rexshard93 Reviews

Batman: The Animated Series: Heart of Ice (1992) Season 1, Episode 3

Heart of Ice - My Review

[7/10 · 7 December 2014]

Out of all Batman TAS Episodes written by Paul Dini, I think this is the most well known and praised episode.

It does have some good points. For Example, I thought Animation by Spectrum Animation Studio was absolutely brilliant. I consider this episode as the beginning of Joker in Batman TAS.

Mark Hamill played Ferris Boyle in this episode. After playing Ferris Boyle, Mark Hamill expressed his interest in playing villain roles in Batman TAS. Mark Hamill expressed interest in playing Joker. But they already hired Tim Curry for playing Joker. Later, they decided that they need someone else to play Joker. That's when they remembered Mark Hamill expressing his enthusiasm in playing Joker. So they hired Mark Hamill for Joker and he played Joker throughout Batman TAS.

Aside from the good points mentioned above, I do think it is very overrated. Let me state my reasons why.

I didn't feel sorry for Mr. Freeze (Victor Fries). I can understand that he was trying to save his wife. But Victor Fries was using the money and the equipments of Ferris Boyle and his company for his personal reasons.

Boyle points out how Fries' experiment was an unauthorized experiment. Ferris Boyle also tells Fries how he ordered funding suspended weeks ago. But Fries continued with experiments even after Ferris ordered funding suspended weeks ago. Ferris points out that he is already 3 million in debt thanks to Victor Fries. Ferris points out how Victor Fries was using his money and his equipments for his personal reasons while talking to Bruce Wayne.

It must be noted that Ferris attacks Victor Fries only after Fries takes the gun and points at him. So when Fries pointed the gun at him, Ferris realizes that Victor Fries is now his enemy who can kill him. So he tricks Fries and attacks Fries which drives Victor Fries to become Mr. Freeze.

After becoming Mr. Freeze, Mr. Freeze's inconsiderate mind can also be seen when he abandons one of his henchmen with a frozen leg and moves on with his "personal" plans to destroy Ferris Boyle. Later, Batman saves the henchman.

People will say that Victor Fries lacks feelings after become Mr. Freeze and that's why he refused to save his henchman. But he still has romantic feelings for his wife even after becoming Mr. Freeze.

Because of the reasons mentioned above, I found Mr. Freeze to be a selfish and an uninteresting character.

With me, I consider Mad as a Hatter as Paul Dini's best episode. I rate Heart of Ice as 7 out of 10.

Batman: The Animated Series: The Cat and the Claw: Part II (1992) Season 1, Episode 8

The Cat and the Claw Part 2

[10/10 · 28 January 2013]

Compared to Part 1, I found Part 2 disappointing due to the poor animation by Akom. Sunrise did the animation for The Cat and the Claw Part 1. But I still give 10 out of 10, because of the wonderful script. I thought Story Editor Sean Catherine Derek, Laren Bright, Jules Dennis, and Richard Mueller did wonderful jobs with the story and the script for The Cat and the Claw Part 1 and this episode.

I think The Cat and the Claw (Part 1 & 2) has lots of brilliant touches in it. One of the brilliant touches is threatening portrayal of Batman to the criminals of Gotham. Let me give some examples.

In the beginning of this episode, We see the sudden appearance of Batman and Mob boss sweating due to the sudden and threatening appearance of Batman. When Mob boss tells Batman to lay off the Southside, Batman lifts Mob boss and says "Keep this up and I will be on you from all sides - NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST." In Part 1, We see Batman lifting up the same mob boss and says "If you think, I have been bad news before." These are some great moments of how threatening Batman really is to the criminals of Gotham.

In this episode, we see that Bruce Wayne is also willing to take risks like Batman. But only in extreme danger. It is the scene where Bruce Waynes turns his car at the Red Claw's men after they tried to crash his car. Another interesting touch in The Cat and the Claw (Part 1 and Part 2) is the mission of one villain (Catwoman) is Preservation (Preserving the land for Mountain Lions) and the mission of the other villain (The Red Claw) is to cause destruction. Batman has to handle 2 female villains with opposite missions.

I also love how the dialogue is written in The Cat and the Claw Part 1 and Part 2. One of my favorite parts is the last scene where Catwoman says "So you do care." We see handcuffs on her hands and Batman says "More than you will ever know." Batman does care about Catwoman. But there is one thing that separates them - the law. I also love the conversations between Commissioner Gordon and Batman. It was very different compared to other episodes. Another interesting thing is the threatening side of The Red Claw is present in Part 1 (from the moment she appears) and throughout Part 2, because her thugs are causing danger to Bruce Wayne, Selena Kyle, and Maven. Red Claw's Virus is also causing trouble to Commission Gordon and the entire city of Gotham. Compared to other episodes, there is a feeling that lots of people are in danger at the same time through this episode.

Although this episode has a weak animation, still I rate the episode 10 out of 10 due to efforts of all the writers (Sean Catherine Derek, Laren Bright, Jules Dennis, and Richard Mueller) who worked on this episode.

Batman: The Animated Series: The Underdwellers (1992) Season 1, Episode 27

One of the best scripts to be destroyed by BS&P!

[10/10 · 28 January 2013]

This was one of the earliest scripts written for Batman Animated Series. Tom Ruegger (Executive Producer/Writer) of this show created the story of this episode with Sean Catherine Derek as the story editor.

Sean Catherine Derek brought in writers Jules Dennis and Richard Mueller to write the script of this episode. Sean Catherine Derek also worked on the script as story editor. Unfortunately, BS&P (Broadcasting Standards and Practices) didn't approve the script. They took a lot out of this episode. Producer Bruce W. Timm was extremely upset about the changes made by BS&P. BS&P added several "silly" scenes and (For Example, Chicken scene in the beginning, crocodile fight, etc.) to the episode. That is a disgrace to the original effort done by the writers of this episode. But some brilliant scenes written by Jules Dennis and Richard Mueller did end up in the episode. This includes from the scene where Batman finds the secret door to the scene where he brings young boy to the batcave and final scene with Batman and Sewer King.

It is the scene when Sewer King says "Why? Why?" and Batman replies "I don't pass sentence. That's for the courts. But this time - THIS TIME - I am sorely tempted to do the job myself." Batman's extreme anger towards Sewer King in this scene is brilliant, because of Sewer King's extreme cruelty towards innocent children. The suffering of these innocent children reminded Batman of his misery in his childhood when he lost his parents. Through this, we the audience explore into the emotional depth of Bruce Wayne. Despite the "silly" changes made by BS&P against the wishes of the writers, I give 10 out of 10 due to the brilliant final scene written by Jules Dennis and Richard Mueller with Story Editor Sean Derek.

The writers (Jules Dennis, Richard Mueller, and Story Editor Sean Catherine Derek) of this episode are the same writers who wrote Episode "The Forgotten." Through "My family" sequence Episode "The Forgotten", we can see the misery that Bruce Wayne went through his childhood. Like the episode "The Underdwellers", several changes were made to Episode "The Forgotten." This was also against the wishes of the writers. Fortunately, "My Family" sequence written by the writers did end up in the released version which allows to explore into the true vision of the writers. Only the scripts written by Jules Dennis, Richard Mueller, and Sean Derek that properly ended up on the screen were "The Cat and the Claw part 1" and "The Cat and the Claw part 2." So we can disregard the silly moments in this episode, because those moments weren't part of the intentions of the writers of this episode. I also love the animation of this episode. This was the first episode to be animated by Studio Junio. Studio Junio went on to animate episodes like Dreams in Darkness, Mudslide, Blind as a Bat, Avatar, Baby Doll.

I also love how batmobile was hidden inside a trash bin so that his enemies won't find where his batmobile is.

Due to the original efforts by writers, animation done by Studio Junio, and Music by Stuart Balcomb & Lars Cutterham, I rate the episode 10 out of 10.

Batman: The Animated Series: Mad as a Hatter (1992) Season 1, Episode 24

A Crying Turtle

[10/10 · 3 October 2012]

This review contains spoilers for both Mad as a Hatter and episode "Perchance to Dream." When I think of this episode, it reminds me of the crying turtle at the end of the episode. I felt sorry for Jervis Tetch (a.k.a Mad Hatter). Paul Dini's episode Mad as a Hatter was loosely based on a real tragic story that happened in Silicon Valley.

Jervis Tetch is a quiet and a lonely man who feels that he hasn't accomplished anything until his mind controlling device. Jervis Tetch is a man who is in love with his coworker Alice. But Alice treats him as a friend. Alice has a boyfriend named Billy. But Jervis is jealous that Alice is in love with Billy. Later, Jervis hears Alice crying and learns that after a fight, Billy broke up with her.

Jervis decides to take Alice on a date. But he doesn't know how to impress her. He feels that he is not a man with any physical beauty to impress her. After that, he decides to use mind controlling device to impress her. After that, we know what happened in this episode.

But this is the real tragedy to me with this episode - "We see that the quiet & lonely Mad Hatter has transformed into a man who is sociable, happy, and wishing his coworkers pleasant things after that wonderful night with Alice. Through this scene, we realize that his life would have been truly happy if he had Alice. These were few moments where Jervis was truly happy." This tragedy was used again in the episode "Perchance to Dream." You can read this in my IMDb review for for "Perchance to dream" about this.

When he realizes that he is going to lose Alice forever to Billy, he becomes very angry and uses all of his skills to get Alice. I felt very sorry for Jervis, because we see how much he has changed due to that one night with Alice. Her "handsome" boyfriend Billy is the one who got angry and broke up with Alice. When Billy apologizes and offers just "one flower" to Alice, Alice falls for him. But Jervis ended spending "all of his efforts and lot of time during that night" so that Alice can feel happy and also understand his romantic feelings for her. But Alice only saw Jervis as "a sweet funny man." After spending all of his efforts and time, Jervis realizes in the next morning that his efforts amounted to nothing. That's another reason why he becomes angry. We know what happens after that. I think the depth of Jervis Tetch's sadness is explored much more when we see the episode "Perchance to Dream." This is because we can compare his tragedy with the tragedy of Bruce Wayne in that episode. But this episode contributed a lot to that episode. This is one of the best animated episodes with real human emotion in it. Akom's animation for this episode turned out to be good. This was a surprise for me. The end of both Mad as a Hatter and Perchance to Dream remind me of crying turtle in this episode, because of the tragedy Jervis Tetch faces at the end of this episode after a quiet and lonely life.

