Super Powers DVD is Here

Sometimes it’s good to save the best for last.

Last week saw the long overdue arrival of the DVD set “The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians.” The final ten episodes of the Superfriends series which began circa mid-seventies. A treasure trove of animation that’s a rare breed.

I’ve never grown to like the Superfriends series myself. They were silly. A bit too childish. The target audiences seem to be younger kids, but the series remained a mainstay of Saturday morning cartoons.

I prefer the Justice League incarnation that came out a few years ago produced by Bruce Timm.

When The Super Powers Team series was brought out, it was a tie-in to a league of toys ushered on the shelves for the kids to buy. They signaled an entirely new, different era for the Hanna Barbara saga that seemed to be running out of steam.

It was different this time. The stories were better. The animation were far more complex, which looked like more work was done on it. It was superior to the lite-feel episodes of previous. This time, they were garnering a more adult audience for the heavier stories.

There’s also the introduction of the African American character Cyborg that is an important part of the cultural diversity we see amongst the superheroes. That was an important move.
Some excellent episodes are sprinkled along the eight half hour episodes. “The Fear” and “Wild Cards” centered on the Batman. They have the feel of the up and coming Batman animated series in the 1990s. The atmosphere is darker. The stories are far more sophisticated touching on the Batman origins. It’s great stuff. Anyone who appreciate the Batman Animated series will get a chance to see these little gems.

What’s more is the voice of Batman is performed by Adam West. He plays the straight, with a dark edge. He’s moody, showered with past grief of his parent’s deaths. “The Fear” explores the richness of this character who does have a wounded soul.

We get a glimpse of the acting range West is capable of. And it gives us an idea of what the 1960s series could’ve been like if West had played his part without the chunks of campy being tossed in.

Another person worth mention is the remarkable Frank Welkner who can do almost any voices. But here, his voicing of the Darkseid character is brooding, effective, a very menacing presence. He sounds wonderful in the part. And this is the same guy who did the voice for Fred from the Scooby Doo shows. And a number of other cartoons.

Casey Kasem does the voice for Robin, a familiar, always welcome voice.

Here he leaves behind a landmark in cartoon voicing… hearing Darkseid’s voice brings a chill down you. There’s a darkness that travels in his words that are resonant and deep, like he’s speaking from an abyss.

Another great installment is the “Death of Superman,” the final episode on the DVD tracks. This time they explore the idea of death in a hero and what he does to represent humanity. It’s a perfect way for them to tell a story through the point-of-view of a different character Firestorm who blames himself for the death. Masterfully done. Too bad they didn’t make more before they decided to put an end to the series.

Each episode has its worth. Go ahead and compare with the other Superfriends shows and you’ll find some stunning differences. It charters the changes needed in some of the most iconic characters in the DC universe.

The only thing is there aren’t that many DVD extras on the box set, so there’s just a couple things including a very good 13 minute documentary on the series’ formation. After that, it’s pretty much nothing.

But the episodes themselves make up for the lack of extras. They are the crowning jewels of Hanna Barbara productions that has brought so many legends to life on screen.
And it’s up, up and away with this fantastic addition for cartoon addicts.

Resident Evil Finale

I’ve managed to see Resident Evi:l Extinction a few weeks later than intended. I wanted to see it on opening night. But things didn’t work out the way I wanted to.

But I did see it.

I must admit to having a healthy dose of morbid interest in such things such as some zombie flicks to other horror genres. Though Resident Evil seems to be an interesting hybrid mix of horror and science fiction rolled into a fast-paced action film.

I liked it.

It’s not a great movie. But still the film has its moderate charms and heralds some surprisingly low-key gore as opposed to the first two outings. It’s probably the best of the three films, certainly an outlandish final chapter to a trilogy.

Resident Evil might disappoint horror/zombie fans as it doesn’t focus much on the gore effects or the dumb downed violence most find in walking dead flicks. You don’t see a lot of the chop-chop, biting, out-to-lunch scenes in this one.

In some ways, it’s the most “grown up” of the films as it outgrows the sensational cheap zombie delights as it focuses more on characterization. Most importantly, the character of Alice.

Perhaps a light reference to the Disney film Alice in Wonderland. She remains a lost soul, unsure of herself. In the films, she continues to be nomadic, always going from one place to another, never staying. Never thinking about settling down. Not having children. Her life is a forced one brought to life by the sinister corporation that also released the virus that nearly destroyed the world.

Alice has memories of a life. But she is a stray. The roads leading her to the desert land is an eternal one. It is a dead world. Like herself. She’s dead inside. Without emotions. Without love.

In Resident Evil 3, she returns to find her so-called “father.” The Umbrella Corporation.

However, when there’s a call for it, she becomes adept in fighting a horde of monstrous birds, ugly dog creatures and zombies plaguing across the United States. The fighting sequences with her in it are amazing. Milla Jovovich is beautiful as she is deadly. The strings of red hair frame her fierce, bladed eyes, pools like a blue ocean, and her features seemingly craved from smooth marble. She is a superhuman killing Bio-organic machine. One of the kind.

And she continues to grow. As a human machine. And as a human. When she falls for actor Oded Fehr who plays Carlos, appearing before in the previous film Resident Evil: Apocalypse. His acting is nearly flawless here. And he is the closest she has as a loving counterpart. Yes, it’s possible that the character of Alice could fall in love. It’s this element that makes her an interesting character.

It’s the tragedy that his character is killed off in a very memorable scene: where he is toppled over in a truck carrying a gasoline tanker and swarmed by a sure-fire numbers of zombies. Then he flicks a match to light up his last cigarette before igniting the truck in total silence. It’s one of the best scenes in the film.

The explosion makes Alice feels. A teardrop falls innocently on her cheek underneath the radiant glow of burning sunlight that grazes the grounds below.

