MetaFilter posts tagged with Japan and movies

"Daimajin, please come punish our abusers with wrath! / OH NO, RUN, THERE'S WRATH EVERYWHERE!!!

Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 19:19:53 -0800

He is the spirit of vengeance and the wrath of God given form. But when Daimajin's rage was unleashed, it could be directed at both the wicked and the innocent alike.

"Daimajin","Return of Daimajin (Daimajin Ikaru)", and "Wrath of Daimajin (Daimajin Gyakushu)" were a trio of kaiju eiga (“giant monster movies”) all produced and released in 1966 by the Daiei Motion Picture Company (producers of the Gamera movies). Unlike most kaiju eiga (e.g., Godzilla, Mothra, War of the Gargantuas, etc.) which were set post-WWII and were famous for high-tech anti-kaiju weapons, the Daimajin movies are set during the feudal Sengoku Jidai (“Warring States Period”) and are in many ways as much chanbara (“samurai sword-fight”) period pieces (Jidaigeki) as they are kaiju movies. Daiei was already known for making Jidageki movies, so they had sets, costumes, actors, and the abundant Japanese countryside as backdrop already lined up The common theme among the three films involves the local peasantry being abused by their local evil Samurai overlords and praying to the angry spirit that is trapped within the buried statue to wreak vengeance on their abusers. Inspired by the Jewish legend of the Golem, Daimajin was crafted to bring a Japanese flavor to the idea. While Japanese mythology has no direct mythological analog to the Golem, the producers dipped into Shinto, the indigenous Japanese animist tradition, and the Japanese historical practice of burying figurative statues. The first Daimajin movie has the titular statue at his most wrathful, a force of nature that once summoned is unstoppable and poses a threat to the very mortals who summoned him. The 2nd & 3rd movies depict the monster as more focussed in his punishment of evildoers. In 2010, the Daimajin story was updated to modern Tokyo and made into a TV series, Daimajin Kanon. An in-depth (spoilery!) article on the Daimajin movies.

TETSUUUOOOO!!!....'s creator returns

sendai sleep master — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:35:26 -0800

In 1982 the manga, Akira (previously) , began its run. It would ultimately spawn a film that would lead the way for the growth of the anime medium outside of Japan. An attempted Americanized remake (previouslyer) was in production before being ultimately canceled. The manga’s creator, Katsuhiro Otomo, in the meantime, had taken a 20 year break from long-form manga. It was recently announced that this break was coming to an end and that Otomo would be working on a new long-form shonen series.

Studio 4°C: anime that is dense with substance

filthy light thief — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:44:24 -0800

Studio 4°C is a Japanese animation studio, named for the temperature at which water is most dense, which they convey in their creative manifesto: "create only works that are dense with substance and extreme quality." The studio has produced a range of works, from commercials (Honda Edix | Nike iD REALCITY) and music videos (Ken Ishii - 'Extra' [prev] | Utada Hikaru - 'Fluximation'), to animated series (The Adventures of Tweeny Witches | Thundercats reboot [prev]) and feature-length films (Memories [1995] | Mind Game [2004]). More on their movies inside. The Studio 4°C animation studio was formed in 1986 by Eiko Tanaka. As the studio was only Tanaka for a while, the first two credits to Studio 4°C are My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, where Tanaka served as a line producer under the direction of Hayao Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli (prev). The first production from the little studio was in 1989, with a take on Jack and the Beanstalk, but it would be another 6 years until the studio really made a name for themselves as the producers of dense, visual stories. In 1995, Memories brought together a number of notable artists to create three separate films under one heading. The first film, Magnetic Rose, is a space opera of sorts, and is based on a story by Katsuhiro Otomo (maker of the Akira manga, amongst other notable works). The script is by the noted anime director Satoshi Kon (prev), directed by Koji Morimoto, and features music by Yoko Kanno. The next film, Stink Bomb, is a comedic story of accidental chemical warfare, and is the directorial debut by anime storyboarder and animator, Tensai Okamura. Katsuhiro Otomo scripted the second film, and wrote and directed the third film, Cannon Fodder. This last film is a day in the life of a boy, set in a land that is constantly at war with an unseen and distant aggressor. (early pilot/teaser [5:29, YouTube] | US blended trailer, which mixes the three parts into one almost non-sensical trailer [2:16, YT] | complete movie with English hard subs [1:53:26, AniLinkz]) Three years later, Studio 4°C released an adaptation of a manga series called Spriggan. The film, which has been classified as "classic [1990s] anime," has hard-hitting action, a dark, metaphysical plot, and even a dose of Indiana Jones-style "archeology" and adventure. Mysterious international forces trying to gain unknown power through ancient technologies, that kind of thing. (English trailer [YT, 1:19] | full movie, English dub [YT, 1:25:09]) Heading in a different direction, the studio's next feature film is based on an original fairytale that provides an alternative to conventional princess fairy tales, with a clever, active, and self-reliant, princess (Google Quickview / original pdf). Diane Coles' The Clever Princess was published in England in 1983, and translated into Japanese in 1989, where it was widely read, and adapted into plays and musicals. In 2001, Studio 4°C released their version, titled Princess Arete, which was likened to Studio Ghibli productions, but was faulted by some as being paced too slowly. (Japanese trailer [YT, 2:05] | whole fansubbed movie in 8 parts [HD YT, ~1hr 45min]) The studio returned to manga for source material with their 2004 film, Mind Game. Based on manga of the same name by Nishi Robin (not to be confused with the shōjo manga by Shiina Ayumi), studio head Eiko Tanaka directed the film, after she read the odd manga. "It wasn’t very popular, but I liked the main character, Nishi, who takes control of his life," said Tanaka. Regarding the content and style of the film, she said:

