DragStrip Reviews

Fred Claus (2007)

Generally lame Christmas comedy

[4/10 · 25 December 2007]

Do you know why "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is guaranteed a to be shown every year when Christmas comes around? It's because it is probably the only Christmas comedy to produce major laughs. As James Berardinelli said, if we take it away, what do we replace it with exactly? There have been several attempts to usurp its position in recent years, and Fred Claus is one of the least successful. To keep it succinct, the comedy is generally unfunny and the sentimentality grating, aside from a couple of nice moments. Giamatti and Richardson give good performances, but Vaughn and Weisz are fairly awful. To give the film its credit there are a couple of scenes which work brilliantly; the first meeting between Spacey's bureaucrat character and the Clauses, and Fred's "siblings anonymous" meeting. These are fantastically inventive and witty scenes, sadly unrepresentative of the movie.

To be fair, it's not that much worse than the overrated "Elf".

Count Duckula (1988–1993)

An Animated Television Masterpiece

[10/10 · 23 December 2007]

"Count Duckula" is my all time favourite cartoon, and I believe it to be one of the very best too. I loved it as a very young kid but I doubt I could have appreciated just how special it actually is. Cosgrove Hall produced 65 episodes of consistent quality over a remarkably short period of time. The weakest episode of Duckula would be the highlight of many another TV series. The animation varies a little, it was obviously worked on by more than one company. At its best it was about as good as TV animation ever got. At its worst it was far above average. The backgrounds in particular are immaculate, with imagery that was often witty or spooky. But what makes this show truly special is the comedy. The show is frequently, hysterically, funny; even after multiple viewings. Not only that but the humour goes into territories often overlooked in cartoons, it is primarily verbal humour with frequent diversions into black and surreal comedy.

If I have not described the show well enough it is mostly because I could never do it justice. Thankfully, we live in a world where all 65 episodes are available, at quite affordable prices too, on DVD. Even if you think you are too old for cartoons, you are not too old for "Count Duckula". Believe me!

Pac-Mania (1987 Video Game)

Fun game showcasing successful early experiments in pseudo-3D graphics

[23 December 2007]

Pac-Man was one of the trailblazers of the video game boom, and an effort was made here to keep the franchise on the cutting edge. "Pac-Mania" is basically an adaptation of the original game, so you know its fun, but the key modifications are what make it particularly interesting. Firstly, Pac-Man can now jump over ghosts, which potentially makes the game easier; yet the game operates in an expanded side-scrolling environment. This allowed the developers to give this Pac-Man game a 3D feel with the maze, the ghost and even Pac himself getting a three dimensional makeover. Though of course nothing like the three dimensional graphics of today the effect really works. Indeed, this game, perhaps boosted by the simplistic game-play and environment defining of Pac-Man, works better than another attempt (the rather clumsy "Sonic 3D") at adapting a classic game character to the 3D format nearly a decade later. Overall, a successful and enjoyable experiment. Pac-Mania is available on Namco's Pac-Man Collection on the Game Boy Advanced, and it transfers to the portable medium well.

Pac-Man (1980 Video Game)

A Phenomenon with an enduring legacy

[23 December 2007]

Pac-Man was one of the first extremely popular arcade games, and a major influence, if indirect and unwitting, on every computer game that followed. The reasons for its appeal are simple, it is colourful, cheerful and enjoyable; in short it is good, clean fun. Graphics date; fun is timeless. But the real key to its appeal is that it was the first video game to feature an actual character; this is the sense in which this game has paved the way for all which have followed. Pac-Man's anthropomorphic and aesthetic (i.e. "cute") qualities were particularly appealing to female audiences; this was the most popular game among girls at the time, and some sources suggest since. The after-effect was that the character itself became something of an icon; the character was the centre of a merchandising blitz. Pac-Man seemed to capture the public imagination more than any genuine cartoon character did; you could even make a claim for him being the Mickey Mouse of the 80s. I am a big fan of the Pac-Man phenomenon and have a book (Deborah Palicia's ["Pac-Man Collectibles") which details some 160 pages of related merchandising. There was everything from Bedsheets to a US Top 10 Record ("Pacman Fever" by Buckner and Garcia) and from Pasta to an animated cartoon series. It's fascinating how far such a one dimensional concept has spread. The most telling item is an advert for the game "Super Pac-Man" with a hero who "fights a never ending battle to eat row of fruit"! A lot of talented and creative people have worked on keeping this simple concept and character popular for nearly three decades, and millions more have enjoyed it.

Pac-Attack (1993 Video Game)

Greaty enjoyable Tetris variation

[23 December 2007]

Pac-Man is back in Pack-Attack along with his nemeses Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. This Pac-Man game deviates from the standard formula established in the classic original and instead takes a Tetris-inspired route. The twist is instead of blocks disappearing with the alignment of different colours, the blocks are all the same colour but their layout is often disrupted by ghosts. This, of course is where Pac-Man comes in, to perform his familiar tasks. There is also a puzzle mode, where the ghosts are placed in more awkward positions and the player has to figure out the most efficient way of disposing of them. Like all variations on the Tetris theme, the game is not necessarily particularly difficult, but achievements are nonetheless satisfying. The graphics retain the pleasing aesthetic quality that Pac-Man is (or should be) known for, and the music is also enjoyable. "Pac-Attack" is available on Namco's Game Boy Advanced Pacman Collection, and it is suited perfectly to the portable format.

Transformers: The Headmasters (1987–1988)

Alright, but only for "serious" TF fans (especially G1)

[6/10 · 23 December 2007]

The first Transformers series produced entirely in Japan, "Headmasters", is worth watching and purchasing if, like me, you're interested enough in seeing more G1-style Transformers episodes to overlook some serious flaws. It is not for people who liked the 2007 movie and want to try some earlier incarnations; for that look to the original 1984-87 series. I might even say it's not really for people who lost interest during the 3rd series of G1, as it carries down an even more esoteric path. This is not to say some of these people definitely wouldn't enjoy it, but in my own personal estimation it has some flaws only a serious Transformer fan could love. Of course, every other version of TF has had serious flaws, but many have reaped far greater rewards for getting past them.

The series is infamous for its poorly produced, ill-researched and risible English dub. It is often very funny, but I couldn't help but think how great the series could have been with a dub from the G1 cast. Unfortunately there are problems with the series no matter what language one watches it in. The show has a continuing plot throughout the 35 episodes, which is initially promising but it gets muddled quickly with some truly far-out concepts. Several familiar characters (chiefly Galvatron's henchmen Cyclonus and Scourge) seem to have had their IQs diminished in the move to Japan, which is a shame because most of the new characters aren't that interesting. The score is often grating; not a patch on the original series and especially not Vince DiCola's inspired work.

But I digress; there are some nice things about Headmasters. The censorship restrictions in Japan are nowhere near as severe as they are in America leading to some interesting scenes; chiefly some deaths which while they are not a patch on the famous scene in the 1986 movie, are quite effective in their own way. The animation is not great, but it adapts more overtly Japanese motifs to the style of the classic series quite nicely. Of course the main appeal for many fans will be to see many TF characters in the classic style for the last time. Though their behaviour and movements may be different, all the characters from the G1 series who appear here are based on the same animation models they always were. "Headmasters" does allow us to get a closer look at many characters who were underused in the original series, such as the Gestalt teams and most notably Fortress Maximus and Scorponok, characters based upon the two biggest toys in the original line. If that last sentence interested you, "Headmasters" is worth watching, if not necessarily going too far out of your way to do so. If it didn't, don't bother! BTW, the theme song contains lyrics which roughly translate to "This current suffering we are going through will be of benefit to future generations". Catchy!

Transformers: Scramble City (1986 Video)

Classic Transformers fun

[10/10 · 23 December 2007]

Of all the Transformer spin-offs, this Japanese-language one shot is the one that feels closest to G1. Of course, this is mostly because it was produced in the G1 era and uses the same Animation models and style as the classic series, in addition to a lengthy prologue consisting of footage taken straight from the American cartoons.

"Scramble City" isn't deep, even by Transformer standards. It is a Toy commercial on a level perhaps unrivalled in Transformers at least until the brief Fourth Season. The main purpose of it is to sell the Gestalt (combiner) teams (Constructicons/Devastator, Stunticons/Superion, Aerialbots/Superion, Protectobots/Defensor, Combaticons/Bruticus) and Autobot (Metroplex) and Decepticon (Trypticon) cities. But the sequences showing these characters are fun and exciting, and its engrossing and extremely enjoyable for a Big G1 fan like me just to watch these characters, some of which were underused in the original series, in action. The show is also noteworthy for the first appearance of Ultra Magnus, one of the most beloved Transformer characters.

