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msknight
Reviews
Conquering Northern China (2017)
What went before... but more...
The only criticism I had of Conquering Southern China, was that there wasn't enough of it. Well, that got answered with this film. More travel. More of the diverse people that make their livings from the land. More real life experiences with actual bite, instead of the manufactured situations that come along with the commercial documentaries. And, of course, more footage of China's beautiful countryside.
The polish and editing have improved, along with the better resolution cameras and support that a better funded project provided. All peppered with Winston and Matthew's personalities as they really do feel their way around making this film. I really do wish that more documentaries were as raw and honest as this.
Conquering Southern China (2016)
A fresh view on things
Vloggers can do things that traditional documentary film makers can't do. They bring something fresh to the table that only shoestring budgets and lack of planning can provide. I almost felt like I was riding along with them, discovering things as they did. You see a rawness that has more honesty than many things I've seen on TV.
If you like your documentaries researched to the n'th degree before anyone sets foot on the ground, and polished to within an inch of its life, then maybe this isn't for you. If you like to travel along with the crew on a fresh adventure and see them work things out and genuinely discover sights, people and exquisite tastes... er... then this is definitely worth seeing.
Ekkusu bonbâ (1980)
Comments from a relived viewing
Known as "Star Fleet" in the U.K., I watched it as a child and never missed an episode. Having recently watched the U.S. version (cut to 24 episodes) from start to finish, this is a great series. Unique in it's time (in my opinion) for having an overall plot, plus other sub-plots which made each week exciting and making me eager to see the final fight.
Talking with a good friend we recounted the years, and were soon trawling the net. A week or so later and we're watching the show again.
The dub from Japanese worked very, very well and the music breathed extra life in to this truly unique work. Puppets controled from below are forgivable when you consider the overall effect of the production, which was leading edge for it's time. Come on, Jin, it's been too long - let's see it released on DVD - you've got one customer here just waiting for all 9 hours worth.