Engine Sentai Go-Onger: Bom Bom! Bom Bom!Net de Bong!! (2008)

The net movies for the Go-Ongers' dedicated cinematic excursion are a bit special amongst their peers, in that they are not all set prior to the Go-Ongers' dedicated movie, BunBun! BanBan! Gekijobang!!. The first three take place prior to its events, with the third concluding on them henshining and heading to the scene. The fourth takes place during it, and the fifth sees their return.

You can watch them after Gran Prix 24.

Engine Sentai Go-Onger:It's a Seminar! Everyone Go-On!! (2008)

Feel free to (not) watch this anytime after Gran Prix 37.

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters vs Beet Buster vs J (2012)

Tensou Sentai Goseiger (2010-11)

Engine Sentai Go-Onger (2008-09)

GamesMaster (1992-98)

For the people that saw GamesMaster back in the day, that watched Dominick Diamond in his presenter pants talk straight-faced about waggling his joystick in public, the warm fuzzies of nostalgia that accompany this post are for you.

For everyone else, yes, the disembodied head in the picture above is the one and only astronomer extraordinaire Sir Patrick Moore. He was the godfather figure on the first ever dedicated video games show on UK TV.

GM went to places that other shows didn't. It plumbed the furrows and poked the holes. It even reached around without being asked because it cared. It was dangerous. In truth it was nothing more than innuendo, but if your mother walked in at the wrong time she’d be outraged. That just made it better!

As an adult now, I can see how Dom’s “verbose vernacular” could be perceived inappropriate and occasionally borderline pornographic by the emotionally stunted, but it didn't stop me chuckling the same all over again.

Dom left after Series II and was replaced by Dexter Fletcher, who was arrogant and shouty. It was a disaster. That’s all I have to say about Series III.

Mercifully, Dom returned for Series IV - VII. The innuendo was slightly curtailed, but the elevated icy sarcasm more than compensated. It’s as if he thought ‘I don’t give a toss about decorum or Channel 4. If they sack me, I’ll go out a winner.’ He'd perv the ladies and ridicule the men equally. The weekly mocking of Dave Perry, an act Dave seemed unaware of for the longest time, was pure gold.

Commentators and reviewers were from popular games magazines of the time, such as C+VG, Game Zone and my favourite, the one my paper round money paid for, Mean Machines. They dished out ridiculous scores of 80 and 90% for games we found out were turds when we rented them illegally from the unscrupulous but enterprising video store owner at the arse-end of town. Every town had one.

It was the era of the Mega Drive, SNES and Amiga; of Sensible Soccer, New Zealand Story, Alien Breed, and micro spring joysticks that broke about a week after purchase (but could we ever find that damn receipt?). Sonic 2, the slowed down PAL version, was a cutting edge new game! Bloody hell.

As the years went on the fast-loading, cartridge-based systems were forced into retirement as a cocky newcomer, the optical disc, arrived and seductively stroked the pockets of gamers the world over hungry for innovation. Little did we know it would lead to draconian business practices, patches, DLC and Season Passes.

126 episodes, approx 25 minutes each.

4 tight right-handers out of 5

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters (2012-2013)

Rest In Peace, Fujiwara Keiji-san.

Rest in Peace, Mizuki Ichiro-san.

Gargoyles (1995)

We are defenders of the night. We are Gargoyles!

Having settled into their new home, the Manhattan clan patrols the city to protect those that need it while remaining hidden to the population at large and going on many fantastic, dangerous adventures with many themes like environmental conservation, acceptance and personal integrity. They will face numerous foes, new and old, that are both mundane and magical along with various allies.

New characters are introduced and older ones are expanded while some plots that had been hinted at come to fruition. Excellent work by the writers on that. The episodes also add many more myths and legends to the show's backstory that are a delight to watch. The drastically expanded episode count from 13 to 52 allows for plenty of time for all the science and sorcery with oodles of action, great writing and interesting, dynamic characters. Adults can easily enjoy it as well as kids and can possibly get even more out of it than the kids.

It's a perfect continuation as it is the same excellent quality of the first season. There is just more of it. Points against it are the same: The sometimes low quality animation for TV and some small animation goofs are sometimes visible, but nothing totally disengaging.

Buyer's Guide:
The first half of the season is available in a DVD box set with uncut episodes and special features, but Disney scrapped plans to release the rest citing low sales. They have made the season available on their YouTube channel. Though for some reason Disney omitted 2 episodes; Sentinel and Mark of the Panther.
 *EDIT* Disney has since released the second half on DVD and removed the YouTube episodes.

5 Villains laughing maniacally out of 5

Gargoyles (1994)

And they say the Middle Ages were barbaric...

In medieval Scotland, creatures called gargoyles that turn to stone during the day and protect their castle's human inhabitants at night are betrayed to marauding vikings and are almost all killed. The survivors are then put under a magic spell that will put them into their stone sleep "until the castle rises above the clouds." 1000 years later, billionaire David Xanatos comes across the story and in an effort to see if it is true buys the castle and moves the entire thing to the top of his New York skyscraper which breaks the spell. Now the gargoyle leader, Goliath, must lead and protect his clan of 6 of the last gargoyles on earth in modern Manhattan. He will find there are no shortage of enemies both criminal and supernatural. Those who would be their ally, like NYPD detective Elisa Maza, are few and far between.

Gargoyles was quite the departure from Disney's usual animated fare. It was a serial drama with stories and characters heavily influenced by various world mythologies, a heavy smattering of action and some actual violence. Very PG violence mind you as it was ostensibly a kid's show, but it was still a break from the norm even if a lot of it was later invalidated by censorship of repeat airings. Despite being for kids, adults could still get a lot out of it as the characters were actually fleshed out with motivations and personalities and the themes could be picked up by history buffs and Shakespeare fans alike. Star Trek fans might get some kicks out of it as a majority of the voice actors were also on one of Trek's incarnations. Jonathan Frakes voices the scheming David Xanatos and Marina Sirtis voices the fiery Demona among others. Goliath is voiced by Keith David in his wonderfully deep baritone voice. The sometimes low quality TV animation is a point against it, but it is never bad enough to break engagement.

Buyer's Guide:
Available on a 2 disc DVD set with the uncut 13 episodes and some bonus features. Or you can watch the edited versions on Disney's YouTube channel here.

5 probably irritated though job-secure cleanup crews out of 5
It was actually a 4½, but remember, Keith David gets an automatic ½ bonus.

Ghost Adventures: Season 4 (2012)

In season 4 Zak, Nick, and Aaron add another chapter to their paranormal investigating series Ghost Adventures. As you venture through you will encounter proverbial hotbeds of activity in death-ridden locations such as Gettysburg, the Sacramento Tunnels, a Salem witch house, and a return to Goldfield Hotel, the site of their most stunning piece of evidence. After watching a few episodes I noticed a change in tone compared with previous seasons, one almost of respect as their usual provocational methods had dissipated. Zak still heads fearless into each investigation but more with aims to communicate rather than intimidate any potential lost souls.

Spontaneity is key this season as different sites are acquired on the fly during preliminary analysis. In some cases the crew splits up to cover more ground as they did in the Stanley Hotel, filming three separate rooms simultaneously. Thankfully, less attention is spent fooling around as the team seems more determined. Creepy effects and 2nd unit footage have increased though this can become very distracting and certain reenactments are almost laughable. Zak adds to his mission of documenting the paranormal as he uncovers hidden truths on certain unsolved events such as at the Villisca Axe Murder House where a class A EVP sheds light on the case. The crew continually add local ghost hunters to their numbers during investigations and even have an EVP specialist analyze live data in order to be kept up to date on any phenomena.

And the list continues when it comes to the documentative and spiritually interactive equipment used, my personal favorite being the PX Device, which contains a 2,000 word database for disembodied entities to choose from. With 12 haunting episodes abundant with phantasmal footage and a more mature focus on documentation and less on pointless antics, the Ghost Adventures crew has proven it is the top showcase for evidence of the paranormal.

Buyer's Guide:
Available as a 3 disc set containing 12 episodes

4 terrifying places Aaron doesn't want to be out of 5

Game of Thrones Season 2 (2012)

The Lord of Light wants his enemies burned. The Drowned God wants them drowned. 
Why are the gods all such vicious cunts?

HBO's hit fantasy drama continues as the War of Five Kings is in full swing with the Stark banner-men under Robb Stark fighting Lannister banner-men under Tywin Lannister while both remaining Baratheon brothers advance their own claims to the Iron Throne. In the capital, Tyrion Lannister uses his new power as acting Hand of the King to try and manage the chaos while the poor starve and Joffrey continues to be an ineffectual king who regularly abuses those under him including Sansa ostensibly for the crimes of her brother Robb. Tyrion manages this while playing a dangerous game of politics and treachery among the court.

There are many concurrent plot-lines, but Tyrion's is the most interesting as Peter Dinklage (who now has top billing. Winning Emmys will do that) plays the quick-witted and clever character masterfully and sympathetically. Not that the other stories are bad, just pale in comparison when Tyrion isn't onscreen. They are excellent otherwise. Everything  from the characters to the costumes and sets is wonderfully crafted despite a limited, though newly raised, cable budget. The CG graphics for Daenerys' dragons is very well done though not perfect, but it is a small blemish on the series.

