Wonderfalls is a totally amazing, quirky, witty, irreverant, bizarre, ethereal, romantic ‘dramedy’ that you probably have never even heard of! Wonderfalls began airing on Fox television in early 2004 to critical acclaim but was canceled after only 4 episodes. The Fox brain trust proclaimed dismal ratings to be the reason for the shows untimely demise but in all honesty they didn’t give Wonderfalls a fighting chance. Think of Northern Exposure, Joan of Arcadia, Seinfeld, Arrested Development, Malcom in the Middle and Married with Children all rolled up together and you’ll get some idea of what Wonderfalls is like.

The premise of the show is this: Jaye Tyler, played to sarcastic perfection by newcomer Caroline Dhavernas, is a recent philosophy graduate from Brown University who has decided to take on the role of disaffected 20-something, live in a trailer park, and work at a tacky tourist gift shop in her hometown of Niagara Falls. All is nirvana for our slacker heroine until the day a defective wax lion begins to speak to her in cryptic messages leading her to go out of her way to assist her fellow man, something she is reluctant to do even on her best days. Jaye unhappily acquiesces and is soon barraged by the insistent voices of other inanimate objects all attempting to mold her into an agent of help for those around her.

The cast of this show is marvelous. As I said, Caroline Dhavernas plays Jaye perfectly. She is sarcastic and caustic without being annoying and her outlook on life is hilarious and refreshingly honest. Jaye’s weathly, successful parents, played by William Sadler and Diana Scarwid are terrific as is Katie Finneran as her high-strung sister, Sharon. Tyron Leitso plays the local bartender and would-be love interest and brings a charming humor to what could’ve been just a ‘pretty-boy’ role. The writing is top-notch. The first episode, “Wax Lion”, was nominated for a Writer’s Guild of America Award in late 2004. The show is also shot in a very quirky, creative way which, in combination with the acting and writing, makes it easy to see why this show quickly became a cult hit.

I remember sitting with Mary the night the first episode aired and saying ‘this show will never last’. It only takes a few minutes of viewing to see how creative this show is and to realize how so many people just don’t get this brand of humor. It is too bad that shows like this don’t get a chance to build an audience while drek like American Idol and The Swan live on and on. Upon notice that the show was going to be cancelled a Save Wonderfalls campaign began that may have been instrumental in making sure that the 4 aired episodes as well as the other 9 un-aired episodes went to DVD so quickly.

I can’t recommend this enough. I got this in on Netflix and have only watched the first 4 episodes and can’t wait to watch the next 9. Check it out. If you like inventive, fun television Wonderfalls won’t disappoint. There’s a great interview with Caroline Dhavernas here that is worth a read.

Went with the family this past weekend to see Walt Disney’s The Pacifier starring Vin Diesel. First off I’m a sucker for these type of family films. Parent Trap, Raising Helen, Cheaper by the Dozen…they’re all very formulaic and have somewhat unrealistic happy endings, but so what? They’re fun, entertaining, and are movies that you can go to with the entire family without being embarrassed that your child is going to see or hear something age-inappropriate.

In The Pacifier Vin Diesel plays Navy S.E.A.L. Shane Wolf. His latest assignment is to protect the family of a scientist who was killed while under Wolf’s protection. The scientist’s top-secret research is allegedly hidden in the home and the government wants Wolf to watch over the kids, and try to discover the research, while their mother and Wolf’s commanding officer fly off to retrieve something left in a safety deposit box. The typical kids vs. adult scenario ensues when Wolf begins his nanny duties by turning the household into S.E.A.L. bootcamp. However, unlike the recent remake of Cheaper by the Dozen, the ‘kids getting even’ shtick is very short-lived and they soon learn to bond with and trust their would-be babysitter.

It was this fact that made this movie even more entertaining to me. There are fewer attempts at cheap laughs than one might imagine with a film of this sort and more emphasis on the family bonding with each other and learning how to cope with the loss of their father. This was a feel-good movie that succeeding in making you feel good about family life.

I was a Vin Diesel fan after seeing him in xXx and I was curious as to how he would do in a humorous role. I thought he was great! The actors/actresses who played the children were perfectly cast and were very believable in their roles. Morgan York played the youngest daughter Lulu and she very nearly stole the show. Lauren Graham was fun as the school prinicpal, and the addition of Brad Garrett as vice-prinicipal, wrestling coach, and would-be nemesis to Diesel’s Wolf was terrific casting.

