20th Century Boys
Saw Chapter 1 of this 20th Century Boy double feature at the NYC Asian Film Festival. Very entertaining flick. Wish I could've stuck around to see Chapter 2, but I had to meet up with friends. Chapter 3 is set for release in Japan later this year. This live action adaptation of the famed sci-fi manga was action-packed popcorn entertainment spelled with bits of humor delivered by numerous Japanese comedians in cameo spots.
Up
Just like "Wall-E" a year ago, Pixar delivers one of the best films of the year in "UP". These two films excel for the same reason: humanity. The animation is beautiful and technically flawless but it rightfully supports - and never overpowers - the emotional pull of the story. Carl, the 78 year old grump, is a wonderfully unusual choice for a protagonist in an animated film. Underneath his grouchiness, he delivers the heart and soul of the film through his faithful dedication to his recently deceased wife, Ellie.
The film opens with a youthful Carl meeting a spirited Ellie, who shares his dream of being an adventurer. Her boundless spirit and energy complements his reticence and brings him out of his shell. Its a cute and blushing scene, however the real heart of the film follows in a 10 minute wordless sequence which chronicles their relationship from childhood to courtship and marriage until old age. Compressing such a long period of time can come off as trivial but this particular scene perfectly celebrates the beauty of lifelong love without words. It is a heartfelt homage to growing old together and captures the little things in life which endear Carl and Ellie to each other. Truly one of the best sequences I've seen on film in a long time. We now feel the emotional motivation behind Carl's mission to fulfill his recently deceased wife's dream of traveling to a Lost Land in South America.
Of course, all this emotion and sentiment is balanced by the wonderment of his flying house and by bits of humor and physical comedy - most of which are delivered by the 8 year old stowaway Russell and their animal companions. While I think this film might be over the heads of children under 5 years old, it is certainly a treat for the rest of us.
independencia
independencia directed by raya martin (official selection for cannes film festival) follows a mother and son during the american invasion of the philippines in the late 1890s.
star trek
I wouldn't classify myself as a hardcore trekkie, but I'm very familiar with the phenomenon. As a kid, I grew up as a Next Gen fan and ignored the aging movies featuring the geriatric original cast hobbling around in progressively tackier starfleet uniforms. Picard was always cooler than the goofy Kirk. But, I still held a healthy respect for the iconic 60's reruns - largely due to the technicolor 1960s stylings of the future. Hard to resist Uhura's fro, alien chicks in beehives and miniskirts, not to mention the campy gadgets and sound effects.
JJ Abrams jumpstarts the franchise with an entertaining (if not predictable...but we're talking about Star Trek, remember?) plotline pitting the newly minted Enterprise against evil time-traveling Romulans. I'm usually wary of rehashes or prequels, but this movie captures the essence of the original series and injects a refreshingly new perspective supported by beautifully entertaining visuals and excellent casting. You really feel the pull of warp speed, while the lighting and sound effects combine to create an atmospheric quality to the action sequences. This is light years ahead of action scenes in the old Star Trek movies and tv shows - where they'd just shake the set and have actors fall out of their chairs during battle.
Aside from a couple of Dr. McCoy's canned lines, the actors enhanced the familiarity of each character without resorting to impersonation. Thankfully, Pike focused on playing Kirk rather than playing Shatner. I really enjoyed the formative years of Kirk and Spock as they make their way through Starfleet academy and meet their future crew. Of course, part of what made the original 60's series enjoyable and groundbreaking at the time, was the multicultural cast. While Uhura was somewhat limited, Sulu gets to kick some ass with his fencing skills. Quinto's Spock was spot on and Nimoy's Old Spock held a considerable and ironically emotional role, which will likely appease the hardcore Trekkie. Interestingly, the old-heads outnumbered the kids in my theater - and the majority literally applauded the movie as the closing credits rolled in.
Overall, it was a great summer popcorn flick movie and I look forward to some original stories that can now evolve from the alternate universe created within this story. 
tokyo!
Trailer for the upcoming movie Tokyo! Directors Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-ho share three separate stories set in the city.
streetfighter trailer
Streetfighter was one of the video games that defined my youth. The action here looks decent but the movie is probably only good for a DVD rental.
chocolate
From the creaters of Ong Bak. Chocolate: A special needs girl with a special need to kick some ass haha.
death note "the last name"
I'm not a huge manga/anime fan, but I really enjoy the Death Note series. The story grapples with interpretations of morality as the powers of death gods are given to characters who are disgusted with a decaying society rife with insufficient justice. The story is paced with an incredible sense of suspense while focusing on the cat & mouse mental battle between L and Light.
Viz Pictures brought the second installment - "Death Note 2: The Last Name" to U.S. theaters for a special two night only engagement. I watched the first installment on DVD - so I was particularly interested in seeing how the movie plays to an American audience. Upon entering the theater, I thought I stepped into a high school auditorium. These kids were likely drawn in from the Death Note anime run on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Many of them sported "L" and Shinigami shirts informing each other that there were more available at "Hot Topic". I chuckled, feeling old as dirt - but thankfully their enthusiasm was more good natured than obnoxious.
