For my 100th episode I wanted to do something special. Here is a look deep into the heart of the movie Dungeons and Dragons. This episode, much like the movie, is made with nothing but love for the source material.
49 comments on “Dungeons and Dragons – Episode 100”
Chris on said:
Two things:
1.It has been a while since I have watched your earlier videos, so I do not know how often you do this, but one trait about your show that I like is that you do not use a lot of clip jokes. The “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was necessary though.
2. Who was the woman it the clip with the football player? She seems familiar.
So do I. The first review I saw was “Super Mario Bros”. I cannot wait until he does “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze” and gives background information on the first movie, the comics, and the cartoons before discussing the second film.
TMNT 2 I want to do (and do well because I love the Turtles) but it is a tricky beast. There really isn’t as much production notes as I would like so if I did it now it wouldn’t have nearly as much as I would like to put into it. Hence, why I’ve been holding off.
I wish I could find some information on it, but I have a relative on some side of my family that worked on probably the first movie. I remember going to this karate place years ago when I was a preteen. There were posters from the fist movie hung, one of them had Shredder and Tatsu posing together. I just wish I could remember the his name.
Cecil on said:
Ugh skits. Occasionally funny but I’ve seen too many reviewers use them as a crutch and they are usually awful. The only guy I’ve ever seen that pulls them off most of the time is the AVGN. (not saying others haven’t, its just he is the one who has the highest success rate in my book)
Another great review dude. I just wanted to say thank you for making these videos. You’re very talented. I been watching your stuff for a while. Here’s hoping for a 100 more.
Excellent ending. I’ve never seen this movie, and I probably never will, but that’s only because I’m not into the whole D&D thing so this movie’s *ahem* charms might be lost on me.
No problem, like I said in the video not everyone can be into everything. I kind of geeked out with all the D&D references. It felt good to get it out of my system because I haven’t played in years.
Between your review of this movie and the one by The Nostalgia Critic, I can’t believe no one has made a joke about how Bruce Payne looks like Apocalypse from the X-Men Comics.
Given that we get big property adaptation movies just about every week its hard to remember that there was once a time when big budget features based on comics, cartoons or games were rare. At the time they were probably a really big risk. Thinking about it that way helps put stuff like this, Masters of the Universe, Super Mario Bros, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, Tim Burton’s Batman or Chris Reeve’s Superman into perspective.
Holy crap! Now that you mention it, it is all I see. Wow, good eye.
Movies are in a weird place right now. There is stuff being made but much of it is made to try and please too many people. Kind of like the current state of pop music. Most of it just looks/feels/sounds the same. Color correction is a huge cause of this as well, with too many directors giving their films the “grey” look”.
The old licensed properties of the 80s/90s didn’t have the budgets of their counterparts now but what they lacked in dollars they made up with in charisma and creativity. They had heart and a purpose, beyond just making money. They were making entertainment.
I think “Blue” is becoming the color of sameness over “grey”. How many blue tinted movies have you seen in the past ten years? A lot more than the previous decade I’ll bet.
It reminds me of when I was at a Redbox a few months ago looking for a copy of “John Carter”, and didn’t see it until I had gone through the titles a couple times over because the menu display had a blue cover rather than the red poster like it had at the theater. Now theres a movie that could benefited from standing out.
I saw this movie only once and didn’t care either way for it. I never played D&D but I did watch the old cartoon series with the kids. I have seen parts of the 2nd made for TV/Direct-To-DVD movie and liked it more!
I’m a weird person in that I’d love it if some one would get a group together and buy the rights to some movies like this and go back and George Lucas them and update the CGI effect with better modern day effects! Like I actually like An American Werewolf in Paris but the CGI in it is crap but I think it’s be awesome if you took the old effect out and put in some good modern day stuff and maybe tweak the original designs! They could do that with this and add in some more creatures!
I know a few people that liked part #2 more so you aren’t alone in that boat. Part 3 is coming soon from the same director as 2 so I’m curious to see how it pans out.
Eh, I think ol George should just leave well enough alone.
American Werewolf in Paris had some great moments and some bad moments. I liked the story a lot but some of the CGI did take me right out of it. Overall I liked it and don’t be surprised when you see it on here one day.
It is a beautiful review for a enjoyable movie
Thank you, Cecil!
And congratulations on episode 100th!
When I saw the movie it had a moment when the party was going around, looking all stealthy and in dark cloaks. But because they did it in a broad daylight with a lot of people around, it actually was anything but being stealthy. And It was a hilarious moment for me, because in our gaming party of that time out characters were also wearing dark cloak and trying to go around stealthy regardless of where we were, including daylight marketplace, just like in a movie 🙂
I still smile every time when I see that moment, – reminds me of good days and good people.
And I liked blue-lipped henchman, Damadar as I thought he was a pretty impressive guy, acting all cool and stuff 🙂
As usual, another great review Cecil. A big thanks to you for mentioning your site on Cheapassgamer.com. Otherwise I wouldn’t know this great site exsists. I also love the new opening.
Thanks! I had been on CAG for a while before I started doing this and the community was cool so I hoped it would be received well there. (it was, which made me happy) 🙂
Glad you dig the new intro, I’ll miss the old one but I really had been wanting to shorten it for a while. With the shows getting longer, I wanted to cut the intro time in half.
Anyway, Congrats on your 100th! Cheers to you and your amazing efforts, I saw my first Good Bad Flicks when you did Masters of the Universe. The fact that you quickly respond to praise from your fans, not to mention your great reviews, has kept me coming back since. I have gotten caught up for the most part with all of your other videos. I just absolutely enjoy everything I see. You make this lil’ girl a huge fangirl.
As I have said in the past, your videos are my Sunday Night Tradition. I even watched Suburban Commando during Martin Luther King Weekend while suffering from a horrible sinus infection. Couldn’t laugh out loud, but on the inside I was shaking with laughter.
Thank you for all of your great work, and keeping me laughing. I only aspire to be as good as you are at this (and I don’t make videos, I want to, but I don’t. I stick to actual writing).
That all being said, I’m not a Dungeons and Dragons fan, but your review was excellent, and kept me thoroughly entertained. Your background on the movie is great. I loved Marlon Wayans on In Living Color, The Wayans Bros., and Scary Movie. I used to imitate him with one of my friends, “I’m on TEEVEE! Oh shit! First Cops now this! I’m gonna be a star SON!” Thora Birch really looked like she was reading off a cue card…and thank you for the SNL reference to the cue card guy. 🙂
Looking forward to what you have coming, and I will continue to tune in for all the fun!! 🙂
I’d say marry me, but I know you’re taken. And your wife is very lucky, I hope she appreciates your work as much as this lil’ girl does. 🙂 I bet she laughs at all your jokes!!
I try to respond to everyone because if they take the time out to watch my show and comment, I think its the least I can do to let them know I appreciate it. I never want to get so big that I forget about my fans because without you guys and gals, I’m just talking to myself.
Well now that episode 100 is in the can, I’m getting back to the regular Sunday night schedule. (after a small break) This one took a lot out of me and I’ll explain more when I post about it on Sunday. ( I have some big news on the future of the show and the site…don’t worry, its all good/great news)
What do you write if you don’t mind my asking?
I knew not everyone watching would be into D&D so I tried to keep the super D&D geek stuff in check. Although I did sneak in quite a few inside jokes. Marlon is a better actor then he gets roles for, although he is also to blame with movies like White Chicks and Little Man. Seeing him in Requiem he is talented, I don’t know why he doesn’t aspire to do more. Oh well, I guess the checks from doing the bad comedies are too big to turn down.
I’m very happy you liked the episode. I have plenty more goodness in store. I’ve been going through horror withdrawl, so I’m thinking there is going to be a few of those in the near future. Oh…and Leonard Part 6…(which I was going to do in July but I’m delaying it until…probably Sept)
lol thats sweet. My wife has always been my biggest fan and supporter. She is there for me when I am doubting the quality of an episode or when I have severe writers block. She is supportive even when there are nights that I’m editing until 6 am. She sits though so many bad movies with me. (although there are only 2 that she really didn’t like…Surf Nazis and Teenage Caveman. Most of them she either likes or tolerates. Those two she can’t stand) She laughs at most of my jokes but every now and then I throw out an awful one liner that she groans at because it is so terrible.
I like to write movie recaps, lol. I wrote one for The Room almost 2 years ago, Blake Edward’s Switch almost 3 years ago, and I have an unpublished one for Commando. I am working on Secret of the Sword right now, lol. I need to do more writing though, it keeps my mind going. Click on my name to see my blog, and my old website is allisonswrittenwords.yolasite.com.
Leonard Part 6?! I cannot wait!!!!
Yeah, thanks for not completely geeking out, but you showed the right amount of geek!!! My nerd weakness is Stargate, and anyone who talks Stargate with me makes me smile. Let’s just say I don’t get my conversation there. I’m actually going to my first Con in two weeks in Chicago for a whole weekend of Stargate.
My weakness is guys with good senses of humor, sue me. Tasteless jokes are great, I don’t get offended by anything except for when people target individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That’s the field I work in, and they are the worst people to target.
Congrats on 100 episodes and I love the new intro, Cecil. Although, your audio levels seem lower this time around. Balanced between vo and movie, but just lower altogether.
I wanted this to work so bad. I loved the still the released of the beholder, but it was completely wasted. I dunno. I guess I just wish they had gone full geek instead of trying to balance between the geek niche and the general public. That kind of balancing rarely seems to work out. I know there were budget issues (major ones) but it’s still disappointing.
Hey, maybe Snails is actually a Bard and was using his Legend Lore ability to read the scroll. It would also explain why his thief skills are so low, and… um… maybe I’d better stop.
Frankly, the new setting never bothered me. Possibly because I’ve never played a game in Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms or even Krynn. Hell, many of my most memorable games have been Spelljammer, where the whole point is to visit new and unique places.
Audio was wonky because I switched over to Adobe Premiere 5 and they laid out the levels differently. I thought I had them properly peaked but then after listening to it compared to old episodes it was quiet.
Spelljammer? Awesome! I always wanted to play but never did. I had 2 groups that I played with. One was obsessed with only playing D&D and the other branched out but not too far. (Star Wars and Ravenloft but thats about it) I was able to get them to play All flesh must be eaten, a zombie rpg, for a little while but they quickly wanted to go back to wizards and such. A shame, I had an excellent zombie campaign planned.
Hi Cecil. I really enjoy your reviews, and even bought Priest and DOA to watch at home (they are really cheap to purchase BTW). What makes a difference between your reviews and others is that you keep the silliness down to a good level and I enjoy the background info. Please don’t leave that stuff behind.
Thanks! I bought DOA a while ago and picked up Priest on Bluray for 6 bucks. I guess one good thing about these movies is they can be picked up cheap!
I’m glad you enjoy the back info and such. That part is a favorite of mine as well and was one of the foundations I set this show up on. I have no intention of ever getting rid of it. Some movies I have more info on than others but I will always try to get at least some trivia in there.
Congrats on the big 1-0-0! So many memories from all the great reviews so far; laughing out loud on “Rocktober Blood” (which is still my favorite), downloading the Buio Omega soundtrack after seeing “The Other Hell”, wiping up a puddle of drool after watching “Dead or Alive”, good times.
And that last part at the end applies to you too, I’m sure that this is a labor of love for you that comes at great cost to your time and cash, and at some point you’ll move on to bigger things, but for now I hope you know how much people appreciate the awesome, unique, and creative videos and viewpoints that folks like you, The Cine-Masochist, and the Fear Fan are putting out there. I actually made a donation once (which is a big deal, because I’m a stingy bastard), and I recommend anyone else that enjoys your stuff does the same. Congrats again man, keep up the good bad work!
Thanks so much! I really do appreciate the support. I’m a fan of Rocktober Blood as well, I wish that would come out on DVD already!
This is totally a labor of love. I was tired of all these movies getting ripped on and wanted to stand up to give them a voice in the other direction. It warms my heart to know that there are others out there that love cheesy films as much as I do.
Also, I appreciate the donation. Every little bit helps to buy the caffeine that keeps me going. 😛
After watching, particularly the heart-felt closing statement, I’m now a lot more forgiving of the film if not more fond of it.
Like BooRat further up I prefer the second one; I’ve only recently started D & D and feel that the sequel carries more of the experience of roleplaying (the interplay of the team and such like).
A little popsicle of information for non-Limey fans: Richard O’Brien is now most famous in the UK for his TV action gameshow ‘The Crystal Maze’ in which he plays a similar character in more or less the same setting (contestants have to beat puzzles to earn crystals). Possibly entirely unrelated but a pleasing coincidence anyroad.
Thanks! I just wanted people to know this movie wasn’t some big budget producer meddled disaster, this was a movie that was made by a guy who had nothing but love for the product. He dedicated a good chunk of his life to make it happen and that is huge.
I think 2 succeeded in feeling more like a traditional D&D game but 1 just wins me over every time.
I wish I would have known that about O’Brien, his role make ever more sense!
Oh you haven’t seen the last of ‘ol mittenhand. (although not for a while, don’t want to wear out the joke)
1)What have I done today? Just watched Good Bad Flicks. That’s about it!
2)I can not forgive Thora Birch for this movie. . .just really bad acting. And not that Jeremy Irons was any better with the OVER acting at all but at least it brought spice to the film. Birch seemed dead to me.
3)I really love the film’s switch in tone. I thought that killing Snails was a brilliant move mainly because it upped the intensity level up a lot. If that dude can get killed, who else could too? Great move.
Plus, due to that tone change, the film got a lot better for me as well. I felt that the scenery suddenly became deeper, the threat larger, and the goals more emotional. I consider D&D two films: a standard, somewhat generic fantasy flick up until Snails dies, and then a well crafted, deep fantasy film with real tension for the last 45 minutes (or whatever the time was).
And though I was a little disappointed for the filmmakers fighting way above their class with the visual effects (sometimes you just got to figure out something else when you don’t have the money PLUS practical effects are still cool!) I’d rather see passion and failing big from a filmmaker then just putting out a project with no effort. So bravo there. I appreciate the love given to Solomon. I now have a new respect for him.
Birch’s acting was bad. I think it is like how Portman was in the prequels. She is a good actress but needs the right director who knows how to pull the performance out of her. She just didn’t have the chops to be able to do it on her own and came across as a stilted, bland performance.
Agreed. While sometimes a director can completely pull a movie together even though they are working well beyond where they should, this one didn’t. (even though I still love it, I recognize its shortcomings) However, like you said I would rather a movie be a passion project fail from aiming to high than the overwhelming amount of dull, lifeless, carbon copy, market tested, borefests that have been littering the multiplexes the past decade.
Already posted on your channel, but well done. I think out of all the movies you’ve reviewed, this is my favorite one. Ironic cause it’s also the worst reviewed film that I consider good. I actually prefer this review to the Nostalgia Critic’s, the humor is better, and I like how I can see somebody else who loved this movie so I don’t feel so ashamed of it haha. That being said, hate to disappoint you, but I actually loved Portman in Attack of the Clones. Yeah, she was a little stiff, but think about the situation she was in. She was a politician forbidden from love who hadn’t spoken to hardly any guys her age in the longest time…Wouldn’t YOU be a little stiff and restrained too? Of course, I actually really, really love Star Wars Episode II and III (Some of my all-time favorite movies) and YES I have seen RedLetterMedia’s reviews and can’t stand them (If you like them, I guess it’s nice that SOMEBODY got some entertainment and insight out of them.) Oh, and (REC) is probably my favorite horror movie ever made, so happy to see you liked that too. By the way, have you seen The Bucks County Massacre? If you’re into found footage flicks like (REC), it’s actually really good and criminally underrated…PRIME show material.
It’s funny you write this today because I had someone over on youtube saying this movie is worthless and no one likes it.
I really don’t mind the Star Wars prequels, which is internet heresy anymore. Honestly, I wish there was some way to go back in time and record people prior to the Red Letter Media videos. While yes, they are hilarious and well done, there wasn’t this overwhelming amount of hate for the prequels until after those videos. Sure there were people who didn’t like them but not to the degree of bile spewing hatred like now.
Tha Phantom Menace was #1 at the Box office for 3 weeks straight and Clones + Revenge were both there for 2 weeks. Combined they made close to 3 billion dollars. I remember seeing part 3 in theaters on a midnight showing and more than half the theater was in costume. People will call bullshit but they were all loved films for years.
I liked Phantom but did find Jar-Jar annoying. I didn’t hate him but he could have been on screen less. At least he wasn’t as bad as Chris Tucker in the 5th Element. Clones was better but I do still feel that Portman’s performance fell flat. It didn’t ruin the movie but it wasn’t as strong as I know she can do. Revenge is definitely the best of the bunch but the “NOOOOO” still makes me laugh.
I would love to do a video on any of them but its just not worth the amount of backlash and headaches I would get. Maybe I should put the trilogy up as a reward on Patreon or something. lol
Haven’t seen that one, I’ll give it a look. Seems Amazon has it on Prime. [REC] is such an awesome film. Sad most folks in the US only saw the crappy remake.
The Fifth element would really benefit from someone doing a redux like they did with Episode 1 and removing Tucker. He just drags the whole thing down.
First of all, please excuse my grammar, for English is not my mother tongue. I just read this comment again, and I first thought I should have been a bit less emphatic – still, I’m really not the kind of man who leaves comments anywhere, so let’s call this a deserved exception.
There’s really something about your work that is not ceasing to amaze me. I first watched your critics of Blairwitch 2 – a movie I kinda enjoyed – and Silent Hill – which I thouroughly loved -, and told myself “Hell this guy is interesting, and really brings out something that makes me think a lot more about these movies, and the director’s intentions behind it”. After a certain amount of time spent on various critics you made, wondering what you would say about Super mario bros and D&D, I watched these videos too.
And that’s where the real point of your work hit me. You said that sometimes one needs to make a clean slate of everything he heard, or even of his own opinions, in order to give a second chance to something that disapointed. I didn’t like the D&D movie – not for fanboys reasons, but merely because its global tonality and aesthetics didn’t suit me : a simple matter of taste, in the end. Yet, your calm take on it made me re-think about it, and somehow awakened some kind of empathy for this movie – I still do not specifically like it, but at least, I understand why one could deeply enjoy it. And there is the point : you have, in my opinion, this rare ability to position yourself above the screams and anathems, and to unravel the hidden merits of some movies. I know do not have to enjoy the movies you are presenting, but at least, you make me more aware of its shining moments, in a more objective way. And this may be why I’m spending all this time to write a comment that makes some sense – to thank you for this well-documented, often funny, and sincere work of yours, that doesn’t mix up aesthetics, artistic technics and personnal taste in violent statements, but seems to take the needed time to approach all these things in a meaningful way.
This was one of the nicest comments I got in any language, so thank you!
Glad I can at least make you look at some of these films from a different perspective. While I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, I want to at least entertain them for the duration of the video. Like the D&D movie. I can understand people who dislike it. I can’t understand the people who flat out hate the film. A ton of work went into simply getting the thing made and I wanted to make people aware of that fact.
I appreciate the time you took to write this, so thanks again!
…and you just replied a comment on a video that is more than one year old. That is not a common thing.
I’m still watching your comments and critics (about 2-3 a day, when I have a chance to do so), and I am still really enjoying this strange humor of yours, somewhere between the really subtle elements and the elementary school jokes.
By the way, I wanted to ask you a some questions (of course you don’t have to reply to any of them, if you don’t feel like it ; it’s just that I am genuinly interressed in your opinions on these points) :
1- We do not have many good movies reviewers in France, and that may explain why I have this habbit to follow American/English reviewers. I first watched a lot of That Scy-fi guy’s work – what do you think of his approach (the understatement here being that you know his work, which may be a huge misconception, since we tend to believe that people who share the same language know each other…) ? I feel it is kinda similar in the understanding he has about what is an enjoyable movie, but I’d like to know what you think.
2- I just saw “Snowpiercer”, an adaptation of a French/Belgian comic. While the movie got a mixed reception, I thouroughly loved it. If you have seen it, what did you think of it ?
3- You mentionned somewhere (in the Blairwitch 2 review I guess) the movie “Audition” from director Takashi Miike. It has quite a reputation here (it is said to have caused severe malaise in theaters when it was first released). Do you intend to make a review of it, and is it this intense ?
4 – You have reviewed a lot of horror movies – do you know the Spanish wave ? One of the great directors is Jaume Balaguero (He directed “Darkness” and “Fragile”, and worked on “REC”). I find these movies really interresting – they often have an aesthetic research that, along with east asian horror movies (like the original, thai “The Eye”, which I think is severely underrated), is relevant to me, and somehow, really moving.
I’ll check back this page to see if you answered – do not feel compelled in any way though.
Keep going on this great work of yours,
I try to respond as much as I can. (unless it is something that doesn’t warrant a response)
I do have a very odd sense of humor, that I will admit. However, I like to think it makes me a little more accessible. I put in both low and high brow humor, as well as a healthy dose of pop culture. Most folks seem to enjoy it. 🙂
1 – I try not to watch too many other internet review shows. I just don’t have the time. Also, I don’t want to be accused to joke theft. Internet reviewers are aware of others but they don’t always know what they do. I’ve heard of him but never watched his stuff. (but for me that falls into the first sentence) I am happy to know that some of the bigger fish in this review pond are getting more aware of little old me. Lets me know I must be doing something right to get my name out there.
2 – Haven’t seen but sounds right up my alley.
3 – Audition is great but a very hard watch. Miike is an experimental director and he wanted to see if he could completely bore the audience and then pull them back to the film with the second half. Its not for everyone, especially the average film goer. I’ll probably never do a review on it because…it would be really hard to convey. I might just do an episode talking about how great Miike is.
4 – Well aware of many Spanish Horror films. REC and Timecrimes being two of my favorites.
follow:
Two things:
1.It has been a while since I have watched your earlier videos, so I do not know how often you do this, but one trait about your show that I like is that you do not use a lot of clip jokes. The “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was necessary though.
2. Who was the woman it the clip with the football player? She seems familiar.
1 – I try not to rely on too many clip jokes per episode but I went a little out of my usual formula for this one.
2- The lovely Megan Park. She has a few horror films to her credit with Diary of the Dead and Kaw. She was also in Charlie Bartlett.
At first I thought it was the woman who was Angel’s secretary at Wolfram and Heart. Then I realized what show it was from and knew it was not her.
I like the fact that he does not use skits and gives background info about the film at the end of his review.
So do I. The first review I saw was “Super Mario Bros”. I cannot wait until he does “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze” and gives background information on the first movie, the comics, and the cartoons before discussing the second film.
TMNT 2 I want to do (and do well because I love the Turtles) but it is a tricky beast. There really isn’t as much production notes as I would like so if I did it now it wouldn’t have nearly as much as I would like to put into it. Hence, why I’ve been holding off.
