Techi Muyo! In Love - Before Streaming Services Made Sequels

Techi Muyo! In Love - Tenchi the Motion Picture

Genre: comedy/sci-fi fantasy Length: 95 minutes (Theatrical Film) 

Audience Age: 13+

Opinion: A great video to view and to introduce those who are unfamiliar with the series.

This is a review of the dubbed VHS version (close captioned).

© 1996 AIC • Tenchi Muyo Committee • Pioneer Entertainment (USA) L.P.

Tenchi and company are watching an eight-millimeter film of Tenchi's mother, Achika, on her high school field trip to Tokyo (it is 8mm film because that was what they used in the 70's for home movies. The film has nothing that would have anything Nicolas Cage would need to investigate). Suddenly, our protagonist starts to disappear and the entire house starts to fall apart. Luckily, the self-proclaimed, most brilliant mind in the galaxy, Washu, is able to prevent our hero from vanishing and explain what is going on. By looking at each individual frame of the film, the group sees that Achika is slowly disappearing from the reel, so something must have happened in the past to cause this.

At the same time Tenchi and company are learning about this wrinkle in time, the Galaxy Police Headquarters is destroyed. The final transmission:

Class A Criminal Kain...

Who is Kain? Does this have something to do with the time trouble? No matter what this villain's involvement in this dilemma is; Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Kione must go back in time to 1970 to prevent anything from happening to Achika. This is the only way to save their future, and to buy some cool souvenirs from the past.

The plot of Tenchi Muyo! In Love seems to put too many responsibilities on the Tenchi cast since they have enough problems handling normal situations in the "Tenchi Muyo! OVA series", but you know some how they will pull it out. I think the only other flaw with the film's screenplay is that like all other anime motion pictures ("Sailor Moon S: The Movie" as an example), it just comes across as overly dark and dreary. 

Beside for that script weaknesses, everything else about this film is great except for the hit and miss soundtrack by "Babylon 5's" Christopher Franke. I figure if you are going to get a Sci-fi, Western Society composer, get one with "Star Trek" experience or John Williams (for any of those nerds who feel I'm insulting Bab 5, e-mail me at bitemeotakus@animeflow.cubs). All of the technical aspects of this film have really been stepped up from the prior series, "Tenchi Muyo!" and "Tenchi Universe", which is a real treat for those established fans of the Tenchi series.

The numerous qualities of Tenchi the Movie make this a great video to view and to introduce those who are unfamiliar with the series since all the characters' quirks overcome the need for exposition about them. Personally, this may be the strongest Tenchi title since I was willing to buy a new copy after a anime tape-viewing marathon/fumbling incident destroyed my first copy. If that is not a great testimonial, I do not know what is.

90 min. of Prime: "Death Warrant" Coincidentally the Dog in the Flaming Room Meme

If you have a writer as wise as David S. Goyer who knows how to justify an Los Angeles cop with an accent, you are in for some good stuff. If only I had those details before I accidentally came across the ridiculous finale of "Death Warrant" on cable.

10 years later, as someone who appreciates the Zack Snyder's DC trilogy, I can revel in the ridiculous premises that Goyer lays out. If only "Superman" had Van Damme's personality, I think everyone would agree with me that "Dawn of Justice" and "Death Warrant" can only be regarded as classics.

After single-handedly avenging his fallen partner, Quebec-transplant Louis Burke is the buzz of the L.A.P.D.'s homicide division. Being able to defeat the psychotic giant known as the Sandman, the governor and attorney general believe he can handle an undercover assignment in a state prison. He is a Quebecer. How would any inmates know who he was? This makes him the ideal person to determine who and why the new straight-laced inmates keep getting murdered. Or does this make him the ideal target.

The guards are in on this game and the governor may be as well. With Burke only being able to trust Amanda, his liaison, and Tisdale, his adolescent hacker pal, he will need to stick his neck out and ally himself with the wisest and most ambitious inmates to take down this conspiracy. All while praying that no seemingly invincible cons who he had busted get transferred to this clink.

"Death Warrant" might be the last great crazy script from the 80's era of action. Eventual TV great, Deran Sarafian's direction is the only thing that hinders the film. Well, that and most of Van Damme's costars acting down to his level.  Acting to the lead's capabilities is great when it is Keanu Reeve in a "John Wick" film, and you are portraying a criminal mastermind. Doing so as a somewhat ordinary person against a Belgian martial artist is comical.

But with all the stuff Goyer throws into his script, comical is not necessarily bad. It is like "Commando" with a lead who has more to say than just one liners. That either means we have a better story than the Schwarzenegger vehicle or far too low of a body count. Whatever you think, both are ridiculous, and that is what you want from 80's action, provided the effects are up to par, which they are.

To further get your attention, you get great supporting characters, some of whom you are just glad to see. Like Joshua John Miller, the boy who played Homer from "Near Dark." It is just good to see he did not leave his talent behind.

