Overproduced Olaf: The 2015 Olaf In Summer Hallmark Ornament!

The Good: Decent sculpted details, Collectible value, Glitter
The Bad: Front-heavy, Assembled look
The Basics: The 2015 "Olaf In Summer" ornament continues to exploit the breakout character from Frozen with a reasonably cool ornament!


Whenever a work that has merchandising associated with it has a breakout character, it becomes pretty obvious by the way the licensees exploit the most popular character. With the immense worldwide success of the Disney film Frozen, fans were rapidly deluged with merchandise featuring Olaf, the lovable snowman voiced by Josh Gad. Last year, the breakout Hallmark ornament was Olaf (reviewed here!) and this year, Hallmark seems to be trying desperately to continue to capitalize on the popularity of Olaf with their Olaf In Summer ornament. And Olaf In Summer is good, but not a perfect or truly amazing ornament.

For those unfamiliar with Frozen (reviewed here!), Olaf was the magically-created sentient snowman who accompanied Anna and Kristoff on their quest to find Elsa. Olaf provided comic relief and had a brief fantasy about what it would be like to be a snowman in the summer.

With an original issue price of $14.95, the Olaf In Summer ornament makes for a fair option for those who could not get their hands on the original Olaf ornament at an affordable price.

Basics

The "Olaf In Summer" ornament recreates Olaf as he appeared in the one song in Frozen. The ornament, released in 2015, is an entirely accurate sculpt of Olaf the snowman standing on a patch of grass looking enthusiastically down at a flower. The subject of the ornament was a computer-generated snowman who sang and danced and the sculptor did an exceptional job of capturing the curved, animated look of Olaf! The Olaf In Summer ornament is, oddly enough, cast in a different scale from the original Olaf ornament, which allowed Hallmark to not make the base overwhelmingly large.

Measuring two and five-eighths inches tall by two and one-quarter inches wide by two and one half inches deep, the "Olaf In Summer" ornament is a smaller-scale ornament than most of the Disney character ornaments this year.

The Hallmark "Olaf In Summer" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Olaf, mouth open in one of the biggest smiles ever, twig arms flailing out, standing on a disc of grass, looking down at a single purple flower poking up from the ground. The ornament is sculpted accurately and gets the look of Olaf perfectly right! This ornament is augmented by glitter that some of the other ornaments of Disney characters who appeared in snowy environments possessed! For accuracy, Olaf is made pretty awesome by the fact that non-snow elements, like his coal buttons, eyes, mouth, carrot nose, and twig arms and hair do not have any glitter on them!

Unfortunately, the Olaf In Summer ornament looks very assembled. The flower's base has a very noticeable seam as does the area around Olaf's feet. It looks like the elements of the Olaf In Summer ornament were manufactured separately and then glued together and that is a disappointing look for the character.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Olaf In Summer" could have a sound or light function, but it does not. The closest it actually possesses is the glitter. Given how the base could easily have held a speaker and the concept of Olaf In Summer was accompanied by memorable dialogue and a song, it seems like Hallmark cheaped out on the execution of the ornament by neglecting a sound function for it.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Olaf In Summer" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Olaf In Summer" ornament is hardly a must-have, especially after last year's success with the basic Olaf ornament! The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the back of Olaf’s head. From that position, the Olaf In Summer ornament is noticeably front-heavy. The ornament pitches forward and down, because the flower and front of the base are heavier than anything behind the ornament hook loop. Because the base is

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Within a few years, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Olaf In Summer" is the the second Olaf ornament and part of a barrage of Frozen ornaments this year. Olaf In Summer did not sell out during Ornament Release Weekend and it is unsurprising given how overproduced Olaf became last year. Given that Olaf merchandise has been vastly overproduced over the last year - when I was out at Ornament Release Weekend this year, one Hallmark store had Olaf plush dolls on clearance for 90% off! - it is unlikely that Olaf in Summer will be a decent investment piece. The market is oversaturated, even for Hallmark ornaments from Frozen.

Overview

Fans of Frozen, Disney, Olaf, and Hallmark ornaments are unlikely to be wowed by the Olaf In Summer ornament; it's a mediocre ornament that feels like the last desperate cashgrab of a fad that has passed. Despite the balance and lack of feature, the ornament is not bad, but it is hardly spectacular.

For other Disney-themed Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Jiminy Cricket Pinocchio Limited Edition ornament
2015 WALL-E
2015 Rapunzel And Pascal Tangled ornament
2015 Tiana Ballerina The Princess And The Frog
2015 Ariel's Thingamabobs The Little Mermaid ornament
2014 Queen Elsa Frozen Limited Edition
2014 Bank On Hamm Toy Story ornament
2014 Jack's Peculiar Pet The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2014 The Daring Princess The Princess And The Frog ornament
2014 Rapunzel's Long Locks Tangled ornament
2014 The Little Mermaid 25th Anniversary ornament
2014 "This Is Halloween" The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2014 All Eyes On Belle Beauty And The Beast ornament
2013 Under The Sea The Little Mermaid
2013 The Nightmare Before Christmas Jack’s Sleigh O’Scares
2013 Tiana's Party Dress The Princess And The Frog ornament
2013 Beautiful Belle Beauty And The Beast
2013 Fierce With A Frying Pan Tangled ornament
2013 Ariel's Big Dream The Little Mermaid ornament
2013 Merida The Archer Brave ornament
2012 The Circle Of Life The Lion King ornament
2012 Jack Sneaks A Peek The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2012 Monsters, Inc. ornament
2012 Merida Brave ornament
2012 It's All About The Hair Tangled ornament
2011 Rapunzel Tangled ornament
2011 CLU’s Light Cycle from Tron: Legacy ornament
2011 Up ornament
2011 A Snowy Surprise The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
2011 Captain Jack Sparrow Pirates Of The Caribbean ornament
2010 Tron: Legacy Light Cycle ornament
2009 Welcome To Christmastown The Nightmare Before Christmas ornament

6/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Doctor Who Drowns "Under The Lake!"

