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ComicsOnline.com News
2008 Con Coverage
Convention season has come to a close, but in case you missed any, here's our coverage of some of the best comic conventions around!
Comic Con International: San Diego
Stargate Continuum Red Carpet Premiere Video,
Darksiders Video Game Preview,
Kroze's Top 5 Comic Con Swag,
Interview: Futurama Cast and Crew,
Interview: Robert Kirkman, Interview: DCU Online,
Interview: Battlestar Galactica: Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama) ,
Iron Man Armored Adventures,
Interview: Stargate: Robert Picardo (Richard Woolsey),
Interview: Spectacular Spider-Man (part 2),
Avatar The Last Airbender: Sozin’s Comet,
Interview: Battlestar Galactica: James Callis (Gaius Baltar),
Karl's Comic Con Journal,
Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, Chuck, Fringe,
Interview: Spectacular Spider-Man (part 2),
Interview: Torchwood,
Interview: Spectacular Spider-Man (part 1),
Stargate, Joss Whedon, Family Guy,
Coming Attractions,
Interview: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, Jessica Hynes,
Interview: Stargate: Jewel Staite,
Watchmen,
Spider-Man Web of Shadows,
The Day the Earth Stood Still, Max Payne
, X-Men Origins: Wolverine,
Stan Lee FTW!
New York Comic Con:
Spotlight on Gail Simone at NYCC,
NYCC Top Swag,
Dix & Kroze NYCC Wrapup,
Chelsea's NYCC Diary,
Call of Duty card game at NYCC
Anime St Louis:
Roundup,
Intro
WonderCon San Francisco:
News and Rumors,
Spectacular Spider-Man Previewed
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 | Game Review: Bleach: Blades of Fate for Nintendo DS |
 aka writes "Bleach: The Blade of Fate for Nintendo DS
In Bleach: The Blade of Fate you have to first go though the basic Story Mode, which is set during the first time in the Soul Society. Playing as Ichigo you go through levels, fight the people in your way, and then save Rukia, which can be relatively hard if you don’t read the cut scenes . When you’ve completed that, things get fun, and easier. New characters are unlocked for Arcade mode Versus mode. You also unlock some of the Extras and the rest of the story modes. There are a total of 23 story modes, each based on a different character and the last one is the really long conclusion of Episode 1. I quite enjoy the multiple Story modes you unlock and the character available.
Of course, like any battle based game there is Arcade mode. Once you’ve unlocked 22 main characters and the 6 random people, Arcade mode is the best I’ve played. I love the variety of characters to select from and their unique 8 color choices. Unlike most Arcade modes, when playing against the computer you have to complete 5 stages, or battle 5 times.
Training mode has a nice little feature that you can pick the character you train against as well as the one you want to train with.
Survival mode and Challenge mode are a defense challenge. In Survival mode you try to get through as many battles as you can, but you don’t regain HP at all. It is very important to know your character if you want to go far in this mode.
Challenge mode is confusing and can be a bore, but it’s unnecessary to complete it, you won’t further the game in any way really. All you have to do is try to do tricky control combinations. There are 10 combinations for the first 21 characters in the story.
Time Attack mode is the last mode you unlock once you’ve beaten all 23 Episodes. All you have to do is see how long it takes you to loose a battle. You do get a full HP gauge at the start of each battle, so it’s not too hard. It can be tedious though after about 8 battles.
You can buy spirit cards at the Urahara Shop with the kan (in-game money) you get from battles and Episodes completed. These cards go in your battle deck but your deck can only hold 12 cards at a time. Each card can either Reinforce you, debuff the enemy stats or movement, or swap stats. Each card is available from level 1 to 4. The higher the level the better the effect and the more kan it costs. Pretty simple. You can also buy bonus graphics (which are just artwork) and sound clips from the show.
At the Gallery you can either go to the Visual or the Sound Gallery. The Visual Gallery has the artwork you unlock through gameplay and that you buy at the Urahara Shop. The sound gallery lets you listen to the music, sound effects, and character voices bought at the Urahara shop. There are 34 character voices, all of which you can use as the system voice, which is really cool.
Game Play:
The game is mostly battles and cut scenes that you just read. It‘s easy to understand and play. There is a lack of variety in the controls, but the story makes up for it. There is a lot of detail in the cut scenes, but there is the option to skip it. Same goes for the minimal training in the Story mode, you can skip it and the cut scenes. I do have to say the graphics are better then the 2D stuff that is in most GameBoy advanced games.
Why you should get this game:
The extras and unlockables are amazing. From the different colors for the characters to the system voices, they are all really exciting. I mostly find that DS extras are not really worth getting, but in this game they are more then worth getting!
I really liked this game, and I still do. Having previous familiarity with the storyline and whole concept of Bleach really helped my complete enjoyment, but anyone can still easily enjoy this game without it.
ComicsOnline gives Bleach: The Blade of Fate 4.5 out of 5 Zanpaku-To.
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Posted by kevin on Wednesday, 19 November 2008 @ 21:02:47 CST (4 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 5)
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| Blu-Ray Review: Planet of the Apes 40th Ann. Collection |
 the_matt writes ""Ape Shall Never Kill Ape"
It's a commandment broken by characters in the films and with the release of the new deluxe 40th Anniversary Planet of the Apes set on Blu-ray, it's been broken again. Planet of the Apes 40th Anniversary Collection kills all previous versions. For Apes fans, this is the set you've been waiting for.
Set Special Features:
-Slipcase Package
-200 page Hardcover Book with tons of photos.
Planet of the Apes
Astronauts Taylor, Landon, and Dodge awaken in the year 3978 after crashing on a mysterious planet. After making it to shore they set out in search of any life on what appears to be a barren waste land. They eventually discover there are humans on this planet, and that they are not the ones incharge. There are apes on this planet...and they are the dominant life form...oh and they can talk. Dodge is killed. Taylor (Charlton Heston) makes contact with the Apes and learns more about their society. On this world, Humans can't talk and are considered pests. With the help of two of the Apes, Zira and Cornelius, Taylor and another human female named Nova are able to escape from the bad Apes.
I don't want to ruin the ending....actually I do. They are on Earth. Its actually Earth. Charlton Heston finds the Statue of Liberty on a beach. I cant believe you didnt know that. Sucker.
Special Features:
-Commentary by Actors Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter, and Natalie Trundy and makeup artist john chambers
-Commentary by Composer Jerry Goldsmith
-Text commentary by Eric Greene, author of Planet of the Apes as American Myth.
-The Science of the Apes
-Beyond the Forbidden Zone Adventure Game
-A Public Service Announcement from ANSA
-The Evolution of the Apes Featurette
-The Impact of the Apes Featurette
-Behind the Planet of the Apes documentary with interactive mode
-The Archives of the Apes: Vintage Featurettes
-The Galleries of the Apes: Many Vintage Apes Stills
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Taking place shortly after the first movie, Beneath begins with another spacecraft crashing onto the planet. An Astronaut named Brent survives the crash and encounters Nova in the Forbidden Zone. The two discover that the Apes are planning to invade the Forbidden Zone and kill all the humans. Brent is injured on their way to find Taylor and Nova takes him to see Zira and Cornelius in the hopes that they will help him. After recovering they escape from the Apes and head towards a cave, which turns out to be the remains of Queensboro Plaza station. Brent realizes that there are humans alive, but they aren't quite human anymore, they are telepathic mutants...and they have a nuke. Yeah a nuclear bomb...on the Planet of the Apes. BOOM! The End. Actually there's a lot more to it than that but you should go watch the movie.
Special Features:
-Isolated score track
-From Alpha to Omega: Building a Sequel Featurette
-Original theatrical trailer
-The Ape News Gallery
-Interactive Pressbook
-Advertising Gallery
-Lobby card gallery
-Behind the scenes gallery
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Right before the planet went BOOM in the last movie Zira, Cornelius, and Dr. Milo escape in Taylor's crashed spacecraft back to the 20th Century! Oh and they cause the very events that lead to the Planet of the Apes! Time travel makes everything fun! It turns out that Zira is pregnant and that her child will lead the apes and destroy the human race. DUN DUN DUN.
