Cloud98ff7 Presents: The Report Card

Last Blog Entry

2008-12-17T23:01:00.000-08:00

Today will be my last blog entry. Don't worry; this will not be the last time I'll be reviewing. The report card will be back in a few days with a new e-mail address. See ya!

TV Series Review: Heroes Season 3

2008-12-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Today I'm going to review the latest season of Heroes. As I'm writing this now, the latest season of Heroes is about to air its finale next week. Initially I thought of waiting until I've seen the final episode to give my review. However after watching the entire series up to this point, I've come to the conclusion that whatever happens in the finale won't change the overall outcome of my review.

Before I begin though, let me warn you: This review comes with spoilers; if you haven't watched the latest season of Heroes and don't want to find out what happens, then just go somewhere else and wait for my next review. Ok let's get to it: For those not in the know, Heroes is a television series about a group of individuals who discover they have superpowers. The series focuses on what they do with these powers and how other people are affected by their using them. For this third season in the series they entitled it "Volume III: Villains" and basically tells about bad guys running loose, wreaking havoc. One particular bad guy, presumed dead in the beginning of Heroes season 1, appears in Season 3 and hatches a "sinister plot" that involves giving normal people superpowers. As to how evil is that (Is it really evil having superpowers?), let's just say it changes the future and the heroes here are trying to prevent that future from happening.

Okay I'll go straight to the point: this season is totally messed up. Let me tell you why: First, the story. Everything I've come to know, understand and love about Heroes since season 1 was completely mangled and distorted by season 3. I'll give one example: Sylar. Sylar was the badass bad guy in Heroes: he's twisted, he's merciless, he has no compunction on killing anyone just so he could steal their powers. He was so bad you ask anyone on the street who their top 10 villains are and chances are, his name is on that list. Sure he lost his powers in season 2 but when he got his powers back at the end of that season, there was a tinge of excitement in the air as to what he's gonna do next. Then in season 3, everything changes: from badass villain, Sylar becomes a good guy, even helping out the same company who tried to destroy him in previous seasons. Then in the future he becomes a doting, caring father, and there's one time he even sleeps with the former company boss' daughter. It was so confusing even Sylar was confused. And that's just Sylar; I won't have to go into details with Peter, Claire, Hiro and the others. I just want to mention that they too were not spared this utter madness.

The second thing I didn't like about this season is there's no new powers! When season 1 of Heroes started it was original in that everyone had a different power. One person could fly, 1 can paint the future, 1 can heal. By season 2, we find out there's more than 1 person who could fly and who could heal himself. But they still had the girl with copycat ability and that was cool. By season 3, there's nothing unique anymore. Sure we got a speedster, a flame thrower, a leech and a beast like superpower but they look dull and uninspiring. The only new character that I felt was interesting was this fat villain with the power to control people like puppets in a string and he was there for like 2 or 3 episodes only.

Speaking of original, my third gripe about the series was that they haven't done anything original this third season. Whether it be traveling to the past or to the future, seeing the Apocalypse, warping one's mind, teleporting or whatever - anything they did in season 3 they've done it already in seasons 1 and 2. And it's not just the plot or the powers - even the visuals and the music isn't original anymore and could not hold our attention span long enough.

In the end I'm sorry to say but with the way things are going for this series I don't expect it to last any longer. Which is sadly ironic: the one thing that will do this series in are not the villains or the end of the world but the series' writers and their poor plots and the studio execs who see what was a great series gone to waste!

Grading (I've made some changes with the grading; this may stick for all my reviews):

Heroes season 3
Classification: Action/Adventure series
Rating: PG-13 (due to some scenes involving women in provocative lingerie and scenes which show decapitated heads)

Story: D
Characterization: D
Visuals: D
Soundtrack: D

Final Grade: D

Sorry, wrong post!

2008-12-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry, entered a wrong post here; will enter a new review soon; promise...

Anime Review: Akira Kurosawa's Samurai 7

2008-12-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

1954. A young Akira Kurosawa, after basking in the worldwide success of his movie Rashomon, co-wrote, edited and directed the movie many around the world consider his greatest work: Seven Samurai. The movie is about 7 Ronin (Wandering Samurai) who are hired by peasant villagers to protect their village from being plundered by a group of bandits. The movie was hailed worldwide as one of the best movies of all times and has been the inspiration of many other movies including The Magnificent Seven, The Guns of Navarone, Ocean's 11, Star Wars and Disney's A Bug's Life.

2004. 50 years after Seven Samurai's release, Japanese anime company Gonzo, with the blessing of the Kurosawa estate, creates an anime which is both a retelling and a makeover of the 1954 classic. Samurai 7 follows the plot of the original movie with several differences, chief among them the change in setting from historical Japan in the movie to a "steampunk" world in the anime replete with machine guns, giant robots and flying fortresses. The anime also introduces several new characters while expanding the roles of the original characters in the movie.

