Review The Last Thing You Watched

Apollo the Just · #1

Take the last thing you watched -- a 2 minute long "how to boil an egg" youtube video, 40 episodes of a show you binge watched all at once, a movie, a botched speedrun attempt, whatever -- and REVIEW IT.

((......I'm doing my very best to somehow find an outlet for all of my DBZ feelings, and yet not make every single new thread I post exclusively about DBZ. The struggle has proven to be real.))

"The History of Trunks" (1993) special -- an official, formal, nonbiased, objective review by CuccoLady:

Factor 1: ANGST
10/10 angst factor. Trunks cries a lot. Everyone dies. Someone dies and Trunks cries about it iN THE RAIN even. Maximum angst for maximum enjoyment.

Factor 2: ANDROID 17'S GREEN LEG WARMERS
11/10. Those lime green leg warmers. 90's robot fashion at its very best. So good.

FACTOR 3: PACING
6/10. It looked like it was going to be really half assed and corny at first because everyone just dies to the opening narration making bad puns about it. Picks its **** wayy up later, but the damage of the first 5 minutes counts when those 5 minutes set the tone for the rest of it.

FACTOR 4: EMOTIONAL APPLICABILITY TO MAIN STORYLINE
I'm still crying about it/10. Alternate timeline Gohan reveals that he goes Super Saiyan from the memory of Piccolo dying ((take THAT, Goku)) even over a decade later. Trunks later goes Super Saiyan when Gohan dies. There is an implication that every time he goes Super Saiyan in the main series, then, this is the memory that fuels his power. Ouch.

OVERALL
10/10. A masterpiece. Gohan in this universe grows into essentially Goku, and (I think, at least) the trauma and burden of losing his father as well as all of his friends at such a young age caused him to take on the same role Goku had (even so far as how he acts toward Trunks), rather than growing into his own person. I am interested in comparing this universe's dead rip Gohan with the person Gohan is allowed to grow into surrounded by not dead friends in the main timeline. Trunks went through so much when he was just an adorable teenager. Bulma and Trunks's relationship was so cute. I'm not going to be able to witness alternate timeline Trunks in the main DBZ storyline anymore without getting extremely upset.

#2

I was going to talk more about parts of the last thing I watched.

Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox

I'm a pretty big fan of the Justice League animations, even after the end of JL/JLU, the movies kept coming out, and Crisis on Two Worlds is really good too. Well, lo and behold Netflix kept recommending me Flashpoint Paradox and I looked up a quick plot hook, and it sounded pretty neat: Flash gets stuck in a new timeline, this uses the alternate Batman where Bruce was the one killed that night, Thomas becomes Batman, and Martha is the Joker, and then the shtick of SOME HEROES ARE BAD SOME VILLAINS ARE GOOD and I swear if I see one more friggin' plot of Lex and Deathstroke being the paragon of good I'm going to scream.

This is apparently based off the Flashpoint comics and glancing through it looks like it's about the same

So let's go over why I went "uuuuggghhhh" at the end of the movie!

1) Art style

The designs are really exaggerated. This tends to be good, having an overly-beefy Batman is good. The overly beefy Amazon warriors is good.

This can also not be good.

Aquaman just looks... I just can't take it. I want to laugh, I want to shake my head, THIS IS NOT THE AQUAMAN DESIGN THEY SHOULD HAVE WENT WITH. Even in the start where everything is hunky-dory and the wonder of the water is a goody-goody, he looks really dorky. Now, part of the plot is that Aquaman is leading a huge army against the world that's taking millions of lives. He looks like this, a couple scars and what I THINK is an angry face, but could just as well be a pouty face. The bearded badass from JL/JLU remains forgotten.

The regular people look fine at times but others, maybe too generic. But that could be a different problem: There are way too many cameos. I'll get back into that later because it's part of a larger point I want to make.

2) Plot

Flash goes back in time and saved his mom. Okay. This caused him to be in a new timeline where she's alive but he never got his powers. Cool. This caused a ripple that caused half the heroes to be different and a war to start-OKAY BACK UP.

First off, this ripple is actually something of the Speedforce that is canon: Going back in time and altering something can have severe consequences, and it's something that I guess Professor Zoom is able to pull off without endangering himself, and blah-blah can't because Flash is also using the speedforce I get it.

So the ripple causes a ton of changes apparently
1) Bruce being killed instead of his parents
2) Superman landing directly in Metropolis and being captured by the government
3) Hal Jordan never received his ring
4) Atlantis rose under Aquaman as an army to conquer the land
5) Wonder Woman rose her own army and is deadlocked with Aquaman's
6) Lex Luthor and Slade Wilson are good

And millions are dying now, apparently.