Special Features
-Isolated score track
-The secret behind escape featurette
-Don Taylor Directs Escape from the Planet of the Apes featurette
-Original theatrical trailer
-Advertising gallery
-Behind the scenes gallery
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
The Conquest begins here and now! The baby of the Apes rises to lead his fellow primates in rebellion against their human bosses. Caesar, son of Zira and Cornelius, declares war on mankind in the best bit of dialogue from the movie: "Where there is fire, there is smoke. And in that smoke, from this day forward, my people will crouch, and conspire, and plot, and plan for the inevitable day of Man's downfall - the day when he finally and self-destructively turns his weapons against his own kind. The day of the writing in the sky, when your cities lie buried under radioactive rubble! When the sea is a dead sea, and the land is a wasteland out of which I will lead my people from their captivity! And we will build our own cities, in which there will be no place for humans except to serve our ends! And we shall found our own armies, our own religion, our own dynasty! And that day is upon you NOW!"
News flash: The Apes win. TO BE CONCLUDED!!!
Special Features:
-Unrated and theatrical versions
-Isolated score track
-Riots and revolutions: confronting the times featurette
-A look behind Planet of the Apes featurette (1972)
-J Lee Thomson directs Conquest of the Planet of the Apes featurette
-Original theatrical trailer
-Future news gallery
-Interactive pressbook
-Advertising gallery
-Lobby card gallery
-Behind the scenes gallery
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
After revolting against the humans, Caesar wants to try and bring peace between man and ape. The surviving humans aren't thrilled about that. Oh and those mutants from Beneath the Planet of the Apes? They're back....Now Man, Ape, and Mutant must battle for their survival. Only one can win. When the movie is called "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" and it is really a prequel to the first movie...I bet you can guess who wins...
Special Features:
-Extended and theatrical versions
-Isolated score track
-End of an epic: the final battle featurette
-Original theatrical trailer
-San Simian Sentinel gallery
-Interactive pressbook
-Advertising gallery
-Behind the scenes gallery
Overall
This really is the definitive Planet of the Apes Collection. If you were waiting to buy these movies, the time is now. The films have stood the test of time and now are captured in the highest definition possible.
ComicsOnline gives Planet of the Apes: The 40th Anniversary Collection 5 out of 5 Damned Dirty Apes.
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Posted by matt on Wednesday, 19 November 2008 @ 08:56:54 CST (6 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 0)
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| DVD Review: Primeval Volume 1 |
 the_matt writes "When Zoologist Nick Cutter lost his wife eight years ago he thought it was the end of the world. Since then he has put his work first and his life second. When bizarre creatures begin appearing in London he begins to realize that the past might be catching up to him...in more ways than one. BBC's new hit series Primeval: Volume 1 is now available on DVD. This set contains all 13 episodes from Series 1 and 2 on 4 discs. Nick puts together a team to investigate the anomalies as they appear in London and work to contain whatever...or whoever...comes through them!
CAST
Professor Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) - Evolutionary Zoologist and Team Leader.
Abby Maitland (Hannah Spearritt) - Zoologist and Reptile Specialist
Stephen Hart (James Murray) - Cutter's Assistant
Connor Temple (Andrew-Lee Potts) - Student of Professor Cutter
Claudia Brown/Jennifer Lewis (Lucy Brown) - Claudia was the team's liaison from the Home Office in Series 1, but when time shifted she returned as Jennifer Lewis...now working as a PR Rep at the ARC Center.
James Lester (Ben Miller) - Senior Member of the Home Office/ ARC Center
Helen Cutter (Juliet Aubrey) - Palaeontologist and Cutter's missing wife.
Oliver Leek (Karl Theobald) - Lester's new assistant who appeared after a shift in time.
Highlights
-"Episode 1" - Nick Cutter and his team investigate the first anomaly in an area called The Forrest of Dean. There they learn that Dinosaurs are traveling through rips in time and space from millions of years ago. We learn about Nick's missing wife and that she may have disappeared into the very Forrest where the anomalies are appearing now...coincidence? I think not.
-"Episode 3" - People start disappearing near bodies of water and it is determined that marine creatures are getting through the rifts. Nick also makes a daring move and travels through a rift to try and find his wife!
-"Episode 6" - Oh hey, you know those rifts that go to the past? Yeah well did you ever stop to wonder if they go to the future too? Yay for time travel. Oh and keep in mind, time is fluid. Things can change.
-"Episode 7" - Nick begins to realize the scope of the changes that have taken place while trying to hunt a pack of Raptors that are loose in a mall. Nick meets a new addition to the timeline, Mr. Leak, who has taken Claudia's position with the team.
-"Episode 12" - A Mammoth is loose on a freeway and the team must act fast to stop it before people get killed. A traitor is revealed within the team...
DVD Extras
-Audio Commentary
-The Making of Primeval
-"Through the Anomaly" by Andrew-Lee Potts
Overall
I had heard a few things (mostly good) about this show prior to learning of its coming DVD release. I have to say after watching the 13 episodes I was pleasantly surprised. The first episode was a bit slow but then I began to realize the potential that it had so I kept going. By episode 3 I was hooked. This show is a nice blend of BBC's Torchwood with Jurassic Park thrown in. The Time Anomalies and rifts in time and space have been handled with great care and the writers have shown that they aren't afraid to make drastic changes at any moment. This is easily one of my new favorite shows and I am eagerly awaiting the beginning of Series 3 in January of 2009.
ComicsOnline gives Primeval: Volume 1 a very high recommendation and 5 out of 5 dinosaurs!
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Posted by matt on Tuesday, 18 November 2008 @ 01:12:18 CST (8 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 0)
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| DVD Review: Shrek the Halls |
kpm writes "On November 28, 2007, ABC released Shrek the Halls as a 30 minute Christmas TV Special, and now it is available for you own on DVD!
Shrek the Halls is an ages old tale of bah-humbug Christmas. Shrek, being an ogre, doesn't care or understand about Christmas spirit, no matter how much Donkey tries. That is, until Fiona expresses her excitement for a family Christmas. The chaos that ensues can only be performed by Shrek and friends, in the name of Christmas spirit, of course.
Shrek the Halls is an instant Christmas classic. Voiced by the movie cast and animated by DreamWorks, this is not a cheap knock-off of the original, but instead fits nicely into the Shrek continuity.
The Special Features are chock full of Christmas fun. First up are two sing-a-long songs, "The 12 Days of Christmas" and "Deck the Halls", with changes to the classic lyrics. Next up is Gingy’s Dunking Game which is a matching game that is played with your TV’s remote control. Now take the disc out of the DVD player and insert it in your computer for a demo of Shrek’s Carnival Craze. To finish the whole thing off, put the disc back into the DVD player and go to the DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox and music videos from all three Shrek movies as well as The Bee Movie, Madagascar, Over the Hedge and more.
Shrek the Halls is a classic mainly due to the fact this is not a cheap sell out, but the real thing, with all the laughs and emotion rivaling the likes of Charlie Brown, Rudolph, Frosty and the Grinch. My only complaint is that I would have liked the show to be an hour instead of 30 minutes. But, a quality Christmas Special, with some great special features make this DVD a must have for kids of all ages.
ComicsOnline gives Shrek the Halls 5 stockings hung by the chimney with care out of 5 sugar plums dancing in your head.
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Posted by matt on Tuesday, 18 November 2008 @ 01:09:54 CST (6 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 5)
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| Press Release: Wonder Woman Animated Coming March 09! |
 the_matt writes "COURAGEOUS PRINCESS. FIERCE WARRIOR. LEGENDARY DC SUPER HERO.WONDER WOMAN ON DVD AND BLU-RAY MARCH 3, 2009!
