Spellfury Ep.2 “Play Misty for Me.” | A Web Series on The Watch List

http://www.spellfury.com
Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings meets Evil Dead meets Star Wars meets Lich King: WoW!!!

2 Swirlies

A long time ago, we brought you the first episode of the web series, Spellfury. At the time, it was brand new and we hadn’t been around so long ourselves. Our
reviewer didn’t like it, so we moved on to ones that we did like. I figured it was time to take a look at the second episode.

I can’t say I disagree with the review of that first episode, although Spellfury is still going and cranking out the episodes - good for them! Even when we, at The Watch List, don’t particular like a web series, we’re always happy when they don’t just fade away.

What I do like about this episode is that they get right into the action - there’s very little talking in this episode. And they do craft a tight, very short half scene that ends in a nice “tune in next week” moment.

What I don’t like is that there is a grand total of two, count ‘em -two, jokes in this episode; both of them of the “wouldn’t RPG games look silly if they were real” variety. This episode is so short that, if we were watching a movie, we wouldn’t even have gotten to the end of the first scene. And this is episode two.

There’s some logic there, to be sure, of leave ‘em wanting more; make ‘em flip to the next episode, but an episodic web series can have episodes that are too short. Just ask Prom Queen. No way you can tell a satisfying story one minute at a time.

But yeah, that blonde elf is cute.

Mind’s Eye Fantasy Web Series S01E4 “Shadow’s Hand”

Illia struggles to play it cool in front of his schoolyard crush, while Patrick and Koji fight desperately to fend off their pursuers. But the result of both missions is in doubt.

You can purchase this Episode in HD from the ‘Official Website’ or you can SUBSCRIBE to the Season One account and have each episode digitally delivered to you every Friday as they are released. If you want to learn more, please visit http://mindseyeseries.com

3 Swirlies

“I think we are losing”
“Speak for yourself!”

So this is kind of where the story really starts. We get to see the magical warriors who are hiding out in the form of these kids. As always, the production and special effects are great. The bulk of this episode is a fight scene, there’s less in the way of dialogue than in the other episodes.

I know these guys aren’t Hollywood, but one of the key things I think any person should take into account if they’re making a web series, or TV show, or movie (whatever your budget) is to not to try to achieve something beyond your reach. Sure, push yourself and strive to continually improve but be honest with what you can achieve with your resources. This fight scene, for instance, is a tough sell in a world where people are used to paying (at most) 15 bucks to get something that cost hundreds of millions to make.

But this is definitely the best episode so far.

Mind’s Eye Fantasy Web Series – S01E03 “Running Wild”

The race is on for Patrick and Koji as they play a game of hide and seek in search of their missing friend. But the boys realize they’re the ones who should be hiding and they decide to show a bully that they’re tougher than they appear.

You can purchase this Episode in HD from the ‘Official Website’ or you can SUBSCRIBE to the Season One account and have each episode digitally delivered to you every Friday as they are released. If you want to learn more, please visit http://mindseyeseries.com

2 Swirlies

“They must know the Chosen One is here.”

Oh, the bad guys be comin’!

There’s some amazing tracking shots in this episode. In fact, the show is very well produced. I’ve never noticed the score through out – which is a sign of how good it is – and when I did listen to it, I really liked it.

In fact, everything about this show that’s good is really great. The stuff that’s not working for me… well, you can read my previous reviews.

Mind’s Eye Fantasy Web Series – S01E02: A Budding Thought

A light-hearted game after school turns sour when Illia and his friends are stood up by one of the gang. Insult turns to injury during play and Illia is left with more than a headache to think about.

You can purchase this Episode in HD from the ‘Official Website’ or you can SUBSCRIBE to the Season One account and have each episode digitally delivered to you every Friday as they are released. If you want to learn more, please visit http://mindseyeseries.com

1 Swirly

Bizarre.

There’s some good ideas in this series, and it is well produced, but where it really falls down – I hate to say it – is the acting of its young stars. They mutter through each line without any sense of emotion or intention. There’s a huge suspension of disbelief involved to bridge the gap from how the actors are portraying the story, and what the story is meant to be.

