#stephen apostolina

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: Feast

Rating: G

Director: Patrick Osborne

Cast: Stephen Apostolina, Kirk Baily, Ben Bledsoe, David Cowgill, Terri Douglas, Fuschia!, Jackie Gonneau, Katie Lowes, Brandon Scott, Adam Shapiro, Tommy Snider, Mark Allan Stewart

Release year: 2014

Genres: comedy, family, drama

Blurb: One man’s love life is watched by his best friend and dog Winston, revealed bite by bite through the meals they share.

[maximiliano-aedo]

What could've been Animaze ..iNC during the 2010s

Talent pool (Note: any voice actor marked with * is union-only):

Steve Blum*

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn*

Crispin Freeman*

Kari Wahlgren*

Johnny Yong Bosch

Yuri Lowenthal*

Dave Wittenberg*

Roger Craig Smith*

Laura Bailey*

Travis Willingham*

Cherami Leigh

J.B. Blanc*

Sam Riegel*

Liam O'Brien*

Amy Kincaid*

Troy Baker*

Matthew Mercer

Joe Romersa*

Fleet Cooper*

Dyanne DiRosario*

Jennifer Love Hewitt*

Brian Hallisay*

Spike Spencer

Amanda Winn Lee*

Jaxon Lee*

Kyle Hebert

Ben Pronsky

Bob Buchholz

Richard Cansino

Murphy Dunne*

Carolyn Hennesy*

Jerry Gelb*

Adam Sholder

Ezra Weisz

Cristina Vee

Bryce Papenbrook

Michael Sorich

Richard Epcar

Ellyn Stern

Tony Oliver

Kirk Thornton

Lexi Ainsworth*

Aria Noelle Curzon

Grace Caroline Currey*

Michael Forest

Erik Davies

Adam Bobrow

Joshua Seth

Junie Hoang*

Kirk Baily*

Tom Fahn

Jonathan Fahn

Dorothy Elias-Fahn

Melissa Fahn

Stephen Apostolina*

René Rivera*

Deborah Sale Butler

Kevin Brief

Michael Gregory*

Riva Spier*

Cassandra Morris

Erica Mendez

Erika Harlacher

Erica Lindbeck

Marieve Herington

Kira Buckland

John Rubinstein*

Kim Matula*

Brittany Lauda

J. Grant Albrecht*

Michael McConnohie

Steve Bulen*

Dan Woren

Derek Stephen Prince

Wendee Lee

Edie Mirman

Jason C. Miller

Taliesin Jaffe*

John Snyder

Robbie Daymond

Ray Chase

Kaiji Tang

David Vincent

Christina Carlisi*

Christopher Corey Smith

Cindy Robinson

Rachel Robinson

Jessica Boone

Lauren Landa

Megan Hollingshead

Jalen K. Cassell

Doug Erholtz

Michelle Ruff

Gregory Cruz*

John Bishop*

Matt Kirkwood*

Lara Jill Miller*

Carol Stanzione

Steve Staley

Dave Mallow

Mona Marshall*

Darrel Guilbeau

Robert Martin Klein

Robert Axelrod

William Frederick Knight

Lex Lang

Sandy Fox

Joey Camen*

Randy McPherson*

Jad Mager

Richard Miro

Milton James

Anthony Pulcini

Douglas Rye

Patrick Seitz

Keith Silverstein

Jamieson Price

Skip Stellrecht*

Stoney Emshwiller*

G.K. Bowes

Alyss Henderson

Patricia Ja Lee

Peggy O'Neal

Carrie Savage

Melodee Spevack

Jennifer Alyx

Julie Ann Taylor

Sherry Lynn

Brad Venable

Christine Marie Cabanos

Greg Chun

LaGloria Scott

Steve Kramer

Melora Harte

Rebecca Forstadt*

Kyle McCarley

Mela Lee

Karen Strassman

Faye Mata

Laura Post

Kayla Carlyle*

Brina Palencia

Connor Gibbs

Brianne Siddall*

Barbara Goodson

Loy Edge

Jay Lerner

Jennie Kwan

Max Mittelman

Jessica Straus*

Alexis Tipton

Fryda Wolff

Michele Specht

J.D. Garfield

Debra Jean Rogers*

Julie Maddalena

Carrie Keranen

Tara Sands

Matthew Hustin

Cody MacKenzie

Bridget Hoffman*

Colleen O'Shaughnessey

Grant George

Jessica Gee

Jeff Nimoy*

Peter Lurie*

Brian Beacock

Paul St. Peter

Chris Jai Alex

Dan Lorge*

Ewan Chung*

Steve Cassling*

Philece Sampler

Stephanie Sheh

Sam Fontana

Ben Diskin

Juliana Donald*

Michael O'Keefe*

Christina Gallegos*

Tara Platt

Keith Anthony*

Beau Billingslea

David Lodge*

Kim Strauss

Eddie Jones*

William Bassett*

