RUMBLING HEARTS
If you heard that an anime series was based on a notorious porno PC game, you would know the sort of thing it was, wouldn’t you?  Well, you would have got the totally wrong idea about Rumbling Hearts!  It’s such a sweet story line and the characters are so adorable, that you really will be glad you spent time watching this.  
It starts off with a group of four high school students.  Two of them fancy each other but are too dense to do anything about it.  But the other two push them together awkwardly, and they end up being lovers.
Then the girl is involved in an accident which leaves her in a coma.  When she wakes up she doesn’t know that she’s been in a coma for three years and assumes that everything is the same as it was before her accident.  So she doesn’t know that her so-called best friend is shacked up with her boyfriend…
This story will put you through all your emotions - sadness, pity, anger, heartbreak…
You will probably end up hating one or more of the main characters.  It’s pretty hard not to get involved and it is quite nice to see romance handled in the way it is here!
When people say “the book is always better than the film”, they haven’t seen this!  It is truly an amazing story from Anime. Well worth the watch!!

Kate Kennedy

Murder Princess

The kingdom of Forland is under attack by the mad scientist Professor Akamashi and his twin androids Anna and Yuna, who are intent on taking over the kingdom. With the King dead and older Prince Kite out of the country on a diplomatic mission, it falls to younger Princess Alita, the new ruler, to escape and seek help. In the process she(literally) bumps heads with bounty hunter Falis, somehow initiating a transfer of souls. While the real princess, in Falis's body, pretends to be the granddaughter of the royal butler Jodo, Falis must play the role of Princess Alita to lead and defend the kingdom until a way to undo the soul transfer can be found. Though uncouth and ill-mannered as princesses go, Falis proves quite capable of using her warrior skill and nifty sword to put down most threats to the kingdom, along with her long-time companions, the brute Pete and the shinigami Dominikov.

For all its dramatic-sounding edge, Murder Princess is nowhere near as dark and bloody as its title suggests. It is instead a silly, action-intensive fantasy romp centered on the classic switched-bodies gimmick. How such a simple act as bumping heads caused the soul transfer is not explained in this volume, but that is probably for the best since the circumstances under which it supposedly happened are so ridiculously contrived that one must just accept that the gimmick has been used, not think about it much, and go on trying to enjoy the series.
Naturally the two individuals involved also have radically different personalities. Alita is well-mannered and genteel, in every sense the perfect princess; Falis is anything but that. Whereas Alita is much more timid, however, Falis is a take-charge, kick-butt-and-take- names-later kind of gal, and her confidence and skill make her into the ideal princess for defending a kingdom against marauding threats. Far less suited is she to addressing Alita's subjects, however, as her first such endeavor abundantly proves. Despite being an equal participant in the soul transfer, though, Alita quickly takes a back seat to the much more colorful Falis, who is the focal point of most of what happens. That is, of course, because it's so much cooler to watch a young lady in full princess regalia acting ill-mannered and swinging a katana with great force and precision. The fanboys out there also get their share of moe and general cuteness content from the android twins, but beyond them and the butler Jodo, the rest of the cast just fades into the background. This is much more a one-woman story than an ensemble cast piece.
Once the premise and mostly silly tone have been established, about 90% of the story content is readily predictable. The random mix of anachronistic elements gives the content a fresher feel than it actually has, and you certainly will not find any evidence of depth in these pages. The story does move along at a brisk pace, so much so that it skips over many of the normal complications of body-transfer stories, but this is clearly not a story interested in delving into the minutiae of anything. Take it solely as a light diversion that might induce a few laughs and it can serve its entertainment purpose well enough.
handled well enough to make it easy to follow the movements. Although a few limbs and heads get chopped off here and there, actual gore is kept to low enough that the title only carries a 13+ age rating. Surprisingly, Murder Princess can be a fun read,

Emiy Belfast

DVD REVIEW

DOCTOR WHO: “Timelash”

