Saturday, August 9, 2014

Clover Reviews! Volume 1 -> Episode 9

Welcome back my friends to another episode of...

CLOVER REVIEWS!

Today's review:





"Meh... it was ok."


That's all for today. Join us every Saturday for more movie recommendations from our fuzzy friend.
Don't forget that Clover gladly takes requests. Her aim is to please you, the reader.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Clover Reviews Volume 1 -> Episode 8

Welcome back my friends to another episode of...

CLOVER REVIEWS!

Today's review:




"Wait a second! That wasn't that doctor show. That was a corny 80's horror movie!"






That's all for today. Join us every Saturday for more movie recommendations from our fuzzy friend.
Don't forget that Clover gladly takes requests. Her aim is to please you, the reader.

The Second Disc: The Criterion Collection


You saw this one coming. Of course I would talk about these guys eventually. Well here it goes. Set the gush level as high as it'll go. This is gonna be a bumpy ride for some of you.

The Criterion Collection is a home video distribution company that specializes in, "important classic and contemporary films." Some may confuse this to be a listing of the best films ever made. In a way that's true but it's not that black and white. In the end they are a dedicated group of film lovers who want nothing more but to give you the most important films (not the best necessarily) in their best possible versions on the best available formats.
I fell in love with them shortly after I fell in love with film as an art form and not just straight up entertainment. And how could I not? Any film lover whether serious or casual has a huge variety to choose from whether it's artsy or wacky. There are tons of reasons why The Criterion Collection is one of the best resources for film in the modern age. And I'm going to tell you many of those reasons. First with the obvious...


The Titles

As I stated before, Criterion has a very wide variety of titles to choose from. DVD and Blu-ray alone they've released over seven hundred titles, plus whatever they released on Laserdisc that hasn't already been re-released.
While this collection releases some of the best films ever made it doesn't mean they're the most popular. They have released some more popular titles like Casablanca and King Kong on Laserdisc. Then Silence of the Lambs and Monty Python's Life of Brian on DVD just to name a couple off the top of my head. But for the most part you'll see their selection is a very unique list. I challenge you to go and look at their complete and find movies you recognize. I guarantee you will not find many. That's not a bad thing of course. That's one of the best parts about this company. They have released some amazing films that you or I may have never known about if not for their efforts. Otherwise where's the fun of discovery if they're gonna release what you expect or want them to?
As a quick example these are some excellent films I found out about because of Criterion: The Samurai Trilogy (Musashi Miyamoto, Duel at Ichijoji Temple, Duel at Ganryu Island), Seven Samurai, The Red Shoes, Jigoku, Salo, The Magic Flute (Bergman's adaptation), The Seventh Seal, Blood For Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein, Jeanne Dielman 23 quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles, and the list goes on and on and on and on.

When I get Criterion's new release newsletter I'm sometimes surprised and many times very excited with the new titles they're bringing out. It's great because due to the variety they have there is next to no way to predict what they're release next, outside of guesses because of similar themes. Sometimes these titles will be pretty popular movies (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), quirky but still pretty popular (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), older and lesser known titles that would otherwise be lost to history (The Passion of Joan of Arc), titles that are just REALLY out there (Naked Lunch), and even some mini-series/film serials (The Human Condition) and documentaries (Shoah).
But these titles aren't always easy to get your hands on. Due to issues with copyright, rights, limited runs, and so forth certain titles can and will be available for only so long until they're out of print and never re-printed via Criterion (but sometimes/usually through other distributors). You'll find this mostly with their earlier DVD releases.

I'll talk about more titles as I go on. If you want to see a complete list now you can go to their main website for extensive details on everything DVD/BD, or to the Wikipedia page for their Laserdisc releases.


Price + Extras

Because of the quality and effort they put into each title Criterion is known for the high prices of their releases. On average a new release title can cost anywhere from $30-$40 depending on if it's DVD or Blu-ray. That's roughly $10-$20 above the usual price you would see even a new release movie whether standard or "special edition." Keep in mind that's the average. Some of their stand alone titles can get up into the $50+ range depending on the title or what all it includes. That's because the premium treatment of the film and the set come at a premium price. You do truly get what you pay for. Their goal is in theory to give you the last edition you will ever need to buy. I say "in theory" because they have re-released multiple titles with even better editions than before. Like my newer editions of Seven Samurai and The Seventh Seal.


Typically with their special features they try and cram in as much as possible.
One good example of this is for The Leopard. It includes two cuts of the film, the full 185 minute cut and the 161 minute American cut. This along with a wide variety of other special features that are all packed thick and aren't just little 5 minute blurbs of "behind the scenes" shit like typical, modern DVDs/Blu-rays have been doing recently.
An even better example is Brazil. It includes the full director's cut on disc 1. Disc 2 has some making of features but also includes a full history of the controversy surrounding the film and it's multiple edits. Within that is a series of interviews, phone messages, documents, etc. The icing on the cake has to be disc 3, where you find the "Love Conquers All" cut of the film. A heavily altered (over an hour cut out!) version done without the director's approval and used for TV viewing. It's a huge departure from the original film's purpose and is a fascinating watch as it is there to show the power of something as simple as editing. Great commentary to go with it, too!

But that's why these are so expensive. They give you everything you'll ever need to enjoy these titles. It gives you multiple edits that aren't just the R and Unrated cut with a time difference of two to five minutes. They give you worthy differences to see the story from a different perspective. It also gives you more history on the film itself especially if there was controversy or just a general difference of opinion causing changes. Heck I've seen movies packed in with their remakes.
They give it to you not just because it's available to the world, but because they have a good reason for including it. Nothing is thrown in for padding. Everything that is in there they meant to put in there. And this is a huge benefit for some titles as sometimes they'll throw a whole other movie in the mix. There are a couple of Chaplin movies available that also include some of his shorts. For Kubrick's The Killing they included another early Kubrick film, Killer's Kiss. And in the second DVD release of The Seventh Seal they include the documentary Bergman Island, which is otherwise a standalone Criterion title. It's so fantastic what they do with these sets. Every single time a new title comes out it's like a whole new experience in film even if you've seen the movie before.


Janus Film & Alternatives

Janus Film is a distribution company that goes hand in hand with Criterion. Janus Film actually was formed way back in 1956 (Criterion was founded in 1984) and is the distribution company that initially distributed to theatres many now famous Criterion titles. Just take a look at a lot of the older titles and you'll see their logo at the start. Basically their purpose is nearly the same to Criterion. To bring forward otherwise overlooked titles to the mainstream light. But in the case of Janus Films they were theatrical where Criterion is home video. Their activity isn't as huge as it used to be. As a matter of fact, according to their Wikipedia page they released Revanche theatrically in 2009 but it was their first first-run (meaning not a re-release) theatrical release in almost 30 years. I knew they were still issuing films. I saw Mala Noche when it was re-released in theatres about 5 or more years ago but that movie first came out in 1986.
Despite seeing their logo at the start of multiple films I didn't really take notice of them too much until fall 2006. In October of that year they released what I consider to be my holy grail of film collecting. The Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films.

Oh sweeeet baby Jane...

A 50 DVD box set that includes a hardcover book commenting and expanding the films. It really is a hell of a collection and I feel would be worth every penny. However the reason why I call it a holy grail is because of it's price. If you wanted to buy this collection new you'd have to drop nearly $800. The price on Amazon at the time of writing this was specifically $764.96 (Used is around $450 or higher depending who/where you buy it from). That may not just seem like a lot for a box set, that IS a HELL of a lot for a box set! Now I did do the math and it came out to fifteen and change for each title which is fair. Also keep in mind it comes with the book so that would "lower" the cost per movie slightly but I can't imagine by a lot. I know the book used to be sold separately but for the life of me I can't remember how much it was. Anyway, one of the main reasons I brought that up because I wanted to express how badly I want it.

The other reason is to talk about what came after that. Around the same time The Essential Art House mini collections were released. Basically these were the same movies included in the mega box set collection but at an individual or smaller box set rate. These also doubled as budget Criterion titles. Same titles as full priced Criterion but sold without the extra bells and whistles, just the movie itself.
One example of this is The 400 Blows. Right now you can get it on Amazon for roughly $25 in the Criterion edition DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack. But if you buy the individual Essential Art House edition it is only $15. That's great if all you're interested in is the movie itself with a killer transfer but not the bonus features and don't need the extra Blu-ray. And this is far from the only good deal. An even better deal is on Knife in the Water. Criterion edition is $34 and EAH edition is $18. The only downside to these is that some of these titles are already out of print or are just flat out rare. There are smaller collections of these individually sold titles released to put them at an even better deal, but like I was saying, some are rare and/or out of print. Some volumes can cost as high as $75-90 new depending where you buy it simply because they're out of print. It would be more worth your time and money to buy the titles individually.

But enough about the prices and rarity, the fact of the matter is that Criterion wants their titles to be more accessible. They are providing titles at cheaper prices while maintaining the full package version for the buffs who can't get enough. Not only that but they will time and time reissue some out of print tiles.
The original Criterion edition of Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom is considered one of the rarest DVDs out there. It was the 17th title they released on DVD way back in the late 90s but had a limited shelf life. Rumors were because of the movie's controversial content when it was actually a rights issue. For almost a decade it stayed that way until Criterion was able to gain the rights again and re-release it in August of 2008 on DVD and a couple years later on Blu-ray. I actually did enjoy this movie artistically (the content and context of the content is rough, however) and hope to get my hands on the re-release, maybe even the Blu-ray.

But the last and most recent of these alternatives is easily one of the best. In 2011 Criterion started working with Hulu Plus to make many of their titles available through them. At $8 a month you can enjoy nearly nine hundred Criterion titles, many of which are otherwise only available in box sets or special feature sections.
A beautiful deal considering you could watch literally hundreds of dollars worth of Criterion material for a deeeeeeeep fraction of the cost. Not all titles available, though. Some I was bummed not to see on the list. First world problems.
See the full list of what's currently available here.


Eclipse

Believe it or not there's one more layer to The Criterion Collection. Even with all that under their belt there's still one more collection they maintain. The Eclipse Collection.

I like to look at Eclipse as an extension of The Criterion Collection. The collection releases even lesser known titles that what they already release but usually by the same directors or in a similar theme as their mainline releases. As I look through this collection it feels like these were titles they felt warranted a release, but wouldn't be able to hold up on their own. Which means for fans of Ingmar Bergman or Akira Kurosawa (common names in Criterion) they can get a collection of their more obscure work with a bundle price tag attached. No they don't have the abundant special features, but the fact they're released at all is a charm.

Funny thing about these collections, though. They are loaded with far lesser known titles, little to no special features, yet they're more expensive than the single title released with lots of special features.
It may sound like I'm complaining but I'm not. if anything I enjoy the irony of it. Also I over exaggerated that point. It definitely depends on what's included and how many titles are included. I've seen some on Amazon that have only a couple movies and it's around $20. Then there were some that jumped to the $70+ range!
Still these are definitely worth it. While, unfortunately, I am not as familiar with as many of these titles I can still appreciate what I've come across. Personally I only have one of these box sets. That being The First Films of Akira Kurosawa. Four great films packaged together nicely, but couldn't really see myself busting down doors for each individual title. Wish I had more cash to get more like When Horror Came to Shochiku, Chantal Akerman in the Seventies, Early Bergman, and so on.
Which is probably a good way to look at this. I think Criterion understands that many of these individual titles wouldn't be worth giving the full Criterion treatment so they go with this instead. Not to say they're not memorable films. Just Criterion understanding not everyone has all the money in the world.

There's not much else to say about Eclipse. They have the same mission statement as Criterion, just a different kind of execution.
You know what, though? I just thought of something. If we count these as Criterion titles then that means their total list on DVD would jump a huge number. Each Eclipse has two to seven titles in each pack. They've released forty so far. That means this adds close to two hundred more titles! Estimate without counting each one individually. I love Criterion so much.


My Wish List

Any and every Criterion fan has a wishlist of what they want to see released through this portal of excellence and respect for the art of film. To keep things simple I'll give you ten key films I would love to see released via Criterion. Not a solid, chisel this in stone top ten list but ten that come to mind as I'm writing this post.

LoveExposure - One of my top ten favorite movies of all time and easily one of the best I've ever seen. This modern, Japanese, coming of age tale from Shion Sono is charming, heartwarming, funny, but also deep, dark, and disturbing in many ways. At a massive four hour run time it is immersive and plays out on screen like you're reading a book. Getting a pristine Criterion transfer all on one Blu-ray (so I wouldn't have to switch discs halfway) would be an incredible experience. The extras don't even have to be abundant. Getting this Criterion-ized would be good enough in my eyes. It would render my import copy useless outside of being a collector's item (I imported the UK DVD before the region 1 copy became available).


Once Upon a Time in America - One of those movies that has a very rich history and multiple cuts. A new cut is being released in September but I hear it's not the full one. It'd be great to get a box set with the multiple cuts with the main selling point being the full cut of the film. Giving three cuts and three different perspectives. The roughly 2 1/2 hour US theatrical cut, the DVD almost 4 hour cut, and the 4+ hour full director's cut. Add a set of extras going through the history of the film and one of those essay booklets that's been included in some of the bigger packaging and it would be an essential Criterion title.

Cannibal Holocaust - An horrifying classic that caused a ton of controversy when released. Another fine example of a title that could sell itself solely on the special features talking about the controversy surrounding the film. There is so much history here that it could definitely justify the premium price. Also it'd be neat to see an alternate cut. They included the 'Love Conquers All' cut of Brazil to show the power editing can have on a movie. Here they could have the 'Animal Cruelty Free' cut used in certain regions. All scenes with animal death were cut in that version due to the fact they were controversial because they REALLY KILLED THE ANIMALS!

Ring - Easily one of the best Japanese horror films, hell one of the best horror films ever made. It's a movie that I don't feel gets the attention it deserves in this day and age. At least in America. So much of it's attention is either based on the American remake or the many rip-offs that were 'inspired' by it the years following it's release. A criterion release would bring it back in a way that shows the subtle origins of this modern classic. Even though the book is far more subtle than the 1998 movie it still is a far better example on how pacing can and should be approached in horror, making it far scarier and more disturbing than a few scenes stringed together to startle you.

Inland Empire - This could be a set made with a similar approach Shoah had. In the early 2000's David Lynch went big time digital and big time online. So not only could we make this everything the current 2 disc edition is, but throw in a ton of his online shorts that were in the same style as or eventually inspired material in Inland Empire. The core film filled with extra films on top of it is always a great package deal. Sure it would raise the price quite a bit but I'd be willing to pay $50+ if it meant getting all of that into one package and new extras!

Un Chien Andalou - A fantastic, surreal silent short film from the late 1920's. This would make a great budget title like when Criterion released the thirty minute documentary Night and Fog. It's also a popular enough title where I'm sure they could get a few other extras to make the purchase of a 16 minute short worth $15.

Napoleon - An epic from the silent era that has had quite the history since it's initial release. Having multiple cuts would be nearly impossible and would raise the price too high considering there are, reportedly, at least nineteen different versions of the film. Starting with the original cut being ranging from six to nine hours long. Regardless this is a highly praised film that's been lost to time. There's never been a DVD release and the VHS/Laserdisc release (At four hours more or less) is very uncommon. Bringing it to Criterion would finally give it the treatment it deserves and so I can finally see the damn thing. That and I've got to see what the 4.00:1 aspect ratio looks like in select scenes.

Barry Lyndon - The one Kubrick I'll include on this list because of how underrated it is. As Kubrick's follow up to the controversial masterpiece A Clockwork Orange he took a bit of a gamble. Barry Lyndon was a very slow-paced three hour period piece centered around a fictional Irish rogue. At the time it got moderate success. While it is given high praise now it gets very little attention, especially when compared to Kubrick's other work. Seeing this re-done with a Blu-ray release and some history would be a dream come true for me. As this is one of my top Kubrick films, just behind some of the more obvious choices.

Lar Von Trier's Trilogy of Depression - A 1/3rd cheat because Antichrist is already a part of the Criterion. Much like how they released Pasolini's Trilogy of Life not too long ago I would love to see LVT's complete Trilogy of Depression released. Package together Antichrist, Melancholia, and Nymphomaniac into what would be a top notch deal. Also, unlike other filmmakers they tend to honor, LVT is still around so he could do an extensive commentary for each of the films which would be fascinating. Especially the four hour epic Nymphomaniac. A movie I've been entranced by since it's inception but have yet to see. Despite that slight lack of info and despite being disappointed by Melancholia I still think this would make a fantastic set.

Birdemic/The Room/Etc - Please, let me explain, this is not entirely a joke. Criterion does not release their titles based on a one to ten score of how good it is. They release based on the impact said titles had on the industry or if they served other importance. Technically it would make sense to include movies like Birdemic or The Room as they became huge cult classics in their missteps. No, not a 'so bad it's good' series. Not intentionally bad movies. I'm talking projects where the director thought they were making something brilliant, failed miserably, and won in popularity because of it. No Sharknado because it wasn't conceived the same. Anyone know what I mean by this?


My Other Wish List

There were a few titles I intentionally left out because they were already released on Criterion but on Laserdisc. Most of their Laserdiscs have since been re-released on DVD but with a good number still left behind. These are my top ten re-releases I would love to see (alphabetical order this time):

2001: A Space Odyssey - The Blu-ray currently available is actually a fantastic set with some great special features. Still I can see more being done with it, including even more. Maybe even a paperback copy of the original book? It was written alongside the making of the film so it would make sense. That and it's a small book so it could fit in the package pretty well.

Akira - One of the best animated features to come out and not just from Japan. This surreal, extraordinary animated feat would be stupendous on a modern Criterion release. Especially since it could include alternate dubs from the original release and the 2001 re-release when the dialogue and translation was re-worked for the first special edition DVD. And just think about how beautiful it would be in HD via their amazing transfer work.

Annie Hall - Do I even need to explain why? This is one of Woody Allen's finest and is considered a classic by nearly everyone who has seen it. It's funny, charming, and incredibly innovative for it's time. Holds up great so re-releasing would do great. They could even sell it at a less expensive rate like how A Hard Day's Night was recently sold for $20 at release compared to the usual $30-$40 tag.

Blade Runner - An amazing film with a long history and many different cuts. It would be hard to top the five disc collector's edition Blu-ray from a few years ago. It has all five cuts of the movies and tons of special features. Still I feel that collector's pack could have been put together better. Something Criterion would do very well.

From Russia With Love - Something I know wouldn't be released individually in the "binge the entire franchise" mindset of the modern age. Still would be nice to see this and maybe even an era collection. Like 'The Connery Collection' for Bond. A celebration of how he helped establish the character to be what he is today. At the very least a re-release of From Russia With Love would be fantastic as it is, like many other people, one of my favorites.

Halloween - What eventually became every other slasher out there, the first Halloween is a tense and exciting example of horror done right on a simple and small scale. If this were coming I know it wouldn't be anytime soon as there's a new box set coming out of all the Halloween films (with an abundance of features). This would be great to see. Because much like a lot of the other movies Criterion puts out... plenty of different cuts, plenty of history, plenty of additional content.

A Night at the Opera - Really I'd be happy with just about any of the Marx Brothers films coming out on Criterion. Still I understand why they chose this one back in the day. Easily one of their best films that is only comparable to their other 'non-Zeppo' films. Sorry, buddy. I don't know why but the ones you were in just weren't as good. I don't think it was anything you did. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Supercop - I have no other reason why other than I think it was badass they released this on Criterion in the first place. Hard Boiled and other John Woo I can understand. But this Jackie Chan action flick? Did not see that coming. Would make me happy to see re-released for the sheer fun of it.

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - Didn't personally care for it my first time around. I do understand the importance of the film as it was technically the first of it's kind that kick started all the other ass kicking brothas and sistas movies. If it weren't for this we wouldn't have classics like Shaft, Super Fly, and eventually Black Dynamite.

Taxi Driver - Like Annie Hall do I really need to state why this should be re-released? It's an American classic that helps showcase what Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are truly capable of. It is remembered well and for good reason. It's dark, honest, and has a lot to say. Seeing it re-released via Criterion would be fantastic and there's not much else to say about it that hasn't already been said.


The Future

Criterion is still going strong, there's no doubt about that. With every year they grow and get better and better. Before I commented how they have out of print titles but they're continuing to turn that around when looking at re-releases even as of recent time. So that list of unavailable Criterion titles is not only getting smaller, but are being released better than before.
The great thing about them is they always are open to innovating and thinking outside the box. Not always fully succeeding, though. They recently did a string of Blu-Ray/DVD combo packs at a higher price than DVD but people didn't react well to that.
However they seem to be doing pretty well digitally, too. When I found out about them being on Hulu Plus I wondered if it would be just a handful. Then I was pleasantly surprised to see majority of their library there and it made me want to get a real deal Hulu membership instead of just a free trial. They also embrace digital by renting and selling digital copies of their movies. I know some are currently only available that way, but I doubt they'll keep them exclusive.
I guess the only thought I have is I wish they would release more animated films. They've released over a thousand titles when taking the Eclipse collections into consideration. How many of those features have been animated? Two. Akira on Laserdisc and Fantastic Mr Fox earlier this year. There's no reason why they can't put more an effort into animated features that would be equally beloved as their typical releases.
None the less they continue to satisfy and surprise me. I always thought Salo would be rare, but that's not the case anymore. A few years ago I would have never dreamed Scanners would get the Criterion treatment. But it did. Even if they don't fulfill my dream list they still do so many wonderful things it more than makes up for it. Like they're telling me what I should want instead of giving into my personal choices.
Bravo, Criterion, bravo.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel


Version I Watched: Standard definition library rental DVD.

