Prolific animator and manga-ka Satoshi Kon had a sustained interest in exploring the nature of reality, particularly the way in which humans interact with their perception of what's real. This thematic fascination encapsulates Kon's body of work, which deal with characters oscillating between objective reality and constructed ones, with the line between the two getting increasingly blurred as the narrative progresses.
Kon's most famous work, "Perfect Blue," which is considered his magnum opus, exclusively revolves around a J-pop star-turned-actor losing their grip on reality while crumbling under the weight of worldly perception, voyeurism, and fractured identity. Similar themes are also peppered throughout "Paprika" and "Millennium Actress" — films that further hone Kon's vision of crafting realistic worlds that harbor something sinister beneath a pretty facade. However, Kon first forayed into these themes as early as 1995, when he collaborated with "Akira" animator Kōji Morimoto on "Magnetic Rose."
Kon's "Magnetic Rose" still...
Kon's most famous work, "Perfect Blue," which is considered his magnum opus, exclusively revolves around a J-pop star-turned-actor losing their grip on reality while crumbling under the weight of worldly perception, voyeurism, and fractured identity. Similar themes are also peppered throughout "Paprika" and "Millennium Actress" — films that further hone Kon's vision of crafting realistic worlds that harbor something sinister beneath a pretty facade. However, Kon first forayed into these themes as early as 1995, when he collaborated with "Akira" animator Kōji Morimoto on "Magnetic Rose."
Kon's "Magnetic Rose" still...
- 12/12/2022
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
The BFI today announce full details of a hotly anticipated two-month season dedicated to Anime, running at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX from 28 March – 31 May. Originally planned for summer 2020 as part of the BFI’s major survey of Japanese cinema BFI Japan, the season arrives, at long last, to entertain and delight anime fans and novices alike.
The programme will include:
· A broad mixture of classic films such as Akira, Ghost In The Shell, Belladonna Of Sadness, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and Tekkonkinkreet, as well as an early shorts programme spotlighting work from 1917-1946· Previews of new releases including the thrillingly original Inu-oh, high-octane urban fairy tale Bubble and the powerful and thought-provoking short Summer Ghost (2021) followed by a Q&a with director loundraw· Much-loved recent work by major auteurs Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai (Your Name) and the late great Satoshi Kon· A spotlight on emerging female talent Naoko Yamada...
The programme will include:
· A broad mixture of classic films such as Akira, Ghost In The Shell, Belladonna Of Sadness, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and Tekkonkinkreet, as well as an early shorts programme spotlighting work from 1917-1946· Previews of new releases including the thrillingly original Inu-oh, high-octane urban fairy tale Bubble and the powerful and thought-provoking short Summer Ghost (2021) followed by a Q&a with director loundraw· Much-loved recent work by major auteurs Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai (Your Name) and the late great Satoshi Kon· A spotlight on emerging female talent Naoko Yamada...
- 3/15/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
For those of you who aren't hip to the anime scene, Koji Morimoto is the director behind Akira and The Animatrix. Recently, he was commissioned by Lexus to do a conceptual short featuring one of their vehicles. Their final product? Kids driving a car through a bizarre future in which they get devoured by a panda, almost kidnapped, and peed on by a giant tree. That last part is only half true, but you'll know the scene I'm talking about when you see it. My one question after viewing this is how exactly does this convince anyone to buy a car?! For better or worse, this is "A Better Tomorrow."
...
...
- 11/7/2013
- by Mick Joest
- GeekTyrant
Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 24 Oct 2013 - 06:46
Another 25 unsung greats come under the spotlight, as we provide our pick of the underappreciated films of 1995...
The year covered in this week's underrated movie rundown was significant for a number of reasons. It was the year that saw the release of Toy Story - the groundbreaking movie that would cement Pixar's reputation as an animation studio, and set the tempo for CG family movies for the next 18 years and counting. It was the year that saw James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan for the first time) emerge for GoldenEye after a six-year break. It was also the year of Michael Mann's Heat, Dogme 95, and the moment where Terry Gilliam scored a much-deserved hit with 12 Monkeys.
As ever, we're focusing on a few of the lesser-known films from this particular year, and we've had to think carefully about what's made the cut and what hasn't.
Another 25 unsung greats come under the spotlight, as we provide our pick of the underappreciated films of 1995...
The year covered in this week's underrated movie rundown was significant for a number of reasons. It was the year that saw the release of Toy Story - the groundbreaking movie that would cement Pixar's reputation as an animation studio, and set the tempo for CG family movies for the next 18 years and counting. It was the year that saw James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan for the first time) emerge for GoldenEye after a six-year break. It was also the year of Michael Mann's Heat, Dogme 95, and the moment where Terry Gilliam scored a much-deserved hit with 12 Monkeys.
As ever, we're focusing on a few of the lesser-known films from this particular year, and we've had to think carefully about what's made the cut and what hasn't.
- 10/22/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
For 10 long years Memories was Studio 4°C's best kept secret. It took the film almost a decade to appear in the West and by that time it just wasn't the technical bombshell it was supposed to be. When it appeared over here Memories was still able to competed with the best animes out there, but now the aging process is starting to take its toll on the film. That said, it's still one of the most superb anime anthology projects to date and one that begs to be seen.Studio 4°C is without a doubt Japan's most interesting animation studio. They've been producing mind-blowing animation projects (Genius Party, Genius Party Beyond, Tekon Kinkurito) ever since they were co-founded by Koji Morimoto, constantly pushing technical and...
- 3/14/2012
- Screen Anarchy
The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia announces its complete program. There are still a few surprises to be confirmed, like the closing gala, but they have already put together the final list of films that will be screened at Sitges 09. Below you’ll find the titles of each film and their sections as well as links for the films that we have already reviewed here on Sound On Sight. Opening Film [Rec]2. Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró. 2009. Official FANTÀSTIC In Competition Section Accident. Soi Cheang. 2009. Accidents Happen. Andrew Lancaster. 2009. The Children. Tom Shankland. 2008. [1] Cold Souls. Sophie Bartes. 2009. The Countess. Julie Delpy. 2009. Les Derniers Jours Du Monde. Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu. 2009. Dogtooth (Kynodontas). Yorgos Lanthimos. 2009. Dorian Gray. Oliver Parker. 2009. Enter The Void. Gaspar Noé. 2009. Grace. Paul Solet. 2009. [2] Heartless. Philip Ridley. 2009. Hierro. Gabe Ibáñez. 2009. La Horde. Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher. 2009. Ingrid. Eduard Cortés. 2009. Kinatay. Brillante Mendoza. 2009. Metropia. Tarik Saleh. 2009. Moon.
- 9/19/2009
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The full lineup has been announced, and among the load of genre fare that's been running the fest circuit are the world premiers of:
Vincenzo Natali's latest, Splice, which we're all excited about.
Simon Fellows twisted adaptation Malice in Wonderland (trailer)
Along some of our personal favorites:
Black Dynamite (friggin awesome)
Swiss scifi flick Cargo (trailer)
Pater Sparrow's incredible Stanislaw Lem adaptation 1 (review)
The Mo Brothers Indonesian slasher Macabre (review)
Atm (get it?) horror-comedy The Human Centipede (review)
Full list after the break.
Opening Film
[Rec]2. Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró. 2009.
Official FANTÀSTIC In Competition Section
Accident. Soi Cheang. 2009.
Accidents Happen. Andrew Lancaster. 2009.
The Children. Tom Shankland. 2008.
Cold Souls. Sophie Bartes. 2009.
The Countess. Julie Delpy. 2009.
Les Derniers Jours Du Monde. Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu. 2009.
Dogtooth (Kynodontas). Yorgos Lanthimos. 2009.
Dorian Gray. Oliver Parker. 2009.
Enter The Void. Gaspar Noé. 2009.
Grace. Paul Solet. 2009.
Heartless. Philip Ridley. 2009.
Hierro. Gabe Ibáñez. 2009.
La Horde. Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher.
Vincenzo Natali's latest, Splice, which we're all excited about.
Simon Fellows twisted adaptation Malice in Wonderland (trailer)
Along some of our personal favorites:
Black Dynamite (friggin awesome)
Swiss scifi flick Cargo (trailer)
Pater Sparrow's incredible Stanislaw Lem adaptation 1 (review)
The Mo Brothers Indonesian slasher Macabre (review)
Atm (get it?) horror-comedy The Human Centipede (review)
Full list after the break.
