Following on the heels of the Oscar Winning Spirited Away, comes another breathtaking adventure from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki’s films are known for placing a female protagonist in a very out-of-her-element situation. Moreover it’s a story of a strong willed woman/girl finding their inner strength and what it takes to believe in herself. Howl’s Moving Castle doesn’t exactly fit within that template but this similar story is more about said protagonist, Sophie, inspiring those around her with her positive attitude and determination. That’s another common storyline in Ghibli films. Castle tells the story of Sophie, a plain as they come young woman finding contentment in a world filled…
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Awesome 'Sucker Punch' Animated Comic
Zack Snyder has been making hit after hit after hit in Hollywood. His artistic style and his hi-octane level of film make him appeal to a such a wide range of film fans. So before he dazzles us with the upcoming Superman film he offers us a delectable nugget of visual awesomeness in the form of one Sucker Punch. So, like a kid at Christmas I eagerly await his upcoming film that looks to be saturated with so much style and eye candy it’ll make your head spin. To help get more people on board, here is a neat looking animated short/tie-in to Sucker Punch called “The Trenches”. Light on…
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Ohhh, Look…’On Stranger Tides’ Featurette and Images
This May we’ll see the return of “witty Jack” on another swashbuckling adventure, this time to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. On Stranger marks the 4th time Johnny Depp has played the iconic Jack Sparrow and there are rumors that we’ll get 2 more afterwards. Have a look at this featurette, new poster/character photos and get ready for some fun… Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth when a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz) forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob…
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"Miyazaki Madness" Second Round – The Elite 8 [POLLS CLOSED]
Wow, what a bunch of heart breaks and blow outs this first round, huh? Hayao’s Spirited Away steamrolls over his son Goro’s first feature Tales From Eathsea. Princess Mononoke beat out the equally matched and favored Nausicaa. Pom Poko was no match for Ghibli poster boy Totoro and my dear lord did Porco Rosso get smoked like a pound of bacon by Castle in the Sky. Even my favorite Howl’s Moving Castle was knocked out by Grave of the Fireflies (you can see the rest of the results in the image below). But that’s how it goes…two men enter, one man leave right? So here I present the updated official “Miyazaki…
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Japanese Cinema Blogathon – Off the Shelf…’Tales From Earthsea’
Tales From Earthsea is not the work of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki or even Isao Takahata. This animated feature comes from Goro Miyazaki; Hayao’s son. Admittedly it’s so very hard to think about Goro’s work (who is not, I repeat not a professional animator) and not compare him to his father. Further, expecting a Princess Mononoke level of film right out of the gates is not only a lofty expectation, but an impossible one. It’s like trying to compare “Juno” to “Ghostbusters”; just because Jason Reitman is Ivan Reitman’s son doesn’t mean he’ll top his father’s peak films with his first effort. But even though Goro didn’t grow up in…
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Our Hearts Go Out to All of Japan…
Hello World, Marc Here: I wanted to take time away from entertainment news and focus on the earthquake/tsunami tragedy going on in Japan right now. As you know, my good friend Rob (one of our “3 guys“) lives in Japan with his wife. The country was hit by the earthquake this morning and it affected where they live thankfully they’re OK. But a lot of people weren’t that lucky as the magnitude 8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0. I was relieved to get in touch with Rob this morning and…
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Ohhh, Look…Another New 'Kung Fu Panda 2' Character
Last month we posted 6 of the new characters in Dreamworks’ upcoming sequel to Kung Fu Panda. Well today we have one new addition to the line up…one, well I guess you can’t really call henchmen one new character, but you get the idea. Also, we have some much nicer looking shots of the other characters below. Have a look and enjoy… The Gorillas are the muscle in Lord Shen’s army. From the looks of him I wonder if this guy walks down the street singing, “I ain’t happy, I’m feeling glad, I got sunshine in a bag, I’m useless but not for long. The future is coming on…“. Sorry, I couldn’t…
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Sweet Trailer (& New Screenshots!!)…'Cars 2'
Well, I know we’ve posted a few trailers of Cars 2 this year but man, each one is just so enjoyable to watch. It’s hard not to consume as much of this content as we do (as I’d like to leave some surprises for the theater) but I can’t help myself…it’s all so awesome looking. For those of you who still can’t get enough teases of McQueen and Mater’s upcoming international adventure, have a look… I’m guessing everyone already knows the plot so how about we jump to these ultra slick looking photos?? (click each one to see the gorgeous ultra hi rez version)
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Ohhh, Look…Toy Story Short "Hawaiian Vacation" Clip
Last year Toy Story 3 was a huge hit. And by huge I mean it was a billion dollar hit (that’s billions with a B!). Riding high on their success, Buzz, Woody and the Toy Box gang are going to be featured in the next Pixar short which precedes the upcoming Cars 2. In a way it’s fitting that are gong to help usher in the only other Pixar franchise that’s gotten a sequel. But it also seems funny that after taking home the Oscar last month for Best Animated film, our beloved characters are playing second fiddle as the opening band for Lightning McQueen, Mater and the bunch. Anyway…
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"Miyazaki Madness" Starts TODAY!! First Round – The Sweet 16 [POLLS CLOSED]
These are the match-ups for the first round Sweet 16 Bracket in the “Miyazaki Madness“. Voting will stay open for 1 week. Cast your votes and don’t forget to comment at the bottom… Click the image above for a hi-rez version of the bracket and start voting after the jump…