Power Rangers

it's morphin' time!

Go go Power what!? It seems that the latest trend in the movie industry is making a live action movie out of sacred items from the 90's. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers were huge TV stars between 1993-1996. Every kid around the globe wanted a morpher & a zord and to this very day there's a varied line of toys and gadgets based upon the original Power Rangers. 

25 years later comes the unthinkable: a 21st century re imagined live action movie. Directed by Dean Israelite, written by John Gatins & Matt Sazama, and starred by Dacre Montgomery (Jason), Naomi Scott (Kimberly), RJ Cyler (Billy), Ludi Lin (Zack), Becky G. (Trini), Bryan Cranston (Zordon), and Elizabeth Banks (Rita Repulsa) Power Rangers is the updated version of a beloved 90's nostalgia act that will bring curious old school fans & newcomers (kids of course) together in an interesting mix of new & old. 

Zordon.

Five teenagers with attitude.

Now, how does this Power Rangers movie separate itself from the original Saban series? Considering, the source material was targeted at impressible 90's kids & teens there's a whole world of differences, and I personally thank the film producers for that because we're seeing the same superhero film being redone over and over every year, so thanks Mr. Israelite for your clever direction. However, there's still a fair amount of nods to the past. Obviously, the bigger the audience, the bigger the money, so instead of coming up with something entirely new, Power Rangers feels like the right amount of nostalgia & novelty.

What makes this new approach interesting, is the fact that this time we're shown the process you need to undergo in order to become a Power Ranger. The "fetch me five teenagers with attitude" 90's request remains the same, only this time things don't look so bright for our new set of heroes. The film opens with a superb origin storytelling about how the Power Rangers came to be the universe's only hope. Zordon (played by Bryan Cranston from Malcolm & Breaking Bad) is the original Red Ranger, and in what seems to be a treacherous act, we find out Rita Repulsa (masterfully played by Elizabeth Banks) was the original Green Ranger, thus her mostly green colored armor suit. Before things, go to hell, Zordon orders Alpha 5 to search for the new Power Rangers across the universe. 

Rita Repulsa.

Evil beauty.

In the original series the Power Rangers were 5 perfectly healthy and very succesful students from Angel Grove high school. They didn't need to train for anything, they were already very skilled in martial arts, gimnastics, science & team work. Also, they were good friends from day one. On the other hand, the film presents us a very different selection of troubled teenagers which are somehow more real than the earlier incarnation. Teens suffer, teens struggle, and to become a hero, there's a path of hit and miss that makes you grow, so I like that approach.

The Rangers are majorly based on their versions in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993) (Jason, Kimberly, Billy, Zack, Trini), but also draw inspiration from various characters over the "Power Rangers" saga:

• Red Ranger - Jason Lee Scott is an athlete who suffered a career-ending injury (like the second MMPR Ranger Rocky DeSantos) and has a difficult relationship with his father (like Wesley Collins in Time Force)

• Pink Ranger - Kimberly Hart is a former diva who did something wrong and wants to make up for it (similar to Summer Landsdown in RPM)

• Blue Ranger - Billy Cranston is a geeky black kid ( like Ethan James in Dino Thunder and Noah Carver in Power Rangers Megaforce) he's also autistic, hence the color.

• Black Ranger - Zack Taylor is based on Adam Park

• Yellow Ranger - Trini Kwan is pretty much an original character but her lesbian condition may somewhat have been inspired by David Yost (the original blue ranger in MMPR) who happened to be gay and had trouble during the series production until he called it quits.

Hi, I'm Alpha 5.

Dude, this new drug is rad!

These new rangers add a more meaningful touch to what it means to be a self awared person. Subjects like bullying, autism, LGBT rights and second chances are a constant in their lives and allow the characters to be more relatable, unlike what happened in the original series with the rangers' perfect lives. What the hell! Even Rita Repulsa's vendetta has meaning behind all the predictable one liners. 

Now, Power Rangers the movie, not only updates character development, the Ranger suits have also been upgraded from bulletproof spandex, to crystal armor, and so are Zords updated to look far more Transformer like (that is Michael Bay Transformers) While I originally hated the new suits/zords I think they're OK for the message the film conveys and after watching it, I changed my mind and totally understood the science behind the new suits. 

Fuck you all!

Superhero pose!

Now as for homage nods, dude, there are a lot of easter eggs throughout the film, here's a list of the few I noticed:

• The Angel Grove High logo in the film is the same one used in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993).

