chribren Reviews

Geir og Ann Helens Bryllup (2002 Video)

This video recording of an ordinary wedding is as good as nearly lost.

[5/10 · 26 April 2025]

1-2 year ago, I received a bunch of music CDs from a friend of mine, with all kinds of music. Among the CDs is a DVD with nothing written on it, but the DVD turns out to feature an amateur video recording of an ordinary wedding.

The video is of two people named Geir and Ann Helen, getting married inside Dolstad Church in my hometown, Mosjøen. Of course with family members and acquaintances as audience. Followed by a nice big dinner, some touching speeches, and some partying and fun. Nothing to spoil here. But whoever videotaped the whole thing is completely unknown, unless you were an acquaintance or a family member.

While it is always nice to see people getting married, I had one little problem while watching it. While the speeches could be hard to listen to so I would have to turn up the sound, the few songs used in the video are so super-loud that it could be heard across the apartment complex where I live. It doesn't help when for example "Amazed" by Lonestar seems to have been randomly chosen and thrown into the video with super-loud volume while the rest is almost silent. That's one thing I don't like with certain films: Music so loud that it overpowers background sounds and dialogues I am supposed to listen to.

Additionally, the film itself may possibly have been only released with just a few copies for family members and acquaintances, and is as good as so obscure it's nearly lost. And I am just one of the few people owning a copy of it, if not the only one. For historical purposes and proof, I would love to have the film uploaded on Internet Archive or YouTube, if it only hasn't been for a few copyrighted songs just randomly tossed into the film, enough to give me copyright strikes.

All-in-all, I would like to give this nearly-lost film a rating of 6-7 of 10 stars, but thanks to the few super-loud music overpowering natural sounds, I'd give this my personal rating of 5/10.

For Better or for Worse: The Bestest Present (1985 TV Movie)

Oooohhh, I remember this from my childhood!

[9/10 · 14 January 2017]

"For Better or for Worse: The Bestest Present" is a Christmas cartoon special that was produced in 1985, and first aired on American TV on this year. It was directed by Sebastian Grunstra, who also directed all sequels except from "A Storm in April".

Basic plot: During a rainy day before Christmas Eve, Michael and Lizzie are taken by their mother to a shopping mall. When they return to their home, they discover that Lizzie's stuffed bunny is gone...

Being an IMDb user, I haven't written a single review for a long time, until now when I just happened to accidentally find a somewhat rare Christmas special I haven't seen for many, many years since my early childhood. "The Bestest Present", that is the first of the "For Better or for Worse" TV-specials, is a very cozy cartoon that is suitable for everybody. The animation is very easy but nicely done, and the story is very easy to follow. Now in this afternoon prior to this review, I almost took to tears in one scene thanks to the childhood memories I've got from watching this, when the father comforts Lizzie by singing a goodnight song to her.

In my early childhood, we used to have the TV-special as recorded on VHS, and I think it was dubbed in Norwegian of course, since most cartoons for kids are dubbed in my country. What I have always remembered are: That funny dog drinking from the toilet, the car driving to the shopping mall, all the raining, and that stuffed bunny. But since my English and memories weren't as good as today, I've never remembered the title, until I finally discovered this cartoon today, something that made me happy.

If you like watching cozy animated Christmas movies/specials suitable for all audiences, I'll highly recommend you to find this, and watch this at least once. Some other Christmas stuff I'd like to recommend include: Any Christmas specials from Rankin Bass like "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", as well as Disney's "From All of Us to All of You".

My overall rating: A well deserved 9/10.

Super Mario 3D World (2013 Video Game)

Pretty unique 3D-platformer game with Mario and co.

[9/10 · 18 December 2015]

"Super Mario 3D World" is a 3D-platformer game which was released for Wii U by Nintendo near the end of November 2013. It is a sequel to "Super Mario 3D Land" which was released for Nintendo 3DS.

Basic plot: Our famous heroes Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad are about to enjoy the fireworks outside of Peach's castle, when they discover a Clear Pipe. Lots of items and a green Sprixie Princess burst out from the pipe. The Sprixie Princess needs help, and tells the heroes about six of her fellows having gotten kidnapped by Bowser. Bowser suddenly emerges from the pipe and kidnaps her, so Mario and company have to save all the seven kidnapped Sprixie Princesses...

This is a game which I got during Christmas Eve 2013, and I enjoyed from the first second I began playing it. Besides from the different 3D-worlds and the various challenges, I also liked the new items, including the Cat Suit which allows the heroes to climb up high walls. And if that isn't enough, I also liked the idea of having up to 4 players to play the game, and not at least choose any of the four characters. I, for the most part, played as Peach.

And if you are interested, an another character named Rosalina can be unlocked in the first Bonus World.

Conclusion: If you enjoy anything related to Mario and company, but yet haven't play this game as of today, then I recommend you to buy this game, if not only play this one at least once. My overall rating: 9/10.

Bubble Bobble (1986 Video Game)

One of the legendary classics in the history of video games.

[10/10 · 21 November 2015]

"Bubble Bobble" is a video game, originally made as an arcade game in 1986, and later ported into other consoles like Commodore 64, PC, Game Boy and Sega Master System to name a few.

