Pokémon: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon (2006) Review:

The Pokémon franchise has had much success in its long run of episodes and films. Occasionally though, there’s bound to be one or two things about it where mistakes are made. To most who enjoyed the original set of voice actors, the new set to take over in Season 9 is the first biggest mistake. However, there was another moment where the voice cast was in the middle of a change. Upon its tenth anniversary, the franchise released a special to commemorate that milestone. Again, from the Japan side it was played fairly consistent with the voice cast being who they’ve been since it began. Not so much from the US side though. This special is unique all right, but for too many bad reasons. There’s really nothing about it that makes it worth a ten-year recognition.

The plot is about Ash and company being invited to the laboratory of Dr. Yung (Bill Timoney), a colleague of Professor Oak’s. It is there he wants to test out his newest creation of what he calls “Mirage Pokémon”. To accomplish this, Dr. Yung uses sophisticated technology to extract DNA from Pokémon using a database and then creating holograms that produce the same kind of effects as regular Pokémon. That is until a mysterious figure known as “The Mirage Master” kidnaps Dr. Yung and intends to use this new creation as a means of world domination. The script was handled by a different duo from Japan. Masamitsu Hidaka directed who also headed Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns (2000) and writing was by Shinzô Fujita, who is no stranger to the franchise either. What doesn’t make sense is just how uninspired the story is.

The identity of the mysterious mirage master should be of no surprise to anyone who’s been watching all episodes and films up to this point. It’s just not hard to figure out. Additionally, why was it that if this antagonist wanted to rule the world, why did he invite Ash and friends and even Misty? Of course it’s because that’s what fans recognize, but at least include characters that would make sense in the plan. Misty has no reason of being there other than to make fans happy that the original trio is back on screen. Additionally, the whole concept of mirage Pokémon speaks for itself. It’s an idea that should never become a thing as it’s just not practical or improve the style of Pokémon in any way. Who wants to own holograms that can think and act like real life Pokémon? It’s not like they take up a lot of room; hence the full name pocket monsters? At least the villain has a backstory this time though.

It just feels random, kind of like just another episode with an extended run time but with lazier writing. Which thankfully still is rather painless as to if it were a full length film. What further makes this hard to watch is the voice acting from the US side. Unfortunately for those who saw this when it originally aired, Sarah Natochenny wasn’t the voice of Ash just yet, even though she did a redub to this special later on. Originally, voicing the main character was Kayzie Rogers who really only voices Max in Season 9. Rogers as Ash is shaky at best and that’s probably because she was trying to get the feel for the character. Michele Knotz also voices Misty in this special and it’s an okay showing but nothing significant. Not even Bill Timoney as the mirage master is interesting and he’s done voice work for other animes.

Really, the iffy voice acting and half-hearted story barely allows even for mild fluff. Making things more confusing is cinematography and animation which looks again to be of the regular episode quality. It’s surprising since Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns (2000) was also a special but had a much crisper and vibrant look to it. Hisao Shirai returns for this special as director of photography but it’s unclear where the digital camera sits as there’s no swooping shots of any sort. Then there’s Shinji Miyazaki returning to score the special which does have merit since he has been working on the franchise for quite some time. And to expect an album release at all for the cues composed would be a great misstep. Not even an album was released in Japan for this.

About as lame as the plot to Pokémon the Movie 2000 (1999), there’s very little to enjoy out of this special. The plot is random, with uneven voice acting and the animation doesn’t look any better than the TV show episodes. Music and runtime are probably the best things about this at all.

Points Earned --> 3:10

Pokémon: Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006) Review:

Ever since Pokémon’s anime began, fans could not get enough of the adventures of Ash and friends. Season after season and film after film, the truly devoted Pokébuffs would be there to watch the adventures unfold. Much of the reason behind this was the original voice cast and the studio behind it. 4Kids Entertainment may not have been the most prestigious of children’s programming but they did assist in bringing anime to the west. However to many followers’ shock, the company wouldn’t renew their representation agreement thus handing over the brand to new management beginning 2006. With that came one the most notable changes; different voice actors. To this day, several people remain unhappy with the abrupt turn and have not followed the franchise since. That doesn’t mean the franchise itself stopped though because a new film came out anyway.

