We are giving away a copy of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Volume 3 and 4!
This is a fantastic show and since the first two volumes are available to watch on Netflix, this is the perfect way to get ahead on episodes. Trust me, this is maybe the best animated series Marvel has been ambitious enough to do and it’s not afraid to take its time and develop one character at a time before bringing them all together.
And they’re fun as hell.
The contest will be open until Monday, November 21. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 22.
To enter, all you need to do is shoot us an email at editor (at) bigshinyrobot.com. Make the subject “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” For an extra chance to win, post on your Facebook wall asking all of your friends to like our Facebook page. Or you can ask your followers on twitter to follow us @BigShinyRobot. Or both.
Just be sure to mention in your email that you’ve done it.
World War II is unlike almost any other war in that its battles weren’t confined to a particular region. It truly was a worldwide event as its battles ripped through multiple continents. It was a war fought in the air, on the land and at sea. Over the years there have been numerous WWII documentaries. Some focus on specific themes while others try to examine the entire conflict. HISTORY’s WWII in HD is unusual in that it attempts to reduce the epic nature of the war into something quite personal as it tells the stories of a select group of American soldiers that fought in Europe, Africa and on islands strewn across the Pacific Ocean. At times it feels more like Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers than a traditional documentary.
Because the episodes jump back and forth from the European and Pacific Ocean Theaters the narrative could be confusing to those that don’t already have a sense of WWII’s timeline. However, this approach does give the viewer a sense of the chaos and massive scope of the war as smaller battles fought thousands of miles apart changed the big picture and the outcome of the war.
Like many American produced WWII documentaries, WWII in HD gives little attention to the war before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I would have preferred that the series featured stories not just from American soldiers but also soldiers from England, France, Germany, Russia and Japan. But, considering how difficult that could be, it’s hard to fault HISTORY for narrowing the scope of their series. Particularly because the series does give focus to the various relocation camps that were set up to house Japanese-Americans following Pearl Harbor.
It should be noted that while much of the program is presented in high definition the quality of the archival footage varies greatly. The film stock that was used in combat during the war wasn’t high grade. This means that even in pristine condition the picture quality would have been less than perfect. Some footage looks remarkably good, most is pretty rough but the fact that the footage exists at all is fairly miraculous. The fact that most of the archival footage is in color is almost unheard of.
The collector’s edition of WWII in HD also includes The Air War, an additional episode featuring interviews with Andy Rooney, as well as the excellent feature-length documentary The Battle for Iwo Jima. Bonus features include featurettes on the exhaustive search for the archival footage and how it was preserved. There are also character profiles for the soldiers featured in the series.
WWII in HD is a remarkable accomplishment. Its intimate approach to the material sets it apart as something different and essential when compared to other WWII documentaries.
Those looking to supplement their WWII learn experience should also consider viewing the Laurence Olivier narrated The World at War, the comprehensive BBC: History of World War II box set, Alain Resnais’ brilliant short Night and Fog and Ken Burn’s The War.
In 1984 Carl Macek teamed with production company Harmony Gold to release the animated series Robotech. I was 8 years old and in love with anything that featured spaceships, lasers and explosions. Robotech was unlike anything I had seen previously. Voltron debuted around the same time and Transformers would appear a year later but there was something about Robotech that made it an essential part of my weekdays. I think what really captured my attention was that I had no idea what Protoculture was or why Zentraedi, the Robotech Masters or the Invid wanted it. Which put me in the same position of the human characters featured throughout the series. I’m not sure that I even understood that the Zentraedi, the Robotech Masters and the Invid were separate races (a space trinity of sorts). I certainly didn’t pick up on the fact that the series was made up of three unrelated Japanese series that had been spliced together to fill a year’s worth of programming. What I did know was that giant spaceships that could transform into giant robots were extremely cool.
Before sitting down with Robotech: The Complete Series I hadn’t watched the show in over 20 years and I was nervous that all the nostalgia in the world couldn’t save Robotech from being a convoluted mess. I most certainly didn’t intend on watching all 85 episodes along with the additional ten hours of bonus features. But, that’s exactly what I did. 17 discs and 40-something hours later I’m contemplating tracking down a copy of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles to complete my journey.