Opening Film
[Rec]2. Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró. 2009.
Official FANTÀSTIC In Competition Section
Accident. Soi Cheang. 2009.
Accidents Happen. Andrew Lancaster. 2009.
The Children. Tom Shankland. 2008.
Cold Souls. Sophie Bartes. 2009.
The Countess. Julie Delpy. 2009.
Les Derniers Jours Du Monde. Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu. 2009.
Dogtooth (Kynodontas). Yorgos Lanthimos. 2009.
Dorian Gray. Oliver Parker. 2009.
Enter The Void. Gaspar Noé. 2009.
Grace. Paul Solet. 2009.
Heartless. Philip Ridley. 2009.
Hierro. Gabe Ibáñez. 2009.
La Horde. Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher.
- 9/12/2009
- QuietEarth.us
The 2009 edition of Montreal’s Fantasia Festival has announced their complete list of Audience Awards winners, a list that includes a whole lot of Twitch faves and more than a few films that will soon be screening here in Toronto as part of Toronto After Dark. Here’s the complete list.
Best Asian Film
Gold: Love Exposure (Japan) – Sion Sono
Silver: IP Man (Hong Kong) – Wilson Yip
Bronze: Thirst (South Korea) – Park Chan-wook
Best International Film
Gold: 8th Wonderland (France) – Nicolas Alberny, Jean Mach
Silver: Ex-aequo
Embodiment Of Evil (Brazil) – Jose Mojica Marins
Must Love Death (Germany) – Andreas Schaap
Bronze: Black (France) – Pierre Laffargue
Best Quebec Film
Gold: Sans Dessein – Caroline Labrèche, Steeve Léonard
Silver: The Ante – Max Perrier
Bronze: Crawler – Sv Bell
Best Animated Film
Hells (Japan) – Yoshiki Yamakawa
Guru Prize for Most Energetic Film of the Festival
Gold: Yatterman (Japan) – Takashi Miike
Silver: IP Man (Hk) – Wilson Yip...
Best Asian Film
Gold: Love Exposure (Japan) – Sion Sono
Silver: IP Man (Hong Kong) – Wilson Yip
Bronze: Thirst (South Korea) – Park Chan-wook
Best International Film
Gold: 8th Wonderland (France) – Nicolas Alberny, Jean Mach
Silver: Ex-aequo
Embodiment Of Evil (Brazil) – Jose Mojica Marins
Must Love Death (Germany) – Andreas Schaap
Bronze: Black (France) – Pierre Laffargue
Best Quebec Film
Gold: Sans Dessein – Caroline Labrèche, Steeve Léonard
Silver: The Ante – Max Perrier
Bronze: Crawler – Sv Bell
Best Animated Film
Hells (Japan) – Yoshiki Yamakawa
Guru Prize for Most Energetic Film of the Festival
Gold: Yatterman (Japan) – Takashi Miike
Silver: IP Man (Hk) – Wilson Yip...
- 8/3/2009
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
The 13th edition of Montreal’s Fantasia film festival wrapped up its frighteningly successful run this week, with movie highlights aplenty and 40 percent of the screenings selling out. Now the jury and the public have spoken on their favorites, and the fest has revealed their award winners in all categories. Check ’em out below!
Jury Prizes: Feature Films
Best Feature Film: Breathless (Yang Ik-june) Jury Special Prize: Love Exposure (Sion Sono) Best Male Performance: Yang Ik-Jun, Breathless Best Female Performance: Hikari Mitsushima, Love Exposure Best Director: David Russo, The Immaculate Conception Of Little Dizzle Best Screenplay: Nicolas Alberny and Jean Mach, 8th Wonderland Best Cinematography: Hideho Urata, The Clone Returns Home Technical Prize: IP Man Special Mention for Best Direction of Child Actors: Tom Shankland, The Children
Jury Prizes: First Features
Best First Feature: White Lightnin’ (Dominic Murphy) Special Mention: Debut performance of actress Eline Kuppins, Left Bank Jury Prizes:...
Jury Prizes: Feature Films
Best Feature Film: Breathless (Yang Ik-june) Jury Special Prize: Love Exposure (Sion Sono) Best Male Performance: Yang Ik-Jun, Breathless Best Female Performance: Hikari Mitsushima, Love Exposure Best Director: David Russo, The Immaculate Conception Of Little Dizzle Best Screenplay: Nicolas Alberny and Jean Mach, 8th Wonderland Best Cinematography: Hideho Urata, The Clone Returns Home Technical Prize: IP Man Special Mention for Best Direction of Child Actors: Tom Shankland, The Children
Jury Prizes: First Features
Best First Feature: White Lightnin’ (Dominic Murphy) Special Mention: Debut performance of actress Eline Kuppins, Left Bank Jury Prizes:...
- 7/31/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Fantasia [1] is one of the largest (if not the largest) genre film festival in North America. It takes place every summer in Montreal, Canada, and features all kinds of horror, sci-fi, and action films from all over the world, often with an emphasis on Asian cinema. This year is no different, with two of the biggest films being Takashi Miikie's Yatterman and Chan-wook Park's Thirst. Other fairly high profile selections include Michael Dougherty's long-delayed Trick'r'Treat, Uwe Boll's Stoic and Jaume Collet-Serra's Orphan. This year's festival takes place between July 9th and 29th. The full program schedule will be available online by the end of the week. Check out an extensive list of titles playing after the jump. Yatterman (Dir. Takashi Miike) The Eclipse (Dir. David Morley) Possibility of An Island (Dir. Michel Houellebecq) Thirst (Dir. Chan-wook Park) Trick'r'Treat (Dir. Michael Dougherty) Neighbor (Dir. Robert Masciantonio) Cryptic (Dir.
- 7/1/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
From April 15th to 19th, Frankfurt transforms into the center of the Japanese film world when the Nippon Connection 2009 opens its doors once again. After giving us a first look at the highlights of the largest festival for Japanese film worldwide, the official site has now been updated with the full program that includes more than 150 feature and short films.
Nippon Cinema 20th Century Boys (Niju seiki shonen), R: Yukihiko Tsutsumi, J 2008
www.20thboys.com All Around Us (Gururi no koto), R: Ryosuke Hashiguchi, J 2008
www.gururinokoto.jp Detroit Metal City, R: Toshio Lee, J 2008
www.go-to-dmc.jp Genius Party Beyond, R: Masahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Kazuto Nakazawa, Shinya Ohira, Tatsuyuki Tanaka, J 2008
www.genius-party.jp/beyond Genius Party, R: Atsuko Fukushima, Shoji Kawamori, Shinji Kimura, Yoji Fukuyama, Hideki Futamura, Masaaki Yuasa, Shinichiro Watanabe, J 2007
www.genius-party.jp/genius01 Gs Wonderland, R: Ryuichi Honda, J 2008
www.gs-w.jp Hells Angels,...
Nippon Cinema 20th Century Boys (Niju seiki shonen), R: Yukihiko Tsutsumi, J 2008
www.20thboys.com All Around Us (Gururi no koto), R: Ryosuke Hashiguchi, J 2008
www.gururinokoto.jp Detroit Metal City, R: Toshio Lee, J 2008
www.go-to-dmc.jp Genius Party Beyond, R: Masahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Kazuto Nakazawa, Shinya Ohira, Tatsuyuki Tanaka, J 2008
www.genius-party.jp/beyond Genius Party, R: Atsuko Fukushima, Shoji Kawamori, Shinji Kimura, Yoji Fukuyama, Hideki Futamura, Masaaki Yuasa, Shinichiro Watanabe, J 2007
www.genius-party.jp/genius01 Gs Wonderland, R: Ryuichi Honda, J 2008
www.gs-w.jp Hells Angels,...
- 3/13/2009
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
- Michael Arias has been working in Hollywood for a while. He started out doing special effects for films such as The Abyss, later he would develop software that would help turn Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke into an international success. It was this plus producing The Animatrix that landed Michael in a position to be the first western director of a Japanese anime. Michael is no stranger to Japan, in fact, he’s lived there since he was 24 and speaks fluent Japanese. He currently lives in Tokyo with his wife and two children. Tekkonkinkreet is based Taiyo Matsumoto’s manga published in the United Stated under the title Black and White (the names of the two lead characters). It takes place in an alternate universe in the colorful city known as Treasure Town, where gangs of flying children protect their slum from cooperate corruption. The film blends a unique mix
- 7/13/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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