Random Obsession of the Day: Amy Adams

This is more like a completely rational obsession of the last few years, but either way Amy Adams is an amazing actress that I defy you not to have a crush on regardless of sex or sexual orientation.



I first heard about her in Junebug. Everyone was talking about her performance. And, indeed, it was illuminating. She owned that movie, simple as that. I have forgotten all else but the basic plot, yet I can still picture her character vividly.



After this, she next came up in The Office, and even while perfectly playing a character with a very unattractive personality, I took notice. She also offered a hilarious performance in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby soon after this.



Then, Enchanted came and the line between silly celebrity crush and creepy celebrity crush got a little blurry. Even when playing a Disney Princess, a character completely lacking an understanding of the world she was thrust into, it was hard not to fall in love a little. Again, she made this movie. It is probably my single favorite performance of hers thus far. Her commitment to the role sold the entire premise. Next time you watch it, just watch what she does with her hands the entire time. It is adorable and such a great addition to the character.



By this point I was completely hooked, and when I looked at her IMDB page, I realized she had a ton of old TV credits including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and also a small role in Catch Me If You Can. I also then decided I would watch pretty much anything else she was in at some point or another.



I saw Sunshine Cleaning this year, and while not my favorite movie, I still completely fell in love with her in the film. Today I watched Julie and Julia, and even while Meryl Streep is owning the Julia Child role, I was still more drawn to Adams' Julie. I will watch Doubt soon to see if she can continue to hold her own against such an acclaimed actress.



Hopefully, she will continue to be awesome and eventually tackle some roles with some more weight, but for now I will still follow her just about anywhere. Her ability to play such a variety of characters exactly as they need to be portrayed is inspiring. The sincerity of emotion she puts into each role comes through clearly. And she is just too cute. Those expressive not quite doe eyes and something about her smile just work for me every single time. It is that perfect cross section of talent and attractiveness. If you haven't been paying attention, you should probably start.

Hangover Morning Cartoons-Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Spectacular Spider-Man

I have started a new tradition. When I drink too much I have the bad habit of waking up at somewhere between six and eight AM with a headache and an inability to fall back asleep. I have taken to lugging my aching body the several yards from bed to couch, blanket in tow, where I spend the next several hours indulging in cartoon marathons the likes of which I haven't embraced since childhood Saturday mornings.



I have discovered two excellent series this way. The first is Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an awesome action serial that takes place between the slightly less awesome Episodes II and III of the new trilogy (which gets no caps from this guy). I spent a while avoiding this show after the underwhelming reception of the animated theatrical film of the same name and because of my general ignorance of the "Expanded Universe", but I was gradually lured back by positive reviews from both io9 and IGN. I went through the first season over the course of several weeks (and hangovers) and was very pleasantly surprised by the quality.

There was a lack of consistency throughout the first part of the season, but by the end, the episodes each had at least something to get excited about for the most part. Jar Jar is still a useless character, and even in episodes that basically acknowledge his ineptitude, the quality still slipped. In an entirely animated universe, he still came across too 'cartoony'. Otherwise, the stories were classic action/adventure yarns that captured the spirit of the Star Wars Universe well. The fast paced episodes jump right into the story and some of the multiple episode arcs are especially impressive. The show also treaded some darker territory than I was expecting from it originally, which was nice to see since the primary fan base for this series is old enough to handle a little Dark Side action. The strong points of the season tended to be the action sequences. There were some truly impressive light saber battles in many episodes, and also a good mix of dogfights in space that worked well.

The show features most of the characters that existed at this point in the film franchise. Anakin, Obi Wan, Yoda, Count Dooku, General Grevious, and more are all accounted for and well represented for the most part. The real treats were the episodes featuring all those Jedi you wanted more of in the films. Kit Fisto has a great episode, though his Jamaican accent was somewhat distracting. One of the weakest characters is Ahsoka, Anakin's Padawan. She is the "entry point" for younger viewers who might be new to this universe. She gradually became less grating throughout the course of the season, but I am secretly hoping to see Anakin take her out at some point in Revenge of the Sith next time I watch it. Character development is not this series focus or strength, though there are some nice beats spread throughout the first season. I am as big a fan of character driven fiction as anyone, but even I can take joy in a minimalist approach in this context. These characters are archetypes, and many of them have been well establish in the films. It is good versus bad and "Hey look! Awesome action."



The animation takes its cues from the still superior Star Wars: The Clone Wars miniseries made by Genndy Tartakovsky several years prior. It is definitely not going for a realistic approach, but I found the universe to feel very believable in most cases due to the consistency of style. Some character designs look a little too exaggerated, such as Chancellor Palpatine, but it is never overly distracting. Characters such as General Grievous work even better in animation then they did on film. There is also an impressive amount of design work being done for this series. Episodes take place on a variety of planets and feature all manner of crazy Star Wars creatures. The animators also go out of their way to make the clones as recognizable as possible, by providing cosmetic details on outfits and faces. Overall, the design and animation started out strong and continued to improve. I am excited to see more.



The dialogue sticks with the tradition of the movies in offering a mostly wooden, if slightly more over the top, style. It is surprisingly effect coming from these characters compared to their live action counterparts. The music is often spot on in capturing the epic space opera feel of the films, but just as often it seems to stray into this odd muzak type territory that makes no sense. Several times I actually looked around the room to see if the sound was coming from an outside source. The sound effects are, of course, perfect. Star Wars is responsible for many famous film sound effects, and they are all preserved gloriously here.

