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March 20th, 2010 by sierra4179518Get Blood Simple Online
March 20th, 2010 by sierra4179518Stream Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty Movie Online
March 14th, 2010 by sierra4179518 |
Stream Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty Movie Online.
Movie Title: Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty |
This release of “Sleeping Beauty,” a filmed performance by the Royal Ballet, was eagerly anticipated by myself after I watched the telecast. I deem, all things considered, that this is the best Sleeping Beauty DVD on the market. Other videos might have finer individual performances (Margot Fonteyn, Yuri Soloviev, Alla Sizova) but those videos are all severely abridged versions of the ballet, and the video quality is not high. This “Sleeping Beauty” has a glowing cast, sizable video quality, and an reliable production.
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I’ll go over several aspects of this video:
1. The production – The Royal Ballet has always prided itself on its production of Sleeping Beauty. The distinguished 1946 Oliver Messel production made Margot Fonteyn an international star. Over the years, replacements for the Messel production were never very successful. In the early 1990s a production by Anthony Dowell was released on video. Viviana Durante was an first-rate Aurora, but the sets and costumes were dreadful and considerable criticized. This video is a replica of sorts of the Messel production, although the costumes have not been replicated, and the Garland Dance was choreographed by the up and coming Christopher Wheeldon. I don’t like the overly pastelish, glittery costumes of the fairies, but these criticisms are mainly for the Prologue, and the sets have a astronomical simplicity.
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2. The choreography of the Royal Ballet’s production has always been its strong point. I remember an interview with the formidable Ninette di Valois when she took care to account for the inequity between “production,” which she says is wont to change a lot, with “choreography,” which is noteworthy more constant. The Royal Ballet’s choreography is was heavily based on Diaghilev’s 1921 production for the Ballet Russes and Petipa assistant Sergeyev’s unusual notations, and it preserves great of the crucial mime of the Lilac Fairy and Carabosse. Unlike Nureyev’s production for the Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Ballet’s choreography has no gratuitous interpolated solos for the Prince. The distinguished fishdives in the Astronomical pas de deux that Diaghilev added to the 1921 Ballet Russes production are here as well.
3. The dancers – Alina Cojocaru in the title role gives a performance for the ages. Cojocaru is not a stereotypical ballerina. Her face makes her recognize eternally girlish rather than conventionally heavenly. She lacks the gargantuan eyes and high cheekbones of most ballerinas. She is extremely thin, but has short, extremely wide feet without noteworthy of an arch. Her strength is in her technique and her personality. Her feet contemplate old-fashioned, but she is incredibly strong as a dancer. In Act 1 it’s hard to request anything more from an Aurora. Her jump is airy and light, her turns rapid and come by, and she zips through the Rose Adagio with long-held balances and barely a hurry. In the Vision Scene she transforms herself effortlessly into a wispy, otherworldy creature. She has a bubbly, sweet stage presence that’s apparent even in the Regal Act 3 wedding scene. Cojocaru was born in Romania and trained in the Russian style at the Kiev Ballet before she joined the Royal Ballet. Her dancing style combines the best of both worlds, having the crisp solidity usually associated with the British style along with the soft Romantic port te bras, expansiveness, and delicacy of the Russian school.
Her partner was supposed to be her offstage boyfriend Johan Kobborg, but Kobborg was injured, and Frederico Bonelli danced in his location. But the last-minute substitution is not reflected in the performance. Bonelli is princely and fine, and he partners Cojocaru very well, especially in the Wedding broad pas de deux. They are worthy better matched than the limited Viviana Durante and the extremely huge Zoltan Solymosi in the 1993 video.
Marianela Nunez is herself an acclaimed Aurora, but she gives the Lilac Fairy a sweetness and graciousness that is most welcome. This fairy is never remote, always benevolent. I agree that at times she seems a cramped too human, but I can’t complain. Her variation in the Prologue is grand beneficial to Benazir Hussein, in the Dowell production video.
It’s a tag of the top-down quality of the video’s cast that the Florine (Sarah Lamb) is also a primary dancer and acclaimed Aurora. The divertissements in Act 3 are very well-danced.
4. The video quality – very high. The sound is well balanced, the close-ups are well placed so as not to distract from the overall dancing.
Overall, Opus Arte has released yet another treasurable video from the Royal Ballet. (Fille Mal Gardee and Sylvia are also highly recommended.)
I concept a lot before I bought this production. I actually saw it live at the Kennedy Center during the summer before this was recorded and I was so disappointed. I had waited so long to sight the Royal Ballet accomplish Sleeping Beauty live.
I ought to say here I’m one of probably a few who actually like the Anthony Dowell 1993 production. I judge Viviana Durante was astonishing and Dowell himself as Carabosse gave the performance of the ages. I wasn’t that nuts about the scenery but view the costumes (especially those in Act 3) were big.