Wonderful script by Paul Dini, Wonderful score by Shirley Walker, and Wonderful direction by Frank Paur. I rate this episode 10 out of 10.

Batman: The Animated Series: Perchance to Dream (1992) Season 1, Episode 26

Perchance to Dream - Dream within a reality or a reality within a dream?

[10/10 · 17 June 2012]

SPOILERS

When I watched the episode, it made me think for a while. For me, this episode explores into the dreams that really exists in our everyday lives and the reality that exists in our dreams. Let me explain.

Bruce Wayne has a dream and Mad Hatter has a dream. Through his dream machine, Mad Hatter gives the dream that Bruce always wanted in his real life. At first, Bruce denies it by believing that it isn't real. But after discussing with Leslie, Bruce completely believes that the nightmare is over. He completely accepts the dream as "reality." After that, we see few "true" moments of reality within a dream. A moment where Bruce Wayne is truly happy in his heart. A moment where Bruce hugs his father and asks him if he and mom could join their son and Selina at the opera. A moment where he "truly" saw Selina as Selina. The woman of his life. And not as catwoman. This moment is powerful, because of contribution from writers, Boyd Kirkland, and Shirley Walker. Walker's music not only gives the moment of happiness in this scene, but also a moment of comfort where Bruce feels that all of his nightmares are over.

When Bruce realizes that everything is nothing but a dream, he becomes totally angry. He realizes that he "never" can lead a normal life like others do.

He goes to find Batman. In Episode Mad as a Hatter, there are few moments where Mad Hatter is truly happy. The scene where Mad Hatter dances with Alice and the scene where he comes to the office as a new man. We see that the quiet & lonely Mad Hatter has transformed into a man who is sociable, happy, and wishing his coworkers pleasant things. We see flowers in his hands for Alice. Alice is the woman of his dream. When he realizes that he is losing Alice, he becomes very angry. In the end, he loses Alice.

This is where both Bruce Wayne and Mad Hatter are in common. They both lost what they loved the most. Bruce lost his family. Mad Hatter lost Alice, the woman of his life.

So Mad Hatter makes the dream machine to give what Bruce Wayne wants so that he can get what he wants. We all have dreams in our lives. We wants "some" of our dreams very badly. But when we realize that we "never" can get them, this leads us to anger. Through Mad Hatter's dream machine, we realize that Bruce Wayne would have been truly happy if his parents were alive.

Through Episode "Mad as a Hatter", we see that the quiet & lonely Mad Hatter has transformed into a man who is sociable, happy, and wishing his coworkers pleasant things after that wonderful night with Alice. Through this scene, we realize that his life would have been really happy if he had Alice.

Just like Bruce Wayne is angry, we see Mad Hatter very angry at the end, because of what he lost. Moments like these make Perchance to Dream a memorable episode.

The Walking Stick (1970)

The Walking Stick (1970) - A woman's lonely world

[7/10 · 13 January 2012]

When I watched the film, I thought the story of the film was just OK. Nothing special. I have seen older films with similar ideas.

But what made me like the film wasn't the story. I liked the film, because of the strong performance from Samantha Eggar and wonderful score by Stanley Myers.

David Hemmings did a fine job playing his role. But Eggar's performance was able to capture the true feelings of a woman who is physically and emotionally wounded. And Stanley Myer's great cavatina music makes the scenes memorable by capturing the lonely world of Deborah Dainton (Samantha Eggar).

But I think the script would have been far better if it was given to a director like Alfred Hitchcock. I still rate the film 7 out of 10, because of its strong points.

The Browning Version (1951)

The Browning Version (1951) - A successful film about failure

[10/10 · 18 August 2010]

When I watched the film for the first time, I thought it was a great film. But after repeated viewings, I only found the film to be getting better and better. Anthony Asquith's direction is absolutely brilliant. I don't know if anyone noticed this - The film has music only in the beginning credits and in the end of the film. Asquith used little or no music throughout the film with the exception of the song at the chapel scenes and the music outside the chapel.

He was able to involve the audience as closely as possible. Asquith was able to take Terrence Rattigan's great screenplay into a much more higher level. Asquith's attention to little details make the film much more stronger. For Example, he shows the importance of lesser characters like Wilson and Brian. Through their viewpoints about Crocker Harris (Michael Redgrave), we can generally understand what the class feels about Crocker Harris. As for the performance, I thought everyone was great in it especially Michael Redgrave and Nigel Patrick.

Through Nigel Patrick (Frank Hunter) and Brian Smith (Taplow), We study what kind of a man Andrew Crocker Harris really is? When he started his teaching career, he had good intentions. But he lost his way during his 18 years of teaching. Unlike Fletcher, He was never appreciated for his contributions. For Example, We find out that Crocker Harris drafted time tables for ten years. But they were issued under Headmaster's signature. And Frank Hunter (Nigel Patrick) tells that he didn't know that Crocker Harris drafted time tables of the school. Crocker Harris is a man who wants to express his interests and his ideas. And he asks Frank about his opinion on his new time table. And he also invites his wife Milly (Jean Kent) to see the new time table. But she replies "You know it bores me to death."

