INDECENT PROPOSAL (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Although the film adaption is quite different from the original novel, ‘INDECENT PROPOSAL’ does have an interesting story of what one would do if a billionaire offered a million dollars to have one night with one’s wife.  Although released in 1993 when glitz and money was part of the extreme in popular culture, I think the film would have more relevance and probably be more powerful today.  Powerful performance by Demi Moore and Robert Redford is as suave as ever!”

Images courtesy of © 1993 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: INDECENT PROPOSAL

DURATION: 116 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles – English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese

RATED: R (For Sexuality and Language)

COMPANY: Paramount Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2009

Directed by Adrian Lyne

Based on the novel by Jack Engelhard

Screenplay by Amy Holden Jones

Produced by Sherry Lansing

Executive Producer: Alex Gartner and Tom Schulman

Co-Produced by Michael Tadross

Music by John Barry

Director of Photography: Howard Atherton

Edited by Joe Hutshing

Casting by Victoria Thomas

Production Design by Mel Bourne

Art Direction by Gae S. Buckley

Set Decoration by Etta Leff

Costume Design by Batrix Aruna Pasztor, Bernie Pollack, Bobbie Read

Starring:

Robert Redford as John Gage

Demi Moore as Diana Murphy

Woody Harrelson as David Murphy

Seymour Cassel as Mr. Shackleford

Oliver Platt as Jeremy

Billy Bob Thornton as Day Tripper

Rip Taylor as Mr. Langford

Bill Connolly as Auction M.C.

Adrian Lyne buffs the premise of Honeymoon in Vegas to a fine gloss in this yuppie melodrama that poses the conundrum of whether the loving husband of an equally loving wife will accept $1 million to allow his wife to spend one night with a billionaire who looks like Robert Redford. All the cynics please take a number and form a line at the right. Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson play Diana and David Murphy, high-school sweethearts who marry and who are doing very well — Diana is a successful real-estate agent, and David is an idealistic architect who has built a dream house by the ocean — until the recession hits. Suddenly, David loses his job, and they can’t make the mortgage payments. Dead broke, they borrow $5000 from David’s father and head to Las Vegas to try to win money to pay the mortgage on their house. At first, they get $25,000 ahead — but inevitably the house always wins, and they end up losing it all. While Diana is in the fancy casino boutique trying to lift some candy, she is spotted by billionaire John Gage (Robert Redford), who is immediately attracted to her. John invites Diana and David to an opulent party, and it is there that John offers David $1 million for a night with his wife. David is wracked by this moral dilemma, but Diana finally makes the decision on her own, with ensuing consequences for their ideal marriage and their bank account.

Author Jack Engelhard wrote a political/romantic and dramatic novel about a Jewish family in hard times and a billionaire Arab who offers a million dollars to sleep with the wife.  A film that delves deep into Arab-Israeli conflict.  The rights for the novel was purchased but the film adaption would be closer to home for the US and changed to relate to American audiences.

Directing the film would be Adrian Lyne (“Flash Dance”, “Fatal Attraction”, “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Unfaithful”) and the screenplay for the film was written by Amy Holden Jones (“Beethoven”, “Mystic Pizza” and “The Relic”)  and produced by Sherry Lansing (“Fatal Attraction”, “The Accused” and “Black Rain”).  “INDECENT PROPOSAL” was successful at the box office as it brought in over $266 million worldwide despite its negative reviews and even winning the Golden Raspberry Awards for “Worst Picture”, “Worst Screenplay” and “Worst Supporting Actor”.

The film is about David (Woody Harrelson) and Diana Murphy (Demi Moore), a couple that have been in love since they were teenagers and very much in love as adults.  David is an architect and Diana is a real estate agent and for Diana, she wanted David to pursue his dream of building their home near the beach.

The couple move forward and have their dream home built but then the market crashed, America was in a recession, Diana was not able to sell any new homes on the market and David lost his job due to budget cuts.  Behind in bills and needing to pay $50,000 on the home they just built, decide to borrow $5,000 and gamble and hope to win money in Las Vegas.

On the first night there, they do just that.  David is able to win up to $25,000 and while he gambles, Diana goes through elegant shops at the Hilton and looks at a few dresses and wonders how she would look in one of them.  John Gage (Robert Redford) who sees the young woman is fascinated and offers to buy the dress for her but Diana shoots back that the dress is for sale, not her.

As the Murphy’s celebrate the night with romantic, passionate love with their money scattered all around them, they start betting it all over again but this time, no results.  David and Diana lose all of their money.

While walking through the casino, David sees John Gage and learns that he is a billionaire and bets $10,000 per gold chip when he gambles.  John sees David and Diana so happy but he asks if Diana could join him quick to give his next game good luck. And this time, betting a million dollars.  David roots for his wife and Diana reluctantly goes to John and blows a kiss to the dice and Gage wins.

