Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Indonesian Casting Call Girls

The New York Times has an interesting article on a controversial casting practice in Indonesia. Apparently Japanese porn stars, such as Sora Aoi, are being cast in Indonesian films to draw larger audiences. The public is paying top dollar to see these clothed actresses in hooror flicks.

Indonesia has one of the largest Muslim populations in Asia, and the government often takes a conservative stance on film industry issues. Obviously not all directors follow the practice.

Read the full story via the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/world/asia/29indonesia.html?_r=1.

This Just in ... 3.29.11

This week’s DVDs. If we can’t watch ‘em in the theater, we’ll watch ‘em at home. Look for them at Amazon, Netlfix, RedBox, Blockbuster.

The Vanquished (I Vinti) (1953)
Anna-Maria Ferrero (Actor), Franco Interlenghi (Actor), Michelangelo Antonioni (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
Product DescriptionDirector Michelangelo Antonioni's unique triptych film features three murders, one taking place in Paris, another in Rome, and another in London. All of the perpetrators are affluent youths, each killing for his own dubious motive. In the France segment, a group of adolescents kill for money, even though they don't need it. In the London segment, a poet uncovers a woman's body and tries to profit from the discovery. And in the Italian segment, a student becomes caught up in a smuggling ring, with deadly results. Though each crime is investigated, the guilty are rarely singled out for their actions.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004H0M2WI/comingsoon


Silent Naruse
A five-film collection from Japanese director Mikio Naruse released by Criterion Collection. The collection includes “Flunky, Work Hard” (1931); “No Blood Relation” (1932); “Apart From You” (1933); “Every-Night Dreams” (1933); and “Street Without End” (1934).
Product DescriptionMikio Naruse is one of the most popular directors in the history of Japanese cinema, a crafter of heartrending melodramas often compared with the work of Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi. From the outset of his career, with his silent films of the early thirties, Naruse focused on characters, mostly women—geisha, housewives, waitresses—carrying on despite the compromises and disappointments of confined daily lives, a subject that would continue to fascinate him for the next three decades. Though he made two dozen silent films, only five are known to exist today; these works—poignant, brilliantly photographed and edited dramas all—are collected here, on DVD for the first time and featuring new scores by noted musicians Robin Holcomb and Wayne Horvitz.
http://www.criterion.com/boxsets/789-eclipse-series-26-silent-naruse


Sgt. Frog: Season One
Directed by Jamie Marchi
Product DescriptionKeroro is Sergeant Frog - the leader of a platoon of warriors sent to conquer planet Earth. But when the amphibious invaders discovered how much humans enjoy dissecting their comrades, the troops were scattered, the mission was aborted, and Keroro was abandoned. Now, this once proud soldier spends more time wielding a vacuum than he does the weapons of war. It's a far cry from the glory of battle, but hey, at least he's got his own room. And though the invasion may have slowed to a hop, Sergeant Frog still occasionally yearns to overcome his karaoke addiction and reassemble his troops. Watch out world, the frogs are taking over. 26 episodes on 4 dvds.
http://astore.amazon.com/funreleaseschedule-20/detail/B0049TC8DA


Linebarrels of Iron: The Complete Series (Seasons 1, 2 and OVA) Directed by Caitlin Glass
Product DescriptionKouichi dreams of being a hero, but in reality, he’s a punching bag for every bully on the block. His life flatlines when the mysteriously naked Emi crash lands on his pitiful existence, thrusting Kouichi into the middle of an intergalactic showdown between rival races of self-regenerating Machinas. Through his death-bed partnership with the Linebarrel mecha, Kouichi gains the strength to stand up to his tormentors and crush the alien invasion force that’s determined to conquer Earth. There’s just one problem. All this newfound power and special attention from nearly-naked babes is turning Kouichi into a jerk. His friends can’t stand him, he makes his dream girl sick, and those aliens want to kill him extra dead! Kouichi may have the mechanized muscle to save the world, but he has much to learn about being a true “Hero of Justice”.
http://astore.amazon.com/funreleaseschedule-20/detail/B004GZZH8K


Evangelion: 1.11 You Are Not Alone
Directed by Hideaki Anno
Product DescriptionThe stunning rebuild of the anime masterpiece is now extended and enhanced with never before seen new animation and 266 visual and audio improvements. Tokyo-3 still stands after most of civilization was decimated in the Second Impact. Now the city endures the ceaseless onslaught of the deadly Angels, bizarre creatures bent on eradicating the human race. To combat this strange and ruthless enemy, the government agency NERV constructs a fleet of towering humanoid machines – the Evas – and Shinji Ikari is called into action, reluctantly taking his place at the controls of Eva Unit 01. Living a life of loneliness and questioning his existence, Shinji struggles to accept responsibility for mankind’s battle for survival in this visually striking rebuild of one of the most important anime of all time. Shinji will fight the Angels alongside the only person who might understand his plight – Rei Ayanami, the elusive and frail pilot of Eva Unit 00. In this film experience not to be missed, Shinji and Rei will struggle to learn a simple truth: when carrying the burden of humanity’s survival on your shoulders, you are not alone.
http://astore.amazon.com/funreleaseschedule-20/detail/B0030ZOYJ0


Evangelion: 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance
Directed by Mike McFarland, Hideaki Anno Product DescriptionThe landmark anime Evangelion evolves, reaching new heights of intensity in the feature film: Evangelion 2.22. In this explosive new story, brutal action and primal emotion clash as a group of young pilots maneuver their towering cyborg Eva Units into combat against a deadly and disturbing enemy. In the battle to prevent the apocalyptic Third Impact, Shinji and Rei were forced to carry humanity's hopes on their shoulders. Now, as the onslaught of the bizarre, monstrous Angels escalates, they find their burden shared by two new Eva pilots, the fiery Asuka and the mysterious Mari. In this thrilling experience for fans of giant robot destruction, the young pilots fight desperately to save mankind - and struggle to save themselves.
http://astore.amazon.com/funreleaseschedule-20/detail/B004EC5I