Friday, November 28, 2008

Nick at Nite December 2008 Highlights; Blog DVD Review: Futurama - Bender's Game

We have one news item and a special edition of the blog DVD review today for you on this Black Friday. We have finally for you the Nick at Nite December 2008 highlights. And once again Nick at Nite is not making any changes to its strong regular schedule. And why not? Shows such as George Lopez and Family Matters continue to be strong for them in the ratings. Nick at Nite will celebrate Christmas with a night-long holiday party and 10-days of various Christmas episodes!
The night-long holiday party will be called "Nick at Nite Holiday House Party" on Sunday, December 14 from 9pm-12am ET/PT. Deck the halls, the kitchen, the living room and everything in-between! Nick at Nite is throwing a holiday house party with a holiday themed marathon of Christmas episodes of Home Improvement, George Lopez and Family Matters!
Then from December 15 to December 25 (Christmas night itself), Nick at Nite is keeping the spirit alive with nightly holiday-themed episodes of its sitcoms such as Home Improvement, George Lopez, Family Matters and Fresh Prince...you'll see all the Christmas episodes of each!
To view the holiday schedule, view our Nick at Nite December 2008 highlights.

Welcome to a special edition of the blog DVD reviews! Today we take a look at 20th Century Fox's Futurama - Bender's Game. Futurama - Bender's Game is the third movie featuring the hit animated series...and we have reviewed them all. See skees53's blog DVD review of Futurama - Bender's Game:

Futurama - Beast With a Billion Backs (20th Century Fox, $29.98) is the third installment (of four) in the Futurama movie franchise, the direct-to-DVD franchise that revives the former Fox animated sitcom. The movie is a largely a spoof of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, the events of the movie are essentially played out by a game of Dungeons & Dragons, played by the characters in the movie.
The plot of this installment begins with a major fuel shortage crisis--or what at least seems to be one. Dark matter is a form of fuel that was discovered by Farnsworth, and was stolen by Mom, who has a monopoly over the entire dark matter industry. When it is discovered that there actually isn't a shortage of dark matter (it is actually fecal matter from the Nibblonians) and that Mom is actually "creating" the shortage, it is up to Farnsworth and the crew to bring down the industry. The whole industry can be brought down by using an "anti-crystal" that is being used as a 12-sided die in the game Dungeons & Dragons. Will Mom go down? And if so, how will fuel needs be met?
The movie runs at 87 minutes and has excellent video and audio quality. After all, there is nothing to really compare this to--this is the first place that this has been presented. The video is presented in widescreen with vibrant colors (although I had some pixilation, probably due to the screener disc that I received) and a loud and clear Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound audio track. English, Spanish, and French subtitles can also be found on the disc.
The disc is loaded with special features, beginning with an audio commentary track. We have input from Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, John DiMaggio, Tress MacNeille, Michael Rowe, Claudia Katz, and Dwayne Carey Hill. For those that love animatics, we have an entire storyboard animatic for the first part of the movie (that is the first 22 minutes, as it will be presented when aired on Comedy Central as a four part episode). The next feature that we have is actually a pretty cool feature, called "Futurama Genetics Lab." Here, we can crossbreed our characters and create hybrids--in case you ever wanted to know what a Bender crossed with a Fry would look like! "Dungeons & Dragons & Futurama" (7:02) is a behind-the-scenes look where the whole concept of the movie is discussed, including connections with Dungeons & Dragons. "How to Draw Futurama in 83 Easy Steps" (7:52) is not quite as complicated as it sounds, but gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like to draw the characters with the rough draft crew. "3D Models With Animation" (5:02) shows us some of the 3D models from the series, along with commentary from the animators. Apparently, there is only one deleted scene on the movie, and it can also be found in the special features. It runs at a little over one minute. "Blooperama 2" (1:50) shows us some of the audio outtakes from the movie. "Bender's Anti-Piracy Warning" (1:11) is a warning from Bender that warns us all against piracy of the DVD. Finally, "Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder" (1:12) is a sneak peak into the fourth (and final?) installment in the Futurama movie series.
The critics take on this installment is that it is much better than the previous installments, and is more true to the original series than the other ones have been. However, I have to slightly disagree with that. I feel like the movie has a plot that is far too complicated for an animated series and tends to just drag on. I feel as though these feature films that they've been making have been disappointing, and that they probably should have just stuck with making additional episodes of standard episode length. This series doesn't exactly make for great movies, and it is even worse for those that can't get in to the whole Dungeons & Dragons theme that this movie presents. Still, I think a lot of the biggest fans of Futurama are certain to appreciate this movie, as it gives life to their favorite series once again (and there are certain to be many fans of Futurama that can appreciate Dungeons & Dragons).
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4.5/5 stars)

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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, October 8

Shifting Gears - "Date" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Matt and Eve go on their first date but have different ideas of what it should entail. Riley befriends the mom of Georgia’s new friend while Carter mediates a tiff between Gabe and Stitch. LA Dodger Mookie Betts and Lilly Singh guest star.

Abbott Elementary - "Cheating" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Melissa tries to outsmart her students; Tariq causes chaos in Janine’s class, and a new guidance counselor joins the school.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 6)

Wednesday, October 8

  • Tim Allen (Shifting Gears/Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Watch Tim on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • David Henrie (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place/Wizards of Waverly Place/How I Met Your Mother/The Pitts) and Janice Leann Brown (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place) - David and Janice talk about Wizards Beyond Waverly Place on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey talks about Luna and the Witch Throw a Halloween Party on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys and a Girl) - Ryan stops by for a talk with the hosts about John Candy: I Like Me on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Tom Papa (Come to Papa) - NBC's Today catches up with Tom in the 9am hour.
  • Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about Watson on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - The Drew Crew team is sharing their best pro tips including newest Drew Crewer Amirah Kassem sharing how to make the perfect party dish and easy ways to level up hosting on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Tom Arnold (Roseanne/The Jackie Thomas Show/Tom/The Tom Show) - Tom is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

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