Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Movie Review)

Although it's been awhile since I last played a game of Dungeons and Dragons, I've enjoyed the "Dragonlance" series of books written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I also feel a real lack of modern options in both film and animation when it comes to the fantasy genre. So it was with some anticipation that I waited for this animated movie to be released on DVD.

With names like Keifer Sutherland, Lucy Lawless, Michael Rosenbaum and Phill Lamarr attached, it held a fair amount of promise. And although a somewhat unimpressive trailer was released online a few months ago, I still had a few hopes left for a decent movie experience. Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed.

The biggest flaw in this film is the cell animation. Choppy and uninteresting, it reminds me of something typical of a Saturday morning cartoon from 10 or even 15 years ago. Maybe the creators felt that mixing in some computer animation would make up for the corners they cut with their cell animation, but nothing could really hide the lack of quality here. I would expect this level of work if it were aimed at kids and made for a weekly tv show, but the amount of violence and even a printed warning on the box make it clear this isn't made for kids. Despite this fact, it seems to be edited ideally for television. Every 5-10 minutes I saw a "fade to black with silence" transition, followed by the continuation of another scene. It reminded me of what it's like to watch a tv series on DVD with the commercial's removed. So unless it's been broadcast already, this seems like a very strange editing device.

Based on the numerous bloody combat scenes, you might expect this movie to scratch the old "hack 'n slash" itch, but due to the poor animation, the combat scenes that SHOULD be the bread and butter of this movie, fall flat on their faces. In the absence of visual interest, you might then look for characters or a story you can care about. You won't find either here. It seems as though the actors, talented as they are, were given little or no direction as they delivered their lines. The phrase "phoning it in" comes to mind. Of particular disappointment is Keifer Sutherland as Rastlin Majere. Although the novels describe the language of magic with some mystery and a sense of awe, Sutherland delivered his spell-casting dialogue with a lumbering American accent that removed any potential cultural flare or sense of the ancient. I don't fault the actors for this. I'm pointing my finger squarely at the director.

In terms of meaningful subject matter, you might find it interesting to compare the spiritual relativism of our culture to the polytheistic culture of this story. "Faith" seems to jump out as an important theme in the movie, more so than I remember it doing in the books. However, like the attitude common today, the subject of that faith seems unimportant. Faith in "the gods", faith in yourself. Whatever floats your boat. Both our culture and this movie seem to promote the individual as the source of ultimate power. In fact, Paladine (one of the "gods of light") doesn't really seem to be effective until near the end, when a key character displays faith in him. The implication is that whatever "god" the characters believe in is ultimately given power by their worshippers. It's easy to draw comparisons to a similar sentiment (if not a spelled out dogma) in American "pop-spirituality". However, as interesting as that conversation might be at Starbucks, this movie isn't interesting enough to stimulate that kind of thinking.

Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes and make some improvements, should there be a follow-up. However, unless die-hard D&D/Dragonlance fans come to the rescue, I think word of mouth may kill sales on this DVD, along with the chances for another one to be made. If you're one of the faithful few, you'll likely check this one out. Do yourself a favor and rent before you buy. Otherwise, if you want some non-anime sword and sorcery animation, save your money for the long-awaited "He-man and the Masters of the Universe" being released on DVD this February. It was made just a few years ago (so no, I'm not talking about the 80's cartoon) and on a weekly basis delivered everything that this movie should have.

Final Score-

Quality: 6.0

Veracity: 6.0

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Pilot and 2nd Ep. Review)

After the mediocre offering provided by "Terminator: Rise Of The Machines", I wondered what the future held for this franchise. Luckily, the future seems potentially bright.


The series stars Lena Headey ("300") as Sarah Connor, Thomas Dekker (Claire's friend from season 1 of "Heroes") as John Connor and Summer Glau ("Firefly", "The 4400") as the Terminator programmed to protect John and Sarah.


It's clear almost immediately that "Terminator 3" has gone the way of "Highlander 2", "Highlander 3" and... well, various parts of the first Highlander movie. In other words, it's being ignored and considered no longer a part of continuity. I almost thought that maybe the timeline of "Terminator 3" was changed by the presence of Glau's Terminator, but the Pilot starts out in 1999, while Sarah Connor's grave in "Terminator 3" clearly indicates that she died in 1997. Oh well. That movie is still okay for a so-so action fix, but I'm guessing most fans are willing to put it behind them if this tv show provides a good story. And I think it will, based on what we've seen so far.


First off, a story is only as good as its characters and a character is only as good as the actor portraying it. Lena Headey does much more than hide her natural british accent. She provides a hardened characterization that seems appropriately mellowed after putting several years between herself and the events of Terminator 2. But although not as extreme as Linda Hamilton's version, Headey has taken the character into a natural "next phase". No longer a border-line psychotic, this Sarah Connor is a centered, focused woman who feels powerful enough to lead the cast and bear the show's title on her shoulders.


Thomas Dekker is a more grown up John Connor than we saw in "Terminator 2", and while not as juvenile he still has a healthy amount of rebellion with an added dose of brooding that makes his character flawed and interesting. His performance is well-suited to the character, and while he doesn't have any unusual quirks like Sarah or Glau's Terminator, he provides the anchor for audience members to relate to on what will probably be a wild journey.


Summer Glau portrays a Terminator that shares traits with her three predecessors, but certainly has its own personality. Her model's capabilities are nowhere near fleshed out (no pun intended), although she seems to be somewhere between Schwarzenegger's T-101 and T2's T-1000. It would seem that one ability she has is to heal her flesh more rapidly than a human. Not "Wolverine" levels or anything close. But enough that a quarter sized hole in her skin heals over in about three days with no remaining scar tissue. That or we've seen the show's first continuity error.


