Favorite animated feature films
Favorite animated television series and videos
Richard Schmid - This man possesses impeccable mastery of alla prima painting, and a generous heart that shares all of his knowledge with us. His books and DVD's are a must for any serious artist.
John Singer Sargent - Amazing painter with one of the widest range. Most know him as a master of the portrait, but this man is far more than that. His landscapes, impressionistic experiments, watercolors, and figure sketches are all first rate!
John
William Waterhouse - One of the best Victorian
painters. He is often categorized as a Pre-Raphaelite, but he really wasn't
part of that movement.
Gil Elvgren - No one paints
pin-ups with more imagination and fun. Elvgren was a big fan of Sargent, and
he himself became a master painter in his own right. For all those that say
Alberto Vargas was better, I say, "HUH?"
Haddon Sundblom - He's Elvgren's mentor, and you can see his influence clearly in Elvgren's work. Sundblom's subject matters are much wider though, as he didn't concentrate on the pinup genre.
Pino - Was mostly known for his romance novel covers, but later on pursued his fine art career. Amazing painter with a lot of spontaneity and a colorful palette.
Tom Browning - A great teacher and painter. His book, Timless Techniques For Better Oil Paintings is one of the best instructional books on painting I've ever seen.
Jeremy Lipking - He started out like a younger Richard Schmid, but eventually found his own voice.
Scott Burdick/Susan Lyon - Husband and wife, and very similar styles (you can't always tell them apart). Beautiful colors and spontaneous brushwork.
Justin Sweet - He's got a very distinct style that's all his own. I like the restraint he displays when using colors, yet his paintings are never dull. There's a painterly quality to his work that you don't see often in fantasy/sci-fi illustrations.
Robh Ruppel - One of my favorite fantasy painters. Great classical technique with modern sensibilities.
Michael Whelan - His dedication and meticulous work ethic influenced me greatly as a teenager. He reads every book he illustrates, and gives 110% of himself in each piece, doing dozens of sketches, color studies..etc before the actual painting, and he effort he puts into those are sometimes more fascinating than the finished work. Whelan paints in a highly finished and detailed style that can sometimes kill the life of the piece. I personally prefer a more painterly style, but he'll always be one of the most important inspirations early on in my life.
Craig Mullins - It is widely agreed that he's the first master of digital illustration. The man is not only extremely talented, but also very wise, friendly, nurturing, and classy.
Xiaoye "Wassup" Chen - His style and subjects are very similar to Craig Mullins, but with idiosycrasies of his own.
Jon J Muth - The best fine artsy comic book artist I've seen. His watercolors, oils, and other works are just breath-taking. I especially love the romanticism and mystery in his work.
Chen Shu-Fen & Common - I love the romance and the beauty of their work.
Adam Hughes - One of the best comic book artists of this generation. Depicts hot nubile chicks like no other.
UmetsuYasuomi - I've been into his work since "Megazone 23 partII." Too bad he doesn't do much work outside of animation. In the early days, I was drawn to the more realistic character designs, and at that time(mid 80's to early 90's), Umetsu and Ohnda were the two guys that designed in that style. I paid more attention to their work than other character designers at the time.
Ohnda Naoyuki - His character designs for the "Ma ryu senki" and "Sol Bianca" series influenced me quite a bit. I loved his idealized realism style.
Ronnie Del Carmen - Love his cartoony style. He's got a strong grasp on the human figure and expressions, and the way he simplifies things is just pure eye-candy.
Ian McCaig - I was fascinated by Fighting Fantasy books while growing up, and Ian's illustrations were absolutely the best out of the entire series. Now, he's known as the guy that designed Darth Maul and Queen Amidila's Dress.
Ashley Wood - Unique style and lots of energy. When I was working on my Enchanted series in the 90's, Ashley was supposed to color the first three issues of it, but then Sirius Entertainment (my publisher at the time) decided that we would do the first three issues in black and white, so it never happened. When the series did go full-color, I ended up painting it myself.
James Jean - Like Ashley, James has a very unique style and an amazing sense of design. his life drawings and candid sketches are especially interesting.
Yamashita Ikuto - He started out doing a cyberpunk comicbook titled "Dark Whisper," and then became the mechanical designer of the hit anime series "Neo Genesis Evangelion." This guy's flair for design and style rivals that of the legendary Syd Mead.
