amcornelius74

While this might be a cute film and "family-friendly", it is in no way an original piece and suffers from the "Disney syndrome" of blatantly ripping off from other works. The conversation between Manny and Sid upon their meeting is almost identical to the exchange between a certain green orge and grey donkey that I don't think I have to mention. Sid is nothing more than clumsy mammalian version of Wallace from the "Wallace and Gromit" shorts. While these carbon copies got on my nerves a bit, I will have to admit that the "Bambi vs. Godzilla" reference got a chuckle out of me.

Despite these flaws, the movie was fair, the animation was pretty good, and the best part was constant appearance of Scant the squirrel. The story was a bit weak, though. I would have liked to have seen a better plot. Of course, being Hollywood, they just had to put the "Kyuds and famblee make everything BBBEEEETTTTEEEERRRRR!!!" bit in, which annoys me to no end, but at least it was a short scene.

Too many people watched this movie with their heads instead of their hearts, or with the wrong part of their brains switched on. Anyone going in expecting a "comic book action flick" of your normal proportions is going to be disappointed. For those of us who know better, sit back and enjoy the ride. To be honest, I avoided the film until my fiance strapped me down and forced me to watch it. And am I ever glad that he did.

Basically you know the story by now. Captain Amazing, who resembles a NASCAR driver more than a superhero, keeps the community of Champion City safe from supervillians and various do-no-gooders. Trying desperately to ride on his coattails are three hapless "heroes" who only want the same recognition as Captain Amazing. The Shoveler has a wife and family to support, despite the fact that God gave him a "gift" to shovel and shovel well. The Blue Rajah, a skilled cutlery thrower, lives with his mother, who has no idea just what he does at night and wonders why he burns so much incense in his room. Mr. Furious is always just THIS CLOSE to going Chernobyl on someone, even though his hand-to-hand skills could use just a bit of work, okay, a lot.

Meanwhile, Captain Amazing has a problem: there are no more supervillians for him to go after and his sponsors are getting restless. A plan is hatched to get him back on the winning track by releasing one of his arch nemesises, nemesisi...what's the pleural of nemesis? Anyway, one thing leads to another and the plan goes haywire, leaving Captain Amazing captive in Casanova Frankenstein's lair being guarded by two disco baddies. So, the Shoveler, Blue Rajah, and Mr. Furious are out to save the day and rescue Captain Amazing! But they need help....

Sound silly so far? Wait, it gets better, but I'll let you find that out for yourselves.

A movie like this is just made for sci-fi freaks, comic book conventions, and Monty Python fanatics. The entire cast is incredible. Ben Stiller is amazing as Mr. Furious (his friends call him Roy) who may or may not have superpowers. Jeanene Garofalo's depiction of The Bowler, who has constant arguments with her father's skull that is encased in her ball, is pretty similar to some of the conversations I have with my dad and Jeanene, as always, is an absolute gem. It's really nice to see Paul Reubens reprise his "Pee-Wee" role a little bit in his portrayal of The Spleen. My personal favourite, however, is Eddie Izzard as Tony P., one of Casanova's boys who insists that disco is NOT dead! Eddie was born to play that role and anyone who has seen his stand-up will know what I mean.

The main thing to remember during this movie is to keep your sense of humour wide open, as well as your mind. You'll enjoy it all the more if that is done.

Before X, before Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, before Akira, there was Neo Tokyo, a fine blend of high-end animation and artistic expression, as well as experimentation. This is far from the typical "big eyes, small mouth" anime with big guns, big robots, and girls with big, um, "talents". In other words, this is not your younger siblings' anime.

The first selection, "Labyrinth" by Rin Taro, is a child's imagination run wild. If Cirque de Soleil was animated, it would be this. A little girl and her faithful cat cross over into a bizarre world via a mirror and are entertained by a mime-like clown, a traveling circus, and a surreal world of high walls and mindboggling imagery. Much like the imagination of a child, this is not a short to be analyzed, picked over, and dissected. "Labyrinth" is meant to be simply enjoyed. Other than the basic storyline, the short bounces around at a moment's notice from one scene to another and doesn't seem to fit together at all, but in the end it does. This piece is what I like to call "moving artwork". Several of the scenes could be plucked from the screen and hung on a wall.

