MOVIES OF THE MONTH, AUGUST 2008

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade
Death Note, v. 5
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Mushishi, v. 3
Definitely Maybe
Terminal Island
Hell Comes to Frogtown
Death Race
Big Bad Wolf
Chrome and Hot Leather
The Mini-Skirt Mob
Duelist
Mystics in Bali
Dragon Tiger Gate
Welcome to the NHK, v. 1
Babylon AD
Wolf

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, JULY 2008

Wanted
3:10 To Yuma (1957)
Death Note, v. 3 & 4
The Big Valley, Season 1
Hawk the Slayer
Batman: Gotham Knight
Last Exile, v. 1
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Batman: The Dark Knight
Sars Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis
Musa, The Warrior
Mushishi, v. 2
The Crimson Kimono

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, JUNE 2008

Tenchu
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
Kung Fu Panda
The Incredible Hulk
Mongol
Return of Sister Streetfighter
Death Note, v. 2
Vexille
Flag, v.2
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, v. 3

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, MAY 2008

Iron Man
Torchwood, v. 1
Men from the Monastery
xxxHolic, v. 1
Death Note, v. 1
Doctor Who, Season 2
Witchblade, v. 3, 4, 5 & 6
Prince Caspian
Speed Racer
Knights
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
My Sassy Girl
Gunhed
Land of Doom
The King of Kong
Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Fall
Persepolis

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, APRIL 2008

Honey and Clover
Rome, Season 2
Interzone
Metalocalypse, Season 1
The Forbidden Kingdom
5 Centimeters Per Second
Appleseed: Ex Machina
Parasite Dolls
Flag, v. 1
Doctor Who, Season 1
Cyber Wars
Nirvana
Robokill Beneath Disco Club Layla
Escape From LA
Witchblade, v. 1 & 2
Hell Girl, v. 1
Ratatouille
The Purifiers

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, MARCH 2008

Kibakichi
Jumper
The Bank Job
Bastard!
Rome, Season 1
Godzilla: Final Wars
Ricco The Mean Machine
Dr. Who, Season 1
Casshern
Atragon
Doomsday

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, FEBRUARY 2008

Lady Kung Fu
New Atlantis
Omega Doom
Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde
Escape from New York
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Count Yorga, Vampire
Kyoshiro Nemuri: The Human Tarantula
The Orphanage


Still by Malevolent Teddy Bear

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, JANUARY 2008

National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Otakus in Love
Volver
Scorpion Female Prisoner: Beast Stable
Heaven and Hell
Have Sword Will Travel
Neo Tokyo
Island of the Dead
Night Call Nurses
The Maid
Bloody Mallory
2009: Lost Memories
6ixtynin9
Jane Eyre (2006)
Otaku Unite!

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, DECEMBER 2007

Five Fingers of Death
Chevalier D'Eon, vol. 5
The Golden Compass
Red Garden, vol. 1
City of Lost Souls
Knives of the Avenger
I Am Legend

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, AUGUST 2007


The Bourne Ultimatum
Knocked Up
Leprechaun 3
Genshiken, vol. 1
A Bittersweet Life
Exiled

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, JULY 2007

Transformers
Vampire Hunters
Moon Of The Wolf
House Of Wax
Scream Of The Wolf
Election
Paradise Kiss, v. 3
Peach Girl, v. 1
Linda Linda Linda
Texhnolyze, v. 4 & 5
Night Of The Comet
Ghost In The Shell: Solid State Society
Sunshine
Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers
Dynamite Warrior
My Wife Is A Gangster

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, JUNE 2007

Azumi
Le Chevalier D'Eon, v. 2
Paradise Kiss, v. 2-3
Peach Girl, v. 1
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Triad Election
Texhnolyze, v. 1-3
Basilisk, v. 6
Afro Samurai
The Prestige
Mafioso
Fracture

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, MAY 2007

Veronica Mars, The Complete 1st & 2nd Seasons
The Sopranos, Season 6, Part 1
Gunbuster
Vanishing Point
Basilisk, v. 5
Bandh Darwaza
Natural City

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, APRIL 2007

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
The Mack
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Expresso Bongo
Lola
Basilisk, v. 4
Grindhouse

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, MARCH 2007

Pan's Labyrinth
Last Quarter
Inside Man
Menno's Mind
Tony Takitani
300
The Host
Le Chevalier D'Eon, v. 1
The Departed
Company

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, FEBRUARY 2007


Cyborg
We're Going to Eat You
Natural City
Idiocracy
Breach
Music & Lyrics
Casino Royale
Black Dahlia
They Live
The Night Listener

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, JANUARY 2007

Children of Men
The Cell
Sassy Sue
The Fallen Idol
MPD Psycho
Flesh for Frankenstein
Ginger
Olga's Girls
The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil & Daniel Johnston
Seven Swords
The Gingerdead Man

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, DECEMBER 2006

Pumpkinhead
Lance Henriksen is scary but sympathetic as a grieving father who summons a revenge demon which causes all kind of trouble.

