Before I get into the meat of this review, first I need to drop a disclaimer.
I am a huge fan of the original nineties anime Neon Genesis Evangelion!
So, when the opportunity to review the second installment of the four-part Evangelion theatrical reboot, landed in my inbox, I scrambled for my inhaler before realizing that I’m not asthmatic.
For those of you who don’t know what Neon Genesis Evangelion is, let me explain:
Before kids in the West sipped Boba drinks, dressed in what can only be described as “Nintendo goth”, and thought it was cool to smile big and throw up peace signs with one hand, they were rather naïve to the cultural phenomenon in Japan; the phenomenon of manga and anime. This started to change in the eighties and nineties. Films like Katsuhiro Otomo’s epic Akira (based on his manga of the same name) and the film works of the master, Hayao Miyazaki, such as Nausicaa of the valley of the wind and Castle in the sky, started to turn heads in the West, culminating in the cultural invasion in the early 2000’s. Even with the continually growing success of Japanese manga and anime in the West, it pales in comparison to the following in its home country. And one of its biggest names is Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Neon Genesis Evangelion was created as a TV series and manga respectively, but it’s the twenty-six episode TV show that spawned a huge, loyal following. Created by Hideaki Anno, the show follows Shinji Ikari, a 14 year-old boy in Neo Tokyo-3, who is thrust into becoming a pilot of a giant mecha called an Eva unit. Along with several other 14 year-old pilots, Shinji Ikari is saddled with the fate of the civilization that remains after Third Impact, an apocalyptic event that wiped out half of humanity. With his Eva unit, Shinji battles against enemies called Angels, while playing a role in plans that are kept secret from him. The show was full of religious themes whilst staying far away from allegory. But, while the main story appeared to be a giant robot story with religious iconography, for me the show was always a clever ruse of large battle sequences that cleverly hid the more philosophical and psychological aspect of adolescences and the trappings of the human mind. The show constantly wars with itself for its identity and makes it seem like wonderfully planned forethought. This is never more present than in the last two episodes of the show where Anno does away with the physical story and, instead allows the last two, pinnacle chapters to play out completely in the mind of young Shinji Ikari, who finds acceptance of himself from this internal evaluation, showing the importance of understanding why you do what you do. Many fans of the show were so outraged by this that Anno went back and made a movie length version of the last two episodes showing the external, physical conclusion to the story, entitled End of Evangelion. To understand how big this kind of a move was, it would be like if the creators of LOST ended the show without showing any of the events on the island. Bloggers would have had a fit! Personally I felt this decision was right, as I was always more interested in Anno’s surreal editing style that came with the characters more private, inner scenes. And making the final, explosive exterior story as a theatrical release allowed Anno to stretch his limited TV budget to a more monetary and time allowing one, creating the best looking and consequently more engrossing and cinematic work, fitting the final installment. At this time Anno also experimented with editing the whole show into a single movie and releasing it as Death and Rebirth.
Enjoying this? Then read the rest of the interview at the below link. If you enjoy it, please comment on the 303 page, thanks!:
http://303magazine.com/film/geek-mythology-%E2%80%93-evangelion-2-0-review/
“Superhero movies are hot.”
It’s something, I guarantee you, has been slipping from the lips of Hollywood execs since Bryan Singer launched the X-Men film franchise based on Stan Lee’s narrative comment on the changing civil rights landscape that polarized much of the American sixties.
I also guarantee you that this simple statement isn’t ended with the tag-on , “… right now.”
The reason? Comics are constantly being produced. Big, iconic characters such as Spider-man and Batmanare constantly changing to match the time they are read in. And new properties such as Robert Kirkman’sWalking Dead are causing Hollywood industry insiders to constantly peruse the comic shelves for new intellectual properties to jump on and buy up for development in the future. All this and Hollywood has come to seemingly rely on the relationship comic book properties have with the “summer blockbuster”.
But, while it is financially advantageous for superheroes and other comic book staples to be linked so closely to the “summer blockbuster”, it also brings its fair share of drawbacks. The big one being lack-luster, committee developed films that are more closely related to Director Michael Bay’s (Transformers, Pearl Harbor) somewhat hollow filmmaking sensibilities, than say Steven Spielberg’s Jaws that almost single-handedly created the term. This is a sad fact that hasn’t changed even with Marvel’s major move to buy back many of its licenses and control its characters big screen versions, with some serious hit or miss outcomes. Iron Man worked for Jon Favreau, but Edward Norton’s Hulk had such a high degree of rumored meddling from Marvel Studios that it caused Norton to throw his hands up and end his involvement with the company once the film wrapped, and a resulting film that didn’t wow anyone. There are exceptions to the rule, most notably Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man(discounting the third and final installment which was an unmitigated mess), and the cake topper, Christopher Nolan’s Batman, with the second installment being arguably one of the best films made this century!
But, as we look to this year’s coming attractions in the spandex department, the question remains, do we have anything to look forward to, or are we looking at a year of expensive polished turds? Let’s sound them off shall we; Marvel finishes much of its Avengers movie prequels with Captain America: The First Avenger and the Kenneth Branagh helmed Thor. Fox has their reboot/prequel X-Men: First Class, directed by Kick-Ass (which fell short of its printed origin) director, Matthew Vaughn. On the DC side of things, less is more seems to be the motto based on purely film count, as they focus their attention on one movie in which they CG clothe Ryan Reynolds as The Green Lantern and think that this will be enough to hold DC fans until The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. Add to this the indie press alternative called Cowboys and Aliens with Iron Man’s Jon Favreau at the helm and starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, and you’ve got your 2011 major comic conversion line-up.
There is some potential in this line-up, but nothing that gleams like the Spider-man reboot or final NolanBatman film slated for 2012. So what could be lurking in the shadows to jump these high-budget, spandex Ballets (I’m English, look it up)? A blonde, skinny, ripped kid, dressed in a black hoodie and who listens to Bach!
... Enjoying this? Then continue reading at the below link. And, if you enjoy it please comment on the 303 website page. It really helps my editors know someone other than my mother is reading this:
Hey Guys!
So I've officially joined the team over at 303 Magazine! There resident film critic was generous enough to give me the xmas present of allowing me to review the Coen Brothers' new movie "True Grit", and because it's the Coen's you know this is an awesome gift!
So here it is:
When No Country for Old Men came out in 2007, the Coen Brothers hearkened back to a pacing that took its time to find its own path, like a gentle stream, instead of the broken dam style that plagues modern cinema. It wouldn’t be fair to disregard the book’s author, Cormic McCarthy for this modern western’s ability to be retrospective, but it was a tool the Coen Brothers seemed very comfortable playing with. The final moments of No Country demonstrate this brilliantly with a scene that takes place after the major resolution of what viewers, trained by modern cinema’s ways, would consider the key event. Instead, the Coens gave us a quiet resolution to the real story; an eloquent and moving monologue by Tommy Lee Jones at the breakfast table. No guns, no comebacks, no explosions, just a man reflecting on death after going through the events of the film. It’s part of what earned them an Oscar for “Best Picture” and, with two more motion pictures under their belt, Burn After Reading (2008) and A Serious Man (2009), the Coen Brothers set their attention, once again, to a pacing that’s less interested in keeping the attention of an ADD-addled audience expecting character growth and tidy resolution. Instead, we find a quiet film peppered with moments of intense and swift violence, and the balanced, well-placed quirky humor they’re already well known for...
Enjoying this? Then head on over to this link: http://303magazine.com/film/movie-review-true-grit/
Oh and comment on the 303 post if you feel like it.
Thanks!
Ben
Hey Guys!
So, 303 Magazine recently published a short story by yours truly. The piece is my attempt to pay homage to what Charles Dickens achieved with A Christmas Carol, and the message he had for England at that time. As an import from his land, to America, I've observed this country from inside and out and felt it was time for America to hear the same message (of course not quite as eloquently put as Mr. Dickens). So this is my message to America. Enjoy!
Also this piece had an added bonus, it afforded me the excuse to work with friend, collaborator, artist Nick Runge again. Nick's comic work has been a source of inspiration to me for quite sometime (http://rungeart.blogspot.com/), especially when he's interpreting my crazed mess of panels. Once again Nick has out done himself with an amazing painting that captures the feel of the piece, hitting the right tone without trampling all over the events in the story. He is a true talent and I'm proud to have worked with him again. What's next buddy?
Here's an excerpt from the piece (P.S. my blog formats it all weird):
They say it never rains in LA.
As I trudged through the unseasonable Californian downpour, my groceries didn’t appreciate the irony of this statement anymore than I did. I cursed my bleeding-heart liberal sensibilities for choosing the paper sacks as they began to dissolve in my arms. Then I realized, plastic would be worse still. Not only would I have to carry the guilt, but the water would just pool around the pack of Oreo’s at the bottom of the bag, symbolizing Al Gore’s tears.
Pulling my jacket tight over my mouth, I hunkered down for the last block, trying to hold onto my collection of brand name food-items. At least they wouldn’t get wet, what with their cleverly designed packages, doubling as an advertising billboard and fortified frontline from those of other companies.
Closing the door of my apartment with my heel, I fumbled up and down the wall with my shoulder, like a bear scratching his back, as I searched for the light-switch. Blind in the darkness my other senses heightened, and that’s when I heard it, a brittle snapping; dry scratching like someone shelling peanuts.
Abandoning the wall and groceries, I stepped across the room, searching with outstretched hands for the lamp on a small table against the opposite wall. Not yet two thirds of the way across, my destination clicked and illuminated much of the space.
“It’s a disaster, my boy, just a disaster!”