The Robotech series begins with The Macross Saga, a 35-episode arc that tells the story of SDF-1, a giant alien spaceship that crashed on Macross Island a decade earlier, and the arrival of an alien race known as the Zentraedi that have come to take the fallen ship. Humanity, rallied together under the banner of the United Earth Government, attempts to fight off the invading forces while attempting to understand the secrets of the alien technology that the Zentraedi are devoted to recovering.
The Macross Saga is an undeniably brilliant story that somehow manages to comment on the emotional impact of war on the human spirit while also examining the importance of art and the role it plays in inspiring humanity through its darkest days. Pretty heady stuff for a children’s cartoon.
The second chapter, or war, in the Robotech series is the 24-episode arc known as The Masters Saga. The Robotech Masters, creators of the Zentraedi race, come to Earth in search of the mysterious Protoculture. Convinced that the approaching spaceships are signs of an impending full-scale invasion the United Earth Government strikes first setting up a war with the Robotech Masters that could spell the end of humanity.
For the first 10 or so episodes The Masters Saga is more of a soap opera than intellectually stimulating science fiction. It isn’t until the tone of the material shifts from romantic jealousy to the investigation of free will, the use of propaganda to justify conflict and the reoccurring impact of war on society that Robotech embraces what made it truly great in the first place.
The third war, 25 episodes known as The New Generation, finds Earth being occupied by an alien race known as the Invid. Having overwhelmed Earth’s forces following the conflict with the Robotech Masters the Invid have enslaved humanity. Tired of their captivity a small group of humans rally together to take on their Invid oppressors.
The New Generation is more even than The Masters Saga but it fails to capture the brilliance of The Macross Saga. It does however echo many of the themes from the previous series as it looks at the cost of war and the sacrifices that are necessary to ensure the freedom of humankind.
Included in the bonus features are extended cuts of various episodes along with 29 minutes that were used in Robotech: The Movie (which Carl Macek disowned) as well as a re-edited version of Robotech: The Sentinels, a series that was intended to extend The Macross Saga narrative but only three of the planned 65 episodes were completed. There are also numerous featurettes that range from international clips, video game adaptations and toy commercials. The set is highlighted by a newly created documentary Carl Macek’s Robotech Universe that tells the story of how Robotech came to be through interviews with the various voice actors and producers of the show. Unfortunately Carl Macek is not included due to his untimely death. There are also numerous still galleries that include pre-production art, character bios, comic book covers and merchandise.
It’s a shame that Macek wasn’t able to provide an audio commentary or contribute to the new documentary. Robotech was his vision and its hard to consider this box set complete without his participation.
Purists can continue to complain that Robotech is a bastardized version of the Japanese original series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA but the history of anime in America would be quite different if it wasn’t for Robotech. Besides, their complaints seem rather hollow considering how good Robotech actually is. Put Robotech: The Complete Series on your Christmas lists because this box set is absolutely essential.
Or you could always just enter to win a copy here.
Wait, there hasn’t been a formal “Anime Update” for like 30 days?!? Sorry about that folks! I got into New York Comic Con / New York Anime Fest mode and it’s taken me this long to get back to the usual. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our NYCC/NYAF interview with Chris Sabat, Justin Cook and Sean Schemmel from Dragon Ball Z – it was a blast meeting them!
On to this week’s update: We’ve got some great announcements from Viz Media! (And for those of you still following my “Videos from Japan” at the bottom of the Update – I’ve got a new Uncharted 3 commercial with Harrison Ford!)
Press Release: October 21, 2011
VIZ MEDIA ADDS NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS TO NARUTO MOVIE MARATHON ON VIZANIME.COM AND HULU
Limited Time Marathon Celebrates Upcoming DVD and Blu-ray Release of Latest Movie, And Includes All Five NARUTO Movies
To celebrate the upcoming DVD and Blu-ray release of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS (in stores October 25th), and the birth month of the Naruto character, VIZ Media has just announced the addition of the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS (dubbed) to the special NARUTO movie marathon on VIZAnime.com, the company’s own website for free anime, as well as on the streaming content provider HULU (www.Hulu.com).
