The Creature

Well Season 4 of My Little Pony has drawn to a close and now we are stuck waiting 7 Months for Season 5 as well as Rainbow Rocks, A Brony Tale, and Equestrian Academy to pop up. Instead of reviewing each episode of the season like I did for Season 3, I decided to list of my Top 5 Episodes from Season 4.

5. Rarity Takes Manehattan

This definitely was one of the better Rarity episodes for me. I liked the Genorousity song in it, it was nice to see more of Equestria outside of Canterlot & Equestria, and I think it was one of Rarity’s best episodes.

4. Pinkie Apple Pie

This was probably one of my favorite Apple Family episodes in the series. I really enjoyed Pinkie Pie and the Apples working off each other in the episode, plus the “Apples to the Core” was good, it had a pretty interesting premise, and It was a very fun episode Overall. Plus it was probably one of the better Pinkie episodes as well.

3. Pinkie Pride

They got Weird Al Yankovic to not only appear as a guest star on the show, but he sang as well…

The Episode was just AWESOME! I loved Weird Al’s character, I loved the songs, I loved the Face-off between Pinkie & Cheese, & I Really REALLY want him to come back in the series.

2. Twilight’s Kingdom

This was by far the best Season Finale of the show so far. It definitely was better than the S4 Opening. I liked Tirek as a villain, it was pretty cool to see the older princesses sing a song together, and it was interesting to see that Discord ended having the Final Key to the Box. Plus the fight scene was just Awesome. It probably will be a while until we get a season finale in the show that was just as great as this was.

1. Maud Pie

Ok, This was going to be completely obvious that this would be in the #1 spot for me. Afterall, When I reviewed I said it was my Favorite Episode of the Show so far. As I mention on my thoughts on the episode, I liked the character Maud, I thought it was funny, plus I fond it to be a bit relatable being an Older and Younger Sibling. Plus I can be a bit like Maud at times when my younger sister would show me off to her friends. I do hope she comes back in Season 5.

When it comes to meeting family members, there can be very mixed results. Sometimes they can be the Nerdy, Strange, Identical to the person you know, or, in the case of the recent MLP Episode, the absolute polar opposite of what you expect. Which is the subject of the newest MLP Episode: Maud Pie.

Pinkie’s Older Sister, Maud Pie, is soon to visit Ponyville before going on a research trip, and Pinkie was the rest of the Mane 6 and Maud to become Best Friends. When they meet her, she doesn’t seem to be what they expect and they try to warm up to her throughout the episode.

The main purpose of Pinkie wanting to hang out with Maud, aside from Pinkie wanting Maud to meet her friends, was to do a tradition of making & swapping Rock Candy Necklaces before Maud goes on a Research Trip. It briefly mentioned throughout the episode, which I didn’t mind. It was a pretty good plot that was a minor break from the Keys Subplot (Pinkie already has hers) Even though they NEVER mention how to look for the keys for the box in the season.

Maud Pie, to me, is possible the best part of the whole episode. She isn’t full of energy, isn’t very ethusiastic, and she loves rocks. Basically, she’s the exact opposite of Pinkie Pie. She doesn’t seem to care about alot of things, but their is one thing that helps her connect with the others: Her Love for Pinkie Pie.[She seem a little bit like a Goth to me.] I did find the name “Maud” to be an interesting choice. Although, I do like when her name was Inky & her other sister is Blinky. (If Only they had a Brother named Clyde.)

One of the things that got a lot of laughs from me was the interaction between the Ponies and Maud. Her personality did seem to clash with the other characters due to her being very different from the others. My personal favorite was with Rarity and Maud.

The lesson of the episode was actually a pretty interesting choice. I liked how they went with the idea that you can’t be friends with everybody, especially if you have nothing in common, but can still try to get along with them when being both of them are friends with the same person.

Overall,…This is possibly my favorite episode of the show so far. I do think some of the episodes so far from Season 4 have been Ok, but this one definitely is the best of the season. I really hope Maud returns to the series in future episodes. I love her interactions with the other characters.

When Important Scenes are made Generic and Pointless, and Symbolic moments left out in the film. Whenever the executive changes the Tone of the film, where the plot is left dumbed-down. That is the Time when Adaptations are Present, Practicing their Terror with Ghoulish Delight.

It’s pretty much common knowledge that Adaptations are pretty much everywhere within the creative media. They are nothing new and will still be coming throughout the existence of Time. One of the more unique adaptations that have come out recently is for Theme Park Rides. Most of them are for Disney Rides, probably because they have some form of a plot to them.

Which leads me into the topic of today’s review, The Haunted Mansion.

The Haunted Mansion is my favorite creation in all of the Parks with the name Disney on it. I grew up mostly loving the rather Dark & Scary things rather than the usual Transforming robots or G.I. Joe stuff that everyone liked. So it was pretty obvious that this Ride was perfect for me. It always had that Mysterious Atmosphere to it on the outside and had the Mild Foreboding and Dark filled Joys that I enjoyed every time I rode it.

When news came of a Film Adaptation of the ride, I was ecstatic! I was so eager to find out what they would do for their one of my all-time favorite parts of my Childhood.

So, like the Foolish Mortal I was, I went to see the film…Unfortunately not knowing what was soon to follow…

So today, I’m going to do something different on this blog. I’m going to look at something from Disney and try to reflect on my past experience with this film that I loathed in my younger years…I can tell already this is going to be “Fun”.

Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) and his wife Sarah are a duo team of Real Estate Agnets. After missing his Anniversary by selling a couple’s house, Jim tries to make it up to them by taking her and their kids to “the Lake” this weekend for a Family Vacation as a means to make up with his wife. Minutes Later, Sarah receives a business call about someone who wants to sell their House and with Jim being the man who puts his work before his family, they decide to go before heading out to the lake, and what could possibly be the house that they go to?

Well, it’s none other than the biggest chunk of my childhood memories, the Gracey Manor.

When they arrive at the house, A storm soon arrives and they decide to go inside where they are then greeted by the butler of the estate, Ramsley (Terrence Stamp) as well as the Owner Edward Gracey (Nathaniel Parker). Shortly after entering the House, the Storm flooded the Road and leaves the Family stuck in the house for the night. Gracey then lets them stay in his home for the night, but “Mysterious” (I use this term extremely Loosely) things go about the Hallowed Halls of the Melancholic Estate as the night progresses.

So where do I begin with this movie?…Well I start with the most obvious. The Film plays itself as a Family Comedy Movie. The Film’s jokes in it are obviously aimed for the Younger Audiences and it’s obvious that they all will fail at even trying to get a chuckle out of anyone…and that was one of the bigger disappointments with Eddie Murphy.

His earlier stuff was great. I love Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, and 48 Hours as well as his SNL stuff, but a lot of the films he’s doing recently have been a really waste of his talents and this was definitely one of them. With all the Family-Friendly jokes and, he definitely felt like just filling in an empty role in the film.

With them making the film into the Family Friendly territory, it was obvious what else was butchered in the process…The Scare factor. Now, I’ll admit that the Ride itself would most likely not scare anyone aside from some Minors, but it still would give you some chills from the Atmosphere that the ride builds as you ascend through the ride. (This was one of my personal favorite parts of the ride.) The Film doesn’t really try to give the slightest bit of Terror that wouldn’t scare anything outside of the Audience they film was unintentionally dumbed down for. I mean if Disney could get away with having Nightmare Before Christmas the way it is, why couldn’t they do the same for The Haunted Mansion? (I know Disney didn’t release NBC, but they do love including it in a lot of their stuff. Mainly the Kingdom Hearts games as well as the Haunted Mansion Holiday.)

One of the more important things with making any Haunted House film is the look of the setting itself. Thankfully, this was one of the better aspects of the film since they actually got the Look of the Mansion done very well. It actually looks like very similar to the Original Ride and if the film was done well enough, it would have definitely have the same feeling to it as well.

One of the biggest things I’ve noticed, as well as any other Mansion fan would (or anyone who’s been on the ride), throughout the film is that this film is just filled with References and set pieces that were from the ride. I know that they needed to throw it in so it can be just like the original mansion but they use so much of it, It honestly feels like Fan-Pandering. I mean you have the Changing Portraits, the Busts that follow you, the Singing Busts, lines of dialogue from the ride, and all of the ghosts from the Ballroom and the Graveyard together. You even get a scene where Two of the Hitch-Hiking Ghosts, Phineas and Gus, talk to Eddie Murphy in the movie but the scene was just pointless and lame. (It’s a waste of the Mascots for the Ride, which probably made this movie feel worse for me.)

…I think I forgot to mention the subplot.

In the very beginning of the film, Edward Gracey is attending a Masquerade Ball held within his Mansion and there he planned a surprise engagement there for his love, Elizabeth. Unfortunately for him, She dies at the party due to Suicide via poison and he hangs himself from a tower in the mansion.

Does that sound Familiar?

Anyways, this somehow brings a curse upon the house where all of the spirits are stuck in the Mansion and can’t Pass on into the Afterlife. (I Have No Idea how that works.) Eventually, Jim and his kids find out that the main reason Gracey invited the Evers to the Mansion was the fact that he believes he is Elizabeth reborn and wants her to be him again.

Well, the sub-plot of the film pretty much takes up the majority of the Second half of the film and it really didn’t need to be worked into the film and it left me reminded of that terrible remake of The Haunting.

….I guess I still have to mention the characters…I’ve said my Two Cents on Eddie Murphy, so I move to the Others. Sarah Evers was pretty much a pointless character who did nothing but talk to Mr. Gracey. The Kids took up the majority of the Screen time, Even more so than Eddie who gets top billings. They, much like Sarah, are very pointless and boring characters. We also get Madam Leota.

I will admit that Jennifer Tilly does give one of the few decent performances in the film playing Leota. There’s also General Zod as Ramsley….I have no Idea how they got him on board for this but it does seem rather…

Speaking of things being Inconceivable, we also oddly get Wallace Shawn in this. I don’t know why he’s there but I still enjoyed him. This is Probably only because I’m a bit of a fan. Plus there’s a Maid in this who was a little bit Over-the-top at times, but it was another pointless role anyways. Gracey was just Ok considering he didn’t really do much in the film aside give some Exposition in the scenes.

Well, with this movie taking place in a house full of Ghosts, I have to talk about the film’s Special Effects. To sum it up, The Film is FULL of Effects. The Roof of the Mansion is CGI, along with all of the Ghosts as well as the smoke within Leota’s Orb. Basically, the film is either done with some Practical effects or CGI. The CGI in this looked a bit bad, but I can’t complain too much since it was still 2004. The Particle effects were most for the Zombie battle (Yes…the Film has a Zombie Battle) in the Mausoleum. The Zombies were done by the Awesome Make Up Artist Rick Baker. So there’s another positive part of the film. Even though the scene itself was pointless.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I. HATE. THIS. MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was just a Gigantic Waste of Film. It wasn’t Scary, Funny, or Entertaining at All. Especially to the Haunted Mansion Fans who were probably just as mad as I am. All it was is just one big Irritating Waste of My Time!

Thankfully the Film is getting a Reboot by one of my favorite Directors: Guillermo Del Toro. Although the film may not have a release date yet, I eager await to see what he has in store for it considering he seems really eager on this Project.

Back in 1976, Nik Cohn wrote an article called “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night”. The Article told of a young man who was considered the King of a Discotheque in Brooklyn called 2001 Odyssey simply by his amazing Dancing Skills.

One Year Later, a movie adaptation was made which was released as Saturday Night Fever.

The Film was a MASSIVE Success with John Travolta’s memorable performance, the rather unexpected rough story, and the soundtrack by the Bee Gees and many other Disco artists. The film has been Remembered, Parodied, and Referenced many times after the film’s release and has been recognized as a bit of a Cultural icon for the Disco Era.

(Plus I thought it was really good…I can’t believe I’m saying that about a Dancing Movie.)

So with the film’s massive popularity, it’s pretty obvious that a sequel would soon follow directed by (oddly) Sylvester Stallone and it shares the title of the most popular song from the SNF soundtrack: Staying Alive.

Taking place 6 years after SNF, Tony Manero (John Travolta) lives in Manhattan as a Dance Instructor where seeks to become a part of modern dance productions on Broadway to hopefully makes his Big Break in Dancing.

I’ll get probably the biggest issue with the film immediately. This film almost completely forgets about the First Film. The Film has barely any connections to its predecessor. It has a few scenes involving Tony’s Mother and some bits of the first film are hinted at, but are never fully addressed. Plus, I think this film wasn’t necessary. SNF works as a Stand Alone film and this film didn’t really add anything to it.

The Character Tony seemed a little bit similar to how he is in SNF, mainly regarding how he interacts with women. Although, I wouldn’t call that an improvement for him. In SNF, he had a moral struggle/identity crisis which was the main focus of the film and really gave a sense of this character’s personality. In this, it pretty much was a generic goal that he wanted to achieve. It didn’t add anything to Tony’s personality and it makes him a bit like Kelly from the Breakin’ Movies. (His dance practice outfit reminds me of her as well.)

One of the most popular things about Saturday Night Fever was the Soundtrack.

It contained at least 6 songs by the Bee Gees along with many other Disco songs and was a massive success spawning the hits “More Than A Woman”, “Night Fever”, “How Deep is Your Love” and, of course, “Stayin’ Alive.” Plus, it’s one of my all-time favorite film soundtracks.

This film’s soundtrack on the other hand…wasn’t very good.

Staying Alive’s soundtrack also had the Bee Gees in it, but the songs were not as memorable or good as SNF. Every song on here sounded like the same generic ’80s rock music. Plus they threw in Stayin’ Alive probably just because of the Title of the film. (Either that or it’s reminding us of the better film.) I do have to admit, it would be very hard to top SNF’s Soundtrack, so I knew that this aspect wouldn’t hold up very well.

If there is one thing that both films have in common, (Aside from Travolta & the Bee Gees) they are both Dance Movies.

Whether it is on the Dance Floor of the 2001 Odyssey or on a Broadway Stage, Tony Manero gets to show off his moves for all to see, Movie viewing Audience or everyone around him in the films.

In Saturday Night Fever, You can tell that when he instantly touches the Dance Floor, all of his troubles go away as he starts to dance away through the night showing that it’s pretty much his passion and it’s what he’s truly best at so far in his life. It really seems like he knows what he’s doing since he puts a large amount of energy into his dance moves and John Travolta does a great job with it. Plus throw in the aspect of how 2001 Odyssey is treated similar to a Fantasy World, and it makes him look like he’s a god of Dancing.

In Staying Alive, he doesn’t have as much of the charm or the skills as he does in SNF. He mostly dances in practice sessions for a big show that he got involved in. The dancing it the film is very generic. It seems like sometime you would probably see in a High School Play. It really seems uninspired and it comes off similar to something you could see in a Step Up film or something from the Breakin’ Trilogy.

FINAL THOUGHTS: To Quote Gene Siskel “This is just PG Dazzle and is just a bunch of Star Filters and Smoke.” and I agree with him. I really enjoy Saturday Night Fever, but this film takes some of its best aspects and renders it to be a very Generic film to show off some really bland Dance Scenes in 90 minutes of film. Overall, I didn’t like the movie. If you want to see a Travolta dance flick, just check out SNF instead. It’s much more entertaining than this film.

Back in 1976, Nik Cohn wrote an article called “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night”. The Article told of a young man who was considered the King of a Discotheque in Brooklyn called 2001 Odyssey simply by his amazing Dancing Skills.

One Year Later, a movie adaptation was made which was released as Saturday Night Fever.

The Film was a MASSIVE Success with John Travolta’s memorable performance, the rather unexpected rough story, and the soundtrack by the Bee Gees and many other Disco artists. The film has been Remembered, Parodied, and Referenced many times after the film’s release and has been recognized as a bit of a Cultural icon for the Disco Era.

