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Legion of Super-Heroes (2023)
Not A Good Reboot To Supergirl's Rise As A Superheroine
In this DC Animated Movie, with Krypton being destroyed, Kara Zor-El is given the only function sleep pod in a series made to save Argo City, starting a journey that causes her to be found by her cousin, who has grown up to become Superman while she was put through a warp that slowed her aging. In the present, Kara tries to fit in with Earth's culture, and is struggling to control her powers as Supergirl as she is unable to stop a rampaging Solomon Grundy without her cousin saving her with assistance from Batman, but not without causing damage to Metropolis. As her cousin feels like an outcast who does not belong, Superman shows her a device that makes a portal, where he shows her the 31st Century, where the Legion of Super-Heroes live. It is in this future where Supergirl must team up with some of the Legion when a evil gang called the Dark Circle has been going to the past,
A Supergirl-themed story, this is basically so-so in my opinion. As this tries to retell Supergirl's origin, this fails dues to the weak writing and the overuse of cliches like a Legionaire being accused of a crime, and the use of time travel. It is good to see some of the Legion in action, including Braniac 5, who is the character who falls under the cliche of cannot be trusted due to being a clone of Brainian, Mon-El, a fanboy of everything Krypton, and even members like Triplicate Girl, Invisible Kid , and Phantom Girl, but sadly, they are not well written. The only things good about it is the animation and the voice acting, as they got some good voices like Yuri Lowenthal as Mon-El, Zeno Robinson as Invisible Kid, and Meg Donnelly as the voice of Supergirl, but sadly, this film does reach the same great lengths as Batman/Superman: Apocalypse, another DC Animated Movie that focuses on the origins of Supergirl, but has a better plot and villain. So, far, I see this as one to skip unless you are a completionist collecting the films, as I am sticking to the Legion of Super Heroes cartoon that aired on Kids WB.
Mac and Me (1988)
A Movie That Fails To Captialize On E.T. By Being A 90 Minute Advert
Mac and Me is one of those films that try to capitalize on the success on another big name movie of the time. With this one, it tries to match the success of Steven Spielberg's classic film, E. T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, which, since its first release back in 1982, has become successful to the point of becoming pop culture (as Elliot and E. T. on the flying bike was used as the logo for Amblin Pictures). However, where E. T. succeeds, Mac and Me falls flat.
In this movie, an alien family from a desert plant is sucked into a NASA probe and escape a goverment base. However, the child is seperated from the parents by sneaking into a minivan driven by single mother Janet Cruise, who is moving to Los Angeles with her two sons Eric and Michael. Eric, who uses a wheelchair, befriends the alien after he saves him from drowning, and naming him Mac (short for Mysterious Alien Creature) it leads him on a magical journey where he, Michael, and new friends Debbie and Courtney try to reunite the alien with his parents.
Yeah, this is a bad movie with its own cult following (as Paul Rudd would use a scene as a way to troll Conan O'Brien on The Tonight Show), as the movie is a alien abomination from start to finish. Mac and his parents have to be one of the ugliest alien designs I have ever seen, and the movie has an overload of product placement (one of them being a dance number at a McDonalds, complete with Ronald McDonald himself). Also, the writing is terrible and the acting is bad.
Tony Hawk's Project 8 (2006)
Okay Title That Changes Up The Formula
The eighth installment of the Tony Hawk series of skateboarding, Tony Hawk's Project 8 is an okay, as well as underrated, entry that actually changes up how the game is played.
In this game, Tony Hawk arrives at an unnamed fictional town filled with undiscovered skating talent. After discovering that fact. He decides to hold a competition where the eight best skaters would be part of a new venture called Project 8. Creating your own skater, you become the 200th skateboarder to enter this competition, and therefore, you must rise in the ranks by completing goals, opening up new areas, and completing challenges.
For this game, everything is changed. The main mode goes back to the career mode style of the first four games, which is a far cry to the story-driven approach to games like Tony Hawk's Underground and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. Basically, depending on the version you play, the game is different. PS2, PSP, and Xbox have less content while requiring players to choose their levels from the pause menu, while the Xbox 360 and PS3 ports have more content and connect the levels into one open world similar to how American Wasteland's Story Mode was done (only it does away with the tunnels that disguise the loading to load the new area). However, the main difference with the ports are its difficulty, as the Xbox 360 and PS3 are a lot harder due to having some different goals, while the other ports are a lot easier.
Speaking of the goals, they have been greatly revamped. The ability to select game difficulty has been removed, and now, the difficulties of AM, Pro, and Sick are recycled to most of the goals as different objectives, with AM requiring minimum effort while Sick requires you to go all the way, be it doing an entire line in one combo, or getting a high score that requires you to learn to make combos. Also, classic mode returns, and is implemented into the story, and like the goals, also fall under the three goal rule (with AM requiring just four goals to be completed, Pro requiring seven, and Sick requiring all ten), and brings back classic goals like collecting S-K-A-T-E and C-O-M-B-O while also making new goals that make use of the levels.
