Rebuild of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 (2021)

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)

Dirs. Hideaki Anno / Kazuya Tsurumaki / Katsuichi Nakayama / Mahiro Maeda

Given my feelings about part three — and that in the lengthy interim between it and part four Anno had helped make what I consider to be the worst live action Japanese-language Godzilla movie since the Showa Era lost its way — I didn't feel the pang of the nine-year wait that happened, but I sympathise with anyone that did.

Evangelion: 4.0 You Can (Not) be Fucking Serious, as it'll forever be known to me hereafter, has some stunning animation, but is less successful in other ways. It has the dubious honour of being the least engaging anime movie that I watched in 2022.

The frantic aerial battle that fills a large chunk of the opening was off-putting to me, but I can see how it could be considered impressive by others, in how it resembled some kind of futuristic fighter plane conflict. In retrospect, when paired with what follows, it plays a successful part in conveying how important the role of contrast is to the whole.

Rebuild of Evangelion: 3.33 (2012)

Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo (2012)

Dirs. Hideaki Anno / Mahiro Maeda / Kazuya Tsurumaki

Parts 1.11 and 2.22 stayed recognisably close to the original NGE TV Series plot, but part 3.33 spirals off to places new. There are big changes and most of them aren't good.

Firstly, none of what's teased in 2.22's post-credit preview is actually in the third film. Instead, it's set a significant number of years after, which could be as jarring for the viewer as it is for one of the characters.

In retrospect, it's helpful to accept that what was teased did actually happen, albeit offscreen. Mercifully, the implied level of 'fan service' is largely absent, besides some cheap low angle female pudenda shots.

A dramatic space-set action scene opens proceedings, and is quickly followed by some tedious Anno dialogue; as someone who prefers to watch anime subbed, it felt more pronounced than it might otherwise have seemed.

Rebuild of Evangelion: 2.22 (2009)

Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance (2009)

Dirs. Hideaki Anno / Masayuki / Kazuya Tsurumaki

I said previously that the film is faithful to Dir. Hideaki Anno's original vision 'at least for now'. To expand upon that, it's more than just a retelling, it's a 'rebuild' of the story - like its English language title states. The original series fell in on itself before its ultimate completion, so a redesign isn't necessarily a bad thing, if done correctly.

The foundation upon which the 'rebuild' is constructed is largely the same as before - but as more tiers are added, the resultant structure takes on a wholly different appearance. That change becomes more apparent in 2.22 than it was in 1.11. [1]

It covers episodes 7-19, which is quite a task in such a short amount of time.

Rebuild of Evangelion: 1.11 (2007)

Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone (2007)

Dirs. Hideaki Anno / Masayuki / Kazuya Tsurumaki

A cinematic 'Rebuild' of the 'classic' Neon Genesis Evangelion TV Series. The first film (of four) covers episodes 1-6. It's overseen by the same director as the series, Hideaki Anno, so is faithful to his original vision - at least for now, but that's for a future post.

Newcomers to the world of NGE may find it difficult to assimilate everything on first viewing, but in truth even the series didn't make complete sense to a large percentage of its audience until the second sitting, so in a way being perplexed is par for the course.

Nevertheless, for the benefit of anyone that's wholly unfamiliar with the basics, a quick intro: fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari arrives in Tokyo-III, having been summoned there by a father he's not seen in three years.

Commando (1985)

Commando (1985)

Dir. Mark L. Lester

I'd never watched Commando in its entirety before, so purposefully chose to do so. I took one for the team - except I'm the only member of the team, so the misery was all mine.

After a series of quick executions of men that seem to have no connection initially, we're subjected to an Arnie muscle montage as he carries half a tree back to his picture perfect cabin in the great outdoors. As introductions go, it's terrible. But what follows is worse.

Namely, a laughable montage of clumsy scenes in which Mr Schwarzenegger and his daughter (Phoebe Halliwell before she got her witchy powers) enjoy the peace and quiet, idealised by their feeding a young deer in a scene that would make Bambi retch. It's the kind of single parent utopia that only exists in bad fiction.

Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Dir. Yoshifumi Kondō

Based on a manga of the same name (by Aoi Hiiragi), WotH is a wonderful coming of age drama set in a typical suburb of Tokyo.

Its primary character is fourteen-year-old Shizuku Tsukishima, a junior high school student who loves books. Shizuku is a voracious reader who makes regular trips to the school library. She notices one day that many of the books she's borrowed that year were checked-out also by one other person.

For the benefit of anyone born after the turn of the millennium, it's important to note the era because before everything everywhere existed in a computer database, checkout cards were a real thing in library books. It isn't something the writers made up, and it wasn't exclusive to Japan. It's a true reflection of what folks my age might call a 'simpler time', before smartphones and social media, etc, and all the negativity that now exists as a result.