History: Inspired by the works of Stefan Zweig, a famous Australian author who died in the early 1940's. While not directly based on any piece in particular Wes Anderson has admitted to taking the most inspiration from the novels Beware of Pity and The Post-Office Girl. The inspiration goes so deep that the character only known as 'Author' is Stefan Zweig without saying it out loud.
It was released in early 2014 and was greeted with overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. For the commoner it is currently holding a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. A very positive review for an otherwise pessimistic and harsh set of critics. Financially it did succeeded greatly as well. At a budget of only $31 million it managed to get back almost $170 million worldwide. Proving once again that a movie can be made on the cheap, have excellent A-list actors, and succeed financially and critically.

Personal History: First viewing but am very familiar with the work of Wes Anderson. I'd put him in my top ten favorite directors. Of the eight features he's directed the only ones I haven't seen yet are The Darjeeling Limited and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. The former I'll get around to eventually. The latter, however, it is a crime that I haven't seen it yet considering how much I adore stop motion animation.

Review: Well this is a first. First I can remember in recent memory. I am doing this review because it was requested when I wasn't planning on doing anything outside a quick comment on Facebook. So, Ben, this one goes out to you. It's nice and reassuring to know people do read these and do care about my opinion. Makes the hours I put into this blog worth it even though I do it for nothing except catharsis.

As I stated in the 'Personal History' section I am a big, big fan of Wes Anderson. To recap, I've seen most of his movies. So far I've loved them all as he has a style that appeals to me an awful lot. He's a smart man with a quirky sense of humor. Not only do I get the intelligently written material done in an artsy way I also get a goofy and fun sense of humor to go with it. A breath of fresh air showing it's possible to take a film as seemingly silly as, let's say, Moonrise Kingdom or The Royal Tenenbaums and see them as art. Even if they have jokes that start with the approach of 'act like a bumbling idiot.'
With that said I want to get a few things out of the way. Like any other director with common themes and traits there are a lot of things in Budapest that are in every other Wes Anderson story. With that said, Budapest has:
-Great cinematography.
-Colorful set design.
-Goofy, elegant, sophisticated, absurd, blunt, and/or overly intense characters.
-A plot with moments that rely on random chance or hilariously convoluted explanations or outcomes.
-A robust soundtrack filed mostly with classy, cultural, or ironic choices.
-And a very likely chance it'll be released on The Criterion Collection one day.

I hope I don't touch on the obvious while reviewing this. I'll do my best to touch on what makes Budapest unique among the others Wes Anderson stories (based on the ones I've seen at least.) Cause, really, Wes Anderson are some of the most consistently samey movies I've seen by any director.
While I'm on the subject, I'm not necessarily saying that's a bad thing. I referenced something like this in my 2014 Preview post. Saying "I'm sure it'll be great like all other Wes Anderson flicks." Even putting it in my honorable mentions section with a two sentence commentary. But again, not that that's a bad thing. I knew what to expect and what to expect was good. Hard to get excited for something and pumped for something when you already know how it'll turn out even if it is good.
If that makes any sense.

Yet instantly this movie made itself unique when I loaded in the DVD and this popped up.


At first I thought this was Wes Anderson being particular. Every so often there's a DVD released where the director gives his or her own special touch making sure you'll watch their art properly. There's a special feature on the DVD for Inland Empire where David Lynch makes sure your TV has the proper brightness setting. It was a nice touch to see something like this but I quickly found out Wes had different intentions other than general annoyances and being particular (as he should be.)
I quickly noticed the aspect ratio was jumping around. In the very, very beginning it was 1.85:1 but quickly jumped to 2.35:1 as it jumped time periods from late in the mysterious author's life to him as a young man visiting the hotel when it's in a run down state. In layman's terms it went from the standard widescreen your flatscreen TV does to a wider, more cinematic widescreen. I thought it was odd at first and didn't fully realize what he was going until it went back to the 1930's wherein most of the story takes place. It jumped from the very wide 2.35:1 to the old fashioned, square shaped 1.33:1.
This is a technique that is thankfully not used a lot because it would otherwise be spoiled. I like when stories change this way because it helps signify where you are in the story and/or in time. Since the story is told entirely in flashbacks it would make sense to reminisce in a movie as if it's an old movie from the period it took place. Like Wes was taking notes from The Artist only not as extreme in technique and style. Simply utilizing the film standard of shape and size at the time. Even then cramming the story into a square box it is still beautiful to look at.

Like I said in the Wes Anderson cliches his films are always beautifully shot. That's because he (or his cinematographer) knows how to make the best of the camera when most just point and shoot it seems. Not really thinking about what they're doing or making it look as good as possible. But the thing is it's actually pretty easy to make something look good in standard widescreen with a pinch of effort. That's because widescreen has natural beauty whereas 1.33:1, or 'full screen' does not. Widescreen is like looking at art on display in the Louvre whereas 'full screen' is like looking through a window.
So shooting in full screen provides a challenge. A challenge Budapest overcame quite well. The cinematography is still beautiful. I can't think of any point when the cinematography felt cramped or improper. It was all done masterfully well making me forget there were black bars on either side of the screen.
This coming from someone who tends to think wider is better because of the potential. Not here. Here it was reminiscent of later Kubrick films when he insisted on shooting like this specifically for the purposes of transferring his art to home video (a time before 16x9 TV screens.)

However I felt the aspect ratio did hurt the film if not only slightly.
I had a biased toward this film going in. I am a big, big fan of old hotels like this. The type stuffy rich people stayed in before the big wars and whatnot. To me they shine an elegant beauty comparable to some of the greatest mansions while retaining what makes them unique. With that said having this in 1.33:1 took away a lot of visuals of the hotel. I wanted to see more of the beauty of the hotel. Many of which was cut off by cramming the picture. I appreciate artistically what Wes did in aspect ratio style, but don't like how it took away the visuals I could have had in seeing this gorgeous structure.
Matter of fact, I didn't care for how little time was actually spent at the hotel. Call me crazy but when you're presented a movie called The Grand Budapest Hotel you'd imagine you'd get a lot of time in said hotel getting to know more characters that work there. Instead it felt like more time was spent away then there. We did get a fun and exciting story outside the hotel that used it as a central point to the story. I just felt it was a tad misleading, which is a petty complaint I realize. Not like every movie has to be literal with it's title, does it?

Something that was especially great were the performances. I know, I know, probably saw that coming. But I'm not usually keen on all star casts like this. It takes something really special to get immersed into a story with as many recognizable faces as this. In comparison I recently watched American Hustle, which also has an all star cast. I found Budapest to be incredibly immersive with memorable characters. Whereas American Hustle was fun and exciting, but partially felt like a bunch of celebrities got together at a party and said "Let's play 1970's dress up for a couple hours." which I realize is making Hustle sound worse than it is. I just couldn't get as immersed due to the way the characters were played and portrayed in Hustle, unlike Budapest.
Was I staring at Ralph Fiennes most of the movie? Yes. Did it feel like I was? No. I felt like I was looking into the world of M. Gustave and his lobby boy Zero (played by an unknown making immersion easy.) This rang true for most of the cast including: Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Saoirse Ronan (the always lovely), and Tilda Swinton. The last only having a small part and in heavy duty makeup as an 80 year old woman, and knocking it out of the part because her performance made her unrecognizable. Still the makeup did a lot of the cover up.

Bet you wouldn't have guessed if I hadn't said anything.

However it wasn't all around great. While most of the cast was top notch I didn't care for a few of the performances. Basically because they did what they always do and didn't immerse themselves as much as the other actors who (some of which were doing their thing but proper to the character and story) were far more into it. I didn't care for Edward Norton here. Didn't feel like he fit. Felt like Adrien Brody was trying too hard. Then Jude Law played the role of Jude Law in the few scenes he's in.

I'm not really sure what else to say about Budapest. Really if you've seen other Wes Anderson movies and liked them you're likely gonna like this one. It's a fun and fantastic romp through the lives and situations of quirky characters with a fun sense of humor. Like the rest of his movies.
How does it rank? Well that's hard to say. Yet I can't really think of a better way to demonstrate it's positives and negatives than comparing it to it's older brothers and sisters. It's more fast paced and exhilarating than Life Aquatic's slow burn. Despite the ensemble it's not as robust in overall character as The Royal Tenenbaums. Could even be considered a more adult-oriented Moonrise Kingdom with it's goofier tone than his other movies, and that's saying something. Again I haven't seen Darjeeling or Mr Fox so I can't compare it to those. But I heard Darjeeling wasn't so hot (that could have been everyone coming down from the high of Life Aquatic) and Mr Fox is animated.
Which surprisingly brings me to a point I wasn't expecting. Budapest both is and isn't like everything else Wes has brought to the screen. It's got all the same ingredients, including the actors, but is hardly comparable to most of his previous work because of how different those ingredients were sprinkled together.
With that I'd like to say thank you to Wes. For giving me exactly what I wanted out of him and then taking another step forward by telling me what more I wanted without me asking. Well, despite the few missteps. You should know by now I don't like it when the end of the movie is at the start. Kills some of the tension of what could happen next.

I'd still say my favorite Wes is tied between Tenenbaums and Life Aquatic. Only time will tell.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Clover Reviews! Volume 1 -> Episode 7

Welcome back my friends to another episode of...

CLOVER REVIEWS!

Today's review:



"A powerful and inspiring tale about standing up for what's right made totally irrelevant by the fact everyone reads their news online these days."




That's all for today. Join us every Saturday for more movie recommendations from our fuzzy friend.
Don't forget that Clover gladly takes recommendations. Her aim is to please you, the reader.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Dancing Across the Rings of Saturn


I've decided to handle the Saturn differently than I did the Dreamcast when I picked it up. I have an older post that lists all the licensed Dreamcast games and other items but crossed out, with the ones I own un-crossed and bold. A crazy idea I had at the time that I'm sticking to for that console.
I don't know if I want to do a list like that for Saturn. Until I decide what to do with the Saturn I do want to talk about the history of the Saturn first since it's a lesser known console. It had a much different history than others and I think it's fascinating it was able to hold as much ground as it did back in the day (when you really think about it). So that's what this will be, a condensed, objectively fair (I'll try) viewpoint of the Sega Saturn, it's history, and the promise of game reviews to quickly follow.



Mistakes of a Previous Generation
Sega made a lot of odd decisions in the early 90s. Their console the Genesis/Mega Drive was proving to be a smash hit! It was in competition with Nintendo that Sony vs Microsoft has nowadays (only more fun and less stupid). Say all you want about the tech behind the console, what really mattered were the games. I could go into that for ages, but that would be off topic and we don't need to do that. All in all Sega had a great spot in the market while remaining in good competition.
Then something else started happening. CDs. So many games were jumping to the CD format because it can hold more and do more while remaining less expense than the very limited cartridges. So all these new consoles were coming out based in CDs or older consoles made CD add-ons.

While not all of these were released before Sega's idea, there were a good chunk of consoles that came out in the span of a few short years based in CD gaming, or are a CD add-on. including:
-3DO
-Jaguar CD
-Neo Geo CD
-Phillips CD-I
-Turbo Grafx CD
...to name a few.

Just think about that. Think about how many consoles are released at the same time per generation? Maybe 2 or 3 a generation not counting portable? Does Ouya count or is that too similar to PC? Crazy to think but in the mid 90s there was an explosion of gaming consoles and add-ons! Some of these were released years apart, sure, but these were just the CD add on or CD based consoles. There were even more  Just like in the pre-NES days as the legendary crash happened. In a way the market almost crashed again because there was so much but no one knew enough about most of them. Thankfully the not so great consoles bombed like Jaguar and 3DO. However it is a shame the Neo Geo and Turbo Grafx weren't a bigger hit. I've heard those are fantastic consoles!



Sega jumped onto the gravy train in 1991 in Japan with the Mega CD, or the Sega CD in 1992 for Americans. While somewhat impressive for the time the add on was not terribly popular. It managed to crank out a couple of notable titles but those were either due to controversy (Night Trap) or cult following (Snatcher.) They would repeat themselves in 1994 with another add on. The 32X. A cartridge based add on that played 32 bit games, a step up from the 16 bit the Genesis could do on it's own. It was an even bigger failure than the CD. Again it had a couple notable titles (including Knuckles Chaotix.) Definitely not system sellers, though, at least from what I've heard. Despite this Sega had plans on releasing ANOTHER console that was built to play Genesis and 32X games without the add on. They had already done this with the Sega CD. Thankfully this new console didn't come out cause the star of our show was on the way.

So with all those problems behind them one would think the Sega Saturn would be handled with better care. Well... almost.



Launch
From promo material. Similar to final look of the Japanese model.

The Sega Saturn was released in Japan on November 22nd 1994 and it was a hit! The console sold it's entire initial shipment of 200,000 units the first day. Fueled mostly by the popularity of the console's port of Virtua Fighter. A game that sold at almost a 1:1 ratio with the console. In November of 1994 nearly a quarter million people owned a Saturn in Japan, and close to every single one of them had Virtua Fighter. The next shipment came through on December 3rd. The launch date of Sony's first console the Playstation. This may be hard to believe for American readers but the Saturn was initially the better selling console in Japan even when sold side by side.
Ironically this was when the 32X was released in America. Giving Americans a lesser product AND blue balls waiting for the new console to come out.

And of course America fucks it up.

In March 1995 Sega of America announced the Saturn would be released on 'Saturnday' (Saturday) September 2nd 1995. However, in an effort to compete against Sony, Sega did something to get a head start. During E3, May of that same year they revealed the console's price ($399) and it's capabilities. They also announced that 30,000 units have already shipped to select stores in select cities ready for purchase. This was a bold move that upset more people than it excited, specifically the retailers who were not all aware of the early launch.
Since the only people who knew about this early launch was Sega the lineup of games was limited with few on the way before the proper launch. Only two more games were scheduled for release between May and September. Meaning over the course of nearly half a year there were less than ten games available for this new console. To add insult to injury the Playstation was selling at $100 less than the Saturn and sold more units only days after it's launch than the Saturn did in it's entire five month head start.

