Tetris Forever Review - A Fun But Oddly Incomplete History Of Tetris

 

Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 Delisted in Germany & Italy. Remaster Incoming?

 

 

Green Phoenix - Once Upon a Forest Review

There are times when you watch a film and it utterly transforms your life and fundamentally shifts the trajectory of your ambitions and dreams. It becomes the film you watch when things are at their best or worst, helping to refine what you consider good quality and oftentimes reflect the thematic aims of your own creative projects. As a professional film critic, I have been blessed to experience dozens of such films and TV shows, some considered legends and others guilty pleasures, but regardless remain a perpetual element of my memory. I could never forget such films.

Today's review, however, will not be on one of these films.

Instead, I will cover a movie that I definitely remember watching when I was a child, but only in the vaguest of terms and only when I happened to have that memory jogged by some particular mental trigger. Now I've mentioned films like that before, such as Rock-a-Doodle or the animated Dinotopia movie, but today's entry will be special; as it was a film that was born at the same time as FernGully: The Last Rainforest and even had a similar tone and thematic intention, but for some reason is not nearly as remembered (hint, its because of Tim Curry).

Today, we will discuss the 1993 animated adventure film, Once Upon a Forest. Based upon the children's book A Furling's Story by Rae Lambert, Once Upon a Forest is a strange blip in the animated zeitgeist, coming out at a time when animation was picking up in popularity due to the Disney Renaissance and the waning power of Don Bluth, yet it somehow managed to miss the strong nostalgic presence of some of its contemporary environmental films (like FernGully).

Is this forgotten nature deserved? Or is Once Upon a Forest a hidden gem that unfairly managed to slip into the chasm of obscurity?

 

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The Sweet guitarist Andy Scott to miss Australian Tour due to illness

 

Two Guys In Hats MMPR Vlog Island of Illusion

It Took 2 Years For Nintendo To Add Banjo Tooie To Switch Online, But OK

 

Sonic x Shadow Generations Review - Old Game, New Experiences

 

Glenn Hughes - Live In Sydney, Australia 10/10/2024 Concert Review

 

Green Phoenix - Cats Don't Dance Review

This month's review is going to be very interesting, as 1997's Cats Don't Dance wasn't really a film that I was familiar with because I watched it a lot as a child, but rather because of the trailer. Growing up, my sister and I loved watching the 1996 sports comedy Space Jam (yes, the Michael Jordan/Looney Tunes project). Rocking out to the music (before the musician behind the best song in the film got revealed to be just awful), enjoying the slapstick comedy of the Toons and watching a decently weird game of basketball made it a thrill for any child.

 

As a result, we watched this movie a lot on VHS and consequently saw the trailers that started the film just as many times. The first trailer on the VHS (that is to say, the first thing we saw) was a great trailer for Cats Don't Dance (which you will be able to watch in the review below). I remember sometimes even rewinding Space Jam just to watch the trailer for Cats Don't Dance. Growing up, we just didn't really get the chance to actually watch the film until I was much older, and by then I think I wasn't as enthusiastic about it as I should've been (I was a pre-teen and thus "too good" for kids movies).

Now as an adult and no longer willing to tolerate an uppity teenager attitude towards movies (I will judge a movie on its qualities alone rather than how "cool" it is, thank you very much), I will reexamine this silent presence from my childhood. Is Cats Don't Dance a truly great underrated animated film, or is it the result of childhood nostalgia and a desire to relive simpler times?

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Hidden Character Reference Spotted In Sonic X Shadow Generations Movie DLC

 

Tiger Claw Radio #481 - Handheld Handheld

 

Tiger Claw Radio #480 - Na Man, I'm Pretty Far From Okay

 

Where Is The Ren & Stimpy Reboot?

