Come Monday

And I'm still playing catch up.

First and foremost, I've updated my fiction blog, so do check that out if you're bored. Second, I'm working on trying to get a different comments box, as Bloggers is just troublesome. I've noticed a ton of folk using Haloscan, and I'm going to attempt to try that, we'll see how much my skills have grown when I attempt to add it to the html...

Next, some reviews:

Back to the Future: TheComplete Trilogy

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Writer(s): Bob Gale, Robert Zemeckis

Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Tom Wilson

What's it about? The adventures of Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett (Sp?) Brown, as they travel through time, bith into the past and into the future. If you need to know more than that, you really have been living uder a rock haven't you?

Why you should see it: Or in the case of the DVD set, why you should own it/rewatch it. First of all, it's one of the best series of family films out there. Yes, the language can be a bit on the vulgar side, and there are some mild sexual situations (especially in the first film), but, nothing's too horrible, depending on the age of your children, and I suppose how firm you are about sheltering them.

All of that aside, there's really alot to enjoy here. Everyone will tell you that the second and third of the trilogy don't hold up to the first, but, seriously, how could you expect them too. The first film was lightning in a bottle, and it's almost impossible to catch it twice, and impossible to hit it all three times. Still, the inventiveness of the second film makes up for what it lacks. It's truly unique to see something like this, a film that not only uses time travel as a plot point, but manages to travel withing it's own universe, so that in the second film you get to see the first film from a whole new perspective.

As for the third, well, who doesn't want to be a cowboy?

Not to mention the fact that the second and third were filmed back-to-back, a very grueling task, which likely resulted in the lower quality. Still, I believe the sequels are vastly underrated, and stand the test of time well. The charatcers still hold up, as do the jokes, and the special effects aren't so bad either.

Now, the DVD set has tons of extras on it, including two commentary tracks for each film (one of them is a Q&A session with Zemeckis and Gale) a few documentaries about the making of each film, a trivia track on each film, make-up and special effects tests, two music videos, production notes, outtakes, and some deleted scenes.

The most interesting thing? Zemeckis' comment when asked if he was going to digitally remove some mistakes from the pictures. Not sure if he was directly speaking about George Lucas, but he gets his point across on his feelings about that.

Like I said, the films hold up surprisingly well, even if they are obviously dated films. Considering the sequels were never even planned on, it makes me wonder what would've been different if they knew ahead of time. Zemeckis goes on record, saying "we never would have put the girl in the car."

This is a great DVD set, the picture quality is excellent, and the fact that they didn't remove any of the "warts" (as they call them) makes it that much more pleasing. This is one everyone should own. If you can't at least enjoy the first, then I honestly don't know what's wrong with you.

Oooh, time for some comics!

The Punisher #11 $2.99 (Marvel Comics)

I'm gonna skip all the usual stuff and just say that the book has picked up a bit, but Ennis still hasn't impressed me here. I'm finishing this arc, and starting the next one, and after that who knows? The art is serviceable at best, and the plot just feels forced. Maybe there really was a statement to make about the I.R.A. and their cause, but it must have gotten lost in there somewhere. The action isn't nearly what you'd expect, and with the exception of McGinty about to getcarved to bits, there's almost no satisfaction to be found here. Right now I'm wishing I stuck to buying Ennis in trades, especially on this book.

That's it for today folks. I'll be back tomorrow with the list!

-L