WALL-E 3-DISC BLU-RAY REVIEW
Feature Time: 98 minutes
Rated: G
Studio: Disney Pixar

Thanks to mass industrialization and consumption of everything natural, we have destroyed out planet, and all that’s left is a wasteland of junk. Our junk. This is in the distant future right, or is it? In some areas of the world, you’d think it was today. But luckily in a Pixar future near you, they invent Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class), a robot designed to clean-up our planet by compacting into bite-sized cubes. Sadly the fleet of Wall-E’s have broken down except one to erect skyscrapers and cities of junk and rummaging through our remains. Dun-dun-Daaah!

In the ninth Pixar film, humans vacate the planet to live in outer space but deploy robots called EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) to come back to the Earth from time-to-time to see if vegetation can survive again prompting lazy, overgrown humans to shuttle back home to inhabit the once green and blue planet. Leave it to someone else to do the work, right? Many years have past, far too many to count, but a large corporation called Buy and Large, initiated all of this consumerism and consumption and eventually became the governing body feeding people more things to keep them locked in a seat, fat with information and virtual expferiences so that no one has to lift a finger ever again.

One day, our lone Wall-E finds a tiny plant living in a refrigerator and places it in his collection of human trinkets, unbeknownst to him that it is one thing everyone is after, everything with a heartbeat that is. After the latest deployment of EVEs, Wall-E befriends one of them as it’s the first companion he’s had on the planet besides his tiny friend, Roach, and takes a certain liking to her. She is everything he’s not: He roves around, she flies, he’s utterly defenseless, she has laser cannons, he has a nostalgic personality with one primary function, she is an aggressive Type-A robot thinking of only of completing her mission.

When Wall-E shares his latest find with EVE, it completes her mission and a spacecraft comes back to pick her up taking Wall-E into picturesque outer space to the human ship. The second act begins and we find out just how lazy humans are and how dependent they’ve become to robots and electronics. Wall-E meets other bots with other singular functions, all of which are adorable. Once the “head” robots discover that EVE was successful, their stranglehold over the humans will end. The final act and struggle to activate the return sequence back to Earth depends on Wall-E, EVE, and the Captain of the ship, a human, to save the day and send everyone home feeling good about being green and keep Al Gore singing “Zippity Do-Dah” and “Kumbayah ”

What is extraordinary about Wall-E is the way they tell the story through minimal verbal communication, almost child-like. They did the same thing on the cartoon Pokemon but at an incredibly annoying level where all the creatures could only say their name with different inflections. Thankfully the robots have a slightly larger vocabulary and do some imaginative things with the way they move, different postures, and the facial expressions which may just be a slight change in the eyes to a tiny mechanical part moving. At first it was frustrating because it was just Wall-E and Roach by themselves and you’re trying to take in the drastic scenery of Earth, and hardly a word was spoken. But once EVE dropped and everything raced to the spaceship, the strain of communication becomes a bit of a charming quality to Wall-E. It allows younger audiences into it at their level, but gives older audiences to figure out.

All Pixar films have a pretty wholesome little message in them even if we don’t want to really be aware of that when watching them. But it’s hard to look past how the metropolitan landscape of the Earth in act one came to be that way. The super-consumerism lifestyle promised and delivered by corporate gluttony leading to the downfall of mankind. How humans can reject the organic world around them and become mindless, overgrown babies is not a reality now, but there’s a plausible chance we are headed towards that–enough for Wall-E to make people pause and think.

Wall-E is full of contrasting things: natural vs. synthetic, the sleek, curvilinear, do everything Eve vs. the boxy, mono-purpose relic Wall-E, And even though they are robots, they are patterned off a male and female traits. Robots appear to have more emotion than humans and humans have become more robotic. Even though this is a Pixar film, and it’s aimed at the most general audience, Wall-E is an all-ages open love letter to the often misunderstood science fiction genre with nods to Star Trek, 2001: Space Odyssey, Alien, Short Circuit, Star Wars, and the list goes on. Wall-E’s collection in his trailer is filled with things geeks and nerds could only ramble on for hours about. I should know, I’m one of them; and both Wall-E and EVE (and M-O) have the warmth and glow of every other Pixar animated character because that’s just what they do best.

What would you do if you were the last living thing on the planet? What if there’s no other life on the universe but our own? Are we making ourselves obsolete with robotic technology? Will we be taken over by machines? What are we doing to our planet? What kind of life would it be to live in outer space? The answers to these questions are endless and is the very heart of the science fiction movie. We have to let ourselves go to imagine before we can discover, we have to think before we come to solutions, and sometimes we have to have an old fashioned romance to see the brilliance of a much-maligned genre and I’ll break it down even simpler, it’s Pixar, and there is little doubt you won’t like it.

OVERALL SHOCK VALUE — Blu-Ray: A+ / DVD: A-

If you were to buy one, and not be ale to compare it to the other, you wouldn’t know the differences, but I can tell you, there’s a big winner when you put them head to head.

First off, we know that the audio and video are going to be better in high definition, but the audio is on another level. The Dolby Digital soundtrack is enjoyable, but the DD True-HD audio track envelopes you, reproducing the theater experience, which is what we’re all after, no?The video has that extra pop, that luster and clarity that will make people drop their jaw, but let it be said that the DVD when up-converted, looks damn good too. In the extras department, the DVD will have plenty to entertain the family or yourself many times over, but the blu-ray will have you coming back to watch the film with different types of commentaries (not just audio) and the 8-Bit video games are simple, yet addicting.

When able to compare the two formats, I still like the creativity put into the presentation of the DVDs, the packaging, and the menus, but that’s the only edge the DVD has over the blu-ray. Studios are finding more ways to creatively put extra material to make it worth the extra bucks for the blu-ray. Regardless of format, Wall-E is a no brainer that shines in both home versions but know in purchasing the DVD, you may be double-dipping eventually because the blu-ray is a winning performer in the complete movie experience that maximizes your home theater and rewards you with exclusive, time-worthy extras.

DVD VS BLU-RAY

Choose your format and read on for extensive disc by disc analysis — presentation, audio, video, extras & exclusives!

• WALL-E — BLU-RAY REVIEW
• WALL-E — 3 DISC DVD REVIEW

Bill Cosby went back from being known as the voice behind Fat Albert to a comedian just being Himself in 1983. The performance video gave way to a new prime-time sitcom about the growth of an American family living in New York.

