Christian Bale Suits Up for the First Time in Batman Begins

When The Dark Knight came out in 2008, one of the reasons I was interested in it despite the violence the trailers portended was that I’d seen part of Batman Begins and liked it. This month, I watched the first movie in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and realized just how little of it I’d actually seen. Nonetheless, I did find it an enjoyable movie, much more so than the second.

Batman Begins is like The Dark Knight Rises in that it spends a lot of time getting into the head of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). While the focus of The Dark Knight is a bit different, these two movies make natural bookends. We see several flashbacks to Bruce’s childhood, during which he is tormented with anxiety over the bats that live in a cave on the grounds of Wayne Manor. This terror ultimately has deadly consequences, leading him to revisit it as an adult and use it to face more monstrous villains, including an unlikely but terrifying foe who preys on people’s deepest fears.

Batman is a dark superhero forged through tragedy, and we see a lot of that brooding angst here. However, we also see the strength of his moral principles, which were instilled in him by his parents. While he struggles with a desire for revenge, his refusal to become a bloodthirsty vigilante plays an important role in his development, particularly in regard to Ducard (Liam Neeson), the martial arts master from whom he receives extensive training during a lengthy absence from Gotham City.

The movie is very action-packed, with numerous explosions and altercations, but it also has quieter moments and bits of humor sprinkled throughout as welcome seasoning. Michael Caine is magnificent as his faithful butler Alfred, a father figure and devoted friend with a wry sense of humor, and Morgan Freeman is similarly enjoyable as inventor Lucius Fox, who provides Batman with all of his nifty gadgets. Meanwhile, Gary Oldman brings dignity and warmth to the role of kindhearted Jim Gordon, one of the few cops in Gotham City who is truly concerned about justice.

The screenplay by Nolan and David S. Goyer does a great job of establishing the complexities of Bruce’s motivation and the darkness of the city he aims to protect. The scenes in his childhood and early adulthood are particularly effective at making him sympathetic despite his aloof manner and tendency toward darkness. As childhood pal Rachel Dawes, Katie Holmes helps drive home the distinction between his noble aims and his sometimes excessive methods.

While I’m much more of a Superman fan, Nolan and these talented actors are very effective in bringing a unique vision of this iconic character to the big screen.

The Avengers Usher in the Summer Movie Season

For the past few years, I have reveled in the geekiness of The Big Bang Theory, which includes plentiful references to Marvel Comics. Aside from the Spider-Man movies, however, my own familiarity with these superheroes has been limited enough that uber-geek Sheldon would probably shake his head sadly at me. At least I can now add another Marvel movie to my list, since my parents, my brother Nathan and I went to see The Avengers last night - the first time, incidentally, that I had set foot in a movie theater since I saw Chipwrecked in December. While I didn't always follow exactly what was happening, I think it's safe to say that this was the superior offering.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon, whose geek cred knows no bounds, this is an action-packed race against time as international peacekeeper Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) scrambles to assemble a team of superheroes to protect the world against Loki (Tom Hiddleston), a newly-arrived being who intends to subjugate all of humanity. I didn't see any of the movies building up to this, but the Iron Man, Thor and Captain America films set up this one, generating ample buzz for the movie years in advance. No wonder it's smashing box office records like the Hulk smashes... well, everything.

The heart of the movie is Nick's attempt to turn this ragtag group of superheroes into a cohesive unit, which is no easy task. Some of them have never even met, and personality clashes abound. Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man, is abrasive with his acerbic manner and quick-witted quips. I found Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner, a meek scientist who has made a valiant effort to get the rage that turns him into a green monster under control, to be the most likable of the lot, though Chris Evans is very charming as the slightly out-of-touch Steve Rogers, more commonly known as Captain America.

I was least familiar with Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, a sassy spy played by Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton / Hawkeye, an archer and the only member of the group I didn't really feel like I knew at the end of the movie. Also in the mix is Thor, the muscle-bound Norse god of thunder who is Loki's brother and therefore has a very personal stake in the success of this mission. Chris Hemsworth gives an intense performance as someone torn between affection and revulsion as he deals with what his adoptive brother has become.

My favorite parts of the movie involve these heroes getting to know each other, swapping barbs and gradually working through their own issues to truly become a team. I love Jackson's frank but passionate delivery throughout the film as someone trying to ward off disaster, and Clark Gregg is endearing as his idealistic assistant Phil. Downey drily utters most of the movie's funniest lines, though Ruffalo gets my favorite, and Hiddleston is unsettlingly mesmerizing as he silkily caresses each word.

We watched the movie in 3-D, and I'm not sure how big a difference it made, though I did feel I was pretty well immersed in the movie and probably jumped a couple of times where I wouldn't have if we'd been watching without the glasses. The special effects looked very realistic to me, and they were used plentifully. I found some of the action sequences a little confusing as they hopped from character to character and went on for quite a while, and it wasn't until the team was assembled that I felt fully invested in the movie, but once I really had those characters to latch onto I found the film a very fun ride, right down to the peculiar little scene that follows the credits.

While it's not my favorite of the superhero movies I have seen, The Avengers does make me want to see the movies dealing with the group's individual members, and I found this adrenaline-soaked action flick an ideal way to kick off the summer movie season.

Visit Harry Potter and Many Other Fantastical Folks at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure

A couple years ago, my aunt and uncle took a trip to Florida, and while they were there, they saw advertisements for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which would be opening the following year. My aunt told me that whenever they decided to go to Florida to check out this new park, I was invited to go along. Just before my birthday this year, they announced that we were going this spring, and it was an epic vacation that included Universal and Disney World, as well as Sea World, a drive-through safari, a renaissance fair and an airboat ride through a swamp filled with alligators. But Harry was the one who propelled this particular venture for my aunt and uncle, who, unlike me, are seasoned travelers. We spent two days at Universal Studios, which was where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was located.

Universal is divided into two parks. Our passes allowed us to visit both parks, but on our first day, we ventured only into Islands of Adventure, which includes several themed sections, of which the Harry Potter one is the newest. We also returned to this part of the park our second time through, after we had made our way through Universal's more low-key park. Islands of Adventure is jam-packed with rides, attractions and costumed characters, and you'll be hard-pressed to see everything you want to in a single day.

As it happened, our first day at Universal was St. Patrick's Day, and the park seemed to be especially packed as a result. We just made our way through in order of what was closest to the entrance, which meant that we started out with the section focusing on classic comic book characters. Marvel Super Hero Island included some pretty intense-looking rides; the only one I went on was the Spider-man ride, which simulated a ride through the city where we helped Spider-Man battle baddies and got sprinkled with water or tinged with heat from fiery explosions. While we were in this part of the park, we saw a parade of Marvel characters and snapped a few pictures. A few of them came up onto the sidewalks and posed for photos with guests.

While the Marvel world was fun, I really loved Toon Lagoon, which was filled with nifty cut-out displays of characters from comic strips ranging from Beetle Bailey to Family Circus. We spent a fair bit of time here just snapping pictures of each other next to or under the various displays. I loved the one with the cranky Shoe editor muttering, "A good editor never sleeps," and I got a kick out of the unaccompanied dialogue bubble just above head level simply stating, "I feel like there is a cloud over my head."

This part of the park included my two favorite rides, aside from the thrilling Hogwarts Castle tour. Dudley Do-Wright, the clueless Mountie, was the theme of the log flume, and we spent close to two hours waiting for Dudley Do-Wright's Ripsaw Falls, after which point we decided that the fast passes would be a good idea. The wait wasn't bad, though, because the line was filled with quirky announcements, Dudley Do-Wright cartoons and artwork. The ride itself is a log flume ride rather like the Magic Kingdom's Splash Mountain, and it tells a story using jumbo figures and dialogue and narration coming out of the speakers nearby. The basic storyline has Dudley clumsily saving the day from the nefarious Snidely Whiplash, with the result that he is celebrated by the town but still rejected by the girl of his dreams. The tale is entertaining, and the ride is tons of fun for a hot day. I rode it three times over the course of two days, and I got completely soaked each time - though the third time, I rode it later in the day than I should have, with the result that I was shivering all through dinner. You're best off getting this one out of the way well before 5:00. Same goes for Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, which is comparable to the white water rapids ride at Hersheypark. If the splash from going down a waterfall doesn't get you, the downpour from waterfalls above you will. Plus, you have the people up on the bridges paying to aim water at you. There's no avoiding getting drenched on this ride, though handily, there is a sealed plastic compartment in the middle in which to store your belongings, and they'll stay pretty dry as long as you put them in there. Like Ripsaw Falls, this includes several jumbo figures from the cartoon scattered throughout the ride and combined with dialogue from the speakers. It's very entertaining and refreshing.

Another ride involving a circular raft is the Jurassic Park River Adventure, the only ride I went on in that section of the park. It starts out nice and mellow, almost like the Jungle Cruise, and the gorgeous score from the movie augments the beauty of those animatronic plant-eating dinosaurs. Then you leave the sunny outdoor area and go inside, where it's dark and dire warnings about malfunctions flash and blare. This part of the ride is creepy, particularly the huge Tyrannosaurus Rex that lunges down upon you just before you go down the ride's final hill. There's a bit of a splash to this one, but it's nothing compared to the ones in Ripsaw Falls and Bilgerat Barges, and you could probably ride this one a little later in the day and not have to worry so much about getting dry. Outside of the ride, there are a number of photo spots, and we just enjoyed wandering through on our way to the wizards. The Lost Continent is around here too, and we didn't spend much time there at all the first day, but the second day we did the walk-through show Poseidon's Fury, which had some really cool special effects, not to mention a very enthusiastic human guide.

Seuss Landing is designed mostly with kids in mind, so none of the rides are that thrilling for adults, but this part of the park is incredibly visually appealing. Everywhere you look is a statue of some Seuss character, and the whole thing is eye-poppingly colorful. I took oodles of pictures in this part of the park, and it's just a joy to walk through. Whatever your favorite Seuss book is, you'll probably find it here in some form or another. The carousel is a real thing of beauty, populated as it is by all sorts of Seussish creatures, and I love the display dedicated to the Lorax and the old Onceler. We rode on the Cat in the Hat ride, which is an entertaining dark ride that takes you through the events of the book, and the trolley ride, which provides a little tour of all the Seussian attractions in the area. Kids should love this park, along with adults who appreciate whimsy.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is an amazing sight for any Rowling fan. You get there, and it's like you have entered the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, where Hogwarts students go for occasional field trips. It's so compact that it's hard to really get a feel for how it looks without standing in the middle of it. Shops tower on all sides, some of them actually selling merchandise, others only storefronts there just for show. While the Hogwarts Express does not actually go anywhere, you can get your picture taken with the engine and stroll through the station. This park has three rides, two of which I went on, as the Dragon Challenge looked a little too twisty for me. The Flight of the Hippogriff is short, but it's an exhilarating little roller coaster, and I love the line for this ride because it includes Hagrid's hut, and you get to hear his voice booming out from the speaker. I was hoping that there would be a photo op spot with Hagrid or a character walking around, but this little area is very cool. I just wish that guests were able to actually go into the cabin.

The park has no specific characters walking around, but it is filled with witches and wizards serving as prefects. The main attraction of the park is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, a mega-cool virtual tour of Hogwarts. You can't use express passes on this one, and the line is rather confusing. You're not allowed to bring loose articles with you, unless you can manage to stash them in your clothing. I didn't realize this until I got almost to the front of the line, and I was told to go downstairs to stash my stuff in a locker, except there wasn't a locker available. My aunt was waiting outside, so she took my purse for me and I went back and managed to get back to roughly where I had been in line before, and I ended up on the ride just a few minutes after my cousin. Still, I think the line seemed a bit disorganized. I loved looking at all of the displays inside the castle, though. Talking portraits, desks of significant characters, the Gryffindor common room... It was a definite feast for the eyes and ears. The ride itself is a three-dimensional deal that combines movement and physical displays with virtual ones. You'll get to see several major points inside the castle and out. The idea is that you're following Harry and Hermione on broomstick, and some of the angles are pretty dizzying. I'll admit I walked off this one feeling a little woozy, but it was worth it to get the sensation that I was soaring over the Quidditch pitch or swooping through the Hogwarts dungeons. Several characters from the movies make an appearance as well, so this ride really is a lot of fun.

Also inside the castle is the massive gift shop, Filch's Emporium, where you can buy t-shirts, pillows, pins, action figures and all sorts of other collectibles. One thing I didn't see there was a postcard rack; there's a separate shop for that, and while we were there, they rolled a small cart outside so that we could buy postcards from there as well and have them stamped with the Hogsmeade postmark. Filch's Emporium was the only shop we entered the first day; on the second trip, we perused Zonko's joke shop and Honeyduke's candy shop, both of which were feasts for the eyes. My park souvenirs included a Hagrid pin and Harry's wand; while we didn't brave the massive line at Ollivander's wand shop, a couple of other places sold the wands as well, with styles modeled after the wands of several major characters.

Of course, we also had to try some butterbeer, the beloved beverage that so many Harry Potter fans have longed to taste. Scattered throughout this portion of the park are several butterbeer kiosks, and they draw quite a crowd as well. The plastic souvenir mugs are both snazzy and practical, as you won't have to worry much about them breaking while you're wandering through the park. After the first one, though, you can get it in disposable cups instead the mugs and pay less. The drink itself is a sort of mix of cream soda with butterscotch foam, and it's very refreshing on a hot Florida day. Pumpkin juice, another prominent Harry Potter drink, is available too, but we didn't try that, nor did we eat at the Three Broomsticks, the park's restaurant. Just as the pair of Mickey Mouse ears was my one essential purchase at Disney World, the butterbeer was my Must Buy at Universal, and it was worth the anticipation. Speaking of souvenirs, I highly recommend bringing a couple rolls of quarters and pennies so you can use the pressed penny machines located at many points throughout the park. These are very inexpensive but fun collectibles, and it can be a sort of treasure hunt to track as many down as you can. I think I returned from Florida with more than 30 from the different places we went to, and I would have had more if I'd thought to bring quarters ahead of time.

All in all, Universal's Islands of Adventure is an amazing place to spend the day. It's crowded and pricey, but the rides, characters, shops and general extravagance of the themes presented in as much vibrant detail as possible make it a thrilling stop for Harry Potter fans and fun-lovers of all ages.

LarryBoy Gets a Big Head in Leggo My Ego

Several years ago, the creators of the computer-animated Christian video series VeggieTales decided to branch out into slightly different territory with a series of regular 2-D animated videos starring superhero LarryBoy, an amalgam of Batman’s gadgetry and Larry the Cucumber’s goofiness. His faithful butler, portrayed by Archibald Asparagus, provides another tie to the Batman series, though these videos also borrow from Superman by placing him in the news room and introducing characters comparable to Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane. The third of these videos is Leggo My Ego.

Aside from an opening song, which frankly isn’t all that memorable, there’s no music in this video, and the flat style takes some getting used to. It has a retro feel to it, like the original Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoon or Powerpuff Girls. The look is a lot simpler than that of the regular series, but it’s still fun to watch. I do find it a little curious that the landscape is populated by characters who resemble established Veggie characters but aren’t. There’s a pair of what I take to be beets who function much like Jimmy and Jerry Gourd, particularly in regard to their huge appetites, and instead of a Scottish carrot for a cop we have a Swedish gourd named Olaf. Vicki is a bit punchier than Petunia usually is but basically serves the same role she does in several Veggie videos.

The main story is pretty short at just about 20 minutes, and it’s not very complicated. A dastardly pair of villains plans to take over Bumblyburg, and to do that, they have invented a substance that shrinks citizens. The gas cloud is activated when LarryBoy says something that belittles one of his friends. The villains goad him into these assertions by playing on his insecurities, and the more he diminishes others, the easier it gets. The story demonstrates the link that often exists between low self-esteem and egotism, emphasizing the fact that tearing others down to make yourself seem more important is a very bad idea.

There’s some humor to be found in the spectacle of the various characters becoming teeny-tiny, with voices to match, and The Alchemist, despite his rather imposing name, is a pretty wimpy excuse for a villain. His mother is the one pulling all the strings, and I almost get the sense that if it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t be in the super-villain business at all. He’s really not very good at it. In fact, like LarryBoy, he mostly seems to be overcompensating for the lack of appreciation he feels from others – in this case, his own mother. While she is more intimidating, she too is more comical than scary. The dynamic between the two reminds me of Gru and his mother in Despicable Me.

The video is filled with slapsticky moments like LarryBoy getting caught in an explosion of cotton candy and annoying his Superhero School classmate to the point that she sets a gale-force wind on him, tearing apart the classroom. It’s fun, but the humor here generally isn’t as clever as it is in the main series. That’s especially true in the short Cuke of All Trades, a silly cartoon that goes along with the theme of Larry not feeling very appreciated. It’s his birthday, but instead of being celebrated, he’s left in charge of a bakery and a candle shop while the owners head off on enigmatic errands and customers suddenly swarm in. This is a very predictable short, though I found it fairly amusing.

Leggo My Ego has a great title and some entertaining elements, and it seems likely to fare well with a very young audience. However, I don’t think it has quite the multi-generational appeal that most of the videos in this series do. Considering how few of the videos were released, I’m guessing I’m not alone in thinking that.

Ryan Reynolds Suits Up as the Green Lantern

I like to think of myself as being pretty geeky. Nonetheless, my knowledge of comic books remains limited, as blockbuster season often reminds me. Last night, I went into Green Lantern knowing nothing about the character aside from what my brother had told me. The main thing I knew about the movie itself was that it stars Ryan Reynolds, whose performances I have generally enjoyed, though I also heard that the critics weren’t too impressed with it. I didn’t hear why, so as I watched, I kept wondering which parts of the movie should be disappointing me. I’ve always been better at pointing out strengths than flaws in things, so maybe I just missed some glaring problems. But basically, I found Green Lantern to be quite an entertaining movie.

The film, directed by Martin Campbell, helpfully provides an expository introduction to get everyone up to speed on the rules of the Green Lantern universe. In this mythology, an ageless council of sage beings stands as guardians of the entire universe, which they have divided into 3600 sections, appointing a protector for each. These protectors wear green rings that harness the energy of will, which the guardians consider the strongest force in the universe. As the film begins, these green-garbed protectors face a grave danger from a growing threat that feeds on fear. Some of the finest of this elite group have fallen prey to the enigmatic entity; one of them needs to find a new bearer on Earth, and that’s where Reynolds’ character comes in.

While the beginning teeters on being a tedious information dump, it’s short enough and presented dynamically enough that I didn’t mind, particularly because it all felt like pretty essential background. However, it’s when Reynolds shows up that things really get cooking. He’s Hal Jordan, a flippant fighter pilot about to be late for work on the worst of all possible days. He has a big demonstration to pull off, and he manages some pretty fancy flying, but his daring feat is not exactly appreciated.

Hal is a loose cannon. I kept finding myself reminded of Maverick in Top Gun. Like Maverick, Hal is a highly skilled but reckless pilot driven to live up to his father’s legacy. Like him, Hal is romantically involved with a talented female fighter pilot. He even serenades her in a bar and uses flying lingo as a metaphor for their relationship. Later in the movie, after he has shown how irresponsible he can be, he must prove to a skeptical commander that he is up for the challenge of a lifetime. So even though I didn’t know a thing about Green Lantern, Hal’s trajectory felt very familiar to me.

That didn’t bother me. In fact, it made it easier for me to connect to Hal, as well as his rarely ruffled love interest, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), daughter of his boss. In the beginning, Hal pilots fighter jets; by the end, he’s flying on his own through outer space. Turns out that he isn’t quite as fearless as he initially appears, but the same daring spunk he displayed in his firefight will be needed as he faces off against a grave enemy. That nemesis is the terrifying Parallax (Clancy Brown), who has harnessed the yellow power of fear and is using it to wipe out entire civilizations, growing stronger each time. He reminds me of no one so much as Hexxus, the grotesque sludge monster in the animated Ferngully who feeds off of pollution, growing stronger with each sip of smog or toxic goo. The scenes in which we see him directly are the most disturbing in the movie as he sucks the life force out of everyone who stands in his path, leaving nothing but a pile of dry bones to clatter in his wake. There’s very little blood in the movie, but these scenes could be traumatizing to sensitive young viewers.

Shortly after Hal puts on his green ring for the first time, he is whisked away to the planet where the guardians reside in order to be debriefed on his powers and his responsibilities. This is a visually dazzling sequence involving hundreds of intriguing alien life forms, a bustling intergalactic city and the dueling skills of multiple protectors as they try to break Hal in. The three major characters we meet here are Sinestro (Mark Strong), one of the most influential members of the Green Lanterns and a close friend of the protector Hal replaced; Kilowog (Michael Clarke Duncan), an imposing bestial alien who puts Hal through some intensive training; and the wise, gentle Tomar-Re, a fish-faced alien played by Geoffrey Rush. Of these, the last is my favorite, but the first is most significant to the story.

The other major character is Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), who becomes the vehicle through which Parallax plans to conquer Earth. Hector is a jittery, socially awkward biologist who looks like Sesame Street’s Mr. Noodle. He’s hunched and withdrawn much of the time, but when he is chosen to examine the deceased alien who bore the green ring before Hal, he comes alive with excitement. For the first half of the movie or so, I found him mostly sympathetic, despite some slightly creepy tendencies. This is a man with a brilliant mind who has always felt rejected by society at large and his father in particular. His self-esteem issues run deep.

He seems to have an ally in the calm Dr. Amanda Waller (Angela Bassett), who takes him to perform the autopsy, but that isn’t enough to keep him from going off the deep end once he becomes contaminated with the yellow power of Parallax. One thing the movie demonstrates very effectively is how evil can corrupt even the most well-intentioned. The yellow power made me think of Lord of the Rings, since it is a formidable force but those who use it always fall under its vile influence. When one Green Lantern forges a yellow ring meant to wield that energy, you just know that no good will come of it.

Having two competing forces allows for some pretty impressive battles as one hurls destructive forces and the other repels with creative forces. A Green Lantern has the ability to create anything imaginable, provided he is properly focused. Watching Hal experiment with these abilities is a lot of fun, as is seeing him take to the skies in his bright green suit. Despite Parallax’s all-consuming destruction and Hector’s more traditional mayhem, the movie does not feel particularly violent, especially considering the genre. I didn’t notice any profanity, and although the first time we meet Hal he’s hopping out of a bed he shared with a one-night stand, most of the romance in the film is quite chaste. Flashbacks to Hal’s childhood and the introduction of his 11-year-old nephew help bolster the interest for children. While I was hoping to see more of that nephew toward the end of the film, his tender scene with Hal early on made the hot-headed hero easier to empathize with.

The movie blatantly sets up a sequel, especially if you sit through the credits for a few minutes, so I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll be seeing of the Green Lantern on the big screen. I have no idea how faithful the movie is to its comic book origins, but I thought it had just the right mix of elements to be a fun summer blockbuster. It didn’t make me laugh quite as much as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, but there was still enough humor to offset the darkest elements of the movie, and it’s effects-laden enough that the movie pops on the big screen in a way that you know it won’t quite do on all but the biggest televisions. If you like this type of movie, I’d recommend catching it in theaters. I certainly enjoyed the ride.

The Wonder Pets Save the Reindeer By Working Together

A couple years ago, I was watching TV with my cousin when a show came on Nickelodeon that I hadn’t encountered before. Called Wonder Pets, it featured a trio of irresistible young animals who went about rescuing other young animals. The spirit of cooperation and the prevalence of music on the show make it similar to The Backyardigans, another show for the pre-elementary set that features several cuddly animal protagonists. Based on what I’ve seen of them, both programs seem to be of high quality and have positive messages, so I was happy to snuggle down for a few minutes with their respective Christmas books.

The Backyardigans’ Jingle Bell Christmas is a cute little tale set to the tune of Jingle Bells. Wonder Pets! Save the Reindeer!, adapted from Chris Nee’s teleplay by Tone Thyne and illustrated by Michael Scanton, is a bit more involved, more driven by the rhyming narrative than the illustrations, though the pictures are delightful, albeit, in the spirit of the show, a tad trippy. While the starring characters are photographically generated, the backgrounds and props are animated, resulting in an odd mixed-media creation. But the animals are adorable, and the wintry landscapes are lovely, so the mixture isn’t too odd to be enjoyed.

The trio of heroes are 5-year-old Linny the guinea pig, the ringleader; sensitive 4-year-old Tuck the red-eared slider terrapin and 3-year-old Ming-Ming the duckling, who, much like me at that age, is full of bravado and could use some serious speech therapy. Throughout this book, all three of them wear Santa hats, and their house is bedecked with hand-made decorations. They also travel around in a snazzy Christmas Flyboat. But the most festive element of the book is the little reindeer who becomes trapped on an icy pond. What can these tiny critters do to help?

I recently read Reindeer Christmas, another book that involves a reindeer in distress being aided by altruistic youths. That book is more literary and is aimed at an older audience. This one is short and sweet, a nice little tale for toddlers to cozy up to. It encourages teamwork and problem-solving, and fans of the show and their parents should be satisfied with this holiday adventure with the guinea pig, the turtle and the duck.

Corny Underdog Entertains, With Some Help From Peter Dinklage and Patrick Warburton

When I was in elementary school, there was a stretch of time when I awoke bright and early every morning at 5 a.m. so that I could start my day with a series of old-timey TV shows before I went off to school. These included Lassie (I had such a crush on Timmy), Dennis the Menace, Rocky and Bullwinkle and Underdog. I hadn't watched those in years, though, so I barely remembered the premise of Underdog when I watched the live-action movie a couple weeks ago. And could a cartoon that operated under time constraints of about 15 minutes per episode really be effectively stretched into an hour and a half-long movie?

In the movie, Underdog is an ineffectual police dog voiced by Jason Lee who winds up in a lab where Dr. Simon Barsinister, a nefarious scientist played by the always-impressive Peter Dinklage, is running experiments in hopes of creating super-powered animals. Something goes haywire, and the humble beagle ends up getting a full dose of the madman's goo, resulting in a shocking transformation, the impact of which the dog doesn't initially realize. It becomes clearer to him when Dan Unger (Jim Belushi), a guard at the lab, comes across him in the street and brings him home to his son. Jack (Alex Neuberger) is a typical overdramatic teenager. He has issues with his dad, and he's initially completely turned off by the arrival of the dog, who Dan names Shoeshine. But when Underdog starts talking in Dan's absence, Jack decides that he might make pretty good company after all, and when he realizes the extent of his abilities, he urges the pooch to take on a secret identity and purge the city of evil deeds.

This is a very slapsticky sort of movie. There are lots of cheesy special effects related to the various stunts that Shoeshine / Underdog can pull. All of the actors deliver performances that are fairly over-the-top, and most of the time I find Neuberger a bit grating. Taylor Momsen, who I loved as Cyndi Lou in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, has grown up a lot, but while her character is perfectly likable, I found her performance rather generic. The most low-key performance is Belushi's; some of his characters grate on my nerves, but he makes Dan a very sympathetic guy who's obviously doing his best to preserve his broken family. Meanwhile, the most entertaining members of the cast are Dinklage, who revels in Dr. Barsinister's exaggerated villainy, and Patrick Warburton, who, as the doctor's sidekick, is slightly more ill-intentioned than usual but every bit as dopey as his typical character. A running joke involving a thesaurus is particularly amusing.

If you're looking for a really top-notch dog movie, Underdog isn't the place to start, but it's pretty fun nonetheless. The bad guys' bumbling antics, father-son bonding, Shoeshine's growing self-confidence and hints of romance of the teenage and canine variety (with an amusing nod to Lady and the Tramp) all help to make this a fun flick for the Hannah Montana generation, and if you grew up watching Underdog - the first episode of the cartoon, incidentally, is offered as an extra - it might be a fun walk down memory lane.

Lars and the Real Girl Leads a Stellar Pack in 2007

The year 2007 was a very significant one for me in terms of pop culture, though not so much because of movies. It was in 2007 that I finally was able to start watching LOST in prime time, and even more notably, it was in 2007 that the final installment of the Harry Potter series - which I can honestly say was the most highly anticipated book of my life - hit bookshelves. Nonetheless, 2007 also marked the year-long return of my friend Dan, an aspiring screenwriter, and he saw to it that I would be more prepared for the Oscars in 2008 than I ever had been before. It was also the year my friend Beth send me a trial subscription to Netflix and got me hooked. Consequently, I have, to date, seen more than 40 movies that were released in 2007. It was a good year for movies. These were my ten favorites.

Music and Lyrics - This one came out on Valentine's Day, and my friend Libbie and I had planned to see it opening day, then head home in time for a joint viewing of LOST, which turned out to be one of the most romantic episodes in the show's history. But a blizzard kept us from doing either, so on the 15th we headed out to see whether this Hugh Grant / Drew Barrymore flick would be as endearing as the commercials suggested. We ended up liking it even better than we'd hoped. It was sweet, funny and romantic. It inspired the aspiring songwriter within me. And Libbie and I still randomly burst into Pop! Goes My Heart sometimes; that cheesy mock-'80s video that starts the film is worth the rental price all by itself.

Bridge to Terabithia - I'd been looking forward to this one for a while, as the book had been a favorite ever since I first read it at the age of ten or so. My cousin and I were so inspired by it that we spent several family get-togethers plotting a theatrical adaptation of it, a project that eventually fell apart when we realized we couldn't really do it justice with only two actors. Thankfully, Walden Media had plenty of actors at its disposal, and all performed admirably. I was a little worried about how faithful this would be to the book, since the previews made it look more like a fantasy epic, but ultimately I was very impressed with the results.

Spider-Man 3 - I saw three "part three" movies in the month of May, all on opening night, as I'd decided that it was my duty as a movie reviewer to see as many blockbusters as I could, as early as possible. Pirates of the Caribbean was fun but convoluted, while Shrek the Third was mostly disappointing, but I found I really liked Spider-Man 3. I think it helped that I was pretty much unfamiliar with the comics; I understand Sam Raimi played fast and loose with canon here. In any case, I got caught up in the humor and adrenaline of the movie, and the enthusiastic audience helped make it one of my most enjoyable opening-night experiences.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - The fifth movie was, of course, just an appetizer before the long-awaited meal of the seventh book. Nonetheless, I was excited about it, in part because it was the first film in the franchise I actually managed to see in the theater. While I wish the running time hadn't been quite so slim, I loved the creative use of montages and newspaper headlines to convey a lot of information at once, often in a humorous manner. And the introduction of Luna, possibly my favorite female character in the series, was fantastic.

Hot Fuzz - When I saw a preview for this one, I suspected it would be my kind of movie, at least mostly; I'm not big on violence, but it looked like this murder mystery would keep most of the mayhem off-screen. It was my brother, who'd never heard of the movie before, who wound up seeing it first; he liked it so much he bought it as soon as it came out on DVD, and I watched it with him and spent half the movie doubled over with laughter. Simon Pegg is hilarious as the uptight cop sent to Nowheresville, England because the rest of the London force is getting tired of him one-upping them. But it was Nick Frost who really won me over as his dim-witted, gold-hearted deputy. Definitely a winning team.

Enchanted - The return of the Disney movie musical! This felt like a throwback to the likes of Mary Poppins and Pete's Dragon, not to mention the fully animated princess tales it so joyfully spoofs. Amy Adams is radiant as the naive, sugary-sweet princess yanked from her animated world into the mean streets of New York. The movie really hinges on her performance, as well as the wonderful songs that simultaneously honor and parody Disney classics like Be Our Guest and Whistle While You Work.

Ratatouille - Somehow, I never managed to catch this one in theaters, which surprised me given my great love for Pixar. But my brother Nathan received it for Christmas, so I ended up ringing in the New Year with a rat named Remy. This is a more adult-oriented film than most Pixar flicks; with all the references to fine cuisine and French culture, I wouldn't be surprised if some kids tuned out before the movie was over. Nonetheless, the animation is beautiful, the story is inspiring, and the expertly written and delivered dialogue of Anton Ego is as delicious as the dish he so lovingly describes.

No Country for Old Men - If you'd given me a primer on this movie before it came out and asked me whether I thought I would like it, I'm sure my answer would have been no. I don't know how it is that I failed to have any idea what it was about before I saw it, but when my dad and brother whisked me off to watch it with them, I only knew it had gotten Oscar buzz. I soon discovered why. Yes, it's horribly violent. One of the most violent movies I've ever seen. Yet it's also extremely funny, and brimming with humanity, in large part due to the reflective sheriff so perfectly portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones. I was rooting for this one to get the Best Picture Oscar and was most gratified when it succeeded.

Juno - I didn't see this until my birthday, which is nearly halfway through February; it was one of the last notches on my Oscar readiness belt. Easily the most uplifting of the five Best Picture nominees, this tale of a plucky teen negotiating unexpected pregnancy resulting from a single fling with her endearingly awkward best friend won me over quickly. I loved the clever dialogue, the compassionate relationships, the quirky soundtrack. A cheerful gem of a film.

Lars and the Real Girl - I've listed the rest of my top 10 in the order in which I saw them, but I'm stepping out of order for this one, which I never would have seen if Dan hadn't dragged Libbie and me to the theater with him. I'd read a blurb in Entertainment Weekly, but it left me with the impression that this was some sort of raunchy futuristic comedy, and I wasn't exactly reeled in. So imagine my surprise when I found myself unable to stop smiling practically from the moment the movie started! This gentle, Capra-esque film about a socially inept, emotionally damaged young man who learns to interact with the world with some help from a life-size doll and an understanding community is one of the funniest, most tender films I've ever watched. While it's hard to begrudge Diablo Cody's win with Juno, I really would have loved to see this one take home top honors for its unique, life-affirming screenplay.

A good year for movies, to be sure. I recommend them all. But most of all, I recommend Lars and the Real Girl, which didn't get nearly enough attention. For me, it was the sweetest movie surprise of the year.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Is a Beastly Beauty

Last week, my brother came downstairs and announced, "There's something we need to watch." As both of us had a small stack of DVDs given to us at Christmas, this was an ambiguous statement, so I waited for him to elaborate. Instead of making for the tree, he headed over to the computer and started up Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which I'd seen referenced in Entertainment Weekly but knew little about. Written and directed by Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, in collaboration with Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, it's a series of three 15-minute-long video blogs created during the Writers' Strike. It stars Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible (otherwise known as Billy), Felicia Day as Penny, the girl of his dreams, and Nathan Fillion as his nemesis, Captain Hammer.

The first part begins with Dr. Horrible at his blogging station, answering mail from fans. He returns to this position occasionally, but most of the blog follows him, Captain Hammer and Penny around town as they strive to achieve their individual goals. Dr. Horrible's aims are clear: to finally be accepted as a member of the Evil League of Evil and to get up the nerve to have a coherent conversation with Penny at the laundromat they both frequent. Meanwhile, Penny spends her time petitioning to save an old building so that it can be transformed into a homeless shelter, while Captain Hammer does his best to thwart Dr. Horrible (and Billy, too).

This is an unconventional superhero story because we're meant to root for the villain, whose evil aspirations rarely match up with his mousy personality (or his anemic villainous laugh). Scrawny Billy is an angsty but pensive and gentle soul who considers killing inelegant and passes on an invitation to duel because the chosen location is within sight of children. Muscle-bound Captain Hammer is a narcissistic lunkhead reminiscent of Cartoon Network's Johnny Bravo. Saintly Penny, unaware of Billy's "Ph.D. in horribleness," is caught in the middle. The only other semi-major character is Moist (Simon Helberg), Billy's wet blanket of a roommate, who seems kind but ineffective.

I wasn't completely sold on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog until the singing began. At that point, I found myself entirely delighted with My Freeze Ray, Billy's jaunty tune in which his villainous dreams and his infatuation with Penny merge: "With my freeze ray I will stop the world. / With my freeze ray I will / Find the time to find the words to / Tell you how / How you make / Make me feel..." I never knew that Harris was such a talented singer, though my brother informed me he's been on Broadway. He has a very pleasant tone to his voice and expresses emotion quite well with his vocals. This cheerful tune is my favorite of the seven songs in which he plays a prominent role, but I'm also a big fan of the brooding My Eyes, in which he alternates with Day as Billy and Penny separately reflect on her new relationship with Captain Hammer.

Fillion, whose baritone reminds me of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, has three songs in which to shine, most notably the overblown We Are the World-style Everyone's a Hero, in which he condescendingly explains to an adoring crowd how Penny has transformed him into a humanitarian and how he now appreciates the struggles of the less fortunate: "Everyone’s a hero in their own way / Everyone’s got villains they must face / They’re not as cool as mine / But folks, you know it’s fine to know your place." Day's voice is soft and whispery, and her big solo truly is inspirational, in a much quieter way: "Even in the darkness / Every color can be found / And every day of rain / Brings water flowing / To things growing in the ground." All three, along with several minor characters, come together for So They Say, a group song that again reminds me of Beauty and the Beast, this time the show-stopping Belle, as it involves the whole town reacting to a juicy bit of news involving Captain Hammer and Penny.

To make comparisons to that exquisite Disney musical is to pay Whedon and company a sincere compliment. These are some of the most cleverly written songs I've encountered in a while, full of complex rhymes, catchy melodies and character-revealing moments. Story parallels exist as well. Penny is as compassionate as Belle, though she's more of a damsel in distress than that spunky heroine. Captain Hammer is just as self-involved as Gaston and engages in charitable deeds half-heartedly to win the girl. Dr. Horrible, instead of being condemned to a beastly fate, seeks that alteration himself in response to a world that he feels has been cruel to him. In addition to the elements of musical, comedy and romance, the tale becomes an examination of what drives otherwise decent people to embrace evil deeds. Even more pressing than the question of who winds up with Penny is the question of whether Dr. Horrible can - or should - truly pursue both goals simultaneously and hope for any degree of success. They certainly seem incongruous, and the answer provided by the finale offers food for thought and plenty of room for further exploration. That's why I'm thrilled to hear that Dr. Horrible will be back. Though I don't know whether his next adventure will take the direction I would like, I'll most certainly be watching the continuing journey.

The Incredibles: Superheroes Entertain, But Not as Much as Toys and Monsters

I love Pixar. So much that I can't believe I still haven't seen Ratatouille, which looks glorious and which comes so highly recommended. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, however, I did manage to catch The Incredibles, the previous Pixar flick also written and directed by Brad Bird. I'd seen it before, in the theater, and although I enjoyed it, I didn't like it as much as the others and couldn't quite understand the heaps of acclaim it seemed to be getting.

After seeing it again, I'd still rank it at the bottom of my Pixar list, but that doesn't mean The Incredibles isn't fantastic. As a send-up of spy and superhero films, it delivers plenty of laughs, though the jokes generally seem to aim at an older audience. This aspect of the film is both an asset and a weakness. It's sly and clever, but some of it probably goes over the heads of children.

Not only is the overall tone of the movie rather more sophisticated than would be expected for an audience of youngsters, the film gets pretty dark at times, and there is cartoonish violence aplenty. Nothing too graphic, but the fact that these are actual people as opposed to toys, monsters, cars or any of a variety of small animals makes the mayhem feel that much more ominous. And good as the animation is, these heroes in hiding just aren't as much fun to look at as Woody, Sully or Mater.

Still, the Incredibles, known to the rest of civilization as the Parrs, are an engaging family. Dad (Craig T. Nelson) is overweight and unfulfilled, dreaming of his glory days as a superhero in his prime while he fritters away his life in a tiny cubicle, attempting to actually help his clients despite the disapproval of his explosive, diminutive boss (Wallace Shawn). His wife Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) is determined to allow the family to blend in, even if it means never making use of their unique abilities. Hyperactive young Dash (Spencer Fox) races to and fro, always full of energy and frustration that he doesn't have a decent outlet for it, and brooding Violet (Sarah Vowell) feels invisible even when she isn't cloaking herself. Only infant Jack-Jack seems to boast no remarkable powers, but he has time to grow into that sort of thing...

Also integral to the plot are Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), the hip buddy of Mr. Incredible who does all sorts of nifty tricks involving the freezing of water, and Syndrome (Jason Lee), whose poisonous attitudes toward Our Hero were shaped during an unfortunate encounter years earlier. Bird himself joins the party as savvy fashion designer Edna Mode, who is eager to give this family a new look for this phase of their lives.

The animation is eye-catching, though again, I just can't quite get used to Pixar's humans. It's a movie that almost seems like it would've worked just as well as a live action movie, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. As with most Pixar efforts, this isn't a musical, but Michael Giacchino, who also composed the music for LOST, created a fun and evocative score.

The Incredibles are a family with a very unusual dynamic, since they must juggle superpowers with the desire to remain in cognito, the urge to help humanity with the need for some quality time on the home front. They're the average middle class family in many ways, one of which is demonstrated in a hilarious scene in which Elastigirl plays back-seat driver as her husband attempts to maneuver their car through heavy traffic. I think I laughed more the second time around and was a little less shocked by how sinister the plot occasionally became. The Incredibles is quite the entertaining ride. It's just not quite as incredible as its esteemed company.

Hiro Elevates Otherwise Dreary Heroes

Last summer, I went to see several movies at the theater and was surprised to notice that along with the expected movie previews, there was advertising for upcoming television projects. This was how I first heard about NBC's Heroes, a drama about several seemingly ordinary people who suddenly discover hitherto unknown talents. Initially, the connections between most of these super-powered are tenuous or nonexistent, so there are a lot of threads to follow at once. Eventually, however, the storylines intersect as these potential heroes discover that something disastrous is about to happen unless they join forces to stop it.

When I found out about Heroes, I was stuck firmly in an obsession with Smalville, so perhaps I was feeling especially receptive to watching a show about superheroes, though I suspect it would have caught my interest anyway. I've always had a fondness for science fiction; the nerdy Trekkie in me cheered when Malcolm McDowell (Generations) showed up, and I was even happier to see George Takei, who played Sulu in the original series, show up as the father of my favorite character. I'm not so sure how I feel about Zachary Quinto, who portrays the vicious Sylar, stepping into the uniform of my beloved Spock; I'm hoping I can banish his character's nasty shenanigans from my mind before I see the new Star Trek movie.

Despite the Trek connections, Heroes really has more in common with X-Men and other tales of several people nursing superpowers that generally make their lives more difficult. Indeed, few of the characters seem happy with their newfound abilities. Cheerleader Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) is completely freaked out by her indestructibility, particularly when she begins to suspect that her doting but vaguely sinister adoptive father (Jack Coleman) knows more than he's telling. On-the-run mom Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) has little control over her violent alter-ego, while Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) represses his flying ability, fearing it will harm his political campaign. Devoted cop Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) faces marital problems and job woes, so he's not eager to embrace his sudden mind-reading prowess. Professor Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) doesn't want to admit that his father, who dedicated much of his life to finding people with such genetic mutations, was onto something.

There are only two characters - among the good guys, anyway - who really seem to relish their otherness. One is Nathan's younger brother Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), a sensitive young hospice worker. At first, it's unclear whether he actually has any unusual powers at all, since all he has is realistic dreams to back up his conviction, though we soon learn Peter has an important role to play in this drama, though it isn't quite what he envisioned. By far the most enthusiastic character, and my favorite, is Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), a geeky, idealistic Japanese office drone who giddily discovers that he can manipulate time and space. As soon as he learns this, he sets out on a heroic journey, bringing his reluctant, cynical friend Ando Masahashi (James Kyson Lee) along for the ride. Neither speaks English very well, so the vast majority of their speech is in subtitles, which is rather unfortunate since the dialogue I am most interested in is also the easiest to miss.

Hiro and Ando also provide much-needed comic relief, and if it weren't for their thread in the story, I might not keep watching; this is a very dark show, and apart from them, the humor is very thinly spread. Heroes takes itself very seriously, as evidenced by the shadowy tones that permeate nearly every scene and Mohinder's sanctimonious voice-overs, which often begin and end episodes. And it's violent. Once the main cast of superheroes has been established, nearly everyone we meet afterward winds up dead, and not all the characters from the pilot will survive either. Much of the carnage comes courtesy of Sylar, a gifted clock-maker who desperately wants superpowers of his own and decides to seize them mechanically, by slicing heads open as if with a can opener and somehow surgically inserting the powers of the deceased into his own brain in a move rather reminiscent of Highlander. For the squeamish, pillows or other eye-shielding objects are definitely advised.

Is Heroes a good show? Yes, I'd say so, but I don't like it nearly as much as Smallville, LOST and Ugly Betty. I'll probably tune in again this year, but if Hiro is ever taken out of the picture, I'll bow out too - though that would free him up to score a spin-off... All Hiro, all the time; now that would be a show well worth watching!

