OmegaWolf747 Reviews

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (2014)

Cheaply made, wasted opportunity

[4/10 · 29 January 2015]

I wanted to like this movie. I loved the 2012 movie with Daniel Radcliffe. I like the premise, using Eel Marsh House as a refuge during the WWII Blitz. However, it was not to be.

Everything in this movie felt cheap and artificial, from the way too loud sound track, the too dark scenery and the multiple "boo" scares that were used instead of actual creepiness and tension building.

The actors were flat and stale, delivering lines that felt like they came from the tablet of an eighth grader. I never once felt anything or cared for any of them.

TWiB herself was much less menacing than in the first movie, when she was even seen at all.

Changing the venue from Eel Marsh to an airstrip midway didn't help things either. The atmosphere of the house is what makes TWiB so creepy. An airstrip with lots of explosions isn't creepy at all.

The ending scene of the movie was so cheap and anticlimactic compared to the end of the 2012 movie, where we're treated to TWiB breaking the fourth wall and glaring directly at the viewers.

This movie could have been good, should have been good. They rushed through it and did it in the cheapest way possible and it shows.

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012)

Mostly Faithful Adaptation

[9/10 · 20 January 2015]

The movie opens with terrific visions of the Battle of Toba Fushimi. The ground is strewn with the dead of both Bakufu and Ishin warriors, showing that war plays no favorites. Two men are carving a path through the humanity; one wearing the Shinsengumi mountain pattern haori and smoking a cigarette, the other, a short effeminate looking your man with long red hair, moving like a whirlwind, taking down two or three men in one swing. They meet and glare at each other. However, we are left wondering how the battle would turn out because at that moment, the Emperor's flag appears and the war is over, the Ishin taking the day.

The Shinsengumi captain taunts the young man with the red hair, telling him that since they are swordsmen, they must live and die by the sword. The young warrior responds by thrusting his sword into the snowy ground and walking away, shoulders slumped head down.

So begins the adventure.

Fans of the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime will greatly appreciate Sato Takeru's faithful and detailed portrayal of Kenshin, both as Rurouni and as Battousai. Everything is there: the goofy smile, the large round eyes, the clueless "oro" sound he utters when confused or startled and even his archaic speech patterns.

When Takeru's Kenshin turns into Battousai, his face goes from innocent and round to that of a true, deadly warrior, eyes narrowed and hard, jaw jutting out with wrath. His voice is deep and booming as he shouts out invectives as the target of his wrath.

Takeru's foot and sword work are fantastic. One could believe he's truly a kenjutsu master and that he didn't just start sword training months before the movie was shot. He also incorporates one of his hobbies: break dancing! It makes for some fantastic Hiten Mitsurugi footwork.

Although she has been criticized by many RK fans, I think Takei Emi was fine as Kaoru. Some said that she was too pretty for the role. I didn't think she was. She was cute, but now jaw droppingly gorgeous, which is how Kaoru was presented in the manga. Could she have been a bit brasher? Yes. However, given her limited screen time, she did her best with what she had. We do get to see her attack Kenshin and even try to fight Jinei, which is something Kaoru would have done in canon.

Teruyuki Kagawa as Takeda Kanryuu is delightfully wicked, playing eeny, meeny, miny, moe in order to decide which doctor to kill off and which to let live. He keeps an office full of beautiful machines and furniture, even a Symphonion! Also, even though he is a total sociopath, he has a white bunny rabbit, a goldfish and even some beautiful Russian wolfhounds. His personality is over the top and rather reminds me of the Joker in the Tim Burton Batman film.

Eguchi Yusuke plays the role of Saitou Hajime very well. Although we don't get his famous Aku Soku Zan speech, he shows his philosophy by disdaining Kenshin's non-killing vow and calling the sakabatou a "joke of a sword," the proceeding to fight Kenshin until Kenshin was forced to draw his blade, thus forcing Kenshin to remember what a duel to the death is like.

Some people expressed initial doubt at Yuu Aoi portraying Megumi because they said she was too baby faced to suit the role of a mature woman. However, she put all doubts to rest with her performance in the film, especially the scene where she and Kenshin discuss their respective pasts.

My only real complaints were with Sanosuke and Yahiko. Not their portrayals; Munetaka Aoki and Taketa Takeo were very well cast in their respective roles. However, their back stories were completely excised and they didn't get a lot of screen time, leaving them feeling a bit one dimensional in comparison with their deeply fleshed out portrayal in canon. However, they were still fun to watch.

