Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007 - (Page 12)

REVIEWS I CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHERO Prebook 12/18; Street 1/22 Arts Alliance America, Documentary, $19.98 DVD, ‘R’ for some language. www.homemediamagazine.com October 2005 arrest of a man in an Elmo costume, which brought a lot of exposure to the costumed performers, leading to numerous appearances on late-night talk shows and sparking an upswing in tips from tourists. This world may exist outside the lines, but Ogens’ film reminds us that everyone has a dream, and everybody has a story. – John Latchem onfessions of a Superhero is a fascinating, sad and sometimes poignant tale of those who reach for the Hollywood dream and don’t quite make it. The film explores what motivates those who dress as the classic characters (sometimes in horrible costumes) parading down Hollywood Boulevard to pose for pictures with tourists. They aren’t sanctioned by local businesses, and some consider them little more than panhandlers. Johnny Grant, honorary mayor of Hollywood, wants them all thrown out. They aren’t allowed to ask for money, but can tell tourists they work for tips, and make anywhere from $30 a day to $150 per hour. Director Matt Ogens’ lineup is a hard-luck Justice League: Christopher Lloyd Dennis (Superman), Jennifer Gehrt (Wonder Woman), Maxwell Allen (Batman) and Joe McQueen (The Incredible Hulk). All are wannabe actors who express some regrets about their life path, but they keep dragging themselves out there on the slim hope a producer will offer them their big break. Dennis has enough quirks to be the focus of a movie all by himself. He’s so obsessed with Superman he’s filled his home with thousands of dollars of Superman merchandise and homemade dioramas. He also claims to be the son of Oscar-winning actress Sandy Dennis, although there doesn’t seem to be any proof. Gehrt spends much of the movie going to auditions and bickering with her husband, who she met four days after arriving in town and married on a whim two weeks later. McQueen sold his Super Nintendo to afford a bus ticket from North Carolina to Hollywood, where he spent four years homeless while still making it to auditions. Hope picks up when he’s offered a bit part in a kung-fu movie spoof. Allen alludes to a past life as a mob enforcer without discussing specifics. He works gigs as a George Clooney lookalike, which is why he thinks he can’t get real acting jobs. He gets a little too aggressive asking for tips and wears the Batman costume to his therapist’s office to discuss anger management issues (and possibly confess a murder). The film covers the well-publicized C Everyone knows the Hans Christian Anderson story about the ugly little duckling that changed into a swan. What most people don’t know is the story that happened in between, when a weird looking little duckling named “Ugly” was adopted by a city rat named Ratso. This animated series follows the day-to-day adventures and misadventures of Ugly and Ratso as this very odd family embarks on their life together in the barnyard chicken coop. Big laughs along with life’s lessons are guaranteed as Ugly struggles to find his place in the world. • Positioned to become an evergreen franchise • Additional releases coming soon to support the brand ORDER DATE: 1/1/08 STREET DATE: 2/5/08 Color • Animation • Not Rated Approx. 75 Minutes • c DVD Catalog #27441 UPC #783722274415 After a terrible misunderstanding, Ratso ends up married to his arch nemesis Peep Olga. Peep enjoys harassing Ugly, but would rather not be married to “that horrible rat”. Ratso, surprisingly, enjoys that he has free-time to play wormgolf. Ugly does his best to end the marriage. Will Ugly ever solve this huge problem? A dashing rooster arrives to the yard. Everyone including Ugly loves him. When Ratso discovers that the rooster is trying to win Ugly’s affection to seduce Daphne, he becomes very jealous. When Red reveals his true nature, Ratso and Ugly join forces to send him running. Ratso believes that a ring he found has the power to grant wishes! Ugly makes a wish and the school literally begins falling apart and Daphne, Emmy and Lou might have to leave the yard. Ratso is too obsessed with his ring to notice. Could it be that this ordinary hunk of metal actually holds the key to solving their problems? 12 www.alluminationfilmworks.com http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.alluminationfilmworks.com

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Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007 Contents News Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007

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