The Spirit

USA, 2008

Director: Frank Miller
Starring: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, Eric Balfour, Paz Vega, Scarlett Johansson, Jaime King
IMDB: 5.1

The Spirit may be one of those movies you either love or hate. With a 5.1 rating on imdb, it seems the average movie-goer doesn't care much for this movie. But then, I rarely agree with the average movie-goer anyway. And this is no exception.

Perhaps many won't like its seemingly derivative nature, as The Spirit uses the exact same visual style as Robert Rodriguez' Sin City. But this is no surprise given it's directed by Frank Miller, and for me its a style that works perfectly for a film-noir comic-adaptation such as this. Like Sin City, it just looks amazing.

The cast has got talent to burn, even accomplished Spanish actress Paz Vega has only a small role as the exotic Plaster of Paris. But this movie is dominated by the performances of Samuel L Jackson (as The Octopus) and Scarlett Johansson (as Silken Floss). Their interplay is worth the price of admission alone. And as usual for SLJ he gets to have his signature rant - this time espousing against eggs, in general (the reason for which is unexplained, unless I missed something).

Eva Mendes ups the babe factor and does a passable job as a film-noir moll, she may or may not be a terrific actress, but I think that's beside the point here. She provides the glamour that is needed, backed up by a bevy of supporting dames in minor roles.

What I really liked about the movie may be what a lot of people didn't - some scenes are just downright trippy! You have to admire a director who is prepared to stray from the norm and create something a bit different. This gives the film a more adult feel, but the tiny excursions into la-la land may put some people off who like things to follow the usual formula.

In summary, this is a fantastic looking movie that is a lot of fun to watch. You get to see SLJ in action, and there's some great eye candy too. Many may compare it to Sin City and feel it comes up short, but I say take it for what it is and enjoy. This is very accomplished and creative film-making, and personally I'm hoping for many more movies in this style.

Rating: 7.5/10

Screenshots - click to enlarge

Cutie Honey

Original title: Kyûtî Hanî
Japan, 2004

Director: Hideaki Anno
Starring: Eriko Sato, Mikako Ichikawa, Jun Murakami
IMDB: 6.5

Based on the manga by Go Nagai, Cutie Honey is a Japanese comic superhero flick - think the Japanese version of Wonder Woman.

As the title suggests, our hero is exceedingly cute - but also pretty damn sexy with her long legs and costume-filling curves. Of course no-one does cute like Japan, and lead actress Eriko Sato has the necessary rubber face and looks to suit the role perfectly.

The story is nothing original, the basic premise has been used in superhero/crime capers for decades. What sets Cutie Honey apart is that it has been brought to life with a uniquely Japanese aesthetic, mixing manga styles with cutesy and sexy at the same time.

Interestingly, J-pop diva Koda Kumi provides the catchy title song and even appears in her own scene.

I can hardly recommend this as a quality intelligent movie - it is as shallow and vapid as the name suggests. But if you're in the mood for a light-hearted superhero flick sprinkled with a liberal dose of PG-rated T&A and some zany Japanese action then you will surely have fun with this.

Rating: 5/10

Screenshots - click to enlarge

Trailer

Original Japanese Movie Poster

Get the original Japanese movie poster here

Cat's Eye

Japan, 1997
Director: Kaizo Hayashi
Starring: Yuki Uchida, Izumi Inamori, Norika Fujiwara
IMDB: 4.4

Let's be honest here - this live-action comic book adaptation from Japan has one major thing going for it - hot women in skin tight leather catsuits. Especially when one of the aforementioned is Miss Japan 1992 Norika Fujiwara.

The story is fairly straight-forward comic-book fare - there's guns, gizmos, martial arts, car chases, a love interest or two thrown in for good measure. Nothing ground-breaking here - you probably know what to expect. It's B-Movie all the way, with some fairly amateur effects and some dialogue in English which I suspect the actresses spoke phonetically, as it sounds very strange.

Having said that, its light-hearted fun all the way and if comic book superhero movies are your bag, or you have a thing for catsuits then you may well find this a good watch.

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