Batman: The Killing Joke Review

(Sorry I couldn't get an actual poster here)

            There are countless graphic novels that have received great critical acclaim over the years from Watchmen to Maus to Black Hole, but few have reached the level of Batman: The Killing Joke.  Stated by many to be the greatest graphic novel of all time, The Killing Joke was the first to give a backstory to the character of the Joker and even proved to be an inspiration for Tim Burton to create the classic 1989 Batman.



            Undoubtedly, when it was announced that DC was going to create an animated film adaptation of the novel, there were some pretty big shoes for this movie to fill.  But people were pretty excited when it was revealed that the film would reunite Kevin Conroy, Tara Strong, and the legend himself, Mark Hamill, as Batman, Batgirl, and the Joker, respectively.  However, now that the movie has finally been released, will it prove to be as great as its source material or will it become one of the biggest embarrassments since "bat nipples" or the "bat credit card"?  Well, let's take a look.



            This movie begins showing the interactions and complicated relationship between Batman and Batgirl AKA Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner James Gordon, as they try to stop the nephew of a local crime boss.  Later on, after Barbara has hung up the cowl after almost going too far with apprehending said criminal, the movie shifts to focus on the Joker who's escaped from Arkham and has deranged plans for both James and Barbara, all the while flashing back to the Joker's origins as a failed comedian who had "one bad night" that pushed him too far.



            O.K.  I'm not gonna lie to you guys, but I never read Batman: The Killing Joke before seeing this movie so I'm only going off of what I viewed and, from what I saw, I think that this is one of the best Batman movies I've seen since the Burton ones or The Dark Knight.



            The movie definitely earns its hard R rating as it's particularly violent and disturbing, but something that I thought was very smart was that they kept the language of the movie relatively sanitized (for the most part).  This wasn't something like the Deadpool movie where the swearing was such a strong, necessary part of the source material that you couldn't leave it out so I found it kind of nice that this movie was willing to show some restraint even with as hard a rating as it was.



            The animation looks amazing as it mostly sticks to the hand drawn style while incorporating CG very sparingly.  The voice acting is also very much on point.  You believe everything that these characters say through their tone.  Even the flashbacks to the Joker's past prove to be very eye-opening as you get to see how hard he fell and how he became who he is today.



            The tone switches often between hilarious and terrifying, even including the Joker's infamous song and dance number from the novel, which I thought was brought to life perfectly here.  And, finally, the relationships are very well fleshed out.  From Batman and Batgirl to Batman and the Joker, you get to see the complexities and layers of each relationship that takes place on screen.



            However, even with all the praises I gave this movie, there is one problem that I had with it, though it might be somewhat of a nitpick.  The problem is that it seemed to almost be like 2 separate movies.  The 1st act plays out very much like a crime drama and focuses more on Batgirl, but then the 2nd and 3rd acts feel very much like a psychological thriller/horror focusing more on the Joker.  It's kind of like the Nostalgia Critic's review of A.I. Artificial Intelligence where he referred to everything that happens after the main character is abandoned in the woods as "Movie 2" it's just slightly distracting.



            Overall, though, there's no denying that Batman: The Killing Joke is a strong entry into the DC Animated Universe with great animation, top-notch voice acting, and a gripping look at the origins of one of the greatest comic book villains of all time.  For these reasons, and several more, I give Batman: The Killing Joke a 4.5/5 stars.  If you haven't seen it in theaters either yesterday or today, be sure to buy the Blu-Ray or DVD when it comes out next week.  It's well worth the money.







            And that was my review of Batman: The Killing Joke and, for those of you who got to see it during its limited theatrical release, I'd like to know your thoughts on it.  I've heard that there were some changes between the movie and the source material so I'd like to hear from anyone who's both read the novel and seen the movie.  Did you enjoy the changes or did you find them to be really forced and redundant?  Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see y'all on my next post.  Take care.

New developments.

            Hey everybody.  David here sorry that it's been such a long time since I last posted here.  The reasons being that work at Six Flags has been picking up as of late and I've recently gotten back into writing other than just blog posts here.