Basic plot: Simply put, this game involves Bub and Bob, two dragon twins who's girlfriends have been kidnapped by Baron Von Blubba and must be saved.

Through 100 levels (or 200 if you played the Sega Master System version), Bub and Bob must shoot bubbles from their mouths in order to trap their enemies, and then defeat them. Food can be collected every time, and items which are mostly useful against enemies can be collected as well. If you manages to fulfill some challenges, a secret door may appear on certain stages.

This is one of the best and legendary video games I've played for Sega Master System, a console my family still owns at their hut. Most of the stages the player(s) have to go through are pretty easy and funny, the graphic is very nice and easy to look at. Even the whole game-play is very easy as well. And who doesn't remember the good old music mostly played through the whole game...? This is a very famous game most people around the world must have played already.

Seriously, this is one of the Sega-games I've been playing the most, some other games being "Sonic the Hedgehog", "Alex Kidd in the Miracle World" and "Lemmings". Sometimes, as long as I and my big sister played this game, we had some trouble trying to find a Magic Candle, a special item which allows the player to automatically light up all later stages which would normally be played through as black screen. Otherwise, we used to have lots of fun playing this game.

As I have mentioned already, this is a game most people must have played already. If not, then I highly recommend you to try this game. Trust me, you won't regret even one second of playing it. In my opinion, this game highly deserves a full rating of 10/10.

Sailor Moon (1992–1997)

Sailor Moon meets Chibiusa...

[9/10 · 28 September 2015]

"Bishôjo Senshi Sêrâ Mûn R", or simply known as "Sailor Moon R", is the second of the five seasons of the "Sailor Moon" anime series. It was produced by Toei Animation, and originally aired on Japanese TV from 1993 to 1994.

Basic plot: During the first arc, Ail and Ann (two aliens disguised as humans) are seeking human energy in order to restore their life tree. Usagi and her friends, who had forgotten their lives as Sailor Senshi, have their memories restored...

In the second arc, a little girl named Chibiusa is sent from her future to search for the Silver Crystal. The new enemies, including the Black Moon Clan, the Ayakashi sisters, Prince Demando and Wiseman to name a few, are searching for the same crystal as well, in order to take over the future. Sailor Pluto also makes an debut in this season.

Several months earlier prior to this review, I made a review about the first season: It was a great classic within the world of magical-girl-anime. In common with the said season, "Sailor Moon R" is a pretty good season. It has cute animation, good soundtrack and an okay plot, as well as a good portion of humor, dramatic, romance and not at least action. The first arc in this season is basically a filler arc, but the Black Moon arc is pretty interesting.

As I have watched the Japanese version of this anime, the eye-catch which shows the Sailor Senshi as Chibis (short humans) is simply my favorite sequence, by the overall eye-catches shown throughout the entire "Sailor Moon" franchise. For those who don't know what an eye-catch is, it is simply a short sequence made for a commercial break.

Dali's epic song "Moonlight Densetsu", which was played in the first season, also serves as the theme song for the second season.

Conclusion: If you like watching anime made in the 90s, as well as anime dealing with magical girls, then this one may be a good choice for you. However, it is strong recommended that you watch the first "Sailor Moon" season before this. My overall rating: 9/10.

Strega Nona (1977)

I can still remember this Weston Woods animation...

[7/10 · 19 March 2015]

"Strega Nona" is a short animated film from 1977, based on the children's book by Tomie DePaola. It was directed by Gene Deitch, and produced by Weston Woods Studios.

Basic plot: Strega Nona is a female witch doctor who is known all over Calabria (Southern Italy) where the story takes place. She has for a long time helped many villagers with their troubles, including curing headaches and helping women to find their husbands to name a few.

A young man named Big Anthony secretly watches as Strega Nona uses her magic to produce lots of cooked pasta. When Strega Nona one day leaves her residence under the young man's care, Big Anthony decides to try the same: To produce a lot of pasta...

This was one of the Weston Woods animated shorts I saw as a little boy. Now, when I think about it, this short film had some nice and funny drawings, and a very easy storytelling which any children should be able to follow. This film happened to follow the book very closely.

I remember this short film, mainly because the local library where I'm working used to have this film on a very old VHS. This VHS, which was released in Norway by Nord Video during the very early 80s, also had three other shorts being: "Googles" (1974), "The Three Robbers" (1972) and "Changes, Changes" (1972). Such a nice but funny childhood memory I'll never be able to forget...

Because of this film following the book closely, and this film being most of all one of my childhood memories withing the world of short animated films, I would like to give this a rating of 7/10.

Mahô no idol Pastel Yumi (1986– )

Somewhat rare, but pretty nice Magical Girl-anime from 1986.

[8/10 · 3 March 2015]

"Mahou no Idol Pastel Yumi", also called "Magical Idol Pastel Yumi", is a Magical Girl-anime which was produced by Studio Pierrot, and broadcast on Japanese TV during year 1986. Number of episodes: 25.

Basic plot: Yumi Hanazono lives together with her parents at their flower shop, and pretty much likes flowers and comics. Upon being in some trouble, she meets two flower fairies who decide to help her. These fairies, named Kakimaru and Keshimaru, give her a magic cane and a pendant. Anything Yumi draws in the air using the cane takes form and becomes real, but the magic doesn't last long before it vanishes. Yumi wants to use her magic for good stuff, but causes trouble around her for some reasons...

