Share BasilioBoy777's profile
BasilioBoy777
BasilioBoy777's stats
- Review count20
- Helpfulness votes15
- First reviewApril 12, 2013
- Last reviewApril 16, 2016
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
Reviews comments
- Review comment count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First review commentNone
- Last review commentNone
- Featured review comments0
Questions
- Question count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First questionNone
- Last questionNone
- Featured questions0
Answers
- Answer count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First answerNone
- Last answerNone
- Featured answers0
- Best answers0
![Tinker Bell [2 Discs] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2008]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/1255/1255814_sa.jpg)
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from Provo, UT
The CGI-animated Disney Fairies property film Tinker Bell, on the surface, seems to be the kind of film that would be obviously be terrible. However, it is a surprisingly well-done and enjoyable film. Even as a property that exists solely to promote toys to children, the filmmakers still put significant effort into the character design, world design, music, and animation.
First off, the animation is fluid and well-done. It’s not quite up to Pixar standard, but it comes close for DisneyToon Studios. The next noticeable good thing about this movie is its music. It does a great job of setting the wondrous tone of the world and the narrative. “To the Fairies They Draw Near” by Loreena McKennitt has that sound that invokes child-like awe and a beautiful melody of fantasy.
Another thing this film does quite well is world-building. The source material, both the Disney film and the original J.M. Barrie tale, provide little background on the world of fairies, but this film expands the fairy lore with a complete world. Although, the downside is that although it’s established that Pixie Hollow is connected with Never Land, it never clarified where it is exactly. But the fairies have distinct jobs connected with nature (many of which funnily resemble the Bending arts of Avatar lore), and worlds within their own environ.
The characters are enjoyable. However, this Tinker Bell is NOT the Tinker Bell of Peter Pan, at least, not yet. Her character works for this franchise quite well, but it is not in harmony with the source material. This Tinker Bell is kind, if not impatient, helpful, understanding, sweet, and friendly. Her negative traits, like her vanity and jealously, oddly enough, seem to have passed onto another character named Vidia, voiced by Pamela Adlon. Speaking of which, the voice acting in this film is well-cast and well-performed. Mae Whitman gives a kindness but still strong voice to Tink. Kristin Chenoweth, Raven-Symoné, Lucy Liu, and America Ferrera all do well as Tink’s fairy friends Rosetta, Iridessa, Silvermist, and Fawn, who each represent the different job classes of the fairies. Even Jesse McCartney shows he has acting range as Terrance. Anjelica Huston has regal presence as Clarion, the Fairy Queen, and voice acting veterans Rob Paulsen and Jeff Bennett are tolerable if not grating as fellow Tinker fairies Clank and Bobble.
The plot is a tad on the predictable side, but it works for children. As usual with Disney DVDs, the DVD extras are great, expanding the world and are colorful and interactive. Selena Gomez’s music video is visually uninspiring, but that’s a DVD music video for you.
Overall, this was a good start to open this franchise with. It established the tone, world, and characters well, and left open the possibility to expand the world further with more characters and seasons. For an opening effort, a strong start. B+
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
What's great about it: Animation is great, and music is wonderful
What's not so great: Plot is predicable
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
![The Big Lebowski [Blu-ray] [1998]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/6906/6906316_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
3
Very odd, but people can either love or hate it.
on May 28, 2014
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from Provo, UT
“The Big Lebowski” is an . . . odd film, to say the least, and that’s pretty much universally agreed upon. The key element here is, then, does its oddness appeal to you personally? If it does, you’ll love this movie. If it doesn’t, you’ll probably end up hating it, or at the least be very, very confused.
The Cohen brothers have a history of odd, artsy films that can be funny as well as confusing. This comedy (and it is a bit of a stretch to label it as such) is a cult-classic from 1998. It follows the story of Jeffery “The Dude” Lebowski, played by Jeff Bridges, an unemployed amateur bowler and professional slacker, as he gets mixed up in a complicated case of kidnapping and mistaken identity, among many other things. Trying to explain the narrative beyond that is a Herculean task in and of itself, as its complication surpasses even Dan Brown or Nolan levels. In one sense, it’s a slice-of-life tale about the Dude, but it’s a particularly strange slice here. A lot of things happen, not always related to each other or even in a logical sequence. That, though, is where most of the comedy comes in this film; the sheer oddity of the situations, the characters, and most importantly, those characters’ reactions to those situations.
I would not say that for me personally, that this film was hilarious, but I also wouldn’t say it was terrible either, as I did laugh quite a bit during. This really is one of those films that is experienced and liked on a person-to-person basis. There is a lot here that is pointless: some characters, most dialogue, several scenes and sequences; all of which adds up to essentially nothing. But this film’s lack of a point is the point itself. This is great if this works for you, but disastrous if it doesn’t.
Bridges is great as the Dude, and it was one of those performances where it was so good, it seems like it wasn’t really acting and that is what the actor is really like. He’s likable in his own loserly way. John Goodman plays the Dude’s best friend Walter, who is immediately unlikable; you wonder why the Dude puts up with him. The rest of the actors and characters, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julliane Moore, Tara Reid, Steve Buscemi, are all memorable in their own eccentricities but episodic in their appearances and unimportant in their significance. Again though, their pointlessness is their point. There are other good things to be had in this film. The cinematography is really good and creative in some spots, particularly in the dream sequences, which are arguably the best scenes in the film.
