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17 Oct
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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After that last soul-crushing post, I thought I’d put up something better and slightly anime-related. My favorite movie ever in the entire history of everything is being re-released into theaters in 2012 and 2013 and I AM SO THERE.
I actually saw The Last Unicorn with commentary from Peter S. Beagle at Dragoncon about 3 years ago, but it was on a crappy little projector screen and not a BIG one. I don’t care how far I have to drive. Who’s coming with me?
| Category: Film, News | Tag: awesome, the last unicorn, theatrical release |
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25 Aug
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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OK, so Christian Bale as gross, sadistic incest villain might be OK. Probably the only thing about this movie (is it a remake of the original film or based on the manga? It keeps changing) that will be OK.
| Category: Film, News | Tag: christian bale, korea, oldboy remake |
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28 Jun
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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So my favorite Hong Kong ass-kicking actress is no longer allowed in Burma! I’ll just bet her heart is broken about it too.
Actually it probably is, because now she can’t get with Aung San Suu Kyi to ask her stuff for the new movie about her life.
Check out the unusually opinionated bit at the bottom of the article. Of course Burma doesn’t give a crap what people think of them; like the BBC hasn’t figured that out yet? If they cared about dimming interest in the movie, they’d let Aung San Suu Kyi go already.
I don’t know why Michelle Yeoh didn’t just start kicking asses instead of leaving quietly, though.
| Category: Film, News, Uncategorized | Tag: aung san suu kyi, burma, michelle yeoh, movies |
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9 May
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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We’ve already been through the anger and grief associated with seeing Keanu “Whoa!” Reeves mentioned in connection with The 47 Ronin and a live-action Cowboy Bebop, both of which are as yet mercifully nonexistent.
But now he’s connected to the live-action Akira, which looks like it is actually for sure going to happen.
As Kaneda, no less.
Yeah, think on that for a while. Or don’t, it’s probably better for your mental health if you don’t.
| Category: Anime, Film, News | Tag: hollywood, Keanu Reeves, live-action akira, movies |
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21 Apr
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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So, we all know the live-action version of Akira is going to suck balls. There’s no way around it, especiallyconsidering what we discussed on the last podcast (the alleged leaked script) . So while I understand the sentiment, I’m still surprised people are pissed off that it’s probably going to star a bunch of white people.
Even my beloved George Takei is all pissed off about it. On Twitter he linked to a Facebook petition demanding that Asians be in this movie instead. Really, George? Don’t you have better things to do, like working the convention circuit and trying to promote gay rights? And seriously…a Facebook petition? I know George Takei likes to promote Asian-Americans in film, which is great, but why does he even want Asian-Americans to be associated with such a suck-o-fest?
But then, I might very well have been pissed off myself once; now, I’m so disillusioned with how shitty Hollywood has become that I can’t even make myself care anymore.
| Category: Film, News, Uncategorized | Tag: George Takei, live-action akira, petition, twitter |
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24 Mar
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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Apparently the live-action Hollywood Akira is finally going to start filming this coming August. Is this a good or bad thing? I honestly can’t say. Although, looking at this (alleged) short list of possible cast members, I can feel my stomach turn just a bit.
For Tetsuo:
Robert Pattinson, the guy who went through that stupid Twilight movie looking like he was going to puke every second (though everyone in the Twilight cast looked like they were going to puke all the time…maybe something was going around the set).
Andrew Garfield, some guy I have never heard of but who has ginormous hair.
James McAvoy, who probably looks most like Otomo’s character design (it’s the bug eyes) and who was pretty good in Atonement.
For Kaneda:
Garret Hedlund, some guy I never heard of, who still looks vaguely familiar, but I think it’s just because all these young actors look alike these days.
Michael Fassbinder, who I saw in this movie called Centurion. The movie was stupid but he was OK.
Chris Pine, you know, Captain Kirk.
Justin Timberlake, who was good in the Dick in a Box video and those commercials about TVs.
Joaquin Phoenix, who I guess gave up on his rap career or something. He’s a good actor but he has this scar on his upper lip that I find very distracting.
Anyway, here is the article with the (alleged!) list. Commence bitching and moaning.
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1 Feb
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Posted by Musashi
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I’m tempted – really tempted – to post something knee-jerk along the lines of ‘Fuck 3D movies, and unnecessary remakes – why bother, the original was perfect, and…’ – blah, blah, blah. It’s true – the world does not need a remake of The Killer, any more than it needed a remake of True Grit, or another Tron film.
