robynh-4 Reviews

The Snow Queen (1976 TV Movie)

While it's nostalgic factor may not hold up, BBC's 1976 adaption of The Snow Queen is still worth watching

[7/10 · 8 February 2012]

The 1976 BBC adaption of The Snow Queen is, from what I take it, the very first English adaption of Hans Christian Andersen's beloved fairy tale, as well as the most faithful to the original story.

As a child, I adored The Snow Queen. I'd watch it all the time until the video got jammed in the VCR. Recently, I watched the full movie on Youtube, and while, it's not as good as I used to think it was, I recommend taking a look at it.

The movie starts off with the Devil and his troll minions creating an evil mirror that reflects the ugliness in beautiful things and vice versa (you deserve a cookie if you sit through this opening without being the slightest bit scared of the demented laughter and horrific images that show up). However, as the troll minions fly the mirror up towards Heaven to mock God with it, they laugh uncontrollably, fumble the mirror and drop it, smashing it into tiny pieces which make their way into everyday objects or just floating around on Earth.

This sets in motion the rest of the story. Gerda, a young girl, and her friend, Kay, are going to stay with Gerda's grandmother during Christmas when a street lantern containing a shard of the Devil's mirror cracks and lands in Kay's eye and heart, turning him cold hearted and cruel. During the night, Kay is abducted by The Snow Queen and taken to her palace. The Snow Queen brainwashes Kay into forgetting Gerda and sets him to solve a difficult puzzle. If Kay can solve the puzzle, he will be rewarded with a pair of ice skates as well as the entire world, but he will also belong to The Snow Queen forever. While this is going on, Gerda sets of on an adventure to find Kay and discover the hidden power within her.

The overall quality of The Snow Queen is mixed. On one hand the pacing is nice and quick, yet sometimes it lingers. Namely the scene with the talking flowers in the garden, that scene is nothing more than filler. The animation, while it is dated, is lovely, especially considering how cartoons during the 1970's were cheaply produced by companies wanting to cut corners while still being lucrative (ie. Hanna-Barbera), plus the whole look of live action actors on animated backgrounds is neat. The supporting actors do a fine job, but the two lead child actors are simply awful. Yes, they may be children but if Anna Paquin can win an Oscar at the age of 11 and Abigail Breslin nominated at the age of 10, then I don't see why the leading kids can put on a decent performance. Also it would have been nice to see what Kay was like before he was corrupted; the film makers can't just expect the audience to believe that Kay was a kind and friendly boy without showing it or even having it mentioned, especially since Kay still acts the same as before when the spell on him is broken. Finally, there could have been more of The Snow Queen herself. She's the title character and the main antagonist of the movie, yet she barely makes much of an appearance throughout the movie, and she only talks in two scenes. It's a real shame, the design of the character is really unique to boot.

Overall, while it has plenty of flaws, I still recommend viewing BBC's 1976 adaption of The Snow Queen, even at least once.

Final Score: 7/10

Life (I) (1999)

Funny and Thoughtful

[8/10 · 9 June 2011]

I have just finished watching "Life" and let me tell you something, it is worth watching. "Life" is easily one of Eddie Murphy's better movies outside of the "Shrek" movie line, and let's face it, outside of "Shrek", Eddie doesn't really have such a strong resume of decent films, but "Life" is an exception. Now before I really go in depth with this review, let me point out that "Life" isn't your typical straight off the assembly line buddy flick, despite what the advertising for this film suggests; this movie has a very serious undertone which at times turns to an overtone and it's armed with razor sharp teeth. With that in mind let's dive right in!

"Life" is told in flashback by an elderly prisoner talking to two younger prisoners about the fast talking pick pocket Ray Gibson (Eddie Murphy) and serious would-be bank teller Claude Banks (Martin Lawrence). In 1932, both Ray and Claude were in debt to a loan shark named Spanky. In order to pay off Spanky, both men agreed to travel from New York to Mississippi to pick up moonshine and take it back with them. However, while in Mississippi, Ray and Claude are wrongfully accused of murdering a man Ray previously lost out to in a card game. Both men are then sentenced to life in prison. While time passes and the decades roll by, Ray and Claude must come to terms with their life sentence and each other.

As the polar opposites of each other, Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence have great chemistry as the lead roles. The supporting cast are all good too and the dialogue is crisp and sharp. The make up effects are amazing as well. Until now make up in movies something that I have never talked about in any of my reviews, but here I couldn't help but mention it. Instead of getting elderly actors for the older versions of Ray and Claude, we still have Eddie and Martin but with excellent make up effects done on them; they genuinely look like they've aged for the worse in prison!

If you ever have the chance to watch "Life", be it on TV or renting it from a friend or video store, please do so.

Final Score 8/10

Bloodlines (2010– )

Excellent film but very, very chilling

[10/10 · 19 February 2011]

In 2001, South African born psychiatrist Dr. Colin Bouwer was sentenced to life in prison with thirteen years non-parole for the murder of his wife, Annette. It took the jury only three hours- including an hour for lunch and a ten minute cigarette break- to sentence Dr. Bouwer, one of the fastest verdicts in New Zealand history.

"Bloodlines" takes place in Dunedin (where the Bouwer's lived) during late 1999 and early 2000, during that time Dr. Bouwer slowly poisoned Annette by lacing her food with insulin (Annette wasn't diabetic but Dr. Bouwer was able to fake prescriptions for insulin), dangerously lowering her blood sugar levels until Dr. Bouwer gave her an injection of insulin which ended her life there and then. It was only when Annette's GP, Dr. Andrew Bowers, insisted on a last minute post-mortem, and Detective Sergeant Brett Roberts, who wasn't as stupid as Dr Bouwer thought he would be, that sealed the fate of New Zealand's own "Dr. Death".

The acting in "Bloodlines" is stellar. Mark Mitchinson is fantastic as Dr. Colin Bouwer; the way he can go from being empathetic and charming one minute to terrifyingly chilling the next is a must watch. Nathalie Boltt is great as the kind but ill fated Annette. Craig Hall is also another great performance to mention; as Dr. Andrew Bowers he puts on a genuinely sympathetic performance as the doctor and family man who's dragged into Dr. Bouwer's web of lies and getting the blame for Annette's death.

With great performances all round and a sharp, clever script, "Bloodlines" is anything but your usual portrait of a killer made for TV movie.

