The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) – That this cute and cutesy butterfly effect-style film is so engaging given its mostly frivolous subject matter is a credit to its director; it’s very good looking, too; it’s got the type of plot hole you take for granted in a time travel movie, but in this case you can hardly hold that against it. 6

Blood Tide

Blood Tide (1982) – It’s by-the-numbers, but it has a nice setting and it feels a little Lovecraftian; James Earl Jones is good, but the movie is just too boring with not enough payoff. 5

The Terror of the Tongs

The Terror of the Tongs (1961) – This is a better-looking and sillier Chinese version of The Stranglers of Bombay; the use of dressed-up whites for nearly every Chinese character (including Christopher Lee as a quasi-Fu Manchu), although common for the period, is unforgivably egregious and damaging here. 5

The Stranglers of Bombay

The Stranglers of Bombay (1959) – Although the script takes all the shortcuts you’d expect, this is a surprisingly solid and impressively un-silly historically-rooted film; one wonders whether it didn’t influence Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to some extent. 6

The Atomic Cafe

The Atomic Cafe (1982) – Presented for your amusement is a collection of clips that haven’t aged well (which is the point); it’s an interesting collection of footage with some striking images, but the film’s presentation lacks punch; all this to say that the atomic bomb is bad, and that it’s been handled ignorantly, irresponsibly, and dishonestly – odds are you know all that if you’re going to “get” this film (unless you’ve been living in a fallout shelter all your life). 6

Culloden

Culloden (1964) – This modern-style “news coverage” documentary of a 200-year-old battle is a neat idea, and it’s interesting because of how disastrous the battle was (a truly mesmerizing combination of pride and incompetence) – it’s like watching an 18^th century trainwreck; the film isn’t as strong from a visual perspective, though, as it’s mostly a bunch of people alternately standing still and falling down, and it often lacks the visceral emotion you might expect; if you aren’t familiar with the battle, you may want to read up before watching. 6

The War Game

The War Game (1965) – This is a well-done, concise, unflinching look at the ramifications of nuclear war and the collapse of civilized society in Cold War Britain – it does a great job of being simultaneously engaging and educational; eagle-eyed viewers will spot Brian Cox. 7

Ironclad

Ironclad (2011) – It has some good visceral energy, a ton of gory but lackluster fighting marred by incessant handycam, and an annoying and obvious romantic subplot typical of these vaguely historical, overly-Hollywoodized films; English has a good eye for a shot, but not so much for continuity or choreography. 6

TV: Robot Chicken - Star Wars Episode III

Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III (2010) – It’s amusing, if rarely funny; it feels pretty scattershot and lacks much of the cleverness of the first two; on the whole, it’s something of a disappointment. 6