In support of Diana for helping him out, he offers a room at the posh hotel and everything on the house on him.  While checking out the room, Diana gets the black dress she was trying out the day before as a gift and both are invited to a party.

While alone, John offers a hypothetical question to David.  If people can be bought for a million dollars.  In this case, what if he offered a million dollars to the couple for one night with his wife.  Both Murphy’s say they would tell the person to “go to hell”.

But John is serious.  He makes his offer and tells them for one night with his wife, they would be set for life with a million dollars.

During the night, both David and Diana agonize over the situation.  One night, one million dollars and they can eliminate their problems.  So, the two decide to do it.

David gets his lawyer friend Jeremy (Oliver Platt) to do draft the paperwork and all is a go.  Diana will spend one night with the billionaire John Gage.  After some time has passed, David realizes that what he did is very wrong and doesn’t want his wife to do it.  He runs back to the hotel but misses them.  He agonizes over the decision he has made and now agonizes for his wife.

Will the Murphy’s ever be the same after accepting John Gage’s indecent proposal?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“INDECENT PROPOSAL” gets its first treatment on High Definition with a 1080p transfer on Blu-ray.  First, the good news.  The good news is that certain scenes that incorporate the outdoors and sunlight look great and vibrant.  There are some low-light scenes where blacks are deep and picture quality looks quite nice.  Now, the bad news.  Those scenes are just a few, “INDECENT PROPOSAL” has probably one of the worst high grain I have seen on a film on Blu-ray.  There is one scene where Diana is teaching English to a class and the scene is so full of grain that she nearly becomes hard to see at one point.  During the opening scene, with David sitting down near the beach and you see fog all around, high level of grain and color banding.    Not sure if the Las Vegas scenes were stock but those were quite grainy as well. Some scenes looks as if it was muted by digital noise reduction (DNR) and so some scenes look quite soft.

Overall, good and bad quality is all over the place.  Some scenes are great but some scenes are absolutely terrible.  The positive factor is that the scenes don’t last that long but I don’t think I’ve seen picture quality this uneven for a Blu-ray release.

As for audio, the film gets an English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD transfer (French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital).  This film’s soundtrack is front channel driven. Dialogue is clear and understandable which is important.  When there is music, John Barry’s (“Madagascar” 1 & 2, “Chaplin”, “Peggy Sue Got Married”, “The Cotton Club”) musical score does come alive and actually, really enjoyed the musical score.  But this is not a film to expect any rear sound or subwoofer usage.

The casino scenes which are filled with people and sounds of the casino which I was hoping to hear come alive through my speaker system, was just average.   I was hoping to hear the ambient noises all around me but it seems that everything was front channel driven.  There is a brief scene with the rain pouring down, which sounded quite nice from the front channels but overall, this is a dialogue driven film.

Subtitles are featured in English, English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“INDECENT PROPOSAL” features commentary by Director Adrian Lyne.  The commentary was done for the 2003 DVD release and Adrian sharing his thoughts on the making of the film, from the love making scenes to how Las Vegas has changed since filming the movie and interesting enough, confesses that there are many things he disliked about the movie but did enjoy the performance of Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore.  But this is a commentary that is filled with long pauses at times.  But Adrian Lyne is a director who is known to tell audiences on his audio commentary that he has a bad memory and will do his best to remember things.  If it was this difficult ten years later, perhaps I’m glad that he didn’t do a revised commentary 16 years later.

“INDECENT PROPOSAL” was an interested film when released in 1993.  These were the times when “Lifestyles and the Rich and Famous”  and “Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire” was on television, “Pretty Woman” was a successful rags-to-riches film, magazines showcasing the glitz of their metropolitan cities,  the glitz of big business were at its high point and people just delved into wanting to know the lifestyles of the rich and people knew the names of the top supermodels of the time.

When the film came out, critics felt the notion that the rich would take advantage with those in financial need was preposterous. But compared today where America is in hard economic times, I sometimes wonder if this film would have done better today than in 1993.  Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if these situations happen frequently in the world.  Also, it would have been interesting if the film were adapted today would be an exact adaption focusing on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

But if there was one fault of the film, was this portrayal of a perfect couple hitting hard financial times and the character of David just going a little overboard that his wife had sex with another man.  Afterall, he did agree to it but then he decided not to and it’s too late.  Share some of the blame, it was a joint decision and why he takes everything out all on her is just a bit too much.

I felt that Demi Moore was just enjoyable to watch and she did a wonderful job with her character.  Robert Redford was absolutely suave and for Woody Harrelson, at the time, it showed us that the actor had more to give than what we saw of him on the television show “Cheers”.

If anything, I was a bit put off by the uneven picture quality of this film.  Some scenes were just downright ugly and makes me want to go back to the DVD to see if it was that bad or the Blu-ray 1080p HD Transfer just elevated the grain.  “INDECENT PROPOSAL” was not the prettiest transfer I was hoping to see on Blu-ray and the lack of any special features but a commentary was a bit disappointing.

In the end, I did enjoy the film and considering the time the film was released.  Was it really preposterous for a financially strapped couple to accept such an indecent proposal?  Especially compared to another popular film where a multi-millionaire would hire a prostitute to be with him for a week?  Probably not.

Overall, “INDECENT PROPOSAL” was an enjoyable film that probably makes better sense now that the country is in an economic recession and people watching it again will probably find how powerful of a film it is now than what it was back in 1993.

 

Madonna and family at the 2nd Annual Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic

Madonna takes Jesus, David Banda, and Rocco to the 2nd Annual Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic featuring Prince Harry. Madonna appears in a happy mood as she plays around with David Banda and picks him up, combs Rocco’s hair through her fingers and plays around with his cap. She is flanked by pals Marc Jacobs and Steve Klein, who also picks up David Banda at times as they all watch Prince Harry take on Nacho Figueras. Meanwhile, Jesus Luz is nearby chatting up Lorenzo Martone, Marc Jacob’s partner. Pictured: Madonna and David Banda. Picture by: Jackson Lee / Splash News. Content © 2009 Splash News . All rights reserved.

 

HOME MADE KAZOKU – YOU ~Anata ga Soba ni Iru Shiawase~ (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

“The hip hop trio HOME MADE KAZOKU returns with an elegant ballad and two addictive hip hop tracks.  Overall, a solid, enjoyable and catchy CD single from the trio!”

GROUP: HOME MADE KAZOKU

CD SINGLE: YOU ~Anata ga Soba ni Iru Shiawase~

LABEL: KI/OON RECORDS

CATALOG #: KSCL-1355-6

DURATION: 12:40

RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2009

BUY THIS CD SINGLE

1. YOU ～あなたがそばにいる幸せ～
2. FUN HOUSE
3. CLAP! CLAP!

DVD: Region 2, Duration: 5:47, 4:3

1. Come Back Home (MUSIC VIDEO CLIP)

Nagoya hip hop trio HOME MADE KAZOKU (which consists of MICRO, KURO and DJ U-ICHI) are one of the few Japanese hip hop bands that have established its own fanbase around the world courtesy of their anime theme songs for popular anime “BLEACH”, “EUREKA 7″ and “Naruto Shippuuden”.

The trio released their 19th CD single “YOU ~Anata ga Soba ni Iru Shiawase~ (translation: Happy to be Around You) in March 2009.

The main track is a ballad that features Micro’s vocals and Kuro’s hip hop track.  The music features an elegant piano with an underlying hip hop beat but showcases strings and violin by MANABOON and Daisuke Kadowaki.  Overall, well done arrangement as the vocals and rap are well-balanced with the music.  Overall, a solid ballad!

The coupling track “FUN HOUSE” features HOME MADE KAZOKU collaborating with KAME (of KAME & L.N.K.), TUT-1026, HOZE (from SMELLS GOOD).   The track starts off with a vocal only hip hop track by everyone and then leads into the musical track featuring each of the artists having their own rap segment and then all singing the main chorus and ending lyrics.

The third and final track “CLAP! CLAP!” features a happy hip hop track with a catchy, happy groove.  Featuring MICRO doing a sing along rap whike KURO delivers the rhymes.  Overall, a fun track!

As for the DVD, for those who have not purchased a HOME MADE KAZOKU release recently (or ever), unlike most artists who have a music video of the main track featured on the CD single, for HOME MADE KAZOKU releases, they  feature a DVD of the music video of the last (or a past released) single.  In this case, the music video featured on this DVD release is for their 18th CD single “Come Back Home”.

This single features a black and white music video as time stops and MICRO and KURO walking.   Pretty much while they walk, time stops and all movement stops and then time moves and features everyone walking again.  Overall a cool music video

For those purchasing the CD single for “YOU ~Anata ga Soba ni Iru Shiawase~” and wanting the music video for that song will more than likely need to wait for the release of their next CD+DVD single.

As for the CD insert, there is a tri-fold featuring the music lyrics on one side and photos of each member and production credits on the other.

Overall, “YOU ~Anata ga Soba ni Iru Shiawase~” is another solid CD single from the group.  SONY and KI/OON Records have done a great job in positioning the group to have their music used on anime themes for popular anime television series.

Although there are many Japanese hip hop groups that have a lead vocalist, a rapper and a DJ on mainstream labels, HOME MADE KAZOKU has had the benefit to become one of the well-known groups in Japan because of the way they have been marketed.