            To further explain, a few weeks ago, I purchased James Patterson's Masterclass and have been following the lessons pretty closely with each week.  This has encouraged me to get back into writing stories.  Currently, I'm working on a new draft of my "Sci-Fi re-imagining of The Little Mermaid" and, already, I feel so much better about this version than I did with the previous one which was more minimalistic and bare-boned by comparison.  I've just enjoyed expanding and adding layers to the story.



            With that said, as I make progress with the story, I've actually been considering posting entries of it right here on my blog.  I've already gotten the Prologue and 1st chapter done, though I know that there will still need to be some adjustments before it's worthy of posting here.



            Another thing worth noting is that I recently got my learner's permit renewed about a month ago.  I had to take the computer test where you have to get 18 questions out of 25 right to pass and what it all came down to was that I had gotten 17 right, 7 wrong, and it was down to the last question to make or break me.  What's probably even more impressive was that I hadn't read the manual in several months so I was pretty much flying by my ass the whole time (but don't tell my mom that).  Now I can get on to getting my license, hopefully soon.



            Also, for those of you who might be missing my movie reviews, I can tell you right now that there's a very strong possibility that I'll have a new one for you guys come next week.  I can't say what movie it is, but I'm already super psyched to see it as it's very highly anticipated by many.



            Finally, if you've read this far, I would ask for you guys to please be praying for 2 friends of mine.  One of them you've probably heard me mention before and another that I can't remember if I've mentioned in passing yet.  First is my friend, Meredith.  She's been going through a very stressful time over the past several weeks, but it wasn't until just last week that I discovered that she's currently working 4 jobs at once.  I can't even imagine how stressful that must be as I'm still trying to find a 2nd job.



            My other friend that I'd like for you guys to pray for is named Tyler.  He's an old college buddy of mine who just recently found out that his grandfather has pancreatic cancer.  I know that both of my friends would appreciate any and all prayers at this time.



            So that's pretty much it for me.  I'll keep you guys updated on my story, work situation, and hopefully I'll be able to get a movie review or Top 12 list out in the near future.  Until then, though, I hope you all have a great rest of the week and I'll see y'all on the next post.  Later.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - Flutter Brutter Review

            A few weeks ago, I had said that I was going to have to stop with my reviews of TV episodes as it was getting too hard for me to keep up with all of them.  But, I'm sorry guys.  I've been waiting for this episode for over 5 seasons now.  Up until this point, Fluttershy had never had an episode focusing on her family whereas the rest of the Mane 6 had, at the very least, glimpses of their family life.  Hell, Applejack had a good amount of her relatives introduced right from the get go in the pilot (background pony my ass).



            So, being that this is my blog, I'm deciding to just this once give my thoughts on this episode that I've anticipated for such a long time because fuck you continuity.  So, without wasting anymore time, let's dive right into this review.



            This episode centers around Fluttershy's dealings with her younger brother, Zephyr Breeze, who has recently moved back into her parents' home after his attempts at becoming a mane stylist ended terribly because of his lackadaisical attitude.  He's shown to be somewhat of a freeloader as he starts taking over their living space and constantly avoids trying to do any serious work.  Because of this, Fluttershy has to stand up to her brother, give him some tough love, and, hopefully, help him move towards independence.



            Fluttershy has always been my favorite out of the Mane 6 since the beginning and this episode fully displayed everything that I've come to love about her.  She's grown over the past several seasons to the point where she's far more assertive which comes to play heavily here.  She helps her parents out with standing up to her brother, telling him that he needs to find somewhere else to live, and, even when this leads to him deciding to move into her house, she only lets him stay under her terms.



            This sort of behavior is not what you would've seen in Fluttershy from say Season 1 or 2, which makes it all the greater that I get to see it now.  I've loved how much stronger she's become and how well developed her character has been shown to be.  This is even further emphasized when she proactively tries to get Zephyr to find some form of employment and even kicks him out of her house when he refuses to do any sort of work.



            However, at the same time, Zephyr is not an unlikable character.  After Flutters finds him trying to live in the woods, it's revealed that he's never put effort into any of his work because of his own fear of failure.  This is even harder for him because of how Fluttershy has helped save Equestria countless times before, causing him to question his own self-worth.  But she explains to him that she felt afraid that she'd fail all of those times, but that there are moments where you need to try knowing that you might fail and that, while failing doesn't feel good at all, quitting doesn't feel any better.



