Happy Birthday Billie Piper!

Happy Birthday Billie Piper!  She started out as a pop singer with her first single, “Because We Want To” and had her first album, Honey to the B (1998).  After her second album, Walk of Life (2000), she turned to acting. Billie started with the role of Rose Tyler in Doctor Who (2005-2006) with the relaunch of the series under Russell T Davies.  She reprised the role in 2008 and cameoed in the last episode for David Tennant, “The End of Time: Part Two” (2010).  The special, “The Day of the Doctor”, also starred Billie Piper.  

Next, she took the role of Hannah Baxter who takes the name of Belle de Jour in The Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007-2011).  Then, Billie was on Penny Dreadful (2014-2016), playing Brona Croft.  In the second season, she was revived by Victor Frankenstein as Lily.  In 2017, Billie was in the production of National Theatre Live: Yerma.  She also recorded three audio adventures of Doctor Who with David Tennant for Big Finish Productions.  Recently, Billie played Karen Mars in the mini-series Collateral (2018). Happy Birthday Billie Piper!  

#BilliePiper, #DoctorWho, #SecretDiaryofaCallGirl, #PennyDreadful 

Joust Movie Treatment!

Joust was an arcade game with color raster graphics that came out in 1982.  Williams Electronics came out with Defender in 1980 and Robotron 2084 in 1982.  The game was designed by John Newcomer.  It features a joystick and a flap button with controls for two players.  The players control knights riding birds that look like flying ostriches.  They have lances used to joust with rival knights flying around platforms above a lava lake.  Striking the enemy knights releases an egg that you can pick up for points.  A pterodactyl sweeps in at the end of the level. There was a sequel game, Joust 2: Survival of the Fittest, in 1986. It arrived in Atari home game systems, the Nintendo Entertainment System, and home computers. In 2007, Midway Games sold the movie rights to CP Productions.  Warner Bros. picked up Midway Games’ properties when it went bankrupt. This is a movie treatment based on the game which covers the first part of the story.       

The world of Destria is a land in conflict.  King William defends the northwestern borders of his kingdom.  The Shadow Lords seek to overthrow his kingdom.  Sir Jan Newcomer, a young woman knight, trains in a field.  She has padded armor, a yellow, metal chest plate, and boots. Her squire, Tim, a thin teenager wears a bulky suit to spar with wooden weapons.  She easily defeats him and points out where he showed his next move.  Jan says that Tim will be soon ready for the joust.  A messenger says the tournament field is now open.  Tim runs off to ready her mount.  The roars of the crowds are heard.  Jan removes the padded armor and pulls on her gauntlets and armor.  She looks up and a giant bird looms towards her.  It is her mount, Miller, a Sky Bird with blue wings and a rounded, ostrich-like beak.  

Arcade Classics Joust, photo by the author.

Tim helps Jan with the rest of her armor, she leaps onto Miller, and he brings her plasma lance.  She checks it and the weapon sizzles to its tip.  Jan taps Miller’s neck and heads out to the tournament field.  It is a long field covered in a tent with poles all along the top area.  Her rival is there, Sir John Angel, a male knight on a Sky Bird with a crest and light blue feathers with red wing tips, and a sharp, stork-like beak named Python.  He wears blue armor and taps his plasma lance to his shoulder.  His squire is a young girl named Christina who looks after the Sky Bird hatchery.  The start of the joust is announced by a gong, three chimes, and the two Sky Birds race towards each other.  The two plasma lances blaze, Jan’s lance strikes John’s shield, his lance strikes her pauldron on her shoulder, the energy is absorbed by her armor.  Still, she is almost thrown from her Sky Bird.  Jan resets on her mount and readies for another run.  The Sky Birds charge again, Jan pulls her reigns up, and Miller flaps his wings sending him upwards.  John follows her and their plasma lances clash together before their mounts frantically flap to slow their descent.  They return for another charge.  

Then, there are alarm klaxons, the call to arms!, throughout the castle.  Archers race up the battlement and Tim joins them carrying his bow.  Jan and John bring their mounts together.  They race forward and leap into battle!   Jan is riding her Sky Bird and holds her plasma lance to her side.  They see ahead of them a chaotic mass like a swarm of bees; Red Knights on their Sky Birds.  Jan calls them out as Bounders.  John and Jan fire their plasma lances which scatters the Red Knights.  They bring their mounts into a dive as the sky is filled with the blasts by the Bounders.  Another blast which Jan absorbs with her shield.  The Red Knights ride Sky Birds with curved beaks, green wings, and green tail feathers.  Miller flaps frantically as Sir Jan swings her plasma lance, it sparks to either side at Bounder riders, sending them falling.  Sir John is surrounded by Red Knights, he charges up his plasma lance, and throws it!  The plasma lance shocks a Bounder, Sir John flies past, and pulls his plasma lance away.  His charge has thrown off the Red Knights.   

A few Red Knights break through the defense by Sir John and Sir Jan.  Tim and the archers loose their arrows.  Tim’s arrow hits the backside of a Bounder’s Sky Bird which squawks in a burst of feathers.  Two wounded Sky Birds collide together and then fly off without their riders.  Another two Red Knights are charging at either side of Jan, she drops her mount down, and the Bounders slam into each other.  Sir John swings his plasma lance and unseats a Red Knight.  A Sky Bird egg topples out of his saddle and Sir John catches it.  All of the riders turn to hear a screech.  A dark form fills the skies and the Bounders flee in all directions, it is a Pterodactyl that swoops in.  The Pterodactyl has a monstrous beak, red and blue-tipped feathers.  It grabs hold of a Red Knight and his mount.  Sir John calls for a retreat.  Miller and Python fly back with their riders towards the castle.

#JoustMovie, #RedKnights, #JanNewcomer, #JohnAngel 

The Curious History of Inspector Henderson!

Inspector Henderson has been a part of Superman’s story all the way back to The Adventures of Superman radio show when he was voiced by Matt Crowley from 1940 to 1951.  He was Superman’s police contact.  Then, he was a character in The Adventures of Superman tv show starring George Reeves, his part was played by Robert Shayne from 1952 to 1958.  One of the curious parts of the story was he was introduced in comics in 1974; thirty-four years after the popular character’s creation!  If anyone is impatient that a comics character has taken time to reach the screen, here’s the situation in reverse!  This was by the creative team of Elliot S. Maggin and Curt Swan in Action Comics #442.  The issue also introduced Professor Pepperwinkle who was also in the radio show and tv series. 

Inspector Henderson also had a connection with another superhero when he appeared in Black Lightning #1 (1977). The issue was created by writer Tony Isabella and artist, Trevor von Eeden.  Another strange part is his appearance in the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  He was in two episodes played by different actors.  Mel Winkler played him in the 1993 pilot.  Then, Brent Jennings in the episode, “Neverending Battle” (1993).  The strange part is that he changed race when Richard Belzer played him in 1994 episodes! Inspector Henderson is currently played by Damon Gupton on the Black Lightning show.  Now assigned to the Freeland Police Department, he is obsessed with catching Black Lightning, but the contact to Jefferson Pierce, Black Lightning’s real identity.  I uncovered this browsing through the DC Universe streaming service page on The Adventures of Superman.  Inspector Henderson is an interesting comics character with a long and bizarre history! 

#InspectorHenderson, #TheAdventuresofSuperman, #DCUniverse, #BlackLightning 

Re:tro Re:view - Moana!

ALOHA Kakou!  Disney had the modern Hawai’i in Lilo & Stitch (2002), but this film is going full Polynesian.  It is okay as an animated film, a bit long as a musical, but still fun with some incredible visuals.  It is directed by the Disney team of Ron Clements and John Musker who have a list of Disney animated films including The Little Mermaid (1989) and Aladdin (1992)!  They also have co-directors Don Hall and Chris Williams who both worked on Big Hero 6 (2014).  Jared Bush wrote the screenplay and he also worked on Zootopia (2014).  The film begins with narration by Gramma Tui who is voiced by Rachel House who is part Maori.  She relates the story of the goddess Te Fiti, who created life, she looks like the Sprite from Fantasia 2000.  Maui, the demigod, steals her heart and the pounamu stone brings in the darkness that covers the world.  

Maui faces a massive beast made of lava, Te Ka, and is defeated with the heart lost in the ocean.  Gramma Tui reveals herself with panels of artwork showing the story, she terrifies the children except one little girl, Moana, voiced by Louise Bush.  Her father, Chief Tui, reassures the children.  Temuera Morrison provides the voice of Chief Tui and he is best known for playing Jango Fett.  He ends up scaring the children with drapes of the monsters falling around the hut.  Moana is drawn out to the sea, she sees a baby turtle trying to reach the safety of the waves, birds are about to eat it.  Moana has a palm frond to protect it.  She sees a conch shell and the water parts for her.  The ocean, Moana is Hawai’ian for “ocean”, has chosen her.  It is not clear why exactly it has chosen her and how it helps her.  We get a pseudopod like The Abyss (1989) that personifies the ocean.  The visuals here are incredible of seeing the ocean through the barrier, but not worth the price of 3D.   

Chief Tui wants her to stay away from the sea, the older Moana is now voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, the newcomer who can also handle the singing duties.  The character is interesting, there are many pokes at Disney animated princesses, but she is a great character in a film that needs a stronger story.  He brings her to the village where they break into song Pocahontas-style, “Where You Are”, it really feels like schmaltzy musicals. The first songs are not too memorable.  Moana is a princess, she says she is not, conflicted between helping her people and leaving to save them.  This is mixed with themes of identity and family,   Chief Tui takes her up a hill to show her the rocks placed on the hill by all of the chiefs.  Moana is inspired to help her people, but finds that the coconuts are ashen and the fish are missing from all of the traps.  

She wants to head out past the reef to find fish, her mother, Sina, voiced by Nicole Scherzinger from Pussycat Dolls, tells about her father.  Tui was heading out with a friend, but lost him to the sea and she says he fears losing her too.  Moana is worried about her people and puts together supplies and is helped by Sina.  She takes along Pua, her pet pig, and the waves destroy the boat and trap her in coral.  Moana is able to break free and reach the shore.  She sees Gramma Tui, again I’m thinking of Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas (1995).  Enigmatic, but she takes her granddaughter to a cave.  Moana enters and finds well built boats next to the waterfall.  She drums on the largest boat as per grandmother’s instruction, it creates visions of the Polynesian people sailing, “We Know The Way” sung by Opetaia Foa’i and Lin-Manuel Miranda, I liked this song.  

