Superman the Movie
(film review)

Superman The Movie is still the best superhero movie to date.

Thank the director, Richard Donner, for maintaining closely to the comic book while keeping the interaction between a super alien and humans as real as possible. Also for introducing us to then newcomer Christopher Reeve. Reeve's portrayal of a humble, quirky, klutzy Clark Kent and dynamic, powerful, might makes right "man of steel" is so right on. Perfect casting.

The music provided us with a nice feel for the movie. An excellent soundtrack and arguably the best one to date. Who doesn't recognize the famous opening Superman theme, young or old? The Superman/Lois Lane love theme "Can You Read My Mind" showing them flying through the night sky was my favorite. Damn good job for a 1978 film.

Superman the Movie is a film that fills you with a yearning to be like it's main character. Someone to look up to who is powerful, down to earth and, well... super. It is a very well made movie and even more so now with it's new features and deleted scenes on DVD. "The Gauntlet" scene is incredible. I love the screen tests.

Superman the Movie was and is still the king of superhero movies.

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
(film review)

Saw a special screening. I enjoyed it a lot, but I can imagine just how really amazing it would have been if Donner had the time, actors and money to shoot it like he wanted back in the late 70's and early 80's. Donner was forced to do this version based on the script only and the new scenes he only had.

The wrong thing to do is to compare Lester's overplayed version with Donner's. It's not fair to Donner. Watch Donner's version with a new perspective and think to yourselves, "if only he had been allowed to finish this version per his vision."

The new Brando scenes were so cool to see as was the opening Daily Planet scene. The opening scene was especially good cause it was originally about 80 to 90 percent finished. Clark getting his powers back was definitely more dramatic and there was more at stake. It was a great scene and awesome to see. If only Donner had time to have shot more coverage to let the scene run even smoother, then it would have been so perfect.

Editor Michael Thau did a Q&A afterwards and was very detailed about Donner's decisions and opinions. The new Superman II was based on the written script and what they had already shot. Mr. Thau said that Donner would have done an entirely different ending if he was allowed to finish. Remember in the script, in Superman I, Lois was supposed to die and the 3 villains escape. A cliff hanger. At the last second, it was decided that Superman turns the world around and we have the great ending we do. Donner is forced to do the same ending again in the new film cause that is all he had to work with.

The epic fight scene vs the 3 villains would have been more vicious, with the city and planet utterly destroyed. Fire and smoke covering the planet. What a visual.

Donner is a true visionary. I am grateful for his dedication and allowing us to glimpse what could have been. It still is a film very much worth seeing and owning on DVD.

Daredevil: Born Again
(comic book review)

They don't write them like this anymore. A compelling tale of a man who loses everything he holds dear. He can't trust anyone and he finds himself more alone than ever before. He is ultimately broken, battered, beat up and on the verge of death, only to discover his "real" inner strength and come back fighting stronger than ever before. This is what Daredevil: Born Again is all about.

The funny thing about this series "Born Again", is that it's not really that much about Daredevil, but more about Matt Murdock, the man. He who wears the costume, but how easily we all forget that it is a man underneath the mask. A man with the same everyday dilemmas we all face, except in this series his problems are times 100.

The Kingpin never looked better as the epitome of pure evil. This series is when the Kingpin came into full stride to become that great comic villain. Is it enough for him to be the number one crime boss in the world? No. Is it that he has enough money and power to manipulate and distort the world to his satisfaction? No. Does his greatest satisfaction come from the simple idea of taking a very honorable man and completely destroying his life, his possessions, his reputation and most important, his very soul? Yes. It becomes the Kingpin's lone driving obsession and demonstrates just how evil and how far he will go to achieve this goal.

Murdock's downfall and eventual resurgence is inspiring. The story is extremely well written. The art work is very nice to look at. Pictures tell a thousand words, and seeing a closeup of the Kingpin's eyes as he looks over his vast city, and the only thing that he can think about is that "Murdock is still alive", is pretty amazing.

Daredevil doesn't get the credit he is so deserved. He is a great hero that is usually overlooked by the other flashier ones. A very medicore Daredevil film probably did not help the situation either.

"Born Again" shows us how good Daredevil can be, and I hope to see many more stories such as this.

The Da Vinci Code
(book review)

With an open mind and willingness to see and accept beyond what is considered the standard way of life, "The Da Vinci Code" has opened new ground.

Am I saying "ALL" of what was written in the book is an absolute 100% fact??? No, but a lot of it does have the ringing of truth to it. You can't help but question all the discrepencies the author has put forth and want to know the truth. I guess it all really depends on how open the person is and how serious they are to find the real truth. But, make no mistake, the clues and discrepencies are all there which leads to the, oh, so many questions.

For example, the questions as to how the church really began and sustained for all those centuries is a major question. Maybe no one really wants those questions answered, but a lot of us do even if you don't like the answers. Once again, open your mind to the possibilities.

Also, the true origin of the bible leaves a lot of questions behind and only a confident, open minded person will see the truth behind what we, as a society, have been force fed since birth. Just look. Did God really, from heaven, fax us a copy of the one true bible??? No, I guess not, and the author does an excellent job explaining the manipulation and deceit of people in power who are trying to stay in power through religion.

Dan Brown has taken all these mysteries and questions and ran with it. "The Da Vinci Code" is a fantastic book. Very deep. Very enlightening. Very thrilling. Very moving.

