Any die hard movie musical fan knows that MGM produced most of the greatest musicals of all time in the 1950s. The Arthur Freed Unit became the touchstone of musicals with productions ranging from The Wizard of Oz in 1939 to Bells Are Ringing in 1960. While the 1940s was a productive decade for Freed, the 1950s gave us some of the most beloved, classic musicals of all time.

Now, Warner Brothers Home Entertainment has taken two of these MGM classics, plus one from the Warner Brothers library, and has given them a good scrubbing for Blu-ray and the results are astonishing. Best of all, you can purchase your favorite film as a stand-alone disk or get them all in the new Musicals: 4-Movie Collection. The three new titles are The Band Wagon, Calamity Jane, and Kiss Me Kate. Warners has added Singin’ in the Rain as a bonus to the 4-disk set.

The first movie in the collection is The Band Wagon (1953) starring Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Nanette Fabray and Jack Buchanan. The story follows a nearly washed up Hollywood actor (Astaire) who decides to head to Broadway to see if he can untarnish his star in a big stage musical (shades of the Oscar-winning Birdman!). An egotistical director hijacks the frothy musical and turns it into a depressing version of Faust, ensuring a huge flop but the cast bands together to save the show.

The film is very entertaining, and it allows Astaire to take on a different character than we’re used to seeing from him. No top hat and tails this time around, but his dancing is still on point, especially in the scene where he dances with a shoe shine man (who was a real shoe shine man in New York). Cyd Charisse is stunning as always and is simply magnificent to watch in what was her first real starring role. The film also introduced Broadway star Nanette Fabray to movie audiences in what was, surprisingly, her only MGM musical. The movie also has a great score, but it’s most well-known for introducing “That’s Entertainment” as THE song about showbiz, supplanting the standard “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

The film looks terrific on Blu-ray. The image is bright and colorful but still has a film-like quality to it with an appropriate amount of film grain. The 1080p image(presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio) has not been completely scrubbed of any detail, and the soundtrack has been given a nice DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 remix that keeps the dialog and singing front and center, allowing the orchestra to swell, but never overwhelm, from the surrounds.

Bonus features include:

• Commentary by Liza Minnelli and Michael Feinstein
• Get Aboard! The Band Wagon (37:09) — A vintage “making of” looking at the production of the film with many behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the film’s stars, crew and family members.
• The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli (58:25) — An episode of the WNET series focusing on Minnelli.
• Jack Buchanan with the Glee Quartet (6:00) — Comedic musical short film starring Band Wagon c0-star Buchanan.
• The Three Little Pups (6:46) — MGM cartoon featuring Droopy Dog in a variation of The Three Little Pigs.
• Theatrical Trailer (3:14)

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The original 1966 Batman TV series took decades to see a release on DVD and Blu-ray, but the wait was definitely worth it! The first 30 episodes from the series’ second season are now available on DVD and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment graciously provided a copy for my review for this Throwback Thursday installment.

I grew up watching the original Batman series in reruns on cable television. It was always one of my favorites because it was so wondrously colorful and wacky. Everywhere you look in any given screenshot, your senses are bombarded by psychedelic, eye-popping costumes that only a 1960s series could pull off so well. It’s like a live-action cartoon with campy music, zany guest stars and playful puns and punches flying left and right. Don’t get me started on the delightful variety of villains the series also offered! From familiar comic book favorites like The Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and Mr. Freeze to crazy, new villainous concoctions such as Egghead, King Tut, The Clock King, The Archer and The Minstrel, the second season is full of fiendish foes and perilous plots. I’m having trouble deciding which villain is my all-time favorite because they’re all so interesting and diabolical in their own unique way!

The Second Season, Part One has many big-name guest stars, including Cesar Romero, Julie Newmar, Burgess Meredith, Vincent Price, Van Johnson, Art Carney, Shelley Winters, Liberace, Walter Slezak, Carolyn Jones, Victor Buono and Cliff Robertson. One interesting thing about the series was that they used various actors to play the same villain from season to season. Season two features Julie Newmar as a purrrrfect Catwoman and Otto Preminger as a space cadet-looking Mr. Freeze with a ray gun. In addition to the main guest stars, there are also numerous cameos from other notable stars, including Dick Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr., Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink from Hogan’s Heroes), Ted Cassidy (Lurch from The Addams Family) and musical group Paul Revere and the Raiders among these episodes. Just don’t blink, or you’ll miss ‘em!

Egghead (Vincent Price) is the only villain I remember being smart enough on the series to almost figure out that Bruce Wayne was Batman, so that makes him credible in my book (despite all of his “eggs-cruciating” puns every five seconds). The Archer (Art Carney) is awesome because he steals from the rich and gives to the poor a la Robin Hood and his Merry Men, while The Minstrel (Van Johnson) oozes charm and romantic lyrics that make you fall in love with Van Johnson and his velvety voice all over again. Not only is The Minstrel a musical genius, but he’s also equally versed in electronics and probably the only villain worthy of facing Batman in a technological showdown of wits.

I was delighted to discover that one of the most memorable episodes from my childhood was included in this set — “The Spell of Tut” — the one in which King Tut (Victor Buono) tries to resurrect ancient Egyptian scarabs to wreak havoc upon Gotham City’s water supply. Also look for horror icon Sid Haig as the Royal Apothecary in the King Tut episodes. Another old favorite of mine, “The Greatest Mother of Them All,” featuring Shelley Winters as criminal matriarch Ma Parker and her gang, is also included. The Parker clan has always reminded me of the Beagle Boys on Duck Tales, another beloved show from my childhood and perhaps the subject of a future Throwback.