Moana is excited knowing that her people were voyagers.  Gramma Tui explains that the theft of Maui has made sailing dangerous and the people are afraid to venture out.  She gives her the heart to put in a necklace and then shows her the fishhook constellation that leads to Maui’s island.  She takes an outrigger out of the waterfall into the sea.  It is difficult, but Moana passes her first test with her song, “How Far I’ll Go”, by Cravalho.  Moana repeats her speech that she will give to Maui.  She discovers that her rooster, Heihei voiced by Alan Tudyk, I guess he gives it the goofy quality, but he sounded like a chicken to me.  The rooster pecks at and swallows stones.  The typical animal sidekick is usually cute like Pua, but the strangeness of Heihei almost works.  A storm comes and knocks Moana unconscious.  She wakes up on the island, covered in sand, and angry at the sea.  Then, she finds Heihei and the shadow of Maui appears on a rock.  

Moana prepares her speech, and is crushed by Maui holding up the outrigger.  He of course is voiced by Dwayne Johnson, he has fun with the part, my favorite part is his war cry.  Remember that Maui is a trickster god, helps creation, but at first he is in it for the adoration.  Maui signs her paddle with the rooster and sings “You’re Welcome”, a fun song.  We find that Maui is not what he seems, he has been in exile, and wants to do anything to get away from the island.  His consciousness is his tattoo, lil’ Maui, who sides with Moana.  He seals Moana in a cave, takes the outrigger, and Heihei as a snack.  Moana manages to escape and the ocean propels her to the boat and after several attempts Maui finds he can’t get rid of her or the heart.  He can’t transform without his fishhook so Moana has him agree to help her if they find his fishhook.  This leads to the duo facing the coconut Kakamora (coconut-sized) pirates and a monster voiced by Jemaine Clement known for Flight of the Conchords.  Maui has to teach her who to sail and become a Wayfinder.  Moana has to help the demigod to face his fears and again think of others first.

Three Pounamu Stones out of Five!   

#Moana, #AuliiCravalho, #DwayneJohnson, #LinManuelMiranda

Happy Birthday George R.R. Martin!

Happy Birthday George R.R. Martin!  Martin was just at the 70th Emmy Awards when the show took Outstanding Drama Series for Game of Thrones and Best Supporting Actor for Peter Dinklage playing Tyrion Lannister.  He started writing science fiction stories and the first one was published by Galaxy magazine in 1971. George wrote his first novel, Dying of the Light, in 1976.  It established his “Thousand Worlds” Universe which includes Nightflyers.  His novelette, Sandkings was published in Omni magazine in 1979. The story was awarded the Hugo Award from the World Science Fiction Society and the Nebula Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for Best Novelette.  It was adapted with episodes of The Outer Limits in 1995 and 2000.  The story follows a wealthy man who collects animals and purchases four colonies of tiny, telepathic sandkings which of course become dangerous.  

George RR Martin at a Dance of Dragons signing, Barnes and Noble at the Grove, 2011, photo by the author.

George published his novella, Nightflyers (1980) which covered a deep space voyage, in the Nightflyer ship, to find an alien spaceship, but the mission is complicated by the ship’s computer.  It was made into a movie in 1987 and there is a new series planned for SyFy.  George started writing on the first season of the 1986 Twilight Zone series.  The one series I was familiar with George R.R. Martin was Wild Cards.  It was an anthology shared universe with different authors.  The world has New York in 1946 infected by an alien virus that transforms people into heroic Aces and mutated Jokers.  It is in development for television.  In 1989, George was a writer and producer of Beauty and the Beast starring Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman as Vincent.  Still, George was frustrated with television and went to crafting his fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, which begun with A Game of Thrones (1996).  HBO began adapting the books in 2011 when George had his fifth book A Dance with Dragons. He has written a few episodes and collected Emmy and Hugo awards for the show.  Happy Birthday George R.R. Martin! 

#GeorgeRRMartin, #GameofThrones, #Nightflyers, #WildCards 

Re:tro Re:view - Zootopia!

Zootopia is the best film of 2016!  It is impressive that the story team with a screenplay by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston, joined by Byron Howard, Rich Moore (co-directors with Jared Bush), Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee, Josie Trinidad and Jim Reardon have assembled a world that is captivating.  For some countries, due to copyright issues, it was renamed Zootropolis.  There are some challenging themes in the movie.  One is embodied in our hero, Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin from Once Upon a Time), a small town bunny in the fast paced city where her new job as police officer puts her in a male dominated workplace.  Also, don’t judge a bunny by her fur.  The other is bullying which is seen with Judy snubbed by her fellow officers, but even more with the young Nick Wilde (voiced as an adult by Jason Bateman from Arrested Development).  Lastly, is the most important, a few of the predators (otters and others) have turned feral, it is noted in the film that they make up 10% of the population of Zootopia so the rest of Zootopians start to fear them.          

The film begins with the narration of nine-year old Judy Hopps (Della Saba) who is in a play on the history of the animals dating back a thousand years.  The predator and prey animals had a brutal relationship until they reached a Zootopian state of peace between them.  The young Judy shows her dead acting with a bottle of ketchup which shocks her parents, Stu (voiced by Don Lake, who was in the Bonnie Hunt Show) and Bonnie (played by Bonnie Hunt).  Judy’s dream is to be a cop in Zootopia where “anyone can be anything.”  She notices later that tickets are taken by a fox bully, Gideon Gray (played by Phil Johnston).  He knocks down Judy and uses his claws to slash her across the face, a reminder he says of her failure.  The fox walks away and Judy shows the others the tickets she took from him.  Fifteen years pass, and Judy enrolls into the academy.  She faces the different climates of Zootopia and also the much larger candidates. 

