#The Music of Chance blu-ray

[spryfilm]

Blu-ray review: “The Music of Chance” (1993)

“The Music of Chance” (1993) Drama Running Time: 98 minutes Written by: Paul Auster, Belinda Haas and Philip Haas based on The Music of Chance by Paul Auster Directed by: Philip Haas Featuring: James Spader, Mandy Patinkin, M. Emmet Walsh, Charles Durning, Joel Grey, Samantha Mathis and Chris Penn Jack Pozzi: “No Problem partner I’ll show you my stuff you’ll be so impressed your mouth will…

[thislovintime]

Remembering David Jones, and sending thoughts to his family and friends.

(Footage in this edit from the Blu-ray set, Getty Images, Australian TV, Extra, the 1990s documentary; audio 1 from Peter's 1999 interview with GOLD 104.5.)

“Genuine, reliable and huggable, Peter is a natural person — really gets off on talent — loves other musicians and can jam along with the best of ‘em. I saw him holding his own with Hendrix, Stills, Young. He encouraged me no end. Bought me my first guitar and my first drum kit. […] He used to walk with a swagger, shining his arms with a confident air. He calmed hysteria, and lifted depression. ‘Dried banana, anybody? Piece of orange?’ — smiling, waving, running his hands through his hair. He knew all the crew by their first names. Kids crying at his feet he lifted and hugged like a father calming a child. […] He’s the most musically talented of us all by a mile. His songs are real. ‘For Pete’s Sake’ — which replaced the Monkees Theme at the end of some of the shows of the second season — is one of my all-time favorite songs by anybody. I’ve joked a lot about Peter giving everything away. But it was true. He was always giving his spare room to someone who needed it for the night — anyone. And he always seemed far away somewhere — in a different space. But I’m glad I know him. Of all the things he gave me, he gave me lots of laughs — and food for thought.” - Davy Jones, They Made A Monkee Out Of Me (1988) “I enjoyed [Micky] the most, respected Mike the most, and loved Davy the most.” - Peter Tork, Hartford Courant, February 26, 1982 “Davy adored performing, and adored meeting and greeting his fans. He was tireless in making himself available to sing a song, do a dance, shake a hand; whatever was asked. I had heart-to-heart moments with him that were among the best in my life. I was blessed to know and work closely with him. He was one in about 6 billion, give or take. We won’t see his like again. He left much too soon. I share your sadness. Thank you again for this chance to contribute. God bless and keep you all.” - Peter Tork in a note for a Pennsylvania memorial event for Davy, also shared via Peter’s official Facebook page, 2012 Peter Tork: “He was a master of many aspects of this kind of thing [entertaining], and, you know, and we had some very wonderful personal connections, and I’m really sad to see all that gone.” Q: “He just seemed to be a fun guy. I know he loved horses.” PT: “Sure did.” Q: “And obviously loved Peter.” PT: “Sure did. Loved him.” - 94.5 FM (Phoenix), 2013 “[Micky] and Mike and I have a very cordial relationship and share a lot of common topics. We go to lunch together when we’re all in town and have a good time. I love and respect each of these guys in their own way, although the real joys that I shared with Davy were special. At one point we had some good hard connections but as the years rolled on, those things faded away. But I am sorry to see Davy go. He was the one member in the group that I had the strongest human connection with. I still have two guys that I love and respect left from the band, but we share a different dynamic.” - Peter Tork, Review Mag, May 27, 2016

[broadwaydivastournament]

While we're here as Barbra Streisand plays her final few hours in our little tournament, Funny Girl is now available for pre-order through The Criterion Collection. Physical media may be dying a slow and painful death, but we still have the chance to own this movie musical on DVD. Available Nov 19, 2024.

Special Features Include:

4K digital restoration, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack

One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features

New audio interview with actor Barbra Streisand

New conversation between director William Wyler’s son David and author Alicia Malone

Directed by William Wyler (1986), a documentary on Wyler’s life and career

Archival interview with actor Omar Sharif

Deleted scene featuring Streisand and Sharif

Featurettes from the original theatrical release

English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

PLUS: An essay by author and film critic Michael Koresky Cover based on an original theatrical poster

[empty-movement]

Hi!! Super appreciate everything you guys have done for the community! I’ve recently been watching the musicals and was wondering if you think there’s any chance of an Apocalypse Saga musical?

Vanna here! Gonna be real, virtually impossible at this point, IMO. During the BRS show there were lots of little allusions to a third. Ikuhara and Yoshitani talk about it in the program interview (FULLY TRANSLATED COMING SOON), Akio's actor mentions the possibility in the curtain call, Ikuhara vaguetweets it, and ALSO, cool story:

The behind the scenes on the BRS musical include Akio and Anthy's actors discussing that he had special lines for the end of the final show, and he does--but they are not on the Blu-Ray cut of the show. Why? Well, on the last day, they streamed *both* the afternoon and evening shows, and on the last show, a major stage component failed. (The curtains drop to reveal the projector.) Only half the curtain falls. IMO this kinda makes for its own neat emergent narrative about the fakeness of Ohtori, but because of it, they don't use the last show's ending in the Blu-ray, so he doesn't have his extra line.

