Movies (87)
From 1941 to 1943, Fleischer Studios, the animation company behind such cartoons as Popeye and Betty Boop, produced 17 shorts featuring the Man of Steel. Well, technically, Fleischer Studios produced 9 of the shorts, which were produced by Max Fleischer and directed by his brother Dave. The other eight were produced by Famous Studios, which was formed after the Fleischers parted ways, by several of the others who had been part of their company. Nonetheless, all 17 shorts are collectively known as the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons. Now, high-definition restorations have been made of the original camera negatives to bring us this Blu-ray release.
One of the things that I really like about this movie is that, right from the beginning, it just throws you into the deep end and lets you figure it out as you go. I know the Justice League and its various members well enough, but I’d never heard of RWBY before. Which means for most of the film, I was trying to play catch-up. That’s not a bad thing, though. In fact, I think it enhances the story.
For years, I’ve been talking about how much I love the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Even for the ones I don’t like as much, I usually mention my love for most of the other ones. I’ve been watching these movies since they first started making them in 2007, and I’ve been keeping track of them ever since. And All-Star Superman is one of my all-time favorites.
A few years ago, DC Universe Animated Original Movies released Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – a Steampunk adventure that reimagined Batman in a 19th century Victorian setting, tracking Jack the Ripper. It had all the characters we’ve come to know and love, but with a completely separate continuity, which meant that origins, motivations, and even allegiances were often very different from what we’re used to. Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham does the same thing, only in a 1920s Lovecraftian world.
I’ve always enjoyed the Legion of Super-Heroes. Superheroes from the future—what’s not to love? They don’t get talked about often enough, in my opinion, so I tend to get excited whenever they show up somewhere. And I was very excited to review this new movie. Although it didn’t quite measure up to my expectations, it’s still plenty entertaining.
I have a confession to make: I have never seen Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on the big screen. The first time I watched it was on video tape during the summer of 2002. I had read the book for the first time six months earlier, thought it was just okay, and waited for the film to be released on home video. It was a bad way to watch the film and poor timing, as well. Star Wars: Episode II and the first Spider-Man were in theaters at the time. All of those films were effects heavy, and Harry Potter just didn’t measure up to the other two.
There have been a few DC Universe Animated films that feature Batman’s son, Damian Wayne, in a key role, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen Superman’s son be given the spotlight. It’s an interesting concept: What’s it like growing up the child of a world-famous superhero and the various ways of dealing with it. Exploring that concept is just one of the things that makes Battle of the Super Sons fun to watch.
In 2008, an unknown director named Damien Leone released a short film titled "The 9th Circle" which introduced Art the Clown, played by Mike Gianelli. Art came back for another short in 2011 called "Terrifier," then again in 2013 for the anthology, All Hallows Eve. Despite these appearances, it seemed Art was doomed to obscurity until 2016, when Leone brought a revamped, scarier Art to life, with actor David Howard Thornton behind the mask. This switch-up was all that Leone needed. In a 2018 limited release, the horror community quickly discovered the feature-length Terrifier after Dread Central took a chance on the film. Within no time at all, Terrifier became a cult classic and Art the Clown, a slasher legend. Today, fans are gearing up for the second in a forever iconic franchise. But if you’re looking for Art the Clown 2.0 in Terrifier 2, you won’t find him here. This is version 6.66.
I was a little wary at first when I saw the runtime of this movie: 168 minutes, or nearly three hours. I fully expected to end up splitting it up into two different viewings. But honestly, it doesn’t feel like a long movie. It rarely drags, and it kept me engaged throughout. And before I knew it, I’d spent three hours in front of the television. How did that happen?
The first thing you need to know about this movie is that it’s 2 hours and 16 minutes long. That’s a full hour longer than other movies of this type typically are. In fairness, it’s actually a three-episode mini-series, with three different, but related, Aquaman adventures, all jammed together into a single, feature-length film.
