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Peppa Pig - New Shoes and Other Stories (DVD)
by cornishchic
Peppa Pig is a television program aimed at toddlers and preschool children and is regularly aired on channel five's Milkshake morning program. It is about a girl pig called Peppa and features different members of her family. My daughter loves Peppa Pig and has a number of her DVD's including this new shoes and other stories ... one.
The DVD casing looks typical of a Peppa Pig product containing a picture from the first episode shown on the DVD. In this instance it's Peppa Pig trying on new shoes. The DVD contains 10 five minute long Peppa Pig episodes and two extra features. The price of this DVD is usually around £3 and can be found on sale from places that sell children's DVD's such as Asda.
The episodes are the same as the ones that are shown on the television; I won't bore you and go into depth on each episode but explain the first one so you get the gist. Peppa Pig new shoes starts off with Peppa losing her shoes so mummy pig takes her to the shoe shop to get her a brand new pair. The pair Peppa chooses is a red pair and she loves them that much that she refuses to take them off! The episode is a good way of familiarising small children with the whole buying new shoes concept. The other episodes included ones featuring the tooth fairy, pancake day and a day out at the museum. I think the majority of Peppa Pig episodes help children understand different aspects of everyday life.
The 2 extra features included on the DVD are interactive games where the child can use the television remote to play them. The first is an educational one where it shows the alphabet and by using the remote they can click on the different letters and it will be read out along with a word beginning with that letter then a short clip showing that object. The second shows Peppa Pig and her friends dressed up ready for ballet, clicking on the different characters will make them start a short ballet move. My daughter isn't really taken with the extra features on any of her DVD's but for children who are I think it will occupy them for a few minutes.
My daughter doesn't have a favourite Peppa Pig DVD and likes each of them equally so I can't say that this one shines out against the rest. However it will capture her attention and she loves watching it so I would recommend it especially as it introduces children to different aspects of everyday life.
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Scooby Doo - Live Action Movie (DVD)
by cha97mw
My sons got a box set collection of Scooby Doo films at Christmas time, and we have slowly been working our way through them. Live and Unleashed is a Warner Brothers film, so the budget for this one will have been considerably larger than the Lake Monster that I reviewed a few weeks ago, and the quality certainly tells me that this is ... the case.
Firstly, this 2002 movie features a much more recognisable cast. Sarah Michelle Gellar is Daphne, Freddie Prinze Junior is Fred, Linda Cardellini is Velma, and Matthew Lillard plays Shaggy. There are also guest appearances by Rowan Atkinson as the rich owner of a spooky island, and Isla Fisher as a love interest for Shaggy, Mary Jane.
This film starts really strongly in the style of the cartoon series by the same name. The gang are solving a case in a toy factory owned by Pamela Anderson. They end up having a row and deciding that they no longer want to work together so they all go their seperate ways.
Two years later they are all approached individually and offered large sums of money to go to Spooky Island to solve a mystery. College students are going there for spring break, but by the time it comes to leave, they have changed into weird people who are exceptionally strong and don't act the same as they did when they arrived.
The gang quickly set to work each trying to solve the case on their own around the spooky theme park rides, before realising that actually, they all do have a role to play in their group and they need each other. But can they get to the bottom of what is happening and save all the college students in time?
The plot to this film is quite strong, in that it has one and follows it to the conclusion. There is CGI effects in every scene as Scooby is pretty much the star of the show, alongside the monsters of course. The film is pretty camp, with the actors all getting into the role and being quite believable. All reminded me very much of the cartoon characters I grew up with but not in a forced way - they all seemed very natural, and the animated Scooby was incorporated well into the action.
This is a film more for children than adults, but there were quite a few gags in there that made me chuckle. My 6 year old started laughing pretty much as soon as the film opened, and this continued most of the way through. He is the right age for toilet humour gags to strongly appeal to him, and this is where a lot of the humour in the film comes from.
The soundtrack to this had a party atmosphere from the off, with recognisable tunes like Pass the Duchie from the Left hand side, and a rendition of Land of a Million Drums by Outkast. It has a strong hip hop/reggae feel to it which suits the location of Spooky Island perfectly and really sets the mood.
The film has a run time of 83 minutes, and this passed quickly as my interest was retained throughout. It was interesting to see how they had transferred the cartoon personalities to these real actors. The film has a PG rating, which is perfectly fine in my eyes. This is due to mild violence and horror - I think most children of the ages my kids are at (4 and 6) realise that the monsters are fake and would not be scared by them, though there is this whole thing about stealing souls out of bodies which might be harder for a sensitive child to watch. There is a little hint at drug use in a visual gag early on in the film, but I think this is one for the parents to spot myself, rather than the kids. It was implied through song and seeing smoke rising from the mystery machine, rather than being seen.
