Dreamscape Medley

How Transformers Could have Been Better

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:34:00 +0000

Okay, I pretty much based Transformers in my past post. Now I will say how I feel it could have been better:

Better Structure - The movie jumped around too much, too many "match cuts". not even a Christopher Nolan movie jumps this drastically.
Better Character Development -- Unfortunately, I just didn't care for any of the characters, not even the robots.
A Better Role for Megan Fox -- I wish her character was more interesting and useful in the story, she was just eye candy for the guys.
Better Personalities for the Robots -- Optimus was the only one that was good.

What do you think? Do you think Transformers could have been better, or was it fine the way it was? Comment about it.

A Sign of the Apocalypse: Seth MacFarlane Reboots The Flintstones

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Wed, 18 May 2011 03:49:00 +0000

The great prophet Harold Camping (due note the sarcasm) has predicted that Judgment Day will occur Saturday May 21, 2011. I didn't put too much into it until I saw the news that Seth MacFarlane, creator of outrageous animated families like Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show, purchased the rights to the Flintstones (cue the ominous music), this has got to be a sign of the divine apocalypse! O_o

But seriously, MacFarlane and the Flintstones? Had anyone seen MacFarlane's parodies of the Flintstones? Am I the only one who thinks this isn't a good idea? I love the idea of new Flintstones episodes, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with MacFarlane handling it.

The Flintstones hold a special place in the hearts of those of us who remember the good ol' days of great animation, and I'd hate to see it tarnished with Family Guy-esque sex and bathroom humor, and we all know there will be plenty of opportunity for it. I can only hope MacFarlane shows a little restraint in that respect, because its one thing to do a parody, its another when you're dealing with the real thing.

What's next Seth? You got your eye on The Jetsons? Or perhaps Yogi Bear?

What do you think of Seth MacFarlane acquiring the rights to the Flintstones? Good idea? Bad idea? Comment about it!

Movie Review: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Thu, 05 May 2011 03:27:00 +0000

Genre:	Horror
Year:	1920
Rated:	Unrated

My Opinion:

	View Poster
	Watch it Now
	Download it Now

	IMDB Page
	Wikipedia Page

Talk about a golden oldie :) This is one of the first horror movies ever created and is also one of my favorites. It was made in Germany 1920, and is a black and white silent film.

A young man named Francis tells the story about when a stranger named Dr. Caligari came to Holstenwall during a carnival, bringing with him is somnambulist (aka 'sleepwalker') as a sideshow act. The story only gets stranger, making you question the sanity of the storyteller.

This movie is very visually appealing, making up for its lack of dialog and audio. The only word I can think of using to describe it is "surreal". The story itself is 'Frankenstein'-like, mainly about the doctor and his "monster".

The best part is that because it is public domain, it can be freely downloaded or watched on YouTube. There are two versions that I've seen: the black and white version, and the lightly colored version. The "color" isn't like most colorized versions of movies, the coloring reflects the overall mood of the movie rather than just making it look like real-life color.

There was a remake created in 2005, with English audio and modern actors superimposed in some of the original footage. I haven't seen it but I don't think I'd want to. There's something about adding dialog it a silent movie that takes away from the integrity of it. If you are going to superimpose actors and add an language audio track to a silent film, you might as well do a full blown remake rather than this patch-up version.

Have you seen this movie? What's your opinion? Comment about it.

Movie Review Archive >>

"Supernatural" Anime

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:52:00 +0000

Well somebody must have heard my prayers to have more epic anime :). Aside from the new Iron Man and Wolverine anime, there is also going to be an anime based on one of my favorite shows-- Supernatural.

At first I wasn't sure I was too keen on an anime based on a live-action American TV series. But after viewing the trailer, I imediatly changed my mind. I feels a little like Blood The Last Vampire, and the characters look just like their real-life counterparts. And the best part is Gackt is going to have a voice-acting role in it :D.

I can't wait till this comes to America. Maybe this will be the new format of the show ;)

Read more about it:
Supernatural Anime (nerdreactor.com)
Gackt Gets Supernatural (nerdreactor.com)

What do you think about anime adaptations of live action TV shows? Comment about it!

