I adore Miyazaki, but neither are favorites. Nausicaa is beautiful in its own way, but Ponyo seems a decidedly minor effort. I'd give the former an 8.5 and the latter a 7.5.Quote:
Originally Posted by YesNo
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I adore Miyazaki, but neither are favorites. Nausicaa is beautiful in its own way, but Ponyo seems a decidedly minor effort. I'd give the former an 8.5 and the latter a 7.5.Quote:
Originally Posted by YesNo
I agree Morpheus, both are lesser Miyazaki works. Nausicaa is Mononoke-light with Mononoke, I think, being a much more fleshed out and beautifully done version of the same kind of story. Ponyo I saw at the cinema and disliked, but it has since grown on me considerably. It is a nice rendering of the Little Mermaid story, Japanese style of course. Pretty, but not a master work.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorpheusSandman
My personal favourites are Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke. I also have a fondness for My Neighbour Totoro, which is such a heartwarming story. Oh, and Kiki's Delivery Service, that's sweet too. Haven't seen The Wind Rises yet as it's not out in UK until May, but I can't wait.
My three favorite Miyazakis are Mononoke, Totoro, and Spirited Away, with Castle in the Sky a close 4th. Most of Miyazaki's grow on you, I've found. I too liked Ponyo more the second time around, though, as we agree, it's still short of a master work. Nausicaa very much does seem to be a "tune up" for Monoke.
I'll probably pick up a couple more Miyazaki anime movies at the library this morning. I didn't expect the animation to be so realistic.
I don't think I'd call them realistic in the slightest, though definitely artistic. If you want "realistic" anime, try Grave of the Fireflies, which, IMO, is better than any single Miyazaki film.Quote:
Originally Posted by YesNo
I just watched Under the Skin at the cinema. I was the only one in the auditorium. Just as well, as it is uncomfortable viewing. I kept wanting to do some press-ups to relieve the tension.
Oh I agree, Grave of the Fireflies is in a class of its own. I've only been able to watch it once because cry, cry, sob, cry. It should come with a box of tissues and a hotline for counselling after you've watched it. My son, who watched it with me, also sobbed at the end. It is a very powerful piece of movie-making.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorpheusSandman
I still like Spirited Away better though :)
Last movie I watched was The Woman in Black. Best part was watching Ciaran Hinds' incredulous expression as he watched Daniel Radcliffe trying to act. More boring than the book. Full of cliches. Yawn. 3/10.
I loved Princess Mononoke, but only liked Spirited Away. I still haven't seen Nausicaa, but I have the manga, and that's excellent.
I liked The Woman in Black a lot, but I'm also a big fan of old-school ghost stories to begin with.
I just watched Howl's Moving Castle: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347149/
Score: 8/10
I just finished Grave of the Fireflies, and yes, it was oh so sad and beautiful.
It's in my Top 20 for a reason.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lykren
Since we're on anime...
It's not a movie, but those of you who like cyberpunk and unraveling symbolism should check out the 13-episode anime series Serial Experiments: Lain. All the reviews I read said the same thing: It's slow and weird, but has lots of good ideas and depth. I've watched it twice so far and enjoyed it a lot both times. The opening sequence gives a pretty good idea of the look and feel (nice song, too).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9CXmEUwvgM
Serial Experiments Lain is quite good, but I think it's a tad overrated. I think it hints towards more than it actually offers, and feel the strongest aspect is its expressionistic, surreal visuals. The other two Ueda/ABe series (Haibane Renmei and Texhnolyze) are far superior, IMO.
Bad Grandpa: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3063516/
Don't watch this movie.
Just kidding. I'm tempted to watch it again, now that I saw it on display in the library. The first time I saw it with my wife. I'm glad she picked it out and not me. It is a little gross and I didn't realize at first that not all the people in the movie knew they were part of a movie until it was over. There is a diner scene that I did not expect and another when the grandpa was sitting in the driver's seat, parked, waiting for something and pounding on the steering wheel as if it were a drum to the music on the radio.
I'm easily entertained.
Score: 10/10
Last weekend I watched the 1962 classic The Day of the Triffids (TDOTT)after stumbling upon it while searching for trailer to The Brain That Wouldn't Die (for the bad movie thread.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055894/
TDOTT was vaguely familiar to me, a movie I recall seeing during my formative years.
6/10 - any movie that starts with rogue meteorites instigating a bunch of trouble, automatically starts with at least a 5 on my scale.
it's spring time here, time to keep an eye on those those bloomin flowers.