The story, as expected continues the journey of Ash and friends. This time, they’re crossing paths with two parties – the Marina group who are descendants of a tribe called the People of the Water and Phantom the Pirate. What Phantom is after is a Pokémon egg from Manaphy, a rare Pokémon that is known as the prince of the sea. It is this Pokémon that could lead Phantom to his greatest plunder. Despite the US production changing hands, the Japan side hasn’t. The Yuyama and Sonoda duo haven’t gone anywhere and maintain their regular positions. Doing the English adaptation this time was Armen Mazlumian as director and James Carter Cathcart for the screenplay. Both also perform as voice actors. For plot, there’s an attempt to make it stand out but it does walk on very familiar ground.

The execution of the story feels very much like Pokémon: Jirachi — Wish Maker (2003) with some minor changes in perspective. Instead of Max becoming the main focus where he develops a bond with Jirachi, it’s May who becomes attached to Manaphy. While changing the attention to another character is something that should be done, having it feel like the same scenario from another movie doesn’t exactly make it feel all that new. May’s relationship with Manaphy is touching, but enough to say its unique enough. Additionally, Phantom as the villain isn’t all that fleshed out. He’s certain not the poor quality that was Lawrence III, but he’s not better by a huge margin either. Phantom is a pirate…okay so his motivation is just to be king of the sea? It’s pretty generic since that could’ve been the motivation without knowing the whole Manaphy egg subplot.

Regardless of that, the biggest hurdle fans have to overcome is the difference in voice cast. Which in all honesty is acceptable. Upon initially hearing the change it is jarring because it sounds like the actors are trying to play as the original cast. To some extent it can be understood why but it makes it all the more apparent. Nonetheless, over time the voices sound more natural. Sarah Natochenny replacing Veronica Taylor as Ash Ketchum takes some getting used to but it’s best to keep in mind she was given the role at age 19. Also replacing Veronica Taylor and Rachael Lillis is Michele Knotz as May and Jessie. Knotz actually does a decent job taking on these characters almost sounding exactly the same. Kayzie Rogers as Max is okay but the actors who stand out the most is James Carter Cathcart as James and Bill Rogers as Brock. All the acting is fine but it’s just the sound that needs getting used to.

Visually speaking, the look of the film continues to maintain its standard. Cinematography again was handled by Takaya Mizutani however that was done. The animation itself though is on prior entries as well, perhaps improving its CGI renders slightly, but not by much. And as expected, like Mizutani and the other Japanese members listed before Shinji Miyazaki returns again for composing music for this entry. This time, Miyazaki gives his score some Caribbean flavor by adding steel drums to his orchestra. Of course that is when the scene calls for it. And not like it needs to be said either but no domestic album release for this score as well. Guess there really just aren’t enough Pokébuffs out there who demand the scores to these films. Oh well.

Devotees of the earlier seasons may struggle to get over the change in voice cast more than the actual story itself. It’s not vastly different from other entries but can entertain its fan base. The new voice cast gives a good first effort, the music still is nice and the animation keeps consistency.

Points Earned --> 5:10

Oculus (2013) Review:

Within the realm of horror, many things have been depicted as being haunted or possessed. From dolls, to houses, to even people, something wicked usually takes over and enters the living realm. Sometimes though, the more simplified the item, the more ominous it may seem. An example of this is HAL-9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 – A Space Odyssey (1968). While not haunted in any way, the straightforward design of the character led to some unnerving scenes within the movie. The same could be said for this feature where the main focus is on a mirror, which doesn’t even have an individual face to boot. While having lead other films prior to this one, director Mike Flanagan would make himself more known with this release. He would also later go on to direct Hush (2016).

Despite the title not sounding like it’s at all related, the story is about Tim and Kaylie Russell (Brenton Thwaites & Karen Gillan), a brother and sister who went through a traumatic experience together after the family acquired a strange mirror. Both of their parents (Katee Sackhoff & Rory Cochrane) lost their minds and in self-defense Tim shot his father. Several years later after being deemed sane, Tim reunites with Kaylie only to learn he made a promise to her that they would find the mirror and destroy it. Written by Mike Flanagan as well as Jeff Howard, a frequent co-writer of Flanagan’s work, this supernatural horror film has plenty of things to contemplate over. One of the most intriguing aspects about this story is just learning about the history of the mirror and again, it’s design.

Even though no specific reason is given as to how the mirror became possessed, being explained the background of the mirror is enough captivation. Adding to that, when seeing how this object has affected Tim and Kaylie is all the more tragic. There’s also the dynamic between the two siblings – one coming out of rehab, while the other plotting revenge. Two different perspectives on the events that occurred back in their childhood. What truly happened as to what one was told happened; reality vs logic. Meanwhile the mirror stands idly by, watching and waiting to claim its next victim. What doesn’t work in the films favor is how the character threads overlap. As time progresses, events almost seem liked reflected images of the past, which makes sense with the whole mirror thing going on. However, this raises further questions when it comes to the mirror itself. Is it omniscient; because it’s almost too precise.

Acting is done proficiently within the running time. While the cast is small, viewers can easily recognize most of the actors from other films. Karen Gillan at the time was new, but would shortly star in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Brenton Thwaites started out similarly with this feature and would then get involved with Maleficent (2014) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). Katee Sackhoff is no stranger to horror films having been in Halloween: Resurrection (2002), White Noise 2: The Light (2007) and The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013). Rory Cochrane is also well known in films like Dazed and Confused (1993), Argo (2012) and Black Mass (2015). As for the kids, Annalise Basso and Garrett Ryan both are just starting out but show promise in their capabilities.

For visuals, it’s impressive how well the production was able to work around the fact that a mirror can expose tricks used in filmmaking. Michael Fimognari is credited as cinematographer and it looks good. The long standing shots of the dark mirror allows for much dread to be felt. The music was also a decent effort from The Newton Brothers. While synthesis and electronic pulses aren’t normally the most engaging of score material, the composer duo managed to make such an album with said techniques that actually work to the film’s credit. The thumping bass line is the motif for the mirror and there are rarely any stings with in the tracks provided. It still would be nice for them to create more themes for their new works in the future. The album itself does contain over an hour of material and an overall theme for the franchise. It’s worth a listen.

There is some vagueness in how the antagonist to the feature is able to manipulate things, alluding to the fact of it’s true power. Besides this though, the performances really sell the idea along with the eerie music and a foreboding prop design.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005) Review:

Fans of Pokémon have long since been aware of the film entries after every season finishes. With season 8 also known as "Advanced Battle" completing itself, the next film was on its way. To expect anything above the quality that's been output before is a bit of a stretch, but there's nothing wrong with wanting that. The films of the franchise have more or less been equal to each other with the occasional outlier mainly at the beginning. What’s surprising though is just how much attention this particular entry gets mainly because of one of the characters in the title. For some reason, Lucario took off in popularity. Or at least so it seems. However, when it comes to the experience, the execution to this movie doesn’t step itself up by a lot. There’s still issues but this time in different places and same can be said for the good parts.

The plot is about a telepathic Pokémon named Lucario (Sean Schemmel) who lived during a more medieval time along with his partner Sir Aaron (Jason Griffith) when factions were at war. Unfortunately, when everyone needed him most, Sir Aaron disappeared leaving Lucario locked in a scepter. That is until Ash and company happen to free him in the current time. Now, Lucario wants to understand his place. Meanwhile, a world record holder Kidd Summers (Rebecca Soler) crosses paths with the group as well hoping to find Mew and its connection to the land Lucario once lived on. Again, from the Japanese end is the Yuyama and Sonoda duo. Doing the domestic adaption was Darren Dunstan directing, Kathy Pilon and John Touhey writing respectively. For the story itself it is clear that things are taking a slightly altered approach…initially. Yes, the film begins with the season 8 title music with a Pokémon battle, but there’s more.

In a way like Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi – Voice of the Forest (2001), viewers get to see a little more of what the world was like in the past and the style of the era. Adding to that, is the lore surrounding Sir Aaron as an important figure and how Ash is able to free Lucario. While it’s never been displayed before in the show, new things are learned that better explain why certain characters can do certain things. It is by far a better way of giving the audience a reason why someone could be called “the chosen one” as oppose to how it was executed in Pokémon the Movie 2000 (1999). Sadly, this is where the positives end. When it comes to story, the remaining part of it continues to be what’s been shown before. Elements containing dramatic moments that don’t lead to much of a payoff with the main characters, has been shown before.

So to suspect any of the key protagonists are in any real peril is hardly a thought. Characters of the day like Kidd Summers who just join for their own reasons is just another usual thing these entries have. It would be nice to not have one every now and then. Then there’s the lack of continuity, since Ash, Brock and Pikachu have all encountered Mew back in the first movie. No reference to ever remembering their past adventure.Not even Team Rocket who are more involved in this story seem to remember. Again, this doesn’t take away from the performances as all voice actors do well. Jason Griffith has voiced Sonic the Hedgehog and Sean Schemmel is of course known for being the voice of adult Goku in the Dragonball franchise. Kind of strange that Lucario produces blue energy blasts in a similar fashion to the Kamehameha. Wonder if that was intentional.

