July 2018 | Otaku No Culture |

Breaking Down Gojira, Living at the City of the Edge of Battle

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

For a brief moment, I thought TOHO animation‘s curiously titled Gojira, City on the Edge of Battle (決戦機動増殖都市) will become a Star Trek episode. Knowing Mecha Gojira would appear, I thought about Hasbro’s Transformers and a city transforming into a figure like Trypticon than Metroplex. Thankfully, this movie is nowhere close to realizing that, but I knew Mecha Gojira was making a comeback. I wondered how?

Part two is on Netflix. While it’s tough to beat a theatrical presentation, as it was presented in Japan, anyone with a 72 inches (or more) television will be in for a treat. The surround sound mix is very good, and it requires more oomph to make the windows of my home to rattle. I bought a 7.2 audio receiver so I can have two subwoofers than one and hoped to test it out with the right movie. This film comes close to tearing down the house.

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King Cohen, The Documentary

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Upcoming Screenings:
August 3rd, New York City,
Alamo Drafthouse

for a complete list,
please visit
www.kingcohenmovie.com

Larry Cohen is the maverick filmmaker, if not a sociologist in disguise. He treats cinema as a reflection on life and he coats it with a ginger touch so that there’s perhaps one degree of separation than direct outright commentary. If moviegoers have not heard of him yet, they will in the documentary, King Cohen.

His early life story is quickly told, and to understand why he loved the movies meant talking to those close to him, and those who worked hand-in-hand. Filmmakers Martin Scorsese, J.J. Abrams, Joe Dante, John Landis, and Fred Williamson also express their thoughts about this magic man. But for those who were on set, they often mention his clash with the Hollywood system. I can only imagine the arguments should studio executives visit the set. Perhaps, even funnier is in how he went about “securing permission” when filming at public spaces. The best story has to come with how he went about making Q: The Winged Serpent (1982). Today, the production assistants would do a lot of wrangling to ensure safety. Cohen did not have that luxury and the chaos is nicely described. As a viewer, it’s hard not to laugh.

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Tempest 4K, STEAMed & Reviewed!

Tempest 4K By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

* Also available on the
PlayStation4 and Xbox One.

Sooner or later, the game to which I took my nickname from, had to be reviewed. Back in the 80’s with the huge arcade game boom, Atari’s Tempest was the game I fell in love with. Enter 2018, the 4K upgrade is here! I’m not talking about video resolution, but instead, how pumped this latest imagining is. It’s wild and crazy in how tough it gets after six levels from the start. Even after weeks of playing, I’m not completely proficient. The main problem is that no proper controller exists to play the game like it was originally designed.

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Takeaways from 2018 San Diego Comic Convention

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Many announcements and bombs happened over the July 18th to 22nd weekend at SDCC2018. Some of the news that happened divided a community and my thought is simply on whether Guardians of the Galaxy even continue after what happened? Only time and executive decisions can tell.

Many movie trailers were released to show what’s coming and while most of them look fantastic. Out of all of them, the second instalment of Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla: King of the Monsters stands out the most, and I’m not necessarily picking favourites. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is my second and Glass rounds out my top three. Excluded is what’s coming on television.

The following is a greatest hits package of what to look for at comic shops or video stores in the coming months.
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Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA — Portrait of Both the Artist & the Man. Screenings July 28th!

Vancouver – Vancity – July 28
Toronto – TIFF Bell LightBox – August 3
Calgary – Globe Cinema – August 10
Montreal – CinemaModerne – August 18

“Please fans with its drifting, lyrical, and
thoughtful tenor, echoing so much of this artist’s music.”
– Dennis Harvey, Variety

“The film serves as a stirringly poetic meditation
on the pursuit of creation in the face of mortality.”
– Michael Rechtshaffen, LA Times

The official selection of La Biennale di Venezia 2017 and Tribeca Film Festival 2018 – Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA directed by Stephen Nomura Schible, will play its way into theatres across Canada beginning July 27.

One of the most important artists of our era, Ryuichi Sakamoto has had a prolific career spanning over four decades, from techno-pop stardom to Oscar-winning film composer. The evolution of his music has coincided with his life journeys. Following Fukushima, Sakamoto became an iconic figure in Japan’s social movement against nuclear power. As Sakamoto returns to music following cancer, his haunting awareness of life crisis leads to a resounding new masterpiece. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda is an intimate portrait of both the artist and the man.

Director Schible is an American Japanese film-maker who grew up in a bilingual and international household in Tokyo. Actively involved in Japanese culture and media, he found Sakamoto’s life-long struggle as an anti-nuclear activist to be awe-inspiring. In a country with tight control on political media, mainstream outlets were reluctant to address Sakamoto’s stance on nuclear weapons. Schible knew there was a story to be told. Not a political film but rather one that explores how Sakamoto’s awareness of crises had developed and how it has brought change to his musical expression.

Using sound as a building block, the director hopes audiences can feel the story through their ears as well as their eyes.

This mesmerizing film starts its theatrical run across Canada, beginning July 27.

From Script to Book, Trollhunters! an Ongoing Saga

trollhunters_poster — The Trollhunters Four Book Collection is due for Dec 11, 2018 release

Writer Richard A Hamilton can very easily further any fan’s love for DreamWorks Trollhunters. His work in the ongoing book series published by Simon Spotlight expands the world in legendary ways such that readers get to learn more about the history of Trollkind. As the wait for the next chapter in the Tales of Arcadia saga continues and this dedicated fan needs troll food badly, I am glad more tales are being told through the comic book/print medium.

The first graphic novel, “The Felled” is due to hit shelves in mid-October. Here, Hamilton explores the problems of being “boyfriend” material. Ever since Jim and Claire made it official, trying to make their relationship is not going to be easy, and Trollkind’s idea of courtship may well get examined. The history of Trollkind and their mating rituals may well be at the core of this first work. This chapter of the saga is illustrated by Timothy Green II.

In the written front, Four books are available to purchase (with more coming) and I knew I did not want to jump in with book three upon finding them at my local bookstore. The first volume is simply a retelling of “Becoming.” The scenes cut out are restored. The prologue centers in on Kanjigar. He knows his time is up and a new hero is needed. This Trollhunter prior to Jim Lake Jr. was well respected in Troll Market and for him to say his farewells is not without some sniffles. I feel the Knights of the Round Table will one day appear because this take of the Trollhunters saga reflects even more chivalric ideals.

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