Author: mfordfeeney

Lego Batman: The Videogame (2008)

Batman turned 75 years old earlier this year (2014). In recognition, we are rebranding our site for one week to Now Very Bat… and focusing on the blockbusters, the smaller films, the comics and the video games that feature the Dark Knight. Also if you are a fan of casino games, you might want to visit 666CASINO website, and play some exciting casino games.

These games are huge in my household. We all love playing in the “smashy smashy” world of Lego where we get to bash through bricks in order to get studs and the only thing that happens when you die is your body disassembles amusingly and you lose some points. It’s unbelievably addictive and the simplicity of the games are a real strength.

The Lego games feature the best gameplay feature in the world: drop-in/drop-out cooperative play. If your child is having trouble with a situation just grab a controller and hop in to help. If you have to step away for a moment just drop out for a bit. Every single videogame should come with this feature.

One of the most enjoyable things about the Lego series of games must be the humor. The teams responsible for these games do a marvelous job of injecting a light-hearted feel to familiar characters while retaining the spirit of the source material. Regardless of the franchise, they consistently hit it out of the park with their plastic versions. And the little Lego figures are so cute!

Lego Batman varies from earlier other in the series in two significant ways: it isn’t based on an adapted story and it lets you play half of the game as the villains. This last idea is particularly inspired. You play through the story as Batman and Robin, thwarting the Rogue’s Gallery, only to then return to the same basic plot but playing as the bad guys, able to succeed because it’s all essentially happening before Bats shows up.

Lego Batman is the 5th game in the Lego series by developer Traveller’s Tales, after 3 Star Wars games and Indiana Jones. So they should have the formula perfect by this point, but the game was released only three months after Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, so anything that was a problem in that one wasn’t fixed here. And it shows. The first Lego Batman & Indy games are in my mind the weakest the series has produced. They’re still great fun and have the wonderful wit of all of the games, but the gameplay is not really up to that of the Lego Star Wars games. Fortunately, they’d take a year to put out the next game in the series, Indy 2, and it’s pretty much all been gravy since then.

December 15, 2014
Batman: The Long Halloween (1997)

Batman turned 75 years old earlier this year (2014). In recognition, we are rebranding our site for one week to Now Very Bat… and focusing on the blockbusters, the smaller films, the comics and the video games that feature the Dark Knight.

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This 13-issue series (collected in one graphic novel) by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale is a nearly perfect comic in every way. In fact, maybe the only thing that keeps it from being truly perfect is a few too many Godfather references – they’re everywhere.

The series was released from 1996 to 1997 chronologically comes after Batman: Year One, building off of the former’s focus on the early days of Batman’s career as he moves from battling gangsters to more colorful foes.

The influence of The Long Halloween on the greatest of all Batman movies, The Dark Knight, is undeniable. It is frequently cited as source material for Batman Begins, but TDK really channels it most. Three crusaders against crime meet on a rooftop to plan to take down the mob just as a new class of villain emerges and threatens organized crime from the opposite direction. It’s an absolutely impeccable story, breathing new life into the superhero genre by creating a conflict between the old world and the new and looking at what the emergence of all these caped and costumed opponents means to real people.

The plot of the story concerns the arrival of a serial killer in Gotham whose murders coincide with holidays. At first gangsters are the victims, but the targets begin to vary as the search narrows and soon no one feels safe. The lineup of characters features nearly everyone from Batman’s Rogues Gallery with each installment adding new players to the mix, and as these “freaks” move up in importance the mob struggles to survive.

The Long Halloween manages the neat trick of being a murder mystery while in the end the solution of whodunit isn’t really that important. It’s the chain of events set into motion by the killer that will upend Gotham. The mystery is very interesting, but the brilliant writing of Loeb ensures that it isn’t the only thing that is. Beyond highly recommended.