The plan for this series is to have at least 100 episodes (season one making up the first 22), which means we can look forward to at least five seasons in total. Season two looks even better than what I have seen so far, so I am excited to watch this series develop. I have not enjoyed any new Star Wars project this much in many years, if ever. I wish they had worked out the kinks on the small screen, and then wowed audiences with what would likely have been a superior theatrical venture due to the experience they gained, but it is too late for that. Season One is available in a classy Blu-Ray set full of bonus features, and there is also DVD as well. Action animation and the "Expanded Universe" don't get too much better than this in fun and excitement.



I got to enjoy another series I had been meaning to check out for quite awhile during the mornings after several recent late nights out. The Spectacular Spider-Man did not impress me upon casual observation, but I would trust show runner Greg Weisman based solely on the work he did for Disney's 90s animated show, Gargoyles. He has a unique vision in the world of television animation, willing to tell long form stories in a medium that often caters to short attention spans. I went through both 13 episode seasons over the course of another several weeks and, again, came away largely impressed.

Season one of The Spectacular Spider-man has to be one of the best examples of economy of story in animation ever. The show jumps right into the action, no time for an origin, and quickly establishes Peter Parker's entire world. The show wisely combs through and combines decades of continuity in an extremely streamlined version that allows Weisman to get through several classic bits of Spider-Man lore. The action is intense and exciting. By the time season one was over many major villains had been introduced and Peter's high school life was also well fleshed out. Season two seemed more content to play in the sandbox that was created. This, at first, came at a disappointment when I was expecting more major milestones to be explored than I actually got, but it also offered a more consistent viewing experience. This is classic Spider-Man, full of the big fights, soap opera drama, and of course a main hero who just cannot win, but won't stop trying. The story compounds each episode, even while broken down into smaller arcs. There is a definite continuity to the proceedings, with nice touches such as seasonal changes and attention to school activities that give the show a sense of progression even outside of the constantly shifting character dynamics.

One of the most impressive aspects of this series is how many characters it introduces and how fluidly they all fit in. Peter Parker/Spider-Man is a perfect balance of likable and loser, but not annoyingly so most the time. Gwen Stacy was re-imagined interestingly, but the show never seemed quite sure what to do with her (I have a good idea that the Green Goblin might like). She improved dramatically by the end of season two, complete with a redesign, but I still feel like there have been some missed opportunities. Harry has been a lot of fun, and the way season two played with the story established in the first season and previous comics continuity is a major credit to the talent working on the series. Mary-Jane has also been inserted cleverly, and she is one of the more realistic high school characters in animation, though I wish she would just stop calling her girl friends "girlfriend." Obnoxious! The adults including Aunt May, George Stacey, J. Jonah Jameson, Dr. Connors, and especially Norman Osborn, are a great addition as well. The amount of villains the show has covered in 26 episodes is staggering. The list includes: The Lizard, Vulture, Green Goblin, Rhino, Electro, Shocker, Sandman, Doctor Octopus, Tombstone, Hammerhead, Venom, Chameleon, Mysterio, Kraven, Silver Sable, Black Cat, and probably more I cannot even think of. Though not all of these villains work out as well as I would have hoped, the worst offender being the out of left field interpretation of Kraven, the show does an impressive job juggling so many characters and providing at least a basic motivation for their actions.



The design and animation are two other valuable assets to this series. The design takes some cues from comics artist Humberto Ramos' exaggerated style, and while I am not always won over by it on the page, it works quite well on the screen. The character designs are inventive and usually successful. Spider-Man looks great. Peter Parker's tag sticking out on his shirt was a mildly amusing gag at first, but by the end of the series, it nearly drove me insane. I just wanted to reach into the screen and fix it for him. Choices like that are a little too cute for me. The villains are mostly hit with a few misses. Vulture, Electro, and Kraven are some of the weaker examples, but I really enjoyed Green Goblin, Venom, and Sandman aesthetically. Overall, it is refreshing to see the creators take chances with these classic characters, even if sometimes they should have just left well enough alone. The quality of the animation is incredibly consistent. The action flows smoothly due to fluid motion and dynamic angles. This series is also incredible for how well it establishes New York and all the various locales therein. There is a real sense of geography to the show that is unlike any other cartoon of this type (IE primarily a tool to sell toys) that I can remember. When Spider-Man's breath was visible through his mask, I let out an audible response to express how impressed I was. The animation seems even more well crafted due to the move to CG for many shows and Adult Swim's generally minimalist approach to cartoons. The whole thing just fits together wonderfully. Every element is recognizable as a piece of this specific place.



The dialogue is...well...it is much better than I expect from a show geared mostly towards children. The best thing I can say is that it makes me groan a lot less than anytime I go back and explore television animation of my youth. There are also quite a few strong moments to the dialogue that are worth noting though. Spider-Man's famous quips have at least a .66 hit rate, which is not bad given how many there are in the episodes. The high school drama, though simplified, is never too painful, even if it is only rarely compelling. The voice cast put together does solid work, with only minor exceptions such as Shocker's southern accent. What a treat it was to hear David Keith, as Tombstone, regularly again. The only bad aspect of the sound, is the theme song. It is appallingly horrible. Imagine, if you will, that all Fallout Boy members became mostly deaf and were then hired to come up with a children's theme song in seven minutes, while being molested by teenage groupies,and it is hot out so their hair gel is getting all over their instruments as well. I am not kidding when I tell you that one of the lyrics is, "...arriving in the speed of time." That does not make sense. This theme killed any excitement I had going into each episode. This is especially offensive given that the old Spider-Man song is one of the most famous animation themes ever ("Spider-Man, Spider-Man/Does whatever a spider can). It is possible I am over exaggerating this one flaw, but seriously Weisman, get rid of it.

Besides the two seasons that exists, there is no guarantee that we will get anymore of this series. Weisman fills that persona non grata role in animation about as well as Joss Whedon does in science fiction, as far as getting shows to stick. I would love to see more, and hopefully, if they are allowed, they will continue to plow through those juicy moments of continuity that over 40 years of comics provide. It would at least be nice to see Peter make it out of high school, which at the current pace, seems to require two or more seasons. This show brings to mind the many quality DC animated series that have come out over the years. It is nice to see Marvel offer something of competing quality. Hopefully, it will continue.