 When I saw that this title was to be released by 2Entertain, my heart sank. With a wealth of classic “Who” titles to choose from, why release this one? As a long term “Doctor Who” fan, I have always classed this story as a real clunker.
 Time, if you’ll pardon the pun, has mellowed me slightly and I approached this review with an open mind.
  It is only now, with the benefit of the documentary that accompanies this release that I fully understand the problems this story had during its production.  The script was heavily rewritten during the pre-production phase, and indeed, episode two under ran drastically forcing the crew to add a padding scene set aboard the Tardis, some six weeks after principle recording had finished. Such was the state of the script, that Eric Seward, the script editor was still rewriting portions of the script of episode two during the rehearsal stage.
 The main guest star, Paul Darrow, who is best know as the self centred Kerr Avon in “Blake’s 7 appears as Maylin Tekker. Darrow hams it up with great style, bring in an over the top performance. He wanted to play the character in the style of Richard the third, complete with hunchback! Producer John Nathan-Turner put his foot down and some how reigned in Darrow’s performance. I dread to think how it would have tuned out if the actor have had his own way.
  Another reason why this story is best remembered as one of the poorest in the series long and distinguished  history is the minuscule budget the production had.
 Extra included on this release are: commentaries by Colin Baker [ the Doctor], Nicola Bryant [Peri], and Paul Darrow [Tekker]. A documentary about the making of the story, subtitle production notes, photo gallery, Easter egg, and Radio Times listings.
 Sadly, this release is for collectors and completists only. Roll on September, with the release of the entire “Key to time” box set.   
  AREA 51 RATING:   

 

 DVD REVIEW

DOCTOR WHO: “Robot”

AREA 51 RATING:   

Kevin G, reviewed

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is what we have all been waiting for; the second of two films in a vastly  growing franchise that we have all grown to love… Or not.

The original film was fantastic. It’s sequel, Dead Man’s Chest had potential but seemed, quite understandably, unfinished. This third installments was simply a letdown.

The film begins rather well, showing us what we have missed in the time that has passed since our last visit. However, as the plot “develops”, or rather attempts to, it becomes quite clear that the Producers spent all of their money on Special Effects and had nothing left for employing a decent Script Writer.
Don’t get me wrong, I am as big a fan of sea battles and breathtaking scenery as the next Pirates fan, but my mind needs something to consume as well.

The plots that are written in or “finished” in this last film are all fine and dandy, even intriguing at times, but they truly fall short of what the original film had to offer.
For a pirate film, there is a distinct lack of sword fights, the sex appeal of all the lead characters seems to have been completely mislaid and unused, the comedy has been distinctly “dumbed down” to predictable (yet admittedly still appealing) jokes - mostly involving our Jack Sparrow who has apparently gone mad from isolation which just gets very old very quickly - and the sea battles simply aren’t large enough for my taste - “wow! Two ships. Throwing cannons at one another. I am overwhelmed!”, considering the shear numbers - i.e. hundreds - on offer in the finale.
To be fair, though, the film does have its good points. Admittedly, the highlight was when it finished and I could go home to watch some Buffy, but, that aside, I did quite enjoy the scenery - the shear scope of which far surpassed my expectations, the “pirate kings” scenes were amusing and truly “pirately” - which is what the rest of the film lacks - although far too short and the Special Effects were excellent, if a little much.

This is, to be honest, just another way of making money. They had a popular film and they decided to make more, which is fair enough; it has worked in the past, but only rarely. That is all this is, though. There is no real essence to either sequels, with paper-thin characters, too many plots to juggle (none of which were truly finished anyway), and action scenes and scenery that give us plenty to marvel at but have no real purpose.

This is a popcorn feast at best.

Cher reviewed

Spiderman 3 is the third in a series of films based around our friendly neighbourhood web-swinger; part of a vastly growing movie franchise: the comic book adaptation, many examples of which are due for release this summer.
As a comic book fan I often find that these films are like marmite. You either love them, or you hate them. This, I love.

When the original Spiderman film was released I saw in it in the cinema with my parents (I was quite young at the time), both of whom came out begging for more. In fact, my mother even went as far as to ask me about the next film’s plot, which of course I hadn’t a clue about.
To be honest, I hated every moment when I first saw it. I was too big and too proud a geek. On later viewing I then discovered how much of a fool I had been, and I haven’t looked back since.

The second film was a huge improvement on the first, with more of the comedy that a Spiderman film needs to truly BE a Spiderman film, and awesome action that gave it more an edge.

This third installment, however, far surpasses both its predecessors in every way. Of course, there is always room for improvement (I will get to that later), but overall it was a thrilling experience.

When I first heard that Sandman was in the script, I was very disappointed. As a villain I always found him to be dull, but I was truly caught off guard by the way he had been written onto film. In fact, his origin scene was perhaps my favourite section of the film, with its absolutely stunning Special Effects and emotional undertone. Definite kudos to Thomas Haden for his performance.
The visual delights and surprises did not stop there, however, with groundbreaking action scenes comparable to Star Wars and The Matrix in their detail and height on the Awesometer. A special mention goes to the Harry vs. Pete sky duel.

