Should I watch Tron?

The long and short of it: Yes
When was it made: 1982

A film from back when Disney made actual movies, Tron is a cult classic famous for being one of the first films to extensively use computer graphics (which ironically got them disqualified from winning an Academy Award in special effects due to "cheating"). The movie uses computer graphics to create the digital world and backlit photography on all the actors to create a very surreal effect. The movie is not perfect by any means, mostly due to the inane framing device and obsolete graphics. Don't get me wrong, for being polygons the graphics are still pretty smooth and are used better than some of the dribble that gets produced today, but it suffers from the 2001 effect: because it was cutting edge back then it carried its own weight, but nowadays it goes so slowly and is unimpressive. At the same time, though, you do get to see The Dude act the epic sci-fi hero.

This movie is one of the few mainstream "videogame" movies to win an academy award, with the main character being a coder from back in the days when video games were still "cool." Many of the mini-games and the adventures from the movie have been remade as games in there own right, with their collective success far exceeding that of the original people. Chances are that even if you've never seen Tron you have seen one of the movies light cycles being parodied. And now with a supposed sequel on the way, it would be worth seeing the original to be in the loop, if not just to understand a lot of the references made in popular culture.

The movie itself is comprised of two parts: the real-world framing device and the main plot which takes place in the video-game world. The real world framing device is the weakest point of the movie, mimicking programming somewhat but with no accuracy of how computers actually work. Plus the process of taking something physical and turning it's matter completely digital is a technology so pointless that it baffles the mind even as a plot device. These trappings of programming carry their way into the digital universe in kind of a fun way, but even so, I got through the movie by squinting my eyes and pretending this was happening in space. But the story is fun and has some interesting elements which makes the complete and total inaccuracies durable. It follows a very "chosen one saves the day" formula, but tackles it in a unique perspective. It is definitely not too heady, just mindless fun. If you are looking for an in-depth look into the human soul or a cutting edge digital masterpiece, than this movie is not for you. But if you want a little fun with some interesting visuals, than this is for you.

I personally enjoyed the digital part of the movie, which fortunately takes up the majority of the action, but at the same time the concerns with the real-life portion really did drag me down. The ending is so nonsensical it hurts: a printed piece of paper saying "yeah, the bad guy did it" would not be enough evidence to solve anything. If that's all he needed, why didn't Flynn print it out at home? But the digital world carries it out for me. Being produced by a major studio allowed them to get some great actors, and David Warner was fantastic in all three of his roles. I loved how Sark was a real character, showing fear at having to take on a "user" and acting as a competent henchman defeated by an actually superior foe, as opposed to most movies where the hero is an idiot and wins by sheer measure of the villains even lower intellect. All in all if the digital portion of the movie had been a stand alone project (in the same setting or even a space setting) it would probably be one of my favorite movies. As it stands, it is still a pretty good flick worth watching.

Should I watch Afro Samurai?

The long and short of it: Yes
When was it made: 2007

Fuminori Kizaki has managed to create an awesome and fun-filled action story in five episodes based on a manga by Takashi Okazaki. Afro Samurai is as campy as you would expect, taking its serious back story and placing that next to sex jokes, violence, and Samuel L. Jackson.

What more hype need I mention than Samuel L. Jackson? The man is himself an industry with a built in fan base. The series has spawned a movie and a video game, and along with Snakes on a Plane can be given as an example of why people love Samuel L. Jackson.

This is a violent show, full of killing. The story itself is little more than a backdrop to the fights. Afro wears the number two headband, meaning that anyone wanting to be the most powerful fighter in the world has to kill him, causing violence to erupt all around. The show has some points that cause introspection, where Afro contemplates the sacrifices he has had to make and losses he has incurred on his path, but whenever that starts to get heavy, he finds someone new to murder. If you want a violence filled fun show with only a few episodes, than get Afro Samurai. If you don't like sophomoric humor or require your stories to revolve around more than violence and the quest for more violence, than head for a different show.

