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Also on release...
• Ghost in the Shell. Directed by Mamoru Oshii
Certificate: 15. Rating:
MANGA, the Japanese comic – or, if you like graphic novel – style is not everyone’s cup of tea. Yet it commands dedicated followers and this offering is one of the best tales to come from the genre to be screened in cinemas.
It’s 2029 and a government agent – a curvaceous cyborg – and the cops are hot on the trail of the Puppet Master, a virulent computer virus who seeps into cybernetic brains and alters the memories of its victims.
So far, so sci-fi. We discover that the virus was actually created by the government, to cause trouble and allow them bring in unpopular laws.
Things go awry when the virus decides to seek asylum outside the network – and now the cyborg agent working for the government and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are racing each other to bring this electronic agent back in from the cold.
The film was originally released in 1995 and while a hit with fans of Manga, it did not create any ripples internationally. But it was groundbreaking in its use of marrying computer-generated effects and the more traditional animation. This prompted the director to remake it and send it out on a larger cinematic release schedule.
However, for all the improvements, there are moments where the animation is grating – but this is purely a matter of personal taste. I find Manga often simplistic, lacking texture or depth. Whether this is a valid criticism though is debatable, as this style of artwork is the genre’s calling card. Still, at times it reminded me of the cheap 80s cartoon Battle of the Planets.
With elements of such seminal movies as Blade Runner, Total Recall, not mention the entire back catalogue of any book by Philip K Dick, even if Manga is way above your head, this is a good introduction to an Asian artform that grips millions of people.
• Ip Man. Directed by Wilson Yip
Certificate: 15. Rating:
EVER wondered who taught Bruce Lee to do all those nifty moves?
The answer lies within this Hong Kong martial arts movie which tells the story of Ip Man, a celebrated practitioner of a kung fu style called Wing Chun.
We follow the story of the life of Ip (Donnie Yen) as he goes from private kung fu nut practising his skills to a local hero who helps defy the invading Japanese forces.
Director Wilson Yip states that the first-ever movie he saw was Lee’s Big Boss, and this prompted him to learn more about who trained the fighting actor.
“It was all in Mandarin and I didn’t have the slightest idea what people said, but I understood Lee’s howls that came with each move.”
It set him off on a lifetime of kung fu watching, and this study of the man who helped Lee bring martial arts to western cinema audiences is the end result. |
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