DVD Collectors Online

My Neighbor Totoro, a review by Danae Cassandra

Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro)
Year of Release: 1988
Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Lisa Michaelson, Cheryl Chase, Gregory Snegoff, Kenneth Hartman
Genre: Fantasy

Overview:
Enter a whimsical "garden of earthly delights" (The New York Times), in this enchanting fantasy adventure that has become an international favorite of children around the world.

Deep inside a tree trunk, two children discover a fascinating new world inhabited by Totoros - amazing, charming creatures who become their friends. Some are big, some are small, but all of them are furry, lovable and ready to do wondrous, magical things...like fly over mountains and make giant trees grow in the middle of the night! Best of all, Totoros can't be seen by adults, only the children who love them.

With its imaginative characters, heartwarming story and striking animation by the award-winning Hayao Miyazaki, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is "certain to delight" (Los Angeles Times) again and again.

My Thoughts:
Totoro is a perfect film; charming, magical, nostalgic. Totoro is a movie of simple beauty, of the enchantment of childhood and the magic of nature. It's a film of patience and the unfolding of life around us. It's a film with a simple story and superb animation. It's a film about wonder, about growing up, about responsibility, about children who act like children, and the profound reality of being human. A perfect film. Sit back and enjoy.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall: 5/5

(From My Neighbor Totoro on March 24th, 2014)

Fargo, a review by Eric

Fargo


Click the pic for details

Based on a true story that took place in Minnesota and North Dakota in 1987.  The opening credits claim that the names of the survivors were changed but that "in respect for the deads the rest is told exactly as it occured".

It's about a frustrated loser who hires 2 guys to kidnap his wife and get his wealthy father in law to pay a ransom he will then keep. The story is interesting and I had never heard of it. 

The movie however is not very good.  It was obviously done with a small budget but I don't think it excuses everything.  The thing that bothered me is that the characters from Minnesota and North Dakota all looked kind of "idiotic".  They look cold, like nothing ever surprise them, almost like Zombie.  They also say "Yeaaaaah" at least once per sentence, often more, but pronounced almost with a German or Dutch accent.  I don't know if people in Minnesota really say "Yeah" all the time but in the movie it's very annoying, almost like the writer sometimes makes them say something totally useless just to squeeze another "Yeah" in there.

This is bad IMO because there's a scene in the movie where all those one word sentences with people answering "yeah" all the times makes the whole thing look like some parody that isn't even funny.

They may have told things exactly as they happened by respect for the deads but they could also have shown respect for the people involved by not depicting them as idiots.

My score: , but if you find it somewhere for less than 5$ bucks it can still fill a snowy saturday afternoon if one has nothing else to do.


P.S: After writing this review I checked the movie on Rotten Tomatoes.  To my surprise it got very good critics and scores averaging 85% by critics and 94% by the community so I guess one should base his decision on getting this movie or not on my review.

(From Eric's DVD watching. on October 4th, 2008)

Tom's TV Finales marathon, a review by Tom

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Birds of Prey: The Complete Series (2002/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Length: 542 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English

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Plot:
Who will stand up to villains now that a heartbroken Dark Knight has mysteriously vanished? Never fear, New Gothamites, a trio of champions is ready to take wing - and Helena, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, is among them. She calls herself Huntress and crime is her prey. Teenaged Dinah is the youngest of the group, learning as she goes and gifted in clairvoyance. And overseeing the awesome threesome's high-tech nerve center is Batgirl. Left wheelchair-bound by The Joker, she has reinvented herself as OracleBirds of Prey. Fighting together. Living together. And soaring into adventure together in 13 breathtaking live-action episodes.


Birds of Prey
Season 1.12 Feat of Clay & Devil's Eyes
Writer: Adm Armus (Writer), Kay Foster (Writer), Hans Tobeason (Screenwriter), Adam Armus (Story By), Melissa Rosenberg (Story By)
Director: Joe Napolitano, Robert J. Wilson
Cast: Ashley Scott (Helena Kyle/Huntress), Dina Meyer (Barbara Gordon/Oracle), Rachel Skarsten (Dinah Lance), Shemar Moore (Det. Jesse Reese), Ian Abercrombie (Alfred Pennyworth), Mia Sara (Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn), Shawn Christian (Wade Brixton), Robert Patrick Benedict (Gibson Kafka), Ian Reed Kesler (Chris Cassius), Kirk Baltz (Clayface), Patrick Fischler (Dr. Will Kroner), Steve Hytner (Dr. Franklin Rominic), Brad Blaisdell (Guard #1), Ted Underwood (Guard #2)

This is another series which was cancelled early. But here they at least got a chance to a last two-parter to conclude the main storylines of this season. Which is a luxury not a lot of series get to do in similar circumstances.
So they had to put a lot of stuff into these episodes, which makes the conclusion of these storylines a little rushed. But at least we get a resolution for them. Like the two love interests for the two main characters. One of them finally get together after a season of teasing. The other gets to find out about the crime fighting and all (thanks to Alfred where he pulls the same stunt he did in the first Batman movie with Vicky Vale). Another thing which comes out of nowhere: The resolution of whom killed the mother of Huntress.
The music replacements in this DVD release is something which really bothered me. One thing I mentioned before is the removal of the great theme song. The other big replacement is the final showdown. In the original aired version, they played T.a.t.u.'s "All the Things She Said", which worked really well. Also it was the first time I had ever heard the song. Although I have to admit, you would not notice these replacements, if you haven't seen the original version.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Finales marathon on January 28th, 2013)