20130713: 5 mini reviews

A. (netflix) Crawlspace, 2011, 86 minutes, live action theatrical film

1. Amber Clayton, Ditch Davey, Peta Sergeant
2. Mystery, Science Fiction, conspiracy, horror, suspense, psychological tomfoolery.
3. Set in Australia; dangerous experimentation done at a secret laboratory.  Elite military unit is sent in to sort things out.
4. IMDB rated it 4.5/10.0; Rotten Tomatoes rated it 23%.
5. Rated it three stars of five.  Some parts were rather nice, others too murky.

B.  (hulu+) Darker Than Black, anime episodic series, science fiction, crime procedural.

1. Season 1, 26 episodes; Season 2, 12 episodes available on hulu; 2007, 2008
2. Rated 7.9/10.0 on IMDB for 2,990 reviews (almost three thousand).
3. After an unexplained astronomical event, the sky is changed over Japan, and some areas become off-limits for their effects on humans.  That is, some are changed into supernatural creatures, called contractors.  For some group of unexplained reasons, the contractors are all used by criminals for nefarious purposes.  I have yet to see the explanation for this.  Why would the contractors not just exterminate the bosses for high sport?  On the surface, there are the cops and robbers elements (visual themes, habits, speech), then there is also the randomizing effects of the contractors.
4. I've seen half a dozen episodes.  It's good enough to continue, but I have not decided whether my overall rating would be three or four stars of five.

C. (hulu+)  Hiiro no Kakera, anime episodic series, supernatural, coming of age.

1. Rated 8.1/10.0 on IMDB for 29 (one less than thirty)
2. Season 1, 13 episodes; season 2, 13 episodes; all in 2012.
3. Protagonist is teenaged Tamaki Kusaga.  Her parents went to Africa for some sort of noble purpose, or so they say.  Tamaki is abandoned, well, dispatched to her grandmother's estate in the sticks.  As soon as she sets foot on the property, she's attacked by local spirits.  A stranger helps her fight off the attackers, and escorts her to her new home.  The stranger is a member of a family allied to hers.  She soon meets four additional protectors, and starts the process of getting to know her challenges and how to deal with them.
4. I've seen two episodes of 26 total, so far.  I'm not yet convinced that it is worth finishing, but it's good enough to try a few more.

D. (hulu+) Primeval: New World

1. Season 1, episode 5; live action, science fiction, time travel.
2. Two reptilian predators (wolf-sized and wolfish; lycaenops) come through anomalies.  There seems to be no way to send them back, and the team ends up killing them.  The 'butterfly effect' is discussed but not invoked, making me wonder when it will be.
3. As usual, four stars out of five. 

E. (hulu+) Dark Metropolis

1. 86 minutes, live action film released in 2010.
2. IMDB rated it 2.3/10.0 from 226 users.
3. Wow.  Terrible describes the script, the acting, the lighting, the direction, and any sense of taste.
4. I gave this one star of five, since I might want to excoriate this on hulu later.  One star was too many.