The version on the Blu-ray already includes a bolded line not in the series:

The illusion you cherished in your memory…I exploited that. The years you spent clinging to hope, not growing up, were useful. Soon… eternity will shine down from the inverted castle above. But the path you must take is no longer being prepared for you. You graduate, now.

The dialogue from the last show they performed goes this way (it's the version I had the better copy of, so when we showed folks the musical before the BR dropped, this was the version folks saw!)

The illusion you cherished in your memory…I exploited that. The years you spent clinging to hope, not growing up, were useful. But soon… the castle above, and the road to eternity… …will shine upon Tenjou Utena. The path you must take is no longer being prepared for you. You graduate, now.

TELL ME THAT'S NOT A 'NEXT TIME ON' HOOK

Look, I'm not an expert on Japanese musical business culture, but I had the help of some folks that are in the acquisition of this thing, and they basically assumed another was in production based on this amount of telegraphing, and it seems very likely it was, since the musicals have uniquely almost the same cast from one to the next.

Then covid happened. At this point, it's very unlikely to happen, I think, and certainly not with the original cast they had access to. Given Ikuhara's overall reticence about making the musicals at all, I don't know how eager he'd be to change up a formula that worked so well by trying to recast/etc, and covid FUCKED UP the 2.5 scene in Japan. I have long since stopped anticipating an Apocalypse show, which is really sad because I would have LOVED to see how it was executed, and given the incredible escalation in budget and scope from the first musical to the second, it felt inevitable at the time. (The StuCo musical was in a 250 seat theater and the BRS one was in a 1000 seat theater, insane shit)

[kstaki]

Finally back home…

My crazy week of mostly King Ohger and other Sentai stuff.

It has been a few days though I still haven’t gotten it wrap around my head that it over. That I wouldn’t be able to see all those post on X about FLT in each different region. I definitely would miss that…

I haven’t got chance to rewatch the three show yet since I got back & haven’t decide to buy yet or not. (I definitely gotten the Blu-ray for the extra)

Since I also thought last time so much King-Ohger goods be available I kinda of went all out. I got a couple of stuff especially I forgot to mention there were capsule at FLT they even brought back some of the old keychain & it sold out super fast.

When to the King-Ohger Cafe & the Exhibition (I wrote a bit more details in my other post) it small but still was happy I got a chance to go & spent a lot 😆 (too much loots 😂) I also went to Tokyo one weee & I am lucky to get King-Ohger Placemat & Dekaranger magnet ahhh.

Even went to Tokyo because I manage to get ticket to see Masashi-San (Jeramie) show (it was sold out) it was really good. I also went to watch Bleach Musical where Ichigo was Kihara Rui (Tametomo Kiramager) 😆. There was cute moment where both Masashi-San & Hirofumi-San (Kijno) were taking about Hero in show then mention each other real name they were both praising each other🥹. When the show over Masashi-San was mentioned about how FLT King-Ohger ended & then wonder his next costume be somehow he joke he is full white again 🤣 (they were all wearing full white for the show)

Anyway…while I am probably still haven’t wrap my head it over. I am still glad that there so many event that I could go & how I could interact with the other fans about the show. So just grateful for all the chances I got. I definitely would still be supporting & watching the rest of Sentai show. Just wouldn’t be so hardcore as King-Ohger 😅 now just waiting for the extra content along with next year Vs content 🥹

(Btw they just had to announce that the last three episode will be shown in theaters 15/06/2024…2 time slot but TTFC exclusive and it lottery)

[black-arcana]

WITHIN TEMPTATION To Release 'Worlds Collide Tour: Live In Amsterdam' Live Album And DVD/Blu-Ray

Ahead of WITHIN TEMPTATION's upcoming tour, fans can prepare for the spectacle by reliving the adrenaline-pumping excitement of 2022's "Worlds Collide" run from the comfort of their homes, as the band's remarkable show at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on November 29, 2022, will be available on vinyl, CD, Blu-ray/DVD and in a special 64-page hardcover artbook on June 21, 2024.

During the "Worlds Collide" tour, WITHIN TEMPTATION played two sold-out shows in their home country at Ziggo Dome. They were their first-ever headlining shows in Ziggo Dome and a total of 30,000 fans were there to witness the occasion. These shows were captured for posterity and now everyone around the world has the chance to immerse themselves in one of the most iconic performances the band has ever done in their home country.

Few collaborations in WITHIN TEMPTATION's career have ignited as much anticipation as their co-headlining tour with EVANESCENCE did, especially having being postponed four times due to COVID.

As soon as the world reopened in 2022, the "Worlds Collide" tour finally took place. Over the course of over four weeks, the tour traversed 17 cities across Europe, delivering a total of 19 performances.

