Change Your Image
Wayori
Reviews
Observe and Report (2009)
A little too dark a comedy...
A line that really stood out for me in this movie involved a secluded detective coming from behind a door and stating something along the lines of "I stayed because I thought this was going to be funny, but really it's a little sad." I know they were going for dark humor in this movie, but sometimes it's a little much. I almost wished Rogen was playing the typical Will Ferrell/Adam Sandler/Jack Black man-child, but when it was revealed why his character was so bizarre it stopped being funny, and the fact that the other characters (especially Liotta's detective) acted oblivious to his condition was terrible. It was incredibly sad during the somewhat disturbing sex scene between Ronnie and his crush (played by Faris), because it seemed he truly believed there was a romantic connection going on (in his defense, that makes him a much better person than had he not felt that way). Ronnie is also the typical comedy protagonist in which a slew of horrible things happen to him, but unlike Gaylord Focker's circumstances, the movie manages to make it hit a little harder than it should, and even though the protagonist is a jerk, you feel more sorry for him than you should in a comedy. The surprise ending alone is worth the watch, however, and despite what I said the movie's not a total downer, as there are moments of genuine hilarity scattered throughout. Worth watching, not owning.
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Alfred Hitchcock called. He wants his movie back.
I was tempted to check the "Contains spoiler" box before writing my comment, reason being that if you ever watched Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious", you have already watched this movie. Well, to be fair, there's the face-switching and explosions and inferior acting to the previously mentioned masterpiece that make Mission: Impossible 2 a little different. I don't know if any lawsuits were brought up during the release of this film, but they should've been for the cheapening of a Cary Grant classic. I would think that a sequel to such a "notorious" action film would have just a little more originality. Had the plot not have been already used, the score would be a 6/10. The action was a little fun, and the face-switching never gets old. But with the knowledge that this movie is a blatant rip-off, the experience is a little depressing. For those not into black-and-white oldies, sorry for ruining your fun.
Afro Samurai (2007)
Spectacular action, but...
Afro Samurai is the story of a swordsman seeking vengeance for his murdered father. Haven't seen that before. In order to achieve this goal, he must defeat the number one swordsman in the world that stole the title from his dead dad. The funny thing is that this Number 1 uses two guns to fight, and yet he is the number one "swordsman." Go figure. The Number 1 and Number 2 swordsmen are labeled by these special bands saying that they're number one and number two, and as you might have guessed, the Afro is number two, and EVERYONE with a weapon wants a piece, whether or not that weapon is a sword. I can't tell what source this show ripped off more: Ninja Scroll with its "everyone wants you dead" premise and ninja sidekick or Samurai Champloo with its attempt to immerse hip-hop culture with Japanese swordsmen using the "black samurai" gimmick that mildly offended me. Great animation and action, but overall, not a good show.
Naruto (2002)
The last million episodes of filler took the score down 2 notches.
This is a very long, very entertaining anime with a great story and (usually) very intriguing battles. It's not until the manga-adapted storyline ends that the show gets a little stale. Fight scenes become less ninja and more brute, stories get repeated with different characters that you'll never here from again, and somehow, children are able to beat adults every time. But I'm a bad news first, good news last kind of guy, so here's why you should watch the show: Characters GALORE all with there own unique personalities and abilities, hilarious antics throughout the series (mostly due to the titular character), cleverly executed fights that address issues like difference in skill without some out-of-nowhere power-up, and characters that aren't the least bit shallow. Ironic that all this comes from a village that trains its youth to be tactical killers, but let's ignore that for now. I highly recommend you watch this show about a boy's quest for leadership and acceptance from a village that shuns him. Just be ready for it to fizzle out a little after a couple hundred episodes.
Gantz (2004)
Would you like some story with your gore and sex? Too bad.
Well, if you like mindless violence and hentai scenes in your anime, then you should probably not let me rain on your parade. But this show is relentless in its stupidity, and it made my head hurt waiting for the story to get better. The plot is that there is this orb with a guy in it called "Gantz" who randomly picks dead people and keeps them trapped in its apartment until it sends them out as a type of sadistic game to kill random monsters with skin-tight super-suits and weapons that, honestly, serve no other function than to create the most gore out of a battle as possible. Genius. And wait until you get to said battles! "What should we do?!" "I don't know!" "But they're killing us!" "I don't know if it's right to shoot them!" "...But we're dying!" Sad thing is that there is always this "dramatic" hesitance in every battle. And, of course, this hesitance and head-hurting stupidity gets a lot of people killed. Don't try to get to know a character too well; chances are they won't be around too long. And the protagonist... selfish, perverted, whiny. The only things that work for this show are the great artwork and the occasional chuckle (such as Gantz's little song that plays before each game). Other than that, it's a pointless waste of time.
Chasing Amy (1997)
Candid conversations of sexuality come to life!
Brilliant characters lose their appeal after the movie reaches it's halfway point, and even after the anticipated appearance of Jay and Silent Bob puts a smile back on your face, Chasing Amy is again ruined by the stupidity of the protagonists. Not at all saying Kevin Smith is a conventional writer/director, but characters usually get wiser as the story progresses. Not this bunch. What starts off as an intriguing, charming, compelling, and hilarious example of cinema goes suicide lovers on its audience. A very bi-polar flick that only those who don't get fooled into being a quiet observer rather than a movie-goer can truly enjoy. High points include Affleck's confession of love, the cunnilingus conversation between Lee and Adams (the only time you'll see the two get along), and everything that has to do with Hooper X, the only consistent character in the movie. Contradicting my negative tone, this movie is worth watching at least once, but then the movie contradicts itself far more than I do.
Yu yu hakusho: meikai shito hen - hono no kizuna (1994)
Why not use the show's cast?!
Yu-Yu Hakusho is in my top five list of favorite anime shows, so naturally I got excited when I discovered Poltergeist Report. I was very disappointed when the characters started speaking, however. The dubbed cast for the movie is awful compared to the English cast for the show, which is awesome. I know the movie came to America long before the show (you really don't need to know jack about the show to have some understanding of what's going on in the movie), but I really wish that FUNimation would re-release it with the TRUE English cast.
Another flaw with the movie is the same flaw the show has: the animation, well, let's just say it's not offensively horrible, like what one would expect from an episode of Scooby Doo, but it could be better. The story is typical of movies based on action anime (an hour-and-a-half-long episode), but it is still an entertaining plot, so no harm done there. Overall, Poltergeist Report is something worth watching, it just depends on how you tolerate partially-formulaic approaches to movies.