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This is simply the best of the best in my opinion. Well designed and works as it should. What more can I say, the Ferrari of ceiling fans!
-If you’ve always been intrigued by virtual reality retract steps to enter that world with the Wii Sports Bundle. The Wii Remote makes consume of motion sensor control technology to allow players for the first time to really feel allotment of the gaming experience through natural and instinctive movement. Critics characterize the advancements inherent in Wii Sports as ‘revolutionary’ citing the ‘intuitive’ response to controllers and the eager opinion of physical dynamics (physics) demonstrated in Wii Bowling.
-The Wii Sports Bundle comes with the sleek Wii console and includes the 5 Sports Game Disc, the Sensor Bar, the standard composite cable, a stand, the Remote, and the Nunchuk for even more enchanting game-control possibilities.
-Wii Sports is a collection of five sports simulations that are designed to note the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wiimote to unique players; the five sports included are tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing.
-Position and motion tracking allow players to exercise the Wii Remote to imitate actions performed in exact live sport situations. The games consume the motion sensor capabilities of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment to control the actions of the on-screen character. The player moves the remote in a similar manner to how the separate games are played in sincere life by mimicking the particular physical movements; for example, holding and swinging the Wii Remote like a golf club, baseball bat, bowling ball or tennis racquet.
-The Wii Sports pack includes a baseball bat, a golf club, and a tennis racket that attaches to the Wii Remote to allow a more realistic experience with Wii Sports. The boxing gloves are a separate accessory to the Wii Sports pack; while wearing these the player can save the Wii Remote (honest glove) and Nunchuk (left hand) inside each glove underneath where one slips in hands and punch away freely as if you are in the ring with the champion of the world.
Virtual Reality Experience:
-The Wiimote provides an interactive experience like no other, where the player is more immersed in the game than ever before.
-The standard play mode mimics each game’s respective design of play: tennis, a doubles match; baseball, a simple game of pitching and batting; bowling, a ten-pin, ten-frame game; golf, 3-hole (beginner, intermediate, and expert), or 9-hole, playing on a golf course; and boxing, a three round boxing match.
-Usually the player determines his gaming fate however sometimes aspects of game play are computer controlled; in tennis and boxing for example the Wii controls some movements (the fielders in baseball, you in Tennis) while swinging the racquet or though-provoking the pitching and batting arm is done by the player.
-To procure you really bright in gaming sports life Wii Sports also features training and fitness modes that monitor player progress. Training mode is a single player option that allows you to practice determined aspects of the sports then awards or penalizes your performance with points and later charts it on a graph and posts the results.
As a means of developing your abilities and building space within the gaming community the WiiSports also features a fitness test that calculates a player’s fitness age. The test gauges the player’s performance in three randomly chosen challenges from the training mode by calculating a player’s balance, race, and stamina. The test itself can only be taken once a day per Mii while the results of your performance are graphed (in months) for your personal awareness or to proudly show to others.
-The in-game characters are taken from the Wii’s Mii Channel, which allows the user to gain a Mii, a customized avatar that can be imported into games that succor the feature. As a member of a virtual sporting community the conception of region is taken one step further with the conception of “pro level” whereby the gamer receives a cosmetic enhancement, gets his recent credentials posted on the message board and watches as the crowd grows in accordance with his increased skill and respect.
Accessibility:
-WiiSports has generally received certain reviews with ‘Game Trailers’ stating that this ‘nice 5 game package’ provides enough game-play for long time gamers without making it inaccessible to novices. They also stated, however, that the lack of a tournament mode was a detractor, and did not recommend paying for the game if it did not near bundled with the system.
-The Wii Sports experience, along with WiiFit, has been cited as attracting more casual, female, and elderly gamers. It has also been cited as a game that can provide a bonding feeling among family members and is a means of exercising and losing weight when played regularly.
-This draw and complete entertainment package has become celebrated for social gatherings and competitions among players of varying ages and skill levels. The multiplayer mode for WiiSports allows players to compete against each other in the normal manner of the specific sports; while Tennis even lets two people play against each other or together in doubles teams.
