THE PLOT THUS FAR

Bailey has settled into his new country home and has a crush on a dog from the other side of the fence. When her brother Felix is stolen, Bailey and his brother, Duke, set out to save him before he gets sold at the exchange in historic Cowtown. Will Bailey rescue Felix and win the love of his sweetheart? Find out in this delightful, fun-filled adventure the whole family will enjoy!

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“The Adventures of Bailey: A Night in Cowtown” is a fun romp for Pre-K kids. Everyone else will long for the days of Benji. A dog napping has happened out West and it’s up to Bailey to save the day. I spent an hour trying to figure out Bailey’s gender before I gave up. There was some light action and more talking animals. Honestly, I checked out. My dog seemed to like it, so there is that.

The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is on par with most telefilms. That being said, it doesn’t look bad. It’s just that the target audience is much younger than what reads this site. If you’ve got young kids, I’d recommend a rental.

RELEASE DATE: 05/21/2013

 

 

THE PLOT THUS FAR
Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell. Featuring the voice talents of Christian Bale and Billy Crystal, Miyazaki’s artistry comes to life with inventive characters, unique storytelling, and richly detailed animation. Your whole family will love this epic fantasy on Disney Blu-ray!

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Anime has always been a bastard genre for me. I’ve always been the biggest supporter of animation, but something about the factory level approach to anime has always bothered me. That was until I became fascinated with Studio Ghibli. The factory atmosphere is circumvented in order to create an environment where an artist works with a team specially trained assistants. That way the original art can have the imprint of a master craftsman upon them. I can appreciate that level of work.

“Howl’s Moving Castle” opens on Sophie (Emily Mortimer) who spends her days working in her father’s hat shop. Her father has long since died and she’s been left alone in her misery. Sophie lacks any real confidence and she skulks around town looking for anything. One day, two guards begin to harass her when she’s saved by a wizard named Howl (Christian Bale). Howl lifts Sophie high in the air, as they fly away. The old fat beast known as the Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall) wants Howl’s love for her own. When she learns that Howl is befriending Sophie, she becomes enraged. So, the Witch pays Sophie’s hat shop a visit in order to turn her into a ninety year old woman. Old Sophie (Jean Simmons) is desperate to break the curse and return to her rightful age. That’s when a strange scarecrow Turniphead (Crispin Freeman) shows her the way to Howl’s Moving Castle.

Once Sophie enters the castle she meets the fire demon Calcifer (Billy Crystal) and Howl’s apprentice Markl (Josh Hutcherson). The castle is a piecemeal creation of various metal parts with its main means of transport being the giant chicken feet below the base. Throughout the rest of the flick, we watch as Sophie almost become suicidal over the thought of remaining old. She can’t stand not being young and beautiful ever again. It’s kind of sad to see that she hasn’t learned to accept her current state. But, that’s the great thing about myth. They’re creative stories meant to teach us lessons. Some of you out there might say that’s a fable, and all I have to say to that is you’re right to an extent. But, that’s not something that I’m exploring today. The problem I had with this flick was that a lot of the action and plot development seemed hokey at best. It’s the first Miyazaki flick that I’ve seen where the production looked rushed.

The Blu-Ray comes with a DVD copy, original Japanese storyboards and promotional items. Plus, you get to see how the Pixar crew helped to bring these films to America. If that wasn’t enough, you get English subtitles that are actually correct translations of the original Japanese language track. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track is expansive, even in the back channels. Plus, the 1080p transfer is impeccable. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.

 

 

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Loosely based on the film of the same name, this show features Beetlejuice, a wild ghost from the “Neitherworld,” and his mortal best friend, a young girl named Lydia.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

The animated “Beetlejuice” cartoon series follows the adventures of the title character, an undead trouble-making specter who in the 1988 film was the primary antagonist of a deceased Connecticut couple who called upon the “Ghost with the Most” to rid their home of its obnoxious new tenants. In the series, Beetlejuice has returned and is now best buds with Lydia. There’s no animosity between the two and their adventures consist mostly of them and their encounters with other ghastly ghouls and spirits in the land of the undead.

I have odd memories of the show airing on ABC. It always seemed to be something that was on, but I didn’t know any kids that were monster fans. I was always amazed that the show went so juvenile, when the film was so readily available at the time. Plus, I don’t remember the seasons being so short. Maybe, it was just me…but the show seemed like it was on for much longer. Oh well, what can you do? Season 4 showed a lot of improvement, but ultimately it was too late by then.

The DVD comes with 94 episodes and no special features. The A/V Quality is on par with animation from 1980s television. Just don’t expect a lot of back channel audio action. You take the wins where you can get them and getting this show out on DVD is a win. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans.

RELEASE DATE: 05/28/2013

 

 

THE PLOT THUS FAR

With the global economy on the brink of collapse, Dagny Taggart discovers what might be the answer to a mounting energy crisis and races against the clock to prevent the motor of the World from being stopped for good.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Atlas Shrugged II picks up at the beginning of Rearden Metal’s success that was received its baptism of fire on The John Galt Line of Taggart Transcontinental’s rail network. Speaking of fire, Ellis Wyatt has set his oil field on fire and disappeared. Ken Danagger, Dagny Taggart, and Reardon continue to overcome increasing government interference and excel in their respective industries. The economy, overall, cannot overcome the drag of cronyism flexing its regulatory muscle and sinks deeper and deeper into morass. Government reaches its acme and the economy its nadir when Directive 10-289, a government takeover of every aspect of the economy.

The movie sucked, though. The cast and acting improved with the sequel, but this is neo-con fap material. I don’t know how they’re going to do a third one if this movie made next to nothing. But, life finds a way. Thank you, Dr. Ian Malcolm for damning us all to Hell with this junk.

The Blu-Ray comes with featurettes, deleted scenes and Sean Hannity fapping all over this junk. The A/V Quality is pretty strong for a film like this. The 1080p transfer is pretty definitive and the DTS-HD 5.1 master audio works all the channels. Still, it sucks. Just skip it.

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!