Sony Pictures Classics (a J!-ENT Listing of All Sony Pictures Classics Blu-ray and DVD Reviews)
May 8, 2012 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard are co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment founded in January 1992 (with Marcie Bloom) that distributes, produces and acquires independent films from the United States and around the world.
The team has worked with many of the world’s finest independent filmmakers including Woody Allen, Pedro Almodóvar, Robert Altman, Allison Anders, Hector Babenco, Kenneth Branagh, Ingmar Bergman, John Boorman, Francis Ford Coppola, David Cronenberg, Luc Dardenne, Jonathan Demme, Guillermo del Toro, Atom Egoyan, R.W. Fassbinder, Mike Figgis, Hal Hartley, Agniezska Holland, James Ivory, Merchant Ivory, Jim Jarmusch, Norman Jewison, Neil Jordan, Charlie Kaufman, Akira Kurosawa, Neil LaBute, Ang Lee, Richard Linklater, Louis Malle, David Mamet, Errol Morris, Gary Oldman, Jean-Pierre, Sally Potter, Alan Rudolph, John Sayles, Paul Schrader, Fred Schepisi, Lily Tomlin, François Truffaut, Paul Verhoeven, Wong Kar Wai, Wim Wenders, and Zhang Yimou.
The following is a list of all the Sony Pictures Classics Blu-ray and DVD’s we have reviewed on J!-ENT thus far.
Note: Reviews are from 1999-Present
- BAGHEAD
- Broken Embraces (Los abrazos rotos)
- Carnage
- Coco Before Chanel (Coco Avant Chanel)
- Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
- I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND (Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále)
- I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (Il y a longtemps que je t’aime)
- Lebanon
- Micmacs (Micmacs à tire-larigot)
- MOON
- O’HORTEN
- Orlando
- Restless
- The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos)
- The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte)
- Wild Grass (Les herbes folles)
- Winter in Wartime (Oorlogswinter)
- You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
X-MEN Volume 5 – Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
April 30, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
The final volume and the final episodes of the popular 1990′s X-Men animated series is here! Featuring popular comic book storylines which includes “The Phalanx Covenant” and battles against Magneto, Omega Red, the Red Skull, Mojo, Mr. Sinister and more!
© MARVEL, X-MEN and all related characters and their distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. and are used with permission.© Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: X-MEN VOLUME 5 (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection)
DURATION: 308 Minutes (14 Episodes)
DVD INFORMATION: English, Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Fullscreen (1:33:1), French and Spanish Language Tracks, French and Spanish Subtitles
COMPANY: Marvel Entertainment Group/Buena Vista Home Entertainment
RATED: TV Y7 FV
RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010
Starring:
Cedric Smith as the voice of Professor Charles Xavier
Cal Dodd as the voice of Wolverine/Logan
Norm Spencer as the voice of Cyclops/Scott Summers
Lenore Zann as the voice of Rogue
George Buza as the voice of Beast/Doctor Henry “Hank” McCoy
Catherine Disher as the voice of Jean Grey/Phoenix
Iona Morris (1992) and Alison Sealy-Smith (1992-1997) as the voice of Storm/Ororo Munroe
Alyson Court as the voice of Jubilee/Jubilation Lee
Chris Potter as the voice of Gambit/Remy Lebeau
Lawrence Bayne as the voice of Cable, Erik the Redd
Payl Haddad as the voice of Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner
Jeremy Ratchford as the voice of Banshee/Sean Cassidy
Lally Cadeau as the voice of Doctor Moira McTaggart
Ron Rubin as the voice of Morph
Marc Strange as the voice of Forge
Philip Akin as the voice of Bishop
David Hemblen as the voice of Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr
John Colicos and James Blendick as the voice of Apocalypse
Don Francks as the voice of Sabretooth/Victor Creed, Puck/Eugene Milton Judd, Shaman
Christopher Britton II as the voice of Mister Sinister/Nathaniel Essex
Rick Bennett as the voices of Juggernaut/Cain Marko and Colossus/Piotr Rasputin
The original tales of Marvel comic books come to life in Volume 5 of the X-men collection. Relive the action of the popular animated series in this collectible compilation of the X-men adventures. The X-men must turn to their arch-nemesis, Magneto, in an effort to save the life of Professor Xavier! Watch the action unfold in the final episode, “Graduation Day, “ and don’t miss a moment of X-men excitement in this 2-disc set, complete with 14 riveting episodes. Complete your X-men collection with this must-own final installment of this great animated series.
The X-Men Escape
Betrayal
Missing Jean Grey
Trouble Brewing
For 46 years, the mutant superhero team known as “X-Men” have been a part of the lives of several generations. I personally grew up with the the X-Men during the latest 70′s and early 80′s but became interested once again during the early 90′s when artist Jim Lee brought a new look and eventually created this incredible synergy amongst the fans. A time when Chris Claremont was ending his run and the storylines would be be infused by more excitement from Fabien Nicieza and Scot Lobdell.
We were greeted with awesome storylines such as the “The X-Tinction Agenda”, “The Muir Island Saga”, “X-Cutioner’s Song”, “Fatal Attractions”, “Phalanx Covenant” and “Age of Apocalypse” from 1990-1995 and in addition to the excitement in the comic books (which would continue on with the action figures from Toy Biz), the animated series was one of those special events that took place in October 1992 on the Fox Network.
I can easily remember how many of my friends and fellow comic book collectors were excited for the series. Although not exactly the same type of storyline from the comic books, the animated series captured the heart and soul of the X-Men and “X-Men: The Animated Series” would continue on through 1998.
Needless to say, the animated series is close to the heart for the diehard X-Men fan but also those who were young when the series came out, are now wanting to share the animated series with their own children. And for me, it’s great to watch this series alongside my six-year-old son and seeing him enjoy the series as well.
“X-MEN VOLUME 5″ comes with the final 15 episodes of the animated series on two DVD’s. It’s important to note that Buena Vista Home Entertainment has the episodes going by how it was aired and not by production episode number. So, I will list the episodes with their episode # on the DVD but also their episode script #.
Here is a brief, spoiler-less synopsis of “X-MEN Volume 5 – Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection”:
DISC: 1
- EPISODE 63 (67) – The Phalanx Covenant (Part 1) - The techno-organic aliens known as the Phalanx attack life on Earth.
- EPISODE 64 (68) – The Phalanx Covenant (Part 2) - The X-Men vs. the Phalanx.
- EPISODE 65 (47) – A Deal with the Devil – Wolverine and Storm take on Omega Red.
- EPISODE 66 (34) – No Mutant is an Island - After the aftermath of “The Phoenix Saga”, Cyclops leaves the X-Men.
- EPISODE 67 (36) – Longshot – The Inner Circle make their move and Professor X and Emma Frost battle against each other for psychic control of Jean. The Dark Phoenix is born.
- EPISODE 68 (59) – Bloodlines – Nightcrawler receives a message that his mother is in trouble.
DISC 2:
- EPISODE 69 (69) – Storm Front (Part 1) – The alien Arkon asks for Storm to return with him to his planet and proposes to her.
- EPISODE 70 (70) – Storm Front (Part 2) – Arkon and Storm are to be married but the X-Men find out that Arkon is not exactly on the side of good.
- EPISODE 71 (72) – Jubilee’s Fairy Tale Theatre - Jubilee leads a tour for several kids in a cave on mansion property but are caught in a cave-in.
- EPISODE 72 (71) – The Fifth Horseman - Fabian Cortez kidnaps Jubilee.
- EPISODE 73 (73) – Old Soldiers – A past story of when Wolverine and Captain America worked together back in World War II.
- EPISODE 74 (75) - Descent - The origin of Mr. Sinister.
- EPISODE 75 (74) - Hidden Agendas – Professor X takes in Sam Guthrie (Cannonball).
- EPISODE 76 (76) – Graduation Day – It’s the day of the Mutant/Human Relations Summit but Gyrich intends to make his presence known.
VIDEO:
“X-MEN” the animated series is presented in full screen (1:33:1). One thing that you will notice is that the animation does show its age. Since the animation was created over 15-years ago, a lot of the animation is hand drawn and compared to many of the digital animated series that are show on television today, the animation doesn’t have that digital color vibrancy as newer animations and also, you will notice that the animation does has its share of interlacing and on bigger television screens, viewers will notice edge enhancement as well.
It’s important to note that the final six episodes were animated by a different company. As the animated series was supposed to end with season four’s “Beyond Good and Evil”, FOX ordered more episodes but the animators in Korea (AKOM) were already working on the second season of “Fantastic Four”, the Philippine Animation Studio was brought in to complete the season. Although not sure if anyone will be able to tell the difference.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby 2.0 and is dialogue-driven (a French and Spanish language track is also included). Unfortunately, the soundtrack is front channel driven but for those who have receivers capable of a setting to enable stereo on all channels, I found that to be the best setting to enjoy the series on my home theater system.
As for subtitles, “X-MEN VOLUME 3″ is provided in English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are no special features included on both DVD’s.
I was among the big X-Men fans who were highly anticipating the series and just loved it! As a collector of the X-Men comic books around that time period, to have a series based on Jim Lee’s character designs and a series with so much potential of showcasing a variety of enemies and characters, it was always a treat to find out who would be introduced in each episode.
In fact, during the hoopla and way before the Internet became part of our natural lives, many of the fans would communicate about the episodes through electronic BBS’s and show our happiness and excitement over the animated series, the action figure line and of course the many multiple X-Men related comic book series that flourished from the early 90′s.
For volume 5, fans who were reading the comic books were also treated with the Phalanx storyline in animated format. So, as an X-Man fan at the time, it was very cool to see something that was featured in a comic, appear so quickly in the cartoon.
Now, there is one thing that is a big negative that hardcore fans of the animated series may find and that is the choice to feature the episodes via air date and not script #.
For example, the majority of the episodes on this DVD are from season five but because of the production #, episodes from season three such as “No Mutant is an Island” (which is listed as episode #66 but on television it was episode #34) and “Longshot” (which is episode #67 was episode #36 on television) end up on this fifth DVD volume. So, for continuity sakes, especially with “No Mutant is an Island” which comes after the “Phoenix Saga”, there is continuity disruption which is a bit unfortunate.
Granted, I know there are hardcore fans who really take issue of the episode listing on this DVD series but knowing how long fans have waited for the series and knowing what’s done is done, this is probably the best we are going to get of the series in a long time (unless they remaster and restore it for a Blu-ray release in the future which I don’t know if that will ever happen and because of the quality of the series, I kind of doubt it). So, with that being said, I still recommend the purchase of the series, especially if you have already purchased volume 1 through 4.
