Director Bong Joon-ho, is one of those rare directors that have managed to create a movie that made tons at the box office but was also listed as one of the better movies made in that year. His movie, The Host, expertly melded the creature feature with that of a very touching story about family.

Three years after the release of that film, Bong Joon-ho is back with a movie with Mother. This is movie is a return to his earlier roots – specifically, his old movie Memories of Murder. The story deals with an old woman whose dim-witted son was accused of murdering a girl. The mother goes on a quest to find out what happened so she can get her son back. Mother has parallelisms with Memories of Murder in that a murder and memories pay pivotal roles in developing the story.

This is a movie that’s really worth checking out.

With Zebraman’s popularity, it’s not surprising to know that a sequel is already made, after all, there’s a big clamor from fans of the movie for a continuation of the story presented in the first Zebraman.

What’s unusual is having a spin-off that will serve to “complement” the upcoming sequel. But it’s there and it’s real. The straight to DVD spinoff is directed by Miike’s assistant director Nishiumi Kenichiro. The sequel, with the title “Revenge of teh Zebra Miniskirt Police” will feature three pretty women who will be the members of the police squad. Their role in the sequel are bodyguards to the main character . They will all be wearing Zebra miniskirts, which just brings the weirdness factor up a notch.

Almost five years after The King… Lee Jun-Ik is returning to period movies, this time in a more action oriented fashion. Lee’s new movie, entitled Gureumeul Beoseonan Dalcheoreom or roughly “Like The Moon That Escaped the Cloud,” features Cha Seung Won as a revolutionary and Hwang Jun-Min, who will play a “legendary blind swordsman.”

Say what?

Doesn’t “legendary blind swordsman” describe a very famous character in Japanese legend and film? Based on a promo shot of the blind swordsman, it does look like Lee has taken inspiration from the legendary Zatoichi. I won’t be surprised if Lee’s movie will also borrow some elements and plot points from the Zatoichi story.

I still look forward to the movie though.

But if there’s one auteur who I would consider as one of the least likely to use 3D, it would be Gaspar Noe. The guy’s ouevre is not something that you would even imagine on 3D. But apparently, I am wrong. There is now talk that Gaspar Noe is working on a “joyful porn melodrama”, and this is going to be shot in 3D. A porn movie in 3D? Now that is outside the box thinking. I can’t even begin to imagine how Noe is going to fully exploit the technology and how 3D will help propel his story. Are penises coming right at you from the screen and copious amounts of bodily fluids splashing about and making you feel that it’s going to bathe you in a sticky mess going to make for good cinema? I’m not really sure. But, one thing I know for sure though, this is going to be an event movie like no other. I bet the guardians of morality are already painting their signs as we speak.

Contrary to a lot of people’s opinions, there is life outside America. And even when it comes to films, there is a lot of life in existence in other parts of the world. If all you know about are the Oscars and the Golden Globes, then it might be time for you to expand your horizons a little bit. Like, take a look at other awards such as the British Academy Film Awards. The nominations were done on Thursday and here are some of the most notable nominees, courtesy of a report by the Associated Press:

Underdog-turned-favorite “Slumdog Millionaire” picked up 11 nominations Thursday for the British Academy film awards, Britain’s version of the Oscars.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which stars Brad Pitt as a man who ages backward, also was nominated in 11 categories, including best film, best actor and best director for David Fincher.

Double Golden Globe winner Kate Winslet is competing against herself in the best-actress category, with nominations for both “The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road.” She is up against Angelina Jolie for “The Changeling,” Meryl Streep for “Doubt” and Kristin Scott Thomas for the French film “I’ve Loved You So Long.”

The best-actor nominees are Patel of “Slumdog”, Sean Penn for “Milk,” Frank Langella for “Frost/Nixon,” Mickey Rourke for “The Wrestler” and Pitt — who also was nominated in the supporting-actor category for the Coen brothers’ spy comedy “Burn After Reading.”

Batman thriller “The Dark Knight” received nine nods, including a best supporting actor nomination for the late Heath Ledger.

Clint Eastwood’s L.A. noir “Changeling” is nominated in eight categories, including best director, while political drama “Frost/Nixon” has six nominations including best actor for Frank Langella and best director for Ron Howard.

In addition to “Slumdog” and “Benjamin Button,” the best-picture contenders are “Frost/Nixon,” inspirational biopic “Milk” and Nazi-themed drama “The Reader.”

In the separate category of best British film, the nominees are “Slumdog,” ABBA musical “Mamma Mia!” hit-man comedy “In Bruges,” Irish hunger-striker drama “Hunger” and tightrope-walking documentary “Man on Wire.”

One thing to note – there are a lot of duplicates from the Golden Globes. But that is to be expected. The BAFTA winners will be announced on February 8 at the Royal Opera House in London. You can also visit the web site for more information.

Year in and year out, when December comes and January is just around the corner, we see all sorts of lists. Countdowns, best games, best songs, best TV shows, and of course, best movies. Naturally, every agency, person, and web site has his own “best list.” Which to believe? I’d say go ahead and make your own best movies of 2008 list!

If you’re too lazy to do that on your own and you need some help, though, here is one very interesting list from a reputable source – CNN International’s list. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find some of your favorite movies of this year on this list.

1. The Dark Knight
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Hunger
4. Wall-E
5. Leonera
6. Gomorrah
7. Waltz with Bashir
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
9. W.
10. Elite Squad
11. The Good, The Bad, The Weird
12. Il Divo
13. Cloverfield
14. The Wrestler
15. Happy Go Lucky
16. Linha De Passe
17. Man on Wire

I think that the beauty of this list is that it includes more than American movies. Truth be told, a large number of people are limited to what Hollywood churns out year after year. There are, however, countless other excellent films to be seen and experienced, which are created by people from the international scene. Perhaps it is time for you to try and see what they are about; expand your horizons so to speak? This list is a good place to start.

There’s one word that best describes Japanese cartoons such as “Naruto”, and that word is “filler”. Lots and lots of filler. The type of television show that takes twenty episodes worth of plot and stretches in out to fit one hundred. Shows like “Dragonball Z”, “Inu Yasha”, “One Piece” and “Bleach”. I recognize why they employ these tactics (the shows are made concurrently with the comics but have to keep from catching up with the source material, which often times leads to entire fifty episode story arcs of pure, meaningless filler), but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Thankfully, they also make movies. Much like the “Dragonball Z” movies I review so frequently for this website, “Naruto the Movie” cuts the crap and gets right to the point. It takes everything that’s decent about the show and leaves behind much of what makes it impossible for me to watch. But is it still any good?

For those who don’t keep up with the show, Naruto Uzumaki (Maile Flanagan) is an obnoxious ninja boy with a nine-tailed demon residing within his body, which gives him incredible power. He is a member of Team 7, a group of young ninjas consisting of the quiet loner stereotype, Sasuke (Yuri Lowenthal), the brain-dead pink haired generic anime girl, Sakura (Kate Higgins), and their leader, the enigmatic adult ninja, Kakashi (Dave Wittenberg). Team 7 is given the mission of escorting the stuck-up actress Fujikaze Yukie and her film crew to the Snow Country. However, along the way they discover that Yukie is actually the deposed Princess of the Snow Country, Princess Koyuki Kazehana. Team 7’s job meets with complications when they are attacked by a band of rogue ninjas, lead by Doto Kazehana, who wants Yukie’s necklace as it is in fact the key to the Snow Country’s greatest treasure.

Alright, so it should be fairly obvious that I’m not the biggest “Naruto” fan in the world. So then, why did I go see this movie for it’s extremely limited (one night, one showing, in select theaters only) theatrical release? Because America doesn’t make cel-animated movies anymore. Or, we don’t release them theatrically, anyway. As a matter of fact, the last cel-animated cartoon I saw in theaters was the “Full Metal Alchemist” movie…and I saw that when I was visiting Kyoto in 2005. I basically just wanted to see a cartoon on the big screen that wasn’t CGI. It really could’ve been anything.

Still, like I said earlier, this movie leaves behind most of the things I hate about the TV series and was actually rather enjoyable. The various batshit-crazy ninja moves that characters execute in battle are a trip and remain very creative and visually entertaining. They employ them in lots of inventive ways that actually surprise the audience (I never see that damn substitution-jutsu coming no matter how many times they pull it). The story’s no great shakes, pulling quite a few ideas from the much-superior “Castle of Cagliostro”, even going so far as to have a predictable “the REAL treasure of the country is blah blah blah, which the villain could NEVER have!” trite ending. Yet, they tell the story in the span of 113 minutes instead of 113 episodes, so it has that advantage over the TV series.

The animation is also pretty good. I mean, you can tell the budget wasn’t cosmic or anything, as the animation is only a bit better than the TV show’s, but it’s still very technically sound and the fight scenes are pure eye candy. A lot of “Naruto” fans express loathing for the English dub of the show, but I’ve never really found it all that bad. Well, save for that ”Believe It!” thing, but thankfully they keep that to a minimum.

Now for the stuff I hate. I hate most of the characters. That’s right, even Sasuke. The cast is basically made up of every shallow anime character template you can think of. I think Sakura is my least favorite, as the extent of her personality is “I love Sasuke, TEE HEE!” Naruto’s brand of obnoxious buffoonery can actually be endearing at times. I found the scene where Yukie maces him in the face and buries him under a pile of logs to be pretty funny. I suppose if I had to like one character, it would be Kakashi. He seems to be aware that every other character in the show is annoying as all Hell.

