BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM (1993, 4K UHD) DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE (2025, THEATER)
For my money "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" (based on the '90's syndicated cartoon and originally meant to be a made-for-TV event) remains the best animated superhero film ever made. Within its fat-free 76 minutes we enjoy (via well-timed flashbacks) the clumsy, early vigilante days of pre-masked young Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy, R.I.P) failing to strike fear in the heart of Gotham criminals until he puts on the cowl. Bruce's early crush/courtship of sophisticated/spirited Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany) show us a side of the Caped Crusader seldom explored, one where the comedic timing of Alfred (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) raising his eyebrows while making 'oops' gestures when the couple are being romantic results in much-needed laughter mixed with pathos. The main present-day storyline revolves around an out-of-town baddie (the Stacy Keach-voiced Phantasm) murdering the city's mob bosses, crimes for which The Bat gets the blame. Despite feeling shoehorned into the narrative and unnecessary, having The Joker (Mark Hamill) enter at 37 min. truly raises the stakes/risks for our main protagonists. The 4K transfer is a little soft but the inky dark backgrounds/color contrasts are as well thought out as Shirley Walker's musical score and the great supporting cast (Dick Miller, Abe Vigoda, Hart Bochner, etc.). It's a keeper. 4.5 OCTOPUS PAINTINGS ON ARTHUR REEVES' OFFICE (out of five).
For a few years now anime producers/distributors (GKIDS, Crunchyroll, Viz Media, Aniplex of America, etc.) have been re-packaging select 3-4 episodes of popular licenses into theatrical features to (a) get a few box office dollars from eager fans and (b) promote the rest of the TV seasons' streaming/physical media releases. That's how I've kept track of "Demon Slayer," an anime series near and dear to my now-teenage niece around which we've bonded. :-)
Anywho, "Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye" (now in theaters) is the start of the show's second season with a prologue to catch us noobs into its world of a trio of high school teenage friends/rivals who are either powerful mediums (Momo Ayase), occult carriers (nerdy Okarun) or childhood bestie (Jiji) helping fight mythical creature, UFO aliens and/or both. The "Evil Eye" chapter of the saga has our heroes traveling to a remote rental home near a tourist town hot spring. The seemingly normal house raises Momo's medium alarm, but not enough to not allow herself time away from the boys (both of whom are crushing hard on Momo) at the hot springs while they fight/bond. I'm not an anime connoisseur but l pride myself in being open-minded to sample anything and enjoy the experience whether I continue watching the rest of the series. I had fun and laughed hard at "Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye" (the techno soundtrack's outstanding and the soccer-inspired action set-pieces hugely entertaining in an over-the-top kinetic style) but I'm in no rush to see what comes out of that awakened volcano in episode 4. Still, 3 GIANT SENTIENT WORMS INDUCING SELF-HARMING THOUGHTS (out of five).
A soldier returning from WWII and a cartoonist from the 1990's cross over into "Cool World", a cartoon universe seemingly mostly comprised of seedy nightclubs and seedier back alleys. One is horny for a cartoon woman who wants to become real, the other tries to keep them apart and prevent more crossovers.
The jankier, seedier and (if you can believe it) even hornier second cousin to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It's not the technical marvel WFRR was, but there's a certain charm to the janky cartoon style and slapdash marriage of live action and animation that match the anarchic world and the nonsense plot. 1992 Brad Pitt isn't the actor he later became, he seems pretty lost acting against nothing. Gabriel Byrne, on the other hand, handles it like a pro. Kim Basinger has the right energy for voicing a cartoon character but it really doesn't translate well when she switches to playing a live action character. The soundtrack rules.
Another entry in the "super important movies to me growing up that got lost in time" genre. At face value this movie is a damsel in distress being saved from an over the top villain by a rag tag band of misfit heroes. But the more you see it the more you realize its SO much more. For starters it is a wonderfully hand animated, trippy rock opera made for kids that feels like a gateway to Floyd's The Wall and Heavy Metal. Beyond that it includes: commentary on rock industry management, reflections on 80s drug club scene (studio 54), an incredible soundtrack of heavy hitters (officially unreleased - shit), incredibly creative animation, annnnnnd an amazing lovecraftian big bad doing battle with Rock n Roll. Criminally underseen and hard to see for a long time. Dig It!
PS: I hadnt watched for decades. This viewing something immediately struck me about the look of the big bad, Mok. I googled it and sure enough, the characters name was supposed to be Mok Swagger and is absolutely inspired by the look of Mick Jagger. Even wierder..they made this movie 40 years ago. Google Mok and current Mick Jagger...bananas.
PSS: Even if not interested but a fan of debbie harry/blondie...head to youtube and look up Angels Song. Its magical.
First up was Hundreds of Beavers - yeah, technically it’s mostly live action, but the energy, the slapstick, and the over-the-top cartoon logic make it a perfect fit for today. I watched it with my 9-year-old son, who was in absolute stitches the entire time, and honestly? So was I. It was pure joy from start to finish. Totally lives up to the hype - a real gem!
Then I went with something more traditional: the latest animated entry in the Predator mythos, Killer of Killers. And wow, I was so into it. It’s lean, mean, no-frills - but totally gets what makes the Predator concept awesome, and it really makes the most of the animated format.
I won’t spoil anything - Rob DiCristino’s review said it all, honestly. Spot-on.
The distant shots in "Hundreds of Beavers" of the big building/giant dam the beavers are building throughout the movie reminded me of "The Brutalist." 😉😁
Back in the pre-Internet days of buying fifth-generation VHS dubs at conventions, Battle Royale High School was one of the first anime I owned. There were no subs or dubs—just demons and karate while wearing a Tiger Mask.
Based on the Shin’ichi Kuruma manga Majinden (Legend of the Demons), this starts with high school asskicker Riki Hyōdo, who loves to fight. He’s also the chosen body for Lord Byōdo, demon king of the Dark Realm, who comes to Earth to challenge him. There’s also Space-Time Continuum Inspector Zankan, a robotic man who has come to protect reality from the demon, and Toshimitsu Yūki, a student who knows how to fight these dark creatures.
They all face Fairy Master Kain, who has started to take over the bodies of students and attack others, like Megumi Koyama, who is in love with Riki.
As you can imagine, a 50-minute adaptation of a long-running manga leaves a ton out. Director and writer Ichirô Itano worked on tons of famous anime, including Fist of the North Star, Violence Jack, Tekkaman Blade, Gantz and started as an in-between artist on stuff like Galaxy Express 999 and Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love before graduating to being an animator on Mobile Suit Gundam. Today, he designs kaiju for anime like SSSS.Dynazenon and SSSS.Gridman.
This is the kind of movie that has a woman explode all over the hero, then he rebuilds her from a gore-filled mess and says, “Nice tits.” You can only guess how much 15-year-old me loved this.
1) $$$ bootleg VHS from conventions! ahh memories. 2) this is totally off my radar...will be watching soon. 3) OMG...so you referenced my all time favorite childhood animated movie. Galaxy Express 999. There was an english dub on pre-cable that i taped on very early home vhs. Me and my best bud watched it on loop. Sooooooooo good.
The Adventures of Tintin (2011): just in time for Junesploitation, I got the blu-ray and the used dvd store. I grew up on the french comics (bande dessinée in french) and all the old animated movies. When this came out, and with all the talents behind and in front of the camera, everybody was delighted. It's a fun adventure movie with silly moments, the crane 'swordfight' was a bit too much, but whatever, I've seen worse. The CGI animation is a bit dated, but you get over it after a few minutes
YELLOW SUBMARINE (1968) This is pretty much what I expected: A threadbare fairy tale plot that’s an excuse for Beatles hits to play over whimsical yet far-out visuals. My big question is just how much involvement the lads actually had in this movie, as the songs are mostly (all?) preexisting ones, and soundalikes did their speaking voices. But it doesn’t matter because the musical numbers are the highlights, and they are plentiful. After seeing this movie clipped and parodied so many times over the years, I’m glad to have sat down and watched the whole thing. There really is no other word to describe it other than… trippy.
30 days of Georges Melies, day 12: THE ECLIPSE (1907) I’m assuming that A Trip to the Moon was a big success, because this one redoes a lot of its plot and effects. Our heroes are wizard-like astronomers again, and this time both the sun and the moon have the big face effect. The face in the moon is like some ancient Greek god type, while the sun is more of a classic devil/Satan type. No idea what to make of that.
Although I can still get a kick out of it, I've never quite understood the Scooby movies when they're shown doing something like going to a baseball game so they can say like, "The Mystery Gang has always loved America's pastime!" for their crappy MLB crossover or whatever. It's always felt false for the characters. But when this 2014 direct-to-DVD movie starts with a shirtless Shaggy and munchie-filled Scooby yelling, "We love WWE!" and jumping off their couch, it makes total sense. Stoners and their talking dogs do love WWE.
In this one, the two win a trip to WWE City to watch Wrestlemania. In WWE City, wrestlers are like actual superheroes. When the Mystery Machine gets stuck in a ditch, John Cena offers to help. Daphne quips, "What's he gonna do, lift the van out of the ditch?" and then that's exactly what he does, like he's Superman.
In fact, I think that's the most successful part of this movie. We think of, and can often see, wrestlers as superhuman. They're gigantic and strong and athletic and powerful, after all. But at the end of the day, they're still bound to the laws of gravity and relativity and other laws that I'm sure exist and end in -ity. They're not actually able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, they "just" jump off ladders and slam another guy to the ground. In cartoon world, or more specifically WWE City, they can actually do ridiculously impossible feats of human strength and agility. It's like the wrestling we see in our minds.
Which is probably why it's so funny when Kane (now the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, by the way) gets in the ring with Shaggy and Scooby, who don the wrestling personas Skinny Man and Dead Meat, respectively. You shouldn't wrestle dogs. Even talking ones. But it is cool to see wrestlers play the cartoon version of themselves, even if it's tough to see Vince McMahon in a kids' movie or see them put so much stock into a character like Sin Cara, who is irrelevant now. Triple H shows up but serves no purpose, which is about right. The Miz mizzes. And Daphne very openly wants to bonk John Cena. The mystery is a little convoluted and obvious to anyone with a functioning brain (which is why Fred and Tyrus can't figure it out, but it's not about the mystery anyway.
I think I 100% the target audience for this, having consumed every fantasy book and moive produced in the 1980s. I enjoyed immensely as some nostalagiatainment homage to Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta' Fire and Ice and similar films. Interesting cosmic horror vibe that is a bit confusing at times. The character voiced by Lucy Lawless is naked the entire movie, and there is a whole lot of gore for an animated film. Curious if younger viewers are baffled by the retro style.
I don't know if this technically counts as a cartoon (I'm assuming it does), but I'd never seen it and I wanted to use this opportunity to finally check it out. I'm not familiar with the source material, but I think that Linklater is trying to recreate the experience of a drug trip. Unfortunately, he does so at the expense of narrative coherence. It gets better as it goes along, but I found the whole thing a frustrating watch. I also imagine it plays better in a theatre than on my TV. Maybe I just need to watch it again.
I also didn't like this. Sitting in the theater I became sidetracked by identifying the rotoscoped actors. Years later I read the novel, which is excellent, & felt annoyed all over again that the movie hadn't done it justice. The book is really funny.
During lunch I went to my favorite used dvd store to get rid of some crap, and they had a couple of animation movies on 4k. So, I grabbed them and watched them right away.
South Park - Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999): One of the crap I sold was my old blu-ray of this movie, with the plan of eventually getting the 4k the next time I felt like watching it. Well, somebody heard me, because it was right there. The movie is so fun and weird and trashy. I love it. Blame Canada!
The Lord of the Rings - The War of the Rohirrim (2024): Not a great movie, I'm also not a huge of fan of anime generally (I like the hits and Miyazaki stuff), but I like the world of LOTR, so I enjoy this movie enough to get it when trading other stuff, basically making it free.
I watched 10-15 minutes of the Rohirrim movie, and wasn't digging the animation style at all. But I do love LOTR so I'll likely give it another shot someday.
The Latvian animated film that won the Oscar this year for Best Animated Feature, a dialogue-free adventure featuring animals that behave somewhat realistically. That sounds a little like a chore but it's the furthest thing from. Absolutely wonderful, captivating, riveting from moment one. The animation is gorgeous in a lo-fi way, I'll never forget this movie. I loved it.
First watch in over 25 years. It was just as melancholy as I remembered. Occasionally great scenes and animation. Ultimately its strengths don’t outweigh its weaknesses.
This is my first disappointment of the month because I am a John Patrick Shanley guy and while I figured it wouldn’t be great because of the 4 directors, I was hoping for something more weird or at least affecting from a JPS screenplay.
Animated films are a rare watch for me. Looking for an animated feature for today, I considered connections to the genre side of Junesploitation. The science-fiction aspect of The Iron Giant made it a good fit for today, and I happen to have a DVD of it. I found it an entertaining film and a good break from the 1970s watches that have so far dominated the month. A robot with a hearty appetite for metal arrives from space and befriends a boy. The boy tries to keep the robot out of trouble, but the robot will do what he wants to do. Of course, in the paranoia of 1950s United States, a huge robot causing mayhem will not be tolerated. It could be a communist plot! There are references to the 1950s B-movie aliens of the era along with some subverting of the tropes of those films. The influence of E.T., and Steven Spielberg in general, is noticeable.
Junesploitation is nearing the halfway mark. As the available days to program for the month dwindles, I am putting away discs that I know I will not get to. The pile that is still left to choose from will need to be whittled down further. It is not an easy process excluding films that you swore you would finally watch this year. Anybody else going through this dilemma? There is still so much left to see.
This time I've opted to only get out stacks in small batches. Particularly because I keep ending up with a small stack for a day I know I won't be watching more than one...
I have been more disciplined this year about sticking with movies I own. I am also prioritizing those titles that have been on my watch list for a long time, but there is no way to get to all of those in one June. There are some rental discs and a few films on the DVR that I am planning to watch later this month. Streaming has not played much of a role so far.
FELIDAE (1994, Michael Schaak) First-time watch, Deaf Crocodile 4K, 8/10. A new cat in the neighborhood wants to solve a series of murders (of cats) & must navigate a cat cult, mad scientist history, freaky dreams & a sultry kitty-kat. Classically animated & not in any way aimed at children, this German mystery is pretty great! I try to always temper external hype before viewing something & FELIDAE has it's fans: determined hype-worthy. It's not nearly as dark PLAGUE DOGS, but dark enough to bite.
I respected Felidae more than I liked it when I watched it earlier in the year. Creating any animated feature takes a lot of work, and there are some impressive sequences in the film. At a certain point near the end I lost interest in the mystery, though.
I remember wanting to see this as a kid, but I couldn't. But today I finally did! Aaaand... meh.
