The beauty of Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" was exactly what the title states.

Watching Batman "return" from 10 years of inactivity in Miller's futuristic take on one of the most iconic superheroes of all-time was unlike anything fans had seen.

That interpretation of Bruce Wayne's alter ego was penned in the mid 1980s. DC Comics gave it a straight-to-home video release last fall with Part 1 of the story. What an achievement in animation. It was dark, brooding, exactly like the graphic novel, which changed Batman forever.

The first two chapters of the four-part story beautifully tell a tale that pulls you in. You feel the conflict within Wayne as he struggles to cope with Gotham City crumbling. You feel the terror as Harvey Dent, Wayne's good friend before losing it as the villain Two-Face, threatens the city with a bomb. And you certainly feel the terror as Gotham is taken over by a gang of ruthless mutants. Of course, Batman saves the day in each instance.

Part 2, released this week, continues the story, months after Part 1 concluded. With the Joker and Superman added to the cast, it has to be a home run, right? Not even close.

The second installment loses the juice of Part 1, mostly because the plotlines seem overly rushed. The Joker certainly has his moments of mayhem, but the Superman arc (if you didn't grow up in the 80s, the references to the Cold War, and former president Ronald Reagan will go over your head) just doesn't click like it did on the written page.

Joker's story is buoyed by Batman's return, and he's as disturbing as ever (this film is NOT for children), but the voice-over provided by Lost's Michael Emerson misses the mark. In the final chapter, Superman has orders from the White House to stop (and possibly eliminate?) Batman, whose vigilante ways infuriates the new commissioner who took over for a retired Gordon.. It makes for another epic battle and interesting twist for those who've never read the book.

Unfortunately, it's not enough to save this animated film, which will forever be greatly outshined by its predecessor.

BLU RAY EXTRAS:  Director Jay Oliva provides commentary about creating the film from storyboards, plus there's short docs on the Joker, and the Batman-Superman battle. All are definitely worth a watch.

- Mark Podolski | @MPodo

Season six of AMC's critically acclaimed series "Mad Men" is back April 7 with a two-hour premiere, starting at 9 p.m., the cable station recently announced.

The season continues the next week at its normal 10 p.m. slot.

Has Don Draper gone back off the deep end? One can only hope.

We've missed you Don.

- Mark Podolski | @MPodo

J.J. Abrams will direct the next "Star Wars" movie, slated for 2015.

I'm a little annoyed.

"Star Wars: Episode VII" got the best director it could to restart/relaunch/refresh the franchise.

J.J. Abrams, the director of the 2009's borderline-brilliant "Star Trek" and its upcoming sequel, "Star Trek Into Darkness," is an admitted "Star Wars" fanatic. His style isn't for everybody, but I find his films, which also include the wonderful "Super 8," to be popcorn masterpieces. They're focused, their exquisitely paced and their expertly edited.

And, yes, I'm a little annoyed that he took the job.

Why, because until the announcement on Friday, I was doing a good job barely caring about this new "Star Wars" effort, slated for 2015.

When Disney bought Lucasfilm Ltd. and announced they'd be pumping out new movies set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I figured they'd be cash cows of the uninteresting variety. And, frankly, after the prequel trilogy, I was tired of getting my hopes up and then being disappointed. (I should note, however, that while I didn't rave about them, I gave the second two movies reviews that were more complimentary than they should have been, realizing later just how flawed these George Lucas-directed films were.)

When Michael Ardnt ("Little Miss Sunshine," "Toy Story 3") was announced as the writer, I felt they could have done worse, but they could have done better. And when the director I first hoped would take the job, Brad Bird ("The Iron Giant," "The Incredibles," "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol") announced he had too much else going on to be considered, I kept my expectations sensibly low.

I had certainly considered Abrams, of course, but I thought he wouldn't do "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" in the same period, and the longtime fan said he'd be "thrillified" -- a combination of thrilled and terrified" -- to watch this new "Star Wars" film as a fan.

But he did take the gig, and now I'm excited. Too excited. Imagine -- a new "Star Wars" with none of the bloat and lifelessness that Lucas brought to the prequels! Oh man.

I guess it's more accurate to say I'm excitified now. Don't screw this up, Mr. Abrams.

-- Mark Meszoros | Entertainment@News-Herald.com | @nhfeatures

From The Associated Press:

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters," $19 million ($25 million international).
2. "Mama," $12.8 million. (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros: Luke-warm 'Mama' gets good performances from Chastain and others, ultimately shows us too much)
3. "Silver Linings Playbook," $10 million ($3 million international). (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire: Charming 'Silver Linings Playbook' has great performances from Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence)
4. "Zero Dark Thirty," $9.8 million ($3.6 million international). (Review by Meszoros: Bin Laden hunted in 'Zero Dark Thirty,' one of year's best films)
5. "Parker," $7 million. (Review by Lemire: Statham does is thing in rather perfunctory 'Parker')
6. "Django Unchained," $5 million ($42.9 million international). (Review by Meszoros: With fun, vulgar and violent 'Django Unchained,' Waltz, Tarantino again a terrific tandem)
7. "Movie 43," $5 million ($2.8 million international).
8. "Gangster Squad," $4.2 million ($6.8 million international). (Review by Meszoros: 'Gangster Squad' gets the job done, if sloppily)
9. "Broken City," $4 million ($500,000 international). (Review by Lemire: Damaged 'Broken City' has Wahlberg, Crowe, Zeta-Jones collecting paychecks)
10. "Les Miserables," $3.9 million ($14 million international). (Review by Meszoros: Director, female stars make 'Les Miserables' a winning adaptation)

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Sports, politics and movies have one thing in common:

All produce arguments, opinions and interesting discussions. Since this is a pop culture blog, we'll stick to movies.

Forgive me for being late to the party, but this week I watched for the first time what many call Director Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, "Vertigo."

The 1958 film stars James Stewart as a retired cop who's afraid of heights. It's dubbed a psychological "thriller," but not in my book. Three words describe "Vertigo."

Boring, boring, boring.

What's worse,  in August 2012, the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound magazine poll that ranks the best films of all time once a decade named "Vertigo" the best film of all time. A panel of 846 voted in the poll.

Ousted from the top spot was Orson Welles' 1941 classic "Citizen Kane," to which I say, what in world is this panel thinking?
 
"Vertigo" has a preposterous storyline, is way too drawn out and the suspense simply doesn't sustain itself. I'm a big fan of Hitchcock, and "Psycho" and "The Birds" - arguably the director's most notable works - clearly deliver the goods from a thriller standpoint. Another Hitchcock classic, "North by Northwest" is an immense movie experience and I give it two big thumbs up.

"Vertigo?" ... No. It's certainly isn't the worst film of all-time. The scenic settings of San Francisco are breathtaking and Stewart is one of the all-time greats and he's fine in the role of Scottie Ferguson. But the best film of all-time?

No. Not even close. It's not even in the ballpark. What a whiff by the experts. But hey, this is simply one man's opinion.

- Mark Podolski | @MPodo

From The Associated Press:

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.

1. "Mama," $28.1 million. (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros: Luke-warm 'Mama' gets good performances from Chastain and others, ultimately shows us too much)
2. "Zero Dark Thirty," $17.6 million. ($770,000 international.) (Review by Meszoros: Bin Laden hunted in 'Zero Dark Thirty,' one of year's best films)
3. "Silver Linings Playbook," $11.4 million. ($700,000 international.) (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire: Charming 'Silver Linings Playbook' has great performances from Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence)
4. "Gangster Squad," $9.1 million. ($5.7 million international.) (Review by Meszoros: 'Gangster Squad' gets the job done, if sloppily)
5. "Broken City," $9 million. (Review by Lemire: Damaged 'Broken City' has Wahlberg, Crowe, Zeta-Jones collecting paychecks)
6. "A Haunted House," $8.3 million. ($1.6 million international.)
7. "Django Unchained," $8.2 million. ($48.1 million international.) (Review by Meszoros: With fun, vulgar and violent 'Django Unchained,' Waltz, Tarantino again a terrific tandem)
8. "Les Miserables," $7.8 million. ($19.4 million international.) (Review by Meszoros: Director, female stars make 'Les Miserables' a winning adaptation)
9. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," $6.4 million. ($13.2 million international.) (Review by Meszoros: 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' has familiar ring to it)
10. "The Last Stand," $6.3 million. ($1.3 million international.) (Review by Lemire: Schwarzenegger's 'The Last Stand' a surprisingly fun action romp)

Wonder what's coming to theaters this year? Check out Mark Meszoros' 2013 movie preview.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Wondering if I should see "Zero Dark Thirty," even though I think it sounds like a sequel to "Threat Level Midnight."  Any reviews or recommendations?

From The Associated Press:

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Zero Dark Thirty," $24 million ($1.2 million international). (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros: Bin Laden hunted in 'Zero Dark Thirty,' one of year's best films)
2. "A Haunted House," $18.8 million.
3. "Gangster Squad," $16.7 million ($9.1 million international). (Review by Meszoros: 'Gangster Squad' gets the job done, if sloppily)
4. "Django Unchained," $11 million. (Review by Meszoros: With fun, vulgar and violent 'Django Unchained,' Waltz, Tarantino again a terrific tandem)
5. "Les Miserables," $10.1 million ($25.5 million international). (Review by Meszoros: Director, female stars make 'Les Miserables' a winning adaptation)
6. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," $9 million ($26.1 million international). (Review by Meszoros: 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' has familiar ring to it)
7. "Lincoln," $6.3 million. (Review by Meszoros: 'Lincoln,' powered by Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal, engrossingly brings to life crucial bit of presidential history)
8. "Parental Guidance," $6.1 million ($4.6 million international). (Review by The AP's Michael Rechtshaffen: You can go only so wrong with 'Parental Guidance')
9. "Texas Chainsaw 3-D," $5.1 million ($1.2 million international). (Review by The AP's Frank Schenk: 'Chainsaw' loving homage to '74 original)
10. "Silver Linings Playbook," $5 million. (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire: Charming 'Silver Linings Playbook' has great performances from Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence)

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

From The Associated Press:

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Texas Chainsaw 3-D," $23 million. (Review by The AP's Frank Schenk: 'Chainsaw' loving homage to '74 original)
2. "Django Unchained," $20.1 million. (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros: With fun, vulgar and violent 'Django Unchained,' Waltz, Tarantino again a terrific tandem)
3. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," $17.5 million ($57.1 million international). (Review by Meszoros: 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' has familiar ring to it)
4. "Les Miserables," $16.1 million ($14.5 million international). (Review by Meszoros: Director, female stars make 'Les Miserables' a winning adaptation)
5. "Parental Guidance," $10.1 million. (Review by The AP's Michael Rechtshaffen: You can go only so wrong with 'Parental Guidance')
6. "Jack Reacher," $9.3 million ($22.3 million international). (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire: In twisty thriller 'Reacher,' Tom Cruise oozes low-key charisma)
7. "This Is 40," $8.6 million. (Review by Lemire: Apatow's latest comedy, 'This Is 40,' shows growth, reunited Rudd, Mann)
8. "Lincoln," $5.3 million. (Review by Meszoros: 'Lincoln,' powered by Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal, engrossingly brings to life crucial bit of presidential history)
9. "The Guilt Trip," $4.5 million. (Review by The AP's Todd McCarthy: ‘Guilt Trip’ a flick only a mother (or Streisand fan) could love)
10. "Promised Land," $4.3 million.

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl