A surprise release from Mr Barton. Jon's short classic, released around this time last year gets the DVD transformation. This amazing movie was loved by all last year and now it can be loved again but now it can be loved more for it has lots of extras, including, trailers for Ringworld and Liberation Day, a sneak peek of Batman: The Killing Joke (May I also say that it's a v3dmm file and the film also looks freakin' amazing!), a message from Jon and directors commentaries for the movie. There are two versions of the movie in this DVD, the original, exactly as we saw it last year and a re-mastered version with some edited scenes which make the movie look even better. This big file is full of extras and things revealing the secret of Jon's magical movie. Nothing much is changed in the re-mastered of version of Liquid Sunshine. Some scenes had some new things added, animated or some things just changed around. The scenery may have been tampered with a little, but like before it was excellent and filled with beautiful detail. As always, Jon's voice in the movie is brilliant and I hope it never changes. The same music from before in the movie is good. Liquid Sunshine has the gold comedy moments, it's great to see it again. If you haven't seen the original and were planning to, don't bother, download this to see the original and a better version and plenty of bonus features, some will leave you jaw dropped. This cannot be missed. If you enjoyed the original, you ain't seen anything yet! Review by Ben Rice.

This one's been coming for awhile. I promised it weeks ago, but I've been delayed by work and my own movie, but here it is. Liquid Sunshine DVD is a thorough package that not only showcases a newly remastered edition of Barton's short, but also details the backstory, creative process, and a fair amount of production insight that went into the making of this short. The review will focus on the movie Liquid Sunshine (remastered) and will also have a special "Extras" section for the DVD extras. Liquid Sunshine is a fascinating piece of writing. It's very difficult to describe the story as a story. What it is is a sequence of thoughts of a bedridden man in his few hours of consciousness. The style of the storytelling is heavily dialogue based. Really it's more of a monologue. Nevertheless, Liquid Sunshine has a fascinating structure, as it mirrors the disjointed, disorganised thought patterns of someone experiencing life in fits and starts. It's funny at times, but with a bittersweet form of humor that makes you question why you're actually laughing. It's the mark of a good story when you need to sit back for a minute, ponder what you've just experienced, then hit the play button again. Liquid Sunshine has that effect on the viewer. It's a very profound piece. Jon's notes indicate the movie was made for personal reasons, and instead of focusing on what the core group wants to see, the story is thought provoking. It leads us to question how we are taking advantage of the life that we have for ourselves. Here's the character, in a semiconscious state, wondering if his life is worth the cost of electricity, and it leads the viewer to really look inward and wonder what they are doing with what they have. I took a long jog after watching the movie to sort it all out. A good presentation emphasises the story in a way that makes the movie feel tied together. Jon Barton's presentation here works for this movie and the story he's telling. It's disjointed, sometimes rushed from one visual idea to the next. For those who are merely watching and not listening to the story, it's not a pleasant style, but these people are severely missing the point. Jon's presentation consists of the little twists and turns, and short scenes that a person in a near-permanent comatose state would perceive the world as. It works for this story, emphasising the character and his dilemma. The remastered edition of Liquid Sunshine has a great look. The colours are vivid, especially notable in all the scenes where the titular "Liquid Sunshine" is expressed visually. These scenes are so full of colour that they're just dazzling to look at. The style is also very exaggerated. The people are "Knights of Camelot" style Hand Made Characters, adding to the stylised sort of view of the world the main character would have. Though one may initially question the choice of some slapstick exaggerations in such a serious movie, one must look beyond the pure "is this game good graphics" viewpoint. The important thing is that this is the way the character perceives the world, and Jon has made the characters world come to life as if we too were only conscious every now and then. Jon is one of the leading voice actors in the community. However, being from the States, I've always had some difficulty deciphering accents in high-speed dialogue. That's mostly my fault, however, so I watched it again, and got the full impact of the story. Jon's voice work is great, I found, once I tuned myself in properly. His expression and inflections are well suited to the story being told here. Jon's chief role here is to further the narrative, a job he does very well. The music choice is good too. It has a mellow, relaxed feel, which is very much a contrast to the life that the character is leading in the hospital. I found the contrast to work well. It seems that when the character is awake, he'll take advantage of his time and think about the important things, rather than the little things that too often people become obsessed with. The music embodied this sense, so a good selection there. Jon has crammed so much into this DVD release, that it's a joy to keep ploughing through them. There's lots of backstory, lots of planning, and a lot of thought and effort put into this rather short movie. The extras show that Jon was very passionate about getting this one onto the screen, and doing it in the best possible way. Especially notable are the timelines, and being able to read through the actual written out Liquid Sunshine. This DVD release also has a couple of trailers on it as well. The Ringworld trailer is very short, but very sweet at the same time. There seems to be a thread saying "Jon: Ringworld. When?" every week or so, so it's safe to say this is a hugely anticipated movie. Jon's also taking a whack at Batman. This is a huge undertaking, since Batman has been through many different interpretations, with the most recent debuting this summer, so he's got a lot to live up to. Liquid Sunshine is a movie that succeeds where so many movies have failed. It makes you care about the character, it makes to wonder about the human condition. More importantly it makes you think. There's a lot to be said for a movie that can make you think, especially when it's a 3DMM movie. It's not an easy task, but Jon Barton's managed to do it, and very well, I might add. Review by Andrew Salter.