Sucker Punch

A while back, I ended a post with this same trailer and gushed about the potential of this motion picture.  Well, I saw it on Friday night, and I have to say, it did not disappoint.

The story of Sucker Punch is either terribly complicated or deceptively simple, and I have yet to decide which.  Set in the 1950's, it opens with an incredible sequence that is void of dialog and driven by compelling visuals and a great song, but expertly introduces us to our protagonist "Babydoll" (Emily Browning) and her tragic back-story.  She is betrayed and wrongly committed to an insane asylum.  Shortly after arriving, she slips into a delusional state.  Whether it's due to improper medication/treatment or simply a defense mechanism of her mind is not made clear, but she imagines the asylum as a cabaret show in a brothel.  Her fellow inmates are dancers as well, and she perceives therapy sessions as practicing her dancing.  However, the first time she dances, the truly amazing part of the movie begins.  Her delusional state deepens, and she finds her conscious self in the courtyard of a snowy Japanese castle.  She enters and finds a mysterious sage (Scott Glenn) who grants her two weapons, an elegant Katana and an engraved Colt 1911 pistol.  He tells Babydoll that she will need five items for escape to be possible.  A Map, A Fire, A Knife, A Key and a mysterious Fifth Item. Almost immediately she is attacked by three Giant Samurai Golems, and the real fun begins.  As the film progresses, Babydoll recruits other girls to help carry out her plan to escape.

The fight scenes in this movie are simply jaw-dropping, to the point I just sat agape every time Babydoll started dancing and a new action sequence began.  While some will no doubt be annoyed by anachronistic issues, such as modern assault rifles being used by the girls, these scenes all take place in a delusional state, and Babydoll would no doubt imagine futuristic weapons for her friends.  While some key fights are won by Babydoll and her Katana, the majority of the action is gun-play and vehicle combat.  The varied action sequences include Steam Punk WWI Trench Warfare, a Fantasy Castle under siege by Orc Like beasts.and the always classic bomb on a runaway train full of robots.  They have to be seen to be believed.

And while the story is interesting, the action and visuals incredible, mention must be made of the soundtrack.  Any fan of song covers, like Brian Ibbot for example, will doubtless be impressed by the array of songs in this film.  As a rule, the movie is light on dialog, and many of the scenes are completely driven by the songs and the action.

Overall, the film is well acted for the most part.  I was especially fond of Rocket, played by Jena Malone, who also played Gretchen in Donnie Darko (Applause!).  Emily Browning as Babydoll is very impressive, and it is always a great treat to see Scott Glenn.  I only really had a few things that bothered me, the ending for example and some slightly contradictory scenes.  I almost guarantee that director Zack Snyder will produce a Director's Cut of this film when it is released on Blu Ray, and hopefully that will clear up some of the things that I felt didn't make sense.  When it comes right down to it tho, I have to say that I thuroughly enjoyed this film, and will probably go see it again in the theater, for the action and ambiance if nothing else.

8 Bunny Faced Mechs out of 10  
Yes, there is a Bunny Faced Mech in this film.

Saturday Anime: GXP

In recent weeks, my latent obsession with all things Tenchi Muyo has re-emerged as a passion of mine.  I've been re-watching the OVA, reading up on the continuation of the different continuities that American fans have never seen, and most recently watching GXP.  This show is set in the original Tenchi OVA continuity, and while it features characters from the OVA from time to time, it is it's own story. The show bears clear resemblances to other Series in the Tenchi Franchise, most notably the "Harem" aspect of the relationships between the show's main characters, but the fact that this series was directed by Watanabe Shinichi (Nabeshin of Excel Saga fame, who also appears in this show in the form of a lecherous wise cracking automaton named NB) makes this show uniquely zany.