I reflect the company was honest having an off day when I saw the live production. It was a very hot summer day and, to be kind, maybe the heat and humidity was getting to them all. The whole group lacked energy, Sarah Lamb was uninspiring as Aurora. There was nothing between her and her Prince and the Elizabeth McGorian’s Carabosse (she normally plays the Queen) looked and acted like she was a limited annoyed because she hadn’t been invited to a tea party.
Though I suspect Durante with her steely toed performance is worthy more comparable to Fonteyn, I like this performance and Cojocaru a lot. In fact I like the whole cast a lot and Sarah Lamb is very noble as Blue Bird. Cuts in the music don’t disturb me too mighty since almost all the companies bewitch liberties in that position.
Like one of the other reviewers I’m also a fan of the Kirov version with Asylmuratova (and her husband Zaklinsky) but it was recorded at the Bolshoi Theatre and is so dusky in places. (Have others noticed that this is often the case with performances recorded at the Bolshoi? ) So far it is only on VHS and I’ve wondered if it will ever approach out on DVD because of the quality of the recording.
Anyway, for Sleeping Beauty fans it’s well worth having. Since so petite of the unique production is available today (Act 3 on the “Evening With The Royal Ballet” DVD, a severely slit gloomy and white version filmed for American TV and bits on the Margot DVD) this is the best chance to bag an opinion of what the unique was like.
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Watch Northern Lights Online
March 13th, 2010 by sierra4179518 |
Watch Northern Lights Online.
Movie Title: Northern Lights Northern Lights is available for streaming or downloading. |
Having not read this book first, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The chemistry between the two main characters is undeniable. The storyline is great as always with any Nora Roberts book made for tv. I do see the point of the first review written on this movie – the book will always seem better than the movie if you’ve read it beforehand. That said, give the movie a shot especially if you are a fan of Eddie Cibrian and/or Leanne Rimes.
The novel on which the movie is based was the first Nora Roberts book I read. What fascinated me about it was the writer’s ability to create vividly a small Alaska town in mid-winter, when it is dark all or most of the day and snow lies piled deep. The plot was OK, a newly-hired cop meets an abrasive female pilot and gets mixed up in an old murder in the nearby mountains. The characters were a trifle shallow, but the ambience made up for the slack.
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Now comes the movie, wherein the producers chose to ignore Ms Roberts well crafted atmosphere. The town isn’t right. There’s not enough snow. And, worst, on New Year’s Eve the sun is high overhead in the afternoon. Did they think that readers of the book wouldn’t notice?
In addition, the actors were completely unconvincing, particularly Ms Rimes, who is a contry singer out of her milieu. I was reminded of an anecdote regarding Dolly Parton in her movie acting debut. A frustrated director stopped a scene and asked Parton, “Can’t you act at all?” “No,” she answered, “and your job is to make it look as if I can.” In that case, the director succeeded, but the director of Ms Rimes failed completely.
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In short, the movie is a slapdash failure, not worth the time of anyone who enjoyed the book, and a time waster for those who didn’t.
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Watch (500) Days of Summer Movie Online
March 13th, 2010 by sierra4179518 |
Watch (500) Days of Summer Movie Online.
Movie Title: (500) Days of Summer (500) Days of Summer is available for streaming or downloading. |
“(500) Days of Summer” is a wonderfully refreshing experience, a romantic comedy that doesn’t follow the rules of a romantic comedy. It’s inventive, intelligent, and engaging, a story of the dualities a young man lives with on a daily basis. On the one hand, there’s the duality between falling in love and believing that love doesn’t exist; Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) grew up believing in fate bringing soul mates together whereas Summer (Zooey Deschanel) grew up not believing in much of anything, least of all lasting relationships. On the other hand, there’s the duality between what one would like to happen and what actually does happen; we often go through life with expectations, even though we know deep down that most will never be met. Tom is in a tug-of-war between his romantic fantasies and the reality that Summer doesn’t believe in true love.
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Levitt’s performance is a revelation. He plays Tom with sincerity. Tom is approachable and good natured, highly confident yet not so above-it-all that he can’t be desperate and miserable at times. He writes greeting cards for a living but has always dreamed of becoming an architect, and he often finds inspiration from the Los Angeles skyscrapers that surround him. His story unfolds in much the same way a memory does, with fragments that pop up all out of sequence until the reality of those 500 days become clear. Some may be confused by this, but keep in mind that memory and chronological order never go hand in hand. This is especially true when reflecting on a relationship. Tom continuously thinks back trying to make sense of it all, only to end up considering the possibility that Summer was right all along.
Deschanel, who seemed so awkward in films like “Yes Man” and “The Happening,” here is perfectly cast. Summer is charming, fun, and sweet, but she’s also mysterious, distant, and casual about life. She dates Tom and even makes love to him, yet she will never see him as anything more than a friend. She’s with him not because she’s in love–she’s just having fun while living in the moment. It’s about all she can do given the fact that she can’t love anything, save for the length of her hair and the fact that she can cut it off without feeling anything. There are a few select moments, however, when she connects with Tom at a more personal level, inviting him into her artsy apartment and eventually opening up about past experiences. This makes Tom feel appreciated, as he believes, perhaps correctly, that she doesn’t go this far with too many people.
