Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 28th, 2007
I still remember the first time I watched a Spawn animated episode. I was with my parents in my younger years on what I believe was the last vacation we ever took together. It was a hotel we were staying at which had HBO (I never had that channel growing up). I had read Spawn but didn't even know of the animated series. The fact it was late at night and on a premium movie channel meant it had to be good. I was simply blown away and remember telling my parents that we had to be back at the hotel to watch it again the next night. I remember that later I would procure used copies of the series. All beat up, in snapper cases, it didn't matter. I soon dumped those copies in a couple of years and hoped that it would get reissued in a nice box set. That time has come, Spawn has come home.
Spawn is Todd McFarlane's baby; his issue of defiance when he and a group of artists started Image Comics. Great art, compelling stories and no boundaries. Spawn was the story of Al Simmons who sold his soul to the demon Malebolgia so that he come back to avenge his death and be with his wife Wanda one more time. Problem was once that occurred he was to become an undead "hellspawn". So he fights that control constantly along with enemies from that conflict and those enemies in the human world that would bring him harm. He is not a superhero so much but the boogieman, a character that lives in the shadows and comes out at night to take care of business and then return to those same shadows by morning.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions, Regular Columns by Michael Durr on July 25th, 2007
Rock Band breaks the bank, The Wii and HDD?, and why I'm not getting Guitar Hero 80's this week - Welcome to the column that knows no shame and promises to bring it to the rest of you known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. I am the unfortunate guinea pig of the new website and blog format. I'm sure the administrators are pure pros at this but I feel all out of sorts. Hey, you know that Wednesday I talked about in my last column; you know the special lunch. It went very well thank you. No, there is no immediate fallout from it; but there is hope for the future and at the very least I gained a very close friend who will probably look differently at me now. (cause I'm a sexy beast...okay not really but it sounds good!) Sorry if I'm a bit weird; I blame it on the new format of the website. It makes me feel crunchy :).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 23rd, 2007
Video games (especially those with platformer elements) were easy fits for syndicated cartoons. I spent a lot of time watching the Super Mario Super Show despite the show's silliness and use of Captain Lou Albano. Another show I naturally watched in the same vain was the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Featuring Sonic, the speedy blue hedgehog and his sidekick Tails (something resembling a fox but with two tails) would face off against Dr. Robotnik and a legion of robots that wanted to take over the planet Mobius. These robots included Scratch (a chicken), Grounder (the gadgets robot) and a less used Coconuts (monkey bot regulated to sanitation duty). The original series would run 65 episodes and a special before spinning off into a somewhat darker show dubbed just Sonic the Hedgehog.
The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog worked in a lot of areas. It was entertaining, using its slapstick humor to keep the plot moving for the entire 22 minutes. Sonic might have been an ego-maniac but it wasn't so overbearing that it took away from the cartoon (except the phrase "I'm waiting"). The villains were extremely entertaining as Dr. Robotnik came to life better than expected since the video game series was fairly new and it didn't really have much to draw from. Even the main robots were fun to watch, well with the exception of Scratch who to be honest was just plain annoying. The show also served to create many sub-villains and sub-heroes that held interest and were sometimes multi-dimensional. In fact, they even created a few characters that switched sides and did so in a way that made sense.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 23rd, 2007
Synopsis
I started watching cartoons in the 80's growing up and remembering most fondly cartoons like Transformers, Batman, Thundercats, TMNT and so forth. Oh I've had my fill of Looney Tunes and appreciate them greatly. But once you go past Looney Tunes a lot of the older cartoons escape me (with the exception of Droopy and Scooby Doo). Good examples are the Flintstones and almost anything out of the Hanna-Barbara lineup like Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound. So imagine my ...confusion when I received Batfink - The Complete Series across my reviewer table. Batfink was a cartoon series that originally ran in the late 1960's with influences like the Green Hornet and Batman which also ran at this time. The series was created by Hal Seeger and basically featured three main characters; Batfink, Karate and the Chief.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 23rd, 2007
