Review: "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" (2001)

Based on the popular animated TV series, “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie” is a stylish and fast-paced crime thriller filled with adventure, intriguing characters and fabulous music.

Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe in gritty, film-noir style, “Cowboy Bebop” follows the adventures of Spike Spiegel, a lackadaisical Bruce Lee type bounty hunter living on a futuristic and multi-ethnic Mars, and his band of bounty hunting comrades as they pursue a terrorist intent on unleashing a deadly virus that would destroy the planet. Living on the spaceship Bebop, Spike’s crew is an interesting cast of characters: renaissance-man Jet Black is a hardworking and gruff ex-cop; headstrong and sexy Faye Valentine is addicted to gambling and a fighter pilot extraordinaire; free-spirited and eccentric Edward (a girl) is a genius computer hacker with boundless energy; and “data dog” Ein, an exceptionally intelligent Welsh Corgi adept at playing chess amongst other super-dog talents.

“Cowboy Bebop” is a fun ride and the best parts are the amazing fight sequences, on par with any good live-action film. From the opening fight in a grocery store to the showdown on the bridge with the villain, the pacing is suspenseful and the choreography is creative. The scene where Spike, disguised as an office cleaning man, first confronts Electra, a special detective also on the trail of the terrorist, using buckets, mops and brooms is especially impressive.

The production design is also noteworthy as it beautifully captures the look and feel of a multicultural world. The design of the Arab sector is particularly intriguing. Finally, kudos must go to the eclectic music, created by Yoko Kanno, which blends a variety of jazz, classical, blues and rock tunes that underscore the multicultural setting.

Review: "Big Man Japan" (2007)

“Big Man Japan” is a weirdly entertaining but erratic film that blends a parody of monster movies with a bizarre spin on the superhero epic. It’s an oddball take on “Hancock” that focuses a satirical eye on Japanese nationalism and the world of media and reality TV.

Employing a faux documentary style of filmmaking, director Hitoshi Matsumoto (who also plays the lead character) chronicles the surreal adventures of Daisato, a lonely middle-aged man, gifted with the power to transform into a giant when shocked with electricity, as he goes about his job as chief monster fighter for the Department of Monster Prevention. While his father and grandfather were hailed as national heroes and mobbed by fans, monster fighting isn’t quite as popular it once was and TV ratings are down. Daisato is now a pariah within the community – people complain about the noise and property destruction he causes, his wife and child have left him and neighbors throw rocks through his windows and write obscene graffiti on his door. In order to supplement his income, Daisato takes on a talent agent whose job is to sell advertising space on his chest.

Despite the interesting premise, the film is often dull, focusing too much time on the mundane activities of its hero. Nevertheless, there are some poignant scenes, filled with touching details that reveal Daisato’s inherent sensitivity – his gentleness with a stray cat and his thoughtfulness in picking out just the right birthday present for his daughter - while capturing his sense of isolation.

The film picks up momentum during the computer-animated monster fight sequences, which have a purposely fake look as if filmed on miniature sets similar to the Godzilla movies. Broadcast on national TV, we watch Daisato battle a host of increasingly bizarre creatures such as a Stink monster and another with a long eyeball growing from its genital area that it tosses around like a bowling ball. Kudos to the creature designers!

“Big Man Japan” is likely one of the strangest films ever made. It’s over the top and over long but worth a viewing for its sheer quirkiness.

Review: "Avalon" (2001)

In the vein of “The Matrix”, “Avalon” explores the world of virtual reality and computer gaming. As directed by Mamoru Oshii, “Avalon” offers an artistic and meditative take on the subject, showing us how addictive the computer game becomes that it distorts our vision of what’s real and what’s imaginary.

Set in a drab world seemingly devoid of human connection, “Avalon” focuses on the story of Ash, a young and introspective woman who is one of the top players in a virtual reality war game that is played for points and money. It’s a game with risks as players’ spirits can become trapped in the game while their bodies remain comatose in the real world. We follow Ash, who seems to blossom only when she’s playing the warrior, in her grail-like quest to win each battle and progress to the next level.

Although the narrative is a bit muddled and the characters don’t really spark much emotional connection, “Avalon” is worth a viewing for its impressive visual effects, dark surreal imagery and production design. Even though it’s a live-action film, the look and feel is very close to anime. The war game sequences are visually impressive even if the action itself isn’t so riveting. The use of a sepia tone color palette is effective in blurring the distinction between the real world and the imaginary game world.

Overall, “Avalon” may not be a good fit for those seeking intense action but it offers some philosophical food for thought about a person’s internal quest for meaning and identity that is constantly changing.

Review: "Paprika" (2006)

The Japanese anime, “Paprika” is an exciting sci-fi action thriller with stunning imagery, a mind-twisting plot and some thought-provoking social commentary.

The story centers around a new psychotherapy device called the DC Mini, invented by a group of scientists at a psychiatric research institute, which enables them to enter people’s dreams, explore their sub-conscious thoughts and help them work out their psychological issues. Just as the DC Mini is about to be approved by the government, several prototypes go missing, along with one of the scientists. Soon the perfect dream machine is being used as a terrorist weapon to freak people out by traumatizing them with nightmarish visions implanted into their minds. Called upon to uncover the evil mastermind is Dr. Atsuko Chiba, the head of the DC Mini development team and a somewhat stern psychotherapist, who can dive into this dangerous dream world using her alter-ego “Paprika”: a feisty, kick-ass warrior-detective who gives new meaning to the term “dream girl”. She is supported by some intriguing sidekicks: chunky colleague Dr. Tokita, the genius inventor of the DC Mini; Dr. Shima, a spunky little fellow known as The Chief; and Detective Konakawa, a hardened cop trapped in his own film-noir dream. As the various characters weave between their own dreams and the dreams of others in search of the terrorist, they also discover new insights about themselves.

As imagined by director Satoshi Kon, the dream world of “Paprika” is a scary and chaotic realm reminiscent of a Freudian sub-conscious run amok: a parade of dancing kitchen appliances, drumming frogs, laughing dolls, a Statue of Liberty, a rocking Torii gate along with other detritus marches along to a point of no return, sweeping up all the humans in its path; a giant geisha doll pierces glass with her high-pitched screaming and crashes through the Tokyo streets like Godzilla and a marauding robot with an insatiable appetite gobbles up whomever it wants.

Just like a dream, the narrative has many layers and isn’t always coherent. Not a big deal. The eye-popping, fantastical visual delights are enthralling in and of themselves. On another level, the film probes deeper psychological questions about the boundary between dreams and reality, how that which we repress or try to control inevitably escapes into dreams and how the Internet and dreams are similar. Ultimately, the dark world of “Paprika” underscores a cautionary message about the de-humanizing impact of technology and the danger lurking in our escapist fantasies that threatens to pull us further away from the real world and from each other.