An unexpected surprise was seeing footage from the Indianapolis 500 used as a racing event held in Gotham City in “Come Back, Shame,” an episode with Cliff Robertson as Shame, “The Conniving Cowboy of Crime,” a cowpoke/car thief who looks like he was lifted out of a spaghetti western complete with his sidekick Okie Annie (Joan Staley from The Ghost & Mr. Chicken fame). Of course, Shame and crew don’t look quite as tough as your traditional cowboys with their polka dot handkerchiefs and etc., but that’s beside the point when you can “get angrier than a hyena with laryngitis.” Another hidden gem was “Hizzonner The Penguin,” an episode in which Penguin runs for Mayor of Gotham City against Batman. It was the weirdest political debates I’ve ever seen, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t want all of Penguin’s cute, clever campaign paraphernalia. He had lovable, furry penguins all over his campaign buttons, posters, stickers, etc. I wonder if anyone ever made any of that stuff collectible because I would buy a lot of it for my personal collection of pop cultural oddities!

All of Batman’s gadgets in the Bat Cave, Batmobile and utility belts have never looked better — every detail has been completely remastered in this DVD box set. While reviewing the set, I realized that there are two types of people in this world — those who can appreciate the campiness of this series and those who simply cannot. Neither my mother or boyfriend could make it past more than a handful of episodes before they were begging me to turn it off, but I could have gone on for hours (the set has a total running time of 755 minutes), and my 21-year-old brother and his friends seemed amicably interested as well.

Every “Splatt!,” “Pow!,” “Biff!” and “Zok!” (yes, you read that right: Zok!) practically pops out of the screen at you in amazing comic book color as do the fabulous glittering outfits worn by Chandell (Liberace), and I had a lot of fun reviewing this set. The Season Two, Part One DVD box set features beautiful artwork from the eye-catching covers to the four discs depicting the iconic ’66 Batman logo on each. The only disappointment I had with the set was its lack of bonus features, but that’s what the expensive, all-inclusive Blu-ray collector set is for I suppose. I’ve read the Blu-rays come with an episode guide, Adam West scrapbook, vintage trading cards, digital copies of the episodes and an exclusive Hot Wheels replica of the Batmobile. The discerning collector would be better off saving their pennies for the Blu-ray set, but if you’re yearning to get your hands on some of the episodes in the meantime or if you’re introducing the series to a new generation of fans, this box set is a good starting point. If I’m ever lucky enough to review another Batman set, I’ll catch you at the same Bat time, same Bat channel.

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With the new film Fifty Shades of Grey coming out for Valentine’s Day, many couples will be tempted to spend their hard-earned cash to see it. Instead, lets look at why 2002’s Secretary is the smarter alternative.

To start, lets look at story. A young woman meets an older man in a position of power named Mr. Grey, the two become attracted to each other and embark on a BDSM relationship. Yes we just described both films with that one simple sentence. Two movies dealing with intense sexual relationships, focused primarily on BDSM, and having the male leads named Mr. Grey. The films diverge from here and show two very different takes on this lifestyle. Fifty Shades puts all the power into the man’s hands and focuses on the purely sexual side, making the female lead little more than a toy for his amusement. Secretary concerns itself with showing a fairly traditional love story, boy meets girls, boy and girl flirt, something goes wrong, girl tries to get boy back … but dressing such a traditional idea with an untraditional relationship. At it’s core Secretary is still a love story where Fifty Shades is a lust story.

Now lets look a little closer at the characters. Fifty Shades presents us with Christian Grey, a rich wildly successful businessman, and Anastasia Steele, a naive college student and virgin still finding her place in the world. In Secretary we meet Lee Holloway, a smart but damaged young woman, lacking in social skills and just out of the hospital for self harm, and E. Edward Grey, an odd, socially awkward attorney, who while successful is modestly so. The imbalance in these relationships becomes apparent immediately. Where on one side we have a rich powerful man towering over a shrinking violet, on the other hand we have two socially awkward people looking for someone who can appreciate them for their odd behavior and taboo desires. Where Christian Grey almost forces Anastasia into a new and frightening lifestyle, E. Edward Grey pulls back from Miss Holloway and she becomes the pursuer. Secretary is not only the more balanced story, it’s the one that empowers women.

This brings us to a fundamental problem with Fifty Shades of Grey. From what I’ve read of the BDSM community, a driving force seems to be that both parties enter into it with full knowledge and desire of what is going to happen. Whether through safe words or  agreement ahead of time, everyone involved knows their boundaries and they all sought out what they are getting into. Anastasia may be curious about what she is presented with but she’s really satisfying Grey’s desires, not any pre-existing ones of her own. Again Secretary shows us both parties enjoyed BDSM activities prior to meeting, they are satisfying both of their desires.