The dumbest thing about this and this is huge spoilers: Professor Zoom says this is all Barry's fault because of the ripple.

Free-will be damned it's the FLASH'S FAULT.

This is pretty standard comic book plot anyway, but here's something I've been having trouble with lately with comics in general: The "alternate timeline/universe story" is SO PLAYED OUT AND DISGUISED AS A COMPLETELY ORIGINAL STORY. It's a safety net where you have this "new world" but it's not really?! You have a bunch of the same old heroes, just altered because... gotta make it not too different. Here's a major thing: Thomas Wayne is now Batman. He's a casino owner. He also uses guns in his arsenal as well as some other firepower. Apparently he's jaded in the movie because he's pursuing the Joker who, again, in this version is Martha. This was a cool concept when I first heard about it, and the comic doesn't look too bad either. Of course that isn't examined in this, in fact it just borrows the "Thomas is deadly and mean" bit, the Joker bit is briefly shown in the flashback to Bruce's death when Martha goes mad, and then a wall with a deck of cards hung up including the center being... the joker.

Superman is different at least! And to give credit he's not the evil overlord he tends to keep becoming, like in Justice League Unlimited, or in Injustice, or his counterpart Ultraman... or... yeah. Instead, he was captured and cloned by the government and when he's rescued he's extremely malnourished. And what does he do when he's finally exposed to the sun? Accidentally disintegrates a bunch of army guys firing on them. Then he flies off in fear. Then comes back and just starts being kinda deadly again by... severing Aquaman's arm?!

Did I mention this movie is STUPIDLY violent, like there's violence, Doomsday was violent and was PG-13 as well, Gods and Monsters was violent, but this is EXCESSIVE. And to tie it in with alternate stuff, Captain Marvel (Or SHAZAM I GUESS NOW) is now like five different kids, and after being reverted back to Wonder Woman, she takes the main kid I think is supposed to be the original AND STABS HIM WITH A BROKEN SWORD. The actual stab is off screen, luckily, but he drops to the ground, bloody and dead WE GET IT WONDER WOMAN IS EVIL COME ON.

And the worst of it... there's an overarching theme in DC where they try to never kill villains. So how does Barry get rescued from Zoom? Batman blows Zoom's brains out. Kinda literally, you get to see the clear bullet hole in Zoom's head as he stands horrified at being killed so off-handed. Yup, in a world where there's too much killing, the solution was to... kill more. What a cop out, wasn't Superman IV guilty of the exact same thing

Whatever, point is Flash gets his hearty helping of speedforce to go back in time, stop himself from altering the timeline, apparently merges with that old self, and... this creates a new world, apparently. This is what caused New 52.

... I'm not really caring about New 52 even more by the second.

3) What DID I like

This is a really dark movie, and the atmosphere is really well done, where spots of hope have the scene more lighted and lively, and then it takes a darker turn and of course Batman is there to remind us yup it's a bit dark.

I really want to like this movie more but it just outright ruined "alternate storylines" for me. Marvel does it, DC does it, it's just DONE. How many more Batmen do we need that happen to use lethal force? Do we need another alternative Superman? Just get some new stories, I know DC universe is all connected but things like Static Shock were mostly disconnected, that worked out really well! Batman by Tim Burton, never any sign of anybody with superpowers running around, the most you could consider "supernatural" was how much control the Penguin had over penguins. Also that was before the comic movie resurgence came out I am totally not counting the Tim Burton movies in the alternate storylines bunch.

OVERALL: You may enjoy it. It's got four stars on Netflix. I have terrible taste. I just reviewed it under my opinion.

#3

I've been kind of binge-watching 'Batman: The Animated Series' lately. Great show. Quality varies, of course, but it's generally really good.

I'm not going to go into specific episodes. All I really want to say is that I f*cking hate the Riddler in general. He's such garbage.

Like, nevermind the live-action ones. Frank Gorshin and Jim Carrey were charismatic, they get a pass.

It's just...I mean, TAS is the show that introduced the modern tragic take on Mister Freeze, it gave us the cute/messed-up Joker/Harley deal. Like, TAS really thrives on interesting villains. Clayface, Two-Face, the Penguin all get great episodes. You get sad weirdoes like the Mad Hatter and Baby Doll, you get maniacs who want to see Batman broken like Ra's Al-Ghul, Joker and Bane. Even some psychosexual stuff with the likes of Catwoman and Poison Ivy. And then there's the Riddler, whose primary motivation is to demonstrate that he's smarter than everyone, and Batman in particular. Wow, what a douchebag. Smug, petty and loathesome. Like no wonder he didn't show up to the card game in "Almost Got 'Im"----------the other villains would have pantsed this f*ckin nerd and snicker-snagged on him.

