Clone Wars

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away....specifically 1977.
Now, probably every single scifi fan knows the significance of this date, that's right, it's the year episode IV of Star Wars was originally released. Now, nearly 31 years from those humble times, a new chapter in the Star Wars saga has emerged. Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
For those of you who don't know the plot here's just a summary from imdb:

"As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, the heroic Jedi Knights struggle to maintain order and restore peace. More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further and further under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending droid army. Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side ... "

Well that about sums up this film. As many scifi fans know Star Wars has always been an excellent film that was made with live-action...unfortunately this is not the case for this film. The entire film was made with CGI which I found to be an odd step to take. Of course, something I should point out is this film is really just one gigantic pilot episode for the new series coming out. So, of course they have to make it CGI, seeing as the series is going to be CGI.
The film begins very suddenly with an overview of what's been going on. This brief part has a narrator telling us what happened rather then the traditional crawling text.
Also, may I note that this film not only had no involvement with the usual 20th Century Fox, but also it didn't use John Williams original theme. Instead it used a newly composed sounding version of the theme.
My view of the plot. I felt it to be...loose. The idea of the infamous crime lord's son being kidnapped and it's up to two Jedis to save him seems to me kinda odd. Not that saving a crime lord's son is a bad thing, it just doesn't seem "Star Wars-y". Otherwise, the idea of giving Anakin a padawan to teach seemed like a very nice idea. It's always fun seeing Lord of the Emo's teach a 15 year old alien girl how to brutally destroy robots with a sword that cuts through anything known to the universe.
The action scenes in the movie are...shall I say...intense. They are fabulous. Just what I'd expect from a Star Wars film set in the Clone Wars. In fact, after I saw the film I really wanted to blast some Separatist Battle Droids myself. Lightsaber battles in the film where great, dog fights in space were okay (weren't many of them).
The voice acting maybe could've been a little improved. Not the voices themselves or how they spoke per say, but just some of the lines. Anakin constantly calls his Padawan "Snips" and she calls him "Sky-guy" (obvious pun on his name Skywalker). These nicknames bothered me for one small reason...They really don't seem to have any meaning besides showing us Jedis can't create good nicknames for people. Another thing I was a little bothered by was that Jabba the Hutt had an uncle named Ziro the Hutt. Ziro, who I kinda expected to be a little older and more "Godfather-like", turned out to be a purple, young looking, and sounding like a woman. It was hard to think of him as "Jabba's Uncle", I kept wanting to think of him as "Jabba's Scary Aunt".
Now, interestingly enough only four of the actors from the original movie performed their voices for the movie. Anthony Daniels (C3-Po), Matthew Wood (General Grievous, who ironically never really spoke at all in the film), Christopher Lee (Count Dooku), and Samuel L Jackson (Mace Windu, and he's had it with those snakes on that Jedi Council).
Animation in the film was good, yet I found it to be kinda blocky. Of course, that is probably because it's trying to be like the former cartoon series which itself had a blocky feel.
Overall: The film was decent. Not the best Star Wars film, yet certainly not the worst ( Holiday Special ). I enjoyed the film, though I found the opening to be slightly rushed, but that's not bad.
I give the film a good 3/5

-Z

Not for Long!

Hey everybody! I know Z already mentioned this, but we are pretty busy now with school here. That doesn't mean we won't review, they simply won't be as often. There are some great movies that need reviewing, after all!

As well as some older movies to review, there are some new movies that will be coming out in the near future that I'm very excited to see and share with you! Specifically Death Note II: The Last Name. This will be coming out on October 15th and 16th, and you can bet I'll be there!

Besides that movie, another movie I'm excited for is Twilight. I read the book, and I must say I'm a fan. I'm very eager to read the rest of the series. Though I was worried at first, since the book is almost always better than the movie, I was comforted by the fact that Stephenie Meyer herself was pretty involved with the project, so I know the characters must be well-suited to play their parts. And I have to admit, they do look like what the characters would look like in real life.

Are there any other movies coming out that you're excited about? Maybe we'll review them for you!

Well then, that's it for now. Happy September! :D

-S

The Brave Little Toaster

Yes, you read that title correctly. I am reviewing The Brave Little Toaster. Why? You ask. Simple, this film was one of the films I remember very well as a child. Unfortunately I never saw it on the big screen, but I did watch it every time it was on Disney (back when Disney was actually good). Now, what exactly makes this movie excellent? Two words. TALKING APPLIANCES.
That's right, before Toy Story or Small Soldiers with their talking toys, we had TALKING APPLIANCES. Now, what's exciting about Talking Appliances? MORE LIKE WHAT'S NOT EXCITING!? You've got Kirby the vacuum, Blankey the electronic blanket, Toaster the Toaster, Radio the radio, and Lampy the lamp. Now you may be saying "Geez, those names aren't original except maybe Kirby" Well, that is where you're wrong. Kirby isn't really original, it's an old Vacuum company. Besides the simplistic names, the movie was over all good. The basic plot (I got from the International Movie Database, which I edited accordingly) goes as so:

When a young boy (this nerdy looking kid named Rob) and his family don't come one year to their holiday home, their household appliances, led by the toaster think their master might be in trouble. They decided that rather than stay where they are, they'll try to find them. So beings a dangerous and amusing adventure through the countryside and into the big city.

That's about it. Household appliances go to find their master, Rob. Now, the reason I find this film to be so excellent is obviously for it's simplicity and oddness. Although it's a musical, it's one of the few with singing Toasters.
One of the most interesting things about it is it's darkness. The movie is surprisingly dark. Toasters are dangled over a bathtub in Toaster's dream. They kill an demented and frightening air conditioner. A deranged shop owner (who eats pink marshmallows and talks with his mouthful) attempts to dissemble radio for parts. Sadistic computers tell the gang to get lost. And a giant magnet chases the owner and nearly gets him crushed....Dang...This movie is really intense.
Thing is, I'm not even joking! All these things happen! I remember being kinda frightened too! I worried about the life of a toaster...
Anyway, as I draw this shortish review to a close I have this to say in conclusion.
The Brave Little Toaster was a good kid flick. It's simple, funny, musical, and sometimes frightening. However, it's one of the few good animated films that I can boldly say I remember and I like.
I give it 4.5/5
-Z