Shirow Masamune - If it wasn't for the Appleseed manga series, which was a revelation to me at age fourteen, I probably wouldn't have gotten into the comicbook industry. It's kind of disappointing that Shirow's turning into a parody of himself a little these past years. Ridiculously gratuitous sex and skimpy clothes in everything he does, including serious works like Ghost In the Shell 2 manga just cheapens his work a bit.
Jaime Hernandez - One of the talented brothers that created the underground masterpiece "Love and Rockets." I learned a lot about simplicity and spoting black from this guy.
Nishi Keiko - She is an incredible storyteller, and as an artist, her charming style is one of the most unique I've seen.
Kitagawa Sho - One of the few male manga creators that can pull off sensitive drama. On top of that, he kicks ass as an artist, especially his pen/ink work in "Complex."
Takada Akemi - Love her "Kimagure Orange Road" illustrations. Madoka Ayukawa, is one of my favorite fictional characters.
Kamijo Atsushi - "She" is actually two girls as a team. I really like their "Sex" series (although there was no sex at all in the story). I wish they would do more books.
Bill Waterson - How can you not love this guy? A wonderful storyteller, artist, and a man of admirable integrity. Long live Calvin and Hobbes!
James White - There's a certain quality in his photographs of celebrities that makes it stand out more than the other photographers. His vision is deliberate, without being overly contrived like many of his peers. (There is another photographer by the same name who is not nearly as good, but he's the one that comes up when you do a search on the internet. It's impossible to find the James White I'm talking about without having the direct link--which is http://www.artmixtheagency.com
Nonami Hiroshi - A rare photographer that combines fairytale fantasy and fashion--using traditional photography techniques. Elegant and dreamy.
Wing Shya - Moody and sensual, and probably one of the best photographers shooting Chinese celebrities. His work is head and shoulders above those of his Chinese peers.
Japanese glamour/fashion photography - I'm a big fan of the Japanese style. They favor a certain look that I describe as "cozy and warm, filled with light and elegance." It is a very unique look that I love.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini - By far one of the most talented sculptor/architect of the Baroque, or any period.
Michelangelo Buonarroti - One of the most famous artist in human history, and rightly so. The Pieta is by far one of the most incredible achievement in art history.
Nirasawa Yasushi - This guy is the GOD of techno goth freak fest. One of the most imaginative sculptor/designer I've ever seen.
Chieri - Take one look at his "Belldandy with Hollybell" and your jaw will be on the floor. I've never seen angel wings sculpted so beautifully.
Antonio Gaudi - My favorite architect of the art nouveau, or any period. Highly imaginative and original designs.
Music is my first love--be it making music or just listening to it. I've gone through phases as I got older, but in general I've always had fairly eclectic taste. Here are some of the stuff that you'd find in my CD player or mp3 player:
Classical, 19th Century Impressionism, Orchestral - I've very fond of composers like Debussy, Ravel, Mahler, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Barber..etc.
Film/TV Scores - I love music that tells a story or expresses moods. Some of my favorites are composers like Haneda Kentaro, Sakamoto Ryuichi, John Williams, Basil Poledouris, Jerry Goldsmith, Yanno Yoko, Hisaishi Joe, John Powell, John Barry...etc.
Game Scores - Although I love game scores, it's kind of hard for me to name any composer I really like in games; I tend to think more in terms of game titles. How the music contributed to the way I felt while playing the game is a significant part of whether it makes an impression or not. Some that really stood out for me were Half-Life series, Unreal Tournament series, Hitman: Contracts, Anachronox, Lineage II, Metal Gear Solid series, Silent Hill series, The Longest Journey, and System Shock 2.
Electronic - I grew up loving the piano, then synthesizers, resulting in my first instrument being the Roland D-10 synthesizer (I later fell in love with guitar, drums, then pretty much all kinds of instruments as I became more experience at composing and arranging). Now these days, my favorite form of electronic music is probably the more progressive/intelligent stuff. Some of the electronic stuff I'm fond of are Kraftwerk, Yello, Art of Noise, 808 State, Orbital, Hybrid, Sasha & Digweed (early stuff in the 90's), Young American Primitive, Metropolis Music Engineer, LFO (not that boy band with the same name). ..etc.