Baby Face
Red Headed Woman
From 1934 to 1951 or so, the Production Code ruled over movies with an iron fist. Movies were constructed so that people who didn't want to know that sex existed could remain ignorant. Most of the "Golden Age of Hollywood Movies" we see on TV were made then, so you might think your grandparents were some kind of foolish naifs who didn't know married people slept in the same bed. Fortunately, racy, pre-Code movies of the early 30's are starting to re-appear. In these two, Barbara Stanwyck and Jean Harlow use their sex appeal to survive in a dog-eat-dog world. Look for the scene where Stanwyck chews out her Dad for pimping her out at 15.

Gunslinger Girl, vol. 3

Curse of the Golden Flower
Gong Li is diva-licious as the Empress, commanding the screen like Betty Davis in the height of Tang Dynasty fashion. More of a court-intrigue film with kung fu than a martial-arts film, kind of like The Little Foxes with kicking and slave girls.

Shopgirl
It has its moments, but it doesn't quite work. There's a nice, melancholy, New Yorker-short-story-feeling to it, but it doesn't quite make the move from page to screen. There should be no more narration in films other than documentaries, ever. The idea of the old "budding female artist gets her heart broken by an older man" story being told from the point of view of the man is interesting, but we don't learn any more about why the guy is a jerk. Still, Claire Danes is amazing, and at least she has a reason to be bummed out other than the fact that she got a free trip to Tokyo.

Basilisk, vol. 3

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, OCTOBER 2006


Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa
It's a little short of alchemy, but if you liked the TV series you have to watch the Elric brothers reunion.
Brokeback Mountain
Remember those old 40's women pictures like Now, Voyager? They were sentimental and the heroines always had to renounce their illicit lovers in the end, but they snuck in a lot of psychological truths behind the glossy exteriors. This is a much less glossy and more real version of those movies, but it made me tear up at the end just the same.
Hackers
I love those old B-movies made to cash-in on teen fads, like rock-n-rollers, beatniks, bikers, folkies, surfers, etc. Today's mainstream movies cost too much to do them in the quick turn-around time required, while direct-to-video types tend to stick to tried-and-true genres like horror. There are still the occasional throw-back like Lambada or this one. Enjoy the fantasy that hackers are hot, hip teens with their own futuristic fashions and nightclubs (in real life, not in a MMPORG or Second Life ).
Renaissance
A sci-fi film that's literally noir--beautifully animated in blacks and whites, not even any gray. Sort of like the Sin City comics without the occasional splash of color. The acting is good, but the dialog's a little flat--it should have been in French.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Not at all plausible, but fun, fun, fun. The often-underrated Robert Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer have a great time in this parody of all those everyone-is-corrupt-in-LA thrillers.
Trinity Blood, Vol. 1
The conflict between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy in the Middle Ages replayed as a futuristic vampire story. More promising than it sounds, with a good mix of action and court intrigue.
The Twilight Samurai
This one made me sob like a baby at the end, too. Former action star and Sonny Chiba protégé Hiroyuki Sanada gives a great low-key performance as a samurai clerical worker trying to survive despite the rigid rules of Tokugawa-period Japan.
American Hardcore
This made me sad that I never saw any of these bands live back in the day. I saw Husker Du and Naked Raygun after their hardcore phase, and Adolescents 2 years ago. This movie really captures what it must have been like, but read the book and buy the CD for the full experience.
Naked States
It's pretty entertaining to watch artist Spencer Tunick trying to wrangle up people to pose nude for his photos. In this movie we learn that it's hard to find people to pose nude in Idaho, but nudists are the toughest to work with. My guess is it's because most people feel ashamed or at least a little insecure when nude in front of a stranger, which makes them more submissive. Nudists don't feel that way, so they are uppity and mouth off.
Warriors Two
A sequel to The Prodigal Son, but not quite up to the level of that kung-fu masterpiece. Whatever happened to Casanova Wong?
Frankenstein's Bloody Terror
In spite of the title, neither Frankenstein nor his monster appear. It's one of those Euro Paul Naschy werewolf movies. He really pioneered the sexy werewolf years before Ginger Snaps, Cursed and Blood & Chocolate. No woman can resist the erotic appeal of this human beast.
The Ice Harvest
More neo-noir with another underrated actor, John Cusack. I like my humor jet black, and it is until the end, which is kindy cheesy. The alternative ending isn't too good either, but it's worth it for Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and Oliver Platt.

MOVIES OF THE MONTH, NOVEMBER 2006

The Hustler Squad
This World-War-II-set sexploitation flick combines M*A*S*H and The Dirty Dozen in the story of an authority-bucking US officer and a tough Filipino partisan who train a diverse group of women to infiltrate a Japanese officer's secret pleasure island by posing as prostitutes.
Speed Grapher, Vol. 2
Basilisk, Vol. 2
Gunslinger Girl, Vol. 2
Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex (2nd Gig), Vol. 7
This is one series that maintained the same level of excellence from beginning to end. The way information from the early episode about the Major's childhood became important to the climax was very clever. Its complex view of the immigration issue has some intriguing similarities to Children of Men (see December reviews when I get to them). I'm looking forward to the GITS:Standalone Complex movie, Solid State Society.
Born Innocent
I can't believe they originally made this as a TV movie. It's actually more disturbing that most theatrical women-in-prison movies, probably because the actors actually seem to be the teenagers they are supposed to be.