I don't follow the comics. Does the Riddler have anything going for him in the comics? Anything at all? Maybe a secret gay crush on Batman, and the riddles are all just a huge 'notice me senpai!' love-letter to him? That would be an interesting take on the character. Far better than the nothing we got now.

#4

The Riddler has some neat characterization in the comics and even throws in the villain-towel for a while. New 52 is crap though.

I would like to get into TAS again, although I may give The Batman another shot while it's on Netflix. Not as great, but still some decent stuff in there, and I love the over exaggerated villain designs (But the way they handle Joker and Harley is sucky)[DOUBLEPOST=1459376836,1459376760][/DOUBLEPOST]Although it seems like they had the Riddler when they wanted a more "fun" villain for Batman in the comics, he adopted very well into the Adam West show, and from there when dark and gritty was the way, they saw him and DC was all "well, crap, what do we do with him"

#5

I'll say one thing for the Riddler---------he has this.

[media=youtube]EAlfr7wsqcM[/media]

Bang a gong.

(EDIT: ^Is 'The Batman' the one where Joker's a barefoot Rastafarian brute? That was a little bit of a deal-breaker. I concede it must have been really hard to follow the Mark Hamill version from TAS, but, like, you shouldn't throw that much of a swerve in.)

Apollo the Just · #6

runner just reset a run 5 minutes in on a 3-hour speedgame 0/10 would not recommend to friends

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #7

G Gundam, Episode 1.

I really like this series but, like Yu Yu Hakusho, I don't feel like watching the whole series because I've seen them both to death (DBZ, too). So I just sometimes watch the first episode since it is pretty much my favorite anyway (YYH has a great first episode as well).

It's great, as usual. The apocalyptic-esque setting, good fight, great music, cool characters, interesting plot, and 90's anime style really goes a long way to making this a 10/10. Oh, and voice acting is superb for most characters.

Did you ever try this series, CL? It's like a more grounded DBZ with a much more focused plot, and giant robots. Yu Yu Hakusho kind of goes that way as well--it's DBZ with demon hunting. Both are worth a shot.

#8

[QUOTE="Booyakasha, post: 1591089, member: 17381"](EDIT: ^Is 'The Batman' the one where Joker's a barefoot Rastafarian brute? That was a little bit of a deal-breaker. I concede it must have been really hard to follow the Mark Hamill version from TAS, but, like, you shouldn't throw that much of a swerve in.)[/QUOTE]
yeah that was probably the worst design

#9

It's just such a weird departure. He's so different that they should have just made him a whole new character. Like, maybe have him be some kind of charismatic cult-leader or something, who attracts thugs not because he's demonstrably evil, but because he offers them a step up. Show that, you know? Show kids getting into crime because why not. Show Batman conflicted at having to beat the sh*t out of outcast parentless kids, kids who are basically him, only without any money at all.

'Batman' as a franchise shouldn't be afraid of tackling difficult subject matter.

YouTube · #10

Game Grumps: Super Mario Galaxy ep. 59

Egoraptor sucks at 3-D platformers. Danny refuses to help other than offering passive advice a few seconds too late. At least their conversations are funny.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

#11

^That pretty much sums up GG lately. 'Arin isn't very good and feels bad; Danny tries to console him whilst also laughing at him.'

Maybe they should go play 'Power Stone', just to shake things up. 'Power Stone' is really f*ckin fun. Like how awesome would it be to see the Grumps play it completely blind. Stumbling into the mechanics by accident.

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #12

^ That would be fun. I have Power Stone Collection (PSP). They're great games but nobody I know wants to play it. Too bad it doesn't go online (there's some convoluted method involving a PS3 but I don't wanna bother). I wouldn't mind watching someone else play if I can't.

ScottyMcGee · #13

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance):

Second time I watched it. Birdman is one of those rare Oscar winners that I actually enjoy watching again. Usually Oscar winning pictures are great, yeah, but they're long and tedious and make you want to fall asleep. It's not that they're BAD. They're great at what they do. They're just not the kinds of movies you watch repeatedly. Birdman is absurd and meaningful and watchable all at the same time. It illustrates one of the great arguments in film (and art really) - substance vs. spectacle - in a grand 2 hour romp. But it doesn't FEEL like 2 hours - even though the entire movie was edited to create the effect of a single take. Everyone is great in this film - Michael Keaton, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Zach Galifinakis, Emma Stone - there's not one character you DON'T want to see or feel bored around.