The Epic Tale of Wonder Woman is the Fourth DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movie From Warner Premiere
BURBANK, CA, (November 17, 2008) – Embark on a journey of untold beauty, grace and strength as Princess Diana uses her remarkable gifts and evolves into Wonder Woman, the world's most renowned female superhero. Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new animated original movie Wonder Woman on March 3, 2009, distributed by Warner Home Video. Wonder Woman will be available as a Single Disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP), 2 Disc Special Edition DVD for $29.98 (SRP) and Blu-ray Disc for $34.99 (SRP). Order due date for all versions is January 20, 2009. The animated original movie will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and date, March 3, 2009.
Produced by the multiple Emmy(R) Award winning animation legend Bruce Timm, Wonder Woman is an origin-- story and features a stellar celebrity voice cast including Keri Russell (Waitress, Felicity), Nathan Fillion (Desperate Housewives), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Rosario Dawson (Sin City), Oliver Platt (The West Wing) and David McCallum (NCIS).
Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more coverage and interviews with the team from Wonder Woman!"
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Posted by matt on Tuesday, 18 November 2008 @ 01:07:23 CST (5 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 0)
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| DVD Review: I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Series |
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Otaushi writes "America was nearing the peak of its love affair with the Space Program, Sitcoms were in their heyday, and a Jeannie loved her astronaut. It was 1965, but now you don't need magic to travel back in time, because I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Series is now on DVD as a complete series! It’s a wonderful set with 20 discs, a set of collectors cards and packaging in the shape of the famous bottle from the series.
For those of you who don’t know the series, I Dream of Jeannie is about an astronaut who finds a bottle with a Jeannie inside, and releases her. And a Jeannie who falls in love with this astronaut follows him home, and ends up causing loads of trouble. For those of you who do know this series it is about one of the funniest things that has ever been on television.
I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Series is the entire series collected over 20 discs. The picture and sound quality is great, but the only complaint is that the first season has been colorized when it was broadcast in black and white originally. Every episode is there, and boy are they a joy to watch.
Episode Highlights:
“The Lady in the Bottle”: Pilot – This is where it all began. Astronaut Tony Nelson finds a bottle with a surprise on the beach of an island he lands on after a failed mission.
“The Greatest Lover in the World”: Season 2, Episode 14 – Roger is completely dismayed about his love life. To help Roger, Jeannie makes him irresistible to every woman in the world… but forgot about the husbands of married women!
“Jeannie or the Tiger”: Season 3, Episode 2 – Jeannie’s twin sister is introduced in this episode, where she traps Jeannie in her bottle and tries to steal Major Nelson for herself.
“The Biggest Star in Hollywood”: Season 4, Episode 19 – Jeannie’s magic is witnessed by the producers of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In in a mirror, and they want her on the show. The cast of Laugh-In appear in this episode.
“The Wedding”: Season 5, Episode 11 – This is it! Jeannie and Major Nelson finally get married in this episode. The only hitch is that every photographer in town is going to photograph the wedding, but Jeannie can’t be photographed!
The series comes with relatively few special features. It has commentaries on a select few episodes, including the pilot, and one documentary on the series. The commentaries are fun, but usually the cast is mostly watching the episode, instead of rehashing specific memories related to the episodes. The commentaries are Larry Hagman, Bill Daly, and Barbara Eden. The series also comes with a set of collector’s cards that double as the episode guide. Now I thought that that was a great and unique way to put the episode guide into the set.
I have always loved I Dream of Jeannie since I was a child, and it has been watched in my household all the way back to the first run of the series by my grandfather. It is one of those wonderful shows that make you laugh no matter what mood you’re in. It is not vulgar like many of today’s comedies, and I think that enhances the series. I’d recommend this set to anyone who loves comedy or just wants a good laugh. This is one classic that everyone should have.
I give I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Series 5 out of 5 Jeannie bottles.
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Posted by matt on Sunday, 16 November 2008 @ 14:43:21 CST (18 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 5)
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| DVD Review: WALL-E |
ErinHatch writes "After finally leaving Earth and exploring the galaxy in June of 2008, WALL·E is finally rolling onto DVD. Pixar's latest hit is the story of the last remaining member of an army of clean-up robots left to dispose of humanity's waste while they luxuriate on space cruise-liners. When a survey probe, EVE, is left in Wall-e's area, he falls madly in love, eventually following her into space, where he becomes involved in a struggle to return humanity to their home planet.
WALL·E's plot is driven by the powerful love story between remarkably sympathetic characters. Wall-e (a Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth-class) is a pretty sad sight throughout, a lonely geek of a robot who has found meaning in his existence in his childlike fascination with everyday objects, has learned about love from watching Hello, Dolly, and finds the ultimate joy of love in the act of holding hands. His sad situation is paralleled by his worn, pathetic appearance, squeaky voice and somehow droopy eyes.
Which isn't to say that WALL·E is all sap and sympathy. There is plenty of physical comedy, and more than a little action. The humor delivers with an excellent sense of timing, and even injects some social commentary into the mix in the form of the Buy n Large corporation, a monolithic entity that controls everything from food supplies to space travel to world governments, an obvious parody of the Walmarts and Costcos of our world. WALL·E has some strong themes about environmentalism and mass consumption, which lends a little bit of edge to an otherwise innocent post-apocalyptic story.
Pixar takes some bold choices in WALL·E, specifically by de-emphasizing dialogue, especially in the first forty minutes of the film. The story telling is shifted onto the excellent animation, the extraordinary sound design by Ben Burtt, and the superb score by Thomas Newman, all of which work together to give the movie a very compelling emotional core. WALL·E's characters are more than expressive enough to make up for their limited vocabulary, and the audial elements of the film help establish the mood of scenes and tell the story as well or better than dialogue could. The film does shift gears and gets a little more traditional in the second half of the film, but stays strong throughout, and ends with a brilliant credit sequence that provides an epilogue told through a sequence of animation styles spanning all of human art history, from cave drawings to impressionism to 8-bit-style pixelated art.
WALL·E on DVD does lose some magic in the transition to the small screen, especially in some of the majestic space scenes, so viewers might want to opt for the Blu-ray version if they have the equipment, but most of the movie holds up fine, especially if you're watching it on a bigger screen.
Aside from the excellent movie, Pixar has packed the 3 DVD set with some excellent special features. The best of these are the two animated shorts included on the main disk. "Presto," the theatrical short that ran alongside WALL·E in theatres, is a smart, fun cartoon with excellent physical comedy and timing. Also included is a new short, "BURN·E," which shows the events of WALL·E's later scenes from the abbreviated perspective of a minor character, a welding robot who finds himself trapped outside of an airlock.
Also present are several "Behind the Scenes" videos that provide a fascinating insight into the thought and effort that went into creating the movie, including videos that explain the score, character design, and sound design of the film. There is also an "anatomy of a scene" video that shows how many people it takes to animate a single scene of a movie. Hint: It is a lot. Finally, there is a full 90 minute documentary, "The Pixar Story," about the origins of Pixar studios, tracing the lives of John Lasseter and Ed Catmull from their backgrounds in animation and computers, all the way to the premiere of Pixar's 2006 hit, Cars. There is also a small selection of deleted scenes, though instead of presenting additional scenes that were not included in the final release, they show existing scenes in various stages of development that had to be changed to help the flow of the movie. These deleted scenes are helpful in showing how the film evolved, and how the director, Andrew Stanton, made decisions that helped solidify the pace and structure of the film, or altered positions on events in the film in order to shape audience perception of certain characters. The special features provide a great, in depth look into the filmmaking that led to WALL·E.
For more casual fans of the films, there are several short videos detailing the world of the fictional Buy N Large Corporation, a compilation of short promotional videos of Wall-E interacting with various real world objects, and a library of profiles for the various robots in the film, including their names, directives and other miscellaneous information.
The third disc of this 3 Disk Special Edition is a Disney File Digital Copy of the film, which lets the owner of the DVD download a copy of WALL·E to play on their Ipod, or other portable video device. This disk is a sensible addition to a typical DVD package, in that it provides easy means for taking the movie on the go. The Digital Copy apparently doesn't work until the DVD actually launches on the 18th, so look for coverage from ComicsOnline then.
Overall, the WALL·E 3 Disk Special Edition DVD provides an excellent movie and a ton of special features that will please a wide range of fans, whether they are looking for insight into the making of the film, or just looking for a little bit of information about their favorite robot. WALL·E continues Pixar's tradition of excellence in animation, imbuing robots with touches of humanity that bring them to life and provide an emotional core to a smart and funny post-apocalyptic romantic comedy adventure. WALL·E is a excellent film for viewers of all ages.
ComicsOnline.com gives the WALL·E 3-Disc Special Edition 5 out of 5 starships.
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Posted by matt on Sunday, 16 November 2008 @ 14:35:52 CST (8 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 5)
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| Is This The End of Heroclix? |
 Saint writes "Announcement:
The Topps Company announced on Monday November 10th that WizKids will immediately cease operations and discontinue its product lines.
Scott Silverstein, CEO of Topps, said “This was an extremely difficult decision. While the company will still actively pursue gaming initiatives, we feel it is necessary to align our efforts more closely with Topps current sports and entertainment offerings which are being developed within our New York office.”
Upon notifying our partners, Topps will immediately pursue strategic alternatives so that viable brands and properties, including HeroClix, can continue without noticeable disruption. To that end, WizKids will continue supporting Buy it By the Brick redemptions for Arkham Asylum, and the December Organized Play events for HeroClix.
For consumer announcements, please refer to www.wizkidsgames.com over the coming days for further information.
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Posted by matt on Thursday, 13 November 2008 @ 22:45:25 CST (7 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 0)
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| DVD Review: Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 3 Remastered |
 Otaushi writes "I have grown up a Trekkie. I have watched Star Trek for as long as I can remember. I have faithfully watched every series and movie, but my favorite will always be Star Trek: The Original Series. I have seen every episode many times over, and when the announcement about every episode being remastered went out I was skeptical. I have seen things get updated before, and it never really seemed to work out. This is Star Trek, I thought. This is TOS, nothing should be done to the effects, they’re great as they are. Boy was I wrong. The remastered episodes showed on for about a year first, and then season one was released onto HD DVD shortly before that format folded. Now we are on the DVD release of the third and final season of the show.
Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 3 Remastered is coming out, and it has changed my opinion on “remastering” a series such as Star Trek. If it can be done respectfully, then it is worth the time, effort, and money that can be spent on it. Star Trek was done respectfully. The new effects and rerecorded score brings a new vitality to the series that hasn’t been seen in around 40 years. Each planet looks like a unique planet. Each race has its own type of ship. The Klingons, Romulans, and Federation ships look beautiful. Stratos looks like a photo of a city in the clouds. The impact of messages in some episodes has even been increased.
The picture has been restored to a point past what was seen on television during the original run. The sound is amazing, and even in 5.1 surround. And what is there to say about the new effects, other than they look almost real
throughout.
Episode Highlights:
The Enterprise Incident: The Enterprise crosses into the Romulan Neutral Zone to retrieve a Romulan cloaking device for Starfleet to study.
Day of the Dove: Klingons and Starfleet officers are trapped on the speeding Enterprise forced to fight each other to the death… for eternity!
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield: The classic episode where two beings who are colored half black and half white on opposite sides bring their race war aboard the Enterprise. The disastrous consequences are made all the more real by the updating of the visual effects to modern standards.
The Cage: The first pilot of Star Trek in which Captain Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter, is captured by a race of telepathic beings that make thoughts come to life.
Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 3 Remastered comes with quite a few special features. Each episode, not including either episode of the cage, comes with its unaltered episode preview from the first run of the series. On disc seven, along with two versions of the pilot, are the special features. Most of the features are reused from the last release of the series, but they are still quite interesting to watch. The best feature is one called “Bully Blackburn’s Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories Part 3”. This is a bunch of footage that was shot on the set of Star Trek, and the recollections of the cast member who shot all of it. With this you get a glimpse into the special place that was the set of Star Trek. The other new feature was “Captain’s Log: Bob Justman”. It was about Robert Justman and his time on Star Trek. The feature was made with a few interviews of cast and crew about Robert Justman. It is sad to say that he passed away in May of this year. They also have “A Star Trek Collector’s Dream Come True”, an interview with a fan who has gone from collecting to recreating props. “Life Beyond trek: Walter Koenig” is about his career and life after the original series ended. Also, “Memoir From Mr. Sulu” which was his recollection of his Star Trekdays . “Star Trek’s Impact” is about the impact that Star Trek has had on our lives. “Chief Engineer’s Log” is James Doohan talking about Scotty and how the character has impacted his life. “Collectible Trek” is about all of the merchandise that has been released over the years. And “’To Boldly Go…’ Season Three” is a featurette about season three as a whole.
I have loved Star Trek all my life, watching it every chance that I can get, but Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 3 Remastered , along with the rest of the remastered series has added something new in the modern special effects and given it a new lease on life that will sustain it for years to come (until they do it again to all of the series when we have holodecks). I’d say that if you are a Trekkie, Trekker, or even just a casual viewer, and if not, just buy it for a loved one who is.
I give Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 3 Remastered 5 out of 5 Constitution class starships.
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Posted by matt on Thursday, 13 November 2008 @ 22:44:01 CST (14 reads)
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| Blu-ray and DVD Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D |
What if the story told in by Jules Verne in the Journey to the Center
of the Earth was based on fact? Well, Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraiser - Blast from the Past, The Mummy) found out for
himself in the new 3-D Feature Journey to the Center of the
Earth. Trevor Anderson is a down on his luck
professor who sets out to show that his late brother's theories are
true. With the help of his young nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson - The Polar Express, Zathura) and Hannah Ásgeirsson (Anita Briem - Doctor Who),
the daughter of a Volcanic scientist, the three set out to find some
answers but find more than they had bargained for. One thing leads to
another and after a literal roller-coaster ride of an adventure they find
themselves in a world that time has forgotten. Soon they begin to
realize that Trevor's brother had stumbled onto a massive discovery,
that Verne's story was indeed based on a true story! But now they must
escape from this lost world before they die from rising geothermal temperatures.
If that weren't enough, the must also avoid all the dangers that the
center of the Earth has to offer.
Journey to the Center of the Earth is not an adaptation of the original Jules Verne novel like previous films you may have watched with the same name. This is an all new story where the characters reference the book as something of a guide to the amazing world they've fallen into. Hey, if you're going to go spelunking hundreds of miles under the Earth's crust, you're going to want some sort of a guide on how to navigate giant fungii, floating rocks, underground oceans, prehistoric creatures, and carnivorous plants, right?
Keep in mind that this is very much an action adventure for the whole family. To enjoy it fully, suspend your disbelief to the degree you would while watching a traditional animated feature and you and the kids who suckered you into watching will all love this. It's true that like any 3-D movie you've seen before, there will be plenty of startling moments where things seem to fly right at your face and maybe even a scary dinosaur or two. But if you're good, and don't cry or spill on the couch while watching this, maybe your kids will take you out for ice cream afterward.
Blu-ray and DVD Special Features
-Choice Between 2-D or 3-D versions of the feature film (each disc set contains 4
pairs of 3-D glasses for your viewing pleasure).
-Commentary by Brendan Frasier and Director Eric Brevig
-A World Within Our World: Various Historical "Hollow Earth Theories"
about What Lies Beneath Our Planet's Crust - A very entertaining featurette about various what-if scenarios.
