Movie Review – Ichi (2008)
Imagine if you will twenty years from now that some young hot shot director will suddenly get hit by lightning and decide to tackle a remake of Indiana Jones with all the stylistic trappings intact except for one tectonic change being that the lead character will undergo a gender swap and become female. It’s one thing to reboot or reimagine a long running series by casting younger actors to fill the iconic roles but it’s another thing entirely to drastically shake up the formula by changing the title character’s sex. How would audiences react? How would a sex change redefine the character? Whatever the result the risks are enormous.
Movie Review – Space Battleship Yamato (2010)
Growing up there were two shows which I always wanted to see on TV. It did not matter what I was doing at that particular time since the mere sight of these familiar images popping up on the TV compelled me to sit down to watch whatever episode was on even though I probably had seen each of them a million times. The first show is a no brainer to guess for those who follow my blog especially its first incarnation over on Blogger since the entire website header was emblazoned with the USS Enterprise in all her glory.
Movie Review – Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
Resident Evil: Degeneration is the newest film in the franchise and in a departure from previous installments is wholly rendered in CG rather than using real actors. The degree of enjoyment that this movie provides is solely based on one factor alone that being whether or not you are intimately familiar with the video games on which this is based on.
Movie Review – Oneechanbara: The Movie (2008)
Take a group of people up against a horde of rampaging zombies and you have a movie probably written and directed by George A. Romero. Change that to a single woman fighting against zombies and most will probably think of Milla Jovovich in the Resident Evil trilogy movies. How about a voluptuous babe dressed in a ten gallon cowboy hat, a fur scarf and only wearing a string bikini fighting against the living dead? Well, you get Oneechanbara: The Movie based on a semi-famous Japanese video game. If that sounds even remotely pleasing read on. If not, move along as there’s nothing of interest here.
Movie Review – Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei) (2002)
Beautifully shot and impeccably acted, director Yôji Yamada’s Twilight Samurai is an achingly touching movie telling the tale of a simple low ranking Samurai struggling to eke out a meager existence during the waning days of the end of the Samurai era. Anime fans will no doubt know this period by the many genre series such as fan favorite Rurouni Kenshin while live action cinephiles will recognize this in films such as Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai. However, unlike those shows Twilight Samurai features next to no action and takes the viewer on an altogether enlightening look into a subject matter not so often touched upon that being the daily routine of a common Samurai. All this takes place a few scant years before the tectonic shift in the socio-political structure that will eventually become the Meiji Restoration and the final abolishment of the Samurai way of life.
Movie Review – Shenmue The Movie (2001)
“In the end Shenmue The Movie is meant just for fans of the game who might be thrilled that they can be reminded of their past gaming experience. For others, the project is just too esoteric to recommend as a cinematic experience.”
Anime Review – On Your Mark (1995)
“On Your Mark will definitely appeal to Miyazaki and Ghibli fans but I have an inkling that casual music video fans will like the animation but not find it particularly stimulating.”