And the pacing of the dialogue is odd, too. There’s a line of dialogue, a long pause, another character speaks, a long pause. It removes it even further from having a sense of a natural conversation. Partialy because of this pacing, it takes a long time for anything to happen, and when it does, it seems largely a recap of events from the first episode.

My intent behind behind this blog is give people web series to watch and I always try to look for a reason to recommend any given series or episode. But, sadly, there’s very little in this episode to recommend, outside of the effects.

Mind’s Eye Fantasy Web Series – Season 1 – Episode 1: Prey

Nadia is pursued through town by a group of strangers with malicious intent. Cornered and alone, suspicions become truths and an ancient rivalry is reborn in a small, unsuspecting suburb.

You can purchase this Episode in HD from the ‘Official Website’ or you can SUBSCRIBE to the Season One account and have each episode digitally delivered to you every Friday as they are released. If you want to learn more, please visit http://mindseyeseries.com

2 Swirlies

“Ninjas are like tigers. They lurk in the shadows waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and then BAM!!!. They’ll eat your face.”

The credits run for just over a minute, so the episode doesn’t begin until the 2-minute mark, when we are shown a boy, Illia, who’s probably twelve, sketching various warriors in his sketchpad. I’m not sure how I feel about an opening sequence that takes up so much time (i.e. 1/10th of this show). Actually I am sure — sure that I’ll happily look window shop in other tabs while the opening title sequence runs in the background, and also that such long opening credits do seem rather gratuitous.

Anyway, when the episode finally begins, we see Illia sketching in a living room filled with kids wielding various weapons, arguing about the merits of ninjas, pirates, samurais, and whatnot. Then just when the kids begin to play, a man (“Grandpa”) shows up and kicks them out — but not before demanding that they take out the garbage on the way out. Then night falls and Illia has a strange dream about his friend Nadia, who may or may not be… dead.

Wait, what?? Is this show for kids? Why have they set it up so that Illia’s dream might come off as a wet one — which one of the other kids makes a joke of in the next episode? Creepy? And what’s with the way the girl strokes the sword at 3:05? And what’s with the vampy woman at the end? And why do the kids look like they’ve just stepped out of a bad toy advertisement from the seventies ? And what’s with the never-creasing symphonic fantasy score?

I think I answered my own question. This isn’t for kids. I’m not really certain who it’s for. Also, the backstory is kind of confusing. Obviously I’m supposed to go to the Mind’s Eye website to read up on the world’s mythologies to piece everything together myself. I will report back later with my findings.

The dialogue is poorly written, which is not made better by the mumbly kid and the shaggy blond boy with the strangely deep voice. The only kid who’s believable as a kid is the girl with the bangs.

1 Swirlie for ambition, and 1 Swirlie because I want to know what happens next. Who is the Chosen One? Our money is on Illia, the boy with the bad bowlcut and funny glasses. (because we know from Harry Potter that the nerdy bespectacled kid is always the Chosen One).

Spellfury – Ep. 1

An elf and a human are hunted by a creepy demon!

2 Swirlies?

“I do sense of strong presence of magic.”

I don’t. Not with this video.

To be fair, it’s actually kind of hard to review this episode because, at its 1:14 length, it plays more like a teaser trailer than an episode. It’s 54 seconds of set-up and another 24 seconds of some creepy bluish demon who looks like he’s wearing one of those weird Asian baby masks from Brazil.

But the elf chick is hot. Her pointy-eared hotness coupled with the video’s brevity keeps it from getting boring. So that warrants at least two swirlies, I guess. But it’s hard to award the episode more than that because it’s not really clear what’s going on in this RPG-inspired show.

But then maybe I’m missing something. If you’re a fan of Spellfury or if hate the show, send us a comment and tell us what you think. You can even regale us with the tale of the last time you had sex with an elf. It’s all good…

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising – Ep. 1

[No official description. After a total party wipe out, a group of gamers decide to try the Dungeons and Dragons campaign again... only with a girl this time!]

