It's been 14 years since Matt Groening's Futurama debuted on March 28, 1999. After being cancelled by Fox back in 2003 and following four popular direct to DVD movies, Comedy Central picked up the show in 2009 and has kept it running to it's 10th season. Sadly, this week is the premiere of the Series Finale entitled “Meanwhile,” on Wednesday, September 4th, at 10:00pm ET/PT on Comedy Central. We'll all miss the wacky sci-fi-esque adventures of Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the crew of the Planet Express but you can be sure to see them on reruns and DVD for years... To celebrate the final episode CHERNOBOG'S BLOG Presents: The Top 10 Futurama Episodes! Enjoy...
#10 "A Fishful of Dollars", Aired: 4/27/99 - When Fry discovers he has over 4 billion dollars in his savings account he goes money crazy and buys a rare can of anchovies, now a rare and extinct delicacy. The evil Mom company conspires to steal it for use in cheap robot oil.
#9 "Fry & the Slurm Factory", Aired: 11/14/99 - Fry becomes addicted to Slurm, a popular soda and wins a contest (a la Willy Wonka) to tour the Slurm factory where he learns a terrible secret!
#8 "Reincarnation", Aired: 9/8/11 - 3 shorts feature Futurama in 3 different animation styles including old-timey cartoon. anime, and 8-bit video-game.
#7 "Bender's Game", 4-Part Episode/Movie, 4/26/09 - The Planet Express crew are trapped in a fantasy- game world created by Bender's mind.
#6 "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", Aired: 8/10/03 - In an effort to win Leela's love, Fry makes a deal with the Robot Devil to become a gifted musician.
#5 "Parasites Lost", Aired: 1/21/01 - When Fry eats an egg-salad sandwich from a gas station vending he becomes stronger and smarter from ingesting "intelligent worms".
#4 "Less Than hero", Aired: 3/2/03 - Fry and Leela become superheroes after using a "miracle cream" from Dr. Zoidberg and form a crime-fighting team with Bender.
#3 "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", Aired: 4/21/02 - Fry and the crew are put on trial for traveling to the forbidden planet of Omega 3 to retrieve all 79 episodes of "Star Trek" with the heads of the original cast members (except for Scotty!) and battles a nerdy energy being.
#2 "Roswell That Ends Well", Aired: 12/9/01 - During a supernova explosion, Fry uses the Planet Express' microwave which sends the crew back to Roswell, New Mexico in the year 1947 where they are mistaken for a UFO!
#1 "The Luck of the Fryrish", Aired: 3/11/01 - Bad luck sends Fry in search of his boyhood good-luck charm, a seven-leaf clover, stirring memories of rivalry with his older brother, Yancy.
I recently attended a special screening on the Disney Cruise Line's ship the Disney Wonder last week of two of the newest films from Disney: Monsters University and The Lone Ranger and decided to feature a double review of this Summer's biggest Disney releases!
Monsters University is a prequel to 2001's extremely successful and popular Disney/Pixar film Monsters, Inc. Conveniently, Disney had recently re-released Monsters, Inc. on 3D earlier this year to prepare audiences for the prequel. Even though most Disney audiences and park patrons have gotten used to the idea that the lovable monsters had given up scaring in favor of laughter with the end of the movie and the popular (yet contradictory) Disney World attraction Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor®. With the prequel both Disney/Pixar and the monsters are essentially going "back to school" and returning to their scare roots. Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal) has dreamed of being a "scarer" and attending MU since he was very young. Having studied hard all his life to get where he is, he soon finds out that the university's scare program is not as easy to get into as he thought. Along with the usual pressures of a college freshman such as difficult classes, deans, professors and competing fraternities, the biggest obstacle is fellow student James P. 'Jimmy' Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman), who not only is a legacy at the university, but also has natural scaring talent which unfortunately Mike does not. Although he works hard to be accepted by his fellow monsters and the faculty, he realizes he just isn't "scary". So to prove himself, he joins up with the lamest fraternity on campus (Oozma Kappa) to compete in the annual Scare Games! Although the usual prequel stigma goes with MU, if we hadn't already enjoyed Monsters, Inc. the characters would not have as much pull. Although the whole "scaring" obsession permeates the plot, an element that audiences have already gotten over, it's a surprise that Disney didn't just continue the story with "Monsters, Inc. 2" like they've done with their other franchises Toy Story and Cars. While several recurring characters make appearances in MU like former nemesis and one-time roommate Randall (Steve Buscemi), sadly the one character which was the most beloved in the original: 'Boo', the little human girl who befriended Sully, is absent. However, MU introduces some new characters voiced by talented actors such as Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), Art (Charlie Day), and Johnny Worthington (Nathan Fillion) just to name a few. MU resonates more with an older audience with many college age young adults who no doubt enjoyed Monsters, Inc. 12 years ago when they were kids and also has a bit of a nostalgic Animal House (but kid friendly!) feel to it as well. Overall MU is a fun, entertaining movie, with some very sincere moments that only Disney and Pixar could pull off. This may be the start of a disappointing Summer for Disney however as it is currently losing in the box office to Despicable Me 2. Seems like kids are gravitating more to those annoying, yellow minions than to cuddly, not-so-scary monsters!