Kim Mai Guest*

Caitlin Glass

Hannah Alcorn

Ron Roggé*

Camille Chen*

Ethan Rains*

Yutaka Maseba*

Joe J. Thomas

Michael Sinterniklaas

Erin Fitzgerald

Joe Ochman

Marc Diraison

Xanthe Huynh

Brianna Knickerbocker

Dean Wein*

Michael McCarty*

[adamwatchesmovies]

Ninja Scroll (1993)

I know Ninja Scroll is a favourite for many, but an anime classic? Let's dial it down a bit. This film was released at the right time. That's why it's influential.

Jubei (voiced by Dean Elliot) is a wandering swordsman-for-hire whose path crosses with the ninja Kagero (voiced by Wendee Lee). Learning that his old enemy Genma Himuro (voiced by Richard Epcar) has resurfaced and is leading a group of eight demons to thrust the country into civil war, Jubei joins forces with Kagero and a shady government spy named Dakuan (voiced by Stephen Apostolina) to stop the malicious forces.

The film's visuals are solid. There are many sequences of action and the movements are fluid, the blows have impact and the stakes feel high. The character designs, their abilities and roles in the story make them memorable. Seeing the heroes battles the demons to the death is exciting. To a certain extent, I also enjoyed the plot. The overall story is simplistic, mostly an excuse to get our heroes and their opponents face to face but subtle touches here and there go a long way. There's political intrigue, the demon's motivations aren't as simple as taking over/destroying the world, and Kagero’s master isn’t really that nice of a guy. You’re unsure how things will go, even if our heroes manage to beat the villains.

It's ironic that Ninja Scroll is credited (along with Ghost in the Shell and Akira) for showing North America that animation could tell adult stories. The film is like a 13-year-old who's just discovered boobs. The story is caked in violence and sex. Every major scene sees either a demon woman or Kagero taking off her clothes, having sex with someone, getting sexually assaulted, rejected sexually, or involves some advance made regarding the fact that as a woman, she would be awesome naked in bed, etc. It gets downright vile when the visuals lingers on a long rape scene. From there, Kagero and Jubei of course have to fall in love. That's what she's there for. With this film and Wicked City I get a strong sense that director Yoshiaki Kawajiri either doesn’t like women, doesn’t know how to relate to them, or has never met one.

I have mixed feelings about the violence of Ninja Scroll as well. It slows down as the picture progresses, but the carnage is nearly as excessive as the sex. People get decapitated, dismembered, electrocuted, cut in half vertically, horizontally, or die from their heads getting sliced in two. On its own it might be fine. Combined with the over sexualization of so many female characters, it'll make any adult feel like they're too old to be watching this.

I wonder how much of the success of Ninja Scroll is due to it being released back in the mid 90’s when so many wanted anime to be taken seriously. It’s violent, gory, contains adult material and very stylish. This was the film many people had been waiting for. Even if you don't care for it, you can't help but say "woah!".

Maybe another visit down the line will change my mind. For now, I recommend the film but more for scholars than casual fans of anime, and hardly at all to those looking for "adult animation". Ninja Scroll is sexist, and gratuitous. It's also historically important, groundbreaking, and influential. (English Dub on VHS, February 29, 2016)