Danny Elfman is an astounding composer who has been in the business since the late 70s. He has worked for major films, television shows and video games. His music spans everything from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" to the show "Desperate...
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Danny Elfman is an astounding composer who has been in the business since the late 70s. He has worked for major films, television shows and video games. His music spans everything from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" to the show "Desperate Housewives."

I know Elfman best for four of his scores -- "Men in Black," Charlotte's Web," the music for the "Spiderman" films and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"Men in Black" is a film that's dear to me and the score does a lot to enhance it. It gets you from the beginning to end, drawing you into the intrigue of the film, as well as its more tender moments, and never lets go. I love the opening theme in particular.

"Charlotte's Web" (the live-action version) is a probably underrated film once again featuring a great soundtrack. As you certainly know if you've seen it, or read the books, there was a series of words that was used to describe to describe the pig character - "Radiant," "Humble," "Terrific," "Some Pig." Imagine trying to convey the essence of these in two-three minute music pieces -- yet this was exactly what Elfman did with his score. He also did a great job with the "Main Theme," as well as the vocal piece "Ordinary Miracle."

I don't normally watch "superhero" films, but I've made an exception for the "Spiderman" series. These films have a lot of action, and the soundtracks have a bit more rock than I would prefer, but Elfman did an excellent job on the whole.

Finally, there's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." This film was a real head-trip, and Elfman's music was just the style for it. By far the best track was "Veruca Salt." Very psychedelic, fun to listen too --- "Aw aw, aw aw aw! Veruca Salt, the little brute / Has just gone down the garbage chute / And she will meet as she descends / A rather different set of friends!" And what's more is that these words are Roald Dahl's work, yet Elfman managed to set just the right music to them.

Generally, if it's music, and it's Elfman, it's worth your time. Anything his work is featured in is generally enhanced by his musical genius.

Tony Jay, unfortunately, passed away in August 2006, but he has left behind a series of performances that will be enjoyed by audiences for ages to come. The quality of his voice assured him various villainous roles, both on-screen and in...
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Tony Jay, unfortunately, passed away in August 2006, but he has left behind a series of performances that will be enjoyed by audiences for ages to come. The quality of his voice assured him various villainous roles, both on-screen and in animation, but he was a multi-talented performer who could embrace a variety of roles.

I first became aware of Jay through "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends" (and the film from which it was launched, "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Kids," based upon the events of the book by the same name) in his role as the seemingly-villainous Spiderus. In the film, Spiderus is first portrayed as a villain, who will seemingly stop at nothing to steal Miss Spider from her new husband, Holley. "What does she see in him?" he wonders. Miss Spider, however, shows him that even he can find love, showing him that he knows its true when he feels "butterflies" for a charming spidress named Spindella. I was really impressed with the development of this character throughout the series. He learned compassion, he learned to relax and be friends with others, and, perhaps most interestingly of all, he became a father to three young spiderlings. Along the way was Jay, in a role truly suited to his talents. He even got to sing! I don't know yet who, if anyone, will take over the role. The Spiderus character was not featured in the most recent of the show's specials, "The Prince, the Princess and the Bee," though I know not if this was because Jay was unavailable due to his health, or he simply wasn't scripted into it.

The other main role I know Jay from is his work on the TV series "Beauty and the Beast," which I have recently had the pleasure of enjoying on DVD. He played a truly villainous character, Paracelsus, who comes into direct conflict with the show's two main characters, Vincent (the "Beast") and Catherine. Not only that, but Jay was also one of the voices in the Disney film version of "Beauty and the Beast," which I adore. In fact, I'm not certain, but I think he may be the only actor to have that distinction (to have been on both the TV series and the Disney film.)

Jay also voiced characters on several other series that I enjoy, or did enjoy, including "Reboot" and "Darkwing Duck." He even did the "Star Trek" thing, appearing in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." I admire his industry, talent, and innovation.