It’s like I said, this film is best taken on an individual basis. I can see why some people like it, and I can also certainly see why some people hate it. Personally, I liked it well enough; I don’t love it, and certainly wouldn’t rank it among my favorite films or even comedies, but it’s far from terrible; it was entertaining enough to find amusing. You may like its strangeness and eccentricity; you may hate its pointlessness and unfocused narrative. You may love its memorable and quirky characters; you may hate its confusing structure. Take it at your own pace. Like it or not, either way, I’m sure the Dude will abide.
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
What's great about it: Dream sequences, acting
What's not so great: Not coherent, confusing, pointless
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
5of 10voted this as helpful.
![Captain America: The First Avenger [2 Discs] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/1659/1659528_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
All those who oppose Captain America must yield!
on April 9, 2014
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from Provo, UT
“Captain America: The First Avenger” is a great addition to the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, and a great comic book movie, and an awesome action film in general. It certainly atones for the past sins of the Captain, mainly brief and disastrous sojourns in the 70s and one in the 90s. Google it if ye dare!
This film, unlike many screen interpretations of Cap which often jump straight to modern-day heroics, was wisely done as a period piece, set in the twilight hours of World War II. We see Steve Rogers before he dons the red, white, and blue, and therefore become much more invested in his character before he was a Super Soldier. Great performances are to be had all around. Chris Evans gets Steve’s humility and all-around good guy charm. The ideals and attitude shown here prove that this was the Greatest Generation. Hayley Atwell does fine as Cap’s interest Peggy Carter, and here she’s in the army as well, putting her in the action instead of the girlfriend back home as she is normally shown, and also oddly British for some reason. Tommy-Lee Jones is as entertaining as one could expect as Army General Tommy-Lee Jones. Yeah, it’s one of those roles, but in a good way. Likewise, Hugo Weaving is great as German Hugo Weaving. But seriously, Weaving was a great choice for Cap’s eternal nemesis the villainous Red Skull. As a villain, Red Skull is pretty standard and doesn’t offer many surprises (even the face reveal was coming a mile away). Toby Jones did good as scientist Arnim Zola, and there was a cool easter egg of his comic appearance. Stanley Tucci shows his acting versatility as Dr. Abraham Erskine. All of the Howling Commandos (sans Nick Fury, contrary to comic tradition) are great too.
One of the criticisms of this film is that it is a full-length feature ad for “The Avengers.” Well, there definitely was one after the credits, and it is in the title. The McGuffin of the movie exists to set up “The Avengers”, but despite all this, I believe it holds up on its own as an origin story of one of Marvel’s oldest and greatest heroes. The set-up is well paced and the action scenes deliver on the awesomeness, particularly Cap’s signature shield throwing. There is an unfortunate montage that glazes over much of the battles between the good guys and bad guys, but that’s really my only major gripe with the film. There is a suspension of disbelief that must be had in the plot, but not to the point where it breaks, and the source material forces much of it.
Overall, Captain America delivers as a great superhero film. It is in many ways a set-up for “The Avengers,” but it’s a good set-up that can stand on its own.
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
What's great about it: Cap's origin and character are greatly explored, fantastic action and acting
What's not so great: Some action is glazed over, some plot points stretch logic and believability
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
![Frozen [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2013]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/535008fe-73cf-4b94-b09a-750e16f53178.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
Wonderful addition to classic Disney canon
on March 30, 2014
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from Provo, UT
“Frozen” is certainly one of my new favorite Disney movies, although that may not be that selective of a group. In my opinion, Disney film animation is at its best when it is doing it’s best, and that’s musical fairy tales. Just like they have taken quite a few liberties with the source material before, the same is the case here, with the original Hans Christian Andersen story “The Snow Queen” being present in only the barest sense, but that hardly matters at all because this film is a delight from beginning to end.
However, this film is not without its own Disney clichés either. We have two princesses now, but also cue the dead king and queen. Still, this film does its best to break as many conventional molds as it can. Queen Elsa does not need nor even desire a charming prince to save her. The romance here is reserved for her younger sister Anna, who is adorably naïve and hilarious in her own right with her reactions. There is a degree of self-awareness on Disney’s part in that particular aspect, almost in a self-parodying manner similar to that in “Enchanted.” The twist at the end concerning the villain was unexpected enough to legitimately surprise me, and in a good way. It can drag for a bit towards the end, and it overall has a problem depicting the passage of time well, but that doesn’t take away from the warm experience that “Frozen” delivers. The comic relief characters, the animal and the goofball Olaf, were not as annoying as I might have expected from the promotional material; quite the contrary actually. They are both a delight and that little snowman should replace Frosty as the definitive jolly happy soul in a package of human-shaped frozen water.
As expected of a Disney film, much of this film’s charm and success are closely tied the music. In a move that I greatly appreciate and seems to be recurring more with this studio as of late, all of the voice actors also do their own singing. If I recall correctly, both “Tangled” and “The Princess and the Frog” also did this, but not since “Beauty and the Beast” had it been done before that. At any rate, this cast is wonderful. In particular, Kristen Bell has as much innocence and charm to her singing as Jodie Benson and Paige O’Hara. And, of course, Idina Menzel has proven herself to be in a class all her own. She delivers, in all the best senses of that word, this film’s killer single “Let It Go,” which has become so popular in such a short amount of time, I doubt I need to elaborate much on it. Needless to say, it resonates strongly with anyone who hasn’t fit in at some point in their lives, which is pretty much everyone, and is now as iconic as “Under the Sea.” “For the First Time in Forever” also hits several emotional points wonderfully, its own “Belle” that’s fantastic. The first few stanzas of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” are so overly cute, they will probably give you diabetes. This is not to say, however, that the soundtrack is all hits; there are a couple of misses. Kristoff’s bit is creepier than it is endearing, the opening song about ice is as forgettable as that sounds, and the trolls’ song towards the end is kind of stupid.
