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 TheSnowLeopard
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Mar 18, 2006
Member#: 13799
Posts: 347
Location: Sydney, Australia
   
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 Posted:
Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:38 am Post subject: |
 
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Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
It may seem strange to compare watching this movie to reading a legal document, but bear with me. Whenever I try to read legalese, where a single sentence can be as long as a paragraph, I find that about midway through I no longer understand what I am reading. I can see the sequence of words, but I can only get the gist of what is written. The precise meaning, the intended meaning, is lost to me. Or rather, the meaning is there, but I have somehow let go of the thread of meaning which I picked up from the opening words. If you substitute those words with images, and phrases with scenes, it goes some way to explaining how I felt watching Howl's Moving Castle. At a point in the last third of this movie I also could not explain what was happening, or more importantly, why.
Maybe this is a consequence of Miyazaki's style. Having seen Spirited Away, I know he likes to create a dreamlike world seen from the point of view of a child. I have had dreams that involve people I have never met and places I have never been to. It is a creation of my subconscious so bizarre that I am haunted by those shifting events with no apparent sense of logic or time, and a meaning that remains maddeningly out of reach. Howl's Moving Castle is a combination of the wide open spaces of the imagination, kaleidoscopic events, a dream logic and a dense, knotted message.
It is in many ways, in fact in every way, a beautifully crafted fantasy adventure that is both a visual spectacle to marvel at and a puzzle to solve. The story begins as a standard linear narrative. A young girl, Sophie, living in a European town, is turned into an old woman by a witch. Ashamed, she leaves her home and finds the Castle, where she encounters the wizard Howl, his apprentice Markl, a fire demon named Calcifer, and along her journey other wizards and creatures, spells and curses, princes and kings, battlefields and pastures, black blobs, a cute dog and a scarecrow. A real coterie of characters and incidents that belong to a story whose purpose I must confess was lost on me.
For all that, Howl's Moving Castle is one of the most beautiful animated movies I have seen. Such sequences as the visit to Howl's childhood, the escape from the King's palace, the Castle's transformation and Howl's room are breathtaking in their beauty. Perhaps I was so beguiled by these fantastical visions that I was swallowed up by them to the extent that I wasn't paying as close attention as I should to the dialogue and visual clues that would explain a lot of the action and motivations of the characters. This is basically a fairy tale that has been invested with a thematic complexity rare in animation. It has more allusions to Alice In Wonderland than Cinderella. It is definitely a movie I intend to watch again and, in future, to own. But for now my review is based on first impressions, and it is those sumptuous images that stay with me. I would certainly have rated the film higher if only it's message had not been so elusive. 8/10
_________________
"After dark all cats are leopards." - Native American Proverb
Last edited by TheSnowLeopard on Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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 FoxMcleod64
Lieutenant
Joined: Apr 10, 2003
Member#: 849
Posts: 119
Location: Siloam Springs, AR
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Posted:
Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:24 pm Post subject: Flyboys, You will experience some turbulance. |
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This weekend I managed to see Flyboys. Now, before images of guys running around with their zippers down come to mind (Pete  ) This movie is about the first volunteers to be fighter pilots for the French during the First World War. We follow the account of a Texan, Glenn Rollings (James Franco) who has lost his ranch and is allowed to leave the state before he is served with a bench warrent for his arrest. He quickly finds himself in one of the deadliest aspects of WWI, the first aerial battles.
The air fighting sequences are very well done. They serve the movie very well as this is what most movie goers have come to see this movie in the first place. The complicated dogfighting manuavers were done in CGI, but it is blended into actual flying footage very well so it is kind of difficult to tell the difference in some places.
The rest of the movie gets bumpy in places at best. The rest of Rollings' squadron mates are either unrememberable (with a couple of exceptions), or are killed off too quick to get emotionaly attatched to (actually though, that was a grim reality for WWI). The low-light that slows the movie down to a predicable crawling spiral is the pointless romance plot-line. I for one was getting impatient during these slow times and wanted to get back to the exciting low-tech furballs.
As far as soundtrack goes, Trevor Rabin does a decent job of producing cues that fit well with the subject matter, but part of me feels like he took a cue or two from Michael Giachhino's work from the Medal of Honor series.
I recommend this to those who like historic/period movies about war, airplane fighting movies, or any other type of action flicks, but be prepared for the slow parts. Don't expect great acting or a moving romance plot. Those seeking a great acting or a good drama should look for thrills else where.
