Conversation About Japaninmation

Question- Japanimation? Is that even a word?

Answer- Um, yes, actually, it is! Japanimation, or in other words, Anime, has grown recently in popularity throughout the US of A in the last few years. Original adapted from a Japanese comic book form called Manga, Anime springs forth new tales of heroism, tragedy, and comedy, and have been employed for viewer discretion throughout many mediums, including the internet, television, and DVD.

Question- Just how popular is Anime?

Answer- Very, I'm glad you asked. Today, Anime is the fastest growing commercial industry for entertainment, besides Hollywood, currently in the west. DVD sales are skyrocketing, and companies advertising the trend have grown from just one company in 1992 to over 20 million companies this moment. One of the greatest revolutionaries in this style was Hayao Miyazaki.

Question- ...Who's Hayao Miyazaki?

Answer- Only one of the greatest Anime story-tellers of all time! He was the director/artist who first brought the style of Anime to the western world, and with big hits such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, he has started the trend that teenagers and adults are starting to convert to.

Question- Okay, this all sounds great but is it all Japanese?

Answer- Nope. Not at all. In fact, Americans have started their own animated shows, the most successful of which is Avatar: The Last Airbender. While whether or not the authenticity and quality is better is arguable, children have taken to the drawing style eagerly, boosting the style's overall popularity in the west. Even then, most Anime viewing styles for Anime have been either dubbed (the Japanese voices were replaced with Americanized English ones), or subbed (English subtitled added to it). Either way you go, you're bound to understand the story. The commercial companies made sure of that!

Visit more information about the popularity of Anime here!

Question- Which do you prefer; Anime or regular American TV?

-Aurelia Zipper

Halloween TV Episodes

What do "The Middle," "Better with You," "Modern Family," "Cougar Town," "America's Funniest Home Videos,""Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Desperate Housewives," "Glee," "The Simpsons," "Family Guy," “Parenthood,” "Community,” “The Office,” "Outsourced” and "Chuck” all have in common?? They all are having Halloween episodes this year! Shows like Glee, Modern Family, and The Middle are having their first Halloween episodes, while some others like The Simpsons and America's Funniest Home Videos are having their millionth. The new shows episodes are bound to be hilarious, but what about the ones we see every year?

One of the main examples of this is The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror. This year w

ill be the 21st episode of the Treehouse of Horror series, and this year they're going towards a modern audience. The main spoof they will be covering this year will be Twilight, as they get Daniel Radcliffe (Harry in Harry Potter) to voice 'Edmund.' The other guest voice actor this year will be Hugh Laurie (known for

playing House) and he will be voicing a "psychopathic castaway." Unfortunately, like all the other 20 Simpson's Treehouse of Horror's, this episode will be released after Halloween, and will be shown on November 7.

But there are also the super classics that are just replayed and replayed but we still love them

Like "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" and "Beetlejuice"

What TV shows and movies are you going to watch this

halloween?

Back to the Future 25th reunion

Back to the Future isn't a NEW movie. Part one came out in 1985, followed by parts 2 and three (89 and 90.) The movie was very popular with many scenes with different sets from different time periods, such as 1955, a DIFFERENT 1985, 2015, and 1885.

The plot does not really jump around between time periods, unlike the show "lost". It's nice because You don't get confused as easily. Marty and Doc go somewhere at the beginning of the movie, and leave the place at the end. Of course, something dramatic has to happen that Marty has to fix.

The first movie got many nominations and awards (23 nominations, 13 wins) so two more parts were made. These were not AS successful as the first movie, but were still pretty good. Part II got 5 nominations and 8 wins, and Part III received 8 nominations and 4 wins.

Because this movie was so popular back in the day, many spin offs have been made. While president Obama was running for office, he had a bumper sticker that said "Barack for the future," using the logo above. An animated series came out of this movie, along with video games and theme park rides (these are now closed)

The cast celebrated their blue-ray release this week, which also marks the 25th reunion. The actors have definitely grown up. They are no longer teenagers, and look more like old people. You can view the NY daily news article here... Interestingly enough, the well known Micheal J. Fox (who plays Marty McFly) was not the original actor for that character, as this article reveals.

