Blog Archives

Tales from Earthsea (2006)

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Posted on November 4, 2007 by Andy

Tales from Earthsea is the latest offering from Studio Ghibli and first from Goro Miyazaki. Yep, that’s right. That surname makes him son to pop Hayao and heir apparent to the visionary and iconoclastic Studio Ghibli.

Light shining through the celluloid of a new Ghibli film is usually grounds for anticipation to pass way beyond safe operating levels with the needle pushing dangerously into the red. Breath is so baited that oxygen deprivation becomes a real risk. It’s strange then … (read more)

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The Bad Sleep Well (1960)

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Posted on November 4, 2007 by Greg

Few would argue that Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors the world has ever seen. The number of masterpieces he produced is simply staggering. If you look back at the catalogue of his works, you notice that at the heart of many of these great films are partnerships with other extremely talented individuals. His long collaboration with Toshiro Mifune, for example, is usually regarded as one of the greatest director/actor partnerships in the history of cinema. Kurosawa’s work … (read more)

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May 18 (2007)

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Posted on November 2, 2007 by Justin

May 18 is a film that many pinned their hopes on, in Korea’s flagging film industry, which has been producing far fewer profitable films in the last year or two. And with good reason: it’s a historical epic (flavour of the month, for successful Korean films), it’s based on real events, it’s got a relatively large budget (about US$10M) and it’s got a good cast, led by Kim Sang-Kyung (Tale of Cinema, Memories of Murder).

The film … (read more)

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Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (2006)

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Posted on October 21, 2007 by Tom

Full Metal Panic! is fast becoming a popular franchise, with numerous mangas, novels and two other anime series already released., You would be hard pressed to able to guess where it will all end. This entry in the franchise is a continuation of the first anime series, and picks up the story about five months after the events of Full Metal Panic!

We rejoin Sousuke Sagara and the rest of his unit as they prepare to “drop in” on some … (read more)

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Rang De Basanti (2006)

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Posted on October 21, 2007 by Ching Yee

It would be a rare film indeed to be inspirational, to transport the audience into its world, to be carried away by its idealistic fervour and winds of patriotism AND be a great film. So Rang De Basanti didn’t turn out to be this awe-inspiring film I expected. Boohoo. Serves me right for having high expectations and buying into the hype. Unfortunately RDB just didn’t have the complete package. Plus I forgot to take into account that I am a … (read more)

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Confession of Pain (2006)

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Posted on October 21, 2007 by Deni

The word ‘confession’ carries a great deal of weight in Western culture; in religion, it goes hand in hand with the concept of sin; in the secular world, it’s generally accompanied by legal action. It comes in as many shapes and forms as there are people to make it – from Okay, yeah I ate the last piece of cake to I’m having an affair with your boss and worse. It can ruin lives and relationships, damage trust, hurt others … (read more)

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Paprika (2006)

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Posted on October 21, 2007 by Andy

Satoshi Kon has always been fascinated with the inner lives of his characters and the conflict that arises when self-perceptions are exposed to the air of reality. His first feature, Perfect Blue (1997) was a perfect Hitchkockian nightmare that explored the breakdown of a pop idol who attempts to break out of her teen image by taking on more ‘adult’ oriented acting roles, only to find that transformation sat mentally uncomfortably with not only her values but those of a … (read more)

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Electric Dragon 80,000V (2001)

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Posted on October 7, 2007 by Greg

Common sense dictates that any film featuring the line “He conducts electricity! He talks to reptiles! He’s the man!” is bound to be good. But there are certain elements that separate the good from the great, and director Ishii Sogo has brought them all to Electric Dragon 80000V. Tadanobu Asano looking for lizards in the back streets and sewers of Tokyo? Masatoshi Nagase as the coolest half-deity assassin you’ve ever seen? A soundtrack so loud that it could turn … (read more)

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