-Bowling and golf allow for multiple players to bewitch turns with a single Wii Remote. As a result even obsolete age pensioners have gotten in on the act by organizing Wii Bowling leagues in seniors centers and retirement homes that design camaraderie and strong social bonds and allow weak age pensioners to preserve themselves physically and mentally consuming and active in the process. This bundle lets you relish the sports experience alone or in a virtual reality community.
Junior running back Chris “Beanie” Wells is coming off a season in which he ran for over 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns. Included in that yardage total is a 222-yard performance against rival Michigan. It stands as the best rushing performance ever for a Buckeye against Michigan. Wells also tallied 146 yards in the BCS National Championship Game against LSU.
Quarterback Todd Boeckman returns for his senior season. With Wells in the backfield and a veteran offensive line protecting him, Boeckman should have little trouble getting the ball to his favorite targets, wide receivers Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. Robiskie led the team last season with 55 catches for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hartline wasn’t too far behind Robiskie with 52 receptions of his own. Robiskie and Hartline must stay healthy because Ohio State has no clear third receiving threat at this time.
Defensively, the Buckeyes were nearly invincible last season. Ohio State ranked first nationally in points allowed per game (12.8), passing yards allowed per game (150.2) and total yards per game (233). They were also third nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (82.9).
Ohio State plays a 4-3 defense that gets regular pressure on passing downs and reroutes running plays to the middle where linebacker James Laurinaitis resides. Laurinaitis, a Butkus Award winner, has size, speed and all the intangibles. Outside linebacker Marcus Freeman has been second on the team in tackles (behind Laurinaitis) each of the last two seasons and I can easily see that happening again this season.
Ohio State is deep along the defensive line, which will allow them to keep fresh bodies on the field at all times. The secondary is also very talented with all four starters returning, including Thorpe Award candidate Malcolm Jenkins. Jenkins, a senior cornerback, will be joined in the secondary by fellow cornerback Donald Washington and safeties Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell.
Ohio State should see improvement in their kick return coverage this season with the return of Aaron Pettrey, who was injured for a majority of last season. Punter A.J. Trapasso also returns. Trapasso is very skilled at placing kicks inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Ryan Pretorius, an accurate kicker, is also back for his senior season.
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see this team back in the national title game for the third straight year. They have nine starters returning on both sides of the ball, including some All-American candidates. They also have head coach Jim Tressel, who has already won a Division I-A national title.
The defense should be fierce once again, even without Vernon Gholston. If the offense can sustain drives and limit turnovers (Boeckman threw 14 interceptions last season and Wells has a history of fumbling), then I can see Ohio State right back in the national title game in January 2009.
The minute a Football match is announced on TV or radio, people who are interested in sports and particularly this game would start looking for people they know. This is so they can try getting them to buy them tickets or offer free passes they might have got through their sources. Just like there are people crazy about certain singers and music bands, there are some for football as well. And in particular if a player they like is playing in the match, they want to be there to witness it in real. A chance to cheer their team playing live instead of watching it on big screen at home and to be able to feel the rush is all they seek.
Since there are many teams that participate in the league, people usually tend to go for matches played by teams they support or which belong to their city or state. Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo bulls, Houston Texas, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants are some of the leading teams that participate in this championship. And for matches that are scheduled to take place about six months down the road, tickets might already be sold out. That’s how crazy Americans are about their football sport. The prices of the NFL football tickets could range from $10 upto $1000 depending on which row or position the seat desired is located. If a person wants to sit near the play field, the tickets are bound to be more expensive and similarly, rates differ. At times, the rates could also increase or decrease depending on how many months or days is left for the match to commence. Today however, NFL football tickets can be bought online from any of the websites offering the same and one can book as many tickets as they desire. In this way, one can obtain the NFL football tickets from their homes without worrying about long queues or availability of tickets when their turn comes. Just choose the date, time and game you wish to watch and buy your tickets.
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Download Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies Online.
Movie Title: Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies |
I love Dana Carvey! I just finished watching this on HBO tonight. He is amazing at vocal impersonations and in this show he runs through most of the major political figures of current events: Bill and Hillary, Obama, Arnold, Al Gore and others. Even his parents aren’t safe. I laughed so hard! A must see and a must buy. This DVD can’t come out soon enough for me!