I loved Afro Samurai because it has an incredible story behind it that somehow fits the weird world in which it is set. This is a world ruled not by armies and governments, but by warriors, and the story reflects it. There is a lot of group on one and one on one combat, and Afro always avails. In a lot of stories I would call it a Mary Sue character, but the world allows me to believe one super powered warrior can defeat an army. My personal favorite moment comes when Afro battles Kuma: it fleshes out these characters designed solely to kill more than some characters in serious work are. It is this juxtaposition of serious back story and silly and over-the-top violence that makes Afro Samurai work. Also, Samuel L. Jackson.

Should I watch Blood: the Last Vampire?

The long and short of it: Only if you're familiar with the franchise
When was it made: 2000

Hiroyuki Kitakubo directed the surprisingly short Blood: the Last Vampire. The movie was ok, with some fun lines and some good action, however if this is your first taste of the Blood universe (as it was for me) it is a little confusing and not very complete. The movie is not overly complex by any means, with a simple plot and a bit of killing, but confusion still arises from a lack of exposition.

Blood's hype has come mostly in the anime community, however the recent upward trend in followers of the vampire fandom will make this movie more appealing to a wider audience; in fact the live action adaptation of this series was recently mentioned in a New York Times article about fascination with vampires (I would send you the link, but I read it in the actual paper. You know, that big obsolete thing people use to start fires?). That itself-the live action adaptation, not the article-has generated a bit of hype to see the "original" movie.

We are back to not-for-children-cartoons. Blood is violent and contains a fair amount of, well, blood. The movie is short, less than an hour in length, so it doesn't have the same time investment that other movies have. Unfortunately all that extra time in most movies is used for exposition and universe exploration, of which there is little. Though the movie claims to be about vampires, they aren't really involved: there is only one character who you assume is a vampire that hunts monsters that drink blood, but aren't really vampires.So if you want to see a short violent action anime, check out Blood. If you thrive for exposition or love the classical dark-master-burns-in-sunlight vampire, this isn't for you.

Now that was the major problem to me, that they didn't use conventional vampires yet they expect you to know the rules of the universe. None of the characters are more than a list of character traits and a bubble graph linking certain characters. All you know is that it takes place in an alternate real world, and that whenever it is set there are still American occupational forces in Japan. Everything else is just dumped in front of you. The main character fights things that feed on blood and hide among humans. How do you kill them? You have to deal enough damage with a single blow (I think). However, guns are worthless? Sidearms, maybe, but a man unloading an assault rifle into a monster can cause equivalent bodily harm to a monster as a few sword strokes. Also, apparently the main character (who is a vampire) is seen striding about with no fear of the sun. After seeing that, there was a scene where she's in a burning building, and I didn't know if I should be suspenseful: did fire hurt her or not? I didn't know, because nobody told me how it works. That's what it really comes down to: if you're familiar with the universe, you'll probably love the movie. But the movies short length doesn't allow the exposition required to understand how the world works: you spend the time you should be worried about the action wondering why it matters instead.

Should I watch My Neighbor Totoro?

The long and short of it: Yes if you have kids, Most likely otherwise
When was it made: 1988 (Japan), 1993 (English dub)

Directed by anime superstar Hayao Miyazaki, My Neighbor Totoro is one of the biggest titles put out by Studio Ghibli and in fact the titular character is now their mascot. It is definitely a kids movie, and definitely not a mainstream American title. The story revolves around the situation (or milieu, as the case may be) and how the characters react in that situation as opposed to revolving around the events- this is rare in movies today, as even adaptations of books famous for being milieu stories (The Lord of the Rings in particular) are usually changed to event movies (alright, a lot of movies are question stories, but for simplicity's sake I'm only going to mention event stories). This is both a good and a bad thing: good because it snaps us out of out traditional movie going mindset, bad because the audience will probably not expect a milieu story and that may have a negative effect upon their opinions.

My Neighbor Totoro is noted as one of Hayou Miyazaki's biggest hits. The Totoro and Catbus characters are famous in Japan and have appeared in numerous cameos--Totoro's popularity is such that he has even gotten his way into some appearances in western animation. With the re-release of several children's anime by Disney, My Neighbor Totoro has recirculated the market, making it easily available yet again.