Crocker Harris expresses his ideas to the people who are very close to him. For Example, He explains to Taplow about his attachment to the play "Agamemnon." Taplow understood Crocker Harris and presented the book of the play "Agamemnon" to him. Through this charity, we see the slow rebirth of an almost dead character inside. Unlike Taplow, Milly didn't care for the interests and ideas of Crocker Harris. She expressed her disinterest and this tarnished the confidence of Crocker Harris. What I didn't like about Milly is her cruelty towards Crocker Harris. This is where I admire the Nigel Patrick's character Frank Hunter.

He ends his relationship with Milly, because of her cruel attitude towards her husband. And he tries to help Crocker Harris through kindness and respect. And Frank tells Crocker Harris that he is not going to ask Crocker Harris to forgive him for his affair with Milly, because Frank find it so hard to forgive himself.

Although Crocker Harris failed to give the love Milly wanted, still he tried to express love by giving her the complete freedom to do whatever she liked. Through this freedom, she tried to destroy Crocker Harris psychologically. And this led to his persistent ill health. This is where I completely dislike Milly. Due to his persistent ill health, Crocker expressed his students the reflection of his illness. This is why almost all of his students (except Taplow) disliked him.

But through his slow rebirth, Andrew Crocker Harris was able to admit his failures. And through admitting his failures, the students and everyone invited Crocker Harris to the world of Success. And in the end, we can conclude that Crocker Harris will survive and will finish the unfinished work, because of Taplow's appreciation.

I rate this film 10 out of 10, because of strong performances, Rattigan's great screenplay, and Asquith's brilliant direction. I also recommend everyone to watch The Winslow Boy (1948). I think that's another great film from Anthony Asquith.

Strauss' Great Waltz (1934)

Hitchcock's only Musical and a great one

[10/10 · 3 September 2008]

A Great Musical Film by Hitchcock. He made this film when he was at the lowest point of his career. But he put all of his efforts into this project.

I love the humor used in this film. I love the scenes where Esmond Knight develops his music by watching workers arrange the bread and other food.

"Fear" is one of the major elements in a Hitchcock film. In this film, we see the fear of being ignored, fear of failure, fear of losing someone you love." Edmund Gwenn was brilliant as Johann Strauss Sr. We can really see his fear through his actions and emotions. He is a man who is dedicated to the world of music. But he is getting old. And he is afraid that his career as a composer is almost over. And he is also afraid that he will be forgotten in the future years as a great composer who put all his great efforts for the world of music. For Example, Johann Strauss says to his son Young Strauss "You think I am already at a standstill. Perhaps even a back number." This is mentioned before Young Strauss plays his music in front of his father and other composers in the middle of the film. This is connected to Hitchcock's life during that time.

When Hitchcock was making this film, his career was in trouble. Like Gwenn's character Johann Strauss Sr, Hitchcock did think about his future years as a filmmaker. But I heard through Truffaut/Hitchcock audio interview that it didn't fortunately reach to a point where he "believed" his career was over. But he didn't have any projects for thriller genre during that time. So he ended up picking this musical project so that there will be some hope for him in the future as a great filmmaker.

With the help of his wife Alma Reville, he puts his fear into the character of Johann Strauss Sr. and his son Young Strauss. His wife Alma Reville co-wrote the screenplay.

Young Johann Strauss Jr. is afraid that he will never become a successful composer in the future. During that time, Hitchcock was concerned about his future career. Hitchcock's 2 previous films (Rich and Strange, No. 17) before this film were failures.

Jessie Matthews (Rasi) fears that she may lose Young Strauss to Countess Helga (Fay Compton). That's why she is jealous of Countess Helga. Fear can lead a human into becoming a cruel person. That's what see in character Johann Strauss Sr (Gwenn). In Hitchcock's film Saboteur (1942), Blind Man (Vaughan Glaser) asks his niece Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane) a question "Are you frightened, Pat? Is that what makes you so cruel?" We see this through the character of Strauss Sr too. Gustav (Frank Vosper) fears that his wife is having affair with another man. Hitchcock puts some of the film's humor through Gustav.

Hitchcock used lengthy shots in this film. Hitchcock used long take technique for the first time in Juno and Paycock. Here we see some lengthy shots in the film.

This film also shows Hitchcock's ability to make a film outside thriller genre.

Although this film is ignored, still I think it is a great film from Alfred Hitchcock. Even though Hitchcock wasn't really interested in this project, still he put a great deal of effort into this film through the script and the direction.

Like I mentioned before, another thing I love about this film is the personal elements applied by Hitchcock. For Example, the scene where Rasi's father comes and talks to Rasi about Johann Strauss Jr (Esmond Knight). Rasi's father says this to Rasi - "He (Strauss Jr.) will never make a baker. He hasn't his heart in it." This is like Hitchcock saying "I am not interested in making musicals. I am interested in making films in the thriller genre." I think these elements make this film stronger, because Hitchcock is giving his personal statements to the audience through this film in a subtle way.

