Interested in Film, Television or Video Game reviews, how about Music, Comics and general opinions on the above? Then you've come to the right place. Enjoy.
Before anyone asks, no I have not seen the reboot.
How's this for a story idea. A grandfather and his grandchildren are on a trip around America for summer vacation. The grandson has a special alien watch that can temporarily change his DNA to other alien species, the granddaughter is learning magic from a spell book stolen from two evil magicians, and the grandfather is a member of a secret army (of sorts), knows a lot about alien weapons, and is always packing heat when it comes to weekly dangers from aliens, mutants, magicians and more, wanting the watch stuck on the grandson's arm. Would you watch that show? Well I did growing up, and now I'm going to review it because its something I've been meaning to for quite some time now, and so I'm going to use this marathon as an excuse to talk about it.
Now we get into the eras of Cartoon Network that I grew up with, that I remember watching as a kid, or in this case the constant reruns of the same season 1 episodes, which probably explains why when I want to watch a show now, I until I can binge watch it. But, as we move into this period of Cartoon network, the eras kinda start to blend together a bit which is why this review, and next week's review from me could be argued either way for if they count as different eras. For me, I just wanted to do them because I've been meaning to review next weeks material for a while, and I wanted an excuse to look at this weeks. So with that, let's look at Foster's.
Sorry this took so long, around four hours of travel for work can do things to you. As to why I don't do writing in travel... I actually get motion sick on busses...
Dexter's Laboratory, a very fondly remembered show from Cartoon Network... that I've never really seen before until now. I don't know why, but it just never appealed to me when I had Foxtel the first time. It may just be that it was never on at a good time for me. But, I have finally been able to sit down and watch it (it was why I wanted to do it for the marathon, the site was founded on trying new things after all). So in the midst of a busy week, how did Dexter hold up?
Tom and
Jerry were one of the original cat and mouse chases. Popularized by Loony Tunes
chase duos such as Sylvester & Tweety, Roadrunner & Coyote, and Bugs
Bunny and...the rest of the world I guess. Tom and Jerry stands out because of their
character dynamic, and the inclusion of familiar recurring characters that are
on and off the show occasionally.
The premise
is simple; Tom the cat chases the mouse Jerry through some various scenarios.
What make this show unique are the characters that show up from time to time.
Tom and Jerry themselves are straight forward. Tom is a headstrong cat who
tries various tactics to catch Jerry, and most likely eat him. Jerry is a
cheeky mouse who is always one step ahead of Tom. The reoccurring characters
are a bulldog that eventually gets a son, and he is protective of, Jerry’s
younger cousin that is just adorable half the time, a bully alley cat that also
antagonizes Tom, and a bunch of others.
Tom and
Jerry also go throughout different house owners. The earlier seasons had this
mean spirited middle aged guy that always ended up threatening and beating up
Tom. Later seasons usually have little to no owners at all. The most memorable
owner was a black lady that was actually named Mammy Two Shoes, no joke. I
never thought that Two Shoes was supposed to be racist; she was honestly one of
my favorite characters in the show. Just remember that this show takes place in
the “modern” 40’s to 60’s.
Tom and
Jerry weren’t always bound to the house. They go to other time periods and
settings as well. They could get pretty creative sometimes when they go to the
future or when they go to medieval eras. Sometimes the tone of the show is
lighthearted, and sometimes it can be surprisingly dark. There was indeed an
episode where Tom actually dies and needs to beg Jerry for forgiveness or else
Tom would be sent to hell.
Overall,
Tom & Jerry is a timeless classic. The show itself went on for almost 20
years. Even at today’s standards, the show still holds up well both in its
episodic storytelling and amazing animation. It’s still running re runs to this
very day. There are still Tom and Jerry movies being made even as recent as
2017. However, I don’t think flash animation will ever replicate the same
animation styles used traditionally.
I'm back! I'm rested, hardware's not fixed, but hey, it can be worked around. And with me, we bring a marathon. With at least one exception coming this Sunday (because I hate myself), all the reviews this month have been aired on Cartoon Network during one of its many eras. Why? Because neither of us thought they'd do anything to celebrate other then more Teen Titans Go. Both myself and Marissa have a review a week planned out for this month, with both of us looking at one show per era. For this week, let's start off with the era where it all began, the point in time when Cartoon Network first launched, and all they had were the rights to other cartoons, development on original content hadn't started yet. Now while this might not have been one of the staples of that era, I feel the Hanna-Barbera cartoons are something best left for another day. So before jumping to another overly militarized bit of US entertainment, let's jump back to a time when a militarized show could be aired and not be called a racist show. G.I Joe: A real American Hero.
To get one thing out of the way first, these are some of the weirdest armies I have ever seen.
The plot for the show can be summed up pretty quickly. G.I Joe are the good guys, Cobra are the bad guys. The plot overall revolves around Cobra wanting to concur the world with some sort of super weapon, and its up to G.I Joe to stop them. Remember, this is the time period for cartoons where the priority wasn't making quality entertainment, it was selling more toys... the original time at least, even though that trend never really died... Point being, the story is pretty basic overall with plot really coming from the episode to episode story, there's no real continuity except for multipart episodes (which the show opens with two 5 part specials). Best thing I can compare it to is Generation One Transformers, where the overarching story wasn't a thing overall.
Another strong comparison to Generation One Transformers is in the characters and technology, as stories had to revolve around selling toys. But that's kinda where that "weirdest armies" line from before comes from. Granted, I'm assuming the hardware is faithful to the toys, but the military equipment for both the Joes and Cobra look really stupid seeing as they're supposed to be "realistic" (kinda) for the time, in terms of the show. The vehicles do however have a level of charm to them, and look like they're animated versions of the toys, including cockpit windows being the point of entry for the pilots, and tanks with exposed drivers. As for the characters... you know how most depictions of armies have one or two key figures and then the rest are nameless grunts? Well while that's more of an issue for the Cobra grunts, it seems like they tried to give personalities to all of the Joes and... who uses spears and a crossbow in a modern day army? Who names themselves (I hope it wasn't there parents) Sergent Slaughter, Shipwrecked, Spirit, ect. Granted those names sound awesome, but its where I'd kinda like the setting to be more futuristic then modern day, separate it a bit more.
I think the constant comparisons to Transformers Generation One is actually the main reason why I find myself really liking the show. Animation and soundtrack is similar to G1 Transformers, and the stupidity of some of the plots have a weird charm to them. Is it good? No, there are genuine flaws here which will boil down to "Can you accept a cartoon that exists to sell toys?" If you can and you're looking for a show that's 100% army themed without making it depressing or realistic, then you'll like the show. If not though, then trust me, stay away. You'll save yourself a headache. From one army glorifier to the next. Come Sunday... ugh... I'll be tackling Transformers: The Last Knight.