I have heard some people say that My Neighbor Totoro has no plot, but that is not true. Its plot is simply of a different kind. Unfortunately, this is not the action packed thrill-ride kind of plot that most movies deliver. The movie moves at a much slower pace because its rising action does not revolve around conflict, it revolves around exploration. So if you want to see a fun kids movie (yes, this one is actually a kids movie) that gives a peek into the fantastic world of King Totoro and has a happy ending, then watch My Neighbor Totoro. If you can't watch a movie that doesn't revolve around conflict or hate kid's movies and happy endings, than this isn't for you.

Now this is one that I've broken one of my guidelines: I saw the movie as a child in 1993 when the original translation came out. I felt I could make an exception, however, because I didn't really like it then and I don't remember it. Having watched it again, I must say I like it a lot better, mostly because I see so many movies where everybody is killing everybody and the world is going to hell that it's nice to see a few innocent children exploring a fantasy world and seeing that the world isn't all bad. It's also nice to see a side of fantasy that has been almost completely eradicated in this modern age. The rise of franchises such as the Lord of the Rings movies and World of Warcraft have relegated the world of fantasy to action movies with orcs instead of Russians. That's why I enjoy movies like this more than I used to: we get to see a world where trolls exist not to eat children, but to be their friends. To see a fantasy world where the inhabitants are physically completely different from humans, but socially have many human characteristics, and where the interactions between the human world and their world is extended beyond the battleground.

Should I watch Ghost in the Shell?

The long and short of it: Yes
When was it made: 1995

Based on the manga by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell is a post-cyberpunk action movie directed by Mamoru Oshii. That means you get to see cyborgs and robots battling each other with blazing guns and cutting tech, but you don't get the angsty exposition on how the rise of technology will shatter society. Instead you get to follow government agents as they attempt to solve the mystery surrounding the best hacker in the world, replete with explosions and intrigue.

Ghost in the Shell is another movie back from the beginning of the second wave of popularity: in fact Ghost in the Shell has ridden the wave so hard as to spout 2 animated series (even though they include the same cast, it actually does make since to call them individual series), a sequel, and some video games, just to name a few of it's spawn. Ghost in the Shell is renowned for dealing with the nature of the soul and how AI may change our definition of it. Admittedly, this has been done before (the short story Article of Faith by Mike Resnick is my favorite) but there are two reasons Ghost in the Shell is so popular, and they're both on the cover shown above. One is the gun, and the other one, well, let's just say it could be called the other two reasons.

Now Ghost in the Shell is an anime, but it is one of the better ones as far as monologues go. Usually they actually try to have another participant, and I'm ok with rambling exposition as long as two people are doing it. It is also incredibly violent, showing at least one head explosion, some dismemberment, and a few bone breakings-also, boobs. Now this movie gets my vote for best done nudity, because it is never done for sensuality, and they do it in such a way that you never feel like your looking at a naked person, but like your just seeing a naked barbie-it really fits with that whole "what makes a person a person" issue the movie deals with. So if you want an action flick with a good moral that makes you think a bit, watch Ghost in the Shell. If you can't stomach violence and can't stand the sight of boobies, than read Article of Faith or see Short Circuit.

I love this movie. I will admit that every once in a while I just want to see stuff explode and people firing guns, and this movie has that. I also like to see people discuss issues with a deeper meaning, and this movie has that. If you read my Akira review, you'll remember that I discussed that my problem with Akira is that it didn't get me interested enough in the movie to care about the deeper meaning. If you didn't read it, I just gave a synopsis of the pertinent point I am going to reference. Ghost in the Shell has a story that, while convoluted, actually made sense the first time I watched it and made me feel positively towards watching it again. The next time I watched it for the awesome fights, I picked up a layer of meaning, and the movie expanded to me. Then the next time I watched it for the story, I picked up another layer of meaning. And even the last time I watched it just because, I picked up another layer of meaning. If more symbolic movies did this, more people would watch symbolic movies. Ghost in the Shell focuses on giving us a good movie (though I will admit the plot is still a bit too convoluted for my normal tastes) and then allowing us to pick up the symbolism at our own pace, making us actually care about, and therefore think about, what we learned.

Should I watch Akira?

