Saturday, August 12, 2017
Finally, I can post again!
For weeks now I've been without a computer, and haven't gone to the trouble of posting here.
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Finding Dory is about to officially become yesterday's news :(
Well, it was great while Dory was Pixar's newest release. Being my favorite of their film, it represented a really magical time for Pixar to me. But I believe greatness still lies ahead, so let's just keep swimming and follow the current of what Pixar has to give us! 🐟🐟🐟🐟
Monday, June 12, 2017
My ranking of the 17 Pixar films
With less then a week until Cars 3 is released, I decided it would be a good idea to rank Pixar's current 17 films from my least favorite to my top favorite. Let me start by explaining that I love Pixar---they just know how to make an animated movie and make it right. I know there are people who love the films that Disney and Dreamworks give, and I respect that, but I just don't care for the stuff from those companies. They just feel too much like stuff meant for little kids. Pixar, on the other hand, has an edge and reputation that makes watching their movies not only enjoyable, but something I'm proud to enjoy. And that's not mentioning the fact that their animation is just breathtaking! Personally, I prefer computer animation when it comes to animated films, and Pixar is the reason behind that. I should mention before I start that in recent years, fans have questioned whether Pixar has started to go downhill, mainly due to it's lack of good original content. I don't believe this, but I'm not going to deny that they've made some genuine mistakes I never would have expected from them. The good still outweighs the bad, however, and I am very optimistic about the future of the studio's films. They simply are too awesome to truly go downhill. Well, I suppose it's time to start the countdown. Here goes!
17. The Good Dinosaur (2015)
This doesn't seem remotely like a Pixar movie. Even though their surroundings look amazing, the characters look just...weird. From what I can tell, this was meant for little kids, which really disgusts me. This is not a true Pixar film. It's a Disney film with their name on it that I refuse to ever watch, and one of the big reasons why the studio is getting so much flack.
16. Brave (2012)
Here's another one that isn't a true Pixar film. With a medieval setting and a princess as the main character, it's nothing more than a Disney film with Pixar's label and animators. Sure, it's probably not terrible for what it is, but it wasn't well received for the exact reasons I mentioned, and as such I refuse to watch it as well.
15. Ratatouille
This one isn't a favorite of mine. While it's a nice story with well-developed characters and a heartwarming ending---exactly what a Pixar film is supposed to be---it just didn't really click for me. The characters haven't really stuck with me, and I would only rewatch it if I bored and had nothing better to watch.
14. Cars 2
Pixar's so-called worst film, but to be honest...I haven't actually seen it. From what I've seen and heard, it's pretty bad, but unlike a lot of people, I actually kind of liked the idea of a world of talking cars and because of this, I don't hate this one as much as everyone else does (it was the first Pixar film to be outright hated). With that said, I heard that it pretty much removed two of the best things from the original film: Lightning McQueen and the car racing in general. Thankfully, the upcoming third movie seems to be trying to make up for these mistakes by not only making those things I mentioned the focus again, but taking them in a darker direction.
13. The Incredibles
I know what you're going to say---this is way too low on my list! Well, I should explain. I don't care for this film for several reasons: it's one of the few to be about humans, which isn't quite as interesting; it was the first to be released after I felt my childhood had ended, and I was entering an uncomfortable period of adolescence; and it was the successor to what I felt was Pixar's best film for a very-long time (more on that later!). So yeah, I might not look at this one too But it's still a good movie. I remember when I went to see this in theaters at the age of 10, I expected to see just a funny movie. But what I ended up seeing was even better. The Incredibles is a movie with a lot of depth, characterization, and action, and is very fun to watch. It's getting a sequel in about a year, but I'm not really psyched for it, since while it's a good movie, it's still not one of my all-time favorite Pixars.
This one isn't a favorite of mine. While it's a nice story with well-developed characters and a heartwarming ending---exactly what a Pixar film is supposed to be---it just didn't really click for me. The characters haven't really stuck with me, and I would only rewatch it if I bored and had nothing better to watch.
14. Cars 2
13. The Incredibles
I know what you're going to say---this is way too low on my list! Well, I should explain. I don't care for this film for several reasons: it's one of the few to be about humans, which isn't quite as interesting; it was the first to be released after I felt my childhood had ended, and I was entering an uncomfortable period of adolescence; and it was the successor to what I felt was Pixar's best film for a very-long time (more on that later!). So yeah, I might not look at this one too But it's still a good movie. I remember when I went to see this in theaters at the age of 10, I expected to see just a funny movie. But what I ended up seeing was even better. The Incredibles is a movie with a lot of depth, characterization, and action, and is very fun to watch. It's getting a sequel in about a year, but I'm not really psyched for it, since while it's a good movie, it's still not one of my all-time favorite Pixars.
12. Bug's Life (1998)
When I was really little this was a favorite movie of mine. I haven't watched it since I was about 7, and from what I see and read now, can tell it was actually pretty weak. That, and it looks relatively dated. Still, if mainly out of nostalgia, I have a very small soft spot for it, as it was one of the first, if not the first Pixar films I ever watched. With that said, I can really see how bad it is and so I'm putting it pretty low on the list.
11. Toy Story (1995)
The original 1995 Toy Story film isn't particularly special when compared to certain later Pixar films, but is pretty much the standard to which all their films are held. It was an incredibly groundbreaking work, considering it was entirely computer animated. For something made in 1995, it sure holds up today. But that wasn't Pixar's motivation for creating it. To quote John Lasseter: "Toy Story was the first completely CGI animated film. But that's not why we made it. We made it because we wanted to tell a good story." And they certainly succeeded in doing just that. The film gives us a story that's engaging from start to finish, with a good plot and well-written characters. While it may run a little short (again, this was over 20 years ago, before computer animation became the animating standard), it's still a solid film. This is truly a movie that would take Pixar to infinity and beyond.
10. Toy Story 2 (1999)
The second Toy Story isn't really a huge step up from the first, but it's still a good film, and longer than the first. It was the first Pixar I ever saw in theaters, so it's kind of special for me. I don't remember a thing, and haven't really watched it in full since, but I can see that this was a very good movie.
9. Monsters University
This movie's premise isn't anything too special: the college years of the characters of Monsters, Inc. Since the original is pretty good, though, I think this has some potential. Most people didn't really seem to liked this one, but I thought the first was good enough, so I might give this a try someday.
8.. Up (2009)
This was a really sweet movie, and one I can say I've seen the majority of. The first ten minutes were just so heartbreaking and well done, and from there it continued to be great. It's an original and deep story that really shows the importance of living life to it's fullest. I'll admit I'm a little biased towards it since I don't really like dogs, and there are a lot in the film, one of whom is a main character. With that said, it's still a very good movie, a fine way for the studio to close the 2000's, and a good last original idea before they started primarily revisiting older stories.
7. Cars (2006)
I'm sorry I'm putting this higher on the list than most fans would like. But this is my list, and as I just mentioned earlier, the premise of the Cars movies doesn't really alienate me as bad as it does some people. I love the old Chevron commercials with the talking cars, so a movie about a world of them is actually something I think is really cool, and could have been an awesome film given the right storytelling. I haven't seen much of this one but I know the story of it and admittedly it's seems to be a little dull. Despite this, it's still definitely a film I have a soft spot for and look forward to watching in full someday.
6. Toy Story 3
Again, I haven't seen this one in full, but I know that it's Pixar's most emotional film by a landslide, and for that, I give it a ton of credit. Even if this isn't necessarily one I'd enjoy watching over and over again, it seems that this was a fitting finale for a franchise that with a history spanning nearly a decade and a half. While I don't quite consider this the film series that deserves such an emotonal goodbye, I'm glad that Pixar was willing to go to the lengths of giving a film series one in general. Since it was their first film, I can see why they chose this to be the one. However, now that a fourth film is in the works, all that has sadly been thrown out the window.
5. Monsters Inc.
As the predecessor to what I felt was Pixar's best movie for a very long time (again, more on that later!), this is one I feel quite positive towards. It isn't anything too special, but it's certainly not bad. Even though characters aren't the strongest and it's mainly just cute and funny, it tells a good story. This was easily Pixar's strongest film yet at the time it was released. As it didn't take the perspective of toys or bugs, it was also its largest-scale. I give particular credit to the climax with that huge room full of doors. That was pretty epic. And, as I should mention, this film also started a series of original stories that would continue throughout the decade, before Pixar finally started revisiting earlier works.
4. Inside Out (2015)
After several mediocre to downright bad films, this was Pixar's big comeback. And what an amazing one it is! The premise---a movie about emotions---is simply perfect coming from a studio whose films have so much emotion.
The plot of the movie is just brilliant. An optimistic girl is whisked away from everything she's ever known, and we actually see what's going on in her head as she deals with it, with the emotions of Joy and Sadness ultimately becoming lost and trying to find their way back so the girl can actually deal with how she feels on the experience of moving. If that isn't a brilliant story, I don't know what is.
Everything in this movie was Pixar at it's truest. Not only is it a film I really enjoy, but one that helps me understand myself a little better. I remember walking home after seeing the movie somewhere and being able to identify emotions by thinking of the characters I just saw. And to make things even better, it was released just a year away from what I consider the greatest Pixar film of all time. All in all, this is one of Pixar's absolute best. It was a very tough choice choosing between it and the next one for the spot of #3.
Again, I haven't seen this one in full, but I know that it's Pixar's most emotional film by a landslide, and for that, I give it a ton of credit. Even if this isn't necessarily one I'd enjoy watching over and over again, it seems that this was a fitting finale for a franchise that with a history spanning nearly a decade and a half. While I don't quite consider this the film series that deserves such an emotonal goodbye, I'm glad that Pixar was willing to go to the lengths of giving a film series one in general. Since it was their first film, I can see why they chose this to be the one. However, now that a fourth film is in the works, all that has sadly been thrown out the window.
5. Monsters Inc.
As the predecessor to what I felt was Pixar's best movie for a very long time (again, more on that later!), this is one I feel quite positive towards. It isn't anything too special, but it's certainly not bad. Even though characters aren't the strongest and it's mainly just cute and funny, it tells a good story. This was easily Pixar's strongest film yet at the time it was released. As it didn't take the perspective of toys or bugs, it was also its largest-scale. I give particular credit to the climax with that huge room full of doors. That was pretty epic. And, as I should mention, this film also started a series of original stories that would continue throughout the decade, before Pixar finally started revisiting earlier works.
4. Inside Out (2015)
After several mediocre to downright bad films, this was Pixar's big comeback. And what an amazing one it is! The premise---a movie about emotions---is simply perfect coming from a studio whose films have so much emotion.
The plot of the movie is just brilliant. An optimistic girl is whisked away from everything she's ever known, and we actually see what's going on in her head as she deals with it, with the emotions of Joy and Sadness ultimately becoming lost and trying to find their way back so the girl can actually deal with how she feels on the experience of moving. If that isn't a brilliant story, I don't know what is.
Everything in this movie was Pixar at it's truest. Not only is it a film I really enjoy, but one that helps me understand myself a little better. I remember walking home after seeing the movie somewhere and being able to identify emotions by thinking of the characters I just saw. And to make things even better, it was released just a year away from what I consider the greatest Pixar film of all time. All in all, this is one of Pixar's absolute best. It was a very tough choice choosing between it and the next one for the spot of #3.
3. Wall-E (2008)
It was a tough call, but ultimately, WALL-E is a little more special to me than Inside Out. Between it's endearing protagonist, the creators behind it, and the time in my life it takes me back to---it just means so much.
This was the first Pixar film I read about online before all else---on Wikipedia in about late 2007---and it immediately looked intriguing. I saw a trailer for it shortly afterwards, and it just looked better from there. This was around the time I was really getting interested in Pixar---specifically, Finding Nemo---and I ended up seeing it in theaters. And when I did...I was blown away. That first half was simply incredible. The premise alone of robots having feelings is just fantastic. And the robots themselves are fantastic characters. In particular, WALL-E is one of the most endearing and adorable characters I've ever seen. It's no surprise that Andrew Stanton, the genius behind Finding Nemo (more on that later) co-wrote the screenplay. But then you get to the second half, which has all those fat, boneless humans. Between that and the fact that the second half is less quiet, more action packed, and tends to drag on a little, the movie loses some of the outstanding quality that it had in the first half.
This was the first Pixar film I read about online before all else---on Wikipedia in about late 2007---and it immediately looked intriguing. I saw a trailer for it shortly afterwards, and it just looked better from there. This was around the time I was really getting interested in Pixar---specifically, Finding Nemo---and I ended up seeing it in theaters. And when I did...I was blown away. That first half was simply incredible. The premise alone of robots having feelings is just fantastic. And the robots themselves are fantastic characters. In particular, WALL-E is one of the most endearing and adorable characters I've ever seen. It's no surprise that Andrew Stanton, the genius behind Finding Nemo (more on that later) co-wrote the screenplay. But then you get to the second half, which has all those fat, boneless humans. Between that and the fact that the second half is less quiet, more action packed, and tends to drag on a little, the movie loses some of the outstanding quality that it had in the first half.
Nonetheless, that doesn't distract it from being an amazing movie. Just listen to the soundtrack, particularly "Define Dancing", a piece played in one of my favorite scenes in the film (which is, by the way, in the second half). Thomas Newman does an incredible job. Oh, did I mention he's the genius behind the score of Finding Nemo?
But even it doesn't come close to touching my top 2.
2. Finding Nemo (2003)
In 2003, the world was given an aquatic masterpiece of epic proportions. As someone who finds oceans and the life found beneath them to be perhaps the most fascinating and beautiful things the world has to offer, this film is too amazing for words.
Being immersed in the beautiful Pixar-animated ocean world---populated by actual fish, without a mermaid or a Spongebob style humanoid in sight---was incredible enough. But the greatness didn't stop there. Nemo gave us a fantastic, depth-filled, epic story stretching over an hour and a half, and filled with fantastically-written characters---one of whom fast became one of my favorite fictional characters, period! The icing on the cake was the incredible soundtrack, which reflected the aquatic setting amazingly.
Finding Nemo is more than a classic to me. It's one of the greatest films ever made, and on top of that, the quintessential animated underwater film. What did we have before this? The Little Mermaid (which I understand if some people like, but I don't.) And what have we gotten since? Shark Tale, which most agree is a bad film. This is a film that simply cannot be touched. It's a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that in my mind, took Pixar from being a surprisingly good animation studio to the greatest animation company ever.
And my #1 Pixar film is...
1. Finding Dory (2016)
You remember how I said Finding Nemo gave us one of my favorite fictional characters of all-time? Well, that character in question is Dory. Just looking at her gives me so much joy---partly because regal blue tangs are just beautiful, and partly because she just has the best smile. Then, of course, there's the fact that Ellen Degeneres gave us an incredible performance as Dory. She is the character, because no one else can truly impersonate such a distinct voice. But on top of that is the fact that Dory is just such a downright loveable character. Sure, she's a goofball, but she has such a good heart and is always looking on the bright side of life, despite suffering from short-term memory loss. And as someone who suffers from a mild case of aspergers, her answer in life---to "just keep swimming!"---has really started to mean a lot.
So when it was first announced that Finding Nemo wasn't only getting the sequel I'd long-anticipated, but that it would be starring Dory, I was really excited. The promise of this movie shone like a beacon through my life during a really bad period that soon followed, and while I rarely thought about it, it was always there on the horizon, and may have helped me get through that time without me even realizing.
Several months after it was released, I read some online spoilers, and last month, I ended up watching a few videos that basically informed me of everything that happened in the film. I wasn't happy with what I heard and saw, but I decided to watch it anyways, since it was on Netflix. After my first viewing, I was still mainly basing it on everything I'd heard, and like others, didn't feel entirely satisfied. Why weren't there more characters from the first film? Why couldn't the story have been mainly set in the ocean, like the first?
Then, shortly after, I watched it a second time, and it started to grow on me more. I spent the next few weeks still a little confused about how I felt about it. And then I watched it a third time, and I understood how I felt about it. This movie might not have been everything I wanted it to be based on Nemo. However, it's still amazingly well done, from the incredible writing to the breathtaking soundtrack to the fact that it's Dory's movie...something the world had the fortune of getting. And it went from being a film I had mixed feelings about to not only my favorite Pixar film of all-time, but perhaps my #1 favorite film of all-time.
Looking back at it, there is just so much to love about this movie. Dory's search for her parents was something Nemo had actually left open as a potential plotline, and the film does the best it possibly could in delivering that story. The fact that the film didn't rely on bringing back old characters showed how the writers were willing to try new and fresh things. And most of them were great. Sure, I didn't really care for Bailey, but the seals were funny, Destiny was cute, Becky was great, and Hank the Septopus wasn't just amazing to watch, but very a well-written character, to the point that he's my favorite cephalopod that fiction has to offer (and I love cephalopods!).
There are so many great parts to this film, from seeing Dory and Hank interact (they make such a cute couple!) to Marlin and Nemo having moments together (something they didn't have much of in Nemo as they were seperated) to Dory finding her parents (yes, I cry at that part!) to the action-packed climax (the way it ended was simply brilliant) to the credits with Hank (that was too cute!). As I said mentioned, the movie's score was breathtakingly amazing. Thomas Newman truly knows how to captivate an emotional moment. And the movie had several really powerful ones for me, from the opening, to Dory believing her parents are gone and then finding them, to the ending.
I hope this is the last Nemo film, as no matter how good any others might be, this one is just incredibly special to me because it's Dory's movie. I wouldn't even mind if it was the last film Pixar gave us, as it would mean they'd be going out on an amazing note. But I strongly believe more greatness lies ahead for Pixar in whatever they come up with next. The sequels they've been giving us this decade seem incredibly unnecessary, for the most part, but the fact that it resulted in a film I now hold so dearly makes me embrace them as an important part of the studio's history.
And there you have it. My ranking of the Pixar films. While I'm not incredibly excited about what Pixar has to offer in the next few years, I hear they'll be back to creating original content by the next decade. Some of it I'll probably like more then others, and I doubt anything will ever touch the Nemo films for me, but no matter what happens, Pixar will always be my favorite animation film company. They've simply done so much that is right. And I strongly they believe they'll continue to in the years to come.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Best ZOOM Funding Credits
A little over a year ago, ZOOMFan1 did a ranking of these funding credits. I, in turn, made my own, and am now reposting it here on my new blog!
7. Season 7. My least favorite by far. Almost everything that made the funding credits great was gone. The natural tone of it all was replaced by silly movements, animated text, cartoonish sound effects, and a seriously downright cheesy feel. Maybe I'm a little biased since season seven is my least favorite season, but god, this was so poorly done and far removed from what I'd loved. The classic music just seems to be mocking me. I'm sorry. It's just not my cup of tea.
6. Season 6. OK, I'm a little biased, since this was my second least favorite season. As a whole, it's not bad. The pacing is OK, the music is shown in full, and the way they all grab the signs is cool...but it's just not from the ZOOM I loved. Also, Kyle pointing at the viewers is kinda annoying to me, as I'm not a big fan of him. I will admit the way the CPB logo appeared on screen when Maya came out made me laugh as a kid though.
5. Season 4. Way too fast paced, shortened music, and a particularly notable instance of clothing that clashes with the black background (Kaleigh and Garret's shirts).
4. Season 5. They brought back the classic funding music in full, but it still just goes by in a whirlwind, with fundings listed that we'd never heard before and wouldn't hear of again. Still, not terrible.
3. Season 3. This season's funding credits were where they started speeding them up, losing the classic slow pacing they once had. But it's not terrible, of course. The part at the beginning where Frances waves everyone over really fast and then joins in the group was always great, and the "Thanks!" wasn't as startling this time around. I love how they brought back the "Funding for ZOOM is Provided By..." signs on pickets, like at a protest rally. That was always cool. Unfortunately, it also lost a lot of the really cool, strange graphics the first two seasons had, instead choosing it to just be shown real fast. Those bring on awesome nostalgia for me, so it was sad to see none of that.
2. Season 2. The moment I see sepia-toned Zoe and Alisa move over to the ladders with the ZOOM logo, I'm hit with nostalgia. These funding credits are second only to the first season's. I particularly love the pinkish-reddish glow done to Kenny's sign. It's all great...until the sudden "THANKS!" at the end. I started watching ZOOM in the fall of 1999, so I was already familiar with the funding credits of season one before I saw this one. So...yeah, I was not expecting that. A lot of it is due to the fact that they wait until the last possible second to show it. I also don't like that my least favorite member of the season got to hold up the sign. And lastly, it just doesn't give me the warm, fuzzy feeling seeing all of them around the "Viewers Like You" sign did. Oh, yeah---it's "contributions to your PBS Station from Viewers Like You" now. Complete with the "Dot" girl on the sign. Yeah, was that necessary?
1. Season One. There's absolutely no beating this one. You start off with David just moving his head to the music, before it zooms out to show the other ZOOMers coming in with picket signs, and it just gets better from there. Everyone else gets something of their own to do as well. The fact that there are only a few funding credits gives it a particualrly slow pace, which is fantastic, because it allows for a lot of buildup, and gets in those strange, obscure shots of the ZOOMers in their outfits---shots that give you the feeling that this is all a part of something...namely, ZOOM. Like I mentioned earlier, the buildup is fantastic. By the time Zoe and Keiko hold up the "and by..." signs you know it's almost near the end and it's gonna end on a really great note. And the way it does, in my favorite ZOOMCast gathered around the "Viewers Like You" sign, just warms my heart.
These funding credits are particularly special to me. In August of 2004, I had recently just seen seasons 6 and 4 and was watching season 3 as it was rerunning, and I went back to revisit old ZOOM episodes I'd had recorded in the first half of 2000, back during my initial interest in it. I discovered the only episode I had of season one, episode 113, recorded just before season 2 started and which I'd treasured and rewatched to death back in the day, believing it was the last I'd ever see of season one...had fallen victim to being taped over six months earlier. It was my own fault, since a Peanuts special was on I'd wanted taped, and I'd stupidly allowed my dad to tape over something far more valuable for it. Was everything lost? Nope. The last few seconds of the credits, the stinger (a clip of the cup game demonstration and playing), and the funding credits hadn't been recorded over. And I watched those over and over, treasuring them, grieving that I'd lost the first season.
And...yeah, that's my funding credits ranking. I hope you enjoyed! :)
7. Season 7. My least favorite by far. Almost everything that made the funding credits great was gone. The natural tone of it all was replaced by silly movements, animated text, cartoonish sound effects, and a seriously downright cheesy feel. Maybe I'm a little biased since season seven is my least favorite season, but god, this was so poorly done and far removed from what I'd loved. The classic music just seems to be mocking me. I'm sorry. It's just not my cup of tea.
6. Season 6. OK, I'm a little biased, since this was my second least favorite season. As a whole, it's not bad. The pacing is OK, the music is shown in full, and the way they all grab the signs is cool...but it's just not from the ZOOM I loved. Also, Kyle pointing at the viewers is kinda annoying to me, as I'm not a big fan of him. I will admit the way the CPB logo appeared on screen when Maya came out made me laugh as a kid though.
5. Season 4. Way too fast paced, shortened music, and a particularly notable instance of clothing that clashes with the black background (Kaleigh and Garret's shirts).
4. Season 5. They brought back the classic funding music in full, but it still just goes by in a whirlwind, with fundings listed that we'd never heard before and wouldn't hear of again. Still, not terrible.
3. Season 3. This season's funding credits were where they started speeding them up, losing the classic slow pacing they once had. But it's not terrible, of course. The part at the beginning where Frances waves everyone over really fast and then joins in the group was always great, and the "Thanks!" wasn't as startling this time around. I love how they brought back the "Funding for ZOOM is Provided By..." signs on pickets, like at a protest rally. That was always cool. Unfortunately, it also lost a lot of the really cool, strange graphics the first two seasons had, instead choosing it to just be shown real fast. Those bring on awesome nostalgia for me, so it was sad to see none of that.
2. Season 2. The moment I see sepia-toned Zoe and Alisa move over to the ladders with the ZOOM logo, I'm hit with nostalgia. These funding credits are second only to the first season's. I particularly love the pinkish-reddish glow done to Kenny's sign. It's all great...until the sudden "THANKS!" at the end. I started watching ZOOM in the fall of 1999, so I was already familiar with the funding credits of season one before I saw this one. So...yeah, I was not expecting that. A lot of it is due to the fact that they wait until the last possible second to show it. I also don't like that my least favorite member of the season got to hold up the sign. And lastly, it just doesn't give me the warm, fuzzy feeling seeing all of them around the "Viewers Like You" sign did. Oh, yeah---it's "contributions to your PBS Station from Viewers Like You" now. Complete with the "Dot" girl on the sign. Yeah, was that necessary?
1. Season One. There's absolutely no beating this one. You start off with David just moving his head to the music, before it zooms out to show the other ZOOMers coming in with picket signs, and it just gets better from there. Everyone else gets something of their own to do as well. The fact that there are only a few funding credits gives it a particualrly slow pace, which is fantastic, because it allows for a lot of buildup, and gets in those strange, obscure shots of the ZOOMers in their outfits---shots that give you the feeling that this is all a part of something...namely, ZOOM. Like I mentioned earlier, the buildup is fantastic. By the time Zoe and Keiko hold up the "and by..." signs you know it's almost near the end and it's gonna end on a really great note. And the way it does, in my favorite ZOOMCast gathered around the "Viewers Like You" sign, just warms my heart.
These funding credits are particularly special to me. In August of 2004, I had recently just seen seasons 6 and 4 and was watching season 3 as it was rerunning, and I went back to revisit old ZOOM episodes I'd had recorded in the first half of 2000, back during my initial interest in it. I discovered the only episode I had of season one, episode 113, recorded just before season 2 started and which I'd treasured and rewatched to death back in the day, believing it was the last I'd ever see of season one...had fallen victim to being taped over six months earlier. It was my own fault, since a Peanuts special was on I'd wanted taped, and I'd stupidly allowed my dad to tape over something far more valuable for it. Was everything lost? Nope. The last few seconds of the credits, the stinger (a clip of the cup game demonstration and playing), and the funding credits hadn't been recorded over. And I watched those over and over, treasuring them, grieving that I'd lost the first season.
And...yeah, that's my funding credits ranking. I hope you enjoyed! :)
Saturday, June 10, 2017
First post
I'm really excited to be a part of blogspot. I've been told I should make a blog, and now that I'm finally doing it I think my life will be a little more interesting.
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