Now that it's getting closer to 2015 (The time period marty goes to in the second movie) it's cool to see how the directors thought that year would be like. Hover boards, flying cars, doors that can open with a finger print, and the ability to watch a bunch of T.V shows at once... Not so realistic now, is it?

RED Movie Review

RED by Roger Ebert

This would have been a hell of a cast when we were all younger. “RED” plays like a movie made for my Aunt Mary, who was always complaining, “Honey, I don't like the pictures anymore because I don't know who any of the actors are.” If the name Ernest Borgnine sounds familiar, here's the movie for you.

Borgnine at 93 is still active and has a project “in development,” I learn from IMDb, even if it's ominously titled “Death Keeps Coming.” Says here it's a supernatural Western being produced by Tarantino. Borgnine himself is a heck of a guy. I flew out of Cartagena with him one morning with a terrible hangover, and we got stranded in some forgotten Colombian airport where he fed me aspirin crushed in milk. An actor like that is a role model.

Bruce Willis stars in “RED,” which refers to his alert level (“retired: extremely dangerous”) and not his hair. He's a former CIA agent, a black operative, who discovers bad guys want to kill him. So he summons the members of his old killing squad, and they prepare a defense. The team includes Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), Victoria (Helen Mirren) and Ivan (Brian Cox).

Some notes: Victoria requires no second name because she is a woman in a thriller; Ivan is a Russian, because the Russian in every thriller is named Ivan; Malkovich may have taken the role because he is never considered for characters named Boggs, and Freeman reveals early that he is dying of liver cancer. We know that as the black member of the team he must die first, “because that's how he would have wanted it.”

So once again poor Morgan Freeman is hung out to dry. He'd rather play the villain. As he once explained to me: “The villain is usually the most interesting character in the movie, and one thing you know is, he'll still be around for the last scene.”

In addition to his old comrades, Bruce takes along Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker), a telephone operator at the agency that oversees his retirement plan. He's fallen in love with her voice. He explains she has to go on the run with him because her life is in danger. Like any federal employee, she finds this reasonable. Her life will be much safer with a man who is the target of thousands of rounds of automatic weapon fire. The villains in thrillers are such bad shots they'd suck at video games.

The bad guys are in the upper reaches of the CIA, and the conspiracy reaches all the way to a vice president with connections to a huge private defense contractor. This man is played by Richard Dreyfuss, who subtly signals to us, “You only think this is my Dick Cheney imitation, but if the studio let me loose, I could nail this role.” Are sinister Dick Cheney roles growing uncommonly frequent? Hollywood is always fearful of running out of villains and, having run through Russians, Chinese, Nazis and Mongols, seems to have fallen upon poor Cheney with relief.

“RED” is neither a good movie nor a bad one. It features actors we like doing things we wish were more interesting. I guess the movie's moral is, these old people are still tougher than the young ones. You want tough? I'll show you tough. In one scene, Helen Mirren is gut-shot and a blood stain spreads on her white dress. In a closing scene not a day later, she's perfectly chipper and has had time to send the dress out to the cleaners.

What Aurelia has to say...

Well, lets just say that RED is actually one of the better spy-hero movies I've seen in a long time. Just last Friday night, I was half brain dead from school all ready, and the easy on the eyes action and realistic acting of this film just managed to pull me through till 10 o clock. I have no regrets seeing this movie.

And the best part about it?

"Old many my ass!" - John Malkovich. ~big explosion in background~

Best. Scene. EVER!

Inspire yourself with more of Roger Eberts reviews!

-Aurelia Zipper

Horror Movies, anyone?

It's getting to that time of year again- Halloween! Halloween is associated with witches, black cats, ghosts, and definitely a lot of gory things. Being a teenager means there aren't a lot of options on this great, free-candy night. We might be a little too old for Trick-or-treating. But because it's October, there are PLENTY of scary movies to go see on Halloween night.

