April 2017 Archives

Originally released in 1988, this album feels like the blueprints of what would eventually come to be known as vaporwave.

Ambient soundscapes that are as foreboding and ominous as they are beautiful.

A blend of modular electronics and stirring ambient passages.

Highly evocative electronic music, unused synthesizer movie scores, and vaporwave composed before vaporwave was a thing.

And just in case you were wondering, there is a cover of Drake’s “Hotline Bling.”

The gently unsettling aspects of Nico Niquo’s ambience makes it all the more beautiful and intriguing.

The second outing for Marvel’s outer space misfits sounds like it’ll be just as much fun as the first.

Coming soon: Cyberpunk anime, Nazi hunters, Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, Roman gladiators, 007, Frank Drebin, and more.

There’s no way I’m not immediately watching this.

Makoto Shinkai’s latest is a thoughtful, winsome, and visually gorgeous film.

Still Walking explores family drama with grace, and never once slips into Hollywood melodrama.

Kim Ji-woon’s “kimchi western” is all about style as substance.

Summer Wars adroitly balances sci-fi geekiness, technology-focused social commentary, and family melodrama.

I love the idea of a Takashi Miike samurai film, but 13 Assassins just doesn’t live up to its promise.

Yes, there’s lots of ping pong, but also a surprisingly nuanced exploration of the thin line between friendship and rivalry.

Mamoru Oshii’s films are usually more satisfying and challenging than this.

I’ve yet to see a Wong film that didn’t impress me on some level, but I’ll admit it was difficult to make it through Ashes of Time.

A simply brilliant adaptation of one of the most classic horror stories of all time.

The first Evangelion walks a tricky line between appealing to otaku without feeling like a shameless cash-grab.

What kind of “bad-ness” are we really talking about here?