The Cosby Show was not just another great Cosby TV experience (I Spy) but was truly one of the great television families. Yes it was headed up by two successful professionals, Heathcliff Huxtable (Cosby), a pediatrician and his wife Clair (Phylicia Rashad) was a lawyer, but didn’t portray them as lavish spenders, instead showing they had the same struggles and hardships as any other American family.

The Huxtables taught their children good values, to value of the hard-earned dollar and appreciate what mattered most: family. Theo (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) carried most of the weight of the child performances with comedy rich story-lines about his poor study habits and living up to a sports-hungry father then balancing with his bout with dyslexia. Lisa Bonet played the middle child, Denise who had all of the motivation to start something but never the drive to finish. She was quick to want to be grown up, but never did. Mysteriously showing up after the pilot was Sondra (Sabrina LeBeauf Sondra) the eldest child whose book smarts were trumped by her love of a simple buffoon. Younger daughters, Vanessa (Tempest Bledsoe) and Rudy (Kesha Knight-Pullman) bickered to be noticed and grew before our eyes.

Cosby required no warm-up; hitting its stride from the very beginning. Memorable moments included Theo getting an earring, Rudy’s spiral joust with “Bud” or getting in trouble with Peter. Son in law, Elvin’s chauvinistic conversations with Clair never disappointed nor did the evolution of Vanessa’s funky hair. Cockroach would become a household name, Cliff went through every bad sweater known to creation and Clair’s wardrobe consisted of every shade of violet. The Cosbys knew the appreciation of music graced by the appearance of greats like Stevie Wonder, Dizzy Gillespie and B.B. King. It was important to make an effort to have real relationships with grandparents and real connections not acquaintances with clients, neighbors and friends.

The Huxtables were not only funny but they were important in painting a new picture of the African-American, and a model families of all races identified with. Shame on those who felt that the Huxtables weren’t “street” enough or poor enough; as if the only successful families could be portrayed by whites. The impact of the show would exceed the design but always remained a comedy, the highest rated show five years in a row.

Only in the final two seasons did the show start to sputter, trying to find ways to juggle the transition of Theo leaving for college and the return of Denise. Rudy was replaced by Raven-Symone as the cute one and the family grew another two with Sondra and Elvin’s children. As we dig deep in our pants pockets, the glue that holds families together isn’t found in the folds of our wallets, but warmth in our hearts–a place The Cosby Show knows all too well.

Presentation: B

There are more cumbersome ways to package 26 discs but The Cosby Show does so rather efficiently in four two-season foldouts that pinch each DVD on the bottom in cardboard slits. Also included is a Hirschfield drawing of Cosby and a personalized letter thanking the purchaser of the 76+ Hours of wholesome fun. A hardback 25th Anniversary Commemorative Booklet reprints the screenplay for the pilot and lists a cool index of some of the guest stars, recurring cast members (Adam Sandler, Carl Anthony Payne II) and awards the show walked away with. Holding everything is a cardboard box with a flap that reveals off the stuffing, however, unless the box is pinned on a bookshelf it doesn’t stay closed on its own unless lying with the flap on the top.

The menus are simple and really barrel that theme song into your head. Each episode is broken into two acts, with opening and closing credits. I will say that with any half-hour sitcom, the theme song gets on your last nerve, so unlike some modern shows that sandwich the opening credits with a scene, you can easily skip it with one tap of the next chapter button and you can do the same for the end credits unless you like to confirm that you actually did see Blair Underwood as an extra on the show.

Each disc holds 3-8 episodes but it’s better to just “Play All” because otherwise going through the episode menu involves a return to the main menu at the end of each episode which you have to go back into the episode menu walking through the entire catalog two episodes at a time. I only wish with the Play All option, there was a way to take out all of the openings.

Audio: B–

There’s nothing exemplary to speak of here, just old fashioned Dolby Stereo 2.0 from older television shows. Everything comes from the front, even the music-rich episodes.

Video: C+

Again nothing incredible here given how television looked in this period. The video is full-frame, 4:3 ratio. Nothing’s been enhanced in any way, thankfully, but nothing’s been done to restore it (which would be overkill). Remember this is just a repackaging of the individual seasons but if you compare the video quality to what’s currently available, the fact is it can look better. Can you still enjoy it? Of course, but it is what it is.

Extras: C–

If there’s a disservice to the 25th anniversary celebration of the show, it’s the extras. They’re highly repetitive and clearly not made specially for the box set or the landmark, it doesn’t seem like there’s been much effort to truly celebrate the achievement except for the packaging.

SEASON ONE (Disc Four)

Cosby Show A Look Back (1:26:36) is a 2002 TV special through the Cosby Show year book showing clips and interviews with the important cast members all grown up, sans Lisa Bonet. Hands down this the best of all of the extras, and if you’re able to stab at this first, there’s no urgency to view all of the other featurettes. TRUST ME.

Interview with Dr. Cosby Part I (30:50) and Part II (19:11) has the comedian doting on all the key ingredients of the show such as casting, (Whitney Houston wanted the role of Sandra) and how the relationship between Cliff and Theo mirrored Cosby’s real bond with his late son, Ennis.

Avoid watching the Bloopers (22:47) before the other extras because you will see these same bonus clips in all of the other extras. There’s a ho-hum photo gallery too. I hate to drudge on about this one point, but inserting the same clips into every single extra (when there’s only a small smattering) is pretty inexcusable. Also given the length of each featurette, most of them originally aired on NBC. Shown as lazy “clip shows” or lost episode fillers instead of airing a repeat, to find these on a 25th Anniversary box set as extras is the sign of the lack of budget, creativity, or an unwillingness by the cast to participate in another stroll down memory lane, perhaps all of the above.

SEASON TWO (Disc eight)

The second season also has a tiny cluster of supplements worth one-time plays such as Bloopers (5:38), and Cliff’s Parenting Tips (8:50), and a New Interview with Director Jay Sandrich (13:41) which was “new” in 2006. Just once I’d like to have seen an extra without clips, but even this last extra is loaded with again, the same clips. It really takes away from the comedic impact when viewing the episode; kind of like when a movie trailer has all the funny parts in it. Sandrich also brings up some of the same anecdotes heard from the season one extras. Whoever was conducting these spots should have considered what was going to be collected and try to ask some questions that would incite new content. He was brought in specially for a 10 minute piece? C’mon, there has to be more material than this.