I’ve been worried about hearing those internet rumors about how the character of Alice is killed off. Milla’s character is one of the few female leads who is strong, unearthly in some qualities, powerful. She is like a one-woman army blazing across the plagued landscape of the dead and barely catching a scratch in her unending battle against the ensuing numbers.

She’s dead center in the films. The stories revolve around her character. To blatantly kill her off would be unfortunate. But she doesn’t get killed off in the film. And I don’t think I’m giving much away by saying this. There are still other surprises in the film’s ending.

The strong female character of Alice is in the same league as Sigourney Weaver from the Alien movies or Jamie Lee Curtis in the Halloween films. They are all capable women, decisive, headstrong, at times stubborn. But by no means weak. They’ll take crap from no one.

It makes for an interesting story as how Alice grows as a human while still being capable of super powers such as pyrokenesis. Her fighting skills remain unparalleled when compared to others. And she can be shut down like a machine when the Umbrella Corporation manipulates her through computer signals and orbiting satellites.

But her human side manages to be strong. Something the corporation never counted on. And that is their greatest downfall.

This may very well be the last of the Resident Evil films. Or it should be. Ending on a high note with some good writing. And a few genuine good twists. The films are all written by Paul W.S. Anderson giving them a greater feeling of unity. It is worthwhile to see simply because of the progress that Alice makes in the film. Milla Jovovich is an enormously attractive woman with a strong personality. Very talented too. I would like to see her become involve in other good science fiction outings and perhaps another movie franchise. There’s a beauty about her that is sort of unearthly.

For those who may feel the withdraws of no more Resident Evil movies, I’m sure they could go back to playing the video games on which the film is based on.

For some of us, no more zombie films, please.

It might be a good idea to put to permanent rest the flagrant, over-the-top zombie films that are tirelessly pushed into the theaters. Hopefully, like the character of Alice, the horror genre will see some good changes and find itself adapting to different themes.

A Bridge to Fantasy

I’m not always a fan of Disney movies.

It’s true that I enjoyed films like the Great Mouse Detective, The Lady and the Tramp and a few others far and between. But mostly, I’m not one for mushiness and sappy stories. Plus I don’t have the added advantage of taking my own children to such movies. Since I don’t have kids to begin with.

The wrong attitude to take when venturing to see a fine film like Bridge to Terabithia.
Which is why it took me so eternally long to finally sit down and view the film. I’ll remind myself to shoot myself in my sleep.

This is the kind of movie that director Terry Gilliam wanted to make for some time. A film that explores the thin line between fantasy and reality, where you can enter into a lively stronghold of imagination. A child’s greatest gift is always the creativity. It is when they are most focused… they like to make things up. It’s what they do. Therefore their imagination could become very powerful.

Almost too real.

Gilliam might want to sit back and take notes when seeing this film. His last effort into filmmaking had been lacking for some reason. Which is too bad. Because Gilliam is one of my favorite directors. He tried to dig deeper into the pocket of a child’s imagination. The film turned out to be a mess.

But Bridge of Terabithia lures us into a nostalgic, wonderfully realized setting of alien worlds that exist outside of our boring world of work and responsibility. This is a place where children could roam free of their usual lives and find different roles in other, thought-out places. This is what we used to do as children. We imagined. We believed in other worlds that seemed far more dazzling, interesting than the one we’re living in.

The writing remains sensitive as it touches on the matters of the fantastic without going overboard. You can feel as those you can catch a glimpse of it without looking too fast. There’s a sweetness to the writing that does affect you emotionally. You do end up caring for some of the people here.

Part of the film works due to the excellent acting provided by youngster actors such as Josh Hutcherson and singer/actress Annashophia Robb. Both performances are convincing. And they help us to believe in their world they were creating in a mystical world of the forest and the earthbound creatures that come to life to either threaten or aid the children in their quest to keep a peace between them.

Some scenes between the forest and the school continue that thin line of illusion, trading real places for imaginary ones. Real people in this world appear in some other shape or form. It becomes a secret landscape filled with ogres and trolls, other childlike creatures that thrive beneath the shades of bliss and beauty in the woods.

Most importantly, there is a deepening friendship between the characters played by Hutcherson and Robb. It is far more real than the magical kingdom that they reigned with royal power. Their friendship is what holds them together. It is that friendship that continues to progress through the film. They’re both outsiders. They both like to create things on paper or in thought. They like to escape the emptiness of their day-to-day lives in an attempt to bring about something personal. They don’t care much for being bullies by cruel children and hate facing the sores of their family life.

So they want to make a different place for themselves where they feel safe and comfortable.
So private are their thoughts that they don’t share it with anyone else. Not even to their families.

Robb has a warm and captivating beauty about her that seems to give a supernatural glow. And beneath all that exterior is a gentle soul that speaks soothingly.

Which makes the ending far more sadder.

I’m not going to give away the ending like a schmuck. But it does affect everyone in the film. The pivotal plot of the film changes the main characters and the supporting characters to greater degrees. Hutcherson’s father in the movie is played by enigmatic Robert Patrick. Who you might’ve seen before playing the advanced killer robot in Terminator 2 and a long-running stint towards the end of the X-Files. His character sees changes through the film too starting from a negligent parent into one who shows some deeper emotion.

Based on a novel by Katherine Paterson who deservedly won the Newberry Medal award for her stark portrayal of children at the peak of their vulnerability and innocence. She seems to know how to write children. Her writing bleeds with a kind of remarkable calmness as it makes us feel ten, twenty or even forty years younger.

Yes, it’s a family movie with the most Disney themes stuffed into it. But this one does have a surprising message to it. And it enables us not to take things for granted in life. Because we do only have one life and might as well make the most of it. Since we’ll never know if tomorrow comes for us.