Series: The Simpsons
Season: 3
Episode: 7
We return to the Treehouse of Horror for the second time this year, but the question is this: Is it better than last time? Well. For me, not so much. To backtrack a bit, I did enjoy this episode but not quite as much as the first installment of the Treehouse series. So lets take a look at the episode itself and see why.
The beginning starts off the same way as the first, where Marge pleads with the audience to send the kids to bed early, but gives up and says "Well you didn't listen last time." This is a rather fun opening, it adds a bit of continuity to the series, and references back to the original opening's dialogue. From here we move into the wraparound story that fills in between each segment. This time around, Lisa, Bart, and Homer all eat far too much candy before bed, and one after another have bad dreams. Again, this is actually a rather fun way to fill in the time between segments without having to rehash the treehouse filler from before.
Lisa's dream follows the family as Homer buys an old monkey's paw which is said to grant wishes, but at a price of twisting them around. Ignoring the warning, the family begins to use the paw for wishes. Maggie makes the first one, which oddly gets overlooked for the twist. Perhaps she's smart when it comes to wish making? Following Maggie's wish, Bart decides to wish for the family to be rich and famous. With the new found wealth, comes the price of having everyone annoyed with the family and their antics. Lisa then wishes for world peace, which backfires as the world becomes enslaved by Kang and Kodos. Annoyed with all the twisted wishes, Homer decides to use his last wish for a sandwich and winds up getting rather dry turkey. The segment ends with Kang and Kodos suggesting that humanity might doom themselves with war.
Following her dream, Bart's dream revolves around himself as he has the power to not only read minds, but to also change people and animals into whatever he wants. This puts the entire town on edge as they have to constantly think happy thoughts and cater to his whims. When Homer goes too far, Bart changes his father into a Homer-in-the-box. Through the rest of the segment, Marge turns to Dr. Marvin Monroe for help, who in turn manages to get Bart and Homer to bond, eventually saying "I love you" which makes Bart wake up screaming.
Our final dream is Homer's, as he drifts off thinking about work in the morning. Unhappy with his lazy workers, Mr. Burns fires Homer for sleeping on the job, forcing the man to find a new job as the local gravedigger. When Homer falls asleep at that job as well, Mr. Burns kidnaps Homer, thinking him to be dead. With Homer in his secret lab, Mr. Burns reveals that he's going to use Homer's brain to power a giant robot worker which will change the labor industry. This backfires, however, when the robot ends up as lazy as Homer was.
While the entire episode as a sum is rather funny, each of the dream sequences doesn't really stand out to me. All three seemed to really lack a larger horror aspect like the first installment, though these segments do prey on the fears of each family member. In a respect, the segments do have that element of horror to them but the concept doesn't feel fully realized in the end.
3/4
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Halloween
Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season: 2
Episode: 6
So it begins. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One episode down, quite a few to go. Easily one of my favorite live action shows growing up, I used to watch Buffy religiously. If it was on, or new, I was generally watching it, especially in the later seasons. Tonight's episode however, is one of the earlier ones that I missed, until the wonders of dvd made it available to me.
Halloween, the episode, almost feels a bit odd or out of place given how the entire show revolves around vampires, demons, werewolves, witches and the like. Despite this possible hamper, the show manages to make this episode work really well in how they approached it. Our villain makes his first of several appearances through the shows run, and with quite a bang.
Taking place on Halloween night itself, the episode follows Buffy and the early version of the Scooby gang as they are forced to 'volunteer' as supervisors to groups of kids who are trick or treating. What they don't realize, however, is that their costumes were bought at a store run by a warlock named Ethan Rayne. This man, who plays a role in Giles' past, decides to cause some chaos by turning everyone who bought his costumes into the creature they were wearing. This makes for some rather fun results as Willow turns into a ghost, Xander into a soldier, and Buffy into a simpering noble woman. It's rather fun to see the roles reversed as Buffy is kept rather helpless for once, while Xander finally gets a chance to shine as a hero. Or at least until Angel arrives and lends a hand with things.
There's not really a whole lot that I can think of to note as far as continuity goes. Xander's soldier persona will come in handy down the road for future seasons, and Ethan Rayne will also be back again. Aside from this, the episode largely nudges forward other story lines that start evolving in this season.
While this episode is a lot of fun, and quite funny at times, I do recall enjoying the later Halloween themed episodes a fair bit more. All in all, that doesn't change how enjoyable this one is, on its own.
3 1/2 /5
Season: 2
Episode: 6
So it begins. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One episode down, quite a few to go. Easily one of my favorite live action shows growing up, I used to watch Buffy religiously. If it was on, or new, I was generally watching it, especially in the later seasons. Tonight's episode however, is one of the earlier ones that I missed, until the wonders of dvd made it available to me.
Halloween, the episode, almost feels a bit odd or out of place given how the entire show revolves around vampires, demons, werewolves, witches and the like. Despite this possible hamper, the show manages to make this episode work really well in how they approached it. Our villain makes his first of several appearances through the shows run, and with quite a bang.
Taking place on Halloween night itself, the episode follows Buffy and the early version of the Scooby gang as they are forced to 'volunteer' as supervisors to groups of kids who are trick or treating. What they don't realize, however, is that their costumes were bought at a store run by a warlock named Ethan Rayne. This man, who plays a role in Giles' past, decides to cause some chaos by turning everyone who bought his costumes into the creature they were wearing. This makes for some rather fun results as Willow turns into a ghost, Xander into a soldier, and Buffy into a simpering noble woman. It's rather fun to see the roles reversed as Buffy is kept rather helpless for once, while Xander finally gets a chance to shine as a hero. Or at least until Angel arrives and lends a hand with things.
There's not really a whole lot that I can think of to note as far as continuity goes. Xander's soldier persona will come in handy down the road for future seasons, and Ethan Rayne will also be back again. Aside from this, the episode largely nudges forward other story lines that start evolving in this season.