As I just finished this anime just around a hour earlier prior to this review, I'd say I pretty much enjoyed it. It is a pretty good magical girl-anime which can be watched by any family around the world. It has typical but nice and colorful animation as expected from any family-friendly anime. Many cute or funny characters which many people can rely to. Nice soundtrack as well. As with most anime, there are some dramatic scenes here and there, but otherwise this anime has many funny moments which actually made me giggle several times.

This is the fourth Magical Girl series Studio Pierrot produced during the 80s, the first three was "Creamy Mami" (1983), "Magical Girl Persia" (1984) and "Magical Emi, the Magic Star" (1985).

I found this one to be a nice recommendation for anyone who are into magical girl-stuff like "Creamy Mami", "Sweet Mint", "Tokyo Mew Mew" and not at least the classic "Sailor Moon" from 1992. My overall rating: 8/10.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014 Video Game)

This SSB-game can't be better than this...

[10/10 · 20 February 2015]

"Super Smash Bros. for Wii U" is a fighting game made for Nintendo Wii U during late 2014. The DS-version was released a few months before, making this the fifth one in the series overall. Like all the other SSB-games, this one was made by Masahiro Sakurai.

Like in the other games, popular video game characters like Mario, Pikachu, Captain Falcon, Zelda and Donkey Kong fight each other. As usual, they can run everywhere in each stages, pick up items, get blasted into the sky, etc. Many old characters appear in the game, as well as newcomers like Rosalina & Luma, Little Mac and Palutena. Together with new stages, several retro stages like 75m, Halberd and Norfair (one of my favorite stages from "Brawl") appear as well with improved graphics.

As much as I often did with "Brawl" for Wii, I pretty much enjoy this game which I got as a Christmas gift. The HD graphics in the game are just as great as it could be, somewhat improved since the Wii-epoch. There is a great selection of multiple characters, stages, music and items. And as if that wasn't enough, there is a great selection of different game modes to play on, including "Classic Mode", "Smash Tour", "Target Blast", "8-Player Smash", "Multi-Man Mode", "Special Orders" and a drastically different variant of "Stage Builder" to name some.

Speaking about some of the modes: "Smash Tour" plays as a board game where players use a Mii character. The "Classic Mode" is a little bit different from how it was in the previous games I've played, but very funny. "Target Blast" is also a bit different as instead of hitting every single targets in fastest possible time, you use a bomb on multiple targets at once. Up to eight players can fight on the versus mode.

This is a game I will pretty much recommend to anyone who owns a Wii U-console, mainly due to all the fun one can have with this. My overall rating: A full 10/10. Let the battle begin...

Red Asphalt V (2006)

Car accidents...It can still happen to anyone...

[9/10 · 25 January 2015]

"Red Asphalt V" is a short driver's education film produced in 2006, and is the fifth "Red Asphalt"-film California Highway Patrol had made since 1964.

Basic plot: Like the first four films, this one deals with traffic accidents on Californian highway. This time teenagers are in focus. Here we see shocking real life footages of young people lying dead in such incident, and we get to watch several interviews with some of the teenagers who had witnessed or survived such tragedies, as well as CHP officers who respond to such deadly collisions on a daily basis. According to CHP, car accidents happens everyday in Californian roadways. And this can happen to any people, at any age, and anywhere.

Car accidents happen as a result of doing dangerous stuff like speeding, drugging, inattention or impairment behind the wheel. This film was originally made for students to motivate them to drive carefully.

We, the people, may don't like it. But unfortunately we hear about car accidents everywhere, and everyday, like it had become a part of our daily life. It's on the news on TV and radio, and sometimes it's written on newspapers and Internet. Speaking about real life, even my big sister has unfortunately gotten in car accidents two times so far. Luckily, she survived both of them.

I'm so lucky I got to see all of the five "Red Asphalt" films online. I mean, these films are not made for entertainment. They aren't funny. Their footages might be disturbing to some people, but these films were made to give the viewer a warning about the consequences of driving too fast, not wearing safety belt, drinking before driving, etc. These movies deserve to get watched by as many people as possible, then the amount of car accidents may get reduced. Because of how the CHP handled this topic, how they warn people against dangerous driving and such stuff, I wanna give this fifth film, (together with the other four films) an overall rating of 9/10.

Take responsibility and pay attention while driving.

Some other important driver's ed-films include: "Signal 30", "Highways of Agony", "Wheels of Tragedy" and the very rare "Drive and Survive".

Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986 Video Game)

Before Sonic the Hedgehog, there was Alex Kidd.

[9/10 · 11 January 2015]

"Alex Kidd in Miracle World" is a 8-bit platform game which was first released for Sega Master System in Japan 1986. It is the first game to have the popular character Alex Kidd.

Basic plot: This game is set in a fantasy world called Miracle World. Here Alex Kidd is in search for his lost brother Prince Egle, who (together with Princess Lora) has been captured by the villainous Janken the Great, who then has taken over the peaceful land of Radaxian. Before Alex Kidd meets up with Janken the Great, he has to pass Janken's three henchmen who performs the game "Rock, Paper, Scissors".

Also, before Alex Kidd can continue to next stage, he must get into a hamburger. Or a Japanese rice food called "onigiri" if you have the original version of the game.

