A Very "Merry" Batman Adventure

Batman has faced all kinds of threats throughout his long history, but this time the he's dealing with his greatest challenge yet; being the father of a rambunctious 8 year old! In the wonderful animated movie, Merry Little Batman, after cleaning up all of the crime in Gotham City, our hero has essentially retired to raise his son Damian. The young lad idolizes his father, and wants to be a superhero just like Batman when he grows up. When the Dark Knight gets a call for help from the Justice League on Christmas Eve, he races off to deal with the emergency, leaving Alfred to watch over Damian. 

When Wayne Manor is threatened by a group of thieves who are stealing Christmas presents in Gotham, Damian swings into action, squaring off against The Joker, and several other members of his father's Rogue's Gallery, including the Penguin and Poison Ivy. What Damian ultimately discovers is that the devious Joker's got a more insidious plan in mind than just Grinch-swiping some presents, and our young hero will have to step up his game to save the city. Will Damian be able to show his father he's worthy of the utility belt that he was given for Christmas?

Merry Little Batman is an engaging tale, which should appeal to Batman fans of all ages. It's a fast-paced, funny, and ultimately heart-warming holiday tale. The film is filled with in-jokes and references to the various incarnations TV and big-screen incarnations of Batman, which will delight long-time aficionados of the Dark Knight. Even if you're a casual fan, you should enjoy this Yuletide "little Batman" adventure. The animation is marvelous, and the film's old-fashioned look is influenced by the works of illustrator Ronald Searle. The voice cast is excellent, and the spirited performers include Luke Wilson as Batman, Yonas Kibreab as Damian, James Cromwell as Alfred, and David Hornsby as The Joker.

While the story loses a little bit of steam in its final act, Merry Little Batman is a terrific Christmas superhero adventure, made by a cast and crew who clearly have a lot of affection for the Dark Knight. The film's themes regarding family, growing up, and learning about the responsibilities of being a hero may bring to mind a couple of stories from that other major comics publisher, as well as several classic animated holiday tales, but Merry Little Batman is a a lot of fun on its own terms. It's a fabulous Christmas gift for Batman fans, and I think it's one of the best DC animated movies in a while. Here's a look at the trailer for the film, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GSMmXz0bHA.

Grey DeLisle is a Retro Country "Angel"

Is there anything the multi-talented Grey DeLisle can't do? She's a phenomenal singer, a gifted songwriter, a talented voice actor and a fantastic stand-up comedian. Her latest album, She's An Angel, is a valentine to old school country, and this record will warm your heart if you dig the sounds of artists like Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn. DeLisle immediately declares her intentions on the sensational "I'll Go Back To Denver (And You Can Go To Hell)" a tale about a gal who hitched her wagon to a no good guy with a "greasy spray on tan." When he does her wrong, she lets him know in no uncertain terms just where he can move on to, and it's not back into her arms. That raucous opening number is the first of several tunes on the disc featuring tough as nails female characters, including "Everybody's Baby" and "I Missed You," a tongue in cheek number which will have you smiling and admiring DeLisle's gift for clever lyrics.

She's An Angel is filled with rollicking, guitar twangin' songs like "Quit Pickin' On Me," and "Shake That Thing" which are guaranteed to get you up and moving, and turning the volume way up. There's also the delightful "I Like The Way You Think I Think,"  the brassy "Big Sister," and the darkly funny breakup duet, "The Dog" one of the standout tracks on an album filled with high points. The wistful "Wasted" wouldn't sound out of place on one of Linda Ronstadt's early records, and the terrific "Who Bought The Boots Beside Your Bed?" evokes classic country at its best. DeLisle's exquisite voice is showcased throughout the album, but it's particularly effective on the lovely title song, and her knockout cover of Billy Vera's "I Really Got The Feeling", which reminds us that she's a brilliant interpreter of the work of other songwriters, as she displayed on her wonderful covers album, Borrowed, released in 2022.

DeLisle's magnificent voice melds perfectly with the masterful work of the talented musicians featured on She's An Angel. This outstanding group of players includes guitarists Deke Dickerson and Eddie Clendening, who produced the album, as well as Jonny Bowler and Lelah Simon on bass, DJ Bonebrake and Bernie Dresel on drums, Carl Sunny Leland on piano and Tammy Rogers on strings. Everyone featured on She's An Angel is at the top of their game, and contributes to the old school atmosphere and pure country sound which is deeply embedded in the DNA of these excellent songs. The passion and joy that this talented group has for performing this music is evident in every note.

