Death Note: The Last Name

Rating: Not Rated

Movie Release Date: November 3, 2006 (Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan) / May 20, 2008 (USA)

DVD Release Date: February 10, 2009

Plot 411: The battle of minds continues in this Death Note sequel.

Review: In this movie, Light (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and L (Kenichi Matsuyama) face off to capture the notorious Kira (I like how that sounds like "killer" in English). The battle between these two geniuses is intense and you never feel bored. Again, the cops in this show, including Light's father (Takeshi Kaga), are extremely useless. New characters are introduced that create a twist here or there. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's interesting that the Japanese are still making movies about the powers of good and evil, yet they're doing it in new ways that will capture modern audiences. I also love how there is humor despite the serious nature of the show. The constant cat and mouse game played by Light and L is great and keeps you wanting more. The CGI could use more work. If this is a style they're going for, I just don't get it. I like how the topic of justice is still being argued with both sides of the issue coming up with logical and relevent reasons to support their views. Is a world with less crime worth the sacrifices being made and the relinquishing of human rights? Does ever human, good or bad, deserve a chance? What happens when obviously guilty criminals are released due to faulty justice systems? Is it wrong for them to pay for their crimes in an eye for an eye way? These are all pretty serious questions to be generated from a movie (and previously a manga).

Watch It: If you liked the first movie. This one continues the story and seals the deal.

Skip It: If stereotypes of Japanese girls annoy you. This one girl Misa (Erika Toda) was just so annoying with her whining and little girl tantrums.

Death Note / Desu Nooto

Rating: Not Rated

Movie Release Date: June 17, 2006 (Japan)

DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008

Plot 411: A college student finds a magical book that gives him the power to kill anyone just by writing their name inside it.

Review: This movie is based on a manga of the same name and stars Tatsuya Fujiwara as Light, the son of a police officer. He is a law student who wants to work in the police force, but he is jaded when he discovers that many criminals do not receive the punishment they deserve. One night he finds a book that has been dropped by the god of death. By writing in this book, Light learns that he can kill all the bad people in the world who escape the hand of justice. Soon he is killing people around the world in the name of bettering humanity, and his father is put on a taskforce to find the killer (aka Kira). His father collaborates with the mysterious L (Kenichi Matsuyama), who is a genius at uncovering mysteries. This movie is a great crime thriller, despite the cheesy animation used to portray the god of death. I mean, c'mon. The main actor looks like he stepped out of an anime, but they can't make the one animation in the film look legit? What's wrong with that picture? This was a good movie because it was essentially a match of wits and the smartest man will walk out as the winner. It played out that age-old saying: "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Watch It: For an interesting foreign flick that visually looks a lot like an anime but is really live action.

Skip It: Because how can the Japanese get the animation so wrong? How?