Very interesting, certainly an entertaining way to tell the history of Iran. It’s a heartbreaking tale and while it doesn’t necessarily all turn alright in the end (this is the real world of course), you can be satisfied that at least she moved forward even if Iran did not.

It’s beautifully animated with great animation style. This is a story she can only make once and she certainly paid it its fair due.

It was the English version I saw and the clash of accents can occasionally be jarring. Iggy Pop’s part as Uncle Anouche is of course supposed to be comforting but something about his voice introduces an element of uneasiness. I may try seek out the French version at some stage but I fear it will never get a worthwhile English subtitle treatment. This is a niggle though, Marjane herself and her parents are played with skill (Deneuve and Mastroianni reprise their roles).

It’s still an amazing tale well told. 8.5/10

Creepshow
Good fun and a good balance between the  silly stories and scary ones (though I’m afraid modern effects have made a few more silly than they should be).
They don’t make enough of these films though.  The only other ones I can think of are Tales From the Darkside and The Twilight Zone.  I suppose there’s always the television shows themselves though like the Outer Limits and Tales From the Crypt (I should really look out some of them).

Daywatch and Nightwatch
Watched Nightwatch and Daywatch one after another yesterday (going out on Saturday nights affords me easy excuses to spend all day Sunday watching films).  I really enjoyed Nightwatch the first time I saw it I got very lost and possibly poor subtitles made things worse.  I liked the madness of it this time and the way it comes together.
Daywatch was very different it seemed a little too scatterbrained, trying to cover far too much ground.  It still looks great though.

Tokyo Godfathers
Very different form the other Kon films.  I liked it even if it did go a wee bit into sentimental overdrive at times.  The straight ahead story was difficult to get used to as well, not even a single dream sequence to send you topsy turvy

7 Grandmasters
Spectacularly fast kung-fu in this 1978 genre classic.  Despite some early confusion as to what the hell was going on the plot to come became crystal clear about a third of the way in.  There’s an incredible amount of fights in this film but unlike Master of the Flying Guillotine (in which I started getting very bored) I still wanted to watch to the end.

It’s also amusing because of what complete cocks all the heroes are.

Police Story
Action is as outstanding as ever but there’s actually a lot less kung-fu than I remember.

My Neighbour Totoro
I swear Miyazaki can do anything, far from his big epics this is as simple a tale as they come, a beautiful little film.

With the exception of the entire Studio Ghibli output, Akira, and Perfect Blue I’ve found anime deeply lacking, even Steamboy was (while spectacular) not that great.  I’ve given the benefit of the doubt far too many times and been punished for it.  Not so with Paprika.

A Philip K. Dick style story of dreams and technology it follows a team of scientists investigating their own stolen device DC Mini.  The device allows a user to enter (and record) the dreams of the patient.  Its development is set to be a major break-through in psychology allowing access to previously unexplored parts of the brain.  Obviously thing don’t go that straightforward from there.

Continue reading →

Gozu
Definitely not sick day viewing (duh it’s a Miike).  It was an interesting film though starting out with a classic Lynchian feel before moving to Cronenberg territory.  This is only my second Miike (I have to work up the courage to watch them), but to be fair to him his predilection for nastiness is always essential to his stories.
8/10

The Shining (US Theatrical)
One of my favourite films of all time, this version thankfully does not ruin it, it includes various scenes that while not spelling out some of story as you me fear help fill in some gaps.  The only reason really this doesn’t get the same 10/10 I would give the original is really just because it’s not the original as I see it.
8/10

Porco Rosso
Unfortunately the weakest Miyazaki I’ve seen so far.  The weirdness in this one is muted and seems forced to be honest, the romance is threadbare.  This just doesn’t have the heart of the others.  Of course it looks spectacular as always.
6/10

Me You and Everyone We Know
While not a film for everyone all of us this definitely has some appeal.  Miranda July’s film keeps you guessing an imagintive debut and an interesting story for any tortured artists you know.
8/10

A Mighty Wind
Chritopher Guest.
10/10

I guess this happens to the best of us sometimes, a hangover means you waste a whole Saturday watching films or you’re stuck off work.  Anyway when it happens you can really thrash through some of that to watch list.  Here’s today’s viewings:

Full Metal Jacket
A film I haven’t seen in a long long time, it loses it’s impact in some scenes that become overwrought and the falseness of the London Docklands standing in for Vietnam remind me mostly of the spectacular Max Fischer play.  Still it is a film that cannot be ignored and while destined to be held in huge regard by teenage boys is not easy viewing.
8/10

Tonari no Totoro
Another Miyazaki masterpiece, while definatelt playing up the weirdness and down any overarching story this held together by a big lump of soul.
8/10

Swingers
For one reason or another I’d never seen this before, I think is the right time for it though.  If I’d seen this while I was younger I might’ve dismissed it as a ludicrous tale to show how cool Mr. Favereau is, now days I know someone like each of these characters.  A story that strangely resonated with me.
7/10

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
The climax of Chan-Wook Park’s revenge trilogy.  While the end feels awkward this film deals more explicitly with revenge and it’s consequences.  It’s funny that almost any film includes a revenge scene.  Our sense of justice is ruled by everyone getting their retribution.  While the ending is clumsy at times defined by it’s need to delve into the issue, it really does distill so much into it.  As for the film I preferred it to Mr. Vengeance but it wasn’t as jaw dropping as Oldboy.
8/10

M
M takes the very diffirent view of revenge.  Make no mistake that this deals with just as terrible a crime and 1931 is no obstacle to Lang’s vision.  Unlike any of the numerous murder thriller films you might see these days this is a film that does not avoid the difficult questions.  Our demon of the film is just a man and this film does not deal in black and white
10/10

Point Blank
Lee Marvin plays Walker in a classic revenge thriller that’s now been remade again and again (see Man on Fire, actually please don’t).  The story of a crook getting screwed over for money and a girl is given a new spin by some interesting and still startling directorial choices.  What should be a monotonous violent tale of Walker fighting up the criminal tree is a totally engaging and suprising study of a broken man.
9/10

The science war vs. peace philosophy of the film could’ve used more development, it seemed like a simplification of it all.  The film did offer up some ideas if you thought about them but I felt it could’ve been more explicit.  It seemed as if once again Otomo was addressing the atomic bomb ie once the world has had its eyes opened to an amazing power they cannot be shut again.

My main criticism actually occured to me while the credits were rolling, the Rocketeer segment seemed to be a setup for a larger anime series.  If this means Otomo is prepared to contribute more to the world of film then great but I wish it was with something with more bite and edge than Steamboy.