Retro Review: Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

The 4^th computer-animated film of 2001 blasts into your multiplex this Friday. If you haven’t heard about this film I guarantee that every child you know under 12 has. Go, Jimmy, Go.

“Jimmy Neutron” is a mathematical whiz, a rocket engineer, a test-pilot, a robot dog-owner and an inventor.

The crazy thing is Jimmy hasn’t even reached puberty yet. Jimmy wants more than anything to contact an alien species. He sends a message out into space asking for aliens to come visit him. Sadly, Jimmy’s message is intercepted by some aliens who would rather eat humans than talk to them.

Before Jimmy knows it the whole neighborhood’s adults are abducted and it’s up to the “boy genius” himself to send a rescue mission. Jimmy teams up with all the kids and builds an armada to bring all the parents back home.

“Jimmy Neutron” looks pretty goofy and silly to a mature eye but within this little animated film beats the heart of a child’s imagination. Neutron radiates brilliant imaginative story-telling as it weaves classic sci-fi and fantasy threads.

There are a lot of references to “Star Wars”, “Star Trek”, “Mission: Impossible”, “Jetsons” and maybe even some “Malcolm in the Middle”. The style of animation is like plugging your favorite Saturday morning cartoon into a hyperdrive.

Jimmy isn’t as cute or as sensitive as “Monsters Inc.” or as funny as “Shrek”. Those qualities seem to be the three most important things for a film to reach all ages. It doesn’t apply to Jimmy however. But be assured this is one you can drop the kids off to and not worry. They will love you for it.

It was interesting listening for who the star voices were of the two lead aliens. But by far the most interesting part of Jimmy Neutron is how much fun the film will be for youngsters.

(3 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Spider-Man Through the Ages: Part 1

Spider-Man Through the Ages will take you across Spider-Man on TV. Each of the 10 TV series will be looked at in-deep detail ranging fron 1967 to 2008.

Be here every Monday as the Soothsayer Never Sleeps goes Spidey crazy!

THE CLASSIC TV SERIES

SPIDER-MAN (1967) (aka The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man)

Lifespan: 1967-1970

Number of episodes: 52

Who played Spider-Man: Paul Soles

Review: This was an epic undertaking to accomplish in 1967. The series went through tons of delay a hectic schedule. But underneath all that and tons of reused B-Roll the series still created some classic Spider-Man moments and not to mention that iconic theme song.

Best episode: Menace from the Bottom of the World (directed by Ralph Bakshi)

Silliest Episode: Criminals in the Clouds

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

ELECTRIC COMPANY (1974)

Lifespan: 1974-1977

Number of episodes: 390

Who played Spider-Man: Danny Seagren

Review: The Electric Company was always a favorite for me growing up because it was like Sesame Street except it had Spider-Man on it. Plus those thought balloons were priceless. Yes, all the episodes were extremely goofy but Spidey’s Super Stories in the Electric Company Magazine was a lot of fun. An interesting bit of trivia, who played Spider-Man the longest and for the most episodes? EC’s Danny Segren. According to IMDB, Danny disappeared from Hollywood after playing Spidey.

Best episode: Not sure.

Silliest Episode: All of them.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

SPIDER-MAN (1978) aka Supaidaman or Japanese Spider-Man

Lifespan: 1978-1979

Number of episodes: 41

Who played Spider-Man: Takuya Yamashiro

Review: This version of the Spider-Man was created by the Toei Corporation, infamous for bringng the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to North America. What is funny is that this Spider-Man show is almost a direct descendent of MMPR. Spider-Man faced off against his most lethal foe Professor Monster who would create monsters that look like MMPR’s villains.  Another villain was a woman named the Amazoness. Basically the Spidey suit was the only thing Western audiences would recognize.

Best episode: Motion Accessory is a Loveful Beetle Insect Spy

Silliest Episode: All of them.

Rating: 1 out of 5

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1978)

Lifespan: 1977-1979

Number of episodes: 14

Who played Spider-Man: Nicholas Hammond

Review: For the longest time this was the only live-action version of Spider-Man that people recognized. I remember reading countless magazines of this series. How his mask was fitted with discs so you couldn’t see the actor’s eyes. How two 2-part episodes were released as two theatrical movies overseas. I saw the two-parter Chinese Web at a theatre in Singapore. My favorite was always the Night of the Clones episode because it reminded me so much of Six Million Dollar Man and since I saw the series after SMDM I found a connection to that episode. The delays in production and escalating budget kept this series from going for more than one season and various specials. But it was a good attempt even if a white rope was his webbing.

