Once upon a time, North American distribution for the films of legendary animation house Studio Ghibli were held firmly by Disney — and why not? The House of Mouse’s vice-like grip on all of our childhood memories is an accepted reality at this point. From Marvel to Star Wars, and of course their own originals, everything we hold dear these days seems to be a Disney property.
However, the reigns of Ghibli distribution were recently passed from the monolithic company to, a New York-based distributor that began releasing Ghibli’s films for North American audiences. Now, with the help of, GKids have released new editions of Ghibli’s back catalogue. For North American Ghibli fans, this is great news.
GKIDS has announced a new partnership with Studio Ghibli. As part of the deal, GKIDS will be reissuing an assortment of Studio Ghibli titles on Blu-ray, including numerous films by celebrated.
Not only are the films more accessible, but the new releases hold to the distributor’s usual standards of quality.Does that mean you should throw your Disney Blu-rays in a bin and drop a few hundred on the new editions? Not entirely. As much as these new releases represent a fresh coat of paint for the beloved films, they’re only an upgrade from Disney’s releases in certain regards. To anyone looking to add one or more items from the Ghibli catalogue to their collection for the first time, the choice is clear: the GKids releases are affordable, readily available and have everything you could want within reason. But if you already have the Disney version, don’t go looking to make the upgrade just yet.The FilmsAt this point, what is there even left to say about Studio Ghibli?
There’s a reason that these new releases are a boon to North American fans: they are some of the most stunning and nuanced films in the entirety of animated cinema. The fact is that Disney’s versions have been typically limited in quantity in order to carefully control pricing, keeping these films from reaching the widest possible audience. Thankfully we can put those days behind us.The new releases, somewhat staggered in terms of content, offer every film a Ghibli fan could want — all of the classics and canon releases, with only a few exceptions, like The Castle of Cagliostro, to keep buyers hungry. Hopefully these scattered oversights get addressed in the near future.PresentationThe biggest and most important change from the Disney releases of Ghibli’s films comes in the presentation of the movies themselves. Rather than simply recycle Disney’s HD transfers of the movies, Gkids’ releases have entirely new transfers apparently taken from original studio negatives and lovingly touched up; the films are more stunning than ever.If you’re looking for an in-depth comparison between the Disney releases and the new versions, this sadly isn’t something you’ll find here. Without the Disney versions to look at and the technical acumen to compare them thoroughly, we can’t offer a pixel by pixel, shade by shade breakdown of just how much of an upgrade this is.
However, it’s evident in every frame of the films that Gkids took as much care as one could ever hope for bringing these works to Blu-ray again.From Ponyo’s stunning backgrounds, with their almost colored pencil style, to the impossibly crisp, vibrant visuals of Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, the term “gorgeous” doesn’t do justice to how these movies look. Every detail and color pops off the screen, and even for seasoned Ghibli die-hards who are intimately familiar with every frame of some of these movies, the sensation of watching a whole new film is hard to shake off some times.That isn’t to say that they look too clean and polished, mind. There’s an art to the HD remaster, a way to give the material a proper high-def upgrade that doesn’t result in things feeling slightly “off,” and Shout!
Factory and GKids have fairly thoroughly mastered that art. Essential subtleties like the presence of a slight film grain and the temperatures of the colors are fully intact. The films still look very much of their time, but crystal clear in their presentation. This goes for sound as well as image, with balanced audio levels across the board.
Your days of struggling to hear the dialogue over the music in the dub of Princess Mononoke are thankfully over.Speaking of dubs, the English language tracks from the previous releases are entirely intact, despite many of them having been Disney productions. If your ideal version of Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service sounds like Kirsten Dunst, rest easy, as the previous dubs are carried over.
