What does it take to become a reviewer on this site?

[ajmrowland]

^Topic.

[Wonderlicious]

You've got to have graduated with a degree in civil engineering, I believe.

[Just Myself]

I think keeping the sword Excalibur in your possession and having Jack locked away in your closet is a requirement, too.

Cheers,
JM

[ajmrowland]

lol, seriously. I'm just considering an option for some part-time work, even if it's unpaid.

[PeterPanfan]

lol, seriously. I'm just considering an option for some part-time work, even if it's unpaid.

I don't know if Luke is even looking for reviewers now, since he usually asks for them. I'm sure you can send him an application, though, which the link for is located on the homepage.

[Disneykid]

I had to offer him my future first-born child in order to nab this job. Little does he know that I'm working my way around that by considering adoption. Oh, wait, he can read this thread...

Seriously, though, it doesn't hurt to send him an e-mail. With my working a full-time job and spending a lot of my free time volunteering as part of my church's production team, my timeliness in my reviews tends to suffer a bit as a result. He takes on a staggering load himself that still has me scratching my head and wondering if he owns a time turner.

I know he's had some reservations about bringing in more staff members since it would require time to weed through applicants and see who meets the requirements. Perhaps submitting some samples of your writing would help. I do know that if he does bring you on board, don't expect to be given big titles like the Diamonds, Treasures, or Pixar films right away. He'll be assigning you smaller stuff like direct-to-video films and Disney Channel shows first to get a feel for your style and work ethic. Eventually you'll get the big stuff, but it takes patience.

Good luck!

[Wonderlicious]

I don't know if Luke is even looking for reviewers now, since he usually asks for them. I'm sure you can send him an application, though, which the link for is located on the homepage.

Also, a few years ago at least, if there were any older Disney titles still in print that hadn't been reviewed, you could volunteer to write them. That may not still be the case (since much has been changed since 2004/2005) and if so, if you did get the chance to write a review, don't randomly pick something obscure and uninteresting just for the heck of reviewing it (aka don't randomly go out and buy Pocahontas II just because there's no review for it already on the site).

[ajmrowland]

How's this for starters? I'm still working the bulk of it.

The Iron Giant: Special Edition

Animation always has a way of falling prey to trends. While Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was something totally new to audiences of 1937, it started what is known as a "Golden Age of Animation". Similar "ages" would also be started by fairy tales like Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid. Likewise, another trend came around when Pixar Animation produced 1995's CGI Toy Story. Since then, studios have abandoned trying to mimic Disney Animation and instead have now been trying to copycat Pixar. Soon after, Dreamworks Animation brought on the trend of celebrity casting, band-recorded songs, and pop culture references. Companies such as Blue Sky and Sony Pictures Animation have felt comfortable more in a middle-ground of such money-making methods. The Iron Giant, however, is none of these.

[Matt]

How's this for starters? I'm still working the bulk of it.

The Iron Giant: Special Edition

Animation always has a way of falling prey to trends. While Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was something totally new to audiences of 1937, it started what is known as a "Golden Age of Animation". Similar "ages" would also be started by fairy tales like Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid. Likewise, another trend came around when Pixar Animation produced 1995's CGI Toy Story. Since then, studios have abandoned trying to mimic Disney Animation and instead have now been trying to copycat Pixar. Soon after, Dreamworks Animation brought on the trend of celebrity casting, band-recorded songs, and pop culture references. Companies such as Blue Sky and Sony Pictures Animation have felt comfortable more in a middle-ground of such money-making methods. The Iron Giant, however, is none of these.

I like it.

[ajmrowland]

Synopsis:


In 1957, in the town of Rockwell, eleven-year-old Hogarth Hughes(voiced by Cloris Leachman) lives an ordinary boy's life.........until he finds a giant robot that crash landed on earth. Curious, the Giant(Vin Diesel) follows him home. Now, with the help of Junkyard-artist Dean(Harry Connick Jr.), Hogarth has to hide his new friend from his Mom(Jennifer Anniston), an easily-panicked public, and especially Kent Mansley(James Gammon)-a frustrated government agent who's desperate for respect and will do anything to get it.

[Margos]

[...] eleven-year-old Hogarth Hughes(voiced by Cloris Leachman) [...] the Giant(Vin Diesel)[...]