[schema type=”book” url=”http://www.dccomics.com/” name=”The Long Halloween” description=”Taking place during Batman’s early days of crime fighting, this new edition of the classic mystery tells the story of a mysterious killer who murders his prey only on holidays. Working with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant James Gordon, Batman races against the clock as he tries to discover who Holiday is before he claims his next victim each month. A mystery that has the reader continually guessing the identity of the killer, this story also ties into the events that transform Harvey Dent into Batman’s deadly enemy, Two-Face.” author=”Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale” publisher=”DC Comics” pubdate=”1998-12-31″ isbn=”1563894270″ ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” hardcover=”yes” ]

December 15, 2014
Now Very Bat…75 years of Batman

Batman turned 75 years old earlier this year (2014). In recognition, we are rebranding our site for one week to Now Very Bat… and focusing on the blockbusters, the smaller films, the comics and the video games that feature the Dark Knight.

The first superhero I was aware of may have been Spider-Man. I remember seeing him in a department store as a kid – he gave me a Spidey ring that I may still have somewhere. I saw him on The Electric Company and maybe the newspaper. I will always have great affection for the web-slinger. And I loved Supes. I knew the music from Superman: The Motion Picture as well as any of John Williams works and still love the Man of Steel. (The man, not the movie Man of Steel – that sucked.) But Batman was always my favorite.

Partly it’s because he’s just a man. Incredibly strong billionaire, yes, but still just a human without superpowers. Partly it’s because he fashions himself as a detective. The idea that his first instinct when fighting crime is to use the same methods as the police somewhat lessens the vigilante stance. He uses his head more than his fists.

But more than anything, he’s just cool. He looks cool, he has cool gadgets, he hides in the dark and scares people. He was the first superhero to choose to do what he does; he had a backstory, not an atomic-era accident that turned him into something. That darkness is what keeps the character fresh.

Most of that darkness is thanks to Bill Finger. I won’t be reviewing it here, but check out the 2012 kids book Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman by Marc Tyler Nobleman & Ty Templeton. Amazing that it would take a children’s book to truly bring the full story of Bill Finger to life. As the title suggests, Bill was the unsung co-creator of Batman. His part in bringing to life one of the most popular and beloved comic characters of all time was unknown to most people, and even those who were aware there was a story there likely didn’t realize how instrumental he was.

The Batman figure and the Batmobile pictured here were left for me by the Tooth Fairy after I lost my first tooth!

Batman had the best writers and best storylines, and he had, by far, the best villains. The Joker is the single greatest comic book villain of all time, and the rest of Batman’s Rogues Gallery could successfully populate any other 5 series you name.

Over the 7 days, we’ll be looking at a Batman title in each of 4 categories: blockbuster film, other film, comic book & video game. So stay tuned to this Bat-Channel!

December 14, 2014

Dungeons & Dragons (2000)

Dungeons & Dragons turned 40 years old in January of this year (2014). In recognition, we are rebranding our site for one week to Now Very Beholder… and focusing just on the films that star or in some way revolve around D&D.

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Very few redeeming features to this absolutely awful picture that looks like a (bad) tv show, which it almost certainly should have been…

Spoiler-free Movie Review of Dungeons & Dragons:

Look, let’s start from the premise that this is a bad movie, but not as bad as you’ve been told. Because it isn’t. Oh, it certainly isn’t good; it’s not even ok. But it isn’t the worst movie you’ve ever seen or even close. Damning with faint praise, I know…

But I’m going out on a limb saying even that much. This movie is reviled and the reasons are all too obvious. Even if it didn’t have to overcome fanboy expectation and criticism it is by several yards quite awful. But upon my second viewing I did catch glimpses of things that, watered properly and with the guidance of a professional, could have borne fruit. Unfortunately, due at least partially to the meddling of TSR (former owners of the brand), the film was shepherded by a completely inexperienced team who are simply in over their heads.

Rather than hashing out the plot and picking apart every boneheaded decision, I’m just going to include my notes, typed out while watching for the second time (the first time, years ago, I had my eyes closed for most of the time):

You know, if this was a made for tv project, no one would really complain.
It’s fine until people show up on screen and start talking.
Ridley & Snails – do we really have to follow these idiots through the whole movie?
Damodar – blue lips. Then later he gets bright red ears – how could any producer worth their salt allow this? I note with interest if not surprise that once they bring him back for the sequel the blue lips mysteriously disappear.

