Greggman.com Category (movies) 2009-11-18T03:00:05+09:00 Gregg Tavares http://blog.greggman.com Entries from Greggman.com About movies Old Movies http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2006-09-26.htm Recently I watched a bunch of old movies. movies 2006-09-26T19:00:00+09:00 2006-09-26T19:00:00+09:00 2006-09-26T19:00:00+09:00 Tomorrowland: Disney in Space and Beyond http://blog.greggman.com/edit/moblogposts/2005-04-22moblog.htm I've been looking for one of these animations since I was a kid with little hope of finding it. I caught part of one on the Disney Channel a few years ago just buy luck on video once but of course I couldn't get the VCR started quick enough so I only got the last 1/2 and even then they were only showing part of the original. Then about a month ago I stumbled on something, I already forgot what, that talked about Dr Werner von Braun working with Walt Disney on videos about space travel so I googled for von Braun and Disney and found out not only had they released a DVD with the animation I was looking for but IT WAS ALREADY OUT OF PRINT! Fortunately there were some for sale from 3rd parties. I got my copy today! movies 2005-04-22T19:00:00+09:00 2005-04-22T19:00:00+09:00 2005-04-22T19:00:00+09:00

Then about a month ago I stumbled on something, I already forgot what, that talked about Dr Werner von Braun working with Walt Disney on videos about space travel so I googled for von Braun and Disney and found out not only had they released a DVD with the animation I was looking for but IT WAS ALREADY OUT OF PRINT!  Fortunately there were some for sale from 3rd parties.  I got my copy today!

The specific animation is called "Mars and Beyond" but in general the animations in the whole series totally inspired me as a kid.  Watching them again makes me just as excited for the future as I was back then.  There's something about just hearing the voice of the narrator, Dick Tufeld.  He was the narrator for nearly all of Disney's projects back then including things like the Adventure thru Inner Space ride so his voice was the voice of the future and the voice of science and technology for most of my childhood. 

One disappointment was I assumed another animation I was seeking would be included and it's not.  The animation shows Disney's ideas for the future which you'd think would be included in a collection called "Tomorrowland".  The animation I'm looking for was all about the future and showed things like computer controlled cars that looked like a glass encased living room.  You'd program in a destination then play games or watch TV with your family while the car drove itself to your destination.  Another was an atomic powered tunnel maker that melted through a mountain like butter.  Toward the end of the segment they showed freeways going through the arctic and under the ocean.  They used to show parts of this animation on the Rocket Rods ride at Disneyland.  If you know where I can find a copy please tell me.

]]> Butterfly Effect http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2005-02-10.htm I saw the Butterfly Effect on video recently. I had heard good things about it so I was looking foreward to it. I wasn't bad but it wasn't worthy of recommendation IMO.Things I find unbelievable in movies or inconsistant generally distract me out of the movie so here's a few of the problems I had with the Butterfly Effect movies 2005-02-10T19:00:00+09:00 2005-02-10T19:00:00+09:00 2005-02-10T19:00:00+09:00 the Butterfly Effect on video recently. I had heard good things about it so I was looking foreward to it. I wasn't bad but it wasn't worthy of recommendation IMO.

Things I find unbelievable in movies or inconsistant generally distract me out of the movie so here's a few of the problems I had with the Butterfly Effect

** SPOILERS **
(*) The biggest disappointment for me was the scene where he goes back in time to save the mom and baby from dying from the exploding mailbox. Clearly he was in control of himself. He already had experience with this time-travel like condition so there no excuse of being disoriented and yet completely out of character like a dumbass he walks right into the explosion. That made absolutely no sense and was clearly written just to for the consequences later.

(*) The scene where Lenny kills Tommy also seemed out of sink to me and while I could buy it, they never explained why he couldn't just go back to that same point in time and replay it. Clearly all he needed to do was go back, not give Lenny a sharp object and say what he said to Tommy again to get him to stop. Same with the scene above. Go back, don't walk like a dumbass straight into the explosion. Still, I'll except that idea that he can only go back once to each location. That absolves this issue but not the one above.

(*) The scene where he goes back to elemetry school and punctures his hands. The inconsistancy is that THE FRIGGEN MOVIE IS CALLED THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT. That means by the title of the movie a small change in anything should have a big effect on the future. Having changed the past in that scene he would no longer be standing in the prison since by "the Butterfly Effect" the effects would have propgated. He would have had to go to the hospital or at least the nurse changing his whole day back then, changing the reaction of his mom, changing how serious she would take the murder drawing, etc. etc.