Amidst All Its High-Octane Chaos, Spider-Man 3 is Quietly Contemplative

It's shaping up to be a spectacular summer. My trip to the movies tonight reminded me how many blockbusters await over the next few months: Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, The Simpsons Movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix... Tomorrow I may begin rubbing my hands together in anticipation. But today, I'll simply bask for a while in the brilliance of the film that kick-started the season for me: Spider-Man 3.

The line wound around the lobby of the cinema where I attended a midnight showing of the highly anticipated third volume in the Spider-Man series. Originally slated for two Thursday night showings, the theater had added others; I imagine each of the allotted theaters was filled to bursting, as ours was, with fans who persevered as patiently as possible through countless repetitions of inane trivia, advertisements and, more enthusiastically, previews for some of the summer's most promising films.

And then came the movie, its dramatic opening credits a montage of spider webs and brief footage of key characters leading up to a shot of unassuming Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) gazing, mildly impressed, at an electronic billboard welcoming visitors to the hometown of Spider-Man. It's been a bumpy road for Peter since he was bitten by a radioactive spider, but as this movie begins, everything seems to have settled down in his life. Spider-Man is now revered rather than reviled, and Peter remains firmly in Mary Jane's (Kirsten Dunst) affections.

The only trouble is Harry Osborn (James Franco), who still carries a torch for the girl he and Peter both admired as school chums and is none to happy with Peter, who he blames for his father's death. Unfortunately, this is big trouble indeed, since Daddy dearest is haunting Harry from beyond the grave, compelling him to avenge him by becoming the new incarnation of the Green Goblin and going after Spidey. And that's only the beginning...

There's a lot going on in this movie, whose action is driven more by events in the first film than in the second. We have the ongoing romantic trials of Peter and Mary Jane, who is struggling mightily as an actress, though Peter is too wrapped up in his own concerns to notice. We know that they love each other, but they hurt one another - and Peter is especially culpable in this department, particularly when he evidently lets his publicity go to his head and indulges in a rather steamy trademark Spidey kiss with a fellow college student during a photo op. He does this shortly before he intends to propose to Mary Jane, knowing that she must be watching, and even if she isn't that it will soon be plastered all over the papers; why would he ever think locking lips with another woman would be an acceptable idea?

Then there's the matter of the antagonists, and there are three: Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), who covets the same position of staff photographer at the newspaper that Peter does; Flint Marko (Thomas Hayden Church), the skulking petty thief who put a bullet in Uncle Ben; and Harry. It was this last who I figured would be the most important of the figures, and I think I can truthfully say that he is, though not quite in the way I expected. Each of the characters comes to a critical moment in which he must decide whether or not to forgive past wrongs. Because this is Peter's movie, the greatest focus is on him as he becomes infected with a mysterious black ooze that amplifies the worst traits in the person to whom it has attached itself. Initially drawn to this dark force by a lust for revenge on the man who killed his uncle, Peter finds himself irresistibly entangled in its influence, to the point that he barely knows who he is anymore. He must choose between the visceral power that comes with the mysterious substance and the security of being in control of himself, even if it means getting hurt in the process.

Maguire does as fine a job in this third installment as in others. At times, he is delightfully dorky, chugging along on his bike, getting spit-balls thrown at him in class, explaining the acoustics of the theatre to a self-conscious Mary Jane. But gentle, often goofy Peter fades as he begins to wear his new black suit at all times. Soon he is like Clark Kent on red Kryptonite, swaggering his way down the street, using his powers cavalierly, snapping at anyone who tries to talk a little sense into him. At still other times, he is humbled, reverent, somber. We see all shades of him, and it makes him very human.

The other cast standout is Franco as Harry, who spends half the film in a euphoric daze following a near-fatal incident that leaves him with no short-term memory. Conveniently, among his lost memories is the fact that he now hates Peter. The two are awarded a clean slate, a chance to repair their tarnished relationship, which they do, beautifully. And then, all at once, the seemingly possessed portrait of Harry's father speaks, and everything comes rushing back to the younger Osborn. Now he remembers what happened between Peter and his father, and he too must make a conscious choice. As nice as it is to see plenty of Franco's lop-sided grin while Harry is wandering through life in blissful oblivion, the dark emotions with which he wrestles upon receiving his revelation are what give his role in this film real depth.

If this all sounds a bit heavy for a blockbuster... Well, it is, but there is plenty of light to balance it out. The audience laughed aloud many times, including during every scene in which abrasive, tantrum-throwing editor-in-chief J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons) took part. They chortled at the first sight of Bruce Campbell, who appeared briefly but memorably in the first two films and took on a similarly comical role here as a maitre d' with a ridiculous French accent. Grace's aspiring professional photographer is entertainingly irritating, with constant snappy remarks and an attitude compelling him to do whatever it takes to get to the top. Always a treat: Peter's paternal, heavily accented landlord (Elya Baskin) and his daughter (Mageina Tovah), who chirps out messages for Peter and admires him from across the hall. And there are all sorts of moments throughout the film involving the main characters, from a botched proposal dinner to a reading from a play Harry wrote in high school, that elicit laughs.

So, too, is there plenty of web-slinging action to keep everyone happy, to say nothing of the impressive effects of the poisonous goo and the sand allowing Flint to morph into forms far more threatening than his original body. As a villain, he certainly is ominous, lumbering around town like Frankenstein's monster wreaking havoc. We know, too, that he killed Uncle Ben in cold blood. But the first time we see him in this film, he is risking life and limb to return to his home and see his terminally ill daughter, so we're inclined to be a little more sympathetic to him. But is Peter?

Spider-Man 3, directed by Sam Raini and written by Raini and his brother Ivan, is at once exhilarating and devastating. It ends not with a bang, but with a whimper as characters in the aftermath of traumas attempt to find their way together. Not only lives but souls are at stake; some are lost and others are found. The conclusion is a deeply satisfying one, albeit tempered by the realities of grief and loss. There were no throaty cheers that escaped the audience just as the credits began to roll. But there were minds in gear, spirits challenged, hearts opened. This is a movie that deserves all the ticket sales it will undoubtedly garner. If Spider-Man 3 is any indication, this will be a fantastic summer at the movies indeed.

Smallville Thrives in Season Five

My brother just went back to college tonight. But before he left, we managed to spend quite a lot of time together - much of it parked on the couch in front of the television. In fact, in his last week home, Nathan, my parents and I blazed through the entire fifth season of Smallville, bringing us only half a season away from actually being caught up. It could possibly happen before the sixth season is over...

Season five is an important one. Interestingly, while the cataclysmic pilot episode aired a month or so after 9-11, this season's opener, which shows the immediate aftermath of yet another colossal meteor shower, aired about a month after Hurricane Katrina. The second-episode scenes of a community barn raising take on added meaning in that context, demonstrating the resilience of ordinary citizens under trying circumstances. If Smallville can be rebuilt - twice - maybe New Orleans can too.

In one respect, season five opens on a happier note than most; Clark's (Tom Welling) Superman training continues in the glorious Fortress of Solitude (though you'd think Jor-El (Terence Stamp) would've told him everything he needed to know when he abducted him for three months the year before), while Chloe (Allison Mack) is the awestruck bystander in the story of a lifetime. Only it's one she refuses to tell. And oh yeah, it's darn cold for a Kansas gal in a winter wonderland with no coat. So that beautiful scene is shattered when Clark insists on cutting his training short to get Chloe someplace where she won't die of hypothermia, to which Jor-El reluctantly agrees... conditioned upon Clark's return before sunset to continue his lessons. As soon as the words escape his lips, we know Clark will break his promise, whether out of forgetfulness, preoccupation or outright defiance. But his actions have grave repercussions, as he will come to realize as the season wears on...

Most inconveniently, this meteor shower brought another spaceship, a black, ominous-looking thing containing the Disciples of Zod. Lana (Kristen Kreuk) sees it land and is sufficiently traumatized; Lex (Michael Rosenbaum), who's on just about everybody's bad side at the moment, claims not to believe her, while swooping down with all his resources to take the ship for himself. But there still are those pesky disciples to deal with, and they cause as much trouble as possible, casually shooting fire out of their eyes at whoever happens by while searching for Clark. Who they find, or who finds them, and saves the day, with time to spare... and sticks around to see Lana regain consciousness rather than high-tail it back to his big bad dad, who made himself pretty clear, if you ask me. Of all the choices Clark made in the season, this very early one probably maddened me the most because it should have been a no-brainer. Lana's out of danger; he needs to go finish his eddication, dagnabbit!

Smallville is a mess, but it cleans up nicely, and Jonathan (John Schneider) and Martha (Annette O'Toole) once again manage to claw their way out of the surrounding rubble, though what ever happened to Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles) nobody seems to know or care. Even Lana doesn't raise any questions; maybe she's so unsettled by certain end-of-the-season revelations and events that she doesn't particularly relish another meeting with Jason. Nonetheless, it seems there should be some reference to finding his body under a once-hardy Kent table... or not finding it, leaving the possibility for his re-emergence at a later date. I'm guessing they just wanted to close the book on that whole season-four storyline, though, and I guess I can understand that. And they slip a reference to Pete (Sam Jones III) in the second episode, so maybe there's always a chance of a throwaway explanation of just what happened to Jason in, say, season seven, when everyone's forgotten him entirely...

