WTF??!!! SIN CITY Live Action Movie???????

Excuse my language but Oh my f****** God! A live action Sin City movie??? I just saw this article on ICv2 saying -- in an all too casual manor if you ask me -- that Frank Miller's bad-ass comic book Sin City is going live action, and not only that, but said flick is set for release in April! And the biggest spin is that it is actually going to be directed by comics-god Miller himself. [edit: Miller actually has co-directing credits with Robert Rodriguez of Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids films, The Faculty, From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado] How did I not know this until now?

For anyone who doesn't know Frank Miller's work, he is the mastermind behind the Dark Knight Returns graphic novel, which is credited with having brought Batman back to his dark ass-kicking roots. For more info, check out the following sites:

• USA TODAY article discussing Dark Knight Returns and it's recent sequal.
• Some summaries and images from the original Sin City graphic novels.
• Short biography of Frank Miller

There is also some info about the movie at TheMovieBox.net including a short clip from E!.

Am I the only one who did not know about this movie until now? I so hope this movie doesn't suck.

Dead Leaves Stream

According to Anime News Network:

Manga Entertainment will stream Dead Leaves on their website this Tuesday (The DVD is also released on Tuesday). The online stream will be free all day.

Matrix / Ghost in the Shell Comparison

So we all know that anime was one of the major influences behind the Wachowski brothers creating the Matrix movies right? Right??

Well if you don't or if there is any doubt in your mind, check out this side-to-side comparison of Matrix and Ghost in the Shell.

Preview: Howl's Moving Castle

Another Miyazaki masterpiece in the making. This one is based on a children's fantasy book called Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Ironically enough, the sequel to the Howl's novel is called Castle in the Air, which apparently has no relation to Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky. There seems to be no shortage of movies about mobile fortresses either, as the concept also plays a part in Otomo's upcoming Steamboy anime.

Anyway, Howl's got a good response at the Venice Film Festival where the crowd gave the film a five minute standing ovation.

The movie's coming to the US (through Disney) some time in 2005. Until then, check out these previews.

Cool Cowboy Bebop references

Check out this site and this site for cool details and cultural references in the Cowboy Bebop series and movie. Some things, like the session titles referring to songs/albums/movies are old news, but some of the little details and themes I would have never picked up on even if I was a pop culture guru.

First 8 minutes of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

First post is a goodie. 8 minutes of the soon-to-be-released-in-the-US Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. It's limited release starts Friday September 17. It'll be here in Michigan at the Royal Oak Landmark. I will be there tomorrow. I'll be interested to see how I like this one since I hated the original Ghost in the Shell movie the first time I saw it, but learned to love it after viewing it again years later (probably because I knew more of what to expect -- that and the fact that I actually paid attantion to what was going on).

And just to get your cajones raging for GitS and all the other big time anime hitting the US, check out this article about the three giants of anime bringing their art to the west.