Hero Squared X-tra Sized Special 1 (January 2005)

Hero Squared is not high concept. Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis’s approach to it, however, is high concept. The plot’s simple–a Superman (and Captain Marvel) analog ends up in an alternate universe where Earth has no heroes (I think it’s Earth-3, pre-Crisis) and has to deal with his powerless alter ego. Oh, and the hero? He’s just a comic book hero on this Earth.

Except his powerless alter ego is a floundering, feckless twenty-something incapable of adult emotion. And the superhero? His entire universe has just been destroyed and he’s dealing with those events while trying to maintain the hero thing.

It’s excellent stuff. It’s a little awkward, pacing wise, since it’s a one shot, but Giffen and DeMatteis write fantastic dialogue; they establish their characters in two lines. Outstanding writing.

Joe Abraham’s art is mostly quite good, it’s sometimes off a little. But mostly good.

Serial Mom (1994, John Waters)

Serial Mom gets a lot of mileage out of its concept–Kathleen Turner’s June Cleaver as a serial killer (actually, spree killer)–before it runs out of gas. Sadly, once it does, all of the plot problems become clear. But then Waters brings it to court and Mom is reinvigorated. Turner’s not special during the first hour or so, but she’s fantastic for the last third, when she’s defending herself in court.

Waters’s script seems incredibly fast and loose (like parent-teacher conferences being called a PTA meeting). For a while, he’s able to get away with it as he introduces all these annoying sitcom-esque characters for Turner to murder. Then he brings in two lengthy chase sequences back-to-back and it crumbles.

It doesn’t help the second one involves Justin Whalin, who’s simply awful in the movie. Waters can get away with a lot of goofy casting (Suzanne Somers, Traci Lords–Bess Armstrong’s in it way too little) but Whalin’s incompetent.

The supporting cast is good. Sam Waterston’s the hapless husband, (way too old for high school) Matthew Lillard is the teenage son, Ricki Lake’s the daughter with self-image problems. Lake’s performance is a tad broad, but she’s still rather likable.

Robert M. Stevens’s photography is good–he and Waters use a vibrant color scheme (Baltimore’s probably never looked so nice)–and Basil Poledouris’s score is fun.

Unfortunately, Waters’s closing gag ruins the film. He can’t seem to decide what he wants to do with it.

1/4 ★

CREDITS

Written and directed by John Waters; director of photography, Robert M. Stevens; edited by Janice Hampton and Erica Huggins; music by Basil Poledouris; production designer, Vincent Peranio; produced by John Fiedler and Mark Tarlov; released by Savoy Pictures.

Starring Kathleen Turner (Beverly R. Sutphin), Sam Waterston (Eugene Sutphin, D.D.S.), Ricki Lake (Misty Sutphin), Matthew Lillard (Chip Sutphin), Scott Morgan (Detective Pike), Walt MacPherson (Detective Gracey), Justin Whalin (Scotty Barnhill), Patricia Dunnock (Birdie), Lonnie Horsey (Carl Pageant), Mink Stole (Dottie Hinkle) and Mary Jo Catlett (Rosemary Ackerman).


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Jennifer Blood 6 (November 2011)

Ennis’s time on Jennifer Blood does not end well. Not well at all. He doesn’t just not bring back the diary, like he promised, but he also totally changes the narrative approach.

This issue, for the most part, is a monologue from Jennifer Blood. There’s a little with the neighbor, which ends poorly as well. Ennis’s humor for the issue feels like watered down Preacher, plus watered down Punisher MAX violence.

What’s so inexplicable about Jennifer Blood is Ennis’s lack of interest in the series. He seems to have come up with the idea–the suburban housewife Frank Castle–and then immediately gave up on the series.

Baal isn’t any good on the talking heads stuff, but he could be a lot worse. I never thought I’d be saying it… but the issue’s problem isn’t the weak art, it’s Ennis.

It’s a waste of time for Ennis and the reader.

Jennifer Blood 5 (October 2011)

Kewber Baal takes over on art. They should have just gone with a different artist each issue. It would have, hopefully, encouraged Ennis to give each issue a specific tone. Instead of what he does now… regurgitating each previous issue with less effort.

This issue gives the reader Jennifer Blood’s backstory, which includes the revelation Jennifer was the mother’s name and Jennifer Blood refers to her parents by their first names. It doesn’t fit. It’s also incredibly confusing because Ennis is all of a sudden expecting the reader to remember the bland character names he’s been using in the series.

Baal’s art is more ambitious than his talent delivers. He draws all his women the same and doesn’t know how to do transitions. Between him and the flashbacks, the issue confounds.

There’s little narration here, which Ennis comments on. Pages late, sure, but at least he woke up to notice.

Baton Bunny (1959, Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow)

Baton Bunny casts Bugs as a perfectionist conductor who, during a performance, has to cope with wardrobe malfunctions and a bothersome fly.

The most interesting thing about the cartoon–and something I’ve never seen from a Bugs Bunny cartoon before–is how co-directors Jones and Levitow go out of their way to make Bugs cute. He’s not drawn cute–in fact, he’s quite ugly in some shots–but Jones and Levitow show his little fluff tail being cute as it dances to the music and his ears doing something. It’s odd, but at least it keeps one’s attention.

Sadly, even though Baton has good direction (sometimes great) and good animation, it’s boring. It’s not the best way to listen to the piece of music the orchestra plays and it’s not a good Bugs Bunny cartoon. Bugs is interchangeable with anyone in Baton.

At best, Baton‘s a tedious viewing experience.

1/3 Not Recommended

CREDITS

Directed by Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow; written by Michael Maltese; animated by Ken Harris, Richard Thompson and Ben Washam; edited by Treg Brown; music by Milt Franklyn; produced by John W. Burton; released by Warner Bros.


