Adventures In Plymptoons (Documentary/Cinema Libre DVD)/Iron Man Armored Adventures – Season Two,
Volume Two (Gaiam Vivendi DVD)/Super
Hero Party Clown (Cinema Libre DVD/All 2012)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B-/C-/C- Main Programs: B-/C+/C-
Here are
three new titles that cover a few subjects popular right now: comedy, animation
and superheroes….
The great
independent animator Bill Plympton is the subject of the new documentary
Adventures In Plymptoons, directed by Alexia
Anastasio. If you are unfamiliar with
his instinctive, unique, great artworks, you can get an idea from two different
reviews of the following DVD releases of his work at these links for…
Plymptoons – The Complete Early
Works Of Bill Plympton DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4088/Plymptoons+%E2%80%93+The+Compl
Dog Days/Guns On The Clackamas
DVDs
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8909/Bill+Plympton%27s+Dog+Days+++Gu
Running
85 minutes, this is a good, informative program that has plenty of clips and
interviews with everyone from Terry Gilliam to Ralph Bakshi to those working
for, grew up with and related to the subject.
Unfortunately, this also wastes time far too often being jokey and silly
when there is more to say and ask about the man and his work. Otherwise, it is worth your time and I was
glad to see it.
Extras
include Bill Plympton Day clip, a bet between Plympton and friend Gus Van Sant,
Trailers and Deleted Scenes.
One thing
Plympton does not bother with is computer animation, but it is all over the
place and that includes the latest installment of the unique CG series Iron Man Armored Adventures, back with
the Season Two, Volume Two DVD
single that continues what has been one of the few distinct CG shows, but the
series is starting to show signs of wear.
If you are unfamiliar with the show, try these links to get you up to
speed:
Season One Blu-ray/DVD Import
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10232/Iron+Man+Armored+Adventures:+Th
Season Two, Volume One DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11687/Ghost+Rider:+Spirit+Of+Vengeance
Titanium Man
and Dr. Doom (with a slightly different look) are among those who show up this
time, but the show is starting to run out of energy and new places to go. Fans will be happy, but I was saddened to see
the TV grind start to catch up with the show.
We’ll see where it goes next.
Brief Titanium Man and Dr. Doom artwork are the only extras.
Last and
unfortunately least is the would be comedy Super
Hero Party Clown, a very predictable, formulaic comedy about a guy who
dresses as a Spider-Man-like superhero for children’s parties and lands up
wanting to be with a female who has a big guy interested in her and not a fan
of him. It is one of those cases where
he is somewhat of a bully, but not totally and she is not sure about him, so
the part-time hero impersonator has a chance to be with her if things would
just go his way.
He looks
like he belongs in Kick Ass, but
this is never funny and though it is not smug, it just goes on and on and
on. I was bored and unless you are a
superhero fanatic, I doubt you’ll like it much better. Extras include Alternate Takes and a faux
clip for a ‘movie’ version of the actual hero in the story.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on all three DVDs are about even all
originating on simple HD video and that includes softness, motion blur and
other detail limits. They are watchable
(the Plympton shorts look the best of all) but don’t expect any extraordinary
and the Iron Man CG looks decent,
but looked better on Blu-ray. The lossy
Dolby Digital 5.1 on Iron Man is not
much better than the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on the other DVDs, so
expect adequate performance at best from all.
- Nicholas Sheffo
