Daily post 06 Apr 2007 07:48 am
Tekkonkinkreet
- The Museum of Modern Art will premiere the screening of a new animated film that was directed by an American, Michael Arias (The Animatrix), designed by the Japanese artist, Shoujiro Nishimi(Steamboy), and adapted by an American, Anthony Weintraub, from a Japanese Manga by Taiyo Matsumoto. An Anime with lots of cross-cultural influences.
(Click any image to enlarge.)
I saw an advance screening of the film today and was quite impressed with the graphics and animation. Its stylization reminded me of the work of Igor Kovalyov (Milch and Duckman). The characters all have wide spaced, small eyes, and their bodies are oddly shaped – not unlike Prince of Egypt. Small feet and long, oddly shaped legs. In other ways, I was reminded of Bill Plympton‘s characters.
The animation is a combination of hand drawn 2D work combined with cgi art, made to look like 2D. The backgrounds were busy and dark with a look all-their-own. It was busy. Busy motion, busy backgrounds.
Unfortunately, the story was busy, too. It was adapted from a serialized Manga and felt like it. To be continued. Always fits and starts, climaxes coming and coming and coming. Don’t get me wrong, it was emotional, but that was too often the case, and you get to feel a sameness overall.
Perhaps, I’m the wrong person to give an opinion of this, because that could be the same review I’d give many an Anime. Akira filled that bill as did The Animatrix or Steamboy. It made for a very graphic and attractive film, scene for scene, but it didn’t build emotionally or feel like it was designed for a bigger feature.
Regardless, it was done for adults not children unlike every American animated feature done last year – other than Scanner Darkly.
I will say that it should be seen if you’re an animation fan.
But you judge for yourself.
MOMA’s schedule is slated for a premiere on Wednesday, April 25th at 8:30pm. Director, Michael Arias will be in attendance to introduce the film.
Other screenings are: April 26 at 8:30pm, April 28 at 2:00pm, April 29 at 2:00pm, and April 30 at 8:30pm. Plenty of opportunity.
on 06 Apr 2007 at 10:05 am 1.hans bacher said …
sorry, I would rather watch the traffic from my window.
I suffererd through a part of steamboy. life is too short
to do that to yourself…
on 06 Apr 2007 at 1:42 pm 2.Daniel Thomas MacInnes said …
Perhaps it’s not best to compare to Steamboy, which was a rather dull mess (and didn’t you notice all those Future Boy Conan riffs?) and more of a sensory assault than a movie. I know everyone immediately thinks of Akira when Otomo’s name is mentioned, but I think his real achievement was Metropolis, which he scipted. Now there’s an excellent anime that Western film lovers could get into.
And, of course, I’m still scratching my head in amazement that Mind Game – bloody Mind Game! – has never been shown here in the States. If ever an animation film deserved to become a cause celebre, it was that.
on 08 Apr 2007 at 10:57 am 3.Masako said …
I should not form any opinion pre-viewing, therefore I will just say this: I’ll watch this film just because it’s from the same studio that created “Mind Game”. That’s a good enough reason for me to go.
on 10 Apr 2007 at 6:37 pm 4.Paul Power said …
Daniel -
MoMA’s film publicist here – we also screened Mind Game in 2005, to great acclaim (A.O. Scott gave it a great review in the NY Times). The same curator, Barbara London, is respobsible for presenting both films here.
on 18 Apr 2007 at 4:53 pm 5.R.Dress said …
Thanx for the heads up!