Even more inconsistant through, in the "new" world, the world with his hands having scars, everyone would know him is the guy with scars on his hands. The cellmate would not have noticed the change. Coming back from his hand puncturing episode the cellmate would be like "ah, you've always had those scars, what's your point?".

(*) The final scene. Having established that he can only go back to times where he blanked out in childhood we have to except that somehow he had a blankout episode as a baby in the womb. In fact, in all other scenes he is only able to go back based on his memories but we are supposed to accept that he has memories of being in the womb? Yea, I know babies do remember stuff in the womb but they are not concrete memories enough to visualize actually being there of the kind he required in every other scene.

(*) If you haven't seen Donnie Darko stop reading, more spoilers follow.
While the two movies are not THAT similar they do share a common resolution. In both movies the characters figure out that their death eariler in their life would have been best for everyone involved.

Donnie Darko is a slow creepy movie. It doesn't have any real time travel etc but it also has a more arguable resolution. It's only 30 days worth of effects he's considering and we can except that his death at the beginning of those 30 days prevents many of the bad events that happen during those 30 days.

In Donnie Darko you can even assume that he has not choice, the 30 days of experiences is just for him to come to terms with his death.
With the Butterfly Effect though, it's 20 years of effects. We don't know his death would have really fixed anything. Although we are told they do he doesn't get to know that, remember he only gets the new memories AFTER he gets back from an episode. As far as he gets to know because he wasn't born mom gets massively depressed from a 3rd stillborn baby and commits suicide, Tommy and Kayleigh's Mom's new husband is child abuser, etc. etc. The point is, there is no way for him to know his death as a baby would actually have a positive outcome and if like in every other case he was wrong and it actually caused more problems, in this one case, he can't go back and try to fix them again.
]]> Dawn of the Dead (remake) http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2005-01-13.htm I watched Dawn of the Dead (the remake) just for the hell of it. I gotta say that I'd really be happy if someone would make an intelligent reality based horror movie. movies 2005-01-13T19:00:00+09:00 2005-01-13T19:00:00+09:00 2005-01-13T19:00:00+09:00 Dawn of the Dead (the remake) just for the hell of it. I gotta say that I'd really be happy if someone would make an intelligent reality based horror movie.

Maybe that's an oxymoron. By reality based I mean something like 28 Days Later vs something like Hellraiser. Something that seems semi based in reality instead of something based in magic or religion although any intelligent horror movie would be great.

...(spoilers)...

Dawn of the Dead I'm sure is entertaining but the older you get the less you can excuse all the BS about don't kill that guy, he's bit but you just can kill him and all the other BS like saving the dog, splitting up when their's no need, driving like madmen just as an excuse to have a car flip, etc, etc, etc. Even things that are not techincally wrong but are still fairly unbelievable like a gun master not being able to take care of a zombie or two coming through a dog door that he is prepared for.

...(end spoilers)...

Another would be without all the irrational people. Yea, I know, people are irrational but still, it's so cliched it's boring. I'm sick of the only reason anyone dying is because some character is too stupid or too "compassionate".

Lots of people say, "with out all that kind of stuff the movie wouldn't be interesting" to which I say BS. The movie would be 1000 times more interesting if it had flawless logic because it would actually be different from 99.99% of all the other horror crap.

I can't think of any off the top of my head except maybe Aliens.]]> 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2004-10-02.htm I've been renting quite a few movies lately being stuck at home with a cold. I recently rented "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" which I was told was pretty bad but I was in the mood for a popcorn movie. Anyway, it wasn't quite as bad as I was lead to believe, probably because I watched with the right attitude but it did raise a few questions. movies 2004-10-02T19:00:00+09:00 2004-10-02T19:00:00+09:00 2004-10-02T19:00:00+09:00 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" which I was told was pretty bad but I was in the mood for a popcorn movie. Anyway, it wasn't quite as bad as I was lead to believe, probably because I watched with the right attitude but it did raise a few questions.

One was "Who was Dorian Gray". I looked that up and found the book although I'm not sure if I'm interested enough to actually read it. It sounds very interesting though. The other was, what was Captain Nemo really like. I have not read that book and like many my only points of reference come from the Disney movie.

So, I went to go look it up on Amazon.com but then I realized it's a friggen old book and should be public domain by now. I searched for it and found it here. Amazon sells a PDF version for $4.95. Why would I want that I'm not sure. I can see paying for a printed version since it's still easier to read on paper.

But that's not the interesting part. The interesting part is someone went to the trouble to make a computer reading of it here. I'm not sure I could take that type of speech for too long but there are people working on systems that sound more natural.]]> Resident Evil: Apocalypse http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2004-09-05.htm I went to see Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse with a bunch of friends last night. Apparently only I enjoyed it. I'm guessing I just went in with the right attitude. I knew exactly what I was going to get. A stupid action horror movie with lots of plot holes but because of my expectations I was able to let it slide and just enjoy it. movies 2004-09-05T19:00:00+09:00 2004-09-05T19:00:00+09:00 2004-09-05T19:00:00+09:00
I also enjoyed the first one. It too was a stupid horror movie but it was the best movie based on a video game to date, not that that is saying much but still, I came out more entertained than I expected to be.

SPOILER WARNING:

I actually felt like it was fairly creative. There were several cool action sequences like the motorcycle one and the one where she runs down the side of the building.

In fact, I guess that makes it less a horror movie and more an action movie but the main character basically being able to kick so much ass in a horror movie seemed original to me and I liked the way it played out.

Of course in general I don't like coincidence in movies and this one had way too many, for example. Why did Alice know to come into the Church? And even if she did how did she happen to come in at exactly the right time? Still, that scene rocked.

Why did she appear at exactly the right time for the dog scene and wasn't it a little too convenient that there happened to be a fire proof blanket exactly where she needed it to be.

How did her friends happen to come pick her up at exaclty the right time at the end of the movie?

All those could be extreme luck so even though they are examples of poor writing the worst was the zombies in the cemetary. They didn't fit with the consistency of the world of the movie. How do fleshless bones come back to life from the T-Virus? They don't.


There was surprisingly little CG in the movie. That was both good and bad. It was good because for some reason it seemed to me they had to be more creative in thinking of how to make this type of movie without the budget for lots of CG. On the other hand, all the fighting is lots of super fast cuts which is basically an excuse for not being able to actually do the moves. Most current action movies just seem to use lots of CG for those parts. Spiderman 2, DareDevil and Catwoman for example all use CG fight scenes.

but don't let all those things stop you from seeing it. Just go in knowing what to expect. If you liked the first one I think you'll like this one as well.]]> Sockbaby http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2004-08-22.htm For some fun ku-fooie fun you've got to check out Sockbaby!.I think it was a Slashdot link that led me to the video game stuff on the Internet Archive. That led me to the Neverhood Electronic Press Kit which reminded me of the guys that made it so I searched and found out Doug TenNapel's new thing, Sockbaby!. Some of the same guys also made Skull Monkeys and Earthworm Jim. movies 2004-08-22T19:00:00+09:00 2004-08-22T19:00:00+09:00 2004-08-22T19:00:00+09:00 Sockbaby!.

I think it was a Slashdot link that led me to the video game stuff on the Internet Archive. That led me to the Neverhood Electronic Press Kit which reminded me of the guys that made it so I searched and found out Doug TenNapel's new thing, Sockbaby!. Some of the same guys also made Skull Monkeys and Earthworm Jim.]]> Spiderman 2 http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2004-06-25b.htm I got to see a preview screening of Spiderman 2 today. AWESOME! In fact I'd say it's by far the best superhero movie yet. I definately recommend it! movies 2004-06-25T19:00:00+09:00 2004-06-25T19:00:00+09:00 2004-06-25T19:00:00+09:00 Cutie Honey http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2004-06-01.htm Cutie Honey the movie RULES!.I went to see Cutie Honey today as a friend had recommended it. I went with no expectations and was totally blown away. One of the best Japanese live action comedy movies I've ever seen.Cutie Honey is a very famous Japanese Anime character from quite a while back. I believe a few animated movies based on her have made it to the states but not much of the original series. movies 2004-06-01T19:00:00+09:00 2004-06-01T19:00:00+09:00 2004-06-01T19:00:00+09:00 Cutie Honey the movie RULES!.

I went to see Cutie Honey today as a friend had recommended it. I went with no expectations and was totally blown away. One of the best Japanese live action comedy movies I've ever seen.

Cutie Honey is a very famous Japanese Anime character from quite a while back. I believe a few animated movies based on her have made it to the states but not much of the original series.

