Halloween Staff Picks, 2010 Edition

Editor's Note: Welcome to our Halloween Staff Picks 2010. (You may remember our version of this last year.) This time around, we've only got four picks — three from Ink and one from Vampt Vo — but we hope you enjoy it. Let us know if you try any of these titles, and suggest your own Halloween favorites in the comments!

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3 Extremes (Movie)

Released in 2004, this movie is actually a collection of three shorts by as many different directors. Each exudes a unique, October-worthy charm that says humanity is the best horror around. "Dumplings," directed by Fruit Chan, deals with special, crunchy-style dumplings that promise to restore an aging actress’s fading youth at greater and greater moral costs. Directed by Chan-Wook Park, "Cut" centers on a film director whose piano-playing wife has been taken hostage in the director’s own home. Bound, the main character is constantly forced to try to appease the antagonist’s twisted demands in order to save his wife. "Box," by none other than Takashi Miike (Dead or Alive, Ichi the Killer), is pure Miike. Really, I only need to say three words to justify my recommendation: carnival, twins, and jealousy. This is currently streaming through Netflix and may be acquired on the cheap ($11.99) via amazon.com.

– Ink

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Ghost Hunt (Anime)

To emulate the effectiveness of the actual ghost stories it tells, Ghost Hunt keeps true to the primary rule: brevity. Though the series spans 25 episodes, there are eight separate “files” or cases investigated by the same team of protagonists. This series loves to play on its own formula, starting early with the is-it-or-isn’t-it ambiguity inherent in paranormal investigation, and then builds each scenario to play upon the convictions of the former. Each character comes from a different background with certain specialties, and the characters as well as their relationships to one another evolve over the course of their investigations. Stories run the gamut from funny and tense to sullen and haunting. FUNimation’s S.A.V.E. edition just came out, and you can pick it up for $21 or so.

– Ink

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Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (Anime)

When it comes down to classic anime horror, few franchises can beat Vampire Hunter D, the film series based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's Japanese novels (Which I suggested in last year's Staff Picks). The first Vampire Hunter D (1985) certainly hasn't aged too well with its dated character designs and Toyoo Ashida's (Fist of the North Star) directing, but it's still a relatively fun time for fans of old-school anime.

The 2000 sequel, Bloodlust, however, is well worth your time this Halloween. Directed by 80s/90s OAV superstar Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Cyber City Oedo 808), it features top-notch animation, spectacular action scenes, and an unsettling combination of Kawajiri and Yoshitaka Amano's distinctive character designs.

On the scare side, it's filled with gruesome monsters and dark, post-apocalyptic landscapes. Plus, the villain, Meier Link, is delightfully creepy, with his languid demeanor and long-faced character design. It might not be a traditional horror movie, but as a horror-themed action-adventure film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust will certainly be a fun addition to your Halloween festivities. The Urban Vision special edition DVD isn't particularly cheap, but it's a disc that's sure get a lot of use over the years.

– Vampt Vo

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Dead Space (Video Game)

Unfortunately, I have been gaming exclusively on my Xbox 360, so I haven’t come across any good J-horror video games of late. But as far as creepy action-horror titles, I fully recommend Dead Space (Xbox 360). I played the latter at the insistence of a co-worker and do not regret it. Even though the story’s setup, progression, and interactivity nearly mirror that of the older DOOM 3, the third-person POV definitely adds over-the-shoulder terror. Both games use silence and ambient noise to heighten tension, something at which J-horror games are usually very adept, but Dead Space also offers inventory limitations to enhance the feeling of desperation and helplessness as well as close-quarter environments that are great for inducing claustrophobia. One of the Xbox 360’s Platinum Hits, you can pick this title up for $19.99 or less. The prequel is available on Xbox Live, and the sequel will be out in January 2011.

– Ink

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Review: TokyoScope - The Japanese Cult Film Companion

Medium: Book of Essays/Reviews
Author: Patrick Macias (foreword by Kinji Fukasaku, afterword by Takashi Miike)
Illustrator: Happy Ujihashi
Publisher: Viz Media (Cadence Books imprint)
Version Reviewed: Retail paperback, library copy
Release Date: November 2001

There was a time when anime was a cult phenomenon in the United States. A time when the only way to find episodes of your favorite giant robot show was to seek out either the obscure fansubbing group releasing a low-quality tape of it or the production company that just happened to license a strange show and release it in your local video store. Anime has now moved further into the mainstream, but for fans of Japanese pop culture, the cartoons are only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface of the water is the other 90% of that iceberg, and there lies world of Japanese cult films. Patrick Macias' TokyoScope seeks to bring that world to the surface in a way that few have ever done before.

