Animation

When my brother-in-law came to visit last week, it didn't take more than a few minutes of watching Blade Runner (one of his all-time-favorite movies) to convince him that he needed a Blu-ray player.  If one of your friends or relatives decided to go Blu, what would you recommend as a starter collection?  And not just things that make your home theater look and sound great, but movies or TV shows that you won't mind watching more than once.  Here are a few that jump to mind.  

• Planet Earth: The combination of stunning images and fascinating creatures is what convinced many people to go high-def.

• Blade Runner: Not only a top movie that looks great, but a lot of bonus material and a very reasonable price for five discs.

• Ratatouille: Something for the kids (and grown-ups) to watch, and looks spectacular. (I wouldn't mind swapping in Enchanted--part kids' movie, part romantic comedy, all fun.)

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: All the POTC movies look great.  I'd go with the first one, unless you really want the trilogy.

• Batman Begins: I figure this selection will eventually be replaced by The Dark Knight, but it's a good watch in the meantime.

• 2001:  A Space Odyssey: Maybe not a universally loved film, but who knew something 40 years old could look like this?

• I'll toss in Casino Royale and Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy to fill things out.

And even though they don't come out till later this year, I suspect The Godfather Collection, The Ultimate Matrix Collection, and Band of Brothers may also work themselves onto this list.  --David

Nothing goes together like Comic-Con and anime. Last week, I had the chance to chat with Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino--the creative team behind Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender--in San Diego. For the those not yet familiar with the show, it tells the story of 12-year old Aang, the reincarnated avatar, who must learn to "bend" the elements of air, earth, fire, and water to his will in order to save the world from the unnecessarily aggressive Fire Nation.

I had to ask: why end Avatar after only three seasons?

"We wanted to do an epic series," Bryan said. "Part of the pitch was that it had to have an ending. We didn’t want to lose the tension."

Mike and Bryan also discussed their inspirations including Bryan's interest in landscape painting, a shared enthusiasm for photography, yoga, and kung fu. (Bryan trains with the show's martial arts consultant.) Though both spent time in their earlier careers at the Film Roman animation studio working on series such as Family Guy and King of the Hill, they said their biggest takeaway was that they wanted to run Avatar differently--particularly by giving the Korean studios who help create the show more input.

Mike said they "got to do exactly what [they] set out to do" with Avatar the TV show, and fortunately for fans there's still a live action Airbender to come in 2010. According to Mike, M. Night Shyamalan signed on to direct after his daughter introduced him the show. Do they guys have any idea who will play Aang? Mike has thrown his hat into the ring, but hasn't yet heard back.  --Leah

See TV listings for Avatar at tvguide.com and stay tuned to Armchair Commentary for more from Comic-Con 2008.

I saw Wall-E on its opening weekend, and he's been a near-constant presence in my life ever since. My 5-year-old twins are thoroughly hung up on the adorable robot and his buddy Eve (or as they call her, Wall-E-style, "E-vah"). I, on the other hand, have not been able to get the songs out of my head. You see, Wall-E isn't just a robot with a mission: He's a robot with a movie: Hello Dolly on VHS(!). It's the 1969 film, starring Barbra Streisand. Anyway, I finally decided to make like Wall-E and watch the film (via download, not VHS, 'cause I'm a gal of my time). The casting is odd (Streisand's playing someone much older, with Walter Matthau as her love interest), but the overall experience is enjoyable, especially if you're an old-school Broadway fan like me. Gene Kelly directed, so the dancing scenes are great, especially when long-limbed legend Tommy Tune goes to town.

Wall-E's definitely centered in on the movie's finest moments: The uproariously optimistic "Sunday Clothes," and the ridiculously touching "It Only Takes a Moment." You'll also enjoy lines like "Let me tell ya something, son. I've worked hard and I've become rich and friendless and mean. And in America, that's about as far as you can go," as uttered by delightfully cumudgeonly Walter Matthau. Not so much will you love his singing, but he's game. Anyway, I can recommend no finer tonic for longing heart than "Moment" or for a tough day than "Sunday Clothes." (Read more about the musical and why Pixar chose it here.)  "Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out/Strut down the street and have your picture took/Dressed like a dream your spirits seem to turn about/That Sunday shine is a certain sign that you feel as fine as you look. ... There's no blue Monday in your Sunday clothes." -- Stephanie Reid-Simons

Here's another trailer from the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars for you.  --David

The newest Futurama movie, The Beast with a Billion Backs (check your favorite online reference if you don't know what "the beast with two backs" means), came out this week. Watch their shout-out to Amazon customers followed by a clip from the film below.  --David

Continuing Entertainment Weekly's 100 films from the past 25 years that will stand with the all-time greats over time. Numbers 50-26 are below.

50. THE PIANO (1993)
49. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)
48. SCARFACE (1983)
47. MEN IN BLACK (1997)
<------46. CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)
45. RAIN MAN (1988)
44. THE PLAYER (1992)
43. GLADIATOR (2000)
42. CLUELESS (1995)
41. DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993)
40. SPEED (1994)
39. THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)
38. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004)
37. PRETTY WOMAN (1990)----->
36. SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004)
35. THE INCREDIBLES (2004)
34. FARGO (1996)
33. THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985)
32. FIGHT CLUB (1999)
31. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005)
30. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... (1989)
29. THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004)
28. WINGS OF DESIRE (1988)
27. ALIENS (1986)
26. HOOP DREAMS (1994)
 

More to be revealed tomorrow... —Ellen

Continuing Entertainment Weekly's 100 films from the past 25 years that will stand with the all-time greats over time. Numbers 75-51 are below.

75. OUT OF AFRICA (1985)
74. DRUGSTORE COWBOY (1989)
73. OFFICE SPACE (1999)
72. THELMA & LOUISE (1991)
<------71. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
70. BROADCAST NEWS (1987)
69. ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (1999)
68. WITNESS (1985)
67. DONNIE BRASCO (1997)
66. NATURAL BORN KILLERS (1994)
65. DIRTY DANCING (1987)
64. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
63. BIG (1988)
62. SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE (1989)----->
61. BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984)
60. SCREAM (1996)
59. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997)
58. GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)
57. THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
56. THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2007)
55. RISKY BUSINESS (1983)
54. FATAL ATTRACTION (1987)
53. THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998)
52. THE NAKED GUN (1988)
51. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)

More to be revealed tomorrow... —Ellen

Another fun list from Entertainment Weekly: They're counting down the 100 films from the past 25 years that will stand with the all-time greats over time.