Genre: Fantasy

Humour, heart and high-level animation all combine to make ‘Spirited Away’ an overwhelmingly rewarding and endlessly magical experience.

Of course, it is far from perfect and lacks the polish that was applied to Chan’s later vehicles, but it’s still a solid effort that has a distinctly old school charm.

Slick and taught action thriller with a sci-fi twist, ‘Spiritwalker’ is a fine slice of modern Korean filmmaking that propels along on mounting tension, a committed cast and a fun concept.

The final impression is that Otomo’s steampunk epic is much like a billow of steam: diverting for a while, but once it stops there is little indication it ever actually happened.

Hollywood had fifteen years to learn from their mistakes and yet somehow they still managed to make another bad ‘Street Fighter’ movie.

If you just remember to bring a sense of humour, and wonder, you’ll be rewarded with what is easily one of the best Japanese films of the year.

The viewer is treated to a visual feast that fully sketches out this almost mythical setting – kudos once more to director and cinematographer.

Fantastical ingenuity, crazy comedy, outlandish practical effects, and hard-hitting martial arts are thrown together in perhaps one of the best zany action flicks to come from the Golden Era 80s.

For those seeking a fast-paced fantasy film with no pretensions, ‘The 13 Cold-Blooded Eagles’ fits the bill very well and, while not comparable to genre classics like ‘Swordsman II’, is worth a look.

While it doesn’t always engage and could have used a little more oomph come the second half, Feng Xiaogang’s film is still a decent attempt at dynasty drama.

A unique coming of age tale and a wonderfully creative and fully realised fantasy world combine to deliver a rewarding and touching anime.

Beginning somewhat sombre and low key before exploding into a cavalcade of colour and crazy (talking) creatures, ‘The Boy And The Heron’ is pure unbridled Miyazaki.