Egg... on... face...

It should come at no surprise that the system dropped it's price to $299 by the end of the year. Still it wound up struggling in the states from here on out always trailing behind the Playstation. This is usually the story with consoles. If you don't have a good start then it's very likely failure is imminent (with the exception of the Wii-U maybe?)
At least in the states that was true. Japan had a very different story with the Saturn. More on that in a bit.



Tech

The Saturn was caught between a rock and a hard place. I'm not an engineer or a tech junkie so I can't go into deep detail but I can tell you where and why things went wrong.

First the Saturn worked much better as a 2D console. During initial development 2D was still a big part of gaming. While 3D was starting to enter the scene, especially with Sega's own Virtua Fighter and Virtua Racing in the arcades, it wasn't entirely clear what level of 3D future consoles could handle. So 2D was the focus with 3D elements incorporated but not to the level we now know. Keep in mind up to this point we saw little to no 3D in games. Some of the 3D seen was faux-3D using sprites. Polygons were barely a thing, and when those were used it was at the most basic, primitive level. We had Star Fox, Hard Drivin', but not much else.
Then, suddenly, 3D was proving to be the way of the future. Since Sega was so far along in development their method of catching up was Frankenstein-ing their console. Again I am not a tech guy and I don't even want to re-post what others may post for the tech specs cause I won't be able to follow up on those comments. Instead I'll tell you what you know in the way I know it.
There was something with the hardware where they used two of the same processors in order to achieve the results they wanted in theory. Again, to my understanding this wasn't smart cause it was like trying to cut a steak with two butter knives when one sharp steak knife would have been preferred. Only they didn't have the time or the money to start over and build a stronger fire pit. Or maybe they didn't even have the interest? Maybe they wanted to focus on 2D despite kicking ass with polygons in the arcades.

Because of this odd setup the Saturn proved to be very difficult to program for. This is something else that confuses the hell out of me. Starting with the fact they used different shapes as their basis for polygons. Something about how one system uses triangles whereas others use quadrilaterals or whatever. In a way this as a preview to the Playstation 3. It was built much different than the competitors and in a confusing way. It made it difficult to program which meant less games were being made for it (at first). Less games meant less selection. But even if the same games were made for both Saturn and Playstation it had the whole 'which is better' thing going on like the Genesis/SNES competition before only not as extreme in difference.
With the constant failing in popularity the Saturn saw developer's lack of interest in making games for the console. Some of which were sequels to games already on the console. Tomb Raider for example was on the Saturn. Tomb Raider 2 was only on Playstation. Same with Resident Evil. First was on Saturn, not the sequel. Although that would change when Resident Evil 2 was ported to the Dreamcast. Plenty of examples like this (and with porting to Dreamcast actually.)

Another problem is Sega got a little too ambitious and indecisive with their console despite it's power. There were multiple games that started on the Saturn only to be released for later consoles or not released at all! Did you know Shenmue started development on the Saturn and it was going to be an RPG staring Akira from Virtua Fighter? The game's creator Yu Suzuki was impressed by what the console could do but development was going painstakingly slow. After two years of development the game was put on hold until it picked up speed again on the Dreamcast.
Then of course there's the notorious Sonic X-Treme. A game that deserves it's own posting (which I'm working on.) To be brief, Sonic X-Treme was going to be the Saturn's official entry in the mainline Sonic games not counting spin offs or ports. The game was delayed multiple times and saw many engine changes. In the end the game was cancelled and barely finished. Like Duke Nukem Forever minus being eventually finished and released twelve years later. Because of that the Saturn only had the previously mentioned ports and spin-off Sonic games. Really sad considering there were four mainline Sonic games on the Genesis plus spin-offs.

The difficulty of programming also meant it's difficult to emulate. This goes beyond playing games on your computer using emulators. This pulls in ports to newer console. The console is so weird to work with many, if not every game ported from the Saturn onto later consoles were not ported from the Saturn versions. Usually their source was the original arcade (Virtua Fighter 2) or the PC ports (Panzer Dragoon). To this day it is still uncommon to see Saturn games available on modern consoles and not for lack of interest. There are lots of adored games on the console. There's just not enough easy to port games or enough interest in investing the time and money to port the harder to port games.

Speaking of games...


Games
It's always hard to find a perfect full list of games for any console. Outside the failure consoles that had literally a handful of games like the Virtual Boy. I'd say it's especially difficult for the Saturn considering it was a much bigger success in Japan than America. I know I've been talking some smack about it til now but really that was the case. It's simply my American perspective and experience.

While researching I found a really cool and exciting fact about the games. I already knew games were being released for the console in Japan as late as 1999-2000 (America stopped in 1998.) What I didn't know was the success between us and them was so dramatic. According to some sources there were over a thousand games released for the Saturn, more than half of which never made it to the states. Let that sink in considering the failure the console was in America.
This completely changed my perspective and outlook on the system. It makes me feel like my American collection I'm building is a niche portion even though that was my entire experience in the mid/late 90s. In a way it's funny I find this out. At one point before picking up a Saturn again I considered buying a Japanese model and sticking strictly to imports. I guess I sub-consciously knew about the drastic difference.

That's for the future of my collecting. I'm sure in time you'll see plenty of import reviews. For now I'm focusing on what I once experienced while branching out from there.

When I do review the games it's shocking to see how much variety there was for the console. It's not like the N64 where RPGs were almost non-existent or the XBox 360 where FPS games dominated. There were a lot of unique titles that made up the Saturn experience. Ten of which that come to mind for me and my experiences include:


Bug!

Clockwork Knight

Daytona USA

Nights into Dreams...

Panzer Dragoon

Sonic R

Virtua Cop

Virtua Fighter

Virtual On

World Series Baseball

While all those titles are key to my personal tastes and experiences it's still easy to see the variety. There are platformers, shooters, racers, fighters, whatever the hell Nights can be classified, even sports! Yes, the Saturn is one of the veeeeeeeeeeeeery few consoles where it had sport games I didn't just like, but loved! That's because Sega did a great job with not just one or two genres. Most genres they developed were great with few exceptions. Making them very well rounded which, again, surprises me in thinking how they were once considered a 'failure.' But if there's one genre I had to classify as the Saturn's strongest it would easily be arcade.
A cheat? I think not. Arcade is a genre in and of itself having it's own rules, restrictions, and high points. While Nintendo slowly moved their way out of the arcade Sega made sure to stay in it alongside their consoles. Sadly this would be part of their downfall in the console market in the long run. At least they made some great experiences before that happened. They kicked major ass in the arcades and their ports were top notch as well. Sega even went so far as to release the dual stick joystick for Virtual-On so the home player could have a similar experience to the arcade.


More on that in a bit. But first here's the arcade unit controller. Think of that at home.

Instead I think the best way to handle the rest of this (since I plan on doing full reviews as I pick up games) is to do a rundown of notable games. These showcase either the console's power, the public opinion, or my personal experience. Some of these games I have not have played yet so it's based on what I've read. Should be obvious.