OVERALL SHOCK VALUE: B–

Remaining a cultural touchstone for me, personally, The Cosby Show is still a bar to which many sitcoms aspire to. The early seasons are still strong enough to revisit from time to time and the show can still entertain a family at home or on in the van when you’re sick and tired of the same animated films for your grade schooler. Cosby had a genuine charm and sincerity, and just tried to tell good stories families laugh to. That we can strive for sophistication and show our silly side at the same time. This is when television was TELEVISION. I only wish there was a better effort to bring a more modern appreciation of it in this box set, but it’s not enough to deter anyone from a handsome box set that makes a fine gift or simply fills those lazy weekends with some good old laughs.

I found it an enjoyable, though flawed, experience.

FEATURE: B
Wu is structured logically, with Enter the 36 Chambers and the origin of the Wu-Tang Clan forming the basis of the introduction of the film. While brief mention is given to the pre-record deal beginnings of the Clan, the majority of the focus is on the Clan itself. The rest of the film moves through specific milestones of the Clan’s career.

I found it an interesting, but not gripping, documentary. It is comprised mostly of old footage, such as limited run television shows, interviews, music video clips, and outtake footage. Newer interviews with rap figures like Chuck Creekmur, Steve Rifkind, and Bobbito Garcia provide context for the Clan’s status.

Partway through, Wu became a time capsule. The early ’90s braggadoccio and style become just as important as the facts being presented on-screen. The early Wu-Tang Clan videos were of the “A bunch of guys jumping around, dancing, and mean mugging in front of a camera” variety. They included curious spellings of Clan member’s names, shaky cam, and timecodes left on the video. Enter the 36 Chambers features scratchy samples and is missing curses entirely on Protect Ya Neck.

All of these are things that would look unprofessional in any other light, but it worked for the Wu. They were excited to be on, eager to get going, and were going to grasp success by any means necessary. In hindsight, it seems like they appeared on the scene fully-formed and amazingly brash. Each member got a solo deal with a different label on top of the group deal, which was unheard of at that point in time. The Clan has enjoyed nearly fifteen years of success as a group and as individual members.

If I had to pin down one thing that Wu is about, it would be the Wu as an entity unto itself. The Clan made it through inter-personal drama, label drama, and real life. The Clan isn’t quite the same juggernaut that it once was, but it still carries that brand name that makes people sit up and pay attention.

The documentary, if anything, is hurt by its runtime. It feels short. While it covers a lot of ground, it is more of a sprint to the finish line, instead of a leisurely stroll. Very little attention, if any attention at all, is given to the philosophies and kung fu film origins of the Clan. Many members do not get a lot of screentime outside of old footage or ancient interviews, leaving the impression that the most important members of the Clan are RZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon.

The documentary goes in-depth into the trials of Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and uses the kind of analysis I’d liked to have seen on the other subjects of the documentary. RZA’s production, Method Man’s acting career, Ghostface’s solo career, the Wu-Tang Clan’s ever-present chess metaphors, and plenty of other topics were simply left out.

AUDIO: C
For a film about a music group, surprisingly little attention is given to the music itself. Barring talk of record deals and sales, we do not get much information about the music beyond the ever present background music, which is mostly composed of Wu-Tang Clan instrumentals, and even that is never identified.

The sound mix is nothing special, which is to be expected from a documentary, I think. It doesn’t need the trickery and gimmicks that accompany summer action movie releases. It simply needs to get the point across, which it does.

More information on the music, or even a hint of what was playing when, would have been welcome. It lowers the music to the state of generic background tunes, which is less than it deserves.

PRESENTATION: C
There isn’t anything particularly special or innovate about Wu’s presentation. The box is your standard DVD case, and the menus are as simple as they come. They are functional and easy to use, but not particularly interesting.

EXTRAS: C+
There are a few extras on the disc, which are between five to fifteen minutes in length. There are extended segments with Raekwon, RZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s widow, and others. These are interesting, though parts of these pieces can be found during the course of the documentary.

A classic Wu-Tang Clan music video rounds out the extras.

OVERALL: B
I can’t help but compare Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan to The Wu-Tang Manual: Enter the 36 Chambers, Volume 1. It was a book released in early 2005 that detailed the lives of Clan members before the Clan existed and spent a lot of time going over minutia and trivia of the Clan.

The documentary’s scope is more of an overview or a primer, rather than an in-depth work. Overall, it is a solidly enjoyable work, but I would have liked to see something a little more brave or less safe than what we got. That may sound a little unfair, so I do want to emphasize that the documentary is a pleasant watch– it just isn’t everything it could have been.

Studio: Universal Studios
Running time: 120 Minutes

Lost in the 2008 comic book movie shuffle is one of the best comic book films, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Hellboy might not be as widely known, but he is just as noticeable. Director, Guillermo del Toro once again directs the sequel to the mildly successful Hellboy with all of the principle characters back with him. The first film was about big red thinking he’s human, hating creatures and wanting to fit in with humans but in The Golden Army, he’s not accepted by the humans with open arms and becomes more comfortable being a outsider.

Our story opens up with a Young Hellboy learning the story of the Golden Army through a bedtime story told by his father, Professor Broom (John Hurt). Seen through the imagination of a young Hellboy, the tale is told through puppets of how a goblin blacksmith created an indestructible Golden Army for the Elves as a weapon against the humans. King Balor slaughtered the humans with them and called a truce, never to activate the army again. He breaks his crown that controls the army, in three pieces and separates one piece so no one can find it. He keeps one for himself and gives the other to his daughter, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton). Her twin brother Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), doesn’t trust the humans and runs away vowing to return to exact revenge in the distant future.

The bedtime story remains as such, until the lost piece is tracked down at an auction by Nuada who then wages war against the human race by unleashing a horde of ravenous Tooth Fairies, then by killing his father for the second piece of the crown. Meanwhile Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) work out commitment problems while investigating the auction house, but Hellboy is outed to the general public and the secret BPRD, is no longer a secret. Now, with only one piece missing, Nuada hunts his sister down who is in care of the BPRD (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) and more specifically, Abe Sapien (Doug Jones). Hellboy steps up to the task to battle a Forest Elemental, the last of its kind set free by Nuada, and in wounding it he discovers that he may have a bigger destiny than just trying to fit in with the humans who reject him. Even the BPRD has turned on him trying to reign him in under the control of Agent Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) and Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor). In an act of heroism, Hellboy saves Nuala and Abe when Prince Nuada infiltrates the BPRD Headquarters but gets mortally wounded in the process. To save Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and Johann take him to Northern Ireland, the resting place of the Golden Army with the final piece of the crown in hand setting up one helluva finale.