3 Swirlies

“I haven’t gamed since… the incident.”

Yes, this is what it is like to game.

Okay, so a bit of a confession, this is a movie chopped up and placed on Youtube. (Yes, legally.) And I really enjoyed watching this as a movie, so I’m excited to include it here.

It seems that this is sequel to “The Gamers,” a movie I’ve never seen. Rest assured, I’ll get it on here sooner or later. But for now we gotta dance with the one what brung us.

Despite being chopped up and having an abrupt ending just before the ten minute mark, it’s a good first episode in that it sets up everything and tells a little story. This story is satisfying on its own but fits into a larger narrative. Sure, ten minutes is on the long side but there are two minute videos that had me looking at the timeline at the 1:00 mark, while I didn’t look down once.

Where this production could have been improved is the craft of it all. Lighting, camera, acting… it very much shows it amateur nature. But the story rises above all that to make on enjoyable watch. And it does a good job of capturing the feel of a tabletop role playing session.

And it is a snapshot of an era. I mean, how many of you have played a table top role-playing game? In another 20 years it’ll be deader than M. J.

Riese – Ep. 2: Fragments

Riese awakens inside the township of Helmkin and discovers a horrifying secret.

3 Swirlies

An improvement over the first episode.

Well, we’re two episodes into Riese now and the semblance of plot has started to emerge. Riese awakens in hospital after passing out from her stomach injury in front of a village in the previous episode. And although she doesn’t say much it’s clear she doesn’t trust the doctor who’s tending to her wounds. And it seems something sinister is going on in the maternity ward.

This episode also introduces us to Amara (played by Sharon Taylor, the presumably evil empress of the kingdom of Elysia. I say presumably because she seemed pretty annoyed, and evil rulers on TV are always annoyed for one reason or another.

Generally speaking, the acting is pretty dead pan (save for one scene where a woman screams about how the doctors stole her baby) and although it works for the lead actress Christine Chatelain as she’s playing the largely silent, solitary traveller, it seems a little stunted in the rest of the cast.

And we still don’t get much in the way of story, it’s still primarily setting up the tone or ambiance of the piece. It’s not boring, but it’s not that interesting to watch story set up in multiple parts. And frankly, even if these two videos were the first 20 minutes of a feature-length it might seem a little slow and disjointed.

That being said, I still have high hopes for this show and the baby storyline looks like it could offer some dark twists.

But we want to know what you think. Give us your comments about this episode even if you just want to howl about how hot Christine Chatelain looked at the beginning of the show with nothing covering her top half but basically a scarf wrapped around her breasts.

Riese – Ep. 1: Hunt

A lone wanderer flees an evil cult.

2 Swirlies

All action, no story.

Described as “a steam-punk fantasy web show,” Riese (or Riese The Series) follows a mysterious traveller, with only a pet wolf as a companion, who finds herself in Elysia, a kingdom ruled by an evil empress.

At least that’s what I got from the show’s website. The episode just shows a woman (in an outfit that looks like it was stolen from a Mad Max movie – I guess that’s the steam punk element) running through the woods with a wolf (well, actually a dog, I think). Then some baddies catch up to her, they fight, she runs off wounded and ends up at a city and passes out… Oops sorry, I guess I should have prefaced that with SPOILER!

Unlike many web series, Riese seems to be quite high budget. The fight scene is quite well-choreographed and it has that I’ve-been-made-by-a-major-studio look. The website also mimics one for a network television show.

It stars Christine Chatelain in the title, who has appeared in multiple episodes of shows such as Sanctuary and The Collector. She also played the stripper/medical intern in SCTV alum Dave Thomas’ film Intern Academy. So the producers are going with professional actors.

Chatelain does a decent job as the stoic lead, I guess. It’s hard to say, considering not much happens. But generally speaking she’s a solid actress.

It seems the creators of Riese have a lot planned so I’m hoping the show gets better as it goes along.