Blood of Heroes (1990) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was glad to see this movie finally get released on DVD. My friends and I saw this back when it came out in theaters, and it worked well for what it was, a movie about a post apocalyptic sport where the goal is to put a dog skull on an opposing teams' post starring Rutger Hauer? We were so there. And we weren't disappointed.
Rutger Hauer is Sallow, a once great player in the sport, made a mistake of getting too close to a woman outside his class, and is now reduced to playing matches outside of the system, in the rugged, barren, waste world. His team of 'juggers' consists of five people, including himself. There's Young Gar (Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio), Mbulu (Delroy Lindo), Big Cimber (Anna Katerina), and Dog Boy (Justin Monjo). Each player has his or her own responsibilities, but the main goal is to protect the runner, as that is the player that handles the dog skull, and will ultimately decide the outcome of the game based on his/her ability to place the skull on the opposing team's post. The sport is quite brutal, leading to severe injuries, and, sometimes, even death. No penalties, no rules, anything goes. Sallow and his group travel from town to town, challenging the home team, squeaking out a living. The ultimate goal is to win enough games for the honor to petition the league to compete in the league, opening up a world unknown to many as league players are treated very well. Joan Chen plays Kidda, a wannabe runner who gets into Sallow's clan when Dog Boy is injured. Poor little Dog Boy...anyway, as she learns the ropes, Sallow's team advances, and finally collects enough dog skulls (victories) to petition the league. What happens then? Watch and find out...
I enjoyed this movie, even though it's a familiar story. The game, the players, the weapons, it was all very well thought out and the characters motivations seem simple at first become more complicated. The end game will have you rooting for the underdog, even if you don't care for the movie itself. I would have liked to given this movie another star, but I found the DVD presentation to be somewhat lacking. Where's the clarity? The most noticeable problems are with the darker scenes. The definition was very poor, providing a muddled at best picture. I am surprised Lions Gate couldn't find a better copy to put on DVD. And since I saw this in the theaters, I know it was originally presented in wide screen, but not here. And the sound is pretty poor. At least you can view the subtitles, to see what is being said, but why should you have to? A very disappointing release of a great movie.

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Animalympics (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was eight years old when this came out; I thought it was slyly clever and funny back then. Now I'm almost thirty and find that the animation, the humor and the subject matter holds up remarkably well. Brought to us by the creator of "Tron", it is a wonderful blending of traditional animation and then-innovative techniques that might be considered almost psychedelic for such a normally straightforward medium. With original songs and voice overs from renowned comedy figures, it is truly a great achievement in its genre. I can't wait to introduce it to my niece and nephew, who I hope will be as delighted as I was.

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Toy Machine Box Set DVD Review

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(More customer reviews)I picked up this box set awhile back and I love it. Its worth grabbing just for "Welcome To Hell" alone, but getting the other three, including "Jump Off A Building"? Come on, this is a no brainer! These are the videos that changed the face and attitude of skateboarding. Besides you get the oh-so-hilarious Elissa Steamer crying like a little girl when she eats pavement and who can forget Jamie Thomas' 50-50 grind into eternity at the end. One last great feature is the ridiculously awesome bails footage at the end (its some seriously painful stuff). Cheers!

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Original Fabulous Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Review

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(More customer reviews)The strong use of colour in this film - sometimes vivid, sometimes very fine & subtle - predates & goes beyond most western psychedelic film experiments (It was made in 1961) : A large measure of this is due to the inventive & frequent use of monochrome - eg orange sequences, then blue, then red etc - akin to but generally surpassing such techniques in early cinema (Melies was one of Zeman's heroes). "Baron Munchausen" goes beyond the methods of both early film & later experimentation not primarily because of its technical skill - exact & inventive though it is - but because of the combination of this with the poetic depth of the film in general. There are also sequences where the screen is subtly divided into different swathes of colour ( again a technique reminiscent of Melies ).
However the film is not some sort of delerious dream or descent into madness (although it does have lots of fun!). Nor is it in any way "amateurish" ( as has been suggested in a well-meant sort of way, elsewhere ) - Such a term can only be used if one takes the hollow slickness which is present in so many Hollywood films as some sort of yardstick of definition.
Zeman's "Baron Prasil" exists in a totally different sort of Universe : It is essentially - & completely - romantic, graceful & poetic (as well as being full of a warm & gentle humour - & also containing strong antiwar sentiments; a recurring theme in Zeman's work). The flowing & exact pace of the film brings forth a world of love, beauty, imagination & adventure.
Imagination is the key : The character of the Baron is no longer the Baron of other versions : ie he is not (or at least is only occasionally) an endearing but mainly vainglorious braggart; instead his function is to effortlesly display the sheer beauty & magnificence of fantastical dreaming when its motivation comes from a heart of gold.
His chivalry (although gently satirized in places) is genuine. Impeccably played by Milos Kopecky he is in effect a spiritual guide to the protaganist ("Joey" - Tony in the Czech language original) - introducing him to the underlieing spiritual beauty of life & honing his ability to love, dream & create. Even when he (the Baron) is undercut by events, his indomitable, expansive & generally self-composed reactions are an education in courage & spiritual freedom.

