Transcript of 70mm’s Akira (1988) Episode.
SLIM Hey, it’s your old pal Slim and this is 70mm, a podcast for film lovers just like you. Every Monday I chat about recently watched movies with my close friend and artist, Danny Haas.
DANNY It’s insane. This animation from beginning to end. There’s never a moment where I’m like, ‘that could have been done better.’
SLIM And our spiritual adviser and movie insider, Protolexus.
PROTO But yeah, Trachtenberg, what if he made an Alien movie?
SLIM August is our animated summer theme. And this episode, our featured presentation is my pick, Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, from 1988. Feel free to use the chapters in your podcast app to skip ahead to that discussion. Except in Spotify, they don’t do chapters, I don’t know. Is Akira the cornerstone of modern theatrical animation? And does the plot make any sense whatsoever? And if not, who cares? Let’s find out… together.
[70mm theme song ramps up, plays alone, fades out]
SLIM Should we talk about this Light of Magic show? Or should we save that for the end? Should we make like the end of the show the Disney+ TV Magic Hour? Or should we get into it? Because I feel like we could go pretty long on that. What do you think, Proto?
PROTO We’re gonna save it for the end.
SLIM Save for the end? Okay. Light and Magic, just to reiterate, Danny brought the show to our attention last week, week before? Light And Magic documentary, the history of ILM, on Disney and Danny said it was I think, quote, “The greatest thing Disney+ has ever done.”
DANNY Yes.
SLIM Maybe even Disney in general — did you say Disney has ever done?
DANNY Could be the whole company itself.
SLIM I’m gonna tell you right now, I might agree with you.
DANNY Oooof.
SLIM We’ll get into it. Okay. Maybe instead of ILM, we talked about Predator 2.
DANNY Ohhh no!
SLIM Proto watched Predator 2 this week, the sequel to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Predator with Danny Glover.
DANNY I mean I did too. But let’s talk to Proto. [Slim laughs]
SLIM Everyone watched the Predator series.
PROTO Danny, your thoughts? [Slim & Danny laugh]
DANNY No, go ahead, let’s hear it.
PROTO I was expecting this movie to be worse than I found it. I found it to be a lot of fun for a 80s, 90s action flick. I think the thing I couldn’t get over really though, is that in the first predator, you have Arnold Schwarzenegger, really at his peak, peak. Like he looks incredible in that movie. There’s a shot of that, I think I talked about it when I watched the movie a couple months ago. But he in the beginning, he’s in a helicopter with a cigar holding a machine gun. And it’s just incredible. And then in predator two, we get Danny Glover who looks like he just like stepped out of like a corporate office having worked there for 30 years. You know, he’s got five kids at home in a two bedroom apartment. He is like life has just run a truck through him. Yeah, he has just done but he has to fight a predator. So different energy. [Danny & Slim laugh]
SLIM In your review, I think you said, “body of a retired accountant and any breath could be his last.” [Danny laughs] But he goes toe to toe with predator, several times.
DANNY Toe to toe.
SLIM Toe to toe!
PROTO Toe to toe.
SLIM You don’t even have a rating on this one. Was this like a multi viewing sitch? Were you doing laundry over the course of six days?
PROTO Yeah, there was a little background action with Predator 2 in my house. You know, I wasn’t, I can’t say that I gave it my full attention. But I gave it I had I had a positive experience watching this movie.Yeah, I don’t know what else to compare it to. What did you think? What was your takeaways, Danny?
DANNY I think I completely agree with you, except I gave it two and a half stars is probably the most fun two and a half star movie you can have. I mean, it really is crazy that we get Danny Glover in this film. But honestly, in my review I talked about there’s a scene after the first asinine Street Fight guns blazing. I don’t even understand this was happening. They walk across the street and three Mustangs drive pay off from the 60s all read and I thought about the entire rest of the movie. Like why did this happen? But yeah, what a crazy movie.
SLIM Yeah, at the time, I guess Lethal Weapon may have come out a few years before that. So it was probably like hot off the heels of his successful role in Lethal Weapon get Danny Glover and another action movie franchise. Looking back it’s not my favorite of the predator movies. I mean, they’re all like three ish stars after that. Speaking of Predator, I think both of you have watched Prey since we last chatted. Right? So Danny, what did you think?
DANNY I thought Prey was very good. And I think I love the story quite a bit. And the actress is amazing. The story itself is kind of amazing of her going out to kill the thing that’s hunting her to become whatever, I don’t know what her endgame was, I guess to become the chieftess the of the tribe.
SLIM Or even I think probably just be considered a banshee warrior, period.
DANNY Yeah, but it’s just it’s such a great story. Her performance is killer her when she’s training with that axe or the tomahawk on a string trunk to trunk of those trees. I was mesmerized. It was amazing. There’s so much about this film. That’s just super cool to watch.
SLIM Trunk to trunk. [Slim laughs]
DANNY We can’t make a joke about that.
SLIM I was about to make baker Requiem for a Dream gag and I couldn’t even put the words together. Did I get the proto Forestar pray?
PROTO It did Yeah. i Yeah, I had a great time watching this. I was really impressed by how good it looked. Like there’s some really beautiful shots. There’s a lot of like outdoor shots of course it’s it’s in the 18th century. It’s got Native Americans out there. And I love that aspect of it. I I haven’t thought about this for a while it’s just that I would love more Native American stories. I don’t know that much out there. But I figured man it’s got to be such like a I don’t know maybe like a a wealth of of great stories that can be told of just like a people that are incredibly fascinating. But yeah, Trachtenberg, the king. I mean, the thing I kept thinking is like should Trachtenberg What if he made an alien movie? Oh, love to see him. Just give him a different franchise to like, I’m bringing this guy blank check. What I saw with this was like, I’m ready. Let him do what he wants.
SLIM Jax calls out reservation dogs, which I think it also might be on Hulu. That’s another show with quality representation. Yeah, I mean, I hope that this turns into a franchise that will be awesome. I know. I saw a lot of reviews. People were like vomit. This wasn’t a theatrical release. But I will say that probably more people saw pray than otherwise would have if it was in theaters. I mean, like machina Would would you have gone to see PRAY IN THEATERS if that was a theatrical movie? Like even with the buzz? Probably not?
