Category Archives: Sara Barton

Guitar Wolf & Peelander Z Rock the House!

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Sept 23, 2010- Sara Barton


     The psychedelic lights lit up the dark floor of the Santos Party House. Who would have thought that Thursday would be an epic night, as Guitar Wolf, and opening act Peelander Z electrified the crowd with their spectacular performances. 


     Peelander Z’s performance has redefined what an opening act should be. It was an unbelievable; they engaged the audience from the very moment they came on stage. Basset, Peelander Red jumped off stage and started a conga line, only to then be lifted in the air by the crowd. It was an intense show featuring colorful costumes, a giant squid, human bowling and a limbo contest. The theatrics continued as lead guitarist Peelander Yellow asked members of the audience to come on stage to shave his eyebrows. Then, he instructed them to film the footage and later put it on YouTube. 



   They played hard core rock with a creative twist. There are very few bands that can turn the children classic of Old McDonald into a rock Ballard. Peelander Z’s graciousness was refreshing. Peelander Yellow constantly encouraged fans “to get ready” for Guitar Wolf’s performance. He even wore a Guitar Wolf t-shirt at the end of the show.  It was a humbling site. This was a one of a kind show and it was only the beginning of the night.


        


    The moment Guitar Wolf stepped on stage, the crowd went wild.  It’s been 5 years since the Greatest Jet Rock ‘n’ Roll Band.” band featuring, Seiji as Guitar Wolf, UG as Bass Wolf, Toru as Drum Wolf, played in states. The massive admiration from fans is proof that their tour is off to great start.


    Guitar Wolf revved up the audience with their rock-star antics, and they loved it. The crowd was whipped into frenzy; it was good old fashioned rock mayhem, as a few daring fans stage-dived. Guitar Wolf didn’t mind, they enjoyed it! They passionately played hard core strumming cords; reminiscent of the classic punk rock bands, The Ramon’s and Sex Pistols.  As the night rolled on one lucky person was picked from the audience, handed a guitar, and given a chance to play with band on stage.


           

 

       Just as the show was about to end, the audience was treated to an encore. Guitar Wolf out did themselves as members of the audience were invited on stage to build a human pyramid and Seiji climbed it, and started singing.  It didn’t stop there; even after the show “officially” ended the audience continued to cheer. Seiji, then came back on stage and gave fans an extra special treat, a solo encore of, “I love you, OK. This is the type of concert you dream about, an epic night filled with, monumental performances, energy, lots fun; it was one for the history books. 


           

       After the show I got a chance to go backstage and meet GuitarWolf, they’re true rock-stars.

Tales of Earthsea doesn’t hold water !

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August 1, 2010- Sara Barton

   It was an early Sunday morning as hundreds of movie patrons stood on line for the New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) US Premier of, Tales of Earthsea, directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki.  

  Tales of Earthsea is based on a fantasy book series by Ursula K. Le Guin.  It is a beautiful story that is set in a medieval world of castles and dragons that has been thrown into chaos by an imbalance of magical forces and is being over taken by a dark sorcerer on a quest to attain immortality. Meanwhile,troubled young Prince Arren (Matt Levin)  flees after murdering his father. He then crosses paths with the master wizard Sparrowhawk (Timothy Dalton) and young girl Therru (Blaire Restaneo), and the“adventure” begins. 

    Talesof Earthsea, meets the Miyazaki standard of stunning visual quality. The artistry is reminiscent of a beautiful renaissance painting, it as if history has come to life. However, it doesn’t fit with films edgy style.

    It’s a dark film; the characters are psychologically tormented. The director cleverly uses them astools to reflect a world that is numb, afraid, and lacks hope. This causes the film to be disconnected, making it difficult for the viewer to identify with the characters, especially Prince Arren, the protagonist.  

  Goro Miyazaki uses sophisticated styleof storytelling. He tries to balance how the story unfolds, by how much thecharacter’s reveal about themselves and their past; a devise often seen in independent films. It is very ambitious, yet it fall flat, showing director’s inexperienceand the studio’s poor script writing abilities. This leads to the films slow timing. After 40 minutes of watching it there’s almost little or no information about the characters and the viewer must piece it together himself.

   Surprisingly, the film was a hit with children at the NYICFF premiere, especially the action sequences.

  It’s no secret that Goro Miyazaki directorial debut won him the, Worst Director award and Worst Movieaward at Bunshun’s Raspberry Awards in 2006. This award ceremony recognizes the worst of Japanese cinema, the same as the Golden Raspberry Awards recognize the worth of North American cinema every year.

  Tales of Earthsea is a film that tookseveral risks, but it fails to take flight.It’s a vinegar and water film; the cinematic elements Goro Miyazaki uses don’t blend together. I admire that the director took a creative risk. It obviously shows that he has his own style. Goro Miyazaki tried to fit into his father’s artistic mold, when he clearly needed to break away from Miyazaki tradition, and follow his own path. Nevertheless,with a few more years of experience Goro Miyazaki has the potential to become agreat filmmaker.

“Tales From Earthsea” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned) for some violent images.

TALES FROM EARTHSEA

Opens on Friday in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Honolulu.

Directed by Goro Miyazaki; written by Goro Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, inspired by the manga “Shuna’s Journey” by Hayao Miyazaki and based on the “Earthsea” series by Ursula K. Le Guin; music by Tamiya Terashima; produced by Toshio Suzuki; released by Walt Disney Studios/Studio Ghibli. In Manhattan at the Angelika Film Center, Mercer and Houston Streets, Greenwich Village. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes.

WITH THE VOICES OF: Timothy Dalton (Sparrowhawk), Willem Dafoe (Cob), Cheech Marin (Hare), Mariska Hargitay (Tenar), Blaire Restaneo (Therru) and Matt Levin (Arren).


Links:


New York International Children’s Film Festival: 
http://gkids.tv


Disney’s Official Tales of Earthsea website:

Studio Ghibil:
www.ghibli.jp/


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