Gone2Disneyland...and then some

Buying Blind

2010-03-06T07:46:00.000-08:00

The other night I was out having dinner with friends and among the things we talked about were a couple of the blind buys in my Blu-ray collection. If you don’t know, a “blind buy” is a term Blu-ray geeks use to describe a movie they’ve decided to buy based solely on excellent reviews or friends’ recommendations. It’s a movie they’ve never seen before. So, it’s a blind buy!

Why would someone take the risk and do that? For me, it’s cuz I’m totally addicted to the HD picture quality (PQ) I now have at home. I keep wanting to find more new examples of awesome PQ to play on my HDTV!

But then why buy when I can just rent it first? Well, I got no good reason for that. I’m just a geek that way. ;)

So back to my dinner conversation, I was very proud to say I probably had a good 25 percent of my Blu-ray collection that were blind buys. But then afterwards, being a geek, I had this irresistible urge to spend some time reviewing my collection and finding out exactly how many were in fact blind buys. I have them all conveniently listed on Blu-ray.com, and a quick check of them shows that I currently have 140 Blu-ray titles in my Blu-ray library. (For the sake of argument, we’ll have to ignore the fact that Blu-ray.com’s system counts a release as a single entry even tho’ a release like X-Men Trilogy or Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy obviously each have three movies.) Of those, I’ve complied the following list of 39 titles I've bought blind, films I had never ever watched before but heard or read were good movies and probably looked damn good in high definition.

Now, to be fair, I marked 9 of those movies with an asterisk, which you could probably remove from the list. Why? Because those films are either Disney movies or direct-to-video movies based on DC Comics characters. And being a huge Disney geek and a lifelong DC Comics reader, I likely would’ve bought these flicks regardless of my high def home set-up anyway!

So out of 140 titles, turns out 30 are pure blind buys or 21 percent of my collection. Close guess over dinner the other night. I’ve seen most of them. The General, Baraka, Coraline, Pan’s Labyrinth, How the West Was Won, Gone with the Wind, and The Day the Earth Stood Still are among the most satisfying blind buys on the list. I’ve linked Blu-ray.com’s reviews to them if you want to learn more about each one.

Check out the list. Perhaps there’s a blind buy in your future!

1. My Name Is Bruce
2. 3:10 to Yuma
3. Analyze This/Analyze That
4. Band of Brothers
5. Baraka
6. Batman: Gotham Knight*
7. Bolt*
8. Coraline
9. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
10. Flags of Our Fathers
11. For All Mankind
12. The General
13. Gone with the Wind
14. Gran Torino
15. Green Lantern: First Flight*
16. High School Musical 3: Senior Year*
17. Home
18. How the West Was Won
19. Inglorious Basterds
20. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths*
21. Kung Fu Panda
22. Marine Aquarium
23. Michael Jackson's This Is It
24. Pan's Labyrinth
25. Planet Earth
26. Quincy Jones: 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreax 2008
27. Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour - Live at Red Rocks
28. Rocky Balboa
29. The Searchers
30. Sleepy Hollow
31. Space Cowboys
32. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Complete Season One
33. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies*
34. The Third Man
35. Tinker Bell*
36. Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure*
37. Twilight
38. Wonder Woman*
39. WWII in HD

My Top 9 Blu-rays Discs of Oh 9

2010-01-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

For any inquiring minds, here’s a list of the top nine Blu-ray Discs I picked up this year. Of course, I’m a geek who still picks up his new comic books to read every Wednesday and I’ve attended my fair share of Star Trek conventions, so half of the ones on the list probably don’t matter to some. But the rest are interesting.

1. The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition

Watching very old movies in high definition at home is such a treat now. It blows my mind to see a film created seventy years ago looking like it was shot seven months ago. My Number One new addition of the past year, this set not only includes a beautiful, re-mastered edition of the film, but two more discs of bonus material that enjoyed pouring through, like the made-for-TV biopic “The Dreamer of Oz” with John Ritter as L. Frank Baum, five silent movies from the 1920’s based on the Oz books, and a fantastic six-hour documentary “MGM: When the Lion Roars.” This gift set edition comes with a new hardcover book, a replica of the original 1939 Campaign Book, and a commemorative watch that frankly I’ll never use or wear. But it’s the three discs in the set that really make this purchase the best of the year for me.

2. Watchmen: Director’s Cut in Nite Owl Ship Packaging
(Amazon exclusive)

I couldn’t successfully finish reading the original graphic novel when it came out almost twenty years ago until my latest attempt last year. It’s a densely constructed work of comic panels and prose, and every bit of it provides an integral element to the story. New ending notwithstanding, the film was as great an adaptation one could possibly make of the book tho’ it’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. I chose Amazon’s exclusive edition when I added this to my library, because the discs came housed in the base of a replica of ship used by one of the heroes in the story. Besides the great detailing and thematic base design, the Nite Owl Ship also lights up and plays engine noises at the push of a button.

3. Star Trek in U.S.S. Enterprise Packaging (Target exclusive)

4. Star Trek with Starfleet Badge Replica Set (Best Buy exclusive)

I never thought I’d ever be so manipulated into buying the same movie twice, but if it had to happen, thank God it was JJ Abrams’ Star Trek. I pre-ordered it on Best Buy’s website two months before its November release when they had a phenomenal sale on their version which included a set of metal replica pins of four Starfleet badges. But when I later learned that Target’s exclusive packaging was not only a replica of the new starship but that it also housed the Blu-ray Discs in its saucer section, my wallet willingly fell victim to buying the movie twice. But despite whoring myself to the Star Trek swag, the movie and the material on the bonus disc are worth every penny!