The first half was almost totally dull and just an exercise in animation overlay. The disappointing thing was that there wasn't much interaction between animated and real characters. And I got tired of all the nonsensical stuff popping up, like weird skull looking things floating around the foreground that nobody reacts to. (why??)
The second half was a little more interesting, with the doom scenario and characters flickering between states. Overall it was more or less as enjoyable as expected... not good but not irredeemable.
Lady Elisabeth Bathory is sweet and kind until she literally gives her heart away to a man and starts murdering young women and bathing in their blood.
Apart from a brief introduction, there's no dialog, so I ended up a bit lost at times. It also jumps between horror and loony toons logic, which was entertaining.
⭐️ La Planète Sauvage 1973 | René Laloux ⭐️ Cool World 1992 | Ralph Bakshi
Hubs gonna have to eat his 🥦 to get his 🧁 tonight 😂! (He’s not fond of subtitles or foreign film but I think it will be worth it in the end 🤷♂️) 🍒🍒👀 for us both!
Kind of an odd movie, as it shifts in tones quickly between menacing and playful. It's quite languid to begin but quickly picks up the pace. Thanks for the recommendation Kunider. I'm glad I remembered you mentioning it.
The french version is a lot better. My son and I were watching in English for a bit, but were a little confused. Once we switched to the original francophone version, it was a lot easier to understand.
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) I'd heard there was a new Predator movie on Hulu, but didn't realize until today's comments (thanks Cedric!) that it was a cartoon! This was pretty fun and fresh, and the anthology structure allowed the movie to drop the Predator into several unique settings in a single movie. It also doesn't pull any punches just because it's animated--this thing is as blood-soaked and kill-filled as anything else I've watched this month.
Pup On A Picnic (1955) Southbound Duckling (1955) Touche, P4ssy Cat! (1954) Pet Peeve (1954) William Hanna & Joseph Barbera Warner Archive Blu-Ray. It's been years since I last saw these & they've never looked better.
Predator Killer of Killers (2025 Dir Dan Trachtenberg) Not too much to add on this one. I liked it. Im really excited Dan Trachtenberg gets to keep playing in this universe and look forward to his next movie. Still not really sold on this style of animation as some but the stories action and gore make up for it.
Apollo 10 and a 1/2 (2020 Dir Richard Linklater) Richard Linklaters rotoscoped ode to his Houston childhood, the summer of 69 and the moon landing. I love this movie and as I said on Bluesky I really hope it gets a disc soon.
I’ve been circling this old-school, cerebral sci-fi for several Junes now, which is why watching it today felt the most like homework to me. It’s trippy and imaginative, with interesting ideas and some really cool designs of creatures and landscapes, but it’s not a terribly dynamic story, so a late night viewing can be a bit challenging (as I found out first-hand). Still, glad to be able to finally cross it off the list.
Also, the director of Fantastic Planet is the same as Time Masters, about 10 years apart. Since Criterion release the former, i'm hoping they'll do the later at some point
Revelatory film about Harvey Pekar and his one-of-a-kind comic book. Funny, trenchant, and endlessly sad, why didn’t this unique film garner more Oscar nominations? I believe it was only nominated for Best Screenplay. Paul Giamatti deserved one for playing Pekar.
'FAMILIAL SECRETS' DOUBLE HEADER!
ReplyDeleteBATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM (1993, 4K UHD)
DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE (2025, THEATER)
For my money "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" (based on the '90's syndicated cartoon and originally meant to be a made-for-TV event) remains the best animated superhero film ever made. Within its fat-free 76 minutes we enjoy (via well-timed flashbacks) the clumsy, early vigilante days of pre-masked young Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy, R.I.P) failing to strike fear in the heart of Gotham criminals until he puts on the cowl. Bruce's early crush/courtship of sophisticated/spirited Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany) show us a side of the Caped Crusader seldom explored, one where the comedic timing of Alfred (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) raising his eyebrows while making 'oops' gestures when the couple are being romantic results in much-needed laughter mixed with pathos. The main present-day storyline revolves around an out-of-town baddie (the Stacy Keach-voiced Phantasm) murdering the city's mob bosses, crimes for which The Bat gets the blame. Despite feeling shoehorned into the narrative and unnecessary, having The Joker (Mark Hamill) enter at 37 min. truly raises the stakes/risks for our main protagonists. The 4K transfer is a little soft but the inky dark backgrounds/color contrasts are as well thought out as Shirley Walker's musical score and the great supporting cast (Dick Miller, Abe Vigoda, Hart Bochner, etc.). It's a keeper. 4.5 OCTOPUS PAINTINGS ON ARTHUR REEVES' OFFICE (out of five).