A questionable departure is them having Hitokiri Battousai express doubt about his assassinations in front of his superiors after his killing of Kiyosato Akira, the man who scarred him on the left cheek. Battousai didn't begin to feel doubt about what he was doing until he was confronted by Yukishiro Tomoe in canon and certainly never expressed it to his superiors.

The tone of the movie is overall serious, but is never overbearing or depressing. There are certainly moments of levity, such as Yahiko's commentary on Kaoru's cooking skills (or lack thereof). Another humorous moment is Sanosuke's kitchen fight with one of Kanryuu's lackeys.

Overall, I'd say the movie is 80% faithful to the manga. Some events are left out and moved around, but the spirit of the original story remains intact and that's what counts at the end of the day.

Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno (2014)

The Symphony

[10/10 · 15 January 2015]

If the first live action film was a jam session, this one is the symphony. This is the one with the high production values and a much more epic feel than the first one.

It opens with a spectacular view of Shishio standing in what could be the pit of Hell and taunting Saitou by dangling his subordinates from ropes over the flames, threatening to drop them in if Saitou doesn't join him.

The first part that really stood out for me were the Shingetsu Village scene. The village was a desolate ruin and the image of the two people hanged from the large tree is chilling. The little boy who acted as Mishima Eiji did a great job portraying Eiji's grief at the brutal murder of his family. The part where Kenshin tells Eiji that he shouldn't kill his parents' murderers was handled sensitively and made my eyes well up a bit.

The other great part was Kenshin's battle with Sword Hunter Chou in order to save the life of baby Iori. The battle is face paced, brutal and action packed. The part where Arai Seiku tosses the sheathed holy sword to Kenshin and Kenshin kneels down motionless, eyes squeezed shut is riveting. You can totally see that he's battling with himself over whether or not to use the sword. Then when he unleashes the attack, everything explodes. In the aftermath, we see Kenshin walk away slowly, clearly upset with himself.

The Kyoto battle scene is awesome because we finally get to see Kaoru, Yahiko and Misao, who were often sidelined in the source material, strut their stuff and lend Kenshin a huge hand.

The ending will leave you wanting to know what happened next.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (2014)

Thunderous Conclusion to an Epic Series

[8/10 · 15 January 2015]

This movie had it all, passion, drama, humor and buckets of action. I actually like the change of Shishio getting to sail the Purgatory all the way to Tokyo, because when you have a huge, awesome ironclad like that, it's a crime to destroy it only seconds after it's introduced, like in the source material.

Kenshin's time with his master was well portrayed. Fukuyama Masuharo was a great Hiko and really knew how to put Kenshin in his place. As always, Sato Takeru's acting really made Kenshin's emotions shine through.

The final battle with Shishio was pulse pounding action all the way through. I also liked how in this version, Shishio wasn't shown to be impervious to everyone's attacks. It makes it much more believable.

The scene with Yumi (fans will know what I'm talking about) was sensitively handled and you could see their incomprehensible love for one another beautifully.

A few things I didn't like were how Shinomori Aoshi's character was treated. He did some things in this movie that made him seem very irredeemable to me.

I also didn't like that Sanosuke's relationship with Anji was excised, as that was a huge moment of character growth for our Rooster.

Overall though, the movie delivered a very satisfying conclusion to the live action trilogy.

Let us now hope for an adaptation of the Revenge Arc.

African Cats (2010)

Enthralling

[10/10 · 23 April 2011]

I just returned from seeing this movie today. The struggle for survival of two lion prides a cheetah family are beautifully brought to the big screen with masterful narration by Samuel L. Jackson. The cinematography and soundtrack are spectacular.

Mara, a young lioness must struggle to survive after the death of her mother and be accepted into the pride. Sita, a mother cheetah, struggles to raise five cubs in a land populated by deadly hyenas. Kali, a powerful lion, and his three grown sons seek to take over Mara's pride.

The movie is realistic, but not so bloody that anyone but the most sensitive among us should be offended.

I will definitely be adding this one to my DVD collection.

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999)

Flat out gorgeous

[9/10 · 21 May 2007]

I first saw Tsuiokuhen (aka Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal) on PPV maybe four years ago. The English dub was horrid. Nevertheless, the beauty of the story shines through.

It's 1864 and Japan has been in the grip of a bloody war for over a decade. Into the fray comes Himura Kenshin, a young man with great sword skills and high ideals to match them. Unfortunately, he is put into the role of assassin and quickly begins to lose his humanity as he kills and kills, but doesn't see his ideals come to fruition.

One night, he kills a bodyguard who manages to wound him on the cheek before being done in on Kenshin's sword. The wound doesn't heal up properly and bleeds whenever Kenshin kills someone.

A few months later, he meets up with a beautiful, but grief-stricken young woman named Tomoe who sees him kill a shogunate supporter. Unable to bring himself to kill her, Kenshin instead takes her to the Patriots' inn where she becomes a maid of all work.

Bit by bit, Tomoe opens Kenshin's eyes to what he is doing and the wrongness of it. In the end, he learns the hard way that every time he kills someone, he robs innocent people of their happiness.

Vastly different in tone from the Rurouni Kenshin anime series or even the manga, this is understandable as Kenshin is not the Rurouni we know and love, but an assassin on the razor's edge of madness. The sombre tone fits the time period in which this story takes place.

I would love to give this story a perfect ten, but a plot diversion from the original manga, namely the reduced role of Yukishiro Enishi to a mere bystander, forces me to give it a nine instead.

This OVA can be taken as part of the entire Rurouni Kenshin saga or as its own beautiful Japanese love tragedy. Either way, I highly recommend it.

Perfect Strangers (1986–1993)

Great show, but ran too long

[7/10 · 16 July 2006]

I'd love to give this show a ten, I really would. The first five seasons are an absolute ten. Larry was hilarious, especially when he'd start a scheme. Larry: "I have..." Balki: "Oh, God." Larry: "...a plan." Larry seemed to be hooked on money and live to make a buck. Larry: "What'll you do with your share of the money?" Balki: "Give it to the poor." Larry: "Well, they'll be taken care of. I'm going to spend my share on myself." Balki was very sweet and very naive. He came to America speaking broken English and knowing nothing of how the nation worked. Many times his naivety landed him and Larry in trouble. Because he was so trusting, Larry would often unfairly take advantage of him and use him in his money-grubbing schemes.

Starting with the sixth season though, things started to go downhill. All of a sudden, Larry goes from being money-grubbing, but still somewhat redeemable, to this pathological greedy liar who would never learn any better. Balki goes from being naive but very intelligent to just flat-out stupid.

Also, I detested their girlfriends, Jennifer and Mary Anne. I liked the red-haired girl Susan from the first two seasons. I thought it was so cute when Balki would throw himself at her and Larry would have to keep him from making a fool of himself. I guess the blondes were added to provide sex appeal, but to me it just seems like a sell-out. Susan was a real, down-to-earth and intelligent woman whereas Mary Anne and Jennifer were just superficial and shallow.

All in all, it was a great show in the beginning, but it just ran way too long and was unrecognizable by the end.

Mama's Family (1983–1990)

Let the hilarity ensue

[9/10 · 16 July 2006]

The only reason I don't give this show ten stars is the first two seasons weren't all that great. The characters hadn't yet developed and the show seemed like a comedy pretending to be a serious soap opera. Then in the third season, things suddenly fell into place. Bubba and Iola were introduced and annoying characters like Buzz and Sonja faded out of the picture.

I love Mama's personality and how she doesn't take crap from anyone, especially her idiot son and his wife. If Vinton gets too big for his britches, Mama gives him the smack down. A classic line: Vinton: "Aw, Mama fish again?" Mama: "Fish is brain food. I'm givin' you a double helpin'." That had me cracking up.

Naomi is a complete floozy and she and Mama rarely agree on anything. Mama: "In my day, husbands and wives made love. These days, it's just shaking' the sheets." Naomi: "Excuse me Mrs. Harper, but I am performing my wifely duties." Mama: "Why is it none of your wifely duties are ever performed standing up?" Bubba is great. We see him grow from an ex-juvenile delinquent into a fine young man as well as become very handsome. In the later episodes, we see that he is indeed quite intelligent.

Iola is sweet though she can be annoying at times because she seems to cry at the drop of a hat. My favorite episodes with Iola were the one where her cat Midnight died but she got to keep one of the kittens hidden in a treasure trunk that Vinton, Bubba and Naomi bought and the one where the Harpers sold all her handicrafts so they could buy a VCR.

This is a show that'll still be considered a classic 50 years from now.

Mama: "Who drinks vodka at the beach?" Olga: "Everybody!"

The Legend of Tarzan (2001–2003)

One of the better Disney cartoons

[9/10 · 15 July 2006]

The only thing I can find wrong with Disney's Legend of Tarzan is it's not long enough. Only one season! Come on, give us more! This series picks up right where the movie left off and shows Jane adjusting to life as Tarzan's mate and the gorillas adjusting to having a human for a leader. Turk isn't too warm to Jane just at first because Jane can't keep up with the gorillas and takes up almost all of Tarzan's attention. Tantor meanwhile loves to partner up with Jane's father Archimedese Q. Porter (Archie) and assist him in his scientific experiments.