Jazz - I'm constantly surprised at how many people I meet that don't like or "get" jazz. (No, Kenny G is not jazz. I can't stand Kenny G. If you want to know why, read what Pat Metheny said about Kenny G.) I'm especialy fond of Miles Davis, George Gershwin, Billie Holiday, Lisa Ekdahl, Blossom Dearie..etc. I also like some of the more contemporary hybrids like fusion (not the same as that commercial smooth jazz stuff. For example, fusion to me is Herbie Hancock, and the slightly poppier stuff like T-Square and Casiopea) and acid jazz (Mondo Grosso, Soulstice..etc).
Industrial - I've always been a fan of industrial music since my teenage years (enough so to have played in an industrial band). But the thing with industrial music is that there are far more crap than good stuff (it's like that with electronic music too), and for every ten industrial bands I come across, there might be only one that I like. Some industrial bands I like are: Bigod 20, Pig (including side projects like Schaft and Schwein), Front 242, Consolidated, Sister Machine Gun, Meat Beat Manifesto, Machines of Loving Grace..etc.
Trip-Hop - It's a shame that the trip-hop movement has pretty much died out. I really dug many of the trip-hop bands, and some of my favorites are Massive Attack, Lamb, Hooverphonic, Halou..etc.
Progressive Rock - Some of the stuff I like are King Crimson and various side-projects or solo works from members of these bands, like Liquid Tension Experiment, Trey Gunn, Robert fripp..etc.
Metal - I listen to some metal from time to time. I like some of Devin Townsend's stuff (Strapping Young Lad, Ocean Machine), and goth metal like Therion, Sins of Thy Beloved, Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania..etc.
Darkwave/goth - I like some darker stuff like the newer Gary Numan albums (Pure, Exile), Cranes, Bleak..etc.
Experiemental and ethnic music - I like surprises and innovation in music, or styles I've never heard. This does not mean any weird experiemental noise or obscure chants of a rare culture would capture my interest. Quality is still the first criteria. I especially like middle eastern stuff that is percussion laden and melodically haunting.
Japanese rock/alternative - Some of my favorite bands are Japanese groups like Boowy, Psy-S, Barbee Boys, Yellow Magic Orchestra (and all associated artists), Rebecca, B'z, Buck-Tick, Olivia Lufkin, and Anzen Chitai/Tamaki Koji.
Japanese pop - I have a soft spot for Japanese pop--I grew up on it, and being a fan of anime has pretty much sealed that fate. Mind you though, I have no interest in the current J-Pop scene (except for a few rare exceptions). I think J-Pop took a turn for the worse in the early 90's with the flood of Komuro produced abominations like Namie Amuro--where melody and arrangement disappeared to make way for souless sped-up dance club fodders. Some of the J-Pop I dig are: Morikawa Miho, Kawai Sonoko, Nakamori Akina, Wink, and some I like are limited to specific songs only--for example: Oginome Yoko, Nakayama Miho, Hayami Yu, Matsuda Seiko, Iijima Mari, Karie Kahimi, Morning Musume (this one's definitely a guilty pleasure, as they can't sing to save their lives, but the music is catchy as hell, in a deranged bubbly way).
Japanese Animation Soundtracks - I grew up a fan of anime/manga, so it's no surprise some of my favorite music are from anime soundtracks. For me, since Japanese composers tend to favor blending different musical styles, my growing up with anime soundtracks was actually quite educational musically. I was more or less introduced to the major musical styles through various anime soundtracks. Some of my favorite anime soundtracks are Macross: Do You Remember Love?, Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise, Yotoden, Kujaku-Oh (1987 OAV), Bubble Gum Crisis series, Megazone 23 part 1 & 2, Cowboy Bebop, Jin Roh, Kimagure Orange Road, Black Magic M-66..etc.
Korean Pop - Japanese pop fizzled out stylistically for me in the early 90's, but the Koreans got right in there and continued the tradition. I'd say the Koreans are some of the best pop song writers in the world right now. They tend to be too obsessed with hip-hop and R&B for my taste, but inbetween those are some real gems. Lee Soo Young is currently my favorite, because she's unpretentious and relies on talent instead of looks (the fact that she's quite cute but never used her looks to advertise herself is something I really respect. Although as she got more famous, she became more comfortable with photoshoots and dressing up).
