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Akira, a review by Critter

Akira



Anime Type: Movie

Year: 1988

Director: Otomo, Katsuhiro

Plot: In the year 2019, thirty-one years have passed since the outbreak of World War III. In Neo-Tokyo, all authority is waging a never-ending struggle against the underground that virtually rules the shattered city. A top-secret child with amazing powers of the minds breaks free from custody and accidentally gets a motorcycle gang involved in the project. The incident triggers psychic powers within one of the members, Tetsuo, and he is taken by the army and experimented on. His mind has been warped and is now on the path of war, exacting revenge on the society that once called him weak.

My Thoughts:
Akira is an outstanding film from its opening seconds to its final, climactic scenes. The cel animation in the film is amazing and to this day is some of the best animation of this format I have seen. I watched this film last night for the first time and then this morning woke up and re watched several scenes that I just had to see again. Akira presents a truly devastating plot which could really have a strong effect on the viewer. This effect is heightened even more throughout the film by the attention to detail used that really brings the setting, Neo Tokyo to life. Neo Tokyo is a city who wields a crumbling society living amongst violence, terrorism and corruption and can easily be compared to other messed up cities such as Gotham.

Throughout Akira there are fast-paced action scenes, some truly frightening parts, scenes that are genuinely scary and disturbing and everything in between. It is almost a rollercoaster of a film as you travel with Tetsuo along his tragic story of human experimentation and his efforts to prove his worth to the world. I have not read the manga for this film, although I now want to track it down but I have heard that the manga has the possibility of clearing up the storyline somewhat. This may be true but without having read it I found the story easy enough to follow, I feel the manga would maybe just add more depth to some parts.

I found Akira somewhat refreshing as a sci-fi anime that differs from most others of this genre. This was sci-fi set in a realistic environment, unlike many other sci-fi anime within the mecha or space realms of anime. The music and sound effects of this film are another amazing factor too it and added a sense of realism and strong atmosphere through all of the scenes. The soundtrack especially was fantastic and I would like to try and track down a copy. I don’t know why I waited so long to watch this wonderful film but I can see it fast becoming one of my favourite animated films and I look forward to watching it time and time again in the future.

My Rating



(From Critter's Animated Film/Anime Marathon on January 24th, 2010)

Imagine Me & You, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Imagine Me & You
Year: 2005
Director: Ol Parker
Rating: R
Length: 94 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1, Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Piper Perabo as Rachel
Lena Headey as Luce
Matthew Goode as Heck
Celia Imrie as Tessa
Anthony Head as Ned

Plot:
Piper Perabo lights up the screen as Rachel, a blushing bride whose perfect nuptials take a surprising turn at the altar: An innocent glance between Rachel and an unexpected wedding guest is all it takes to spark a love-at-first-sight romance with a surprising twist - the object of Rachel's affection is a smart and sensuous...woman! Their shocking romance causes quite a stir amongst her family and friends as Rachel is forced to choose between her husband and the girl of her dreams. Say "I do" to the wonderfully witty film that Cosmopolitan calls "a refreshing romantic comedy!"

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This is one I just recently bought off the recommendation of our good friend Tom. And I must thank him for this recommendation. I really enjoyed this movie. It didn't really have any laugh out loud moments. But it did have a great story. To me... this was a different kind of romantic comedy... as I haven't seen many at all about lesbian relationships. I thought the whole cast did a fine job... though it was a little weird to see Anthony Head as someone other then Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Anyway... I definitely recommend this movie.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Romantic Comedies on February 12th, 2010)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Desperate Housewives



What's the show about?
The show is about the woman of Wisteria Lane and how they live, thrive and survive. In the first season it's also about the death of Mary Alice Young.

"Pilot"
On the day our story begins Mary Alice Young decides to put a bullet through her head. In that week a plumber moved in the street that isn't what he seems to be, Bree Van De Kamp's husband wants divorce and Gabrielle Solis cheats her husband with the gardener.

My Opinion
The first season is build around the mystery of why Marie Alice shot herself and what Mike's (the "plumber") true intentions are. It's a funny show but I still haven't got aroudn to watch the second season.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on January 4th, 2008)