Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997 (Batman / Batman Returns / Batman Forever / Batman & Robin) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review is for the "Batman Anthology" set, where each movie is packaged in a new, 2-disc special edition. There is also an older, "Batman Legacy" set with the bare-bones editions, and Amazon seems to be grouping the two reviews together.
It's about time that Warner Home Video has finally given these superhero films the two disc, special-edition treatment they deserve. Each film comes with restored/enhanced video and audio, and all the special features one expects from a current dvd release these days; we get commentaries, archival music videos and trailers, making-of featurettes, interviews, retrospectives, and deleted scenes. The last bit will be of special interest to some fans, especially because the Batman Forever DVD finally includes those missing sequences we saw in the storybooks and trading cards (though they appear here in rough form). Also of interest to fans of the animated series is the abandoned "Robin sequence" from the original movie, where they got Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil to bring the storyboards to life. Overall the special features are excellent, and these special editions are not a cheap double-dip.
The big question is if you should shell out for the box set, which includes the generally reviled "Batman and Robin." Personally I completely love the first three movies, and since the box set is about the price of buying them seperately or even cheaper, I'd say go for it. The Batman and Robin edition has enough special features to be worth the investment, and besides that the complete box set just looks nicer on my shelf. If you only like two of the four movies, it's a harder decision. If you can guarantee to yourself that you'll never be tempted to pick up more than two of the films, grab them individually. But if you're a collector who might eventually cave-in and get the others for completion's sake, the best bet is to buy the box set now.
Either way, it's nice to finally own these films with all the trimmings.

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This year the BAT goes BLU…BATMAN - Batman (Michael Keaton) vs. The Joker (Jack Nicholson) in the amazing first extravaganza! With Kim Basinger. BATMAN RETURNS - The Bat (Michael Keaton), the Cat (Michelle Pfeiffer), the Penguin (Danny DeVito). And Christopher Walken, too! BATMAN FOREVER - Riddle me this: The Dark Knight (Val Kilmer) bat-battles Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carrey). With Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell. BATMAN & ROBIN - Will Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) put the world on ice? George Clooney wears the hero's cape. Also with Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone. All four box office hits on Blu-Ray for the very first time!

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Backwoods (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I didn't have high expectations for this movie. To my way of thinking, the world already has more than enough B-horror movies featuring a group of young people going out into the woods and being attacked by a bunch of dirty, disgusting backwoods cretins. To make matters worse, the characters in this film are all taking part in a corporate team-building retreat (not a reunion - the information in the editorial review is less than accurate), a practice I consider to be one of the most infernal ideas mankind has ever come up with. And wouldn't you know it? These young video game company executives turn out to be among the most annoying people on the planet. Only two have any redeeming qualities whatsoever, the one dude who isn't really in to all of the kissing up and debauched camaraderie (Ryan Merriman) and the hot girl who's sort of uncomfortable with her jerk boss's constant touchy-feely sessions with her (Haylie Duff). To my surprise, the film actually grew some legs somewhere in the middle - but not enough to really win me over. In the end, a complete lack of originality consigns Backwoods to the ranks of the slightly below average. Think Wrong Turn meets The Hills Have Eyes, and you'll pretty much have Backwoods all figured out.
I wasn't sure what to make of the name Tom Alan Smithee being given to a character (and a minor character, at that). As most B-movie buffs know, "Alan Smithee" is the name film directors use when they know they've made a real stinker and don't want their real names associated with the project. Maybe the character name is just a coincidence, but the fact that Smithee and his girlfriend turn up on Missing posters as having last been seen on February 30 seems to indicate that the script writer may have had a sense of humor about the whole thing. (Unfortunately, these in-jokes are the only creative aspects of the entire film.)
So our stereotypical characters all go out to the middle of nowhere to play paintball, hone their "executive tactics," and have their teamwork skills reviewed by their obnoxious boss. Being hot-shot executives and all, they happily set up camp in what they know is a restricted area that used to house some sort of military installation. The one unhappy camper among them soon notices all of the obvious evidence that they're not alone, but no one wants to listen to his party pooping warnings. The next thing you know, the gang is besieged by a group of religious fanatics who proceed to beat the crap out of the six guys while preparing the two females for use in increasing the local nutjob population.
Backwoods was apparently produced for Spike TV, so don't expect to see much in the way of blood and gore. (Needless to say, there's no nudity whatsoever.) Some old-fashioned traps make the chase scenes through the forest somewhat interesting, but I pretty much relied on Haylie Duff's hotness to get me through the film's 80 minute runtime (although I must admit I got quite a kick out of watch a mortally wounded techie put on an amazing show of shooting bad guys without even aiming.) If you're a horror fan, Backwoods is certainly a watchable film, but you won't see anything here you haven't seen before.


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A group of friends embark on a camping trip for a ten-year high school reunion. Their celebration soon turns into a battle for survival when they realize that the locals, who are not what they seem, are hunting them down. It s a terrifying and white-knuckled experience you won t ever forget.

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