have a quirky fun about them. He had a real gift for comedy that a lot of the mainstream really doesn't know about. Check out Viva Las Vegas, for instance.

Elvis made 31 movies as an actor, but some of them seemed to turn up on those Saturday afternoons more often than others. Harum Scarum and Easy Come, Easy Go, for instance received a lot more airplay back then than, say, Jailhouse Rock or Change of Habit.

When the UHF station wasn't playing Elvis movies, it filled Saturday afternoons with Godzilla and other monster movies instead. I watched a lot of those, too. My favorite of these was Godzilla vs. King Kong-mostly because of the epic nature of such a bout. Elvis never made any monster movies, but it sure would've been cool to see him take down Godzilla with a karate chop and then nurse the beast's wounds with a song in Elvis vs. Godzilla. You know, maybe I watched too much TV as a kid.

Hey, I wonder if Quantum Leap fans use Leap Day to celebrate their franchise? There's even an Elvis connection to Quantum Leap. The last episode before the series finale featured Sam leaping into the body of none other than Elvis Presley, on the brink of being discovered. Though filled with inaccuracies regarding Elvis, it's still a fun episode.

One neat bit of trivia is that when Sam looks in the mirror to see the face of the body into which he has leaped, Elvis is portrayed by Michael St. Gerard - who had also played him on the short-lived but excellent ABC television series Elvis. He also appeared as Elvis in the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire. St. Gerard actually looks enough like Elvis that my local paper once accidentally put a small picture of him next to an article about the real Elvis, with the caption: "Presley."

Due to an unforeseen circumstance, I had the day off on Leap Day this year (though I probably would've requested it off anyway), but doesn't it seem that Leap Day should be a worldwide holiday for everyone?

Does your employer or school really deserve an extra day of your life? It's the perfect day to catch up on time, life, and movies. Let's start the Leap Day Holiday movement right here on The Film Frontier. We'll all work really hard on it - every four years or so.

The Game Of Steel

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:03:00 +0000

"Winning isn't everything, but losing isn't anything."
--Charlie Brown (Peanuts)

It's been awhile since I've been able to check in on this blog. As I suspected, school has been monopolizing most of what used to be my free time. I've also been on a bit of a DVD-watching binge lately.

I finally saw a couple of last year's big hits, Transformers and Spider-man 3. I thought the first two Spider-man movies were terrific. Like many others, I found the third installment in the series a little disappointing. I was hoping the fanboys would be wrong on this one, as I do not always agree with their opinions on such matters.

Spider-man 3 certainly wasn't horrible, though, and I really can't even put my finger on where they went wrong with it. Something just didn't quite work this time out. It still made tons of money, though, so maybe they'll work the kinks out for Spider-man 4 whenever that comes along.

How about that game yesterday? I'm only a casual football viewer, my brother being the real fan of the family. Still, I've seen my fair share of football games over the years and I must say, the Giants' upset victory over the Patriots may just well be the best game I've ever seen. It certainly was the best Super Bowl game in my lifetime, even though neither team is a favorite of mine.

I'm a sucker for underdog stories. I rooted for the Giants to beat the Patriots while watching the last game of the regular season back in December. The Giants missed winning that one by only three points. Last night, I was rooting for them once again.

I've also been watching more football than normal lately, including all of the playoff games for both the Giants and the Patriots leading up to the Super Bowl. My impression had been that the Patriots were definitely beatable -- thriving more on reputation, lately -- and that the Giants were dangerously underrated. Any team that can beat the Cowboys at home when they're having a good year and then do the same again against the Packers at home is worthy of respect.

Yet, no one was giving them any -- which was probably the best thing that ever happened to the Giants. So, while the media was focusing on who Patriots QB Tom Brady was dating and whether or not his ankle was sprained, the Giants were busy getting ready for a Super Bowl that others had written off as a mere formality on the Patriots' inevitable march to a perfect season.

Fortunately, the Giants didn't see the Patriots victory as inevitable and the Patriots didn't get that perfect season after all. A perfect season certainly doesn't end with a loss in the most important game of them all. Though the Patriots may have won more games, due to the longer season of today, the 1972 Dolphins remain as the NFL's only undefeated team.

Ironically, in all of their imperfection, after barely making the playoffs at all as a wild card team, the Giants managed to pull off the perfect season while no one was looking, one for the football history books -- for how else could you describe a season capped off by beating the team that everyone else said was "perfect" or even "the best team in the history of the NFL"?

* * *

Maybe the exciting game last night will finally put an end to one of my pet peeves (probably not): People who go around saying that the Super Bowl commercials are better than the game or that they only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials.

As the Giants defied the Patriots, the commercials were as bland as the game was thrilling. Most of the ads suffered from attempting to be overly clever. The screaming squirrel comes to mind, among others.

The only one I really enjoyed was a beer commercial where a Dalmatian trains a horse, to the tune of Rocky. And that was probably more because I just watched Rocky II on Saturday night, so the nostalgia hit a chord with me. Funny that my favorite commercial was a beer ad, since I don't even drink.

The Coca-Cola commercial where a Charlie Brown parade float swoops in at the last moment to steal a Coke bottle float from an Underdog float and a Family Guy's kid float wasn't too bad, but mostly because it was good to see ol' Charlie Brown, the ultimate underdog, win something for a change.

Charlie Brown appearing in a Coca-Cola commercial, does that mean there's a chance we'll finally see the original version of A Charlie Brown Christmas on TV or DVD at some point in the near future? Coca-Cola sponsored the classic special for the first year or two and there were actually product placements that were subsequently removed for future airings (at least according to what I've read; I've only seen the "edited" version of the special).

How about that Ford truck commercial that went as far to assume the winner of the Super Bowl, noting that there was a "Patriotic" sale and that the truck included a "championship" engine. Ooops.

* * *

One thing I can guarantee, no one watches the Super Bowl for the halftime show - especially not in the post-wardrobe-malfunction era. I flipped away to watch some of the "Puppy Bowl" on Animal Planet.

Speaking of the infamous wardrobe malfunction from a few years back, I wonder if this year's postgame show will give rise to a new controversy. Turn a camera on people and they act like complete idiots. During the postgame show, I saw a "fan" making faces in the background before proceeding to flip off the entire viewing audience -- with both hands, no less. I'm sure his friends and family are proud.

* * *

Sure, football may be just a game but there's something to be learned from both teams this time out. The Patriots (and the media, once again) have taught us to never take anything for granted, while the Giants have reminded us of the most valuable lesson of them all: Never give up.

Tygrrius Begins? Thoughts On A New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 01:05:00 +0000

"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save."
--Will Rogers

2008 is here. It's a chance to reexamine life, set new goals, and start fresh. Last year, I actually accomplished a recurring New Year's resolution that had been on my list for five to ten years -- returning to school to begin completing a degree. I made it through the first class, with an "A" no less (by the skin of my teeth).

My next class starts, wow, next week. Didn't seem like much of a break. We'll see if this one zaps up as much of my time as the last one. If so, updates here on The Film Frontier will unfortunately suffer. I'll still check in as much as possible, though.

My job of nearly nine years will end later this year. This means I will also be embarking on the fun and thrilling quest to find a new one. I wouldn't call that so much a "resolution" as a "reality check."

Somewhere in there, between all of that, I hope finally to write a novel. Actually, I have no problems starting novels. Finishing them, that's a whole other matter. I did finally return to school last year, so maybe 2008 will be the year to knock this one off the list. In a year that will feature the return of Indiana Jones and the beginnings of both James T. Kirk and Maxwell Smart, anything is possible.

Santa Beagle Is Back In Town

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 05:12:00 +0000

Happy Christmas, everyone! Eat, drink, and be merry.

* * *

· The Make-A-Wish Foundation
· The Victory Junction Gang Camp
· The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
· The American Humane Association
· Ways to show support for America's troops
· Send messages of support to America's troops

Bring Me The Head Of Joe Cool

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:20:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, what was apparently a very loud crash woke my wife. Though normally a light sleeper, I slept right through it rather than jumping into action. I finally woke up, somewhat groggy, as she started looking around to investigate. Under normal circumstances, this is usually my job but I would've been too tired to offer much resistance to any would-be intruders. Fortunately, there weren't any.