Next, lets look at our talent. Fifty Shades brings us Jamie Dornan, whose biggest role to date was the sheriff on Once Upon a Time, and Dakota Johnson who has only had some small film roles and one failed sitcom. They are brought together under the eye of director Sam Taylor-Johnson in her second full length feature. While they all seem to have some talent, they are by and large untested and unproven. Secretary also has a director with a limited body of work, Steven Shainberg, who boasts just a small handful of directing and producing credits over a twenty year career. He had the luck however of having two strong lead actors in Maggie Gyllenhaal (who had already been in ten feature films by 2002), and James Spader, whose performances are always deliciously odd but fascinatingly so. Despite being seventeen years apart in age the two of them work wonderfully together, bringing both an odd, socially inept, weirdness as well as a sweet childlike sensitivity to their characters.

Both films are adaptations of existing works, Secretary is an adaptation of the short story “Bad Behavior” by Mary Gaitskill. Fifty Shades of Grey started its life as Twilight fan fiction titled “Master of the Universe” which E. L. James published under the pseudonym “Snowqueen’s Icedragon.” Yes, that last sentence is a real thing which I just typed and you have just read. For many people the words “Fan Fiction” and Twilight will be all it takes to deter you from seeing the film. Kudos to you for being so smart.

While I’m sure people will flock to theaters to see Fifty Shades of Grey, I can only hope that a few people will take that time and watch (or even rewatch) a much lesser known film which tells a beautiful if unconventional story. Plus while the average movie ticket costs eight dollars, Secretary is available streaming for a very reasonable $2.99, money well spent.

  

This year ABC is doubling down on the winter mini-season, launching two high concept niche shows over what is normally, for most networks, a break from new content. Both Galavant and Marvel’s Agent Carter are period pieces consisting of 8 episodes each. However, for some reason, ABC decided to air Agent Carter over eight weeks while doubling up on Galavant’s shorter thirty-minute episodes over four. In this age of fewer summer reruns and little chance of syndication for a shorter run leads us to believe that the original plan was to air the show over eight weeks as well — otherwise why not just produce four-hour long installments? Maybe they thought stretching it out over eight weeks would lose too many audience members.

Regardless of whether ABC had faith in Galavant or not, the end result is a delightfully cheesy show, a dash of Disney, a pinch of Monty Python, with a side of The Princess Bride. Composer and Disney golden boy Alan Menken, along with the team behind Tangled, have created a fun world in which characters can turn from wholesome to risqué on a dime. With a relatively unknown cast save for former Psych cast member Timothy Omundson and go-to baddie Vinnie Jones, along with a few funny cameos, Menken and Co. have managed to make something that feels original yet familiar at the same time. The lead actors have wonderful chemistry and even Vinnie Jones, who has become almost a parody of himself at this point, works wonderfully as a gruff thug in contrast with Omundson’s prissy king.

The biggest complaint you could make about Galavant is it could have used a one or two more memorable songs. While the majority of the songs were fantastic and almost too catchy for their own good (the title song alone will be bouncing around your head for hours after), several songs throughout the season were less than stellar, there more to drive the plot or serve exposition. Admittedly, these only stick out because we’ve been so spoiled by some of the standout numbers: the pirates’ “Lords of the Sea” along with “Hey Hey We’re the Monks” being two prime examples. Some people will be turned off by the musical aspect of the show but frankly anyone who doesn’t like musicals should stay clear. Galavant doesn’t shy away from the cheesy, flamboyant nature of an old-fashioned musical. If anything they turn hard into the skid. Many of the musical numbers demand repeat viewings and you can’t help but laugh at some of the ridiculous antics that take place.

Plot and writing-wise there were weak points scattered throughout the season. A few parts of our heroes’ journey felt a bit glossed over while others felt like they went on longer than necessary. The pirates we meet in episode four are so funny and offbeat you could easily see multiple episodes dedicated to the adventures they had together on their way to Valencia. It’s a shame they weren’t kept in the mix.  The finale also had some awkward moments that didn’t seem to fit the rest of the season: Princess Isabella went from a strong independent woman to a more traditional damsel waiting to be rescued, and Galavant’s plan to get King Richard drunk to go after his brother seemed unnecessary — though it did lead to one of the best musical numbers, “We’re Off on a Secret Mission.” The biggest surprise that came out of Galavant‘s season finale is that it wasn’t a series finale, we’re left with all our characters in precarious situations and our story draws to a close on a cliffhanger. It seemed like this was a one season and done situation so the fact that we now have to hope for a second season to get any kind of resolution was a real shocker. Though after seeing how fun King Richard and Galavant are together, the promise of more of their growing bromance is exciting. With the way everyone is left at the show’s close, there’s a lot of potential for new settings, situations, and some dynamic pairings of characters. Hopefully these will lead to some great songs as well.

Whether or not we get another season, Galavant was different from the rest of the pack, it did something unique and will no doubt have fans and detractors both in abundance. But for those of us who love musicals and can appreciate the show for the funny, cheesy, self-aware approach it takes, Galavant is a welcome addition to the television landscape and here’s hoping we can have at least one more season of humming that damn catchy titular song over and over again.

The concept of an anti-hero is a fascinating one. You can go to several extremes when constructing such a character. They can be your “Wolverine” types, loners with hearts of gold and a willingness to kill as necessary. Perhaps they could also be a vigilante fighting against a corrupt system. Or they might be a gangster who’s just not as bad as other gangsters. But it’s always curious why people are so willing to follow along and even empathize with people that seem like they would be villains in another movie. Sometimes it’s just that we see things from their perspective so it’s easy to find them interesting.

