Spider-Man 2: Bonus Material (2004)

Documentary. They go on for apparently 2 hours in the "Making of" documentary but I couldn't stick through to the finish. They prattle on about moviemaking but nothing you couldn't figure out from common knowledge (what you've already learned from TV). I think it's not that interesting unless you're a rabid fan and under 14 years of age. 3 stars.

Ghost Rider (2007)

Ghost Rider is a lot of fun to watch! Even in a bad haircut, Nick Cage can do no wrong: He brings a quirkiness to the role that goes beyond comic-book stereotype. (Like Hellboy, he realizes he can choose to fight evil.) Eva Mendes is always a dish! I loved folksy Sam Elliott here and as the bookend narrator in The Big Lebowski. The best scene is when Nick and Sam ride together! Lots of plot twists and turns and the special effects are quite good. It doesn't take itself too seriously but I dock the movie one star because it's too silly in some scenes. While the flaming Ghost Rider and his torch of a hawg are fun to see, a feature-length movie seems a bit much towards the end. 4 stars.

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

The music is still supremely memorable and moving after the album's 36th birthday! I hadn't heard it in 30 years and I'd never seen a stage or movie production before now. This is an impressive effort, set in the Mediterranean desert, with an inventive blend of neo-Roman and hippie costumes. (Pilate's soldiers wear chrome stormtrooper helmets and carry gaffing forks and machine guns, while hippie chic or dyed afros abound in dance numbers.) The dancing is energetic and tightly choreographed, esp. considering the rocky terrain. Ted Neeley as Jesus has wise, weary, clear eyes and sings with soul (most of the time). Carl Anderson as Judas is the true star of the show, for talent and storyline. (In the extras, Tim Rice explains that the show is about the humanity of Jesus and his disciples, but Judas most of all.) Anderson sings soulfully to his core as Judas considers and rationalizes his motives for betraying Christ. Yvonne Elliman touched my heart with her portrayal of Mary Magdalene -- and anyone who thinks she was romantically or otherwise implied to be involved with Jesus has not been listening to the music. The key to both the characters of Judas (who hates and betrays Jesus while proclaiming to love him) and Mary (who as a former prostitute has "loved" many men but fears she doesn't know how to love Christ even as he inspires authentic, generous love in her) is the line they each sing: "I don't know how to love him ... He scares me so." Everyone knows Jesus is human but they are all faced with the realization that he is something much greater -- through his healing, his teaching, his pacifism, and his sacrifice -- and anyone who thinks this production is a secular, hippie rip against the divinity of Christ has not been listening to the music. The musical score of this rock opera is immortal and will still be greatly appreciated generations from now. Catch a look-see for yourself; I think you'll be glad you did. 4.5 stars.

Peter Jennings Reports: The Kennedy Assassination: Beyond Conspiracy (2003)

Documentary. Here is a common-sense and factual alternative to subjective and speculative conspiracy theories. Those who espouse the latter will never be convinced, however, because by definition a conspiracy theorist will always choose speculation and implausibility over Occam’s razor (“All things being equal, the simplest answer tends to be right”). 3 stars.

Reconstruction (2004)

As an art film, Reconstruction is a bit pretentious and emotionally distant, but the story and acting carry it better than Run Lola Run though lesser than Memento. The director in his first film commits the sin of tendentiousness in the opening and closing scenes by saying straight out “This is a film about love” and “It may be only a film, but it still hurts.” (What a way to spoil the magic, Boe. The only way to be more maudlin is to call the movie Metaphor and use a mime instead of a street magician to open and close the didactic verbal bookends.) The musical number “Night and Day” sounds cheesy (sung off-beat and as if through a vintage microphone) and the grainy, swoopy camera shots together invoke all that gives art films a bad name. However, the story gradually unfolds into multiple layers that, it turns out, affect each other and should leave you guessing. The swoopy shots make integral artistic sense once the story reveals its complexity. The story’s true solution may not exist or prove lesser than that of Memento, but the characters and the acting carry the film ably, esp. considering the real-life consequences of marital infidelity. Maria Bonnevie is a glowing vision -- and I didn’t catch until after the viewing that she plays both girlfriends. 4.5 stars.

House on Haunted Hill (1999)

Some disagree but for a formula-genre movie, I have found this one to be quite original, spooky and welcome for repeat viewings. It really holds my interest and makes me sit on the edge of my seat! By definition, a movie like this has to have cheesy and inexplicable plot twists (esp. the classic “let’s split up and wander about aimlessly until we get killed off one by one”) but I just really like the actors (esp. Geoff Rush) and the premise. (By the way, I gave 5 stars to the remake of 13 Ghosts.) The acting here isn’t inspired but it has its moments -- and sufficient plot twists. Some think a CGI ghost is a copout but why should this movie be expected to follow different rules than every other (horror as well as sci-fi)? 4 stars.

French Impressionism at the Musee D'Orsay (2005)

Documentary. This is a good basic introduction to the Impressionist masters in the Musee D'Orsay but the graphics and video reproductions are quite inferior until the detailed-view artwork enlargements enter the picture. The voice talent is adequate with no complaints. 2.5 stars.

The Origin of the Rings (2001)

Documentary. This is a D-list effort to explain the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien and the major motion picture based on Lord of the Rings. The experts who "sit and deliver" cover the basics but not very engagingly. In a word, no one in Tolkiendom has heard of any of them (save maybe one) and no one outside of Tolkiendom will be able to stay awake. Stand-ins for J.R.R. Tolkien as a boy and as a man look nothing like him (the former is closest but the latter looks more like a cross between C.S. Lewis and Tolkien scholar T.A. Shippey) and all illustrations seem geared only to resemble fantasy in general while having nothing to do with the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Even worse is when various no-name movie production artists hold forth on their opinions and renderings of what a wizard, hobbit, orc, and elf might look and act like -- who cares? 2.5 stars.

Da Vinci and the Code He Lived By (2005)

Documentary. A truly respectable study of the decades of contributions made by da Vinci, setting his life in historical context and pegging it on the "code" of excellence that a driven genius chooses to live by. They claim he may have been a greater engineer of warfare than a painter. (He did not like the younger Michelangelo and lost his military contracts when his political patrons got their butts kicked in war.) 4 stars.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (2001)

What is it with the Barney set? Who spies a movie with a release date of 2001 and says “Hey, this must be the movie I loved to watch every Christmas as I was growing up (in the 60s, 70s, 80s)”? No, this is not the beloved original 1964 stop-motion holiday classic! This is a mostly passable computer-animated sequel to the beloved original 1964 stop-motion holiday classic. In a word, this movie is no Toy Story. For Pete’s sake, it has Rick Moranis "singing" instead of Burl Ives crooning! Other than that, it has the same characters as the holiday classic and a similar message to the classic Toy Story -- it just doesn’t compare to either movie in any way that we would consider “above average.” I am hoping to convey two things to the Barney gallery through all this repetition, because it seems to be necessary: This is not the holiday classic movie, and it is not as good as the classic holiday movie. For the rest, let the viewer beware. Now stop complaining that you were disappointed to learn this movie is not the holiday classic and it is not as good! 2.5 stars.

Wishbone: Paw Prints of Thieves (2004)

PBS's Wishbone programs are a literary and a thespian lover's delight (though only 3 half-hour programs are on disc so far). Wishbone’s voice talent is always engaging and entertaining, the supporting cast always does a fine job, and the costuming and interpretation of each tale from the human world to one with a canine protagonist (in this case, as Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves) are always masterful. Wishbone episodes take a whimsical and educational approach to getting kids interested in literature that parents will enjoy too. 4 stars.

Ancient Mysteries: Bigfoot (2005)

Documentary. Typically tenuous tenets make this program long on speculation and short on any semblance of fact or meaningful conclusions. Narrator Leonard Nimoy claims Bigfoot/Sasquatch accounts date back to Viking days and cites “thousands” of witnesses but later “hundreds” of witness accounts; yet skeptics abound for a lack of believable evidence. As Fox Mulder would say, “The truth is out there.” Woo-ee-ooo...! Note: The Bigfoot image on the disc box is much clearer than anything you will see on film esp. through the online viewing option. 2.5 stars.