So did I like the movie? Eh, not really. But I’m not a “Naruto” fan, so it really wasn’t geared for me. I did enjoy seeing a well-produced cel-animated feature film on the big screen, so it wasn’t a total loss. “Naruto” fans are sure to enjoy it, and since they’re the target audience, I guess the film achieved its goal.

Grade: C

Believe it or not, back in the “good ole days”, America wasn’t the only country coming out with cartoons based on Nintendo’s iconic Super Mario Bros. In 1986, Grouper Productions (the same people who brought us Hello Kitty and her extended cast) came out with this OVA film which loosely adapts the storyline of the first Super Mario Bros. video game for the NES. Video cassettes of this anime can be rather hard to come by, and those that show up on Japanese auction sites can go for several hundred dollars. But god bless the internet: I watched it for free!

So, how was it?

Well, the premise is the same, though the story diverges in some key ways. Mario and Luigi are two brothers who own and operate a grocery store in (what appears to be) California. One day, while staying up late playing his NES, Mario is surprised when a beautiful Princess named Peach jumps out of his television and begs for his protection. She is immediately followed by the monstrous turtle-dragon, King Koopa, who effortlessly tosses Mario aside and kidnaps the Princess. The next morning, Luigi is skeptical of Mario’s story until a bizarre caterpillar-dog-thing enters their store and steals the locket Peach left behind. The Mario Bros chase it down a pipe and wind up in the strange world of the Mushroom Kingdom. Upon arrival, a mystical Mushroom Hermit charges them with the task of saving the Mushroom Kingdom from King Koopa’s tyranny and rescuing Princess Peach!

While some differences are immediately noticeable, the basic story is for all intents and purposes intact. Some changes are rather wacky, though. For instance, Luigi wears yellow and blue as opposed to his green and blue duds, and rather than act like a craven coward like he does in the games and in the American cartoons, he is instead a greedy sunuvabich. Good thing for him he winds up in a world where all you have to do is smash a rock open and gold coins fall out. Then there’s King Koopa. He’s much less sinister in this anime than in the US cartoons or even the more recent video games. His voice is rather whiney and high pitched (as opposed to the growly dragon voice we’re used to) and he’s kind of annoying. Probably the most perplexing change is that the character known as Toad in the US, along with all the other Mushroom Retainers, are girls. Noodle that one.

As far as the story goes, the OVA is aimed at kids rather unashamedly. It’s cute and funny, but only a little bit so. Some of the gags will have you smiling, but it’s a kid’s flick through and through, so don’t expect any “laugh out loud” moments. It probably could have been dubbed by the Super Mario Bros. Super Show cast and brought over to the US and fit in perfectly. As far as the animation goes, it’s no great shakes. It’s pleasant and not riddled with errors, but it isn’t what I’d call “visually stimulating”. It’s pretty much on par with all of Grouper’s Sanrio/Hello Kitty stuff.

I don’t mind it being a kid’s movie. I like kid’s movies. So that’s not what bugged me. No, what irked me was the over-the-top, “you’ve gotta be kidding me” product placement done throughout the film. At random instances, Mario with hit a block and Super Mario Brand Ramen will pop out and he’ll eat it and talk about how delicious it is. They even interrupt the final battle with King Koopa to hurl in some product placement. It’s rather annoying.

Overall, it’s a fun piece of obscure Mario media that’s worth watching, but not worth the insane prices it goes for online. Just about everything from the first Mario game is represented, from Lakitu and Spiney’s Eggs to the Hammer Bros. There’s even a nice twist ending that kind of breaks your heart (or Mario’s, at least). And fans of Super Mario 64 will instantly recognize the inspiration for the King Koopa boss battle from the climax of this film. But anyway, this OVA is only going to appeal to the hardcore Mario fans out there, and its limited availability doesn’t make it very accessible to a casual audience.

Grade: C+

And because I couldn’t find any other place to mention this, there’s a scene where Mario kills a Buzzy Beetle with a fireball. You can’t do that!

One day in 1987, Fantasia and Heavy Metal met in a bar. They had a few drinks, got to talking and eventually went back to Heavy Metal’s place. And that’s how Robot Carnival came to be. When I say that Robot Carnival is a fusion of Fantasia and Heavy Metal, I’m not being a smarty-pants. It is an animated anthology film with each segment containing stories set to orchestrational, industrial and techno music, very reminiscent of Fantasia. However, many of the stories carry more modern, darker sci-fi fantasy tones that are really in-tune with what you’d see in Heavy Metal (just without the gratuitous nudity). The film is honestly marvelous, and it depresses me that there aren’t more films like it in the animation genre.

The wrap-around segment is directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, the acclaimed director of Akira. It’s about an overly-decadent society which created an automated entertainment techno coliseum called the “Robot Carnival”. However, the Robot Carnival became sentient and began traveling the globe, entertaining everything in its path and laying waste to human civilization at the same time. Its arrival is announced with various circus flyers, terrifying all who see them.

This is a very dark comedic bit, and rather short. The Robot Carnival-itself is much like a high-tech circus, yet everything kills you. Being the wrap-around segment, there isn’t a lot of meat to it and as such, not much to talk about. It’s very cool, though, and funny in a sick sort of way.

The first story, “Franken’s Gears” (directed by Kouji Morimoto), is another dark comedy. An obvious parody of Frankenstein, a mad scientist toils away to create a giant sentient robot. After countless hours of hard work, his creation comes to life. As it sits up, its massive power causes the laboratory to quake and fall apart. Oblivious to the surrounding danger, the scientist leaps and celebrates with joyous glee. The creation looks on at its “father” as the scientist beckons him to stand up and come closer. Then something very unfortunate happens.

The music really makes this story, I have to admit. It expresses the emotion of pure ecstasy that the scientist must be feeling as his “son” is brought to life. The ending leaves you not sure whether to laugh or cry, honestly. It’s funny, but very sad and tragic at the same time. A really good starting point for the film.

“Deprive” (directed by Hidetoshi Omori, whose work includes the Guyver) is a story about a girl and her robot friend. After giving him a necklace as a keepsake, the girl is kidnapped by a horde of evil robots and her friend is badly damaged. Repairing itself, the robot dons a holographic appearance of a young man and proceeds on a lengthy journey to rescue the girl. Eventually, he tracks her to the lair of a demonic cyborg and the two do battle.

Not a lot of substance to this story, I have to admit, though the animation and action direction really shine. It was around this point in the film where I really started to feel the Heavy Metal-vibe. It’s gorgeous eye candy, but not one of the more memorable or moving segments.

“Presence” (directed by Yasuomi Umetsu, who worked on Project A-Ko) is the first of two segments in this movie which contain dialogue. However, the story, music and animation are still very strong and the dialogue is almost unnecessary. Even if you’re watching this thing in raw Japanese and don’t know the language, you’ll still be able to follow and appreciate this story. It takes place in a time when robots walk among humans but are considered second class citizens. Kids tear off their heads and play soccer with them, people throw them out with the garbage and nobody gives it a second thought since it is assumed that robots do not have actual feelings. A toymaker, happily married and with a daughter, builds a robotic girl in his private workshop. He becomes frightened and confused when the android reveals true emotions and falls in love with him. The toymaker cannot cope with what he has done and in a fit of fearful rage solves the problem in a horrible fashion. Many years later, the toymaker is now and old man and continues to be haunted by the memory of what he did.

A very moving installment and one of the best in the entire film. The dialogue is mostly done through narration by the toymaker and hardly distracts from the overall experience. It is sad (people in the theater were crying, I noticed) but with an ending that’s very moving and beautiful. A true testament to the emotional power of animation.

“Starlight Angel” (directed by Hiroyuki Kitazume of Zeta Gundam fame) is a bit more upbeat, helping the audience recover from the previous depressing story. In this one, two girls visit a theme park (very much like Disney Land) and while running by a robot-themed ride, one of the girls drops her locket. A robot who works on the ride recovers the locket and tries to return it to the girl. The other girl is at the theme park to meet up with her boyfriend, who as it turns out, was seeing the girl with the locket at the same time (do’h!). Heartbroken, the girl with the missing locket runs away crying. The robot finds her and does his best to cheer her up.

Not my favorite story, to be honest. The animation is very fluid and pretty and the two girls giggling and having fun looks very natural. My complaint has to do with the coherency of the story. Toward the end, things get really weird and you’re kind of left with a “WTF?” expression on your face. Particularly, the robot that’s trying to help the girl might not be a robot at all…but then, maybe he is. You’re not really sure which is right.

The comedy-relief installment, “Strange Tale of Meiji Machines: The Episode of the Red-Haired Man’s Invasion” (directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo who did Black Magic M-66), is absolutely hilarious and for that reason stands out as one of the best stories. It centers around a mad scientist from Europe invading Meiji-era Japan with his massive brick-and-mortar robot. A team of Japanese teenagers counter his offensive with their own wood-and-bamboo giant robot.

This tale is a riot, partly because of the comic timing and sight gags, but also because the robots-themselves are so awkward and ridiculous you can’t help but chortle at them. For instance, at one point, the mad scientist’s robot runs out of energy so he has to power it up by peddling one of those old-timey bicycles with the giant wheel in the front. Simultaneously, the Japanese robot runs out of coal for the engine so they have to begin tearing wood and bamboo off of it to power their machine. This is the last segment to contain character dialogue and the music is almost an after-thought to the overall comedy. It may be different but it’s awesome. The mad scientist is voiced by an English voice actor (accompanied by Japanese subtitles) who is honestly quite good, though you sometimes have a tough time trying to figure out what he’s saying within his insane ramblings. The whole thing is set up like a Saturday Morning cartoon, even with a “You haven’t heard the last of me!” ending.