Why there hasn't been any reviews for this game here on the IMDb-site until now, making me the first one to comment about this game on this site, is for me a great mystery. Together with the first Super Mario-games for Nintendo, this game is a classic within the world of Sega. The game's theme music, and all of the other music used in the game are unforgettable. The nice 2D graphics and landscapes which should be remembered. The items Alex Kidd could collect or buy, like a motorbike or the bracelet which allowed Alex to shoot "shocking waves of destruction" at enemies and blocks. And not at least, who would forget the "Rock, Paper, Scissors"-game which Alex Kidd had to perform in order to win over Janken's henchmen, who's heads were formed as hands.

I remember this game very much. To be more right, this game is one of my greatest childhood memories within the world of video games. This is because my family used to have Sega Master System before the time we got Nintendo 64. This game was a built-in game for this console, making this being the most known Alex Kidd-game ever. If you turned on the Sega console without any game cartridge put into the machine, this Alex Kidd-game would start by instant.

Alex Kidd was Sega's main mascot during the second half of the 80s, and was supposed to be Sega's answer to Super Mario. This was until Sega made the first Sonic the Hedgehog-games in early 90s. Since then Sonic has for a long time been Sega's mascot.

Together with a lot of old games, this game could also get downloaded into the Wii console via Virtual Console.

Due to this game being one of my childhood memories within Sega Master System, I give this game an overall rating of 9/10.

Several other great memories I have of the same video game console include: "Sonic the Hedgehog" and it's sequel, "Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck", "Castle of Illusion" and "Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse".

Bubblegum Crisis (1987–1991)

Pretty cool cyberpunk OVA of the late 80s

[9/10 · 14 December 2014]

"Bubblegum Crisis" is an 8-episode anime OVA-series which was released in Japan through 1987-1991. Made by AIC, Artmic and Youmex.

Basic plot: The year is 2032 in MegaTokyo, seven years after Tokyo was destroyed by a giant earthquake. Genom Corp, the big company which recreated the city, began mass-producing cyberdroids called Boomers meant to serve mankind by taking part in recreating MegaTokyo. When the Boomers started to run out of control, the A.D. Police tried to stop these cyberdroids, something which proved to be more difficult but deadly than imagined.

But, the hope isn't over yet, because four girls who have banded together as the Knight Sabers are also in MegaTokyo. These girls in powerful armor suits are strong enough to defend the city from Genom and the Boomers. And their names are: Sylia Stingray, Priscilla S. Asagiri, Linna Yamazaki and Nene Romanova.

I first heard about this anime around year 2004. However, for some reasons, I didn't get a chance to watch this anime until late autumn 2014. And I'm so glad to get to see this for once, at least with Japanese dub. This anime was epic, with lots of cyber/robot-action, car chases, humor and a pretty cool soundtrack which all together made me hooked from beginning to end. The MegaTokyo-setting in this anime was fairly realistic.

This anime was originally planned as a 13-episode long OVA-series, but was cancelled after 8 episodes due to legal problems between Artmic and Youmex. However, a 3-episode sequel called "Bubblegum Crash" was made. Still, the entire franchise remains a cult classic among anime fans.

This anime is highly recommended for any fans of Japanese cyberpunk animation set in future. I mean, if you haven't seen this yet, then this anime is not to miss, the same with "Bubblegum Crash". My overall rating for such a classic is therefore: 9/10.

Some similar anime also to be recommended include: "Angel Cop", "Appleseed", "Genocyber" and "Battle Angel".

Space Runaway Ideon (1980–1981)

I wish more Mecha-Anime-fans to watch this masterpiece.

[10/10 · 27 November 2014]

"Densetsu Kyojin Ideon", also called "Space Runaway Ideon", is a Mecha-Anime-series from 1980 which consists of 39 episodes. It was directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, also known for other Mecha-series like "Gundam" and "Heavy Metal L-Gaim".

Basic plot: During an attack on planet Solo, a group of people discover the ruins of a long dead alien civilization, a three-part combat robot called "the Ideon", and later a huge, powerful spaceship. After the "Ideon" and the spaceship (now called the Solo Ship) suddenly get activated, the crew on the Solo Ship (now in space) get constantly attacked by a group of pestering but powerful aliens called the Buff Clan, who are trying to get a hold of the "Id", the mysterious energy which powers "Ideon".

Just after watching the first two-three episodes, I just got hooked on this series. For something released on Japanese TV in very early 80s, nearly each episodes have lots of intense battle sequences which should satisfy any fans of combat-robot-anime, and the Mecha-animation is just as great as it could be. The soundtrack was pretty great, and fits perfectly for not only the combat scenes, but also most of the scenes of other stuff like dramatic, mystery and tragedy. Upon watching this anime, I got sympathy for most of the crew on the Solo Ship, including Cosmo Yuuki, Karala Ajiba and Sheryl Formosa just to name a few.

Originally, 43 episodes were supposed to be aired on TV, but due to low ratings, the rest of the series was cancelled after 39 episodes. Following said cancellation, due to demands for the remaining four episodes, two movies were made: The first one named "The Ideon: A Contact" is basically a summary of the first 32 episodes, with a few additional scenes only made for the movie. "The Ideon: Be Invoked" however contains the final unaired episodes which should end the Ideon saga once and for all.

