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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for The Black Cauldron and the latest episodes of Haven and Futurama, as well as the first few episodes of the Thundercats remake.
Haven "Love Machine"
The Trouble was a bit ridiculous this episode (they seem to be kind of reaching in season two already which is kind of a bad sign) but at least it was very Stephen King. Having the new Audrey lose her memory and then go however was a bit alarming however. I demand an explanation and the show doing that makes me believe they aren't in a hurry to give one. ***.
Haven "Sparks And Recreation"
Groan at the episode title. This show is probably smart to pair Audrey up with the Jason Priestly character. The audience hates him at the get-go and you are basically just counting down the days for him to either break her heart or die. The episode was a bit unpredictable though and Priestly had a VERY funny curse. ***1/2.
Haven "Roots"
Audrey: lose the guy already. The writers aren't fooling anyone and the sooner they get rid of Jason Priestly, the better. This is SO much predictable, tedious, audience manipulation. We're basically just counting down the days until he's gone (I hope it's soon). Audrey belongs with Nathan. Period.
The Trouble wasn't bad this week, but the reason behind it (and the solution to it) was super-corny and sappy. Geez, my teeth hurt.
Any good things? Finding out the reason Duke is staying in Haven is juicy and I never trusted his wife for a second. This sounds like an interesting plot development. **1/2.
Futurama "Mobius Dick"
Predictable episode. Nothing really funny happened either (other than the running gag of Zoidberg having hair) but the animation was kind of funky. ***.
Futurama "All The President's Heads"
The episode at least tried to give a plausible explanation for the celebrity heads in jars but if they were GONNA do it, I wanted a better and more thorough one.
I always thought Futurama shied away from time travel stories for a reason and this episode made it seem easy rather than the trial it was in Roswell That Ends Well and Bender's Big Score. I don't like that.
I liked the entire crew as Brits though. That was a funny turn. Decent but not great episode. ***1/2.
Futurama "Fry Am The Egg Man"
This episode fooled me more than once and I like the trick ending(s). I also thought it was interesting that the episode took the tack that the monster HAD turned out good, or at least beneficial. I've seen stories like this before but the monster always turned out rotten. Love the planet of Irishmen and the beer aquariums too. A Bone Vampire is a funny concept too. ****.
ThunderCats "Omens"
Promising opening that despite going against a LOT of the established ThunderCats scenarios was smart enough to pay tribute to the show. They even had Larry Kenney portray Lion-O's father (and he even got to do one last "ThunderCats HO!"!).
I like Cheetara as one of the monk warriors. VERY cool concept behind. I also like that she and Lion-O are way more overtly flirty than they were on the old show.
Like what I've seen of Mumm-Ra. However, I'm reserving final judgment until I see his full transformation.
Good role for Grune the Destroyer. You know he's bad but I bet the kiddies didn't.
I dislike this version of Snarf. I'm one of the few people who actually enjoyed Snarf on the old show and I preferred his as Lion-O's guardian rather than his pet.
Interesting choice to make Panthro MIA for the first few episodes. We'll see how that works out.
Will Friedle was a great casting choice as Lion-O (as was Clancy Brown as Grune and Kevin Micheal Richardson as the fake Panthro) but I don't really like the idea of Lion-O and Tygra as brothers, especially if the show is going to have both go after Cheetara like on the old show. If not, I can accept it, even if a lion and tiger being brothers stretches credibilty.
There was a major thing I disliked about the show that I am a bit leery of: the portrayal of slavery as acceptable by the Cats. To be sure, I know that in a story arc driven show like this, this disgusting development will be built upon eventually. But this is also a KIDS show. That's unacceptable to do in a show geared towards children. Even a well-developed show like Gargoyles showed right and wrong in very black and white terms. Will the Cats' evil behavior be the explanation for their downfall? If so, it should have happened this episode. ****1/2.
ThunderCats "Ramlak Rising"
Filler episodes already? Geez, that's a bad omen (sorry). Of course the scene at the end with Mumm-Ra, Grune and Jaga was when I perked up. They needed to make this plot element central to the episode, rather than an unrelated tag. WilyKit and WilyKat are cute though. ***.
