A Little Ghostbusting on the DVD

I hate it when something pops up on the shelf when I don’t know about it.

That’s what happened when the first season of “The Real Ghostbusters” cartoon series came out of nowhere when I saw it in a Best Buy store in Green Bay. Yep, came out of nowhere. Like a ghost.

I was young when the cultural impact in the film frenzy tore through the public during the 1980s. You couldn’t get away from the “Who are you goin’ ta call” or "I've been slimed" crack jokes. I was just a kid then.

But this is one of those rare high blockbuster films that does deserve its every bit of glory on the big screen as well as the small screen treatment.

But it’s something I’ve always wanted to see for the longest time since it first hit the waves when I was just in high school. The Real Ghostbusters. That makes for a lot of haunting flashbacks. Finding my time in the school books, getting picked on by bullies, going to the local DQ for a snack and going home to catch the latest Ghostbusters cartoon on Saturday mornings. I liked those. A lot. Not the bullying part.

Not to be confused with the stupid Filmation cartoon version of the Ghostbusters that came out slightly before. The one with the big ape and a jungle safari looking car. Something about getting sued for copyright laws. I don’t understand. Considering the Ghostbusters films was the first thing to appear.

Bill Murray hated the voice of his character in the cartoons. Sounded too much like Garfield. But I liked it. I also liked the fantastic stories of spooks comedy central much in the tradition of the films.

Much of the consistency and historical background can be handed to the growing genius of story editor and writer J. Michael Straczynski. Who went on to do the excellent Babylon 5 television series which made for a significant slice of science fiction. But here we can see, as an audience, his clever design and his knack for story arcs. (Egon Spengler’s desire for studying the Slimer ghost and Janine’s high schoolish crush on the brainy scientist). Egon was awesome. They all were.

All of them have some great individual solo stories. The cartoon show does have a great gallery of writers including David Gerrold of Star Trek fame.

I’m really impressed with stories such as “Citizen Ghost” which is a nice reference to the first hit film and how they formed the odd friendship with a ghost. Some of my other favorites would be “Cry Uncle” and the deliciously frightening Sandman episode where we learn more about Egon’s character.

Though I have to admit that the Egon character does have a knack for solving everything with his smarts. But it’s still cool. It’s okay to be a nerd or a dork. And to like this series. Even if it’s a cartoon. I’m okay with it.

Though I have to admit Straczynski is visibly getting cranky in his old age. Maybe he ought to stop making those stupid Babylon 5 straight-to-video movies. They do nothing to enlighten his great writing abilities.

But the writing is top notch considering the cartoon level series. So don’t underestimate it. So obvious is the continued winning formula of the comedy and horror blend and going through the much needed fix of the Ghostbusters series. I can’t wait for the other dvd treatment of this series because it’s been long overdue. It’s nice to hear Arsenio Hall’s voice for the Winston character. Even Janine gets a shot at being a Ghostbuster when there’s a story centered on her.

The animation is always very dependable as well.

There are some nifty story background for the other characters such as Peter Venkman and Ray Stantz. Even if Peter does sound like Garfield. And the man of the thousand voices Frank Welker contributes his hefty talent to the series as Ray. Nothing like a little ghostbusting memories. It goes a long way.

So who are you gonna call? The local retail store so you can grab yourself the latest copy of the Real Ghostbusters. Even if it’s a one shot deal, it’s will worth getting a small chip of this very good cartoon series. And try finding out how many times they make references to a certain Enterprising S-F series.

Clive Barker's "Jericho" a Failed Success

I’m a big Clive Barker fan.

Lots of people know this. As I do have many of his earlier works proudly displayed on my bookshelf and the imaginative works of his poetic language often nitpicks my thoughts with his intimate violence. Reading one of his stories is like getting a first hand experience in surgical study. There’s plenty of blood everywhere.

I’ve been first introduced to his world through the raw, creative stories of the Books of Blood series. Some of the stuff is just plain creepy and still stays with you long after you put down the books. Stories like “In the Hills, The Cities” and “The Midnight Meat Train” have been long a corner of my nightmare paradise. They’re beautifully crafted literature that shows his immense talent for creating memorable characters.

That’s why I was rather interested in picking up one of the more recent games on the x-box 360 called “Clive Barker’s Jericho.” The cover of the video games shows a rather graphic monster design with chomping teeth and potholes for his cheeks.

The game is something of a disappointment. It falls flat on many expectations between moments of video game triumphs. There are some good stuff. And some sections of the games really has its shortcomings. It’s too bad because the game does have some potentials.

Starting at the beginning of the game, you learn that you are a commanding officer who leads an elite team of supernatural fighters into a walled city established in northern Africa after a solid storm blacks out the skies in the most biblical fashion. You find out that there’s been a breach between worlds and many dangerous souls and demons push their way into the real world here.

Barker’s writing is always dependable. Very intense, like reading poetry of horror. He delivers a masterful plot that is broken into many different levels. You must go through several different time periods such as World War II or the Sumerian age loaded with nice historical backgrounds. Barker does have a great imagination, a landscape of great threats, lurking inside the back of his head and it might be difficult to translate his concepts into a working game. But there are some grisly interludes of gothic terror that lures you into the lower levels of his hell. You start to wonder where such a nice guy like Clive get his ideas from.

There’s plenty of elbow room for darkness, long tunnels, wondering what’s around the next corner. One of the better effects is the use of the flashlight when peering into the wounded blackness. It’s a nice gaming technique picked up from the more successful horror series “Silent Hill.”

Another nice idea for the game is this: the main guy Ross, your character, is the first person to bite the big one in the beginning of the game. Not often that a hero would be utterly trashed right away by demonic attacks. So he does his Meeting-With-Jesus and dies. But it allows for you to become a kind of guiding spirit or ghost who transfers himself into the other major characters of the group. Goodbye Ross, hello team. It gives you a chance to work out other character strengths and techniques.

“Jericho” has a good set-up and creates an atmosphere of foreboding doom right away. Though not all of the team characters seem to be very useful. The sadder part is that some of them are not very well developed as I would like them to be… such as the supporting characters of “Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic” are filled with history and past lives, making their lives seemingly immersed. You only get chops and pieces of the character’s life… and some of them you don’t really get to know. My favorites would be Church who is a Japanese girl with a sordid past… having been raped by her father at an early age, thrown into an asylum. But her powers are pretty good and you can use the sharp-fitting Katana sword for close melee attacks. It cuts deep. The other one is Cole who is afraid of the dark and recoils from being touched. But she is the smartest one of the group who can help get through some puzzles. The lesbian sniper Frank is very good and helpful too. However, I would have liked to see very thick and interesting stories surrounding each of the characters.

They all look like they walked out of a late night party from a Goth Club. If you like that kind of look. I think it’s spot on. I don't mind at all.

The greatest triumphs of the game is mired by the worst defeats. The clumsy movements in tight corners and hallways makes for frustrated plays. Worse, it simply feels like the old mashing the buttons routine that gets a little tiring after a while. I would prefer a major story peppered with action scenes. The more story, the more interesting the characters are. And they could help with the tension of the horror story. They should have allowed for Barker to develop a more sturdy plotline and side quests. His writing is unique. And the game should have taken advantage of it.

After a few levels of the game, you begin to feel the repeated frustrations as you run into the same spot of trouble… too many enemies crowding you as you can’t get passed certain game points. Therefore the game often runs into a dead end. And I do mean that literally.

The game is filled with plenty of dust. As you are venturing into the desert which may hold the cradle of humanity in its hand. There’s some nice horror effects throughout the game far and between. There are some news of having a sequel to “Jericho” coming out on the horizon. Perhaps they will need to get a better engine for the game play that can be more sophisticated and demanding of thought. And it would be better for them to get Barker to writer a fuller story for the next entry, perhaps allow for greater portions of the story to develop between action scenes. Otherwise, it really becomes a shoot them all mentality. I would prefer more story than anything else.

It’s not bad. But it wears somewhat thin after a while. Which is unfortunate. There are not many horror games series out there that can leave a satisfactory impact. “Jericho” falls into the category of the mediocre. It leaves you wanting for more. But here’s hoping to a possibly better sequel with more effort put towards subscribing a storyline.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea making a game into a kind of horror novel. Pass that glass of blood, will ya? I think I’m getting thirsty.

Perfect Anime

I've waited a long time for this one.

