That's only a portion of anime dom... japanese animation is so varied and vast that to characterize it as such is like saying all American animation has a black mouse with round ears in it.

When you reach the level of Masamune Shirow, Kasuhiro Otomo or certainly Hayao Miyazaki you are in a place where world class animators are being influenced by their genius.

If you've spent anytime with even a small portion of Shirows books, you'd see his ability to create alternate universes and technologies is nearly unparalleled... where he falls short is in writing dialogue.

Certainly in the case of Otomo and Shirow, they were influenced by American cinema... but they've gone so far beyond the initial influences that to marginalize their work as being derivative or unoriginal is doing an injustice to the realm of anime and certainly of science fiction.

Trying to argue with people that either don't "get it" or think the ideas are those of small male children is like trying to argue with someone that thinks Jackson Pollock's work is nothing more than a collection of random uninspired squiggly lines.

Oh, I am fully willing to believe that Jackson Pollock's paintings are a collection of random inspired squiggly lines. I'm sure the man was chock full of inspiration of some kind.

Why compare it to its inferior sequels?

That's like comparing the empire strikes back to return of the Jedi.

Just because it spawns bad movies doesn't mean it can't spur innovative ideas and processes in movie making.



Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk

I see what you did there.

On a serious note, the anime version really is a must-see for sci-fi fans and I'm not a huge anime fan.

The Matrix has aged very well and has an important place in the history of cinema.

I don't think I said the people are less than worthy. The film was made for teenage boys, with the woman stripping nude before being a sexy badass killing people, and bad video game plot exposition.

The Matrix comparison was because the effects and action "set pieces" at times felt similar (and not in the slightest bit improved upon; opposite), with bullet time-esque camera motions and such.

I don't see movies such as Transformers but this is what I imagine people see in that; they want to "turn their brain off" for 2 hours and just enjoy some action and effects. I don't understand the mentality at all, and in any event I don't think this movie rose above that.

Closest I can get for myself is something like Jurassic Park III, but I think it's actually a good film and would never characterize the experience as "turning my brain off". It's well-done and lean dinosaur action with, importantly, practical effects and sets all over the place. Ghost in the Shell 2017 isn't well-done, isn't lean, has no practical effects or sets to speak of, and it doesn't have dinosaurs.

(The "turning your brain off" thing is a bit of a strawman; much too lazy to check if anybody actually wrote that ITT about GITS.)

Getting into a slight bit of more specific analysis, this movie started out with some action stuff and people getting killed long before I knew or gave the slightest **** who anyone was. (Reminds me of the first 20-30 minutes of Rogue One in that way.) Then people stood around in a dark and dull-looking room discussing plot **** that we also have no clue about nor any reason to care.

Audio is garbled on this.

They weren't random lines and splotches at all.

But they do a very good impression of random lines and splotches.

I'm not sure if you read MSchu18's line about Pollock in his post directly above mine, I was just making a joke that was playing off of that line.

I haven't spent nearly enough time looking at Pollock's paintings in my life to be able to give an opinion one way or another on them or there artistic merit. I do know his style of painting isn't really my jam though. I have seen the biopicish film of him where he is played by Ed Harris. I seem to recall enjoying it over all, although I doubt I'll ever re-watch it.

Their artistic merit isn't really in any doubt, regardless of individual opinion.

Uh...I don't know what else to say here...Was just making a joke bro...trying to inject a bit of humor into the thread...Is Pollock like your favorite painter of all time, perhaps your favorite human of all time even? Well that's cool if he is bro, but I think there's still room in the world for a joke or two to be cracked about him and his art from time to time.

Why so serious brah? Why so serious?

Ah nothing. Probably been reading too much about Trump and co recently.

Individuals opinion... Variance

Ah, OK. Well I can certainly understand where you're coming from with that.

Just added this print to my collection...



Master print maker.

Kong: Skull Island - 4.5/10

Kizu Monogatari 1, 2 and 3

Best Line: "Why are you rubbing your cheek against my stomach so dearly?"

Runner Up: "And why is my school uniform ripped?"

Honorable Mention: "If I can't die for their sake, I don't call a person a friend."

Gruesome Grisly Carnage: Check.

Trigger Warning: Big Boobs with a 12 year-old face.

Trigger Warning: Big Boobs with a 500 year-old face.

Boob Fu: I've waited 35 years to write that.

Vampires: Check.

Trigger Warning: Japanese Teen Love.

Kiss Shot: Pure killer, but not in a pool hall.

Zonker: Shows his dark side.

Sora Nagihara: Comes very close to showing up in the final scene. But doesn't.

Trigger Warning: Frustration is a key element of Japanese adolescent erotica.

Weird manga graphics that switch back and forth between representational and ideographic styles: Check.

Extremely interesting and extremely entertaining (the audience was gasping and howling in places), and in the end, completely incomprehensible. Highly recommended.

Check it out.

Boobs: Wait, I already mentioned that.

rip michi ballhaus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb3O46ZEJmI

you mean Michael Ballhuas?? RIP Great DP.

Dracula is an amazing film.

Lady Snowblood double feature will play on TCM this month starting at 1:45 AM CDT, 4-30-2017. 06:45z. At the least, watch the first one.

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/559728/Lady-Snowblood/

They actually showed a snippet in a promo. This is the 2nd time they've shown this in the last 12 months.

Crossposted from year draft.

very cool, I will DVR that

If you're like me, this will make you misty:



It's from the 40th Anniversary panel with just about everyone on it - Panel discussion

After they played this, a curtain raised, and there was John Williams and a full orchestra - and they played Leia's theme.

Star Wars opened on May 25th, 1977.

It's 40 years old. How is that possible?

I remember riding my bike to the theater to watch it...and I stayed in the theater all day, watching it at least 3 or 4 times (this was before screening times - you could just sit in the theater all day as long if you had bought a ticket.)

It completely entranced me as a 13 year old. I bought posters and lobby cards (8x10 black and white photos they used to use to market movies) and the soundtrack. It was a true phenomenon - I must've seen it at least 15 times in the theater during its first run.

Coincidentally, I just watched this on DVD the other day. Lady Snowblood is a 70's Japanese grindhouse revenge flick that was the direct inspiration for Kill Bill. Thought the leading actress did an outstanding job selling the role, would recommend for anyone who enjoys grindhouse movies. Def looking forward to seeing the second.

Been meaning to watch that since diebitter wrote about it.