(Plus I thought it was really good…I can’t believe I’m saying that about a Dancing Movie.)

So with the film’s massive popularity, it’s pretty obvious that a sequel would soon follow directed by (oddly) Sylvester Stallone and it shares the title of the most popular song from the SNF soundtrack: Staying Alive.

Taking place 6 years after SNF, Tony Manero (John Travolta) lives in Manhattan as a Dance Instructor where seeks to become a part of modern dance productions on Broadway to hopefully makes his Big Break in Dancing.

I’ll get probably the biggest issue with the film immediately. This film almost completely forgets about the First Film. The Film has barely any connections to its predecessor. It has a few scenes involving Tony’s Mother and some bits of the first film are hinted at, but are never fully addressed. Plus, I think this film wasn’t necessary. SNF works as a Stand Alone film and this film didn’t really add anything to it.

The Character Tony seemed a little bit similar to how he is in SNF, mainly regarding how he interacts with women. Although, I wouldn’t call that an improvement for him. In SNF, he had a moral struggle/identity crisis which was the main focus of the film and really gave a sense of this character’s personality. In this, it pretty much was a generic goal that he wanted to achieve. It didn’t add anything to Tony’s personality and it makes him a bit like Kelly from the Breakin’ Movies. (His dance practice outfit reminds me of her as well.)

One of the most popular things about Saturday Night Fever was the Soundtrack.

It contained at least 6 songs by the Bee Gees along with many other Disco songs and was a massive success spawning the hits “More Than A Woman”, “Night Fever”, “How Deep is Your Love” and, of course, “Stayin’ Alive.” Plus, it’s one of my all-time favorite film soundtracks.

This film’s soundtrack on the other hand…wasn’t very good.

Staying Alive’s soundtrack also had the Bee Gees in it, but the songs were not as memorable or good as SNF. Every song on here sounded like the same generic ’80s rock music. Plus they threw in Stayin’ Alive probably just because of the Title of the film. (Either that or it’s reminding us of the better film.) I do have to admit, it would be very hard to top SNF’s Soundtrack, so I knew that this aspect wouldn’t hold up very well.

If there is one thing that both films have in common, (Aside from Travolta & the Bee Gees) they are both Dance Movies.

Whether it is on the Dance Floor of the 2001 Odyssey or on a Broadway Stage, Tony Manero gets to show off his moves for all to see, Movie viewing Audience or everyone around him in the films.

In Saturday Night Fever, You can tell that when he instantly touches the Dance Floor, all of his troubles go away as he starts to dance away through the night showing that it’s pretty much his passion and it’s what he’s truly best at so far in his life. It really seems like he knows what he’s doing since he puts a large amount of energy into his dance moves and John Travolta does a great job with it. Plus throw in the aspect of how 2001 Odyssey is treated similar to a Fantasy World, and it makes him look like he’s a god of Dancing.

In Staying Alive, he doesn’t have as much of the charm or the skills as he does in SNF. He mostly dances in practice sessions for a big show that he got involved in. The dancing it the film is very generic. It seems like sometime you would probably see in a High School Play. It really seems uninspired and it comes off similar to something you could see in a Step Up film or something from the Breakin’ Trilogy.

FINAL THOUGHTS: To Quote Gene Siskel “This is just PG Dazzle and is just a bunch of Star Filters and Smoke.” and I agree with him. I really enjoy Saturday Night Fever, but this film takes some of its best aspects and renders it to be a very Generic film to show off some really bland Dance Scenes in 90 minutes of film. Overall, I didn’t like the movie. If you want to see a Travolta dance flick, just check out SNF instead. It’s much more entertaining than this film.

I love Kaiju Films. I like seeing giant monsters from Japan played by people in rubber suites attack cardboard cities with bad English dubbing, they may sound bad but they are was a big part of my childhood. So, with Godzilla coming back into theaters, I decided to list my Top 13 Favorite Giant Monsters from Movies.

13. Grabber – Grabbers

I don’t want to spoil too much because I plan on reviewing the movie after my Month of Spaghetti is over, so I’ll briefly describe them. They are large squid like Creatures who basically want to eat people. Pretty basic stuff for a Monster, but what I liked about these monsters is their very Unique Weakness. The look a bit like the Kraken from Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest except they come in different sizes. These little monsters definitely a unique beast.

12. The Trolls – Trollhunter

Another very interesting creature from a Mockumentary style of films. They aren’t very different from most other versions of Trolls except that they have large amounts of Hair and get oddly very angry at Christians…(Not Really Sure Why.) There appearance makes them look a bit like a very hairy Troll doll. Never the less, he is still a very different monster.

11. The Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man – Ghostbusters

Definitely the most innocent looking out of the whole bunch on this list. There’s not much to say about him. He’s Big, He’s made of Marshmallow, and he look a bit like the Michelin Mascot. Plus he’s probably one of the more iconic parts of the movie and is still one of the more memorable monsters in film.

10. The Rhedosaurus – The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms

I can’t have a Movie Monster list with having some Ray Harryhausen on here. The Rhedosaurus must have been quite an impact when The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms first came out. With this film being one of the first Creature Features ever, the Beast was quite a spectacle for audiences to see and he left quite an impression throughout the course of the film. His reputation, along with the film, helped spawn films like Them! Gorgo, and even Godzilla. It definitely was a great menace to North America in the film and even 60 years later, he still looks great in Black & White.

