Or not so now, if you’re on a train half way to Edinburgh. Fate decreed this weekend for the BFI to not only schedule a film I’ve been desperate to see on the big screen for goodness knows how long, but they do so in a the in the middle a mini season full of other delights.
I can’t really call myself a dedicated anime fan- so I’ll opt for the term ‘fair-weather’. And in my fair-weather state there are two films recently that I’ve been dying to see on the big screen after they sadly didn’t receive a theatrical outing- Paprika & Tekkonkinkreet.
A while ago I caved and caught Paprika on the small screen, which left me mildly disappointed and underwhelmed. In hindsight I think I might’ve been more forgiving on the lagging narrative had I been taking in the visuals on a screen big enough to do them justice. Due to this I’ve been trying to hold on to view Tekkonkinkreet at the cinema, yet sod’s law had other plans.
Produced by the studio behind the best thing (actually the only good thing) to spawn from The Matrix, The Animatrix. Tekkonkinkreet is also directed by Michael Arias who was a sequence director on my favourite Animatrix segment Beyond and is also the first non-Japanese to direct a major anime release.
Having not yet had the chance to see the film I can only gush at the window dressing of captivating stills depicting the sprawling techno-concrete urban landscapes (which I assume are referenced in the title). These stills alone are a creative slap in the face of the uninspired dirge churned out from the Hollywood animation- CGI machine. So I urge those with a free Saturday evening to pop along, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed it’ll get another big screen outing soon.
Details…
Anime Now | Tekkonkinkreet | Dir. Michael Arias | Japan | 2006
Sat 21st June 8:40pm | BFI Southbank | £8.60 (£6.25 concessions) | Book Online
On the streets of Treasure City, a couple of orphan brothers, Black and White, find themselves at odds with the local yakuza who seem intent on taking over the city. Brutal, beautiful and with its heart firmly in the right place, this is a film that deserves the huge international attention it has received already.
0 Responses to “Anime Now: Tekkonkinkreet”