Balto III: Wings of Change (2004 Video)

While it isn't as good as the first Balto movie, it's a huge improvement over Wolf Quest

[7/10 · 10 June 2010]

Three years after that despicable abomination Balto 2: Wolf Quest, Universal released Balto 3: Wings of Change. I admit it's not right up there with the first movie, it has it's flaws, there's a lot about that I would have loved to change but it's a much better installment to the series than Wolf Quest.

Unlike Wolf Quest (how I hate that film!) the story to Wings of Change is straight forward and easy to follow: Balto's son, Kodi (voiced by Sean Astin from Lord of the Rings) is part of the Nome mail delivery service. However, Kodi's job- as well as the other dogs on the team- is in danger of losing their jobs with the arrival of new technology. That is, a bush plane has arrived in Nome and may very well be the new mail delivery service. Balto is fascinated by the plane and quickly befriends the pilot, Duke. Soon a race is organized between the dog-sled team and the plane to see who can deliver the mail to the neighbouring town and back the fastest. Along the way back to Nome, Duke's crashes and is lost in the wild. The dog-sled team wins the race, much to Kodi's delight, but Balto knows that something must of happened to Duke and sets out to find him. Meanwhile, in a subplot Boris falls in love with a she-goose, Stella. Stella wants to fly with Boris, but Boris, even though he's a bird, has a secret fear of heights and hates flying.

The good points of Balto: Wings of Change are: a straight forward story as I said before, unlike Wolf Quest which was all over the place and had too many pointless subplots which went nowhere. Balto is a better character this time around; he doesn't spend most of the movie sleeping and being a coward (here's looking at you again, Wolf Quest!). Kodi is also another highlight. Unlike that nuclear bomb of a character, Aleu, Kodi is actually likable and doesn't whine about being part wolf. Also, Sean Astin does a great job voicing Kodi; he actually sounds like a teenager (or yearling in dog years) unlike Aleu who sounds like an angry five year old on helium, despite also being a yearling.

The bad points of Balto Wings of Change are: The animation, although compared to Wolf Quest is far better, is a pretty crudely done for one thing. There's also still songs in the movie though there's three and a half, so that's not too bad. The song "Everything Flies" which plays over the opening and ending credits is actually pretty good, it's not brilliant, but it's not bad either. "Come on Up and Fly", on the other hand is just God awful; it doesn't help matters that it's sung by Stella, the absolute worst character in the movie, and that the whole sequence that goes with the song is practically a striptease with a goose. It's painful to listen to and painful to watch. Jenna's "You Don't Have to Be a Hero" isn't a bad song; it was just unfortunate that they happened to show clips and some extra film of Wolf Quest which suddenly brought back horrible flashbacks. Still if you skip past "Come on Up and Fly" and "You Don't have to be a Hero" (or just close your eyes till the song is over), you'll have a much more enjoyable experience. Another bad point to Wings of Change is that there happen to be some very random scenes which have nothing to do with anything and feel like they were tacked on to make the movie that little bit longer. Three examples of this is when Jenna and some other dogs are at the race and waiting for dog-sled team and the plane to come back; they hear a loud noise and think it's the plane but it turns out it's the saw mill they're standing next to. Example number two is when a quick fade in of the plane crash shows up on screen, but then fade out all of a sudden; it's as if the people who made this movie originally planed a scene there, but changed their minds at the last minute. Number three is when Balto, Muk, Luk and Stella find the crashed plane but are suddenly ambushed by a moose who keeps on and on saying "You talking' me?" a la Taxi Driver. The moose then suddenly gets into a fight with another conveniently placed moose. However, the absolute worst part of Balto: Wings of Change is the character Stella. I'm dead serious they gave her a wavy hair (feather?) style, a beauty mark on her face and even deep cleavage and is so sexual you would of thought she was zapped out of some furry porno.

Even though it's swimming in all sorts of flaws (but not a disaster from start to end like you know who!), I would honestly have to say that Balto: Wings of Change is pretty damn good for a straight to video sequel and a good installment to the series.

Final score: 7/10

The Simpsons: The Squirt and the Whale (2010) Season 21, Episode 19

A very good episode with a heart and a soul

[9/10 · 6 June 2010]

While it can be agreed that The Simpsons have gone downhill in terms of quality and entertainment value in the last decade or so, there has always been a handful of very good episodes in some of the more recent seasons. The Squirt and the Whale is one of these episodes. The episode is not only fresh and genuinely hilarious but it also is one of the more heartfelt episodes of The Simpsons.

The episode begins when Homer is fed up with his high electricity bills and so puts a windmill in the backyard and has the house taken off the power company's power grid, making the family completely dependent on the windmill with dismal results when there is no wind. Ironically however, a violent windstorm hits Springfield giving the Simpsons so much electricity that it has an X-ray effect on them until the windmill is destroyed by the storm, along with the rest of Springfield. The next morning, Bart and Lisa check out the damage from the storm and discover a beached blue whale who Lisa dubs Bluella. Lisa befriends and cares deeply for Bluella and tries to get the whole town to help get the whale back in the water without success. Marge, who knows how deeply sensitive Lisa is about death, tries to convince Homer to not let Lisa get her hopes up about saving Bluella because the outcome of trying to save beached whales is more often than not poor.

The heart and soul of this episode is within Lisa's bonding and care of Bluella. It's so touching when Lisa sits beside Bluella and read poetry to the whale and, unless if you're a heartless monster, it's impossible not to feel sad when Lisa wakes up to find that Bluella has died.

The Squirt and the Whale is definitely the best episode of The Simpsons Season 21 so far.

Final score: 9/10

The Opposite of Sex (1998)

An Acquired Taste

[9/10 · 10 April 2010]

The Opposite of Sex is a black comedy. Black comedy is an acquired taste; you either hate it or love it, there's no in between. With that said, I love this movie. Granted that I can see why many people don't like this movie, I would still recommend The Opposite of Sex as well worth taking a look.