Also, as you complete goals, you unlock more challenges with only one goal or are made up of multiple goals. Some of those are actually challenges that, when completed, will open up more of the world, and then there are challenges like competitions, demos (only in X360 and PS3), and the pro challenges, where pro skaters like Bam Margera, Daewon Song, Bob Burnquist, and Rodney Mullen will put you through various challenges (some of them introducing the events or even new gameplay mechanics).
For gameplay, most of the features that were in THUG2 and THAW are back. One of the new additions is Nail the Trick, which when activated by buttons or launching off a platform with a nail icon, the game zooms in on your skater's feet and board, and using the two analog sticks, you can control the feet to flip and spin the board. Also, exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PS3 version is the ability to manually bail from your board, which is needed for certain goals that require you rack up a hefty hospital bill (but thankfully, your character will recover quickly from his damages). Also, some citizens will like your skating and when stoked, they will pay you Stokens, which can be used at an in-game shop to buy new skateboard deck graphics and special tricks.
However, having played the Xbox 360 and PSP versions, I can see various issues I had. One of those is the fact that reaching certain rankings has you get a call, where someone tells you information like when a level-opening goal is now available to attempt. However, it gets annoying when Jason Lee calls you whenever you hit a rank just to congratulate you on getting a company to sponsor you or to tell you when a pro challenge is available, as they have a video attached to them. Also, some of the goals can be frustrating (especially that goal where you have to sneak into the City Center's building to steal codes while dealing with lasers that sound an alarm when crossed, and require you to wallride panels to disable them). This game is an okay title when you get through the difficulty and annoyances, but the PS2, PSP, and Xbox are the only ports I can recommend.
The Further Adventures of SuperTed (1989)
Okay, But The American Version Did Not Need To Change SuperTed's Voice
Created by Hannah-Barbera and Mike Young, The Further Adventures of SuperTed is a continuation of the SuperTed series of short cartoon that aired on the BBC in 1984.
Basically, as the title suggests, this 13-episode American-animated sequel to a classic British cartoon shows the further adventures of Ted, a stuffed teddy bear who is brought to life by an alien named Spotty Man (Spotty for short) and is given superpowers by Mother Nature. Here, the episodes are more American, as SuperTed and Spotty face old foes Texas Pete, Bulk, and Skeleton, as well as new villains made for the series like Dr. Frost, Bubbles the Clown, and Sleepless Knight.
Watching the episodes, all I have to say is what was Hanna-Barbera thinking when they did voice casting? Right away, when you watch this after seeing the original series, you will find out that SuperTed is voiced by Danny Cooksey, making him sound like a child, which is a far cry from the voice work of Derek Griffins, and Spotty is now voiced by Pat Fraley instead of John Pertwee. In fact, the only two original VAs to return for the U. S. dub are Victor Spinetti and Melvin Hayes as Texas Pete and Skeleton. Thankfully, when the series would air in the U. K., SuperTed's country of origin, the BBC would bring back Derek and Jon to redub the lines of SuperTed and Spotty.
While the voice change is iffy, everything else is good. The animation is the quality expected from Hanna-Barbera in the 1980's, and the episodes, despite being more American, actually have some good plots.
Class Action Park (2020)
An Okay Documentary Based On One of the Most Infamous Water Parks
Class Action Park is a documentary that is themed around Action Park, a water park that was once open in New Jersey that is infamous for being the one with the worst safety record. Before this, I have heard about the park's history from YouTube channels like Defunctland, which explains the park in general and the incidents, but here, we have a documentary that includes interviews with people who were either employees or guests.
However, this documentary does not really focus on the park entirely, as it also puts focus on Eugene Mulvihill, the man who built the park, as the documentary starts with his history before Action Park, from his start running a brokerage firm, to his building of the park and the legal issues he had to deal with until his unfortunate death.
However, it is an interesting documentary, as it tells of the rowdy, dangerous behavior at the park from the people who were at the park, either as an employee or guest, which adds a new perspective to the tale, and while it does not focus on the deaths until the final part, it is for the best, seeing as how I have already known of them, only here, it's from the side of those interviewed. Still an okay documentary since it sheds some new light on this infamous water park.
Animaniacs (2020)
A Reboot That Is A Shadow Of Its Forner Self
As a kid, Animaniacs was a cartoon I watched. Like Tiny Toon Adventures before it, I was amazed at the various cast of characters, the well-written humor (with some jokes that flew over my head) and the fact it would make fun of pop culture and have original stories. I was amazed to hear of this Hulu-exclusive reboot, but soon, my amazement turned to disappointment when I saw the final product.