The movie is made for adults who used to watch the show as a kid, not for kids, and the first 10 minutes of the movie are probably some of the most entertaining stuff I've seen in a long time. Of course the movie is total camp and its energy is not consistant throughout but if you love fun campy movies and you aren't put off by girls in bikinis then I can give it the best recommendation I know how which is that I would happily go pay another 1800 yen to see it again :-)

It's made by the same director as "Red Shadow" which is also made in the same vain. Red Shadow was a disappointment though, probably because the setting was too serious for a comedy. The basic premise of Cutie Honey is itself completely silly so going for total over the top camp really fit this time.

GO SEE IT! (y)]]> Hero http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2003-10-04.htm I got the chance to see the movie Hero. What an awesome movie. If you get the chance and you have at least a little imagination check it out! movies 2003-10-04T19:00:00+09:00 2003-10-04T19:00:00+09:00 2003-10-04T19:00:00+09:00 Hero. What an awesome movie. If you get the chance and you have at least a little imagination check it out!

I don't think it has made it out in the states yet but it's playing here in Japan and fortunately at Roppongi Hills it's playing with both Japanese and English subtitles.

I was pretty skeptical when I went to see it. Athought I like Jet Li a lot many of his recent movies have been pretty weak. But, fortunately this movie was an exception.

Of course it will be compared to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and I'm sure many will consider it a kind of copy although according to the Internet Movie Database they were made the same year.

What makes it special, like Crouching Tiger, is it's seriously and lavishly done. The art direction and cinematography are simply breath taking. The story is well done and interesting all the way through.

I know that some people just can't get into wire stunts. I don't get that. Generally those same people can go watch Spiderman swing through the city or Superman fly through the clouds or Trinity and Neo jump buildings but they don't seem to be able to get into or imagine the idea that someone could be so skilled they could walk on water or jump through the tree tops. In fact while I was watching it there was one girl a few seats away that would giggle at every little idea that people could be so skilled.

Fortunately I can imagine that and get into that kind of world and so I can get into these kinds of movies. Especially ones that are so well done. I would say the wire stunts in this film are better than Tiger. They also used some CG to great effect for various shots.

This is a MUST see movie. I will definitely see this again. Hero is on my top 10 list of all time.]]> The Eye http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2003-08-23.htm Avoid it. Boring, lame, didn't get it, been there done that. movies 2003-08-23T19:00:00+09:00 2003-08-23T19:00:00+09:00 2003-08-23T19:00:00+09:00
Okay, so I saw "The Eye" recently. I saw it on HK VCD but I guess it was recently released in America and the promotion was something like (If you like "The Ring" then you'll love "The Eye")

Well, it's nothing like "The Ring". In fact it's hardly even scary. And, it's a basically the same story as 6th Sense. Sorry if that gives it away for you.

**MINOR SPOILERS**

The story is about a blind woman who gets an eye transplant after which she can not only see the real world but she can also see dead people, just like 6th Sense. And, just like 6th Sense she needs to help them solve their problems so that they can move on to where they are supposed to go. So, first of all, we've already seen this story.

** MAJOR SPOILERS**

But there are several problems I had with the movie.

First off it was over done. The second encounter with a dead person is not actually scary. Her eyes are not focused yet and some guy passes her in the hall. But the camera and the music jump all over so I guess you are supposed to be scared even though from her point of view there should have been nothing scary about it.

Would it be scary to see dead people? Well, I don't know but it seems like in 6th Sense the kid finally gets used to it and just talks to them and helps them out. In "The Eye", the girl just mostly freaks out even though the first person she sees where she comes to understand that she is seeing dead people is a kid that just got hit by a car. He's not scary at all. He just looks like a normal kid and he is just as surprised to look down at his dead body as she is. You'd think that might start to calm her down. It's not like she seeing demons or people out to get her.

A few scenes later she sees a kid she became friends with while she was in the hospital for her eye transplant. As she is talking to the kid she realizes the kid is dead. She died during an operation just a few minutes earlier and she comes to say goodbye and to tell the main woman to quit freaking out and just be calm, everything will be alright. Then the kid is escorted off by some non threatening *dark guy*. You'd think that might be enough to get the main character to deal with her new ability but nope.

Finally she finds out that her eyes belonged to a girl that could see these dark things coming for people. Because of that this girl knew people were going to die just a few minutes before they died. She would try to warn them, fail, they would die and then people would say it was her fault and so she became an outcast and eventually killed herself.

Okay, whatever, it was sad that she was an outcast.

So, right after that the main girl now sees these dark things, 50 to 100 of them coming through a traffic jam and she relalizes that there is going to be some kind of disaster and they are all going to die. She trys to warn them but of course no one listens and a big tanker truck explodes killing them all and blinding her again.