The second short was a favourite of MTV's "Liquid Television" in the early 90's. Yoshiaki Kawajiri's "The Running Man" tells the story of a driver who has been surviving death-defying form of racing for ten years. It's a brilliant accomplishment and unfortunately, one that's been wearing on him, since other drivers are dead in a year. A reporter begins covering the driver's unstoppable career and accidently discovers why this man always wins. Finally, the stress of tempting death night after night breaks him and in an instant, all hell breaks loose. The design of the characters is very realistic, atypical for early to mid-80's anime. The speed and look of the racing vehicles is fluid and the piece is never boring, even sticking around with you after the very end. Despite the morbid nature of this short, I honestly believe that "The Running Man" should be part of Speedvision's Lost Drive-In collection.

The finale could easily be subtitled "The Akira Experiment Project". Three years before he would reshape the world of anime forever, Katsuhiro Otomo wrote and directed "The Order To Stop Construction", the tale of a hapless Japanese executive sent to shut down an overblown project in a tropical rainforest powered by robots and void of humans. Unfortunately, what stands between him and his orders is a foreman robot on a strict work schedule that it is hellbent on keeping, so much that the last human sent to supervise the place has disappeared without a trace. Despite the fact that the worker robots and the machines they operate keep exploding day in and day out, the foreman is convinced that if the others work just a little bit harder, it can meet the ever important deadline and nothing is going to stop that, including the human sent out to do so. Every element of "Akira" can be seen here, from character and vehicle designs to pipe movements and mud bubbles. It's like watching a mini-version of "Akira" without any psychic goings-on. Also like "Akira", "The Order To Stop Construction" is also a bit of social satire, making fun of the important and somewhat overbearing work ethic of the Japanese. My only complaint is the dubbing. The original Japanese language with subtitles would have added a bit more to this instead of the weak English voice-acting. This short would have been a fun addition to the "Akira" special addition recently released, as well as an important one.

This fine, yet brief, collection of mid-80's animation from Japan is definitely worthy of DVD consideration and it's a shame that it hasn't received one as of yet.

How would you feel about a trio of gardeners redecorating your bedroom, or a pair of interior designers being unleashed into your backyard? Well, that's exactly what happens in this surprisingly successful experiment of the the two shows "Ground Force" and "Changing Rooms". "GF" host Alan takes over the role of referee a la Carol of "CR". Tommy seems to have a hidden talent of transforming a much-need-of-help bedroom into a gorgeous living space, complete with Charlie's pressed flower wall hangings and a lively shade of orange. On the other hand, eclectic Lawrence, with Handy Andy in tow, work to create an original, if not a little unusual, garden. Then again, we shouldn't expect any less from Lawrence. A chandelier in the garden? It works under Lawrence's creativity, anyway.

Shown during BBC America's Labour Day marathon, this special shows the talent and creativity of both teams when taken out of their usual elements. If you are a fan of either show, this is one not to miss.

First off, I'm going to go off on a limb here and make a suggestion to a certain reviewer:

This a place to review movies, not other people's reviews or opinions. Just because you don't find someone's review "witty" doesn't mean you have the right to bash it. This is not a "flame board". There are plenty of other places on the Web for that. You can politely refer to someone else's review, but insult that person through their review is downright rude. Chill, have some dip, move on.

And with that note, on to the REAL review.

When I saw the previews for this, I will admit that I thought it looked like a cute movie. However, after the very amusing and impressive opening credits had finished, I was in for a very unhappy surprise. Although I have never seen the original "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", I'm assuming by the way it is considered a "classic" that it holds much more wit and charm than "Rat Race". While most of the acting was laboured, Rowan Atkinson and John Cleese both wasted their talents in this movie and I'm still trying to figure out WHY men of such acting brilliance would fall for such a farce. The only GOOD acting I could find in the movie was that of Kathy Bates playing the psychotic Squirrel Lady. Honourable mention goes to Wayne Knight playing the ambulance driver.

