Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Japan, 2001)

In the year 2065, the next great assault against an invading race of phantom-like aliens is about to be launched. Dr. Aki Ross, a brilliant young scientist, races to find the invaders' secrets, not only to save the planet, but herself as well after her body is infected by alien particles. She teams up with the prestigious Deep Eyes military squadron, led by her old friend Grey Edwards. But as Aki, her mentor Dr. Sid, and Grey work toward a peaceful end, the scheming General Hein devises a plot to eradicate the aliens in one swift, destructive blow...even if it destroys the Earth right along with them.

At the release back in 2001, The Spirits Within failed miserably at the box office. It made game developer Squaresoft (who made the film) to give up on making any more films and cost them tons and tons of money. So why did it fail to impress the viewers? One reason is that Squaresoft is famous for making amazing games with great stories and people had high expectations on the movie. The story in The Spirits Within isn't amazing in any way, but it's entertaining and gives good excuses for showing us some lovely sci-fi imagery and alien action. The animation is also very good for its time, and never did I wish that it looked better. 

Genre: Animation/Action/Adventure

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (Japan, 1999)

This final installment of the recent Gamera trilogy begins with schoolgirl Ayana discovering a large egg in a cave that, according to legend, houses demons. The egg hatches into a small monster, which Ayana decides to raise and quickly develops as psychic bond with. As Ayana's monster, named Iris, grows to adulthood, the flying turtle Gamera begins to take an interest in this new potential threat. Who will be the victor in the final battle, and how much of Japan will be left standing at the end? 

I've already written about the second Gamera reboot film, Attack of Legion (1996), so now we're at the last film of the trilogy. Just like the previous one, Revenge of Iris gives us some mighty impressive city destruction and chaos, and the best thing is that it's mostly practical effects. Amazing practical effects. The story isn't exactly as incredible as the effects, but it does its job and works well, I think. Watch it if you want to see giant monsters battle it out in the streets of Tokyo.

Genre: Action

Uzumasa Limelight (Japan, 2014)

Seiichi works at Nichiei Studios in Uzumasa, Kyoto, Japan. He only plays characters who get slashed by the sword. Due to the popularity of other types of dramas, his workload has been steadily declining. Seiichi then meets a young girl, Satsuki. She is a fan of his work and wants to learn from him. Thanks to Seiichi's instructions, Satsuki becomes a star in Tokyo. She is cast as the lead female character in a big budget historical film. She hopes to work with Seiichi who is already retired.

Uzumasa Limelight is a heartfelt story where we meet an aging actor who specializes in being killed on screen, and finds himself becoming obsolete when young new actors are becoming the next big thing in samurai cinema. The idea feels original and entertaining, and breaks the mold with a genre that's more often than not very serious. Because it's actually a great samurai film, just not in a way I've seen before and that's really cool.

Genre: Drama