Sword For Truth

Man, I have seriously got to start reading reviews before I hit the play button! If I had read some reviews before watching this I could have spent my time in a more constructive manner. Scooping the cat box, for example. This isn't the worst anime I've ever seen, but it's pretty bad. The main character is not at all likeable, and yet you get the definite impression that he gets more a$$ than a toilet seat. The sex scenes are less than spectacular and will probably only turn your crank if you're about 14 years old. If you want animated porn, there are plenty of hentai titles out there that actually deliver the goods. Google "hentai anime" and pick one at random. It'll probably be better than this. The acting is sub-par and some of the voices are actually quite irritating. And, you don't get enough backstory to feel truly connected to any of the characters, including the lead. To make matters worse, the quality of the animation is not what you would expect from a vid released in 2000. There are way too many still shots, for example. The premise of this anime is pretty simple: if you face this dude in battle you're gonna get your a$$ handed to ya in a high hat. He pretty much only does 3 things...fight, get some nookie, and collect his pay. If you're looking for something more complex than that you won't find it here. The ending leaves you hanging, but I won't knock it too hard. Mostly because you walk away with the feeling that they were leaving the ending open so they could make another movie or crank out a series. Happens all the time with anime. I gave it two stars for the sheer volume of fight scenes, some of which were actually entertaining.

Black Sabbath

The first time I saw this I was a kid and I had to sneak into the basement to watch it while my parents were asleep. It was totally worth it! Creeped me out like nobody's business! I hadn't thought about the movie in ages, but when I saw it was available for instant viewing I decided to take a stroll down memory lane. I'm glad I did. The movie really holds up! A previous reviewer mentioned that she would have preferred the English version; if you watch this movie via instant viewing the English version is what you'll get. The order of the three segments is Drop of Water, The Telephone, and The Wurdalak. All three are suspenseful and creepy. If you are a parent worried about gore and violence, don't be. It's almost nonexistent. There's also no nudity. The closest it gets is a woman in a towel or a slip. You can see more at the beach. It's unrated, but I would give it a PG rating due to The Telephone. Not to spoil things, but for most of that segment a young woman receives phone calls from a pervert who is watching her. Nothing too filthy, mind you, but the dirty bugger does say things about wanting her body to be naked so he can embrace her, etc. For today's standards it's actually pretty tame. My 12 yr old watched it, rolled her eyes, said "what a perv!" and moved on without so much as a care in the world. Some parents may find it inappropriate for the younger kids, however. Bottom line is it's a great movie to watch in the dark on a cold, rainy night...with or without the kiddies.

Jinki: Extend

This is one of those series that is entertaining but ultimately forgettable. It has a confusing storyline full of flashbacks, so pay close attention or you will be lost for most of the series. And don't expect to have all of your questions answered. There are also a lot of useless scenes for a series which has so few episodes. For example, there is the infamous hinted at rape scene. I suppose this is designed to get the viewer riled up and make him/her really root for the good guys. Unfortunately it has almost no impact as the victim is traumatized for all of about 2 minutes and it's never truly discussed. In an attempt to up the titillation factor they also threw in a completely useless slap n' tickle scene between two female main characters. Basically they get under the covers, poke each other and say how big each of them have gotten in strategic areas while they giggle like 3 year olds. It's sophomoric at best. The only nudity is the occasional bare booty shot. Big deal. You can see more exciting stuff on basic cable and the time would have been better spent on character development. That said, the series still manages to be entertaining. This is mostly due to the fight scenes. Not the best I've ever seen, but good enough to keep you interested. They're especially enjoyable if you like watching giant robots try to kick the snot out of each other. It's not rated, but I'd give it a PG rating for the scenes listed above. Charming in its own way, it's worth recommending if you have some time to kill and want to watch something that isn't too deep.

Haunted Honeymoon

I saw this movie when it first came out and absolutely adored it. Now I watch it with my daughter, who is in jr. high and also loves it. This is a real blessing as she's at that age where we have a hard time finding movies she likes that don't put me into a sugar-induced coma. The dialogue is witty and the story is interesting. You actually want to figure out the mystery. The performances are solid and, thankfully, not over the top. This is surprising since DeLuise is in drag as Wilder's aunt for a large portion of the film. Definitely a spoof that no Wilder fan would want to miss.