Kirk Thornton Movies

This series relies on dry, non sequitur humor, puns, general bizarre content, and breaking down the fourth wall in the name of comedy. The plot serves mainly to create excuses for humor but is in itself something of a joke: the evil and entirely bald Margarita Empire is on a rampage to take over the world and render every inhabitant bald as well. The empire is led by the obviously hairless Emperor Tsuru Tsuruiina, whose name, in Japanese, is an onomatopoeia for something slippery. Only the hero, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (whose own name is based on a mimic word in Japanese that describes shrubbery or unkempt hair), can save the world by harnessing his power to command every hair on his body to perform his own unique form of martial arts. He can "hear the voices of hair," including those of his giant yellow afro, which he can use to project images of squirrels in order to confuse his enemy. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo mocks many manga and anime series to hilarious ends, including itself. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

In this suspense drama, a lawyer finds out more than she wanted to know about her friends and lovers. T.K. Katwuller (Barbara Hershey) is a lawyer with a firm command of her career but an unstable hold on her private life; she's more single than she'd like to be, and she's become romantically involved with one of her clients, Steven Seldes (J.T. Walsh), a real estate agent. When T.K. bumps into her college roommate Ellie (Mary Beth Hurt), she discovers that Ellie is Steven's wife, which T.K. hardly regards as welcome news. T.K. then learns that Steven has been accused of financing porn movies dominated by underage actors; after an angry confrontation, she bitterly breaks off the affair. The next day, Steven turns up murdered, and T.K. discovers that Ellie is the prime suspect. She agrees to handle Ellie's case, and Ellie is acquitted. However, T.K.'s conversations with police detective George Beutel (Sam Shepard) begin to plant a seed of doubt in her mind about Ellie's innocence. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The title of this Japanese anime series was an acronym for the Immortal Grand Prix, the most celebrated robot tournament of the year A.D. 2049. The human contestants in this tournament were obliged to maneuver their giant robots along a 60-mile track, racing and battling at top speed. Having won the IG-2 championship, the rookies of Team Satomi had earned the right to compete in the coveted IG-1. Managed by Mitsuko Satomi, granddaughter of the chairman of the once-mighty but now floundering Satomi Heavy Industries, the team was led by "forward" pilot Takeshi, a stubborn and rebellious youth. Other team members included Liz Riccardo, the obnoxious, hoydenish "defender" pilot to whom winning was the only thing that mattered; and child prodigy Amy, the team's "midfielder" and "tactician," who was able to merge her personality with that of her cybernetically enhanced cat Luca. The current IGPX champions were the members of Team Velshtein, coached by Sir Hamgra, who was Takeshi's mentor despite the fact that they were technically rivals. Providing the menaces were the foul-playing Yamma, Timma, and Dimma of Team Sledge Mama. Rounding out the cast were IGPX mechanic Mark Ramsey, who kept secret the fact that he was heir to a fortune, and announcer Benjamin Bright, the fabled "Voice of IGPX." In America, IGPX was sneak-previewed by Cartoon Network in "microseries" form in the fall of 2003 (presented in 5-minute serialized fragments), returning as a half-hour series by popular demand on November 15, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Ramayana, an enduring classic of Indian literature, comes to the screen in this animated adaptation that combines the visual styles of traditional Indian illustration with the bold look of Japanese animé. Ravan (voice of Tom Wyner) is the intolerant king of Lanka, who is determined to lay claim to any neighboring territories. Ravan, however, has yet to face off against noble King Dasharatha (voice of Mike R. Reynolds), who rules with the help of his sons Lakshman (voice of Richard Cansino) and Ram (voice of Bryan Cranston), the latter possessing magical powers and great strength. Ram is forced to do battle with the evil witch Tataka (voice of Catherine Battistone), but while he emerges victorious and wins the hand of the beautiful Sita (voice of Edie Mirman), a poor choice by King Dasharatha forces Ram and his new bride into exile alongside his brother. While in hiding in the forest, Sita is captured by Ravan, and Ram must find and defeat the corrupt monarch in order to rescue the woman he loves. While produced with the cooperation of Indian filmmakers, The Prince of Light: The Legend of Ramayana tones down the Hindu theological overtones of the original story in favor of its action and adventure-oriented narrative. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This animated Japanese feature is aimed at adult audiences and features bloodshed and nudity. The story is set in a grim and distant future wherein vampires dominate what is left of the human race. The story centers on a young woman who hires a famous vampire hunter after she is bitten by one herself. If D should fail her, the girl will be forced to join the ranks of the immortal damned. Vampire Hunter D was originally released with Japanese dialogue, but a subsequent English dub (directed by Carl Macek) is also available. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide