Would you believe I’ve never seen the 1992 Disney animated flick Aladdin? Yup, never. It was on cable recently, so I recorded it for the kids. It was a decent flick. I noticed the early computer animation with the flying carpet. How times have changed.

Aladdin (1992)

What a pleasant surprise.  I put Ultimate Avengers in our Netflix queue earlier this week, and received both Ultimate Avengers: The Movie and Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Black Panther on the same Blu-ray disc. A pleasant surprise, indeed. Since both movies were relatively short, Josh and I watched both this evening. These are both direct-to-DVD releases from 2006 with origination storylines for the formation of the Marvel Avengers team. While they were released separately, I would treat both movies as one film.  They go together, the “sequel” directly follows the first film, and the actual alien invasion from the first film is not resolved until the sequel.
 

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)

Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther (2006)

The films were okay for direct-to-DVD, as the action and voice acting were pretty decent. There was a lot more arguing and dissension within the team. I suppose this bickering was more true to the original comics, but it was a little unexpected.

I watched Monsters vs Aliens on HBO over the weekend. It’s a Dreamworks Animation flick, so it’s the same studio that produced Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Bee Movie, etc. I’m not a huge Dreamworks animated film fan, but this wasn’t a bad film. I liked the 50′s monster movie feel to it, and I liked the cast — Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Hugh Laurie, Rainn Wilson, and more. This is supposedly the first animated film created start to finish in 3D, and I know this was a big film to promote 3D television in 2010. You can see the elements that would have been 3D, but those obviously don’t come out now. The animation was nice. The story was fairly generic, and you could see the plot points a mile away. Still, it’s worth a rental for the animation and the cast.

Monsters vs Aliens (2009)

In 2009, Warner Bros. released their fourth direct-to-video animated film in their DC Universe animated original movies, featuring Wonder Woman. Titled simply Wonder Woman, it’s your basic origin story featuring Keri Russell as Wonder Woman (Diana), Nathan Fillion as Steve Trevor, and Alfred Molina as the big bad in this film — Ares, the god of war. Here’s a summary that I’m openly stealing from IMDB:

In antiquity, the Amazons defeat the war god, Ares, and Zeus charges them to hold him prisoner as eternally young warriors on the hidden island of Themyscira. Centuries later, US Air Force pilot Steve Trevor is lured to crash land on the island and the distraction of that trespass allows Ares to escape. In response, Princess Diana wins the responsibility to both take Trevor home and recapture the fugitive god. Steve Trevor offers to help and together this disparate pair must not only overcome Ares’ efforts to achieve a bloody revenge, but also reconcile their own conflicting world views in an adventure that would be the first for the greatest of the female superheroes.

It’s rated PG-13 due to animated violence and some suggestive material, so I obviously didn’t let the kids watch. It’s a decent film, but there was a bit too much of the Amazons talking about how much men suck. I thought that got a little old, but still a good film.  The film does include Wonder Woman’s fabled “invisible jet”, with no real explanation of why she gets a invisible jet. Why is it invisible, does it need jet fuel, why does it have electronics, or why it has invisible missles?

Wonder Woman (2009)

Friday, we braved awkwardness of taking the kids to the movies, and went to watch Disney’s new animated film Tangled. It’s an updated take on the Grimm’s fairy tale of Rapunzel. It’s animated obviously, and starring the voices of Mandy Moore (the pop singer) and Zachary Levi (the guy from Chuck.) The singing was nice and reminded me of a Broadway musical, and the animation was truly astounding. The story was entertaining, and you liked the Rapunzel character. Of course, it’s another princess character, so Disney will be making millions off of little girls who need a new Disney Princess to add to their collection.

The kids liked it a lot, but near the climax where it got scary, Lily got scared and started crying. We tried to calm her down, but I had to take her out as she started to really cry. I wasn’t expecting that, but she had not napped during the afternoon. I’m sure that contributed to the semi-meltdown.

