Dragon Hunters (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to admit that my first reaction to seeing this on the video rack was suspicion that this might be another Aero-Troopers, the Plan-9-from-Outer-Space-awful, worst computer animated film ever made I wasted 90 minutes of life I can never get back upon the last time I took a chance on a computer animated film I'd never heard of before. However, despite some eerie similarities in world construction, this turns out to be one of the BEST computer animated films ever made, one I can recommend without hesitation.
To begin with the world of Dragon Hunters is simply gorgeous, a world of islands floating around in the sky, upon which gravity works oddly when it works at all. But this beautiful world is threatened to varying degrees by the dragons of the title, which range in degree of threat from annoying crop stealers to terrifying world devourers, thus the necessity for hunters of same.
Twenty years ago Lord Arnold lost his sight and his health trying to stop the World Gobbler's last rampage, now he impatiently and all but hopelessly awaits the return of the knights he dispatched to try and stop his pending rampage. So his fairy tale loving niece, Zoe, decides to lend a hand by sneaking out and finding some noble knights like those in her fairy tales, but what she finds are our two hapless heroes. Can a little girl's belief in them inspire a couple of two-bit, fly-by-night, down-on-their-luck dragon hunters into succeeding where a troop of noble knights failed, into stopping the most horrifying dragon this world has ever seen?
Well, the answer is obvious, but the fun is in how we get there.
Gwizdo and Lian-Chu make for a hilariously mismatched pair, whose widely differing reactions to Zoe, the dragon hunter groupie who is not quite as naive as she appears, threaten to tear their partnership apart,...
assuming of course that anyone survives this fiasco.
Note: Some retailers package this DVD with a free Dragon Hunters comic book, which is little to get excited about IMHO; Sergio Aragones did this sort of thing much better in Groo the Wanderer. The first 17 episodes of the first season of the animated TV show, which this movie is a prequel to, have been released on DVD: Dragon Hunters: Vol. 1 It's A Dragon's Life (ep. 1-4), Dragon Hunters: Vol. 2 Dead Dragon Walking (ep. 5-8), Dragon Hunters: Vol. 3 There's No Place Like Home! (ep. 9-11), Dragon Hunters: Vol. 4 Don't Look Now (ep. 12-14), and Dragon Hunters: Vol. 5 Unwelcome Guests (ep. 15-17).

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Zoe is a little girl who believes in fairy tales. In order to help her uncle Lord Arnold get rid of a terrible dragon, Zoe decides she has to find some heroes. When she meets Gwizdo and Lian-Chu a couple of two-bit, fly-by-night dragon hunters she decides that shes going to believe in them and set out on an adventure to bring peace to the land.

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Spawn - The Director's Cut (New Line Platinum Series) (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)As far as comic heroes made into movies go, Spawn is better than some transitions. Good acting, screenplay, special effects, and music make it above average. I have seen many movies converted from comics and Spawn was passed over by many. The clown and heavy metal music in some places may be a little abrasive to some, but the overall premise and delivery is not flawed. It may not be the caliber of Spiderman, but it certainly is a far cry from being a B movie. This is one definitely for fans of movies like "Hellboy" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman". I like Superman, Batman, and Spiderman, but it is a refreshing change to see something that is not your mainstream comic book hero from time to time.
Spawn is based on a human man who works as a soldier that assassinates people for the government. When he realizes they are being used and wants to leave they decide his usefulness is ended. Meanwhile Satan is in the background waiting for this all to happen and when he is killed by his boss, he of course goes to hell and is made into a super powered spawn of the devil, hence Spawn. Spawn wants revenge on his boss and will do anything to get back to his wife and little girl. A pact with the devil gets him his wish, but not the way he thought. When he finds out his best friend married his wife after his death, he adds him to his list to kill. While all this is going on he meets a soldier of God and a demon who acts like a clown. The way he handles all this may be somewhat predictable, but still fun to watch.