Robert Guillaume is not as powerful as Morgan Freeman's Red, but he gives a wise performance that is wise in so many ways. Wise that knew what kind of movie he was in. Wise that he knew how to be a relatable every man to help guide us through this tale. This wisdom must have passed on to his role as the original Rafiki.

This feature also has the best villain in a Van Damme film next to "Bloodsports's" Chung Li. Patrick Kilpatrick as the Sandman is like have an actual speaking version of Li. He is huge and menacing and his dialogue makes about as much sense as Bolo Yeung's most iconic role. Fortunately, the creepiness gives him a supernatural nature that you buy in on. Not until JVCD faces Dolph Lundgren do we get such a satisfactory adversary, and I love "Lionheart."

If I am overlooking one flaw, it may be the trangender prisoners portrayal, but this was a prison movie from before we considered all rape to be bad. What I am saying is, it is from a time where we had no clue on how to be woke. Should we remake this flick (with Van Damme as the Guillame role), I am sure we would find performers who can make this work. Would they want to is a totally different question.

Transgender hooker, hormone-driven hackers, inflammable giants and Jean-Claude Van Damme make "Death Warrant" a spectacle not to be missed. It is good for noise and it must be great with a few drinks. The story is something to be awed by and I am surprised there has not been a new take on this.

It is "Bloodsport" meets "Batman vs Superman." Who would not want to see an hour and over done CGI removed from that? Feel free to use that for the "4K 30th Anniversary Edition of Death Warrant." And email me at russthebus07@gmail.com for a treatment of my Pro-Wrestling Zom-Com, "Main Event of the Dead" while you are at.

I mean, Orion/MGM did distribute "Mac and Me." Surely I can do better.

imdb.com

How to Watch "Star Wars" - The MCU Order

It is safe to say that I am a "Star Wars" nut who has attempted to express my love for the franchise at fanatical levels. Fanatical in the sense, that if you look at my theatrical viewing history (when I have been single), you can see that I am very forgiving of what many fans will consider low points.

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1982 reissue): 1
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1982 reissue): 1
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983 original release): 11. I do not know what that says about my parents. They always "complained", but never denied this three year-old.
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1985 reissue): 2
• A New Hope: Special Edition: 5. It made Spanish class on Monday's easy. What did you do last weekend (en espanol)?
• Empire Strikes Back Special Edition: 2
• Return of the Jedi Special Edition: 1. I then turned 17, so the world of R-Rated cinema took my attention away.
• Episode I: The Phantom Menace: 12ish (3 viewing including premier and 2 opening day). All the classic movies of 99 came out in the fall, so do not hold this against me. I saw "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" instead of "Wild Wild West" opening weekend, so I deserve some credit despite "Phantom" being my regular Saturday night thing. My dedication to the Church of Lucas needed be expressed. Thank God for "ECW on TNN" to change this up.
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones: 3 (including premier). Bad acting is worse than child acting in terms of Anakin Skywalker.
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: 2 (including premier). I was drinking six nights a week and had lost my virginity just seven months before the release. Temptations man.
• The Clone Wars: 1 (opening weekend). This viewing inspired the opening scene of my second untitled screenplay draft. Still drinking six nights a week.
• The Phantom Menace 3-D: 1 (premier). Was it out long enough to have seen it more than the midnight premier?
• Episode VII: The Force Awakens: 5 (including premier and the next showing). After this feature, I have been with my better quarter (Eva the Cat gets half) for the last three releases.

That is 47 viewings, over half of them occurred in my adulthood. I may not be able to call myself an expert or maester like the crew on Binge Mode since I have yet to play all the video games and felt the Legends books pre-Phantom's release were just cash grabs. My fandom defines me as much as religion defines anyone not in the clergy who tries to be holier than thou. Justifies the imperial emblem tattooed on my chest.

What the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm has done is allowing me to become an addict to the fandom. A new movie a year to get pumped about, I find the sensations to be awesome. But what am I to do with this two-year gap that is about to occur?

Once "Rise" leaves theaters in March, the jonesing will begin. All because Disney dropped the ball on how to release these features. They thought they had another Marvel Cinematic Universe and it did not turn out that way, so it has to be restructured. If it is going to be restructured, why not base it off the MCU, and start doing the yearly reissues to avoid the goosebumps based on this.

Everybody wonders, with the mixed qualities among the "Star Wars" features, how is the proper way to introduce them. If we spread the quality about like Disney did once they had complete control of the universe, I think everyone will get over dialogue like "Are you an angel?"

Star Wars: A New Hope

(The Avengers [MCU 2012])

This means we are going to put "A New Hope" in the spot where "The Avengers" was. "Iron Man" was excellent, but the four films between that 2008 film and the 2012 did not feel like must view features. "The Incredible Hulk" was quick to include the Tony Stark cameo in TV ads. A liberal cynic is not going to immediately run to "Captain America: The First Avenger". Does it makes sense to incorporate gods into this universe? I think we were all just accepting "The Avengers" as being de facto "Iron Man 3". We enjoyed all the characters in that film, so we became invested in the MCU at that point, not anytime before.