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By the end of the film, Tom feels like someone we’ve gotten to know. Summer, on the other hand, remains enigmatic, underscoring the uncertainty engrained in any kind of relationship. There are times when Tom thinks he has her figured out. There are other times when it seems as if they’ve never even met. Loving relationships are based on compromises, and while Tom would be willing to make a few, Summer most definitely would not. She does what she wants when she wants it. This is admirable, but when matters of the heart are involved, the line does need to be drawn somewhere.
Tom’s emotional roller coaster ride occasionally gets the visual treatment. In one scene, he becomes the star of a musical number featuring dancers and a cartoon bluebird. In another scene, he imagines himself as characters in black and white European art house films by Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini. The single most creative shot has him standing in the middle of the street while the buildings transform into an architectural sketch, much like the one he drew on Summer’s arm. Director Marc Webb treats these scenes not as showcases of special effects but as special moments of heightened reality, which is fitting given the battle waged between what Tom desires and what he actually gets. The most obvious interpretation of this theme is a split-screen image late in the film, one side marked “Expectations,” the other side marked “Reality.”
These extra touches make this movie enjoyable, but its Gordon and Deschanel that make it a joy to watch. They have chemistry. You believe in them as actual people and not merely as characters. They show just how talented they are as actors, although credit must also be given to Webb’s direction and the screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. They breathe life into “(500) Days of Summer,” a film we’re told right off the bat is not a love story. Nor should it be; we’ve seen love stories before, and while they more or less work as entertaining distractions, rarely do they provide insight or even traces of plausibility. This movie is more ambitious than that. It aims to tell a story without resorting to cheap gimmicks like cliché dialogue or contrived plotlines. The end result is a story that’s often funny, often thoughtful, and always compelling.
Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falls head over heels for Summer Finch (Zooey Deschauel) the new girl working at his office. The story of their relationship is told in non-chronological order, including a few highly original scenes such as Tom turning the streets of LA into a chorus line following his first night with Summer. You know from the start that Tom and Summer are bound to split up. But the movie comes together nicely in the end, showing that when one story ends another is bound to begin.
One thing I really like about this movie is that’s it’s the guy who is the hopeless romantic and the girl who remains emotionally distant. This contrast with the usual male-female stereotypes is refreshing and something I experienced myself when I was a young man. The movie is also quite nuanced and contains numerous references to classic literature, classic films and classic rock. In other words, it’s way smarter than the usual Hollywood romantic comedy. It’s also more funny and had me laughing out loud on several occassions. I do have to admit that the non-chronological sequencing of the 500 days left me dizzy at times and how much you like this movie will depend, to some extent, on how much you can identify with the main characters. But this is a well made movie and one worthy of seeing.
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Stream Spider-Man – Daredevil Vs. Spider-Man Movie Online
March 12th, 2010 by sierra4179518 |
Stream Spider-Man – Daredevil Vs. Spider-Man Movie Online.
Movie Title: Spider-Man – Daredevil Vs. Spider-Man Spider-Man – Daredevil Vs. Spider-Man is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Spider-Man – Daredevil Vs. Spider-Man |
This features my favorite Marvel Team Up ever! Whenever Stan Lee and Co. used to put together Spider-Man with Daredevil in the comics, it was always entertaining and exciting. Even the bad stories were still good with these two! This animated version is no exception as these two team up after a brief misunderstanding to take on the Kingpin (a major DD foe as well as Spider-Man) and his goons!
The extra episode with FF and Daredevil was also entertaining. A slight lighter DD in that one but no less intrigiging. A good addition to the other Spider-Man DVD’s out there!
By the way, I agree with the previous reviewer. It should’ve been called Spider-Man: Enter Daredevil.
It’s hard for me to pick out a favorite, from all the animated Spidey TV shows. Basically, I’ve always just been too busy being thankful that the wallcrawler’s on the small screen, in the first place. This dvd here, DAREDEVIL VS. SPIDER-MAN, is from the terrific 1990s Spider-Man cartoon. And while I’ve been in the recent habit of slamming dvd releases containing paltry sums of episodes, I’m just glad these suckers are made available at all in dvd. Because who the eff knows when we’ll get full season releases on this series? Me, I’m hunkering down for a looong wait.
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Spidey is an icon, and his fans won’t suffer too many years elapsing without his being on TV or, nowadays, in a feature film. This particular cartoon incarnation ran from 1994 to 1998 for 65 episodes, and, even at its final stages, it was still well received enough to garner its own sequel series in 1999, the very short lived (and inferior) SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED, which placed Spidey on Counterearth.
Back to the 1994 series: Most of the classic Spider-Man elements are here. From his everyday sadsack life to his familiar supporting cast, from his rogues’ gallery (excepting Sandman) to his sense of humor and bad guy baiting. And in this one, Peter is still attending college at Empire State U, even as he continues to shoot photos for the Daily Bugle.
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The four episodes in DAREDEVIL VS. SPIDER-MAN are pulled from Season 3’s “Sins of the Fathers” story arc (Chapters VI – IX). Daredevil, by the way, appears in only the first two of these episodes (”Framed” and “The Man Without Fear”). When Peter Parker is hired by the Kingpin and then framed and arrested for a federal crime, blind attorney Matt Murdock’s services are mysteriously engaged in Peter’s defense. But when his civilian identity proves inadequate, Murdock dons the more action-friendly guise of Daredevil. Then comes the inevitable misunderstanding and skirmish between superheroes, followed by the teaming up, and ends with Parker exonerated and the Kingpin walking away unscathed.
One quibble I have is that I don’t buy the actor voicing Matt Murdock/Daredevil. For whatever reason, I just don’t think Daredevil’s voice is that deep.
The third episode, “The Ultimate Slayer,” revolves around Alistair Smythe and his unwilling transformation into a half-cyborg Spider Slayer, thanks to the Kingpin. Blaming Norman Osbourne for his father’s death, Smythe targets him for revenge. Meanwhile, Peter learns that Harry and Mary Jane are engaged.
In “Tombstone,” with the Daily Bugle about to publish an expose on Alicia Silvermane and her crime syndicate, the supertough, superstrong albino Tombstone is hired to put pressure on Bugle editor Robbie Robertson. And, surprisingly, these two share a past.
And, throughout all this, the mystical Madame Web occasionally steps in with some obscure, befuddling advice for Spidey, no doubt her way of prepping him for the cosmic events in the final season.
Compared to today’s standards, the animation here is more clumsy, not to mention that the occasional use of CG in cityscape sequences tends to clash with the 2D stuff. Also, the wallcrawler is at times depicted as too bulky a figure. However, the quality of the storytelling and the nice continuity make up for whatever the visuals may lack. Because of the restrictions placed on the series by the Fox network, it’s still an action packed series, but not as dynamic as it could’ve been. One of the funnier, more offbeat restrictions prevents Spidey from harming pigeons whenever he landed on a roof. Also, FOX had prohibited the inclusion of genuine firearms, so the bad guys and even the law enforcers made do with laser guns. It’s a bit jarring, and initially had me thinking that this Spidey was set in the near future.
For what it is, this dvd actually comes thru with decent special features: optional Stan Lee intros to each of the featured four episodes; a bonus episode (”King Pinned”) from the 1966 Spidey cartoon; another bonus episode (”And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them”), from the 1990s Fantastic Four cartoon guest-starring Daredevil, in which the FF lose their super powers; and Stan Lee’s Soapbox, as Stan reflects long and nostalgically about Daredevil (around 18 minutes).
Some trivia for fans of the show: Starting with the second year, the episodes in each season began to be linked in a single, season-long, over-arcing storyline. So, for example, the individual episode titles of Season 2 all fell under the “Neogenic Nightmare” banner. Season 3, under “The Sins of the Fathers” banner. Season 4, under “Partners in Danger.” And Season 5, “Forgotten Warriors.” I understand that the network heads were utterly ticked off at head writer John Semper, whose idea it was to insert long-running storylines.
Most of the dvds available about this series seem to focus on Season 3, which is the “Sins of the Fathers” story arc. Chapters II-V of it are collected in Spider-Man – The Ultimate Villain Showdown (Animated Series). Chapters X & XI are in Spider-Man – The Venom Saga (Animated Series) (along with Season 1’s 3-part “The Alien Costume” story). Chapters XII-XIV are found in Spider-Man – The Return of the Green Goblin (Animated Series) (with the first chapter of Season 4’s “Partners in Danger” arc). The only episode missing is part one of “Sins of the Fathers” (the one with Dr. Strange) and one can only wonder why it’s not included.
Personally, I’m waiting on the dvd release of the last season, which features the “Six Forgotten Warriors” saga, the 3-part “Secret Wars” (based on the Secret Wars comic book maxi-series) and the 2-part series finale “Spider-Wars,” as, in another reality, Peter and five other Spideys must go up against Spider-Carnage.
It’s gonna be a long wait, it looks like.
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Watch Big Windup: Part 1 Online
March 12th, 2010 by sierra4179518 |
Watch Big Windup: Part 1 Online.
Movie Title: Big Windup: Part 1 Big Windup: Part 1 is available for streaming or downloading. |
In Japan, sports-based anime have been quite popular. From series such as the basketball anime “Slam Dunk”, soccer anime such as “Captain Tsubasa”, football anime such as “Eyeshield 21 and tennis anime “Prince of Tennis”, comes an anime baseball series that is just fun and enjoyable.
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In Japan, baseball is a big part of Japanese culture. Aside from soccer and sumo wrestling, Japanese baseball has been covered in manga and anime series such as the popular series “Touch” as well as”H2, “Princess Nine” and “Idol Ace”, to name a few.
