Topic: RossRoy's Random Viewings

[RossRoy]

But in any case, I hope you like the film after I enthused about it so much!

Well, you won't have to feel so bad about it - I liked it! And anyways, I bought movie 5 years ago so your review had nothing to do with me buying - it did have something to do with me deciding to watch it after all that time however

[RossRoy]

Ghost in the Shell

WHAT THEY SAY

2029 - A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of "The Puppet Master," a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together, with her fellow agents from Section 9, they embark on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity. Ghost In The Shell took the world by storm, exhibiting a new dimension of anime with unprecedented, mesmerizing cinematic expression. Seamlessly merging traditional cel animation with the latest computer graphic imagery, this stunning sci-fi spectacle challenged the boundaries of mainstream animation with detailed artistic expression and a uniquely intelligent story line. Veteran director Mamoru Oshii skillfully creates the ultimate anime experience in this futuristic masterpiece based on the ground-breaking comic book by Masamune Shirow. A movie that questions human existence in the fast-paced world of the information age, this award-winning, cyber-tech thriller has established itself as one of the leading Japanese animation films of all time.

MY THOUGHTS

It's funny. I kinda feel about Ghost in the Shell the same way I felt after watching Avalon ... and oh! Surprise-Surprise! It's the same director As with Avalon, I can't quite put my finger on why I like Ghost in the Shell. It's an odd feeling really, because I'm not quite sure I understood everything that was going on (Jon's review helped in that respect) yet at the same time, I don't feel lost. I must say though, the animation is great! There's great detailing. In some scenes, I wasn't sure if I was looking at a stylized picture and a simple drawing. I was concerned about the fact it mixed cel animation with CGI (which I usually don't like too much - I find the effect jarring with the "dirtyness" of cel animation vs the "cleanness" of CGI) but here it didn't detract at all. The music helps set the tone too. It's haunting at time, subtle when it has to, and enhances the experience overall. So yeah, I liked Ghost in the Shell. Quite a bit, actually. I'm looking forward to receiving GitS2:Innocence and also giving 2.0 a spin soon.

RATING

[RossRoy]

I started watched Farscape last night. I've only watched 3 episodes so far but... Why did I wait that long before watching it? I'm already loving it! 

[RossRoy]

Bah! It was bound to happen some day...

As I said before, I've been watching Farscape (you may also have noticed from my watched banner )

I bought the Starburst edition - and the first 2 seasons came on 2 DVD-18 (dual layer / dual sided discs) each. I don't how many of you have fallen victim to the shakiness of those stinkin' DVD-18, but ... it just happened..

at the worst possible time...

right in the middle of the Season 1 Finale!!! argh!! I want to know what happens!! But I won't until I get a replacement ... I hate that!! ..

[Critter]

RossRoy I was wondering... this has nothing to do with Farscape but how is it that everytime I look your display picture is a different girl? All quite nice one's a must admit  .
But still, are you just changing it a lot or do you have some sort of automatic rotating thing?

[RossRoy]

RossRoy I was wondering... this has nothing to do with Farscape but how is it that everytime I look your display picture is a different girl? All quite nice one's a must admit  .
But still, are you just changing it a lot or do you have some sort of automatic rotating thing?

I've set up a script that serves a different JPG each time the page is loaded.

[Dragonfire]

Bah! It was bound to happen some day...

As I said before, I've been watching Farscape (you may also have noticed from my watched banner )

I bought the Starburst edition - and the first 2 seasons came on 2 DVD-18 (dual layer / dual sided discs) each. I don't how many of you have fallen victim to the shakiness of those stinkin' DVD-18, but ... it just happened..

at the worst possible time...

right in the middle of the Season 1 Finale!!! argh!! I want to know what happens!! But I won't until I get a replacement ... I hate that!! ..

Oh no...how annoying.  I hope you don't have to wait too long to get the replacement.  That would irritate me to no end.

[RossRoy]

Oh no...how annoying.  I hope you don't have to wait too long to get the replacement.  That would irritate me to no end.

Problem is, the company is gone. ADV Films has shut down last year. So getting a replacement will be next to impossible.

So I looked around on Amazon and I found the Farscape Complete Series for a decent price - comes down to around 18$ per season - so I bought that.

I still managed to watch the season finale though - there's about a minute that it can't read.

[hal9g]

Amazon had the complete series for $59.99 in January.  A price I could not resist!   

[RossRoy]

Amazon had the complete series for $59.99 in January.  A price I could not resist!   

I probably would've jumped on it - even without the current situation - if I had seen that price then!

Still, after watching the first season, it's worth it!

[RossRoy]

Farscape: Season 1

WHAT THEY SAY

The adventure of Farscape begins when American astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) undertakes an experimental space mission in a ship of his own design. After a wild ride through an unexpected wormhole, he tumbles out on the other side of the universe right into the middle of an intense space battle. Far from home and family, Crichton joins a quarreling, offbeat band of escaped strange alien prisoners, hardly a “crew,” onboard a massive ship named Moya – who just happens to be a living creature herself! It’s the beginning of a fabulous and colorful voyage for Crichton, who discovers strange creatures, friends, great danger and great love.

MY THOUGHTS

After a great opener, the show got off to a bit of a shaky start. It took a few episodes for it to find its identity. Once the ultimate antagonist is revealed, the story really starts to take shape and the main characters finally start establishing their relationships. There's a nice, unexpected twist in the last few episodes of this season, which actually makes sense, and moves the story in an interesting direction. It'll be interesting to see what they do with it in Season 2. One thing I especially like about Farscape is all the use of puppets and animatronics. Pilot is particularly interesting. But then, the show being produced by The Henson Company gives a hint about the quality of the puppets Great entertainment!

RATING

[Dragonfire]

Problem is, the company is gone. ADV Films has shut down last year. So getting a replacement will be next to impossible.

So I looked around on Amazon and I found the Farscape Complete Series for a decent price - comes down to around 18$ per season - so I bought that.

I still managed to watch the season finale though - there's about a minute that it can't read.

It's good that you found it for a decent price..and still got to watch the last episode. 

Amazon had the complete series for $59.99 in January.  A price I could not resist!   

I got the complete series back then from Aamazon too.  No way I was letting that price pass by..especially since I had almost ordered it when it was on sale for about $100.

[Critter]

I've never seen Farscape but am interested to watch it. I heard it was filmed in Australia. Is there any landscape etc where you can tell that it was filmed here or is it mostly in-studio stuff?

[RossRoy]

Some of the episodes that take place outside probably do have recogniseable landscape (I wouldn't being very far from Australia!) but most of it takes places in space or inside ships or inside whatever structures they find themselves stuck into - so I'd say it is not too distracting.

Your mileage may vary 

[RossRoy]

Zombieland

WHAT THEY SAY

Nerdy college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived the plague that has turned mankind into flesh-devouring zombies because he's scared of just about everything. Gun-toting, Twinkie-loving Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has no fears. Together, they are about to stare down their most horrifying challenge yet: each other's company. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin co-star in this double-hitting, head-smashing comedy.

MY THOUGHTS

What a great run that was! There's a few WTF moments, some nice surprises, but what I liked the most is the creativity shown all around on how to make the zombies suffer. All four leads are good, but I'd say Woody Harrelson pretty much steals the show as Tallahasse the crazy "action-guy". It's also great how they managed to make the world look real and they didn't go overboard and didn't fall into the trap of putting zombies all over the place. Yes, it's got the running zombies variety, but at least they clearly say it's a disease and not the undead. In any case, the movie is great fun, and I loved it!

RATING