Is The Killer so old a film that a remake is necessary to bring it up to speed with modern sensibilities? Doubtful. I’ve read a lot of vitriol aimed at Woo for ‘allowing’ anyone to sully his original work, and I get that. The Killer is a near-perfect film, directed by John Woo at his creative peak. There’s nothing to be gained by producing a simulacrum, no matter what John H. Lee brings to the table, and certainly there’s nothing about The Killer that can be improved by adding a layer of 3D magic-dust.
That said, I would argue that there’s nothing to be lost with this remake, either. The worst that could happen is that Lee churns out a substandard picture – naysayers will nod sagely and mutter something about ‘artistic integrity’, while everybody else will quickly forget it existed. Woo’s original work will remain. At best, Lee will turn in a twist on the story, something that makes you look at Woo’s film in a new light, while delighting us with bold, inventive action and heartbreaking drama.
Woo is involved, as is his longtime production partner Terence Chang. I have no idea how much this will influence or impact the picture. Frankly, it’s been many years since I’ve skipped a heartbeat at the thought of seeing a new John Woo film. His post-Hong Kong work was mostly a twelve-year trainwreck. Let’s list the films: Hard Target (1993), Broken Arrow (1996), the Once a Thief TV film (1996), Face/Off (1997), Mission: Impossible II (2000), Windtalkers (2002), Paycheck (2003)…is there a good piece of work in the bunch? I can find things I like about each one, but none of them are good as a whole. I bring this up because when people mention Woo’s involvement, it’s usually with relief. I’m not so sure that’s a good sign.
So whatever – either the film gets made, or it doesn’t. Either it sucks or it doesn’t. If it turns out great, then swell – pop culture can chalk one up on the ‘win’ side. If not, we’ll always have Paris.
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8 Dec
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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I have a bit of a girl crush on the lovely and talented Michelle Yeoh, so I would definitely see a movie where she plays Myanmar’s favorite until-recently-perpetual prisoner, Aung San Suu Kyi.
The article doesn’t really document its source, so I like to imagine that someone saw Michelle Yeoh talking to Aung San Suu Kyi at the airport and immediately intuited that Yeoh was going to play her in a movie. It makes perfect sense!
Also, I take issue with the statement that she is best known for Tomorrow Never Dies; I would bet Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did more for her international career than the Bond movie.
| Category: Film, News, Uncategorized | Tag: aung san suu kyi, film, michelle yeoh, myanmar |
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12 Nov
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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So this weekend Shapiro Keats informed me (not without some malicious glee) that xomeone named Zac Efron had been cast as Kaneda in the live-action Akira. The name sounded familiar but I wasn’t sure exactly who he was, so I looked him up. Imagine my horror when I saw pictures of a blank-faced automaton with sculpted cheekbones! He is apparently one of the new breed of squeaky-clean Disney stars, aimed at making parents feel better about their preteen daughters giggling over some dude (You know he secretly shoots heroin between his toes and eats sushi off the naked bodies of hookers…just kidding, Zac Efron, I’m sure you’re a nice guy even if your eyes are completely soul-less. This actually makes me even happier to have a son, because I will never have to look at Tiger Beat posters of these kids, unless Gohan turns out to be gay).
Anyway, I was relieved today to find out from Anime News Network that the Zac is a lie:
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5 Oct
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Posted by Musashi
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This looks mighty awesome – it’s Red Eagle, a Thai superhero movie. He’s like Batman, except without all that pussy ‘won’t kill people’ stuff.
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28 Sep
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Posted by Musashi
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Netflix added a handful of classic kaiju-eiga to it’s Instant Watch service, including Terror of Mechagodzilla, Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster, Rodan, and one of my all-time favorites – War of the Gargantuas! The latter is a peripheral part of the Godzilla canon, being a pseudo-sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World (aka Frankenstein vs. Baragon) – although the titular ‘garganguas’ never appeared in another Toho production.
Frankly, I haven’t seen War of the Gargantuas since I was 7, so it’s entirely possible that my fondness for the film is mere nostalgia. I’ll have to sit down with my son tonight and find out…! It’s also worth noting that Netflix has a ton of Godzilla films on tap, including the American-produced television series which aired Saturday mornings on NBC in the 70′s.
| Category: Film | Tag: godzilla, kaiju, monsters, netflix instant watch |
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21 Sep
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Posted by Musashi
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Producer Brian Rogers has gone on-camera about the upcoming Godzilla film, due out in 2012 from Legendary Pictures.