At first, Judy is knocked down, but then uses her bunny smarts to surpass all of the candidates.  She graduates as the first bunny officer and is made an officer in the ZPD with a speech delivered by Major Lionheart (J.K. Simmons) as the assistant mayor, Bellwether (Jenny Slate) tries not to get pushed aside.  All of this has some reflection later in the movie.  Judy says farewell to her parents and 275 brothers and sisters at the monorail station.  Her parents worry about her going to the big city and her father gives her some anti-fox devices, Judy reluctantly takes the Fox Away spray.  She slips on her headphones to play the “Try Everything” song by Gazelle (Shakira) which runs through the Zootopia introduction.  This is wondrous with the camels racing in Savanna Central, the bursting geysers of Tundratown, and the constant splatters of water in the Rainforest District.  Judy  checks into her rundown apartment with annoying neighbors and loves it. 

Judy heads to the police department where she sees the bulky, but cheerful Clawhauser (Nate Torrence) who is a fan of Gazelle.  The Gazelle dancing app is the running joke of the movie that is hilarious and also a fun real world app. He points her to the briefing room where the rhinos and other officers towering over her.  In charge is Chief Bogo, the burly water buffalo voiced by Idris Elba, he hands out assignments to investigate the fourteen missing animal cases except Officer Hopps.  She is assigned parking duty.  He doubts she will be able to hand out an hundred parking tickets. She resolves to do the best job and give two hundred tickets before noon.  Judy’s keen bunny ears can pick up the dings of expired parking meters.  Her zeal is looked down by the people who get the tickets and Judy starts to feel down.  She notices a fox and follows him to Jumbeaux’s Cafe, a nice play on the classic elephant name.  Judy notices the elephant’s scooping ice cream with its trunk and also that the fox, Nick Wilde, has a child, in an elephant costume, who wants a Jumbeaux Pop for his birthday.  Judy sticks up for him by citing health code violations to the owner (voiced by veteran John DiMaggio, he played Bender in Futurama). 

Judy notices that the child happens to be much older since he drives the van and melts the pop to make dozens of Pawsicles which they sell to the gerbils of the Lemming Brothers law firm.  Judy tries to get Nick on his scam, he tells her, “It’s called a hustle, sweetheart”, but Nick is too experienced at the game.  He brings her down telling about the dreams of animals at Zootopia.  This is when a theft and Judy chases after Duke Weaselton voiced by Alan Tudyk.  He is becoming a reliable asset for Disney Animation, the smarmy voice reminds me of the weasels in Roger Rabbit, and his name is a play on his character in Frozen.  She chases him to Little Rodentia, working to avoid the tiny rodents, and push back buildings knocked down by the weasel who uses cars as roller skates.  Finally, he jumps on board a tram, but Judy, hanging on a gerbil tunnel, swings him away.  He pushes down a giant donut towards Judy, she races after it and pulls it away from crushing the shrew lady, Fru Fru (Leah Latham) with her Tar-goat bags (these references go by fast).

Judy returns to throw the donut over Duke Weaselton.  She brings the thief to the station and Chief Bogo is angry that she disrupted the town to pursue him.  He wants her badge when Mrs. Otterton walks in to ask about her missing husband. Bogo says his officers are too busy and Judy accepts the case.  The chief wants her to reject the case when Assistant Mayor Bellweather enters and says she contacted the mayor about the case.  So Chief Bogo gives Judy Hopps 48 hours to solve the case or resign.  She has to get the help of Nick Wilde, travel all over Zootopia, and solve the mystery of what is happening to the predators.   The film is very clever, one clue leads to a place at the corner of Tujunga and Vine which Judy mispronounces as “Tu-junga”, the jokes are sophisticated.  There are references abound to The Godfather, Breaking Bad, and more, and the cameo voices of Tommy Chong, Kristen Bell, and of course Flash (Raymond S. Persi), the sloth working at the DMV (Department of Mammal Vehicles) are all brilliant.  

Five Carrot Recorders out of Five!  

#Zootopia, #GinniferGoodwin, #JasonBateman, #IdrisElba 

Happy Birthday Joe Kubert!

Happy Birthday Joe Kubert!  Kubert easily ranks as one of my all time favorite comic book artists.  Joe Kubert’s first professional work was on Catman Comics #8 (1942) for Holyoke Publishing.  He also worked on Fox Comics’ Blue Beetle and also colored the reprints for Quality Comics of Will Eisner’s The Spirit.  Joe’s started at DC Comics with Leading Comics #8 (1943) featuring the “Seven Soldiers of Victory” super team for All-American Publications which became DC Comics. There was a limited series Seven Soldiers by Grant Morrison in 2005.  Joe became editor of St. John Publications with Three Dimension Comics #1 (1953).  He also created at St. John, the prehistoric hero in Tor, in 1,000,000 Years Ago (1953). Tor was published by DC Comics, a series that ran from 1975 to 1976, Eclipse Comics, Tor 3D (1986), Epic Comics (the creator owned Marvel line) in 1993. Kubert worked on a limited series, Tor, in 2008.  

Joe Kubert at Wonder Con, San Francisco, 2010.

He returned to DC working on Our War at War #32 (1952).  The Brave and Bold #1 (1955) introduced the Viking Prince with the team of Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert as artist. Kubert was exclusive to DC helping to ink Showcase #4 (1956) which introduced the Barry Allen Flash and launched the Silver Age of comics!  In 1959, the Kanigher and Kubert team introduced Sgt. Rock in Our Army at War #83 (1959).  Kubert produced a limited series, Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy in 2006. Gardner Fox and Kubert created the Silver Age Hawkman, Katar, in Brave and Bold #34 (1961).  He returned to the character with Joe Kubert Presents #1 (2012).  In 1972, Joe Kubert started work on Tarzan with issue #207.  I had the good fortune to tell him at Wonder Con in 2010 that his artwork was exactly what was in my head when I read Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes (1912).  One of Joe Kubert’s great legacies was forming the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art with his wife Muriel in September 1976.  There is an incredible number of comic professionals from that school. Later, Kubert drew the graphic novel, Fax from Sarajevo, in 1996.  We lost Joe Kubert on August 2012, but his comics and legacy lives on.  Happy Birthday Joe Kubert! 

#JoeKubert, #JoeKubertSchoolofCartoonandGraphicArt, #Tor, #SgtRock

Re:tro Re:view - Inside Out!

Inside Out is the latest Pixar film directed by Pete Docter with a story by Docter and Ronnie del Carmen.  It’s premise is the inner workings of a young girl’s brain.  This is represented by the Emotions led by Joy, the always energetic Amy Poehler (who shines in Parks and Recreation) and her counterpart, Sadness played by Phyllis Smith (from the American The Office series).  The film opens with an introduction of the girl,  Riley, played by Kaitlyn Dias.  She’s a baby just waking up to see her parents played by Diane Lane and Kyle Machlachlan.  My favorite is the parents calling Riley monkey and making monkey faces.  

Her awakening has the Headquarters in her brain bringing in Joy who looks very pixie-ish like Tinker Bell.  She is joined by Sadness (they both share blue hair) then her other emotions, Anger (Lewis Black), Black is identifiable and has more humor than just ranting, Fear (Bill Hader), Hader is panicky, but his wild comedy is not unleashed here from his SNL days, and Disgust (Mindy Kaling from the Mindy Kahling Project), she plays the Valley Girl hipster perfectly.  The Emotions look like they were made of felt like puppets. Joy is content when the spherical memory ball rolls out in joyful yellow, she sees the other memory ball colored by other Emotions, but likes that there is more happy memories.  The memories are collected and the special ones are kept in the Core Memories in a central console.  These power the different lands of her personality; Family, Friendship, Hockey, Honesty, and Goofball Island.  

All of the Emotions are there to protect or help Riley except Sadness.  She tampers with the memories turning them blue.  Riley lives the life of Riley in Minnesota, but then the family picks up and moves to San Francisco.  The road trip is in the opening credits.  Joy tries to rally the other Emotions with the change including a dead rat that Riley sees, all of her belongings held up by the moving truck, and of course the broccoli pizza from Yeast of Eden (a Simpsons-esque store).  This is Anger’s best line, “Congratulations San Francisco, you ruined pizza!  First the Hawaiians and now you!” Riley’s first day of school, Joy has the Emotions ready, unloading the Train of Thought which stops at Headquarters.  It contains facts, opinions, and daydreams.  Fear worries about being called on by the teacher which of course leads to the teacher asking Riley to introduce herself.  She starts on happy memories of Minnesota, but then is saddened and starts to cry.  

The Emotions are horrified that Sadness has touched the Core Memory.  Joy rips it free with the other Core Memories spilling out and then tries to restore it.  She ends up getting sucked into a tube to Long-Term Memory along with Sadness.  Joy has to drag Sadness along through the corridors of Long-Term Memory to try to cross the Islands of Personality to Headquarters.  Anger, Fear, and Disgust try to act like Joy and try to steer Riley right, but the Islands begin to crumble; an argument with Riley’s parents ends up with her father sending Riley to her room and Goofball Island falls.  Joy sees the Forgetters vacuuming up memories, they are played by Paula Poundstone and Bobby Moynihan from SNL.  They send up a memory of the Triple Dent gum commercial jingle which they sing and is a running gag for the film.  Joy discovers next a strange figure, a pink elephant named Bing Bong voiced by Richard Friend.  He was Riley’s Imaginary Friend when she was younger and he still hopes to go to the Moon with her on the Rocket, a wagon powered by singing.  

Inside Out float, Pixar Play Parade, Disneyland, photo by the author.

Bing Bong takes them to a short cut labeled “Danger.”  They walk to reach the station for the Train of Thought.  It suddenly turns them abstract, de-constructed, and two dimensional.  This is incredible that such sophisticated art concepts are put in a kid’s movie.  They manage to crawl out into the next door, but the train has gone.  The trio reaches Imagination Land.   Very funny is the Imaginary Boyfriend who repeats, “I would die for Riley.”  Also, Dream Productions which brings in happy dreams and nightmares.  They need to wake up Riley so the Train of Thought can reach Headquarters.  Fear has the idea of trying to scare Riley awake using Jangles, a birthday clown distorted into a massive demon. Inside Out is a bold move for Pixar.  It has a formidable voice cast made up of comedians and actors.  The film may be challenging and maybe slow for young ones, but if it makes kids think about their emotions and actions, this can be a step forward for animation and film.  

Four Core Memories out of Five!  

#InsideOut, #PeteDocter, #AmyPoehler, #PhyllisSmith  

Video Game Review - Disney Tsum Tsum!

I saw this Disney Tsum Tsum game at the Round 1 arcade! I don't have a single Tsum Tsum, but this game features the Tsum Tsum match game that's on the phone app. from the Line Corporation.  It is basically a game where you slide through the Tsum Tsums to get combos of three or more.  I got a 12 combo on the arcade game.  The trick is to continuously slide your finger on the same Tsum Tsums like the Daisy Duck.  The name comes from the Japanese verb “tsumu” which means “pile up.”  They are small, super deformed shapes of characters with a round face and a long, flat body which makes them perfect to stack on top of each other.  The Tsum Tsum were released in Japan to tie in to the games in 2013.  They appeared in the US in 2014 and are a fixture at the theme parks and Disney Stores.  The arcade game is from Konami. I like the Disney tie-in, though I have seen Marvel, Star Wars, and Tsum Tsums of all kinds.  