            YES!!!!!!!!  This is what I love to see from her.  More of this please.  This is a perfect lesson for everyone that failure at something is just a natural part of life no matter how hard you work at something but that what really matters is being able to move on from that in order to eventually find success in what you were meant to do.  Meghan McCarthy, who wrote this episode, is one of my favorite MLP writers and she scored big time with this one.



            For the longest time, I used to say that Hurricane Fluttershy was my favorite Fluttershy episode, but this episode has officially taken that title away.  It's not just my new favorite Fluttershy episode, it's one of my favorite episodes period.  I look forward to seeing where Fluttershy goes in the near future because I'm loving her even more so now.  Definitely well worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet and you're into that sort of thing.







            And that was my review of the latest episode of MLP and I'd like to know your thoughts about it if you've seen it already.  Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows and I'll see y'all on my next post.  Take care.

Top 12 Tim Burton Movies

            As stated in a previous Top 12 list, Tim Burton is very easily one of my most favorite directors working in Hollywood today.  He certainly has a style all his own as he creates movies that manage to blend the macabre with the whimsical and the grim with the wacky.  Even with some of his movies that don't always hit bull's-eyes, he proves to be very entertaining as he provides us with plenty of interesting visuals and equally colorful characters.  And so with today's list, I'm going to be counting down my Top 12 Tim Burton Movies.



            For this list, I'm specifically looking at movies that were either written or directed by Burton himself, meaning that movies like James and the Giant Peach, 9, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which Burton served only as a producer on, sadly won't count.  But don't worry.  I've still got plenty of Burton gems to make a proper list.



            Something worth noting is that I originally intended for this list to be published back in March to coincide with the release of Burton's latest movie, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, based off of the novel of the same name, but that was before the movie was pushed back to December of this year and then pushed forward to September.  Not wanting to have to wait that long and since I've already planned another Top 12 list for around that time, I've decided to put this list out right now in May to coincide with the release of the Burton produced Alice: Through The Looking Glass, sequel to Burton's own Alice In Wonderland from 2010, which you will NOT be seeing on this list just to be clear.  So without any further interruption, sit back and enjoy my Top 12 Tim Burton Movies.







XII.  Sleepy Hollow

            I remembered reading The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving at a very young age and enjoying it pretty well, but, while most kids had The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad as their first movie introduction to the infamous Headless Horseman, this movie was my first small screen intro to said character.  While this movie isn't as faithful to the original book, I honestly don't think that it was meant to be.



            Many people have already pointed this out, but this movie was created as an homage to the classic Hammer Horror films.  For those of you unfamiliar with them, Hammer Horror movies were popular in the late 50s to late 70s that took classic horror monsters and made movies about them that were much gorier and more violent when compared to their Universal Studios counterparts from the 30s.



            A lot of elements of Hammer Horror can be found in this movie from the plot having little to nothing to do with the original source material to the muted grey coloring of the sets to the casting of mostly British actors to the almost neon red color of the blood it's all there.  This movie might not be for everyone and I myself had a particularly hard time when I watched a poor bat's head get sawed off in one scene as bats are among my favorite animals, but I still find it worth at least one watch.







XI.  Corpse Bride

            Burton's first time directing a stop-motion animated movie (more on that later), Corpse Bride was a movie based off of an old 19th century Russian folktale about a man who unwittingly gets hitched with a dead woman.  Burton was first introduced to this story by late Disney and Pixar legend, Joe Ranft, who the movie was also dedicated to.



            One of the things that I really liked about this movie was the way that it seems to parody the Victorian era culture by keeping it in very dull colors compared to the land of the dead which is more colorful and vibrant, implying that you don't truly live until you've lost everything.  This was also  one of 2 movies by Burton in 2005 (more on the other movie later) that saw a return to form for Danny Elfman as lyricist for the songs featured.  "Remains Of The Day" is a personal favorite of mine.



            The villain that was eventually revealed in the movie I found to be kind of weak and predictable, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless.  Something worth noting is that, when the Oscars came around, Corpse Bride was nominated for Best Animated Feature along with Howl's Moving Castle and the eventual winner, Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit.  This is worth noting because 2005 is currently the only year to not have a CGI movie nominated for the category.  You may as well see Halley's Comet before that happens again.







