Review: Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

This is one of those movies where only the pleas of my children managed to drag me to the theatre to see. I was sure that the movie would cause me to claw my eyes out in irritation and disgust. However, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

This is not to say it was really "good". The characters were stereotypical of the James Bond and buddy-cop movies. Digs, the German Shepard, is your standard agent who plays by his own rules, and consistently screws up because of it. Butch is the experienced agent with a short amount of patience for the young agent, and comes down (sometimes too harshly) on him for his lack of control. Katherine is the sleek female agent that is smart, capable, yet has a major obstacle she must overcome to save her friends. Kitty Galore is the absolutely insane villain that is determined to destroy those who have wronged her. None of them had any deep development, or motivations that weren't woefully 1-dimensional.

But, the plot, while again not original, was at least solid. There were no glaring plot holes. A little drama, a little intrigue, a little heart-warming tenderness, a little action, and a lot of slapstick made the movie at least tolerable. The humor, while it didn't make me laugh out loud very often, at least had me cracking a smile. Some of the jokes were adult, but without being crass for family viewing. (My personal favorite was the announced seminar "Even if she's a Doberman, don't pinch her"). Kitty Galore having a mouse that takes the place of the evil cat most villains have was vastly amusing, as was the Hannibal Lecter-inspired Mr. Tinkles.

Given the lack of depth, there isn't much more to say about the movie. The bottom line is that if you don't have kids who want to see the movie, don't bother. It's definitely not worth it. But, if your kids are like mine and are dying to see the movie, you can at least go in and have an enjoyable time.

Review: Silent Movie

Mel Brooks' Silent Movie may not be my favorite of his movies, but was still a highly enjoyable movie.

The movie follows a washed up director trying to make a modern silent movie. The studio, who is in dire straits trying to keep by getting bought out by a conglomerate (a jab at the current events in Hollywood at the time), agrees on the condition that he can nail some big name talent.

He then goes after Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Liza Minnelli, Anne Bancroft, Marcel Marceau and Paul Newman in an attempt to get talent for his movie.

While the plot is in many ways incredibly predictable, the slapstick comedy is great fun to watch. With Dom DeLuise and Marty Feldman as his two sidekicks, they manage to get in quite a lot of trouble as they go around Hollywood recruiting these actors. One of my favorite things about the movie was you could tell the characters were mouthing obscenities, yet the dialogue cards showed more "family friendly" language.

Really not a whole lot to say about the movie. Character development was thin, the plot was thin, but if you're looking for an enjoyable movie, and you're a fan of Mel Brooks, you'll enjoy this as well.

Review: Robin Hood (1938)

This retelling of the classic story is one that is both fun to watch, and incredibly well designed.

Many movies from this era tended towards the campy. Special Effects were not really given the same importance that they are today, and often, these movies come off as painfully dated. This movie avoids that, and manages to put together a package that is as enjoyable as any out today.

Errol Flynn plays Robin, and he pulls of the role masterfully. He is cocky, sure, funny and irrepressible. He does the perfect job portraying a bandit who is only acting in the interests of his country. His offhanded remarks carry just the right undertone of threat and insult to them that makes his already witty banter all that much more fun to watch.

I am not going to comment much on the rest of the cast specifically. They all performed their roles beautifully, but I didn't feel were anything truly remarkable. They were all fun characters to watch, fulfilling their responsibility to the storyline admirably.

But where this movie really shined for me was in the visually effects. The movie made use of all eleven Technicolor cameras in existence at the time. For a movie so early on in color, this had all the clarity of any movie today, allowing for bright colors, and a vibrant look that hasn't dimmed over time. The backdrop featured footage that was correctly out of focus, drawing attention away from itself, and maintaining a look of being outside without actually being so.

Another point of interest was that the stuntmen were shot with real arrows (they were carefully padded of course) by the production's archery master (who also plays Robin's opponent in the tournament.) This man also fired Robin's arrow which split his opponent's down the middle, winning him the tournament. This was done in one take, with no camera tricks. Skills.... You're doing it right.

If I had to find one problem with the movie, it would be the lighting. The lighting often felt overly bright, as if everything was taking place at high-noon during the summer. But this was something that didn't really click with me until after viewing, so it really does nothing to downplay the movie.

