Tag: Hasbro

Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 7 (Rock Solid Friendship)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of All in The Pie Family; a show that ALSO had a breakout star named Maud!  Okay, it was spelled Maude, but close enough!!  Maud Pie is one of the most popular characters of the series since her debut in season four to the point that she’s one of the very few secondary characters to have multiple episodes focused on them.  Seriously, does anyone even remember the last time Zecora got a speaking role?  Not even The Cakes get more than one chance in the spotlight!?  PINKIE PIE LIVES WITH THEM FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!  No… have to focus.  Lack of Mr. and Mrs. Cake aside… Maud has had a very strong record so far as her episodes tend to stand out quite a bit, and with the solid track record this season has so far with supporting characters, it seems likely that that trend will continue.  Do they manage to pull off another great episode with everyone’s favorite April Ludgate impersonator, or are we reaching the point of oversaturation one of the show’s more interesting characters?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Maud Pie getting her Rock-torate in Rock Studies (because Geology isn’t a funny enough word) and the whole Pie family is there for the graduation ceremony… which only includes her.  Hey, at least she’s not trying to get a job in an oversaturated market, which I assume is the case with Magic Studies graduates.  I mean, if the choices are CONTROLLING THE UNIMAGINABLE POWER AROUND YOU or looking at dirt all day, I’m pretty sure we’d ALL go for the one that lets us shoot fire balls.

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Oh look!  Their mortarboards are ALSO made out of rocks!

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 7 (A Flurry of Emotions)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of Flurry Heart’s Day Out!  Oh yes, the little rascal who we’ve barely seen since her debut in season six and is cute to a weaponized degree!  Feels like a wasted opportunity if you ask me!  Well wait no longer, fans of all things cute and baby related, as the writers have heard your pleas and we now have another episode with the extremely marketable bundle of joy!  Does this episode bring the adorable goodness that we require along with an interesting story about being a good parental figure, or will Flurry Heart turn out to be just as uninteresting as poor Nicky Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Twilight in her Doom Fortress talking to one of the nurses from the Ponyville Hospital about a possible appearance by the Princess to cheer up some foals who managed to get something called The Horsey Hives.  Technically hives are a symptom rather than the root cause of an illness and often caused by allergic reactions (meaning that the entire class must not only be allergic to the same thing but must have been exposed to it at the same time), but I guess they’re MAGIC hives and can be spread any number of ways.  Twilight is easily convinced to help out by delivering food, gifts, and reading materials, which of course spells DOOM for everyone as Murphy’s Law is just as stringent a rule in this world as gravity is; meaning something is gonna come RIGHT through those front doors and screw everything up!

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“I’M THE BABY!!”     “And she’s YOU’RE problem now!!”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (To Where and Back Again) Season Six Finale!!

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 3 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back for the last time this year as we’ve reached the end of My Little Pony’s sixth season!  It’s not always the best show out there as episodes like The Cart Before the Ponies or 28 Pranks Later have clearly proven, but it’s always deflating to get to the end of a season knowing that it’ll be quite some time before they pick things back up again; especially considering they just released the latest Equestria Girls movie instead of waiting a bit and using it to tide us over between now and season seven.  WHAT DO I HAVE LEFT!?  Oh wait, they’re still making the comics.  That should work!  Anyway, does this episode cap off the sixth season on a high note and leave us wanting more, or will we begging for it to be over as soon as possible?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins at Twilight’s Doom Fortress where the three primary residents, Twilight, Starlight, and the slave boy, are moving books into the basement because there’s not enough room left upstairs.  Wait, does her castle actually double as a library or is this her personal hoard?  I mean, it’s not like the small town of Ponyville was swimming in libraries BEFORE Tirek torched Golden Oaks to the ground, so you’d think Twilight AT LEAST owes that much to the city.  Oh I’m sorry, were Twilight and Starlight talking about friendship or something?  I wasn’t payment that much attention and neither was Spike for that matter who wanders off from the conversation to look out the window.  A wise move considering there’s something heading right for them at terminal velocity.

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“DON’T YOU DARE SMASH INTO THOSE BOOKS!”     “Oh I’m smashing those books!”     “DAMN IT!”

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Cinema Dispatch: Ouija: Origin of Evil

~ Matt Vetrano ~ Leave a comment

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Ouija: Origin of Evil and all the images you see in this review are owned by Universal Pictures

Directed by Mike Flanagan

In a year that’s already been pretty good for horror movies and sequels, has it been just as good for horror movie sequels?  Well ironically enough for a genre known for churning out sequels, there’s really only been two I’ve seen this year; The Purge: Election Year which is one of the best films of the year so far, and Blair Witch which is one of my least favorites.  Sure I heard people liked The Conjuring 2, but I hated the first one with a fiery passion so I highly doubt it would end up on the good end, and then if you wanted you could count 10 Cloverfield Lane as a horror movie which I would put on the good side even if it’s sequel status is somewhat questionable.  My point is that the data on horror sequels this year is, shall we say… inconclusive.  Will we have a more definitive answer one way or the other with this prequel (I know that’s technically not the same thing as a sequel, but I’m freaking counting it!) to a movie that was universally panned just two years ago?  Let’s find out!!

The movie takes place in 1967 at the home of the Zander family, made up the mother Alice (Elizabeth Reaser) and her two daughters Lina (Annallise Basso) and Doris (Lulu Wilson).  Alice is barely getting by after the death of her husband as her fortune telling business isn’t quite paying the bills, but they’ll make due for now and they even get a new item for the show that should definitely drum up some business, right?  Well those concerns become secondary as it JUST SO HAPPENS to be a ghost living in the house already that has started to take control over young Doris and is clearly after something but we’re not sure what.  For now, it’s just using Doris to pretend to be the dead father and freaks everyone out with the Ouija Board as a way to… I don’t know; keep Alice from calling the Ghostbusters?  Either way, Alice is more than happy to have a REAL (and presumably benevolent) ghost in the house to not be used to keep a roof over their heads but to also get some closure with her “husband” after his tragic death.  Of course, Lina smells bullshit from a mile away and knows better than to trust something possessing her sister CLAIMING to be her dead father, so she starts to investigate and even gets a local priest involved (Henry Thomas) to find out exactly what’s going on; something the ghost isn’t too happy about.  Will Lina and the Padre stop this madness before it’s too late?  Just what is the ghost after if it needs to pretend to be good rather than just kill everyone in their sleep?  How the hell is it gonna convince everybody of that when it keeps messing with her face!?

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“Look at that!  How is that normal!?”     “Oh will you relax?  She’s just yawning!”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (Top Bolt)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of It’s A Wonderbolt Life!  Now I haven’t had the most flattering things to say about the episodes that focus on Rainbow Dash as a Wonderbolt, and I think it’s similar to when the CMC finally got their Cutie Marks.  I agree that it would be a lot worse if they dragged out the character reaching their goal indefinitely, but the episodes since then haven’t really done a good job of expanding on what their lives are after they’ve gotten their Happily Ever After despite there being plenty of directions for them to go in.  Does this episode rectify that issue for the Wonderbolt episodes, or will Rainbow Dash episodes prove to be the low points for the series going forward?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Rainbow Dash at the Wonderbolt Academy’s locker room where, surprisingly enough, they AREN’T talking about sexually assaulting other ponies!  WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT!?

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“Did you check out Soarin’s flank today?”     “No, because I value him as a teammate and don’t feel the need to objectify him.”     “RIGHT ON, SISTER!”

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Super Recaps: Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro

Directed by Ishi Rudell

Well what do we have here?  It looks like another Spin-Offs Are Magic movie has been graciously provided by Hasbro who’s always looking to find new ways to milk it’s biggest cash cow that isn’t being helmed by Michael Bay!  Now what’s interesting about this Equestria Girls movie though is that we’ve finally established Human Twilight as an entity in this world and is now a part of our parallel universe crew which, coincidentally (or not so coincidentally) now has seven members  at about the same time as Pony Twilight got a new member for her team!  It also means that this franchise doesn’t have tie itself to the school to accommodate Pony Twilight who still needs to enter in and out of this dimension through the statue portal thingy which gives this a chance to stand on its own as an independent world rather than an extension of Equestria.  Does this series manage to throw off the shackles of its spin-off roots in spectacular fashion, or will removing the training wheels only lead to pain and an uncertain future for these characters?  Let’s find out!!

The movie begins with Human Twilight who is tossing and turning in her sleep from some sort of nightmare, and while we don’t get a glimpse of what she’s dreaming about, we DO at least get a glimpse of her room which has some interesting details all on its own.

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I’m guessing Spike was the one who insisted a picture of him be framed and hung on the wall.

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (Where the Apple Lies)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of You Don’t Know Applejack!  For the first time in a while, it looks like we’re gonna get a flashback episode to the halcyon days of yore for at least one of our regulars, and maybe get some insight into how they became the pony they are now!  Will this trip down memory lane be a breath of fresh air as we get to see characters at a different point in their lives, or will we get more of the same despite the chance to change things up a bit?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with The Apple Family providing Filthy Rich with his latest delivery of Zap Apple Jam to sell in his store.  I’m surprised that the CEO has to personally transport the goods himself, but maybe there’s something more to this transaction than what we’re seeing…

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“Four cases of Zap Apple Jam, and two cases of… apples.”     “Are the… apples pure?”     “Of course they are!  We don’t cut our apples with bullshit!  You should know better by now!”     “Alright!  Be cool!”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (P.P.O.V. – Pony Point of View)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of Ponies of the Caribbean!  The post mid-season break episodes have had their ups and downs, but it seems to have leveled off somewhat with some really solid outings like Dungeons and Discords and The Times They are a Changeling, but not we also haven’t really gotten an all-time classic since Stranger than Fan Fiction.  Sadly, that probably won’t change considering we’ve got a CMC episode, a Cutie Map episode, and a Starlight episode all in a row which didn’t bring much energy back to the series, and now we’ll probably be getting less exciting episodes to build up towards the season finale.  Does this episode subvert those expectations and give us something memorable?  After all, Stranger than Fan Fiction wasn’t exactly tied to one of the bigger plot lines in the series, and that one turned out great!  Maybe this one will too!  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Twilight eagerly heading to the train station with a less eager Spike in tow.  The reason for the jubilation seems to be that Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity went together on a boat trip and are now on their way back home; presumably filled with stories of high flying adventure and pirate raids!  I bet they can’t WAIT to tell her all about it!!

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“You ever have to carve a pony’s eye out with a fishing hook?”     “What surprised ME was how good she was at it!”     “YOU WANNA GO RIGHT NOW!?”     “Both of you SHUT UP, or else I’ll do to you what that whale did to Captain Blue Mane!”     “Don’t even joke about that…”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (Every Little Thing She Does)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of the Unbearable Starlight-ness of Being!  It seems like the show kind of forgot about her for a while there despite her becoming Twilight’s student seemed to be the overarching theme of the season.  It’s probably a bit too late at this point to turn that into a reality, but it is always nice seeing her do something, especially with No Second Prances being such a high point for the season.  Can they recreate that magic here, or will this latest effort prove to be a non-starter for Starlight who will be relegated to the background like so many other ponies in this show?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Twilight and Starlight in the Friendship Doom Fortress, seemingly having pulled an all-nighter considering how tired they look and getting ready to test their spell casting prowess against each other in what I can only assume is what Unicorns refer to as a horn measuring contest.  It’s not clear if Twilight is holding back, but Starlight has no problem keeping up with her moves which is unfortunate for the library once things start to escalate.

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“What the hell, Starlight!?”     “Oh I’m sorry.  Which one of us wanted to have a wizard duel in the middle of study hall?  Don’t you have a battle arena in here?”     “I’m pretty sure that’s in the basement next to the reanimation lab.”     “What was that?”     “I MEAN IT’S RIGHT NEXT TO THE BAKERY!”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (The Fault in Our Cutie Marks)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

Oh hey!  It looks like we’re finally getting another Cutie Mark Crusaders episode that’s ACTUALLY about them being the CMC!  It’s unfortunate that they still can’t seem to carry an episode when it isn’t explicitly about cutie marks, but until the writers figure out that mystery, I guess we should take what we can get.  Does this episode bring back some of that CMC magic in a new and interesting way, or are we gonna keep dipping back into the same well until it completely runs dry?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with the CMC LLCTM doing what they do best, which I guess means assuring waspy white ponies that their kids aren’t going to grow up to be serial killers.  I’m sure this is EXACTLY what they pictured their lives would be when they got their Cutie Marks.

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“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.”     “No problem, but we can’t stay out past dark.”

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