The Opposite of Sex is about Dedee Truitt (an exquisite performance by the ever-talented Christina Ricci) a precocious, cynical, sharp-tongued, foul-mouthed and manipulative teen temptress who, after flicking her cigarette and smashing her chair onto her stepfather's coffin at his funeral, runs away from home to move in with her gay half-brother, Bill (Martin Donovan) and his sexy young lover, Matt (Ivan Sergei). Dedee seduces Matt and only after she has sex with him does Dedee reveal that she is pregnant. Things get very complicated very quickly as Dedee convinces Matt to run away with her yet again along with Bill's money and the ashes of his dead lover, only to dump Matt for Randy Cates (William Lee Scott), Dedee's psychotic ex-boyfriend, all the while Jason Bock (Johnny Galecki), a former high school student and Matt's other boyfriend, accuses Bill of a crime he didn't do after Bill doesn't tell him where Matt has gone to.

There's are reasons why I would recommend this movie to others and reasons why I wouldn't. The reasons why I would recommend The Opposite of Sex is the following: a fresh, cliché-free plot, the clever dialogue and, most of all, the performance by Christina Ricci. The little girl who started out in Mermaids, the two Addams Family movies and Casper truly has gone far in her career. The Ice Storm may have been her first non-kid friendly adult role, but I would honestly have to say that The Opposite of Sex is what firmly cemented her as a mature actress all the while saying that the little girl who played Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, The Addams Family Values and Kat Harvey in Casper has grown up is moving on with her career, something that many other child stars (here's looking at you, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Lindsay Lohan!) can't seem to do. In addition with that, her performance as Dedee Truitt is something that has to be seen to be believed; Christina makes us, the audience hate and love Dedee at the same time. How she never got that Golden Globe she was nominated for or an Oscar for that matter is beyond me.

Now the reasons why I wouldn't recommend this movie. As I said in my title black comedy isn't something for everyone. Combined with the fact that this movie is also VERY unpolitcally correct as well as that half the characters in this movie are gay (yes, I know it's a stupid reason to hate a movie because it has gay characters, but a lot of idiots on IMDb practically throw a fit over this movie for that reason). The tagline of the movie "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be offended!" isn't lying. If you love black comedy you'll laugh, if you don't you'll just end up crying and being offended. I personally think that's why there's so many negative comments about this movie both in other reviews and on the message boards: people sat down watching this movie thinking that it going to be harmless entertainment, only go get a slap in face from darkness and the context of the movie.

So to conclude, I'll just say again that I love The Opposite of Sex and again say who will enjoy this movie and who won't.

People who will like/love The Opposite of Sex: fans of dark/black comedy, fans of Christina Ricci and people who want to watch a movie that is bold, daring and original.

People who will dislike/hate The Opposite of Sex: the easily offended, Politcaly Correct Nazis, homophobes and people who don't like and/or don't understand dark/black comedy.

Personal rating: 9/10

Bimbo's Initiation (1931)

Wanna be a member? Wanna be a member?

[10/10 · 24 June 2009]

"Bimbo's Initiation" is a hilariously surreal cartoon about Betty Boop's boyfriend, Bimbo the Dog. While the cartoon may not be suitable for children (but then again Betty Boop was- and still is- an adult cartoon, really), "Bimbo's Initiation" is one of those old crazy cartoons you just gotta watch.

OK, the synopsis for "Bimbo's Initiation": The cartoon opens with Bimbo walking down the street, harmlessly enough walking over a series of manholes, when an evil Micky Mouse traps him in an open sewer! Bimbo slides down a tunnel and lands in front of a secret society of candle-headed weirdos. The leader asks Bimbo "Wanna be a member? Wanna be a member?". Bimbo of course replies "No!". The secret society weirdos then send Bimbo on his way (or so he thinks), but he really ends up in a sadistic fun house, with the secret society popping up every now and then asking Bimbo "Wanna be a member? Wanna be a member?"

What I find as one of the strangest things about "Bimbo's Initiation" is Betty Boops design. In this cartoon she has floppy dog ears, but is still human (apparently Betty Boop was originally meant to be a sexy anthro dog. Anyway, the surrealness of "Bimbo's Initiation" is very well done, combining comedy with some scary elements, ultimately creating a beautiful nightmare very well worth watching.

In short, watch "Bimbo's Initiation".

Syberia (2002 Video Game)

Excellent Game

[10/10 · 27 January 2009]

"Syberia" is one of a kind: an adventure/logic game with a clever script, original characters, stunningly beautiful graphics, great music and some effective comedy every now and then.

The main character of the game is Kate Walker, a spirited American lawyer who is sent to the fictional small village of Valadilene in France to secure the take-over of an automaton toy factory, owned by the revered Voralberg family. When Kate arrives, the seemingly last Voralberg, Anna, dies. However, when Kate visits the village notary to finalize the deal, it is revealed in Anna's will that her younger brother, Hans, who is declared dead and supposedly buried in the town cemetery, is still alive, and therefor is now the heir to the company as Anna had no children. Kate then has a new objective: travel across France to find Hans and get his permission to sell off the factory.

"Syberia" is not like most other logic games; you don't need to be a mastermind to solve the puzzles. However, the game requires some thinking and memory skills, but the puzzles are not too complex.

Another great thing about "Syberia" is that you can never die and get a game over or get stuck in any part of the game; you can completely immerse yourself in the game without the fear of screwing up or the need to constantly save all the time.

"Syberia" is a great game that is highly recommended and has a high replay value.

10/10

Ben & Arthur (2002)

Hilariously Bad

[1/10 · 19 January 2009]

Oh man, what was Sam Mraovich thinking? What was anyone who was involved in this "film" thinking? Mraovich is the head of nearly everything of "Ben and Arthur": Director, writer, producer (also EXECUTIVE producer!), caster, lead star- you name it, he did it. And he (Mraovich) sucks more than anyone has ever sucked in every department of film making.

So what is wrong with this film? Everything. The film is about two gay lovers, Ben (Jamie Brett Gabel) and Arthur (Mraovich- *groan*). Ben and Arthur want to get married in a world where everyone basically hates gay people. To make things worse, Ben's crazy "ex-wife" (they don't exactly divorce), Tammy (Julie Belknap) is steaming mad that Ben's left her for another man and demands Ben that they get back together (saying that she can be gay, too!) and Arthur's Christian devoted, excessively hypocritical, equally batty as Tammy brother, Victor, is hell bent on making Arthur turn straight and then try to kill him after he gets kicked out of his church.

The film is absolutely chock a block with so many goofs (ie. Ben and Arthur fly to Vermont to get married- they go there on Alaska Airlines and Vermont has palm trees; they fly back on a FedEx cargo plane- hope they were comfy in a wooden crate, plus many, many more) and plot holes to boot (Victor calls killing Arthur "The Final Plan" which later changes to "The Final Deed"; Arthur and the private (intern) detective drive the same car, blah, blah, blah). The "actors" are all very bad and are way, way over the top; the script is laughably horrible(one such example is "I don't make sense? You don't make sense! I make sense, that's who makes sense!") and there so much more wrong with the "movie" that I can't write them all down.

However, the most laughable yet unbelievable thing about "Ben and Arthur" is that Sam Mraovich thinks that he has created something that is truly fantastic (see his fake reviews for "Ben & Arthur" and obvious comments by him on YouTube.). Mraovich is narcissistic and his arrogance blinds him from seeing how awful anything with his name on it really is.

So, to conclude, forget every bad film that you claim is the worst movie ever- "Ben and Arthur" will knock them right off that title, even Paris Hilton movies look like "The Dark Knight" compared to the monstrosity known as "Ben and Arthur".

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (2001 Video Game)

Rather Underrated

[7/10 · 7 January 2009]

"Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex" is a rather underrated title. While it's not in the same rank as the far superior Naughty Dog "Crash Bandicoot" games (that is, the first "Crash Bandicoot", "Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back", "Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped" and the non-linear "Crash Team Racing"), "Wrath of Cortex" is a good, fun and enjoyable game that is far better than the newer "Crash Bandicoot" titles, and, to boot, introduced one of the most popular characters in the series: the muscle bound Crunch Bandicot.

Taking place after the events of "Crash Bandicoot 3", "Wrath of Cortex" starts off with Uka Uka ranting at Dr. Neo Cortex and his minions at a bad guy convention in outer space. Uka Uka is steaming mad at the attendees (Cortex, Dingodile, N. Tropy, Tiny and N. Gin) because evil's productivity is significantly down and that Crash Bandicoot is constantly defeating them. However, both N. Tropy and N. Gin imply that Cortex has a trick up his sleeve and the mad doctor confesses- over the past few years, Cortex has been working day and night on a new secret weapon: a perfectly tuned super-bandicoot named Crunch, whose only objective is to destroy all that is before him and, most importantly, eliminate Crash Bandicoot. However, Crunch is lacking in power, but Uka Uka gets an idea: awaken the dormant Elementals- a group of renegade masks of immense power over the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air-who ravaged the planet thousands of years ago. Using the Elementals, Rok-Ko (element of Earth), Wa-Wa (element of Water), Lo-Lo (element of Air) and Py-Ro (element of Fire) to power Crunch, Crash, his little sister, Coco, and their guardian witch doctor mask, Aku Aku set out stop Cortex, Crunch and Uka Uka by traveling the planet (and outer space) via Coco's Virtual Reality Hub System to seek the Elemental Crystals.

Basically, the objective of the game is to collect the crystals, putting the Elementals back into hibernation (each Elemental can be defeated and put back to rest by getting a total of 5 crystals for each Elemental and battling Crunch in that Element) and, ultimately, bring Crunch and Cortex to their knees.

While "Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex" is fun game, it has two major downfalls that marked it with a mediocre-bordering-negative image. Downfall Number 1: The game and warp room in particular is an obvious copy of the Naughty Dog "Crash Bandicoot" games- especially "Warped"; the warp rooms are very much the same (there's even a secret warp room a la "Warped", only it's at the top of the main warp room than under it). Downfall Number 2: the graphics. While rather somewhat good, "Wrath of Cortex"'s biggest criticism is it's bulky, funny looking graphics. Also, Crash and Coco move pretty slow in the game, even while running faster with Crash Dash. The character's slow movement is especially slow when Crash is dangling from over head mesh or wood panels. Ironically, on the back of the case, it boasts about having "The most dazzling special effects ever seen in a Crash game".

While "Wrath of Cortex" is caught between its mediocre image, one of the good things that came from it was the introduction of Crunch Bandicoot, who is now one of the series most popular characters- so much in fact that Tara Cross created the amazing "Outcast Bandicoot" series with Crunch as the main character of it all. On the other hand, "Wrath of Cortex" was also a sign of things to come. That is, the even worse deterioration of the "Crash Bandicoot" series- "Crash of the Titans" being the final nail in Crash's coffin.

To conclude while it's far from the best in the series, "Crash Bandicoot" The Wrath of Cortex" is an enjoyable and recommended game to play, "Crash Bandicoot" fan or not.

All That (1994–2020)

Forget the newer one, stick with the classic "All That"

[10/10 · 9 December 2008]

Back in the 90's, Nickelodeon was at its absolute prime, giving us genuinely funny shows such as "Rocko's Modern Life", "Kenan & Kel", "The Angry Beavers" and many more, including "All That". The 90's "All That" was great: the sketches were very funny and the original cast were talented (I especially liked Lori Beth Denberg); comedy was a natural thing for all of them and never tried too hard to be funny.

However, as the years went by and the original cast got older, one by one they left the show and "All That" was going going down hill at an astonishing speed. The newer "All That" nowadays is just horrible: the new cast are completely untalented and unfunny- they are just irritating and are trying way too hard to be funny but they are not- and the sketches are equally unfunny and just plain stupid. And for added insult, the newer cast have ruined classic, hilarious sketches from the original cast, such as the Good Burger sketch and Vital Information. I assume the audience for the newer cast are only laughing to be polite, but frankly I didn't even chuckle at the sketches. I also assume that Britney Spears' younger sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, is only on the show to boost the audience ratings.

So in conclusion, avoid the new "All That" at all costs as it is devoid of all comedy. Instead watch the old "All That" and have a good laugh to your heart's content.

Dot and the Smugglers (1987)

Breathes life back into the "Dot" series

[10/10 · 8 October 2008]

I honestly believe that "Dot & the Smugglers" breathes life back into the "Dot" series. After the overly political "Dot & the Koala" (which Dot didn't appear until much later into the film and even then was only a supporting character) and "Dot & the Whale", it's a great welcome that we get a "Dot" film that doesn't bombard us excessive political themes (I'm guessing that Yoram Gross learned not to go overboard with it after "Dot & the Koala" and "Dot & the Whale").

