I finally saw THE DARJEELING LIMITED

I finally saw THE DARJEELING LIMITED, the Wes Anderson movie I mentioned I was "dying to see" last July, but somehow managed to not see in theaters. Maybe because it got so-so reviews (even for a Wes Anderson) movie, or maybe it's because the plot -- three brothers try to reconnect in India -- didn't intrigue me as much as other Anderson plots like, oh, say for instance young over-achiever with bad grades gets kicked out of prep school or no-good dad pretends he's dying to reunite with family or even oceanographer/filmmaker searches for the shark that killed his friend. But, now that it's on DVD (though not on Criterion yet, dammit!) I decided to check it out.

And I liked it. I'll have to give it another viewing or two (because, smart-ass plot summaries above aside, Anderson's movies can never be summed up easily and take at least a couple of watchings to absorb) but it definitely gets the thumbs up. Not as good as his other movies (at first glance, at least), but it had that trademark Anderson look and feel, with a touch more melancholia than before.

Beautifully shot, of course, and full of intricate, character-defining details. The title train is pretty amazing, sort of an on-the-rails cousin to the Belafonte, Zissou's ship in THE LIFE AQUATIC. Zissou himself (aka Bill Murray) makes an amusing cameo at the beginning (and, very briefly, near the end) in an intro scene that has nothing to do with what follows. And though it's hard to believe Adrian Brody, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson are brothers (though they do all have goofy noses), the emotional connections seem genuine.

My two favorite sequences of the movie were sort of apart from the main narrative. In one, the boys are on their way to a funeral in India and the movie cuts back to the trip to their own father's funeral, where Brody's character insists on stopping off to get dad's car. It's a funny, frantic scene that somehow manages to convey the desperation and helplessness the death of a parent can spark. The other scene is a montage, really, with the camera panning along the Darjeeling Limited (the train, not the movie) and catching up with several characters, many who aren't on the train at all. (It's hard to explain, but it works beautifully visually, trust me.)

I kept hoping for that emotional gut punch I always seem to feel in Anderson's movies (Max giving Bloom his punctuality medal in RUSHMORE, Chazzie telling his dad "I've had a tough year" in TENENBAUMS, Zissou finally seeing the shark in AQUATIC), but no scene in DARJEELING had that impact on my -- at least not this time. But like I said, I'm sure I'll watch it again.

The critics who slammed DARJEELING seemed to hate it because it was a lot like Anderson's other movies in visuals and tone. Personally, I consider that one of the film's strengths. There are a million bland, cookie-cutter movies out there. Why complain when one bears the distinctive touch of its creator? I'd rather see another Wes Anderson movie with precious production design and father issues galore than 99 percent of the movies out there.

Buy my comics, make me rich: CATWOMAN #76 and CATWOMAN DIES

This week, on your trip to the comic book shop, don't forget that there are two -- count 'em, two -- CATWOMAN items vying for your hard earned dollar.


The first is CATWOMAN #76, which continues the SALVATION RUN-related tale of Selina stuck on an alien world with every maniac in the DCU. As this issue begins, Selina's apparently made it back home to Earth, but that word "apparently" is the key, because the question is just which Earth she might be on. Things aren't always what they seem, you know. If you want a sneak peek at the issue (and you want to see Selina kick Batman's ass), point your browser here and check out the first few pages on Newsarama. As always, David and Alvaro Lopez handle the art chores and do a top-notch job.


The second item is the latest CATWOMAN trade, CATWOMAN DIES. Nice title, eh? Obviously, since there's an issue with a perfectly alive-and-healthy Catwoman hitting the stands the same day that title is a bit of a misnomer, but I meant it as sort of a metaphorical death, you know? One end leading to a new beginning? That sort of thing? Regardless, the book collects issues 66 through 72, winding up on maybe my favorite single issue in my whole run. Just look for it under that striking rojo cover by the always-great Adam Hughes.

What, is this a comic book about a duck?

Sad news in funnybook land: Steve Gerber, one of the truly distinct voices in the history of comics, died Sunday in Las Vegas after a long (and apparently painful) illness. There's a fine obit from Tom Spurgeon here and another from Mark Evanier here, but I'd like to say a few things myself. I never met Steve Gerber, but he's the sort of author who obviously put a lot into his work, so I sort of feel like I knew him, at least a little.

I was just a kid in the 1970s when HOWARD THE DUCK was in its prime, and the only comics I bought were painfully mainstream. I do remember my dad reading the HOWARD daily strip that ran in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and I remember even more clearly how he'd get frustrated -- angry, even -- at how weird the damn thing was. I'm sure I looked at the strip -- I at least glanced at every comic that ran back then -- but I'm even more sure I didn't understand it. It was about a duck, it was strange and shadowy, and it was way above my head. Time to see what Ziggy was up to!


I really didn't read the HOWARD comic book in any depth until Marvel released the excellent (and very affordable) THE ESSENTIAL HOWARD THE DUCK in 2002. Even as a guy in his mid-30s who'd spent the last couple of decades reading the weirdest comics he could get his hands on, I found HOWARD to be wonderfully bizarre stuff. It had that distinctive dope-tinged '70s vibe, and plenty of dated elements, but even those factors work in its favor, giving the entire series a surreal time-capsule vibe.

The fact that it's all set in the Mighty Marvel Universe is the icing on the cake, with Howard and company fitting oddly well with the hyper-active, tense, swinging '7os setting. I did read plenty of other Marvel comics from that era when I was a kid, and they seemed pretty strange and spooky too.

I've written before about how the first comic I remember reading was SPIDER-MAN #122, with the Green Goblin dying and Harry Osbourne whacked out on acid. A walking, talking duck involved in politics and social satire fit right in with those sorts of stories. Like I said, I'm sorry I didn't read it as a kid. I would've appreciated having my mind warped.

One Gerber comic I did read during its initial run was the PHANTOM ZONE miniseries that ran for four issues in the spring of 1982. After the solid-but-bland miniseries LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT and the bland-but-bland WORLD OF KRYPTON, PHANTOM ZONE came as a bit of a shock. It was darker -- much darker -- than the rest of the Superman titles. Gerber really tapped into the strange, eerie elements of the Phantom Zone, nudging the DC universe closer to the vision writers like Alan Moore and Grant Morrison would shape a few years later. Just look at that cover -- if you didn't know better, wouldn't you think it was wrapped around a Morrison comic?

Of the awful movie itself, the less said the better, except for two things: One, I caught part of it on HBO a year or so ago, and it's even worse than I remembered. No wonder George Lucas won't release it on DVD. Two, I actually did see this opening weekend back in 1986 and the only laugh I had involving the film came when a friend of mine looked up at the marquee, saw the title, and said "What, is this a movie about a duck?" OK, it's not that funny, but it's much funnier than anything that followed.

It's too bad that 99.9 percent of America thinks HOWARD THE DUCK was only an awful movie and has no idea it was a very good comic. But we know, and we've got Gerber to thank for it.

Who made who?

Here's one of the best Conan bits I've seen in a while. It's long, but well worth watching. And be sure to stick around 'til the end, for the ROCKY III reference...

Sweet merciful God, can he really be writing about ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT again even though it's been off the air for years?

Yes, I can. And here's why: From the folks over at E! Online:

"Jason Bateman has just confirmed to me that the creative minds behind Arrested Development (Mitch Hurwitz and Ron Howard) have put the wheels in motion toward a major motion picture of the Fox TV comedy so many of us adore. I'm told by insiders that Jason and other Bluth family members have received calls from producers (Hurwitz and Howard) asking if they would be willing to shoot a movie."

According to the post, Jeffrey Tambor (Hey, now!) was also asked, and both he and Bateman said they'd be interested in bringing the best sitcom of the 21st century to the big screen. Since the rest of the cast isn't doing much these days -- Will Arnett has been in THE BROTHERS SOLOMON, David Cross has been in ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS and Tony Hale was on one of thost Andy Richter sitcoms that never got a chance -- I can't imagine any of them would say "no" to reprising the high points of their careers. Strangely, Michael Cera is the biggest star of all from the show now, with major roles in both JUNO and SUPERBAD. Nice going, George Michael!

I caught a few episodes this week (the first few, in fact) on one of the many ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT marathons Spike TV uses to fill its schedule, and I was struck yet again by how smart the show was. In a world of sitcoms aimed at morons and mental patients, here's a show that actually took brains to enjoy (and definitely took brains to create.)

As for that title, "Best Sitcom of the 21st Century," I stand by my claim more than ever. And, in case you're interested, here are my picks for the top 10 sitcoms of the 'oughts. They're in no particular order, and could change if there's a bumper crop of brilliant comedy broadcasting in the next few years, but I wouldn't bet on it.

1. Arrested Development

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm (especially the brilliant sixth season, and the even-more-brilliant final moments of that season)

3 & 4: The Office (British) and The Office (American). I'd still rank the British version a notch above the American one.

5. Knights of Prosperity (sadly neglected by nearly everyone, except of course me. Read more here, here, here , here and here.)

6. The League of Gentlemen (Not to be confused with the graphic novels The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, though this show is just as British, just as complex and even stranger. And it's all on DVD)

7. Lost

8. 30 Rock (Did I really not watch this because I had cast my lot with STUDIO 60? Am I really that big of a moron? (Answer to both questions -- yes.)

9. Futurama

10. Andy Richter Controls the Universe (Remember what I said about Andy's shows never getting a chance? Here's the classic example.)