-Being Josh - Profiling 12-Year-Old Costar Josh Hutcherson
-How to Make Dinosaur Drool - 3 different recipes for gross!
-Adventure at the Center of the Earth Challenge (DVD only)
These special features are each in HD on the Blu-ray release.
An additional special feature is the bonus digital copy disc that comes with the Blu-ray version. It will take up slightly over 1GB on your iPod. I just tried it out, and while it's only 2-D and nothing compares with the video and audio definition you get with Blu-ray, it still looks awesome on my iPhone.
ComicsOnline gives Journey to the Center of the Earth on DVD 4 out of 5 scary dinosaurs in 3-D
ComicsOnline gives Journey to the Center of the Earth on Blu-ray 5 out of 5 bioluminescent cyanis rosopterii in 3-D HD. (it's HD and has a digital copy!)
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Posted by kevin on Wednesday, 12 November 2008 @ 04:04:54 CST (24 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 5)
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| COMING SOON! The Real Ghostbusters Complete Series on DVD |
the_matt writes "Who Ya Gonna Call? How about The Real Ghostbusters!!!
We here at ComicsOnline are very excited about the upcoming release from Time Life. They will be releasing a new 25 disc complete series collection later this month! The series has never been released before on DVD and they have just provided us with an awesome new product shot:
Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for our complete review of The Real Ghostbusters Collection coming soon!!!
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Posted by kevin on Wednesday, 12 November 2008 @ 02:44:50 CST (18 reads)
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| Mister Foe now available on DVD |
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JAMIE BELL
STARS IN THE DARKLY TWISTED, THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING
MISTER
FOE
Arriving
On DVD November 11 From Magnolia Home Entertainment
Featuring
A Lively Soundtrack From Scottish Artists Franz Ferdinand,
Sons And Daughters, And Orange Juice, Among Others
“A viewing delight!”
– Variety
“Erotic, well-acted
and beautifully photographed.”
–
Observer (UK)
“Dark and
Erotic.”
–
Philadelphia Inquirer
LOS ANGELES,
CALIF. – “An intriguing rites-of-passage story with a deliriously
skewed perspective” (Empire Magazine), Mister Foe
exposes the joys and pains of a boy’s journey into adulthood when
it arrives on DVD November 11 from Magnolia Home Entertainment.
Based on the novel Hallam Foe by Peter Jinks, Jamie Bell (Jumper,
Flags of Our Fathers) stars as the troubled and isolated Hallam
Foe in this “…thrillingly dramatized obsession and a strangely affecting
love story…” (Los Angeles Times). Halam, who while
spending his days spying on his family and haunted by his mother’s
sudden death, begins to suspect that his beautiful stepmother may have
played a hand in it. When the tension at home comes to a head,
Hallam runs away to Edinburgh. He effortlessly fades into the
background of life by peering in on the lives of others, but soon learns
he can only hide for so long. With supporting performances from
Sophia Myles (“Moonlight,” Tristan & Isolde), Ciarán
Hinds (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, There Will be Blood),
and Claire Forlani (“CSI: NY,” Meet Joe Black), Mister
Foe was an official selection of the 2007 Edinburgh International
Film Festival. Winner of the Berlin Film Festival’s 2007 Independent
Jury Prize for Best Music, the film features a lively soundtrack from
popular Scottish artists Franz Ferdinand, Sons and Daughters, and Orange
Juice. Called “truly unsettling and uniquely twisted” (Time
Out New York), Mister Foe
will be available on DVD for the suggested retail price of $26.98 and
will include behind-the-scenes and deleted scenes.
Synopsis
Jamie Bell is Hallam Foe, a troubled young man whose knack for voyeurism
paradoxically reveals his darkest fears, and his most peculiar desires.
Driven to expose the true cause of his mother’s death, he instead
finds himself searching the rooftops of the city of Edinburgh for love.
Featuring a lively soundtrack from Franz Ferdinand, Sons and Daughters,
and Orange Juice among others, Mister Foe is a darkly
twisted, entertaining work of magical realism.
Bonus Features
- Behind-the-Scenes
- Deleted Scenes
DVD Basics
DVD Price: $26.98
Street Date: November 11,
2008
Running Time: 96 minutes
Catalog Number: 10147
MPAA Rating: R
Subtitles: Spanish
English Closed Captioned
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Posted by kevin on Wednesday, 12 November 2008 @ 01:19:42 CST (12 reads)
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| Video Game Review: "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360)" |
knash writes "
The Star Wars franchise has been well represented in the video game industry over the years. Some good and some bad, but all have put the player into the greatest scenes, playing the most famous characters from the movies we all know and love. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed creates a brand new story set between Episode III and Episode IV of the movies. You play as Starkiller, a secret apprentice to Darth Vader who has been recruited to help Vader take down the Emperor. (Interestingly enough, Starkiller was Luke’s last name in the original draft of Star Wars, Lucas later changed in to Skywalker). When first taken under Vader’s wing, you are sent on a series of missions, tracking down and killing the few Jedi who managed to survive Order 66.
Some new faces… and some familiar ones as well.
While you always play as Starkiller, (except for a short intro level where you play as a fully powered Darth Vader himself), there are several memorable characters you will encounter. Along your journey you will meet wookies, rancors, and numerous Jedi from around the galaxy. There are even a few sweet cameos from Obi-Wan, Darth Maui, Princess Leia, Bail Organa, and the Emperor himself, Palpatine. Stormtroopers are abundant, and so are the types of ships you’ll encounter. Tie Fighters, Star Destroyers, AT-ATs, AT-STs all make an appearance throught the various levels of Force Unleashed.
Oh yeah… you get to fight Rancors!!
You will also visit various locations in the game. Levels take place on the Wookie home planet of Kashyyyk, A Tie-Fighter factory where you get to see the beginnings of the evil Empire’s forces, Cloud City, and finally the Death Star. The game also includes a fairly robust collectible and upgrade system. There are more than 100 Holocrons scattered throughout the levels of Force Unleashed. Each contain a new costume, a bunch of force points, or an upgrade sphere. Collect enough force points and you will also earn a set of upgrade spheres. These spheres come in three flavors; Power, Combo, and Talent. These can be used to purchase upgraded for you young Jedi such as new moves, abilities, and overall strength. This also gives an incentive for backtracking to earlier levels once you have maxed out your powers to see how the levels will play differently.
May the force be with me.
Because the controls are sometimes spotty, it makes the boss battles more frustrating than they should be. But it all comes down to pattern memorization, and finding one particular skill or combo that will actually damage the enemy consistently. Once the boss’s energy is depleted to a certain point, the battle is distilled down to a series of quick time events (QTE’s). These have been used for a while in such titles as Tomb Raider: Legend, Resident Evil 4, and the God of War series. Personally, I eagerly await the day when QTE’s are no longer commonplace in games. They feel gimmicky and don’t give the player any real control over the action. In the case of Force Unleashed, they appear during the climactic finish to the boss battle, but instead of watching the story unfold, I missed all of the action because my eyes were glued to the little part of the screen that tells you what button you have to press next. Lame.
Even with the game’s shortcomings, I found myself having a blast playing Force Unleashed. Flinging a hapless stormtrooper across a junk strewn landscape, only to watch him grab onto the leg of an AT-ST to prevent from being killed never seems to get old. After playing through the game once, those looking for a true challenge can play again on the newly unlocked Sith Lord difficulty. Also, depending on an integral choice you make in the final level of the game, you will receive one of two endings, both which are awesome, and both would fit nicely into the official canon of the Star Wars Universe.
Worth playing for this one reason: In Ozzik Sturn’s trophy room on Imperial Kashyyyk, you come across many familiar creatures, the most satisfying being Jar Jar Binks frozen in carbonite, Han Solo style. Awesome!!
Comicsonline gives Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 4 out of 5 dual ended lightsabers.
