Reviews

I would call this a good "B-grade" movie, but since I was expecting a total failure, this was a very good surprise.

The story is straightforwards, with lots of sparring, grappling, and other fighting-type interaction. Without getting into the plot, well, there's not much to spoil, anyways... it reminds me of what I imagine Rocky is about, but I never watched a full "Rocky " movie because I found them rather slow-paced.

Never Back Down isn't at all slow paced, but it isn't rushed, either. It carried the story well and never drags, and slowly manages to explain the back story, develop the plot, and then of course, there is the climax at the end...

Although they are a lot of fights, they focus on realism and using the fights as a plot device... so, not that they were bad, but, they weren't "stylistic" like most movies. They suit the movie, though, since the characters are into UFC (which focuses on realistic fights).

Anyhow, I'd recommend it as a good "popcorn movie" or rental, and from there it depends on taste if you'd want to own it, I probably wouldn't buy it but that's just me.

Without spoiling it for those who haven't yet seen it, Fight Club gets better every time I re-watch it. There is so much attention to subtle (and even subliminal) messages that I discover something new, or appreciate some minor nuance, every time I re-watch it.

Based on a novel of the same name (which I haven't read yet), some top talent and a big budget helped to make a movie which manages to involve you in the specific characters, whilst at the same time being generic, general, and abstract enough to be an obvious satire on "modern" life.

Unlike most movies, with a sappy fairytale romantic subplot, the sexual relations in this movie are somewhat broken, since they involve people who are very broken... but it works and adds realism. Well, I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say anything more.

Other people have already reviewed it in detail, so I will just say that it is worth owning... DVDs were invented for films like this.

Ninja Scroll is an Anime Classic which is usually mentioned in the same sentence as Vampire Hunter D or Fist of the North Star. However, I believe that as a movie, Ninja Scroll has a wider appeal.

The visuals are top-notch, and the action is fast and clean. The sword fights can be watched frame-by-frame (and may have to be, if you want to really understand what is happening) and your awe at the quality of this movie will just increase. Do I sound like an obsessed fan? Because this movie impresses me so greatly that I cannot over-rate it.

The story and characters, though, are the main focus of this presentation, which each battle, duel, and other confrontation serving to move the story forward, develop, reveal, or eliminate the characters - all of whom are revealed in a way that is engrossing.

Some maybe turned off by the gore, violence, and low value placed on human life; but that is what this time period was about. This is definately for mature audiences.

If you do not yet own a copy of this, watch it as if you had never heard of it and enjoy the story developing. Then be plesantly surprised by the superficial stuff - action, animation, sound, and depth of characters.

This movie has come under attack for the laughable story, but I found it to be refreshing as literal, slightly exaggerated interpetation of various concerns about the effect of a First World establishment (i.e. one wherein the government has total control of the populace) on the beauty of humanity. (Then again, my real life is laughable so perhaps that's why I took this more seriously.)

The action is top-notch, and so is the directing: They are subtle uses of color effects which emphasis the struggle of the main character to move from perpetually surpressing his thoughts from his body (emotions:full-body thoughts) to being able to chose whether to feel or be "calm to the core". The action sequences combing the American-esque obsession with gunplay with the Asian-esque softer styles of Tai Chi, the flowing yet forceful continuous attacking styles. To my knowledge, this has never been as successfully attempted.

Moreover, the straightforwardness of the plot keeps the action coming, whilst also pulling you into the world of the characters, and their forced spiritual undeadness due to the over-order.

All in all, worth owning, and watching.

Yet, not really "better than" The Matrix: more like a side-story, spiritually. The title comes for a comment someone made in the cinema. Until Matrix:Reloaded et al are releases, this makes for a good action/neo-revolution fix.

The Hunted (this one, 1995, not the new, unrelated one coming out 2003) is a cult classic amongst my Klan of peers. Reasons:

• Swordmanship - Massive carnage, including of innocents - Fight scenes involving rocks

Although I am not a Barbadian (I'm a Barbadian. There's a big difference!), I enjoy watching violent movies, and swordplay, and anything Asian ("yellow fever"? not exactly; more of an appreciation of consistent quality and deeper storylines.) If that is you dish, this movie delivers.

The only minor thing about this movie is that some of the scenes were a bit dark... but that is just my opinion. They were actually shot at night so, they were supposed to be dark, but personally, I prefer to see what it going on than be convinced that it really is night; other that than and the fact that this is about eight years old as I write this, I would have given this a perfect score.

As it is, I can still call it A+, but just barely, and it needs a remake, sequel, or spin-off.