Princess Mononoke

This epic, animated 1997 fantasy has already made history as the top-grossing domestic feature ever released in Japan, where its combination of mythic themes, mystical forces, and ravishing visuals tapped deeply into cultural identity and contemporary, ecological anxieties. For international animation and anime fans, Princess Mononoke represents an auspicious next step for its revered creator, Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service), an acknowledged anime pioneer, whose painterly style, vivid character design, and stylized approach to storytelling take ambitious, evolutionary steps here.

Set in medieval Japan, Miyazaki's original story envisions a struggle between nature and man. The march of technology, embodied in the dark iron forges of the ambitious Tatara clan, threatens the natural forces explicit in the benevolent Great God of the Forest and the wide-eyed, spectral spirits he protects. When Ashitaka, a young warrior from a remote, and endangered, village clan, kills a ravenous, boar-like monster, he discovers the beast is in fact an infectious "demon god," transformed by human anger. Ashitaka's quest to solve the beast's fatal curse brings him into the midst of human political intrigues as well as the more crucial battle between man and nature.

Miyazaki's convoluted fable is clearly not the stuff of kiddie matinees, nor is the often graphic violence depicted during the battles that ensue. If some younger viewers (or less attentive older ones) will wish for a diagram to sort out the players, Miyazaki's atmospheric world and its lush visual design are reasons enough to watch. For the English-language version, Miramax assembled an impressive vocal cast including Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup (as Ashitaka), Claire Danes (as San), Minnie Driver (as Lady Eboshi), Billy Bob Thornton, and Jada Pinkett Smith. They bring added nuance to a very different kind of magic kingdom. Recommended for ages 12 and older. --Sam Sutherland

Dragon Ball Z - Season Two, starring: Dragon Ball Z

The second season of the wildly popular Dragon Ball Z comprises the "Namek" and "Captain Ginyu" sagas. Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma travel to the planet Namek to find an even more powerful set of Dragon Balls that can restore the lives of Tenshinhan, Yamucha, Chaozu and Piccolo, who were killed by Vegeta during the first season. (Their souls continue to train with King Kai in the Other World.) All is not well on Namek: the arch-villain Frieza, who looks and sounds a bit like Truman Capote, also desires the Dragon Balls. If he uses them to obtain eternal life, he'll rule the universe forever. With a cadre of lieutenants that includes Vegeta, he slaughters the Namekians to gain the supernatural orbs. After his injuries have been healed by a magic senzu bean, Goku heads to Namek. En route, he trains at 100 gravities, raising his powers enormously. Vegeta believes Goku may be the legendary Super Saiyan that appears once a millennium--except he lacks the requisite love of battle. This version of Goku is less aggressive, and he uncharacteristically uses his brain (never his greatest asset) to defeat Ginyu, Frieza's second-in-command. Unlike Season 1--Vegeta Saga, Season 2ends on a cliff-hanger. Skeptics may find Goku's adventures needlessly protracted, over the top, and even silly. But for millions of boys, they provide the special blend of comradeship, martial arts training, and take-no-prisoners battles they love. The newly remastered edition includes the original Japanese dialogue for the first time. (Rated TV PG. suitable for ages 8 and older: violence, minor risqué humor, brief nudity, tobacco and alcohol use) --Charles Solomon

Dragon Ball Z - Season Two

The Bank Job [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy,  starring: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner

A cheerful, energetic, and completely entertaining movie, The Bank Job follows some small-time hoods who think they've lucked into a big-time opportunity when they learn a bank's security system will be temporarily suspended--little suspecting that they're being manipulated by government agents for their own ends. The result is that the movie doubles its pleasures: While the robbery itself has the usual suspense of a heist film, when the robbery is over the hoods find themselves being hunted by the police, the government, and brutal criminal kingpins who were storing dangerous information in a safety deposit box. The Bank Job won't win any awards, but it's enormously fun. Director Roger Donaldson (No Way Out, Species) propels the action along with vigor, editing zippily with perfect clarity among multiple storylines and various colorful characters. Jason Statham (Snatch, The Transporter), as the leader of the bank robbers, successfully steps away from his usual bone-crunching roles to a more human presence. The rest of the cast--including Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea), Keeley Hawes (Tipping the Velvet), David Suchet (Poirot), and many faces familiar from British film and television--give their characters the right degree of personality and flavor without getting fussy or detracting from the headlong rush of the story. A little sex, a lot of action, a sly sense of humor, and a twisty plot; if more movies had these basic pleasures, the world would be a happier place. --Bret Fetzer 

The Bank Job [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy