Batman: The Animated Series: Movies (1993-03)

Batman: TAS: Movies (1993-03)

inc. The New Batman Adventures

01. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993, Dirs. Eric Radomski + Bruce Timm) was the first film in the DC Animated Universe (TAS).

Its Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) isn't just an angry orphan fighting against a world that he feels took something irreplaceable from him, he's a flawed dark avenger, suffering emotional conflicts as he weighs the lure of a normal, loving relationship against an earnest vow to protect others from the pain he weathers. He's fully aware of why he does what he does, but finds reasons to justify it.

The emotional twists and turns in the story are supported by a number of flashbacks that, among other things, tell the story of his first few forays into night-time vigilantism.

Tomb Raider: Movies (2001-18)

Tomb Raider: Movies (2001-18)

Dirs. Simon West (I) / Jan de Bont (II) / Roar Uthaug (III)

01. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) is a typical summer actioner, but unlike some other video game adaptations it at least makes an effort to reference its origins: the Manor, exotic locations, impossible jumps that require crucial timing, puzzle solving, and dual-wielding gun-play are all reminiscent of the games that inspired it.

Unfortunately, it also carries over some of its parent genre's failings, including a feeling that the person directing the non-playable bits hasn't got much of a clue about how to construct and pace a successful action scene. That's particularly true for the opening, but, thankfully, things gradually get better as the movie goes on.

The story is a globe-trotting adventure born from the pursuits and hobbies of the super-rich (on both sides of the equation). It's basic stuff.

PTU: Police Tactical Unit (2003)

PTU: Police Tactical Unit (2003)

aka Tactical Unit: Into the Perilous Night

Dir. Johnnie To

A small team of Hong Kong Police Tactical Unit troopers search the streets for a comrade's missing gun over the course of one eventful night. They're the typical scumbag law enforcers that are common the world over, the kind that's ordinarily difficult to sympathise with, and yet somehow Dir. Johnnie To encourages viewers to do just that; and with each incremental, upwards notch of the danger level, one can stay fixedly right alongside them.

It didn't have a huge budget, but it evidently didn't need one. Instead, PTU has enough dramatic style and subtle humour to keep the meticulously paced slow burn of the story engaging until the various threads of the story meet and it becomes more than the sum of its parts; like the roads of a busy city, its avenues and pathways are interconnected.

There's music occasionally (by Chung Chi-wing) but mostly the sounds of the night-time streets are what's heard, functioning as another subtle but perfect connection to the environment.

Ju-On: Films (2000-15)

Ju-On: Films (2000-15)

Dirs. Various

Ju-On's debut on screen was in 1998 as two short films created, written, and directed by Takashi Shimizu. Together they made up one half of a TV Movie named Gakkō no kaidan G (1998), but I'll be skipping those and going direct to the feature-length movies that followed. (The shorts are titled Katasumi and 4444444444, if you wish to research further.)

It might seem like the wrong approach to take, but it's not necessary to have seen them to enjoy what came after. Furthermore, the order below isn't even the one that I experienced them on first viewing, thanks to how they were released in the UK at the time. [1]

01. Ju-On: The Curse (2000 / Dir. Takashi Shimizu) was the first feature-length entry in the series. A straight-to-video (V-Cinema) release that came out two years before the more successful cinema-released film (#3 below). In general, the setting is a haunted house that makes 112 Ocean Avenue (Amityville) seem about as scary as a Wendy house. [2]

Ghost in the Shell: SAC: Complete 1st and 2nd GIG (2018)

GitS: SAC: Complete 1st + 2nd GIG (2018)

Dirs. Various | Seasons: 2 | 52 episodes, approx 25 mins each [Make sure and stick around for the short Tachikomatic Days entries after the credits roll on each one!]

An 8-disc collection that contains all 52 episodes of the Stand Alone Complex TV series - that's 26 episodes apiece for each of the two seasons.

The year is 2030. Public Security Section 9 is a counter-terrorist branch funded by the Japanese government, a team of ass-kicking professionals that get the job done no matter what.

The world is overly dependent on cybernetic bodies; the web has become the medium of choice for terrorists and as a result there exists a large potential for cyber-crime and hacks.

Section 9 specialise in that area. Led by Major Motoko Kusanagi the team deal with corporate terrorism, kidnapping, human trafficking, Ghost hacks (a technique in which a subject's memories are replaced with false ones) and a host of other internal and external threats. They're the people that keep the rest of us safe, often without us even knowing they exist.

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.

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.

Godzilla: Millennium Era Films (2000-04)

23. Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)

Dir. Takao Okawara

NOTE: numbering continues sequentially from the Heisei Era. I've used English titles, but it's Japanese language versions of the films that I refer to.

Unlike the previous eras, i.e. Shōwa and Heisei, which had their own continuity within their respective timelines, the Millennium era films are mostly standalone stories, functioning as alternative sequels to the original 1954 film. As such, the only Godzilla film one needs to have seen prior to Godzilla 2000: Millennium is the aforementioned 1954 original.

