Reviews

Broken was a fantastic album, a self-described "ultra-fast chunk of death." However, that descriptive would better describe the music video accompaniment to the EP. Due to extremely graphic content, this short collection of videos of (fake) torture, rape, sadomasochism, and murder will never see an official release, though it's been widely rumored that Trent Reznor himself leaked a DVD-quality copy on the internet.

Fans of the band, or those with a morbid curiosity need only apply. The scenes are violent, often hard to watch, but like a horrible car crash on the side of the road, you can't help but look. Track it down; it's quite easy enough to find on the Internet. Just be sure not to give copies of it to your unsuspecting friends for Christmas, as one reviewer here has done. As he suggested, you may lose more friends than you'll be keeping.

I remember Final Fantasy VII with admiration, so my anticipation for this movie was high when it was announced. Epic story with equally epic action - that's what I envisioned.

Unfortunately, the story didn't stand up to my expectations. It was difficult to follow the story, and very vague in some places (though many Japanese movies some some form of ambiguity in their plot, it didn't work in favor of Advent Children). It sure as hell wasn't intriguing either, and I found myself waiting anxiously for the next fight scene to come.

But when they do come, the movie kicks it into high gear. They are beautifully animated and over-the-top in that anime style most FFVII fans love, so non-fans will have to hold their disbelief as you watch Cloud and friends leap from building to building with ease. The final fight is incredible, and easily the best scene in the whole movie.

Rabid fanboys and fangirls alike will eat this up. As for newcomers, they will be seriously confused about what's going on. For the casual fans, they may be disappointed by the (lack of) story, but the action certainly makes up for it.

Honestly, I don't think this movie deserves an average rating of 8.3 (as of this writing), and perhaps that's just the hype. If it wasn't for the action, I'd be giving this a lower score, but I'm more than happy to give it a 7 because it. Strictly for fans only.

Anybody who is a fan of boxing should love this. It will also appeal to non-fans because the stories of the boxers themselves are heart-warming. It really gets into the heads of the fighters and shows what drives them, be it honor, fame, family, or God. I don't care much for the little athletic competitions they use to pick who fights next, but the fights, while only 5 rounds long, are action-packed and full of drama. Even if the fights are taped and edited, you'll be on the edge of your seat, and none of the hard hits, huge comebacks, and saddening defeats lose their impact. And since you get into the heads of these boxers and appreciate where they're coming from, when they fight, sometimes it's hard to choose who to root for. These guys are all winners*.

My only problem with the show is it is a little too over-packaged and edited. But, that's network TV for you. It doesn't matter too much in the end, because this show is still great, and one of two current shows I follow with great zeal (the other show being "Lost").

*With the possible exception of Ahmed Kahddour. Cocky bastard.

These two are a promising duo. I went into the sneak preview not expecting much, but what I got was a whole lot of laughs, thanks to the smart writing and some genuinely funny, great moments. What could have been "just a stoner movie" turned out to be a great, character-driven spoof on social issues, like police brutality, racism, extreme sports, college life, etc. Hopefully, this movie will help to bring John Cho and Kal Penn into stardom, and bring those two back for a sequel (set up in the end of the movie). I enjoyed myself greatly, and would definitely see this again.

PS: Keep an eye out for the news broadcast before the end credits; the last part of it is hilarious.

Very dumb, indeed; it's best to leave your brain behind when watching this movie. The plot is only a bare-bones excuse to bring samurai, yakuza, zombies, swords, guns, kung fu, and lots of blood together to make one of the more enjoyable action movies I've seen in a while. Great if you're an action fan, but if you're looking for plot and character development, you're in the wrong place. The plot only gets in the way of the action in this one.

I can understand the influence that Kurosawa had on modern-day directors, and in that sense, I respect him. However, while this movie shone in several places, it was too much of a slow burner for me to enjoy.

The movie itself is visually stunning, and the costumes are well done. The wide camera shots have a feeling of pomp and grandiloquence and are very beautiful. Kurosawa truly had an eye for this. The acting was, for the most part, superb, if not a little overdramatic. It fits the story well, though.

However, I found myself squirming unsteadily in my seat for 160 minutes. Many parts of the movie were slow, even for me; it's comparable to a story line of Dragonball Z, where a story that should only take about a week to finish is stretched over many episodes. It's painful, and I almost reached for my remote to fast forward through the movie (something I have never done). It was enough to ruin my experience.

I would recommend it, if you have the patience to sit through the static moments.