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Posted by matt on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 @ 19:13:19 CST (15 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 5)
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| DVD Review: Mission Impossible Season 5 |
knash writes "
Mission Impossible: Season 5 is now available on DVD! This series follows the Impossible Missions Force, a team of elite government agents who take on missions deemed “impossible” by the government. Should they choose to accept them, any knowledge of their actions will be disavowed should they be captured or killed. The team is arranged of an “Oceans 11-esque” band of character each with their own special ability. The cast varied throughout the series seven year run but the roles remained the same; The Team Leader, the Techo Wizard, the Master of Disguise, the Muscle, and the Smokin’ Hot Chick, plus a few others. The 23 episodes of Season 5 sees the return of Jim Phelps (played by Peter Graves), Paris (the man of many faces, played by Leonard Nemoy), and new to this season’s line up Dana Lambert (the beautiful Lesley Ann Warren).
Top drawer, baby!...
Episode Highlights:
The Killer: Jim Phelps and his team try to stop a hitman who makes decisions randomly. They need to fine out quickly who he plans to kill and who hired him.
Homecoming: After two women are murdered in Jim’s hometown, the IMF volunteers to help him find the killer, who might be one of Jim’s childhood friends.
My Friend, My Enemy: After Paris is abducted in Switzerland, he is subjected to a procedure that turns him into a killing machine. And his first target is Jim Phelps!
Cat’s Paw: Barney tries to avenge his brother’s death by bringing down the crooked police captain and black syndicate leader who had him killed.
Blast: Jim and Dana join a team of deadly safecrackers. Their leader robs for political reasons, but the other gang members are in it strictly for the money.
A Ghost Story: A scientist who infected himself with a deadly nerve gas is killed. In order to locate his body, his father’s estate is made to appear haunted.
Other episodes of note:
Flipside
Butterfly
Squeeze Play
The Missile
The Catafalque
Special Features
None
Overall
Despite the outlandish plotlines (and their equally outlandish solutions executed by the IMF), the episodes manage to create a real aura of suspense. Part of the fun is seeing what seemingly crazy, yet needlessly elaborate, idea the team will come up with. In the episode entitled “Kitara”, our group of heroes must rescue the leader of a liberation movement in the African country of Bocamo. He is captured by the local white-supremist colonel, and if tortured will reveal his true identity and jeopardize the entire movement. Should they storm the compound and break out their precious revolutionist? No way. They use a bottle of medicine, a special lightbulb, and a doctored photograph to convince the racist colonel that he is actually a black man. Duh!!
One of the great things about watching an older show, especially one filled with super spy gadgetry, is seeing how hilariously outdated the technology is. For instance, at the beginning of each episode Jim receives his assignment from the “Secretary” on an old school reel-to-reel the size of a frickin’ phonebook. Also, what passes for a disguise in those days was some stick-on sideburns, a dopey looking hat, and a undistinguishable crappy accent. Oh, and throw on some sunglasses. That’ll fool ‘em!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it...
The show holds up pretty well, and is fun to watch. There’s something almost surreal about seeing all the special effects in the show done practically, in contrast to some of today’s shows being soaked in computer generated graphics.
Worth watching for this one reason: Seeing the dude who played Spock dress up in a funny outfit, and at one point in an episode utter the line, “Bainbridge doesn’t seem like the kind of man who would believe in ghosts”.
Comicsonline gives Mission: Impossible Season Five 3.5 out of 5 self-destructing tape recorders.
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Posted by matt on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 @ 19:12:40 CST (17 reads)
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| DVD Review: A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All |
Napo writes "On November 25th, Paramount Home Entertainment and Comedy Central will release the holiday special A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All on DVD!
Colbert is suppose to meet Elvis Costello in New York City, but gets snowed in. He decides to trudge through the storm with some help from musical performers Feist, Toby Keith, Elvis Costello and others!
The Comedy Central Special features Musical Performances By Stephen Colbert, Elvis Costello, Feist, Toby Keith, John Legend, Willie Nelson And Jon Stewart
A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All does nothing to tarnish Stephen Colbert’s mystique.
He does not disappoint in his self-absorbed persona. Being a big fan of The Colbert Report, I found myself having very high expectation for this special. Overall, I found it to be a mild letdown. I guess that the fact that the humor moves very fast in the ½ hour Colbert Report, that I expected it to come quickly in this special. The humor is there but not with the stinging bite I have become use to . The cheesy quality of the production was the first thing that gave me pause, but as the special aged I began to understand that it was very supportive of the concept. Stephen seemed to push a little hard at times, and it was not until Toby Keith did his song "Have I Got A Present For You", that I really began to come around. The satirical aspect of the song got me in the mood for more. And with Willie Nelsons very odd part in the special I was back home. John Stewart let me down, he seemed very uncomfortable with his part and almost appeared to have just showed up and without lines. Much of this special did seem overly contrived, but that is par for the course and expected. Feist also had a great little quirky part and did a great job. John Legend and Stephen doing "Nutmeg" was very disturbing and hilarious. But the show really won me over when all of the guests (except John Stewart) did "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love And Understanding".
All in all this was close to being a very good special. I don’t see it becoming the enduring classic, but I think everyone will find some humor here.
Special Features
The extras are fun. The Advent Calendar gave me a big laugh on day 18, other than that I’m glad I didn’t wait 25 days. The alternative endings and Yule Log are more fun for the package.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the charity, Feeding America. Feeding America , (formerly known as America's Second Harvest), feeds America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engages the country in the fight to end hunger. It is the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization, with a network of more than 200 Member food banks and food rescue organizations serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.feedingamerica.org
ComicsOnline gives A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All 3 ½ bits of "Truthiness" out of 5.
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Posted by matt on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 @ 18:50:04 CST (24 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 0)
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| DVD Review: The Zombie Diaries |
kpm writes "Have you ever had a DVD come across your player that completely takes you by surprise? You know, the one that grabs you at the beginning credits and doesn’t let go until you’ve watched the movie twice and all the special features. The indie flick out of England, Zombie Diaries just did it for me.
Zombie Diaries is a documentary style movie that tells of the outbreak of a ’zombie’ virus that is being spread around the globe, and finally coming to the British Isles. Told from the point of view of three different groups, with events being chronicled by hand held video camera, Zombie Diaries gives the unique perspective of a deadly outbreak.
Diary 1 - The Outbreak tells of a documentary crew consisting of cameraman Matt (Jonathan Ball), Vanessa (Anna Blades) producer, Leeann (Victoria Nalder) reporter and crew member Andy (Craig Stovin), who are doing a story about the outbreak of a mutant strain of bird flu. The story takes them out of London to a small village to interview a farmer about the impending culling of his bird flocks. The farmhouse appears deserted, as does the village, when they arrive.
Diary 2 - The Scavengers jumps ahead a month from The Outbreak, and tells of a husband and wife, Greg (Kyle Sparks) and Elizabeth (Alison Mollon), and a hitchhiker John (Jonnie Hurn) they picked up during their escape from London. Believing that they’re to small a group and have no weapons to speak of, and staying in one place to long is suicide, this groups concern is with finding supplies and gas. They stumble on a town that seems to fit their immediate needs.
Diary 3 - The Survivors takes place at the same time as The Scavengers, but deals with a larger group that has dug in at an abandoned farmhouse. Sue (Imogen Church) and Amine (Ralph Mondi) appear to be in charge of James (Will Tosh), Geoff (James Fisher), Anna (Sophia Ellis), and Goke (Russell Jones). This group’s agenda seems to be, check outlaying areas, kill zombies, burn zombies, and try to rest, repeat as needed. Once in a while someone gets to go out and forage for supplies.
Now that the groundwork has been laid for all three stories, they jump back to The Scavenger story and backwards to The Outbreak story. This allows the stories to tie in together, and we find out that sometimes the monsters aren’t the monsters.
Special Features are commentaries from the creators and a second from the cast. Until the Lights Go Out: The Making of Zombie Diaries is a fascinating look at making a quality movie, on a limited budget, as told by through stories by the cast and crew. Also are the unique ways used to get realistic reactions instead of over-acting. Such as telling an actor there’s a zombie in a room upstairs, just not which room. Lastly there are the deleted scenes, which amazingly seem to tie some things together from the film, so they’re worth watching.
The Zombie Diaries is one of those movies that are easy to pick apart because of the documentary style of filming, mainly because if you’re running for your life, why would you continue filming while running? But, this is a film that has a serious suspense factor. First, the limited peripheral vision of the camera leaves a lot of room for things to sneak up on us. Secondly, the way the story unfolds, with government cover-ups, then the slow spread of infection that snowballed out of control. Third, the way the movie was directed makes you believe the reactions of the characters. Lastly is the twist towards the end that makes this a breath of fresh air in the clutter of undead movies. The flaws are too few to detract from the uniqueness.
Comicsonline gives The Zombie Diaries 5 zombie plagues out of 5
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Posted by kevin on Monday, 10 November 2008 @ 00:40:37 CST (21 reads)
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| DVD Review: REAPER Season One |
the_matt writes "Happy Birthday Sam! Congratulations! You are 21 years old...now you are an adult. Oh and we have some news for you...your parents sold your soul to the devil before you were born. Now you have to go hunt down escaped souls and demons from Hell for the rest of your life. Reaper: Season One is now available on DVD from the CW and Lionsgate.
This new series featured a comedic story of a slacker named Sam (Bret Harrison) who is forced into the realization that his life is out of his control, and in the hands of the devil himself (Ray Wise). In order to capture the escaped souls, Sam enlists the aid of his two best friends Sock (Tyler Labine) and Benji (Rick Gonzalez). When he is not trying to stop evil from destroying human lives, Sam is trying to win the heart of his long time friend and resident hot girl Andi (Missy Peregrym). When the Devil arrives he brings a vessel for Sam to capture the souls with, these vessels are typically some random, inanimate object that may seem odd at first but actually possesses some mystical ability to stop evil with.
Highlights
Pilot- The pilot episode was directed by Clerks creator, Kevin Smith. This pilot brought a lot of attention to the show and set the bar very high for this unusual comedy series. The pilot introduces Sam and his friends to the world of evil and as they must stop and escaped soul using gear from the Work Bench (the Home Depot-like store that they work at.) Pop-culture references galore appear in this episode.
Leon- Sam and Sock capture a new soul who tries to convince them that he is a changed "man" and begs to be released. When they go to deliver him to the DMV (where all souls are returned to hell) they learn that the demon Gladys is on vacation and they must hold on to Leon for the time being.
Ashes to Ashes- The Devil asks Sam to go help a woman named Mimi with a plumbing issue. Sam begins to suspect that Mimi and the Devil have had an affair together. Sam is also introduced to Mimi's daughter Cady (who he falls for). He then comes to the realization that she may or may not be the daughter of the Devil.
Hungry for Fame- The story revolves around a musician who made a deal with the Devil to become a rock star. Sam tries to save the man's soul when he learns to the deal. Sock moves out of his mom's house and in with Sam after his mom returns from Vegas with a new husband.
Unseen- The boys move into an awesome new condo together...but their neighbors seem a little different. Who would have thought that the two men living next door would be demons???
Cancun- Demons try to move against the Devil and stop his reign of terror...but to stop him they must imprision Sam, who they now believe has a more pivotal role than even he realized.
DVD Extras:
-There are several episode audio commentaries with cast and crew.
-Gag Reel (best of the features on the set)
-Deleted Scenes
Overall:
This series really was the highlight of 2007. Luckily they were able to finish 18 episodes during a year when the writer's strike cut everyone short. The show was extremely consistent and offered great comedic moments every episode. The use of Ray Wise as Satan has been amazing. He steals every scene in every episode he is in. Additionally Tyler Labine's performance as Sock has a very Jack Black like quality and really is entertaining. Bret Harrison's Sam is a great portrayal of an everyday guy who is thrown in over his head, but continues to come through for his friends despite his personal situation. We here at ComicsOnline highly recommend this set if you missed out on ANY of the episodes in its first season.
ComicsOnline gives Reaper: Season One 5 out of 5 Escaped Souls.
Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more information about the upcoming Second Season of Reaper!"
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Posted by kevin on Sunday, 09 November 2008 @ 20:52:51 CST (15 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 0)
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| DVD Review: Kung Fu Panda Pandamonium Double Pack |
ErinHatch writes "The Pandamonium Double Pack release is a two DVD release, with the first disk presenting the feature film, and the second providing a short movie that provides a little more backstory on some of the characters from the film.
Kung Fu Panda is the story of Po (voiced by Jack Black), a Panda that has spent his life working in his father's Noodle shop, who is inadvertently chosen to take the mantle of the Dragon Warrior so that he can defend his home, the Valley of Peace, from an escaped criminal, Tai Lung, who also seeks the secret knowledge of the Dragon scroll. Po puts up with the misgivings of his reluctant master, Shifu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), and overcome his own weaknesses in order to find his inner strength and save the day.
The story feels generic in many ways, a typical example of "unlikely protagonist is given a chance to fulfill his dreams, and must discover the hero within himself in order to save his village." Only with animals! Luckily, Kung Fu Panda overcomes its bland Kung Fu story with a set of interesting characters voiced by an awesome cast, as well as a good blend of action and comedy, and a beautiful sense of style.
Kung Fu Panda is a very strong martial arts comedy, though it is at its funniest when it avoids playing obvious jokes. While the gags played directly to the audience are hit and miss, the film does an excellent job of injecting humor subtly by staging well choreographed and animated fight sequences in absolutely absurd circumstances, the best of which is a sparring match between Po and Shifu in which Po finds his martial arts "voice" in a fight over a dumpling. The comedy is propped up more by a cast of interesting characters, brought to life by the excellent voice talent in the film, led by Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman, but also including Angelina Jolie, David Cross, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan.
Kung Fu Panda excels as an action movie even more than as a comedy, because of the excellent animation and over the top martial arts action depicted in the film. The film has a number of excellent fight sequences, and does a good job of adding variety to the participants, location and style of the fights. It also helps that the characters are all designed to have unique fighting styles, which adds variety to the action.
The final touch to the excellent action and humor of the film is the beautiful world that the animators created for their setting. The animation throughout the film is tinged with Chinese inspired aesthetics, which is most obvious in the location and background art. There are several moments in the film where they pull the camera back and show the entire Valley of Peace and the results are breathtaking. The entire film oozes style, from the art direction to the fight choreography.
The primary DVD has several special features, the most interesting being a set of videos detailing some of the work that went on in the background of such a major animated feature, including a "Meet the Cast" video, a summary of how the creators overcame the technical challenges of such an ambitious project, and an explanation of the thought that went into the sound design of the film. There are also videos that look into the background of the culinary elements of the film, a music video, and a selection of DVD games.
"Read More" for a description of the second disk in the collection!"
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Posted by kevin on Sunday, 09 November 2008 @ 18:24:14 CST (17 reads)
(Read More... | 5998 bytes more | Score: 0)
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| Review: VIZ Manga Belated Halloween Double Feature |
 ErinHatch writes "Halloween has come and gone, but the spirit stays alive with these two manga from VIZ Media.
First up, COWA!
COWA!, from the artist Akira Toriyama (creator of Dragon Ball Z among other things), is the story of a young half-vampire and his quest to acquire a vaccine for the monster flu devastating his home town. The manga only lasts for fourteen issues, so the entire run is contained in one volume, which is ultimately a mixed blessing, as it keeps the story concise and fresh throughout, and leaves the reader wanting more, but fails to develop the supporting cast and world to their full potential. Overall, it feels like the first volume of a long running series, right up until the final chapters.