In G 2000 the military want to kill the kaijū with their modern day bad-ass weaponry. Meanwhile, a father and daughter team (Takehiro Murata and Mayu Suzuki) want to study Godzilla. But not just from afar, like storm chasers they dare to get up close and personal as it heavy-foots through the city.

Stargate SG-1: Season 07 (2003-04)

SG-1: Season 07 (2003-04)

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

Like the previous year, a significant personnel change had a dramatic impact on the core team.

It limits what I can say without diving into spoiler territory. To do the job properly, therefore, I'll need to drop some broad SPOILERS hereafter.

Unfortunately, even for those who stopped reading before now, the opening credits give the game away before the first episode has even begun, revealing the 'new' member of SG-1.

For a time it works well as a five-man team, but the writers chose instead to push out Jonas Quin (Corin Nemec), who spent much of the previous year finding and establishing his unique role.

Thereafter things progress steadily, with the search for new alliances and advanced technology that can be used and/or adapted to combat the diabolical Goa'uld System Lords, who remain the primary threat for the Tau'ri.

Stargate SG-1: Season 06 (2002-03)

SG-1: Season 06 (2002-03)

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

The redesigned opening credits sequence that kicks things off isn't the only change since Season 05; there's a personnel shake-up, too.

It'll be difficult to talk about what that means for the team without dropping spoilers. I'll keep them to a minimum, but be forewarned: there will be some for S5 + S6 below this paragraph.

With their Egyptologist gone, SG-1 are reduced to three members. I mentioned previously that the person in question often functioned as the conscience and moral compass, so without him they're diminished in more than just number.

And while the three remaining members have personalities strong enough to keep going as they are, there's something comfortable about having four primaries, least of all because it allows for a convenient equal split, such as when a military presence is needed in two places at once. Having a companion at those times gives each person someone to bounce ideas off; someone to rescue or be rescued by, etc.

Lucifer: Volume 04 (2003)

The Divine Comedy (2003)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrators: Peter Gross / Ryan Kelly / Dean Ormston | Page Count: 190

"Grace and perfection and eternity were her heritage. […] And a soul so bright it could be seen from Hell."

Volume 04 of 11 in the Lucifer series. The many consequences of things unseen would be a simple way to describe the book. To elaborate on that will be hard to do without giving anything away because almost everyone of any significance in the previous books is gathered in Carey's playground (nestled still within a fractured part of Gaiman's wider Sandman universe).

It's a five pointed star with all the points pointing inwards. No one is safe when everyone wants the same thing and most of them are prepared to do anything to obtain it. It's as powerful as a series finale, and yet it's not even close to the end. Nevertheless, not everyone is lucky enough to make it out unscathed.

Tremors: The Series (2003)

Tremors: The Series (2003)

13 episodes, approx 43 minutes each.

The short-lived series takes place after the events of Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001), so it's advisable to watch T3 first. I'm going to proceed under the assumption that you already have. If not, then any SPOILERS that you encounter for the first three films from this point onward are encountered at your own discretion.

Were back in Perfection Valley, Nevada, home of gun-loving Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) and his very own Moby Dick, the state protected Graboid known as El Blanco. The small community refuse to move and the indigenous El Blanco is unable to move because of the mountainous regions that are located on either side, so a co-existence between man and beast is the only viable answer.

Luckily, for us viewers but not for the residents, Perfection Valley has other secrets under its sands, so there's more than just El Blanco to keep the watchful eye and trigger-finger of Burt Gummer twitching.

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Films (1984-2003)

01. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Dir. Wes Craven

Prior to re-watching the first of the Elm Street movies recently, it had been well over a decade — perhaps even closer to two — since I'd last seen it, but I remembered almost every scene as if it was yesterday. It's because I'd watched it many times on an ex-rental VHS as a teenager. In all honesty, and accounting for nostalgia, it holds up rather well.

If you're not familiar with the set-up, it's the story of a group of teenagers, all of whom reside on the titular Elm Street, whose dreams are haunted by a killer with blades on one gloved hand. The killer's reasons for doing what he does are part of the film's plot, so I won't delve any deeper than that.

One of the movie's strengths is its atmosphere, and by polluting the safety net of the unconscious, by turning a place of retreat into a realm of pure terror for the story's protagonists, it sticks in the mind.

Infernal Affairs Trilogy (2002-03)

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Dirs. Andrew Lau / Alan Mak

An excellent Hong Kong crime thriller in which a dedicated police officer (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) risks life and limb to go deep undercover in Triad society.

Similarly, a member of the Triad group (Andy Lau) enrols in the HK police service.

Both men eventually become aware of the other's existence, but neither one knows what his counterpart actually looks like.

The nerve-racking race for one mole to expose the other first is often tense as hell, as if walking a knife edge, with a feeling that even during quiet times there may be someone watching, waiting for the mole to slip up and expose himself.

