Archive for the ‘Animated’ Category
Sep
09
Posted by Drew
Greetings, cinemaphiles! Because you demanded it, I’m back with yet another list of independent comics that would make for good movies. Even though this is my third go-around, the problem once again wasn’t finding enough indie comics that could make the transition, it was narrowing down the list. Some were easy to discount, like Whiteout, a thriller about a U.S. marshal stationed in Antarctica investigating a series of grisly murders among scientists at research bases. Why didn’t it make the list? One reason and one reason only: it’s already a movie, opening this September. (I have high hopes, even though they prettied up the homely protagonist by casting Kate Beckinsale and replaced her female British spy cohort with a male love interest.) Or Wildguard, a comic about an American Idol-esque reality show where rookie superheroes compete to join a new superteam. Great premise, but I honestly think it’d work better as a TV show than a movie. Other choices weren’t so easy to weed out, but weed them out I did so that I could bring you the following: five more indie comics that could be turned into terrific films.
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Aug
26
Posted by Drew
“In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!”
The Scoop: 2009 PG-13, directed by Lauren Montgomery and starring Christopher Meloni, Victor Garber and Michael Madsen
Tagline: Beware His Power
Summary Capsule: Fearless test pilot Hal Jordan inherits a power ring that lets him do damn near anything, but first must undergo training with shifty hardass Sinestro. Nothing bad could possibly happen.
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Aug
12
Posted by Drew
“No school like the old school.”
The Scoop: 2004 PG, directed by Brad Bird and starring Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter and Jason Lee
Tagline: Save The Day
Summary Capsule: More than a decade after superheroes went into hiding to avoid litigation and public condemnation, one super-powered family is forced to save the world, and in doing so teach us all what it means to be a superhero.
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Jul
27
Posted by Mike
In the never-ending struggle of good versus evil, an eternal balance must be constantly maintained… at least as far as fiction is concerned. Conflict is the essence of drama, so for every power-hungry evil genius, there must be a muscle-bound monosyllabic gun-toting hero with a mysterious past to foil his elaborate plans. But in this miasma of heroes and villains, it’s the mirror image counterparts that stand out; the evil versions of our favorite heroes, possessed of all the abilities and strengths, but without the things like a sense of responsibility or compassion to balance them out. In a heroes world there’s nothing more disconcerting than to watch a darker version of yourself; the villain you might have become had you made different choices, wreaking havoc on the populace…but darned if it doesn’t make for some awesome stories… such as:
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Jul
13
Posted by Lissa
“The wise and powerful Jabba has one more small condition: he demands you bring back the slime who kidnapped his little…punky muffin.”
The Scoop: 2008, PG, directed by Dave Filoni, starring: Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, Ashley Eckstein
Tagline: No tagline
Summary Capsule: Anakin, Obi-Wan and friends fight battle droids a lot. Also, Dooku.
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May
06
Posted by Lissa
I’m a sap. I’ve said it before, numerous times, but making me cry at movies is often like shooting fish in a barrel, at least the first time through. And I love it.
Interestingly, it’s not always the sad moments that make me cry. I wrote this list before I wrote the introduction, and only three are officially truly sad moments. The other seven are bittersweet, some even more sweet than bitter. A few are even downright happy (well, by tearjerker standards). What can I say? Strong emotion makes me cry.
So, my ten moments I cry, no matter how many times I’ve seen the movie (and with #7, that one feels like it’s the triple digits.)
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Apr
30
Posted by Kaleb
Actually, I think there may only be five total, so I guess that kind of takes the special out of it.
Bah! Whatever! Titles that work are just as lame as well though-out introductions! Let’s do this!
Oh, I will pause to mention that you are strongly encouraged to read first, and then decide whether or not you want to view. MRFH and its affiliates, subsidiaries and shadow governments are not responsible for any puking or nightmares that may result.
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Apr
03
Posted by Alan
“I really thought I’d turned in my warranty that time!”
The Scoop: 1987 NR, directed by Jerry Rees and starring Deanna Oliver, Jon Lovitz, and Timothy Stack
Tagline: Imagine if Your Toaster Went on a Journey of its Own!
Summary Capsule: Loving appliances hit the road in search of their long absent Master.
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Apr
02
Posted by Heather
Whatever happened to TV? Once upon a time we had terrific Saturday morning cartoons (accompandied by hefty amounts of sugared cereal), the awesome MTV (which still deserved the “M” in its name), and Nickelodeon didn’t suck. In fact, Nickelodeon was the pinnacle of awesome to any kid.
This station was full of funny, thought-provoking, kid-empowering programs when pretty much every other show involved rainbow ponies, bears that shot rainbows from their chest, and even a character with the word “rainbow” in her name. Nickelodeon’s lineup pushed the boundries of kids’ imaginations and just how much sexual innuendo one can fit into children’s programming. None pushed that sexual innuendo barrier better than Rocko’s Modern Life.
Debuting in 1993 and running for four seasons, Rocko’s Modern Life was completely off the wall, off-kilter, off color…you name it this show was off of it. Rocko’s Modern Life was just tame enough, and normal-appearing that it could fool my parents into peeping their heads in and then going along their merry way, satisfied that I wasn’t being “corrupted”. Ah, but they were very, very wrong.
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Mar
18
Posted by Drew
“Into the breach, meatbags.”
The Scoop: 2009, directed by Peter Avanzino, starring Billy West, Katey Sagal, and John Di Maggio
Summary Capsule: The Planet Express crew splits down gender lines over Amy’s dad’s attempt to destroy a star system brimming with life to build the galaxy’s largest mini-golf course. Meanwhile, Fry shtupping his own grandmother again puts him in the unlikely position of potential universe savior.
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