Wolverine Anime?!

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:46:00 +0000

Okay, now I've seen everything! I was surprised when I heard about the Iron Man anime, but now a Wolverine anime? I wonder what's with all these Marvel animes popping up? Check out the trailer, it is EPIC. I just hope the series will be as good quality and not be inconsistent like with the Iron Man anime and its trailer.

But will this anime have any connections to the original comic? Wolverine's overall appearance and the style of the trailer have a completely different vibe than the original comic and the movie versions.

Weirdly, I'm getting a Kenshin kind of vibe from the trailer, but that's just me.

What do you think of an anime version of Wolverine? Comment about it!

Iron Man Anime?!

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 03:38:00 +0000

I really surprised when I found this on YouTube. Apparently there is going to be an Iron Man anime, although whether or not it follows the comic or movieverse or if its is own storyline I can't tell. But I hope the series will be just as good as the trailer. I've read some negativity from some who have already seen the Japanese version. Apparently there will be an English dub version that will premiere on the G4 network. I'm a little disappointed because I prefer English subs to dubs, but I'm sure that'll come along eventually.

But I can see where some of the negativity is steaming from. See the difference between the trailer and the actual opening to the show. There is defiantly a quality difference. It looks like they put more work into the trailer than the actual series (I hate when they do that!).

But what shocks me about this is this is behavior I expect from an American-made animation, not a Japanese anime (I expect better from them). But then again this is an anime adaptation of an American comic book and movies. I hope America isn't having that much of an influence on them 8o.

Needless to say it still looks cool and I can't wait to see it, dubbed or subbed.

But does anybody else get a Gundum-like feeling when watching the trailer, or is it just me?

What do you think of an Iron Man Anime? Or even Japanese Anime adaptation of American cartoons? Comment about it.

Crisis in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:27:00 +0000

The Japanese are an intelligent and brave people.

Even superstar Miyavi has turned his twitter page into a channel of news and information on the disasters in Japan, go check it out (if you can read japanese)

My heart goes out to the families of those brave souls risking thier lives trying to stop the reactor from melting down.

God bless Japan.

Check out more resources for helping Japan!

At the Movies is Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 04:37:00 +0000

I finally got around to writing this

Remember this post of how I was sad that At the Movies was canceled? Well now its back and its better than ever. I love the fact that its on public television mainly because there are no commericals, so the show feels extended.

I like they went back to the thumbs up/down style because its less complicated than see it/ rent it/ skip it.

Watching this show is a great way to get a profesional opinion of hits and misses at the movies, I highly recommed it.

What did you like better? This version or the previous? Comment about it.

List: Great Animated Films

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:24:00 +0000

I love animated films. So I compiled a list of my favorites to share with everyone. Enjoy! Hovering on a title will reveal a list of links to more information about the film.

What animated films do you like? Comment about them.

Series Premiere Review: The Cape

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:28:00 +0000

I couldn't wait for The Cape to premiere, its been a while since I've seen a good 'superhero' type series. I used to be a fan of them when I was younger, so I was excited when I heard about it. I was prepared for a two hour action-packed thrill-ride.

Needless to say I was somewhat disappointed.

The story and the concepts was intriguing. A cop, framed as a serial killer and later trained by an underground circus-themed crime troupe turned mentors, rises up as a Batman-type vigilante against a syndicate with its own privatized police force run by psychotic criminal mastermind. It has all the elements that are critical to every superhero story. What went wrong?

One word-- pacing. It was painfully slow, and all the action parts were choppy and too fast-paced to enjoy before it returned to its ridiculously slow storytelling.

I think it was a bad idea to stretch this out into a two-hour time slot. It would have been better if it was edited down to an hour or maximum hour and a half. Or better yet, break it up into nicely paced parts instead of one long stretch.

Despite this setback, I hope The Cape continues and gets better pace-wise. I'm looking forward to it.

What did you think of The Cape? Comment about it.

Series Premiere Review: Bob's Burgers

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:25:00 +0000

I had a bad feeling about Bob's Burgers back when I first saw the sneak preview of the show during the premiere televised airing of "The Simpsons Movie" last year. My bad feeling was confirmed while viewing the pilot episode the other night.

This is yet another 'dysfunctional family' animated show that's been added to the Animation Domination line up on Fox. There are now a total of 5 'dysfunctional family' animated series on this one channel, 3 of which were created by the same guy (Seth MacFarlane). I have nothing against this type of show, I love The Simpsons and Family Guy, I'm even warming up to The Cleveland Show. But I feel the market is flooded with this type of show. Can't anybody come up with something different or more original?

But that's a separate issue, lets focus on Bob's Burgers. Where to begin... Lets start off with the animation. Its certainly different, but feels 'lazy' to me. There isn't a lot of imagination put into it. Second is the humor. I didn't find it funny, or even mildly amusing. There were only one or two lines of dialog where I actually laughed. I didn't find any of the characters likeable, or even love-to-hate, they were all annoying.

Overall, I felt that this series probably would have faired better as a comic strip. It feels too bland and lifeless to have been made into an animated series.

The only good thing I can say about Bob's Burgers is its story-driven rather than gag-driven, which is rather refreshing.

Unfortunately I don't have high hopes for this series staying on the air for very long... but then again stranger things have become hits...

What did you think of Bob's Burgers? Comment about it.

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 05:39:00 +0000

Happy New Year everybody!

Happy Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 05:33:00 +0000

Happy Holidays everybody :3

The Nutcracker in 3D: The Worst Movie Ever Made? OR A Gutsy Undertaking?

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 05:47:00 +0000

The Nutcracker in 3D is bearly in theaters and its already being condemed by critics.

I admit that I had mixed feelings myself after initially viewing the trailer , its a dark retelling of the classic ballet. The 'Rats' look too similar to the Whos from the Grinch in my opinion. And the 'Nucracker prince' doesn't really look like a Nutcracker, more like a wooden marionette.

Besides this, is this twist on a Christmas classic a good movie? Depends on your taste. When people went to see this, they probably expected a sweet sugar-plum-fairy of a story and were disturbed by what they saw. Art is in the eye of the eye of the beholder. I personally like the style of filming and the feel of the atmosphere.

I also like that the writer didn't care whether anyone liked this film or not. I think it took a lot of guts to create a movie like this. It shows that there are some people are still willing to be daring and creative and not worry about the opinions of others. Kudos to you Konchalovskiy!

Did you see The Nutcracker in 3d? What was your take on it? Comment about it!

Disney Rip-Off

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 05:40:00 +0000

Okay, this either really funny, or really sad, I can't decide which.

Thai Version of 'Beauty and the Beast' Rips Off the Disney Classic

Brought to you by the animators of Thailand (who btw happen to make pretty good canned sardines ^_^), comes a pretty crappy scene-by-scene CGI remake of the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast. Just watch the trailer, it's identical to the original Disney film, they didn't even bother to vary the character designs (save for the candle-stick the teapot). They even had the audacity to make the opening logo identical to the Disney castle.

However, it is true that Disney doesn't technically own the rights to the original story of Beauty and the Beast since it's an adaptation of an very old fairy tale, but they do own the rights to the their version of the story.

But I can't say that Disney didn't have this coming to them. I'm sure not many of you know that Disney ripped off their idea for the Lion King from a Japanese show called "Kimba- The White Lion" (link). At least Disney had the dignity to change the art style and rename/recast some of the characters.

What do you think? Post your comments below.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 04:25:00 +0000

May your hearts be filled with joy and your stomachs with Turkey

Gotta good recommendation for a Thanksgiving movie? Comment about it!

Bowie and Space Fairies in a Microwave

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 05:06:00 +0000

I had just finished watching one of the most bizarre episodes of Supernatural that I have ever seen.

With the episode titled "Clap if You Believe" I assumed it'd be an episode about fairies. But the show opened with a parody of the opening to an older sci-fi show The X-Files. Okay, its an episode about aliens...fairies... alien fairies? ... anyway...

I don't want to give spoilers, but I'll give you the gist of it:

Sam and Dean investigate a town were several kids have disappeared. At the sight of crop circles, most of the town is swept up in the believe the kids were abducted by UFOs, save for one woman who believes its fairies.

Naturally skeptic, Dean investigates the crop circle alone, only to have a 'close encounter' and gets abducted by a bright light. His soulless brother Sam (I'm not beling mean, his soul was actually sucked out in a previous episode), not really caring about his missing brother, decides to have a romp with a local hippie-girl.

Dean eventually escape's his captors, looking pretty much like the end result of an alien-arse-probing, and catches his brother in the act.

And that's basically the first ten minutes! The episode continues this tangent of bizzare hilarity, including an epic fight between Dean and a little glowing fairy, all set to the tune of David Bowie's "Space Oddity", with the fairies fate being the microwave. I couldn't stop laughing!

Our heroes eventually learn that this is indeed not aliens they're dealing with, but fairies, and must uncover the truth as to who really set them on the town.

Overall, I'd say this was one of the best episodes of Supernatural I've ever seen. I loved all the refrences, double innuendoes, and Bowie's music.

Best line in the whole episode: "Fight the Fairies!"

What did you think of this episode of Supernatural? Let me know by commenting!

New and Improved!

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:50:00 +0000

Welcome to the new and improved Dreamscape Medley, a blog dedicated to reviews and articles related to modern and vintage, memorable and forgotten movies, cartoons, and anime.

Check back often for updates, or subscribe via reader or email, Follow on Google, or save/dend using any of the services listed below.

Remember, comments and critisim are always welcome!

New Blog Created!

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 20:23:00 +0000

Check out my new blog: The Electric Otaku >> for game reviews and articles.

Big Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 02:58:00 +0000

I will be dividing this blog into 4 separate blogs in order to focus on the subjects individually.

For now on this blog will be dedicated to movie, series, anime, and animation reviews and articles related.

Thanks for your patience!

Happy Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 04:38:00 +0000

Happy Halloween everybody!

The biggest treat of all? Fox and My9 are back!

Now, sugar-high time!

Dude, Where's My TV? NewsCorp vs Cablevision

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 03:30:00 +0000

Normally I love a good conflict; the pain, the passion, the drama; but not when I'm caught in the middle.

I'm sure some of you are aware of the war going on between Cablevision and NewsCorp, who owns channels Fox and My9. NewsCorp wants over 150 million dollars from Cablevision to provide its channels to them. When Cablevision refused and offered to pay them a more fair and reasonable amount of money, NewsCorp not only pulled the plug on the channels, they even blocked Cablevision customers from viewing their free online programming!

Now, neither companies are angels, but I'm afraid I'm going to side with Cablevision in this fight, mainly because of they are the lesser of the two evils.

Let’s look at NewsCorps situation:

• They own two major channels.
• The two said channels are available to watch for FREE over the air.
• The two said FREE channels provided because NewsCorp has a FREE license from the government.
• They already receive over 70 MILLION dollars from Cablevision, and are now asking for a morbidly-obese amount of money without adding any new channels or improved programming

It seems to me that NewsCorp is acting like a schoolyard bully demanding Cablevision's lunch money. I urge Cablevision to not give into NewsCorps outrageous demands. This whole situation isn't fair to the consumers, who are already paying for a free station to begin with, and are going to dish out more because of NewsCorp's greed.

And this is especially unfair to me because I'm going to miss Fringe!! Why can't Fringe be on a more sensible station, like NBC, they never pick fights with anybody (suddenly remembers the Jay Leno/ Conan O'Brian feud) Oops, bad example

Okay, the bottom line is: Cablevision, you got to stand up to Newscorp. You never back down from a bully, even if you walk away with a black eye, at least your pride (and your customers' wallets) will be in tact.

Say NO to NewsCorp and put Fox and My9 back on the air!