Close minded people may say the book is horrid, evil, heretic... etc, but it isn't. THE BOOK IS AN EYE OPENER IF YOU AREN'T AFRAID TO SEE WHAT IS REALLY THERE.

I am reminded a lot of the fantastic book "The Mists of Avalon" and the battle between between christianity and the nature/pagan religion.

Take a moment and read "Da Vinci Code" and see if anything at all makes you question what you already believe to be true. If so, then Mr. Brown has done his job.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
(comic book review)

The simpliest way to describe "The Dark Knight Returns". THE BEST!!

What a story. What characters. What passion. What misery. What a thrill.

We all got to see and experience, first hand, Bruce Wayne's troubled soul. The pain, misery and life questions he goes through on a daily basis as the years overlap. You could not help but understand and care and pity him all at the same time about his "on going war" with crime. He was a little boy who witnessed his parents being murdered. How would seeing that affect anyone of us?

His ultimate nemesis, the Joker, coming out of his ten year catatonic state after simply hearing the name of Batman. The psychological bond between the two is eerie, almost as if one can't exist without the other. In truth they can't. When one man signifies the ultimate good and honor in men, there has to be it's complete opposite. The Joker is "the evil" in every sense of the word.

I loved the tension between Superman's "good guy / sell out" persona compared to Batman's "selfish personal war" vendetta. As powerful as Superman is, he had NO CHANCE against the ever cunning Batman. Mind over muscle in the "Battle of the Titans".

I find myself admiring and rooting for Bruce Wayne and the Batman because he is doing the best he can with the situation he is in. His "on going war" with crime is the only thing he can do that will exorcise his inner demons that forever trouble his soul.

Dark Knight Returns is an exquisite story as well as some very intelligent writing. Tremendous battles, amazing art and just extreme satisfaction. Enjoy it again and again as I have and will continue, first time readers and long time fans.

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again
(comic book review)

Had to read it a few times to fully understand what was going on. Frank Miller has a strong tenedncy of jumping from one character/one plot to another, and sometimes it can be confusing. Did I like this comic series sequel??? Yeah, especially by the third reading when everything was much more clear and understandable.

I enjoyed book number 1 the best with the introduction of the Atom and his rescue from a petri dish. I enjoyed the concept of The Flash running inside of a generator, like a gerbil in a wheel, supplying the world with electricity. I enjoyed seeing Carrie Kelly grow up and take charge of Batman's growing army "like the good little soldier she is". Seeing Superman get his butt kicked again by Batman and finding solace in the arms of his lover, Wonder Woman. The inroduction of Superman's and Wonder Woman's very powerful daughter, who wants to know with who it is safe to have sex with. Funny stuff.

The rest of the stories were, in my opinion, were descent, but all over the place. Going from one sub plot to another and then another. What is sad about that is that it made the character Batman just another figure in his own story, and that should never be in a Dark Knight story.

I wanted to see more of Batman and his struggles with his aging body, his ever calculating mind, his leadership skills, and ever cunning mind, and that never ending war inside him to fight crime.

That is why the 1st series, The Dark Knight Returns, was so succssful. I knew what Batman was going through at all times, and it was like I was also going through the same thing with him.

Oh, yeah... what is the deal with making Dick Grayson a bad guy Joker wanna be who is upset over being fired by Batman all those many years ago??? Kinda came out of left field with that sub plot. You could of picked any one of Batman's former bad guys, and the best choice was his former number 1 sidekick??? The only major flaw with the book.

As I stated in my title... this Dark Knight series lacks the richness of the 1st Dark knight series, but it is still a pretty good read.

French Twist
(film review)

I've seen this film a few times now. Each time I see it, I show it to a friend who hasn't seen it. They all loved it. Makes me like it that much more when I see them enjoying it. "French Twist" is about a cheating husband has to deal with the fact that his neglected wife has found another love interest... a woman. That he cheats on his wife on a regular basis is not the issue, to him. His ego and pride being stepped on by the whole situation is the problem and it makes for some very funny material.

The three main characters (Josiane Balasko, Victoria Abril and Alain Chabat) work extremely well together. Just bouncing lines off one another and interacting beautifully. Just when it looks like all will work out another element is added to stir the fire.

The film was written and directed by Balasko who also stars as the "other" woman who's looking for love and destroying a home. Or is she? Chabat is amazingly funny as the philandering husband and Abril is also very good and quite beautiful as the passionate, yet somewhat confused wife.

Check it out for yourself. Don't let the subtitles hold you back. It doesn't take away from the film at all. Get ready to laugh.

The Time Machine
(book review)

Leave it to H.G. Wells to come up with a book on time traveling into the future and leaving us, the readers, totally captivated. What a visionary. The 1960 film, which I have seen many times, did a great job of keeping to the original storyline. If you have not seen it, please do so. Amazing film. Avoid the 2002 film version if possible.

What I love about the book is how much further Wells went with the story. Towards the end of the book, our weary time traveller, after fighting the evil Morlocks, proceeds further into the future to actually witness our earth and sun dying. The barren lands growing cold. Life at its final stages. How utterly eerie yet thrilling all at the same time. Wells describes the sequences so vividly. Who would not do the same if a time machine was made available to them?

For you first time readers, enjoy. It is a terrific ride.