Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

I might adore Joss Whedon, but I don't think I'm biased when I say that the above trailer for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is the best thing since sliced bread. Check it out above. Aren't I right? Good lord, I could watch the trailer on repeat. It's further proof that with enough talent, you don't need a lot of money to make something great. Yeah, this isn't exactly a big-screen piece of cinema news, but we're talking Nathon Fillion, Neil Patrick Harris, Adam Baldwin*, Felicia Day, and Joss Whedon -- all of whom have been in films, most of whom have been in some pretty awesome films (or made them).

But to keep this on the movie track: I hereby declare that no one should make a crappy spoof movie unless Joss is involved. Watching the trailer, I kept thinking about Date Movie, Disaster Movie, and all the rest of the crap that has come out, and how Whedon could've made them monumentally better.

And one more thing: When is Nathan Fillion getting his own superhero or bad-guy role on the big screen? Look at him -- he's perfect for it!

*Unfortunately, the man with the goggle-like thing, that I mistook for Adam Baldwin, is actually (I think) Rob Reinis.

I was not a film critic as a child, and there were a lot of movies I liked then that wouldn't appeal to me today: Benji, Candleshoe, The Love Bug and all those Tim Conway/Don Knotts movies leap to mind. And I didn't like some movies the first time I saw them. I was disappointed that Freaky Friday was not like the book (the remake is better), and I've always felt Gene Wilder was a little creepy both in The Little Prince and -- don't kill me -- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. There are a number of movies I can't enjoy anymore because I am appalled by the gender or racial stereotypes. And some are too saccharine for words. In fact, there are a number of childhood favorites that I think it's best for me not to see again at all, because I prefer to remember them fondly without the reality of a contemporary viewing to shatter my illusions.

However, it's a wonderful feeling to revisit a childhood favorite and discover that the movie is still fun to watch. I'd much rather tell you about the films I loved as a child or pre-teen that I still watch and enjoy today, than dwell on the ones that don't hold up very well. Compiling this list has caused me to draw up a list of movies that I haven't seen since I was younger that I'd like to see again soon -- Yellow Submarine, which I enjoyed as early as age six, isn't on the list because I haven't seen the complete movie since college, but I think I'd still like it. And I've been tempted lately to check out those early Kurt Russell films from Disney like The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. The seven movies on the following list are all films I liked when I was young and still like now -- "young" meaning all the way up into my early teenage years, because I was able to watch better movies I am more likely to remember and that appeal to me now.

Cinematical isn't covering San Francisco's WonderCon this year, but we've been monitoring some of the more interesting news items that have floated out. Here's one that's being reported on IGN that may interest Superman nuts: during a DC Comics panel, Bruce Timm talked about a forthcoming animated feature film that will bring to life the 'Death of Superman' comic storyline, in which the Man of Steel was taken down by the interplanetary supervillain known as Doomsday. The film, which will run 72-minutes, is scheduled for DVD release on September 18.

Timm revealed during the panel that voice actors for the project will include Adam Baldwin as Superman, Anne Heche as Lois Lane, and James Marsters as Lex Luthor. Timm noted that fans will be getting a 'new take' on the Luthor character for this film. Furthermore, Timm prepared fans for 'adaptations and changes' from the original comic storyline, presumably to keep it fresh for the audience. He mentioned that major sub-plots from the original storyline would be cut out. Timm also unveiled a trailer for the new film, which showed Superman doing battle with Doomsday and re-created the iconic comic art of Lois cradling a dead Superman in her arms. The finale of the teaser was apparently a shot of Superman's hand punching through a grave!

After I posted an image from Breaking Away recently, someone mentioned a similar sleeper film, the 1980 movie My Bodyguard. I had plain forgotten about that movie, although it was another one that I taped from TV and watched quite a few times in my junior high days.

My Bodyguard is an odd little film. Chris Makepeace -- whose name I haven't heard in years and years -- starred as Clifford, the new kid in a high school who decides he doesn't want to pay off the school bullies like everyone else. He decides to hire his own bodyguard, another teen who can intimidate the bullies. The cast includes Joan Cusack and Adam Baldwin in their (nearly) first film roles, and Matt Dillon as the lead bully. Jennifer Beals appears for a fleeting moment as one of the high-school kids.

The comic subplots in this movie are generally acknowledged to be rather weak and unmemorable, despite the supporting cast of excellent character actors: Ruth Gordon, Martin Mull, John Houseman, Tim Kazurinsky, George Wendt and Richard Cusack (Joan and John's dad). The part of the movie worth watching is the story of Baldwin's character Linderman, the big quiet kid, and how he interacts with Clifford and the other teens. I haven't seen My Bodyguard since high school, but now I'm feeling an urge to rent it and see if I like it as much as I did then. Besides, I last saw Baldwin as Jayne in Serenity and I'd love to contrast that with his role in this film.