This is the second collaboration between Guillermo del Toro and Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola. Del Toro understands Mignola’s product and gives him the latitude to expand on it even more, going bigger, and executing better. The story is tight and the pacing is right, never repeating the conventions of the first film. The action is non-stop and feels realistic and the grand epic looms behind every dark shadow. Still, Hellboy never loses its sense of humor cracking jokes, coddling cats and getting Abe drunk, leading to the film’s funniest moment, but (unlike Spider-Man 3) staying in its context.

Luckily for Mignola, his world is also the same one del Toro loves play in. Rush out to see Pan’s Labyrinth if you haven’t already. The style and techniques born in that Oscar-winning film flourished in this sequel. What del Toro does better than anyone is show both the beauty and the horror of these worlds leaving viewers conflicted. So beautiful–and so haunting at the same time. This is why this is del Toro’s film; his mind exploded on the screen. Locations and action sequences of his wildest imagination will be forever be etched in our minds like the Tooth Fairy sequence or the Troll Market–the Cantina Bar of this generation. Go through all of the extras to see just how involved del Toro was in every single aspect but remember that without Mignola, there is no Hellboy. Celebrate this original film they’ve created together and if we’re lucky, may we continue to reap the benefits of their friendship in the near future.

A GOLDEN BUY – OVERALL SHOCK VALUE: A

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army takes you to several new worlds and lets us step into the imagination of Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola, whose collective effort brings us a fun and fantasy-rich film proving that sequels can be better if the right people are involved. It’s paced better, looks slicker, and is more ambitious and fun than its predecessor. Being able to compare the two formats I couldn’t help but be drawn more to the blu-ray. The vivid color palette and textured world was magnified in the 1080p transfer. And despite the lack of HD extras, it’s got plenty of supplements that will keep you in del Toro and Mignola’s fantasy world for hours long after and is sure to get multiple spins in your player.

DVD VS BLU-RAY

Choose your format and read on for extensive disc by disc analysis — presentation, audio, video, extras & exclusives!

• HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY — 2 DISC BLU-RAY REVIEW
• HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY — 3 DISC DVD REVIEW

Feature: A–

If you’ve never seen Sarah Silverman’s stand-up routine or her ridiculous television show, The Sarah Silverman Program, then all you have to do is catch one episode from the very beginning. Silverman describes the show is about her, her dog Doug, and her real sister, Laura who is a nurse. Laura dates a cop (Jay Johnston) who no one likes. Her neighbors and good friends, Brian (Brian Posehn) and Steve (Steve Agee) are gay stoners who spend all day playing video games. Together they often find themselves in bizarre situations and half-baked adventures. Here’s a brief taste of what I mean.

Episode 1: Brian and Steve argue over Dungeons and Dragons while Sarah leads a group of extreme pro-lifers to shut down an abortion clinic, until they find out that she’s aborted a few babies herself.

Episode 2: Curiosity killed the cat, but here it put Sarah in a world of trouble and Doug is separated from her when she decided taste for herself, just how good a dog’s asshole could be. Meanwhile, Brian and Steve discuss their commitment to each other.

Episode 3: In “Face Wars,” Sarah bets her waiter at her local diner that it’s harder living life as a Jew than as an African-American. After a visit to a makeup artist who paints her in blackface, she understands just how quick people are judge her on face value.

Episode 4: When their mother’s grave site and remains has been violated, Sarah and Laura go on their favorite TV show, Cookie Party to try and win money to replace her tombstone.

Episode 5: Tucker Smallwood reprises his role as God and hooks back up with Sarah. But when he begins to resemble a needy boyfriend she uses him to impress others at her high school reunion. Brian and Steve contemplate giving up the chronic but at what cost?

Episode 6: Sarah finds out she can be a terrible person when she fires her maid, Dora and gets her deported on the suspicion of stealing one of her dolls. It turns out Sarah needed Dora more than she thought and must go down to Mexico to convince her to come back.

The cast and crew is comprised of Mr. Show grads and Silverman’s comedy friends. Posehn and Agee deliver some of the show’s best laugh-out-loud moments and Silverman will charm the pants off you with her cute tomboy looks and then leave you gaping after dealing a vulgar blow. Many of the stories come from Sarah’s demented childhood and wicked mind but also someone who indy comics fan know, Rob Schrab, of Scud The Disposable Assassin fame. He is the director of the show, a writer, and makes a small role as Mini Coffee, who’s best experienced on screen rather than any description I can come up with. It’s a show that’s understated as unique and best taken as a piece of Sarah Silverman.

There’s no exaggeration in my summaries and if you found yourself giggling reading them, then this show’s for you. On the contrary, if you didn’t find the synopses amusing, then you might want to move along. Comedy is such a subjective thing, and in no way is Silverman’s comedy is for everyone–especially those easily offended. She balances the tightrope of absurd silliness and smart satire but has carved her own brand of funny capitalizing on stereotypes, current events, and sensitive touchstones. Dave Chappelle’s not the only one who can do it right and in some instances I think Silverman takes it further and you go, “did she really go there?” You’ll feel guilty at first for laughing but it’s contagious and once it’s started, nothing feels better than a hard, tearing laugh at something as screwy as this. 

PRESENTATION, AUDIO, and VIDEO: B

A slipcase holds two slim cases that each house a DVD. The menus are plain simple, but appropriate. It’s standard TV affair at Dolby Digital 2.0 so there’s nothing there to surround you. But it’s a dialogue-driven comedy show so there’s no reason to expect any more than that. There are no other audio options. The Sarah Silverman Program is colorful and looks as clear as a DVD can look. Nothing’s been altered to the point of aggravation and the aspect ratio is full-frame 1:66:1.

EXTRAS: B

For a TV show we get a lot of things to open up–but don’t be mislead–a lot of them are really short lasting 2 minutes or less. On Disc One, there are seven audio commentaries for five of the six episodes and is broken down like this: Sarah and Laura Silverman do commentaries on eps. 1 and 4, Laura Silverman and Jay Johnston on episode 3. director Rob Schrab and executive producer Daniel Sterling on eps. 4 and 5, Brian Posehn and Steve Agee cover eps. 5 and 6.

The Good: the Posehn and Agee tracks are well-worth a listen; they keep the conversation going and varied. Schrab and Sterling also turn in solid ones too because again, find plenty to talk about, shedding some light on working on such a wild and creative show. The Bad: These episodes are about 25 minutes each, but with the amount of dead spots in the sisters’ commentaries, you’d think they were 25 hours each. The ladies really struggled to put hold your attention. The Ugly: two episodes have two commentaries and episode two didn’t even have one. What happened there?

