Anime – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: New ‘Avatar’ adventure offers fun reunion with lovable cast

Shame on Paramount for not putting this film in theaters.

While it was once set for release on the big screen, “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” was pushed to Paramount Plus as a streaming title. The movie, deserving a theatrical outing, picks up just over a decade after the original series from the 2000s ended. The flick picks up with Aang (Eric Nam) maintaining peace in the world while also trying to preserve Air Nomad culture.

On one of his travels, a series of events leads him to discovering another airbender, Tagah (Dave Bautista), who’s been frozen in ice for centuries. Upon awakening, Tagah informs Aang he knows a way to bring more airbenders back to the world. To make this happen, Aang recruits his old team to help. However, their journey becomes more perilous than originally thought.

REVIEW: Against all odds, ‘Alita’ is still worth checking out

There’s a lot to unpack here with this movie so let’s just jump right in.

“Alita: Battle Angel” is based on a Japanese comic book (better known as manga), with a similar name. The original source material, which eventually had an animated adaptation, was titled “Battle Angel Alita.”

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REVIEW: ‘Ghost In The Shell’ Contains Plenty Of Style, Not Enough Substance

Like the robots featured on screen, the 2017 “Ghost in the Shell” feels all too artificial in many aspects.

An adaptation of the 1995 anime film of the same name, “Ghost in the Shell” follows the cybernetic character Major Mira Killian (Scarlett Johansson). The first of her kind, Killian was created as an experiment, taking the brain of a human whose body had been heavily injured and placing it in a robotic body. The story picks up with Killian working as part of an anti-terrorism unit in a futuristic city, mainly working alongside her partner Batou (Pilou Asbæk).

The flick follows Killian on another mission that leads to an investigation into a new dangerous criminal who’s hacking the minds of various people. As she digs further into the investigation, though, Killian is also led into a path where she discovers more of her past.

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The Secret World of Arrietty review

Director:
Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Cast:
Will Arnett
Bridgit Mendler
David Henrie
Amy Poehler
Rated: G

Surprisingly not directed by Hayao Miyazaki…

The Secret World of Arrietty is the latest film from Studio Ghibli which has been behind such films as “Spirited Away” and “Ponyo.” In this film, the story centers on the character Arrietty, a 14-year-old girl who happens to be a ‘borrower’, which is basically a little person. Her and her family live beneath a large house and borrow things that most people would over look.

The borrowers try to stay out of sight for fear of what would happen if they are discovered. This happens to Arrietty though as a boy who just moved in named Shawn sees her. The two start a bit of a friendship however this causes a bit of an uproar with Arrietty and her family.

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