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The Cat Returns, a review by dfmorgan

Title: The Cat Returns
Original Title: Neko no ongaeshi
Year: 2002
Director: Hiroyuki Morita
Rating: G
Length: 75 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Chizuru Ikewaki
Yoshihiko Hakamada
Tetsu Watanabe
Yosuke Saito
Mari Hamada

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned
Complete Storyboards



This is another gorgeous film from Studio Ghibli.

Haru, a high school teenager, saves a cat from being run-over. This cat is the son of the Cat King who decides that Haru should be showered with gifts and will be wed to the Prince. Haru hears a voice that advises her to go the the Cat Bureau to get help. At the Cat Bureau Haru enlists the help of The Baron, from Whisper of the Heart, and his friends to solve the problem of her proposed marriage.

Although not a direct sequel to Whisper of the Heart it is a close relation. Studio Ghibli received a commission to produce an animation based on cats for a theme park. Hayao Miyazaki heard about this commission and thought that The Baron and Muta, from Whisper of the Heart, would be ideal for this. He asked the creator of the original manga for Whisper of the Heart, Aoi Hiiragi, to write a manga for this. Aoi Hiiragi did this and it was published as The Baron: The Cat Returns. However the commission fell through and Hayao Miyazaki then decided that this should be turned into a full feature and that one of the new and upcoming directors should handle it.

Yet another 5

(From dfmorgan's Studio Ghibli Marathon on August 10th, 2010)

The Host, a review by Tom

The Host (2006/South Korea) IMDb | Wikipedia Optimum Asia (United Kingdom) Director: Bong Joon-ho Writing: Bong Joon-ho (Screenwriter), Hah Joon-won (Screenwriter), Baek Chul-hyun (Screenwriter), Bong Joon-ho (Original Material By) Length: 120 min. Video: Widescreen 1.85 Audio: English: PCM 5.1, English: DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Korean: PCM 5.1, Korean: DTS-HD High Resolution 7.1, Korean: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Stars:
Song Kang-ho as Park Kang-du
Byun Hee-bong as Park Heui-bong
Park Hae-il as Park Nam-il
Bae Doo-na as Park Nam-ju
Ko A-sung as Park Hyeon-seo

Plot:
On the banks of the Han River, a crowd gathers to watch an unidentified object hanging onto a bridge. In an instant, the object reveals itself as a terrifying creature, turning the riverbank into a gruesome sea of blood.

Amid the chaos, a little girl, Hyun-seo is snatched up by the creature right before her father, Gang-du's eyes. After receiving a mobile phone call from his daughter confirming that she has miraculously survived, the once-ordinary citizen Gang-du and his family decide to wage war against the creature, despite both the Korean authorities' and U.S. army's every efforts to stop them.

Directed by Bong Joon-Ho (Memories of Murder), The Host has broken box office records in its native South Korea. Combining stat of the art visual effects from the team behind Superman Returns, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Sin City with the dark and offbeat humour synonymous with Korean cinema, The Host is one of the most original monster movies to emerge for decades.

Awards:
Nominated:

Saturn (2006)		Best International Film
Saturn (2006)		Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Ko A-Sung)

Extras:

• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Interviews
• Outtakes
• Production Notes
• Scene Access
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Trailers

I am not particularly a fan of monster movies but this one I did enjoy. And another film which stars Bae Doona. This time her character reminds me a lot of her character in "Linda Linda Linda".
This movie is a good mix between comedy, satire, drama and action. Even though the monster is obviously CGI it does not really detract from its appearance.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on January 4th, 2011)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Apparitions

Episode One
Father Jacob is approached by a young woman who believes her father is possessed. He is initially skeptical but- against the advice of his church colleagues- agrees to perform an exorcism.





Very impressive pilot, the acting, especially Martin Shaw, is top notch, and the storyline and direction created a convincing and atmospheric horror/suspense backdrop. The initial episode dealing with certain characters possessed by satan, was unnervingly good and I was surprised by how good the effects were and that this passed a 15 certificate.
Will watch the remainder of this potentially great series during my October horror marathon.
 

(From My PILOT Marathon on September 7th, 2009)