Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3

English

2010, 103 minutes

5 Stars

Rainy Day needs to state up front, if it's from Pixar, she's biased – her brother works there. Rainy Day loved Toy Story, and Toy Story 2, and saw no reason why she wouldn't love 3 as much – or more, if possible. And she did. Pixar has done a wonderful job in keeping the story alive, and fresh through all 3 films. This is a laugh-out-loud kind of film, with a spot where tears are appropriate. At one point, it did bring to mind a certain Wookie and trash masher sequence;-) Marvelous voice acting by a terrific cast, and fantastic cartoons. If it comes from Pixar or Studio Ghibli, you know you're in for a great movie!

Trailer

Game of Thrones, Season 1

Game of Thrones, Season 1

English

2011-2012, 60-minute episodes

5 Stars

Rainy Day is good at starting, and reviewing, series, but doesn't always finish them. This time, she watched all 5 discs before reviewing. This is a series from HBO, based on the George RR Martin "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels, now available as Game of Thrones. If you like fantasy, this is for you. If you like a good story, this is for you. If you like great acting, wonderful costuming, and dragons, this is for you! If you like to watch with your children, consider a private preview first. There is nudity, including full frontal, and sex.  There is also violence. Rainy Day thinks it's a great series for adults. Because this will be an ongoing series (at least 6 years), there is time to develop both the characters and the story.

Trailer

Lone Wolf and Cub #4

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril

Japanese, English Subtitles

1972, 81 minutes

5 Stars

#4 in the LWC series. Lots of good sword fights, elimination of heads and limbs, spurting blood, a kid who says one word, over and over, 'Dad.' Ogami Itto is still on the road seeking revenge of his wife's death and his framed disgrace as the Shogun's Assassin. If you are a fan of the Kill Bill movies by Tarantino—he got the idea from Lone Wolf and the Zatoichi films. Ogami travels the back roads of Japan, pushing a baby cart decked out with enough armaments to make a modern day GI jealous! Rainy Day isn't too fond of child actors, but this one is great. Great action, some nudity, lots of fun, and if you have a warped sense of humor, there are some chuckles, too. (Rainy Day has a warped sense of humor;-)

Trailer

Samurai Fiction

Samurai Fiction

Japanese, English Subtitles

1998, 111 minutes

5 Stars

Rainy Day isn't sure if this was meant to be a spoof on all the samurai and ninja movies, or if it just turned out that way. It doesn't matter it was great fun. Basically, the story involves the villain stealing a Family Treasure, a sword given years earlier by Tokugawa himself, and the young son, a somewhat bumbling idiot, going forth to retrieve it. There are some wonderfully choreographed swordfights (especially during opening credits), lots of laughs, the fighting rather on the light side instead of the constant blood bath of so many samurai movies. The film is black and white with judicious use of yellow, red, and blue all of which add to the drama. As Trailer2 says,  "ASamurai Movie for the MTV generation" ;-)

Trailer1. 

Trailer2.  

Aragami: The Raging God of Battle

Aragami: The Raging God of Battle

2002, 80 minutes

Japanese, English Subtitles

5 Stars

This is basically a dialogue between a wounded 'backwoods' samurai who takes refuge in an old and dark temple, and the man who saves his life. The man who lives in the old, abandoned and very dark temple is really a demon, a war god, who wants only to die, to sleep, and to dream. He heals the samurai, and then challenges him to a duel to the death. The sword fighting is some of the most fun Rainy Day has seen in a while. While the movie is intense, it's also riveting, and Rainy Day is fairly sure the ending will catch you by surprise. Great fun! A great film done entirely in 8 days!

For a trailer, click here.

Tales from Earthsea

Tales from Earthsea

Japanese, English Subtitles

2006, 115 Minutes

3 Stars

Rainy Day watched the English version, with English subtitles. Alas, they were close, but no match. It has been too many years since she read the Earthsea books by Ursala LeGuin, so she can't say whether they followed her stories at all. She can say that this movie was too long by at least 30 minutes, and ended without many of the major questions being answered.  Rainy Day came away from this movie asking Why? Why did Arren kill his father? Why did Arren say he would go back and then not? Why did Tehuna become a dragon? Why did Rainy Day spend two hours watching it? Rainy Day recommends you skip this one, and watch other movies from Studio Ghibli.

English dubbed trailer here.

We Were Here

We Were Here

English

2011, 90 minutes

5 Stars

This well-done documentary on the AIDS epidemic is neither morbid nor morose. Rainy Day remembers and wasn't sure she wanted to watch, as she thought it would take at least a case of tissues. It didn't. There were a few tears here and there, but Rainy Day would not classify it a Tear Jerker. Rainy Day thought there was a great deal of hope in the movie. One of the men interviewed became HIV positive during the first wave, and he is still alive and appears to be fairly healthy. The men and woman interviewed lived through it and tell their stories in a straightforward manner, and this documentary clearly belongs to them, not the director or the producer. If you remember the time, you will like this movie. If you are too young to remember it, you will learn.

For a trailer, click here.