Best episode: Night of the Clones (Funny how it predates the whole Clone Saga in comics by twenty years.)

Silliest Episode: The Kirkwood Haunting

Rating: 3 out of 5

SPIDER-MAN (1981)

Lifespan: 1981-1982

Number of episodes: 26 episodes

Who played Spider-Man: Ted Schwartz

Review: This series was a prequel to Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. Same animators and writers. Sadly most of these episodes never aired. This series would have focused more on Spider-Man opposed to how his Amazing Friends focuses more on co-horts. It’s wild how the opening is so close to a copy of Amazing Friends.

Best episode: Doctor Doom: Master of the World

Silliest Episode: Pied Piper of New York

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS (1981)

Lifespan: 1981 to 1983

Number of episodes: 24 episodes

Who played Spider-Man: Dan Gilvezan

Review: Fondly remembered as the 80s Spider-Man cartoon, it was actually a team based cartoon not unlike Marvel Team-Up. The series didn’t focus a lot on Spider-Man but his team members and the oodles of guest-stars. More modern versions of some Marvel characters for the very first time.

Best episode: X-Men Adventure or Quest of the Red Skull

Silliest Episode: Spidey Goes Hollywood

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Retro Review: Kung Pow: Enter the Fist!

Oh the horrible, horrible memories. Why, oh why was this movie even made?

“Kung Pow: Enter the Fist” stars “Ace Ventura 2” writer Steve Oederkerk as “The Chosen One” who seeks to bring forth his vengeance on the man who killed his parents, the evil warlord “Betty”. As for that tidbit, that’s about the entire plot in this film.

Oederkerk tries to be clever in making bad dubbing, gross-out gags and sexual innuendos. He goes over the top in his utter ridiculousness but don’t get me wrong this movie does have some funny moments. There is a part of the film that pokes fun at the “Lion King” that is an utter riot and there are some other stupid laughs. The “Lion King” bit is definitely a hi-light.

This film would have been more fun to make and to understand how it was conceived than to watch. I can’t recall a film that has ever made me think just that single thought. That is actually the only thought I really had throughout this film.

Basically it’s what you see is what you get. And it truly is one of the worst movies of all time. Nuff said!

(0.5 of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Retro Review: The Inside Man

It seems like ever since the inception of film, Hollywood has had bank-robbers who dream of the perfect bank job. A job that goes down like clock-work and that the robber gets away unharmed.

Everything from the 1903 classic “Great Train Robbery” to 1975’s “Dog Day Afternoon” to 2001’s “The Score”, we have seen plans come and go.

This brings us all the way to the latest bank heist film, “Inside Man” which unlike any bank robbery film before it has not only a brilliant bank heist plan but a whole new twist we probably thought we would never see.

Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) is being investigated after his previous case saw a share of the drug money recovered, disappear. Frazier is frustrated that no one in the department believes him.

When the top detective in the division is on holidays, the captain is forced to send Frazier downtown to investigate a bank heist gone awry where several hostages have been taken.

Could this be the chance for Frazier to find some redemption?

On the flipside of the case, master bank robber Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) has a master plan to pull off the perfect crime and that’s all the audience really knows about Russell is that he has a plan and he is a very smooth operator.

The film basically shows the face-off between Frazier and Russell with a sub-plot involving a bank executive (Christopher Plummer) and a woman (Jodie Foster) who has been assigned to keep the executive’s interests in check.

As you watch “Inside Man”, you find that you have to keep reminding yourself that this is in fact a Spike Lee film. On so many levels it doesn’t feel like a Lee movie at all. The film is brilliantly executed like it was conceived by the bank robber himself.

There are a couple circumstances where Lee’s influence on the film does come through especially involving a couple race comments, the New York City vibe and a couple social issue reminders. That said this is probably the closest we will ever see to Spike Lee going main stream.