Many more things could be said about the film : The complete harmony achieved by Zeman's use of mixed media animation ( the Gustave Dore inspired storybook-type drawings which are used as backdrops for live actors, a puppet whale of incredible charm, popart-style spacesuits, etc), the graceful presence of Jana Brejchova as the Princess Bianca di Castello Negro, the warmth & perfection of Zdenek Liska's opening theme & his other soundtrack music - to mention just some.

Terry Gilliam is known to have been influenced by Zeman; what perhaps isn't realised is that if you view Zeman's "Baron Munchausen" & Zeman's films "A Jester's Tale" (1964) & "The Stolen Balloon" (1966) (all very wonderful films) - together these contain most of the styles of animation to be seen in Monty Python (although the satirical content is not generally the same) - as well as many other additional techniques. "The Stolen Balloon" even contains a Souza-type march very similar (though not identical) to that used in the Python theme! I hope this doesn't sound too unkind as Gilliam is a brilliant bloke & without his version of "Baron Munchausen" perhaps Zeman's version might never have got a video release.
Also : Relatively huge critical attention is given to directors like Godard & Kurosawa ( & in a different sort of way to Ray Harryhausen films ) - If even part of this were given to the work of Karel Zeman, then his genuinely romantic film art - & incredible entertainment - might become more readily available to all who are open to such wonders.
( It would also be nice if Jiri Trnka - & others - were likewise to receive such increased critical attention. )

To conclude : This film is perfection - (& if anyone can re-release this video or any & all of Zeman's films; Please, please do). With reference to it on video : It would be still better if a subtitled version were available - as the fine acting is also evident in the subtle tones & inflections of the original cast; more so than with most foriegn films.
This is particularly true of the title role: Kopecky's voice is an integral part of his characterization ( as described above ). Having said this - the dubbing in the present version is actually quite reasonable.

This is spiritual-romantic art at its best : It is a fairytale fully imbued with the poetic spirit. Its values of love & warmth are similar to - though as art it is in other ways quite different from - the original Winnie-the-pooh books or the animation work of Oliver Postgate & Peter Firmin in the U.K.
As you have probably realised by now - it is my alltime favourite film! And as such I cannot recommend it too highly.

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Bruno Bozzetto's: Allegro Non Troppo (1977) Review

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(More customer reviews)Allegro Non Troppo. The title is Italian for a musical instruction in classical music. Literally translated, it means "cheerful, not too much"
The b&w live action segments, which take place in the beginning and inbetween animation, feature a young presenter, who tells us proudly, "This show is destined for immortality. Music interpreted in cartoons." He then says the movie is called Fantasia, only to get a phone call, at which he's clearly embarrassed. "They've say some guy already made this picture, a certain Crisney, Prisney, an American." Which he doesn't believe. The rough and brutal conductor has more the manner of the local butcher, and the orchestra, consisting of old women in their 60's through 80's, are fearful of him, as is the animator, a mild-mannered man with a balding but flowing haircut that makes him look more like an 18th century composer. His creations make the old ladies applaud, laugh, and cry. There's a funny segment involving a gorilla (don't ask) and him doing the Russian kalinka dance.
The first is Claude Debussy's Prelude a l'Apres-midi d'un faune, which traces the repeated attempts of an aging, pudgy satyr to have one of the beautiful, nude and nubile women for himself. Debussy did write this dreamy work harkening back to the idyllic paganism of Greece. I was surprised my parents let me see this when I was nine(!)
Antonin Dvorak's Slavic Dance No. 7 tells the story of a man who moves from his cave-dwelling neighbours to live alone, only to have his actions imitated by the neighbours. Frustrated, he constructs a different house, only to be imitated by the mindless crowd. Their imitative actions give him an idea.
The next two segments are stand head and shoulders above the others. Life evolved from a Coke bottle, one of the glass ones, not the plastic ones we have today. That is set to Ravel's Bolero. To which the presenter asks, "Who composed it?" From some bubbling liquid Coke, to an amoeboid creature to a reptile, and beyond, the animation also presents the march of life over the ages. The tempo of animation accelerates in tune with the music, where each instrument takes its turn playing the repeated 8-measure tune based on a Spanish dance. Dinosaurs, prehistoric birds, sea creatures, and even the ape, all walk across the volcanic landscape, and things really heat up when the strings kick in for the first time.
The animation to Jean Sibelius's Valse Triste put a real tear in my eye, as it portrays a cat who climbs from a crawlspace under a large house, only to discover it is a bombed ruin. The cat's eyes glow when it remembers happier times, such as an old lady knitting in a sofa, a caged canary, when the house was full of life in general. The colourful scenes when the house is reconstructed in its glory days is a highlight. However, the cat is clearly distressed upon seeing the stark wreckage.
A perky and funny bee's nice lunch in the meadow is constantly disrupted by an amorous human couple. The music is set to one of Antonio Vivaldi's concerti, which resembles the Spring segment of the Four Seasons.
Set to Igor Stravinsky's "Fire Bird" is a revisionist retelling of the Creation, Adam and Eve, and the Serpent. Both Adam and Eve refuse the Apple, to which the Serpent himself eats it, and gets a nightmare flurry of images, a post-industrial hell, complete with horned demons and live footage of the night life. The image of the heart filled with money is a telling one.
The attempt of an Igor-like behemoth to find a fitting finale from the files is actually pretty funny and warped.
Bruno Bozetto's animation is in varied styles, be it the lovely hues of idyllic Greece or the collage of twisted images in the finale. The overall theme here is how the post-industrial society comes into conflict with the old ways, be it pre-war days, romance, and nature. I first saw part of this back in 1977, and 26 years later, have finally seen this parody of Fantasia in its entirety, and am glad because of it. A real one-of-a-kind.