In 2003, Asa Higuchi began a manga series which is serialized in the monthly seinen magazine “Afternoon” since 2003. The series has won an award such as the “Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize” and the “Kodansha Manga Award” and eventually was made into a 26-episode anime series in 2007. Animation was done by A-1 Pictures (A studio from the Sony’s anime production division, Aniplex) and shown on TBS and Animax Asia. What many people don’t know is that Higuchi has researched and collected data on Japanese high school baseball for ten years before she started on the manga series.
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Now “Big Windup!” (also known as “Okiku Furikabutte” aka Ofuri) will be released in the US via two DVD sets courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment. The first set comes with the first 13 episodes of the animated television series.
The series is directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (”xxxHolic”, “Genshiken” and “Kujibiki Unbalance), written by Yousuke Kuroda (”Gungrave”, “Infinite Ryvius”, “Mobile Suit Gundam 00, etc.), character designs by Takahiko Yoshida (who has worked on “Honey and Clover”, “Gad Guard” and “Welcome to the NHK”) and music by Shiroh Hamaguchi (”Ah! My Goddess”, “One Piece”, “Sakura Wars” and “Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children”).
The animated series initially revolves around a boy named Ren Mihashi. Mihashi is a pitcher who has low-self esteem and lack of confidence courtesy of his former junior high school who criticized him because he was made starting pitcher of his junior high school team because his grandfather owned the school. Because of that, he underwent some major bullying from his baseball team, to the point that everyone expects the worst out of him and expect him to lose each game. In fact, Mihashi buys into all the negativity they give him and he blames himself for his teams losses and ruining his schoolmate’s love for the game, thus Mihashi’s self-confidence is totally shot. So, bad that he’s always cringing in fear, always thinking that others are thinking negative of him and that he will ruin things for everyone.
Mihashi decides to go to Nishiura High School and thus staying away from his former classmates and to never play baseball. That is until he is immediately recruited by Maria Momoe, the coach of Nishiura High School’s first baseball team.
Coach Momoe is very driven and formerly was a highly skilled softball player and coach but now she is driven to jumpstart the highschool’s baseball team. Along with team adviser Tsuyoshi Shiga (who uses his knowledge of psychology, meditation and other subjects to help the team succeed), the two recruit Mihashi and a few other people to become a part of Nishiura High’s first baseball team.
At first glance, Nishiura High School’s baseball team doesn’t look like much of a team. Some members are opinionated, egotistical and are not much of team players at first. But Coach Momoe knows what she’s doing, how to get these players to work together but most of all, she believes in her team.
Nishiura High School’s baseball team includes:
Ren Mihashi – The pitcher of the team with low self-esteem, low-confidence and is always questioning if people are looking at him in a negative way. He wants to be the ace pitcher but always feels negative towards himself. Always seen crying, whining, hiding in a corner depressed but his friends/teammates know how he is and tolerate him. Even becoming friends with him. Although not known for his speed for fastballs, he has practiced for such a long time that his accuracy is excellent and he is able to throw various pitches. Although he doesn’t notice his talent, his catcher Takaya Abe does.
Takaya Abe – The catcher and vice-captain of the team who is good at analyzing players and learns how talented of a pitcher Mihashi is and knows by directing him through his pitches, he can become a great pitcher. Coach Momoe puts her trust in Takaya to watch over Mihashi. Takaya also has has a distrust towards pitchers who have not listened to him. Abe looks at his pitch calling as strategy which he excels at but dislikes when pitchers don’t listen to him.
Yuichiro Tajima – Niishiura’s cleanup hitter and despite being a small guy, he has the ability to hit the ball wherever he wants 80% of the time, although he’s not strong enough to get home runs. But he’s the best/accurate hitter of the team and also the third baseman and backup catcher for Takaya.
Azusa Hanai – Made the team captain because he’s not afraid to voice his opinion to Coach Momoe. Formerly a cleanup hitter and known for hitting home runs. And at times, his cockiness gets the best of him. He is also the right fielder and backup pitcher of the team.
Yuto Sakaeguchi – The lead off hitter and a person who becomes a good friend to Mihashi. Also, known for having diarrhea when he’s stressed out. Sakaeguchi is the vice captain and second baseman of the team.
Kosuke Izumi – Another player with experience and known for his running skills. The center fielder of the team.
Shoji Suyama – The shortstop on the team who is known to help quiet the tensions or stress amongst the others in the team.
Fumiki Mizutani – Not so skilled at baseball and often will drop catches. The left fielder of the team.
Kazutoshi Oki – The reserve left handed pitcher for the team who also plays first base.
Shintaro Nishihiro – More of the player on the bench who cheers for his team.
And characters that do not play baseball but are instrumental to the team are:
Chiyo Shino’oka – The equipment manager of the team. She loves baseball.
Yoshiro Hamada – Also, known as “Hama-chan”. Hamada grew up with Mihashi when they were younger. But due to “Little League elbow”, unable to play baseball, Hamade uses his energy to become the leader and organizer of the cheering team for Nishiura High School baseball. He is also a friend of Izumi.