Glau brings a little humanity to the character, almost to the point of emotion once or twice. Hopefully they will go the route of having her SIMULATE emotions and never actually DEVELOP them. We've "been there and done that" with Data on Star Trek and we certainly don't need a killing machine to "soften up" and get all weepy on us. Glau's performance covers the appropriate ranges and she seems suited to the subtle humor that this kind of character requires. I also have a funny feeling that she will play an unusual role in John's life at some point. I'm not sure what, but after the flirtatious beginning between her and John, you can use your imagination on the possibilites that may come around season 3 or 4.


It's clear the producers want to link this series to "Terminator 2", given the references to and appearances of several T2 characters in the Pilot and second episode. But this series doesn't look to be simply a watered down "poor-man's" version of the film franchise. Terminator 3 reminded us that big explosions and cool special effects do not equal the best Terminator story. With elements like a time-lost romance, adjusting to an eight year technological leap, helping a Terminator blend into society long-term, hunting down the origins of Skynet and avoiding various threats from the future, this series has alot to draw from to tell great stories.


Some of my favorite elements included the gun inside the Terminator's leg, (It's been done before in a Terminator comic, but it was still cool.) and a headless Terminator reclaiming his skull and covering up with winter clothes to hunt down John and Sarah. I was afraid they might go with a "Terminator of the week" formula, but it would appear that on this show, one Terminator will still be enough to last a long time. As it SHOULD be. The show will do well if they continue to surprise us with how much damage these things can take and still keep coming.
I can't list many flaws. My only grudge is a small one. In the second epsiode, Glau's Terminator was hit by a car because she didn't do something as simple as look both ways before crossing the street. Sure, it was a cool action beat, but it didn't make sense that it happened.


I'm also not ready to weigh in on the show's Veracity score. Some shows, like Battlestar Galactica, will develop meaningful themes over time. This show has the opportunity for that, but I don't have a sense of what they want to say yet, so I'll hold off on that rating for another time.


For now, the show looks great. From the characters to the music, it seems to be making every effort to "feel" like a Terminator story. So far so good!


Quality: 9.0/10


Veracity: To Be Determined

X-3's Second Chance

Recently, I bought X-Men 3 on DVD. I found it for less than 6 bucks (and that INCLUDED shipping) online and figured, "Okay, I'm willing to pay 6 bucks for this movie."

You may assume correctly that I wasn't very impressed with the film when I saw it in theatres.

But time has made me a more relaxed viewer and on this second viewing, a year and a half later, I'm able to forgive a few of the film's shortcomings. Just a few mind you, but my feelings about the film have certainly improved.

It still lacks the time and attention needed for certain characters. For example, Rogue's turmoil over the cure should have had more screentime and nobody seemed to care much that Scott was killed. I also would have liked more time spent developing Angel and Beast.

However, despite having more characters than it was ready to give time for, this movie did deliver a few more exciting and even emotional moments than I remembered. Xavier's death, The Phoenix wiping people out by the dozen, Wolverine's final moment with Jean. While each could have been improved on, they were still fairly well done. Enough to make this movie a pretty decent action experience.

Who knows, I might have even been happy paying 7 bucks for it...

Way Behind, But Lovin' It!!

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not on the "cutting edge" of gaming and technology. Especially pc games, since you have to shell out megabucks over and over again if you want to keep upgraded enough to play newer games. (Consoles ROCK!!)

However, about a year ago I picked up the complete set of "Diablo" games, including the expansion for Diablo 2, and have been REALLY digging it! Diablo was a lot of fun, but the second installment is even better. I'm not even sure I could tell you why.

I'm only a few quests in and I'm wondering when "Diablo 3" will be coming out.

Not that I'll be able to play it on my computer...

Rain!

It's raining today! YeeeHaaaw! I've been living in Arizona for most of my life and quickly learned to love the rain. For most, rain feels depressing or dreary. But for me, a rainy day is a party day!

Rain makes every problem a little smaller for me. If I'm a little bummed, all it takes is rain to make me feel a little better. I couldn't even tell you exactly why I think rain is so great. It just is. Especially when you get it as little as we do.

Maybe I'll take a little break from work and run around in my back yard for a bit.

See ya!

No! My Precious Low Frequencies!!

Our home theatre's Subwoofer has woofed its last woof. Yesterday while watching a DVD at very low levels, our subwoofer suddenly popped twice and went silent. After a complete investigation, the time of death was recorded and a few brief words were spoken over the wonderful grey box that had brought joy to our home and buzzing to our butts.

Although we obviously plan to replace it (with a little upgrade while we're at it) it may be a few weeks or (shudder) even longer before we can save up the money to do so.

Until then, I'm plagued with a desire to watch all the cool DVDs I got for Christmas, while knowing that I cannot, lest the experience be spoiled by inferior sound quality.

Alas, I am now going through my DVDs and watching all the special features and documentaries (since you don't really need to "feel" Richard Donner's voice as he talks about directing Superman) that I have. This will only last so long however, and I fear that my need for a "fix" may cause me to despair.

Hmm. My SISTER just had a new home theatre installed. Maybe it's time for a visit...

Comic Book Explosion!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After being out of town for a week, I've only now just picked up last week's comics. It was a big week for me, too! (9 different comics to buy)

In just two more days I'll be going back to pick up THIS week's comics!

Add to that the fact that I effectively received 4 Knights Of The Dinner Table trade paperbacks and I've got a stack of books to read that will keep me busy all weekend! So much geekiness and so little time!!