Replacement? Nobody can truly replace him, though I think Alan Rickman (the actor who plays the seemingly-sinister Snape in the "Harry Potter" films) has a similar quality of voice and might not be a bad choice. Others have suggested Peter O'Toole, most recently the voice of the critic Anton Ego in the film "Ratatouille." Well, whoever replaces his voice in those cases where it needs replacing, let's not forget Tony Jay.

Classic Sci-Fi Comedy to Watch Again and Again Edit

When trying to think of a teaser for this, any of a number of lines came to mind. "Take ten minutes on a stairmaster!" "Ah, I'd have thrown him back!"...
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Classic Sci-Fi Comedy to Watch Again and Again Edit

When trying to think of a teaser for this, any of a number of lines came to mind. "Take ten minutes on a stairmaster!" "Ah, I'd have thrown him back!" "Something's peeking, Kay!" It's lines like these that make this movie an enjoyable experience, a flick that one wants to see again and again.

In Men in Black, a seemingly ordinary police officer, Edward Jacobs, finds that that the world he's always known is not so ordinary. After tracking down a fast-moving and very odd suspect, he catches the eye of a secret organization known as the MIB - Men In Black, who, after putting him through a test, offers him membership in their organization, under the condition that he sever all contact with everyone he's ever known and become anonymous, "recognizable only as deja vu, and dismissed just as quickly." James Edwards accepts and, now known as "Jay," he finds everything he knew about the universe turned upside-down, although some things that seemed confusing before now make perfect sense.

The conflict comes when a member of an alien species known as "Bugs" comes down to Earth, takes over the body of a human and starts wreaking havoc. The next thing Agent Jay knows, he must use his wit, humor and "skills" to save an entire galaxy or the Earth will be destroyed. Worse, as the rookie on the job, he finds himself straddled with cute nicknames like "kid" and "tiger" and a dinky energy weapon that packs more power than he ever could have thought possible.

This movie is at times as philosophical as it humorous. While the mood is generally light, it also gets one thinking about deep questions such as "What is our real place in the universe?" "Are things really as they seem?" and "Unlimited technology from the whole universe and we cruise around in a Ford P.O.S.?!" (Just kidding!) It also makes one think about their place in life and what it is to consider the things that are really important.

To really get into the movie, be sure to check out the special edition DVD. You'll find commentary that gives even more insight into what the staff and cast behind the show was thinking. You'll find concept art, movie photos and extended scenes and that's only the tip of the iceberg. And for fun, you'll find Will Smith's awesome "Men in Black" music video and DVD-ROM games. Finally, if you liked the movie, the story doesn't end here. Check out the sequel Men in Black 2 to see more of the story.

My first ever free preview!

Zathura --- a space adventure.

My space adventure began with a pass for a free preview screening of the movie given away at, of all places, the library where I work. Since I'd never been to a...
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My first ever free preview!

Zathura --- a space adventure.

My space adventure began with a pass for a free preview screening of the movie given away at, of all places, the library where I work. Since I'd never been to a movie sneak-preview before, I got there pretty early. As it turns out, I needn't have worried, the theater was only about half full ---- probably because it was a Monday night. I've also been doing some checking around and apparently there have been quite a few free previews of this. The free preview had some nice side benefits --- only two trailers to wait through before the start of the movie and none of the stuff at the beginning with ads or messages to turn off your cell phones or buy stuff from the concessions or anything.

Okay, on with the movie review.

Zathura, the movie version, is the story of two boys, Danny and Walter, who live in something of a broken family.They split time living with their mother and father. Walter is rather older than Danny and is in that phase where he pretty much thinks there's nothing less cool than to hang out with or play with his younger brother. The two fight pretty constantly and when one of their fights disrupts their father's work, he's forced to leave for a bit to go out and make a copy from a backup. While he's gone, Danny does something to anger Walter and then runs off and hides inside a dumbwaiter (a sort of cargo elevator). Walter finds him and sends him plummeting to the basement. At first, Danny is scared, but then he discovers a neat board game, Zathura. He takes it upstairs and tries to show it to Walter, but Walter dismisses it as an old, boring game and goes back to what he was doing --- watching TV. Danny decides to go ahead with the game. He turns a key, hits a button and out pops a card. Since he can't read, he shows it to Walter, who reads out "Meteor Shower: Take Evasive Action." Suddenly, things become very real for both Danny and Walter as a real meteor shower hits their home. They soon discover that the only way out of their predicament is to keep playing the game --- but it's up in the air whether they can survive long enough, or even stop fighting long enough, to continue.