ThunderCats "Song Of The Petalars"
Depressing concept, beautiful animation. I have to say I don't like Slithe and his Lizard henchmen. I want to see Monkian and Jackalman and I don't think Slithe plays well off others when he's truly in charge. The end of Panthro and the Thundertank? Beyond cool, even if it was as big a deux ex machina as the Sword Of Omens was on the old show. ***1/2.
The Black Cauldron
I cannot think of a traditional animated Disney film with a more unlikable or unappealing lead than Taran. He's a sexist, a braggart, an egotist, a grave-robber, an idiot and a punk. He's Micheal Scott animated. This movie is rightly derided by Disney fans as subpar. Some of the animation effects are nice but when they AREN'T using visual effects the animation is boring and uninteresting. Gurgi and Hen Wen are kind of cute but besides them and perhaps Eilonwy, the film is seriously lacking any likable characters. You almost want to see the Horned King pull off his plot just to kill off the cast.
By the way, the climax is way too brief. A better movie would have milked that scenario for all it was worth.
I didn't care for this. **.
Backstage Disney:
Deleted Scene: The Fairfolk: The scene was wisely pared down. This would have added an extra ten minutes to the film which already seems overlong by the end. Which is weird considering how quick the climax is. **1/2.
Still Frame Gallery:
Still Galleries. Average. Overall: ***1/2.
Visual Development: I wish the film had looked this good. ****.
Character Development: Some of these designs were butt-ugly. **1/2.
Character Development by Tim Burton: Freaky. ***1/2.
Behind the Scenes: I like the photos that mix the crew with still pictures of the characters. Very Roger Rabbit. ****1/2.
Voice Talent: Whoa, the actress playing Eilonwy is WAAAYYYY older than she sounds. And Nigel Hawthorne is a goof. ***1/2.
Layouts and Backgrounds: Nice. ****.
Tokyo Disneyland: About the theme park attraction in Japan. ***1/2.
Promotion: Can't say this movie didn't have a big promotional push behind it. Favorites are the live show at Radio Music Hall, the Gurgi sticker for apples and the movie poster itself. *****.
Games & Activities:
Quest For The Black Cauldron: Easy, but fun game. ***1/2.
The Witches' Challenge: This was MUCH harder. The last riddle didn't make any sense. **.
Trick Or Treat: This Donald Duck cartoon was a lot of fun. Huey, Dewey and Louie were more on-model than I've ever seen in an animated short. Of course, Carl Barks based a story on this cartoon. ****.
DVD Menu: For such a lousy film, it got quite a pretty menu. ****1/2.
The Super Hero Squad Show Volumes 3 & 4: Quest For The Infinity Sword!
The second half of the first season of the comedic superhero cartoon is surprisingly good. It has a lot of funny character moments (such as M.O.D.O.K. rocking along to elevator muzak while saying "I like this song") and great action sequences. I always liked this show but the second half of the season is even better than the first. This was very enjoyable.
Best episodes on the set are the hilarious Mental Organism Designed Only For Kisses!, the cool Mark Hamill guest spot (Wrath Of The Red Skull!) and the two part season finale (Last Exit Before Doomsday! / This Al Dente Earth!). Set overall: ****.
Tremble At The Might Of... M.O.D.O.K.!: This episode is pretty funny but the very next episode is a better M.O.D.O.K. spotlight. ***1/2.
Mental Organism Designed Only For Kisses!: This episode is a scream. I loved M.O.D.O.K. and Miss Marvel's romantic musical montage and I found everyone's reactions to the situation hilarious. *****.
Invader From The Dark Dimension!: Predictable episode. But still decent. ***.
Tales Of Suspense!: The golf game between Wolverine, Reptil, Abomination and M.O.D.O.K. was the funniest part. Cool seeing War Machine too. ****.
Stranger From A Savage Land!: The jokes were kind of obvious, but that's the kind of show this is, so I can't gripe too much. ***1/2.
Mysterious Mayhem At Mutant High!: The X-Men! This episode was great. I loved what a prom queen Jean Grey was. Professor X was pretty funny too. ****.
Election Of Evil!: Parts of this made me uncomfortable but I couldn't tell you why. Good guest star turns by Wayne Knight and Stan Lee though. ***.
Hexed, Vexed, And Perplexed!: Magneto! And Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch! I thought Magneto was very silly and I love how Falcon fell in love with Scarlet Witch. I also like that Wanda and Pietro were both depicted as good guys. Quicksilver is usually a bad guy on the X-Men cartoons. ****.
The Ice Melt Cometh!: Boring and frankly, a bit annoying. **.
Wrath Of The Red Skul!l: Mark Hamill delivers a magnificent performance as The Red Skull. He's almost unrecognizable which is the mark of a very talented voice actor. Oh, the episode was great too. ****1/2.
Mother Of Doom!: Very funny episode, but I imagine this REALLY cheesed off Doctor Doom fanboys. I think very SERIOUS geeks loathe this show. ****.
Last Exit Before Doomsday!: George Takei as Galactus! Awesome! Great two-parter. *****.
This Al Dente Earth!: Kudos to the show for actually putting the Infinity Sword back together and wrapping up a story arc that I never fully understood. I also like Reptil's new powers and thought it was a gutsy move to have Silver Surfer leave. I hear he turns bad next season and I like that the show isn't afraid to mix things up. Great finale. *****. Two Part Average: *****.
Interview With Grey Delisle: I didn't realize this was one of the rare shows that still has all of the actors in the same recording booth. ***1/2.
Villain Concept Art: Still gallery. ***1/2.
Interview With Charlie Adler: For an older dude, Adler is BUFF. That guy is huge. And crazy. I'm a little bit scared now. ****1/2.
DVD Menus: Cute. ****.
Haven "Love Machine"
The Trouble was a bit ridiculous this episode (they seem to be kind of reaching in season two already which is kind of a bad sign) but at least it was very Stephen King. Having the new Audrey lose her memory and then go however was a bit alarming however. I demand an explanation and the show doing that makes me believe they aren't in a hurry to give one. ***.
Haven "Sparks And Recreation"
Groan at the episode title. This show is probably smart to pair Audrey up with the Jason Priestly character. The audience hates him at the get-go and you are basically just counting down the days for him to either break her heart or die. The episode was a bit unpredictable though and Priestly had a VERY funny curse. ***1/2.
Haven "Roots"
Audrey: lose the guy already. The writers aren't fooling anyone and the sooner they get rid of Jason Priestly, the better. This is SO much predictable, tedious, audience manipulation. We're basically just counting down the days until he's gone (I hope it's soon). Audrey belongs with Nathan. Period.
The Trouble wasn't bad this week, but the reason behind it (and the solution to it) was super-corny and sappy. Geez, my teeth hurt.
Any good things? Finding out the reason Duke is staying in Haven is juicy and I never trusted his wife for a second. This sounds like an interesting plot development. **1/2.
Futurama "Mobius Dick"
Predictable episode. Nothing really funny happened either (other than the running gag of Zoidberg having hair) but the animation was kind of funky. ***.
Futurama "All The President's Heads"
The episode at least tried to give a plausible explanation for the celebrity heads in jars but if they were GONNA do it, I wanted a better and more thorough one.
I always thought Futurama shied away from time travel stories for a reason and this episode made it seem easy rather than the trial it was in Roswell That Ends Well and Bender's Big Score. I don't like that.
I liked the entire crew as Brits though. That was a funny turn. Decent but not great episode. ***1/2.
Futurama "Fry Am The Egg Man"
This episode fooled me more than once and I like the trick ending(s). I also thought it was interesting that the episode took the tack that the monster HAD turned out good, or at least beneficial. I've seen stories like this before but the monster always turned out rotten. Love the planet of Irishmen and the beer aquariums too. A Bone Vampire is a funny concept too. ****.
ThunderCats "Omens"
Promising opening that despite going against a LOT of the established ThunderCats scenarios was smart enough to pay tribute to the show. They even had Larry Kenney portray Lion-O's father (and he even got to do one last "ThunderCats HO!"!).
I like Cheetara as one of the monk warriors. VERY cool concept behind. I also like that she and Lion-O are way more overtly flirty than they were on the old show.