Many cool characters are introduced including the slimy trading post operator, Renard Dumont, who's always flirting with Jane and ticking Tarzan off, Queen La who turns Dumont into an animal (I forget what kind), the leopard men and my favorite, the dinosaurs of Palusidar (sp?).

I love how the characters interact with each other. The relationships are pretty much the same as they were in the movie, except that you see how the characters grow closers to each other as they come to know and love one another.

As was said, the only way this could've been better is if there's been more episodes.

The Big Comfy Couch (1992–2013)

Great for adults too

[10/10 · 9 April 2006]

True, this is geared toward children, but as a teenager and well into my 20s, I adored this show. It was so simple, yet so funny. I loved the repetition of it as well. Every episode would start with Loonette and Molly waking up on the couch, Loonette does her stretch, then she and Molly go outside and chat with Granny Garbanzo and Major Bedhead who always comes by with a package from Aunty Macassre. After that, she and Molly go inside and read a story, then Loonette cleans up her mess and it's off to bed. There are also daily cameos by the Dust Bunnies whom only Molly knows about. Loonette doesn't believe they exist.

I also love that it has only a few main characters, Loonette, Molly, Granny, Major Bedhead, Snickelfritz the Cat, Aunty Macassre and the Dust Bunnies. This keeps it simple and isn't overwhelming. I don't really like shows with large ensemble casts.

There are also great jokes in it that had me laughing myself sick even though I was 21 when I watched this, such as when Loonette and Molly were having a rhyming game. Loonette said "soup", then we heard the pop for Molly's thought bubble, but didn't see what she was thinking. But Loonette got all disgusted and said "Molly!" Guess what word she used. I thought that was pretty edgy for a preschool TV show.

There is also humor that adults will get that will likely go right over little kids' heads such as some of the names. Aunty Macassre, Aunty Septic and I believe there was an Aunty Climactic once too.

Some of it was quite profound too, like the episode where the caterpillar died and Granny explained that it floated away. That was a great way to explain death in a way that a child would understand.

Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection (2001–2002)

Horrid Betrayal of the Spirit of RuroKen

[1/10 · 8 March 2006]

This is the biggest piece of garbage I've seen that's attached to the name Rurouni Kenshin. I never saw the third season of the anime, but I could probably tolerate that better than this train-wreck.

A lot of people like the animation and character design. I despised it. The characters all look ugly, with these glazed-over eyes and depressive faces. They look nothing at all as they do in the manga, or even the anime.

The Jinchuu Arc has all the important plot-points (the three-front attack, the corpse doll, Rakuninmura and Kenshin putting his demons to rest) stripped out. In this version, all that happens is Enishi kidnaps Kaoru (who doesn't even try to fight him) and leaves a note saying, "Jinchuu". Kenshin goes to the island alone (instead of with all the others as he did in the manga), fights Enishi, beats him and then offers his life in exchange for Koaru's. *flips through her manga volumes and can't find one instance of kenshin offering his life to an enemy* Since Kenshin never went through the life-altering experience of Rakuninmura, he really couldn't form a close bond with Kaoru in this OVA as he did in the manga. That is why five years into their marriage, his attitude was, "Screw my family. Saving the world is more important", and he went to China to help the Meiji government invade a sovereign nation. I'm 100% sure this is something manga-Kenshin would never do.

The idea of Kenshin sleeping with Kaoru when he has a communicable disease and condemning her to death is laughable. Hello, no-kill vow anyone! Or perhaps this doesn't include the woman he's supposed to love.

Kaoru is changed from a strong, fiery-tempered shihondai who would beat the crap out of her husband for even thinking of such a thing in the manga to this weak-willed and spineless woman who just sits there crying as Kenshin goes off. Then she welcomes him back with open arms and sleeps with him in order to "share his pain".

This is reminiscent of Hindu women, who would throw themselves on their husbands' funeral pyres because apparently in those cultures, a wife's life is meaningless if her husband dies. The director was portraying Kenshin and Kaoru as a traditional Japanese couple rather than as Kenshin and Kaoru.

I have no problem with being historically and culturally accurate, but not at the price of butchering Watsuki's characters and storyline. Either follow the manga, or don't animate the stupid thing!

