Astro Boy has a long history in Anime and Manga and has had multiple occurrences in TV and film. This adaptation seems a more of an American or British feel to it. The story of Astro Boy is sort of like an animated Pinocchio. The 3-D animation in this movie is top notch. It looks great in every scene. The casting was interesting and included quite a few famous actors such as Nicolas Cage, Freddie Highmore, and Kristen Bell, to name a few. The story is heart warming, at times tragic, and contained quite a few comical moments.
This movie didn’t receive a lot of accolades at the box office and I really don’t understand why. It looked great. The story was good and the voice acting was too. Maybe it was the actual death that happened in the film. That did take me back a bit when I saw it. Still, this was a very enjoyable film family film. The main character was charming and easy to feel for. Maybe it was too different from the source material. I am familiar with the Astro Boy character of old but I never followed it very closely. I enjoyed this movie and easily give it a 4 out of 5 marks.
Nothing pretty in this movie stays that way for long so I’m not sure how the title fits but this was an interesting film nonetheless. Dirty Pretty Things stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, a great actor who I believe has never really gotten his due. He plays a hard working illegal alien living in London named Okwe. The life of an illegal is dirty, shady, and humble and Okwe trys his best to be a good man despite. He works more than one job and seldom sleeps. Every illegal alien has a story and Okwe has an interesting one. When his past comes to light and collides with his sense of honor and the plight of a female friend, everything hits the fan. The female friend is played by Audrey Tautou, the other star of this film. She’s the face on the movie poster. Her story is a bit more common but is easy to feel for her as well.
There are a lot of interesting little characters here, each with their own little story, the hotel owner, the whore, the doorman, the guy who works in the hospital morgue, and others. This story is more about the challenges, hopes, and dreams of the people you tend to ignore as you go on about your personal business. The taxi drivers, janitors, maids, and countless others are people you pass by and don’t give a second thought but their lives can be vibrant, challenging, and full of flavor. I enjoyed this movie and give it a 4 out of 5 marks.
10 Items Or Less is the story of two people who meet by chance and spend a day together, sharing each other’s world. The two people in this story are Morgan Freeman, who pretty much plays himself and Paz Vega who plays the part of a grocery clerk who works the 10 items or less counter. Morgan Freeman’s character is there to do research for a movie role. He is funny, friendly, and engaging. Paz Vega’s character is young, lovable, and in a place in her life she doesn’t want to be anymore.
This movie is kind of out there. You don’t know where it’s going until it’s over then your remember you had a pretty good time getting there. Here, it’s clearly more about the journey than the destination. If I had to describe it better I say that it was about two people being genuine and connecting. What comes of it? Well, you’ll just have to check out the movie to see for yourself. There’s no big action and no sex, just two people hanging out really. At first I wondered where this all was going but once I let that notion go I enjoyed this film. I give it a 4 out of 5 marks. It’s worth a rental.
Pivot is a short foreign film with no dialog. It hasn’t won any awards that I am aware of. It hasn’t even made it into IMDB. Nevertheless I think it is a good short film that is worth watching. Here’s the synopsis: ‘When a man is witness to a murder and takes pictures of the killer, he has to run for his life. During the chase he is able to turn the tables and the prey becomes the hunter. All resulting in an unfortunate ending.’ Enjoy!
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an Anime movie about a high school girl who suddenly comes upon the ability to leap through time. It’s funny, a bit silly, and also serious at the same time. She has the usual high school girl problems and this newfound ability doesn’t make it any easier. As the girl learns to make better use of this power she also learns more about herself. One of the things that is really funny is that she actually has to take a running jump to make it work and her landings are awful.
All that sappy stuff aside, this was a surprisingly good movie and just when I thought I figured out how it was all going to work out, a plot twist came out of nowhere and threw me for a pleasant loop. When I saw the movie I had to read subtitles so if that’s not your bag, make sure you get the English dub. Apparently this is a classic story that has already been made into a movie and a TV drama but probably not here in the U.S. If you’re already an Anime Fan then you’ll love this. If Anime is new to you then this just might be a pleasant way to start getting to know the genre. I’ve included the trailer so you can have a look at it.
Astro Boy has a long history in Anime and Manga and has had multiple occurrences in TV and film. This adaptation seems a more of an American or British feel to it. The story of Astro Boy is sort of like an animated Pinocchio. The 3-D animation in this movie is top notch. It looks great in every scene. The casting was interesting and included quite a few famous actors such as Nicolas Cage, Freddie Highmore, and Kristen Bell, to name a few. The story is heart warming, at times tragic, and contained quite a few comical moments.
Nothing pretty in this movie stays that way for long so I’m not sure how the title fits but this was an interesting film nonetheless. 