For this tour, WITHIN TEMPTATION and EVANESCENCE saw an amazing amount of over 200,000 tickets sold, 7703 kilometers traveled, eight tour buses serving as mobile homes for the artists and crew, twelve trailers loaded with the gear to fuel the spectacle, and a dedicated team of over 80 experienced individuals whose tireless efforts ensured that every aspect of the tour ran seamlessly.

Experience the audio and visual spectacle that was brought to life in Ziggo Dome on November 29, 2022 now. Preorder your copy in the official WITHIN TEMPTATION music store.

Last month, WITHIN TEMPTATION released the official music video for their newest single, "A Fool's Parade", featuring Ukrainian producer and vocalist Alex Yarmak. All royalties from the new single will be donated to Music Saves UA for the duration of the Russia-Ukraine war.

According to a press release from WITHIN TEMPTATION's publicist, "A Fool's Parade" "showcases the band's commitment to raising awareness of Ukraine's ongoing battle against Russia's invasion. The song itself serves as a condemnation of Russia's deceitful actions and sheds light on the harsh realities faced by Ukraine. WITHIN TEMPTATION remains steadfast in their support for Ukraine, with involvement in initiatives such as the Ukraine Aid OPS foundation, advocating for more much-needed solidarity."

Recorded amidst the streets of Kyiv with renowned Ukrainian video director Indy Hait, the music video for "A Fool's Parade" captures WITHIN TEMPTATION frontwoman Sharon Den Adel at important Ukrainian landmarks.

Released last October, WITHIN TEMPTATION's latest album, "Bleed Out", signifies a bold leap forward for the band. From contemporary, hard-hitting, and djenty riffs to soaring melodies displaying their symphonic roots, WITHIN TEMPTATION has created a sonic journey that fuses diverse musical styles and thought-provoking themes. This is an album that is as epic as it is unflinchingly outspoken, and now more than ever, this is a band who isn't afraid to make a stand on issues the members care about.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, WITHIN TEMPTATION have shifted their focus from writing about personal emotions and societal subjects to tackling global injustices and reflecting the tumultuous state of the world in a way that other artists seem unable or unwilling to do.

While songs such as "Wireless" and "We Go To War" examine the authoritarian aggression on display in Ukraine and other warzones, the title track itself addresses the plight of women fighting for their rights in Iran after the murder of Mahsa Amini.

The album also grapples with the complex issues around a woman's right to choose in single "Don't Pray For Me" and throughout, this impassioned and political focus is reflected in the intensity and heaviness of the music. Embracing a new era of musical exploration and lyrical depth, WITHIN TEMPTATION have pushed boundaries and showcased their artistic evolution, delivering a fist-in-the-air proclamation of both their moral convictions and their fearless approach to music.

[brokehorrorfan]

The Raid: Redemption will be released on 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray and Digital) on January 16 via Sony. The 2011 Indonesian action thriller is known internationally as The Raid.

Gareth Evans (V/H/S/2, Apostle) writes and directs. Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Ray Sahetapy, and Yayan Ruhian star.

The unrated version is presented in 4K with a new color grade, supervised by Evans, and Dolby Vision. It includes Indonesian Atmos and English 5.1 sound, along with the original and international scores. Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Audio commentary by writer-director Gareth Evans

Behind-the-scenes video blogs

Inside the Score

An Evening with Gareth Evans and composers Mike Shinoda and Joseph Trapanese

In Conversation with Gareth Evans and Mike Shinoda

Behind the Music with Mike Shinoda and Joseph Trapanese

Anatomy of a Scene with Gareth Evans

Claycat's The Raid

The Raid retro TV show faux ad

Theatrical trailer

Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world's most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the rundown apartment block has been considered untouchable. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite SWAT team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, they find themselves stranded on the 6th floor with no way out. The unit must fight their way through the city's worst to survive their mission.

Pre-order The Raid: Redemption.

[misscammiedawn]

Would you like to share any opinions on RUSH? You get extra points if they’re hot takes.

*HIGH PITCHED SQUEEEEEEEEEEE*!!!

Penny? I love you! Thank you for unleashing my thoughts!

VERY WELL! Let us begin!

I'm gonna list them in random order

- Time Stand Still is best music video and anyone who disagrees is being a grinch!

- Our favorite album is Roll the Bones and our favorite Live CD is A Show of Hands! I think Rush in Rio and Permanent Waves are the *best* though!

- They should just release the Different Stages live recording. It's pretty much out there as extra features on the other DVDs!

- The Clockwork Angels book and graphic novel are pretty average but are worth it for making Seven Cities of Gold not suck. The worst song is the best chapter of the novel

- I would buy a Blu-Ray that is just the backing videos for the live videos and I hate that the only backing vid that exists in full form is By-Tor from Rush in Rio (as an Easter Egg)

- Emotion Detector is the most underrated Rush song and I would have preferred Tom Sawyer or YYZ not get played in one of the tours to accommodate it in a concert! Only 44 songs have never been played live before and of them the only one that I think deserved to be played more is Vapor Trail because it is the ONLY title song of an album never played live (after Presto was pulled out for Time Machine)

- It is pronounced Why-Why-Zed. It is spelt Vapor Trails. The American spelling of Vapor is essential to the song's message

- Analog Kid is Alex's best song, Ghost of a Chance and Between The Wheels are second and third-- though live versions of Working Man are up there

- Geddy's solo at the end of Leave That Thing Alone (Time Machine Tour) is the exact peak of Rush, that was their highest point as a band!

- SARS Fest concert kinda sucked? Spirit of Radio with Paint It Black intro was amazing but the equipment was shot and they gave Alex a hot microphone. They also cut off the "encore" which just sucked. I am also a little salty that Rush were an opening band for the Stones *in Canada*.

- Tom Sawyer is overrated and they're not even Peart lyrics. Limelight and YYZ off of the same album are better.

- Neil's Ayn Rand period is a valid part of Rush history and provides so much extra context to The Garden. The same pen that wrote "begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more" ended his life with "the measure of a life is a measure of love and respect, the way you live and the gifts that you give, in the fullness of time it's the only return you can expect" - a man with a storied life as Neil with as much tragedy as he endured ended with him completely giving and loving in his heart when 35-40 years prior he wrote empathetically that "you don't get something for nothing"

- La Villa Strangiato is in my opinion not just the best instrumental but it is in contention for best Rush song period. I would never give it that title because it lacks Peart's lyrics and I find that people who say that have an irrational dislike of Geddy's voice... but it's still a valid take. Natural Science would get my all around best song badge. But best and favorite are not the same in my world and even still I mean *technically proficient* mixed with lyrics. I'll change my mind, likely. But that's my feeling right now.

- Geddy didn't get vocal training until before My Favorite Headache (2000) and Neil didn't get jazz drumming instruction until Burning For Buddy (1994). Both artists were just fine as they were but they perfected their arts and I prefer late era Rush because of that. The band never stopped evolving.

- I would have liked to have heard one of the solo album songs live (I Am The Spirit, Promise or My Favorite Headache) or have Bob and Doug do Take Off for a charity event like the South Park or Hawkings concerts last year. I *still* want that. Neil wasn't involved in the solo albums. It could still happen.

- I want a Jukebox Musical of Rush music so that The Body Electric isn't the only piece of fiction scored to Rush.

- Alex Lifeson could have been a comedian. He's one of the funniest humans on the planet.

- Peaceable Kingdom is better for having been the only song where lyrics were written after the music. Vapor Trail has amazing lyrics in general but I feel the limitation had positive impact and I wish Neil and the band did this practice more than once.

- Rush's improvised and last minute songs when they are running out of studio time are the best. Malignant Narcissism was the result of the album director seeing Geddy warming up with a vintage fretless bass and said "put that on the album" so they composed around the improvised riff, Force Ten was literally a last minute addition to Hold Your Fire. La Villa is said to have been recorded in a single take (I do not believe that legend as it wasn't in any of the biographies I have read). Rush just work best with limitations. They're a bunch of goofs and giving them a time limit makes them go into a Saitama style serious mode.

---

I could write tons more. But I'll call it there.

I like Rush.

A lot.

More than you think I do.

[anotheruserwithnoname]

Some good news and some bad news regarding Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The good news is that now that the strikes are over, production of Season 3 is set to begin next month! This is good because there have been rumours swirling around possible cancellation in the wake of Star Trek Discovery being ended after its 5th season. But SNW continues (Lower Decks has also been renewed for Season 5). The only caveat to that is Paramount Plus still cancelled Star Trek Prodigy even with its Season 2 complete, so nothing is a guarantee anymore. (And even then, it's been reported that Prodigy S2 will at least get some sort of Netflix release).

(Further good news is Season 2, with its amazing musical and Lower Decks crossover episodes, is set for Blu-ray release before Christmas.)

The bad news - though this is likely educated speculation on Screen Rant's part - is the possibility that the 10-episode 3rd season my be split, with only 5 episodes airing in 2024 and having to wait till 2025 to see the rest. Aside from that wrecking viewer momentum, those 5 weeks will come and go very quickly. If this news is correct, though, they could be telegraphing some sort of 5-episode story arc, which should be good but I actually prefer SNW's episodic format as it better supports the type of experimentation we got with not only this past year's musical and part-animated episodes, but the episodic format is what made TOS what it was. No official word on any cast changes, though I will be surprised if S3 doesn't reintroduce Dr. McCoy in some fashion.

I haven't written much about SNW but it's my favourite of the live action modern Treks. I stopped watching Discovery and Picard but SNW has kept me. I've had songs from the musical earworming for the last week or so after I rewatched it. And I greatly appreciated the time-travel episode "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" for finally canonizing an explanation as to why the prequel series haven't always lined up with what we know as canon from TOS, TNG, etc. which as far as I'm concerned frees the writers to deviate and retroactively serves to rectify canon issues dating all the way back to some episodes of DS9, never mind Enterprise, Discovery and SNW itself. I will explain for those who don't know but I will put a spoiler break here for those who might be waiting for the Blu-ray or haven't had a chance to stream season 2 yet. If the break doesn't appear below, stop reading now if you don't want the spoiler.

