The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 11, Ed. 1, Thursday, March 7, 2002 Page: 8 of 8
eight pages : illus. ; page 15 x 12 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Animated character study amazes
A cohort of mine asked me this ques-
tion. What's the best part about watching the
movie?
It would have to be the surprises that
spring from a decision in a character's life.
The best part of watching a movie is how
something will sneak up on them and in
turn mess with your emotions and mindset
unexpectedly only to leave you agape in
the sheer simplicity or complexity of the
events. Example; when Clark
Kent's dad dies in Superman
and he makes a painful deci-
sion to move to the city to
see the real world in order to
support Ma and himself. It
may sound cheesy but the
setup and the powerful acting
in that movie just tug at your
heartstrings and leave a tear
in your eye. Another exam-
ple is when Kevin Spacey's
character in American
Beauty changes his life by
living for himself instead of
other people.
I could go on another five
paragraphs if I wanted to but
this is here to make a point
about the movie Jin-Roh: The Wolf
Brigade. The main character Constable -Fuse
is faced with two life-altering deci-
sions at the beginning and end of the movie
that will invariably shake the viewer and
leave the images engrained in the brain for
awhile. Oh yeah and the movie's pretty
dang good as well.
The Japanese animated Jin-Roh takes
place in Japan in the mid-late 1940's. This
is an alternate reality tale focusing on what
would have happened if the Axis powers
had taken over Japan in World War II. The
cities have become police states gripped in
the clutches of urban terrorism. The local
authorities work with the Capital Police a
group of high-tech soldiers known as the
Wolf Brigade. When the Wolf Brigade stop
a terrorist cell in a sewer Constable Fuse
notices one has escaped. Tracking her
down Fuse realizes that she is just a little
girl and she's carrying an explosive pack-
age. Fuse can only muster the word
"Why?" The encounter and aftermath send
Fuse into shock as he begins to question
his place and how he could' ve changed the
outcome. While he contemplates this peo-
ple in the background are setting him and
the Wolf Brigade up for a fall using his
emotions.
Having an animated feature that pro-
vokes the mind or tells a great story is rare
these days yet Jin-Roh manages
to even amaze the pickiest of
movie fans. The movie is essen-
tially a character study of
Constable Fuse and we see both
the good and ugly sides of him.
The viewer comes to realize that
the complexity of this man bog-
gles the mind and in turn are able
to relate to him. Under the armor
and battle togs he's a monster.
Outside he's a normal person with
feelings like everybody else.
Where his actions lead to in the
end will astound and spellbind
even the most jaded viewer.
But that's not the only good
part about Jin-Roh. The movie
propels itself through the excel-
lent animation of Production IG the com-
pany behind recent hits Blood the Last
Vampire and Ghost in the Shell. This is a
very dark movie and the color usage shows
it. But to accompany the dark look of the
film is the fluid animation. Nothing appears
jerky everything is handled with care to
give it the look of what you would expect
out of a post-Axis Japan. As well the
soundtrack and voice acting are top notch
and the script by Mamoru Oshii rivals most
Hollywood efforts.
Jin-Roh is a movie that should be
viewed by everyone; from the most jaded
anime and movie fans to casual viewers
and to those that gripe too much about how
there are no good movies out there. Not
many people will take notice of this movie
because it's a "cartoon" (BAH!) but even
those the least bit curious should scope it
out. JASON CASSELBERRY
A-
Misunderstood homage
gets special treatment
I saw A.I. on opening day. I was very excited
to see Steven Spielberg's attempt to make a film
based on Kubrick's style. For those that don't
know this film was a partnership between
Kubrick and Spielberg until the untimely death
of Kubrick leu Spielberg alone to take on the
ten-year project. That's why a lot of people got
excited about A.I. 's release but unfortunately
very few of them liked it. (Editor's Note: Yeah
it was no Mummy Returns. Just kidding. -Sarcastic
JC) So the few of us that liked the
movie were looking forward to last Tuesday
when the DVD came
out.
The movie stars
the adorable yet good
Haley Joel Osment as
David. David is an
artificial intelligence
boy who is trained to
be a son who can
love. This is what the
movie is about; the
struggle to love. It
ends up saying that
this 'fake' person had
a much stronger duty
and understanding of
love than most people
in the world. David
gets abandoned and
has to face the preju-
dices of being an
android. He has to fight to stay alive to be
accepted by his parents and to become a real
boy." He is looking for the love that a real boy
receives so he can finally match the love that he
gives. This is very much a quest movie full of
amazing acting and the directing is at the top of
Steven Spielberg's game. The lighting sound
and special effects that are so good they get a
very large 'Behind the Scenes' feature on the
second disk of the DVD.
The DVD itself has top notch 5.1 surround
sound and a crystal clear picture that allows for
the amazing images to really come in. I men-
tioned earlier that the DVD is two discs the first
containing a movie and the second loaded with
looks behind the scenes storyboards and inter-
views. The one thing missing from this and
every Spielberg DVD is a commentary but they
give so much information about the technical
side of the film that I am happy.
I really enjoyed this movie and the DVD. This
is one that I am very proud to own. Go out and give
it another try if you have seen it already. If not then
take it home over Spring Break. I think you will
enjoy the ride. matt gierhart
EffiffissnsBsso
WfMIJ A
BBHTa
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 11, Ed. 1, Thursday, March 7, 2002, newspaper, March 7, 2002; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth97710/m1/8/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hardin-Simmons University Library.