The Good: Acting is fine
The Bad: Plot heavy, Pacing, No character development
The Basics: A complete Doctor Who dud, "Under The Lake" belabors its own premise before creating a nonsense cliffhanger.


No show is perfect and among fans it seems like it is a form of sacrilege to admit that. Among Doctor Who fans, it it tough to discuss the episodes that are duds without some leaping on those making the argument. In the case of the latest episode, "Under The Lake," the episode has some severe problems and while part of that is based on the expectations fans might have for what Doctor Who "should" be, the most severe issues come from how it is just problematic storytelling.

Like many episodes of Doctor Who, "Under The Lake" is a science fiction episode that is structured much like a mystery. Doctor Who episodes frequently involve The Doctor and his Companion arriving in a place and discovering something amiss. The Doctor then makes a series of deductions and figures out what is going on and, spoiler alert, it is usually some form of alien infestation that is masquerading as something else. "Under The Lake" follows that same essential formula, but it feels especially expository. As a basic element of storytelling, "Under The Lake" is structured like a mystery where no new clues are introduced, yet the detective (The Doctor) makes almost all of the assumptions necessary to (correctly) unravel the mystery.

In the near future, a company has a submerged base under a later in Scotland. The crew is there as part of a mining operation that has staked a claim to oil beneath the surface. The workers, however, have recently brought aboard what appears to be a space ship, which was not present when the company did its initial survey underwater. After inspecting the ship, one of the crew is killed and he proptly returns as an eyeless ghost.

The Doctor and Clara arrive with Clara enthusiastic for another big adventure and The Doctor concerned that she is still running away from her sense of loss following Danny's death. The pair encounter the two ghosts and when they are menaced by them, they turn tail and run. They run into a Farraday Cage where the rest of the crew of the base are hiding. The leader is a deaf young woman whose authority is challenged by the company man, Richard Pritchard. When the base goes to "day mode," the seven humans are able to leave the Farraday Cage. That allows The Doctor to inspect the ship and start to make some conclusions about what the ghosts actually are. But, after Pritchard is killed and the ghosts are ensnared in the Farraday Cage, the Doctor and Clara become separated.

Without spoiling the end, which puts an incredible burden on the second part to explain the most basic aspect of how the hell "Under The Lake" could end where it does, the narrative problems make for a very unsatisfying episode. Inside the alien ship are four glyphs, which correspond to the words that the ghosts are trying to say (and, seriously, Doctor Who bothers to have a deaf character who has been proximate to the ghosts for the past three days and never managed to read their lips?!). When The Doctor figures out what the gylphs say - and the TARDIS still fails to translate them?! - he declares that the words are akin to a song that gets stuck in one's head. He leaps to this conclusion by observing that no one in the group was surprised when he said what the four words were. This is just shoddy storytelling because it's not like until he realizes what they are, characters are walking around mumbling "there's something familiar about these glyphs." To make a stronger Doctor Who analogy, the leap The Doctor makes would be like The Doctor acknowledging a pain in his temple in "Last Christmas" (reviewed here!) late in the episode without the prior mentions of it or other characters admitting they have that exact pain. The reference to the pain would come out of the blue if The Doctor had not already mentioned it, had it acknowledged by the other characters and correlated it to the Dream Crabs attacking them. So, in "Under The Lake," The Doctor suddenly declares that the glyphs are like a song stuck in one's head, rewriting the listener, with no basis within the episode to support it. He challenges his comrades that none of them were surprised when the four words translated to the four glyphs; of course they aren't surprised - they are the only two sets of four words/symbols presented in the episode! It hardly makes the rest of the assumption hold.

And yet, it is inconceivable that the rest of the idea will hold, but that makes for an unsatisfying narrative. It's like a murder mystery where one is not given the clues to figure out who committed the murder and watching the detective pick clues out of thin air to solve the crime. It's not satisfying and it is not good storytelling. That is "Under The Lake."

Add to that, "Under The Lake" pays lip service to the primary characters. The Doctor and Clara are absent for the teaser and when they do appear, The Doctor quickly gets any sense that character will be a part of the story out of the way. Clara is eager for an adventure, The Doctor shows concern that she is running away from her feelings. After that, there's no character development and little in the way acknowledging actual character traits of the protagonists. The Doctor meets another groupie and Clara tags along.

"Under The Lake" barely even establishes a creepy mood; there is something formulaic about Pritchard's death and the sparing of another crewmember. Instead, the episode seems more baffling for its lack of reasonable methodology. The crew acknowledges that the ghosts and mayhem began when the crew took aboard the alien ship, yet none even proposes the obvious solution: put the ship back and flee the outpost, quarantining it. In fact, based on what The Doctor concludes, the ghosts would be defeated by just such a plan (because they would be able to cull no more "souls" for their beacon). The idea is not even floated in the episode.

The performances in the episode are adequate, but none of the performers are given anything especially strong to do in terms of range.

"Under The Lake" spends its hour belaboring and establishing its premise and puts an insane burden on the second part to bail out the utter failure of an episode.

For other works ghost stories, please check out my reviews of:
"The Unquiet Dead" - Doctor Who
"The Haunting Of Deck Twelve" - Star Trek: Voyager
"Sleepless" - The X-Files

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Doctor Who - The Complete Ninth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the sophomore season of Peter Capaldi as The Doctor here!
Thanks!]

2/10

See how this episode stacks up against other episode of Doctor Who by visiting my Doctor Who Review Index Page where the episodes and seasons are organized from best to worst!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Overwhelmed By The Pretzel, Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels Have A Mixed Execution!