While this episode is a lot of fun, and quite funny at times, I do recall enjoying the later Halloween themed episodes a fair bit more. All in all, that doesn't change how enjoyable this one is, on its own.
3 1/2 /5
Halloween Tree
Oh Halloween Tree. How I have missed you. This rather obscure Halloween film, created and narrated by Ray Bradbury, is a woefully underused and less recognized film in this current age of new and flashy Halloween films/shorts based off bigger name characters from companies such as Dreamworks.
With this being said, Halloween Tree is a somewhat dark tale about a group of four friends who have to try and save their friend, Pip, from the hook nosed Mr. Moundshroud, while also learning about the spirit of the Holiday and what their costumes mean. While Halloween Tree is a bit dark at times, it's also surprisingly educational in the degree that each of the children learn about their costume choice. We travel with the characters to Egypt and learn about mummies, get a lesson in witches who lived in England, learn of monstrous gargoyles who decorate Notre Dame, and finally learn of skeletons and how we can overcome our fear of Death.
A quick bit on the animation. Initially I thought "Well, it's fairly average for the time it was made." and, yet, now that I think about it more, I actually really enjoy the films animation and how it looks. There's almost a storybook feel to it, which might be helped by the fact that this was a version of the film that wasn't made pristine clear for dvd/blu. The Halloween tree itself, with all of it's jack-o-lanterns is really great to look at, and one of my favorite pieces of animation from the film, as well my favorite background. Another great bit to note is the kite made of circus posters that seem to come to life.
The use of Ray Bradbury narrating is kept sprinkled all through the film and at no point is he overused. Our opening starts off with some great prose by our narrator, and from here the film only gets better. Despite shedding a lot of light on various customs from around the world, regarding Halloween, it never comes across as a boring history lesson. The entertainment stays consistent which is what serves the story so well. I was surprised by the ending, having forgotten it, and it was a tad bittersweet.
If you ever get the chance, I would happily suggest that everyone checks out this gem of a film. While it may not be five star material, it is still a lot of fun and well worth a watch or two, and is certainly going to be a staple of my Halloween viewing for years to come.
4/5
With this being said, Halloween Tree is a somewhat dark tale about a group of four friends who have to try and save their friend, Pip, from the hook nosed Mr. Moundshroud, while also learning about the spirit of the Holiday and what their costumes mean. While Halloween Tree is a bit dark at times, it's also surprisingly educational in the degree that each of the children learn about their costume choice. We travel with the characters to Egypt and learn about mummies, get a lesson in witches who lived in England, learn of monstrous gargoyles who decorate Notre Dame, and finally learn of skeletons and how we can overcome our fear of Death.
A quick bit on the animation. Initially I thought "Well, it's fairly average for the time it was made." and, yet, now that I think about it more, I actually really enjoy the films animation and how it looks. There's almost a storybook feel to it, which might be helped by the fact that this was a version of the film that wasn't made pristine clear for dvd/blu. The Halloween tree itself, with all of it's jack-o-lanterns is really great to look at, and one of my favorite pieces of animation from the film, as well my favorite background. Another great bit to note is the kite made of circus posters that seem to come to life.
The use of Ray Bradbury narrating is kept sprinkled all through the film and at no point is he overused. Our opening starts off with some great prose by our narrator, and from here the film only gets better. Despite shedding a lot of light on various customs from around the world, regarding Halloween, it never comes across as a boring history lesson. The entertainment stays consistent which is what serves the story so well. I was surprised by the ending, having forgotten it, and it was a tad bittersweet.
If you ever get the chance, I would happily suggest that everyone checks out this gem of a film. While it may not be five star material, it is still a lot of fun and well worth a watch or two, and is certainly going to be a staple of my Halloween viewing for years to come.
4/5
Halloweentown
Halloweentown! One of the movies I remember growing up with as a kid, this film has a certain nostalgic value to it. This film is also one of Disney's earliest DCOM's or "Disney Channel Original Movie" which later spawned a multitude of films that only went down in quality over the years, even by Disney Channel standards.
The movie centers around Marnie Cromwell, who has a love for Halloween and all the weird things that come with it. However, her mother seems to have the opposite mindset in regards to it. After a visit from her eccentric grandmother, Aggie, Marnie and her siblings follow her home to Halloweentown after they find out that Marnie is a witch.
However, not all is alright in Halloweentown as an evil force is changing the citizens. When Aggie and their mother (who followed close behind) are captured, the kids have to band together to set things right and use a powerful spell to banish the dark force. Along with some help from new friends, as well their mother and grandmother.
The story itself is pretty basic, and a lot of fluffy fun. I certainly remember enjoying it a lot more when I could only see it once a year, and back when it was newer and therefore more exciting at a younger age. The film hasn't really aged well, much like most t.v shows of the 80's and 90's which only become more corny the older we get. With that being said, nostalgia is a powerful force and only helps reinforce the fond memories of this film.
While it is quite enjoyable as a whole, some of the digital effects and dialogue is rather poor. The acting is quite tolerable, save for Debbie Reynolds as Aggie Cromwell who is extremely fun and a highlight of the film. The character of Marnie certainly hits quite a few annoying notes, especially in the beginning of the film. Thankfully, in the latter half of the film she does start to grow out of that, and by the second film is a much stronger character with less annoyances. While it may not be an excellent film, it is definitely a staple in my viewing around Halloween and can be quite charming.
3/5
The movie centers around Marnie Cromwell, who has a love for Halloween and all the weird things that come with it. However, her mother seems to have the opposite mindset in regards to it. After a visit from her eccentric grandmother, Aggie, Marnie and her siblings follow her home to Halloweentown after they find out that Marnie is a witch.
However, not all is alright in Halloweentown as an evil force is changing the citizens. When Aggie and their mother (who followed close behind) are captured, the kids have to band together to set things right and use a powerful spell to banish the dark force. Along with some help from new friends, as well their mother and grandmother.