Disney Tsum Tsum arcade game, photo by the author.

You have the option to get a toy and play the game or just play the game itself; I did both.  The toy is a Tsum Tsum keychain in a plastic bubble.  I got a Minnie Mouse and a Stitch Tsum Tsum (twice!), and a Daisy Duck.  The Tsum Tsum come in a bubble, I thought you press the button and open the hatch, but you just lift the button to open the bubble.  You supposedly scan your Tsum Tsum to be used in the game, it took me time to understand, but there was a white pad that you can your Tsum Tsum in a bag and that brings it in the game.  The Tsum Tsums have specific powers like time stopping for Pooh.  There is a regular game, ballon that you have to tap several times to pop, too much fun, and a rotating game, didn't play that one.  It is a timed game so you have to multi-task; pop bubbles, find combos, or just slide through three Tsum Tsums to get the points.  The app game is tricky, you lose a ruby every time you play so you are forced to buy rubies.  I got 23 rubies for two dollars and keep getting rubies now so it has great play value.  Every time you level up you get a message for free rubies or coins.  My All Time High Score is 266,444 and I had a chain of 11 on the mobile game.  There is still much to learn about the game.  

Three Tsum Tsums on the scanner, photo by the author.

Four Tsum Tsums out of Five! 

#disneytsumtsum, #konami, #linecorporation, #tsumtsum  

Exclusive: DC Universe Launches on Batman Day!

Batman Day has brought us two free comics at any comic book store; Batman Day editions of Batman Li'l Gotham #1 and Batman: White Knight for the DC Black Label imprint.  DC Universe, the new streaming service, has also launched.  Under the bar with More and News, there is the host of DC Daily, Tiffany Smith, previewing an exclusive clip of The Titans with the Jason Todd (Curran Walters) excited about being the new Robin and the old Robin, Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), stunned that Batman allows Jason to drive the Batmobile!  Hector Navarro introduces Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  There is an interview with Kevin Conroy on Batman: The Animated Series.  John Kourounis interviews the couch of Harley Quinn Smith, Samm Levine, Clarke Wolfe, and John Barrowman are interviewed about their favorite Batman films and villains.  

There is a number of comic books with new and classic runs.  The first issue of New Teen Titans, the first issue of George Perez’s run on Wonder Woman, Batman: Year One and Year Two, Batman #1 (1940), Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, The Batman Adventures: Mad Love (1993), 32 issues of Batman and the Outsiders, 16 issues of the first Aquaman title, the incredible Atlantis Chronicles, Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, 26 issues of Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, 6 issues of Sensation Comics with Wonder Woman, 9 issues of the first Supergirl series, and 22 issues of the original run of Teen Titans.  The Encyclopedia under the More tab is the most user friendly over the DC Database.  It breaks up important storylines for a character so if you want to collect those issues you can do so easily.  Plus all of the character's appearances in tv, movie, animation, and video games.  It does default to the DC Universe main page, but just click back and you can read the page.  There are a number of New52 and Rebirth issues.  DC Universe Presents has Ralph Garman, Cameron Cuffe (who plays Seg-El on Krypton), and Burt Ward introducing comic books and films.   

Photo courtesy of DC Entertainment.

For the Movies & TV section there is the Specials; Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight (2008), The Science of Superman (2006), and the goofy fun of Legends of the Superheroes (1979).  It has Adam West and Burt Ward Batman and Robin, but also Retired Man.  Shorts include DC Nation Shorts: Doom Patrol (2013), DC Nation Shorts: Super-Pets (2013), and DC Nation Shorts: Amethyst: Princess of Gem (2013).   There is Animated Series; Batman: The Animated Series, 9 seasons of Super Friends!, 4 seasons of Static Shock, and 2 seasons of Young Justice.  The Series features 6 seasons of The Adventures of Superman, classic!, Birds of Prey, and 3 seasons of Wonder Woman.  The Batman Day includes the animated films, Batman: Assault on Arkham and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. There are many Batman films; Tim Burton’s Batman, Jonathan Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005), and The Dark Knight  (2008). The Movies section features the animated The Death of Superman (2018), Wonder Woman (2009), and Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016).  There are four Superman movies from Superman: The Movie (1978) to Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). 

This is press release from DC: 

In celebration of the launch on Batman Day, the service will enable fans to access and interact with a wide variety of unique Batman movies, animated series, comics and giveaways throughout the month of September.

The first-of-its-kind digital subscription service gives fans access to exclusive content and experiences not available anywhere else. At $7.99 per month or $74.99 annually, membership includes exclusive original live-action and animated series, classic TV series and films, a curated selection of digital comic books, breaking news including the all-new DC Daily show, an expansive DC-centric encyclopedia, and access to exclusive merchandise. Additional fan features include opportunities to connect with others in the DC community, earn premium rewards and participate in sweepstakes and contests. Both monthly and annual subscriptions include a seven-day free trial.

Batman #1 photo courtesy of DC Entertainment. 