I liked that the film also allowed for Denzel’s detective character to be on the edge and at times utterly desperate. Denzel seems to be at home playing a cop and he seems at ease picking up a policeman’s shield.

I really hope that Hollywood allows for Denzel to play other kinds of heroes at some point.

Owen’s robber is so full of perfect execution, arrogance and vigor that at times you are never sure if this man is human. To remain that devoted as both actor and character is probably difficult but Owen does it with such ease. It’s hard to relate to a character of this magnitude but utterly necessary for this film.

My favorite scene in the film involves Owen’s bank-robber discussing the violence in an 8-year old’s video game. The moment is priceless and if you look at it vintage Spike Lee.

Plummer and Foster are both excellent in their supporting characters and are very intricate to the plot.

I would love to see more on Foster’s character because there feels like so much more deep within this character.

I also really enjoyed the utterly unique choice of music in this film. There is almost a James Bond sort of score in some scenes and a very unique choice of vocal tracks for the opening and closing of the film.

I had some problems with the amount of time spent on interviewing subjects, annoying product placement and some disjointed humor. All this stuff seemed so out of place and unnecessary for this film.

Even with those minor annoyances I think “Inside Man” is one of or maybe the first great film of 2006.

(4 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

WTF NEWS?: NIKE developing Back to the Future Shoes!

SOURCE: COLLIDER.COM

If you watched Back to the Future Part II as a kid, then you probably grew up wanting a hover board along with Marty McFly’s self-lacing shoes.  Although we are still (hopefully) a few years away from hover boards, Nike has filed a patent for a shoe that strongly resembles Marty’s sneakers from the future.  It’s currently unknown when the shoes will hit the market, but the patent shows that Nike is serious about making a lot of us happy by developing the technology.  Hit the jump for more details.

The patent for the proposed shoe goes into some more detail by saying that “the automatic lacing system provides a set of straps that can be automatically opened and closed to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper. The article further includes an automatic ankle cinching system that is configured to automatically adjust an ankle portion of the upper.”

According to MSNBC, the shoes will work by having you “slip a switch, and the shoe tightens as if you just pulled and tightened conventional laces. The switch activates a motor that rolls or unrolls a spool of wire distributed throughout the shoe. When the spool reels in the wire, the shoe tightens along axis supported by various rods.”

I personally can’t wait to see the finished product. In the meantime, here’s the clip from Back to the Future Part II.

SOURCE: http://www.collider.com/2010/08/27/back-to-the-future-part-ii-nike-sneakers/

Retro Review: High Fidelity

Trying for a “Reality Bites” type feel we are faced with a comedy about breaking up. This is funny?

“High Fidelity”, based on the cult novel by Nick Hornby, is a about a rash, lazy, socially confused, record store owner named Rob Gordon (John Cusack).

Rob is faced with the fact that he is the “king of breaking up” and if he doesn’t rectify this dilemma soon he will end up alone.

“High Fidelity” is a lot like “Reality Bites” in that we are voyeurs to losers finding love.

The difference between Fidelity and Bites is that Fidelity isn’t as smart, fresh or nearly as funny.

But what saved me in this film was John Cusack’s grasp of his character.

We haven’t seen a Cusack like this in a long time. I loved a lot of his anecdotes to the camera and his illusion that the character is smarter than he can express.

His chemistry with his cronies and their constant “Top 5″ mutterings were great character development.

As the movie unfolded I was reminded of Kevin Smith’s Clerks where the characters in that film were as ironic and socially confused as these guys.

Is this an attempt by Hollywood to do a Kevin Smith type movie?

If so, I can see why Smith is the king of these kinds of films.

Another Smith element used here is the use of visible Hollywood alumni in basic cameo type roles.

Cameos here were done by such stars as Catherine Zeta Jones, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Lili Taylor, Sara Gilbert, and of course Tim Robbins. Robbins role was one of the funniest in the film. That whole confrontation scene will be a crowd pleaser.

Where the movie waned for me was character’s obsession with not letting go of the past.

Also why was their constant communication between Cusack and his ex? Did the end of the film really solidify the end of this character’s quest for happiness? Was making a commitment enough?

In some ways I found it to be a Hollywood way of arriving at a happy ending. I would have preferred him grow into an adult and then find a happy relationship.

But instead it seems the woman sacrificed it all to take one step back to be with him. Well breaking up is hard to do.

(3 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Retro Review: Swordfish

Hugh Jackman, John Travolta, Halle Berry and Don Cheadle star in a cyber-thriller about the battle of wits between a hacker and a super-spy.

Can this all-star cast reawaken Travolta’s fading career? Or is it best to put this pony out to pasture?

Hugh Jackman is the central figure of this thriller. Jackman plays Stanley Jobson, a super-hacker who has just served 18-months in prison for hacking into top-secret FBI surveillance files.

Stanley gets quite nervous when he is approached by the lovely Ginger (Halle Berry). Ginger wants Stanley to come with her to meet her boss who has a once in a lifetime opportunity for him.

This opportunity may also secure the future of Stanley’s estranged daughter, Holly. Holly is in the custody of her alcoholic mother who has just got married to a rich porn king. There is nothing in the world that Stanley wants more than to be with his daughter so he agrees to go with Ginger.

Ginger takes Stanley to visit her boss, the mysterious Gabriel Shear (John Travolta). What does Stanley have to do to win his daughter?

What is Shear’s main objective? Does Ginger have her own objective?

That is stage of the new thriller Swordfish that seems to be your typical hacker-in-trouble action picture. A lot of the intrigue and hacker subplots reminded me of the short-lived UPN series “Level 9”.

Except here the action and camera work was much more theatrical release material. I was sad to see “Level 9” disappear into television oblivion and the memory of that good show really helped pull me into this film.

The opening sequence that sets up the film is utterly mind-blowing and a huge cinematic achievement. This scene was so incredible that I found the rest of the film was always trying to live up to it.

The film tried to bring in some thrills like Halle Berry baring all and a bus flying between the skyscrapers of Los Angeles but the first scene is always imprinted in the front of your mind as the picture continues.

This film tried so hard to be a Jerry Bruckheimer film and it definitely succeeded. The darkened mystique of a Bruckheimer film, an alumni director, a lot of explosions and an escape from the fundamentals of reality are all staples of the Bruckheimer formula.

Swordfish fits firmly into that mold. I guess the formula isn’t too hard to emulate after all.

Hugh Jackman is wonderful as always. He is the latest Australian find and he doesn’t disappoint. Another actor in this film who is always great is Don Cheadle and he also doesn’t disappoint.

Travolta, personally, has been stale since post “Civil Action” and he seems to resort back to his evil “Broken Arrow” persona for this latest acting gig. He smirks, saunters and pushes his hair back as he tries to show a good performance. But sometimes I wonder if he is acting or is he an evil clone who has dispersed with the real good actor named John Travolta.

Aside from the charisma of Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry is the pictures stand-out. She uses her beauty to find the innocence in Ginger and then without any real strain resorts to Ginger’s desperation. That is brilliant. As for her much talked about nude scene, I thought her in a string bikini would have sufficed. However I am male, so I am not complaining all that much. Berry was that character and her charisma alone could have pulled off that scene.

My problems with Swordfish lie mainly in the “semi-trailer truck” plot holes that are littered throughout this film. There are many and that is kind of unnerving for a suspense thriller. I also found that the film’s ending left me quite hollow. Where was the main villain vs. hero suare off? Like a lot of Hollywood films this summer, here is another ending that needed to be rewritten.

(3.5 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

TV NEWS: AMC’S THE WALKING DEAD TRAILER

Based on the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman, director Frank Darabont (‘Shawshank Redemption’) brings forth a new look at the zombie genre in a new epic TV series. This is probably one of the most anticipated series of the new fall season. What a brilliant trailer!

Retro Review: Guess Who?

In the immortal 1967 classic, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”, a couple’s (Spencer Tracey, Katharine Hepburn) attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home her prospective fiancé (Sidney Poitier), who happens to be black.

The film was a landmark of its time on so many fronts and challenged so many attitudes of the time.

It also marked legendary performances from both Poitier and Tracey but it was Hepburn who walked away with the Oscar in 1967.

The film also marked an amazing year for Poitier who made three of his most beloved classics all in the same year.

Poitier also starred in “To Sir, With Love” and “In the Heat of the Night” all in 1967.

