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Superman Batman: Public Enemies, a review by Dragonfire

Superman Batman: Public Enemies A desperate solution for a troubled country: Lex Luthor for president with the Justice League in the service of the government. Only Batman and Superman stand against the new regime - and their disloyalty proves to be exactly what Luthor intended. Using their outcast status to instigate a scandal against Superman, Luthor finally tastes a victory in his vendetta against the Man of Steel. From Executive Producer Bruce Timm and voiced by the cast from both hit Batman and Superman animated TV series including Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly and Clancy Brown, this DC Universe Original Animated Movie based on Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness's popular graphic novel seethes with Political intrigue and action-packed battles between heroes all believing they're on the right side of the law. My Thoughts This is the 6th animated straight to video movie made featuring characters from DC comic books.  The animation is done well, though nothing about it stands out as great.  The story for the movie is taken from the Superman/Batman comic book.  I've never read the comic book, so I have no idea what has been changed for the movie.  I'm guessing some things have been.  The story of Luthor being the president and being able to go after Superman is interesting.  Unfortunately, I don't think the movie dealt with the subject as well as it could have.  There isn't enough attention to the story itself and how the main characters are handling certain things.  There is nothing in the movie about how things impact Superman's life as Clark.  Lois is only barely mentioned and is only briefly seen at the very end of the movie.  That just seems like a waste to me.  I think the movie would have been stronger if the story had received more attention. There are many fights throughout the movie.  The fights are done well enough, but there are so many of them, one right after the other, that they start to blend together.  There is too much attention given to all the fights at the expense of the story.  All the fights do get a bit old after a while.  For most of the other characters involved in the fights, I don't know who they are.  I think they are more minor characters from the comic books, but I don't know for sure.  There are just too many characters popping up in this one.  It would have been better if the cast of characters had been smaller..then the characters could be more developed.  Several of the people providing voices for this one have done voices for the characters before, in the animated series for Batman and Superman.  The actors all do well with the voices for the characters. I did enjoy the movie overall, though I do think the story could have been stronger.  I did get a review posted on Epinions earlier tonight if anyone would like to take a look. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

(From Dragonfire88's Alphabet Marathon on July 4th, 2010)

Out of Sight, a review by Jon

Out of Sight
4 out of 5



Meet Jack Foley, the most successful bank robber in the country. On the day he busts out of jail, he finds himself stealing something far more precious than money... Karen Sisco's heart. She's smart. She's sexy, and unfortunately for Jack, she's a Federal Marshal. Now, they're willing to risk it all to find out if there's more between them than just the law.

OUT OF SIGHT, starring GEORGE CLOONEY as the smooth criminal who bends the law and is determined to make one last heist, and JENNIFER LOPEZ who chooses all the right moves... and all the wrong guys

Out of Sight is one of Steven Soderbergh’s best films, with a good mix of classy entertainment, great characters and visual fluff. There’s little action and it feels like an old Hollywood thriller (there are plenty of movie references worked into the knowing script). It pulls you in with the cool idea of the career criminal unable to resist the heist of a lifetime, but gives you something of substance.

It’s pointless saying this is Jennifer Lopez’s best role (I mean, where’s the alternative?), but she is great with a subtle performance and I can’t think who else could have portrayed Karen Sisco quite as well, especially considering it’s a tough character to sell. She captures both the tough no nonsense shoot-first attitude (especially brilliant when she gets trapped with a particularly threatening creep) and the softer, vulnerable side. The chemistry with Clooney (who possibly is in his best form here) is believable and really makes the film fizz, which is important because the plot contrivance to get them together could be considered sexist and clichéd if it failed at all, as both characters are absurd.

The supporting cast are great too, as you would expect from either an Elmore Leonard or Steven Soderbergh source. Dennis Farina is a lot of fun as Sisco’s Marshall father, Don Cheadle and Ving Rhames are as reliable as ever and then we have Michael Keaton as Ray Nicollette, reprising the role from the previous years Jackie Brown. I’m not sure I can think of another instance of an actor reprising a supporting role in an unrelated film! (Except I think there was an FBI agent who played himself in a couple of the Fox Film Noir series that were based on real events he was involved in originally).

The screenplay, based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, is full of great dialogue and well-rounded characters (see also, Jackie Brown) that cut through the gloss. While it could so easily have been successful with a more formulaic approach, it is given depth by confident shifts in the narrative. Rather than just showing off, these cuts give us different perspectives on the characters. For instance, the audaciously cool bank robbery by Foley near the start (“Is this your first time being robbed?”)  actually happens much later and your perception is altered when you know what preceded it. Considering the director made a name for himself with Sex Lies and Videotape, it’s good to see how intelligently the love scene is handled too, which in a rare instance is essential to the plot. It’s cleverly edited, intercut with the flirting, so we get a real sense of why Sisco and Foley are at it like rabbits, without actually seeing much of anything.

This is a good quality, well produced thriller that features the best of old and new Hollywood. It’s over ten years old and there has been little to match it since for grown-ups looking for decent entertainment.

(From Stop Thief! The Robbing Bastard Marathon on April 18th, 2010)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Blood Ties


Blood Prince Parts 1 & 2
Part 1
When ex-cop turned private investigator, Vicki Nelson, happens upon the scene of a terrifying murder, she's hired by the victim's girlfriend to prove that her boyfriend was killed by a vampire. As Vicki pursues the investigation further, she crosses paths with someone else investigating the case fir his own reasons.

Part 2
Vicki finds that her most dangerous mission might be to sort out her romantic feelings for her ex-partner on the force, Mike Celluci, and for her new partner, the dashing vampire, Henry Fitzroy.

My Thoughts:
This is a show I bought blind this past month for my horror marathon. This is the first chance I got to watch any of it. I enjoyed the 2 part pilot... I am just trying to decide how much. It definitely could be better... but at the same time it is a pretty good introduction to the characters. I have a feeling it will grow on me more as I watch the episodes.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on November 5th, 2009)