Nightcrawler comes from first time writer/director Dan Gilroy and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, an odd, intense small scale thief living in LA. He’s on the lookout for jobs with a brazen attitude aping self-help seminars but without any real people skills. But it’s luck that he stumbles across when he finds a guy, Joe (Bill Paxton), filming the aftermath of a gruesome automobile accident. Apparently, he discovers, news stations pay for gory and brutal firsthand footage of such things, accidents, crimes, and the like. And Lou has been looking for a job.

He learns quickly, and develops a weird but mutually beneficial relationship with Nina (Rene Russo) the nighttime news director of a local news show. Nina praises Lou’s first attempt, and that’s enough for him to discover his new passion in life. Soon he recruits Rick (Riz Ahmed), a desperate guy who is living out of a garage, paying him chump change for his help speeding his way through the streets of LA. They search for the juicy stuff; the crimes in nice neighborhoods so the news people can push their narratives of panic and terror. Rick seems like a nice guy, put off by Lou’s intensity and oddness, but he needs the work.

So it goes, but Lou gets increasingly riskier and more dangerous in his pursuit of the big leads, and the thrillride continues until the crazy, unexpected climax. For this is a movie about a sociopath, but one that can navigate the world. Lou (who is probably meant to be on the autistic spectrum) has difficulty reading people and reacts bizarrely over and over. He scares people. He will do crazy things to achieve his goals, things no regular person would ever dream of trying. At the center of this movie is the amazing performance of Jake Gyllenhaal as this monster in plain sight, and he is phenomenal. The story is relatively simple; it compresses time and is paced extremely well. We see the quick adaptation of this unbalanced person to the unbalanced world of local news.

So what’s the message? There is the not so subtle implication that a sociopath is the perfect person to work in the news, and although Lou may be the worst, he is still a white hot center of charismatic craziness. Nina is more than willing to compromise for ratings and Joe is just a bit less nuts than Lou. It’s an industry about scaring people, so it makes sense a terrifying person could succeed. Rene Russo was also great, of course, as the woman getting in a bit over her head, and Riz Ahmed provides a critical counterbalance of normality to really emphasize the oddness of Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance.

The movie is enormous fun, and it’s interesting to me how easily the audience can be manipulated into falling in line with the sociopath. Lou spouts a lot of things that seem perfectly logical, but that’s until you realize he thinks without empathy. He feels things, but they aren’t what you’d expect. So yes, I heard people applaud when Lou is victorious in one instance, and I just shook my head and wondered if Patrick Bateman from American Psycho had the same sort of reaction.

But when it all comes together in precisely the ridiculous way you both hope can’t happen and recognize as inevitable, the movie comes together as just an excellent thriller and a fantastic showcase for Jake Gyllenhaal. Yes, this may not be the most heroic character, but it’s definitely one of the most interesting ones of the year. It does get a bit gruesome and violent and times, with a few scary moments, but it’s a great one for the adults out there.

Joss Whedon seems to be a popular subject these days. I recently reviewed an academic work on his art (Reading Joss Whedon), but I don’t think there’s a need to go through his history again here to explain his appeal. Suffice it to say, this is a creator that has always interacted with his fans and appreciated them. From days in internet forums when Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a cadre of loyal fans to last years Firefly anniversary panel at San Diego Comic-Con where he broke down publicly in tears, nerds love Joss Whedon because he seems like he feels the same way about us. Well, and he creates some awesome stuff too. This new biography, Joss Whedon: The Biography from first time author Amy Pascale, covers everything you could possibly expect from the life of the nerd king. The book comes in over 400 pages and actually covers more years than his life, but that’s explained easily enough.

The biography begins after a heartfelt foreword from Whedon’s friend and collaborator Nathan Fillion, and then begins to explain how Joss became Joss. Apparently his parents both were involved in art in various ways, and his mother involved specifically in feminist activism. It’s easy to see the point the biography is making: this is where he gets it from. There’s a common motif of “strong female characters” throughout the book, which has been something Joss has explicitly talked about many times. There’s a bit here Joss’ childhood, but where it gets legitimately interesting is when he begins to work in Hollywood and experiences his first failures and triumphs. Utilizing interviews with producers, actors, friends, and Joss himself, the biography tells the story of Whedon’s unlikely rise to one of the most successful directors in the industry. From his work on the Toy Story script to Alien: Resurrection, each failure and success is demonstrated to build to the next one. A bit slow at first, but then the reader gets quickly drawn into this unlikely story.

I found this book a very engaging read; although it’s a bit slow to get going, the pace gets quick and the material is jam-packed with all sorts of behind the scenes trivia. Recently a letter from Tom Hiddleston to Joss shown in the biography has gone a bit viral online, but for me it was more interesting to read about how the death of Joss’ mother influenced on his views on art. I would guess that people unfamiliar with specific works of his, like his work on Astonishing X-Men, may find those parts dull or unimportant. But I think the book achieves in its goal, to show how each piece of Whedon’s life led inexorably towards him succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest dreams with the extreme box office of The Avengers, the second (or third, I haven’t yet seen Guardians of the Galaxy as of writing this review) best Marvel movie. If you want to know what Joss really thought about his Wonder Woman script but know that Warner Bros will never let you read the actual script, that’s the sort of balance fan perspective that’s ideal for a reader. I think it’s interesting that a biography was written about an artist with plenty still left to do, but it did mean that many people could be interviewed about it.