The DVD set features a total of 13 episodes on two DVD’s:
DISC 1:
* EPISODE 1 – THE REAL ACE
* EPISODE 2 – THE CATCHER’S ROLE
* EPISODE 3 – THE PRACTICE MATCH
* EPISODE 4 – THE PLAY
* EPISODE 5 – DON’T CUT CORNERS
* EPISODE 6 – REQUIREMENTS FOR PITCHERS
* EPISODE 7 – I WANT TO PLAY BASEBALL
* EPISODE 8 – AN AMAZING PITCHER
* EPISODE 9 – THE PAST
DISC 2:
* EPISODE 10 – BIT BY BIT
* EPISODE 11 – THE SUMMER STARTS
* EPISODE 12 – THE CHEERING SQUAD
* EPISODE 13 – THE SUMMER TOURNAMENT BEGINS
The first 13-episodes are broken up into 3-story arcs. The first arc features the development of the team but most of all, how Mihashi, despite being an unpopular pitcher from his old school, they notice he has amazing talent, it was just not utilized well. We get to learn about all characters of Nishiura High School’s baseball team.
The second arc features Coach Momoe organizing a competition between Nishiura High School and Mihashi’s former teammates from his other school. With Mihashi’s self-confidence at an all-time low, Abe rallies his teammates to support Mihashi or else, they will have to deal with his whining and low self-esteem which can be detrimental to the entire team.
For the final arc, around episode nine, the series is less about Mihashi but now focusing on the entire team or a certain member of the team. The Nishiura High School baseball team members become friends, helping each other with their education and trying to gel but most importantly, the group is now preparing for the Summer baseball tournament in which over a 170 high schools take part in.
We also, are introduced to Nishiura High School’s cheering team and also the viewers get to learn why Takaya Abe dislikes his former pitcher from his junior high school so much and why he’s determined to make things work well between he and Mihashi.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Big Windup!” is presented in 16:9 and sports a lot of painted backgrounds with its baseball field surroundings, neighborhoods but for a TV series, sports quite a bit of detail for its players and their baseball equipment. May it be the dust on the baseball, their gloves or the catcher’s shin guards. Each character has their own personal traits and for the most part, animators captured the wide range of emotions of each character quite well. For the most part, there is a country like feel to “Big Windup!” but for the most part, a television series that does look quite nice! Bare in mind, this is not a OVA or film, so for a TV series to a good amount of detail is a major plus.
The series does sport a soft kind of look. The colors are not as eye-popping vibrant as I would have liked but actually is quite consistent with many other television animated series.
As for the audio, the English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound is actually more livelier compared to its Japanese vocal counterpart (featured in stereo). The soundtrack of course is more dialogue-driven, so expect to hear more use of the front and center channel speakers.
There are certain instances such as Sakaeguchi walking through the neighborhood and you can hear the sounds of a car or scooter (or motorcycle) passing by which can be heard through the surrounds, but for the most part this series is dialogue and music driven. But for optimal sound on both soundtracks, for those with a receiver that is able to make all channels stereo, I found this setting to be the best. And both English and Japanese vocal tracks are quite solid.
In terms of dialogue, there is quite a difference in terms of language used as the English dub does use words that some may regard as a bit profane. For the most part, the series is not vulgar, nor is there really anything violent. It’s just certain words used in the dialogue that gives the series its TV 14 rating.
Subtitles are only in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
On the second DVD, you can find the textless opening and ending theme plus FUNimation Entertainment trailers.
JUDGMENT CALL:
“Big Windup!” is an enjoyable baseball anime series!
In a way it kind of reminds me of the classic American baseball film “The Bad News Bears” in which a team of baseball players that were no good, overcame adversity and through teamwork, became an awesome team. In “Big Windup!”, it’s almost a similar situation which the team has its share of talented players and not-so-talented players but compared in size to the other competition, Nishiura High baseball players are much shorter nor are they physically as strong as compared to the senior baseball players of other high schools, nor do they have a top notch training facility as other high schools and last, this is the high school’s first year as a baseball team.
But the strength of the team relies on defense and pitching, with Mihashi having pinpoint accuracy when it comes to pitching, it all comes down to Takaya Abe, the catcher to direct him. At first, Mihashi does get a bit too much (or very annoying) for the viewer as he is always afraid, whining, crying and quite literally is acting like a baby but when the team dynamics start to come to play, this becomes less noticeable and the series becomes more enjoyable.
But overall, I really enjoyed “Big Windup!” and finding myself wanting to watch even more after it ended. This is truly a series about underdogs who have a lot to offer but must go through sacrifice and working as a team in order to become successful. And for the most part, the series balances out the baseball aspect but also the series crazy antics and the humor of each character. It’s basically a fun series to watch and enjoy.
“Big Windup!” doesn’t take long to get into the action and unlike “Slam Dunk” or “Prince of Tennis”, this is not an anime series that really goes into the dramatics of relationships or love triangles or anything like that. Nor is it a series that tries to promote its characters as cool and visually appealing for female fans. It’s pretty much an anime series of a group of young teens who want to be a very good baseball team but knowing they have to do many things in order to become successful. And as a viewer, you end up rooting for the underdogs (which of course is Nishiura High School) and hope they can beat their opponents.
