More for Groo fans than Conan
933466
I've read almost a dozen Groo comics and I've read three times that amount of Conan. I really enjoy Sergio's humor and little jabs at society here and there. He is also willing to make fun of himself just as much.

Fans of Dark Horse's Conan series might not enjoy this as much. It doesn't really feel like Conan. I guess it shouldn't given the fact that this is comedy and not action.

I caught myself laughing out loud more than once.

Minor SPOILER

The main part that might turn people off to this comic is that about half of the comic actually takes place outside of the Groo 'setting' and follows Sergio in the real world. I didn't like the idea when i first saw it BUT it works and these were the parts i laughed at the most. It doesn't sound like a good idea on paper but if your familiar with Sergio's work and his team then you will enjoy it just as much as i did.
3772494
neither as good as the original movie with Arnold nor is it nearly as "conan" ish as it could be.  More of a generic sword and sorcery/action movie with a conan skin.
997278
The Case Closed Season One DVD box set is a four-disc set that contains the first twenty-six episodes of the Case Closed anime series.  The first two discs have seven episodes, the third disc has six episodes, and the fourth disc has six episodes and the bonus features.

Case Closed is a mystery series done in a "whodunit" style, and a number of the episodes on this set focus on murder mysteries.  Unfortunately, in most of the episodes on this set, one element of this style is usually missing: the "denouement," which is an epilogue that shows what happens to the characters after the case is solved.  For many of the stories, the episode ends right when the case is solved; this weakens some of the stories, because as a viewer, I became invested in what was happening, and I felt cheated that I didn't get to see what happened to some of them in the aftermath of solving the crime.  Overall, Case Closed is a decent series, but I do wish more of the episodes ended with a "denouement."

There are only three bonus features included on the fourth disc.  The first is a "Character Spotlight" for Conan Edogawa; this is one screen of text with a picture of the character to accompany it.  The second is "Conan's Gadgets," which is one screen describing Conan's Super Sneakers; this is accompanied by a picture of Conan wearing the sneakers.  The final extra is a page with a menu for trailers.  I was a little underwhelmed by the bonus features, but knowing that Case Closed didn't perform all that well for FUNimation, I can understand why the company didn't go to a lot of effort when it came to bonus features for this set.

The Case Closed Season One box set is a decent release, and is worth adding to your DVD library if you're a fan of the Case Closed anime series.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of this DVD box set that my husband gave me as a gift.
1622882
This is the fourth of the trade paperbacks collecting the Marvel Comics Conan series from the early 70s, reprinting issues 23  26 of the monthly comics. Included as well is the 60 page adaption of Red Nails, one of Conan originator Robert E. Howards more macabre tales, which originally appeared in the black and white Savage Tales magazine.  The art has been revised and colored to appear in this volume.

Story-wise, this book brings to a close the long story of the siege of Makkalet and the contest over the living personification of a god. Unlike the first dozen or so issues with self-contained stories, this is a more sprawling story spread over multiple issues.  Fortunately, the denouement is well done. Notable in this book is the debut of the joint creation of writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smiths Red Sonja, she of the fiery red hair and improbable chainmail shirt; shes a formidable foil and fighting companion for our Cimmerian.

For my money, of Barry Windsor-Smiths artwork in the first years of the comics run was the best of the comic book depictions of Conan.  While BWSs art was sometimes inconsistent, his attention to detail and a sense of place was remarkable.  This ability to bring the Hyborian Age to life is aptly illustrated in the splash page of the story for issue 23, The Shadow of the Vulture.  Conan has ascended the steps to a palace, struggling with a half dozen guards as he demands an audience with the local potentate.  The details in the guards helmets, the tile pattern on the platform, the design of the buildings on the street below, all combine to evoke a real place.  But the following issue would be the end of Windsor-Smiths tenure on the monthly title, although the aforementioned Red Nails is his as well.  John Buscema, perhaps the most prolific and best recognized of the Conan comic book artist, took over the art duties.  Buscemas Conan is instantly a different person to me  bigger, brawnier and seemingly a decade older than BWSs young barbarian. Buscemas art is solid, if more traditional and less evocative.  So, the Buscema era begins and the Windsor-Smith era ends; for me, the Conan title would never be quite the same.
2050208
I bought this for my now 6 year old son, who loves the Lego Ninjago theme. As you may know, Ninjago has a bunch of dragons in the overall storyline, with the four elemental dragons (ice, fire, lightning, and earth) playing a pivotal role in the second season (ninjas versus serpentines). Unfortunately, by the time we got around to Ninjago, the kits with the elemental dragons were already out of production, and some had spiked in price by 400%(!) on the secondary market. The four-headed Ultra Dragon could (and as of this writing) can still be found in a retail set (Epic Dragon Battle), but that one is between $90-100.