A total of 5 feature films featuring the spunky ninja are now available to stream from both sites thru October 23rd. The marathon includes NARUTO THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW, NARUTO THE MOVIE 2: LEGEND OF THE STONE OF GELEL, NARUTO THE MOVIE 3: GUARDIANS OF THE CRESCENT MOON KINGDOM (all movies rated TV-14), available with either subtitled or English dubbed dialogue tracks. NARUTO SHIPPUDEN:THE MOVIE is also available dubbed on both streaming sites.
In NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS (rated TV-14), a group of mysterious flying ninja have arrived from overseas to launch a sudden attack against the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving behind a wake of destruction. The group is revealed to be the “Sky Ninja” from the Land of Sky, a nation thought to have been destroyed by the Hidden Leaf Village long ago. To save their village, Naruto and his friends set out to stop this new threat. During the course of the mission, Naruto crosses paths with Sasuke, his friend who has parted ways from the Leaf Village.
VIZ MEDIA PARTNERS WITH JAPAN’S ANIMATE AND LIBRE PUBLISHING TO LAUNCH
SuBLime, A NEW YAOI MANGA LINE
North American Manga Publishing Powerhouse Launches A Bold New Initiative To Deliver Acclaimed Boys’ Love Titles Digitally And In Print To An Eager Fan Base
San Francisco, CA, October 24, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, has announced the launch of its highly anticipated new yaoi manga (graphic novel) line – SuBLime – which represents an innovative new partnership between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate) and Libre Publishing Co., Ltd. (Libre Publishing).
This bold, global publishing initiative will present English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high quality titles. SuBLime will offer titles digitally worldwide on its dedicated web site at SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide. From the supernatural men of Naono Bohra’s tales of fantasy to the sexy actors portrayed in some of Youka Nitta’s best works, SuBLime will offer something for even the most discerning yaoi manga fan.
“The yaoi manga genre enjoys a sizeable and very passionate following, and the launch of SuBLime will give fans around the world an entirely new outlet that will deliver an exciting range of titles,” says Leyla Aker, Vice President of Publishing, VIZ Media. “We invite fans to join us as we prepare to bring some of the best new boys’ love manga titles to North America and beyond!”
“I’m very excited to open the way to providing boys’ love manga to fans all over the world,” says Shingo Kunieda, Director of Animate’s Overseas Division. “There are many wonderful yaoi manga titles released every month in Japan, and we know that fans want to read them as soon as possible. We are always moving forward to find new ways of doing business, and by partnering with VIZ Media, we can make yaoi fans happy and release boys’ love titles as quickly as possible!”
Toshiko Ohta, President of Libre Publishing, concurs, saying, “Libre’s dream is to bring our content to yaoi fans around the world. In partnership with VIZ Media, this is now a reality. We look forward to readers’ support for SuBLime!”
SuBLime’s first round of digital manga titles are scheduled to launch this December, and will feature LOVE PISTOLS Vol. 1, by Tarako Kotobuki, and the North American debut of DANNASAMA TO MITSUGETSUCHU Vol. 1, by Haruka Minami. January 2012 sees the debut of OUSAMA NO BED, by Sakae Kusama, and in February, SWEET POOL Vol. 1, by Nitro+CHiRAL. Additional new titles slated for 2012 include SHIZUKU HANABIRA RINGO NO KAORI Vols. 1 and 2 by Toko Kawai, DEVIL’S HONEY by Isaku Natsume, KEKKON ZENYA by Kou Fujisaki, ADULT TEACHER WA OSUKI? by Kiu Aion, and YOKUBOU NO SHIZUKU by You Higashino.
SuBLime’s first print titles are scheduled to be THREE WOLVES MOUNTAIN, by Naono Bohra, and HACHIMITSU DARLING, by Norikazu Akira, which will both be released in Spring 2012, followed by PUNCH UP Vol. 1, by Shiuko Kano, and AITSU NO DAIHONMEI Vol. 1, by Suzuki Tanaka, to be released in the Summer of 2012.
Finally: Here is the new Japanese Uncharted 3 commercial starring Harrison Ford, in which he says “Sugei” (the Japanese explanation for “WOW! It’s awesome!”). Enjoy!
BLU-RAY PICK OF THE WEEK: Captain America: The First Avenger
This week we have the Star-Spangled Avenger finally making his way home on Blu-ray! Captain America: The First Avenger hits DVD and Blu-ray today and is our Blu-ray Pick of the Week!
Synopsis:
“Captain America leads the fight for freedom in the action-packed blockbuster starring Chris Evans as the ultimate weapon against evil! When a terrifying force threatens everyone across the globe, the world’s greatest soldier wages war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving, ‘The Matrix’).”
Film Review:
For the last several years Marvel has been knocking their film properties out of the park. Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor – they have all received fantastic movie treatment. Captain America is the last fim in the interlinking string of movies before they all join up in The Avengers next year, and in typical Marvel fashion his solo film more than pleased the masses.
I was a little skeptical of Chris Evan being Cap, but upon seeing the film I couldn’t imagine anyone else taking on that role as well as he did. The supporting cast was also superb and throughout the film I grew quite fond of Tommy Lee Jones’ Colonel Chester Phillips – who arguably had the funniest one-liners in the film. Captain America is full of great actors who fleshed out the supporting characters extremely well including Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Cooper, and Stanley Tucci to just name a few.
Captain America: The First Avenger strikes that perfect balance between heart and action. Not only does Cap and the Howling Commandos kick a lot of ass throughout the film, but you actually care about the outcome and are concerned for their well-being. Especially for those versed in comic book lore that know that Bucky Barnes’ fate has already been written, and the film handles his fate very well – it happens unexpectedly and has a profound impact on the rest of the film. A good action film isn’t just all explosions and throwing punches (or shields), but it’s also a good solid story and Captain America excels in this department. Evans’ portrayal of Steve Rogers both before and after his transformation is fantastic. Even once he becomes the bulked up Captain America you can still see that frail young man underneath all that muscle that wants to do right by his country and friends.
I honestly can’t recommend Captain America: The First Avenger enough. It’s another prime example of Marvel handling their movie properties extremely well – something we got a double dose of this year with both, this film and Thor. For those of you that have already seen Captain America, I doubt I need to tell you this is worthy of adding to your Blu-ray collection. For those of you that somehow missed this in theaters, buy this film and watch it immediately.
The Extras:
Captain America: The First Avenger of course comes in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and has a lot of special features. My favorite was the Marvel One Shot, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer”, in which we get to see Agent Coulson finally be a badass. There are of course some deleted scenes, including a few new action sequences that are worth a look. You’ll also find a few “making of” featurettes that cover how Cap’s costume was made, the work that was put into making “Skinny Steve” and Red Skull, a focus on the Howling Commandos and co-creator Joe Simon discussing the creation of Captain America. We also get a look at the upcoming Avengers movies, and while it’s once again more of a tease than really showing anything substantial, it’s different than what was included in the Thor Blu-ray – so it’s nice that they aren’t just rehashing a special feature we’ve already seen.
Captain America: The First Avenger is a fantastic film that stays true to the character and is a great movie no matter how well versed you are in the comic book history of the character. This may be an obvious pick for our Blu-ray Pick of the Week, but I assure you this film will make a great addition to your home entertainment library!
Captain America The First Avenger is available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD today at Amazon.com!
Honerable Mention:
I would be remiss if I didn’t also note that the Jurassic Park trilogy is also out today on Blu-ray, which comes with hours of special features including all new interviews with Steven Spielberg and Joe Johnston! You can pick this up over at Amazon as well!
I would advise you get your copies of Harry Potter on DVD and Blu-ray now.
After Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 hits shelves on November 11th, the rest of the films will start disappearing from shelves. They’ll be back, but who knows when. My guess? They’ll be releasing a huge, big, box-set with a thousand discs of bonus features. Maybe extended versions?
Here’s the info from their press release:
Harry Potter, the #1 motion picture franchise of all time, will soon disappear from shelves, as Warner Bros. stops shipping all Harry Potter theatrical film titles (including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2, and Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection) as of December 29, 2011 (moratorium does not include digital – Electronic Sell-Through & VOD – or games). The Harry Potter franchise has grossed more than $12.1 billion for Warner Bros. Entertainment – with $7 billion at the worldwide box office for Warner Bros. Pictures and $5.1 billion for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
We are giving away Robotech: The Complete Original Series on DVD!
This might be one of my favorite cartoons ever and I can’t wait to share it with you. One of my children even got stuck with a middle name from one of my favorite characters in the show (Miriya Sterling)
A & E has put out a new, definitive, remastered edition with all the special features you could shake a fist at. It’s really an incredible set.
From the official description:
ROBOTECH is a sweeping science-fiction anime epic of humans defending their home world against alien domination. The saga is told through the eyes of characters caught up in a series of wars that erupts when a mysterious spacecraft crash-lands on Earth at the turn of the millennium. The secrets of alien knowledge aboard this vessel were unlocked, leading to the development of “Robotechnology” and the creation of a vast arsenal of robotic “mecha” to defend the Earth against the alien threats that would eventually strike to lay claim to the mysterious power source known as “protoculture.”
Carl Macek’s groundbreaking sci fi epic has enthralled audiences since it first appeared on American television in 1985. One of the first-ever anime imports, this saga spans three generations of mankind’s fight for freedom.
ROBOTECH: THE COMPLETE SERIES contains the remastered versions of all 85 episodes from the three Robotech Wars: THE MACROSS SAGA, THE ROBOTECH MASTERS and THE NEW GENERATION.
The contest will be open until Friday, October 28th. Winners will be announced on Monday, October 31th.
To enter, all you need to do is shoot us an email at editor (at) bigshinyrobot.com. Make the subject “FAREWELL, BIG BROTHER” (which might be one of the best episodes of the entire series. For an extra chance to win, you can go to our facebook page and invite all of your friends to like us. Or you can ask your followers on twitter to follow us @BigShinyRobot. Just be sure to mention in your email that you’ve done it.
Is Jem still truly outrageous? Well, naturally that will depend on your personal tastes, but re-watching episodes of Jem & the Holograms has been a very entertaining experience.
Jem brings the glam and glitz of the music scene to an animated series, and it has everything you could ask for: drama, intrigue, romance, adventure, an ongoing identity crisis, oh, and of course music.
And the clothes! If you remember the 80’s, then you know what I’m talking about. Crazy patterns, shoulder pads, big hair, chunky earrings . . . Jem brings back the styles of the era with a vengeance. I think much of my enjoyment from each episode came from just seeing what the group wore. Reminds me of the Jem paper dolls and their accompanying outfits that I still have stashed away somewhere.
Beware, though. The catchy theme song can quickly become an earworm. I just found myself singing it a moment ago. You’ve been warned.
If you’re unfamiliar with the basic plot of the series, Jerrica Benton’s father has passed away and left her Starlight Music and Starlight House, a foster home for orphaned girls. Half of Starlight Music is owned by the greedy Eric Raymond, who also manages a rival group called The Misfits. Led by spoiled heiress Pizzazz, the Misfits bring nothing but trouble to Jerrica.
Jerrica’s father also left her a machine known as Synergy, a secret computer that has the capability to project holograms of any kind. Jerrica uses it to turn herself into Jem. Quiet band manager Jerrica by day, glam pink-haired rocker Jem by night.
So . . . how does the show hold up after nearly twenty years?
