Change Your Image
tamsin-parker-262-538925
Reviews
Ghosts: Speak as ye choose (2022)
There's Something About Mary
Mary's relationship with Annie is very sweet. It's a shame, though, that we don't get to see her relationship with Robin or Humphrey. Maybe they were leaving it open to the viewers' imagination.
It's also a shame that Julian dozed off through part of Mary's story. He doesn't know what he's got until two episodes later.
I loved the contrast between the Captain's adherence to routine and Kitty's spontaneity. The Captain seems to feel lost without a set, predictable routine, while Kitty is aware that they literally have forever to enjoy themselves.
It appears the Captain's closest friend is Fanny. Many episodes have shown that they are very similar. They like ordering people around and asserting control.
Meanwhile Alison and Mike host some old friends who have become victims of an insidious pyramid scheme, though it's described as being more of a cult. It's not very clearly defined, although Alison soon finds a way to deal with them. The truth really is stranger than fiction, or than a cult.
Detective Opera Milky Holmes (2010)
Painful and possibly a waste of time.
At least with Kancolle, the worst I could say about it was that it was boring and hard to follow.
The art direction is not bad, but the main characters are cloying one-note stereotypes. I do not care for them and believe they are only an elite team of superheroes because of their brightly colored hair.
The most interesting character- the only interesting character- is Lady Arsène, AKA Henriette Mystere, even though she's also the most obscenely dressed. Her teammates are grating and just as stereotypical as the heroes.
But the setup for the story at least has you interested in finding out what will happen next.
We get a preview of Tsugiko Zenigata, (a relative of Koichi and Otome, I hope), a character who has more potential than anyone. Does this mean she's Toshiko's sister? We'll never know, because Koichi's heart belongs to a certain man. But I digress.
Kuningas kulkureitten (1953)
All four of them?
A man goes on the run from the royal guards and makes love to four different women (!!).
Despite that, this film is very well made. It tries to look epic to Gone with the Wind proportions (at least at the beginning), but feels alive and intimate enough to not just feel like a costume drama. Strikingly photographed with great, memorable music.
Besides the bizarre element of the leading man, who is so physically unremarkable that he's a Finnish Shammi Kapoor, seducing four different women, the film also gratuitously sexualises some of them, especially the farm woman, who has the camera hold on her bare legs for an uncomfortable amount of time.
Despite this, the film has fun dance and action scenes, and stunts that remind me of Japanese period films, particularly 'The Osaka Castle Story'.
The leading man has an old sidekick/matchmaker who is whimsical without coming off like a John Ford Irishman.
Flawed, but entertaining and beautifully filmed. Hollywood Westerns could have learned something from Finnish period films.
The Beatles: Get Back: Part 1: Days 1-7 (2021)
George is getting upset!
Yes, it's a chore to watch through. Some parts do drag (thanks, Peter Jackson), and some scenes could just be extras. There are parts worth watching, such as the Beatles goofing around and playing different songs, from joke songs they made up to the Third Man theme.
John comes off as both likeable and annoying. The Beatles were complicated human beings and this documentary has an intimate portrayal of their personalities. During the writing session for I Got a Feeling, John really made fun of their choice to have a note so high that you can barely hear what they're saying. From John's perspective it sounded like a bunch of nonsense, but musically they made the right decision.
As you'll notice, John had been on heroin at this time. He hides it well, but his hair is lank and unwashed.
The research the team did into TV guides (during the scene where George was talking about the inspiration behind I Me Mine) is fantastic. They even got the footage.
Shame the others dismissed George's songwriting. He was the youngest of the Beatles, joined the band late, and it seems like John and Paul still saw him as that kid who tagged along with them. But arguably, George is the band's best lyricist.
Red Dwarf: Stasis Leak (1988)
Ghost of Rimmer Future
A complete madcap time travel episode, and one of the best in the series. Past Rimmer has some very Blackadder remarks all through the series, my favorites being his scene with the Captain in a chicken suit, which he thinks he's hallucinating. Of course Rimmer doesn't think to fix the drive plate. He just wants to survive the leak, crew be damned. That said, his rudeness and callousness comes from his belief that people don't like him. See how offended he is when Lister points out that Rimmer doesn't even like him. He's a total sociopath, an overgrown private school bully like the one from Jacqueline Wilson's Cliffhanger, but also a lonely man with no real friends.
This episode is hilarious, and goes the extra mile at the end.