Action aside, the plot was quite gripping as well, with not one but THREE baddies to enthrall us, a developing love triangle involving Pete (Tobey Maguire), MJ (Kirsten Dunst), Harry(James Franco), and our new heroine Gwen (who, by the way, was played perfectly by Bryce Howard, but had far too little air time) and the script had much more of the tongue-in-cheek humour and dark themes which make Spiderman the hugely successful comic that it is today.

There are some amusing, quite quaint (and very welcome) cameos from Stan “The Man” Lee (of course) and Bruce Campbell (who has played a different part in each film in franchise) as well, which give it a little extra something for the “uber geeks” in the audience, such as myself, as well as small hints at and appearances from other characters in the Spideyverse, the most obvious of which is Dr. Curt Connors (Dylan Baker) who also made a brief appearance in the previous film and who fans hope will play a more central role in the next instalment.

All of this is fine and dandy, but no film is perfect, least of all an adaptation of existing material. This is no exception.
The plot, as I aforementioned, although enjoyable, seemed to have far too much going on for any one film. For those that have not read the comics, I can imagine that the Harry/Goblin (not to mention Norman Osborn’s ‘ghost‘) story was a little daunting, and the appearance of Gwen Stacy as somewhat of an invasion on their adoration for the MJ/Pete love story. I can imagine that the Venom character, with his very, very brief time onscreen was a bit much, as well, with a lot of people I know having “WTF” moments, asking themselves why the film makers want to involve alien life forms now, and yet don’t explain a thing about why or how it came to earth, etc, etc, etc. To be honest, that wasn’t the only confusing, unfinished, unexplained character or plot, either. There were many gaps that needed to be filled, and my only hope is that there is a Spiderman 3.1 DVD release.
It would seem that the writers for this film wanted to fit far too much into one flick, and were far too confused about what they wanted - a brilliant comic book adaptation that still pleased film-goers, or a not-so-brilliant film based on a comic book that can still please the readers as well as being a Popcorn Fest. Sure, try to please both the film and comic fans, but please, Mr Raimi, do it properly.
Other “downers” were the dreary, over the top conversations between Peter and his Aunt May, which made her seem like such a dry character (which she isn’t in the comic books) and really slowed the pace of an otherwise non-stop action feast and the fact that I felt more emotional attachment to and sympathy for J Jonah Jameson, the head of The Daily Bugle and Ursula, the skinny girl who’s father owns Pete’s residency (played to absolute perfection by big screen newcomer Mageina Tovah) than I did for the central characters.

Overall, a brilliant effort that is an action packed, roll-on-floor-laughing, heartfelt comic book adaptation that will give the rest of the Summer Flicks a run for their money, and puts both X-Men 3 and this summer’s smash hit Pirates 3 to shame.
I am so, so pleased that they didn’t mess this one up like they did the X-Men finale, and I hope that they decide to make some more*.

*FYI, most of the actors are signed up for at least two more films. Fingers crossed!

cher Reviewed

A Scanner Darkly

A Scanner Darkly, a film based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, the mind behind such genious as Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report, amungst others, of the same name, is unique in every way possible.

The plot is set in the near future, when a drug, simply named Substance D, or 'SD' as it is called, has begun circulating the entire american population at an unhealthy rate, with more than twenty percent reportedly addicted. There is a conspiracy at work here, though, and not is all as it seems, as undercover law enforcers attempt to infiltrate the producers and sellers of the product. One in particular gets in too deep, and is finding his double life more than he can handle...

Although exceedingly confusing at first, is full of suspense and tension, but with just the right amount of humour mixed in to balance it out.
Casting is superb, and with a film with such a groundbreaking style, with animation never before seen made directly from live action input, the actors, having never been part of such a production beforehand, fit into their characters like gloves and perform fantastically.
The characters are profoundly likeable, with the main few being D users, and showing varied reactions and psychosis which are quite humerous, but also provoking. Those with less air time have more personalities than most 'extras' in other films, showing much more emotion and having a subtle story to tell that gives the viewer a form of attachment to each individual.

Animation is outstanding; plain and simple.
It is a style never before seen, constantly changing and adapting to the settings and the feel of each scene. It is unique, drawn as a comic would be, but placed upon live action sequencing. I honestly could not describe the detailing and the degree of how superb it truly is, because it must be seen to be believed.

Cinematographically, the camera angles and filming techniques (before the animating) are cleverly delivered to give the perspective of a drug user on many occassions, and the animation atop this adds an even odder feel, with disorientating blurring and movement that cleverly adds to the atmosphere and gives us the viewpoint of the center character.