“Cloud” (directed by Mao Lamdo) is my least favorite of the bunch, and honestly, the most radically different. It’s about a small robot boy walking across the globe as various moments in history pass him by, being told through cloud formations.

It’s very “artsy”, and not in the kind of way I like. The animation is repetitive and low-key; a black and white, “sketchy” look, shown from only one angle with the only changes occurring in the clouds. It might have been more tolerable had it been shorter, but it felt like it lasted forever. Watching it in a dark theater, you almost fall asleep. I can virtually guarantee you that you’ll fast-forward through this segment on nearly every repeat viewing of the film.

“Chicken Man and Red Neck” (directed by Takashi Nikamura, chief animator of Akira) is the big Disney homage. It’s about an awkward drunken “Chicken Man” who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. A great evil robot is summoning hordes of demonic machines from beneath the earth. Chicken Man finds himself the prey of Red Neck, a robot in a scarlet cape and hat who psychotically hunts him down. Trying to escape on his hover scooter, Red Neck chases Chicken Man into the heart of the giant evil robot’s lair, where all the demonic machines writhe and rave in Hellish flames.

This story is my favorite, I think. Why? Because it combines the Night on Bald Mountain segment of Fantasia (my favorite segment of the movie) with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow portion of the Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (my favorite half of that movie). It’s like my two favorite Disney moments fused into one with giant killer robots sprinkled into the mix. Chicken Man is a direct homage to Ichabod Crane, with his dreaded chase with Red Neck being very reminiscent of the chase with the Headless Horseman. The Night on Bald Mountain homage is more obvious, with the hands of the massive Chernabog-like robot summoning evil robots from beneath the ground. The robots dance around pits of flames as the evil robot plucks them up and crushes them for its amusement. Very cool.

So there you have it: Robot Carnival in a nutshell. I also might want to tell you to watch through to the end of the credits, as there’s a little bit extra afterward. This movie is gorgeous and entrancing, I can’t recommend it enough. One of the best works of Japanese animation I’ve ever seen.

Grade: A

Ssso, I had just kidnapped two scientists and ordered them to construct for me a massive ssuper weapon capable of harnessing the magma of the Earth’s molten core in order to raise the planet’s temperature just enough to increase property value in Wyoming (which I had intended to turn into the world’s largest quicksand pit once the foolish Americans had moved in), when that color-shifting fool, Zartan, approaches me demanding I watch thiss new movie he wass obsessed with. Now, under normal circumstances I would never take film recommendations from some Aussie biker freak with a sskin condition, but Zartan wass irritatingly insistent that I watch what he called “the most heart-warming film of our generation”. Insolent wretch! Cobra Commander hass no heart!

Sso I watched the movie yesterday…

Normally, I am not one to enjoy Japanese-animated filmss. The eyes are always too big and all the woman ssound the same. However, this one was directed by ssome filthy Capitalist urchin named Hayao Miyazaki, who happens to be one of my favorite cartoon animators. I had to watch the movie dubbed in English becausse there wass no one in Cobra Headquarters of Japanese descent to translate for me; that traitorous bastard Sstorm Shadow having quit for the millionth time (leaving Wild Weasel mosst upset, as now no one will translate his imported RPGs for him). The English dub wass produced by a terrorist organization far more maniacal and scheming than Cobra, and with a grip on the world populace my organization can only dream of equaling: Walt Dissney.

The sstory goes like sso: a mild-mannered family of yen-worshipping pigs move into a haunted house located in the rural regions of Japan. The father iss caring for his two bratty daughters alone, as his hideous wife is dying in the hospital of cancer or something. Ssatsuki, the eldest daughter, and Mei, the youngest daughter, frolic and play FOR TWO MISERABLE HOURS!! Zartan, I’m going to kill you!

Ugh. Anyhow, the children romp and play oblivious to the threat of active landmines or poison ivy. The ghosts in the home are friendly sspirits and leave the children be. While playing foolish games and annoying Cobra Commander, they stumble upon Totoro, a massive furry behemoth with jagged claws and flesh-rending teeth and a grin big-enough to stuff at least a dozen puppies insside. At this point I thought the movie had turned around, as ssurely this giant forest animal was nature’s perfect killing machine and would certainly devour both the children, the pathetic father and end Cobra Commander’s misery.

Unfortunately, no, that didn’t happen. Insstead, the massive Totoro sspent the remainder of the movie frolicking and dancing with the children. It was around this time that I considered hurling a Battle Android Trooper at the television screen and ordering Zartan’s execution. After an hour and a half of giggling and pirouetting, the plot finally went ssomewhere. Mei, that disobedient little harpy, runs away to ssee her hideous mother at the weak Capitalist hospital and becomes losst. Ssatsuki begs Totoro for help and eventually they are all rescued by a giant flying cat-bus-monster with glowing eyes. I think Cobra should shift its focus from annihilating America to the complete obliteration of Japan.

The voices were serviceable. The inattentive father was voiced by Tim Daly, that devilishly handsome man from Wings and the voice of TV’s Superman. Ssatsuki was voiced by that sickening little meatbag, Dakota Fanning, who shall one day feel the iron fang of Cobra at her throat as I personally see to her lengthy and blood-curdling dismemberment. Former Cobra agent, Frank Welker, voices Totoro. I sstill think he was better off working for uss.

As Cobra Commander, leader of a ruthless terrorist organization, I cannot put into words how much I disspise this film. However, pretending to be a normal wretched American dog (and I’m only pretending, mind you), I would say that this film iss very charming, wonderfully animated and ssuitable for any age (I’m pretending!).

(Not Cobra Commandersss) Grade: B+

“Super Android 13” doesn’t appear to be one of the more popular Dragonball Z films, though it’s one of my personal favorites in a “guilty pleasure” sort of way. I find it rather underrated and enjoy it mostly for the reasons people seem to hate it. “Super Android 13” is cheesier than other Dragonball Z films (if you can comprehend that), but at the same time it’s pretty self-aware that it’s so goofy. It’s not one of the best installments in the series, but I always have a fun time watching it.

The mad Dr. Gero of the Red Ribbon Army may be dead, but his evil lives on within a super computer of his own design. The computer crafts three new killer robots, Androids 13, 14 and 15, respectively. Their primary function: Kill Goku. The androids waste little time tracking Goku down and quickly engage him in a fierce battle. Goku’s comrades, Gohan, Krillen, Vegeta, Piccolo and the Super Saiyan from the future, Trunks, all pop in to lend a hand.

When Funimation first began dubbing Dragonball Z I was very displeased. Gradually, the voice actors grew on me with their own individual character quirks and I came to accept them. Still, I wasn’t suitably impressed with their efforts…until I saw this movie. This is one of the cheesier Dragonball Z films and the people at Funimation knew it, so as a result, the voice acting reflects it. And it’s a total riot. They had me snickering when the diminutive Android 15 showed up speaking gangsta jive, but I nearly erupted with laughter once the title villain appeared, spewing a heavy redneck dialect (“the Red Ribbon Redneck”, as Trunks calls him). They have a lot of fun with the voice acting in this film which really adds to the entertainment value. I probably wouldn’t like this movie as much as I do if it weren’t for the voice gags.

I’m also not typically a fan of the new music recorded for the English dub, but I rather like this one. They play this funky track for Androids 14 and 15 when they first enter the city and it just adds to the humorous tone. They also dub in a few “extra” lines that make me snicker, like that last bit between Vegeta and Piccolo at the very end. “Is it over?” “Not until the fish jumps.” *fish jumps* “Okay, it’s over.” *roll credits*

The fight scenes in “Super Android 13” aren’t really the best in the franchise, though they do manage one effect in this film which outdoes all the others: the ricochets. Characters are getting tossed around and sent bouncing off the surrounding environments like ping pong balls. The animation is good, though not really theatrical quality. I noticed a few errors here and there, but nothing too distracting.

As for the villains, aside from the humorous dubbing, I suppose they really aren’t that special. Android 15 is pretty funny with his gangsta voice and alcoholism, though his outfit is pretty stupid. Android 14 comes out the weakest of the lot, with no notable character quirks of any kind. Android 13, the lead villain, steals the show with his trucker appearance and heavy Southern drawl. The bit where he goes “Super Android” for the final battle is one of the lamer transformations in the series, with him just turning blue and sprouting orange spikey hair. He didn’t really have any impressive special attacks, either.

While the dubbing won me over, I can’t ignore some of the lamer parts of the movie. I’m getting pretty sick and tired of the Spirit Bomb Solution. They manage to use it in a slightly more creative fashion in this film, with Goku absorbing the energy into his body rather than just lobbing it at the enemy in the form of an energy ball. Still, it’s getting boring. I was also damn annoyed by the amount of comedy relief humor involving Krillen. It’s embarrassing to watch one of my favorite characters get turned into such a panty waist.

In all honesty, this is a pretty bad Dragonball Z flick but dressed up with a lot of self-parody and cheesy dubbing to mask the poor story and less-than-stellar animation. To its credit, they mask the set-backs rather well. I give “Super Android 13” a C as far as Dragonball Z movies go.

