Just forget the words and sing along

Saturday, June 28, 2003

As I'm sitting down and going through my DVD stockpile, I got incredibly pissed off at the fact that, for the DVD release, they changed the end of Back to the Future! We're all familiar with it. The DeLorean lifts off into the air, does a 180, heads towards the screen, does it's time jump at the precise moment, the words "To Be Continued...." flash on the screen, and the end credtis roll. Well, on the DVD, they cut out the words "To Be Continued...." I was livid! Back to the Future is my all-time favourite movie ending, and they changed it!

Then I watched Back to the Future part II with the trivia text commentary. At the end of part II, when the words "To Be Concluded...." flash on screen, we see this trivia bit pop up: "The words 'To Be Concluded....' end this film to reference 'To Be Continued....' which was added to the end of the home video release of part I."

So, the words "To Be Continued...." only appear at the end of the home video version of Back to the Future. I guess I have to stop complaining because the DVD does, in fact, contain, the original theatrical version. Having only ever seen part I on video, I didn't know that.

Anyway, I had my first North American Saturday morning in a long time. It was very strange to watch Pokemon. Having lived in Japan for a year, I now see how...Japanese it really is. I see things in the background and when I hear the explaination that the translators cooked up, I say, "Hey, that's NOT what's really going on." You're going to think it's weird, but it makes me appreciate it more.

But the one thing I was really eager to see was the all-new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Two episodes on YTV! The eps I saw:

The Beast Within - In a scuffle with the forces of evil, Man-E-Faces reverts to his monster form. Beast Man uses his control of beasts to take over Monster Man-E-Faces and Monster Man-E kicks the asses of Man At Arms and Buzz Off before He-Man shows up and kicks Beast Man's ass. Because of this, Man-E-Faces vows never to use his monster form again. Meanwhile, tired of his henchmen's ineptitude, Skeletor hires two bounty hunters, Tuvar and Baddhras to go bring him the head of He-Man. Skeletor orders Tuvar and Baddhras to work together, but they are longtime rivals and can't stop fighting each other. He-Man and Man-E-Faces go off to the Tar Swamps to investigate reports of a monster, only to find it's a trap laid by Tuvar and Baddhras. They succeed in capturing He-Man, but then begin fighting over who'll bring him back to Skeletor. Skeletor's henchmen then show up, kick Tuvar and Baddhras's asses, and then claim He-Man for themselves. At the other end of the swamp, Man-E-Faces was fighting a big, mean, Tar Swamp creature, and had to revert to his monster form to escape. He shows up in full monster mode to free He-Man, but Beast Man again attempts to gain control of Monster Man-E. Man-E fights off Beast Man's control, reminding Beast Man that he is an actor, and thus chooses what roles he plays. Monster Man-E frees He-Man, and together they defeat Skeletor's gang. And, as punishment for ineptitude and inability to get along, Skeletor fuses Tuvar and Baddhras into a single being: the two-headed Two-Badd.

Orko's Garden - Orko get upset that all of the other Masters get kick-ass jobs defending the palace, and that he gets nothing. So, to appease Orko's feelings, Man-At-Arms puts him in charge of repairing the palace garden. Orko, however, doesn't know anything about plants, and his efforts are disastrous. Ram Man, wanting to help, suggests that Orko go to the Evergreen Forrest and seek the help of Moss Man. Orko goes off and stumbles upon a hidden chamber, containing a man claiming to be Moss Man. This fake Moss Man gives Orko some magic seeds. Orko plants them in the palace garden, and they grow into monstrous vines that capture everyone in the palace. Then, the fake Moss Man reveals himself to be Evilseed, Moss Man's arch-nemesis. Thanks to Orko's help, he is now free and taking control of the palace. Orko is at a loss of what to do, when the real Moss Man shows up, having "sensed a disturbance in the plant world." Moss Man and Orko go off to Evilseed's lair. While Moss Man and Evilseed have a huge plant-based superpower slugfest, Orko goes about freeing everyone else. "Just wait'll my friends are free!" says Orko to Evilseed. "They've got all kinds of magic powers from Castle Greyskull, and they'll kick your butt!" "Oh? Castle Greyskull contains magic powers, you say?" says Evilseed, and he breaks off his attack to go plunder Greyskull. Luckily, at this time, Prince Adam gets free and turns into He-Man. He and Battle Cat go off to save Greyskull, but they just aren't fast enough. Moss Man gives them some plant-based superpowered help, and they soon arrive in time. A huge battle rages between Moss Man & He-Man and Evilseed, and our heroes are soon victorious. Evilseed goes back to Moss Man's prison, and Moss Man finally helps Orko with the garden. But, Orko learns that with things like gardens, there are no short-cuts. And, to assist in the battle agains evil, He-Man asks Moss Man to join the Masters of the Universe. Moss Man accepts.

Next issue...The Monthly Spam: July 2003

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