Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Video Revue: To Infinity and Beyond!!

Yeah, so our 6th episode has actually been up for a few days now. If you subscribe to us through iTunes, you knew that already! As promised, the show is about an hour long. Here is a (very rough) overview of what we cover in each segment:
1. History of Disney; some of our favorites and not-so-favorites
2. Disney's One Saturday Morning/other Disney TV shows
3. E-mail and annoying Disney trends
4. Recent Disney movies and comparing Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks

And if an hour of talking about Disney isn't enough for you, don't despair! TC and Kim (of Subject:Cinema) are planning on doing THREE shows devoted to Disney. Or, if you've got your own thoughts, send us an e-mail! (videorevue@gmail.com)

I would really reccommend subscribing to us through iTunes, because (a) it's free and (b) you don't have to remember to download--iTunes does it automatically. But here's the Podshow link: http://m.podshow.com/media/15317/episodes/95337/videorevue-95337-01-19-2008.mp3

I'm going to post a couple Disney videos later this week. And coming up in two weeks, "Viewers Like Us," where we take a look at PBS.

Feel free to e-mail us with any ideas you have for future shows...
;)

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Hilarious Clip From The Emperors New Groove

"Pull the lever, Kronk...WRONG LEVER!!!!"
rofl
XD

The Emperor's New Groove Trailer

The trailer for one of our favorite recent Disney movies, The Emperor's New Groove!! Look for our Disney show this weekend.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Movie Review: I Am Legend

This movie, based on a book I haven't read, stars Will Smith as the (lone?) survivor of the zombie apocalypse. Technically, the monsters are more like vampires (repelled by holy water, die in sunlight) but "zombie apocalypse" sounds better. The first half of the movie plays like an extended "Twilight Zone" episode: tense and haunting, with Will Smith, his dog, and the occasional scene involving the monsters. The movie takes a very different turn after his character decides to commit suicide and is saved. I can't say anymore without giving away the end, but I did enjoy the movie thoroughly.

There was one scene that was so tense I almost left the theatre (but I'm so glad I didn't!): Neville (Smith's character) gets caught in one of his own monster traps and is left hanging by his ankle as the sun sets. The movie takes a "less-is-more" approach, which I found incredibly tense because I have a good imagination. The whole time, I'm thinking, "Augh! The sun's going down and then the monsters are going to come out and they're going to kill him because he's just hanging there and there's no way for him to get down because he's passed out!!"

About halfway through the movie, I knew I was either going to love it or hate it, and it all hinged on the ending. The final scenes, which again I'm not going to give away, were very well done and again reminded me of The Twilight Zone. I highly recommend the movie. It's action-packed, tense, and the ending is satisfying without being unrealistically happy.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Reviews, news, and previews.

Hello again, everyone! We decided to take a holiday break, but "Video Revue: To Infinity and Beyond!" will be up this week, as we discuss Disney movies. Expect this one to be pretty long to make up for the lack of recent shows. We could talk about Disney all day...but we'll keep it to about an hour.

You can find us on iTunes!!!!!!!!
*Does happy dance*
Just search for "Video Revue" and look for our logo.

And now a movie review: Sweeney Todd!
I saw this movie at midnight on the night it opened. I was excited, because this was my first midnight premiere. As always, I loved the dynamic duo of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, who amazingly is still incredibly attractive as the throat-slicing title character. Depp plays Sweeney Todd, a violently bitter and vengeful man who was banished by the judge who wanted Todd's wife. The corrupt judge is played by the deliciously evil Alan Rickman (also known as Snape from the HP movies), who has now turned his sights on Todd's teenage daughter, Johanna. Helena Bonham Carter is Mrs. Lovett, Todd's business partner and the only other person who knows his secret.

Their plan is a simple as it is disgusting: Sweeney Todd offers the closest shave you'll ever get, though he has very few repeat customers. Mrs. Lovett fares better, becuase her meat pies taste like nothing you've ever had before. (Translation: Sweeney Todd slits his customers' throats, and Mrs. Lovett grinds up the bodies for her meat pies.) As the body count rises, Todd also has to find a way to rescue the lovely Johanna from the evil clutches of the judge and hide his secret from the rest of London. It's all set to a haunting score. Yes, Johnny Depp sings. Yes, his voice is excellent. I want the soundtrack.

I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that it has the most depressing ending of any musical I've ever seen (with the possible exception of "Once More, With Feeling"). The entire movie is dark and depraved, shot in muted tones with only one bright color: blood red. It's an odd contrast with the music. There's something about musicals, even when they're singing about cannibalism and murder, that is inherently surreal and almost whimsical.

Overall, I liked it. It's well done, but it's definitely rated R for a reason. It's about as gory as "V for Vendetta" or "The Matrix." This movie wins the award for fakest-looking movie blood--Sweeney Todd's victims spew Kool-Aid. But there is a lot of it. And the ending is just depressing. Still, I give Sweeney Todd 4 out of 5 stars.