Saturday, October 20, 2012

715-716: The Perfect Church, Part 1 and 2

Happy October everyone! Apologies for the slower posting rate, but hey, it's October, and like a typical high school junior, I'm pulling 5 hour or less sleep hours on weeknights, so it's intense. I'm excited for this new season of Odyssey and am looking forward to reviewing it! Hopefully,  I'll be able to start reviewing Whit's Flop in the near future...anyways, today's review has a different format. Since Matthew's adventure is not in Odyssey (well, it is, but you know...), The Odyssey Times is replaced today by the Avery Watch, where I discuss performances that I feel deserve nominations!

NOTABLE LINES OF DIALOGUE:
"God is doing what he always does. He's working through fallen men and women to accomplish his purposes. It's been that way from the beginning." - Stephen

REVIEW:

At the beginning of the relaunch, I expected Odyssey to be amazing as usual and have the same standard of quality and entertainment that it usually has. So when Album 51 came out, I was left feeling disappointed. And so I set my sights on Album 52: there's a mystery with a clock tower, plus there's a Christmas show...what could go wrong? And although there were improvements, I was still left feeling disappointed. Next, I looked to Album 53: there's another conspiracy in Odyssey; this could be the new Novacom! Once again, disappointed. I learned to lower my expectations and acknowledge that Odyssey was going into a newer, younger direction, one that I might not necessarily like, but needed to accept. And yet, Album 54 built on Album 53 with more compelling stories, and Album 55 built from Album 54 with even better performances and stories and lessons. So how did I feel when I heard the first two-parter of 56?

Wow. Just, wow. Where to begin? I enjoyed seeing the new Imagination Station in action again (and we heard it today in Great Expectations, the ep that follows this one) and understood why it was created. The new "door" idea creates potential for many new story ideas for future episodes, and the story device works very well for today's ep. Matthew is a great choice to be in this adventure; he, Barrett, and Olivia are the most thoughtful kids in Odyssey in different ways. 

Now, I love hearing Bible stories come to life on Odyssey, from The Imagination Station (Album 5: Daring Deeds, Sinister Schemes) to O.T. Action News. But normally, I already know how the story's gonna end, and it's just nice to hear the Odyssey team tell it. The Perfect Church pulls something off masterfully: it manages to take scripture (Acts 1:8 - 8:3) and create a narrative that tells the story and yet makes you wonder how McCusker/Younger (the writers of the episode) are going to tell it. 

The performances that made up the story were top-notch. Andre Stojka does his best performance as Whit to date (and continues to be more Whit every album) and Eugene's computerized bits of information were helpful and helped drive the episode forward for more fresh listeners. It was great hearing Carolyn Hennesy again (voice of Ellen Shepard), and she makes a terrific Saphira in her scene (and we already know she's great at doing those kind of voices as she did in The Big Deal [Album 35: The Big Picture]). Georgia Dolenz has a stronger appearance here than in The Labyrinth, and plays wide-eyed and thoughtful well.  The episode is packed with a who's who of AIO character actors, from Keith Ferguson, Matt Hurwitz, Fred Tatasciore (who after a 16 episode run of playing villainous characters has made a 3 ep run of heroes following A Penny Saved), J.B. Blanc, and Saige Spinney. All we needed was Corey Burton (who by the way, needs to return to Odyssey, but that's another article)! 

John Campbell's score for this episode was amazing. It felt true to the time period, yet slightly melancholic, which captured the essence of the episode completely. Sound design was terrific at recreating the world of Acts and making the "door" switches seamless and sleek. The dialogue was fantastic and moved the story along, while McCusker/Younger kept the story engaging the whole way through.

However, the most powerful scene was when Jim Cummings as Stephen testified to the high court with his defense. The fact that it was taken literally from the Bible, along with Cumming's commanding performance, made me begin to tear up. Now, I don't cry very often at media, unless some element of the form moves me (See: Clara). His acting is powerful, intense, and speaks to us today. In fact, the whole episode speaks to us today. The  church today is not perfect as well. The episode shows us how God uses all of us with our flaws for his purpose. We have our flaws, and we have our disagreements, and yet, God still calls us to fellowship, worship, and preach together. This can be hard, as I know well, but it's an important lesson for us to learn today. The whole episode feels very human, as often we think of the people of the Bible as superheroes, but God uses all kinds of people for his plan, from prostitutes to corrupt tax collectors to murderers (Saul!). 

Paul McCusker and Marshal Younger have crafted an episode that deserves to be up there with the best of the best in Odyssey. The story is engaging, well-told, fresh, moving, and relevant; with powerful performances, dialogue, and sound. The theme is beautiful, with wonderful harmonies, and a score that captures the episode completely. I give this episode a 97/100, or an

A

AVERY WATCH:
Best Episode - Paul McCusker (Producer: Dave Arnold, Co-Writer: Marshal Younger))
Best Sound Design - GAP Digital (Todd Busteed)
Best Line of Dialogue - "To suffer for Jesus is a honor. But what if something worse happens? That would be glory." - Stephen and Matthew
Best Scene - Stephen testifying in court
Best Script - Paul McCusker, Marshal Younger
Best Actor - Jim Cummings
Best Minor Character (Guest Actress) - Carolyn Hennesy (Saphira)
Best Score - John Campbell

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Kids' Radio

Hey OCO readers!

I'll be writing about my hilarious first experience in my high school's radio station today later - and its striking parallels to Odyssey's Kids' Radio

If you're interested in tuning in, it's on Shoutcast and tunein. EDIT: I'll be on next on Thursday from 10-12!

Okay, gotta go. Talk to you later!

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Finalists Obtain the Program

Today, October 6, marks day 7 of a week-long push to vote for YOUR favorites, yes, your favorites, to move on to the finals in fabulous Colorado Springs, CO!

This...is American, oh wait, uh, GET IN THE SHOW!

Judges have watched over 5,000 entries and narrowed it down to your 12 semifinalists. Let's take a look at them, shall we? However, before I begin, if you're watching along with me, let's remember that these are kids between the ages of 6-15 who have little to no acting experience. Some might be a little over the top, while others might show shades of becoming a future Sam Johnson or Valerie. However, in the spirit of "getting in the show," I will leave you to draw any negative conclusions you might have to yourself. These kids worked really hard to perform a great audition, and these could-be-actors-someday made it to the semifinals! Let's gooooo...

Adrian has an amazing head of hair and pair of glasses that would make Eugene proud! His voice reminded me of Colby Cabrera.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Tithing script
BEST ASSET: voice

Annalee sounded like a young Mandy with elements of Olivia and Priscilla. Her vocal mannerisms were very staccato (from music: short) and enunciated, with a couple phrases that made her voice sound almost whimsical. Her mom's voice reminded me of the sound of 1st generation Odyssey.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Tithing script
BEST ASSET: adorable hand gestures to help her understand the meaning of lines

CONGRATULATIONS! Annaliese's voice is just a tad nasally, but it comes off as an enjoyable, quirky tone.  Her mom's voice reminds me of Leslie's mom from Back to School (Album 3: Heroes). Ally heard tones of a young Barrett and Olivia.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Tithing script
BEST ASSET: voice

CONGRATULATIONS! Anya: what a real multitasker you are. We should do a video together! I'm not entirely sure what accent she has (it sounds Irish or Scottish), but Odyssey really needs to take notice of this girl. She's pulling two characters by performing two accents simultaneously: Irish/Scottish and American. 

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Tithing script
BEST ASSET: accent switching

Eleisha, hey hey hey, you got a fancy mike at yo local Family Christian store! Also, YOU ARE THE SECOND COMING OF JESSIE MORALES, MY FRIEND! If this contest doesn't work out, and if Jessie Morales comes back to Odyssey and they need to recast her, you can take over. Ally and I also heard elements of Kelly and Liz in there as well. By the way, I know the parents aren't auditioning, but I'm loving a lot of their voices. Eleisha's mom had a wonderful accent and reminds me of - uh, brownie points to the first commenter that tells me!