The story itself is pretty basic, and a lot of fluffy fun. I certainly remember enjoying it a lot more when I could only see it once a year, and back when it was newer and therefore more exciting at a younger age. The film hasn't really aged well, much like most t.v shows of the 80's and 90's which only become more corny the older we get. With that being said, nostalgia is a powerful force and only helps reinforce the fond memories of this film.
While it is quite enjoyable as a whole, some of the digital effects and dialogue is rather poor. The acting is quite tolerable, save for Debbie Reynolds as Aggie Cromwell who is extremely fun and a highlight of the film. The character of Marnie certainly hits quite a few annoying notes, especially in the beginning of the film. Thankfully, in the latter half of the film she does start to grow out of that, and by the second film is a much stronger character with less annoyances. While it may not be an excellent film, it is definitely a staple in my viewing around Halloween and can be quite charming.
3/5
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters
This will be the first of at least 3 reviews going up today, so that I can play 'catch up.'
First up we have 'Daffy Duck's Quackbusters' which is certainly an interesting addition to the Looney Tunes lineup of films. Released in 1988, Quackbusters has two short films that are exclusive to this release while a number of older shorts are used for various segments. This causes Quackbusters to feel rather episodic, even with the wraparounds of each short providing a single story.
The first of the segments occurs right at the start of the film as we watch 'Night of the Living Duck,' which is also the first of the two exclusive shorts to Quackbusters. The entire short is probably my favorite of Daffy's shorts, which is surprising given my usual dislike of the Duck. I highly suspect the main reason I enjoy this short is largely because Daffy is entertaining a whole crowd of classic movie monsters.
After this segment, we move into the main story, revolving around Daffy earning the inheritance of a rich businessman and having to spend it on a service to the people. Upon realizing that the deceased benefactor is making his newly found wealth vanish, Daffy decides to rid the world of ghosts and other monsters. To do this, he enlists some hired 'help' in the form of Porky Pig, Sylvester, and Bugs Bunny. Not wanting to do any work at first, Daffy sends the three on a series of jobs around the world. Along the way, Porky and Sylvester encounter some killer mice, while Bugs Bunny meets up with Count Blood Count, and Hugo the Abominable Snowman. Daffy himself finally gets involved and joins Bugs to square off against Hugo, and also manages to successfully exorcise some ghosts from a possessed lady duck. This latter segment is the second exclusive short to the film, and also rather hilarious. The film finally ends when a series of miniature elephant sightings prompts Daffy to go on air to debunk the silly notion, only to have it blow up in his face and puts him out of business.
Quackbusters is.... certainly odd. The chosen shorts are all a lot of fun on their own, however the filler that wraps around them can vary from entertaining to feeling a bit subpar in comparison. The animation is fairly consistent, and never seems to be off at all. The main critique I have, aside from the mediocre filler, is that at various points in the film, Porky Pig sounds a lot like Bugs Bunny. Part of this is because Mel Blanc lent his voice to several characters. Normally each character sounds rather different, but not this time around.
In the end, Quackbusters is certainly a fun way to watch a few good shorts and is definitely worth watching for the two exclusive shorts as it is.
Favorite Quote:
Possessed Duck-Woman: Mary had a little lamb...
[turns into a demon]
Possessed Duck-Woman: But I *ate* it!
3 1/2 / 5
First up we have 'Daffy Duck's Quackbusters' which is certainly an interesting addition to the Looney Tunes lineup of films. Released in 1988, Quackbusters has two short films that are exclusive to this release while a number of older shorts are used for various segments. This causes Quackbusters to feel rather episodic, even with the wraparounds of each short providing a single story.
The first of the segments occurs right at the start of the film as we watch 'Night of the Living Duck,' which is also the first of the two exclusive shorts to Quackbusters. The entire short is probably my favorite of Daffy's shorts, which is surprising given my usual dislike of the Duck. I highly suspect the main reason I enjoy this short is largely because Daffy is entertaining a whole crowd of classic movie monsters.
After this segment, we move into the main story, revolving around Daffy earning the inheritance of a rich businessman and having to spend it on a service to the people. Upon realizing that the deceased benefactor is making his newly found wealth vanish, Daffy decides to rid the world of ghosts and other monsters. To do this, he enlists some hired 'help' in the form of Porky Pig, Sylvester, and Bugs Bunny. Not wanting to do any work at first, Daffy sends the three on a series of jobs around the world. Along the way, Porky and Sylvester encounter some killer mice, while Bugs Bunny meets up with Count Blood Count, and Hugo the Abominable Snowman. Daffy himself finally gets involved and joins Bugs to square off against Hugo, and also manages to successfully exorcise some ghosts from a possessed lady duck. This latter segment is the second exclusive short to the film, and also rather hilarious. The film finally ends when a series of miniature elephant sightings prompts Daffy to go on air to debunk the silly notion, only to have it blow up in his face and puts him out of business.
Quackbusters is.... certainly odd. The chosen shorts are all a lot of fun on their own, however the filler that wraps around them can vary from entertaining to feeling a bit subpar in comparison. The animation is fairly consistent, and never seems to be off at all. The main critique I have, aside from the mediocre filler, is that at various points in the film, Porky Pig sounds a lot like Bugs Bunny. Part of this is because Mel Blanc lent his voice to several characters. Normally each character sounds rather different, but not this time around.
In the end, Quackbusters is certainly a fun way to watch a few good shorts and is definitely worth watching for the two exclusive shorts as it is.
Favorite Quote:
Possessed Duck-Woman: Mary had a little lamb...
[turns into a demon]
Possessed Duck-Woman: But I *ate* it!
3 1/2 / 5
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
When Halloween Was Forever
Series: The Real Ghostbusters
Season: 1
Episode: 8
Once again, it's that time of year in which I get to watch 'When Halloween was Forever' during the proper season. To give a short review, I love this episode. This episode pretty much combines a few of my favorite things all into one package of awesome. You've got the Ghostbusters, you have them in their animated form, you have Samhain, Halloween, Halloween lore, tons of ghosts, and a 1980's pop song. What more could I possibly ask for?
