nurikochan's Reviews

Titans: The Call Is Coming from Inside the House (2021)

Season 3, Episode 11

4/10

Incredibly disappointing from a strong start to the season

10 October 2021

There were a handful of nice character moments for about three characters, but Dick, Connor, Garfield and nearly everyone else suffered from a combination of poor writing and lack of episode time.

There is too much going on and the entire Starfire storyline is entirely unnecessary for the whole season, and especially for this episode - they should have focused on Red Hood vs Nightwing properly, as well as Tim Drake and those involved in his storyline.

Characterisations and plot continuity are way off a lot of times or simply don't make sense, and some characters are just so badly written you can't care enough about them to even hate them.

The season started promisingly, then faded... and then we are left with this entry. Too many loose ends and I fear the rest of the season won't adequately tie them up.

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Batman: The Animated Series: Second Chance (1994)

Season 3, Episode 2

9/10

Full of great character moments

8 November 2020

For fans of the comic books across the decades, this episode certainly highlighted the important relationships between Bruce and two important people in his life - Harvey and Dick. They are two very different kinds of relationships he has with them, but we see how it affects the things he does, and the faith and trust he has in them.

It's a great episode for showing more of Dick's personality too, getting a good number of trademark Robin one-liners (some can be found in the Quotes section), as well as showing some more tension between the Dynamic Duo.

Some reliable detective work, character cameos, villainous chatter, heroism from characters, discussions of motivations, and dramatic lighting effects are among the numerous small details that add to this great episode. Minor things such as developments in the plot that really shouldn't have happened, except for the sake of being a plot device for the time-limited cartoon, are few and forgivable.

A great episode from start to finish.

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Batman: The Animated Series: I Am the Night (1992)

Season 1, Episode 34

8/10

Remarkable episode full of character

21 October 2020

It's amazing how in the span of about 20 minutes we can get a rare look into Bruce's headspace and what he's feeling. The path he chose to follow by becoming Batman is taking it's toll, and he has to consider if this life-consuming calling is truly for him, or not.

Bruce is blessed to have Alfred and Dick in his life. There wasn't a load of time to do so but in only a few scenes we can see how much these two very important people affect him and are affected by him. And of course, we see his relationship with Jim Gordon - another important person in his life.

Definitely one of the better and more meaningful episodes in the series.

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Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (2015 Video)

8/10

Lighthearted and different

12 October 2020

Definitely takes on a different tone compared to a lot of the other DC animated movies - Batman and Gotham itself are a both somewhat sleeker and lack the gritty edginess in other media. The other main characters (eg Nightwing, Flash, Red Robin, Green Arrow) all seem to be a bit different from their comic book counterparts too, or are a mashup of a few personalities and versions of that character.

It works in this movie though, as the group prove to be a team that work well together as heroes should, despite their differences. Even with limited screentime, we get a decent amount of insight about these versions of characters whether you know them from the comic books or not. The ongoing banter between Nightwing and Flash are particularly amusing.

The villain's plans are weak and won't stand up to close examination, but you don't watch a movie like this for groundbreaking ideas and serious explanations.

I'm still more used to certain actors for some roles, but the overall voice acting was fine. The pace is fast and and doesn't get bogged down. The incidental humour is suitable for all ages, in other words not just silly kid laughs.

Overall a fun watch if you don't take yourself or the movie too seriously.

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Titans: Ghosts (2019)

Season 2, Episode 3

8/10

Great build-up of and fantastic cliffhanger end

28 September 2020

Such a good episode! A relief after the previous ones this season and most of Season 1.

Plenty of well-paced and great character moments showing the developing relationships between them all. You see how Dick really is a hero and a natural leader for the group that inspires respect and admiration. With all that is going on it's going to be a thrill to see if he bends or breaks under the pressure that is building up all around him and the other Titans.

It ends on a suspenseful and exciting note and I can't help but hope that they don't disappoint in the coming episodes!

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Titans: Trigon (2019)

Season 2, Episode 1

2/10

Poor choice to kick off a new season

27 September 2020

They really should have just did a movie-length finale for Season 1, or something, although the weak storytelling in this episode would have made for a poor Season end also, so it was a lose-lose situation.

Best thing about this episode was the introduction of a new character who you know could (and likely will) spell trouble for the team, whether you know the him from other media or not. The attempt to remind us of the importance of Dick and Raven's relationship was nice, but clumsily executed.

Biggest surprise was seeing not-Alfred clearly...but the entire subsequent scene and dialogue was so awkwardly out of character. Worst thing was Raven's sudden unexplainable plot-resolving superpowers, as other reviewers have said.