In order to be successful, the future of Japanese animation needs to expand beyond children and family entertainment. Mind Game is very adult. It’s fairly mature and contains sex and violence.

And it's only a 'normal' movie for the first portion, then things get absurd. Consider yourself warned. (Japanese trailer [YT, 1:51] | full fansubbed movie [Megavideo, 1:43:26 / Veoh sample, full movie viewable with plugin]) 2005 saw the culmination of a decade-long endeavor: the release of Steamboy, a steampunk tale of a young inventor who must use an invention created by his grandfather and father to fight evil, redeem his family, and save London from destruction. The movie, written by Katsuhiro Otomo and Sadayuki Murai (known for Millennium Actress) is full of exciting and entertaining action, but a bit shallow when compared the prior work of the big names attached. (Japanese short trailer [YT, 1:40] | Japanese extended trailer [YT, 6:02] | English trailer [YT, 1:34] | full movie with English dub [YT, 2:01:19] | full movie with English subtitles [MegaVideo, 2:06:43]) The next year, Studio 4°C released something more similar to their past works: Tekkonkinkreet, the story of two orphaned brothers, living on the streets of Treasure Town, who try to save the city from yakuza who want to turn the city into an amusement park. Based on the manga Tekkon Kinkrete: Black & White, the movie marks the first time a US director (Michael Arias) has gone to Japan to direct a complete movie, at the Japanese studio, but the results are mixed. Falling short of the style of the manga, but still retaining a unique style, avoiding stereotypical character designs. Add to the visuals a soundtrack by electronic musicians, Plaid, who even performed the soundtrack live on occasion. Taking it further, there is also a remixed version of the soundtrack. ( English trailer [YT, 2:10] | full movie with English subtitles [official YT movie, 1:50:49] | previously: Art of TekkonKinkreet) The latest work from Studio 4°C was a collaboration with Molot Entertainment on a film called First Squad. Set in World War II, the story is about a squad of Soviet teenagers with special abilities, fighting against Nazis who are attempting to resurrect the supernatural 12th-century crusaders, the Order of the Sacred Cross, with live-action [that] serves to add that bit of extra depth to the setting. The film was precluded by a music video in 2005: "Наша с тобой победа" ("Our victory") by Russian rap artist Ligalize. The film was released in 2009, and features music by Japanese turntablist/producer DJ Krush. (English subtitled trailer [YT, 2:19] | English subbed movie [various hosts, ~70 minutes])

Benshi

Paragon — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:17:07 -0800

The benshi of Japan were live narrators of silent films. "To many 'silent' cinema fans in Japan, benshi were a major attraction. It was usually the film that drew people to the theater, but it was often the benshi which determined which theater a person would attend. Benshi were huge cultural stars of the time, with benshi earning as much, if not more, than many actors." Audio clips of the great benshi On Youtube: Our Baseball Match (animated, 1931), Orochi (final sword-fight scene, 1924) Midori Sawato keeps the tradition alive: article, interview, website Neo-benshi: a revival in California