Because who needs Jason when Lana and Clark can finally be together? The whole end-of-the-world thing has thrown things into perspective, and Lana realizes Clark is her true love, and since he rather conveniently (so he thinks) loses his powers after failing to return to his Fortress in the allotted time, he doesn't have to worry about hiding things from her anymore. Well, as long as she doesn't ask what he's been up to for the past 18 years... Chloe, meanwhile, finally knows just about everything about Clark that there is to know, and Clark knows she knows, so it cements their friendship even as she wistfully witnesses the renewal of his romance with Lana. And then Clark gets his powers back, as we knew he had to, though the circumstances are most unfortunate and don't bode so well for his and Lana's relationship. Chloe sure comes in handy as his wingman, though...

I continue to love Chloe in this season. She's pretty much done pursuing Clark, but she relishes her exalted place in his life, one of only four people who knows his secret - and one of them is quite out of the picture. There's a calmness and maturity to her here that comes out physically in her cessation of changing her hairstyle every episode. Maybe that has something to do with her not trying to get Clark's attention anymore; she really doesn't need to since he turns to her for help more often than ever, though when it comes to matters of the heart, one might suspect she'd rather not be the one to dole out advice.

Lana isn't so bad the first half of the season, though once her relationship with Clark turns physical - can we say ick? - she's suddenly all hormonally charged and coming on to Clark in practically every scene they share. Which is a problem for Clark since his abilities return soon thereafter, and he doesn't want to accidentally hurt Lana in the heat of the moment. And it's a problem for me, too, because... well... call me a prude, but ick once again. Plus, I'm still a hopeless Chloe and Clark shipper. The real problem with Lana here, though, is that Lex and Clark both get a glimpse of their respective perfect futures with her. And then things go horribly awry, leading both Lex and Clark to make tragic choices. Because in their blind adoration, it turns out they're both willing to give up anything and anyone for Lana's sake. Silly boys...

The Lex and Lana pairing grows increasingly plausible after she gets over her fury with Lex over his psychotic end-of-the-season antics and his subsequent implication that Lana's apparent spotting of the spaceship was all in her head, a result of post-traumatic shock. Because Lex decides to tell her the truth. Actually, ironically, as deceitful as he is, he's always been more forthcoming than Clark, and the fact that he is willing to share so freely with Lana here makes her question why she would want to stay with someone who's constantly lying to her. The thing of it is, I really want Lex and Lana to end up together. Because I really want Lex to be happy... and good, which I think he would be if he ended up with Lana, at least under a certain set of circumstances. And Lana would do all right, I think; he's obsessed with her and has endless resources with which to pamper her, so it's a needy girlfriend's dream. And, just as important, Clark could finally realize how perfect Chloe is for him... But none of those things can happen, and it's times like these when I hate the fact that the destinies of most of these characters are set. And then I'm grateful that at least nobody - perhaps, ominously, even the writers - knows where LOST is going...

But romances weren't my foremost concerns going into this season. Rather, there's the matter that certain characters seem unlikely to survive the series. Could this be the year one of them goes? Lionel (John Glover) starts off the season in an uber-creepy trance, sketching and etching Kryptonian symbols on any available surface. When he comes to, though - his lustrous hair nearly back to its full former glory - his first appearance is downright congenial. Soon, he still seems to be cooking up a few secrets in the shadows, but to what end? And when he offers to fund Jonathan's campaign for senator - against Lex, and behind Jonathan's back - can we really believe that it's not so he can strong-arm Jonathan if he gets into office, forcing him to make any number of decisions compromising his integrity? I cautiously believe in Lionel, knowing his manipulative skills are strong. I'm never sure just what he's up to, but the one constant, I think, is his deep, sincere regard for Martha, leading to some of the most moving scenes in the season, and as long as she is in his life his redemption seems to be within much easier grasp.

But Jonathan's opinion of Lionel certainly hasn't changed. In fact, his deep-seated prejudices against the Luthors frustrate me to no end, just like Samwise's refusal to embrace the glimmer of good in Smeagol, though in both cases there are very practical and compelling reasons for them to feel and act the way they do, far beyond sheer jealousy. Jonathan enters the senatorial race largely to keep Lex from getting the position, because a Luthor with all that power can't possibly be a good thing for all the hard-working middle class folks. What's more, he has a chance to crawl out from his son's shadow, to do something significant quite apart from Clark, and his pride embraces that possibility. But is it really a good idea to enter what's sure to be an ugly race with an enormous secret to keep quiet, not to mention a weakened physical condition? And what will happen if he learns where all that campaign money really came from? Jonathan is a hard-headed soul, and his attitudes poisoned Clark's relationship with Lex from the beginning, but he really is a man worth admiring, a role model absolutely instrumental to Clark's development. Hard-working, fiercely dedicated to his family and his values, he may just walk away with my vote for favorite character of the season.

Lex is on pretty shaky moral ground, but he hasn't turned into his father yet. He still resists the dark side, though his relationship with Clark is on the rocks, much to Lex's consternation. Clark's righteous indignation is a bit much to take, and the desperate attempts at reconciliation eventually give way to more and more bitterness. Of course, Lex is hiding a lot, as evidenced by the fact that he's always on his laptop, and he quickly closes it whenever someone walks in the room. But that doesn't mean he's past the point of no return, and this season affords him a couple of very heavy-handed opportunities to see the error of his ways and do something drastic to halt his gradual but relentless march toward super-villainy.

Lois (Erica Durance) continues to inject some much-needed humor into the proceedings, and the hints of romance between her and Clark are practically nonexistent here, aside from his general over-protectiveness whenever a potential love interest for her pops up. She, meanwhile, acts as a rather abrasive older sister, giving him a hard time whenever possible but also admitting her regard for him on certain occasions. More important at this point, she's utterly devoted to Jonathan and Martha, and she throws herself into supporting Jonathan's campaign with such fervor that he makes her campaign manager. Cool points to her for that. I'm actually really starting to like her...

A few new-but-familiar characters pop up this season, my favorite of which is Arthur Curry (Alan Ritchson), environmental vigilante extraordinaire who sweeps Lois off her feet, though Clark is right to suspect there's something "fishy" about him. Most significantly, though, we meet a gentleman named Milton Fine (James Marsters), though we know from the get-go what Clark doesn't: he's not really a history professor. He's a Kryptonian artificial intelligence, and he's bad news. But it looks like he's going to be around for a while...

Season five is pivotal: no more high school, no more Torch (though the Daily Planet keeps Chloe pretty busy), precious little camaraderie between Lex and Clark. Luthors and Kents both are caught up in the dangerous, exhilarating politics game, while a dark Kryptonian force looms as a threat bigger than even Clark can imagine. The hundredth episode rolls around; in honor of the occasion we get one of the most thrilling, devastating, emotionally charged episodes in the whole series. Major changes are about to occur, and many of them aren't particularly encouraging. It's nice to see Smallville cave at last and give us a warm and fuzzy Kent family Christmas before their down-home farm existence is thrown into a tizzy.

Most of the hints of Clark's grand destiny are rather grim, but there are also warm and wonderful moments of affirmation from both fathers and interaction with youngsters, for which Clark continues to demonstrate a remarkable aptitude. This is a season to tug at the heartstrings as events set into motion with decisions made long ago finally come to fruition and the days of dawning the fabled tights draw ever nearer. Though how Clark is going to explain the glasses to Lois, and more importantly, how she's going to fail to recognize him as Superman, I have no idea... I don't want the show to end. But I suspect the halfway point has passed; the epic scope of the season five finale will be hard to top, and how much longer can we keep Lex in check? I'm not sure. I am sure that it was a serendipitous day when Nathan toted home the first season eleven months ago, and I'm seeing this thing through to the end, marveling every step of the way.

The Thing is the Thing that Makes Fantastic Four Worth Watching

At the outset of the summer, I had a list of several movies I wanted to see in the theater – most of which I still haven’t. The Fantastic Four was not on that list, but when my uncle issued an invitation for me to go see it with his family, I was happy to accept. I tend to be a bit leery of films inspired by comic books simply because they generally tend to be very destructive, but this did look to be one of the more family friendly of those adaptation, an impression that seemed to be confirmed when almost all the previews were for films rated G or PG. So I settled in with my jumbo popcorn and an open mind. As it turned out, I liked it quite a bit.

I don’t know anything about the source material, so I can’t comment on how faithful the film was in terms of character and plot elements. I was warned ahead of time by my brother that watching the movie meant putting up with Jessica Alba, a name I was unfamiliar with. “And what’s so wrong with Jessica Alba?” I inquired. “She was in Dark Angel,” Nathan muttered darkly. “And you watched Dark Angel?” I persisted. “No,” he replied. “So how do you know it was such a bad show?” I asked. “Because Jessica Alba was in it!” he concluded triumphantly while I shook my head and decided not too rely too heavily on his circular logic. She plays Sue Storm, who I couldn’t help but compare repeatedly to Trillian, probably because I had just seen Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy a couple weeks before. She serves a similar purpose, with the protagonist, Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), having dated her in the past and now being forced to see her with another man. This man, incidentally, is Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), the former rival to whom Reed must turn for assistance in launching an experiment that could have earth-shatteringly positive consequences.

