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Batman v Superman Trailer #1 (Short)

I really like how they captured the skepticism and mixed reactions the world would have should somebody like Superman turn up in the world. And of course the nod to The Dark Knight Returns. But please refrain from the shallow "IT’S TOO GRIMDARK" blanket criticism. You know the two heroes are going to end up friends, they just don’t want to give away what that looks like in the FIRST TRAILER, FFS.

 

I’m still seeing bullshit about Man of Steel being too dreary and hopeless. What the fuck movie were you watching? Sure, you can argue it was a Superman movie seen through a somewhat dirty lens, but not through a dark one. read more

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ANIME TOP TEN (LIST #2) FOLLOW-UP

List #2 took a little more decision-making on my part. I had to evaluate my current list and make a few choice corrections to reflect my current tastes. But there are still plenty of movies or single-part OVAs to praise, so here’s ten more, in short. 

  #s 11-20:   11. Farewell Space Battleship Yamato – The most memorable Yamato film, and an early attempt at capping the franchise, this movie has action, drama, romance, and plenty of large scale operatics.  12. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind – Miyazaki does what he does best in this adventure film with an environmental message. He transports the viewer to a foreign world, filled with wonder and danger, but without alienating the audience.  13. Lupin III: Episode 0: First Contact – This is probably the quintessential Lupin adventure, the jewel in the crown of Lupin’s grand age of TV specials and embodiment of Lupindom. Not only does it provide the story of how the Lupin gang met, but it’s also an exciting, funny romp through New York City, Lupin style. 14. Final Yamato – The climactic (then) final chapter of the Yamato franchise, Yamato goes again on a large scale mission, it’s last, to save the Earth from a Noahic disaster. Emotions run high, as does melodrama, but all in all a fine conclusion to the Yamato story.  15. Princess Mononoke – Another gorgeous, sprawling, sweeping story about so many things, such as perserverence, mercy, the environment, and coming of age, Miyazaki again hits a home run as he teaches us all the importance of respecting natural forces.  16. Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy – A lot like Castle of Cagliostro, but maybe not quite as beautiful. It does have the advantage of being more Lupin-ish than Cagliostro, with the characters acting a bit more like their usual selves. But also like Cagliostro, it has quite a bit going for it as an adventure movie. 

17. Patlabor: The Movie – read more

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ANIME TOP TEN (LIST #2) – #5 Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy (I – 1981, II – 1981, III – 1982)

 

 

Director(s): Yoshiyuki Tomino, Ryoji Fujiwara, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Screenplay: Kenichi Matsuzaki Music: Hiroshi Matsuyama, Takeo Watanabe   As I said about the TV series, the now classic Mobile Suit Gundam wasn’t very popular at first. But due to its popularity in repeats, it garnered enough attention to warrent a film series adaptation. The TV series is a classic, but most of what it does, the movies do better. Some of the more garish toy advertisement elements were replaced with better looking alternatives and the story and themes are streamlined, without some of the clunkiness of the show. The new animation, most present in the third movie, is good enough to impress, but is also flawlessly in tune with the old animation. The new footage was headed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, so perhaps more credit can be given to him than for Tomino for the films. 
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It’s Far From X-cruciating, but “Wolverine” Lacks Claws

“I’m good at what I do. And what I do isn’t very nice.”

Yet it’s not particularly nasty, either, is it, Wolverine? Or is it James Howlett? Weapon X? Logan? Hugh? Whatever you call yourself, the terrible memories you spent the first two X-Men movies trying to uncover seem a little anticlimactic, and not a little underwhelming compared to your angst over them, especially if all we have to judge on is X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the latest in the Fox franchise of X-movies. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t bore me. It just didn’t impress me.

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