*SPOILER WARNING*

I just came back from watching Quantum of Solace. I've been a huge Bond films fan for several years, having watched most of them three or four times, or where great, possibly more. Granted, not all Bond films are created equal, though they may seem like it to the untrained eye, the casual fan. This is okay. It's all right if the Bond movies are just an enjoyable romp with gadgets and villains for you. It's all right not to expect much from them, because you likely haven't looked at them as any more than action films. But, for me, I've become somewhat more selective. And so, for the past few Bond movies, I've been somewhat unimpressed.

It is difficult to comprehend the radical import of Dawn of the Dead without briefly considering the significance and history of its setting — the shopping mall. The dawn of the shopping mall age in the 1960s was met with widespread enthusiasm, and mass hysteria was even reported at several newly-opened malls (Morris 405). In recent decades, mall hysteria may be less common, but the shopping mall remains a cultural fascination in capitalist countries, while in cinema, malls have become a staple location for smart-ass American teen movies, like Amy Heckerling's Clueless (1995). It is easy to underestimate, therefore, the relative novelty, in 1978, of Romero's simple but inspired idea of setting Dawn of the Dead in a mall. According to Meaghan Morris, one of the most exciting and attractive aspects of the shopping mall is the contrast between its massive structural stability and the constantly shifting composition of its population (394).

Third Time's No Charm: The Problem Of Tenchi Muyo OVA 3

(SPOILERS AHEAD, but don't worry, the third OVA is shit, so if its spoiled, it won't matter.)

Anime, you might say, is a passion of mine, and growing up, an OVA by the name of Tenchi Muyo! (or, "No Need For Tenchi!") aired on the little-known Turner cable television channel, Cartoon Network. It was on the now deceased Toonami block, airing in the afternoon/early evening hours. It had been advertized for a while. "Coming soon: Tenchi Muyo! Love stinks." All right, I thought. Looks good. Science fiction, comedy, maybe some romance. I'd seen a little of the first movie, dubbed, on the Sci-Fi Channel's Saturday morning anime block. I was wondering what it was really all about.

This season is all about three shows for me: Mobile Suit Gundam 00's second season, Casshern Sins, and Tytania.

Gundam 00's second season aired its first episode this past Saturday in Japan. Menclave and Shinsen are both subbing it. After the defeat of Celestial Being at the end of the first season and the forming of the Federation, our plucky Gundam-obsessed Arab hero, Setsuna F. Seiei disappeared, only to return to fight the Titans-like A-Laws. It seems like the there's also another group opposing the Federation, which Marina's former assistant Shirin is part of. Saji Crossroads, the put-upon loser from the first season is bullied by the A-Laws and put into a forced labor camp, only to be rescued by Setsuna, who is himself rescued by Vowels... er, Tieria Erde, in his new Gundam. Setsuna recieves his mandatory mid-show upgrade, the Gundam 00, and then goes to recruit Neil's twin brother Lyle to be the new Lockon Stratos.

If you're an anime fan, chances are you have an opinion on English dubs. When I started out as a fan, I was only watching anime on American television, so everything was dubbed. When I began collecting anime, on VHS tapes, it was rare to come across one with Japanese audio and English subtitles, and you almost prized those for their rarity. Still, English dubs were mostly the only way to go, and you were glad to have them in those days, because after all, you didn't want things like words on the bottom of the screen to get in the way of your favorite Japanese cartoon.