Movie Review: The Borrowers (1997)

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 03:31:00 +0000

Genre:	Comedy
Year:	1997
Rated:	PG

My Opinion:

View Poster

	IMDB Page
	Wikipedia Page

When I first picked this movie up, I didn't have very high hopes for it. I thought it would be mildly cute with mostly dull and stupid humor. But I was pleasantly surprised.

The movie is based on a series of books by the same name. It's about a family of Borrowers, little humanoid creatures who live within the walls of human houses and occasionally 'borrow' items for their livelihood, and the human family who owns the house. The human boy discovers the existence of the Borrowers while he and his parents are forced to move from the house, unbeknownst that their lawyer is a greedy man who wants them out so he could search the house for the deceased grandmother's hidden millions.

The special effects used in the movie are fantastic, seamless, and scaled perfectly. The humor is also executed effectively, even the one 'dog poop' scene was hilarious (and not even gross).

One interesting aspect of this movie is that even though this movie has the atmosphere of a modern-yet-retro America, there are a number of British actors staring in this film (accents and all). Some of them include Hugh Laurie (whom we all know from House) and even a very young Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy ring a bell?).

Overall, this a great family movie that both kids and adults will enjoy. I'm surprised this movie didn't do better that it did. If not for a family, watch it as a study of special effects and how they don't have to be overwhelming and overdone to be effective.

What do you think? What are some of your favorite movies that have great special effects? Comment below!

Movie Review Archive >>

Judging American Idol

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 03:18:00 +0000

American Idol, one of the most iconic shows ever created. It was a star-maker and pop culture generator. It had everything: comedy, drama, suspense, and Simon. But once a fourth judge was added (I wonder whose bright idea that was ), American Idol has gone down a downward spiral of mediocrity, bad choices, and god-awful here-today-gone-tomorrow contestants (but that might be the show's fault, maybe America's just running out of talent ).

It seems the show has reached the end of the line, and with the Judges disappearing one by one, its only dying a slow, painful death.

My personal opinion, in order to save whatever dignity the show has left, they should start over fresh. Go back to the 3-panel style of judging and stick to a formula that works. Look at America's Got Talent. It’s stayed popular for so long because it sticks to a formula that works, and the changes that are made to the show (example: a replacement judge) are ones that work and don't disrupt the perfect formula.

As far as choosing one of the new judges, I nominate Steve Tyler. He'd be the perfect replacement for Paula Abdul, for a number of obvious reasons

What do you think of the new judges? Comment about it!

Movie Review: Eraserhead (1976)

noreply@blogger.com (Kitzumi) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:08:00 +0000

Genre:	Horror
Year:	1976
Rated:	Unrated

My Opinion:

View Poster

	Official Site
	IMDB Page
	Wikipedia Page

One of the greatest horror movies ever made (in my opinion at least). It doesn't try to scare you with cheap jumps and steamy shower scenes, instead it goes for the 'creep' factor. In other words, it will make you squirm.

The basic synopsis: Henry, a printer on vacation, is forced into marriage after his girlfriend gives birth to a deformed infant. Although the story seems simplistic, what makes this movie really worth watching is the visuals and the soundtrack.

Visuals: The dark dystopian atmosphere and setting really set the tone for the movie. Its never explained as to how or why the world is the way it is, or even if this world truly exists (in other words, is this Henry's interpretation of the world?). The portrayal of the characters are often unsettling and disturbing, as well as the manifestations of madness that plague Henry's life.

Soundtrack: There is no real 'music' in Eraserhead (save for one song), the score is generally 'industrial noise' which seems to fall into an eerie rhythm, giving you chills and goosebumps.

There are two versions of Eraserhead: the original cut and the re-release titled 'Eraserhead 2000'. The later version is 20 minutes longer. I personally have only seen the original.

Whichever version you choose, I highly recommend this if you are looking for a 'different' kind of horror movie. But be warned, this film will disturb sensitive viewers.

Have you seen Eraserhead? Which version do you think is better? Leave a comment below!

Movie Review Archive >>