Perhaps that means an update will needed after Avengers: Age of Ultron or whatever comes after that. Here, Amy Pascale has written an interesting, well-written take on the life and art of Joss Whedon; any true fan should take a look.

Joss Whedon: The Biography is currently available for sale. This review was based on a promotional copy provided to CliqueClack by the Chicago Review Press for the purposes of review.

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I feel good. I knew that I would. I feel good, so good, so good, I got you. I feel nice, like sugar and spice. I feel nice, like sugar and spice. So nice, so nice, I got you.

I always wondered why James Brown was referred to as “the hardest working man in show business.” After watching Get On Up, his biopic from Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, I’m beginning to understand that moniker a little better. Prior to now, most of my knowledge about James Brown was based upon his cameo in The Blues Brothers (one of my all-time favorite movies) and the old SNL skits with Eddie Murphy impersonating him doing ridiculous things like singing about his hot tub or doing an over-the-top rendition of Annie. I always enjoyed his music casually from afar, but never really delved into the heart and soul of it. After watching this movie, I’m exploring more songs from Brown’s vast catalogue of hits and discovering that maybe, just maybe, I have a little bit of the funk in me after all. (Well as much funk as a white girl in her thirties from the Midwest is capable of anyway.)

Directed by The Help’s Tate Taylor, Get On Up follows along the lines of other past heartfelt musical biopics such as The Buddy Holly Story, La Bamba, Walk the Line and Ray. It tells the story of Brown’s rise to the super stardom stratosphere after a pretty dismal childhood speckled with bouts of domestic violence, poverty, fear, racism and abandonment. It is at times just as poignant, artsy and transcendental as other biopics, while at other times, it is difficult to follow because the story of Brown’s life is told out of sequential order. It’s as if the director wanted you to feel like you were in Brown’s befuddled mind, mixing up the order of personal and career milestones, while taking the audience on an unforgettable journey through one of the music industry’s most enigmatic, charismatic personalities.

Chadwick Boseman gives an amazing performance as James Brown. I must confess I had to look up the IMDb credits for him because I didn’t recognize him from anywhere else. Aside from doing a lot of television work for shows including All My Children, Fringe, Castle, Persons Unknown and Lie to Me, Boseman was also Jackie Robinson in the movie 42, which I missed. While I can’t vouch for his performance in 42, everything about him in Get On Up is on-point, from the groovy pompadour hairstyles and elaborate ‘70s stage costumes to the outrageous dance moves and over-the-top persona that was James Brown. Brown is certainly not an easy act to follow, but I believe he nailed it, even if he was lip-syncing the soundtrack. And his co-star Nelsan Ellis gives an equally remarkable performance as Brown’s right-hand man, Bobby Byrd. I’ve always loved Nelsan as Lafayette in the HBO series True Blood, but seeing him in this role gave me a newfound respect for him and his acting abilities. He’s so much more than just another pretty face in Hollywood. As the best friend constantly standing in a superstar’s shadow, his character shows the most emotional depth and growth when compared to anybody else in the movie.

Much of Get On Up centers around the complex relationship between James Brown and Bobby Byrd. Bobby discovered James when he was just 17 years old and in prison for petty theft. Taking him under his wing in his church’s gospel group, it quickly becomes apparent to Bobby that James is meant to shine in the spotlight. Although James develops a bigger ego as the years wear on, Bobby is the one person who understands his genius and doesn’t seem to take it personally when he goes off on his tirades. From watching this biopic, one can ascertain that James Brown was some kind of mad perfectionist when it came to his music. If his band members were late or held up the musical process in any way, he belittled and fined them for wasting his precious time. The man may have marched to the beat of his own drummer far more often than most, but you have to have mad respect for someone that disciplined, innovative and motivated to succeed. There’s a reason why James Brown is one of the most sampled artists in the long and illustrious history of music, as this movie so clearly demonstrates.

I was not a big fan of Brown’s many asides to the audience throughout the movie. While they occasionally made me laugh, they sometimes felt a bit stilted and disjointed. I don’t think the movie would have suffered any without them. It felt as if they relied too heavily upon this gimmick to reveal key pieces of information that probably would have been more effectively revealed in dialogue. But even if there are minor flaws in the seemingly scattered storytelling, the casting for Get On Up is spot-on. Dan Aykroyd plays to his acting strengths as James’ manager Ben Bart, while Brandon Smith puts in a memorable, colorful portrayal of Little Richard. Also look for The Office’s Craig Robinson as a leading – and very vocal – member of the band, Octavia Spencer as Aunt Honey (the woman who raised Brown when he was abandoned by both of his parents as a young boy) and Jill Scott as DeeDee Brown, a woman who manages to come across as strong and fiery even if the movie hints about Brown’s drug use, infidelities and spurts of unpredictable domestic violence.

All in all, I found Get On Up mesmerizing because of the music and the passion that went into making that music. James Brown was one of those rare artists who was able to reinvent himself to fit every era. Whether he’s Mr. Dynamite, Soul Brother Number One, the King of Funk or the Godfather of Soul to you, there’s no denying the man belonged in the spotlight. It’s about time Hollywood gave him his due in the theatrical limelight. Now I’m just patiently waiting for a movie about Marvin Gaye or Sam Cooke.

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Heading into the Batman ’66 press conference during the first full day of Comic-Con was a bit eerie.

