Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Season One)
Being a fan of both theatrical Ghost In The Shell films, I was very eager to see the television series and it did not disappoint. The emphasis in the series is much more on the action-side, veering rather far off from the silence and reflection of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (which is so perfect it would be hard for most films to match it). While it occasionally deals with higher minded concepts in a breezier manner, it stands tall as an episodic adventure show with extremely well defined characters and some wonderful animation, a combo of cel work and CGI.  Add to the above some cute Tachikoma robotank antics (the blue, childlike weaponry that serves as a sort of show mascot) and some insights into our beloved heroes (hints of romance, here and there) and you have something near-perfect and truly special.  
***1/2

Samurai Champloos (Episodes 1-17)
Mugen, Jin and Fuu -- two masterless samurai and a young woman they follow -- make a fun team in this rousing and intense anime series. Part Akira Kurosawa, part hip-hop and what a combo. Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop) has fashioned an involving show that keeps the laughs and artful animation coming quickly and furiously. I only wish I'd known that there were 26 episodes before I'd found the 17 episode boxset. Here's hoping I can soon see the rest...  
***

Rubber's Lover
Largely a waste of time for anyone seeking coherence or entertainment. A mix-hash of Tetsuo: The Iron Man and an S&M Fetish film, this noisefest has an underground, experimental vibe that isn't nearly as interesting or exciting as it sounds. The last act is comprised primarily of thirty minutes of screaming and blackened bloodshed. It has a certain kinship to Akira at one specific moment, though that doesn't necessarily make it any more interesting. This might be you're thing, but it sure isn't mine.  
*

Sword of Doom
Viewed just in time for the upcoming Criterion Collection DVD, this old-fashioned samurai revenge tale gives us a little of the old ultra-violence and a powerful performance by lead villain Tatsuya Nakadai. In his handful of scenes, Toshiro Mifune impresses us with regal grandeur. The conclusion, though unconventionally presented, has a fierceness that will likely stick with you. Here's hoping Criterion's edition can fill in some of the blanks. 
***

Purple Butterfly
It's an interesting story involving the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in the time of Yamamoto and the Chinese rebels fighting it, though espionage tales involving mistaken identity, nationalism, tragic deaths and love triangles just should not be this dragged out. Chaotic action sequences come up every thirty minutes or so but are surrounded by pensive, "emotional" moments where the actors just stare at each other or off into space as if in another world. Zhang Ziyi, remarkably beautiful even even dressed-down and shell-shocked, has her moments in scenes involving quiet plotting, though she's never quite believable as the take-charge assassin type under these circumstances. The film has some effective moments, such as when an Innocent Man is mistaken for a Revolutionary Contact. His character gets our greatest sympathy through the film as his situation forces him to becomes a sort of wandering time bomb of a man, too far gone for anything but a terrible fate. It's a film of interest for it's intentions, rather than the way those intentions are presented.  
**1/2