After not finding anything downstairs, she came up here to our office and found that my wooden shelf full of Snoopy figurines had partially detached from the wall and all of its items had fallen. This is by no means an indictment of the shelf itself, as it is of sturdy construction. The only problem with the shelf was that a mechanical idiot attached it to the wall. Namely me.

Somehow, all of the Snoopy figurines, which are quite breakable, came through unscathed despite the six foot drop. All except one. My figure of Joe Cool riding a motorcycle was beheaded. As you can see here, his head was severed clean off.

That night, my wife searched in vain for Joe Cool's head so that our dog wouldn't find it first. No luck. I was too tired to even climb the stairs, much less help look so we decided to try again in the morning.

The next day, I surveyed the damage. I found a lone beagle ear, but not the rest of Joe Cool's head. Though I don't keep our office nearly as tidy as I'd like, the area beneath the shelf is really not that cluttered. I checked the whole area, including behind the desk, and nothing.

I even checked all the way across the room, in case the head had been violently thrown there by whatever impact had taken it off in the first place. I also let the dog into the room to take a shot at finding it. She always finds everything that is out of place. Still nothing.

Now, weeks later, despite much effort, we still haven't found it. Remember "Little Girl Lost", that Twilight Zone episode where a girl falls off her bed and vanishes into another dimension? I have a feeling that's where Joe Cool's head has gone, too. Unfortunately, I don't have a physicist friend to call to find Joe Cool's head for me. My wife did the next best thing, though, and bought me a new one.

As for the case of the missing head, we'll file it under "U" for "Unexplained" in...The Film Frontier.

The Film Frontier 2007 Christmas Gift Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:57:00 +0000

It's December already, so that means it's time for The Film Frontier's annual Christmas Gift Guide for the Star Trek, Superman, and Star Wars fans in your life.

Gifts for Star Trek fans

Star Trek: Academy-Collision Course by William Shatner and Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens: Due mostly to school, which took away much of my leisure reading and blogging time, I've not finished reading this one yet. The good news is, I'm on winter break as of yesterday so look for a review soon. In the tenth novel of their team-up, Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens set the clock back to the 23rd century and we see the first meeting of Kirk and Spock prior to their time at Starfleet Academy. This is not to be confused with JJ Abrams' Star Trek Babies (AKA Star Trek XI), which hits theaters next Christmas.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan-USS Enterprise 16" electronic starship: For those of us who are not model-building experts, those frustrating days of attempting to align our warp nacelles while trying not to pass out from glue fumes are over. Continuing their "starship legends" line, Art Asylum has released a Star Trek II version of the USS Enterprise. Yes, technically the Star Trek II version of the ship could just as easily be called the Star Trek: The Motion Picture version, but Star Trek II is the superior movie, after all, and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. If you can't find the Enterprise at your local toy store, StarTrek.com has it a reasonable price. I have the Star Trek IV (or was it Star Trek VI?) version of the Enterprise-A by Art Asylum. It's not perfect, but it at least allows me to continue procrastinating on that Polar Lights Enterprise-A model kit currently sitting in my closet.

Star Trek: The Original Series-Remastered 10-disc set: All 29 episodes of the 1966-1967 first season of the original Star Trek are presented in remastered, high definition format with new special effects. For most, this HD DVD/DVD combo set is a budget-buster, but it is certainly worth buying if you can squeeze it in. On the plus side, this new set has led to massive price reductions on the unaltered episodes released on DVD back in 2004. In fact, you could actually buy your favorite Star Trek fan all three unaltered seasons for about the same price as this one remastered season. Take your pick, as both incarnations feature Star Trek at its best.

Gifts for Superman fans

Action Comics and Superman comic book subscriptions: Though it seems it will be years before the next Superman movie, keep up with his monthly adventures in Action Comics, Superman, and other titles without the hassle of visiting a comic book store. The DC Comics subscription service delivers issues to your door only a couple weeks after they arrive in stores and at less than cover price.

Superman vs. Doomsday Collector's Action Figure Box Set: These action figures of Superman and Doomsday are sculpted to look like the comic book art from The Death of Superman, a reprint of which is also included in the set. Be warned that there's also a Superman: Doomsday action figure set floating around out there with the figures sculpted to look like the awful 2007 direct-to-DVD movie.

Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition 14-DVD set: This is the one holdover from last year's list. Since it completely sold out last Christmas, Warner Home Video re-released this set in May of this year. You can still find it in stores now. It includes Superman Returns, all four Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, and tons of other features. Value-priced at well under $100, this is a must-have for all Superman movie fans.

Gifts for Star Wars fans

Star Wars stamps: This year, Star Wars finally joined the ranks of Superman, Star Trek, George Washington, Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan, and other legends. Star Wars imagery now graces official US postage stamps. Choose from a sheet of 15 different images or a sheet of 20 Yoda stamps. Both should still be available at your local post office, or order online from the United States Postal Service.

R2-KT action figure: Sales of this action figure, which honors a young Star Wars fan who passed away in 2005, benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation. Click the link to read more about the story behind R2-KT. The limited edition figure is still available from Hasbro's online store.

The Making of Star Wars book by J.W. Rinzler: An in-depth account of the making of George Lucas' 1977 classic, Star Wars. Features many never-before-published interviews conducted prior to the movie's release. This is the definitive look at the movie that started it all, and a must-have for Star Wars fans that enjoy going beyond just watching the film.

In Search Of . . . Sci Fi Channel

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 21:18:00 +0000

Wow, seems like forever since I've had time to work on the site. I was in a minor car accident last week that sidelined me from the computer for a bit. Let's just say that a minor accident can result in a major pain in the neck.

On the plus side, I was able to use some of my non-computer time vegging out in front of the TV watching digital cable. The price of digital cable dropped within a dollar or two of our standard cable rate so we finally took the plunge. We also sprung for the HD package while we were at it. It's nice to be using our HD television to its full advantage after owning it for over three years. It is not without coincidence that the classic Star Wars trilogy first hit DVD just over three years ago, I might add.

Anyway, the hookup was so simple for digital cable that parts of it refused to work. We had four service calls in three days. And six different boxes. It does work now, though. They even threw in free DVR for awhile. Yeah, I know it's a trick. Get us hooked on it for free and then take it away until we pay. Still, it's pretty cool. No more missing Star Trek: Remastered by forgetting to tape it in the wee hours of the morning!

The Sci Fi Channel still eludes me, though. For years, my cable company didn't offer it at all. Finally, the Sci Fi Channel arrived (I may have even written a letter, I used to do that kind of thing). It wasn't long, though, before they made it exclusive to the digital cable package.

About five years ago, I moved across town. On this side of town, Sci Fi Channel was still part of standard cable. I was back in! Again, it was short-lived. The cable provider from the other side of town bought this one, and moved Sci Fi over to digital only.

So, finally, I have digital cable and . . . still no Sci Fi Channel. It seems Sci Fi Channel was bumped up to a higher package of digital cable than we have. I am quite certain that were we to upgrade to that package, Sci Fi would move yet again.

Oh well, it is not meant to be. Most of the shows I wanted to watch on Sci Fi Channel I own on DVD these days anyway: Star Trek, Twilight Zone and Buck Rogers. I still wouldn't mind flipping by an occasional episode of The Incredible Hulk or Knight Rider, though. Just for old time's sake.

Speaking of Star Trek, I can hardly believe that I'll be watching Star Trek: The Menagerie in a movie theater in just a couple of days. It'll be great to see Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley together again on the big screen. Star Trek movies just haven't been the same without that trio. I don't think we can give them enough credit for the greatest series ever.

Will Pine, Quinto, and Urban be able to recapture that magic for a new generation? Let's hope they check out Star Trek: The Menagerie for a look at how the masters did it.

The Wondrous Dimension Of Imagination

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 12:40:00 +0000

Last year, I had a Twilight Zone mini-marathon to celebrate Halloween night. Since I enjoyed it so much and Halloween is still in the middle of the week, I'm having one again this year. In 2008, Halloween is on a Friday so I'll probably revert to my traditional triple feature of horror movies.

Here are the episodes I've selected for this year's journey into that land of both shadow and substance known as The Twilight Zone.

"Spur of the Moment"
Aired: February 21, 1964
Written by Richard Matheson
Starring: Diana Hyland
Directed by Elliot Silverstein

Young Anne Henderson (Diana Hyland) is terrified when a black-clad woman on horseback pursues her across the countryside screaming her name. Anne does not know who the woman is or why she is after her.