An elevated stage hosted four bodies — left to right were Burt Ward, Adam West, Julie Newmar all sitting at a table and the conference moderator standing behind a podium. The four of them watched as the media filed in and found seats; it was as if we were on display. The room was uncharacteristically quiet. You couldn’t help but have the feeling of being marched into a room with adults staring you down with laser eyes, sizing you up to consider what sort of punishment to dole out.

The moderator — who never introduced himself, something I absolutely despise — informed everyone why we were there (the Blu-ray release of Batman: The Complete Television Series) and began fumbling with questions for the three personalities but quickly decided it was better to simply let the audience get things underway.

Ward, West and Newmar took on characteristics they wore consistently throughout the hour. Burt Ward was the most serious and articulate of the trio, when he wasn’t crochety Adam West worked the crowd for laughs — continually pumping the coming release of the new Blu-ray set in November — and an air of uncertainty hung in the room whenever Julie Newmar commented in a semi-seductive whisper each time her turn came up.

Far and away, Burt Ward was the most informative of the group in between gushing appreciation for his fellow actors and speaking of his genuine friendship for West.

Ward regaled the crowd with several tales of daring-do while on the Batman set. Most interestingly was his story of being suspended upside down while live tigers paced and growled beneath him in one episode. He’d talked to the animals’ trainers, getting a feel for the cats and discovering (much to his dismay) they were quite capable of leaping at the level he was suspended to take a swipe at him. Since the massive cats were rather lethargic that particular day and to get them to pace and appear more active, hunks of meat were hung above Ward’s head. Ironically, the crew filmed from above him in protective cages.

Ward also told of his time on the set without any insurance to his name. Once the bumps and bruises began making their appearances and performance dangers reared their heads, it was the order of the day to get covered, he remarked.

This particular press room was set up conference style with the participants behind their table fielding questions flung out from the media below them. You can well imagine there are some interesting things that get asked. As well, there are also some pretty stupid ones tossed into the mix, some of which can raise the ire of the person being questioned.

One such instance came when Adam West was asked what he thought was so special about the Batman he played, not to mention the show itself, especially in light of all other Batman films which came after it.

Now, it wasn’t so much the question was dumb in and of itself. Far from it. But West took exception to the mention of the other films. His demeanor immediately became cranky — he not only bristled but practically bared his teeth at the question. Not pleased with it, you could see him conjure up vitriol with which to pepper his response:

“Look: You guys are going to write whatever the hell you’re going to write about the show. I don’t give a crap about the other Batmans. We did what we wanted to do … the Batman we wanted to do. We are the luckiest actors in the world with the legacy we’ve left. And you wouldn’t be here right now if what we did wasn’t special. You figure it out.”

I swear I heard a *hrmph* as he sat back in his chair. Mind your Ps and Qs when you’re asking something of West.  That hush that hung in the air when we first came into the room, just prior to the conference beginning? Same quietude here but on an entirely different, very uncomfortable level. You could taste the tang of it in the room.

To be fair, the man has heard every question in the book hundreds of times over in interview after interview, at convention after convention. And, at 85 years of age, you can’t really fault him for the occasional bout of grouchiness. He’s earned it.

Removing the tension from the air suddenly became Burt Ward’s job. He smoothed things over by offering his take on why Batman is still revered today: “It was the happiness the show brought to the kids. The positive outlook and situations. And the innuendo thrown in for adults. The show appealed to every aspect across the board. That’s why it was so popular … and why it continues to be popular.”

Huh. It’s not Batman but Robin, this time, who saves the day.

Julie Newmar? Let’s just say she was the sometimes head-scratching wild card thrown in to keep everyone on their toes. Ms. Newmar is flaunting her 80th year in grand fashion. She looks great, she’s engaging and damned if she still doesn’t have curves going on. But you never know what’s going to come gushing out that snow-maned head of hers. It could be something seductive, perhaps an unexpected revelation or something completely frivolous and meaningless. No matter — she was entertaining to the last.

Asked about her Catwoman outfit, she purred: “It was licorice melted over me,” something she seemed quite proud of. She told the room she loved the sauciness and sexiness of the character and didn’t hold back mention of her conscious effort to make chemistry work between she and West, believing it came through wonderfully and to the delight of the audience. Of the celebrities on the show she worked with, special mention was called out to Burgess Meredith (“The Penguin was the role of his life, he told me”), Tallulah Bankhead’s final role (as Black Widow: “She didn’t get why the producers did what the did on they show”) and how Frank Sinatra was interested in taking on the role of The Joker at one point. At times some of Ms. Newmar’s answers came back just as campily as the television show — I don’t know if she intended them to come across that way but they did. It gave her an air of loopiness. For good or bad? I just don’t know.

One of the most comical moments of the conference came with a question to Burt Ward: “What was your favorite or most memorable ‘Holy (whatever), Batman!’ moment in the show?”

Ward struggled with the question a bit: “I never really had one. There were so many …”

But West and Newmar weren’t going to let him off so easily. With the smoothness of a comedy duo who’s been working for years, the responses came rapid fire:

“Holy Underwear!” Newmar quipped.

“Holy Guacamole!” West countered.

“Holy Bill Of Rights!” Newmar came right back.

“Holy Infatuation!” West gushed. “See? We’re your biggest admirers, Burt …”

The room loved it. If ever there was a question of the Batman legacy being remembered (and, for the record, there’s never been a question in my mind), it was quashed with that exchange.

