Smallville is one of my favorite series on the air.  It’s just about to start its 8th (and most likely, final) season on Thursday, September 18th on The CW Network.  I wanted to take the time to do a top ten list.  These are my ten favorite episodes of the series in order, and as a longtime fan, it wasn’t easy.

Top 10:

1. Run- Clark meets a young version of The Flash in this flashy and fast-paced episode written by Jeph Loeb.  Smallville at its most fun.

2. Red- Clark is exposed to red kryptonite and it changes his personality …

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I decided to start a monthly rundown (week by week) of my DVD picks.  Yes, I know it’s not quite September yet, but with this advance heads-up, you’ll have some time to save up some cash…..so here we go !!!!!!!!!

September 2nd

The Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow:  I really enjoyed the Ultimate Avengers animated films and this latest DVD release has the kids of the original Avengers in it and looks well-worth checking out.  Some nifty animation on the trailer, which can be found on youtube.com.

Fist of Legend:  Jet Li classic is being released again, this time by the …

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Setting a hipster indie film in a cereal bar isn’t necessarily a bad idea.  After all, Kevin Smith made two extremely funny Clerks films set in a dumpy convienence store.  But where Clerks had lots of laughs and some bitingly crude and original dialogue, Flakes has none of the above.  It cruises along on “whimsy” until it crashes and burns into an abyss of hipster nothingness.  Flakes is more proof that indie films can be just as bad (and worse, nowadays) than the major studio summer blockbusters.  Starring the overrated emo heroine Zooey Deschanel (doing her 100th take on the Emo …

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Batman: Gotham Knight is a collection of six short animated films from some celebrated anime studios and terrific comic book writers.  It’s similar to The Animatrix DVD that came out years back and features six short films.  The shorts are uneven at times and not every short is an instant classic, but I liked a great deal of it.  The version for review is the 2 Disc Special edition, which is the only choice for fans of Batman, as the one disc edition has only a commentary and sneak peak of the new Wonder Woman origin animated film (which looks excellent, …

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In Bruges is one of the best surprises of the year so far. It’s hilarious and extremely well-written and acted by its expert cast. It works as a travelogue of a beautiful area of Belgium as well as a razor-sharp dark comedy with flashes of brutal violence and genuine pathos along the way. The three leads are particularly good and the supporting cast all does fine work. This is an amazing debut film from Irish Martin McDonaough. He is known for his stage plays and makes a terrific transition to the world of film. Collin Farrell in particular is surprisingly good …

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Storm is a fantasy-adventure drama from Sweden that almost no one has heard of, which is too bad, its quite entertaining and ultra-stylish (the directors have a studio deal in the US already).  It was a big hit in its native country and recently it was part of the Philadelphia Film Festival’s “Danger after Dark” series of extreme foreign films and it doesn’t skimp on the gore and violence.  Storm starts as a flashy actioner (dressed up like Matrix and Nightwatch) but quickly becomes a psychological study of one man facing his demons (and trying to save the world from evil …

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Frontier(s) is a very hard film to watch and an even harder film to recommend.  It’s tasteless and has an almost revolting amount of gore, yet I’m recommending the film.  My recommendation comes with a word of caution though.  If you are at all squeamish and the thought of seeing gruesome gore and torture bother you in the least, Frontier(s) is not the film for you.  I do think that SAW and Hostel fans are going to enjoy it, but it also has a brain and a bit more to offer than just stylish torture porn.  It reminded me of Haute …

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Southland Tales starts with an incoherent and mumbling ten minute narration sequence voiced by pop singer Justin Timberlake.  He tells us of the world after a nuclear explosion run by right wing crazies dressed like Twin Peaks extras while mumbling “this is how the world ends” over and over.  I figured that at that point the film had nowhere to go but up, but I was sorely mistaken.  Southland Tales is one of the worst films ever made.  A muddled political satire mixed with pretentious and numbing speeches and a “plot” that goes nowhere slowly.  This thing moves like molasses …

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Into the Wild is a good (but flawed) film written and directed by Sean Penn and based on real events. The acting, cinematography, and writing are all first-rate. The film is gorgeous to look at and, despite some pacing problems, becomes a genuine film that deeply affects viewers. It can be looked at simply as a film about the harshness and nature through the eyes of a bright young man coming of age. His motivations remain up for debate, but his journey is both inspiring and dangerous, a harsh reminder of how little we truly understand about nature.

Into the Wild …

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The Jane Austen Book Club is an entertaining and interesting film, commonly termed a “chick flick”. This film proves though, that the term does not have to be a derogatory one. The film is well-made and well-acted. This is a film made for an audience of mostly women, but I think guys can enjoy the film as well. All credit should go to the excellent ensemble cast of strong and likable female characters. The standouts in the cast include Maria Bello (as a lonely woman who enjoys the company of pets over people), Emily Blunt, and Amy Brenneman (from the popular …

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