There were a few asians who strolled in looking exactly like "L" and "Light" with their teased mop hair. Maybe they thought it was a casting audition for the next movie. Peeped some typical white guy/asian girlfriend couples. Then, the older otakus started filtering in. I hate to perpetuate stereotypes, but most of these guys fit the bill: bifocaled, overweight, couple pony-tails, anime-themed wardrobe, and the fresh-from-my-moms-basement swagger. But all jokes aside, they are genial and incredibly knowledgeable about any aspect of Japanese culture that gets represented in anime or manga. Its always great to see people open to other cultures and if anime is the motivating factor - so be it. Nonetheless it still amazes me when I hear them reciting Japanese names or explaining mythology behind each story.
As the movie began, a big applause surged around me. The casting (even the non-blonde Misa Misa) successfully captured the essence of each character. I especially enjoyed the reverent Iron Chef's Chairman Kaga as Light's dad and the accurate shinigami renderings. "L" seemed to be the most popular - with his anime mannerisms and suger addiction drawing the most favorable reactions.
Even though the original manga prioritized driving morality themes over deep character development (as evidenced by the cold emotional state of lead character Light), each character has managed to develop a following. In the director commentary, Shusuke Kaneko mentions that when he talked to his family about "L" in the movie making process, his young son immediately hopped into his chair with both feet perched on the cushion - just like his favorite character "L". This amazed him and likely motivated a more consciously character driven movie. As a result, the vibe feels more campier than the darker anime series and some depth is lost in condensing the original story.
Still, Death Note: The Last Name manages to carry the original themes and was entertaining throughout. The story is altered a bit in an attempt to strengthen emotional ties between characters and the audience. The director explains his efforts to inject more humanity by bringing his personal experiences and perspective to the adaptation. You can see this as the movie invests more emotional time in the father-son relationship.
Most interestingly, the director talks about the issue of expressing Japanese culture while pursuing universal themes. As a younger director, he pursued communicating themes that translated around the world across all boundaries and cultures. But now, while still recognizing the potential of international markets, he also cherishes the uniqueness of Japanese culture. In admitting that he doesn't fully understand the complexities of his own culture, he is curious to see how exporting a movie like Death Note will translate around the world. Judging by the audience reaction in the theater, not much was lost in translation. But, I was sitting with established fans. With Warner Brothers picking it up and swirling rumors of an American remake - it will be interesting to see how much Death Note will be Americanized, bastardized and received.
To top off the evening, we shared a laugh when spotting a parked car next to ours with the license plate "INUYASHA". Then amazingly we saw a whole white American family noisily expressing their enjoyment of Death Note before piling into that car. Wow, a whole otaku family in jersey!
died young, stay pretty
trailer for the movie "died young, stay pretty", documenting the growth of the underground poster scene.
looking thru the b-sides
trailer for Saimon Chow & Golden Lucky's short about a skateboarder named Ollie and his search for a lost skateboard. nice stop motion animation at work here.
ponyo
Extended trailer for the new Hayao Miyazaki film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, which recently opened in Japan.
a dark dark knight
The Dark Knight is a dense, dark and totally absorbing film. There was not a slow moment in the movie but none of the action was mindless and the plot twists were suprisingly suprising. The film grabbed my attention for every second from the opening scene - which is a rarity. The beautifully bleak visuals support the psychological depth behind the inner struggles that motivate Batman and the deranged Joker - further questioning ingrained ideals of heroism and preying upon the ugliness of Gothamites.
The Dark Knight raised the bar of sophistication for a comic book movie that was Ledger's central performance lives up to all the frenzied hype but the movie also gains in upgrading from Katie Holmes to Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart's charismatic Harvey "Two Face" Dent. I'm a sucker for dark films, but The Dark Knight isn't only one of my favorite comic book films...but one of my favorite films in recent years.
robo-love
Go see WALL-E! It is by far, the best flick I've seen this year (so far) and I'm not exaggerating one bit. It is simply THAT good.
Honestly I had no interest in watching this movie when I first saw the trailer. Hmm...a geeky robot love story? Seemed corny by all accounts. Wall-E was off my radar until with astonishment I discovered it receiving rare 90+% ratings on Metacritic and Rottentomatoes. So I felt compelled to see if it lived up to the critical acclaim. And it sure did.
I had no doubt that Pixar would create awesome imagery and the contrast of earth as a trash heap with the majestic scenery of outer space was a pure visual treat. In fact there is literally no dialog for the first 1/2 hour of the movie. Earth's abandonment and WALL-E's lonely situation as clean up bot is wonderfully communicated by physical action, expression and gesturing. Once EVE enters the picture, I was struck with how the creators crafted such a touching story about robots - specifically the relationship of WALL-E and EVE really tugs at your emotions. Unlike most "G" rated movies, the humor isn't too slapstick, juvenile or trite. There are few dumb one-liners and this complements a fairly sophisticated opening act chronicling their time on earth which climaxes to the discovery of the key to its revival. I wondered if kids would get bored with the buildup and general lack of goofiness (no panda or animals adopting obvious racial stereotypes here) but they get rewarded with an imaginative and fun journey through space.
Beyond the visuals, there is an underlying comment on how humans have mistreated the earth and how we have devolved into ignoring the environment around us. Thankfully, the writers don't lecture this point but it is incorporated within the framework of the story. Yes, this robot movie is emotionally moving, visually arresting, and socially conscious. A treat on all cinematic levels.
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