PROTO No, probably not. Especially with probably the way it would have been marketed. Like it wouldn’t have felt like a triple A movie. Yeah. So I literally
SLIM Predator movie like there’s just no way it would have gone to theaters. Let’s say let’s say hello to some new patrons that joined this week, Bradley, Quinton and Cameron all joined this week, they got access to the 70 millimeter vault of episodes just for supporters. And those are available on Apple podcast and Spotify for supporters but they don’t get access to the VHS village discord. They don’t get access to the discounts on Danny’s prints and merch which I don’t think there’s a there is a new 70 mm hat. I don’t think we mentioned it on the show. Top Gun inspired design. Gorgeous. And let’s see what else so they actually they have the details for the 70 millimeter meetup that’s happening at the end of August. The big meet up Sure so close screening a movie in the greater Philadelphia area. We’re going to have a nice afternoon, you know, have some drinks for people that partake in drinks. If you don’t drink that’s okay till you can come along and have a great time with us. But that’s happening the end of August. How do you feel so close? It’s so close.
PROTO And it’s right in my backyard. And it’s an it’s gonna be hot.
DANNY It’s gonna be me. Yeah,
PROTO we’re gonna be we’re gonna be together. We’re gonna be watching a movie. And we announced our movie yet.
DANNY We haven’t. We haven’t tend to be on the marquee when they walk up.
SLIM Oh, I think the podcast name is gonna be the marquee two. It’s gonna be like 70 Mm. Presents. The mudra idol.
PROTO There’s gonna be people like banging on the door like how do I get in here? It’s
SLIM sold out there good car guy. Yeah, we should ask him what’s sold out. Even though there’s still gonna be a total seats where people
DANNY want to film this place up.
SLIM And we also give out a free year of litter box Pro for people that share this show on social media. Get rid of ads get access to your historical stats on letterbox and Morrow in motion. Oh my god, that 70 mm pod Princess Mononoke a art is just gorgeous. I need a print cry emoji. Something greatest print Danny’s ever done. That’s the buzz on the street.
PROTO Stay tuned. Think it is.
SLIM Goodness. So you saw it? Nope. Have you talked about Nope. Yet on this show? I don’t think so. Danny, let’s hear it.
DANNY No, I haven’t. We saw Nope. This past weekend. And it’s an incredible fun time for stars. Jordan peels back baby. And I really loved this. This some movie. It’s It was everything you said it would be slim the Amblin vibes. Thank you. I don’t want to spoil it for people haven’t seen it yet. But there’s there were some aspects of it. That I assumed would be one thing and it turned out to be another and I liked that. I liked it and have being like surprised by the story. Especially when I thought it was I thought I knew pretty much what was going to be going into it. And it was a great cast a lot of fun. Yeah. And I am excited to watch more about it and watch like behind the scenes stuff.
SLIM Did you preorder a steel book by any chance from BestBuy? I did not. Casey turn off. can you mute your phone real quick? If you’re listening Casey O’Brien who
DANNY ordered for me she loved it more than I did.
PROTO I can’t believe this Steve Yun guy hasn’t caught
SLIM on yet. This is his breakout role. Yeah,
PROTO I think he’s gonna be big. I don’t hear anybody talking about him. But it
SLIM was in The Walking Dead. Do you know that?
DANNY You’re still on there?
SLIM It’s like season 30 or something is alright, shall we get into our feature? prezzo This is the animated summer
PROTO trot on Is there any movies that slim watched that we need to talk about? You tell me before he
DANNY slowly could talk about his excellent episode with Gemma and Paul share this.
SLIM Oh,
DANNY what a fantastic episode. You guys were great with Paul. Thanks. Great guest Thank you match has had great conversations with him and I really liked that episode. Paul’s definitely someone you could easily vibe with. Right in the wheelhouse of films that we love.
SLIM He’s one of us. I mean, he’s white. He’s middle aged. Those 80s movies. So yeah, we had Paul Scheer on the return episode, the letterbox show the four faves format. He had Beverly Hills Cop. He had Ghostbusters. He had Back to the Future and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Might what it’s up for I mean, could do that episode in our sleep? You know? Yeah, I was fun to talk with him about like, because I think I made a point to bring up about how when I watched actually the future most of my thoughts were like, This is all like merch like that I wouldn’t want to buy like going through Doc’s house and stuff. And I got the impression that he was like the same way. Like he probably has so much junk in his house from like his favorite movies and stuff. But yeah, surely fun episode.
DANNY Yeah. Great episode, you guys.
SLIM Thank you. Patreon the movies.
PROTO You watch you liked the movie today, this funny pages movie, huh? What is this movie?
SLIM Yeah, it’s an 824 movie that’s coming out in a few weeks. It’s directed by Owen Klein, the son of Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates. Believe it or not even know they were married. And the synopsis of the story of New York’s next great comic book artist and biggest dick teenaged cartoonist rejects the comforts of his suburban life in a misguided quest for soul. So our friend Chuck shared the trailer with us of like, month, a couple months ago, and I had never heard of this movie. And then I was like, What an odd movie for a 24 to make because it’s like, I think the safdies produced it. And it has that kind of like, independent, dirty, stressful, awkward vibe to it. That like reminds me of the safdies And they’re in their films. So it follows this young kid trying to be a cartoonist. He’s already very talented, but he’s like, he left his family’s house they live in like Princeton, New Jersey, they’re pretty well off. And he rents someone’s like basement. And some of the scenes in this guy’s basement are just like so that they maybe want to like dry heave. It was like, imagine a set FTEs infused like you rent the worst department ever. And it’s just you’re like right next to the boiler, everyone’s sweating and you just want to like get out immediately. But he befriends someone who like was a color separator for Image Comics, and he’s just kind of like quirky kind of odd dude. And he tries to get this guy’s like acceptance of his work because he’s not getting it from his parents. I love that I gave it four and a half stars. I’m anxious to see what the general public’s response of it is because it’s like, an American cartoonist. Not superhero comics, you know, like, Robert crumb. The chrome movie was like one thing that popped into my head when I was watching this. I’m like, I don’t know how many people are gonna like really enjoy this, but
DANNY I love that sounds awesome.
SLIM Ron says You had me at comics. But the animated Summer, Please. It’s time. Akira? My PEC for perhaps the biggest month in the history of this show. Dale is checking the numbers. He’s got the ticker tape machine in the in the office. He’s checking it. He’s looking at me. He’s given the thumbs up. Thank you Tara. What’s this movie?
PROTO In 1988, Tokyo is destroyed, triggering world war three. from its ashes rises Neo Tokyo a future city of steel, concrete and neon lights, sick with corruption and capitalist greed. Martial law is enacted as gangs patrol the capillaries of an undead city. Canada leads his band of bikers against a rival gang evading the law. But when young Tetsuo crashes his bike into a child, the fate of Neo Tokyo, a vision of its past destruction begins to come into focus. Secretly the government has been working on a research project to understand and harness the power that destroyed the city. Beneath a stadium in cryogenic storage is a power that lies dormant it is a power that destroyed Tokyo and might be the only thing that can save it aka.
