Sunday, March 22, 2015

What's up with this blog!?!

Here there folks. As you can see March pretty much screeched to a halt as far as this blog is concerned. This is because of some fun life adventures that came my way. I'm in the middle of fixing my home up for sale and looking for a new place all at the same time. In addition, I was in a car accident last week. I'm not hurt but the car has seen better days. So lots of fun stuff going on and I haven't had any time (or much energy) for writing at all. Once things get a bit more settled I'll be back  with more reviews. Probably stick to my shorter format for a while and even more quickie writing like Nostalgia Nuggets and Top Ten lists.

But until then, I'll still be around and I'll be catching up on reading your blogs as well. But if you feel like throwing some good luck my way, I'm always accepting of that.


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Anime Juke Box - Metropolis - Metropolis

The late 90s and early 00s was a good time to be an anime fan. With the success of shows like Pokemon and the Toonami block on Cartoon Network, some anime films were actually getting a theatrical release in North America. The highlight was seeing Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away in theaters. But I also got to see a couple lesser known films including Escaflowne and this one Metropolis.

Based on one of the first manga series by the very famous manga creator Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion), Metropolis takes elements from the 1927 silent film, but adds that unique anime twist. The film is impressive in visual scope coming from Studio Madhouse. It includes some fun silent movie iris and wipe effects. The score by Toshiyuki Honda is a blast. It includes 20s style jazz, bombastic action music and even a torch song for the end credits. I don't see the film mentioned much any more, but the score is one of my favorites from the era. Here is the opening credits in all of it's jazzy glory. Enjoy!