Truly a masterpiece, and it's very clear why Disney in 1973 and Mel Brooks in 1993 drew so heavily on this movie for their inspiration (Mel Brooks so much so that during the scene where Robin meets John Little that my husband and I were cracking up at the memory of the Mel Brooks scene more so than the already funny 1938 scene).

If you enjoy the story of Robin Hood, this is a must-see. It's enjoyable, funny, and incredibly well crafted.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

With a new movie out and a sequel series set to come out next year, I wanted to take a look at the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The series is an incredible one, particularly for a children's show. while many shows today focus on 11 minute shorts, and even if they go out to the full 20+ minutes, there is rarely a continuous storyline.

TLA transcends this and creates a fully developed world, populated with realistic characters and a perpetual storyline that is both engrossing and well-rounded.

 We follow the young Airbender, Aang, as he emerges from a supernatural 100 year sleep. Just before running away and getting trapped in an iceberg, he learns that he is the Avatar. The Avatar has the ability to master all four elements (Water, Earth, Fire, Air) whereas normal benders can only master their nation's element. As such a powerful person, the Avatar maintains balance within the world, and can communicate with the Spirit World as well.

Aang was revealed as the Avatar four years early (typically it's revealed at age 16, Aang found out at 12) due to the aggressions of the Fire Nation. So this is all pretty overwhelming, and it's understandable that he fled for what he thought was a few days.

Once he is released from the iceberg he got trapped in, Aang discovers that his absence lead to 100 years of war and strife, as well as the massacre of his people.This drives him, with the help of the Water Tribe siblings Sokka and Katara who found and released him, to travel the world to find masters to teach him the remaining 3 elements so he can set things right.

Meanwhile, he is hunted by Prince Zuko, exiled prince of the Fire Nation. His father banished him, and gave him the impossible-seeming task of finding the Avatar and capturing him before his exile can be lifted.

The series grows and develops with it's characters in a unique way that is not often seen in children's TV. We are introduced to a world with four distinct nations, each with it's own style of dress, mannerisms, local scenery and customs. The animals are all fantasy-like, often created by combining two "real world" animals (such as a platypus-bear or a rabbit-kangaroo). It seems rare to run across such depth of the story world in television. Those that don't simply use our own world tend to only develop what's absolutely necessary.

The characters are both believeable and likeable and go through a number of changes throughout the series to create characters who are very complex. We watch as Aang, who is carefree by nature, struggles to come to terms with all that he must be, and he learns to be less jesterly and more serious about the task at hand, while at the same time balancing his peaceful monk upbringing with the violent war we must fight.

Sokka begins the show as mostly lazy and sarcastic, and yet with a deep drive to prove himself as a warrior to make his father (who he hasn't seen in years due to his father fighting in the war) proud. As the series progresses, we see him realize his potential as a leader and warrior.

Katara is the last waterbender of her tribe. She grapples with discovering how to use her powers on her own, while suffering a great deal of guilt over the death of hers and Sokka's mother, who was killed by Fire Nation soldiers while she was protecting young Katara. She grows in her waterbending prowess, as well as providing a level head for "Team Avatar", as Sokka calls their little group, and making sure that everyone is cared for.

Prince Zuko is perhaps the most complex of all the characters, and certainly goes through the greatest transformation. At first, he is the banished prince, and defines himself by his desire to regain his honor in the eyes of his father, and fulfill his destiny, which he believes is to capture young Aang. As he clashes with his own people, culminating in a betrayal by his sister, the evil Azula, we watch him as he struggles to redefine his destiny and make his own choices in life. Guided by his mentor, his uncle Iroh, he begins a change that leads him down a difficult road to self discovery.

And those are just the four primary characters. We also get a host of other memorable, interesting characters, including many strong female charracters. One of the areas this show excels is in portraying various aspects of female personality while keeping them strong and capable. We see the nurterer, the tomboy, the truly evil, the cheerfully perky, the overly emotionally oppressed. Yet all of these are strong, capable and enthralling characters.

The bending movements of each nation are art in and of themselves. Each is based off a different style of Kung Fu, adding beauty and purpose to the bending movements. Each style was also carefully chosen to match the element it represents. Fire uses a ferocious and powerful style, Earth a more steady and controlled style, Water a slower more rhythmic style, and Air more spinning of the hands and body to simulate tornado like movements.

