William David Lee, ESQ.

Django...Django, have you always been alone?
Django...Django, have you never loved again?

I loves me some Westerns. I don't really remember when my fascination with them began. Nor do I remember what the first Western I ever saw was. I do remember seeing The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly the first time when I was a kid and just marveling at the three-way showdown at the end. The Spaghetti Western was always the nastier, grimier cousin of the more refined, clean-cut Westerns of Howard Hawks and John Ford. One of the classic Spaghetti Westerns is Django, directed by the other Sergio of Italian Westerns, Sergio Corbucci. Normally when I hear about somebody remaking one of my favorite films, my instincts are to cockpunch anybody within cockpunching range. However, when I heard it was Takashi Miike who was going to remake Django, well, that was going to be interesting.



Miike's film isn't a straight out remake of Django. It borrows many elements and plot points from the original film, but it also pays homage to many other Spaghetti Westerns. Of course, Miike tosses in his own brand of stylish violence and bizarre humor. It's much more restrained in comparison to some of his other films like Izo and, especially, Ichi the Killer or Audition. Miike's Django is going to be a love-it or hate-it kind of film, even for fanboys. The movie is shot in English which is a tremendous distraction as nearly every actor has a poor command of the language. The line readings are all so stilted and mechanical. Miike also plays up Western conventions by having everybody speak in cheesy one-liners and bad cliches. Seriously, the characters spout lines like, "You gonna come at me? Or whistle Dixie?" and "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." You're either going to laugh or roll your eyes.



I think the opening sequence is going to be the deal breaker for most viewers. You'll either dig the wackiness or smash yourself in the face with a skillet. Sukiyaki Western begins with a prologue featuring Quentin friggin' Tarantino as a poncho-wearing gunslinging badass whose breakfast gets interrupted by assassins. Everybody's favorite "pop culture loudmouth junkie" (Thanks, Kevin Smith!) is quick on the draw with his irons and his chopsticks! I love QT, but the dude cannot act and speaking with a bad cowboy accent doesn't win me over. The guy's best role really was his bit part in Desperado. Anyways, what I love about the pre-title sequence is the old-school backdrop. Miike could have gone Sin City and just used a green screen like everybody else, but he went with a fuckin' backdrop, which is awesome.



The story begins proper with the prototypical stranger (Hideaki Ito) wandering into town of Yuta. The village has been ransacked by two rival clans, both searching for a mythical buried treasure. There's the white clothed Genji led by the good-looking and cool-headed Yoshitsune (Yusuke Iseya), who is armed with both a six-shooter and a samurai sword. He's also got a saddlebag of various guns ala Lee Van Cleef in For a Few Dollars More. On the other side, are the red-clad Heike, led by the manic Kiyomori (Koichi Sato). Just like Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars, the stranger plays both sides against each other and attempts to help a beautiful woman and her son. The reference is playfully mentioned by one of the gang members. If you've seen either of those other two films, then you know how that turns out. Though it doesn't end quite as happily in Miike's version.



The main story is interspersed with flashbacks that have been run through the Tony Scott filter. The flashbacks give background on the histories of some of the main characters and how the gangs came to Yuta. I hate to admit that the middle section does drag a bit. The bad 'Engrish' was certainly a negative factor. It's ironic that even though they're all speaking English, I still needed subtitles to understand what most of them were saying. The minor character of an opportunistic and schizophrenic sheriff was also annoying. However, the film really wins you over with the third act. Some twists and turns in the narrative bring you into an action-packed spectacle. The finale features a total battle royal with bullets flying right and left.



It all culiminates in a one-on-one showdown in the snow, in a manner similar to Corbucci's other seminal film, The Great Silence. Miike's fusion of the Western with chanbara is never more evident here as we watch the katana blade battle it out with the revolver. Some of you might be better served to just skip ahead to the final half hour of the film just for the final shootout. Miike's direction during the action scenes is fantastic, composer Koji Endo does a great job in approximating Ennio Morricone, and production designer Takashi Sasaki (who worked on Kill Bill) has outdone himself. The town of Yuta looks like a village lifted right out of a Kurosawa picture. Oh, did I mention there's even a short anime sequence? Very nice. Sukiyaki Western gets three Tarantinos out of 5.