Like what I've seen of Mumm-Ra. However, I'm reserving final judgment until I see his full transformation.
Good role for Grune the Destroyer. You know he's bad but I bet the kiddies didn't.
I dislike this version of Snarf. I'm one of the few people who actually enjoyed Snarf on the old show and I preferred his as Lion-O's guardian rather than his pet.
Interesting choice to make Panthro MIA for the first few episodes. We'll see how that works out.
Will Friedle was a great casting choice as Lion-O (as was Clancy Brown as Grune and Kevin Micheal Richardson as the fake Panthro) but I don't really like the idea of Lion-O and Tygra as brothers, especially if the show is going to have both go after Cheetara like on the old show. If not, I can accept it, even if a lion and tiger being brothers stretches credibilty.
There was a major thing I disliked about the show that I am a bit leery of: the portrayal of slavery as acceptable by the Cats. To be sure, I know that in a story arc driven show like this, this disgusting development will be built upon eventually. But this is also a KIDS show. That's unacceptable to do in a show geared towards children. Even a well-developed show like Gargoyles showed right and wrong in very black and white terms. Will the Cats' evil behavior be the explanation for their downfall? If so, it should have happened this episode. ****1/2.
ThunderCats "Ramlak Rising"
Filler episodes already? Geez, that's a bad omen (sorry). Of course the scene at the end with Mumm-Ra, Grune and Jaga was when I perked up. They needed to make this plot element central to the episode, rather than an unrelated tag. WilyKit and WilyKat are cute though. ***.
ThunderCats "Song Of The Petalars"
Depressing concept, beautiful animation. I have to say I don't like Slithe and his Lizard henchmen. I want to see Monkian and Jackalman and I don't think Slithe plays well off others when he's truly in charge. The end of Panthro and the Thundertank? Beyond cool, even if it was as big a deux ex machina as the Sword Of Omens was on the old show. ***1/2.
The Black Cauldron
I cannot think of a traditional animated Disney film with a more unlikable or unappealing lead than Taran. He's a sexist, a braggart, an egotist, a grave-robber, an idiot and a punk. He's Micheal Scott animated. This movie is rightly derided by Disney fans as subpar. Some of the animation effects are nice but when they AREN'T using visual effects the animation is boring and uninteresting. Gurgi and Hen Wen are kind of cute but besides them and perhaps Eilonwy, the film is seriously lacking any likable characters. You almost want to see the Horned King pull off his plot just to kill off the cast.
By the way, the climax is way too brief. A better movie would have milked that scenario for all it was worth.
I didn't care for this. **.
Backstage Disney:
Deleted Scene: The Fairfolk: The scene was wisely pared down. This would have added an extra ten minutes to the film which already seems overlong by the end. Which is weird considering how quick the climax is. **1/2.
Still Frame Gallery:
Still Galleries. Average. Overall: ***1/2.
Visual Development: I wish the film had looked this good. ****.
Character Development: Some of these designs were butt-ugly. **1/2.
Character Development by Tim Burton: Freaky. ***1/2.
Behind the Scenes: I like the photos that mix the crew with still pictures of the characters. Very Roger Rabbit. ****1/2.
Voice Talent: Whoa, the actress playing Eilonwy is WAAAYYYY older than she sounds. And Nigel Hawthorne is a goof. ***1/2.
Layouts and Backgrounds: Nice. ****.
Tokyo Disneyland: About the theme park attraction in Japan. ***1/2.
Promotion: Can't say this movie didn't have a big promotional push behind it. Favorites are the live show at Radio Music Hall, the Gurgi sticker for apples and the movie poster itself. *****.
Games & Activities:
Quest For The Black Cauldron: Easy, but fun game. ***1/2.
The Witches' Challenge: This was MUCH harder. The last riddle didn't make any sense. **.
Trick Or Treat: This Donald Duck cartoon was a lot of fun. Huey, Dewey and Louie were more on-model than I've ever seen in an animated short. Of course, Carl Barks based a story on this cartoon. ****.
DVD Menu: For such a lousy film, it got quite a pretty menu. ****1/2.