Read the rest of this blog and other stories at Main Event of the Dead.com and determine if this thought process can be translated into a B-movie comedy about pro-wrestling zombies

Neon Genesis Evangelion - The Alpha of Anime TV, Omega of Arguments

Neon Genesis Evangelion -

Collection 0:1

Neon Genesis Evangelion

© GAINAX / Project Eva. - TV Tokyo

Genre: Science fiction (Giant Robots) Length: 120 minutes (4 episodes) Audience Age: 13+

Opinion: I still have yet to see an anime series superior to Evangelion.

This is a review of the DVD release.

This series maybe the best known anime TV series that is not on Cartoon Network.

I know this statement may sound bold, but I still have yet to see an anime series superior to "Evangelion". When I first started collecting anime (spring/summer 1997), this was the only title that mattered to the critics I followed, and since I liked "Robotech" and "Voltron" (both series always seem to have questionable video distribution status until Robotech was recently acquired by ADV Films) I figured I would give this $25 a VHS, giant robot themed series a chance. A year later, I had all 13 tapes, the Taiwanese bootleg of the first soundtrack, a set of imported key chains, and Chinese-subtitled versions of the first two theatrical films. As far as I am concerned, this dramatic science fiction series which mixes the classic Japanese standby of giant beings using a city as an arena and elements of the book of Revelations, is the best science-fiction series ever made for television (Star Trek, "Doctor Who", and "Babylon 5" fans who object to this statement can reach me at bitemescifigeeks@animeflow.cubs). 

Check out the rest of this critique at AnimeRuss.blogspot.com - For those curious about anime but hate the geeks

90 Minutes on Prime: Contamination...of Cinematic Bed Bites

Do I rant about my girlfriend's perception that I might tight bummed nature should end when I am in the confines of our home? Or should I start my movie review about an Italian-German "Alien" ripoff that tried more than most foreign knockoffs to be appreciated, "Contamination"?

"Game of Thrones" has not concluded yet, so better keep the peace for the next 48 hours. Here is a review for something that "80's All Over" over reacted to.

A freighter from Columbia was making incredible haste to arrive in New York. This is quite off since there are no signs of a crew. When it is tugged into port, Lt. Detective Aris is assigned to investigate the ghost ship with a team of quarantine experts. He ends up being the only survivor as the team joins the rest of the crew, exploding after encountering large green eggs found in Univerx Coffee boxes.

Aris is of course quarantined by the department of defense, but Col. Stella Holmes believes his experience with these seemingly alien bacteria pods makes him an asset. He is an asset who is at least aware that there is only one possible reason why this potential invasion has come to Earth despite the odds are one in billions. They must have stowed away with one of the crew members from a Martian expedition.

The surviving member, Com. Ian Hubbard, is up for restoring his reputation after being smeared by his comrade Hamilton, and will join these two as they head to South America to stop the cultivating of Armageddon. Hopefully, this event is just the randomness of the cosmos, because who can imagine a motive to kick start our destruction?

"Contamination" tried to be more than a straight rip off of Ridley Scott's classic, and you have to appreciate that. It wanted to be ranked up their with the memorable Lucio Fulci films like "Zombi 2" and have the class of Dario Argento. Sadly, the action-free second act prevents it from adequate amounts of gore to be silly like the prior or provide a great "Goblin" score like so many of the latter's films have.

This film does not have truly inspired gore, just exploding torsos, but the first act give you plenty of it and a ridiculous premise that promised to keep it up. Once the second act starts focusing on conspiracy of how this could have happened in NYC, it does nothing to grab your attention like a fun horror flick would. It plays out like a James Bond film, but Bond films at least have action every 15 minutes or so. With the film's villains being dependent on the eggs as their only memes to maim, using them to keep our attention is not as convenient as rifles or ninjas.

Once Mars is mentioned, you know this film is stretching to justify the effects in the first act. If this was a third act surprise, my eyeballs would not have rolled back. With a bit of restructuring, this flick could have been everything it wanted to be. When you watch a Italian knock off, you want it to have a plot that lets you see ridiculousness every 10 minutes. If screenwriter cannot figure a way for an animal to suddenly strike (dogs at the throat of the handicapped is a reliable one), than he missed the point to begin with. Because writer/director Luigi Cozzi knew how to make American cinema jabs in the dialogue, this being a miss is even more disappointing.

When I booted up Amazon Prime, it was to rewatch "Galaxy of Terror" since I did not jot down a review after that Netflix DVD. Because of the gore and "Galaxy's" second unit director and production designer, James Cameron, eventually directing "Aliens", "Contamination" seemed like it was going to be a more worthwhile watch. In a way, it was. Cozzi's film reminded me of how much I enjoy great B-Cinema, and that I am not necessarily watching it ironically. It felt good to want to revisit Fulci's films and expand willingness to watch Roger Corman's films that make you think, "that is surely too much."

"Contamination" is inoffensive and ambitious enough to avoid being painful, but when your asking for better stories but similar production qualities, a Euro-junk cinema fan can skip it. In fact, it will remind you to when the first act ends.

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