In a way, I "thought" Countess Helga was a cunning lady villain. Countess Helga "really" did want Strauss Jr. to become a successful musician. But she cunningly used the idea of providing a successful music career to Strauss Jr. so that she could eliminate the love relationship between Strauss Jr. and Rasi. She was interested in Strauss Jr. romantically and she also knew that Rasi was jealous. But the love Strauss Jr. and Rasi have for each other comes from the bottom of their hearts.

When Rasi tries to leave Strauss Jr. in the middle of the film, Strauss Jr. comes to her and tells her that he loves her and he sacrifices his whole music career for her by becoming a baker. Even after Rasi tries to end the romantic relationship, she comes to save her beloved Strauss Jr. when she finds out that he is in danger. It must be noted that Strauss Jr. becomes a successful music career "mainly" because of Rasi. Strauss Jr.'s musical work comes to "fruition" only after Rasi gets involved in his work. It was Rasi who gives the "music tune" of success to Strauss Jr. Not Countess Helga. Through Rasi, Strauss Jr. succeeded with his musical work. Although Strauss Jr. gets his great success as a composer, still he reveals to Rasi that he is nothing without Rasi. Despite all the conflicts, the deep romantic feelings they (Strauss Jr. and Rasi) have for each other brings them back together in the end.

I liked performances especially from Jessie Matthews, Esmond Knight, and Edmund Gwenn. My request is give this film a second chance. Afterall, it is a film from Hitchcock. I rate this film 10 out of 10.

Batman: The Animated Series: P.O.V. (1992) Season 1, Episode 13

P.O.V - Spectrum's Brilliance

[10/10 · 30 July 2008]

Sean Catherine Derek and Laren Bright created the original story for P.O.V. Sean Catherine Derek and Laren Bright wrote the script based on their original story.

Original Story of P.O.V was very strong in structure. But BS&P didn't approve the story. This (below) was published in Animato Magazine around 1993. In Original Story, We cut out flashbacks to Montoya's youth when she was called a liar. And flashbacks to Bullock's youth when he was playing high-school football when his dad yells at him because he was using teamwork: 'Don't be a team player, be a star. Being a team player is for losers. Go out for Number One, Pal." There were many other interesting ideas in the original story. Sadly, BS&P didn't approve it. So Mitch Brian created another story to please BS&P. Its a lot different from Original Story. His story is what we see in the episode. Sean Catherine Derek and Laren Bright ended up writing the teleplay based on Mitch Brian's story.

But there are lots of strong points. Spectrum Animation Studio in Japan did the animation for this episode. I think Spectrum was best overseas animation studio for Batman TAS. If we look at episodes animated by Spectrum, then we will see how beautiful it is. In P.O.V, we see brilliant facial expressions of the characters, great action scenes, and many other things. Spectrum Animation Studio did the animation for episodes "Heart of Ice", "Vendetta", Robin's Reckoning Part 1, Its Never too Late, and On Leather Wings.

Alan Burnett, Eric Radomski, and Bruce Timm should have send more episodes to Spectrum. They only sent 6 episodes to Spectrum. But Spectrum did Layout services for few other episodes. But they didn't do the animation.

Producers of Batman should have done like Producer Davis Doi did with SWAT Kats. Majority of SWAT Kats Episodes were sent to Studio Mook in Japan for Animation. So the animation turned out to be great.

Batman Animated Series had great episodes. But many of the episodes became weak, because of the weak animation by Studios like Akom and Jade. But Producers made a great decision with this episode. Although the story is not great, still Animation by Spectrum makes this episode great.

Batman: The Animated Series: The Forgotten (1992) Season 1, Episode 23

Who is Bruce Wayne?

[9/10 · 26 July 2008]

This is an excellent episode, because of many reasons. Sean Catherine Derek, Jules Dennis, and Richard Mueller did a great job writing the script. Alfred finds out Bruce Wayne is missing. When Alfred smells danger, he uses his own method of finding Bruce Wayne. Its a simple way of showing how faithful Alfred is.

In this episode, we see that Bruce Wayne has amnesia. We see him working hard with others. He doesn't know who he is, because of his amnesia. But when he realizes who he is ("My family" flashback), he becomes far more stronger than other human beings. The script brilliantly shows what makes Bruce Wayne "Batman" and how he is different from other human beings. The flashback sequence is handled brilliantly by the writers.

Another good point is there are no major villains like Joker or Riddler or Mad Hatter in this episode. And this helps to focus more on the character of Bruce Wayne.

Batman: The Animated Series: The Cat and the Claw: Part I (1992) Season 1, Episode 1

The Cat and the Claw Part 1

[9/10 · 4 July 2008]

This episode has a great story and a brilliant teleplay. Story Editor Sean Catherine Derek, Laren Bright, Jules Dennis, and Richard Mueller did a great job.

Some of the Scenes are brilliant. For Example, Catwoman says "So Long, Dark Knight." We hear the line "Drop in, anytime." And we immediately see Batman. Many of the lines are great. Here are some examples - "Thanks for the Memento", "A Cat at the end of its nine lives" are great. This is something that I didn't really see in other episodes of Batman TAS. I remember another great line "I suggest that you save the flattering for the judge." I thought the conversation between James Gordon and Batman was great too. It was very different compared to other episodes. My favorite scene is where Selina Kyle says something like this "Still I wish it was Batman behind these doors." She opens and we see Bruce Wayne.

I thought Animation was brilliant especially the chase scenes between Catwoman and Batman in the beginning. Japanese Studio Sunrise did the animation for Part 1. Akom Animation did animation for Part 2 of The Cat and The Claw. Although the story and teleplay was brilliant, still I thought the animation was horrible for part 2. Producers should have sent the episode to Japanese studios like Sunrise or Studio Mook or Spectrum.

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996–1997)

Hanna Barbera's Jonny Quest Real Adventures

[10/10 · 28 June 2008]

I always enjoyed Hanna Barbera cartoons when I was young. They gave so many great cartoons.

Along with SWAT Kats, this was another great show from them in 1990s. I didn't care for First Season with the exception of few good episodes with Ezekiel Rage in it (written by Glenn Leopold who later became Story editor/writer of second season). I love the second season. Most of Second Season crew of this show came from SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron. There are wonderful second season episodes like More than Zero, Ghost Quest, General Winter, and many others. My favorite episodes are Undersea Urgency, Village of the Doomed, Other Space, and The Dark Mountain.

Glenn Leopold and Lance Falk are brilliant writers. They also wrote many episodes of SWAT Kats.

One of the things I love about Jonny Quest Real Adventures Second Season is the limitations of the characters just like in SWAT Kats. Dr. Quest is an excellent scientist. But he doesn't have fighting skills and military experience of Race Bannon. Race Bannon doesn't have the scientific skills of Dr. Quest although he is an excellent fighter and has great deal of military experience. Jessie Bannon follows the footsteps of Dr. Quest in Science and has great deal of knowledge in Music. Hadji has great deal of philosophical knowledge. He also knows a lot about the field of technology especially with the computer and follows the footsteps of Dr. Quest in the field of technology.

With Jonny Quest, he is a central character to the show due to the fact that he learns a little bit of everything from everybody around him. Although he can be impetuous, still his inquisitive mind and clever decisions often solve the problems. That is what I loved about the Second Season of Jonny Quest Real Adventures.

Tom & Jerry Kids Show (1990–1994)

Hanna Barbera's Tom and Jerry Kids

[8/10 · 24 June 2008]

I enjoyed this when I was young. It was released around 1990. It is a fun show to watch with kids. Its not as good as Tom and Jerry, The Smurfs or other great Hanna Barbera cartoons. Still there are lots of great things in it. Hanna Barbera Productions revived Droopy and Spike. Sometimes a villain can make a film or a show very memorable. I think this is the case with Tom and Jerry Kids. I thought Frank Welker's portrayal of McWolf made the show very memorable.

Don Messick did a great job playing Droopy. Charles Adler also did a great job playing Dripple. Some of Droopy and Dripple shorts were good and others were just OK. But Frank Welkers's portrayal of McWolf made many of these OK shorts memorable. It must be noted that the show also has a wonderful animation. My favorite Droopy and Dripple short is Droopio and Juliet. Another thing I liked about Tom and Jerry Kids is "sometimes" villain characters win at the end of the short. For Example, McWolf wins at the end of the short "A Thousand Clones." Droopy Delivers is another short with a good ending.

In Tom and Jerry Kids shorts, Young Tom also wins on some occasions. I like the idea of fair game in a cartoon. My favorite tom and Jerry short is Tulliver's Twist.

To me, even a weak Hanna Barbera cartoon is better than many cartoons that is released today. Hanna Barbera made wonderful cartoons like Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Jonny Quest, The Flinstones. And they also made different action cartoons in 90s like Pirates of Darkwater, SWAT Kats, and Jonny Quest Real Adventures.

I thought they always tried their best. That's what made them so special.

Downhill (1927)

Hitchcock meets Constance Collier

[9/10 · 15 June 2008]

This film is based on the play by Ivor Novello and Constance Collier. Constance Collier was also an actress. Alfred Hitchcock casted Constance Collier in Rope (1948). She played Mrs. Atwater in Rope (1948).

This is a Hitchcock film that influenced many of his later films. Hitchcock and Cinematographer Claude L. McDonnell used Deep Focus Photography in Downhill (1927). Hitchcock was using Deep Focus for the first time in this film. Hitchcock also used Deep Focus in some of his later films. Hitchcock's later films like Waltzes from Vienna (1934) and Rebecca (1940) are great examples.

This film also has lots of Hitchcock humor in it. Peashooting scene, Fighting between Ivor Novello and Ian Hunter, and Ian Hunter sneezing at the dog toy when he falls down after the fight with Ivor Novello are some great examples.

If you like Silent films, then this is a great Hitchcock Silent film. But it isn't a thriller. But an interesting drama.