The Sandman Presents: Thessaly - Witch for Hire (2005)

Thessaly - Witch for Hire (2005)

Author: Bill Willingham | Illustrator: Shawn McManus | Page Count: 96

"Anything that exits can be destroyed in some way. It's just a matter of finding the right sprig of mistletoe."

Witch for Hire picks up the story of the last of the Thessalian witches two years after the end of The Thessaliad (2002), a four-issue miniseries that you can also find collected in the Taller Tales (2003) TPB.

If you haven't read the previous adventure, there's some catch-up text at the beginning to get you up to speed.

If you have read it, you'll maybe remember the big unanswered question surrounding the main supporting character. Bill Willingham expands upon that aspect.

Fetch is back, like a bad smell carried by an ill-wind, with a complement of ideas above his station (his station being that he's dead - that's not a spoiler).

The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)

The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)

Dir. Albert Pyun

'It's Sword and Sorcery time!' said my brain when I sat down one Tuesday in October to pick a movie. And lo! It sure as hell was. And I did rejoice.

The story is standard fare, for the most part, with a youth who grows into a formidable warrior (Lee Horsley) after witnessing the murder of his loved ones at the hands of an evil rival (Richard Lynch). As fate and cliché would have it, years later the orphaned swordsman gets an opportunity to exact revenge for the heinous deed, in heroic fashion.

The FX are great, the dialogue is corny — the fanciful v/o narration especially so — and the action is decent. Its biggest gimmick is the hero's tricksy sword, which might make even a Final Fantasy video game character a little envious.

It's 'stupid good' fun for a fan of the genre. But like most such pictures, I don't think it would hold the full attention of anyone who doesn't identify with that particular noun.

NOTE: the promised sequel did eventually appear, albeit almost three decades later, in the form of Tales of an Ancient Empire (2010), starring Kevin Sorbo. I watched the trailer. It looks shit.

Family (1994)

Family (1994)

Dir. Michael Winterbottom | 4 episodes, approx 45 minutes each.

A miniseries set in Dublin, Ireland, written by author Roddy Doyle and directed by filmmaker Michael Winterbottom. I've read a couple of Roddy's novels and watched the films based on The Barrytown Trilogy. I enjoyed them all.

None of the films were big budget ventures, so I had no reason to suspect that a TV production would be any less engaging or personal.

Sure enough, it wasn't, the working class Spencer family were just as well-written and presented as Roddy's movie characters have been. In fact, it was an exceptional TV drama, the like of which the '90s had too little of, although it seems like there was still a lot more than we have now.

Four of the six Spencers have an episode named after them, within which they're the main focus even though, with the exception of the two youngest, all members play an important role each time. Interestingly, in each case the music used fits the age group, helping characterisation. Episodes in the order presented:

Pom Poko (1994)

Pom Poko (1994)

Dir. Isao Takahata

When their peaceful but playful way of life comes under threat by mankind's push for "urban development," a tanuki community is forced to abandon the rundown farmhouse in which they live, a building that was previously abandoned by its human occupants.

To combat the destructive 'modernisation', the critters call upon the past, rekindling the ancient tanuki art of shape-shifting.

There are references to the role of religion and superstition in the modern world, but foremost is the themes of ethics and nature and how both are often trodden on by an encroaching and money-hungry industry.

It's a Ghibli film directed by Takahata, whose work is often more hard-hitting and arguably more daring than a lot of Miyazaki's, so if you're planning to let the kids watch it, be aware that there are some unpleasant deaths.

The Sandman Presents: Taller Tales (2003)

The Sandman Presents: Taller Tales (2003)

Author: Bill Willingham | Illustrators: Mark Buckingham / Peter Gross / Paul Pope / Michael Kaluta / Phil Jimenez / Adam Hughes / Linda Medley / Marc Laming / Zander Cannon / Albert Monteys / Daniel Torres / Shawn McManus / Duncan Fegredo / Kevin Nowlan / Jason Little / Niko Henrichon | Page Count: 224

'A bestial song of Darwinian law in six-part harmony. A celebration of the never-ending, inescapable gospel of tooth and claw.'

Taller Tales gathers into one book a small collection of the many post-Sandman stories. There's some one-shots, a complete mini-series, and a single issue of the long-running but now defunct monthly The Dreaming.

Each of the individual publications may still lurk in specialist comic shops, but why spend more than the cover price when you can have them in an advert-free TPB? In the order presented:

01. Merv Pumpkinhead, Agent of D.R.E.A.M. (2000) is a one-shot in which Merv recounts an unlikely story of derring-do in which he's the one daring and doing. I like Merv, but a James Bond parody isn't something that stays in my memory long. Most of the actual Bond movies are like parodies of themselves, so besides the hero having a pumpkin for a head, there really isn't much difference.