SLIM Hear those drums pumping right now in the background God pump in ever has chills in chat Meterpreter the synopsis? Got her 1988 Danny, where were you? 1988 Where were you the first time he saw Akira?
DANNY Oh, the first time I saw Akira would have been in the comics shop that I owned. I didn’t really watch it so later on in life. And I watched it as I read through it, the Dark Horse release of the of the comics. So it wasn’t until I was older. Yeah, I because I wasn’t big into anime Ghibli was all that I kind of watched. And so you always I mean, Akira is always brought up in these conversations of you know, most pivotable anime of all time etc. For at least for Western audiences, if not the world so yeah, I was it was later in life for me to see Akira
PROTO Pardo. I bought a cure on DVD. Probably around 15 years ago, and I never watched it.
DANNY Oh my.
PROTO I don’t know why. I don’t know. I thought I might have watched it. But then when I turned it on, I was like, No, I definitely haven’t seen this. So I don’t know if I don’t know if I maybe like started it and didn’t get into it or what? But yeah, I just this is one that has evaded me. I never got around to watching it. So this was the first viewing for me. Oh my.
SLIM Yeah, I was trying to think if I maybe like watch this at a friend’s house on tape, or if it was a DVD, but I remember the vibe being that it was like This ain’t your dad’s Disney movies. Like when you get your hands on an anime. And the I guess this was like a gateway anime. It didn’t really like open up animate doors for me. I kind of like saw it and loved it. And then I was like, I guess I don’t really need to see anything else. After that, because like, it’s if you’re a young teenager around the time that this was like hitting the states, maybe like mid 90s. You’re reading those Image Comics that I talked about the ROB Lightfoot comics, and then you get your hands on Akira. You’re like FPS, this is insane, R rated animation. Like that opens up like your worldview to what is like available. And then over the years, I think I’ve seen this so many times that it just kind of like has blurred into an experience. It’s like less of a movie, if that makes sense. Like, you’ve heard the music, you’ve seen the famous shots. So it was a lot of fun sitting down to just absorb it as a film, because I think I said the last time I watched it, it was I fired the 4k while I was working. So I didn’t really like kind of sit down to focus on it. What’s it
PROTO like, having read the the manga that it’s based on?
SLIM It’s like to think it’s like, over 2000 pages? Yeah, it’s
DANNY 2100 pages, six trades? And yes, only takes part of what the first half of the first book?
SLIM Yes, I think so. I haven’t read it since we covered it on paper gag. But the main differences are like Akira is alive in the book, and is a character. And there are others obviously so much more in the book. But I think it’s like the first and like the last book are the main things. And something to keep in mind too, is I believe that this movie came out two years before the strip ended. Yeah. So it’s just like crazy to think that he and his team made a feature film about a book that wasn’t even finished. So we had to like come up with that ending before the manga even saw an ending, which is crazy.
DANNY So George RR Martin never saw Akira.
SLIM So yeah, if I think it’s worth mentioning, too, like if you enjoy the film and want, you know, like 1000s of pages more than the manga is a really fun experience, especially if you’ve never read a manga. You know, like, this could be a good time to dip your toe in that. I mentioned it last week, but like our main mistake was covering the entire manga in one episode. Like, I can’t link to it in chat. But like, I remember specifically reading the book, I think with James in his bedroom in our apartment falling asleep, because at that time, he wouldn’t let us leave his bedroom. Like when we went when we put him to bed. So we had to put a chair in a rocking chair in his room. And I would sit there read Akira. And then our scheme to get out of this bedroom was to slowly move the rocking chair closer to the door every night. And he never noticed so like at the end of maybe like a couple of weeks or something. The chair was like out of the room and we didn’t have to wait in the room with anymore. I don’t know how it works. But I remember
PROTO you telling that story on the show and me putting my I think because at that time I might have had like my first my first kid and I’ve kind of gone through the wringer with like bedtime. I mean, I’m still putting my three year old to bed. But I always think I that story always comes back to me when I’m like laying in bed. I’m like, is there a way Is there any way that I could do this maneuver?
SLIM There’s no way logically that plan should work but um, so the first thing I’ll go first since it was my pick, but the main thing that jumped out to me on this feeling are the backgrounds in this movie. The backgrounds are gorgeous, yes. Like I watched that YouTube making of which is like 49 minutes or whatever and they show the team painting the background dotting the lights in the buildings. Oh my God, just the backgrounds like a watch a documentary on that entirely. What do you think Danny?
DANNY There is also I mean, yeah, the background, the background work in this. I feel like is almost unmatched. It may be by Ghibli when it comes to cel animation with the painted backgrounds. But this film really is the bar I feel like when it comes to the paintings. There’s actually a gallery right now that’s showcasing some of the original art of the backgrounds I forget the name of it. Yeah.
SLIM Was that or was that our friend Tim that link to know that exhibit or he linked to a book because I remember the about the
DANNY book from the exhibit? That was okay, but yeah, it’s it’s a gorgeous this film is it’s a it’s a masterpiece. Mm
PROTO hmm. Yeah, I felt like some of the background work. It seemed too good for the amount of time that some of the shots had on screen. It was I felt like should I be pausing this like spend time looking at this because there’s so many just amazing shots. I think I kept saying to myself, like, you know, when they when they when you talk about every picture being a painting, like this is literally that you can you can as your watch as I was watching it, you could just kind of almost like forget that just like the work that would go into creating some of these images, not to mention that the parts that are animated, they just are incredible in the detail that they convey.
SLIM Danny, what’s your number one of three things that you’ll mention
DANNY into this because I do want to the animation in this is, is top tier is it’s almost the best cel animation that I feel like exist when it comes to hand drawn 2d movies. And there’s so much about how they did it. When you talk about frame rates, most most of them are the 12 I think 1212 frames per second, but they were doing 24 They were they’re up in there. So 24 frames a second. So they were drawing 24 different images per second for this film. And you can just tell you can tell the the, the movement and some of the characters the there’s a there’s a tracking shot that I always love where Tetsuo is laying on his back on the ground. And it’s like slowly panning to him as he’s like laying backwards. But like, as it pans to him, like the ground is animated as well as him as well as the fire in the background. And it’s just, it’s insane. This animation, from beginning to end, there’s never a moment where I’m like, that could have been done better. Or that looked a little bit off. There’s so much about this film where I’m just honestly forget I’m even having to keep up with a story. I’m just kind of drooling over these images.