I wish I could find some information on it, but I have a relative on some side of my family that worked on probably the first movie. I remember going to this karate place years ago when I was a preteen. There were posters from the fist movie hung, one of them had Shredder and Tatsu posing together. I just wish I could remember the his name.
Ugh skits. Occasionally funny but I’ve seen too many reviewers use them as a crutch and they are usually awful. The only guy I’ve ever seen that pulls them off most of the time is the AVGN. (not saying others haven’t, its just he is the one who has the highest success rate in my book)
So, no skits from me!
Nice review…while i cant say its the best fantasy flick out there, it certainly isnt the worst.
I think we are all due an 80s action flick now.
Definitely not the best but far, far from the worst. I think Eragon was much worse…but the Rifftrax made that one hilarious.
I have an awesome 90s action film that has a total 80s vibe coming very soon.
Another great review dude. I just wanted to say thank you for making these videos. You’re very talented. I been watching your stuff for a while. Here’s hoping for a 100 more.
Thank you for the compliment and thank you for watching! It’s comments like this that keep me going. 🙂
Excellent ending. I’ve never seen this movie, and I probably never will, but that’s only because I’m not into the whole D&D thing so this movie’s *ahem* charms might be lost on me.
Much appreciated!
No problem, like I said in the video not everyone can be into everything. I kind of geeked out with all the D&D references. It felt good to get it out of my system because I haven’t played in years.
Between your review of this movie and the one by The Nostalgia Critic, I can’t believe no one has made a joke about how Bruce Payne looks like Apocalypse from the X-Men Comics.
Given that we get big property adaptation movies just about every week its hard to remember that there was once a time when big budget features based on comics, cartoons or games were rare. At the time they were probably a really big risk. Thinking about it that way helps put stuff like this, Masters of the Universe, Super Mario Bros, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, Tim Burton’s Batman or Chris Reeve’s Superman into perspective.
Holy crap! Now that you mention it, it is all I see. Wow, good eye.
Movies are in a weird place right now. There is stuff being made but much of it is made to try and please too many people. Kind of like the current state of pop music. Most of it just looks/feels/sounds the same. Color correction is a huge cause of this as well, with too many directors giving their films the “grey” look”.
The old licensed properties of the 80s/90s didn’t have the budgets of their counterparts now but what they lacked in dollars they made up with in charisma and creativity. They had heart and a purpose, beyond just making money. They were making entertainment.
I think “Blue” is becoming the color of sameness over “grey”. How many blue tinted movies have you seen in the past ten years? A lot more than the previous decade I’ll bet.
It reminds me of when I was at a Redbox a few months ago looking for a copy of “John Carter”, and didn’t see it until I had gone through the titles a couple times over because the menu display had a blue cover rather than the red poster like it had at the theater. Now theres a movie that could benefited from standing out.
Yep, so much blue. Same with movie posters and how they are all the same anymore. No creativity, just blue/orange giant heads.
Why would they make John Carter have a blue cover? Of all the films that it would make sense to have a red cover!
I saw this movie only once and didn’t care either way for it. I never played D&D but I did watch the old cartoon series with the kids. I have seen parts of the 2nd made for TV/Direct-To-DVD movie and liked it more!
I’m a weird person in that I’d love it if some one would get a group together and buy the rights to some movies like this and go back and George Lucas them and update the CGI effect with better modern day effects! Like I actually like An American Werewolf in Paris but the CGI in it is crap but I think it’s be awesome if you took the old effect out and put in some good modern day stuff and maybe tweak the original designs! They could do that with this and add in some more creatures!
I know a few people that liked part #2 more so you aren’t alone in that boat. Part 3 is coming soon from the same director as 2 so I’m curious to see how it pans out.
Eh, I think ol George should just leave well enough alone.
American Werewolf in Paris had some great moments and some bad moments. I liked the story a lot but some of the CGI did take me right out of it. Overall I liked it and don’t be surprised when you see it on here one day.
It is a beautiful review for a enjoyable movie
Thank you, Cecil!
And congratulations on episode 100th!
When I saw the movie it had a moment when the party was going around, looking all stealthy and in dark cloaks. But because they did it in a broad daylight with a lot of people around, it actually was anything but being stealthy. And It was a hilarious moment for me, because in our gaming party of that time out characters were also wearing dark cloak and trying to go around stealthy regardless of where we were, including daylight marketplace, just like in a movie 🙂
I still smile every time when I see that moment, – reminds me of good days and good people.
And I liked blue-lipped henchman, Damadar as I thought he was a pretty impressive guy, acting all cool and stuff 🙂
Thank you!
We used to do the same thing. Sneaking around and looking blatantly sneaky in broad daylight. Thankfully our DM was forgiving…most of the time.
Damodar was a good villain and I wonder if he would have been taken more seriously if not for the blue lips.
As usual, another great review Cecil. A big thanks to you for mentioning your site on Cheapassgamer.com. Otherwise I wouldn’t know this great site exsists. I also love the new opening.
Thanks! I had been on CAG for a while before I started doing this and the community was cool so I hoped it would be received well there. (it was, which made me happy) 🙂
Glad you dig the new intro, I’ll miss the old one but I really had been wanting to shorten it for a while. With the shows getting longer, I wanted to cut the intro time in half.
CEEEEECIIIIIIIIILLLLL!!!!!
Out of my system, I swear.
Anyway, Congrats on your 100th! Cheers to you and your amazing efforts, I saw my first Good Bad Flicks when you did Masters of the Universe. The fact that you quickly respond to praise from your fans, not to mention your great reviews, has kept me coming back since. I have gotten caught up for the most part with all of your other videos. I just absolutely enjoy everything I see. You make this lil’ girl a huge fangirl.
As I have said in the past, your videos are my Sunday Night Tradition. I even watched Suburban Commando during Martin Luther King Weekend while suffering from a horrible sinus infection. Couldn’t laugh out loud, but on the inside I was shaking with laughter.
