Reviews Archive for Randall Cyrenne

Gigantor: The Collection, Volume Two

More giant robot action is always good, I suppose, but there’s more history than excitement in these primitive shows.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

This is a wild ride, though far from the best story to adapt from the comics. There are some nice extras on the disc, however.

The Astonishing Work Of Tezuka Osamu

Art triumphs over commerce! Here are thirteen less commercial works from the creator of Astro Boy, each marvelous to behold.

Bedknobs And Broomsticks: Enchanted Musical Edition

Unfairly knocked for being a poor man’s Mary Poppins, this film has its own richness of magic. Though this is a lesser package than the previous DVD edition, it is still bound to please most who haven’t got the old DVD already in their collections.

Astro Boy And Anime Come To The Americas

Lots of great material exists in the first third of the book, after which the author loses his way, and the poor writing and lack of a proper editor make this a tough one to recommend.

Pete’s Dragon: High-Flying Edition

This tale of a boy and his dragon showed that the 1970s were not so bad for the Disney studio as many remember. The DVD shines with numerous fine bonus features.

Super Friends: The Lost Episodes

These episodes saw the last of ther Wonder Twins, and a lot of cheesy plots. But darned if I wasn’t entertained.

Green Lantern: First Flight

DC Comics’ Emerald Warrior gets his own exciting, visually impressive movie. The extras are plentiful even if they don’t address the movie too much. But comic fans especially will enjoy everything.

Peanuts: 1960’s Collection

All six classic specials come in a nifty little package. Putting them accross two discs is a bit of a joke, but the contents are still golden. Great Vince Guaraldi profile, too!

Gigantor: The Collection, Volume One

Giant robots became popular after the launch of this classic Japanese series, presented here in its modified English version.

Saturday Morning Cartoons – 1970s: Volume 1

Ignore the ridiculous warning on the cover— These cartoons ARE for kids, and kids at heart. There are too many episodes on here that we’ve seen on DVD before, but there are also some pretty rare shows.

Saturday Morning Cartoons – 1960s: Volume 1

The best of what Saturday mornings had to offer in the 1960s. Awesome collection.

The Venture Bros.: 3rd Season

More wackiness, more revelations, and more delightful weirdness is found in this third season release of a show that has grown well past its “spoof” origins.

Snoopy’s Reunion: Remastered Deluxe Edition

Along with It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown, this disc provides two mediocre TV specials… but just try to watch Flashbeagle without being fascinated by 1980s kitsch.

Watchmen: Tales Of The Black Freighter

This film tie-in tells a dark tale of a man’s desperate bid to race an unearthly pirate ship to his home town. Some interesting bonus features also enhance the Watchmen film experience.

The Zeta Project: Season One

This Batman Beyond spin-off features a robot fugitive trying to evade government forces while seeking his creator.

The Real Adventures Of Jonny Quest: Season One, Volume One

The third series for Jonny Quest wasn’t the hit that Turner had hoped for, but it did produce a number of very good episodes despite a troubled production history.

Wonder Woman

The Amazon princess finally gets her own movie, and it’s pretty good. Lots of action, but also with some humor, make this a winner.

The Art Of Pixar Short Films

Amid Amidi writes a book that fills the gap in the “Art of” series of Pixar books. Aside from the pretty pictures, there is a pretty good overview of the studio’s history included.

The All-New Super Friends Hour: Season One, Volume Two

More goofy greatness lies within, as the 1970s kiddie version of Justice League tackles bad guys and such tough issues as peer pressure and scraping your elbow.

You’re A Good Sport, Charlie Brown: Remastered Deluxe Edition

Two sporting television specials appear on this disc, and both are winners.

LaserDisc Archives: Why I’m Keeping My LaserDisc Player!

A fond look back at the greatness of laserdiscs, especially those grand old box sets.

I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown

Though this 2003 TV special was produced after the death of Charles Schulz, it still manages to contain plenty of that old Peanuts Christmas magic. With an additional special and even a great “Making of” about the original Christmas special, this discontinued DVD is a rare treat.

Batman: The Complete Animated Series

The best superhero cartoon of all time finally gets the complete series set it deserves.

The Man Called Flintstone

Right after their historic television run ended in 1966, The Flintstones starred in this Bond-inspired spy caper.

Walt Disney Treasures: The Mickey Mouse Club Presents Annette

This Mickey Mouse Club serial starring Annette Funicello is wholesome Disney goodness that stands up extremely well fifty years since it aired.

Popeye The Sailor: Volume 3 1941-1943

The final black and white Popeye cartoons are in this set, which means the Fleischer era is now fully on disc. There’s lots more of Pappy here, plus Popeye gets some nephews, and joins the Navy to help out against the Axis powers.

Tinker Bell

Peter Pan’s little friend gets an origin story and a voice, in what is a better direct-to-video movie than many might expect.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: Remastered Deluxe Edition

This is the most essential Peanuts special to own— the very first one, and perhaps still the best.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: Remastered Deluxe Edition

It’s another classic, Charlie Brown!