Reviews

Let me start by saying that The Cat Returns is not the best of Ghibli and Miyazaki had almost nothing to do with it. If Miyazaki had directed or even written it, the film would have been as great as Totoro or Kiki. This movie is pretty much Whisper of the Heart as a Spirited Away style fantasy.

The story is as follows: A normal girl named Haru is transported to the world of cats to marry a cat prince who she saved from a speeding truck. That's basically all that I can tell without giving away the film. For those of you who loved Whisper, Baron is back big time. It was great to see Baron have a much larger role as a hero. The `stray' cat from Whisper is also back and fatter than ever.

Though some Ghibli fans will be disappointed, those who are cat-lovers will fall in love with the film. The film's flaw lies in that the story moves along a bit too fast for my taste. Just don't go expecting a film on the same level as Spirited Away or Mononoke and you'll have a great time. Grade: A-.

Rated PG for frightening scenes, brief sensuality, and language. Suggested for ages 10 and up.

I haven't seen the entire series `The Visions of Escaflowne'. What I saw I really liked, but it needed something. It needed to be a much darker and more grim story. Well, this movie has a grim and dark story, with plenty of graphic violence to boot (now why did it get a PG-13?). Even though it kind of is a condensed version of the series, it does tell it's own story in a way. Though some `Escaflowne' fans may be disappointed by how much different the movie is, many people will be happy with the style.

The story is basically the same as the series: A normal high-school girl named Hitomi is transported to the world of Gaea to help the survivors of countries that fell to the powerful Black Dragon empire in one final battle that will determine the fate of their world.

It's actually a pretty good story with amazing animation and characters who are much less annoying in the movie than they were in the series. The music is also stunning with several great tracks.

Every way I look at the movie I love it. It's even kind of a cute romance movie. If you have a friend who wants to see some anime, show him this. If you liked the movie then get the 3-disc DVD. Well worth watching, but do get the subtitled version. Dubbed: C, Subtitled: A.

Rated R for graphic animated violence/gore, language, and sensuality. Suggested for ages 15 and up.

Cannibal! The Musical is now a small cult classic thanks to DVD. It deserves more because this is simply a great movie, with songs that will leave you laughing for days and some great pop-culture references. Oh yeah, and Japanese Indians. And Confederate solider Cyclopses.

I actually read about the real Alfred Packer on the internet and believe it or not, the movie stays true to what happened. Scary, huh?

Historical background aside, the one-liners and musical numbers (`Let's Build a Snowman' is unbelievably funny) are a good reason to get this movie. If you have a DVD player, get the DVD and listen to the cast/crew's drunk commentary. It's not very informative but it sure is fun. Grade: A.

Rated R for graphic comic violence/gore and strong language. Suggested for ages 14 and up.

Ghost in the Shell was produced for a simultaneous release in the U.S., England, and Japan. It's intended goal was to make mainstream audiences aware of anime. But, once again, mainstream audiences stuck to movies like Independence Day and ignored this masterpiece. Thankfully, it became a cult classic in the U.S. and UK on video, laserdisc, and DVD.

The story is as follows: In 2029 many people have some kind of cybernetic implant. The `brain' of the implant is known as a ghost. A police division known as Section 9 is looking for a `ghost-hacker' known only by his alias, `The Puppet Master', but Section 9 uncovers a startling secret.

I just saw it for the first time last November and I was very impressed. I went out and bought it after Christmas on DVD. During the next three viewings I got even more out of it story-wise. Though the plot is not as confusing as AKIRA, it will still take you a repeat viewing or two to fully understand the story.

Hopefully Stand Alone Complex and Innocence will come out in the U.S. Rent the subtitled DVD and see it the way Oshii intended it to be seen. My only complaint is that the movie clocks in at 82 minutes and it should run at about 30 minutes longer for this deep of a story. And for those of you prudes, Motoko is wearing a body suit during 80% of her `nude' scenes. Dubbed Version: C-, Subtitled Version: A.

Rated R for scenes of intense/strong animated violence, nudity, and some language.

The movie is preceded by a brilliant piece of live-action by Terry Gilliam titled `The Crimson Parliament Assurance'. Then we go into the tasteless world of Meaning of Life. The skits are at times very funny, but you must have a strong stomach if you want to get through most of them. This movie was in some ways a, `Lets see how offensive and tasteless we can make this!' movie. In some parts it was lacking the originality of the previous films and the series, but some of the brilliant skits (Death, Crimson Parliament Assurance, The Middle of the Film, Live Organ Transplants, and The Miracle of Birth) more than make up for the lack of Python originality. If you're a Python fan like me, you might feel a tear roll down your face at the end. Short: A+, Movie: B+. Overall Grade: A-

Rated R for non-stop vulgar crude/sexual humor, nudity, graphic comic violence, and strong language. Suggested for ages 15 and up.

In Walt Disney's groundbreaking Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the villain is an evil sorceress and the heroes are seven `funny' dwarves and a beautiful woman who sings to cute animals while sitting under a tree. In Katsuhiro Ôtomo's groundbreaking AKIRA, the villain is a corrupt government and the heroes are `terrorist' revolutionaries and amphetamine-addicted biker gangs who hit rival gang members in the head with ratchets at 140 km/h. Sound different Disney lovers? Well it is. It is very different.

This ultra-violent and dark vision was brought to life in 1988 by creative genius Katsuhiro Ôtomo. It was the most expensive Japanese film at that time and it became the all-time anime classic. The only film ever made that truly defines its genre.

The story of the film is as follows: In post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo, a biker gang member named Tetsuo has mysterious powers "awakened" inside of him and goes out to find Akira, the one who gave him his power.

Not as simple and straightforward as you think (or wish). Many filmgoers complain that AKIRA makes no sense and never goes anywhere. Here is what I have to say to them, "Read the manga.' The manga is over 2,000 pages long while the movie clocks in without end credits at 122 minutes. And if you watch it several times it actually makes perfect sense.

The most mind-blowing aspect of the film is it's "organic" music. Recorded before a frame of animation was finished, the music sounds absolutely stunning and fits the images on screen almost perfectly.

Another stunner is the animation. The only CG used is in the comparison of Akira and Tetsuo's power (the glowing hologram). The cel animation looks unbelievably realistic even today and the introduction of Kaneda's gang is a real eye-opener.

Warner Bros. is apparently trying to remake the film as an animated movie. Let's hope they fail, because the only time this movie should have been "upgraded" was in 2001 when Pioneer released their great remastered edition.

With it's ultra-violent kinetic real-time action, mind-blowing visual designs, and complex story, AKIRA made my top 150 list at number 4. If you want it, get Pioneer's 2-disc SE and DTS disc. And yeah, I got the story.

Rated R for graphic animated violence/gore, language, and brief nudity. Suggested for ages 15 and up.

A truly thought provoking and odd experience. The film runs 6mins40secs and has almost as much depth as The Matrix (1999) which runs 136mins10secs. I think that this belongs as a short film and not a feature-length film. You'll get what's happening after about three viewings. I've seen it eight times and it still blows my mind. Show this to anyone who doesn't like anime. Grade: A+

This was my introduction to anime. I first saw this movie in 1995. I loved it but forgot about it for quite a while. In 1999, Miramax released Mononoke Hime into U.S. theaters. I saw it three times during its theatrical run and six times on video. When I looked up Miyazaki's filmogrophy I saw that he directed Totoro. I knew that I had to see it one way or another. About four weeks ago I bought the import DVD and I watched it again. I fell in love with it again. It's probably the cutest movie ever. The creature Totoro is the best "cute-thing" ever to hit the silver screen. Mei and Satsuki are brilliant. If you don't have time to see the whole movie then just watch the bus-stop scene. Brilliant! You can never go wrong with Miyazaki. Disney (U.S.) could never get a project like this off the ground without screwing it up royally and adding musical numbers. EVERYBODY LOVES TOTORO! Grade: A

This is probably the most depressing film I've ever seen. Enough to make anyone cry. This is also one of the most chilling films I have ever seen. The message is there and it is relevant.

The story involves a young boy named Seita and his 5-year-old sister Setsuko. They both must survive on their own during the horrific firebombing raids in the final months of WWII.

Many films portray America as the "hero" of WWII. This movie convincingly portrays it as a "villain". I had the chills after watching this because I realized, "America did this to Japan."

Highly recommended even though it is depressing and horrifying. Grade: A+

Rated PG-13 for images of graphic violence, mature thematic elements, and language.

Silly, weird, and action-packed, this is one that fans of anime shouldn't miss. The story involves Fam and Ihrie, two "Ruin Explorers" who are trying to gain the ultimate power. Fam wants it to have more friends while her partner Ihrie wants it to lift a curse (she turns into a mouse whenever she uses magic). They quickly find a man who sells them a map of a secret castle, which holds what they think, is the ultimate power. They quickly realize they have been tricked and that the mapmaker has some not-so-friendly partners. Fam quickly befriends a young man named Lyle who may help them in their quest. All of the people on the show eventually team up to stop an evil sorcerer named Rugudorull from ruling the world. Much action and hilarity ensues.

