Battle Royale was the most controversial Japanese film of the millenium -- and beneath the hype was pure substance. In a twisted "game," 42 ninth-grade students are brought to an island and told to kill eachother. An amazing movie that combines action with interesting character development and psychological tension.

Animated movies are often not viewed in the same light as live-action movies. And truthfully, most masterpieces ARE live action movies. Spirited Away is special though; the world that is presented in the movie, and especially the characters are absolutely amazing. It's strange, but in all the right ways, and it's one of those movies that can be watched repeatedly.

Ichi the Killer is a brutal DVD that tells the story of torture, sadomasochism, crime, and the Yakuza; and it pulls no punches as it does this. There are some extremely graphic scenes in this film, but for those interested, it presents its subject material in a very entertaining manner. The two main characters are not necessarily likable, but you will remember them both forever. That's a promise.

"Jet Li's final martial arts epic!" ...Until his next one, the following year. Assuming he WERE going to go out with Fearless, however, it would have been quite a last hoorah. Jet Li plays the role of the historical Huo Yuanjia. Fearless takes liberties with the plot, but still provides one that is remarkably enjoyable; and as you might expect, the fight scenes are very well done.

Ab-normal Beauty is a dark movie. It follows an art student who witnesses a car crash. Taking pictures, she finds herself excited and aroused by the death. Her mind than begins to descend into chaos. By the time she begins to realize something is wrong, however, her life gets turned upside down by an "admireer" leaving an actual snuff tape on her doorstep. Crazy stuff, but great stuff.