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A Portrait of the Never-Ending Man, Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki is the Never-Ending Man. This documentary about his attempt at retirement is finally arriving on home video, and it shows he’s not ready for that quieter life just yet.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Release Date: April 30, 2019
* Spoiler Alert

Hayao Miyazaki is the Never-Ending Man. This documentary about his attempt at retirement is finally arriving on home video, and it shows he’s not ready for that quieter life just yet. He loves art and he loves creating. In his spare time, he’s working on illustrations for display at the Ghibli Museum and his home life is not the focus. His relationship with the Studio is more important. This work directed by Kaku Arakawa simply follows the day-to-day life of this filmmaker and stays unobtrusive as we see him make magic.

This studio was formed to allow him to express all his creative visions. Whether that’s to explore spirituality and reveal the essence of being, to see the production process is a rare look in a world not often discussed. Without him, the little prefecture of Koganei in Tokyo, Japan would seem like another quiet neighbourhood.

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Flying Higher and Higher with Tito and the Birds

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Tito and the Birds is a Brazilian animated movie that transcends. His avian friends are everywhere, and they symbolize a higher power he immediately recognizes. The alien rocks (that were once human) he finds are bumps on a log for a reason…

Praise is high for this work, and it will soon land on home video on April 23 courtesy of Shout! Factory.

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Unmasking M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable Trilogy & Glass

I feel with the Unbreakable trilogy, Shyamalan created a what if product based on Charles Darwin’s work, On the Origin of Species.

Release Date: April 16, 2019

Although M. Night Shyamalan‘s Unbreakable trilogy took nearly twenty years to finish, the wait was certainly worth it. Ever since I saw the first film, I could not help but think of the line from Snow White, “Mirror, mirror on the wall who’s the fairest of them all?” Instead of considering the response from the Disney movie, I feel another meaning can be pulled from it. Anyone who has looked upon this reflective surface is asking to themselves, “Who am I, really?”

Not everybody will like what they see of themselves reflected back. With titles in part two and three suggestive of different mental states, I have enough theories going on in my head wanting to break down what this auteur’s films are about. The bonus material which comes in the home video release of Glass, however brief they are, offer more than a few teasing answers and confirmations in what I already believe. Upon seeing all three films again, back-to-back, I have a few theories.

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Ancient Korea is Rampant with Zombies!

Rampant is now out on home video by Well GO USA Entertainment and it shows how Ancient Korea has a problem.

Rampant is now out on home video by Well GO USA Entertainment and it shows how Ancient Korea has a problem. Night Demons are everywhere, and there’s a plot to overthrow the Young dynasty (Josen period, 1392–1897). To say which is worse, fans of Asian horror will have to see.

The bonus materials are light. It consists of a making-of and behind the scenes piece, discussing production elements. With this work, attention is more with the story! The set design is spot on to bring this feudal period to life.

When these creatures hold the country in the palm of their hands and the empire is falling apart, just who will reign supreme kept me glued. Curiously, these monsters exhibit vampire-like behaviour too. Ultimately, it’s a martial arts and zombie genre mashup which is rarely done. Korean made Train to Bosun is tough to beat. This film is set in a different time period where no real comparisons can be made narrative-wise. Both are beautiful cinematically, and the terrors….

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Getting Funky with Lu Over the Wall, A DVD Review

Many comparisons have already been made of Lu Over the Wall to Ponyo and director was not averse to paying tribute to this particular Studio Ghibli work.

Lu Over the Wall Blu-ray + DVD Case — Blu-ray available to pre-order

Shout! Factory & GKIDS
Release Date: Feb 5, 2019

The home video release of Lu Over the Wall is right around the corner and one of the two bonus features includes an interview with director Masaaki Yuasa and producer Eunyoung Choi. Fans can hear about how he felt when this anime won the top prize at the 2017 Annecy International Film Festival. The audio commentary is even better as it discusses the creative process behind this movie. At first, they thought of introducing a vampire and thankfully changed their minds. They also discussed how integral the music had to be. In between wanting to craft a supernatural tale, the emphasis on Kai (Kanon Tani) had to be important.

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Soldier of War, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

Arriving on VOD March 3rd with a DVD following on April 9th

Soldier of War may seem like a misleading title, but this horror crime drama has a lot of terrific layers of backstory to examine. Anyone wondering about what the world might be like should the Nazis successfully invade England or curious about the experiments going on by either side to turn the tide of war is encouraged to check out this film written by John and Peter Adams.

This film is not simply about what gets unleashed from a lost military bunker in Shafton Forest. When the kills come swiftly, I was not disappointed at the Jason Voorhees wannabe. This character was military, and a human. Just what he is now … that’s hard to say when considering how he gets defeated.
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