Overall, whatever very minor faults this film has doesn’t detract from the fact that this is a modern instant classic. “Frozen” will go down in Disney history has great and as iconic as anything from its Renaissance era or the Golden Age. No one can go wrong with this film, as children and adults of all ages will absolutely adore it as I do. Basically, if you don’t like this film, it is you who has a cold heart.
However, this film is not without its own Disney clichés either. We have two princesses now, but also cue the dead king and queen. Still, this film does its best to break as many conventional molds as it can. Queen Elsa does not need nor even desire a charming prince to save her. The romance here is reserved for her younger sister Anna, who is adorably naïve and hilarious in her own right with her reactions. There is a degree of self-awareness on Disney’s part in that particular aspect, almost in a self-parodying manner similar to that in “Enchanted.” The twist at the end concerning the villain was unexpected enough to legitimately surprise me, and in a good way. It can drag for a bit towards the end, and it overall has a problem depicting the passage of time well, but that doesn’t take away from the warm experience that “Frozen” delivers. The comic relief characters, the animal and the goofball Olaf, were not as annoying as I might have expected from the promotional material; quite the contrary actually. They are both a delight and that little snowman should replace Frosty as the definitive jolly happy soul in a package of human-shaped frozen water.
As expected of a Disney film, much of this film’s charm and success are closely tied the music. In a move that I greatly appreciate and seems to be recurring more with this studio as of late, all of the voice actors also do their own singing. If I recall correctly, both “Tangled” and “The Princess and the Frog” also did this, but not since “Beauty and the Beast” had it been done before that. At any rate, this cast is wonderful. In particular, Kristen Bell has as much innocence and charm to her singing as Jodie Benson and Paige O’Hara. And, of course, Idina Menzel has proven herself to be in a class all her own. She delivers, in all the best senses of that word, this film’s killer single “Let It Go,” which has become so popular in such a short amount of time, I doubt I need to elaborate much on it. Needless to say, it resonates strongly with anyone who hasn’t fit in at some point in their lives, which is pretty much everyone, and is now as iconic as “Under the Sea.” “For the First Time in Forever” also hits several emotional points wonderfully, its own “Belle” that’s fantastic. The first few stanzas of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” are so overly cute, they will probably give you diabetes. This is not to say, however, that the soundtrack is all hits; there are a couple of misses. Kristoff’s bit is creepier than it is endearing, the opening song about ice is as forgettable as that sounds, and the trolls’ song towards the end is kind of stupid.
Overall, whatever very minor faults this film has doesn’t detract from the fact that this is a modern instant classic. “Frozen” will go down in Disney history has great and as iconic as anything from its Renaissance era or the Golden Age. No one can go wrong with this film, as children and adults of all ages will absolutely adore it as I do. Basically, if you don’t like this film, it is you who has a cold heart.
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
What's great about it: Music, not wholly-conventional plot
What's not so great: Some music is forgettable
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
![Batman: Under the Red Hood [Special Edition] [2 Discs]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/c6580d22-56a8-4ebb-b622-d864cde92654.jpg)
This action packed full-length animated release from the Batman superhero franchise pits the titular hero against a strange new villain, a figure called The Red Hood who is terrorizing Gotham City. The bad guy has been directing the organized crime scene in the city and becoming a menace to the streets, but Batman soon discovers that the Red Hood's agenda includes more than monetary gain.
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from Moreno Valley, CA
I just took a look at the 2010 DC animated film, Batman: Under the Red Hood, to see if it still held water after a few years, and stands with the rest of the DC animated film line. I must say, I think it still holds up pretty good.
Most of why this film works is because of the creative team. It was directed by Brandon Vietti, who has done a lot of previous Batman work. Moreover, the screenplay was written by Judd Winick, who also wrote the comic book storyline that this film is itbased on, called Batman: Under the Hood, which ran in the Batman series back in 2005. Years after the death of his sidekick, Jason Todd a.k.a. Robin, Batman is still battling underworld crime in Gotham City, which is run by the mob boss Black Mask. However, things get shaken up when a new upstart who has taken the mantle of the Red Hood starts taking territory and influence away from Black mask. Things get personal for Batman, when it appears that the Red Hood may in fact be Jason Todd, back from the dead. To make matters worse, Black Mask hires the Joker to help them take care of both the Dark Knight and the Red Hood. And it all comes down to a fateful showdown between the bat, the clown, and the boy.
The animation and art direction for this film is again, pretty good. Like most of these DC animated films, the art style is pretty similar to what we are ready got in the DCAU, but just different enough to tell that this isn’t the same universe and were getting a different story. The action throughout this film is very good. I can tell what’s going on and who’s fighting who. In particular, I was very impressed with some of the acrobatic animation that went along with the Nightwing and Jason Todd characters. The original animated series could never get away with animation that was that crisp and that fluid, but they pull it off in this film very well. There are some very good shots of Gotham city in this film, and I get a much better sense of how large and bustling this city is.
The characters and their voice actors are very well done in this film, for the most part. This film sets a pretty good tone right off the bat, with a pretty intense and gruesome opening scene of the Joker beating the second Robin, Jason Todd, with a crowbar. Right away, this film establishes that it is dark and gritty, even more so than the animated series (which, in case you didn’t know, this film is not in continuity with). However, Jason is portrayed here in a way that shows that he is not helpless or without dignity. Later, there is a very good introduction for his new persona, the newest Red Hood, which immediately establishes that he is skilled, and a threat to both the criminals in Gotham City and a physical match for Batman. A lot of what makes Jason Todd so good comes from his voice actor, Jensen Ackles, who does fantastic. He perfectly delivers the seriousness of what’s happened to the character, as well as his cockiness and sense of humor. Also, in the flashbacks were he’s a teenager, Vincent Martella performs decently as the angsty teen Robin. However, was far more impressed by the performance of his younger brother, Alexander, as the very young Jason Todd, who was able to get across the characters joy and excitement about his new life as a superhero sidekick. One of the best performances in this film is from the legend-(wait for it)-dary Neil Patrick Harris, who takes over the role of Dick Grayson/Nightwing, who was also the first Robin. I get a real sense of Dick’s lighthearted attitude, which contrasts well with Batman’s more sullen disposition. I’d say this was a case of perfect casting. Also appearing as a side character in this film is one of Batman’s greatest enemies, Ra's al Ghul, voiced here by the great Jason Isaacs, who does phenomenally well. Isaacs displays all of the qualities that I’ve come to expect from the Demon’s Head; he is cool, calm, elegant, not without honor, and believably remorseful in this story. Isaacs’ British accent is back in full force here and it works well with Ra's al Ghul, conveying his class and aristocratic demeanor. However, not every performance was a home run, in my opinion. Wade Williams did fairly well as Black Mask in trying to convey what they wanted the character to be like in this film. However, I think the problem is their approach, not particularly Williams’ performance. He comes across as a petulant child, in my opinion. However I did very much like his assistant, Ms. Li, voiced by Kelly Hu, as a levelheaded aide who doesn’t bat an eye at her boss’s tantrum-like behavior.
In the end though, what the acting comes down to are the performances of main hero, Batman, and the main villain, the Joker. And here, both do . . . okay, but not great. I’m probably being too critical here, because in my mind, both actors are matched up to previous performances that are near impossible to top. So, you could say that it’s unfair to judge them as bad, only because they’re up against an insurmountable wall. Bruce Greenwood does objectively pretty good as Batman. But like I just said, he’s not as perfect as Kevin Conroy was, but he is good at his own right. Greenwood can convey the repressed emotion of Batman, but not the same of authority and power that Conroy could pull off, both as Bruce Wayne and as the Dark Knight. Overall, Greenwood did well enough for this film, and he would later go on to reprise his role as Batman in the Young Justice series. My critique of the Joker’s performance is pretty much the same. Here, the Clown Prince of Crime is voiced by none other than John DiMaggio, a veteran voice actor. Here, he does pretty good as the Joker, but again, doesn’t give us the same perfection that Mark Hamill could do. However, he still does objectively very well. We get all of the good characteristics of the Joker that we’ve seen before; DiMaggio delivers very well the character’s dark humor, irreverence, sadism, and madness, far better than some other recent voices for the Joker that I’ve heard. I’d say that as the voice of the Joker, John DiMaggio places as a solid second-best. Again, my opinion of these two performances is marred by the fact that I grew up with the original animated series, which remains in my mind as one of the best interpretations of these characters ever done, which is a hard standard to live up to.
The climax for this film is very well done. It is intense, suspenseful, has great action, and very good use of the characters’ gadgets. It comes down to Jason, the Joker, and Batman in an interesting variant of a Mexican standoff. What makes this climax so good is that it contains a great discussion of the ethics and reasoning of Batman. You really get a feel of how Batman thinks and how that plays into his actions and how he deals with his enemies. Overall, this was a very good film. It had a compact story that was complex but not too difficult to follow. We got great performances from most of the actors, and there was a great ethical discussion at the end. This is a very good entry in not just animated Batman films, but Batman films in general.
The DVD extras here are pretty good. There the standard sneak peeks and trailers, and so forth. There are two pretty good documentaries about each of the robins featured in this film: Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. These documentaries highlight the histories of each character, and gives good insight on their similarities and differences and what made each character good in his own right. Also included standard with these DC animated films are a few episodes of the original Batman: The Animated Series, which on this disc are some of the best episodes from the entire series run, including Robin’s Reckoning, the fantastic Mad Love, and the interesting The Laughing Fish. As per some of the recent entries in the DC animated films line, this one also includes as a bonus feature a short film, Jonah Hex. Don’t worry; it has nothing to do with the live-action Josh Brolin film and this one is actually pretty good. It was directed by Joaquim Dos Santos and music by The Track Team, some of the guys behind the Avatar animated series and some episodes of Justice League Unlimited. There’s good art design here, even better than the DCAU’s version of the character, as well as good voicing by Thomas Jane as Jonah and character portrayal. What I’ve noticed with this and the other DC animated short films is that there less like adventures or battles, and more like “A Day in the Life of”-type stories, which fits perfectly with the nature of the short films, and gets across what's good about the characters without overstaying their welcome. The short film is pretty good, in and of itself, but I’d do think that it’s got kind of a cruel and dark ending, but then again I suppose it fits the character.