Red Dwarf: The End (1988)
Arnold Rimmer, Destroyer of Worlds
Before the show got confusing with alternate identities and communities, this show was just a sitcom, but in space. And it was sort of a buddy comedy, even if one didn't want the other to be his buddy. The series establishes Dave Lister and Arnold Rimmer as a sort of odd couple. Even that is too simple. Lister is not as bad as Rimmer, but he is still hugely flawed. He's slovenly, shiftless and can be genuinely annoying. Ironically it's his own cluelessness that saves his life.
Rimmer is established as nasty, insulting, condescending, irate and gets irritated at the slightest sounds. He seems like he's trying to do his job but he's an incompetent know-it-all. Still, I did feel sorry for him when he failed his astronavigation exam yet again.
The show is pretty accessible in tone to anyone not used to the likes of Dr. Who or Cowboy Bebop. But if you like Blackadder, Mystery Science Theater 3000 or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, chances are you'll also like this.
The Muppets Mayhem: Track 5: Break on Through (2023)
Marshmallow Samba
A delightfully creative episode. I love the use of stop motion here.
The revelation about Animal's past is surprising and poignant. Few Muppets have really backstories like this, and if they did it's not in the same continuity. This one, particularly by the light of a campfire under a starry sky, recalls Gonzo's in 'Muppets from Space'. The eloquence of the tiny Animal reminds me of Gary's dream self in the 'SpongeBob' episode 'Sleepy Time'.
The title of this review alludes to 'Cowboy Bebop', and I'm surprised it wasn't intentional.
The use of 'Spirit in the Sky' in Lips' vision recalls Guy's heat-induced hallucination in 'Green Eggs and Ham', which also happens in a desert.
Green Eggs and Ham: Tinker Tailor Mother Spy (2022)
The Woman Called Pam I-Am
This episode is our formal introduction to Pam. She's more serious and straight-laced than her son Sam, who really doesn't know how to read a room when everyone's being fired at with darts.
The best scene in the episode is a conversation between Sam and Guy. Sam wants to catch up on the lost time with his mother, but Guy understands Pam better and suggests he give her time before she can focus on being his mother.
Meanwhile, Guy's own subplot is developing, as he tries to be a good stepfather to EB, who finds Pam exciting. All this after he defeated a dangerous animal catcher using just his self-flyer. He's not a fighter like Pam, but he can hold his own.
Rupan sansei: Part II: Robotto no hitomi ni daiya ga hikaru (1979)
The best comedy of this episode is an example of what Lupin III should be
The best episode of the Broadway Series. The ones after that were weak and silly even by 'Lupin III' standards.
The only problem is that the episode was padded out with a chase scene.
Great comedy in this episode. The idea of the episode starting with Lupin being woken up by a phone call works very naturally and sets the audience up with a relatable situation. I love how Lupin has so little energy to move that he screams for Jigen to answer the phone. I wish I had seen more of that in this franchise. It's so human. And there's something appealing about a hero who's not a morning person.
On a side note, Jigen's nightcap is adorable.
I also liked the gag with Jigen and the tissue box.
The English dub added some good lines as well, such as Jigen's quip that Baby must have thought the robot was taking a leak.
The English voice actress for Baby must have been doing an impression of Bernadette Peters in 'Annie'.
And though Zenigata may be something of a gentleman around women, I don't know what to make of the fact that he was looking for a strip show when running into Lupin.
Green Eggs and Ham: The Mom Identity (2022)
What Crooks Love
I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, but this episode has a lot going for it. The opening is completely different to the previous one, and just as catchy. The dream sequence was fantastic, and so was the scene where Sam visits his birthplace.
Also, poor Guy can't catch a break. He still has bad luck and he can't get his business up and running because his inventions still explode. He also has to spend months with Sam pestering him. At least he doesn't suddenly decide to go. It's Michellee who persuades him.
I like Gluntz's appearance, but she's a member of the BADGUYS, which means it's her job to protect animals. She's not a police officer.
Sam definitely has neurodivergent traits. He has a one-track mind, problems with social skills, and this episode shows him going into a shutdown.
There's the return of the briefcase swap, although this time it's intentional.
We learn about the country Sam was born in. Is Sam effectively Middle Eastern, or is his mother an expat?
Rupan sansei: Part II: When the Devil Beckons to Lupin (1979)
The Wrong Dolly
The story of this episode was all over the place. That's not a bad thing, though, because I had no idea where this episode was going to go next. It seemed to be some Faust story, that turned into a prototype of 'The Wrong Trousers', that then turned into a prototype of the ending of 'Inglourious Basterds'.