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SPAWN - DVD Movie

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Shrek 2 (Widescreen Edition) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)STORY: This fairy tale satire continues right from the first movie as Shrek and Fiona are on their honeymoon. Prince Charming finally reaches the castle only to find the "gender confused" big bad wolf reading Pork Illustrated. The movie is basically focusing on the self awareness of who Shrek and Fiona really are. The fairy godmother of Fiona and the mother of Charming is out to make sure that Fiona falls in love with Charming and not Shrek. As Shrek is lost in the woods he stumbles upon the masterfully crafted character that is Puss In Boots. Puss is probably one of the greatest fictional characters of all time, he is played to perfection by Antonio Banderas. The first Shrek was a slight satire on the fairy tale genre. Shrek 2 is an unbelievable high on satirical parody (if that makes sense). The pop culture references come flying in one after the other. I really feel that any body under 12 will not get most of the jokes made in this movie. For the kids we have the farting and the burping and for the more learned individual we have references to gender confused wolves, cats on catnip, meeting the in-laws, crazy wooden boys with strange fetishes, the ass, and tons more. There is no way that anybody cannot watch this movie and not laugh. If you need to compare Shrek 2 to something look at it as a lighter version of a Family Guy, Airplane, or Hot Shots type of thing. While the references are not as exaggerated as they are in parodies such as Hot Shots, they are very well placed and well executed. While many people feel that the story and the "heart" that the first movie had was lost within the many gags there is still that "heart" that the characters possess. Yes, the ending is your typical fairy tale ending that has a valuable moral, but then again this is a fairy tale. This movie is smart, funny, and overall a well-crafted piece of work.

ACTING: All the former cast members return as well as the noticeable additions of John Cleese, Julie Andrews, and Antonio Banderas. I can't express just how funny Puss In Boots is. Without Puss the movie would without a doubt have been really boring and "kiddyish" if you will. The most humorous jokes are deployed in the film's ending which is a hysterical romp. John Cleese plays the enraged father and Julie Andrews as the accepting mother. Prince Charming is played by Rupert Everett, and really his only funny scene was when they stopped by drive thru and he got a kiddie meal and was wearing one of those paper crowns as found in burger king. The cast makes the film, Puss makes the film.

BOTTOM LINE: The kids will not find this one funny except for the small amount of fart gags. The people who will find this the most amusing will be in the range of 15 to about 50. Anything above 50 might find any kind of animation too childish and will probably stay away from this one unless they have young kids. The animation by Dreamworks is fantastic as well, make note of the scene in the rain and just how realistic the natural surroundings look. Shrek 2 is faster and funnier than the original and should become a classic just because of how smart the movie is.

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Happily ever after never seemed so far away when a trip to meet the in-laws turns into another hilariously twisted adventure for shrek & fiona. With the help of his faithful donkey shrek takes on a potion-brewing fairy godmother the pompous prince charming & the famed ogre-killer puss in boots.Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 08/23/2005Starring: Mike Myers Cameron DiazRun time: 92 minutesRating: Pg

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Tripping the Rift: The Complete Third Season (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I really like Tripping the Rift; I have the first two seasons on DVD. Then I purchased the movie, which I was very disappointed with, so I was hoping that season three would bring me back to the fold. Unfortunately, not so much. 3 or 4 of the episodes are straight from the movie (or the movie is straight from 3 or 4 episodes depending how you look at it), so the claims of "13 ALL-NEW EPISODES" on the DVD cover doesn't ring true.
I also don't understand how they came up with the censoring of foul language. In one episode ("Raiders of the Lost Crock of $%?&*!"), they bleeped the word b*****d (but left enough in that you could tell what it was) and a couple of minutes later the word was said again but not bleeped. It seems to be a little random. I don't get why they can't put out a "grown-up" version of Tripping the Rift (i.e. rated 18 or even 16). I can handle the swearing, the crude jokes, even a little CGI nudity (the censored banners in the Raiders episode mentioned above).
There are no extras with this DVD set. No outtakes, no trailers, nothing. It really seemed like it was put together quickly and released. If I hadn't seen the movie, I probably would rate this season a bit higher. I feel the movie has damaged the franchise somewhat. Who knows if there will be a fourth season. If there is, I hope they realise there are grown ups out there who watch "Tripping the Rift" and we're OK with adult content in our favourite animated shows.

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The eclectic crew comes back more twisted and outrageous than ever before in new exciting adventures. Now produced in high definition, you will be amazed by the richness of the images and textures found in the series. With 13 new episodes available, this latest production is constituted of a unique blend of action, comedy and sexiness to delight the fans. Writers and directors have pushed the envelope even further and came up with unpredictable storylines and spectacular scenes.

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Thomas & Friends: Splish Splash Sploosh Review

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(More customer reviews)Thomas & Friends: Splish, Splash, Splosh! is the latest children's DVD in the widely beloved Thomas the Tank Engine series, in which Thomas and his friends embark on rainy-day adventures. A collection of short, computer-animated stories with common theme of adapting to difficult weather, Thomas & Friends: Splish, Splash, Splosh! is a cheery and upbeat video sure to delight young people. Bonus features include "Counting with Thomas" and a "Lift & Load Crane Game". 46 min., closed-captioned, full-screen, English/Spanish/French language options.

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Even when it\'s wet outside you can still have plenty of fun, especially when you share your adventures with Thomas & Friends\'! Grab your galoshes and join the team as they prepare for rainy-day visits and sudsy spills, and then get unstuck from a snowy situation in this collection of stories from the Island of Sodor.

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Roughnecks - The Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Complete Campaigns (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a television series based both on a book by Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers, and a movie of the same name, directed by Paul Verhoeven. The movie was problematic in several respects. On the director's commentary of that movie, Verhoeven explains that he did not have enough money to create the alien insect warriors and create the human military technology in Heinlein's book. He decided to create the aliens and present the human soliders without the weapons that they had in the book, making it appear implausible most of the time that the humans had any chance in the battles at all. This series corrects this problem by providing the troopers with weapons that give them that chance. The other problem with the movie was that Verhoeven disagreed with the political theory advanced in the book, in which only those who serve in the military can become full citizens and can vote. Apparently having lived through World War II as a Dutch child, Verhoeven has a very low opinion of any militaristic society. He therefore satirizes Heinlein's views and fills the movie with military uniforms based on Nazi uniforms, often making it hard to sympathize with the defenders of humanity. Verhoeven's satire was great in Robocop, but produces an uneasy effect in the movie. Happily, the military philosophy is hardly mentioned in the series and the military uniforms are not based in any obvious way on German World War II dress. The series actually resembles most closely the cable mini-series Band of Brothers produced by Tom Hanks for HBO. In the Hanks series a group of soldiers train, fight their way across Europe, and end up in Germany. Like Hanks series, Roughnecks is organized into a series of campaigns, beginning with battles on Pluto (there is nothing much about basic training until episode 20) and ending up with a defense of Earth on the ground. People die; the ones who don't are affected and change in various ways, for better or worse. With regard to the animation, it was incredible CGI 3-D style animation for its time. It is not quite as good as Toy Story or Shrek in many respects, but the main reason is that it was operating on a television budget, not a major motion picture budget. Plus it was trying to animate characters that looked like real people rather than cartoon characters. The goal of the series in terms of animation was the same as that of the creators of the film Final Fantasy that appeared about a year or so later. This series does not miss the quality of Final Fantasy by much and it did it first. Because the series was canceled four episodes before the end of the season, the title of the DVD, suggesting that it is complete, is controversial. The four episodes that should have completed the forty episode season, 33, 38, 39, and 40, are still missing. The DVD gets to forty with four clip show episodes, which summarize past events with voice over narrations. The last of these is a court martial of the Lieutenant Rasczak, reshowing events and questioning whether he acted properly. These four clip shows allowed the producers to meet their obligations to produce 40 shows without having to create new CGI images. The series is not actually complete in that four planned episodes were never finished. However, The series does have considerable unity. In truth, the series could have been tied together nicely if it had ended one episode earlier with the funeral of Lieutenant Rasczak and the elevation of Johnny Rico, the main character in the book, to lieutenant to replace him. There is actually no end to the war in the book, and no plan to end the war in the series. Presumably the creators of the series meant to continue the war for many seasons. Thus, the final episode can be regarded as a hint of what would have come in the future with Rico now functioning as an officer. The series is a worthy tribute to Heinlein's book and will most likely be regarded as an important step along the way in CGI animation. I have given it five stars because technically is probably more of an achievement for television than Final Fantasy was for the big screen. One regret is that it is not in widescreen. The opening scenes in each episode are in widescreen, suggesting that it would have been possible to produce widescreen much as Babylon 5 was reformated from 4:3 to 16:9. It is sad that this fine animation project was never given an opportunity to find an audience on television the first time aournd, since it was scheduled at such a poor time of day (very early morning), when sci-fi fans were unlikely to be awake. Hopefully, it will do better as a DVD collection.

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ROUGHNECKS:STARSHIP TROOPERS CHRONICL - DVD Movie

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