A new animation...?

Here's a little sample pic from the same animation the last one was from. Fans of the DCAU might notice that the last picture was certainly not from the DCAU's style, but It's all one massive doodle, to me. It'll make sense in the context of the finished project. The scene itself is not finished. I'm missing the background and the cane is silhouette.

Still can't figure out why the computer discolours the images, though.

My Top Five Favourite Films...

Try saying that five times fast. Alright, I've had my fun. I want to try something different to day, spurred on by a conversation I had the other day. My top five movies. Everybody has them, well, anyone who's seen fifteen movies. I Have, too. I grew up in the 90's. Things ran different here. People were trying new things, media was being made more accessible to kids, and envelopes were being pushed. I doubt my list will compose of many of those, but It's time I came out and just listed, from least to most, my favourite pieces of cinema.

5. - Transformers: The Movie (2007)

This movie was huge for me. Transformers is my life. It's nearly as crucial to my survival as my own blood. Ever since I was little Transformers has remained a constant in my life, from the acclaimed Beast Wars series to the highly criticized "Unicron Trilogy," I've been there. So naturally, I was amazed that a big part of my life would become a household name in 2007. Many people were unhappy with the choice of director and early designs of the robots, but eventually most people grew into it and accepted it for what it was: A new take on Transformers. That said I think the movie sort of gets a free pass because it's the first Live-action Transformers movie, which is why it's sequel; Revenge of the Fallen, is not on this list. Consider it number 6.

4. - Back to the Future

I missed this (obviously) when if first came out in theatres, but nonetheless, my parents owned the VHS tape and it quickly became one of my favourite films. It's funny, engaging but takes itself seriously when it has too. I would've put the sequels on this list. Back to the Future 2 is considered by some to be superior to the original, while Back to the Future 3 is regarded well on it's own, but I enjoy them all the same. The level of cleverness in dialogue and staging is brilliant, but the leads really make the performances timeless, while the movies themselves are still somewhat dated.

3. Iron Man

This movie was just, cool. Everything about it was stylish and hardcore in visuals and presentation. I've never been a big Iron Man fan, in fact a barely knew about him before the film. I vaguely recall a so-so TV series from my childhood, but not enough to compare. The casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is brilliant. Industrial Lights and Magic set the bar time and again with this movie and Transformers, and the movie, to me, is absolutely flawless... until the climax, which, in my humble opinion, is the most anti-climactic climax in recent film history. The story clogs, the acting evaporates, and the visuals look impressively unrealistic compared to everything before. Amazingly everything recovers for the falling action, which is still good enough to get me in a good mood for the kickass credits.

2. - The Dark Knight

If you didn't see this coming, then you obviously don't read the blog, in which case, Hi, I'm Nigel! Now it may seem unfair to list such a highly regarded movie so high on my list, but I really do like this movie a lot, but it has it's flwas. The storyline is unfairly depressing, in a movie about a guy dressed up as a flying rat. The third act freaks out and doesn't put on the brakes until the credits roll, and God dammit I never thought I'd miss Katie Holmes. Christian Bale continues to be a good Bruce Wayne if only an acceptable Batman, while Heath Ledger delivers a solid Joker performance. Though I must say, I didn't find Heath Ledger's Joker to be all that astounding. He was good at being scary, but I felt I should've been laughing a lot more around him. That's the best part of the character, he's sick, devious and disturbing, but also strangely humorous. But that's what I don't like, so consider everything I didn't mention to be aces. (Thanks for getting rid of Rachael, too)

1. - Batman Begins

Some of you may be rolling your eyes, but seriously, look at this. They took a concept of a dude who beats up crooks wearing long underwear and a bed sheet around his neck, and made it not only plausible, but understandable. Batman himself didn't even show up until about halfway through the movie. But more than that, while it took itself seriously, but it wasn't off it's anti-depressants like TDK was. The bland performance from Katie Holmes was easily outmatched by the always enjoyable Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. (in fact, almost suspiciously so) Liam Neeson as Ra's Al Ghul was probably the best casting decision since Robert Downey Jr. for Tony Stark. The visuals were astounding, and even though between the two films, BB's oranges and browns against TDK's blues and greys I must prefer the cooler blue, every scene looked stylized and could be presented as a still image and be admired. And on a less artsy-fartsy note, how friggin' cool was the Tumbler chase scene? I know, it kicked ass!

Preview.

Here's a quick, not so finished screen shot from an upcoming project. Not much to say that the picture can't.

This is why I need a planner...

So... I haven't updated in a while. There are several reasons why some people might not do that. Not enough things to write about, less free time to spend on Blogger and stuff, real world distractions, etc. Never would I find a combination of the latter mixed with the simple fact that I have too much to write about I can't decide what to do.

Simultaneously I have Batman; Arkham Asylum left to review, as well as the recently released Halo 3: ODST. (Notable for being the first Halo game with substance :O) I also have animation projects progressing and action figure and collectibles I want to review. My first thought was to finish the Batman AA review, but because of the obnoxiously stupid format I set myself out to review it in it will probably take no less than little under two months to complete in it's entirety. Long story short, I'll just do a shorter, less descriptive review and if you really need a walk through, you can do a hell of a lot worse than me. Well, we live and learn.

The second thing was ODST, which just came out and has been taking up most of my free time. Again, something else I want to review. Nevertheless, I will work towards getting more stuff onto this blog.

In Retrospect: Transformers Animated

Note: First off, yes, I am still reviewing Batman: Arkham Asylum. You may see this more often with multi-part reviews here. I will finish it. I offer this retrospective as a sort of tribute the Transformers: Animated and it's (to many) untimely demise.

Back in 2007 toy-manufacturer giant Hasbro first introduced it's fans to a re imagining of it's ever-popular Transformers line. Following a soon-to-be summer blockbuster under the same brand name that was already a drastic deviation from the traditional appearance of the Transformers characters. The fans and followers of the Transformers franchise were taken off-guard by the revealing of Transformers: Animated. A new series separate but partially inspired by the coming live-action film.

First reactions were largely negative. people dismissed the early designs as childish, ugly and uninspired. This was before the movie actually hit theatres, and many fans were not a fan of either style choices. However, this quickly changed when the following San Diego Comic Con, where fan were exposed to concept drawings and character models, along with prototypes of the coming series of action figures. This was around when the toys for the movie were being released and selling very well. Too well, as I'll get into in a moment.

Though some fans still weren't sold on the design of the cartoon or the toys, but there was a third "Universe" series that was combining the classic characters of the 80's with modern toy engineering, though it didn't have any widely-available associated media. Transformers Animated, or TFA as it would be abbreviated, did, and when first footage leaked responses were largely positive. The show was a massive throwback to the characters and concepts of the 80's cartoon. Opinions would be cemented when the show actually began to air. The characters were three-dimensional, the voice acting was top-notch, and the stories were intricate. This was a massive step up from the past "Unicron Trilogy" of imported Japanese cartoons with flat and interchangeable characters, poor vocal performances even from stellar voice talent, and contrived and nonsensical story lines typical of low-budget Japanese animated shows.

There was just one problem: where were the highly-anticipated toys the show was promoting? prerelease samples and test-shots of the first 'wave" of figures had already been streaming off of eBay at a steady rate, and impressions were largely positive, but toy shelves still only gave shelter to movie figures. While never outright stated by Hasbro or retailers, the commonly accepted cause was that the hugely successful live-action film toys were more popular, and retailers didn't want to put a "nobody" line on the shelves while the movie toys were so popular.

While the Animated toys did eventually hit stores about a month after the show aired, this would prove damaging later-on. But the fanbase wasn't concerned at that point. The figures were excellent quality. detailed yet streamlined and clean sculpts in both modes that followed the on-screen depictions of characters almost bizarrely. The show was increasing in quality and popularity, and by the time the second season had ended, a fair chunk of the figures were out. Unfortunately, the gap between the shows premiere and the toys' release meant that most of the characters who showed up in the show weren't available until much later. This was damaging to line as a whole, and on top of that, there was a significant, but not unusually large gap between the second and third seasons, and the toys only barely caught up.

However, somewhere around the beginning of 2009, it was decided that with a sequel to 2007's live-action movie on it's way the coming summer, Animated would be cancelled. The show completed it's third season, and the last toys were designed. (set for a 2010 release) A series that for over a year had given the fans almost everything they wanted had been discontinued before it could finish the last leg of the course. But fans remember it fondly and while it's not truely over, with a few more figures on the way, (and possibly, however slim the chance, a comic) it is certainly not Hasbro's main focus any longer.

And so, my first retrospective. I hope you found the reading insightful, even if it's more like a cliffnotes version.