Overal, it is a thought provoking piece, enticing us to take a new perspective on the real damage of drugs, and the 'business' of providing it, if you will, with a somewhat disturbing prediction of its future. It is rather contraversial, in a way, with its blatentcy, but rightly so due to the subject matter.
I have not personally read the book, but know of those who have whom have informed me that it is a very accurate depiction, which is a rarity, so for fans of the original material, this should be a treat as well. Those who haven't are in for an interesting trip (please excuse my pun)!

Overal Rating: 9/10
Acting: 10/10
Plot: 7/10
Originality: 10/10
Cinematography: 10/10

The official website can be found here
The first 24 minutes of the film can be viewed online for free here

Star Trek (TOS)

Star Trek originally aired on September 8th 1966. To mark it's fourtieth Anniversary, Paramount last year released the entirety of the Original Series on Special Edition Region 2 DVD Boxsets.
The Original Series spawned six other series, and ten films, and although, with the poor ratings and fan opinion of the latest spin-off, Enterprise, it was cancelled, and it is reportedly unlikely that Star Trek will be rekindled for any more depictions, The Original Series is an absolute classic.
Even considering this, Star Trek has made television history with the original series consisting of a crew of many races and both sexes on equal levels of importance, with contraversial storylines, including the first ever Silver Screen cross-race kiss that stand up even in today's society, and a vision of the future that even inspired NASA to name their prototype Space Shuttle 'Enterprise', and have launched the genious behind the idea, Gene Roddenberry, into space, when he unfortunately passed away.
The program has been an inspiration to millions, even leading to the development of much of our modern technology, as many inventors have said that they are fans.
My personal favourite episodes are the first three episodes to be filmed, including the two Pilots, the original, 'The Cage', which lacked Kirk, but had an intruiging, but "too complicated" (for the era) storyline, and a crew consisting of a Captain Christopher Pike, a female second in Command, and Mr Spock as the Science Officer, and the second which premiered Kirk in 'Where No Man Has Gone Before', a chilling episode featuring ESP (Extra Sensory Perseption) gone wrong. The best by far, though, is officially episode ten because of the Air Date, wherein the beloved team of Kirk's leadership, Spocks logic, and McCoy's humanity is formed when McCoy debuts, and the crew are faced with a seemingly indefeatable foe, but the Captain has a surprising tactic... Poker.
Take a piece of history home with you. Take home Star Trek: The Original Series!

Overal Rating: 9/10
Acting: 5/10
Plot: 6/10
Originality: 10/10
Cinematography: 5/10

Special Features include: Text Commentaries from Star Trek experts, Cast and Crew Interviews, Featurettes, Exclusive Documentaries, and Easter Eggs.

This is by far the most unique comic that I have read in a long time, with a gripping plot and astonishing artwork.
Set in the back streets of South London, Brodie, who believes himself to be righteous in his dealings with criminals, but is himself fighting his inner daemons, takes a job that almost gets him killed, and puts him on the wrong side of the law. This job, however, places him in contact with technology that grants him the power to take back his life, but it comes with a price... His identity.
Recently nominated for an Eagle Award, alongside the likes of 2000 A.D., the first six issues are available in a Trade Paperback, and issues 7 & 8 are now also available.
Issue 7 is faster paced, and the artwork is slightly different to that of the previous issues, but for me it was a welcomed change. If you have yet to read the previous series, you can still "jump in" here without confusion, because of the clever script and an Introduction on the inner page. The characters, even those with little page-time also seem more detailed, much to my surprise. Further issues are greatly anticipated!
This was originally produced by Pulp Theatre Entertainment a privately established publisher, and has now combined with Markosia for it's second series.
It definately mustn't be missed.

Overal: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Script: 10/10
Artwork: 10/10

Midnight Kiss

Another fantastic example of Markosia's publishing genious, this has recently been nominated for an Eagle Award along side the likes of 2000 A.D., and deservedly so.
The artwork is dark, detailed, and absolutely breathtaking. You shall have to read each issue more than once to truly appreciate it.
The plot combines the modern world with well known fantasy such as vampires, and twists and integrates them with some classic literature such as The Wizard of Oz, and a 'whodunit' backdrop, for an action filled, addictive thriller.
Out in November (date TBC) is the Trade Paperback combining all five issues, the final of which is exclusive to the Trade. Meanwhile, feel free to pick up the single issues, and grab yourself something truly unique!

Overal rating: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
Script: 10/10
Artwork: 10/10

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