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AP Film Studies: Anime 101

OMSI unleashes three landmarks of Japanese animation.

By AP KRYZA
GHOST IN THE SHELL

When most of us think of anime, we imagine gigantic-eyed otaku heroines with mystical powers and tiny skirts. We think of gigantic robots, ultra-cute kitties, Poké Balls, shrill squeals and seizure-inducing explosions of color. At best, the uninitiated think of tentacle porn and then get a Pavlovian craving for Tanuki.

Princess Mononoke
Ghost in the Shell
Akira
omsi.edu

Princess Mononoke, Hayao Miyazaki's 1997 masterpiece, stands tall in high-fantasy filmmaking. It's chockablock with monsters, among them a shape-shifting beast made of snakes that makes Peter Jackson's magnificent creatures look like stuffed animals. 1988's Akira and 1995's Ghost in the Shell, meanwhile, are among the best dystopian epics of all time—animated or not—drawing on everything from Blade Runner to Metropolis and paving the way for films as diverse as The Matrix and Avatar.

So forget cosplay fodder—these films transcend stereotypes. And if that means you also get to sit in a theater with a girl dressed as a wolf-riding warrior, well, that's pretty cool, too.

Also Showing: 

  1. Pedro Almodóvar’s breakout film, 1988’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, is the director’s most accessible blend of art, comedy, sex and madness. 5th Avenue Cinema. 7 and 9:30 pm Friday-Saturday and 3 pm Sunday, Jan. 9-11.
  1. Paying absolutely no attention to Bob Kane’s original Dark Knight mythology, Tim Burton’s Batman Returns reimagines the Penguin as a sewer-dwelling, slime-barfing monster, Catwoman as a near-immortal sexpot and Christopher Walken as, well, Christopher Walken. It’s brilliant, and proves that you can frontload a film with villains and still make something coherent (pay attention, Spidey). Academy Theater. Jan. 9-15.
  1. Without a budget to cover suede elbow patches, cartoon fish and funny hats, Wes Anderson’s debut, 1996’s Bottle Rocket, had to rely on good writing and the charms of then-unknown Owen and Luke Wilson. It remains his most grounded and relatable film. Laurelhurst Theater. Jan. 9-15.
  1. Thirty-three years later—and after much critical backlash—Pink Floyd: The Wall has emerged as a trippy rite of passage for fans of music and film. Still, the album is best enjoyed at one of OMSI’s laser shows. Clinton Street Theater. 7 pm Friday-Sunday, Jan. 9-11.
  1. Hecklevision brings the pain with No Holds Barred, Hulk Hogan’s emotionally gripping and poetic tale of oily men beating the shit out of one another. Hollywood Theatre. 7:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 10.
  1. Hollywood Theatre programmer Dan Halsted just added his favorite movie—gory classic Shogun Assassin—to his collection. Join him in geeking out over one of the best martial arts films ever. Hollywood Theatre. 7:30 pm Tuesday, Jan. 13. 

WWeek 2015