For a few years now anime producers/distributors (GKIDS, Crunchyroll, Viz Media, Aniplex of America, etc.) have been re-packaging select 3-4 episodes of popular licenses into theatrical features to (a) get a few box office dollars from eager fans and (b) promote the rest of the TV seasons' streaming/physical media releases. That's how I've kept track of "Demon Slayer," an anime series near and dear to my now-teenage niece around which we've bonded. :-)
Anywho, "Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye" (now in theaters) is the start of the show's second season with a prologue to catch us noobs into its world of a trio of high school teenage friends/rivals who are either powerful mediums (Momo Ayase), occult carriers (nerdy Okarun) or childhood bestie (Jiji) helping fight mythical creature, UFO aliens and/or both. The "Evil Eye" chapter of the saga has our heroes traveling to a remote rental home near a tourist town hot spring. The seemingly normal house raises Momo's medium alarm, but not enough to not allow herself time away from the boys (both of whom are crushing hard on Momo) at the hot springs while they fight/bond. I'm not an anime connoisseur but l pride myself in being open-minded to sample anything and enjoy the experience whether I continue watching the rest of the series. I had fun and laughed hard at "Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye" (the techno soundtrack's outstanding and the soccer-inspired action set-pieces hugely entertaining in an over-the-top kinetic style) but I'm in no rush to see what comes out of that awakened volcano in episode 4. Still, 3 GIANT SENTIENT WORMS INDUCING SELF-HARMING THOUGHTS (out of five).
Cool World (1992, dir. Ralph Bakshi)
ReplyDeleteA soldier returning from WWII and a cartoonist from the 1990's cross over into "Cool World", a cartoon universe seemingly mostly comprised of seedy nightclubs and seedier back alleys. One is horny for a cartoon woman who wants to become real, the other tries to keep them apart and prevent more crossovers.
The jankier, seedier and (if you can believe it) even hornier second cousin to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It's not the technical marvel WFRR was, but there's a certain charm to the janky cartoon style and slapdash marriage of live action and animation that match the anarchic world and the nonsense plot. 1992 Brad Pitt isn't the actor he later became, he seems pretty lost acting against nothing. Gabriel Byrne, on the other hand, handles it like a pro. Kim Basinger has the right energy for voicing a cartoon character but it really doesn't translate well when she switches to playing a live action character. The soundtrack rules.
Everybody seemed kinda lost in this movie, but i kinda love it anyway
DeleteRock n Rule (1983)
ReplyDeleteAnother entry in the "super important movies to me growing up that got lost in time" genre. At face value this movie is a damsel in distress being saved from an over the top villain by a rag tag band of misfit heroes. But the more you see it the more you realize its SO much more. For starters it is a wonderfully hand animated, trippy rock opera made for kids that feels like a gateway to Floyd's The Wall and Heavy Metal. Beyond that it includes: commentary on rock industry management, reflections on 80s drug club scene (studio 54), an incredible soundtrack of heavy hitters (officially unreleased - shit), incredibly creative animation, annnnnnd an amazing lovecraftian big bad doing battle with Rock n Roll. Criminally underseen and hard to see for a long time. Dig It!
PS: I hadnt watched for decades. This viewing something immediately struck me about the look of the big bad, Mok. I googled it and sure enough, the characters name was supposed to be Mok Swagger and is absolutely inspired by the look of Mick Jagger. Even wierder..they made this movie 40 years ago. Google Mok and current Mick Jagger...bananas.
PSS: Even if not interested but a fan of debbie harry/blondie...head to youtube and look up Angels Song. Its magical.
Watched this one too. My name is Mok, thanks a lot.
DeleteFor Cartoon Day, I went with a double feature!
ReplyDeleteFirst up was Hundreds of Beavers - yeah, technically it’s mostly live action, but the energy, the slapstick, and the over-the-top cartoon logic make it a perfect fit for today. I watched it with my 9-year-old son, who was in absolute stitches the entire time, and honestly? So was I. It was pure joy from start to finish. Totally lives up to the hype - a real gem!
Then I went with something more traditional: the latest animated entry in the Predator mythos, Killer of Killers. And wow, I was so into it. It’s lean, mean, no-frills - but totally gets what makes the Predator concept awesome, and it really makes the most of the animated format.
I won’t spoil anything - Rob DiCristino’s review said it all, honestly. Spot-on.
The distant shots in "Hundreds of Beavers" of the big building/giant dam the beavers are building throughout the movie reminded me of "The Brutalist." 😉😁
DeleteI described Hundreds of Beavers to my friends as Looney Tunes meet Buster Keaton. They all loved it.
DeleteBattle Royale High School (1987)
ReplyDeleteBack in the pre-Internet days of buying fifth-generation VHS dubs at conventions, Battle Royale High School was one of the first anime I owned. There were no subs or dubs—just demons and karate while wearing a Tiger Mask.
Based on the Shin’ichi Kuruma manga Majinden (Legend of the Demons), this starts with high school asskicker Riki Hyōdo, who loves to fight. He’s also the chosen body for Lord Byōdo, demon king of the Dark Realm, who comes to Earth to challenge him. There’s also Space-Time Continuum Inspector Zankan, a robotic man who has come to protect reality from the demon, and Toshimitsu Yūki, a student who knows how to fight these dark creatures.
They all face Fairy Master Kain, who has started to take over the bodies of students and attack others, like Megumi Koyama, who is in love with Riki.
