Movie Reviews for December 2001

I Review Three Films per Month and give you a generally good idea of whether or not it's worth your time to drive to Hastings, or Blockbuster or Best Buy at 11pm in the rain. The summary is self-explanatory, unless you can't read, but then I guess you wouldn't be surfing the net then. The Good explains all the main highlights or "reasons to watch" and the bad, not. The Ugly is a gore factor, or messiness of the film, a kind of rating of whether or not you shoud have that pizza and beer with the film. If you have any requests for reviews, mail me and I'll see what can be done.

My rating system is based on the oh so familiar drama masks. There are 5 per each film. The more happy, the better the movie. All sad, don't waste your time.

Summary: This movie is a side mission that takes place between episodes 23 and 24 of Cowboy BeBop. So the whole gang is together for another bounty hunt. There's a creepy virus on the loose and it's up to Spike, Faye and the others to put a stop to the epidemic.
Good: The plot was superb. A nice balance of Drama, Comedy and Romance. The same reasons you enjoy the series, you'll like this film. Also, if they changed voice actors from the original series, I couldn't tell. The characters and their personalities were still intact.
Bad: It's a sad reminder that the series will soon end and that what we all hoped Spike's return in the cinema meant, was wrong. This takes place DURING the series. ~_~ Sorry to let you down, fangirls.
Ugly: Lots of blood and violence. This movie has much darker tones to it than the episodes do. It has a creepiness that seems to brood over each scene. The wounds Spike recieves and even the sexual inuendo with Faye seem much more serious. You'll cringe.

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Summary: D is back. (well he IS immortal after all.) This time he's hunting the Vampire who's kidnapped a young woman from the local town. Now, he has to compete with fellow bounty hunters and the Vampire's lackeys. Looks like he's got his hands full.
Good:Speaking of D's hands, the comedy in the film made it worth the extra bucks to see it in the theatre. It was hilarious. Yet, the action and the drama were also superb. Not to knock and oldie, but i like THIS film better than the original.
Bad: Some dialogue and character illustration was just... gay. Sorry but, it was cheesy in some spots. And Layla? What kinda name is Layla to have in such a location? She just stood out like a sore thumb.
Ugly: C'Mon it's a VAMPIRE movie! There's lots of blood. LOTS. Though gory, the fight sequences rocked. They reminded me of Ninja Scroll.
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Summary:I had to do a lot of deliberation when deciding how to review this movie. Here it is: Utena has lost all memory of what happened. She returns the Ohtori as a tomboy (short hair and all this time). Suddenly, as everyone is reunited with her, everything seems to come flooding back.
Good: The art in this film is superb. I have always enjoyed the flow of Utena's manga illustrations and this film truly brings to life more of that airbrushed backgrounds and swirling lines that we readers are used to. I liked the plot, though at first it seemed like a bad idea. A kinda "Dorthy returns to Oz" theme. But, in the end, it offered a lot of closure to those of us who saw the series.
Bad: As far as that closure goes, it was a little too much. I don't know about you, but the series left me with hope in certain areas. Now, those questions are all answered and it's kinda sad. *shrug* I'd make a BeBop comparison but I don't want to ruin anything.
Ugly: Nothing too violent as far as blood goes but there is some death and evil. Also, if you're queasy about homosexuality, this film could bother you. In fact, the entire Utena series may bother you. -_^


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