Hey guys. It's been some time since my last review, Rent, and I've been putting off writing any others (primarily because I'm quite busy and I can't find anything worth writing about). But I figured I'd show you guys what else I commonly do with myself outside of writing reviews.
Now, unlike most stop-motion animations that require days, weeks, even months of work (like most of my other films), this film was made for a Twenty-Four Hour Animation Contest on, meaning I had to write, design, animate, voice or find voice actors (if necessary) and edit the film together within a 24 hour timeslot.
What?! Mr. Vorhias has an article out that isn't music-based?!
...Huh.
Those among you who are TV junkies may remember a couple of years ago, when Adult Swim held an event called "The Night Of 1000 Pilots", wherein 5 different pilots of potential Adult Swim TV shows were aired as a preview of things yet to come. (Though about 995 short of the title mark.) I watched the pilots, 4 of which have already begun airing right now, and frankly I was less than impressed for the most part. Among their ranks included Superjail, (Which was stunningly animated, but the writing was sub-par.) That Crook'd Sipp, (Which was not terribly interesting in terms of writing or animation, and has yet to appear as a series.) Let's Fish, (A blend of live-action and animation starring Brendon Small and Scott Adsit, which is no longer airing.) and Fat Guy Stuck In The Internet. (Which, I assure you, is even LESS appealing than the title sounds.)
Of all these shows however, the 5th one stuck out in my mind as actually being entertaining, and has only just recently begun to air episodes. The show in question is The Drinky Crow Show, based off of the alternative newspaper comic strip Maakies, written by Tony Millionaire.
I would go so far as to say that this show may be one of the best things that Adult Swim has taken into its ranks in a few years, because it's funny, it's visually splendid, and many other reasons, which I would like to share with you now.
Its surprising with the amount of reviews I do on childhood memories is that I've never expounded on the origins of my fandom for the speedy blue hedgehog. Many have inquired about it through email and I just never had the time to fully explain it since I had to be in a certain mood to write about it. So relax, grab a chili dog and immerse yourself in the early stages of Sonic the Hedgehog and how I became the fan I am today!
Around the remaining weeks of summer vacation, in the glorious year of 1993, I remember watching a teaser ad regarding ABC's new Saturday Morning Lineup and it showed Sonic and some "chipmunk girl" for a brief 5 seconds.
Now at the time, I was already anticipating another Sonic show that UPN was going to air, so of course I became more curious on how the 2 would differ. Now at the time, I was still a Nintendo loyalist, but occasionally played the Sonic games when the opportunity arrived. I can be at a friends house and if Darren asked me if i wanted to play Sonic, I'd apathetically reply "um........ok."
Now this may become a shock to a few people, but I didn't really care for the games. It could've been due to the Nintendo conditioning over the years, but Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was practically the only game that won my attention. I mean come on, that Chemical Plant Zone music rocks the 16bit sound! When I heard there were 2 shows of the blue blur, my lust for video game adapted cartoons started to expand beyond Mario, Captain N, and Zelda. The games were fun, and I was interested to see how it would pan out as a cartoon series.
Adventures of Sonic started to air on UPN weekday mornings. It was entertaining and the slapstick jokes were a guilty pleasure, but I was contemplating on what this "other" show would be like. So finally one Friday night, TGIF aired a special featuring the cast of one of my favorite sitcoms.
Corry Mathews and crew introduced 5 minute clips of each show that was scheduled to air the next morning. That alone already indicated how awesome saturday mornings were going to be pertaining to ABC's new lineup. NOTE: I still have the recording of this somewhere in a sea of VHS tapes, so hopefully I'll be able to youtube that sucker when I find it.
Finally 6am came the following saturday and Sonic the Hedgehog made its 60 minute debut. The episodes were Sonic Boom and Sonic's Nightmare. Considering that it was relatively dark outside, it created the appropriate atmosphere and tone for the show. While watching the first 10 minutes, I started to question who the other characters were since they weren't in the games. Now since I'm anal about something being canon, I would complain and dub that the show was devoid of anything relating to the games. But even at the age of 12, it didn't matter since I was captivated by the drama, enduring characters, and its deep engaging plot. I don't know what convinced me at the time, but after watching the first hour of the series, I adapted a weekend ritual of recording every episode.
Even at its infancy, I knew that somehow this Sonic cartoon would be relevant in the future and man was I right! Though I continued to record Aosth episodes and watch them after I came home from school, it was the Saturday Morning version of Sonic that became the cafeteria banter of Monday's lunch period. Each week, I gradually became obsessed about it. It was apparent when I started to doodle characters on my notebooks and even draw pictures that I would hang on my wall. It was truly the best show of my Jr high years. In fact, it convinced me to get a Genesis which I strongly opposed since it wasn't Nintendo. I bought all the Sonic games at the time, nothing else. Almost as if the justification of owning a Genesis is to strictly play Sonic games.
In Dec of 1994, when that infamous Doomsday Project episode aired, my fanboyness soared higher than ever imagined. What a fucking ending, and it left the door open to another season!
My friends and I just couldn't wait for the following year, and we knew the story would advance into darker territory. It was going to be big; something awesome was going to unfold knowing Snivley vowed revenge and had a mysterious new cohort. I thought it was Knuckles and some of my friends speculated that it was Metal Sonic.
Using Mario Paint and alot of free time, I would actually try to animate supposed scenes from Season 3. Most memorable one is Knuckles slamming down on Sonic while Snivley laughs in the background. Fall of 1995 eventually came at a slow pace, but surprisingly there were no ads for Sonic. Of course upon waking up at 6am and switching on ABC turned out to be a huge shock when the beloved hedgehog was replaced with a disobedient whale based from a crappy movie.
(couldn't find still shots from the cartoon, since the webernet apparently despised the show as much as I did by erasing it from existence)
That's right. Free Fucking Willy the animated series had replaced Sonic the Hedgehog! WTF?! At first I thought it was the network going through a rescheduling period, but after about 2 weeks of waking up with delusional hope, it was confirmed that the show was canceled. My heart literally sank, since it's still a haunting moment of my life. An epic show ending on a cliffhanger with no verification of what Season 3 would involve. Fortunately, the show returned in 1996 on the USA network. Only stipulation is that it was butchered to the point where it was mostly commercials leaving less air time for the show. And here's where I'll end my tale since I can practically write a novel about this subject and the topic here is pretty much elaborated.
To this day I still remain optimistic about a possible 3rd Season since the fanbase is constantly growing especially with the new release of the DVD box set. SatAM: Proof that Sega has potential to make Sonic great again.
(Oh, be sure to check my video review of the DVD box set)
Howdy, I am the Crappy Music Man. I know you all are tried of critics (except for That Guy With The...uh...I forget). They review old (or new) movies and games. But what about MUSIC. This is a review of Kid Rock's All Summer Long. Special guest appearance from the Nostalgia Critic. Hope you enjoy.
Hello to whatever random TGWTG user has somehow stumbled across this little entry.
This is just part of a probably lame attempt to spread knowledge and information of a great comic series that I think just doesn't get enough attention in this world.
I am talking about the insanely complicated, brilliantly-drawn, brilliantly-written series known as GOLD DIGGER - drawn, colored and written by Fred Perry.
Don't let the cover fool you too much. There is no denying that this comic is very heavy on the fanservice, so I won't even try to do so. But to perceive this series as nothing but fanservice and discarding it is a big mistake for anyone who likes ultra-complex stories.
Begun in 1991 with a small special in Antarctic-Press's Mangazine, it was soon followed by a 4-issue miniseries, and then became its own full series published by Antarctic-Press.
