For years I was very keen to what was considered the last wave of rock and roll in the early aughts. I only was aware of it because MTV decided to air a lot of the more listenable brand of near rock and roll. From The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hive, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I loved all of it. But it being MTV they only scratched the surface of it all. “Meet Me In the Bathroom” is an okay documentary that has the ability to really capture a moment in time, a moment when rock and roll was really booming. It could have been a chronicle of a big final gasp for the music genre, and most times it feels like the directors left so much out, preventing it from feeling cohesive and even coherent.
The Bootleg Files: The Hero
BOOTLEG FILES 823: “The Hero” (1917 short starring Billy West and Oliver Hardy).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A blatant (if effective) rip-off of Charlie Chaplin’s act.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: There is no great call for a Billy West revival.
When Charlie Chaplin’s popularity exploded into superstardom status during the mid-1910s, the demand of his films became greater than his ability to create original new works. To fill the void, a number of comic actors began to dress up in Chaplin’s distinctive Little Tramp costume and make-up and churn out short films of a Chaplinesque nature. Most of these imitators were not that special and their work has been lost to oblivion. But one copycat created a near-perfect facsimile of Chaplin’s act, to the point that his films were occasionally marketed as being genuine Chaplin films.
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Pinocchio (2022)
Disney continues their latest studio motto of remaking and sequelizing everything that they’ve ever produced. The last being the horrendous “Lion King” CGI remake. Of course the Devil’s Advocate will explain that “Pinocchio” is more of another adaptation (one of three in 2022!) of the 1883 tale, but it’s a remake of the 1940 animated movie. Every character look like their animated counterparts, right down to Tom Hanks as Geppetto. God love Tom Hanks, he certainly tries his best here, and even does his best with the musical number he’s given. But it’s all an uphill battle for a lot of what is established here.
Black Adam (2022)
Black Adam was created was created in 1945 by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics’ The Marvel Family comic book. When he was bought by DC Comics, he remained mostly a third tier super villain, appearing every now and then as an adversary to “Shazam!.” Because, that was what was supposed to be his purpose; He was supposed to be the anti-Shazam, the villainous magic wielder that constantly did battle with Billy Batson.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
After the startling success of “Avatar” James Cameron spent almost two decades crafting a sequel. It’s a sequel that is—well, it’s basically “Avatar” all over again with his blue Thundercats. Except it has water. That might seem like I’m undermining the movie but I’m really not. Everything is essentially the same, save for more characters. Cameron injects the same clumsy themes about war, capitalism, racism, the fragility of the environment, and the oh-so-noble savage; except now he’s able to introduce his love for the ocean too.
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]
With the new direction the DCAU is taking, it only makes sense for them to finally veer in to the world of the Super Sons. For a few years now, Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne’s sons have been the most unlikely popular duo. Warner and DC even welcome them in to the fold of the DC Animated library with a full CG animated movie rather than hand drawn. I much prefer hand drawn, but the CG animation works wonders for the high energy first adventures of Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne. In either case, “Battle of the Super Sons” is a great buddy action movie, and it’s a coming of age action film featuring two legacy heroes that have a big task on their hands.
Babylon (2022)
Damien Chazelle’s latest is one of the most controversial movies of the year, if only because it’s sparked a huge conversation about movies. It’s funny that a movie about the changing canvas of filmmaking sparked a very heated discourse about the changing canvas movies and bringing in audiences. The financial bomb feels a lot like Damien Chazelle correcting course for the sake of Oscar glory. Where as “La La Land” was a simple movie with aspirations to pay tribute to Hollywood, “Babylon” is a large, overlong, sweeping epic that aspires to pay tribute to Hollywood.
It doesn’t just pay tribute to Hollywood, though, it bends over to kiss its own ass every chance it gets.