VIDEO REVIEW: Street Fighter 2 - The Animated Movie

VIDEO REVIEW: Ghost in the Shell

VIDEO REVIEW: Perfect Blue

VIDEO REVIEW: Paprika

The Lucid Nightmare - Paprika Review by jayskitstar

VIDEO REVIEW: Akira

TITLE SEQUENCE: Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop

Director: Hajime Yatate

Year 1998

REVIEW: Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Year 1995
 
Ghost in the Shell is a fantastic science fiction animated film that delves into the true essence and meaning of life by commenting on the possibility of machines becoming something more than just soulless creations. This evolutionary step in both animated features and thought-provoking storytelling is a shining example of how filmmakers can use the medium to create some rather inspiring narrations on the human condition, both in its significance and unprecedented ramifications. Filled with action, beautiful artistry, and an intriguing plot, Ghost in the Shell is not only a masterpiece, but it’s a classic example of how truly complex an anime can be.
 
Set in the year 2029, the film follows a team of high-level government operatives lead by a tough as nails female cyborg cop named Motoko Kusanagi, as they police a cyber-punk metropolis for malicious anarchistic hackers aiming to disrupt society. Their recent case has them hot on the trail of an illusive and notorious cyber hacker named ‘The Puppet Master’, who is wreaking havoc across the interactive network which is connected to all of the people of Earth. What makes this miscreant’s actions that much more alarming, is that they seem to have an unhealthy fixation on Major Motoko Kusanagi and her relevance to being a cyber-genetic creation. As they narrow in on their suspect, they come to a shocking realization that ‘The Puppet Master’ may be far more complex and unsettlingly then they ever bargained for. One thing’s for sure, the world won’t be the same once this mysterious hacker’s true intentions come to light.

The world of Ghost in the Shell is a fantastically technologically driven one, in which everything across this cyberpunk landscape is connected within a network that is like a beefed up version of our own internet. What’s rather special about director Mamoru Oshii’s vision for this future tech-centric society, is that the function of the network is not only embedded within the character’s everyday life, but it is also visually replicated in the look and presentation of the metropolis where the story is set. The thriving neon metropolis is like vibrant eye candy and it’s especially interesting to compare the correlation between the resemblance of the city landscape at night to that of a computer chip, with its intricate grids and sleek design. The fusing of both the visuals to the thematic arc of the story is something of a perfect union, because it allows the viewer to dive right in to the metaphorical narrative that focuses on the meaning of life and the concept of machines becoming something much more than just man’s creation, which is the core backbone of this deliciously twisted science fiction tale.
 
With the metaphorical connections in place and the stage set, Oshii pushes the visual look of the film into uncharted territories as he allows the grungy nature of this world to spring to life in the most expressive of ways. From the darkened back alleys to the neon caked and congested streets of the city, the lived in nature of this fictional world is exceptionally crafted. Through this meticulous recreation, born from Oshii’s mind, we really get a chance to feel the age of the expansive metropolis and it’s the detailed way in which he introduces us to each various location that really builds up the history of this technologically driven world. Not only do we get to visit the thriving portions of the city, like the looming skyscrapers and corporate headquarters, but we also get to see the more traditional and weathered side of this aged society. The best example that showcases the visual scope of the landscape is the precious moments in which we get to traverse through the film’s less refined locations. For instance, the chase scene that occurs in the marketplace, where the crew is chasing down a suspect, is one of the most visually impressive moments of the film, allowing us to revel in the sheer wonder and scale of the world at hand. I absolutely loved the look of the packed shopping district, filled with its diverse characters and kaleidoscopic colors, and the closing moments of the scene really gives the viewer a feast for the eyes, not to mention a miraculous fight sequence.

As for the rest of the action of the film, it is top notch and extremely inventive. In this movie we get a hefty helping of frantic gunplay, brutal beat downs, and pulse pounding car chases, that mix perfectly with its intricate and contemplative narrative. The violence on display is raw to the core, making for a nasty atmosphere that relishes in snapped bones, eviscerated flesh, and grotesque mutilation. Even though most of the carnage centers around synthetic beings being ripped apart and mangled, the end result in witnessing all of this nasty dismemberment is quite potent to the validity and harshness of the world. One of the most memorable moments of the movie, that truly showcases the cruelness of the film’s environment, takes place in the forgotten and distraught portion of the city which has decayed over time by neglect. The scene starts off with Major Motoko Kusanagi taking on a large insect-like tank. As the battle rages on, Motoko gets a few pot shots in against the seemingly unbeatable metallic behemoth, only to later be decimated by the heavy artillery that the powerful machine is equipped with. The mangling of Motoko’s body and the way that her synthetic flesh just hangs from her broken frame, is twisted in its presentation and quite morbidly impressive.
 
It is in this shocking and visceral moment, filled with painfully perverse gore, that we are presented with one of the film’s most poignant images. We watch the mangled Motoko as she lay disjointed on the ground and we are taken aback by the realness of the moment. Though she is just a machine and conceivably without a soul, we still relate that humanistic trait to her and we sympathize with the predicament that she is in. It’s this strange conundrum that drives the entire series up to this point. Are machines more than machines? Can they evolve into something else entirely, even without the aid of the ones which created it? As her human cover is stripped from her body, we still come to compare her to human because of the actions that follow this pinnacle moment. This instance is a great bridge to the overall arc of the story, and what continues is a revelation that truly feels inspired while still managing to maintain a certain esteem of mystery and wonder. With its unapologetic approach and masterful storytelling, Ghost in the Shell is a science fiction animation that really raises the bar on animated features.

Ghost in the Shell is a tremendous and thought-provoking anime entry that brings about a tale which is so interwoven within its fictional world that the allegory comes off as visual poetry. Often violent and exceptionally disturbing, the film goes to the extremes in order to absorb the audience into its imaginative construct, leaving the end result to be nothing less than breathtaking. Mamoru Oshii has crafted a film that goes above and beyond the requirements for good storytelling and has established a fictional universe that is as important to the structure of the narrative as it is relevant to the proceedings on display.
 
With its heavy dose of cyber punk style and its tendency to get a little gritty and disturbing, Ghost in the Shell tells an intriguing story about the evolution of man and the inherent plausibility that the things that we create could somehow become equal to us. In this nightmare scenario, the filmmakers decide to bridge the gap between man and machine by establishing a world where technology and humanity are at a merging point. The union of these two entities, though bloody and foreboding, is exceptionally crafted and even though there is a great deal of violent, bombastic flair, the story is surprisingly spiritual as it goes about spinning a yarn about the soul of a machine and the evolution of life as we know it. Simply put, Ghost in the Shell is one…..

Ewww! Gross!

She's just not feeling the horseshoe dude.

There's a lot of gun fire in this flick.

Seriously! Tons of gun fire!

Hey shithead... start shooting that gun!

Bato is like the Arnold Schwarzenegger of Anime characters.

Am I digging the stache, goatee, glasses trifecta? Shit yeah!

Bato is a little shy around naked butts.

Talk to the robot hand.

I don't know what the hell is going on here, but damn is it heavenly.

Nothing like getting kicked in the face by a hot, naked, and invisible chick.

Well at least we were able to salvage the best parts.

I bet that dude is about to shoot that gun off.

This guy is having a bloody good time.

The itsy bitsy spider tank shot up the place to shit.

The horror! The HORROR!

Could you not do that? You're really creeping me out.

What a horrible time to lose one's head.

REVIEW: Summer Wars

Summer Wars
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Year 2009
 
Summer Wars is an enchanting science fiction drama that combines an intriguing premise with an intimately strewn cast of characters, in order to make a very interesting and unexpectedly fun cinematic experience. Created in a beautiful animation style, the film emphasizes the increasing reliance that our culture has on technology and through some creative storytelling, the filmmakers stress the dangers that this lack of control could result in over a global scale. With other sci-fi films aiming for the stars and the far flung future, it’s nice to see that Summer Wars takes a more personal and subdued approach to the material. This is one science fiction flick that has a whole lot of heart that results in a plethora of heart-warming moments. Awwww!
 
The film follows Kenji Koiso, a math wiz and all-around socially inept high school student, as he agrees to take a summer job helping out the most popular girl in his school, Natsuki Shinohara. It turns out that the job is anything but typical, because Natsuki wants Kenji to pose as her fiancé, in order to appease her grandmother who is having her 90^th birthday party. The girl-shy Kenji reluctantly agrees to continue the farce, but remains weary because of his real-life crush on Natsuki. Things really start to role out of control though, after Kenji responds to a math problem that mysteriously is sent to him via his phone. Upon solving the equation, all hell breaks loose, sending a computer virus into the world’s largest social network, OZ. The digital world holds the key to billions of accounts worldwide and once hacked; the user can manipulate and cause an abundance of chaos over the world’s real life networks. Once the world succumbs to the control of the infected OZ and begins falling into chaos, Kenji is named as the man behind the mayhem by news reports around the world and he must do everything in his power to clear his name and stop the real culprit behind this increasingly dangerous technological terror attack and foil his diabolical plans. Is this math nerd up to the task of getting the girl of his dreams and saving the world? I sure hope so or we’re all screwed.

The first thing you’ll notice about Summer Wars is that it isn’t your average science fiction film. The movie is set in a time that doesn’t seem very different from our own and it is one that is extremely typical of our modern day lifestyle, only enhanced slightly. In fact, the only real element of this film that warrants the science fiction label is the inclusion of the digital world OZ, where people live their lives on another plain of existence, set apart from the normalcy of the real world. The closest thing that we can compare this concept with is the social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace, but in Summer Wars these simple applications that allow us to connect with family and friends is taken to extreme levels and substitutes this digitally created society as a second life for a majority of the film world’s citizens. People work, play, and interact, all through the actions of their avatars, which are cartoon created characters that each user is able to concoct in order to represent their physical self in this online realm.
 