Visually, it is also beautiful. While each nation draws on heavily from Asian influence, each is unique and diverse. From the almost delicate construction of the Northern Water Tribe's ice city, to the floating citadels of the Air Nomads, to the strong walled fortresses of the Earth Kingdom, and the more traditionally styled Fire Nation, it is an incredible style that is so often lost today.

Emotionally, it showcases the power love, the dangers of obsession, the pain of loss, and struggle to do what you know is right against overwhelming odds. It is a rich, complex and diverse storyline keeps both children and adults interested.

If you have never watched the series, go give it a go. I think you'll enjoy, regardless of your age.



Jaded Scribe's Personal Favorite Episodes:


Book 1: Water
Southern Air Temple
Avatar Roku
The Storm
Siege of the North (2 parts)

Book 2: Earth
The Blind Bandit
Tales of Ba Sing Se
The Guru/Crossroads of Destiny (2 parts)


Book 2: Fire (Jaded's Favorite Season)
Sokka's Master
The Beach
The Avatar and the Firelord
The Western Air Temple
The Firebending Masters
The Boiling Rock (2 parts)
Sozin's Comet (4 parts)

Review: Metropolis

Metropolis was made in 1927 in Germany by famed director Fritz Lang. The screenplay was written by his wife of the time, Thea von Harbou. It's old-school black and white and silent. So it's not the kind of fare most of us are used to.

One of the first interesting things about the movie, is that while most Science Fiction films can be slated as "Tech Noir" (Tech is bad) or "Tech Blanc" (Tech is good), this movie is very much Tech Neutral. There isn't a big pro or con either way. The technology simply is.

Instead, it focuses on the strains between the Haves, and the Have Nots. However, it also had an additional moral, that gets beaten into the viewer: The Mediator between the Hands and Head must be the Heart. This moral is announced roughly every 15 minutes or so. Subtlety, a German strength it is not.

But, the movie was actually very good in terms of story. It surprises me that no one has done a remake. The story surrounds young Freder, the son of the leader of Metropolis. He lives "topside" with the all the other rich people. Life is good. He gets a different pretty woman every day, food and sunshine are plenty, and is a reflection of all the upper businessmen of the time.

He, like most of the Haves, gives no thought to the Worker class that slave and toil away to keep the machines working to provide paradise to Metropolis' masters. At least, not until a lovely young worker woman appears with a slew of children, giving a stirring speech about how these youngsters should "look upon their brothers" and see the hedonist, carefree lifestyle they live, and that they should hope someday that the Haves will, in fact, accept them as brothers. As she and the children disappear back into the bowels of the city.

Young Freder, instantly enamoured, chases after our young mystery woman (Maria) where he discovers the plight of the worker class, as well as the fact that his beloved is a prophetess. She has foretold the coming of one who will bring peace and happiness to everyone.

I don't want to go any further, so as not to spoil the plot.

The story, while lagging in areas, was very good, and despite the length, kept the viewer interested through most of it. The dialogue cards were a little on the "meh" side, but considering that you don't have a natural dialogue system, and everything has to be handled on a card or two, it's clearly a necessary evil.

The special effects were, for the time, actually quite amazing, and the attention to detail is great. Watching the workers at the machines, they were not just moving pieces, but moved in a carefully choreographed movement that was actually beautiful to watch.

The acting was a little overdone, even for a silent movie though. But this did little to detract from my interest in the film. With it being a silent film, a lot can be forgiven seeing as exaggerated gestures were the best thing they had for conveying emotion.

All in all, if you can dig up this movie somewhere, watch it. Much of the original footage has been lost, but the story is still comprehensible. The version I watched included extra text frames explaining what has happened in the areas you miss.

A truly enjoyable movie, and one that I would love to see revamped and rebooted for the modern era of talkies and color.

It was, given it's origins in Germany, hard to watch on some levels though. While the director was at least partially Jewish, his wife was a supporter of the Nazi party. Given that the actors were German, I could not help but think "So.... Over the next 20 years, how many of you are going to do some very bad things..."

Interesting how an event that holds little personal significance for me (WWII) could still bring about such an uncomfortable feeling when I watch anything with Germans in it from that era.

