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.
To close off MAYvel (on this site at least), I figured it was only fitting to look back at what's been, and see how they stack when compared to each other. It should be said that all of these are purely subjective, based on how much I enjoy watching the movies,
21. The Incredible Hulk
I'll start things off with the movie everyone forgot was in the MCU until Civil War brought back General Ross. While not a bad movie in terms of execution, it isn't really memorable either, as the only interesting thing is the behind the scenes dramas that went on with the movie, and everyone's attempts to take control of it. It's a shame that we can't get a dedicated Hulk movie now thanks to Universal's hold on the rights, but at least he gets to stay in the MCU. It would be cool to see more Hulk villains though going forward because while I don't know how many could hold a movie on their own, they can at the very least work as hired muscle for a bigger threat. It would also be a good excuse to get the other Hulks into a movie.
While I am still working on Man Of Steel, suffice to say, that preparations for next week have been putting a toll on it. I'm delaying Man of Steel for a day, to bring it up to snuff. So in the mean time, something quick, something easy, a top X list... Yes I do still try to do those. For some reason I've had Bayformers on the mind, not enough to watch them again, wouldn't even if I had the time. But with 3 new movies already in the works, with release days, may as well do a bot prediction on them. The quota for these choices are
Personal opinion
How much attention they've gotten recently, from the TV shows, games, and comics
How they could be used in the movies
Do they fit Bay's quota, based on the last four movies
Would I like to be wrong about some of these following comments, yes, absolutely yes. But I am basing these off of the last four, and stories of his other films. This is going to be interesting...
Note: There are sources that put "Love is a Open Door" as a villain song, I personally don't classify it as one so I put it on the last list. Its really down to personal opinion though.
Whats a good hero without a good villain? And in terms of Disney, what's a good villain without a good villain song? You know of the types of songs I'm talking about, these are the songs that praise the villain for being a villain, making look evil and yet amazing. These are normally the songs we know and remember and its for that reason why they get their own list. The rules from the last Disney list still apply, so lets see who's the baddie who can put out the best tune.
10. The Imperial March (Star wars):
If I don't get Star wars fans yelling at me, then I may or may not be doing my job properly... with that said, there is only one reason why this is so low on this list, if said reason wasn't a issue, this would have been number 1. So why 10? because while Disney did buy Lucas-arts and now owns Star wars, I still don't count it as a Disney IP. I love this theme and I love the films, and of this was a "best villain songs it would be higher. The theme itself is great, its melody is one that will never leave you, no matter how hard you try, and its the perfect theme for Lord Vader.
9: Pink Elephants on Parade (Dumbo):
I should note, one of the reasons why I'm doing these posts is because I herd about Disney's newest movie concept and I'm dreading the final product (never forget Skidds and Mudflap...). This song creeped me out when I was younger, and still kinda does but not to the same level (more unsettled rather then creeped out), not because of the music, though it does help, but instead its the visuals that turn this into something that borderline's nightmare fuel. The use of powerful instruments that match whats happening on the screen combined with the mindf*&^ that is the visuals on screen are the main reasons why I still get disturbed by this song. Don't do drugs kids, because the Pink Elephants are on parade.
8: Friends on the Other Side (The Princess and the Frog):
Like Tangled, I haven't seen Princess and the Frog so don't expect me to be able to tell you exactly what's happening in this one. While it is sad to see Disney's 2D animation studio gone because of the mediocre success of this movie, according to other critiques, I'm at least glad that Friends on the Other Side was the villain song that saw the studio out. This looks beautiful and its visuals like this that you won't be able to find in 3D animation, it just wouldn't look the same. Doctor Facilier is a gem to watch in this as well, you can tell that anyone involved with that number loved doing this song. Adding to the fact that its a shame Disney is no longer making this style of films and if you don't like the film or his service, you can blame his friends on the other side.
