Episode 1 The Phantom Menace

My son and I went to see Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D this past Friday. When my son was 4, the very first movie he ever saw in theatres was Episode 1, so it is pretty cool that 13 years later we can share the same experience. And we got these cool Darth Maul 3D glasses!

As for the movie itself, the 3D conversion was well done. It added depth to the movie, giving you a sense of immersion into the film, rather than the gimmicky things flying at the screen that many movies use 3D for. Plus, it is always amazing to see Star Wars on the big screen.

The Phantom Menace is not my favorite of the Star Wars movies, but it is still Star Wars and I love it. However, I am shocked at the amount of hatred being spewed towards this film and George Lucas in general. There have been several things in the news that have made me think seriously about Star Wars fandom and my connection to it. This will be a posting at a later date as it is something I want to really try to express well.

So for now, I will just say that I am very happy Star Wars is back on the big screen and that I had the chance to see it once again with my son.

Redline

Every few years an anime movie will come along that is groundbreaking and raises the entire genre to new levels. In the past, movies such as 'Akira' and 'Ghost in the Shell' have done this. Tonight I watched a movie that should join theses ranks; 'Redline'.

I had been hearing about this movie for quite some time now on different anime podcasts and web sites. And everything I heard was incredible. Not only did no one seem to dislike this movie, but they all raved about it. Finding people mostly agreeing on anything online is almost unheard of. So I added the movie to my Netflix que and today it arrived.

It did not disappoint in the least! The plot is nice and simple; racers from all across the galaxy are competing in a road race called the Redline. The race is not exactly legal and the planet it is to be held on does everything they can to stop it. That's it, nothing more complex then that. Anime sometimes has, in my opinion, the tendency to get bogged down in complex plots. To find one that was simple and just wanted to be entertaining was a nice change of pace.

What really sets 'Redline' apart are the visuals. It is beautifully animated. The races are a cacophony of chaos; cars twisting and dancing in ways that defy all laws of physics. Explosions, smoke, fire, revving engines, all of it coming at once, making for scenes that need repeat viewings. Think of it as Speed Racer on crack. Even the background and crowd scenes are amazing; with strange alien species being depicted.

My words are not sufficient to get across how amazing this movie looks and how much fun it is. If you like exciting race movies with a sci-fi twist and are will to try something different, add 'Redline' to your Netflix list. I think you will be glad you did.