Search the Community

I think Macross fans will get a kick out of this: Check out the plot. It involves piloted-giant robots fighting alien forces, supposedly the size of monsters like Godzilla. http://www.cityonfir...new-sci-fi-pic/ In other live-action Japanese Robot news, check out the trailer to a Hong Kong film called Let's Go: (trailer at link below) http://www.cityonfir...g-kong-blu-ray/ EDIT: Mods, sorry, I meant to post this in "Anime or Science Fiction" please move. Thanks!

Bunraku Snoot Entertainment/XLRator Media/ARC Entertainment/IM Global, 2011 Written and Directed by Guy Moshe Running Time: 118 minutes Rated R for graphic violence and profanity. Cast Josh Hartnett (Salesman in Sin City) as the Drifter Woody Harrelson (Defendor, Tallahassee in Zombieland) as the Bartender Gackt (overrated, overexposed J-pop artist) as Yoshi Kevin McKidd (Tommy in Trainspotting, Mactavish in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2-3) as Killer #2 Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Nino in Drive) as Nicola the Woodcutter Demi Moore (Jules in St. Elmo's Fire, Molly in Ghost) as Alexandra Jordi Mollà as Valentine Shun Sugata (Takayama in Ichi the Killer, Nakao in The Last Samurai) as Yoshi's uncle Emily Kaiho as Momoko Mike Patton (Faith No More lead vocalist) as the Narrator Synopsis Several years into the future, following a devastating global war, mankind has outlawed the use of guns. However, the will to fight still exists using swords and fists. A nameless cowboy known as the "Drifter" and a lone samurai named Yoshi arrive in a lawless town with just one common objective: kill the ruthless and powerful crime lord Nikola the Woodcutter. Despite their initial differences, the duo befriends a local bartender and join forces to take down Nikola and his syndicate of killers. Lowdown Bunraku (文楽) is a term used to describe a centuries-old form of traditional Japanese puppet theater. Unfortunately, this movie makes puppet theater look and feel more exciting. Bunraku (the movie) is an ambitious attempt to fuse together Sin City with a Spaghetti Western and a Samurai Epic in a digital sound stage. Hell, there's even a fight scene that tries to be the old video game Elevator Action. Sure, the fight scenes are marvelously choreographed and many of the camera angles are well-placed, but the intentional paper look of the background props just adds to the half-@ssed approach to the storytelling. The talents of Woody Harrelson and Kevin McKidd are wasted by the bland dialogue and cheesy acting by both Josh Hartnett and Gackt. Demi Moore may still be hot in her late-40s, but really, she doesn't do anything to make this film more watchable. Worse is that this cliché-ridden snooze-fest is almost two hours long, struggling to wow viewers with its cheaply-made visual effects in place of a non-coherent plot (if there ever was one to begin with). In short, Bunraku is just a mediocre rental at most. It actually makes Sucker Punch look like an Oscar contender for Best Picture. Rating: D Links Official Site References The Internet Movie Database

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inGUZEDJllY Titan A.E. FOX Animation Studios/20th Century Fox, 2000 Directed by Don Bluth (An American Tail, Anastasia) and Gary Goldman (The Pebble and the Penguin, Anastasia) Written by Hans Bauer (Anaconda) and Randall McCormick (Speed 2: Cruise Control) Screenplay by Ben Edlund (The Tick), John August (Big Fish, Corpse Bride) and Joss Whedon (like nobody here knows who he is...) Running Time: 94 minutes Rated PG for sci-fi violence and mild language. Cast Matt Damon (The Bourne Trilogy, Good Will Hunting) as Cale Tucker Drew Barrymore (Gertie in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Julia in The Wedding Singer) as Akima Kunimoto Bill Pullman (President Whitmore in Independence Day, Lone Starr in Spaceballs) as Capt. Joseph Korso John Leguizamo (Luigi in Super Mario Bros., Violator in Spawn) as Gune Nathan Lane (Timon in The Lion King, Albert in The Birdcage) as Preed Janeane Garofalo (The Bowler in Mystery Men, Colette in Ratatouille) as Stith Tone Loc (remember that rap song "Wild Thing"?) as Tek Ron Perlman (like nobody here knows who he is...) as Prof. Sam Tucker Synopsis In the year 3028, an alien race called the Drej invade the Solar System and destroy Earth. While they accomplish in wiping out 99% of Earth's population, they fail to eliminate the top-secret project ship Titan created by Prof. Sam Tucker, who escaped in the midst of the chaos. Fifteen years later, the surviving humans continue to live their lives as intergalactic refugees. Tucker's son Cale, who works at a salvage yard, is paid a visit by Capt. Joseph Korso and female pilot Akima. They seek help from Cale, as he holds the key to finally locate the Titan - mankind's last hope for survival. Together, they must get to the Titan before the Drej discover it and annihilate mankind for good. Story: D+ Back in 1999, while moviegoers flocked to movie theaters to see The Matrix, they caught their first glimpse of this animated sci-fi flick. It showed Earth blown to bits, which, more or less, caught a lot of attention. One year later, Titan A.E. was released. Unfortunately, Earth blowing up was practically the only exciting part of the movie. This movie had a lot of potential, but its lack of originality was its Achilles heel. Sure, hundreds of sci-fi flicks bite off from Star Wars and Star Trek, but Titan A.E. just bites off too much from them. Most noticeable is the Titan ship subplot, which is a rehash of the Genesis Project from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I'd point out some Star Wars references, but there are just too many to name. Besides, I fell asleep throughout most of the film. Even anime references are not spared from this film's lack of originality. Cale's hand map is a loose derivative of Lensman. The Valkyrie flight scene across the asteroid belt may have been a take on Macross. The characters are just not likeable at all; maybe if the Drej got rid of them, we'd probably have a better movie than the final product. And we all know that Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore can't act, but damn - their voice acting's even worse. But then again, if you read the credits, it's no wonder the story sucks. People who wrote Anaconda and Speed 2: Cruise Control were behind this tripe. Even the screenplay writers (read credits above), as talented as they are, couldn't save this train wreck of a story. Instead of making headlines, Titan A.E. was simply career suicide for Don Bluth and a number of animators. It was also an early sign of the death of American theatrical animation as we know it. Titan A.E. made only $36 million out of its $75 million budget, prompting FOX to close their animation studios. Its bad luck must have also rubbed on other animated sci-fi titles like Sony's Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire (don't get me started with the Nadia ripoff debacle) and Treasure Planet - all of which tanked in the box office as well. Animation: B- Can someone please tell Don Bluth that Rotoscope animation is dead? Titan A.E.'s character designs are just as exciting as watching paint dry on a rainy day. The 3D animation is okay, but with a budget of $75 million, it should be much better. Soundtrack: C There's a reason why Star Wars and Star Trek use classical music for their soundtracks: it never goes out of style. Titan A.E. just feels so '90s with its use of alternative music from Lit, Powerman 5000 and other bands no one's even heard of. Graeme Revell (The Crow, Sin City) supplies some BGM, but it's hardly noticeable. DVD Extras: B At least the DVD is loaded with extras, such as deleted/unfinished scenes and a making-of documentary. And there's a music video of "Over My Head" by Lit, like anyone cares. The Bottom Line "Planet Bob?" Skip this movie and go rent something else. Reference The Internet Movie Database Wikipedia