I’ve been following Dana Carvey since I was about eight years old. I am 19 now and I still love him. I watched him on SNL and just bought the Squatting Monkeys tell no lies and I love it! It includes his critics choice special from 95 which is the first time that I ever saw him do stand up. That includes the piano and guitar humor. This is a must buy for anyone who loves a laugh. He is truly a comic genious and I hope he has a few more specials before he retires.
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Stream The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season Online.
Movie Title: The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season |
The Sopranos is one of HBO’s greatest achievements (although I admit that I think it lost some of its momentum and spark with seasons three and four). When I first saw the show, I was hooked. I’d watch anywhere from three to four episodes a day. One of the great things about first watching this show on DVD was that I could watch any number of episodes instead of just watching one per week.
“The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season” has to be my favorite season. As much as I love the first one, this was when things were really funny, intense, dramatic and involving. The season doesn’t let us down when it comes to Tony having more problems than ever before. Both in his Mafia Family and his immediate family, Tony can never get a break. His wife gives him grief while his kids keep doing things that upset him. And don’t get me started on his ill mother and self-centered sister. Life isn’t much better in his Mafia Family when the brother of Jackie is released from prison and is giving Tony a hard time both personally and professionally. Not to mention that his long time friend, Big P. comes back from a long hiatus when he was first suspected of turning rat to the Feds. All of this leads to one incredible and unpredictable season that showcases the show like none other.
For me, this was the most entertaining season of them all. I loved the characters, the constantly changing storylines, and the personal and business life of Tony Soprano, which is superbly balanced in this season. There’s still the much appreciated humor in these episodes that were found lacking in the next two seasons. It doesn’t feel like a soap opera, but a more enhanced look into the Mafia world. There’s plenty of action as well as dramatic storylines that will make everybody happy for the most part.
This season comes in a set of four discs, totaling at 13 episodes. The great thing about the show is that it is presented to us in a widescreen format that is enhanced for widescreen TVs. This really makes the show that more effective because you feel like you’re actually watching a movie rather than a show on cable. The picture and sound quality is great and really shows. There are some nice little extras, such as featurettes, brief previews and recaps of episodes, web-links and more.
“The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season” is a bundle of laughs, suspense, drama, action and surprises. You’re always on your toes and you never know what’s coming next. One thing’s for sure; this is the most unpredictable season out of the four seasons (the fifth one looks pretty promising thus far). While you’ll want to start with the first season if you’ve never seen the show before, you’ll know that you will have something special to look forward to once you get to the second season. In my opinion, this is where Sopranos is flawlessly at its best. -Michael Crane
In some viewer’s eyes, season two of HBO’s The Sopranos suffered in comparison to the sensational first season. The initial buzz of such a high calibre television show had worn off to a degree. What helps make season two so special is how those qualities that made season one such a hit were (and are) intact.
O.K., the overall feel of the sophomore season isn’t as lighthearted as the first–should it be? There is much that Sopranos creator David Chase has to say about life in general. And you may find that you have more in common with the mobbed-up characters than you think. It’s an interesting, edgy, wicked, funny and frightening ride that hasn’t lost it’s intelligent touch. The production of The Sopranos in subsequent seasons has grown (along with the size of its viewership), and the writing has been progressively more mature, dark and realistic. Yet, it’s still fun to watch, even with the darker plotlines.
If you’ve never seen an episode of The Sopranos, please do. WARNING: Once you do, you’ll probably fork over the money to buy both seasons of the series. It’s THAT addictive. The episodes are more rewarding upon repeated viewings.
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Stream House on Haunted Hill Online.
Movie Title: House on Haunted Hill House on Haunted Hill is available for streaming or downloading. |
Say what you want about producer/director William Castle (The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, Mr. Sardonicus) but one thing was for sure…he knew how to fill seats in a movie theater, primarily by forcing some sort of direct interaction between the audience and the film (at least in his horror themed features). In House on Haunted Hill (1959), he utilized a technique he called `Emergo’, which essentially featured a skeleton, suspended from wires, coming from the screen towards the audience during a specific part of the movie, the intent being to scare the pants off those in the theater. From what I’ve heard, it didn’t sound like many were frightened, but it didn’t really matter as Castle was a master at selling the sizzle, rather than the steak, as they say, and audiences flocked to his films…produced and directed by William Castle, the film features the merchant of menace himself Vincent Price (The Fly, The Tingler, House of Usher) in the first of two films he made with Castle. Also appearing is Elisha Cook Jr. (Shane, The Haunted Palace), Carolyn Craig (Giant), Richard Long (Ma and Pa Kettle), Carol `homina homina’ Ohmart (Spider Baby), Alan Marshal (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), and Julie Mitchum (Edge of Hell), sister of actor Robert Mitchum.