The Lone Ranger is basically Pirates of the Caribbean meets the Western! Produced and directed by Gore Verbinski, it stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer. Although it is not surprising that Depp gets first billing as Tonto, when Hammer plays the title character. It just goes to show how much of a box office draw Depp is. Based on the fictional character created for radio in the 1930's then on film and TV during the 1940's and 50's, the character has remained a American-Western icon for 80 years. This is the first time the character has appeared in a full-length major motion picture. The story is told in flashback from the point of view of Tonto (Johnny Depp) now an ultra-aged Indian in a display at a 1930's Wild West Show imparted to a young boy who idolizes the masked avenger. Flashback to 1869, Armie Hammer plays John Reid, a lawyer who returns home to Colby, Texas and his brother Dan (James Badge Dale) and his family, wife Rebecca (Ruth Wilson) and son Danny (Bryant Prince). As soon as John arrives he is dragged into a posse to track down the escaped fugitive, Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner). Betrayed and massacred by Cavendish's gang, John is the only survivor, who is found by the eccentric Indian Tonto (Johnny Depp) who believes John is a "spirit-walker". They soon join forces to track down Cavendish and to stop a greedy industrialist's involvement in a conspiracy to control a silver mine and the so-far unfinished transcontinental railroad. While full of intense action and western-style adventure, this very modern take on the legendary masked-hero is far from the original. An unlikely, accidental hero, Hammer's Lone Ranger is more-often bumbling at times than he is heroic and Depp, as his certifiably-insane companion, almost single-handedly steals the show! A fan of Depp since his early Tim Burton days (i.e. Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood), unfortunately he has yet to release himself of his typecast part as Capt. Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Even so far as to play his character in Lone Ranger almost like Jack Sparrow in war-paint! This isn't his first Western, having played the reluctant outlaw William Blake in Dead Man (1993). His antics and remarkable luck are so over-the-top that Armie Hammer, who has had some minor success in more serious films like The Social Network and J. Edgar, is borderline boring! The movie should have just been called "Tonto & The Lone Ranger"! Also the character deviates from the basic strict moral code that Lone Ranger has followed for years and comes off as more of a poor imitation. Just because you put on the mask and shoot silver bullets doesn't make you "The Lone Ranger", you might as well ride a wooden stick-horse. The movie even goes so far as to mock the Lone Ranger's beloved catchphrase "Hi-ho Silver, away!" but it does manage to include the classic theme song "The William Tell Overture" in the climax. As for a Western, action-adventure movie, and a Disney at that, The Lone Ranger suffers from the same over-the-top action and violence common in action movies today. For an action movie, it is exciting and entertaining but as far as being true to the beloved, classic character, it fails. So far, it has received mostly negative critical reception and performed poorly at the box office. Depending on it's outcome we may not see a "Lone Ranger 2" but we are definitely getting Pirates 5 and 6 so don't worry, Johnny Depp will continue to be his usual crazy and (not-so) unpredictable self until he is as old as Tonto.
In 2009, Paramount released G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra following the popularity of the 80's Hasbro toy based movies like Transformers (2007). Directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing), the first G.I. Joe live-action movie was not very successful (barely making $150 million) and was panned by critics for its camp and cheesiness, although it remains simply a fun action movie, it was not taken very seriously. Whether it was a combination of directing, writing or casting (especially Marlon Wayans as Ripcord?!), The Rise of Cobra did not "wow" fans as it had hoped. Despite it's shortcomings, it left several open plot-points to be addressed in the sequel, which many doubted would even be made. With the release of G.I. JOE: Retaliation (2013), almost the entire cast has been replaced except for a few vital characters and fan-favorites. At the end of The Rise of Cobra, both Cobra Commander (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Destro (Christopher Eccleston) (both actors whom do NOT return for the sequel) were captured and imprisoned as their plan to launch nanomite missiles at major cities was thwarted by G.I. JOE, however Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) had successfully taken the place of The President of the U.S.A. (Jonathan Pryce)!
