I went to my local Carmike Cinemas to see Quentin Tarentino’s latest opus, Inglourious Basterds, and I must say I was worried going in.  Reviews have been mixed, split right down the middle, but I was determined to see for myself what Tarentino was up to.  He’s easily one of my favorite filmmakers and any new offering from him is a welcome respite from the normal dreck I’m subjected to at the cinema.

Basterds is equal parts Dirty Dozen, Guns of Navarone and, perhaps The Young Lions as well as some French masterpiece about the love of cinema that I’ve never seen but am confident of its existence.   The film  is divided up into chapters that at times can seem disparate from each other, but all tie together nicely by the last couple of chapters of the movie.

The film is gory and fun, well-written and well-acted.  All in all this was a very, very solid entry into Tarentino’s filmography.

One particular aspect of the film that I loved more than most was how Tarentino seemed to pay homage to film projectionists, people who care about film, cinephiles and passionate people willing to battle the Nazi’s for what’s right.  There’s also a bit of a love-letter/history lesson about nitrate film and even the film itself is used in the plot to kill Hitler and his lieutenants.

Which is why it was so disappointing to me that I saw the film in a theatre that was projecting a 35mm print and the projectionists really didn’t seem to care.  From the get-go, the film was blurry at times, the print was scratched in a few key places, there were missplices at the reel changovers, there were missing frames, the credits burned out after 15 seconds and 3/4s of the film was slightly out of frame.  It was so frustrating to watch the film (which I enjoyed very much) run by a group of kids who obviously didn’t care enough about the film to play it properly.  But maybe that’s not fair, maybe Carmike Cinemas is to blame.  I worked as a projectionist for over 10 years and a lot of those were for Carmike Cinemas (I got laid off when they decided that four theatres in one building isn’t enough even though I think it’s two or three too man) and it’s a systemic problem they have.  They make the managers double as projectionists (which I did happily) but they give the management too many screens and things to take care of to truly make the projection top notch.

And as the credits started, the film began to burn, which is a shame, since I love watching credits and doubly so during Quentin Tarentino movies because the music is always so compelling.  (In fact the use of Ennio Morricone in this film made me very, very happy.) I went out in to the lobby to demand a refund for the poor projection and the breaking of the film, but, alas, I saw the last show of the night and the management was stretched so thin that there was literally no representative of the company there to even assuage my anger.

And so here I am, writing this.

If any representative of Carmike Cinemas manages to read this, I would be happy to accept a refund.  And I would also be happy to offer some suggestions to fix the problem.  Namely, hire dedicated projectionists that are cinephiles and actually care about film and make that their ONLY responsibility.  And don’t let them be in charge of more than 5 or 6 projectors at a time.  I know the company has a long history of tripping over dollars to pick up dimes (I saw it everyday as part of management there), but this is something that is too important to worry about the cost.

In the meantime, go find a digital projection version of Inglourious Basterds, or see it at an art house where the projectionists are far more likely to care that the film plays well.

On September 29, 2009 Warner Home Video will release the sixth DC Animated Universe feature length film, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies on DVD and Blu-ray. The film will feature an all-star voice cast, including Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly returning to the voices of Batman and Superman, respectively. Among the stars lending their voices to the heroes and villains of this movie is sci-fi favorite, LaVar Burton, who is voicing the hero, Black Lightning! Below you will find a little background on Burton and a Q&A interview with him that Warner was so kind to provide! And be sure to reserve your copy of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies on DVD and Blu-ray!

About LeVar Burton
Burton is forever beloved by the sci-fi crowd for his memorable performance as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation and its feature film versions. However, Burton has done far
more than go “where no man has gone before.”

In a career that essentially launched with his breakthrough performance in the landmark miniseries Roots, Burton has garnered seven Emmy Awards, three Image Awards, a Peabody as well as a Grammy, and in 1990 was permanently enshrined as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Along the way, Burton has been a virtual fixture on television screens – from his 176 episodes of Next Gen and 150 episodes of Reading Rainbow, to another 41 episodes of The $10,000 Pyramid and 58 episodes as Kwame in Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Along the way, he has
also directed several episodes of the last four Star Trek series (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise), appeared in feature films (most notably as Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ali), and
even spent some time in the recording booth for Batman: The Animated Series, Gargoyles and Family Guy.

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new Superman/Batman: Public Enemies on September 29, 2009 in a Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def edition, a special edition 2-disc DVD, and a single disc DVD. Warner Home Video will distribute the action-packed movie, which will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download that same day.

Burton’s turn as Black Lightning brought him back to the recording booth – and while he was there, he took the time to discuss the joys of playing a super hero, his childhood comic book memories on a
military base in Germany, the importance of reading, and the use of sci-fi as an inspiration for our future.

Q&A
QUESTION:
Was it difficult to settle on a voice for Black Lightning?

LEVAR BURTON:
I think everybody has a super hero that lives inside of them, so I just went to that place, that deep kind of super hero voice.

QUESTION:
What were your comic book habits as a kid?

LEVAR BURTON:
I grew up, part time, in Germany. My father was in the military, so we used to trade comic books for entertainment. On Saturdays, you took your box with all your comic books and you went around from apartment building to apartment building, trading comic books with the other American kids living on the base.  Television was in German (language), so we didn’t watch TV – we read comics. But this was
before black super heroes came around – they didn’t start appearing until the ’70s. So it’s mildly exciting for me to actually have a chance to play a black super hero today.

QUESTION:
Choose one: Batman or Superman?

LEVAR BURTON:
When I was a kid, it was always Batman over Superman. Batman had all the cool stuff, and he just had a vibe. Superman was the All-American guy but, with Batman, there’s a little something going on.  Batman’s history was a little edgier, and there was just something really attractive to me about the cowl. Superman is all out there, even though he does the Clark Kent thing, but Batman keeps his identity hidden.  He has this double life that’s very sexy, very attractive for a kid.  Not that I didn’t like Superman – the whole kryptonite thing is all well and good – but Batman was my guy.

QUESTION:
What makes comic books great literature?

LEVAR BURTON:
People ask me all the time, because I did Reading Rainbow on PBS for 25 years, “How do I get my kids to read?”  And I say, “Find something that they’re passionate about.” If it’s comic books that they want to read, then buy them comic books, for goodness sakes.  Comic books are good literature and, like science fiction, they have a tendency to really draw us toward that part of ourselves that imagines that which we create.

I’m one of those people that believes that there was some kid back in the 1960s watching Star Trek, and he kept seeing Captain Kirk pull out this communicator and flip it open – and  that kid grew up and became an engineer, a designer of products, and we now have a device that is more common than the toaster. How many flip phones do you see on a daily basis? That which we imagine is what we tend to manifest in third dimension –  that’s what human beings do, we are manifesting machines.  The metaphor of a man who has an external electronic device, something man-made that serves him and somehow serves humanity, and that he becomes so aligned with that device, with the power of that device, that at one point he can discard it – I think that’s a real metaphor for the human journey. One day we won’t need a transporter device to get from one place to another.  And it begins with the wheel and then migrates through airplanes to some future technology that we can’t produce yet but we can imagine.  Imagination is really the key part of the human journey, it’s the key to the process of manifesting what our heart’s desire is.

When I was a kid, it was comic books that pointed me in that direction and from comic books I went to science fiction literature, which is still one of my most favorite genres of literature to read.  Don’t underestimate the power of comics and what they represent for us and how they inform us on the journey of being human – because it’s powerful. It’s very powerful. They give us permission to contemplate what’s possible. And in this world, in this universe, there’s nothing that is not possible.  If you can dream it, you can do it.

QUESTION:
Can you appreciate the passion of the sci-fi fan?

LEVAR BURTON:
Oh yeah. Because I am one. When I was a kid, I read a lot of science fiction books and it was rare for me to see heroes of color in the pages of those novels.  Gene Roddenberry had a vision of the future,
and Star Trek was one that said to me, as a kid growing up in Sacramento, California, “When the future comes, there’s a place for you.”  I’ve said this many times, and Whoopi (Goldberg) feels the same
way – seeing Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of the Enterprise meant that we are a part of the future.  So I was a huge fan of the original series and to have grown up and become of that mythos, a part of that
family, and to represent people dealing with physical challenges, much like what Nichelle Nichols represented for people like Whoopi and myself, I can’t even begin to share with you what that means to me. It was just beyond the beyond.  So I get Star Trek fans, I get science fiction fans because, again, science fiction literature is that body of literature that causes us to ask what I feel are two of the most of
the most powerful words – in sequence, in language – “what if?”  And that’s an open door, that’s an open door to use your imagination to dream and to dream the big dream.  As an actor, I dress up for a living and I get paid for it so, to see a guy come to a convention in his costume that he’s made – it’s a good thing, you know. This guy isn’t out there beating his wife or kicking his dog, he’s engaging in
a healthy fantasy role-play.  I think too many grown ups forget how important that part of our lives are, the ability to imagine and to dream. So it’s all good.

