• Who is Victor De Leon and why does he have a Movie Den?
  • Meet Vic’s Den Crew

VIC'S MOVIE DEN

~ "Slow ahead. I'll slow ahead. Come on down and chum some of this shit!"

VIC'S MOVIE DEN

Tag Archives: Animation

Vic’s Review – “Batman: The Killing Joke” (2016)

31 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by Victor De Leon in Movie Reviews, Vic's Review

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

alan moore, Animated, Animation, based on the book, Batman, brian azzarello, brian bolland, Comic Books, DC Animation, DC comics, Graphic Novel, kevin conroy, Mark Hamill, sam liu, The Joker, The Killing Joke

12901123_10153938808595801_1798404160126418578_o

Batman: The Killing Joke

What’s it About?

As Batman hunts for the escaped Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime attacks the Gordon family to prove a diabolical point mirroring his own fall into madness.

Directed by  Sam Liu

By Vic

batman-killing-joke-movie-dvd-blu-ray

DCU’s mainstay animation director, Sam Liu (Batman Year One, All Star Superman, JL v Teen Titans) brings Alan Moore’s and Brian Bolland’s (who was inspired by the classic silent film “The Man Who Laughs” with Conrad Veidt) “The Killing Joke” to life along with comic book scribe Brian (Wonder Woman) Azzarello. The films marks the return of Mark Hamill (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Village of the Damned) voicing The Joker and Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) returning as Batman. The Eisner winning graphic novel, which was released way back in 1988, was a seminal one shot book that set the bar really high and is considered to be one of the best Batman / Joker stories ever published. It includes a uniquely dynamic and visceral backstory in which Moore explores, in parallels, how The Joker came to be and how he still remains in the present, trying criminally to show Batman how they are actually so much alike as a result of “one bad day.”

The book also is very important for having a singular incident befall a beloved character in the DC universe, resulting in said character to absorb a completely new identity as hero in Gotham. Having re-read TKJ a year or so ago and trying to retain all the material, I must say that the book remains very relevant and completely absorbing psychologically and artistically. In other words, it still hold up.

Unfortunately, over 25 years later, as a adaptation to the little screen (Or big screen depending where you may have seen it), by Liu, DC and company, the film falls way off the mark and is surprisingly flat, boring, outdated and uninspired. A disappointing effort that, given the source material, is rendered practically inert by a distracting and protracted prologue at the film’s beginning that feels like fluff in order to whet our appetite for the actual meat and potatoes, which ironically, in turn seems rushed and expedited. The start of the “The Killing Joke,” AKA “Batgirl Gets Horny,” begins innocuous enough with a VO of Barbara Gordon (Tara Strong) as Batgirl.

untitled1

She take us into her world of Gotham while expounding on the trials and expectations of looming dangers living in Batman’s world. Strangely, Batgirl comes across reckless, perpetually cocky, emotional and just plain amateur-ish at times as she tries to bring down an impetuous young mafioso in Gotham who has an Uncle in the way of his obtaining his empire in Gotham’s underworld. Within this story, Liu displays enough truck chases, fisticuffs, shots to the head and explosions to whet our palette, but I couldn’t help but feel like this whole affair was tacked on and just padding to fill out the running time. If it was the intent to add more depth to Barbara and Batgirl then it didn’t work and it just came off hokey and transparent. We already know and like Batgirl and have an emotional investment so why this prologue at all? Was it to set something up? If that was the case, then we’ve been played Batgirl fans.

What I think really annoyed me was the sexually driven narrative. I know better than anyone else that sex sells, but come on! Please, don’t insult my intelligence, DC. I won’t go any further than that, gang. Just be warmed. And in my opinion, it was all just unnecessary and comes across pretty trite. If Liu and Azzarello wanted to make a Batgirl flick then they should have made a Batgirl flick. Batgirl here, just comes across as a whiny, sexually frustrated and really immature hero that plays into the opposite of her also being a bad ass girl dark knight that can still kick your ass. Batman, here, only serves to swoop in occasionally and be broody and disapproving of Batgirl’s antics.