The long and short of it: I don't think so
When was it made: 1988

Directed by co-writer Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira was a perplexing movie to me. I have since read reviews afterward that explained how it was full of symbolism and meaning and that I should have been very impressed with it, but I just didn't see it. That's why I only say I don't think you should watch it: there's a chance that you may watch it and recognize it for the epiphany that it apparently is. I'm not saying it was bad, and in fact when something is as popular as Akira is I believe it is because it is good, but this just wasn't the kind of movie I watch. It suffers from one of the biggest problems with anime, which I will discuss later.

The movie is generally credited for starting the second wave of anime popularity in America, a wave that has expanded to the point of sheer ridiculousnes. It is well received still to this day and Roger Ebert gave it thumbs up, so that's good I guess. Also, because it started the wave, it was one of the first anime titled sold in America, so many people's first anime experience may well have been Akira, and so it gets passed down to those of us newer to the anime scene.

So, should you see it or not? If you are a self-proclaimed anime fan, this is a must see just like Star Wars or Star Trek is a must see for sci-fi fans: love it or hate it, you need to do it to be part of the club. For the rest of us, however, we can be a bit more objective. Once again, this is not a cartoon for children, as it deals with adult issues and is riddled with violence and a little sexual content (for a kid's version check out Happy Harry's American trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jafd97yJFOI. If you've seen the movie it's hilarious). So if you are looking for an anime classic to expand your library, than go ahead and see it. However if you hate it when an anime piles a movie full of issues and makes the story incomprehensible, than avoid Akira.

And that was the issue I referred to earlier in this opinion: too many anime have a story that doesn't make any damn sense, but because they deal with important issues everyone sits around and talks about how great they are. I hate that! You can make an anime that has an actual story and still deals with an issue. Ghost in the Shell is about the nature of the soul and how ever advancing AI affects it. But it's also about a cyberterrorist and the government agencies trying to cover it up. You still get the annoying show stopper monologues, but I'm ok with that because five seconds before there were gunfights and explosions! All I'm saying is that if I'd watched Akira a few more times, maybe that symbolism would have made more sense and it would have been a great experience--maybe that's why it became popular, because when it was one of the only movies around people had to watch it multiple times, or they had to watch it with someone who could explain what was going on. I was alone, though, and the movie gave me no reason to watch it again. It didn't make me want to spend the time to understand it like Ghost in the Shell did (which I may give an opinion of tomorrow, since apparently this is anime week). Honestly, my favorite thing about the movie Akira is that American Akira short I referred you to earlier. It's hilarious to the extreme, especially Kaneda's bike. So maybe you'll get Akira, or you have someone to hold your hand through it, but for me I'd rather watch something that makes sense, and when I come back because I like it I'll look for symbolism.

Should I watch Grave of the Fireflies?

The long and short of it: Yes
When was it made: 1988

Directed by Isao Takahata, Grave of the Fireflies is based on a novel written by Akiyuku Nosaka. It follows two children and the effect the war has on them and the people around them. I was honestly not expecting this. I assumed it would show the war from soldier's perspectives and show the great tragedies and loss of life caused directly by the war. However it focuses on a little tragedy that goes almost entirely unnoticed in the troubled times surrounding it.

Grave of the Fireflies is one of those Anime movies that has an audience outside the stereotypical market-everyone can sympathize with its message. It is one of the premiere anti-war movies in the world, which I think is made more fascinating by its lack of real world examples-something that our millenia of wars have provided plenty of.

First things first, this is an anime and therefore excluded from a large audience due to the largely American belief that cartoons are only for children (and let me just say that this is not one for little kids). It is not a war movie, and there is very little action. It deals mostly with interpersonal relationships, and it is not a happy movie. So if you want a war flick with plenty of action or are looking for something for the kids, then stay away. If you want a low tempo anti-war movie and don't mind sad movies, then you should see it.

I think the movie was very good. I won't say I enjoyed the movie mostly because that has a connotation that it was happy. It wasn't. It was depressing. That was the point. Often time when we see the catastrophes that occur during wartime we can justify them as being necessary: for example the bombings at Nagasaki and Hiroshima were performed because the United States estimated more lives would be lost in a land invasion (I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with that, that is simply an example of justification). However, this little event here has no justification. Most memorable to me is how their own aunt begins to turn against them because of her loyalty to the government. I didn't cry during this movie (which does happen) but it did impart a sense of malaise that hopefully I will remember the next time I feel the need to meet any situation with violence.