Thank you for all of your great work, and keeping me laughing. I only aspire to be as good as you are at this (and I don’t make videos, I want to, but I don’t. I stick to actual writing).
That all being said, I’m not a Dungeons and Dragons fan, but your review was excellent, and kept me thoroughly entertained. Your background on the movie is great. I loved Marlon Wayans on In Living Color, The Wayans Bros., and Scary Movie. I used to imitate him with one of my friends, “I’m on TEEVEE! Oh shit! First Cops now this! I’m gonna be a star SON!” Thora Birch really looked like she was reading off a cue card…and thank you for the SNL reference to the cue card guy. 🙂
Looking forward to what you have coming, and I will continue to tune in for all the fun!! 🙂
I’d say marry me, but I know you’re taken. And your wife is very lucky, I hope she appreciates your work as much as this lil’ girl does. 🙂 I bet she laughs at all your jokes!!
Until next time….Happy 100 Cecil! 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂
I try to respond to everyone because if they take the time out to watch my show and comment, I think its the least I can do to let them know I appreciate it. I never want to get so big that I forget about my fans because without you guys and gals, I’m just talking to myself.
Well now that episode 100 is in the can, I’m getting back to the regular Sunday night schedule. (after a small break) This one took a lot out of me and I’ll explain more when I post about it on Sunday. ( I have some big news on the future of the show and the site…don’t worry, its all good/great news)
What do you write if you don’t mind my asking?
I knew not everyone watching would be into D&D so I tried to keep the super D&D geek stuff in check. Although I did sneak in quite a few inside jokes. Marlon is a better actor then he gets roles for, although he is also to blame with movies like White Chicks and Little Man. Seeing him in Requiem he is talented, I don’t know why he doesn’t aspire to do more. Oh well, I guess the checks from doing the bad comedies are too big to turn down.
I’m very happy you liked the episode. I have plenty more goodness in store. I’ve been going through horror withdrawl, so I’m thinking there is going to be a few of those in the near future. Oh…and Leonard Part 6…(which I was going to do in July but I’m delaying it until…probably Sept)
lol thats sweet. My wife has always been my biggest fan and supporter. She is there for me when I am doubting the quality of an episode or when I have severe writers block. She is supportive even when there are nights that I’m editing until 6 am. She sits though so many bad movies with me. (although there are only 2 that she really didn’t like…Surf Nazis and Teenage Caveman. Most of them she either likes or tolerates. Those two she can’t stand) She laughs at most of my jokes but every now and then I throw out an awful one liner that she groans at because it is so terrible.
Thanks again!
I like to write movie recaps, lol. I wrote one for The Room almost 2 years ago, Blake Edward’s Switch almost 3 years ago, and I have an unpublished one for Commando. I am working on Secret of the Sword right now, lol. I need to do more writing though, it keeps my mind going. Click on my name to see my blog, and my old website is allisonswrittenwords.yolasite.com.
Leonard Part 6?! I cannot wait!!!!
Yeah, thanks for not completely geeking out, but you showed the right amount of geek!!! My nerd weakness is Stargate, and anyone who talks Stargate with me makes me smile. Let’s just say I don’t get my conversation there. I’m actually going to my first Con in two weeks in Chicago for a whole weekend of Stargate.
My weakness is guys with good senses of humor, sue me. Tasteless jokes are great, I don’t get offended by anything except for when people target individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That’s the field I work in, and they are the worst people to target.
As always you are welcome! Cheers!
Cecil’s wife is super-awesome, I assure you 😉 He and his humor are appreciated every day, and it’s a two-way street – always.
Congrats on 100 episodes and I love the new intro, Cecil. Although, your audio levels seem lower this time around. Balanced between vo and movie, but just lower altogether.
I wanted this to work so bad. I loved the still the released of the beholder, but it was completely wasted. I dunno. I guess I just wish they had gone full geek instead of trying to balance between the geek niche and the general public. That kind of balancing rarely seems to work out. I know there were budget issues (major ones) but it’s still disappointing.
Hey, maybe Snails is actually a Bard and was using his Legend Lore ability to read the scroll. It would also explain why his thief skills are so low, and… um… maybe I’d better stop.
Frankly, the new setting never bothered me. Possibly because I’ve never played a game in Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms or even Krynn. Hell, many of my most memorable games have been Spelljammer, where the whole point is to visit new and unique places.
Audio was wonky because I switched over to Adobe Premiere 5 and they laid out the levels differently. I thought I had them properly peaked but then after listening to it compared to old episodes it was quiet.
Spelljammer? Awesome! I always wanted to play but never did. I had 2 groups that I played with. One was obsessed with only playing D&D and the other branched out but not too far. (Star Wars and Ravenloft but thats about it) I was able to get them to play All flesh must be eaten, a zombie rpg, for a little while but they quickly wanted to go back to wizards and such. A shame, I had an excellent zombie campaign planned.
Hi Cecil. I really enjoy your reviews, and even bought Priest and DOA to watch at home (they are really cheap to purchase BTW). What makes a difference between your reviews and others is that you keep the silliness down to a good level and I enjoy the background info. Please don’t leave that stuff behind.
Thanks! I bought DOA a while ago and picked up Priest on Bluray for 6 bucks. I guess one good thing about these movies is they can be picked up cheap!
I’m glad you enjoy the back info and such. That part is a favorite of mine as well and was one of the foundations I set this show up on. I have no intention of ever getting rid of it. Some movies I have more info on than others but I will always try to get at least some trivia in there.
Congrats on the big 1-0-0! So many memories from all the great reviews so far; laughing out loud on “Rocktober Blood” (which is still my favorite), downloading the Buio Omega soundtrack after seeing “The Other Hell”, wiping up a puddle of drool after watching “Dead or Alive”, good times.