The jokes where unfunny and I really don't remember laughing much to any of them. They seemed to have been written for folks with an IQ of five (no offense to anyone, mind you), although it appeared that they tried to give the film "culture" with classical music and opera at key scenes. Unfortunately, I enjoyed these brief interludes of music better than the film and could have stayed home with my own CD collection. There wasn't much laughing during the visit to the "Barbie" museum, but then again, I saw the movie in a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood. A bus full of Lucy impersonators would be enough to drive me insane, even IF one of them was the token "humourous gay guy". And the brother with the botched DIY tongue piercing was funny to begin with, but the gag wore off pretty fast. I will admit that Amy Smart's way with dealing with a cheating boyfriend was pretty amusing and had me thinking, "Hmm, maybe I should take up helicopter lessons!".

All in all, if you saw the preview, you saw the highlights of the movie. If you really don't care to see who gets the money in the end, save your own.

What a brilliant risk for Nickelodeon to take. And if you familiar with any of creator Jhonen Vasquez's other works, you'll know what I mean.

Jhonen has been called one of the most impressive young comic artists in recent years, despite his debut comic, "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac", being anything but "uplifting" material. That depends, of course, on who you talk to, though. Jhonen has a twisted demented style all his own that is at the same time disturbing and beautiful with just a touch of black comedy for taste. "Invader Zim", although mellowed out enough for youth viewing, is a perfect, less violent example of his work.

Zim is a tiny alien sent by the tall leaders of his planet, where status is judged by how tall you are, to "conquer" a mysterious planet just to get him out of their hair. He is accompanied by a robot named Gir, who was quickly manufactured by Zim's leaders and given a paper clip for a brain. Gir is barely an aid in Zim's efforts, since Gir is much more interested in singing the Doom Song, eating tacos, and watching TV. When Zim arrives at the "mysterious" planet, which is Earth, he disguises himself as a "perfectly normal human worm baby" with the aid of contact lenses and a wig. His green skin remains, which he calls a "condition" and apparently, almost everyone buys it. Gir's disguise consists of a green dog costume with a zipper up the front and this combined with his Tom-foolery makes him an adorable character to the cast. Zim's enemy no. 1 is a schoolboy who goes by Dib, is a bizarre cross between Fox Mulder and Jhonen's very own Johnny C. He easily sees right through Zim's attempts to blend in with the humans and has a desire to make a alien dissection movie out of him. Rounding out this cast is Dib's gothy sister Gaz and their school teacher Ms. Bitters, who is almost a direct duplicate of the teacher in another one of Jhonen's comics "Squee".

Any fan of Jhonen's work knows the detail he puts into his art and "Invader Zim" is no exception. The gigantic robots that sometime come to play in the episodes are done in smooth CGI that is absolute perfection. The animation is far from "cookie cutter" and the character and background designs hold very true to Jhonen's style. There is enough "black humour" to go around and entertain young and old alike. No programme has dared to push the envelope in such a way since "Ren and Stimpy" and it's a refreshing relief to see a cartoon for kids that has such cerebral depth and original artwork.

For those not familiar with this series of shorts, "Angry Kid" is another creation from the amazing Aardman Studios who brought you "Wallace and Gromit". However, don't be fooled! If you're thinking that "Angry Kid" is another family-friendly bit of claymation, are you EVER going to be disappointed!

The Angry Kid (I've yet to see his real name revealed) is a overactive red-headed teenager who, like most teenagers, barely uses the brains the Almighty gave him. His hobbies include riding his bike in traffic, seeing what swear words he can get away with in front of his dad, and voice experimentation with his mom's vibrator.

In this installment, our hero is at home watching tele (TV to the Yanks) when a programme about human sexuality comes on a la Discovery Channel, much to the Kid's delight. All is well and good until the Kid, as well as his little sister who he's dragged in to watch, see the "result" of sex, if you get my drift. It was a hilarious reminder of Nova's "The Miracle of Life", which swore several girls in our health class away from childbirth forever, including myself! The Kid's reaction, though, is classic!

All of the "Angry Kid" shorts are available for viewing on the Atom Films website, and this episode is part of 2001's Spike and Mike Sick and Twisted Animation Festival.