Season 1 started slow and was shaky the whole way through. One can only hope that this poor start to season 2 of can only mean it gets better.

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Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans (2019 Video)

2/10

Better than Teen Titans Go! To The Movies but still bad

23 September 2020

It was a relief to see the old Team Titans, but sadly the overall characterisations were off and it truly was just another TTG entry - shallow, not as clever or funny as it's trying to be, and overrun with unnecessary musical numbers.

The cameos were nice (too bad they were kept to a bare minimum) and the running theme of Starfire's reactions to Robin was the only recurring theme that was amusing to me.

Kevin Michael Richardsen was great voicing Trigon and the overall general plot was a vast improvement from the previous TTG movie, but for fans of the original Teen Titans series (or the Young Justice series, or the various standalone DC movies featuring Robin/Nightwing etc) this was still very disappointing.

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Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016 Video)

2/10

Could have been so much better

19 September 2020

Much like Batman vs Robin and Bad Blood were, this movie is a huge let down. The Teen Titans series and Young Justice series did a good job with characterisations and adjusting ages and abilities to match their respective universes, but unfortunately this movie doesn't deliver. You have some characters older, some younger, some missing, and the mix doesn't work too well.

The title is a bit misleading too, suggesting the Leaguers might have about an equal share of the spotlight, but they're really just guest spots. Making certain characters way too overpowered and nerfing others just made me roll my eyes.

Highlight for me was the Dick and Damian moment (thought they could have done more to show their bond), and the lowest of lows was the dialogue between Damian and his final opponent.

This animation tried to squeeze a storyline (that was told better in the animated TV series I mentioned earlier) into a movie-length feature and fell short. Could have been so much better as a mini series perhaps. I gave this another go... and still left feeling disappointed and annoyed.

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Batman: Bad Blood (2016 Video)

2/10

Disappointing

3 September 2020

I want to like these recent DC animated movies, I really want to, since the stories behind them are indeed interesting, but this is as frustrating to watch as it is disappointing.

Not even the lovely Dick and Damian moments can save the movie from being unbelievably contrived and disjointed. Who are these people? Some ridiculously overpowered, others embarrassingly nerfed? Could not enjoy this.

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Teen Titans: Trust (2005)

Season 5, Episode 3

3/10

A bit frustrating to watch

29 August 2020

Warning: Spoilers

I know these are short episodes and you can't pack much into them, but it's ridiculous how Hotspot and moreso Robin would fail to be more cautious about Rouge and her abilities.

It's nice to get some new characters into the series, but this was a disappointing. A pretty lacklustre start to this Season.

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Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)

6/10

Mostly fun but some weird unnecessary bits that dragged

2 August 2020

The opening credits make it obvious it's going to be a lighthearted animation, but it is a bit silly. The tone of the movie was inconsistent and felt disjointed. As a result, you can't take the dramatic scenes very seriously, and most of the humourous stuff is out of character.

The best part was definitely the Nightwing and Harley scenes, and when Batman finds them. Another plus is Kevin Michael Richardson's voice acting - excellent, as usual.

An overly long music and dance scene was a bit ridiculous, but not as ridiculous as the ending itself.

Overall a refreshing break from the doom and gloom of the other animated movies leading up to and following this movie. Not the worst, but not the best either.

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Son of Batman (2014)

5/10

Way too much suspension of disbelief required

26 July 2020

The things that some characters do are so ridiculous you can't really get into the story. The story itself is all pretty rushed and there's hardly any emotion or connection between characters and plot events. Could have been so much better.

Animation was pretty decent. Nightwing, as always, is awesome.

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Variety Studio: Actors on Actors: Episode #3.3 (2016)

Season 3, Episode 3

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is wonderful to watch

11 June 2020

Both as interviewer and interviewee, Joe is such a great personality and an attentive listener. His and Paul's segment is easily my favourite. He truly is an underrated gem of the industry - sharply dressed, eloquent, genuine, talented, humble, broad-mined and open, and with such an interesting collection of roles he's played, and wonderful art he's produced and contributed towards.

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The Lookout (2007)

10/10

The feels, the fantastic portrayal of the protagonist and the movie's direction! Amazing work!

6 February 2020

I watched this without seeing the trailers or knowing much beyond the basic premise. I can definitely say it's one of the best movies I've seen in my long-overdue catchup of movies from 5-15 years ago.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is absolutely delightful to watch playing the once-cocky and well admired young man who suffers the emotions and isolation you'd expect for someone who's gone through such tragedy. His acting and chemistry with Jeff Daniels really carries the movie, especially when you have to endure (I think) the poor casting choice of Isla Butler and other small details.

