Guest author Kondroid (from Tokyo, Japan) is here to bring us an insider’s look into the world’s largest convention. Kondroid attended this year’s 2011 Comiket at Tokyo Big Site in Tokyo, Japan and got us exclusive coverage that is rarely published in English. Enjoy!

As a young boy Johnny Morgan (Dark Rising‘s Andrew Cymek) helplessly watched as his sister was kidnapped by a vicious murder known as “The Wolf.” Johnny dedicated his life to tracking down the killer and bringing him to justice. But now that “The Wolf” has been caught and sent to Parker’s Asylum Johnny’s thirst for revenge remains unquenched. Deep in the underground halls of the asylum Johnny finds himself in the midst of madness when the inmates escape their cages and terrorize the overwhelmed staff (which just happens to include his estranged wife Jamie, played by Brigitte Kingsley).

In the audio commentary from director/writer/actor Cymek discusses the long, laborious process of making Medium Raw and how the original ideas behind the story changed due to budget constraints. The film, clearly a labor of love, is filled with great ideas; too many ideas. It’s tone swings from campy to dead serious and while the villains are masterfully drawn the rest of the characters are woefully flat. Despite being married in real life, the relationship between Cymek and Kingsley feels forced, cliché and unnecessary for the main plot. Positives? William R. Davis is fantastic as Dr. Robert Parker, the art design is quite good and the claustrophobic cinematography is effective. Medium Raw is the sort of horror film that is frustrating because it has the makings of being something quite good but ultimately falls short of its promise. Fans of the horror genre will still want to give the film a chance. Young filmmakers will also want to give Cymek’s excellent audio commentary a listen. Genre fans should also note that Buffy’s Mercedes McNab has a small role as does The Lord of the Rings’ John Rhys-Davies.

Bonus features also include an alternate ending (which I prefer), a trailer as well as deleted and extended scenes.

Tobe (Dustin Ingram) is an awkward teenager that spends his time selling hotdogs from his Weenie Wiz mobile and watching old ’80s porn staring Monica Velour AKA Linda Romanoli (Kim Cattrall). Velour’s fame has long since expired, forcing the now 49-year-old single mother to take small-time jobs at sleazy strip clubs. Learning about one of Velour’s performances Tobe sets out to meet his celebrity crush. The years haven’t been kind to the former superstar but Tobe still sees her as the woman of his dreams.

Tobe is sort of a Napoleon Dynamite with his small-town roots, quirky personality and curly hair but Meet Monica Velour is a decidedly different film from Napoleon Dynamite as it adopts a darker, more realistic tone. In fact, Meet Monica Velour’s themes are far closer to The Wrestler than your traditional oddball comedy. It’s still too goofy to be taken completely seriously, but it is nice to see some substance in a film that easily could have been complete fluff.

Director/writer Keith Bearden has done a commendable job with his first feature film and Cattrall sets aside the glamour of her Sex and the City persona for a refreshingly unappealing role that suggests that she’s a better actress than I previously thought. Ingram’s Tobe doesn’t have the same amount of depth of Cattrall’s Velour but ultimately this is due to the character’s youth rather than a poor performance. Meet Monica Velour is a little too naïve and optimistic to be life changing but it still makes for a solid film.

Anchor Bay’s Blu-ray release of Meet Monica Velour has nice sense of depth, detail and colors are fairly vibrant. It’s a little grimy but it suits the film perfectly. Bonus features include a nice commentary from Bearden and Cattrall and a handful of deleted scenes that would have made the film raunchier and Tobe a less sympathetic character.

Ray (Dave Bautista) is a cop with a sordid past reduced to working as head of security at a strip club that serves as a front for an illegal gambling operation. When the club is robbed and its owner’s son shot dead Ray finds himself set up to take the blame. Determined to clear his name Ray looks to find the person responsible before the cops or the mob catch up with him.

The easy way out of reviewing House of the Rising Sun would be to simply say that it stars a WWE superstar as an ex-cop working in a strip club. It’s no secret that, unless you are Dwayne Johnson, the track record for films starring wrestling celebrities is almost on par with films starring Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson.  There’s a reason why wrestlers are often cast as killers with a limited ability to speak. While the over-the-top grandstanding might work in a wrestling ring it doesn’t translate very well to films. So, when I say that Bautista is far better than I expected don’t start engraving an Oscar with his name. He’s wooden, but restrained in a way that makes the film, as absolutely ridiculous and clichéd as it is, fairly entertaining in a generic B-movie sort of way. Sadly Danny Trejo’s role as Carlos, the crime boss, is nothing more than an extended cameo and I have no idea how Amy Smart was convinced to jump into the fray.

Bonus features include an earnest, but often boring, audio commentary with director Brian A. Miller and Bautista, interviews with the cast, the film’s trailer and a making-of featurette. None of which add up to much.

