Christmas Movie Review: ***^ Jingle all the Way

 This is a Christmas story of a different type.  It shows the commercialism around Christmas very well, as people fight for the perfect toy, an action figure, Turbo Man.  Most particularly Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Myran Larabee (Sinbad) are after the toy on Christmas Eve, which has long been sold out.  They fight and trick each other, and go to the radio station and look for the toy.  In the end, Langston ends up in a Turbo Man costume for the parade, and Larabee steals the Dementor (Turbo Man's enemy) costume and they face off over the toy.  This includes Larabee grabbing Langston's son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd).  Cameos to Robert Wagner as the police officer who keeps crossing paths with Langston and James Belushi as a store Santa Claus running a con game..  Langston must also contend with the divorced neighbor, Ted Maltin (Phil Hartman) who keeps hitting on his wife.

It has it funny parts, but sometimes the fighting is just over the top.  

DC Movie Review: *** The Flash (2023)

 Lots of action but the time line, multiverse thing is very confusing.  The Flash (Ezra Miller) goes back in time to save his mother.  He does so by changing something insignificant.  However he gets pushed out of his own timeline, and meets himself at a younger age.  And based on the changes he made, his mother is living, but the world is changed.  The superheroes are different.  We get Batman (Michael Keaton instead of George Clooney).  We do not have a Superman, but they rescue Supergirl (Sasha Calle).  They stand against someone from Krypton, General Zod (Michael Shannon),  come to conquer the world.  It isn't until The Flash realizes that things are hopeless.  He needs to go back and change what he changed to put things right. 

There were a cameos by Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Batman (George Clooney).  

This movie has its action, and it is so good to see Michael Keaton back in the Batman role.  However the plot is confusing with the different times or universes or whatever.  

DC Animated Movie Review: *** Superman: Doomsday (2007)

 In this Superman (Adam Baldwin) dies, a lot of times.  He faces a being from Krypton, made as a super warrior.  In killing the creature he too dies.  But that is not the end.  Lex Luthor (James Marsters) wanted to kill Superman and he feels cheated.  So Superman is restored by Lex Luthor who then kills him with red sun and kryptonite.  In the meantime  Luthor clones Superman.  The new Superman is not the same however.  He does not have qualms about killing others in keeping Gotham safe.  Luthor mentions he has a fail safe, so the new Superman finds the lead line Kryptonite ball in his head, and removes it.  In the meantime Superman does come back to life as his body heals itself.  He goes to face the cloned Superman before he is fully healed.  The cloned Superman destroys all the other clones Luthor has made, and leaves Luthor under a pile of rubble.  It is only with Lois Lane's (Anne Heche) help that he is able to bring done the cloned Superman.

DC Animated Movie Review: Batman: *** The Killing Joke (2016)

 This movie has an R rating, but other places it is TV14.  I feel it is more a TV14.  It has a few bloody animated scenes.  It has the Joker (Mark Hamill) being incredibly bad.  And Commissioner Gordon's daughter/ Batgirl (Tara Strong) is shot and her spinal cord severed, leaving her in a wheel chair.  The Commissioner (Ray Wise) is actually kidnapped, and the Joker does everything in his power to break him, but he doesn't break.  It is Batman (Kevin Conroy) who comes to rescue him.  Batman is torn between needing Batgirl's help and needing her to be safe.  

DC Animated Movie Review: ***Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

 This is an intriguing story.  Batman (Bruce Greenwood) is too late to save Robin (Alexander Martella) from the Joker (Joe DiMaggio).  The Joker beats him to death with a crow bar.  Batman does take him home and bury him.  Years later, a vigilante in a red hood (Jensen Ackles) appears and begins taking out the mob.  One of the mobsters finally breaks the Joker out of jail to protect them.  The Joker arranges for the Red Hood to be put in an awkward position of having to save people from the Joker.  Turns out however this is what the Red Hood wanted.  He is seeking revenge on the Joker, who killed him.  Robin was brought back to live by Ra's al Ghul (Jason Isaacs).  This lead to a classic confrontation.  Nightwing (Neal Patrick Harris) is also involved.  Very good show with lots of action.

DC Movie Review: **^ Catwoman (2004)

 Patience Phillips (Halle Berry) is basically a struggling commercial design artist, working for and belittled by her boss, George Hedare (Lambert Wilson) and his wife, Laurel Hedare (Sharon Stone).  She happens upon them as they discuss negative reports about their new beauty product; it causes bad skin problems.  Laurel orders her to be killed, and she is.  But she had met a cat who gave her multiple lives, and catlike abilities.  And so Phillips takes on two personalities, as Patience and as Catwoman.  She also has a love interest, a police officer, Tom Lone (Benjamin Bratt).  Catwoman had forgotten, but when she realizes she was really killed, she wants to get even with those who killed her.  

This will eventually lead her to Laurel, but after she killed her husband.  She frames Catwoman for the murder.  

This movie was corny through out.  There was some action, but sometimes it really looked fake.  I thought some interaction with Batman may have improved things.  

Music Review: Andrea Bocelli: My Christmas

 Andrea Bocelli: My Christmas was released in 2009.  It includes many traditional Christmas songs with Bocelli's high tenor voice.  It is very relaxing and mellow.  Several of the hymns are duets, "The Christmas Song" with Natalie Cole, "What Child is This" with Maty J. Blige has a very nice arrangement, and "Blue Christmas" with Reba McEntire.  He performs the "Lord's Prayer" with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and "Jingle Bells" with the Muppets.  "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" includes a children's choir.  It is a very catchy arrangement.