Animated Movie Reviews »
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds (1984) Movie Review
“Nausicaa” (also known by the longer title, “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”) is based on the manga series of the same name, written and drawn by the film’s writer/director Hayao Miyazaki. The...
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Team America: World Police (2004) Movie Review
(Movie Review by Donnie Saxton) Ironically, just the other day I was asking myself: why in the world hasn’t anyone made a film exploring the geopolitical realities of nuclear proliferation starring wooden marionettes? Matt...
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Patlabor: The Movie 2 (1993) Movie Review
“Patlabor 2″, the sequel to 1990′s “Patlabor: The Movie”, examines the unique status of Japan in the modern world. The country is an economic world power, but due to the constitution drafted after World...
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Patlabor: The Movie (1990) Movie Review
In the late 20th century, highly advanced robots, known as Labors, were created for construction purposes. Other labors were developed to be used in the military, for undersea exploration and even recreational purposes. However,...
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Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) Movie Review
It’s difficult to dislike Mamoru Oshii’s sequel to his seminal anime work “Ghost in the Shell”, the cyberpunk sci-fi that influenced “The Matrix” and many others. Then again, it’s also difficult to completely like...
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McDull, Prince de la Bun (2004) Movie Review
One is almost inclined to forgive “McDull, Prince de la Bun” if it had been anything other than pretty good. After all, the original was such a good film, and its epic telling of...
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A.li.ce (1999) Movie Review
While the title isn’t exactly original, the premise certainly is. “A.li.ce” is an all-CGI feature and it’s a fairly impressive looking movie that gets points for innovative thinking. While not in the same class...
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Appleseed (2004) Movie Review
“Appleseed” is a mixture of CGI and traditional anime, and is based upon an early manga by Masamune Shirow, creator of the seminal “Ghost in the Shell” and its sequel, “Innocence”, amongst others. The...
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Wings of Honneamise (1987) Movie Review
It’s a bit of cheat, but reviewers will use analogies to describe movies simply because it’s the quickest way to get the point across. Hence, “Volcano High” is “The Matrix” meets “Harry Potter”, and...
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Patlabor: The Movie 3 (WXIII) (2002) Movie Review
Nearly a decade after “Patlabor: The Movie 2″ comes “W(asted)XIII,” the long-awaited third Patlabor feature. Like its predecessors, “WXIII” is a science-fiction/thriller set in a semi-futuristic world where human-piloted robots (or “labors”) are part...
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Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) Movie Review
Although I’ve watched plenty of Japanese animation in my time, I’ve never had the occasion to take up Shinichiro Watanabe’s “Cowboy Bebop”, one of the more popular imports to reach the States. “Cowboy Bebop:...
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Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004) Movie Review
“Dark Fury” is a 30-minute self-contained animated story that takes place between the events of “Pitch Black” and the just released “Chronicles of Riddick”. It’s not really anything necessary, and I suspect only fans...
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Gen 13 (1998) Movie Review
Back in the mid-90s, the most popular team in comic books wasn’t the X-Men, but a group from independent publisher Image Comics. Created by Jim Lee, Brandon Choi and Jim Scott Campbell, “GEN 13″...
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Mezzo Forte (2001) Movie Review
Except for two explicit sex scenes that have no real relevance with the narrative, Yasuomi Umetsu’s “Mezzo Forte” might just be the best action-comedy anime I’ve seen in a while. It’s certainly better than...
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Ghost in the Shell (1995) Movie Review
In many ways, Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 effort “Ghost in the Shell” is one of the more influential sci-fi works out there. Which doesn’t mean it’s one of the best, only influential. The film that...
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Cat Soup (2003) Movie Review
Tatsuo Sato’s “Cat Soup” is an odd brew. And because it’s such a short experiment in bizarre visuals, giving this 30-minute movie a grade becomes a problem. It’s much too short to be properly...
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Elysium (2003) Movie Review
If you approach it correctly, the South Korean animation “Elysium” really isn’t that bad. I mean, it is quite unremarkable, that goes without saying. The whole movie is essentially a 70-minute episode of “The...
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Lady Death (2004) Movie Review
In 1998, Lady Death creator Brian Pulido announced that the character would make the transition to the screen in the form of an animated feature film. Six years later, the “Lady Death” film finally...
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Wonderful Days (aka Sky Blue, 2003) Movie Review
Visually startling, with a haunting soundtrack that hits you right in the soul, “Wonderful Days” nevertheless falters badly when it comes to story. Narratively speaking, the South Korean animation moves well, and there are...
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My Life as McDull (2001) Movie Review
If there’s one thing I can fault “My Life as McDull” for, it’s that the movie, running at a scant 70 minutes, gets perhaps a bit too somber toward the end. While there’s no...
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