This worm thing in Damodar’s head is a deal-breaker. It’s gross and off-putting.
Profion – for every time you wonder why people use awful wigs in fantasy films, Jeremy Irons is here to provide the answer – normal haircuts just look weird in these movies.

The effects aren’t good but not awful either – for the time.
I’d like to say the acting is terrible, but really I’m not sure that’s fair. The actors are just doing what they’re being told. If they are given a dreadful script and bad production and poor direction, I don’t know how this could go any other way.

While this is mostly crap that looks like the producers have never played the game, just had it explained to them, there are elements that betray an actual involvement by the game creators. The maze sequence is actually quite excellent and very much in the spirit of D&D.
Some of the sets are pretty good, if filmed in a better light.
I admit that the appearance of the Eye of the Beholder about halfway through the movie is a welcome sight (heh, heh) for an old D&D fan. Ditto the quicksand rug.
As terrible as this movie is, with not a lot of work it could have actually been very good. They did a lot of the heavy lifting, but it’s deeply flawed. Just shooting the thing properly would have upgraded it to merely “not very good”. Losing a couple of the humor-first characters like Snails and the dwarf and would have at least have made it something fanboys could argue about.

Amazingly, it’s about an hour into the movie before the first real swordwork. And it’s brief at that – more fist fighting than anything else. Guess they didn’t want to spend the budget on sword training.
It is actually fun to watch Marlon Wayans get beaten to a pulp.
The mage has completely lost her ability to do any magic once there are boys around
Elf land is cool looking and best depiction until LOTR showed up a year later.
The elf’s breastplate is literally that. It even has nipples. Really?

75 minutes in our hero enters a dungeon – this is the scene we’ve been waiting for. This hints at what a good D&D movie could be like.
Dragon on dragon fighting is why we are here.

I’m not going to try to convince you not to hate Dungeons & Dragons. It’s cheesy, poorly filmed and directed and stuffed with poor attempts at humor. But if you squint you can find moments that confirm your belief that a good Dungeons & Dragons movie could be made one day. The made for tv sequels were worlds better, possibly because they punched their weight. Or in this case, fought beasts of their own level…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

The Representation Test Score: D (3 pts)

(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

[schema type=”movie” url=”http://dnd.wizards.com/” name=”Dungeons & Dragons” description=”The Empire of Izmer has long been a divided land. The Mages – an elite group of magic-users – rule whilst the lowly commoners are powerless. Izmer’s young Empress, Savina, wants equality and prosperity for all, but the evil Mage Profion is plotting to depose her and establish his own rule. The Empress possesses a scepter which controls Izmer’s Golden Dragons. To challenge her rule, Profion must have the scepter, and tricks the Council of Mages into believing Savina is unfit to hold it. Knowing that Profion will bring death and destruction to Izmer, Savina must find the legendary Rod of Savrille, a mythical rod that has the power to control Red Dragons, a species even mightier than the Gold. Enter two thieves, Ridley and Snails, who unwittingly become instrumental in Savina’s search for the Rod. Joined by a feisty Dwarf named Elwood, and helped by the Empress’s expert tracker, the Elf Norda, the young heroes go in search of the Rod of Savrille. From the deadly maze of the Thieves Guild…” director=”Courtney Solomon” actor_1=”Jeremy Irons” ]

Main Cast	Justin Whalin Ridley Freeborn, Jeremy Irons Profion, Zoe McLellan Marina Pretensa, Bruce Payne Damodar
Rating	PG-13
Release Date	Fri 08 Dec 2000 UTC
Director	Courtney Solomon
Genres	Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Plot	Profion, a tyrant, attempts to overthrow a peaceful kingdom ruled by a tough empress.
Poster
Runtime	107
Tagline	This is no game.
Writers	Topper Lilien (written by) &, Carroll Cartwright (written by)
Year	2000

December 13, 2014

The Dungeon Masters (2008)

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Everyone involved in this predictable & possibly insulting documentary need to make a saving throw. Filmmakers message is really unclear…

Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Dungeon Masters:

Our last Now Very Beholder review (for Zero Charisma) discussed the potential dangers of making a film about a particular group or interest – it’s very easy to get caught up in the effort to be funny and go for the cheap burns. There’s a fine line between portraying a group a little irreverently and making fun of them. In the case of The Dungeon Masters that line is behind them.