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In a riot of color and music, master animator Bruno Bozzetto offers his irreverent tribute to Disney's Fantasia.Transcending parody, this erotic, satiric, and delirious animated feature represents Bozzetto's vision of the world.In six distinct episodes, fantastic cartoon creatures march, slither, and bounce to the classical rhythms of Debussy, Dvorak, Ravel, Sibelius, Vivaldi, and Stravinsky.Perhaps most entrancing is the visualization of Ravel's "Bolero," in which the dregs of a Coke® bottle set forth a frenzied animal evolution across a surreal landscape.Maurizio Nichetti (The Icicle Thief, Volere Volare) stars in the equally wild live-action sequences that introduce each piece.For many critics, Allegro non troppo matches or surpasses the imagination and technique of Disney's masterpiece.

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WWE Royal Rumble - The Complete Anthology, Vol. 3 (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)1998 - The Rumble match was very entertaining with highlights being Mick Foley enterting under all three personas, the hardcore exchange between Terry "Chainsaw Charlie" Funk & Mick "Cactus Jack" Foley, the interaction between the members of the Nation Of Domination, what happened between Jeff Jarrett & Owen Hart, and everyone gunning for Steve Austin thoughout the match. HBK/Undertaker faced off in a casket match that gave Shawn his injury that took him out of action until 2002 & the ending with Kane lighting the casket on fire set the stage for their WrestleMania match. Mike Tyson does make an appearence here as well with other matches including Vader vs. Artist Formely Known As Goldust, New Age Outlaws vs. Legion Of Doom, The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock, and a six man tag match with the midgets from Mexico with Sunny as the referee.
1999 - The Rumble itself had Vince & Austin's first fight which started & ended the Rumble, Chyna becoming the first woman to enter the Rumble, and everyone gunning for Austin to collect a bounty Vince put on his head. The real highlight of this Rumble was the Rock vs. Mankind "I Quit" match as Foley took the most vicious unprotected chairshots. The rest of the card was very average (Road Dogg vs. Big Boss Man, Mr. Ass vs. Shamrock) to boring (X-Pac vs. Gangrel) to just plain sad (Sable's strap match against Luna).
2000 - Tazz debuted & broke Kurt Angle's undefeated streak, Dudleyz vs. Hardyz in the first tables match, and the historic Cactus Jack vs. HHH street fight were at this event. Also on here was the Royal Rumble Bikini contest that included Mae Young pulling her "puppies" out & scaring Jerry Lawler to death, New Age Outlaws vs. Acolytes, and a triple threat match featuring Jericho vs. Chyna vs. Hardcore Holly. The Rumble itself had some funny moments such as Too Cool & Rikishi dancing during the middle of the match and Funaki being eliminated more times in a Rumble match than anyone else in history with The Rock winning at the end.
2001 - Stone Cold won this Rumble that featured a Drew Carey appearence and Kane's dominate record of 11 men eliminated. The WWE Title match between Kurt Angle vs. Triple H that was highlighted by the catfight between Stephanie McMahon & Trish Stratus, a classic ladder match between Jericho & Benoit, and a match between Dudleys vs. Edge & Christian are worth checking out on here as well.
2002 - This Royal Rumble was highlighted by the returns of Mr. Perfect, Goldust, Val Venis, and the Godfather (Ho Train included), and the winner in Triple H...but the real highlight was an "anything can happen in the WWE" moment as the then-rookie Maven eliminated the Undertaker. Also on here was a street fight between Ric Flair vs. Mr. McMahon, William Regal vs. Edge, Trish vs. Jazz, Spike Dudley & Tazz vs. Dudleys, and Undisputed Champion Chris Jericho vs. The Rock.

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