9. Clover – Cloverfield

Ok, I know that Found Footage is a bit of a very hated genre, but I do have to admit that I liked Cloverfield and I have to add this one in here. The movie took the Jaws approach and decides to not show him very much until the 3rd Act and when he’s revealed he did seem a bit creepy with his Dead Black Eyes and Fish-esque Head. He isn’t a victim of Radiation though, He’s a baby alien which landed off the coast of Manhattan and decided to go on a rampage. (Imagine Honey, I Blew Up the Kid except with an Alien.) Plus if you don’t think he’s intimidating, he also carries little Spider-Crab like Monsters upon his body. He may not leave much of an impact, but he still gets the Basics done.

8. Daimajin – Daimajin Trilogy

This one was relatively new to me since I only found out about him a month ago. He is a Giant Statue like Monster, which is similar to Talos, who was trapped within a Mountain and he goes on a rampage. He is a pretty basic monster who us actually an ancient spirit who resembles a Shogun. Basically, don’t make him mad and he will not attack you.

7. Cyclops – 7th Voyage of Sinbad

The Classic Cyclops has been interepted by many different filmmakers and illustrations throughout time, but my personal favorite will always be the Harryhausen version. The Cyclops seemed to be very intimidating and was quite the match against Sinbad and his men. It was always a joy for me to see the Cyclops make his way on screen, especially knowing it took almost a year for him to make the animation for this film, and it always holds up as a great adaptation of a Classic Greek Beast.

6. Mothra – Mothra

The 1950’s were certianly all about Giant Bugs and Mothra was the result of when Japan caught on the bug craze. Mothra flew into the Kaiju genre and was quickly put up against Godzilla. Although it’s basically a gigantic bug, it does have plenty of special attacks and abilities lick shooting Posion, Hurricane-like winds, and can use Magic. (Apparently) Plus, I think the big blue eyes make him look a bit creepy. Basically, Mothra is a very interesting Idea and still a memorable monster in the Godzilla films.

5. Xenomorph Queen – Alien Franchise

The Xenomorphs are a rather dangerous spieces of Extraterrestial life, but they all fall short to their Queen. Standing in at about 15ft, the Queen is indeed just a larger version of the normal Xenomorph, but is more lethal due to her massive size and also has an extra set of arms, plus throw in their acid blood and you have a very deadly alien.

4. Gamera – Gamera Series

Japan continued the trend of Giant Reptiles except this time they went with a Turtle and named him Gamera. This giant Turtle came out of the Ice to do what all Giant Monsters always do, Terrorize a city. Gamera was constantly attacked with rockets and bullets, but they hit him like they were fired from a Nerf gun. Throw that in with his Fire Breath and the fact he can fly, He was almost unstoppable. Much like Godzilla, he had multiple monsters thrown at him and he still couldn’t be taken down.

3. The Kraken – Clash of the Titans (1981)

This is the final Harryhausen pick on my list I Promise. The Kraken was one of my first exposures to the work of Ray Harryhausen and it left a big impact on me. It rarely made an appearance until the ending of the film and his scene in the movie is probably one of the best parts of the film. Plus at his height, he could have easly defeated Perseus If he didn’t have a Pegasus, Medusa’s head, and Bubo. Even though he was defeated easily, he still was a great Monster.

2. King Kong – King Kong films

The Original Movie Monster. Kong is not only one of the first movie monsters, but he’s also one of the best. The Giant Ape that roms the grounds of Skull Island who was Taken to New York is very dangerous, but he also has a soft side to him, escpecially with Ann Darrow. He can fight off Dinosaurs, Climb the Empire State Building with ease, and take on Godzilla. Whether being animated by Willis O’ Brien, or being Motion Captured by Weta Workshop, He truely deserves the title The Eighth Wonder of The World.

And my number #1……it’s pretty obvious who it is….

Godzilla

Like I said, It’s pretty obvious. I don’t think I even need to tell you about him. Everyone knows who Godzilla is, He’s the King of the Monsters. He can take on anybody: Mothra, Ghidorah, Hedorah, King Kong, He even had to deal with Rolan Emmerich. He’s existed for 60 years and has attacked and Saved Japan and Many Many occasions and will always be there when people need him or when he just wants to go out on a rampage.

After I saw Tree of Life, I decided to Watch this…unfortunately…

The Film tells of this Kid named Seth who lives in Idaho with his Crazy Motherand Quiet Father. He and his friends grow suspicions of his Neighbor (Lindsay Duncan) being a Vampire. Plus his older Brother (Viggo Mortensen) comes back from his Military Tour and later falls lin love with the girl he thinks is a Vampire.  Throughout the film his friends start dying and later on his father Commits Suicide.   He also finds a Wax Fetus which he believes is his dead friend’s angel and thinks he can hear him talking to him.     At first, the film sounded like a rip off of Fright Night, but it later turns into a pile of S***. They only touch upon the Vampire Aspect for at least 3-5 minutes while the rest of the film shows the Mystery of how Seth’s Friends are Dying and Ocassionally him talking to his Fetus. Plus their are scenes of him and his friends acting like idiots, Destroying his Neighbor’s House and Belongings and Blowing up a frog into of her.   The Quality of the version I had was very Poor but I’ve heard it’s much better. The film takes place in Idaho and reminds me alot of the Terrence Malick film Days of Heaven.     FINAL TOUGHTS: This was Bad. Really Bad. The Child Actors can’t Act and even if they do, they seem like Idiots. The Story started to make me lose interest in the film, the Characters weren’t that Interesting, and Overall I thought this was a Bad Film to see.