Absolutely ridiculous animated short about a superhero whose powers are centered in his, well, crotch! Not so unusual, though, if you think about another superhero who had great taste in his farts (Powered Toast Man). While the animation is simple, the short pokes fun at fanboys and breakfast cereal sell-outs, as well as superhero cartoons in general. The second episode is traveling with Spike and Mike, in which Radioactive Crotch Man has been captured by the evil Butt Pirate (it's pronounced BOOT!!), who wants to suck all the power of our hero's crotch and take over the world! Not as good as the original, which can be seen at IFILM.com.

In order to come to grips with the horrors of his family's past after his father bid farewell to his parents during WWII, second-generation Holocaust surviour Nussbaum travels to Germany to visit his father's hometown and retrace the steps of his grandparents, who met their final doom in Auschwitz. Filmed in a "slide" format, in which the colourful images blend into one another and "movement" is extremely rare, "Raw Images" carry more heart and emotion than any other piece of Holocaust work that I have seen. The images of death and discrimination are nothing short from horrific and disturbing, but all the while, showing the beauty of life itself.

Nussbaum pours all of himself into this piece of art, using the voice of his emotions to narrate the piece and express his feelings, while at the images of Christ, Stars of David, gas chambers, railroad tracks, concentration camps, and human abomination flash before the viewer's eyes as a companion for Nussbaum's vocals. It's an absolute nightmare brought to life that is difficult to watch, but more difficult to look away from. This is not a film with a happy ending and is definitely not for everyone. Anyone who is easily offended might want to skip this film altogether. However, the sheer emotion of a personal experience such as this is highly recommended for any Holocaust education program, much more than "Schindler's List" or "Night and Fog".

I started watching "Trading Spaces" before I stumbled onto "Changing Rooms" on BBCAmerica about a month later. Talk about a difference!

While the American version tries very hard to capture the charm of it's older British sister, it, more often than not, fails miserably. First off, the homeowners of the British version, from what I've seen, are much more willing to be part of the team with open minds and work very hard in making the room a masterpiece. More than once have I seen the Americans whine about working, staying up long hours to finish their "homework", and the designs involved. Generally, the Americans just seem like a huge pain in the behind to work with, but the designers sometimes don't make it any easier, bringing us to point number two.

While many of the designs in "Changing Rooms" may be a bit unusual but still livable in an approach to decorating, some of the design ideas of "Trading Spaces" are completely off the wall and off the mark. Hilda must GO, just for the simple fact that she cannot work well with the homeowners and argues with them until she gets her way, much like a small child. One episode comes to mind when she painted the walls of a fellow's bedroom black, which the neighbours already knew he would hate, and ripped up the carpet he loved. Needless to say, the homeowner was appalled at Hilda's vision, which she was warned about and apparently didn't seem to care. I'm not crazy about Doug's design ideas, either, and it's a trial to watch when him and Hilda are at the helm. Genevieve seems to be the only designer who is down to earth in her designs generally and we don't see her nearly enough.

The few bright spots of the programme have got to be Frank, an extremely flamboyant designer whose one-liners are usually better than his designs, and Amy, the female carpenter who doesn't take crap or guff from anyone on the show when it comes to her building for them.

Parents are going to take this movie, as well as "Shrek", for granted. Animation, especially Disney animation, is automatically for the kiddies, right? Wrong! Do us all a favour and leave the three year-olds at home for this one.

"Atlantis: TLE" shows promise that Disney might be realising that adults enjoy action animation and that you don't have to be a kid to enjoy "cartoons". Not since "The Black Cauldron" has a gamble like this been taken and it is WAY overdue.

Although I have seen many people screaming "Star Wars" and "Nadia" rip-off, they seem to forget about "Tennkuu no Escaflowne", which was also about the search for the lost power and city of Atlantis which has a mole-man, empowered crystals, and the city of Atlantis is destroyed in much the same way and for the same reasons as in this Disney rendition. Rip-off? Not quite. Let's just say, slightly influenced. "The Lion King" was a rip-off.