The concept of people living out their lives online in a fabricated digital world isn’t that original of an idea, having been treaded on earlier in such films as The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor, eXistenZ, Nirvana, and most recently Black Heaven, but it is the inclusion of family and the relationships that come with having an extended family tree that really make Summer Wars an interesting concept in such crowded and favorable company. As if making a commentary on the status of human interaction and the lack of face to face time that we share with both family and friends in the real world, the film highlights the notion that not all of these technological innovations are moving us in the right direction in understanding the more human qualities in all of us. This is an interesting idea to fathom and the film touches upon this in a subtle and passionate way, without derailing the thrilling moments of the story or knocking the viewer over the head with over indulgent preachy delusions of grandeur.

The mixture that the filmmakers are able to conjure up and gel together is essentially exquisite and allows the narrative to tell the lesson of technology stripping us of our humanity and human connection to each other, over a gradual reveal. From the get go, we are introduced to both Kenji and Natsuki as they are bombarded by a wild array of interesting characters while arriving at Natsuki’s grandmothers house, and it’s during this moment that we are witness to the separation that technology has wrought upon this family. We have one of Natsuki’s aunts that is glued to the television watching one of her nephews playing in a championship baseball game, fixated on the tension filled playoff matches but ultimately ignoring the rest of the brood that is right there all around her. This seems like a small example, but it is one that lasts the entire span of the film, that is until the inspiring fight led by Kenji against the now corrupted OZ interface, that forces the entire family to band together and connect once more.
 
There are so many moments like this one, where we are shown a gap in communication between one family member to the next, that bare witness to a reconnection brought on by the troubles at OZ. Some of these situations have nothing to do with technology or the existence of the digital realm OZ, but through the calamity that the infected social site is creating the family is able to come together against one common enemy and finally see that they are a family and that they need each other in order to be whole and content. One of the biggest examples that showcase the reconnecting of the human spirit during a moment of crisis, is when the 90 year old grandma begins calling every single person that she has ever had an interaction with over the course of her 90 years on this earth, reassuring them that if they do their job and help their fellow man then everything will be alright. It’s a heartwarming moment and one that really establishes the essence that mankind is retaking what technology had taken away from them and that’s genuine interactions and inspirational, intimate moments. On the surface the film seems like it’s going to be a by the numbers story about a boy finding his courage over the course of one crazy summer, and it is, but you’d be surprised on how much the movie has to say about the status of our own world and the dangers that await us if we don’t pull back the veil of technology and start living. Summer Wars was a great treat and damn did I enjoy the wonderfully wacky world of OZ.

Summer Wars is an interesting combination that uses the aspects of a technology driven society to tell a story about one family reconnecting with each other amidst a potential global meltdown. The story is epic in scale, but delicately handled in order to hit all the right notes with its emotional pull and relatable tale. Both the world of the digital realm of OZ and the real life elements of this fictional, yet extremely familiar culture is lovingly detailed providing a perfect setting to hop the narrative back and forth between the plain of fact and fiction.
 
Though the movie is subtle in its inclusion of a metaphorical allegory, the visual flare of this flick is off the charts. It’s high energy, without a second of disregard for the audiences’ senses. In the span of this flick you’ll go from an extremely intense battle royal between two over stylized avatar characters within the OZ world, to a heartbreaking moment between a handful of vividly portrayed characters as they mourn over the loss of someone that they truly seem to love with all of their heart, and then bitch slapped right back into the unruly world of OZ filled with all of their hyper spastic digital citizens. The film is a whirlwind of motion and emotion, and if you’re not ready for it, it could knock you on your ass. It’s always nice to see a film like this step up to the plate and usher a concept into existence that really breaks the mold and shows us something new. Summer Wars does just that, while pulling the heartstrings for extra measure. I loved the hell out of this movie and I’ve got one thing to say. Check this flick out and witness Kenji’s……

You better not have been looking up what I think you were. Perverts.

Even working online sucks.

Who's bad?

Note to self.... don't fart when meeting grandma for the first time.

Damn you and your creepy minions!

The horror of internet pornography. Will someone think of the children!

Wipe that face off your smile..... Bitch!

Well don't you look FABULOUS!

You ever have the feeling you're not wanted?

Judo kick!

This intervention is for you pops. You have to get rid of the mustache.

Regulators! Mount up!

Grandma's got some mad skills!

Come here and give me a big old hug.

Looks like everyone's got their game faces on.

Damn, I hit like four hobos on the way here.

Looks like Auntie and her flachulence problem ruined another family get-together.

What the shit? The oddest reaction to being kissed for the first time... EVER!