The group has a consistent vocal/hip hop presences in each of their CD singles but its the music and their high production value of their music that separates them from other musical groups.  Geared more towards a mainstream audience, their music is catchy and addictive.

For this CD single, we are treated with an elegant ballad but then you have two coupling songs showcasing the group’s music with a collaboration with other hip hop artists and also a track that is an overall, happy, catch and enjoyable.

Again, some people may have problems with the way their DVD releases are (of not featuring the music video of the main track) and may decide to go with the regular release version of the CD singles.  But overall, “YOU ~Anata ga Soba ni Iru Shiawase~ is a solid CD single featuring different types of music from the group and a single worth checking out!

BUY THIS CD SINGLE

 

Kiyoharu – MEDLEY (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

“Kuroyume lead vocalist Kiyoharu gives his former band a reimagining of their past classic hits with ‘MEDLEY’.  Kuroyume and Kiyoharu fans will definitely find this album as enjoyable thanks to its higher audio production values and some songs receiving a slight vocal change from the originals.  Highly recommended! “

Purchase this album:

 

Paddle Out Service In Memory of Dick Baker Scheduled for May 31st

The SIMA and surf industry families are deeply saddened by the recent passing of SIMA’s longtime president, leader and guiding light, Dick Baker, after his two-year battle with cancer. The family appreciates the outpouring of love and support that have been expressed. A public Paddle Out has been planned in Dick’s honor.

WHEN:
Sunday, May 31 – 3:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Doheny State Park
Picnic Areas A and B (map attached)

The service will begin in Picnic Area A and will include a traditional Paddle Out service in the water. Following the service, attendees are invited to surf Doheny and picnic in areas A and B, which are covered. Please bring your own beverages and food. Hawaiian singers and musicians will entertain. Festivities will continue until approximately two hours after the Paddle Out concludes.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
From San Diego:
I-5 North to Beach Cities exit
Once on exit ramp, bear left to Pacific Coast Highway North to Dana Point
Turn left at Dana Point Harbour Drive and make first left into Doheny State Park. Ranger will provide directions.

From Orange County:
I-5 South exit Pacific Coast Highway North to Dana Point
Turn left at Dana Point Harbour Drive and make first left into Doheny State Park. Ranger will provide directions.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
Parking on-site, and we suggest arriving early. San Onofre and California State Park parking passes are accepted, otherwise there is a standard parking fee of $10. Please bring your own surfboard, towel, wetsuit (water temp approx 65 degrees), cooler and drinks (alcohol permitted). Flowers will be provided for Paddle Out participants.

SENDING CONDOLENCES TO THE BAKER FAMILY:
In lieu of flowers, the Baker family appreciates any donations to be made to one of the following foundations in Dick’s honor:

* SIMA Environmental Fund http://www.sima.com/charitable-funds/environmental-fund.aspx
Checks should be made payable to the SIMA Environmental Fund and mailed to:
SIMA Environmental Fund – Dick Baker Remembrance
8 Argonaut, Ste. 170, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

* SIMA Humanitarian Fund http://www.sima.com/charitable-funds/humanitarian-fund.aspx
Checks should be made payable to the SIMA Humanitarian Fund and mailed to:
SIMA Humanitarian Fund – Dick Baker Remembrance
8 Argonaut, Ste. 170, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

* The San Clemente Educational Foundation
Donate online using the link above, or checks should be made payable to San Clemente Educational Foundation and mailed to:
San Clemente High School
P.O. Box 4538, San Clemente, CA 92674

Cards should be mailed to:
The Baker Family
c/o SIMA
8 Argonaut, Suite 170
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

 

Pink and Carey Hart at the Hart and Huntington Freestyle Tour in Australia

Pink and Carey Hart look on during the Hart And Huntington Freestyle Tour event at Rod Laver Arena on May 30, 2009 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images . All rights reserved.

 

DRAGON BALL Z – SEASON NINE (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

“The final season of ‘DRAGON BALL Z’!  Featuring the Fusion and Kid Buu sagas!  We have watched the Z Warriors fight countless number of enemies who have threatened humanity but now, the Z-Warriors take on their deadliest enemy ever!  Every ‘DRAGON BALL Z’ season box set has been worth the purchase.  Season Nine features 38 episodes all for a great price.  This box set is highly recommended for the ‘DRAGON BALL Z’ fans!”