"Soon enough, she will be given the solution to this twofold mystery, but in a manner far beyond her present capacity to understand, a manner enigmatically bizarre in terms of time and space, which is to say an answer from the Twilight Zone."

Though legendary writer Richard Matheson penned over a dozen of the best Twilight Zones, he apparently did not care very much for the execution of this episode. Nevertheless, I chose this one for its dark, almost gothic visual quality.

"Little Girl Lost"
Aired: March 16, 1962
Written by Richard Matheson
Starring: Charles Aidman
Directed by Paul Stewart

Six-year-old Tina vanishes from her house, but her parents still hear her cries.

"Present location? Let's say for the moment, in the Twilight Zone."

Another top-notch episode from Matheson, the chilling "Little Girl Lost" surely inspired parts of 1982's Poltergeist--which Zone fan Steven Spielberg co-wrote.

"The Hitch-Hiker"
Aired: January 22, 1960
Written by Rod Serling and Lucille Fletcher
Starring: Inger Stevens
Directed by Alvin Ganzer

While driving alone cross-country, Nan Adams (Inger Stevens) keeps encountering the same, strange hitchhiker on the side of the road beckoning to her.

"Nan Adams' companion on a trip to California will be terror. Her route: fear. Her destination: quite unknown."

(I bet you thought Serling would say, "Her destination: the Twilight Zone.") Masterfully directed, this is a frightening take on the hitchhiker urban legend.

"Elegy"
Aired: February 19, 1960
Written by Charles Beaumont
Starring: Cecil Kellaway
Directed by Douglas Heyes

"The time is the day after tomorrow. The place, a far corner of the universe."

Nearly out of fuel, three lost astronauts land on an asteroid that is amazingly Earth-like--except that all of the people are frozen in place.

Though they are dated in terms of accuracy, I always enjoy Twilight Zone's space exploration stories. This is one I haven't watched as often as, say, "I Shot Arrow Into The Air" or "And When The Sky Was Opened," so I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

"The Masks"
Aired: March 20, 1964
Written by Rod Serling
Starring: Robert Keith
Directed by Ida Lupino

Knowing that he is near death, a rich old man summons his greedy family members to his home on the night of Mardis Gras. He forces them to wear specially made masks indicative of their inner selves until midnight or be disinherited.

"This is New Orleans, Mardis Gras time. It is also the Twilight Zone."

Many people feel uneasy about wearing masks and perhaps this episode, one of the best, explains why.

Whether you're in Haddonfield, IL, Springwood, OH, Camp Crystal Lake, NJ, or somewhere in the Twilight Zone, try to have a safe and happy Halloween.

(Source for episode info and quotes: The Twilight Zone Companion: Second Edition by Marc Scott Zicree, 1989.)

Galloping Around the Cosmos

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:18:00 +0000

Wow, I can still hardly believe it. Star Trek has a new cast.

I know, it may not seem like such a novel concept anymore to announce a new Star Trek cast. In the last twenty years, we've had four new casts prior to this one.

This is different, though. This cast simply isn't playing previously unknown characters in the Star Trek universe. We're not talking inventing roles like Picard, Sisko, Janeway, or Archer here.

We're talking about reinventing true legends now. After 41 years, we have a new James T. Kirk.

A new Spock. A new McCoy.

And new faces for Scotty, Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu as well.

Now that director JJ Abrams has found his Kirk, Star Trek XI is finally real. After twenty years of occasionally entertaining but more often nauseating sequels and prequels featuring other characters, Star Trek is going back to its foundation.

Not everyone is happy about this, of course. TNG fans are understandably disappointed that their franchise has been put on hold. To them, I say, be patient. I still do not think we have seen the final TNG adventure. Let us TOS fans take the ol' girl out for a few spins around the block first, though.

In the comment sections of Star Trek mega-sites like TrekWeb.com and TrekMovie.com, some extremely vocal William Shatner fans are disappointed that he apparently will not be in the new movie alongside Leonard Nimoy--who will appear in an integral role as an older Spock. Some have so narrowed their stance on this issue that it won't even be enough for Shatner to be in the movie, but his appearance also has to somehow undo Kirk's 24th century death in Star Trek Generations.

Anyone who spends any time on The Film Frontier knows that I'm a William Shatner fan. Kirk is my favorite character and Shatner is, of course, a huge part of that. Though Gene Roddenberry may have created the character, William Shatner is the man whose talents breathed life into Kirk and gave him a soul.

That's why it's hard for many of my fellow fans to let go. They want Shatner's Kirk to live forever, and I understand that feeling.

Here's the thing, though. For the first time in twenty years, we have an entirely new creative team working on Star Trek XI. Abrams and writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have a story to tell.

As fans, rather than thrusting pointless ultimatums in their faces, let's give them room to tell their story. It is not up to Abrams, Kurtzman, and Orci to fix what some perceive as the mistakes of the past. They did not, after all, kill Kirk in Star Trek Generations.

Unless undoing Kirk's death is the story they intend to tell, and I doubt it, I am against wedging this sort of fan-demanded subplot into the movie. If this recasting of legends is to work, the Star Trek XI creative team has to tell the very best story possible. It has to be one that they believe in. Let's give them a chance to do that. Sit back and allow their movie to entertain you (or not) based on its own merit.

The original Star Trek series and movies take place in the 23rd century. Star Trek: The Next Generation, its movies, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager all take place in the 24th century. The more recent Star Trek: Enterprise takes place in the 22nd century.

Though official plot details are few, it is probably safe to assume, based on the characters and ages of the cast, that Star Trek XI will shift the focus of the Star Trek timeline back to the 23rd century. Will we be in the same universe or an alternate one? Only time will tell.

The point is, though, what does it matter anymore if Kirk is alive at the end of the 24th century? He's very much alive in the 23rd century, his most interesting adventures take place in the 23rd century, and that's where Star Trek is once again focused.

Those who have fought for so long for the return of Kirk have won, and they don't even realize it.

* * *

The legacy of Shatner's Kirk is firmly established in 100 live-action and animated episodes, seven movies, and hundreds of novel, comic book, and other tales. In less than a month, Star Trek: The Menagerie will even hit theaters for a limited engagement--though tripled due to higher than expected ticket demand.

No matter what happens in Star Trek XI or any other movie, Shatner's Kirk will live forever.

This Contest Cannot Be Decided By Our Knowledge Of The Force

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:53:00 +0000

Those of you who pay attention might note that this entry is coming a bit later in the week than normal. I usually try to publish Proverbial Galaxies on Sunday or Monday. I have class on Mondays now, though, so it's becoming more and more difficult for me to find the time.

So, you'll get a Tuesday entry this time around with no promises of what day the next entry will escape. I have another problem, too, though. For the first time in a long while, I don't have a topic for today's post.

When I started this blog way back when, one of the first things I did was write down 26 topic ideas so that I would have a year's worth of topics to fall back on in case nothing came to mind on a particular posting day.

The only flaw in my plan was that I promptly lost the list. It was an incredible list, too. Full of all sorts of wonderful topics of the kinds you never read elsewhere. I, of course, was not able to re-create this list. It is lost forever to history.

Instead, I made a new list of so-so topics and it has managed not to get lost. I've only pulled it out once or twice, though, as I usually think of something to write about just in time. But not this time.

So, let's see what we have here from the list of ready-made blog topics....

"Write about an old TV show that really should become a new movie or rebooted TV series." The answer is Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, but I don't feel like writing about that today. Would require a lot of thinking and argument building. Next.

"Write about the top lightsaber battles in the Star Wars saga." Hmm... maybe. Doesn't require a lot of effort or research. Can be written at one sitting. We have a winner.

Top lightsaber battles. Yeah, I'm a geek. I've admitted this before. I don't mind telling you that. These are the kinds of things I spend time thinking about.

Before I can determine the top lightsaber battles, though, I'll make a list of the key battles from each movie. I'll go in release order, just because my brain works better that way. When it's working at all.