After I saw Tree of Life, I decided to Watch this…unfortunately…     The Film tells of this Kid named Seth who lives in Idaho with his Crazy Motherand Quiet Father. He and his friends grow suspicions of his Neighbor (Lindsay Duncan) being a Vampire. Plus his older Brother (Viggo Mortensen) comes back from his Military Tour and later falls lin love with the girl he thinks is a Vampire.  Throughout the film his friends start dying and later on his father Commits Suicide.   He also finds a Wax Fetus which he believes is his dead friend’s angel and thinks he can hear him talking to him.     At first, the film sounded like a rip off of Fright Night, but it later turns into a pile of S***. They only touch upon the Vampire Aspect for at least 3-5 minutes while the rest of the film shows the Mystery of how Seth’s Friends are Dying and Ocassionally him talking to his Fetus. Plus their are scenes of him and his friends acting like idiots, Destroying his Neighbor’s House and Belongings and Blowing up a frog into of her.   The Quality of the version I had was very Poor but I’ve heard it’s much better. The film takes place in Idaho and reminds me alot of the Terrence Malick film Days of Heaven.     FINAL TOUGHTS: This was Bad. Really Bad. The Child Actors can’t Act and even if they do, they seem like Idiots. The Story started to make me lose interest in the film, the Characters weren’t that Interesting, and Overall I thought this was a Bad Film to see.

When Important Scenes are made Generic and Pointless, and Symbolic moments left out in the film. Whenever the executive changes the Tone of the film, where the plot is left dumbed-down. That is the Time when Adaptations are Present, Practicing their Terror with Ghoulish Delight.

It’s pretty much common knowledge that Adaptations are pretty much everywhere within the creative media. They are nothing new and will still be coming throughout the existence of Time. One of the more unique adaptations that have come out recently is for Theme Park Rides. Most of them are for Disney Rides, probably because they have some form of a plot to them.

Which leads me into the topic of today’s review, The Haunted Mansion.

The Haunted Mansion is my favorite creation in all of the Parks with the name Disney on it. I grew up mostly loving the rather Dark & Scary things rather than the usual Transforming robots or G.I. Joe stuff that everyone liked. So it was pretty obvious that this Ride was perfect for me. It always had that Mysterious Atmosphere to it on the outside and had the Mild Foreboding and Dark filled Joys that I enjoyed every time I rode it.

When news came of a Film Adaptation of the ride, I was ecstatic! I was so eager to find out what they would do for their one of my all-time favorite parts of my Childhood.

So, like the Foolish Mortal I was, I went to see the film…Unfortunately not knowing what was soon to follow…

So today, I’m going to do something different on this blog. I’m going to look at something from Disney and try to reflect on my past experience with this film that I loathed in my younger years…I can tell already this is going to be “Fun”.

Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) and his wife Sarah are a duo team of Real Estate Agnets. After missing his Anniversary by selling a couple’s house, Jim tries to make it up to them by taking her and their kids to “the Lake” this weekend for a Family Vacation as a means to make up with his wife. Minutes Later, Sarah receives a business call about someone who wants to sell their House and with Jim being the man who puts his work before his family, they decide to go before heading out to the lake, and what could possibly be the house that they go to?

Well, it’s none other than the biggest chunk of my childhood memories, the Gracey Manor.

When they arrive at the house, A storm soon arrives and they decide to go inside where they are then greeted by the butler of the estate, Ramsley (Terrence Stamp) as well as the Owner Edward Gracey (Nathaniel Parker). Shortly after entering the House, the Storm flooded the Road and leaves the Family stuck in the house for the night. Gracey then lets them stay in his home for the night, but “Mysterious” (I use this term extremely Loosely) things go about the Hallowed Halls of the Melancholic Estate as the night progresses.

So where do I begin with this movie?…Well I start with the most obvious. The Film plays itself as a Family Comedy Movie. The Film’s jokes in it are obviously aimed for the Younger Audiences and it’s obvious that they all will fail at even trying to get a chuckle out of anyone…and that was one of the bigger disappointments with Eddie Murphy.

His earlier stuff was great. I love Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, and 48 Hours as well as his SNL stuff, but a lot of the films he’s doing recently have been a really waste of his talents and this was definitely one of them. With all the Family-Friendly jokes and, he definitely felt like just filling in an empty role in the film.

With them making the film into the Family Friendly territory, it was obvious what else was butchered in the process…The Scare factor. Now, I’ll admit that the Ride itself would most likely not scare anyone aside from some Minors, but it still would give you some chills from the Atmosphere that the ride builds as you ascend through the ride. (This was one of my personal favorite parts of the ride.) The Film doesn’t really try to give the slightest bit of Terror that wouldn’t scare anything outside of the Audience they film was unintentionally dumbed down for. I mean if Disney could get away with having Nightmare Before Christmas the way it is, why couldn’t they do the same for The Haunted Mansion? (I know Disney didn’t release NBC, but they do love including it in a lot of their stuff. Mainly the Kingdom Hearts games as well as the Haunted Mansion Holiday.)