Homeboys in Outer Space (1996–1997)

So funny, I laughed myself sick

[9 August 2005]

I thought this show was one of the funniest I've ever seen. It was a great lampoon of black culture and of Star Trek. Hell, it even had James Doohan in it playing the roll of a Scottish engineer. Now where did they get that idea from? These two black guys fly around in the space hooptie, which is controlled by this mouthy computer named Loquasia. She's always popping out some sexual innuendo or something. And the stuff these guys ran into was beyond great. It's been too long since I've seen any episodes, but some of the adventures were just so hilarious.

It's too bad this show was only on for one season because I thought it was brilliant. Maybe it'll come on DVD and then I can get it.

Muppet Babies (1984–1991)

One of my favorites

[10/10 · 25 June 2005]

This was one of my all time favorites growing up. I think I saw every episode, up till the 90s episodes anyway. I loved all their crazy adventures and how they'd imagine themselves in movies and TV shows.

I always felt so bad for poor Fozzie. No one ever laughed at his jokes. I felt really bad for him in the episode where he wanted to run away.

My two favorites were Gonzo and Animal. I loved Gonzo because he was weird and marched to the beat of a different drummer. I loved Animal because he was wild.

And of course I loved Barbara Billigsly as Nanny. I always wished we could see her face, but maybe it was better that we couldn't. I still remember the episode where she explained why there are earthquakes. It was simple and in a way a child could understand.

Batman Begins (2005)

New Batman takes getting used to, but cool movie

[8/10 · 20 June 2005]

The movie was dark, action-packed and quite serious. Just about everything I could ask for. Christian Bale was very handsome and quite charming as Bruce Wayne. As for his Batman, I'm still trying to decide. He definitely had some great moves and I loved how you couldn't see him till he was right on top if you. However, his voice was really weird. It sounded like an inhuman growl. I think I yet prefer Michael Keaton's more subdued tones. As for the personality, his personality was definitely angrier than Keaton's Batman and that's a big plus. You totally believe he'd rip your head off. So I guess I'd say that after I get used to him, I'll love this Batman. I do wish he wouldn't growl like an animal when he talks, but perhaps Bale can work on that for the next movie. I'd say give me Keaton's voice and Bale's look and you have the perfect Batman.

One little complaint though! Please put the Bat symbol across his chest like in the old movie. Batman isn't Batman without the symbol!

Nikki, Wild Dog of the North (1961)

Great kids' movie - SPOILER

[8/10 · 19 June 2005]

I remember loving to watch this movie on Wonderful World of Disney as a kid. It's about a malamute puppy who becomes separated from his master. He befriends an orphaned bear cub named Neewah and the two are together for about a year. After Neewah starts hibernating, Nikki is very lonely and seeks out the companionship of wolves, but is rejected.

I thought it was a very dramatic movie for being about an animal. It shows how a dog passes through the hands of two masters, one kind and one cruel. How easily trust can be shattered and how things must be put right again. The friendship between the dog and the bear was great too because they had to compromise in such things as diet and sleeping position.

I'd definitely recommend this movie for a kid I loved, especially one who loves dogs.

The Electric Grandmother (1982 TV Movie)

Creepy, but I want to see it again

[8/10 · 19 June 2005]

I remember seeing this movie back in the 80s when they showed it to us in grade school. I remember it being rather creepy, like when the grandmother plugged herself into the wall and rocked back and forth. It made this loud noise that bugged the hell out of me.

However with the passing of time and me being an adult now, I'd like to give this movie a second look and see how I'd like it now. I hated some movies as a little kid that I think I might like now and loved some as a kid that I don't like anymore. Strange how time does that. I'm pretty sure I'd like this movie a lot now because I dig sci-fi. The movie did have some very touching moments in it.

The Changeling (1980)

Only movie that really scares me

[10/10 · 2 May 2005]

I consider myself quite jaded. I sit through slasher movies like Friday the 13th and its ilk and it's all I can do to keep from falling asleep. I know what will happen: An ax-wielding maniac will chase down and kill a scantily-clad girl. Big deal! Now The Changeling on the other hand, is very different. Instead of relying on cheap gimmicks, overbearing special effects, gore, nudity, swearing and knife-wielding maniacs, it relies on our primal fears to scare us. Our fear of the dark, claustrophobia and dread of the unknown are what make this film work. There is almost no blood, violence or swearing. There is nothing remotely sexual in this film, and yet I love watching it once a week.

Of course George C. Scott, Trish Van Der Vere and Melvyn Douglas are great. I've always loved Scott, and though I've never seen Douglas in other movies, I thought he was great in his role. He played with great emotion.

So if you want to be creeped out and not just shocked, rent The Changeling and watch it alone, in the dark and with the phone turned off.