1 film of 2022, and he’s one of my very favorite filmmakers working today. Park Chan-wook’s most recent movie, Decision to Leave, was my No. Toussaint Egan Joint Security AreaĬast: Lee Yeong-ae, Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho While the film wasn’t quite the second coming of Akira anime fans so eagerly wanted it to be, Steamboy is a more than worthy follow-up to Otomo’s feature debut in its own right and more than enough to tide you over while you wait for an update on Orbital Era, the director’s first anime feature in 20 years, which was announced in 2019. It’s a gorgeous love letter to pulp action serials, steampunk alternate history stories, and the writings of Jules Verne cast in a similar mold as another 2004 cult classic: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. If nothing else, Otomo’s film is a marvel of early 21st-century animation, a film situated at the faultlines of traditional hand-drawn cel animation and the anime industry’s gradual embrace of digitally rendered and painted set-pieces and 3D-animated assets. It may not have neon-lit metropolises populated by roving teenage biker gangs and children with terrifying psychic powers, but it certainly doesn’t lack for its own gorgeous Victorian-era visuals, thrilling action sequences, and beautifully realized mechanical animation. Steamboy follows the adventures of James Ray Steam, the wizkid grandson of a genius scientist living an alternate 1860s Britain, who finds himself in the crosshairs of a nefarious robber baron who wants to conqueror the world using the “Steamball,” an invention capable of generating an infinite (and dangerous) amount of energy. Katsuhiro Otomo’s 2004 steampunk action anime doesn’t get nearly as much love as it deserves. Pete Volk SteamboyĬast: Anne Suzuki, Manami Konishi, Katsuo Nakamura We are all lucky to be able to watch it for free. It’s also a master class of framing bodies in motion and one of the best action movies of the century. While in color, Shadow makes great use of black-and-white imagery in every element, from stark costuming and set design to lighting that brings out the contrast of black and white. But it doesn’t skimp on the action - that umbrella you see above is made of blades, and there are many outstanding action sequences utilizing the unconventional weapon. Much like Full River Red, Shadow is rich on political intrigue. But Zhang is perhaps best known for his work in the wuxia genre, like Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and Shadow - all breathless displays of cinematic excellence. His latest, the political comedy Full River Red, is a fun and strange twist-y thriller that trades some of his usual love for soaring action for fast-paced dialogue and a highly complicated narrative. No one in the world makes more beautiful action movies than Zhang Yimou.
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