What's great about it: Great compact and understandable story, well-done and fluid action scenes, and great ethical discussion at core of story
What's not so great: The voice actors from the original animated series are missed, and some performances don't hold up as well to that.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
![The Black Cauldron [25th Annivesary] [Special Edition] [DVD] [1985]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/1215/1215317_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
3
Unless you're diehard Disney fan, you can skip it.
on July 11, 2013
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from Moreno Valley, CA
On a whim, I decided to take a look at one of Disney’s more infamous endeavors, the 1985 film The Black Cauldron. I was curious about this film because it has a reputation for being one of, if not the worst animated films in the Walt Disney Animated Classics line. Granted it was the first animated Disney film to get a PG rating, so it’s definitely a deviation from the norm, but that doesn’t mean it’s terrible … right? Nonetheless, I went into it with an open mind. I did not come out as such.
As one of the many aspects of this film's unusual nature, is based on a series of fantasy novels rather than Disney’s usual go-to gag of common fairytales. The Black Cauldron is based on the first two entries in the series of novels known as The Chronicles of Prydain, published from 1964 to 1968, the first being The Book of Three and the other being The Black Cauldron itself. That being said, I cannot in any way comment on this film on its merits or faults as an adaptation, seeing as how I have never read this particular series of books, nor had I even heard of it before researching this film. So, I will just have to take this film as it is. Still, the fact that I had never even heard of this film’s basis cannot possibly be a good sign.
The overall plot of this film is as basic and unenlightened as it could possibly get. The opening narration gives us a standard back story of some ancient evil sealed away in the mystic “MacGuffin,” the Black Cauldron. We then moved to the Shire standard farmstead, where we see the standard young and inexperienced wannabe hero, Luke Taran. He is being looked over by Obi-Wan Kenobi Gandalf Dallben. For the record, I’ll say that Dallben’s voice, provided by Freddie Jones, sounds fairly strained, but perhaps maybe they were going for to give him more of a venerated feel, or possibly it just might be the limitations of the recording equipment of the mid-80s. Speaking of that, this film actually feels a lot older than it actually is, like it’s contemporary with films like The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book, despite the fact that it’s actually nearly 20 years older than those films. The animation style of this film is sketchy, like it’s not fully polished, which was common in previous decades, but should have been phased out by this time. It’s decent, but nowhere near impressive. Characters and moving objects stand out too much from the backgrounds; I even know which rocks they will step on. Perhaps this is a frame rate or conversion issue, but it does bear noticing. For the most part, the backgrounds do look nice and well-painted, but they’re not that noteworthy.
The DVD extras are there, and that’s all I can really say about them. There are a couple of point-and-click games with trivia and very simple puzzles, which are extraordinarily easy; it might entertain a five-year-old for a few minutes but won’t do anything for anybody else. There is an old Donald Duck Halloween cartoon short included, and that’s pretty good, for what it’s worth. There is a deleted scene, but unfortunately, it’s not from any of the 12 minutes that were supposedly cut from this film postproduction personally by Jeffrey Katzenberg. Instead it’s just another partially animated storyboard animatic from the Fair Folk scene, which I found to be disappointing in light of what could have very easily been an extensive deleted scenes extra.
Overall, everything about this film screams average, and the low end of average at that. The story just seems to sort of happen to the characters, rather than the characters driving the plot. Nobody seems very active. The story itself is the classic fantasy hero’s journey that we’ve all seen a hundred times before, and it doesn’t really bring anything new to the formula to justify its own existence. A lot of the characters and objects function only as plot devices, and are not very well explained or elaborated upon. The main hero isn’t particularly skilled or even likable, the side characters are mostly useless and kind of annoying, and the villain is kind of good but it only serves to illuminate that he could’ve been much better. For a Disney film, I was very underwhelmed by this film. The animation isn’t stellar or amateur, it’s just average; its characters are not outright good and interesting or even bad, just average; the plot also isn’t particularly innovative or negatively derivative, it’s just average. And for Disney, average means “skip it,” and you should skip this film. The Disney studios have done much better before this film and after it. Unless you really want to have a complete Disney Animated Classics collection, you aren’t really missing much if you leave this one out of it.
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
What's great about it: Some (rare) good voice acting and the plot is simple and standard hero's journey.
What's not so great: Nothing innovative or new to the genre. Old style of animation that should have been better by this point.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Share this review:
-1point
1of 3voted this as helpful.
![Superman vs. The Elite [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2012]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/5606/5606136_sa.jpg)
Must enter redemption code by expiration date to redeem UltraViolet offer. Does not include iTunes file.
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from Moreno Valley, CA
I just took a look at a relatively recent animated Superman film, Superman vs. The Elite. I am very glad I did. This has been, without a doubt, one of the best Superman media in recent years, and one of the best representations of the character that I have ever seen.
The plot of this animated feature is based on one particular issue of the comic series, and a relatively recent one at that. Taken from Action Comics #775, “Whatever Happened to Truth, Justice, and the American Way?”, written by Joe Kelly back in 2001. Kelly himself wrote the adaptation, so he pretty much gives his approval on the faithfulness of that adaptation since he did himself. The plot of this film (and by extension, the comic book on which it is based) is that Superman must deal with this new team of superhuman antiheroes called the Elite. The elite are led by Manchester Black, who has telekinetic and telepathic abilities. The other members are Coldcast, who can manipulate electromagnetic energy; the Hat, who possesses a magical hat from which he can summon demons and other things; and Menagerie, who has access to some sort of symbiotic alien life form that summon and control alien creatures from her body. The Elite are of the persuasion that superheroes who simply turn in criminals to prison, as opposed to killing them outright, are being too soft on evil, with Superman being the metaphorical embodiment of this ideology. To this end, the Elite make use of lethal force when combating their enemies, in direct opposition to Superman and his methods. The world, it seems, are on the side of the Elite, and they want more permanent solutions to problems like criminals and violence. Superman begins to question his place in the world, and whether or not his ideals are outdated in an ever-changing world. A climactic showdown is imminent, of both powers and ideologies, as the Elite prove a formidable test of not only Superman’s abilities, but also the very core of his morals.
This film has great art direction and style. It is very similar to what we’ve seen before from the DCAU, but distinctive enough for its own look. Superman, for the most part, looks pretty good, although, his massive chin makes him look like genetic fusion of Jay Leno and Bruce Campbell. The voice cast, as is per the norm with DC in general and these animated pictures, his stellar, and a mix of the old and the new. George Newbern returns as the Man of Steel, back from the Justice League animated series. As here as it was there, Newbern can perfectly convey both Superman’s authority and strength with his human vulnerability. Another returning DCAU alum, David Kaufman as Jimmy Olsen also does good, although he only gets a few throwaway lines. Pauley Perrette (whom you may recognize as Abby from NCIS) acts as a good replacement for Dana Delany, conveying both the sternness and caring of Lois Lane/Kent. Robin Atkin Downes also does really well as Manchester Black. His English accent is sick, but not to the point of being not understandable, although I will admit that a few of the British idioms that he used went over my head, but that’s not a big deal. The rest of the cast does pretty good as well, with some people I haven’t heard of, and other veteran voice actors like Dee Bradley Baker, Tara Strong, and Fred Tatasciore.
The opening credits have an interesting feel. It’s a montage of old-time Superman footage (like from the Ruby-Spears cartoons and even the George Reeves serials) against 1980s pop-culture art like that of Roy Lichtenstein. We gives a very appropriate introduction of both the home watch two and a critique of ideas of an older time. There is also footage of a cartoon-within-a-cartoon that seems very much in the style of Rocky & Bullwinkle that depicts a clichéd interpretation of Superman. It serves to open the debate of a simplistic viewpoint versus reality and how to deal with the evils of that reality. Shortly thereafter, Superman battles Atomic Skull (the Joseph Martin version, for the other nerds like me who actually care about that sort of minutiae), and instead of killing him, Superman sends him back to prison at Stryker’s Island (the Metropolis super prison version of real-life New York’s Riker’s Island) rather than kill him. Superman then gives a press conference at the United Nations. This scene in particular is done well because it furthers and demonstrates the central ideological conflict of this film, that is should superheroes that possess sufficient power right out kill criminals and other evil people and take along to their own hands as opposed to allowing the legal system to determine and levy punishment. Superman claims he is not judge, nor jury, nor executioner of anyone. This is a brilliant discussion of Superman’s principles and what he stands for and represents both to his fictional world and to our real world.
Not long after, Superman encounters the Elite. The introductory scene of the elite is good, in that it shows that the Elite are both morally ambiguous and dangerous to those whom they considered to be against them. At first, it seems the Elite are Superman’s allies, and they help him with a terrorist incident in England. The story that Manchester Black gives about his origins serves its purpose in being sympathetic, although it does seem fairly standard “tragic childhood backstory” for comic books. It quickly becomes apparent that not only are the Elite willing to use lethal force against their foes, they embrace it. This confrontation reaches a head during a battle between the fictional nations of Bialya and Pokolistan (which I assume to be real-world analogies to nations like Israel and Palestine, or essentially any other extreme regime from the volatile nations of that region). I admit that this part of the film seems a little odd, in the sense that the weapons that these two nations use seem particularly bizarre unrealistic. However they don’t fully break my suspension of disbelief because I am familiar with this sort of thing and it’s fairly normal for comic book stories. In particular, it seems reminiscent of the extreme science fiction of the Silver Age. Shortly after that confrontation, the Elite challenge Superman to a final fight, to cement their assertion of their ideology over Superman’s. I won’t give away the details of the climax nor the ending, but I will say that this climactic battle is legitimately intense and actually frightening in some aspects. The film will get those were not familiar with this story to believe the things that they are seeing on screen.
Another aspect of this film that I enjoyed is that there is a great dynamic between Clark Kent/Superman and Lois. At this point in the history of the comic books, they had been married for some time, and it shows here. They have good “couple banter” and Lois serves as a good confidant in Superman’s life and to balance his alter ego.
For the most part, the DVD extras are very good. There is an interview with the writer, Joe Kelly, about his original comic book story and the characters of the Elite. He explains each one well and also he goes into more detail of the other comic book stories that they featured in. There is also a brilliant documentary that serves as a sort of philosophical treatise on the methodology and ideology of Superman and his role in both his fictional world in our real world. They bring in various experts from various fields to discuss this idea both in context of the story and the realities of the real world. It fits brilliantly in with my overall feeling of this film and that it perfectly captures the character of Superman. Also as per the norm with these DC animated films, there are a few selected episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, although I may be mistaken, but I think one of them may have appeared before on a previous film release. Nonetheless, they’re both good episodes. There are also standard trailers. What negative thing I will say about the DVD extras is that it advertises a digital comic version of the original issue that the story is based on, but in only offers a preview of a few pages towards the end of the story. I was disappointed in this; I was expecting the full issue, but I was let down in that regard.
Overall, I love this film. The animation and voice direction are superb, but what really nails it down is the story and the moral weight it carries. It is a brilliant discussion of Superman’s morality, and the place it holds in our national conscience. This film perfectly understands the character of Superman, something that I find a welcome reprieve when another recent live-action film, which shall remain unnamed, completely failed to do this, in my opinion. I definitely recommend this to all fans of Superman and comics in general. This is the real Superman, and no other film that I’ve seen with him in it perfectly captures what it means to be the Man of Steel like this film does.
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
What's great about it: Brilliant plot that fully understands the nature of its characters.
What's not so great: The "Digital Comic" special feature is really only a few pages.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
![Road Trip [Blu-ray] [2000]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/7271/7271124_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
2
Don't make a pit stop for this film, just pass on.
on June 27, 2013
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from Moreno Valley, CA
I just took a look at Road Trip, comedy from way back in 2000. I bought it because it came with a free ticket to see The Hangover Part III and I had a passing interest in seeing it. I am now starting to regret that decision, twofold.
The plot is fairly straightforward, with no real surprises in terms of the narrative, but the premise offers plenty of opportunities for funny scenes and characters. Road Trip, unfortunately, misses most of those opportunities. This film was clearly meant to be in the same vein as American Pie, a raunchy college comedy, but it doesn’t quite reach that level, nor that of something like Animal House.
Like I said, the plot isn’t too complicated. College slacker Josh Parker (Breckin Meyer) has a girlfriend named Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard), his childhood sweetheart, but they attend different colleges, with Josh at the fictional University of Ithaca in New York State and Tiffany at the University of Austin, Texas. He has a tryst with classmate Beth (Amy Smart), which she lets him videotape. Said tape is accidentally mailed to Tiffany as part of Josh’s ritual of him sending her video journals, or something like that. Now Josh and his buddies have three days to drive from New York to Texas to intercept the tape before Tiffany sees it. It’s pretty straightforward, no real problems plot or narrative wise, with one glaring exception. The plot is set in a frame story, a set of flashbacks narrated by Tom Green’s character, which I’ll go into detail with later. This framing device is pointless. If taken out, there is no loss to the plot. In fact, he could’ve just as easily been narrated by Meyer’s character.
During this trip, there are a decent variety of scenes and environments given the road path that the friends take. The cinematography is decent, but nothing special. The soundtrack is typical of the late 1990s early 2000s era, mostly mellow college rock; again, nothing to write home about. The shenanigans that the characters get into, typical of this “crazy adventure” type story, are hit and miss, mostly miss. Thankfully though, a lot of the unfunny jokes don’t last very long, and are typically scene-enders. The gross-out type comedy that is prevalent in this genre is kept to a minimum without any real loss of the comedy, or this case, lack thereof. The fan-service scenes are gratuitous, of course, but that’s the point in this genre; they serve their purpose. The dialogue between the characters is a natural and believable, given the characters and the situations that they find themselves in; most of it isn’t pointless, but there are some hiccups.
The acting and the characters are really were this film drops the ball. It’s hard to remember, but these actors seem a little bit too old for college kids, even for back then, but for suspension-of-disbelief’s sake, I’m willing to forgive that. First of all, not everything is bad. Amy Smart is nice and likable, the girl-next-door type. She does okay, with a good and believable mix of strength and vulnerability. DJ Qualls as Kyle is squirrelly and vulnerable, but not wholly feeble. His friends do take advantage of him, but it all does seem to be in good fun, and he takes it in stride well enough. He is the “pathetic loser” type typical of teen films, not unlike Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (played by Alan Ruck), right down to the overly strict father. Unlike Cameron, Kyle does eventually confront his father directly, rather than it being implied, and although this particular plotline’s resolution is not terrible, it’s not particularly satisfying either. Breckin Meyer is barely passable. He almost delves into blandness, but not quite enough to destroy the performance, but he does straddle that line a little too closely for my taste. Paulo Costanzo as Rubin is boring, emotionless, and uninteresting; if he obviously doesn’t care about what’s going on around him, why should we? He’s the stoner/slacker stereotype, and he doesn’t diverge from that trope at all, and much of the plot can take place without him without any real loss. Sean William Scott plays . . . somebody. I forget the actual character name, but let’s face it, he’s just playing Stifler from the American Pie films again. Seriously, the character is no different, essentially a copy-and-paste with no discernible changes whatsoever. But I suppose that is the point, as Sean William Scott was typecast for that character type. If you found Stiffler funny, you’ll find Stifler 2.0 funny in this film too. Anthony Rapp’s character of Jacob is a stock psycho/stalker type; he’s clichéd and lame, and only serves to poorly fill the “bully” stereotype, but he doesn’t really look the part. There are some funny cameos, however. Horatio Sanz, from Saturday Night Live fame, has one of the few really funny parts in this film. It’s of the gross-out variety, but not too bad and hilarious nonetheless. Jimmy Kimmel also has a cameo that’s pretty funny; see if you can catch it. There’s also a brief appearance by John Ross Bowie, whom you probably know as Barry Kripke of The Big Bang Theory fame. Of course, Andy Dick is an unfortunate blemish on an otherwise good cameo list. But all of this, good and bad, is nothing compared to the true horror of this film, the un-equally terrible Tom Green.
