Ghost in the Shell: Arise

Prequels are usually pointless, telling storylines that we already know and cashing-in on the popularity of previous films. If you look at it from this perspective, which I am, prequels are often lazy attempts to milk that cash cow dry!

Any new GITS (haha, gits) variation, therefore, is always going to be compared to what came before it - supposedly what comes after it. The original films by Mamoru Oshii are standards by which a lot of anime is set, complemented by the two strong 'GITS: Stand Alone Complex' series by Kenji Kamiyama. So, as I've stated I'm going to do this, I will compare the new incarnations to the previous works, because I'm like that.

To start, the look of the animation and character design is very much more aligned with the 'Stand Alone Complex' TV series and this is not necessarily a bad thing. The lead characters have obviously been designed to look younger, with the greatest age difference seeming to come in Major Kusunagi's character, looking more like an obnoxious schoolgirl than anything.

Secondly: the sound. Whether the previous films or TV series, the music has always been strong in 'Ghost in the Shell', but here it is altogether more bizarre. 'Stand Alone Complex' had good music, but was a big step down from Kenji Kawai's original soundtracks. And the 'GITS: Arise' offerings are a further step down. The opening credits are what sounds like the result of a fan staying up all night on their computer with some completely non-descript pieces throughout. With the opening credits, immediately you feel that this is not going to be as good as what came before.

Lastly, the storylines: With both 'Border 1: Ghost Pain' and 'Border 2: Ghost Whispers', the storylines are quite political and quite uninteresting. Neither particularly grabs the attention and can lead to moments of distraction along the way. Perhaps the problem is the duration of these prequels. At around fifty minutes each, they do not offer the ability to delve as deep as the films, nor offer bite-size storylines in a more grand arc, like 'Stand Alone Complex'.

For me, this is probably the key failing. Oshii's films were visual feasts, offering moments of reflection and philosophy in between lavish pieces of animation, getting into the psychology of its characters. The two TV series also developed interesting storylines over their twenty-six episodes. Depth and detail are what made 'Ghost in the Shell' so interesting. 'Arise' just seems to lack this a little.

All-in-all, the 'Arise' series of prequels just doesn't create enough interest, other than being a new take on a well-established franchise. They will always be compared to what came before them: it will always happen. One can only hope the next instalment, 'Ghost Tears' will offer something more. But currently, they feel little more than a couple of 'GITS: SAC' episodes - and not particularly your favourites - that don't do quite enough to stand alone. 

The Wind Rises

I think 'Howl's Moving Castle' was the first feature-length film that was announced as being Miyazaki's last. But ten years and two feature films later, has the great director finally decided to call it a day? With 'Ponyo' since being his second last ever film, now 'The Wind Rises' is the next film to make the claim and, given its subject matter and style, is probably as good a place as any to call it a day.

Telling the story of real-life human: Japanese aeronautics engineer Horikoshi Jiro, designer of Japanese fighter planes used during the Second World War. Now, this is always going to be a touchy subject matter to tackle and would seemingly be a move away from his previous films. However, Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki himself have previously made films as serious and adult in theme as this. But what this does mean is that some of the more mythical elements of his previous films are not present.

With a brief look at his childhood years, the film quickly moves to his time at University before his starting work at the Mitsubishi Internal Combustion Engine Company, where he would start to design war planes. But, fear not. This is not a biopic that could have been made as a live-action film full of dull moments. Looking at his dreams, we follow Jiro's desire to create beautiful flying machines from a young age. But, as the film progresses and the reality of designing planes as an engineer during war time, the dreams become visions of the destruction his creations will bring. Numerous references are made to life's ironies throughout, and this is the one apparent by the film's conclusion.

While all of his film's have an appeal to adults as well as children, 'The Wind Rises' feels more adult: less happy in its ending and more along the lines of Ghibli's other wartime film, 'Grave of the Fireflies'.

But, the magic is still there. 'The Wind Rises' is positive in its telling of a boy's dream to create what he loves and how Jiro's intentions were only ever to do good, rather than a desire to destroy, ending with an emotional finale, feeling an appropriate place for Miyazaki to call it a day. But, as 'Howl's Moving Castle' and 'Ponyo' have proved, never say 'never.'

Every 14 Days...(20)

Boy (Kitano Takeshi)

I often read about Kitano being a modern-day renaissance man, adding painting, writing and everything else possible to his more famous film and comedy work. But apart from some of his artwork appearing in his films, I had never actually consumed any of it.

‘Boy’ is my first dip into one of his many other sides, but is fairly typical of some of the themes present in his films, if you take ‘his films’ to mean ‘Kids Return’. But I’m being facetious. ‘Boy’ is three, very simple short stories about 3 boys growing up in Japan. There is nothing particularly ground-breaking here, but simple tales about how young men find themselves in the world. The simplicity seems to mirror his script writing: starting with a  basic story and watching it evolve as the film is made. 

But they are nice enough stories, showing the Kitano is a man with many talents, though maybe creating something visual is where his real skill lies.

Days to read: 5

Days per book: 15.7

Lush Life (Richard Price)

I read the Richard Price novel 'Clockers' and found it to be brilliant - definitely one of the best books I have read in recent times. But, while good, the two subsequent books of his I have read have gradually decreased in quality. 'Samaritan' was the next read, followed now by 'Lush Life'.

'Lush Life' is very much a variation on a theme from 'Clockers' and 'Samaritan': Once again an innocent man is hounded by the police who believe his story to be false. It starts well, drawing the reader in, as Price is skilled at doing. However, where 'Clockers' and 'Samaritan' switch mainly between the stories of two lead characters, 'Lush Life' seems to continually switch between various different characters in bite-size chunks. Like a Dan Brown novel, this makes it easy to read, but does become difficult to keep you interested, constantly switching between characters with every other page.

While another overall satisfying read, it just doesn't draw me in as much as 'Clockers', and with lots of side stories for the various characters starts to drag going passed the half-way point. But, that said, you always get your money's worth with Price.

Days to read: 20

Days per book: 15.7

Each of Us (Ben Moor)

After reading ‘More Trees to Climb’, all I wanted to do was see Ben Moor live. That isn’t all I wanted to do, of course; some toilet breaks were necessary. So, on hearing that his latest show was coming to a Tube station near me, I jumped at the chance to do something more interesting on a Sunday evening.

After the performance, I got a copy of ‘Each of Us’ signed by the rather shy and flustered Mr Moor. Reading it within a week or so of seeing the show, I was of course reading the script of what I had just seen performed. I, therefore, read it in the manner of the performance (in my head! That would just look peculiar on the Tube), picking up some of the clever wordplay that I missed live.

Seeing the story performed live and reading the book are two separate things that can both be equally enjoyed. Whether watching the performance or reading the never-ending puns, both are pretty damned splendiferous.

Days to read: 4

Days per book: 15.6

Flowering Blood: The Cinema of Takeshi Kitano (Sean Redmond)

On seeing ‘Flowering Blood’ come up online as a ‘suggestion’ of something I might like to purchase, I thought ‘what the flip, give it a go.’ But should have realised that there is little to really add to the analysis of the films of Kitano Takeshi beyond what has already been written. And lo, this proved the case.

Coventry-born Redmond’s analysis starts off fine enough, seeing the world through the eyes of a starry-eyed film fan, making a pilgrimage to Japan in search of the film locations he so loves. But, being an academic text, it soon becomes lost in its own sense of over-explanation. At times, it feels more a collection of different theories thrown together than a real look at his work, and struggles to grab the attention enough.

While there are a couple of additional bits of light shed on the films, it relies a little too much on the works of previous authors, not justifying its overall length, focusing more at academic theory than the films themselves.

Days to read: 11

Days per book: 15.5

Iron Man: The Cinema of Shin'ya Tsukamoto (Tom Mes)

For some reason - probably the recent re-release of both 'Tokyo Fist' and 'Bullet Ballet' in the UK by the excellent Third Window Films - I have been watching a lot of the films of Shin'ya Tsukamoto recently. In turn, this has prompted me to read Tom Mes' book charting his films up-to-and-including 'Vital'.

My previous reading of the works of Mes came with his two analyses of the works of Miike Takashi: one good, one less so. Luckily this falls under the former, charting his youth as an amateur filmmaker, experimenting with his brother, through his theatre days and working as an advertising director right through to his internationally recognised 'A Snake of June' and 'Vital'.

'Iron Man', the name of the film that first brought him fame, is an appropriate name for this analysis. His films always tend to be on the more extreme side, favouring fast camera work and graphic violence throughout, never letting up for a moment. And this is exactly how he works, not just as a director, but writer, actor, editor, cameraman and just about everything else that is required in the making of a film. Telling the story of how he works non-stop to produce and finance his films shows an all-round filmmaker doing whatever it takes to get a film completed.

Days to read: 10

Days per book: 15.5

The Grand Budapest Hotel

So, I have to admit, the main motivation for seeing this film is that the woman I fall asleep with and wake up next to each day is Hungarian. But, of course, this has as much to do with Budapest as Hungary do with the World Cup in Brazil this summer. Title aside, this is the new film from Bill Murray director, Wes Anderson: he of oddball comedy film fame, mainly those featuring everyone's favourite Ghostbuster, however small his role may be.

The story starts with Jude Law - I know, but don't let that put you off - as a post-war resident of the legendary Grand Budapest Hotel. Intrigued by the hotel's past, he discusses the story of how the hotel came into the hands of its owner, Zero Moustafa, over dinner, leading to the tale of its former concierge, M. Gustave. With Gustave's liking for the older variety of lady, he finds himself caught in a battle for a former lover's inheritance with her children, Zero tagging along. Imprisonment, murder and high-speed skiing chases follow.

With the likes of 'In Bruges' in the past, it's always good to see Ralph Fiennes in a film that allows him to deliver a good comedy script. In 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' he again gets that opportunity as M. Gustave, with the film well written as the plot unfolds and keeps the audience entertained. The dialogue is sharp and funny, but in keeping with the European wartime setting, flowing well throughout.

Added to the strong script are an interesting animated approach to some of the shots, reflecting Anderson's production of a full animated version before filming the final cut. This is a film with a lot of style.

Having a cast of leads, each character seems to be very much 'introduced' into the story, with certain moments almost feeling like a trailer of who is involved. However small the role, much of the cast is Hollywood A-List in cameo form which treads that awkward line of wonder as to whether that's due to the strength of the script or the friends of the director. With so many stars, Anderson gives each their moment in the limelight, with all getting an almost point-of-view monologue to camera. All are also allowed to speak in their native accent, wherever they're from, with American accents rubbing shoulders with English and French under a range of European names. But this doesn't detract from the film, and only adds to its fictional geography.

'The Grand Budapest Hotel' is definitely one of Anderson's stronger films, if not his strongest, and will no doubt go on to add to its awards. Even a disappointed Hungarian would agree...

Dawn of Time (Kowloon)

'Dawn of Time' by Kowloon from that ol' favourite, 'Raw Material' that I found in Nagoya. Photos from summer 2013 in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary...Noise making...

Politic 24

Sounds here   , noises there

Matsuri - DJ Krush
Kidoairaku - DJ Yas
Walk into the Sun - Organized Konfusion
On the Painted Desert (DJ Krush Remix) - Boom Boom Satellites
Kikkake (Anchorsong Remix) - DJ Kentaro and DJ Krush
Gekko Suiren - Haiiro de Rossi (no findy)
Ever Love - Joe Hisaishi
Secret Samba - Doctor YS and Cosmic Drunkards
Elegant Space - Yoshinori Sunahara
Creepy Crawly - The Web (no findy)
Ultimate Eternity - Nomak
...And Alone - Joe Hisaishi
I Be Blowin' - De La Soul
Return of the Loop Digga - Quasimoto (madlib)
Tell Me Who Profits - Souls of Mischief
Hit it from the Back - Mobb deep
Take a rest - Gang Starr
Move Slow - New Flesh and Beans

Every 14 Days...(19)

Hagakure (Yamamoto Tsunetomo)

I'm sure I'd read this before, but sorting through my books, I noticed that the spine looked barely touched. Needing something to read, I decided that I would read it (again) and see if anything stuck in my memory this time.

Deemed 'the book of the samurai', this edition of 'Hagakure', or hidden leaves, translated by William Scott Wilson features around three hundred of the original teachings of Yamamoto, narrated to disciples when retiring as a monk. Essentially a series of anecdotes, these form the key teachings and life lessons by which samurai should live in the spirit of bushido.

With thoughts and ideas that have been seen throughout Japan's history, these are moral learnings as to how to samurai should conduct themselves, with the key life lesson: if in doubt, kill yourself. Many are thoughts transferable to the modern world, though others seem little more than little tales that seem irrelevant today and simply of the time in which they were conceived. Those left out by Wilson are more administrative matters or simple accounts of events of the time, with those included the more interesting point to teach us about an important way of life in Japanese history.

Read, I now have Internet evidence of its completion, though the spine looks barely touched.

Days to read: 17

Days per book: 16

The Nigger Factory (Gil Scott-Heron)

With a delightful title, 'The Nigger Factory' is the second novel written by poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron. Like much of his music, it's a political piece about the educational system in America during the Sixties. Set at a Black college in Virginia, it focuses on a three day period in which student protest erupts into violence.

Earl Thomas is the student president at Sutton University, and with two friends creates a list of actions they want to see taken at the University. The ideas are stolen by a more militant student group who quickly force the 'demands' on the powers that be within the university. The students demand immediate action, which the university refuses to give into, resulting in a student strike, internal conflict and the eventual closing of the university campus.

In seeking education and wanting to see change to the way the university is managed, what results is a violent struggle and all being left without. Scott-Heron wrote the book as a criticism of the educational system and its slow progress in updating with the times, without really allowing students to move forward with the times.

Like 'The Vulture' before it, 'The Nigger Factory' is a good read, with some interesting ideas and critiques on the changing times of the Sixties and Seventies.

Days to read: 14

Days per book: 15.9

Homage to Catalonia (George Orwell)

So continues my mission to get all of George Orwell's books read by some point in my life: now at 'Homage to Catalonia'. Written from memory of his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War, the book is a war diary about the complex political divisions within the War which would shape much of what he would subsequently write.

Little fighting actually happens over the course of the book. The start is more a description of how he and fellow militiamen kept themselves entertained when stationed at the Front Line with little more to do than stare back at the opposition. Then a long period of stand-off in Barcelona where little actually happens in the end. The comes his infamous neck wound from being shot, resulting in hospital stays and his attempts to leave the country once his group is outlawed. The book then closes with his take on the political divisions in Spain at the time he was there.

On paper, this isn't the most entertaining of reads. And, indeed, it isn't. But 'Homage to Catalonia' is an important step in Orwell's life and the experience of fighting fascism in Spain in the Thirties would shape his most famous works in the Forties, and for that reason alone, it is an important read in Orwell's oeuvre. 

Days to read: 14

Days per book: 15.9

A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings (Charles Dickens)

Reading 'A Christmas Carol' almost feels like a thankless task, being that the story has been told in a hundred ways on screen and stage. With 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' working direct from a lot of lines in the book, I almost felt like I knew half of it before having turned a page. But persevere I did.

And I'm glad I did. I can't remember having ever read any Dickens before, and 'A Christmas Carol' is a story full of wit and humour that wouldn't come across in a film, only by reading.

But while 'A Christmas Carol' proved to be the classic that it is, the other writings in this collection weren't really for me. While '' and 'A Christmas Tree' are short descriptive pieces of a Christmas scene, but some of the others feel like long, overdrawn, Victorian descriptions of bleak life, which my uneducated mind felt in no way entertaining.

I'm sure much of Dickens' other classics are as good as they are made into films and comedy parodies for, and I'm sure I will try some at some point, but only half of what was contained here worked for me. But still, with this collection of writing, you can see the sheer influence that Dickens' writing has had on the modern ideals of Christmas. God bless us, everyone.

Days to read: 14

Days per book: 15.9

Coming Up for Air (George Orwell)

I'm really starting to nail this fourteen days per book malarkey now: four books read; fourteen days to read each now. And what's more, I've notched off another Orwell. Oh, and another good one - the man now has a one hundred percent record with me; and my opinion counts, whether I use semi-colons or not.

Tired and fed-up with his life and the modern world, George Bowling yearns for the days of his childhood in a small village, away from the stresses or work, family and the sheer absurdity of everything he sees before him. But on leaving London to visit his boyhood home, he finds something different, but soon realises that the more things change, the more they stay the same, returning to his life and the endless cycles of nothingness he now feels.

What struck me first about 'Coming Up For Air' is its timelessness. Written in 1938, it is a book that feels just as relevant today as it did before the Second World War. With so much future on the future and the inevitable and looming threat of war with Germany. So much of what is written seems to come to pass, making the bleak view of the future seem more relevant than that of '1984'.

'Coming Up For Air' is a beautifully easy read, much less political than some of his other works, but with a similar effect, and along with his other works, like 'Burmese Days', says as much about the world now as it did when it was written.

Days to read: 14

Days per book: 15.8