Lets get the story out of the way. It's leading up to Halloween and the Ghostbusters are finding that more and more ghost appearances are happening, and that the ghosts are increasingly more powerful. When some 7th century ruins arrive, an evil ghost named Samhain escapes thanks to the aid of his two goblin lackeys. His ultimate plan? To make it eternally night, and to slow time so that Halloween will last forever. The actual goal is actually a lot of fun compared to other ghosts, but that's a post for another day. It's up to the Ghostbusters to put a stop to this plan, and they are against one of their most formidable ghosts yet.
So. We have a pretty great story, considering the Monster of the Week formula that Ghostbusters uses. The animation itself is on par with other episodes. There is one small goof that I noticed, where Egon is shown in the group when he's actually not supposed to be in that scene. That aside, I didn't catch anything else that was blatantly notable. Even then, the mistake could be considered a 'blink and you'll miss it' type of deal.
The one pop song that plays is kind of catchy, and due to my nostalgia it's one that I would happily listen to on my mp3 player. The ghosts are all visually diverse, and there's a few that are a lot of fun to look at, most notably Samhain himself. I really enjoy the pumpkin head and old tattered robe that he wears. I think my only, minor, complaint with Samhain's visual look is that the head seems overly large in some scenes. That being said, the fade out to his glowing face is awesome.
All in all, I'd rank this episode a solid 4 1/2 /5
Season: 1
Episode: 8
Once again, it's that time of year in which I get to watch 'When Halloween was Forever' during the proper season. To give a short review, I love this episode. This episode pretty much combines a few of my favorite things all into one package of awesome. You've got the Ghostbusters, you have them in their animated form, you have Samhain, Halloween, Halloween lore, tons of ghosts, and a 1980's pop song. What more could I possibly ask for?
Lets get the story out of the way. It's leading up to Halloween and the Ghostbusters are finding that more and more ghost appearances are happening, and that the ghosts are increasingly more powerful. When some 7th century ruins arrive, an evil ghost named Samhain escapes thanks to the aid of his two goblin lackeys. His ultimate plan? To make it eternally night, and to slow time so that Halloween will last forever. The actual goal is actually a lot of fun compared to other ghosts, but that's a post for another day. It's up to the Ghostbusters to put a stop to this plan, and they are against one of their most formidable ghosts yet.
So. We have a pretty great story, considering the Monster of the Week formula that Ghostbusters uses. The animation itself is on par with other episodes. There is one small goof that I noticed, where Egon is shown in the group when he's actually not supposed to be in that scene. That aside, I didn't catch anything else that was blatantly notable. Even then, the mistake could be considered a 'blink and you'll miss it' type of deal.
The one pop song that plays is kind of catchy, and due to my nostalgia it's one that I would happily listen to on my mp3 player. The ghosts are all visually diverse, and there's a few that are a lot of fun to look at, most notably Samhain himself. I really enjoy the pumpkin head and old tattered robe that he wears. I think my only, minor, complaint with Samhain's visual look is that the head seems overly large in some scenes. That being said, the fade out to his glowing face is awesome.
All in all, I'd rank this episode a solid 4 1/2 /5
Mad Monster Party
This Halloween film is a bit of a first for me. I had never known that Rankin Bass created a Halloween special/film, and until this last year I mostly assumed they only created Christmas oriented material. So, finding this at the store, was a treat. I decided to take a chance on it and bought it on a whim, not knowing if it would be worth it or not. Was it worth it? Oh yes, most definitely.
Right off the bat I want to get one thing out of the way. This film sadly, does not seem to have aged well and this can be due to a number of reasons, such as being improperly stored. Due to this, there is obvious grain and the like appearing here and there in certain spots of the film. I didn't find this to be super distracting, but it ultimately did not hamper my enjoyment at all. Because this grain and wearing was not intentional, and could possibly not have been fixed, I won't be subtracting from the films overall ranking despite the wearing. Sometimes these things happen, especially with older films or shorts that aren't given the same treatment and care as more beloved ones.
With this ramble out of the way, lets get down to the film itself. The story is quite simple, Baron Frankenstein feels that he has succeeded with his last great discovery and wishes to retire while he is still on top. There is however one problem. How to tell all of the monsters? With a party of course! Sending out invitations, he summons a whole slew of classic monsters including Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Lagoon, Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Frankenstein's Monster and his mate, and more. He also invites his distant nephew, Felix, who he wishes to be his heir and inherit all of his discoveries and secrets.
Upon discovering that the Baron is retiring, all of the monsters want to get their hands on his latest creation, a vial of liquid that can destroy matter. With the stakes high, a mad chase ensues and leads to an explosive finale.
Like all of Rankin-Bass' holiday work, there are a few songs found within the story. Perhaps if the film had aged better, the songs would sound much more crisp and vibrant, instead they don't sound quite as good as they may have upon initial release. Regardless of this, the songs are still rather entertaining, in my opinion, even if they don't quite reach the same level as some of the Christmas songs.
The stop-motion is rather well done, and does seem to be on par with the groups usual line of work. The characters are unique looking and fun to watch. There is the odd clunky moment here and there, but at the same time this film is a at least twice the length of the Christmas specials, so there is a lot more content worked in and perhaps easier to miss these things.
All in all, Mad Monster Party is a surprisingly fun addition to my Halloween line up and I can see myself watching it at least one more time this season. There are some slow parts, and some clunky bits that hamper things which is why I have given it the rating of:
3 1/2 / 5
Right off the bat I want to get one thing out of the way. This film sadly, does not seem to have aged well and this can be due to a number of reasons, such as being improperly stored. Due to this, there is obvious grain and the like appearing here and there in certain spots of the film. I didn't find this to be super distracting, but it ultimately did not hamper my enjoyment at all. Because this grain and wearing was not intentional, and could possibly not have been fixed, I won't be subtracting from the films overall ranking despite the wearing. Sometimes these things happen, especially with older films or shorts that aren't given the same treatment and care as more beloved ones.
With this ramble out of the way, lets get down to the film itself. The story is quite simple, Baron Frankenstein feels that he has succeeded with his last great discovery and wishes to retire while he is still on top. There is however one problem. How to tell all of the monsters? With a party of course! Sending out invitations, he summons a whole slew of classic monsters including Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Lagoon, Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Frankenstein's Monster and his mate, and more. He also invites his distant nephew, Felix, who he wishes to be his heir and inherit all of his discoveries and secrets.
Upon discovering that the Baron is retiring, all of the monsters want to get their hands on his latest creation, a vial of liquid that can destroy matter. With the stakes high, a mad chase ensues and leads to an explosive finale.
Like all of Rankin-Bass' holiday work, there are a few songs found within the story. Perhaps if the film had aged better, the songs would sound much more crisp and vibrant, instead they don't sound quite as good as they may have upon initial release. Regardless of this, the songs are still rather entertaining, in my opinion, even if they don't quite reach the same level as some of the Christmas songs.
The stop-motion is rather well done, and does seem to be on par with the groups usual line of work. The characters are unique looking and fun to watch. There is the odd clunky moment here and there, but at the same time this film is a at least twice the length of the Christmas specials, so there is a lot more content worked in and perhaps easier to miss these things.
All in all, Mad Monster Party is a surprisingly fun addition to my Halloween line up and I can see myself watching it at least one more time this season. There are some slow parts, and some clunky bits that hamper things which is why I have given it the rating of:
3 1/2 / 5
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
TV Series and Cartoon Short Reviews.
Ok. A quick overview of how I imagine cartoon short reviews, and tv show reviews working.
First off Cartoon Shorts. Due to their length it will vary from dvd/blu disc to disc on how many are reviewed. Some dvds I have offer a selection of several shorts and I will be reviewing the full disc. For larger compilations such as the Walt Disney Treasures and the Looney Tunes Collections, I will do things in batches of five at least. Each short will have it's own post for ease of navigation.
TV Shows will work in a similar manner to Cartoon Shorts. I will view one disc per day, however the number of episodes will vary greatly depending on the show and the running time of each episode. Typical half hour shows will likely offer around 9 episodes per disc, while the hour long shows generally offer 3 to 4 episodes.
With that said, TV Shows will also vary in the sense that some shows such as the Simpsons have a very loose continuity, and will not require any extra information/review notes in the posts. In the case of other shows such as Supernatural, or Rome there is a larger continuity that I will try to track as best I can.
Thirdly. Halloween and Christmas TV Show episodes will still retain continuity notes, however when I get around to reviewing the series I will not double dip and instead will note anything of importance in the following episodes review if required.
One final note. I will be adding Labels starting with all current posts, and over time be adding labels to older posts to help ease navigation/searching on the blog. Labels will work as follows:
TV Show Labels: Show Name and Season Number, Show Name - Example: Rome S1, Rome
Cartoon Shorts: Studio Name, Character Name - Example: Disney, Donald Duck Short
Movie Labels: Genre, Sub-Genre - Example: Horror, Animal-Horror
Posts such as this one will all contain the label "Information" and all countdowns will of course have the "Countdown" label and perhaps a second one that refers to the type of countdown it is (Movie, Character, Song, etc.)
First off Cartoon Shorts. Due to their length it will vary from dvd/blu disc to disc on how many are reviewed. Some dvds I have offer a selection of several shorts and I will be reviewing the full disc. For larger compilations such as the Walt Disney Treasures and the Looney Tunes Collections, I will do things in batches of five at least. Each short will have it's own post for ease of navigation.
TV Shows will work in a similar manner to Cartoon Shorts. I will view one disc per day, however the number of episodes will vary greatly depending on the show and the running time of each episode. Typical half hour shows will likely offer around 9 episodes per disc, while the hour long shows generally offer 3 to 4 episodes.
With that said, TV Shows will also vary in the sense that some shows such as the Simpsons have a very loose continuity, and will not require any extra information/review notes in the posts. In the case of other shows such as Supernatural, or Rome there is a larger continuity that I will try to track as best I can.
Thirdly. Halloween and Christmas TV Show episodes will still retain continuity notes, however when I get around to reviewing the series I will not double dip and instead will note anything of importance in the following episodes review if required.
One final note. I will be adding Labels starting with all current posts, and over time be adding labels to older posts to help ease navigation/searching on the blog. Labels will work as follows:
TV Show Labels: Show Name and Season Number, Show Name - Example: Rome S1, Rome
Cartoon Shorts: Studio Name, Character Name - Example: Disney, Donald Duck Short
Movie Labels: Genre, Sub-Genre - Example: Horror, Animal-Horror
Posts such as this one will all contain the label "Information" and all countdowns will of course have the "Countdown" label and perhaps a second one that refers to the type of countdown it is (Movie, Character, Song, etc.)
Monday, October 1, 2012
Treehouse of Horror
Series: The Simpsons
Season: 2
Episode: 3
Tonight's post is the first in three ways. It marks the first Simpsons review, the first review of an episode, and finally the first of many Halloween themed episode reviews. Not to mention the first Treehouse of Horror reviews, of which there will be 5.
Due to the nature of episodes, there will be another post after this outlining how episode reviews/tv series reviews will work. For now though, on with the Treehouse of Horror.
This episode is full of nostalgia. I remember watching this as a kid, through the 90's every year when they would put it on. Unlike most Simpsons episodes, this one departs from the usual method of the episodes, and instead becomes episodic as we encounter three different scary tales. The filler between stories shows Bart, Lisa and Maggie discussing what is scary as the two older siblings have different ideas of horror. Meanwhile, Homer sits outside listening in, growing more frightened with each story told.
The first of the stories told is "Bad Dream House" and revolves around the family as they move into a spooky, haunted house. Like all Treehouse episodes, there are references abound in here, which is what makes these episodes such a treat to watch. The Shining, Amityville Horror, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, and the Addams Family home all provide inspiration to various moments in this segment. While this segment is enjoyable, I do recall enjoying the Shining segment more from a later Treehouse of Horror episode.
Our second segment is "Hungry Are the Damned" and features the Simpsons being beamed up into space, though it takes two beams to lift Homer, and encounter a trio of aliens who wish to take them to their home world. Kang and Kodos tell the family that upon arrival that the Simpsons will enjoy a world of infinite delights. Not trusting the aliens, Lisa uncovers a dust ridden book initially called "How to Cook Humans" though it is soon revealed the aliens truly did wish to bring the family to paradise. Hurt by the distrust, they leave the family on Earth. This segment is largely inspired by a Twilight Zone episode from 1962 called "To Serve Man" and is my least favorite of the three segments, though that isn't saying much since it is still fairly enjoyable.
The final segment, based off of Edgar Allen Poe's poem of the same name, is "The Raven" and features James Earl Jones giving the narration of the poem as Homer squares off in battle against a raven sporting Bart's head. This segment is a lot of fun to watch, especially if one is a fan of Poe's work. Like all three segments, and the wraparounds the animation is a step up from the first season of the show, though it does feel obvious that this is a much earlier episode in the series' run.
All together, this is the first of several great Treehouse of Horror episodes, and it can only get better from here. With that said, let the month of Halloween reviews begin, especially on a good note such as this one.
4/5
Season: 2
Episode: 3
Tonight's post is the first in three ways. It marks the first Simpsons review, the first review of an episode, and finally the first of many Halloween themed episode reviews. Not to mention the first Treehouse of Horror reviews, of which there will be 5.
Due to the nature of episodes, there will be another post after this outlining how episode reviews/tv series reviews will work. For now though, on with the Treehouse of Horror.
This episode is full of nostalgia. I remember watching this as a kid, through the 90's every year when they would put it on. Unlike most Simpsons episodes, this one departs from the usual method of the episodes, and instead becomes episodic as we encounter three different scary tales. The filler between stories shows Bart, Lisa and Maggie discussing what is scary as the two older siblings have different ideas of horror. Meanwhile, Homer sits outside listening in, growing more frightened with each story told.
The first of the stories told is "Bad Dream House" and revolves around the family as they move into a spooky, haunted house. Like all Treehouse episodes, there are references abound in here, which is what makes these episodes such a treat to watch. The Shining, Amityville Horror, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, and the Addams Family home all provide inspiration to various moments in this segment. While this segment is enjoyable, I do recall enjoying the Shining segment more from a later Treehouse of Horror episode.
Our second segment is "Hungry Are the Damned" and features the Simpsons being beamed up into space, though it takes two beams to lift Homer, and encounter a trio of aliens who wish to take them to their home world. Kang and Kodos tell the family that upon arrival that the Simpsons will enjoy a world of infinite delights. Not trusting the aliens, Lisa uncovers a dust ridden book initially called "How to Cook Humans" though it is soon revealed the aliens truly did wish to bring the family to paradise. Hurt by the distrust, they leave the family on Earth. This segment is largely inspired by a Twilight Zone episode from 1962 called "To Serve Man" and is my least favorite of the three segments, though that isn't saying much since it is still fairly enjoyable.
The final segment, based off of Edgar Allen Poe's poem of the same name, is "The Raven" and features James Earl Jones giving the narration of the poem as Homer squares off in battle against a raven sporting Bart's head. This segment is a lot of fun to watch, especially if one is a fan of Poe's work. Like all three segments, and the wraparounds the animation is a step up from the first season of the show, though it does feel obvious that this is a much earlier episode in the series' run.
All together, this is the first of several great Treehouse of Horror episodes, and it can only get better from here. With that said, let the month of Halloween reviews begin, especially on a good note such as this one.
4/5
Fantasia
Fantasia. Months ago I started this blog with Fantasia 200, and what better way to end the first series of movies than with the original classic? Fantasia is one of those very unique pieces that the studio produced, as well as unique in the way that I have grown up with this film. Fantasia is one of those pieces that is considered art, and as such it does tend to be a bit tedious for the younger generations who don't always want to sit through a film quite like this. Growing up, I was one of those kids. Whenever I did watch this film, I often found myself fast forwarding several segments to get to the ones I liked the most if I even had the attention span to be bothered. Now as an adult, I truly appreciate this film, all of the hard work that was put into it, and walk away with a lot of respect for Fantasia. Obviously I do have some partial bias now, given my blog name, and that is a sign of just how far I've come since I was a kid who quite often couldn't make it through the first half of this film.
Now that I'm done rambling on, it's time to dive right in and go over each of the segments themselves. First up is Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. This segment is one of the ones I used to hate sitting through as a kid simply because I never cared about the abstract imagery being shown. As an adult, this segment isn't really one of my favorites but it is still visually interesting to watch and really helps to get the film going on a good note.
The second segment we come across is the Nutcracker Suite, which highlights the changing of the seasons through various means. This is one of my favorites. I have always loved watching the sprites work their magic, creating dew filled fields of flowers and skating upon the ice. The entire segment is a visual treat and tells a rather loose story of the seasons changing, just enough to keep it all tied together in comparison to our first segment.
Moving along, we reach the segment which I am sure everyone remembers the best. I am, of course, talking about the Sorcerers Apprentice, starring none other than Mickey Mouse. Who doesn't love this segment? Watching Mickey dream of being a wizard equal to his master, and learning the hard way of how easily things can go wrong is still entertaining even to this day. Perhaps an overlooked thing by casual movie viewers, is that Mickey's master does have the name Yen Sid which is "Disney" backwards. I never quite caught on to this until I did a bit of reading and thought it was a rather neat addition.
