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    May 2, 2015
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Morganical's Reviews
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Arrested Development: Season 4 [3 Discs]
Arrested Development: Season 4 [3 Discs]
This release from th show Arrested Development includes all fifteen episodes of the show's fourth season.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Coincidence!...
on January 18, 2016
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
Don't let the naysayers sway you, Season 4 of AD comes back swinging, hard! As we all know by now, Fox is notorious for cancelling great series (see Family Guy, Futurama, Sarah Conner Chronicles, etc.) only to substitute schlock like Glee and American Idol. Well, AD suffered this unfortunate fate as well, but was resurrected by Netflix. The fans woeful cries felt the internet over turned to golden tears of loyal embrace met with diamond tears shed by celebrity enthusiasts as well. Things have changed slightly since 2006, but very minor.
The biggest change that you've probably heard about is the format of Season 4. It's true; the whole family is not featured in every episode together like they were back in the early 2000's, mainly because their star power has peaked beyond zenith levels. Bateman, Cera and Arnett are in multiple movies a year, and Walter, Hale, Cross and Tambor are devoted to several series that have popped up since the show's cancellation. So it's no wonder that the entire crew only spent a few episode segments together, schedule conflicts prevented a full blown season devotion to everyone. In short, the format is devoted to one or two characters an episode. That's the bad news, and it's minor.
The Awesome Sauce news is that the shows back with it's meta-humor firing on all 12 cylinders, with the same character quirks, quips and 180 twists the first 3 seasons revolved around. Not only that, because of the format of the season, we get to continually comeback to previously viewed events from each angle, from each characters' perspective in a brilliantly done asynchronous style. If you like how movies like Pulp Fiction and Minority Report flow, then you'll absolutely fall in love with Season 4 of Arrested Development.
Another big change, but definitely a plus, is celebrity involvement. Cameos are nothing new for Arrested (see Henry Winkler and Liza Minelli) and Season 4 cranks it up to 11. Seth Rogan, Kristen Wigg, Isla Fisher, Terry Crews, John Slatterly to name a few of the newcomers. As if THAT wasn't enough, vet celebrities return in full force ranging from Ben Stiller to Andy Richter. The only returning heavy hitters that missed out were Charlize Theron and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but I'm assuming they'll get back in on season 5!
Picture is close to Blu-ray quality. AD is one of those shows that's filmed in Hi-Def, but mysteriously remains in SD format via DVD. (Parks and Rec. has this issue too.) Maybe Fox will wake-up one morning and mint new releases in 2K or 4K transfers. Until that time, AD looks better than it did when it premiered on Fox's Hi-Def broadcasts in 2003, but could always look better on a Blu-ray release. Sound is like it was for the other seasons, that annoying theme song playing bombastically every 22 minutes, but this time with a slight remix for each characters' showcase before their respectively centered episodes. I'll let you decide if audio is great.
Additional features include commentary tracks with the actors (which I always love), and reunion/revitalization segments with the actors/producers/creators as well.
Stop everything and get this now if you haven't! Even if you were never committed to every nuanced inside joke from the original run, Season 4 is choke full of brilliantly scripted and executed AD goodness. For American sitcoms, Arrested Development is up with their with Simpsons, Friends, and Seinfeld for as good as it can possibly get.
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Futurama, Vol. 8 [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]
Futurama, Vol. 8 [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]
You'll never be able to think of the future again without laughing thanks to this collection featuring all 13 episodes from Futurama's summer 2013 season on Comedy Central.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Avenge Us!!!
on December 26, 2015
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
At the time of this writing (day after Christmas 2015), no hope for a revival of the series is in sight. Last month, they announced a mobile game in development, last spring a Futurma and Simpsons crossover occurred, and 10 months ago Katey Sagal and Jon DiMaggio got our hopes up with blogs over fan support capable of reviving the series. We're ever vigilant and hopeful, but who knows.
What I do know, is that you shouldn't pass up on the last volume of Futurama! Three of the episodes are probably the greatest of the newer seasons, and the rest all shine. Except for Forty Percent Leadbelly. I don't like Forty Percent Leadbelly. But I firmly vouch for the rest. As always, the continuity and throwbacks to earlier seasons are fantastically done. Game of Tones is up there with Jurassic Bark with the feels...
The one episode that you need to see, even if you have to Hulu it, is Murder on the Planet Express. If you like Alien, or you've seen the Cowboy Bebop episode Toys in the Attic, it's that freaking good! Definitely my favorite of the season, and probably in my top three of the entire series.
Ultra highly recommended. I recommend this volume as much as I'd recommend the first four.
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Futurama, Vol. 7 [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]
Futurama, Vol. 7 [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]
This seventh volume of episodes culled from the run of the sci-fi animated series Futurama serves up 13 episodes of the cult favorite.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
The beggining of the end...again...
on December 26, 2015
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
A beautiful mess. Volume 7 is just kind of there. It's got great episodes, it's got OK episodes. By this point the writers and creators had their cadence back, and naturally, the studio started juggling it's future.
2-disc set, paper backing, 1080p presentation, 5.1 audio, convoluted pop-up menu that's kinda small...yada yada yada. If you don't know the specs by now, you read too many reviews and not enough details!
Volume 7 has the distinction of making episodes that really have no plausible endings. Either a Deus ex Machina occurs, or they're just left hanging. This is not un-typical for the series, the early episodes don't always end on a definite answer, but when you watch the season you'll understand what I mean. There's also a lack of A and B plots, which are much better than A only plots, IMO.
Even then, Futurama on a meh day >>> than other series on a good day. Highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder [Blu-ray]
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder [Blu-ray]
 
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
I Yonder if it will return...
on December 26, 2015
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
Sorry couldn't help myself.
4th (and final) Futurama movie by Comedy Central. And another incredible hi-def entry into the series. Same as Bender's Game for stats; 1080p, 5.1 audio, great menu features, extensive extras.
Now for the good stuff. Futurama has a history of Emmy Awards for compelling and thought provoking environmental episodes in it's repertoire. Well this is an entire 1 hour and 30 minute movie devoted to environmental issues mixed with a little social issues as well. So if you're a fan of the environmental episodes like the Problem with Popplers, Crimes of the Hot and The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz, this is film for you. Also, if you love shows that have a Vegas trip, the first half is devoted to Vegas. I should say Mars Vegas. It's also one of the few times Futurama devotes itself to being in space. Normally, there's a plotline on another planet, New New York, or in some inter-dimensional zone, but Wild Green Wonder is one of the few episodes that spends more time in actual outer space than on one particular planet. And it looks amazing!
Now for the bad. The characters in this movie are pretty bland compared to others. Also, the lack of cutaways, quips, parodies, and satire in this movie make it the most boring of the four. It starts out VERY strong, but by the end it's just not as funny as the show normally is. There's still jokes, but not the normal amount we're used to. The plot is very much on point, and for Futurama, that's not a good thing.
This is also the second time that the show hanged in uncertainty, but it was almost immediately picked back up by Comedy Central in 2009. Call it a soft cancellation.
Highly recommended for longtime fans, and yes recommended to casuals as well.
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Futurama: Bender's Game [Blu-ray]
Futurama: Bender's Game [Blu-ray]
 
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
The coolest game of D&D you'll ever see.
on December 26, 2015
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
Bender's Game marks the first entry of the series in HiDef, and it does so with gusto. The series continues the trend with Wild Green Yonder, and volumes 5-8, but Bender's Game gets the ball rolling, or should I say the dodecahedronal dice rolling.
1080p video, 5.1 audio, and Futurama's trademark palette and cel-shading CGI. The show looks and sounds better than ever. The menu in this entry is extremely easy and convenient to use, probably the best menu system the series picked up. On top of this, the disc is LOADED with extras. Voice actor outtakes, PiP voice actor commentary, how to draw Futurama, more CGI snippets, the list goes on.
As for the story, Bender's Game is one of the weaker ones, but I prefer it to Beast with a Billion Backs. It has two acts, the first is another plot against the nefarious Momcorp over it's corporate charades, the second act coming out of left field and comprising the TRUE plot of the movie. Essentially, all the main staff gets transported into a fantasy/RPG land, a homage to Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons. Parodies of the movies and games ensue.
Bender's Game starts off great, gets quirky in the middle, and ends with a murmur. Even series creator David X Cohen mentions in the audio commentary that by the end of the movie, they were really just trying to wrap it up as quickly as possible.
I recommend this Blu-ray movie to anyone who is a longtime fan of the series, or loves LotR parodies. I also recommend it to anyone who has only watched Futurama on DVD, the time to convert is now!