She's An Angel is an outstanding, and it's a splendid showcase for Grey DeLisle's exceptional talents as a singer and songwriter. I've been a fan of her work for a while now, and I think She's An Angel is superb. If you're an old school or retro country fan, cue up this disc on whatever platform or device you listen to, and get ready to be knocked out by the remarkable work of DeLisle and her fellow musicians. Need further convincing? Here are links to performances of "Shake That Thing," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3mCPmOEF-E, and "Quit Pickin' On Me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW0zP9tpcsk.

Godzilla Minus One: A Powerful, Moving Tale

Godzilla has been a cinematic icon for almost 70 years now. From the somber, anti-nuclear message of 1954's original Gojira (released in the US two years later as Godzilla, King of the Monsters, featuring additional footage with Raymond Burr as a reporter who witnesses Godzilla's rampage) to the enjoyable, light-hearted silliness of later entries like Monster Zero (1965) and Son of Godzilla (1967), the Big G has remained a fan favorite through various sequels, reboots and re-imaginings. Both Toho Studios in Japan, who originated the series, and Legendary Pictures in the US have released Godzilla films in recent years, including Toho's Shin Godzilla (2016) and Legendary's Godzilla, King of the Monsters (2019), and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021).

Godzilla Minus One, the latest entry in the Toho series, returns to the somber tone of Ishiro Honda's Gojira, and it's a terrific movie, one of the best in the Godzilla canon. The story opens in the final days of World War II, and follows a kamikaze pilot named Koichi, who chooses to land at a repair base on Odo Island (a location familiar to long-time fans) rather than sacrifice himself in battle. When the base is attacked by a prehistoric monster the locals call Godzilla, all of the personnel are killed, except Koichi and the head mechanic, Tachibana, who blames Koichi for the deaths of the crew because the nervous pilot failed to fire his plane's guns at the creature. Due to his failure to act, Koichi suffers a spiritual crisis, and suffers nightmares about his experiences.

When Koichi returns to Japan, he finds the country has been devastated due to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. He ends up sheltering a young woman named Noriko, as well as an orphaned child whose parents were killed in the bombings. Still haunted by guilt due to his inaction at Odo Island, Koichi gets a job on a ship that locates and detonates discarded mines from the war. While working on the minesweeper, he once again crosses paths with Godzilla, who has been mutated by postwar atom bomb tests conducted by the Unites States, and is stronger than ever. Godzilla attacks Japan, causing further death and destruction to an already broken and shattered country. When the governments of Japan and the US fail to act for fear of panicking the public, Koichi and a group of former military personnel come up with a unique plan to destroy Godzilla.

Godzilla Minus One is an exciting, powerful and moving tale. Because we see the story through Koichi's eyes, we share in his journey, and empathize with his feelings of doubt, guilt, fear and ultimately, redemption. The movie is the most character based entry in the Godzilla series since Gojira, and the human story is never overtaken by the monster action. This creature is not the friendly, Earth-defending Big G of the 1960s or 1970s films in the series. In Godzilla Minus One, the monster is a menacing, unstoppable force of nature that's symbolic of mankind's own destructive tendencies. The Godzilla attack sequences are visually striking, dramatic and well-staged by director Takashi Yamazaki, who also wrote the screenplay, and helped design and create the excellent special effects for the film.

In addition to the terrific work behind the scenes by Yamazaki and his talented crew, the cast is excellent. Ryunosake Kamiki as Koichi, Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji (a member of the minesweeper crew who's the architect of the plan to defeat Godzilla) and Munetaka Aoki as Tachibana, the Odo Island mechanic with a grudge against Koichi, are particular standouts. There are some nice callbacks to Akira Ifukube's classic Godzilla themes in the score for the film. If you're a long-time Godzilla fan, I highly recommended Godzilla Minus One. It's a fantastic movie, and it brings the story of Godzilla back to its darker origins as a cautionary tale, and also tells a compelling human story with a lot of heart. Here's a link to the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvSrHIX5a-0.