As you can imagine, a 50-minute adaptation of a long-running manga leaves a ton out. Director and writer Ichirô Itano worked on tons of famous anime, including Fist of the North Star, Violence Jack, Tekkaman Blade, Gantz and started as an in-between artist on stuff like Galaxy Express 999 and Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love before graduating to being an animator on Mobile Suit Gundam. Today, he designs kaiju for anime like SSSS.Dynazenon and SSSS.Gridman.
This is the kind of movie that has a woman explode all over the hero, then he rebuilds her from a gore-filled mess and says, “Nice tits.” You can only guess how much 15-year-old me loved this.
a few quickie comments:
Delete1) $$$ bootleg VHS from conventions! ahh memories.
2) this is totally off my radar...will be watching soon.
3) OMG...so you referenced my all time favorite childhood animated movie. Galaxy Express 999. There was an english dub on pre-cable that i taped on very early home vhs. Me and my best bud watched it on loop. Sooooooooo good.
The Adventures of Tintin (2011): just in time for Junesploitation, I got the blu-ray and the used dvd store. I grew up on the french comics (bande dessinée in french) and all the old animated movies. When this came out, and with all the talents behind and in front of the camera, everybody was delighted. It's a fun adventure movie with silly moments, the crane 'swordfight' was a bit too much, but whatever, I've seen worse. The CGI animation is a bit dated, but you get over it after a few minutes
ReplyDeleteReading your comments, I wonder: are you french or french canadian ? It would be so cool to know I am not the only french listener. :)
DeleteFrench canadian 😁
DeleteThat's one of the few Spielberg movies I haven't seen, and I don't know why. I grew up too reading the English version of the comics from the library.
DeleteYELLOW SUBMARINE (1968)
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty much what I expected: A threadbare fairy tale plot that’s an excuse for Beatles hits to play over whimsical yet far-out visuals. My big question is just how much involvement the lads actually had in this movie, as the songs are mostly (all?) preexisting ones, and soundalikes did their speaking voices. But it doesn’t matter because the musical numbers are the highlights, and they are plentiful. After seeing this movie clipped and parodied so many times over the years, I’m glad to have sat down and watched the whole thing. There really is no other word to describe it other than… trippy.
30 days of Georges Melies, day 12: THE ECLIPSE (1907)
I’m assuming that A Trip to the Moon was a big success, because this one redoes a lot of its plot and effects. Our heroes are wizard-like astronomers again, and this time both the sun and the moon have the big face effect. The face in the moon is like some ancient Greek god type, while the sun is more of a classic devil/Satan type. No idea what to make of that.
Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery (2014)
ReplyDeleteAlthough I can still get a kick out of it, I've never quite understood the Scooby movies when they're shown doing something like going to a baseball game so they can say like, "The Mystery Gang has always loved America's pastime!" for their crappy MLB crossover or whatever. It's always felt false for the characters. But when this 2014 direct-to-DVD movie starts with a shirtless Shaggy and munchie-filled Scooby yelling, "We love WWE!" and jumping off their couch, it makes total sense. Stoners and their talking dogs do love WWE.
In this one, the two win a trip to WWE City to watch Wrestlemania. In WWE City, wrestlers are like actual superheroes. When the Mystery Machine gets stuck in a ditch, John Cena offers to help. Daphne quips, "What's he gonna do, lift the van out of the ditch?" and then that's exactly what he does, like he's Superman.
In fact, I think that's the most successful part of this movie. We think of, and can often see, wrestlers as superhuman. They're gigantic and strong and athletic and powerful, after all. But at the end of the day, they're still bound to the laws of gravity and relativity and other laws that I'm sure exist and end in -ity. They're not actually able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, they "just" jump off ladders and slam another guy to the ground. In cartoon world, or more specifically WWE City, they can actually do ridiculously impossible feats of human strength and agility. It's like the wrestling we see in our minds.
Which is probably why it's so funny when Kane (now the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, by the way) gets in the ring with Shaggy and Scooby, who don the wrestling personas Skinny Man and Dead Meat, respectively. You shouldn't wrestle dogs. Even talking ones. But it is cool to see wrestlers play the cartoon version of themselves, even if it's tough to see Vince McMahon in a kids' movie or see them put so much stock into a character like Sin Cara, who is irrelevant now. Triple H shows up but serves no purpose, which is about right. The Miz mizzes. And Daphne very openly wants to bonk John Cena. The mystery is a little convoluted and obvious to anyone with a functioning brain (which is why Fred and Tyrus can't figure it out, but it's not about the mystery anyway.
The Spine of Night (2021)
ReplyDeleteI think I 100% the target audience for this, having consumed every fantasy book and moive produced in the 1980s. I enjoyed immensely as some nostalagiatainment homage to Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta' Fire and Ice and similar films. Interesting cosmic horror vibe that is a bit confusing at times. The character voiced by Lucy Lawless is naked the entire movie, and there is a whole lot of gore for an animated film. Curious if younger viewers are baffled by the retro style.
My profile photo has appeared!
DeleteSame! Its like we were placed in some virtual waiting room for Blogger to update? Anyhoo....fun!!
DeleteI've never heard about The Spine of Night and it looks totally up my alley. Thanks for the rec!
