Taz-Mania: Taz On The Loose Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Doctor Who's season finale, Teen Titans Go!, Revolution, Grimm, The Looney Tunes Show, MAD, The Simpsons's season finale, Family Guy's Season Finale, The Cleveland Show's Series Finale, Defiance, Bates Motel's Season Finale as well as the next couple of volumes of Mickey Mouse's Fantagraphic books and reviews for The Hunger Games movie and book trilogy reposted for Chris.
Upcoming reviews include Lego Batman: The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite, K-9: The Complete Series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 2 - Volume 2, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
I am about to viciously bash Tiny Toons (and to a lesser extent Animaniacs) in my Taz-Mania review. Flame on! (This'lll be good.) :D
Doctor Who "The Name Of The Doctor"
Are we actually going to be getting the Valeyard? It looks like it. Is that who John Hurt is playing? The Valeyard was definitely mentioned. Could you imagine getting a season or two of just evil Valeyard adventures after the next Doctor? Wow!
River Song's appearance raised a ton of questions. Is this the last time she can appear on the show or are there further adventures for her down the line? And what IS the Doctor's name? Will we find out in the 25th Anniversary Special? I can't wait for David Tennant to return.
The answer to how Clara became The Impossible Girl made about as much sense as a time travel story possibly could. I was shocked at what Trenzalore actually was but I didn't see any fields there.
I loved seeing them Forrest Gump all of the footage of the old Doctors with Clara. I saw a brush of the Ninth Doctor in the Doctor's tomb too. But I didn't see any of either the Eighth Doctor (trying to work up enough emotion to care) or the Tenth (Booo!).
The Whisper Men were good monsters and I'd like to see them return. Dr. Simeon being the Big Bad was a surprise too. I had forgotten about him.
I wish we had gotten the Doctor's name. Hopefully we will in the 50th Anniversary Special. They can't tease an entire arc about "Doctor Who" without actually telling us. Can they? *****.
Teen Titans Go! "Ghost Boy"
Dark episode. Almost a little TOO dark. Although I like the idea that they can randomly kill off the Titans and they will be okay in the next cartoon. Starfire's death was the funniest because it was the most unexpected and creative.
I didn't exactly love the episode but I DID sort of appreciate what it did for the show's sensibilities. ***.
Revolution "Clue"
I did NOT expect the traitor to be Jim. He was in fact my third to last suspect after Miles and Charlie. Does this mean his wife is gonna be killed? Or is there an episode in the idea of Miles rescuing her next season?
Frankly, I thought it was Nora. She had WAAYYY too many injections and I could easily believe she had been brainwashed. I am VERY worried for her. And Monroe having her wear that dress? You are now officially the creepiest TV character since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Gul Dukat. Congratulations!
What is up with those people in the Tower? It reminds me of how the Dollhouse was NOT empty after all in that series' apocalyptic future. Or Lost's hatch. The series is in good company.
What did that wink from Leland Orser's character to Nora mean? Was she imagining it? We'll almost certainly never find out with him dead.
Monroe decides to kill Randall on a whim just because he doesn't like him. That just shows his poor decision making abilities and WHY he is gonna lose. If Randall hadn't changed his mind the war would be over and Monroe would have lost.
I freaking loved that cliffhanger. But NBC spoiled next week by showing both Monroe and Rachel alive. Frankly, with a cliffhanger like that they should have just killed off Rachel. We'll see what they do next week. ****1/2.
Grimm "Goodnight, Sweet Grimm"
Loved the cliffhanger tag, but it wasn't as funny as mid-season's "Sorry" just because it wasn't as surprising. Still funny though.
Very good episode. I was hoping we'd see Adalind get her powers back but it looks like that will happen in the premiere. They tricked me with that body switching potion. I had been convinced that that was going to play out all next season and they reversed it almost immediately.
Why is Juliet going on Grimm missions now? Sorry, can't buy it. And first rule of Wesen Club: you don't ASK people what kind of Wesen they are.
Loved the finale because even though it endly badly for our characters it wasn't exactly hopeless. Since the antidote exists I can see several ways for Nick to get out of his predicament. And knowing that the series has been renewed just makes me look forward to seeing how it will play out. ****1/2.
The Looney Tunes Show "Ridiculous Journey"
Did we finally get a crossover between Taz-Mania and The Sylvester And Tweety Mysteries? I think we did.
Off-beat episode. I love that the show found a way to give us appearances for both the Three Bears and Beaky Buzzard. I especially liked the bears. What was it called, "Lethal snuggling" or something? Whatever it was, it made me laugh.
Better than you'd expect based on the premise. ***1/2.
MAD "G.I.E.I. Joe / Dog With A Captain's Log"
SpongeBorg SquarePants was easily the best, most perfect sketch the show has done to this point. It worked because it was so brief and didn't overstay its welcome. Every line of the theme song was perfect. It really put the title Star Trek parody to shame. For the record Scott Bakula IS the worst Star Trek Captain of all time. Chris Pine isn't even close. ****.
The Simpsons "The Saga Of Carl Carlson"
I am SO glad I no longer frequent Simpsons message boards. Because they would have a FIELD day b****ing about this episode and I would just be fed up with them beyond belief. It was a great one.
I can see it now: Carl was acting out of character. Carl was being horrible. How could the writers portray him this way?
Which is precisely the episode's entire point. How much did we REALLY know about Carl before this? Sure, he makes funny quips with Lenny but has he ever REALLY had the moral center we were disappointed to learn in this episode he didn't turn out to possess? Think really hard about this. Has he REALLY?
Carl was precisely the right character to do a premise like this with. It's an interesting notion to be sure, and Carl was the best character for it. Why? Because even though we LIKE Carl, like the rest of his friends, we don't actually know anything about him. And frankly, have we even wanted to? Was there ANY Simpsons fan clamouring for an origin story for this character? He's a total cipher. We project onto Carl what we WANT to see in him. Even Lenny is more well-developed. So, I have NO problems with the episode showing him acting this badly. Because for all we know he IS a bad guy. We never actually saw enough of his life before this to say one way or the other.
While I'm on the subject, I feel the same way about The Principle And The Pauper. Skinner was hardly in my mind a fan-favorite, beloved character at that point in the show's run and that episode actually deepened the characters' relationships even if they went for the cop-out ending (which I believe was actually intended to placate anyone the episode angered). This episode did one better though and let us sit with Carl's betrayal and misjudgment of his friends. And realize that in the long run it didn't really matter.
I have a feeling this episode is going to cause quite the controversy but I can say right now that I feel it was really good. ****1/2.
The Simpsons "The Man Who Came To Be Dinner"
Do you ever just feel sorry for Homer being so stupid and unable to express his feelings properly? I do. That's part of the reason I think he's been unfairly judged by Marge (and the writers for that matter) over the years. He really is a great and loving husband and he gets a bad rap. How bad? Even though Marge had ANOTHER "near-affair" he didn't judge her for it in the slightlest. He accepted her explanation that it was a misunderstanding immediately and without question. Can you picture Marge, or at least Latter Season Marge, doing that if the tables were reversed? Didn't think so.
It was SO rewarding to hear Seth MacFarlane's voice coming out of a yellow skinned character. Frankly, Al Jean owed him this, not to mention a complete apology for the crummy things he's said about Family Guy over the years. The things is, I AGREE that early Family Guy sucked and was one of the worst shows on television. But I was able to enjoy the show's return and steady improvement. Jean was SO invested in the narrative that MacFarlane ripped off The Simpsons that he was taking cheap shots about FG seasons which were better than recent Simpsons seasons. It's petty. It's mean. And it's classic Al Jean. Family Guy is about as much as a rip-off of The Simpsons as The Simpsons is a rip-off of The Flintstones. Unless Al Jean wants to say that he single-handedly created the animated family sitcom he needs to keep his fool mouth shut.
This episode, while good, stirred up a LOT of negative emotions in me. Feelings that have almost nothing to do with the episode itself. I will be giving it a higher grade than my review indicates. ***1/2.
Family Guy "Road To Vegas"
Didn't like the ending to this one. Yeah, I get that they needed to kill off a Brian and a Stewie but did they have to completely make it look like their entire friendship, built beautifully over the course of 11 seasons, was nothing but a complete sham? Family Guy has never had a problem with making characters unlikable but shouldn't they at LEAST try to avoid screwing up the few admirable traits the characters actually DO have?
Episodes like this are the reason Family Guy gets such a bad rap sometimes. And episodes like this are the reason it deserves it. *.
Family Guy "No Country Club For Old Men"
I wish they had expanded on that plot with Chris and that girl (it was cute) but the direction they took with Carter was pretty good too. However it was SO unpleasantly predictable that Peter sticking up for Carter would get him the boot from the club that I REALLY wish they had found a different way for Peter to have to leave. Like how about the fact that the club fees would be ridiculously expensive for a man with his brewery salary?
Still, I DID like the episode, especially compared with the first one. ***1/2.
The Cleveland Show "Crazy Train"
I actually found the ending to this episode quite touching. Freight Train actually DOES love Cleveland after all. Awww.
Rallo and Junior's cherry picker plot was dumb but I can ALWAYS appreciate seeing Murray again. More, please. I also laughed at the gag of Rallo hoping that that truck had been stolen by some kids. Because he was right, that WOULD have been the best news he could have gotten out of that situation.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
The Cleveland Show "Wheel! Of! Family!"
So I guess Robert and Donna's mom are a thing now. That is just plain disgusting. Seriously creepy. I think that because of that twist I can live with it if the show IS canceled. I don't need to see any more of that nonsense.
Speaking of nonsense (but the good kind) Roberta declaring she was dating Walt was the perfect and most cynical way she could register her disgust with her father and grandmother. I like passive-agressive TV characters. But SMART passive-agressive TV characters? Love 'em. Genius.
Junior's pole dancing plot wasn't very good but he's funnier when he's paired up with Freight Train than Rallo usually.
Icky episode. **1/2.
Bates Motel "Midnight"
"You can come out now, Norma." Sheriff Romero is AWESOME! Let's make Nester Carbonell a regular in season two, m'kay?
I am SO frustrated with the shabby way Norman treats Emma. Because she's right. He IS in love with her and doesn't know it yet.
Norma Bates owning a gun is the reason background checks were invented.
While it would be a gamechanger if Norman was the one who murdered Miss Watson, as far as I'm concerned the jury is still out on whether or not he is the culprit. Him blacking out is worrisome (although the Norma in his head was right that she WAS trying to seduce him) but she has a secret crazy stalker ex-boyfriend out there too. I'm gonna predict that Norman will be innocent of this particular murder although it will set up the mystery of season two.
Great finale. ****1/2.
Defiance "Brothers In Arms"
Very interesting episode. I wonder what is going to happen next with Rafe's son. I think that gold thing is driving him nuts.
I like the revelation at the end that it WAS Eddie who broke out Paul after all. I'm glad he'll probably escape. I want to see him again.
I'm pretty bored with the Kenya and Nolan ship to be honest. Amanda would be a better fit for him.
Irisa blowing off Tommy was funny.
Best scene was Paul completely making himself at home in Datak's house. I like that the reason Nolan knew Datak was in trouble was because he was nice too.
Good episode. ****.
Taz-Mania: Taz On The Loose: Season One, Part One
I am about to viciously lay into Tiny Toons and Animaniacs. It will be vindictive, mean, and more than a bit petty. You have been warned.
