I know, we’re an anime blog, but I love pics of Japan, Tokyo especially, so when I come across some nice ones I like to share them with everyone. With much of the US in the icy grip of winter, don’t you wish you could be biking this right now?
Looks like Japan isn’t the only country to be developing an animated zombie apocalypse. A.D. comes courtesy of creator/writer Haylar Garcia, director Ben Hibon (director of of spectacular MTV Asia short Code Hunters), and Land of the Dead producer Bernie Goldmann. It’s being developed as a feature length film.
Zombie Info hosts an exclusive interview with the film’s creator and producers.
The Disney owned film production & distribution company Miramax Films officially ceased operations today. The producer/distributor’s New York and Los Angeles offices close today, leaving 80 former staffer unemployed and six completed films in distribution limbo. The storied 31 year old distributor is remembered for financing and distributing acclaimed films including Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill I and II, Sex, Lies and Videotape, The Piano, The English Patient, The Crying Game, Good Will Hunting, and Chicago.
“If there was any company that contributed more to the shaping of a generation and a sensibility — I don’t know it,†said veteran publicist Fredell Pogodin.
Source: The Wrap
Art Clokey, creator of stop-motion animation characters Gumby and Davey & Goliath passed away in his sleep on the morning of January 8. Born on October 12, 1921, Clokey was 88 at the time of his death.
Legendary screenwriter Dan O’Bannon, whose screenplays include Alien, Dark Star, Return of the Living Dead, Total Recall, Blue Thunder, and Life Force, passed away on Thursday, December 17 following a 33 year battle with Crohn’s Disease. He will be missed.
The Hollywood Reporter reveals that first time feature director Carl Rinsch will helm 47 Ronin, an American film adaptation of the classic Japanese Chushingura story. Fast & Furious and Wanted screenwriter Chris Morgan is writing the script specifically around star Keanu Reeves. The original Japanese story, an account of a 1703 incident in which 47 samurai avenged the disgrace of their lord by killing the government official responsible then committing ritual suicide to atone for their collective crime, is one of Japan’s most beloved and respected tales. The story of the 47 ronin has been adapted countless times in Japanese arts, including stage plays, ballet, puppet play, prose, TV, and feature film adaptations. Evidently the American film adaptation for Universal Pictures will take a liberal approach to the source material, as it’s described as including “fantastical elements of films like The Lord of the Rings.”
Evidently the only new announcement here is the selection of a director, but this whole project may still be news to some.
Source: Anime News Network
Beginning today, Adult Swim will begin allowing consumers to purchase custom DVDs. Customers within the USA can select up to 110 minutes’ worth of TV episodes from select Adult Swim programs, choose disc art and a cover image, design a DVD menu, and have the custom disc manufactured and shipped for $20. 100 TV episodes will initially be available, including episodes not otherwise available on DVD. Adult Swim expects to have over 1,000 episodes from more than 30 shows available for selection by year’s end.
Source: Yahoo
Article provided by Daniel Zelter
Uruguayan commercial director and visual effects expert Fede Alvarez has released his 5 minute short film Panic Attack! (Ataque de Panico!) to the public. Just watching it serves as all the explanation necessary.
Source: Quiet Earth
Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen director Michael Bay is now accepting reservations for DVD and Blu-ray copies of Transformers 2 and combo packages of both Transformers movies bearing his personal autograph. Blu-ray combo packs will also be autographed by actor Tyrese Gibson, who played Master Sergeant Epps. Proceeds will be donated to the Make A Wish Foundation.
Regardless of what you think about Bay or the Transformers movies, this is unquestionably a classy move.
Article provided by Daniel Zelter
The official website for the upcoming French animated film Kerity: La Maison Des Contes has released a teaser trailer.
The digital animation is a little bit stiff and robotic, but the art design is wonderful,
Source: Twitch
Honda’s experimental human mobility device allows movement in all directions, including side-to-side and diagonally, travels at up to 6km/h, weighs under 10kg, and can run for an hour on a full charge of its lithium ion battery. It’s still experimental because, as Cnet describes, “the U3-X is more about showing off an engineering breakthrough than selling an actual product.”
Source: Paul Tan
Independent game developer Elecorn LLC is bringing a brand new style of game delivery to the App Store with Caster, a high speed free roaming fantasy themed third-person shooter. Unlike traditional games that deliver story lines in large sequels or expansion packs, Elecorn is leveraging the power of the App Store to use an incremental publishing style that resembles Japanese manga and anime.
Caster is an episodic game that presents an intense third-person action shooter experience with pulse pounding music. In the game, the player dashes across scenic locations destroying bug like creatures called the Flanx using six unique attacks that include massive terrain deformation and high speed barrages of energy blasts. All new episodes are released periodically for free. Caster is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and iPhone.
All of the text above is quoted verbatim from Elecorn’s press announcement. I’m not saying anything.
Fresh and talented German animator Moritz Mayerhofer has released a short trailer for his original ten-minute long animated film Urs. Mayerhofer spent three years working on the film as his final thesis project at the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg. The short is now touring international film festivals.
Many years Urs looked after his aging mother. But now he sets out for a dangerous journey: He carries her up a mountain to find a better place for both of them. But his mother doesn’t want to leave her home…
URS is a story about responsibility. How long can you bear an intolerable condition? Isn’t it good to try to change things? But what about others. Can you really decide what’s the best for someone else?
Source: The CGSociety
For those that have been to Tokyo, or those just interested in the ‘land of anime’ culture, here’s some very cool video of Shibuya. Be sure to check out the poster’s other videos by following the link below as well.
Shibuya Final Bargain Sale from James T. Kirk on Vimeo.