Bill and Ted Face the Music (2020)

Bill and Ted Face the Music (2020)

Dir. Dean Parisot

I've not featured Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) on the 7th and Last because, simply put, I hated it. I mention it now only because it's somewhat necessary to have seen it to understand the relationship between Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) and the Grim Reaper (William Sadler), all of whom returned for Face the Music (2020).

The titular duo's destiny, as foretold in Excellent Adventure (1989) — which is to write a song so emotionally stirring that it'll unite all of humanity in glorious, peaceful harmony — hasn't happened. The world is largely unchanged, as are Bill and Ted, except that they're older and each has a daughter - that's them on the cover art: Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving).

The initial promotions had me worried that it would be another example of Hollywood trying to force some element of gender-swapping, but happily the story avoids that. And while I didn't warm to the new duo much at all, they didn't feel like they were in the way, and they'd a genuinely vital, complementary role to play in the story.

Ocean Waves (1993)

Ocean Waves (1993)

aka I Can Hear the Sea

Dir. Tomomi Mochizuki

Originally, I considered writing something for each of the Studio Ghibli feature films and presenting them in chronological order, but I'm not a completist and I don't like all of the films, so I'm skipping the ones that I don't want to watch again. Of the selection that remains, the next is the lesser-known Ocean Waves.

Produced by Studio Ghibli but made-for-television, it's a story about youth and maturity, set in a competitive Japanese high school environment and in the wider world.

The three main characters are friends Tako and Yutaka and the girl who turns both their heads, a transfer student named Rikako. She's self-centred and takes advantage of Tako's good nature, but that doesn't stop him pursuing her.

The Sandman Presents: Bast: Eternity Game (2003)

Bast: Eternity Game (2003)

Author: Caitlin R. Kiernan | Illustrator: Joe Bennett | Page Count: 66 (total)

'Sleep, child. Sleep and follow me.'

Gods aren't flesh and blood. Gods don't die. They simply fade away when no one remembers their name or what they represented. Bast, the Egyptian cat goddess, isn't willing to go quietly into the neglected nothingness, so she attempts a comeback. What she craves — namely, sincere belief and a sustained worship in the waking world — is still possible, but in her diminished state reaching out across the realms for a second chance will take every last reserve of power that she has left.

Who better to latch onto than another female who is herself on the fringes, who doesn't fit comfortably in her environment? Lucy McCuller's troubles make her susceptible to Bast's influences, but Lucy's problems are bigger than her. What's more is that ambition — in any form — has a tendency to take on a life of its own.

Under the Dome: Season One (2013)

Under the Dome: Season One (2013)

Dir. Various | 13 episodes, approx 43 minutes each.

I'm so bored of 'edgy' US dramas, but I'm a huge fan of sci-fi and a sucker for a Stephen King adaptation despite their tendency to have a great buildup and then fall flat on their ass in the latter half. Under the Dome bucks that trend by falling flat on its ass even earlier. It kills off the most interesting character in Ep 01 and leaves the chaff to pick up the slack, meaning that from Ep 02 it drags its shitty heels through the corn.

It's the story of a town trapped under a mysterious dome. What that means for the people within differs depending on their ability to cope with disaster, the unknown, and the depravity of the secrets they want to keep hidden. Their focus is on getting out, naturally, but Season One's overall focus is on exploring the inner aspects of each individual and the community as a whole.

The Scorpion King Movies (2002-18)

The Scorpion King Movies (2002-18)

Dirs. Chuck Russell / Russell Mulcahy / Roel Reiné / Mike Elliott / Don Michael Paul

01. The Scorpion King (2002): The Rock's first real acting job is a prequel story to his piss-poor cameo in The Mummy Returns (2001).

The role of Mathayus is perfect for him, playing to his strengths and his abilities. He gets to do most of what he did in the WWE: throw people about, look manly, charm an audience with ease, and deliver the trademark raised eyebrow that makes him look simultaneously smug and endearing.

Kelly Hu saves the costume department some cash by being half-naked most of the time.

The irritating comic relief sidekick role, played by Grant Heslov, isn't as bad as it could've been, but the character can be easily ignored the majority of the time. Ultimately, it's a good 'bad' movie.

Idaho Transfer (1973)

Idaho Transfer (1973)

Dir. Peter Fonda

Because it's my favourite genre, I've watched hundreds of science fiction films and TV Series in my lifetime — everything from Méliès to modern trash; from love songs to the genre made on a shoestring budget to Hollywood excesses that cost stupid amounts of money — but never one quite like Idaho Transfer before, which makes it even more interesting to me than it might be otherwise.

It's an arty, minimalist production that's both peaceful and oddly unsettling. Even though they're in very different genres, it's reminiscent of Easy Rider (1969) at times in its editing and in how it presents an important worldview in an understated but engaging manner. It even has something that reminds of the former's cemetery scene.

The plot involves an unnamed future cataclysm that destroys life on earth; all life or just some of it, we don't know. A chosen group of under-twenties travel fifty-six years into their own future to avoid the end. Free of government and societal pressures they have an opportunity to start civilisation over again, hopefully for the better.