SLIM There’s also I think, what’s like one of the famous things that gets called out is the light the brake lights on the motorcycles like that animation, the burdens Yeah, how the lights kind of like stay and how that ghosting effect. There’s also the one I think the one shot one of the Joker gang, maybe gets like knocked off a motorcycle, but it’s he like falls in slow motion. And it’s I mean, this movie 1988 or around a few years depending on what release, you saw. Like it’s still top notch, like so like you just said, like, this is still some of the best animation I’ve ever seen even today. And seeing it in the mid 90s You’re like, I mean, just imagine that, like, you’re decades ahead of the game for a lot of the animated movies you’ll watch at that age.
PROTO Yeah. Yeah, I was, I was blown away by that. And, and as I was watching this, and this kind of this leads into my point is that the amount of like, inspiration that this gave to people in terms of, like, I’m sure there’s people watch this in my life, I want to be an animator, you know, just just like set the course of people’s careers or just like different passions and, and just the way or just took it and put it into other, you know, whatever they were working on. And that was the thing that I was that was fun watching this for the first time and just seeing different references that were like, like, kind of like smacking me in the forehead like oh my gosh, like this has to be why it was a certain way and that one’s that that stood out to me. So the one character the doctor that like the scientist only she was seeing him like the way he talked the way he moved everything about him his mannerisms in the in the games HalfLife that Valve put out there’s their scientists characters in that game. And they are exactly this character. As I’m watching them, like oh my god, like they had to be just a, they just had to be copying this as an homage like it has to be because it’s it’s so it’s so particular and the voice everything about it seemed like a direct reference. Yeah, but I was but and I’m sure there’s probably like tons of stuff in pop culture that has reference of course you know, the thing you always see is like the bike slide, but I don’t know is there other things that you guys are aware of? Or just like that are famous?
DANNY I meant I was gonna bring up with Matt if you knew about Bart Kira.
SLIM Yes, I think a smile even brought that up in chat. So I have Bart Kira on my bookshelf. Yeah, grab that. So there is like an indie almost like anthology esque version of like the first bit of Akira but it’s Simpson characters. And it’s a lot of fun. It’s gorgeous. All the artists are so talented and epithet is a really fun compact you can get your hands on it. So the making of that I watched sorry I’ll get to Pardo’s point real quick. The making of our watch included voice like in English dub as I was like glad to see it like oh an English dub making of documentary Yeah. And some of the lines in the scenes. Like is the guy who’s voicing over this documentary doing the voices because they don’t sound like what I’ve heard. So I didn’t know that there was an original English dub. This the like the electric media dub that came out first. I’ve only ever heard the Pioneer dub, which I guess is like the 2000s. One. That first electric media dub is terrible.
DANNY Yeah, it’s pretty bad.
SLIM It’s so bad. The guy the guy who does Canada is Leonardo from the original Ninja Turtles animated series. And I was like, I couldn’t believe was like mind blowing that I didn’t know that. There was another dub. And it just sounds like it’s not good. In my opinion.
DANNY I think the the current Canada is the Black Ranger from one of the Power Ranger episode TV shows not the Mighty Morphin, obviously, but
SLIM I was going to ask which version you guys watched? Did you watch the dub or the original language?
DANNY For sure. I watched the dub on the new 4k release, sort of in the new voices and it was perfectly fine.
PROTO Yes. When I watched the dub two,
SLIM I ended up going to the original language version for the final act. I was actually starting to get a little bit bored with the English stuff. Too often the left the last year, but I was like, I think I’ll go to something new. My second point is Tetsuo dammit. Using like Tesco. Using his powers learning like getting powers is so rad and scary, like his missing arm when he is like doing battle with the soul like laser. And he forms a new arm. That is so cool. All that stuff is so cool. And then when he’s like, freaking out, there’s one scene where he’s freaking out when his powers first start. And he doubles over on his knees. And he’s like, in his head, his guts are falling out. And he’s in there’s no audio but he’s like pulling his trying to pull his guts back in like that warped me when I saw this as a kid, I was like, oh my god, this is insane. And like just the character he’s so badass in this movie. And when he goes to like that bar that like where they buy the drugs, the underground bar, he takes the drugs and then his friend is on the ground. He like turns around and sees TSO’s evil face and then the music hits magic oh my god, so cool.
DANNY I mean Tetsuo was my, my also next point, but the I think Tetsu was my favorite part of the whole movie. As much as Canada has such an iconic character like visually and his bike and all that kind of stuff Tetsu has character story arc is so much more compelling in this movie going from his late and telekinesis powers being unlocked and then all the way to the end. It’s the it’s it’s his storyline is incredible. I just, it’s, it’s what I love the most about this film.
PROTO Yeah, I think the scenes that that hit me the hardest in this were his hallucination scenes. Like those, those, I think there’s three of them. And by the third one, it was like you’re like, you’re like gripping the side of the couch, like, oh, here we go. Because they just kept upping the ante, but I felt like that man those scenes with that character, especially the way it builds, like you’re saying, just at first, like he has no idea what’s going on. And then I think I think it’s the second one is where he has the hallucination with like the teddy bear and the car or whatever. But he like he like sits up and then he like puts his hand out and the cup of water just goes to his hand. And you know, so like he’s like starting to gain these powers but doesn’t even realize it like and then of course he comes to the realization of the power that he has, and he can wield it in some way. But that’s such like a such a great ramping up of that. But those hallucination scenes I think man had talked about trying to imagine what like a psychotic break, possibly could feel like for someone who hasn’t had one that feels like maybe maybe what it could be like I you know, of course I have no idea but I felt like I was kind of like losing my mind watching.
SLIM Did you watch that making up doc.
DANNY I didn’t think I’d seen it before. I didn’t want to rewatch it for this. There
SLIM was a I was going to bring up Tesla’s girlfriend as a category where there’s like that brutal assault scene that happens and which I’ve totally forgot about, I was watching, I was like, Oh my God. But even otter is in the documentary. The interviewer brings up how Otomo doesn’t draw, like cute girls. And they’re like, it’s like a criticism of his. And they asked him like, why don’t you draw cute girls? And he like, laughs it off and he’s like, Oh, just, you know, never felt like the need to do it. But I guess if it’ll, you know, be more successful. Maybe I’ll start drawing cute girls. And then the narrator is like, now let’s take a look at Kay worry. She’s kind of cute, don’t you think? Strangest or weird thing oh my god, it was so dated and like, disgusting, honestly. In that documentary, but I don’t know that, you know, manga and anime traditionally have like different perceptions and its own problems with you know, women in movies, or in movies and books, but yet very dated, very uncomfortable to watch the documentary that
PROTO it is cool though in this movie, just seeing even the way the faces are drawn and how they’re just, you know, clearly different than what you get from it feels like, like 95% of anime or like mainstream anime. So that’s even cool. Just seeing the different just the different way they were drawn, I guess from the manga.
SLIM Taco says Tex was hairline is worse than Keaton’s in chat.
DANNY It always feels like a tomo and Miyazaki purposely set themselves apart from mainstream anime styles like you can you visually know when you’re seeing the two different movies for sure out says set apart from if you showed me like Lupin or Dragonball Z, a random shot, I’d be like, I don’t know what this is at all. But I could know if I’m seeing a Miyazaki film or anything like that.
PROTO Yeah, that’s true.
SLIM Did you want to give a different number to Danny or Penn, I’ll
DANNY just move on God. Sorry,
SLIM sorry, buddy. Pro Number Two.
PROTO I love some of the shots, I thought like the storytelling and this was brilliant, just about like, in a thematic way. Like, some of the images were just so just so clear, like one of the shots were there in the sea, I can’t remember why it happens. But all the glass of like, the skyscrapers start breaking. And then like, all the people there are like, just like running for cover. And I just thought like, like this, this picture of like, a, like a post capitalism, of like the system coming crashing down on the people who are there, you know, as like, the city, the city of glass is shattering falling on them, I thought that was like such a, such like, a brilliant way to, like, communicate that without, without just like, you know, saying it. Also just the idea of like, the power that one person can have through technology, right, these like, these kids are developing this ESP and they’re, they’re, you know, that the government doesn’t know what it’s really doing. But just the idea that like, well, as we develop this new technology, you know, what power can one person have, if, you know, if they’re, if they’re in charge of it, and I just think of that in terms of like, where we are now with our world where, you know, we have, like these billionaires who are just running these companies, and they have all this power, because of, you know, these products or this technology that they wield. So you know, even that another thing I loved was the, the doctor, the doctor, where he is where he says he’s excited about, like, these unknown particles that he’s discovering, but literally, like the world around him is ending. And he’s like, very excited about finding this, of just like how, how, like nearsighted, we can be in terms of, you know, the larger picture, you know, we can get so focused on what’s in front of us, but like, you know, we’re missing the forest for the trees kind of thing. So I just thought there’s so many like beautiful storytelling moments in that where you don’t even have to, I don’t think fully understand what’s going on in this movie, to appreciate like those small vignettes of of just them them telling the story through what you’re seeing on the screen, right.
SLIM spiritual advisor. Good, nice gentleman. My number three, I have a lot of honorable mentions. But my number three is probably the final act. Sorry, Danny. And it’s actually mainly because I had already forgotten. Like, if Akira like what was the story with Akira, like insecure in this I can’t remember like what they did in the movie version, but the the like the scheme of it him going underground to see this like badass cryogenic chamber that allegedly a cure is so powerful and he’s hidden away in this and he wants to free him. That is so badass I love it the way it’s designed to he like brings it above ground and then it’s revealed to him that Akira is dead long dead it’s just like his his organs in here are just preserved for the potential scientific need down the line. Oh, my guy loved it. Loved it. Loved it and that’s not even talking about the the final fight between the two friends which is also amazing. Let it out.
DANNY That’s that would be that okay, that that’ll be my third then. Because that’s that’s really is when I sit up in my seat because it is that final fight when when Tetsuo is sitting on the throne after his arm got blasted off from the orbital cannon or whatever. And he forms it into the chair, he starts freaking out and it starts building and it becomes that amalgamation of tentacles and like bodily. I don’t know what you want to call his arm becomes. It is bulbous. It is horrendous. And I can’t look away. It’s one of the most insane animations that exists. And I I love that final that final act. It’s incredible. There’s so much about Tetsuo and him trying to survive it. But he he engulfs his girlfriend, he ends up killing her. He, he sucks in Canada as well. And it’s just, it’s insane. It’s insane. The animation and that final
PROTO act. It was riveting, just not knowing what’s going to happen because I wasn’t sure like can Tetsu be can he be killed at this point? Like when the orbital cannon blows off his arm? It’s like, oh, I guess I guess he can be seems like he you know, he is mortal. Still in some so like he could be killed. And then him in Canada. Like having that fight with the lake. I was like, kinda what are you doing? Dude?
DANNY You can’t win this.
PROTO You’re not gonna win this. But even Yeah, and then you get you get like, aka so like, he says part is so small. I love that though, where the kids are standing there, like, Oh, he’s here. Then not even really fully understanding what necessarily happens. They’re like, you know, they’re clearly kids, but they have some greater understanding of what’s going on. And then they they seem to maybe have a plan, but they’re still just kids. Are they not sure what they’re doing? Like, is this a good solution? Like what’s really happening here? There’s, there’s so many things going on at the end there. And, and having no I had like no idea what was gonna happen. You’re just like, clueless watching this for the first time. So I found it like riveting just to just to see where it was going. And then and then seeing, you know, I guess like the the explosion at the end or whatever that’s supposed to be. I mean, it’s really compelling. Like, I just want to watch it again
DANNY you actually need to read the book. That’s what I would love for you to do is read it. I was looking at that book. This is one of the few times where I can be like, the book is better than the movie. Even though this film is so good. The book is so it’s so good. I was so much more
SLIM Akira even if you just Google like a cure book covers, like, I mean this Yeah, the various thrown shots are insane. I think the worst part is I mean, those weren’t even really kids like they were they’re like 30 years older than the actual main cast. But I think due to the drugs, they kind of like their bodies hadn’t almost reverted.
DANNY Yeah, I mean, when a cure comes in and just saves the day takes Tetsuo to a new universe since Canada back I mean it’s and then they see the flashbacks. It’s it’s an incredible finale. There’s an animation bit that I love. It’s when tets cannon is on his bike. He’s wearing the yellow shirt. He’s got the the laser rocket launcher, and it breaks the ground it’s on and it lifts up one side and his bike starts sliding down and he’s like, driving up it sideways. We’re also fighting. There’s something about that animation that is like brilliant. It just gets me I wait for that moment because I don’t know why I like it, but it’s insane.
SLIM Otomo please, hurry. Do you have a number three?
PROTO Um, I don’t know if we really covered. I feel like most of my nose That’s the only other thing was maybe like Oh, another homage that I wasn’t. Have you guys seen Afro Samurai? Yeah. Negative. Do you know the teddy bear character in that genome? Yeah, I was wondering if that was like an homage to this as well. Just what that that bear
DANNY actually wonder if the car from that scene is like from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It reminds me of that car a lot.
PROTO Oh, I like the I like the seat when their friend Yamagata dies and he says I gotta send Yamagata his wheels, and he just runs the bike into the wall. That’s a great little bit.
SLIM It’s cool.
PROTO Yeah, I feel like there’s there’s so much in this that it’s hard to digest on one viewing so I really, you know, just want to see it again. Um, I mean, I love this movie. I’ll just say now I mean, this is a five banger for this movie is something special. Yeah, it really,
SLIM really is. Five, bang, my God. Let’s see. So my honorable mentions. I love que more in the manga. Like there’s a little bits and pieces of k where like, she starts to look like she’s like, she’s in powers. She like, ready and raring to go here, but then she like kind of just fades away towards the end, which is kind of a bummer in the movie. I mean, in general, he could say that about any of the women in the movie, unfortunately. Let’s see. Oh, the one of the comparisons I have for the animation style is Do you remember as a kid watching like the GI Joe intro or the X Men intro and it had the coolest animation like they spent their budget there? Yeah, and they never got back to that been like the entire movie is this and the Ninja Turtles to have the best animation of the intro? Oh my god. So that was like something I thought of when I fired this up that like you’re getting a whole movie of that animation style. James left the room after 20 minutes. You thought it was dumb?
DANNY Not yet, James. To be
SLIM fair. We started together upstairs because my foreclosures downstairs. I started on Hulu. I thought the Hulu version was a was a downer. There was a lot of like pixelation and compression handwritten on the on the animation. So I highly recommend if people maybe were bombed with the whole presentation I’m not sure what the to be version. I didn’t watch it on TV. But the maybe there’s an HD version that’s a little bit better if you rent it. The general we didn’t talk with the general but I loved when he liked crapped his pants from the Akira vault comes above ground. Like loses it goes to his pants. His bulbous arm. Yeah, I’m also five stars. Oh, my favorite here. This movie and the memories around it are just totally ingrained in my childhood and growing up that like I said earlier, it’s like an experience at this point. And there are flaws in it. Especially when you compare it to the manga. So hopefully people give them a shot and and maybe try something new. Danny,
DANNY I don’t really have to think one of my favorite bits is kind enough front kicking the guy off the bike. Yeah, this is easily five stars. This movie is a masterpiece in animation, and storytelling. And it’s it’s not perfect, but it’s it’s it’s incredible. It’s an incredible film. And if you get the chance to check out the book, please do because there’s there’s a lot of pauses a lot of like intentional pauses in the book that give a lot more weight to what the people of Neo Tokyo have been through. And I don’t think they give a little bit more of that emotion in the movie as much as they do in the book. So yeah, that’s movies. This movie is incredible.
SLIM According to Veeder the supercomputer who loves movies that Pardo built with his blood and sweat the average rating for Akira with our supporters is 4.2 right now very high as a very high isn’t there a doc circulating around that like the highest rated villager movies?
DANNY Is that real cash but I’d be it’s probably wonder what the highest into the spider verse.
SLIM That Oh yeah, it’s probably true. That was high. We did or was the Batman trending higher than into the spider verse at one time? Like that could be true also.
PROTO Yeah, I do. Remember we talking about that there was a movie that was gonna maybe unseat Spider Man, but I’m not sure.
SLIM Hmm. Akira. We did it. We have some feedback to get to as well.
DANNY Oh goodness.
SLIM Let’s see. You can send us an email. voice message from your cell phone at 70 Mm hmm.com or 70 Mm pod@gmail.com Diego leaves us a message. Hey guys just want to thank you for the incredible content and art you’ve put out you’ve helped me a lot this past month since I moved from Tijuana Mexico to San Francisco practically alone. Listening to you guys everyday has really improved this new life I’m living I laugh so much and learn new things to on every episode and I’m pretty sure I’ll be a first time ever patrons starting next week. Thanks again and love you guys PS the Kenobi series really does suck Nice job. Nice job Diego last year
PROTO there’s the art Danny did he put it out? Did you did you know you’re going to do the bike?
DANNY Did you have to do the bike path the bike is it’s so iconic. It really is and I meant to say when you were talking about other it was in Ready Player One it’s in the book and Spielberg put in the movie
SLIM to Ready Player One can you imagine the state of the discord of Ready Player One had come out before was a thing
DANNY I wouldn’t I probably wouldn’t showed up in the discord I would have retired
SLIM let’s see dear friend Gabe sorry for the lengthy email subject line hi to be army rise up love you buy through gap to the army I love to the love it
PROTO yeah you know to be is there when you need it
SLIM to be is there when you can’t afford the 1499 Hulu sub or whatever it’s going up to with Disney you know exactly Andy or Landy has left a VM we pull up my VM machine.
What is up 70 millimeter it is Andy calling from Orlando. I’m gonna make this super quick. I am not done with this movie. I haven’t finished it I have about an hour left. My goal is to watch it before you guys record tonight. But anyways, what I know about this movie or what I knew about this movie was I remember being about 10 years old and seeing a commercial late at night for like mature you know R rated Japanese anime and see a commercial for this movie for Kira. And it was terrifying. I had no idea what I was watching the only animate the only like cartoon that you know, cartoons I was familiar with was all Disney stuff. And so yeah, seeing that commercial as a kid scare the crap out of me. And yeah, and now we’re into this movie. Yeah, it is mature. But it is I’m really enjoying it so far. I’ll share my thoughts. I’ll log it on lb when I’m done with it, but anyways, that’s all I remember. Actually. I linked I put the link in the email slim but anyways, that’s what I knew. That’s all I knew about this movie going into it was that terrifying? Commercial so yeah, I can’t wait to hear the episode and I’m excited for the meetup it’s gonna be awesome later this month. Love you guys. Talk to you guys later.
SLIM Andy Cohen his pastor midway through Akira just to make his way through it needs a system repent
PROTO it’s mature
SLIM and he so I linked the YouTube video and chat. And yeah, I mean, seeing that as a kid. He mean it’s it’s it’s a new life. It’s a whole new world. You know? Before we move on to Danny’s Peck, I forgot to mention it was mentioned in discord today. So by the time this episode is out and about by the time this episode is out and about, you know, we talked about Ian, former producer this show. He’s the host of the Xenonauts podcast, they traverse through the Criterion Collection. That’s their angle on their pod with her friends catch her and boom. But I was a guest on a recent episode, talking about none other than the best movie in the criterion. Robocop. I called her Whovians own Robocop. So I had a delightful time have a link in the Episode Notes. To that episode, by all means, check it out. People might remember Ian from our Stranger Things episode. What an app.
DANNY Right but an app shock drop. Yeah. Remember that? Thank you do shock drop.
SLIM So that’s the last thing I’ll say. Before we get to Danny’s Peck for the animated summer.
DANNY Lesson. The two of you picking animated films from the lose Their bracket of this poll we did. Forced was almost forcing my hand. Ah, but it didn’t, I’m sorry to say, Oh, I’m not picking Prince of Egypt. I’m not picking anything else on this list. I was locked in from day one. And basically, in the past when I’ve made choices that go against my gut, they’ve been bad choices. This time I’m going with my gut. I’m picking a film from the Disney archives. We’re going to do Brother Bear I knew time you’re doing Brother Bear. Oh,
SLIM my God. You know if we had done another phase month, I wondered if that was one we’re gonna get Brother Bear. I’m looking we’re gonna do Brother Bear. Who did the music and Brother Bear lesion on Williams Phil Phil Collins, our boy. Wow. Oh my god. When an impulsive boy named Ken i is magically transformed into a bear he must literally walk in another’s footsteps until he learned some valuable life lessons. His courageous and often zany journey introduces him to a forest full of wildlife, including the lovable bear cub Coda hilarious moose rut and took woolly mammoths and a rambunctious RAM
PROTO hole up yeah, this stars the voice acting of none other than Joaquin. Phoenix.
DANNY Big big time.
PROTO He is the Brother Bear. Big big.
SLIM Wow. Wow. I’m young was hate 2003
DANNY I feel like this is incredibly underrated. And I’m excited for you guys to watch it.
SLIM It’s all been leading to this. This is one of those movies Danny’s always talking about. Talking about Brother Bear never gets the respect. No respect that it deserves.
PROTO Mononoke a an AKA Sit down sit down. It’s time
SLIM Joaquin stand up. Brother Bear streaming on Disney plus next week. Holy smokes. Dylan in our Discord. Two stars. Test is so pester and we’ll just say the word I’ll give him a timeout right now. Just say the word. He said it’ll happen. Alright, so earlier in the show, we were talking about the ILM. Oh television program. Speaking of Disney plus,
DANNY Mom, we
SLIM have to get into this. The history of Ilm. I mean ILM is like behind every movie we love in our age group. Right?
DANNY Right. Right? Right. Yeah,
SLIM we so this ILM show they have footage, I guess they recorded everything over the years and their little legs at all eight millimeter handsets or whatever. So the footage, I’ve never seen any of this, like, literally any of this stuff. It’s insane. It’s the history of them making Star Wars before it was officially ILM and then forming ILM and the problems they had while making the trilogy. It’s not it’s not it’s nice. For what did you think going through? I’m not sure how far you are.
PROTO Ah, I’m I think I’m midway episode four.
DANNY So this means a poltergeist.
PROTO Yeah, yeah. is insane. I’m at like the, where they’re talking about Pixar. I think he had like I sold it to it’s just jobs.
DANNY Yeah. Um,
PROTO this gave me like an incredible appreciation for George Lucas. Like Holy Christ, is he like my hero at this point? Oh my gosh, that like his vision, what he was able to create. And here’s an amazing quote about what it takes to be a director or I think that’s what he like, what what it takes to be a director and he just says it’s like persistence. Because even as I’m, as I was watching this, I was like, is Star Wars actually real? Did they actually make this movie these movies? Like, how did they actually make this stuff when you see the behind the scenes?
SLIM Yeah, I’m dead. So like, Dennis is a Dennis Mirren. Dennis Mirren. Yeah, I mean, a full disclosure. I don’t even know who that was. Before I started watching the show. It was not a Dennis Mirren. Like not like I’m not an ILM nut. Like I know, Lucas. I know. Phil Tippett, and there’s a few other dudes on the chatroom. Joe Johnson so Joe Johnson, like I kind of even I know Joe Johnson, but there has never been a connection that like Joe Johnston. You’re famous director to most people but with like, at Grant on zero have ILM integral to producing Star Wars like that entire, like grouping of films from those like decades. And that I just got to the episode, I think part of just got there too. But at a certain point, Joe Johnson is like, burned out. And he’s like, You know what, George, I’m going to take a year off. I’m going to use some of the money that I’ve made here, which I assume is a lot. And he’s still young. He looks like he’s in his early 30s. He’s like, I’m going to travel the world. And George says, You need to go to film school. What if instead of that you go to film school? And then John says, like, what have I been doing? Like, literally, like, I’ve been in film, when you consider what I’ve been doing at ILM like film school, and in my head, I was like, Yeah, tell that do to beat off. Like you believe in making all these movies. What more do you need to learn? So then George tells him like, I’ll put up the tuition for you to go to school. And then you know, call me later, we’ll see what happens. And he does he like goes, where are you going to remember the school he went to was, it wasn’t us, USC, USC, Georgia. And then after he’s done school, he gets a gig doing Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. And then that catapults him from there to throw a two year old in America. Journey is insane for Joe Johnson like, and I had no idea that that was the backstory.
DANNY And let alone he’d teacher, the Millennium Falcon. He created the Millennium Falcon, like one of the most, if not the most iconic starship of all time. So it’s the stories that you can. I mean, there’s so much of Phil Tippett in this, that is, I could sit and listen to Phil talk about all this for another 12 hours. I mean, it’s incredible. The amount of Phil Tippett footage. And what I said last time, it was, I just, I’m just happy, they’re all alive, that they could record these memories, and have these interviews and talk about the, the starting up of ilm, because it’s it’s something that’s incredibly fascinating for anyone who loves movies, making of movies. This is like, the dream,
PROTO The thing that I like couldn’t get over. It’s like, I’m I wanted to just go and watch Star Wars again. Because I think the the, of course, the magic of Star Wars is as a kid and what was interesting, I think at one point, someone says, like, you know, one of your biggest critics is the 10 year old who’s watching the movie. And if they think it looks funny, then you know, you’d like lost them. And the thing about Star Wars is like as a kid, I never, I never like the thought it never even crossed my mind that this stuff was fake. Which, you know, it’s like, of course, it’s a movie, right? But like, when you’re in it, and you’re watching it, you don’t really think about like, Oh, someone had to make all this stuff, you know, you’re just enjoying, you’re just like soaking it in. So as I’m watching this documentary, and you’re seeing the sets that they built by hand, like literally every single thing in the movie, every single detail is made by hand. It just, it just like makes your appreciation go up for this. And like honestly, I was like, because they even talk about it of like the grinder that making these movies was and I mean, truly had to be because they’re making these elaborate sets by hand. And the shot could have been like, you know, 20 seconds or whatever. And they’ve got a two hour movie to make of this. So like the dedication that these guys had, and also like the environment that you that they’re in of, of just being creative. And like you said, like, they’re all like, they all are across the different disciplines. Like, you know, Joe Johnson, he’s like doing storyboards. But then he’s like painting figures. He’s like, the backgrounds. You know, he’s, they’re all doing everything. So I think in terms of like, just the creativity behind it, and what they had there, and like how these people even came together to be at the spot at the same time to do this is just really incredible.
DANNY One of the things that always gets me when watching these is how they had to make the things that make the movies like they didn’t have the cameras or they didn’t have the programs like John Knoll, coming in and creating Photoshop, like, I use Photoshop every day of my life for the past, how many years and it’s like, this was created for Ilm. So work so you make these movies and it’s just
SLIM Like when they when they brought John Nolan. He’s like this young kid, he wants to get a job at ILM, full disclosure, I didn’t realize that that guy made Photoshop mean either when he was still on it like me and my brother made this rudimentary photo app, and we’re editing things. And then someone tells us we could turn this into a commercial app or a commercial product, didn’t call it an app back then. And then like, the next shot is like Photoshop by so and so. And I’m like, why? Like, I had no clue when it’s just insane
DANNY When I did Star Wars Celebration, Chicago. One of the last days, John Knoll was walking around the art, the art show, and no one was stopping him. And I’m like, Guys, this is John Knoll. So he comes by and I stopped him was like, Hey, John, nice to meet you. He’s like, I love your art. And like, Thank You shut up. And he was like, Thank you for Photoshop. And he just laughed at us like I use it every day, buddy. It was just great. Super nice. It was awesome.
SLIM Yeah, there was a couple, I can’t remember. I didn’t write it down. But there was a few lines about how, you know, early on in the series, some of these guys are able to turn like they’re making these home movies. First of all, they’re making these insane home movies. I don’t know how it was possible. But it’s like, it just blew my mind the technology they were using to create what they did. But they were like, talking about how they turned like some of the things they love, like their hobbies. Like I love doing this. I combined this hobby with this hobby, into something brand new. And they turn that into like something that looked like they were able to create a job and a role out of something they love to create. And you always hear that, like a get a day job that you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. But this was like the epitome of that. You know, they’re creating monsters. They’re they’re developing the new technology that does not exist. And it was just insane to see what the matte paintings the matte paintings were the most insane things like you hear stories about the Star Wars matte paintings. There was a shot where they’re pulling out the full size matte paintings on glass, and I almost passed out. Like this is like the Mona Lisa of nerd. Like dumb it I couldn’t believe it couldn’t believe it.
DANNY Also to see old footage of Ralph McQuarrie. Like I’ve only ever I feel like I’ve only ever seen him old. And I have have a signed print from him. And I wish he was still around. But to see old Ralph or young Ralph, in this old footage was kind of mind blowing.
PROTO Yeah, him just working on Cloud City, the clay, he’s just like, in a room, they have any just like, you know, he’s like dabbing away. Incredible, just seeing and just like him talking about? Yeah, you know, George, he wanted to, you know, he wanted to city up in the cloud. So, you know, I started thinking about it. And it’s like that other Cloud City, simply.
SLIM Also, it’s a shame to see, to see how like they filmed with matte paintings, like they would put that over the film, and they would just have the shot of them walking on deck be the only thing that was visible in between the matte painting, and that’s how they did it. It’s just so cool to see.
DANNY Yeah, it’s insane.
PROTO And yeah, the idea that none of this technology or a way to do VFX like this existed before. And just just the fact that like, like George is like, well, I’ll just do it myself. You know, like, no one else is gonna do it for me. So I’ll just form a company. And like, his role in all of this is just so incredible, of being a visionary. And, and being able to get the best out of people. Like, of course, these people are insanely talented. But he also there’s a lot of scenes where he’s like, ask them, like, can you do this? And they’re like, No, it’s impossible. He’s like, Well, think about it. And they would figure it out. So he just like had a way of getting things out of people. And even the beginning where he talks about, you know, he had this script. And of course, you know, they couldn’t sell it. So he does American Graffiti to like, prove that he can make a movie. Just the fact that like, he would go and do that. And it’s like, now now I proved that I can do it. Now I want to make Star Wars and, and like the stress that he was under. And him like the whole film filming process. I just feel like yeah, I just have like an amazing appreciation for George Lucas. Now.
SLIM This was probably the first time where I, I felt his explanation of how disappointed he was that he was still wasn’t able to fully realize his version of Star Wars in that God, like him explaining. I think there was archival footage of him saying how like he was still disappointed in a lot of the technology that he was forced to deal with in the theatrical release. And that was like, I would never have thought I would feel that way. I’m like, well All right, make your own version I guess like I feel bad now come back around, I did start to come back around. So I I, I totally have a like a an enhanced appreciation for George Lucas after I’m not even finished the documentary yet that I’m at the point where they’re starting to get more into the computer graphics and some of the ILM errs are realizing that like this is happening, whether we like it or not, I need to learn and Dennis Mirren is really ahead of the ball. Like he knows that this is it, he’s interested in it. And then at one point, he says that he finishes a show I love how they all call them shows, I think our friend Tim does the same thing he calls these movie production shows he’s like I was we just finished the show. And I take a year off, I go back I buy computer science books, computer graphics books, he takes a year off to then learn how to be a better you know, visual artists with computers it’s just nuts like hearing some of that stuff.
DANNY The drive that they had just always be better is inspiring for sure.
PROTO Yeah, and all their love for the digital art. Just as this was coming in, they they it seemed across the board they were you know unanimous that like this this is I only want to work in digital now. Like this is the future and just hearing that because so often like you know we joke about it but are serious to have like oh practical effects. We love them like they’re they’re so great. Can we get back to that? But hearing all these guys who built all the things we love, just loving digital and like never wanting to go back to it’s really interesting
SLIM How cool was when John Knoll as like a 13 year old 15 year old got the tour of ILM and he she’s like something I think that the time that Pixar team was working on the computer graphics team. They have this like computer generated thing. And John Hall like almost has like a heart attack. He’s like, this is the future like Do you not realize what this means? Everything is going to change. And he was right. So it’s it’s it’s an insane doc it’s definitely one of the best ones I’ve seen in a very long time.
DANNY I’m excited for you guys to finish it. There really am next week.
SLIM Brother Brother Bear Brother Bear I don’t even know if that’s a real line. I just always had that in my head that’s like from a trailer like maybe the end of the Brother Bear
DANNY We’re gonna live in so they don’t say Brother Bear
SLIM In the trailer. Brother Bear. Proto, any closing thoughts? As we’re not at the end of the animated number we’re getting pretty close.
PROTO
No, I don’t really have anything go watch this ILM documentary be changed with a better
SLIM Go forth and be changed. We’ll see everybody next week.
[70mm theme song ramps up, plays alone, fades out]