One of the more important things with making any Haunted House film is the look of the setting itself. Thankfully, this was one of the better aspects of the film since they actually got the Look of the Mansion done very well. It actually looks like very similar to the Original Ride and if the film was done well enough, it would have definitely have the same feeling to it as well.

One of the biggest things I’ve noticed, as well as any other Mansion fan would (or anyone who’s been on the ride), throughout the film is that this film is just filled with References and set pieces that were from the ride. I know that they needed to throw it in so it can be just like the original mansion but they use so much of it, It honestly feels like Fan-Pandering. I mean you have the Changing Portraits, the Busts that follow you, the Singing Busts, lines of dialogue from the ride, and all of the ghosts from the Ballroom and the Graveyard together. You even get a scene where Two of the Hitch-Hiking Ghosts, Phineas and Gus, talk to Eddie Murphy in the movie but the scene was just pointless and lame. (It’s a waste of the Mascots for the Ride, which probably made this movie feel worse for me.)

…I think I forgot to mention the subplot.

In the very beginning of the film, Edward Gracey is attending a Masquerade Ball held within his Mansion and there he planned a surprise engagement there for his love, Elizabeth. Unfortunately for him, She dies at the party due to Suicide via poison and he hangs himself from a tower in the mansion.

Does that sound Familiar?

Anyways, this somehow brings a curse upon the house where all of the spirits are stuck in the Mansion and can’t Pass on into the Afterlife. (I Have No Idea how that works.) Eventually, Jim and his kids find out that the main reason Gracey invited the Evers to the Mansion was the fact that he believes he is Elizabeth reborn and wants her to be him again.

Well, the sub-plot of the film pretty much takes up the majority of the Second half of the film and it really didn’t need to be worked into the film and it left me reminded of that terrible remake of The Haunting.

….I guess I still have to mention the characters…I’ve said my Two Cents on Eddie Murphy, so I move to the Others. Sarah Evers was pretty much a pointless character who did nothing but talk to Mr. Gracey. The Kids took up the majority of the Screen time, Even more so than Eddie who gets top billings. They, much like Sarah, are very pointless and boring characters. We also get Madam Leota.

I will admit that Jennifer Tilly does give one of the few decent performances in the film playing Leota. There’s also General Zod as Ramsley….I have no Idea how they got him on board for this but it does seem rather…

Speaking of things being Inconceivable, we also oddly get Wallace Shawn in this. I don’t know why he’s there but I still enjoyed him. This is Probably only because I’m a bit of a fan. Plus there’s a Maid in this who was a little bit Over-the-top at times, but it was another pointless role anyways. Gracey was just Ok considering he didn’t really do much in the film aside give some Exposition in the scenes.

Well, with this movie taking place in a house full of Ghosts, I have to talk about the film’s Special Effects. To sum it up, The Film is FULL of Effects. The Roof of the Mansion is CGI, along with all of the Ghosts as well as the smoke within Leota’s Orb. Basically, the film is either done with some Practical effects or CGI. The CGI in this looked a bit bad, but I can’t complain too much since it was still 2004. The Particle effects were most for the Zombie battle (Yes…the Film has a Zombie Battle) in the Mausoleum. The Zombies were done by the Awesome Make Up Artist Rick Baker. So there’s another positive part of the film. Even though the scene itself was pointless.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I. HATE. THIS. MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was just a Gigantic Waste of Film. It wasn’t Scary, Funny, or Entertaining at All. Especially to the Haunted Mansion Fans who were probably just as mad as I am. All it was is just one big Irritating Waste of My Time!

Thankfully the Film is getting a Reboot by one of my favorite Directors: Guillermo Del Toro. Although the film may not have a release date yet, I eager await to see what he has in store for it considering he seems really eager on this Project.

When it comes to meeting family members, there can be very mixed results. Sometimes they can be the Nerdy, Strange, Identical to the person you know, or, in the case of the recent MLP Episode, the absolute polar opposite of what you expect. Which is the subject of the newest MLP Episode: Maud Pie.

Pinkie’s Older Sister, Maud Pie, is soon to visit Ponyville before going on a research trip, and Pinkie was the rest of the Mane 6 and Maud to become Best Friends. When they meet her, she doesn’t seem to be what they expect and they try to warm up to her throughout the episode.

The main purpose of Pinkie wanting to hang out with Maud, aside from Pinkie wanting Maud to meet her friends, was to do a tradition of making & swapping Rock Candy Necklaces before Maud goes on a Research Trip. It briefly mentioned throughout the episode, which I didn’t mind. It was a pretty good plot that was a minor break from the Keys Subplot (Pinkie already has hers) Even though they NEVER mention how to look for the keys for the box in the season.

Maud Pie, to me, is possible the best part of the whole episode. She isn’t full of energy, isn’t very ethusiastic, and she loves rocks. Basically, she’s the exact opposite of Pinkie Pie. She doesn’t seem to care about alot of things, but their is one thing that helps her connect with the others: Her Love for Pinkie Pie.[She seem a little bit like a Goth to me.] I did find the name “Maud” to be an interesting choice. Although, I do like when her name was Inky & her other sister is Blinky. (If Only they had a Brother named Clyde.)

One of the things that got a lot of laughs from me was the interaction between the Ponies and Maud. Her personality did seem to clash with the other characters due to her being very different from the others. My personal favorite was with Rarity and Maud.