As far as I know, at time of writing it isn't available to purchase or stream in any kind of HD format. The market for it is probably just too small. But it was shot on 35 mm, so there's hope.

The Sandman Presents: The Furies (2002)

The Furies (2002)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrator: John Bolton | Page Count: 96

"[T]he immortality resides in the role, not in the being that enacts it."

Events in The Furies take place a few years after the end of Neil Gaiman's lengthy Sandman saga (1989-96).

It continues the story of a secondary character named Lyta Hall, so if you've not read all 75 issues (collected as 10 volumes, previously reviewed on the blog), then you'll be missing a huge chunk of backstory. In truth, it would be best to not read The Furies if you lack that Sandman knowledge, because it's largely reliant on it.

Carey's words build an atmosphere that's thick and oppressive. Bolton's painted art complements it.

Bolton is a superb artist, so it's hard to say for sure, but there may be some actual photography blended into the backgrounds. Either way, it manages to be more emotionally affecting than the text; it almost feels as if the brush strokes have actual pain and a unique kind of anguish captured within them.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Dir. Mike Flanagan

I expected an adaptation of a novel that I didn't like to be equally unpleasing, but hats off to Dir. Mike Flanagan, who made a film that's better than the book it's based on.

Not only does it succeed in tightening King's long-winded narrative for the screen, but it does a commendable job at uniting the differing creative points of view that exist in the original The Shining (1977) novel and Dir. Stanley Kubrick's controversial adaption of it.

At times it mimics the tonal language that was so meticulously crafted by Kubrick for his version, through movement, framing and even music, but those moments sit alongside an excellent rechannelling of the Dr Sleep novel.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: TV Series (1995-96)

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-96)

Dirs. Hideaki Anno / Masayuki / Kazuya Tsurumaki | 26 episodes, approx 23 mins each

Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari arrives in the futuristic Tokyo-3, having been summoned there by a father that he's not seen in over three years.

Shinji's abandonment issues and his father's overbearing (though often silent) judging of the boy's measure puts an excruciating amount of stress upon the youth's inexperienced shoulders.

The emotional tearing that develops from the conflicting hatred of his estranged father and the simultaneous craving for his approval and love is a major defining attribute of the teenager.

But if that wasn't enough to deal with, Shinji is required to take on a task that would challenge even a hardened combat veteran, with nothing less than the fate of humanity on the line if he fails.

It's a situation that puts him directly in his father's line of sight, and increases the fear of failure and sense of worthlessness that the boy nurtures.

Only Yesterday (1991)

Only Yesterday (1991)

Dir. Isao Takahata

A twenty-seven-year-old Tokyo resident named Taeko takes a summer trip to the countryside. It's a holiday away from city life, but Taeko plans to work whilst there, helping with the annual safflower harvest. What she hadn't planned was that her ten-year-old self would choose to accompany her.

It's the same person but in two different eras. The adult Taeko (Miki Imai) replays and relives her memories of fifth-grade Taeko (Yōko Honna), reflecting on the trials of youth, the hopes and dreams she had and how they stack up to where she is now in her life. When combined they make one complete story – one lengthy journey toward an unwritten future.

The deliberate undefined edges that some scenes employ suggests that feelings and situations we thought were complete at the time might actually have lines that aren't filled in until years later, provided we're wise enough, and perhaps even daring enough, to make the connections.

The Sandman Presents: The Dead Boy Detectives (2001)

The Dead Boy Detectives (2001)

Author: Ed Brubaker | Illustrator: Bryan Talbot | Page Count: 96

"At that moment, Edwin Paine remembered exactly why he used to be afraid of the dark."

The DBD miniseries features Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine, characters first introduced in The Sandman: Volume IV: Season of Mists (1992). Some other supporting characters from the Sandman universe pop up and will leave new readers confused because the book offers no explanation as to who they are.

It's set in England. The dialogue is supposed to reflect that, but it doesn't quite hit the mark. It's more like an outsider's view of how they think English people sound.

It can be overlooked when you consider that the characters existed before author Ed Brubaker was given the reins, so he was tied to them having a different geographical origin (and dialect) than himself.

Stephen King's The Shining (1997)

Stephen King's The Shining (1997)

Dir. Mick Garris | 3 episodes, approx 90 minutes each.

TV miniseries based on Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name. It's essentially the story of a family forced to confront the underlying feelings that threaten to tear their already not very happy home apart. The addition of a supernatural aspect turns the process dial up to dangerous levels.

Jack Torrence (Steven Weber), a struggling writer, ex-alcoholic, and regular screw-up takes a job as caretaker of a large, remote hotel that's routinely closed over the winter months. He brings his wife Wendy (Rebecca De Mornay), whose over-protectiveness of their seven year old son Danny (Courtland Mead) is justified somewhat because young Danny has a gift, or a curse depending on your point of view: he can sense emotions, danger, and even occasionally see the future.

The quiet, creative retreat that Jack hopes for turns out to be more eventful than he'd predicted. The Overlook Hotel has many ghosts and they'd just love to get to know the Torrence family better.

Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998)

Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998)

Dirs. Various | 22 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

It's ridiculous to me that so many of the fantasy and/or supernatural TV shows that were aimed at a young adult demographic in the 1990s had secondary characters who were proficient in kung fu, or some other kind of mixed martial arts, no matter their alleged social background; vampire series like Buffy and Angel were the worst offenders.

With MK: Conquest, however, there's a reason so many citizens know kung fu: it's key to their survival. 

Villagers that haven't learned how to defend themselves aren't going to be safe for long. They may as well carry around a sign saying 'easy prey!'

(Alternatively, if they can't fight but are important to the plot, they get temporally saved by the chivalrous heroes... and then usually end up dead anyhow.)

It's set "...centuries ago, in a time of darkness and fury," which translates to an undefined pre-industrial era, in a place called Zhu Zin.

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki

Tradition dictates that at age thirteen a young witch should leave her home behind, in order to continue her training elsewhere.

For Kiki, it's an adventure that ends up being equal parts hard work; but she's headstrong when necessary, and with the help of her friend Jiji (a cat), she strives to make her mark.

With delicate pacing and timely underpinning it teaches us that each person has a purpose, even if they aren't aware of it or don't consider what they do to be anything special. 

If you dare to rise to a challenge, do your best for yourself and for others, like Kiki, then the rewards can more than equal the effort put in.

It's not action-packed and doesn't need a dramatic setting to be appreciated (you can watch it on a sunny day), but it's refreshingly sincere, and the attention to detail in environments is noteworthy, making the houses feel lived-in, which gives them a beauty all of their own.

There's a scene during the closing credits, so don't turn off too soon, if you want to see it.

The Sandman Presents: Petrefax (2000)

Petrefax (2000)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrator: Steve Leialoha | Page Count: 88 (22 x 4)

"I had fallen in love with a dead woman. I asked myself if this was irony or merely an occupational hazard..."

A four-issue limited series that follows the titular Petrefax, an apprentice undertaker from the necropolis Litharge, who first appeared in The Sandman: Volume VIII: Worlds' End (1994). He's now a journeyman, seeking life experience in the wider, weirder world.

His travels take him to the bustling Malegrise, a place that brings to mind England of centuries gone by; the biggest difference being that 18th Century England wasn't home to sorcerers and demons (as far as I know).

I'm glad it was Mike Carey that was given the job of writing the miniseries. It suits his talents perfectly.

He was sole author of the ongoing Lucifer series at the time Petrefax was being published, but there's no evidence that he was stretching himself too thin. In fact, the reverse seems to be the case. He must've been on a creative high - both works are excellent.

Stephen King's The Tommyknockers (1993)

The Tommyknockers (1993)

Dir. John Power | 2 episodes, approx 90 mins each

(There's also a heavily cut 120 mins edition)

A TV miniseries based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name. It's a little unusual for the author because it's science fiction, not horror.

More accurately it's a throwback to the kind of stories that were plentiful in the 1950s, with some additional ideas from the 1970s, both of which were eras when science fiction had something important to say. The main difference is that this version of King's story has very little to say about anything, as far as I could tell. If there was some deep, hidden message, then I missed it.

The set-up is why I continually return to these cheap TV adaptations, even though they rarely ever work out. The potential that exists as the story opens and the ways in which King builds drama, by drip-feeding the viewer just enough interesting content to keep them in their seat, is always the best part. In The Tommyknockers' case, when it focuses on the effects more than the cause, it's enjoyable. That enjoyment is both heightened and tainted by the most prevalent unknown factor: when exactly is it all going to turn to shit?

Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast: Volume 1 (2018)

Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast: Volume 1 (2018)

Authors: Llexi Leon (story) / Ian Edginton (script) | Artist: Kevin J West | Page Count: 128

'Eddie is an embodiment of free will, a chaotic spirit, the unseen catalyst during crucial turning points in history. The spark that lights the flame.'

LotB's story is based on a 'free to play' mobile phone game that I've not played. The structure of the first collected volume feels very much like a series of game levels stitched together, with little care put into smoothing over the level changes. It also lacks a decent introduction, as if we're missing a crucial cut-scene.

In the story, Eddie is freed from bondage by a floating lady in a flowing dress, the Clairvoyant, a self-proclaimed 'sightless seer in the realm of the senses'. It seems that sometime before that, however, Eddie's soul was ripped from his body by The Beast, looking like he did on Iron Maiden's classic Number of the Beast (1982) album.

The mascot's stolen soul somehow became a glowing red crystalline substance that was shattered into shards and distributed to a group of nefarious individuals. Eddie's quest, therefore, is to retrieve his lost soul by defeating the holders of the fragments.

My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki

I feel it's fitting that Totoro sits large in Studio Ghibli's logo, because it remains arguably the best film the animation giant ever made.

The story is simple, but wonderfully realised, with a sincerity that shines out from every hand-drawn cel, as if even the ink that was used to make it flowed out in celebration.

A father and his two young daughters move into a new house in a rural area situated close to the hospital where the children's mother is recovering from a long-term illness.

While the father unloads the packed truck, the children, Satsuki and Mei, investigate their new environment, which also serves as our introduction to its ambience and mysteries.

The Sandman Presents: The Corinthian (2001-02)

The Corinthian: Death in Venice (2001-02)

Author: Darko Macan | Illustrator: Danijel Zezelj | Page Count: 74 (total)

"What a curse the self is."

Another three-issue 'limited series' released under The Sandman Presents banner, this time featuring 'the dark mirror to humanity' himself, The Corinthian, recognisable in the white suit and dark glasses ensemble that he so favours, making him reminiscent of Andrew Eldritch in a Floodland (1987) era Sisters of Mercy music video.

The walking nightmare is in Venice, city of canals, bridges, and honeymooners, among other things. He's not the only wicked thing walking the famous city's streets, but he has a singular goal that is unique to him, and he's no qualms about using others in pursuit of it.

Prior knowledge of the character's origins will be helpful; for that you'll need to have read The Sandman: Volume II: The Doll's House (1991), at the very least.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 05 (2017)

Four Swords: Parts 1 and 2 (2004)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 370

"There's a new Link in this chain!"

I've not played the Four Swords Adventures (2004) game because the stores near where I lived didn't stock it and I didn't have access to online retailers back then, but after reading the two-part adaptation, I'm wishing that I could play it right now!

After some brief but satisfying establishing of Link's uppity nature and his friendship with Princess Zelda, the Big Bad is unleashed and the adventure begins.

The environments will be familiar to anyone that's played any of the previous games (Town / Mountain / Ice / Desert regions, etc) but that familiarity didn't result in reader apathy because the situations that the Links find themselves in held my attention completely.

The comedy is situational and more often than not caused by some kind of confrontation; it's rarely the goofy kind that I complained about in Oracle of Seasons (2001), so it's much more enjoyable.

Dark Water (2002)

Dark Water (2002)

Dir. Hideo Nakata

Often unfairly placed behind Ring (1998) and Ju-on (2002) in importance, I feel that Hideo Nakata's Dark Water, based on a story from Ring author Koji Suzuki, is fully deserving of sharing space with either of the other two.

The argument that it's not as good because it's not as scary is, frankly, nonsense. The story has less opportunity for in-your-face scares, so adding more would be forcing an aspect that isn't wholly organic. Instead, it has chills and atmosphere in abundance, and some fantastic performances from its two female leads; i.e. Hitomi Kuroki as a 'single mother' and Rio Kanno as her six-year-old daughter.

It uses the horror elements in a more subtle manner than either of the two previously mentioned works, making it supportive of a structure that's more traditional in nature, while upfront is a story about a mother who's struggling to keep custody of her daughter.

The Sandman Presents: Love Street (1999)

Love Street (1999)

Author: Peter Hogan | Illustrator: Michael Zulli | Page Count: 75 (total)

'Life itself is a dream, so the mystics tell us. But what is life without dreams? Looking at Terry I saw a man who knew the answer...'

Set in London, Love Street occurs within two distinct time periods, thirty years apart, connected by people and consequence; the years are 1969 and 1999.

In the summer of '69 fourteen-year-old runaway Oliver meets Johnny, a slightly older youth whose interests lie in Tarot and free expression, among others. He nestles Oliver under his wing, and the story takes on momentum.

For those not familiar with the history or geography of London, Portobello Road is a long street in the Notting Hill district that's famous for its weekend markets and vibrant cultural happenings. It's therefore a fitting place for the characters in the book to come together.

There's seven of them, cohabiting in a three-story house in the famous location. They have differing backgrounds but each one has an open mind, able to appreciate and evaluate in their own way the fresh ideas and new ways of thinking that were permeating the culture of the day, from spiritual growth to the benefits of recreational drugs.

White Zombie: La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 (1992)

White Zombie:

La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 (1992)

La Sexorcisto was the predominant soundtrack to my time in art school, pulsing daily from a stereo cassette deck at the back of the room, which happened to be where I was situated.

Being inspired by the likes of Van Gogh, Hieronymus Bosch, and White Zombie was an exhilarating feeling that I hope will remain indelible in my memory for as long as I'm alive, for those same years were some of the most important of my life, thus far.

Musically the album's dominated by psychedelic, sludgy, almost stoner groove riffs that are undeniably catchy, conjuring images of midnight gatherings at a Hallowe'en carnival, presided over by vocalist Rob Zombie, a kind of rollercoaster preacher peddling bedevilled dreams to an audience hungry for stimulus.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 04 (2017)

The Minish Cap (2006) / Phantom Hourglass (2009)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 374

"The road you travel will be dangerous. Take this."

Series protagonist Link is always recognisable in his green duds and pointy hat, but he's not always the same Link. There are exceptions, of course, such as the one in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but mostly the character is different in each game. It's not a drastic change; it's more of a variation on a theme.

Akira Himekawa applies the same principle to each of her Links in the mangas. In The Minish Cap's case the artwork is one-hundred percent chibi. It would've made sense to draw certain parts of it that way, but unfortunately it's used from beginning to end.

I'm not a fan of the exaggerated art style, but judging by the level of excellence shown in the previous books I'm guessing that it's at least good chibi?

WitchCraft: La Terreur (1998)

WitchCraft: La Terreur (1998)

Author: James Robinson  |  Illustrator: Michael Zulli  |  Page Count: 72 (24 x 3)

"[N]othing is for nothing."

'La Terreur' translates to 'The Terror', referencing a period in France's past (also known as The Reign of Terror) in which a bloody revolution took place as a percentage of the populace tried to turn the political climate from a Monarchy into a Republic. Wikipedia has more details if you want to brush up on the cultural and political happenings around which the story is set.

It's a sequel to WitchCraft (1994), but you don't need to have read the previous book because the only returning characters are The Hecate, three witches previously seen in the Sandman universe, and it doesn't continue the same story. It's a new adventure with them taking less of an active role. Instead, they're more of a catalyst. It's also a lot less enjoyable than the previous outing.

WitchCraft (1996)

WitchCraft (1996)

Author: James Robinson | Illustrators: Peter Snejbjerg / Michael Zulli / Steve Yeowell | Page Count: 135

"The fires of madness burn at a gentle heat, stoked by grandiose delusion."

The Hecate, also known as Maid, Mother, and Crone are three aspects of the same ancient Greek deity. Likewise, the three individual issues collected in the book represent three different eras, each one more aged than the last, structurally mimicking a part of the content.

The individual chapters tell their own story while also being a part of the same larger story. Each has its own prologue wherein we’re privy to the Hecate's thoughts and hopes for what eventually follows.

It begins with a brutal act of violence against a young priestess whom the Hecate show favour to. Her aspect and that of her tormentor are reincarnated over and over throughout the ages so that she can meet him again and again, until she’s able to sate the Hecate's need for bloody revenge. The witches aren't going anywhere; their longevity means that they can play the waiting game for as long as it takes.

Godzilla Singular Point (2021—)

Godzilla Singular Point: Series One (2021)

Dir. Atsushi Takahashi / Episodes: 13

A thirteen episode anime TV series co-produced by studios Bones Inc. and Orange.

Chronologically it was released after Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018) in the Reiwa Era, but it's not connected to any of the feature films.

It begins with talk of a haunted mansion and a possible ghost or vampire, but moves away from that into crazy science - and I do mean crazy. It introduces and explains its concepts well, so it's simple enough to keep up, but it'll require some major acceptance on the part of the viewer. That's if you can actually read what the hell it is that's being presented or said.

Subtitles are sometimes onscreen for a mere fraction of a second and quite often they're white text on a white background, making it almost impossible to read anything without having to pause the episode. That particular issue was solved in the days of silent cinema!

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 03 (2017)

Majora's Mask (2001) / A Link to the Past (2005)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 402

"As long as I see that in the sky, I can't rest."

Majora's Mask continues the story told in Ocarina of Time (2000). Link enters a mysterious forest searching for his missing fairy, Navi, but trouble ensues and the 'Hero of Time' ends up in a situation wherein he has just three days to stop a major disaster or everyone caught in the impact will die.

The way the Nintendo 64 game is structured doesn't make any kind of linear adaptation easy, so Akira Himekawa took the only sensible route open, which was to focus on the acquisition of those masks that directly alter Link and ignore all but the most pertinent side-quest, i.e. the one that offers the most opportunity to pluck at the heartstrings. If you've played MM, you can likely guess which one that is.

Consequently, a lot more changes have been made to the story than was made to Ocarina of Time, but in most cases they were arguably unavoidable and, as before, they're very respectful.

Ring: The Final Chapter (1999)

Ring: The Final Chapter (1999)

Dirs. Yoshihito Fukumoto (6) / Hiroshi Nishitani (4) / Hidetomo Matsuda (2)

12 episodes, approx 46 mins each (except Ep 12, which is approx 70 mins).

Given that Ring: TFC was Japan's third adaptation of Koji's Suzuki's Ring (1991) novel, it's no surprise that it deviates from the text even more than the previous two did.

