HPeep

Let me start by saying that The Cat Returns is not the best of Ghibli and Miyazaki had almost nothing to do with it. If Miyazaki had directed or even written it, the film would have been as great as Totoro or Kiki. This movie is pretty much Whisper of the Heart as a Spirited Away style fantasy.

The story is as follows: A normal girl named Haru is transported to the world of cats to marry a cat prince who she saved from a speeding truck. That's basically all that I can tell without giving away the film. For those of you who loved Whisper, Baron is back big time. It was great to see Baron have a much larger role as a hero. The `stray' cat from Whisper is also back and fatter than ever.

Though some Ghibli fans will be disappointed, those who are cat-lovers will fall in love with the film. The film's flaw lies in that the story moves along a bit too fast for my taste. Just don't go expecting a film on the same level as Spirited Away or Mononoke and you'll have a great time. Grade: A-.

Rated PG for frightening scenes, brief sensuality, and language. Suggested for ages 10 and up.

I haven't seen the entire series `The Visions of Escaflowne'. What I saw I really liked, but it needed something. It needed to be a much darker and more grim story. Well, this movie has a grim and dark story, with plenty of graphic violence to boot (now why did it get a PG-13?). Even though it kind of is a condensed version of the series, it does tell it's own story in a way. Though some `Escaflowne' fans may be disappointed by how much different the movie is, many people will be happy with the style.

The story is basically the same as the series: A normal high-school girl named Hitomi is transported to the world of Gaea to help the survivors of countries that fell to the powerful Black Dragon empire in one final battle that will determine the fate of their world.

It's actually a pretty good story with amazing animation and characters who are much less annoying in the movie than they were in the series. The music is also stunning with several great tracks.

Every way I look at the movie I love it. It's even kind of a cute romance movie. If you have a friend who wants to see some anime, show him this. If you liked the movie then get the 3-disc DVD. Well worth watching, but do get the subtitled version. Dubbed: C, Subtitled: A.

Rated R for graphic animated violence/gore, language, and sensuality. Suggested for ages 15 and up.

Cannibal! The Musical is now a small cult classic thanks to DVD. It deserves more because this is simply a great movie, with songs that will leave you laughing for days and some great pop-culture references. Oh yeah, and Japanese Indians. And Confederate solider Cyclopses.

I actually read about the real Alfred Packer on the internet and believe it or not, the movie stays true to what happened. Scary, huh?

Historical background aside, the one-liners and musical numbers (`Let's Build a Snowman' is unbelievably funny) are a good reason to get this movie. If you have a DVD player, get the DVD and listen to the cast/crew's drunk commentary. It's not very informative but it sure is fun. Grade: A.

Rated R for graphic comic violence/gore and strong language. Suggested for ages 14 and up.