Our fourth segment is the Rite of Spring. This segment is an odd one. On the one hand I have always loved watching the dinosaurs roam the earth, and especially enjoyed the fight between the T-Rex and the Stegosaurus. On the other hand, the opening and closing do feel a bit slower to me, and when I was younger the opening especially felt too long. Regardless, it is still an interesting look at the history of Earth's evolution
Now we reach the Pastoral Symphony. This has always been one of my favorites of Fantasia simply because of the heavy use of ancient Greece. The Pastoral Symphony simply has it all, from the courtship of the centaurs, the fauns, the unicorns, the pegasus families, to the various Greek gods and goddesses. This segment has everything going for it in order to keep my attention. The colors are vibrant and enjoyable, and the backgrounds themselves are quite beautiful to watch. I know what most readers are thinking. "What about the deleted character?" Yes. There is a deleted centaur female named Sunflower, who was removed because of the heavy racial stereotyping, and racist manner in which she was incorporated. In later years, this character was removed, and to those with a much better eye than myself, are able to point out the parts where she was removed and how to spot it. Do I agree with the removal? Well, yes and no. I do fully understand why she was removed, and respect that choice. On the other hand, it does raise the question of "How can we learn from this mistake by pretending it never happened?" However, this is a can of worms better suited for another post.
Moving on, we reach the Dance of the Hours. This segment, much to my shame, is one of the segments I don't really remember that well. To be honest, it was quite a miracle for me to make it THIS far viewing the film as a kid, so it really is no wonder that I don't have quite the same nostalgic connection. With that said, the segment itself is actually a very entertaining look at the hours of the day as we see different animals dancing about at first on their own, and then all together in a madcap, chaotic finish.
Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria. What can I possibly say about these two segments to really do them justice? Obviously, I have quite a connection to Night on Bald Mountain and that is largely thanks to Chernabog being such a driving force during this segment. He is a visually powerful character, with facial expressions that easily convey his thoughts with the aid of his actions. This character is quite powerful as well in a magical sense as he is able to draw the dead out of their graves, even if they are on holy ground. Opening his wings at night, the demonic god summons the dead to come swirling up the mountain to him as he allows the creatures of the night to dance and transform to his cruel amusement. The ghosts are varied visually and always interesting to watch. The entire segment is quite dark, and rather scary for a Disney film which is what makes it so much fun for me, especially now as an adult. This segment is also perfectly complimented by Ave Maria which begins to sunrise as Chernabog is forced back into hiding as a mountain peak while beautiful scenes of a forest unfold before us. These final two segments end Fantasia on an extremely good note.
In the end, Fantasia is really well animated and fully worth the couple of hours it takes to sit and watch it. Even though there is no singular plot, or even spoken words during the segments themselves, the entire film still manages to convey so many stories, emotions and thoughts to the audience. This film is easily one of my favorites, not only for Disney but perhaps of all time.
5/5
Now that I'm done rambling on, it's time to dive right in and go over each of the segments themselves. First up is Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. This segment is one of the ones I used to hate sitting through as a kid simply because I never cared about the abstract imagery being shown. As an adult, this segment isn't really one of my favorites but it is still visually interesting to watch and really helps to get the film going on a good note.
The second segment we come across is the Nutcracker Suite, which highlights the changing of the seasons through various means. This is one of my favorites. I have always loved watching the sprites work their magic, creating dew filled fields of flowers and skating upon the ice. The entire segment is a visual treat and tells a rather loose story of the seasons changing, just enough to keep it all tied together in comparison to our first segment.
Moving along, we reach the segment which I am sure everyone remembers the best. I am, of course, talking about the Sorcerers Apprentice, starring none other than Mickey Mouse. Who doesn't love this segment? Watching Mickey dream of being a wizard equal to his master, and learning the hard way of how easily things can go wrong is still entertaining even to this day. Perhaps an overlooked thing by casual movie viewers, is that Mickey's master does have the name Yen Sid which is "Disney" backwards. I never quite caught on to this until I did a bit of reading and thought it was a rather neat addition.
Our fourth segment is the Rite of Spring. This segment is an odd one. On the one hand I have always loved watching the dinosaurs roam the earth, and especially enjoyed the fight between the T-Rex and the Stegosaurus. On the other hand, the opening and closing do feel a bit slower to me, and when I was younger the opening especially felt too long. Regardless, it is still an interesting look at the history of Earth's evolution
Now we reach the Pastoral Symphony. This has always been one of my favorites of Fantasia simply because of the heavy use of ancient Greece. The Pastoral Symphony simply has it all, from the courtship of the centaurs, the fauns, the unicorns, the pegasus families, to the various Greek gods and goddesses. This segment has everything going for it in order to keep my attention. The colors are vibrant and enjoyable, and the backgrounds themselves are quite beautiful to watch. I know what most readers are thinking. "What about the deleted character?" Yes. There is a deleted centaur female named Sunflower, who was removed because of the heavy racial stereotyping, and racist manner in which she was incorporated. In later years, this character was removed, and to those with a much better eye than myself, are able to point out the parts where she was removed and how to spot it. Do I agree with the removal? Well, yes and no. I do fully understand why she was removed, and respect that choice. On the other hand, it does raise the question of "How can we learn from this mistake by pretending it never happened?" However, this is a can of worms better suited for another post.
Moving on, we reach the Dance of the Hours. This segment, much to my shame, is one of the segments I don't really remember that well. To be honest, it was quite a miracle for me to make it THIS far viewing the film as a kid, so it really is no wonder that I don't have quite the same nostalgic connection. With that said, the segment itself is actually a very entertaining look at the hours of the day as we see different animals dancing about at first on their own, and then all together in a madcap, chaotic finish.
Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria. What can I possibly say about these two segments to really do them justice? Obviously, I have quite a connection to Night on Bald Mountain and that is largely thanks to Chernabog being such a driving force during this segment. He is a visually powerful character, with facial expressions that easily convey his thoughts with the aid of his actions. This character is quite powerful as well in a magical sense as he is able to draw the dead out of their graves, even if they are on holy ground. Opening his wings at night, the demonic god summons the dead to come swirling up the mountain to him as he allows the creatures of the night to dance and transform to his cruel amusement. The ghosts are varied visually and always interesting to watch. The entire segment is quite dark, and rather scary for a Disney film which is what makes it so much fun for me, especially now as an adult. This segment is also perfectly complimented by Ave Maria which begins to sunrise as Chernabog is forced back into hiding as a mountain peak while beautiful scenes of a forest unfold before us. These final two segments end Fantasia on an extremely good note.