I much prefer this early 90's Saturday Morning Warner Bros. cartoon to it's higher profile cousins Animaniacs and ESPECIALLY Tiny Toon Adentures. Both of those series waved their pedigrees in the audience's face: (we get it, Spielberg and Looney Tunes are involved). Taz-Mania has no such pretentions and simply is a cartoon designed to entertain the audience, be it kid or adult. The fact that it is smartly written is a bonus. It doesn't throw it's "cleverness" in the viewer's face and beg you to love it.
I know Tiny Toons is popular but I always got the feeling that there was something desperate about it. WB was SO invested in bumping off The Disney Afternoon that they built up the quality of that show in the writer's minds and thought if they SAID it was awesome, kids would believe it too. Sadly, for the most part they were right.
But is Animaniacs really any better than the Disney Afternoon cartoons it made fun of like Bonkers? Because as crummy as Bonkers was I don't see much difference in quaility with that and Animaniacs. And Tiny Toons actually had the stones to even THINK it was a better cartoon than The Simpsons. The hubris would be laughable if it wasn't so infuriating.
Nope, Taz-Mania chugged along making funny jokes, and having the best animation of any Looney Tunes related show until Duck Dodgers, without making a drama about it. The cartoon backgrounds blend seamlessly with the cel animation and the entire enterprise looks awesome.
Yes, I'm bitter and it's an ugly side of me. I just don't understand why this far funnier, smarter, and superior show in the mid-90's gets so little respect. Taz-Mania is the show that Tiny Toons thinks and WISHES it was. The fact that both Tiny Toons and Animaniacs have such strong internet followings to this day while Taz-Mania remains WB's red-headed stepchild really burns me up. It is criminally underrated.
Best episodes are the Francis X. Bushlad debut (Frights Of Passage), the excellent Bull and Axl spotlight (It's No Picnic), the Jane Goodall parody (Mishap In The Mist), the best Platypus Brothers spotlight ever (Toothache Taz), the Bull and Axl spotlight that would have been perfect with better animation (Instant Replay) and the one without a single line of dialogue (Taz and the Pterodactyl). This set made it EASY to pick the two worst episodes: both Buddy Boar spotlights (Kee-Wee ala King / I'm Okay, You're Taz). The second is probably the worst episode of the entire series although there are still four volumes to go and I could be wrong. Set overall: ****.
Like Father, Like Son / Frights Of Passage
Like Father, Like Son:
I have never been crazy about Taz's family but the way they were introduced in the Pilot was the proper way to do it. They are so freaking NORMAL that it just makes you anticipate Taz's entrance even more. The end with Dad "Tazzing Out" over being unable to build a house of cards pretty much summed up the nature of the show at the outset. ****.
Frights Of Passage:
It was super subversive of the show to imagine the "Mud-people" as a bunch of White-Bred College Republicans. I don't quite remember enjoying Francis X. Bushlad this much back in the day but now that I'm a Democrat I find him hilarious. Lightning in a bottle in the very first episode. *****.
Episode Overall: ****1/2.
The Dog The Turtle Story:
The family stuff wasn't so hot but Bull Gator and Axl make a memorable debut here. John Astin's voice is perfect for Bull as a cheerful sadist. I love it when "it's time for Axl to learn a lesson". He didn't use those words yet in this episode but that was always the funniest bit between the two. ***1/2.
War & Pieces / Airborne Airhead:
War & Pieces
Molly is WAAAYYY too spot-on a critique of teenage girls in the 90's to be anything but annoying. I love my sister to death but she was exactly like this with New Kids On The Block merchandise and it drove me nuts. About the best thing I can say for Molly is that she can give as good as she gets and doesn't let Taz get away with his abuse. If it was all one-sided there is NO way I'd enjoy seeing her humiliated so much. Funniest part was Taz playing a videogame of himself eating Bugs Bunnies. ***1/2.
Airborne Airhead:
I love how the surprise ending actually WAS a surprise because you saw the cliff falling coming a mile away. Is it just me or were the suction cups actually a good idea? If Taz made sure not to stick to any more loose rocks it would have worked. I don't know why cartoon characters only try stuff once. A recent Simpsons had Lisa pondering this phenomenon too. The end gag of Taz trying to play innocent with the Mama eagle made me laugh as did Taz pausing mid-air to take a breath during his scream of agony. This show is awesome. ****.
Episode Overall: ****.
Battling Bushrats / Devil In The Deep Blue Sea:
Battling Bushrats:
I didn't expect to see Taz win this one and I was pleasantly surprised when he did. But the Bushrats are probably the most boring of Taz's supporting cast. **1/2.
Devil In The Deep Blue Sea:
I love the voice Rob Paulson uses for Digeri Dingo. It's his Gusto Gummi / Rapheal / Gladstone Gander voice and it's a riot. Best bit was the three sharks loitering, shaking down fish, and flipping nickels. ***1/2.
Episode Overall: ***.
A Devil Of A Job:
I really loathe Bushwhacker Bob. He blames poor Taz for his own failures and it's obnoxious. I'm not all that crazy about Basil Fawlty either when you get right down to it. Liked the cameo of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck though. **1/2.
Woeful Wolf:
Eh. I guess I just don't see the point of Wendal T. Wolf. I get it. He's supposed to be Woody Allen. But what does he actually add to the show? I did like a few things about the episode though. The surprise ending was really nice and Wendal warning Taz about the TV censors was a great wink to the audience, especially the shout-out to the parents pretending to make breakfast. So-so. ***.
It's No Picnic / Kee-Wee ala King:
It's No Picnic:
Hilarious Bull and Axl outing with a good role for the family who I'm starting to warm up to. Bull's obsevation that Axl saying something smart was almost as bad as him saying something stupid shows what a gleeful sadist he is. ****1/2.
Kee-Wee ala King:
Buddy Boar is just the worst. He's supposedly a parody of a yuppie but when he talks on the phone he sounds like a gossipy teenage girl. This awful character was wisely phased out of the series as it went on. The animation on the Kiwi and the nickel was great though. Nice and fluid. *.
Episode Overall: ***.
Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty / Enter The Devil:
Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty:
Better cartoons than this has used this overdone trope of the silent protagonist getting blamed for stuff done by a cute new pet. Pluto owes pretty much his entire career to this idea. But this episode takes it one step further and asks "What if the cute pet WASN'T just a mischievious rascal? What if he was a sociopathic, Satanic, nightmarish, Demon-seed spawned from the bowels of Hell?" This pushes the young upstart character to the total limit and I appreciate that. ***1/2.
Enter The Devil:
I love Dan Castellaneta as much as anybody but even though it's one of his earlier voice-over roles, Thickley just isn't that memorable of a character. Give me Megavolt any day of the week. **1/2.
Episode Overall: ***.
Mishap In The Mist / Toothache Taz:
Mishap In The Mist:
Best episode of the season. Jane Allgood's complete misinterpretation of the Devils' home life reminds me of the Dinosaurs clip shows with that numbskull archeologist played by Paxton Whitehead. This was almost as good especially because she mistook Taz as the sensitive, smart member of the group. Naming him "Bright Eyes" was just TOO perfect. Do I think the implication that Jane Goodall probably spends her time with chimps because she was left at the altar was a bit mean? Perhaps. But it was mad-funny too. Best lines were Molly telling Allgood not to say that she reminded her of herself when she was younger (Kellie Martin's line delivery of "Don't say that" was impeccable) and Hugh and Jean getting REALLY disturbed at Allgood pondering motherhood. *****.
Toothache Taz:
You KNOW just from the title this is gonna be great. The fact that they got the Platypus Brothers involved, both KNOWN for causing excruciating pain for Taz, in a scenario that is NOTHING but excruciating pain was probably the best "money in the bank" story idea the show ever did. Best bit was the Tooth Association Dentist informing the viewers that this cartoon did NOT represent their views on toothcare and then giving a massively disturbing twitch. Perfectly timed. ****1/2.
Episode Overall: *****.
Bewitched Bob:
A I noted before I HATE Bob but I really loved this episode. The witches were all really funny and even if I'm always annoyed with Jake I LOVE the character design for Taz as an alien that he imagined him as. Great stuff. ****.
Instant Replay / Taz And The Pterodactyl:
Instant Replay:
I want a do-over. This cartoon was hilarious but I think if the exact same script had been done with the animation techniques and effects used today this would have been mind-blowing. I can just imagine the computer effects being used for the infinite Bull and Axl loops from the camera mounted on Taz's head projected on the TV. Ooooh, I curse the low budgets of Saturday morning cartoons, even the Warner Bros ones. Cartoons keep getting better and better looking as time goes on and if this had come twenty years later it would have been a classic. I'm still gonna grade it as one. I also really loved the joke of Taz easily catching the Road Runner. There has always been something psychologically wrong with Wile E. Coyote and I think if he witnessed the trick Taz pulled here he would have had a nervous breakdown. ****1/2.
Taz And The Pterodactyl:
Pure joy from start to finish. Not a single line of dialogue and the entire cartoon expresses love, anger, disappointment, ecstasy, and sadness within the space of 11 minutes. I was grinning ear to ear the entire time even during the moving ending. A classic. *****.
Episode Overall: *****.
Comic Madness / Blunders Never Cease:
Comic Madness:
Taz-Mania Meets "Seduction Of The Innocent". This worked because it's obvious to the audience comic book addiction is the LEAST of Taz's problems. And yes, my sister actually used to own New Kids On The Block comics back in the day. My head hurts just thinking about it and I die a little inside. ***1/2.
Blunders Never Cease:
I don't mind it when the show breaks the fourth wall but I REALLY object to the episode having Taz speaking in full coherent sentences at the beginning. It took me out of the cartoon entirely and it's a shame because I usually LOVE Francis X. Bushlad. And was that a sexual potency / male enhancement joke? Was Viagra even a thing in 1991? **.
Episode Overall: **1/2.
Pup Goes The Wendal / I'm Okay, You're Taz
Really Taz? You REALLY are having a hard time deciding which dog to pick? Ummm. Okay? Not the greatest episode (far from it in fact) but it did have one REALLY good observation from Wendal: Taz is the absolute LAST person someone should lick. "Do you have any idea where he's BEEN?!" Biggest problem I had with the episode was Taz giving Wendal a bath. "Taz hate water!", remember? **.
I'm Okay, You're Taz:
He should have been named Buddy Boring. I'll give him this: he performed quite a trick this episode. He's the first character in the history of Looney Tunes that actually made Taz suck. That stupid full sentence nonsense make another unwelcome appearance and this is even worse because it's not fourth wall breaking. I haven't seen this show in years, and there are still four volumes to come, but if this doesn't turn out to be the worst episode of the entire series, I will be surprised. 0.
Episode Overall: *.
Trailers:
Cartoon Universe: Looney Tunes and Scooby Doo sharing a continuity? I'm suddenly interested. ****.
More Scooby Doo: The modern cartoons don't look so bad. ***1/2.
DVD Menus: Still images with the end title version of the theme playing on the main menu. ***.
The Hunger Games
Solid adaptation of a good book. I think it was a challenge to adapt a book that largely exists in one character's head (it is a first person, present tense narrative) but Jennifer Lawrence does an outstanding job of showing exactly what Katniss Everdeen is thinking, even if we can't hear her thoughts. I was also delighted that the movie stepped away from the "Katniss filter" and showed what was happening in the districts while the Games were going on. Since the screenplay was co-written by Suzanne Collins, I now consider the riot in District 11 and the forced suicide of Seneca canon.