In the end she says something like "I was never meant to be able to see". WTF! First of all, so what if she couldn't stop their deaths, at least in that particular case see could have helped herself. Being able to see and avoid a coming disaster sounds like an ability I'd want to keep. On top of which, it was made clear, like the kid in 6th sense, she could also help others. But I guess because she's a wuss she's happy to be blind for the rest of her life and let all those people suffer. (1)

What----ever.

Oh wait, and then there was the last incredibly cheesy moment where you get to know she hooked up with her doctor. If that's not right out of cheesy lame Asian melodramatic TV soap I don't know what is. Ugh :-(

2 stars out of 5

(1) By the way, there's a dead guy in her elevator. So she can't see him anymore. She still knows he's there which seems like it would be pretty freaky. If she had kept her ability see could have helped him out and then her elevator wouldn't have some freaky dead guy in it.]]> The Ring (American version) http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2002-10-23.htm So, how is it? I saw the original about a year ago and memories of it still manage to creep me out once or twice a week when it's late at night and I turn my TV off or the channel ends broadcasting.How is the American version? I find it hard to believe they could do it as well as the original since they probably wanted to change so much. Some review said in the American one, after you see the video you get a call that tells you you will die in a week? Is that true? In the original you got the call but no one was on the other end.So, tell me what you thought if you saw it (either version) movies 2002-10-23T19:00:00+09:00 2002-10-23T19:00:00+09:00 2002-10-23T19:00:00+09:00 the original about a year ago and memories of it still manage to creep me out once or twice a week when it's late at night and I turn my TV off or the channel ends broadcasting.

How is the American version? I find it hard to believe they could do it as well as the original since they probably wanted to change so much. Some review said in the American one, after you see the video you get a call that tells you you will die in a week? Is that true? In the original you got the call but no one was on the other end.

So, tell me what you thought if you saw it (either version)]]> The Usual Suspects http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2002-10-07.htm Today I watched The Usual Suspects for the first time since I saw it in the theaters when it came out. I'm one of the few people that didn't like it and so, seeing as my friend had it on DVD I thought I'd borrow it and give it a second chance. In a word, No, I still don't like it.** SPOILER WARNING ** movies 2002-10-07T19:00:00+09:00 2002-10-07T19:00:00+09:00 2002-10-07T19:00:00+09:00 The Usual Suspects for the first time since I saw it in the theaters when it came out. I'm one of the few people that didn't like it and so, seeing as my friend had it on DVD I thought I'd borrow it and give it a second chance. In a word, No, I still don't like it.

** SPOILER WARNING **

The problem is nearly all of it could be made up. The only things we know for sure is that there were 5 guys in a lineup in NY since the police ask him to start from there. We know Keaton is a bad guy because Kujan tells us about him. We know Verbal is Soze because the guy in the hospital IDs him. We know a boat was on fire and some people died on it. That's really about it. Everything else could be made up.

Did any scene with the laywer, Mr. Kobayashi happen? Well, we know there is no Mr. Kobayashi since his name was taken from the bottom of a coffee cup. We don't know if they ever met a Mr. Redfoot since his name was taken from the bulletin board. We don't know if they really stole the gems from the police taxi service. We don't know if they really killed one of the 5 early. We don't know if there was the mess up with the cocain in the briefcase deal either.

In fact we don't know that the other 4 aren't still alive. For all we know after the line up they all went to Disneyland, then fled the country while Verbal/Soze went to the dock by himself. None of the bodies were identifiable so we don't know the other 4 guys were there.

And that in a nutshell is my problem with the movie.

You can't trust what you are seeing. You could say all those things happened because we saw them but we also saw Verbal cowering on the dock while the other guys were getting killed and we saw him watching from the dock as the last guy was shot. Since we know those particular scenes are lies then it could just as easily be true that every single scene from the lineup on is all fabricated. (n) :-(]]> Bio Hazard / Resident Evil (the Movie) http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2002-09-07.htm I got home at 1am this morning. Turned on the tube, checked my e-mail, saw a trailer with audience testimonials and then decided to run out and see Bio Hazard the movie at 2:30am showing ;-)I went in with low expectations so I'm not going to try to claim it's a good movie but I actually did enjoy it. There are a few glaring holes in the plot of course but it was fun. It was what I expected. Lots of scary zombies.I'm not a huge Milla Jovovich fan although I understand why many of my male friends salivate at her presence. But, she kicked all kinds of ass over Laura Croft/Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider.If you are into action horror movies go check it out. movies 2002-09-07T19:00:00+09:00 2002-09-07T19:00:00+09:00 2002-09-07T19:00:00+09:00
I went in with low expectations so I'm not going to try to claim it's a good movie but I actually did enjoy it. There are a few glaring holes in the plot of course but it was fun. It was what I expected. Lots of scary zombies.

I'm not a huge Milla Jovovich fan although I understand why many of my male friends salivate at her presence. But, she kicked all kinds of ass over Laura Croft/Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider.

If you are into action horror movies go check it out.]]> Neko no Ongaeshi http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2002-07-30.htm Yesterday I went to see Neko no Ongaeshi (The Cat Returns the Favor). That's the latest film by the studio that made two of Japan's most successful films ever, Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) and Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Sprited Away) which is the most successful movie of all time in Japan. movies 2002-07-30T19:00:00+09:00 2002-07-30T19:00:00+09:00 2002-07-30T19:00:00+09:00 Neko no Ongaeshi (The Cat Returns the Favor). That's the latest film by the studio that made two of Japan's most successful films ever, Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) and Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Sprited Away) which is the most successful movie of all time in Japan.

Neko no Ongaeshi is kind of a sequel to an older movie called Mimi no Sumaseba (Whispers of the Heart). Several of the same characters appear in both movies. The funny thing is, being a fan of Ghibli Studio, the studio that made the films, several years ago I bought the laserdisc for Mimi no Sumaseba. I loaned it to a friend immediately, he watched it, said it was not very interesting and so I never got around to watching it so I don't know if it's good or not. I suspect that there was not much action and as the movie is in Japanese with no subtitles it's not the kind of movie you can understand just by watching the images.

Anyway, now I'm interested in watching it because the new one, Neko no Ongaeshi, was really pretty good. It's about a girl who rescues a cat from getting run over by a car and is rewarded by being introduced to the world of cats. I highly recommend it. In fact, I suspect that for most American audiences it would be more interesting than Spirited Away. The story is more similar to other westerns stories.

The only negative thing is that the movie is shown along with a 20 or 30 minute short that comes before the main movie. The short wasn't bad per say, it's done kind of in the style of My Neighbors the Yamadas. It reminded me of shorts you often see at an animation film festival. While parts of it were interesting I was having trouble staying awake. Also interesting is that the short didn't seem aimed at kids where as the main movie would certainly appeal to kids "of all ages" The short was also just random stuff. First 3 co-workers go eat curry rice and some place where the hotter you order it the cheaper it gets. After each person orders and has the plates in front of them the store owner says that the discount is only if they can finish in 20 minutes or less. Most people can't finish as it's too hot and so they have to pay full price. After that skit the next 3 minutes is those characters doing strange modern dance moves in various animation styles. It was just bizarre, especially not expecting it having come to see the main movie.

Between the short and the main movie there was about a 10 minute intermission. I was worried the main movie would not keep me awake but it started pretty quick and immediately grabbed my interest so I guess what I'm saying is "check it out!" and don't walk out during the short :-)]]> Cowboy Bebop http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2002-02-01.htm Somebody recommended I check out Cowboy Bebop and so last weekend I watched the first 3 episodes. It starts off seeming like almost all style, no substance but it grew on me. Even so, at all style it was still pretty cool. The most distinctive thing is the music and according to this page is partly what inspired the series and the name "bebop" as in "bebop" style jazz.If you'd like to see the opening sequence it's on this page though you'll need the divx codec (think plugin) which you can download from here.I according to the listings it's playing on Cartoon Network Sunday nights 12am Eastern, 9pm Pacific. If you get a chance check it out. Even if you don't like anime you might decide you want the soundtrack ;-) movies 2002-02-01T19:00:00+09:00 2002-02-01T19:00:00+09:00 2002-02-01T19:00:00+09:00 Cowboy Bebop and so last weekend I watched the first 3 episodes. It starts off seeming like almost all style, no substance but it grew on me. Even so, at all style it was still pretty cool. The most distinctive thing is the music and according to this page is partly what inspired the series and the name "bebop" as in "bebop" style jazz.

If you'd like to see the opening sequence it's on this page though you'll need the divx codec (think plugin) which you can download from here.