And that last part at the end applies to you too, I’m sure that this is a labor of love for you that comes at great cost to your time and cash, and at some point you’ll move on to bigger things, but for now I hope you know how much people appreciate the awesome, unique, and creative videos and viewpoints that folks like you, The Cine-Masochist, and the Fear Fan are putting out there. I actually made a donation once (which is a big deal, because I’m a stingy bastard), and I recommend anyone else that enjoys your stuff does the same. Congrats again man, keep up the good bad work!
Thanks so much! I really do appreciate the support. I’m a fan of Rocktober Blood as well, I wish that would come out on DVD already!
This is totally a labor of love. I was tired of all these movies getting ripped on and wanted to stand up to give them a voice in the other direction. It warms my heart to know that there are others out there that love cheesy films as much as I do.
Also, I appreciate the donation. Every little bit helps to buy the caffeine that keeps me going. 😛
After watching, particularly the heart-felt closing statement, I’m now a lot more forgiving of the film if not more fond of it.
Like BooRat further up I prefer the second one; I’ve only recently started D & D and feel that the sequel carries more of the experience of roleplaying (the interplay of the team and such like).
A little popsicle of information for non-Limey fans: Richard O’Brien is now most famous in the UK for his TV action gameshow ‘The Crystal Maze’ in which he plays a similar character in more or less the same setting (contestants have to beat puzzles to earn crystals). Possibly entirely unrelated but a pleasing coincidence anyroad.
Lastly: got a big kick from Dr. Mittens. Cheers!
Thanks! I just wanted people to know this movie wasn’t some big budget producer meddled disaster, this was a movie that was made by a guy who had nothing but love for the product. He dedicated a good chunk of his life to make it happen and that is huge.
I think 2 succeeded in feeling more like a traditional D&D game but 1 just wins me over every time.
I wish I would have known that about O’Brien, his role make ever more sense!
Oh you haven’t seen the last of ‘ol mittenhand. (although not for a while, don’t want to wear out the joke)
Hey dude,
Great review, as always.
1)What have I done today? Just watched Good Bad Flicks. That’s about it!
2)I can not forgive Thora Birch for this movie. . .just really bad acting. And not that Jeremy Irons was any better with the OVER acting at all but at least it brought spice to the film. Birch seemed dead to me.
3)I really love the film’s switch in tone. I thought that killing Snails was a brilliant move mainly because it upped the intensity level up a lot. If that dude can get killed, who else could too? Great move.
Plus, due to that tone change, the film got a lot better for me as well. I felt that the scenery suddenly became deeper, the threat larger, and the goals more emotional. I consider D&D two films: a standard, somewhat generic fantasy flick up until Snails dies, and then a well crafted, deep fantasy film with real tension for the last 45 minutes (or whatever the time was).
And though I was a little disappointed for the filmmakers fighting way above their class with the visual effects (sometimes you just got to figure out something else when you don’t have the money PLUS practical effects are still cool!) I’d rather see passion and failing big from a filmmaker then just putting out a project with no effort. So bravo there. I appreciate the love given to Solomon. I now have a new respect for him.
Will
Thanks! Sounds like a good day to me!
Birch’s acting was bad. I think it is like how Portman was in the prequels. She is a good actress but needs the right director who knows how to pull the performance out of her. She just didn’t have the chops to be able to do it on her own and came across as a stilted, bland performance.
Agreed. While sometimes a director can completely pull a movie together even though they are working well beyond where they should, this one didn’t. (even though I still love it, I recognize its shortcomings) However, like you said I would rather a movie be a passion project fail from aiming to high than the overwhelming amount of dull, lifeless, carbon copy, market tested, borefests that have been littering the multiplexes the past decade.
Already posted on your channel, but well done. I think out of all the movies you’ve reviewed, this is my favorite one. Ironic cause it’s also the worst reviewed film that I consider good. I actually prefer this review to the Nostalgia Critic’s, the humor is better, and I like how I can see somebody else who loved this movie so I don’t feel so ashamed of it haha. That being said, hate to disappoint you, but I actually loved Portman in Attack of the Clones. Yeah, she was a little stiff, but think about the situation she was in. She was a politician forbidden from love who hadn’t spoken to hardly any guys her age in the longest time…Wouldn’t YOU be a little stiff and restrained too? Of course, I actually really, really love Star Wars Episode II and III (Some of my all-time favorite movies) and YES I have seen RedLetterMedia’s reviews and can’t stand them (If you like them, I guess it’s nice that SOMEBODY got some entertainment and insight out of them.) Oh, and (REC) is probably my favorite horror movie ever made, so happy to see you liked that too. By the way, have you seen The Bucks County Massacre? If you’re into found footage flicks like (REC), it’s actually really good and criminally underrated…PRIME show material.
It’s funny you write this today because I had someone over on youtube saying this movie is worthless and no one likes it.
I really don’t mind the Star Wars prequels, which is internet heresy anymore. Honestly, I wish there was some way to go back in time and record people prior to the Red Letter Media videos. While yes, they are hilarious and well done, there wasn’t this overwhelming amount of hate for the prequels until after those videos. Sure there were people who didn’t like them but not to the degree of bile spewing hatred like now.
Tha Phantom Menace was #1 at the Box office for 3 weeks straight and Clones + Revenge were both there for 2 weeks. Combined they made close to 3 billion dollars. I remember seeing part 3 in theaters on a midnight showing and more than half the theater was in costume. People will call bullshit but they were all loved films for years.
I liked Phantom but did find Jar-Jar annoying. I didn’t hate him but he could have been on screen less. At least he wasn’t as bad as Chris Tucker in the 5th Element. Clones was better but I do still feel that Portman’s performance fell flat. It didn’t ruin the movie but it wasn’t as strong as I know she can do. Revenge is definitely the best of the bunch but the “NOOOOO” still makes me laugh.