"Zathura" is loaded with special effects, suspense and excitement. But it's also tempered with humor, a strong story, and a strong musical score. The acting is also quite good. The boy playing Danny is a relative newcomer, but he's a cute little kid and reminds me of some past child stars. I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a hot up-and-coming young talent.

If you were lucky enough to get one of these free preview passes, then I hope you enjoyed the film as much as I did. If not, and you haven't already seen it, it's on DVD now with some cool special features.

"Goblet of Fire" --- Strong Film, Very Dark at Times Those who haven't read the books should be able to follow the film as long as they pay careful attention.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL WHO EITHER HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK...
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"Goblet of Fire" --- Strong Film, Very Dark at Times Those who haven't read the books should be able to follow the film as long as they pay careful attention.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL WHO EITHER HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK OR SEEN THE MOVIE.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is the fourth installment in the seventh-part series. It still features most of the cast from the first three movies, including Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson and Hermione Granger. Mike Newell took the head for directing this time and Patrick Doyle provided the music, rather than John Williams of "Star Wars" fame.

The U.S. Edition of the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" book is 754 pages long, which translates into an audiobook with a total 20 hour, 30 minute running time. With this huge length, the question on many peoples' minds is --- were they able to successfully convert this into a film of approximately 2 and 1/2 hours? Overall, I'd say the answer is a resounding yes. The film features exactly those moments that are essential to the plot, plus a few nice bonuses as well to help to appease those that would otherwise be upset about too many cuts. The film looks and sounds excellent and the writing, acting and directing are superb. The tasks look great and while they're all changed or shortened from their original book versions, they're excellent fun. The Yule Ball is largely intact, including the tension between Ron and Hermione. As for the tension between Harry and Ron before the first task, it's even ratcheted up a bit --- with Ron telling Harry to "p*** off" and even an insinuation that Ron is behind the Potter Stinks, Support Cedric Diggory --- The Real Hogwarts Champion buttons that nearly everyone seems to be wearing. And, yes, Ralph Fiennes is truly terrifying as the darkest wizard of all times --- Lord Voldemort. You'll feel a thrill of dread as he revels in the pleasure he takes from Harry's pain as he touches his scar and feel Harry's terror as he battles for his life.

Some notes on the changes and cuts --- one of the most major changes was the presence of Barty Crouch Jr. in the scenes with Voldemort and Wormtail. I found this an interesting choice and they worked it nicely into the film without hurting the plot any. Another nice change was having Neville provide Harry with the gillyweed he needs to breathe underwater. This is especially notable because in the book, the fake Mad Eye Moody makes such a point of the fact that Harry's pride and independence kept him from asking Neville for help.

Some great scenes that weren't cut from the movie --- Malfoy is turned into a ferret (although this scene was altered somewhat), Harry talks with Sirius in the Gryffindor common room fire and Myrtle helps (and pesters) Harry in his bath.

There were only a few changes and cuts that I was unhappy about. During the Quidditch World Cup, they showed almost no actual Quidditch play at all. While I understand that they have to keep things moving, this loss still hurts. Another thing I think really should have been included was Mad Eye Moody placing the Imperius curse upon Harry and then Harry later resisting it when Lord Voldemort uses it on him (which Voldemort doesn't in the movie.) One other complaint is that they should have researched certain pronunciations better --- akk-i-o for "accio" and Bo-bat-ons for "Beauxbatons" was just wrong.

Finally, I'll touch on the music --- a compelling mix of traditional instrumental themes and fun vocal pieces this time around. "The Quidditch World Cup" contains Irish themes as well as chanting that fully evoke the passion of this great event. The "Hogwarts March" is a nice fun theme. "Neville's Waltz" has a very classical feeling to it, but is also used for great humor in the film. My favorite vocal piece is "Magic Works," a sort of ballad that plays during the closing credits.