Now in command of G.I. JOE, Duke (Channing Tatum), leads his team on a mission in North Korea only to be ambushed afterwards by agents of Cobra. The only survivors are Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). With the G.I. JOE team presumed dead, The President/Zartan condemns the G.I. JOE team allowing Cobra to take over and begin their plan to launch satellite weapons called ProjectZeus into orbit which will target every major city in the world! While Snake-Eyes (Ray Park) is away to train new recruit Jinx (Elodie Yung), Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) and Firefly (Ray Stevenson) break Cobra Commander (now played by Luke Bracey) out of his heavily guarded and sophisticated, underground prison, leaving Destro literally "out of the band". While the Joes find a way to reveal The President for who he really is, they enlist the help of retired General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis) to stop Cobra from taking over! Jon M. Chu, director of such teen-oriented/music/dance movies such as Step Up 3D (2010) and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011) seemed an unlikely choice to direct a special-effects driven action movie, but after seeing it, I was thoroughly impressed. Gone are the hokey, low-budget looks of The Rise of Cobra as well as the Sci-Fi-like costumes and weapons, in favor of a more Modern Warfare style with the G.I. JOEs wearing basic military camouflage instead of the black-tight, armor of the first movie (with the exception of Snake-Eyes). As for the plot, every element in the movie is very much like the original G.I. JOE cartoons we all know and love, right down to the ultimate weapon of mass destruction and Cobra's desire to rule the world. As for the characters, really, the only ones who return from the first movie to make a significant impact in the movie is Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow, whose life-long feud hearkens back to the original comic books and their origins in the first movie. As for the other main JOEs like Duke, played by Channing Tatum, who has a very "brief" appearance in the movie, Roadblock, played by former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is the most prominently featured character in the movie and could almost hold the whole film by himself. As for Snake-Eyes' (played by the versatile stunt-actor Ray Park, who also played Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I) part, while exciting (and with ninjas!), seems more like a side-story compared to the rest of the plot. The famous couple of Flint and Lady Jaye is featured, although Flint is somewhat bland, forgettable and is in no way like his character, he doesn't even wear his signature green beret! Lady Jaye however makes for an interesting character and is given an emotional backstory, unlike Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), who came across as very cold and stiff in the first movie. The addition of Joe Colton, played by Bruce Willis is somewhat ancillary as his function is to fill the void left by General Hawk (Dennis Quaid, who also does not return) from the last movie. Like most aging action-stars, Willis does make a few "old" jokes like in The Expendables 2, but it is not as overdone.
The villains in Retaliation are much more like their cartoon/toy counterparts. Although we see nothing of Destro, who was a major part of the first movie, he is rumored to come back in the third movie. In the new movie, Cobra Commander appears in a few scenes complete with uniform and his trademark silver face-mask, along with his new, deep, Darth Vader-esque voice, he is a very imposing figure. The Cobra symbol, which was almost non-existent in the first movie, is boldly displayed in the movie, although sadly they refrain from using their famous "COBRA!" battle-cry. Firefly, played by Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone (2008), makes for an interesting villain as the fan-favorite Cobra saboteur, who even uses tiny, robotic, fireflies! As Cobra takes over the government, proudly raising their flags over the capitol, you can't help but consider the subject of The White House being taken over by terrorists which is starting to become a popular trend with upcoming films like Olympus Has Fallen starring Gerard Butler and White House Down (coincidentally also starring Channing Tatum) which seems to suggest a possible political agenda.
Originally, G.I. JOE: Retaliation was set to be released back in June 2012, but due to the recent popularity of 3D movies, it was pushed back to March 2013 so that it could be converted to 3D. The 3D effect, however provides very little improvement as suspected. February and March have always been a "dead time" for movie box offices, with movies like Oz the Great and Powerful pushing for $200 million, Summer blockbusters like The Avengers, which made over $600 million over the Summer. The G.I. JOE movie franchise has surprisingly improved in quality but has yet to surpass the opening weekend numbers of the first movie of $50 million, only bringing in $40.5 million so far.
Despite the huge fan-following and heavy Internet promotion with YouTube and Cobra Special Forces.com, G.I. JOE: Retaliation, I fear, will be just another mediocre action movie franchise. Most of its appeal relies mostly on the nostalgia factor and for those like me, who were kids during the 1980's. Now as adults, we can enjoy the Transformers and G.I. JOE movies without taking it too seriously, yet for those of us who still love and cherish those childhood memories, we can take these movies as homages to those toys and characters we spent countless hours playing with in our own little imaginations. While the first movie almost seemed like a parody of G.I. JOE, this new movie seems to try and take those characters and put them respectfully in a more of real-world setting and the film presents us with more believable characters and scenarios. If you were a JOE fan like me, than you just might feel the need to stand up in the theater and shout "YO JOE!"
With Halloween just around the corner, there are always a few frighteningly fun films out around this time. One of the more "family-friendly" seasonal films comes from one of my all-time, favorite directors: Tim Burton! While I haven't been too happy with some of his recent movies (i.e. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Alice in Wonderland (2010)), I have however, been a longtime fan of his earlier, darker films such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, or Batman. This time, Tim Burton actually remade one of his own films, namely Frankenweenie! For those who don't know, the new Frankenweenie is actually based on Burton's 1984 live-action short-film, which Tim directed during his brief stint at Disney, which he was later fired from for "wasting their resources". It wasn't long before he would return to Disney/Touchstone Pictures and produce the highly successful The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) which remains one of the most popular titles and not to mention, successful merchandising properties for Disney today. Now Burton has re-envisioned his original idea, which almost 30 years ago, Disney had said was "too scary for family viewing".