As for character design, I was constantly being reminded of "Heavy Metal" with a slight anime feel. And the scenery was breath-taking. Absolutely wonderful.

Another thing I would like to applaud Disney for is the fact that there were NO musical numbers to throw off the action and pace of the movie. The music in "The Lion King" was fitting, and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" contained songs that fit with the dark feeling of the plot, but the music of "Mulan" and "Hercules" is enough to make me want to listen to nails grating on a chalkboard in comparison. It was nice to enjoy a Disney movie where the characters weren't breaking out in song every five minutes for whatever reason. I was bracing myself for that.

Now, a note to parents. Why is it that I have the ability to research a movie with a certain rating when I am 27, have no children and never intend to have any, and most parents I know take their kids to any animated film just because they ASSUME that all cartoons are made with kids in mind? "Atlantis: TLE" is NOT a G-rated movie for several reasons. It contains frightening scenes that made even me jump out of my seat. There are references to alcohol, one of the characters smokes constantly, good amounts of action (read "violence" to many parents), plenty of guns, and some mild sexual innuendo. But, sure enough, at a 9:50 showing, there were five year-olds and younger in the audience. It has a PG-rating for a reason, folks! I'm sure the watchdog parent groups are going to be down Disney's throats so much about this movie that another one like it will not be out for ANOTHER 20 years. And that is a real shame. Disney puts out so many song-filled colourfests to appease the kiddies that we adults and older kids are left out in the cold. This was a breath of fresh air, and unfortunately, probably a rare one from Disney.

I heard about the making of this movie while vacationing in Scotland and when I found out that Gerald Scarfe, one of my favourite modern artists, was the production designer, I literally flipped. Ever since seeing "The Wall" several years ago, I was convinced that Scarfe needed his own animated movie to design or make.

Years later, it's a Disney film and I was irate, maybe even a bit confused. I was so afraid that it was going to be a waste of his talent. Thank the gods I was wrong.

One thing I've been seeing over and over again in the reviews, other than the poor retelling of the Heracles myth which I agree with, are people either loving or hating the design. Olympus is too bright and colourful, Hades is too dark and scary, or what have you. I will admit that the combination of Scarfe and Disney to be a most unusual one, but it does work on many levels. When Walt was still alive, he experimented with different styles of animation, and apart from the music and the inaccuracy of the storyline, I believe he would have been impressed with this piece of work. One thing I adore about the design is that Scarfe's style is not downplayed. For those familiar with "The Wall", they already know how disturbing his work can be. I even saw bits of "The Wall" incorporated into "Hercules", from Hades eating worms, a constant theme in "The Wall" album, to shadowplay of the hydra approaching Herc that reminded me of Pink being confronted by his wife who becomes a monster. Although I'm Wiccan, the comical look of the gods and goddesses didn't strike me as insulting in the least, as one reviewer suggested. If you forget the story and music (verse, oy) to look at this film as a piece of moving art, you'll do yourself great justice.

And to the parents upset about Scarfe's dark and scary design, here's a thought for you: at least they didn't decide on Ralph Steadman.

Anyone familiar with the animated short "The Dirdy Birdy" will recognize the exaggerated animation of John R. Dilworth in "Courage the Cowardly Dog".

A favorite of the Spike and Mike Animation circuit, Dilworth takes on the challenge of a children's program and delivers with finesse and style that will appeal to both children and adults. The oversized animation, with the example of gigantic items coming from Courage's tiny pockets and his trademark scream, reminds Spike and Mike veterans of "The Dirdy Birdy" and it's a wonderful treat to see Dilworth's twisted talent every week. The writing is witty, the voices are perfect, and the plots are mostly out of the ordinary. Although the series might be a bit extreme for younger viewers, older children, teens, and adults are a perfect target audience. I'd love to see a special Spike and Mike version of "Courage" myself. Dilworth is best when on a larger screen.

Ah, the beauty of love. Ah, the splendor of its glory. Ah, the agony of rejection. TOTAL agony, that is!

This timeless favourite of the Spike and Mike Sick and Twisted Animation Festival follows the adventure of our hapless male who receives brutal beatings from women when he tries to innocently ask them out. Brutal, as in having his head bashed in, his eyes driven in by stakes, or his heart ripped out. Yes, a love story! Sick and simple, much like "Billy's Balloon".