 

Top 10 Sonic Games That Are Highly Elitist

 

Tiger Claw Radio #479 - Jupiter Hell

 

Pirate Party The Band Return With Brand New Album , "PIRATE PANDEMONIUM"

 

 

Green Phoenix - Let's Talk...Sonic: Wonders of the World

It's time for yet another episode of Let's Talk..., where I go into a more free-form discussion about a specific subject of media or hypothesize about a specific theory or topic. Today, we actually have a request for collaboration. Cendoo is getting ready to release a new series called Video Game Classroom and he asked me to make an article parallel to his first episode. He is planning to discuss a cancelled Sonic the Hedgehog game from the mid 90s known as Sonic X-treme.

To promote his upcoming project and because of the recent Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer that just released, I felt it a fine time to discuss a tie-in movie that would've been released alongside Sonic X-Treme known as Sonic: Wonders of the World. In this episode of Let's Talk..., we will hypothesize about what this film would likely have looked like. How its plot would've likely developed, and whether the film would have been a financial or critical success, given the nature of the film industry at the time.

The answers might very well surprise you.

 

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Tiger Claw Radio Chiptune Special - August 28 2024

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Tiger Claw Radio #478 - Romhacking.net Says Goodbye

John Cena Breaks Silence Over Shelved 'Coyote Vs Acme' Film "I Would Have Liked To Seen It Given A Chance"

 

Tiger Claw Radio #477 - Master of Unlocking

Cameron's Picks - Best Rock & Metal Albums of 2024 (So Far)

 

Green Phoenix - The Pagemaster Review

I think it is not controversial to refer to the 80s and 90s as the Golden Age of Children's television. This was the era where the transition from Saturday morning cartoons to 24 hour children's exclusive stations was in full swing. We had the glorious mornings of watching Transformers, GI Joe, My Little Pony, DuckTales, etc. It was an amazing time for children to enjoy shows that still entertain and enthrall over 30 years later.

Of course, I also think that it is no exaggeration to consider this era as the heyday of educational children's programming. Especially, ironically, the focus on teaching children to read and have an interest in reading. With shows like Reading Rainbow and Between the Lions, it was a great age for reading-oriented television programming, which I also think in hindsight was a shockingly selfless action. Television fundamentally wants you to keep watching so that you can be around for advertisements which make the TV studios and distributions channels money. To have a concerted effort to push kids away from television into the arms of their local library is frankly amazing, and I'm not certain in the current age of "banned" books that it would really fly anymore.

One of the films in this "inspiring literary interest" genre was 1994's The Pagemaster. For reasons I can only really go into in this review, this film has remained in my brain like a bad advertisement jingle. Between the film itself, the corresponding book that was released with the film, and the SNES video game that I played as a child, I was surprisingly saturated with what is generally considered a fairly forgettable 90s Macaulay Culkin vehicle. But returning my attention to the film, does it actually hold something special? Something that would enable it to remain within my mind, despite being only a slightly younger in age than I am.

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Celebrate The 20th Anniversary Of Cameron Hons Music With These Exclusive Themed Compilation Albums

 

 

Green Phoenix - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Review

I wish to apologize for the delay in releasing this review and my general lack of content lately. Life has been very busy and I have been having to prioritize other aspects. It is my hope that I can get back into the habit of writing more regularly, but with life you can't always be certain.

 The plan is for my writing to now at least come out once a month, on the first Friday of every month.

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Of all the films in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the film which holds perhaps the strongest memories with him. I clearly remember going to the premiere of this film as a child, as it was the first costume contest I ever participated in (I was dressed as Harry Potter and won). I also remember the experience as being funny because I was wearing an outdated pair of glasses because they looked closer to Harry Potter's pair, and I had forgotten to bring my actual glasses to the theater, meaning I had to watch a movie with a fuzzy pair of old glasses.

At the time, I was frustrated because I genuinely wanted to experience the film in the best way and was limited by a dumb choice for a costume contest, but now I just laugh at the memory of watching Voldemort's ritual scene with my eyes squinting, asking what was going on? Suffice it to say, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a rare film that left an indelible memory of its initial viewing experience.