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979–1983)

A Good Show for Kids

[9/10 · 6 March 2008]

This show started out with great mystery episodes. I think everyone is in the first 15 or 16 episodes. After that, the show started playing short episodes with Shaggy, Scooby doo, and Scrappy doo.

I think Hanna Barbera Productions had to change 20 minutes episodes into short episodes. Some of the voice actors became unavailable. After 15 or 16 episodes, Frank Welker (who played Fred) became unavailable. I believe the voice of Velma changes after first 11 episodes, because the first voice actress (Patricia Stevens)who played Velma was unavailable due to health reasons. So Marla Frumkin took over for the role of Velma. Lennie Weinrib who played Scrappy also became unavailable. I heard that this had to do with some of the voice actors being involved in the big 1980 strike. So Don Messick ended up playing both Scooby doo and Scrappy doo.

And the network ordered the Hanna Barbera studio to make more episodes. So they ended making shorts with Shaggy, Scooby doo, and Scrappy doo. I love the first 16 episodes, because these episodes had to do with mysteries. I liked other ones. But not as much as the first 16 episodes. But I cannot blame Hanna Barbera, because this happened due to the unavailability of voice actors and actresses who were involved in 1980 strike.

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)

Hitchcock's first true film

[9/10 · 3 January 2008]

According to Hitchcock/Truffaut Interview, Hitchcock told Truffaut that he considers The Lodger as his first true film.

As for me, I thought The Lodger was a brilliant film. Hitchcock's original ending wasn't used, because Ivor Novello was a big star at that time.

So a happy ending was used instead. But Hitchcock implied throughout the film that the lodger might be Jack the Ripper.

Although there is a happy ending shown in the film, still it is an open ending. You can pick your choice. Is he the avenger or not? There isn't a single evidence to prove that the lodger's story about his past and his sister is true. So it is upto the audience to pick the choice.

Hitchcock's camera shots are brilliant especially the scene where Ivor Novello is walking and chandelier is shaking. No. 13 is common in Hitchcock films. No. 13 is house no. where Daisy lives. We see the no. 13 on the front door when Ivor Novello's character knocks on the door in the beginning.

In Shadow of A Doubt, we see Joseph Cotten's character coming out of No. 13 door.

In Psycho, we see Car No. "NFB 418." NFB stands for Norman Francis Bates. Add the numbers - 4 + 1 + 8 = 13.

As for me, I liked it. The version I saw was brilliant. It is the black and white version released by St. Clair Vision in 2005. I didn't like Video/Film Express Version. But that's just my opinion.

I recommend this film for any Hitchcock admirers.

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Lonely Place (1964) Season 3, Episode 6

A Great Episode

[9/10 · 26 July 2007]

I liked this episode, because the performances from Teresa Wright (Stella) and Bruce Dern (Jesse) were great. The story is good.

The title itself shows what the story contains. This episode really shows how selfish and greedy a human can be. Selfishness and Greed destroys a human mind. Stella's husband Emery is a great example.

When Evil grows, Goodness collapses. That is one of the things that happened in this story.

I liked the setting, because it is different.

Like usual, Hitchcock's introduction and conclusion are also great. So I give this episode 9 out of 10.

Stage Fright (1950)

Stage Fright (1950) - Hitchcock at A Different Stage

[10/10 · 13 July 2007]

I found Stage Fright to be one of most Hitchcock's interesting films. After the failure of Hitchcock's previous films (The Paradine Case, Rope, and Under Capricorn), Hitchcock was given a small budget for Stage Fright. In audio interview with Truffaut, Hitchcock called Stage Fright "A Small Picture." But even in this small Hitchcock picture, I found several things interesting.

I don't know if anyone noticed this. if you rewatch this film, then you will see that the characters are telling one lie after another from the beginning of the movie. And the story builds up based on lies. But we see exactly the opposite on the last part of the film. The last part builds up by revealing the truths - one after another. And when we enter into the last portion of the film, we reach to a point where we never expected the film to reach. But the audience is concerned about it, because of the suspense Hitchcock uses.

I know Hitchcock felt guilty, because many critics told that lying flashback was a mistake. But I found it very interesting, because of several reasons.

I believe "the audience" is a character in Hitchcock films. The function of the audience is to watch and wait while Hitchcock intensifies their role by using suspense in the film. Let me give an example. A Suspense Scene from the film "Rope." Its the suspense scene where Mrs. Wilson clears the things on the chest to put the books inside the chest. If we take a closer look, then we will realize that the audience will be the "only one" who will be "heavily" concerned about opening the chest in that suspense scene. Unlike Mrs. Wilson, all the other characters in the film aren't focusing on both Mrs. Wilson and the chest, because they are busy talking about David.

When Jonathan is telling the flashback story (which he created) to Eve (Jane Wyman), he is not only giving a visual idea of the story to Eve, but also to the audience through his "viewpoint." We are not the only one who ended up believing his story. Eve believed his story too. So he ended up convincing both Eve and the audience. By traveling through Eve and her father (Alastair Sim), we watch and wait throughout the movie to find the solution. By the end, the audience feels cheated when they find out the truth. But to me, what the audience doesn't realize is that they were able to share a true moment of feeling with a character in the film. We are not the only ones who were cheated. Eve was also cheated too. Its one moment where a fictional character (Eve) and the audience share the same feeling - "They were deceived by Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd)." But the moment we see the horrifying side of Jonathan Cooper, we can completely feel the horror that is going through Eve. Both the audience and Eve feel the true feeling of danger, because both audience and Eve shared the same experience throughout the movie which is the desperation to find the solution. But when both the audience and Eve finds the truth, they both feel and share true moments of horror. Its not just Eve who wants to get out of that horrifying situation, but also the audience wants her to get out of there.