QUESTION:
You’re Black Lightning for this film. If you could play any super hero role, do you have a role you covet?

LEVAR BURTON:
Well, I’ll start with Black Lightning.  That ain’t a bad place to start. I mean, come on, if you’re going to play a super hero, why not play the first real black super hero in the pantheon?  I’m good with that.

QUESTION:
Does voiceover work have any special appeal for you?

LEVAR BURTON:
I love voiceovers because, and I’m sure you hear this from actors all the time, but it’s kind of pure acting.  For many years on Next Gen, I wore this visor over my eyes and one of the things that I discovered
was that it’s really difficult to communicate, or it’s harder to communicate, when you can’t see someone’s eyes. As a result of playing Geordi, I really do recognize how important the voice is – and what a facile tool for communication the voice can be. When I was kid, we listened to radio a lot for entertainment and I remember how vivid that was for me. To this day, I listen to NPR and I love doing audio books – because it’s like it’s pure storytelling. It’s sitting around the fire and sharing stories, really engaging your imagination. So, as an actor, sitting in front of a microphone and creating is just so
much fun because it really does break it down to its most pure and elemental level.  It’s just you and the voice and the character telling a story.

QUESTION:
Does it ever feel odd to be acting all alone?

LEVAR BURTON:
Well, during the physical parts of the voiceover, when you’re doing all the action scenes, I think if you were an alien and dropped into a recording studio and were observing a session, you would really wonder about the sanity of the beings that you are observing. But it’s fun and it feels a little silly, but that’s what gets it done.  When they’re in that mode, I think actors are just big kids – and we like
playing in the sandbox.

For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at www.SupermanBatmanDVD.com.

With $820 million under their belt, Dreamworks and Paramount pictures are set to release the summer blockbuster, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on DVD and Blu-ray on October 20!

The 2-Disc Special Edition of the film on both DVD and Blu-ray will feature over 3 hours of additional content (see full specs below), including interviews with the cast and crew that chronicle the entire making of the film from development and design to filming in locations around the globe, working with the U.S. military, creating the groundbreaking visual effects and putting it all together.

Along with these special features, there will also be some interactive features as well that will contain easter eggs regarding Bay’s plans for the next installment of the Transformers franchise:

The Blu-ray and two-disc DVD packages also will feature augmented reality technology that will allow owners to interact with a holographic image of OPTIMUS PRIME utilizing their webcams and a special website. Fans will be asked to piece together the Matrix of Leadership to bring OPTIMUS PRIME back to life, help repair his armor and calibrate his weapons by actually controlling his aim during target practice.

As an added bonus, the Blu-ray will include an exclusive interactive feature that gives viewers the ability to customize their own robot characters and get a glimpse at a rogue robot. Out of all the available permutations, one will unlock an exclusive interview with Michael Bay about his plans for the next adventure. -Paramount Press Release

I quite enjoyed this film. I thought it was a lot of popcorn fun and the action was really solid. My biggest complaint about the film was the humor that they chose to put in it. For whatever reason, they decided this time around dubious amounts of bathroom humor should be in the film; it’s not that I was offended in anyway, I just thought the humor was not… humerous. That aside though, I think a lot of Transformers fans out there lost sight that this is a movie franshise based on a line of Toys (which was of course followed by cartoons) and were overly critical about a movie about transforming fighting robots. I watched and played with Transformers just as much as the next kid in the 80’s and early 90’s and I thought the movie was some good summer movie fun, even if you do have to turn your brain off for a few hours…

For those of you like me that plan to pick this up on October 20, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is available now for pre-order on Amazon.com!

Synopsis:
The battle for Earth continues in this action-packed blockbuster from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg. When college-bound Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) learns the truth about the ancient origins of the TRANSFORMERS robots, he must accept his destiny and join OPTIMUS PRIME and BUMBLEBEE in their epic battle against the DECEPTICONS, who have returned stronger than ever with a plan to destroy our world.