Scary movies have been around for a while, even in silent films. Here are the top 25 horror movies. Directors are having to use their brains a little more than just the regular squeaky door and an army of zombies. What seems to be popular now is the "self filmed" horror movies such as Paranormal activity (1 and 2) and the Blair Witch Project. It creates a sort of tension in the audience, because it seems like this is REALLY happening to the characters... Almost like a home video. Personally, I like movies like Prom night and Disturbia. Those definitely aren't hard core scary movies, but I wouldn't classify myself as someone who enjoys being scared either.

And then there are stupid "horror" movies. Here's a critique of the dumbest horror movies. I do agree, some of the plot lines are getting a little too... dumb, and not scary. This is why some people I know enjoy horror movies- They get to have a laugh about how stupid the plot line is.

I find that I can stand somewhat creepy horror movies. Just NOT the gory stuff, please. I mean, who really wants to see someone's face fall off, get burned, or someone getting half their body parts chopped off? Thanks, but I would rather not throw up.

Well, for all you teenagers who are going to skip the theaters and try and get some of that Halloween candy next Sunday night, we have a question for you. What recognizable TV/movie characters have you dressed up as or would like to?

Take this poll!

Hey guys, check this out! It might go into our magazine!

Media Poll

-Aurelia Zipper

Big Bang Theory Jumps into Top 10

The Big Bang Theory, a show that has just recently debuted its fourth season, has jumped into the number 8 spot in the top ten most viewed shows. With just 5, 396 viewers, it has superb ratings and is highly hailed from critics as one of the year's best shows.

Learn about the top ten and twenty five shows!

-Aurelia Zipper

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a name that everyone knows. Whether it's in complete detail and obsession, or just knowing that he's a wizard who has to fight a bad guy that resembles a snake, people know who this beloved character is. The first harry potter book came out in 1997, and definitely grew in popularity from there.

I have to admit, before I started reading the books, my perception was that they were stupid. I mean come on, a boy who can do magic and fly on brooms? Well, now that I have read the complete series, my opinion has completely changed.

Of course, a fabulous series has to lead to movies. The first movie of Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone (also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone) came out in 1999. The movie was a success, so naturally, more sequels were made for the movies which somewhat followed the books' plot lines.

Now that all the books are out, most Harry Potter fanatics are waiting eagerly for the long awaited Harry Potter 7, part one, coming out on November 19, 2010. The movie SHOULD be good. Past movies have followed the book pretty well, and have included the important parts. Now that that movie will be coming out in 2 parts, it is expected is to be amazing... And include almost everything.

You can view the most recent trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 here.

Jack Sparrow goes to an Elementary School

Johnny Depp went to an elementary school in London on Oct. 7th after receiving a letter from a 9 year old girl asking for help. The letter said:

"Captain Jack Sparrow, At Meridian Primary School, we are a bunch of budding young pirates and we were having a bit of trouble mutiny-ing against the teachers, and we'd love if you could come and help.
Beatrice Delap, aged nine, a budding pirate."

So Johnny came to the rescue! But he acted like Jack Sparrow, and came in such short notice that the only video that could be shot of it was on what seems like a cell phone camera. What you hear from the video isn't much, but you can slightly hear him say "My name is Captain Jack Sparrow and I came to visit your class, your school. Where's Bea?" All the kids gasped as Beatrice walked up to Depp as he pulled out the letter she sent him! Its so sweet how he came and made those kids day!

A Ton Of New Vampires Join Breaking Dawn: Is Casting Finally Over?

A Movie Speculation (Screen Review)

by Katey Rich

The final installment of Stephenie Meyer's Twilightseries, Breaking Dawn, doesn't just cap things off with Bella giving bloody, life-threatening birth to a half-human half-vampire baby who immediately becomes Jacob's one true love. Oh no, it gets way weirder than that, with vampire tribes from all over the world assembling to try and threaten the baby, until they're called off by Bella's love for Edward, or maybe the abs of the wolfpack? I haven't read the book, so I'm really just spitballing here.