5. Coraline

I missed out on watching this in theatres but picked up the Blu-ray based on great reviews. Wow! What a great movie this is! Creative, edgy, charming. My only bummer about it is has nothing to do with the great movie. But for some reason, they released a neat shadow box package for it some four months after its summer home video release, and I would’ve liked to have it in that packaging instead. But only Starfleet can make me double dip.

6. The General

Oh. My. GOD! I’ve never seen this Buster Keaton film that apparently is the first black-and white silent movie to make it on Blu-ray. But based on great reviews, I sought it out and WOW! Not only is it a beautiful movie to watch that looks as if it was shot recently with film distressing added for effect (it debuted in 1927, folks!), but it’s a hilarious adventure of a story. Highly recommended for any other high def home video owners out there.

7. Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration

I own one Quincy Jones CD, “Q’s Jook Joint,” but have played over and over since I picked it up 10-15 years ago. I picked up this Blu-ray, again based on excellent reviews, and found the picture quality probably the best live footage on Blu-ray I’ve ever seen. And with jazz talent like Patti Austin, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, James Moody, Lee Ritenour and Curtis Stigers plus a fun performance by a capella group called Naturally 7 I’d never heard of, I was a dancin’ fool in my living room whille playing this concert.

8. Green Lantern: First Flight with Green Lantern: First Flight Figurine (Best Buy exclusive)

There were three direct-to-video DC Universe Original Movie releases this year, and this one was my favorite. Coincidentally, DC Comics chose to “kill” Batman in their line of books for a while, so I’ve been reading more Green Lantern books which have been awesome. There’s also a new live-action movie that starts filming in the Spring starring Ryan Reynolds as the hero and will be directed by the same director of “GoldenEye” and “Casino Royale” Martin Campbell. So, GL is on a role with me!

9. The Last Emperor

I’d seen this back in 1987 when it ran in theatres. It’s an epic film about the life of a child who became Emperor of China just after the world entered the 20th century, and how his world and ours evolve over the next sixty years of his life. My first Criterion Collection Blu-ray title to add to my library, it was still just as captivating to watch uninterrupted in high def during all two hours and forty-five minutes of it.

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut

2009-11-14T10:28:00.000-08:00

I ultimately couldn't pass up the $30.99 pre-order price that Amazon had for this. Sort of a double dip for me because I already have the Director's Cut version, and sorta not since I didn't pick up either of the separate Tales of the Black Freighter or Motion Comic discs. (Am I still trying to justify this purchase to myself, lol? ) Anyway, I watched over two hours of the 3:35 minute cut last night before going to bed. (I blame a long office meeting tonight for my sleepiness, not the film.) I'm excited to finish watching the rest of it sometime today. For a guy who's read the graphic novel a couple of times, I enjoyed and appreciated the new Black Freighter material edited into the Director's Cut, including additional new bookend scenes with the newsstand guy and the comic book teen. Did it need it? No, I don't think so. It does enhance the experience a tad, but ultimately (sorry, no pun intended), I am glad I picked up this version; I'm sure I'll re-watch again and lend it to friends who're interested seeing it. Plus there's the two new commentaries by director Zack Snyder and graphic novel co-author and illustrator Dave Gibbons to listen to as well. The snazzy Blu-ray slipcase with the magnetically sealing cover is cool too.

The Final Frontier…on the World Wide Web

2009-04-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

I cannot wait to see the new Star Trek film. I even got my IMAX tickets for opening night last week. But darnit, I hafta! But in the meantime, I've been exploring the 'net and found some fun new movie tie-in websites to whet my appetite until May 7 comes around.

Star Trek Fan Kit

The Iconfactory presents Star Trek

Kellogg's & Keebler Star Trek Promotion

Star Trek toys from Playmates Toys

Plus the first season of the original Star Trek series is debuting on Blu-ray Disc this Tuesday. Here are two rave reviews about them.

TheDigitalBits.com Review Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1

TrekMovie.com Review - Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1

"20th Century Folk Songs"

2009-02-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

That's what I like to call television theme songs. If you think about it, they truly are the folk songs of the modern era. TV theme songs, whether instrumental or with lyrics (or in some cases, just whistling), defined our lives, our experiences and our culture over the past century in a way that is unique to this era. As television entertainment debuted and matured, television programming became the center of everyday life. It enabled families across the country to experience what life is like of others, either in fantasy or in reality, that they may never have gotten to know - or do know and be entertained by that. But while some shows' popularity might have faded away after their hey-day years, their theme songs continue to be familiar and more popular many decades later.

I suppose someone looked at how musical plays were structured when they decided to include a musical introduction before every television show. Most early television shows of the 50's opened with just instrumental songs, such as "Dragnet" and its theme song "Danger Ahead" and the signature theme from "Peter Gunn" by Henry Mancini which was popularized again some twenty-five years later by the Blues Brothers and Art of Noise and especially for variety shows like "The Jackie Gleason Show."