.....Seriously? It's been a while since I've seen this movie.

[ajmrowland]

Synopsis:


In 1957, in the town of Rockwell, eleven-year-old Hogarth Hughes(voiced by Cloris Leachman) lives an ordinary boy's life.........until he finds a giant robot that crash landed on earth. Curious, the Giant(Vin Diesel) follows him home. Now, with the help of Junkyard-artist Dean(Harry Connick Jr.), Hogarth has to hide his new friend from his Mom(Jennifer Anniston), an easily-panicked public, and especially Kent Mansley(James Gammon)-a frustrated government agent who's desperate for respect and will do anything to get it.

[Escapay]

Eli Marienthal voices Hogarth, Christopher McDonald voices Mansley, Cloris Leachman voices Mrs. Lynley Tensedge, and James Gammon voices Marv Loach, Floyd Turbeaux, and General Sudokoff.

One of the most important things to remember when writing reviews or articles for publication is to fact-check and double-check everything.

Reviewing is a lot of work in a short amount of time. You have to be able to get through the entire disc or discs (the movie or tv show and all of its special features, commentaries included) and then write a complete assessment about it in a few days. And in those few days, you'll be watching and re-watching and watching once more, taking various screen caps, editing and re-editing and re-editing again. You'll take copious amounts of notes and then sort it out into the different sections of the review (the opening, the assessment, Video/Audio, Special Features, Menus/Packaging, and Closing Thoughts). You end up writing about everything AND the kitchen sink, and you have to learn how to condense it while still making it an effective and complete assessment. Again, remember to fact-check and double-check it all. Names, runtimes, little trivia you threw in. Remember to take down ancillary information that you include at the top of the review page and under the DVD Details section. Check your grammar and your HTML formatting, check that it flows well and nothing sounds awkward. Sometimes you'll go through several drafts before you actually can consider a review finished*. And even then, it will get tweaked a bit here and there before publication.

It seems like a lot of work, but it is very rewarding when you see the finished review posted and published online. Over time, you develop and improve your writing, and what seemed daunting a couple months ago eventually gets better and better.

albert

*I actually had a few drafts of this post written and kept changing and condensing it to what I finally posted now!

[Margos]

Yeah, I was about to say....
Hogarth sure didn't sound like Chloris Leachman...

[PeterPanfan]

Synopsis:


In 1957, in the town of Rockwell, eleven-year-old Hogarth Hughes(voiced by Cloris Leachman) lives an ordinary boy's life.........until he finds a giant robot that crash landed on earth. Curious, the Giant(Vin Diesel) follows him home. Now, with the help of Junkyard-artist Dean(Harry Connick Jr.), Hogarth has to hide his new friend from his Mom(Jennifer Anniston), an easily-panicked public, and especially Kent Mansley(James Gammon)-a frustrated government agent who's desperate for respect and will do anything to get it.

You might want to check your facts... and spellings.

[ajmrowland]

Thanks. I was just looking at the back of the case and I should have done that instead. I'll revise immediately.

Thanks for the support, though!

[ajmrowland]

In 1957, in the town of Rockwell, eleven-year-old Hogarth Hughes(voiced by Eli Marianthal) lives an ordinary boy's life.........until he finds a giant robot that crash landed on earth. Curious, the Giant(Vin Diesel) follows him home. Now, with the help of Junkyard-artist Dean(Harry Connick Jr.), Hogarth has to hide his new friend from his mom, Annie(Jennifer Anniston), an easily-panicked public, and especially Kent Mansley(Christopher McDonald)-a frustrated government agent who's desperate for respect and will do anything to get it.

And Scaps, thanks for the tips. I have just rewatched the film today, as I've owned this one for months. Now, I'm gonna rewatch the bonuses. I also generally look at tons of reviews, so I know what to look for in the technical aspects of the disc and features.

[ajmrowland]

Wall of text alert!




Adapted from the book by Ted Hughes, and directed by future Pixar director Brad Bird, the film's writing is perhaps one of it's strongest points. I do not have a copy of the book to compare to, but the film is genuinely likeable and has it's moments. The title character has his own struggles between being a hero or a machine. Hogarth and the Robot develop what is perhaps one of the most beautiful and least conflicted friendships on-screen and the film benefits greatly from this. This all leads to the film's heavy third-act with ease. Likewise, the comic relief rarely falls flat, and there are some moments that are outright funny, even occassionally satirical. All the secondary characters are even put to good use. A scene between Annie and Dean that happens late in the story confirms that, as well as scenes with a character named General Shannon Rogard(John Mahoney).

The animated performances are all good too. All the voice actors make good use of the material they are given. I find that Connick Jr. does particularly well, and also Leachman does good with his lead role. The animation is generally good as well. I had a very hard time finding a scene that has poor visual performances.

The filmmakers have also made excellent use of the timeline, incorporating sputnik, those laughable atomic bomb safety films, comic books, and most importantly, distrust and the life of a child back then. I may be very young, but it's apparent that a lot of effort went into giving this movie historical value.

I would not say that the film is as good as most Pixar films or the Disney musicals, but it most certainly doesn't try to be either, so comparing them would be a waste of time. It's perhaps not even as good as some fans claim. It is a good film, however, and the retro concept really works.

Warner released the film to theaters in 1999, where it failed to become to earn back it's budget. Since then, the movie began to get a following, and it has also been given two DVD releases. The first DVD was a double-sided disc, and the Special Edition, which is the subject of this review.

Video:
The previous DVD of the film had both 2.35:1 widescreen and Pan-and-Scan(gross!)versions of the film. That said, I don't have a copy of the old DVD on hand, so I can't compare the new digital transfer to the old one. The picture remains consistent in sharpness and detail while being just a tad soft. Both the warm and cold hues of the film's color palette are well-represented, with not so much as a hint of banding. Likewise, technical issues like DNR(Digital Noise Reduction) and aliasing are non-existent. I'd give this transfer 4 stars.

Audio:
The disc comes equipped with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that's only about as impressive as the picture. The mix is good, with dialogue, effects, and music blending well together and at no time does anything overpower the rest of the track. This mix is pretty front-heavy, with the rears utilized for atmosphere. Dialogue remains crisp and in the center, and the music makes good use of the channels it's given. Bass plays a supporting role here, but never dazzles in the same way that more recent action films do. All-in-all, this is a very good track that at least matches the quality of the picture. A French language track is also included, along with English, French, and Spanish Subtitles.

Bonuses:

Commentary: Brad Bird is joined by Head of Story guy Jeffrey Lynch, Head of Animation Tony Fucile, and Steve Markowski, who oversaw animation on the Giant. These participents make up a very informative and interesting track, touching upon things such as character development, comedy, animation, casting, trivia, and the time period, among other things. It does get a bit technical at times, but overall, it's a worthwhile listen.

Additional Scenes: Several scenes accompanied by introductions with Brad Bird. The first two scenes are all storyboard, while the latter ones are partly animated.

* Original Opening Sequences(6:00): This sequence depicts a much longer version of the opening that ended up in the film. It's understandable why it's cut, as the crew is much more elaborate, and much of the action unnecessary.
* Campfire(1:00): A scene of the Giant, Hogarth, and Dean making a campfire in the woods. I can see why it was cut, as the information in this scene is repetitive.
* Tired At Breakfast(3:00): The morning after the thing with the laxative, where both Kent and Hogarth have suffered a sleepless night. One thing to take note of is a line that still uses the temp voice for Hogarth.
* Original Introduction of Hogarth and Annie(3:00): the original introduction of our main characters. It takes place after the storm scene, and also mentions the Father. It also shows how the Hughes know the sailor that spotted the Giant.
* Classroom(2:00): a scene that shows how Hogarth doesn't have many because he does well in school. A teacher played by Cloris Leachman features prominently here. It's an understandable cut, as it does nothing to help the plot.
* Annie and Dean in Diner(2:00): Another "flirty" scene between Annie and Dean the day after Hogarth's squirrel episode.
* The Giant's Dream(2:00): A scene in which the Giant has a nightmare about his past, and it shows up on Dean's tv. Of note here is that Bird is edited together with Storyboard Artist Kevin O'brian and Jeffrey Lynch.

[ajmrowland]

I finished up the email, and wrote an advance apology for any other mistakes I may have made. I don't think I did, however, and I think that for only being done in several hours, I did pretty good.

I just hope I still got the email address right. It's tsdvd@yahoo.com, right?