Perhaps one of the more interesting things to hear are the three Regi- Pokémon (Ice, Steel and Rock). They have some of the strangest cries…sounding like computer viruses. With respect to sight, the animation is decent with Kazuaki Mouri as executive animation director. Much of movements between characters are very fluid, which adds a whole new dimension. Shockingly there’s no credit at all to directory of photography on IMDb, despite the film crediting Takaya Mizutani as such. The same could also be said for Shinji Miyazaki who composed the film score listed in the film, but IMDb lists Go Ichinose. Even with those mistakes the music is good despite having no domestic album release. That’s definitely not a surprise. The sound though is a mix between more orchestral sounding pieces with occasional synths in the background.

Really the viewing experience to this entry won’t be too different from others. The plot expands and expounds certain things about the world of Pokémon a little more than before, to point where it begins to makes some sense. Even though the direction goes into predictable territory as time progresses. Still the voice acting, music and animation all make it entertaining enough.

Points Earned --> 6:10

House (1985) Review:

Mixing genres in movies is not an unheard of move when it comes to making original ideas. Of those blends, putting horror and comedy together has proven to work. A more recent example of this could be The Cabin in the Woods (2011). Or if looking further back, Gremlins (1984) is another feature that has confirmed such a concept can be profitable. Of course though, with every success comes those who don’t make out as well as they could have, for whatever reason. This feature has an interesting history since it was originally conceived by Fred Dekker, the poor filmmaker who ended up having what he wrote completely changed. Originally to be taken as a straight forward horror film, wound up being changed to contain horror and comedy. With that said, many could understand how that could upset others.

So now, the film that actually is available is about popular novelist Roger Cobb (William Katt) learning that his relative passed away in the house he grew up in. But the house has more than just a childhood history with Cobb. At one point, Cobb lived with his currently divorced wife Sandy (Kay Lenz) and son Jimmy. However, just like the house itself leaving an impression, so did Vietnam as Cobb was a war veteran who lost a partner Ben (Richard Moll) in combat. Doing these rewrites was Ethan Wiley in his first writing credit and it kind of shows maybe changing the original concept wasn’t the right decision. In short the technical aspects to this feature works pretty well, but the story is where it’s hit and miss. It’s unfortunate too because direction was handled by Steve Miner, who also headed Friday the 13^th Part 2 (1981) and Part III (1982).

So why couldn’t competent direction amend some of the experience? It feels as though most of it sits on the star’s shoulders. William Katt as Roger Cobb is okay in his performance, but lacks the charm to really bring in the audience to feel the way the character does. Perhaps some of this alienation is on purpose because most civilians never understand the trauma of war. However, when adding elements of comedy into the mix it’s just confusing. Should the audience be laughing or should it be as awkward as presented in the film? The only character that delivers some comical lines is Harold (George Wendt), a neighbor who is pretty much clueless on every level. The other supporting characters very much play it that same way but don’t seem to make an impact. Surely the production wasn’t banking on Katt and Wendt to deliver all the laughs. Aside from comedic line reading, the acting is acceptable from all actors.

There’s even appearances from Mary Stavin playing another one of Cobb’s neighbors, Michael Ensign, better known as the hotel manager from Ghost Busters (1984), as well as Steven Williams and Alan Autry. Even with that to the film’s credit, this picture isn’t scary. It may frighten smaller viewers or those who just don’t watch horror films…but the scare factor has no kick to it since bad comedic elements were thrown in. The visuals to the feature favor pretty well though. Because of the decade it was produced, much of the visuals are practical effects which all look decently crafted. The final boss looks good too although the verbal mouthing does not completely match lines dubbed in post-production. It’s too bad since those creature scenes could have led to some rather gory deaths.

Cinematography was another professional looking component. Shot by Mac Ahlberg, there are number of imaginative ways the house twists and turns Cobb in different directions; changing from one setting to another. Ahlberg also worked on Re-Animator (1985), Deepstar Six (1989) and Robot Jox (1989). Lastly, the musical score was composed by Harry Manfredini. Best known for creating the iconic score to Friday the 13^th (1980). Manfredini seems to keep some of those familiar themes for better or for worse. While it does sound like it could belong to another Friday film, there are moments unique to this feature alone because of how the track was composed. The album also is a bit shorter in material but it still gives the listener a good idea of what was wanted to be conveyed.

The technical parts to the film are very much on board, with solid camerawork, special effects and music. Sadly, the acting from the actors isn’t enough to keep the experience from feeling dull. There’s nothing horrific or funny about either aspect of the film, partly due to the lead’s lack of appeal. It’s average at best.

Points Earned --> 5:10