The only similarity between the 1967 film and the new film seems to be the first two words of the main title. Thank, God!

In the 2005 slapstick comedy, Bernie Mac plays Percy, an upstanding and successful loan officer who claims he can size up anyone he meets in 5 seconds or less.

Well that seems irrelevant when his daughter Theresa (Zoe Saldana) brings home her future fiancé Simon (Ashton Kutcher), who happens to be white. Let the games begin!

I had a lot of problems with this film which are mainly due to the fact that the film is so blatantly formulaic, dull and makes Bernie Mac’s character so unlikable. It’s almost like the filmmakers were trying for a reverse-racial comedy inspired by “Meet the Parents” but instead ended up with one starring Ashton Kutcher.

There is one scene in the film that probably summed up my feelings completely when watching the film. Kutcher’s character lets it slip that he knows some rather racial jokes and Mac’s proud father-figure urges him to share them at the dinner table. Kutcher’s first five jokes are innocent and everyone laughs. That is until about the sixth one. Then Grandpa pounces across the table at Kutcher’s character in a fit of rage.

The racial tension, misrepresentation and complete disregard for how far the film should go or can go seems to be held back by a very thin rope attached to a very large gorilla.

But what was so shocking was that the rope never snapped. And for me this some how made these characters more caricatures than human beings.

The great thing about the original film is that the gorilla is dealt with and addressed and even teaches us a valuable lesson about humanity and race. The new film doesn’t even try.

In all these role-reversal comedies or dramas I always wonder what would happen if the tables were turned. But because these characters seem so detached I didn’t even think to ponder such a question. Why address such an important question to the likes of Ashton Kutcher?

My favorite scene in the film is towards the end where we have a heart to heart between father and daughter.

The scene reveals a lot of what the film should be saying and for the only time in the picture shows two characters as close as they can be to being human.

We need more moments like this and more dealing with the obvious. We are all human no matter what color, religious denomination or age we are.

Let all those incredible feelings that make us human help us to understand and overcome the issues addressed in this film.

I have to admit that I did smirk at some scenes but for the most part I was just wondering when that obviously huge gorilla at the centre of this piece was going to strike.

(1.5 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

WTF NEWS: Hurt Locker Reality Series coming!

SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Exclu: G4 has ordered a high-stakes documentary-style reality show that follows a bomb-disposal squad in Afghanistan.

Billed as a real-life version of the Oscar-winning film “The Hurt Locker,” the Comcast-owned cable channel has ordered 10 one-hour episodes of “Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan.”

The show’s producers (unrelated to the team behind the film) secured a special agreement with the U.S. Navy to follow an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit. The show will cover the unit’s training sessions in the States and its deployment for several months in Afghanistan.

“There is simply no way to comprehend the incredible amount of pressure and split-second decisionmaking these individuals must undertake in the worst possible physical conditions without riding along with them as our cameras will do,” G4 president Neal Tiles said. “This is a rare opportunity to showcase the work of the courageous men and women on the front lines and share with our viewers all the real-life drama, teamwork, danger and triumph that goes along with this specialized job.”

While “Bomb Patrol” is on brand for G4, it also represents a bit of a departure.

The show squarely appeals to the network’s young male demographic, combining technology and good old-fashioned blowing stuff up. Yet the serious tone and life-and-death stakes is new for the network best known for such lighter fare as “Attack of the Show” and “Ninja Warrior.” The “Cops”-style reality show “Campus PD” comes closest, but arresting intoxicated college students is a far cry from dismantling bombs.

Tiles, who counts the acclaimed “Hurt Locker” as his favorite film last year, says the network’s young male brand gives license to explore many different genres. But he adds G4 isn’t making a hard lunge into the “deadliest jobs” territory that’s characterized trends at Discovery Channel and other networks.

“We’ve always said the young male demo has extremely varied interests,” Tiles said. “Both G4 and the Navy like this for the same reason; it appeals to the tech side of G4’s demographic.”
The show will be produced by Big Fish Entertainment with Doug DePriest and Dan Cesareo as executive producers.

The production has an agreement with the Navy to shoot the program, though the military, the network says, will not have creative control. “Bomb Patrol” will premiere next spring.

SOURCE:

http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/08/g4-hurt-locker-reality-show.html