michel gondry

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On DVD & Blu-Ray, 5/3/11: ‘The Green Hornet,’ ‘What Dreams May Come’

For the sake of brevity (and note that our definition of “brevity” is still, like, two-and-a-half hours), we have excised this segment from the show proper, but you can expect weekly updates on what’s new on DVD and Blu-ray. We will by no means cover all releases, not even all major releases. However, we can promise to alert you to releases that pique our interest. For a more complete listing of new releases, you can always scope out Video ETA; we do.

THE GREEN HORNET (DVD/Blu-ray/Three-Disc Combo)

 

I reviewed this in “Wow,” giving it . Basically, an uneven satire of supehero tropes with a visual style that’s ordinary by Michel Gondry standards, but still pretty interesting for a superhero movie. Also, an hilarious villain in the form of Inglourious Basterds‘ terrific Christoph Waltz.

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Top 100 Characters in Modern Pop Culture: #20-11

Last night, Paul and I continued our countdown of the Top 100 Characters in Modern Pop Culture with our penultimate installment, detailing our picks for #20-11. Be sure to listen to the show to hear everything we said, but here are some choice excerpts:

#20

PAUL: Westley/The Man in Black (The Princess Bride)

He bested the greatest swordsman, overpowered a giant, and outwitted a brilliant strategist. And then he got to be the one true love, thought lost at sea, now returned to his princess.

AJ: SS Colonel Hans Landa (Inglourious Basterds)

What makes Landa so terrifying is that he seems entirely bereft of a sense of morality; he manipulates himself into a position of power with whatever group seems to be on the winning side, caring little for past alliances or relationships.

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Top 100 Characters in Modern Pop Culture #60-51

Last week, Paul and I reached the halfway mark of our countdown of the Top 100 Characters in Modern Pop Culture. Here are excerpts of our thoughts on our picks for #s 60-51, but be sure to listen to the show for our full rundowns.

#60

PAUL: Vincent (Beauty and the Beast)

Speaking with a gruff but gentle whisper and all but hidden beneath an impressive leonine Rick Baker prosthesis (which didn’t, but absolutely should have, won awards), Perlman was the very definition of Romantic-with-a-capital-R misunderstood emo monster heroes for a generation.

AJ: John Locke (Lost)

His regained ability to walk gave him a new lease on life, and he looked at the island as a beautiful, supernatural force. He refused to leave, and tried to get the rest of the group to stay as well, believing them to be there for a greater purpose. The constant push-and-pull between Jack, the man of science, and Locke, the man of faith, became the series’ core thematic conflict.

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