The Golden Dragon comes from the third season (ninjas versus stone warriors and the Overlord), and at around $25, it's a much more accessible price point. My 6 year old, who has some experience with Legos, put it together by himself without any help and without getting frustrated, so the build seems fairly straightforward. The "blades" that make up the wings can spread or narrow, and there are a number of joint points that allow it to be put into different poses.

It comes with a small green ball that can be launched from the mouth; beware that, like most small objects, this can and probably will go missing, giving rise to cries of "I lost my green ball and I need it!!!"

The kits has two minifigures: a golden ninja (which is Lloyd) and a stone warrior. The stone warrior is kind of non-descript and definitely not as fun as the serpentines who came in the previous releases. The golden ninja is distinctive and I believe can be found only in this set.
2055728
Given the legendary status of the 1982 classic of the same name, watching this re-make without any comparison with original proved to be impossible. So I watched it twice, the second time purely to digest this film on its own merit. Overall, I believe that it was a respectable attempt to capture the magic and sweeping majesty of the 1982 version, and that the cast took this enterprise seriously, but it was not a great film. The success of the original was, to a large degree, due to the creative team and the cast's ability to transport the audience to a different world, a world of high adventure prior to recorded history, and kept them there for the duration of that film. In this regard, Arnold's limited acting ability, strange (at the time) accent, equally strong accents by some of the other cast members, and stilted dialogue did not hurt the effort; in fact, these factors actually enhanced the film by presenting to the audience a sense of exoticism that people could rightfully expect from a mythical world tens of thousands of years ago. Arnold's rather thin acting skills actually gave his cinematic interpretation of Conan a sense of bombastic grandiosity, which is why Conan is still one of Arnold's most celebrated roles. The original film was also balanced very well on a character and a thematic basis, which is a sign of the creative depth of the original team. On Conan's side: Conan's indomitable masculinity was balanced by Valeria's raw physical femininity; Conan's implacable strength was balanced by Subotai's wit, speed, and deadly accuracy. Thematically: Conan's physical power and strength of will were balanced by Thulsa Doom's towering charisma and insidious intellect. The entire cast was giving enough material to be memorable, especially the bad guys. The portrayal of Thulsa Doom by the incomparable James Earl Jones created one of the most well-known villains in cinematic history. Even his henchmen were memorable: who doesn't remember the hulking bearded blade master who was finally bested by Conan and Valeria, or the Hammer Guy? Despite their relatively few scenes, their treatment in the film gave even minor characters enough credibility as powerful bad guys not to be taken lightly in the context of the film. The music, despite the times, is still celebrated as a master piece.
For the new film, from the poster and still shots, it would appear that the film makers captured the Conan from the books: imposing, dark, and brooding. The stills of the veteran actor Stephen Lang as the antagonist Khalar Zym were also impressive. From what I can see, serious money was spent on creating sets and visual effects for the world of Conan. However, it was the delivery that was off. The speech and mannerisms of the cast all came off as too modern, too familiar, and in some cases, too slick and polished. So despite that the visual aspects of the film were attempting the transport the audience to a different world of fantasy and adventure, the cast's acting and speech kept bring the audience back to the here and now. This is especially disappointing given how successfully Jason Mamoa portrayed an ancient warrior on the small screen in The Game of Thrones. Also, other than Conan and Khalar Zym, none of the other characters were given enough material or treatment in the film to be particularly noteworthy in the context of the film. They could be easily dismissed as "henchmen 1, 2, 3" "damsel in distress," "happy pirate buddy," etc. It's not a very engaging film that can grab and retain the audience's undivided attention from the beginning to the end. In this regard, I don't blame the actors, they are all decent to good actors for the most part, the script, directing, and editing have much to do with the success of a film, and these elements did not mesh very well for this one.
4161144
I have to admit, I know next to nothing about Extreme Noise Terror.  What I do know is that they were one of the original old school grindcore bands, and that Barney from Napalm Death joined the band for a brief period and recorded "Damage 381".  Being the huge Napalm freak that I am, I didn't hesitate to pick this up when I happened to find it at a used record store. If you are an ENT fan you may have a different interpretation, I can only review this with the perspective of an ND fan, and a fan of death and grind in general.

