Reel Anime 2010

Dates & venues:
September 2-15
SYDNEY – Dendy Newtown; MELBOURNE – Cinema Nova; BRISBANE – Dendy Portside
CANBERRA – Dendy Canberra; ADELAIDE – Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
AVOCA BEACH – Avoca Beach Picture Theatre; HOBART – State Cinema
September 16-29
PERTH – Luna Leederville
September 9-22
NEW ZEALAND - AUCKLAND - Rialto Cinemas Newmarket; CHRISTCHURCH - Rialto Cinemas Christchurch
DUNEDIN - Rialto Cinemas Dunedin; WELLINGTON - Paramount Theatre

One event that seems to be growing in popularity is back this month and spreading its wings. Madman is once more presenting Reel Anime; with the 2010 version showcasing five of the freshest anime feature films this side of Tokyo. Once more the showcase will be seen around Australia, but for the first time in New Zealand is also included.

Following the sold-out success of the 2008 event, which featured The Girl who Leapt Through Time and Appleseed: Ex Machina, this latest crop of films promises something for everyone: from the rebuild of the Evangelion universe, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance and Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone; to the masterful storytelling of Summer Wars; the adrenaline-fuelled Redline; and the thrilling King of Thorn.

Here’s a snapshot of the films on offer.

Evangelion 2.0: You Can [Not] Advance

The second film in the epic rebuild of Evangelion (following on from the popular Neon Genesis Evangelion) takes the audience in a frightening and cinematically stunning new direction. The story of Shinji, Asuka and Rei, the chosen children who fight to save Tokyo-3 from monstrous creatures known as Angels is given taken in startling dimensions that are both light, and dramatically dark. Piloting the mighty Eva demands more of Shinji and those around him than any of them are prepared for. This instalment features all new characters, including Maki, an Eva pilot, plus new Evangelion units.

Summer Wars

By the creators Reel Anime 2008’s breakaway hit, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, this is a lively action-comedy with creative visuals from studio Madhouse. In the near future, the creation of virtual community of OZ has made possible for everyone to access the internet from anywhere and anytime. Users control their avatars on OZ to shop, pay their bills, and have fun. Kenji, a normal high school student, spends his summer holidays idly working part-time maintaining the OZ system. But then the girl of his dreams, Natuski, invites him to accompany her back to Nagano, her hometown.

When they arrive, Kenji is bewildered when Natsuki asks him to pretend to be her fiancé, so that she can make her elderly grandmother happy. His first night in Nagano, Kenji receives an e-mail with a strange mathematic riddle from a mysterious sender. Kenji, a math whiz, is intrigued by this riddle but when he finally solves the answer the world is completely changed.

King of Thorn

From director Kazuyoshi Katayama, King of Thorn blends Western fairytales with a frighteningly bleak vision of the future. ‘Medusa’, a deadly virus, has become a worldwide epidemic. In order to escape from almost certain death, a handful of people are chosen to be put into a cold sleep, laying in a capsule housed in an ancient castle, hoping for a future cure. Among them is teenager Kasumi who eventually awakens along with a few others to be attacked by horrifying creatures and - like Sleeping Beauty - the castle is covered with thorns. This is a slick action horror-thriller that, true to form, will keep you gripped and guessing who will actually make it out alive.

Redline

Filmmaker Takeshi Koike promises “a white-knuckle ride to smash the senses”. Redline is the biggest racing tournament with the most deadly racers in the universe. Only held once every five years, everyone wants to stake their claim to fame, while organised crime and militaristic governments want to leverage the race to their own ends.

JP is a reckless dare-devil of a driver who’s oblivious to speed limits with his ultra-customized wheels named “TransAm.” Among the other elite drivers, will the ultra hot Sonosee prove his undoing or can a high speed romance survive a mass destruction race? One of the most exciting and visually inventive anime films in recent years, studio Madhouse have gone all out with the incredibly stylised Redline and it must be seen on the big screen.

For screening times and ticketing information, check out madman.com.au/reelanime.

David Edwards