Overall, “X-MEN VOLUME 5″ is an entertaining set and if you have started collecting the various volumes, you will definitely want to complete your collection with this fifth volume.
For fans of the “X-MEN” animated series, despite the episode listing which is disconcerting for some, the episodes are still entertaining, nostalgic, action-packed and still enjoyable to watch over 15 years later and yes… for hardcore X-Men fans, still worth owning!
Sgt. Frog – Season Two, Part 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)
January 27, 2010 by Dennis Amith · 1 Comment
Unique, fun, wild and crazy! The Armpit Platoon continues their plans of world domination and crazy hijinks in the latest volume of “Sgt. Frog”!
Image courtesy of © Mine Yoshizaki/Kadokawashoten, SUNRISE, TV TOKYO. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: Sgt. Frog – Season Two, Part 1
DURATION: Episodes 27-39 (325 Minutes)
DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Stereo
COMPANY: Sunrise TV/FUNimation Entertainment
RATED: TV PG
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Based on the manga by Mine Yoshizaki
Chief Director: Junichi Sato
Director: Yusuke Yamamoto
Series Composition by Mamiko Ikeda
Script by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Kuniaki Kasahara, Mamiko Ikeda, Masahiro Yokotani, Satoru Nishizono, Yasuko Kobayashi
Character Design by Fumitoshi Oisaki
Animation Director: Asako Nishida
Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka
Anime Production by Sunrise
Featuring the following voice talent:
Akiko Hiramatsu/Jamie Marchi as Aki Hinata
Chiwa Saito/Cherami Leigh as Natsumi Hinata
Houku Kuwashima/Leah Clark as Fuyuki Hinata
Haruna Ikezawa/Monica Rial as Momoka Nishizawa
Kumiko Watanabe/Todd Habekorn as Keroro
Etsuko Kozakura/Brina Palencia as Tamama
Jouji Nakata/Christopher R. Sabat as Giroro
Takehito Koyasu/Chuck Huber as Kururu
Takeshi Kusao/J. Michael Tatum as Dororo
Keiji Fujiwara/R. Bruce Elliott as Narrator
Mmiko Noto/Carrie Savage as Angol Mois
They came. They saw. They built a spa in the basement! Keroro and his elite team of fighting frogs crossed the galaxy on mission to invade planet Earth, but they got distracted by things that were – well – tons more fun. Who needs ray-guns and amphibious mechas when you’ve got surprise parties, clandestine trips to the zoo, starring roles in school plays, and dinosaur-themed theme parks? Not these frogs of war. In fact, the Sergeant and his comrades are hard at work creating their own frog-centric anime! It’s got action! It’s got adventure! And it’s got romance! Romance? Yes, even a battle-scarred soldier like Giroro turns lily-pad lothario at the sight of a certain pretty Pekopon.
Unique, fun, wild and crazy! “Sgt. Frog” continues the obnoxious humor, crazy hijinks and plans for world domination in the first part of the second season!
Since 1999, the manga series “Keroro Gunso” (aka “Sgt. Frog”) by Mine Yoshizaki (“Arcade Gamer Fubuki”, “Chibi Kero” and “Seven of Seven”) has been entertaining readers. Since 2004, the anime series has been entertaining viewers and both continue to be popular long-running series in Japan. Now the award winning series continues with its first part of the second season courtesy of FUNimation entertainment.
The anime series is directed by Yusuke Yamamoto (“Welcome to the NHK, “Sakura Taisen”, “Mobile Suit Victor Gundam” and Arjuna”) and features character designs by Fumitoshi Oisaki (“Romeo x Juliet”, “Ontama” and “Kaleido Star”). The series is known for its use of parodies of pop culture and in the Japanese case, you will see a plenty of pop culture references to anime and video games. While, the English dub features a slightly different script than the Japanese and utilizes American pop culture (which I will describe more in the video and audio segment of this review).
The series revolves around an alien race of frogs who have come to conquer the planet Earth. But somehow along the way, things didn’t go as expected and the leader of the platoon, Sergeant Frog finds himself living with the Hinata family. In the first season, we saw how the members of the Armpit Platoon reunited and worked together to accomplish certain missions. With the first part of the second season, the group continue to work together in finding ways to defeat the humans but as usual, things don’t work as well as they hope.
The main characters of “Sgt. Frog” are:
The Hinata Family
Fuyuki – A boy who just wants to be best friends with Sgt. Frog (Keroro) and always sees the positive in him. An odd kid who is obsessed with paranormal and supernatural things, really doesn’t have any friends and runs a high school club based on the paranormal and supernatural with no members. Possesses Keroro’s weapon of mass destruction (because his sister told him to hold on to it).
Natsumi – Athletic and very intuitive when it comes to what is going on in her home. Natsumi is hot tempered and not very appreciative that her mother let Keroro live with them. Whenever Keroro (and the other frogs) misbehave, she’s quick to beat him to a pulp.
Aki – The beautiful mother and a manga editor who lets Keroro live with the family. Not for kindness but mostly to get ideas for her new manga. She also gives Keroro one of the rooms to the house for him to live in but mainly because a ghost has been inhabiting the room and also because it’s messy and expects him to clean it up.
The Armpit Platoon consists of:
Sgt. Frog (Keroro) - The green frog is the leader of the platoon. Despite being the sergeant of the platoon, he is quite a daft and lazy frog. He enjoys building Mobile Suit Gundam models, eating and watching television. He knows that each time something breaks, Aki and Natsumi Hinata will be on his case so he is somewhat mindful of the Hinata family. Also knowing that if he does chores at home, he can use his allowance to buy Gundam models. But he knows his role in Earth and that he and his platoon needs to conquer the Earth but most of the time his other hobbies get it in the way of that.
Corporal Giroro – The red frog with a scar on his face who happens to be a weapons expert. Loves combat and is a gung-ho type of character. He is the main person in the Platoon who has a disdain of Sgt. Frog’s leadership and is the one often yelling at him to remember their goal. But he also has a soft side and that is the fact that he is attracted to Natsumi Hinata’s strength and temper. So, much that he has fallen for her and will do what he can to protect her. He lives in the back yard of the Hinata’s home and finds friendship in the neighborhood cat Mr. Furbottom.
Private Second Class Tamama – The black frog with a tadpole tail and the youngest and most experienced member of the Platoon. When pushed, he can be quite destructive (shooting beams out of his mouth). Known for his gas problems and also for his major jealousy complex. He lives with the wealthy Momoka Nishizawa and gets everything he wants. But is very jealous of the female alien Angol Mois (who is in love with Keroro) and gets very upset that someone else likes the Sgt.
Sergeant Major Kururu – The yellow frog and the platoon’s intelligence and strategic planning officer. Very intelligent and loves building things but despite being a superior to Keroro, he defers to him because he’s somewhat of a mad scientist. In someways, when testing his creations on Keroro, he enjoys seeing people getting in bad or painful situations the experimenting on those creations. Also, loves listening to music in his earphones. He originally was taken into the home of Mutsumi Saburo but has built a base under the home of the Hinatas.
Lance Corporal Dororo/Zeroro - The blue frog and a member of the Elite Assassin Squad and the Armpit Platoon. Looks like a ninja by the mask he wears and is even more deadlier than Corporal Giroro. When he was younger, he didn’t have any friends and was befriended by Keroro and Giroro (because he was rich and had a large collection of Gundam’s). Each time he went out with Keroro, he would get hurt badly. He is starting to learn that his friends when he was younger really weren’t that good of friends and thus, has resentment towards the Platoon (because they all forgot about him) and thus changed his name from Zeroro to Dororo. Spends his time with ninja Koyuki Azumaya taking on aliens and protecting humankind (Pekopons).
Other significant characters:
Momoka Nishizawa – The daughter of a billionaire and very much in love with Fuyuki. Does what she can to get close to Fuyuki but the emotions that she is feeling, doesn’t necessarily come out the way she wants when she says it. Has a distrust towards any female near Fuyuki and can’t stand it when anyone interferes with her time with Fuyuki. The alien frog Tamama stays at her place.
Mutsumi Saburo – Very intelligent and excels at almost everything. A DJ and a lover of Gundam, he happens to be a guy who Natsumi Hinata likes but her brother Fuyuki doesn’t like him at all. The alien frog Kururu once stayed with him and even taught Saburo some tricks.
Paul Moriyama – Momoko’s butler and guardian. Known to have great fighting skills and has sworn his life to protect Momoko.
Angol Moa – An alien from another tribe. Also known as the “King of Terror” wand was supposed to destroy Earth in July 1999 but arrives 500 years early and thus went to sleep in orbit. She wakes up but finds out that she is five years late. She is known for using a cell phone which she inputs in order to create a major weapon which can destroy the Earth and the ability to shoot powerful blasts. But because of her love for Keroro, she will do what he says and thus, decides not to destroy the Earth. Although she is doesn’t know it, she is the rival to Tamama (who can’t stand Angol Moa’s smile and kindness) and will do whatever she can to protect Keroro.
Koyuki Azumaya – A ninja who joins Natsumi’s school and has athletic ability that rivals Natsumi. Friends with the alien frog Dororo and together they take on aliens who pose a threat to the Pekopons (Earthlings) and also has a thing about sniffing people.
Jessica Harpie – A member of the galactic Interpol and catches criminals around the galaxy.
Omiyo – The ghost that lives in the Hinata house and occupies what is now Keroro’s room.
“Sgt. Frog – Season Two, Part 1″ features a total of 13 episodes on two DVD’s. Each episode consists of two mini-episodes, most often at times are related to each other. but sometimes you get two different stories per episode. Here is a spoiler-less summary:
DISC 1:
- EPISODE 27 – Should I Spa or Should I Go Now? – The first half features Sgt. Kero trying to prepare for his father’s arrival, while the second half features the Armpit Platoon trying to create their own spa.
- EPISODE 28 – Das Snow Boot – The first half features the Armpit Platoon creating snow in order to make Planet Earth defenseless. The second half features Sgt. Major Kuru up to no good.
- EPISODE 29 – Actor Shmactor! – The first half features Natsumi taking part in the play “Peter Pan”, the second half features student journalist following Sgt. Frog (trying to disguise himself as a man) around.
- EPISODE 30 – Extreme Makeover: Momoka Edition – The first half features the arrival of Private First Class Taruru of the Garuru Platoon, the second half features Sgt. Keroro making Momoko to a beautiful woman.
- EPISODE 31 – Lost in Transportation – Sgt. Keroro’s vehicle arrives but when he gets lost with it, his friends try to find him.
- EPISODE 32 – Animal Army Attack! – I the first half, Sgt. Keroro wants to use Earth’s animals for his army by converting zoo animals to hybrid animal/humans. The second half features Corporal Giroro creating a pendant for Natsumi.
- EPISODE 33 – The Episode We Wanted to Call Tiny Toons or Animaniacs, But Those Were Already Taken – Sgt. Keroro and his platoon become enamored for the anime series “Captain Geroro”, that they try to create their own anime series.
DISC 2:
- EPISODE 34 – Hot Spring Hilarity! – In the first half, Momoko feels left out. The second half features Fuyuki falling for a girl.
- EPISODE 35 – The Birthday The Earth Stood Still – Everyone tries to come up with an idea for Natsumi’s birthday.
- EPISODE 36 – A Frog In Winter - Sgt. Keroro gets his bonus and wants to go shopping but Fuyuki doesn’t feel like it because of the snow, thus the Armpit Platoon tries to stop it.
- EPISODE 37 – Storefront Shinobi! – In the first half of this episode, the Armpit Platoon go through ninja training. In the second half, Sgt. Keroro uses Kururu’s mind control device and time machine device to get dinosaurs to join their army.
- EPISODE 38 – One Potato, Two Potato, Sweet Potato, Amore – In the first half of the series, Sgt. Keroro creates a Natsumi clone. In the second half of the series, Sgt. Keroro comes up with an idea of using Natsumi to join his platoon.
- EPISODE 39 – The Space Frog Who Stole Christmas – In the first half of the series, Sgt. Keroro comes up with an idea to steal Christmas presents and sell them on eBay to pay off his debt. In the second half of the series, Sgt. Keroro plans for a New Year’s Eve plan by having his platoon clean up his mess inside the house.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Sgt. Frog” is presented in 4:3. For the most part, the entertaining part of “Sgt. Frog” are its characters but also the little Japanese pop culture references, especially Keroro’s love for “Gundam” (which the model kits are featured in the anime series). The colors are vibrant and for a television show, the animation works great for this series. Keroro and his members of the Armpit Platoon are frogs with a cool and cute character design, that it’s no surprise that this series has an extensive merchandise collection in Japan.
As for audio, the English dub is featured in Dolby Surround Sound and the Japanese is featured in stereo. For the most part, I have watched both in English and Japanese and the voice acting on both are great. As for audio quality, I preferred to watch the series with my receiver setting at stereo on all channels but for the most part, the English dialogue is front and center channel driven if watched via 5.1 Dolby Surround.
Now when it comes to audio and watching it on both languages, there is a difference between the English and Japanese version. For the most part, the English version has a rewritten script that utilizes the same storyline as the Japanese version but features American pop culture references and more dialogue. So, for example, when the Japanese dialogue is quiet, in the English dialogue, you may hear the narrator speaking.
Although I tend to prefer watching anime in Japanese, I have to admit that I found the English dub quite wild and crazy. The English dub tends to use quite a bit of references to American pop culture. Granted, some people may not be familiar with the American pop culture references especially if you watch this anime several years later but overall, FUNimation has done a fun job of making this series more appealing to the American crowd.
Subtitles are featured in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Sgt. Frog – Season Two, Part 1″ comes with the following special features:
- Pekopon Invasion Recon Data – Using your remote, you can cycle through various data such as the school uniforms, ski wear, Nishizawa Family Snow Machine and more.
- Textless Opening Song – Ribbit March – (1:32) Textless opening theme
- Textless Closing Song – Afro Gunsou - (1:32) Textless closing theme
- Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment upcoming releases
“Sgt. Frog – Season Two Part 1″ continues the craziness and fun where the last volume left off! The episodes are more winter themed this time around but still the same story of Sgt. Keroro trying to find ways of dominating the Pekopons (humans) and trying to find ways to grow his army. From changing animals to hybrids, going back in time in trying to get dinosaurs to even using Natsumi to join his platoon. So, one can expect the crazy hijinks that they have seen from the first season.
Having watched the episodes in Japanese and English, the Japanese version was hilarious but being an American and familiar with the pop culture references in the dialogue and the Japanese pop culture references on the show, I had a great time watching it with the English dub. You can tell there was great care on the American side into utilizing the time of the series to create additional dialogue and of course, coming up with something new to make the characters much crazier for an American audience.
As for the parents who are wondering if the show is safe for children, although the series is rated TV PG, there is no naughty talk or any profanity but at the same time, there may be some mature humor or when Momoko is angered, she starts to say certain things that it’s probably not best for the little children to be around.
Overall, this “Sgt. Frog” is an entertaining series, full of gags and crazy hijinks that fans who enjoyed the first season, can go no wrong with this first part of the second. Check it out!
Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)
November 25, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Unique, fun, wild and crazy! “Sgt. Frog” is one of those rare series that FUNimation Entertainment can take liberty of experimenting with the dialogue and making it just as wacky and relevant for an American audience.
Image courtesy of © Mine Yoshizaki/Kadokawashoten, SUNRISE, TV TOKYO. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2
DURATION: Episodes 14-26 (300 Minutes)
DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Stereo
COMPANY: Sunrise TV/FUNimation Entertainment
RATED: TV PG
Release Date: November 24, 2009
Based on the manga by Mine Yoshizaki
Chief Director: Junichi Sato
Director: Yusuke Yamamoto
Series Composition by Mamiko Ikeda
Script by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Kuniaki Kasahara, Mamiko Ikeda, Masahiro Yokotani, Satoru Nishizono, Yasuko Kobayashi
Character Design by Fumitoshi Oisaki
Animation Director: Asako Nishida
Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka
Anime Production by Sunrise
Featuring the following voice talent:
Akiko Hiramatsu/Jamie Marchi as Aki Hinata
Chiwa Saito/Cherami Leigh as Natsumi Hinata
Houku Kuwashima/Leah Clark as Fuyuki Hinata
Haruna Ikezawa/Monica Rial as Momoka Nishizawa
Kumiko Watanabe/Todd Habekorn as Keroro
Etsuko Kozakura/Brina Palencia as Tamama
Jouji Nakata/Christopher R. Sabat as Giroro
Takehito Koyasu/Chuck Huber as Kururu
Takeshi Kusao/J. Michael Tatum as Dororo
Keiji Fujiwara/R. Bruce Elliott as Narrator
Mmiko Noto/Carrie Savage as Angol Mois
Keroro’s platoon is back at full force, and the troops are finally ready for action! There’s just one problem – planet Earth is a big place for five froggy aliens to conquer themselves. So when the Sergeant blows his allowance building model mechs instead of financing the invasion, the platoon’s only hope becomes finding a weakness in humans they can exploit. Whether its telling ghost stories, sabotaging field day, or rigging bikini contests, Keroro’s crew has to prove they can do something – anything at all – better than the tyrants who’d rather see them clean bathrooms than enjoy the spoils of war.
Unique, fun and gut-bursting humor! “Sgt. Frog” is probably one of the most odd and crazy anime series you’ll ever see. Hilarious in Japanese but the writing for the English dub definitely takes things up a notch!
Since 1999, the manga series “Keroro Gunso” (aka “Sgt. Frog”) by Mine Yoshizaki (“Arcade Gamer Fubuki”, “Chibi Kero” and “Seven of Seven”) has been entertaining readers. Since 2004, the anime series has been entertaining viewers and both continue to be popular long-running series in Japan. Now the award winning series continues with its second part of the first season courtesy of FUNimation entertainment.
The anime series is directed by Yusuke Yamamoto (“Welcome to the NHK, “Sakura Taisen”, “Mobile Suit Victor Gundam” and Arjuna”) and features character designs by Fumitoshi Oisaki (“Romeo x Juliet”, “Ontama” and “Kaleido Star”). The series is known for its use of parodies of pop culture and in the Japanese case, you will see a plenty of pop culture references to anime and video games. While, the English dub features a slightly different script than the Japanese and utilizes American pop culture (which I will describe more in the video and audio segment of this review).
The series revolves around an alien race of frogs who have come to conquer the planet Earth. But somehow along the way, things didn’t go as expected and the leader of the platoon, Sergeant Frog finds himself living with the Hinata family. In the first part of the series, we learn of how the frogs get to reunite with each other and now with the second part of the season, the frogs try to think up ways to take over the world. Which the frogs find out for themselves of how difficult it will be.
The main characters of “Sgt. Frog” are:
The Hinata Family
Fuyuki – A boy who just wants to be best friends with Sgt. Frog (Keroro) and always sees the positive in him. An odd kid who is obsessed with paranormal and supernatural things, really doesn’t have any friends and runs a high school club based on the paranormal and supernatural with no members. Possesses Keroro’s weapon of mass destruction (because his sister told him to hold on to it).
Natsumi – Athletic and very intuitive when it comes to what is going on in her home. Natsumi is hot tempered and not very appreciative that her mother let Keroro live with them. Whenever Keroro (and the other frogs) misbehave, she’s quick to beat him to a pulp.
Aki – The beautiful mother and a manga editor who lets Keroro live with the family. Not for kindness but mostly to get ideas for her new manga. She also gives Keroro one of the rooms to the house for him to live in but mainly because a ghost has been inhabiting the room and also because it’s messy and expects him to clean it up.
The Armpit Platoon consists of:
Sgt. Frog (Keroro) - The green frog is the leader of the platoon. Despite being the sergeant of the platoon, he is quite a daft and lazy frog. He enjoys building Mobile Suit Gundam models, eating and watching television. He knows that each time something breaks, Aki and Natsumi Hinata will be on his case so he is somewhat mindful of the Hinata family. Also knowing that if he does chores at home, he can use his allowance to buy Gundam models. But he knows his role in Earth and that he and his platoon needs to conquer the Earth but most of the time his other hobbies get it in the way of that.
Corporal Giroro – The red frog with a scar on his face who happens to be a weapons expert. Loves combat and is a gung-ho type of character. He is the main person in the Platoon who has a disdain of Sgt. Frog’s leadership and is the one often yelling at him to remember their goal. But he also has a soft side and that is the fact that he is attracted to Natsumi Hinata’s strength and temper. So, much that he has fallen for her and will do what he can to protect her. He lives in the back yard of the Hinata’s home and finds friendship in the neighborhood cat Mr. Furbottom.
Private Second Class Tamama – The black frog with a tadpole tail and the youngest and most experienced member of the Platoon. When pushed, he can be quite destructive (shooting beams out of his mouth). Known for his gas problems and also for his major jealousy complex. He lives with the wealthy Momoka Nishizawa and gets everything he wants. But is very jealous of the female alien Angol Mois (who is in love with Keroro) and gets very upset that someone else likes the Sgt.
Sergeant Major Kururu – The yellow frog and the platoon’s intelligence and strategic planning officer. Very intelligent and loves building things but despite being a superior to Keroro, he defers to him because he’s somewhat of a mad scientist. In someways, when testing his creations on Keroro, he enjoys seeing people getting in bad or painful situations the experimenting on those creations. Also, loves listening to music in his earphones. He originally was taken into the home of Mutsumi Saburo but has built a base under the home of the Hinatas.
Lance Corporal Dororo/Zeroro - The blue frog and a member of the Elite Assassin Squad and the Armpit Platoon. Looks like a ninja by the mask he wears and is even more deadlier than Corporal Giroro. When he was younger, he didn’t have any friends and was befriended by Keroro and Giroro (because he was rich and had a large collection of Gundam’s). Each time he went out with Keroro, he would get hurt badly. He is starting to learn that his friends when he was younger really weren’t that good of friends and thus, has resentment towards the Platoon (because they all forgot about him) and thus changed his name from Zeroro to Dororo. Spends his time with ninja Koyuki Azumaya taking on aliens and protecting humankind (Pekopons).
Other significant characters:
Momoka Nishizawa – The daughter of a billionaire and very much in love with Fuyuki. Does what she can to get close to Fuyuki but the emotions that she is feeling, doesn’t necessarily come out the way she wants when she says it. Has a distrust towards any female near Fuyuki and can’t stand it when anyone interferes with her time with Fuyuki. The alien frog Tamama stays at her place.
Mutsumi Saburo – Very intelligent and excels at almost everything. A DJ and a lover of Gundam, he happens to be a guy who Natsumi Hinata likes but her brother Fuyuki doesn’t like him at all. The alien frog Kururu once stayed with him and even taught Saburo some tricks.
Paul Moriyama – Momoko’s butler and guardian. Known to have great fighting skills and has sworn his life to protect Momoko.
Angol Moa – An alien from another tribe. Also known as the “King of Terror” wand was supposed to destroy Earth in July 1999 but arrives 500 years early and thus went to sleep in orbit. She wakes up but finds out that she is five years late. She is known for using a cell phone which she inputs in order to create a major weapon which can destroy the Earth and the ability to shoot powerful blasts. But because of her love for Keroro, she will do what he says and thus, decides not to destroy the Earth. Although she is doesn’t know it, she is the rival to Tamama (who can’t stand Angol Moa’s smile and kindness) and will do whatever she can to protect Keroro.
Koyuki Azumaya – A ninja who joins Natsumi’s school and has athletic ability that rivals Natsumi. Friends with the alien frog Dororo and together they take on aliens who pose a threat to the Pekopons (Earthlings) and also has a thing about sniffing people.
Jessica Harpie - A member of the galactic Interpol and catches criminals around the galaxy.
Omiyo – The ghost that lives in the Hinata house and occupies what is now Keroro’s room.
“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2″ features a total of 12 episodes on two DVD’s. Each episode consists of two mini-episodes, most often at times are related to each other. but sometimes you get two different stories per episode. Here is a spoiler-less summary:
DISC 3:
- EPISODE 14- The Silence of the Plans – Sgt. Kero orders his frogs to plant flowers for world domination.
- EPISODE 15- The Dark Momoko Saga! - Momoko has joined the dark side and wants to help the platoon destroy the Earth.
- EPISODE 16 – Twin at all Costs! - Why are there twin Angol Momoa’s?
- EPISODE 17 – Froggy Paddle! – Natsumi vs. Kero in a swimming challenge. In the second story, the frogs and the gang tells scary stories.
- EPISODE 18 – Wet Hot Beaches! – The Hinata family and the frogs go on a trip to a polluted beach and Natsumi takes part in a bikini competition.
- EPISODE 19 – Keroro Killed the Radio Star! – The Hinata’s attend a festival away from the platoon but find out that the frogs are disguising as human selling Kero merchandise. In the second part, when Mutsumi talks about enjoying Gundam on radio, Natsumi starts building them. This gives Kero an idea for world domination.
- EPISODE 20 – 20,000 Leaps Under the Sea - The Hinata’s and the gang go out to sea for a swim. In the second part of the series, the gang go diving under the sea.
DISC 4:
- EPISODE 21 – Some Like It Scorching and Miserable – A heatwave hits town and the group finds a way to keep cool. In the second part of the series, the Hinata family take a trip to visit grandma (not knowing the frogs have joined them).
- EPISODE 22 – Lose the Boss! – Kero is discharged from the platoon and Tamama becomes the new leader.
- EPISODE 23 – The Clone wars (The Unsucky Version)! – Keroro tries to steal the Kero ball.
- EPISODE 24 – Los Action Hero! - Space Deputy Kogoro comes to Earth to visit the platoon and find a job on Earth.
- EPISODE 25 – A Justified War! – Momoka’s father sends his forces to take Momoka but the platoon prepare to protect her by fighting the forces.
- EPISODE 26 – Let the Games Impend! – Fuyuki must take part in a school competition and since Fuyuki is not athletic, the platoon tries to give him some help.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Sgt. Frog” is presented in 4:3. For the most part, the entertaining part of “Sgt. Frog” are its characters but also the little Japanese pop culture references, especially Keroro’s love for “Gundam” (which the model kits are featured in the anime series). The colors are vibrant and for a television show, the animation works great for this series. Keroro and his members of the Armpit Platoon are frogs with a cool and cute character design, that it’s no surprise that this series has an extensive merchandise collection in Japan.
As for audio, the English dub is featured in Dolby Surround Sound and the Japanese is featured in stereo. For the most part, I have watched both in English and Japanese and the voice acting on both are great. As for audio quality, I preferred to watch the series with my receiver setting at stereo on all channels but for the most part, the English dialogue is front and center channel driven if watched via 5.1 Dolby Surround.
Now when it comes to audio and watching it on both languages, there is a difference between the English and Japanese version. For the most part, the English version has a rewritten script that utilizes the same storyline as the Japanese version but features American pop culture references and more dialogue. So, for example, when the Japanese dialogue is quiet, in the English dialogue, you may hear the narrator speaking.
Although I tend to prefer watching anime in Japanese, I have to admit that I found the English dub quite wild and crazy. The English dub tends to use quite a bit of references to American pop culture. Granted, some people may not be familiar with the American pop culture references especially if you watch this anime several years later but overall, FUNimation has done a fun job of making this series more appealing to the American crowd.
Subtitles are featured in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2″ comes with the following special features:
- Pekopon Invasion Recon Data – Using your remote, you can cycle through various data such as the school uniforms, the vacuum cleaner, the watermelon, afro and more.
- Textless Opening Song – Ribbit March – (1:32) Textless opening theme
- Textless Closing Song – Afro Gunsou - (1:32) Textless closing theme
- Textless Closing Song – (1:32) Pekopon Invasion Song – Textless closing theme #2
- Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment upcoming releases
“Sgt. Frog – Season One, Part 2″ continues the craziness and fun where the last volume left off! I really don’t think anyone can be disappointed with this DVD set as its absolutely fresh, wild and crazy. As people are wanting to find a series that is fun and unique, I think that anime fans that are into comedy-based series can find something to like about “Sgt. Frog”.
Having watched the episodes in Japanese and English, the Japanese version was hilarious but being an American and familiar with the pop culture references in the dialogue and the Japanese pop culture references on the show, I had a great time watching it with the English dub. You can tell there was great care on the American side into utilizing the time of the series to create additional dialogue and of course, coming up with something new to make the characters much crazier for an American audience.
It’s important to note that FUNimation Entertainment went with the original names for the dub, so for those who saw the test episode on YouTube and were not satisfied with the name changes, FUNimation Entertainment did fix that up with only Giroro’s cat keeping the name “Mr. Furbottom” and the voice talent changed for the final cut.
As for the parents who are wondering if the show is safe for children, although the series is rated TV PG, there is no naughty talk or any profanity.
Overall, this is an anime series that is worth purchasing! For those who enjoyed “Crayon Shin Chan” (US dialogue version) or where writers tend to experiment with American pop culture references, “Sgt. Frog” uses a similar style but is much tamer compared to Shin-chan but still hilarious. One can definitely expect “Sgt. Frog” to be a series that has cool and fun characters and outrageously written episodes, definitely make this anime series worth the purchase!
The Maiden Heist (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
November 1, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“The Maiden Heist” is a fun comedy that is witty, hilarious and very entertaining courtesy of the film’s all-star cast. All four Academy Award winners – Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy and Marcia Gay Harden made this art caper so fun to watch. Definitely a film worth checking out!
Image courtesy of All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: The Maiden Heist
DURATION: 90Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Anamorphic Widescreen 2:40:1, Subtitles: English
COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
RATED: PG-13 (For Some Strong Language, Nudity and Brief Fantasy Violence)
RELEASED: November 24, 2009
Directed by Peter Hewitt
Written by Michael LeSieur
Executive Producer: David Glasser
Producer: Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary, Rob Paris, Bob Yari
Co-Producer: Kim H. Winther
Line Producer: Jonathan McCoy
Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams
Cinematography by Ueli Steiger
Edited by Carole Kravetz
Casting by Susan Shopmaker
Production Design by Chris Roope
Art Direction by Gershon Ginsburg
Set Decoration by Lisa Nilsson
Costume Design by Ha Nguyen
Starring:
Morgan Freeman as Charles
Christopher Walken as Roger
Marcia Gay Harden as Roger’s wife
William H. Macy as George
Back in May 2009, I was awaiting the film “The Maiden Heist” which featured an all-star cast featuring Academy Award winners Morgan Freeman (“Unforgiven”, “Driving Miss Daisy”, “Million Dollar Baby”), Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter”, “Pulp Fiction”, “Wayne’s World 2″), William H. Macy (“Fargo”, “Jurassic Park 3″, “Seabiscuit”) and Marcia Gay Harden (“Pollock”, “Damages”, “Mystic River”).
The film was directed by Peter Hewitt (“Garfield”, “Zoom”), a screenplay by Michael LeSieur (“You, Me and Dupree”), music by Rupert Gregson-Williams (“Bedtime Stories”, “Made of Honor”, “You Don’t Mess with Zohan”) and cinematography by Ueli Steiger (“10,000 BC”, “Nomad”, “The Day After Tomorrow”).
All would seem good for an early summer release but then the film’s distributor Yari Film Group (known for films such as “The Illusionist”, “Kickin’ It Old School”, “The Accidental Husband”) filed for bankruptcy and the film was shelved. The film did happen to debut at the Edinburgh International Film Festival but unfortunately, that was it. And now the film has its DVD release courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
“The Maiden Heist” starts off with Roger (Christopher Walken) who works in security for a major museum where the painting the “Lonely Maiden” is kept. Roger absolutely adores this painting. He dreams of himself defending the painting from thieves and he’s literally in love with the painting and knows all the details about it. Meanwhile, back at home, his wife (played by Marcia Gay Harden) dreams about going to Miami and has been saving her money specifically for this trip.
Roger is not very talkative towards his wife. In fact, he goes home, puts on his beret, listens to French music and just reads about the “Lonely Maiden”.
But life starts to become disrupted when he finds out that “The Lonely Maiden” and other artifacts from the museum are being shipped out overseas to Denmark. Roger is absolutely crushed. He then discovers that he is not the only one. Another security guard named Charles (played by Morgan Freeman) is also enamored with another painting in the museum and has been in love with it. So, in love to the point that he has painted the exact painting in his home. But similar to how Roger is with the “Lonely Maiden”, Charles is with the painting that he enjoyed for so many years.
After meeting over lunch, Charles comes up with an idea…”why not steal the paintings” they love. But of course, Roger is quite dedicated to his job and tells Charles that they are security guards with a job to protect the paintings not steal them. But life then changes when Charles discovers another person in security who is enamored with a sculpture at the museum. Charles shows Roger surveillance captured of the other security guard named George (played by William H. Macy). George has some unusual fetish as a late night security guard and likes to strip off all his clothes in front of the sculpture (which is a naked man showing off his muscles) and do a similar pose.
Charles and Roger feel that with another man to help them, they can probably pull of another heist. After talking to George (who used to be part of the Marines), he absolutely is supportive of the idea. Why not create forgeries of the paintings and the sculpture and replace them before they are shipped to Denmark. Will the three be able to pull off the heist?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“The Maiden Heist” is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2:40:1) and for the most part, cinematography by Ueli Steiger is done quite well. Shot in Boston and also at the Worcester Art Museum, most of the film takes place in the museum but also at Roger and Charles apartment.Lighting is well-done and for the most part, all three men look great and despite being older men, the film gives the men a youthful spin as these guys must try to pull of the unthinkable. Picture quality for the most part is well done and good use of utilization of shots throughout the film but the film does look very good.
Audio-wise, the film is featured in English 5.1 Dolby Digital. The film is primarily dialogue driven and also jazzy music plays a part in the film as well. Thus it’s more or less front and center channel driven. I didn’t notice a whole lot of surround usage as this film is not exactly an action film. But for the most part, dialogue is clear and understandable.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“The Maiden Heist” comes with the following special features:
- Director, Writer and Producer Commentary - Audio commentary by Director Pete Hewitt, Writer Michael LeSieur and Producer Rob Paris. An enjoyable and informative commentary providing insight to the characters and film-making details of the set location, production design and scenes.
- In the Presence of Art: Making The Maiden Heist Featurette – (17:40) Featuring the cast and crew talking about the film. The cast talk about their characters while the director talked about how this film had an awesome script but it was all about when the film would become a reality.
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary – Featuring optional commentary for 12 short deleted scenes which include: Roger and Charlie Meet, Too Much Gas, Over My Dead Body, A Few Words from the Curator, Donnie, The Lovely Mr. Needlebaum, A Few Words from George, It’s Me They want, The Shirt, Waiting for Roger, The Avant Guard, More Donnie
- Bloopers Reel – (2:45) Bloopers from “The Maiden Heist”
- Previews – Trailers for upcoming Sony Pictures Home Entertainment films on Blu-ray and DVD.
After watching this film, I enjoyed the film and its witty sense of humor but also how clever the screenplay is. Director Peter Hewitt said that one of the things that came to his mind when working on this film are those security guards at a museum. Many are old and what keeps them going in such a job. And the film tries to showcase how these three security guards just fall in love with a certain item at the museum and are very protective of it. Granted, I don’t any security guards at museums personally to know if this happens in real life but if it does, that would be quite interesting.
As mentioned, these three Academy Award winning men look absolutely full of youth. It was fun to see Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H. Macy so energetic. In fact, surprising enough, the PG-13 rating comes from William H. Macy’s nude scenes. And these three play interesting characters. Although it’s not in your face, Freeman plays a gay man, Walken plays a husband who doesn’t really take notice of his wife because he’s so in love with a painting and Macy’s character, although he’s pretty gung-ho and talks about the Marines, his hobby of taking off his clothes in front of a nude male statue is a bit odd. Especially when he gives advice to Roger (Walken) of how he should be more of a man when taking care of his wife. But overall, it’s just interesting to see how these men become attached so much to these beloved items and will do what it takes to keep them home and not have their own personal lives disrupted.
And as these three men are quite interesting to watch, Marcia Gay Harden is absolutely fabulous as the wife who just works her butt off for a vacation with her husband that seems to be long overdue. She’s a talker but it seems this vacation is all that keeps her going in her marriage and she plays a great job as a wife who is determined to go on this trip.
Although a predictable, straightforward film, “The Maiden Heist” doesn’t need to be a “Mission Impossible” or highly technological style of film. It’s all about the performances of the four talents and they all make this film happen. It’s unfortunate that the film never received a theatrical release due to the distributor’s bankruptcy but it’s a fun, lighthearted comedy that is worth giving a try.
Overall, “The Maiden Heist” is a fun comedy that is witty, hilarious and very entertaining courtesy of the film’s all-star cast. All four Academy Award winners – Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy and Marcia Gay Harden made this art caper so fun to watch. Definitely a film worth checking out!
Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
October 27, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“An entertaining holiday animated feature for the whole family! Featuring many characters from classic Walt Disney films!”
Image courtesy of
TITLE: Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse
DURATION: 65 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, DTS 5.1 Digital Surround
COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
RELEASED: November 3, 2009
Directed by Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway
Written by Thomas Hart, Jess Winfield
Featuring the voices of:
Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse
Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck/Huey/Dewie and Louie
Bill Farmer as Goofy/Pluto/Practical Pig
Tress MacNeile as Daisy Duck/Chip/Dale
Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse
Carlos Alazraqui as Panchito
Jody Benson as Ariel
Ernie Sabella as Pumba
Kevin Schon as Timon
Robby Benson as Beast
Corey Burton as Ludwig Von Drake/Mad Hatter/Grumpy/Captain Hook
Eddie Carroll as Jiminy Cricket
Michael Welch as Pinocchio
Jonathan Freeman as Jafar
Jennifer Hale as Cinderella
Pat Carroll as Ursula
John Cleese (Narrator for “The Nutcracker”)
Peter Cullen as Eeyore
In this full-length adventure, a huge snowstorm leaves Mickey, Minnie and many other friends stranded leading Mickey and his guests at the House of Mouse to whip up an impromptu party that includes instilling a “Humbug”-quacking Donald Duck with the holiday spirit. Everyone shares their home movies and even grumpy Donald starts to smile when they realize the “Best Christmas of All” is the one you share with friends and family.
In 2001, Disney released “Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse”, a Christmas special from the House of Mouse TV Show. And like most Disney releases, once it’s released, don’t expect to see another release again for years. And in this case, 8 years later (2009) and right in time for the holidays, “Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse” is back.
This Christmas episode is about how all the Disney characters (characters from nearly every Disney animated film) are stranded at the House of Mouse (a night club) due to a snow storm. So, Mickey being the gracious host that he is, is trying to bring home that Christmas spirit and entertain his guest. The problem is that Donald Duck is not having a great time is like the scrooge at the Christmas party. So, Mickey tries to make Donald happy and entertain his guest by showing classic Disney animated shorts which include:
- Donald On Ice (1999) – Donald tries to learn to skate, while Huey, Dewey and Louie try to build a snowman. But unfortunately, Donald’s inability to skate tends to ruin the triplets chance at building their snowman.
- Pluto’s Christmas Tree (1952) -Mickey cuts down a Christmas Tree and doesn’t know that the Chipmunks: Chip & Dale are living in the tree. Unfortunately, Chip & Dale tend to drive Pluto nuts and thus Pluto does what he can to get the Chipmunks.
- The Nutcracker (1999) – A young girl (played by Minnie Mouse) receives a present (which is a wooden mouse) and dreams for it to become real, so she can dance with him.
- Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) – The popular Disney Christmas animated short features the story of Scrooge McDuck and how he’s mean to everyone for Christmas until he learns a lesson from the Spirit of Christmas past.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In a the House of Mouse” is an animated full-length feature that features nice, vibrant animation during the more modern “House of Mouse” television show. But each time the feature switches to the animated shorts, you get mixed results in terms of picture quality due to some of these animated shorts being over 30/50-years old. But overall, the classics due show a difference in animation quality but for those who enjoyed animation like “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” or even the older classic animated short “Pluto’s Christmas Tree”, although not digitally remastered, these classics due hold up well on DVD decades later.
As for audio, “Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In a the House of Mouse” is featured in DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1. The series is primarily front and center channel driven and personally, I didn’t notice any surround or LFE usage but dialogue is clear and understandable.
Subtitles are presented in English SDH.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse” comes with the following special features:
- Premiere Episode of House of Mouse – (23:07) An episode of “House of Mouse” featuring various Disney characters from popular animated films visiting the House of Mouse nightclub. Meanwhile, Pete buys the building of where the House of Mouse is located and wants to shut down the cartoon club.
- The Sounds of Christmas – (2:33) A Disney sound engineer teaches children how to make sounds using objects and how they were utilized in certain animation.
- SingAlong “Deck the Halls” – (1:50) Karaoke SingAlong to “Deck the Halls” with animation from “Pluto’s Christmas Tree”.
- SingAlong Song “Sleigh Ride” – (1:57) Karaoke SingAlong to “Sleigh Ride” with animation from “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”.
I watched “Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse” with my toddler and he absolutely loved it and wanted to watch it again. And as a holiday family feature, it is an entertaining release that will be fun, due to the number of Disney characters seen throughout the feature.
With that being said, for those who own the recent release of Walt Disney Animated Shorts Collection or other Disney releases probably have the animated shorts on previously released DVD’s. Those who own the original release from 2001, there is really is nothing new on this DVD with the exception of the new trailers. In fact, if you are a fan who mainly wants this release for its holiday-related animated shorts, then you may want to check out the just released “Disney Animation Collection 7: Mickey’s Christmas Carol” which comes with “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”, “Pluto’s Christmas Tree” and two other Disney classics.
But with this release of “Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse”, if you are a “House of Mouse” fan, you do get the premiere episode of “House of Mouse” and other short entertaining holiday special features. I do admit that I wished that the DVD release had more interactivity like other Disney releases with games or something extra.
Overall, “Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse” is entertaining for young and old as it does feature newer and older animation and if you don’t own these animated shorts on another previously released Disney collection, it’s worth checking out. But if you do have these shorts already, it’s kind of hard to recommend it as the majority of the content in this feature are those classic shorts.
So, for parents who are looking for a Disney holiday release, as mentioned earlier, my son loved it and wanted to watch it again. So, yes it is an entertaining and fun Disney holiday release. I recommend Disney fans looking for a an animated holiday release to also purchase a copy of “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas” (2004), if you don’t own it already.
Zombie Self Defense Force (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
October 19, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“A Japanese zombie film focused on making you laugh, ‘Zombie Self Defense Force’ is campy, hilarious but for the most part, fun to watch. A low-budget indie film, you’ll find yourself laughing to some of the characters especially the red killer zombie baby. Want a zombie film that will make you laugh, give this film a try!”
Image courtesy of © 2009 Switchblade Pictures/2005 GP Museum Soft. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Zombie Self Defense Force (Zonbie Jietai)
DURATION: 76 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, Japanese 2.0 with English Subtitles
COMPANY: GP Museum Soft/Switchblade Pictures
RATED: UNRATED – Contains Violence
RELEASED: October 13, 2009
Directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu
Screenplay by Chisato Ogawara
Music by Masami Nakakoji (Wood’s Artists)
Executive Producer: Hitoshi Nakajima
Producers: Kenjiro Nishi, Masami Teranishi
STARRING:
Miyu Watase
Hisakatu Oya
Jun Yamazaki
Shun Saeki
Yusuke Miura
Shiji Suzuki
Kaoru Nagato
Sakae Yamazaki
Hiroshi Hayatama
Isshin Watanabe
Kiyo Yoshizawa
Mihiro
They thought it would be a routine training mission for the Japanese Self Defense Force; instead it became a blood-soaked battle for survival against the living dead! As the handful of survivors end up trapped inside the inevitable secluded hotel, the paths of fashion models, gangsters and the heroic JSDF team collide in combat against the cannibalistic hordes of hell!
Zombie films in Japan has definitely have been quite interesting. Especially the releases from Switchblade Pictures. With “Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead”, we had a zombie film that was more soft porn with zombie elements and then with “Zombie Hunter Rika”, we had a film with more higher production values and a little nudity.
Now we have “Zombie Self Defense Force” (aka “Zonbie Jietai”) which was released back in 2006. So, how does it compare to the two previous Japanese zombie films?
The film kicks off with an anti-war message and how the United States gets involved in such matters and how Japan hangs on to the coattails of the USA. The film then shows a few things happening at a nearby village. A group of high school students on a field trip, two kids walking on the road, a teen pop idol having her photo shoot, a man and a woman inside a home, a group of yakuza working on a deal and soldiers of the Self Defense Force discovering a corpse of a woman that is hung up on a forest.
Next thing you know, a UFO starts floating in the air and everyone sees it flying around and then crashing down in the forest area. Next thing you know, the crash somehow triggers a green cloud of radiation throughout the village.
All of a sudden, a man that the yakuza killed comes back to life, as does the woman who was found dead and hanging on the tree. All dead people buried, start rising from the dead and then attacking people around the village and becoming zombies.
Immediately, one of the yakuza members, the teen pop idol and a few members of the Self Defense Force manage to make it alive and survive the first initial attacks from the zombies. The female soldier starts to have headaches and memories of some type of surgery.
They then go to the home where a man and a woman was seen. We learn that the man is a corporate employee who is having an affair with a woman who happens to be pregnant. He immediately wants to kill her (and hide the pregnancy from his wife) while the woman wants to blackmail him into dumping his wife and staying with her. As she jokes about it, she accidentally slips and falls on her head and ends up dying.
Meanwhile, the group who are running from the zombies spot the home and try to use that as a temporary headquarters and try to get outside help. That is until the dead pregnant woman comes back to life as a zombie, while her baby comes out of her body and we see a demon zombie baby now trying to attack the group and manages to take a bite of the young yakuza member and the man inside the home. With zombies now trying to get into the house from the outside, the group must now have to deal with their own inside the house who may now turn into zombies.
Will the survivors escape the home and the village or will the zombies overcome them? And what is the meaning to the headaches that the female soldier is experiencing?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Zombie Self Defense Force” is a film shot digitally and is presented in 16:9. For the most part, the film is low-budget with most of the shots taking place in a forest and a nice home. For the most part, the execution of violence is laughable with fake CG blood, aliens, cyborg parts and more.
In fact, there is one scene with a decapitation and of course, the head looks like a doll. But bare in mind, this is an earlier zombie film and compared to “Zombie Hunter Rika”, there is much improvement within the Japanese zombie horror genre within the past two years after this film was released.
As for audio, audio is presented in Japanese 2.0. Film is front channel driven but I preferred to watch the film with stereo on all channels set on my receiver. Audio is clear and understandable but for the most part, for those who don’t speak or understand Japanese can watch the film with English subtitles.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Zombie Self Defense Force” comes with only trailers for upcoming films from Switchblade Pictures.
“Zombie Self Defense Force” is quite interesting. For the most part, the film although is a zombie horror film, actually behaves more like a comedy. Some of the characters and their actions are quite laughable, a lot of scenes are campy and hilarious and for the most part, it’s really hard to get scared when there are too many comedic horror scenes.
This is not a film that will scare you, it’s actually a film that makes you wonder how crazy and campy it can get? For example, when you start seeing this killer demon, zombie baby starting to attack. It’s hard not to laugh… as you see this red ugly growling baby with its umbilical cord still attached, flying through the air and trying to take a chomp at any of the humans.
Also, to see the pop idol girl who is such a tease and such a dunce and trying to get her way with one of the soldiers while making the young yakuza member jealous. Such a funny sight and these are just among the few funny/campy moments from the film.
But how does this film compare to previous Japanese zombie films released from Switchblade Pictures? Well, for one…”Zombie Self Defense Force” does not contain any nudity. In fact, all you get are fan service pantie shots courtesy of the pop idol. As mentioned, the film is pretty much low budget-fare as it is only shot in a forest area, the roadside and a home. In terms of zombies, you see probably less than two dozen of them throughout the film and the horror segments are not at all scary at all.
But I have to admit, I enjoyed this film for its humor more than anything. I couldn’t help but laugh. Where “Attack Girls’ Swim Team Versus The Undead” seemed like a film that was focused on arousing the viewer than scaring them and “Zombie Hunter Rika” showcasing better scene locations and horror segments, “Zombie Self Defense Force” is pedestrian zombie horror and humor mixed in one.
If you’re looking for a serious, scary zombie film… “Zombie Self Defense Force” is clearly not for you. But if you are looking for Japanese style humor and Japanese zombie low-budget indie film, then definitely give this film a chance.
Chéri (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
October 10, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“Reuniting ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ director Stephen Frears and actress Michelle Pfeiffer comes a film that is a love story between a younger man and an older woman but because of their age, can both live together happily ever after? Or was it over before it even began? Featuring beautiful set and costume design capturing 19th Century Paris, ‘Chéri‘ is a film that is very much an average film at best.”
Images courtesy of © 2009 Miramax. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Chéri
DURATION: 93 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Color, Digitally Mastered, Widescreen (2:35:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles
RATED: R (Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian)
COMPANY: Miramax
RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2009
Directed by Stephen Frears
Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
Executive Producer: Simon Fawcett, Christopher Hampton, Francis Ivernel, Cameron McCracken, Richard Temple
Producer: Andras Hamori, Bill Kenwright, Thom Mount, Tracey Seaward
Co-Producer: Raphael Benoliel, Bastian Griese
Associate Producer: Marco Gilles, Daniel Mann
Original Music by Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography by Darius Khondji
Edited by Lucia Zucchetti
Casting by Victoria Thomas
Production Design by Alan MacDonald
Art Direction by Denis Schnegg
Set Decoration by Judy Farr, Veronique Melery
Costume Design by Consolata Boyle
Starring:
Michelle Pfeiffer as Lea de Lonval
Kathy Bates as Madame Peloux
Rupert Friend as Cheri
Felicity Jones as Edmee
Frances Tomelty as Rose
Anita Pallenberg as La Copine
Harriet Walter as La Loupiote
Iben Hjejle as Marie Laure
Stephen Frears as Narrator
In the glittering, decadent world of Paris at the dawn of the 20th century, Lea (Michelle Pfeiffer), a legendary courtesan, agrees to undertake the romantic education of Chéri (Rupert Friend), the 19-year-old son of a former rival (Kathy Bates). Thirty years older than her student and the former lover of some of France’s most wealthy and powerful men, the last thing Lea expects is that she will fall in love with the boy—or he with her. The surprising romance consumes them both and plunges them into struggles over sex, money, age and status—as a boy who refuses to grow up collides with a woman who realizes she cannot stay young forever.
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In 2009, a French/British and German drama film titled “Chéri” was screened at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of the novel from 1920 written by the French Novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette or better known as Colette who is best known for her novel “Gigi” (which went on to inspire a film and musical).
The film is directed by Stephen Frears (“The Queen”, “Dangerous Liaisons” and “High Fidelity”) and features a screenplay written by Christopher Hampton (“Atonement”, “Total Eclipse” and “Dangerous Liaisons”). Joining Frears is cinematographer Darius Kohndji (“My Blueberry Nights”, “The Ruins”, “The Interpreter”) and composer Alexandre Desplat (“Julie & Julia”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “The Golden Compass”, “Syriana”).
The film takes place in Paris during the 1900s, at time when courtesans (prostitutes for the wealthy and powerful) were known for their celebrity like status and even setting the status quo of fashion during that era. For Cheri (played by Rupert Friend, “The Boy in Striped Pajamas”, “Pride and Prejudice”, “The Last Legion”), he is an a 19-year-old man that has been spoiled by his mother former courtesan Madame Peloux (played by Kathy Bates, “Misery”,”Titanic”, “Fried Green Tomatoes”). He has gotten everything he wanted but has not been satisfied with the many women that he has been with.