"Dot & the Smugglers" begins when circus ringmaster Sprag and his dopey assistant Scarface arrive in Dot's small town. When they hear about the town's bunyip, they instantly dismiss it as a fairytale, but when they hear that the bunyip is real (they listen to two men at the lake discuss it and one of them pulls out a newspaper clipping of the bunyip), they decide to capture it and sell it as Sprag and Scarface are really smugglers who use their circus as a front for capturing exotic wild animals and selling them overseas. They set up a bunyip hunting competition in the town, claiming that the person who brings them the bunyip will be handsomely rewarded. Anyhoo, Dot and her two nameless male friends go to the circus where they see two boxing Kangaroos, Bruiser and Boxer, forced to box each other. Dot is horrified, but everyone else loves it. Dot finds out about the bunyip catching contest and is against it; the two boys agree to "help" Sprag capture wild birds and ultimately the bunyip. Dot ,aided by her animal friends and the boxing kangaroos, goes on the warpath to stop the smugglers from capturing the bunyip.

Given that the film could of been overly political- what with it's theme of selling stolen wild animals on the black market- "Dot & the Smugglers" has almost none of it at all: in fact the ONLY remotely political thing in the film is when one of the stolen birds calls the guard dogs traitors because they are also animals and the guard dog returns the fire by saying that they (the stolen birds) should count their blessings that they're only being sold overseas instead of being stuffed. Kudos to Yoram Gross for keeping the political themes to the absolute minimum.

"Dot & the Smugglers" also has a great soundtrack (but then again don't all of the "Dot" films ;) ) "Are You Going to the Circus?", from "Dot & Santa Clause" is here- sung by Sprag- but the second chorus is as long as the first (that is, it has the verse "there's lots of lovely music, come and listen to the band" and the other verse I can't remember; they weren't in "Dot & Santa Clause") as well as some original songs such as Dot's "Best Friends" and "Work Together" and (my personal favourites next to "Are You Going to the Circus?") "Our Submarine" and it's (longer) reprise. I swear, you'll have those songs stuck in your head and will sing along to them!

So, in general, "Dot & the Smugglers" is a great, refreshing change from the overboard political themes that plagued "Dot & the Koala" and "Dot & the Whale". "Dot & the Smugglers" is a must see for all fans of Yoram Gross and the "Dot" films.

Dot and Santa Claus (1981)

Trippy but fun.

[7/10 · 7 October 2008]

"Around the World with Dot" or "Dot & Santa Clause" if you will is the first sequel to "Dot & the Kangaroo". Given that the film, as I stated in my title, is very trippy and makes you feel like your on acid sometimes, it's a great, quirky, original Christmas film that covers how different countries celebrate Christmas- including the origin of the Christmas tree- and Japan's kite flying tradition.

The film starts off in live action: Danny the Swagman (Drew Forsythe) is walking down a deserted road where he comes across a young boy and girl kicking a ball. He joins in, but sends the ball sailing over the fence of Dot's zoo. Dot & her brother ,Ben, (who has never made another appearance in any of the "Dot" films nor is he mentioned) explain the events of "Dot & the Kangaroo" and how Dot wants to find the Kangaroo's Joey. Danny, Dot and Ben build a sleigh and Danny becomes Santa Clause; the characters are now cartoons and Ben has mysteriously disappeared. Dot (voiced by Barbara Frawley), Santa (Drew Forsythe of course) and Grumblebones (Ron Haddrick) and Dozyface, two kangaroos pulling the sleigh, take off around the world in search of Joey.

The trippy sequences are of course crazy, however some of them do nothing for the story and are unnecessary. The two I find to be the most unnecessary are the volcano smoke monsters and the dragon kite fight. The volcano smoke one involves Dot and Santa flying close to a smoking volcano when a growling ghost-like monster with beady red eyes flies up on screen; then sinister music plays while the screen flashes to black with only the monster's eyes showing a few times. The dragon kite fight happens when Dot and Santa Clasue arrive in Japan; a green dragon kite comes at them- they think it's real and Grumblebones starts to punch it They get caught in the dragon: Grumblebones continues to punch- words pop up (think "Batman")- and a series of kaleidescope effects. There are numerous other trippy parts, but i won't go into detail about them; some of them do add to the story, though.

Like all of the "Dot" films, "Dot & Santa Clause" has some great music. "Are You Going to the Circus?", although short, is my personal highlight song. It was also used in "Dot & the Smuglers", but the second chorus had the second verse the first one did. The music that plays during Natasha the Russian bear's story of the first Christmas tree is sad and beautiful. There are also other sad songs such as Joey's "A Circus is a Prison" and Dot's "It's So Easy to be Lost in a Crowd" and some catchy upbeat song's like "Ingenuity" and "I Love to Walk Around New York".

Unfortunately, the ending of "Dot & Santa Clause" is unsatisfying and abrupt. When Dot & Santa finally find Joey in a New York zoo, Dot and Santa end up back at Dot's house and everyone goes back to live action: Santa Clause turns back into Danny; one of the Russian bears turns into- as weird and out of place as it is- a dog; the Japanese goldfish turns into a live action goldfish we never see until now; Walter "Walt" Q. Mouse turns into a live action mouse- also unseen till now. Danny walks away without even saying goodbye to Dot. Dot calls for Danny to come back but Dot's Cockatoo tells Dot that Danny has to go help other animals in need, but he will come back someday. We see Danny walk down the road one last time and then it cuts to the credits. However, Danny has never made another appearance in the "Dot" films ever since.

"Dot & Santa Clause", despite its insane trippy sequences and its let down of an ending, is good, rather educational, funny, often sad film that is worth getting and watching, especially at Christmas time.

Dot Goes to Hollywood (1987)

Not as good as the other "Dot" movies, but it still is good.

[6/10 · 1 October 2008]

"Dot Goes to Hollywood" is quite a break away from the other "Dot" films- not just because the title isn't "Dot &...." something, but also because it's not all set in the Australian bush (in fact, you only see the Australian bush for a few minutes during the start), the story is more about Hollywood and Dot's wild success in the business and, most notably, it somewhat defies the other "Dot" films by showing film reels of live action people and animated characters existing in the same frame at the same time.