The stars of the series are the half-vampire Paifu, his friend Jose, a ghost, his arch-rival Arpon, and their human neighbor Mako Maruyama, who agrees to help the monsters find the cure for their village. The main cast is wickedly funny and endearing, bringing a lot of humor to the otherwise typical story. The characters and world are well served by Toriyama's energetic, quirky art style, which excels at rendering both action and humor. The art looks especially good in the first issue of the volume, which is presented in full color. COWA! even escapes some of the problems of Toriyama's other work, specifically that, unlike a lot of his character designs, the characters in this manga don't resemble the same three or four characters from Dragon Ball. Ok, there is one minor character late in the book that does look a little like Goku, but otherwise the character designs are fresh and interesting.
Overall, COWA! is a fun little story with a quirky, accessible art style and wickedly fun characters, which moves along at a fast pace and leaves the reader wanting more. While the style and subjects of the manga are particularly suited to Halloween, it is a story that would be just as good any other time of the year.
ComicsOnline.com gives COWA! 4 out of 5 ghosts.
Next we have Nightmare Inspector: Yemekui Kenbun Volume 1
Set in the later years of the Taisho period in Japan, Nightmare Inspector follows the adventures of Hiruko, a dream-eating Baku (a mythical creature from Japanese mythology) who hires himself out to clients wishing to escape from their nightmares in exchange for their dreams.
While the manga starts with an interesting setting and premise, they don't do too much in terms of story, as each issue is a stand alone plot, with little character development and no story arcs connecting them. The two recurring characters don't seem to grow or change much between issues, as Hiruko is always acting stoic and enigmatic, with hints that he may have more sinister motives than he lets on. The individual stories, however, are full of twists and turns, and do a good job of coming up with bizarre new nightmares. The art fits the stories well, and creates a very spooky atmosphere, especially when exploring the nightmares of Hiruko's clients.
Ultimately, Nightmare Inspector is a fun collection of short, spooky stories, with atmospheric art and an interesting setting, though it doesn't quite live up to its potential in terms of character development and subplots between issues. This manga is definitely worth a try for any manga fans with a taste for scary stories.
ComicsOnline.com gives Nightmare Inspector Volume 1 three out of five nightmares."
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Posted by kevin on Sunday, 09 November 2008 @ 18:11:36 CST (17 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 0)
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| DVD Review: The Wild Wild West The Complete Series |
Wild Wild West, Jim West, desperado, rough rider
No you don't want nada
None of this, six gun in this, brotha runnin this,
Buffalo soldier, look it's like I told ya
Any damsel that's in distress
Be out of that dress when she meet Jim West
Rough neck so go check the law and abide
Watch your step with flex and get a hold in your side
Swallow your pride, don't let your lip react,
You don't wanna see my hand where my hip be at,
With all of this, from the start of this,
Runnin the game, James West tamin the west so remember the name
Now who ya gonna call?
Okay, so the original TV series doesn't have any rap songs or rap stars in it, but it does have a classic catchy TV western theme and Wild Wild West is a wild wild ride from the beginning. Robert Conrad (Baa Baa Black Sheep aka Black Sheep Squadron) stars as James West, The James Bond of TV westerns, alongside Ross Martin (professional TV guest star from 1951-1981). Ross Martin plays Artemus Gordon, The "Q" to West's Bond. Together, they are US Secret Service agents in the direct employ of President Ulysses S Grant. Each episode, they ride their luxury train to their latest adventure. Each adventure contains the winning formula: Jim West and his tech and partner Artie get an assignment to to go beat some bad guy bent on some evil scheme, and along the way, Jim gets the pretty girl right out from under the bad guy and with the help of Artie and his technological gadgets, saves the day.
Highlights
"The Night of the Deadly Bed" - While this was the second episode aired of the series, Robert Conrad tells us in his commentary that it was actually the ninth episode filmed. By this time they clearly had the Bond western formula down. He's trapped in the titular Deadly Bed by the pretty girl, Gatita, who the suave Jim West has no problem belaboring the obvious and making with the double-entendre when he replies to her, "Little Pussy-cat." Rowrr. It's amusing to note that while Conrad mentions that they always put in extra punching, so that when the censors took some violence out, they were left with the amount of punching they actually were going for in the first place, but it seems the censors were cool with Jim West doing tequila body shots off a sexy señorita during prime time. Watch out for that salt, Jim.
"The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth" - The third episode in the series not only sets up the series' long-running master villain, Dr. Miguelito Loveless, but also introduces his henchman, Voltaire, played by giant actor Richard Kiel (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker) who not only presages his role as a standout henchman in his Bond films, but also serves as a foil for small Miguelito, played by dwarven actor Michael Dunn (Star Trek - "Plato's Stepchildren").
"The Night of the Watery Death" - Jim West thought he had seen it all, and then he's blowdarted by a mermaid, then awakens aboard a ship, which is shortly thereafter attacked by a fire breathing dragon and sinks. Luckily they narrowly avoid also jumping the obviously looming shark by using what I like to call "the Dr. No twist".
"The Night of the Colonel's Ghost" - President Grant assigns our heroes to go scout out a town where he's supposed to soon make a memorial dedication. It turns out that the population of Gibsonville is dropping steadily as each greedy gold-seeking resident keeps getting offed by "The Ghost". Luckily, Jim and Scooby were off, like, making huge sandwiches at the time, and eventually bungle into unmasking the ghost, who would have got away with it too, if it weren't for those pesky secret service agents.
"The Night of the Kraken" - Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice... A religious doomsayer played by Ted Knight (Aquaman, Too Close For Comfort, the narrator from Super Friends) warns the citizens of San Francisco that the city will be destroyed due to their sins. Naturally, a Kraken attacks the warf, assumedly looking for some of that awesome clam chowder in the sourdough bread bowls. But no, Batman Jim West hacks off a piece of the kraken, revealing it to be a robot controlled by the toyman man made rubber. After some sleuthing by The World's Greatest Detective Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder Jim West and Artemus Gordon, they reveal the truth, foil the plan, and make the world once again safe for Saturday morning cartoons religious freaks to vote yes on prop 8 Jim and Artie to go get some of that awesome clam chowder in the sourdough bread bowls.
Special Features
The first and most obvious special feature is the packaging. It's cardboard of course, but it's made to look and feel like embossed leather, from the suitcase mimicking box to the DVD "holsters" inside. It's really well done.
There are very minimal traditional special features included with each of the seasons. We get some voice intros by Robert Conrad as well as some other items, but really they're not worth mentioning.
The real special feature in this full series DVD set is that this is the only place you can get the two post-series TV movies: Wild Wild West Revisited and More Wild Wild West. These are amazing feats of TV show not-quite-crossovers. Can you imagine a pair of double-episodes of Wild Wild West where M*A*S*H's Colonel Potter was Jim and Arte's new boss, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Odo appears as a British agent to lend a hand? And what are these supposed crossovers?
First, we have some liberal borrowing by CBS from the ABC TV series, ahem, starring Colonel Steve Austin? Yeah, that one. As this movie takes place in 1895, Miguelito Loveless, Jr. brags to West that these cyborgs he's created from multi-amputees were very costly to create, but to him price is no object, he'll create an army of six hundred dollar men! Yeah. Also: he has a nuclear bomb.
In 1980, the actor playing Loveless Jr. wasn't available to do a second TV movie, so instead the obvious choice for a major villain was... JONATHAN WINTERS?!? "Mearth"? Yeah. Soooo scary. So to amp up his scariness, he was given the power to turn invisible, so that he could goose his sexy blond "assistants", and also he has two Hulks. Yeah. Seriously. Hulks. Not even joking. And they're even called "Hulks". I'm not sure why he has two, but one looks like Lou Ferrigno, and the other with his long locks could maybe be Leonard Samson? In any case, two Hulks. Yeah. Also: Tigers.
Did Jon Peters write these? I know there was no giant mechanical spiders, but still: bionic people and two Hulks?!? After seeing t |
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