Rating:

out of 5

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DC Comics and Warner Animation have been working on a series of direct-to-DVD animated films under the guidance of producer Bruce Timm. Their first release, Superman/Doomsday was a loose adaptation of The Death of Superman and it premiered at the 2007 Comic-Con. It sucked. Sorry, but it did. So, I had low expectations for their next project an adaptation of Darwyn Cooke's brilliant mini-series, DC: The New Frontier. Even though they assembled an all-star cast to provide voices, they didn't instill any confidence from me when it was announced the runtime was a scant 70 minutes. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. New Frontier was actually pretty damn good.

Now, you don't really need any prior knowledge of the characters or DC Comic history. You don't have to have read the original mini-series or seen the previous Justice League show. Like Superman/Doomsday, New Frontier is a standalone piece. Like the source material, the film bridges the gap between the Golden Age of comics (late-30's to late-40's) to the Silver Age (late-50's).



The film picks up around the time of the Communist witch hunts. McCarthy has driven most of the superheroes underground. Superman and Wonder Woman are still active while working with the American government. Batman, on the other hand, is still the spooky boogeyman working in the shadows. They each have big parts to play, but the main focus is on two new heroes: Hal Jordan, an Air Force pilot recently returned from the Korean War, and the Martian Manhunter, who has been accidentally transported to Earth. Both are trying to acclimate themselves to their new lives. At the same time, the big bad is a cosmic entity known as The Centre which is headed to Earth to eradicate all life.



Let me get the negatives out of the way first. The film runs 75 minutes (including credits) which is just way too short. I don't have too many complaints about elements from the original comic being left out. Some stuff like The Losers and Steel aren't absolutely necessary. However, what was put in is isn't given enough time to develop. In addition to the characters already mentioned, New Frontier also features the Flash, the heroes' respective love interests (Lois Lane, Iris West, etc.), and King Faraday. Characters like Robin, Slam Bradley and Rick Flagg get bit parts. Some other fan-favorites such as the Blackhawks, the Challengers of the Unknown, Green Arrow, and Adam Strange get maybe one or two lines or none at all. Wonder Woman doesn't have much to do either. At one point in the script's development, the Amazon was left out of the film completely. She might as well have been since she doesn't add much to the overall story.



Screentime isn't the only thing short changed. There's a feeling that huge chunks of the story seemed to mysteriously vanish. Batman goes through a really sudden transition from the darker, more angular Bob Kane-style Batman to the lighter, more rounded Dick Sprang-style Batman. One minute he's a ruthless jerk, the next minute he's mellow and hanging out with Robin. Because of the compressed runtime, the scenes happen at an almost breakneck pace, one after the other. It's hard to get a grasp at how much time has truly passed in their world. Did Batman's transformation happen over a week? A month? A year? How long was J'onn on Earth? How long has it been since Hal returned to the States? It seems like years are supposed to have passed, but watching the film it only feels like days. I wished Warner had given the animators the extra money to add on at least 15-20 minutes.

I should make note that the film is rated PG-13. "Son of a bitch" is tossed around and it's a little more violent than what you'd expect. Nothing too graphic, but there are splatters of blood. Parents might want to think twice about letting the kiddies watch this one. Fans who are more familiar with the previous Justice League series might be confused since this film follows a completely different continuity.

Not a massive complaint, but there is a hokey Braveheart moment towards the climax where Superman gives the inspiration speech to rally the troops. It comes off as a just a bit cheesy and forced. However, it's the 50's and it's Superman, so it kinda works.



The positives? First, the film is just absolutely gorgeous to look at. Everything is just beautifully colored and the animation is fluid. It doesn't feel at all like a low-budget production. The look of New Frontier isn't a 100%, completely faithful translation of the comic. It's a cross between Darwyn Cooke's art with the look of Justice League Unlimited. It definitely works. The film's climax is positively packed with action as the heroes fight the forces of evil on land, sea, and air. The battle scenes are really well done and all the multiple dogfights remind me of Return of the Jedi. Even with all the action happening, the movie isn't cluttered by too much staff happening at once.

No surprise, the producers manage to wrangle up a stellar cast, hiring a few actors you'd never expect to voice a cartoon. The actors perform their roles as they would any other character they'd play, rather than trying to do a cartoon voice. The cast includes:

Kyle MacLachlin as Superman
Jeremy Sisto as Batman
Lucy Lawless as Wonder Woman
David Boreanaz as Hal Jordan
Miguel Ferrer as The Martian Manhunter
Neil Patrick Harris as The Flash
Kyra Sedgwick as Lois Lane
Brooke Shields as Carol Ferris
Keith David as The Centre
John Heard as Ace Morgan

Joe Mantegna does a cameo as a Vegas lounge singer and they even got Smallville's Aquaman, Alan Ritchson, to come in for a quick scene as the King of the Seas. MacLachlin sounds just like you'd imagine the square-jawed, classic Man of Steel would and Xena as Wonder Woman was an obvious choice. The former Angel does a pretty good job as well as Green Lantern. So much so, that he's my second dream pick should they do a live-action GL film. My first pick for Hal is Nathan Fillion, in case you were wondering. Sisto is probably the biggest surprise. Most fans responded to his casting with a resounding, "Yeahbutwhahuh?!?!". Sisto actually makes a good Batman, especially considering the big shoes he has to fill following up Kevin Conroy.

I'd say New Frontier is at least worthy of being put into your NetFlix queue. If you've already read the comic, the movie will feel like a Cliff Notes version. If you haven't read the comic and don't mind having it spoiled, then watch the film first as it will act as a primer for the source material.

I'm anxiously awaiting what Timm and company have up their sleeves. Their next project is the Animatrix-style Batman: Gotham Knight timed to coincide with the release of The Dark Knight. It will feature new Batman stories written by David S. Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, and Josh Olson (the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of A History of Violence). After that, they've got a Wonder Woman project with Keri Russell as the title character and her Waitress co-star, Nathan Fillion, as Steve Trevor. I believe the Teen Titans story, "The Judas Contract", is still on tap as well. Hopefully, the projects do well. I'd love to see them adapt The Dark Knight Returns or The Golden Age.

Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5)

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Ah, downtime, I had forgotten thy scent. I'm in the Bat-Mood to do another entry and we finally begin Vol. 2.

Speaking of Bats, I might check out I Am Legend this weekend on IMAX. Not because I have a burning sensation (they have cream for that, I know) to see Will Smith in a sure-to-be lousy adaptation, but because I want to see that 6-minute scene from Dark Knight.

( Let the Bat-Blogging continue )

Damn. It's been over a month since the last entry. I have no other excuse except sheer laziness with a slight case of busy-as-fuck. Anyway, this wraps up Volume 1 of Batman: TAS. At this rate, I'll be through the whole project in about 2012. That's assuming the Aztecs are wrong and the world doesn't end.

( DCAU Project - Part 4 )

It's been an extremely busy month for me, but I'll be diving right back into the DCAU Project. We've got a long road ahead. Once I finish reviewing Batman: TAS, I'll be doing Superman: TAS, Batman Beyond, and, saving the best for last, Justice League.

( The Bat-Blog )

Our look at Batman: The Animated Series continues...

( The Bat-Blog )

I've been wanting to do this for awhile now, a comprehensive look at the DCU animated universe. Ever since Justice League went off the air, I've been going through withdrawal, jonesing for some decent cartoons. Sorry, but The Batman and Legion of Superheroes won't cut it. We begin with the juggernaut that started it all, Batman: The Animated Series.



Warner was looking to bring the Bat back and producers Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski (who were working on Tiny Toons) scored the winning pitch. Thanks to the success of Tim Burton's Batman flick, Timm and Radomski were able to do away with the silliness that plagued the Adam West series and Superfriends. This was a far more darker and mature version of the Dark Knight than previously seen. Batman: TAS made a tremendous impact and led to more DC characters being brought to animated life with Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League, in what fans have nicknamed the "Timmverse." All of which I'll be taking a look at.

Other than the animation, the most amazing aspect about these shows was the collection of voice talent utilized. People you'd never expect to work on a cartoon were getting involved. Give credit to casting director Andrea Romano for rounding them up. Of course, the whole show would fall apart if they didn't get the right actor to play Batman. Luckily, they did cast the right actor in Kevin Conroy, an experienced stage actor and bit player on several TV shows. On a lark, Conroy auditioned for the Caped Crusader and wound up voicing him for over 15 years. He's widely considered the quintessential Batman and mastered the duality of the character, using a deep, gravely tone for the Bat and a higher pitch for Bruce Wayne.

( Let the Bat-Blog begin )

"You look like your face fell in the cheese dip back in 1957."



What the Hell happened to John Carpenter? I'd love to know. Because before he fell into obscurity, before he stunk up theaters with Vampires and Ghosts of Mars, Carpenter was the king of cool, genre films. He practically defined the formula for slasher films with Halloween and (along with Kurt Russell) brought to life two of cinema's most memorable heroes, Snake Plissken (Escape From New York) and Jack Burton (Big Trouble in Little China). While never lighting up the box office, they've developed hardcore cult followings in the subsequent years. You can also count They Live as another Carpenter classic.

Rather than Russell, Carpenter casts WWE Hall of Famer Rowdy Roddy Piper as the star. Owing a bit to the protagonists of the spaghetti western, Piper plays a homeless wanderer with no name (only in the credits & script is he referred to as Nada) who stumbles onto a vast conspiracy after finding a pair of sunglasses. Using the glasses, he views the world with brand-new eyes discovering aliens are among us, disguised as humans. They use subliminal messages in television and advertising to control the world and subjugate man's free will. Piper does what any red-blooded American would do in a situation like this, he grabs a shotgun and starts blowing those ugly bastards back to Alpha Centauri.

In the world of wrestling, Piper was best known for his quick wit and he uses those mic skills to their fullest effect in They Live, unleashing a series of ad-libbed and snappy one-liners. Including, one of the greatest lines in the history of film...

I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum.

In another cinematic highpoint, Piper throws down with Keith David, better known as that black guy with the really deep voice. David has made a name for himself as a veteran character actor in such films as; Platoon, Requiem for a Dream, Crash, and There's Something About Mary, along with providing the voice for Goliath on Gargoyles. In They Live, David and Piper have themselves a nasty brawl that lasts for well over five minutes. Vicious punches, beer bottles, garbage cans, backbreakers, suplexes, and multiple knees to the groin. You can practically hear the marks chanting, "E-C-W! E-C-W! E-C-W!" The fight has since been recreated, shot for shot, on an episode of South Park when handicapped kids, Jimmy and Timmy, went at it.

A really awesome mix of action and sci-fi. I fuckin' love They Live and so should you.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. My lazy ass is back to once again edify you're sorely-lacking lives with some culture.



There are some parents that just scold their children and make them sit in the corner or give them a time out. Then, there are some parents who break out the belt and whip 'em like a government mule. The films of Korean director Park Chan-wook are like the parents who slap the shit out of their kids, call them worthless bastards, then tie 'em up with barbed wire, lock 'em in the basement, and feed them rat droppings. In other words, they are intense and a cold, hard slap to the face to anyone who's only used to the complacent filmmaking of the U.S.

Park made his name in Asia with his first hit, J.S.A. - Joint Security Area, a film about border guards patrolling the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Then, he started making attracting attention across the globe with his unconnected trilogy of revenge films. I've reviewed all three films and have provided links below.

First, came Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance. Park followed that up with his masterpiece Oldboy, the cinematic equivalent of a steel-toed combat book kicking your testicles up into your throat. Oldboy is a severely twisted thriller that was an easy choice for Best Film of 2003 and will undoubtedly make my Top 10 of the decade. Park puts the revenge films to rest with the recently released, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, retitled Lady Vengeance in the States.

I've said most of what I can say for these films in the posted reviews. Park is an amazing director with a memorable visual style. He packs his movies with ruthlessness and a dark sense of humor. Even though these films form a loose trilogy, they are not direct sequels to each other. You don't have to watch one to understand another. Oldboy is definitely the best of the bunch and an absolute must-see. Lady Vengeance is another great film with an absolutely gorgeous actress, Lee Yeong-ae, in the lead role. The movie also featured some of my favorite posters ever made, but none of them were ever used during the film's American run.



It's even more urgent to tell people about these films because a pair of god-awful remakes are on the way. Remakes pretty much always suck and remakes of foreign films are even worse. Sadly, most people aren't educated enough to even know about the originals. JSA is being remade and will now be set at the U.S.-Mexico border. You know, I'm no expert on geo-political history and all, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't exactly work. Justin Lin, who has steadily sold out since the overrated Better Luck Tomorrow, will write and direct the Oldboy remake which will surely be a watered-down wussy version.

Watch these films and thank me later.

Fear not, dear readers, I have returned to part my vast & superior wisdom onto your feeble minds. Anybody who knows me and tried to talk movies with me, knows that I tend to ramble on since I'm such a film geek. In my attempt to discuss one film, I wind up discussing about a dozen others. I'll likely wind up name dropping a few other cool films in the process of recommending another cool film.

"Get Carter, before Carter gets you."

Jack's not a nice guy. He works for gangsters and kills people for a living. Then, his brother is murdered and he heads home to find out what happened. Jack doesn't even like his brother, but he still has to do something. Jack digs deeper into a world of drugs, gambling, and pornography to find his brother's killer. The 70's were just underway and the face of cinema was in for a radical makeover. Big-budget schlock like The Sound of Music or Dr. Doolittle weren't cutting it. Stepping in were young, hungry filmmakers making dark and gritty movies like Easy Rider, Taxi Driver, and Medium Cool. Movies that reflected the turbulent times that they were living in. Get Carter was proof that the British could follow suit with their American counterparts.

As I said, Jack Carter is not a nice guy. Typically, the minds behind the camera will attempt to make a character like Jack into a sympathetic lead. A gangster with a hidden heart of gold and a strict code of honor. In fact, that's exactly what was done in the pathetic remake that starred Sylvester Stallone. Sorry, but in real life, criminals are not nice people. Jack's enemies get it bad and his friends sometimes get it even worse. Does Jack care? Not particularly. He has no problem slapping women around or dispatching the bad guys in a violent fashion.

The film is a total product of its times. The 60's were barely over and the 70's had just begun. Sex plays a big part in the film. One scene features Jack having phone sex with his girlfriend, Anna (played by the smoking hot Britt Ekland, formerly Mrs. Peter Sellers) who also happens to be married to one of Jack's bosses. The camera takes great joy in taking in Anna's body as she writhes on her bed, pleasuring herself to Jack's voice. Hodges increases the intimacy of the scene with a close-up of Anna's face as it's framed by her stocking-clad legs. Another scene has Jack and a woman burning through the streets in a sleek car, which is intercut with the two of them making love. Needless to say, the lady's hand on the stick shift is a pretty obvious allusion.

Michael Caine is a total badass as Jack Carter. He stands tall, acts cool, and has plenty of one-liners. Despite being such a badass, one shocking revelation reveals a secret vulnerability as we build to the climax. Caine's face turns from shock and sorrow to blind rage as he gets set to cut a bloody path through his transgressors. Also, appearing in the film is John Osborne (best known for writing the prototypical "angry, young man" film, Look Back in Anger) as the aristocratic crime lord, Cyril Kinnear.

The film is crackling with pitch perfect, hard boiled dialogue and plenty of quotable lines. "I'd forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow." Or "Your a big man, but you're in bad shape. With me it's a full time job, so behave yourself.". Get Carter is an amazing neo-noir film and, in my opinion, the best revenge movie ever made.

Final Notes

Get Carter pays tribute to its noir influences during the opening credits as Jack passes the time during his train ride by reading Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely. That novel would be adapted into the classic, Murder, My Sweet starring Dick Powell and directed by Edward Dmytryk (The Caine Mutiny).

Based on Ted Lewis's hit novel, Jack's Return Home, Get Carter was the feature film debut of Mike Hodges who wrote and directed it. He would go on to direct Flash Gordon, Croupier, and the excellent Get Carter-esque I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. The last two starring Clive Owen.

In addition to the Stallone remake, there was a blaxploitation version called Hit Man, which starred Bernie Casey and Pam Grier. It was directed by George Armitage, who also directed another hitman movie over 20 years later, Grosse Pointe Blank with John Cusack.