Frankenweenie (2012) is a full-length, black-and-white, 3D, stop-motion animation film directed by Tim Burton, which, exactly like his original, is a dog-centred parody of Universal's Classic Frankenstein (1931). Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan) is a young but odd boy, who likes to make his own monster movies. His only friend is his beloved dog, Sparky (voiced by Frank Welker). One fateful day, Sparky is hit by a car! Inconsolable despite his parent's efforts (Mr. (Martin Short) and Mrs. (Catherine O'Hara) Frankenstein), Victor becomes inspired by his new, eccentric science teacher Mr. Rzykruski (Martin Landau), who demonstrates how electricity affects the nervous system of a dead frog. That night, Victor goes to the pet cemetery and digs up his dead dog and attempts to reanimate him using the power of lightning! Although his experiment is a success, Victor carelessly confides in his creepy classmate Edgar E. Gore (Atticus Shaffer). Then all Hell breaks loose (literally!) when his other classmates learn of his triumph and try to replicate Victor's experiment on their own dearly-departed pets!
The original Frankenweenie, circa 1984
As a fan of the original Frankenweenie at an early age (which was my first introduction to the world of Tim Burton), I remember seeing the censored version on the Disney Channel many years ago. I still own a long out-of-print VHS copy of it, along with the uncut version, which is featured on the Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD of The Nightmare Before Christmas. The new Frankenweenie retains much of the same dark, tongue-in-cheek elements of Burton's earlier work. While the plot remains virtually unchanged, there is the addition of more characters and even a love-interest: the shy Elsa Van Helsing (Winona Ryder), niece to New Holland's over-bearing Mayor, Mr. Burgemeister (also Martin Short). The new movie delves more into Victor's character and we get to see more interaction between him and his devoted dog before his unfortunate accident. We are also introduced to some of Victor's more "unusual" classmates (actually their all a little unusual!) including: Nassor, Toshiaki, "Weird Girl" and Bob. The delightful way in which the characters are portrayed are very reminiscent of other famous horror movie actors and personalities. Mr. Rzykruski bears a strong resemblance to Vincent Price, Nassor is very much like Boris Karloff along with his signature lisp, while the hilariously-hunchbacked Edgar E. Gore seems like a cross between Dwight Frye and Peter Lorre. As for the wide-eyed "Weird Girl" and her creepy cat Mr. Whiskers (Dee Bradley Baker), she is pure "Burton-esque"! As for the seemingly "normal" characters who inhabit the little town of New Holland, there are Victor's parents who are so ridiculously oblivious to his activities that they only become involved when his mother accidentally discovers the undead pooch living in their attic. There is one particular moment later in the movie that I found both surprising and confusing where the townspeople confront Mr. Rzykruski (Inherit the Wind-style) about what he is teaching their children and instead of trying to reason with them or explain himself he simply points out very blatantly, how stupid and ignorant they all are! Although the movie is chock full of macabre madness and frighteningly funny moments, there is almost too much going on in the movie which takes away from it's original story of a boy who is unwilling to accept the death of his dog. I suppose Tim Burton and Disney made the agreement to downplay the whole doggy-death while keeping the kid's attention with a lot of crazy characters and creepy creatures such as a flying bat/cat, mutant sea-monkeys and a giant, Godzilla-like turtle! By the climax of the film, there are so many things going on that the original plot is lost and you forget that this all started with Victor and Sparky.
The original Frankenweenie short was very direct and was able to tell the whole story in less than 30 minutes. The final windmill scene as in the original Frankenweenie and it's inspiration, the original Frankenstein, is altered drastically. Without spoiling the end, I have to admit I was somewhat disappointed as I felt it lost much in the way of the emotional impact that I remember feeling when I first saw a boy bring his dog back from the grave. For anyone who has ever lost a beloved pet as a child, the story is very relateable. But as for all of the extra craziness brought on by the horrific hi-jinx, you begin to question why Tim Burton felt the need to remake it in the first place. If you are a fan of the original Frankenweenie, it might be fun to see, but lower your expectations. Frankenweenie is fun, visually and technologically entertaining but it lacks substance. As for other horror-themed animated films this year, I felt ParaNorman was superior.
After the success of director Tim Burton's Batman films (Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992)) on September 5, 1992, Fox Kids aired one of the best and most beloved animated series in the last twenty years: Batman: The Animated Series! From 1992 to 1995, Batman was the most popular animated series on Saturday morning sparking a renewed interest in Batman, especially for kids. By its third season in 1994, the show changed its name to The Adventures of Batman & Robin, (although originally, the show never featured a title until then which was very unusual for an animated series) as Robin (Loren Lester) was featured more prominently in the show, along with Batgirl (Melissa Gilbert). The show's remarkable creative team which included writer/producer Paul Dini and artist/producer Bruce Timm helped to create the unique, dark/deco, style of the show. Some of the best and well-known voice actors like Kevin Conroy (Batman), Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (Alfred), Bob Hastings (Commissioner Gordon), Adrienne Barbeau (Catwoman), Richard Moll (Harvey Dent/Two Face), Paul Williams (The Penguin), Ron Perlman (Clayface) and of course Mark Hamill (The Joker), also added to the shows quality and immense success.