Batman-The-Killing-Joke-Animated-4-1280x707

What is quite frustrating is that this intro leaves nothing to the imagination or provokes thought regarding the dangers and psychology of living as a dark hero in Gotham (Batman is kind of a moody version of a big brother scolding his carefree little sister trying to school her in being a better hero) and only serves as a disconnect to what come after.

And getting to that…when the film becomes the “Killing Joke” in true form, the first thing we notice is that the animation style stands out quite nicely but then eventually becomes a bit inconsistent. In some scenes, (Batman’s attempt to talk to The Joker in AA for example) it looks pretty well rendered in shadow and color while others look underdeveloped and thick, like Joker’s facial expressions (his eyes looking tiny and weird) and some backgrounds like those at the abandoned carnival grounds.

batman-killing-joke-movie-wanted-poster

Liu and company try valiantly to replicate some fine moments from the Bolland’s art style in the book and succeed for the most part only in the animation but in the narrative and style in is sorely lacking in any real tension and build up. Do look for the great “pulled from the pages” shot of the Joker going mad after the botched robbery at the chemical plant, though! My only gripe with Bats here was his suit, bat emblem, ears and cowl. It all seemed a bit off to me but I am nitpicking and in the end is not such a distracting point. Perhaps it all was an attempt to emulate Bolland’s vision of Batman as a whole.

The film competently tries to follow Moore and Bolland’s book narrative regarding The Joker’s escape from Arkham, Joker’s flashbacks to his family and career woes, Batman trailing the Joker to the carnival including Gordon’s abduction and the almost demise of Barbara Gordon. I just wish they could have delved more into these story points with more depth and exposure perhaps using more dialog or even more visual explorations. Which brings me back to the forced rom com intro that needn’t have been thrust upon us in this particular DC animated outing (It also serves to sully and debase the character of Barbara Gordon imo). All it succeeded in doing was sucking the time that could have directed to more of the true Moore / Bolland story.

maxresdefault

Hamill and Conroy slip right back into their character’s warm slippers and do a commendable job as the voices of the Joker and Batman. I knew, for obvious reasons, that this was the only real saving grace to be had from this convoluted mess. Hamill and Conroy are just barely enough of an excuse to watch “The Killing Joke” in my opinion. They elevated it to perhaps an “episode of the week” entry with strong interaction and dynamic voice ranges as their prospectative characters. It is just pretty cool listening to these two again but I would have wished it could have been as another story or adaptation or an original story for the screen. Any other circumstance but this film. Shit, I could listen to those two do radio car insurance commercials.

None of the real impact of the the book is on display here and any of the psychological manipulations the characters go through are made minimal here by an uneven pace and vapid deflections. None of the explored themes jump out at you and because of the lack of exploration there does not seem to be any real danger or connection felt between Batman and The Joker.

maxresdefault (1)

The fact that they do not fit in the real outside world but are so much alike is never really explored except through a lame musical number by The Joker which is just embarrassing to watch. Everything just reeks of average-ness in The Killing Joke which is a shame since this was a highly anticipated feature. Perhaps the book was kept shelved too long before being made into a movie, who knows? It could have been served better as a late 80’s or early 90’s live action adaptation made by Tim Burton or someone of his ilk at the time.

Liu and Azzarello just do not keep the focus on any one thing that made the book a stand out and as a DC animated film, it is only just a curiosity piece and nothing more. The high standards, with the exception of some of the animation and of course Hamill and Conroy, are not displayed here and I cannot fully recommend “The Killing Joke” to anyone who is a true fan of the Moore and Bolland collab. But it you must indulge, and are a completist and enormous Batman fan, since the film does have some neat action and mayhem in parts, then consider “The Killing Joke” only as a rental.

batman-the-killing-joke-blu-ray-box-art

Advertisements

Share this:

  • Print
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Tweet

Like this:

Like Loading...

Vic’s Review – “Justice League vs Teen Titans” (2016)

12 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by Victor De Leon in Movie Reviews, Sci-Fi Movies, Vic's Review, Vic's Reviews

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

animated feature, Animation, based on the comics, Batman, blu ray, cartoon, cyborg, Damian Wayne, DC comics, DC Universe, DCU, direct to blu ray, High Definition, Jason 'O Mara, jon bernthal, justice league, Movies, raven, robin, rosario dawson, sam liu, Sci Fi, Shemar Moore, Superman, taissa farmiga, teen titans, Wonder Woman

“Justice League vs. Teen Titans”

Justice_League_vs._Teen_Titans

What’s it About?

