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m_bryce74
Reviews
Lily C.A.T. (1987)
Curio worth watching... Just
To me, and presumably a number of others, there was something special about Robotech. For all it's many convolutions it was lightning in a bottle. The energy, the complex sci-fi packaged in a youth demo-graph, the richly drawn characters struggling against real darkness and danger, the music and everything else. There has been a lot of similar anime that has fallen far short, not least the turgid, corporate 'Shadow Chronicles'. So the fact that lily C.A.T. was brought to us by the same people that constructed Robotech potentially promised something special, or at least something in that familiar style. Pleasingly, the animation is pretty much the same, and several familiar voice actors crop up, but ultimately the question would be whether it stacks up on it's own.
The story is disappointingly derivative, in equal part to 'Alien' and 'The Thing'. There are a few interesting ideas, mainly concerning suspended animation over long periods in deep space travel, and time and effort has gone into the ship design and the future technology, but it is essentially nothing new. The story concerns a deep space expedition that travels to a distant planet to investigate the possibility of habitation but along the way is contaminated with some form of alien life which eventually starts picking the passengers and crew off one by one. Add to this an A.I. that has it's own agenda and two passengers that are not who they claim to be and we are ready to go down a pretty familiar path. Telling an old tale is always forgivable if it is done inventively and with energy and I would say, in this regard, that lily C.A.T. gets a pass mark. It is more problematic, I feel, in it's indecision over whether it is more for adults or for kids. There is some horror and some of the concepts are quite adult yet it fails at creating an adult internal reality. Mostly in regards to the characters reactions to some pretty horrific events. It might well work for more adventurous younger viewers but it is hard for me to say. The characters are mostly interesting and well realized but their interaction falls way short of the mark for adult sensibilities which is generally not the case with Macross, Mospeada and Southern Cross, or Robotech.
I refer to these other anime mainly because it would be hard to recommend Lily C.A.T. on it's own. A fan of the aforementioned franchises would have a much better chance with this than a random viewer. This, like Robotech is storytelling on the cusp between adolescence and the adult, and that would be a problem for some, who had no prior fondness for the work of Carl Macek and his ilk. Ultimately, for lovers of Robotech I would recommend Lily C.A.T. as worth the effort. It may not be a masterpiece but it definitely has that same mood and feel. It has that sense of energy and fun for the most part and it's flaws are there, but it can still be enjoyed if you are in the mood to be generous with it.
Glen and Randa (1971)
Totally unique low budget Sci-Fi/Fantasy gem
Science Fiction/fantasy is a genre different in certain ways from other genres. In order for its ideas to be communicated a physical world usually needs to be constructed, and in order for this to happen, big dollars need to be invested. The most high brow concepts fall in a heap when the sets start wobbling or the cheesy music starts. There are not many low budget Sci- Fi/fantasy success stories. Glen and Randa is an exception. On an absolute shoe string budget a work has been created of genuine vision. In terms of a narrative there isn't much to speak of. The story tells of two teenagers who, after being visited by a traveling merchant in a post apocalyptic world, trek across the country side in search of a city. Something they have read about in comic books but never seen. It is never alluded to what caused the breakdown in society, but people live in it's remnants, in a kind of stunned simplicity. The story is told in a long series of scenes, which tell a story, but they are really there to give impressions of a world devoid of social structure and technology. Rather than creating elaborate sets and situations, Glen and Randa explores this through examining the internal world of the two main characters. They experience the world around them with a mixture of innocence and ignorance. They have a horse but no idea that it can be ridden, They aren't able to understand what a minute is, and when Randa becomes pregnant, they have no understanding of what that means, or how to deal with it. The internal logic of the film plays out without any flaw, always a real acid test for any work in the genre. Situations are often troubling, but not illogical. And through use of whatever locations were handy, an otherworldly reality is effectively created without a dime spent on lumber. It took a while for the film to work it's magic on me, because it was such unusual story telling. Because of it's early 70's origin I figured it would have a Hippy kind of naturalist message like Gas or wild in the Streets, but it became apparent that it went much deeper than that, which, to me is why it is such a crime that this film has been so completely overlooked. My advice is if you enjoy the genre beyond Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, then take any opportunity you get to watch this film, if you can bond with its ideosyncratic style of story telling you definitely won't be disappointed.