The Good: They do not taste bad
The Bad: Pretzel flavor is so much stronger than the vanilla frosting, Nothing amazing on the nutrition front
The Basics: Mars Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels are a good enough concept, but the vanilla frosting flavor is not strong enough to impress.


I have a pretty wonderful source for a wide variety of snacks and foods in my area, so it is one of the reasons I truly love reviewing foods. Every now and then, I uncover a real gem in the snack food aisle of my local eclectic discount store. Lately, that has not been happening so much unfortunately. The latest "miss" on the snack food front are the Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels. I was actually surprised to discover, when I sat down to review these Combos, that I have not reviewed any of the Combos snacks before. I was instantly enamored with the idea of the Vanilla Frosting Pretzel snacks, but was underwhelmed by their execution.

Basics

Combos were a pretty new snack from M&M/Mars when I was a kid and now they have made a transition from pure salty snacks into a sweet and salty realm with their Combos Sweet & Salty. This was my first experience with the Sweet & Salty line. The Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels are a clever idea for anyone who likes mixing disparate flavors. Unfortunately, those looking for the "sweet" half to satisfy a craving will have to look elsewhere.

Each one ounce serving of Combos Sweet & Salty Pretzels is made up of hard pretzel cylinders that are approximately 5/8” in diameter and 1” long. Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels come in a 6 oz. package with several dozen Pretzels. The Combos fall around their bag without any protection.

Ease Of Preparation

Eating Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels is not a real challenge: simply open the package, pull out a pretzel, and consume. When you have a pretzel out, all you have to do is stick it in your mouth and chew; there is nothing complicated or mysterious about eating these snacks.

Taste

The Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels smell like almost entirely of the filling, which is vanilla frosting. The aroma is very inviting to anyone who loves a sweet snack and craves vanilla frosting.

On the tongue, each Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzel is hard and salty. The salt that coats the pretzels completely overwhelms any hint of the sweet vanilla frosting inside. The vanilla frosting acts more like a soft texture than a flavor in these Combos, so heavy is the baked pretzel and salt flavor. The bready pretzel is oppressive to the filling.

These pretzels leave one with a strong, dry aftertaste in the mouth.

Nutrition

Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels are intended as a sweet snack, not a full meal. A 1/3 cup, 1 ounce serving is not overly nutritious. Made primarily of wheat flour, vegetable oil, and whey this is not an all-natural food product. These Pretzels were produced on equipment that forces them to add a disclaimer about milk, soy, and wheat.

Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels have a substantive 130 calories for a single serving, 45 of which are from fat. A serving represents 15% of one's RDA of saturated fat, though they are cholesterol free. As well, they are predictably high in Sodium, having 270 mg (11% RDA) per serving. They have two grams of protein and two percent of the RDA of Calcium, with no other real nutrients. As one who is working on getting heart-healthy, I was happy to see a single gram of dietary fiber in each serving.

Storage/Cleanup

Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels are easy to care for and clean up. Unopened, they have a pretty short shelf life; we purchased ours two weeks ago and they have an expiration date in September 2015. Given how the package is not resealable, it is not easy to keep these Pretzels fresh once the bag is open. These hard pretzels generate significant crumbs when one consumes them!

Overall

Combos Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzels taste good, but are not exceptional, which makes them a harder Pretzel to get truly excited about. The lack of a real strong chocolate flavor to the chocolate chips makes them feel much more average with their embedded frosting than truly special.

For other reviews of snacks, please check out:
Chewy Chips Ahoy! Birthday Frosting Cookies
Clif Builder's Bar Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar
Blue Diamond Smokehouse Flavor Almonds

4/10

For other food and drink reviews, please visit my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Fast Demise Of Psych Comes With The Erratic Eighth Season Of The Show!

The Good: Ends well
The Bad: Terrible stories, Lackluster use of characters, Some mediocre use of actors
The Basics: The final ten episodes of Psych are almost enough to ruin anyone's love of the comedy detective series.


You know a television series has lost all of its spark when it takes multiple attempts to muster up the enthusiasm to get through the final episodes of that series. Sadly, that is where I fell with Psych. Psych had some decent seasons, became repetitive and took a big and important narrative leap in its seventh season (reviewed here!). Unfortunately, the showrunners wrote themselves into a place from which they had no idea how to proceed and the eighth season of Psych dropped like a particularly fetid dump on an otherwise good series.

With only ten episodes, the eighth and final season of Psych is a mash-up of concept episodes that largely fail to land or add up to a cohesive story that does any justice to the characters established throughout the prior seven seasons. Instead, the show's executive producers seemed to have no idea how to keep the bulk of the characters engaged and part of the ongoing narrative and they instead jettison most of the familiar characters, focus intensely on Shawn and Gus and hope viewers aren't actually watching the opening credits to notice how most of the cast is not in the episode.

With the Santa Barbara Police Department in the hands of Interim Director Trout, Shawn and Gus find themselves nearing bankruptcy from lack of use. The pair heads to the UK for PotterCon where they become embroiled in an INTERPOL investigation that puts them once more in a scheme from Desperaux. Returning home, Shawn tries his hand at becoming a motivational speaker. The show then remakes a first season episode with some new twists, before Woody is taken hostage.

After Gus investigates a murder of a man whose life is very similar to his own (meeting his ultimate romantic interest of the series in the process), the guys help Lassiter solve a murder that will allow him to get appointed Chief Of Police. Lassiter takes his new position as Chief seriously, while at the same time becoming a father, and is forced to rely on Shawn and Gus to solve the murder of a food truck owner. After Shawn participates in a police consultant convention, Gus has nightmares that lead him to seek the counsel of a sleep therapist. The series climaxes with Shawn deciding to pursue Juliet to San Fransisco . . . even if it means leaving Gus behind.

The final season of Psych is tight on Shawn, Gus, Lassiter and Woody. Woody, the coroner, gets more airtime than credited cast members who play Henry, Juliet and Vick! Kurt Fuller is hilarious, when possible, as Woody, but even he is unable to save the bulk of the episodes. The reason for that is that the tenth season relies almost exclusively on gimmick episodes: freestanding concept episodes that have a case that exists largely in an alternate reality. So, for example, "1967: A Psych Odyssey" recasts most of the characters to tell a story of a cold case that Lassiter needs Shawn to crack in order to get his promotion. "Remake A.K.A. Cloudy . . . With A Chance Of Improvement" is a lampoon of remakes of well-established pop culture classic films, but it does not actually fit into the Psych timeline. The series wastes the penultimate episode with a confusing dream-riddled episode that never firmly establishes a sense of reality to justify its end.

Because the season is so plot-focused with gimmick episodes, there is no real character development until the series finale. The episodes do not add up to character growth for any of the main characters: they are reshuffled and moved around, but until "The Break-Up," none of them really develop. The first half of the season is preoccupied with getting rid of Interim Chief Trout, but the there is no real catharsis to all of the efforts the guys go through to get rid of Trout. Vick returns for a blink before leaving, taking Juliet with her and the few scenes that feature Corbin Bernsen feel like Contractually Obligated Use Of Actor, as opposed to any reflection of the performer's talent or organic use of the character.

The performing in the final season of Psych oscillates between familiar and goofy. Episodes like "1967: A Psych Odyssey" hardly make good use of the acting talents of the primary performers while putting them in entirely different roles. None of the acting moments in the final season evoke strong emotional reactions in the viewers.

In fact, the final season of Psych is a particularly laughless season. While I loathed "A Nightmare On State Street," it was the source of the season's only memorable moment of humor. When Gus is in his mother's house in a dream, he calls out for his father and there is a picture of Martin Sheen (probably as President Bartlet) on the mantle!

Ultimately, the last season of Psych feels poorly tacked on, like there were contracts that needed paying and the USA Network decided not to take a total loss by paying them out without producing something. For the history of the series, it might have been better if the producers had ended on a very different note.

For other shows from the 2013 – 2014 television season, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Modern Family - Season 5
The Big Bang Theory - Season 7
Game Of Thrones - Season 4
New Girl - Season 3
The Walking Dead - Season 4
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 1
The Newsroom - Season 2
Breaking Bad - Season 5
The Clone Wars - Season 6
Orange Is The New Black - Season 2
Parenthood - Season 5

1.5/10

For other television reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Near-Perfect, The CocoStraw Stainless Steel Straw Set Is Worth Buying!

The Good: Durable, Affordable, Useful, Does not corrode
The Bad: Cleaner brush is somewhat fragile
The Basics: The cleaner brush that has nylon bristles that break off with unfortunate frequency is all that robs the CocoStraw 5-Piece Stainless Steel Straw Set of a perfect rating!


The more things I have, the more it seems that there are accessories to covet! When my wife bought me a Hamilton Beach Milkshake Maker (reviewed here!) and all sorts of things to drink with, I found myself suddenly in the market for something more. Recently, she supplemented the milkshake gifts with a set of CocoStraw 5-Piece Stainless Steel Straws! These simple stainless steel Stainless Steel Straws are pretty much essential for anyone who loves milkshakes or drinking out of tall glasses and does not want the waste of plastic, disposable straws. And CocoStraw gets the concept perfectly right with the execution almost perfect.

The CocoStraw 5-Piece Stainless Steel Straw Set contains four stainless steel Stainless Steel Straws, each measuring 8 1/2” long and 5/8” in diameter. Each Stainless Steel Straw is a simple metal tube that allows one to suck fluid through. The four stainless steel straws are supplemented by an 8 1/2" long wire brush that features nylon bristles that are flexible enough to fit into the straw and strong enough to clean anything out of the brush.

Using the Stainless Steel Straw is ridiculously simple; place the straw in a beverage and suck on the end. If it becomes occluded simply remove it from the ice cream and reverse the straw and suck on the bottom end!

This set is great because the straws are durable and they do exactly what they promise. The Stainless Steel Straws are one of the more affordable ones on the market, which makes their durability a real selling point; one might only have to buy one or two sets in a lifetime, CocoStraw did such a quality job with making them! After months of use, ours have not warped or rusted at all. As well, the brush is an excellent touch!

The only detraction of the CocoStraw Stainless Steel Straw Set is simple: the cleaning brush in this set is more fragile than one might like. Almost from the first use, the brush would leave a nylon bristle or two in the sink after one uses it to wash out the stainless steel straws. After several months of use, the nylon brush is noticeably missing bristles. As a result, the brush works, but it will need to be replaced well before the straws ever need to be replaced.

This is not enough of a detriment to keep us from enthusiastically recommending the CocoStraw Stainless Steel Straws, but one might want to order an extra brush or two when one gets them!

For other kitchen gadgets, please check out my reviews of:
Contigo SnapSeal Vacuum-Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Mug (20 oz.)
RSVP International 60 & 50 mm Espresso Tamper
Norpro Deluxe Stainless Steel Baster Set

9/10

For other home and garden product reviews, please check out my Home And Garden Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Catching Up With Wes Anderson In His Delightful Moonrise Kingdom!

The Good: Decent performances, Interesting characters, Good direction
The Bad: Simplistic plot, Light on character development
The Basics: I finally take in Moonrise Kingdom, which moved Wes Anderson out of his repetitive slump!


Over the years, I have inadvertently become a fan of the works of a couple of different writer/directors. Unlike the most literal fans ("fanatics"), I have retained the ability to be discriminatory about the works of even my favorite writer/directors. So, I do not universally praise the works of Terry Gilliam, P.T. Anderson or The Wachowski Siblings. Each has had films that are brilliant and some that are downright unwatchable. Because I started my appreciation of the works of Wes Anderson with The Royal Tenenbaums (reviewed here!), I hardly suspected he would become one of my favorite writer/directors. The Royal Tenenbaums is brilliant, but his follow-ups The Life Acquatic With Steve Zissou (reviewed here!) and The Darjeeling Limited (reviewed here!) were essentially rehashings of that film in mood and cast (and, even, direction).

With his latest film reinvigorating my love of his works, I have been eagerly going back to some of the Wes Anderson films I missed after I more or less gave up on him. After watching Moonrise Kingdom, I wish I had gone back sooner! Moonrise Kingdom is almost everything one has come to love and expect from a Wes Anderson film. The movie is packed with awkward moments, somewhat off-putting characters, actors being used in quirky ways and (to a lesser extent) impressive direction with an emphasis on the use of color. Moonrise Kingdom might not have the familiar sense of visual style one expects from a Wes Anderson film - after the opening credits sequence that is - but narratively, it is very much a typical Wes Anderson film . . . without feeling like the writer/director is simply rehashing his prior works.

In the summer of 1965, on the New England island of New Penzance is days away from being hit by a significant storm, the residents are shocked by two young people running away. The New Penzance Khaki Scout camp is put in an uproar when the least-liked camper, orphan Sam, abruptly resigns from the Scouts and runs off. Miles away, Suzy Bishop abandons her lawyer parents and three younger brothers to meet Sam and run away with him.

After an explanation of how Sam and Suzy met the year prior at the Island's church play and they became pen pals, the film follows the story of where the two children run off to and the attempts by both the Khaki Scouts and the island police to recover the children. Sam is pursued by his fellow Khaki Scouts, Scout Master Ward (who is dismayed when Sam's foster family does not want him back) and Captain Sharp, the dim police officer who has a lingering affection for Mrs. Bishop. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop are pretty much estranged and not really in love - their pillow talk is about their respective caseloads - have Sharp hunting their Suzy. Sam and Suzy defend themselves from the Khaki Scout troop and make it to an inlet where they spend a romantic night before they are captured the next morning. But when one of the Khaki Scouts realizes they troop has been cruel to Sam without cause, the kids decide to spring the young lovers and give them a chance at happiness.

Moonrise Kingdom has, from its outset, the potential to be virtually any kind of movie. The title and opening set the film up for a potential cinematic reworking of Bridge To Terabithia. The longer the film went on, the more I had hopes that the movie would be about the two kids and their falling in love and creating their own little paradise at the inlet. That hope, however, got quickly shattered with the capture of Suzy and Sam and the emphasis on keeping Moonrise Kingdom a classic chase story.

Because of its emphasis on plot and the reversals that naturally come from having a chase story, the characters in Moonrise Kingdom hardly grow or develop. Instead, Sam and Suzy grow to accept one another and share an intriguing first love that is based a lot on simply accepting the other for who they are. But most of their time is spent simply running and having four or five scenes where they simply talk. Many of those scenes are not about sharing common interests, they are about fleshing out each character. The chase gives Sam and Suzy shared conflict, but it does little to actually bond them more (they are about as affectionate with one another at the outset as they are at the end).

As always, Wes Anderson does an exceptional job with the film's casting of a decent blend of established actors and some new talents. Sam is played by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward erupts on screen as Suzy, with a stare that could melt glass. Beyond that, one is almost surprised Wes Anderson films require a casting manager; Anderson tends to use several actors in virtually all of his works and Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman all make appearances in Moonrise Kingdom. Bruce Willis is utilized well in Moonrise Kingdom as Captain Sharp. Given how Willis can play calculating and able exceptionally well, watching him as a character who is a virtual moron is a feat!

The film is ruled by Gilman and Hayward and while their characters are hardly connected by deep and binding character traits, the performers have great, if awkward, on-screen chemistry! Gilman and Hayward have great stares and their characters share intensity that they play incredibly well.

But, Moonrise Kingdom sticks with a chase caper more than a heartfelt exploration of young love and that diminishes the magic of the film. While Wes Anderson does an excellent job of making an engaging story, the viewer is left feeling like the movie had so much more potential than was executed.

For other works with Frances McDormand, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
Burn After Reading
Friends With Money
Aeon Flux
Something's Gotta Give
City By The Sea
Almost Famous
Wonder Boys
Fargo
Miller’s Crossing

6.5/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Film Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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HAPPY ORNAMENT RELEASE WEEKEND! An Odd Mix Of Amazing Detailing And Simplicity Mars The Daryl Dixon Ornament!

The Good: Good sculpt, Coloring on the pants, Affordable, Incredible sculpted detailing on the crossbow
The Bad: Odd foot position, Clean coloring
The Basics: The Hallmark debut of their The Walking Dead ornament line comes with Daryl Dixon, who proves too tough to render for the ornament company.


It is Hallmark Ornament Release Weekend, which means I've spent the day going hither and yon picking up Hallmark ornaments and evaluating some of the others for review. One of the ornaments I was most excited about with November Release was the Daryl Dixon ornament. It is telling of the popularity of Daryl Dixon that the first ornament Hallmark would release from their ornament line focused on The Walking Dead would be Daryl and not Rick Grimes (he'll be making his appearance next year!). From the moment Daryl Dixon was announced as a Hallmark ornament, I had a mix of excitement and wariness. As little as they want to acknowledge it, Hallmark is competing in a market where perfection in such a small scale is possible. Hallmark seldom attains perfection with its character ornaments because they are not utilizing the same technology as the companies manufacturing action figures in the 4" scale. Sadly, my feelings of trepidation won out when I finally saw the "live" version of the Daryl Dixon Hallmark ornament today.

Hallmark based their ornament for Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead on pretty much the iconic look and feel of the character, with his crossbow. For those not familiar with The Walking Dead (Season One is reviewed here!), the survivors of the zombie apocalypse in Atlanta are initially fed by Daryl Dixon. While his brother pisses off everyone in the group, Daryl is out hunting to feed the group. Throughout the series, Daryl becomes an indispensable defender of the group, executing the will of Rick Grimes when such things are necessary.

It is Daryl Dixon, holding his crossbow, that is the subject of the 2015 Daryl Dixon Hallmark ornament.

Basics

The 2015 Daryl Dixon ornament recreates Daryl Dixon, as played by Norman Reedus, with a fair amount of fidelity. Rather amazingly, Hallmark gets the antiheroes crossbow perfectly right, while Daryl himself is executed as more of a mixed bag. The ornament, released in 2015, is fair for an ornament based upon the character as he appeared early in The Walking Dead. Measuring four and one-quarter inches tall by one and three-quarter inches wide by two and one-half inches deep, the Daryl Dixon ornament is the only The Walking Dead ornament released by Hallmark in stores in 2015 and was released at Gold Crown Hallmark stores on Ornament Release Weekend in November. The Daryl Dixon ornament came with an original retail price of $17.95 and it seems unlikely that it will sell out at that price.

The Hallmark Daryl Dixon ornament is made of durable plastic. Daryl Dixon’s costume is simple, but accurately detailed. Daryl Dixon is dressed in a simple sleeveless shirt and pants that look like leather and are filthy. He is fairly well-muscled and he is holding his crossbow in a two handed grip. Daryl Dixon stands in a weird way. Daryl Dixon's feet have him standing like he is in the process of moving or standing on unlevel ground, which is a little awkward. The crossbow is immaculately sculpted, with the string sculpted into it, making it look like it is locked and loaded with a bolt ready to shoot!

The Daryl Dixon ornament features a version of Daryl Dixon who looks more like an animated version of the character than the live-action one based on the actor from The Walking Dead. The skin tones have a almost no depth and shading compared to the actor. Similarly, the costume is clean and simplistic and it seems incongruent with the character's pants. The amazing thing about the Daryl Dixon ornament is that his pants are colored with subtle browns and blacks that make them look filthy, which is perfectly appropriate for the character. But the fletchings on his crossbow bolts are painted bright green and his skin and leather-looking shirt are cleanly colored. For a character who usually has an oily looking skin the fact that his cheeks are not even minorly dirty is problematic. Given that there is an action figure in a similar scale that has the coloring right, the Hallmark Daryl Dixon underwhelms some.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Daryl Dixon could have a sound chip or light-up function. Given how many good lines Daryl Dixon has in The Walking Dead, it is surprising that Hallmark opted against doing a sound clip for the ornament.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Daryl Dixon ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. For those creating the ultimate pop culture Christmas Tree, the Daryl Dixon ornament is a hit or miss addition. Oddly, the ornament is well-balanced, but because of his weird foot position, it looks like he is doing some weird ho-down dance foot move. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top, center of the back of Daryl Dixon’s head at a pretty obvious position. From there, the ornament, when affixed to a tree with a hook, swings very easily and is well-balanced.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all major franchises like DC comics, The Wizard Of Oz and Harry Potter. The Daryl Dixon ornament would be a real surprise if it sold out and/or appreciated significantly, especially because fans of The Walking Dead have a lot of merchandise available focused on Daryl Dixon. In other words, fans can afford to be choosy and it is hard to believe a lot of them will choose this ornament up front.

Overview

Fans of Daryl Dixon, Norman Reedus, and The Walking Dead are likely to be somewhat underwhelmed by the Daryl Dixon ornament. It is not bad, but fans might have wanted better, especially for the initial price of $17.95.

For other genre-themed character Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Lynda Carter As Wonder Woman ornament
2015 Star Wars Admiral Ackbar ornament
2015 Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament

5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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“Blink:” Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who Masterpiece Forces The Doctor Almost Entirely Out Of The Show!

The Good: Engaging adversaries, Cool concept, Good tension, Good pacing, Most of the acting
The Bad: No real character development
The Basics: “Blink” is considered one of the best episodes of Doctor Who, but it is incredibly plot intensive as opposed to being a truly impressive hour of television.


Among Doctor Who fans, there are few episodes that are more universally lauded than “Blink” from the show’s third season. “Blink” was one of the early episodes written by Steven Moffat and it is one of his most creative. But for all the alleged greatness of the episode, “Blink” is very much like the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Darmok” (reviewed here!); it holds up less-well on rewatching. “Darmok” was a high-concept episode and while it has a fairly high “wow” factor, it belabors its concept with a lot of explanation of itself. “Blink” is very similar.

As one who has an objective series of standards for their ratings, “Blink” seems less extraordinary because it loses points for character development. The episode is almost entirely devoid of The Doctor and Martha Jones. Instead, it introduces an entirely new protagonist, Sally Sparrow and follows her encounter with a new alien invader. The Weeping Angels are one of the creepiest Doctor Who creatures ever. The episode is well-executed with defining the Weeping Angels, but it does very little other than create tension around the new aliens. Given how viewers have no real investment in Sally Sparrow, it is hard to get truly invested in the tension the way some of the other Doctor Who episodes engage.

Sally Sparrow breaks into an abandoned house where she sees writing underneath some peeling wallpaper. Peeling back the wallpaper and reading the message, Sparrow ducks and avoids getting hit by a rock thrown, supposedly, by the statue of an angel from the garden. The next day, Sally and her roommate Kathy Nightingale return to the abandoned house where they are interrupted by a visitor. The visitor is Kathy Nightingale’s grandson and claims to have been told to arrive at that exact time and place. Sally looks around for Kathy, but she is nowhere to be found and the letter delivered by the grandson informs her that she was teleported in time to 1920, Hull, where she lived out her entire life.

Sally recovers a key from one of the angel statues before going to visit Kathy’s brother at a DVD store where she sees a DVD Easter egg of the Doctor talking about time. Sally goes to the police where she is told about various vehicles from the abandoned house that have been recovered over the years . . . including the police box! The police officer she meets there is suddenly taken away by the weeping angels and moments later, she gets a call from him. He is at the hospital, old and dying, having lived out his life in the past. Clued in by her policeman friend that there is something significant about the DVDs, Sally realizes she is common element (the seventeen DVDs are the only ones she owns in her personal library). Recognizing that the message is for her, Sally and Kathy’s brother go back to the abandoned house where they watch the easter egg, learn about the Weeping Angels and have to outwit them to get access to the TARDIS and return it to The Doctor.

“Blink” moves along exceptionally fast because Sally almost immediately notices that the Weeping Angels move whenever she is not looking at them, though she does not understand exactly why. “Blink” seems engaging, but the viewer and Sally are spoon-fed all of the answers and information they need. Sally is not particularly clever or interesting, she is just given all the answers to the problem she is encountering.

Similarly, Carey Mulligan is not given much room to perform. While she does not play Sally Sparrow as stiffly as she plays some other characters she has played, Sally Sparrow is hardly an incredible role. Sparrow barely reacts to the extraordinary events surrounding her. Sally’s best friend disappears and she barely bats an eye when she cannot find her and has to read the letter from the past. Sally witnesses the death of a man who has been hanging on for years waiting for her and it doesn’t even cause her to tear up. In fact, Mulligan’s best performance moment is probably reacting to the naked brother of her best friend. This is hardly an extraordinary role.

The result is a creepy episode of Doctor Who that introduces one of the most conceptually-frightening creatures of the franchise . . . without doing much more for The Doctor or fans.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Doctor Who - The Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the second season of the Tenth Doctor here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Carey Mulligan, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Gatsby
Drive
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Public Enemies
Pride And Prejudice

7/10

For other Doctor Who episode and movie reviews, please visit my Doctor Who Review Index Page!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Whimsical And Fun, The 2015 Tangled Rapunzel And Pascal Ornament Is Wonderful!

The Good: Excellent sculpt, Good balance, Neat feature
The Bad: Hair coloring, No function
The Basics: The 2015 "Rapunzel And Pascal" from Tangled ornament is a worthwhile addition to the Disney Hallmark ornament line!


Since the movie made its debut,Tangled has been one of the more reliable cash cows for Disney and its licensees. Hallmark has made producing new Tangled ornaments an annual event and it is somewhat surprising that they have limited their focus so tightly on the film's protagonist. That said, this year's Rapunzel And Pascal ornament is one of the best that Hallmark has produced!

For those unfamiliar with Tangled (reviewed here!), it is the musical story of Rapunzel. Kept in a tower by the woman who abducted her as a baby, she has exceptionally long hair that is the source of the magic that keeps her "mother" young. Rapunzel And Pascal features Rapunzel and her chameleon companion, Pascal. The ornament seems to depict one of the more playful moments after she escapes her tower.

Basics

The "Rapunzel And Pascal" ornament recreates Rapunzel, as she appeared in Tangled with her long hair cascading all around her as and into a coil under her feet. The ornament, released in 2015, is a very cool and accurate sculpt of Rapunzel in her iconic pink and purple dress, with the character and hair looking instantly recognizable. Pascal is hair surfing in one of the coils of hair that Rapunzel has cascading around behind her.

Hallmark clearly made quite an effort on Rapunzel And Pascal as she has great detailing on the eyes and with the lacing up the front of her bodice. This version of Rapunzel, unlike some of the prior years, does not have toenails nor fingernails molded into her feet or hands. Measuring three and a half inches tall, two and a half inches wide and two and one-quarter inches deep, the "Rapunzel And Pascal" ornament is one of the medium-sized Disney character ornaments this year and it is fairly inexpensive at only $14.95.

The Hallmark "Rapunzel And Pascal" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Rapunzel smiling whimsically as she whips her hair like a lasso. The ornament is fairly well detailed in the sculpted details and the colored details are generally good. Perhaps the neatest sculpted detail is Rapunzel's bangs, which lift upward dynamically from her forehead, enhancing the appearance of her dancing around.

Rapunzel And Pascal escapes the usual critique about the lack of realism to the skin tones, because she is an animated character. The ornament's eyes are bright green and wonderfully detailed. The hair is unfortunately monotonal with minimal highlights to give it depth and shading appropriate even to the animated character. Pascal is virtually monotonal, but to Hallmark's credit, he is well-painted so none of his green skin is painted onto Rapunzel's hair. The skirt has decent molded details, but not coloring accents.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Rapunzel And Pascal" could have a sound or light effect, but it does not. Instead, this is a less-expensive option that is just the character.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Rapunzel And Pascal" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Disney movie Christmas Tree, the "Rapunzel And Pascal" ornament is a decent Tangled option that can enhance the tree of those who love Disney. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center, just to the left of the part in her hair, of Rapunzel’s head. This is fairly obvious and necessary for the ornament. Rapunzel And Pascal hangs perpendicular to the ground when properly hung from that hook point and she has generally good balance. Because the hair coil upon which Rapunzel is standing has a flat bottom and acts like a base, the balance had to be just right and Hallmark got it just right!

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for that review!). Within a few years, every major franchise from Star Wars to A Nightmare Before Christmas to Indiana Jones started making Hallmark ornaments. "Rapunzel And Pascal" is one of only a few Tangled ornaments on the market and at least the fifth of Rapunzel. This ornament has sold out at about half of the Hallmark stores nearby and given the popularity of Tangled and Disney ornaments, there is a better than average chance that this will be one of the ones that manages to appreciate in value!

Overview

Fans of Tangled, Disney, Rapunzel, Mandy Moore, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be pleased with the “Rapunzel And Pascal” ornament, despite the minor lack of highlights on the coloring details!

For other Tangled Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2014 Rapunzel's Long Locks ornament
2013 Fierce With A Frying Pan ornament
2012 It's All About The Hair ornament
2011 Rapunzel ornament

8.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Chestnut Street Incident: The Inauspicious Debut Of John Mellencamp (My October Artist Of The Month!)

The Good: Some inventive arrangements, Generally good vocals and instrumental accompaniment
The Bad: Very basic sound, Repetition, Relies heavily on cover songs, SHORT!
The Basics: On this day in 1976, John Mellencamp released his debut album Chestnut Street Incident and began his impressive career in an unimpressive, though decent, way!


The past two months, I've been very light on my reviewing and that has included not having Artist Of The Months, whose works I immerse myself in for the entire month. That trend is changing today as I return with a new Artist Of The Month and a return to more regular blog posting! My October Artist Of The Month is John Mellencamp!

It is fortuitous that I begin my reviews of John Mellencamp's works at the very beginning today. Today is the 39th Anniversary of the release of the album Chestnut Street Incident, which was John Mellencamp's debut . . . though he went by Johnny Cougar for this and his second album. I chose John Mellencamp as my Artist Of The Month for two reasons. First, it is autumn here in Michigan and for some reason, when autumn hits I get a hankering for John Mellencamp's music. I don't know why. The second reason I decided on John Mellencamp as my October Artist Of The Month is because when I reviewed Mellencamp's compilation Words And Music (reviewed here!) back in the day, I essentially said that it was pretty much all the John Mellencamp casual fans would ever need. Mellencamp is frequently referred to by me as an artist whose best works have appeared on the radio or on his compilation albums and I figured it was about time to see if that was actually true. One of my goals this month is to find the quintessential John Mellencamp track that was never released as a single and is not found on his compilation albums.

That mysterious, grail, track is not on Chestnut Street Incident. Chestnut Street Incident is an interesting mix of Mellencamp's own songs and cover songs that have been arranged by Mellencamp, but it barely hints at the talent Mellencamp would later develop. That said, it's not a bad album, just an average one.

With only eleven tracks, clocking out just under forty minutes, Chestnut Street Incident is hardly dominated by the creative force of John Mellencamp. Mellencamp wrote four songs, co-wrote two more, and did five cover songs. Mellencamp provides all of the lead vocals and the guitar. The album was produced by Tony Defries and, like most debut albums, one has to wonder just how much creative control the young John Mellencamp actually had.

Musically, Chestnut Street Incident is straightforward rock and roll. The album is guitar-dominated and features Mellencamp backed by drums, more guitars, and more subtle keyboards, synths, saxophones and steel guitar. The album is pretty much what one would expect from a mid-1970s rock and roll album; emphasis on vocals and lyrics, some decent tunes, but nothing overbearing or explosive. This is rock and roll that is emerging from a folk-rock tradition (emphasis on storytelling) while managing to avoid even the hint of disco. What is most impressive about the instrumental accompaniment on Chestnut Street Incident is that it does not make Mellencamp sound like the leader of a garage band; the instrumental accompaniment on Chestnut Street Incident might not be extensive, but it sounds developed.

Vocally, John Mellencamp began his career with surprisingly indistinct vocals. While his interpretation of "Jailhouse Rock" is distinctly different from Elvis's version of the song, it is largely because of how Mellencamp alters the beat structure from the more familiar Elvis version. Mellencamp's vocals on Chestnut Street Incident lack the distinct gravel or strained sound that he would have later in his career. Instead, he has a smooth mid-register voice that makes its statements articulately, but without a sense that one is listening to a great or original singing voice.

As for the statement Mellencamp is trying to make with his first album, it seems to be that small town life in the heartland is hardly as wholesome as one might imagine it to be. Of the four original songs by John Mellencamp, perhaps the most distinctive is the album's opener, "American Dream." Mellencamp begins his auspicious musical career poking at the image of heartland America by wryly observing "Some of the girls are out teaching high school biology / And all of my boyfriends they work down at Cummmins factory / But me I'm still out on the streets trying to locate some destiny" ("American Dream"). Between that and "Dream Killing Town" (which Mellencamp co-wrote), Johnny Cougar gives expectations about America a smooth-sounding middle finger!

On "Chestnut Street" and "Chestnut Street Revisited" - which is essentially a remix and expanded version of the song that appeared only four tracks prior - Mellencamp makes himself out to be a decent musical protagonist has a keen eye for the way things truly are. With lines like "By the end of the day, all the kids would go play / And I'd come staggering home / With a dream in my hand and a master plan / That wouln't leave my mind alone / I compromised all my schemes / And fluctuated all my dreams / I'm just a small town boy bein' used like a toy / And nothing is like it really seems" ("Chestnut Street"), Mellencamp establishes himself as a decent musical storyteller right off the bat!

On "Good Girls," John Mellencamp makes observations on relationships, which fits the rock and roll theme. Not painting either men or women out as saints, Mellencamp sings "I don't wanna walk with you / And I don't wanna talk with you / And I don't wanna be with you / 'till the night time / Good girls have reputation / Good girls have to keep it clean / But you girl you're so damn reckless" ("Good Girls").

Ultimately, Chestnut Street Incident is a very average debut, worth listening to once or twice, but hardly a timeless or indispensable John Mellencamp album.

The best track is "American Dream," the least impressive song is "Supergirl."

For other, previous, Artist Of The Month, reviews, please check out:
Tunnel Of Love - Bruce Springsteen
The King Of Rock: The Complete 50's Masters - Elvis Presley
The Next Day (Deluxe Edition) - David Bowie

5/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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