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The episode reveals that due to the many time travel events over the years (including ones we haven't seen on screen by enemies of the Federation; the episode relates one involving Mary Queen of Scots (in-joke for the actress) what we have been seeing in SNW etc. is an alternate timeline. Maybe not as extreme as the Kelvin timeline of the films, but events such as the Eugenics Wars - indeed, the birth of Khan himself - were delayed by decades. This major change to the timeline - and then you fill in the blanks by factoring in even minor changes such as the guy who accidentally killed himself with McCoy's phaser in City on the Edge of Forever, Sisko replacing Gabriel Bell in the Bell Riots, the Voyager crew going back to 1996, Archer and T'Pol heading off agents of the temporal cold war in the early 2000s, etc. - and you can see how it's possible that things progressed differently resulting in SNW and Discovery being more technologically advanced than TOS-era ships should be as established in TNG, DS9 and Enterprise that used the original tech and designs. Also character differences, like Pike's crew being aware of T'Pring and Khan when Kirk's crew in TOS did now despite Spock having worked with La'an Noonien-Singh and Kirk being aware of La'an's feelings for him. Or the lack of reference to Kirk's brother, who dies in a famous TOS episode, having been former Enterprise crew. And it literally stems from two lines of dialogue. It's exhibit A of how quickly and simply a show like Doctor Who can fix things.

[hotwaterandmilk]

As my previous post would imply, I received my Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne Complete Blu-ray BOX while I was away over the weekend and am only just having a chance to check it out now.

The cover is a thin cardboard slip, not sturdy, and really only functions to keep the two BD cases and booklet together. The illustration by Kagawa is super cute though!

Um, in terms of the actual video it is improved from the DVD release but honestly because it's an early digitally animated series the differences aren't as noticeable as when you look at a remastered 80s anime composed of cel animation. I wouldn't say the KKJ anime ever looked great even by 90s standards, but if you're already used to its gaudy character colour palette then everything will look just like a BD version of what you're used to... I'm not exactly an expert on video transfer or anything so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

The booklet contains episode summaries and character designs plus a really weak "gallery" which is just promo stills we've all seen 1000 times before. The full-colour character designs look nice and make the booklet worth checking out.

Finally the soundtrack is... well, I don't think the KKJ anime had a spectacular soundtrack to begin with but it really is nice to have it all released properly and in one place. There's a lot of familiar music cues and a few stand out tracks (I love Finn's theme and a lot of the melancholy music is quite nice) however, the majority of tracks really do sound "of the time" and have a clanging midi-esque quality to them

Would I recommend this BD set to others? Sure, if you're a fan of the KKJ anime and want to own it in a nice form, inclusive of things like character designs and the OG soundtrack, then you'll appreciate this release. If you've never checked out the anime then this probably isn't worth your investment without looking into the release further as it isn't top tier magical girl anime by a long stretch, but not everyone will feel that pang of nostalgia that justifies an expensive purchase like a full BD box set.

For me, I'm happy with it -- there aren't really any surprises, it's just a solid release for an older magical girl series and that's depressingly rare these days.

[canmom]

Animation Night 150: INU-OH

Hello everyone! Tonight we celebrate ✨Animation Night 150✨. I never imagined I would still be running without pause for that long. In a few weeks it will be our third anniversary. They still haven’t banned me!

Tonight our subject will be Masaaki Yuasa, one of the most brilliantly inventive directors in the whole medium. Yuasa was the very first director I wrote about on here on Animation Night 12, and once again on Animation Night 28, which between them gave a pretty good survey of his works - works such as Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Kaiba, and Night Is Short Walk On Girl to name a few favourites. However, since then he’s gone and released another movie! Inu-Oh spent a long time touring the festivals, and then a while longer going around cinemas. I wrote this at the time I saw it...

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, seriously you gotta - Masaaki Yuasa totally outdid himself, the choreography and flow if it is just incredible and the whole concept (a biwa hōshi and the cursed mutant son of a noh performer invent glam rock to tell the story of fallen Heike soldiers) is both so out there I struggle to imagine how they came up with it, and yet a perfect evolution of the themes Yuasa explored in his films so far.

So… I was completely spellbound the whole time, it’s one of those films that really rekindles the firey love for animation after days of drawing tiedowns lol. The ideas for movement, the creative shot choices, the solidity and weight of the animation, the visual motifs, the music behind the animation… gaahh you guys it’s such a good movie that ties together so well. So glad to finally get the chance to see it. And you can trust that the very minute it becomes available on blu-ray, or at least the very week, I’ll be screening it on Animation Night.

Well, that day has come! I’ve got the movie and I’m gonna show it to ya.

So what’s this all about?

