I already counted down my favorite rangers of each color, now it is time to do the same thing with their zords. The 6th Rangers get their own separate list because their zords are supposed to stand out from the core rangers so it is unfair to put them in the same lists as their corresponding colors. So, let's begin with my favorite Zords that are under the control of rangers meant to standout.
Last week, we discussed DreamWorks Animation's 1998 classic The Prince of Egypt, which is one of my favorite films of all time. The film was an incredible risk for the newly formed DreamWorks to create and represents the highlight of their traditional animated era, with stellar animation and music, tied to a deeply emotional story that was accessible to both religious and irreligious audiences.
With such a reputation, any companion or sequel film would have a powerful shadow to overcome. And the film that the filmmakers decided needed to follow up the story of Moses and the Exodus was a direct-to-video adaptation of the story of Joseph, which they released in 2000.
In some ways, this actually makes sense since the story of Joseph is probably the most well known bible story next to the Story of Exodus and the story of Jesus (if you include the New Testament). Still I've always found this sequel particularly fascinating given the subject matter and how it was DreamWorks Animations only direct-to-video production until Trollhunters: Rise of the Titan in 2021, giving this film quite a degree of notoriety.
Due to the story taking place chronologically before The Prince of Egypt and possessing something of a much more different tone, this film is considered by many of its creators as more of a companion to The Prince of Egypt rather than an out and out sequel. So how does Joseph:King of Dreams, the direct-to-video sequel, compare to its theatrical predecessor?
Let's take a look.
Japan has much less censorship rules than America does, to the point where some people thing that Super Sentai is targeted towards an older audience than Power Rangers is. Nope, they are both kids shows. However, with a little more freedom, Super Sentai gets away with things that would never appear on an American kids show. So, just for fun, allow me to countdown what I consider the Top 5 things Super Sentai can do that Power Rangers cannot. (Opinion based.)
I grew up in a deeply religious household, as I'm sure I've mentioned a few time in these articles. As such, I was often watching films of a religious nature in my house, especially around the holidays. Obviously, films like King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and The Ten Commandments were always on the television throughout November and December. It was almost unavoidable, though at least the films were actually pretty entertaining to watch. But every so often, my sister and I would get a treat and a chance to watch a religiously-inspired movie that was animated and far better than the drier and more "epic" scale films that tended to get seen.
I am, of course, talking about DreamWorks Animations 1998 animated musical The Prince of Egypt. Now I've talked about this film several times in various countdowns or editorials over the last few years but I've never actually sat down and given my few opinion on the film on its own merits. This is an oversight that I feel is greatly in need of correction, especially given the holiday season.
Yes, I do realize that this movie is more of a Passover movie than a Christian holiday movie, but I did not feel like waiting until next April to review this movie and its prequel (tune in next week ;)). So this is what you all are getting. A nice look at one of DreamWorks Animations most highly regarded traditionally animated movies.
Is it worthy of the hype and does it stand up to films like The Ten Commandments in terms of adaptation of its source material?
This is a story about a private investigator who turns into an owner/operator trucker who lives out of his truck and has a habit of attracting trouble. To clarify, this story is based on a book series, but this review is for the 2 audio drama adaptations made by Graphic Audio and is not a sponsored review. Now, I never read or even heard of the book series before finding this audio play, but I have always had high respect for the trucking profession and it ending up being a very nice whim purchase. Click "read more" for my review.
One of the first articles I ever published with Emerald Rangers was a review of David Lynch's 1982 version of Dune. Adapted from the revolutionary science fiction written by Frank Herbert, Lynch's version is notoriously strange and challenging to describe as either a good film or a good adaptation of its source material; with even Lynch himself being unsatisfied with the product he created.
Thinking upon this, Dune as a series has actually garnered a reputation as a franchise which destroys directors and defeats all attempts at adaptation. The source material is just incredibly dense, with many adaptations struggling to properly include everything required to pass as a serviceable adaptation without getting lost in the weeds of Herbert's worldbuilding or missing out on many of the subtextual themes and surrealist imagery which is so fundamental to the entire franchise. It is a precarious precipice to balance upon and I think it is absolutely incredible that Villeneuve was so fearless in his willingness to tackle this issue.
One reason might be his incredibly smart move of dividing this story into two parts. That's correct. Dune is actually only Dune, Part I and I am so fucking thankful for that. If I were to adapt Herbert's series into a visual medium, I would've chosen to do an HBO style TV show in the vein of Game of Thrones, but a two or three part film (if Villeneuve's desire to adapt Dune: Messiah goes through to complete Paul's story arc) is also a fantastic way to balance the story and still allow it to be dense enough to get everything that is so cool about Herbert's world can be on display.
So Villeneuve is on the right track in terms of dividing the story, but does the rest of the film hold up? Or does it fall into the same traps as its predecessors. I normally desire to cover the film as it stands, but for Dune, I think analyzing what it does better than previous adaptations also speaks to what it does well.
Also I think it is important to point out that this is the first film that I have seen in theaters since COVID-19, so what an amazing film to be reintroduced to my favorite setting in, huh?
Well, here is a fighting game that everyone told me I was supposed to be excited for when it was announced. It's a fighting game, which is not a genre I have ever been hardcore into, but I felt a little obligated to give this game a try at some point. Why the Steam version? Because it was on sale. So, click "read more" and I will give you my review.