Tom Green is abysmal this film; by far, he is the worst thing about it. He is annoying and unfunny. For the life of me, I cannot remember or understand why we as a nation ever found him funny, and frankly, I’m ashamed of it. Like I said before, he’s the narrator for the frame story, but I already went over how pointless that was. In fact every scene he’s in is pointless and goes nowhere. Not one bit of it is funny, just annoying and obnoxious. Everything about this character is painful. His name is Barry Manilow, something that I believe that the real Barry Manilow regrets immensely. Tom Green’s scenes are painful in every sense of the word to watch. The only good one is where the snake tries to eat him, and man, do I wish it did, but then again, Tom Green is nearly impossible to stomach.
The ending, which I won’t give away here, is kind of anti-climactic, in the sense that it just sort of happens without any real tension or build-up. I will give the film credit for this though: the way the situation resolves is unconventional and unexpected, and even grown-up in its own way. The standard epilogue for this type of film, that being the “what happened to them afterward” footnotes are uninteresting for all the characters, and don’t do any of them any real justice, what little there was to be done.
The DVD extras are standard, mostly trailers. The trailer itself is mostly more Tom Green, so it’s just annoying. He also hosts the making-of documentary, so that’s also worthless. The deleted scenes were left out for reason, as they are even less funny than what made it into the film, and many of them are just mean-spirited. Skipping the DVD extras will most likely do you more good than otherwise.
Overall, this film is boring, forgettable, and only slightly funny in some rare parts. That being said, it’s not outright terrible, but it comes darn close, almost too close for comfort. There could’ve been some genuine comedy here, but the opportunity is mostly missed out on. Unless you’re really a fan of just this genre of raunchy college comedy films, you’re better off passing on it.
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
What's great about it: Some funny and good characters to be found, but mostly rare.
What's not so great: Tom Green . . . ugh! Everything he touches turns into pure annoyance.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
![Who Framed Roger Rabbit [25th Anniversary Edition] [2 Discs] [Blu-ray/DVD] [1988]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/8157/8157229_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
As close to perfect as a film can get.
on June 25, 2013
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from Moreno Valley, CA
Verified Purchase:Yes
I recently took a look at one of my all-time favorite films, recently released on Blu-ray, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I must say that it is held up extremely well after nearly a quarter of a century, and remains, in my opinion, one of the best films ever made. The plot is a classic whodunit made in the style of 1940s noir, like The Maltese Falcon, a style that it captures quite well. The plot does keep you guessing (assuming you’ve never seen it before), with clues and red herrings aplenty. The protagonist Eddie Valiant, played by Bob Hoskins in a superb performance, has the perfect accent and outlook to pull off the closed off hard-boiled detective type. Christopher Lloyd as the villain Judge Doom is another perfect casting, as a threatening and formidable threat to the safety of Toontown.
What propels this film to its legendary status is the unbelievable and unparalleled cinematography. The audience’s suspension of disbelief is complete and all encompassing, as you truly do believe that these cartoon characters are interacting with the real world. The shadows match, the perspective matches, essentially everything about these cartoons is made to look real part from the celluloid. Roger Rabbit and the fellow citizens of Toontown, who range from all of the different animation houses of the era from Disney to Warner Bros. and beyond, are believable in their presence and personalities, which all stay true to the original incarnations. The effects are so great that the cartoons can even interact with real-world objects, and the objects move believably. Helped by all of this are the actors’ performances, who all behave as those cartoons are really in the room. Behind the scenes, the voice actors really were in the room, lending to the realism of the dialogue. All in all, this film is as close to perfect, I believe, as a film can get.
The extras for the Blu-ray release a great too. It includes all of the documentaries from earlier DVD releases, so nothing is lost in the upgrade. Also included are the original Roger rabbit shorts that appeared in front of Disney films in the early 1990s, which are all great and stay true to the tone of the film. This really is a great film and a great release, worth every penny of the purchase price. I give it my highest recommendation for any film lover, animation lover, or just anybody who likes cartoons from when they were a kid.
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
What's great about it: Flawless animation and cinematography.
What's not so great: Kind of short.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
This $5 gift credit can be used to buy or rent your favorite movies and TV episodes on CinemaNow.com and through CinemaNow apps available on connected HDTVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles, and select smartphones and tablets.
Posted by: BasilioBoy777
from CA
Verified Purchase:Yes
CinemaNow is gaining some ground in digital distribution. It links with UltraViolet, which is ok, but I still am not 100% on the cloud-streaming format. What makes this only mediocre for me is that the selection of CinemaNow is still barely minimal. Mostly only new releases, movies and TV-wise. Also, next to no anime at all, which is a big thing for me.
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
My Best Buy number: 0731615252
What's great about it: Ease of use
What's not so great: Selection still not great
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
BasilioBoy777's Review Comments
BasilioBoy777 has not submitted comments on any reviews.
BasilioBoy777's Questions
BasilioBoy777 has not submitted any questions.
BasilioBoy777's Answers
BasilioBoy777 has not submitted any answers.