And now for my seemingly random choices in no particular order...

The Virtua Franchise - A series of games that started in arcades but quickly became hits at home, if not more popular at home. The games I'm referencing are Virtua Racing, Virtua Cop, and Virtua Fighter. All are great games and were revolutionary at the time for their use of polygons. With the exception of Virtua Racing there were sequels to these games made (Racing just had an updated version in arcades) with Fighter being the longest running at five games and a handful of spin-offs. The only downside to these games is their generic nature. They have great engines and are fun but visually and stylistically are lacking. Racing is straight up F-1, Virtua Cop sometimes feels like every other 90s cop movie but stripped down, and Virtua Fighter's characters couldn't be more predictable. All of which is forgiven when you play because of how damn fun they are!

Panzer Dragoon - Even on some of Sega's first party exclusives for the system they stuck with an arcade style. Panzer Dragoon is an on rails shooter that is surprisingly varied for the time. You ride on the back of this dragon-like creature shooting down all kinds of crazy and scary creatures. In a way it's more like Space Harrier and less like Virtua Cop because you have more control than just where you're shooting. Also you don't just shoot in front of you. You also shoot side to side and behind needing to watch all around you so you don't get killed.
There were two sequels, neither of which I've played. Panzer Dragoon II Zwei looked to be similar to the first. I imagine there were plenty of enhancements to make it stand out on it's own. The second sequel, Panzer Dragoon Saga, is much more notable. It took the genre into RPG territory expanding well beyond the flying and shooting arcade style mechanics of the first two games. The only problem is it was released late in the Saturn's American life, shipping in very limited quantities. The Japanese release is easy to get but the American release runs an average of $300 or more.

WARP - No game was named WARP, but there were some by the developer WARP. Specifically I'm talking about D and Enemy Zero. You already know about my love of D, as I've linked back to my review more often than anything else I've done because I talk about it so much. Also it was on a couple other consoles including the Playstation, 3DO and PC. Enemy Zero on the other hand was a Saturn exclusive (not counting PC 2 years later.)
Basically these games are like interactive movies that somehow work. Each game is a multi-disc game solely because of the nature of the gameplay. You navigate through a series of pre-rendered videos with limited interaction. Still the experiences are insanely engaging and is way better than it may sound. Certainly a higher experience than the FMV games for consoles like Sega CD. You can always see my thoughts in my D review (which I already linked back to) and my inevitable Enemy Zero review coming later.

Nights into Dreams... - Another title I've already talked about in a previous post, albeit it's the PS3 HD re-release.
This is easily one of the most popular and most loved games on the Saturn. It's an easy to pick up and play game structured on arcade-style gameplay. Simple to learn, tough to master as getting the highest rating in each level is quite a challenge. Yet flying through the sky with such grace and ease will make it okay if you never achieve that level of expertise. Just re-playing the same level over and over is fun enough. It's also got a lot of charm and character that anyone can relate to since it's about dreams and nightmares.
It's like a Pixar movie in a way. Simple and straightforward concept most can enjoy living in a vibrant and colorful world. It may seem shallow on the surface but the more time you spend with it the more you see the depth it offers. Without a doubt this is one of the top ten best games released for the console and remains one of my personal favorites to this day.

Duke Nukem 3D - A game that's been ported and re-released to death had a pretty legit port on the Saturn. While definitely not as good as Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown for the Playstation it was still a great experience for me on the Saturn. It didn't cut out or redo a lot of stuff like in the N64 version. It stayed pretty true blue for the most part, but couldn't really tell you where the minor differences are. Despite the differences there was one thing this port had the other home ports didn't. Online play. This was one of the few games that took advantage of Saturn's online capabilities whereas the other consoles simply couldn't. Outside of PC this was the only place to play Duke 3D online. I never experienced it myself but the sheer fact it could in the mid-90s is saying something, right?

2D Fighting - Since the Saturn does 2D way better than 3D it should come as no surprise there were a lot of 2D fighters for the console. While I was busy kicking ass in Fighter's Megamix, a bunch of Japanese kids were kicking ass in multiple versions of King of Fighters, Street Fighter, and Marvel Super Heroes. Add the 'vs' games like X-Men vs Street Fighter and you've got some of the most celebrated games for the console. It helped these games already had a following to begin with. Then there's the fact so many of them were so well done they were done too well. And by that I mean if you wanted to play some of these exciting, action packed fighters at full speed and capacity you needed the 1 or 4 meg ram expansion cartridge. A little like the N64 ram expansion only not as crippling if you don't have it.
I am VERY excited about importing these along with an arcade fighting stick.

Die Hard Arcade - One of my favorite arcade games of all time and it's only home release was on the Saturn. I freaking love this game! It's an arcade action beat-em-up through and through in the tradition of games like Final Fight. Only this one is in full polygonal 3D.
While the name speaks for itself it wasn't always a licensed game. In Japan it is known as Dynamite Deka and is only inspired by Die Hard. It wasn't until it hit other regions that the likeness got adapted to what it was based off of in the first place. It should be known this is not connected to any of the movies. Simply similar in theme and style. The sequel Dynamite Deka 2 would be released in America as well but in the form of Dynamite Cop for the Dreamcast. No more Die Hard name connected to it.

Early Kojima - Hideo Kojima, most well known for Metal Gear Solid these days, was making plenty of legendary games before his most popular franchise. Two of those games originally released for the Japanese computer NEC PC-9801 got ports for the Saturn among a couple other consoles. Those games were Snatcher and Policenauts.
Yes they were both released in enhanced versions for the Saturn. But there's a good reason you didn't see these games in the states. Back in the mid-90s Snatcher did get an American release on the Sega CD. While the game was critically acclaimed it did very poorly in sales, leaving it as a rare and valuable items since few copies were sold. Then Policenauts was in development for the Saturn's English market but eventually cancelled due to technical reasons with the translation. Something's telling me there was more to it than that.
So the adventure games remained quite a mystery to most before the age of the internet. Still the only way to play these games on the Saturn is to import them. Something I plan on doing one day even though I won't understand a word of them.

Burning Rangers - And for my last entry in this list is one of the later games in the console's life.
A little like Panzer Dragoon Saga but not as insanely rare. This action game developed by Sonic Team was released in mid-1998, about six months before the last US Saturn game was released. Much like a few other games that year it was critically acclaimed but sold very few copies due to the inevitable failure of the Saturn. So naturally the game is quite rare in it's American release commanding roughly $100 for a complete set (disc, case, and manual.)
A shame because the game looks really cool and really fun. In short the game is set in the future where you go on missions of search and rescue. You fly around in a mechanical suit that helps you put out fires and save civilians. The game was criticized for a low difficulty but praised for it's great replayability.
Since this game is action based it would be much easier and more financially efficient to get the import copy. Seeing as how I don't have a personal connection to the American version like Sonic Jam and Fighter's Megamix.



Peripherals
For the most part the Saturn's accessories weren't too different from other consoles.



To start they had their standard controllers. The first model I don't like as much as the second model. The first is much bigger with a slightly blockier design. It's not built quite right but is definitely functional. Come to think of it I'm not sure if this model ever came out in Japan as the only controller I've seen for them has been equivalent to the model 2 here. Even after doing some research I couldn't find a Japanese version of this controller. Doesn't surprise me. The large size and layout feels very American. A little like the first XBox controller.