Comparisons to Napalm Death are inevitable, and while they are fairly accurate they are also fairly lazy.  This sounds like ND in the sense that the song structure is aggressive but not overly complex, the music is fast but still retains catchiness and groove, and the music is clearly played by a grind band that has decided to slow down to more old school death metal tempos.  However, this does not sound like a napalm rip off or clone, as other reviewers have suggested.  The overall sound is closest to death metal, wheras ND really only did death metal on the Harmony Corruption album.  The riffing and drumming is slightly more conventional than ND, but it's by no means boring.  I can not see anyone listening to this album without being reminded of Napalm Death, but the band is hardly a clone.

This is Barney's performance between "Diatribes" and "Inside the Torn Apart," and I don't know if his vocals have ever sounded so vicious.  They are sung in a much more conventional death metal style instead of the trademarked Barney bellow that you would expect.  The vocals have a raspy quality that isn't generally present in ND material.  The atmosphere on this album is considerably darker than Diatribes or Inside the Torn Apart, and fans who were disappointed with mid 90's Napalm will probably find this a more satisfying alternative.

Bottom line: this is worth buying simply for Barney's vicious vocal display, but also a good album on its own.
2080262
Conan is an archetype character. Possibly the ultimate anti-hero. Although not written by R.E. Howard, this is a lynch pin book in the career of the character. For any true fan, this is part of the original set of novels and compendiums. Not one of the more recent additions. It is a MUST HAVE BOOK!
1979647
This documentary was alright, but could've had better footage and covered more of a variety of OC punk. For those who were there, you'd be better off getting the "Battle for the Cukoos Nest" or the "Slog" movie those both capture more of the humor and intensity a lot more than this re-hash of stuff you probably know already.
3518060
I am a fan of the 3-Stooges, but I am not the ultimate expert. Like many documentaries I have seen - including
the 3-Stooges, this (1st) DVD is fascinating - yet leaves me wanting More, more information, details etc. Yet I don't want or have
time in my life to study the Stooges. So - I was looking forward to watching the 2nd disc in this set - but -
to me - it's basically a throw-away. Just minor bonus stuff. - It is Not a continuation of this documentary of the 1st DVD.
I have another Stooges DVD 'The Stooges Story'(?) That's a really good one too.
Life is full of mysteries - I sometimes I wonder - what is better - having all the answers - or assuming I want to know them?
Scott M.
2720596
I had always heard that the 1972 TAAB tour ,was one of the best live events of the 1970's. I have a couple of bootlegs, and I agree. Maybe one day they will release a prime recording of that tour. But for now, we have Iceland. The 70's let all band members participate equally. This recording billed as Ian Anderson instead of Tull showcases Anderson while the rest of the band serves as back up more or less. If you are hoping for a repeat of the legendary 72 tour. This is not it. Pretty much a note for note update. I had never listened to TAAB part 2 before. And the recording is not bad, but I thought a continuation would have to be based on the musical theme as the original. But, I suppose the story is what makes it part of brick. Maybe using the brick theme would sell more copies
3134865
I got this DVD at a Coconuts Bargain Bin and I don't regret my purchase, just that the translators of Prehistoric Planet took all the character out of the cosmonauts, often taking their dialogue concerning life on other planets and turning it into meaningless chit chat. The character of Kern suffers the most. His anti-human over machine attitude and his love for jazz are completely eliminated. Instead of a specific jazz piece he whistles in the Russian print, and the same piece played by John the Robot, we are given a toneless whistle from Kern and a non-specific filler song from John.
The print of Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet is no better or worse than the original Russian print. It's nice to have a DVD of Planet of Storms in some form. Pity the original, Planeta Burg, hasn't been preserved on DVD.
As for First Spaceship, there's a better print available, but if you want to see it the way you remembered it from Creature Feature on Saturday Afternoons, this is the print hired out to TV stations.
In the final analysis, if you're a fan of Prehistoric Planet, get the original subtitled Russian version.
3773324
Perhaps because the whale was so big, and they had a limited amount of time for the dissection, but I felt like this episode was not as thorough as other episodes of Inside natures Giants.  They spent much more time discussing and showing live whales in the wild than discussing the physiology of the actual dissected whale.  It was worth the $9 I spent, since my 9yr old son and I enjoyed watching it together, but I wish it had been a two hour episode.
677345
I am a die-hard fan of Looney Tunes, or so I thought.  The first three collections were the best DVD sets I have ever purchased.  The whole family enjoys much of Termite Terrace's productions.  However, this collection disappoints us all.  Many of the films on this collection are of the quality and sort that one may find on Dollar DVD's.  Perhaps they're just not as familiar, though I will argue they're simply not as witty - often consisting of appeal on nothing more than the amazement of staring at a big screen with cartoons on it during the fifties.  I can, and have, obtained many similar productions on the DVD's from the dollar store - and even at that price we did not enjoy this type of production.