Tangled (2010)

Last night, I watched Batman: Under the Red Hood, a 2010 direct-to-video film based on the two DC Comic Batman storylines  ”A Death in the Family” and “Under the Hood“. The film is the eighth in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. It was released on July 27, 2010. The film begins with the death of Jason Todd, the 2nd Robin, at the hands of the Joker. The film flash-forwards five years to the present day in Gotham, and the arrival of Red Hood.

Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. Killing is an option. And when the Joker falls in the balance between the two, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened.

Excellent movie, but not one for children. It’s PG-13, with violent themes not appropriate for young children. I found Jason Todd’s torture and death to be especially brutal. The voice acting is good, with new actors stepping in, such as Bruce Greenwood as Batman/Bruce Wayne. newcomer Jensen Ackles as Red Hood (excellent!), and Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing. Although I’m normally a fan of John Di Maggio, I didn’t like him here as the Joker. In case you were interested, Rogue’s Gallery favorites Black Mask and Riddler also make appearances, but I liked seeing Nightwing the best.

Did I mention Jason Todd’s death was brutal? I genuinely felt bad.

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

I did not like this movie. Warning: spoilers below. 

Friday night, we were looking for something to watch with the kids. We tried to watch Justice League: The New Frontier, but we started to a lot more animated violence than we were comfortable for our young kids to be watching. The film starts off with a suicide, then you have pilot Hal Jordan shootings someone in the head. When we got to the part where Wonder Woman was explaining to Superman how these Korean women that she saved had be used as “comfort women” and then she let them kill their rapists, we shut it off. Egads, turns out it was a PG-13 film! I never thought I’d be upset with a PG-13 film, but the material was too much for a Joshua at 5 years old. Instead, we watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which was the safer choice.

After the kids went to bed, I thought I’d watch this DC Comics movie from the privacy of my own computer. The film is set from 1953–1960, and features the creation of the Justice League in the midst of an attack on the people of Earth from something ominously referred to “The Centre.” You don’t hear much about “The Centre”, except it has some sort of mind-control, cultists are going mad for it, and people around the world are experiencing visions and killing themselves shortly afterwards.

The cast is full of well-known actors and actresses: 

The movie is less about the formation of the Justice League, and really more of an origins story for Hal Jordan, who would eventually become the Green Lantern. It takes a while for Jordan to finally slip on the powerful ring, and the limited time the movie is able to devote to Jordan’s story makes centering the movie around Jordan’s origin a bit questionable. Hal Jordan’s time as the actual Green Lantern was approximately 4 minutes of actual screen time. 

Also, on a lesser note, it’s an origins story for Martian Manhunter (J’onn J’onzz) as well. However, in comparison to the Hal Jordan plotline, it’s not much character development. J’onn J’onzz shows up on Earth by accident, he spends time studying television, and then attempts to sneak back to Mars aboard a rocketship. Near the end, for reasons not quite understood, he changes his mind, and decides he likes humans, and wants to stay and help fight The Centre, whatever that is. His actual time combatting evil? Miniscule.

At a film length of only 74 minutes, it was an imbalanced way to tell the overall story. Much of the story spent on an origin story for Hal Jordan, another origin story for J’onn J’onzz to a lesser degree, and the rest of the superheroes showing up to fight….. The Centre.

So, what exactly was The Centre, you ask? With such a build-up, you must be wondering who or what The Centre was. Cultists tried to sacrifice a small boy, people are committing suicide, this thing has got to be pretty ominous. Here’s the big spoiler. If you don’t want to ruin the surprise, turn away now.

It's..... THE CENTRE!!!

