Author Topic: Has anyone seen the Lady Death movie? (Read 13988 times)

B E C K · « **on:** Jan 19, 2005, 01:03:02 AM »

I didn't even realize they had already made it. I liked it. Of course, zero familiarity with the comic might've been helpful in this regard.

TM2 Rampage · « **Reply #1 on:** Jan 19, 2005, 01:04:17 AM »

I saw the trailer and it looked like absolute shit to me. :huh:

Heh. ^_^;;

B E C K · « **Reply #2 on:** Jan 19, 2005, 01:28:45 AM »

Have you read the comic at all or is it just based on what you saw in the trailer?

TM2 Rampage · « **Reply #3 on:** Jan 19, 2005, 02:13:35 AM »

Trailer.

I mean, I just think the animation and voice acting suck. ^_^;;

B E C K · « **Reply #4 on:** Jan 19, 2005, 03:04:13 AM »

The animation was to be expected. I doubt they had much of a budget on it. I think they worked with what they had fairly well. One of the staff members mentioned briefly that he worked on some episodes of Batman and Gargoyles, and I like seeing something that actually has some blood and isn't anime or "disgusting looking" like Aeon Flux and Reign. The only place where the animation really bothered me was in the movement for the army (such as when they were marching).

The voices were so-so. A few tanked at some points but for the most part they held up enough to not be a detraction. I'm pretty picky on that point. Hope's voice sounds pretty bad, but at the same time it gives an excellent contrast to the person she later becomes.

It was a bit hokey at times ("Hope is dead. I am Lady Death"), but I was judging it on the basis of a Saturday morning cartoon gone horribly wrong and there it meets with success. I didn't find myself drifting out of it either like I did with Spawn. The story is pretty evenly paced. It ends up being good mindless fun.

Lady Death is hawt. That little jester guy Pagan was a great character. It was a little unnerving to keep having Satan appear on the screen though....

blanktoe · « **Reply #5 on:** Jan 19, 2005, 02:04:31 PM »

Is Steven Hughes credited as one of the creators of the Lady Death?

B E C K · « **Reply #6 on:** Jan 20, 2005, 12:46:31 AM »

"Based on the character Lady Death created by Brian Pulido". I don't remember the exact credits, that part's from the back of the box. Hughes was mentioned in one of the featurettes, I think.

I just noticed something funny tho'. "Sound Design by Bruce Faulconer". Thank god that didn't say "music".

Another interesting credit is "Screenplay by Carl Macek".

Rodent of Unusual Size · « **Reply #7 on:** Jan 20, 2005, 07:47:43 AM »

I haven't seen it due to abject lack of interest. Nothing about the look or subject matter really grabbed me at any point. The fact that it's an original production by ADV doesn't help it, either, nor does the fact that they got the biggest hacks from DBZ and Robotech to put it together.

This is the first time anyone I actually know has said they liked it, so I may throw it on my Netflix queue at some point.

The D · « **Reply #8 on:** Jan 20, 2005, 10:47:24 PM »

never even heard of it, but so far I've heard Aeon Flux, Reign, ADV, DBZ, Robotech, so I'll make a far fetched guess and say it's a new Peter Chung flick.

B E C K · « **Reply #9 on:** Jan 21, 2005, 02:53:21 AM »

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I like seeing something that actually has some blood and isn't anime or "disgusting looking" like Aeon Flux and Reign.

NOT PETER CHUNG. Thank goodness.

Reading some of the negative reviews for this over at IMDB, I think some people might've gone into it with their expectations a little too high. It's not gonna have "Ghost in the Shell" style action sequences or celebrity voice-overs or a Hans Zimmer-esque musical score. Unfortunately the production does use ADV-favoured voice artists, which I do think are a bit on Sabat end of the voice acting crop. If you just take it for what it is, low-budget brainless entertaiment, it's not a bad way to kill 80 minutes.

Rodent of Unusual Size · « **Reply #10 on:** Jan 21, 2005, 08:58:25 AM »

The VAs are actually some of the upper-level ADV regulars, who can do great stuff. If their work here was lacking, I'd sooner accuse the director(s) than the actors.

Hell, they had Pedro from Excel Saga playing Cremator, who I assume is the bad guy...I have to hear that some day

Quote

Christine M. Auten as Lady Death
Andy McAvin as Pagan
Chris Patton as Niccolo
Dwight Clark as Father Orbec
Mike Kleinhenz as Lucifer
Mike MacRae as Asmodeus
Rob Mungle as Cremator

blanktoe · « **Reply #11 on:** Jan 21, 2005, 04:26:44 PM »

The need to make a Sharknife movie!
http://www.ninjarage.com/sharknife/

B E C K · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 22, 2005, 03:05:25 AM »

I don't particularly like any of ADV's VAs. There's something about the sound of their voices that hurts me. Cremator is actually a good guy. Or at least here anyway.

It's funny, but before I came back to the board, I rewatched some of it with the audio commentary. The director constantly talks about the voice actors directing themselves. So I'd say blaming the director would be a right-on assessment....

B E C K · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 22, 2005, 03:07:49 AM »

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The need to make a Sharknife movie!
http://www.ninjarage.com/sharknife/

What is there to make a movie about?

Extra Zero · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 22, 2005, 10:35:57 AM »

His trip to the Better Bank and Trust.

blanktoe · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 22, 2005, 09:47:48 PM »

Quote

Quote
The need to make a Sharknife movie!
http://www.ninjarage.com/sharknife/

What is there to make a movie about?

I dont know. The book hasnt even come out yet. I'll tell you after I read it.

B E C K · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 22, 2005, 10:18:12 PM »

I thought as much.

The D · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 22, 2005, 10:40:35 PM »

Shows how fast I skimmed your review....

Live action asian movie then?

Explain to me in one sentence why I should see this.

B E C K · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 22, 2005, 10:43:19 PM »

I don't give a shit if you see it or not.

Faye Valentine · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 23, 2005, 09:19:49 PM »

go Nuri go!

Rodent of Unusual Size · « **Reply #20 on:** Jan 24, 2005, 01:15:18 PM »

Quote

I don't particularly like any of ADV's VAs. There's something about the sound of their voices that hurts me. Cremator is actually a good guy. Or at least here anyway.

It's funny, but before I came back to the board, I rewatched some of it with the audio commentary. The director constantly talks about the voice actors directing themselves. So I'd say blaming the director would be a right-on assessment....

Checking ANN's site again, it says a guy named Andrew Orjuela directed. Guess how many other shows he's directed? Zero. Then again, he may not have been the ADR director.

I'm rather fond of ADVs corps of VAs, myself.

B E C K · « **Reply #21 on:** Jan 24, 2005, 11:16:06 PM »

He kinda implied he was with the way he talked about the actors directing themselves, but then again I didn't look for a voice director or adr director in the credits. If you're fond of the actors in general, then maybe you should give it a see just for that.

Rodent of Unusual Size · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 25, 2005, 04:33:46 PM »

I read ANN's and AnimeOnDVD.com's review, and they seemed to think the actors were good, but the script and animation were pissy.

B E C K · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 25, 2005, 11:21:36 PM »

The best word in hindsight is probably "amaturish".

Rodent of Unusual Size · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 26, 2005, 08:02:37 AM »

I think, up until the past three years or so, that was a good descriptor for ADV in general.

B E C K · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 27, 2005, 02:00:23 AM »

I think in most cases it probably still is.

Rodent of Unusual Size · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 27, 2005, 09:58:54 AM »

I dunno...a quick gander at my anime library (which needs updating, come to think of it) shows a pretty clear trend for me. Most of what's there is ADV, and I generally listen to the English tracks. I still hate them for their handling of Evangelion, but the majority of their voice work these days is not bad at all. But, then again, most anime that comes out these days in general is better than stuff from just a few years ago by leaps and bounds.

B E C K · « **Reply #27 on:** Jan 27, 2005, 09:38:50 PM »

Steel Angel Kurumi, R.O.D. (the one that aired on Adult Swim... don't know if that's the same as on your list), New Cutey Honey (could be argued as being an older work though), and Excel Saga are all ones I've seen some of in English and I was for the most part unimpressed with the English tracks. Lady Death had a preview of Chrono Crusade and the preview alone turned me off to the English track and wanting to even watch that show as did the one for Mezzo.

I've also seen an English preview for Sorceror Hunters which didn't peak my curiousity, though I think any English viewing of a full episode would be hopelessly biased seeing as I'm in love with Megumi and Yuko as Tira and Chocolate and am hard pressed to think of any actress who I feel would do them justice.

Not that I think ADV can't or won't eventually make a dub I can absolutely fall in love with, but from what I've heard so far... Unless the title really interests me I'll be very prone to stay away from the English track.

B E C K · « **Reply #28 on:** Jan 27, 2005, 09:40:54 PM »

And maybe I'm just being hopelessly anal, but the very fact they say ANN-ee-may and not AH-ni-meh in their previews and advertisements just irks me.

Rodent of Unusual Size · « **Reply #29 on:** Jan 28, 2005, 07:57:03 AM »

A lot of "Annie May" ("Annie may, but Frieda DOES!" Always liked that joke) fans are like that. But I'm a dumb American, so it doesn't bother me so much. The fact that I listen primarily to dubs anyway should underscore this. Then again, the word is a variation of the English word "animation" anyway, so one could argue that it's the Japanese who are mispronoucing it....

I liked Steel Angel Kurumi and thought it was a decent show, but the acting on it was pretty uninspired...some girls squealing and shouting was about the extent of it. But it was by far not the worst. Read or Die wasn't an ADV production, despite using a number of ADV regulars, but a the voicing there was pretty flat for the most part. Then again, I put some of that on the fact that it was an OVA and didn't allow much time for growing into roles. From what I've read of the R.O.D. series from Geneon, the ADR is quite good, even if what I hear about the plot going downhill halfway through is true.

New Cutey Honey wasn't much, but, like you noted, it's a fairly old dub. Then again, the main reason for watching that is for the massive hooters that fly all over the place, not the dramatic acting. Sorcerer Hunters is the same way...a lot of "classic" ADV actors worked this show, but it seems like it was done back before they learned how to act or were being paid enough to make it worthwhile. Tira has the worst voice on the show, IMO, but the others are decent. The good thing about these two is that they're either out or about to be released with the Essential Anime label, which means that you can get them on the cheap ($20 a pop, NCH being a single release and SH being three).

Chrono Crusade is actually good in all respects except for the main character, but that's mainly because Hilary Haag's voice is gratingly annoying. They could have done better than that...the only thing I thought she was suitable for was Menchi, the pet dog/emergency food supply from Excel Saga. Speaking of Excel Saga, the English voices for that show did a great job...not much dramatic work there (except for episode 24, which the original author "gave his permission" to make into a dramatic episode

), but they captured the rapid-fire dialog and overall energy very well. The only real mar on it was the actress for Excel blowing her vocal cords and having to be replaced starting with episode 14, but I didn't notice it until reading it online, so it's not that big a deal.