The Half Bad Boy DVD Review - Batman Begins

Summary: This masterpiece of moviemaking shows why Batman is a worthy hero, and teaches the movie industry how a movie should be made in the process.
Grade: A

About This Movie: We learn about the origins of Batman as he assumes a secret identity to try to bring peace and order back to his Gotham city home. And he also gets to kiss Katie Holmes.

The Best Part About This DVD Is...
...how everything ties together. These days, it seems most movie makers don't even take the time to tie their own movie together. Batman Begins not only ties together logically from beginning to end, but ties in with the whole Batman story. After watching, I understood how he became who he is, how Gotham came to be the way it is, why he is always fighting so many quirky characters, where he gets all of his neat gadgets, and many other things that were previously unanswered questions. This Batman is a worthy hero. Unlike other Batman portrayals, he is an admirable, good-doing man most of the time (not a sniveling nerd or snobby jerk), but a truly terrifying, yet human, crime-fighter. He chooses to fight crime because he wants to make the world a better place, and chooses to use his money and his life to do this instead of basking in the luxury of a billionaire lifestyle. This Batman (not the others) is my favorite of all superheroes.

The Worst Part About This DVD Is...
...um, I'll have to get back to you on that one.

The Bottom Line
This is how movies should be made - great acting, great casting, great stunts, great special effects, great character development, great cinematography, great plot and theme - no stone was left unturned. Everything made sense in this movie. Even Bruce and Rachel's scene at the end was very satisfying - it was neither cheesy and unbelievable, nor was it disappointing. Not only is this hands-down the best superhero movie of all time, it may be one of my favorites of all time, period. Buy this DVD. You will be glad you did.

The Half Bad Boy DVD Review - War of the Worlds

Summary: Great acting by Tom Cruise, fantastic special effects, and moments of serious, honest introspection cannot mask several logical inconsistencies.
Grade: C

About This Movie: Of course, the movie is based on H.G. Wells book by the same title. Aliens invade the earth with the sole purpose of overtaking the planet and covering it with blood, or something like that.

The Best Part About This DVD Is...
... the internal introspection. Moments when, while watching, you wonder, "Would I do that?" For example, would you steal a car from someone to save the life of your child? Would you kill someone in cold blood if you thought they were threatening your life?
I also like the type of father that Ray is. I know they were trying to portray him as a bad father. He isn't a bad father. Somehow, if your wife leaves you for a richer man and takes your kids with her because you chose a hard-working yet underpaid career, society wants to make you a bad father. Ray isn't a bad father. A good father loves his kids, cares about their welfare, and requires their obedience as he teaches them about survival in the real world.

The Worst Part About This DVD Is...
... the complete lack of logic. For example, why would aliens bury tripods in the earth millions of years ago, in an attempt to take over the earth today? Why not take over millions of years ago? And how is it that, despite many of these being buried in the city, nobody has ever dug one up in the history of mankind? And how is it that, despite having advanced technology where they can ride lightning bolts through solid matter, vaporize objects, and project shields around themselves that repulse anything they wish, the aliens somehow cannot ascertain the deadliness of the environment and compensate for it prior to coming to earth? And, how is it that millions people are dying all over the place, but every single member of Ray's family survives?

The Bottom Line
A friend categorized this movie well as being like a piece of art that could be a masterpiece, except the artist decided to unveil it before it was really finished. There are some parts of this movie that are great and others that are simply either unfinished or illogical. The unfinished parts keep this from being a great movie, but it is still entertaining to watch if you can suspend reality.

The Half Bad Boy DVD Review - The Island

Summary: Lincoln and Jordan learn something very important about their life. No, it isn't that they are clones. They learn how important it is to be free.
Grade: A-

About This Movie: Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johannson respectively play Lincon Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta, two of thousands of cloned human beings living in a secret compound. Each clone knows that one day they will be sent to the Island, a tropical paradise where they will live worry-free for the rest of their days. But things change when Lincoln discovers that selection to go to the Island is really a death sentence.

The Best Part About This DVD Is...
... what the DVD teaches us about the importance of freedom. Lincoln and Jordan's life in the compound was secure, safe, equal, and healthy. But it was not free. It was even frustrating for me just to watch the lack of freedom that the people had. The scary part is, I couldn't help but wonder how much our current society is trending toward that life, where we are willing to trade freedom for safety. What is wrong with us?
I also have to mention the action sequences. We are talking about Michael Bay after all. In particular, the train axles on the freeway was awesome and even realistic-seeming. Also, the part when Lincoln and Jordan first learn to kiss is rather endearing.

The Worst Part About This DVD Is...
... Lincoln and Jordan falling 70 stories, landing in a net, and not even being hurt? I guess we decided to suspend realistic physics for the sake of the heroes.