Grade: C

I suppose I should start off by noting that practically everything I know about Mazinger Z I learned from Tranzor Z, the show’s American version which ran on television in the 80’s. I’m an infinitely bigger Devilman fan, admittedly. Hell, I even bought a DVD of that wretched live action movie they made a few years back. Mazinger Z vs. Devilman is a film I’d wanted to see for some time, but now that I’ve finally gotten my hands on it, I must say, I was fairly under whelmed.

Dr. Hell (Dr. Demon in the US) is up to his usual tricks, trying time and again to defeat the giant robot, Mazinger Z (Tranzor Z), and take over the world. Dr. Hell sends a troop of evil robots to attack Mazinger and Koji (Tommy), Mazinger’s pilot, rises to the occasion and thoroughly trounces the opposition. However, during the battle, Mazinger unintentionally frees the giant demon, Siren: an old enemy of the demon-hunter superhero, Devilman. Siren frees a legion of her demon colleagues, but before they can lay waste to human civilization, Dr. Hell intervenes and takes control of them. Devilman catches wind of this unholy alliance, and in his human form as Akira Fudo, sends a warning to Koji and Mazinger Z. Dr. Hell has his sights set on Mazinger’s new power-up, the Jet Scrambler, and with the powers of, well…HELL on his side, things are looking to go in his favor. If the Earth is to be saved, Mazinger Z and Devilman must work together.

This movie probably should have been titled “MAZINGER Z!! …with special cameo appearance by Devilman”. Devilman is played mostly as a chump throughout the film, getting taken prisoner twice and having to be rescued by Mazinger on both occasions. To add insult to injury, he’s taken prisoner by Devileen, the one henchman from Tranzor Z I absolutely loathed. What this flick needed was 100% more Count Decapito (now *he* was a badass henchman). So, of course, as a Devilman fan, seeing my favorite character getting his ass beat repeatedly and being rescued over and over didn’t exactly sit well with me. The demons are also some pretty weak sauce, being defeated by the likes of humans with laser guns. This is a Mazinger Z film at its core and Devilman is treated more as a guest star, much to my chagrin.

Another issue I take with the film is that Mazinger Z and Devilman never actually fight. I came into the film expecting two of Go Nagai’s classic characters to throw-down and all I got was a lame team-up. The only instance in which the two title characters have a competing moment is when Akira challenges Koji to a motorcycle race (which he *loses*, god dammit!). If that’s their idea of “versus” then I’m exceptionally disappointed.

The animation is dated but serviceable. Toei does an *okay* job, but the animation still isn’t up to theatrical-quality, even if this film was made in the 70’s. There are plenty of noticeable uses of recycled animation and the characters, outside of action sequences, aren’t particularly lively, standing around in static poses most of the time.

But, I suppose the film wasn’t all bad. I’m a sucker for crossovers, and just seeing Devilman interact with Tranzor Z was enough to get a sense of satisfaction out of me. There is also a sweet moment where they play the Devilman theme song as he rushes into battle which invoked an “Alright!” out of me, since I love that theme song. Additionally, I thought it was pretty cool to see Siren, one of Devilman’s trademark villains, again. She actually faired rather well in battle and got a good chunk of screentime, unlike most of the other demons, which were defeated with relative ease.

Mazinger Z vs. Devilman is short, about 45 minutes long, and I’m not sure whether that’s a *good* thing or not. Perhaps if it had been longer Devilman might not have been slapped around quite so much. But I guess we’ll never know. As it is, Mazinger Z vs. Devilman doesn’t live up to its own title. And, as a Devilman fan, I’m a little bit pissed. I suppose it’s fun if you’re a huge Mazinger Z buff, but I just couldn’t get into the film.

Grade: C-

I first saw this movie in a theater in Kyoto’s Purple Dragon shopping center in August of 2005. My Japanese is pretty good, so that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that I’d never seen a single episode of the television series prior to paying $18 bucks to see this movie (tickets are crazy-expensive in Japan), so I had no clue just what the Hell was going on. And, even in English, unless you have watched *all* of the TV series, up through the last episode, you’re going to be just as lost as I was.

Now, what if you *have* watched all of the TV series? Holy crap, this movie is magnificent! When it was finally released on DVD in the US I had the benefit of seeing the entire TV series on my side for my second viewing, and I can’t believe just how great this movie is under the proper context.

Following the climax of the television series, Edward Elric is trapped in another dimension. Our dimension, shortly before the beginning of World War II. Members of the Nazi party have caught on to Alchemy, the Humonculi and Edward’s home dimension (which they refer to as the mystical land of “Shambala”). The Nazi’s intend to open the gateway to Shambala so that they can bring Alchemy back with them to our world, using the “magic” to strengthen Hitler’s forces. Edward is caught in the middle, as he is needed in order to open the gateway. Edward knows that this could be his one chance to return to his world, but at the same time, it could mean certain destruction for our world.

This is a brilliantly written film that works in the tension of post WWI Germany to the plot exceedingly well. The people who wrote this film know their history and their folk lore, using aspects of the Nazi society (including Hitler’s supposed obsession with the occult) to pen an enthralling experience. I went and looked up a number of the references made in the film to find out most of them were real. The setting also leads to lots of character conflict. For instance, Hughs (the Maeyz of our world) is a soldier in Post WWI Germany suckered into joining the Nazi party out of desperation. He genuinely thinks the Nazis are doing the right thing (remember, none of these characters have the luxury of knowing where all this will lead) which puts him at odds with Ed. It’s very moving.

The characters from the TV series are all there. Ed takes center stage, with the majority of the film taking place in our world. Al and his alternate version feature prominently, though. Al’s bit in the underground city with Wrath and Gluttony is amazing. Some of the other characters, like Winry and Hawkeye, are somewhat cheated of screentime, but practically every character from the show gets to make an appearance, even if it’s just their alternate version (there’s one cameo at the very end of the movie that’s absolutely hilarious).

The animation in this movie is non-stop eye candy. The fight scenes and action sequences are all fluid and choreographed to perfection, but that’s only the half of it. The backgrounds and environments are lush and detailed and are just dripping with beauty, even when the setting is the dank bowels of a castle. I’m so thankful I got to see this film on the big screen.

It’s hard to rank Conqueror of Shambala. If you’ve seen the TV series you will adore this film. If you haven’t seen the show, you’ll like all the pretty animation, but the story will go completely over your head. Still, if viewed in the proper context, this film is worthy of a B+. And if you haven’t seen the TV series, do yourself a favor and go check it out. You’ll be glad you did. Full Metal Alchemist is one of the best things to come out of Japan in a long time.

Grade: B+

Maybe it doesn’t have the best title, but “Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle” is my favorite of the three original Dragonball films. While the first installment, “Curse of the Blood Rubies”, retold the origin of Goku and how he met all his friends, this installment retells how he met his best friend, Krillen, and how they earned the privilege of training with Master Roshi. So, if you’ve already seen that arc of the television series you’ll be pretty familiar with the story here. However, unlike “Curse of the Blood Rubies”, “Sleeping Princess” adapts the storyline to a more original plot so it feels much more fresh and isn’t quite a blatant rehash.

Goku returns to Master Roshi’s island and asks to be trained by the Turtle Hermit. However, at the same time, another young martial arts master named Krillen shows up desiring the same thing. Master Roshi sends them both out to a dark region called the Devil’s Hand to retrieve a sleeping Princess for him; the one who brings her back earning the right to become his student. So Goku and Krillen race to rescue the Princess while their other friends, Bulma, Yamcha, Puar and Oolong, head after them. Once they arrive they discover the Devil’s Hand is ruled over by the sinister Count Lucifer who intends to use the power of the Princess to destroy the sun. Further complicating matters is the sudden arrival of ultra-violent treasure hunter, Launch, who wants the Princess for her own greedy reasons. So who’ll end up with the Princess?

I actually prefer this telling of Goku and Krillen’s first encounter and their test to become Roshi’s students over the original version presented in the manga and the TV series. “Sleeping Princess” has a little more substance to it while the original version just had Roshi send them out to essentially kidnap a hot chick for him. This one also involves the whole colorful cast of Dragonball, a cast I prefer over the one from later Dragonball Z. I just find the likes of Yamcha, Puar, Oolong and Roshi more interesting and entertaining than the bland Saiyans like Trunks, Goten and yes, even Vegeta.

The animation provided by Toei Studios is a bit underwhelming, only providing a few moments of outstanding fight choreography. Other fight scenes have the characters sort of just “floating” about and looks very awkward. Still, the some-what stiff animation is helped along with charming character designs, background art and a very eccentric cast of heroes. However, Count Lucifer isn’t the best villain, honestly, and I found his big pink General to be far more exciting a bad guy. Still, Dragonball is a much more jovial series than its successor, Dragonball Z, and it gets its kicks with lots of humor, most of which hits the mark. So you can’t expect the most epic story-telling, here.

The English dub for the film was done by the Funimation cast rather than the Ocean Group and I really can’t find myself complaining about any of the voices. I really like their version of Master Roshi; he’s just such an over-the-top, goofy perv. Evil Launch’s voice is also quite nice, though her Good version can’t quite decide if she wants to sound like a feather-brain of a Southern Belle. This movie, as well as “Mystic Adventure”, also features Funimation’s alternate Dragonball-voice for Goku. For the television series they simply chose the voice actor for Gohan to do Goku, a choice I was never really fond of. I greatly prefer this actor for Goku as the voice is much less coarse and grating.

