Death Note

This 120-minute film is subtitled in English and filmed in Japanese. To fans of this TV series (I am!), this movie could be a disappointment. I watched it with my two teenage boys and my oldest boy's girlfriend, who was unfamiliar with the series. The boys and I were upset from time to time because the movie did not follow the series in all areas. I had to keep reminding them that it was like any other book we'd read or TV series where they can't fit 30 hours of TV or 400 pages of a book into a 2-hour movie. Cuts had to be made and situations tightened, leaving out subplots. Overall, I have to say this was a really good movie. Don't let the title throw you off.

The story centers around a college guy, Light Yagami (played by Tatsuya Fujiwara), who studies law and investigates a crime. Thoroughly disappointed in what he learns, he stumbles on a notebook with mystical powers. He is later joined by what we would call a ghost , the shinigami Ryuuk. Invisible to everyone else, Ryuuk becomes Light's sole confidante as he begins a rein of what he calls justice. He does this by writing down the names of criminals in the Death Note, thereby killing them in a matter of seconds. Light's misguided attempt at world peace drives him to seek more power and eventually he becomes consumed with his arrogance and need for secrecy. There is a sequel to this movie so the ending will not be as satisfying as a stand alone. Of particular interest to many Americans is the role of Light's dad, who is also the police chief, played by Takeshi Kaga of "Iron Chef" fame. The role of Light's nemesis, "L" is excellent played by Kenichi Matsuyama.
There is very little blood. All the violence is in watching actors feign heart attacks. There are some bad words, but mild compared to most teen films. I recommend this movie because of the uniqueness of the plot, the great acting and an experience into foreign film that most teens are lacking. If you aren't aware, most films are either re-makes of foreign films or (sometimes AND) backed heavily by foreign money. So very few U.S. films are truly U.S. creations. Go rent this original.

The X Files: I Want to Believe

How about The X-Files, I Want to Throw Up? As a huge fan of the series and anything the two stars have ever been in, I was sorely disappointed. Yes, I knew it would suck, but I held out for some hope. It was poorly written (shame on you Chris Charter, Spotnitz, Morgan, Wong, or whoever else was involved - you know who you are) and not well acted. But who could with that script? David Duchovny acted much more laid back and Anderson was mild compared to her earlier role on the series. Pileggi showed up for 2 minutes and got top billing - WTF? Amanda Peet did a great job along with her partner Xzibit. Billy Connolly played the ex-priest with a fetish for young boys yet has some divine connection to God by way of visions. The twist is in the villains, of course, and that part is interesting. As a repeat villain (Battlestar Galactica) Callum Keith Rennie used this movie to help perfect his craft and thereby isn't in a starring role. Watch for him with a Russian accent. The rest of it is somewhat predictable and boring. Unless you are a hard-core fan, run from this bomb.