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Zookeeper, a review by addicted2dvd

Zookeeper (2011/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Director: Frank Coraci Writing: Nick Bakay (Screenwriter), Rock Reuben (Screenwriter), Kevin James (Screenwriter), Jay Scherick (Screenwriter), David Ronn (Screenwriter), Jay Scherick (Story By), David Ronn (Story By) Length: 102 min. Rating: Rated PG : Some Rude and Suggestive Humor, and Language Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
Bart the Bear as Jerome the Bear
Honey Bump Bear as Bruce the Bear
Kevin James as Griffin Keyes
Rosario Dawson as Kate
Leslie Bibb as Stephanie
Ken Jeong as Venom

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• BD-Live
• movieIQ

I know of a lot of people that don't like this film... but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Well I have been a fan of Kevin James since his King of Queens days. Sure this is a silly movie... but in my opinion it is silly in a good way.



(From The Alphabet Marathon: Blu-ray Edition on July 26th, 2014)

Book of the Dead, a review by Danae Cassandra

Book of the DeadOverview:
In this ravishing film of mystical beauty, master animator Kihachiro Kawamoto's tour de force adventure tale tells the story of a young noblewoman in 8th-century Japan who leaves her home to follow the apparition of an executed prince.

The Book of the Dead takes place as Buddhism is being introduced to Japan from China. Iratsume, a woman of noble desent, becomes obsessed with this mysterious new religion. One night, in a rapturous trance, she sees a luminous vision that she believes to be the Buddha, compelling her to leave home and journey to a sacred temple. Once there, she sees Otsu, a young prince who was executed 50 years earier. While Iratsume mistakes the prince's spirit for the incarnation of the great Buddha, the ghost mistakes Iratsume for the last woman he saw at the moment of his death. As an act of great devotion, she decides to make a giant shroud for the prince to heal his soul, after which he begins to haunt the young woman and those around her. The pair embark on an impassioned battle of wills, one longing for the material world, the other striving for the spiitual.

This strange story of outherworldly romance is the work of stop-motion animator and puppet-maker Kihachiro Kawamoto, a former student of the master Czech animator Jiri Trnka. Already a legend in his own right, with The Book of the Dead he has created an intricately detailed magnum opus, a summation of themes explored in all of his work: the transience of existence, the ambiguity of human behavior, and the search for perfection and beauty in an imperfect world.

One final note for animation buffs: The film also features the work by the acclaimed Russian animator and director Yuriy Norsheteyn, who was involved in The Book of the Dead as a "guest animator."

My Thoughts:
This would be a better film if any of the stories here got resolved. The model work, the stop motion animation, the visuals of the film are simply gorgeous. I mean, seriously beautiful. But the strands of stories here - the men who wish to court Irartsume, her quest for enlightenment, the desires of the ghost for release and an heir, none of this ever feels truly resolved. The closest any of them come is Iratsume - her weaving that depicts the Bodhisattvas feels like movement toward Buddhist enlightenment, but the ending doesn't really confirm this either. I'm guessing the filmmakers ran out of money, and rushed a finish. It's too bad, because there was so much potential here. Recommended for lovers of stop-motion animation - you'll want to see it just for the work put in. It's a beautiful but ultimately frustrating view.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 3/5

(From March Around the World 2016 on March 11th, 2016)

The Flash Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

Guest Stars:
David Cassidy as Sam Scudder
Signy Coleman as Stasia Masters
Vito D'Ambrosio as Bellows
Biff Manard as Murphy
Carolyn Seymour as Jocelyn Weller

My Thoughts:
This is an ok episode... but was never one of my favorites. I found I just didn't care much about the main storyline. But it still has some entertaining moments.

My Rating:

(From The Flash Marathon on April 26th, 2010)