DVD TITLE: DRAGON BALL Z – SEASON NINE

DURATION: 800 minutes (38 Episodes total, Episodes 254-291)

DVD INFORMATION: Remastered in High-Definition and Digitally Restored, Widescreen Transfer from Original Japanese Film, Newly Revised English Dialogue, English Voice Track with Original Japanese music, Marathon Play Special Feature

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV PG

Based on the manga and created by by Akira Toriyama

Directed by Daisuke Nishio

Series Composition: Takao Koyama

Character Design by Yuji Ikeda

Music by Shunsuke Kikuchi

Screenplay: Aya Matsui, Hiroshi Toda, Jun Maekawa, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Keiji Terui, Masashi Kubota, Reiko Yoshida, Satoru Akahori, Sumio Uetaka, Takao Koyama, Toshiki Inoue, Yoshiyuki Suga

Episode director: Atsutoshi Umezawa, Daisuke Nishio, Hidehiko Kadoda, Hiroki Shibata, Johei Matsuura, Junichi Fujise, Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Kazuhito Kikuchi, Masahiro Hosoda, Minoru Okazaki, Mitsuo Hashimoto, Osamu Kasai, Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Takahiro Imamura, Tatsuya Orime, Yoshihiro Ueda

Featuring the following voice talent:

Masako Nozawa/Zoe Slusar as Son Goku

Masako Nozawa/Hyle Herbert as Son Gohan

Masako Nozawa/Robert McCollum as Son Goten

Takeshi Kusao/Eric Vale as Trunks

Ryo Horikawa/Christopher R. Sabat as Vegeta

Hiromi Tsuru/Tiffany Volmer as Bulma

Kozo Shioya/Josh Martin as Majin Buu

Naoko Watanabe/Cynthia Cranz as Chichi

Mayumi Tanaka/Sonny Strait as Kuririn

Ryo Horikawa/Christopher R. Sabat as Piccolo

Yuko Minaguchi/Lucy Small as Videl

Hirotaka Suzuoki – Tinshinhan

Tohru Furuya – Yamucha

Miki Itou/Meredith McCoy as Andrid No. 18

Daisuke Gouri/Don Brown as Mr. Satan (Hercule)

Michael Dobson as Supreme Kai

Majin Buu’s spree of terror continues, and his ruthlessness knows no bounds!  In his quest to eliminate the remaining Z-Fighters, Buu has cut a path to destruction across the face of the Earth, leaving a trail of devastation so utterly complete that it may even be beyond the power of the Dragon Balls to repair…

With their efforts to stop Majin Buu quickly proving futile, the Z-Fighters have but one remaining hope against this seemingly invincible foe-The Fusion Technique!  But for this desperate plan to succeed, Goku will have to join forces with his oldest rival, Vegeta!  Can the combined efforts of these two mighty Saiyan warriors put a stop to Majin Buu once and for all?  The final battle for the fate of the universe begins!

The ninth and final season of “DRAGON BALL Z” and this final box set does not disappoint as we get 38 awesome episodes featuring the Z-Warriors most evil enemy ever, Majin Buu.

With the last season ending with a cliffhanger, the World’s Champ Mr. Satan has managed to make Majin Buu more compassionate towards life when Buu is given a puppy.  But sure enough, two criminals gun down Buu’s puppy and then all hell erupts.  This new anger that Majin Buu has never felt before has him spawn another form of Buu.  While the current Buu (big version) was able accept humanity and become peaceful, this new Evil Buu (skinner and muscular) is everything that was evil.

This Evil Buu manages to beat the current Majin Buu and convert his power over to his and becoming much more powerful.

As for the Z-Warriors, with Vegeta sacrificing his life in the last volume and Goku no longer with the living (since the Cell Saga) and in another dimension withe the Supreme Kais watching Gohan train, Piccolo is left to train Trunks and Goten and making sure they perfect their fusion technique to become Gotenks, the last opportunity for Planet Earth to destroy Evil Buu.

Included in Season 9 are a total of six discs.  Here is a spoiler free run down of the final 38 episodes:

Disc 1:

• Episode 254 – The Evil of Men - What happens to Majin Buu after two criminals gun down his puppy?
• Episode 255 – Buu Against Buu – The battle of the Buu’s as Majin Buu somehow accidentally manifests an Evil Buu.
• Episode 256 – Empty Planet – The Evil Buu decides to take his challenge directly to Gotenks.
• Episode 257 – Time Struggle – Piccolo manages to trick Evil Buu to go into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with him and Gotenks.
• Episode 258 – Super Moves of Gotenks – Evil Buu takes on Gotenks.  Who will become the victor?
• Episode 259 – Trapped in Forever – In a desperate attempt to stop any further destruction, Piccolo destroys the Hyperbolic Time Chamber’s door, trapping the three in the chamber forever.
• Episode 260 – Feeding Frenzy – As Evil Buu becomes hungry, he finds a way to leave the chamber but now looks towards the Z-Warriors outside of the chamber as food.