You don’t have to look any further than any of the episodes of “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig” which is the best animation on the east side.

The futuristic drama of cyborgs and cyberpunk reality folds into a very tight story with some excellent narration. Not to mention that you get a heap load of historical background of the two World Wars, between the turn of the century to 2032, that has been lightly touched on in the first season.

Mind you, the anime is just great stuff here. There’s none of the goofy drawings with little girls with yapping mouths or eyes bigger than a Pacific ocean. No, the taunt animation is more serious here… with people looking very realistic. This anime is the cream of the crop.

But what makes this season stand out is the number of familiar old faces coming back like friends at a party. You welcome their presence. And you learn more about the supporting characters to help the Major and Batou track down the political agenda of the Individual Eleven, a terrorist group looking to secede in their own country away from the imperialistic Japan.

You get to learn more about minor characters such as Togusa in a couple of his own storylines including a great court trial story for shooting a criminal while not on duty. He gets a little hotheaded with some devastating results. You also find out why he likes using an old fashioned revolver rather than an automatic. “It never jams,” Togusa says.

But this season is special. There is a collection of stories, intertwined with a storyline, that allows for the audience to learn more about characters not known before. It’s always fantastic to see more of the minor characters because they are a very likable group.

There are other smaller characters such as sniper expert Saito who you don’t learn much about before. But here there is a nice flashback story called “Poker Face” which allows him to tell a background tale of how he first meets with the Major. And you can’t tell whether he is telling the truth or making it up as he goes along. You also get to find out how the Major and Batou first meets in here.

It’s a standout episode. There are many other ones.

What more is you have another standout episode deftly entitled “Red Data” which accounts a day in the life of the Major, a typical day that is fueled with guns, bullets and plenty of acrobats. The Major is every man’s dream come true. She is powerful, slender, a perfection of autonomy… a beautiful woman who remains a deadly opponent if you are not on her side. She moves like a ghost. Her form lifts like the wind, always a step ahead of you.

“Red Data” tells a little bit of the Major as she tries to loosen up for the day after finding out that she can’t leave the airport on the designated time. So instead she follows a lead on the show’s nemesis Kuze for the moment. Befriending a kid who is in trouble for stealing cocaine from a Yakuza group. So the Major becomes caught in the middle of the gang warfare with some interesting results. While spending a night at a hotel room, the audience finds out about the Major’s sex organs as the kid asks if they still work despite being a cyborg. “You want to find out?” the Major says.

Not exactly family entertainment.

The episode pokes some humorous fun at the characters and the situation in itself. And gives an opportune moment for the Major to resume a motherhood role, reluctantly taking care of the child under her constant watch. Does any of it matter at the end? The kid does pursue a promising life rather than getting into the gang war. The Major is voiced by a very lovely Japanese actress Atsuko Tanaka who remains shy in her interviews on the bonus tracks.

The overall story arc concerns the number of refugees who are trying to create their own peaceful living by tearing themselves away from the mother country. The refugees are led by the very heroic Kuze who is a perfection of beauty himself. And a cyborg with some modifications. Almost a male counterpart to the Major. There is a very tense fight between Kuze and Batou in one of the later episodes that makes for some great sequences.

At the very end of the spectrum, opposite of Kuze, is the darker aspect of the individual: the head of the Cabinet intelligence is a brooding shadow, a malevolent force of politics… Kazundo Gouda tries to create his game play while shifting all the blame to the police elite group led by the Major called Section 9. And they find themselves becoming steeped in the mired pit of power strategy.

But, when time runs out, Major and the rest of the group find themselves cornered by the possibility of war on one side and the lost of their own in a stifling shuffle. It is a bold path of stories that move with a pace throughout the entire duration of the twenty-six episodes.

There are not only the stand alone episodes to get the one-off stories. But the overall arc which eventually takes everything into a startling whole. And you find out, towards the end, who is truly the good guy and who is the bad guy. And what about everything in between that is the gray area?

Ghost in the Shell in its second gig is well worth seeing. Its number of interesting supporting characters helps with the longevity of the series. It’s a colorful world. With some interesting adversaries this time around. This is intelligent science fiction at work.

In some ways, there is a family sense in the group that haven’t been seen before. And you get the idea that they really do watch each other’s backs no matter what.