The cover to the film also mentions there are some sex references, but I can't think of anything explicit here other than a little kiss, the ladies being dressed a little sexily in beach style wear, and a body swap scene where Fred is a bit pervy, but again, my kids did not really pick up on this and I wouldn't expect them too really until they were a bit closer to 12.
This is a bit of fun, and if you fondly remember the TV show from being a kid, then chances are you will find this film endearing and enjoy the trip down memory lane. The relationship between Shaggy and Scooby is what makes this film for me. Just like the cartoon, the mysteries are rubbish, and the criminal would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids.
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Muppet Treasure Island (DVD)
by SWSt
Until the recent reboot, Muppets movies had become increasingly lacklustre. Whilst each had their moments, they were OK rather than inspired; watchable than essential. And to some extent, that's true of the Muppet's Treasure Island. In fact if you're a bit short on time, you can pretty much just leave reading this review here because ... that's pretty much sums it up.
(Very) loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, it sees an assortment of Muppets sail out to sea to find the long lost pirate treasure of Captain Flint. Helping them are cabin boy Hawkins and the one-legged Long John Silver.
Muppet Treasure Island contains everything you might expect from a movie featuring everyone's favourite puppets. Bad jokes, silly songs and the anarchic sense of humour that made the original TV show such a hit. It also frequently breaks the fourth wall, gleefully acknowledging that this is all just a film. If you buy into the Muppet humour, then you will appreciate these things; if you found the original TV show "silly", then there is nothing here to change your mind.
The real issue is that the humour is uneven. There are times when it will make you laugh out loud (although such moments are a little too sparse to ever class this as one of the best Muppet movies). Then there are other sequences that will make you smile. Unfortunately, there are also some stretches where you won't be doing anything except watching weaker material that feels a little like filler.
The film has two really strong suits. The first comes when it breaks the fourth wall. The audacity of a film which is constantly reminding you that you are only watching a film has to be admired, and it is something The Muppet Show has always done well. Many of these references will pass completely over the heads of any kids watching, but adults will appreciate them.
The film's other strong point is Fozzy Bear - a character I never particularly warmed to in the TV show (sacrilege, I know). Playing the idiot younger brother of a master shipbuilder is inspired casting, whilst giving him Mr Bimble (a little man who supposedly lives in his finger and tells him what to do) is simply a stroke of genius. This one idea alone sums up all that is good about the Muppets - stupid, bizarre, surreal and very, very funny. It's a real shame that Fozzy is used so sparingly, because he is the only character guaranteed to make you laugh every time he opens his mouth.
The song and dance routines also suffer from being a little uneven and uninspired. They are OK, but there are none of the great toe-tapping tunes that have featured in other Muppet movies (including the most recent one). There's nothing wrong with them - they break up the otherwise mad action and fun to listen to; but they are not particularly memorable either. As soon as they have finished, you will struggle to recall either the words or the tune, and they are certainly not ones that you will be singing along to.
Still, it's always good fun to spend time in the company of The Muppets and this is no exception, as they are all as barmy and endearing as ever. There are issues, however. First of all, there is no real focal point, no furry lead Muppet. Ostensibly, I suppose this is Kermit (as Captain Smollett), but at other times the role seems to fall to others (including a rare chance for Sam the Bald Eagle to star). This does leave a bit of a hole in the centre. Sure, it's part of the anarchic nature of The Muppets' style but a bit of a more obvious hero would have helped.
There are also times when the film feels a little too much like fan service, with too many attempts to cram in favourite characters. Some actually work quite well (using Statler and Waldorf as bickering figureheads on the ship is inspired, allowing them to fulfil the same role as in the TV show). Others are not quite so strong. The house band flutters around uncertainly, whilst the Swedish Chef cameo has been written for no other reason other than to ensure the Swedish Chef appears (although in fairness, the script acknowledges this with yet another fourth wall-breaking observation).
Surrounded by so much fuzzy felt, the human characters don't fare so well. Billy Connolly appears (briefly), hamming it up for all he's worth in a cameo that is so unfunny it's painful. Better is Jennifer Saunders' Mrs Bluberidge, so it's sad to see that she is only a minor character who disappears once the Muppets set out to sea.
Kevin Bishop is exactly as you would expect from a child lead - enthusiastic and energetic, but inexperienced. Tim Curry is acceptable as Long John Silver, but you do rather get the impression that he's phoning this performance in, coasting on earlier, similar performances and putting in as much efforts as is required to deliver his lines. It all feels just a little lacklustre.
Which is a good word to sum up the whole film. It has its moments, but they are a little too far apart. It's fun to pass 90 minutes in the company of the little fuzzy fellows, but compared to earlier films this has to go down as one of the also-rans.
Basic information
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Muppet Treasure Island
1996
Director: Brian Henson
Running time: approx. 99 minutes
Certificate: U
(c) Copyright SWSt 2013
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