UltimateDisney.com/DVDizzy.com Reviews: Discussion Thread

[pap64]

That was indeed a great review, guys! However, if you don't mind some constructive criticism I do have a few issues with it. Note that this is based on my own review writing discipline from Nintendo World Report, so it might not be the same as Ultimate Disney's.

While it was great to read your insight about the film's impact, I felt some paragraphs were unnecessary, and it took away a bit from the objectivity of the article. I thought the paragraph about the Oscars and the film's score on Rotten Tomatoes were better off as independent articles rather than part of the review, simply because a lot of it was personal commentary that drifted away from the critique of the film.

Again, this comes from my experience as a reviewer where said paragraphs would be outright deleted or completely changed on the first edit. This is because of the belief that people want to read a review of the product, not superfluous comments about what the reviewer thought about it in a subjective manner. Yeah, I realize that reviews are first and foremost opinion pieces, and it will always be subjective to a certain extend. But a focus should be kept on evaluating the product itself.

I understand what you guys wanted to do with talk about the Oscars and the review scores, since that plays a part in the evaluation of the movie. But I felt it was worded in a very personal manner rather than analytical.

For example, this is how I would have done it...

"Toy Story 3 found success not only at the box office, but critically as well, nearly obtaining a perfect score at Rotten Tomatoes. Such is the film's luck that some film experts believe that the film could receive an Oscar nomination for best picture in the same manner that Up obtained the honor this year".

See, you expressed a point about the film's impact without diving into speculative analysis.

If you want a further example, Armond White's review is an example of a reviewer supporting subjectivity over objectivity. All he mainly did was express some sort of frustration he has over the franchise, and never did he offer a critique of the movie. People hated it because it told you NOTHING about what he thought of the film as well as a critique that supports his thoughts.

I can't reiterate enough that this is from my experience as a reviewer, and I tend to use this a lot on my movie reviews as well. Despite that, the review was a wonderful read as always.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Great job on the Elf review, Luke! It's been quite awhile since I've seen the film and after reading the review I really want to watch it now. The set sounds pretty good (sans the "infinifilm" part) and although it's not my favorite film in the world, it definitely has a rewatchable quality about it.

[Lazario]

I have a rather serious suggestion for the reviews, something that's always a-bit bothered me...

Why don't you list the company / studio who're releasing the package right in the top information? Along with things like the release date, running time, rating, etc.? I always have to read the whole review to find out whether it's Warner, Universal, Lionsgate, Paramount, etc.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Great reviews for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Kids Are All Right, Kelvin and Luke! I haven't seen Chitty Chitty in quite awhile (I might watch it on Thanksgiving break), and I saw Kids in theater and didn't really like it all that much. Nonetheless, good job guys!

[Wonderlicious]

Yes, great new reviews!

I practically agree with Kelvin's views on Chitty's story structure. It really could have been more to the point and precise, and the fantasy story seems so delayed after numerous needless numbers and plot turns. I enjoy Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but as an adult, I definitely prefer some of the other major films of a similar ilk (Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory etc), and a lot more at that. Some of the film feels like it was dipped in the treacle well*, especially with songs such as Truly's awful solo. I've always found the reality segments for whatever reason to be somewhat spooky; there's something about rural Victorian/Edwardian settings in the South of England that make me feel uneasy. The fantasy story, though arguably somewhat bleak, has never bothered me.

I know that I don't normally post in this thread, but I really appreciate all the reviews, especially for Disney/Disney-esque thread. Thank you to all.

*so who got the Alice reference? q-:

[Escapay]

Just read the review for 150 Movies You Should (Die Before You) See. I like that UD is covering books (beyond the few and far between ones from the way-back-when Gift Sets for the Platinum DVDs), and hope they'll cover more in the future.

Also read the two recent interviews. Jolly good. (Sorry, I couldn't figure out another phrase to say!)





albert

[Escapay]

I noticed that The Sound of Music was next in line for review and I was playing around with possible links and found it. Thoroughly enjoyed it. One minor thing, the 1996 documentary (the one hosted by Shirley Jones) has been issued on DVD before (by Image Entertainment, twice actually). The 1986 documentary is completely new to any home media format.

Other than that, job well done, Kelvin.



albert

[pap64]

Um, where did you see it, Escapay?

[Escapay]

I was trying out different tags for what the link would be and found it that way. Since it's not meant to be "officially" published yet (I assume), I'll not say what the link is yet.

albert

[Disneykid]

Albert, you're just as bad as the people who are watching the first 36 minutes of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows online.

Thanks, though!

[UmbrellaFish]

I just read Kelvin's TSOM review and I must say that it is the best review of the Blu-Ray release I have yet read! Wonderful job!

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I just read Kelvin's TSOM review and I must say that it is the best review of the Blu-Ray release I have yet read! Wonderful job!

And you know UmbyFish has read all of them

I read it too, and it was wonderful! Great job Kelvin!

[BrandonH]

The Sound of Music review was extremely helpful to me. You'd think that every credible reviewer would specify which features were ported or left off from previous releases, but UD's is one of the few that did. That degree of thoroughness is something that puts reviews on this site in the top tier of usefulness to the reader.

By the way, when is the Avatar CE review expected? It was on the front page as a future review and has now disappeared.

[Luke]

By the way, when is the Avatar CE review expected? It was on the front page as a future review and has now disappeared.

It's reappeared now:
http://www.dvdizzy.com/avatar-extended.html

Fox sent us the DVD instead of the Blu-ray, though, so it might not be what you wanted, but at least that means there are screencaps!

Why don't you list the company / studio who're releasing the package right in the top information? Along with things like the release date, running time, rating, etc.? I always have to read the whole review to find out whether it's Warner, Universal, Lionsgate, Paramount, etc.

Studio isn't as cut and dry as the other facts in our table, especially when you have multiple distributors, different production companies, changing rights, etc. We always try to mention the studio in the front page paragraph, in the schedule, in the review index, on the Cover Art page, so the only way you shouldn't see it is if you're not coming to the review from this site. In which case, for the past 2 years or so, we've listed the studios at the very bottom of the review's copyright information. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the feedback.

[SmartAleck25]

I just wanted to give a big thank-you to Luke, Kelvin, Aaron, and all the other reviewers at UD. They're all really insightful and helpful in deciding whether or not you want to buy the DVD/Blu-ray. The fact that they flesh out 2 or 3 every week is pretty amazing. This week in particular, I feel like every day there has been 1-2 reviews. So, thanks again, guys, for making this site a both fun and helpful one!

[Luke]

I just wanted to give a big thank-you to Luke, Kelvin, Aaron, and all the other reviewers at UD. They're all really insightful and helpful in deciding whether or not you want to buy the DVD/Blu-ray. The fact that they flesh out 2 or 3 every week is pretty amazing. This week in particular, I feel like every day there has been 1-2 reviews. So, thanks again, guys, for making this site a both fun and helpful one!

Thanks for noticing and commenting. Your remarks are encouraging!

[Lazario]

Amusing to see some of the DVDizzy reviews I missed are of a darker variety.

I may decide to give Harpoon a spin someday, though the confusion of the reviewer matches my own just trying to wrap my head around the concept.

As for And Soon the Darkness, I can promise you the remake will never become much better known than the original. The original had Pamela Franklin, a horror genre veteran (The Legend of Hell House, Satan's School for Girls, Food of the Gods). Amber Heard? I don't think so. Also worth mentioning Anchor Bay actually had a section on their website (before the Starz takeover, don't know- maybe it's still there) proudly displaying their horror titles. They distributed the original And Soon the Darkness. For quite some time, I wanted to buy it but after I disliked 1971's Fright so much, I passed. Now it's very out-of-print.

[AwallaceUNC]

I just wanted to give a big thank-you to Luke, Kelvin, Aaron, and all the other reviewers at UD. They're all really insightful and helpful in deciding whether or not you want to buy the DVD/Blu-ray. The fact that they flesh out 2 or 3 every week is pretty amazing. This week in particular, I feel like every day there has been 1-2 reviews. So, thanks again, guys, for making this site a both fun and helpful one!

Thank you! I have to give the credit to Luke for the number of reviews we're able to publish here (he authors the great majority of them). I'm also just as impressed by how many he manages to put out there, always with such depth of coverage and great analysis.

Thanks for taking the time to show your appreciation. It's very kind!

[pinkrenata]

Excellent interview with Jeremiah Lasky, Luke!


Dreamy.

[ajmrowland]

Secretariat is just another great review from Luke!

Of course, you forgot that there were 4 competitive sports tackled by Disney rather than 3. Glory Road.

But that's just something I noticed. The rest is spot-on!