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Price plays Frederick Loren, an eccentric millionaire who, along with his wife Annabelle (Ohmart), has thrown together an interesting little party involving five, seemingly random strangers gathering at a haunted house with ten thousand dollars to each who dare stay through the night. In attendance, along with Frederick and his wife, is Watson Pritchard (Cook), whose brother, one of the previous owners, was murdered within the house, Lance Schroeder (Long), a test pilot, Dr. David Trent (Marshal), a psychiatrist, Nora Manning (Craig), a typist, and Ruth Bridgers (Mitchum), a newspaper columnist. Seems all have agreed to play Frederick’s little game for one reason, they need the dough, and if some crazy rich dude is willing to part with his green for such a seemingly easy task, what the hay, right? Well, the guests arrive, introductions are made, and Frederick gives them the full lowdown. The secluded house is like a fortress (steel doors and bars on the windows) in that once they’re locked in (at midnight, to be precise), there’s no getting out until the caretakers arrive the next morning. Also, there’s no electricity or telephones, and the nearest neighbors are well beyond yelling distance. After a tour of the house, highlighting where various grisly events occurred (including a visit to the acid vat in the cellar…man, this place has everything), a few drinks, and some scares (the ghosts seem to have a thing for Nora), Fredrick passes out some party favors in the form of loaded handguns (nothing like being drunk and armed), not that they’d do anyone much good if there are ghosts out and about…anyway, midnight is coming so if anyone wants to cut out of this ghoulish get together, they’d better get while the getting’s good…
While not my favorite Castle feature (that goes to The Tingler), House on Haunted Hill is still a hoot and a half for all of its campy, good-natured fun. The one thing this film has going for it, above and beyond everything else, is Vincent Price. No matter how rotten the feature was (which wasn’t the case here), Price always brought with him a real sense of class and sophistication to the proceedings, especially true of the number of Poe based films he and Roger Corman made throughout the 1960s for American International Pictures. The absolute best parts of this movie for me occur early on as Price’s character is interacting with his wife, and we see the pair have an interesting hate/hate relationship…here’s an example of their often snide and insinuating banter they engage in behind closed doors…
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Fredrick: Of all my wives you’re least agreeable…
Annabelle: But still alive.
Here’s another bit…
Frederick: Do you remember the fun we had when you poisoned me?
Annabelle: Something you ate, the doctor said.
Frederick: Yes, arsenic on the rocks…
There are a few more excellent exchanges between Price and Ohmart, worthy alone of seeing this film. As for the rest of the performers, I had no real complaints. Elisha Cook Jr.’s character did get on my nerves after awhile, with his constant dour outlook punctuated by his persistent `doom and gloom’ predictions. Drink some more booze, you rummy…seriously, all this guy did was talk about how the ghosts were going to come and take them all away. Perhaps this attitude was assisted by his excessive alcohol intake, but really, what’s the point of accepting an invitation to spend a night at a house you believe you won’t come out of alive? The money? Won’t do you much good if’n you’re dead, fool. If I was in that house I probably would have shot him just to be rid of him. At least I learned one thing…never invite Elisha Cook Jr. to your party and ply him with lots of booze as he’ll turn into a real poison pill. I did like Ms. Ohmart, and not just because she was a smoking babe with a large rack, but because she held her own with Price, even if it was for just a handful of scenes. If you’ve got a hankering to see more of her, and you like ookie horror features, you should really check out another film she appeared in called Spider Baby (1968), featuring Lon Chaney Jr. There are a few, minor scares scattered throughout the film (a crusty crone, a disembodied head or two), but nothing that will make you soil yourself…some scenes will make you snicker, though, like the one where Pritchard chucks a dead rat into the acid vat, if only to demonstrate the acid is really acid. After some bubbling effects, a fully articulated rat skeleton bobs to the surface, indicating to those watching it truly is the real deal. Yes sir, that be some powerful acid…the movie may not be much for scares, but it does have plenty of atmosphere created by Castle’s direction, groovy, cobweb laden set pieces, spooky music, and usage of the Ennis Brown House in Los Angeles, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, for the exterior shots.