The story for "Dot Goes to Hollywood" is this: Dot's best friend, Gumbley the koala, has contracted a disease that has become an epidemic among koalas. The disease causes blindness and ultimately death. Dot and Gumbley try to raise money for an operation for Gumbley by singing and dancing in the streets. Then one of the kangaroos tells Dot to go to Hollywood, where she can raise the big bucks in no time. Dot and Gumbley go to Hollywood; Gumbley is taken to a zoo when Dot is trying out for a talent competition. When Dot goes to the zoo to take Gumbley with her, the disease starts to worsen. The kindly zoo doctor promises to operate on Gumbley, but even the zoo is strapped for cash. However, Dot wins the talent competition, instantly making her a superstar overnight, and earning enough money for Gumbley's eye operation.

As I mentioned in my title, "Dot Goes to Hollywood" isn't as great as the other "Dot" films, but it still is watchable, and has the emotional punch the other films have. In this one, it's Gumbley who provides the emotional meat grinder: it's very sad to watch Dot give Gumbley eye drops for his infected eyes and he starts crying and saying that it hurts; when Gumbley sings about how much he misses Dot when he's in the zoo is equally sad, and the operation scenes are enough to make any one feel uneasy and melancholy, especially when the zoo doctor comments that the first operation didn't go so well and implies that if the second one fails then there's nothing they can do to help him anymore...

So although it's not like "Dot & the Kangaroo", "Dot Goes to Hollywood" is still funny, sad and pleasant to watch.

Play School (1966– )

Incredibly Nostalgic

[10/10 · 10 September 2008]

There's a bear in there, and a chair as well. There are people with games! And stories to tell! Open wide! Come inside! It's Play School!

Ah, yes, "Play School". I had long forgotten this excellent children's show until I recently read Merridy Eastman's book (who was a "Play School" presenter in the '80's) "There's a Bear in There (And he wants Swedish)", and it all came flooding back to me.

Anyhoo, "Play School" is definitely one of the more better children's shows in terms of its educational value, sense of fun and memorable theme songs. Unlike many other educational children's television shows, "Play School" is bearable for older people (That is, parents and older siblings) to watch with youngsters. Granted that "Play School" could be just another hyperactive, over-the-top and God awful children's show (That is, "Barney"), "Play School is simple, good, clean fun and it isn't migraine inducing.

I'd also like to note that I'm pretty amazed that "Play School" has been still going for almost a century now, but still manages to stay fresh. Well done to "Play School".

So, to conclude, "Play School" is a great, clean and fun show that I'd highly recommend for parents to let their youngsters watch.

Tomb Raider II (1997 Video Game)

Excellent and then some!

[10/10 · 16 July 2008]

"Tomb Raider 2" was the first TR game I played. Since then, I've been a fan of the "Tomb Raider" series. "Tomb Raider 2" is a great game with cool characters, nifty weapons and vehicles, challenging but fun levels and lovely music.

The ultimate objective of "Tomb Raider 2" is to get the Dagger of Xian- a legendary dagger that will give the person holding it the power of the dragon- provided they have the courage to plunge the dagger into their heart. However, Lara Croft isn't the only one after the dagger. The Fiamma Nera (Italian for "Black Flame"), an evil cult lead by the sinister Marco Bartoli, are hellbent on getting the dagger before any one else can, and will stop at nothing to get it. Not only that, but the warrior monks of Tibet don't want anyone taking the dagger at all- including Lara.

"Tomb Raider 2" has a brilliant plot, a cleverly written script and overall is a compelling, fun game to play. A definite must play game.

10/10

The Simpsons: Marge Be Not Proud (1995) Season 7, Episode 11

One of the more poignant "Simpson" episodes

[10/10 · 15 July 2008]

"Marge Be Not Proud" is one of the more bittersweet but very heartfelt episodes from "The Simpsons".

A mixture of comedy, melancholy and Christmas, this episode is about Bart wanting to play an ultra cool video game called "Bonestorm". When the Comic Book Guy runs out of copies to rent and Milhouse won't let him play his one, Bart resorts to shoplifting, but is caught red handed by the store's detective, Don Brodka. Brodka leaves a message on the Simpsons' answering machine and warns Bart that if he ever steps foot into the store again, he will spend Christmas in Juvenille Hall. Bart makes a mad dash for home and quickly changes the tape with a comedy tape. Unfortunately, the Simpson family go to the Try-N'-Save store for a Christmas family photo and Bart is caught again by Brodka. Marge and Homer don't believe Brodka at first but then he shows them a tape of Bart shoplifting. Marge is crushed when she sees Bart's actions and wonders if its because she babied him too much. She then starts to treat Bart like an adult, making Bart feel even worse than he is.

This is definitely one of the more sadder episodes of "The Simpsons", but it has a heart and has a sweet and funny uplifting ending. Out of all of the Marge & Bart episodes, "Marge Be Not Proud" is the best of the lot.

A full 10/10 from me.

Felix the Cat: The Movie (1988)

A cute and funny little film

[8/10 · 29 April 2008]

I must be one of the very few people who was born in the 90's (the movie actually came out the same year I was born) who never saw "Felix the Cat: The Movie". I just watched the movie from start to end on YouTube yesterday for the first time (much thanks to shatteredeve for uploading it) and I was quite impressed and I overall like it. While it does start of weird and I didn't think much of it at first, by the time I was watching the 4th part, I was really starting to enjoy it. Here's the story for "Felix the Cat: The Movie": Felix travels to another dimension to the land of Oriana, where the Princess (who's also called Oriana) needs Felix's help. Princess Oriana's uncle, the evil Duke of Zill, has overthrown the Princess and is ruling the beautiful and tranquil land of Oriana and has turned it into an industrial nightmare and has built an army of sinister mechanical, geometrical robots. It's up to Felix, Princess Oriana, Poindexter & the Professor (who followed Felix into Oriana),Pim- a man who captured Felix and sold him to Wack's circus but later befriended Felix, and two Mizards (hybrids of mice and lizards) to stop the Duke of Zill.

"Felix the Cat: The Movie" has a mixture of good and bad points; here is a summery of the good and the bad aspects of "Felix the Cat: The Movie"

The Animation: Without a doubt the biggest bad aspect of the film. "Felix the Cat: The Movie" has a clash of good and bad animation (but more bad than good) as well as some horribly done lip syncing in some parts. Also at one point, the characters are trekking through a cave and rocks fall down, yet Princess Oriana looks up and screams BEFORE the rocks come down (though this may also tie in with audio.)