The basic story follows the adventures of archaeologist Gina Diggers. One of the most brilliant minds on Earth, she had earned PH.Ds in mathematics, physics, engineering, chemistry, biology and archaeology by the age of 18. Despite her brilliant mind and the wonderful toys she comes up with to protect herself, her unorthodox choices of research sites regularly land her in serious danger.
Enter Gina's "little" sister and bodyguard, Britanny. Adopted by their parents when both were very young, Britanny is the only surviving werecheetah on Eart. The rest of her clan was wiped out in a climactic battle with the werewolves.
And as if the concept of the comic isn't odd enough already, their father Theodore just happens to be an archmage, while their mother Julia happens to be the Armsmaster of Jade - the best fighter in the world of Jade.
Okay, so that's the basic synopsis of the comic that has been used ever since the early days of the series publication. But it has grown so far beyond this basic description, that its barely accurate anymore. Gold Digger has run a total of 151 issues so far(plus the original Mangazine special and miniseries), and developed a complex storyline that's nigh-on impossible to explain in full.
If I wanted to be cliche, I could say, "Nobody can be told what Gold Digger is.... You must see it for yourself." But the fact is if I wanted to fill up about 200 pages or so I could easily summarize ALL of GD for you.
But that's no fun. I'm here to encourage you to go read it for yourselves, not just tell you the story.
So how do I explain how good it is, without any spoilers, in a manner good enough to convince one its worth a look?
Well... For one thing, there's no such thing as a "plot hole" in GD. Although there appeared to be early on, literally everything that's left open is eventually revisited, without any retconning or ignoring the previous events. Unlike too many comics out there, the story has stayed solid enough to never have to reinvent itself. It has never jumped a shark, and it has never failed to be exciting.
Its action-packed, its funny, and, most improtantly, its BRILLIANT.
Since the start of the story, the ever-increasing cast of characters have encountered everything from zombies and vampries to dragons, elves, other werefolk, and even alien civilizations. In fact, one of the main characters happens to be married to an alien prince(or former prince, to be specific).
There's swords, sorcery, martial arts, and super-technology. Super-technology? YES. You though Star Trek was overloaded with technobabble? Star Trek's got NOTHING on the newer issues of Gold Digger!
The series often pokes fun at certain pieces of pop-culture. There are often references to things such as Voltron, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, and even some mythology. Legends such as that of Merlin the magician are referenced fairly often when dealing with matters on the world of Jade, where magic users left when the age of technology began on Earth.
Despite references to and inspiration from such things, GD has built up its own mythology, slowly revealed as Gina's brilliant mind works to not only solve simple, classic archaeological mysteries, but also to unravel the secrets of the very universe.
Secrets that seem to imply that she may have.... No, dammit, no spoilers.
The interactions between the characters are well-written and believeable as well as WONDERFULLY complex. Despite the obvious sci-fi/fantasy setting, you sometimes get the feeling you're reading a biography of someone's life, only explaining things a million times better. These aren't one or two dimensional characters. They're very complex, and you can see them develop over the course of the series - especially the third sister, Brianna.
Despite the complexity of the story and characters, it doesn't take a brilliant mind to follow the series. It only takes a mind that wants an EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD story.
If you can't stand fanservice, the amount of it will almost certainly ruin the comic for you. But if you're tolerant or even enjoy it as a nice bonus, you'll enjoy this comic VERY much.
But be warned... If all you give a shit about is fanservice, you won't like this comic. Although the fanservice is common, when the story gets serious it can easily be left out in favor of good action and plot advancement.
Now how do you get to see the entire series? Well, having been around for more than 15 years, finding odler issues won't be easy. That's why Antarctic-Press(http://www.antarctic-press.com/) is selling GD-ROM Version 2.0! http://www.antarctic-press.com/html/version_01/viewitem.php?id=5215&bk=
Currently on sale for only $30.00(plus FREE SHIPPING in the US!), GD-ROM Version 2 contains the original Mangazine Special, the Miniseries, the original 50-issue black-and-white series, and the first 100 issues of the COLOR series! That's ALL but the newest issue of GD, plus extras!!!
So what are you waiting for?! Go buy it!!
In addition to GD-ROM, there is also a three-episode OAV series. All of the artwork in all three episodes is done by the man himself, Fred Perry, and the effort goes to show. You aren't watching a masterpiece of art when you see the OAVs, but you're seeing something far better than any random bit of animation you'll see on Youtube! Episodes 1 and 2 are already out, episode 3 is still in the works, due to be released in 2009, and it looks like it'll be the best of the lot: Have a lot at these previews!
The first two episodes have also been uploaded to Youtube in various parts. However, I will not link them as I do not know if Fred approves of their presence or not. But as copies of the OAV in VHS and DVD form are difficult to find, I am not opposed the idea of going to view those postings.
Fred also publishes two spinoff webcomics based on characters from the series.
"Ayane" follows the life of UFF fighter Ayane Anno: http://ayane.tsunami-art.com/
"Northern Edge" follows the experiences of Jade's Northern Edge Guard. Mostly those of the were-jaguar Sheila as she trains the Edge Guard's newest recruits: http://ayane.tsunami-art.com/
There is also "LevelUp," based on Fred's Final Fantasy XI characters: http://lvlup.tsunami-art.com/
And GD-Tangent, a dumping ground for all sort of stuff Fred draws: http://gd-tangent.tsunami-art.com/
A little warning about the above sites: A while back some hackers broke into the site and inserted malicious programming into the code. The problems have been fixed, but depending on your virus-protection services, you may get a warning about them. You should be safe to ignore it, but these hackers have struck multiple times and almost seem to have a vendetta against Fred, so do make sure your virus scanner and spyware programs are up-to-date when visiting.
I've said all I can say, and given all the info I can give. The rest is up to you. Will you give this wonderful series a chance, or will you treat it like too many others and brush it aside as nothing but fanservicy crap?
If you do that latter, I will be forced to track you down and recreate the Jansen Van Vurren/Tome Pryce accident. Only with protection for myself so that I won't die in the process.
Howdy, I am the Crappy Music Man. I know you all are tried of critics (except for That Guy With The...uh...I forget). They review old (or new) movies and games. But what about MUSIC. This is a review of Vanessa Hudgen's Sneakernight. I want to add that there is an advertisement for That Guy With The Glasses in the video. Hope you enjoy.
More Music Video Reviews: http://www.youtube.com/user/CrappyMusicMan
If you are like me, you love music! Also remember that old Christmas special with Charlie Brown and Snoopy and the gang. Bring back memories and the music in Charile Brown is a masterpiece in it's own. The video below is a reenactment of the first Charlie Brown cartoon comic ever. Hope you enjoy!
Howdy, I am the Crappy Music Man. I know you all are tried of critics (except for That Guy With The...uh...I forget). They review old (or new) movies and games. But what about MUSIC. This is a review of Jonas Brothers's Burnin' Up. Hope you enjoy.
Howdy, I am the Crappy Music Man. I know you all are tried of critics (except for That Guy With The...uh...I forget). They review old (or new) movies and games. But what about MUSIC. This is a review of Kate Perry's song Hot N Cold. Hope you enjoy.
More Music Video Reviews: http://www.youtube.com/user/CrappyMusicMan
Howdy, I am the Crappy Music Man. I know you all are tried of critics (except for That Guy With The...uh...I forget). They review old (or new) movies and games. But what about MUSIC. This is a review of Britney Spear's Womanizer. In this review I am naked with Nostalgia Critic. Hope you enjoy.
More Music Video Reviews: http://www.youtube.com/user/CrappyMusicMan
Howdy, I am the Crappy Music Man. I know you all are tried of critics (except for That Guy With The...uh...I forget). They review old (or new) movies and games. But what about MUSIC. This is a review of Miley Cyrus' (Hannah Montana) song 7 Things. Hope you enjoy.
Hello and welcome to the first ever edition of....
Daffy Gives Tribute To...
You know, the super heroes of our age really have a lot of work cut out for them. They have to save the world, keep the streets safe for people they don't even know, keep their girlfriend/boyfriend happy, make sure their friends and family remain oblivious to the fact that they are superheroes, and maintain their secret identity in the real world. Not to mention keep their job, pay the bills, and everything else regular people also have to deal with.
Hello and thanks in advanced for reading my review of WALL-E, starring Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight and Jeff Garlin. I'm a big Pixar fan. I love every movie they have made except for Cars. So you can imagine how excited I was when I found out that the project that they wanted to do from the very beginning was finally arriving. Doing a review for a movie like WALL-E reminds me of doing that review for The Dark Knight. We all know that the movie is amazing, so why bother reading about how great it is all over again? Well if you remember my Dark Knight review it was two words "Holy ^&^%". But those words don't describe WALL-E. To describe WALL-E is to say, Toy Story meets Meet the Robinsons. The great characters, and story from Toy Story, and the amazing colour, fun and moral behind Meet the Robinsons.
The movie begins with showing us WALL-E. This robot cannot talk, but if anyone can tell us a story with no dialogue from the main character, it's Pixar. WALL-E goes through the city, picking up trash and turning it into little squares. He is the only one left from a line of robots that got left on Earth to clean up all the rubbish. While they were doing this, Earth's remaining population went into space on the Axiom. A ship that was made to be a paradise vacation for people until the cleaning was done, and they could go back home. But this project failed and Earth has become inhabitable so the people have stayed up in space for 700 years, some even forgetting about Earth. So for the first fifteen minutes we see WALL-E going about, doing his thing. The next day he meets EVE. A sleek, white robot that got sent here to see if there is any more life on Earth. Can I mention now that this whole time all the little kids in the movie weren't talking at all. They were too busy watching the amazing presentation of colours and character that was on the screen. I can't believe I'm saying this but WALL-E is one of my favourite movie characters this year. Yes, he doesn't talk at all, but Pixar does an amazing job of showing his expressions through movement and sound that people from 5-70 years old can figure out.
The product of a souped-up video editing program and humor, spanning from sharp sarcasm to goofy randomness, Snow White Remix is a 12-part personal project I did myself and uploaded on YouTube, which netted favorable reviews, despite fears that I may have violated many a childhood (but no worse than what Hollywood does).
Now, I'm playing for a tougher audience; an audience that cares about their memories of youth, but no matter. Part of being a writer/creator of anything is having people on one side saying "You rule!" while the other side says, "You suck!"
I present parts one to four of this piece to be watched and critiqued (just copy and paste to the address bar if you can't click on it):
"Scooby Dooby Doo. Where are you? We got some work to do now. Scooby Dooby Doo. Where are you? I'm writing the review now."
Being that all day today Cartoon Network decided to do a marathon of ‘Scooby Do, Where Are You?', I've decided to write a review of what I consider to be one of the best mystery cartoons ever made.
Where do I start with Scooby Doo? It was a show made by the incredible animation team of Hanna-Barbera. Recognize the name? Of course you do!!! They're the ones who came up with other classics such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Johnny Quest, and an extreme multitude of others. So, yeah, they're a pretty famous duo. If you've never heard of them or any of their creations, you obviously don't own a TV.
Hello and welcome to another edition of Daffy's Top 11. Why top 11? Well, I don't know. ‘Cause it just sounds right.
I know I just did one of these. But something clicked in my mind and I just had to get it out.
Being that the ‘Dog Days of Summer' are almost upon us, I figured, "What better way to celebrate the demise of Summer ‘08 then with the Top 11 Coolest Cartoon Dogs?"
I'm gonna say this right away so no one gets confused: This is not a review of the movie. If you wanna know what I think of this film, I'll sum it up like this -- I like it.
This is gonna be a real short blog. Normally, I say that before I start typing and it ends up over a thousand words, but I mean it this time. Really!
animation