The morality was unbelievable. Lupin felt sorry for the antagonist, but also evacuated a stadium full of ex-Gestapo officers. The antagonist was right; they were devils, even if they're all pathetic old men.
The episode started very strangely, but I enjoyed it. Especially the second half.
Lupin's characterisation is great. He has moments of being idiotic and irresponsible, and then becomes mature and thoughtful without missing a beat. The ending is full of quiet pathos. Lupin's reactions to the antagonist meeting his demise are fantastic.
Lupin doesn't get any material reward in the end, but he does get the satisfaction of doing the occasional good deed.
The Cuphead Show!: Sweater Off Dead (2022)
Nice Try, The Devil
This episode is great for several reasons. First, Cuphead's nightmare sequence shows that he seems to be throwing caution to the wind, but he's absolutely terrified of the Devil and doesn't want anyone else to worry, which is why he doesn't tell Elder Kettle that he lost at a satanic Skeeball game.
Second, Mugman may be timid and meek, but has incredible courage when facing the Devil. We're seeing this character reaching the limits of his patience and finally decide to take action.
Third, my small issue is that the world, at a first glance, seems too Christian. Randomly having the Devil as a character, let alone the main antagonist, is one thing, but the episode 'Ghosts Ain't Real' shows there's a church there. Until now, we had yet to see any other religion or anything secular. In this episode, we're introduced to Quadratus, who, like many of the show's other characters, is a character from the game. He's a mystical spirit in a rock pool who in the show gives sage advice on how to beat the Devil. Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but this is the point in the series where religion and secularism intersect.
I'd love to see this show expand on the theme of spirits, and do it in an entertaining way.
Also, any show that has a character blowing a raspberry at the Devil is doing something right.
Bong (1983)
An enjoyable guilty pleasure.
The way it works, I think, is that it's not a contest, but the songs with the most votes get played the following week.
The show is pretty enjoyable. It's like a smaller-scale Eurovision. It has corny music and some of the worst 1980s fashions you'll ever see, but that's part of the charm.
Jürgen Karney, despite his small stature and terrible hair, is a competent and charismatic presenter who moves the show along deftly.
Ghosts: The Ghost of Christmas (2020)
A Christmas carol? Maybe.
This episode gave us sort of a Christmas Carol-like story without copying the structure or phoning it in. It focuses on Julian, who gets a kind of Scrooge-like development, but it's the ghost that's changed by the living, in this case a human baby he's unceremoniously left with, who seems to like him for some reason. How the baby can see him or know he's there is questionable. Maybe it's a witch like Mary accused Alison of being. Julian is still the same awful person he's always been, but we get to see an alarming vulnerable side to him.
Rupan sansei: Part II: San Furanshisuko daitsuiseki (1977)
You've reached Zenigata's mouth. His brain is still asleep.
A fun little caper episode with a very clever premise: What if Zenigata ended up being on the run from Lupin?
The episode centers around a hunt for a microfilm that Nasa created to cheaply produce diamonds. A couple of crooks get to it first and hide it in Zenigata's mouth, and unfortunately the Inspector's worldwide pursuit of Lupin has taken a slight toll on his mental health.
My only issue with the episode is that Zenigata seems slightly more useless with everything than usual. I did like the whole sequence of him talking in his sleep about Lupin, something that becomes a slight running joke through the franchise, and the part at the end of the English dub where Lupin teases him about it.
Other than that, it's a solid episode that I appreciate more and more as time passes.
Rupan sansei: Is Lupin Burning... ?! (1971)
Wherefore Art Thou Lupin
A fairly weak start to the series with a plot so complicated I completely forgot it when I first saw it. No theft is involved; instead it's a mission to rescue Fujiko from an evil old guy who wasted lots of money on a trap built for Lupin. There are only two highlights in the episode: Jigen switching places with Lupin, and, as the title of this review suggests, Zenigata's speech about how things would be different if he weren't a descendant of Heiji Zenigata, and if his quarry weren't the grandson of Arsene Lupin.
Regular Show: Not Great Double Date (2015)
A good episode in a dramatic arc
This is the moment where the love triangle between Mordecai, CJ and Margaret gets more dramatic, if honestly more dragged out. Still, it's a good episode, and Margaret finally got some character development.
Regular Show: Park Managers' Lunch (2015)
Just okay
I like the angry whispering from Benson when he's telling everyone off, but other than that, this episode has almost literally lost the plot. And honestly, I compared this to the 'SpongeBob' episode 'Cephalopod Lodge' and while that one wasn't great, I liked 'Cephalopod Lodge' better because it had some legitimately funny moments and had a plot I could follow.
Regular Show: I Like You Hi (2014)
A more serious episode, in a good way.
Mordecai accidentally sends CJ a text saying "I like you hi", when he meant to write "I Like Yuji". CJ doesn't take it too hard and writes back, "I like you, too. Hi." While the bluejay tries to explain that's not what he meant to write, he also is forced to confront his feelings for the cloud woman. Mordecai's relationship with CJ has helped him to grow as a character.
Rupan sansei: Part III: Our Papa Is a Thief (1985)
Three Men, a Baby and Five Toddlers
The plot of this episode didn't make a whole lot of sense. A rich guy trying to defraud his insurance has kids pretend they're Lupin's children? Why, we'll never know.
That said, the episode is very funny. It plays with the idea that Lupin's rampant sex life may have consequences. I love the dialogue between the three guys, and the digs Jigen and Goemon take at Lupin's inability to keep his pants on.
Once more Zenigata complains that he hasn't been able to have a wife or children because of his pursuit of Lupin, although Lupin reminded him twelve episodes ago that the Inspector doesn't get to pin the lack of girlfriends on him (Hint: He has a crush on Lupin and is too afraid to say it, but is also panicking about his sperm count).
I also love the bad luck Fujiko has on her heist. By the time she gets out of the building and finds herself surrounded by police, she's had enough.
The comedic performance from Yasuo Yamada makes me come back to this episode again and again.
Rupan sansei: Pilot Film (1969)
Caught like balls in a zipper
The animation, drawn in the style of the manga, is really fun. It's great to see Kazuhiko Kato's wild, chaotic, expressive style, animated.
It's also funny hearing the voices before they were recast.
Chikao Ohtsuka as Zenigata fits the manga's snide and competitive characterisation. It's kind of jarring to hear the voice difference. Honestly, I think I'd have preferred the voice if it was closer to his Tuco Ramírez voice, but I'm just nitpicking, and I guess the voice is fine for what it is and it suits the tone of this short.
But this pilot is the closest thing to an animated version of the manga we'll see. When the series actually started, Goro Naya portrayed a warmer, more sympathetic Zenigata. He shaped the character into what he was today, making him a true successor to Ganimard.
The funny thing here is Naya voices Goemon. In Part 1, their roles were switched around. Ohtsuka is an okay Zenigata, but a better Goemon, even though he didn't stay long.
Kiyoshi Kobayashi has been there from the beginning. He's the Japanese voice of James Coburn. Jigen was based on Britt from 'The Magnificent Seven', who Kobayashi dubbed who himself is based on Kyuzo 'from Seven Samurai'. Kobayashi even voiced a Jigen-like thief in the Japanese dub of 'Samurai Jack', he's that dedicated.
Eiko Masuyama was also there from the beginning. She retired as Fujiko eventually but for a long while she was a mainstay, so it's great to hear her voice as well.
And Lupin's voice? Again, fine for the manga characterisation. Yasuo Yamada, like Naya, shaped his character in the anime and gave the character a vibrant, youthful quality, while the guy in the pilot has a "smooth criminal" voice.
This pilot film is very different to the anime in a lot of ways, but just as fun. That's the charm of this short film. The anime is great in its own right, but the pilot is the manga, animated. There is nothing in the series like it.
Tangled: Before Ever After (2017)
Gentlemen Marry Brunettes
This pilot film expands on a lot of things, such as Rapunzel's new relationship with her parents and her evolving relationship with Eugene.
King Frederic (Clancy Brown) is not much different from Mother Gothel, but his love for Rapunzel is genuine. Brown is pretty much a perfect casting choice for the King.
The pilot and the series are also the first time I actually like Eugene. I didn't love him in the film. I thought he was just a pretty boy and one of those male Disney characters who teaches the female about the world. In the series, he's shown to be a good boyfriend to Rapunzel, one who supports her even after her hair grows back. He's pretty similar to Aladdin in this respect.
Cassandra is a great new character and has a lot of funny lines. For all of her problems, she makes me laugh.
At first I thought that Rapunzel's hair growing back was kind of a gimmick, but it turns out there's a mystery behind it which sets up the overarching story of the series.
