Rick Drew

Amazing books ruined by a lackluster script and terrible acting. They took the bag, bad monsters and made them into cutesy Disney parodies. Mark Ruffalo was doing a really bad Trump impersonation the entire movie and was nothing like the character in the book. His wife? Just as annoying. It's like they told the two actors "Look, do your worst acting, delivery and timing - like you really hate the part and wonder why you're even here..." The special effects were good - that was the only redeeming factor.

Apocalypse Hotel. Wow. Sleeper of the season. Crunchyroll should be ashamed they did nothing to promote it. This is what I'd call the sleeper anime of the season. I found it by accident and watched the first episode mainly because of the title. Ever seen "Planetarium"? Same vibe. Except Earth is 100% devoid of animal life. Just plants and robots, and gradually, aliens. The owner of the Gingaro Hotel left his robot staff with one basic set of commands, basically a 10 commandments of hotel hospitality. This is a heart-string tugging, laugh out loud, yell at the screen series. If you've ever lost someone dear to you, you'll be crying at a couple of episodes because they handle it perfectly. But you'll also laugh during the same episodes - they're that clever. 100% do not miss this series. The animation is fantastic, the voice acting (I watch the sub) spot-on, the plots and storytelling top-notch. One episode they go all-out Kill La Kill and it's hilarious. Another one is basically entirely culture shock inspired poop jokes - sounds bad, but again, not the way they doo-doo it. It's one of the few anime this season I really look forward to seeing. Each episode is a continuation of the previous one, but still stands alone. There's only a few epic-battles, but even the world-destroying critters are cute. The Gingaro staff will make you laugh and cry and make the time fly by. It's a series where you'll want another season - but you don't need it. They wrapped it up so well with the ideal blend of angst and humor, and answered all the unanswered questions. And shower hats. It always comes down to shower hats. The final few seconds? Laugh-out-loud.

Some were pretty amazing, but others seemed like high-school projects where kids were given software and told to "make something cool." Idiotic plots, terrible directing. The only really original one was the Warhammer piece, and that had plenty of lore to draw on. Everything else was basically, I'll be generous, an "inspired by" piece. At the end of PacMan, I expected some emaciated old-dude to yell "boy!"

I'll never miss watching this movie. Campy and original, hilarious in parts and so clever. "I noticed these men were wearing Battle of the Bulge medals!" "There is no Battle of the Bulge medal!" EXACTLY! He was Buckaroo Banzai and James Bond with a touch of Elon Musk, all rolled into a single package.

I have not seen it in decades - and to this day I remember the scene where she realizes he's back. An ADHD gem. Anyway, worth watching.

If you're a fan of the Captain Herlock / Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express and other anime of that style and era, you'll be a big fan of this movie (and TV series.) The style is 100% different than today - colors, style, motion. The soundtrack is by Kitaro and is amazing - I still listen to it today. Watching it you can just see all the ways this series of anime has influenced what we see today, from action to angles. Arcadia of my Youth, Galaxy Express, Mystery of the Arcadia, Queen Emeraldas and even Galaxy Express - all share the same look and feel - you you'll love them or hate them.

We actually watched this at a drive-in theater and it was a blast. Campy. almost idiotic anthropomorphic G.Z. Jr. roaming around the island. Blowing smoke rings. Zapping stuff. Classic giant lizard fun.

Put your common sense on the back burners, suspend logic, forget practicality. Done all that? Then you can enjoy this movie. It can be a fun watch - just don't take it seriously. Don't question the constant idiotic decisions or anachronisms. Just enjoy this for what it is - a mindless romp in a post-apocalyptic hellscape that often confuses a dinner at medieval times with a Mad-Max cosplay reenactment.

It's an engaging movie with the right amount of suspense. Remember - it was made in 1975. So there's no CGI - it's all about location, close-ups and the story. Eastwood starred, directed, climbed and did his own stunt work. Warren Murphy - famous for the Destroyer series - did the screen play. John Williams wrote the score. The end result is a classic that still works 45 years later.