7: Shiver my Timbers (Muppet's Treasure Island):
Yes, The Muppet's are n this list, and for good reason. Shiver my Timbers is a great opening song for a pirate themed story and while I don't like the fact that the credits are blocking the good cinematography in portions of the video, the song itself is still great. The use of the creatures in the world to do the singing is a nice Muppet touch, the lyrics and instrumental's get you excited to see a pirate adventure. I'm not going to critique the movie itself (yet...) I would see it if only for that opening.
6: Oggie Boogie song (The Nightmare before Christmas):
How's this for a contrast? Oggie Boggie's song is a huge contrast from other songs in The Nightmare Before Christmas (because Jack does most of the singing). While most of the songs are much softer, Oggie Boogie's is bombastic and has a personality to back it up. The shifts between Oggie Boogy and Santa Clause, the glow in the dark lighting everywhere in the scene, its just a joy to watch. There are reasons why villain songs are generally the most remembered songs in any musical, and its songs like this that are why.
5: Gaston and The Mob Song (Beauty and the Beast):
This is the official villain song for Beauty and the Beast, but for me, it really isn't, The song's comical. I find it funny because while it's praising the villain, it's also mocking the villain. Its still a nice song, the instrumental matches what's happening on the screen, the performers are great, the animation is charming. Its good, but to me it isn't the villain song.
To me, this is the villain song. You have to admire the french and their mobs, weather its humans of furniture. Like any good villain song, its powerful: powerful instruments, powerful vocals, dark animation all building up to the finale of the film. The mob song is my favorite song from the film for these reasons.
4: Poor Unfortunate Souls (The Little Mermaid):
I can't be the only one who get's a "snake charmer" vibe from this? can I? Ursula can't sing (well... in comparison to the other entries) but her voice works so well for this song and it helped slow down the aging for this song. With Under the sea and Part of their world, if you listen close enough, you can hear the limitations of the equipment they used in the production of the film, especially if you hear them in the DVD/ Blu-Ray re release. You can't really do that here. Even today the audio is clear and clean. The animation is beautiful in this and helps with that snake charmer theme that I mentioned earlier.
3: Be Prepared (The Lion King):
First: "What Nazi symbolism?"
Generic joke aside, should it come as a surprise that I love the Lion King? (encase it getting the number 1 spot on the last list). I love I just can't wait to be king, Can you feel the love tonight but in particular, I love Be prepared. I love the way it looks, I love the instrumentals and I love the lyrics... So why isn't it higher up? Because Jeremy Irons isn't actually singing, but more "talking in tune" for most of the song.
2: Hellfire (Hunchback of Notre Dame):
Why is it the Gypsies in the film sing something more religious then the priest, who sings about lust... moving on...
Hellfire has all the pluses for me when it comes to a powerful song. Powerful instrumental, beautiful yet powerful visuals (the use of shadows, the red cloaks, the use of the fire), strong lyrics and a strong singer (watch the video, it explains itself), even a pseudo Latin choir (listen closely and you'll hear it). Remember when I said that Hunchback of Notre Dame got darker the further into the film you got... this is the case in point. People often have this as their number one, but I think there's one better...
Before I talk about the number 1 song. I'm going to do a 5 honorable mentions. I'm not going to talk about these, just include the videos. These also aren't in any order
5. Curella de Vil (101 Dalmations)
4. Mother knows best (Tangled)
3. Prince Ali (Aladdin)
2. My Lullaby (The Lion King II: Simba's Pride)
1. The elegant Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
And my number 1 best villain song...
1: Savages (Pocahontas):
Another song that has a message that is, while not as pronounced, still relevant to this day. The true villain in Pocahontas isn't the Ratchiffe, but the human fear of the unknown and this song is the perfect example of it. Notice how both sides are singing the same song, using the same language, the same terms to describe the other side, then when you throw in Pocahontas's part of the song and you get something to rival the songs in Les Miserables. Pocahontas isn't the best Disney film, by any stretch of the imagination. But it still looks beautiful, even if you just look at Savages. the use of the lighting, the imagery the instruments, its beautiful. People often say that we have to remember and acknowledge our past, so that we don't make the same mistakes, here's a reason why.
So those are my lists. If there's any that you agree with, and are there any songs that I forgot? Let me know in the comments. I'm working on another Top 10 list planned, but its not going to go live for a while so I'll keep it a surprise. Project Spark's impression is next week along with Sonic Boom. Until next week...
As a slight extension to my post the other day, I want to briefly explain what is going to become a constant type of post here and how I'm going to structure them. If you don't want to read it, then by all means don't, I'm not forcing you to do so (even though this will also go onto Blaster's Projects... hehehe...). But if you do, then feel free to yell at me when I don't meet these in a post going forward and I'll either remake the post or explain why i can't/ couldn't. With that underway
The reviews: The reason why this site is called "Blaster's Reviews". As I said in the very first post of this site, I'm going to review whatever I think I can, whether that be games, TV shows, movies ect. I will always be open to suggestions and I will get to any requests as soon as I can (bare in mind, some might take longer then others if i don't have the material in some way shape or form and can't find a way of reviewing it (for example, I'm not going to review a game until I can play it on its intended console, I'm also not going to review movies while they're at the cinema due to how I write the reviews). I keep a list of reviews that i'm going to do and the order I'm going to release them and any requests will get added to that list. The way I review content is that I have a series of dot points that I add to as a watch/ play, then I structure a review around that and any issues I find, I try and come up with a way to fix that or I leave it up to interpretation. I always review something within its entirety story wise. For a game, I'll review the main campaign and (something I'm going to do from now on) mention any post game content that isn't apart of the story or if its a new story entirely, I'll review that (or what I've gotten done up to the time of writing). I will always review a TV show by its season, as indicated by K-On and the Transformers Marathon. As for movies, I will review movies as a stand alone product but will look at how it fits in with the other films continuing that plot.
The impressions: These are literally just going to be my thoughts as a consumer, not as a reviewer. I'm not going to look at a product like Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire as a reviewer until I have my hands on the product released to the public. If I do a impression of something, then don't be surprised if my review says something completely different to the impression. Aside from the E3 impressions, don't expect these to come out at set times, it really just depends on releases and what catches my interest (in most cases), but I will do impressions on topics that I get enough requests for, though they might not have a lot of content in them.
The rants and opinion pieces: There isn't much distinguishing the difference between these. Opinion pieces like the conclusion to the Transformers Marathon are when I've put thought into how something is done whereas a rant is me expressing my views on a particular, current affair concerning the content I review. As with the impressions, don't expect these often but I'm willing to take requests (just assume that I take requests for anything in this post)
Top (Insert number here) lists: I hopefully shouldn't have to explain these.
Foreward: I've postponed Fable Legends to next week, have a Top 10 list as a filler with another one next week
This is one of the few times I’m going to say something
around these lines: If you haven’t seen a Disney movie in your life then not
only do you have to get out from whatever mountain you’ve been under and you
have no childhood. This topic is one of the easiest and most common Top Ten
lists on the internet and for good reason. I was going to do this anyway but
after hearing about what Disney is currently working on, I thought I’d do it
now. This is actually two separate lists as I’m going to be doing a list for
the villain songs. There is only one rule for this list: 1. No single movie
can have two positions on this list. With that said, time to look at these pieces of music from the perspective of my personal enjoyment of the song and their role in the story.
10. Love is a Open Door and Beware the Frozen Heart (Frozen):
Aside from the fact that I know someone who will never let me hear the end of it if I don't have a Frozen song on this list, the other reason why I put these here is because of their roles in Frozen ( in regards to Love is a Open Door). As I said in my review of Frozen, Let it go is still a good song but there are other songs in the film. For Love is a Open Door, using any form of judgement for music, its awful. The instrumental doesn't match the theme of the song, the singers aren't in sync, the lyrics are forgetful, and yet it has a more important role in the film then Let it go, but you wouldn't know it the first time you see the film until the reveal of the villain, Hans and its for that reason why I put it here.