Pretty well. The series offers a wide variety of themes, focusing on social issues such as hunger, poverty, the elderly, drug use, and orphaned children. Sometimes the tone is more reminiscent of an after-school special, however, which certainly is indicative of the era in which the show aired. Still, each episode contains songs set against music video-like sequences, and most of the shows are just pure fun. Silly at times, but still fun.
I suppose my main issue with the show is the relationship between Jerrica and her boyfriend Rio. The problem is that Rio also appears to be involved with Jem. Technically, Jem and Jerrica are the same person, but Rio has no knowledge of this. And yet no one finds it weird that he kisses Jem in one scene and Jerrica in another. The episode “Midsummer Night’s Madness” tries to address this problem to some degree, but I feel like it was never really resolved.
If you were a fan of the series when it first aired, then I certainly recommend this set. In addition to the complete series, there are also bonus features worth watching. And if you haven’t seen the show, then I also recommend it, if for no other reason than to experience a blast from the past, along with a little glamour, glitter, fashion and fame.
With The Presence writer/director Tom Provost is trying to something different within the realm of ghost stories. The story itself isn’t unusual, but the premise is. The central plot revolves around a woman (Mira Sorvino) who has returned to an isolated cabin that she visited frequently as a child to work on her writing. But the house isn’t as empty as it appears. A ghost (Shane West) lingers in the shadows, bound to the place by some sense of guilt or requirement. When the woman’s boyfriend (Justin Kirk) arrives the ghost’s somber influence causes the woman’s behavior to become unpredictable and irrational.
Where The Presence attempts to set itself apart is that the ghost is presented living alone in the cabin long before the woman (she isn’t given a name) arrives. In fact there isn’t any dialogue in the film for the first 15 or so minutes and through out the movie there are stretches of silence. Fortunately the film features some stunning cinematography. Still, there are times when the film moves so slowly that even the gorgeous landscape can’t keep the film from feeling a bit boring. It’s never quite as psychologically intriguing as it needs to be and Provosts deliberate commitment to being vague doesn’t help the situation. It’s one of those rare occasions where the director might be trusting his audience’s ability to fill in the gaps a bit too much. Still, there are some good ideas at work here. If you’re looking for a different kind of ghost story The Presence is worth a look.
The DVD release includes an insightful audio commentary by Provost. He’s a little to eager to point out his mistakes but his candid honesty is nonetheless appreciated. There is also a nice making-of featurette and a collection of storyboards with commentary from Provost and editor Cecily Rhett.
DVD REVIEW: Herschell Gordon Lewis – The Godfather of Gore
There’s been a lot of well-deserved buzz surrounding the Roger Corman documentary Corman’s World , but without Herschell Gordon Lewis there might not have ever been a Roger Corman in the first place.
Lewis started out making nudie-cutie films in the early 1960s before single handedly launching the splatter horror subgenre with his trilogy of horror films Blood Feast (1963), Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964) and Color Me Blood Red (1965). In the coming years he’d release a handful of gore features The Gruesome Twosome (1967), The Wizard of Gore (1970) and The Gore Gore Girls (1973). In between his various horror efforts he also released a variety of other exploitation films before retiring from the film industry in 1973. Only, like a good horror monster, he came back with a vengeance some 20 years later.
Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore is a fantastic ride through Lewis’ career featuring interviews with cast and crewmembers from his various films as well as the ever-quotable John Waters and infamous B-movie critic Joe Bob Briggs.
The Godfather of Gore is an incredibly funny and often bizarre look at the early days of independent filmmaking where the only thing better than a good film was a bad film that made money.
Afterwards you might want to give the Blu-ray release of the “Blood Trilogy” a look. Despite their extremely low-budget roots the three films look remarkably better on Blu-ray than they do on DVD. The prints show a fair amount of wear but that’s all part of the charm. The films themselves aren’t exactly high art, not even for the horror genre, but they’re so over the top that you can’t help but enjoy them. Lewis even provides a commentary for each of the films (which are a bit dry but interesting nonetheless). Bonus features include over an hour of outtakes, a vintage instructional film directed by Lewis that explains how to carve a turkey as well as a short film about a voyeuristic-cross-dressing killer.