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Jennifer Blood 4 (September 2011)

Marz takes over Jennifer Blood and the results are disastrous.

He’s incapable of drawing human anatomy (everyone’s way too tall) and it kills anything the issue has going for it. Ennis introduces the Ninjettes this issue; they’re teenage hit girls so already he’s being somewhat derivative of Kick-Ass, which is sad. I don’t want to read derivative Ennis.

He spends a lot of time on them, maybe because Jennifer has so little going on this issue. He’s even cutting back on her first person narration and, with that reduction, Blood becomes more interesting to examine than to read. Maybe Ennis was contracted for an original property to Dynamite. I hope we get more Battlefields out of it.

The ending does come alive, a teensy bit, with the pervert, Nazi-looking neighbor. Had Ennis kept Blood in suburbia, it might have worked better because his revenge plot is dreadfully uninspired.

Jennifer Blood 3 (May 2011)

If I wanted to give Marcos Marz the benefit of the doubt, I’d say his style is meant to resemble those shampoo advertisements in hair saloons. The eighties looking ones with the sparsely illustrated woman in sunglasses.

But I don’t think he’s going for that effect. I think he’s really just a bad artist and Dynamite lower the page rate even more on Jennifer Blood.

It’s hard to talk about the issue once Marz takes over. Batista’s not a good artist, but he’s not as astoundingly bad as Marz.

The switch coincides with Ennis’s interest waning. He’s reusing old Punisher MAX set pieces, the plot’s getting predictable and the big reveal is sounding a little weak.

If this comic weren’t from Garth Ennis, there’d be no reason to read it. But as an Ennis comic, it’s more just a peculiarity than anything.

I’m not even invested enough to be disappointed.

The Business of Being Born (2008, Abby Epstein)

Watching The Business of Being Born, one has to wonder about the structure. It starts as an investigation into the way hospitals deliver babies in the United States (the responsibility is not entirely with the hospital, of course; the film opens discussing Manhattan mothers scheduling their cesarean sections). But the narrative changes course once director Epstein discovers she’s pregnant.

This development comes about halfway through the film, which ends soon after Epstein delivers. Given she’s not the subject of the documentary, it’s surprising how much of her private moments she includes. One’s never seen Michael Moore with his shirt off (I hope). But in the final few scenes, Epstein talks about working on the film and it suggests it may have gone somewhere quite different if she weren’t, you know, taking care of a baby.

So there are two films here. One is an inspiring, enthusiastic look at the connection between mother and child. It’s beautiful. Great music from Jason Moss and Andre Pluess–just a lovely experience.

But the film Epstein doesn’t finish is a lot more… useful. The startling rate of cesarean sections in the United States is something even the OB/GYNs interviewed for the film are mortified over. These same OB/GYNs dismiss the idea of midwifery and home births, which are statistically (taking the cesarean into account) safer.

The film is definitely worth seeing (even with an awkward, disconnected epilogue).

One has to wonder, however, if executive producer Ricki Lake affected her quirky hat obsession.

2/4 ★★

CREDITS

Directed by Abby Epstein; director of photography, Paulo Netto; edited by Madeleine Gavin; music by Jason Moss and Andre Pluess; produced by Epstein, Netto and Amy Slotnick; released by Red Envelope Entertainment.

Featuring Abby Epstein (Filmmaker), Paulo Netto (Abby’s Boyfriend and Filmmaker), Tina Cassidy (Journalist and Author of Birth), Robbie Davis-Floyd (Medical Anthropologist), Ina May Gaskin (Midwife), Nadine Goodman (Public Health Specialist), La Juana Huebner (Parent), Gregor Huebner (Parent), Cara Muhlhahn (Certified Nurse Midwife), Michel Odent (OB/GYN and Researcher), Mayra Vazquez (Parent), David Radzinski (Parent), Catherine Tanksley (Midwife), Julia Barnett Tracy (Parent), Van Tracy (Parent) and Ricki Lake (Actress and Producer).


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Jennifer Blood 2 (March 2011)

Ennis is still being a little coy about Jennifer Blood’s backstory–she’s not really a vigilante, she’s out for revenge against her crime lord uncles. She’s killing one an issue, which means things either need to complicate soon or it’s going to get boring.

It seems, from this issue, the complication might come from Jennifer’s new neighbors. The husband’s going to be an alpha male psychopath or something. The issue’s worst moment is when Ennis expects the reader to believe Jennifer’s husband would actually ask the Nazi-looking dude if he’s a bird-watcher.

I was expecting Jennifer Blood to get repetitive, but not on the second issue.

Ennis also runs into some more troubles with the diary-based first person narration. Is he really expecting the reader to believe Jennifer goes through it to remember to do items?

And Batista’s art seems to be getting worse. The issue’s art problems are immediately obvious.

Jennifer Blood 1 (February 2011)

Is Garth Ennis trying to make some Hollywood money? Jennifer Blood seems perfect for a movie or, better yet, an FX series. A suburban super-mom is secretly The Punisher. “Weeds” with guns instead of pot.

Ennis has written strong female characters in the past–sometimes exaggerating them to ludicrous extremes–but I think Blood is his first modern female protagonist. He had at least one in Battlefields. He goes out of his way to make Jennifer very normal, but it ends up getting him into trouble.

He does first person through her diary and doesn’t go far enough. The issue ends with her husband getting randy in the middle of the night and Ennis doesn’t give any insight into her boredom. Or maybe Adriano Batista’s art just fails.

Batista’s not ready for prime time in general.

The comic’s interesting, but only because it’s Ennis. On its own, it’s not.