The biggest and best extra on the second disc is the 2007 Comic-Con Q&A (29:33) after the first season. Moderated by the very dry and witty Zach Galifianakis, this gives fans a taste of the Comic-Con experience where the success of these panels depend on the strength of audience questions and the panelists being able to play off of them. With this cast, the answers start straight but they go on tangents and go south fast. And by south I mean vulgar and funny. On one creepy note, whenever Jay Johnston answers a question his answers tends to create awkward moments or quiet the room–completely.

Two Digital Shorts are a few skits designed for the DVD release. The first is a fantastically silly uncensored animated short featuring our favorite gay duo in Steve and Brian’s Basement Adventure (2:40). It’s silly, like everything else, but it’s short. A poltergeist with an unpublished screenplay haunts Brian’s New Office (1:57) In the fourth episode we got to see a clip of Sarah’s favorite TV show, Cookie Party. There’s three more episodes of the uncensored cartoon hosted by Mini Coffee (Rob Schrab) and Ookie. They’re insanely funny and inane shorts about scrumptious cookies that come alive and fart to save the day. Cookies Come Alive Part I (3:44) Michael Cookieson fends off the evil Crookie who wants his talking cookies. In Part II (4:15) Michael builds a robotic oven but the cookies aren’t having anything to do with it. Part III (4:27) The cookies get drunk. If you ever see the Cookie Video Game (1:00) on the shelves, do not buy it, I repeat, Do not buy it!

Last but not least are the eight behind-the-scene clips, again most at or around two minutes feel like skits that were drawn up to just film for fun but were never designed to see network airing. They’re made just for the fans. The best of the lot are the interviews with cast members done by Michael Smith who is anything but a professional journalist leading to very awkward moments.

SILVER IS GOLDEN -– OVERALL SHOCK VALUE: B+

Whether you first so her in The Aristocrats or from F-ing Matt Damon, Sarah Silverman knows how to manufacture laughs. It’s hard not to like her–even if just a little bit–and her show is damn funny. It’s dark-roasted laughs from a sassy, sexy Jewess, and every episode that airs is a miracle it doesn’t ruffle more feathers–in our seemingly overly conservative society. But all comedy comes with personal barometer for each viewer and their experiences. Some stuff may go sailing over your head, and other jokes hit the bulls-eye every time. I only wish that Comedy Central release this as one box set instead of splitting it up into two volumes. This DVD release is sure to please the already-converted and loyal congregation that laughs under the church of Silverman and may find those looking for something fresh and funny to arrive at an epiphany.

David weighs in on the DVD:

While Ernie checks out the Blu-ray:

FEATURE: B+
The Incredible Hulk occupies a strange place in the hierarchy of comics-related movies released this year. There are a ton of comics films that have come out, and are coming out, but Hulk came out sandwiched between the biggest of the big name comics movies– Iron Man and The Dark Knight. To call those two films “juggernauts” would be underselling both of them. The Incredible Hulk was immediately put into the unenviable position of coming out between two of the biggest films of the year.

For my money, The Incredible Hulk held its own very well. It avoided the risks of getting too far from the Jekyll & Hyde foundation of the Hulk and told a very straightforward movie with plenty of depth for those who care to pay attention and look for it.

Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner is as perfect a portrayal of the character as you’re likely to see. He hits many of the high notes from the comics, such as the intense level of self-control Banner must maintain, or the wish to get rid of the Hulk by any means necessary, and even brings a few more traits to light. His self-control extends past his emotions and into everything that could possible spread his problem. When he bleeds, he isolates and purifies the blood. Norton brings a lot to the character of Banner, and delivers a great performance because of it. The quirks, mannerisms, and even vocal inflection sells the character.

Norton’s other half, rather than the Hulk, is Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky. While he’s been changed up from his comics incarnation, the change is largely for the better. Blonsky is calm, self-assured, but still in search of glory. If I had to put a word to him, I’d say that he’s hungry. He wants to be better, bigger, faster, and stronger, to borrow a cliche, and he eventually downs the Super Soldier Serum to get it done.

The most interesting part of the movie, at least the most interesting part that didn’t involve the Hulk, was the dichotomy between Banner and Blonsky. Banner is quite literally on the run from the monster inside him. He has let the monster dictate the course of his life, and has spent his time running from the monster itself. Blonsky, on the other hand, embraces his inner monster to the point of being the monster himself. Everything he does, he does in pursuit of power. I would have liked to have seen more interaction between them, but that’s a minor quibble.

Of course, what is a movie about the Hulk without smashing? The Incredible Hulk delivers on that point, as well. Seeing the Hulk in action is a huge thrill, thanks in no small part to the lifelike animation provided by Rhythm & Hues. Hulk’s muscles stretch beneath his skin, rainwater pools and runs realistically, and an angry Hulk is one to behold.

PRESENTATION: B
The edition I reviewed came with three DVDs in total- one for the feature, including commentary, a bonus features disc, and a third disc with a digital copy of the movie. The third disc is in a white envelope tucked into the inside, while the other two discs are in your standard two-disc DVD configuration.

The menus for the DVDs are simple, but attractive. There is a loop of a vaguely hexagonal DNA matrix, with points on the matrix serving as menu items. Selecting a point pops up a new menu. It’s pretty much exactly what I look for in DVD menus. They are simple, but attractive, and there is not a long animation involved when selecting an option. Getting into the movie or adjusting options is quick and easy.

I’m a big fan of the new trend of including digital copies of movies with the DVD release. iPods or other portable media devices are a huge market, and making it easy on users to view movies on the go can only lead to good things.

EXTRAS: A
There is a lot to like on this DVD, not the least of which is the fact that there are a ton of extras. There are featurettes on how the Hulk was animated, characters were cast, and comic book connections. It is a very thorough offering, and one I’m glad to see happen on DVD as well as on Blu-Ray, rather than just on the Blu-Ray disc.

The evolution of the Hulk in particular was an interesting feature, as we get to see how they modeled the Hulk, what designs were almost used, and a good look at the power of the software and hardware Rhythm & Hues used. Could we have had a gray Hulk? Definitely.