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Tithing script
BEST ASSET: voice

Hannah has similar vocal inflections as Isaac Morton. Her favorite phrase is "you know," and Ally heard elements of Valerie, Kelly, and Liz. I heard a little bit of Courtney Vincent.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Gum script
BEST ASSET: tone

Marissa, to me, you sound like the SECOND COMING OF TRACI NEEDLEMEYER! However, Ally heard vocal inflections very similar to Trent, as well as vocal qualities similar to Camilla and Olivia.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Tithing script
BEST ASSET: "family-style" recording

Michael, Michael, Michael. I've definitely heard your voice before. WHERE???? Just watch; I'll be wondering this all weekend. He sounds like a combination of Alex Jefferson and Sam Johnson.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Gum script
BEST ASSET: voice

Morgan has an adorable voice that harkens back to Bethany Shepherd. She brought a lot of spunk to the gum script.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Gum script
BEST ASSET: voice

CONGRATULATIONS! Shona has a quirky voice that reminds me of the SECOND COMING OF SHANNON EVERETT! Ally thought Shona's voice reminded her of one of the women from The Help.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Gum script
BEST ASSET: voice

Tabby should've been cast as Valerie! In my opinion, it felt more natural than Paulie Rojas, who although is a very good Valerie as well, sometimes seems to force some kind of "valley girl" accent. Tabby has a voice that would be great like the likes of Alicia, Valerie, etc...there were also traces of Olivia in there too. The boy sounded like Matthew.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Gum script
BEST ASSET: voice

Timmy's vocal quality reminds me of Nathaniel Graham. However, I also loved, loved, loved his friend's voice. It was a husky, young quality that's an unique kind of voice that's never been heard on Odyssey. Back to Timmy, who also had elements of Sam Johnson.

MOST COMFORTABLE WITH: Gum script
BEST ASSET: voice

FINAL OBSERVATIONS: Oftentimes I was drawn to their helpers because they had such amazing voices! Certain lines in the gum script were over acted by almost everyone, while certain lines in the tithing script sounded very convincing by almost everyone. I used the term "SECOND COMING OF..." often because the vocal qualities were pretty eerily close. Acting and Odyssey wise, I'm casting my vote for Anya, Hannah, and Timmy. I felt that they were the strongest actors who sounded like they could be in Odyssey. Congratulations to all the finalists; I look forward to seeing who's gonna "get in the show!"

Be sure to comment and let us know who were your favorites!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Hunt for Bloody October

Hey, we're back! It's been a week since I last posted, and I began starting a new review for this week when...I got sick. WAH WAH WAH. This threw off my entire schedule and has lead me to my sad conclusion (don't worry, it's not as bad as you think):

Since the month of October has me working on numerous school projects and midterm prep and PSAT prep, the number of articles will decrease to about four this month. I'll be doing a review of The Perfect Church while also including a review of Whit's Flop and analysis of the GITS finalists. Ally will finish a post on her favorite Odyssey eps/characters, and that's four. (Don't worry CT, Jason/Connie's on the agenda for November, hopefully! Oh, and sadly (+Old Judge), I'm not feeling inspired to do the Olympics article since they're over...perhaps for Sochi 2014?)

Other things that are keeping us busy include our secret project and a couple other opportunities that are coming up before the year closes. We hope to get that project out before the end of the year! Oh yeah, and Odyssey Phone Book updates probably won't be till after midterms, but I'll try. 

Thanks for sticking with Out of Control in Odyssey, all y'all. We really appreciate your support! 

Oh, by the way, I'm also super excited because the A's and Giants are both going to the playoffs, and the 49ers are having a second amazing season. BAY AREA FTW...okay, I have homework. Adios!