Anyway, the massive amount of vampires in the final two films-- you remember that Breaking Dawn will be two movies, right?-- means there's a ton of casting to go through, and Summit Entertainment has at least done the favor of announcing all the vampires in a single press release. They confirm a few rumors we've heard previously, including that Lee Pace will play a Revolutionary War-era vampire named Garrett and Joe Anderson, who made a great impression in The Crazies, will play the "European Nomad" Alistair, who has a "misanthropic, brooding personality" and only visits his buddy Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) once a century.

The rest of the names are either only vaguely familiar or totally unknowns to me, so I'll just present you the details and who's playing who in the excerpted press release below.Breaking Dawn, both parts, has already started filming-- you can see "trees and catering" from the set here-- which means the endless casting process may finally, mercifully be over. God bless us, everyone.

Visit the entire article here.

-Aurelia Zipper

Justin Bieber Nailpolish line?

Yes, believe it or not, Justin Bieber is making NAILPOLISH. The line will be called One Less Lonely Girl collection and all the polishes will be named after Bieber's hit songs, plus they all contain glitter! Some are One Less Lonely Glitter (lavender) and Give Me The First Dance (silver) to Prized Possession Purple (grape) and Me + Blue (Dark Blue), OMB! (bright red) and Step 2 the Beat of My Heart (heart-shaped glitter). The line is coming to Wal-Mart first in December and will spread to Target and Sears by February.

This sounds ridiculous, a 16 year old boy selling his own line of Nail polish, and it is, but I think that it is a good business move. Yes we all know Justin Bieber right now, but in about 3 years he's going to die out of Music, TV, and everything else. And by making all these do-dads for pre-teen girls to eat up, he gets more and more money. So if he thinks making nailpolish will get him even more rich than he is now, he can go on ahead.

What do you guys think?

Most Anticipated Movies of This Year!

The Rotten Tomatoes report has come up of what people are looking forward too the most this year.

Listed in order, the most anticipated movies of the year are-

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One (Surprising, huh?)

• The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (See recent blog post for more information)

• Little Fockers (Wait, what? What the heck is this movie?...)

• I Love You Phillip Moris (Okayz... I hope we will too.)

• Tron Legacy (This will be epic)

• Transformers 3 (...Hollywood... ~shakes fist~)

• Pirates of the Carribean: The Stranger Tides (This better be epic. How many movies has it been? Three? They were all good, so...)

• Season of the Witch (How about seasoned witch? XD )

• Due Date (Robert Downy Jr.!)

• Paranormal Activity 2 ( O.o No comment)

Excited? No? Tell us what you look forward to seeing!

-Aurelia Zipper

For Narnia! And For Finally!

"For Narnia! And for Aslan!"

We all know that famous cry uttered by Peter Pevensie, played by Will Mosely in the first Chronicles of Narnia film, the Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Many spoofs have been uttered throughout the years passing it to the point that the words borderline on absolute cliche.

And now, we can expect another continuation of the beloved, British children's story, in the form of a rendition of the third book, the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Excited yet?

The Dawn Treader actually didn't have the most sturdy start in the world. The reception of Prince Caspian, the sequel movie, though generally positive from the view of critics, did not make the gross that it was expected to. Worldwide, it made over 400, 000, 000 dollars, but just domestically, just barely over $141, 000, 000. The cost for the movie was just about 225 million dollars, so in the end, simple math states that the movie very well nearly bankrupted Disney.

So, as a result, Disney pulled the plug on the movie half-way through pre-production, staggering the barely planned film to a halt.

To fill the financial and sudden gap, Twentieth Century Fox stepped in, propping up the movie back on schedule and setting in a new director, Michael Apted, into the spotlight. Originally, the movie was planned to fall again in the hands of Andrew Adamson, the director of the previous two films, but the change of studio brought on the change of crew. Though Michael Apted is little known in the movie business, the share-holders seem to deem him a pretty good bet. Besides, the change of directors in the Twilight Saga brought on a positive change in the quality of the films-- why should this instance be any different?

