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Category:    Home > Reviews > Fantasy > Comedy > Animation > Role Playing Games > TV > Situation Comedy > Literature > CGI > Music > Adventure Time: Distant Lands (2020 - 2021/Warner Blu-ray Set)/Head Of The Class: The Complete Fourth Season (1989 - 1990/Warner Archive DVDs)/Pinocchio: A True Story (2022/Lionsgate DVD)/Sing 2 (2021

Adventure Time: Distant Lands (2020 - 2021/Warner Blu-ray Set)/Head Of The Class: The Complete Fourth Season (1989 - 1990/Warner Archive DVDs)/Pinocchio: A True Story (2022/Lionsgate DVD)/Sing 2 (2021/Universal Blu-ray w/DVD)


Picture: B+/B-/C+/B & C+ Sound: B+/B-/C+/B+ & C+ Extras: D/D/C-/C+ Main Programs: B/B/C/B-



PLEASE NOTE: The Head Of The Class DVD set is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below



Here's our latest family-friendly releases...



Adventure Time: Distant Lands (2020 - 2021) follows Finn, Jake, Marceline, Princess Bubblegum, BMO, and Peppermint Butler on their reverend quests to unusual and unexplored places. The Cartoon Network-based show is a bit funnier and more creative than most shows out there and isn't too over the time gross like Ricky and Morty.


The series features the voice talents of Jeremy Shada, Olivia Olson, Pendleton Ward, Ashly Burch, and others. There are four episodes in the series including BMO, Obsidian, Together Again, and Wizard City.


Adventure Time: Distant Lands is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1, and English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) lossless mixes, which is of the norm for the format. Being that this is an animated feature, the picture quality is similar on Blu-ray to the original broadcast, but a smidge better.


No other extras.


If you're a fan of the show and maybe don't want to mess with a subscription to yet another streaming service, this limited edition set is perfect to add to a fan's collection.



Leave it to a classic television sitcom to calm the nerves and teach us a life lesson along the way.


Head Of The Class: The Complete Fourth Season (1989 - 1990) stars the late great Howard Hesseman (WKRP in Cincinnati) and a bunch of other now familiar (and unfamiliar) faces. The basis of the show is that there is a gifted class of students at Millard Fillmore High that are taught under the easy going Charlie Moore (Hesseman) who helps them deal with the struggles of being a teenager and help them find themselves amidst all of the hormones. Some aspects of it are a little outdated, but its message remains intact.


The series also stars Robin Givens, William G. Schilling, Dan Frischman and many others.


26 Episodes span 3 discs and include Back to School, Viki and Eric and Simone and Alex, The Ring of Darlene M., Viki in Love, Blunden in Love, The Bright Stuff Parts 1 and 2, Gotta Dance, Good Mourning, Arvid Nose Best, The Devil and Ms T.J., Why Ronnie Can't Read, The Joker is Wild, Tough Guys Don't Sew, Reel Problems, Alan Goes Crimson, From Hair to Eternity, Recruitment Day, The Quiet Kid, Simone Goes Overboard, Queen-Queen-Queen for a Day, Politics of Love, The Reel Charlie Moore, Cement Hi-tops, and Teacher's Pets.


Head of the Class has a standard definition DVD presentation with a full frame 1.37:1 aspect ratio and a lossy 2.0 Dolby Stereo mix. The show looks and sounds fine considering its age and original broadcast.


No extras.



Vasily Rovenskiy's CGI animated Pinocchio: A True Story (2022) tries to do something different with the classic (and public domain) character, but when you add the many live action attempts and films playing on the legend (down to Spielberg's ineffective A.I.) gives this little room to do anything new. Pauly Shore and Jon Heder are among the voice cast that try to bring this one to some life, but the result is very average and ultimately uninspired. I will say at least the art design tries to be interesting and is consistent enough, but the results are mostly forgettable.


The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image and lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 are as good as this will ever play in this older format, but despite not having the latest CGI, I bet at least a Blu-ray edition could deliver better overall fidelity for what does work here and there.


A trailer is the only extra.



Garth Jennings' Sing 2 (2021) has the tough task of following up one of the greatest CGI animated features to date, 2016's Sing, which we reviewed in the 4K format at this link:


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14808/Sing+(2016/Illumination/Universal+4K


The voice cast, led by Matthew McConaughey as the irrepressible Buster Moon (in some of the greatest work in his long career) are back after having saved their theater. Now, they have to keep it going and need to get a legendary rock singer, Clay Calloway, to join them. This will include more interesting remakes of classic hits (some do not work as well as others this time, but they are trying) and this includes Bono.


The money is here and on the screen, the graphics are as nice as before and the characters stay in character, but I think the script just plays it a bit safer than I would have liked and the great thing about the first film is how its heart and soul synergized with clever risks that paid off. Still, this is a respectable sequel that has been rightly popular and I hope this becomes one of the longest series in the history of CGI animated features, because the characters and situations are there and potential enormous. Thus, this is definitely worth a look, but make sure you see the original film first.


The film has also been issued in an apparently great 4K edition we'll catch up to soon, but this 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on the regular Blu-ray is still decent for the format and shows how the makers have kept up the complex use of color and detail. I like the look of both and expect a few more sequels where they can go further and do more visually.


The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image on the DVD is as good as it can be for the older format, but you can hear how much is lost in the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix here, especially from the impressive, lossless Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems) included on the Blu-ray. It sounds fine and has some great sonic moments too, so all serious home theater systems should give it a spin.


Extras include Digital Copy, while the discs add two mini-movies, Outtakes, Super Sing-Alongs, How To Dance, How To Draw and a few other surprises.



To order the Warner Archive Head Of The Class DVDs, go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases at:


https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20



- Nicholas Sheffo (Pinocchio, Sing 2) and James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/



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