But by the 1960's when the situation comedy, or sit-coms as they have come to be known, flourished, theme songs with lyrics were more commonly used to help the audience get a quick one-minute lesson on what the show they are about to watch is all about. And many were not only very good at doing that job, they were also quite catchy. Obvious examples are "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle" from "Gilligan's Island" or "The Theme from The Brady Bunch", both legendary classics now. I mean, you can sing the entire song right now if I asked you too, right? You might even be eager to point out the two different endings for the Gilligan's Island theme, huh? The fact that you know them enough to immediately sing them - and share them - is the basic reason why I consider theme songs our era's folk songs.

I was in college when I somehow managed to become fascinated by theme songs. I began collecting theme songs I could find on vinyl (before the time of CDs). Many albums were released in the 60's, either as soundtracks or as whimsical cast albums such as one I own called "Hogan's Heroes Sing the Best of World War II". On the album, four of Bob Crane's team of POW spies actually do the singing on popular wartime songs like "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" and "Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition" while the show's theme song composer Jerry Fielding conducts the orchestra.

I even remember recording theme songs on video tape and cassette tape, just the opening bit, just to have a collection of them. Then, there seemed to be a collective consciousness for theme song mania in the mid-80's when a two-record collection debuted simply called "Television's Greatest Hits". I remember seeing a TV commercial (how appropriate) advertising the release and ordered my copy right away. Also at this time, I discovered a terrifically geeky book, The TV Theme Song Sing-Along Songbook. And in it, and its subsequent Volume Two, I found not only a treasure trove of theme song lyrics and trivia of scores of popular and obscure television shows, but another bit of trivia I'd heretofore never had known existed before.

Unknown lyrics!

From this book, I learned some classic theme songs that had been ingrained into our consciousness so clearly as signature instrumentals actually had unknown lyrics written for them. And the added kicker was that some were recorded and available on vinyl. Yes, and the hunt began.

Over the years, I've discovered a good number of songs such as these, either on vinyl or now on CD. And recently I've been putting together a new compilation of theme songs on my iTunes, which inspired today's blog post. So I thought I'd share some of the ones with unknown lyrics that I could find on YouTube with you here to enjoy!

One of the first television shows of the golden era is "I Love Lucy." Many probably do know that Desi Arnaz actually introduced the lyrics-version of the show's theme song in an episode and later released it as a single. Here's that snippet from the episode.

One of the funniest unknown lyrics I discovered is from "Bonanza." Here are two versions available on YouTube, one sung by Ben Cartright himself, Lorne Greene, and another by the Man in Black, Johnny Cash.

The theme from "Bewitched" is a jazzy instrumental arrangement on the TV show, but Peggy Lee recorded a version with the lyrics. Just be warned tho' as you play this YouTube video that the songs was edited with scenes from a very weird and risque silent movie called "Häxan" behind it. I'd never seen it before but I suppose its creator thought its theme of witchcraft and Satan were an appropriate theme for the theme from "Bewitched".

And finally I'll end with one of my favorites, the theme from "Hogan's Heroes" as performed by Kinch, Carter, LeBeau and Newkirk.

The Film I Missed That Won

2009-01-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

I may be the only animation geek who still hasn't seen "Kung Fu Panda". But after learning that it beat out "WALL•E" at last night's Annie Awards ceremony as well as winning several more major honors, methinks I'll need bow down before the DreamWorks feature soon and bump up that title to the top of my "Want" Blu-ray list.

Sites2See

2009-01-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some sites that interested me that you might be interested in too.

The official Watchmen movie site has been updated.

If you've never read the original graphic novel but have been fascinated by the trailers that have come out for this new movie, you can whet your knowledge a little more new glimpses to what the film's about, now that a few more bits of video and character background have been updated this week on the official site. Be sure to click on each character link listed on the main page to see all the video clips.

Star Trek movie props, or "Every old is new again"

Actual props from the J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek film were on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week in Las Vegas. On display were props for Dr. McCoy's medical tricorder (or the medical scanner that's used with the tricorder), Uhura's classic communications earpiece and a Starfleet flip-top style communicator that Kirk, Spock and the rest of Starfleet get to use. TrekMovie.com posted pictures of them, and they've also conveniently included stills of the original 1960's era props for comparison.

The next wave of exclusive James Bond steelbook Blu-rays will be at Amazon

Movie geeks lately have made a metal type of DVD case very popular these days. A steelbook is a trademarked product that's simply a DVD case with a metal exterior (it has plastic inside to hold the DVD(s). Not only is it durable, but fans also like that it looks sharp on their shelves. The fact that many studios have offered their tentpole films in the popular steelbook packaging in limited distribution (e.g., exclusive to Best Buy or F.Y.E. or by region) only fuels that collector mentality for fans. So many James Bond fans shopped Best Buy when the first wave of James Bond films on Blu-ray were available there exclusively in steelbook packaging last year. But now, someone at the Blu-ray.com forums said they found listings on Amazon that the next wave of Bond films in steelbook packaging will be exclusive on their site.

I.O.U.S.A. – "One Nation. Under Stress. In Debt."

2009-01-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

I'm watching CNN right now, which is spotlighting a new documentary about the Federal Deficit. The documentary is called I.O.U.S.A. and it does a great job of explaining the history of how our government started and attempted to manager the Federal Deficit since it was created after our Constitution was ratified.