Basicallly, the original had a great variety of characters, as aside from the Warners and Pink and the Brain, we had other characters like Slappy Squirrel, The Goodfeathers, and Rita and Runt, as well as some I didn't like such as Mindy and Buttons. For this reboot, the variety is done away with, as only the Warners and Pinky and the Brain get most of the episode time. While this could be because the five characters are popular (the Warner siblings being the face of the series, while Pink and The Brain was so popular in the time of the original, it would split from Animaniacs and become its own series when Kids WB was launched), sadly, three zany siblings and two mice bent on world domination do not make Animaniacs alone (even Tom Ruegger, who was involved with the original, but left out of the reboot, would say that).
But with what variety we get, there is not much. One of the new segments introduced to keep what little is left leaves to be expected, as Starbox and Cindy, the most used of the two new segments as it's basically Mindy and Buttons as well as Elmyra Duff segments recycled, but with an upgrade to annoyance, and the Incredible Gnome who Lives in People's Mouths sounds mean-spirited, which thankfully didn't last more than two segments.
And now, we get to the segments, which like the original, is a mixed bag, only less likely, as most of the segments only focus on the Warners and Pinky and the Brain's escapades. While the Warners have their original VAs present, and even classic characters like Ralph T. Guard are present, alongside new character Nora Rita Norita, who serves as the replacement to Thaddeus Plotz as the head of the Warner Bros. Studio Lot, sadly, the humor has gone stale, as it is mostly parodied of movies and real life events (Bun Control, the episode that got me interested because of the segment where the Warners become anime heroes, is basically a plot involving a political issue while hiding it under a coat of paint, as the first season was criticized for having too much political satire, when the original, while having such humor, actually did it better, as it skewed all sides and only used it sparingly, while the reboot's first season overloads on it and is basically one-sided). Also, some of the jokes fall flat (one joke in the very first episode has gotten controversy for involving Johnny Depp, which despite claims it was made before the case against him went to court, has aged very poorly considering events that happened after its premiere), and one episode basically has Chicken Boo in his only appearance alongside most of the original cast (which afterwards, never appear again aside from Slappy Squirrel in one season three sketch, but that ended up too little, too late).
While I give it five stars on the ground that the show did improve after season one, and they got the original VAs back, sadly, the reboot is basically a shadow of what the original Animaniacs was, as the reduced cast and overfocus on the Warners and Pink and the Brain are not what the show was all about, and some of the jokes either stick or fall flat.
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022)
Amazing Movie
Back in the time of Krypton's destruction, as Kal-El is about to be launched into space, a starfish-like alien is freed and clinged onto the rocket the baby is in, only to be flung off when it blasts off to Earth. Years later, Clark Kent, a.k.a. Superman, is married to Lois and has a son named Jonathan, who finds his parent's jobs as reporters boring, but his life soon changes as he starts to gain superpowers and finds out his dad is Superman. However, the Watchtower is soon in danger, as the alien, Starro, is taking control of the Justice League members, Superman and Batman included. Now, Jonathan must step in and his father and the heroes from the alien, even if it means teaming up Damian, Batman's loner son who is the grandson of the demon's hand and has taken the mantle of Robin.
I am going to be honest, I was wary of this after seeing the last two DC Animated movies (with Catwoman: Hunted being okay, but nothing too special to write home about, and Green Lantern: Beware My Power being terrible), Battle of the Super Sons does right on so many levels. This is the first film in the franchise made with CGI animation, and it is done beautifully, as the model shading makes the movie look like an actual comic book come to life. Also, the voice acting is good, the characters are a good selection, and the dynamic between Jonathan and Damien is interesting to see.
Extreme Ghostbusters (1997)
Underrated Sequel To A Well-Remembered Cartoon Based On A Movie
Extreme Ghostbusters is the sequel to The Real Ghostbusters, a cartoon based on Columbia Pictures' Ghostbusters movie and its sequel.
After the Ghostbusters would go out of business due to the lack of sueprnatural activity, Egon Spengler goes back to Colombia University to teach classes on the paranormal. However, he only gets four students in slacker Eduardo, paranormal supporter Kylie, mechanical genius Roland, and athletic paraplegic Garret. However, after a ghost is unleashed and spreads a disease that infects even Egon, the four become the new Ghostbusters team, complete with new Proton Packs and Ghost Trap, to bust her. However, this would be the start of the new team's adventures, as capturing the ghost would result in supernatural activity coming back to New York City.
Only lasting one season consisting of forty episodes, Extreme Ghostbusters is an attempt to keep the Ghostbusters alive during the 1990's, when there was no third movie (even though one was planned, it would be stuck in development hell). As this series is about ghosts, the stories are dark, however, Extreme Ghostbusters is a lot darker than the Real Ghostbusters, as the ghosts are a lot scarier, and the episodes usually dealt with heavy subjects like prejudice, fear, and other subjects that were taught in previous cartoons. The new Ghostbusters are a good way to shake things up, as Garret is the leader and hothead, Eduardo is a slacker who, like Peter, cannot get along with Slimer, and so forth.
Also, the voice actors all do a good job, with Maurice LeMarche repirising his role as Egon, and getting some good talent, like Tara Stong as Kylie, Billy West as Slimer, and Jason Marsden as Garret. But sadly, because of its syndication status, it was put in various time slots where kids were still at school, so it never went beyond its initial season, but thankfully, the series went out with a bang as the final two episodes would see the new team meet and team up with Peter, Winston, and Ray (with Dave Couier, Buster Jones, and Frank Welker even returining to repise the roles from Real Ghostbusters). This is an underrated cartoon that did a lot of new ideas, and is worth watching if you are a Ghostbusters fan.
Superkitties (2023)
A Great Take on The Preschool Superhero Formula
Superkitties is a new cartoon on Disney Junior and DIsney Plus that is another in the ever-growing line of preschooler-aimed superhero cartoons, and I am liking this.
In the town of Kittydale, Ginny, Buddy, Sparks, and Bitsy are four kittens who hang out in a cat-themed indoor playground. However, the four have a secret double life as the Superkitties, suiting up and heading into their secret lair when an animal sounds the alarm. Together, the four learn lessons while stopping villains like Cat Burglar, Mr. Puppypaws, and Rab Lab.
I am going to say that this is another great superhero series. The Superkitties are adorable, and their powers are amazing (like Buddy's Furball Blitz, which reminds me of Sonic the Hedgehog's Spindash), and each episode actually ends with the villain learning the error of their ways, as their plot somehow connects to a problem one of the Superkitties has, and the Superkitty in questions helps him/her. This makes Superkitties different from other superhero shows, and I like that idea. The voice acting is sweet, and the writing is good.
Royal Rumble (2001)
Kane Puts on A Legendary Royal Rumble Performance
Taking place in the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana, WWF Royal Rumble 2001 is the 14th running of the PPV event, named after its main event, and the second-to-last one before WWF was forced to change its name to WWE. As a result, this can be considered the final Royal Rumble of the Attitude Era by many fans.
Starting with a match between The Dudley Boyz and the team of Edge and Christian for the WWF Tag Team Championship, the main PPV has four matches, all being for certain championship belts, before the Royal Rumble, making it a total of five matches (six if one decides to count the tag team match on the Sunday Night Heat that took place beforehand). The best match was the ladder match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship between Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit since the two showed some skill and made the match brutal using a steel chair and the ladder as weapons, but the worst I have to say is the WWF Women's Championship between Ivory and Chyna, as it was so bad due to its length and its end, but we all know the Royal Rumble is the match we want to watch, and this is one of the best ones the company had. One of the competitors allowed in is comedian and future WWE Hall of Famer and Price is Right host Drew Carey, which is a neat way to add a comedic moment when Kane comes in, eliminating himself after Raven comes in and saves him from a chokeslam with a kendo stick attack, although Kane also gets another Royal Rumble moment to cement his legacy as a monster by easily taking out Honky Tonk Man with his own guitar just as he enters and he could have won if not for Stone Cold Steve Austin (although he lasted long enough to be eliminated last). But still, a great PPV.
Gumnutz: A Juicy Tale (2007)
Neat Animated Film From Down Under
Claude is a numbat who is not confident of himself, which gets to him as he starts his first day working at his Uncle Kelvin's Gumnut Juice Factory. Soon, the factory gets an order that, if fulfilled, will get them a contract, which causes rival businessman Hotshot Charlie to steal the secret sweetening formula, leading Claude and his best friend Peppa on an adventure.
An animated film made in Australia, Gumnutz: A Juicy Tale is a neat little feature. The animation is great, as it reminds me of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and over cartoons from the 1990's, and the voice acting is top notch for being mostly local talent. And the story is written well.
Princess Power (2023)
A Good Show For Younger Ones
Princess Power is yet another new show in Netflix's long line of cartoons aimed at little kids to teach them things. And this one is for the girls who love to be princesses.
In the Fruitdom, four princess, Kira Kiwi, Beatrice "Bea" Blueberry, Rita Raspberry, and Penelope "Penny" Pineapple, are four girls from four different kingdoms (or Fruitdoms, as they are based on frutis) who are best friends despite their differences. When a problem arises, the four team up to take action to make a difference and prove to get things done, princesses wear pants.
