Grijalva originally urged boycotts of Arizona but said the judge's recent ruling demanded a refocus.
Shinji Aramaki directs Casio Entertainment in "The Package," an animated short found on Warner Home Video's Halo Legends.The comic book permeates all levels of popular culture. This sporadic feature reviews some recent examples from the world of digital video discs (compatible with DVD-ROM and Blu-ray-enabled computers and home entertainment centers) and also includes a recommended sequential-art reading list to extend the multimedia adventures.
Halo Legends (Warner Home Video, rated PG-13, $44.98) Microsoft's sci-fi video-game universe comes to animated life in a collection of short cartoons created by some of the masters of Japanese anime.
Much as "The Animatrix" and "Batman: Gotham Knights" offered an extended exploration of each's pop-culture mythology, this collection concentrates on Halo's war between Covenant and USNC forces while digging deeper into the origins and lives of the species affected.
A single Blu-ray disc contains seven beautifully crafted stand-alone pieces averaging 15 minutes each. Among the best:
"The Duel" In clearly the most radical and gorgeous of all the vignettes, director Hiroshi Yamazaki takes viewers into a vibrant, living watercolor world of the Elites, where we learn a bit about their code of honor, samurai influences and the plight of the Arbiter Fal.
"Odd One Out" Daisuke Nishio teams up with Toei Animation to deliver a "Dragon Ball Z"-inspired, tongue-in-cheek tale about Spartan 1337, a fellow with an ego as powerful as his assault rifle. Stranded on a planet, the warrior encounters dinosaurs, the Covenant's latest furry weapon and some superpowered kids led by a high-tech Mama.
"The Package" Shinji Aramaki directs Casio Entertainment in the production of a stunning computer-generated, hyperrealistic-looking adventure starring the Master Chief. An elite group of Spartans is on a rescue mission, which translates into viewers seeing some wondrous weapons, a high-powered space battle and a duel with laser swords.
Somebody sign up these guys to do a weekly Halo series, please.
The other segments are equally enjoyable, as they explore familiar topics, squads and terrain such as O.D.S.T., the Flood, the world of the Forerunners, Red Spartans, brutes and the assassination of a Prophet.
I'll gush about the dramatic moments (reference Hades Squad's Ghost and his humanity in "Prototype") and the wonders of high definition that does eye-popping justice to all of the animation.
A graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in communications, Joseph Szadkowski has written about popular culture for The Washington Times for the past 17 years. He covers video games, comic books, new media and technology.
By Jeannine Aversa
updated 56 minutes ago
The recovery lost momentum in the spring as growth slowed to a 2.4 percent pace, its most sluggish showing in nearly a year and too weak to drive down unemployment. Published 8:33 a.m. July 30, 2010
By Sean Lengell - The Washington Times
The House ethics committee officially lodged charges against Rep. Charles B. Rangel, including that he used his office to raise $8 million for a college public policy center named after him and didn't file taxes while he was Congress' chief tax writer. Published 8:56 p.m. July 29, 2010
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