Overall I would rate this as a $10 value given some great classics from the Terrace, however the large amount of poorly produced films greatly reduce this collection's viewing pleasure compared to its predecessors.  While many Looney Tunes are timeless, too many on this collection or worth far less than this.
2548220
Civilizations come and go. The earth has shifted and changed. History has faded into dimly remembered legend.  Out of this dark past comes Conan a barbarian hero, thief,  pirate, adventurer, and King.
Written at a time when hero's were heroic and women pined for real men. Evil was blatant and the God's moved among men. Demons, wizards,  vampires, and monsters preyed on people.

 I am sure the politically correct will protest and tremble, but Conan is a barbarian.  He solves problems by cleaving them in half!
986636
This second volume of The Goon does not live up to the standards of the first.  It is a compilation set where you do not have one continuous running adventure, and that is not all bad.  However, the stories just weren't as good to me.  There were bright points, but for the most part I feel the series took a step back in these issues.  Don't get me wrong I will still continue to purchase the series, but this was not my favorite, and I can't give it any more than an average review.
2921587
Whenever an innovative artist takes the next step in the evolution of his craft, lesser skilled imitators inevitably crop up riding on the coattails of success. After Raiders of the Lost Ark came along, the short-lived adventure series Tales From the Gold Monkey came along. After Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings became popular, Terry Brooks' The Sword of Shannara was published. In the wake of the success of Star Wars, Star Trek was reborn as a motion picture. John Grisham single-handedly brought a revolution to the genre of legal thrillers. D.W. Buffa's The Legacy is a weak mimicry of Grisham's work.
Through this book, characterization is minimal and inconsistent with the way real people talk, act and feel. When a witness for the defense refuses to come to court, Joseph Antonelli is concerned that his weak case will lose the little momentum that it has. With the extra few days until the witness can appear, does Mr. Antonelli work on the case for the defense? Does he ever show the slightest concern for the innocent defendant that may be sentenced to death? No. Instead, he spends the long weekend laying around his girlfriend's house feeling cozy and domestic. The most profound characterization comes about when the characters ask themselves whether they should feel more strongly about events.
The Legacy depicts a portion of the unique spirit of San Francisco. At the start of the book, those who live in the area refer to San Francisco as "The City." Such a label did not give San Francisco a feeling of homogeneity with every other city, but rather demonstrated the importance of this city to the Bay area and beyond. The bridges are the defining characteristic of the city in The Legacy. They leap across the Bay and across the Golden Gate. They are monuments greater than those who built them.
Other areas of "The City" though are given less attention. The characters only visit Chinatown briefly, and other than a passing remark about how Chinatown is a part of San Francisco, even though San Francisco is not a part of Chinatown, there is nothing that truly immersed readers in that area. No mention is made of the City's diverse cultural background. There was no talk of the openness that many groups found here, especially in the '60's. This version of San Francisco is quite homogenous.
There are two almost independent plots running through the heart of The Legacy. The primary plot is the murder of Jeremy Fullerton, the U.S. Senator. Here we have a young African American standing trial for a crime he did not commit. This potentially explosive plot line is given little attention in comparison to the secondary plot. This secondary plot delves into the corruption and greed that exemplify the common view of American politics. The nepotism, greed, and betrayals all occur far from the current events of the story and often come across as simply background material without having any dramatic impact.
Overall, this superficial tale is simply a light read. It lacks emotional depth and has a predictable plot. The protagonist is not profoundly changed by his experiences. In the end, Joseph Antonelli is simply a great deal wealthier, traveling in a circle of corrupt friends.