When the series ended after three seasons, The WB Network aired a continuation with The New Batman Adventures (1997-1999) featuring a slightly different animation style including a younger Robin (Tim Drake) with Dick Grayson as Nightwing. The show's success also led to a spin-off: Batman Beyond (1999-2001), a futuristic Batman animated series and the creation of Superman: The Animated Series (1996-2000) later the highly popular Justice League (2001-2004) and Justice League: Unlimited (2004-2006) animated series on Cartoon Network. To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Batman - The Animated Series, CHERNOBOG'S BLOG PROUDLY PRESENTS: My Top 10 Favorite Episodes! (Note: These Top 10 episodes focus only on the original run of the Batman Animated Series with some commentary)...Enjoy!
#10 "Trial" (Aired: 5/16/1994) - Many of Batman's deadliest villains including Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and The Mad Hatter kidnap Batman and put him on trial at Arkham Asylum for creating them with The Joker as the judge! With Janet Van Dorn (Stephanie Zimbalist), a shrewd attorney representing him, she proves that they in fact created themselves without Batman's help! I was always excited when the show involved the infamous Arkham Asylum, where all of Batman's villains resided at one time or another. It was always a popular location in the comics and was even later featured as part of the highly popular video game Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009).
#9 Perchance to Dream" (Aired: 10/19/1992) - Bruce Wayne wakes up to discover his parents are still alive, he's engaged to Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman) and someone else is impersonating Batman! Soon he discovers he is trapped in a dream world created by The Mad Hatter (Roddy McDowall). This was a very different episode giving us a look into what Bruce Wayne's life would be like if his parents had never been murdered and he had never become Batman. You really feel for Bruce when he finally accepts his new life and just want him to be happy but feel just as frustrated when he does realize that it's all a dream.
#8 "Dreams In Darkness" (Aired: 5/3/1993) - Batman is exposed to The Scarecrow's (Henry Polic II) fear toxin, driven insane, Batman is locked up in Arkham Asylum, where he is haunted by terrifying visions of his parents' murder. This was a considerably frightening episode full of disturbing imagery, especially seeing Batman at his weakest point tied in a straight-jacket! The Scarecrow was another one of my favorite villains, and was usually the most frightening. This wasn't so however in his first appearance in the episode "Nothing To Fear" (Aired: 9/15/92) where the Scarecrow's mask was very simple. In "Dreams In Darkness" we are introduced to Scarecrow's new mask which is much more shocking, featuring a distorted burlap face with jagged teeth and straw hair.
#7 "Night of the Ninja"/"Day of the Samurai" (Aired:10/26/92 & 2/23/93) - These two episodes go together perfectly as they both feature the ninja Kyodai Ken (Robert Ito), who was once Bruce Wayne's rival while he trained in the martial arts in Japan under Yoru Sensei (Chao Li Chi). In "Night of the Ninja" Ken tries to destroy the Wayne fortune and ultimately kidnaps him and reporter Summer Gleeson (Mari Devon). Wayne cannot reveal his martial arts talent while Summer watches without a little help from Robin. In "Day of the Samurai" Ken kidnaps a student of Yoru Sensei and challenges Batman to a duel on the slopes of an active volcano. However Ken believes he has an edge as he has learned an ancient, forbidden martial arts technique that can kill with a touch! I have long had a fascination with Japan and the Samurai ever since I saw the Sean Connery/James Bond movie You Only Live Twice (1967) with my Dad. Since then I have been a fan of the Japanese samurai and Jidaigeki/Samurai films, especially those of Akira Kurosawa (i.e. Seven Samurai and Yojimbo). Batman has always had both a certain ninja appeal to his character (as in the movie Batman Begins (2005), he trains in a ninja style with the League of Shadows under Ra's Al Ghul.) But in "Day of the Samurai" Kyodai Ken says to Batman "You would've made a good ninja." Batman replies: "I would prefer to be a Samurai!" Also, the addition of using real Japanese dialogue added to the episode's atmosphere.
#6 "Tyger, Tyger" (Aired: 10/30/1992) - Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Adrienne Barbeau) is kidnapped by Dr. Emile Dorian (Joseph Maher), a mad scientist experimenting with cats, who transforms her into a real Cat-woman! When Batman tracks her to the doctor's island to rescue her, he has to battle the doctor's favorite creation: Tygrus (Jim Cummings), a huge humanoid-cat creature! This episode always fascinated me. Batman had several episodes dealing with animal transformation particularly with the character of Man-Bat ("On Leather Wings" and "Terror In the Sky" or Woman-Bat) and even werewolves ("Moon of the Wolf"). This episode had a very strong Island of Dr. Moreau vibe which I loved and seeing Catwoman in her feline form thrilled me! The reference to and the excerpt from the poem "The Tyger" by William Blake also added a special touch of class to the episode.
