AnneCarlini.com Home
 
  Giveaways!
  Insider Gossip
  Monthly Hot Picks
  Book Reviews
  CD Reviews
  Concert Reviews
  DVD Reviews
  Game Reviews
  Movie Reviews
  Check Out The NEW Anne Carlini Productions!
  [NEW] Belouis Some (2024)
  [NEW] Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel (2024)
  [NEW] Mark Ruffalo (‘Poor Things’)
  [NEW] Paul Giamatti (‘The Holdovers’)
  [NEW] Crystal Gayle
  [NEW] Ellen Foley
  Gotham Knights [David Russo - Composer]
  The Home of WAXEN WARES Candles!
  Michigan Siding Company for ALL Your Outdoor Needs
  MTU Hypnosis for ALL your Day-To-Day Needs!
  COMMENTS FROM EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE READERS!


©2024 annecarlini.com
Ghost Canyon

'The Point: Ultimate Edition' (MVD Rewind)
(Ringo Starr, Mike Lookinland, Harry Nilsson, Paul Frees, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1971) 2020 / MVD Visual)

Overview: Years ago there was a place called The Land of the Point, because everything in The Land of the Point had one the barns, the houses, the cars, everything even the people.

Everyone, that is, except Oblio (Mike Lookinland, The Brady Bunch), who was born round-headed. Since he had no point, Oblio along with his trusty dog, Arrow was banished to the Pointless Forest.

Join them to see what wonders await these two intrepid travelers as they make their way on their amazing, song-filled journey of discovery!

Directed and animated by Academy Award® Winner Fred Wolf ('Free To Be You & Me,' 'The Flintstones'), with story and songs written by Grammy Award® Winner Harry Nilsson and narration by Ringo Starr, 'The Point' is a timeless enchanting fable for the whole family to enjoy!

Blu-ray Verdict: In truth, I first saw this quirky gem on TV as a child and fell in love with everything about it. The message of tolerance definitely spoke to me and the music was great. Found myself singing "Me and My Arrow" many times over the years and still love that song!

In a town where everyone has a point on the top of their head, and everything is also pointed, something happens that it seems has never happened in the community before.

A child is born without a pointed head. He is named Oblio, and during his childhood, he gets a dog with a pointed snout named Arrow and turns out to be quite popular, but one kid who doesn't like him is the nasty son of the evil count!

One day, the two compete in a popular game in the town called triangle toss, where the players try to catch a triangle with the point on their head.

With the help of Arrow, who can catch it with his snout, Oblio wins. The count wants his son to rule someday, and after hearing about his defeat in the game, he is outraged!

He realizes that Oblio is a threat to his son ever ruling, so he tells the king how this boy is an outlaw, due to the fact that he doesn't have a pointed head.

Although the king is good, and likes Oblio, he is weak-kneed and gives in to the count's demands. After a trial, the boy and his dog are banished to the Pointless Forest.

While there, they find themselves on a psychedelic adventure, encountering unusual creatures they've never seen before, and this journey turns out to be quite educational!

Ergo, 'The Point' is a rather bizarre story, but Nilsson made it abundantly clear that it was inspired by an acid trip; so it's also a rather clever story with a moral.

I know I'm not the first to point this out, but it's lesson in tolerance, which I may not have quite understood as a kid, but do now. The animation in this 1971 TV special is sketchy, and not completely colored, which could disappoint some people, but I think I've always liked it that way.

The story may be touching a times (during the sad farewell scene as Oblio leaves for the Pointless Forest, for example). Oblio meets some very interesting and memorable characters in the Pointless Forest, such as the three-headed Pointed Man (who is ironically quite pointless, though maybe not when he says, "A point in every direction is the same as having no point at all."), the Rock Man, the Leaf Man, etc.

There's also humor in the cartoon, especially during Leaf Man sequence, in my opinion, with the first words he says to Oblio and Arrow. As aforementioned, I most certainly can't forget the bunch of songs from Nilsson featured in the film and on the album, which are a big part of the both, and ones I've enjoyed many times.

I really don't know what I would have thought if I had just seen 'The Point' for the first time at my age now. It may have left me confused, though it also may have grown on me with more viewings.

It definitely seems more bizarre and a bit less entertaining to me now than it did when I watched it when I was eight years old, but I definitely understand it more now than I did before, and I've never been a stoner, in case you were wondering.

Also, I used to always see the TV version, taped off TV, with Dustin Hoffman as the narrator. Renting it on DVD, I finally got to see the home video version for the first time, featuring Ringo Starr as the narrator instead (which is the one just-released now from MVD Visual).

This was a little different, but Ringo also does a good job, so it was worth hearing his voice in the cartoon. I'm sure kids today could really enjoy this psychedelic cartoon just like I did, and I'm sure many adults can as well, and can have a better understanding of the message.

Perhaps the same goes with adolescents. If you like psychedelic cartoons from this era, like, let's say, 'Yellow Submarine', there's probably a good chance you'd like this one! This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.37:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Brand new 2K High Definition transfer presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio
5.1 Surround + 2.0 Stereo
Optional English Subtitles
NEW! ''The Kid's Got a Point'': An Interview with Mike Lookinland (HD, 17:13)
NEW! ''That Old Guy Wrote The Point'': A Conversation with Screenwriter Norm Lenzer (HD, 15:01)
NEW! ''Everybody's Got a Point'': Kiefo Nilsson and Bobby Halvorson on Adapting The Point (HD, 15:50)
NEW! ''Nilsson on Screen'': Biographer Alyn Shipton and Friends on Harry Nilsson's Film Projects & Appearances (HD, 1:01:13)
The Making of The Point: Four part featurette includes: ''Who Is Harry Nilsson?'' , ''Pitching The Point'' , ''Making The Point'' and ''Legacy of the Point'' (SD, 26:40)
Collectible Mini-Poster

All songs written and performed by Harry Nilsson:
"Me And My Arrow"
"Everything's Got 'Em"
"Poli High"
"Think About Your Troubles"
"Life Line"
"P.O.V. Waltz"
"Are You Sleeping"

'The Point: Ultimate Edition' Blu-ray Purchase Link

www.MVDshop.com





...Archives