I did a couple of high school musicals growing up. South Pacific and Oklahoma. South Pacific I remembered much more fondly as sometimes I wanted to wash that man right outta my hair. Wait...umm...*taps fingers* *pause*. Oh, right, musicals. High School Musical was a low-budget Disney tv movie that would end up becoming one of Disney's best successes in recent memory. It was only natural that due to its musical nature and teen fanbase that it would expand into a national tour that would encompass 51 dates over 6 months. The DVD is kinda cool in the sense that the show they used is footage from the December 18th performance in Houston, Tx at the Toyota Center since I happen to live in the Metro area. For those living here, it's easy to tell that it is the Toyota Center from it's sky boxes (and also the fact they mention it about half a dozen times). No I did not go. Let's just make that perfectly clear. I think I had to wash my hair that night. *more taping*
I could sit here and pan the dvd for being hokey and being nauseating. However, in all reality; it's not that bad if you go in expecting something that will appeal only to it's fan base. I mean if I am a fan of High School Musical, this concert dvd is going to be great; first of all I get a whole 57 minutes of material. All the familiar songs are here from the movie and wait, 57 minutes? The shows usually ran 2 1/2 hours. Sure there is an intermission or two and you have to count the opening act, but the edits are obvious and it feels like a best of. High School Musical can not do a best of until they get at least two cds worth of material. Like Hilary Duff or Brittany Spears. The good thing about the concert is that they do have most of the original cast minus Zac Efron who went to go work on Hairspray (he liked standing in the shadows of a very big and scary John Travolta). It just feels like they rushed the dvd a bit in the editing process so that they could sell a few hundred thousand copies to the fanbase and say cha-ching.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on July 18th, 2007
Bomberman XBLA style, Paper Mario VC, and the bait & switch of the PS3 - Welcome to the column that is about to have a price drop on our old column but only if they soon discontinue it for malicious puns known as Dare to Play the Game.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 16th, 2007
Synopsis
Ever know that feeling when you've seen a movie about twenty times and vow never to see it again until it comes out in a new collector's edition dvd? Coming to America is exactly like that. Coming to America is the tale of Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy) who isn't quite happy with his country's arranged marriage practice. (but apparently pretty happy with the country's bathing procedure) He decides that with his friend Semmi (played by Arsenio Hall) he should travel to New Yo...k to find his bride. So with the King's blessing (played by James Earl Jones), the boys set off to New York to live the dream. (to live in an awful apartment, eat knockoff McDonalds food and go to a New York club full of really scary women) There he finds his true love Lisa (played by Shari Headley). Hence, the fairy tale story of a prince finding and marrying his princess commences.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 16th, 2007
Synopsis
The show that started out as basically a Cops parody (which is pretty funny on its own trailer trash merits) has become a holy grail of sorts for the Comedy Channel. The show has now spanned four seasons and a major motion picture. Reno 911 can be best described as a faux reality show with a good deal of improvisational comedy performed by some very capable actors and actresses. It loosely has a plot from season to season. This season focused on the pregnancy of Depu...y Wiegel. However, it is not critical or necessary to focus on the plot and you can watch most of the episodes out of order and still get the desired effect. Episodes include incidents from Carrot Top trashing a hotel suite to a Citizens Patrol member (great cameo performance by Paul Ruebens)keeping one step ahead of the police on a murder case.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on July 11th, 2007
Obligatory Oblivion GOY, PS3 Price-Cut & Booth Babes gone? - Welcome to the column that believes you can never get enough hot women promoting video games known as Dare to Play the Game.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on July 4th, 2007
Finding a Wii to take home, PSP Homebrew no longer brave, & Rainbow Six Vegas DLC free - Welcome to the column that believes that cherry pie is more american than apple will ever be (and tastier too) known as Dare to Play the Game.