X.  Ed Wood

            A movie that was critically acclaimed when it came out but bombed at the box-office, Ed Wood is an interesting look at the career of the most famous bad director of all-time.  Johnny Depp perfectly portrays Ed Wood as does Martin Landau portray famous horror icon Bela Lugosi and the friendship between the two of them is very believable.



            Something to point out is the way that this movie shows the life of this man who had soo much passion for creating movies, but was, at the same time, misguided by his own ambition.  This movie I've heard described as the type of movie that anyone who wants to pursue a career in film should definitely check out and it's pretty easy to see why.







IX.  Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

            The movie that started the careers of both Burton and actor, Paul Reubens, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure was the first in a long line of movies to introduce us to the over-the-top wackiness of Burton.  This was also one of the first Burton movies I ever saw when I was a teenager.  Centering around an eccentric man-child's journey across the country to get back his bike, there are soo many memorable moments that I can think of in this movie.



            From psychic, Madam Ruby's, claim that his bike is in the basement of the Alamo to his ride with Large Marge to him dancing to "Tequila" at a motorcycle bar the list just goes on and on.  This would also be Burton's first time collaborating with Danny Elfman who provided the music for every Burton movie except for 2 (one being Ed Wood on account of a falling out the 2 had at the time and the other will be mentioned later).  The track, Breakfast Machine, I believe is the perfect music to match the tone of the movie and I know I'm not the only one who thinks that.







VIII.  Big Fish

            This was a movie that I originally didn't know much about at first, but eventually got around to seeing about several years ago.  Centering around an elderly man famous for his tall tales that entertain many people, his son finds himself alienated by his father's stories until his father is close to death and he comes to have a better understanding of him through said stories.



            This is certainly one of the more whimsical movies to come out of Burton as there aren't as many dark elements in this movie (though there are still some) and the fact that it seems to lean much more towards fantasy.  With all that said, this movie is a delight to watch as we get to see the crazy stories that this man tells about the equally crazy people he came across over the course of his life, all of which were based on actual people he knew.



            I was also kind of shocked to discover that this was the first movie to star Miley Cyrus in it.  Yeah.  The same Miley Cyrus who would go on to star in Hannah Montana first starred in a Tim Burton movie.  With all of this news about how Tim Burton is supposed to be directing the live-action adaptation of Dumbo, while I am kind of hesitant about that, if it's anything like this or even Big Eyes (which I haven't seen much of it aside from trailers and clips), I could really see him pulling it off rather well.







VII.  Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

            This was the second movie that Danny Elfman didn't provide the music for as it was based off of a musical by Stephen Sondheim therefore already having music provided for it.  Sweeney Todd surprised many people as its advertising portrayed a very different movie than what they were expecting, showing a movie that looked more like a slasher flick but ended up being a musical at the same time.



            Burton, I feel, did a very good job of transitioning this musical into a movie.  When I first saw this movie, I had borrowed it from the library and started watching it, getting sucked in as the opening credits played out while blood flowed freely from the rain down into the sewers and the theme played in the background.  However, 3 minutes into the movie, it froze up and I had to return it while waiting almost a week for another copy.  That had me pretty pissed.



            I've already brought up the song "A Little Priest" from my Top 12 Villain Songs list and all the other songs are pretty entertaining too.  I was particularly amazed at how well Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter were able to perform these numbers.  If you're not too queasy at the sight of blood, this is definitely a musical worth checking out.







VI.  The Nightmare Before Christmas

            Talk about a movie that has just exploded with cult merchandise over the past several years.  While many consider this to be a Tim Burton directed movie, Burton actually only wrote and produced this movie as he was busy at the time with directing movies like Ed Wood and another to make this list later on.  This movie was actually directed by Henry Selick, who gave us such movies as James and the Giant Peach and Coraline.



            Something worth noting is that this movie was intended to be released by Disney, but was later moved to Disney's Touchstone Pictures branch, where more adult movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? were placed, but then, after it became a big hit, Disney moved it back.  The Nightmare Before Christmas may have a relatively simple plot, but I personally believe that's where the charm comes from that it's soo easily accessible.  This was the first movie that Danny Elfman got to write original lyrics for and even provided the singing voice for Jack Skellington, who was voiced by none other than Prince Humperdink himself from The Princess Bride.