If you suffer hangovers and like cartoons, you could do a lot worse than either of these two options for those fuzzy mornings.

The Disney Challenge Week 3: Fantasia

Fantasia, Disney's third animated feature,came out in 1940 and brought a very different experience than their previous efforts. Fantasia is a series of shorts put to classical music. Each is very different than the other in content and style. A famous music critic of the time, Deems Taylor, pops up between animated segments to give context and explanation. Fantasia originated with the famous short, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." This was meant to be Mickey's grand return to prominence, but when its budget exceeded anything the studio could hope to make back, Disney, along with composer Leopold Stokowski, who was scoring the short, decided to make a series of shorts set to classical music. Each short was created to stand side by side with "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" in quality and content. Though not an immediate success, Fantasia is remembered just well as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio in importance and quality. The film was initially released as a major event, like traditional live theater. This was an occasion people dressed up for. There were only two daily screenings. Tickets cost more than regular film releases. This type of release made it hard for the movie to turn a profit early on. It also did not help that critics and viewers were not sold on the idea of Fantasia, so Disney's dream of continuing to run different shorts in theaters in this format was never fully realized. The shorts that do exist are interesting and impressive works that have withstood the years and work as a whole to provide one of the most original experiences of any Disney film.

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor: The first segment starts right up after a brief introduction by Taylor. For a while the live orchestra plays the music and the scene gradually fades to an abstract animated short. Oskar Fischinger, an abstract animator is described as a heavy influence for this short which features shapes and movement related to the music playing. This short was the first of its kind for Disney and quickly signaled to viewers the wildly different experience they were in for. While not my favorite of the shorts, this works well as an introduction to the bold concept of Fantasia, and the combination of the Disney style with such an abstract look is interesting to watch.



Nutcracker Suite: The second segment uses one of the most instantly recognizable songs in the film, though apparently The Nutcracker was rarely performed in 1940. The animation is significantly more literal this time around, but the content is unexpected for such a traditional classical song. As the seasons change from Summer to Fall, and Fall to Spring, nature seems to dance to this famous song. Fairies (which might not pass in modern Disney animation), fish (similar to Cleo in Pinocchio), flowers, leaves and the memorable mushrooms make this one of the more entertaining and beautiful segments. It is interesting to see how directly this film references skills learned in other Disney animation, and seems similar in style to future works such as Bambi.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Here it is, the most famous of the segments from this film, and one of the most famous Mickey Mouse shorts ever. Disney, took out all the stops to make this one and it shows in every frame. The animation is wonderfully fluid. There is so much happening onscreen. The countless brooms dumping water, the lighting effects, every element comes together making it easy to understand this shorts enduring popularity. This is one of the longest Mickey shorts ever, and one of my earliest Disney memories. I am not sure if I ever watched Fantasia in it's entirety as a child, but I know I had a VHS that included this short amongst other Disney work. For sentimental reasons this is easily one of my favorites of the lot. There is also an interesting technical moment between the animated Mickey and the real life Stokowski as they shake hands in silhouette at the end.



The Rite of Spring: This short tells the story of the origin of the earth to the extinction of the dinosaurs set to Stravinsky's classic, continuing the film's inventive subject matter for the classical music. The animation in this short is some of the most impressive work done in the whole film. The dinosaurs look intimidating and monstrous. They feel as if they have real mass and depth. The effects including lava are also eye popping. The music was rearranged and Stravinsky was apparently not to fond of the final product, even though he was supportive during the creation. Out of all of the shorts, this is probably my current favorite. I could watch cartoon dinosaurs stomp around weekly. The colors and shadows are so expressive. I imagine the non Disney feature, Land Before Time, looked back at this short for inspiration. This segment led to the intermission for the original release.

Meet the Soundtrack: This brief segment visualizes sound in the form of a line making various movements and forming various shapes. Fantasia was the first film released in stereophonic sound, a much advertised bonus to the theatrical experience so sound was a vital aspect of the experience.



The Pastoral Symphony: This short, set to Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, takes place in a mythical ancient Greece. It features unicorns, centaurs (another thing that wouldn't fly in modern Disney animation), and many other mythological creatures. There is a lot of fun color going on that set the lighter mood. While still an interesting choice of story to accompany the music, this is one of the most literal translations as most of it takes place in an actual pastoral setting, mythical creatures or not. This short is also one of the most recognizably Disney in style, featuring cute animals and a romantic story, even though it was also one of the most criticized for some of its original content, including sexy centaurs and some racial content that has since been edited out.

Dance of the Hours: This segment is one of most fun parts of the film. Animals dancing to the music is a simple concept, but it works great. The ostriches, hippos, elephants, and alligators are all well done and a amusing to watch. This short works with the music because it does not take itself too seriously, but it is also not overly goofy. This is another one that represents what the classic Disney look. The dancing and motion throughout is very complex and was probably quite a chore to animate to the music. The color of the background as the day passes add a great bit of mood and style. It is nice to see such a goofy short in the middle of a lot more experimental and serious subject matter.



Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria: The finale to the extravaganza is appropriately elaborate. This is the longest short of the set, and incorporates a variety of styles and effects that Disney had mastered. This episode takes place over the course of two classical pieces divided when good overcomes evil. Chernabog, the evil creature in this segment, is one of the most memorable Disney characters of all time. His design and motion are beautiful to watch. His large size overwhelms everything else present in the first part of this feature. The last half switches tone as evil is put in its place. This portion is a lot more mellow compared to the chaos and motion of the first half. It winds down nicely and works as a fitting conclusion to the entire film.

In between each segment, Taylor explains the upcoming piece and other minor musical interludes take place. It comes across like Disney was afraid the audience would not understand the feature, and preemptively went about explaining it. When the film was later distributed in more traditional channels it was heavily edited. These segments were entirely removed and many pieces were cut down to get the picture to a more reasonable run time.



Fantasia eventually found great success. It was released as a "psychedelic experience" in the 60s and has had many other popular re-releases since then. Critics have also come around to the film; it is now considered one of the best Disney features of all time. I remember thinking this was one of the worst cartoons ever when I was child, even though I am not sure whether I actually watched it or not. I am glad I have grown up enough to reevaluate that opinion, as Fantasia has become one of my favorites Disney films ever. I do not watch it as much as some of the modern classics, and it definitely requires a certain mood to enjoy, but the overall consistency from short to short and the wide variety of style and technique are definitely something to behold. It is like there was just too much imagination at Disney in the late 30s. It could not be contained in a standard animated feature. If you have never seen Fantasia before, you should definitely check it out. Whether as a "psychedelic experience" or straight, it is a beautiful piece of animation and a touchstone in the argument that animation should be considered a fine art.

If you want to read more about The Disney Challenge, click here

My Pull List-The Comics I Buy Part Two: DC Comics

You can read Part One of this article here.

Today, I am going to discuss all the DC comics I currently read. DC is the other member of the "Big Two" besides Marvel. Some of their most famous characters include Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash. DC books are famous for having a generally more epic scope and more clean cut approach to stories and characters. DC also publishes the astonishingly consistent mature readers line called Vertigo, and another super hero line called Wildstorm.

Here are the DC books I currently buy each month.



Batman and Robin: Batman and Robin is a great superhero book that can be enjoyed simply for the fun action and crazy characters writer Grant Morrison is filling it with, but it is also worth appreciating for the fresh approach it brought the Batman franchise. In this book, Bruce Wayne is nowhere to be found. Instead, Dick Grayson, former Robin is Batman and Damien, Bruce's son, is Robin. This puts an interesting spin on the Batman and Robin relationship because now Batman is a lot more upbeat, and Robin is the serious one. This comic is also part celebration of Batman's wacky past, including the Adam West television series. The art on this series is being done by a different artist for each arc. Frank Quietly's three issues were beautiful. He definitely brings out the best in Morrison's writing. The second arc art, by Phillip Tan, was less impressive, especially following such a strong first showing. Cameron Stewart, another frequent Morrison collaborator, is up next so hopefully the quality will rebound soon. There is a collection of the first arc due out in April, but you can also find all the single issues in many comic stores right now.



Detective Comics: Detective Comics is another book in the Batman franchise that has benefited from changing things up significantly. Batwoman is the the current star of the series written by Greg Rucka with art by J.H. Williams III. This story took years to finally come out, which turned out to be a clever move because it let the "Oh my God, a gay!" attitude wear out a little bit. Batwoman, aka Kate Kane, is indeed a lesbian, but luckily the series has developed her as a well rounded character and not lingered on that one detail. She is probably one of the strongest new characters DC has introduced in quite a few years. Greg Rucka is predictably perfect at writing his female lead, but the real story with this book is the art. Williams has always been an artist to watch; he is one of the only artists who's work makes a book a must buy for me, and he has let loose here. Every issue blows me away and is worth going through at least twice. His layouts are inventive. He is unafraid to change styles multiple times an issue and he knows exactly how to create jaw dropping images that also function to expertly tell the story. You will have to buy this one in single issue form right now, and it would be worth going back and starting with #854 to get the whole story. The inevitable Absolute collection will also be worth a purchase down the road.



Daytripper: This series' first issue is released as a Vertigo title tomorrow so I have not actually read it yet, but based on the team of Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, I am already 100% sold. Both of these guys are amazing storytellers, two of the best in comics, and when they work together good things are sure to happen. The story is supposedly a "slice of life tale, with a twist," but I could be wrong as I have a hard time not just staring at the pretty pictures next to the articles I have read. They each did art on an arc of Matt Fraction's Casanova, a series which seems to be shamefully forgotten in the many recent "Best of the Decade" comic book lists and Ba has gotten a lot of much deserved attention for his work on Umbrella Academy. Get in on the ground floor of this ten issue series starting tomorrow with #1. And after that ends, let's get the ball rolling on that next arc of Casanova, eh? Seriously, please?



Fables: Fables, published under the Vertigo banner, is one of my favorite monthly purchases; it is so consistent. Bill Willingham has written over 80 issues, and the story shows no sign of slowing down. This book focuses on all your favorite fairy tale characters including Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf, Red Riding Hood, and many more living in a modern world right under the Mundys' (us) noses. Mark Buckingham is the artist for the bulk of this series, and his story book style is a perfect fit for the world. The gorgeous James Jean covers were also a nice bonus while they lasted. This book has everything you could want in a story: action, adventure, romance, mystery, horror, character development, and more. There is a recently released hardcover collection that includes the first two arcs if you want to start from the beginning. Most major plot lines were recently wrapped up, so issue #86 would also make a fantastic jumping on point.



Scalped: Scalped, another Vertigo release, tells the grimy story of life on a Native-American reservation overrun with corruption, violence, and apathy. The premise of an undercover cop sent back to his old home to prove that corruption exists is mined for some tense drama and real emotion. This was Jason Aaron's breakout series, and it will be tough for him to top. R.M. Guerra fills the book with powerful, gritty images and some terrific layouts that manage to feel chaotic without becoming confusing. His style and skill seems to develop issue after issue, making this series constantly on the rise. This story would best be read from start to finish, so buy the first trade (a bargain at $9.99).