_________________
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
- Sun-Tzu
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Cinder 
Commodore
Joined: May 15, 2005
Member#: 10213
Posts: 3317
Location: Washington state
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Posted:
Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:18 pm Post subject: FlyBoys |
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I just got back from seeing FlyBoys. tt is all of what FoxMcleod64 said it was, and a bit more. I coming in from a non techno point of view, liked the story. This is how I like history best. It is a moving story, and I used a few napkins to clinch in my hand!
I did not know the composer before seeing the fiilm, so tried my hand at guessing.. Hmm who could it be! I failed. I did enjoy it a great deal, and say go see it!
A couple spots to look at if you are interested:
http://www.ifmagazine.com/flyboys/
interview with Trevor Rabin, composer of Flyboys movie
http://www.mgm.com/flyboys/home.html
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A good sound track will let me relive the movie, I can cry over them as well. Hand me the tissues...please. |
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LadyInque
Captain
Joined: May 20, 2005
Member#: 10281
Posts: 2224
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
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Posted:
Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:15 am Post subject: |
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| TheSnowLeopard wrote: |
It may seem strange to compare watching this movie to reading a legal document, but bear with me. If you substitute those words with images, and phrases with scenes, it goes some way to explaining how I felt watching Howl's Moving Castle. At a point in the last third of this movie I also could not explain what was happening, or more importantly, why.
Maybe this is a consequence of Miyazaki's style. Having seen Spirited Away, I know he likes to create a dreamlike world seen from the point of view of a child. I have had dreams that involve people I have never met and places I have never been to. It is a creation of my subconscious so bizarre that I am haunted by those shifting events with no apparent sense of logic or time, and a meaning that remains maddeningly out of reach. Howl's Moving Castle is a combination of the wide open spaces of the imagination, kaleidoscopic events, a dream logic and a dense, knotted message.
It is in many ways, in fact in every way, a beautifully crafted fantasy adventure that is both a visual spectacle to marvel at and a puzzle to solve. The story begins as a standard linear narrative. A young girl, Sophie, living in a European town, is turned into an old woman by a witch. Ashamed, she leaves her home and finds the Castle, where she encounters the wizard Howl, his apprentice Markl, a fire demon named Calcifer, and along her journey other wizards and creatures, spells and curses, princes and kings, battlefields and pastures, black blobs, a cute dog and a scarecrow. A real coterie of characters and incidents that belong to a story whose purpose I must confess was lost on me.
...
It is definitely a movie I intend to watch again and, in future, to own. |
Snow, I admire your perseverance. I couldn't follow the movie at all by the last third, which irritated me so much I decided not to bother. There was nothing in the film I felt warranted a second view. Though I would have liked to see more of Howl in complete monster form. That was cool, for the moment it shows up. |
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FoxMcleod64
Lieutenant
Joined: Apr 10, 2003
Member#: 849
Posts: 119
Location: Siloam Springs, AR
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Posted:
Sun Oct 01, 2006 11:54 am Post subject: Jet Li's Fearless Is a Solid Effort |
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I saw Jet Li's supposedly last foray in a marial arts film and he certainly goes out with style. The film's fight sequences are spectacular well thought out thanks to none other than the great Yuen Wu Ping.
Fearless is about Master Huo Yinjai (Jet Li) who inspired the country of China by taking on a challenge from foreign fighters in an unfair gauntlet style four on one competition. Most of the movie is about Jet Li character's backstory and how he tragically learned a very painful lesson.
The good aspects of this film were exactly what people would be looking for from this movie: the fight sequences. Very well crafted and excellently staged, the fights are very dramatic and almost have a beautiful, dance like quality to them. One fight sequence in particular with takes place in an empty resturant during a thunderstorm takes on a very epic feel.
The film's lone weak aspect is that it transitions can be somewhat jarring leaving the audience to guessing at certain spots at how much time has really passed. Once instance, the audience is lead to believe only a year has past until a character says "You've been hear for years now, and I always knew you would leave." It seems as if we're to know how much time has passed based upon the length of Jet Li's braid.
I actually perfer subtitles and hearing the original language spoken when watching forgein made films as opposed to dubbed speech tracks. There are sections when some characters speak english which also seem jarring to me for some reason.
Fans of action movies, martial arts movies in particular should really go see this movie. It doesn't have the great cinematography of Hero, but it is still a great looking movie to look at. The soundtrack delievers a good effort providing that extra feel for the film's setting in early 1900's China.
_________________
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
- Sun-Tzu
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RobW720
Lieutenant
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Joined: Jan 04, 2006
Member#: 12946
Posts: 156
Location: Twin Cities, MN
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Posted:
Mon Oct 02, 2006 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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I also saw fearless and I agree. It is a good flick if you are down with Asian films. The fighting is great and there is a bit more of a compelling story to it than the usual bunch of movies people associate with Asian cinema. If it is his last, thats fine, he has had a good run. I prefer his movies that didn't make it big in the US over the ones that have, but still. I enjoy a good Jet Li film.