Some specific artists I love:
Sakamoto Ryuichi - This man, along with Harumi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, were known as Yellow Magic Orchestra, an electronic band that changed the face of music with other famous electronic acts in the 70's and 80's such as Kraftwerk, Yello, Tangerine Dream, Art of Noise, Briano Eno, and various others. As a solo artist, he won academy awards for the soundtracks to "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" and "The Last Emperor." Sakamoto is a musician's musician, able to compose a very wide range of musical styles from classical, jazz, industrial, techno, pop, rock, reggae, ethnic, to various other experimental music.
The Smiths- With a brilliant guitarist like Johnny Marr, how can you not love this band? Of course, Morrisey's eccentric charm as lyricist and vocalist contributed to the band's success as well.
Lisa Ekdahl - This angel makes me melt. She originally was a singer/song-writer from Sweden, having released a few albums all composed by her. In 1995, she collaborated with the Peter Nordahl Trio on an album of jazz standards. Her interpretation of classics such as "Love For Sale," "You're Gonna see a lot of Me," and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," proved her to be a refreshing new voice in the jazz arena. Her voice is a perfect blend of innocence and coquettish charm, falling somewhere between the unadorned casualness of Blossom Dearie and the soulful wisdom of Billie Holiday.
Curve - Truely a band ahead of its time. Armed with Wall-of-noise grinding guitar, pulsing synth bleeps, haunting female vocals, and driving drum machines, Curve was destined to be the queen bitch of them all.
B'z - This Japanese hard rock band kicks ass! They brilliantly combine hard rock, techno, funk, jazz, classical, blues, and pop into a intoxicating mixture. B'z is highly respected by other rock musicians and have collaborated with some of them like Steve Vai, Mr. Big..etc.
New Order - This is definitely one of the most innovative bands that influenced a whole generation of alternative electronic dance music. Some people preferred the previous darker incarnation: Joy Division, but I prefer New Order for their clever combination of guitar and sophisticated synthesizers arrangements.
The Sundays - This band truely plays an unique brand of magic. Even though their first album remains the most brilliant, and the ones followed weren't as enchanting, I'll always remeber the dazzling ecstasy I felt the first time I heard "Here's Where the Story Ends." No one does shimmering strumming of acoustic guitar and angelic female vocals better.
Psy S - This Japanese experimental pop band uses clever arrangements, utilizing a wide range of musical styles. Definitely one of the best pop bands ever! An interesting trivia for you: The music on the game PaRappa the Rapper was composed and produced by the songwriter of Psy S.
Morikawa Miho - One of my favorite Japanese artists. Miho has a very nice tonal range in her voice, and the music is an unique blend of pop, jazz, bossa nova, carribean, rock, funk..etc that sounds like nothing I've ever heard.
Kawai Sonoko - Lovely voice and lovely music. The most elegant pop music, and quite a talented songwriter/composer.
Olivia Lufkin - Stunningly beautiful, gorgeous voice, and talented songwriter (although her English lyrics are pretty bad--I prefer when she sings in Japanese). The mixture of different styles is right up my alley.
Journey (By Yun Ching) - A novel about the choices we make in life, the things we desire, and the heavy sacrifices we make in order to fulfill those desires--just to find out we've chosen the wrong path, and what we've lost along the way could never be recovered. Profound, complex, and moving.
Night Frost (By Zhu Sho-Jwen) - Incredible portrayal of love at first sight, and where it could lead you.
Colorful Clouds Fly (By Quon Yeow) - An artist, a terminally ill girl, and a twist of fate. Full of tragedy, but mesmerizing.
Smilla's Sense of Snow (By Peter Hoeg) - This is the book that showed me you can be as intimate, profound, and expressive as you want, regardless of the genre you are writing.
Ex Libris: confessions of a common Reader (By Anne Fadiman) - A charming book by Anne Fadiman about her love for books and how it intertwined with her life and memories.
Wizard's First Rule (By Terry Goodkind) - Brilliant epic fantasy novel. Full of vivid characters, colorful details of a fantastic world, and mastery of storytelling.
