Category: Entertainment

Biting the hand that feeds . . .

There’s a new article up at SFGate about the RIAA’s latest attack on their customer base, in which they’ve now warned another 204 people that legal action is being prepared. This time around, however, the RIAA is allowing them some time before the lawsuits begin to conveniently settle out of court.

For those fans of the

For those fans of the animated Batman series, Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman is scheduled to hit DVD October 21st.

The animation is at the average level found within the later part of the animated series, and while certainly not quite “feature length movie” quality, is better than some of the worse early seasons from the same production house. There are a few spots where those familiar with animation techniques will spot a few corners cut, as well as other spots that contain some very well done sequences.

The plot is relatively complex in its twists and turns, given that this is a movie spawned from an animated series, something the adult fans will appreciate, while still being appropriate for kids. The main characters are well-acted, with the possible exception of Robin, whom thankfully gets little screen time and makes one wonder what the point in basing the story in the time period where Batman has a sidekick was.

Overall, a definite recommended rental from your local video store when it comes out next week.

The Eye

Tonight’s DVD happened to be The Eye, a Hong Kong produced movie due to hit your local video store on October 21st, 2003. The movie, staring Angelica Lee and Lawrence Chou, produces much of the same creepy imagery that one would find in other recent Asian horror movies such as Ringu, which eventually spawned the American made The Ring.

The story revolves around Mun, who has been blind since she was two-years-old. As the film begins, she receives a cornea transplant at age twenty, which will give her the gift of sight again. As the film progresses, Mun must learn how to reuse a sense that many around her have had all of their lives. While she tries to understand the objects that take shape around her, there is also a sense of unease because there are things she begins to see or thinks she sees that defy logic.

When an elderly woman in the hospital rises from her bed and is accompanied out of the room by a shadow only to be announced as dead in the morning. Mun attempts to investigate the oddity as best she can. Since there is no way to understand yet if what she sees represents any real danger to her, she keeps the incident to herself. The strange occurrences continue once she’s released from the hospital and eventually drive her to seek help from her psychotherapist, Dr. Wah. At first skeptical, Dr. Wah soon begins to realize that there is more going on than anybody realizes and that Mun’s sight came at a price and with a mystery.

From there, a number of plot twists take place, and I won’t reveal them here, but suffice it to say there are many scenes that will provide some good chills for those patient enough to take in the different pace this film takes as a foreign import. The movie itself isn’t what I would qualify as a straight horror movie, though there is a high “creepiness” level around it, along with a number of downright scary scenes. If anything, this movie is perhaps closer in feel to “The Sixth Sense” than many of the other movies you may see in this Halloween month.

The film is in Cantonese with English subtitles and is in widescreen presentation.