The girl they got to play Rue was great too. But I wish the movie had done a better job explaining Foxface. In the book she was portrayed as the smartest tribute and I personally think she was the one who deserved to win. I wanted Katniss to too but Foxface was SUCH a wily opponent that you realize the ONLY reason she lost was because she overestimated Peeta.
Speaking of Peeta, Josh Hutcherson was a great casting choice. The kid looks so friggin' young and vulnerable (and short), even more so than Katniss. It makes me want to root for him.
Woody Harrelson was a genius casting move for Haymitch and even if I WOULDN'T have personally cast Elizabeth Banks as Effie she blends into the role well enough that you can hardly tell it's her.
More good casting with Lenny Kravitz as Cinna (wise move to make him less extravagant) and I liked Stanley Tucci as Ceasar. But as much as I love Donald Sutherland as an actor I think he's a bit too old to play President Snow who is supposed to be a bit ageless in a very scary way. I also never pictured Snow with facial hair. He still delivered a great performance though.
And boy, it's been a LONG time since I've seen Wes Bentley in a movie. He was poised to be huge after American Beauty but never popped. I now want to see The Crying Game's Jaye Davidson make a comeback too.
The last scene between Peeta and Katniss is better in the movie than in the book where it is merely emo teenage relationship drama. The note the movie leaves them on may be more upbeat but since it's a bit more realistic it also seems a bit ominous. Maybe I'm overthinking it.
I'm glad the movie wasn't TOO gruesome. It may have been bloody in places but they toned it down enough to get a PG-13 and that was the right decision to make considering the young fanbase the books have gathered. It would have sucked if 13 year olds who waited for this movie weren't allowed to see it because it was rated R.
I really liked the film. ****.
The World Is Watching: Making The Hunger Games:
A multi-part documentary about the making of the film. Make sure to check out the "Play All" version to see the introduction to the whole thing. Overall: ****.
Countdown: I really liked director Gary Ross' observation that if they had shot the movie as a slick Hollywood action film they wouldn't be making a commentary on the Capitol, they'd BE the Capitol. ****.
Casting: I think Woody Harrelson was a great catch and I can't imagine anyone else in the role either. ****.
Design: About the weird costumes and sets, and the designs of the characters and buildings that had to be silly, scary, bizarre, and Authoratarian all at once. ****1/2.
Arena Ready: About the stunts. ***1/2.
On Location In Panem: About shooting in North Carolina. ***1/2.
Effects: About the VFX. Most interesting thing to me was that they went into how they didn't incorporate the original backstory of the muttations and how they were all originally supposed to be reanimated versions of the dead Tributes. That would have been impossible to pull off on film and they were wise not to attempt it. ****1/2.
Post Production: About putting the finishing touches on the movie with stuff like sound effects, editting and music scores. I have to say the gambling board they put in the background after they cut away from Rue to Haymitch was a perfect scene transition and filled me with sadness and dread which is what I SHOULD have been feeling. ****1/2.
May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favorite: About the marketing and success of the movie. Best observation came from a producer (I sadly forget his name) who said that The Hunger Games may not have been the film fans were expecting, but that it was better than what they were expecting, and that it was better than what Lionsgate was expecting. Deep. *****.
Featurettes:
Game Maker: Suzanne Collins & The Hunger Game Phenomenon: A bummer they didn't actually snag Suzanne Collins for an interview. The most astonishing thing to me is that the publishers and some of the cast directly pointed out the obvious: that the stuff in the book was a allegory for the Bush Administration. Donald Sutherland also explicitly mentions Occupy Wall Street and the 00.01%. That is something that is NEVER done on huge franchise DVD extras as the big studios usually want to have as broad an audience as possible and ticking off half the grown-ups who disagree politically with the filmmakers is something that is VERY rare. I mean, I always thought that the idea that these books were filled with Christian themes and were against "Big Government" was rubbish but I never actually expected the producers and publishers to pretty much say that. ****1/2.
Letters From The Rose Garden: Wonderful interview with Donald Sutherland about his role as President Snow. I am SO pleased they got Sutherland to read his entire three page letter to Gary Ross discussing power in that magnificent, gentle voice of his. Funniest part was the shot he took at Bill Clinton. I'm a liberal and I STILL think it was well-deserved. *****.
Controlling The Games: One of the things I liked about this movie is that they didn't keep it entirely from Katniss' perspective which the book had to because it was told in first-person. The Harry Potter movies did the same thing and I always liked seeing these "extra" scenes we were never really privy to in the books. ****.
A Conversation With Gary Ross And Elvis Mitchell: An interview between a film critic and the director of the movie. My favorite part was Ross pointing out the fact that The Hungers Games has one big thing in common with Star Wars: the protagonists of the film are all vulnerable and not superhuman and perfect. I never realized that before about Star Wars but it's true. I also think they picked the best scenes from the movie to run in this interview. ****.
Preparing For The Games: A Director's Process: Gary Ross discussing directing the film. ***1/2.
Propaganda Film: The entire propaganda film from the movie. I found it humorously ironic that Snow says that The Hunger Games were started to make sure that type of treason never happened again. A better student of history would have realized they are EXACTLY what would start that type of "treason" again. ****.
Marketing Gallery:
Theatrical Trailers:
Sneak Peek: This is a BIT misleading and may lead the audience the believe this is more of a slick Hollywood action movie than it actually is. Love it. *****.
Theatrical Trailer: This started all the buzz and for good reason. It is awesome. *****.
Second Trailer: Love this trailer too. *****.
Poster Gallery: Showing all of the cool movie posters. I love the individual character ones the best. *****.
Photo Gallery: HUGE pile of behind the scenes and production photos. A ton. *****.
Disc 1 Blu-Ray Menu: Fantastic. Featuring the Capitol. *****.
Disc 2 Blu-Ray Menu: Featuring District 12. Couple of on-screen Easter Eggs too. *****.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This was a fascinating read that I really sped through. It was quite addictive and I couldn't put it down. It's a very heady, high-concept story that is also mega-dark which makes the fact that it's basically a children's book remarkable. I hear reviewers say that this book is anti-government with Christian themes but I think that's just conservatives as usual trying to claim something popular as their own without understanding it (they did the same thing with Forrest Gump). I actually feel this book is basically anti-poverty and anti-ruling class. The government may be evil, but it's a conservative government and is only deeply involved in people's lives the way conservatives like government to be. Trying to claim the book is anti-big government and conservative is something only a deeply stupid person would believe.
I also don't get any Christian messages from it and I am REALLY puzzled at anybody who does. For a book that deals mainly with gruesome deaths there is ZERO discussion of an afterlife or ANY religious beliefs. Ironically, the lack of religion in the book is arguably the most conservative thing about it. Even though the totalitarian government IS authoritarian, the lack of religious persecution and using fundamentalism to control the masses suggests an athiest society and if so a Republican could potentially argue athesism=moral decay. I wouldn't agree with that assessment of the book but I'm REALLY surprised people have actually taken a religious message from a book where religion is clearly absent.
The thing that didn't really work for me was the romance, but the book was smart enough to not make it a really central piece of the story so the teenagers who go nuts for that kind of stuff can have fun with it, but those of us who are bored with that kind of thing won't be annoyed with it.
My favorite character is probably Foxface. Face it: she deserved to win the entire thing and it was merely bad luck that did her in. I can't imagine Katniss actually having to go up against her in the end and winning.
I loved the alliance between Rue and Katniss. The thing I love about Katniss is that her main characteristics for defying the Capitol are basically acts of mercy and love (her singing over Rue's body while covering her in flowers made me tear up.) It's frightening to think how dangerous that message is to the Capitol but as the last two books portrayed, it's what ultimately united the 12 districts together. Still, I can't help think that if the Capitol hadn't completely tried to destroy Katniss and Peeta in Catching Fire the rebellion would have been short-lived and died out quickly. By making examples out of them, they made them martyrs and they didn't even have to die to do it.
I thought this was a great book and even though I had a few problems with the sequels this book was nearly flawless. *****.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
What would happen if Stephen King had devoted an entire book to the aftermath of either The Running Man or The Long Walk? Those books DEFINITELY ended more abruptly than The Hunger Games did but I'm betting any potential sequels might have looked like this.
To be honest, I was HUGELY disappointed that two thirds of the way through the book Katniss and Peeta were put in another Hunger Games. That struck me as mostly derivitive and I wanted desperately to get back to the plot with the rebellion. But I really enjoyed the fact that THIS version of the Games had Katniss in an alliance, and that she had no idea that everyone else in it was as commited to keeping her and Peeta alive as she was. Frankly, I do not understand WHY she was so angry at Haymitch by the end. Yeah, I get that she was upset Peeta was captured but had Haymitch not formed that alliance ahead of time, NOBODY would have escaped and Peeta would most likely have died outright.
We actually got to see President Snow in this book and he is completely slimy and repellent. The idea that he smells like roses and blood is a really gross one and defines the character for me. Snow's biggest miscalculation in the book was messing with Peeta and Katniss after they won the games like that. Had all of the old winners NOT been forced to compete in the quell, it's possible nobody would have realized that NO-ONE was safe from the Capitol ever, including people from it (poor Cinna). Self-preservation is a huge motivation to stand up for yourself.
My favorite scene was how disgusted and appalled Katniss and Peeta were at the drink that made you vomit so you could sample more foods. I could not BELIEVE how awful that was and was as disgusted as they were.
A very interesting sequel. I liked the first book better though. ****1/2.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I wish I could say I was satisfied by the final book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. But I just wasn't. Oh, it's a good book. But it does some things that I don't think it needed to do and lost me by the end of it.
First of all, I don't think Prim needed to die . I wish it had been Gale. It would have given Katniss the same motivation to take out Coin without making her sacrifice for Prim in the first book seem meaningless.
And Coin. Coin is in my opinion an even bigger monster than President Snow. At least Snow was upfront about it. Coin's regime is just as bloodthirsty and cruel only from the other side. I can pinpoint the exact moment Katniss decided to kill her. When she suggested a "final" Hunger Games for the Capitol's children. I think Katniss only voted for it to give Coin a measure of security so she wouldn't suspect what she had decided right in that moment: that Snow was telling the truth about her disregard for children, that she DID have Prim killed, and that Katniss was going to have to kill her if there was EVER going to be change in both the Capitol and the Districts.
Unfortunately, even though taking out Coin was arguably Katniss' bravest act of heroism in the entire book, the fall-out from it sucked. Seeing her locked up in a sanitarium while her lawyers argued "temporary" insanity just means nothing really has changed. If no-one realized what a horrible person Coin was, and how she was just substituting one totalitarian government for another, overthrowing Snow didn't matter. Katniss shouldn't have been exiled to District 12 for that act, she should have been hailed as a hero and probably made President herself. It's interesting the book didn't go The Boy Who Lived with Katniss but it was still majorly unfair. The second Katniss was taken away and locked up was when the book lost me and even the "happy" ending didn't completely win me back.
I think the most interesting thing about the book for me was how it argued different sides to what actually constituted evil. Of course, Coin was the main focal point of that discussion but it wasn't lost on me that Peeta's "treason" had everyone questioning what is and isn't acceptable in a time of war. The scene that made me think the most was Gale chiding Katniss for freeing her Capitol stylists from torture and certain death. We the readers had come to think of them as harmless as Katniss did but the truth is Gale was right. They (and Effie who was largely absent from the book until a cameo at the end) participated in acts of mass murder. Every year. For years on end. Are we really supposed to think they had no idea what was happening to the people they served up for slaughter? I'd argue they STILL didn't deserve to be tortured but the idea of them going unpunished doesn't sit right with me either.
I feel that the book needed an extra chapter or two to tie up the many loose ends. Without knowing whether or not the "last" Hunger Games actually took place or how exactly the Capitol and Districts had changed during Katniss' exile I was left very unsatisfied. I did however like that she ended up with Peeta rather than Gale especially because what happened to Peeta in this book made their star-crossed romance seem even more impossible. Besides, she and Gale were seeing things VERY differently by the end of the book and it was clear she needed someone more grounded. It's ironic that it was Peeta who spent the majority of the book in a murderous, brain-washed rage.
All that said, this book was just as powerful as the previous two, and if I didn't like where the characters ended up I can at least say the ending was entirely earned. A lot of times tragic endings seem arbitrary (Joss Whedon's greatest weakess) but here every death made a point and contributed to Katniss' state of mind at the end when she decided to kill Coin. I'll give the book four stars just for that. ****.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse "Trapped On Treasure Island" By Floyd Gottfredson
Another fantastic collection of Floyd Gottfredson stories. Some of these were very offensive in places, but I knew that going in that they were going to be. The stories that AREN'T filled with racism are easily some of the best Mickey stories ever.
"Blaggard Castle" is one of my personal favorite Mickey stories and "The Mail Pilot" was rightly lauded as a turning point. I also really loved "The Crazy Crime Wave" and "Mickey Mouse And His Horse Tanglefoot" especially since both Goofy and Mickey are completely loathesome in each of those respective stories. I wasn't crazy about "The Great Orphanage Robbery" or "Mickey Mouse Sails For Treasure Island" but despite being racist they were more competent storytellingwise and better artwise than "Lost On A Desert Island" from the last volume. Volume Overall: ****1/2.
"The Great Orphanage Robbery"
My jaw pretty much dropped reading this thoroughly twisted and politically incorrect story. It's not so much that it's offensive (although it is) it's that seeing the cast perform "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in blackface and the townsfolk looking to lynch Horace is just plain weird. And disturbing. SO weird and disturbing that seeing it in a Disney property sort of feels wrong on every level. The story isn't actually that bad if you look at it objectively. Yes, the entire town turning on Mickey and Horace was wrong but it looks like Gottfredson in this story portrays the police and the District Attorney as not merely incompetent but thoroughly corrupt. It predates Batman's Gotham city by a few years and the entire justice system is screwed up. Horace's neighbors trying to lynch him is less easy to rationalize especially since he promptly forgives them for it when they fail. It's like Gottfredson was trying to look at a corrupt system but because of the nature of the Disney brand couldn't ever look at the very real fall-out these horrible actions would produce. A happy ending in a Disney story must be acheived at all costs. Honestly, I think Gottfredson might have done better to leave police corruption politics out of his strips. Mickey as an asset to Police Chief O'Hara works much better. Sometimes you want to just rail against the unfair system. But I don't think Mickey Mouse is really the best character to do it with. ***1/2.
"Mickey Mouse Sails For Treasure Island"
Good and bad. Good story, great execution and a killer cliffhanger with Drs. Ecks And Doublex. Bad because the island cannibals were grotesquely offensive. You know, considering the era these stories were made in I can forgive a lot. And in fact the story seems to be subverting stereotypes in a way by having them ally with Mickey. But once they desert him because of cowardice there really isn't any justification other than pure racism for their inclusion. I realize Gottfredson did this a lot and that now that they are collecting his complete works, ugliness and all, I'll have to suffer through all of it. But that doesn't mean I'll ever accept it or think it's "just a sign of the times". Cark Barks worked in the same era, and even he had a few outright racist stories and they weren't unheard of. But they were STILL rare and a bit subversive. But Gottfredson goes to the monkey cannibal well an insane amount of times. There's no way I can excuse it. But, as I said, the story and execution were excellent. If it wasn't for the ugly stereotypes I would have enjoyed it. I'll grade it accordingly. ***1/2.
"Blaggard Castle" And "Pluto And The Dogcatcher"
"Blaggard Castle": A turning point for the strip, this masterpiece completely revitalized everything about Mickey Mouse and Disney Comics in general. It is just so GOOD. Professors Ecks, Doublex, and Triplex are scary and cool villains and the story has all of the best haunted house trappings. I still want to know more about how Ecks and Doublex turn into Dr. Doublecross from the Disney Comics relaunch in the early 90's. That seems like a story worth reprinting if they ever finish the Gottfredson strips. Stephen DeStefano's Mickey stories are my third favortie Mickey stories after Gottfredson and Romano Scarpa. They even printed the DeStefano's Blaggard Castle sequel in the book!. A classic. *****.
"Pluto And The Dogcatcher": Didn't like this because Peg-Leg Pete is all of the sudden a dogcatcher with zero explanation. Speaking of zero explanation the story just completely stops suddenly. I'm betting Gottfredson got quickly tired of it and wanted to get to the next adventure story right away. *1/2.
"The Mail Pilot"
Great story with the first appearances of Gloomy and Captain Doberman. I like Gloomy's second story a bit better but this was pretty awesome in it's own right. My only complaint is that they went back to the Pete and Shyster well so soon. Pete, I understand. He's Mickey arch-enemy. But Shyster just isn't as good of a villain and Pete works better calling the shots. But that just quibbling. The story was amazing. ****1/2.
"Mickey Mouse And His Horse Tanglefoot"
Silliness. Mickey is pretty much borderline abusive to his horse and it makes me smile. Him insuring Tanglefoot at the glue factory is perhaps the single most despicable thing he's ever done. I love it when they make Mickey unsympathetic because it happens so rarely and nowadays never. Fun. ****.
"The Crazy Crime Wave"
Fun story that made the insane crime wave actually make sense. This is the first appearance of Dippy Dawg in the strip and he's a bit of a jerk here. He steals things and is all around unpleasant. Fascinating to watch one of Disney's most beloved and angelic characters in Goofy acting like a complete dirtbag. I loved this story. ****1/2.
The Gottfredson Archives: Essays And Special Features
More great articles and rare promotional art. They even included the Disney Adventures Two-Parter "Return To Blaggard Castle"! Neat! *****.
Walt Disney's The Perils Of Mickey "Return To Blaggard Castle" by David Cody Weiss and Stephen DeStefano
Man, this was slavish to Gottfredson's original continuity and considering it was originally made for the disposable comic features in Disney Adventures it really didn't have to be. Nicely done and Stephen DeStephano is my second favorite Mickey artist after Gottfredson. ****1/2.
Walt Disney's The Perils Of Mickey Part Two: "Shadows Of The Past" by David Cody Weiss and Stephen DeStefano
The ending was too sudden and I can't believe I was disappointed by an appearance of The Phantom Blot! I really wish they had included Drs. Eck, Doublex, And Triplex in the story itself and not have had them been fakes. ***1/2. Two Part Average: ****.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse "High Noon At Inferno Gulch" by Floyd Gottfredson
Volume Three of Fantagraphics' collections of Floyd Gottfredson's classic Mickey Mouse daily strips.
Some of my favorite stories of all time are in this volume including "The Captive Castaways" which is the very first Disney Comic I ever read as well as childhood favorites "Bobo The Elephant", "Race For Riches", and "The Pirate Submarine". This is also the first chance I got to read "The Bat Bandit Of Inferno Gulch", "The Sacred Jewel", and "Editor-In-Grief" and if Bandit and Jewel are pretty good, "Editor-In-Grief is a bonafide classic. Don't ask me to pick a favorite story from this volume. They are all great.
For the record, the "PC" version of Pluto The Racer I read as a kid is a five star story. I took a half star off the original for ugly stereotypes but the one printed by Gladstone and later Fantagraphics on Free Comic Book Day is flawless. Volume Overall: *****.
"A Silly Symphony Starring Pluto The Pup": Cute Sunday strip. I hope Fantagraphics decides to print an entire volume of Sunday strips at some point. ***.
"The Captive Castaways And Pluto's Rival"
"The Captive Castaways": This was the first Disney comic I ever read and it got me hooked. SO funny and cool and filled with high adventure. I only had part three of this so to get the whole thing reprinted is a treat. I love Hiccup and the funniest part is when he pleads with Mickey to let him tie him up and Mickey says "Go away. I'm busy," while untying Minnie. A classic story. *****.
"Pluto's Rival": A million cartoons have done a million stories like this one before. This is an early (and admittedly cute) take. It was the SECOND Disney Comic story I ever read so it definitely has a nostalgia factor for me. ***.
"The Bat Bandit Of Inferno Gulch"
Chinky? Really? Other than that unfortunate and VERY unpleasant instance of casual racism this story works. Unfortunately it is entirely predictable. I knew who the Bat Bandit was from the start and the story did a poor job of hiding it. Gottfredson can't even use the excuse that kids wouldn't have guessed it because he was clearly writing for adults too. Good, but not great. ***1/2.
"Bobo The Elephant"
Garfle! Bobo is easily the cutest animal Mickey has ever owned and THAT is saying something. I love Eli Squinch and always thought he made a better bad guy than Sylvester Shyster because after his first story Shyster stopped being a crooked businessman and was simply a boring old crook. It's no wonder Gottfredson created a nearly identical character that encompassed the earlier quailities of Shyster that made him interesting. Great story. ****1/2.
"The Sacred Jewel"
Good story. I was actually surprised by Pete and Shyster's reappearances for once, just because the story absolutely did not call for it. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. ****.
"Pluto The Racer"
This was one of my favorite Gottfredson stories back when Gladstone had the Disney license and it hasn't lost any of it's punch years later. I especially like the moral against animal cruelty and thought Mickey's plan to get Pluto to win the race was absolutely brilliant. Great writing. The gags are funny too and the artwork is boss. My only gripe is that I wasn't aware of the stories racist stereotypes until this book. Every reprint I'd seen before left them out. That's kind of depressing. ****1/2.
"Editor-In-Grief"
Terrific story. If only we had a media nowadays as non-corrupt and dogged as Mickey turned out to be. We'd ALL be better off. Great to see Donald Duck too and even if I guessed Pete was involved he still fit the story (even if the idea of the police not having enough evidence to arrest him was far-fetched). A great one. *****.
"Race For Riches"
Great story with a bunch of fun and implausible twists. I'm going to miss Horace Horsecollar. My favorite parts of the story involved Mickey taking cheap shots at Horace's car. That is just SO awesome that Mickey can be a brat sometimes and give Horace the business. *****.
"The Pirate Submarine"
I think Gloomy should have appeared in more than two stories. He's a terrific character and his cynicism and wisdom remind me a bit of Gruffi Gummi (who is also awesome). Speaking of terrific characters, Dr. Vulture is a scary villain too. He reminds me of Ecks, Doublex, and Triplex in that he only appeared once but made a HUGE impression on me. Great story. *****.
The Gottfredson Archives: Essays And Special Features:
Love that they printed Donald Duck and the Secret of Mars in English and thought the Floyd Gottfredson paintings were boss too. *****.
Donald Duck "Bobo" Strip: Cute but Al Taliaferro's Bobo design is nowhere NEAR as adorable as Gottfredson's. ***.
"It's A Gift!": A Mickey strip with British humor. ***1/2.
"Square All Round?": Another British Mickey strip but the logic of it escapes me. **1/2.
"Donald Duck And The Secret Of Mars"
I do NOT see how this is a prequel to The Pirate Submarine. Prometheus had less tenuous connections to Alien. Still a good story though. ***1/2.
Upcoming reviews include Lego Batman: The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite, K-9: The Complete Series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 2 - Volume 2, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
I am about to viciously bash Tiny Toons (and to a lesser extent Animaniacs) in my Taz-Mania review. Flame on! (This'lll be good.) :D
Doctor Who "The Name Of The Doctor"
Are we actually going to be getting the Valeyard? It looks like it. Is that who John Hurt is playing? The Valeyard was definitely mentioned. Could you imagine getting a season or two of just evil Valeyard adventures after the next Doctor? Wow!
River Song's appearance raised a ton of questions. Is this the last time she can appear on the show or are there further adventures for her down the line? And what IS the Doctor's name? Will we find out in the 25th Anniversary Special? I can't wait for David Tennant to return.
The answer to how Clara became The Impossible Girl made about as much sense as a time travel story possibly could. I was shocked at what Trenzalore actually was but I didn't see any fields there.
I loved seeing them Forrest Gump all of the footage of the old Doctors with Clara. I saw a brush of the Ninth Doctor in the Doctor's tomb too. But I didn't see any of either the Eighth Doctor (trying to work up enough emotion to care) or the Tenth (Booo!).
The Whisper Men were good monsters and I'd like to see them return. Dr. Simeon being the Big Bad was a surprise too. I had forgotten about him.
I wish we had gotten the Doctor's name. Hopefully we will in the 50th Anniversary Special. They can't tease an entire arc about "Doctor Who" without actually telling us. Can they? *****.
Teen Titans Go! "Ghost Boy"
Dark episode. Almost a little TOO dark. Although I like the idea that they can randomly kill off the Titans and they will be okay in the next cartoon. Starfire's death was the funniest because it was the most unexpected and creative.
I didn't exactly love the episode but I DID sort of appreciate what it did for the show's sensibilities. ***.
Revolution "Clue"
I did NOT expect the traitor to be Jim. He was in fact my third to last suspect after Miles and Charlie. Does this mean his wife is gonna be killed? Or is there an episode in the idea of Miles rescuing her next season?
Frankly, I thought it was Nora. She had WAAYYY too many injections and I could easily believe she had been brainwashed. I am VERY worried for her. And Monroe having her wear that dress? You are now officially the creepiest TV character since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Gul Dukat. Congratulations!
What is up with those people in the Tower? It reminds me of how the Dollhouse was NOT empty after all in that series' apocalyptic future. Or Lost's hatch. The series is in good company.
What did that wink from Leland Orser's character to Nora mean? Was she imagining it? We'll almost certainly never find out with him dead.
Monroe decides to kill Randall on a whim just because he doesn't like him. That just shows his poor decision making abilities and WHY he is gonna lose. If Randall hadn't changed his mind the war would be over and Monroe would have lost.
I freaking loved that cliffhanger. But NBC spoiled next week by showing both Monroe and Rachel alive. Frankly, with a cliffhanger like that they should have just killed off Rachel. We'll see what they do next week. ****1/2.
Grimm "Goodnight, Sweet Grimm"
Loved the cliffhanger tag, but it wasn't as funny as mid-season's "Sorry" just because it wasn't as surprising. Still funny though.
Very good episode. I was hoping we'd see Adalind get her powers back but it looks like that will happen in the premiere. They tricked me with that body switching potion. I had been convinced that that was going to play out all next season and they reversed it almost immediately.
Why is Juliet going on Grimm missions now? Sorry, can't buy it. And first rule of Wesen Club: you don't ASK people what kind of Wesen they are.
Loved the finale because even though it endly badly for our characters it wasn't exactly hopeless. Since the antidote exists I can see several ways for Nick to get out of his predicament. And knowing that the series has been renewed just makes me look forward to seeing how it will play out. ****1/2.
The Looney Tunes Show "Ridiculous Journey"
Did we finally get a crossover between Taz-Mania and The Sylvester And Tweety Mysteries? I think we did.
Off-beat episode. I love that the show found a way to give us appearances for both the Three Bears and Beaky Buzzard. I especially liked the bears. What was it called, "Lethal snuggling" or something? Whatever it was, it made me laugh.
Better than you'd expect based on the premise. ***1/2.
MAD "G.I.E.I. Joe / Dog With A Captain's Log"
SpongeBorg SquarePants was easily the best, most perfect sketch the show has done to this point. It worked because it was so brief and didn't overstay its welcome. Every line of the theme song was perfect. It really put the title Star Trek parody to shame. For the record Scott Bakula IS the worst Star Trek Captain of all time. Chris Pine isn't even close. ****.
The Simpsons "The Saga Of Carl Carlson"
I am SO glad I no longer frequent Simpsons message boards. Because they would have a FIELD day b****ing about this episode and I would just be fed up with them beyond belief. It was a great one.
I can see it now: Carl was acting out of character. Carl was being horrible. How could the writers portray him this way?
Which is precisely the episode's entire point. How much did we REALLY know about Carl before this? Sure, he makes funny quips with Lenny but has he ever REALLY had the moral center we were disappointed to learn in this episode he didn't turn out to possess? Think really hard about this. Has he REALLY?
Carl was precisely the right character to do a premise like this with. It's an interesting notion to be sure, and Carl was the best character for it. Why? Because even though we LIKE Carl, like the rest of his friends, we don't actually know anything about him. And frankly, have we even wanted to? Was there ANY Simpsons fan clamouring for an origin story for this character? He's a total cipher. We project onto Carl what we WANT to see in him. Even Lenny is more well-developed. So, I have NO problems with the episode showing him acting this badly. Because for all we know he IS a bad guy. We never actually saw enough of his life before this to say one way or the other.
While I'm on the subject, I feel the same way about The Principle And The Pauper. Skinner was hardly in my mind a fan-favorite, beloved character at that point in the show's run and that episode actually deepened the characters' relationships even if they went for the cop-out ending (which I believe was actually intended to placate anyone the episode angered). This episode did one better though and let us sit with Carl's betrayal and misjudgment of his friends. And realize that in the long run it didn't really matter.
I have a feeling this episode is going to cause quite the controversy but I can say right now that I feel it was really good. ****1/2.
The Simpsons "The Man Who Came To Be Dinner"
Do you ever just feel sorry for Homer being so stupid and unable to express his feelings properly? I do. That's part of the reason I think he's been unfairly judged by Marge (and the writers for that matter) over the years. He really is a great and loving husband and he gets a bad rap. How bad? Even though Marge had ANOTHER "near-affair" he didn't judge her for it in the slightlest. He accepted her explanation that it was a misunderstanding immediately and without question. Can you picture Marge, or at least Latter Season Marge, doing that if the tables were reversed? Didn't think so.
It was SO rewarding to hear Seth MacFarlane's voice coming out of a yellow skinned character. Frankly, Al Jean owed him this, not to mention a complete apology for the crummy things he's said about Family Guy over the years. The things is, I AGREE that early Family Guy sucked and was one of the worst shows on television. But I was able to enjoy the show's return and steady improvement. Jean was SO invested in the narrative that MacFarlane ripped off The Simpsons that he was taking cheap shots about FG seasons which were better than recent Simpsons seasons. It's petty. It's mean. And it's classic Al Jean. Family Guy is about as much as a rip-off of The Simpsons as The Simpsons is a rip-off of The Flintstones. Unless Al Jean wants to say that he single-handedly created the animated family sitcom he needs to keep his fool mouth shut.
This episode, while good, stirred up a LOT of negative emotions in me. Feelings that have almost nothing to do with the episode itself. I will be giving it a higher grade than my review indicates. ***1/2.
Family Guy "Road To Vegas"
Didn't like the ending to this one. Yeah, I get that they needed to kill off a Brian and a Stewie but did they have to completely make it look like their entire friendship, built beautifully over the course of 11 seasons, was nothing but a complete sham? Family Guy has never had a problem with making characters unlikable but shouldn't they at LEAST try to avoid screwing up the few admirable traits the characters actually DO have?
Episodes like this are the reason Family Guy gets such a bad rap sometimes. And episodes like this are the reason it deserves it. *.
Family Guy "No Country Club For Old Men"
I wish they had expanded on that plot with Chris and that girl (it was cute) but the direction they took with Carter was pretty good too. However it was SO unpleasantly predictable that Peter sticking up for Carter would get him the boot from the club that I REALLY wish they had found a different way for Peter to have to leave. Like how about the fact that the club fees would be ridiculously expensive for a man with his brewery salary?
Still, I DID like the episode, especially compared with the first one. ***1/2.
The Cleveland Show "Crazy Train"
I actually found the ending to this episode quite touching. Freight Train actually DOES love Cleveland after all. Awww.
Rallo and Junior's cherry picker plot was dumb but I can ALWAYS appreciate seeing Murray again. More, please. I also laughed at the gag of Rallo hoping that that truck had been stolen by some kids. Because he was right, that WOULD have been the best news he could have gotten out of that situation.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
The Cleveland Show "Wheel! Of! Family!"
So I guess Robert and Donna's mom are a thing now. That is just plain disgusting. Seriously creepy. I think that because of that twist I can live with it if the show IS canceled. I don't need to see any more of that nonsense.
Speaking of nonsense (but the good kind) Roberta declaring she was dating Walt was the perfect and most cynical way she could register her disgust with her father and grandmother. I like passive-agressive TV characters. But SMART passive-agressive TV characters? Love 'em. Genius.
Junior's pole dancing plot wasn't very good but he's funnier when he's paired up with Freight Train than Rallo usually.
Icky episode. **1/2.
Bates Motel "Midnight"
"You can come out now, Norma." Sheriff Romero is AWESOME! Let's make Nester Carbonell a regular in season two, m'kay?
I am SO frustrated with the shabby way Norman treats Emma. Because she's right. He IS in love with her and doesn't know it yet.
Norma Bates owning a gun is the reason background checks were invented.
While it would be a gamechanger if Norman was the one who murdered Miss Watson, as far as I'm concerned the jury is still out on whether or not he is the culprit. Him blacking out is worrisome (although the Norma in his head was right that she WAS trying to seduce him) but she has a secret crazy stalker ex-boyfriend out there too. I'm gonna predict that Norman will be innocent of this particular murder although it will set up the mystery of season two.
Great finale. ****1/2.
Defiance "Brothers In Arms"
Very interesting episode. I wonder what is going to happen next with Rafe's son. I think that gold thing is driving him nuts.
I like the revelation at the end that it WAS Eddie who broke out Paul after all. I'm glad he'll probably escape. I want to see him again.
I'm pretty bored with the Kenya and Nolan ship to be honest. Amanda would be a better fit for him.
Irisa blowing off Tommy was funny.
Best scene was Paul completely making himself at home in Datak's house. I like that the reason Nolan knew Datak was in trouble was because he was nice too.
Good episode. ****.
Taz-Mania: Taz On The Loose: Season One, Part One
I am about to viciously lay into Tiny Toons and Animaniacs. It will be vindictive, mean, and more than a bit petty. You have been warned.
I much prefer this early 90's Saturday Morning Warner Bros. cartoon to it's higher profile cousins Animaniacs and ESPECIALLY Tiny Toon Adentures. Both of those series waved their pedigrees in the audience's face: (we get it, Spielberg and Looney Tunes are involved). Taz-Mania has no such pretentions and simply is a cartoon designed to entertain the audience, be it kid or adult. The fact that it is smartly written is a bonus. It doesn't throw it's "cleverness" in the viewer's face and beg you to love it.
I know Tiny Toons is popular but I always got the feeling that there was something desperate about it. WB was SO invested in bumping off The Disney Afternoon that they built up the quality of that show in the writer's minds and thought if they SAID it was awesome, kids would believe it too. Sadly, for the most part they were right.
But is Animaniacs really any better than the Disney Afternoon cartoons it made fun of like Bonkers? Because as crummy as Bonkers was I don't see much difference in quaility with that and Animaniacs. And Tiny Toons actually had the stones to even THINK it was a better cartoon than The Simpsons. The hubris would be laughable if it wasn't so infuriating.
Nope, Taz-Mania chugged along making funny jokes, and having the best animation of any Looney Tunes related show until Duck Dodgers, without making a drama about it. The cartoon backgrounds blend seamlessly with the cel animation and the entire enterprise looks awesome.
Yes, I'm bitter and it's an ugly side of me. I just don't understand why this far funnier, smarter, and superior show in the mid-90's gets so little respect. Taz-Mania is the show that Tiny Toons thinks and WISHES it was. The fact that both Tiny Toons and Animaniacs have such strong internet followings to this day while Taz-Mania remains WB's red-headed stepchild really burns me up. It is criminally underrated.
Best episodes are the Francis X. Bushlad debut (Frights Of Passage), the excellent Bull and Axl spotlight (It's No Picnic), the Jane Goodall parody (Mishap In The Mist), the best Platypus Brothers spotlight ever (Toothache Taz), the Bull and Axl spotlight that would have been perfect with better animation (Instant Replay) and the one without a single line of dialogue (Taz and the Pterodactyl). This set made it EASY to pick the two worst episodes: both Buddy Boar spotlights (Kee-Wee ala King / I'm Okay, You're Taz). The second is probably the worst episode of the entire series although there are still four volumes to go and I could be wrong. Set overall: ****.
Like Father, Like Son / Frights Of Passage
Like Father, Like Son:
I have never been crazy about Taz's family but the way they were introduced in the Pilot was the proper way to do it. They are so freaking NORMAL that it just makes you anticipate Taz's entrance even more. The end with Dad "Tazzing Out" over being unable to build a house of cards pretty much summed up the nature of the show at the outset. ****.
Frights Of Passage:
It was super subversive of the show to imagine the "Mud-people" as a bunch of White-Bred College Republicans. I don't quite remember enjoying Francis X. Bushlad this much back in the day but now that I'm a Democrat I find him hilarious. Lightning in a bottle in the very first episode. *****.
Episode Overall: ****1/2.
The Dog The Turtle Story:
The family stuff wasn't so hot but Bull Gator and Axl make a memorable debut here. John Astin's voice is perfect for Bull as a cheerful sadist. I love it when "it's time for Axl to learn a lesson". He didn't use those words yet in this episode but that was always the funniest bit between the two. ***1/2.
War & Pieces / Airborne Airhead:
War & Pieces
Molly is WAAAYYY too spot-on a critique of teenage girls in the 90's to be anything but annoying. I love my sister to death but she was exactly like this with New Kids On The Block merchandise and it drove me nuts. About the best thing I can say for Molly is that she can give as good as she gets and doesn't let Taz get away with his abuse. If it was all one-sided there is NO way I'd enjoy seeing her humiliated so much. Funniest part was Taz playing a videogame of himself eating Bugs Bunnies. ***1/2.
Airborne Airhead:
I love how the surprise ending actually WAS a surprise because you saw the cliff falling coming a mile away. Is it just me or were the suction cups actually a good idea? If Taz made sure not to stick to any more loose rocks it would have worked. I don't know why cartoon characters only try stuff once. A recent Simpsons had Lisa pondering this phenomenon too. The end gag of Taz trying to play innocent with the Mama eagle made me laugh as did Taz pausing mid-air to take a breath during his scream of agony. This show is awesome. ****.
Episode Overall: ****.
Battling Bushrats / Devil In The Deep Blue Sea:
Battling Bushrats:
I didn't expect to see Taz win this one and I was pleasantly surprised when he did. But the Bushrats are probably the most boring of Taz's supporting cast. **1/2.
Devil In The Deep Blue Sea:
I love the voice Rob Paulson uses for Digeri Dingo. It's his Gusto Gummi / Rapheal / Gladstone Gander voice and it's a riot. Best bit was the three sharks loitering, shaking down fish, and flipping nickels. ***1/2.
Episode Overall: ***.
A Devil Of A Job:
I really loathe Bushwhacker Bob. He blames poor Taz for his own failures and it's obnoxious. I'm not all that crazy about Basil Fawlty either when you get right down to it. Liked the cameo of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck though. **1/2.
Woeful Wolf:
Eh. I guess I just don't see the point of Wendal T. Wolf. I get it. He's supposed to be Woody Allen. But what does he actually add to the show? I did like a few things about the episode though. The surprise ending was really nice and Wendal warning Taz about the TV censors was a great wink to the audience, especially the shout-out to the parents pretending to make breakfast. So-so. ***.
It's No Picnic / Kee-Wee ala King:
It's No Picnic:
Hilarious Bull and Axl outing with a good role for the family who I'm starting to warm up to. Bull's obsevation that Axl saying something smart was almost as bad as him saying something stupid shows what a gleeful sadist he is. ****1/2.
Kee-Wee ala King:
Buddy Boar is just the worst. He's supposedly a parody of a yuppie but when he talks on the phone he sounds like a gossipy teenage girl. This awful character was wisely phased out of the series as it went on. The animation on the Kiwi and the nickel was great though. Nice and fluid. *.
Episode Overall: ***.
Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty / Enter The Devil:
Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty:
Better cartoons than this has used this overdone trope of the silent protagonist getting blamed for stuff done by a cute new pet. Pluto owes pretty much his entire career to this idea. But this episode takes it one step further and asks "What if the cute pet WASN'T just a mischievious rascal? What if he was a sociopathic, Satanic, nightmarish, Demon-seed spawned from the bowels of Hell?" This pushes the young upstart character to the total limit and I appreciate that. ***1/2.
Enter The Devil:
I love Dan Castellaneta as much as anybody but even though it's one of his earlier voice-over roles, Thickley just isn't that memorable of a character. Give me Megavolt any day of the week. **1/2.
Episode Overall: ***.
Mishap In The Mist / Toothache Taz:
Mishap In The Mist:
Best episode of the season. Jane Allgood's complete misinterpretation of the Devils' home life reminds me of the Dinosaurs clip shows with that numbskull archeologist played by Paxton Whitehead. This was almost as good especially because she mistook Taz as the sensitive, smart member of the group. Naming him "Bright Eyes" was just TOO perfect. Do I think the implication that Jane Goodall probably spends her time with chimps because she was left at the altar was a bit mean? Perhaps. But it was mad-funny too. Best lines were Molly telling Allgood not to say that she reminded her of herself when she was younger (Kellie Martin's line delivery of "Don't say that" was impeccable) and Hugh and Jean getting REALLY disturbed at Allgood pondering motherhood. *****.
Toothache Taz:
You KNOW just from the title this is gonna be great. The fact that they got the Platypus Brothers involved, both KNOWN for causing excruciating pain for Taz, in a scenario that is NOTHING but excruciating pain was probably the best "money in the bank" story idea the show ever did. Best bit was the Tooth Association Dentist informing the viewers that this cartoon did NOT represent their views on toothcare and then giving a massively disturbing twitch. Perfectly timed. ****1/2.
Episode Overall: *****.
Bewitched Bob:
A I noted before I HATE Bob but I really loved this episode. The witches were all really funny and even if I'm always annoyed with Jake I LOVE the character design for Taz as an alien that he imagined him as. Great stuff. ****.
Instant Replay / Taz And The Pterodactyl:
Instant Replay:
I want a do-over. This cartoon was hilarious but I think if the exact same script had been done with the animation techniques and effects used today this would have been mind-blowing. I can just imagine the computer effects being used for the infinite Bull and Axl loops from the camera mounted on Taz's head projected on the TV. Ooooh, I curse the low budgets of Saturday morning cartoons, even the Warner Bros ones. Cartoons keep getting better and better looking as time goes on and if this had come twenty years later it would have been a classic. I'm still gonna grade it as one. I also really loved the joke of Taz easily catching the Road Runner. There has always been something psychologically wrong with Wile E. Coyote and I think if he witnessed the trick Taz pulled here he would have had a nervous breakdown. ****1/2.
Taz And The Pterodactyl:
Pure joy from start to finish. Not a single line of dialogue and the entire cartoon expresses love, anger, disappointment, ecstasy, and sadness within the space of 11 minutes. I was grinning ear to ear the entire time even during the moving ending. A classic. *****.
Episode Overall: *****.
Comic Madness / Blunders Never Cease:
Comic Madness:
Taz-Mania Meets "Seduction Of The Innocent". This worked because it's obvious to the audience comic book addiction is the LEAST of Taz's problems. And yes, my sister actually used to own New Kids On The Block comics back in the day. My head hurts just thinking about it and I die a little inside. ***1/2.
Blunders Never Cease:
I don't mind it when the show breaks the fourth wall but I REALLY object to the episode having Taz speaking in full coherent sentences at the beginning. It took me out of the cartoon entirely and it's a shame because I usually LOVE Francis X. Bushlad. And was that a sexual potency / male enhancement joke? Was Viagra even a thing in 1991? **.
Episode Overall: **1/2.
Pup Goes The Wendal / I'm Okay, You're Taz
Really Taz? You REALLY are having a hard time deciding which dog to pick? Ummm. Okay? Not the greatest episode (far from it in fact) but it did have one REALLY good observation from Wendal: Taz is the absolute LAST person someone should lick. "Do you have any idea where he's BEEN?!" Biggest problem I had with the episode was Taz giving Wendal a bath. "Taz hate water!", remember? **.
I'm Okay, You're Taz:
He should have been named Buddy Boring. I'll give him this: he performed quite a trick this episode. He's the first character in the history of Looney Tunes that actually made Taz suck. That stupid full sentence nonsense make another unwelcome appearance and this is even worse because it's not fourth wall breaking. I haven't seen this show in years, and there are still four volumes to come, but if this doesn't turn out to be the worst episode of the entire series, I will be surprised. 0.
Episode Overall: *.
Trailers:
Cartoon Universe: Looney Tunes and Scooby Doo sharing a continuity? I'm suddenly interested. ****.
More Scooby Doo: The modern cartoons don't look so bad. ***1/2.
DVD Menus: Still images with the end title version of the theme playing on the main menu. ***.
The Hunger Games
Solid adaptation of a good book. I think it was a challenge to adapt a book that largely exists in one character's head (it is a first person, present tense narrative) but Jennifer Lawrence does an outstanding job of showing exactly what Katniss Everdeen is thinking, even if we can't hear her thoughts. I was also delighted that the movie stepped away from the "Katniss filter" and showed what was happening in the districts while the Games were going on. Since the screenplay was co-written by Suzanne Collins, I now consider the riot in District 11 and the forced suicide of Seneca canon.
The girl they got to play Rue was great too. But I wish the movie had done a better job explaining Foxface. In the book she was portrayed as the smartest tribute and I personally think she was the one who deserved to win. I wanted Katniss to too but Foxface was SUCH a wily opponent that you realize the ONLY reason she lost was because she overestimated Peeta.
Speaking of Peeta, Josh Hutcherson was a great casting choice. The kid looks so friggin' young and vulnerable (and short), even more so than Katniss. It makes me want to root for him.
Woody Harrelson was a genius casting move for Haymitch and even if I WOULDN'T have personally cast Elizabeth Banks as Effie she blends into the role well enough that you can hardly tell it's her.
More good casting with Lenny Kravitz as Cinna (wise move to make him less extravagant) and I liked Stanley Tucci as Ceasar. But as much as I love Donald Sutherland as an actor I think he's a bit too old to play President Snow who is supposed to be a bit ageless in a very scary way. I also never pictured Snow with facial hair. He still delivered a great performance though.
And boy, it's been a LONG time since I've seen Wes Bentley in a movie. He was poised to be huge after American Beauty but never popped. I now want to see The Crying Game's Jaye Davidson make a comeback too.
The last scene between Peeta and Katniss is better in the movie than in the book where it is merely emo teenage relationship drama. The note the movie leaves them on may be more upbeat but since it's a bit more realistic it also seems a bit ominous. Maybe I'm overthinking it.
I'm glad the movie wasn't TOO gruesome. It may have been bloody in places but they toned it down enough to get a PG-13 and that was the right decision to make considering the young fanbase the books have gathered. It would have sucked if 13 year olds who waited for this movie weren't allowed to see it because it was rated R.
I really liked the film. ****.
The World Is Watching: Making The Hunger Games:
A multi-part documentary about the making of the film. Make sure to check out the "Play All" version to see the introduction to the whole thing. Overall: ****.
Countdown: I really liked director Gary Ross' observation that if they had shot the movie as a slick Hollywood action film they wouldn't be making a commentary on the Capitol, they'd BE the Capitol. ****.
Casting: I think Woody Harrelson was a great catch and I can't imagine anyone else in the role either. ****.
Design: About the weird costumes and sets, and the designs of the characters and buildings that had to be silly, scary, bizarre, and Authoratarian all at once. ****1/2.
Arena Ready: About the stunts. ***1/2.
On Location In Panem: About shooting in North Carolina. ***1/2.
Effects: About the VFX. Most interesting thing to me was that they went into how they didn't incorporate the original backstory of the muttations and how they were all originally supposed to be reanimated versions of the dead Tributes. That would have been impossible to pull off on film and they were wise not to attempt it. ****1/2.
Post Production: About putting the finishing touches on the movie with stuff like sound effects, editting and music scores. I have to say the gambling board they put in the background after they cut away from Rue to Haymitch was a perfect scene transition and filled me with sadness and dread which is what I SHOULD have been feeling. ****1/2.
May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favorite: About the marketing and success of the movie. Best observation came from a producer (I sadly forget his name) who said that The Hunger Games may not have been the film fans were expecting, but that it was better than what they were expecting, and that it was better than what Lionsgate was expecting. Deep. *****.
Featurettes:
Game Maker: Suzanne Collins & The Hunger Game Phenomenon: A bummer they didn't actually snag Suzanne Collins for an interview. The most astonishing thing to me is that the publishers and some of the cast directly pointed out the obvious: that the stuff in the book was a allegory for the Bush Administration. Donald Sutherland also explicitly mentions Occupy Wall Street and the 00.01%. That is something that is NEVER done on huge franchise DVD extras as the big studios usually want to have as broad an audience as possible and ticking off half the grown-ups who disagree politically with the filmmakers is something that is VERY rare. I mean, I always thought that the idea that these books were filled with Christian themes and were against "Big Government" was rubbish but I never actually expected the producers and publishers to pretty much say that. ****1/2.
Letters From The Rose Garden: Wonderful interview with Donald Sutherland about his role as President Snow. I am SO pleased they got Sutherland to read his entire three page letter to Gary Ross discussing power in that magnificent, gentle voice of his. Funniest part was the shot he took at Bill Clinton. I'm a liberal and I STILL think it was well-deserved. *****.
Controlling The Games: One of the things I liked about this movie is that they didn't keep it entirely from Katniss' perspective which the book had to because it was told in first-person. The Harry Potter movies did the same thing and I always liked seeing these "extra" scenes we were never really privy to in the books. ****.
A Conversation With Gary Ross And Elvis Mitchell: An interview between a film critic and the director of the movie. My favorite part was Ross pointing out the fact that The Hungers Games has one big thing in common with Star Wars: the protagonists of the film are all vulnerable and not superhuman and perfect. I never realized that before about Star Wars but it's true. I also think they picked the best scenes from the movie to run in this interview. ****.
Preparing For The Games: A Director's Process: Gary Ross discussing directing the film. ***1/2.
Propaganda Film: The entire propaganda film from the movie. I found it humorously ironic that Snow says that The Hunger Games were started to make sure that type of treason never happened again. A better student of history would have realized they are EXACTLY what would start that type of "treason" again. ****.
Marketing Gallery:
Theatrical Trailers:
Sneak Peek: This is a BIT misleading and may lead the audience the believe this is more of a slick Hollywood action movie than it actually is. Love it. *****.
Theatrical Trailer: This started all the buzz and for good reason. It is awesome. *****.
Second Trailer: Love this trailer too. *****.
Poster Gallery: Showing all of the cool movie posters. I love the individual character ones the best. *****.
Photo Gallery: HUGE pile of behind the scenes and production photos. A ton. *****.
Disc 1 Blu-Ray Menu: Fantastic. Featuring the Capitol. *****.
Disc 2 Blu-Ray Menu: Featuring District 12. Couple of on-screen Easter Eggs too. *****.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This was a fascinating read that I really sped through. It was quite addictive and I couldn't put it down. It's a very heady, high-concept story that is also mega-dark which makes the fact that it's basically a children's book remarkable. I hear reviewers say that this book is anti-government with Christian themes but I think that's just conservatives as usual trying to claim something popular as their own without understanding it (they did the same thing with Forrest Gump). I actually feel this book is basically anti-poverty and anti-ruling class. The government may be evil, but it's a conservative government and is only deeply involved in people's lives the way conservatives like government to be. Trying to claim the book is anti-big government and conservative is something only a deeply stupid person would believe.
I also don't get any Christian messages from it and I am REALLY puzzled at anybody who does. For a book that deals mainly with gruesome deaths there is ZERO discussion of an afterlife or ANY religious beliefs. Ironically, the lack of religion in the book is arguably the most conservative thing about it. Even though the totalitarian government IS authoritarian, the lack of religious persecution and using fundamentalism to control the masses suggests an athiest society and if so a Republican could potentially argue athesism=moral decay. I wouldn't agree with that assessment of the book but I'm REALLY surprised people have actually taken a religious message from a book where religion is clearly absent.
The thing that didn't really work for me was the romance, but the book was smart enough to not make it a really central piece of the story so the teenagers who go nuts for that kind of stuff can have fun with it, but those of us who are bored with that kind of thing won't be annoyed with it.
My favorite character is probably Foxface. Face it: she deserved to win the entire thing and it was merely bad luck that did her in. I can't imagine Katniss actually having to go up against her in the end and winning.
I loved the alliance between Rue and Katniss. The thing I love about Katniss is that her main characteristics for defying the Capitol are basically acts of mercy and love (her singing over Rue's body while covering her in flowers made me tear up.) It's frightening to think how dangerous that message is to the Capitol but as the last two books portrayed, it's what ultimately united the 12 districts together. Still, I can't help think that if the Capitol hadn't completely tried to destroy Katniss and Peeta in Catching Fire the rebellion would have been short-lived and died out quickly. By making examples out of them, they made them martyrs and they didn't even have to die to do it.
I thought this was a great book and even though I had a few problems with the sequels this book was nearly flawless. *****.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
What would happen if Stephen King had devoted an entire book to the aftermath of either The Running Man or The Long Walk? Those books DEFINITELY ended more abruptly than The Hunger Games did but I'm betting any potential sequels might have looked like this.
To be honest, I was HUGELY disappointed that two thirds of the way through the book Katniss and Peeta were put in another Hunger Games. That struck me as mostly derivitive and I wanted desperately to get back to the plot with the rebellion. But I really enjoyed the fact that THIS version of the Games had Katniss in an alliance, and that she had no idea that everyone else in it was as commited to keeping her and Peeta alive as she was. Frankly, I do not understand WHY she was so angry at Haymitch by the end. Yeah, I get that she was upset Peeta was captured but had Haymitch not formed that alliance ahead of time, NOBODY would have escaped and Peeta would most likely have died outright.
We actually got to see President Snow in this book and he is completely slimy and repellent. The idea that he smells like roses and blood is a really gross one and defines the character for me. Snow's biggest miscalculation in the book was messing with Peeta and Katniss after they won the games like that. Had all of the old winners NOT been forced to compete in the quell, it's possible nobody would have realized that NO-ONE was safe from the Capitol ever, including people from it (poor Cinna). Self-preservation is a huge motivation to stand up for yourself.
My favorite scene was how disgusted and appalled Katniss and Peeta were at the drink that made you vomit so you could sample more foods. I could not BELIEVE how awful that was and was as disgusted as they were.
A very interesting sequel. I liked the first book better though. ****1/2.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I wish I could say I was satisfied by the final book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. But I just wasn't. Oh, it's a good book. But it does some things that I don't think it needed to do and lost me by the end of it.
First of all, I don't think Prim needed to die . I wish it had been Gale. It would have given Katniss the same motivation to take out Coin without making her sacrifice for Prim in the first book seem meaningless.
And Coin. Coin is in my opinion an even bigger monster than President Snow. At least Snow was upfront about it. Coin's regime is just as bloodthirsty and cruel only from the other side. I can pinpoint the exact moment Katniss decided to kill her. When she suggested a "final" Hunger Games for the Capitol's children. I think Katniss only voted for it to give Coin a measure of security so she wouldn't suspect what she had decided right in that moment: that Snow was telling the truth about her disregard for children, that she DID have Prim killed, and that Katniss was going to have to kill her if there was EVER going to be change in both the Capitol and the Districts.
Unfortunately, even though taking out Coin was arguably Katniss' bravest act of heroism in the entire book, the fall-out from it sucked. Seeing her locked up in a sanitarium while her lawyers argued "temporary" insanity just means nothing really has changed. If no-one realized what a horrible person Coin was, and how she was just substituting one totalitarian government for another, overthrowing Snow didn't matter. Katniss shouldn't have been exiled to District 12 for that act, she should have been hailed as a hero and probably made President herself. It's interesting the book didn't go The Boy Who Lived with Katniss but it was still majorly unfair. The second Katniss was taken away and locked up was when the book lost me and even the "happy" ending didn't completely win me back.
I think the most interesting thing about the book for me was how it argued different sides to what actually constituted evil. Of course, Coin was the main focal point of that discussion but it wasn't lost on me that Peeta's "treason" had everyone questioning what is and isn't acceptable in a time of war. The scene that made me think the most was Gale chiding Katniss for freeing her Capitol stylists from torture and certain death. We the readers had come to think of them as harmless as Katniss did but the truth is Gale was right. They (and Effie who was largely absent from the book until a cameo at the end) participated in acts of mass murder. Every year. For years on end. Are we really supposed to think they had no idea what was happening to the people they served up for slaughter? I'd argue they STILL didn't deserve to be tortured but the idea of them going unpunished doesn't sit right with me either.