Though critics are skeptical, based on the movie's rough history, a quick view of the trailer could deem it potentially well done. I still have my doubts-- after all, I am a Narnia fan myself from childhood spent coddled on the couch-- but I might see them lifted when this future block-buster finally hits screens.

You can view the trailer here.

I hope that you have high hopes for this movie! :) Tell us what you think-- it just might make it into our magazine.

-Aurelia Zipper

And It Comes to Cut Off Our Leg For Freedom... Again!

Everyone loves to perform their favorite, relaxing, midday task. We all love that second cup of coffee to push us through the afternoon and the extra sugar-jolt from a recently added Jolly Rancher. Me, I'm just a simple Texas girl who loves to ponder the meaning of life. Sometimes, I just love to sit and smile and think up book ideas. Sometimes, I sit on my couch for hours talking with friends non-stop to fill the in gaps of my crammed morning.

Sometimes, I just love to sit and wonder in my humble existence...

...why some movie franchises just won't freaking die!

I gave up on the Saw Movie Franchise at Saw II.

And what's this? The crime of the century? FREAKING SAW 3D!

That's right, a new Saw movie is coming out October 29th, conveniently several days before the renowned American Holiday Halloween. I thought this year's Halloween couldn't possibly be marred by a pathetic, over-exaggerated series on people cutting off limbs and shredding each other for the simple promise that they will get out of the hell-hole a psycho has created. Forgive the pun, but this franchise has been done to death.

It's a shame really that the poor writers and actors are extorted because of the greedy executives in Hollywood. Saw was a big money maker, originally grossing well over $100,000,000 in a matter of weeks. Money makers are the big prize for the studios littering California, and anything that makes a decent amount of buck is pounced on like a hungry cat with tuna. Saw is just one of the many poor movie franchises that has been rolled completely and utterly flat over the past years, diffusing many spoofs and gag-reels in different, comedic movies that just make the audience groan.

So, please, for the love of Hollywood, don't support this pitiful series anymore and don't see the movie. If you're anything like me, you'd rather saw off your leg than suffer more drama around a creepy serial-killer.

-Aurelia Zipper

Peanuts Turned 60 this week, and new movie has been planned!

When Peanuts first started, it was only in 7 newspapers, and now, even after it's been completed, the series runs in 2,200 newspapers in 75 different countries! The comic strip got so popular they made a TV show and TV specials for it, and now they are shown every holiday. And now another classic might be heading our way thanks to the fact that they are going to make a new Peanuts movie!

The film, "Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown," is planning to come out next Spring, and the new animations will be created by Charles Schulz's son, Craig, and also the "Pearls Before Swine" creator Stephan Pastis!!

The Tempest Rendition-- Will Shakespeare Be Proud?

News Flash Alert!

Recently, a new trailer came out for the the upcoming movie The Tempest, the new movie adaptation of the classic Shakespearean play. Everyone knows the story of an abandoned wizard and his daughter on a strange and magical island, but this movie may be more different from the original play than you think.

Care to take a guess? It's so outlandish that you won't get it immediately.

All right, I'll say it-- Prospero is now a girl.

Is this a violation of the play we know best? Because it's true. Prospero will now be called Prospera and will be played by Helen Mirren. Personally, I have no problem with the renowned actress taking on the part of the wise magician, but I want to know what ya'll think. I might take a whack at this film. I encourage others to do the same.

-Aurelia Zipper

Modern Family Season 1

The T.V show Modern family has recently become very popular. Many viewers can relate to the problems this interesting family faces.

• "

As in Jay and Gloria's relationship—nearly 2 in 5 (38%) Americans can relate to having a family member who remarried someone significantly younger.
• There is a good chance you're watching Cameron and Mitchell and thinking "I know this couple!"—a quarter of Americans (25%) also have a gay or lesbian couple in their family.


• We all know that kid who has all the answers and is (sometimes) good to have around. Almost two-thirds (65%) of Americans know a kid that is "wise beyond their years" similar to Manny. 