SLYT of Funky Forest

mccarty.tim — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:10:07 -0800

A middle aged man sits on a chair, nervously reveals udder-like things on his chest, and descends his scrotum through a hole in the chair. Then it gets stranger. [SLYT] [IMDB]

Roger Ebert on Anime, with a focus on Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

filthy light thief — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:46:06 -0800

"In Japan, animation is not seen as the exclusive realm of children's and family films, but is often used for adult, science fiction and action stories, where it allows a kind of freedom impossible in real life. Some Hollywood films strain so desperately against the constraints of the possible that you wish they'd just caved in and gone with animation." -- Roger Ebert on anime, with this excerpt being related to Tokyo Godfathers. Ebert has been a fan of anime for a while, especially the works of Hayao Miyazaki. Ebert has reviewed 6 of the 18 Studio Ghibli films released to date, and even interviewed Miyazaki with a bit of fanboy glee. More reviews and videos inside. Roger Ebert could be considered something of a closet "otaku" (Japanese for "fan" or "fanatic", though the term is often applied to anime fans in the US), and he even added a small comment on the dub vs subtitle otaku war ("I know. The best is subtitled DVDs."). Ebert has reviewed anime movies since they first were screened on US theaters at large, with Ghost in the Shell (1995) being positively reviewed by Siskel & Ebert (YT) and in print by Ebert in 1996. The year before, Ebert reviewed another anime movie, The Wings Of Honneamise, which got an honorable mention in Ebert's top 10 for 1995, though it wasn't reviewed by Siskel & Ebert. In 1996 the Walt Disney Corporation and Tokuma Publishing first formed a deal in which Disney was granted the rights to distribute many of Tokuma's works, including most of the Studio Ghibli films, throughout much of the world. The first Studio Ghibli film to get "the Disney treatment" under the new arrangement was Kiki's Delivery Service, which was released in the US on September 1, 1998, eight years after the Japanese release. Ebert has since reviewed all major Ghibli releases, both in print and as part of At The Movies, even covering some of the earlier Ghibli-related titles. Feature-length Studio Ghibli films + Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984, Miyazaki) - reviewed by Michael Mirasol, the Flipcritic, as part of the Foreign Correspondents feature that is edited by Roger Ebert. The movie, based on the manga by Miyazaki, was produced before Studio Ghibli but is often considered the starting point for the studio. First released as a heavily edited and awkwardly re-dubbed work entitled Warriors of the Wind (YT trailer), later re-dubbed by Disney and kept true to the original form. Videos: English subtitled Japanese trailer collection (YT), full English dubbed movie (Google video) + Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986, Miyazaki) - refered to as a point of comparison for some design features in Pixar's Up, but not reviewed by Ebert. Videos: subtitled Japanese trailer 1 and subbed Japanese trailer 2 (YT), English dub trailer (YT), full English dub (Gv) * Grave of the Fireflies (1988, Isao Takahata) - review by Ebert (YT clip, edited and extended by a fan) from the Ebert & Roeper era, in print, where he said the film was "an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation," and included in Ebert's list of great movies. Videos: subbed Japanese trailer (YT), full English dub (MySpace video) * My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Miyazaki) - reviewed by Siskel & Ebert (YT), in print, where Ebert said "Here is a children's film made for the world we should live in, rather than the one we occupy.... Whenever I watch it, I smile, and smile, and smile." Ebert also included it on his list of great movies. Videos: Japanese trailer, short clip of English voice actors on the movie, original Japanese movie unsubbed, Fox Home Video/Troma dub (MySpace vid / Troma presskit) * Kiki's Delivery Service (1989, Miyazaki) - transcript of Siskel and Ebert At The Movies review, not reviewed in print by Ebert, but included in his Best Movies of 1998 (when the US dub was released) in The Chuck Jones Award category for 'feature-length cartoons are breaking away from the "children and family" category and growing up into full-bodied entertainments.' Videos: Japanese trailer 1, Japanese trailer 2, Japanese trailer 3, 1998 Disney edition trailer, updated Disney trailer (YT), Japanese video with Chinese subtitles (56.com), first 11 minutes of the English dub (Gv), and the full US dub (MSv) + Only Yesterday (1991, Takahata) - not reviewed by Ebert, and is the only theatrical Studio Ghibli release not available in the US, though Turner Classic Movies aired it in January 2006 as part of tribute to Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. "No matter what your preconceptions about anime might be, Only Yesterday probably confounds them." Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs (YT), Chinese dub (Youku) + Porco Rosso (1992, Miyazaki) - not reviewed by Ebert, this movie grew from what was intended to be an in-flight short, "a movie which tired businessmen on international flights can enjoy even with their minds dulled due to lack of oxygen." Miyazaki expanded the idea into a story of a pig of a man, along with his friends and enemies, in the Adriatic in 1929, during the early days of the Great Depression and the rise of Italian fascism. Videos: Japanese trailer 1, Japanese trailer 2, Making of the English dub (YT), Japanese version with English subs (Veoh, req. Windows-only player plugin) + Ocean Waves (1993, Tomomi Mochizuki) - also known as I Can Hear the Sea (literal translation), this was Studio Ghibli's first made-for-TV movie, and only one to date. It was also the first Ghibli movie directed by someone other than Miyazaki or Takahata, though Mochizuki had directed other works before. Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs (YT), full movie with Chinese subs (Youku) + Pom Poko (1994, Takahata) - briefly discussed in a Movie Answer Man column, insofar that Ebert thought that a movie featuring mythical abilities of the tanuki, or racoon dog, would not mesh with cultural and moral understandings elsewhere. In short, their ability to transform their testicles into many forms (YT, SFW if your work is OK with animated expanding animal testicles). Videos: collection of Japanese trailers, Japanese trailer with English subs, and French trailer (YT), full movie, US dub (MSv), full US dub (Vodpod) + Whisper of the Heart (1995, Yoshifumi Kondō) - not reviewed by Ebert, roughly based on manga of the same name, and the first appearance of the Baron character. Kondō had worked with Miyazaki and Takahata before the formation of Studio Ghibli back in the mid-1970s, and seen as the natural successor to Miyazaki and Takahata. Kondo passed away from an aneurysm at age 47, in January 1998. Videos: long Japanese trailer, short Japanese trailer with English subs, and "Behind the Microphone" English dub clip (YT), full US dub (MSv) * Princess Mononoke (1997) - discussed by guest reviewer Harry Knowles (YT) of Ain't It Cool News, print review by Ebert, in which he said: "Hayao Miyazaki is a great animator, and his 'Princess Mononoke' is a great film. Do not allow conventional thoughts about animation to prevent you from seeing it." The movie also ranked as #6 on Ebert's top 10 films for 1999. Videos: Japanese trailer 1, Japanese trailer 2 with English subs, US trailer, and Behind the Microphone (YT), Full US dub (MSv) + My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999, Takahata) - not reviewed by Ebert, this movie is the based on a serialized comic strip, and is the first Studio Ghibli film completely made digitally, to achieve the appearance of being made with watercolors, instead of the cel-painted form of other Ghibli films. Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs and Behind the Microphone (YT), full Japanese movie with Chinese subs (Youku) * Spirited Away (2001) - reviewed by Ebert & Roeper (YT), in print ("I feel like I'm giving a pitch on an infomercial, but I make these points because I come bearing news: This is a wonderful film. Don't avoid it because of what you think you know about animation from Japan. And if you only go to Disney animation--well, this is being released by Disney."), and #8 in Ebert's top 10 movies of 2002. Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs, US trailer, Behind the Microphone, making of Spirited Away (Japanese language with English subs) part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6 (YT), full US dub (MSv) + The Cat Returns (2002, Hiroyuki Morita) - not reviewed by Ebert, the film features the return of some elements found in Whisper of the Heart, and is based on the manga Baron: The Cat Returns by Aoi Hiiragi, who created the manga behind Whisper. She was commissioned to create the short manga by Studio Ghibli, who were asked to make a short film starring cats. The theme park canceled the project, but the manga was created, and the short film expanded into a movie. Videos: Japanese teaser with English subs and Japanese trailer with English subs (YT), full US dub (MSv) * Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - reviewed by Ebert & Roeper (YT), in print, where Ebert said the movie was "a disappointment, compared to [Miyazaki's] recent work." Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs and US trailer (YT), full US dub (Gv), full US dub (MSv) + Tales from Earthsea (2006, Gorō Miyazaki) - not reviewed by Ebert, this film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, who had initially not wanted to follow his father, yet returned to prove his capabilities, though the resulting movie faced mixed review of an odd sort. The movie is loosely based on first four Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin. The younger Miyazaki turned from animation and instead became a construction consultant of parks and gardens, but was invited to work on the Studio Ghibli Museum, and he was the museum's director from 2001 to 2005, when he turned his attention to directing his first film. Gorō wrote about the process, how his father was against his son directing "Tales from Earthsea", and Gorō gave Hayao Miyazaki gets zero marks as a father, but full marks as a director of animated films (though another story slipped out in a supplementary entry while the director was busy). Hayao Miyazaki attended the launch party without telling his son, and passed along a few positive words at the end -- "It was made honestly, so it was good," which greatly lifted Gorō's spirits. -- review by Ursula K. Le Guin, and drama reaches the English-speaking 'net. Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs and English trailer (YT), full US dub (MSv) * Ponyo (2008) - reviewed by Lyons and Mankiewicz (YT) in their continuation of At the Movies, print review by Ebert ("This cannot help sounding like standard animated fare. But I have failed to evoke the wonder of Hayao Miyazaki’s artistry. This 68-year-old Japanese master continues to create animation drawn by hand, just as “Snow White” and “Pinocchio” were. There is a fluid, organic quality to his work that exposes the facile efficiency of CGI. And, my God! — his imagination!"). Videos: Japanese trailer with English YT pop-up subs and US trailer (YT), full Japanese movie with Chinese subs (Tudou), full English dub (Veoh, plugin req.) + The Borrower Arrietty (2010, Hiromasa Yonebayashi) - Released to theaters in Japan on July 17, 2010, this movie is based on the 1952 children's fantasy novel, The Borrowers. This is Yonebayashi's directorial debut, and Miyazaki sounds pleased with the results (time-sensitive link, pointing to GhibliWiki's Latest News, with translations of a YouTube clip that is already removed. A bit of translation, copied for posterity from GhibliWiki: Miyazaki says to Yonebayashi, "You did it really well. It was three times better than I thought. You had better take a rest for awhile. It is not a shameful work even if we show it to anyone. I felt a director appeared at last. I was relieved. It was really good. I cried." (laughs) ) Videos: Japanese teaser and Japanese trailer (YT) Other anime films reviewed by Ebert (and friends) * Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987, Hiroyuki Yamaga) - reviewed in print only, listed with an honorable mention in Ebert's top 10 for 1995 when it was released in the US. Videos: Japanese trailer and Manga Ent. US trailer (YT). * Roujin Z (1991, Hiroyuki Kitakubo) - reviewed by Ebert in print. Videos: US trailer (YT) * Ghost in the Shell (1995, Mamoru Oshii) - reviewed by Siskel & Ebert (YT) and in print by Ebert. Videos: Japanese trailer (YT login required), US trailer (NSFW - animated nudity), US dub in 6 parts (YT), full movie with original Japanese soundtrack and Chinese subtitles (Tudou), and Conan O'Brien & Andy Richter dubbing the movie (Vimeo). * Metropolis (2001, Rintaro) - reviewed by Ebert & Roeper (YT), in print. Videos: Japanese trailer, Japanese teaser and US trailer (YT), full Japanese movie with Chinese subs (Tudou) * Tokyo Godfathers (2003, Satoshi Kon, previous [obit]) - reviewed in print. Videos: US trailer and full Japanese movie with English subs (YT) * Steamboy (2004, Katsuhiro Otomo) - reviewed by Ebert in print. Videos: Japanese trailer, US trailer, and US dub in 13 parts (YT)

