CJF’s MLP Reviews: Amending Fences

You know what’s fascinating? It’s when you have this small moment early on in a show that will just be shrugged off, but then the writers acknowledge it and expand upon it. That’s pretty much what “Amending Fences” does.

Apparently Spike immediately starts the plot by reminding Twilight how far she has gotten since the first episode, and how she wasn’t great with friends in the beginning. This reminds Twilight of her friends from Canterlot, whom she cannot remember their names. Wait, I thought Twilight wasn’t the one for making friends when the show started and only had her brother Shining Armor as her best friend. Whatever.

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CJF’s MLP Reviews: Party Pooped

A Pinkie Pie episode? Yaks? Pony versions of the Beatles? Funny faces this side of Star vs. the Forces of Evil? I think I’m down with that.

The episode starts with Twilight looking nervous and showing hints of her “Lesson Zero” self with Funny Face number 1:

I’m scared now.

The Mane Six are looking forward to meeting the delegates from… Yakyakistan? As if the cities full of horse puns weren’t so phoned in. Twilight’s main goal is to befriend the yaks, hoping to impress Princess Celestia in doing this task. Then comes Prince Rutherford and two other yaks, who look like Vikings, except Vikings never wore horned helmets. They reveal that if nothing is even remotely close to what it’s like in their home, they get angry. Oh, boy.

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CJF’s Top 20 Films of the 2010s Decade… so far

Making a list of my favorite games of the decade so far was kind of easy. Making a list of my favorite films of this decade so far is the exact opposite. I’m a film buff. I’ll watch whatever is worth watching, while also discovering some hidden gems that deserve a little more attention. I’ve watched a lot of movies this decade that it was hard picking out what to rank high or low, or what films I liked the most to even include on the list. Well, it has finally been decided.

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CJF’s MLP Reviews: Princess Spike

I’m not impressed. Episodes centered around Spike are very lacking, almost like the writers have no idea what to do with the little dragon. Then Season 4 came along and gave us “Inspiration Manifestation” and “Equestria Games,” all of which challenged the character and helped him grow. It’s a shame to see an episode that is neither of those two and takes a step back. I don’t hate “Princess Spike,” but I don’t love it either.

It starts at a summit in Canterlot, where ponies from all over Equestria join together and learn about one another. We are introduced to a statue that Princess Cadence carved up with gemstones, each representing the cities. That will come into play later.

After an exhausted Twilight speaks to the crowd, Spike proceeds to say a few things. However, the crowd doesn’t even notice him and give praise to all four princesses. Way to start things off, episode, as if that wasn’t contrived enough.

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CJF’s MLP Reviews: Slice of Life

Happy 100th episode! So what do the producers have planned to celebrate this milestone? An episode centered around background ponies. Yep, this is pandering to Brony fandom, but a good one at that. This episode actually shows that the producers are indeed aware of the fandom and are giving thanks by providing some fan service and referencing the many interpretations they have made on the background characters.

The episode starts with Cranky and Matilda from “A Friend in Deed” preparing for their wedding. However, they find out that the invitations indicate that it takes place today. Cranky finds out that Derpy messed up the invitations. She tries to apologize by handing him a basket of muffins, which had me busting a gut, and also sets the tone for this episode.

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CJF’s MLP Reviews: The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone

Remember that episode of Gravity Falls early this year that pretty much redeemed Pacifica Northwest? A similar thing applies here as well.

The episode starts with Pinkie Pie baking some cakes with her pet alligator, Gummy, when suddenly her Cutie Mark starts flashing, telling her to report to the Cutie Map. She leaves Gummy in charge of the baking, resulting in a brief, hilarious moment of Gummy plopping on the counter. The last shot in the episode also reveals that he hasn’t moved at all, making it even funnier.

Pinkie arrives at Twilight’s castle, finding Twilight and Rainbow Dash in there. They examine that the map is summoning both Pinkie and Rainbow to a kingdom called Griffonstone. An episode centered around Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, when was the last time that happened? Oh, yeah, “Griffon the Brush Off” in Season 1. Why do I get that feeling one element from that episode will return?

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CJF94: Top 10 Games of the 2010s Decade… so far

I may not have a list of favorite games of the Seventh Generation, but I can give you guys a list of my favorite games of this decade… so far. The criteria are as follows:

• One game per franchise.
• They have to have been released between 2010 to 2015, at least from their country of origin. That is why Bayonetta is nowhere on the list because it first came out in Japan in 2009.
• Only original games. No HD remasters.

Just remember, these are my personal picks. If your favorite games are not anywhere on the list, that means I either haven’t played them or reluctantly booted them off the list while picking the candidates. Without further ado, these are my Top 10 Games of the 2010s decade… so far.

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CJF’s MLP Reviews: Make New Friends But Keep Discord

Hooray for an episode centering around Discord. Even after he reformed in Season 3, he is still a lot of fun, being the mischievous draconequus that he always is. Not to mention that he is voiced by Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation, doubling the fun. It seems as though we have yet another great episode in this season, taking advantage of Discord’s comedy, while still providing a relatable situation.

The episode begins with Discord and Fluttershy having a tea party. Fluttershy reveals to him that she is taking someone to the Grand Galloping Gala, the show’s equivalent to a ball. Discord is a little ticked off about this, but tries not to show it in front of her. Yup, it’s a jealousy episode.

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CJF’s MLP Reviews: Appleoosa’s Most Wanted

Dave Polsky is one of my favorite writers in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. While he is a great comedic writer with episodes such as “Feeling Pinkie Keen” and “Over a Barrel,” he stepped out of his comfort zone in the fourth season. He tried out different things that weren’t heavy on comedy like “Rarity Takes Manehattan” and even a surreal episode, “For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils,” all of which he succeeded at. Now that we have an episode written by him this season, I was pretty excited for how it was going to turn out. However, it seems as though he stepped back into his comfort zone, but does that make “Appleoosa’s Most Wanted” bad in any way? Not really.

The episode begins at Appleoosa’s rodeo show. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are interested in taking part so they can get their Cutie Marks. They learn that the town is keeping a close eye on a criminal, and we get a glimpse of his shadow and his hoof print.

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CJF’s MLP Reviews: Tanks for the Memories

Two episodes in a row! Two episodes in which I felt really conflicted the first time watching. However, unlike “Bloom and Gloom,” it’s not the predictability of the episode that bothered me. This time, it’s Rainbow Dash herself. While I do enjoy Rainbow Dash as a character (for the most part) she is far from being my favorite member of the Mane 6. I guess it’s her egotism that kind of throws me off. However, she does have her great moments, especially in this episode.

It starts with Rainbow Dash and her pet tortoise, Tank, preparing for winter, as Cloudsdale is approaching Ponyville. It’s actually nice to see Tank again, who’s only appeared in two episodes throughout the whole series. Rainbow Dash is hyped up for winter and all the fun she’ll have with her tortoise, but Tank is starting to feel tired.

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