Kittens

For the past year, a stray cat has been coming to our house, whom I named Squirrelly on account of its large, squirrel-like tail.

Recently, it had kittens.





My sister named them Moe, Minnie and Casper. They're cute.

The Dark Knight DVD Review
By: CJ

"Welcome to a world without rules"

The biggest movie of the summer is now on DVD. I purchased the 2-Disc edition of the movie last Winter. (I was going to write an interview about it then, but haven't gotten around to it until now.) This review contains spoilers, so be warned. (But who in the world HASN'T seen this movie by now? It made $1 Billion in the box-office!)

The movie begins with a bank robbery. Several men dressed in clown masks storm a bank, all talking with each other about the mysterious criminal who has been lurking about Gotham known only as The Joker. Things go awry when, one by one, they all begin killing each other, until only two clowns are left. One of them is wise to the Joker's plan and points a gun at the other clown. His comrade pauses for a moment, saying that he was only ordered to kill the bus driver. Confused, the other clown asks "What bus driv--" Before he can finish, a bus slams into the building, We then learn that the last clown standing is actually The Joker himself. Taking the spoils, Joker gets into the bus, where he blends in with several other school buses.


Batman and Luitenant Gordon arrive at the scene later on. Batman has been trying to track down the Joker since the end of the previous Batman film, Batman Begins, but has since been unable to find him. Batman is more worried about the increasing mob presence in Gotham. When Gordon tries to convince Batman to catch him, Batman responds: "One man or the entire mob? He can wait." Batman will quickly learn that was a very BIG mistake, as The Joker will soon send Gotham into utter chaos and push Batman to his breaking point.

The movie features some great cinematography, and an amazing performance by the late Heath Ledger who gives us what might possibly be the greatest villain to appear in cinema. The Joker isn't some villain who simply wants to rob banks. He wants to prove a point. The Joker believes that deep down, all people can be corrupted, and he wants to bring out the worst in people. He plays mindgames with his victims, instead of simply murdering them. (Well, actually, he does a little of both) The Joker is evil, but at the same time, charming. You hate him, but at the same time, you love him.


One of the best scenes in the movie was in the interrogation room of the Gotham Police Department, *SPOILERS* After being apprehended, Batman is brought in to talk with the Joker, trying to find out where he has hidden District Attorney Harvey Dent. Batman seems to have the upper-hand in the scene, as The Joker is now in Police Custody, and forced to talk to Batman or suffer some brutal punishment. The scene quickly changes when Batman learns that The Joker also has Rachel Dawes, Batman/Bruce Wayne's childhood friend and the woman he loves, also captured and ready to be blown to bits at any second. Batman locks the door and begins beating the living hell out of the Joker, who simply laughs it off. "Killing is making a choice. Choose between one life or the other, your friend the District Attorney, or his blushing bride-to-be!" By saving one, Batman will also be leaving the other to die, effectly aiding Joker in his murder. Batman goes after Rachel, but learns the Joker mixed the addresses, finding Harvey Dent instead. Batman has no choice but to rescue him as he hears Rachel get killed over a speaker. Harvey Dent's face is badly scarred as the two flee the explosion. Meanwhile, back in jail, The Joker has escaped, hanging his head out of a stolen police car like a dog. (Dogs seem to be a big theme in the movie.)

Batman realizes the Joker is unlike any criminal he has ever faced, and goes to any length to catch him, including spying on the people of Gotham. Lucius Fox, Batman/Bruce Wayne's friend, and the creator of all his gadgets, asks at what cost will he go to find the Joker.


The Dark Knight raises the bar of comic-book movies. The movie does have it flaws, though. There several snooze-inducing moments with Bruce, Rachel and Harvey chatting with one another, and the Hong Kong sequence was pretty dull as well. While Christian Bale definitely LOOKS like Bruce Wayne, he gives a somewhat dull performance.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, the actress who recasts the role of Rachel Dawes, (previously played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins) also gives us a very boring performance which lacks any charm or personality. I also thought they went a bit too far with some of the darkness in the film as The Joker videotapes himself killing a terrified man dressed as Batman, giggling the entire time. We also see the fake-Batman's dead body hanging by a rope outside the Gotham Police Department.


Later in the film, Harvey Dent is horrifically scarred. While that was always part of Two-Face's origin in the comics, director Christopher Nolan took it to a tasteless level. Harvey Dent isn't really deformed as he was in the comics, instead, it looks like someone just ripped half the skin off of his face. The movie ends on a very hopeless note, and none of the characters truly learn anything from the chaos The Joker has spread. Batman ends up killing in order to save someone's life (breaking his "one rule" as mentioned earlier in the film) and resorts to preserving a lie in what he thinks will be protecting the people of Gotham.

