Showing posts with label animation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animation. Show all posts
[caption id="attachment_5045" align="alignnone" width="497"]
This is a MLP character called Flutter. Click the image to go to the the YouTube video it's "adapted" from.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_5046" align="alignright" width="150"]
Can't escape the cuteness! Click to enlarge.[/caption]
Help. There are a trio of way-too bubbly local animation voice actors sitting beside me, here in the Waves coffee shop. There was no warning whatsoever. I've been able to block out most of their treacly conversation with headphones, but now they're talking about their My Little Pony characters -- it's all Princess-this, and Princess-that -- Gahh!. This isn't Japanese cuteness. This is American-style, carpet-bombing cuteness. Like being "tarred" with high-fructose corn syrup, and "feathered" with Gummi Bears. If I ... don't make it ... please, someone ... water the blog now and again?
This is a MLP character called Flutter. Click the image to go to the the YouTube video it's "adapted" from.[/caption][caption id="attachment_5046" align="alignright" width="150"]
Can't escape the cuteness! Click to enlarge.[/caption]Help. There are a trio of way-too bubbly local animation voice actors sitting beside me, here in the Waves coffee shop. There was no warning whatsoever. I've been able to block out most of their treacly conversation with headphones, but now they're talking about their My Little Pony characters -- it's all Princess-this, and Princess-that -- Gahh!. This isn't Japanese cuteness. This is American-style, carpet-bombing cuteness. Like being "tarred" with high-fructose corn syrup, and "feathered" with Gummi Bears. If I ... don't make it ... please, someone ... water the blog now and again?
◄ The fourth in a series of posts. Previously: Patlabor: The Movie
[caption id="attachment_3028" align="alignnone" width="497"]
Nono, the starry-eyed girl, is on fire![/caption]
DieBuster is a six-episode OVA produced by Gainax to help mark their 20th anniversary as a studio -- it is a sequel to their ground-breaking 1988 six-episode OVA GunBuster (my review).
Tens of thousands of years after the events of Aim for the Top! GunBuster, when the Human race desperately fought malevolent space monsters to a standstill, the Space Monsters are still out there; still a threat. Humans are restricted to the massively terraformed planets and moons of their solar system. When they look into their night skies, they see the wall of Space Monsters as the so-called Red Milky Way. The only thing keeping the Monsters at bay is a fraternity of psychically-gifted teenagers known as Topless, and the ancient, and awesome biomechanical Buster machines only they can pilot.
[caption id="attachment_3028" align="alignnone" width="497"]
Nono, the starry-eyed girl, is on fire![/caption]| Title: | Aim for the Top 2! DieBuster | ||
| Studio: | Gainax | ||
| Air date: | October 3, 2004 – August 14, 2005 | ||
| Episodes: | 6 |
DieBuster is a six-episode OVA produced by Gainax to help mark their 20th anniversary as a studio -- it is a sequel to their ground-breaking 1988 six-episode OVA GunBuster (my review).
Tens of thousands of years after the events of Aim for the Top! GunBuster, when the Human race desperately fought malevolent space monsters to a standstill, the Space Monsters are still out there; still a threat. Humans are restricted to the massively terraformed planets and moons of their solar system. When they look into their night skies, they see the wall of Space Monsters as the so-called Red Milky Way. The only thing keeping the Monsters at bay is a fraternity of psychically-gifted teenagers known as Topless, and the ancient, and awesome biomechanical Buster machines only they can pilot.
[caption id="attachment_3181" align="alignnone" width="497"]
The Jaeger is © Legendary Pictures. Minions are © Felonious Gru. Click on the image to enlarge it[/caption]
Pacific Rim's lacklustre opening weekend shows anime themes still don't have mass market appeal in North America, but there's always the rest of the world to consider.
Pacific Rim, which opened July 12, came third in North American weekend box office receipts, with only $38.3 million US, behind Despicable Me 2, with $44.8 million US, and even the Adam Sandler comedy Grown Ups 2, with $42.5 million US. according to The Hollywood Reporter. ► Pacific Rim finishes it's opening weekend with an estimated worldwide box office total of $91.3 million US. Despicable Me 2, in it's second week of release, finished the same weekend period with a worldwide box office of $100.5 million, making it's total global box office $472.4 Million US.
Various sources estimate Pacific Rim cost at least $190 million US. Various sources report the budget for Despicable Me 2 was 76 million US, and for Grown Ups 2, around $80 million.
The Hollywood Reporter article attributes what success Pacific Rim had to "fanboys," citing strong IMAX sales, which they describe as "the favored venue for fanboys." Basically it's a weird movie which has appeal for geeks and otaku fanboys, but not the mass audience of normal people necessary for blockbuster success.
Everyone expects Pacific Rim will perform well in Japan, and other Asian countries. In fact, the filmmakers may have anticipated the cool North American response. With it's story featuring an international alliance of 21 nations -- each getting their own nationally-themed Jaeger robot, for a kind of anti-kauju World Cup -- Pacific Rim might be a rare American film designed, and engineered to succeed, first and foremost, in the international market.
The Jaeger is © Legendary Pictures. Minions are © Felonious Gru. Click on the image to enlarge it[/caption]Pacific Rim's lacklustre opening weekend shows anime themes still don't have mass market appeal in North America, but there's always the rest of the world to consider.
Pacific Rim, which opened July 12, came third in North American weekend box office receipts, with only $38.3 million US, behind Despicable Me 2, with $44.8 million US, and even the Adam Sandler comedy Grown Ups 2, with $42.5 million US. according to The Hollywood Reporter. ► Pacific Rim finishes it's opening weekend with an estimated worldwide box office total of $91.3 million US. Despicable Me 2, in it's second week of release, finished the same weekend period with a worldwide box office of $100.5 million, making it's total global box office $472.4 Million US.
Various sources estimate Pacific Rim cost at least $190 million US. Various sources report the budget for Despicable Me 2 was 76 million US, and for Grown Ups 2, around $80 million.
The Hollywood Reporter article attributes what success Pacific Rim had to "fanboys," citing strong IMAX sales, which they describe as "the favored venue for fanboys." Basically it's a weird movie which has appeal for geeks and otaku fanboys, but not the mass audience of normal people necessary for blockbuster success.
Everyone expects Pacific Rim will perform well in Japan, and other Asian countries. In fact, the filmmakers may have anticipated the cool North American response. With it's story featuring an international alliance of 21 nations -- each getting their own nationally-themed Jaeger robot, for a kind of anti-kauju World Cup -- Pacific Rim might be a rare American film designed, and engineered to succeed, first and foremost, in the international market.
My personal review of Pacific Rim ►
[caption id="attachment_3037" align="alignnone" width="497"]
Eep Crood reaches for the light. Shoulders like a linebacker, but so cute. Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]
I just wasn't prepared for watching The Croods, the Dreamworks 3D animated comedy about a prehistoric family, which was released into theatres this last March, 2013. I didn't have any tissues, or a paper bag to breathe into -- nothing. By about the 54 minute mark, when the entire clan reach what looks like an ocean, and go swimming -- I was all teary-eyed, and giggling uncontrollably, and just plain shocked by how emotional I was getting. At that point I surrendered, and let the film have it's way with me.
It was an emotional, button-pushing rollercoaster. Hard to single out any single aspect for praise, which is good. Emma Stone's voice work on Eep was wonderful, as was Eep's character design, and the way she was animated, but the story, the dialogue, the voice work, and animation was fabulous across-the-board -- it was all of a piece -- the entire movie. Even Nicholas Cage impressed! Apparently I enjoy his work as long as I don't have to watch him doing it (he was mostly hidden in costume in Hit Girl). But, while I think The Croods is a great time, I don't think it's quite as good as Madagasgar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, released in 2012. Mad' 3 astonished me with it's wall-to-wall, end-to-end zaniness. Compared to Pixar, I still feel Dreamworks bakes too much sugar and high fructose corn syrup into their animated confections, but they are definitely perfecting their recipe.
[caption id="attachment_3044" align="alignright" width="150"]
My dark mocha looks funny! Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]
Red hair and freckles must test well with focus groups; how else to explain the prominent flame-haired heroines in a spate of recent animated films: Merinda in Pixar's Brave (2012); Captain Chantel DuBois in Dreamworks Madagasgar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012), and Eep Crood in Dreamwork's The Croods (2013). I don't mind in the least, I think ginger makes everything better.
I pondered this while sipping a decidedly brown haired, extra hot dark mocha at the Waves coffee shop at the corner of West Broadway Avenue and Spruce Street.
Eep Crood reaches for the light. Shoulders like a linebacker, but so cute. Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]I just wasn't prepared for watching The Croods, the Dreamworks 3D animated comedy about a prehistoric family, which was released into theatres this last March, 2013. I didn't have any tissues, or a paper bag to breathe into -- nothing. By about the 54 minute mark, when the entire clan reach what looks like an ocean, and go swimming -- I was all teary-eyed, and giggling uncontrollably, and just plain shocked by how emotional I was getting. At that point I surrendered, and let the film have it's way with me.
It was an emotional, button-pushing rollercoaster. Hard to single out any single aspect for praise, which is good. Emma Stone's voice work on Eep was wonderful, as was Eep's character design, and the way she was animated, but the story, the dialogue, the voice work, and animation was fabulous across-the-board -- it was all of a piece -- the entire movie. Even Nicholas Cage impressed! Apparently I enjoy his work as long as I don't have to watch him doing it (he was mostly hidden in costume in Hit Girl). But, while I think The Croods is a great time, I don't think it's quite as good as Madagasgar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, released in 2012. Mad' 3 astonished me with it's wall-to-wall, end-to-end zaniness. Compared to Pixar, I still feel Dreamworks bakes too much sugar and high fructose corn syrup into their animated confections, but they are definitely perfecting their recipe.
Why are redheads suddenly so animated?
[caption id="attachment_3044" align="alignright" width="150"]
My dark mocha looks funny! Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]Red hair and freckles must test well with focus groups; how else to explain the prominent flame-haired heroines in a spate of recent animated films: Merinda in Pixar's Brave (2012); Captain Chantel DuBois in Dreamworks Madagasgar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012), and Eep Crood in Dreamwork's The Croods (2013). I don't mind in the least, I think ginger makes everything better.
I pondered this while sipping a decidedly brown haired, extra hot dark mocha at the Waves coffee shop at the corner of West Broadway Avenue and Spruce Street.
Here's a really good blog post about seeing the film, and what's behind John Cleese's writing credit ►
Right just now, I'm re-acquainting myself with one of Japanese manga, (comic book) creator Masamune Shirow's. franchise creations -- Appleseed (published 1985-1989). It was his earlier, reputation-making series, and paved the way for his best-known manga: Ghost in the Shell (published 1989-1990). Ghost in the Shell led to an outstanding 1995 theatrical film anime of the same name, and then, anime TV series, video games, film sequels, and more manga -- it's what you'd call a multimedia franchise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)