The “Under the Hood” storyline was slightly controversial when it was first published – but that controversy hasn’t stopped DCU from making one of their best animated features to date, one full of great voicework and some spectacular Batman-style action.

What makes this film special is that it takes all the great animated action of Bruce Timm’s original series (he serves as film’s producer) and combines it with the violence, drama, and characterization of the cinematic blockbuster. The end result is a film that will please both fans of the original animated series and “The Dark Knight”. In this film, Batman is about as threatening and complex as ever, especially when faced with the Red Hood, a figure who seems to know all of the Batman’s moves when in the heat of battle which leaves him to unravel a mystery of his own that will lead him to tackle his own personal demons. Judd Winick’s writing is pretty sharp here as he compacts the entire arc of the Red Hood in to a little under ninety minutes. When the Red Hood is unveiled the twist is pretty obvious, but the confrontation between the mystery man and Batman is pretty damn incredible as they engage in a Master vs. Mentor battle, both having a common goal, but with different methodology. They begin to question themselves, are any of these men even making a difference?

The art is striking and distinctive, from the sharp angles of Batman’s form to a meaty, menacing Joker, to the atmosphere of the city, with its dark warehouses and classic high rises. For the most part, the voice acting is top of the line and although most Batman: The Animated Series fans would wish that Kevin Conroy was voicing the Dark Knight but Bruce Greenwood is fantastic as Batman. Personally, it is John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama / Marcus from Gears of War) who steals the show as a terrifyingly psychotic Joker. With Mark Hamill hanging up the reins as the Joker’s voice, DiMaggio will hopefully be the heir apparent. Others include Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) as Jason Todd/Red Hood, Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing, Wade Williams (Prison Break) as Black Mask.

DC Showcase: Jonah Hex

This is the second in the DC Showcase series of shortfilms, the first being the excellent short, The Spectre. Jonah Hex is a terrifically entertaining introduction to the world of macabre westerns and clocking in at 11 minutes, is by far superior to the Cinematic version.

Starring Thomas Jane in the title role, This extra on the 2-disc Batman: Under the Red Hood DVD is a gritty western that starts with a wanted criminal (Michael Rooker) falling victim to a conniving madam (Linda Hamilton) and her gang. Jonah Hex arrives in town shortly afterward and, after discovering what has happened to the man he was pursuing, proceeds to take on the gang.

The film is better than expected thanks to the screenplay by Joe R. Lansdale, master of the weird western. The story is tight and plays out like a Sergio Leone western, complete with fist fights, shootouts and a killer western themed score. Along with the Spectre, I would love to see a full length animated Jonah Hex movie. I guess we’ll have to wait for “Green Arrow” for our next installment in the DC Showcase series.

10. Meet The Spartans
This could be easily number one, but since I only made it through the first 15 minutes I’ve pushed it back to 10. Sorry, Kevin Sorbo.

9. Hancock
Bait and switch! I was under the impression that this was a comedy about a homeless superhero. Instead, I was bamboozled into watching Peter Berg’s latest Scientology recruitment video. This would have been excellent had it remained a comedy, but the convoluted plot twist in the second act turned this promising movie into Battle Field Earth.

8. Street Kings
I had high hopes for this movie. A crew of dirty cops. One of them is implicated in the murder of a fellow officer? Sounds like something involving Vick Mackey (Season 2-4), but Keanu as an alcholic vice cop is laughable. This movie also gets negative points for the audacity of calling it “The Watchmen”.

7. X-Files: I Want to Believe

Basically a 2 hour episode. Would have been better if it came out in the 90′s.

6. Be Kind Rewind
This movie spawned the most pretentious internet phenomenon of all time, “swede movies”.  Although short lived, it did produce a lot of shit youtube videos… thus adding to the shit phenomenon that was this movie (picture a giant shit supernova, but at a running time of 1:41 mins).

Plus, Jack Black in Blackface. Not cool.

5. Transporter 3
The Transporter formula is pretty simple. Statham + Cars = Action Movie. How can you mess this up?

Oh yeah, Natalya Rudakova.

“One of these Things Just doesn’t Belong…”

4. Righteous Kill

Imagine Scent of a Woman and Analyze This, throw them in a lame serial killer story, toss in a skateboarding pimp, a has been boy band member and 50-Cent…sigh.  Remember on The Simpsons when Homer tried to build the ultimate car? That’s probably what the initial meetings for the conception of this movie; “Yeah, lets make the white male pimp more EXTREME” – High Fives!

3. Punisher Warzone

I understand that the original intention was to be a homage to the Tim Bradstreet/Garth Ennis version of the Punisher (with its own brand of gonzo violence) but the use of brutality in this movie is set to a cartoonish level. What originally might have looked cool in print fails epically on screen. I think director Lexi Alexander originally intended this to be a comedy, thus making Ray Stevenson’s already wooden performance the greatest example of deadpan comedy ever documented (look out Steven Wright).

2. The Happening

If the “disease” is an airborne virus are you telling me Mark Whalberg survived that long with those nostrils?

1. The Day The Earth Stood Still

As if you didn’t know!

I’ve read the complaints from various sources that the plot seems to get lost in the special effects, I’m guessing movie audiences need to be spoon fed plot these days, but that is beside the point. This movie fails for one reason, the casting of Jaden Smith (aka Will Smith’s kid), as the rambunctious annoying foil to the grown up characters. I’ll just put it out there, I hate this kid. His performance should go down in cinema infamy with Darth Vader yelling “no” and those goddamn annoying robots from the Black Hole.

He does serve a purpose and is an integral role to the advancement of the plot. The argument could be made that Jaden’s character is the movies true villain. It’s not humanity destroying the environment, or Klatu’s robot homie (GORT), or even the “evil” US Defense Secretary. No, all these forces are basically doing what nature intended, Jaden’s character is the true personification of evil. From initially wanting to destroy the alien, to then selfishly wanting the alien to resurrect his relatives,  those come from fear. The truest act of villainy is dropping dime on Keanu after he saved your punk ass. “A hug from you could be a federal squeeze”. nobody likes a snitch.

“No he’s going home” …. that’s right, -$15