Reminds me of a conversation I was having over lunch with two of my comic book geek buddies last month. Among the topics we discussed was politics and the ecomony. We all have mortgages and all feel we've been responsible with handling our finances. We all agreed our culture's problem has been that people don't live within their means. And the documentary, which interviews everyday people of different ages and also covers a quartet of ecomonic intellectuals touring the country with townhall-style meetings to talk about problems and solutions, points that out in very common sense terms. If you haven't really gotten it how dreadful our government and ourselves have brought down our economic future, you might want to avoid this special. But I think "forewarned is forearmed".

Here's the official website. It shows that the special will run again on CNN over the weekend and will help you find out where it will play in theatres near you.

Are you...?

2009-01-06T07:51:00.001-08:00

...continued (briefly) here.

Barry Manilow "…and then some"

2009-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

I’m a forty-something year old, heterosexual male, and I listen to Barry Manilow. And even now after many decades of being a fan of his music, which an episode of Will & Grace recently coined us fans as being “fanilows,” I still find a bit of myself feeling the need to defend my choice. Why is that? Why the distain for “pop music”? I like it…tho’ that probably tells folks more about me than I naively realize.

Oh, well, it’s a fact and I’m good with it. And why tell you? Well, because he’s partly responsible for the title of my blog, “Gone2Disneyland…and then some”. Gone2Disneyland is the moniker I chose when I joined the world of discussion boards back in 2005, back when Disneyland was just starting to roll out its promotion of its 50th anniversary (why they didn’t call it “birthday” I’ll never know). As a Disney fan, I wanted to learn more about what the haps were for that special year, and MousePlanet’s discussion board MousePad became a welcoming home for me and my thirst for Disneyland knowledge. I wouldn’t call myself a very social poster on the boards. You know, getting to create more personal relationships with the other regular posters there or meeting them in person at the park for monthly meets. But I’ve enjoyed the social atmosphere there very much and tried to do my best not "flame" anyone. So when I decided on starting a public blog, G2D was my immediate choice to name it.

But I knew I wasn’t going to just chat about things Disneyland. I’m a geek! And geeks talk about a wide range of interesting and disinteresting subjects. So I had to find some way to acknowledge that.

In comes Barry Manilow.

Like I said, I’ve been listening to Barry Manilow music for many, many years, starting in high school when I chose his double-LP Greatest Hits album among the six or ten or how ever many it was albums I could select to join the Columbia House Record Club for a penny. I continued to buy more of his records (not CDs, alas they weren’t invented yet) on into my college years and even picked up some video tapes (not DVD, alas they weren’t invented yet either!) of his more popular concerts. After his initial wave of pop success in the 70’s with Mandy, Weekend in New England, Copacabana and I Write the Songs, he wanted to break out of that mold and started doing edgier (for him) stuff. In 1984, he recorded 2:00 A.M. Paradise Café, a smoky room of moody, acoustic songs that are full of the blues. I don’t recall it being a chart-topper, but it remember it got raves from all the critics at the time.

In 1985, he left his home, Arista Records, and his mentor and producer, Clive Davis, and signed with RCA to release Manilow, a record of wilder (for him) styles of songs. It didn’t really go anywhere as I recall. I think his fans weren't happy with the change is musical style, and frankly new fans were likely more interested in younger acts of the 80's. Tho’ in my opinion these songs as a whole aren’t necessarily among his best either. But that distinct could easily goes to his next release, "Swing Street," which he recorded back with Arista. Also not a big chart-topper, it was a balance of high-energy songs with traditional blues songs that he did so well on Paradise Cafe.

After a few albums later, he finally makes amends with his pop notoriety and creates a new tour based on his classic hits of the 70’s and early 80’s. That tour, Barry Manilow on Broadway, spawned a video and CD release and made its way to Los Angeles. I asked my family to join me there to celebrate my birthday at the Universal Amphitheatre (now known as the Gibson Amphitheatre). They loved it and so did I, as Manilow presented his life story and, with his back-up singers (that included Debra Byrd who’d been with him for decades and would go on to serve as vocal coach on American Idol), entertained us through skits and songs showing us “all the people and places and things that I saw along the way to Mandy”. That concert’s finale included a 22-minute medley of the rest of his hit songs he hadn’t yet performed earlier in the show. What could’ve been an overly long, agonizing spot was pure golden honey, at least to us fans. So many songs that I’d forgotten he’d recorded and released, and he sucked it up to sing his heart out again for each one.

That concert went well, and in 1992, he continued to mine through his personal musical history and released a new four-CD (yes, CD, finally!) compilation loaded with scores of new and classic studio cuts, unreleased tracks, alternate versions, demo recordings and even a video tape (not DVD, but it would eventually arrive about a decade later in an upgraded re-release of the compilation) of performances on past television and concert specials. It was a great collection and follow-up for old fans and new fans who found the Broadway concert had only whetting our appetites. I went and saw that concert tour too when he played in San Diego. That concert tour’s name: The Greatest Hits Tour…And Then Some. It went with the collection’s title: The Complete Collection. And Then Some…

And now you know the rest of the story.

Comic Books: The (maybe) Perfect Christmas Gift

2009-01-01T23:51:00.000-08:00

I had no idea what to get my closest friends for Christmas last month. They’re all creative types and they’re all smart. But I really didn’t know what they could’ve really “wanted” or “needed,” you know? Then, and I don’t how how it came to me, but I thought it might be neat to get them each comic books for Christmas.

Yeah, I know, pretty lame idea.

But I kept thinking about how I could make it enticing for them when they got their copy. And I thought about all of the titles I’d read, recently and over the years. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I could come up with some “recommending reading” that just might appeal to each of my friend’s diverse interests.