The commentary is between director Louis Leterrier and Tim Roth. Edward Norton is noticeably missing, but the commentary doesn’t suffer for his absence. Leterrier and Roth talk like old friends, and there are a lot of jokes and laughter. If you watch commentary for technical details, there are plenty of those, but the majority of the commentary is of the fun variety. Special mentions are given to guest actors, notable scenes, or fun memories from the shoot. I like hearing technical details about how certain shots were pulled off, or previously unknown homages, but hearing the crew having fun with the commentary is just as good in my book.

OVERALL: B+

I found The Incredible Hulk to be almost just what I wanted out of a film about the Hulk. The proportion of smashing to acting is very reasonable, the visual effects are as great as anything else, and it doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s a fine addition to any collection, and the DVD’s extras and commentary make for worthwhile repeated viewings.

A couple years back, Marvel released an animated straight-to-DVD movie Ultimate Avengers, based somewhat on the popular Ultimates comic. Softening the hard series put a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths, but it did have some stuff going for it. It had that great Avengers vs. Hulk fight at the end and a sweet scene where Captain America realizes just which century he’s woken up in. All in all, it wasn’t so good.

A sequel came out soon after, featuring Black Panther. I remember very little of it due to how boring it was. The highlight of it being a fun segment where Tony Stark takes a walk through his cave of infinite Iron Man armors to settle on the War Machine design.

As much as I didn’t like Ultimate Avengers 2, that doesn’t compare to the outright disgust I had at Invincible Iron Man. Holy shit. That movie is so boring that, no joke, PCS’s own David Brothers fell asleep watching it TWICE. It’s made up of endless talking, bad CGI, lots and lots of Iron Man getting his ass handed to him and a laughable climactic battle involving the Mandarin’s ghost floating over a mind-controlled naked woman who’s defeated by Iron Man yelling “REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!” It’s really bad. I feel sorry for anyone who purchased it based on the success of the Robert Downey Jr. movie.

Following that came Doctor Strange. This one had promise. As an origin for Strange, it went really well. The character development was tops. Too bad they decided to bog it down with so many unneeded things. They decided that magic wasn’t interesting enough, so they transferred nearly everything magic-related into kung-fu sword fighting. Then they gave Strange a squad of kung-fu action sorcerers for the sake of a body count. It would have been pretty good, ultimately, until they ruined it with the most laughable deus ex machina in movie history. The way Dr. Strange beats Dormammu is so badly written and lazy, I’m still in awe.

My personal order is Doctor Strange over Ultimate Avengers over Ultimate Avengers 2 over Invincible Iron Man. The new animated movie Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow steps over that list as the best. But does that mean it’s actually good? That’s a good question.

The earlier four movies were pretty bad because they took an established idea and tore it down with mediocrity. They take ______ and make it worse. Even New Frontier was a great animated movie, but people disrespect it because it’s nothing compared to the graphic novel it’s based on. Next Avengers has that advantage. They’re on new ground, building up rather than tearing down. Even though the idea has similarities to the comic Avengers Next and the team that came out of What If the Secret Wars Never Ended?, it’s different enough that it isn’t stepping on anyone’s toes.

The exposition is told to us by an older Tony Stark as a bedtime story. Years ago, the Avengers (616 style, not Ultimates) kicked enough evil ass that they could retire. They paired up and had some kids. Then Ultron showed up and killed the whole lot of them. Surviving the slaughter, Tony Stark took the children and escaped to an isolated paradise. For about 15 years or so, Tony raised the children as his own and trained them in using their abilities.

The leader of the team is James Rogers, son of Captain America and Black Widow. He lacks his father’s unbreakable shield, but does wield the holoshield that Cap had back in the 90’s. Torunn is the daughter of Thor. Instead of Mjolnir, she has a sword that only she may lift. She’s constantly praying to her father in Asgard and spends much of the movie refusing to run from stuff. Azari is the son of Black Panther and, judging from his electric powers, Storm. He’s the most loyal to Tony and appears to be the most level-headed. Finally, there is Pym, obviously the son of Giant Man and Wasp. I don’t think a single person can agree that he is without a doubt the most annoying child in the movie. He reminds me of Beast Boy from Teen Titans, but without any of the charm.

The plot device that pushes the story forward into danger is an odd one. As Tony Stark tends to the returning Vision (bringing the news that Hawkeye had a kid too) in his secret lab, the kids sneak in and come across a series of Iron Avengers. They’re much like the robot duplicates from Earth X, mixing the Avengers’ appearances with that of Iron Man. James accidentally activates them, causing them to fly off to fight Ultron. Just from being turned on, Ultron figures out where everyone’s hiding and easily defeats the robots before reprogramming them to serve him.

So, what? Tony Stark is secretly a moron? Why did he have those things in the first place? It’s pretty obvious that they’d only be a hindrance, so why even keep them around? It’s like having a phone lying around with nothing but Ultron on speed dial.

From there, the story is about the four children and the disembodied head of Vision going around, meeting Hawkeye Jr. and working on a plan to take on Ultron. After the halfway point, the Hulk shows up into the story, which would be a spoiler if it wasn’t for the cover and commercials making this public knowledge. It’s obvious that the movie was written with the summer movies in mind, considering how big a role Iron Man and Hulk have.

Now, the movie isn’t all that fantastic. The animation has taken a step down from the other movies, even though they don’t have the weird shading problems anymore. A lot of movement comes off as choppy. The children can come off as really grating at times, ESPECIALLY Pym. The middle gets very bland, despite a scene reminiscent of the grim “heroes vs. robot results” sequence in the Incredibles.

That said, if anything, watch this movie for the last twenty minutes. The climax is some awesome stuff. It’s the only climax in an animated Marvel movie that fits. Sure, Avengers vs. Hulk was pretty cool, but it was so tacked on. I don’t remember anything about the end of Ultimate Avengers 2 worth mentioning except Giant Man died and Iron Man wielded the Ghostbusters Proton Pack. Invincible Iron Man had a ridiculous final fight scene that Iron Man didn’t even win. The less said about Dr. Strange’s ending the better… unless you’re in the mood for a laugh. This movie hits just the right notes in its final minutes, including an awesome one-on-one battle that really needs to happen again and again in the comics. Hell, I’d read a 6-issue miniseries dedicated to it.

It’s very loyal to the Avengers mythos, except for a major origin change that they make with Ultron. It’s the kind of origin change that I wouldn’t doubt they’d do for the live-action Avengers movie. Other than that, there’s a lot of little pieces of fanservice for the comic-reading crowd. Captain America naming his son James is a nice touch. Thor’s daughter Torunn tells off Ultron in a way that should make the hardcore Avengers fans smile. There’s also a moment with the Hulk that’s an obvious reference to a certain popular comic miniseries that’s yet to be finished off.

If you’re looking for a rental and you need ideas, I’d say give the movie a chance. It has some mediocrity to it, but at least they tried. It’s not on higher ground than DC’s recent animated movies, but it is roughly on the same level as Superman/Doomsday. They’re getting better, which is a good thing. Hopefully their Wolverine vs. Hulk and Thor vs. Hulk movies can push the quality upwards.

All Monsters Attack (1969)

A major turning point for Toho Godzilla films was All Monsters Attack aka Godzilla’s Revenge. In this film the dark and strange tales of science fiction was replaced with the lighter story of a latch-key boy, Ichiro (Tomornori Yazaki) estranged from his working parents and inspired by a wild imagination. The entire film follows the boy and his back and forth adventures in reality and the dream world. In his dreams he discovers Dinosaur Island and makes friends with Minilla, often rumored offspring of Godzilla. It’s in these dreams that Ichiro learns how to tackle his problems in the real world where he must overcome bullies, social acceptance, the neglect of his working parents, and yes, two bumbling crooks.

There’s no Godzilla saving the day at the end of this film, but it could have really used him. In fact the only supernatural elements in the All Monsters Attack are in Ichiro’s dreams marking the least amount of screen time for Godzilla. Attentive fans will find most of the fight sequences are lifted from older films and without proper context these scenes give off a hodge-podge effort of a studio film looking to stretch the dollar. In fact, the American title, Godzilla’s Revenge is pretty misleading when the real story is Ichiro and there is a lack of revenge. If taken as a Godzilla film, it may not satisfy you. If you’re looking for a film about Japanese children growing up in the industrial age, the film takes on a much more tangible flavor.

All Monsters Attack comes out after several big budget classics accentuating its odd place in Godzilla history. After establishing itself as a cult classic, the production values went south. Godzilla and the suits themselves looked cheaper and sets were less elaborate. Still, Ishiro Honda experimented with camera techniques used with friend, Akira Kurosawa. He or writer Yukiko Takayama must have been affected at Japan repairing itself from the war and the affect that had on children. There’s a message of youth standing up for itself and taking responsibilityt because the adults may not be there someday. Audiences spoke as this suffered greatly in the box office universally and would become a small blip on G-Fans’ radar.

Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

Near the end of Toho’s original Godzilla run, aliens were running rampant on Earth and tired of getting their butts whipped by Godzilla they built a robot called Mechagodzilla and he would prove to be a deadly opponent. One of the most bloody final battles took place in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), where the robot met his doom at the bottome of the ocean floor. In Terror of Mechagodzilla aliens from Planet Three in the Black Hole employ Dr. Shinzo Mafune (Akihiko Hirata) to rebuild the giant robot. Forced to leave the science institute for his intentions, Mafune caught the aliens’ eye and they in turn earned his trust when they saved his only daughter, Katsura (Tomoko Ai) from dying as a result of his experimental work.

Mafune and Mechagodzilla are just the beginning. The Planet Three plot a hostile takeover of the world starting with Tokyo–naturally.They also control by a sea-dwelling monster called Titanosaurus who destroys a submarine investigating the Mechagodzilla wreckage. Interpol would later investigate and Katsura would cover for her father. But when Akira Ichinose (Katsuhiko Sasaki), a marine biologist and believer of Mafune’s work, begins to prod and things get complicated. He would champion Mafune’s work and fall in love with Katsura but doing so may be a deadly proposition.

After many lighter releases in the Godzilla library, Terror of Mechagodzilla returned to its roots with cynical views of the world, and the climate was ripe for a superior alien race takeover. Weighted with dark tones, wild science and sexy cyborgs–we even get our first nude scene (even though it’s fake)–the story on the streets of Tokyo provide more interest than the threat of Mechagodzilla. He would later prove to be more of a looming presence as viewers anticipate an epic rampage. But this film is just as much a stage for Titanosaurus as it is Mechagodzilla.

The English dub saw its American debut in 1978 under the same title but was butchered by Bob Conn, taking out everything that was remotely violent to get a G rating. I will never understand how films can be so mutilated when traveling across seas. The film would eventually be shown on US TV with the violence (minus the breast scene) put back in and would be over five minutes longer than the original release to include a prologue of clips from older films. This version is preserved in the US version on the DVD. Despite the return to the darker tone, Terror of Mechagodzilla was the final box office blow as the franchise as shelved until 1984. It would also be Ishiro Honda’s last Godzilla film he would direct, later joining Akira Kurosawa’s film crew. Still this is a more than worthy entry to the Godzilla lore. The acting is enjoyable with dramatic turns by Tomoko Ai and Akihiko Hirata. And with a story that contained bizarre love, giant robots and sea monsters, all of the iconic mainstays in Japanese science fiction are present here.

The DVDs

Both discs load up initially with a rundown of all of the Classic Media Toho releases and a trailer for the Godzilla Unleased video game released last year from Atari. After the trailers, one chooses which version of the film they want to view, English dubbed or the original Japanese cut with subtitles. Each title comes packaged in a slim case with classic poster art on the cover and decorated in silver foil. Don’t throw away the small sleeve to keep the case closed when not in use, otherwise it opens like a book. Both films are presented in an enhanced transfer (2.35) that look and sound great. This is the reason to buy the Classic Media releases. So many poor transfers of the Toho films were released in years past, but the color is vivid, and only a trace of dirt. The original Dolby Digital Mono soundtracks is preserved in both languages so whether you grew up on the badly dubbed English cuts or you’re a purist like me who will stick with the original Japanese. Regardless, it’s a nice touch to have both available because each has their own particular experience and is a testament to Godzilla’s popularity transcending the language barrier. And you won’t need to turn it up much to hear Godzilla’s wailing fill your home.
SHOCK VALUE: A

Extras

All Monsters Attack Extras

Like Mechagodzilla, the IMAGE GALLERY and POSTER SLIDE SHOW are basic production photos and poster art which you can thumb through. The ISHIRO HONDA biography is a short biopic about the legendary Godzilla director as a post-war filmmaker and his friendship and collaborations with film visionary, Akira Kurosawa. Again these snippets of Godzilla history are some of the best things about these Classic Media releases but the potential is ripe here for much longer and deeper productions. For the AUDIO COMMENTARY, Richard Pusateri (contributing writer for G-Fan and Cult Movies) is a great choice for trying to make sense of the film. He provides a well-spoken track that’s natural and in the flow of the film. It’s filled with facts and theories behind the dramatic change in the Godzilla films (it’s intended audience was for fourth graders) and Pusateri is able to not take the film lightly by poking a little fun at it as well. I’m a firm believer that the weakest films still make for good commentary especially in this case where the film is such a departure from its predecessors and if you’re going to pick this up, this makes for the film. SHOCK VALUE: B

Terror of Mechagodzilla Extras

The ART GALLERY is as thrilling as an old slideshow can get as users click through promotional stills and poster art accompanied by factoids. WOMEN OF GODZILLA 1954-1976 is a ten-minute feature about the important role of the leading ladies in Godzilla films and Toho science fiction film library. Portrayed as complete and assertive femme fatales to scientists, simple damsels or one-dimensional villains, women always played pivotal roles. It’s a fast rundown narrated by Steve Ryfle who tributes versatile actresses such as Momoko Kochi (Gojira), Kyoko Kagawa (Red Beard, Shall We Dance), Akiko Wakabayashi (Dogora), and fan-favorite Kumi Mizuno (Matango, Gorath, and Monster Zero) all of which would become or were already contemporary actresses or of Japan from the 1950’s through the 1970’s. I only wished it could have been longer and that they would have flashed the names of the actresses so that fans could easily look up their work. The main extra is the AUDIO COMMENTARY by Keith Aiken and Bob Johnson accessible only through the English Version special features menu. This track is in-depth and continually keeps the facts and anecdotes coming from both Aiken and Johnson who each recorded a track separately and both were clipped into one. There are a few problems though. It could have benefitted from having both parties in the same room to play off one another to create a more natural conversation instead it’s clear that both men are reading from a scripted commentary and some rehearsal could have helped. SHOCK VALUE: B

Final Thoughts

Classic Media’s re-masterings look great and if you haven’t purchased a single one of their releases spend big on the box set. They’ve really made a great effort to preserve the look and sound of these films and they haven’t looked this sharp in decades. The Godzilla legacy has evolved and in some cases devolved since the 1956 classic, Goijira, but the broad scope of Japanese science fiction and fantasy continues in its many forms. For film buffs it’s interesting to see two films under the Toho studio could be so drastically different yet still fit within the great Godzilla library, pick these up. These two films may not the ones to start a Godzilla collection, but they will satisfy completists and Toho fans alike who were buying the single-release films that the high quality was maintained through the last film.

Distributed by Warner Premiere
75 minutes

Based on Darwyn Cooke’s award-winning graphic novel, Justice League: The New Frontier is a story of DC’s most iconic heroes set amidst the uncertainty and paranoia of the Cold War. The general public has become fearful of superheroes, and the American government is delving into secretive activities to gain control over perceived subversive elements. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and other heroes who once formed up the Justice Society have disbanded, each trying to do good in their own way. Meanwhile, a shape-shifting extraterrestrial visitor, brought here by mistake, attempts to understand and help humanity, while an idealistic, yet disheartened, test pilot by the name of Hal Jordon pursues his goal of seeing the stars. Behind the scenes, an ancient sentience, overwrought with anger at the savagery and destructiveness of a now nuclear-armed human race, plans the unthinkable, aiming to wipe humanity from existence.

Justice League: The New Frontier is a fascinating look at superheroes in the Cold War era. Much like in the acclaimed Cadmus storyline arc in Justice League Unlimited, DC’s finest are no longer the objects of unquestionable adoration and unwavering trust, and must adapt to being looked at with suspicion. Though hinted at during the opening credits, we don’t actually see this shift in public attitude. Instead, these events are inferred via the points of view of the various heroes. Masterful storytelling ensures that you won’t be lost; from Superman’s tireless idealism to Wonder Woman’s clear cynicism, you can see that these heroes know that the populace is headed in a worrisome direction. The uncertainty convincingly affects superheroes as well, and even causes some, like the Flash, to consider retirement. The story is not limited to just superheroes, though. Normal human beings are working to make things better too, from somewhat misguided government agents like Faraday to a certain test pilot whose destiny is already well known by DC fans.

There’s a lot of characters to focus on, including, but not limited to, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Hal Jordon, and Martian Manhunter. The latter two get most of the screen time, their stories being the film’s focus. Forced to kill in self-defense in the closing days of the Vietnam War–the only life he had ever taken–Hal balances a positive attitude with muted melancholy. When given the chance to become more than a mere man, Hal is wary, and attempts to face the threat to the world as a pilot, not a superhero. Martian Manhunter shares a similar past, having accidentally given the man who accidentally brought him to Earth a heart attack. The shape-shifting alien, under the identity of detective John Jones, fights crime, partly as a way to atone. The guilt drives both characters to action when the ancient entity known only as The Center marches forward in its apocalyptic campaign. Speaking of which, The Center’s disdain for humanity is, unfortunately, rather accurate, and it’s easy to see how it can reasonably judge human beings as savage, destructive, and worthy of annihilation.

Sadly, it seems as though the very talented Bruce Timm and his entourage did not learn from Superman: Doomsday. Justice League: The New Frontier has a very short running time of just seventy-five minutes, and the abridged characterization present in the movie’s second half is proof that more time was sorely needed. The first half of the movie is expertly paced, but the last half felt rushed. A less concerning but equally disappointing consequence of the short running time are the quick cameos of characters like Robin, Green Arrow, and Aquaman, all of which left me wanting more. Truly, all of this film’s problems can be traced back to that curious seventy-five minute running time, which is a shame, because, barring that, New Frontier would have damn well been near-perfect.

Regardless of any limits on money or time, though, the production values here are simply astonishing. The animation is crisp and fluid, and the vintage character designs smack of brilliant color and magnificent nostalgia. Yes, kids, Superman’s emblem used to have a black background, and Batman’s costume reeked of blue; get used to it. The musical score isn’t quite as superhero-y as most superhero movies (animated or otherwise), but the orchestral music is nonetheless suitably epic, string-heavy, and very pleasing. The voice acting is perfect; not a single voice is poorly done or out of place. Notable are both Miguel Ferrer’s very convincing, thoughtful Martian Manhunter and the unmistakable Keith David’s deep and powerful voice as The Center.

Justice League: The New Frontier is an exquisite animated film that explores very relevant issues but is marred by a puzzling time limit. Still, it shows the timelessness of these iconic heroes, these characters whose stories and relationships are easily applicable to just about any time period.