If you’re a fan of good, clean, entertaining family films you won’t be disappointed with this one.

Its comic book Wednesday and I thought I’d take that opportunity to review The Tick on DVD. The Tick, a creation of Ben Edlund, began life in the funny books and was an animated Saturday morning show before this live action incarnation.

I had never seen The Tick when I walked into Best Buy that Tuesday morning back in September of 2003 but was immediately attracted to the cover image of the Wild Blue Yonder and his superhero companions. I picked it up and decided to give it a try. Patrick Warburton was hilarious as ‘Putty’ on Seinfeld so I thought, “what can I possibly lose”? The answer, of course, was A LOT! Had I not picked up this DVD I may have missed out on one of the most clever and comical television series ever produced.

Patrick Warburton is outstanding in the role of The Tick, the Big Blue Bug of Justice, he whose job it is to “don the oven mitts of all that’s right and strangle the red-hot throat of all that’s wrong”. From The Tick’s opening narration, to his trip into the city to “spread my buttery justice over your every nook and cranny”, to his battle with Apocalypse Cow, the pilot episode is one of the most entertaining half hours of television I’ve seen. Creator Ben Edlund and producer Barry Sonnenfeld create a world rich in color and detail with brilliant camera angles that really make this show feel like a comic book. The introduction of David Burke as Arthur, the Tick’s sidekick includes a priceless cameo by Christopher Lloyd (Taxi, Back to the Future). Nestor Carbonell as Batmanuel and Liz Vassey as the curvaceous Captain Liberty round out The Tick’s ensemble. I was hooked moments into the pilot episode as the camera panned down from the night sky to see The Tick in all his blue glory, antennae waving heroically. And this is only one of the 9 episodes included on this 2-disc set. The brain trust at Fox decided to squash The Tick after its 8th episode thus the bonus 9th episode was never aired.

The Tick is admittedly one of those shows that you either ‘get’ or you don’t. Patrick Warburton’s dry sense of humor is used to perfection in this role. There are great cameo’s throughout the 9 episodes. A favorite is Ron Perlman’s comedic superhero Firey Blaze. The opening theme music, first heard in the second episode, is great as well. This show is a creative take on superheroes and I really felt guilty about not watching it back when it was on the air.

If you enjoyed Warburton on Seinfeld and if you enjoy ‘stupid’ humor like that found in Monty Python, Police Squad, or the old 1980’s series Sledge Hammer, then you’ll love The Tick!

So, despite mother nature’s attempt to thwart our free movie going pleasure, James and I headed out in daddy’s 4×4 and went to the movies. The weather was a pretty big factor in keeping people indoors so, although fairly full, the line wasn’t too long and we got excellent seats.

I promised no spoilers and I will keep my word. The brief summary of the plot is: John Constantine…wants to go to heaven…on his way to hell….kills demons in an effort to reverse his planned date with destiny. This is a comic book movie. DC Vertigo comics rather than Marvel this time. The DC Vertigo line is a very dark, gritty line of comics and I think they did a good job translating this into the movie. I have not read Hellblazer, the comic series on which this is based, so I did not have any preconceived ideas going in that many fanboys no doubt had.

From a technical perspective this movie was great. Great special effects, very well done, nice use of iconic imagery, etc. From an entertainment perspective the movie was so-so. James called it ‘interesting’ and I agree with this term, though not in the derogatory sense that you may think. The movie was very interesting. It kept my attention the whole time watching to see how the plot would resolve itself. I felt that they did a good job establishing who the character was without resorting to the usual voice-over routine. The film also presented some very different takes on traditional religious ideology. My only complaint is that I wanted to be more emotionally involved with the film and up until the climax the movie seemed to stay on a fairly steady course, emotionally speaking. I was ‘interested’ but not ‘involved’.

I heard some guys complaining about the choice of Keanu Reeves. There are many who feel about Keanu Reeves the same way I do about Ben Affleck….they can’t stand him. While both actors are admittedly fairly one dimensional, I like Keanu’s brooding, pensive character that he plays in most of his movies. I enjoyed him in the role and I really enjoyed Rachel Weisz. She has a very earthy beauty and she played well opposite Keanu.
If you enjoy comic book movies or dark, atmospheric movies then you may want to see this. I think the special effects warrant a viewing on the big screen, especially in the rendering of hell, which was quite incredible. I’ll be interested to see how this fares in theatrical release.

This is a ‘No Spoilers’ Review
I was 12 in 1980 and my science fiction roots hearken back to Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica. However something in me has always been drawn to the future that was envisioned by writers and artists in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. Those images of space and rockets, creatures from other planets, and swashbuckling heroes off to save the world have always stirred the core of my imagination. Its as if the blood of my father and his father before him carried in it that boyish enthusiasm of John Carter, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, etc and passed it on to me. This affection for the science fiction of old was infused with new life the first time I saw a trailer for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow a little over a year ago.

I saw this movie in its theatrical release and I just finished watching it again on DVD. It’s as if writer/director Kerry Conran and his brother Kevin reached inside of every 12 year old boy living in the first half of the 20th century and projected their collective imaginations onto the screen. Fighter planes and dirigibles, robots and ray-guns, dashing heroes and dazzling heroines-this movie has it all. The movie is set in 1939 and the commentary indicates that this is an homage to the 1939 New York World’s Fair “Building the World of Tomorrow” and its theme that technology was on the verge of bringing about a better world. This movie is also an attempt to pay homage to all the old science fiction and adventure books, comics, and serials of the 30’s and 40’s while breaking new ground in filmaking techniques. The movie received overwhelmingly positive reviews based on its look but the area that some critics found lacking was in the story. I feel like the film succeeds in both areas.

The film is beautiful to look at and, although not as awe-inspiring on the small screen as it was on the big screen, it remains a sight to behold. The Conran brothers and company crafted a movie that hearkens back to the early days of filmmaking while infusing it with rich color and depth that has to be seen to be believed. It is really unfair to attempt to describe this movie’s look in words as it is in the viewing that one can truly appreciate what they’ve done. It only adds to the wonder knowing that this was Kerry Conran’s first film.

The story is just what I expected it to be before I ever saw the film. It was written to honor classic science fiction and adventure stories and the characterization is dead on. The hero is herioc, the heroine is beautiful and resourceful, and the bad guys are bad guys. Simple? Yes, but exactly the right tone for the movie they set out to make. This movie has a good blend of action, humor, and romance that keeps the story progressing at a very entertaining pace. The producer really managed to hit it big with the casting of this movie as well. Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Giovanni Ribisi are perfect in their respective roles and a posthumous performance by Sir Laurence Olivier is icing on the cake. Repeated viewings are enjoyable if only to attempt to identify all the little references to other films, etc. Fans of the genre will recognize the nod to Star Wars Phantom Menace as well as visual references to Atlantis, The Island of Dr. Moreau, At the Earth’s Core, etc but the movie is chock full of harder to find items. The ‘making of’ feature points out the silhouette of King Kong on the Empire State Building in one shot and my wife pointed out the silhouette of Godzilla in the Tokyo newspaper after the first robot attack.

Technically the DVD is great. The sound and picture quality were very good, especially when utilizing a surround sound system. And speaking of sound, the music in this movie is appropriately heroic and the sound effects, from the machine gun fire to the old fashioned robot laser sounds, are just phenomenal. I had been hoping for some creative packaging given the unique creativity of the movie but it is your typical plastic package with nary a slip of paper inside. The 2-part making-of feature was very entertaining as was a gag reel with real and computer generated bloopers. 2 deleted scenes were interesting only in that it showed alternate ways in these 2 incidents that the story could have been advanced. I listened to a portion of the producer’s commentary and the writer/director’s commentary. While they both sound like they would be interesting to listen to I was disappointed in that I had hoped they would go in and point out all the little inside jokes and references that are obviously littered throughout the movie. Ah well, maybe in a director’s cut.

If you are a fan of this genre or if you just like fun, well-done escapist films then you owe it to yourself to check this out.

The Conran brothers are currently working to bring the Edgar Rice Burroughs classic, A Princess of Mars to the big screen.

For a truly immersive experience check out Crimson Skies. I’ve played this on the PC and it is the closest thing you can get to playing Sky Captain