"Scramble City" is a great watch for all G1 fans, and makes a superb bonus on the DVD of the classic animated movie.

Cobra (1986)

Great fun for Old School Action Fans

[8/10 · 13 October 2007]

Stallone released Cobra the year after he ruled the box office with a second Rambo and a forth Rocky. Although the film was reasonably successful at the Box Office, it was much maligned by critics, as it has often been since. But in the years since its release, many people, including some who weren't even born when this film came out, have developed a fondness for this kind of action film, where the heroes were tougher, the plots simpler, editing more restrained and ratings higher. Such people will likely have a blast with this film. The action scenes are exciting and masterfully edited. The one liners are memorable and often downright bizarre. Although it's difficult to call this film "gritty" it has a wonderfully moody/Gothic atmosphere at times, and the cinematography, particularly in the opening scene is some of the best I have ever seen in an action film. The film does have a somewhat Right-Wing stance on crime and the legal system, but I think it would be a bit silly to get too worked up about what a film in which the villains are a cult who bang axes together has to say about society.

So if you're an old school action fan, don't listen to critics when deciding whether to watch "Cobra"; play by your own rules. Why? Because it gets results, damn it!

Uncommon Valor (1983)

Jingoistic but very touching

[8/10 · 13 October 2007]

First of all it has to be conceded that this film has a very "macho" 80s/Reagan era view of war. Most Vietnamese characters are cannon fodder whose deaths have little or no impact, while American characters are granted either tragic or glorious deaths. But if you can tolerate, ignore or (to be fair) enjoy this aspect of the film, you will find a very moving look at people dealing with the idea of their friends and family never coming home and/or being forced to live as Prisoners of War. This is the main thing which separates this from other POW rescue fantasies (along with a certain, though modest, degree of realism). The most touching scene is at the start of the film, with Hackman pondering over the whereabouts of his son, but there are also some very poignant moments at the end of the film. "Uncommon Valor" is also worth watching for a memorable cast including one of Patrick Swayze's earliest and best performances. Hackman is, as usual, excellent.

Rush Hour 3 (2007)

If I had been waiting, it wouldn't have been worth the wait

[4/10 · 14 August 2007]

The action scenes in Rush Hour 3, when they come, are as well staged as most this summer, and better staged then many. The trouble is they don't come very often. Most of this somewhat brief movie consists of rather lame comedy, much of it coming from Chris Tucker's character James Carter. Chan; whose crossover to big budget Hollywood flicks was a large part of the reason for the first film's Box Office success, barely makes an impression. His screen time often feels either severely limited or poorly used.

Tucker of course made a bit of a splash last year for becoming the highest paid actor in Hollywood with his pay cheque for this film, despite not having worked since the previous entry. He seemed to decide he could make himself worth every cent of that money with volume. That's volume in both senses of the word; he screeches incessantly. Tucker is by no means a bad comedian, but his act in this film seems to consist entirely of getting angry with people and shouting out words 12 year olds find risqué. Of course the quality of his material is not his fault, but I can't help feeling it may have all been a bit more enjoyable if he had exercised a little restraint. Then again, what point is there offering restraint when you're dealing with a script that seems to think that Chan and Tucker singing or dancing, or the very idea of a man backstage at a burlesque show are, as concepts in and of themselves, hilarious? This series, incidentally, seems to get more lascivious with each entry; the rumour-mill makes me wonder if this is Ratner's influence. Coupling this with a strong undercurrent of xenophobia towards just about anyone who crosses Detective Carter's path makes this slightly uneasy viewing.

Or at least it did for me. In the interest of balance I should point out most of the audience I was with lapped this up. Perhaps I am in a minority on this one. If you have been looking forward to this for years, you may well love it. If you are a die hard Tucker fan, or a Chan completist, you will probably love it. But if you don't fall into any of the aforementioned categories, it's not something I can recommend. Of course there are far worse things you could see, but it just isn't really worth the effort, not least because it superior predecessors can be bought on DVD or caught on television. Then again, it's a lot better than "The Tuxedo" or "The Medallion". Jackie and Hollywood just don't seem to mix.