The book reads like a very fannish, often tongue-in-cheek exploration of every single facet of Japanese cult films, from their production to their promotion and theatrical showings. Japanese history is referenced in detail right next to scans of real posters from '70s triple-feature showings and silly, manic illustrations from Japanese artist Happy Ujihashi. Macias pulls no punches, with short one-page reviews of films of all calibers, ranging from monster movies to yakuza (mobster) flicks to softcore pornos (a.k.a. "pink films"). At the end of each genre-themed chapter, there is a series of extra articles, including interviews, scanned promotional materials, and/or profiles of actors, directors and such.

Macias' knack for storytelling carries the reader through the different chapters, connecting all of them through an omnipresent description of the Shinjuku Showakan theater, a defunct (as of 2002) movie theater originally built in 1932 that specialized in cult films, and was for a time even funded by yazuka, who often visited to watch the latest films about their fictional gangster counterparts. (For more on the Showakan, read August Ragone's writeup of the theater's final show.)

TokyoScope is the kind of book that holds far more information than one person could possibly absorb in one reading, a fact that serves as a reminder of just how much of a wealth of knowledge Patrick Macias is when it comes to Japanese pop culture. However, despite the wide range of genres and films, the focus of the book often circles back to a few major names, including directors Kinju Fukasaku (Fight Without Honor Or Humanity, Battle Royale), Ishiro Honda (Godzilla), and Takashi Miike (Dead Or Alive, Ichi The Killer) and actors Sonny Chiba, Bunta Sugawara, and Tetsuro Tamba. While all of the names might not sink in, even a quick first read of TokyoScope is a fantastic start for any new fan looking to get into the dark and dirty world of Japanese exploitation cinema. It might not add much for longtime fans of the films, but it certainly offers some insight into movies that they might have overlooked.

The book itself is a good size, with large pages and a light weight that makes it perfect for carrying around on the train or bus. Unfortunately it is published in black and white, which significantly ruins the value of having so many wonderful pictures of Japanese films both new and old.

We've now reached a point where anime has become a very noticeable presence in Western culture, so for many the light of animation has eclipsed Japanese live action cinema. In reality, however, there has never been a better time to seek out these films. As fans of Japanese culture seek out more entertainment to sate their apetite, they should reach out not only to the brightly lit halls of Akira Kurosawa, but also to the dimly lit Showakan theater, where the soft underbelly of Japanese cinema once lived. As an inviting gateway into this all-but-forgotten facet of Japanese cultural heritage, TokyoScope is unrivaled.

great.

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Ubisoft releases Assassin's Creed Lineage Part 1

So... you think video game adaptations suck do you? Well try this on for size. This is "Assassin's Creed Lineage," a series of short films made by Hybride Technologies, the studio (now owned by Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft) behind 300 and Sin City.

[via Ubisoft's YouTube Channel]

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Halloween Staff Picks

All Hallow's Eve is quickly approaching, and you just can't figure out what to do with yourself when the lights go out this Saturday. You could go out trick-or-treating and have everybody ask (a) why you're asking for candy when you're 25 and have a full neckbeard and (b) why you're dressed as Sailor Moon again, to which you can respond with righteous indignance (and an explanation of the subtle color scheme differences between your Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus costumes).

Or you can read Ani-Gamers' list of the scariest stuff in the geek world. Whether you're looking for an anime or a live action movie, a video game or a manga, our five illustrious staff writers have got you covered, with nothing less than the very best that Halloween has to offer. So head beyond the break for some great, hand-picked Halloween frights.

Ink

1. Ju-on, a.k.a. The Grudge (movie): This movie embodies everything creepy about J-horror: setting, audio, visuals, characters... and the American remake scared me enough to keep the lights on for three months straight (no exaggeration) by taking away everything "safe" one's mind could possibly cling to when absorbed in a film. The premise: a gruesome murder/suicide stains the house with its angry/vengeful presence, which will hunt down anyone who dares enter.
2. When They Cry ~ Higurashi (anime): Quite possibly one of the most disturbingly creepy and well-executed anime I've ever had the pleasure to be addicted to. Take four innocent-looking girls in a rural village paranoid about a curse, add a stranger, add some Hitchcock, and then put it all in a blender and repeat five times. This had me guessing as to the linear nature of the stories until the very end, and the visuals/voice acting (great dub!) are chilling. How chilling? One of my friends looked at the back of the DVD case, saw a picture of one of the girls laughing, and promptly turned down any possibility of watching it.
3. Fatal Frame / Fatal Frame 2 (PS2): While they stand alone, honestly, they're better in succession. Good horror's sneaky like that. The basis for both games: find out what happened to a missing loved one while not succumbing to the ill will of the myriad traumatized ghosts that inhabit the house/village. Your only weapon is an exorcimsal camera. Personal drama and a dramatic history (for both character and setting) make these games engrossing enough to get the blood pumping, elicit a startled jump, or provoke a scream of surprise.

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Kuro

1. Cowboy Bebop - the Movie (anime): This is my number one choice for good reason. It's a movie that brings the hilarious scenes, dramatic fights, and everything else a person could ask for from a Cowboy Bebop movie and blends it perfectly with the mystery and drama of Halloween. To sum up the story, Faye, en route to catch a low-level target, witnesses the explosion of the tanker truck that she was following, thus releasing a deadly cloud of some mysterious disease into the air that kills hundreds of people. Now it's up to Spike and company to get to the bottom of whatever is going on.
2. Kakurenbo - Hide and Seek (anime): This is my hardcore Halloween pick of the three. In an abandoned city in Neo-Japan, children play a game called "Otokoyo." It's basically hide and seek, but there is a twist: all of the children who have played the game have mysteriously disappeared. The absolutely beautiful cell shading, sound effects, and background music used throughout the story really lend themselves to the dark and mysterious city in which Otokoyo takes place. For people on a bit of the squeamish side, this OVA will provide a good psychological thrill ride without all the blood and gore of typical horror.
3. Battle Royale (movie): Here's a movie and it's sequel that might be one of the biggest cult classic movies out of Japan since Godzilla. The plot is simple: a random Japanese class from a random school is chosen by lottery. The 30 to 40 kids in the class must then partake in the event know as Battle Royale, essentially a timed death match on a deserted island, with only one winner. It's much more than a bunch of kids killing each other though. The amount of mind games and political propaganda in this movie really get a person thinking about what can really happen when the government has all the control.

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Uncle Yo

1. I Luv Halloween (manga): Tokyopop's OEL manga program shows off its gruesomely dark side in this hilarious take on a sadistic suburbia haunted by the sickest creatures imaginable: children in search of candy. With uniquely disturbed, violently apathetic characters and magnificent detail from the artist, this three-book series is great for a brutal laugh or just some other-worldy nostalgia.
2. Blood - The Last Vampire (anime): This is NOT Blood+; this is shorter and faaaaar more ambiguious. It's also violent as hell and just as scary. (The bishōjo-tone of the series is butchered here for the sake of making the monsters as menacing as possible.) This was the only anime to ever have a fight scene to a brass band playing in the background, and I'm sad that the trend never caught on. Begins with blood and ends with fire; what else is going to pump you up for wandering the neighborhood after dark?
3. Silent Hill (PS1): The classic start to the deeply disturbing series of video games about a Lovecraftian world that haunts and torments the people inside with the reincarnated demons from their own twisted lives. Unlike Resident Evil (that glorious horror-survivor), Silent Hill is about helpless believable people with few clues and even fewer weapons. The gloomy, cold fog, the iron gates, the fire rising from below, and mutha-f*&%ing Pyramid Head. Halloween is only complete once you've survived the demons that inhabit Silent Hill.

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Phreak

1. Clive Barker's Jericho (Xbox 360): I always believed that something was very wrong with Clive Barker, and with this game's release I found out that I was totally correct. Only "The Barker" could come up with a storyline filled with evil and religion, all intertwined to blur the line between good and evil while making us think, "could even God make a mistake?" The A.I. is about as intuitive as being shown around the Alaskan wilderness by a dumb, deaf, & blind man, but the atmosphere is dark, brooding, and bloody.
2. The Suffering 1 & 2 (PS2): The Suffering follows a character named Torque, whose twisted fate is primarily shaped by decisions that the player actually makes. These games were one of my first introductions to good vs. evil decision-making, as they present players with moral choices between killing and helping other people. Again, the atmosphere – a strange prison swallowed by hate and evil – really made this game worth it for me.
3. Candyman Trilogy (movies): Starting to see a pattern here? Yes, I love Clive Barker. He has a twisted mind that he manages to show us in vivid detail through his written word. The transition from book (in this case it was a short story) to movie tends to dilute the original's flavor, but with Candyman, this was not the case. They couldn't have picked a better Candyman; Tony Todd's voice and build are perfect for the character. The line "Believe in me.. Be my victim.." Fantastic! I always thought that staring into a mirror and saying some name a certain amount of times was all B.S., but after Candyman I seriously didn't look in a mirror again for 6 months.

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Vampt Vo

1. Boogiepop Phantom (anime): When people think Japanese horror, live-action films like Ringu and Ju-on jump to mind, but Boogiepop Phantom is one of the many under-appreciated gems in the anime horror genre. The first few episodes revolve around people with subtle mental problems and their encounters with the mysterious entity Boogiepop. As the show goes on, its vision into the blackest heart of humanity manages to terrify without gruesome monsters or ageless curses.
2. The Legend of Zelda - Majora's Mask (N64): Alright, so maybe it's not overtly scary, but Majora's Mask is easily the darkest Zelda game ever made, with its theme of imminent, moon-induced destruction and its disturbing, childishly sinister villain. And what's more, it's got a whole slew of masks for Link to wear! So if you're not up for dressing up yourself this Saturday, why not play dress up with everybody's favorite sword-toting Nintendo hero?
3. Vampire Hunter D (novel): Hideyuki Kikuchi's original novel is all about one of the most terrifying of the night's creatures: vampires. The titular protagonist D is a half-vampire hired by a young woman to protect her and kill the vampire who bit her, thereby freeing her from his curse. The story is filled with tense fantasy storytelling and some surprisingly high-octane action scenes. Kevin Leahy's translation is a little awkward, but it's still a fun, quick read.

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That's it for us! What are your favorite Halloween anime, games, movies, and books?

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New Dragonball poster looks... bad!

It's not like anyone was expecting good things from the Dragonball movie. After all, basing a high-speed, action-packed Hollywood movie off of an anime about guys beating each other up is definitely not a surefire way to create a meaningful, award-winning film.

So, even though the newest poster for Dragonball looks just as disappointing as we would have expected, I'm still sure that everybody here at Ani-Gamers will be seeing it. On opening day.

[via Anime News Network]

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Iron Man stands its ground

Iron Man was released in theaters last week and made a lot of money to say the least. In fact, it was $104.2 million dollars to be precise. I have no doubt that many of you have already seen it, which makes me feel a bit ashamed to say that I wasn't as vigilant about the movie as I should have been. But anyway, a while back several analysts (including Edward Woo from Wedbush Morgan and Mike Hickey from Janco Partners) predicted that, basically, having Grand Theft Auto IV's release only days before Iron Man's would affect the ticket sales substantially.

If you clearly look at the extremely high numbers for Iron Man, you'll notice this is clearly not the case! [via Variety]

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Dragonball Movie Set for 2008

A little more than a month ago, Twentieth Century Fox announced plans to finally create a live-action film adaptation of Akira Toriyama's iconic manga series and subsequent anime, Dragonball. The plot that the film covers is currently somewhat vague, to my chagrin, though we do know that it will portray an adult Goku, and Piccolo will be the main villain.

The current release date is set at a tentative August 15, 2008, and James Wong, director of "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer," will direct. Justin Chatwin (Tom Cruise's son in War of the Worlds) will play Goku, while James Marsters (Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will take the role of Piccolo. Other actors confirmed for the film include Jamie Chung as Chi-Chi, Joon Park as Yamcha, and Eriko Tamura as Pilaf's minion Mai.

While I'll admit to being excited about a remake of my favorite classic shonen series, let's be serious. A Dragonball movie cannot, and will not, be anything notable when it comes to the list of great movies. With the intense difficulty of adapting spiky-haired martial artists with super powers to the live action scene, Fox will have to be incredibly lucky to even achieve something close to the reception received by Transformers. Good luck, James Wong. I eagerly await the live-action version of one of the most popular anime ever made.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]

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Resident Evil CG Anime Revealed

CAPCOM and Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced a partnership in which they will work together to create Biohazard: Degeneration, a computer-animated film based in the Resident Evil (called Biohazard in Japan) universe. Sony, who produced the live-action ResEvil movies, will also produce this film. The movie will be an original story, so the inclusion of characters like Leon Kennedy has not been confirmed or denied.

While Resident Evil has had a somewhat difficult time with the whole movie thing, this could potentially turn out good. After all, Advent Children was fairly popular, and it was also a game-to-CG-movie adaptation. In addition, Resident Evil 4 has already established a visual style that could easily move over into Degeneration.
[via Anime News Network]

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The Golden Compass "Asset Wrangler" Blog

A few days ago, David Allen, Asset Wrangler for SEGA, published the first post on his IGN blog in which he talks about his experience on the set of New Line Cinema's newest epic fantasy, The Golden Compass. Allen talks about being the Asset Wrangler (it means he collects information about the movie to relay to the game developers) and shows some behind-the-scenes pictures and stories about his job. It's an interesting read for anyone interested in either this movie or game development.

I am, of course, a huge fan of The Golden Compass and the trilogy it belongs to, His Dark Materials, written by British writer Philip Pullman. (That's why I ran this story) The movie's game looks interesting so far (as far as movie adaptations go), and I'm looking forward to trying out the Alethiometer mechanics in-game. (Its that truth-telling compass that main character Lyra carries around) The game releases on all current-gen platforms as well as PC and PS2 on December 4 in the US and 7 in the UK.
[via Bridge To The Stars]

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