Top 15 Justice League Unlimited Episodes THE VIDEO (15-10)

To all five or so frequenters of my website, you may recall my Top 15 Justice League Unlimited Episodes countdown from a few months back. Well, as I'm constantly attempting to test my "creative" abilities in new forms.

That brings me to my latest project, a video "interpretation" of my Justice League Unlimited episode countdown. Heck, I figgered a countdown is an easy enough thing for a novice like me to tackle, so I dove into head first. After a few hours of work, I came out with a lot more experience, a more realistic look at the undertaking I've set forth for myself, and a video I'm relatively happy with.

But I've built it up enough, so without further ado, here's my Top 15 Justice League Unlimited Episodes (15-10)

There are a few things I could have done better that are obvious even to me, but I won't scrutinize my own work without giving others that opportunity! I hope to continue writing text reviews until I can set aside some time to tackle the next part.

Until next time..

Project in Progress...

For the last couple of days I've been feverishly working on something.

Something BIG.

Okay, it's not really that big of a deal, but it's definitely something I'm excited about.

I'll give you a hint. It's a video project...

Aw shit, that pretty much gave it away. Oh well, just stay tuned and I'll have the first part of this bad boy up in no time.

Until then...

Questionable Review: The Green Hornet

This review was originally posted on my ComicVine.com account as well as my Screened.com account. View those HERE and HERE respectively.

The new Green Hornet film is quite similar to the Frankenstein monster. Apart from the green motif that both possess, the two share a similar haphazard and patch-worked design. Where the poor creature in Mary Shelley's famous novel was sewn together with the dead remnants of human corpses, The Green Hornet is similarly composed of the rudimentary tropes of several different film genres. Is it a comedy? Is it an action film? Is it an action comedy? A buddy cop movie? Unfortunately, it doesn't even seem like the movie itself knew the answer to any of these questions, as despite some moments of genuine cohesion and quality, the movie just becomes an uneven jumbled mess. However, is it an entertaining and lovable mess, or is this monster beyond redemption.

SO WHAT'S THIS MOVIE ABOUT?

The Green Hornet is the tale of the incomparable Britt Reid (Seth Rogen). Despite growing up in the lap of luxury, Britt has never felt any sort of affection or sense of worth from his father (Tom Wilkinson), so when he dies from mysterious means leaving Britt his legacy as a newspaper mogul, Britt uses his new-found independence to prove his dad wrong by helping his troubled Los Angeles. Naturally, this means he decides to become a masked vigilante, posing as an aspiring crime lord in order to strike at the heart of corruption in the city. Of course, this would be the case if Britt was any shade of competent, instead relying on his father's mechanic, an engineering whiz, martial arts master and all-around bad-ass named Kato (Jay Chou). The duo soon find themselves in over their heads and stalked by the self-conscious kingpin of L.A., Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz). With the help of Britt's secretary, Lenore Chase (Cameron Diaz), the Green Hornet and Kato have their work cut out for them as they clumsily unravel a web of secrets and lies that may lead back to Britt's father himself.

SO WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THIS MOVIE?

When Green Hornet is going for a straight "action-comedy" vibe, it genuinely works really well. Seth Rogen does a great job bringing his trademark humor to bear, and their are quite a number of straight slap-stick gags that are really funny. In fact, the humor and action that makes up the majority of the movie's first 1/3 and final minutes would have made for a much better movie if that tone had been consistent throughout. The action itself was quite good in its own right, mostly thanks to the martial arts stylings of the Kato character. Jay Chou is inevitably going to draw similarities to Bruce Lee's portrayal of the character from the short-lived television show, but I think that'd be unfair to both performers. Chou's Kato is charming, confident, and fun, nothing more nothing less, and he's arguably the best part about this movie. Christoph Waltz also does a phenomenal job as Chudnofsky, a villain so concerned what others think about him he dons an entirely new persona during the movie's finale. Lastly, it should be mentioned that Cameron Diaz actually does do a good job with a role that there honestly wasn't much to. She's superfluous, to be sure, but she does enough to distinguish herself as an extremely likable member of the cast.

SO WHAT SUCKS ABOUT THIS MOVIE?

The fact of the matter is that its inability to come together as a cohesive experience kills Green Hornet. Too often does it meander for too long of stretches into the realms of straight action or straight comedy and everything in between. The middle of the film is paced so poorly that, by chaotic final moments, you'll be wondering what the hell took so long to get to such a simplistic climax. The movie isn't full with enough plot points or proper character development to merit a lot of its padding, and one scene in particular, an excruciatingly long fight scene between Rogen and Chou, is probably the biggest evidence that, at some point, the filmmakers just ran out of significant things to make these characters do. What's also puzzling is the often manic and surreal visuals in place during the action sequences. Sometimes they work, but they're used so inconsistently that when one does pop up, it's more jarring than doing anything to add to the flair of the film. Also, I question the direction they decided to take Britt Reid, the main character, in this movie. He's almost insufferably unlikable at points (only managing to stay tolerable because of Seth Rogen), and the tired gag of "KATO DOES EVERYTHING WHILE THE GREEN HORNET FUMBLES AROUND" quickly grows tired. Some films have story arcs. The Green Hornet's story more closely resemble stalagmites, with any sort of character revelation or quality plot development occurring in a quick and jarring shot which is just as quickly followed by a steep decline.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Green Hornet is definitely one of the comic characters I know the least about. Sure, one could argue there isn't much to the character's concept, but I'm sure there are some people out there who have strong feelings about the portrayal here.

SO WHAT'S THE FINAL VERDICT?

The Green Hornet, at the end of the day, is just too sloppy. Would it have been better if the film took a more serious thread throughout? Maybe. Instead, what we're left with is the wretched remains of what seem like several good ideas lumped into an uneven monstrosity. It certainly has the vague shape of an enjoyable movie, but there are innumerable blemishes that make it almost too ugly to witness. It isn't the worst, to be sure, but skipping it isn't a bad option either.

Questionable Review: Batman: Under the Red Hood

This review was originally posted on ComicVine.com and Screened.com. If you so wish, those reviews are HERE and HERE respectively.

It's amazing that, more often than they should, the big screen adaptations of our favorite super heroes can fail so grandly. One hero that's actually managed to succeed more often than not in these ordeals is the caped crusader. Tim Burton's original effort, Christopher Nolan's latest installments; cinema has mostly been kind to Batman (heck, even the horrendous Batman and Robin can be enjoyed for its... Schwarzenegger).

It could be argued, however, that the animated universe of DC comics is wholly superior to anything the Hollywood big wigs could churn out. Look at Batman: The Animated Series for any proof you need that just because something is a cartoon doesn't make it not compelling, deep, dark, and complex. Following in that pedigree is Warner Premier's latest DC Comics home release, Batman: Under the Red Hood, an adaptation of a more obscure story-arc in the Batman mythos. Does it live up to its legacy, or fail to meet expectations?

SO WHAT'S THIS MOVIE ABOUT?

Under the Red Hood takes place in what could be described as "recent" Gotham city, the birthplace, home, and troubled dominion of Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman. After a suspenseful and surprisingly brutal opening depicting the Joker's murder of Batman's second protege, Jason Todd, the film cuts to the modern day. The crime lords of Gotham are under the control of maniacal gangster, Black Mask, until a mysterious thug going by Red Hood enters the fray and takes control of some of Black Mask's top earners. This starts an all out gang war between the established kingpin and the new gun in town, with Batman getting caught in the middle trying to clean up. To further complicate things, the mysterious Red Hood begins to more and more resemble Bruce's long dead protege, and his savage and manipulating methods are making him question what kind of teacher he actually was to the boy. Batman stalwarts Nightwing, Ra's Al Ghul, and of course, The Joker play pivotal roles before the film reaches a heart-wrenching climax, one that's both thrilling and somewhat depressing.

SO WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THIS MOVIE?

As I've already said, if ever you were to doubt the gravitas of what can be portrayed in animated form, look no further than Batman: Under the Red Hood. This is a DARK story (rated PG-13, in fact) that comic author Judd Winick has penciled here, and it's pulled off so well by all the moving pieces involved. The movie moves along at a blistering pace (totaling 75 minutes in all), but manages to make you feel for all the characters involved and stresses their human elements. Part of this is due to the excellent voice cast. It might take a while to get used to one Bruce Greenwood voicing the Dark Knight, but he brings an uncertainty and humanity to role while still being very Batman-y. Jensen Ackles plays a great charismatic villain as the Red Hood, and Jason Isaacs tears it up in a limited role as Ra's Al Ghul. Who I feel really steals the show, however, is John Dimaggio (veteran voice actor best known for voicing Bender from Futurama and Marcus Fenix from Gears of War) as the Joker. He manages to give the villain a more sarcastic humor, and plays him much more menacing than he's been in some time, making it actually plausible how such a ridiculous villain commands so much respect. Lastly, the action sequences in this film are amazingly animated and directed. They literally pull no punches when it comes to depicting the brutality of a fist fight between highly trained vigilantes and criminals, and it is to the film's ultimate benefit.

SO WHAT SUCKS ABOUT THIS MOVIE?

As much as the movie packs into its 75 minutes, it still can feel a bit rushed at points. We're dealing with existing characters here, and an audience that likely knows all about them, but for the unacquainted, there can be a lack of character development that can be somewhat troubling. Also, as excellent as the animation is in dealing with action sequences, there are some instances of long dialogue where it seems like the animators had troubling conveying the right emotions in their "cast". Lastly, although I generally like Neil Patrick Harris in his acting AND voice acting jobs, he just seems an ill fit for Nightwing here. He's only in a few scenes, but it seems like he's trying just a bit too hard, playing more Peter Parker than Dick Grayson... if that makes any sense.

ANYTHING ELSE?

The copy of this movie I got didn't come with the Jonah Hex animated short film, which is disappointing. I guess I'm gonna have to get the new Superman/Shazam short film collection if I wanna see it. Bummer.

SO WHAT'S THE FINAL VERDICT?

Even with some missteps, this is a fantastic Batman film. Period. No qualifiers are needed. It's dark, it's brutal, and it tells a tragic tale all within an excellently animated format. If you're a fan of comic books in the least, this movie is definitely worth the 75 minutes it takes to watch it.

i-Rix Review: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

This review was originally posted to my Giantbomb.com account. Check that out HERE

Castlevania is one of my favorite gaming series. Konami's vampire killing romps have been hitting consoles and handhelds since the NES. Yet, despite its longevity and the relative quality (at least of recent installments) of its games, Castlevania seems to be looked on as a second-stringer in the grand scheme of video game franchises. Out of this shrouded lineage come Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, what one could describe as a reboot or an adaptation of the series as a whole. It might not follow canon, but this is a dark and melodramatic tale that is Castlevania top to bottom. Does that make it a good game, though?

STORY

In LoS, you take on the role of Gabriel Belmont, a member of the knight-ly order of The Brotherhood of Light, an ancient organization tasked with upholding the will of God and keeping peace among the denizens of the land (kinda like a medieval Jedi order). However, a curse is plaguing the lands, unleashing mythical and hellish creatures and blocking the good souls of the deceased from reaching the afterlife. Among these dead was Gabriel's wife, Marie, and knowing her soul still resides in the world, they task Gabriel with finding it and learning more about the threat they face. From here, the adventure spirals off into a quest to retrieve the pieces of an omnipotent mask and destroying the Lords of Shadow, the leaders of this hellish invasion, freeing the land from its sickness, restoring the peoples' faith in God, and hopefully resurrecting Marie in the process. The story is among the most distinguishing factors in LoS, simply because of how infinitely dark it is. This is not a happy story, and there exists an increasing feeling of dread as the tale unravels. By the end, you're wondering just what kind of man Gabriel is and if he's fighting for the right reasons. It's melodramatic, but it works in this hopeless world that it exists.

CONTENT

LoS is a lengthy adventure for its genre, but there's not much to do after the game's over. Basically, you get a 12 chapter campaign that spans two Xbox 360 discs. The story is long and encourages returning to previous levels to get more XP and retrieve upgrades previously unattainable with Gabriel's skills, but the two disc system truly hinders this prospect (more on that later). There's also a heck of a lot of concept art to unlock, and one of the mini-games in the story gets unlocked as a seperate game mode after playing it in the campaign, but there's not much reason to jump back into the story after it's complete except for achievements or to prove your mettle on one of the game's four difficulty settings, one of which doesn't unlock until after a playthrough.

GAMEPLAY

From a gameplay standpoint, Castlevania very much falls in line with the rest of the hack and slash genre, but has its own unique feel and pacing. You attack with Gabriel's weapon of choice, a whip-like creation called the Combat Cross, and a handful of secondary weapons. However, unlike most games which separate their main modes of attack by "strong" or "light" attacks, Gabriel instead splits his repertoire into damaging "direct" attacks and crowd controlling "area" attacks. His moves are deliberate and definitely have some weight and delay to them, and this forces you to alter your playstyle significantly depending on the encounter. Don't get me wrong, this still plays remarkably like games like God of War, Devil May Cry, Dante's Inferno, etc., but veterans of the genre will definitely feel a difference. It also happens to share the weakness of those games in that it can become a tad repetitive after a while. Luckily, LoS does a good job of consistently feeding you brand new enemies to fight as the game progresses, and it breaks up long combat sections with surprisingly long periods of no combat, something that truly helps the pacing of the game.

The other part of combat revolves around Gabriel's use of Shadow and Light magics and sub-weapons. At a certain point of the game, Gabriel will gain the powers of the before mentioned magics, which augment his skills in battle (and occasionally in platforming sections). Apart from having unique moves to each magic, Light and Shadow magic play on a risk/reward system. Since both are fueled by the same "orbs", items that can be somewhat difficult to come by, the game forces you make the decision of whether you want to fuel the healing properties of Light (which heals Gabriel with each successful hit), or the damaging skills of Shadow (which ramp up Gabriel's attacks with extra damage potential). Ultimately, it's a matter of preference, but I found the ability to stay alive a lot more desirable than a damage buff, making me lean more heavily on Light Magic.

On top of these options, you're also given sub-weapons, most of which have individual strengths and weaknesses against different enemy types. Silver Daggers, for example, are direct projectiles that obliterate Lycanthrope enemies and ground flying foes, where as Holy Water devastates Vampires and the Undead. The most unique weapons include Fairies (yes, Fairies) which distract your foes and open them up to Gabriel's combos (or explode in a kamikaze attack if combined with Light magic), and the Crystal. The Crystal itself needs to be assembled, but once you have a complete Crystal, breaking it open unleashes a horrific demon which instantly kills all enemies on-screen and highly damages bosses.

The last part of the LoS gameplay package is its platforming and puzzle solving elements. These are simultaneously the best and worst of the game's gameplay. On the one hand, although the platforming can be thrilling at points, a fixed camera and some spotty movement options mean you're going to be taking a few missteps here and there. It also doesn't help that, on occasion, the camera takes form over function and makes it maddeningly obscure as to where you're supposed to go. On the other hand, the puzzles in this game make fantastic use of environments and do a great job of breaking up the pacing of the game. I think the developers were under the impression that many would not be a fan of them, as there's an option to skip any of them for an experience penalty. In my opinion, however, each of them is beautifully designed and a joy to watch unfold (not to mention a joy when you finally figure them out).

PRESENTATION

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a beautiful game. From a purely artistic standpoint, this is one of the best games I've ever seen. It sticks so closely to the darkly gothic feel, doing so with such skill, that when it finally does open up into beautiful landscapes or hauntingly sullen architecture that it's difficult to not just stop for a second and revel in it. The character design as well is unique, mixing a stylized Eastern feel with a more realistic look featured in most Western titles. Adding life to these characters is a relatively all-star cast of voice actors. Robert Carlyle adds a stern gravitas to his voicing of Gabriel, and Natascha McElhone as Marie is the lone light in an overwhelmingly black story. This black tone can almost entirely be credited to the voice-work of Patrick Stewart, who both narrates and plays an active part in the story as the character of Zobek. Throw in a classical score which actually uses some staples from the series as a whole (including an unsettlingly beautiful music box rendition of the "Vampire Killer" them), and you have a game whose beauty almost overshadows the power of its gameplay.

FINAL VERDICT

Is Castlevania a wholly unique experience? No. Does it feel wholly like a Castlevania game? No on that account to. Is it a fantastic amalgam of modern gameplay conventions and Castlevania aesthetics? Hell yes. A fan of either could easily find a lot to love in this package, but what truly shines about Lords of Shadow is the fact that, when combined, this game towers above the sum of its parts. It's a shame that many will overlook this game based on misconceptions, but that doesn't diminish the fact that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow contains within it an amazing gameplay experience wrapped in a beautiful shell that would make anyone cry bloody tears to look upon.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow gets 5 stars out of 5 and banishes the horrible night.