It seems this film has fallen into the public domain (i.e. the copyright expired), as I see there are a number of DVD releases by various companies. I can’t speak for those other releases, but the one I own, put out by Warner Brothers (it has a large headshot of Price in the lower right hand corner and Ohmart in a nightgown being menaced by a disfigured hand in the upper left), looks exceptionally good, and features both the fullscreen and widescreen formats, along with a excellent Dolby Digital mono audio track. The only extras included are a theatrical trailer for the film and subtitles in both English and French.
Cookieman108
By the way, this movie saw a remake of the same titled, released in 1999, oozing with high tech special effects. It was decent enough, but I still liked the original better.
William Castle at his gimmicky best! A Classic, spooky Black and White, with deliciously devilish Vincent Price as millionaire with a bored gold-digger wife. She wants a Halloween party with her friends, Price tosses a party all right, but not with the people of her choosing. He offers $10,000 dollars to five stranger if they will join him and his wife in spending Halloween night in a truly haunted house. One of the 5 is a young Elisha Cooke, family of the former owners who died in the house, and he leads them on a murder tour. To jazz things up, Price passes out “party favors” - guns. And it’s a race to find out whether Price of his wife will be the last one standing. This movie is a grandfather of nearly every clichés, blooding dripping from the ceiling, dark mysterious corridors, a witchy woman floating around and vanishing - and the topper that organ music!! This is more like a Halloween Fun house ride than a movie! Price is campy and has great fun with the role, with super lines, especially when fussing with his less than happy wife.
Castle originally devised this movie with “special touches” for the audiences, like ghost on wires gloating through the audience of people in costume sitting down beside you to enhance the fun house feel.
Just plain fun and a wee trip down memory lane.
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Download Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children Online.
Movie Title: Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children |
It’s been almost four years since I first saw Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and wrote my review for Amazon.com. After seeing the new complete version on Blu-Ray, I thought I’d come back and offer my thoughts only to discover that my original review was transferred over from the DVD edition. That review was written at a different time, before the DVD was even released in the States. I thought about going back and revising it, but that’d be changing the past. What I will add are my thoughts on the new Blu-Ray edition.
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Firstly, if you’re looking at the Blu-Ray edition, wondering if it’s a worthy purchase, it definitely is. It’s a much superior version to the original, both in content and clarity. Obviously, with the Blu-Ray the picture quality and sound quality have been considerably increased. There’s a few little nitpicks, such as a shimmering, aliasing problem that pops up every now and then (The Resident Evil: Degeneration Blu-Ray had a similar problem) and it can be distracting. But the details are so much clearer now that it looks like a new movie.
Additionally, new content has been added to this release. A lot of times, “director’s cuts” can be detrimental to the film and the pacing, but in the case of Advent Children, I appreciated the new content. I believe there’s an additional 26 minutes added and these parts delve into the Geostigma and the origins of some of the characters as well as an extended fight between Cloud and Sephiroth. Overall, I think the additions are useful and help make the movie more of a movie and less an extended cut scene. It’s just too bad that it didn’t come with a playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII like it did in Japan…
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On to my original review as it was back in 2005:
Cloud, Tifa, Sephiroth, Marlene, Barret, Vincent. The names could go on. This series reigns in many Final Fantasy fans’ minds as being the best. Though in recent years a lot of people roll their eyes and say its over-rated (and it might be), for me, and for a lot of fans, Final Fantasy was a turning point in the genre not only in terms of graphics and presentation but also in story. I have been playing video games and RPGs since the very first NES. Final Fantasy VII was the first game that made me stop and go, wait when did a video game become something more than just pushing buttons?
Now we have the official sequel, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Advent Children is basically a love note written for the fans of VII. Those who did not invest 40, 50, 60+ hours into the game will probably have no interest in it. But those who were shocked when (should I even say spoiler?) Sephiroth murders Aeris, who have a deep connection to the characters, and over the 40-60+ hours grew so attached to them that to this day they still draw fan art or look for that elusive way to get Aeris back in game(it doesn’t exist, by the way), this movie will mean something.