The Dungeon Masters follows three hardcore gamers in what seems to be an effort to point out how sad and pathetic their lives are. I’m hoping that wasn’t the goal, that they were really trying to illustrate how struggles in gaming do not necessarily correlate to troubles in life, but it really does seem to be just embarrassing unsuspecting people.

Well, here’s the synopsis from Antidote Films, one of the production companies: “An evil drow-elf is displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A sanitation worker lures friends into a Sphere of Annihilation. A failed supervillain starts a cable access show involving ninjas, puppets, and a cooking segment. These are the characters, real and imagined, of The Dungeon Masters: Against the backdrop of crumbling middle-class America, two men and one woman devote their lives to Dungeons and Dragons, the storied role-playing game, and its various descendants. As their baroque fantasies clash with mundane real lives, the characters find it increasingly difficult to allay their fear, loneliness, and disappointment with the game’s imaginary triumphs. Soon the true heroic act of each character’s real life emerges, and the film follows each as he or she summons the courage to face it. Along the way, The Dungeon Masters reimagines the tropes of classic heroic cinema, creating an intimate portrait of minor struggles and triumphs writ large.” I must tell you that the film only barely resembles that bit of marketing.

The tone of the doc wavers, from the beginning soundbites and snippets about the popularity of the game through to the chronicling of one of the subjects ninja cable access show. It’s really unclear if the picture is meant to be celebratory or sympathetic or played for the “stop and point at the weirdos” angle. Indeed, the mission of the film is completely lost on me. Eighty-seven minutes isn’t really a long time for a documentary, but it is if you don’t know what they’re going for.

Regardless, the inclusion of only three individuals necessarily means that a lot of pressure is put on them to represent all gamers and that’s hard to do. It’s certainly no slander to suggest that these gamers are on the extreme end of things, and relying solely on those stories paints a very incomplete picture.

Part of the problem surely lies in the production. The documentary was initially envisioned as a history of the game, but when the director met the three individuals who make up the majority of the film it seems to have developed a bad case of mission creep. All of a sudden it had turned into a character study of 3 people, where the game is only part of the story, and it goes out of focus with no real linear theme.

I don’t want to be too hard on the filmmakers, because I may be misreading their intent. I really don’t think this is supposed to be a hatchet job, but I do think that it comes off as an insulting picture more akin to reality television than documentary. If you think I’m being unfair, ask yourself this: do you imagine that the three people featured in this film were pleased at how they came off and proud to show the final product to friends and family? Me neither…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test & The Representation Test Score: n/a

[schema type=”movie” name=”The Dungeon Masters” description=”Against the backdrop of crumbling middle-class America, two men and one woman devote their lives to Dungeons and Dragons, the storied role-playing game, re-imagining the tropes of classic heroic cinema, creating an intimate portrait of minor struggles and triumphs writ large.” director=”Keven McAlester” ]

Main Cast
Rating	Not Rated
Release Date	2008
Director	Keven McAlester
Genres	Documentary, Drama
Plot	An evil drow-elf is displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A sanitation worker lures friends into a Sphere of Annihilation…
Poster
Runtime	87
Tagline	This is how they roll.
Writers
Year	2008

December 12, 2014

Author: mfordfeeney

Lego Batman: The Videogame (2008)

Batman: The Long Halloween (1997)

Now Very Bat…75 years of Batman

Dungeons & Dragons (2000)

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Spoiler-free Movie Review of Dungeons & Dragons:

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

The Representation Test Score: D (3 pts)

The Dungeon Masters (2008)

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Dungeon Masters:

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test & The Representation Test Score: n/a