Robin is sent to work with the Teen Titans after his volatile behavior botches up a Justice League mission. The Titans must then step up to face Trigon after he possesses the League and threatens to conquer the world.

Directed by Sam Liu

By Vic

Acclaimed animation director Sam Liu helms the latest DCU effort in “JL vs TT” (Yep, it has a “vs” in the title. Wink. Wink.). This is the 24 or 25th DCU animated feature, I believe. I’ve actually lost count. As is the routine with the DCU films, the big guns, The Justice League, are brought out to start off things with a big, loud and grandiose battle in the middle of the City, with the Legion of Doom, no less. Each of our fave heroes (Cyborg, Bats, Flash, Supes and Wonder Woman), fighting their villainous counterparts, get chances to shine in the early fisticuffs with the baddies.

While all of this big, bam, boom is going on we get to witness the lastest Robin, the impatient Damian Wayne (Stuart Allan), sitting on the sidelines grudgingly taking orders from Batman. The ensuing battle manages to lead up to Damian taking things into his own hands with the Bat-Wing and some Missiles, in order to stop Weather Wizard, who is taken over by a yet unknown entity.

Justice-League-vs.-Teen-Titans-characters

After the bratty, querulous and grousing Damian is tore a new one by Batman (with humorous defending by The Flash and Superman taking place), Robin is driven by the first Robin, Dick Grayson (now Nightwing voiced by Sean Maher) to the HQ of The Teen Titans, in a sort of “exile” boarding school move by Batman. There, he is to try and and fit in, in a team environment. And Robin is none too pleased. As Nightwing tells Starfire (Kari Wahlgren), Damian has had no childhood and has spent his formative years learning to kill. And it shows. Liu shows us Damian’s baby steps into getting used to being part of the team but not without it’s roadblocks. He’s still prying, suspicious, defensive, moody and combative (he even picks a fight with Blue Beetle and gets pretty messed up) to just about every one in the group but I did like the brief “X Men” – like dynamics woven into the story and the characters.

From the film’s onset we are introduced to what will be the antagonist and main plot filament that binds the film: Trigon (Jon Bernthal). Trigon being an infernal inter-dimensional bad ass that can possess the heroes (he tries his hand at Superman as well), and after a Carnival showdown with demonoids, we eventually discover a familial connection to Raven (Taissa Farmiga), who Robin has taken to in his own inimitable way. Raven gives us some backstory and then things become quite clear, then we are off to the races. The JL are taken over by Trigon and the TT, headed by Damian as determined to help Raven at any cost.

Justice-League-vs-Teen-Titans-Trailer

“JL vs TT” has much to offer in terms of hero interaction, inevitable humor and clashes (watching Superman get the JL back to “normal” was rad), which are well rendered and dynamic and one could expect no less from a DCU animated quickie like this one. It’s short running time, clocking in at 80 mins or so, works in it’s favor, too. There is no real time left for too much exposition (except on Raven’s part) and even though there are some missteps in coherence and logic, the movie plays out pretty fast and furious but it all stills feels rushed and under-cooked in places where maybe catching a breath would have added more cohesive-ness. But in the end it may all just be nit-picking when you go in with tempered expectations.

Liu’s film can feel entry level at times and can come across routine in it’s execution story-wise and the secondary like trappings can distract, but not terribly. It’s a decent time waster to get your JL superhero and animation fix all rolled into one, but don’t expect another “War,” “DKR,” or even “Flashpoint Paradox.” Damian’s arc is resolved nicely but with a bit of melodramatic flourish and yeah, he’s still kind of a jerk. Plus, Batman has been given next to nothing to really do here, but lay around knocked out, which is a shame. (Oh and stick around for an enigmatic little scene during the credits)

trailer-breakdown-justice-league-vs-teen-titans-831156.jpg

This DCU flick one has an ok Saturday morning vibe that is none too shabby if that’s what you need. Definitely consider as a rental first before a purchase unless you are a completist and need it in your DCU Animated Collection.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Tweet

Like this:

Like Loading...