Not too much else to say about the movie. The only version available on DVD is the uncut version which maintains a few of the more perverse jokes and a couple seconds of male (child) nudity, but it’s totally harmless so don’t get the wrong impression. While the perverted gags with Roshi are maintained, they’re honestly rather tame and will fly over the heads of most kids. I’d say the film is suitable for most children.

“Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle” gets a B-. It’s a good flick but not something I watch on a regular basis, and again, if you’ve seen the TV series the story won’t totally excite you.

Grade: B-

Unlike the Dragonball Z movies, the original Dragonball films adapted arcs of the television series, albeit in a condensed format, rather than tell completely new stories. The animation was also a bit more primitive and the action a lot less intense, leaving many to prefer the Dragonball Z films over the Dragonball ones. Personally, I thoroughly enjoy the Dragonball movies as well as the television series, which is something I can’t say for Dragonball Z, at least in its entirety. This initial Dragonball movie, “Curse of the Blood Rubies”, condenses the first 13 episodes of the TV series (referred to as the “Goku Saga”) into about 45 minutes. So, naturally, you’re going to lose a bit in translation.

In a peaceful village, the greedy King Gurumes has begun mining for Blood Rubies. However, with the Blood Rubies come a terrible curse which transforms the once gentle King into a gigantic monster. His hunger unable to be satisfied no matter how much he eats, King Gurumes sends his thugs out across the globe to track-down the Dragonballs: 7 mystical orbs which, once united, can summon the Eternal Dragon to grant a single wish. Unbeknownst to King Gurumes, a teenage girl named Bulma is after the Dragonballs, too, and her quest leads her to the home of the orphaned wildboy, Goku. Goku’s a talented martial artist but a bit on the naïve side. King Gurumes’ goons steal Goku’s Dragonball, a gift from his deceased Grandfather, and Goku and Bulma head out to get it back. Along the way, Goku and Bulma meet Penny, a girl from King Gurumes’ kingdom, Oolong, a shape-shifting pig, Yamcha, the desert bandit, Puar, Yamcha’s assistant, and Master Roshi, the geriatric martial arts master of the Kamehameha.

While it’s the most classic story in the Dragonball mythos, I can’t help but feel a little bored whenever I watch this movie, mostly because the story has been retold at least 4 times: the manga, the TV series, “Curse of the Blood Rubies” and “The Path to Power”. It’s classic, for sure, but you can only watch it so many times. On the bright side, they manage to condense the story and work-in all the characters rather well. The subsequent Dragonball films do a better job of adapting episode arcs while providing more original material, though.

As of right now, the only version of this film available in the US is the edited cut from the late 90’s. While I do hate edits, a part of me somewhat appreciates the edited version. It maintains nearly all of the violence of the original version as well as some of the cruder jokes (Bulma wetting herself) but removes the perverted gags. To this extent, it’s perfect for young children, because honestly, even with the dirty jokes intact, most teenagers are going to find this movie a little childish. The added scene-transitions and wipes do look very tacked-on and ugly, however.

The dub performed by the Ocean Group, one of their earliest works in regards to Dragonball, is actually pretty good. They definitely improved over time (becoming fantastic by Dragonball Z), but they hit many of the character’s with a perfect bullseye. Saffron Henderson does a good Goku, Gary Chalk is a menacing King Gurumes and I really like the voices for Bulma, Yamcha and Oolong. I suppose my only major complaint is Puar’s voice, which is a little on the irritating side (I think they were trying to go for a British accent but it still sounds off). A lot of fans of the Japanese dub never liked the US voice-portrayal of Master Roshi as a senile old man, and it is a little too cartoonish, but I’ve always found it funny. Roshi had many English voices over the constantly fluctuating cast of Dragonball and Dragonball Z, but his best was definitely the later Funimation voice actor.

The animation by Toei Studios isn’t anything to write home about. A few of the fight scenes, such as Goku’s fight with Yamcha and Goku’s aerial battle against Gurumes’ thug on the hoverboard, are worthwhile but I wouldn’t qualify them as “visually stunning”. The animation is consistent and smooth, but nothing about it screams “movie quality”.

“Curse of the Blood Rubies” is a good introduction to Dragonball and the edited version is perfect for kids. For the Dragonball fanboy, though, the movie loses its rewatch value rather quickly. The future Dragonball movies, such as “Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle” and “Mystic Adventure” are a bit better.

Grade: C

The Return of Cooler is another one of my favorite Dragonball Z movies and a very epic conclusion to Cooler’s story arc. The Return of Cooler is also longer than the previous film (62 minutes as opposed to the 45 minute-long “Cooler’s Revenge”) and packs in a lot more story and action.

New Namek (homeworld of Piccolo’s people) is suddenly attacked by a planet-eating war world called the Big Gete Star (think Unicron from Transformers the Movie only squishier). Dende, the new Guardian of Earth, senses the disturbance and enlists Goku and friends to save the troubled Namekians. Goku, Gohan, Krillen and the rest arrive on New Namek and face-off against a legion of powerful Cyclopean Drones. The battle is tough, but things only get more complicated when the mastermind behind the planet-chomping operation rears his ugly head: Meta Cooler!

Cooler is easily my favorite returning villain of the Dragonball Z movie franchise and the Return of Cooler is the best of his two appearances. Clocking in at 62 minutes (that’s actually pretty long for a Dragonball Z movie), this movie manages to work-in an excellent story, lots of fight sequences and one of the most epic final battles in any Dragonball Z movie. What I appreciate most about this film is that the odds really *are* against Goku and his friends which actually leads to a thing called “tension”, which tends to be absent from many Dragonball Z movies. More often than not, Goku defeats the lead villain by simply turning to a new level of Super Saiyan or just pulling out some dues ex machina attack, like the Spirit Bomb. This time around, Meta Cooler beats the mortal Hell out of both Goku and Vegeta when they’re at their very best and they actually have to find a way to defeat the enemy by, *gasp!*, using their wits!

This installment also marks the first appearance of Vegeta in a Dragonball Z film (he’d been a regular in the TV series for quite some time, however). His big entrance was exceptionally pleasing, though Cooler does toss him around like a bit of a chump. Although I’ll always prefer Brian Drummond’s rendition of Vegeta from the old Ocean Group dub of the television series, I will admit, Christopher Sabat’s take on the character managed to grow on me. He’s very deep and growly, not quite as hissy-sounding as Drummond’s, and he sounds suitably evil.

Toei’s animation is magnificent all-around. The fight sequences are gloriously violent and perfectly choreographed. This installment contains some of the best aerial battles between characters, deploying numerous “camera” tricks which result in a very dizzying effect. As characters race all over the skies, teleporting from one spot to another, the landscape beneath them spins like crazy. They move really *fast*, you almost have trouble keeping up with them. Meta Cooler’s hordes of Cyclopean Drones are also a nice break from the standard minions the lead villain tosses at the good guys in previous films. While they lack colorful personalities, they’re plethora of attacks, such as grappling arms, machine guns and rocket-launchers, make them a definite visual treat. Meta Cooler-himself looks especially awesome as well as…shiny. Really, really shiny.

A shame to say it, but after this installment, the Dragonball Z movie series becomes a bumpy ride in regards to quality. Up until this point, the only decidedly bad installment was “Lord Slug”. However, from here on out, the movies will range mostly from bad to mediocre with only a few good ones thrown in. So enjoy this movie for now, because you won’t be seeing anything as good until “Wrath of the Dragon”. But, to assign the standard letter grade, I give the Return of Cooler a B+.

Grade: B+

“Cooler’s Revenge” is one of the better installments in the Dragonball Z film franchise and certainly one of my favorites. Cooler has always been my favorite returning villain of the movie series, as I definitely prefer him over the annoyingly overrated Broly. While this movie is short in length (45 minutes) it has one of the more intriguing stories and some very consistent animation.

When Goku was just an infant being shuttled from planet Vegeta (homeworld of the Saiyans) his ship was spotted by Cooler, the brother of Frieza. Cooler allowed Goku’s ship to proceed, a choice that would eventually come back to haunt him, as Goku would later kill Frieza in an epic confrontation on planet Namek. Wanting to challenge the Saiyan who killed his brother, Cooler and his minions come to Earth. At the same time, Goku, Gohan and the rest of his friends are on a camping trip. Cooler quickly makes his presence known and Goku must now fight a foe even more powerful than Frieza ever was.

Cooler’s a great villain; basically Frieza minus the homoeroticism. I particularly liked his transformed state during the film’s climax, as it reminded me of Super Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. While there isn’t much more to the character other than being Frieza 2.0, his connection to Goku’s origin was pleasantly ironic, and not half as stupid as Broly’s connection. Cooler’s Armored Corps (his minions) weren’t so good, however. Another bland set of thugs, these guys just didn’t have much to make them stand out (as opposed to the thugs in “Tree of Might”, who were all very unique).

The animation in Cooler’s Revenge is top-notch, remaining visually pleasing from beginning to end and rarely cutting corners, even during the “slow” segments. But, of course, this movie is only 45 minutes-long, so don’t be expecting too many slow segments. The fights are excellent, the two best being Piccolo’s scrap with the Armored Corps and Goku’s final showdown with Cooler. I’m also grateful that the non-Saiyan characters such as Piccolo and Krillen haven’t been reduced to either comic relief or ineffectual losers quite yet. Krillen only tussles with Salsa (leader of Cooler’s Armored Corps) for a few brief moments, but it’s a far cry better than how they treated the character in “Broly’s Second Coming”.

The voice acting in the movie is both good and bad. The cast of TV regulars are as good as usual, and I really do like Sean Schemmel’s Goku quite a bit. Cooler also has an excellent voice which gets even better once he transforms. No, the major voice acting problem is with Cooler’s Armored Corps. They’re really annoying, particularly Salsa’s random German (?) accent.

Cooler’s 2 movie arc remains one of the better portions of the Dragonball Z movie series and marks a definite highpoint in the franchise. I’d give it a B. It might have gotten a “+” had it been a bit longer and the Armored Corps not been so damn annoying.

Grade: B

After cantering along, relying on lukewarm rehashes of television episodes or boring returning villains that just wouldn’t go away, the Dragonball Z movie franchise finally manages to get its act together for the 13th and final installment. And damn, does the franchise go out with a bang!

Gohan and Videl are hoodwinked by a creepy old man named Hoi into helping him release a great hero, Tappion, from his prison within an enchanted music box (these are the strongest people in the Universe, not the smartest). Using the power of the Dragonballs, the heroes release Tappion, but as it turns out, he wasn’t incarcerated in the music box all by himself. By setting Tappion free they also unleash Hirudegarn, a monstrous dragon which devours people and lays waste to entire planets.

“Wrath of the Dragon” seems to be pretty self-aware that it’s going to be the grand finale of the franchise, so it places a pretty big emphasis on “grand”. Unlike previous Dragonball Z movies, “Wrath of the Dragon” has consistently gorgeous animation from start to finish. While other sequels save the budget for the fight scenes, leaving the rest of the movie to look bland and ugly, Toei Studios maintain a level of highest quality in every scene. This really looks like it belongs in a movie theater.

“Wrath of the Dragon” also has something going for it that previous Dragonball Z movies sorely lacked: a story. The back-story of Tappion, Hirudegarn and Hoi is very epic, giving the characters a memorable quality. In previous films, the villains tend to be very generic copycats of villains from the TV series, but Hirudegarn, a giant dragon-creature made of mist, is quite unique. The story is more up to the quality of the first three Dragonball Z movies, where they dared to be different. Tappion’s back story is rather tragic and he’s one of the better characters to come along in the era of Dragonball Z where anything and everything revolved around Saiyans. While it’s a shame we never got to see more of him, he does leave a lasting effect on Trunks.

Speaking of Trunks, he gets quite the spotlight in this movie. I’ve never been a fan of Trunks, to be honest. His entrance into the TV series marked the decline of my interest, as all the characters I came to love from Dragonball and early DBZ were pushed aside to make room for one new Super Saiyan after another. Yet, through-out this movie I don’t find myself annoyed by Trunks hardly at all. The overall tone of the film thankfully avoids goofy and silly humor (something “Fusion Reborn” had an overabundance of) and leans heavily toward a dark angle, with cities being destroyed and innocent bystanders being eaten alive. Perhaps it’s because they avoided the silly slapstick humor that I managed to tolerate Trunks and Goten.

It’s also good to see Goku alive again. He’d been dead for so many movies I almost forgot he was ever alive. I also smirked with approval when Vegeta made his big entrance for the final battle with Hirundegarn. I was nearly worried he wasn’t going to show up. Original non-Saiyan characters, the characters I like the most, don’t get much of a spotlight in this film, regrettably. Bulma manages to get in a bit of screen time, but Krillen (one of my favorite characters) is used for a brief moment of typical comic relief and doesn’t even get to fight. Even more depressing is that Piccolo is noticeably absent from the final movie. Master Roshi makes a quick cameo with his usual drunken lecherous antics, but it seemed rather pointless.

I suppose my only real complaint aside from the lack of my favorite characters is the final solution to Hirundegarn. It looked great thanks to more of Toei’s magnificent animation, but it seemed rather convenient and out of the blue; sort’ve watering down the villain’s threat into “Oh, well I guess he wasn’t that big a problem, after all”. There are also a few lines about racial bigotry that are delivered rather poorly, giving a “Now you know…”-vibe to them.

“Wrath of the Dragon” is easily one of the best films in the Dragonball Z franchise, like they knew they were saving the best for last. It looks gorgeous, has some brilliant fight scenes and features plenty of Super Saiyan action (if that’s your sorta thing). I have to give it a B+. Up there with “World’s Strongest” and “Tree of Might”.

Grade: B+

When most people hear the name “Godzilla” they instantly think of the cheesy films like “Godzilla vs. Megalon” or “Godzilla vs. Gigan”, blissfully unaware that, at one point in time, Godzilla meant a whole lot more than some goofy mascot used to sell action figures. The original Godzilla produced in 1954 isn’t some schlocky B-movie. Quite the contrary, it’s a dark and frightening look at the horrible consequences of nuclear weapons and a magnificent commentary on the fears of Japanese citizens post-World War II.

The fishing boat Eiko-Maru mysteriously vanishes out in the Pacific in a blinding flash of light bursting from beneath the waves. Shortly afterward, the people of Odo Island fall victim to a bizarre rampage that destroys half their village, leading them to believe that a legendary beast known as “Godzilla” has come to destroy them. While investigating the strange footprints left on the island, Professor Yamane, his daughter, Emiko, and her lover, Ogata, come face-to-face with the titanic beast-itself. Godzilla soon appears in Tokyo Bay, destroying homes and murdering scores of people. The Japanese government races to find a means to destroy Godzilla before his next attack, but all standard military weaponry is absolutely useless against the monster. Emiko’s fiancé, Dr. Serizawa, has created a weapon that might be capable of killing Godzilla, but the weapon is so incredibly destructive it could be worse than any nuclear bomb.

By 1954, the effects of Japan’s defeat in World War II were still being felt all over the country and few had gotten over the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Additionally, the Japanese fishing ship, the Lucky Dragon, had been accidentally caught in a US atomic bomb test, killing all onboard. Atomic weaponry was a concept the Japanese feared tremendously at the time. Godzilla wasn’t just a giant monster, he was atomic destruction personified, given a corporeal form and a face. His behavior is unpredictable, uncompromising and unstoppable. People look at the original Godzilla and see another giant monster B-movie along the lines of “Earth vs. the Giant Spider”, but they do themselves a great disservice by ignoring the extensive social commentary and historical significance of the film.

Godzilla-himself is nothing like the Irish-jig dancing, child-rearing, kid-friendly character you’ll see through-out the 60’s and 70’s. He’s a brutal killing machine; an absolute force of nature. He levels homes and businesses, murders thousands, sets cities on fire, kills women and children indiscriminately; Godzilla is pure evil. His eyes glow in the darkness, completely devoid of emotion or sympathy; at times he seems to actually target the people scurrying beneath his feet. The aftermath of his devastation of Tokyo is shown with full force. Bodies lined up and down hospital hallways, numerous orphaned children weeping for their parents; this isn’t Power Rangers or Gamera, Godzilla’s attack is looked at like a real disaster situation with all the tragic repercussions that follow. Director Ishiro Honda never spares the audience the gruesome outcome of Godzilla’s rampages and does a startling job of making the entire scenario disturbingly realistic.

The human characters in this movie are all very interesting and carry the story along with ease. Dr. Yamane is hesitant about killing Godzilla because he’s the last of his kind. Emiko, Serizawa and Ogata have a love triangle going which adds depth to their situation. Serizawa is a very stand-out character and possibly the most memorable human of any Godzilla movie. His tragic sacrifice at the end is truly heart-breaking.

Eiji Tsubaraya’s special effects are phenomenal considering the time they were made, the budget they were made with and the short period of time they were provided to produce them. In fact, they’re nothing short of miraculous. Godzilla’s suit is extremely detailed and frightening, mixing aspects of both dinosaurs and mythical dragons. The miniatures are by far one of the most impressive accomplishments of the film, with dozens of buildings crumbling beneath Godzilla’s feet and actually looking like they have a weight of tons rather than ounces. There are a few instances of dodgy effects, such as the Godzilla hand-puppet used through-out the film or the wires on the fighter planes being clearly visible. Yet these noticeable errors are easily forgivable considering the overall impressive special effects work of the film.

The opening of Godzilla is something I also think is note-worthy in that it immediately expresses the dread the title character embodies using an incredibly minimalist approach. You are presented with a black screen accompanied by loud, crashing stomps which is soon followed by a bizarre, unearthly roar. It then leads into the title and opening credits which make way for the movie’s theme. The late Akira Ifukube’s score is truly epic and one of the most memorable movie themes out there. The opening of the film, which consists of nothing more than title cards, sounds and music, sets the entire atmosphere of the movie in a matter of minutes. A very impressive display.

While I will always enjoy the American version of this film, “Godzilla, King of the Monsters”, I must admit that the original Japanese version of the film is truly superior. Godzilla is a magnificently dark and moody film that has a whole lot to say.

Grade: A+

There have been lots of Lupin III the movies, and there have been lots of Hayao Miyazaki movies, but there’s only been one movie where the two flavors have combined to forge a veritable Recess Peanut Buttercup of cinematic flavor. Hayao Miyazaki had had years of experience working on previous Lupin III television shows, so his firm grasp on the characters shines magnificently in this film. However, one does not have to be a Lupin III-fan to enjoy this movie. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need to know who Lupin III is. Castle of Cagliostro is an animated masterpiece one can watch with the entire family (except maybe the really little ones).