If you are a person who enjoys sports-related anime series, “Big Windup!” is absolutely fun, entertaining and definitely recommended! I look forward to Part 02!
I hadn’t watched an anime in a while and this popped up on netflix so I decided to check the first disc out. Although Ren’s character is way over the top with the self esteem issues, he was a lovable character especially as he is being brought around by his catcher Abe. Though not entirely “healed” by Abe, Ren also is helped out by the rest of his team and his woman coach Momoe. If any of you guys have a thing for women athletes then Momoe is for you. Only a few years outa school, she lends really the only eye candy in the series. But don’t let the body fool you she can coach and the boys fall in line quick! The first disc was great as the team learns to play and get to know each other (ep 1-3) and play a practice game against Ren’s old team (ep 3-7). The strategy and inner thoughts spoken was really what made the game great and intriguing. I then bought the collection and watched the next disc and though it wasn’t bad it didn’t move as well. It ended up being what I call “building” episodes, not much action, not even a game played, it was more backround on home life and groundwork for future episodes, but it did end good enough leading into what is obviously the meat of the show: The High School Summer Tournament. I am happy the concluding box set is only a month released from the first so I will wait patiently. In conclusion, this show has heart along with just enough comedy and meanness that I was transported back to my childhood playing sports with my friends. This may be considered a guy show but ladies my wife liked it and like a reviewer previously said, its more about the characters than the game, but don’t worry fellas these guys do play to win!
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Stream The Awful Truth Online
March 9th, 2010 by sierra4179518 |
Stream The Awful Truth Online.
Movie Title: The Awful Truth The Awful Truth is available for streaming or downloading. |
- The five stars are for the film itself not the dvd edition-
This is one of those landmark films that really lives up to its well deserved fame, when one finally has the opportunity to watch it.
Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, are perfectly matched as the ever-quarreling wife and husband, who, in spite of loving each other, for rather childish reasons, are granted a divorce, but before it’s final, they have the chance to think it over one last time.
Really hilarious scenes by the two leads and by the excellent supporting cast, especially Ralph Bellamy as Dunne’s suitor, Cecil Cunnigham as the wisecracking Aunt Patsy and Esther Dale as Bellamy’s mother. Nice bit by Joyce Compton too, as an “air-head” southern-accented, singer, who gives a very peculiar singing-act.
Perfectly paced, at 91 minutes running time, there’s no time left to breathe between scenes, so expertly tied to each other, that it’s hard to believe it was filmed, as it was told by the actors, mostly unaware of what was going on. Apparently the only one who knew was master of comedy, director Leo McCarey, who won one an Academy Award for it.
Now about the quality of the dvd edition, I must say that I bought this movie along with the dvd editions of “Talk of the Town” and “You Can’t Take it with You”, completely unaware of the absolutely negative customer reviews here at Amazon. As matter of fact, having watched this movie just last night, and still having not watched the other two, I was absolutely frightened of what I’d see (and what I still have to suffer!), upon reading all those negative reviews by Amazon customers, concerning these three classic films.
Concerning “The Awful Truth”, I must say that I feared even worse, because at least some portions of the movie are crisp and clean, but many others are very grainy, bad quality, faded, etc, so one wonders about the “digitally mastered” and the “remastered in high definition”, as said on the back of the dvd case. It’s one of dvd’s I own, and I have almost 200, with the most “uneven” image quality I ever saw.
It’s really a pity that Sony-Columbia Classics, didn’t treat this classics, the way they had treated the first classics they released on dvd, of which I own many, so I know waht I’m talking about: “It Happened One Night”, “His Girl Friday”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, “Gilda”, “Only Angels Have Wings”, “Angels Over Broadway”, “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington”……especially considering the price of their editions….we all know, Warner releases are cheaper, and until today, their editions are of very good quality, indeed.
So boooohhh for the people who released this editions, so unrespectfully to us classic film buffs, and for charging between U$ 25- 30, for something that shouldn’t cost more than 11 bucks.
Still I wonder: The laserdisc editions of these three classics, were as bad as the dvd editions? I don’t believe so, ‘cos most of the laserdisc editions of classics were of very high definition and quality….so, what happened with the dvd editions? How can it be that one Amazon customer says that the VHS editions of some of this films are better than the dvd ones? I remember watching a TV showing of “You Can’t Take It with You”…and its quality was excellent….maybe the laserdisc was the source? Or those excellent copies belong to some other company?.
Sony-Columbia owes an apology to its thousands of customers, and even more, they should release these three classic films, in the way they deserve, as their first aforementioned releases, and give the customers who had the bad luck of buying these bad quality dvd’s, the right to exchange them for the really remastered-restored editions.
Until then, we’ll have to stick to these editions, ‘cos it’s all we have, besides recording a better version on TV.