Based on the book Princesses Wear Pants, Princess Power is a neat series for young girls. With its 15-minute episodes, it tells stories of the four making a difference in their Fruitdoms and doing what they can to help others and save the day. Each of the four main characters are good at skills (Penny is an aspiring scientist, Rita is good at crafting, etc), which shows the many career paths girls can take when growing up. The stories are heart-warming and the voice acting and animation is good. This is something to watch if you have daughters who like to be princesses, as it breaks the mold of how a princess should be portrayed, as these four are not there to be pretty.
The Ripping Friends (2001)
The Creators of Ren And Stimpy Makes Superheroes
Made by Spumco, the same creators behind Ren and Stimpy, the Nicktoon infamous for crossing the line when it comes to content in a show aims at kids, The Ripping Friends is a cartoon that aired on Fox Kids in its final year, before the block became the FoxBox, which was loaded with anime dubbed by 4Kids.
Crag, Slag, Rip, and Chunk are the Ripping Friends, four brothers who are blessed with superhuman strength and muscles. Based in RIPCOT, the four have to fight evildoers where they strike, all crazy villains like the living wad of gum known as The Indigestable Wad, Flathead the spine-stealing invertibre, and even Citracett, the evil dictator of Euroslavia.
Yeah, it's strange how this cartoon was given the okay to air on Fox Kids, especially considering how controversial Ren and Stimpy had become when Nickelodeon aired it. The Ripping Friends look like they could be good friends of Powdered Toast Man, as despite being superheroes, they are actually not very bright sometimes (with Crag, the leader, being the only smart one). Also, the humor is on par with the cat and dog duo, as there is a lot of humor that only adults will get and some gross stuff (in fact, two episodes would not air on Fox Kids and would not air until the series was re-run on Adult Swim due to content Fox felt was in bad taste because of the 9/11 attacks, which caused the first episode to be delayed). Only lasting thirteen episodes due to the episodes being expensive to make, the show is a fun, humorous take on superheroes, as the characters are crazy, and the voice actors all have fun voicing the insanity-fuelled adventures. And the animation is great.
Saturday the 14th (1981)
A Neat Horror Parody That Embraces How Cheesy It Is
"It gets bad on Friday the 13th, but it gets worst on Saturday the 14th" as the trailer for this horror comedy parody says. Here, a family moves into a house, inherited from a relative, and the son reads from the book of evil, housed in the attic, which ends up releasing monsters and causing weird things to happen. A vampire, Waldemar, and his wife, Yolanda, are after the book, and when the father sees them as bats, he calls an exterminator to get rid of them, not knowing he is actually Van Helsing, who also wants the book for his own use.
Now, what needs to be understood is that Saturday the 14th is a parody of horror movies. The movie knows its cheesy and embraces it in the story and low budget effects (the latter being normal for horror/slasher films at the time). While the 80's have moved on to supernatural killers like Freddy and Jason, this movie keeps it classic by having parodies of the classic movie monsters from the 30's and 40's (Waldemar is your typical Dracula parody, a gillman coming out of a bathtub, which is a parody of the Creature from the Black Lagoon, among others). The story is engaging and funny, and the actors all do a good job making this cheesy film work.
Suburban Commando (1991)
Underrated Sci-Fi Comedy Starring The Hulkster
In space, General Suitor (played by William Ball) has his latest scheme stopped by the heroic Shep Ramsey (played by Hulk Hogan), but it goes bad as Suitor kills the president he is supposed to rescue. His superiors see the failure as Shep being stressed out, and suggest he takes a vacation, which leads to Shep crash landing on Earth. There, he decides to stay in the house of weak-willed Charlie Wilcox (played by Christopher Lloyd) and his family, however, the rest and blending in is soon interrupted as Charlie messing with Shep's stuff causes Suitor to find where he is and send bounty hunters after him.
Having seen this film for the first time, I actually enjoyed it for what it is, a silly mix of science fiction, action, and comedy. Here, Shep gets into a lot of misadventures as he is not familiar with Earth's customs and normality (one scene has him punch a mime doing an invisible box trick, mistaking the routine for the mime being stuck in a force field, as well as another where he plays the Sega arcade game After Burner while he and a kid pretends it's a space shooter). Also, the actors do a good job with this one (fun fact: one of the bounty hunters is actually played by The Undertaker, another professional wrestling legend). This is an underrated movie that is worth checking out.
Adventures of Rufus: The Fantastic Pet (2020)
Underrated Movie For Kids
In an apartment, after breaking up a fight and confiscating their cell phones, a grandfather decides to tell his grandkids a story of Rufus, a pet from a magical world who witnessed his master, Abbott, sucked in a door that is a portal after battling the evil sorceress, Lilith but not before he casts a spell binding her powers. Two years after the battle, Scott is staying at the mansion, owned by his grandmother, with his friend Emily, meet Rufus, who knows Scott from his late grandfather, and join the rat-like creature in restoring his home kingdom of Alainn, as Lilith, who has posed as a maid and joined by two men she hired to steal from the mansion, goes after them, seeking the amulet that allows them to open the portal.