The story of the book "Outrun the Constable" also known as Man Running (the book Stage fright is based on) is very different. In the book, Freddie Williams is the killer. Jonathan Cooper in the book is innocent. In the book, Jonathan Cooper is called Jonathan Penrose. But Hitchcock always liked to make his own adaptation. Alfred Hitchcock entirely created this lying flashback for the film. From what I know of, One "main" reason why Hitchcock created this flashback was because of the main character's name "Eve." In the Bible, Eve was deceived by the serpent in the "beginning" days of mankind. In the film, Eve was deceived by Jonathan Cooper in the "beginning" of the film by telling the false story to her. Hitchcock always made Biblical references in his films.

For Example, the line in Foreign Correspondent - "You cry peace, Fisher. Peace. And there was no peace." This line was borrowed from the book of Jeremiah. The another example is The Man Who Knew too Much (1956) - The gunman at Albert Hall (Reggie Nalder) looks at the villain, because he is wearing the uniform of priest. The gunman says at the villain "What does the old proverb says? A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing." A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing was borrowed from Gospel of Matthew in New Testament Bible.

I want to post more information about Stage Fright. But I think it will be too long. I give this film 10 out of 10.

Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron (1993–1995)

An Excellent Hanna Barbera Show

[10/10 · 26 May 2005]

I loved Hanna Barbera cartoons. Swat Kats was one of the excellent shows of Hanna Barbera Productions.

Hanna Barbera studio didn't get a chance to finish those unfinished episodes, because of the sudden cancellation. Rough Drawings and other props of Unfinished episodes are still in the Hanna Barbera studio (now at Warner Bros).

What I loved about this show was the limitations of the characters. The limitations of the characters gave the show a realistic feel although it takes place in an anthropomorphic world. With Batman in Batman Animated Series, Batman (with or without the support of others) will be able to solve the problem in 22 minutes. That is not the case with SWAT Kats.

T-Bone is a great pilot and he knows every detail about flying a plane and he is also an expert in driving cars. But he is not a sureshot like Razor and he doesn't have the experience like Razor does in technologies. Razor knows how to fly the plane. But he is not as good as T-Bone and he doesn't have the experiences like T-Bone has in terms of flying a plane. This is the same thing that can be applied to Callie Briggs. With Callie, she goes out of her way to strongly support SWAT Kats and also save SWAT Kats from danger (Night of the Dark Kat) despite her limitations in fighting. In order to save SWAT Kats, Callie goes to the point where she is willing to marry the villain The Pastmaster (Episode "The Deadly Pyramid"). She also has strong emotional attachment towards SWAT Kats (Katastrophe) which makes her even more special

Through The Dark Side of the SWAT Kats, we learn that the existence of SWAT Kats also completely depends on Callie. If there are good SWAT Kats, then there will be a Good Callie. And when there are Dark SWAT Kats, then there will also be Dark Callie. This makes her character as important as T-Bone and Razor are.

With Commander Feral, He does have the efficient quality of being a commander. But he doesn't use it properly. His corrupt nature drives him to fire a brilliant pilot like Chance and a brilliant sure shot like Jake and he lets a corrupt Lieutenant like Steele be in charge when he is not around. This drives Megakat city to extreme level of danger.

With his niece Felina Feral, She is a great fighter. She also helps SWAT Kats in their investigations. But I feel that Callie is stronger and more interesting than Felina.

Felina is like Ann Gora of Kats Eye News. Ann Gora is truly dedicated to her job - an honest reporter at Kats Eye News. That is the same case with Felina who is also truly dedicated to her job - honest, brave, and hard working lieutenant. But not more than that. With Callie, She can also stand and strongly oppose against Feral for his opposition against SWAT Kats (Episode "Metal Urgency"). But with Felina, she can only persuade her Uncle Feral that SWAT Kats are good (Episode "Razor's Edge").

Despite the limited appearances, Dr. Aby Sinian (played by Linda Gary) is a strong supporting character. Despite his laziness, Mayor Manx allows Callie Briggs to run the city properly. This provides Callie Briggs the opportunity to support and save SWAT Kats. The villains in this show are extremely destructive. This makes the show very interesting. Strong villains usually make the stories more interesting.

Glenn Leopold's fast paced writing style and Lance Falk's plot twists made the show very interesting to watch. On the top of that, the show has a wonderful animation with Studio Mook animating most of the episodes and some by Han Ho Heung Up and this show also has wonderful music.

My personal favourite Swat Kats episode is "A Bright and Shiny Future".

Despite its abrupt cancellation, the show is still memorable among many fans and I hope the show will continue to remember among fans as one of the greatest works of art.