Two-Disc Special Edition DVD & Blu-ray:
The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen two-disc Special Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The Blu-ray will be presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. The disc breakdown is as follows:

Disc 1:
• Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman

Disc 2:
• The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen—This multi-chapter documentary chronicles the entire creation of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew:
o Seeds of Vengeance – Development and Design – After the overwhelming success of 2007’s Transformers, how do the filmmakers top themselves for the sequel?
o Domestic Destruction – Production: United States – Michael Bay believes in going big: Big action and big explosions. Cast and crew are pushed to the limit as they traverse the U.S. from New Mexico to Pennsylvania.
o Joint Operations – Production: Military – No other filmmaker in the world enjoys the kind of military access and cooperation Michael Bay has. Here we see just how efficient our armed forces are and the awe and respect shown by the cast.
o Wonders of the World – Production: Middle East – You can’t really reproduce Egypt anywhere but Egypt so off we go to Giza and Luxor.
o Start Making Sense – Editing – In order to turn over the massive amount of film as quickly as possible to VFX, four editors work tirelessly in a unique tag-team approach to shape the film.
o Under the Gun – Visual Effects – Revenge of the Fallen features the most complicated VFX in film history. So complicated in fact that the filmmakers were unsure they would make the deadline. The DEVASTATOR VFX alone required 83% of ILM’s total render farm capacity.
o Running the Gauntlet – Post-Production and Release – Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timing and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres.

• A Day with Bay: Tokyo—An intimate and fun all-access journey with Michael Bay as he travels to Tokyo, Japan tor the world premiere of the biggest film of the year.
• 25 Years of TRANSFORMERS—Access an all-new featurette celebrating a monumental milestone for one of Hasbro’s most successful and popular franchises.
• NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—Explore conceptual artwork created by the production for 12 of the most popular AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS from the film.
• Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto— A series of multi-angle pre-visualization sequences allowing viewers to learn how some of the film’s most spectacular scenes were created with an introduction by Michael Bay.
• Extended Scensly in a unique tag-team approach to shape the film.
o Under the Gun – Visual Effects – Revenge of the Fallen features the most complicated VFX in film history. So complicated in fact that the filmmakers were unsure they would make the deadline. The DEVASTATOR VFX alone required 83% of ILM’s total render farm capacity.
o Running the Gauntlet – Post-Production and Release – Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timing and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres.

• A Day with Bay: Tokyo—An intimate and fun all-access journey with Michael Bay as he travels to Tokyo, Japan tor the world premiere of the biggest film of the year.
• 25 Years of TRANSFORMERS—Access an all-new featurette celebrating a monumental milestone for one of Hasbro’s most successful and popular franchises.
• NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—Explore conceptual artwork created by the production for 12 of the most popular AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS from the film.
• Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto— A series of multi-angle pre-visualization sequences allowing viewers to learn how some of the film’s most spectacular scenes were created with an introduction by Michael Bay.
• Extended Scenes
• Music Video: Linkin Park’s “New Divide”

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE:
• The ALLSPARK Experiment—Viewers get their chance to unleash the power of the recently recovered ALLSPARK shard on Earth vehicles. Begin by selecting and customizing a vehicle with a selection of parts and accessories. Then apply the ALLSPARK to this creation and watch what happens. Applying the ALLSPARK to certain custom combinations enables four new robot characters with special powers. If viewers discover all four, they unlock a fifth vehicle, which reveals a top secret message about the future of the TRANSFORMERS movie franchise.
• NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—A database of some of the TRANSFORMERS characters that appear in the new film, offering users access to each robot’s confidential file including:
o Innovative 3D spin galleries of each robot
o A timeline for each TRANSFORMERS character charting its origins, back story and design evolution from toys to animated series to comics and finally feature films
• Giant Effing Movie – A very personal look at the making of the movie.
• The Matrix of Marketing—An archive of the film’s promotional media including trailers, posters and television spots.

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has announced the release and the deatails for the Marvel 6 Film Set that will be released later this year on October 13 for around $50.

The set will include the 6 animated feature films that Marvel has released so far. Each film will include the special features it came with upon its original single-disc release (specs below). This seems to be a good deal if you have yet to pick up any of Marvel’s animated features yet as you will be paying less than $10 a film. All of these are worth viewing, and in my opinion, worth owning if you are a Marvel/superhero fan.

The Marvel 6 Film Set is available for pre-order now over at Amazon.