            Just about everyone knows these songs.  From This Is Halloween to What's This to Kidnap The Sandy Claws to Making Christmas all of these songs are very memorable.  I actually include all of these songs on a special creative writing playlist that I have on Spotify that really helps with the creative process.  I also include the movie as a staple of both Halloween and Christmas.  Where else can you find a movie that can easily encompass 2 holidays like this?  I'd say to go watch it, but, honestly, who hasn't watched it by this point?  Just go watch it again.







V.  Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

            Yeah yeah.  Anyone who saw my Top 12 Movies I Like, But Everyone Else Hates list knew that this one would show up sooner or later.  This was the other Burton movie to come out in the year 2005 and one of the first Burton movies I ever saw.  Amazingly though I was interested in this movie long before I even knew that Burton directed it.



            Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is what I currently believe to be the most faithful adaptation from the original source material while at the same time having enough differentiations to make it its own entity, unlike Willy Wonka which I felt strayed too far from the book.  The visuals of this movie are also a ton of fun to watch.



            This is how I always thought the chocolate factory should look like.  The chocolate river in Charlie looks like you could actually drink it compared to the one in Willy Wonka which, to quote the Nostalgia Critic, looked more like "liquid feces" (I later discovered that the river in Willy Wonka was made from chocolate, water, and cream which smelt absolutely rank when it went bad).  The songs in this movie were also a ton of fun to listen to, each one with its own unique style as mentioned previously.  I often find myself singing songs like Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt at random times.  Definitely my more selfish selection, but I find it to be worth it in the end.







IV.  Beetlejuice

            This was a movie that came out during a period that Doug Walker referred to as the period with "the wacky supernatural entity who's a fast talker".  Some examples of this being Maurice from Little Monsters and the Genie from Aladdin.  This movie would also go on to inspire an animated show on ABC that Burton produced, lasting from September 9th 1989 to December 6th 1991, 6 days before I was born.



            This movie's version of the afterlife is very creative as a waiting room centered around the bureaucracy of clients and case workers and the cast members give pretty good performances too from Michael Keaton as the title character to the recently deceased couple of Adam and Barbara Maitland played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis to the lovely Winona Ryder (who will show up again later) as goth teenager, Lydia Deetz, who is the only human who can see the Maitlands.



            There are also plenty of memorable moments from this movie like Beetlejuice's "Nice fuckin' model" comment before honking his crotch (quite possibly the only PG rated movie that got away with dropping the "F bomb") and the infamous dinner scene.  I was LOLing throughout these scenes particularly with the Banana Boat Song by Harry Belafonte.  Definitely well worth a watch.







III.  Batman

            Something to point out is that I only first saw this movie after having already seen Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight which I now feel kind of ruined Jack Nicholson's performance as the Joker for me.  Not to say that it was bad by any means.  I think he did a very solid job for the time and I don't really think there's such a thing as a bad Joker performance (although I'll have to wait until Suicide Squad comes out before I can be positive), but Heath Ledger I feel elevated the Joker to an entirely new level.  Still, this is a movie definitely not to be ignored.



            Many people were surprised at how Michael Keaton managed to pull off the role of the Caped Crusader as he had originally only been associated with comedy.  In fact, there was a huge controversy surrounding this movie as a whole bunch of people were going to boycott it if Keaton was going to play Batman.  But, with all that said, Michael Keaton, IMO, is the best Bruce Wayne/Batman I've ever seen brought to film (though Kevin Conroy is a close second).



            Gotham City is also a visual delight with its unique architecture bearing a striking resemblance to that of the 1920s silent film, Metropolis.  Danny Elfman's theme for the movie has also become very iconic since the movie's introduction to the general public.  As the Dark Knight's first theatrical release, this is a very solid entry.  But this would prove to only be the first installment of a franchise leading us to...







II.  Batman Returns

            This was the other movie that Burton was busy directing around the time of production on The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Many people rank this as the lesser of Burton's Batman movies, but I personally feel like this one surpassed its predecessor.  Instead of just one villain from Batman's Rouges Gallery, we have 2 in the form of Danny Devito's Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman.