The Super Hero Squad Show Volumes 3 & 4: Quest For The Infinity Sword!
The second half of the first season of the comedic superhero cartoon is surprisingly good. It has a lot of funny character moments (such as M.O.D.O.K. rocking along to elevator muzak while saying "I like this song") and great action sequences. I always liked this show but the second half of the season is even better than the first. This was very enjoyable.
Best episodes on the set are the hilarious Mental Organism Designed Only For Kisses!, the cool Mark Hamill guest spot (Wrath Of The Red Skull!) and the two part season finale (Last Exit Before Doomsday! / This Al Dente Earth!). Set overall: ****.
Tremble At The Might Of... M.O.D.O.K.!: This episode is pretty funny but the very next episode is a better M.O.D.O.K. spotlight. ***1/2.
Mental Organism Designed Only For Kisses!: This episode is a scream. I loved M.O.D.O.K. and Miss Marvel's romantic musical montage and I found everyone's reactions to the situation hilarious. *****.
Invader From The Dark Dimension!: Predictable episode. But still decent. ***.
Tales Of Suspense!: The golf game between Wolverine, Reptil, Abomination and M.O.D.O.K. was the funniest part. Cool seeing War Machine too. ****.
Stranger From A Savage Land!: The jokes were kind of obvious, but that's the kind of show this is, so I can't gripe too much. ***1/2.
Mysterious Mayhem At Mutant High!: The X-Men! This episode was great. I loved what a prom queen Jean Grey was. Professor X was pretty funny too. ****.
Election Of Evil!: Parts of this made me uncomfortable but I couldn't tell you why. Good guest star turns by Wayne Knight and Stan Lee though. ***.
Hexed, Vexed, And Perplexed!: Magneto! And Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch! I thought Magneto was very silly and I love how Falcon fell in love with Scarlet Witch. I also like that Wanda and Pietro were both depicted as good guys. Quicksilver is usually a bad guy on the X-Men cartoons. ****.
The Ice Melt Cometh!: Boring and frankly, a bit annoying. **.
Wrath Of The Red Skul!l: Mark Hamill delivers a magnificent performance as The Red Skull. He's almost unrecognizable which is the mark of a very talented voice actor. Oh, the episode was great too. ****1/2.
Mother Of Doom!: Very funny episode, but I imagine this REALLY cheesed off Doctor Doom fanboys. I think very SERIOUS geeks loathe this show. ****.
Last Exit Before Doomsday!: George Takei as Galactus! Awesome! Great two-parter. *****.
This Al Dente Earth!: Kudos to the show for actually putting the Infinity Sword back together and wrapping up a story arc that I never fully understood. I also like Reptil's new powers and thought it was a gutsy move to have Silver Surfer leave. I hear he turns bad next season and I like that the show isn't afraid to mix things up. Great finale. *****. Two Part Average: *****.
Interview With Grey Delisle: I didn't realize this was one of the rare shows that still has all of the actors in the same recording booth. ***1/2.
Villain Concept Art: Still gallery. ***1/2.
Interview With Charlie Adler: For an older dude, Adler is BUFF. That guy is huge. And crazy. I'm a little bit scared now. ****1/2.
DVD Menus: Cute. ****.
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no subject
Date: 2011-08-18 02:35 am (UTC)Futurama "All The President's Heads" - Probably the weakest outting in terms of Futurama time travel, but I still thought it was pretty funny. Whenever Farnsworth is adamant about something, they strike gold.
Futurama "Fry Am The Egg Man" - I liked the ending too, although I DID groan at Leela referring to Fry as her platonic friend.
ThunderCats "Omens" - Cool pilot. You're right about the slavery, but who knows what they'll do with it? I dug Lion-O, particularly Friedle playing him, but I will agree I don't get how he and Tygra are brothers. I liked how they did the rest of the cast, I'm okay with this version of Snarf. I like how they're building up Mumm-Ra too.
ThunderCats "Song Of The Petalars" - It was kind of depressing, but at least to the Petalars, it felt like they lived an entire life. Panthro!!!
Either I've never seen Black Cauldron, or I just can't remember it.