The lesson of the episode was actually a pretty interesting choice. I liked how they went with the idea that you can’t be friends with everybody, especially if you have nothing in common, but can still try to get along with them when being both of them are friends with the same person.

Overall,…This is possibly my favorite episode of the show so far. I do think some of the episodes so far from Season 4 have been Ok, but this one definitely is the best of the season. I really hope Maud returns to the series in future episodes. I love her interactions with the other characters.

Well Season 4 of My Little Pony has drawn to a close and now we are stuck waiting 7 Months for Season 5 as well as Rainbow Rocks, A Brony Tale, and Equestrian Academy to pop up. Instead of reviewing each episode of the season like I did for Season 3, I decided to list of my Top 5 Episodes from Season 4.

5. Rarity Takes Manehattan

This definitely was one of the better Rarity episodes for me. I liked the Genorousity song in it, it was nice to see more of Equestria outside of Canterlot & Equestria, and I think it was one of Rarity’s best episodes.

4. Pinkie Apple Pie

This was probably one of my favorite Apple Family episodes in the series. I really enjoyed Pinkie Pie and the Apples working off each other in the episode, plus the “Apples to the Core” was good, it had a pretty interesting premise, and It was a very fun episode Overall. Plus it was probably one of the better Pinkie episodes as well.

3. Pinkie Pride

They got Weird Al Yankovic to not only appear as a guest star on the show, but he sang as well…

The Episode was just AWESOME! I loved Weird Al’s character, I loved the songs, I loved the Face-off between Pinkie & Cheese, & I Really REALLY want him to come back in the series.

2. Twilight’s Kingdom

This was by far the best Season Finale of the show so far. It definitely was better than the S4 Opening. I liked Tirek as a villain, it was pretty cool to see the older princesses sing a song together, and it was interesting to see that Discord ended having the Final Key to the Box. Plus the fight scene was just Awesome. It probably will be a while until we get a season finale in the show that was just as great as this was.

1. Maud Pie

Ok, This was going to be completely obvious that this would be in the #1 spot for me. Afterall, When I reviewed I said it was my Favorite Episode of the Show so far. As I mention on my thoughts on the episode, I liked the character Maud, I thought it was funny, plus I fond it to be a bit relatable being an Older and Younger Sibling. Plus I can be a bit like Maud at times when my younger sister would show me off to her friends. I do hope she comes back in Season 5.

This is highly debatable, but I think Derpy Hooves is probably the most popular background pony.

She’s certainly has been a subject of Censorship and Controversy along with popping up a lot more since she first unintentionally appeared. She certainly is quite the popular pony. So it doesn’t surprise me that she is the subject of a fan game called “Muffins” or “Muffins.EXE” as some call it.

The Game opens with a Prologue:

“Our Story begins with two ponies who are the best of friends. These ponies are Roseluck and Derpy. They have been friends ever since they were little fillies. A lot of ponies like to pick on Derpy because of her eyes, but Roseluck is always there to stand up for her friend.

Earlier today, Derpy lost all of her muffins and came to Roseluck for help. So you, as Roseluck, must go out into the fields and find them. She had ten of them. After you find all of them meet Derpy at the edge of the forest to return them.

Good Luck!”

As the Prologue mentioned, you play as Roseluck, collecting 10 Muffins for Derpy and then having to go to the edge of the forest to return them to her.

After doing so another Text based Story pops up:

“After returning the muffins to Derpy you decided to head back home. You asked her to come back with you, but she said there was something she needed to do and she would talk to you later.

It’s been a few days since then. Nopony has seen her since. With the whole town worried about her you decide to head back to the fields to search for her. Hopefully nothing has happened to her.

Good Luck!”

So, the game then turns into a search & possibly rescue mission. When you get half way through the level, Static appears…and things take a rather dark turn… (As they always do with the stuff I review…)

Your new objective is simple, Leave and try to back to the Normal World.

As you further progess into this Nightmarish world, you start to notice some things such as Derpy disappearing and re-appearing in different spots as well as the Blanks from Story of the Blanks show up. Plus many Zalgo-fied pictures of Derpy pop up on your screen. Plus you also find the bodies of Daisy, Carrot Top, and Blues around a level.

When you lose early on in the Nightmare world, it shows pictures of a Zalgo-fied Derpy with Static effect with her quote “I Just Don’t Know What Went Wrong.” played in reverse or with Static noises

When you finally encounter Derpy, she looks like this:

(I couldn’t find an in-game screenshot.)

Shortly afterwards, you disentegrate into ash. Followed by a Jump Scare, a scene with Berry Punch, Zombie Roseluck, and Derpy, and a black screen with the word “Soon…“ in red pops up.

The Game relies on Jump Scares and Zalgo pictures and they are used alot in the game. Personally, I think that the whole Zalgo Creepypasta is bit overrated and a way too similar to Cthulhu. So, I tend to see it as a bit of a Copycat. As for the Jump Scares, they’re annoying, as most Jump Scares tend to be.

The Graphic in it are very similar to the Luna Game sequels. The Environments are very similar to them and they use Ponies similar to 16 bit characters. The Background for the Nightmare World looks like Hardening Lava. I was expecting something different, but it does bother me.

Overall, I thought this was just Ok. I’ve seen alot worse games out there (Creepypasta and Others) but this didn’t seem Bad. I wish it didn’t rely on Jump Scares though.

[Vector is MUFFINS.EXE – Derpy created by LouisVSFrost on DeviantArt.]