“Toro is junk food for low income earners.”

zarq — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:26:09 -0800

"The Japanese Tradition" was a series of nine short, parody "How To" videos that gently mocked the formality of Japanese culture, from comedy duo Rahmens (ラーメンズ) and Japan Culture Lab. They're available on DVD, but nearly all of them can be seen on YouTube, including Sushi and Ocha (tea). They're impeccable pastiches of cultural instruction videos -- How To guides to the correct use of chopsticks, paper-folding, sparring, the etiquette of family holidays, how to make rice balls, the way of tea, the rituals of apology, the eating of sushi and how to clap in time.
The Japanese Tradition 1. Sushi 2. Ocha / Tea 3. Dogeza / Apologizing (Also.) 4. Tejime 5. Origami 6. Hashi / Chopsticks 7. Rice Balls Similar series from Rahmens: * Love Relationships Part 1: Theory * Love Relationships Part 2: Theory * Love Relationships Part 3: Practice * Love Relationships Part 4: Practice Rahmens were also responsible for the Japanese versions of Apple's "Get A Mac" ads. "The Japanese ad scripts are almost unrecognisable, because bragging about your strengths is considered stupid and rude. Instead, the Mac shows class by remaining sophisticated, humble and controlled in the face of the PC’s increasing overconfidence and excitement. The punch lines, it’s safe to say, are lost in translation."
1. Nicknames 2. iLife 3. Viruses 4. Nengajo - New Year's Cards 5. Pie Chart 6. Restart 7. Security 8. Steps 9. Microsoft Office 10. Home Movie 11. Artist 12. Bloated

Kurosawa, 100

ambient2 — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:16:39 -0800

On March 23, 1910, Akira Kurosawa was born. Questionable as lists may be, some great trailers and snippets are here. At least in the UK, he even got a Google doodle.

eerie imaginings from the East

nickyskye — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:25:52 -0800

Asian Horror Movies.com. 100's of free, streaming video, full movies, which have English subtitles. Index of titles updated regularly. Japanese, Korean, Thai. Includes a wide variety of films from an eccentric fantasy like 100% Wool to a psychological thriller like Angel Dust. Viewer reviews are below the screen, so you can have a little idea of the film. Recommended: A Tale of Two Sisters l Inner Senses l The Host l Ju-on l Kwaidan l Save the Green Planet l Wild Zero l Audition l Cure l Dorm.

She is more than just a cute high school girl! She is a master of Karate!

grounded — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:10:22 -0800

High-Kick Girl! That says it all but there's more to the story than just a kick to the head. Meet the star, teen karate girl Rina Takeda. Watch her take on a guy in a baseball uniform.

THE TRUE FIGHT WILL BEGIN FROM NOW!!

40 Watt — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 08:51:01 -0800

NEGADON!! "NEGADON - the Monster from Mars" is a "digital monster film", a film for the future. Similar in execution to the short film which eventually spawned "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", Negadon is a 100% computer-generated short which has been cleverly designed to look like the old Japanese man-in-the-rubber-suit monster movies of the 50's. Even the posters look the part.

Aleksandr Sokurov's "The Sun"

matteo — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 09:54:32 -0800

The Emperor's Bunker. "The Japanese, with sadness and irony, stressed that Hirohito couldn't even speak properly. This was partly to do with the fact that he didn't have to speak - people spoke in his name and he was isolated from real life". "The Sun", the third part in Russian director Aleksandr Sokurov's 'Men of Power' tetralogy after the gloom of Moloch (1999), about Hitler and Eva Braun, and the despairing tones of "Taurus" (2001), focused on the wheelchair-bound Lenin in his death throes, "The Sun" seems almost upbeat. This, after all, is a film about reconciliation. More inside.

The End of an Era!

lumpenprole — Fri, 05 Mar 2004 07:22:57 -0800

Goodbye Gojira Toho decides to retire our favorite radioactive green dinosaur. Sure there were some crappy ones, but even the crappy ones were great in their own way. And if you've never seen Godzilla Raids Again or the uncut remake of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah you owe it to yourself to get watching. Bye-Bye old Friend (snif).

Online petition

skallas — Thu, 30 Aug 2001 19:12:57 -0800

Online petition to bring Spirited Away, Japan's currently largest grossing film, to thje states. Disney owns the domestic rights to all of Hayao Miyazaki's films (think Princess Mononoke) and has no plans to release Spirited Away.

Tetsuo! Kaneda!

ritualdevice — Mon, 29 Jan 2001 10:07:02 -0800

Tetsuo! Kaneda! Akira on DVD!