And watch out for Major’s right hook. It’s a mean one.

Watch the Watchmen movie...

It is a brave attempt.

Not one that would embrace the most common sense however. Actually, it would be a little crazy to try. The original source of “The Watchmen,” being an illustrated graphic novel, could only be seen as unfilmable.

There’s even a well-known conversation held between comic book author Alan Moore and film director Terry Gilliam who talked about the possibility of bringing the much maligned source to the big screen treatment. Gilliam asked how Moore would feel if he would direct the film.

Moore answered simply, “Don’t.” And Gilliam respected his wishes.

The film scrooge believes the comic book art form should stand out on its own without the proper movie to be in its company.

It isn’t so terrible.

However, despite some minor technical flaws, “The Watchmen” film turns out to be much better than I thought it would be considering the difficulty of translating the comic book. Much of it must be contributed to the visual flair and exceptional style of narration. Some people will gawk at it with criticisms. I’m not one of them.

The first scene, in its sheer brutality, is a brilliant introduction to the world of The Watchmen. The first fight, primal, savage, a bloodthirsty battle that leads the first of the fallen The Comedian to his death. Which sets everything in the plot into motion. You can see the constant raining outside as they fight. The mood is somber, washed out.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan played the Comedian in this film and almost didn’t do the script after seeing his character was killed off in page three of the screenplay. However, being persuaded by his age, he found that his character is seen through the eyes of other characters in flashbacks.

And it is his character puts everything into motion.

The film revolves around the remaining Watchman who must unravel the mystery surrounding the Comedian’s death and the possibility of a surrounding evil who is eliminating heroes. However, digging deeper into the mystery, the heroes led by Rorschach is led to a much more frightening reality. The possibility of one of their own turning his back on them.

I’m glad that they have kept the story set in 1985 which makes more sense. It is a perfect time of right wing conservatism that has reached its apex during a time when vigilante heroes are outlawed and the high tensions of the cold war continues to escalate. This is a story of many “What-Ifs” including the not far-fetch possibility of Richard Nixon clinging to White House power for a fifth term. Almost unimaginable, really.

If one would look very closely to the film’s backgrounds, you can see the nearly duplicate version of the war room as envisioned in the Dr. Strangelove film starring Peter Sellers. A nice little tribute.

The film is a technical achievement that is stunning, many details neatly crafted, with sincere portions of the historical references placed into the story. Every single scenes is a visual triumph that drags the viewer into the indomitable world of politics and superheroes.

Well, there’s only one true superheroes with any extraordinary powers in the form of Dr. Manhattan. The other ones are all vigilante type rogues who rely on gimmicks and ploys as heroes. They have no powers to resolve their problems.

It’s interesting to note that the actor Billy Crudup used his own voice as the Dr. Manhattan character instead of resorting to an electronic tone. Which gives his character a certain humanity that hasn’t been lost yet. Despite his character is cutting himself off from the rest of the world as he becomes something closer to a god.

There’s a lot of beautiful stuff in the film which persuades you with its magnificence of colors. Not only that, the film offers a lot to take in regarding the story. It’s very complex. Thankfully, I do like such movies that makes you think through many layers of plot.

One other thing. The film offers a very good soundtrack using some surprising songs to fill the orchestra of the visual effects in the story. My favorite has to be Simon and Garfunkle’s illuminating song “Sounds of Silence” which is a perfect for the cemetery setting where The Comedian is left to his resting place.

Many of the performances are very good… considering they are mostly unknown actors. Which furthers my argument that comic book films should have not known actors to play the parts. Jackie Earle Haley gives a tour-de-force performance as the man of mystery Rorschach… and one of the best lines in the film is given to him when the inmates threaten him inside the prison. Rorschach simply isn’t afraid because he has nothing to lose as he says, “You’re all locked in here… with me.”

The film is a very good social commentary on the fears of nuclear war and how the heroes find they have no more place in the world that is casting them out. Humanity is growing up. And this story is grown-up. This isn’t one to take the children to go see.

But it s a film with many visual influences that transcend the entire audience to offer a different kind of comic book story. Making it accessible to the audiences who may not be famliar with the comic. It is a poetry of words made into film. And one where those involved in the film can be a little proud of achieving.

Until next time, try not to vote for Nixon.