Less so if your idea Kiki is Lisa Michelson, but perhaps a re-release of the old Streamline Ghibli dubs is more than could be reasonably asked for.PackagingIf there’s one area where the new releases of the Ghibli catalogue fall a tad short, it’s this. With a long and proud tradition of stunning original box art, it’s something of a surprise that Shout! Factory and GKids’ versions of the films retain essentially the exact same box art as their Disney predecessors. The one exception is Princess Mononoke, which sports a new image of San in place of the previous release, which portrayed Ashitaka in mid-swordfight. That aside, the releases are functionally identical to the previous releases, with new overlays replacing the Disney branding.Not to say there’s anything wrong with this box art; it’s perfectly serviceable. However, if there’s one area that Shout!
And GKids could have easily gone the extra mile on, it’s this. Stunning, high-end new box art could have helped the films feel like more of an upgrade, drawing in collectors with an eye for how the new versions look on a media shelf. Perhaps even something like alternate artwork on the inside of the slip cover, or spine art that links up to form a larger image?It’s a nitpick, yes, but only because it feels like the one major missed opportunity. For many, the cover art doesn’t matter. Some will even dispose of the cardboard sleeves each film comes in, but some of us have a thing for “shelf candy,” and these releases will leave such collectors dreaming of what could have been.ExtrasFor the most part, the extras on the new editions continue the trend of carry-overs from the previous Disney releases.
The Behind the Microphone featurettes on the new English dubs remain, presented in SD. Some of the best bonus features from the Disney releases are carried over as well, such as the 16-minute video chronicling Miyazaki’s visit to Pixar on the Howl’s Moving Castle disc. The sight of an elated John Lasseter running up to hug Hayao Miyazaki is worth the price alone. Other items of note include a feature-length storyboard for My Neighbor Totoro, a must-see for anyone interested in the animation process behind these films. In addition, each disc features at least one series of segments taken from a feature-length documentary, cut down to film-specific context. They’re by far the most polished of the extras offered, so much so that it’s easy to start wishing that the full-length doc were included.
However, this would ultimately only compound the main problem with the bonus features on offer: a lack of consistency.While some of the releases, Ponyo in particular, are bursting at the seams with bonus features, others are a bit more spartan, offering only a Behind the Microphone segment and perhaps one or two bits of the larger doc. This creates something of an imbalance in the bang-for-your-buck factor among the individual releases. In some cases, you’re more than getting your money’s worth in bonus features — in others a bit less so. If you’re planning on going all-in on the new editions, this isn’t so much of a problem, but for those viewers planning on cherry-picking their favorites, you may find yourself envying the abundance of bonus features on other titles.Final ThoughtsIf you’re a North American fan looking to add physical copies of the Ghibli library to your collection, GKids’ and Shout! Factory’s releases are pretty much your only choice. Tracking down the Disney releases, which are sure to only go up in price, isn’t worth it given how identical they are to the new editions. Similarly, upgrading from the Disney releases to these new versions is a hard value proposition to make.
It might be a different story with more new bells and whistles like new packaging and more bonus features, but this also would have most likely driven the price up.Overall, it’s clear that Ghibli’s library is in good hands with its new distributor, and they have done a bang-up job of keeping the films accessible, even if the releases are lacking for some bells and whistles to entice users looking to upgrade from previous releases.You can learn more about GKids’ Studio Ghibli library, including where to buy the releases, at their. Beginning as a co-host on a Concordia TV film show before moving on to chief film nerd at Forgetthebox.net, Thomas is now bringing his knowledge of pop-culture nerdery to Sordid Cinema. Thomas is a Montrealer born and raised, and an avid consumer of all things pop-cultural and nerdy. While his first love is film, he has also been known to dabble in comics, videogames, television, anime and more.You can support his various works on his Patreon, at can also like the Tom Watches Movies Facebook page to see all his work on Goombastomp and elsewhere. Virtual reality is the one of the hottest technologies in video games right now, but its potential applications elsewhere are even more interesting.
Of course, being able to convey empathy to those significantly lacking it holds a particular importance when it comes to rich people ruining the lives of everyone else. Empathy, Inc. is all about greed and empathy, so when Joel (Zach Robidas) is screwed out of his venture capitalist job and discovers a new virtual reality product that rich clients are lining up to use, he can’t help but try to invest in the project. The ways empathy and greed intersect in this science-fiction thriller is what makes Yedidya Gorsetman’s film an interesting, exhilarating experience that feels like Nacho Vigalondo by way of Shane Carruth.Shot entirely in black-and-white, Empathy, Inc. Is barely interested in contending with moral grey areas. That’s mostly for the audience to wrestle with as they watch Joel plummet deeper into the dark recesses of Xtreme Virtual Reality (yes, it’s a silly name that the movie acknowledges as silly, but marketable).
When Nicolas (Eric Berryman) offers Joel a chance to invest in XVR, he jumps on it by using the money his father-in-law has put away for retirement. What makes the technology so incredible is that it allows the client to take control of a poor person — something rich clients find enticing because of how different their lifestyle is.
However, complications arise when Joel realizes that the experience may not be as cut-and-dry as Nicolas claims it to be.Outside of whether the technology is morally right or wrong, Joel’s decision to use his wife’s father’s money to get back in the financial advisement game complicates his dilemma with his exploitation of the rich and unaware. Joel’s wife, Jessica (Kathy Searle), is trying to get her acting career booming while finding her own footing in the world, which is only further complicated by Joel’s complete disregard of her wishes, and his predicament worsens when the investment goes sour. While her relationship with Joel isn’t necessarily the focal point of the film, there’s a significance to everything in Empathy, Inc., and being able to jump into another character’s shoes in order to understand their reaction to the other is highly satisfying. This is ultimately what makes the movie work so well.Empathy, Inc. Is not without its flaws of course, but those mainly stem from Joel being a character who tends to walk more on the unlikable side of things. It’s really hard to get behind anyone that makes a selfish decision (like investing a family member’s money into an untested piece of technology), but Mark Leidner has written a great screenplay that feels like it fleshes a lot of what it needs to, and even tries to make Joel into a character you feel sympathy for.
It also helps that Robidas conveys his character with just the right amount of smugness and love. Capturing that balance is crucial in a movie which asks the audience questions about their own actions towards the impoverished and suffering. Nevertheless, Joel being more likable would have exponentially improved the impact of those questions.For any missteps that are made, the film makes up for it with a tense final act where the story goes high-concept, yet somehow doesn’t spiral endlessly out of control. Keeping the science-fiction elements nice and neat seems like a daunting task, but just like with Vigalondo and Carruth, Gorsetman and Leidner know how to package it all tightly. The thrills come from that potential to overflow, and there are few movies in recent memory that highlight that balancing act.With a highly entertaining premise that situates itself in a world that would believably latch onto it, it’s no surprise that Empathy, Inc. is an enthralling film. It feels ripe for a Black Mirror episode, but uses its extended runtime to encapsulate a world that desperately needs a little empathy in it. The idea of monetizing that feeling is inherently interesting, and it’s thrilling to watch someone run with it in the ways that Empathy, Inc. does.Dark Star Pictures will release in theaters (9/13) and VOD (9/24) this fall.
What is it really about?. Note: The following paragraph can be considered a spoiler.Freaks is more than just a paranoia thriller.
There’s a dash of X-Men and a large dose of Tim Kring’s. The challenge here involves transitioning an overly cryptic first act into an action-packed plot involving super-powered outcasts who are hunted by the military and forced to hide from the rest of humanity. Yes, Freaks is another superhero origin story, but judging by the plot synopsis, the trailer, the poster, or any of the other form of marketing, you would be forgiven for not knowing these details. By the time those superheroic moments come, we are invested in the characters, and no matter how familiar its tropes are, Freaks never ceases to be thoroughly engaging. It helps that Zach Lipovsky and Adam B Stein show a good understanding of how children think and behave, keeping our young heroine believable while gradually filling in the blanks as to what’s happening in the world around her.Freaks is a superhero movie that is grounded in reality. Yes, characters can control minds, freeze time, teleport, turn invisible, and fly, but their abilities are mainly kept in the background, allowing the family drama to take center stage.
The story unfolds in ways that make its characters seem much more ‘human’ despite their special abilities. And like X-Men or Heroes, Freaks is upfront about its thematic focus on diversity, discrimination, and persecution. It taps into current paranoia about immigrants, people of color, and various minorities (under the guise of the mutant ‘abnormals’ or ‘freaks’) who have become victims and targets across the United States. It certainly isn’t overtly political, but the metaphor is there nonetheless. Beyond the sci-fi and horror, Freaks is really a movie about coming of age.
Lexy Kolker (best known as young Robin in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.) is a natural performer, easily holding her own against the older actors. Her performance couldn’t be any more authentic, and despite being surrounded by an experienced cast, she pretty much carries the weight of the film on her tiny shoulders.Freaks is a superb thriller that breathes new life into the genre and makes the most of its confined setting, modest budget, and an outstanding cast. The first half is rewardingly claustrophobic, keeping its focus tight on the characters and keeping secrets locked down, all while teasing at whatever disasters may loom outside. The second half is touching, action-packed, and spectacular. Sometimes messy but mostly effective, Freaks gives most Marvel movies a run for their money.– Ricky DEditor’s Note: This review was originally published on July 29, 2019, as part of our coverage of the.
This guy exists. You see him at just about every Comic-Con, at celebrity book signings or personal appearances, and at film festival Q&As. You also see him around certain sections of New York and Los Angeles, and get the impression that he chose to visit or live in that particular city for no reason other than the chance for celebrity sightings. And yes, you see him on the Internet, personalizing all of the worst traits of fandom. However, is none of those things. When the comic book shop he frequents hosts a signing with his favorite horror movie star, Moose makes a fool of himself. This leads him to a full-fledged campaign of stalking, with the help of a star maps app and a young paparazzo named Leah (Ana Golja), who appears to be Moose’s only friend.
This isn’t Travolta’s greatest work by any stretch, but he succeeds at what he set out to do, which is come across as creepy and unsettling. Devon Sawa, best known for Final Destination and other ’90s movies, also has some fun with the role of the movie star.However, there are a few things here that don’t quite work.
The movie does not say whether Moose is on the autism spectrum — although it’s somewhat hinted that he may be — and if he is, it’s not exactly a positive moment of representation for the autistic community. There’s also a subplot involving a dead body that’s handled awkwardly; it happens, and then the script ignores it for a long stretch in order to address things with lower stakes. In addition, the use of voiceover narration is silly and unnecessary, while the subplot involving the young paparazzo makes little sense. There’s not much explanation for why she would put up with Moose, and the role is cast with an actress who’s twenty-three but looks more like a teenager.The film also provides a version of Los Angeles that’s bland beyond recognition (probably because the film was shot mostly in Birmingham, Alabama). The location substitution isn’t quite as egregious as Travolta’s 2018 New York mob debacle, Gotti, being shot in Cincinnati, but it’s in the same ballpark. As for Fred Durst, making his third film as a director, he can’t resist the temptation to include his own music — and also characters praising said music.Ultimately, The Fanatic is reminiscent of The Fan (both versions), Misery, Big Fan, and other cinematic examinations of fandom-run-amok, but it gives an even creepier air to the proceedings.
Though it isn’t likely to end up on a lot of top ten lists this year (and in fact the early reviews are notably brutal), The Fanatic does offer recent cinema’s most realistic view of a certain type of Comic-Con creature. With the news that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige will no longer produce any upcoming Spider-Man films, the character will now be removed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony had been essentially lending the web-slinger out to the MCU for various projects whilst also producing their own films, but negotiations broke down when Disney asked for a larger share of the profits in future; Sony, however, confident in their ability to make their Spider-Verse successful on its own, declined the request.Whilst nothing is clear-cut as of yet — the ball does seem to be firmly in Disney’s court — it is odd timing for the deal to dissolve.
With all three MCU films released this year (including ) crossing a billion dollars at the box office, the idea that either party would be willing to let go, whether creatively or financially, the benefits of sharing arguably one of the most popular superheroes of all time, is a bizarre notion. Disney allegedly offered to co-produce future solo installments, thus making their request for more money a little clearer; but whilst it’s obvious that they won’t suffer financially, they will be creatively constrained by a now-missing Spider-Man, and will have to perform mental contortions in order to explain his lack of presence without actually referring to the character himself.Take, for example, the Avengers films. Spider-Man has appeared in the last two mass-superhero movies, in quite substantial roles (especially in Infinity War). In, he is the tipping point for Tony Stark’s decision to help the rest of the team with their time-heist; Stark is burdened with guilt over Peter’s role in the previous film, and his declaration of having “lost the kid” is telling in the protectiveness he feels over his surrogate son. Going forward, any Avengers who don’t call upon Spidey to fight the good fight feels like a betrayal to Iron Man, the MCU’s previous linchpin, and one only has to look at the pride on Peter’s face when he is knighted an Avenger by Stark to know what it means to the younger hero. To ignore his existence feels like trying to forget your younger sibling exists so that you don’t have to look after him. Awkward, but the work may be more difficult for Sony.
Spider-Man is one of the few franchises that they have, and probably the only one still making money ( Ghostbusters did little box office in 2016, as did Men in Black International). Despite the confidence in the ability of their extended universe outside of the MCU to hold the interest of a general audience, their only example is the box office of last year’s Tom Hardy-starring Venom, and that could remain an anomaly for the studio. It’s hard to imagine that, say, The Amazing Spider-Man 4 would be reaching the billion-dollar success of Far From Home.And if Disney has to bend over backwards to explain a lack of the character in their future films, then Sony will have to dislocate and re-adjust their entire anatomy. With the now-deceased Tony Stark so inextricably linked to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, the idea of him never mentioning his mentor and father figure again is a stretch, to say the least — not to mention the fact that he and his Aunt May were turned to dust for five years following the events of. The emotional beats of the Holland-era Spidey are ingrained in the MCU, evident in, and particularly Far From Home.It is, in fact, the entire backbone of the latter. Bequeathed Tony’s (frankly quite hideous) sunglasses, Peter Parker is left with a note which reads “To the next Tony Stark, I trust you.” Tony means to leave his legacy with Peter, and to have that ripped away so prematurely feels undermining to the ultimate sacrifice of Iron Man. To go from a Spider-Man film dealing with the ramifications of losing one of the people with whom he is closest to a film in which one has to pretend that said relationship is done and dusted (no pun intended) will likely give even the most casual of fans whiplash.
And to have a cinematic universe in which Peter Parker never mentions Tony Stark again is liking watching Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy without anyone ever mentioning Uncle Ben.Putting aside the financials of these blockbuster movies, it’s clear that the problem with potentially removing an entire character from a clearly established cinematic universe is creatively damaging. Previously, Sony has made good Spider Man films without the MCU (currently about 50/50 in terms of quality), and Disney were eight years into their extended universe before Spidey was even introduced; but fans have come to know and love this iteration of Spider-Man, and Holland is conceivably the most popular web-head on screen yet. Feeling like a mistake made by both companies, the carefully planned and often emotionally charged storytelling made in the past three years could wind up feeling like a waste to some.
This split may simply be public negotiations, and by next week Spidey could be back in the MCU, but right now, this feels like a slap in the face for fans of the franchise. At times a disorienting mix of sobering terror and pulpy ‘demon movie’ conventions, the internal struggle Belzebuth wages over how to tackle a genre that is starting to feel ancient is evident early on. However, a script that is constantly on the run from the devil’s workshop keeps things fast and fresh, and ultimately manages to hold a fractured soul intact long enough to provide some supernatural thrills with hints of an Exorcist-meets vibe.That may sound odd at first (and it is), as Belzebuth starts out more grounded. After a tragic (and horrifying) incident years earlier that cost him him his newborn son — and ultimately, his wife — detective Emmanuel Ritter is assigned to a mass shooting at a Mexican elementary school that has been perpetrated by a young boy.
The sickening slaughter drudges up old nightmares, but when an American investigator for some sort of Vatican paranormal agency shows up and starts getting strange readings from the crime scene that may connect it to other mass attacks on children in the area, Ritter soon finds himself in pursuit of an ex-communicated priest who might be either the cause or the solution. While the pair tries to find out exactly what the evil force behind this carnage is after, they head down a road toward confrontation with demons both outside and in.Along the journey, Belzebuth showcases plenty of creepy religious paraphernalia, white-eyed possessions, requisite talks about faith, a smattering of Ghost Hunter technobabble, and a John Connor-like figure who just might be a future savior of humanity — if he can survive. There are also more imaginative elements that definitely have a little more fun with the subject matter, occasionally dipping their toes into levels of goofiness, such as with possessed pieces of cloth that suffocate and drag struggling victims into dark corridors, or a clever scene with a statue that comes to life which simultaneously tempts and taunts. In these moments, Belzebuth is a rollicking good time, one of those horror movies that will leave audiences smiling.However, the film also depicts some uncomfortably shocking events that involve the deaths of multiple children, which at times can work against the more fantastical atmosphere that the rest of the film seems to be going for. These scenes are mostly front-loaded, giving the impression early on that Belzbuth is going to be darkly dramatic — a chilling examination of the nature of evil that is often hard to look at. Despite showing restraint when it comes to gore (which smartly helps his cause), director Emilio Portes doesn’t sugarcoat the callous wickedness of the atrocities in the slightest, presenting realistic scenarios that often hit a little too close to home.
These sequences are skillfully assembled so as not to sensationalize the horror, and are highly effective at getting the audience’s attention. So much so that when Belzebuth introduces the paranormal CSI team, who deliver lengthy tangents about high-speed cameras that record ghost sounds, or shine magic lights that illuminate ethereal hand prints while cracking wise, it can be a bit jarring. What kind of movie is this now? What had felt like it was going to be a slow, methodical boil now glosses over explanatory exposition as if impatient to get to the gooey parts. Gone is the clinical investigation of cold, heartless attacks, and in its place we get a demon tornado in a fortune teller’s house, an apocalyptic priest covered in symbolic ink, an eerie baby buggy, and an abridged — but still shrieky and messy — exorcism.Belzebuth isn’t always pretty in its pursuit of a fresh take on the demon movie, but the result is nonetheless compelling.One would think that these spirits don’t mesh, and it’s hard to argue in the various moments where disparate atmospheres meet that the transition is smooth. But Belzebuth nevertheless somehow pulls off the switch, segueing with such sincerity and craft that it’s difficult not to be pulled along. Portes gets all that pesky mystical dialogue out of the way as quickly as possible (except when a wizened, magnetic Tobin Bell is wheezing it out), and makes sure to pick up the pace; the faster things go, the crazier they get, the less questions asked.
And before you know it, the film has turned from the investigative dread inspired by a Seven –like terror on the loose, into a thrilling (if sometimes clumsy) escape from an unstoppable force bent on finding and killing the one hope for mankind’s future.In addition to Portes’ mostly steady hand at the helm, Belzebuth‘s ultimate success is greatly aided by an earthy cast capable of hitting whatever the script throws at them. Anchoring the proceedings is Joaqin Cosio as Ritter, whose weathered face, large frame, and lumbering gait is perfect for a man fighting his own disbelief (“In Mexico, even atheists are believers.”). His skepticism is countered by Tate Ellington’s wiry ghostbuster, hunting his supernatural perps with the measured enthusiasm of a Catholic G-Man. Tobin’s priest rounds these two out by lending an authoritative air to a mythology that is never quite sure of itself; if he says something, well, it must be true. A special mention must also be made for Jose Sefami, whose sympathetic sidekick detective comes across as a caring outsider always trying to find his way in. His quietly powerful performance will likely stick with viewers long after the sputtering oaths, holy water burns, and levitation has faded.These people are champs, effortlessly gliding between the chilling and thrilling, even when their script stumbles in its demands. Because of their efforts, and the sharp filmmaking by Portes, audiences are never at a loss for reasons to keep watching.
Belzebuth isn’t always pretty in its pursuit of a fresh take on the demon movie, but the result is nonetheless compelling.releases on Shudder August 29th.