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Ghost In The Shell, a review by Jon

Ghost In The Shell
5 out of 5



The year is 2029, the world is made borderless by the net; augmented humans who live in virtual environments. Watched over by law enforcement agents that are able to download themselves into super-powered, crime busting mecha. The ultimate secret agent of the future is not human, has no physical body and can travel freely through the information highways of the world. Hacking and manipulating whatever, whomever and whenever required...

In my recent review for Akira, I claimed that it set a sci-fi benchmark that Hollywood has failed to match. It wasn't a one-off though and it is a point anime has continued to prove, especially with Ghost In The Shell to the point of a specific example. Released in 1995, the theme of the story bears some resemblance to 1999's The Matrix. And so this film has always been my favourite stick to beat the overrated Wachowski's with! If you like pure action, there are few films better than The Matrix, but a lot of people held it up as brilliant sci-fi to rival Bladerunner, especially as the producers weren't shy about Ghost being an influence. Actually, in comparison to the challenging and sublime Ghost, The Matrix is nothing more than a clumsy gimmick.

It's a political story, with perhaps very vague echoes of Robocop. The main character, Major Kusanagi is a cyborg and a brilliantly effective agent, but she contemplates the possibility of having a soul, or a "ghost" and worries how much of her is natural or just a result of AI programming. She works for Section Nine who are investigating The Puppet Master. Although they argue about how it's possible, it is likely he is just a ghost with no physical form himself, hacking into various shells and networks as a form of cyber terrorism.

While it isn't as epic as the ambitious Akira, nor animated quite so brilliantly (it does have its moments though), it does share that earlier films skill for balancing gorgeous, wide open cinematic action with an incisive sci-fi plot. In fact, this focused, tightly plotted story is arguably better. It has a nostalgic poignancy that gives the film a soul, smartly mirroring the story of cyborgs wrestling with a conscience. The haunting theme adds another layer. And I was being picky about the animation only to demonstrate the difference with Akira, but actually the attention to detail is incredible, something only recently matched by people like Pixar. On the DVD there is a feature about how they made sure even the bullets sparked correctly!

It can't match Akira's confident pacing. A couple of scenes are a bit talky and suffer from the static anime style Akira avoided, but there are several moments that are achingly beautiful. Especially when the Major goes diving and drifts weightlessly to the surface, embodying the emotional struggle she has with being whatever it is she is. Another example is the frequent nudity, from the Major or even the damaged cyborg "shell" they find. It sounds strange to point it out, but it's done with a tasteful obvious quality that live action could never pull off and it suits the story without being in any way gratuitous (the Major's partner, also almost all cyborg, claims he doesn't understand why she wishes to do things like diving, but then ironically catches himself staring at her body, revealing his own very human qualities).

There is a sequel, but I haven't seen it yet. However even the cover reveals something about this first film I hadn't noticed before: a beagle dog! He pops up several times in an enigmatic sequence. It's just one more subtle detail that obviously means... something. I have no idea what, but this is a story that refuses to obey convention or hold the viewers hand. As such it is a wonderful experience that I doubt will ever date.  

It is very difficult to describe the atmosphere of this brilliant film and give it justice. It amused me when I watched this again that there is a quote from James Cameron on the sleeve, rightly praising Ghost for its "literary excellence" and another from the original Empire review, saying that this is "the kind of film Cameron would make if Disney let him" (indeed he has often mentioned another manga, Battle Angel Alita, on his wishlist). Ironic that now, some years later, Cameron's Avatar is The Matrix of its day with most people agreeing the story is derivative. Sounds exactly like the film Disney would have made! I wonder if Avatar's Japanese poster has got quotes from Mamoru Oshii on it?





(From Jon's Random Reviews on January 8th, 2010)

Shaun of the Dead, a review by Tom

Shaun of the Dead (2004/United Kingdom/United States/France) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Pictures (United Kingdom) Director: Edgar Wright Writing: Simon Pegg (Writer), Edgar Wright (Writer) Length: 95 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Commentary, English, Trivia

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Stars:
Simon Pegg as Shaun
Kate Ashfield as Liz
Nick Frost as Ed
Lucy Davis as Dianne
Dylan Moran as David

Plot:
Life is going nowhere for Shaun. He spends his life in his local pub, The Winchester, with his best mate Ed, has issues with his Mum and neglects his girlfriend Liz.

When Liz dumps him, Shaun finally decides to get his life in order. He must win back the heart of his girlfriend, repair his relationship with his mum and face up to the responsibilities of adulthood.

Unfortunately, THE DEAD are returning to life and attempting to eat the living. For the newly inspired Shaun, this is just another obstacle. In the face of a full scale ZOMBIE EPIDEMIC, armed with a cricket bat and spade, Shaun sets out with Ed in tow, to rescue his mum and grudgingly his step-dad, his girlfriend and even more grudgingly her friends David and Dianne and take them to the safest most secure place he knows, The Winchester.

Awards:
Won:

British Independent Film Awards (2004)		Best Screenplay (Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright)
Empire Magazine Awards (2005)		Best British Film
International Horror Guild Awards (2004)		Best Horror Film
Saturn (2004)		Best Horror Film

Nominated:

BAFTA (2004)		The Alexander Korda Award For The Outstanding British Film Of The Year (Nira Park, Edgar Wright)
BAFTA (2004)		The Carl Foreman Award For Special Achievement By A British Director/Producer Or Writer In Their First Feature Film (Nira Park (Producer))
British Independent Film Awards (2004)		Best British Independent Film
British Independent Film Awards (2004)		Most Promising Newcomer (Nick Frost)
Empire Magazine Awards (2005)		Best British Actor (Simon Pegg)
Empire Magazine Awards (2005)		Best British Actress (Kate Ashfield)
Empire Magazine Awards (2005)		Best British Director (Edgar Wright)
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2005)		Best Breakthrough Filmmaker (Edgar Wright)
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2005)		Best Screenplay, Original (Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright)

Extras:

• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Outtakes
• Photo Gallery
• Scene Access
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Trailers

I still enjoying this movie. I already watched it multiple times. I had even seen this one at the cinema when it was released. A friend of mine wanted to see it (because it is a Zombie movie) and I agreed because I enjoyed the series "Spaced" and therefore was curious about it.

Rating:

(From Tom's Horror Marathon 2012 on October 21st, 2012)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Dharma & Greg
When free-spirited yoga instructor Dharma Finkelstein meets conservative attorney Greg Montgomery, it's love at first sight. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no love in the air when Dharma's hippie parents finally meet after their children have already married at a drive-thru chapel in Reno. With friends and family all suggesting that a quick annulment would be best, it's no surprise that the couple begins to second-guess their impulsive nuptials. But it's soon evident that nothing can stand in the way of true love!

Pilot


My Thoughts:
Unrealistic? Sure... but this is an extremely fun and entertaining show. This is the first time I ever seen Jenna Elfman in anything... but I have liked her every since. I enjoyed watching this pilot so much that right after watching it.. I re-watched it with the commentary on. Definitely a fun sitcom I would recommend. Unfortunately we only ever got season one on DVD.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on December 28th, 2009)