Sachiel

It truly is a shame that no one's ever heard of this breathtakingly beautiful piece of animation. It's also a shame that animation is not usually employed in America as an adult art form. Animation shows us lifeforms and landscapes the likes of which cannot be seen on this Earth. Anyway, this is an amazing film that should be checked out by all anime fans as well as fans of films like Heavy Metal, or master animator Ralph Bakshi's works. Light Years is one of the most enlightening animated works on this planet.

One half of the Coen Brothers has co-written one of the weirdest and most intelligent comedies I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. Underrated actor, Michael Rappaport excellently portrays the inscrutable chiropractor/wrestler of which the title refers. The Naked Man features wonderfully quirky performances, equally quirky dialogue and a storyline just strange enough to keep anyone interested. Fans of David Lynch or John Waters, don't miss this!

I absolutely loved seeing these two soldiers obliterate their animosities to survive, although, I doubt the likelihood of its occurrence, considering Japan, with its warlike ways and America, with our ethnocentricities. Being the admirer of Japanese culture that I am, I felt very uplifted when I saw a (fictional) softer side to Japan's rather nasty reputation during the war; something I'd always done my best to push to the back of my mind. I'd like to think this could've happened, (probably not, but...), and I wish an end to the sporadic, still-existent hatred of one of our most infamous of enemies, Japan.

The production is flawful, but still quite excellent. Mifune and Marvin present golden performances, delivering effectively intense dialogue, (could've used a few subtitles, though). The story lacks a characterized antagonist, which is good, and Mifune's character is thankfully free of stereotype. The film's conspicuous eyesore is a clumsily and oafishly produced climax, and I feel you have to know a little bit about the history of WWII to fully understand it. In closing, I recommend this amazing film to all war buffs, war haters, and Japan lovers. Anime fans should definitely give it an open-minded try as well.