Joining them in this voyage are Johnny (Chris Evans), Sue’s hotshot younger brother, and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), Reed’s paternal friend. There is considerable interpersonal strain inherent in the formation of this group. Reed is jealous of Victor, who in turn is contemptuous of Reed. Sue is angry with Reed because of the way their relationship ended, and she isn’t especially thrilled by all the advances the suave Victor is making on her. Meanwhile, Ben is furious that his former employee Johnny is now his boss, and Johnny is more than happy to rub it in. The clashing personalities hardly make for an ideal situation, but when they return to Earth with an assortment of bizarre powers, it seems Sue, Johnny, Reed and Ben are going to have to learn how to live with one another.

Victor, meanwhile, remains on his own, his rage festering as he realizes that his business is tanking thanks to Reed’s little trip. Oddly enough, it never seems to occur to any members of the quartet, soon dubbed the Fantastic Four, that Victor might have acquired strange attributes as well. Their focus is on figuring out how to undo the changes that were made to their DNA. Ben is especially eager. His transformation made him clumsy and intimidating, a rock-like giant so alarming that his wife left him. Being branded with the humiliating nickname “the Thing” didn’t help. But the other three have more useful powers: invisibility for Sue, stretchiness for Reed, and the ability to burst into flames and fly for Johnny. The latter is especially fond of his newfound abilities and is in no hurry whatsoever to give them up.

I imagine The Incredibles was informed a bit by this comic, as the film reminded me a lot of that recent Disney / Pixar venture. The invisibility and stretchiness were a particularly powerful reminder. As for the characters, Ben was by far my favorite, a very sympathetic man who provided most of the film’s heart. Johnny was amusing, though if was shut up with him for days on end I suspect I would find him very obnoxious. Reed and Sue were likable enough; again, they mirrored the relationship between Arthur and Trillian in Hitchhiker’s Guide. For whatever reason, this romance seemed a bit more believable, but I still wasn’t all that impressed with that element of the storyline. Victor was an intriguing villain, arrogant and out for revenge but still someone I could feel sorry for at times.

Predictably, there was quite a bit of destruction in this film, though there were, happily, few casualties. In the end, it’s a pretty good film with plenty of action, done in such a way that it is appropriate for younger audiences. No doubt there will be a sequel, and when it comes I would not be adverse to seeing it.

Unbreakable Breaks Shymalan's Winning Streak

After that rather ominous title, I should clarify that I did not think Unbreakable was a bad movie. Strange, certainly, but I can deal with that. No, it's just that Shymalan's second blockbuster paled in comparison to the utterly mesmerizing The Sixth Sense. Bruce Willis once again stars, this time as security guard David Dunn, who is a decent guy but certainly not as likable as the soft-hearted psychologist Malcolm Crowe. He, too, suffers from marital problems, but they do not arise from over-dedication to his job, though absence does play into it. In his first scene we watch him slyly slip his wedding ring into his pocket in order to flirt with the foxy lady sitting next to him on the train.

Moments later, the trains crashes, and David walks away unscathed, the only passenger to survive the wreck. This miraculous event catches the eye of Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a comic book fanatic with brittle bone disease. He believes that Dunn may be a super-hero, and he summons the security guard to his store to discuss his theory. Unfortunately, Dunn's impressionable son (Spencer Treat Clark), who worships his father, believes Elijah's theory and becomes determined to prove it.

Meanwhile, Dunn's wife, a nearly unrecognizable Robin Wright Penn (she looks so much...older than she did in Princess Bride and Forrest Gump), is finding it increasingly hard to talk to her husband and becomes very worried when Elijah's super-hero talk starts rubbing off on her son. As in The Sixth Sense, it's the kid that finally gets Bruce's character to see himself as he really is, but I'm afraid that Clark was a little too grating for me. He came off as rather pathetic and whiny, although much of that probably had to do with the dialogue he was given.

The most memorably bad scene in this movie, in my mind, occurs at the kitchen table, when David's son informs him that he has a gun and that he intends to shoot him to prove that he is invincible. What follows is supposed to be tense and suspenseful but comes out rather comical as the parents plead for the weapon. "We don't shoot friends," Mom admonishes, to which he protests, "I'll only shoot him once!"

Still, the movie has a rather intriguing premise, and it's fun to watch Dunn uncover the layers of his past in order to accept his present. The movie almost ends on a feel-good note with father and son sharing their incredible secret, but Shymalan is apparently a big fan of the twist ending. This one is sure to surprise, but while the end of The Sixth Sense left me with a peaceful, fulfilled sort of feeling, this ending was disappointing and unsettling.

As with The Sixth Sense, I think a Horror classification is inappropriate. There's nothing too scary here, and there are only a couple violent scenes. Perhaps if The Sixth Sense had not blown me away like it did, I would not have set the same expectations for this movie. I doubted I would like it as much, especially with the absence of Osment, but I was intrigued to see what Shymalan would come up with next. It was a decent movie, a good movie even, but not a great movie, and while I don't regret seeing it in the theater, I wouldn't spend another $5 to see it again.

"Bumblyburg has the Measles!"

This latest Veggie Tales video, LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed, is notably different from most of the others. There is no countertop scene with Bob and Larry, no Veggie Tales theme song, no Qwerty. Instead, there is the Larry Boy theme song. The tale begins on a dark night outside of a movie theater, where Percy Pea and his brother have just finished watching a scary movie. Suddenly they are approached by the Milk Money Bandit who (yep, you guessed it) takes their milk money. Fortunately, Larry Boy comes to the rescue. With some help from his Super Suction Ears, he apprehends the thief and returns the milk money to the grateful brothers. While reporting his success to his faithful butler Alfred, Larry Boy accidentally knocks a plant out of the window of someone who is gabbing on the phone. It falls into the sewer and a monster is born...

 The next day, Alfred goes to the classroom of Junior Asparagus and Laura Carrot to tell them stories. When the teacher, Mr. Asparagus, suggests that Alfred stay to observe the class, Alfred bows out saying, "I think I need to go home and recharge my battery." Laura and Junior later conclude that Alfred must be a robot -- and they make the mistake of telling the newly-created Rumor Weed. She spreads the news all over town, and each time the story grows worse. Soon Bumblyburg is filled with the pesky weeds and everyone is terrified of Alfred.

Larry Boy receives word of the infestation, and he sets out, determined to eradicate the weeds. Alfred knows just what must be done, but Larry Boy must rely on his friend's directions because he is clueless. Unfortunately, their communication breaks off when Larry Boy reaches the underground lair of the Motherweed, and Alfred must come to his rescue. While Larry Boy tries to fight of the huge weed, Alfred races to town on his motor scooter, begging for assistance. But no one will help because they have been convinced that Alfred is a dangerous robot. As the accusations pile up, the Motherweed rises out of the ground, grabbing Alfred.

In the ensuing confusion, Mr. Asparagus arrives and questions the weed, who says that Laura and Junior are responsible for her growth. When they realize their mistake, Laura and Junior decide that they can counteract the effect by spreading nice words about Alfred. Before long, the town comes to its senses and remembers what a nice guy Alfred is. Thus, the weed becomes harmless and Bumblyburg is safe.

With terrific graphics, great humor, an important lesson to teach, and endearing new characters, this is a fine addition to the Larry Boy Chronicles that kids will treasure for years to come.

No Such Thing as a Little Lie

In Larryboy and the Fib from Outer Space, a shattered Limited Edition Autographed Art Bagodi Bowling Plate spells BIG TROUBLE for Junior Asparagus -- or so he thinks until Fib comes into the picture. A small, bumpy, spherical creature, Fib's full name is Fibrillious Minimus, and he comes to Junior with some advice: Don't tell Dad what really happened to his prized plate. Unsure at first, Junior tells his dad that Laura Carrot broke the plate. Pleased with his success, he goes on to tell more whoppers and Fib continues to grow until he is enormous.

When he captures Junior and carries him to the top of a skyscraper, it seems that there is only one who can help: Larryboy. Larryboy has already been searching the town of Bumblyburg for the vile space alien, and now he must use all the special gadgets his Larrymobile has in order to save the young asparagus. With his butler Alfred's advice, Larryboy gets the Larrymobile in the air but decides to leave the hard part to his Super Suction Ears...until he finds out that there is nothing he can do to stop Fib.

This wildly imaginative video is our first glimpse of Larryboy, who we first encountered in Josh and the Big Wall, at work. And while the hapless hero has little success in his endeavors, that is the nature of the beast. Junior makes an important discovery: When a lie gets you into trouble, it's up to you to get out of it by telling the truth. That is a hard but important lesson for children to learn, and this zany Batman parody makes it easier to hear. This is only the beginning of Larryboy's adventures.