Donnie Darko: First of all, Papa Smurf didn’t create Smurfette. Gargamel did. She was sent in as Gargamel’s evil spy with the intention of destroying the Smurf village. But the overwhelming goodness of the Smurf way of life transformed her. And as for the whole gang-bang scenario, it just couldn’t happen. Smurfs are asexual. They don’t even have… reproductive organs under those little, white pants. It’s just so illogical, you know, about being a Smurf. You know, what’s the point of living… if you don’t have a dick?
Category Archives: Collector’s Den
Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series (DVD)
I have to admit that I’ve never been a fan of “Doctor Who.” If you talk to our resident contributor William Garcia, you’ll find a Doctor Who fan who surpasses every other Doctor Who fan before him. But me as a casual viewer found Doctor Who thanks to the Sci Fi channel here in America who broadcast the entire series every week. I was never a fan before so I went into it with a general ignorance on everything associated with the universe and found it entertaining. I thought Billy Piper was a cute heroine, I liked her charm and courage, and I thought she was a great pairing with Christopher Eccleston, my original lure to the series.
The Batman: The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
It was pretty obvious around the time the fourth season of the dubious success of “The Batman” had all but been questioned, and the writers had run out of ideas. This is when Batman finally took a back seat and a range of characters were introduced which would set the stages for the fifth season which became mainly a jumping point for potential spin-offs of better superheroes in the DC Universe. “The Batman” had run out of ideas by this time, and a slew of new characters were introduced, further bringing the watered down concoction to a level of a chaotic ensemble piece.
Here we saw the likes of Robin and Batgirl, both of whom became Batman’s smart mouthed sidekicks Batman interacted with while on the battlefield. Suffice it to say, they’re the most irritating parts of this new season.
The Jazz Singer (1927) (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition) (DVD)
I always manage to garner negative reactions from fellow movie geeks who find my sheer stern love for film rather irritating. I’m told to lighten up, I’m told that I take this stuff too seriously, and that movies are just entertainment; “They’re just movies! They’re there to entertain above everything else! Don’t be so critical!” The reason why I hold movies to such a high regard with a strong importance is because movies are a powerful form of art and expression, and images in film can hold a great deal of power that can affect everyone from casual observers to the deepest of film buffs. If it were the contrary, Warner Bros. would have included the most famous image of “The Jazz Singer” on the box of this new deluxe edition, rather than opting for an image of Jolson’s shadow in a beaming spotlight.
Josie and the Pussycats – The Complete Series (1970) (DVD)
Out of all the Hanna Barbera series to stem from the sixties and seventies, I’d have to say that “Josie and the Pussycats.” Sure, it was in essence a pure “Scooby Doo” rip off, with a Shaggy character voiced by Casey Kasem, a Freddy character with an ascot, goofy animal sidekicks, and even re-using its chase music on many occasions, but it’s just so much better than “Scooby-Doo” which I’ve always considered an overrated franchise to begin with.
Legion of Superheroes Volume 1 (DVD)
This new WB series featured the introduction of a new style of animation for the new Millennium of DC audiences. Once WB broke out of the Bruce Timm era, “Teen Titans” ushered in a semi-anime style that was influential and hipper, arguably. The quasi-anime was appealing to the pre-teens and tweens who didn’t quite like the Timm blocky style. “Legion of Superheroes” is a much more dramatic turn for the animation aside from the goofy and often over the top “Teen Titans.” Inspired by “The Animated Series,” the Legion needs the help of their god, the one and only Superman. The Legion now lives in a reality where Superman is the one and only inspiration for young avengers, even with monuments built in his honor.
A Christmas Carol (1951): Ultimate Collector’s Edition (DVD)
It’s surprising that after all these years, after fifty five years of technology and CGI, and stylish directors bringing up this old story, that the 1951 version of “A Christmas Carol” is still the best. Why? Well, there are so many reasons. For one thing “A Christmas Carol” is filled with dread and utter morbid reveling, as it is intent on exploring the world of Ebenezer Scrooge and the punishment he’s earned for himself. Secondly, the hauntings by his old business partner are still rather chilling, including his utterly horrible howling at Scrooge’s defiance. Brian Desmond Hurst unravels a creepy and woefully dreadful vision of “A Christmas Carol” as he films most of Scrooge’s house in stark blacks while relying on factory devices of sound and mind games.