A few critics have complained that those who haven't read the books won't be able to follow along, but I don't think so. Sure, there are a few things that may be confusing, but as long as you keep your eyes and ears open, you should have no problems. And if you still have any questions afterward, you can always search the Internet or ask a friend.

Whether you've read the books or not, see "Goblet of Fire," likely the best film of 2005, today.

"That's The Way Things Happen on The Polar Express!"

Note: Some Content is Spoilerish

Though I taped ABC Family's broadcast, I actually watched this film on DVD a year before. Based on the picture book by...
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"That's The Way Things Happen on The Polar Express!"

Note: Some Content is Spoilerish

Though I taped ABC Family's broadcast, I actually watched this film on DVD a year before. Based on the picture book by Chris Van Allsburg, "The Polar Express" is a CGI motion-capture tour-de-force featuring the performances of Tom Hanks in several roles.

"The Polar Express" is about a little boy for whom the magic of Santa is becoming hard to believe in. In fact, this boy, known only as the Hero Boy, has become disillusioned with many things about Christmas. Still, he wants to believe in Santa, so when a mysterious train appears and the conductor tells him that it's the Polar Express, he decides to come aboard.

Once on-board, the Hero Boy is in for a wild adventure. He meets the Hero Girl (an intelligent, confident personality filled with warmth) and the Know-it-All Boy (who's always ready with his opinion and facts that nobody really wants.) However, the Lonely Boy (Billy) that he meets may be the most important character of all.

Christmas just never seems to work out for Billy. He doesn't really have anyone to care for him and Santa has never come to his house. In fact, when the Polar Express comes to 11334 Edbrook Avenue, Billy very nearly doesn't board. The Hero Boy has to pull the emergency brake to stop the train. This greatly displeases the train's Conductor, who runs a tight schedule, but his hardness softens when he learns why the Hero Boy pulled the brake.

The Hero Girl and Billy sing "When Christmas Comes to Town" in which Billy expresses why the holidays don't work for him and they both share their hopes and dreams for the holidays. Eventually the train reaches --- you're not dreaming! --- the North Pole. There, the four children get into a wild adventure, that culminates with a meeting with, well, guess-who.

"The Polar Express" uses motion-capture animation to bring semi-realistic characters to life. Tom Hanks provides the performances for not only the Conductor character, but also the Hero Boy, Santa Claus and a vagrant ghost who haunts the train. The voice cast is wonderful and Hanks's own rich voice adds a lot to the film as well.

To go with its great story, animation and characters, "The Polar Express" features a top-notch soundtrack, both vocal and instrumental. Songs include the previously mentioned "When Christmas Comes to Town," as well as "Hot Chocolate," "Spirit of the Season" and Josh Groban's "Believe" among others. I was pleased that ABC Family retained the songs and music in the closing credits and resisted the temptation to do the ridiculous splitscreen that so many networks do these days. One other great thing is that this film also includes classic tunes by artists such as Bing Crosby.

If I had one complaint, it would be that I think the animators were a bit too impressed with what they could do with the CGI at times. There were some extended visual sequences that caused the film to drag a bit and seemed mainly for effect. Otherwise, magical film. Some people say it was only a dream. I say, if that's so, then I hope it was the shared dream of all children or something like that. If that weren't the case, then the journeys of the Hero Girl, Know-it-All Boy and Billy characters wouldn't be as meaningful.

