"It's like some cheap melodrama," the teen says to the girl he loves, who may or may not be his long-lost sister. It's teen melodrama all right, but hardly cheap. "From Up On Poppy Hill" is another handsome and touching film from Japan's Studio Ghibli, factory of animated masterpieces. Hayao Miyazaki, the director of "Princess Mononoke," … [Read more...]
DreamWorks, Netflix pact
(Updated) DreamWorks Animation has drawn up a new plan that'll bring its film and TV content to Netflix. The exclusive deal, which had been rumored since mid-summer, is believed to be the first in which a Hollywood studio has agreed to stream its licensed content during the pay TV "window" period instead of going through satellite and … [Read more...]
Miyazaki’s ‘Ponyo’ surfaces on Blu-ray
Stateside pleas for Blu-ray versions of Hayao Miyazaki's animation classics will only intensify with the high-def release of his latest film, the delightful "Ponyo." The fish-out-of-water fantasy ranks as one of the best-looking animated features ever rendered in high definition. The hand-drawn images are brimming with color, movement and magic. … [Read more...]
‘Spirited Away’: Miyazaki meets Disney
The union of showbiz superpower Disney and Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki would seem a case of strange bedfellows. The Walt Disney Co., the mass producer of children's entertainment. Miyazaki, the painstaking auteur behind "Princess Mononoke." Disney, the house of happy endings and familiar themes. Miyazaki, the creator of films … [Read more...]
‘Waking Life’: Linklater’s ani adventure
Sartre meets slackers in Richard Linklater's "Waking Life," a terrific film of ideas that's perfectly matched with the DVD format. The animated meditation on dreams and man's place in the universe moves so quickly -- and in so many visual styles -- that viewers barely have time to absorb one concept before another comes rushing in. The pause and … [Read more...]
