Friday, November 28, 2008
Nick at Nite December 2008 Highlights; Blog DVD Review: Futurama - Bender's Game
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
Thursday, March 28
The Conners - "Keep On Truckin' Six Feet Apart" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Conners are dealing with the pandemic and life's financial troubles.
The Conners - "Halloween and the Election vs the Pandemic" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Halloween has been canceled, so the family works to create an unforgettable experience.
Son of a Critch - "Airing Out" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
The Critches are doing their annual airing-out-the-house ritual; some family secrets are uncovered.
Son of a Critch - "Cabaret" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Mark finally gets the chance to take the stage as a stand-up comedian.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 25)
Thursday, March 28
- Joey King (Bent) - Joey talks about We Were the Lucky Ones on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
- Giancarlo Esposito (Bakersfield P.D.) - Giancarlo discusses his starring role in the AMC crime-thriller series Parish on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Niecy stops by to talk about her upcoming starring turn in Ryan Murphy's horror drama Grotesquerie on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) - Lisa talks about Abbott Elementary on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Lorraine Toussaint (Where I Live) - Lorraine is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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