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 Post subject: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: January 2nd, 2009, 10:14 pm 
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Doberman
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For those of you that don't have the DVD and don't want any 'spoilers', and/or want to go in 'fresh' you should stop reading NOW...consider yourself forewarned...

For those of you that do have the DVD and want to dip in, please...

For all others, your insights of course are welcome

So so far I've only watched bits and pieces, this and that. Here are the parts I've watched, and my subsequent observations/questions:

Extended Interviews for Maurice LaMarche, Laura Summer and Kathie Soucie

*Maurice seems like he truly loved the show...I believe him when he says he would have watched it even if he was not a part of it. He seems genuinely passionate about the part of Egon, the RGB franchise, story, etc.

*Same goes for Laura. Still wondering if that is a wig though. But she's a perfect fit for Janine...and I love how she just so easily throws her voice into the Janine accent whenever...

*Kathie is a real sweetheart, you can tell...I felt bad for all the flaming she gets when really she was just doing a job...but I sorta got the impression that she seemed a little more 'removed' from the whole experience, as in, not that emotionally invested in the character and the RGB franchise...as in, she admits to not watching the show, etc...I also noticed she never introduces herself as the "2nd" Janine, just "I did the voice of Janine" when on the screen and everywhere else in the DVD collection, she is referred to as "2nd Janine"...I wonder if she knew that is how she was going to be referred to...but it's almost as if she makes a point to not say "second"...she seems too nice to have an ego, so I don't know what that's all about...

But I get the impression that Kathie was not aware, nor prepared for all the attention that RGB still receives...sorta like kids waking you up at 4:00am on Christmas morning...you want to be enthused for them, and you are excited about it in a way, but when you just wake up, you sorta have to 'fake the funk' for a while since mentally, you are still sorta fuzzy and are nowhere near as excited as they are...that is just my feel on her...

But to her defense, she does so much damn animated work, they probably all just blend in to one another...so I can't say I blame her...


Visual Commentary Track “TAKE TWO” with J. Michael Straczynski (writer & story editor), Joe Medjuck (executive producer), and Michael C. Gross (executive producer), hosted by Andy Mangels


Okay, first of all, how happy am I, that they kept the original ending of this episode where they show actual scenes from Ghostbusters (albeit not that significant) but Peter's line "he looks nothing like me" is in there...I loved that whole scene as a child, the "worlds colliding" as George Castanza would say...

*Anybody sense some residual tension STILL between J.Michael Straczynski and Michael Gross? Cuz I sure did...didn't seem like they were making any real attempt to hide it either...it wasn't terribly awkward, because it was like they were disguising it as 'jokes'...but I'm just saying...

*Andy Mangels does a good job "hosting" although he doesn't get a chance to say much, but is very graceful when he does, delicately getting the guest speakers back on track when they get on tangents that most of us RGB fans are not the least bit interested in (which happens A LOT unfortunately with this series)...he's just a hell of a lot more patient than I am...I could see he wanted to interject so many times but didn't want to interrupt...but the show is ticking away and people are talking about nonsense, and he kept his mouth shut...almost wish he had spoken up more...but he was very respectful...

*Anybody else get the impression that Michael Gross has put this all behind him, and would rather be anywhere but there? He just seemed like a grump.

*JMS is as witty as ever but again, I wish I had the opportunity to hear him speak out more on more relevant topics...

Visual Commentary Track “JANINE, YOU’VE CHANGED” with J. Michael Straczynski (writer & story editor), Marsha Goodman (voice director & voice casting), and Kath Soucie (voice of 2nd “Janine”), hosted by Andy Mangels [23:19]
"Video Commentary on Janine, You've Changed"


*A disappointment. They could have went so many places with this. Instead, Kathie, God Bless her heart, glossed over the last, very profound 5 minutes of JYC with her experiences as a voice actress in Hollywood...PLEASE!!! Let's focus people!!! Props to Andy and JMS for not interrupting her and talking about the significance of the episode more thoroughly, which I wish they would have done, but respect them for not doing.

But what was said was good...they just should have got into it more. Very impressed with JMS as he is very in tune with the female psyche. His insights were bang on, and extremely relevant all the more so today. I just wish he had had the venue to get into it more.

It's just disappointed that the main character in all this didn't get deeply into what her character was going through or 'where she went' in this episode, or any personal experiences, etc. Just how this was a great opportunity for her, the first series she ever did, blah blah blah. It's like she almost forgot this was being recorded on one of the most monumental RGB episodes EVER...a lovely lady, but I don't think she realizes how many people love that episode, and would have loved to have heard more insight on so many other things instead of her waxing on about acting as a voice actress in Hollywood, etc...

*Everybody sings the praises of Marsha as a voice director but judging what I saw of her in the commentary, I don't see how she inspired ANYTHING...I'm sure most of the comedic timing/voice inclinations came from the voice actors themselves...maybe she was more into it then, but she's another one with that "huh, we're doing what?" still-rubbing-the-sleep-out-of-her-eyes vibe...like she didn't really seem "into" it...was disappointed that the two females had less valuable insights on a very female-centric episode than JMS did...she again, went on and on about irrelevant topics better suited to an extended interview, than on the famous JYC episode...

JMS and Andy DO mention how Egon says "I love you...Peter, Winston, Ray, we ALL love you" and it looked like they were going somewhere with that but then got interrupted by Kathie or Marsha. Sigh.

Visual Commentary Track “EGON ON THE RAMPAGE” with Marc Scott Zicree (writer), Maurice La Marche (voice of “Egon”), and Laura Summer (voice of 1st “Janine”), hosted by Andy Mangels

*Now THIS is what I expect from a commentary! As previously posted by ghostdiva, the in character dialogue between Laura and Maurice is extremely entertaining, and I gotta give it to Marc Scott Zicree, he seemed really, really enthused about the episode/RGB cartoon/visual commentary experience, which is what I paid for. He just seemed happy to be there and like he was enjoying the walk down memory lane, which is why all of us bought the set to begin with, so it was nice to see that mirrored in one of the writers. He also gave little anecdotes and bits of information throughout the episode and gave explainations (or straight up said "I don't know why that was there" lol) to bits and pieces throughout the episode, which is again, the stuff I'm interested in...this was enjoyable to watch, as everyone involved seemed like they were having a good time, all had smiles on their faces and seemed for the most part, present in the moment...

Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters episode "Tea but not Sympathy"


I wanted to give the SATRG episodes a chance since I had them all, so I picked this episode to watch only because the jacket had a picture of my girl Janine in the episode, so I figured, 15 minutes, why not...

Oh

My

Gosh.

What a load of crap. First of all, the animation is complete garbage....GARBAGE!!! Did they stop sending it to Asia to animate or did the same animators just go downhill? It was very Chuck Menville/ Tom and Jerry style. Absolutely no dimension to the characters, background, nothing. So flat and juvenile.

And the writing. The writing was dumbed down beyond 10 year old...we're talking maybe 5? 8 at best...COMPLETE 180 from the original RGB. I know we all know this, but I didn't realize it was this bad. My face was in a permanent screwface while watching it...and I fastforwarded about half of it...

The thing is in normal circumstances, I guess to be fair, it was an all right cartoon for Saturday morning...but what doesn't make sense to me, is that RGB started out aimed at a mature audience, but attracted some sophisticated and precocious kids along the way...this audience was just getting older, as a matter of fact, probably able to appreciate the subtle nuances and humour that the original RGB episodes had...and instead of maturing the series along with the original audience in order to maintain their following, they dumb it down? To the point of ridiculousness? To the point where you could play it in a DAYCARE? How did that happen? I know it's an old topic but cheese and rice, it was bad...

So there are my musings. Please feel free to agree, disagree, inform and/or correct.

Sorry it was so long, but it's been a while since we've had some fresh RGB material, so I was hoping that this DVD release would instigate some interesting conversation.


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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: January 9th, 2009, 5:39 pm 
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*crickets chirping*


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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: January 9th, 2009, 6:17 pm 
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I Have No Life
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Quote:
It's just disappointed that the main character in all this didn't get deeply into what her character was going through or 'where she went' in this episode, or any personal experiences, etc. Just how this was a great opportunity for her, the first series she ever did, blah blah blah. It's like she almost forgot this was being recorded on one of the most monumental RGB episodes EVER...a lovely lady, but I don't think she realizes how many people love that episode, and would have loved to have heard more insight on so many other things instead of her waxing on about acting as a voice actress in Hollywood, etc...

*Everybody sings the praises of Marsha as a voice director but judging what I saw of her in the commentary, I don't see how she inspired ANYTHING...I'm sure most of the comedic timing/voice inclinations came from the voice actors themselves...maybe she was more into it then, but she's another one with that "huh, we're doing what?" still-rubbing-the-sleep-out-of-her-eyes vibe...like she didn't really seem "into" it...was disappointed that the two females had less valuable insights on a very female-centric episode than JMS did...she again, went on and on about irrelevant topics better suited to an extended interview, than on the famous JYC episode...


I didn't want to say anything, but yeah, you pretty much nailed it, I was scarred they weren't going to say ANYTHING at first, but then they did all get REALLY quiet during the aformentioned end of the ep. So that was cool.


I'm glad you bumped this, I didn't notice it at first, but I've been zombie like since Christmas. So sorry about. I haven't watched all the commentaries yet, but I certainly plan to.

As far as SATRGB I only remember one instance from that show as a child, and unfortunately it was Janine singing some song with that ice cream truck woman to raise money for something, I want to rewatch that one, but I probably won't be tempted to get up and pop it in the player any time soon, lol.

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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: January 10th, 2009, 8:15 pm 
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You sure wrote a lot here. Anyways, I agree on the "Janine You've Changed" for the most part. However, getting Kath in the same room with Straczynski was still amazing. To the credit of Straczynski he played pretty nice in that commentary and was the most ontopic. I could tell this wasn't a easy commentary to do, and was risky in the least.

As for the Slimer! episodes its not bad animation. Also as the boxset said its American animation. Look beyond the RGB's and its actually a good cartoon series in its own right. I hated the show as a kid, and it takes a few shows to get the flow of the show. The show is not ment to be real, or a true tie in to the RGB's. Tex avery /Warner style was the goal of the show. So if you really don't like those type of cartoons, this was not ment for you.

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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: January 11th, 2009, 9:33 am 
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devilmanozzy wrote:
As for the Slimer! episodes its not bad animation. Also as the boxset said its American animation. Look beyond the RGB's and its actually a good cartoon series in its own right. I hated the show as a kid, and it takes a few shows to get the flow of the show. The show is not ment to be real, or a true tie in to the RGB's. Tex avery /Warner style was the goal of the show. So if you really don't like those type of cartoons, this was not ment for you.


I admit, I'm a little interested in seeing my reaction to those now. At the time, I was probably, like a lot of fans, going "These are too different from the 'real' show--these suck!". But these were the days before Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs, so who knows? I do consider it possible (maybe not likely, but possible) that I'll actually like these better now.

I mean, heck, readers of my fan fics could pick up my grudging affection for Professor Dweeb--how much further do I need to go?

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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: January 11th, 2009, 6:43 pm 
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Yeah, I'm just big on the "if it's ain't broke don't fix it" recipe, so you're right, my issue is in comparing it to RGB which I look at as a sophisticated, ADULT cartoon, so to see it turn into something juvenile, is hard to swallow...

I'm sure that if i was a child and had no history of the original RGB it would be fine in it's own right...I'm just sentimental, is all :)

As for "American Animation" what does that mean exactly? Just that it was done in America? Or is that in reference to a certain style/quality/flow/direction/storyline of animation? Because compared to RGB, especially the first 3 seasons of RGB, the quality stinks.

I actually am also a fan of Loony Tones, Tom & Jerry, the old school stuff as well, it's just that once a certain standard has been set, it's hard for me to accept change, especially when that change can be seen as a negative one, IMO...

As for Professor Dweeb *throws up in mouth a little* you're on your own with that one...but to each his own. :D


Last edited by rgbforever on January 11th, 2009, 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: January 11th, 2009, 6:48 pm 
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devilmanozzy wrote:
You sure wrote a lot here. Anyways, I agree on the "Janine You've Changed" for the most part. However, getting Kath in the same room with Straczynski was still amazing. To the credit of Straczynski he played pretty nice in that commentary and was the most ontopic. I could tell this wasn't a easy commentary to do, and was risky in the least.



Yeah I thought that was interesting too...I wonder if Kathie knows how bitter everyone is about the voice/personality change over...I know logic says "how could she not" but like I said, homegirl seems so removed from the whole thing I don't exactly think she roams the Internet perusing message boards to see how her voice was 'received'. I think when RGB ended she went on to the next paying job, and put it behind her. That is just my vibe on it. I think she remembers RGB as her first major job, but that's it.

So any perceived tension or awkwardness may just all be in my/our heads. Plus JMS couldn't hold it against the girl, she was just doing the job that was asked of her.

But I know what you mean about JMS looking like he was 'holding back'. I bet if it was just him in a private room doing the commentary on "Janine, You've Changed" it would be a whole different story...now THAT I'd like to see!!!!


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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: July 17th, 2009, 1:34 pm 
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1. The commentary comes to a screeching halt whenever a Proton Pack is turn on so they can hear the sound effect. It gets annoying after a while.
2. The paint rubs off from the fantastic steel case artwork so easily :cry: :evil: .
3. Anyone have any thoughts on Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy, and/or Richard Mueller?

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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: July 17th, 2009, 10:52 pm 
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liberal noob wrote:
1. The commentary comes to a screeching halt whenever a Proton Pack is turn on so they can hear the sound effect. It gets annoying after a while.
2. The paint rubs off from the fantastic steel case artwork so easily :cry: :evil: .
3. Anyone have any thoughts on Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy, and/or Richard Mueller?


1. lol, well apparently they really had not seen the shows for years.
2. Yeah its not the best. I also heard they rust too.
3. Richard Mueller?! There could be a whole thread on him. He really in many ways made the animated canon. He also wrote many of the better episodes in the later seasons.

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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: July 18th, 2009, 9:05 am 
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devilmanozzy wrote:
3. Richard Mueller?! There could be a whole thread on him. He really in many ways made the animated canon. He also wrote many of the better episodes in the later seasons.


Not only that, but the guy's the warhorse of Ghostbusters writers. He wrote a novelization of the first movie, wrote many great episodes of RGB, and even wrote for EGB ("Seeds of Destruction", "A Temporary Insanity")

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 Post subject: Re: My RGB DVD musings
PostPosted: July 18th, 2009, 6:30 pm 
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I was worried about those cases when I bought my set too, and I didn't want to keep opening the box, so I put all the DVDs in one of those DVD storage binders with the pockets. It helps to find them faster to, just keep them in order, you can buy them for a dollar. I put my metal cases and the box up so it would be safe.

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