Posts Tagged ‘ film review ’

The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven 3D

April 2, 2012
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The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven 3D

Article by Tristian Goik. The New York International Children’s Film Festival added several surprise screenings, and I opted to buy a ticket for “The Monkey King,” so I could enjoy a nice 3D movie without the hassle of having to help other people.  I love being a volunteer, don’t get me wrong, but I decided to cut through the moral red tape of the situation by just putting some money down.  Also, have you ever sat in the seats at Walter Reade Theater?  Anyway, the movie that I expected to be a fun useless romp turned out to be a National Chinese Treasure and there was a Q&A with imported directors to boot. “The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven” is a remake of the classic 1960s movie.  Wan Guchan and Wai Laiming were two of four Chinese animation brothers who created China’s first feature length animated film “Princess Iron Fan” (1941).  They were inspired by the recent release of Disney’s “Snow White” and the Wan brothers started to plan production on “The Monkey King.”  Unfortunately for them, history got in the way.  It wasn’t until after the 2nd...

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Ocean Waves

January 2, 2012
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Ocean Waves

Article by Tristian Goik. I suppose I went to a Studio Ghibli film festival, rather than a Miyazaki one.  I had just discovered that Tomomi Mochizuki directed an anime from that studio.   It is an adaptation of one of the novels of the late Saeko Himuro.  And I realized that this film, from two people from the same part of Japan (the Hokkaidō Prefuncture), was so similar to what I see in New York, except that it was another country in 1993! Imagine if you will… a high-school.  These kids are all wearing uniforms, but the anime was giving off such a strong ‘preppy vibe’ I was wondering why I hadn’t seen it before.  A new girl moves into town from Tokyo and that’s when the drama really hits the fan.  American audiences would bait their breath for the moment when they burst into song to sing about their feelings, but they would pass out from exhaustion.  It was a little sad that I had to read subtitles very quickly and try to study the facial animation of the characters.  Emotions rippled back and forth from scene to scene and it made the crummy actions of those snotty people...

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Les Contes de la Nuit!

October 26, 2011
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Les Contes de la Nuit!

Article by Tristian Goik. “Tales of the Night” is Michel Ocelot’s latest fairy tale adventure in blazing color and his first voyage into the stereoscopic dimension.  A series of short stories, perhaps perfect for the educated child with a short attention span, the film is a panoply of world heritage.  We are introduced to an actor, an actress, their director and their beloved owl as they sit and brainstorm new ideas for a play.  A few frames of star-bursts out of a ridiculous machine, and each character is given new clothes for their roles.  Ocelot takes a very… classical approach to his new 3rd dimension, which is both inspired and bound by theatrical set art and shadow puppetry.  Regardless, you’ll be happy to find yourself falling into a triangular-shaped hole over and over and over again. “The Magic Tom Tom” is an African tale, and has one of the best dance animation sequences I have seen in a while.  (Mr. Ocelot is drawing on his wealth of experience from Kirikou).  It must have been exhilarating to break down the drumbeats into key poses and still find a way to flail.  “The Boy Who Never Lied” is a Tibetan tale,...

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Welcome to the Space Show!

March 9, 2011
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Welcome to the Space Show!

Article by Tristian Goik. Sunday evening: Prince Street subway station.  I am waiting patiently for my train.  The ticket-collector gives me the all clear.  Launching myself into the space between the platform and the tracks, I bounce less than gracefully down to the doors of a vast bio-mechanical centipede space dragon.  The doors slurp open and I step into a nice plush interior.  Where shall I sit?  An explosion of rainbow stripes in full Technicolor-Yellow-Submarine-Mucha wonder collaborate to form the perfect cushion for my body.   Five minutes later I am back home in queens.  *Bing* “Stand clear of the closing doors please…” If ONLY!  This is just one part of “Welcome to the Space Show,” which was screened recently at the New York Children’s International Film Festival (NYCIFF).  It most likely sold out 5 minutes before you started reading this, but a little rough Googling will help you out.  “Welcome to the Space Show” is a 2.25 hour-long movie from Japan about 5 kids who take a trip into space.  It is an animation full of phantasmagorical characters, action packed sequences, leisurely paced emotional dramas, and a few too many plot developments, but it is well worth the effort...

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Summer Wars

December 26, 2010
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Film review by Tristian Goik. Summer Wars is the latest anime in a long line of animation from Japan that has its roots in the Fat Man and Little Boy.  It has made me realize that Japanese society has evolved so uniquely that I will never fully understand it.  In the Japan of Summer Wars, little children are masters at maintaining perfect balance on a bumpy bus while using two hands on a PSP or iPhone.  Their mothers meanwhile gab and gossip over giant bags of groceries and tend to their kids.  Sure everyone is multitasking, and you could see the same thing on a bus in New York, but at the end of the day everyone doesn’t go home to a giant ancient ninja-fort to sleep. This is the new world, according to the director Mamoru Hosoda.  It is split in two.  First we are introduced to the land of Oz, a super-saturated digital realm reminiscent of TokiDoki USB thumb drives.  Everyone has an avatar that is utterly customizable and everyone from your neighbor to your president uses it to work, play, and live.  Secondly, there is the physical world we live in.  This is a beautiful place...

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The Secret of Kells

July 22, 2009
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The Secret of Kells

Review by Charles Kenny (ASIFA-East’s civil engineer-in-residence). In true Irish fashion, better late than never. When I first thought about reviewing the film, I had no idea it would be so difficult, and, after seeing it, to be able to sum it up in more than one word is very difficult indeed. The Secret of Kells is a film unlike any other, and not just because it’s Irish! Brendan is an orphan, living in a place called Kells (in Irish, Ceannas, or “Great Chief Abode”) where his uncle, Ceallach (played by Brendan Gleeson) is the abbot of the monastery. Brendan is a mischievous boy, much to consternation of his uncle, who is always trying to warn him about the great dangers the settlement currently faces from the Vikings or ‘Noresmen’. One day, Brother Aidan (ably voiced by renowned actor Mick Lally) appears, carrying with him the Book of Iona, an illuminated manuscript of fabled beauty. Slowly but surely he teaches Brendan the calligraphy skills he once learned. It is through assisting Brother Aidan that Brendan meets Aisling, a mysterious girl who inhabits the forest outside Kells and despite being unimpressed by his presence (“What are you doing in my...

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Tatia Rosenthal's "$9.99"

April 6, 2009
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Tatia Rosenthal's "$9.99"

Review by Tim Rauch. Last week Tatia Rosenthal’s “$9.99″ played as a part of the “New Directors/New Films” series at MOMA. The Sunday night screening I made it to was well attended, with a strong showing of support from New York animators including, among others, Fran Krause, Chris Conforti, Elliot Cowan, Andy Kennedy, Emmet Goodman, Chris Timmons and John Lustig. The film was a delight: good direction, solid voice acting, a strong musical score and a fantastic script. It sounds almost cliche to say it, but seeing an animated feature with a non-linear script and complex emotional content is cause to celebrate. The story of this film’s creation includes years of dedication on the part of the director and writer (Rosenthal and novelist Etgar Keret) when there was little or no money for development. Split between sources in Australia and Israel, the budget was razor thin for a stop-motion film of this scale and required a tightly scheduled production in Melbourne. Still, if the animation and effects were at times a bit rough around the edges, it was more than compensated for by the overall strength of Rosenthal’s filmmaking. The intersecting story lines created a poetic, entertaining mix with...

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