Best way to view: in a large group with the men reading the male lines and the women reading the female lines. Note how most women cheer at our hero's demise. Hmm, makes one wonder! Available on Spike and Mike video collections.

Anyone settling down to watch the usual romantic fluff of the series might be disappointed by this movie. However, if the same audience wants to drown in the glory of wonderful storytelling, a beautiful soundtrack worthy of Williams, and heartstopping animation, this is the perfect film for them.

"Escaflowne: A Girl From Gaea" is loosely based on the already popular series "Tenkuu no Escaflowne", where Hitomi, a young school girl with psychic powers, is whisked away to the magical land of Gaea, filled with mystical creatures, gallant knights, and gigantic suits of armor. However, here, the happy Hitomi and the peaceful Van are very much gone. The movie opens with Van brutally slaying a group of enemies and Hitomi rethinking the decision to hand a suicide note she has written over to her best friend Yukari. This is a very dark, but compelling Escaflowne. Much of the storyline from the series has been changed dramatically, as one can tell, but it gives the movie it's own original feel and one does not have to be familiar with the series to enjoy the movie. The soundtrack, once again handled very nicely by Yoko Kanno, is absolutely top-notch and might remind one of the power of John Williams' score to "Star Wars". The animation is very different as well, more mature and detailed than the average anime series. Older teens will love it, but smaller children familiar with the series might find the action too intense, some scenes and animation echoing the works of Akira Kurosawa, particularly "Ran".

I have only seen bootleg copies of this, but I hope the rumour of the movie coming stateside is true and we American otaku will get to enjoy the majesty that is "Escaflowne: A Girl From Gaea" on a theatre screen. Anything less cannot do it justice.

Now, THIS is the kind of boyfriend all we girls need! Seeking revenge and justice with gut-ripping, jaw-popping, and bloodletting! And with a chest that can take five bullets, what ELSE can he do?!

Anyway, I'm probably the only girl on the board that can honestly say that this film is the BEST for Asian shock cinema. I saw it while working security at an anime convention last year with a bunch of my male buddies. Before the film started, they suggested that I leave, so not to be offended by the content. Eh, they don't know me very well, do they? Midway through the film, one of the female security did leave, I was rolling on the ground in laughter, and half the male audience was cringing. Especially during the meat-grinder scene! OUCHIE, he gonna feel THAT in the morning!

Yes, there are women out there, fellas, who like an evening jam-packed with intestine strangulation, people getting punched in half, heads being impaled on nails, and tendon tying. Okay, not many, I will admit that, but we are out and about.

Overall, this is a great movie for parties of an anime nature. Would make a great double feature with "Akira". And if you can get the DVD, my personal preference for this title, watch it in Mandarin with subtitles. Yeah, the horrible dubbing is funny, but watching it in the original language is a hoot in itself. Open a can of your favorite Japanese beer and let the blood flow!

The Tick would be proud!! Anyway, I happened to see this on a lark one Saturday on the Action Channel and fell in LOVE! I rushed out and found it on DVD, much to my little kung fu heart's surprise. The plot is a little hard to follow in places, but it makes for fun viewing, especially the NINJAS! They make some great entrances, coming in on kites being the best! Mommy, can I get my very own Ninja Kite? And you haven't lived until you've seen a NAKED ninja (hmm, never learned THAT move in Tai kwon do)! Just go with me on this one. Find it, buy it, rent it, kill if you must! This is one of the best/silliest kung fu movies you'll ever see.

Oh, if only there was a MST3K-styled kung fu program! This would be perfect for it! Great movie to get a bunch of wise-cracking friends together with some beer. Basically, the story involves a baton-wielding young girl masquerading as a man to get revenge on the gang that killed her uncle (typical kung fu plot, yes), another girl bent on revenge who fights with ribbons (oo, and matching shoes, too!?), and a guy who only speaks with scrolls enhanced by cheesy sound effects. The comedy practically writes itself. All in all, I've seen MUCH worse! This is a great flick to shut your brain off to and pretend you have Tom Servo next to you.

What initially is a collection of music videos for the Jane's Addiction album "Ritual de lo Habitual" becomes a heart-wrenching story of accidents, mourning, and the bonds of love. The film revolves around Perry and Casey. While Perry is recording with the band, Casey goes out to get a little "treat" of heroin. Unfortunately, what she has is a bad batch and she finds this out much too late. When Perry comes home to discover her, he goes into shock, wondering what to do next and who to call. As he wonders about the house, he begins to think back about their life together, from their Santerian wedding to a bizarre drug-rehab center. The music from the album fits in well with the action and the acting is better than one would expect from rock stars. The subject matter for a video as such is very original and well thought-out. But it also raises some disturbing questions: what WOULD you do if you came home to your loved-one in such a fashion? Who would you call first? Will the blame be placed on you? How will this affect you and your actions? The answers to these questions unfold in beautiful visuals and excellent examples of early-90's alternative music with an ending that will shock you.

I first saw "No Neck Joe" at the Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation Festival after seeing "Dexter's Laboratory" on Cartoon Network. The shorts are hilarious and in later installments, Joe actually BEATS the punks by exposing his own talents, my favorite being the display of his tongue ability to a group of school girls! "No Neck Joe" is sick, tasteless, and most of all, funny. And it's a good way to check out the more grown-up works of some of Cartoon Network's newest animation stars. Another short to check out would be "The Dirdy Birdy" by John Dilworth, whose "Courage the Cowardly Dog" also airs on Cartoon Network. Both shorts can be found on various Spike and Mike videos, which are available online, or find a theatre showing the Spike and Mike animation fest, which comes around major cities every year.

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** In a time when practically everyone is worried about the education of Americans youth, it is a wonderful refresher that a movie of such caliber exists, so much in the fact that it should be shown in history classes nationwide. "Hotaru no Haka", a longtime favourite novel in Japan, transfers beautifully to film, following two young lives' survivals and demise in Kobe during late-WWII: a 13 year-old boy Seita, and his 3 year-old sister Setsuko.

(Spoiler info)

After a violent fire-bombing by Allied troops, Seita does everything in his power to hide the status of their mother's condition from the delicate Setsuko. They travel to a distant aunt's home, who is kind to them at first, but soon becomes verbally abusive and begins hoarding the food for herself, her daughter, and a lodger, barely giving any to the growing children. She constantly badgers Sieta, telling him to go to school, get a job, or, even more absurd, to help the men during the air raids, although she will possibly not care for Setsuko if Sieta dies during a raid. Finally, Sieta has enough of his sharp-tongued aunt and takes himself and his sister to a live in an abandoned shelter near a lake. But soon, money becomes thin, food is scarce, and Setsuko grows weaker and weaker.

(End Spoiler info)

I bought this on DVD the other night, along with all my other Powerpuff Girls fluff. The DVD contains background information about the time period and some historical notes. My boyfriend, who is big on German war movies and Kurosawa epics, read the info and just sighed "Oh, no, Kobe." He knew exactly what he was in for and by the end of the film, was grasping me for dear life. I find this WWII anime to be more emotionally stirring than "Barefoot Gen", which covers Hiroshima and is much more graphic violence-wise. The story is also semi-autobiographical, the author's way of coming to terms to with what happened to him and his family all those years ago. It also shows the harshness that the Japanese felt towards their own kind in times of war. It was definitely Survival of the Fitness, without a doubt. And for the orphaned children of WWII Japan, survival was all they knew, up until the bitter end.

This film pretty much sums up my childhood! And my adult life, for that matter! I STILL drive my parents crazy with my dark fantasy lifestyle, much like Vincent does with his mother. I saw this with the re-release of "Nightmare Before Christmas" and was practically laughing throughout. What a wonderful little gem! And such a pity that no one really got to see this thanks to Disney's "family" image. It reminds me very much of the late Edward Gorey in style and the narration of Vincent Price is priceless in itself (sorry about the pun, everybody!). It's a wonderful addition to any animation fan's library, not to mention Halloween parties and Gothic bars.