• Bryan Cranston, who plays Zordon in the film, previously voiced the monsters Twin Man and Snizzard in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993). Additionally, the first Blue Ranger in this film, Billy Cranston, was named after Cranston himself.

• In Trini's bedroom, there is a window that features a circle with a tiger's head; this was the Yellow Ranger's original Power Coin design in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993).

• At one point the Yellow Ranger Trini wears a shirt that reads 1973. This was the year that the original Trini Thuy Trang was born.

• When Colt Wallace tries to hurt Billy in the school hallway and fails after a unsuccessful headbutt, Billy calls him by the name Skullovich. In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993), one of the bullies the Rangers dealt with in school was named Skull, short for Skullovich.

• The Rangers having their visors removed was taken from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995) (scenes deleted), Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (2000) and Power Rangers Ninja Storm (2003).

• When Goldar is being constructed from the gold, Rita Repulsa ( Elisabeth Banks ) say the infamous line: Make my monster grow.

• When the Zords charge into battle, the theme song (Go Go Power Rangers written & sung by Ron Wasserman) from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995) is heard, and this is clearly the "shut up and take my money" moment of the film. Man! that theme song is rad! I still play it whenever I can!

Goldar is actually made of gold now.

Are you talking to us?

• The watch that Billy wears is the watch from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993), which Billy made in that show so that the Rangers can communicate with each other/teleport to Zordon.

• When Trini's brothers question the identity of the Yellow Ranger, they refer to the Yellow Ranger as a "he," to which Trini replies by asking how they know if the Yellow Ranger is a "he." This is likely a reference to the fact that the Yellow Ranger in Zyuranger, the "Super Sentai" series that the original "Power Rangers" show was based on, was actually a male.

• Throughout the movie, all the Power Rangers wear something (clothes/jewelry) that is their Ranger color.

• Amy Jo Johnson and Jason David Frank, who were Kimberly and Tommy in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993), have cameo roles in this film as Angel Grove citizens. They are seen wearing their Ranger colors (pink and green) from that show.

• A mid credits scene depicts a missing Tommy in detention and shows a green jacket, only furthering the nod to having the green ranger in the sequel.

• When Rita is defeated by the Megazord, she is last seen hurling to the moon and she starts to smile. In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993), Rita has her lair on the moon.

• When Rita attacks the Rangers in their normal form you can see sparks appear at the spots where they are hit. In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993) any hit, whether it was against the Rangers or the villains, resulted in sparks shooting out.

Overall, Power Rangers is a very entertaining Sci-Fi movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. Despite the original show being campy, this film introduces a new darker world that will clearly be expanded in several sequels. Recommended to old school MMPR fans and to any sci-fi enthusiast. A good film for everyone.

Here's the movie trailer:

Ghost in the Shell

What makes us real?

Ghost in the Shell is probably one of the most beloved Anime properties in recent history. the 1995 OVA based upon the astonishing Masamune Shirow Manga blew everyone's VCR minds sky high! The music, the animation quality (with gigantic attention to detail) the presence of Shoji Kawamori in mechanical designs and the depresssing future themes granted GITS a place in history. 

Today, 22 years later comes the live action remake that everyone's been talking about for all the wrong reasons? To each his own, of course. However, as we always advice, watch the movies yourself. Don't let yourself be biased by missinformed people, naysayers, trolls, fanboys and wholesome pieces of shit from the crappy world of social networks. Shit, how I miss the 90's! it was so much easier and positive back in the day! 

So, Ghost in the Shell may or may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't nowhere nearly as bad as they want you to believe. Starred by Scarlett Johansson (sci-fi superstar!, look at her CV!)  as The Major (not a single minute called by her original name Motoko Kusagani) an enhanced cybernetic being devoted to stop the world's most dangerous criminals. Co-starred by film legends Takeshi Kitano (as Aramaki) & Juliette Binoche (as doctor Ouelet), the GITS film adaptation is actually very different from the original OVA.  The first big change is the fact that Motoko Kusanagi is no longer one of the many enhanced cyborg organisms living in the GITS universe. This time, she's the very fist enhanced being so that clearly calls for some bigger changes in the script that is cleverly, yet predictably adapted by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler & Ehren Kruger under the correct direction of Rupert Sanders. If you've watched the original GITS you know this big change will somehow diminish the complexity of the philosophy within the film. The second change is the fact that the Puppet Master (the original bad guy in the Anime) is no longer depicted as a hacker criminal, AKA project 2501 with the ability to travel across the cybernetic network and do as he pleases with immense power. Nope! the new bad guy is called Kuze (played by Kurt Cobain wannabe Michael Pitt) which instantly means we won't be seeing the naked girl being hit by a truck while the Puppet Master takes complete possesion of her cyborg body in order to establish a connection with Motoko. 

The future.

Cyborg Geisha.

Differences aside, GITS is still a very good movie. Viewers expecting an array of original ideas, don't waste your time!, everything's been done before!. The idea of a cyberpunk futiristic world has been explored by the entertainment industry for eons! Blade Runner, Six Million Dollar Man, Megazone 23, Terminator, Robocop, The Matrix, shall I continue? The thing is, the future of mankind is so interesting as an entertainment context, that I'm sure many films and other artistic forms will keep on exploring the possibilities of a humanity lost in a technological world (aren't we already there?) so bugging about it, won't change the world dudes.

Plotwise with the above mentioned changes, the story is more focused on Major's uniqueness and the world is presented through the eyes of an enhanced woman who's questioning what makes us human and ultimately, what makes us to feel alive.  The antagonist as the word quickly suggests, it's the exact opposite of Johansson's: AI desperately looking to be alive. 

The Major.

it's kicking ass time!

The speciall effects are really good, although not that surprising in this day and age, the invisible armor Major wears in the iconic water battle, looks superb! In addition, her skin tight suit makes it look like Scarlett Johansson was naked all the time! (and that is a good thing for us admirer of the starlet) Boy! look at those curves! (I know I sound like a macho pig, but do excuse me) Some visual sequences look like they were taken from the original 1995 animation, and that is always a welcomed gesture by fans. The opening sequence (although it lacks the original superb theme) is a carbon copy of the OVA. We see Scarlett Johansson being built into the Major frame by frame. Other action scenes were also made to look almost the same as the source material. Again, we can't thank enough director Sanders for that.

The score isn't as thrilling as the original OVA score was, it just plays like your standard derivative superhero/sici-fi soundtrack. Nevertheless, you don't really notice it that much because this film has a e s t h e t i c s written all over! The visual spectacle we're offered is a delight to our eyes. Did I mention Johansson looks like she's naked all the time? Oops!

I'm gonna getcha!

Lookalikes.

Gory violence has been completely erased from existance. Obviously, this is a Hollywood technique they use to widen their audience, thus making more money out of the film and its byproducts. The original OVA had a lot of graphic violence which was essential to the understanding of how cold this future world was. Nevertheless, the film script didn't include those subplots and/or made substantial changes to them to save them from censorship. Unfortunately, those changes make GITS a far predictable film, unlike its original counterpart where there was still a sense of oven fresh ideas.

and what about the whitewashing and shit?

Seriously? do you still see the world according to color, race & gender? If yes, then GITS is clearly a film you shouldn't watch, specially the 1995 OVA where the quintessential question is what makes us human? feelings? sex? gender? offspring? self awareness? Nonetheless, we will not discuss the matter here because we couldn't care less about it. We're all human beings!, persons! which is way more than being LGBT, Latino or Asian! The day we start accepting people as equals is the day war ends. Let's see if we make it to see that day. 

Scarlett Johansson has proven to be one of the most prolific sci-fi actress in the last two decades. She's portrayed comic book characters (Ghost World, Black Widow in the MCU, The Spirit) Science fiction characters (The Island, Lucy, Under the Skin) I think she was the right choice to portray the Major. if you compare her acting side by side with the animé, you'll see she delivers a respectful homage to the original. Besides, she's got the looks.

Major, you're human.

You're not real!

Overall, Ghost in the Shell is a daring experiment at touching something sacred and turning into a brand new western live action film. Like most films, the viewer is to decide whether it is a masterpiece or disposable junk. I for one, think it's a good movie, a fair attempt at paying homage to a wonderful 1995 set of memories I found myself countless times watching with a long gone friend on my VCR during the 90's. Truth be told, this film will never outdo the original, yet I don't think this was the original intention behind the making of this movie, just turn off your internet for a while, sit back, and enjoy this film.

Here's the movie trailer:

Jem

This poster came with the dolls.

If you're wondering if our newly re-designed color scheme has to do with today's entry, you're a tad right, and a tad wrong, you see, the v a p o r w a v e trend relies on 90's graphics and colors that were surely borrowed from the 80's. A e s t h e t i c s aside, today's review is dedicated to my wife, a true fan of Jem!

Like any other kid from the 80's on planet earth, I used to wake up early on Saturdays just to enjoy a full morning of the coolest cartoons TV had to offer. Girls cartoons would always go first, so us, boys would have to wait a bit longer for our dose of violence and transforming toys. 

Jem AKA Jem & The Holograms is a Sunbow/Hasbro/Marvel cartoon from 1985 that ran for three seasons until 1988 completing a total of 65 episodes. Like many other cartoons from the decade most of the animation work was done overseas because it was cheaper. Shockingly enough, the animation was provided by the renowned Toei Studio. Predictably enough, as it was during the decade, the Japanese animators were given no credit for Jem whatsoever.

Jem & Jerrica.

The Misfits in action!

The series is about Jerrica Benton, the owner of Starlight Music and the Starlight Foundation, which is a foster home for young girls. But by using her earrings to project a holographic image over herself, she is transformed into her alter ego Jem, the lead singer for the successful music group, Jem and the Holograms. Other members of the group are Jerrica's sensitive little sister Kimber, the strong-willed Aja, and the creative Shana. The group's rivals are The Misfits, made up of the cold-hearted Pizzazz, the tough-acting Roxy, and the humble Stormer. Jem and her friends are always involved in glamorous and exciting adventures around the world, while touching people's hearts with their hit songs. Obviously, the subject of music & the music industry was the core of the animation hence, the 80's pop culture aesthetics of the entire series. Although other cartoons & animé had already explored the music industry in their content, no other American cartoon merged the music stardom  lifestyle with the down to earth side fo things (Jem keeps Jerrica as her secret identity. While one is super popular & outgoing, the other worries about the foster home) In addition, the series featured a set of songs, each properly about something relevant to the plot of each episode. Cassettes were recorded and sold for a limited time, and even some dolls came with the cassette and a tape recorder system. 

Loads of make up.

Loads of cheesy love.

The story is the kind of format you'd see in any sports or music film where it's some up and coming underdog team that is struggling to survive and get to the top. And there are tons of melodrama, which makes the cartoon an animated soap opera. 

The characters are actually pretty good, they're not entirely three dimensional but, it's an 80's cartoon! what do you expect?. However, there is a certain amount of depth given to them. Enough to make us actually care about what they're going though. Jerrica/Jem is solid, she's the typical struggling sweet heroine, selfless, independent, persona wise she's a bit bland but in a good way. Her niche is her hologram ability where some supercomputer gives her the power to change her hairstyle and look so she wouldn't be recognized. Why the hell Rio can't put two and two together that both Jerica and Jem are the same person is anyone's guess. There is a slight romance dynamic with both Rio and Jerrica/Jem, which was rare in a cartoon. I mean, how many animated girls and boys would genuinely interact and even kiss in the 80's?

Hey you! Buy our cassette!

♪♫ 666, the number of the beast ♪♫

The Misfits are fun rivals, personally I found them to be the most interesting and fun. My favorite one was always Stormer, whom to me is interesting and I'll admit as a kid had a bit of a crush on her (I said I was a kid). Because she never really seemed like a bad guy she actually was kinda sweet, just a person that I felt was playing for the wrong team or influenced by the wrong people. But also there was this mystery to her, in episodes she kinda can surprise you because she does something that is contrary to the Misfits sometimes.

However it's really not the story that drive the show so much it's really more by it's nature style over toping substance, and this show has lots of style. It really is a product of it's time as it really tackles the 80's customs of music, fashion, and "MTV" when it was still actually good.

Jem dolls.

My wife's Jem doll.

Animation wise, Jem it's the same compared to other Hasbro properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe meaning the attention to detail in character design is rich and varied enough to allow each character to be identified by its physical features. After all, being animated by japanese artists can do you no wrong!

The series highlight without a doubt is music!, most of the songs are memorable in reprising what was going on music wise in the 80's pop scene. Each episode featured three one minute songs. Two by Jem & by the Misfits. During season 2 & specially 3 a few songs were reused in more than one episode. The songs were presented as videoclips to make the viewer feel he was actually watching MTV.

Choose your side wisely.

80's pop art!

Overall, a great piece of 80's nostalgia and maybe the one animated show that was most influenced by 80's youth pop culture. Clothing, hair style, music, colors, locations and even plotwise, no other cartoon can relate to the 80's as Jem does. I only wish there were more cartoons like this for the girls of today's world. After all, this series did have a heart and deeper meaning beneath each character's struggles (including the bad guys).

With love to my awesome wife!

Here's season 1 opening:

Here's season 2 opening:

Here's season 3 opening:

And a complete playlist featuring every song played on all 3 seasons!