Rating: 
Summary: should have an English sound track
Review: By reading and watching I think I got what was going on, but I suspect alot of the movie is lost on those of us who don't understand japanese. Its a complex plot with several twist and we are given the very condensed version of it. If dreamworks wants to bring Anime to the mainstream they should get a clue from Disney.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply perfect.
Review: The term "anime" immediately invokes feelings of disgust in a good number of American filmviewers, usually due to it's immediate association with the great bulk of mindless sci-fi and fantasy drivel that makes it to the States (see: Pokemon, Sailor Moon, etc.) and the fact that most people simply think cartoons are for kids. For the most part, they're right -- I'm certainly not going to sit here and laud the mature, artistic merits of Hand Maid May, for example -- but rightfully acclaimed director Satoshi Kon is the exception that proves the rule. Perfect Blue, his first film to make it across the Pacific, set new standards for both animation and screenwriting with it's elaborate, psychedelic, and very adult spiral into schizophrenia. Now, Millennium Actress continues his motif of the mind as a gateway to fantastic, non-linear timelines. It begins when Genya Tachibana, the director of a documentary commemorating a famous movie studio, seeks out Chiyoko Fujiwara, a legendary actress who disappeared from the studio some 30 years previous. With his reluctant, ascerbic cameraman in tow, Genya gains the now-elderly Chiyoko's confidence by presenting her with a literal key to her past. As their interview progresses, the trio travels through Chiyoko's life story, where her movie roles and experiences weave an impossible thousand-year tale of love and commitment -- for Chiyoko and Genya alike. Sometimes Millennium Actress swings the viewer from heart-wrenching drama to hilarious comic relief (and back) fast enough to leave psychic whiplash; at other times, Chiyoko's particular blend of memoirs and memories cloud the path to her resolution in a haze of geriatric senility -- but this beautifully animated film always keeps just enough grounded in reality to develop a compelling, coherrent, compassionate story. Millenium Actress is a tribute to the possibilties that Japanimation holds as a cultural artform, and is a terrific sophomore offering from Satoshi Kon. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: The love of the chase and the romance of unrequited love
Review: "Millennium Actress" does what every good animation should do. It takes a good look at the medium, and puts forth a story that utilizes the unique strengths of animation, making a film that could not be live-action. This is a master at work.Both intellectual and emotional, the story is profound and touching, deep with sorrow and hope and unspoken, unrequited love that lasts throughout the years of a lifetime. The two main stories are Chioyoko, desperately seeking the love of her childhood across the years, a man who gave her a key to "the most important thing" and Genya, the journalist interviewing Chioyoko about her life, and who also has carried a secret, powerful love for most of his lifetime. Drifting across Chioyoko's lifetime as an actress, the story fades in and out of her movies, blending seamlessly fantasy and reality, past, present and future. The technique is amazing, as is the journey through Japan's history as Chioyoko makes various period films, becoming schoolgirl, peasant, Geisha, prostitute, Samurai princess and astronaut. Always she is seeking the man she knew as a child, and every role is a quest. A brilliant film, on par with any great animation such as "Grave of the Fireflies" or "Spirited Away."
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Sad, and Wonderful
Review: One of the best films I've seen in ages. This film blends reality and fiction (the movie rolls played by the title character), in such a way that one might do when recounting ones life. I do not want to spoil the plot, but the last scene is so incredibly human, I think everyone who sees this will relate to what the actress says while flying towards the infinite.
Rating:
Summary: excellent anime
Review: Definitely the best anime I've seen in a while. Good on the first view and the more you watch it the more subtlties you pick up, the use of black and white for certain scenes, what is in fact real and what's not. Really worth a look and definitely comparable to the likes of Ghost in the Shell and Spirited Away.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful Surprise
Review: I came across "Millenium Actress" by accident. I was looking for any anime to enrich my studies as a animation major ar CSUN. I was delighted by the graphics and the story, a wonderful exploration of history and images. Also I had purchased others anime because of the effect "Millenium Actress".Anime is a great art form. I watched in my powerbook G4 and I intent to take the other anime in my trip to Brazil. It is a great relaxing, enjoyable surreal world. I will treasure this one with others in my new anime collection. Thanks for listening!!!
Rating: 
Summary: INVOLVING AND UNEXPECTEDLY EMOTIONAL ADULT TALE
Review: Emotional and touching, MELLENNIUM ACTRESS (DreamWorks) looks at the life of movie star Chioyoke after three decades of seclusion. When she grants an interview to journalist Tachibana and recounts her films and memories of a mysterious artist she first met as a girl, Tachibana finds himself within Chioyoke's mind and movies -- observing and then assisting this actress he clearly worships. The action jumps through eras of recent Japanese films and history with realistic animation and striking composition. Words cannot do justice to this mature, intelligent and sensitive story that further blossoms on repeated viewings. Recommended
Rating:
Summary: A Very Touching Love Story
Review: Millennium Actress is one of the most touching Animes I have watched in a very long time. As another reviewer had hinted, this anime can be depressing. However, it is depressing in a very good, Saving Private Ryan sort of way. I would not be surprised if some people actually shed a few tears while watching this, I was pretty close to just doing that. When I first saw this DVD at the video rental store I figured it would be like Perfect Blue, the director's previous Anime. It is interesting because on the Special Feature section of the DVD, the creators of Millennium Actress actually said that they wanted to make something like Perfect Blue. However the story to Millennium Actress is completely different. The story is still focused on an actress but instead of suspense, this anime is one gigantic love story which takes you through different periods of Japanese film culture. One thing which I really enjoyed about this anime is the great creativity which is used to tell the story. It is difficult to explain in words but the main character Chiyako is seen jumping from movies to movies from different eras in order to advance the plot. This way of story telling is certainly the first I have seen in an Anime and is implemented very well. Overall I strongly recommend this anime to most viewers. Unlike Perfect Blue there are no sex scenes and very little violence in this Anime which would explain the PG rating. However, the subject matter and the complexity of the story in this anime would be much more appreciated by adults.
Rating:
Summary: World Class Anime
Review: If you are able to surrender yourself to the whimsy and pathos of this superbly crafted film, you will be deeply touched and greatly rewarded. It has the complexity of "Perfect Blue" and the depth of "Grave of the Fireflies". Absolutely wonderful anime.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better
Review: Miyoko Shôji tried to be far too clever for his own good. I liked the flashbacks of the actresses life throughout different periods of Japanese history and would have been fully satisfied with watching how her life played out. Shôji detracted from the film by inserting the interviewer and the cameraman within the flashbacks which, after awhile, became annoying. And elements that intertwined the actress's real life with her stage life was more confusing than imaginative. I suppose with an 87 minute long movie, Shôji had to find some way to fill up time. The visuals were great. Everything else detracted from it.
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