#5 "The Demon's Quest" (Aired: 11/3/1992) - Written by Dennis O' Neil and based on his story "Daughter of the Demon" (Detective Comics #232, June 1971). When Robin and is kidnapped, Ra's Al Ghul (David Warner) reveals himself to Batman/Bruce Wayne and embarks on a world-wide quest to rescue him and his daughter Talia (Helen Slater). Batman was unaware that Ra's Al Ghul was the one responsible for the kidnapping and wished to test Batman to see if he was worthy of becoming his heir. Batman denies and later foils Ra's megalomaniacal plot to destroy the world using the power of the Lazarus Pits which has granted him longer life. Ra's Al Ghul quickly became my favorite Batman villain and I sought out older stories including "Tales of the Demon" by Dennis O'Neil, who also became my favorite Batman writer. This episode has such an epic feel, right out of the comics it is almost like the original story somewhat condensed. The climactic sword duel between Batman and Ra's Al Ghul is a particularly exciting moment!
#4 "Almost Got 'Im" (Aired: 11/10/1992) - The Joker, Two-Face, Penguin, Poison Ivy and Killer Croc gather to play Poker and reminisce about the times they "almost got" Batman. This is a delightful, although very far-fetched episode. It allows for an interesting look at the villains in an almost normal but comical setting. The only one who doesn't get a vignette is Killer Croc (Aron Kincaid) whose very short story always makes me laugh:
Killer Croc: "He [Batman] was getting closer... Closer...!"
Poison Ivy: "And?"
Killer Croc: "I threw a rock at him!"
[Awkward Silence as they all stare at him.]
Killer Croc: "It was a big rock..."
Harley Quinn
#3 "I Am The Night" (Aired: 11/9/1992) - During a botched stakeout, Commissioner Gordon (Bob Hastings) is shot by Jimmy "The Jazzman" Peake (Brian George). Meanwhile Batman helps a young drifter named Wizard (Seth Green) turn his life around. This was a very emotionally powerful episode. We see Batman at his ultimate low having failed Commissioner Gordon and basically throwing a fit, even smashing his own equipment with outbursts of rage! As he contemplates whether or not being Batman is actually helping the police he comes the closest to actually quiting. Gordon recovers and Batman has a renewed outlook on his purpose.
#2 "The Laughing Fish" (Aired: 1/10/1993) - Based on "The Laughing Fish" and "Sign of the Joker", (Detective Comics #475-476, Feb./Mar. 1978), The Joker chemically enhances all the fish in Gotham, luring Batman into a death-trap with a Great White Shark! This episode features Harley Quinn (a.k.a. Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Arleen Sorkin) who was created specifically for the show and was first introduced in the episode "Joker's Favor" (9/11/92) as Joker's hench-wench, who quickly became a fan favorite and soon appeared in the regular Batman comic books, achieving her own title.
#1 "Beware the Gray Ghost" (Aired: 11/4/1992) - During a series of bombings, Batman/Bruce Wayne is reminded of a TV show from his childhood: "The Gray Ghost". When he tracks down the star, Simon Trent (Adam West), now a has-been actor, Batman teams up with his child-hood TV hero to bring a the mad bomber to justice! This has always been my favorite episode, most obviously for the reason that Adam West, the Batman of the '60's made an appearance (who I instantly recognized). The fact that it always spoke to my love of nostalgia, I have always related to it. I can always see myself when it shows a flashback of a young Bruce Wayne watching "The Gray Ghost" on the floor in front of the TV, clutching his Gray Ghost action figure and wearing a Gray Ghost hat and cape.
PERSONAL NOTE: The Batman animated series came at a perfect time in my life when I was growing up. I was already a big Batman fan, having seen reruns of the older 1970's Batman and Super Friends and '80s Super Powers cartoons and of course, I enjoyed the "Batman" (1966) TV show starring Adam West. I distinctly remember seeing the 1989 Batman movie on or around my 10th birthday and from then on I was a Bat-fan for life! I began collecting the Batman comic books and when the new animated series aired, I was extremely excited. I felt that the '90s animated series was MY Batman, and I have enjoyed it for many years. I even own all 4 of the DVD volumes and still watch them to this day. See you next time fellow Bat-Fans, "same bat-Time, same Bat-Channel"!
NOTE: Be sure to check out the wonderful book Batman: Animated by Paul Dini and Chip Kidd! LINKS: Watch full episodes of Batman: The Animated Series on The WB.com, Batman: The Animated Series is currently airing late-night on The Hub cable channel.
With the resurgence of stop-motion animation we are seeing a new age of family entertainment where both stop-motion and computer generated animation merge into a new wonderful film experience! In the tradition of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Focus Features and Laika Studios present us with ParaNorman, a hysterically chilling story about how being different and special may not always be an easy thing to live with.
Take Norman Babcck (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a seemingly normal middle-school student who is obsessed with horror/zombie movies. Aside from being socially awkward and a misunderstood misfit, Norman has the ability to speak to ghosts, and of course...nobody believes him. Norman lives in Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts, a small town very similar to Salem, Massachusetts. And like Salem, Blithe Hollow also has a colorful, yet cursed history.
300 years ago, Agatha Pendergast (Jodelle Ferland) was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death by seven of her fellow villagers including Judge Hopkins (Bernard Hill). Still today, the whole town is witch crazy with witch themed tourist attractions and a solid-bronze statue of a caricature of the Blithe Hollow Witch herself! Even Norman's school, Blithe Hollow Middle School is putting on a play called "The Witch's Curse" to mark the anniversary of the witch's death. While Norman tries to lead a normal life despite constant tormenting by a bully named Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), he has only one friend, the peculiar and chubby Neil Down (Tucker Albrizzi).
While Norman's family life is no different: his father Perry Babcock (Jeff Garlin) doesn't understand him, his mother Sandra Babcock (Leslie Mann) tries to ignore his eccentricities, and as for his older sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), who thinks he's a freak! The only relatives who really understand him are his grandmother (Elaine Stritch) who is of course dead and an estranged and "crazy" uncle, Mr. Pendergast (John Goodman). On his way home from school, he encounters his supposedly crazy uncle who tells him that he also sees the dead and tells Norman he must perform a ritual with a special book at the witch's grave by sundown or the dead will rise from the grave. Although Norman is sceptical at first, he finds the book and the graves of the witch's seven accusers, but something goes wrong and they rise from their graves as zombies. As the witch's curse is about to come true Norman, along with a group of unlikely allies including Courtney, Alvin, Neil, and his muscular brother Mitch (Casey Affleck) must find away to end the curse and send the zombies back to the grave! ParaNorman comes from the same animation studio who brought us the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline (2009), directed by Henry Selick. With highly detailed stop-motion animation combined with computer animation, ParaNorman, like Coraline is both visually stunning and has an entertaining story with an element of horror. Although highly original, ParaNorman can be compared to The Sixth Sense (1999) meets The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). The character of Norman especially, reminds me of Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense, although less tragic as Norman has come to terms with his "gift" as he often makes frequent pleasant conversations with the multitude of apparitions who inhabit his town, including his grandmother who sits on the couch and knits as if she were still alive.
Directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell have a great deal of experience in both stop-motion and computer animation as writer/director Chris Butler worked on Coraline and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005) as Sam Fell was the director of Flushed Away (2006) and The Tale of Despereaux (2008). I found ParaNorman to be delightfully entertaining and "relateable", particularly with the themes of being different and bullying which resonate heavily with the increasing problem in our schools today. As a fan of zombie movies I was surprised to see zombies along with references to death, ghosts, the occult and witchcraft/black magic included heavily in a PG rated family movie, as zombies have become more accepted in mainstream entertainment with AMC's The Walking Dead. Also there is quite a lot of adult-related humor in the movie which separates it from the typical animated "family movie" which is a refreshing change. While I feel that this may not do as well as I hoped in the theaters, this would have probably done better if it was released closer to Halloween like the new Tim Burton's Frankenweenie (2012).
The most fascinating aspect to this movie is the setting of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts, as I said before, being so similar to Salem, Massachusetts in many ways. For anyone who has ever been to Salem as I have, you will understand the similarities in how Salem is so mired in the tragic events that occurred during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, (which happens to be of personal interest to me) in which twenty people were accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death. The whole city is literally obsessed with witches as it has become a haven for the Wiccan population and is always a popular location during Halloween. The city was even dubbed "Witch City" and proudly displays the witch logo on everything from local shops and even on their police cars, they even have life-size bronze statue of Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) from the 1960s TV show "Bewitched"! (If you ever visit Salem, be sure to check out the Salem Witch Museum for a truly enlightening experience on the whole history of the event.) Like Salem, Blithe Hollow is also "witch crazy" and the population is perfectly content in continuing to perpetrate the lies and misinformation of myth and legend in order to cater to the tourist trade. ParaNorman is a highly entertaining and visually stunning animated film, with an impressive and socially relevant subtext. If you enjoyed The Nightmare Before Christmas or Coraline, then you are in for a frighteningly fun experience! See it now before it returns to the grave!
It's Father's Day! A day to celebrate fathers, fatherhood, barbecue and beer! For the last 100 years we set aside a day to honor Dad. In the world of cartoons and animation there have been many famous Dad's and despite how great or how neglectful they may be. We all see a little bit of our own Dad in them. From "The Flintstones" to "The Simpsons" and every Disney single parent, what would we do without them? To honor Father's Day CHERNOBOG'S BLOG Presents: The Top 10 Cartoon Dads! Happy Father's Day!
#10 Gepetto, Pinocchio (1940) Home: Italy - When puppetmaker Gepetto makes a wooden boy marionette and wishes upon a star to make him a real boy, the Blue Fairy grants him his wish and brings Pinoccchio to life. But it is only after he sacrifices himself to save his father from the hale Monstro that the Blue fairy turns Pinocchio into a human boy. Based on the 1883 children's book by Carlo Collodi it was adapted into Walt Disney's second animated feature film and became an instant classic.
#9 Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture, The Venture Bros. (2003-Current) Home: Venture Industries - The son of renowned super-scientist adventurer Dr. Jonas Venture. Rusty was a former boy adventurer and the inspiration for the 'Rusty venture' cartoon series. Now head of Venture Industries, and a single father, he lives with his two sons Hank and Dean Venture. The family used to live with Brock Sampson, their former bodyguard, they recently hired Sgt. hatred a former super-villain as their current bodyguard. Created by Jackson Publick, The venture Bros. is a popular animated series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
#8 George Jetson, The Jetsons (1962-1963, 1985-1987) Home: Orbit City - The original Space-Age Dad, George and is married to Jane and has two kids, Judy and Elroy. With their dog Astro and robotic-maid Rosey The Jetsons live in in a floating apartment building called Skypad Apartments. George works at Spacely Sprockets and tries to deal with the hectic and fast-paced futuristic lifestyle. Produced by Hanna-Barbara, The Jetsons were the Space Age counterparts to The Flintstones.
#7 Hank Hill, King of the Hill (1997-2009) Home: Arlen, Texas - Hank Hill works at Strickland Propane and is married to Peggy and has one son, Bobby, they also live with Luanne Platter, Peggy's niece. A former high school football star, hank is fond of his propane grill and drinking beer with his buddies by the fence. Created by Mike Judge (Beavis & Butthead) after 13 seasons, King of the Hill was the third longest running prime-time animated series next to The Simpsons and South Park.
#6 Fred Flintstone, The Flintstones (1960-1966) Home: Bedrock - Produced by Hanna-Barbara, this Stone Age family was the first prime-time, animated, family sitcom. Fred, a quick-tempered, accident-prone, caveman is married to Wilma, they have one infant daughter Pebbles, they have a pet dinosaur named Dino. Fred works at Slate stone quarry. The Flintstones live next door to their friends The Rubbles: Barney, Betty and Bamm-Bamm.
#5 Stan Smith, American Dad (2005-Current) Home: Langley Falls, Virginia - Stan works for the C.I.A. and is married to Francine. They have two children, Hayley and Steve. They also live with Roger the alien and have a pet goldfish named Klaus whose brain was transferred from a humans. Stan is a staunch conservative and patriot, prone to paranoia about terrorism. Created by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman it is currently in its seventh season.
#4 Peter Griffin, Family Guy (1999-2002, 2005- Current) Home: Quahog, Rhode Island - Peter and is married to Lois. They have three children: Meg, Chris and Stewie, they live with their dog Brian. Peter is an dimwitted, overweight, alcoholic, Irish-American who constantly endangers the lives of his family with his antics. Formerly an employee at the Happy-Go-Lucky Toy Factory, Peter currently works for "Pawtucket Patriot" Brewery. Created by Seth MacFarlane, the show was originally featured as two short animated films called Larry and Steve (1997). #3 Mufasa, The Lion King (1994) Home: The Pride Lands, Africa - King of the Jungle, father to Simba and mate to Sarabi. Mufasa was murdered by his brother Scar. Feared he would be blamed, Simba ran away only to return with help and reclaim the throne from his uncle. The Lion King is Walt Disney Pictures' 32nd animated feature film and remains one of its most popular and successful films remaining one of the highest grossing hand-drawn animated films of all time. It was adapted into a Broadway musical in 1997.
#2 Marlin, Finding Nemo (2003) Home: The Ocean - A not-so-funny Clownfish and single-father, Marlin lost his only son, Nemo, who was captured by divers off the coast of Australia. With the help of Dory, a Blue Tang and other aquatic friends he was able to find his son. Developed by Pixar Animation Studios, Finding Nemo was the highest grossing computer animated film until the release of Toy Story 3.
#1 Homer Simpson, The Simpsons (1989-Current) Home: Springfield, U.S.A. - The bumbling, overweight, alcoholic father of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, Homer is married to Marge. They live with their dog Santa's Little Helper and cat Snowball II. Homer currently works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Created by Matt Groening, The Simpsons have been the most popular prime-time, animated sitcom for the last 23 years.
"Remember as far as anyone knows, we're a nice normal
family." - Homer Simpson
It's been 14 years since Matt Groening's Futurama debuted on March 28, 1999. After being cancelled by Fox back in 2003 and following four popular direct to DVD movies, Comedy Central picked up the show in 2009 and has kept it running to it's 10th season. Sadly, this week is the premiere of the Series Finale entitled “Meanwhile,” on Wednesday, September 4th, at 10:00pm ET/PT on Comedy Central. We'll all miss the wacky sci-fi-esque adventures of Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the crew of the Planet Express but you can be sure to see them on reruns and DVD for years... To celebrate the final episode CHERNOBOG'S BLOG Presents: The Top 10 Futurama Episodes! Enjoy...