            This was definitely one of the darker Batman movies to come out before The Dark Knight as it portrayed Penguin as a deformed freak, had Penguin's parents dumping him into a river when he was a baby, and portrayed Catwoman as a mentally tortured individual.  The moment when Selina Kyle goes from meek and quiet secretary to eventually becoming Catwoman after her psychotic breakdown is a really intense scene, brought to life beautifully through the haunting music that accompanies it, and you really feel sorry for her.  I still think that Michelle Pfeiffer is the best Catwoman to be portrayed in film or TV.



            There's also something to be said for the fact that Batman sees her as a tortured individual who he can save, but then comes to realize that maybe he and her are far too similar for their own good.  Plus, we get Christopher Walken as corrupt businessman, Max Shreck, which is always a good time.  It's definitely a shame that this movie wasn't as popular as the first one because I feel it's well worth seeing.







            Before I reveal what might be an obvious #1 pick, I'd like to present my Honorable Mention.



Honorable Mention:







Mars Attacks!

            Based off of the popular card game, Mars Attacks! is a fun, star-filled spoof of 50's B Movies sure to provide plenty of laughs.  What's particularly funny is the way that the aliens are eventually defeated, which I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.  It's laughable in the same way that the aliens in Signs and Independence Day were defeated.







            And now, I'd like to present y'all with my first ever "-Able Mention".  What is that you might ask?  Well, to answer, an "-Able Mention" is a selection that I neither view as Honorable or Dishonorable, but instead place in Limbo between the 2.  Kind of like how Vampires are neither living nor dead.  So with that said, here's my mention.



"-Able Mention":







Planet Of The Apes

            Yes yes I know.  The original is far superior when compared to this movie.  Still, there are some aspects of this that I found to be well worth noting.  For one thing, the makeup in this movie is absolutely phenomenal.  This movie is about 15 years old and the makeup still holds up to this day, looking even more realistic than the motion-captured apes in the newer Planet Of The Apes movies.  When I saw bits of the original 1968 Planet Of The Apes movie when I was a kid, I didn't believe that I was seeing real apes, just people in ape costumes, but, with this movie, I have no problem with suspending my disbelief that these are real apes.



            For another thing, Tim Roth as the villain, General Thade, is a ton of fun in this movie.  It does kind of suck that he passed up the role of Severus Snape from the Harry Potter movies for this role, but what can you do?  Finally, I don't think that the twist ending was as bad as everyone made it out to be.



            O.K. O.K.  I'm not going to act like it was perfect, but I did get that it was trying to remain faithful to the book.  It was just that the 1968 version did the twist much better and no one could really top it.  As a side note, people were kind of disgusted by main human Leo kissing the female chimp Ari, but I'm just like, "Did you even see the 1968 original where main human George kissed female chimp Zira before leaving?"  I don't condone this, but what the fuck people?



            Personally, the 2001 Planet Of The Apes falls into the "meh" category for me.  I neither like it nor do I hate it, but I felt like this was worth mentioning anyways.







            And now we come to the top of the heap.  The movie that I regard as Burton's greatest masterpiece.  So, without any further adieu, the #1 Tim Burton movie is...







I.  Edward Scissorhands

            This is without a doubt the most beautiful movie ever to come from Tim Burton and a personal favorite of both Burton and Elfman's.  Described by many as a modern day fairy tale, this movie centers around the Frankensteinian creation of a scientist (Vincent Price), a young man named Edward (Johnny Depp) who has scissors for hands as his creator died before he could give him proper appendages.  When discovered by Avon saleslady, Peg (Dianne Weist), who brings him to live with her and her family, Edward struggles to adjust to a world he doesn't understand while also developing feelings for Peg's daughter, Kim (again played by the beautiful Winona Ryder).



            This was the first in a long line of Burton movies to star Johnny Depp and, as good as he was in Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd, and even the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, I believe that this is the greatest performance he's ever given.  He properly managed to capture the childlike innocence and naivete of this character who doesn't have the best understanding of societal norms.