This is truly an underrated film. Taking cues from films like The Princess Bride, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Fantastic Beasts, this movie has a good story, a great cast with some good actors, and amazing special effects.
The Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed (2014)
A Special Return Marred by Too Many Changes and Continuity Errors
The Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed is a special bringing back the iconic superheroines before CN thought of the 2016 reboot that is infamous for being so bad, and yet, this one is bad as well.
In this special, after stopping the evil Mojo Jojo after he kidnaps popular people, the girls celebrate by getting a video game, Dance Pants Revolution. Seeing Bubbles enjoy it, Mojo decides to make another game like it, one that turns the girls into robots under the evil monkey's control, and the professor must save them, when it means revisiting his dancing days, which after being rejected by a dance show, would lead to him going to become a scientist.
Yeah, I can see why this special is hated by the majority of the PPG fan base. For this special, they changed the animation style, as instead of the style used in the 1998 cartoon (or even the flash animation from the movie and the final seasons), they decided to go the CGI treatment, and oh boy, it causes a lot of changes, as the girls look less like the ones we knew from 1998 and more like the Powerpuffs from those commercials they used to do (the ones where they changed the girls' look for some cosmetic line), making them look less like the Powerpuff Girls and more like some girls who got the powers and costumes of the girls. Also, the special does not follow continuity of the series it is based on, as it changes the professor's origin to how be became a man of science (which contradicts an episode of the series where he was a kid in Townsville when the girls go back in time to save him from Mojo Jojo, even going as far as to add Steven Hawking, Issaac Newton, and Slim Jim Wellbody, a parody of Slim Goodbody from those old PBS shows). Also, the special features Ringo Starr, which casts him as the voice of a mathematician who Mojo targets for kidnapping for a cause that, which I won't spoil, is a horrible plot for a villain (I mean, come on, this is Mojo Jojo we're talking about, a great genius who gained his criminal intellect at the same time the girls were created, and here, he wastes it on that?)
However, this special does has some pluses, like getting the original voice cast (including the original VAs for Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, which would not be done come 2016's reboot) and it at least keeps the spirit of the 1998 series, however, not even that is enough to cover the flaws of this special.
Animalympics (1980)
Underrated Sports Film
Animalympics is a film that was severely underrated. Commissioned by NBC as two two-hour specials to coincide with their coverage of the Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics of 1980, only the Winter Olympics one aired before the U. S. boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow due to Russia's invasion of Afghanistan. However, the original intent was to combine the two specials into one film, and the result is Animalympics, an obscure cartoon that never got a chance to shine, with people remembering seeing it on either HBO or The Disney Channel.
With the movie, it aims itself to be a spoof of an Olympic broadcast in a world where anthropomorphic animals live instead of humans. The segents are standalone, but tell many stories, from the marathon race with Kit Mambo racing Rene Fromage, to the gymnastics scene showing rising star Tatyana Tushenko, a female sable, and even the story of an aligator named Bolt Jenkins, who competes as he is inspired to break a world record.
For a movie that is a compilation made for two separate specials, this is pretty good. There are only four voice actors in this, and they do a good job, especially Billy Crystal and the late Gilda Radner. The special is not afraid to make fun of anything, as some of the characters are parodies of actual sports icons and broadcasters and even the idea of product placement like cereal. Also, the music is top notch. This is one underrated gem that is worth watching and probably deserves a remake or sequel.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 (2023)
Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay Bring Cosplay To The Ring And Keij Muto Bids Farewell
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom is New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestlemania. Taking place in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo Japan, this is a great event to start off the year for NJPW, especially after some shows that got stale.
Starting with an exibition match between Ryohei Oiwa and and Oleg Boltin as one of the three pre-show matches (which was one of the better of the three matches, as despite ending in a time limit draw, and a misplace for a big show, it did allow two wrestlers, who are rookies, a chance to show their talent), with the main card starting with a IGWP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title match between Catch 2/2 Francesco Akira and TJP) and LiYoh (Lio Rush and YOH), the matches are amazing, as it has some good moments like the debut and suprise attack by Mercedes Moné (best known to us Americans as Sasha Banks) after Kairi's first successful defense of the IGPW Women's Championship by defeating Tam Nonoko, and laying a challenge for NJPW Battle In The Valley. Also, Keiji Muto (best known to Americans for his time in WCW as The Great Muta) in his final NJPW match in a six-man tag match, with the best match being the first main event between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay for the IGPW United States championship, as Kenny enters the ring cosplaying Final Fantasy VII antagonist Sephiroth while Will is wearing Assassin's Creed-themed robes. This is an awesome PPV, as each match was amazing.