Batman: The Complete Television Series will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD November 11th and is currently available for pre-order.

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When Winter’s Tale was released theatrically on Valentine’s Day, the film was met with tepid to hostile reviews, scoring just 13% on Rotten Tomatoes. Our own Jeremy Fogelman called it a “bewildering mess” in his review, so I sat down to watch the new Blu-ray release with something less than wild enthusiasm. The two-hour film is based on a 627 page book by Mark Helprin. Writer and director Akiva Goldman was forced to distill an epic romance into a 120 page script, and unfortunately, the result is a bit lacking.

The story focuses on Peter Lake, a son of immigrants (dad is briefly played by Matt Bomer) in 1895 who were denied entry into the country because of an illness. They set the baby adrift in a model sailboat named City of Justice and the next thing we know, it’s 1916 and the baby has grown up to become Collin Farrell who is on the run from Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe) for reasons unknown. Peter discovers a white horse during his escape attempt, mounts the steed and magically flies over the iron gates to safety. But we still are unclear as to why Soames is after Peter and the horse … or is it a dog?

Soames uses some magic to locate Peter and the horse/dog, Peter escapes, breaks into the home of Isaac Penn (William Hurt), falls instantly in love with his daughter Beverly (Jessica Brown Findlay), who happens to be dying of consumption, and avoids Pearly’s clutches as the head to upstate New York to take up residence at the Lake of the Coheeries. Seems that Soames is actually a demon who has dominion over the five boroughs of New York but is forbidden to venture north by The Judge, aka Lucifer (played by a big name star in a small cameo which I won’t ruin). Beverly tells Peter that everyone has a miracle in them, and he believes he is her miracle and will prevent her from dying. He doesn’t, but that’s not the end of the story which jumps 100 years into the future (our present) without explanation. Peter is still Colin Farrell and Pearly is still determined to kill him once he gets whiff of him back in the city. (Still not sure whether he has been roaming the city for a hundred years or if he just suddenly woke up after being in limbo.)

Peter then meets Virginia Gamely (Jennifer Connelly) and her daughter Abby. Abby — surprise! — is dying from cancer, and now it seems Peter’s reason for being has become clear to everyone. (Peter also re-connects with Beverly’s younger sister, who is now an old woman played by Eva Marie Saint.) Except the audience who still has no clue what Peter is or why Pearly wants him, and the child, dead (he also had Beverly killed so Peter could not be her miracle, whatever that means). Unfortunately, we get very little in the way of plot exposition at this point because there’s about 30 minutes left to tell the rest of the story.

But even with all of the gaping plot holes, I still found myself moved by the love story and the corny ending. I did enjoy the relationship between Peter and Beverly, and the movie may have worked better had it been reworked to condense that story and expand on the present-day part. As it stands now, the audience gets totally invested in Peter and Beverly, but never has a chance to care much about Peter, Virginia and Abby. And we’re still baffled as to what the relationship is between Pearly and Peter (apparently, Pearly raised Peter and when he decided to leave Pearly’s gang, Pearly took offense). But, by the end, I still had a tear in my eye.

Warner Home Entertainment’s new Blu-ray release presents the film beautifully. The color palette is muted in the past and has a bit more color in the present, as intended. The story uses the concept of light as magic, and the lighting effects do enhance the scenes when applied. Detail is sharp as well (it should be noted that this was a digital production, and not shot on film although it does have a film-like quality). The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix isn’t intensive as far as the soundscape is concerned, but voices are clearly front and center while the film’s score and sound effects fill out the surrounds. It’s a perfectly fine representation of the theatrical experience.

The Blu-ray includes a handful of extras, but no audio commentary. These include:

Behind the Scenes: Winter’s Tale: A Timeless Love (6:08) — The actors and director discuss the concept of love which drives the story and how that idea was condensed from a 1000 page novel to a 120 page screenplay, as well as how New York is also a character in the story.

Behind the Scenes: Characters of Good and Evil (9:14) — The actors discuss working with each other, their relationships with writer/director Akiva Goldsman, and Colin’s relationship with the horse.

Additional Scenes (most of which do nothing to expand the story, but there is an interesting glimpse of a Native American family finding young Moses … erm, Peter on the shore which explains a scene later in the film with Graham Greene):

• “Peter’s Parents Sail Him Off to New York” Extended (1:42)
• “How Long You Been Doin’ This” Extended (1:34)
• “Athansor Breaks Free” Deleted (1:02)
• “I’d Snap Your Bones and Eat Your Eyes” Deleted (0:20)
• “Peter Visits Humpstone John” Extended (0:50)
• “Thems are Thieves” Extended (0:30)
• “Peter and Isaac Penn Discuss New Years” Deleted (1:08)
• “Yes, Baby” Deleted (0:20)
• “We Have to Stop the Treatments” Extended (1:40)
• “This One’s Personal” Extended (0:34)
• “Abby is Saved” Deleted (1:05)
• “Sometimes We Are Saved” Deleted (0:16)

Winter’s Tale could have been a great romantic film, but this certainly is a case where a book lives up to that “unfilmable” moniker. The story is just too dense to be distilled into a two-hour movie and perhaps would have worked better as a TV mini-series. Warner’s Blu-ray, though, is watchable enough but you still may be wondering what it was all about by the time the end credits roll. The movie is available as a single DVD (with the only extra being the Winter’s Tale: A Timeless Love featurette), and in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo with Ultraviolet Digital HD. Warner Home Entertainment graciously provided the Blu-ray/DVD Combo for review.