Sweet Tooth: This series is only a few issues deep, but already I am pretty excited about it. Sweet Tooth is set in a post-apocalyptic world where most people died from a mystery illness that our lead character, Gus, is somehow immune to. Oh, and he has antlers. Jeff Lemire has racked up a pretty impressive resume in comics, enough to get me fully on board a book with such a crazy premise from the go. His storytelling ability has been proven in the Essex County Trilogy, and I am excited to see what he can do with a potentially ongoing series so wildly different from his previous output. His artwork is highly expressive, and Jose Villurubia's colors look great on it as well. With only four issues out, you can probably still find issue #1(for $1!) and then catch up from there.



Ex Machina: Once there was a prolific comic book writer known as Brian K. Vaughan. You could find his name on many quality titles including Runaways and Y: The Last Man each month. Lately, his comics output has decreased dramatically, and we are blessed with only one (mostly) monthly series that is quickly coming to a close. Ex Machina, published under the Wildstorm imprint, combines politics and superheroes in a surprisingly compelling way. The story follows Mitchell Hundred, Mayor of New York City, as he faces complex political issues and super villains. Vaughan is not afraid of dealing with controversial political topics, but the story never suffers and the book never feels like his personal soap box. Ex Machina is filled with Vaughan's sharp humor and smart dialogue I am also a big fan of Tony Harris' art, and watching his style develop from Starman in the 90s through this current series has been a lot of fun. Sometimes there is a lack of motion in his work, but usually I am too busy admiring the pretty pictures to care. This series never got as much attention as Vaughan's other books, but it is equally deserving of praise. Ex Machina concludes in a few short issues, so go back and enjoy it from the beginning. It is collected in both paperback and hardcover form.

I was surprised to realize I only collected two main DC books. DC is putting out a lot of quality books, but my attention has been drawn away from standard superhero stories more and more. I could also be buying a few more Vertigo books; they have so many great titles out right now. So far we are at a total of 14 titles. Up next we go local: Dark Horse and Oni Press.

Random Obsession of the Day: Blake Lively's Cleavage

There is a show on television called Gossip Girl. And I secretly enjoy it a lot more than I generally admit. I have fallen behind, but the first season and a half was some fun, trashy, soap opera style goodness. This is the kind of show I never actually recommend anyone else watch, but I get very excited about it when someone else brings it up in conversation. The show has a lot of things going for it, possibly the best aspect of this series, though, is Blake Lively's cleavage.

At first I thought this might just be a personal obsession, but a discussion with a few (female) friends, and a quick google search made me realize I am not alone. Still I feel it is worth pointing out to those of you who may not have been paying attention, because this is some truly legendary cleavage.

At this point it is not even about sexual attraction; it is about the mechanics of how her boobs manage to produce such perfect cleavage in so many different outfits. It is hypnotizing. It is like they are immune to the effects of gravity, and I know the obvious answer to the implied question is that they are fake. If that is the case, I think I'd rather never know for certain. For now here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure.

The Disney Challenge Week 2: Pinocchio

Before Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was even released, Disney had several other feature ideas in the pipeline. Pinocchio beat out stories like Bambi and Peter Pan to become the second Disney animated feature based on what the studio thought it could do best given the state of animation at the time. After the monumental success of Snow White, the animation team was eager to top themselves. When the film was not coming along as well as anticipated, Walt scrapped months of work to go back to the drawing board. With a few tweaks to the original Italian fable, the picture was up in running and ready for release in 1939.

Though it was not the runaway financial success of its predecessor (World War II was starting up in Europe) and cost even more to make, Pinocchio has withstood the test of time to become another classic Disney film and a benchmark for animation. It was also critically well received, winning Academy Awards for Best Original Song ("When You Wish Upon A Star") and Best Original Score. This 70 year old film pioneered effects that animation still relies upon today. It was a labor of love by animators working at the top of their game. The animators clearly learned a lot making Snow White, and were eager to show off their skills.



Even 70 years later, Pinocchio holds up incredibly well on all fronts. The basic story of the movie follows Pinocchio, a wooden puppet brought to life by a fairy, as he tries to become a real boy. He inevitably makes mistakes involving evil puppet masters and Pleasure Island, but eventually proves himself by saving his creator/father, Geppetto, from the gigantic whale Monstro. When I was a child, I had no idea I was watching a 50 year old piece of entertainment. Looking at it now, clearly it was made in a different time simply because they would not get away with saying "jackass" or having kids smoke cigars in modern Disney films. I remember thinking the scenes where the boys get turned into donkeys wer particularly scary and I had a negative association with San Francisco's Treasure Island for some reason. The story is entertaining, though it is paced much different than modern films. It is easily divided into sections: Pinocchio is created and brought to life; Pinocchio gets tricked into being part of Stromboli's puppet show; Pinocchio goes to Pleasure Island; Pinocchio rescues Geppetto and becomes a real boy. The episodic nature works as well as it does in many classic fairy tales to keep things moving. Again, this was never one of my favorites, but re-watching it recently made me love it more than ever. Overall, this is an impressive film because of how well each element stands out on its own in telling this classic story.