Star Wars (1977)
Well, just one battle here. Obi-Wan versus Vader. Compared to later productions, not the most exciting lightsaber duel but it does earn extra points for being first. (Related: Star Wars: Unaltered DVD review)

Star Wars: Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Again, just one battle here. Unless you count Luke in the cave tree versus the Vader apparition. But I don't. Luke versus Vader in Cloud City is easily the best lightsaber battle of the classic trilogy and a real contender for best ever. (Related: The Empire Strikes Back: Unaltered DVD review)

Star Wars: Episode VI-Return of the Jedi (1983)
I don't count the Luke versus Jabba's henchmen stuff as a lightsaber battle. Granted, I loved this sequence as a kid. I reenacted that skiff battle on an old couch with the cushions thrown off many, many times. I haven't done that recently, though. Been at least a week. Again, we have Luke versus Vader in the end, this time on the Emperor's new Death Star. Though this does feature my favorite Star Wars lightsaber (Luke's green-bladed one, with the hilt similar to Obi-Wan's from Star Wars), the Death Star battle just wasn't as compelling as the one from Empire. Part of the reason may be that it was confined to the throne room. (Related: Return of the Jedi: Unaltered DVD review)

Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace (1999)
As we get into the prequel trilogy, the duels start getting harder to keep track of. I'll probably leave some out. In The Phantom Menace, the first real saber vs. saber action we get is Qui-Gon versus Darth Maul on Tattooine. It's so brief that it's barely worth mentioning, though. Later, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan double-team Maul on Naboo. Say what you will about The Phantom Menace, but you have to give credit to the brilliant "Duel of the Fates" lightsaber battle. For me, this proved that Star Wars was back in a big way. (And yes, I could probably split this battle into several smaller ones but though geek I may be, I'm just not quite that anal.)

Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones (2002)
In Episodes II and III, it seems the lightsabers are nearly always ignited. The key battles in Attack of the Clones, though, are Obi-Wan and Anakin versus Tyranus (Dooku) and, of course, Yoda versus Tyranus. The Obi-Wan/Anakin portion is reminiscent of my problems with Return of the Jedi. It's just not all that compelling, again I think because it's so confined to the hanger deck. It's interesting to see how Yoda uses a lightsaber, but I just can't classify his duel with Tyranus as one of the best ever. (Related: Attack of the Clones movie review)

Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith (2005)
(Related: Revenge of the Sith movie review) Lots of saber battles here. Let's see if I can remember the main ones...

Obi-Wan and Anakin versus Tyranus: With its epic space battle, Revenge of the Sith had the best opening since, well, Star Wars, and it culminated in this top-notch lightsaber battle in which Anakin showed his dominance. Just writing about this movie makes me want to go watch it again...but, blah, it's not scheduled for awhile. And I've actually been sticking to my schedule.

Obi-Wan versus Grievous: Another exciting battle, though General Kenobi makes quick work of the cyborg.

Mace versus Sidious (Palpatine): Yeah, and some other Jedi, too, but they are killed so easily that they might as well have stayed home. I was hoping for a bigger battle here, I have to say, especially after seeing Mace's work in Star Wars: Clone Wars. Hard to complain too much, though, given the bounty of lightsaber battles offered in Revenge of the Sith.

Yoda versus Sidious: The lightsaber portion of this battle felt like a rehash of Attack of the Clones. There's only so much a little CGI green guy and a CGI old guy can do. Then they started throwing the senate pods around and never got back to the lightsaber battle proper.

Obi-Wan versus Vader: This, of course, was the lightsaber set piece of the movie. The legendary battle I'd heard so much about since I was a kid. Surely, it would fail to meet my expectations, yet, somehow, it exceeded them. "You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you." Easily the best lightsaber battle of Revenge of the Sith, but how does it rank within the saga?

Now, after carefully considering each of the above lightsaber battles from all of the Star Wars movies, I offer you my ranking of the top three lightsaber battles of all time.

#3
Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan versus Maul, The Phantom Menace

#2
Luke versus Vader, The Empire Strikes Back

And the #1 lightsaber battle of all time
Obi-Wan versus Vader, Revenge of the Sith
Really, there was no contest here. Beautiful sequence.

Agree? Disagree? Don't care? Feel free to click the Comment link below and let your opinion be known to dozens of readers!

Besides, you might say something that will inspire a topic for next time as I just used up one of my backups. And I really don't feel like writing about Buck Rogers yet.

How DC Killed Superman Again

noreply@blogger.com (Tygrrius) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:00:00 +0000

Earlier today, JS posted his review of Superman Doomsday here on The Film Frontier. Though I'm not going to post a formal review, I still want to give some of my random thoughts on the movie that arrived in stores Tuesday.