X-3 · #14

I understand now.

Apollo the Just · #15

DBZ Abridged episode 52 is fantastic and a godsend. 10/10.

I watched abridged to make myself feel better about the events in the actual series and was p much dying of laughter.

Vegeta: "BOY DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE AND BE A PARENT"
Trunks: "FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING!!"

Sass levels - maximum. 10/10
#Accuracy - tbh the commentary about goku's parenting at like all times is so on point. this series gets too real sometimes. Also 10/10

#16

'Ewok Adventures'

Felt compelled to revisit these, owin to it having been Star Wars Day last week and all.

...they hold up. Like so maybe the writing isn't uniformly super-great-------------it's still Lucasfilm, back when that meant something. Pretty good practical effects. Great music. And boy, but I like Cindel and Mace, and Wicket. Likeable, relatable characters. Mace is actually one of my favourite characters in all of SW. He's great. He has an arc in the first movie, and he literally dies trying to protect his family in the second. Mace Towani the champ.

(EDIT: They got Sian Phillips to play the witch in 'Battle For Endor'. Wonder how they managed that. Sian Phillips is an extraordinary talent. Also strikingly beautiful---------like, she would have been fifty-two (?) when she played Charal, and she looked amazing.

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #17

Dragon Ball Super Episode 42.

Basically a filler episode, as the next several seem to be, but it was actually funny. It seems these are the only times the likes of Yamcha and Chiaotzu do something other than get mentioned by name once in a while, or get shown for a second doing and saying literally nothing. Yamcha had a legitimately funny moment. Chiaotzu did something. Tien spoke. It was Dragon Ball. Still a major lack of Yajirobe, but Toriyama did say that he he forgets him a lot. I also assume Launch died or something because she basically doesn't exist anymore.

I would give it a solid 7 in terms of Dragon Ball material (which is always perfect compared to anything else). Also, the ending themes are so cool, just gonna post the latest here because I want to.

[MEDIA=youtube]ohVQ_p712ss[/MEDIA]

Apollo the Just · #18

Dragon Ball Super Episodes 15-18. The most important of which was EPISODE 17 WITH BABY PAN.

I probably shouldn't have watched the Battle of Gods movie BEFORE the series, because it made the battle with Beerus feel way too drawn-out (compared to a 10-minute long movie fight scene). I should be used to this because original series DBZ took 10 episodes to fire a single attack, and yet here we are. But overall as much as the movie was hilarious and fantastic the series definitely did Goku a lot more justice as a character. Shoutout to Super for making me not hate Goku entirely. Probably because Gohan is grown up now so he can't ruin his life, and he can't ruin Goten's life because Gohan and Vegeta and Piccolo are basically all his dads.

Really like Beerus and Whis, actually. 10/10 antagonists and also aesthetic #goals.

Papa Gohan is 100000/10 I am so happy for him.

Overall, after finishing the Battle of Gods arc, I'd say it was a solid start to a new series. There is so much more interpersonal shenanigans which I appreciate bc I love the characters so much. I'm assuming **** gets more real soon but in the meantime this was a great way to get me hooked on a new series. 8/10 arc.

[QUOTE="I REALLY HATE POKEMON!, post: 1595150, member: 18119"]I also assume Launch died or something because she basically doesn't exist anymore.[/QUOTE]

To quote DBZ Abridged: "who?"

#19

Man. Yesterday's SU eps were pretty great. Boy, but Steven was clutch as hell.

[EDIT][spoiler]I hope Jasper's okay. I like Jasper. She's hard as nails.

Tell you what, it was really sweet, when Steven and Peri thought the world was ending, and Peridot told Steven she was sorry she couldn't save the planet, and asked him if he had any last words, and Steven hugged her and told her he loved her. Boy. Right in the feels.[/spoiler]

Apollo the Just · #20

The Jungle Book: 8/10!! The low point of the movie was probably the sequence with the monkey king- that dragged on too long, long enough for me to be pulled out of the movie and go "huh this chase scene is taking forever are we done yet." Loved everything else though, and the CG was freakin incredible. There were a lot of sweet family feelings moments and a lot of really epic sequences and I thought it was clever how the "time passing" part was filmed almost like a nature documentary.