All in Japanese

Makoto Shinkai's “VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR”

Makoto Shinkai's “VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR”

Dennis D. McDonald
Animated, Drama, Fantasy, Japanese, Science Fiction, War, Anime, Makoto Shinkai
It is a fantastic achievement. The art work is better than most of what you see on ADULT SWIM (by a very wide margin), the design of the spaceships and alien vessels is beautiful, the combination of simulation and electronic display inside the power suits looks quite original, and the story, while short at 28 minutes, packs an astonishing amount of information and story elements in while not swerving from the relentless focus on these two emotional lovers, communicating (one way) over a gulf of light years.
Akira Kurosawa's “SANJURO”

Akira Kurosawa's “SANJURO”

Dennis D. McDonald
Drama, Japanese, Kurosawa
The story: Young samurai wanna-be's gather to naively plot action against a corrupt local clan. Before they can cause too much trouble, a wise old samurai played by Toshiro Mifune (Red Beard, Hidden Fortress, High and Low) takes them under his wing after saving them from certain death in a night-time assault by their enemies.
Hayao Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY

Hayao Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY

Dennis D. McDonald
Animated, Japanese, Miyazaki, Anime, Dragons, Magic
Back when I first heard the story of Spirited Away I thought that this would never go over big in the U.S. (young girl gets lost in an abandoned amusement park populated by vacationing spirits and seeks a way to turn her parents back into humans from pigs?) I thought it would make an excellent candidate as a simultaneous theatrical/DVD release, given its probable small target audience.
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack

Dennis D. McDonald
Japanese, Science Fiction, Kaiju
This 2001 movie is wonderfully entertaining. Classic Japanese monster movie elements have been updated to a quality level unknown to Toho and Inoshiro Honda’s early output such as The Mysterians. The basic story is simple: 50 years after his initial rampage, Godzilla returns to stomp Japan, but this time he is opposed by a trio of mythical monsters who awaken from their eons-old slumber just in time.
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