Furthermore, it was made for television, not film, so one shouldn't expect a cinematic level with regards production, lighting, acting, etc. But I sure didn't expect drama on par with a third-rate Aussie daytime soap opera from the mid-90s, with similar banal predicaments and incompetent attempts at being emotive.

On the few occasions that it manages to haul its lumbering corpse out of that shameful pit, it has hints of an old BBC Children's drama, which is an infinitely better medium to aspire to, but it never stays that way for very long.

Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos (1987)

Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos (1987)

Authors: Jo Duffy / Howard Mackie | Illustrators: Steve Ditko / Jon D'Agostino / Alex Saviuk

"They're called nunchakus, and Chuck Norris himself taught me how to use them..."

The Karate Kommandos (1986) cartoon series lasted for five episodes, but it had a life beyond that in both an action figure line by Kenner and a comic book courtesy of Star Comics (an imprint of Marvel) that managed just four issues, but it's somewhat surprising that it existed at all, given how little success its parent series achieved.

The gang's all present, which means friend and mentor Chuck (obviously); twins Pepper and Reed, who spend much of their time together bickering like real siblings; the extremely polite sumo wrestler Tabe, who has an appetite as big as his heart is kind; the Japanese swordmaster Kimo; Wolf (an actual canine); and Chuck's adopted teenage son, the peculiarly named Too Much, who isn't as annoying as he could be, thankfully.

The youth wants to be just like Chuck when he grows up, which is presented as a positive thing. It's likely supposed to relate to Chuck's martial arts success, but is the star of violent action B-Movies really a good role model for school kids?

Mothra (1961)

Mothra (1961)

Dir. Ishirō Honda

The début film for Toho's other famous kaijū begins with a typhoon in the Pacific. It forces a ship's crew to seek refuge on Infant Island, a place believed to be radioactive.

A return expedition to that same location uncovers something wondrous, which the less moral members of humanity typically disrupt, enslave and exploit. Their selfish actions bring an island god incarnate to their door.

Not inherently evil — in fact, with intentions that are objectively honourable — Mothra nevertheless brings death and destruction to much of Tokyo, with a force that's interestingly similar to the one that wrecked the sailors' ship at the film's beginning.

Action scenes are typical of kaijū films of the era. The miniature buildings are great, but what really stands out on repeat viewings are the exotic flora and Polynesian-esque culture.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 02 (2017)

Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages (2001)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 386

"Use your left hand! Your left!"

The two 'Oracle' Game Boy Colour games that were released simultaneously in 2001 got their own individual manga adaptation. The games were connected but also cleverly designed to be enjoyed independently in whichever order the player chose.

You could say the same of the two books — originally published separately — but it makes slightly more sense to read Seasons before reading Ages. Whether by coincidence or design, the featured Legendary Edition also presents the two books that way.*

Oracle of Seasons begins in Hylia. Link balks at the suggestion that he should practice his sword skills more fervently. He doesn't yet understand why Hyrule needs knights who are willing to lay their life on the line to protect its citizens, but the power of the Triforce will soon change all that…

Dio: Holy Diver - Comic Book (2021)

Dio: Holy Diver (2021)

Author: Steve Niles | Illustrator: Scott Hampton | Page Count:124

"We have forsaken nothing. There are Gods everywhere. There are Gods in the ground and in the water, in the very air. Life is a never-ending wheel."

Music related comics aren't new, but I don't recall them ever being as abundant as they seemed to be in 2021. At time of writing there's about a dozen books based on or inspired by bands and/or albums that have either recently been published or are currently up for pre-order (and occasional delay), including works on Freddie Mercury, Elvis, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Blondie, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Cypress Hill, Chuck D, Alter Bridge, Mötley Crüe, and Anthrax. [1]

All of the publications mentioned above are from publisher Z2 Comics. Is it desperation or a bold move to reach a potential new audience? I don't know, but with the full benefit of the doubt I decided to choose one and see for myself. (I noticed afterwards that a comic of King Diamond's Abigail was planned, so 'choose one' became two because I'm a KD fan and it might actually translate well to the page).

Francis of Assisi (1961)

Francis of Assisi (1961)

Dir. Michael Curtiz

Francis Bernardone is remembered for a great many things by scholars and Christians, but to the average person he's known mostly as the religious figure who preached the gospel to birds, and persuaded a wolf to stop attacking people.

The film acknowledges his patronage of animals, but it's more concerned with his transformation from a privileged silk-merchant's son to a man penniless but infinitely rich in spiritual matters.

The journey from one state of being to the other is treated with respect, but the acting is so often devoid of any kind of passion that it can feel like watching a rehearsal, not an actual final take.

It proffers a romantic view of poverty, with the suggestion that it brings one closer to the godhead.

While outside of the movies poverty more often tends to lead to sickness and death, it's an inspiring notion, which may serve to remind those obsessed with material wealth that happiness need not be reliant on having a fat bank balance.