Machine Girl (2008)Directed by Noboru Iguchi
Starring: Asami, Honoka
There has been much hype in cult circles about this new mondo Japanese actioner. I'm happy to report that most of the hype is utterly justified. There's something for everybody here: decapitations, drill bra, ninjas, chainsaws, machine guns, yakuza, etc. I'm also glad to report that all of the females in the film are very strong types and the director seems to go so far as to turn certain conventions on their heads. What could easily been a typical rape scene is cut short by the female lead getting pissed and kicking the rapists asses. This is on the level of a Peter Jackson flick like Bad Taste or Dead Alive. Highly recommended.
Noah Soudrette
Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, Futoshi Higashide, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Hiroshi Morioka, Shoujirou Nishimi
Starring: Kevin Conroy, David McCallum
For those unawares, Batman: Gotham Knight is an anthology film animated by some of Japan's "top" animators and written by numerous comic book writers such as Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello. As you would expect from such a project, the final product is somewhat uneven in presentation. The animation on the whole is very high quality and your like or dislike of it will simply be personal preference. All the story threads do tie together loosely and the end product is very satisfying. Kevin Conroy returns from the Batman Animated and Justice League series to voice Batman here and his addition is very welcome, as well as that of David McCallum's as Alfred. The best story in the lot is the final one directed by Jong-Sik Nam and Madhouse studios, clearly attempting to pass themselves off as Yoshiaki Kawajiri. All in all, a great addition to the Batman universe.
Noah Soudrette
6 comments:
The last segment of Gotham Knight was definitely the best. I especially liked Deadshot's attempted assassination of Gordon which was obviously modeled after Golgo 13's impossible sniper shots. My second favorite was the Greg Rucka one with Crisus Allen and fake Montoya.
I could have done without all the terrible CGI in Machine Girl but it was still entertaining. I'm not sure I'd put it in the same league as Dead Alive though. I'm looking forward to Tokyo Gore Police if for no other reason than to see the lead actress from Audition back in a movie again.
Brad
I agree with you on Batman. I really liked the pain segment. What was up with fake Montoya?
I didn't think the CGI was too bad compared to some. I think it's definitely on par with Bad Taste, and I've always felt Dead Alive was overrated.
Greg Rucka said once you've seen The Dark Knight you'll understand why they didn't use Montoya, which makes me think that Ramirez (I think that was her name) is going to have a nasty run-in with the Joker. Maybe they have plans for an epic multi-film series of The Question and need to keep Montoya alive in case the actor playing Vic Sage starts asking for too much money. Or maybe not.
Brad
If only. Tease.
Eihi Shiina is in Tokyo Gore Police? Sign me up! Dead Alive overrated?
Chuckwilson
Don't get me wrong, Dead Alive is great. But, it isn't the best film ever made and I think it shows it's flaws pretty clearly. We mostly ignore them because they quickly become covered with gore.
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