As for Beware the Frozen Heart? Listen to this clip and see why I put it on this list.
Its the same type of song isn't it, the only difference is that you don't need to understand the world of Frozen to know what the people are saying in Beware the Frozen Heart, but the lyrics in Dragonborn are in the game's language, so to understand what they're saying (assuming you want to), you would have to play the game and understand the language (and that's assuming the song makes sense when you translate it). So yes, the whole reason why Beware the Frozen Heart is here is because it reminds me of Dragonborn (I still maintain that the scene where its in could be cut out of the movie but that's just me).
9. Tell Everybody I'm on my way (Brother Bear):
I don't hear a lot of praise for Brother Bear and to be honest, I'm not sure why, its a fine movie (saying this as a general viewer, not a reviewer). The story is nice, the visuals are gorgeous and the characters are memorable. As for the song itself, while I'm not a fan of Koda's singing, when it cuts to Phil Collins portion of the song, I absolutely love it. Phil Collins does a lot of iconic Disney songs so don't be surprised if he appears more then once on this list. Like Beware the Frozen Heart, this is here because I enjoy it more so then its role in the film.
8. Under the Sea and Part of Their World (The Little Mermaid):
These two are in a similar position to the two Frozen songs, in the way of I'd never hear the end of it if I don't include at least a song from The Little Mermaid. But Unlike Frozen, The Little Mermaid was going to be on the list because of Under the Sea in particular (Part of Their World came after). I like songs that cheer me up in some way, shape or form and Under the Sea does this beautifully... kinda. The reason why I put Under the Sea so low is because I don't love the original song, but a particular remix of it
There isn't that much of a difference between the two of them, its just a slightly faster pace and a slightly higher vocal track that makes this version better then the original in my personal opinion. Now there isn't anything wrong with the original version, its just that the original track tends to show its age whereas this one is more of a update then a remix. The picture in this is also beautiful in my opinion and the animation is still great for the original film.
I also have the same problem with Part of Their world, The Little Mermaid is a old film and things like a Blu-Ray release show this off and make the film worse in comparison (it was released in 1989 so while it might not be as old as other films, it isn't exactly the newest film either). As for the song itself, people tend to think of this as the song that started the trend of the Disney Princesses wanting "more" but not knowing what more is. It was brought up in a video I watched that, realistically, this isn't the case because Ariel does know what she wants. Ariel is one of the smartest Disney Princesses because, when you think about it, she is, by the dictionary term, a scientist "a person who studiesor practices anyofthesciencesorwhousesscientificmethods". She wants to know more about the human race, see what all the items she has found over the years actually do and what they're used for and I think its for that reason why she went along with Ursala's deal more so then Eric.
7. One Jump Ahead (Aladdin):
You ain't getting this song out of your head for a while, while this isn't as catchy as Ducktales (dammit, now I have that stuck in my head again...) it still has a theme to it that won't leave. Its a great number in Aladdin as it establishes the character perfectly. The animation for it is also hilarious to watch and is perfectly in sync with the instrumental for the song. I think that the vocal track could be a bit louder (at least in this version, I don't know where this comes from (in terms of which version of the film)) but apart from that, you just have to stay one jump ahead.
6. Two Worlds (Tarzan):
Another great way to open up a film as it's a great example of showing, not telling. Again. love Phil Collin's work in Disney and combining it with this from Tarzan, it establishes why the character is the way he is without a single line of dialogue from the characters. The way it shifts between the human family and the gorilla family is beautiful to watch and as a result, its hard to say why exactly but if you watch the clip above, you'll see why.