DVD Specs:

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie
• “Avengers Assemble” featurette
• The Ultimate Voice Talent Search
• What Avenger Are You? DVD-Rom game
• First Look at Ultimate Avengers 2
• Avengers Trivia Track

Ultimate Avengers 2
• “The Ultimates” featurette
• The Ultimate Gag Reel
• First Look at The Invincible Iron Man
• First Look at Doctor Strange
• What Avenger are You? DVD-Rom game

The Invincible Iron Man
• Alternate Opening Sequence
• “The Origin of Iron Man” featurette
• The Hall of Iron Man Armor
• Iron Man Concept Art
• A Look at Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange
• The Best of Marvel Videogame Cinematics
• “Who is Doctor Strange?” featurette
• A First Look at Avengers Reborn
• Doctor Strange Concept Art

Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow
• “Legacy: The Making of Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow” featurette
• A First Look at “Hulk Vs. Wolverine”
• A First Look at “Hulk Vs. Thor”
• “Kid Power: Next-Gen Marvel” featurette

Hulk Vs.
• Hulk Vs Wolverine: Audio Commentary with Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
• Hulk Vs Thor: Audio Commentary with Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
• “First Look – Wolverine and the X-Men” featurette
• “First Look – Thor: Tales of Asgard” featurette

John C. McGinley of Scrubs fame is providing the voice of the super villain Metallo in the next DCAU feature, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Warner Bros. has been kind enough to provide us with a Q&A with Mr. McGinley with regards to this latest film!

About Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new Superman/Batman: Public Enemies on September 29, 2009 in a Blu-Ray^TM Hi-Def edition, a special edition 2-disc DVD, and a single disc DVD. Warner Home Video will distribute the action-packed movie, which will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download that same day.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is based on the popular Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuinness comic series/graphic novel. Animation legend Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday, Green Lantern) is executive producer. Michael Goguen (Justice League: The New Frontier) is supervising producer. Sam Liu (The Batman) is directing a script written by Stan Berkowitz (Justice League: The New Frontier).

In the film, United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming trajectory of a Kryptonite asteroid to frame Superman and declare a $1 billion bounty on the heads of the Man of Steel and his “partner in crime,” Batman. Heroes and villains alike launch a relentless pursuit of Superman and Batman, who must unite – and recruit help – to stave off the action-packed onslaught, stop the asteroid, and uncover Luthor’s devious plot to take command of far more than North America.

About John C. McGinley

From the trauma of war in Oliver Stone films to hospital humor on Scrubs, John C. McGinley has covered the acting gamut. But in his latest role – as the voice of Metallo in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies – McGinley finally gets to delve into a characterization he has rarely been offered: pure villainy.

McGinley voices one of the featured villains in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, a blockbuster blast of super heroes and villains alike that includes the voices of Kevin Conroy (Batman), Tim Daly (Superman), Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor), Allison Mack (Power Girl), Xander Berkeley (Captain Atom), Ricardo Chavira (Major Force), LeVar Burton (Black Lightning), CCH Pounder (Amanda Waller) and a host of others.

McGinley has crafted a well-rounded career in film and television, forcing audiences to instantly take note with his performances in Oliver Stone films like Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July. McGinley has garnered top-notch reviews for his turns in Any Given Sunday, Office Space, Wall Street, The Rock, Nixon and Point Break, and he is instantly recognizable to television audiences for his portrayal of the sarcastic, abusive, hilarious Dr. Cox in 169 episodes of Scrubs. Mc Ginley is also no stranger to animation, having spent significant hours in the sound booth recording for The Boondocks, Justice League (as The Atom), WordGirl (as The Whammer) and in guest
spots on King of the Hill, Kim Possible, Robot Chicken and Spider-Man.