Computer Warriors (1990)
Interesting Pilot Combining Tron And Transformers
Computer Warriors is a toy line made by Mattel (best known for Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Masters of the Universe, among other hit toy lines) that has Transformers' gimmick of ordinary objects transforming into other things, as well as a story that is inspired by the Disney movie Tron. In this pilot (which never sold), evil computer viruses are released into the bitstream after a human error at the Paralax government facility, and now, the viruses aim to return to the facility in hopes of taking over the bitstream so they can control the world's computers. In response, the heroic anti-virus programs, Romm, Skannar, Gridd, and Micronn, are created by the core processing unit to capture the viruses, led by Megahert, before that can do any damage. This leads the four to the room of a boy, which causes a skirmish where they discover the ability to create camouflage shells that look like everyday objects.
I am going to be honest; this actually sounds like a good premise. Directed and written by Bill Kroyer, who was one of the main animators for the CGI sequences for Tron, writes and directs this underrated gem, as it shows off some good special effects with the holographic characters in the bitstream chase scene, and the voice actors all do a good job. It's a shame this never got picked up for a series. It would have been unlike anything we've seen.
Dance Monsters (2022)
Okay Show Attempting To Be Like The Masked Singer
Dance Monsters is yet another in a long line of reality singing and dancing competitions. Hosted by Ashley Roberts, with Ne-Yo, Lele Pons, and Ashey Banjo as the panel of judges, the show has 15 dancers compete to see who will be the "Ultimate Dance Monster", a title that also nets the winner a whopping $250,000. The reason I use monster is because this show, like every other reality competition, has a twist, as the dancers competing are monsters on stage, be it robots, rock monsters, or animals who look like something out of a cartoon. Immediately, this feels like The Masked Singer, which does a similar thing, however, instead of putting the dancers in furry costumes that would be too hot, this show goes the next level and has them in motion capture suits, with the monsters being CGI, as the contestants have one thing in common: they don't have the confidence to dance on stage as themselves.
To be honest, I think this show is okay. Nothing special since it is another reality dance competition, but it is an okay one in my book. The CGI monsters are amazing, with the likes of Marsha, the marshmallow girl, Beti the yeti, Grummy the mummy, Hammer the hammerhead shark, and my personal favorite, Flame the fiery cat. Whoever did the CGI models needs an award, as they are so realistic.
However, what keeps it from being perfect is the fact that it seems not to change up much (while some rounds change things like having the monsters do duet dances, it does not do anything different). Also, each episode ends by cutting just as the final vote is put in, with the elimination being revealed at the start of the next episode (which while frustrating, thankfully, being on a streaming service makes it a bit more tolerable. Imagine if they did this on Fox and we had to wait until the next week's episode to find out who is losing their monster-sona and going home?) But still, it is a neat dance competition, and I would love to see it continue just to see more of the unique monsters they come up with.
Fear Factor (2017)
Not As Good As The NBC Original
When Fear Factor was unleashed on NBC back in the 2000's, I was drawn into it. The reality competition had a lot of crazy stunts, from the kind of stunts seen in action movies, to even gross stunts like eating animal body parts or even live insects (some of them going as far as to cross the line with NBC's standards and practices). I never knew MTV decided to try a reboot, and man, while it is good to see the original reality fear inducer back, it is not as good as it used to be.
Hosted by Ludacris, the reboot sees four teams of two go at it in three stunts. However, unlike the original, which mixed things up, the stunts are separated by three categories, the first category is Beat The Beast, and is the one involving creepy crawlies and other creatures, the second is Face Your Fears, which is a challenge created based on a common fear shared by the contestants of the episode, and the third challenge is called The Final Fear, which is the Hollywood stunt events like doing something at high heights or escaping a certain object while airborne or underwater.
Okay, seeing the episoded, this reboot lacks the edge and gross factor of the original (which is something to say, especially since this reboot is airing on MTV, a cable channel that is aimed at older viewers, and thus, would not have the same restrictions as NBC, a network that has to follow FCC guidelines as well as their network broadcast standards and practices). One of the bigger issues I have is the lack of eating gross things. To me, the eating of live insects and animal body parts like livers was what made Fear Factor. While some episodes do have them, sadly, they are reduced to just eating gross food combinations like shakes mixed with Chipolte peppers, old sardines, and alfredo, or even a drink made of habanero and ghost peppers. While some episodes do have such animal parts involved, it is sad that they are infrequent, which is sad, especially when you consider MTV has aired similar shows with gross out eating in the past, mostly for comedic purposes.
