Memories

"Memories" (1995) is a pretty good movie, and if you want to get as much out of it as possible, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before watching:

Memories is a three-episode anime including three separate stories: "Magnetic Rose", "Stink Bomb" and "Cannon Fodder". There is no cohesion between the stories, so don't spend time looking for similar plot elements. There are none.

The first episode, Magnetic Rose, is a sci-fi anime that occasionally borderlines horror, similar to "Alien" but in a more psychological way. This part is rich with great visuals and superb sound, so get close to the screen and turn all the lights out. If possible, use a pair of headphones to get really submersed.

Stink Bomb is a light, bioterrorism comedy. It provides a few shocking frames in the first third of the movie which can be a bit intense, but it lightens up afterwards and provides a hilarious ride which shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Cannon Fodder is the more artistic and rawer episode out of the three. Pay attention to the smooth flows between the sceneries and get ready for some 1984-like vistas and philosophies.

My personal grade: a solid 7/10. If you found this helpful, check my profile for more reviews.

It's an anthology. It's three stories of 45 minutes, 40 minutes and 15 minutes that have nothing at all to do with one another. In fact, the film's title only refers to the first story. This film is one part science-fiction thriller, one part bioterrorism comedy (THERE'S a category I've never put a film in!) and one part single-shot (99% of it, anyway) borderline-documentary.

Disney couldn't make a film this engrossing if the fate of mankind depended on it.

Those who have what I call the "It's an Anime" stigma should shake it off for "Memories". Rent this. Buy this. See this!

Amazing anime trilogy from AKIRA's Katsuhiro Otomo, who presents three unrelated sci fi stories directed by different directors (he did the last one, writers/first-time directors Tensai Okamura and Koji Morimoto did the other two). They are amazing vignettes with some stupendous animation in three different styles. Otomo's is especially unique in that there are no cuts – the "camera" moves fluidly through every scene without a jump or a stop. Morimoto's 40-min "Magnetic Rose" is stunningly animated, the most amazing of the two, telling of a space ship's investigation of a distress signal discovering a magnificent world created by a woman's memories – the music takes advantage of the operatic aria, Madame Butterfly, arranged by Yoko Kanno, who also supplies an excellent original score. "Stink Bomb," the middle segment, is clever and funny and fast-paced; Otomo's anti-war statement in "Cannon Fodder" closes out the film with a subtle bit of thought-provocation about a city whose entire purpose is the firing of cannons at an unknown enemy.

This was an amazingly beautiful film, filled with great music that only pushed each scene along wonderfully. I thought this was a great piece of film. I have had the pleasure of showing this to friends that have always looked down on what anime is, and walk away stunned. Some might find these stories slow, but I think if you have any real appreciation of anime, you will find this to be an interesting piece of work. It consists of three stores. Koji Morimoto's "Magnetic Rose", Tensai Okamura's "Stink Bomb", and Katsuhiro Otomo's "Cannon Fodder". I would say that Magnetic rose was perhaps the deepest of these three stores. Offering a beautiful mix of classical music, with a futuristic settings to offer a sense of contrast. Stink Bomb being the more lighthearted of the three. While still maintaining a grim reality, and almost eerie sense of setting, using a more modern day look, and music. Then Cannon Fodder, right from an Orwell idealized future, with the loud sounds, and marches. These movies all offer up something different, and wonderful, while still working there way along a nice line of thought.

Katsuhiro Otomo's "Memories" combines the vision of Otomo's usual "God's revenge for the human race believing too much in science" with two first-time, although far from inexperienced directors. The first of the three films, "Magnetic Rose" is by far the least Otomo-esquire of the three pieces, although based on one of his short mangas. The film centering mainly on the sci-fi side of anime. Space freighters respond to a distress call in a bad sector of space, and become lost in the haunting memories of an intergalactic opera singer. The second piece, "Stink Bomb" shows, if possible, a humorous side to biological warfare, as an unsuspecting pharmaceutical tech accidentally ingests a biological weapon and becomes a walking disaster. The final film, actually directed by Otomo, called "Cannon Fodder" was by far my favorite, and the most disturbing of the three films. The basic story centers around a family living in a town whose citizens devote their entire lives to bombing an unseen enemy in the sky. This story is very politically motivated, very dark, and not at all a "happy little story". The animation is unlike anything I've ever seen from Otomo, and full of sweeping single-cut shots that give you chills. Overall, I highly recommend this movie collection for any anime fan. It most definitely incorporates the vision of three brilliant directors.