The Climax: As blueflower_phoenix has written, the climax is rushed and misplaced. I also agree with blueflower_phoenix that a much more better and challenging climax was planned, but were strapped for time, so they just threw in a very short climax where Felix throws a book at one of Zill's robots, which decimates the entire army, and the Duke of Zill fades away saying "I'll be back" (also, it sounded like that the line "I'll be back" was voiced by some one else other than Zill's voice actor)

Audio: "Felix the Cat: The Movie" does have a good, clear sound in general, although you may have to do a double take in some parts 'cause the audio is a little unclear and in the Goofs section it says that Wack doesn't talk in English, but rather another language at one point. There's also the part where Princess Oriana looks up and screams before the rocks come down, as mentioned in the animation summary above.

Music and Songs: Most definitely the biggest highlight. "Felix the Cat: The Movie" has some of the most beautiful music and songs ever in an animated film. Not to mention, downright catchy! I don't know the name of the music that plays when Princess Oriana is dancing in a bubble at Wack's circus, but it is absolutely gorgeous and very "Labrynth"-like. "Who is the Boss?" is the best song in the whole film; it's so damn catchy and you just want to sing along to it! The scene that it plays in is a strange yet intriguing and well done one inside Wack's Circus (a few minutes before Princess Oriana's dance); the Zillions all sing and chant that the Duke of Zill is their boss and it's a scene you just have to see with your own eyes.

All in all, although there's a majority of badly done animation, some audio problems here and there and the rushed climax, "Felix the Cat: The Movie" rises above the cut of its imperfections and is a terrific film in general. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it an 8.

Babe: Pig in the City (1998)

Great film.

[10/10 · 19 April 2008]

Look, I honestly don't see why people are getting all fussed about this film, mainly the part where the Pitbull gets hanged underwater from a bridge. I remember watching this film every day with my sister, who also loved it when I was eight. Basically, it's a great film for kids and adults alike.

The Story: After Babe's wild success at the sheep herding contest, Farmer Arthur Hoggett turns down all offers he gets to utilize Babe's talent. But when he tries to fix the farm well, he gets hurt severely. His wife, Esme Cordelia Hoggett, tries to take the reigns, but the Hoggetts are in serious debt to the bank. Esme Cordelia Hoggett and Babe go to the made up city of Metropolis and stay at the only hotel where pets are allowed. Mrs. Hoggett tries to make some money, but finds herself in trouble with the law when she attacks a thug who mugged her and accidentally starts a riot. Babe, on his own, befriends the animals in the hotel and takes in some outsiders, but gets into even more trouble than Mrs. Hoggett.

"Babe: Pig in the City" didn't get a warm reception because how it's more darker than the first movie (ie. the Pitbull nearly drowning while being hanged off a bridge), but, despite also being a box office flop, it did get positive reviews in general and the movie does have a cult following. Film critic Gene Siskel named "Babe: Pig in the City" as his choice for best movie of 1998 and said that it was better than the first movie (I agree with him there).

To sum it up, "Babe: Pig in the City" truly is a great movie. I personally think people expected it to be exactly like the first but were disappointed that it wasn't; however, what we got is even better than the first. An excellent movie for a family's night in.

Flint: The Time Detective (1998–1999)

Well I liked it!

[10/10 · 2 April 2008]

"Flint: The Time Detective" may just have been the most UNpopular anime show from the 90's. I admit, the first time I saw it, I hated it. But then I watched some more of it and very soon I was madly in love with "Flint: The Time Detective". To be honest, I was the ONLY person I knew who liked it; I don't know about my friends, but my sister (also a big anime fan like me) absolutely HATED it! She thought I was weird that I liked it.

Anyways, about the show: "Flint: The Time Detective" is about a little caveman dude called Flint who gets frozen in stone alongside with his dad, Rocky thanks to the shows villains, Petra Fina, and her henchmen Dino & Might (they're very much like Team Rocket from "Pokemon", by the way). Fastforward to the 25th Century, where twins Tony & Sarah Goodman (Sarah kinda looks like Misty from "Pokemon", as well) find Flint & Rocky in-cased in their rock shells. Their scientist-uncle at the Bureau of Time and Space revives Flint but could only preserve his father's spirit in a powerful stone Axe. Unfortunately, their Uncle needs their help: the evil Dark Lord is trying to capture all the mysterious creatures known as TimeShifters--little beings who possess magical powers. His agent is none other than Petra Fina, Dino & Might (Again, more "Pokemon" similarities, namely Team Rocket: Dark Lord is like Giovanni, Petra is like Jessie and Dino & Might James and Meowth). Flint, Rocky, Tony & Sarah, then spend the rest of the show, traveling through time, thwart Petra's missions, take the Timeshifters back to their Uncle's lab and often call in the Timeshifters for backup on various missions.

Basically, this show is like a more lighter, fluffy version of "Pokemon" (though you do have to admit, "Pokemon" is rather dark at times). To sum it up, give "Flint: The Time Detective" a chance. You may not like it the first time you see it, but it may just very well grow on you, as it did on me.

Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)

Tex Avery has made me a veeeeeeeery very happy girl!

[10/10 · 31 January 2008]

Ever since I found out about "Red Hot Riding Hood", I had been wanting to see it, but I never did.

That is, until I found it on YouTube.....

Tex Avery made me very, very happy that day, hence my comment title.

It starts off like a normal sugar coated fairy tail (the narrator even uses a sappy voice!) until the Wolf, Red and Grandma all start complaining that every studio in Hollywood has done this over and over again. And that's when "Little Red Riding Hood" turns into "RED HOT RIDING HOOD"!!! This is the low down on what happens: The Wolf is a wealthy playboy, Grandma is also filthy rich (and horny as hell) and Red is a flaming hot and sexy nightclub singer/dancer. The wolf goes to the nightclub, sees Red performing and goes ballistic over her. He then chases her to "Grandma's house" (which is really a giant apartment), Grandma sees the Wolf and starts chasing him! It ends with the Wolf at the nightclub muttering that he'll shoot himself if he sees another babe ever again. Red appears on the stage again and, true to the Wolf's words, he shoots himself and his ghost goes nuts over Red.