AC is a beautiful CG movie taking place two years after the events of FFVII. While the ending of VII was climactic and exhilarating, providing a resolution of sorts to the people of Midgar, it did not provide a resolution, happy or not, for Cloud. In fact, it left him empty and hurt as we find in the beginning of Advent Children. What AC does is finish Cloud’s story. Another reviewer here made a comment that he liked FFVII’s ending. I do too, don’t get me wrong. But the one thing it didn’t do was end Cloud’s story. For the length of the game, you have a deeply personal story surrounded by the world story and while the world got its ending, the people involved did no, unhappy or not. As I said, AC ends Cloud’s story with a bang. And it is damn well worth the wait.
I don’t think it would be right of me to talk about what happens in AC. Part of the fun and surprise is to see how well it fits together, brings memories of the video game and works to create an emotional core. I will keep the review as spoiler free as possible because I know I’m tired of reading reviews where people stick in something that can ruin the whole movie.
For those who didn’t play or watch FFVII, this movie will not have much resonance since it’s basically for the fans, both die-hard and casual. Those who loved FFVII will more than likely love this movie. AC is basically an action movie and the action is spectacular although the slow motion was used (while effectively) a little much. The sword play, the battles and the action is all directed with style oozing everywhere. The characters are all animated exceedingly well and the animators did a great job in making PS1 characters into spectacular CG. The musical score varies for me from being excellent to just okay. By far, the best moments are ones I can’t talk about aurally for fear of spoiling surprises. Needless to say, the music is at its greatest when it brings in hints of FFVII, the video game.
There are a lot of connections to both VII and the Final Fantasy series as a whole. From moogle dolls to The Turks, the game oozes both FFVII and FF; although I was disappointed in not seeing any chocobos, there are a few moments that made up for it. One in particular revolves around the games End Battle Theme. Hilarious, laugh out loud scene. There are some minor annoyances. A couple of the scenes felt episodic and not connected. Some scenes were directed very well and lead into each other or intercut between each other. But there are a couple scenes that stand out because they didn’t feel attached to what was going on. In fact, it felt as if they were cut scenes from a video game. Did this detract from the movie? Not in the least, but its there nonetheless.
What surprised me the most with this movie is that it wasn’t done to milk the saga. I mean, of course its there to make money, and FFVII is a great way to do it because of fans’ love for it. Anything in the business world is made around making money. But what I mean exactly is best represented in FFX-2. I am one who did not find FFX-2 at all interesting. In fact it is the only FF game I gave up on. It felt like it was a way of milking FFX for a little more money while the wait for FFXII kept getting longer and longer. However, AC is so intrinsically related to VII that it has a heart and emotion that I haven’t seen in many movies released this year. I felt chills from the very opening moments as the narrator explained some of the events from VII and we see a flashback of Sephiroth standing in front of flames. And that was just the start of the thrills; there are scenes both emotional and thrilling to be found throughout the 1 hour 40 minutes of the film. And what satisfied me above all else was that Cloud’s story finally received a perfect resolution.
I think most fans have been hoping and wishing that Aeris would return and I think the creators give a great answer to this in this movie. I won’t spoil the ending, I won’t tell you who does and doesn’t return. But I will tell you the resolution is damn well awesome and probably the most satisfying ending to what is by far many people’s favorite (if clichéd) choice for the Final Fantasy series. I do need to make a plea and I apologize for it, but if you downloaded this movie (like a certain reviewer did *cough*) please support it when it comes out here in the States and buy it. We need to show support to Square-Enix that this is the kind of sequel we want to see. They spent a long time and a lot of money making a movie that is direct to DVD here in the states. We need to return the favor and support it.
Square-Enix, my hats off to you for handling this with flair, tenderness and sympathy for the characters.
About the Film:
I followed Advent Children closely from the first time it was announced some time in 2004. I am a die-hard Final Fantasy fan, and although I would have preferred the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time (Final Fantasy VII) to be, well, a game, I was delighted to see the story continued in a medium with slightly more widespread appeal. Although the writers made an effort to allow this movie to stand on its own, people who have played the game (and remember the plot and characters) will certainly get considerably more out of it.
About This Release:
In production since about 2006, this version of the film, subtitled “Complete” is the Japanese equivalent of a director’s cut. In addition to a new high-definition transfer of the film several scenes have been extended or reworked and new scenes have been added to further round out the story and provide more visual flash. It may not seem like much while watching it, but in total the film has been extended by fully a third taking it from 90 minutes to 2 hours running time.
Visuals:
Although excellent, I have to say I was expecting more from the High-Definition release of this movie. My first misgiving is with the inconsistent visual quality. The newly added scenes are generally presented with the kind of sharp visual detail that HD enthsiasts have come to expect. The older scenes, while clearly providing more detail than the DVD release, are missing the clarity that true HD material is capable of, often appearing fuzzy or out of focus. It is not generally noticeable, but it does become an obvious annoyance in a couple of scenes. Arguably this could have been done on purpose, adding a “fuzzy” filter for ambiance, but I doubt they would have intentionally added upscaling artifacts which are present in this film. The most notable instance I can recall is during Tifa’s scenes, particularly in the church; the aliasing on her hair is more reminiscent of a DVD being upscaled to 1080p than of a new render done in 1080p.
Little touches have been added to further “sell” the quasi-realism that this film is striving to achieve. During battles characters’ faces get dirty, during one scene flecks of dust in the air created little shimmers.
Story:
While the same story is being told, the added/extended scenes and to an extent the visual enhancements do add a different slant on the plot of Advent Children. While the main points of the story remain unchanged, the plot is made clearer and certain elements which seemed random or unimportant take on new meaning.
[Spoiler alert!]
For example, during a scene a girl carrying a stuffed moogle comes up to Denzel and holds out her hand for him to follow. In the original DVD release, this is really all we see of her, but in the “Complete” release we get to see an earlier scene that reveals she is really trying to make an apology to Denzel for being rude before.
Denzel plays a much more prominent role in this version. It was never clear to me what it was that Cloud was so busy doing before I saw this release, but in this version it is revealed that he was out looking for a cure to the Geostigma so he could help Denzel.
In the DVD release, the Geostigma seemed like little more than a charcoal colored rash that slowly killed people. In this version it is much more sinister, causing sores that ooze sticky black sludge and induces violent convulsions and vomiting of the same black sludge.
[End spoilers]
I’ll leave the spoilers at that, but I’ve only revealed a couple of the dozen or so plot augmentations that this version of the film brings to the table. Most of them gave me that “Ooooh that’s what they meant. I get it now.” feeling. Maybe I’m just slow, but a lot of these things weren’t obvious to me in the film’s original presentation.
Sound:
This film really benefits from the expanded HD audio - more so if you have the equipment to properly decode the newer HD audio formats, but even when down sampled to Dolby Digital, the sound is richer and has much fewer compression artifacts. Some of the music has been remixed slightly and it seems like I heard one or two additional compositions. Many of the songs were written to lock in with certain scenes, and when the scenes were extended, so was the music. I was very impressed with how seamless it all seemed.
Voice acting is one of those things, like pizza toppings, that nobody seems to be able to agree on. I have never been terribly picky about voice acting, but since everyone is different I’ll attempt to provide some frame of reference for my opinion. My idea of poor voice acting is the Devil May Cry anime, and my idea of good voice acting is Cowboy Bebop. I think the voice acting is superb in Advent Children. I was particularly delighted to hear the voices chosen for the ancillary characters like Barret, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Yufie, Vincent and Cid. But the actors chosen for main characters Cloud, and Tifa were very good matches for what I imagined the characters from the game would sound.
Extras:
This review is of the Japanese release, and frankly I did not really care enough about the extras to check them out. I watched them once when the DVD release came out and can’t be bothered to do it again. This does come with an additional animated “episode” about Denzel. For those of you who want to know absolutely everything there is to know about how a movie was made, you will not be disappointed with the depth.
For me the real attraction in the extras was the inclusion of the Final Fantasy XIII playable demo. Since the PS3 is region free, the Japanese release is very import friendly. (If you don’t mind that it is all in Japanese) The U.S. release mentions a Final Fantasy XIII “preview”. I don’t know if that means that it will be a demo, or an extended trailer. It would be a shame if it was the latter.