The character work in Pinocchio is even more ambitious than Snow White; the characters seem much more fleshed out this time around. Pinocchio is sweet, naive, and easy to root for (a marked change from the original story). Geppetto is a great father figure (and helps continue/establish the Disney tradition of the Disney lead having only one or no parent at all). His warmth can nearly be felt through the screen. Jiminy Cricket is the perfect narrator and a less than perfect conscience, yet he remains endearing enough that his reward at the end of the film is also a great moment. He is like the Genie in Aladdin, a modern character in a past setting. Figaro and Cleo continue the cute animal element in Disney animation, and they are both highly entertaining characters of their own. Honest John and Gideon are interesting characters because they are anthropomorphic animals (a fox and a cat, respectively and a first for Disney feature animation). They serve to usher Pinocchio through his various trials and they also bring some great gags to the story. How can there be a cat as a pet and as an upright character? Well, why don't you just ask Pluto and Goofy? Stromboli is one of my favorite Disney villains ever, even though he does not get too much screen time. Something about him is so fun to watch. The Coachman is also felt genuinely menacing as he lead the boys to Pleasure Island. Lampwick is also hilarious as the Pinocchio's trouble-making young friend. The Blue Fairy beautiful, and feels like one of the most direct ties to the character style of Snow White. Last but not least, is Monstro, who's final act scene steals the whole film. It seems to come out of left field when you learn that Geppetto managed to get swallowed by a whale, but it really pays off. The voice work done in this film is also impressive. Many of the voices in the film were contemporary stars of the age, but none feel out of place when taken out of that context. They bring the characters to life without drawing attention to themselves. This film was extremely ambitious with the amount of characters involved, and it really paid off particularly because of the animation standard the artists were all hitting and some very memorable voice work.



The animation in Pinocchio is clearly something different than Snow White. It is also not quite similar to most the shorts Disney was releasing. Pinocchio manages to find that perfect balance between the sort of realism Snow White offered and the caricature of many of their shorts. Geppetto and Stromboli's movement feels so alive. The way the captured the feeling of a wooden puppet coming to life is magical. There are so many great character bits that fill this film that it is almost hard to remember how impressive all the other elements of the animation are. The effects work being done in Pinocchio is insane. These animators must have been blazing new trails daily. There is one scene that zooms in on and pans around through the town that is so subtle that it might be missed, but once you notice it, it will catch your eye every time. All the underwater work is also hard to beat. The background work feels more similar to Snow White than any other element because of artists like Gustav Tenngren working on that "Old World" European style design. The detail on the backgrounds, which becomes especially apparent on Blu-Ray, is beautiful. The world really comes to life when you see things like Geppetto's wood carved clocks all going off together. The animators managed to one up themselves quite well with this one.



The music in Pinocchio is legendary, primarily because of the song, "When You Wish Upon a Star." This song has become such a cultural touchstone that I honestly thought it might have originated before the film elsewhere. There are a lot of other fun songs including my childhood favorite, "I've Got No Strings, " "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life for Me)," and "Give a Little Whistle." The score to the film is also well done. Disney had some of the best film musicians around in the 1930s, and Pinocchio might be the best evidence of that in existence, as well as a monument for Disney's overall supremacy in animation overall.

Watching Pinocchio recently has really awakened a love of the film inside me. Depending on my upcoming reexaminations of Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi, it might even be my favorite of the "Golden Age" of Disney. Though it isn't as strictly entertaining to a modern audience in some ways (judging once again by my friends reactions), it more than makes up for that gap with the startling quality of the animation, some genuinely classic characters, and one of the best finales ever in a Disney feature. Recently the characters of Pinocchio and Geppetto have been more familiar to me from the parts they play in the current comic book series, Fables, but after a few viewings I can safely say this film offers the most enduring images of these characters in my mind once again. Pinocchio is definitely a worthy successor to Snow White, and a classic in its own right.



Up next is Fantasia, Disney's ambitious animated ode to a lot of classical music

If you want to read more about The Disney Challenge, click here

You Know...For Kids! A Look at Where the Wild Things Are, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and More.

2009 has been a strong year for all ages entertainment with such releases as Coraline, Up, and the imminent The Princess and the Frog, but two of these high profile films, The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Where the Wild Things Are seem to have started an interesting discussion on what an all ages film should be. I have heard from many people that these two films specifically are more for adults than children, but I cannot agree.



Where the Wild Things Are is an adaption of the much loved classic children's book by Maurice Sendak. When Spike Jonze (director and co-writer), Dave Eggers (co-writer), and Karen O (soundtrack) became attached, everyone with an interest in film, literature, and music outside the mainstream was paying attention. It took years to make, with rumors of all sorts of trouble. I remember hearing how awful the effects were coming out and how much trouble young Max Records was as Max, but I still had high hopes. Clearly, this was not going to be a typical kids movie cashing in on a famous kids story; it seemed like the people involved really cared about making something important. And while I am not in love with every aspect of the film, it felt like some talented people making exactly what they wanted to make. The effects were truly impressive. The emotions of Max felt exactly like being a young boy struggling to come to terms with how to process all these new feelings that are overwhelming and impossible to describe when you are that age. The pervading sense of danger was impressively managed. The adventures with the wild things didn't blow my mind the whole way through, but I was definitely engaged throughout. Many people seemed to think it was not a movie actual children would appreciate. I was even curious how kids might deal with the heavier elements of the story. I would still very much like to see the film next to a few kids, but I genuinely believe this is a great film for people of all ages.



I saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox last week as well, and it is one of my favorite Wes Anderson films in a long time, and possibly ever. I loved Rushmore when I first saw it. I was also a huge fan of Royal Tenenbaums when it came out. When The Life Aquatic arrived, I enjoyed it as well, but started to realize Anderson was essentially exploring very similar ideas in each film. His formula was apparent, and the law of diminishing returns was making each of his works less relevant simply because his other works already existed. I never even saw The Darjeeling Limited, though I still plan to. When I finally got to watching Bottle Rocket, I enjoyed it as well, but not as much as I probably would have if I had seen it before all his other directorial efforts. The Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on a book by Roald Dahl, is still very much in the same territory as Anderson's previous efforts, but the stop-motion presentation and story trappings made it feel much fresher than anything I thought he would create. The story is basically about Mr. Fox causing all sorts of trouble for his family and community as he struggles to balance his very nature and his responsibilities as a husband, father, and community member. The stop motion animation is so refreshing to see. The story is episodic, but never stops moving, and never stops being completely charming. The characters and voices are strong across the board. Jason Schwartzman is back to voice Ash, Mr. Fox's son, who is not very different than Schwartzman's character in Rushmore, one of the many parallels to be made. Again, people started questioning the story's relevance to an actual child, and again I had a hard time understanding why.

