Mala (Evan Rachel Wood) is a somewhat rebellious teenage Terran girl. Along with her pal Senn (Justin Long), they cruise the skies (and sharing the clouds with revered blue whale creatures) with their birdlike vehicles enjoying the freedom they presently possess. Terra is a planet of tranquility and a civilization which honors nature and celebrates life. On another planet, namely Earth, an all out battle was waged between Earth’s colonized neighboring planets. The result was catastrophic and everything was obliterated. The last known survivors of Earth now embark on a desperate mission to colonize a world which would be suitable…
Author: Tobe R. Roberts
A truly inspirational and deeply emotional film about music and its inherent power to unite people. What had its humble origin in New York City as an idea of how captivating and entrancing music can be to the masses, the directors embarked on a musically spiritual journey. Starting with a soulful guitar player in Santa Monica, California crooning, “Stand By Me”, which caught the directors attention, what would follow were many others singing the rest of the song. One year later, a musical mosaic was created, with harmony and peace being the links that bound them all together. This empowering…
Regarded as one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, the 14th century semi-fictional historical novel was written by Luo Guanzhong. “Romance of the Three Kingdoms, centered around the Three Kingdom era of 190 – 280 A.D., where regional warlords after the fallen “Han” empire vied for power and fought their way up the ranks to gain honor, prestige and power. Following periods of strife, contention and numerous deciding battles, three warring states emerged and solidified their own kingdoms: The Kingdom of Wei in the north ruled by the callous and malicious Cao Cao (Damian Lau), The Kingdom…
April 23- May 4th, 2008 –The Tribeca Film Festival has begun and will run now till May 4th with an incredible cross section of films, both 121 feature films and 53 premieres from around the planet. With a variety of engaging activities which include- The Tribeca Family Street Festival, and world premieres of both Universal’s Baby Mama and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Speed Racer. There are also other free events, including Tribeca Drive-In outdoor movies, and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day. As part of Tribeca’s roster of works includes 79 shorts making their debut at the festival. Some of shorts include the…
Japan’s oldest motion picture studio, Nikkatsu (Nippon KatsudÅ Shashin), which incidently gave Akira Kurosawa his start, produced- “Plains Wanderer” in 1960. Daisogen no wataridori is film number five in the nine-episode “Wandering Guitar” series, where idol Akira Kobayashi is Taki, a wandering symbol of justice across Hokkaido for the oppressed. Taki is equipped with all the accoutrements for righting the wrongs of society: a pistol, a trusty steed, a black fringed leather outfit and crimson scarf.As the quintessential lawman without a home, Taki finds himself in the domain of the Ainu people (the indigenous people of Japan), coming to their…
Winner of numerous awards at various film festivals, “Owl and The Sparrow” superbly directed and written by Stephane Gauger, focuses on an orphaned 10 year old little girl named, Thuy (Pham Thi Han). Submersed rapidly into the heart of Saigon’s street culture after leaving the side of her martinet uncle who owns and runs a bamboo factory, Thuy must be proactive and do what she can in order to survive.Armed with her Barbie backpack, she encounters other young girls in the city, who instruct her on how best to contend with life on the street. She first sells postcards and…
Richly evocative, heart-warming and beautifully crafted, Makoto Shinkai’s animated feature is a three part episode infused with emotion, naturalistic elements bonded with measurement, heartbreak, love and longing.The first part, “Cherry Blossom Story”, speaks to us first about the rate at which cherry blossoms fall to earth- 5 centimeters per second. Secondly, we learn about young love, and time with Takaki and his beau, Akari who eventually become separated. The story builds to a seemingly endless amount of delays for Takaki who wants to see Akari, but is held back by heavy snowfall and changing train schedules. Keeping in contact with…
The 2008 NEW YORK INT’L CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL is going on now from FEB 29 – MAR 16, and for these three fun-filled, kids geared weekends, be sure to catch this festival, which delivers to you, young filmmakers’ visions from 25 countries in several premieres. Opening Night featured the US Premiere of “Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance- a Mockumentary from Australia. The filmmakers range from ages 3 to 18 and Films will be showcased at the IFC Center and Cantor Film Center, The DGA (Directors Guild of America) Theatre in NYC. What is unique to this festival, is its…
Luminetik Animation Studios delivers us the first in a series of three high octane shorts to promote what will become a video game possibly based on the Unreal Engine 3 for top game development. “Kuriocity”, which features key characters from their upcoming animated feature- “Dis_Konnected”, is a tour de force in animation. Surely to take the public by nothing short of a storm, the first short in the trilogy showcases- Ruby, a hard-nosed, no-nonsense soldier who is in midst of a mission is instructed by her contact, Ray, to proceed to a new location. The message demands immediate attention and…
Starting from February 13-16, the Japan Society of New York City, presents 38 black & white animated films circa 1920s, through pre-WWII- 1940s. Delving into the past, long before the anime we view today, are the rich cultural gems which gave rise to modern day Japanese animation. What is intriguing is the utilization of the katsuben style, in which a live narrator (benshi) speaks over the silent film. First the time, many of these films are now with English translation. This is a unique look into how animated films were seen in Japan during these times.For the four days of…