I feel that the book needed an extra chapter or two to tie up the many loose ends. Without knowing whether or not the "last" Hunger Games actually took place or how exactly the Capitol and Districts had changed during Katniss' exile I was left very unsatisfied. I did however like that she ended up with Peeta rather than Gale especially because what happened to Peeta in this book made their star-crossed romance seem even more impossible. Besides, she and Gale were seeing things VERY differently by the end of the book and it was clear she needed someone more grounded. It's ironic that it was Peeta who spent the majority of the book in a murderous, brain-washed rage.
All that said, this book was just as powerful as the previous two, and if I didn't like where the characters ended up I can at least say the ending was entirely earned. A lot of times tragic endings seem arbitrary (Joss Whedon's greatest weakess) but here every death made a point and contributed to Katniss' state of mind at the end when she decided to kill Coin. I'll give the book four stars just for that. ****.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse "Trapped On Treasure Island" By Floyd Gottfredson
Another fantastic collection of Floyd Gottfredson stories. Some of these were very offensive in places, but I knew that going in that they were going to be. The stories that AREN'T filled with racism are easily some of the best Mickey stories ever.
"Blaggard Castle" is one of my personal favorite Mickey stories and "The Mail Pilot" was rightly lauded as a turning point. I also really loved "The Crazy Crime Wave" and "Mickey Mouse And His Horse Tanglefoot" especially since both Goofy and Mickey are completely loathesome in each of those respective stories. I wasn't crazy about "The Great Orphanage Robbery" or "Mickey Mouse Sails For Treasure Island" but despite being racist they were more competent storytellingwise and better artwise than "Lost On A Desert Island" from the last volume. Volume Overall: ****1/2.
"The Great Orphanage Robbery"
My jaw pretty much dropped reading this thoroughly twisted and politically incorrect story. It's not so much that it's offensive (although it is) it's that seeing the cast perform "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in blackface and the townsfolk looking to lynch Horace is just plain weird. And disturbing. SO weird and disturbing that seeing it in a Disney property sort of feels wrong on every level. The story isn't actually that bad if you look at it objectively. Yes, the entire town turning on Mickey and Horace was wrong but it looks like Gottfredson in this story portrays the police and the District Attorney as not merely incompetent but thoroughly corrupt. It predates Batman's Gotham city by a few years and the entire justice system is screwed up. Horace's neighbors trying to lynch him is less easy to rationalize especially since he promptly forgives them for it when they fail. It's like Gottfredson was trying to look at a corrupt system but because of the nature of the Disney brand couldn't ever look at the very real fall-out these horrible actions would produce. A happy ending in a Disney story must be acheived at all costs. Honestly, I think Gottfredson might have done better to leave police corruption politics out of his strips. Mickey as an asset to Police Chief O'Hara works much better. Sometimes you want to just rail against the unfair system. But I don't think Mickey Mouse is really the best character to do it with. ***1/2.
"Mickey Mouse Sails For Treasure Island"
Good and bad. Good story, great execution and a killer cliffhanger with Drs. Ecks And Doublex. Bad because the island cannibals were grotesquely offensive. You know, considering the era these stories were made in I can forgive a lot. And in fact the story seems to be subverting stereotypes in a way by having them ally with Mickey. But once they desert him because of cowardice there really isn't any justification other than pure racism for their inclusion. I realize Gottfredson did this a lot and that now that they are collecting his complete works, ugliness and all, I'll have to suffer through all of it. But that doesn't mean I'll ever accept it or think it's "just a sign of the times". Cark Barks worked in the same era, and even he had a few outright racist stories and they weren't unheard of. But they were STILL rare and a bit subversive. But Gottfredson goes to the monkey cannibal well an insane amount of times. There's no way I can excuse it. But, as I said, the story and execution were excellent. If it wasn't for the ugly stereotypes I would have enjoyed it. I'll grade it accordingly. ***1/2.
"Blaggard Castle" And "Pluto And The Dogcatcher"
"Blaggard Castle": A turning point for the strip, this masterpiece completely revitalized everything about Mickey Mouse and Disney Comics in general. It is just so GOOD. Professors Ecks, Doublex, and Triplex are scary and cool villains and the story has all of the best haunted house trappings. I still want to know more about how Ecks and Doublex turn into Dr. Doublecross from the Disney Comics relaunch in the early 90's. That seems like a story worth reprinting if they ever finish the Gottfredson strips. Stephen DeStefano's Mickey stories are my third favortie Mickey stories after Gottfredson and Romano Scarpa. They even printed the DeStefano's Blaggard Castle sequel in the book!. A classic. *****.
"Pluto And The Dogcatcher": Didn't like this because Peg-Leg Pete is all of the sudden a dogcatcher with zero explanation. Speaking of zero explanation the story just completely stops suddenly. I'm betting Gottfredson got quickly tired of it and wanted to get to the next adventure story right away. *1/2.
"The Mail Pilot"
Great story with the first appearances of Gloomy and Captain Doberman. I like Gloomy's second story a bit better but this was pretty awesome in it's own right. My only complaint is that they went back to the Pete and Shyster well so soon. Pete, I understand. He's Mickey arch-enemy. But Shyster just isn't as good of a villain and Pete works better calling the shots. But that just quibbling. The story was amazing. ****1/2.
"Mickey Mouse And His Horse Tanglefoot"
Silliness. Mickey is pretty much borderline abusive to his horse and it makes me smile. Him insuring Tanglefoot at the glue factory is perhaps the single most despicable thing he's ever done. I love it when they make Mickey unsympathetic because it happens so rarely and nowadays never. Fun. ****.
"The Crazy Crime Wave"
Fun story that made the insane crime wave actually make sense. This is the first appearance of Dippy Dawg in the strip and he's a bit of a jerk here. He steals things and is all around unpleasant. Fascinating to watch one of Disney's most beloved and angelic characters in Goofy acting like a complete dirtbag. I loved this story. ****1/2.
The Gottfredson Archives: Essays And Special Features
More great articles and rare promotional art. They even included the Disney Adventures Two-Parter "Return To Blaggard Castle"! Neat! *****.
Walt Disney's The Perils Of Mickey "Return To Blaggard Castle" by David Cody Weiss and Stephen DeStefano
Man, this was slavish to Gottfredson's original continuity and considering it was originally made for the disposable comic features in Disney Adventures it really didn't have to be. Nicely done and Stephen DeStephano is my second favorite Mickey artist after Gottfredson. ****1/2.
Walt Disney's The Perils Of Mickey Part Two: "Shadows Of The Past" by David Cody Weiss and Stephen DeStefano
The ending was too sudden and I can't believe I was disappointed by an appearance of The Phantom Blot! I really wish they had included Drs. Eck, Doublex, And Triplex in the story itself and not have had them been fakes. ***1/2. Two Part Average: ****.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse "High Noon At Inferno Gulch" by Floyd Gottfredson
Volume Three of Fantagraphics' collections of Floyd Gottfredson's classic Mickey Mouse daily strips.
Some of my favorite stories of all time are in this volume including "The Captive Castaways" which is the very first Disney Comic I ever read as well as childhood favorites "Bobo The Elephant", "Race For Riches", and "The Pirate Submarine". This is also the first chance I got to read "The Bat Bandit Of Inferno Gulch", "The Sacred Jewel", and "Editor-In-Grief" and if Bandit and Jewel are pretty good, "Editor-In-Grief is a bonafide classic. Don't ask me to pick a favorite story from this volume. They are all great.
For the record, the "PC" version of Pluto The Racer I read as a kid is a five star story. I took a half star off the original for ugly stereotypes but the one printed by Gladstone and later Fantagraphics on Free Comic Book Day is flawless. Volume Overall: *****.
"A Silly Symphony Starring Pluto The Pup": Cute Sunday strip. I hope Fantagraphics decides to print an entire volume of Sunday strips at some point. ***.
"The Captive Castaways And Pluto's Rival"
"The Captive Castaways": This was the first Disney comic I ever read and it got me hooked. SO funny and cool and filled with high adventure. I only had part three of this so to get the whole thing reprinted is a treat. I love Hiccup and the funniest part is when he pleads with Mickey to let him tie him up and Mickey says "Go away. I'm busy," while untying Minnie. A classic story. *****.
"Pluto's Rival": A million cartoons have done a million stories like this one before. This is an early (and admittedly cute) take. It was the SECOND Disney Comic story I ever read so it definitely has a nostalgia factor for me. ***.
"The Bat Bandit Of Inferno Gulch"
Chinky? Really? Other than that unfortunate and VERY unpleasant instance of casual racism this story works. Unfortunately it is entirely predictable. I knew who the Bat Bandit was from the start and the story did a poor job of hiding it. Gottfredson can't even use the excuse that kids wouldn't have guessed it because he was clearly writing for adults too. Good, but not great. ***1/2.
"Bobo The Elephant"
Garfle! Bobo is easily the cutest animal Mickey has ever owned and THAT is saying something. I love Eli Squinch and always thought he made a better bad guy than Sylvester Shyster because after his first story Shyster stopped being a crooked businessman and was simply a boring old crook. It's no wonder Gottfredson created a nearly identical character that encompassed the earlier quailities of Shyster that made him interesting. Great story. ****1/2.
"The Sacred Jewel"
Good story. I was actually surprised by Pete and Shyster's reappearances for once, just because the story absolutely did not call for it. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. ****.
"Pluto The Racer"
This was one of my favorite Gottfredson stories back when Gladstone had the Disney license and it hasn't lost any of it's punch years later. I especially like the moral against animal cruelty and thought Mickey's plan to get Pluto to win the race was absolutely brilliant. Great writing. The gags are funny too and the artwork is boss. My only gripe is that I wasn't aware of the stories racist stereotypes until this book. Every reprint I'd seen before left them out. That's kind of depressing. ****1/2.
"Editor-In-Grief"
Terrific story. If only we had a media nowadays as non-corrupt and dogged as Mickey turned out to be. We'd ALL be better off. Great to see Donald Duck too and even if I guessed Pete was involved he still fit the story (even if the idea of the police not having enough evidence to arrest him was far-fetched). A great one. *****.
"Race For Riches"
Great story with a bunch of fun and implausible twists. I'm going to miss Horace Horsecollar. My favorite parts of the story involved Mickey taking cheap shots at Horace's car. That is just SO awesome that Mickey can be a brat sometimes and give Horace the business. *****.
"The Pirate Submarine"
I think Gloomy should have appeared in more than two stories. He's a terrific character and his cynicism and wisdom remind me a bit of Gruffi Gummi (who is also awesome). Speaking of terrific characters, Dr. Vulture is a scary villain too. He reminds me of Ecks, Doublex, and Triplex in that he only appeared once but made a HUGE impression on me. Great story. *****.
The Gottfredson Archives: Essays And Special Features:
Love that they printed Donald Duck and the Secret of Mars in English and thought the Floyd Gottfredson paintings were boss too. *****.
Donald Duck "Bobo" Strip: Cute but Al Taliaferro's Bobo design is nowhere NEAR as adorable as Gottfredson's. ***.
"It's A Gift!": A Mickey strip with British humor. ***1/2.
"Square All Round?": Another British Mickey strip but the logic of it escapes me. **1/2.
"Donald Duck And The Secret Of Mars"
I do NOT see how this is a prequel to The Pirate Submarine. Prometheus had less tenuous connections to Alien. Still a good story though. ***1/2.