Both of these films are clearly not aimed at children; they are aimed at people. It takes a lot more talent and creativity to make a film that is meant to be enjoyed by people of all ages, but I would count both of these films as a success in that regard. Sure, there are jokes that will go over kids heads, but that is half the fun of watching these kinds of films because they will grow with you. I watched many children's films when I was a kid, and I am still a fan of many, but most of my favorite childhood films were not aimed at children directly.



Look at films like the original Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman, The Goonies, E.T., Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Look Who's Talking, The Sandlot, Stand By Me, the entire John Hughes catalog (including The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off) until Home Alone, Back to the Future, The Lost Boys, The Wizard, The Secret of N.I.M.H, and even many Disney classics. Depending on your specific childhood, this list may also include films like Alien, Predator, Terminator, Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing, Grease, Jurassic Park, and more. These films were not designed for kids alone, or even at all in some cases, yet I know many people of my generation grew up on them and, more importantly, with them. These kinds of films are an important part of maturing in our pop culture laden society. They act as milestones. They are safe little doses of the world, often in convenient fantasy trappings. If a young brain is not ready to comprehend all the ideas in a given film, they usually just sail right over said young brain's head without affecting the enjoyment of the movie. Have people forgotten this experience? How exciting is it to have such great films to offer young minds, knowing full well that they will revisit them years later and find whole new layers of meaning to appreciate. Children do not want entertainment to talk down to them. And I hope parents don't either. If you keep talking to a baby in baby speak, how will it ever learn to form real sentences? I am not arguing that there is no place for simple kid stories, but films like Where the Wild Things Are and The Fantastic Mr. Fox are at least equally important forms of entertainment for young minds.



Up and Coraline had some very dark and complex ideas in them as well. Sitting in the theater during Up with my friend's four year old son, I heard him ask his parents, "What happened to the grandma?" within the first 10 minutes of the film and I like that. These moments can help start a dialogue about many complex aspects of life. Feelings of entertaining terror some movies offer to young children can be valuable as well, nightmares and all. There is, of course, some judgment required on the part of the parent to decide when a child is ready for certain ideas, but generally kids are smarter than they get credit for.

We should also be thankful to have such great entry points for young people to experience these important contemporary filmmakers and artists. Sure, Adaptation, Being John Malcovich, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, or Fever to Tell, might not be great entry points for an eight year old, but now you can introduce a child to Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers, and Karen O of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs all with one film. How great is that? And now we have the same opportunity with Wes Anderson and The Fantastic Mr. Fox as well. When John Hughes made Home Alone, sure it was a fun way to introduce children to a great pop culture filmmaker, but it also signaled the end of his relevance, as seems to be the case with many directors who set out to make a film aimed at children. With these recent films, that does not seem to be the case at all. Spike Jonze and Wes Anderson will likely continue to direct the type of indie films they are famous for.

It is a great time to be a film lover of any age. It is often very difficult to find entertainment for all ages, and on that level 2009 has been extremely generous. Maybe it is time to give children a little more credit. We were all kids once, so it should not be that difficult to remember that many of our favorite childhood films, were not children's films at all.

My Pull List-The Comics I Buy Part One: Marvel

A lot of people do not really understand exactly how comics work. They seem shocked to learn that I usually go to the comic book store once a week and that books are released every Wednesday (with some minor exceptions). And then, when I tell them I have a "hold box" there where all the issues I want are stored for me until I arrive, they just start to think I am making it all up. But no. Comics retail is very different than any other kind of retail in many ways. Retailers love their "subscription" customers because it takes the guess work out of their ordering. Traditionally, they cannot return anything they order even if it does not sell, so knowing how many people want a certain issue upfront is very valuable. Many retailers even offer incentive discounts for customers who use this service.


Support your local comic book store

Many comics come out monthly, many others come out on less traditional schedules based on the speed of the creators. There have been many famous years long gaps between issues unfortunately (Planetary #27, being the most recent offender), but it is the nature of the medium.

Marvel comics is referred to as one of the "Big Two," the other being DC. They are famous for such heroes as Spider-Man, The X-Men, Thor, Captain America, Daredevil, and more. They have been dominating the sales charts for the last few years with a lot of big event comics including Secret Invasion, Civil War, House of M and more. They are traditionally known for a more real world approach to superheroes, though they have made great effort to rebuild their cosmic heroes in recent years as well.

Here is a list of all the single issue (usually about 16-64 story pages, with the standard being 22) Marvel comic books I currently buy with a brief summary.



Captain America/Captain America: Reborn: Ed Brubaker has been telling an amazing story with Captain America for several years. In that time he has done some bold things such as killing major characters, and bringing other long dead ones back (I am pointlessly attempting to avoid spoilers here). All the while he has been weaving one awesome story that deftly combines super heroics, espionage, and mystery to tell a mature, modern classic in the genre. The big event in Captain America:Reborn, is almost a let down simply because I was so enjoying the direction of the series beforehand, but I still have faith in Brubaker for now. The artists he has teamed with, including Steve Epting on the main series and a Bryan Hitch/Butch Guice combo for the current miniseries, are also putting out some career defining work. Captain America: Reborn will be rapping up shortly and the best jumping on point will probably be Captain America #602, which will be out in the next few months. There are two hardcover collections you can buy to catch up in the mean time that compile issues #1 through 42 (the numbering switched to the original series order for the #600 celebration) and a Captain America: Reborn collection will, no doubt, be out in a few months.