DISC 2:

• Episode 261 – Gotenks is Awesome – Gotenks transforms into Super Saiyan Level 3 but will this extra power be enought to defeat Evil Buu?
• Episode 262 – Unlucky Break - Gohan continues with his training at the World of Kais and the battle between Gotenks and Evil Buu continues.
• Episode 263 – A Whole New Gohan – Gotenks fusion is unraveled and Trunks and Goten are in trouble.  Gohan comes to the rescue utilizing his new training.
• Episode 264 – Search for Survivors - Evil Buu uses a tactic to destroy himself in order to destroy Gohan.  Did Buu’s plan work?
• Episode 265 – Majin Buu Transforms - Evil Buu’s tactic was a ploy, now his goal is to absorb the powers of Gotenks in order to become Super Buu.
• Episode 266 – The Old Kai’s Weapon - Evil Buu is now more powerful than ever after absorbing a few Z-Warriors.  Does Gohan have enough power to take him on alone?
• Episode 267 – Ready to Fuse? - Goku knows that Gohan is getting weak and the Old Kai has a plan to save the day.

Disc 3:

• Episode 268 – Union of Rivals - Vegeta arrives and both Goku and Vegeta must join forces again in order to defeat Evil Buu.
• Episode 269 – Meet Vegito - Goku and Vegeta utilize old Kai’s plan to become Vegito.
• Episode 270 – Rip in the Universe - The battle between Vegito and Evil Bu begins.
• Episode 271 – Vegito… Downsized - Evil Buu comes up with another tactic to fight Vegito.
• Episode 272 – The Incredible Fighting Candy- Evil Buu turns Vegito into candy and absorbs them.
• Episode 273 – The Innards of Buu - Although Goku and Vegito were absorbed, they are able to separate and move around inside Buu’s body.

Disc 4:

• Episode 274 – Mind Trap – Both Goku and Vegeta discover their friends and children inside Buu.
• Episode 275 – Deadly Vision – Evil Buu doesn’t like Goku and Vegeta messing with his body and thus finds a way to have himself take on the two in his own body.
• Episode 276 – Evil Kid Buu! - Both Goku and Vegeta think they have the upper hand against Evil Buu.  But all of a sudden, Evil Buu starts to evolve into another type of Buu.
• Episode 277 – End of Earth - The plan of freeing Trunks, Goten, Piccolo and Gohan inside of Evil Buu backfires.  And now the new Evil Kid Buu targets the Planet Earth to destroy.
• Episode 278 – True Saiyans Fight Alone – With last episode’s shocking ending, Evil Kid Buu now has the World of the Kais as his next target.
• Episode 279 – Battle for the Universe Begins – Instead of fusing, Goku and Vegeta decide they should fight Evil Kid Buu alone to the shock of the Kais.

Disc 5:

• Episode 280 – Vegeta’s Respect – Goku Super Saiyan 3 fights against Evil Kid Buu.
• Episode 281 – Minute of Desperation – Goku’s energy is rapidly draining but needs the time to gather energy to stay alive.
• Episode 282 – Old Buu Emerges – Evil Kid Buu starts to have a major pain in his body and his name is Majin Buu (original version).
• Episode 283 – Earth Reborn - With Majin Buu and Evil Buu fighting it out once again, Vegeta asks Dende to summon the Dragon from the Planet Namek in order to restore the Earth and the humans back to life.
• Episode 284 – Call to Action – Goku asks the revived humans of Earth to give him energy but it seems that many are not willing to.
• Episode 285 – People of Earth Unite – Goku desperately needs more energy but the people of Earth are unwilling, that is until he gets help from someone famous.

Disc 6:

• Episode 286 – Spirit Bomb Triumphant – The people of Earth lend their energy to Goku to create the Spirit Bomb!  Will it be enough to destroy Evil Kid Buu?
• Episode 287 -  Celebrations with Majin Buu - With the result of the last episode, Goku and friends return to Earth and try to integrate Majin Buu back into society as a good guy.
• Episode 288 – He’s Always Late – It’s the big party for the Z-Warriors but Goku is nowhere to be found.
• Episode 289 – Granddaughter Pan - Ten years have passed since the battle with Evil Kid Buu and everyone has gotten older, Gohan and Vedil now have a young daughter named Pan who has been trained by her parents and Goku.
• Episode 290 – Buu’s Reincarnation - It’s time for a new World Tournament and Goku gets a feeling someone special may fight in the tournament.
• Episode 291 – Goku’s Next Journey - The tournament fight between Goku and Uub continues.  Is Uub the reincarnation of Buu?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“DRAGON BALL Z” season nine was aired in Japan during the mid-90′s.  For these episodes to be nearly 15 years old, FUNimation did the picture quality some justice by remastering the series.  By working with Video Post & Transfer, they used the original Japanese film masters and transferred them using a Spirit DataCine and passing through a Digital Vision DVNR1000 to remove film grain and then using a Teranex VC6000 video computer for DNR (digital noise reduction) to remove thousands of instances of dirt, scratches and debris.

The video footage signal was then ran through a da Vinci 2K Plus color system to make sure the color is very close to the original Japanese film prints.  After color correction, the final media was then transferred via Sony’s HDCAM (high definition digital tape) and created in 1080p HD at 24 frames per second.

So, what we get is a very clean transfer (note: A transfer that would make it even much more cleaner and colorful if presented in Blu-ray) on DVD and the best looking transfer of the episodes in the US thus far.  It is important to note that the transfer is not devoid of dust and scratches.  You will see it on occasion but overall, the colors are much sharper and more vibrant.

Audio is presented in three audio tracks.  English voice track with original Japanese music via 5.1 surround, English voice track with TV broadcast music stereo and Japanese voice track with original music and in mono.

As mentioned in my previous reviews, I have watched “Dragon Ball Z” when it was first aired in Japan and have rented every episode and have watched it in Japanese.  But until I started reviewing the FUNimation Entertainment box set releases of the series, I have really enjoyed the English dubwork.  I felt the series was well-cast and truthfully, with the original series in mono and hearing it in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, it’s hard to go back and listen to the series in mono.

But the great news is that you get the three different audio tracks to suit those with different audio preferences.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

You get the original Japanese opening intro without text and the ending Japanese outro without text.  Also, FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

After 250+ episodes, the final 38 episodes are now available in one box set.

I can easily remember when these episodes hit Japan and having friends over to watch the battle with the Z-Warriors and Buu.   Of course, none of us at the time understood Japanese but to watch these final episodes (which went on to continue with “Dragon Ball GT”), what an exciting time to see the Fusion Saga but also to see Goku and Vegeta having to work with each other.  To think how “DRAGON BALL Z” started as Vegeta was a major enemy of Goku and now to find them working together and fighting together was very enjoyable to watch.

Needless to say, this final season is packed with action but also quite a bit of humor as well.  Buu is such an interesting villain.  Whereas Frieza is the destroyer and Cell was just plain evil, Evil Buu was much more powerful than either of them but where the others would go on destruction campaigns, Buu’s motivation was enjoying the fight and eating sweets and chocolates.  Definitely a far cry from Frieza and Cell but overall, Buu was a unique villain.  And to see Hercule (Mr. Satan) take some initiative (and also becoming the series clown), it was so interesting to see how he would be important in these final episodes.

If there was any disappointment, it was that Gohan who had such a buildup throughout all the seasons from his younger age to his younger pre-teenage years, his character received the less amount of attention (battle wise) and more focus on the character of Trunks and Goten as Gotenks.  Afterall, we have seen how powerful Gohan had gotten in his battles versus Frieza and Cell, I was hoping to see some sort of unleash of Gohan that would really show off his character now as an older teenager.

Nevertheless, the series brought everything back home with a storyline that focused on the two Saiyans which are Goku and Vegeta, and the way these two interact is always fun to watch and you’ll always know that when these two are together, there is either a lot of action, or a lot of humorous scenes between the two.  And fortunately, you get both.

“DRAGON BALL Z – SEASON NINE” ends the whole “DRAGON BALL Z” arc and this season like the previous eight are just magnificent.  You literally get more bang for your buck with over 30 episodes included on each DVD box set.  And the series does continue with the two seasons of “DRAGON BALL GT” (now available from FUNimation Entertainment).

I absolutely love this series and after watching it in Japanese way back then, it was great to watch the series remastered and digitally restored but also to enjoy it not just in Japanese but also with the English dub.  The voice acting is so well-done, this series is probably the best cast anime series.  There are a ton of characters and FUNimation Entertainment has done a great job in finding the right voice actors to do the job.

In closing, I highly recommend every season box set of “DRAGON BALL Z”.  I know that because this series has been digitally remastered in High Definition, there are many who are wondering if they should wait until there is an announcement of the Blu-ray release of the anime TV series.  For now, we don’t know if there will be a Blu-ray release but for “DRAGON BALL Z” in the US.

So, for now, the DVD is the only choice available at this time.  Just think that each box set has 30+ episodes for around $30-$35 which is a steal compared to how much collecting “DRAGON BALL Z” several years ago which one DVD with a few episodes would have cost next to $20.   You simply are getting your money’s worth!

If you purchased every season thus far for “DRAGON BALL Z”, you can’t go wrong with this final season nine. Each episode is action-packed, plenty of humor and there are many memorable scenes.  Its simply a must buy!  Every season of “DRAGON BALL Z” is a must buy!

Highly recommended!

 

Diana Krall promoting her album “Quiet Nights” in Spain

Singer Diana Krall presents her new album ‘Quiet Nights’ at Gran Melia Fenix Hotel on May 29, 2009 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images . All rights reserved.

 

IDA MARIA – Fortress ’round My Heart (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

“Ida Maria is a multi-talented Norwegian music artist who finally gets her first album released in the US.  Sporting raspy vocals and devilish but yet delightful lyrics, Ida Maria is a rock artist worth checking out.”

Purchase this album:

 

Hitomi Shimatani – SMILES (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

“Hitomi Shimatani’s 30th CD single ‘SMILES’ returns to her J-pop roots but overall, the CD single is OK.  Much better if you purchase the CD+DVD version which features another short film style of music video starring Hitomi!”

ARTIST: Hitomi Shimatani

CD SINGLE: SMILES

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-31551/B

DURATION: 18:57

RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2009

BUY THIS CD SINGLE

1. SMILES
2. Stay with me
3. SMILES (Instrumental)
4. Stay with me (Instrumental)

DVD: Region 2, Duration: 9:18, 4:3

1. SMILES MUSIC CLIP
2. SMILES OFF SHOT

Singer and actress Hitomi Shimatani released her 30th CD single titled “SMILES” which was used as the theme song for the film “Parallel” which she stars in.

For those not familiar with Hitomi Shimatani’s music, in Japan, she’s an artist that is not musically consistent and each release always brings curiosity to the listener.  Sometimes you may get something Spanish, something orchestral, pop, rock and so, no one knows what kind of music to expect.

For “SMILES”, the single that is reminiscent of her earlier years of focusing on J-pop.  Overall, a pop driven track with nice utilization of acoustic guitar during some parts of the pop track.  The acoustic guitar brings a refreshing sound when it is featured throughout the track. Overall, a safe and somewhat pedestrian song for Shimatani.  Definitely an enjoyable track from her fans but for those who have been wanting something a bit demanding and unique, this is probably not the single to expect that.

The coupling song “Stay with me” continues the J-pop theme and features Shimatani singing a little in french “C’est la de pas du du fa sot” throughout the track.  Again, very reminiscent of her earlier works which is primarily sugary J-pop.

The DVD features the music video for “SMILES” (5:42) which continues Shimatani’s music videos incorporating a short film type of narrative.  In this music video,  while Shimatani is packing her things at her home, she drops a few things and while picking up those things, she discovers a photograph of when her boyfriend at the time proposed to her.  The music video features her reminiscing of that time when they went tot he beach and when they had a little fight and then made up, when he proposed and then to the present as they both are packing things up and moving out of their house and starting their new life together.  Throughout the music video, we see Shimatani singing at her home.

The second video is the OFF SHOT (11:12) which features the behind-the-scenes making of the music video on the beach and at the home and really good behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the entire music video.

The CD insert (standard bi-fold) features the lyrics and production credits.

I’ve been a supporter of Hitomi Shimatani’s music and I know that she has fans who respect a certain style of her music and those who look at the charts and realize that she’s not creating chart topping music like she used to.  I tend to liken her as a contemporary music artist, an artist that appeals to an adult demographic rather than a younger age group.

Part of the reason of my enjoyment towards her music is that avex trax has more than enough musical artists that push the envelope in sexiness with their pop music, artists who are known for that musical genre but then you have Hitomi Shimatani which is a talented music artist and now an actress who can transition to different styles of music.  You take her music as it is and enjoy it for what it is.  For those who wish she stayed consistent with her music can easily be put off by going rock from one single, to a sugary J-pop sound with the next.  She’s not an artist to expect musical consistency but you will find consistency in vocal style.

“SMILES” is a CD single that is more on the happier side of Shimatani J-pop music.  It’s somewhat sugary J-pop music that I found just fine on an album but as a single release, I found myself wanting a bit more.  So, I was hoping the coupling track would feature something different but on this CD single release, both are safe, J-pop music.  Musically, the first track was nice to hear the acoustic guitar playing in sync with the pop track but the second coupling track was a track that I don’t think I would be playing much at all.

The CD+DVD release is a much better purchase, as you can see how the music video correlates with the song.   Also, the OFF SHOT was definitely fun to watch, especially if you have interested in filmmaking.   Personally, I happen to enjoy her latest music videos as the label is giving her more of a budget to work with and also dig the short film style of music video that have come out from Shimatani as of late.   It definitely makes the CD single much more enjoyable in my opinion when you can see how her music is used on those videos.

Overall, “SMILES” is an enjoyable pop track by Shimatani.  I felt it was a safe and sugar pop single release but also felt the CD single lacks the musical flair of her previous CD singles.

BUY THIS CD SINGLE

 

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