Q & A
QUESTION:
What were the joys and challenges of getting behind a microphone for a character like Metallo?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
It’s a real treat to collaborate with the creative folks once you get in the booth. Ten out of ten times the people on the other side of the glass know the character better than you are ever going to – they have been working on this for months or years. All you can do is try to return serve because you are given all this wonderful, precise direction. I’ve found over the years it is really, really helpful to just integrate and go. It’s also a treat that the people on the other
side of the glass are pretty much the top one percent of their industry, and I get to have this kind of creative input. You get on a lot of film sets and everybody is rolling the dice. Everybody is guessing their best. The people in that booth are not guessing, they know this stuff backwards. That to me is a huge asset.
QUESTION:
What were your impressions of the script for Superman/Batman: Public Enemies?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
The fun part for me showing up on any set is the preparation. A lot of times when you are doing a play or a film, things are going to go wrong. You’re going to lose the light or the sound is going to stop working. Even in a controlled environment like that booth, which lends itself to things going right and to things flourishing, there are sometimes things that can go wrong and, thus, compromises will need to be made. So it behooves the actor to come loaded for bear. If you are 100 percent ready and we have to make 40 percent compromises, then unless you have that other 60 percent ready it is going to kind of just go flat instead of elevating it. My favorite thing, which may sound a little presumptuous, is to try to elevate the material.
QUESTION:
Did you enter the world of super heroes through comic books or otherwise?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
My earliest memories of Batman are watching the live-action series with Batman and Robin. That was the coolest Batmobile and you had Frank Gorshin as the Riddler and Caesar Romero being the Joker. As far as Superman goes, it was more about the Christopher Reeve films. I was not a comic book reader. When we played as kids, we were always acting out stuff we saw Batman doing , or the Green Hornet or Aquaman. But that inspiration came from Saturday morning cartoons and not proper comic books.
QUESTION:
As a non-comics reader, does voicing a comic character still lend itself to some child-like thrill for you?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
Well, of course, it is big fat privilege to work with these characters – and it is really fun now with Hi-Def. It just kind of jumps off the screen, and the transfers (to Hi-Def) are so beautiful now and perfect. It’s completely thrilling because the state of the art has exceeded anybody’s wildest expectations. It is astonishing. It is not as fun to see my voice come out of a character as it is really rewarding. To be a tiny component in the evolution of animation as the voice of a character is thrilling.

My son is old enough to hear and recognize my voice coming out of the characters, but it doesn’t resonate with him yet. My daughter will, and that is pretty cool. Not necessarily to be a killer robot, but we will see how things evolve.
QUESTION:
Actors tend to be very self-critical. Is it easier to watch an animated film with your voice coming out of a character than it is to watch yourself on-screen in live-action productions?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
If I have a script early enough, I have a room set aside in our house as a rehearsal space. I set up a camera and I rehearse in front of the camera, especially for Dr. Cox on Scrubs, who has these long two-page, single-space rants. So it is almost like somebody practicing foul shots. It sounds simple – go to the free throw line and shoot a foul shot. But Larry Bird shot a million foul shots in French Lick before he ever tried for Indiana State or the Boston Celtics. So I
feel like if you have text early enough, it really is in the actor’s best interests to go just hash about in front of a lens.

One thing the lens does is it exposes bad habits. Like an X-ray machine taking a picture of a fracture. We all have nervous ticks, things we do when you can’t remember a line. But if you watch yourself, you can see for yourself – the camera exposes those liabilities like an X-ray machine. So yes, I watch myself on film as much as possible because the learning curve just objectively is through the roof.
QUESTION:
You’ve worked with some impressive live-action directors. What’s it like working with Andrea Romano in the animated realm?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
Andrea Romano is not dissimilar to Oliver Stone in a lot of ways, in as much as they’re both like a thoroughbred at The Kentucky Derby. They both put on creative blinders like a thoroughbred. Oliver and Andrea both put on blinders and invite you into that narrow creative vision which is the perfect division for the piece. So that you don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to guess. Come right inside here and it is going to be good. When you come in there with Oliver Stone or with Andrea, it is Nirvana. You will now shine.
QUESTION:
We’ve heard the expression, but can you define a John C. McGinley “type”?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
The John C. McGinley type usually is one of about seven different things. It is a niche that I fell into, not of my own doing, but it became the part in the films where either you are the best friend, the co-worker, the bad guy, the brother who dies and compels the hero into action in the third act, the boss, now the father of the kids, the head of the hospital usually in a position of authority. For a long time there was a group of us – Ving Rhames, me and about a half a dozen other guys – who would be the component in the story. Who would reiterate the who, what, where, when and how a couple times throughout the movie. You need somebody who can speak the speech without getting in the way of the speech. The hero is not going to do that. So every once in a while throughout the progression of a story, we need to be reminded where the bomb is, when it is going to go off and who the bad guys are. So that the hero can do his job. That “type” has paid the bills for a long time.
QUESTION:
You’re a bit of a super hero yourself as the national spokesperson for the National Down Syndrome Society’s Buddy Walk. What’s the essence of this endeavor?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
The Buddy Walk is our national day of empowerment, encouragement and elevation. There are nearly 300 walks that happen in September and October throughout the United States – and these are great, great days. When you have a child born with special needs, a lot of parents think they did something wrong. They beat themselves up and they don’t
realize that there is a much larger community out there who also have kids with special needs. This is a day of inclusion, where we want people to know that you have a chance now to be a great parent, which is what it is going to take. The day is as much about including and loving the caregivers as it is about the kids. We attempt to raise
money, but that is not really my mantra. It is about coming out and just getting the love. It is all about introducing people to nutritional intervention and further education. It’s a short walk – not a marathon, just a mile. And it is a lovely day where we include, elevate and celebrate the similarities that the children and the parents have instead of their differences. It’s a very important cause.

For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s
official website at www.SupermanBatmanDVD.com.

Big Shiny Robot is giving away THREE copies of the indie movie, Dakota Skye, on DVD! The film follows a 17 year-old girl who has the supernatural ability to recognize a lie as it’s being told. Now a cynic, Dakota becomes interested in her boyfriend’s best friend who appears to never lie, or is he just able to conceal it?

Dakota Skye is a charming indie release and racked up six awards during its run in film festivals back in 2008 and will make a solid addition to anyone’s DVD collection. So, how do you win a copy?

It’s simple, and there are two ways to enter! Just go to Big Shiny Robot’s Facebook fan page and leave a message on the Dakota Skye story saying “Give me a copy of Dakota Skye on DVD!” and your name will automatically be entered to win a copy, absolutely free! We will contact you to request your shipping information if you are selected as a winner. The other way to enter is to simply send us an e-mail (bigshinyrobot@gmail.com) with the subject line “Give me a copy of Dakota Skye on DVD!” with your contact information.

You have until Sunday to enter! Good luck!

Imagine having the ability to recognize a lie – any lie – as it is being told. The idea sounds appealing, until fully thought through. DAKOTA SKYE explores this concept through a gifted 17 year-old girl, who, unable to trust the people she loves, grows disillusioned with life. Newcomer Eileen Boylan (Sleepover, “South of Nowhere”) charmed audiences with her fresh performance as Dakota Skye as the film earned six awards during its 2008 film festival run. This summer, DAKOTA SKYE debuts on DVD loaded with special features including an audio commentary, making-of documentary, outtakes and bloopers, and more. DAKOTA SKYE arrives in-stores July 21 for $24.98SRP from E1 Entertainment.

“In this era of unorthodox superheroes on both screens large (Hancock) and small (TV’s “Heroes”), Dakota Skye manages to fly high.”

– Creative Loafing

For as long as she could remember, Dakota Skye (Boylan) has been cursed with a super power; she has the ability to see the truth in any lie she hears. From small, harmless white lies, to the more devious kind, they have come from the people that she should trust the most; her family, friends and teachers. Now 17, cynical and aloof, she finds little joy in life, until her boyfriend’s best friend Jonah (Ian Nelson) comes to town. Unlike everyone else, Jonah doesn’t lie. But is he really that squeaky-clean, or is he Dakota’s arch-nemesis, a villain who has found a way to conceal his deceit from her?

The Criterion Collection is putting out the Blu-ray version of Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha out today. I reviewed this title two weeks ago and I must say I was quite taken with it. (You can read the full review here.) Long story short, this is worth upgrading to the Blu-ray for. It’s quite a breathtaking disc all around.

The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season hits shelves today. Season 12 ran from from November 2000 until May 2001. During that time, there were some pretty classic episodes (like Lisa the Tree Hugger, Worst Episode Ever, Bye Bye Nerdie, and one of the best episodes in a long time, The Trilogy of Error.) It would only be a few more years after this season that I stopped watching Simpsons religiously. But I suppose that had more to do with the cancellation of Futurama than the Simpsons.

For its 25th Anniversary, The Last Starfighter is coming out on Blu-ray. This is good news for 80s sci-fi nerds like myself.

The John August scripted Go is coming to Blu-ray today. August is currently writing the adaptation of the Preacher series, it’ll be interesting to see how his work has evolved from then to now.

I’m going to try to start to do a family movie night pick of the week and to that end, Disney has two good releases coming out today. My favorite of the two? Donald in Mathmagic Land. This was a staple for me on the Disney Channel growing up and I’m glad kids today will have a chance to see it.

The other is the “High Flying” edition of the seemingly oft-overlooked Pete’s Dragon. This was a special effects extravaganza musical that is one of the most satisfying live action films Disney had to offer. Included on the disc is a far too short documentary about the history of the effects that went into the making this picture. It’s chock full of deleted bits, cartoons, alternate takes of songs and other special features. This is certainly a disc you should get for the kids.

Be sure to check out Arse-bot’s highlights and lowlights over at his Examiner page!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film Collection comes out on Blu-ray today and I can’t emphasize enough how good this is. Sure, the second and third film in the trilogy aren’t that great, and your kids will like them just fine. But, the original movie… It’s a thing of perfect beauty. It is perhaps the finest comic-book movie of the 1990s. Sure, it wasn’t a hard thing to do, but this film was fantastic. It’s also incredibly quotable. I find myself quoting it quite frequently. The thing this got right more than most other iterations of the Turtles was the relationship between the brothers. Raphael and Leonardo in this film set the tone for how I liked to see the Turtles from here on out. I apologize if I’m spending an inordinate amount of words on this set, but the first Turtles picture is easily one of my favorite movies ever. The fourth movie in the box was the extremely fun 2007 CGI film directed by Kevin Munroe.

Lone Wolf and Cub TV Collection Volume 1 is something I’m very keen to check out. I have a deep and gorgeous thirst for Samurai pictures (thanks to an early obsession with Akira Kurosawa) and I love the Lone Wolf and Cub series thanks to Dark Horse comics. This is a match made in heaven.

Roman Polanski’s criminally underrated The Ninth Gate came out on Blu-ray today. Hopefully Johnny Depp can woo some of his fans toward this really interesting film from a great filmmaker. He plays an antique book dealer who ends up finding a gate to Hell. Very good stuff.

I Love You, Man came out. I didn’t see it, but I like Paul Rudd and think this looked pretty funny. I’ll be checking it out at some point soon for sure.

The last thing I’d like to point out today is Chris Isaak: Greatest Hits – Live. I’ve had this on a continual loop on my computer as I work for a couple of days now. Ever since I was a kid, watching the “>Wicked Game music video on MTV as a youth, I’ve been terribly interested in Chris Isaak’s work and this is just a great concert to have on DVD. My only beef with it was that the audience seemed far too well-lit for a show like this to the point where it felt a little unnatural. All in all though, this is a great disc and I really think you should pick one up. I mean, if you like Chris Isaak. Which I do.

Be sure to check out Arse-bot’s highlights and lowlights from this week’s releases over at his examiner page!

The follow up to the hit comedy, Road Trip, Road Trip: Beer Pong, is hitting DVD on Tuesday, August 11! If you want to get a free copy of the unrated version of Road Trip: Beer Pong then you are in luck!

Arse-bot’s alter-ego is giving away three copies of this sequel over at Examiner and it’s easy to enter to win! All you have to do is shoot him a reply on Twitter @tysonhuber and tell him, briefly, the craziest experience to ever happen to you on a Road Trip/Vacation! Three winners will be selected and will receive a copy of Road Trip: Beer Pong: Unrated! Winners will be announced on Monday, August 10 and will have their winning submissions posted on the SLC DVD Examiner page at Examiner.com. You must be 17 or older to enter.

Good luck!

Big Trouble in Little China is out on Blu-ray today and this is a most important release. There are few adventures on film as great as those of Jack Burton and his epic showdown with Lo Pan for the souls of the green-eyed girls. This is perhaps one of the best tongue-in-cheek 80s action comedies ever made. Besides that, it’s all in the reflexes.

Billy Bob Thornton’s iconic Sling Blade hits Blu-ray today. This was perhaps one of the finest performances anyone has ever directed themselves to and it’s about time Miramax is releasing films of this caliber in a high definition format. The transfer on the film is surprising for an independent film of this era, proving once again that Blu-ray is the way to go. Special Features include a very, very interesting to listen to and informative commentary by Billy Bob Thornton, a Bravo profile of the director, and a number of other behind the scenes supplements that help viewers explore not only the film, but the making of. This is high on my list of recommendations.

Mutant Chronicles is coming out today. This film has a tremendous cast (Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, and John Malkovich) and looked reasonably cool. I was hoping to see it in the theatre, but it seems to have skipped theatres and gone right to DVD. Usually that’s not a good sign, but this movie still looked like fun, so I’m planning on checking it out.

Today, you’ll also be able to get an extremely cheap Korean pressing of The African Queen. For some reason, this movie has eluded a DVD release of any kind. I’m not sure what the quality is like, but it’s better than no copy at all.

That’s pretty much everything of note this week.  I’ll be back next week, you can write it down.