But does the film hold up over a decade later? Does the film stand as an equal to its immediate predecessor or is it a product of nostalgia alone?

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Cameron Hons Certainly Not Boring On New Album "Bored Of The Blues"

 

Ren & Stimpy Reboot To Premiere Internationally in July 2024

 

Warner Bros Left Red-Faced as "The Day The Earth Blew Up" Proves Hit At Annacey Festival

 

The Strange Case Of Coyote Vs Acme

 

Cameron's Playhouse Returns In 2024 For 9th Season

 

 

Pandemonium Rocks - The Australian Music Festival That Never Should Have Happened

Fan Webseries Sonic Randomness Heading To Bluray For The First Time

 

Deep Purple Machine Head 50th Anniversary Boxset Review - A Celebratory Boxset For Fans Old And New

 

Coyote Vs Acme May Not Be Dead, According To New Reports

 

Pandemonium Rocks Festival Announcements Leave Many Fans Demanding Refunds And Answers

 

Tails Tube (Official Sonic Web-series) - A must see for Sonic Fans

 

It seems redundant to shout-out something far more popular than yourself, but recognition is never a bad thing. On the Official Sonic The Hedgehog YouTube Channel there is a mini series staring Tails that answers fan questions with help from rotating guest appearances from other Sonic characters. Tails Tube!

I have always loved Q&A segments due to my fascination of behind the scenes trivia and official canon explanations, and this is great for both. Sonic and his friends are some of those characters I love to hear talk in-between adventures and Tails fits the role of Vlogger perfectly. They even talk about Sonic Characters who have not been used in decades like Mighty and Fang. Seriously, to anyone who loves the Sonic world like we do and have somehow not heard of this series, please watch it, you will thank me later.

Pandemonium Festival Changes To Single Stage Event During Bizarre Changes While Australia's Festival Scene Struggles

 

How Warner Bros Could Release Coyote Vs Acme - A Guide

 

Pandemonium at Pandemonium Festival As Bands Remove Dates - Is It Cancelled?

 

This Sonic The Hedgehog AI Music Album Exists And We're All Very Confused

 

 

Christmas NiGHTS Into Dreams (Sega Saturn) - Quickie Review

 

This is a title I have been curious about for a long time. Released by Sega during the holiday seasons in limit run. It is basically a sequel/expansion to the original game with some impressive mechanics for the time. Click "Read more".

Cameron Hons Releases Four "20th Anniversary Collection" Themed Compilation Albums

 

 

 

Sonic Jam (Sega Saturn) - Is More Than You Think!

 

One of the infamously known facts about the Sega Saturn is that it lacked a proper Sonic game after Sonic X-Treme was canceled. It had an enhanced port of the Genesis' Sonic 3D Blast, an on foot racing game that was unpopular, and Sonic was playable in Christmas Knights into Dreams. Then, there was Sonic Jam which many people brush off as a simple collection game with a 3D hub world. That is partially true, but there is more to this title than a lot of people know. Click "read more" for my review.

I Went To A Five Concert Alone And Had A Great Time

Warner Bros Should Learn From "The Day The Earth Blew Up"

 

 

Weird Al Straight Outta Lynwood (2006) - Album Review

 

This is a personal matter for me because this was my first album I owned. I was in middle school, and begged my Dad for this CD/DVD and listen to it loads. Even now in my 30s I still listen to some of the tracks from time to time and it has been years since I reviewed an album so, why not look back just for fun. Click "read more" for my review.

The Pressure Is On For Warner Bros to Release Coyote VS Acme

 

 

Who Will Save Coyote Vs Acme?

 

Tiger Claw Radio #476 - RPG Maker Festival

Warner Bros Potentially Shelves Another Film In Surprise Twist

 

How Cameron Hons Has Kept Original Music Alive For The Past 20 Years

 

 

"Americans paid $30 Mill for it, it must be seen" High profile figures demand 'Coyote VS Acme' release