I would love to do a video on any of them but its just not worth the amount of backlash and headaches I would get. Maybe I should put the trilogy up as a reward on Patreon or something. lol
Haven’t seen that one, I’ll give it a look. Seems Amazon has it on Prime. [REC] is such an awesome film. Sad most folks in the US only saw the crappy remake.
A “no montage” without Calculon?
He was busy filming “All My Circuits” at the time heh
The Fifth Element is too good a movie to ruin even with Chris Tucker.
Speaking of the no montage, you have to review Blankman.
The Fifth element would really benefit from someone doing a redux like they did with Episode 1 and removing Tucker. He just drags the whole thing down.
Hmmm…I do like Blankman…
nostalgia critic does a hillaries review of it you should check it out some day Cecil
First of all, please excuse my grammar, for English is not my mother tongue. I just read this comment again, and I first thought I should have been a bit less emphatic – still, I’m really not the kind of man who leaves comments anywhere, so let’s call this a deserved exception.
There’s really something about your work that is not ceasing to amaze me. I first watched your critics of Blairwitch 2 – a movie I kinda enjoyed – and Silent Hill – which I thouroughly loved -, and told myself “Hell this guy is interesting, and really brings out something that makes me think a lot more about these movies, and the director’s intentions behind it”. After a certain amount of time spent on various critics you made, wondering what you would say about Super mario bros and D&D, I watched these videos too.
And that’s where the real point of your work hit me. You said that sometimes one needs to make a clean slate of everything he heard, or even of his own opinions, in order to give a second chance to something that disapointed. I didn’t like the D&D movie – not for fanboys reasons, but merely because its global tonality and aesthetics didn’t suit me : a simple matter of taste, in the end. Yet, your calm take on it made me re-think about it, and somehow awakened some kind of empathy for this movie – I still do not specifically like it, but at least, I understand why one could deeply enjoy it. And there is the point : you have, in my opinion, this rare ability to position yourself above the screams and anathems, and to unravel the hidden merits of some movies. I know do not have to enjoy the movies you are presenting, but at least, you make me more aware of its shining moments, in a more objective way. And this may be why I’m spending all this time to write a comment that makes some sense – to thank you for this well-documented, often funny, and sincere work of yours, that doesn’t mix up aesthetics, artistic technics and personnal taste in violent statements, but seems to take the needed time to approach all these things in a meaningful way.
And if I may end this with a quote of an old writer of my land that sums up my feeling here, I’d say : “Le plaisir de la critique nous ôte celui d’être vivement touchés de très belles choses” (“The pleasure that provide [blind] criticism prevent us from being vividly moved by beautiful things” – La bruyère).
This was one of the nicest comments I got in any language, so thank you!
Glad I can at least make you look at some of these films from a different perspective. While I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, I want to at least entertain them for the duration of the video. Like the D&D movie. I can understand people who dislike it. I can’t understand the people who flat out hate the film. A ton of work went into simply getting the thing made and I wanted to make people aware of that fact.
I appreciate the time you took to write this, so thanks again!
…and you just replied a comment on a video that is more than one year old. That is not a common thing.
I’m still watching your comments and critics (about 2-3 a day, when I have a chance to do so), and I am still really enjoying this strange humor of yours, somewhere between the really subtle elements and the elementary school jokes.
By the way, I wanted to ask you a some questions (of course you don’t have to reply to any of them, if you don’t feel like it ; it’s just that I am genuinly interressed in your opinions on these points) :
1- We do not have many good movies reviewers in France, and that may explain why I have this habbit to follow American/English reviewers. I first watched a lot of That Scy-fi guy’s work – what do you think of his approach (the understatement here being that you know his work, which may be a huge misconception, since we tend to believe that people who share the same language know each other…) ? I feel it is kinda similar in the understanding he has about what is an enjoyable movie, but I’d like to know what you think.
2- I just saw “Snowpiercer”, an adaptation of a French/Belgian comic. While the movie got a mixed reception, I thouroughly loved it. If you have seen it, what did you think of it ?
3- You mentionned somewhere (in the Blairwitch 2 review I guess) the movie “Audition” from director Takashi Miike. It has quite a reputation here (it is said to have caused severe malaise in theaters when it was first released). Do you intend to make a review of it, and is it this intense ?
4 – You have reviewed a lot of horror movies – do you know the Spanish wave ? One of the great directors is Jaume Balaguero (He directed “Darkness” and “Fragile”, and worked on “REC”). I find these movies really interresting – they often have an aesthetic research that, along with east asian horror movies (like the original, thai “The Eye”, which I think is severely underrated), is relevant to me, and somehow, really moving.
I’ll check back this page to see if you answered – do not feel compelled in any way though.
Keep going on this great work of yours,
Regards from france –
I try to respond as much as I can. (unless it is something that doesn’t warrant a response)
I do have a very odd sense of humor, that I will admit. However, I like to think it makes me a little more accessible. I put in both low and high brow humor, as well as a healthy dose of pop culture. Most folks seem to enjoy it. 🙂
1 – I try not to watch too many other internet review shows. I just don’t have the time. Also, I don’t want to be accused to joke theft. Internet reviewers are aware of others but they don’t always know what they do. I’ve heard of him but never watched his stuff. (but for me that falls into the first sentence) I am happy to know that some of the bigger fish in this review pond are getting more aware of little old me. Lets me know I must be doing something right to get my name out there.
2 – Haven’t seen but sounds right up my alley.
3 – Audition is great but a very hard watch. Miike is an experimental director and he wanted to see if he could completely bore the audience and then pull them back to the film with the second half. Its not for everyone, especially the average film goer. I’ll probably never do a review on it because…it would be really hard to convey. I might just do an episode talking about how great Miike is.
4 – Well aware of many Spanish Horror films. REC and Timecrimes being two of my favorites.
Thanks again.