Model 2 being a vastly superior controller and the one Japan had from the start. The best thing to compare it to is the Genesis controller. Essentially they took that design and made it much more comfortable. Even to this day I love playing games on this model controller. It fits so well in your hands and everything is place perfectly. The only downside to the controller is in retrospect. I've gotten so used to playing with a Playstation 3 controller it's weird going back. Not just because it feels different (I believe the Playstation Dual Shock controllers are among the best controllers available. WAAAAAY over XBox), but because of the weight. I'm used to having a rumble pack so picking up a Saturn controller is like putting down a full gallon of milk to pick up an almost empty jug. Still a great controller.



The third standard controller released was the 3D controller. What a steaming pile of crap this thing is. The design went from a comfortable Genesis-like controller to a circle with handlebars. The buttons no longer have that comfortable clicking feel. Instead they're squishy, like you're pushing down on marshmallows. The big addition to this, though, was the joystick... if you can call it that. It moves 360 degrees like a joystick should but it's shaped awkward. It looks like a scalped dome and it feels awkward to use. Nowhere near as natural as a joystick on controllers released only a year or two after this one. Thankfully this wasn't the standard. But if you wanted to play with a joystick this was pretty much it for first party stuff. And the worst part is the Dreamcast controller is damn near the same thing... minus marshmallow buttons.


We'll take the 3D controller, remove two buttons, and add a spot for a VMU. I'm going on lunch.


Just like most other consoles at the time and before it there were a ton of additional controllers and specialized peripherals. Such as...



The Gun Controller - Easily one of the most popular peripherals for any console throughout the late 80s and entire 90s. Here was a solid and freaking HUGE gun controller used for games like Virtua Cop and Area 51. I loved it's size but hated how light it was and it's color. Although gun controllers have been odd colors dating back to the NES with the orange gun for Duck Hunt.



The Multitap - A unique one at the time considering that most mutlitaps increased the player count to 4. Whereas this one had a whopping six ports. Mostly used for sports games as you can imagine. But if you had two multitaps, a copy of Saturn Bomberman, and nine friends you could play ten player multiplayer!



Racing Controller - I find this one to be unique in that it's not a circular controller. Usually the racing controllers look like steering wheels. One would imagine. But I like this breakaway from the norm giving it the handles on either end. Feeling more like you're not driving any ordinary car, but something unique, exciting, and fast paced!

Stick Controllers - There were three notable stick controllers. The Arcade Stick, the Flight Stick, and the Twin Stick.



The Arcade Stick is exactly what it sounds like. An arcade controller for the many fighting games for the console. Seriously, the Saturn was loaded with Street Fighters, Marvel, and other Capcom or Capcom-esque fighting games. I've never been big on these controllers despite loving the arcade experience. Likely because I'm much more used to fighting with a D-pad than a stick.



Then the Flight Stick was for flying games. Not that it was restricted to those. I remember playing Need for Speed with this bad boy because I didn't have the driving controller but for some reason had this. I did really like this controller, though. I thought it had a cool design and it was even ambidextrous. Lefties need not be worried.



Lastly the Twin Stick. A controller specifically designed for the game Virtual-On. It replicated the arcade feel instead of forcing a change to adapt to the home market. In that case it has a bit of a Rock Band/Guitar Hero problem with only being used for one game/franchise. None the less it's a specialized experience that most see as worth the extra cash.



Modem/Internet Accessories - As I very briefly mentioned earlier the Saturn had the capability to go online. Even though this was the 90s and it was through dial-up it was still pretty incredible for the time. What with being the only source for console online gaming at the time.
I don't know the specs for Japan, but in America there were only five games you could compete online with. Those games were: Daytona USA: CCE NetLink Edition, Duke Nukem 3D, Saturn Bomberman, Sega Rally Championship: NetLink Edition, and Virtual-On. Again not a big deal in today's standards. Thinking about it contextually it was awesome.
Of course with that came accessories for surfing the web...
Much like the Dreamcast that came after, the Saturn had a keyboard and mouse used for web surfing among other things. I really can't commentate on these because I've never used them. But look at 'em. They're a keyboard and mouse. What's there to say? As long as it typed and the mouse moved the cursor it's great. Although I'm sure some computer and tech junkies would have more to say about that.

Cartridges: Ram Expansion/Backup - Say what you will about the Saturn it did have ambition. Some of that ambition came from pushing it's capabilities as far as it would go.


With that said there were a few games that wouldn't run at 100% unless you had a ram expansion. Typically these were the Capcom fighting games that went very fast paced. But if I understand correctly a ram expansion would help any of the games because it gave it more memory. These were never released in America proper.



A cartridge that was released was the memory backup cartridge. The Saturn had internal memory  when other consoles either had memory cards (Playstation) or stored on the cartridge itself (N64 for the most part.) So Saturn had a leg up there minus the fact the storage wasn't that big. The memory backup cartridge but honestly wasn't that necessary unless you had A LOT of games. I never needed it as a kid and I'd say I had a pretty good stack.



Something released third party that did all that and more was the Action Replay 4M Plus. It provided the 1MB and 4MB expansions, backup capabilities, AND allows you to play imports. This is very high on my list of items to pick up because of those features all in one $40 cartridge. I love importing for Sega consoles. It's so easy!

Plenty more where that came from. Especially from third party companies. But I don't feel the need to talk about those peripherals since most of them are either specialized or not worth talking about.


End of Life & Legacy
The console really had the potential for success. Unfortunately it didn't turn out as well as it could have. It had lots of great features for the time, lots of great games, and yet some poor decision making along the way completely ruined it for the American market. I wish I could see what it would have been like if it succeeded here anywhere near what it did in Japan. It would have been a different world of gaming that could have been toe to toe instead of complete domination by Sony.
Of course there's always wishful thinking of what could have been. Much like the Saturn's successor, the Dreamcast. Looking back on the Saturn's life it's a bit odd to think how the Saturn was, in a way, more successful than the Dreamcast, a superior console. Think about it. Saturn was released in Japan in late 1994, produced games until 2000. Even in America it had a life from mid-1995 until ending game production in late 1998. The Dreamcast hit Japan in late 1998 and less than a year later in America, then being pulled from American markets in 2001. Although lasting until 2006 in Japan, making it somewhat a bigger success but I doubt the consistency of licensed games and popularity was as high as the Saturn's later years.

Simply put the legacy of the Saturn depends on where you're from and what you experience. If you were an American gamer it was seen as a joke and a disaster. After the mistakes of the Sega CD and 32X this seemed to add logs to the fire. The hasty early release pissing off a lot of retailers and developers, higher price tag, etc all made the American market uninterested and lacking faith in Sega. But in Japan it was seen as a much greater console that could do so much (as it did.) Providing a ton of not just good but great games to choose from. Perception is everything, which is why I'm excited to start importing for this on top of importing more for the Dreamcast.
Sega had more going for it than it appeared to from the eyes of the American market. Such a shame it never got to show it's truest colors here. Then when it did those games became rare, meaning I'll have to pay out the ass to get some of the console's best games in their American release.
Totally worth it, though...