Hmm --- I Guess Even the Care Bears Need Help Caring Sometimes

"Big Wish Movie" is the second "Care Bears" CGI feature and it's even better than the first, with great features for the DVD! Although Wish Bear is...
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Hmm --- I Guess Even the Care Bears Need Help Caring Sometimes

"Big Wish Movie" is the second "Care Bears" CGI feature and it's even better than the first, with great features for the DVD! Although Wish Bear is the main focus of this feature, all of the Care Bears are present and there's three new friends as well! The film opens with a great sequence in which we see Wish Cub meeting her good friend Twinkers for the first time. She lures him out of hiding with some sandwich crumbs and they make fast friends. Wish Cub wishes that they could be together forever and at first, Twinkers misunderstands and sticks himself to her tummy. Wish Cub clarifies and so she gains her tummy symbol and a new friend. Back in the present-day Care-a-Lot, we see that this was a story that Wish Bear was telling the Care Bears. The next day, Wish Bear is out and about using Twinkers' power to help her friends. At least --- that's what she wants to do, but what she doesn't know is that all of her wishes are actually creating disasters. When it comes time for the Care-a-Lot Steering Committee meeting --- there's a startling announcement. It turns out that the Care-o-Meter that measures how much caring there is in Care-a-Lot has been trending towards the "not-so-much" side. The Care Bears decide to have a special "Show How Much You Care" month. It's generally agreed that this is a good idea, but Wish Bear is left feeling bit upset because she didn't know her friends didn't like her wishes. She wishes for some new friends and lo-and-behold, three new bears appear in Care-a-Lot. I won't spoil their grand entrance here --- you're going to have to see this to believe it! Big Wish Movie features five new songs --- "Big Wish Theme," "I Wish," "Get a Lot," "It Takes You and Me" and "The Power of Wishing." The movie is staffed by many of the same cast and crew who did the first CGI feature, "Journey to Joke-a-Lot" (and there's a nice, brief nod to this feature in this movie as well) and many new staff as well. I thought the voices were generally well chosen and the music was absolutely performed. "Get a Lot" is a hilarious stand-out, while "I Wish" is a touching solo piece performed by Wish Bear. And for those who have seen the show "Franklin" --- see if you can figure out who's voicing the star Big Wish before seeing her name in the closing credits.

The DVD special features are as follows: Care-o-Meter --- This special feature is intertwined throughout. As you take part in different "caring activities" (and watching the movie counts as one), the meter rises until it hits 4 and then you are automatically taken to a very nice bonus, which I again won't spoil here. Audio --- There's no close-captioning for this film, but you can get subtitles. The are also Spanish and French audio tracks. Caring Activities --- There are three "Caring Activities" that allow you to raise the "Care-o-Meter" --- Build a House, Sing Along (Vocals and No Vocals) and Rocket Hunt. The first one allows you to assemble the house that the Care Bears made for the three new bears. There are five pieces to choose from, but only three go on the house. This didn't seem very intuitive to me because the pictures were a bit small, but it was still kinda fun. Sing Along --- This is pretty nice. It's actually only a sing-along for one of the songs, but it's a good choice --- "I Wish." Both versions display the lyrics of the song with bright yellow lettering at the bottom and Twinkers bouncing along with the lyrics. Selecting the No Vocals option allows for a sort of karaoke, although it's not entirely vocals-free because although Wish Bear's singing is removed, the backup singers remain. Rocket Hunt --- Fairly straightforward. The player takes off in Grumpy Bear's rocket and searches behind stars for objects in space. They then do one last search to find Big Wish. Very simple game, but still worth the while, I thought. Trailers --- There are quite a few trailers. You can't select them individually and they play before the menu comes up, but you can fast forward or skip them. The trailers are for "The Koala Brothers" on DVD and Video, "Maya and Miguel" on DVD, "Spookley the Square Pumpkin" on DVD, "Clifford the Big Red Dog" on DVD and video, "Journey to Joke-a-Lot" on DVD and video, "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends" on DVD and video, "Inspector Gadget's Biggest Caper Ever" on DVD and video and finally "Pinocchio 3000" on DVD and video. I hadn't seen any of these trailers before and so I was surprised to learn that there's going to be a new CGI "Inspector Gadget" release, as well as a new spin on Pinocchio. DVD Credits --- Ah, this is nice, because you don't usually get this. A special credits section for all of the people who worked on the DVD. Overall, I can't really see anything to complain about with this DVD. It's top-notch in every way.