Mental Organism Designed Only For Kisses! - Funny episode, but I don't entirely agree with the way this show handles Miss Marvel. It's like they're saying if a woman is in power and takes charge, it makes her cranky and unlikeable.
Tales Of Suspense! - Funny how they had to call him "Rhodey" because I guess "War Machine" wouldn't be suitable for kids. I liked the Reading Rainbow reference.
Mysterious Mayhem At Mutant High! - I liked this show's humorous take on the X-Men, maybe it's the roster they used.
Hexed, Vexed, And Perplexed! - Quicksilver is one of my favorite characters, and I hate how they're always showing him as bad on cartoons. Yay for Scarlet Witch! She's one of my favorite characters on this show.
Mother Of Doom! - Coco Von Doom is too funny for me not to like her, but I kind of can see the fanboy rage. Doom's mother's death was a HUGE factor in his origin and who he is, so her being...this...doesn't make much sense. But then again, this show is just silly fun anyway.
This Al Dente Earth! - It was great to see Galactus, and I did like that they wrapped up this season's arc. 2 made some changes I didn't agree with, but I think it's a better season than the first.
Interview With Charlie Adler - Charlie Adler is buff? Really? Scrawny-necked Mechanicles? Buster Bunny?! Wha?!
By the way, have you/are you/will you going to watch any of the Marvel Anime shows?
no subject
Date: 2011-08-18 01:07 pm (UTC)ThunderCats "Omens": My objection to the slavery plot had more to do with the fact that it was unresolved more than anything. I get that this is a story arc based show but it's also a show for children.
Mental Organism Designed Only For Kisses!: I kind of agree but at the same time I don't take this show seriously at all.
Tales Of Suspense!: I can't believe I left the Reading Rainbow reference out of my review! That was awesome!
Mother Of Doom!: The thing I don't get about fanboys is that this is just a VERSION of the characters and not a "canon" take or anything. What's wrong with having a little fun with the universe?
Charlie Adler Interview: The guy is huge, has tattoos and earrings. Which is kind of cool considering how old he is.
Marvel Anime: What channel are they on?
no subject
Date: 2011-08-20 04:33 am (UTC)ThunderCats: Hopefully the resolution will be satisfactory.
MODOK: When it comes to taking comic book characters who have been around for decades and making them goofy, I don't take it seriously. When it has undertones (sexist or not) that could influence children, then I do kind of take it seriously.
Mother of Doom: I said a while back it was kind of frustrating that this was the only version we'd get of, say, Thor, and it was silly, but now that we've got Avengers: EMH, the movies, and Ultimate Spider-Man, it's easier to say this show is just a version of these guys.
Marvel Anime: G4. They're limited series, and they're on Iron Man and Wolverine right now. When those end, it'll be Blade and X-Men.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-20 12:42 pm (UTC)MODOK: You're right, of course. I made the same point regarding ThunderCats.
Marvel Anime: I don't get G4 (and I don't think my dad does either). Maybe I'll wait for the DVDs. How are they?
no subject
Date: 2011-08-23 04:53 am (UTC)Anime: They're not too bad, if you like the style. I think it fits Wolverine a bit more (lot of crazy hand to hand fights, and yeah, blood), but Iron Man is true to Tony Stark's character. It's also fun to hear Milo Ventimiglia do the Logan growl.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-23 12:05 pm (UTC)Anime: Milo Ventimiglia? Ugh.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-25 05:25 am (UTC)As for Milo, eh, I like the guy. Adrian Pasdar is the voice of Tony Stark.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-25 12:53 pm (UTC)I just hate Peter so much that I may have transferred my dislike to the actor.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-27 06:26 am (UTC)Fine, dislike the actor, but speaking of Iron Man, have you watched Iron Man: Armored Adventures since it's come back? Because I haven't. Because I didn't realize it was back. Until recently.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-27 11:20 am (UTC)I didn't realize it was back until it was too late either. I'm gonna wait for a season two marathon to catch up but I might just have to wait for the DVDs.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-30 03:51 am (UTC)I'm watching them on the Nick Toons website. I hope you can catch up, season two is shaping up to be better than season one, with much higher stakes!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-30 11:28 pm (UTC)