Fantasia 2000 (1999)

Weak, but ambitious follow-up to the 1941 Walt Disney classic presenting several animated vignettes set to immediately recognizable, iconic classical music. While the essential elements of Fantasia have been transplanted here, somewhere between the obviousness of the music (only Ave Maria and The Nutcracker Suite were as universally familiar as the choices here), the rotating star introductions (Steve Martin, ok, but Bette Midler, Penn and Teller, and Quincy Jones?), and the thin nature of the stories themselves (i.e., Donald Duck as Noah building his ark), the classiness, energy, and profundity of the original are lost in this installment. Only one segment, a tribute to New York set to Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," brings anything new and interesting to the proceedings, for the '41 Fantasia did not concern itself with urbanity and modern civilization. Even with the tune and animation heavily evoking Woody Allen's Manhattan, the jaunty, stylized animation provides a depiction of New York City that manages to be truly signature and exciting. If one or two of the other pieces managed to impress as much as the Gershwin segment, this would have been a thoroughly worthwhile and rewatchable endeavor. As is, it exists as merely a pale tribute to Walt Disney's original ambition of a continuing series of abstract, elemental animated films set to classical music.

Skip it, save for the following segment.

The Martian Chronicles (1980)

Impressive, if compromised mini-series adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic book about mankind's colonization of Mars and its literal and metaphysical implications. The through-line, created for the film, involves N.A.S.A. higher-up Rock Hudson as he launches two (of the novel's three) Mars expeditions, and then as he heads up the final, successful attempt to settle on Mars. The rest of the series involves adaptations of several of the anecdotal short stories contained in Bradbury's work, but relating them through the viewpoint of Hudson's astronaut character. While the stories that are adapted are, for the most part, fairly faithful to the source material, relaying our experience through a singular character removes some of the mysticism and parable of the novel, reducing it to a collection of odd occurrences and happenstance. The metaphysical and philosophical implications of mankind's unwanted presence on Mars are present, but diluted due to Hudson's hammy, unwarranted appearances. Even the 1980 TV-grade effects support the backbone of the stories more than the script, which was surprisingly written by Twilight Zone vet Richard Matheson (he might have had execs looking over his shoulder, which would account for the compromised structure). The cast ranges, for the most part, from competent to pitch-perfect, as Bernadette Peters and Bernie Casey perform.

Recommended for fans of Ray Bradbury or high-minded, philosphical sci-fi. Fans of the source material: if you understand that this is a crappy, early-80's TV version of the book, then it is actually an enjoyable, relatively reverent adaptation.

True Stories (1986)

David Byrne of the Talking Heads directs this Waking Life-esque weavework about various denizens of a small Texas town. Byrne himself walks around the town as an unidentified narrator interacting with the individuals that he narrates about. The film has a surreal tone, but it is undoubtedly a reflection of how Byrne sees then-modern society in the southwest. He does not hate it as, undoubtedly, many of his coastal contemporaries of the time. He recognizes its peace and admires such inventions as pre-fab homes and metal buildings as simple, beautiful creations.

The lack of a cohesive through-line is what kills this one. The film repeatedly visits John Goodman as a lovelorn "bear," as he calls himself," in his quest to find a good woman to shack up with. However, his whole plot is leading up to a performance he intends to make at the town talent show, which he never does. It is a let down, as Goodman is the sole cohesive element in the film, and the only truly endearing character in the film. The stories and characters scatterred throughout are amusing, and at times, even interesting, but never compelling. There is no doubt that David Byrne is at the machine here, and it never attains the natural Texan charms that Linklater would later achieve with Dazed and Confused or even Slacker. Still, it contains enough insight to warrant obervation by the curious, and its piecemeal style is ideally formatted for a Comedy Central or FX viewing, where you can flip back after an hour and nothing significant has happened.

Slightly recommended, and even then, only on cable. Talking Heads fans should enjoy the bands sporadic appearance in the film, but the music is too far between to warrant recommendation. It is a good background film.

Trick 'r Treat (2008)

Above-average horror movie slightly in the vein of Creepshow, but more freeform than that films strictly anthological content. This one concerns a number of concurrent freaky activities going on in and around a small town on All Hallows Eve. Gore abounds, and the wit is heavy on subverting expectations. Still, there is an emptiness throughout that cheapens the whole endeavor; a sideshow can entertain, but it is still a sideshow.

Recommended for horror fans, especially fans of Creepshow, Tales from the Darkside, and other like minded flicks.

P.S. Anna Paquin plays a virgin who encounters a vampire at one point. Slightly southern accent on her too. Mega-confusing...I kept waiting for Stephen Moyer to yell "UNHAND HER!" and save the day. But alas...