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Devil May Cry is an adult animated urban dark fantasy political thriller action anime series created by Adi Shankar and Alex Larsen. Based on the popular Japanese video game franchise of the same name developed by Capcom, the Netflix series follows Dante, a supernatural mercenary who is hunted by a government agency working for Vice President William Baines to protect the world from a terrorist known as the White Rabbit, who wants to open the gates hell. Devil May Cry’s voice cast includes Johnny Yong Bosch, Scout Taylor-Compton, Hoon Lee, and Chris Coppola. So, if you loved the intense action, thrilling drama, breathtaking visuals, and compelling characters in Devil May Cry, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Devil May Cry: The Animated Series (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Wowow TV

Devil May Cry:...

Fans of the Bleach anime series are in for a treat next month. Part 3 of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War English dub is set to be released for streaming in its entirety, matching the already-existing subtitled version of the show.

Those who prefer Bleach's English dub over the sub can already watch several episodes of the Thousand-Year Blood War anime's Season 3, but for fans looking forward to watching the third cour entirely in English dub in one sitting, then early February is the time to do it. North American streaming service Hulu is slated to drop the rest of the season on Feb. 1, 2025, also giving newer anime viewers the perfect excuse to start a Bleach: Tybw binge-watch.

Related Today Is an Unexpectedly Good Day for One Piece Fans

One Piece fans are treated to a sudden surprise as Toei Animation releases an original anime episode featuring Luffy and Law.

Anime has rapidly become one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, naturally leading many to wonder what the best anime for beginners are. The medium has a long and storied history, with some series quite difficult for new viewers to get into due to references to other anime, cultural differences, and quirks of the medium.

However, just because some anime might be difficult to understand for new viewers, doesn't mean all anime are. The best anime for beginners cover universal themes in a way that any viewer should be able to get behind. These series range from action to romance to thrillers to comedy, meaning that there should be a wide variety of anime available to fit any one person's tastes.

Bleach 2006 Anime Series by Studio Pierrot

Bleach

Bleach is a popular anime created by Tite Kubo. The franchise started as a Japanese manga series. Ichigo...

The popular Bleach anime commemorates 20 years since its premiere with an unlikely new animated addition from Foot Locker, revealing Asics' new Bleach sneaker collaboration.

Foot Locker unveiled a special animated trailer commemorating the release of the newly released Asics x Bleach sneakers collection, featuring the Gt-2160 for Ichigo Kurosaki and Gel-nyc for Renji Abarai. In stereotypical anime fashion, Foot Locker employees are sent to a new world where they become Soul Reapers, fending off Hollows in their new sneakers. Readers can check it out below.

Related International One Piece Fans Can "Re-Enact Roronoa Zoro's Three Sword Style" in New Bandai Release

One Piece fans will soon be able to master the blade thanks to the upcoming anime collectible set based on Roronoa Zoro’s famous three swords.

Bleach Celebrates the First Anime's 20th Anniversary in Style With New Asics Shoe Release

The blade is me âš”ï¸The all-new Asics...

Shonen anime are marketed toward a young male audience, and those stories tend to follow precocious heroes and focus on adventure and battle. If there are any romances, they tend to be a subplot, at best. There are some exceptions, like InuYasha, where the plot is driven by a few romances.

Male love interests in shonen anime vary in personalities and character types. Some are pale-haired kuuderes with cool and polite exteriors, and deep emotional interiors. Some are explosive tsunderes, like the reformed villainous prince Vegeta, who can always be relied on for entertaining drama, especially if their love interest is nearby.

Renji Is an Unlike but Perfect Romantic Counterpart for Rukia in Bleach Renji & Rukia Have a Childhood Friends to Lovers Romance Arc

So many Bleach fans were disappointed when Rukia ended up with Renji instead of Ichigo, but Renji is the best person for Rukia. Rukia does have good chemistry with Ichigo,...

The following contains spoilers for various manga/anime franchises.

The new Bleach anime has introduced the most powerful and consequential villain yet, King Yhwach. He is the leader and father of all Quincy, and he's the one who aims to topple the Soul King to create a new world order where the Quincy tribe may live in peace. That calls for some strong leadership and tactical skills, and Yhwach delivers, leading the charge to defeat the Royal Guard before absorbing the Soul King himself. Yhwach's simple but effective master plan has paid off, and he's on the cusp of ultimate victory.

King Yhwach is clearly a crafty villain who knows what he's doing, but he's still not the smartest, most ingenious anime antagonists fans have ever seen. Plenty of villains in other anime are even more brilliant than Yhwach, crafting mind-bending schemes that keep the heroes guessing until the very end.