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I’ve got a question for you. Does the name Gus Kahn mean anything to you at all? Perhaps you’re more familiar with some of these nostalgic song titles from the early 20th century: “It Had to Be You,” “Pretty Baby,” “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” “Carolina in the Morning” or “Makin’ Whoopee.” Gus Kahn was the brilliant lyricist behind all of those perennial favorites taken out of the dog-eared pages of the song books of yesteryear.

Released by Warner Bros. in 1951, I’ll See You in My Dreams is a wonderful biopic depicting the many ups and downs in Gus Kahn’s life. Starring Danny Thomas and Doris Day as Grace LeBoy Kahn, the woman who would become his wife and the leading lady in his life, this film was recently released on DVD by the Warner Archive Collection, who graciously provided a copy for my review. I’d seen this movie on AMC as a child, but it had been many years ago. Ever the hopeless romantic, a movie such as this is right up my alley, and perhaps you’ll also enjoy its whimsy.

What captivated my imagination best as a child and as a middle-aged adult more recently is the fact that fewer people take the time to properly court one another anymore. In an age where people have easier access to countless dating profiles on the Internet and a heavy reliance upon social media and texting (and I myself am guilty of this to the nth degree) to make connections with people of the opposite sex, it feels like we’ve lost something that was once deemed more valuable to our society. In Gus Kahn’s time, it was more common to write the girl you loved a love letter, and he simply took it to the next level. He wrote song after song expressing his feelings of adoration and at times desperation. I think the writer who wears her heart on a sleeve in me appreciated this. I enjoyed watching him court Doris Day and win her over with his sweet song lyrics. They just don’t make them like Gus Kahn anymore!

I like that the film shows you how the relationship between Kahn and his wife develops from a casual meeting when he was a struggling songwriter trying to peddle some songs he had written to her employer to their at-times exasperating partnership to their eventual marriage and all the ups and downs of being a songwriter in Hollywood during the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression and beyond. It was sad to watch him mock his own songs just to get a paying job when his popularity waned. However, that did lead to the most memorable song lyrics in the film, which made me laugh:

“It had to be me that had to get you. I stand 5 foot 10, a man among men, but you’re 7’2″. I meet lots of girls when I make the rounds, but none are like you 7 foot 2, 70 pounds, but you make me thrill and you always will.”

I wonder how much of the film was based on truth and how much was romanticized or fictionalized for dramatic purposes. It’s noted that it was based on “The Gus Kahn Story,” which was written by Louis F. Edelman and Grace Kahn (uncredited), so that leads me to believe that much of it must be true (at least in Grace’s memories). For me, it doesn’t get much better than an inspiring story about a woman standing beside the man she loves and helping him to shine in the spotlight and be all that he can be. In these rocky, uncertain times with the number of divorces being on the rise, these are some of the true unsung heroes: the people who make a marriage or partnership work spanning multiple decades.

Here’s a little more background material on Gus Kahn that wasn’t depicted in the film: Gustav Gerson Kahn was born November 6, 1886, in Germany before his family immigrated to the United States when he was young. He died on October 8, 1941, after many successful years as a noteworthy songwriter for many vaudeville and Broadway shows. His story is truly one of rags to riches and living the American dream. He started out as a humble mail order clerk and emerged as one of the most prolific songwriters to come from Tin Pan Alley. He was included in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

All in all, Danny Thomas and Doris Day have good chemistry together and are both adorable in their roles. I’ve had a crush on Danny since the first time I saw Make Room for Daddy and seeing him sing songs like “Pretty Baby” and “It Had to Be You” to Doris melted my heart because it was like watching the tenderest, most intimate moments between lovers not to be shared. Other standouts in the cast include Mary Wickes as Anna, the fussy housekeeper for the Kahns, Jim Backus as fellow showman Sam Harris and comedian Hans Conried (uncredited, but I love him) as Grace’s tyrant of a boss in the beginning of the film.

Special features on the DVD include “The Screen Director,” a nostalgic look at what it means to be a behind-the-scenes screen director produced by Members of the Motion Picture Industry, and “Lovelorn Leghorn” a classic Warner Bros. Merry Melodies cartoon starring one of my all-time personal favorites: Foghorn Leghorn. The black-and-white documentary about screen directors was at times interesting and at times cheesy, but something I appreciated being a big movie buff. The two featurettes were nice throwbacks to a simpler time and are reminiscent of the bonus features I’m told they used to show at the theater before a show.

Whether you’re a huge fan of Gus Kahn, musical biopics in general or the actors in the film, I think I’ll See You in My Dreams is definitely worth a look. It’s a unique snapshot preserved in time, a throwback to a bygone era in which men and women found more meaningful ways to express their devotion to one another that I, for one, am jealous of. Maybe it’s because I am capable of expressing my emotions in prose that I often find myself disappointed when no one sends me thoughtful prose back. I guess that’s what watching classics such as this are all about – it satisfies a certain yearning I can’t quite define. How do I love thee, movie? Oh let me count the ways.

You can purchase the new DVD of I’ll See You in My Dreams directly from the Warner Archive Collection.

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