Arsen Lupin series (By Maurice LeBlanc) - This series was my first love as a child. I started reading the translated (in Chinese) Arsen Lupin series when I was around six or seven years old, and the vivid imagery and mood from the series are still lush and alive in my mind to this day. Written in 1905 and on by french author Maurice LeBlanc, Arsen Lupin is the ultimate gentleman master criminal turned detective. He is Sherlock Holmes meets James Bond, with the heart of Robin Hood. He has gone up against Sherlock Holmes in a couple of the books, and always defeated him. Lupin is an extrodinary character, one that I'm surprised is almost completely obscure in the U.S.. He is passionate, intelligent, noble, moral, romantic, creative, and athletic. His mastery of disguise is unchallenged, and his courage is unmatched. I havn't been able to find the series in English. If you have seen it, please email me.
I'm an airsoft player and a fan of video games.
Airsoft is a bit like paintball, but with the perspective of Mil-Sim (Military Simulation). The players use authentic military tactics, play with authentic military equipment when possible (combat uniforms, radio communication, hydration systems, tactical flashlights, nightvision for the rich players..etc), and use airsoft guns that are visually indistinguishable from real life assault rifles, pistols, machine guns, submachine guns, sniper rifles, shotguns, grenade launchers..etc, with the main difference being that they shoot plastic BB's instead of real bullets. The police and the military often use airsoft guns during training sessions, and film/television productions also use them as props during filming. Airsoft games can be intimate and involve just some friends, or they can be epic operations that involve hundreds of people on gigantic playing fields with real military vehicles, camps, and last for days. The game scenerios often mirror real life combat situations like hostage rescues, downed pilot rescues, ambush, full on assualts..etc. If any of this excites you, then you can find out more by searching "airsoft" in any search engine. You'll be bombarded with tons of websites since airsoft has become very popular world-wide in the last several years.
I'm a fan of mainly PC games, but play some console games from time to time. My favorites are:
Half-Life - This is the game that turned me into a true gamer. Prior to playing Half-Life, I was just a casual gamer, but this game stunned me with its brilliant design, captivating story, intense atmosphere, awesome implementation of sound and music, and very smart AI enemies. A true classic, and a masterpiece.
Half-Life 2 - Everything the original was, but better in almost every way. The greatest accomplishment in game history, until the next one, that is. The only things I didn't like too much were the vehicle rides.
System Shock 2- The most atmospheric, immersive, and horrifying game, with excellent design of hybrid genre in gameplay and UI. The use of recorded logs to tell the story is brilliant, and the horror element is very intense. The first time I was being chased by the zombies, I literally had to take a break because I thought my heart was going to explode.
Counter-Strike - The most addictive multi-player FPS MOD ever. I have been playing it since beta 5.0, and never got tired of it. I have converted many people into hardcore CS players. This is the thinking man's FPS. It makes Rougue Spear look very boring, and Quake 3 very unsophisticated.
Team Fortress Classic - Another Half-Life MOD that I'll never stop playing. The team work aspect of this game is what I love the most. There's nothing like pulling off an infiltration as a spy, then laugh maniacally as you cut the throats of your enemies one by one--in their own base.
Unreal Tournament/UT 2003/2004 - Another great FPS. Raised the watermark for multi-player FPS with its variety of weapons and game play. Who needs Quake 3 when you have UT?
The Longest Journey - It is rare that a game can completely transport me to another world, and make me care about its inhabitants. This excellent adventure game's got it all: beautiful visuals, gorgeous music, intriguing story, interesting characters, and most of all, a lovable heroine. I wish there would be more games like this.
Alien VS Predator 2 - The Marine campaign of this game is the most terrifying gaming experience I've ever had, but the other two campaigns weren't as impressive. The multiplayer of this game is awesome as well, allowing you to play as all three species. Being the alien really rocked, as you can climb walls and ceilings, and also move with such speed and grace.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - This is quite a feat, since I'm not even a Star Wars fan. Excellent combat system, great story, and nice graphics. Probably the only RPG I was interested in enough to finish to the end.
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne- This one is actually better than the original. Nice story, good presentation, and it wasn't as insanely difficult as the first one towards the end.
Far Cry - Although I had a few complaints about the game, it is really one of the best FPS games ever. Highly immersive and insanely fun, with technological breakthrough in graphics in terms of open terrain. The thing that bugged me the most was the fact that the main character didn't have the common sense to get out of his red and white hawaiian shirt and slip into a camouflage or green shirt instead.
Here's a short list of personal favs. Not all are necessarily the best films ever made, but all have a special place in my heart.
Trois Couleurs: Rouge / Three Colors: Red (French) (1994) - The best one of the three colors by Krzysztof Kieslowski. This one gives me a sense of hope, and a sense of closure. Visually, is it just gorgeous. It's too bad we won't see anymore films from this Polish genius.
Un Coeur En Hiver / A Heart In Winter (French) (1993) - Great portrayal of a dysfunctional man who is incapable of love and friendship, and how he causes pain to those who are drawn to him. The film doesn't judge him nor make excuses for him--he is who he is, and it's chilling because there are probably more people out there like him than we think. Directed by Claude Sautet.
Waking the Dead (2000) - Heartbreaking and a powerful portrait of the long-lasting love that endures even after death.
Lost In Translation (2003) - This one's a rare gem. So wonderfully quirky in a quiet, subtle way, and so touching without being overly sentimental.
Dawn of the Dead (remake version) (2004) - Has all the ingredients that make the perfect popcorn flick, while never veering into crassness. Great character development without needing to dwell on developing, but simply propelling them along with the plot and exposing their personalities through situations. Entertaining from the first scene to the very last.
Sunrise/A Song of Two Humans - (1927) - This is silent film at its best--poetic, dreamy, touching, and powerful. The cinematography was one of the best of its time, with innovative special effects that were genius. Directed by F. W. Murnau, the man responsible for two other silent classics: "Nosferatu" and "The Last Laugh."
Bladerunner (1983) - This is Ridley Scott at his best. Atmospheric, poetic, and visually stunning.
Emma's Shadow (Danish) (1988) - A touching Danish film about the story of a runaway little girl who befriends an ex-convict, and how he filled the hole in her heart left by cold and uncaring parents.
Aliens (1986) - One of the finest sci-fi action/horror films ever made, and incredibly influential in creating classic character types. Mastery of pacing that keeps a very long movie tense from beginning to end.
Ponette (French) (1996) - At age four, Victoire Thivisol was the actress that won the hearts of many with her heartbreaking portrayl of a little girl struggling to cope with the recent death of her mother.
Sabrina (1995) - Superior to the Audrey Hepburn classic in every way. I can't think of another actress that can portray more charm, passion, elegance, wit, vulnerability, and devotion than the mesmerizing Julia Ormond.
La Cite Des Enfants Perdus / City of Lost Children (French) (1995) - Twisted fairytale at its best! Gorgeous visuals and touching story.
Goodfellas (1990) - One of Scorsese's best films, showing off his mastery of storytelling. My favorite gangster film.
Michi (Japanese) - Touching, sad, thought-provoking, and very hard to find. This film captures the desperation and heartbreak of finding dreams and love, then losing everything in a blink of an eye. If you know where I can buy this film, please contact me.
Galaxy Quest (1999) - One of the funniest films I've ever seen, and one of the best casted too. The parody of the Star Trek phenomenon is just comedy gold.
The Breakfast Club (1985) - A rare film that instead of portraying caricatures of teens, really captures the pains of being a teenager. This is probably John Hughes' best film.
Pulp
Fiction (1995) -The definition of dynamic filmmaking. Highly entertaining and oozes with style while without sacrificing substance.
American Beauty (1999) -The perfect suburban satire that manages to be also forgiving and tender.
Contact (1997) - A profound film of vision, beauty, intelligence, passion, and faith. Zemeckis has never disappointed. I do wish that Zemickis had toned down a couple of the more melodramatic scenes though.
The Mission (Hong Kong) (1999) - Probably the best ganster film to ever come out of Hong Kong. It is nothing like the typical HK action flick with ridiculous gunfights and clichéd plots. What makes it different is not only the depiction of the characters, but also the mood, pacing, and direction. That uniqueness is like a pact between the filmmaker and the audience--guaranteeing that he'll not underestimate, belittle, or disrespect his audience, and the audience agrees to throw out all preconceived notions of what a Hong Kong ganster film is supposed to be like--and be delighted by what they see.
Going Home/Three (Hong Kong) (2002) - Going Home is a short film from Hong Kong that was released with two other short films (one Korean, one Thai) in a horror anthology titled "Three." Anyone who's seen the anthology immediately points out that Going Home is by far the best one, and really the only one worth watching in the anthology. There's a standalone version of Going Home on DVD with bonus material--get that instead of Three. Going Home is more than just a horror short film--in fact, there really isn't any horror in it--what it is, is a heartbreaking film that transcends genres.
Heat (1995) - I pretty much watch anything Michael Mann directs. Heat made me feel like such a fanboy because Dinero, Pacino, and Kilmer are three of my favorite actors, and the character relationships in this film were just intense. The face-to-face conversation between Pacino and Dinero--classic. To me, this film is really about men that are so obsessed with what drives them, they become dysfunctional and the women around them suffers. Yet despite all the heartache, these women still love them, and when crucial moments put their loyalty to the test, you see just how deep that love is.
These are the films that aren't on my favorites list, but are films I liked a lot.
Juno - One of the most endearing films I've seen in a long time. Great characters I really identified with and cared about.
Before Sunrise / Before Sunset - I liked the second film more than the first, since it conveyed just how much they affected each other's lives since they've met, but most people seem to like the first film more.
Children of Men - Has one of the best choreographed scene in cinematography history.
Muholland Drive- You either love David Lynch, or you hate him.
Irreversible (French) - One of the most disturbing films I've ever seen, and brilliantly constructed.
Cube - A very smart film, with the most claustrophobic setting ever.
Battle Royal (Japanese) - A strange, violent, and campy film, but it's oh so fun to watch.
A Clockwork Orange - One of Kubrick's best. The psychological tension portrayed is absolutely masterful.
Double Vision (Taiwan) - Really creepy Chinese horror film.
The Thing - It's pretty much a predecessor to Alien, and an excellent film. Johnn Carpenter's best actually. Hard to believe how Carpenter's become a total hack.
Night of the Living Dead / (remake version) - I like both the original and the remake
Conan the Barbarian - I like how John Milius, Oliver Stone, Basil Poledouris..etc took this film seriously and tried to make an operatic fantasy film instead of the typical campy pop culture fodder that was popular during the 80's.
Dark City - One of the most underrated films ever. The trailer for this film was one of the best edited trailers I've ever seen.
Interview With the Vampire - Lush and gorgeous, and probably the best vampire film ever made.
Braveheart - A modern classic that inspired a whole new generation of filmmakers, and really set the standard for which all historial epic films are to be judged.
Full Metal Jacket - Another Kubrick masterpiece. One of the best war films ever made.
The Godfather (trilogy) - I don't seperate the three films in my mind. To me, they belong together as a series.
Le Reine Margot / Queen Margot (French) - A visually gorgeous film, with all the royal court intrigue, backstabbing, passionate love affair, and massacre in the name of God you can handle.
Shawshank Redemption - I have never met anyone who didn't like this film.
Saving Private Ryan - Despite the sappy, melodramatic ending, it's still a really great film.
Clue - Ok, this one's my guilty pleasure. I've loved this campy film ever since I saw it as a kid. I still laugh at all the dumb jokes even now.
Blackhawk Down - Yes, this film has flaws, but I have a slight bias as a special forces enthusiast (I play airsoft), and I really enjoyed this film.
Leon (AKA The Professional) (1994) - This is by far, Luc Besson's best film. You have to watch the uncut version to see how good it really is. The American release of the film totally butchered important character development scenes.
The Big Lebowski (1998) - Either you dig The Dude or you don't. I don't think you can sit on the fence with this one.
The Usual Suspects - A brain-twister full of style.
Favorite animated feature films:
Good animated films are hard to find, but when you find one, it's just such a wonderful thing.
Grave of the Firefly (1999) - Must see for anyone, regardless if you like animation or not. It's just a beautiful and moving film, period. If you don't cry at the end of this film, you probably don't have a heart or a soul. The film is about a Japanese boy and his little sister, trying to survive on their own during the American bombings in the middle of WWII. Intensely moving and heartbreaking. Animated films like this transcend genres and mediums.
The Iron Giant (1999) - Probably the best animated feature film in American history. Make all the Disney films seem contrived and pretentious in comparison. It was unforgivable that the studio did almost nothing to advertise or promote the film--and resulted in its flop at the box office. But, by word of mouth, this film found a permanent place in the animated feature hall of fame. Directed by Brad Bird.
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - My Favorite Hayao Miyazaki film. Absolutely charming and adorable.
Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise (1987) - An arthouse animated feature bout mankind's first foray into space, but it takes place in an alternate universe with an exotic culture that feels like a parallel universe. It's a very mature and serious film, with political intrigue, assassination, countries at war, and personal spiritual struggles. The film score is produced and partly composed by Academy Award winning composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and it's one of my favorite film scores. The film was made by amateurs that's only made a fan film prior, but after this film, they've proven themselves to be some of the best and brightest in the anime industry, and they went on to produce many excellent works as Gainax, one of the most respected animation studios in Japan. Among their works are: Gunbuster, Nadia the Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL, Otaku No Video..etc.
Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984) - This animated film was the one that changed my life when I was 13. It is directly responsible for showing me just how powerful and incredible the world of imagination is. After watching it, I decided that I wanted to do something similar for the rest of my life--incorporating all the elements that made the film magical: art, music, story, design..etc.
Favorite animated television series and videos:
Cowboy Bebop (199?~199?) - One of the most critically acclaimed and beloved Japanese animated series ever. It's funny one moment, deadly serious another, and the chemistry between the characters is one of the best ever created.
Kimagure Orange Road (1985~198?) - This romantic comedy brings out the teenager in me--reminding me of a more innocent time in my life. Madoka from the series is also one of my favorite fictional characters.
Golden Boy (199?) - Probably the funniest anime I've ever seen. I love how the main character, Kintaro, appears like a useless loser pervert on the surface, but as the episodes develop, you see that he's actually an incredibly intellegent, soulful, moral, and compassionate human being. If you want to understand Japanese humor, this is a very good example of what Japanese over-the-top comedy is like.
Yes, TV rots your brain, but I've got a decent sized one, so I can afford to watch some from time to time.
Band of Brothers - This is hands down the best TV mini-series ever produced. It even surpasses Saving Private Ryan, the film that triggered this series. Why is it better? Because it's got the realism of Saving Private Ryan, but without Spielberg's habit for heavy-handed, overly saccharine moments that ruins things.
The Office (US version) - It's amazing that the American version not only found its own voice, but IMO, is much better than the UK version as the characters are so much more interesting, and the jokes much funnier. Oh yeah, and Pam...she rocks!
Firefly - Joss whedon is a creative genius. Sure, he's had some duds (Alien Ressurection, anyone?), but this one is just impeccable. I was a big fan of Buffy too, but Firefly showed that Joss had become more mature in his creativity.
My So Called Life - This show was so well written, directed, and acted, that tragedy was bound to happen: ABC canceled it due to low ratings. To this day, there is still a very loyal following that morns the loss of a show that touched their heart and soul.
Tokyo Love story - A very touching Japanese drama series about love and friendship.
The Kids In the Hall - It was the funniest skit comedy show on TV at the time. Too bad it had to end.
Late Night with Conan O'Brien - Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is second to none, and the Max Weinberg band is also by far the best live band on television.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 - If they ever sit in front of me in a theater, I'll probably decapitate all three of them. But on the TV screen, they are pretty damn funny.
Television shows I've enjoyed:
These are some of the shows I've watched and enjoyed so far. Only time will tell if they make it to my favorites list.
Breaking Bad - One of the most inventive shows on TV currently. Wonderfully casted and very well written.
Autumn In My Heart (Korean) - A melodrama with lots of people crying all the time (including the viewer--it's a tear-jerker). But damn isn't the female lead cute as a button.
Prison Break - Although this show jumped the shark for me at some point, it was still quite excellent overall. Too bad the creators were talked into a third season by the studio when it was originally written to be two seasons only.
Heroes - It's like X-Men, but without the costumes. I probably would like this one more if I didn't already know about the X-Men.
The West Wing - Quality writing, acting, and a show that goes beyond entertaining--it also educates.
Battlestar Galactica - Great writing, and great premise. Really well constructed character conflicts and drama, but seems too self-indulgent at times with the characters and their inner-demons (can we say excessively emo?).
Lost - Great pacing and suspense, with inventive use of long flashbacks for character development. Some of the character flashbacks irrelevent to the main plot gets annoying at times, as they just tell us more of what we already know about the characters.
ER - Great writing, acting, and directing. It was one of the first TV shows to take television into the new generation in terms of style and content.
Two and A Half Men - Sharp writing, funny as hell, and great characters.
How I Met Your Mother - Far more witty and edgy than Friends could ever hope to be.