Review: Toy Story 3

The third movie of the Toy Story franchise had me worried when I first heard about it. Pixar had been so emphatically against any future sequels that I feared being forced into this one would result in an inferior movie that would be nothing more than a waste of time and money.

I was happily mistaken. Toy Story 3 had all the heart and excitement of its predecessors.

For the first time, we see a toy as the antagonist thoughout the movie. The Prospector was a great antagonist to be sure, but we don't see his true colors until very late into the second film. The toy store owner was clearly the primary adversary. But in this movie, human villainy is virtually non-existent. The franchise stops being about people who treat toys badly (Sid and Al) and moves to toy against toy. This gives a new dynamic to the motivations. Both Sid and Al could almost be excused with "Well, they didn't know that toys have feelings." Now, it's not so cut and dry.

This also presents the opportunity to show off some very complex ideas for a kids' movie. How easy it is for good toys (or people) to be driven to do bad things when they choose a strong leader with bad motives; the danger of "just following orders."

The story also pulls hard at the heartstrings. We see the pain of toys who are no longer played with, have lot friends to charity/trash/garage sales. Uncertain what the future holds for them, and their friendship.

Some aspects were a little cheesy, and could come off as rehashing rather than saluting the previous installments, but this was minimal, and for me didn't distract from the story.

Props, Pixar. Another fine film.

Then Just Roll A Tank

This post could also be titled "Why I hate being DPS at times".

In World of Warcraft, there is a sweeping attitude that DPS are second class citizens of Azeroth. Whenever a DPS objects to a Tank's behavior (like not letting the DPS get mana, skipping bosses the majority of the group wants to do, etc) they are told they'll be kicked. I've been told many times that I wasn't needed (despite pulling the highest DPS) and that I was more expendable than a penny.

Few people would think twice before kicking a DPS (at least, before the most recent changes to the Vote to Kick system, but even then...) But kicking a tank will rarely pass, as long as the tank can stay alive, he can be as terrible as he wants to be. Waiting 30s for another expendable DPS? No worries. Waiting for 20 minutes for a new tank? No chance. Unless he is making the instance unfinishable, he can be as big of a jerk, as arbitrary as he wants to be.

Few tanks see a problem with rolling on DPS gear (if they do, it's only to avoid seeming hypocrisy). However, if a DPS who is trying to round out their tanking set to start tanking Needs a tanking item, then the Tank throws a hissy fit.

I'm of the opinion that anyone in the group (5-man, raids are different and should be handled by the raid leader) is just as important as anyone else. However, whenever I, or anyone else, protests against the attitude of the tanks, and asks for things to be changed, the most common response seems to be "Well, if you want to be able to ______ (kill optional bosses when you need them, get a more reasonable queue time, etc) then roll a tank."

This, to me, is the most annoying response I could get. My Hunter, Mage, Rogue and Warlock all lack the option to tank (or even heal). And even though my Ret Pally and Unholy DK can tank, I don't want to. So I enjoy the playstyle of DPS.

Why is this a crime? Why am I constantly finding myself punished for it?

Now, I have a tank. Level 76 Druid. It's not that hard. Can it be frustrating and aggravating? Sure. And yes, DPS can piss me off a lot. But, do I think I deserve to force the group into whatever I want, just because I'm the tank? No.

Now, I don't mind the long DPS queues. I do other things during the time, and I understand that it's just one of those things for which nothing can be done right now. I accept it.

I remember once, while doing normal Azjol-Nerub on my Pally, the Healer was "bored" and decided to Leroy the first boss, wiping us all. When he complained that no one else found it funny, I pointed out that I didn't spend 20 minutes in the queue to have my time wasted, and I didn't appreciate his antics.

His response: "Lol. u don't get to complain about queues.ur a pally, just roll tank."

Again, this attitude that DPS are not deserving of respect for their time, or their effort. That as DPS I am at the mercy of the whims of the tank and healer, and if I don't like it, my own fault for being DPS and not one of their high and mighty ranks.

I'm hoping with CC supposedly making a comeback in Cataclysm that the attitude will change. It should also help that with the Defense stat being removed, that tanking will be a little less gear-intensive and more people will be able/willing to tank, allowing for less of the attitude of "I am the irreplaceable tank. Suffer my whims, or wait 20 minutes for a new tank."