The story of Bleach has presented its final supervillain: King Yhwach, the father of all Quincy and the leader of the Wandenreich. He has already established himself as an enormous threat to Ichigo Kurosaki and the Soul Reapers, invading the Soul Society and butchering countless Soul Reapers en route to his ultimate goal, slaying the Soul King to collapse the three worlds back into one. Those are some serious stakes, but despite the danger, Yhwach is still halfway sympathetic, since he wants to create a world where the Quincy tribe may belong.

That doesn't fully justify what Yhwach is doing, but it does take the edge off his villainy, since rather few villains fight for the sake of others. So, while Yhwach is still a monster who needs to be taken down, anime fans may agree that a handful of other anime villains are definitely more evil than Yhwach, no...

When Bleach made its exciting comeback in 2022, everyone talked about the fan reactions to the series. However, what went unnoticed for the most part was how the cast and crew felt about returning to Bleach after a decade. Opposed to how fans experience anime characters from a far-off perspective, the voice actors actually get to live them.

Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper in Bleach | Credits: Studio Pierrot Co. Ltd

It gives them a closer view, and the Bleach voice actors once pointed out some great points about Ichigo’s character during an interview. Derek Stephen Prince, the English voice actor of Uryu Ishida, shared what he felt would make Ichigo’s character even more interesting. As great as his suggestion was, it can’t be changed even if Tite Kubo tried it himself.

Uryu’s Voice Actor Shared His Wish for Ichigo’s Character

The English dub actors for Bazz-b...

Major sneaker brand Puma and iconic Shonen Jump series Bleach are joining forces for an exclusive sneaker collection combining fashion and anime. The drop commemorates the first animes 20th anniversary, releasing two designs inspired by fan-favorite characters Ichigo Kurosaki and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

Releasing for sale on Nov. 15, 2024, the collection gives its two most iconic sneaker silhouettes a Bleach-themed restyling, along with other apparel options. The Ichigo-inspired Palermo pair channels the character's fiery personality -- and matching hair color -- with its eye-catching orange laces, which get an extra pop against the shoe's black leather base. It's an unmistakably Ichigo tribute, made all the more emphatic by the sneaker's graphic of the character himself. Meanwhile, the Delphin sneakers sport flame graphics across a black-and-white leather body. The fire design is blue, just like Grimmjow's hair, and a smokey black Formstrip adds to the apparel's intense, Grimmjow-appropriate aesthetic. Both shoes feature suede detailing,...

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Part 3 has returned for the Fall 2024 anime season and is making a huge buzz online. Despite the long-anxious 10 years of delay, Ichigo’s comeback was met with positive feedback, earning widespread applause for its improved animation and refined picture quality. Tybw focuses on the conflict between the Soul Society and the Wandenreich, a hidden Quincy faction.

Yhwach from Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War | Credit: Studio Pierrot

After Sōsuke Aizen’s defeat, Yhwach sees an opportunity to reshape the Soul Society and eliminate the Soul King. Yhwach goes by many names—Your Majesty, Father of the Quincy, Emperor of the Wandenreich. Yhwach is the primary antagonist of the Tybw arc and one of the most terrifying villains in the Bleach storyline.

The resurgence of the rivalry between Soul Reapers and Quincy has surprised fans, earning widespread applause from the fandom. Interestingly, Uryu’s English voice actor recently...

The anime medium has grown tremendously during the past few decades, but over this period of time, one thing has remained constant: the sheer popularity of the shonen genre. Thanks to iconic series like Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and Jujutsu Kaisen, the genre gained more and more fans, spawning a variety of beloved episodes along the way. Shonen's emphasis on action-driven plots means that, more often than not, the best episodes of these titles coincide with peak conflicts of their respective series.

Pinpointing the best episode in shonen history can be a difficult task, as the genre spans several decades, many different iconic franchises, and a widespread variety of subject matter. That said, there are a select number of episodes whose critical value is undeniable, resulting in the best that the shonen genre has to offer.

Related 10 Shonen Anime Heroes Who Overstayed Their Welcome

Some shonen heroes shine in small doses,...

Rivalry has always been an important aspect of character relationships in Bleach. Ichigo Kurosaki's earliest rival is Uryu Ishida. While Uryu introduced himself with competition, the two of them ended up of as staunch allies and friends. In the past, Uryu was one of Ichigo's most reliable friends. However, during the Thousand Year Blood War, Uryu's allegiance changed. He's declared himself loyal to Yhwach and has now fought Ichigo directly.

In Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War the Conflict arc, Episode 4 "The Betrayer", Ichigo and Uryu are pit against each other in more than just battle. Uryu claims he is motivated by the need to avenge his grandfather, whereas Yhwach criticizes Ichigo for not being fueled by revenge. This distinction is going to determine where these characters go in the future of the series, especially because Uryu now realizes Ichigo is also a Quincy.

Uryu Says He Wants to Avenge...

After its haphazard ending, none of the Bleach fans anticipated its comeback. With Thousand-Year Blood War’s premiere in 2022, the series marked its iconic return. This holds especially true with the anime’s ten-year hiatus. The break culminated from the mangaka’s poor health. The series’ return was shocking to most fans, especially this Va.

Ichigo Kurosaki in a still from the series | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Derek Stephen Prince, who voices Uryu Ishida, was excited for the sequel. The voice actor revealed his surprise at the series’ return. This makes sense considering the events that led to the rushed ending. The declining popularity and mangaka’s health were attributed to that. However, the sequel is a complete upgrade in every sense.

Bleach Va shared his thoughts regarding the series’ sequel

Bleach is one of the most celebrated and loved anime among the big three of Shonen. Despite being the weakest it reigns supreme,...

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War has been a rebirth of the series in a sense. Not only did it remind otakus of the power of one of the Shonen Big Three, but it also brought Tite Kubo to the spotlight once again. Regardless to say, every cast and staff was involved in the re-awakening.

The English dub of Bleach is often considered elite and served as the entry point to anime for many. However, one voice actor admitted to the unbelievable. They had no idea of the series back when the recording had just begun.

Voice Actor of Uryu Ishida Admits to Not Reading Bleach Uryu Ishida in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War | Credits: Studio Pierrot

In an interview, Derek Stephen Prince, the voice actor of Uryu Ishida in Bleach, admitted that back when he was cast to voice the character in the original anime, he did not do his prior research.

The wait is finally over! The third season of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has released its first episode, sending waves of excitement throughout the anime world. With a rating of 9.7 from a major community poll, this episode even topped the insane amount of hype for Dandadan (9.3).

Uryu Ishida from the Bleach series | Credits: Studio Pierrot

In the 2024 Anime Expo, the Anime Corner Team was able to get an exclusive interview with the voice actors from the Bleach English cast, Derek Stephen Prince and Xander Mobus. Prince voices Uryu Ishida, while Mobus takes on the roles of Bazz B and Quilge Opie. They went into deep analysis regarding their journey in Bleach, highlighting how they were able to get this dream job.

Mobus Was Born To Play The Role of Bass B & Quilge Quilge Opie from the Bleach series | Credits: Studio Pierrot

Xander Mobus himself admits that, for the English cast...

While it is considered the weakest among the big 3 of Shonen, Bleach is impeccable in many aspects. From its soundtrack to the storyline, Tite Kubo’s magnum opus is excellent. After its 10-year-long hiatus, the series made its comeback through its sequel in 2022. Although it marked the return of several iconic characters, a shocking revelation would blatantly disappoint Kubo.

Ichigo Kurosaki in a still from the series | Credit: Studio Pierrot

Derek Stephen Prince, Uryu Ishida’s voice actor, revealed his lack of research in an interview. His reasons behind doing so would completely surprise the mangaka. Moreover, the series’ return in 2022 was a complete game-changer both for the voice actor and his character.

This Bleach actor admitted to his lack of research.

From its power-packed battles to its gore and violence, Bleach is on par with its Big 3 contemporaries. What sets it apart from other Shonen series is its approach to taboo themes.

As anime fans worldwide celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bleach, a special commemorative video has been released that has reignited discussions about the beloved anime's potential for a remake. The recent video, which is fully animated with high-quality art and updated character designs, shows the amazing advancements in animation technology since the original series aired. This nostalgic video has many fans dreaming of what a modernized Bleach could look like, especially considering the stunning animation of the current Thousand-Year Blood War arc.

The original Bleach series holds a special place in the hearts of many anime fans. It is an anime that blends action, comedy, and deep themes that have gained a huge following. With Bleach's return through the Thousand-Year Blood War, the recently released 20th anniversary video gives fans a glimpse of just how stunning a modern adaptation could be. The mix of nostalgic themes with cutting-edge animation...

