Run an informal poll asking otaku to list today’s greatest anime director and two names will immediately appear at the top of the list: Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Oshii. But what is odd is that they’d be at that position for different reasons: the two directors and their cinematic visions could not be more opposite. […]
The Auteurs is a new online movie service that focuses on delivering “auteur” cinema via high-quality video streaming. From their website: Four things that were on our minds when we first dreamt the Auteurs: Number one: why can’t you just watch In the Mood for Love in an airport lounge? Number two: why is it so hard […]
I’ve never been reticent when it comes to voicing my adoration for the films of Wong Kar-Wai. Admittedly, I haven’t seen all of them, but the ones that I have seen affect me like few other films. Wong’s trademark themes of alienation and loneliness, his lovelorn characters, and his inimitable style (voiceovers, meandering plots, intriguing […]
I’ll freely admit that the first time I watched Ping Pong, I was pretty disappointed and underwhelmed. But in hindsight, I had gone in with completely wrong expectations. Based on the trailers I’d seen and some of the more effusive praise I’d read on the Web, I went in expecting an over-the-top, CGI-fueled live-action cartoon […]
It’s an undeniable fact that CGI has changed the face of animation. Whether you’re talking about the style and aesthetic, the production methods, or simply the time and effort involved, the impact of computer animation has been huge. In fact, I daresay that it’s becoming difficult for some folks to think of animation as anything […]
Despite coming out over a decade ago, the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion remains a potent cultural force in Japan. In fact, while traveling through Japan a few weeks ago, I was amazed at the number of advertisements for the new Evangelion movie — which comes out June 27, 2009 — as well as the […]
When my wife saw me pick JCVD off the video store’s shelf, she gave me a look that was part confusion, part disapproval, and part disdain. Not that I blame her, mind you. After all, is there anyone who, as a result of such cheesy action titles and direct to video flicks as Death Warrant, Maximum […]
As Filmwell gets under way, I’m traveling through Japan with my family on an extended vacation. And so, it only seems fitting that my first post here deal with Japanese cinema in some regard. When I reflect on Japanese cinema, I find that one of the things that continually draws me back to it is […]