The protagonist of the series is Yamada Seina, an acquaintance of Masaki Tenchi who lives in the same town.  Seina is largely unremarkable, except for one distinguishing feature, his remarkably bad luck.  The first few episodes mostly cover examples of Seina's terrible luck causing problems for him and everyone around him, including his friend Kai and his older sister Kiriko, who looks out for Seina as if he were her own brother.  One day he decides to take a shortcut through the woods on his bike, and it isn't long before his trademark bad luck lands him with a flat tire.  As he looks for water to repair the tire (is that how bike tires work?) he finds himself at the lake just outside the Masaki House, where Tenchi and the girls all live.  Suddenly he is overcome by an incredible noise like nothing he has ever heard, but it is all to familiar to fans of Tenchi Muyo.  It's the sound of someone crashing a Galaxy Police Patrol ship into the lake (and it isn't Mihoshi for once).  Seina is knocked into the lake and passes out.  He awakens with his head in the lap of one Amane Kaunaq, a blonde GXP officer.  She asks if he is okay, and when he responds that he is, she explains how she came to be there at a tempo that would make Excel Excel proud.  Thinking that Seina is a pupil of Tenchi or his grandfather Katsuhito based on the bruises and scars caused by his bad luck, Amane gives him a recruitment form for the GXP.  When he arrives home, his family physically force him to sign the document, thinking it is for a raffle or lottery.

That night, Seina awakens on board a spaceship.  It is a Galaxy Police ship, and they will be transporting Seina to the GXP academy to begin his training.  However, it quickly becomes clear that Seina's bad luck is still in full effect even in space, as the ship is attacked by a number of space pirates.  Among them is raven-haired space pirate idol Ryoko Balta, who was named after Hakibi Ryoko, Masaki Tenchi's Space Pirate Squeeze.  After receiving aid from the Royal Family of Jurai itself, the most powerful government in the universe, Seina enrolls in the G P Academy.  When he arrives, he finds that Kiriko is already a member of the Galaxy Police, and she begs him to return home for his own safety, worried that his bad luck will doom him in space.  Unable to resist the possibilities that joining an inter-stellar police force brings, he joins the Academy.  Only to become a captain shortly there after to work as a decoy for space pirates, making use of his unique ability to attract trouble.  Along the way he meets a young (looking, think Washu) priestess named Neju, and along with Amane, Kiriko, and Ryoko they make a remarkable discovery towards the end of the series.

Yamada Seina, yet another intergalactic lucky bastard.

As I said, GXP deftly melds two very distinct styles.  The "Fan Service" heavy and sexually frustrated/indecisive protagonist Harem aspects of Tenchi Muyo and the fast paced wackiness of Excel Saga.  And while Seina is not nearly the playboy Tenchi is, he ends up with an impressive group of girls at his side.  The comedy is very well done, with Nabeshin's flare for the ludicrous well represented.

Now, it has come to my attention that there is something of a debate amongst Tenchi Fans regarding this show.  Apparently many consider it the black sheep of the series, some going so far as to refuse to consider it canonical.  There seem to be two primary reasons for this.  One, it is Too crazy for some, with Nabeshin (both the character and the director) taking the art and comedy styles in directions that some fans didn't approve of.  The other is the fact that the name of the show is Tenchi Muyo: GXP, but the primary protagonists of the Tenchi Universe are not the main characters, appearing in only a couple episodes and only speaking in one of them.  Let me go on record as a huge fan of this series and address these two issues.  GXP is gut bustlingly hilarious a lot of the time, but it is also appropriately serious and often touching when the story calls for it.  And this show isn't about Tenchi and the Girls, but it populates the universe they inhabit more completely and adds depth and scope to the canon they are part of.

All in all, I think that GXP is a show that fans should enjoy, and complete newcomers to the Tenchi Franchise could get into without seeing the other shows, particularly if you enjoy Nabeshin's other work.  I recommend it highly and get a big kick out of it whenever I watch it.