• Like the Pritchett-Dunphy clan, almost half (44%) of Americans live in the same town as the majority of their families. 
"

You can view the full article here.

- The Duke

Screen Review Two

Never Let Me Go Review

By Roger Ebert

In my will, I have left to the next generation such parts of my poor body that it can salvage. That is the Golden Rule. I suppose if you take it literally, you would accept life as a Donor in "Never Let Me Go," because after all, that is the purpose for which you were born. In the film, there is a society within the larger one consisting of children who were created in a laboratory to be Donors. They have no parents in the sense we use the term. I'm not even sure they can be parents. They exist to grow hearts, kidneys, livers and other useful items, and then, sadly, to die after too much has been cut away.

When I read Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, the Donors' purpose was left murky until midway through the book. In the film, it's clear to us but not, up to a certain point, to the children. They live within a closed world whose value system takes pride in how often and successfully they have donated. They accept this. It is all they have ever known. One of the most dangerous concepts of human society is that children believe what they are told. Those who grow out of that become adults, a status not always achieved by their parents.

We meet three Donor children, first when young and then later. They are Kathy, Tommy and Ruth, played in their 20s by Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley. They were raised at Hailsham, a progressive boarding school for Donors: progressive in the sense that it's an experiment based on the possibility that these test-tube babies are real human beings. Well, of course they are, we think. But it doesn't suit the convenience of the larger society to think of them in that way. If you are about to get someone's heart, don't you tend to objectify the source? You should. If you get my heart, I don't want you moping around about me. It's your heart. You pay the bills.

The teachers at Hailsham aren't precisely progressives in the John Dewey tradition, but the school is the last one that still encourages the children at all. The society wants these Donors for one purpose and doesn't want to waste resources on them for any other. If you can walk through this plot without tripping over parallels to our own society and educational systems, you're more sure-footed than I.

The director, Mark Romanek, wisely follows Ishiguro in burying any meanings well within a human story. The film is about Kathy, Tommy and Ruth and their world, and not some sort of parable like 1984. Essentially it asks, how do you live with the knowledge that you are not considered a human being but simply a consumer resource? Many hourly workers at big box stores must sometimes ponder this question.

"Never Let Me Go" would have made a serious error in ramping up contrived melodrama toward some sort of science-fiction showdown. This is a movie about empathy. About how Ruth realizes Kathy and Tommy were naturally in love with each other as adolescents, and how she selfishly upset that process. About how now, when it may be too late, she wants to make amends. About the old rumor at Hailsham that if two Donors should fall deeply in love they might qualify for some sort of reprieve — short-term, to be sure. But if their masters can believe they can love, they would have to believe they are human. Two of the requirements for a being with a soul in Thomist philosophy are free will, and the ability to love. Donors qualify for both.

This is such a meditative, delicate film. I heard some snuffling about me in the darkness. These poor people are innocent. They have the same hopes everyone has. It is so touching that they gladly give their organs to humankind. Greater love hath no man, than he who gives me his kidney, especially his second one.

This is a good movie, from a masterful novel. "The Remains of the Day," also inspired by an Ishiguro novel, was similar: What is happening is implied, not spelled out. We are required to observe. Even the events themselves are amenable to different interpretations. The characters may not know what they're revealing about themselves. They certainly don't know the whole truth of their existence. We do, because we are free humans. It is sometimes not easy to extend such stature to those we value because they support our comfort.

New Deathly Hallows Pictures!

New pictures of the Deathly Hallows have been released! So have new Posters and the casting for the Children Harry and Ginny's kids and Ron and Hermiones kids!!

Rumored Movie Alert

Hello World! Big announcement.

For all of your comic-bookers sitting and praying for the next big super-hero movie, you're in luck!

The Avengers was green-lit and announced during this summer's Comic-Con in California, being written and director by famed movie star Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly).

Will this be another flop? Or will it just be as wicked as Iron Man? Tell us what you think!

-Aurelia Zipper

Logo!

Introducing our brand-spankin' new logo!

Check it out!

Love? Hate? Meh? Tell us!

-Julimadvi DuDukehurst