Such a great anime this is, this one highly deserves to be released outside Japan where it was made, and I should wish that more people (mainly fans of Gundam-like Mecha-anime) would get to discover and eventually watch this masterpiece at least once. My overall rating is a full 10/10.

The Gambler (1980 TV Movie)

Enjoyable made-for-TV Western

[9/10 · 8 November 2014]

"The Gambler" is a made-for-TV Western-movie, directed by Dick Lowry in 1980.

Basic plot: Brady Hawkes (played by Kenny Rogers) is a famous poker player everybody wants to play against. On his trip to New Orleans, he gets to know about his son, who asks him in a letter to help him and his mother. Together with Billy Montana (played by Bruce Boxleitner), an avid poker gamer and a gunman, they are on the way to Hawkes' own problems; including an old enemy of Hawkes sending three assassins against him...

I just finished watching this on VHS before writing this review, this because I actually enjoyed this Western-movie. The storytelling was good, and music artist Kenny Rogers does a great performance as the famous gambler who does things with honesty. Bruce Boxleitner also does a great job as a gambler, but also a gunman.

The old VHS edition I have was released in Norway by former video distributor VIP Scandinavia AS/MDC Video during the 80s, and was rated 16. According the the video cover, this film was the most popular feature being shown on TV in USA in 1980.

For a conclusion, I wish to recommend anybody who enjoys TV-movies or Westerns to watch this movie at least once. My overall rating: 9/10.

Droga sterco di Dio (1987)

Beware of drugs.

[7/10 · 16 October 2014]

"Drogs Sterco Di Dio", also called "Drugs: A River of No Return", is a Mondo/documentary film by Stelvio Massi, year 1989.

Basic plot: This film deals with an atrocious and inhuman truth of various worldwide drug problems, according to the text which scrolls in the opening sequence. Some of the problems include: Drug trafficking, investigations and how drugs can be affecting to some people.

After the opening birth sequence, this film shows us how some of the drugs are being made by some people around the world, including tribe people and Indian people.

Later on, we get to see how crime scenes are being investigated in some places around the world, including Hong Kong and some jungle places. In some of the worst cases, bodies have to endure some autopsy as packages of drugs are being put into these bodies (pretty disturbing). Several airports around the world use dogs to sniff out illegal drugs.

This film also tells about what could happen if anybody should be a drug addict.

I found this film to be interesting and important. I mean, even though some of the scenes could be somewhat disturbing and gross at times, I would at least recommend any people who are into drugs and smoking to watch this film at least once. At least one of the objective of this film was to warn any people from the world of drugs, and eventually save even one life from such fate.

Once again, I would recommend any people (at the age of 18 and over) to watch this film, at least to learn about the scourge of drugs and to stay away from such stuff. In my opinion, because of how the topic has been handled by the team behind this film, I would give this film an overall rating of 7/10.

Yuki's Sun (1972)

Nice short directional debut by Hayao Miyazaki alone.

[10/10 · 5 October 2014]

"Yuki no Taiyou", also called "Yuki's Sun", is a 2-minute short animated pilot by Hayao Miyazaki year 1972. This pilot was based on a popular girls' comic by Tetsuya Chiba which was serialized around 1962-63.

Basic plot: As in the comic, this short pilot centers around Yuki, a 10-year old orphan who's being adopted into a family.

In my opinion, this short pilot has nice 70s animation and wonderful drawings. The story has some dramatic moment, but is told in a way so children should manage to follow.

This short film is to be remembered for at least one thing, because this one marks the first time the great Hayao Miyazaki has directed something alone. This one was made as a pilot for a television series which for some reasons was never realized.

Ever since this pilot, Miyazaki went on to make lots of amazing animated movies like "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988), "Spirited Away" (2001) and "Howl's Moving Castle" (2004), until his retirement after his last film "The Wind Rises" (2013). Because his movies went very popular around the world, I believe this director will be remembered by many fans of his films.

As a pilot for a never-realized anime series, I think this highly deserves an attention, and should be something to look at. In my opinion, I give this one a full rating of 10/10.

Rape Panic Mansion (1996)

One of the most sleazy/disturbing Japanese movies of the 90s.

[5/10 · 17 August 2014]

"Rape Panic Mansion" is a 1996 sleazy Softcore/Horror-movie directed by Yoshifusa Ide. It was produced by Pink Pineapple.

Basic plot: On the way to her apartment, a woman is kidnapped by two psychotic rapists, and brought into a couple's apartment. There the two women in the house are held hostage by the rapists, and endure hours of rape and crazy games.

I have very little words of what I think about this 60-minute long sleaze from Japan. To be more right, I was nearly speechless when I saw this film online in the year 2013. Here is why: This film has little to no plot and acting skills, and basically has nearly nothing more than graphic rape, screaming and beating. For a typical Japanese Softcore sleaze, there is nudity as well.

However, if you (like me) are into sleazy Horror/Softcore movies from Japan, then you might want to check this film out. The easiest way to see this is online, as it was only released on VHS in it's homeland. On the other side, if you get offended by graphic rape, senseless violence and similar scenes, then I suggest you to stay away from this.

Before I now end my review for "Rape Panic Mansion", let me tell you: When it comes to direct-to-video adult-oriented movies from Japan in general, there actually are better movies to watch than this. And some of them include the controversial "Tumbling Doll of Flesh" from 1998, and last but not at least the infamous "Guinea Pig" film series of the 80s. I can eventually recommend you these movies more than this one.

For the overall content in "Rape Panic Mansion", I give this one an overall rating of: 5/10.

The Body Electric (1985 TV Movie)

Cool, short post-apocalypse cartoon. Must be something for the fans of Rush.

[8/10 · 12 August 2014]

"The Body Electric" is a short, but pretty rare made-for-TV cartoon from 1985, directed by the uncredited David Feiss. It was produced by the former company Atkinson Film-Arts.

Basic plot: Red Sector A was not only a paradise for man's machine, but was also the home for the last people on Earth, until a mysterious force made the robots to get the people out of the city and right to the wasteland outside.

In the middle of the domed city, which is now in ruins, Woody and Andrea meet each other. And together they only have a few hours to escape, as the city is about to explode due to the shield generator approaching meltdown. But they soon learn that they're not alone...

This 23-minute short piece of animation was great. This short mature-oriented cartoon even uses songs from Rush (a Canadian rock band) as background music for the entire film. Even the film's title and the city's name Red Sector A are based on two on their songs. For the fans of Rush, this pretty rare film is not something to be overlooked.

Speaking about the film itself, I found this animated film to be pretty entertaining, even though the story isn't exactly original as it has the "man versus machine" scenario. The animation itself is very typical for anything being made in Canada during the 80s. And it's not often Canada makes animated films which deal with post-apocalypse.

Pretty recommended for fans of Rush the rock-band, and for the fans of 80s animation for the mature audience. All in all, I give this pretty rare animated masterpiece a rating of 8/10.

Urusei Yatsura (1981–1986)

One of the greatest Comedy-Anime ever...

[10/10 · 4 August 2014]

"Urusei Yatsura", also called "Those Obnoxious Aliens", is a classic Comedy-Romance-Anime originally broadcast on Japanese TV 1981-1986. It is based on the comic by Rumiko Takahashi and runs for 195 episodes + 2 TV-specials.

Basic plot: The unlucky high school student Ataru Moroboshi become the chosen one to play the game of tag, where he has to grab the horns of an Oni (an alien race) within one week, or the Earth is to be taken over by the aliens anyway. Wishing for his marriage with the lovely girl Shinobu Miyake, he happens to grab the horns of the cute alien girl named Lum Invader right on the final day of the competition. Lum misinterprets the marriage wish to be a proposal to her by Ataru, but falls in love with him and moves into his house anyway. And this is just the beginning of the series where one unexpected event comes after another.

However, Ataru basically has little to nothing more than girls on his mind, and goes on with his constant flirting with a bunch of pretty girls, only to get punished by Lum with her electric shock.

As I have seen all of the episodes, as well as all of their movies and OVAs, I just have to confirm the entire "Urusei Yatsura" franchise as one of the best anime I've seen when it comes to humorous anime. Compared to the newer Comedy-Romance-Anime being made in Japan in the last ten years, this one actually made me laugh pretty often. Even in the supposedly serious episodes, you just can't take these episodes too seriously, because something funny and unexpected always has to happen at the end.

Pretty much happens in the series than just Ataru running after girls and Lum giving him electro shock. We also get stuff like; Ghouls and ghosts, evil spirits, slapstick violence, horror stories which often end comically, and not at least vulgar/perverted humor.

Also, we get unforgettable characters like: Lum's infant cousin Ten, Shutaro Mendou, Benten, Ran, Ryuunosuke, Oyuki, Sakura and her monk uncle Sakuramboo/Cherry, and even a little fox.

Unlike most long-running series like "Naruto" and "Bleach", this one basically goes episodic, meaning most of the episodes mainly don't have any connection to previous episodes. Should you happen to miss out at least one episode or more...no big deal.

Pretty thanks to the entire anime franchise, I actually happened to be a little fan of the character Lum. As if that wasn't enough, I also happened to get a figurine of her, which I bought during my summer vacation at Amsterdam 2014.

Are you a fan of anime in general, this one is highly recommended and should not be missed. A truly humorous classic which I want to give a total rating of 10/10.

Combustible (2012)

Short masterpiece, from the director of "Akira".

[9/10 · 30 July 2014]

"Combustible", also called "Hi no Yojin", is a short Drama-Anime movie from 2012, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. It is a part of the feature film compilation called "Short Peace" and runs for 13 minutes.

Basic plot: Set in the Edo period this film is a story of Okawa, the daughter of the merchant family. She leads a lonely childhood, despite the friendship between her and the boy next door Matsukichi (who dreams of becoming fireman).

Many years later, the now tattooed Matsukichi joins a brave fire brigade. But Okawa isn't so lucky as her parents are busy to arrange a wedding for her. Longing for Matsukichi to save her, she accidentally starts a great fire...

By all of the four short animated "Short Peace" movies I've seen, this one is my favorite. In common with the timeless classic "Akira" also made by Katsuhiro Otomo, it has a great story build-up and great animation, which makes this film as realistic as overly possible. The soundtrack which can be heard during the film's climax is pretty stunning as well. Pretty great story of love, honor and firefighting in the ancient Japan.

Highly recommended to be watched by any fan of mature oriented, but realistic animation from Japan.

My overall rating: 9/10.

The other "Short Peace" movies include: "Possessions" (Tsukumo), "Gambo" and "A Farewell to Weapons" (Buki yo Saraba).

Au Fou! (1967)

Japanese animated short...Just...Bizarre...

[7/10 · 12 June 2014]

"Au Fou", also called "Satsujin Kyou Jidai", is a surreal animated short film, directed by Yoji Kuri.

Basic plot: This short film contains little to no plot, and is mostly a compilation of surreal death scenes involving: Man running miles just to kill one man with a knife...; Man stranded on island and waving to a boat...; Woman dying by farting... Man falling down from skyscraper roof and seeing a woman...etc.

Having watched several animated shorts made by Yoji Kuri, I find this one to be one of the most bizarre shorts I've seen from him, mostly due to the black humor. Also the best of the director's short films I've seen so far, as several of the segments put in this one often have somewhat unpredictable and surprising endings.

Originally made in black-and-white and running for nearly 13 minutes. This film also exist in a colored "international version" in which two segment have been cut off, and segment titles are in French.

Besides from some weird soundtrack and strange voices, this film has no actual dialogue.

If you are into bizarre and surreal animated movies coming from Japan, and cartoons with black humor otherwise, I can recommend this one to you. My overall rating: 7/10.

Some other bizarre short films coming from Yoji Kuri include: "Love" (Ai, 1963), "Aos" (1964), "The Window" (Mado, 1965) and "Human Zoo" (Ningen Doubutsuen, 1962).

Mario Kart 8 (2014 Video Game)

One of the better Mario Kart games ever!

[10/10 · 8 June 2014]

"Mario Kart 8" is a Mario racing game which was released on Wii U around the world, right at the end of May 2014.

As in the previous Mario Kart-games, Mario characters race against each other and throw items at each other in order to get 1st place.

What makes this game a little bit different from the previous games, is the anti-gravity mechanic which allows any character to drive on any surfaces like walls and ceilings. Other features, like underwater driving, gliders from 3DS-game "Mario Kart 7", and bikes from "Mario Kart Wii", return.

I bought this game at a local electronic shop several days before writing this review. Just when I began to play this game, I happened to enjoy it right when I was about to practice on Time Trial and then race against other characters. I love the game-play, the visual effects, and especially the anti-gravity I mentioned earlier. Enjoyable when played alone, but playing it with other people might make it exciting. The race tracks itself are pretty much stylized as well, and look more realistic than before.

Another feature which I found to be surprisingly funny is this: Instead of just seeing a character doing a victory/loser pose when completing a race, we also get to see highlights from the recently completed race before going on to the next race. Skipping the highlights is optional.

However, the battle mode is different from before. While the game-play is basically the same as before, instead of the traditional battle stages, you fight against each other on race tracks. You might even have to look for an opponent to use a weapon against.

While I pretty much accept the characters appearing on the character rooster (take the Koopalings and Metal Mario for example), the only character I think is a bit unnecessary is Pink Gold Peach. If I may ask. isn't it enough with the regular Princess Peach? By the way, I'm so happy to at least have unlocked Rosalina, because she happened to be one of my favorite characters in this entire game.

Basically, I find this game to be one of the better Mario Kart-games so far. A must-have game for anyone with the Wii U-console. All in all, I give this game a well deserved overall rating: 10/10.

Sex Beast: Idol of Darkness (1996 Video)

Ikumi, the idol who is soon gonna meet an ugly fate.

[7/10 · 1 June 2014]

"Inju Nerawareta Idol", also called "Idol of Darkness", is a Hentai anime directed by Kotaro Ran, and produced by Pink Pineapple.

Basic plot: While the cute pop singer/actress Ikumi is being shoot on location at a shrine, a jealous co-star arrives at an abandoned temple and finds a wooden idol, which she uses to awaken a demon in order to take revenge on Ikumi. Ikumi, while on her next concert in front of lots of fans, is gonna meet her fate worse than death.

Being an anime fan, I've always enjoyed watching anime being made during the 90s. This can vary from being mainstream movies for teens, to 18-rated pornographic animation called "Hentai" outside Japan. With Hentai being topic here, I find the ones being made in the 90s to be more enjoyable than most of the ones being made in Japan today. Several of these anime have great plots, and hand drawn scenes which tend to look realistic, regardless if the anime is about demons, supernatural elements or similar stuff.

"Idol of Darkness" is one of these Hentai anime I enjoyed, especially with the revenge plotted by the jealous co-star, and the kidnapping done by the demon itself. The animation itself, as well as the soundtrack, is very typical for any anime being made in the 90s, which are other reasons to like this one. However, this one isn't long as it only lasts for around 45 minutes, which is typical with most one-episode adult animation made in the period.

Some other Hentai stuff of the 90s which deal with demons and monsters include: "La Blue Girl", "Twin Dolls", "Demon Beast Invasion", and the whole "Urotsukidoji"-saga which began in late 80s.

My overall rating: 7/10.

Tetsujin 28: Morning Moon of Midday (2007)

Action-packed theatrical movie with a giant robot named Tetsujin.