Fans all over the internet have been alternately praising and shitting on the new project, which hasn’t even left pre-production at this point. Listen to Mr. Rogers (Mr. Rogers! Doink!) speak about the new film and see what you think.
Here are a few of my thoughts regarding his comments:
- More monsters, yay! Although there is a precendent in the Godzilla films (namely the first one) in which the Big G carries the film by himself. If one is re-booting the franchise, there is a good argument to be made that the first film can be Godzilla vs. tanks rather than another monster. Sony’s film wasn’t good at that either, it turns out, but it can be done.
- Godzilla is still CGI. Rooting for ‘man in suit’ is a desire to cling to Godzilla’s cheezy, inadvertantly campy roots. And I get it, I really do. But if you’re going to throw $8 bazillion dollars at a Godzilla film, you don’t want it to look like a guy in a rubber suit…not if you’re an American studio, anyway. ‘So don’t make Godzilla movies in the U.S.’, you say. Fair enough. But I maintain that it’s possible to make a good Godzilla film with CGI – not likely, but possible.
- Legendary did Batman Right. Whatever you think of Americans getting their hands on a beloved Japanese franchise, you can’t argue that they didn’t nail Batman. Yes, that was largely Christopher Nolan’s doing, but the important thing is that they got out of Nolan’s way and let him do his thing. Get the right director behind Godzilla and I think we’ll get similar results.
- Godzilla in 3D – ugh. I’m not against 3D films in principle, and frankly if there’s a film franchise that would work in 3D it’s Godzilla. Still, part of me wants 3D to go away. Far, far away.
(via AICN)
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16 Sep
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Posted by Musashi
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Ye gods, I just learned that renegade filmmaker Takashi Miike is planning a 3D remake of Masaki Kobayashi’s spectacular chambara film Hara Kiri. For my money, Hara Kiri is the best chambara film ever made – yes, better than Seven Samurai or Yojimbo. That’s not to say the latter films are bad by any means, but I really do think Hara Kiri is a genre-defining film. If you dig Japanese cinema and haven’t seen it, you need to do so now. Seriously, call off sick and haul your ass down to Barnes and Noble and grab a copy of the Criterion Collection edition – totally worth it.
The very thought of Miike adapting Kobayashi’s work fills me with trepidation (the bamboo-katana seppuku scene will be something to behold, I guarantee) but as I understand his version of Thirteen Assassins is a pretty straightforward chambara film (and, by all accounts, a spectacular one at that) I think he’ll knock this one out of the park.
The other questionable aspect of this story, however, is Miike’s intention to film it in 3D. I can’t imagine what 3D would add to the story – the swordfights will probably look amazing, but how the rest of the film will benefit is beyond me.
More details here.
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31 Aug
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Posted by Musashi
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According to Aint It Cool News, John Woo is planning to return to World War II with a proposed film about the legendary Burmese Flying Tigers squadron. I can’t think of a single post-Hong Kong Woo film that moved me in any way, and I don’t imagine this will be any different…but the Flying Tigers are definitely worthy of a decent silver-screen adaptation.
| Category: Film, News | Tag: aviation, flying tigers, john woo, world war II |
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17 Aug
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Posted by Musashi
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Swimmingly, according to this piece at MSNBC. Frankly I’m not sure how appealing a 3D skin flick would be – any kind of pornography that requires gear to enjoy seems a bit off-putting. Then again, when you factor in the segment of the population that dresses up as cartoon animals to have sex – maybe this isn’t all that wierd.
The big question is – what IMAX venue will be willing to project 3-D Sex & Zen: Extreme Ecstasy? That would make for an interesting family night at the cineplex.
The producers are hoping the erotic period drama will prove a titillating hit with 3-D-glasses-wearing audiences and help develop a lucrative, niche film market.
“It’s because it’s forbidden in China, (that there) is so much enthusiasm in China for this film,” said film maker Stephen Shiu, who was responsible for the original 1991 erotic film “Sex and Zen,” which grossed over $2.6 million and held the mantle as the city’s highest-grossing adult film for over a decade.
Taking almost twice the time to shoot than conventional films and with a higher budget, more advanced equipment and elaborate lighting, the take-up of 3-D productions has been relatively slow in the porno industry despite early excitement at its promise.
“We have to change the lenses for a long time, the setting, lighting, we need more time than a normal movie,” said Japanese porn star Saori Hara after completing a scene.