My other problems are the fact that too many episodes are basically celebrity episodes (which make up the second half of the second and final season), which is gimmicky, as we want to see ordinary people facing their fears, and Ludacris is not a good host, as he is not as energetic as Joe Rogan (who was not afraid to call contestants animals when they easily clear a eating challenge), and in the first episode, he is even interrupted by his mother calling him, which ends up hurting the show's scary stunts. To me, this is not a bad reboot, but with its changes and host being too silly and laid back, this is not on par with the NBC original.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix (2020)
A Major Step Up From Its Mediocre Predecessor
When Nickelodeon Kart Racers was released back in 2018, it was received as a mediocre Mario Kart clone, due to it minimal roster consisting of characters from four Nickelodeon shows (which included SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon's top show), and not having much in terms of gamplay and multiplayer. However, it seemed GameMill and Nickelodeon actually listened to the criticism, as they would release Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix, a sequel that not only serves as another example of how sequels should improve on its predecessor, but also pleases the fans.
With the roster, NKR2 makes a huge upgrade, as it adds a whopping 30 characters to the roster from 12 different Nicktoons. Not only do the four shows from the first game return (with some added characters like The Shredder, Chucky Finster, and even Squidward Tentacles), the roster adds other Nickelodeon shows like The Loud House (a series that is a new hit with Nick, making its absence from the first game questionable),Invader Zim, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and other old school Nicktoons like CatDog, Rocko's Modern Life, and even Ren and Stimpy. One character added to the roster that does not match is JoJo Siwa, a popular actress and singer who has made various guest appearances on Nick's live action shows), making her the odd one out of this game.
When you move on to gameplay, a lot has changed. Not only has online multiplayer finally been added, but 28 tracks are included, based on the shows (four are taken from the first game, while two battle arenas are actually based on Double Dare and the Kids' Choice Awards), the game's Grand Prix has eight cups to challenge, with new racers to unlock. And while the gameplay is the same, the game introduces the Pit Crew mechanic, which is a neat way to add in characters who didn't make the roster to this game, as using the slime meter, you can use these characters, who activate a different effect.
While it does have some problems (still no voice acting, etc). Nickelodeon Kart Racer 2: Grand Prix is a game that fixes the problems of the first, as it has more content and improves on gameplay.
A Christmas Dream (1984)
Cheesy 80's Variety Musical with Mr. T and Emmanual Lewis
A Christmas Dream is one of these Christmas specials that double as a variety show. Aired only once on NBC, the special, which is aired as the announcer said Michael Knight and KITT are taking the night off to do Christmas shopping, and spoiling the list of celebrities and performances, the movie stars Mr. T (first name Mister, middle name the dot, last name T, for those not in the know) plays Benny, who is doing his job as a street Santa in New York City, and he meets Billy Johnson (played by Emmanual Lewis, who at the time was best known for his lead role in Webster), who seems to not care about the holiday. Sensing the kid has a case of B. A. (short for bad attitude), takes him around town to teach him a lesson about the true meaning of Christmas.
All I have to say about this is wow, this is cheesy. While not as bad as a Star Wars Holiday Special, it is still a bit weak for a movie that doubles as a variety show. Among the celebrities and acts are magician David Copperfield, singer Maureen McGovern, the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, and even ventriloquist Willie Tyler and his dummy Lester (who whips out Buster, a Mr. T dummy, which has to be one of the dumbest ideas ever done in anything starring Mr. T). The writing for the story is weak and acts barely keep this special from mediocracy. Scrooges can't resist this? I bet there are scrooges who saw this and have better Christmas specials they prefer over this.
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West (1976)
Another Movie Stitching Episodes Together
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West is another movie that goes and stitches four episodes of a TV series together (which aired in 1973). Here, we have four episodes of Dusty's Trail, a western comedy that lasted only 26 episodes due to the fact that it was nothing but an attempt at rewriting the beloved Gilligan's Island in a different genre (even down to casting Bob Denver, who played the silly, yet lovable Gilligan, as Dusty).
Basically, this "movie", as it's called, takes four episodes and tries to tie them together, removing the laugh track. The episodes are Tomahawk Territory, Horse of Another Color, There Is Nothing Like a Dame, and The Not So Magnificent Seven. If you've seen Gilligan's Island, then you know this uses the exact same formula, as the wagon and stagecoach is lost because of Dusty's bumbling, and on its way to reunite with its wagon train, the plans are usually foiled by Dusty's bumbling. Also, the characters are the same archetypes of Gilligan's cast (The Brookhavens are basically the Howells, and wagonmaster Mr. Callahan is basically the same role as The Skipper, acting as Dusty's boss and big buddy). Despite the change in setting and era, it is clear why Dusty's Trail never got far, as it was blatantly Gilligan's island in the wild west with little to no changes to separate it from Gilligan, and this movie is possibly a failed attempt to try and revive the series (which obviously failed).