Anime Film Discussion

[megladon8]

I did a search for an anime discussion thread and saw that we have a TV one but not a film one. If I'm wrong and I missed it, my apologies and please just go ahead and merge.

Last night Jen and I watched Redline and dug the hell out of its insanity. A futuristic racing flick with drugs, violence, nudity, and a random giant monster fight.

We both commented on more than one occasion that it felt like something that could have come out of "Heavy Metal".

The energy behind it was just amazing. Pure entertainment, striking imagery and use of sound.

[Sxottlan]

I was DVRing Akira last night on Toonami, but this morning I see it didn't tape all of it. Annoyed. Haven't see it in years, but I guess a new blu-ray was just released. Might as well pick that up.

[Stay Puft]

Oh, hey, somebody else finally watched Redline. There was a thread in the 2012 forum but I think like 6 people total actually saw it.

Greatest soundtrack ever.

[D_Davis]

I really want to see Redline.

[megladon8]

I really want to see Redline.


I think people like you and Sven would really dig it. It's totally manic and out there. Expressionism to the Nth degree.

[Neclord]

Redline is pretty rad.

[Skitch]

I was DVRing Akira last night on Toonami, but this morning I see it didn't tape all of it. Annoyed. Haven't see it in years, but I guess a new blu-ray was just released. Might as well pick that up.
Whoa whoa...like, a rerelease blu? The blu I have is pretty amazing but if there's a better one...

[EyesWideOpen]

I did a search for an anime discussion thread and saw that we have a TV one but not a film one. If I'm wrong and I missed it, my apologies and please just go ahead and merge.

Last night Jen and I watched Redline and dug the hell out of its insanity. A futuristic racing flick with drugs, violence, nudity, and a random giant monster fight.

We both commented on more than one occasion that it felt like something that could have come out of "Heavy Metal".

The energy behind it was just amazing. Pure entertainment, striking imagery and use of sound.

We have a thread for it in the 2012 database if you wanted to see some more opinions on it:

http://matchcut.artboiled.com/showthread.php?3763-Redline-(Takeshi-Koike)

[Sxottlan]

Whoa whoa...like, a rerelease blu? The blu I have is pretty amazing but if there's a better one...

There's a 25th anniversary edition blu-ray. Amazon says it came out about a month ago.

[Skitch]

There's a 25th anniversary edition blu-ray. Amazon says it came out about a month ago.

Thanks for the heads up! I'm going to have to do some extensive research to see if its worth upgrading.

[Dukefrukem]

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)
★★½

This is going to sound funny but... It gets a little too Animeie for me 15 minutes in. Motorcycles riding on walls. Eyes floating in the sky shooting lasers. A hand with a talking face. None of it makes any sense really. It's a spectacle. Can't follow the reality in the universe.

[Skitch]

I totally understand the first half of your review, and thats fine.

I'm not sure what you didn't understand about it though? Could you elaborate?

[Dukefrukem]

Why does he have a talking hand?

Who are the multiple enemies he fights?

Do any of their powers follow any set of rules or guidelines?

[Skitch]

Its been forever since I've seen the original VHD, but I feel like they addressed the hand thing in that film. I could be wrong.

He's a bounty hunter after the "kidnapped" girl, and the random sub-bosses are henchmen of Meier Link, the "kidnapper".

Usual vampire/werewolf/supernatural being rules apply for each individual. D can walk in the sun because he's like Blade, Link tries because he's mega-powerful he manages to survive, low grade vamps wouldn't have survived that. Its been a while since I've watched so if I'm forgetting something remind me! :)

[Dukefrukem]

Its been forever since I've seen the original VHD, but I feel like they addressed the hand thing in that film. I could be wrong.

He's a bounty hunter after the "kidnapped" girl, and the random sub-bosses are henchmen of Meier Link, the "kidnapper".

Usual vampire/werewolf/supernatural being rules apply for each individual. D can walk in the sun because he's like Blade, Link tries because he's mega-powerful he manages to survive, low grade vamps wouldn't have survived that. Its been a while since I've watched so if I'm forgetting something remind me! :)

I got the Blade theme from the opening monologue. But the rest is not as simple. There's some chick who can make spikes out of what look like trees. There's a dood who can only kill in shadows. There's another dood who has lightning powers. It's all convoluted. And what about the giant stingrays in the desert? It's all fucked.

The whole movie is on youtube.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPQ2KPMVy8M&t

[Skitch]

I own it! Those are all X-Men type mutants with seperate abilities! :D

I know, its weird. I cant help it, i think its cool. Its like a grab bag of supernatural abilities. I do feel like they stuck to known rules for labelled supers though.

And the stingrays felt like a Dune type thing. Not that that makes it more logical, but...hooray scifi lol

[Dukefrukem]

Anyone ever see Perfect Blue?

[Skitch]

Anyone ever see Perfect Blue?

What the cover of the dvd says is accurate, "This is what would happen if Disney and Hitchcock made a film". Grade: A-

I just rewatched Paprika...Spoilered review for length...
Synopsis: The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject's dream. After it is stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device before it falls into the hands of "dream terrorist".

Where Perfect Blue was clearly a massive influence on Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan (hes said as much himself), its very clear that Paprika was a big influence on Christopher Nolan's Inception. Yes, other films have dealt with the concept of entering other people's dreams, but this is not like others.

If you thought Inception was tough to follow, Paprika will melt your brain out of your earholes. I'm not saying it's a tough follow, I was able to follow along, but its not the most straightforward script. In Inception, they told you what they were doing before entering the dream world (for the most part). In Paprika, they're chasing down an unknown dream terrorist that can pull anyone who's used the DC mini in the past into dream world at their leisure. Our main characters are assaulted by the dream world rather than using it as a tool. This can make it tougher to follow the insanity, as you're constantly questioning who is doing this and if this is the real world. They do it intentionally, so we can go on the same distressing quest as our characters, and it works well.

Schizophrenic nightmarish insanity ensues. Frogs dance with cars in a parade of lunacy through a desert. A man visits the circus only to see his face on all the patrons before he's sucked into a high-wire act. Paprika melts herself inside of dreamers who've been tricked into believing the dream world is the real world. A man slides his hand under a victim's skin and peels it off, revealing another person. These are the kinds of scenes that may put off some viewers, as they aren't explained in too much detail.

Many scenes contain frames of animation so crammed with thousands of details your brain can barely look at it fast enough to absorb all the work. The score and sound mixing is excellent, with good music at appropriate times, and creepy sound effects with no music when things turn dark.

Paprika is twisted and beautiful while dancing on unsettling and horrifying. I won't recommend it to everyone as it is a challenging film to consume, but it is one hell of beautiful piece of art. Now I really need to track down Satoshi Kon's other films. Hopefully they're as good as his first and last films, and from what I've heard, they are.

Grade: A-


This is awesome too if you need more motivation to check these films out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz49vQwSoTE

[Dukefrukem]

Wow.. Just watched Spirited Away for the first time. That animation. The creativity.