Just a quick entry to say Hua Mulan is my favourite film from 2009.

I loved Zhao Wei’s acting in The Red Cliff and she gives a memorable performance as Hua Mulan, the woman who dressed as a man and went to war in place of her father, raising in the military to become a brilliant and respected general.

Also a great performance from Hu Jun as the ruthless Mendu. I loved Hu Jun in The Red Cliff as the patriotic and righteous General Zilong so it was a real treat to see him as the antagonist in this film.

Super camera and editing work, spot-on period costumes, engaging character development and excellent production values all round plus some of my favourite Chinese battle scenes, classic and realistic formation style combat.

There are certainly some other good films in 2009, from all around the world, but this was a real stand-out for me. Besides, it was directed by Jingle Ma, easily one of the best director names ever.

A quick post to note how inspiring Machinima Expo 2009 was - lot’s of great speakers, presentations and energy. The machinima community is really a tremendous group of people. Special thanks to the Machiniplex for making it all happen.

I was so inspired that, having some projects ready to go, I tried to fire up my copy of iClone 4 but it wouldn’t load avatars and other content for me - very deflating, especially since iClone 3 would also not install for me and so I have been unable to make movies for quite some time. I am going to explore the other engines presented at the Expo.

Looking forward to next year’s Expo!

Today’s Saturday Movies feature the amazing fighting skills of two Thai martial artists, both films directed by Prachya Pinkaew with martial arts choreography by Panna Rittikrai.

CHOCOLATE

Watch Chocolate [eng sub]

Chocolate is the debut film of Yanin “Jeeja” Vismistananda, who gives an outstanding performance as Zen, a teenager with autism and prodigy martial artist who, together with her adopted brother, go to claim the money owed to their ill ex-gangster mother to pay for her medical treatments. Jeeja has been nominated in the Asia Film Awards for her work in this film. Great character development and the action sequences are simply outstanding. Don’t believe it’s real? Be sure to watch the end titles for the fight scenes that went wrong!

Next…

ONG BAK 2

Hard to pick one Tony Jaa movie, all of his films are all fun to watch and feature a mix of unbelievable body skill, fighting prowess and devote buddhism.

Watch Ong Bak 2 [eng sub]

After defeating a crocodile in a wrestling match to the death for his freedom, a young escaped slave is taught the martial arts of Asia by master pirates then goes to wreak revenge on the slavers. Just as with Chocolate, all fighting and stunts are real - there is no wire-fu here. Watching Tony Jaa run across the top a stampeding elephant herd is simply outrageous and that is only one of the many amazing sequences in this movie - a true Saturday afternoon move!

As always, films presented here are best viewed on a high quality DVD - support this filmmaker and pick up a copy.

All comments welcome!

Notes:
Prachya_Pinkaew: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prachya_Pinkaew
Panna_Rittikraihttp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panna_Rittikrai
Jeeja Yanin: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2925876/
Tony Jaa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Jaa
Chocolate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_(2008_film)
Ong Bak 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ong_Bak_2

Today’s movies feature animated battles to save the world against dark magical forces in true comic book style because, well, they are comic books…

DOCTOR STRANGE: THE SORCERER SUPREME


Watch Doctor Strange-The Sorcerer Supreme

The origins of DOCTOR STRANGE, THE SORCERER SUPREME, are presented in a Marvel-produced animated adventure. Excellent direction and strong voice acting throughout with an interesting story arc. Although the Adam Strange character does not have the depth of the original comic book character, the animation and action sequences are very well done - perfect for a Saturday afternoon!

Next…

HELLBOY: BLOOD AND IRON


Watch Hellboy (Animated) - Blood & Iron

Featuring the formidable voice talents of the actors from the previous real life films, this animation follows the wisecracking demon HellBoy as he saves the Earth yet again from awakened ancient evil. HELLBOY: BLOOD & IRON has a cool art direction style, fun dialogue and camera work which make it a Saturday afternoon movie favourite.

As always, these films are best viewed at high-quality - please support these film makers and pick up a copy.

Enjoy this Saturday’s Movies - all comments welcome!

Notes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Strange_(film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellboy_-_Blood_and_Iron

This Saturday’s Movies feature the most expensive movie ever made in Asian cinema, a mega-star blockbuster about a famous epic battle from historical Chinese literature.

THE RED CLIFF - PART 1

Watch Red Cliff [eng sub]

THE RED CLIFF - PART 2


Watch Red Cliff 2 [eng sub]

THE RED CLIFF, although taking some liberties, is based upon a battle from the famous Three Kingdoms books from Chinese literature, which itself took some liberties with portraying the turbulent era of Chinese history where warring kingdoms fought to unify and control all of China. The Three Kingdoms is Lord of the Rings in scope and in the abilities of its heroes and complexity of its plot. This epic film is just a small portion of the entire Three Kingdoms saga, which spans over a hundred years.

This film was originally released in two parts in theatres and its production value is astounding, with sweeping cinematography, top acting talent and excellent characters making this a Saturday Movie action classic!

All Saturday Movies are best viewed from a high quality DVD but are presented here for your enjoyment - please support these film makers and get a DVD.

Notes:
The Red Cliff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Cliff_(film)

The Three Kingdoms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_of_the_Three_Kingdoms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicle_of_the_Three_Kingdoms

Enjoy this Saturday’s movie - all comments welcome!

This Saturday’s movies feature my favourite animated vampires, both connected to the very King of Vampires himself.

VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST

Watch Vampire Hunter D

Vampire Hunter D is a great comic book romp with excellent art direction, camera work, interesting characters and action sequences. Many of the sets are beautifully painted and the music/foley is well done. There are certainly some cliche elements but the dhampir hunter D is way cool.

Next….

HELLSING OVA #1


Watch hellsing part 1.mpg

The first of an epic 5 part series, Hellsing chronicles the secretive battle of England against invading Nazi vampires while dealing with their political foes from the Vatican. The gun-toting vampire Alucard is one of the most fun characters I have watched in a while. Fun voice acting and dialog, cool story and good camera and art direction in this film. I had to watch all 5 episodes!

Enjoy this Saturday’s movies - all comments welcome!

I am very happy to report that I have just finished the first draft of my script, especially as it only took 3 writing sessions over 3 days! In fairness, I have wanted to make this short film for several years and had already done some research on the project. Even shot a sample of the visual style back in 2007. Still, I conducted a bit more research and was richly rewarded, now utterly convinced of the value of research to the story development and script writing processes.

This new script is one of three films I want to make this year and it was originally going to be the last however the Reallusion War & Peace film contest is a great fit and so the schedule is shifted. My original plan was to make one short film to get back into the flow of things before starting a long production cycle on the 28 episode series (shot all at once). I am going to make two short films before the long one now I think.

I have also done a lot of thinking around my brand new idea. I read a suggestion that you should be able to tell your whole story (as often as possible) before you commit to writing it down and the importance of the hook or tagline as not only a commercial advantage but also a lens to look back at the story from. And so I have been spending time simply thinking through the story and characters in detail and this has been very fruitful (although I don’t have a hook yet).

This Saturday’s movies feature destiny, heroin and a boy and his dog…

SWORD OF THE STRANGER

Watch Sword of the Stranger

SWORD OF THE STRANGER is a great story with excellent characters and exceptional animation. In contrast to many Japanese animation houses which employ stylized approaches to combat sequences, often to reduce production time, the animation sequences in this film are all beautifully painted and directed throughout. I really enjoyed this award-winning film, which also made the short list to be nominated for a 2008 Academy Award.

Next…

THE NOMAD

Watch Nomad [eng sub]

A fictional account of Ablai Khan and the most expensive movie ever made in Kazakhstan. Sweeping vistas and cinematography capture the rugged beauty of the Steppe, giving us a seldom seen look into the amazing culture of the noble nomad warriors, a culture that has changed little to this day. The horsemanship in this film is also quite remarkable. The film was submitted to the 2006 Academy Awards as an entry for Best Foreign Language Film.

Enjoy this Saturday’s movies - all comments welcome!

It is little known that I hold a green belt in the Togakure-ryū, a ninjitsu tradition dating back through a direct linage of 34 grandmasters. Back in the 80’s, I had my ass kicked by Hatsumi sensei, grandmaster of 9 fighting schools and so didn’t need to research the ninja for my latest script but watched an Unsolved History episode about the ninja as it featured my old teacher Stephen Hayes.

There is a good lesson in what makes a good story from the 22 minute mark to 36 minutes of this show.
(click Chinese link to go to movie):

There are 2 stories played out for you in this well-controlled experiment: a team of navy SEALS and then Hayes sensei, a modern ninja master, will attempt to infiltrate a protected safe house, defended by professionals expecting an attack and assassinate the target without getting eliminated. For me, this was extra tense as here is my teacher facing very challenging odds on TV, putting his reputation (and my green belt!) on the line.

The navy SEALS attack in predictable Hollywood fashion, an encounter of massively superior firepower lasting less then 20 seconds. Hayes sensei goes in alone and unarmed using a much different approach. Who is more successful in the mission? Well watch the show and find out! Who creates the real tension, characters, climax and stuff of story? Hayes sensei kicks butt. (I also see Ricky Grove being able to pull this off )

The two different scenarios, each with the same objective, demonstrate how pacing and character interaction are so necessary to bring tension into the story. There is nothing in the first attack to bind the audience to those involved. Conversely, there is excellent character development in Hayes sensei’s approach as well as an increasing sense of tension as the scenario unfolds. There is also a great character defining moment with one of the defenders during Hayes sensei’s mission around trust. Hayes sensei demonstrates that the real art of the ninja is the art of storytelling.

As I described in my last post, I haven’t owned nor watched TV really for over 20 years so that’s alot of catching up to do which, thanks to the internet, I was able to condense into a marathon of viewing. Every Saturday, I will feature a couple of the films that I liked and outline what I particularly liked or was inspired by.

Here are this week’s films…

TEKKONKINKREET

Watch TEKKONKINKREET - ENG

This film is a Peter Pan masterpiece, creating a 3D hand-painted universe blended with 2D traditional character animation that sucks you in immediately. The voice acting is excellent with some outstanding performances. The colours, use of symbols and imagery, sound & music, camera work, sets - all outstanding. Enjoy this film, I love it!

Next…

APPLESEED

Watch Appleseed (Movie 1)

Although I found the story a touch derivative - as if there was a sci-fi checklist: dystopian utopia, cyborgs, secret pasts, etc - I really enjoyed the amazing animation, 3D modeling, attention to every detail and super high production value; certainly an example of what big budgets can produce. This film also features 2D cell shaded characters in a 3D environment - some people don’t like this look but I do.

That’s it for this week’s Saturday afternoon movies - any comments on these films are most welcome!

Using Veoh
Most of these movies will come from Veoh.com, a site where I have easily spent more time than any other site except perhaps my web-based email. Veoh.com is currently a mess after its recent upgrade - forcing me to watch movies in IE but for some reason I can only favourite a movie in FireFox, etc - but still functions. Hey, it’s free & I have watched hundreds of hours of content on this site.

To watch full movies on Veoh, you will need to download and install the veoh p2p web player.