Final Thoughts:
I wish all “director’s cut” releases could enhance the original presentation as well as Advent Children Complete does. The extra footage catapulted this already great movie firmly into the category of awesome. If you didn’t enjoy the first release because you just didn’t “get it” then this release may be just what you need to put the pieces together as many of the more vague areas of the plot are clarified. If you loved the first one, then you’ll love this one even more. About the only thing it is missing is the ability to watch the original release version of the film. Personally that isn’t an issue for me but it would have been a nice addition.
Although this review is for the Japanese release, I doubt much will change in the final U.S. version. My reasoning is that the the DVD release was nearly identical for the two territories, and there are only two months between Blu-ray releases.
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Stream Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste Online.
Movie Title: Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste is available for streaming or downloading. |
Peter Jackson’s directorial debut, “Bad Taste,” is a hilariously good time involving a whole lot of blood, guts, brains, the chugging of vomit and tons of laughs. Done in the true slapstick-horror fashion, this is a disgusting and pleasantly demented flick that refuses to take itself seriously. It’s over-the-top in every way, and that’s what makes it so fun to watch. It’s not recommended for people with weak stomachs, but people looking for carnage and laughs will feel right at home with this.
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It doesn’t have the most scientific or complex plot, but why should it? It involves aliens from another planet that are disguised as humans–acting more like zombies, but they move a lot faster and are handy with automatic weapons. The aliens are here for one thing only… hamburger meat–made from humans! They have already completely massacred an entire town and plan to do the same to the rest of the world! Now, it’s up to a couple of goofball assassins to save humanity and take these extra-terrestrial psychos head on… God help us all!
This was everything I was hoping it would be. It’s completely over-the-top, ridiculous and a real gross-out event. What more could you want? This isn’t a movie where you’re looking for brilliant acting or directing. You just want to enjoy yourself. The movie is purposely goofy, as it is never afraid to make fun of itself in many ways. The best way I can describe this is it’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” meets “The Evil Dead.” It’s not scary, but since it is slapstick-horror it doesn’t really need to be. Considering how low of a budget Jackson and company had, it has some pretty cool and disgusting special effects. I could never make something like this, that much is for sure.
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As I said in the beginning, it’s not recommended for people with weak stomachs. Sure, it was made on a low budget, but the special effects are still disgusting enough to make you feel sick if you’re not up for it. You also have to not take this seriously. If you try to take it seriously, then you will loathe every second. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the chaotic freak show. The limited DVD edition offers a really neat changing-cover. The picture and sound is as good as it can get (the sound is the real prize, allowing you to hear all the squishy-squishy joy of blood and brains splattering all over the place!). Special features include the theatrical trailer and a making-of documentary.
“Bad Taste” is for anyone who has a sick and twisted sense of humor, and who is in the mood for something extremely goofy. I think Peter Jackson should revisit the genera again in the near future, as he really shines in it with this movie. I’m sure he has a lot of fun with it, too. Again, not recommended for the weak, but if you’re looking for all the blood and guts you can handle while laughing at the same time, it’s all right here. A great gem that is bound to entertain you over and over again. -Michael Crane
Absolutely crazy horror comedy and Peter Jackson’s (who is now busy making ‘Lord of the Rings’)debut movie. Gore and blood abound as ‘The Boys’ are called in to get rid of an alien menace killing townspeople to use them as the latest fast-food taste sensation on another planet.
At one point, one of our heroes, Derek, falls off a cliff and splits his head wide open - the rest of the time he has to wear either a hat or belt on his head to keep his brains in! Exploding sheep, aliens eating brains and vomit, ‘The Boys’ killing everything in site and a starship in the size of old house - this film has it all and twice over. All done with more than a hint of humour, this extremely black-comedy, blood drenched from beginning to end will make you laugh hysterically and feel a bit grossed out at the on-screen display. Directed with passion, made over four years’ worth of weekends with a bunch of friends and virtually no-budget, this cult classic is essential viewing for all horror fans, especially those who enjoy cheesy humour. If you like ‘Evil Dead 2′ and the Monty Python films, you’ll love this - watch it now!
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