I remember leaving the theater when I first saw the film last July, and while I did like the movie, w I wondered what acts of heroism did Batman actually DO in this movie? He failed to save Rachel, and so many other innocent people from the Joker. While he did save a child at the end, he had to murder in order to do it. Even when he captured the Joker at the end, The Joker simply laughed it off, revealing he had one last trick up his sleeve.

Movie aside, let's talk about the DVD. The special features are pretty disappointing. You'd think that a movie which made $1 Billion in the box-office would have a DVD loaded with special features. Well, you'd be wrong. They didn't even need to make
this a 2-Disc edition. All of the Special Features could've easily fit onto one disc.

The Special Features include 7 scenes shot in their original IMAX Aspect Ratio, (why this was a considered special feature and not simply part of the movie itself is a mystery.) There is also a featurette on The Joker's theme music, a short 'making of' documentary, 3 trailers for the film, a poster gallery, and some 'Gotham Tonight' news segments, (previously seen online.)

There are no commentaries, no featurettes on The Joker's history in comics and how they re-created him for the movie, no interviews with the cast, no deleted scenes, no 'Jokerized' trailer (I believe you can find it on the Blu-Ray edition as an easter egg.) and no featurette
on Two-Face's comic-book origins.

The menus themselves aren't much either. (Though I thought The Joker saying 'here.. we... go..' when you hit play was a cute touch.) The scene selection screen isn't even animated. It's just a bunch of stills. The Blu-Ray has a few more features, but nothing special. Just a few TV spots and a special that aired on The History Channel.

The biggest blockbuster since Titanic and this is the DVD they give us? come on, Warner Bros, i've seen more impressive, feature-loaded DVDs back in 2002!

Pros:
-Great film, with some amazing performances

Cons:
-Movie has some dull moments
-The violence gets somewhat tasteless later on
-Menus are unimpressive
-Lackluster special features
-Maggie and Bale's performances.

Movie Rating: 9/10
DVD Rating 4/10

Sonic Unleashed Review
System: Playstation2
Rating: E10 (Ages 10 and up)
By: CJ

"The difference is night and day."


In Sonic's latest 3D outing, Sonic must (once again) do battle against the mad scientist Dr Eggman, his giant robot army, not to mention a new foe: a demonic entity known as Dark Gaia. Oh, and did I mention Sonic turns into a werewolf? Yes. That's right. A WEREWOLF. Sonic Team, what are you smoking?

I recently got the Ps2 edition as a Christmas gift, here's my review.

The game begins with a very nicely done CG intro inwhich Sonic destroys a giant fleet of spaceships. But Dr Eggman has a trick up his sleeve and Sonic is caught inside of a laser beam, which, for some reason, turns him into a werewolf. After splitting the Earth apart, Eggman opens the hatch door, sending Sonic crashing towards Earth, where he somehow survives the impact, and meets a pink.. poodle.. fairy.. thing, named Chip who has lost his memory. Sonic sets off on a quest to bring the pieces of Earth back together, and to help Chip get his memory back.

Sonic falls into Eggman's trap

The game switches between daytime super-fast gameplay as normal Sonic, and nighttime levels where WereSonic (and his gigantic, strechy, ape-like hands) beat the living crap out of any monsters that come his way.

The daytime stages are fun, but take some getting used to. Sonic controls a bit differently than he did in the "Sonic Adventure" days on the Dreamcast and GameCube. His spindash is gone, in favor of the new "Sonic Boost" Get enough rings to enable the boost, which sends Sonic running at a ridiculously high-speed, breaking anything in his way, and knocking any unfortunate robots sky-high. Hit any walls and Sonic will comically smack right into it. (They should've added some Flickies flying around his head for when that happens.)

There's not a lot of challenge in the daytime levels, (except for the last one) but they're still a blast to play. A shame that the Ps2 edition lacks some of the levels the 360 and Ps3 editions have.

When night falls, Sonic turns into "Sonic the Werehog" a fanged, snarling, beast (Who seems to resemble Crash Bandicoot) The goal of these levels? Beat up anything that comes your way. These levels aren't as fun as the daytime stages, but do offer more of a challenge. In fact, this is the first Sonic game since the Genesis titles where I was actually concerned about how many lives I had. These levels get really difficult, especially towards the end of the game, where you are jumping from pole-to-pole over bottomless pits while trying to avoid spikes and flames which can send you falling to your death.

Sonic the Werehog

The music in the game (Especially Adabat) is excellent as always. No matter how mediocre or bad Sonic games get, they always seem to have some great music (With the exception of 2005's Shadow the Hedgehog and the screaming of Powerman5000 contained therein)

Each world in the game has a "Temple" (I didn't much care for how the Chaos Emeralds in each temple were regarded as Religious artifacts. It seemed a bit sacreligious to me) full of doors where the levels are accessed. Everytime you complete a level, you get either a moon or sun medal. Collect enough medals and you can open secret doors to get extra items, such as previously viewed cutscenes to watch over and over again, Hidden artwork, or music to listen to.