            Even the chemistry between Depp and Ryder was completely believable (mostly because they were dating at the time) as she first started out being afraid of him but then grew to understand him better and even care for him.  It almost brings to mind Beauty And The Beast in a sense.  One of the most heartbreaking moments in the movie is when Kim asks Edward to hold her.  Edward raises his scissor hands like he's about to hold her, but, fearing that he might hurt her again after accidentally slicing her hand several moments ago, he can only reply sadly "I can't".  That part always gets me every time.



            The way that the story ends is also very bittersweet like something out of a Gothic novel or Frankenstein.  Combine that with impressive visuals, great makeup and effects, memorable characters, brilliant writing, and an absolutely beautiful score among other things and there's little reason to doubt why this is the #1 Tim Burton Movie of all time.







            And that was my Top 12 Tim Burton Movies and as always I'd like to know your thoughts about it.  Did you enjoy the list?  Dislike it?  Do you feel like I left a Tim Burton movie out?  Are you pissed off that I put Charlie And The Chocolate Factory soo high up?  Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see you on the next post.  Take care.

Quick update

            Hey everyone.  Sorry that I haven't been on here at all as of late, but things have been really hectic as of late.  Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to have to stop my reviews of TV episodes as several things have come up preventing me from being able to commit fully to that.  I'll still be doing my Top 12 lists every once in a while.  In fact, I actually have one coming out next week that I hope you guys will enjoy.  Sorry that is has to be this way, but maybe I'll be able to get back to doing them someday in the future.  Til then, keep on loving movies and TV Shows and I'll see you on the next post.  Later.

Once Upon A Time: Ruby Slippers and Sisters Double Review

            Something that I had failed to mention in the last MLP episode review was the fact that I had watched that episode the day that it was released on YouTube.  Even though I was at the Expo at the time, I made sure to watch it that day as I wasn't sure if it would even still be around at a later point on account of copyright take-downs.  I say this because the Once Upon A Time episode Ruby Slippers was one that I also watched during that weekend so it was pretty easy for me to stay on top of both of them.



            In this episode, we get to see the return of Ruby/Red Riding Hood as she winds up in the Underworld after tracking down Zelena.  Her reasons being that her friend Dorothy was put under a sleeping curse by Zelena with no known way of reversing it.  As this is going on, Hades is trying his damnedest to snuff out any chance of hope any residents of the Underworld might have, showing that there are no boundaries to how far he'll go.



            This was a very enjoyable episode for me mostly because of how much darker it got.  Hades' plans to destroy everyone's hope goes from removing the "haunting booth" to straight up condemning an innocent soul to the River, swearing to do the same to anyone else who helps out our heroes.  According to him, "it's not easy being a hero when no one wants to be saved".



            We also get some interesting flashbacks to Mulan and Ruby searching for her pack in Oz only to discover Dorothy.  As it continues, we get to see the friendship that develops between Dorothy and Ruby as the latter starts to question if she even knows what she's looking for anymore.  Maybe what she's really looking for is even closer than she thinks if you know what I mean.



            With that said, where it eventually goes might be somewhat controversial and rub some people the wrong way.  I know one person who posted a status about how this episode "ruined The Wizard Of Oz" for him.  All this time, though, I was just thinking to myself "Seriously?  Dude, you need to calm the fuck down".



            Finally, Snow White gets to return to Storybrooke to look after her and David's son after David has his name replace hers on the tombstone while Belle puts herself under a sleeping curse in order to prevent Hades from taking her baby.  That and Hades is still trying to woo Zelena in the hopes of escaping from the Underworld.



            Onto the next one now, Sisters centers around Regina trying to prevent Zelena from getting together with Hades with some help from their mother, Cora.  But that's not the only case of sibling rivalry going on as David is forced to confront his twin brother, James, who's none to happy with all the glory David's been receiving that he believes should've been his.  We're also given a flashback to when young Regina and Zelena first met.



            Something that I found interesting about this episode was the way that it shows the different manners in which characters deal with the past.  Regina and Zelena start off as being very bitter towards each other, not knowing how close they used to be in the brief time that they were together as little girls as they had their memories erased (well, Regina did at least).  But, once they get help remembering this, they actually become much closer to each other and a former villain even gets a chance at redemption in the process.