Perhaps you remember when we watched Naoko Yamada’s brilliant adaptation of the Heike Monogatari. This is the story of how the Taira or Heike clan, who once effectively ruled Japan back in the artistic and peaceful Heian period (literally ‘peace period’!) of 794-1185, got too ambitious and were annihilated by their rival Minamoto clan in what would later be called the Genpei War, bringing an end to the period of peace, and putting the samurai and their shogunate in ascendance.

You don’t need to know much more than that to follow Inu-Oh, which is set in the years after the fall of the Heike. The story was transmitted forward through history by the biwa hōshi, blind biwa-playing itinerant monks who would go about singing stories.

However, Inu-Oh isn’t really about strict adherence to actual history, as you’ll see! The premise is essentially that a radical young biwa player Tomoaru, blinded as a child by an ill-fated attempt to fish up the sword Kusanagi, encounters the mutant son of a noh troupe, who is haunted by the ghosts of the Heike soldiers who perished in the war. The effect of this haunting is to give him a strange body with long, distended limbs; he takes on the name ‘Inu-oh’ meaning ‘King of Dogs’. Inu-oh’s father rejected him, leaving him an outcast, but in Tomoaru he finds another outcast who doesn’t give a shit how he looks.

Our two boys quickly become best bros and driven by the ghosts’ call to tell their stories, invent biwa-based glam rock, creating a sensation as they sing untold stories with elaborate, pyrotechnic-laden preformances of songs such as ‘Burial Mound of Arms’... but in so doing, fall afoul of the new shogunate, as Inu-Oh’s father cannot stand to gain a rival in his rejected son.

Inu-oh is full of some of the most inventive and charming animation of music performances I’ve ever seen. I struggle to imagine how they came up with the ideas that drive this film. It feels like it’s constantly in spellbinding motion. The rougher lines and more detailed designs are a departure from the Flash style that Yuasa’s later films mostly used, much more like the ones in Heike Monogatari, but the young international animators at Science Saru pull it off incredibly.

There’s been much discussion of how to interpret Inu-Oh. Is it about Yuasa himself and his weird career? Is it about the struggles of art in general? There’s a nice review of it over on fufuro; for now I will just say that it reminded me why I love animation. (Also it’s gay as hell. Y’know. Just putting that out there.)

Along side this, I’m going to be bringing back a Yuasa work that I feel like we gave an unfair shake back in the day - MInd Game, animated at Madhouse in 2004 at the very beginning of Yuasa’s rise. Known for its incredibly varied and experimental animation, Mind Game follows a man who fails to intervene against an attempted rape and dies, but after a brief meeting with God, drags himself back to life and begins a surreal journey as he flees from the yakuza. Much of the film takes place inside a whale, where they meet an old yakuza who has lived there for decades, following how the characters and their relationships evolve (which is to say they go fucking nuts) - before an absolutely batshit final sequence as they attempt to make their mistake.

Mind Game notally marks the beginning of the collaboration between Yuasa and the brilliant Shinya Ohira, who provided some of his warping, expressionist rough pencils. It’s got a lot of naked people being flung around, wild smears, bright colours. The simplified designs allow the animation to be all the more creative. It’s hard to find anything to compare it with, really! Mind Game doesn’t feel like a Madhouse work. It only somewhat resembles Yuasa’s later works. If anything it feels like something you’d find on Catsuka at 2am. 

So I think it’s about time I revisited it!

I’ve learned a great deal more about animation and its history since I wrote about Yuasa before, and later I’d like to write a more substantial account of his works. But right now, it’s about time we started! Animation Night 150(!) will be going live now at twitch.tv/canmom, with movies due to start in about 15 minutes - I’d love to see you there to see what is probably my favourite movie of 2022! (even though it strictly came out in 2021). see you soon~

[kokiafans]

KOKIA updates: March 2024

Below, I have summarized KOKIA’s recent announcements and messages. As explained here, this will remain the style of updates for now. It has so far worked out that I end up summarizing posts every month, so below are the updates from March.

Once-in-a-lifetime meetings tour

KOKIA had her first performance in her Once-in-a-lifetime meeting concert tour on March 10 in Kyoto. She talks about this ahead of the concert in her blog entry of March 7, looking forward to returning to Kyoto for the first time in quite a while.

In her blog entry of March 12, she reflects on the concert. The photo she attached to the entry is of the concert hall (the Kyoto Cultural Museum annex hall), as she really enjoyed the atmosphere, with the echoes from the high ceilings and the light coming in through the windows during magic hour right before sunset. (See also her Instagram post.) She was able to hold an autograph session, and enjoyed talking to people from the Kansai region this time. She hasn't been here in a while, so there were also some people who hadn't been to her concerts before or hadn't been able to go in a long time.

She's enjoying the difference of a tour versus performing in her home city of Tokyo and looks forward to her next concerts in the prefectures of Oita and Saga, coming up in April. She's never performed solo there before, but she's managed to almost sell out those performances already. The Tokyo performance in May is already sold out.