Celebrating Batman on DC UNIVERSE

Kicking off on Batman Day and through the month of September, fans will be able to access a variety of content ranging from more than 400 issues of Batman comics to acclaimed films like The Dark Knight. DC UNIVERSE will kick off 30 days of giveaways for members starting with the DC Gallery: The Joker 1:1 Bust by Rick Baker, #1 of the limited series.  Additional Batman content on the DC UNIVERSE service includes but is not limited to:

WATCH:

Films:

Live Action • Batman (1989) • Batman Forever • Batman Returns • Batman & Robin • Batman Begins • The Dark Knight

Animated • Batman Ninja • Batman: Bad Blood • Gotham By Gaslight • Batman: Mask of the Phantasm • Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Animated Series:

• Batman Beyond • Batman: The Brave and the Bold • Batman: The Animated Series HD

Special and documentaries:

• Batman Tech • The Dark Knight Unmasked, the Psychology of Batman

READ:

Comics:

• The Dark Knight Returns • Batman: Year One (1987) • Batman: Year Two • Batman: Shaman • Batman: Mad Love • Batman: Year 100 • Batman #1

• Detective Comics #27 • Batman #497 • A Death in the Family • Batman: Black & White #1 - #4 • Batman: Strange Apparitions • Batman Eternal • Batman: Gothic

#BatmanDay, #DCUniverse, #BurtWard, #KevinConroy

Video Games Review - Injustice!

This Batman Day, let's talk about Injustice! Injustice: Gods Among Us was a game released by NetherRealm Studios which created Mortal Kombat and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.  The game was released in 2013.  It is a fighting game with the superheroes and villains of the DC Universe.  The game takes place in a reality where the Joker deceives Superman into killing Lois Lane and destroys Metropolis with a nuclear bomb.  This makes Superman the leader of the Regime and sets him against Batman who leads the Insurgency.  Batman works with Lex Luthor to create a pill from Kryptonian DNA to make humans resilient to fight against the Regime.  You fight in comic book locations like the Batcave and can use parts of the scenery as weapons like cars.  It was the best selling game in the US and UK and led to a comic book series that is ongoing.  The back story of the game was filled in by writer Tom Taylor and later Brian Buccelato.  Injustice 2 came out in 2017.  

The Injustice arcade game is produced by Raw Thrills.  I find it surprisingly player friendly, the controls are not complicated, and the game play is simple.  It took several plays before I understood how it all worked, but you can instantly play it.  Once you start you have the option of just getting a card without game play or play a game, but you get a card win or losing a battle.  If you do not scan your card in a small scanner next to the start button, you will have a random assortment of characters.  This game now features three difficulty levels, I play the Hard difficulty, but only reached the fourth level.  Also, the collectibility of the cards which has levels of rarity which has great replay value for the game..  Comic books, collectible cards, and an easy to play video game add up to one of the most addictive games I’ve played.  I was obsessive and have about 87 out of 100 cards.  I’m missing Shazam and Martian Manhunter.  The first series has Gold cards, the most common, Silver, and Bronze, the most rare.  Plus, there are regular cards and also for versions.   

Injustice Arcade game, photo by the author.

The cards have different versions of some characters; a card with just the character’s name, Regime or Insurgency, and a variant from the comics, Arkham Asylum game, television or movies.  You can the cards to build a team of up to three characters.  The variants mean that you can put together a team of Supermen or Wonder Women.  My favorite was an All Women Team; Wonder Woman, Raven, and Harley Quinn.  I also had a Villains Team with Darkseid, Sinestro, and Deathstroke.  I put together a Justice League Team with Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.  Also, a Teen Titans Team with Nightwing, Cyborg, and Raven.  I fought against one player who favored using Sinestro until I slammed him several times with Wonder Woman’s shield.  Unfortunately, I lost my play cards, and building a new team with Static (whose special power charges up fast), Flash, and Catwoman.  Once you scan in your team or start with a random team, you face your opponent.  The button layout is simple; a red Quick attack button, white Block button, and blue Strong attack button.  Above them is the large Special Attack button.  

The difficulty ramps up with a computer opponent.  Easy levels, you can start out attacking your opponent, every attack builds your power meter.   Difficult levels and fast opponents like the Flash, start off with tapping Blocking, then you can follow up with your strikes.  Also, don’t be fooled by the comics characters, I had difficulty playing Superman because I thought he could take a few hits, no he falls as easily as any other character. The game gives you the option to sitting to another team member if your character is nearly beaten, a window is spattered red showing the health and there is also a health bar.  Multiple strikes builds your power meter at the bottom and this enables Special Attacks.  You will get a notice you that you can Special Attack, Block (too slow to warn you), or use the Strong button.  There are three levels of Special Attacks, so you can wait until the last level, a Finishing Move.  If you have a tough opponent, don’t wait for the Finishing Move, use the first Special Attack.  You have a meter for some Special Attacks, you can build it to maximum tapping the Strong button.   The Finishing Move for Aquaman has him skewering his opponent with his trident, then the opponent is gobbled up by a giant shark.  You can go through the Finishing Moves with Easy level difficulty.  I hope you can assemble your team and play Injustice!   

Five Batarangs, Lassos of Truth, and Green Lantern Rings out of Five!  

#BatmanDay, #Injustice, #NetherRealmStudios, #RawThrills 

Re:tro Re:view - Beauty and the Beast (2017)!

Beauty and the Beast is my favorite movie of 2017, this version fixes all of the story problems, keeps all of the characters and plot points while giving them depth, and makes me think of the 1991 animated film, but feels fresh.  Beauty and the Beast is directed by Bill Condon who previously directed Dreamgirls (2006) and Chicago (2002).  He has a masterful touch, expanding on the musical and giving it proper scope.  The screenplay again expands on the animated story with Stephen Chbosky, who wrote the screenplay for Rent (2005), still one of the best stage to film musicals, and Evan Spiliotopoulos who has written the Disney direct to videos and The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016).  So, we have an introduction by a female narrator explaining about the prince (Dan Stevens).  He is currently David Haller in Legion, but I remember him as the hilarious Lancelot in 2014's Night at the Museum 3.  We see him in closeup getting make-up for a party.  He does not get a name, but he is Prince Ardent in the Cocteau film.  It sort of reminds me of the mirror ball in Labyrinth, beautiful, but strange. 

The first song is by Madame Garderobe (Audra McDonald).  We get a glimpse of the servants before their transformations.  They are interrupted by the arrival of an old woman who has brought a rose for the prince.  He rejects it and she reveals herself as the Enchantress (Hattie Morahan); glowing and beautiful. This scares off the dancers and she transforms him.  It is explained that the enchantment has made the nearby town of Villeneuve, named after the original author, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, forget it’s existence.  Also, to turn it into eternal winter, hey Elsa!, and transform the servants into knick knacks and furniture.  The reason why is answered here; they are not exactly innocent supporting the prince.  This shifts to Villeneuve where we get Belle, of course which means literally means “beauty” (possibly a nod to the 1946 Cocteau film), and the rest of the townspeople.  Of course, Emma Watson is known as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, but this is a more leading role and it seems closest to Watson as a person.  I prefer her singing to Paige O’Hara since it is more of an innocent girl, than songstress. 

Belle’s captivity and why she stays are all played out reasonably in the film. The song, “Belle”, shows how strange the townspeople think of her, and Gaston (Luke Evans) and LeFou (Josh Gad), “The fool” in French, ride in to try to impress Belle.  This duo made me laugh whenever they show up on screen.  The criticism with Gad’s character is folie, it is brief moments that lasts maybe fifteen seconds.  Interestingly, Gaston is a captain who is a veteran from some war, without it, he is restless and thinks the conquest of Belle is the answer.  Belle is headed to return a book to Pere Robert (Ray Fearon) who supports her love of reading, but he has about five books.  It was always strange in the cartoon how Belle could be a reader in a town of illiterates.  This in contrast to the Beast's library.  At her home is her father, Maurice (Kevin Kline) sings a sad song, original for the film, “How Does a Moment Last Forever” about his wife and child whom he recreates as figures in a music box.  The new songs (from original composer Alan Menken and his collaborator Tim Rice) really add to the characters and the story.  I also noted that they don’t use the additional songs from the Broadway production. 

Belle returns home and is troubled by the townspeople’s opinion, but Maurice tells his daughter about another woman people thought was strange, her mother!, and how she changed the Parisians.  The lost mother is a great part of Belle's character.  Gaston finds contempt for the beggar woman Agathe (I won’t reveal who plays her, it would be a big spoiler!), but Belle has compassion for her.  Belle has her Sound of Music moment and then we get the “Gaston" song with LeFou leading the song.  Belle has Maurice find her a rose when he is out selling his music boxes (this is from the original 1740 French tale).  He takes Philippe, his horse, and rides out into the forest when a storm hits.  A lightning bolt hits a tree and Maurice turns the horse down the dark path.  It turns into winter and they are frightened by wolves and end up at the castle.

Rose prop from the film at the El Capitan  Theatre,  2017.

It is a nice gradual introduction to the animated knick knacks, there is the candlestick, Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and clock, Cogsworth (Ian McKellan). It is great to hear Ewan McGregor sing since Moulin Rouge (2001).  The comic duo is the same as Gaston and le Fou; I was laughing at all of their scenes.  Lumiere flirts with the swan-headed duster, Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), and their new forms brings some of the sadness for the servants.  Maurice gets startled by the talking tea cup, Chip (Nathan Mack), and runs away from the castle. The tea pot, Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), sees her son and the fleeing Maurice who stops to get a rose for his daughter.  This is seen by the Beast and his shadow falls on Maurice.  Philippe escapes and returns to Villeneuve.  Belle sees the return of her family’s horse and has him take her to the castle.  She enters the castle and picks up the candlestick to find her father.  Belle hears him coughing in the cell up the stairs. 

The Beast leaps down and she is shocked that the Beast considers her father a thief.  So she takes his place fearing for his health.  At her room is the sleepy wardrobe, Madame de Garderobe, her husband is now the harpsichord, Maestro Cadenza (Stanley Tucci).  We later get what happened to Belle’s mother and the Beast’s parents.  The CG spectacle of “Be Our Guest” is instead replaced by classic MGM musical numbers.  Dan Stevens gets to sing in “Something There” and a new song, “Evermore”, I actually wanted more songs by Dan Stevens.  I always thought that “Beauty and the Beast” should be taken up by Belle and the Beast as a duet.  I do like Emma Thompson’s singing which I remember from the Pixar film, Brave (2012), but I would prefer her singing as an intro and maybe at the end.  The ballroom scene is stunning and magical, kudos to choreographer, Anthony Van Laast, who also helped with the “Be Our Guest” number and other dance sequences.  Another filmmaker who helped realize the animation to real life was costume designer Jacqueline Durran who worked on Anna Karenina (2012) with the ballroom costumes.  This film is a bright rose for 2017.

Five Enchanted Mirrors out of Five!

#DisneyBeautyandtheBeast, #BillCondon, #EmmaWatson, #DanStevens