The Mexican
Bluelighter
i kinda suck at reviews so here's a great one from Movies.com
OUR REVIEW
by Dave White
Who's in It: Yû Aoi, Yusuke Iseya, Kankurô Kidô, Sanchu Mori, Masahiro Motoki
The Basics: Based on the manga Black and White, it's the story of two inseparable street kids, one named Black, one White, who wind up battling Yakuza and other enemies for the soul of Treasure Town, a wildly detailed cartoon-city they feel ownership for (you would, too, if you could fly from rooftop to rooftop at will). And that's the simplest version of the plot I can give you because there are multiple little story strands that bounce around and threaten to unspool the movie in lots of different tangential directions but that eventually spin back around to the main theme: the longing of children for safety and a sense of home.
What's the Deal? There's a stereotypical anime "look" that lives in the minds of most American viewers, and maybe it's because Americans only get a fraction of what's out there. It's that Cutie Honey/Sailor Moon/Dragonball Z look — big eyes and primary colors and amphetamine-paced action. But this one is a blast of fresh air, as if Mike Judge and cartoonist Lynda Barry and the monster-centric graffiti artist Neck Face (Google him, he's awesome) all got together and collaborated. The characters are scratchy, jagged and pointy, with slitty eyes and angled bodies. Meanwhile, the environment they move in crowds every inch of screen with insane stuff to marvel at, so if you don't end up following the story easily, then just sit back and enjoy how big and beautiful and messy it is.
Where It Comes From: An American director, which may explain the difference in perspective. His name's Michael Arias. He worked on The Animatrix. That's about all I know of him except that he has one of those little ponytails. I know this because he introduced the screening I went to.
Another Thing I Know Because of the Screening I Went To: A Japanese woman was sitting in front of me explaining to her friends what "tekkon kinkreet" meant. It's a play on words that sound more like "tekkin konkreet," and it's a reversal of the words "iron" and "concrete." Or something like that. Anyway, in the context of a story about innocence trumping brutality (Black is the aggressive, dark kid ready for battle, and White is kind of off in his own world of pretty dreams where they get to live on a peaceful beach instead of in discarded containers in an alley), it all kind of makes sense.
Electronic Music Fans Will Want to Know This: Plaid did the score.
this movie blew me away!
i loved the contrast in animation style from the colorful richly detailed city (at times i felt myself getting lost in the backgrounds) to the simple almost primative rendering of the characters to the watercolor/colored pencil look of White's daydreams.
there's quite a bit of CG in this film but it all blends so well you hardly notice it.
i enjoyed everything about this film; the style, story, characters, action, music, the kids jumping around the town like little ninja monkeys - 5 stars from me
http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/tekkonkinkreet/index.html
OUR REVIEW
by Dave White
Who's in It: Yû Aoi, Yusuke Iseya, Kankurô Kidô, Sanchu Mori, Masahiro Motoki
The Basics: Based on the manga Black and White, it's the story of two inseparable street kids, one named Black, one White, who wind up battling Yakuza and other enemies for the soul of Treasure Town, a wildly detailed cartoon-city they feel ownership for (you would, too, if you could fly from rooftop to rooftop at will). And that's the simplest version of the plot I can give you because there are multiple little story strands that bounce around and threaten to unspool the movie in lots of different tangential directions but that eventually spin back around to the main theme: the longing of children for safety and a sense of home.
What's the Deal? There's a stereotypical anime "look" that lives in the minds of most American viewers, and maybe it's because Americans only get a fraction of what's out there. It's that Cutie Honey/Sailor Moon/Dragonball Z look — big eyes and primary colors and amphetamine-paced action. But this one is a blast of fresh air, as if Mike Judge and cartoonist Lynda Barry and the monster-centric graffiti artist Neck Face (Google him, he's awesome) all got together and collaborated. The characters are scratchy, jagged and pointy, with slitty eyes and angled bodies. Meanwhile, the environment they move in crowds every inch of screen with insane stuff to marvel at, so if you don't end up following the story easily, then just sit back and enjoy how big and beautiful and messy it is.
Where It Comes From: An American director, which may explain the difference in perspective. His name's Michael Arias. He worked on The Animatrix. That's about all I know of him except that he has one of those little ponytails. I know this because he introduced the screening I went to.
Another Thing I Know Because of the Screening I Went To: A Japanese woman was sitting in front of me explaining to her friends what "tekkon kinkreet" meant. It's a play on words that sound more like "tekkin konkreet," and it's a reversal of the words "iron" and "concrete." Or something like that. Anyway, in the context of a story about innocence trumping brutality (Black is the aggressive, dark kid ready for battle, and White is kind of off in his own world of pretty dreams where they get to live on a peaceful beach instead of in discarded containers in an alley), it all kind of makes sense.
Electronic Music Fans Will Want to Know This: Plaid did the score.
this movie blew me away!
i loved the contrast in animation style from the colorful richly detailed city (at times i felt myself getting lost in the backgrounds) to the simple almost primative rendering of the characters to the watercolor/colored pencil look of White's daydreams.
there's quite a bit of CG in this film but it all blends so well you hardly notice it.
i enjoyed everything about this film; the style, story, characters, action, music, the kids jumping around the town like little ninja monkeys - 5 stars from me
http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/tekkonkinkreet/index.html