            But we also get to see the negative side of this between David and James, the latter of which refuses to let go of the past, proving that there will always be those people who will never change.  This point proven even more by his eventual destruction in his attempts at revenge.



            Additionally, it was interesting to see the change of heart made by Regina.  She starts off as being completely against Zelena getting together with Hades as she feels that he'll only use and harm her, but, by the time the episode ends, she's fully accepting of it if it makes Zelena feel happy.  This part might be iffy to some people and I myself am not fully sure about it, but it's still pretty harmless I guess.



            With that said, the episode does end on a cliffhanger regarding Mr. Gold and his father, Peter Pan, but I won't give away any major details.  All I will say is that I'm curious to see what the 2 of them are going to do come next Sunday, especially since this is the first time in almost a month that we've even seen Peter Pan make an appearance.







            And that was my double review of both Once Upon A Time episodes and I'd like to know what your thoughts are about them if you've seen them.  Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see y'all on the next post.  Take care.

Empire: The Tameness Of A Wolf and Time Shall Unfold Double Review

            I tend to watch the shows that I do not only for the plot or writing, but also in their ability to create complex and believable relationships between characters.  Empire is a prime example of the complexities and layers of each member of the Lyon family's personalities and how they interact with each other.



            Our first episode sees Lucious going through the process of putting together a music video for his song that's in the running for an award against Jamal's own song and the demons of his past that he wrestles with regarding his own mother.  While this is going on, Cookie's first birthday out of jail is coming up and she's hoping that her family will be able to put aside their differences even if just for that one day.



            The moments where the episode focuses on Lucious putting his music video together are particularly interesting as he's haunted by his past and what his mother put him through.  He's trying to show his authenticity as Dwight Walker and the real world grittiness that he witnessed.  His soul is laid completely bare here as he embraces his past.



            Additionally, there's a very touching moment when Cookie's birthday does come around that shows how much the Lyon family genuinely cares for each other.  With all the times that they're at each others' throats, it was nice to see all of them getting along together even if it was only for that brief moment.  Of course, Andre's discovery that Lucious' mother was bipolar like him, which Lucious points out that he was embarrassed both of his mother and with Andre, kind of ruins the moment for me.



            Add in Freda Gatz starting to work on music with Jamal, leading to Cookie discovering that her father was the same man who Lucious had murdered in jail, and an unexpected proposal and I was ready to see what drama would unfold in the next episode.



            So with last Wednesday's episode, Lucious is setting plans into motion in the hopes of getting back into Empire by taking down Hakeem and we get to see that there's a real ruthlessness in his actions.  As that's going on, Anika drops a bombshell on the family and Jamal has to make a decision on whether he wants to make music with Freda or bring on a multi million selling artist for his upcoming album.



            All of those good feelings that were going on during Cookie's birthday in the previous episode are all gone here as Lucious stops at nothing to dethrone Hakeem as Empire's CEO.  There are no lows he won't stoop to to make sure that he gets Empire back.  He's very much a devilish character as he talks all slick and continues to have that clever smirk written all over his face when things go according to his plan.  Even when (SPOILERS) Hakeem is eventually voted out of his position, Lucious still continues to rub it in his face.



            What I particularly liked about this episode was whenever it focused on Jamal working on his upcoming album.  We get to see that he has really great chemistry with Freda when they're spitting rhymes in the studio, which then goes to provide an important lesson about authenticity in the music business when this diva doesn't even have the decency to show up to the studio for recording but simply provides her own pre-recorded vocals for Jamal to add to.  It goes to show that there's something to be said about interaction with other artists in the studio that makes the project feel more real.



            And finally, Anika drops the news that she's pregnant with Hakeem's kid, which I swear leads to one of the funniest moments of meta-humor I've seen in a while.  All you need to know is that the line comes from Jamal and centers around the word "heir".  I already mentioned previously how Empire is based off of Shakespeare's classic King Lear and Jamal's line was soo hilarious that I actually had to pause the episode I was laughing soo hard.



            The fact that Anika reveals this news an episode after that proposal I mentioned earlier I'm sure is going to result in even more drama that I look forward to seeing in a few nights from now.







            And that was my double review of the last 2 episodes of Empire and I'd like to know your thoughts if you've seen these episodes.  Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see y'all on the next post.,  Take care.