Tony J Case
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2002
- Messages
- 2,736
The largest North American film festival is taking over Seattle, so I thought I'd tip you guys off to some of the action that I catch over the next 25-ish days. I've got 11 movies booked (plus the Secret Festival), plus a couple more that I might pull the trigger on - so not a long list, but a list:
Deathgasam (New Zealand) -
What's it about: A New Zealand heavy metal band accidentally summons Satan and has to save the world. . . .
Nugget Review: Oh my god, this one is off the rails crazy. Dildo fights! Dual wielding chainsaw fights! Projectile blood vomiting, Belt sander to the face. D20 damage to the brain-pan. Heavy Metal Gods returning to earth to enslave all mankind. No boobs. Joe Bob says check it out!
WHEN MARNIE WAS HERE (Japan) -
What's it about: When shy young Anna moves to the seaside for the summer, she finds an old mansion on the seaside, and the mysterious young girl, Marnie. The two girls instantly form a friendship and as the days go by she begins to piece together the truth surrounding her strange new friend. . . .
Nugget Review: So, the first post-Miyazaki, post-Takahata Ghibli flick - how does it stand up against the masterpieces that the studio' has put out over the years? Not too bad, actually. It has the look and the feel of a Ghibli flick without coming over as a cheap Miyazaki knockoff.
First - the film is downright gorgeous. There's a couple of dubious CGI shots, but mostly the animation is fluid and sexy and lush.
The plot is more your Whispers of the Heart drama more than your superheroine fantasy like Naussica or your goofy-as-hell Cagilostro, so let that temper your enthusiasm for the flick. It's still a fine, strong story that could have easily have worked as a live action flim.
All in all, not Ghibli's best work, but still a very good entry into the pantheon.
SNOW ON THE BLADES (Japan) -
(Cant find a trailer, so here's the poster)
What's it about: During the decline of the Tokugawa shogunate, on the eve of the Meji Restoration, lord Naosuke Ii is killed by ronin from the Mito Clan. Not allowed to kill himself for his failure, bodyguard Kingo Shimura is tasked with exacting revenge in a land where samurai are fast becoming a relic of the past. . . .
Nugget Review: This is not your typical epic Samurai flick. If you go into this thinking Lady Snowblood or Lone Wolf and Cub, you'll be sadly dissappointed. This is a thoughtful and elegant drama about honor and duty, about not becoming a slave to the past. The production values look great, the acting is strong, the film looks like a million bucks and the score (by long time Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi) is perfect.
Deathgasam (New Zealand) -
What's it about: A New Zealand heavy metal band accidentally summons Satan and has to save the world. . . .
Nugget Review: Oh my god, this one is off the rails crazy. Dildo fights! Dual wielding chainsaw fights! Projectile blood vomiting, Belt sander to the face. D20 damage to the brain-pan. Heavy Metal Gods returning to earth to enslave all mankind. No boobs. Joe Bob says check it out!
WHEN MARNIE WAS HERE (Japan) -
What's it about: When shy young Anna moves to the seaside for the summer, she finds an old mansion on the seaside, and the mysterious young girl, Marnie. The two girls instantly form a friendship and as the days go by she begins to piece together the truth surrounding her strange new friend. . . .
Nugget Review: So, the first post-Miyazaki, post-Takahata Ghibli flick - how does it stand up against the masterpieces that the studio' has put out over the years? Not too bad, actually. It has the look and the feel of a Ghibli flick without coming over as a cheap Miyazaki knockoff.
First - the film is downright gorgeous. There's a couple of dubious CGI shots, but mostly the animation is fluid and sexy and lush.
The plot is more your Whispers of the Heart drama more than your superheroine fantasy like Naussica or your goofy-as-hell Cagilostro, so let that temper your enthusiasm for the flick. It's still a fine, strong story that could have easily have worked as a live action flim.
All in all, not Ghibli's best work, but still a very good entry into the pantheon.
SNOW ON THE BLADES (Japan) -
(Cant find a trailer, so here's the poster)
What's it about: During the decline of the Tokugawa shogunate, on the eve of the Meji Restoration, lord Naosuke Ii is killed by ronin from the Mito Clan. Not allowed to kill himself for his failure, bodyguard Kingo Shimura is tasked with exacting revenge in a land where samurai are fast becoming a relic of the past. . . .
Nugget Review: This is not your typical epic Samurai flick. If you go into this thinking Lady Snowblood or Lone Wolf and Cub, you'll be sadly dissappointed. This is a thoughtful and elegant drama about honor and duty, about not becoming a slave to the past. The production values look great, the acting is strong, the film looks like a million bucks and the score (by long time Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi) is perfect.