That is until he goes off with Lea (played by Michelle Pfeiffer, “Stardust”, “The Fabulous Baker Boys”, “Dangerous Liaisons”), a courtesan that has been around when Cheri was a young boy. Because Cheri has always listened to “Nunu” (his nickname for “Lea”), Madame Peloux asks her arch-rival Lea to take Cheri out on her vacation and teach him some things about real women.
Needless to say, the two go of on vacation and have a sexual relationship in which the young 19-year-old starts to have a wonderful time with an older woman and for Lea, she gets a taste of youth. A young man who doesn’t want to grow up and an older woman who knows that she can’t stay young forever. Both keep their fling in private for six years but despite their sexual liaison, life starts to change for both Lea and Cheri when Madame Peloux wants grandchildren and thus her son Cheri is arranged to get married with a younger woman named Edmee (Felicity Jones, “The Worst Witch”, “Diary of Anne Frank”) from a rich family.
And its when they spend their life away from each other, it is then that they learn for themselves that they truly love each other but due to circumstances (primarily their age) they can never truly be together…or can they?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Chéri”is presented in widescreen (2:35:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 television. For the most part, capturing the look of an era through the hairstyles, costumes, the set design and the vehicles are done rather nicely. Outdoor scenes are beautiful and vibrant but the beauty of the film revolves around the look and feel of the film.
As for audio, the film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. For the most part, the film is dialogue and music driven, so mostly front and center channel usage throughout the film. If there were surround sound usage, possibly during the train whistling but for a film like this, audio is satisfactory and dialogue is clear and understandable.
Subtitles are presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Chéri” comes with the following special features:
- The Making of Chéri - (8:50) The making of “Chéri” and an interview with the director, crew and the talent about the film, Colette and the set and costume design.
- Deleted Scenes - Two deleted scenes titled “Turpentine” (:21) and “Never” (1:49).
For the most part, “Chéri” is a film that I felt was average at best. I can easily compliment the look of the film through its wonderful costume and set design. I can also compliment how Michelle Pfeiffer looks absolutely incredible now as she was when she first appeared in film but part of the problem that I have with the film is that we know the film takes place in Paris. You have Rupert Friend who fits the part with his accent but then we have Michelle Pfeiffer as Lea and Kathy Bates as Madame Peloux. Both are fine actresses but for this film, I just have this nagging feeling that they were miscast.
I suppose that if you have one main actor with his European accent (and other talents in the film with their accents), you would expect the same with the film’s two major talents. Sure, Kathy Bates talks with a slight accent and Pfeiffer with none but with the film capturing that look and feel of early Paris, you would think that casting could have done the same. Again, as talented as both women are, personally I felt the casting was off for both characters. But despite that little quip that I have towards the film, I have to give Michelle Pfeiffer her due in showing a woman who has managed to become a successful business woman but deep inside you sense that loneliness which Pfeiffer manages to portray quite well with her facial expressions.
The other thing that I have the problem with the film is that it captures part of the Colette’s novel. There is one primary section that deals with war and another section that deals with Cheri revisiting Lea that is not shown in the film. It would have been interesting to capture that moment from the novel but alas, the film’s goal was to focus on two people in love, but due to their age…one born many years early and one too young to learn that what he had was the best thing he would ever have.
There are no surprises, to me there was no uplifting climax. The film is straightforward and for the most part, just average.
Greg Giraldo – Midlife Vices (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
October 10, 2009 by Dennis Amith · 1 Comment
“Greg Giraldo is one of the most upfront, no-nonsense, spare nothing comedians out there. With his Comedy Central DVD ‘Midlife Vices’, Giraldo is absolutely at the top of his game. Hilarious, raw and fantastic! If you are looking for adult-oriented comedy, this is one that you will enjoy from beginning to end! Definitely recommended!”
Images courtesy of © 2009 Comedy Partners. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Greg Giraldo – Midlife Vices
DURATION: 67 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital, Widescreen, Color
RATED: NOT RATED (Parental Advisory: Explicit content. Warning: This Program is Recommended for Mature Audiences Only. It contains adult languages and situations.)
COMPANY: Comedy Central/Paramount
RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2009
Greg Giraldo
Greg Giraldo is one of the hottest comics in the country. Socially provocative and yet broadly funny, Greg has become one of the most versatile and highly entertaining comics working today.
Greg Giraldo is one of the most upfront, no-nonsense, spare nothing comedians out there. With his Comedy Central DVD ‘Midlife Vices’, Giraldo is absolutely at the top of his game. Hilarious, raw and fantastic! If you are looking for adult-oriented comedy, this is one that you will enjoy from beginning to end! Definitely recommended!
Probably one of the comedians best known for his no holds barred, spare nothing style, Greg Giraldo is known for his blunt comedy and his ranting about anything and everything and no one is spared.
May he be discussing on topics of the obese, the elderly, homosexuality, bestiality, women, men who are straight but you think they may be gay, divorce, the economy, politicians, technology, New Yorkers, his divorce, etc. You name it, he’s not afraid to go there. And what distinguishes him from other comedians is his uncanny delivery. The comedic flow during his one hour routine is amazingly fluid and non-stop like a boxer with his one-two punch, Giraldo never lets up and has the crowd laughing with each moment.
For some people, some know Greg Giraldo from his two “Comedy Central presents” specials or through “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn” and also his Comedy Central annual roasts.
And now his Comedy Central DVD “Midlife Vices” is coming out and this is definitely a performance where the viewer can catch Giraldo during his A game and I can easily say that this is probably one of my favorite Comedy Central DVD’s that I have seen from beginning to end. Some comedians start off great but near the final half or final quarter of their routine, they start to fizzle. Giraldo manages to keep the audience laughing from beginning to end and he really feeds off the energy of the audience.
For the release of “Midlife Vice”, here is the following tracklisting:
- Pre-Show
- You Got Aids, Yo
- Handicapped Room
- Energy Policy/Fat Kids
- Old People/Race/Election
- Divorce/Snakcks/Kangaroo F@@K@NG
- Women/Old Drinking
- Supreme Court Justice/Humbling Escort
- Texting/Technology/Wall Punching
- The Economy/Stem Cells and Jizz
- Sleepy Rasta/Y as in Jello
- Sports/China
- Happy Birthday
In this DVD, you can expect Giraldo to discuss comedy about getting a handicapped room (which for one hotel, was the biggest room) because he was a celebrity and him questioning it. Discussing kids who are obese and why parents would buy them shoes with wheels on them to discussing the homosexual flight attendant in charge of snacks and how he would feel if one of his sons were gay. Also, discussion about President Barack Obama giving too much credit to his wife, John McCain being over a hundred years old and George W. Bush for being Bush and Michael Phelps being a spokesperson. There are so many topics that Giraldo covers in his comedy routine and also even catching an audience member sleeping during the taping of the DVD and this guy is definitely not going to be spared.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
Video is featured in widescreen. Giraldo doesn’t have a huge stage but not much is needed. Lighting is fine and camera angles focuses on Giraldo straight on and various shots of the crowd reacting to his jokes. Because of the size of the stage, camera angles on Giraldo are pretty much either close up or full body but for the most part, it works well with his comedy routine. But you will see other camera angles from an angle overlooking the audience watching him but those camera angles are quite short. But I do like the fact that the comedy series does showcase a good number of audience reactions to his jokes.
Audio for “Midlife Vices” is featured in Dolby Digital. Giraldo’s voice is clear and understandable, as with the audience laughter which is front and center channel driven. I opted to have my receiver set at stereo on all channels in order to have the audio all around me. Audience laughter can be heard quite well and doesn’t distract from Giraldo’s voice.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Greg Giraldo – Midlife Vices” comes with the following special features:
- Comedy Central Presents: Greg Giraldo - (22:08) A Comedy Central presents special featuring Greg Giraldo from August 2000. This is Giraldo’s first special on “Comedy Central Presents”.
- Never Before Seen “Adult Content” Pilot - (20:39) A pilot for Greg Giraldo’s comedy show about sex.
Greg Giraldo is a talented comedian that can take on any topic, no matter how touchy the subject may be, he’s one comedian that could care less. And that’s what makes his comedy so enjoyable. I know there are some who are not open-minded when it comes to his jokes and for those familiar with his jokes, you know what you’re getting into. You just have to laugh at his jokes, it’s freakin’ hilarious that the fact that he manages this for an hour with no sign of slowing down is incredible.
There have been times where I watch a Comedy Central DVD and there are some comedians who just fall flat during their final half hour and the audience is just not responding but with “Midlife Vices”, people will be entertained from beginning to end. Again, Giraldo’s performance on this DVD is great and if you have been wanting quality adult-oriented comedy, this DVD is wonderful.
Overall, “Midlife Vices” is one of the better Comedy Central DVD’s that has been released in 2009. If there was one thing that I wish was included with this DVD release is an audio CD of the concert but overall, the DVD features a solid performance by Giraldo, which is well-shot, good camera angles, very good audience reactions plus you get one of his “Comedy Central Presents” performances and a unaired pilot for the show “Adult Content”.
Definitely check out Greg Giraldo’s “Midlife Vices”. Definitely recommended!
The Wallflower – The Complete Series (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
September 26, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“Hilarious, freakish and stylishly cool! ‘The Wallflower – The Complete Series’ is an entertaining anime series that will please bishonen anime fans and also the J-Rock fans! Definitely recommended!”
Image courtesy of © Tomoko Hayakawa – Kodansha/Yamanade Project. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: The Wallflower (Yamatonadeshiko Shichihenge) – The Complete Series
DURATION: 25 Episodes (625 Minutes)
DVD INFORMATION: NTSC, Region 1, Japanese and English audio, English subtitles
COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment
RATED: TV 14
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Originally Created by Tomoko Hayakawa
Directed by Shinichi Watanabe
Series Composition/Screenplay by Haruka
Music by Hiromi Mizutani, Yasuharu Takanashi
Character Design by Yasuko Hakuma
Art Director by Yumi Kudou
Chief Animation Director by Yasuko Sakuma
Mechanical Design: Tetsuro Aoki
Sound Director: Hiroyuki Hayase
Director of Photography: Jun-Ichi Takeda
Produced by Jun Togawa, Shinsaku Hatta, Takashi Watanabe
Anime Production: Nippon Animation
Featuring the following voice talent:
Hirofumi Nojima/Chris Patton as Ranmaru Morii
Showtaro Morikubo/Josh Grelle as Kyohei Takano
Tomokazu Sugita/Vic Mignogna as Takenaga Oda
Yukiko Takaguchi/Hannah Alcorn as Sunako Nakahara
Yuuya Yamauchi/Greg Ayres as Yukinojoh Tohyama
Mai Nakahara/Jessica Boone as Noi Kasahara
Norihisa Mori/Matt Greenfield as Hiroshi
Yuka Komatsu/Tiffany Grant as Sunako’s Aunt
It’s the Ultimate Hostile Makeover
After years of sponging off a fabulously wealthy older woman, four beautiful high school boys are about to face the challenge of their lives: turn their benefactor’s incredibly awkward niece into an alluring young lady or start paying rent! How hard could it be? Only practically impossible.
Her name is Sunako, and she’s the ugly duckling of doom. She’s a little psycho, a lot paranoid, and totally neurotic. Her turn-ons include long walks in the dark, gory movies, and anatomical dummies. At the top of her list of turn-offs is anything and everything beautiful – especially people! That certainly poses a problem for our quartet of handsome heroes, but if they hope to continue living the good life, they won’t give up until their wilting wallflower finally blooms.
From the director of “Excel Saga” comes the anime “THE WALLFLOWER” aka “Yamatonadeshiko Shichihenge” which will satisfy every Bishonen/J-Rock fan out there.
The popular 25-episode anime is based on the manga series by Hayakawa Tomoko and serialized in “Bessatsu Friend” in Japan and by Del Rey Manga in the US and was originally released through ADV Films has its complete collection released on DVD courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment.
The story revolves around 4 guys – the dark haired Oda Takenaga, the short hair blonde Toyama Yuki, the red head flirt Morii Ranmaru and the leader of the group, the tough but handsome blonde Kyohei Takano.
The four men are pretty boys that the girls gush over and happen to live in a lavish mansion courtesy of the Landlady who has given the men a mission. The goal is to make the Landlady’s niece, Sunako, to an elegant lady. If they managed to, they get free rent. If they don’t, they will have to pay three times the amount to live there.
Of course, the guys want to make sure they succeed and feel that there should be no problem… that is until they meet Sunako. A girl who doesn’t dress all that well. She wears a stained sweatshirt, amoeba-like design dress and bad tennis shoes. Her bangs are so long that it covers the face and she happens to be scary. In fact, she’s so creepy that her friends are two anatomy demonstration dummies and a skeleton.
Why Sunako is like this stems from a past guy that she liked and told her straight out that he would never date someone so ugly. Being devastated, she has regressed for years and lives in her bedroom and pretty much has succumb to the darkness.
So, Sunako has become a recluse and totally into the weirdest things and her best friend is Hiroshi, anatomic model used to show the guts and innards of a human being. Adding to her creepiness, she digs really dark and scary things and she can’t take how these radiant guys are trying to make her beautiful. In fact, she gets creepy thoughts of how to kill the guys but even the thought of them gives her a nosebleed.
The main characters of “The Wallflower” are:
- Sunako Nakahara – The creepy girl who has lived in darkness after being told by a guy she liked that he doesn’t go for ugly girls. Since then, she has let herself go in darkness until her aunt has four radiant guys who will live with her to change her. Her best friends are anatomical dummies and a skeleton. She is often shown as this short creepy girl but there are times when her beautiful side is shown and she is as tall as the other guys. Talented in cooking but has low self-esteem and is anti-social.
- Kyouhei Takano – The leader of the guys. Most popular, most attractive, most athletic and great at fighting and getting attention for his looks. And loves Sunako’s cooking and is often the person who has reached out to Sunako, even kissing her. The blonde member of the group.
- Takenaga Oda – Serious and intelligent and seems to be unphased by Sunako at times. Despite coming from a wealthy family, the pressure from his family has him living away from them and with the other guys. Has a relationship (which he has a hard time admitting to) with Noi. The black haired member of the group.
- Ranmaru Morii - The playboy. Comes from a family of wealthy hotel owners and loves older women. Tries to use his charm to help Sunako. The red-haired member of the group.
- Yukinojo “Yuki” Toyama – The youngest of the guys. Kind-hearted and always willing to help Sunako. But because he looks like effeminate, he hates that, especially when people think of him as a girl or weak. The short-haired blonde member of the group.
- Naie “Noi” Kasahara - The often sixth member of the group. The most popular/beautiful girl in school who is in love with Takenga Oda and believes that she is his girlfriend. Because Takenaga is trying to help Sunako, she does the same and is always willing to help and defend Sunako and is seen trying to help the guys.
“The Wallflower – The Complete Series” features 25 episodes on 5 DVD’s. Here are the following episodes with spoiler-less summaries:
DISC 1:
- EPISODE 1 – A Ray of Light in the Darkness – The introduction of the characters and the four bishounen who must train their landlady’s niece.
- EPISODE 2 – Pull Down the Iron Curtain! – The guys try to give Sunako a makeover.
- EPISODE 3 – Oh, My Sweet Dark Youth – Four men try to recruit Kyohei in working at a host club.
- EPISODE 4 – Sunako, You’re Up! – Sunako’s class recruit her to make a haunted house for a school festival.
- EPISODE 5 – The Beautiful One’s Banquet – A popular photographer of models wants Sunako to be a model for his next photo shoot.
- EPISODE 6 – Dreamy Halloween – Sunako misses Halloween and is depressed.
- EPISODE 7 – I Am Number One – A gang boss falls for Sunako and wants her to be his woman.
DISC 2
- EPISODE 8 – Winter Wonderland – The guys get a job at a fancy restaurant after wondering if they are taking advantage of Sunako’s cooking for them.
- EPISODE 9 – Rising Steam, Splattered Blood & The Rain of Love at the Hot Spring – Part 1 – Kyohei and Sunako share a moment together.
- EPISODE 10 – Rising Steam, Splattered Blood & The Rain of Love at the Hot Spring – Part 2 - A hot springs manger has been attacked and Sunako wants to snoop around the crime scene.
- EPISODE 11 – I’m Up To My Kisser in Study Materials – Sunako is failing in math and thus the guys tutor her.
- EPISODE 12 – Oh, My Sweet Home! – The group spend their first Christmas together.
- EPISODE 13 – Oui, Monsieur! – Something happens to Sunako after she eats a mushroom.
DISC 3
- EPISODE 14 – Sleeping Well-Bred Beauty – Ranmaru’s parents have him arranged to a rich woman.
- EPISODE 15 – Pirates of the Tres Bien - Sunako and the guys are invited to an island which may have treasure.
- EPISODE 16 – Dream Comes True – It’s time for the Mori High School Sports Festival.
- EPISODE 17 – Girls Bravo!! – Noi, Ranmaru’s fiancee and Sunago go to a spa.
- EPISODE 18 – Dream/Mutual Love – The guys want Sunako to wear a dress.
- EPISODE 19 – Battletastic Valentine – It’s Valentine’s Day! How will the group celebrate the day.
DISC 4
- EPISODE 20 – Love Trial – Someone has kidnapped Hiroshi.
- EPISODE 21 – The Sepia Memories – Sunako’s father comes to visit her.
- EPISODE 22 – A Prince in Sheep’s Clothing – Kyohei and Sunako are kidnapped.
- EPISODE 23 – The Eye of the Storm Comes Home – Kyohei returns to his home and meets with his mother.
- EPISODE 24 – The Eye of the Storm Strays – After a confrontation with Sunako, Kyohei leaves.
- EPISODE 25 – The Road to Womanhood – In the final episode, the landlady comes back home to see if the guys have changed Sunako.
VIDEO & AUDIO QUALITY:
“The Wallflower” is presented in 4:3 format. The animation is pretty cool as it goes back and forth from serious to something humorous. For example, with Sunako, when she has this creep side to her, she’s shown as a girl with no eyes, but then sometimes shown as a girl with beautiful eyes and then when she goes crazy over seeing Kyohei, she gets these “Crayon Shin Chan” looking eyes.
Another example shows the guys when they are creeped out about Sunako, they turn into white pale figures like ghosts. It’s a very interesting take on how the series showcases the main characters in different situations.
I watched the series both in English and Japanese and both voice work are very cool and like both equally the same. The English dub is in English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound and the Japanese audio track is in stereo. But both soundtracks are well done. And it’s one of the few anime series where I absolutely loved the English dialogue much more than the Japanese. Mainly because the English vocal talent give each character its own identity and Hannah Alcorn does a great Sunako!
Subtitles are only in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“The Wallflower – The Complete Series” comes with only the textless opening and ending animation plus FUNimation trailers.
All in all, I found “THE WALLFLOWER” to be stylishly vibrant, hilarious, stylishly cool and unique.
The characters are quite interesting and are different from the swashbuckling, adventurous Final Fantasy-esque pretty boys and I want to make it clear right away that this is not a gay anime. “The Wallflower” is an interesting take on the bishonen/J-Rock stylish guys. It’s actually interesting because the high school, the girls are just so crazy over these guys and they just can’t figure out why they hang out with such a creepy girl. It’s hilarious to see how the guys react to Sunako but how caring they are towards her. And of course, how she behaves around them.
One of the coolest things about this anime is that the creator, Hayakawa Tomoko is a fan of J-Rock artist Kiyoharu (formerly of the band KUROYUME) and Kiyoharu sings the opening and ending theme for the series. As a fan of Japanese rock music and as a guy who happens to dig the style, I felt it was very cool to see an anime like this. It’s very different and unique and quite humorous to watch because I have friends who are “pretty boys” who always try to remake their girlfriends or friends in general and try to make them stylish.
All in all, “THE WALLFLOWER” is not an anime that tries to showcase a quirkiness or take a dramatic turn ala “Hana Yori no Dango”. If anything, the anime series is more on the humorous side and rarely becomes a drama. If anything, the series focuses on trying to help Sunako and we learn more about these five characters over the course of the series.
As mentioned, the series is well-acted and both English and Japanese audio tracks are well done. The English audio track is very good and again, this is coming from a guy who tends to prefer watching anime in Japanese. I absolutely dig the character designs and the animation and again, definitely one of those rare anime series out there.
So, I’m stoked to see something unique and different. Not sure if the casual anime fan, especially the guys would dig an anime about pretty boys and them trying their best to help out a creepy girl (who is not exactly creepy and when you see her normal, Sunako’s actually quite cute and you realize how much of those negative thoughts are just in her head). But I think those who are used to watching bishonen men or fan of J-Rock or visual kei may take a high interest in an anime like “The Wallflower”. It’s actually a very entertaining series and for the most part, an entertaining and solid anime series!
Overall, “The Wallflower” is an anime series that is definitely worth recommending!