The animation is great. It's even better looking than the film, with bolder colours and simpler character designs. I never get tired of watching this pilot film.
Some of the character designs I don't love so much, like the rat-faced guy.
Anyway, it's a very enjoyable pilot film for a great series.
Rupan sansei: Part II: Farewell My Beloved Lupin (1980)
Miyazaki's weakest Lupin entry, all style and no substance
This could have worked as a two-part episode. The plot was all over the place, but comprehensible plots were never Miyazaki's strong point. The whole "fake Lupin" thing could have had a set-up, like Lupin relating his experiences when he thought he had "Disguise Syndrome". That episode, "The Two Faces of Lupin", was better because it had the thief pushed to his limits.
The "anti-war" element was clumsy, and Miyazaki was clearly trying to write a different story. The anti-war element worked better in "The Winds of Morocco are Hot", and showed a Lupin who wasn't exactly a peace advocate, but who was wise enough not to get involved in political conflict.
Still, his characterization is too heroic. He's less himself here, and more like Assane Diop (who's a good character in his own right, but very different).
Even while playing the disguised Lupin, this is Goro Naya's episode. He really shows his range where, when showed the photo of Maki, Lupin-as-Zenigata says, "And this cutie... I mean, and the girl is?", and a little later tells the chief he's going. His voice here is almost like he's doing an impression of Yasuo Yamada but not quite. It's an inspired choice and really shows that a talented voice actor he is.
The art is good; art and animation are where Miyazaki is strongest, and we get some really impressive visuals here. The movement is really fluid. I like the part where a train comes to an abrupt start and Lupin-as-Zenigata is squashed by the commuters. There are some really lovely flourishes in the animation.
Unfortunately, other than that it doesn't offer much.
We don't learn who this warmonger is or why he's making these robots.
The best part of the story was where, when Maki offers him coffee, Lupin-as-Zenigata tells her "no sugar". That was a nice touch.
'The Castle of Cagliostro' was Miyazaki's better Lupin outing because it had a big mystery behind it, exciting set pieces, clever twists and relationship developments between the characters, particularly between Lupin and Zenigata. Here Miyazaki was trying to cram something too big into something too small.
'Cagliostro' also had an anti-war message that wasn't as preachy, in a scene where Zenigata tries to get ICPO to move against the Count while the Cold War was going on and the American and Soviet delegates started fighting. That was important because it tied into the plot.
The ending had the main characters doing nothing exciting except ride around in the Fiat. I liked the Fiat in the movie, but in this episode it just bugged me.
The episode was just a bunch of creative ideas thrown around.
I'd have loved it if there were more Zenigata-centered episodes from that era. He's probably the most interesting character on the show.
Familie intakt: Reizende Ferien (1984)
This tired retread is also one of Familie Intakt's best episodes
The previous episodes were a chore to get through, except possibly for 'Sein Erstes Rendezvous', which explores the relationship between the Mädler sisters. This one is a remake of Günter Stahnke's 1973 teleplay 'Reizende Ferien', and it has the strongest plot so far.
Joachim Kaps' Hein Kruse is a welcome addition to the cast. Kaps is warm and approachable, and his character Hein is an outsider from the family unit, even more so than Uwe, so his story is from an outside perspective.
The plot is a retread, so it has been tried and tested, but Hein will give the series the life it needs.
Michele Marian's Elke Plonk is very different from Helga Piur's Claudia Zimmerman, as is Helmut Schreiber's Walter Plonk is from Walter Richter-Reinick's Albert Zimmerman. Elke is not as childish as Claudia, while Walter is more mellow than Albert.
I definitely prefer Albert Zimmerman to Walter Plonk. Albert is much more animated than Walter, and I think he's funnier.
Herbert Köfer reprises his role and he really drags down the episode. It would have been more interesting to have a new character, rather than the old neighbor.
The Muppet Show: The Stars of Star Wars (1980)
Mark, I Am Your Cousin
Having Luke Skywalker and Mark Hamill appear on the Muppet Show is such a clever metaphor for celebrity renown. Mark wants to show that he's more than Luke Skywalker, but his "cousin" Luke almost literally hogs all the attention.
Furthermore, Mark gets to show off his many talents, particularly his talent for voices. Although he wasn't a big name in voice acting yet, he had been voice acting since 1973.
I love how Miss Piggy calls C-3PO "hardware".
Scooter has his own lovely little fantasy which the 'I'm Not a Loser' number from 'The SpongeBob Musical' is reminiscent of.