Lupin III is the world’s greatest thief. Along with his partner and super marksman, Jigen, the pair travel to the isolated European country of Cagliostro to get to the bottom of a century’s old counterfeiting ring. Things are never so simple when it comes to Lupin, though. The greedy Count of Cagliostro wants Lupin dead so that he won’t interrupt his marriage to the young Princess Clarisse, who is the key to uncovering the country’s ancient treasure. Lupin makes it his mission to uncover the counterfeiting scheme, save the Princess and defeat the Count all at once. Complicating matters, though, is the arrival of Interpol’s Inspector Zenigata, who will stop at nothing to arrest Lupin. Lupin and Jigen have their work cut-out for them, so they get help from the Japanese swordsman, Goemon, and the femme fatale, Fujiko.

The Castle of Cagliostro, like many of Miyazaki’s films, feels like a timeless classic as you watch it. It hits upon numerous “fairy tale” themes, like a noble thief rescuing a beautiful Princess from a dangerous castle, yet in true Lupin III spirit, has a manic pace coupled with lots of crazy humor. Made in 1979, it was one of Miyazaki’s earliest films, and while it doesn’t contain the level of detail and nuance that his future endeavors would be known for, it has a quality to it that seems light-years ahead of its time.

The animation from TMS (Tokyo Movie Shinsha) is very impressive, considering the age of the film, and holds up extremely well to today’s standards. There are maybe one or two noticeable animation errors, but nothing to pull one out of the experience.

The characters are just as important as Miyazaki’s direction in regards to the success of this film. Even if one is not acquainted with the volumes of material and extensive background histories that go with each character, it’s easy to appreciate them all for their individual quirks and special talents. While the bulk of the film is dedicated to Lupin and Clarisse, Miyazaki makes sure to give each classic Lupin character their own time to shine. Goemon might come out the weakest of the bunch, receiving maybe two lines total in the entire movie, but the quiet-approach is true to character and he gets some of the flashiest moves in. Jigen, my personal favorite member of the Lupin crew, is a total riot in this film and participates in some of its best moments.

The Japanese voice track, featuring the late Yamada Yasuo (Lupin) as well as Kobayashi Kiyoshi (Jigen) and Naya Goro (Zenigata), is classic. Each actor has been voicing the characters for decades and little else sounds more natural. The English dub provided on the Manga Video DVD release is actually very good, with voices that lived up to my expectations. While Pioneer has the best English cast for Lupin III (there are numerous different dubbing studios doing the plethora of available Lupin material, which is very annoying), the Manga Video cast take a more serious approach to the characters which fits in with the tone of the film perfectly. While I love the Pioneer cast, they work better with the goofier Lupin material, and this film is anything but a dirty slapstick comedy like other Lupin III movies.

The Castle of Cagliostro is one of my favorite animated films ever, and the best piece of Lupin III animation ever produced. The animation is impressive, the story is timeless, the characters are memorable and the direction is outstanding. While there is some blood and a few curse words, it’s more than suitable for a crowd that can handle PG-rated movies. I’d recommend it for the whole family.

Grade: A

One of the first movies people watch when they’re starting to get into the whole anime-thing, Ninja Scroll is a movie that’s easy to like. A fairly cut and dry story, Ninja Scroll is entertaining mostly through its outstanding animation, bizarre characters and unforgettable fight choreography.

During the days of feudal Japan, wandering Samurai, Jubei Kibagami, is enlisted (against his will) by the geriatric government spy, Dakuan, to take down Lord Gemma and the Eight Devils of Kimon. The indestructible Lord Gemma intends to hijack a massive shipment of gold and use the wealth to become the all-powerful Shogun of the Dark. Along the way, Jubei and Dakuan meet-up with a cold-hearted female ninja, Kagero. It’s an uneasy alliance at first, but the trio gradually learns to like each other as they are hunted down by the freakish Devils of Kimon.

Mad House Studios, the same people that brought us Spawn the Animated Series, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and Perfect Blue, animate this movie and do a magnificent job. Despite being over a decade old, the visuals in the film are stunning and the fight scenes are brutal beyond words. Director Yoshiaki Kawajiri, whose resume includes the likes of Wicked City and Kimba the White Lion (what is wrong with this guy?), knows how to keep the audience’s adrenaline pumping with his numerous “holy crap!” fight sequences.

You can’t talk about the fight scenes in this movie, however, without talking about the characters, as their individual quirks attribute largely to the action. The Eight Devils of Kimon are monstrous human beings, each blessed with a unique special ability. There’s a guy made of rock, a guy with a wasp’s nest in his back, a guy who can travel through shadows, a blind swordsman and so on. These villains are each very memorable with hardly a single lame-o in the bunch. Jubei, Dakuan and Kagero each have their own special abilities and skills which make them stand out in the crowd, as well. This element of “super powers” almost gives the movie a comic book-feel to it, which might be why it became so instantly popular in the west. Even if you don’t like anime, you’ll most likely enjoy Ninja Scroll.

There are a few downsides to the movie, however. Despite having worked on kid’s shows like Kimba the White Lion and the Fantastic Adventures of Unico, Yoshiaki Kawajiri is a total pervert. While one instance of severe molestation/borderline rape is somewhat essential to a part of the plot, there are unnecessary scenes of people doing it doggy style or women having snakes in their whats-its. I’m not a prude about this sorta thing, but it will most certainly scare off a number of viewers, especially since the rape sequence happens pretty early in the film. These scenes make-up for only a miniscule portion of the actual film, but they’re hard to forget and make anybody watching the movie look like a total perv.

13 years and Ninja Scroll has hardly aged a day. A perpetually cool movie, even if it’s a little unnecessarily erotic. It also spawned a 13-episode television series in 2003, partially due to its overwhelming popularity in America and the Western demand for more Jubei action. Ninja Scroll gets a B+. Would’ve gotten a perfect score if it weren’t for that doggy style bit.

Grade: B+

I suppose the first thing that should be noted about Sonic the Hedgehog: “the Movie” is that, in reality, it was two Japanese OVAs (Original Video Animation) that were placed back to back for the American release. I suppose it’s not a “real” movie, but the episodes transition into one-another so seamlessly that you wouldn’t be able to tell.

On the Planet Freedom, home of Sonic the Hedgehog and pals, the evil Dr. Robotnik is in trouble. His headquarters of Robotropolis has been taken over by Metal Robotnik, and to make matters worse, the power-generator is overloading. If it blows up, Planet Freedom will blow up with it. By taking the President and his bratty daughter hostage, Robotnik coaxes Sonic and Tails to go to Robotropolis, defeat Metal Robotnik and stop the generator from going up in flames. However, can they really trust Robotnik? No, not really. As it’s all a ploy for the REAL plot of the movie; the creation of Metal Sonic!

When this movie was released, the only animated version of Sega’s star-hedgehog that American fans had ever been introduced to were the various kid-oriented TV shows produced by DiC. Writing-quality varied between the shows, but one thing remained the same, bland and slow animation.

With Studio Pierott at the helm, the animation in Sonic the Hedgehog: the Movie is quite beautiful. Maybe not theatrical-quality, but excellent all the same. One thing they managed that the American cartoons often failed at: Sonic looks like he’s going fast. Really, REALLY fast. When he first lets out that burst of super speed at the beginning of the movie, and runs along the cliffside, you know you’re in for a real visual treat.

All the early characters are there: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Robotnik and Metal Sonic. This movie was made around the time of the Sega Genesis and Sega CD Sonic games, so this is old-school Sonic through and through.

The story-telling is a fair mix of intense action and goofy anime clichés. Robotnik is nothing like the American cartoons or the Archie comics interpreted him. He’s less a dark and menacing overlord and more a one-man Team Rocket whom the heroes regard more as an annoyance than a threat. Despite this, his antics are actually quite entertaining and the zany animation just makes him fun to watch.

The voice-acting in the English dub is, well, pretty bad. Sonic has an unidentifiable accent. One second he sounds British, the next he sounds Southern Redneck, then he’s a surfer dude…you can’t tell just WHAT the heck he’s supposed to sound like. I’ve even heard people say he has a South African-accent. The Hell? It’s not good if the voice actor is so bad you’re wishing Jaleel White would come back.

The rest of the cast isn’t so bad. Knuckles isn’t quite as angry-sounding as I’d have liked. He works, though. Tails, on the other hand, sounds like he has a cold through the whole movie. Most-likely, the actor was just holding their nose the whole time. The BEST voice, however, would have to be Dr. Robotnik. He has a great mad scientist-thing going, and to make it even better, he’s voiced by the Hitchhiker from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Awesome.

The plot is nothing to take seriously, but it moves along quickly and all the scenes transition into one-another very smoothly. Metal Sonic brought to life is a beauty to the eyes, especially if you like Metal Sonic as much as I do, and his fight with Regular Sonic is a treat.

Sonic the Hedgehog: the Movie is really only going to appeal to fans of the video games, and even then, only to OLDER fans of the video games, as most kids today are only acquainted with the Sonic Adventure 3D franchise and the art design and character set that goes with it. However, if you’re a fan of the old school Sonic titles, you’ll love seeing them brought to life with animation worthy of the characters.

It gets a B. The movie is aimed at a specific market, and a specific age group within that market, but if you’re the target audience, this is the movie you’ve always wanted.

Grade: B

Just as a note, I watched this film in widescreen format with the original Japanese dialogue.