The Bottom Line
The Island was exactly what I expected from Michael Bay - a two-hour action-packed thrill ride - and it didn't disappoint. What I didn't expect was a lesson on the importance of freedom. Freedom is not about being able to do whatever you want without consequences. Freedom is about choosing for yourself, from something trivial - the clothes you wear or whether you get to have bacon for breakfast - to something important - in Lincoln and Jordan's case, to choose whom you will love. Freedom is more important than health, safety, or security, and should never be traded away those things. Even the promise of a future life in paradise is not worth it if one doesn't have the freedom to choose to go.

The Half Bad Boy DVD Review - Fantastic Four

Summary: Riddled with poor acting, inexplicable and illogical events, and poor acting, the only highlight of this CGI showcase was Jessica Alba in a bikini. Oh wait - it didn't have Jessica Alba in a bikini.
Grade: D-

Memo to Hollywood: Great special effects are not enough to save a terrible movie. I don't know if you are listening or not. This has been going on long enough, and we won't stand for it anymore!
Ok, that was a lie. But could you please at least try to create a real movie?

About This Movie
There are five people with requiste snappy-sounding names: Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Sue Storm, and Victor Von Doom. How they are related is as follows: Reed and Sue used to be together, but aren't, but are still in love with each other. Victor and Reed used to be friends, but aren't, and Victor is hot for Sue who works for him. Johnny used to work for Ben but now Ben works for Reed while Johnny parties. Johnny and Sue are siblings but don't really like each other. Victor is rich and Reed is poor. Oh, and somewhere along the line cosmic radiation alters their DNA.

The Best Part About This DVD Is...
... the closing credits. That's when you know the movie is over!

The Worst Part About This DVD Is...
... so many things that just don't make any sense. For example, do you really want me to believe that someone who looks like Sue Storm could be hopelessly smitten over someone that looks like Reed Richards? I mean no offense, but come on. And then what about the part where Ben Grimm says, all patriarchically, "There is nothing like the love of a good woman," not long before his supposedly rock-solid relationship dissolves like an Alka-Seltzer in water? And how is it that five human beings (which are all nearly identical genetically) exposed to the same cosmic storm are all affected differently, but their suits (which are identical materially, but are of a completely different makeup than the wearers) happen to be altered exactly the same as the person wearing them? Can someone explain to me why the zippers on everyone's suits seem to go all the way up except Sue Storm's?

And that's not even the best one. Reed Richards, the supposed intellectual genius, devises a plan whereby, in order to reverse the effects of the cosmic storm, he will attempt to expose them to the exact same type of radiation that caused the problem in the first place. ??? Isn't that like hitting someone in the face with a baseball bat, and then saying, "Hey, I know how to fix that broken face. Let me hit you again!"

The Bottom Line
I guess maybe they thought that anyone with any education would be able to tell from the trailers that they should steer clear of this mess. I certainly should have.

The Half Bad Boy Music Review - Live Hallelujah

Summary: Packed with hits from Montrose, Van Halen, and his solo career, this is Sammy Hagar at his live, raw best. If you are a Sammy Hagar fan, that is a good thing.
Grade: B

Ladies and Gentlemen, t's time for the first ever Half Bad Boy Music Review. Today's topic is the album "Live Hallelujah", a live album from Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas.

I just downloaded this from iTunes the other day after hearing the live version of "I Can't Drive 55." This song is particularly awesome and reminded me of the time when Sammy et. al. came to perform at Novell's BrainShare conference. In fact, I think it was for the same tour, but not sure.

Anyway, it was a great concert, and being a collector of live albums (I love concerts but they rarely come here), after hearing "I Can't Drive 55" I decided to get this live album to remind me of a great show I attended once.

About This Album
First of all, this is not a recording of a live show; rather, it is a compilation of live recordings of different songs from several shows. This album sounds almost like a high-quality bootleg. The sound is very raw and unpolished - when I crank it up in my car, it sounds very much like it did live. He plays a variety of songs, from his time in Montrose, pre-Van-Halen Red Rocker, Van Halen, and post-Van-Halen Red Rocker.

The Best Thing About This Album Is...
... the awesome live sound. Isn't that the point of a live album - to recreate the live experience for the listener? I mean, if you want a polished sound, you'd buy the studio equivalents. It sounds like you are there.

The Worst Thing About This Album Is...
...Sammy's language. Not really unexpected with Sammy Hagar, and it doesn't make him a bad person. But Half Bad Boys don't need to talk like that!

The Bottom Line
Despite the language, the album is pretty sweet. I would have preferred more Sammy Hagar songs and fewer Van Halen songs, and a two-disc set would obviously have been better than just one. There are a lot of great songs in there though, and the set from "Rock Candy" to "Heavy Metal" really rocks. If you are a Red Rocker fan, you'll probably want this album - it's Sammy at his best.