And now, your moment of AMV Zen

Paul

One thing I've always loved in cinema is the skillful parody.  Masters like Mel Brooks and the Python's have always split my sides with their precise dissection of genre norms, whether they wield subtle or sledge-hammer wit.  These days, the emerging "New Guard" in the field of parody films is headed up by the team of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.  Their first film, Shaun of the Dead, brilliantly lampooned the oft over the top Zombie Movie genre.  They teamed up again for Hot Fuzz, a film that skillfully skewered Buddy Cop action films.  Now with their third major collaboration, Paul, they tackle Alien Encounter science fiction films like ET and (big surprise) Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  And while the parody aspect of their first two films was obviously born of a desire to announce their devotion to the given genre, warts and all, Paul succeeds in remaining a dutifully devoted parody of the source material while still telling a compellingly original story.  And while I have to say that I find SotD and HF with their plethora of in jokes to be more thoroughly hilarious in general, I appreciate Paul as a more complete film.

The film opens with two Science Fiction fans from the UK (played by Pegg and Frost) attending the San Diego Comic-Con, a well known mecca for Nerds all over the world.  After the conference, they rent an RV and set out on a tour of purported Alien encounter hot-spots.  As they travel, they witness a car crash in the desert.  Stopping to help, they meet Paul, a smart mouthed Extra terrestrial who quickly befriends the two.  He lets them know that he is attempting to meet up with a ship that will take him off world.  As they travel, they encounter government agents attempting to reacquire Paul for nefarious reasons. 

From a technical standpoint, Paul demonstrates some impressive special effects and sound.  The character Paul, voice hilariously by Seth Rogan, is completely computer generated and almost always believable.  The sound design and score are excellent, including a number of recognizable queues.  Overall, effects rarely distract from the story, which is always important in this kind of film. 

Overall, Paul does a great job of telling a humorous and heartwarming story within the guidelines of it's genre while managing to feel completely original and complimentary of it's inspiration at the same time.  While I can't say that it is a better film than Pegg and Frost's previous work, it certainly deserves to be mentioned among them. 

8 Small Cowboy's out of 10.

Saturday Anime: Iria - Zeiram the Animation.

This series is one of the shows that most deserves to be mentioned in an edition of Saturday Anime (which I am going to try to do more consistently, I swear).  One of the first 'True' anime that I saw, the first DVD I bought, and still one of my favorite shows All Around.  Dan and I watched this again last night, so with my latest of many viewings fresh in my mind, I thought I would talk a bit about it.

The titular protagonist of the series is Iria, a hunter from the planet Myce in a distant galaxy.  As the show opens, she is apprenticed to her brother, Gren and his partner Bob.  She is strong willed and tough as nails, a true heroine, not the Kung Fu mistress or Dragon lady stereotypes.  She fights with an impressive arsenal of Guns, explosives, and a segmented Katana, similar to the sword used by Ivy of Soul Calibur fame.  And while she is easily the toughest person (note the word Person) in the show, when she isn't busy kicking ass and taking names, she can still be endearingly feminine.  For example, at one point in the show after fighting tooth and nail for the better part of 15 minutes, the first thing she thinks of is that she could use a shower.

Early in the first episode, Iria, Gren, and Bob take on a hush-hush mission to rescue the occupants of a high-jacked ship known as the Karma.  Expecting space pirates, industrial espionage, or a mercenary force, they instead find that the majority of the crew has been slaughtered by a single assailant.

It is Zeiram, a bloodthirsty unstoppable killing machine of unknown origins.

This is Zeiram.  Holy Schnikies!

There is something so cool about this antagonist.  He has no ambitions.  No Agenda.  No personal beef with anyone in particular.  No tragic past.  No tortured psychotic personality.  No reason to kill.

But that doesn't stop him.  The best way to describe Zeiram is as a Force of Nature.  He is pure Malice, unfocused hatred incarnate, unfettered instinct in an indestructible body.  He kills everything in his path, not for kicks or honor or really for any reason, simply because it's what he does.  And he is damn good at it.  Zeiram is an extremely intimidating figure, huge in stature, accompanied by an eerie chant and a hissing laugh that freezes the blood of his victims.  And there is only one person who has ever taken him on, one on one, and lived.  Iria.

The show has a very unique visual style that blends traditional eastern art and architecture with otherworldly technology, and character design is excellent, particularly Iria and Zeiram.  Audio is excellent, with a number of memorable pieces of background music and an insanely catchy opening theme song that, to this day, I can't get enough of.

It bears mentioning that this series was one of the shows that made me the Anime Fan I am today.  I saw it first on the Sci Fi channel during the Saturday Anime days.  It is amongst the original handful of series that hooked me on the medium, including the likes of Tenchi Muyo, Dominion Tank Police, Gunsmith Cats, Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion; placing it in some fine company.  And I remember it fondly as one of the first shows that featured a powerful and well developed female in the lead role of an animated series at a time when animated women were sidekicks at best and damsels in distress at worst.  I recommend it to anyone who can get a hold of it and who wants a taste of Great old school anime and a Badass Female Hero.

And now, your moment of AMV zen.

Top Ten: Quotable Movies

Started this a long time ago, finally finishing it.

Thanks to Jeff for the suggestion on this top ten list.

So anyone who knows me personally will tell you that I quote movies like I'm getting paid for it.  For as far back as I can remember (and even further if you ask my Uncle Ken and other family members about "Drivin in my Caawr!") I was always trying to get laughs out of people by imitating Weird Al songs and reciting entire Bill Cosby routines.  As I got older and saw more and more movies and comedians, I continued to latch on to choice lines and reference them in conversation, but there were some films that I saw so many times and enjoyed so much that I knew the pacing of every line and the inflection of every delivery.  This is a list of 10 such films (Or series of films as the case may be).  Warning, Almost none of these will be kid friendly, so get out of here kids!  Also, SPOILERS!  Let's dive right in with:

Very close Runner Up) Slap Shot

The Hansons are a big reason this is on the list, but there are a lot of great lines from everyone else in the film as well.

And another, since this topic was impossible to narrow it down)  Clerks

Jay and Silent Bob, Dante and Randal, Berzerker, Star Wars Political Discussions, what more could you ask for?

With Musical Guest) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street.

Yeah, Singing along counts.

Oh, and The Joker in the The Dark Knight.

10)  Lucky # Slevin

This is a personal favorite that I don't think a lot of people saw.  It's hardly chock full of one liners, but the strength of this film is conversations and characters.  The Boss, The Rabbi, Goodkat, Lindsey, Brickowski, and Slevin talks back to all of them.










9)  Fight Club

From Edward Norton's deadpan narration to Brad Pitt's off kilter philosophical musings, to the bizarre moments of synergy between the two, Fight Club is one of those movies that I can't help but quote from time to time.  **Spoilers on this one**










8)  Boondock Saints

This film is about 80% memorable one liners.  The rest is crazy action.  The Brothers, Rocco, Papa Joe, Agent Smecker, the Boston cops, so many great lines from all of them.










7)  O Brother, Where Art Thou

Talk about a movie that is almost completely quotable.  From "Any you boys Smithies?" to "Finding one little ring in the middle all that water is one hell of a heroic task!"  to the songs you can't help but hum or sing along, this 1930s retelling of the Odyssey has plenty of lines I just love.









6)  Airplane!

Do I really have to explain?  This ridiculous send-up of 70's disaster movies is completely irreverent and even more hilarious.











5)  Space Balls

Any of a number of Mel Brooks' films could have ended up on this list, but Spaceballs was always my favorite.  This brilliant lampooning of Star Wars, Star Trek, and Sci Fi in general is brimming with hilarious lines.











4)  Pulp Fiction

If there is one thing we all know about Quentin Tarantino, it's that he loves copious amounts of dialog in his films.  From Jules and Vincent's smalltalk and philosophical musings,  Vincent keeping his boss's wife company, Butch the slightly unstable boxer, and an unforgettable cameo by Christopher Walken.











3)  The Princess Bride

A fantasy story full of memorable characters and even more memorable lines, The Princess Bride will always be one of those movies I can't help but quote as I watch it, I love it so much.

Bonus: I got an A in speech class in high school for reciting this scene.









2)  Monty Python Movies

Enough Said.

1)  The Big Lebowski

What can I say about the Big Lebowski?  It is crude, lewd, and the home of the Dude.  It's also entirely hilarious and the Cohen Brothers best film in my opinion.