This is most definitely one of the greatest cartoons of all time. Anyone who hasn't seen it, must see it.

The Mask (1995–1997)

This show was rockin'!

[10/10 · 12 January 2008]

I loved "The Mask" movie as a kid and I still do. Shortly after the huge success of the film, "The Mask: The Animated Series" was spawned. It's basically the continuing adventures of Stanley Ipkiss with some changes such as Stanley and Peggy going out, Tina not being in the show, Stanley being able to use the Mask by day as well as night and blah, blah, blah, but don't let it stop you from watching the show: it's a truly excellent satire all served with sly humour.

Like other "Mask" fans, I want the show to come back on television, be released on DVD (and NOT just two episodes on the "Son of the Mask" special edition!) and possibly a few more new seasons. Unfortunately, that horrible monstrosity of "Son of the Mask" has absolutely murdered and slaughtered the entire "Mask" franchise. So it's unlikely that us "Mask" fans will be getting any of it. (Damn you, "SIN of the Mask"!!!) Ah well, I still have fond memories of the "The Mask:TAS" and there's also clips on YouTube as well as the full episode "Flight as a Feather".

All in all, "The Mask: TAS" was an excellent satirical cartoon that catered to both kid and adult "Mask" fans world over and if it weren't for "Son of the Mask", I'm sure we would of had our wishes fulfilled.

I'll never forget "The Mask: The Animated Series".

BloodRayne (2005)

Best movie ever! NOT!!

[1/10 · 11 January 2008]

"BloodRayne: The Movie" is yet another butchering of a very good video game by Uwe Boll the Toilet Boll. The story is all about Rayne, a Dhamphir (that's a cross between a human and a vampire) who grew up in a freak show because how quickly she can recover by drinking blood after being burned in water. One night, Rayne gets her first taste of human blood (she drinks sheep blood, you see), causing her to go ballistic and escape the freak show. She joins up with a gang of vampire hunters calling themselves The Brimstone Society who are after Kagan, the king of vampires and Rayne's father (no happy family reunions here!). If you have never played the video game, let me tell you this piece of crap is absolutely nothing like it; the game takes place in WW2 and you have to fight the GGG (Gegengheist Gruppe which literally means "anti-ghost group"). In the movie, it's set in the 17th or 18 century and there is no GGG.

Now, I shall list things that made this "movie" terrible (other than the mentioned different stories)

The acting: What acting? It's all people reading cue cards. You can tell because they all look at something off the set and randomly pause in some parts.

Props & costumes: All cheaply made stuff that looks like they bought it at a costume hire store (they probably did).Rayne's outfit in the movie looks nothing like the one in the game; in the game it's made out of latex so Rayne can move more easily and her daggers are attached to her gloves so she doesn't have to carry them. The movie, it's made from cheap leather and Rayne has to carry her daggers.

The "Star" of this monstrosity: I won't list the entire cast, just Kristanna Loken. She looks and sounds nothing like Rayne and she makes a really ugly redhead. For those who don't know, Rayne was the first video game character to be in a a Playboy magazine.

Nudity/Sex: There's a half naked herom and a totally random sex scene between Rayne and some guy. Now, this may sound good, but there was no nudity and sex whatsoever in the game and it does nothing to make the movie go forward and, in general, is completely unnecessary.

The ONLY thing redeeming in "BloodRayne" is the pretty Romanian scenery. Other than that, it's all bad! Had "BloodRayne: The Movie" been made by someone else other than Uwe Boll the Toilet Boll, it probably would of been pretty decent or even very good.

In conclusion" "BloodRayne" is a butt ugly piece of crap. People who think it's great or the best movie ever and mean it, are either 13 year old teenage boys and/or losers who can't get a girlfriend.

Avoid this movie, it was damned right from the start.

Pokémon: When Yadon Becomes Yadoran (1998) Season 1, Episode 68

Welcome to the Seafoam Islands!

[10/10 · 9 January 2008]

In this episode, Ash and co. have returned to Pallet town, only to find Delia (Ash's mum) and her friends are heading off to the beautiful Seafoam Islands. She takes Misty and Brock along, while Ash has to stay at home to catch up on training, much to his chagrin. Ash and Pikachu visit Professor Oak, only to find that he's frustrated because he can't figure out how a Slowpoke evolves into a Slowbro. He asks Ash and Pikachu to go to the Seafoam Islands and see Professor Westwood about it. Ash happily accepts, giving him the perfect chance to go to the Seafoam Islands. He catches up with Misty and Brock and they all go see Professor Westwood. Meanwhile, on a secluded part of the Islands, Giovanni is on vacation with his Persian. Jessie, James and Meowth are also there; James complains about how Giovanni made them swab the deck of his yacht and now he's making dig for clams while Meowth cries at how Persian is getting pampered. James digs up a Shelder and battles it but when he tries to catch it, Jessie nabs it instead. Giovanni calls them over and tells them how much he's disgusted by them screwing up every single time, however he's giving the yet another chance to show that they can do something right: they have to steal Pokemon from Profeesor Westwood's lab and they better not screw up or else ("Would you like to know what else means?" he threateningly asks. "No, we can figure it out!" Jessie immediately responds). And so, Team Rocket try to steal Slowpoke, but Misty's Psyduck gets in the way, but Jessie's Shelder clamps onto Slowpoke's tail, evolving it to a Slowbro who then blasts them off with a Megapunch. Professor Westwood makes notes on the evolution and explains it, clarifying the mysterious evolution of Slowpoke to Slowbro and the episode ends.

A truly terrific episode; one of my all time favourites!

Goosebumps (1995–1998)

Before there was "Harry Potter", there was "Goosebumps"

[10/10 · 7 January 2008]

"Goosebumps" the television show was based on R.L Stine's popular horror stories for kids. This show was just rockin'! I clearly remember sitting down and watching it with my sister 'cause we were both fans of the show and of the books (my personal favourite is the "Monster Blood" stories). The show wasn't entirely scary (though it may scare very young children), it was rather cheesy actually, but in a good way. Anyhoo, me, my sister and our friends enjoyed watching it so. We taped some of the episodes (and actually have one of the episodes on video); I remember watching 'em all the time, but I have no idea were they are now.

In short, "Goosebumps" the show was a very faithful adaption to the stories and a whole lot of fun to watch. Now, if I can only just find those videos....