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Deltakiral
Joined: 07 Oct 2004
Posts: 3338
Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK)
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:25 pm
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There can only be one! I wished that Christopher Lambert was starring if just doesn't feel right if he not there being a total BA. But I am excited to see this film looks like it has some nice fights in it.
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DKL
Joined: 08 May 2005
Posts: 1962
Location: California, USA
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:28 pm
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Man... my computer really sucks or something given that it won't load...
Well, in any case, you can see it over at youtube (as I've mentioned in the thread in the anime forum)...
Thing looks glorious as hell... kinda hard to imagine that it only costs around 5.5 million dollars (supposedly), when it really does look like a full-fledged theatrical feauture...
But yeah... direct-to-video in the US is nice, but it would've also been cool to get a theatre showing given that it helps get the thing more coveraged.
Oh yeah... it seems that the main character is being played by what seems to be an Ocean regular.
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Deltakiral
Joined: 07 Oct 2004
Posts: 3338
Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK)
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:59 pm
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DKL wrote: | Man... my computer really sucks or something given that it won't load...
Well, in any case, you can see it over at youtube (as I've mentioned in the thread in the anime forum)... |
I had to leave my computer be for quite some time before it would load, but it eventually did load in quicktime.
DKL wrote: | But yeah... direct-to-video in the US is nice, but it would've also been cool to get a theatre showing given that it helps get the thing more coveraged. |
Yeah I think that what every fan wishes to have more movies make it into the theaters but what can ya do? at least it's being released in the US very quickly.....
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Keonyn
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Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Coon Rapids, MN
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:04 pm
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I don't know, it looks like a good film from a technical standpoint but as a rendition of Highlander I have my doubts, and ultimately that's the most important factor. It looks a little too ... anime-ized and doesn't look like it maintains the feel of its source. Guess I'll wait and see how it turns out.
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Chrno2
Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 6172
Location: USA
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:17 pm
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Not bad. Looks exciting enough.
Nice use of CG and animation, and lots of blood. Only in the way that Kawajiri-san can do it.
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GATSU
Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15550
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:23 pm
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The dub actors are awful, and the script looks like an awful b-movie. If only Kawajiri had more creative control...
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DKL
Joined: 08 May 2005
Posts: 1962
Location: California, USA
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:32 pm
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I dunno... seems pretty cool to me (and I was fond of the accents... and it seems that the main bad guy dude is being played by a Welsh actor, assuming of course that the Wiki entry is correct... but then, who knows how reliable that thing is?).
Don't think Jack Fletcher is doing the dialogue for this one though.
ANYWHO, from what I could make out, it seems like the main character is gonna have to make some kinda crazy-ass symbolic choice between pursuing his long-awaited thousand year vengeance and saving the people in that futuristic city thing...
Yeah, doesn't seem all that bad to me; pretty awesome in fact.
Will really agree with you though if you say that that one producer guy was a douche (going back to the old interviews from months ago).
Last edited by DKL on Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Keonyn
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Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Coon Rapids, MN
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:36 pm
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GATSU wrote: | The dub actors are awful, and the script looks like an awful b-movie. If only Kawajiri had more creative control... |
Given that it seems like a cliche anime that has Kawajiri written all over it with its style and material more so than it resembles its source material I'd say he had plenty of control over it. My issues isn't even with the voice actors or the script, I certainly can't judge a script through a preview as they always tend to have the weakest, cheesiest little phrases to catch attention, my issue is with how the story is done compared and the style compared to its source. In that respect it looks to be as good of a Highlander film as Highlander 2.
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GATSU
Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15550
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:57 pm
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Keonyn:
Quote: | I'd say he had plenty of control over it. |
He doesn't appear to have written the script.
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DKL
Joined: 08 May 2005
Posts: 1962
Location: California, USA
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:05 pm
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If animation could ever be done in a sexy way that's actually non-sexual, Kawajiri finds a good way to do it.
...
(But yeah… from what I’ve seen of Black Jack, Osamu Dezaki does to.)
In any event, despite being kinda cliche, you gotta admit that not many people in anime do it a Kawajiri's level.
I love Shana... but it's nowhere near the same level of competence in execution as X-TV or whatever (though... I have to admit that I really really like Shana... she's like one of the cutest things ever).
Anywho... what I always liked about Kawajiri's works was that, not only were they usually composed of plots, motivation threads and heavy drama that are easily grasped by casual film-goers, but, at the same time, there's this focus on visual aesthetics that pleases the people who are really into that kinda thing; specifically, I’m very fond of that hyper combination of detailed line-art and ultra fluid animation (which was a little trickier to do with X-TV, I have to admit); usual Madhouse productions have this (at their highest levels), but there’s this incredibly solid and almost undescribable cohesion as characters would move from frame to frame in the best of Kawajiri sequences... it’s pretty much my idealized vision of what animation should look like.
(actually, check out the 2nd Death Note OP while we’re at it… that thing is gorgeous… and yes, I think the song is awesome too given that I actually use to listen to that kind of music)
That said, I sure hope that Kawajiri’s next project will be an ACTUAL film with an ACTUAL film budget… it’s gonna be totally off the hook.
But in the mean time, this is probably the thing I’m really most looking forward to seeing right now.
========
As for the script... well... isn't sort of Kawajiri's job as a director to interpret the thing on-screen?
...
Well, I dunno... I mean... who knows?
Either way, we get a 20-minute interview with him on the DVD... so I'm looking forward to that.
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GATSU
Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15550
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:25 pm
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Kawajiri's not a bad director, but his specialty's horror, not action or drama. (Although I really did enjoy A Wind Named Amnesia.) X was boring, but then so is the source material, so the only real disappointment from him for me has been Bio-hunter.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 6:54 pm
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GATSU wrote: | The dub actors are awful, and the script looks like an awful b-movie. |
It's not as if Highlander is one of the world's great franchises. All but the first of those films are godawful; I can't imagine this being much better.
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GATSU
Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15550
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:47 pm
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Zac: I hear the tv shows are actually pretty good.
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Mephistophilus
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Posts: 200
Location: Fresno, CA, United States
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:59 pm
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Zac wrote: |
GATSU wrote: | The dub actors are awful, and the script looks like an awful b-movie. |
It's not as if Highlander is one of the world's great franchises. All but the first of those films are godawful; I can't imagine this being much better. |
I think the issue is that those "sequels" were not really sequels in the artistic sense... They were more of a capitalization off of the film's popularity and cult status. There wasn't the effort put into the first film, and I fear this anime will end up the same.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:12 pm
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GATSU wrote: | Zac: I hear the tv shows are actually pretty good. |
I'm biased, I guess. I never really liked it in the first place; it appealed way too much to the "ponytailed, trenchcoat-wearing, sword-collecting supergeek who takes himself too seriously" demographic. Plus everyone I ever knew who really liked it was... uh, a ponytailed, trenchcoat-wearing, sword-collecting supergeek who took himself too seriously.
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