In the end, Fantasia is really well animated and fully worth the couple of hours it takes to sit and watch it. Even though there is no singular plot, or even spoken words during the segments themselves, the entire film still manages to convey so many stories, emotions and thoughts to the audience. This film is easily one of my favorites, not only for Disney but perhaps of all time.
5/5
Pinocchio
Walt Disney's second full length animated feature, Pinocchio is the timeless story of a puppet who strives to be good so that one day he can become a real boy. This film is rather surprising in a few ways, which I will highlight as I go review this rather wonderful film.
So lets start with the story. As I outlined above, Pinocchio is a young puppet who comes to life thanks to the aid of the Blue Fairy. Aided by his conscience, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio sets out in a rather undefined European town to go to school. Like all good intentions, the young puppet is quickly lead astray by several figures on the road to becoming a real boy. While the film does have episodic qualities, things still run really smoothly as each interaction with new characters and locations only strengthen the films strong points.
What are these strong points? For one there is the music, which is easily ranked among Disney's best. Four of the five songs are quite well known, especially When You Wish Upon A Star, and each song serves to strengthen the film and none of them are fully forgettable aside from Geppetto's often overlooked ditty early on in the film.
However, where would a film be without its characters? In a very surprising twist, that has yet to be done again, the villains far outnumber our heroes. The first villains we run into are Honest John and Gideon who appear twice in the film, and both run ins with them lead to Pinocchio being guided to even worse characters. The first of the two that Honest John and Gideon lead Pinocchio to Stromboli, a puppeteer who has sinister intentions for our hero. The second time we come across Honest John and Gideon, they send Pinocchio off to Pleasure Island with the very sinister Coachman. This character is perhaps one of Disney's most frightening as he comes across as very demonic while hiding behind his sly smiles. Our final villain, and my favorite of the group, is the enormous whale Monstro. This character is so well done, from the lead up to the encounter, to the actual action scene on the ocean as Pinocchio and his father try to escape the savage whale. Monstro is very well animated, the way he moves gives the suggestion of having that bulky weight thanks to the timing and animation. The whale himself is also quite scary in the sense that he goes out of his way to bring terror to the ocean life and obviously enjoys what he's doing.
Now for the animation. Aside from one small continuity error with Geppetto's nightcap appearing and disappearing, there is nothing fully wrong with the animation at all. The entire film is enjoyable to look at, whether it is the quaint little village that Pinocchio and his father live in, the various clocks in Geppetto's shop, to the backgrounds on Pleasure Island. On top of this, there are also some really great scenes all throughout the film, two of which include Pinocchio's lie making his nose grow, to the terrifying scene as Lampwick changes into a donkey.
Pinocchio is certainly a very unique entry into the Disney cannon, and is one of the studios best pieces of work. Some of the surprises I mentioned above are the fact that we have a large number of villains, who also never get their comeuppance at all. Another pleasant surprise is how well the moral tone of the story is delivered. The film never comes across as fake or as being overly preachy at all, which can be really hard to pull off. If you have not seen this movie, I would highly suggest you take the time to see it.
5/5
So lets start with the story. As I outlined above, Pinocchio is a young puppet who comes to life thanks to the aid of the Blue Fairy. Aided by his conscience, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio sets out in a rather undefined European town to go to school. Like all good intentions, the young puppet is quickly lead astray by several figures on the road to becoming a real boy. While the film does have episodic qualities, things still run really smoothly as each interaction with new characters and locations only strengthen the films strong points.
What are these strong points? For one there is the music, which is easily ranked among Disney's best. Four of the five songs are quite well known, especially When You Wish Upon A Star, and each song serves to strengthen the film and none of them are fully forgettable aside from Geppetto's often overlooked ditty early on in the film.
However, where would a film be without its characters? In a very surprising twist, that has yet to be done again, the villains far outnumber our heroes. The first villains we run into are Honest John and Gideon who appear twice in the film, and both run ins with them lead to Pinocchio being guided to even worse characters. The first of the two that Honest John and Gideon lead Pinocchio to Stromboli, a puppeteer who has sinister intentions for our hero. The second time we come across Honest John and Gideon, they send Pinocchio off to Pleasure Island with the very sinister Coachman. This character is perhaps one of Disney's most frightening as he comes across as very demonic while hiding behind his sly smiles. Our final villain, and my favorite of the group, is the enormous whale Monstro. This character is so well done, from the lead up to the encounter, to the actual action scene on the ocean as Pinocchio and his father try to escape the savage whale. Monstro is very well animated, the way he moves gives the suggestion of having that bulky weight thanks to the timing and animation. The whale himself is also quite scary in the sense that he goes out of his way to bring terror to the ocean life and obviously enjoys what he's doing.
Now for the animation. Aside from one small continuity error with Geppetto's nightcap appearing and disappearing, there is nothing fully wrong with the animation at all. The entire film is enjoyable to look at, whether it is the quaint little village that Pinocchio and his father live in, the various clocks in Geppetto's shop, to the backgrounds on Pleasure Island. On top of this, there are also some really great scenes all throughout the film, two of which include Pinocchio's lie making his nose grow, to the terrifying scene as Lampwick changes into a donkey.
Pinocchio is certainly a very unique entry into the Disney cannon, and is one of the studios best pieces of work. Some of the surprises I mentioned above are the fact that we have a large number of villains, who also never get their comeuppance at all. Another pleasant surprise is how well the moral tone of the story is delivered. The film never comes across as fake or as being overly preachy at all, which can be really hard to pull off. If you have not seen this movie, I would highly suggest you take the time to see it.
5/5
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