Shawn’s Review – “The Lego Movie” (2014)

23 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by Victor De Leon in Movie Reviews

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Animated Family Movie, Animation, Children's Film, Chris Miller, Family Film, Legos, Phil Lord, Shawn's Review, The Lego Movie

Hey Densters! My good friend, Shawn O’ Halloran, from http://tv-tastic.com/ drops by Vic’s Movie Den for another killer guest post. This time he reviews the very popular: “The Lego Movie”  

1download

What’s it About?

An ordinary LEGO mini-figure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.

“The Lego Movie”

Directed by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

10 out of 10

By Shawn

It is a rare event that I give a film a perfect score but if there was ever a film that was more deserving in recent memory, I can’t think of one. The LEGO Movie is by far the best animated film I have ever seen and that includes ANY Pixar film (yes, I know… blasphemy). It is also the first film I have seen in years in which the entire audience stood up and applauded when the credits rolled.

Cleverly acted, the film showcases the comedic talents and sometimes surprising comedic talents of some of the biggest names in popular film today. Will Farrell (Lord Business/President Business) and Will Arnett (Batman/Bruce Wayne)… heck, those guys are givens as far as comedic timing is concerned but who knew that Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson could be so funny?

From the beginning, the story seems like nothing more than a rehash of the themes in Kung Fu Panda or The Matrix with the role of Po/Neo taken on by our very ordinary hero, Emmet (Chris Pratt). As the film progresses, it takes on the tone and plot of a million of other action film clichés but the visually stunning frenetic action combined with multiple clever pop-culture references allows you to forgive what seems like a generic story and just simply enjoy the awesome adventure that you and your kids are on.

The level of detail is absolutely phenomenal, right down to the tiny scratches in the ABS plastic and my favorite, the visible finger prints on the mini-figures themselves. And make no mistake, by design, this film was meant to be seen by families which just makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

download (5)

So, am I saying that the overall experience of the film makes up for the weak story? Nope. In the last 20 minutes of the film there are live-action sequences that tie the whole story together and turn what was a generic and almost mediocre plot into one of the most brilliant pieces of complex fantasy story-telling I have ever seen in a family film. It was so cleverly done that I literally slapped myself in the forehead for being tricked like I was because the film drops not-so-subtle clues as to the big twist throughout its entirety.

I came out of this film realizing that though cleverly marketed as a kid’s film, this is a nostalgia film for X and Y Geners (is that a word? don’t care, going with it…) and the tell was with 1980’s Spaceman, the insanely hyperactive Benny (voiced by Charlie Day).

Anyone whoever had this mini-figure (or a similar one with the space helmet) knew that within a month’s time of taking that helmet off repeatedly, the bottom of the helmet near the chin would split because it was so thin. The reason for this is simple: it was a two part injection-molded piece of plastic and that thin little piece was right on the seam.  The fact that someone thought of this very esoteric detail in and of itself is not only brilliant but it also helps achieve one of the film’s main goals: taking our generation back to a time when we were seven years-old.

The level of violence in this film is probably the biggest factor in the MPAA PG rating, but it’s the exact same kind of violence that a seven year-old kid would inflict on their own LEGO minifigures through normal imagination-fueled play and like everything else in the film, it ties into the big twist that brings the whole film together.

Is The LEGO Movie, as some have claimed, just a two-hour advertisement for a toy? Yep, but who cares?  LEGO toys are a permanent part of our pop-culture and certainly no different than film franchises based on G.I. Joe or Transformers… except for the fact that I can watch a LEGO film with my kids and not scare the living crap out of them. The motivations for this film are irrelevant as to its quality despite the cynical attitudes towards it.

My only regret is that we didn’t see it in 3D as this is one film that it is a moral imperative to see in 3D. Oh, well… I guess we’ll just have to go see it again.  Everything is awesome, indeed.

Thanks Shawn for the contribution. I am very grateful and I sincerely appreciate it!

Vic

Share this:

  • Print
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Tweet

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts from the Den

  • Director John Carpenter to play live concert in Syracuse, New York this November
  • Pics by Vic – Gallery Two
  • Pics By Vic – Rochester, New York
  • My Laserdisc Collection: Gallery Two
  • My Laserdisc Collection: Gallery One
  • Star Trek Movies Ranked: The Next Generation (1994-2002)
  • The Star Wars Movies Ranked (Updated)
  • Vic’s Review – “Train to Busan” (2016)
  • John Carpenter Alt Film Posters by Hexagonall
  • Vic’s Top 10 Roy Scheider Movies
  • Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Alert for October 2016
  • “Jaws” Quadrilogy Now Available On Netflix

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,670 other followers

Movie Den Catergories

  • Brian's Reviews
  • Eric's Reviews
  • Horror Movies
  • Movie Reviews
  • Netflix
  • On The Set
  • Paul's Reviews
  • Sci-Fi Movies
  • The Bond Films
  • The Hammer Films
  • The Hitchcock Films
  • The Toho Films
  • The Twilight Zone
  • Top 10
  • Top 5
  • Vic's Classics
  • Vic's Rankings
  • Vic's Review
  • Vic's Reviews

Search The Den

IG Pics from The Den!

the thing (1982) dir: john carpenter starring kurt russell DoP: dean cundey music: ennio morricone #alternativeart #scifihorror #film #movies #horror #altart #altposter #fanart #artwork #filmart #thething #johncarpenter #kurtrussell #1982 #cinephile #posters #cinematicart #sketch #inks #drawing #scifi #mood #movieart #outpost31 #rjmacready #filmgeek #moviegeek #heysweden #deancundey #enniomorricone
messing around with some filters. this one makes it look like a UFO landed behind our evergreen. someone call Mulder and Scully! 👽 #roc #mixtures #filter #dream #experimenting #photography #picsdaily #mood #ufo #tree #treeporn #hobby #justgoshoot #instacolor #color #green #filterbomb #rochesterny #snow #winter #xfiles #mulder #scully #nightvision #visuals #experimental #app #photoapp
obligatory #ROC snowfall shot. winter's not done with us yet 🌨❄ #roc #snow #snowfall #rochesterny #ROCsnow #585 #thisisroc #ROCweather #snowporn #justgoshoot #winter2018 #hdr #snowshot #tree #photography #hobby #justshoot #dailypics #instagood #renegade_rural #raw_usa #ig_color #visuals #artofvisuals #landscape #country_features
quick sun roof shot over #rochesterny #sky #skyporn #skyoverROC #justgoshoot #hdr #instapics #clouds #cloudporn #roc #sunshine #skypics #hobby #photos #aroundrochester #photography #sun #igpicsdaily #upstateny #carshot #trees #glare
now watching: halloween II (1981) dir: rick rosenthal 🎃 🔪 #horrorflicks #horror #horrormovies #bluray #bluraygeek #blurayaddict #bluraycommunity #films #movies #cinephile #debrahill #rickrosenthal #johncarpenter #horrorgeek #horrorfan #sequel #donaldpleasence #jamieleecurtis #michaelmyers #deancundey #ishothimsixtimes #halloweenII #bluraycollection #bluraycollector
sky over Alexander Street #roc #rochesterny #sky #skyporn #clouds #sun #cloudporn #skyoverROC #justgoshoot #picsdaily #instapics #color #sunshine #city #instsamood #aroundrochester #downtown #takepictures #camera #hobby #thisisroc #rocsky #hdrshots #downtownrochester #ig_myshots #ig_pics #cloudshots #explorerochester #roctopshots #icapture

Tweets from The Den

My Tweets

Recent Comments

S. T. on Vic’s Review –…
robbinsrealm on Director John Carpenter to pla…
Victor De Leon on Director John Carpenter to pla…
Paul Bowler on Director John Carpenter to pla…
Victor De Leon on Director John Carpenter to pla…

“Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out.”

Proud Member of The LAMB

Vic De Leon’s Favorite Movie of all time.

“What scares me is what scares you. We’re all afraid of the same things. That’s why horror is such a powerful genre.” – John Carpenter

Advertisements

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: