There’s simply no denying it; “Appleseed Ex Machina” has some utterly incredible animation with some of the best character designs I’ve seen in the CGI field in years. The landscapes are extraordinary, the visuals are absolutely dazzling, and much of the action is committed with a tight editing brilliance that keeps the action in a constant rapid fire pace. The “Appleseed” films always have the most dazzling computer animation, even if you don’t always receive the most enriching experience. If you recall our early review of the first “Appleseed” movie, you’ll remember that we pretty much disliked everything it stood for. It was overly complicated, cliché, tedious as all hell, and was pretty much existent for its incredible animation with zero substance to provide its audience. Okay, so John Woo allegedly produced this sequel, so what? “Appleseed Ex Machina” is just the same movie as its predecessor, except just boring with a little more to offer, which isn’t saying much when you consider the first film’s goals.
In a nutshell “Wrestlemaniac” hurts so good. It’s a stupid, moronic, and outright cheesy slasher flick and yet… I liked it. Believe it or not, “Wrestlemaniac” has every opportunity to fall on its face. It’s a little over an hour in length, it has this obnoxious yellow tint, and has some terrible acting, but the first ten minutes really do sell us on the intentions of it being nothing more than a tongue in cheek horror farce. I mean, when the primary monster is a psychotic luchador, you have to make the compromise and loosen your strings a bit, folks.
How do you even describe the riches behind “Academy Awards Animated Collection”? As an animation geek, and a film geek who follow the Oscars, this is such an immaculate and extraordinary DVD set with some of the best animated shorts ever produced. From “Knighty Knight Bus,” to “Superman,” this has some of the best animated shorts ever concocted, and it brings together all nominated shorts, and winners from Warner Bros. with three entire discs. In the discs there are some utterly fantastic attached and optional commentary from Paul Dini who explores Superman, animation historians who discuss Popeye Meets Sinbad the Sailor.
You have to appreciate the interesting new twist added on the tale of one of the more famous biblical figures of all time; Di Franco definitely has the right idea with this movie adding an entirely new perspective that not only made the final act of one character understandable, but also added some hint of dimensions behind his motivation in the grand scheme of the final events. The filming is beautiful with some gorgeous landscapes and wonderful set pieces. Di Franco definitely has an eye for breathtaking scenery and gives the film a flair it needs.