DeleteA Scanner Darkly (2006)
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this technically counts as a cartoon (I'm assuming it does), but I'd never seen it and I wanted to use this opportunity to finally check it out. I'm not familiar with the source material, but I think that Linklater is trying to recreate the experience of a drug trip. Unfortunately, he does so at the expense of narrative coherence. It gets better as it goes along, but I found the whole thing a frustrating watch. I also imagine it plays better in a theatre than on my TV. Maybe I just need to watch it again.
I also didn't like this. Sitting in the theater I became sidetracked by identifying the rotoscoped actors. Years later I read the novel, which is excellent, & felt annoyed all over again that the movie hadn't done it justice. The book is really funny.
DeleteDuring lunch I went to my favorite used dvd store to get rid of some crap, and they had a couple of animation movies on 4k. So, I grabbed them and watched them right away.
ReplyDeleteSouth Park - Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999): One of the crap I sold was my old blu-ray of this movie, with the plan of eventually getting the 4k the next time I felt like watching it. Well, somebody heard me, because it was right there. The movie is so fun and weird and trashy. I love it. Blame Canada!
The Lord of the Rings - The War of the Rohirrim (2024): Not a great movie, I'm also not a huge of fan of anime generally (I like the hits and Miyazaki stuff), but I like the world of LOTR, so I enjoy this movie enough to get it when trading other stuff, basically making it free.
Always blame Canada ! 😁
DeleteI watched 10-15 minutes of the Rohirrim movie, and wasn't digging the animation style at all. But I do love LOTR so I'll likely give it another shot someday.
DeleteFlow (2024)
ReplyDeleteThe Latvian animated film that won the Oscar this year for Best Animated Feature, a dialogue-free adventure featuring animals that behave somewhat realistically. That sounds a little like a chore but it's the furthest thing from. Absolutely wonderful, captivating, riveting from moment one. The animation is gorgeous in a lo-fi way, I'll never forget this movie. I loved it.
Best movie of 2024!
DeleteThis was my favourite movie of 2024 too! I feel like I'll be revisiting it often.
DeleteAmerican Pop (1981) Ralph Bakshi
ReplyDeleteFirst watch in over 25 years. It was just as melancholy as I remembered. Occasionally great scenes and animation. Ultimately its strengths don’t outweigh its weaknesses.
WE’RE BACK! A DINOSAUR’S STORY - 1993
ReplyDeleteThis is my first disappointment of the month because I am a John Patrick Shanley guy and while I figured it wouldn’t be great because of the 4 directors, I was hoping for something more weird or at least affecting from a JPS screenplay.
THE IRON GIANT (1999, dir. Brad Bird)
ReplyDeleteAnimated films are a rare watch for me. Looking for an animated feature for today, I considered connections to the genre side of Junesploitation. The science-fiction aspect of The Iron Giant made it a good fit for today, and I happen to have a DVD of it. I found it an entertaining film and a good break from the 1970s watches that have so far dominated the month. A robot with a hearty appetite for metal arrives from space and befriends a boy. The boy tries to keep the robot out of trouble, but the robot will do what he wants to do. Of course, in the paranoia of 1950s United States, a huge robot causing mayhem will not be tolerated. It could be a communist plot! There are references to the 1950s B-movie aliens of the era along with some subverting of the tropes of those films. The influence of E.T., and Steven Spielberg in general, is noticeable.
Junesploitation is nearing the halfway mark. As the available days to program for the month dwindles, I am putting away discs that I know I will not get to. The pile that is still left to choose from will need to be whittled down further. It is not an easy process excluding films that you swore you would finally watch this year. Anybody else going through this dilemma? There is still so much left to see.
ReplyDeleteSeconded. 😅 I swore l'd cut my list of unwatched 4K UHD's by more than half during J!, and l've barely touched them. I blame TUBI. 🤩😛
DeleteThis time I've opted to only get out stacks in small batches. Particularly because I keep ending up with a small stack for a day I know I won't be watching more than one...
DeleteI have been more disciplined this year about sticking with movies I own. I am also prioritizing those titles that have been on my watch list for a long time, but there is no way to get to all of those in one June. There are some rental discs and a few films on the DVR that I am planning to watch later this month. Streaming has not played much of a role so far.
DeleteFELIDAE (1994, Michael Schaak)
ReplyDeleteFirst-time watch, Deaf Crocodile 4K, 8/10.
A new cat in the neighborhood wants to solve a series of murders (of cats) & must navigate a cat cult, mad scientist history, freaky dreams & a sultry kitty-kat. Classically animated & not in any way aimed at children, this German mystery is pretty great! I try to always temper external hype before viewing something & FELIDAE has it's fans: determined hype-worthy. It's not nearly as dark PLAGUE DOGS, but dark enough to bite.
I respected Felidae more than I liked it when I watched it earlier in the year. Creating any animated feature takes a lot of work, and there are some impressive sequences in the film. At a certain point near the end I lost interest in the mystery, though.
