It’s been a while since we’ve done a list, but something about our love of Studio Ghibli has us thinking about their films as we usher in the New Year. Maybe it’s our positive feelings about 2022, maybe it’s the unfailing hope in each of these films or just nostalgia for the heartwarming and fanciful tales. Coincidentally, there are a total of 22 in the studio’s catalog. Perhaps the stars are aligning for this list. Regardless, Ghibli’s works showcase wondrous landscapes and are propelled by unassuming heroes, inspiring themes and quirky humor. Whatever is loved about these is really seemingly loved by the whole planet. So as we take another…
-
-
G-S-T Review…’The Matrix Resurrections’
For a film franchise that broke all the rules and changed the entire entertainment industry, one might expect subsequent adventures down the rabbit hole would be welcomed, mind-bending yarns. But alas – system failure – The Matrix Resurrections sports no significant advancements in this upgraded sequel. We’ll get that out of the way up front as it’s probably the worst part about plugging back into the beloved series. So dig in, this is going to take a while. Often times, sequels are all about familiarity and there is a certain comfort when expectations are met. So while Lana Wachowski is never content to do the same thing, she wanted this…
-
Interview…Composer Don Davis Shares Stories Plugging Into ‘The Matrix’
In a world of remakes and reboots, one property we thought we’d never see expanded or revisited was the universe of The Matrix. It was, and still is, a landmark film, one that raised the bar for filmmakers and the industry as a whole. A triple-kick of story, visuals and action, The Matrix was a high watermark for cinema. As the series expanded, the arcs of the three leads finished in a less than satisfying (or deserving) way, yet it still seemed the most logical and inescapable end. Fate? Perhaps. The third film culminates in an uneasy truce between humans and machines (and between programs themselves). More importantly it’s not…
-
Interview…Director James Cullen Bressack on Bruce Willis and ‘Fortress’
From Lionsgate comes a new action thriller directed by James Cullen Bressack. Fortress is fast and shoots from the hip. Just short of a midnight movie, it has fun with its premise and delivers some surprises, including a noteworthy and unexpectedly delicious turn from Chad Michael Murray. But the best part about this film is the man behind the camera. Ahead of the film’s release this month, we got to chat with the young but seasoned director/producer – who has 44 shorts, features and music videos to his credit and he’s not even 30 – and it was a real treat. Bressack is incredibly humble, well-versed, really knows his films,…
-
Interview…Composers Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg on Music, Metal and Mayhem in ‘Cobra Kai’
You want to become a master of kicking ass in a musical soundscape? It’s easy! Just remember these three simple rules: Strike first, strike hard, show no mercy. Well, whether it’s sweeping the leg, or nailing a face-melting guitar/saxophone solo, our guests today can certainly tell us about their path to be the best…around. It takes time, talent, patience and a good amount of networking. Earlier this year, we spoke with composer Zach Robinson and had a blast getting to learn about his musical journey. Today, Zach is back as well as the other half of the sonic dojo that props up the Cobra Kai TV show. The duo have…
-
For Your Consideration…’Cowboy Bebop’ Soundtrack: Perfect Selections
In our most recent review, we had a blast talking about Cowboy Bebop…even though we weren’t very fond of the live-action update. But there is one thing we can never get enough of: the music. You can hear Rob, Pete and I bounce back and forth between both versions of the show here, but one final note about the series (if we didn’t already talk about it enough in that episode) is that the free-flowing, toe-tapping, otherworldly sound Yoko Kanno & Seatbelts brought to this universe is just brilliant. Each note, riff and all-out jam session amplifies the anime’s narrative beats helping to make the series so endearing and enjoyable.…
-
Podcast Review: ‘Cowboy Bebop’
Hi amigos! How y’all doing?? Here we are, friends, an event we’ve waited for since we first heard those notes of Tank! more than 20 years ago. For all you fans looking forward to a long-hyped live-action Bebop event, Netflix has released a version of the beloved show that, on paper, looked like a home run: Shinichirō Watanabe as a consultant, Yoko Kanno providing new and expanded music, a great looking cast, etc. So before we go any further, we have to acknowledge how we got here. In 1998, Sunrise released the jazz-infused anime that would forever change animation for the better. From Wikipedia, here’s the short run down. “Twenty-six…
-
Interview…Composer Daniel Hart on ‘The Green Knight’
Daniel Hart is a composer and performer based in Los Angeles. Hart made his feature film debut in 2013 with the critically acclaimed Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, which began his collaboration with filmmaker Dallas native David Lowery (we spoke to Lowery at the time of the release) and Hart has composed the music for all of Lowery’s films, including Pete’s Dragon, A Ghost Story, Old Man and The Gun, and 2021’s The Green Knight. He has also written music for This American Life, and composed the score for S Town, one of the most popular podcasts of all time. To score The Green Knight, Hart went on his own epic personal journey as the religious overtones of the film…
-
G-S-T Review: ‘Last Night In Soho’
Edgar Wright is one of our favorite directors. His style, skill, and sense of humor are just a few reasons why we’re so endeared to his work. While he’s made a name for himself as a powerful and highly competent genre filmmaker, he’s still growing as an artist. His latest – a throwback ghost story – finds him committing to a kind of period piece as he tries his hand at a murder mystery. Yes, we know, Hot Fuzz is a murder mystery, but it was filtered through the lens of a buddy cop comedy. Last Night In Soho is entirely different. How, you ask? Let me expand. As mentioned…
-
Interview…Philip Gelatt and Morgan King on ‘The Spine of Night’
The mainstream entertainment world doesn’t get a lot of animated dark fantasy. So, besides outliers like Fire & Ice, Heavy Metal, and, to a degree, Netflix’s Castlevania, if you wanted to dive deep into mystical and alluring universes in the world of adult animation, your choices are finite. Now enter a curious entry called The Spine of Night. It clicks most of the boxes those titles occupy, and then some. Sorcery? Check. Wildly imaginative? Check. Violence, nudity and dazzling visuals? Check, check and check! The Spine of Night is an epic fantasy tale about the history of a land that never was. The story begins when an ambitious young man…