I according to the listings it's playing on Cartoon Network Sunday nights 12am Eastern, 9pm Pacific. If you get a chance check it out. Even if you don't like anime you might decide you want the soundtrack ;-)]]> Battle Royale http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2001-11-25.htm My friend Tom told me about a movie he heard about called Battle Royale so I checked it out. It's about a group of bad high school students who because they are bad (as in stabbing, stealing, bullying) they are all taken to a small island where they are forced to take part in a game.They are each wearing a collar that will explode if they go on the wrong parts of the island. Which parts will be announced every 6 hours. They have 3 days to kill each other, last one alive gets to go home. If more than 1 person is still alive at the end of the 3 days all their collars will explode. movies 2001-11-25T19:00:00+09:00 2001-11-25T19:00:00+09:00 2001-11-25T19:00:00+09:00 Battle Royale so I checked it out. It's about a group of bad high school students who because they are bad (as in stabbing, stealing, bullying) they are all taken to a small island where they are forced to take part in a game.

They are each wearing a collar that will explode if they go on the wrong parts of the island. Which parts will be announced every 6 hours. They have 3 days to kill each other, last one alive gets to go home. If more than 1 person is still alive at the end of the 3 days all their collars will explode.

They are then each given a backpack with some food and a weapon. Each pack has a different weapon. Some not offensive.

I have to admit there was some guilty pleasure in watching a bunch of deliquents kill each other. There's alot you have to over look. For example you pretty much have to just except the premise. But over all it was interesting and certainly a different idea.

One thing different about Japanese action/horror movies, there's alot more blood. American action movies generally shy away from blood where as American horror movies always show gross but unbelievable stuff but Japanese movies show lots of shockingly disturbing scenes of neck cutting. :-Q]]> Random Movies http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2001-07-22b.htm I got to see Planet of the Apes here in Japan on Saturday. I guess that's a week earlier than the states. Honestly, my personal opinion is you can skip it. It wasn't even visually interesting like most Tim Burton movies are. He clearly tried but for some reason it just didn't cut it. On top of which as usually his stories are kind of stale but then usually at least the visuals make them worth seeing. Well, not this time.I also got to see Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi. The new Ghibli movie (Totoro, Kiki's, Laputa, Nausicaa) and it kicked butt of course. movies 2001-07-22T19:00:00+09:00 2001-07-22T19:00:00+09:00 2001-07-22T19:00:00+09:00 Planet of the Apes here in Japan on Saturday. I guess that's a week earlier than the states. Honestly, my personal opinion is you can skip it. It wasn't even visually interesting like most Tim Burton movies are. He clearly tried but for some reason it just didn't cut it. On top of which as usually his stories are kind of stale but then usually at least the visuals make them worth seeing. Well, not this time.

I also got to see Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi. The new Ghibli movie (Totoro, Kiki's, Laputa, Nausicaa) and it kicked butt of course.

I hate to be a critic but there were a few issues. The girl is only 10 and when her parents get turned into pigs at the beginning of the movie she is suprisingly un-effected. Also later in the movie we are supposed to except that she's in love with some guy enough to do anything for him which was hard to buy (a) because she's 10 and (b) because there's been no setup for it. Still, those are minor points and easily ignored in the context of the entire movie which was highly entertaining in my opinion.

Somebody tell me. Can I look forward to Scary Movie 2, The Fast and Furious, Kiss of the Dragon and/or Final Fantasy? They all look at least interesting.]]> A.I. http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2001-06-30.htm Did you see A.I. yet? What did you think? I saw the 1:20am Saturday night. It's now 5am.*** WARNING *** SPOILER ALERTDon't read on if you don't want any spoilers.So, what did you think? Me, overall I liked it. It's not awesome. I don't think I'd buy it on DVD for example. It doesn't feel like a multi-watch moive although it might be neat to see a few of the effects scenes again.It was interesting reading Ebert's review. He basically claims in his review that robots can't love, they are just machines and so he could never actually have any real sympathy for David, the main character. movies 2001-06-30T19:00:00+09:00 2001-06-30T19:00:00+09:00 2001-06-30T19:00:00+09:00
*** WARNING *** SPOILER ALERT
Don't read on if you don't want any spoilers.

So, what did you think? Me, overall I liked it. It's not awesome. I don't think I'd buy it on DVD for example. It doesn't feel like a multi-watch moive although it might be neat to see a few of the effects scenes again.

It was interesting reading Ebert's review. He basically claims in his review that robots can't love, they are just machines and so he could never actually have any real sympathy for David, the main character.

I don't agree with that idea at all. Just because something has been created by Man doesn't mean it's not sentient or that it's not feeling real emotions or even that it's not a *being* deserving all the same protections that other sentient beings deserve.

I had this disscussion with one of my dates. When you simulate a building in a computer that's clearly a simulation, not an actually building. But, if you successfully simulate thinking in a computer, is that a simulation of thinking or is it actually thinking? I contend that it's actually thinking.

So then the question becomes, if it's actually thinking, then is turning it off murder? If not why? Obviously those that are religious would say basically "because it doesn't have a sole" but those who are not religious it would seem would have to come up with some reason why a bunch of chemicals in the form of a brain running some process known as "conscieness" are more important than a computer running the same process.

Anyway, back to the movie. I thought Haley Joel Osment, the kid, did a great job playing a not quite human robot kid. He was pretty creepy. Also, it did bring up quite a few interesting issues with the safety stuff. If you had an artifical kid and a real kid and they got in a fight and the real kid got hurt would you have the artifical kid destroyed like a bad dog?

The Rouge City scenes were kind of neat thought after the movie I got to thinking, which will come first, robot love machines or can't tell from the real world sensory VR? In the movie it's assumed that robot lovers would be better than real (which I agree) but real VR (of the Star Trek Holodeck kind) would be even better if not downright addicting.

It was also really neat to see New York underwater and stuff though of course baloney. First, I believe that even the people that believe if the world heats up and the ice caps melt that it will only be 30 feet or so. Although that would be New York underwater it would only be the first 3 stories of the buildings that are at sea level. There are hills in New York so than means not even all of Manhatten would be underwater. Second, according to this guy, the geological record shows that when the tempature goes up the ocean level does NOT rise.

The last part of the movie was pretty lame I thought. I pretty much wish it had ended when David went into the Ocean. That seems like the best place to end the movie. Before Joe pulls him out even. I didn't get the end scenes before they find him. Was it supposed to be New York carved out of ice? It was kind of neat to see but also just to strange and full of the most holes.]]> Neon Genesis Evangelion http://blog.greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2001-06-02.htm I just finished watching the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. To anybody remotely interested in Anime I'd really REALLY recommend you check it out. It's considered by many to be a ground breaking in Japanese anime. The author of the series was a suicidal manic depressive while he wrote it so it expresses alot of this personal problems and feelings through it's story.One of the types of things that makes Japanese anime generally stick out from American cartoons is that, where as American cartoons are usually meant to be light entertainment many Japanese anime are very serious with very deep topics. Not all of them but even the fluffier ones often deal with much more mature topics then found in American cartoons. movies 2001-06-02T19:00:00+09:00 2001-06-02T19:00:00+09:00 2001-06-02T19:00:00+09:00
One of the types of things that makes Japanese anime generally stick out from American cartoons is that, where as American cartoons are usually meant to be light entertainment many Japanese anime are very serious with very deep topics. Not all of them but even the fluffier ones often deal with much more mature topics then found in American cartoons.

I will warn you that the ending of the series is generally disliked. There are 26 episodes each about 22 minutes long. The original series stopped at episode 24. The Japanese fans were so upset that 2 more episodes were made to explain a little more. I'm not sure the series is better with or without the extra last 2 episodes.

But, the trip to those last 2 episodes are pretty darn entertaining. I found that after the first few episodes I was dying to watch the next and the next.

I watched in Japanese though which means I didn't get all the same meaning out of it as if I had had subtiles or English. I'd really recommmend you go out and rent them. I think if you do you'll find you get hooked after a few episodes. I think I'd recommend it with subtitles if you can find it (probably you can't though unless you read the DVDs). The reason is it's hard for me to imagine that the dubbed version could have as perfect screams of rage and terror that the main character often needs to express.

If that last sentence scares you off let me explain. *spoiler warning* The series is about future world where mysterious forces are trying to destroy earth and/or part of Japan. Japan has a high tech defense system based on giant robots that are controlled by getting inside a special capsule (think torpedo) which is then filled with a fluid and inserted into the robot. Control is by direct mind link (and a few handles). Anyway, in the first episode the main character is put in one of the robots (which can only mind sync with 14 year old kids) and he doesn't really want to be there. He nearly gets killed and you don't see the battle. The next episode he wakes up in the hospital with no memory of what happened or how he survived. Through flashbacks you find out that when he was within an inch of dying he went beserker (mad with rage) and the screams from the voice actor for those scenes fit perfectly. I suspect they don't on the dubbed version.]]>