NOW on the other hand, I also saw Open Season (same day, lots of movies for me)
The animation was amazing. the art direction was fantastic. However, the story, the characters, the pace, and the overall feel of the movie was just poor.
My first complaint, and a common one, is this movie makes humans look really bad. Hunters in specific. Now I know hunting isn't for everyone but I have been hunting for well over a decade. I worked at an outdoor hunting fishing and camping outfitting store for six years and i have never met or know of any hunters like the ones portrayed in this film. Its the same old Bambi song and dance. Hunters just go out into the woods and blast away at everything at any given time. It doesn't work that way, but oh well. It gives people who do not know any hunters a messed up view of people who hunt.
Besides that the story was just a mess. not only was there not a lot of character development for the main characters, almost all the side characters had little to no depth. the pacing was bizarre and the overall story was just uninteresting. It might be worth checkin out on dvd, or if you are really into animation the art direction, like i said, is really nice. But overall its not a very good flick
_________________
Rob Wilson
Animator: Hybrid Medical Animation
www.hybridmedicalanimation.com
My views do not reflect that of my employers. |
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Asriana
Commander
Joined: Aug 10, 2005
Member#: 11184
Posts: 945
Location: Michigan, USA
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Posted:
Tue Oct 03, 2006 7:09 am Post subject: |
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School for Scoundrels - If you're looking for a good laugh, and you love Billy Bob Thorton, then this is the movie for you. It also stars Jon Heder(from Napolean Dynamite), Michael Duncan Clark, and the beautiful Jacinda Barrett.
The premise of the movie is a young guy short on luck, enrolls in a class to build confidence to help win over the girl of his dreams, which becomes complicated when his teacher has the same agenda.
This isn't your typical Blockbuster hit, so you don't need to go rushing to the theatre to see it. This would be a great movie to rent, and laugh with your buddies at home.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462519/
_________________
"Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it." ~ Marshall McLuhan |
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TheSnowLeopard
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Mar 18, 2006
Member#: 13799
Posts: 347
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Posted:
Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:02 am Post subject: |
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Me And You And Everyone We Know (2005)
After watching this movie I was reminded of that line from the John Lennon song Beautiful Boy: Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. Or as this film sees it, time is passing you by while you are gazing at your dreams. In particular, it is the dream of our ideal relationship and how we convey that to others that concerns this prize-winning, independent film from first-time filmmaker Miranda July. It offers a very personal yet sanguine view of the modern world. A number of characters and storylines interweave in what is basically a plotless ensemble piece meditating on themes of intimacy, loneliness and the struggle to connect with other people.
Not everything in the film works. Miranda July is a performance artist and there is something arty and self-conscious about some scenes. The symbolism can be heavy-handed. A few situations are almost "Seinfeldian" in their absurdity. Miranda July plays the central character with a whimsicality and affected naivete that I found annoying. In fact, many of the adults behave in a manner that could be described as childish or immature, while the children practice their future adult roles with a curiosity and candidness that serves to emphasis how the world of children and adults, both imaginative and real, are impossible to separate.
The whole movie is overlayed with an optimism that offsets some of the discomfort I had when the film tackles some challenging issues. This is a very moral world and July wants sees the best in people. There will always be a place for innocence and it remains incorruptable no matter how much technology and temptation may lead us astray.
I would call this an idiosyncratic feel-good movie with a reassuring message. In a world that can be cynical, alienating and dangerous, the gap between our experiences and our dreams may seem greater than ever. The difference between how our life is and how we would like it to be is filled by hope, and that nourishes all our lives and makes the struggle to connect worth making. 6/10
_________________
"After dark all cats are leopards." - Native American Proverb |
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LadyInque
Captain
Joined: May 20, 2005
Member#: 10281
Posts: 2224
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
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Posted:
Fri Oct 13, 2006 8:02 am Post subject: |
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Cat People (1942)
This is a movie about a young Serbian woman named Irena who has come to America to escape her past. She meets and marries a charming man, but won't kiss him (or anything else). This is because she fears that she is one of the legendary Cat People, and will turn into a vicious panther if aroused. Her husband, naturally, thinks she's troubled, and sends her to a shrink.
For most of the film, the question of Irena's nature is ambiguous. Is she a monster, as she believes she is, or just nuts? It's really more of a thriller than a horror movie.