Lots of the show is slapstick comedy with the girls trying to be Lyle's girlfriend. These scenes are fun to watch but get slightly boring after a while. The action is very well done and not overly violent like some anime. The whole thing plays out like a movie since it's only four episodes (about 115 minutes if you include the opening and closing credits). Overall a very entertaining, fun, and funny little series that hardly anyone has seen. Definitely worth your $26 and it's not to bloody.

Rated PG-13 for animated violence, brief nudity, and language. Suggested for ages 12 and up.

Great romance and a fun storyline make this one a must see. I loved it because of it's memorable characters. The film would NOT fit into American mainstream television because you have to know quite a bit about Japanese culture in order to get it. Other than that you'll have a great time watching. The story involves a boy who tries to find true love in high school. Simple and effective. Hard to believe Ghibli didn't make anymore TV films. Grade: A-

Rated PG for adult themes and drinking. Suggested for ages 11 and up.

I loved Whisper of the Heart. I loved the animation, the story, and the acting. The romance was well played out and the ending was satisfying. I loved the story-writing process and the way it was almost playing out in real life. There was something a little bit off about it. It has only about three minutes of fantasy sequences with Baron. Those should have been half of the movie! Hopefully, The Cat Returns: Whisper of the Heart II will have more of them. I still liked it though despite this problem. Grade: A-

Rated PG for language.

Starting with the bad news (which there is hardly any of). The movie is 125 minutes long with credits but you will wish it were 187 minutes long. The film has one very noticeable (but fairly standard) continuity error.

The good news, it is one of the best films you will ever see. It ties with Fellowship of the Ring as #1 movie of 2001. Unforgettable story and visuals will make you want to see it again and again.

The story involves a girl who is accidentally in the spirit world when her parents (who later become pigs) take a wrong turn on their way moving to suburbia. Haku helps her through the maze of gods and spirits but he may be working for the Yu-Baaba (which literally in Japanese means Bath Crone). But enough story. Go see for yourself why this is such a good movie. When I saw this film I saw the English dubbed version. Like Mononoke it was a very good dub.

Rated PG for frightening and violent images. Suggested for ages 9 and up.

If anyone from Disney reads this please make Spirited Away a huge DVD with a DTS-ES track and loads of features from the Japanese DVD.

Peter Jackson has now directed the three Lord of the Rings films. This film is a Peter Jackson movie that isn't non-stop gore (excluding Lord of the Rings). It is a very fine movie with fantastic special effects, a great performance by Michael J. Fox and a great score by Danny Elfman. Sadly the film is avalible on a very poor DVD.

The Frighteners would be a great DVD if it had the features culled from the original laserdisc (UNIVERSAL I HOPE YOUR LISTENING):

DISC 1-The Film

Director's Cut-DTS/DOLBY

Audio commentary by director Peter Jackson

The Theatrical Cut-DTS/DOLBY

DISC 2-The Features

"The Making of The Frighteners" 4hrs 29mins (FROM LASERDISC)

Edited Versions 5mins (FROM TV AND EUROPEAN CUTS)

Deleted scenes 19mins (FROM LASERDISC)

Bloopers 5mins (FROM LASERDISC)

Theatrical trailer 3mins (FROM LASERDISC)

FEATURES 306 mins

If you watch a 50s B-movie you'll probably see it has some horribly mutated monster in a small town that is in the middle of nowhere. Tremors has the same plot but is more fun.

I loved it the first time I saw it. It had wit, scares, good special effects, slime, fun, humor, and giant worms. When I finally bought I watched it twice and had a lot of fun. Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon are great as the two losers who have to save their town. See it and you'll be suprised how funny it really is. Be advised however that it is not suitable for children under 13.

Rated PG-13 for scenes of graphic horror violence, gore, sexual humor, and strong profanity.

South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut is the best musical ever and some of the most fun you'll ever have. Not for very squeamish people. This film has 399 curse words, 128 obscene gestures, and 221 acts of violence. It is a great thing for fans of the show and casual movie-goers. The spoofs are superb and the songs are superb. You'll be humming the songs "Uncle F***a" and "It's Easy Mmkay'" for months. Watch it and prepare to be amazed. Rated R for non-stop strong profanity, extremly crude sexual humor, graphic animated violence, and gore.

Incredible special effects make this movie worthwhile. For a movie made from Toho it has special effects worthy of an Oscar in 1989. The Japanese version is the one you should watch because it has better dialouge and it isn't dubbed. Visually intriguing but not a very competent plot. Rated R for some strong violence, blood, and profanity. Grade: B+

Shrek and Monsters Inc. are the competitor's. Ice Age is not the best animated film of all time but it has some very funny and brilliant scenes. It's just a fun movie with some great animation. Go see it, you'll love it. Grade: B+