Reviews

This was typical of the one-sided, unintentionally funny, and jingoistic action movies that came out during the Reagan Administration, and as such, clearly shows its age.

See Edward Zwick's "The Siege" instead.

Key the Metal Idol is not a typical robot-girl animé series, but a thoroughly engrossing story inspired by Pinocchio that explores human fragility, the pressures of fame, and hidden corporate agendas.

After you watch the first few episodes, it leaves you wanting to see it through to the end. The story may confuse you at first, but towards the end the plot twists eventually fall into place. However, there is a loose end or two, namely the relationship between Key and Sakura.

The dubbed version is done reasonably well, particularly the songs. In summary, Key the Metal Idol is animé for the non-animé viewer.

There are a number of animé shows where cars take centre stage - Speed Racer comes to mind - but this is different. The cars in Taiho Shichau Zo (You're Under Arrest) are highly detailed, having been taken from real production models - the main characters drive a Honda Today (smaller than the Honda Civic), in pursuit of a Mini Minor in one episode. Such a display of rubber-burning adds interest to an otherwise OK anime.

TSZ/YUA is only 4 episodes long, so if you're looking for a longer series, I would recommend the manga, or even the old classic Speed Racer.

With its lightning pace, smooth animation, and character insight, I found Akira thoroughly engrossing. It tells us about the corrupting influence of power, and what happens when science takes that very power too far (reminiscent of The Terminator). Although "Akira" is largely remembered for its generous amounts of gore, it is not mindlessly Hollywood-style - it seems to be there for a reason.

However, one may find the plot a little confusing at times, especially the ending. This is probably from the fact that Katsuhiro Ôtomo faced the challenge of condensing a 38-volume manga into a 2-hour film. As others have mentioned, you may have to see it more than once to fully appreciate the plot.

Barring that, Akira is right up there in its genre. Keep in mind the holocaust in the intro is not a nuclear weapon - I'll leave you to figure it out.

It is all too often the case that outside of Japan, the animation genre is typecast as being strictly for kids. Also, when animé does come to the West, it is often bastardised by the studios that bring them to the English-speaking market, through heavy re-editing, thereby disjointing the story line, and amateurish dubbing. "Sailor Moon" is a case in point.

Princess Mononoke is a definite exception. The dubbing is on par with the original Japanese dialogue (although for a more authentic feel, you should check out the sub-titled version) courtesy of top writer Neil Gaiman, and the animation surpasses even Japanese standards.

The animation and voices are just half of what makes this film whole. The story line, although slightly complex, does not have the formulaic good-versus-evil scenario. It sends a message that nature is about understanding, rather than taming, it. And the characters are three-dimensional to boot.

Hopefully, Princess Mononoke will be the catalyst for the animé genre as a whole to reach a much wider audience. This is definitely animé for the non-animé viewer.

On a final note, Princess Mononoke was rated 'PG' by the censors in New Zealand. Personally, I think it should have been rated 'M', since there are various battle scenes involving gore.

Michael Moore is a roaring mouse in a world of corporate elephants. In "The Awful Truth", he highlights the abuse of corporate power towards the little people, the weak, and the marginalised, in a style that manages to be serious and funny at the same time. Moore is definitely in a class of his own, with the exception of the vast 'alternative press' that the media oligarchy would never put on air or publish.

This is Jim Carrey like you've never seen before. A very good satire of media ruthlessness.