The many plots can be overwhelming, but they are handled as well as they can be given how many there are and the limited number of episodes. Add to that some excellent dark age style swords and sorcery action with the well realized atmosphere and mood of the first season and you get a show that is very much worth the hype and acclaim.

Episodes to See:
All of them again as missing one will probably leave casual viewers terribly lost given how much detail and plot is crammed into just the 10 episodes.

Buyer's Guide:
Available on DVD and Blu-Ray box sets and streaming for HBO Go subscribers.

4½ Tits and Wine out of 5

Ghost Hunt: Season One - Part One (2008)

With the popularity of paranormal investigating shows increasing over the past few years, it was inevitable that a similar anime would be produced.  Ghost Hunt, a series about the investigations of the Shibuya Psychic Research team, follows naive high school freshman Mai Taniyama, assistant Shibuya Kazuya and a cast of others who aid in investigating phenomena and exorcising spirits.

The show most resembles Paranormal State, an American reality program where a team of college investigators help families deal with a variety of problems including possession, hauntings, and demonic entities.  GH is similar as it focues more on aiding others rather than collecting evidence.  Because of this, the series has a more sentimental tone as opposed to being something particularly scary.

The investigations referred to as "Files" are usually contained in multiple episodes.  The first file "Evil Spirits All Over" introduces Mai to the arrogant Shibuya during his analysis of a supposedly haunted schoolhouse.  Other characters brought in to help include a monk, a shrine priestess, a catholic exorcist and a medium, all of whom are way too young for their respective roles.
This file struck me as visually uninteresting as most of the show does.  Despite lack of experience, the characters comprehend a vast knowledge which I found quite interesting and informative.  The writers obviously did their homework.

As in any show containing an adolescent female lead, love is in the air as young Mai secretly pines for the narcisstic yet handsome Shibuya.  This is where most of the comedy arises but it's mostly restricted to childish humor.  Ghost Hunt is meant for teenage anime fans with an interest in the paranormal, but with a lack of interesting visual and unconvincing characters, they would be better off watching truly creepy anime series such as Serial Experiments Lain, Boogiepop Phantom or even reality-based paranormal investigations instead.

13 episodes.  Approx 25 minutes each.

Buyers Guide:
Available as a 2 disc box.

2 young to be an exorcist out of 5

Nutted by Borderline

Ghost Adventures: Season 3 (2010)

In the third season the paranormal investigating trio continue their Ghost Adventures through a variety of fascinating locations including the dismal conditions of an archaic prison, a derelict hospital arcanely forgotten, the decaying site of an arms manufacturer, and the solitude existence of a lighthouse awash with trauma.  Episodes begin with a history lesson on each site and surrounding area.  These are expertly conducted as they evoke the right mood through a mixture of archival images and 2nd unit footage.  After this the team performs a preliminary analysis of the grounds and while fun will be had, the crew wastes too much time on pointless hijinks and lame skits.

With their X-cameras set up the true investigation begins when they go dark, using only their night-vision cameras for sight.  The crew's style remains intact as they rouse up the spirits, utilizing provocation and trigger objects, even offering up their own energy to be used against themselves.  Though when something supernatural does occur, too much chatter ensues which contaminates evidence, making it difficult to decipher in the review.

The Ghost Adventures crew has come a long way from their pivotal documentary on the paranormal happenings in Virginia City, Nevada and have established an investigative approach unique to their own as they have experienced many of the most dangerous and intriguing hauntings across the world but they should leave the comedy antics to professionals and focus more on the exploration and analysis of the spiritual unknown.

Buyer's Guide:
Available as 3 disc set containing all 10 episodes of S3.

3 idiots playing golf on "the haunted green" out of 5

Nutted by Borderline

Ghost Adventures: Season 2 (2009)

The Ghost Adventures crew led by Zak Bagans returns in their second season to document the paranormal. Not only probing the dark corners of their native U.S. but also some of the most infamous sites in Europe. Process shots of skies moving quickly to night, unexpected video interference, and close-ups of rotten, dilapidated scenery conveying the muted horror of each location are sprinkled throughout each episode, adding to the already eerie mood of the show.

Fans of the first season will be happy to see the same formula return as the GA team strategically place their cameras before being locked down in a variety of ways to ensure an intimate investigation. The team utilizes a range of equipment including an EMF detector, EM pumps, digital thermometers, digital voice recorders, motion sensors, thermal imaging and an array of experimental devices which push the boundaries of paranormal documentation.

As each unexplained noise or disembodied voice is encountered, Zak's voice narrates a small scene of review but at times it feels as if the audience is being led to his conclusions. Ghost Adventures can be a lot of fun to watch with a friend during the daytime as you laugh at the crew's frightened reactions and sometimes bizarre behavior but for its full effect it should be viewed alone at night.

Buyer's Guide:
Available as 3 disc set containing all 8 episodes of S2.

4 mockings of the trinity out of 5

Nutted by Borderline

GAME OF THRONES [2011]

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.

There is no middle ground.”

Faithfully based on author George R.R. Martin's sweeping medieval fantasy novels Songs Of Fire & Ice, HBO's Game Of Thrones is without a doubt a monumental achievement in television productions.  I hate to be, yet another interwebs “critic” gushing over the series, but quite frankly I believe it deserves every single ounce of praise it's received.  It captivated the brain from the instant the hypnotizing main titles sequence spun into action, right up to the goosebump inducing final scene of the season finale. 

Games is set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms Of Westeros, where the throne is fought over between several different noble families inhabiting the lands.  Sean Bean, known primarily for his roles in The Lord Of The Rings and TV's Sharpe, takes center stage as the instantly engaging Lord Eddard Stark.  Newcomer Emilia Clarke joins the other spectrum of the series as  Daenerys Targaryen, an exiled child of the previous king who is determined to regain her family's rightful place in the kingdom.  Bean & Clarke are joined by a brilliant ensemble cast, including Lena Headey of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, as the resident bitch Queen Cersei Lannister.   There's newcomer Jack Gleeson as Joffrey, the Queen’s snotty coward of a son who you just love to hate.  A Knight's Tale's Mark Addy is finally granted a decent role as the good-willed King Robert Baratheon.  However it's The Station Agent's Peter Dinklage who chews up the scenery as the razor-sharp witted boor of a brother to the queen, Tyrion.  This colorful character is by far the best.  Give Tyrion the throne and be done with it.

What's interesting about Game Of Thrones is although it's set in a fantasy world, it rarely ever makes use of fantastical elements to push the story forward.   This series is all about character and that's what I love about this series.  The characters are so well fleshed out, you think you were watching a biographical piece.

Filmed primarily in Ireland, Games' mood and atmosphere is effectively bone-chilling and moody, particularly with composer Ramin Djawadi's ceremoniously subdued music to compliment the picture as a whole. 

It's not often a show deserves the buzz it's receiving but Game Of Thrones lives up to it's acclaim for a reason.  It's that damned good.

10 episodes. Approx 60 mins each.

Must See Episodes: 

All of them.  They’re all adapted from a single book and need to be seen as a whole.

Buyer’s Guide:

Widely available on DVD/Blu-ray in a complete season set or the pilot episode is sold seperately…but why just one when you will end up watching them all anyways.

5 deadly golden crowns out of 5

Ghost Adventures: Season 1 (2008)

Spawned from the documentary of the same name comes this ghost hunting reality show run by Zak Bagans. Along with two fellow investigators, Zak documents his haunted travels in order to collect and exhibit paranormal evidence to the world. The first season ran eight episodes on the Travel channel, each ranging from about 40 to 50 minutes. The most noteworthy feature on the show is the crew's investigating style which includes an abundance of ghost provocation, a method of standing up to and taunting spirits in order to garner stronger phenomena.  Due to their style, the series has a more dangerous and risky feel to it.

Another major difference to similar shows is the varied haunted locations around the U.S. and even the world the investigations take the viewer. The overall goal of the show is to plunge into the dark histories of the reported hauntings and air the results, but it's really about the eerie and unnerving experience the show offers more than the often implausible evidence captured.

Buyer's Guide:
Available as 2 disc set containing all 8 episodes of S1.

4 "dudes" out of 5

Nutted by Borderline

The Great Horror Family (2004)

From the Japanese horror maestro Takashi Shimizu comes this incredibly off-beat comedy series about an eccentric family that moves into a new home which is a hot-bed of paranormal activity. Not only does the series contain pale-skinned spectres but a multitude of odd creatures and occurences including zombies, curses, exorcisms, poltergeist-activity, and even alien encounters.

I discovered the dvd set at a Best Buy and as a fan of Shimizu, I picked it up but was inevitably disappointed by its approach. The production values are low and the characters' overly campy acting quickly becomes tiresome.

Throughout the series there are sprinklings of animation and for how wacky and bizarre the show is, it would really be complimented better in the anime format.

13 episodes.  Approx 25 minutes each.

Buyer's Guide:
Available as a complete 3 disc box-set.

2 opening sequence power poses out of 5.

Nutted by Borderline

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2003)

The year is 2030. Public Security Section 9 is a counter terrorist branch of the Japanese government, a group of ass-kicking professionals that get the job done no matter what. The world is overly dependent on cybernetic bodies; the web has become the medium of choice for terrorists and as a result there exists a large potential for cyber-crime and hacks. Section 9 specialise in that area. Led by Major Motoko Kusanagi the team deal with corporate terrorism, kidnapping, human trafficking, Ghost hacks (a technique in which the victim's memory is replaced with false memories) and a host of other internal and external problems. They're the people that keep the rest of us safe, often without us even knowing they exist.

GitS: SAC is based on the manga by Masamune Shirow. It isn't a direct sequel to the Mamoru Oshii film, but rather a reimagining of the original idea, almost parallel to it. And while not a part of the continuity it nevertheless owes a large debt to Oshii. Its length gives it the opportunity to explore things the film couldn't.

The show succeeds for a number of reasons: character identities are well-defined, with the human element never far from the surface; the action is explosive; the scripts are clever; the animation is fantastic (no one does movement quite as fluid as Production I.G); and the music by Yoko Kanno is a perfect fit. Put simply, it's the finest and most intelligently scripted anime TV series that I've ever seen.

It's the only anime I would recommend choosing the dub over the sub. The English voices fit the characters much better than the Japanese ones and the delivery is a lot more satisfying and naturalistic sounding than the subtitles give - although when the script requires a lot of exposition it can sound like the characters are reading from a manual; that's not just in the dub, but in both.

The episodes are divided into two types:

• The Stand Alone episodes have a story that wraps up in a single episode.
• The Complex episodes are a story arc (The Laughing Man) that need to be viewed in the correct order. They're the exposition heavy ones. The episodes are: 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26.

26 episodes, approx 25 minutes each. Make sure and stick around for the short Tachikomatic Days after the credits roll on each one!

5 chattering tanks out of 5

Gantz (2004)

Some people fall victim to a horrific fate. At their moment of death they are saved and brought to a non-descript apartment overlooking Tokyo tower. But this is no rescue, for a mysterious and seemingly omnipotent black orb called Gantz has brought them there for a reason: To hunt down and kill alien life forms hiding on earth or die in the process.  Upon arrival the draftees only have a brief time to become acquainted and gear up before being teleported to the mission’s battle zone.   The challenges they face are hard and people die from them, a lot. This forces the characters to question their own morals; do you risk your life to save someone who wouldn’t do the same for you? Would you give your life for an individual who everyone else considers worthless?

In this series that’s chock full of blood, gore, sex, & horror some characters have a hard time bringing themselves to kill even for self preservation, others take great joy in being able to hunt and kill a sentient being. Petty quarrelling among the group and stubborn headedness lead to many lost lives all the while someone else is trying to make sure everyone can make it back alive and safe.  

All in all this is a very exciting premise for a show that combines all the camaraderie, tragedy, suspense, & heroism of both war and horror genres along with the kickassiness of Men In Black or any of the Spandex robot karate guy fighting rubber suit monster shows that Japan has. These elements create a high sense of danger and suspense that just might make it worth the watch providing you can get over the 2 biggest flaws of the series.

The 1^st problem being the pacing, both the episodes themselves and the series in a whole. One good example is that the group could be in the middle of fighting a monster and then a few of them would get into a moral debate that lasts for half the episode while the monster just kinda waits for them to finish. Then there’s one time a character was being captious after a successful attack and because they didn’t shot right away get’s killed by a laser beam. And the fact that the missions last for several episodes means there isn't as much variety with the monster designs and situations that everyone gets into as there could have been provided the series was a bit tighter.

The 2^nd and by far biggest is the ending. Totally unsatisfying in that a bunch of questions about the world, mechanics, character development and plot of the show are left unanswered. I know that the manga that this is based off of went on for much longer than the anime and thus the “true” ending could not be used but if they’re making an adaptation of their own then a new proper ending should have been made.

26 episodes, approx 23 minutes each

Episodes you must see:

I dunno? No one episode is any better than the others and the few with no fighting in them have character development so just start with episode 1 and work your way up.

Episodes to Avoid:

The ending blew so I guess the last 4 episodes aren’t as great.

Buyer’s Guide:

Technically 2 seasons, this has been released in several different collections and I believe all of the American releases are of the uncensored cut of the series but you should check before you buy.

3 old fat ladies and portly middle aged dudes looking none too shabby in skin tight battle suits out of 5