Now, I really don’t understand the distaste for this movie within the fandom. The webmaster over at Monster Zero said that the movie “suffered from a weak final half hour filled with non-sensical technobabble” (to paraphrase). Um…were we watching the same movie? Despite the awkward flying mechanics for Megaguirus the final battle between him and Godzilla was one of the finest.

It’s really a damn good fight scene, with Godzilla pitted against a very different adversary like nothing he’s ever faced before. Megaguirus is blessed with godlike speed, fast enough to dodge Godzilla’s atomic breath. He really just wails on Godzilla for the bulk of the fight; it’s painful. The whole time I was screaming (in my head) “C’mon Godzilla, knock that ****er down!” And after about twenty minutes of abuse, Godzilla finally decides he’s had enough and just takes Megaguirus DOWN! The actor inside Godzilla was excellent, without a doubt. Much better than the actor who played him in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (or was that a statue?). When Godzilla finally retaliates successfully it is a real treat. And when he burns Megaguirus to the ground you can tell he REALLY wanted it. A most awesome fight.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, here. The movie’s plot goes something like this: The Japanese Government decides that the best way to destroy Godzilla is trap him in a black hole. Seems practical-enough, so they build an artificial black hole-generator. However, when they test it the machine causes a prehistoric insect called a Meganulon (those things from the original Rodan, to all you hardcore Godzilla experts) to eventually mutate into a gigantic monster dubbed “Megaguirus”. And, of course, he and Godzilla throw down.

I also have to say, I really liked the pacing of this film. It was fast, real fast. They decided not to waste the film with piddley human drama and just make it all about the monsters. And isn’t that WHY we watch Godzilla movies?

The Meganulons terrorize citizens of Tokyo in true Slasher-fashion. Indeed, parts of the movie seem like they came straight from a horror movie; there’s plenty of gratuitous gore and violence. Actually, it sort of reminded me of Godzilla vs. Destroyah and those 10-foot tall Destroyah creatures that stalked the SWAT team down inside the office building.

And by the way, this is the type of human drama I like to see in a Godzilla movie. The humans shouldn’t try to steal the show away from the monsters, they aren’t the reason I’m watching the movie. So many Godzilla films are almost ruined by really boring human drama that just drags and drags and drags (“Terror of Mechagodzilla”, for instance). This one moves at lightning quick pace and is very well acted. I actually finished the movie liking Kudo quite a bit, something I usually don’t feel about the humans (they’re different in every Godzilla film, why should I care about them?).

I really don’t understand the negative feedback given to this film in the Godzilla community. It is very good, and the second best of the Millenium series, in my honest opinion (“Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” reigns as my favorite).

But no film is without its flaws. The first appearance of Megaguirus is without a doubt one of the most painful moments I’ve ever experienced watching a Godzilla film. Why? I could see the freaking STRINGS! And I saw them TWICE! It’s 2004, people! This shouldn’t be happening! Megaguirus’ flying mechanics are quite ugly throughout his role in the film; you know that “it just wouldn’t work that way”. Megaguirus is a very well designed kaiju, though. He’s wonderfully gruesome in appearance and really looks like a monster out of a horror movie (such was the director’s intent, I’m sure).

Anyway, I give this film a solid B. Definately one of the better Godzilla films I’ve seen, and certainly one of the better installments in the Millenium series.

Grade: B

Though it may very well be stating the obvious, I think it’s best to preface this review by telling you all that the only people who are going to take ANY interest in this film are fans of the Lupin III animated series and it’s subsequent string of animated movies. Your Average Joe with no concept of the Lupin III universe or characters isn’t going to find any entertainment value from this movie, and honestly, even the biggest Lupin III fan isn’t going to enjoy this movie, either.

The plot is no different than any of Lupin’s animated outings, and even features a “First Encounter”-style approach where all the cast meets for the first time. Essentially, Lupin III is the world’s greatest thief, descended from the infamous French thief, Arsene Lupin. To a man who can steal anything he wants, the world is Lupin’s oyster. However, all that changes one day when he meets the gorgeous cat-burglar, Mine Fujiko. Being the sex-offender that he is, Lupin immediately takes to her, despite her manipulative personality, and they become partners in crime.

Now enter Daisuke Jigen, world-renowned marksman and lone survivor of Lupin II’s vast criminal empire. He seeks to join forces with Lupin III so that he might rebuild the “Lupin Empire” but finds this Lupin to be arrogant and uncooperative. But despite that, they quickly become friends, and along with Fujiko, plot the world’s greatest jewel-heist.

And next we meet the short-fused Inspector Zenigata, whom joined by two bumbling assistants, has dedicated his life to tracking down and apprehending Lupin III. But Zenigata isn’t the only one after the main character; the Mafia’s Maccerrone Family (pronounced “Macaroni”) wants to bump Lupin off to ensure that he never has the opportunity to rebuild the Lupin Empire. And if all this wasn’t complicated enough, there are bounty hunters on the trio’s tail and a race to see which party can get a priceless, ancient statue with strange psychokinetic powers first.

This film was made way back in the early 1970’s at the height of Lupin’s popularity in Japan. So like much of the Lupin animation produced in the same time-period, this whole thing is going to seem very dated. But, unlike Lupin’s animated adventures from the 70’s, lacks that nostalgic charm and instead presents us with everything from the 70’s we’d wish to forget.

The plot also does some unwelcome tinkering with the origins of each character; something just about any Lupin fan is sure to take offense to. Despite that, the actors cast to play each character fit the bill well-enough. Lupin is of French descent, so hiring a Japanese actor to portray him irked me at first, but they quickly address the fact and reveal that his mother was Japanese. Jigen is supposed to be of American origin (having been on the run from the Chicago mob in the original cartoons and comics), but since he has a completely different origin in this movie, I’d say his appearance works just fine save for having a goatee instead of a beard. Fujiko transitioned from cartoon to reality quite accurately, save for her most recognizable feature (her mountainous chest) being left behind. Zenigata suffers the most, however. He’s been stripped of his trench-coat and hat and given a business suit, instead. The oafish assistants he’s been saddled with are neither funny nor a part of the source material and will inspire nothing but frustration from the audience.

The atmosphere of the movie is EXTREMELY silly, so don’t be expecting some dark, violent Lupin epic. The director makes it obvious his intent is to create a live action cartoon; emphasis on “cartoon”. Characters get flattened into pancakes against walls, chase each other through corridors ala Scooby Doo, get coated in black soot after bombs explode in there faces, and more than once, Lupin directly addresses the audience.

These gags are very hit-or-miss. Some times they are ingeniously funny, like when Lupin shows how he kills a bounty hunter in slow-motion, or when Jigen opens up his jacket to reveal a psychotic arsenal of guns. However, most of them are much too childish and don’t fit in with the other very raunchy, and occasionally very violent, gags that appear through-out the film.

I recommend this movie to the hardcore Lupin III fans only, and even then I suggest you view it for its historical significance to the franchise and not as a particularly good live action adaptation of the comics or cartoons.

Grade: D+

Just as a note, I watched this film in widescreen format with the original Japanese dialogue.

I honestly didn’t even know a sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the Earth existed until I watched Godzilla against Mechagodzilla and they showed a clip of the movie during a montage. As a follow-up to Frankenstein Conquers the Earth (which I liked) it was pretty good.

Sanda and Gaira, the two Gargantuas, weren’t the most exciting Kaiju in the world, though. The thing that made Frankenstein interesting in the original was his human-like ability to perform strategy and his incredible healing factor that had him instantly recover from the most brutal attacks (think “Deadpool”, the Marvel Comics character). Sanda and Gaira lacked the strategy and brain-power and were given a watered-down version of Frankenstein’s healing factor. So they were just like Frankenstein…only not as good.

Still, the movie has its moments. Gaira ranks as one of the most evil kaiju I’ve ever seen in a Showa movie. Unlike most bad guys who just topple over buildings and step on people, Gaira actually EATS humans. He goes into cities and villages, plucks them out of their homes and chows down. Brutal. Particularly the scene where he reaches into a skyscraper, pulls out a woman, gobbles her up and then spits out her clothing. Damn.

There’s also a really well-done scene involving Gaira, where two sailors are taking their fishing boat out to sea when one of them looks over the side and sees Gaira beneath the waves looking back at them. It was done REALLY well and might be the closest the Showa series ever got to “scary”.

As a follow-up to Frankenstein Conquers the Earth it answers a few questions but raises many others. Sanda was grown from Frankenstein’s severed hand (seen cut off at the research lab in the last movie), but for some reason after he grew himself back completely he looked more like a chimpanzee than Frankenstein. Gaira was grown from cells of Sanda’s that got carried out to sea and mixed with plankton to create a sea-monster Frankenstein. And we still never learn the where-abouts of Frankenstein-himself, who disappeared at the end of the last movie.

As far as the “War” goes, Sanda is basically the good guy and Gaira is his evil twin. They start out like brothers but once Sanda discovers Gaira eating humans for lunch they throw down. The War-itself is pretty weak. Neither of the Gargantuas has any special powers so it looked more like two guys in furry costumes wrestling for 10 minutes. The ending is pretty spontaneous and forced. They carry their fight out to sea and then get caught in an undersea volcanic eruption (convenient!) and get buried in magma.

Aside from the ending, the movie is pretty good. Not as good as Frankenstein Conquers the Earth, but not a bad film either.

Grade: C