DeleteCool World 1992
ReplyDeleteDirected by Ralph Bakshi
I remember wanting to see this as a kid, but I couldn't. But today I finally did! Aaaand... meh.
The first half was almost totally dull and just an exercise in animation overlay. The disappointing thing was that there wasn't much interaction between animated and real characters. And I got tired of all the nonsensical stuff popping up, like weird skull looking things floating around the foreground that nobody reacts to. (why??)
The second half was a little more interesting, with the doom scenario and characters flickering between states. Overall it was more or less as enjoyable as expected... not good but not irredeemable.
The Bloody Lady (1980)
ReplyDeleteLady Elisabeth Bathory is sweet and kind until she literally gives her heart away to a man and starts murdering young women and bathing in their blood.
Apart from a brief introduction, there's no dialog, so I ended up a bit lost at times. It also jumps between horror and loony toons logic, which was entertaining.
⭐️ Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
ReplyDelete1993 | Eric Radomski / Bruce Timm
Exploitation? Maybe…
but I’ve been wanting to rewatch this for quite some time and I do what I want! (and that attitude IS exploitation!)
⭐️ La Planète Sauvage
ReplyDelete1973 | René Laloux
⭐️ Cool World
1992 | Ralph Bakshi
Hubs gonna have to eat his 🥦 to get his 🧁 tonight 😂! (He’s not fond of subtitles or foreign film but I think it will be worth it in the end 🤷♂️)
🍒🍒👀 for us both!
Time Masters (1982)
ReplyDeleteKind of an odd movie, as it shifts in tones quickly between menacing and playful. It's quite languid to begin but quickly picks up the pace. Thanks for the recommendation Kunider. I'm glad I remembered you mentioning it.
Glad you remembered, and liked it. This movie was show during kids programming when i was young. It freaked me and my friends, but we also loved it
DeleteThe french version is a lot better. My son and I were watching in English for a bit, but were a little confused. Once we switched to the original francophone version, it was a lot easier to understand.
DeleteOh yeah, i forgot you speak french.
DeleteWas the french version on the youtube video? I didn't check
No, I "found" it somewhere else online (it wasn't available to legally stream). The video quality looked like it came from a DVD.
DeleteHey, whatever you need to do man. if they want us to watch it, they need to make it available
DeletePredator: Killer of Killers (2025)
ReplyDeleteI'd heard there was a new Predator movie on Hulu, but didn't realize until today's comments (thanks Cedric!) that it was a cartoon! This was pretty fun and fresh, and the anthology structure allowed the movie to drop the Predator into several unique settings in a single movie. It also doesn't pull any punches just because it's animated--this thing is as blood-soaked and kill-filled as anything else I've watched this month.
I was confused too when it came out, because there is a live action coming out later this year, and i thought that was it
DeletePup On A Picnic (1955)
ReplyDeleteSouthbound Duckling (1955)
Touche, P4ssy Cat! (1954)
Pet Peeve (1954)
William Hanna & Joseph Barbera
Warner Archive Blu-Ray. It's been years since I last saw these & they've never looked better.
The Day the Earth Blew Up (2025)
ReplyDeleteDelightful in every way. The new Warner Blu-Ray defines bare bones. Hey, Warner Brothers! Take some pride in your history! Sheesh.
Predator Killer of Killers (2025 Dir Dan Trachtenberg)
ReplyDeleteNot too much to add on this one. I liked it. Im really excited Dan Trachtenberg gets to keep playing in this universe and look forward to his next movie. Still not really sold on this style of animation as some but the stories action and gore make up for it.
Apollo 10 and a 1/2 (2020 Dir Richard Linklater)
Richard Linklaters rotoscoped ode to his Houston childhood, the summer of 69 and the moon landing. I love this movie and as I said on Bluesky I really hope it gets a disc soon.
Fantastic Planet (1973)
ReplyDeleteI’ve been circling this old-school, cerebral sci-fi for several Junes now, which is why watching it today felt the most like homework to me. It’s trippy and imaginative, with interesting ideas and some really cool designs of creatures and landscapes, but it’s not a terribly dynamic story, so a late night viewing can be a bit challenging (as I found out first-hand). Still, glad to be able to finally cross it off the list.
That is a film that is best appreciated when you are able to totally concentrate on it.
DeleteHave you ever seen Belladonna of Sadness? That is a similarly surrealistic animated film from around the same period.
Belladonna is great. I should've rewatched it today, i'm due for a rewatch
DeleteAlso, the director of Fantastic Planet is the same as Time Masters, about 10 years apart. Since Criterion release the former, i'm hoping they'll do the later at some point
DeleteYep, watched Belladonna of Sadness exactly a year ago, last Junesploitation. I really liked it.
DeleteAmerican Splendor (2003)
ReplyDeleteRevelatory film about Harvey Pekar and his one-of-a-kind comic book. Funny, trenchant, and endlessly sad, why didn’t this unique film garner more Oscar nominations? I believe it was only nominated for Best Screenplay. Paul Giamatti deserved one for playing Pekar.
A crime it's not on blu-ray
DeleteI've only seen it once, but it had pretty great performances from what I remember!
Delete