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Futurama: Bender's Big Score [DVD]
Futurama: Bender's Big Score [DVD]
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
We're back Babe-eh!
on December 24, 2015
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
Two years passed, and the creators and investors of Futurama realized the calamitous decision they had committed to. Fortunately for the fans, it was a brief hiatus and the show came back (gloriously) on Comedy Central after the first four seasons had been running in syndication for a year and a half.
Bender's Big Score marks the heralding of the show's first triumphant return, and it comes out swinging hard! Even on DVD, the movie pops off the TV. It's the best comparison to Blu-ray that I can think of for an animated series, especially considering it came out RIGHT BEFORE the HD transition occurred. The sound is fantastic with all the favorite jingles mixed in with some new synths. All of your favorite classic cast members return, along with some OK new cast member choices; I personally like Dr. Cahill the most ("Dr. Goodnsexy"). The Sprungers are a little baroque for me, but that's the tongue-in-cheek-joke about everyone else being prudes in comparison to them. None stop parody, satire, and innuendos ensue.
But it's the plot of Bender's Big Score that truly shines. Time travel movies are notoriously rife with paradox, confusing side plots, and loose ends. BBS manages to keep it not only follow able, but neatly ties up the paradoxes quite well at the end. Think too hard on it, and you'll notice the errors, but that's inherent to any time travel episode/series. It also juggles comedy, sci-fi shout outs, romance/shipping, and satire excellently, a feat that the other movies and some of the later season episodes had trouble with.
The case for this disc is one of the two "carbon neutral" cases administered by 20th Century Fox, the other was for Beast with a Billion Backs. It is thinner cardboard than normal, with about half of the normal packaging missing, a thin transparent window to show the lenticular cover art, and a removable laminated paper backing with the production information. That sounds like a lot, but it's actually way less than what you'll see on typical Blu-ray and DVD cases. Main menu is pretty self explanatory; play movie, settings, scenes, and extras.
Bender's Big Score remains the best of the four movies that CC made for Season 5 before the show came back to its normal cadence in 2010. It is adamantly recommended, do not pass it up!
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Futurama, Vol. 6 [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]
Futurama, Vol. 6 [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]
This release compiles thirteen episodes of the animated sci-fi comedy series Futurama, a show that has maintained a cult following even without consistent support from the network that brought it to the air.
 
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Fun on the Bun!
on December 23, 2015
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
Has all of the same qualities as the Volume 5 release, with the only change being that the Play All feature has now been changed to a Play Through Season option. What this means is that it will play all the episodes in order, and then when you finish the first disc, a prompt will come up saying "either press Enter to return to menu or insert disc 2 (of volume 6) to continue playback". I like this feature, and it's an improvement over other series like Game of Thrones which don't allow the first option.
For me, Volume 6 is great with outstanding episodes like Mobius Dick, Benderama, and Neutopia. But I would call it my least favorite volume for one reason: Yo Leela Leela. That episode is hands down the worst in the entire series, even beating Now That's Lobstertainment. It unfortunately falls on this entry, and it's so bad I decided to knock down my typical 5 star recommendation to 4. It should have been stricken from the record as it is universally regarded as the episode where you aren't really watching Futurama anymore.
Otherwise, another great entry in the acclaimed series. Highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs [DVD]
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs [DVD]
 
Customer Rating
3 out of 5
3
It's good, no great.
on December 23, 2015
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
Honestly, the Comedy Central movies for Futurama were the only misstep the series took. First came Bender's Big Score, then this entry landed... To mixed success. All the comedy and sci-fi nods are there, but the movie gets bogged down a little by the plot.
Without including spoilers, another love interest of Fry's steps up to the plate, while an invincible intergalactic entity terrorizes the universe by turning everyone into a single concentric cult being. The problems start midway through when there's just too much shipping drama between the antagonist, the villain, and the supporting cast. Futurama is a series of quips, cutaways, and social commentary. It is not a series that focuses on getting bogged down in Emo feels. Beast With a Billion Backs does the later while nearly avoiding the former in the second act.
It also is DVD only, which while beautiful in 2007 now looks a little dated. Especially compared to the later two of the four movies, which released on Blu-ray shortly after this came out.
Still, the movie is perfectly enjoyable even if it's not relatable. Slightly recommended for casuals. Definitely recommended for series enthusiasts.
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Futurama, Vol. 5 [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]
Futurama, Vol. 5 [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]
This animated series from Simpsons creator Matt Groening follows the Planet Express crew through 13 episodes of intergalactic adventure, touching on hot topics ranging from evolution and mind swapping, to "robosexual" marriage.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
It's back!
on December 23, 2015
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
Volume 5 changes a lot of things. Not for the series, the series came back swinging for the fences. What Volume Five of Futurama changes is how we watch such an unparalleled series.
* Owning this on DVD is a crime against humanity. Blu-ray is THE only option. You have no excuse at this point, even a cheap LCD flat screen that plays @ 720p will only run you less $100. To truly enjoy the new(er) Futurama in all it's glory, it needs to be on Blu-ray, therefor it needs to be THIS item.
Sound is now English 5.1. There's no other options. The video is pristine 1080p 16:9. If you thought Futurama looked good with it's palette before, wait until you see this release. Even the special features are gloriously hi-def. I cannot recall a moment of artifacting while viewing. The Play All feature from seasons 3 and 4 has been substituted with a Play Through Season option. This is a bone of contention with me; it won't let you play all of the episodes in sequence with the creator commentary track like you could do before. I really like the creator tracks because they're informative, and the creators have wonderful chemistry with each other. However, normal viewing will play straight through, until you need to put in disc 2. Another issue, is that the new popup menu layout is VERY confusing, especially during the first viewings. Also, this is the first release in the slim, recycle friendly cardboard boxes, with sensitive insert sleeves. A trend that is still being continued even after the series third cancelation. There are no plastic box releases for this volume.
All that aside, the series shines with some brilliant episodes like Attack of the Killer App, Lethal Inspection, and the Prisoner of Benda. But all of the episodes in this release shine. Highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Futurama, Vol. 4 [4 Discs]
Futurama, Vol. 4 [4 Discs]
Containing 18 episodes, the fourth volume of Simpson creator Matt Groening's Futurama follows Fry, Leela, and Bender, and the rest of the Futurama crew as they contend with wacky intergalactic adventures as only they can.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Must own. Must.
on December 23, 2015
Posted by: Morganical
Verified Purchase:Yes
No other Matt Groening series is like Futurama. Simpsons has it's ups and downs, The Critic only lasted two seasons, and the early days really don't count.
Then there's Futurama. A satirical sitcom WAAAAAAY before it's time that mysteriously appeared on the eve of Y2K, it has paved the way for sci-fi enthusiasts and modern animated sitcoms alike. Take the social commentary of The Simpsons, the nonstop jokes of MST3000, the wonky revitalization history of Family Guy, and the niche following of Community. You get the majesty that is Futurama.
Of all the seasons of the show, Season 4 is the perfect mash-up of all of them. It's literally the best by averages. You have some of the strongest standalone episodes like Crimes of the Hot, The Why of Fry, The Farnsworth Paradox, and of course Jurassic Bark. Jurassic Bark is enough reason to own season 4 of the show. It is the only episode of an animated series that WILL make you cry consistently. Even if you cannot cry because your tear ducts are blocked by a forest of bro hairs because your eyeballs are too manly, you will still have the feels. You have the commentary tracks of the creators David X. Cohen, Matt Groening, Billy West, and of course that charismatic Jon DeMaggio cracking you up every episode. You have the Play All feature that for some weird reason wasn't included in the first two seasons, even the Fox has rereleased them 3 times now. You have the subtitle tracks in 3 languages, and four different dub tracks, just in case you cannot speak English. And of course, you have all of the other great episodes of the series that are anything but filler, including the first open-ended series finale. A finale that will be the first of 3 series finales now. Audio is 2.0, but it sounds great even today. My only gripe is that if you cycle through the subtitle options during viewing, it somehow get's stuck on French for words that are spelled out on billboards and such. This was a problem with all four seasons of the original DVDs, but it's not enough to prevent a purchase.
As for the season itself, the laughs do not stop, the drama is at it's peek as Leela and Fry's relationship is pushed past the friendzone, the plot is ever thickening as the foreshadowed points from the past three seasons start merging together with Nibbler, and the supporting cast bring the show closer to it's magic Friends-type trope that it's now known widely for.
If you own any season of the show, Season 4 is as obligatory as Season 2. It's simply that good.
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
My Best Buy number: 2681094446
I would recommend this to a friend!
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