Fantastic Four: I have long admired the idea of the Fantastic Four but have never invested in the series much, besides some exploration of the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby run. I am not sure what it is that kept me away, but I know what finally got me on board: Jonathan Hickman. Hickman has earned quite a reputation in the last few years by putting out some very eye catching, high concept stories. His work on The Nightly News and Pax Romana was enough to get me to follow him anywhere. So far, his Fantastic Four run has mostly been a house cleaning effort, but an entertaining one at that. He seems to understand the big action/small family moments balance that the book requires. He has only written four issues, but I am already looking forward to where his story is going. Dale Eaglesham is big on drawing ridiculously muscled figures, which takes some getting used to, but his handling of action and character design is impressive. You can probably still find all four issues on the stand, or wait for a first trade later this year.



Invincible Iron Man: This series is 20 issues in, and so far it is the best Iron Man comic I have ever read. Writer Matt Fraction, whose work on Image's Casanova first caught my attention, is writing one of the best ongoing superhero books available. Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, was a successful business man and hero, but all that has changed. Fraction has stripped Tony of everything that made him who he was. Currently Tony is in a coma, and now we get to see how Fraction slowly will rebuild the man and the hero. Fraction clearly understands Tony Stark and how to tell a great action story. The pacing is almost always perfect. The character interactions are engaging. This book is taking better advantage of the Marvel Universe's current status quo (where Norman Osborne, formerly known as the Green Goblin, is calling the shots) than any other series I have seen. Salvador Larroca's art is also a solid fit most the time. His grasp of mechanical designs is impressive. His figure work is occasionally awkward, but he seems to be getting better as the series progresses and having a single artist on an extended run is always nice. A new arc just started with issue 20 and it seems to be a good jumping on point (though it did jump in price to $3.99 unfortunately). Issues #1 through 19 are being collected in one over-sized hardcover so that would also be a great way to catch up.



Secret Warriors: This is another fairly new series by creator to watch, Jonathan Hickman (with some initial help by Brian Michael Bendis). Hickman seems to have big plans for this book, and watching them unfold has been an intense ride so far. Secret Warriors is primarily focused on Nick Fury, rebel S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and the group he has gathered to oppose the now corrupt organization. Hickman has introduced some new young characters, but it is hard to compete when Nick Fury shows up. Sometimes I just wish I was reading a Hickman Nick Fury book. The dialogue is always great. The pacing seems to fluctuate a bit from issue to issue, but so far I have had a great time watching the story unfold. Alex (son of Ares, God of War), and current God of Fear is also proving to be an interesting character in the hands of Hickman and some of the other new characters definitely seem promising. This book is also making good use of the Marvel Universe's precarious position. The series has two artists that will switch off between arcs. Stefano Casselli has been working on several Marvel books over the last few years, really honing his style. While he would not have been my first choice for this kind of book, he has proven to actually be a solid fit, by toning down some of the cartoon like elements of his style. Italian artist, Alessandro Vitti has also impressed me with the detail he has brought to Hickman's world in this book. There is a collection of the first arc out now that would be the most logical starting point.



X-Factor: Peter David has had a long career in comics, including a defining run on Incredible Hulk and an extended run on a previous incarnation of X-Factor. Several years ago David did a miniseries called Madrox, that set up this ongoing series. Madrox was a strong start to a very solid long form story. This is not a typical X-Men comic, in that it relies more on character development and comedy than epic plot movement. The story focuses on Madrox, the Multiple Man, and several other mutants that would generously be described as B list. These characters spend most their time in various dramatic (read soap opera-y) situations, in between solving occasional mysteries in a self aware noir style. David has done well to tell his story in a universe that has changed dramatically multiple times since he started plotting the series. This is not my favorite book, but it is consistent in telling an entertaining story and building characters you root for. Sometimes the jokes aren't funny, but when they hit, they hit strong. There are also a number of strong payoffs to the character development that recall Joss Whedon's style in shows like Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Angel. Unfortunately, the book has never had a very consistent art team, and that has really affected my overall enjoyment of the series. In a perfect world, Ryan Sook would have done every single issue, and this series would probably be selling through the roof. Lately, the art seems to be slightly more consistent though, and David seems sincere in his goal to work on that problem. A good jumping on point would be the upcoming issue #200, which promises to bring a lot of change, and hopefully a shot in the arm, to this little series. It would also be worth checking out a trade of that Madrox series if you can find it.



Astonishing X-Men: I found Joss Whedon's run on this series to be one of my favorite X-Men stories ever, and I was excited to hear that Warren Ellis would be following that run. So far that excitement has not been completely betrayed, but I am slightly less interested in where this story is going than I was a year ago. Ellis' first arc, Ghost Boxes, was a cool little story full of the big sci-fi ideas and snarky dialogue he is known for. The biggest problem with the story was the massive delay between issues and negative PR surrounding a $3.99 price tag for a 16 page story. Many people seemed to take issue with the art as well, though I enjoyed Simone Bianchi's non-traditional style. The second arc seems to be coming out more regularly, and with artist Phil Jimenez (stylistic heir to comics legend George Perez and frequent artist on Grant Morrison's defining New X-Men run) on board, there are a lot less easy reasons to ignore this book. So far it has been a solid X-Men story, and Ellis' take on characters such as Emma Frost, Agent Brand, and Beast is enough to keep me buying. I would start with Whedon's run which has been collected into one awesome omnibus, but at least flip through the collected edition of Ghost Boxes as well.



Criminal: Published under Marvel's Epic line, you can read more about my opinion of this series here.

There are a lot of other great Marvel titles on the stands these days, but these are what I budget for on a mostly monthly basis. Up next: DC Comics.