With Kung Fu Hustle actor/director Stephen Chow was able to incorporate slapstick comedy within a Hong Kong action film creating what Roger Ebert described as “Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny.” The Last Godfather attempts to bring slapstick to the mafia epic with a Korean twist. The results are something like Jackie Chan and Jerry Lewis meet Francis Ford Coppola, Yakko, Wakko and Dot and only Jerry Lewis wants to be there.

Korean superstar Hyung-rae Shim directs, writes and stars as Young-gu, the idiot son of mafia godfather Don Carini (Harvey Keitel). Carini wants to retire and leave his empire to Young-gu but Carini’s associates are plotting to upset the current balance of power. Will Young-gu be able to rise above his bumbling behavior and protect his father’s interests or will the bad mafia guys take over?

Honestly, I don’t know how I made it to the end of this film without suffocating on Shim’s cheese-ball antics. Shim’s performance is like watching an old and unrestrained Jim Carey on amphetamines and because Shim is directing there’s no one powerful enough to reel him in. The film is so incredibly stupid that it was originally called The Dumb Mafia. A title that, apparently, was too honest of an assessment of the film’s worth. There’s probably a drinking game that could be based around The Last Godfather but I don’t see how even intoxication will make the film bearable.

Are you a child of the 80’s?  If so, then you will be thrilled to know that M.A.S.K., the Complete Original Series debuted on DVD this earlier week.  The boxed set contains 12 DVDs with 65 episodes and retrospective featurettes.

But the real question is . . . how well does the series—which originally aired in 1985—hold up?

As I’ve said before, M.A.S.K. has one of the best opening sequences I’ve ever seen.  As often as I’ve heard the song, I’ve yet to tire of it.  And, once you load the DVD and the title menus appear, you’re greeted by screens resembling a computer.   Choosing from the episodes listed sort of evokes the feeling of choosing the M.A.S.K. agents “best suited for this mission.”

While the nostalgia factor is certainly there, after watching several episodes a few things may get tiresome very quickly. For example, I really cannot stand Dusty Hayes’ country boy accent.  Lines like “Well bust my britches!  They’re V.E.N.O.M. varmints!” make this very easy to understand.  Also, Bruce Sato’s fortune cookie wisdom seems a bit stereotyped and out of place.

The episodes follow a pretty simple formula:  evil V.E.N.O.M. agents seek some object to use for, you guessed it, evil, and the good M.A.S.K. guys try to stop them.  Led by multimillionaire Matt Trakker, the best agents are chosen by the super computer and summoned by handy wristwatches that blink when there is work to do.  Whether they’re bathing a dog or putting a pizza in the oven, they immediately stop what they’re doing and dash to headquarters (often to the dismay of customers, bosses, taxi drivers, etc.)

Oh, and as they’re seated around the massive table in the secret lair, some really cool masks come down from the ceiling.

Scott Trakker, Matt’s disobedient son, always manages to sneak out and join the missions.  He and his trusty sidekick (a nervous robot named T-bob), and the pair provides much of the comic relief in each episode.  They also manage to help the M.A.S.K. agents as often as hindering them.

The music accompanying each episode is all 80’s, with a very electronic sound that reminded me a bit of my soundtrack to The Neverending Story.  And, interestingly enough, each episode still contains the little clips that appeared before and after each commercial break with one of the characters saying “M.A.S.K. will be right back!”  There’s also a segment at the end of each episode that serves as a PSA and reminds us to buckle our seat belts or look both ways before crossing the street.

Each episode is chock full of non-stop action, with the first episode involving a Jeep diving off a cliff into a river.  Every kind of vehicle imaginable appears, from trucks to motorcycles to boats to jets, and the powers of the M.A.S.K. helmets contribute to some complex fight sequences.  No wonder this show grabbed my imagination as a kid.  (And yes, I still have my Manta vehicle with Vanessa Warfield figure).

The voice acting is a bit cringe-worthy, but overall I say M.A.S.K. is worth a visit to the past.  The opening sequence—with that catchy song—more than makes up for any deficiencies in the show.  I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the series, though it is certainly a different experience viewing it as an adult.

The boxed set can be purchased here at Amazon or wherever DVDs are sold.

I’m not sure how to feel about this.  It looks kind of funny and will probably do very well.  (Though I have to say, the Incredible Hulk one was incredibly boring).  Vivid Entertainment is realeasing this Star Wars: XXX Porn Parody next month.  Does the timing suggest it’s being pegged to the Blu-ray release?

Do you think Lucasfilm will be able to stop this? I wonder how many Cease and Desists they’ve received already.

In any case, they’ve released their first trailer.

It’s totally safe for work.

When the Cassidy family finds a Liam Murphy (Simon Delaney) dressed in a red vinyl spacesuit passed out on their living room floor they’re happy to believe that he’s an alien rather than a burglar. Murphy adopts the name Zonad and becomes an instant celebrity in the tiny, and very naïve, town of Ballymoran.

Zonad is a lowbrow parody that is clearly inspired by old-school Mel Brooks by way of Gary Ross’ Pleasantville. The majority of its plot is based around Zonad’s conquest to sleep with the entire female population of Ballymoran starting with the young, beautiful and willing Jenny Cassidy (Janice Byrne).

Zonad played at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival where it was met with a general sense of enthusiasm but failed to pick up distribution for a North American theatrical release. Frankly, I’m not surprised. The film is amusing but it isn’t intelligent enough to play to art house audiences and isn’t vulgar enough to appease the mainstream hordes. It’s better than most of Syfy’s original films but can’t compete with the likes of Galaxy Quest, Spaceballs or even the lackluster Paul in terms of budget or wit. In fact, Zonad feels like one of the fantasy stories in Gentlemen Broncos, albeit not nearly as juvenile, stretched into a feature film. I’m not sure if that is a compliment or not.

Bonus features are limited to a fairly boring and sadly generic commentary from directors John and Kieran Carney and a trailer.

Despite my affinity for fantasy films it wasn’t until this week that I really sat down to watch Conan the Barbarian for the first time. The film certainly looks good on Blu-ray with only a little digital tinkering here and there to keep the film from looking its absolute best. The colors are a bit drab but that has more to do with the art direction and costume design than any fault of the transfer. The audio is fantastic as dialogue is perfectly clear and Basil Poledouris’ score is appropriately bombastic.

The bonus features are a bit unbalanced with director John Milius and Arnold Schwarzenegger providing a rather bland audio commentary. Fortunately the hour-long documentary Conan Unchained does a much better job of presenting the film and the various aspects of its creation from script to screen. The package also includes six delted scenes, two trailers, a still gallery of production drawings, concept art and publicity photos as well as a brief split-screen special effects segment. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are two brief featurettes. The first examines the art of sword making and fighting while the other is a collection of archival interviews.

Now on to the part where I upset some of you, I found the film itself to be poorly paced and somewhat boring at times. Clearly screenwriter Oliver Stone and director John Milius have set out to make Conan the Barbarian a fantasy epic and they’ve certainly made a long film with high production values. There’s also no question that Arnold Schwarzenegger was perfectly cast and that his performance, while predictably stiff and occasionally ridiculous, is what made the film a success and launched the former body builder’s career as an actor. But is there any depth to Conan? No, not really. He’s just an angry youth looking to revenge his parents’ murder at the hands of the villainous Thulsa Doom (the always excellent James Earl Jones). Not that I was expecting Gone with the Wind but after so many years of hearing how great the film was I hoped for something less fluffy. I wish I had a sense of nostalgia for the film that might endear me to its weaknesses but if I’m going to spend a couple hours watching a fantasy-adventure I’d rather be watching The Lord of the Rings. Am I being too hard on Conan the Barbarian? Yes, of course I am. The film was a remarkable achievement and despite its slow patches manages to entertain in ways that the recent Clash of the Titans remake could only dream of. I just wanted it to be more than what it was.

Amazon has been running a 58% off sale on more than 200 anime titles for the past couple of weeks (this includes full series). If you haven’t had the chance to go take advantage of it yet, I highly recommend you do before the sale runs out this coming Monday (August 8th). Normally I’m not the type to go promoting one specific website to purchase anime from – but this sale means a lot to those of us who could use a little discount to help expand our media collections. Many of you already know that full anime series can get really expensive! The most prolific series – Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, etc. – can be especially draining on the wallet!

I picked up a couple of my favorite series last week on Blu-ray. Samurai Champloo came out on Blu-ray on May 24^th and I got it for only $22.99 (discounted from USD $54.98). And I just couldn’t resist getting all the Full Metal Panic incarnations – including Fumoffu – which was only $18.49. (Seriously, I can’t get enough of that series, and it looks awesome on Blu-ray.)

If you’ve had any doubt about picking up your favorite anime on Blu-ray let me assure you that the newer series do look and sound a lot sharper in that format, BUT – buyer beware – they rarely come with the special features that the Japanese Blu-ray releases get (what’s the deal with THAT, import companies?)! I’m sure the argument is that it’s not cost effective to translate the extra features, but I do wish we could occasionally see a behind the scenes segment or interviews with Japanese voice actors and creative staff. Saying “Special Features” on the back of a box should not mean, “We put three trailers on here that you would normally have to look online for!”

Great titles (many of them staples for your anime collection) included in the sale on Blu-ray are: Evangelion 2.22: You Can [not] Advance ($16.49), Summer Wars ($15.49), FLCL ($19.49), Eden of the East: The King of Eden ($13.99 Blu-ray DVD combo pack), and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete ($12.99 – If you haven’t seen Complete do yourself a favor and see the HUGE chunks of the story that were cut out from most American releases of this movie. I went back and was shocked to see how much of the story had been cut from both of the DVD versions I had purchased.).

DVD discounts in the sale include: My Neighbor Totoro ($18.99 for the two disc special edition), Trigun ($21.99 for the complete series), Dragon Ball Z Season Six: Cell Games Saga ($16.99 – along with several other seasons offered for around $16), Ponyo ($18.99), and Ouran High School Host Club ($29.99 for the complete series).