Sunday 22 May 2022

A Positive Post

 I am still fuming over yesterday and it will take some time before I'll can talk more about THAT movie. Today, however, is one with positivity.

First off, the Australian Federal Election is finally over (and hopefully all those forsaken UAP ads). We finally got rid of the arrogant and sef-absorbed morons, with an increase in Green votes just makes it all the sweeter.

I've also been working on a few Blood Bowl teams. I have found that doing one or two models here and there helps keep me going, even if its slow. Main ones I am working are an Underworld team and a Necromatic Horrors team. The latter is my attempt at a simple Halloween theme on to go with the festive theme Space Wolves. Speaking of which, finally settled on a colour scheme for the Thunderwolves, but will alter their riders with a Snowman look.

Finally, found a video about an app that lets you take photos of objects and turn them into 3D objects in 3D software. This could be a rather useful tool. I prefer to work with props, but given the space I have means that I have rather limited options. Something like this could provide a solutions to a few of the problems I've encountered.

Overall, a much better day then yesterday.

Saturday 21 May 2022

Rescue Rangers Movie Review/Rant

You all knew this was coming, so here it is. I saw the Rescue Rangers movie and wish I hadn't. Good lord was it horrific and cringy to sit through. I know what some will say, that it's just a movie and nothing to get offended about and they might be right. However, today I will give myself permission to get offended over this shit, because I'm passionate about it.

So let's start with the positives: Seeing Ugly Sonic made me want to go back and watch the far more superior Sonic movies, which I don't think that was what they were going for.

Now let's move on to the negatives. The story is terrible. It may have worked if the characters they had based them on were one's off a series and only that series in question, but we are talking about Chip and Dale, who have been around for some time, including after the Rescue Rangers show ended. The movie makes it out that were best of friends and that they only worked together on that show for Disney and nothing else for them before or after. That Rescue Rangers is what made them famous before breaking up as a result of Dale. The rules for this so-called universe seem to clash somewhat if you were to compare this to the other Disney afternoon shows, let alone other Disney franchises that they supposedly recognised. The fact that other non-Disney franchises were thrown into this movie, along with a Rodger Rabbit scene, tries to give that same feel as the world in the movie Who Framed Rodger Rabbit, but can't seem to figure out what parts are considered cannon in this world and what isn't. Even as the story progressed I just couldn't enjoy it. You could easily take out the Rescue Rangers and replace them with say, Bonkers D. Bobcat and it would have worked just as well, if not better.

I'll skip the whole Gadget x Zipper part. Seems like the whole reason they put it in was to piss off the Rescue Ranger fanbase in the hopes that their fury would entice more subscribers to Disney+. I'll also skip the Peter Pan thing because knowing the truth behind what happen to Bobby Driscroll made these scenes very uncomfortable. Once again, Disney has some serious issues, because some of this stuff is not OK.

The animation was mixed. Some parts were good, but a lot of the 2D stuff seemed off. Some characters had shading while other characters with the exact style of character designs didn't, which was very off putting. Some of the interaction between animation and 'live-action' also seemed a little out of place, which should have had someone go over it a few times to better incorporate it. Human actors did a decent enough job, which only makes me wish this had been a Bonkers movie instead of a Rescue Rangers one.

Music was...Honestly, I can't recall any of it or if it was any good, but I refuse to watch it again just to write this part.

Overall, I came in with low expectations and some how it was worse then even I thought it could be, so kudos to Disney for surpassing that. Honestly, this movie never felt like Rescue Rangers, nor did it even treat the RR fans with any sort of respect. This should have been a Bonkers movie as that had a lot more in common with this universe then any other of the Disney shows (yes, even the Might Ducks cartoon would work better as a live-action CGI action movie on a human only world instead of this one). I have to wonder who's idea this was, because it was a missed opportunity for one show while screwing over the other. As a Rescue Rangers fan, this felt like an assassination on the characters and franchise, but as a movie it is over bloated with character cameos and very little actual substance beyond that. I knew I would hate this movie, just didn't expect it to piss me off as much as it did.

I must apologise to Space Jam: A New Legacy. That movie was an advert for their HBO subscription service and while that was bad and I had serious issues with it, I never felt truly offended by it. But this movie, I have to ask: How is it that out of all the re-boots, re-imaginings and sequels done by Disney over the last 10 to 20 years, Duck Tales has been the only one that understood it's characters and premise in telling its stories while still treating its audience with respect?

I just don't think Disney has it anymore. Thank goodness with animation movies this year with Sonic 2 and The Bad Guys that there are still good animation movie scene that actually give a shit about what they produce.

Wednesday 18 May 2022

The RR Shitshow Continues

So recently there has been more talk on the upcoming Rescue Rangers movie that has done little to improve my opinion of it.

The first is that we are now seeing various scenes from the first trailer, but now with much better animation. From what has been said, it appears that the trailer may have been using unfinished animations and that they were still working on the movie at the time. If that is true, then I feel sorry for the animation team, as there is no doubt that it would have given a negative impression of their skills. It also once again calls into question the competence of those in charge of all this.

Speaking of which, we also now know that the 'ugly Sonic' from the original Sonic Movie design will also be in it and will have at least some dialogue given they have someone to voice him. Here's the thing though, those in charge heard the complaints and changed it for the better, creating a movie that was more successful then they thought it could be. Disney on the other hand, never listens to fans and the community and does whatever they like, even if it's a disaster. They may have put him in as a joke, but it only reminds me of a more successful movie that is becoming a great cinematic universe.

There is an ever growing belief that this movie will be a train wreak, but an entertaining one. Sometimes one needs to see a shit show to help them better appreciate the work of others.