[7/10 · 12 May 2014]

"Tetsujin 28-go: Hakuchuu no Zangetsu" is a Science Fiction/Action-anime directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa year 2007. This film is based on a comic by Yokoyama Mitsuteru.

Basic plot: Tokyo, ten years after the second world war. Shotaro Kaneda is a genius boy who gets to control a giant robot called Tetsujin 28, which was originally created for the war. But many bombs, which were (alongside the giant robot) created by Shotaro's father Professor Kaneda, are found in various places of the city. With the help from Shotaro and his supporting friends, this giant robot must get rid of these bombs before they eventually explode, and in the worst case destroy whole Tokyo.

As with many Mecha-anime which have been produced in Japan, this film has several moments of action scenes, some gunshots, some robot fights and some dramatic to keep fans of this kind of anime eventually interested. This one has moments where the audience is supposed to hope that all the bombs found in many places get removed.

Somehow, I found this film to be a bit impressive. Besides from the action scenes I just mentioned, I also liked the 50-60s-feeling the production team seem to have put into this film, despite the fact this one was made in 2007, and with CGI which is common with todays animation. After all, this film is set in the mid-50s.

Funny how the young girl (first seen after the film's opening sequence) always try to seduce our hero Shotaro, while a punk-like male character always try to get as close to the girl as possible, only to end up not to succeed. The scene where some characters drink some alcohol, sake or whatever and later get drunk was somehow funny as well.

This film has also been said to be a spin-off from "Tetsujin 28-go", a 2004 television series which also had much of the same characters as in this movie. However, you don't have to see the said TV-series just to see this film anyway.

May be worth to look at if you like Mecha-anime otherwise. My overall rating: 7/10.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012 Video Game)

Sonic and friends do Mario Kart-like racing

[10/10 · 30 April 2014]

"Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed" is a racing game, made by Sega and released for multiple platforms like Wii U, PlayStation 3, XBox and Microsoft Windows.

In this game you can play as many of the popular characters like Sonic, Knuckles, Dr. Eggman, Alex Kidd, Ulala, and many more. Many of these characters are popular Sega characters, hence the fact this game is made by Sega. Surprisingly, you can even play as Ralph from Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph".

I got the Wii U-game for Christmas 2013, together with "Super Mario 3D World". And I found this game to be a great fun, and is pretty similar to the Mario Kart-franchise; You race and use weapons against your rivals in order to get into 1st place. And you race in many funny tracks, which many of them have obstacles you'll have to avoid. And try to not fall off the race track as much as possible. I've even won gold trophies on the regular "Grand Prix". And of course there are tracks and characters to be unlocked. It is funny to see how the characters' vehicle can transform into hovercraft, plane or car, depending on the race track. The Techno-like background music is also funny and cool as well.

One of the main features in this game is a mode called "World Tour". There you don't only do the standard racing, but here you'll get other challenges to complete, like Drift Challenge, Traffic Challenge, Pursuit, Versus, and more. However, the more difficulty you take on a certain challenge (from Easy to Expert), the more stars you get to unlock more challenges and characters. Actually, you'll have to win a certain amount of stars to unlock characters like: Shadow the Hedgehog, Vyse, Pudding, Joe Musashi and the real life driver Danica Patrick.

For starters of the game: Before going to "Grand Prix" and "World Tour", I can recommend you to practice on Time Attack and Single Race. This is how I got to know most of the tracks on this game, before I began racing on "Grand Prix".

Conclusion: If you like the "Mario Kart" franchise, then I suggest you to buy this game. This one deserves two thumbs up from me. Overall rating: 10/10.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

One of Ghibli's greatest masterpieces ever

[10/10 · 31 March 2014]

"Tonari no Totoro", also called "My Neighbor Totoro" in English, is a family-oriented anime feature made in 1988 by Hayao Miyazaki and his own-founded company Studio Ghibli.

Basic plot: When Satsuki and her little sister Mei move into a country house together with their father (so they get to be closer to their sick mother who's in a hospital), they get to be friends with various creatures and a forest keeper called Totoro. So the sisters get to experience a great adventure together.

For several years ago, I first saw this on a Norwegian DVD I rented at the library where I'm working. And this made me want to watch more movies made by director Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, including "Howl's Moving Castle", "Spirited Away" and "Ponyo".

When I first saw this flick, I found the animation and the drawings to be wonderful, and the story to be pretty good for an animated feature made for the general audience. To be more right, I just enjoy the animation style Studio Ghibli is giving us the audience. This studio just seems to know how to put elements like humor, suspense and dramatic into their works, and how to make a good family-friendly story as "Totoro" has.

For the content itself, the most comical scene all together has to be the rainy scene where Satsuki offers Totoro her umbrella, and Totoro seems to get delighted by the raindrops falling on the umbrella.

It is also interesting to see that the film's titular character Totoro is also used as the mascot for the company itself, hence this character being a part of the Studio Ghibli logo.

The Malay box set called "Studio Ghibli Movies Collection", which I have as bought through eBay, includes 17 nicely done animated movies and a concert special, with "My Neighbor Totoro" as one of them.

At the end, I recommend this for any family around the world. Because of this being one of the greatest Ghibli masterpieces I've seen, I give this a full rating of 10/10.