I don't know why, but I get the feeling this guy might be one of the villains..

The game is not without its flaws. Many of the Werehog stages require walking very slowly over narrow ledges. Fall off these ledges and you die. Now, some genius at Sonic Team decided that the button you use to walk is also the same button you use to run. (Hold the left analog down to walk, tap the same button to run) Many times i'd be cautiously walking over a ledge trying not to fall, and all of a sudden, Sonic would sprint off to his death becuase of the poor control scheme.

Some of the voice acting (Tails particularly) is horrific to the ears. Sonic, Chip and Eggman have decent voicework, but as for everyone else.. get your earplugs ready.

In closing, this was a pretty solid title. It had its flaws, but was still an enjoyable experience and an improvement over previous Sonic titles.

Pros:

-Great music
-Daytime stages are a blast
-Lots of unlockable extras

Cons:

-Weak storyline
-Werehog stages get 'tear your hair out' difficult later on
-Voices (with the exception of Sonic, Chip and Eggman) are irritating

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

(Also, check out Nightofthewerehog.com for a short cartoon starring Sonic & Chip.)

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series Review
By: CJ

"He's the fastest thing ali-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!"

Back in the days of my childhood, I eagerly awaited Saturday Mornings, when i'd flock to my TV set at 8 in the morning, to catch what in my eyes was the greatest cartoon ever concieved, Sonic the Hedgehog. I had played the games since '91, and now he was not only a videogame character, but a cartoon character as well. The theme song was undeniably cheesy, but perfect for a Saturday morning cartoon show. I loved the way Sonic just blasted onto the screen at the beginning of the intro, as Robotnik's giant airship loomed over
Sonic's land, cutting away to his dark and dreary labs. It seemed to capture the videogames I adored so perfectly.

Emphasis on "seemed" As cool as the intro was, and as much as it reminded me of such fun levels as "Wing Fortress Zone" and "Scrap Brain Zone" the show itself seemed to stray from the high-speed action, and giant robots the videogames were known for, and relied more on convoluted backstories of the new characters created specially for the show, most notably, newcomer Princess Sally Acorn, as she tries to free her dad, "the King of Acorns" from the Zone of Silence and restore her old home from Dr Robotnik, who has seemingly taken over the world.

Princess Sally Acorn, from "Sonic the Hedgehog"

The animation in the show was leaps and bounds above it's sydnicated counterpart, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. The backgrounds were lush and detailed. It may not be as pretty as the recent anime series, Sonic X, but for its time, it was almost feature quality.

I ate this show up as a kid, as I did with anything containing Sonic's blue mug on it. But I never realized just how much of an annoying twit he was in this show until now. He says the word "mondo" in almost every sentence, along with other 'ultra-cool' buzzwords, like bogus! and totally! And let's not forget his two classic catch phrases from the series: "Gotta Juice!" and "Way Past Cool!" also, there's "Let's do it to it!" Man, that guy had a lot of lame catch-phrases.

The problem with the show is that almost all the things you've come to know and love from the videogames are nonexistent, save for rings, and a cameo by Buzzbombers in one episode.

One episode featuring The Floating Island did sort of tease at a possible inclusion of Knuckles, but nope. He's not here.

The DVD menus are very nice, and while I don't have a giant surround speaker system, to properly judge the audio, it sounds pretty good on my Philips Stereo TV.

The artwork for this DVD set is hit-and-miss. The coverart is decent, and captures the feel of the series well. The two slipcases for discs 1-4 are littered with Sonic fanart, which ranges from scribbles on notebook paper, to really good pieces of all the characters. One I liked in particular is a drawing of a stained-glass window, with Sonic holding up a ring as Robotnik ominously looks on. I was hoping for a little booklet, like The Simpsons Season sets got, but only a little fold-out poster of all of Shout! Factory's products.

As far as special features go, this set includes interviews with Jaleel White (voice of Sonic) Ben Hurst (writer for the series) some storyboards, and a printable script.

The Ben Hurst featurette was interesting, and told a lot about how the series began, and why it was canned. Apparently, my beloved Power Rangers were the reason this show got the axe. Cue frowny emoticon.

I expected to really enjoy the interview with Jaleel "Did-I-Do-thaaaat?" White, voice of Sonic, but it really bored me. Not much info on the series, or Jaleel's
opinons on Sonic as a character, just him talking about how he got the job, and what he did in the recording booth, snore.

Jaleel White, voice of Sonic the Hedgehog

I would've liked to see some old ABC Promos for the show, but this set is done by Shout! Factory, not Disney or ABC, so it's understandable that they are missing.

Pros:
-Very cool intro, accompained by a cheesy, yet very catchy, theme song.
-Very nice and detailed animation
-Menus are exceptionally done

Cons:
-Deveates too much from the videogames they are based on, and lacks their charm.
-Coverart is hit-and-miss


Too Many:
-Star Wars references

Overall: 6.9