The result was one fantastic, action packed anime. While introduced in a new setting and additional plotlines were interweaved, the anime's main story of seven samurai becoming guardians of peasant villagers, remains intact and faithful to the Kurosawa movie. Characterization is the anime's best strength: Everyone from the seven samurai to the main villain are developed well; even the minor characters are memorable with their display of emotion and witty dialogue. The animation was incredibly good: I like the way they were able to seamlessly integrate hand-drawn art with CGI. The soundtrack was also pleasing to the aural senses, combining classic Japanese music with modern J-pop tunes.

However great is, the anime still had its flaws albeit minor. I, for one, cannot comprehend why a samurai would exchange his mortal shell to become a giant mecha that is easily turned to chopsucky by the seven samurai's blades. In terms of character development, Katsushiro was a wimp and I liked it better if Kikuchiyo was more human than replaceable mechanized parts.

Overall, Samurai 7 is an anime that can stand alone on its own and is worthy of the Kurosawa name. Whether or not the anime, like its predecessor, will stand the test of time, only time will tell...

Classification: Action / Adventure Anime

Rating: PG-13

Story: A-

Characterization: A+

Art and Animation: A

Soundtrack: A

Final Grade: A

In Depth: The Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya Boxing Match

2008-12-10T00:40:00.000-08:00

December 6, 2008. It was tagged as the "Dream Match". On one corner, Oscar Dela Hoya. Golden Boy. Boxing Legend. An ageing fighter looking for a comeback. On the other corner, Manny Pacquiao. Pacman. Pride of the Philippines. A man of humble beginnings rising from obscurity to become one of boxing's best.

It was like Rocky Balboa vs. the Cinderella man. Dream Match however it wasn't. From the sound of the bell for round one, it was all Manny Pacquiao, hammering, jabbing, pounding, connecting. De La Hoya however could not connect; he was faltering, he was dazed, he was vulnerable. By the 5th round, the golden boy's knees were buckling, his face hardly recognizable from so many blows, his legs nearly giving way,a knockout becoming more and more imminent. De La Hoya must have realized it too and decided that enough is enough; by the 9th round it was over.

Looking at the match it was pretty much a lopsided event in favor of the Pacman. The match was so one-sided I initially thought the match was rigged so as to make Pacquiao more menacing to future fighters and Dela Hoya go down in a blaze of glory. Rethinking it over, however, I though it could not be the case. For how can someone rig a fight and turn one's opponent into a busted pinata? This was not a Hollywood movie; Dela Hoya's scars were real. As real as the damage inflicted by Pacquiao's fists.

So what happened? For Dela Hoya I see this as a case of age and the rigors of battle catching up on the grisled veteran. It's like the age old adage: You can't teach an old dog new tricks. As for Pacquiao, he had a few tricks up his sleeve: he did his homework on Dela Hoya, listened to his mentors, one them being at one time a former trainer for the Golden Boy. And from the start, took advantage and did not give Dela Hoya even the slightest breathing space.

So in the end, one fighter slumps down in defeat, his career biting the dust. The other fighter rises to victory, gains another foothold in boxing history and basks in the glory, albeit temporarily until the next fighter comes...

Movie Review: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

2008-11-28T01:26:00.000-08:00

Hi! Cloud 98 again here. Okay, no more dilly-dallying, no more beating around the bush; it's time to move it, move it, we've got to move it tour latest review on the report card. Today's review is Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

The movie is an animated comedy rated G so it's for all audiences. It's a sequel to the 2005 movie Madagascar. Now for those who weren't able to watch the first one, Madagascar is the story of 4 animals – Alex, the dancing lion, Marty the talkative zebra, Gloria the flirtatious hippo and Melman the neurotic giraffe. These 4 animals were raised in captivity and by a series of unfortunate events, and no thanks to 4 talented penguins, find themselves lost in the tiny island of Madagascar. Now in the sequel, these animals, with the help of a tribe of lemurs and a dilapidated airplane, take off from Madagascar and end up in a wildlife preserve in neighboring Africa. Here, Alex unites with his long, lost pride; Marty joins up with a herd of zebras, Gloria flirts with the hunk of the hippo community and Melman becomes the giraffe village doctor. All appear content but a series of events puts the wildlife reserve in jeopardy and it's up to Alex and friends to save the day.

Okay let's get to move it, move it to our review. Sure this movie isn't original in concept – a lot of the plot appears taken from other movies like Disney's The Lion King and Joe vs. the Volcano. The animation looks like it's taken from a pop-up book or watching a Paper Mario game. But it's overall, good clean fun. The characters are fun to watch – Alex has got the moves and Marty's got the mouth. Good voice acting on the part of the late Bernie Mac who voiced Alex' dad Zuba as well as Will I Am who voiced Moto Moto the hunky hippo. But the star of the sequel is once again the penguins who are just plain hilarious.The music was also moving and grooving combining sassy hip hop tunes with Hans Zimmer's themes.

Overall, it's worth your bucks and popcorn to watch this movie. But don't watch it alone; watch it with your family and have a good time.

Story : C

Characterization : A

Art and Animation : C

Music : A

Final Grade : B

Anime Review: D.Gray-man

2008-11-24T03:24:00.000-08:00

Hi! I'm back to anime reviewing again and today I'm reviewing an anime I just recently finished watching and that just recently ended its run in Japan several months back. It’s D-Grayman.

D-Grayman is what we call a hybrid anime: It’s got action, comedy, fantasy, with a tad of the supernatural. I rate this series PG for some sensitive scenes involving demons. The series tells of Allen Walker, a 15 year old boy who’s part of a group of exorcists. And before I continue, no they’re not wearing priestly robes, carrying holy water and crucifixes. These exorcists fight demons with a substance in them called Innocence which they’re able to control and make weapons from swords to flying boots to plasma cannons – yeah right! The main villain here is the Millennium Earl who looks like a cross between the Joker and an oversized turkey. The Earl together with his associates, the Noah clan, plans to create a demon army and make hell on earth (as if it wasn’t already!) To make demons, the Millenium Earl pries on innocent victims who lost their loved ones through death. The Earl visits the victim, offers them the chance to meet their dearly departed by crafting a makeshift skeleton for them to call out. Unbeknownst to the bereaved, the departed becomes controlled by the Earl and once they’re called, they kill the poor victims and wear their bodies (yeah sounds more like body snatchers than demon possession right?). So these demons called “Akuma” (yeah I know the image isn’t right – I just couldn’t help it) roam the land and this is where Allen Walker comes in; he’s got this cursed left eye that allows him to see the demons thus making him an invaluable asset to the group of exorcists who call their fellowship the Dark Order.

What can I say? I am so disappointed about this series and let me tell you why. First the story. The story begins with Allen joining the Dark Order to fight the Millenium Earl. 103 episodes later and everything’s still the same: The Millenium Earl and his associates still roam the earth and are as powerful as ever. Meanwhile the good guys are nowhere near defeating the enemy. On top of that, the series relished on adding subplot after subplot after subplot in between. By the end of the series, there were a lot of unresolved plots turning D-Grayman into 1 big mess.

Then there were the characters. The major characters were by and large unoriginal and unappealing. On the contrary, the characters who were interesting had limited air time so to speak and were either written off the storyline or disappear without us knowing anything about them. The animation was good but there’s nothing original about it. And though the opening and closing themes were good, the background music in the series was bland and ugly.

If Dgrayman was a fanboy’s series then they didn’t give enough to make a fan out of me. So this is how I grade the series:

Story: D

Characterization: D

Art and Animation: B

Sound and Music: C

Final Grade: C

The Report Card reviews: Quantum of Solace

2008-11-15T16:37:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make: I am a bonafide James Bond fan! I read some of the Ian Fleming books and watched nearly all the Bond movies. Having said that I’m really excited to review the latest installment in the James Bond movie franchise – Quantum of Solace.

Being a 007 movie, it’s an action adventure movie rated PG due to the intense action and a little sexy scene with Daniel Craig and other Bond girl Gemma Atherton. The movie immediately follows the events of the last Bond movie Casino Royale – 007 is in Italy with the recently captured Mr. White – a man who made a deal with and had a hand in the death of Vesper Lynd, the Bond girl in Casino Royale. Bond brings Mr. White to M for questioning. They find out that Mr. White works for a deadly organization working in the shadows. Before Bond and M learn more about this organization, Mr. White escapes thanks to a double agent in the MI6. Bond then goes on the warpath, hunting down Mr. White. He later finds out that the organization is known only as “Quantum” and through it’s lackey Dominic Greene, played by Matthew Amalric, plans to destabilize the current Bolivian government and take control of its valuable resource. Together with Bond girl Camille Montes, played by Ukranian actress Olga Kurylenko, Bond stops Quantum from their evil plans while finding out more of Vesper and coming to terms with her death.

Okay; now for my review, I’m going to review this Bond movie by answering 2 main questions: First, is the movie better than the last Bond movie? Well, story-wise, I’ve got bad news for you: Casino Royale was much better. 2 things I’ll point out here: One, Quantum was written by the same guys who did the script for Casino including Paul Haggis, the award winning writer for Crash and Million Dollar baby. Now personally I felt the team did a much better, more cohesive, more coherent, more evenly paced storyline with Casino than with Quantum. Two, the writers here were treading upon some shaky if not dangerous ground by showing us some contradictions to the James Bond mythos – I mean James Bond not killing the main villain and not going to bed with main Bond girl at the end; what were they thinking?

Okay that wasn’t the second question. This is the second question: Is the movie better than the other Bond movies? I say, in terms of action and character, it’s a resounding yes. I like the way they made Bond more realistic in terms of action and emotion. No fancy Bond gadgets; no special effects (well a few albeit hardly noticeable), no witty one-liners. Bond is cool, cruel and fit as a fiddle.

Speaking of Bond, Daniel Craig is getting quite adjusted to his role as 007. Although he still does appear stiff at times – maybe now that Bond’s gotten over Vesper, Bond’s mood might be a little lighter next time. The only other performer who deserves special mention here is her dame Judy Dench – I’m glad they gave more exposure for M; Judy Dench is the perfect foil for Daniel Craig’s Bond, he the cold killer who cannot be controlled, she the voice of reason, the “mother hen” looking out for her fledgling agent.

The action like I said was really great although I felt the dogfight sequence between Bond's dilapidated plane and the old WWII fighter plane was a bit outmoded. Love the Jack White/Alicia Keys opening theme. Alright, here are my grades for Quantum of Solace:

Story: C (not as good as Casino Royale's storyline)

Action: B (really good action sequences)

Acting: B (kudos to Daniel Craig and Judy Dench)

Cinematography: B (great locales)

Soundtrack: A- (thanks mainly to Jack White's and Alicia Keys' opening theme)

Final Grade: B

Anime Review: Gundam 00 Season 1

2008-11-11T03:08:00.000-08:00

Hi! This is Cloud98 and welcome to my report card! Here in my report card I'll be reviewing what I want to review (of course); mainly anything I've watched recently from anime to TV shows to movies. I’m gonna give you my in-depth view of it and give you my final grade at the end of my review. Now let me start my review with an anime: Gundam 00, season 1.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 – and take note it's 00 as in double 07 and not zero-zero or oh-oh, ok? Like the other Gundam series, it takes place on an ATE – that's short for Alternate Timeline Earth. In this ATE, set in the 24th century, 2307 AD in fact, earth's fossil fuels – mainly oil, natural gas and coal – are in short supply and the nations of the earth turn to solar power. Those who harvest the power are 3 groups made up of conglomerates of nations. These “power blocs” build up massive armies and fight senseless wars to maintain “balance of power” in the world. Out of this mess comes “Celestial Being”, a paramilitary organization whose aim is to eradicate war and unite mankind while wreaking disarray on the power blocs. Celestial Being's secret weapon? 4 Giant Robots called “Gundams”; each one with superior weaponry and technology and piloted by 4 uniquely talented “Gundam meisters” each of whom have dark secrets and axes to grind. The first season is a virtual cat-and-mouse chase between the power blocs who attempt to find and put a stop to Celestial Being and their Gundams while the latter 2 attempts to destabilize the power blocs.

That's it for story summary; now for my review. First I'll start with Classification; this is the part where I classify this series whether it's Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Horror, etc. and whether it's for all audiences, parental guidance or for adults only. Gundam 00 is an action/adventure, mecha or robot anime series, which I rate PG-13 (meaning it's not safe to watch alone for people 13 years old and below) due to scenes of violence and some scenes of women dressed in provocative swimwear.

Next I review Gundam 00's storyline and characterization. Watching the series, I can't help but compare this to another Gundam incarnation, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. This I feel is one of the series’ weaknesses - it lacks a sense of originality and gives me the impression that the Gundam series is running out of ideas. Also the series’ tackling of themes on political and economic manipulation, religious fanaticism, backstabbing, etc. were a bit too fast-paced and complicated as compared to previous Gundam series like Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny. In terms of characterization, I felt that the main character, Setsuna F. Seiei was too stereotypical of the male lead in Japanese action anime – cold, lackluster, dull, boring. The rest of the characters weren’t even interesting and lacked character development. By far the only character in 00 that sparked my interest was Allelujah Haptism, one of the Gundam meisters who turned out to have a split personality – an after effect of human experimentation done to him. Thankfully this is only the first season and we hope to see more personality and a much better storyline on the next season.

As for the art and animation, let me say that the art in Gundam improves with each new series and 00 is no exception. I can see a lot of detail on the artwork, especially on the mobile suit designs. The robot fight scenes were very fluid. Add to the fact that the series was animated in widescreen and high definition and you have a very good looking series.

The soundtrack of the series was also exceptional. It jives with the mood and action of the series. The opening and closing themes were done very well.

So overall while it’s not the best Gundam series out there, it’s still good to watch. I recommend renting it on DVD though so you can play it again and again and get a clearer picture of the story.

Here’s the report card’s grade on Gundam 00:

Story and Characterization: C
Art and Animation: A+
Sound Track: A
Final Grade: B