Of course, perhaps it was more self-serving than anything else. I mean, I’m the only one among this buncha friends of mine who reads comic books (or graphic novels, to any who might feel that the former term engenders too much of a juvenile quality, but the term “comic books” don’t bug me) on a weekly basis. And subconsciously I’m sure I felt, “Wouldn’t it be cool to talk about just having read Civil War or Kick-Ass or Flash:Rebirth to someone else besides your inner monologue?”

So, I thought about it and thought about it and thought about it, and of course, ultimately that’s what they each got. Will they read them? Who knows? They might, given any free time they have when they aren’t reading Jane Austen or bacon cookbooks or learning lines for their next part or working late commuting to their next stage manager gig or scrapbooking or catching up on the last few episodes of Ghost Hunters they’ve TIVO’ed or shopping for the latest and greatest beers. And maybe they’ll enjoy ‘em and even think to share them with each other. Or not. But for those inquiring minds that wanna know, here’s what I got them, including a brief log-line I put on the outside of each of their presents to clue them into what their book was about, and some brief thoughts of my own on each.

Arkham Asylum
“A favorite of Christian Bale’s”

For decades, comic books have been drawn pen-and-ink style and colored with four-color process methods. But during the late 80’s, comic book publishers were willing to experiment with seeing how readers would react to fully-painted stories. This book, another Batman vs. the Joker story, took place inside Gotham City’s answer to dealing with their most dangerous and psychotic criminals, Arkham Asylum. But it was Dave McKean’s abstract and stylistically hand-painted pages, wherein he was given free reign to reinterpret the look all of the Batman’s classic villains also holed up at the Asylum, that heightened the story’s drama and made for a visually refreshing read. As for the quote about Bale, the Batman Begins/The Dark Knight actor often cited this as one of the Batman books he’d been loaned by a friend before he ever auditioned for the role that planted the idea in his head that this character could be portrayed more seriously than had ever been portrayed before on film or television.

Product page from the publisher, DC Comics

Batman: Year One
“1939 : 2 pages – 1986 : 4 chapters”

When the Batman character was first introduced in 1939, there was no origin providing the reader with any idea of how he came to be. It wasn't until a few months later that that story was told in a brief two pages that young Bruce Wayne's parents were killed right before his young eyes. Fast forward almost fifty years later and a writer named Frank Miller writes a four-issue story arc called “Year One.” It runs in four issues of the ongoing Batman title and introduced a more detailed account of the psychology and motivations behind not only the obsessed adult Bruce Wayne but a young police officer named James Gordon, working in a town where corruption is a way of life inside the halls of criminal justice. By story’s end, we seen not only the birth of a costumed crime-fighter, but a bond of trust and respect forged between two of Gotham City’s most noble protectors. I can’t enjoy a good story if it doesn’t have good artwork, and the art here by David Mazzucchelli is perfectly pulpy and moody. So influential, nearly twenty years later, some of the book’s original concepts were put on film in some of the most dramatic scenes of the film, Batman Begins.

Product page from the publisher, DC Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home
“Slayer’s Season 8”

Created by Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a successful TV series that ran for seven seasons on the Fox Network from 1997 to 2003. Like everything else Whedon touches, Buffy developed a devoted and passionate fan following that also bought up, among other licensed goodies, Buffy comic books, which told new stories about the characters but may or may not have tied directly to specific storylines presented on the TV series. Last year, Dark Horse Comics, the publisher of Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books, provided Joss Whedon with a unique opportunity. They offered him the chance to oversee and write the official “season eight” stories, basically new episodes of Buffy that would follow directly after the events of the series’ final TV episode. This trade paperback collects the first five issues of that paper-based season eight, and written by Joss Whedon himself, provides us Buffy fans with the exact same wit, whimsy, and fun that originally charmed us in each episode of the show. Debuting in 2007, this current comic book series is up to issue 20 now, and Whedon hopes to make this season eight concept last through issue 50. Yeah!

Product page from the publisher, Dark Horse Comics

Fables Volume 7: Arabian Nights (and Days)
“Grimm’s Fairy Tales meets Sex and the City”

I picked up the first issue of Fables because I was intrigued with the idea of Snow White serving as deputy mayor of a secret suburb in New York City populated by the many characters of classic fairy tales. I soon learned that Old King Cole is the mayor, Bigby Wolf (aka the big bad wolf) is the sheriff, Prince Charming is Snow’s ex-husband, Rose (aka Briar Rose, the Sleeping Beauty) is Snow’s twin sister, and the three little pigs live with the rest of the Fables who don’t look remotely human in a secluded place upstate called, appropriately, The Farm. Since that first issue, I’ve been reading it ever since, enjoying entertaining tales involving politics and murder, espionage and military intelligence, magic and the mundane, and clever tapestries that try to cleverly tie every known character and land mentioned in fairy tales children’s books to one another and to the trappings of human foibles. Introduced in 2002, it’s still published in individual issues (up to issue 79 now) but I buy them collected in trade paperbacks now. I thought the storyline in this paperback, which collects issues 42-47, was a great story and lets you dive right into what Fables is all about. And if we (or at least me) are lucky, we might see it on ABC some time soon.

Product page from the publisher, Vertigo/DC Comics

Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty
“Gotham PD meets NYPD Blue”

The easy thing for comic book publishers to do is to release a title based on the lead hero, like Superman or Batman. A more challenging idea is to do a title based on supporting characters, like Supergirl or Robin. Now, how about doing a title based on – the background extras?! That’s what this book is all about, telling tales from Gotham City as seen and experienced by the city’s front line of defense, the men and women of the Gotham City Police Department. Now to be honest, I haven’t read this book yet, but I have read that it’s received a lot of praise from its fans and the comic book industry. And its art style is obviously influenced by Batman: Year One, one of my favorite books. So I guess I need to get this book for myself too. But I’m confident it’s the kind of stories the friend I got it for would enjoy, seeing as how she used to work on NYPD Blue!

Product page from the publisher, DC Comics

Kick-Ass
“Soon to be a major motion picture”

A co-worker told me to buy this book when issue one came out. I didn’t. Then I didn’t buy issue two. It wasn’t until after issue three came out and news had hit the Internet that a movie based on this new comic series was in production with Nicholas Cage amongst the cast that I finally decided to try it out. Oh, man, is this book sick!!! And I mean that in a great way! To put it simply, the lead character is like Spider-Man, a kid who’s a comic book geek and a nobody. One day, he decides he’s gonna be a super-hero. He puts on a ski mask and runs around on rooftops looking for victims to save. What happens? He gets his ass kicked by a buncha street thugs! What happens next? Well, after experiencing what would probably happen in real life, he tries to quit this dumb decision, but things start to happen that are pretty wild and pretty funny. It’s a very new comic book series and hasn’t been published consistently. After eight months since issue one was released, issue five still hasn’t seen the light of day. But I’m told it’s coming. And I hope its final issues continue to be a fun to read as the first four issues have been. And then, there's the movie!

Product page from the publisher, Marvel Comics

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
“Characters of literature serve HMSS before Bond“

Like Fables, here’s another concept that I picked up because I was intrigued with the concept. In the first issue, I find a mysterious Mina Murray, a drugged-out Allan Quatermain, and a bizarre-looking Captain Nemo are enlisted by Campion Bond at the direction of a Mr. M to search for a Dr. Jekyll but instead find a monstrous beast. WTF!? I picked up all six issues of this limited series as they originally came out in 1999 and had a lot of fun enjoying and deciphering this mosaic of literary characters pieced together in a tale of foreign espionage in defense of Queen and Country. Two more limited-series stories followed and a fourth is due out later this year, all involving characters from literature placed together in period settings and dramatic derring-do adventures. But this book collects the first storyline that started it all, with story by Alan Moore and artwork by Kevin O’Neill. This title is Alan Moore’s fourth comic book work to be realized as a motion picture, the other three being From Hell, V for Vendetta, and the forthcoming Watchmen.

Product page from the publisher, Wildstorm/DC Comics

Pride of Baghdad
“Not The Lion King”

I’d read so much praise about this book on comic book news websites that I sought it out. Released as a hardcover in 2006, it’s inspired by the true story of lions that escaped the Baghdad zoo after the US bombing in 2003. What I read what nothing like a story I expected and I found it very moving in some scenes, well written, and art work that both puts me to shame and inspires me. The zoo animals are freed from their cages, but explore a world both new to them and familiar to us, familiar as a scene that we as Americans have helped to destroy and break down with our bombing campaign. The animals, who are drawn in a realistic style, all talk to each other and have personalities and histories that are dramatic and, I found, involving. I bought this book for a Disney fan, and the book’s artwork easily reminds me of the characters from The Lion King. But this story is not that one. But maybe it’s just as moving.

Product page from the publisher, Vertigo/DC Comics

How I Learned to Draw the Marvel Way
“How I learned to draw when I was your age”

When I was a kid, my mom bought me this book for Christmas. I was well-known by friends, teachers and family for drawing super-heroes all the time, so this must’ve been an easy book for her to choose. I still have my original copy, with its stained and well-worn jacket over the well-used hardcover book and on the inside my handwriting on it that says “–from Mom” dated 12/78. Back in those days, kids could only use pencils and paper to draw, not Wacom tablets and art software like today. But the basic principals of dynamic figure drawing and perspective and foreshortening are still good basic rules to know. So I was excited to remember this book is still around so I could give it to my friend’s daughter who’s now excited about learning out to draw with her computer and new stylus.

An online version of the book is available at Scribd.com

Things To Come (in 2009)

2008-12-31T07:46:00.000-08:00

As the year winds down, this is usually the time folks create all kinds of lists. Resolutions. Top Ten (or Fourteen or Fifty).

My list for today is a list of things I'm looking forward to seeing in 2009. Thanks for stopping by…and Happy New Year!

John Williams at the Presidential Inauguration
According to John Williams Fan Network, the movie score composer extraordinaire has been commissioned to write a new piece of music to be performed at President-Elect Obama's inauguration. John Williams is known for already classic themes to Superman, Indiana Jones, E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial, the most recent Olympic Games, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. What an honor for the composer and what a treat it should be for us!

Watchmen
This film is supposed to debut in theatres on 03-06-09 (like three of the four cardinal positions on a watch face, get it?). But a recent court ruling favoring Fox's allegation that they still own some rights to the DC Comics graphic novel puts all this in some jeopardy.

A Free Birthday Gift from Disneyland
Beginning tomorrow,Disneyland will offer free entrance to guests on their birthday throughout all of 2009. They just need to register first. And of course, show up on their birthday. Annual passholders who already have admission on their birthday instead receive alternate gifts. I'm choosing the gift card equal a one-day, one-park admission.

Star Trek
How could I not look forward to this film coming out May 8 in IMAX? I've been a Trekkie or Trekker (I answer to both terms, neither are disparaging to me) since the re-runs of the original series, bought the comics books, video tapes and DVDs, and been to my fair share of Star Trek conventions. I've liked what J.J. Abrams has done, especially Alias and M:I:III. And all three trailers for the new voyage look exciting.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I'm actually among those who wasn't particularly impressed with the last Harry Potter film. But I'm a fan of the books, including the newest one, so I'll be chunking down my muggle equivalent of sickles and knuts when this film debuts in IMAX on exactly Disneyland's official birthday, July 17.

Toy Story 3D
The Disney/Pixar Toy Story films are likely very high on many Blu-ray player owners' lists of films they want released in the high definition format. And that time will come. But before that happens, Disney and Pixar are re-releasing the first two films to theatres as 3D films leading to the release of the new third film in the series in 2010. The 3D version of Toy Story is the only one scheduled to come out this year, and I and my friends will definitely be wearing our stereoscopic glasses when that happens.

Comic-Con 2009 International
I returned to this annual pilgrimage of comic book and entertainment aficionados in San Diego last year. It was crowded, huge, and crowded. In that order. But it also offered it's usual variety of eye candy and random chance meetings with comic book and film industry celebrities, so I think I gotta check it out again this summer.

Quick Links

2008-12-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

Here're a few links that my Geeky Heart found entertaining or interesting. Thought I'd share.

High Def Digest's "The Most Impressive Titles of 2008"

Disneyland's "Holidays at Disneyland" special event page

Trek Movie's First Look at the new "Star Trek" movie Barbie Figures

Trek Movie also has another article related to the new film, of fans re-creating high resolution view of one of the new starships from "Star Trek".

Newsarama has posted a link to view one of Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm's golden eggs, Howard the Duck, online in its entirety. Coincidentally, Howard the Duck will be coming to DVD in March.

When My Worlds Collide

2008-12-21T20:21:00.000-08:00

A quickie tonight. Having joined the hi def community this year, I'm now a frequent visitor and poster over on Blu-ray.com's Forum boards. It's a place where I learn about upcoming deals on Blu-ray titles from Best Buy and Target a week or two before the Sunday insert arrives on my doorstep. Or recommend your favorite post-1990 films to inquiring Blu-ray owners. Or just ruminate about the hopes for an upcoming film, like The Spirit.

Today, someone there shared the link to an LA Times article that reveals some obscure but fascinating story about how The Spirit could've arrived in movie theatres some twenty years earlier rather than just four days from today. And this comic book tale involves Disney. Ahh, when two of my favorite worlds collide...

LA Times' Hero Complex Blog: "The Spirit" movie that could have been

Top 5 Fave Eats at Disneyland (and vicinity)

2008-12-13T10:54:00.001-08:00

I got this question emailed to me recently:

Out of curiosity if you had to name your TOP 5 Disney eats what would they be?

What a perfect way to finally talk about my blog's namesake, Disneyland!

Personally, because it's Disneyland, a lot of it depends on the company I'm with or how I'm feeling if I'm on a solo trip. And I haven't experienced every eatery around Disneyland either. But for the above reasons, perhaps my faves would be...

1. Taste Pilot's Grill - the ribs there are now a fave of mine, until they reopen Big Thunder BBQ again someday, and enjoying my Disney park meal with a beer is a treat I appreciate

2. Little Red Wagon - the simplicity of the corn dogs from Main Street, USA somehow puts me into the mindframe of a simplier time, just like the area my meal comes from

3. Carnation Café - only been there for breakfast, but often and with friends, and 9 times out of 10 our server is Bob who recognizes us and greets us like an ol' friend

4. Café Orleans - I actually haven't been there in quite a while, but my friends and I often used to meet up there after work on a Friday evening for dinner where it's the easier place to enjoy a Monte Cristo Sandwich inside Disneyland

5. Tiki Place - again, more for the smile it derives rather than it being a full meal, I've introduced many a friend to the Dole Pineapple Whip and Dole Pineapple Whip Float and they've always thanked me gratefully for it

So, that was my response. But now that I've had some time to think about it, there're probably a couple of other places I might've included on that list.

Honorable Mention #1: Goofy's Kitchen - every visit there with a buncha friends has included so much good food and so much fun.

Honorable Mention #2: Redd Rockett's Pizza Port - good and filling food for a good price

Like I said above, I haven't tried every place there is to eat at Disneyland, DCA or Downtown Disney. So here's my top 5 Eateries I hope to try out soon...

1. White Water Snacks inside the Grand Californian Hotel - many posters on MousePad and MiceChat have nothing but raves to say about the quality of the sandwiches and the ease of stopping in to get their meals here

2. Cove Bar next to Ariel's Grotto at Disney's California Adventure - another place I've read about, finally corroborated by at least one friend who's been there, who agrees the their Lobster Nachos earn their popular reputation

3. Storyteller's Cafe - the fine dining option inside the Grand Californian Hotel

4. Carnation Café - I've never tried lunch there, only breakfast

5. Club 33 inside Disneyland - the secret member's only place, nuff said

So, been to Disneyland? Then what're your faves?

The Traditional Thursday

2008-11-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

I've fallen victim to the cold bug lately, that's why there've been no new posts lately. I'm feeling noticeably better today (Thank you for asking), and I'm about to join my family for Thanksgiving dinner that, at our house, includes the traditional turkey and Filipino entrees. So, as I'm about to enjoy spending time with family and good food, I wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday too. And when I get back, I hope to have something more substantial to say.

Introducing...

2008-11-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

So I claimed this blog domain in August, not really knowing if I'd commit to using it. The only blog I've ever kept has been on my MySpace page. I used it when I started training for the inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon in 2006. I figured if I kept a public record of my promise to train for and actually run in the darn thing, I would actually do it (because to say for six months I would do it and then admit I didn't would be entirely embarrassing to me). Three half marathons later and I've continued to blog on it anytime I trained. But there were some blogs where I diverted from talking about real training to talk about other stuff.

One of my favorite blog sites is Blue Sky Disney. It's only a couple of years old, but the blogger writes well. And the fact that he writes about a lotta cool inside stuff about Disney is a big plus. It's a popular subject matter for me, as you might've guessed by my moniker up there in the title bar. But I have other interests besides going to Disneyland, and I'm rarely on MySpace these days. And this morning's top 25 list discovery seemed like the perfect starting off point for this new world. I dunno if my writing skills will be as interesting or plain ol' good as Honor Hunter's is. But, I consider this a work in progress. I'll get better as I go.

Now, being as busy as I get with my regular job and the fact that I haven't signed up for the next Disneyland Half Marathon, what else am I gonna talk about?

And when?

Guess we'll know when we know.

In the meantime, now it's time to say "goodbye." °o°

My Top 25 Blu-ray Discs (so far)

2008-11-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

I found this list this morning, IGN.com's Top 25 Blu-ray titles, by way of the Blu-ray.com Forum.

25. Tropic Thunder
24. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
23. Die Hard Collection
22. Planet of the Apes: 40-Year Evolution
21. Dark City
20. Heroes Season 1
19. 300
18. Firefly Complete Series
17. Batman Begins Limited Edition Giftset *
16. The Incredible Hulk *
15. Lost - The Complete Third Season
14. Beowulf
13. The Godfather Collection
12. Speed Racer *
11. WALL•E *
10. The Ultimate Matrix Collection
9. Spider-Man Trilogy
8. Planet Earth *
7. Pirates of the Caribbean Three-Movie High Def Collection *
6. Ratatouille *
5. Transformers
4. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
3. Blade Runner 5-Disc Complete Collector's Edition *
2. Casino Royale Collector's Edition *
1. Sleeping Beauty *

The ones with asterisks are titles I happen to own on BD. You can view a list of my entire BD collection here, altho' it lacks one title since Blu-ray.com doesn't seem to have a listing for Rolling Stones: Shine a Light).

I don't read IGN much, and there are titles above that I haven't seen. But, if I were to make up my own top 25 BD titles I've seen, based on the film and its high def quality, it would look like this:

25. Batman The Movie: Special Edition
24. The Incredible Hulk
23. Dirty Harry
22. Superman: The Movie
21. Rolling Stones: Shine a Light
20. Flags of Our Fathers
19. Dr. No
18. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
17. Rocky Balboa
16. How the West Was Won
15. Sleeping Beauty
14. Enchanted
13. Batman Begins Limited Edition Giftset
12. Iron Man
11. Hairspray
10. 3:10 to Yuma
9. Bonnie and Clyde
8. Speed Racer
7. Across the Universe
6. Planet Earth
5. Cars
4. Blade Runner 5-Disc Complete Collector's Edition
3. Casino Royale Collector's Edition
2. Ratatouille
1. WALL•E

Except for the top spot, this was a very hard list to create. Because after WALL•E, which as a film is special and as a production created in the era of high def takes full pixel-by-pixel advantage of the technology like no other film ever, every other film on the list has its value enhanced by high def, and that benefit biases each film in different ways. For example, I've never seen How the West Was Won before. But when I watched this 1962 film on Blu-ray on my HDTV, it's as if it was filmed just yesterday, and that just wowed me! Same for viewing the 1967 Bonnie and Clyde, which I had seen before and always enjoyed, and the 1962 Dr. No. They look vibrant and crisp for forty-plus year old films. Hell, that's also why the campy 1966 Batman The Movie is on this list; the comic book colors just pop off my HDTV.

At the same time, modern-day films like Casino Royale, Iron Man and Hairspray look spectacular. Computer-generated animation has a natural technological edge, so the other two Pixar films in my collection could not be off this list (I left The Pixar Short Films Collection off this list because some of the older shorts on the collection didn't pop as sharply as their recent ones). Tinker Bell, another computer-generated animated flick that was released this past month, would've easily made it to the top ten of this list if I simply focused on high def quality and ignored the story.

So after WALL•E, the rest of the titles are admittedly almost evenly balanced in my enjoyment of them, with maybe a wee bit of nostalgia as an edge to the older choices. But all of them stand as the best of my BD collection.

But…a caveat about my list.

I own Blu-rays of the first five Harry Potter films, all three Pirates of the Caribbean films, the four-disc When We Left Earth, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I've seen them all in theatres or, as in the case of Earth, on the Discovery Channel, but I haven't watched them yet on BD. So I couldn't justify including these on my list. But I'm positive that all of these titles would supplant titles from my list if I had.