This is one of the best screwball comedies, but Columbia has released an awful print of the film. There are even frames missing from the DVD. Not only does Columbia overcharge for their products, but they release hideous looking prints. The VHS video is better quality than this DVD.
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Streaming Winnie the Pooh – Frankenpooh and Spookable Pooh Online
February 24th, 2010 by sierra4179518 |
Streaming Winnie the Pooh – Frankenpooh and Spookable Pooh Online.
Movie Title: Winnie the Pooh – Frankenpooh and Spookable Pooh Winnie the Pooh – Frankenpooh and Spookable Pooh is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Winnie the Pooh – Frankenpooh and Spookable Pooh |
3 and a half stars. Ok the estimable stuff: This has nothing really scary at all in it, so its elegant advantageous for very young kids. Its also Pooh, so its unbiased uninteresting fun to stare. Tigger is hilarious! The few things I was disappointed with were the length, around 60 minutes for both programs(5 shorts in total), and the box said 70, and it should have had “Boo to You Too” to create it even more ‘halloweenish’.
My accepted was “Frankenpooh”, but it was only 5 minutes long! “Things that go Piglet in the Night” is about piglet being unsuitable for a ghost, its very droll. In “Pooh Moon”, the gang mistakes eachother for monsters (the GrabMe Gotchas!), also elegant laughable. “Knight to Remember” had piglet imagining he is a knight and has to be valorous and ruin a dragon, its a cute record that kids will really delight in! and “Rock a Bye Pooh” Piglet has a nightmare (not very scary) so won’t plunge asleep, its really sweet because Pooh, Rabbit and Tigger are really well-behaved friends and try to benefit Piglet acquire over his nightmare. Also the bonus features (a game and a fun bellow along song) aren’t really to do with this DVD, but with “Boo To You Too”, which I consider should have been included on the DVD to perform it a complete Halloween collection.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Winnie the Pooh – Frankenpooh and Spookable Pooh! Click Here
When this DVD was first watched, the adults in our household belief that these Winnie the Pooh stories did a very edifying job introducing ghosts to the 23 1/2 month feeble in the house. However, in unusual days we have decided to veil this movie because it has caused the 23 1/2 month outmoded to wretchedness about ghosts now, even though we told her and she agrees with us verbally that ghosts are not dependable. This dinky girl is an avid movie watcher and has an wonderful concentration level when it comes to watching them. Unfortunately she has internalized this one and now will not go to bed in her room at night alone. And she has never had a plight going to bed before. Parents beware of this DVD, fair because it is Pooh does not mean it is totally harmless to impressionable limited minds.
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Stream Little House on the Prairie – The Pilot Online
February 24th, 2010 by sierra4179518 |
Stream Little House on the Prairie – The Pilot Online.
Movie Title: Little House on the Prairie – The Pilot Little House on the Prairie – The Pilot is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Little House on the Prairie – The Pilot |
This is the ONLY single disc release that is not being included on the Complete Season box sets being released by the same company. All of the 2-hour specials, etc. being released individually are also included on the box sets, but this pilot episode is not. So, if you are a Limited House completist, win this disc to add to your box situation collection.
I grew up watching the repeats of “Minute House On The Prairie” on TBS however I have never seen the pilot movie. I don’t judge it was set into syndication? “Limited House On The Prairie” premiered years before I was born, suffice it to say it has been one of my well-liked television shows because it is a rare combination of both entertainment and family values. In fact, I cannot deem of any television prove that is as beloved as this improbable series.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Little House on the Prairie – The Pilot! Click Here
The pilot movie introduces the Ingalls family for the first time. The characters aren’t as polished or well-rounded as they are in the TV series. The pilot also introduces their longtime family friend Mr. Edwards.
It starts out by telling the memoir of why they left their fresh home (and relatives) . Charles finds a nice allotment of land and sets up his location for his family. It is at this time that they meet Edwards who helped in the construction of their current home.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Little House on the Prairie – The Pilot! Click Here
Also included in this movie is a very touching Christmas scene (that was repeated in subsequent “flashback” “Diminutive House” episodes) where the Ingallses celebrate their first Christmas in their fresh home. Mr. Edwards even plays Santa by surprising the entire family with his cheer and gifts.
Keep in mind that this is not region in the town of Walnut Grove (where the TV series took station) . In the pilot movie they lived in a different area which was even more remote with no town and no neighbors to negate of (except the Native Americans who relieve the Ingallses) .
Tragedy strikes when their log house catches on fire. I understanding it would all be burned down, however they were blessed with a exquisite rainstorm which saved their home and barn.
But their happiness is short-lived when the government tells Charles that they have to vacate. The land is not for them; so they pack up their belongings and say good-bye to Mr. Edwards and go on their procedure to get a novel home.
The movie ends with the Ingalls family riding away. This somewhat loosely explains how they came to their unique town (Walnut Grove) in the TV series.
Unfortunately, television these days doesn’t even approach stop to the high standards that Michael Landon state forth on “Diminutive House On The Prairie.” This is a unbelievable pilot and a astounding TV series!
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