A figure sat in the chair next to the lamp. He crossed his thin, black-clad legs, deftly maneuvering his cane to adjust to their new position.
“The answers aren’t clear anymore, you understand?” The figure continued. “Evolving has never been our strong suit.”
My mind began to reel for any sane explanation. I had obviously caught some nasty strain of virus either from that Goth Girl supermarket clerk who had handed me my change, or on the soggy walk home.
The figure sat slightly forward, the light from the lamp catching his monocle. “I’m sorry, I have been ever so rude. You know who I am, yes?”
I nodded and fell back into the chair opposite. If I had believed what I was seeing I would have brought up the fact that he never talked in the commercials, but of course hallucinations don’t have to follow protocol, just as dreams need not follow reason.
His top-hat, I noticed, sat perched on the table next to the lamp. It made sense, which scared me even more, even if I hadn’t heard him speak before he had always seemed a gentleman holding to the old traditions of polite society.
“We don’t know what to do. Everyone is in a state over the situation.”
I couldn’t believe I was about to give into my delirium, but his words struck me as odd… as odd as a fictional character strikes someone, I suppose.
“What situation?” I asked.
“America is dying, my boy,” he stated as bluntly as if it were as plain as the sharp “S” of a nose on his face.
“And, if it does, then what happens to us?”
He talked and I listened. I listened as he explained his fears, but fears that he always framed as “theirs”. Fears of the changing landscape of the American Dream.
I listened as a river of melted strawberry ice-cream wound its way from the neglected grocery sacks and around my feet.
I listened as he wound his own way down through their “predicament”, a description he favored, until he reached a natural conclusion, the way a good one-way debate should.
“We fear change. We fear doubt. Above all we fear uncertainty. It is not something America sells, sir,” he said, almost rising from his seat.
“More will come,” he continued. “They are afraid and look for someone to pay attention. Show them as kind courtesy as you have shown me and you may provide a portion of the comfort they seek,” he finished.
I would have put up some sort of protest but he stood, replacing the top-hat on his head and said, “Give them comfort.” And with that he turned off the lamp on the table and was lost in it...Want to read more? Read the whole piece in the digital version of the magazine at the link below:
http://www.303magazine.com/303online/august2010/index.html?pageNumber=60
Interview by Ben SimkinsThat would be the incomparable Amanda Ross. This fashion mogul has been setting trends for more than two decades. Starting her career at Conde Nast, Ross has added her voice to Harper’s Bazaar, add her style expertise to the cast of NBC’s Lipstick Jungle and was recently named W Hotel’s Global Fashion Director. Ben Simkins talked to Ross about styling Streep for the film and about style tips for Denver.
Ben Simkins: Meryl Streep embodies the chameleon actress, and her wardrobe obviously plays a large part in this process. While styling her in the film, It’s Complicated, can you tell me the process that you went through to create the look? Was it a collaborative effort with her?
Amanda Ross: Absolutely, it was a collaborative effort. Meryl has great taste and she knows what looks good on her, but she was very open to trying new things. I consulted with the costume designer who was brilliant, Sonia Grande, as well as Nancy Meyers–it was a big collaboration. Everyone brings their own ideas about the character and you run around the city trying to find it, calling showrooms. You know, this was about a working woman with a Californian lifestyle sensibility. It was fun to dress Meryl in a contemporary look that wasn’t part of a character look, like how she wore a nun’s habit in Doubt… We wanted to dress a woman who, at sixty, had sex appeal. That was the foremost in Nancy’s, and everyone who worked on the movie’s mind, and not make it look like a man’s version of a sixty year old woman. It’s a love story, and Jane Adler character [played by Streep] had style. She wore jeans, belts and accessories and she didn’t look like she was trying to look like a twenty year old. She looked like herself: contemporary, relaxed, effortless and part of the background on her character was that she had lived in Paris when she was younger, so she definitely had that sort of flair and sensibility. You notice she wears a lot of Hermes scarves. Hermes has gotten a ton of calls and people coming into the shop wanting to know what exactly, what print of which scarf. She wore three in the movie. So, it’s really fun, exciting to get that kind of feedback and it’s so much fun to read a script, visualize the character, run around the world trying to execute it and funnel it down into the fitting… It’s such a fascinating process! And to then execute it, have it go to film, and see it on print is just enormously rewarding and exciting to be part of...
Enjoying this? Then read the whole interview @
Delivering a mix of acoustic-twang-laden blues riffs and husky, raspy vocals, Jonny Woodrose and The Broken Hearted Woodpeckers' debut album, Live From The Garage, channels the spirit of The White Stripes' first effort. Combined with a low muffle production value, the record feels old but sounds fresh, and works much in singer Jonson Kuhn and company’s favor.
Enjoying this? Then check out the rest of my first review with The Onion A.V. Club here:
http://www.avclub.com/denver/articles/jonny-woodrose-and-the-broken-hearted-woodpeckers,35848/