Alan Moore and Tim Perkins: Snakes and Ladders (2003)

Alan Moore and Tim Perkins:
Snakes and Ladders (2003)

With spoken word performances it's natural to give your full attention to the work upon first listen, but I feel there's a different, no less valid, appreciation attained from repeated listens; as with Snakes and Ladders.

When the listener's mind drifts or loses focus, or when the words lose their distinctiveness and become hypnotic triggers, there's a semi-unconscious feeling that what's being spoken is deeply poignant, magickal and filled with enduring mystery.

Eventually, stand out words will inevitably draw one back in, but the musings birthed in the interim will hopefully have served their purpose.

Like a rhetorician, Moore never falters, letting up only when a change of pace suits the telling. In those instances the music of Tim Perkins takes centre stage whilst never betraying its primary supporting role of providing an aural chalice within which the words reverberate.

Voices of a Distant Star (2003)

Voices of a Distant Star (2003)

Dir. Makoto Shinkai

A short OVA (25 mins) that was for many people an introduction to the magic of Makoto Shinkai. What it lacks in length it more than makes up for in content, specifically emotional content. It squeezes more lyrical beauty into its short running time than many full-length features can manage. And while it's sad to see it end so suddenly, I believe its brevity is part of the reason it works so well - like a flower it exists for a short time and is all the more beautiful because of it.

It's the story of two Japanese high-school students, Mikako Nagamine and Noboru Terao, distanced from each other but never far from one another's thoughts.

The gulf between them isn't just geographical, it's also temporal. The pair communicate via the only means they have, but it's a process that has limitations, the least of which is that it's text-based only.

.hack//Legend of the Twilight: Manga Trilogy (2003)

.hack//Legend of the Twilight: Volume 01 (2003)

Author: Tatsuya Hamazaki | Illustrator: Rei Izumi | Page Count: 176

"I'd watch my back if I were you.
Your friend has returned."

A manga trilogy that forms a part of the Project .hack series, the first generation of the .hack universe. It's set chronologically after the first four games that appeared on the Playstation 2 console; i.e. Infection; Mutation; Outbreak; and Quarantine. (See HERE.)

If you're new to The World you'll lack the necessary background and will encounter minor spoilers of events that unfolded in the games. It's not necessary to have played them first, but it's recommended. The book makes some allowances for new fans, but space is limited, so the catch-up is necessarily brief.

If you've a working knowledge of what has gone before, then dive in. Otherwise, you might want to play the games first, if that's an option for you.

.hack//Liminality (2003)

.hack//Liminality (2003)

4 episodes of varying lengths (45 mins or 30 mins long; 132 minutes in total)

A small but significant number of players have fallen into a coma while playing a game, an MMORPG titled The World. While the bodies of the afflicted lie in a hospital bed their online avatars have gone mysteriously missing. A group of concerned Player Characters band together to find out if there's a connection and, if there is, how to reverse the process so that they can get their friends back.

.hack// is a huge franchise. I've played games, read novels and manga, watched multiple anime (series and films) and own soundtracks. Sometimes the works are standalone and sometimes they aren't. The .hack//Liminality OVA requires knowledge of the larger universe, specifically the first four PS2 games (info HERE) to understand its history fully; the events that occur in the games are happening concurrently with events in the real world, although the main characters in each aren't the same.

Jonathan Creek: Series IV (2003-04)

Jonathan Creek: Series IV (2003-04)

6 episodes, approx 60 minutes each.

The first three series of JC can be seen as one collective era because they share the same two principal actors, Alan Davies and Caroline Quentin.

But Caroline chose not to return after Series III, which left a gap needing to be filled, because Jonathan's character needs an ancillary to bounce ideas off and to get (unintentional) inspiration from.

That gap was filled by Carla Borrego (Julia Sawalha) and, happily, Carla made the show even better. She's a wonderfully rounded character who brought a similar kind of resourcefulness and determination as Maddie had shown but with a whole new self-important attitude supporting it. She's sometimes vulnerable beneath the hard outer shell, but goes to great lengths to hide that fact from the world.

She got her introduction in the 2001 Christmas Special. It's not necessary to have seen it, but it's advisable because it shows the genesis of their relationship and helps explain the boundaries that exist from the offset in Series IV.

Masters of the Universe: Icons of Evil (2003)

MotU: Icons of Evil: Beast Man (2003)

Author: Robert Kirkman | Illustrator: Tony Moore | Page Count: 39

"Roaarr!"

A quartet of one-shot comics revealing a little of what four of Skeletor's most well-known henchmen got up to prior to becoming a full-time butt of his jibes; I really do mean a little, because there's not a lot of story herein.

The Beast Man issue kicks off with a splash page setting the tone. Thereafter we follow an unnamed blue-skinned magician as he sets out to find the orange furry.

I liked Tony Moore's depiction of Beast Man, he was colourful but fierce and lively, and his facial expressions gave him a kind of personality, one that made his limited intelligence seem somewhat endearing. The angles chosen were also interesting, bringing a sense of spirited energy to Kirkman's deathly-flat writing. Many of the panels had little or no dialogue, but when the writing is as poor as it is here, then it's probably for the best.