The soundtrack is effective and helps finish the movie strongly. The plot is well-paced and keeps you hooked and wondering what will happen next. There is drama, there is action, there is suspense, and so many feels. I definitely recommend it.

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500 Days of Summer (2009)

4/10

Saved by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Chloë Grace Moretz

27 November 2019

I'll start off by saying I watched this while purposefully going through some of JGL's earlier works that I'd yet to see - between 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) and Inception (2010).

I'm not a fan of romcoms in general but I watched this with an open mind and no expectations. I couldn't believe how much I struggled to watch parts of it. It was slow, dull, and the non-linear timeline did nothing for me. I didn't enjoy having to sit through the repeated back-and-forth of watching one person's heartache and the other's selfish indifference when it could have been perfectly well told in chronological order.

As expected, Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a fantastic job as Tom Hanson, and it's through his underappreciated acting skills you can sympathise with his character. Z. Deschanel's character Summer was irritating to watch, but you can see what she was trying to achieve. Some people might think the two of them had chemistry, but I would disagree - anything of that sort I'd again put it down to JGL's acting skills as you mostly see his expressions and body language when the two are in the same shot. Parts with Chloë Grace Moretz (who played Tom's younger sister Rachel) was a refreshing palate-cleanser between the ups and downs of Tom and Summer's pseudo-relationship, and watching the siblings was by far the most genuinely entertaining and delightful parts of the movie. Clark Gregg for his few lines was also good as Tom's sensitive and diplomatic boss Vance.

The movie wasn't a complete disaster, of course, but the overall plot was frustrating and left me pretty disinterested in watching anything more from ZD, and looking forward to (re)watching something better from JGL. Perhaps 10 Things I Hate About You, a romcom that is *actually* witty, meaningful, and full of believable chemistry between friends and loves....

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Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998–1999)

9/10

Leaves you wanting more...especially the last few episodes

5 January 2007

Warning: Spoilers

Contains minor spoilers.

Bit outdated, perhaps, but I watched through the series recently and I love it. It was a bit slow to start, and I had my issues with Kung Lao's character and didn't like Vorpax, but volumes 4-6 are great.

Costume-wise, the movie Sub-Zero (and the other ninja-appearance types) was clearly of better quality. Kung Lao should have kept his hat, and wore something else. Vorpax's outfit was trying too hard (I mean, ugh, puh-lease!). Raiden was OK. Quan Chi was excellent, heh. And Shao Kahn was OK too. Lots of eye candy for male viewers, I'm sure. Or anyone who likes to look at scantily clad women.

There were definitely places where they had to cut costs - reused footage was painfully obvious to me. And I never liked how the ground in Zhu Zin (sp?) was so perfectly smooth despite that camel walking across all the time, and the usual wear and tear a well-trodden marketplace would have to endure. But I keep reminding myself "the budget...".

Siro and Taja were great characters, and I liked Raiden quite a lot. Quan Chi was great too, hehe. Omegis was interesting, as was Sub-Zero (who is cool no matter what). They could have used taller characters though, for characters who are meant to be tall... (Raiden at 7', Sub-Zero over 6' etc...) Would have given him that much more presence, you know? Much deception and backstabbing! And it's a delight to watch. My favourite parts are definitely anything to do with Raiden (who has a sense of humour, if lighter and less dry than the Christopher Lambert-Raiden humour) and the final fight in the final episode.

THAT fight was far too short, and that is the my main gripe about it - considering how arduously long some fight scenes are with the three main protagonists. I'm still ambivalent about the deception - I mean, how could Raiden have NOT known?! Aghhhh! So Shao Kahn is crafty and wise in his madness - Raiden is a GOD, dammit! Very VERY big shame that it wasn't renewed. I guess my imagination can fill out how Raiden gets out of that situation, how Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Kitana and Reptile deal with their situation as well, how Kung Lao survives to be beaten later by Goro...and of course what happened to Sub-Zero, Smoke, Noob-Saibot, that Black Dragon woman, Shang Tsung's master, Omegis...

Worst parts of the series were some of the unnecessarily long fight scenes and the slow-ish start. And the fact that they can't seem to find anything else to wear. Kung Lao should have kept his hat. And Raiden should have worn his a few times more just for variety. And the final fight was far too short (but at least Raiden was cool and used his warhammer).

9/10 for entertainment, humour, plot (yes, plot) and MUCH better fight sequences than the movie. And the fact that Sub-Zero doesn't die!

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