5. God Help the Outcasts (Hunchback of Notre Dame):
Not only would I say that this song still holds relevance to this day and possibly for several years to come, but I'll also go so far to say that this is probably the darkest song Disney has put out when you take into consideration the rest of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Its a glimmer of hope and light in a story that only gets darker and more depressing up until the very end. It's a type of dark writing that's very rarely seen in any form of writing in this day and age because of how hard it is to get right, and if you have seen Hunchback of Notre Dame, then you'll know that they get this done perfectly. The vocals are absolutely beautiful with a beautiful instrumental to back it. I actually get a bit teary when I see and hear this song and I'm not religious by any stretch of the imagination, its that good at telling its message.
4. I've Got a Dream (Tangled):
Time for a mood swing, because I need something to cheer me up after number 5. I'm going to say right now: No, I haven't seen Tangled at the time of writing this. Like Frozen, it didn't catch my interest when it was first teased. I do intend to give it a look now after seeing this song. We've all seen the "merry band of misfits" gag before (just look at Shrek for a example) and yet this one seems to be the best, to me at least (not including the rest of the story) because it seems to be done with pure intentions instead of for the joke in Shrek. Rapunzel is adorable in this song and the song itself is just funny to watch, especially when (for this clip) it gets to, who I want to say is, Flynn Rider's part. Pause the video at 2:15, you should see him surrounded by swords, its at that moment when he realizes that he's in a Disney movie. Its just funny to watch and has made me want to see Tangled now, just to find out if the rest of the film does this style of humor as well.
3. This is Halloween (The Nightmare Before Christmas):
From depressing, to hilarious, to creepy mindf&^%... I swear this wasn't intentional... Like Tangled, I haven't seen Nightmare Before Christmas, but I have a better excuse for finding this then finding a random Youtube video. I'm a fan of Kingdom Hearts and the main theme for the Nightmare Before Christmas's world is a instrumental of This is Halloween...Then it was a random Nightcore of the song before the original. The particular Nightcore is this one here, though it doesn't achieve the same effect as original.
As for the song itself, if your noticing a pattern with some of these songs its because I think the opening number for a musical must always be one of your best as its how you get your audience's attention, thats why there are a few opening numbers here. This is Halloween is a perfect showcase of the theme of the world the story revolves around and its for that reason why i like it, aside from the good, while creepy visuals. Don't let the bed bugs bite...
2. I'll Make a Man out of You (Mulan): (mention Honour to us all)
Another case of "its catchy, thats it". I love the instrumental track, the vocals work perfectly, it matches whats happening on the screen perfectly. Its just a great song in general. People sometimes combine I'll Make a Man out of You and Honour to us all as one point on their lists as they are very similar. Honour to us all focuses on the role of women in Feudal China while I'll Make a Man out of You focuses on the role of men in Feudal China and while I will agree with this view, I'll Make a Man out of You, to me at least, is just a bit better as I like its instrumental more then Honour to us all. Its the same issue that I have with Lesson Number One in the film's sequel, which I why I didn't include either of them here. A instrumental can make a song or break it for me.
1. I Just Can't Wait to be King (The Lion King):
Do I need to explain this one? HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THE LION KING? If you look at this song and compare it to the rest of the list, you'll see why I've put it at number 1.
That's it for my list, any that you agree with, any that you hate or loath the decision? Let me know. The next Top 10 list, time to give the villain's their role in the spotlight.
Yes, the second last post for the marathon is a top 10... don't judge me...
The rules for this is simple. All of these are strictly my opinion and all the entries can be found in a series (I will specify which one) and scenes I've found online
10: The death of Optimus Prime (Transformers Armada): Yeah, Optimus dies in Armada, turned into dust because of the combined power of the Star Sabre, Skyboom Shield and Requiem Blaster. This is one of the few times in Armada that you see just how far Optimus is willing to go to protect the humans. So why is it so low? The episode after this event (Episode 40: Remorse) is one of the weakest episodes in the season in my opinion and because it revolves around this event that Optimus's death is so low.
9. The many personalities of Starscream (Transformers Animated): I haven't seen Animated, I've yet to sit through the pilot of it, the reason being is because it looks like its trying as hard as possible to replicate Generation 1 (but I'll leave this point until I do a review and can actually formulate a opinion). So why is there a scene from animated here? Because I genuinely find it hilarious. I don't know the context of it but Starscream has made a number of clones of himself that have a specific point in his personality including his cowardice, his tendency for lying, his ego, the suck up side (as in fuelling others egos)... and his feminine side... For those who don't know, Starscream was originally portrayed as a woman in the French version of Generation 1 and that clone was a homage to it.
8: The battle of Mission City (Transformers 2007): Hate Michael bay all you want, I give credic where credit is due and he does know how to make a good action scene (not including Egypt's filler and Chicargo's boredom) and the Mission city fight from the first Michael bay film is a good example of it. The fight was well paced, the changing of perspectives between Optimus, Sam, Mikaela, and Lennox works well and the camera work looks great. The fight between the Autobots and Demolisher along with the fight between Optimus and Megatron look great.
7: The Powerlink of Arcee, Chromia and Elita One (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen special features): Ok, this one might be classified as cheating as it was cut from the movie. Its on the DVD special features so to me, it counts. During development, Arcee, Chromia and Elita One were planned to have a Powerlink and use it while "fighting" Sideways. That part of the scene was never finished but what was shown off looks great...
6: The creation of Galvatron, Cyclonus and the Sweeps (Transformers the Movie): Yes, the scene is trippy, yes this can cause seizures, but dam it this is awesome. I can't really explain why its good, its a scene where you have to see it for yourself to know what its like (if you haven't already)
5: The appearances of the Dinobots (Transformers Generation 1): The Transformers, while it had more animation errors then I could keep track of, did have some great scenes and episodes with this one being one of them. S.O.S Dinobot is the reason why so many fans freaked out when Grimlock was in the trailer for Age of Extinction and is a must watch from Generation 1.
4: The races for the Planet Cup (Transformers Cybertron): For all the race fans, Velocitron is the place for you. A planet that is built for racing as it has more race tracks then any country on earth combined and tripled. Now imagine these tracks, take the best ones of them and put them in a planet wide grand prix for the strongest trophy in the universe and you have the Planet cup in a nutshell. While it cut between Earth and Jungle planet a lot during the episodes the planet cup was using, the tracks were great and that final race was amazing. Can someone please make a game where you race in the planet cup and one the tracks of Velocitron?
3: The battle of Autobot City (Transformers the movie): Hands down, one of the best fights in the 80's cartoon era second only to that of the Unicron fight near the end of the movie. Like the Dinobots, I can't describe what its like, just go watch it.
2: The appearances of Unicron and Primus (Transformers the movie and Transformers Armada (Unicron), Transformers Cybertron (Primus)): The gods of Transformers, the two Transformers that turn into PLANETS (Primus transforming into Cybertron), one of them EATS OTHER PLANETS!!! While I would include Transformers Prime for Unicron as I know he appears, I haven't seen all of Prime yet and I haven't seen a appearance of him outside of the movie "Predacons Rising". You really do have to see these two to believe me when I say these two are awesome.
1: Savage Claw mode vs Dark Claw mode (Transformers Cybertron): Optimus's Savage Claw mode in Cybertron is powerful (which is what happens when you give a robot that can transform into a flying Fire truck a beefy arm made of a robot lion and have the claws ready to fight with. So how do you make this better? You clone the lion, give it to Megatron and make the two fight each other using those Powerlinks. It was a moral boost for Leobreaker (the Autobot Lion) and the fight itself was amazing. A multi episode fight and with all the other battles happening at the same time. Go watch Cybertron episodes 33-36 to see not only that fight, but others as well (and that's not even all of that part, the entire arc is great (which to me is episodes 27-40, the prequel to Gigantion)