It’s a gigantic psychic entity swarming by its monster dinosaur minions, in the shape of an island. I was incredulous. What a weak villain. It reminded me of one of the Independence Day spaceships, but it was just one object. It’s an island or a huge spaceship or something that can spawn tons of dinosaurs out (and energy beams) to attack Earth. Yes, it attacks using dinosaurs. Bubbles form, and dinosaurs emerge and attack the US military forces and the superheroes. At least in ID4, there are aliens on the ship. This thing, whatever it is, hovers above the ocean near Cape Canaveral in Florida, barely doing any damages to the civilization as we know it, except causing some damages to the military base and attacked Wonder Woman earlier in the movie as she flew by in her invisible jet. Who wrote this, a 4th grader? The major villain in this story is a floating island that attacks with dinosaurs?

A weak villain, a ridiculous ending, and the rest of the superhero cast have minor roles. It makes me feel that the story focuses so much on Green Lantern and John the Martian, then ran out of ideas when the action comes in for the final blow.  I still have no real clue as to the Centre’s purpose, except to act as the movie’s Big Boss. And why attack Cape Canaveral? BTW, strangest moment of the climatic battle? Superman gets knocked out early in the battle, and sent to the bottom of the sea. He’s gone for the rest of the climax, until a submarine of sorts shows up on the beach at the very end of the film. The front opens, and a blond guy with an orange shirt and green pants says he nursed Superman back to health. His name is Arthur. Uh, is he supposed to be Aquaman? Where has this guy been the entire film?

I realize that others have gone on record stating this was a good film. I, on the other hand, think it’s the most ridiculous and least-satisfying of the DC Universe films so far. Do you think I’m being too harsh? Let me repeat — the big bad villain in this movie is a floating island that spits out vicious dinosaurs. 

Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)

Friday night, we were looking for something to watch with the kids. We selected Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a 2009 animated film somewhat based on the children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett. It features  a fantastic ensemble cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Mr. T, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris, Al Roker, Lauren Graham, and Will Forte.

What’s my review? This has to be one of the best non-Pixar animated films I’ve seen a long while. It’s an entertaining children’s film that is smart enough for parents to enjoy as well. So many little jokes that are aimed at the adult audience had me laughing and appreciating the wit. We have the book at home, but there’s no backstory on why food is falling from the sky on this town. In this film, they gave a decent (though still fantastical) cause for the phenomenon. Bill Hader plays Flint Lockwood, a scientist who is terrible at inventing. He invents a machine that can turn water into food, but it launches into the atmosphere, and transforms water vapor into food, which falls to the ground. It slowly goes out of control, making the food larger and more dangerous.

Did I mention this was a smart, funny movie? Watch it with the kids. Heck, I think you could safely watch it without the kids, and still appreciate it. Big thumbs up.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

I had a little free time while I folded laundry on Sunday afternoon, so I watched the 3rd in the Futurama direct-to-video movie series, Futurama: Bender’s Game, through Netflix streaming. is the third of the four direct-to-DVD Futurama films that make up the show’s fifth season. So far, I’ve seen the 1st, 2nd, and now the 3rd. One more to go after this, and I’ll be all caught up.

I am a big fan of the television series, but I have sadly not enjoyed the direct-to-DVD movies. The jokes have been lame, and the stories haven’t been exciting. I would go out on a limb and say that the films have been boring. Was it a lack of focus by the writers? I couldn’t tell you. Still, I respect the series enough to continue to slug through each film. Sadly, my reviews have found the films to be less than praise worthy.

In this film, the plot is standalone from the previous films. There is a plot about dark matter being overpriced fuel, and controlled by the evil Mom. For some reason, the writers used a series of fantasy themes, such as Dungeons & Dragons, and The Lord of the Rings, and quickly beat the jokes to a pulp. It was funny for a little while, but after a while, meh.

Yet another bad review of a Futurama movie. Sigh, this is getting annoying. I’d give up, but the new 6th season of Futurama has been almost as good as the early seasons in terms of quality. One more film to go – Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder.

Futurama: Bender's Game (2008)

Oh, those Europeans and their uplifting stories. This short was created as a proof-of-concept for an open source 3D animation package called Blender.