DVD review: Castle In The Sky

After reviewing three masterpieces in a row from Studio Ghibli, Castle In The Sky feels a little..puny. Not bad mind you. But it may just be the weak link at Studio Ghibli.

Sheeta, a young woman, is attacked by air pirates while being escorted by a a shady general. She soon learns (along with a man named Pazu) about Laputa, the last remaining floating city in the world.

Visually, the film is a treat like all Ghibli films. But the film feels like 10 minutes could easily be snipped, mainly chase scenes. The film just also dosen't have the basic emotions perfect, like Totoro or even Ponyo. Still, it's nearly impossible for Hayoa Myizaki to make a dud and this fillm still delivers thrills and excitmeent. It's just a little too plodding.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10 or A-

SYS

DVD Review: Kiki's Delivery Service

Avatar took 12 years to make. That's a rarity for a film to take that long to make. But what if it took a decade to release a film that was finished? That was the case with Kiki's Delivery Service, released in Japan in 1989 and released to the USA in 1999.

Kiki is 13 and a witch in training. The problem is, her only ability as a witch is to fly. So (obviously from the title) Kiko starts a delivery service. However, her powers are starting to dissapear and she may not be able to save her best friend if trouble arises...

Ghibli can always be counted on bringing films brimming with imagination and wonder. Kiki is no exception. Here he brings the life of a teen and a witch together so realistically, it boggles the mind. The animation also makes the city another character altogeher..one that seems to be safe and caring. Combine that with great animation and voice acting and you have another Myizaki winner!

Rating: 9.1 out of 10 or A+

SYS

DVD Review: My Neighbor Totoro

Ghibli delivers! That's the main thing I can say about Totoro, one of the greatest films ever. Hayoa is a defenite filmmaker and this is the perfect slice of how great he can be.

Satsuki and Mei move into a new house in Japan, only to discover two small spirits who lead the girls to..Totoro, the keeper of the forest. However, the girls mother is getting sicker and sicker and soon Totoro (and a Catbus) will become more and more important to he girls...

The animation of this film will leave you breathless and the entire film reminds you fo E.t. or (For modern comparision) How To Train Your Dragon. The girls seem real, showing Hayoa Myizaki's knowledge of chuldhood. This would be kept up in the almost equal film Ponyo. The film itself boats great visuals pacing and heart. Easily one of the best movies ever, it's quite a charmer and will leave you breathless.

Rating: 9.3 out of 10 or A+

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Blu-Ray Review: Ponyo

Hayoa Myizaki has always had a soft spot in this ol' heart o' mine. I adore My Neighobr Totoro and Spirited Away, so a new film from him is always welcome. And this film is quite a show-stopper...a defenite Ghibli classic!

Sosuke is a small boy who finds a fish called Ponyo. Ponyo and Sosuke fall in love though, which angers Ponyo's father (Liam Neeson) who is also the father of the sea. Now Ponyo, Sosuke and Sosuke's mother (Tina Fey) have to save the planet...before it's too late.

What's nice the about the film is how relaxed it is. Modern day American animation is fast-paced and frentic. This film is calm and dosen't care if you doze off or not. This is a refreshing approach and one tha may make for a jarring experience for some, the rest of us will enjoy it.

The vocies are also top-notch. The Cyrus and Jonas siblings voice Ponyo and Sosuke and are surprisingly robust. Liam Neeson does well here, evoking Taken in his role as angered father. Cate Blanchett also does well as Ponyo's mother.

The film is a grand experience, one that will defenitly lift your spirits. Hayoa has delivered again!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10 or A-

SYS

Film Review: How To Train Your Dragon

Dreamworks. The company that has always had to compete with PIXAR. Most of the time, these guys get a bad cred. You can blame that on duds like Spirit, Shrek The Third and Madagascar 2. But with films like Shrek 1 & 2, Over The Hedge and Kung Fu Panda, these guys show they can do great cinema. They just need to get talented people to work on their films. This one has Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois in the director's chair. These guys worked on the classic Lilo & Stitch. So is it any wonder this is the best dreamWorks adventure yet?

Hiccup (Jay Bruchel) is a small viking on the island of Berk. While his friends are always battling dragons, he's working with Gobber (Craig Ferguson) as a blacksmith. However, he catches the rarest of all dragons: a Night Fury. But when he see's it for the first time, he just CAN'T kill the little critter he dubs Toothless. And thus, a classic film friendship is born.

Let's face it. This story has been told time after time again. But...this one just seems fresher, perhaps because this is the first pet that, y'know, kills people! Toothless, however, comes off more cute than ferocious. In fact, he has some of the best expressions that I've seen in animation in a LOOOOOOOOOONG time. He and Hiccup do make good buddies.



The voices in the film are really well, Jonah Hill and Craig Ferguson being stnad-outs. Gerard Butler also does well as Hiccup's father. Jay is alright as Hiccup, much better than I thought he would be thanks to those pesky TV commercials. Toothless, thank goodness, has no voice actor. That's probably for the best as he does perfectly fine here silent.

The animation also does well here. The background are beautiful and the dragons look really good too. This film just gets everything right, fromt pacing to action to animation. A highly reccomended ride in 3D or 2D!!



Rating: 9.0 out of 10 or A

SYS

Blu-Ray Review: 9

9 is an intriguing concept and one you'd have to be crazy not to love it and still be an animation fan. The end result isn't QUITE as good as you may think but still a nice 'un.

9 is a ragdoll, one of 9 of his kind. It turns out humans have been killed by large machines and the ragdolls must carry on humanity.

9 has many action pieces, most of which are intense and would make many blockbuster film makers really stand in awe. The animation is brilliant and shines in Hi-Def. The only problem is the ending that fells a little too much. Spirits come out of devices and feels just a bit like they wanted to pull the heartstrings too much.

That behind, the film is awesome. It's one great film an I see a future for Shane Acker.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10 or A-

SYS

DVD Reivew: Mickey's Christmas Carol

Mickey Mouse holds a dear place in my heart. So does this special. This was my first encounter with Charles Dickens classic tale and remains one of my favorite adaptations of the aforementioned tale.

The choice of spirits here are really creative and help the flow of the story indefenitly. Scrooge was a new character here and really does well. Mickey Cratchit is another nice choice and when he goes up to Tiny Tim's grave...your heart melts. The animators just make you flat-out cry. It's breathtaking I kid you not.

Disney really did well here and I can see why it has become a Christmas tradition for many. It's a brilliant portrayl of A CHristmas Carol and I hope many could follow this shows example. Superb.

Rating: A or 9.0 out of 10

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Blu-Ray Review: Miracle on 34th Street

Christmas brings out the best in people. Grandmothers cook more treats and people are all around more giving. The Christmas spirit isn't lost on movie directors, though. Dispite the film coming out in May 1947, this fiom is as Christmasy as they come and I enjoyed it very much, though I feel it isn't QUITE as amazing as people think.

An old man named Kris Kringle tells people he is the real deal..he is Santa Clause. He also starts to give away competiiton promotion leading to anger from Macy's, the company that he works for. Although people deem him insane, a lawayer decides to prove he's the real McCoy, despite a man named Sawyer saying Kris

This is a fine film, but I think it deserves notice for a major flaw. It really feels like what Kris has done is never dealt with. He hurts Saeyer, yes, but it's only mentioned in passing. They mainly deal with Kris think he's Santa. It feels like they just missed something good.

A few other things come in question (Is he Santa? Is he not?), but overall it's grand. There wonderful acting and it really feels like a nice Christmas tradition. With such a nice ending, I could probably watch it again without hesitation.

There may be a plto hole, but don't let that stop you from seeing Miracle. It's overall a terrific flick.

Rating: B+ or 8.1 out of 10


SYS

P.S. This is our 25th review!! Awesomenes!

Blu-Ray Review: The Wizard of Oz

The perfection that is The Wizard of Oz comes from the year 1939. That year was full of classic films like Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Gone With The Wind and this one...The Wizard of Oz. The whole film sparkles with wonder and beauty.

This film is about Dorothy, who helps on her parents' farm. She has many troubles and wonders what to do with her life. Soon, a tornado sweeps her up away from her troubles into the Land of Oz. There, she'll discover herself and evil beyond comprehension.

You really couldn't even find a better film anywhere. Every single musical number, set and actor seem to be having the time of their lives in such a picture as this. The song Over The Rainbow is one that I can belt out anytime perfectly. Hey, little bluebirds can do it, why can't I?!?!

The acting here also has some good stuff going for it. Ray Bolger is stunning as the Scarecrow, as is Judy Garland as Dorothy. The Witch may be the greatest villain ever put on the screen. If you think Hannibal Lector is frightning, wait till you see The Witch of The West!!



You'd have to go over the rainbow for a better film. This is surely a testament to the greatness in Hollywood. One of the greatest ever crafted.

Rating: 10.1 out of 10 or A+

SYS

Simpson Review: Pranks and Greens

Pranks and Greens was about Bart finding out that he wasn't the best prankster ever. As funnily put by Skinner, he may be the best of his era, but not of all-time. The prankster turned out to be none other than...Andy Hamilton (Jonah Hill). It turns out Bart thinks Andy needs a life, so he helps Andy get a job with Krusty.

Jonah Hill is a good comedian and he does well here (Seth Rogen, his somewhat partner guest starred in this seasons premiere, just as a note). I also felt that a lot of good gags were in here like the exploding pen, Andy's hair, Swim Teacher Willie, the names of the pranks and by far the best joke of the season Krusty's things he couldn't do. Among them were: "I won't see screenplays, I won't give a rising star his first break, won't give an old hack his last break...".

There was also a B plot in this episode. Marge decided to get more healthy so she went shopping at a local health food market. I like the whole health food rotting in seconds gag and the Lard Glug drink. However, it must be admitted that everything else was filler, tohugh funny filler.

This was nice episode, another classic for this nearly 20 year old show. After last weeks dud I was worried. But now, I see they are back on track. Good job you guys! Really liked this one!!

Overall: A- or 8.7 out of 10

DVD Review: Cars

Cars is one of PIXAR's most unloved films, solely because it's probably only enjoyed by people living it rural, like me. The film is about a race car named Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) who comes into the town of Radiater Springs and learns about the good life while falling in love with Sally (Bonnie Hunt).


This is one touching and funny film. True, it's no Up or Ratatouille, but it's still one of their most funny films ever, thanks to Larry th Cable Guy as Mater. The world here is quite open for a sequel, which they will give the film in 2011 (the title is Cars: World Gran Prix).

The animation is stunning, even by today's standards. This is one of the best animated films ever and another notable film from PIXAR's catalouge (all of their film's are notable actually).

Rating: A- or 8.8 out of 10

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Film Review: Gone With The Wind

Gone With The Wind is a film I love with all my soul. You already know the grand plot of the War and the down home country, so let me just get to this point:

* The sets pieces are great. They don't make things that great anymore.

* Acting is splendid, ten-fold. The greatest actors alive today could learn many things from these people.

* Greatest line in history: "Rhett, Rhett, Whatever shall I Do, Wherever Shall I Go" and "Frankly My Dear, I Don't Give A Dang"

If you don't have this in your collection by the end of this year (thanks to Blu-Ray), then I'm sorry, your not a film fan. Your nothing!!

Rating: A+ or 10.2 out of 10

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KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNN....You FInd The Actor That's Playing Khan?

Star Trek was one of the biggest films of this year, and likely one of my favorites too. Now, they are working on a sequel. Khan may be in it. Who will play him?

Nestor Carbonell, who is on Lost, another J.J. Abrams project (J.J. directed Star Trek and produced Cloverfield and Fringe).

Also, Chris Pine (Kirk) and John Cho (Sulu) say they will return, with more emotional roles. Warp speed there, Sulu!

SYS

Blu-Ray Review: Up

PIXAR is probably the greatest company in the world solely because of the way they push boundaries (of course, 10 masterpieces don't hurt either). This time, an old man named Carl Fredrickson (Ed Asner) decides to tie balloons to his house, only to find an asian boy scout trapped to his house. They arrive in South America, only to find a "talking" dog there and a female peacock who they name Kevin. Soon, an evil mastermind turns out to be behind a terrorfying truth in the jungle and Carl must stop him.

The best part about the film is that it has such emotion...you must be made of stone if your not crying in the first 10 minutes when Carl's wife dies. Strangely, this is also PIXAR's funniest film to date, besides being their saddest. I felt overjoyed when Dug the Dog was speaking.. SQUIRELL!!.. because he's very random. The villain, Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), is also fun, at first seemingly just a nice guy and then becomes someone truly evil.

There is so much more that I could say about the film (the animation is perfect), but I think you need to discover the rest of the film on your own. Just as a note, this iflm has a short film on it, Partly Cloudy and a new short only on DVD and Blu-Ray: Dug's Special Mission.

Rating: A or 9.7 out of 10

SYS