One of the most unique elements of Bleach is the Zanpakuto, as well as its two release states: the Shikai and the Bankai. However, in some cases, it hasn't been clear just what exactly the difference is between these two states, and what separates a Bankai from a Shikai. Fortunately, Tite Kubo had a fantastic answer that succintly explains the difference.

In Bleach, every Soul Reaper has a Zanpakuto, a special sword with a soul that is bonded to one person alone. Most Soul Reapers are capable of utilizing the power-up known as Shikai, which allows them to utilize any special abilities the sword might have. Far fewer Soul Reapers have access to Bankai, a different style of release which is far more powerful than Shikai, generally speaking. But what makes a certain release a Bankai, and not a Shikai?

Tite Kubo's answer reflects not only the nature of Zanpakuto,...

The return of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is highly anticipated, with Uryu's defection adding intrigue to the Quincy villain group. Derek Stephen Prince's evolution in understanding his character, Uryu, highlights the importance of research and character development over time. The overarching theme of friendship and perseverance in Bleach resonates with the actors and fans, emphasizing the value of unity and not giving up.

Ever since the last episode of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War aired, fans have been hyped for the series' return with Part 3. With Ichigo's friend Uryu defecting to the villainous Quincy, interest in the villain group has been building. Given this, we sat down with Uryu's English voice actor, Derek Stephen Prince, and Bazz B voice actor Xander Mobus to talk about Bleach's legacy and what sets the Quincy apart from past villain groups in Bleach.

Picking up where the original Bleach anime ended, Thousand-Year...

Owing to its enormous popularity, Bleach earned its spot in the Big Three of Shonen anime along with One Piece and Naruto. After airing for eight long years, Bleach captivated a vast audience thanks to its splendid narrative following the story of Shinigami and Hollows.

Not to forget that the fandom was stunned after witnessing the epic clash between Ichigo and the most popular antagonist, Aizen. Despite the long list of 366 episodes, the series was the first of the Big 3 to conclude, leaving fans eagerly anticipating its return. Nonetheless, Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War announcement took the entire internet by storm.

Ichigo wearing the Hollow mask (Image via Tite Kubo/Shueisha)

The news of Bleach returning after eight years made fans go berserk, and the franchise didn’t disappoint the fandom’s high expectations. Apart from the viewers, Tite Kubo also received tons of tribute from fellow manga creators for the anime’s return.

Cbr Anime Week is brought to you by Hulu Animayhem

Anime Expo 2024 kicked off on July 4, bringing together thousands of excited anime fans -- and cosplayers -- from around the globe. Day 2 saw the arrival of "Chainsaw Woman" -- an amazingly detailed rendition of Denji, Chainsaw Man's iconic protagonist.

On X (formerly Twitter), a user known as Nikko (or @ChainsawNikko) showcased a short video of the incredible costume on their page. Just like their namesake, Chainsaw Woman's cosplay features three prominent blood-soaked blades, along with Denji's large, fang-toothed grin. Her white shirt and tie are likewise splattered with "blood," creating a gruesome sight to behold. They also lean into Denji's ruthless persona. During a brief, comedic exchange, Nikko asks them how they would fare in a Waffle House battle against 1,000 opponents. "I think I will take everybody down. I think that would be easy," they reply confidently. "I mean these saws are tough.

There are dozens of characters in Bleach, and several of these characters have siblings. For example, Orihime had an older brother who became a Hollow. That being said, neither of them are exceptionally powerful. Some of the strongest Bleach siblings happen to be Soul Reapers, and most of them are Lieutenant-level or higher. There are also Arrancar and Quincy siblings, who are fairly strong as well.

In most cases, the older sibling is stronger, but there are instances where the younger sibling is more powerful. One sibling pair is not even related by blood, but they would die in order to protect one another. Those adopted siblings are now two of Soul Society's strongest Captains. There are also some non-canon siblings that happen to be strong.

Your browser does not support the video tag. Isane & Kiyone Now Run Squad Four Members Of Kotetsu Family

Character Name

Debut

Main Power

Japanese...

Masashi Kishimoto took the time to introduce and establish every single character in Naruto. Regardless of their importance to the story, they came and went. Overstaying one’s welcome would become a pain considering just how many characters the series actually has. This tedious yet patient process came to fruition with characters who were liked by the fans unanimously.

A young Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga | Credit: Studio Pierrot

The variety of characters all stand uniquely and individually in the powers they use, how they look, and even their personalities. It can take a lot of effort to come up with so many different varieties of people and still make sure they stand out. One such character, who also happened to be liked by fans a lot, was Shino Aburame. However, his fate wasn’t so kind, not tragic, just unkind.

Naruto Puts Aside a Character with Big Potential

Shino...

Throughout the Naruto series, shinobi have been divided into a unit of three people, with a Jonin leader at the top, commanding them. Distributed on the basis of their skills and to maintain balance throughout the unit, the teams are often sent on various missions, the difficulty of which usually depends on their skill and ninja rank.

This ninja system, while more prominent in Konoha, has also been adopted throughout the five nations. Each generation of shinobi has produced some great teams which have left their mark on history. Some of them have done so through their deeds in battle, while others have gone on to inherit powerful positions in their village.

Updated on April 28th, 2024 by Sage Ashford: Naruto's shinobi teams are one of the main things that separate the series from other ninja anime. Viewers love getting to see how different combinations of ninja interact and learn how to work together.

The following contains spoilers for Bleach.

The shonen anime series Bleach features plenty of powerhouse characters, such as Soul Reapers and Arrancars, but these fighters are not all strong in the same way. Some Bleach warriors are powerful because they have formidable abilities and techniques at their disposal, almost like natural talent. They may be deadly, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're skilled. In fact, some powerful Bleach fighters seem to coast on their talents and don't bother to develop skills such as swordplay and martial arts.

Meanwhile, the most skilled and overall best fighters in Bleach are those who use years or even decades of training to become effective warriors, and that's actually more impressive than a character who relies mainly on an Op technique to crush their enemies. Bleach fans can easily see which characters are the best, most skilled fighters based on their special moves, their sharp battlefield intuition,...

The following contains Bleach spoilers.

There are plenty of things that make Tite Kubo's hit series Bleach such a joy to read or watch, from the series' supernatural combat system and partial isekai elements to its great humor and, most of all, its delightful cast of characters. As a "Big Three" shonen title, Bleach boasts some legendary characters that are fondly remembered to this day, and the characters often play off each other in fascinating, humorous, dramatic and thematic ways.

The characters in Bleach can be categorized and sorted in a few ways, such as heroes vs. villains, their tribe, or even their world of origin since they come from not just one but four distinct realms. That helps make Bleach's cast more varied and colorful than ever, and they are a pleasure for new fans to meet.

The Heroes of Karakura Town Close

Character Name

Debut Episode...

Shout! Studios and Toei Animation have announced a new agreement that will see the 2023 Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning anime film released by the aforementioned distributor across North America. The film will be released on digital and physical formats later this year, and both companies will also work together on pre-release activities. The English dub produced by Toei Animation specifically for the U.S. theatrical run held in November 2023 will be included in the forthcoming release and features Brian Donovan, Jeannie Tirado, Bryce Papenbrook, Tara Sands, Johnny Yong Bosch and Derek Stephen Prince, among others. Related: Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning Anime Film Heads to U.S. Theaters Tomohisa Taguchi is the director of Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning , reprising his role from Last Evolution Kizuna with Akatsuki Yamatoya also returning to pen the script. The animation was produced at Yumeta Company with Toei Animation acting as producer. The film...

Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning is a highly anticipated film that is set to be released in theaters in America in the coming weeks. The opening scene of the film features a mysterious egg appearing over Tokyo Tower, causing electronic devices to go haywire and broadcasting an odd message. The film takes place after the events of the original series and follows the main cast as they receive a text summoning them to Davis's ramen restaurant.

Digimon Adventure 02 is coming back with a bang! The long awaited film, Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning, is on its way to theaters in America in the next few weeks. In anticipation, Toei has released the first four minutes of the film to whet our appetites with. The film opens up with a mysterious egg appearing over Tokyo Tower. Everything electronic is going crazy as onlookers take pictures of the mysterious phenomenon. A...

Martin Scorsese will receive the prestigious Eva Monley Award from the Location Managers Guild International (Lmgi).

Considered one of the most prominent and influential filmmakers working today, Scorsese will receive the prestigious Eva Monley Award at its 9th Annual Lmgi Awards, set for Aug. 27 at the Los Angeles Center Studios.

The awards ceremony and dinner will honor more than 50 years of Scorsese’s extraordinary award-winning work. The announcement was made by John Rakich, Lmgi President and Committee Chair of this year’s Lmgi Awards.

“We are so proud to be able to honor Martin Scorsese, a master of cinema whose work has inspired generations of filmmakers, delighted fans around the world and made the work of his Location Managers shine on the screen,” said Rakich.

Art Directors Guild Sets 2023 Awards Timeline

The Art Directors Guild has set its awards timeline for 2023.

The awards will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel...

Straw Dogs

Blu-ray

Criterion

1971 / 1:85 / Street Date June 27, 2017

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Susan George

Cinematography: John Coquillon

Film Editors: Paul Davies, Tony Lawson, Roger Spottiswoode

Written by David Zelag Goodman and Sam Peckinpah

Produced by Daniel Melnick

Music: Jerry Fielding

Directed by Sam Peckinpah

Adrift from civilization, an attractive young couple find themselves threatened, assaulted, and eventually compelled to defend themselves in a bloody showdown. That is the basic premise of Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs, released in 1971 and inspired by some of the same movies then crowding the legendary dives of 42nd street. On its surface Straw Dogs is pure exploitation but its lasting power resides in Peckinpah’s transformation of those visceral grindhouse cliches into an appalling examination of human nature.

Straw Dogs begins with the seemingly benign introduction of David Sumner, a young man with an even younger wife, arriving in a tiny hamlet in the north of England,...

By Darren Allison

Attending a film festival in the mid-seventies, Sam Peckinpah was once questioned about how the studios regularly bastardised his vision, his intension and more specifically, if he would ever be able to make a ''pure Peckinpah'' picture. He replied, '’I did 'Alfredo Garcia' and I did it exactly the way I wanted to. Good or bad, like it or not, that was my film.''

The overall narrative for Alfredo Garcia is neither complicated nor convoluted. Warren Oates plays Bennie, a simple pianist residing in a squalid barroom in Mexico. He is approached by two no-nonsense Americans (Robert Webber and Gig Young) who are attempting to track down Alfredo Garcia. The womanising Garcia is the man responsible for the pregnancy of Theresa (Janine Maldonado) the teenage daughter of a powerful Mexican boss El Jefe (Emilio Fernández). In a display of power, El Jefe offers...

Stars: Akira Terao, Martin Scorsese, Mieko Harada, Mitsuko Baisho | Written by Akira Kurosawa | Directed by Akira Kurosawa, Ishiro Honda

Made in 1990, in the twilight of his career, this is the kind of out-there movie that only an auteur of Akira Kurosawa’s status could have brought (or had financed) to fruition. He had help from some American cineaste buddies like Steven Spielberg (producing) and Martin Scorsese (lending his acting skills and a ginger wig); but the result is something steeped almost entirely in Japanese culture, its history and traditions.

Dreams is structured as a series of brief chapters, each based on one of Kurosawa’s own dreams. It’s an approach that at once seems chaotic: half-formed vignettes with no connective tissue. But at the end of its two-hour runtime, the linking themes coalesce in the mind. In short, this is a heartfelt cry about the threat of industrialisation upon rural Japanese life.

With a career spanning 50 years and over 30 feature films, legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was an auteur all his very own. Best known for samurai epics like Seven Samurai, Kurosawa’s career featured ventures into noir (High and Low), crime drama (Rashomon) and even war epic (Dersu Uzala), but few of his films were as decidedly singular as one of his most grand and deeply personal works.

Entitled Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (at least how it’s billed on the Criterion Collection website), this sumptuous epic is admittedly an oddity in the Kurosawa canon. Narratively, the film is broken down into eight varied vignettes, all of which drawn directly from actual dreams had by the film’s director. Rooted heavily in Japanese culture and folklore, Dreams takes us from small scale stories like that of a young boy getting caught in the middle of a forest-set fox wedding, to the apocalyptic...

If anybody’s dreams are interesting, Akira Kurosawa’s should be, and this late career fantasy is a consistently rewarding string of morality tales and visual essays that pop off the screen. Some of the imagery has input from the famed Ishiro Honda.

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 842

1990 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 120 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 15, 2016 / 39.95

Starring Mieko Harada, Mitsunori Isaki, Toshihiko Nakano, Yoshitaka Zushi, Hisashi Igawa, Chosuke, Chishu Ryu, Martin Scorsese, Masayuki Yui.

Cinematography Takao Saito, Shoji Ueda

Film Editor Tome Minami

Original Music Sinichiro Ikebe

Creative Consultant ishiro Honda

Visual Effects Supervisors Ken Ralston, Mark Sullivan

Produced by Hisao Kurosawa, Mike Y. Inoue

Written and Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

At the twilight of his career, after some episodes of career frustration and instability, Akira Kurosawa hit a high note with the epic costume dramas Kagemusha and Ran.

Guns! Guns! Guns! John Milius' rootin' tootin' bio of the most famous of the '30s bandits has plenty of good things to its credit, especially its terrific, funny cast, topped by the unlikely star Warren Oates. The battles between Dillinger's team of all-star bank robbers and Ben Johnson's G-Man aren't neglected, as Milius savors every gun recoil and Tommy gun blast. Dillinger Blu-ray + DVD Arrow Video U.S. 1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 107 min. / Street Date April 26, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Michelle Phillips, Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, Geoffrey Lewis, John Ryan, Richard Dreyfuss, Steve Kanaly, John Martino, Roy Jenson, Frank McRae. Cinematography Jules Brenner Special Effects A.D. Flowers, Cliff Wenger Edited by Fred R. Feitshans, Jr. Original Music Barry De Vorzon Produced by Buzz Feitshans Written and Directed by John Milius

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

There it was in the dentist's office, an article in either...

Justin Bieber may have turned over a new leaf, but not everyone got the memo ... because TMZ has learned a guy filed a police report ... claiming he was decked by security just for snapping a pic. Steven Prince tells TMZ he was at Fluxx, a San Diego nightclub, Sunday to watch T.I. perform. He spotted Bieber in a VIP area and went over to take a photo. Prince claims a security guard screamed at him and began shoving him,...

After a steady diet of stupid buddy movies, including this summer’s Grown-Ups 2 flop, I welcomed Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s unique take on the concept in The World’s End. After a steady stream of funny and inventive films, this one hewed closer to a traditional premise: five high school buddies reunite for one last blast. However, being from this duo, one could expect something different.

The first forty minutes of the film felt fairly straightforward as the one who refused to grow up gathered his peers, all mired in staid existences, and convinced them to do what they failed to accomplish in their teens. In this case it meant visiting and quaffing a brew at all twelve pubs along the Golden Mile, finishing at the fabled World’s End. We see them struggling to reconnect, all annoyed at their leader for one reason or another. Unlike other films in this manner,...

I am a huge fan of Edgar Wright, the English director who helmed Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). Wright is responsible for some of my favorite comedies, and he is a director whose work I will always support. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are the first two parts of a thematic trilogy; one not connected by characters or narrative, but instead by shared traits and motifs, and all of them directed by Wright, written by Wright and Simon Pegg, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. This trilogy is alternately known as either the “Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy” or the “Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy” – because of the shared elements of gory violence and a running joke about the British ice cream product Cornetto. And at long last, The World’s End, the third film of the Trilogy has finally arrived, and it’s awesome.

I love these two! Not only are they great comedic actors, they.re also fun to talk to! .The World.s End. inspired me to imbibe immediately after watching the film. So both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were teasing me about my own pub crawl (okay, not too much of a crawl, I only visited one pub).

In the film directed by Edgar Wright (and co-written by Pegg and Wright), Pegg (Gary) and Frost (Andy), along with Paddy Considine (Steven), Martin Freeman (Oliver), and Eddie Marsan (Peter) try to relive their glory days by going on the Golden Mile . visiting twelve pubs culminating with The World.s End bar. They weren.t quite successful decades ago and this time, they want to finish it by hook or by crook even when they start noticing something odd about their old town of Newton Haven.

And let me tell ya, I...

Quentin Tarantino has always borrowed things from other films for inclusion in his own movies – from riffing on Ringo Lam’s City on Fire for Reservoir Dogs, to using things found in Lady Snowblood as part of Kill Bill. Part of the fun of watching Qt’s films is spotting the influences, homages and other nods to great cinema and pop culture. Today we share the inspiration behind one of the most famous scenes in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, which actually was lifted almost directly from Martin Scorsese’s American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince. During Pulp Fiction, Travolta and Eric Stoltz have to stab an adrenaline shot directly into the heart of an Od’ing Uma Thurman. They argue over who has to do it, consult a medical dictionary for guidance...

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With the exit from Iraq and the draw-down of troops in Afghanistan, the numbers of Americans killed continues to drop. Still, loved ones are mourning 311 lost, and as of Dec. 17, the wars' toll since 2001 now stands at 6,656. Edward Joseph Acosta, 21 Trevor Brandon Adkins, 21 Ahmed Kousay al-Taie, 46 Erica Paige Alecksen, 21 Tobias Christoph Alexander, 30 Joseph James Altmann, 27 Mabry James Anders, 21 Joshua Ryan Ashley, 23 Bradley Wayne Atwell, 27 Daniel Benjamin Bartle, 27 Jon-Luke Bateman, 22 Jonathan Batista, 22 Rayvon Battle Jr., 25 Taylor John Baune, 21 Jordan Logan Bear, 25 Clayton Ross Beauchamp, 21 Genaro Bedoy, 20 Bryan Richard Bell, 23 Russell Ryan Bell, 37 Jose Oscar Belmontes, 28 Kenneth Wade Bennett, 26 Keith David Benson,...

Martin Scorsese, in his six decade-spanning career, has arguably never met a challenge he was incapable of conquering. Yet he faces a unique test in George Harrison: Living in the Material World — how do you give insight to one of the central players in what was perhaps the strongest influence on 20th century popular culture? George Harrison is no obscure figure like Steven Prince; he’s an artistic and cultural icon. He does it with detail, and he does it with beauty, because George Harrison: Living in the Material World may very well be the most comprehensive and layered look we ever get at the musician’s life.

Of the many exemplary characteristics of World is its cinematic quality. Some documentaries suffer from a point-by-point, nearly textbook approach to their subjects; despite opening with archival footage and brief interview snippets from those close to the man, it feels like a drama from the start.

Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

It's not unusual for fan-made trailers for films using either intellectual property or names they have no legal right to to be contacted by lawyers of the actual rights holders. It is unusual, however, that the reason for the contact is because the rights holder actually liked what they saw and wants to turn it into a real movie. In the case of 'Clown,' it went a little something like this:

Step 1. Make a trailer for a non-existent horror movie about a man who turns into a murderous wereclown.

Step 2. Insert title cards faking the legitimacy of the movie, including one that claims 'Clown' was made by 'Hostel' director Eli Roth.

Step 3. ???

Step 4. Profit!

The wildcard that is Step 3 is normally when things fall apart, but for 'Clown' creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, it actually ended up netting them a meeting with Eli Roth,...

Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

It's not unusual for fan-made trailers for films using either intellectual property or names they have no legal right to to be contacted by lawyers of the actual rights holders. It is unusual, however, that the reason for the contact is because the rights holder actually liked what they saw and wants to turn it into a real movie. In the case of 'Clown,' it went a little something like this:

Step 1. Make a trailer for a non-existent horror movie about a man who turns into a murderous wereclown.

Step 2. Insert title cards faking the legitimacy of the movie, including one that claims 'Clown' was made by 'Hostel' director Eli Roth.

Step 3. ???

Step 4. Profit!

The wildcard that is Step 3 is normally when things fall apart, but for 'Clown' creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, it actually ended up netting them a meeting with Eli Roth,...

Feb. 26

8:00 p.m.

Eyedrum

290 Mlk Jr. Drive Se, Suite 8

Atlanta, Ga 30312

Hosted by: Film Love

If you think you’ve seen everything ever directed by Martin Scorsese, then you might want to head out to this special screening of two obscure documentaries the director made in the 1970s: Italianamerican and American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince. These films are currently unavailable on video and extremely hard to see.

Italianamerican (1974) has been described by Scorsese as “the best film I ever made.” It’s a documentary portrait of his parents, Charles and Catherine, both of whom have had numerous cameos in their son’s more famous films. The documentary is both an intimate look at the Scorsese family and a commentary on the immigrant experience in America.

(On a personal note, I remember seeing Italianamerican way back in film school about 20 years ago, and while much of the film...

SXSW is one of my favorite festivals of the year as it showcases some of the best and most innovative real independent films, and with this host of world premiers, it's also playing alot of Sundance material as well as genre fare from all over the world, many of which we've covered heavily in these pages.

From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.

For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.

I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..

Lineup after the break.

Narrative Features Competition

Artois the Goat

Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart

Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...

New York -- Dylan McDermott, Zoe Saldana, Lake Bell, Nick Stahl, Paz Vega and Shannen Doherty are about to set Los Angeles on fire.

They're heading into "Burning Palms," writer-director Christopher Landon's satire of Angeleno stereotypes as told through five interlacing stories.

The large ensemble cast also includes Adriana Barraza, Colleen Camp, Jamie Chung, Robert Hoffman, Peter Macdissi, Emily Meade, Anson Mount, Rosamund Pike, Austin Williams and Tom Wright. Each of their characters confronts taboos and an uncertain, often darkly humorous fate.

Oren Segal, Steven Prince and Jason Hewitt are producing the indie feature with exec producers Tyler Thompson, Vince Morella and Naz Jafri. Landon ("Disturbia"), who recently wrote "The Flock" for Warners, makes his directorial debut with "Palms."

"It's kind of like a John Waters version of 'Short Cuts,' " Segal said. The segments are based on popular stereotypes of West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Westwood and Holmby Hills.