Releases

No more performances in March, but KOKIA does announce merchandise for her current tour in her blog entry of March 17. Rolling with the theme of a once-in-a-lifetime meeting, KOKIA decided on an encounter with the unknown that would certainly be once in a lifetime: an alien! The T-shirt (black, new model for comfortable wear) and blouson (white, same model as for her 25th anniversary). Due to production costs, there will be limited numbers for sale, so she is currently running a pre-sale on her official webshop from March 18 to April 7. The merchandise should be shipped in time for the performance in Tokyo in May and will be signed if ordered via the webshop. They will also be for sale at the Tokyo concert, but if you don't want to miss out (and get it signed), ordering via the web shop is your best bet.

On a side note, some previously unavailable items such as the 3 albums in the Stars series, most of the Animal CDs, her 25th anniversary album ánd the limited edition Blu-ray of her 25th anniversary concert are back in stock, so if you've missed out before, now is your chance! International visitors will get the banner for WorldShopping enabling to place their orders too.

And finally, after the initial digital release of disc 1 of The Lighthouse, KOKIA announces on March 12 that the second disc is now also digitally available via various sources. Here is the direct link.

Other news

As previously mentioned, KOKIA shares on March 12 that she now has an account on Twitter/X, KOKIAofficial. As she uses her blog for her longer thoughts, her photos on Instagram, songs on YouTube and news on her homepage, she was missing a channel to very quickly share short updates. She decided to give Twitter a try for this, intending to only use it for quick, time-sensitive news such as ticket information, releases and sales. So, if you have an account, you can now follow KOKIA!

KOKIA also announced on March 12 that Kaji Fes 2023, which she performed at as a guest, will be broadcast on TBS Channel 1. March 23 was the original air date for day 2, KOKIA's performance day, but there will be reruns on April 7 (18:00-20:00 for day 1, 20:00-23:00 for day 2). The official page for this broadcast can be found here.

Finally, taking a peek at her Instagram, KOKIA teases she's recording a music video for the first time in a long while, so that's something to look forward to!

[rushingheadlong]

okay so I’ve finally had a chance to look through all the new (and “new”) material getting released in The Miracle boxset and holy shit there is SO much to look forward to!!

Backing tracks for each of the original ten album songs

All of the B-sides and 12″ single versions (including some B-Sides that weren’t part of the previously-released “Deluxe Edition” of the album, namely live version of Stone Cold Crazy and My Melancholy Blues)

An entire CD of demos, original takes, rough mixes, and the six previously-unreleased songs (including the new Face It Alone and finally we’re getting Dog With A Bone!!)

The “Queen For An Hour” interview with all four of them, plus outtakes from that interview, and a Rockline interview with just Brian and Roger. (Here’s hoping that the interviews are in better quality that what’s been available online!)

A DVD/Blu-Ray with all the music videos, the Breakthru interviews, and the making-of videos (so hopefully we’ll get better quality versions of all of those too!)

Obviously anyone who gets the boxset itself also gets the hardcover book and press pack, but what I find really interesting is that the LP included with the boxset is “The Long Lost Original LP Cut” - aka it’s the exact same album but now with Too Much Love Will Kill You included like it was originally meant to be. (If anyone is interested it appears between I Want It All and The Invisible Man, and if that’s where it was slated to be in the tracklist even back in ‘89? Hi, yeah, we really need to talk about that choice of song order because oh my goddddddd)

[sorakazeno]

Sera Myu Music Festival 2022 Blu-Ray

Event was held at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stellar Ball in Tokyo from November 17th – 20th, 2022.

I missed it by less than two weeks since I wasn't in Japan until December of that year. I doubt I would have stood a chance getting tickets.

Can we also talk about how excited I am to have Japanese Blu-Rays being the same region where I live? Makes it so much easier!!!

Back cover of jacket.

Performance booklet and musical performance dice.

Disc set. The performance on Disc 1. Bonus features on Disc 2. I love how all of them are also huge fans of Sailor Moon. Soundtrack for musical on CD 1. Special performances for the different guests on CD 2.

I haven't see a Sera Myu in a while so a lot of the music was new to me even if it had been out for a few years.

 Sailor Moon: Riko Tanaka

 Sailor Chibi Moon: Chise Niitsu

Riko Tanaka has a great voice.

Sailor Mercury: Kaon Maekawa

Sailor Mars: Rei Kobayashi

I can't be the only amused that the actress' first name is Rei, right?

 Sailor Jupiter: Kisara Matsumura

Sailor Venus: Marin Makino

Sailor Uranus: Shinjyu Terada

Sailor Neptune: Ayana Kinoshita

Sailor Pluto: Chisato Minami

Sailor Saturn: Yuzu Ide

Tuxedo Mask: Riona Tatemichi

Princess Snow Kaguya: Sayaka Okamura

Luna: Yune Sakurai

Human Luna: MARISA

I was fortunate to see Riona Tatemichi perform as part of the America Tour for the Super Live in 2019. I really loved seeing the bonus section with the senshi that were also on tour.

Guest Performances varied by date and time:

November 17 Show 1: Akiko Kosaka, ANZA

November 17 Show 2: Akiko Kosaka, ANZA, Toshino Akamine, Misako Iwana, Emi Kuriyama, Akiko Miyazawa

The original Sera Myu cast performed La Solider on the first night. Loved it!

November 18 Show 1: Tomomi Kasai, Cocona, Yui Hasegawa, Takae Obana, Hoshinami

November 18 Show 2: Shu Shiotsuki, Sayaka Fujioka

November 19 Show 1: Reona Hayashi, Samejima, Yui, Kyoko Ninomiya, Mayuka Ida, Yuko Nakanishi

November 19 Show 2: Yume Takeuchi, Karen Kobayashi, Kaede, Satomomo Hasegawa

November 20 Show 1: Satomi Okubo, Hyakuyo Koyama

November 20 Show 2: Satomi Okubo, Meiku Harukawa, Saki Matsuda

Lyrics

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

It’s hard to believe Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove was a box office disappointment. This is Disney doing Dreamworks before Dreamworks had an identity. No romance. No princesses. Only one musical number. It’s a fast-paced comedy, the kind whose jokes come and go so fast you miss half of them. It was a big risk that might not have paid off in dollars in the year 2000 but certainly does in entertainment value today.

Self-centered Incan emperor Kuzco (voiced by David Spade) has just finished informing Pacha (John Goodman) that his small village is going to be torn down to make room for a royal pool when he is betrayed by his advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kittening). Unfortunately, her dim-witted eye-candy flunky, Kronk (Patrick Warburton), mixed up the potions. Instead of poisoning Kuzco, he's transformed him into a llama. Forced to ask Pacha for help, Kuzco begins to change his selfish ways.

Right away, you know you’re not watching the typical Disney story when Kuzco breaks the fourth wall and introduces The Emperor’s New Groove as HIS story: the tale of a king who’s been abused and mistreated. It’s not the last time we’ll be told to abandon our expectations. There’s only one musical number (two if you count the reprise). It’s an anthem all about how wonderful and glorious Emperor Kuzco is, sung by Tom Jones. Still not convinced you’re in for something different? Just take a look at the character designs. The proportions are wildly exaggerated, even for an animated movie. Kronk’s torso must be five times as wide as his waist while Yzma’s skeletal-like figure would be impossible to achieve in real life. Anything to make them funnier. That’s the motto of the film. Historical anachronisms? Why not? Goofy-looking characte designs? You know it. Unexpected and impossible developments? Of course! The goal is to make you laugh. To do this, the running time must be packed tight with jokes. If Kuzco is going to be chased by jaguars while screaming his head off, then Mark Dindal chooses to first take a half-second to put in one little gag before the big one. Kind of a warm-up for the main event.

The animators have been given free rein to smash and twist Kuzco any way they want as they teach him a lesson in humility. It makes for a simple story - which is why the picture only lasts 78 minutes - and that’s exactly the way it should be. Just when you’d get tired of laughing, the credits roll. "Aww no! Really? Well, maybe I’ll just watch it again. I sure had a good time and I know I missed out on some of the jokes." You will, particularly with the way the film uses backgrounds to comment on elements in the foreground or glosses over stuff so we can keep things moving. Other comedies might pause and give the audience the chance to drink it all in. The Emperor's New Groove has somewhere else it wants you to be already.

The Emperor’s New Groove is an oddity in the Disney canon. This just makes it that much more enjoyable. It defies your expectations in multiple ways. From the humor, to the characters, the way the story is told, to the art style and its willingness to go anywhere as long as it’s funny, this is one memorable film. (On Blu-ray, September 11, 2020)

[chirasul]

is it the best? maybe to some but objectively i'd say no. but Castle in the Sky might be the most underrated film in Ghibli's catalog. might have the best music too¹

¹The original release of Castle in the Sky had a soundtrack that was primarily recorded using synthesizers, and when Disney planned to release Castle in the Sky in the US, they noted that the synthesizer soundtrack gave the film a "dated" feel. So they invited Joe Hisaishi (The composer for nearly every Studio Ghibli soundtrack) to the US to record a fully orchestrated version of the soundtrack, and as a bonus, gave him full use of the Seattle Symphony to do so. He jumped at the chance, not only for the higher fidelity that only an orchestra can provide, but also to tweak up the soundtrack for a greater dramatic and emotional impact. But lo and behold, as Disney was finishing up their release of Castle in the Sky for the US, Studio Ghibli release a little film called Princess Mononoke, which unfortunately convinced Disney to shelve their release of Castle in the Sky until over a decade later, when preparing to release the entire Studio Ghibli catalog in the US on Blu-Ray. Castle in the Sky might have had a much greater audience if it had released in the US when it was new, likely becoming a smash hit right up there with Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away, provided it have been able to be released in a timely manner. But for now, at least we can appreciate it as it is, as a hidden gem in the Ghibli catalog.