My comments may contain slight spoilers if you've lived in a cave for the last decade and a half.

As is more often the case than not, my pal JS and I agree on the forest but not the trees. Meaning, we are of the same mind on major concepts but clash over execution and details.

We're both huge fans of Superman, Star Trek, and Star Wars. That's why we have this site, after all. For the most part, however, we are fans of these franchises for totally different reasons. I'd like to think our often opposing perspectives on life and Trek help to strengthen The Film Frontier.

With that being said, my two-cents--which is only worth half that...

· A massive disappointment, Superman Doomsday is surprisingly awful, considering this is supposedly DC's big chance to do things their way when it comes to adapting Superman. Decades of whining about how the various Superman movies and series do not follow the comic book source material closely enough and Superman Doomsday is what DC delivers?

· Though I would've preferred a style more in keeping with the comics (which became a moot point since this is not inspired by the best-selling graphic novel of all time, despite what DC's marketing may have led you to believe), the animation style is okay. However, I agree with JS that Superman's cheekbones are overdone. They make him look old, resulting in an odd contrast with Lois who looks about 17. She makes up for it by sounding about 67, though.

· As with Superman Returns, I still miss the yellow "S" on the back of his cape especially since it is a prominent part of an image used to market this release (said image from the bestselling graphic novel of all time, which inspired the marketing if not the movie itself).

· The movie has little entertainment value. It never made me want to get a big bag of popcorn. It never made me care.

· The fights, though interesting at first, quickly become mundane and repetitive. I never thought it could be so boring to watch super-powered beings pummel each other.

· Some of the more violent moments often feel just thrown in, caked on, with little regard for effect or story. "Oh, it might be cool if we did..." etc. They obviously really wanted that PG-13 rating to get the fanboys going. They even throw some curses in there to make sure.

· So, they won't show Superman bleed. Fine. But then they will show blood spurting from his mouth and onto Lois' face? Sick.

· And Doomsday headed for Metropolis because...?

· Contrast the scene in Superman Doomsday where Superman collapses an entire office building by slamming Doomsday into its roof to give him time to save Lois and Jimmy from the helicopter with the one in Superman Returns where Superman is on his way to save Lois from Luthor's yacht when he realizes that a tidal wave that could kill thousands is heading for Metropolis. In Superman Returns, he races back to Metropolis and has to leave Lois to her own devices. Which is the right depiction of Superman?

· Speaking of the above scene, I didn't really care for the September 11 style building crashes. I think it is a cheap attempt to evoke a certain reaction from viewers. Had this Metropolis (and movie) not been apparently devoid of life, there would've been tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, dead from the battle. They would have had a lot more people than Superman to mourn.

· After awhile, I was just wishing for the whole thing to be over. The 75 minute running time feels like double that. It was like I was being forced to watch WWE and my brain cells were being drained away.

· There is absolutely no dramatic impact to Superman's death in this movie. None.

· Perhaps that was because I never bought into the fact that I was watching Superman. And I don't mean the animation... it just didn't feel like Superman or a Superman movie.

· As I hinted at above, Anne Heche's vocals are awful (Lois). My idealized Lois voice is Teri Hatcher, who also has the advantage of not sounding like Marge Simpson on her deathbed. The rest are just okay, with the slight standout being James Marsters as Luthor. Though the whole "Why did you leave me???" thing is overplayed...but mostly due to the poor writing, I'd imagine. Speaking of bad writing, did they really use the "Who's your daddy?" line?

· The interactions between Superman and Lois were particularly horrible. Also, she's been dating him six months (and not just dinners, either) and still officially knows him only as "Superman"?

· And the point of Jimmy joining the National Voyeur was...?

· At least there is a great preview for I Am Legend starring Will Smith.

· I'm hoping the other bonus features will save this disc. Otherwise, I'm selling or giving it away. I had hoped to put it in my normal viewing rotation of Superman movies, but I'd rather watch Superman IV: The Quest for Peace an extra time. Seriously. At least Superman IV isn't repulsive.

Folks, I always give you my honest opinion and I just can't recommend this one. Superman Doomsday does a disservice to Superman's mythos and fans. Save your money.