I liked this film well enough, though it's only 64 minutes long. This makes sense for when it was made, but by today's standards it's just a little bit too short. There are scenes that could have been added or lengthened to make the story feel less rushed. The special effects are suggestive, not explicit. This was probably a function of the budget and technology at the time, but it works. |
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TheSnowLeopard
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Mar 18, 2006
Member#: 13799
Posts: 347
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Posted:
Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:01 am Post subject: |
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A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
For all Spielberg's remarkable success, I don't think he has made a more polemic film than A.I. Artificial Intelligence. People either love it or hate it. Having just watched it for the third time, it remains one of my favorite movies. At the core of the film is a simple idea: if in the future, we could create a robot child (David), or human simulacrum, that was designed to 'love' a human and develop it's own consciousness, what responsibility does a human have to love that 'child' in return. It is a profound question that is presented in the opening scene, one which Spielberg's script handles with tremendous skill and intelligence as we meet many people of different age and circumstance who must confront their own humanity as David continues his journey to find his mother and meet his maker. Technically, the film is outstanding. A fantastic vision of the future with amazing special effects and art direction. Once again a Spielberg film is enhanced immeasurably by a superb score by John Williams. For me, A.I. defines what makes a classic movie: one memorable scene after another. The swimming pool incident, the abandonement in the woods, the 'moon' rising, the Flesh Fair, Rouge city, Teddy, New York frozen in an Ice Age, the list goes on. I adore every scene, every shot, every frame of this movie. This film should have swept the Oscars in 2002. Haley Joel Osment should at least have been given an Oscar nomination. He appears in nearly every scene and is terrific as the robot who becomes a 'child'. It is also Jude Law's best role as his companion, Gigolo Joe. As a human drama about what it means to be human, and as a dark reimagining of the Pinocchio fairytale, A.I. is visionary, thought-provoking and incredibly moving. I think this is one of the most original and powerful American films of the last 20 years. A masterpiece. 10/10
_________________
"After dark all cats are leopards." - Native American Proverb |
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LadyInque
Captain
Joined: May 20, 2005
Member#: 10281
Posts: 2224
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
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Posted:
Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:33 am Post subject: |
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Snow, I just want to tell you that I always look forward to your reviews in this thread. Even when I don't agree (I hated A.I.), your reviews are always well-written and thoughtful. |
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rebeccabutterfly
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Sep 13, 2003
Member#: 3098
Posts: 455
Location: Teaxsahs
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Posted:
Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:26 pm Post subject: |
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I'm not going to give you a big synopsis, and I can't very eloquently give my opinion, either.
Marie Antionette
I had seen the previews, which makes the movie seem like it's all about parties, living a decadent life, action and tons of drama. Thats what made me want to see it. Plus, I'm always up for 'costumes and accents'.
Underwhelming is definitely the descriptive adjective for this film. Only about 20% of the movie is drama, action and romance. Even those parts are happening at a leisurly pace. I have to say, I found myself laughing quite a bit during the movie. I'm not sure if that is what was intended, but I was relieved to hear that I was not the only one in the theatre that thought certain scenes were the eitome of hilarity. I couldn't get the intended feel of the movie, because of that. It seemed like it had a serious tone, but none of us really picked that up. Spoiler: | I was most dissappointed that there was no head chopping action at the end. |
I think sofia could have done a more effective film that way.
Then again, I'm still thinking about it 2 days later. I hated lost in translation the first time I saw it, but become more enamored with it the more I watch it. This may be the same way, but I don't think I'll have the attention span to watch it again. Both movies have that waiting, slowly wandering pace to them. The music in Marie was modern and occasionally fit. It is definitely a sofia film.
One of the people that saw it with me was a history major. He said it was underwhelming, did not live up to the previews (when it looked like it would be 80-20, it was actually the opposite,) and that it should not have been made into a movie. I generally agree with him. Don't pay to see it in the theatre. Rent it if you need some sleep.
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Was that an earthquake, or did I just rock your world? |
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TheSnowLeopard
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Mar 18, 2006
Member#: 13799
Posts: 347
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Posted:
Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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| LadyInque wrote: |
| Snow, I just want to tell you that I always look forward to your reviews in this thread. Even when I don't agree (I hated A.I.), your reviews are always well-written and thoughtful. |
Thanks for the feedback, LadyInque. It's a shame we don't see eye to eye on A.I., but neither of us are alone in our respective views. This movie has created an army of supporters and detractors. Judging by our strong words (love, hate) we will remain entrenched in our separate camps. Still, life would be boring if we all liked the same things.
_________________
"After dark all cats are leopards." - Native American Proverb |
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RobW720
Lieutenant
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Joined: Jan 04, 2006
Member#: 12946
Posts: 156
Location: Twin Cities, MN
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Posted:
Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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you want to talk about movies that the commercials misslead you, rebbecca, check out Man of the Year. I thought it was gonna be a laugh riot robin williams movie, but it was about 80 percent more serious than i thought. It was a drama that had funny parts. Not to say its a bad movie, just not great and not what i expected.
I also just saw flags of our fathers and that was a very good movie. I dont know if I hold it as high as saving privat ryan or band of brothers as far as WW2 movies go, but it was very powerful, very well crafted movie. It had grown men crying in the theater. I am also excited to learn that Eastwood made/is making the same movie from the japanese perspective. should be cool to see. all in japanese sub's.
ALSO ( i was kinda' a media whore this week) I checked out the Prestige. Very cool flick. dont want to give away anything, so i will just say it was very fun and entertaining movie.
thats all for now.
_________________
Rob Wilson
Animator: Hybrid Medical Animation
www.hybridmedicalanimation.com
My views do not reflect that of my employers. |
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TheSnowLeopard
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Mar 18, 2006
Member#: 13799
Posts: 347
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Posted:
Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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Grizzly Man (2005)
The second film I have seen with a character, either fictional or real, who looks to nature as a source of beauty and simplicity and harmony; a kind of untroubled, uncomplicated freedom. Nature can be all these things, but it is also ugly and savage and cruel. Timothy Treadwell, self-appointed activist and protector of the grizzly bear, chose not to see this darker side. Tragically, after spending 13 summers visiting the Katmai National Park in Alaska and filming hours of video footage, Treadwell, along with his partner, Amie Huguegard, were mauled to death by a grizzly bear in October 2003.
The footage taken by Treadwell reveals him to be clearly in love with the bears. His commentary can be melodramatic, infantile and (unintentionally) funny. When he prepares to be filmed, fussing and preening, doing multiple rehersals, he reminded me of an actor, self-obsessed and vain. His narration becomes a monologue. The landscape his stage. He has taken on the role of adventurer and action man. His love was an obsession, full of contradictions. He was aware of the danger, yet strangely heedless of it. As much as he wanted to cast himself as a self-annointed "Gentle Warrior", he was a confused, troubled child-man living in a fantasy world.
The photography is beautiful and the bear footage impressive, but it comes as a relief when he befriends a family of playful foxes. These moments are genuinely sweet. However, the spectre of death hangs heavily over everything we see, not least because Treadwell places himself in such peril. In the most telling incident, he wades into a river to greet a bear swimming to shore. The bear passes by, giving him cursory interest, but when he tries to touch the bear, the bear shoots back a look of wild incomprehension and fear and anger, and Treadwell recoils his hand faster than a whip. As director Werner Herzog says near the end of the film: "what haunts me, is that in all the faces of all the bears that Treadwell ever filmed, I discover no kinship, no understanding, no mercy. I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature."
Man stands between God and Nature; between order and chaos; the spiritual and the instinctual. In the middle is all the noise and information of our civilisation: laws, rules, regulations, codes, customs, etiquette, and the trivia, gossip and hubris of everyday life. It's not hard to see why Treadwell might want to escape. But why bears? Well in our urbanised world we see them everywhere. We grow up with them. Teddy bears, Care Bears, Gummibears. Pooh Bear, Paddington, Rupert. Smokey. Fozzie. Yogi. Add to this names given by Treadwell to his bears, such as Mr Chocolate. In the final image of this documentary, two bears follow Treadwell along a river bank, and it is hard not to imagine them as tame, friendly animals following their shepherd. Or maybe a pair of Baloo's following their grown up Mowgli. I think a part of all of us wants to accept Treadwell as a benevolent tour guide through his storybook view of the natural world.
Treadwell taught us little about bears, but from this fascinating documentary we learn more about the nature of Man himself. Our insecurities; our fear and fascination with the wild. The need to find meaning and purpose in our lives. Our tendency to romanticise nature and anthropomorphise animals. Herzog says that Treadwell crossed an invisible line, not just between Man and Nature, but between reality and fantasy. We never really understand why Treadwell succumbed to this. His upbringing seemed perfectly normal. Somewhere along the way he escaped from human society, and in his isolation, slipped into a gentle madness, only to find the death and destruction he wanted to deny existed in his make-believe Eden. 7/10
_________________
"After dark all cats are leopards." - Native American Proverb
Last edited by TheSnowLeopard on Fri Oct 27, 2006 2:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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