Monday, May 06, 2024
Mushi-Shi
- Commentary: Under construction.
Truth is, I'm kind of nervous about this product. Online, there is conflicting information regarding not only this set but other sets of this anime, as well. I know I really enjoy this series, as I watched it "religiously" when it was on Netflix. At that time, I was unaware the there were season"s", in the multiple. Now, it seems, there is at least one other series season, the "second", there may be more, and there are many, many companies that are hawking this and other seasons. Commentary on the quality of each of the offerings is wildly mixed, some of the commentary is not kind about the packaging, which, in some cases, has been a problem, and problems are shared by all companies offering various iterations of this series, including this offering by Amazon. So, there is a possibility that I may be returning this product shortly after receiving it. I hope not. I just went through a protracted push/pull with another company, typically highly favored, over a disc that arrived loose in its case, scratched from being jostled about during shipping and wouldn't play more than a third of that loose disc, no matter what I did. I eventually convinced the company that they needed to replace that disc, and they did, but not without argument. The whole process took four weeks. So, after reading all the commentary on the quality of the packaging of this series, I crossed my fingers and am fearfully optimistic.
Of course, I'll report back.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Yûto Nakano Ginko Ginko Travis Willingham Kôjun Itô ── Jennifer Seman Narrator
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the series.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia list of Mushishi episodes.
Release Date: 2005-2014
Directed by Hiroshi Nagahama.
Voice Direction by Mike McFarland
Monday, January 01, 2024
Your Name.
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Michael Sinterniklaas Taki Tachibana Stephanie Sheh Mitsuha Miyamizu Kyle Hebert Katsuhiko Teshigawara Cassandra Morris Sayaka Natori Ben Pronsky Tsukasa Fujii Ray Chase Shinta Takagi Laura Post Miki Okudera Glynis Ellis Hitoha Miyamizu
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2016
Directed by Makoto Shinkai.
Labels: animated, fantasy4, romance6
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
The Fall
- Commentary: This movie is the most visually arresting movie I've ever seen. There are set pieces in this film that have stayed with me since my first viewing. It is also one of the most spiritually (that's right, I used "the word") unusual films I've ever seen.
The film was released for general viewing the year my mother died. I didn't see it that year. By the time it arrived in theaters my mother had expressed her desire to never watch a movie in a theater again. Thus, I'm not sure when I saw the movie, although I know I saw it on some cable movie service. I also remember that, once I'd finished my first viewing, I immediately watched it again. I remember, too, that I was sorry that my Mom hadn't been around to see it. She may or may not have followed the story, but she would have been as enthralled by the imagery as I was and we would have had a satisfying movie watching afternoon, replete with home made popcorn (always a requirement when my Mom watched movies) and cup after cup of coffee. If nothing else, she would have considered it an elaborate, endearing and motivating travelogue (Mom was always up for travel).
For me, it is simply a movie in which to luxuriate, especially visually, although the story is intriguing, as well. It's an undercurrent story about the confluence of images, adventure, imagination and desire and I can't help but wonder, at the end of every watching, what Alexandria is doing now. It's almost as though I consider that she might have become Wonder Woman, figuratively and literally.
This is probably one of the most expensive single movies I've ever bought. It's been sitting on my Possibility Shelf forever, more than a decade, now. Today, I was notified it had dropped in price by $10. Suddenly, my hunger for the movie singed my mind, yet again, so, despite its still high sale price, I decided to snatch it up. It's been awhile since it's been available at my local library. They have only one copy in the system and it's been "in repair" for what seems like ages. Time to purchase it, no matter what the cost. As Roger Ebert said in his review of this movie (attached to the title of this post above), "There will never be another like it." I agree.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Lee Pace Roy Walker/Black Bandit Catinca Untaru Alexandria/Bandit's daughter Justine Waddell Nurse/Sister Evelyn Daniel Caltagirone Sinclair/Governor Odious Marcus Wesley Ice deliverer/Otta Benga Robin Smith One-legged Actor/Luigi Jeetu Verma Orange picker/Indian Kim Uylenbroek Doctor/Alexander the Great Leo Bill Orderly/Charles Darwin Emil Hoștină Alexandria's father/Blue Bandit Julian Bleach Mystic/Orange picker Ronald France Otto/Old Man
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2006
Directed by Tarsem Singh.
Labels: adventure4, fantasy4, spiritual2, survival
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Conan the Barbarian
- Commentary: I've seen this film more than a few times, checking it out of the library. I managed to get what amounts to a free copy of it, just today, 9/24/22. I don't have it, yet, it'll be arriving Monday, reportedly. I could probably start a write-up of it from my memory of watching it, but I think I want to wait, since it's been awhile (like a few years) since I've seen it last, and I need to luxuriate in it, once again, this time knowing it'll be my personal copy, before writing about it. So, consider this post, for the time being, Under construction.
And, BTW, Roger Ebert reviewed it. And liked it! Not completely, mind you. His lack of a fourth star is explained, in detail, in his write-up, and not only makes sense, especially considering when the movie came out and Roger wrote his review, but it is provocative, thoughtful and timely, even today, 40 years after it was written. Which is probably a good thing, since it's still a lively seller. I mean, here I am, selecting it as a free movie option! Roger's review is attached to the title of this post. You should read it.
Another group of critics reviewed this movie, Three Movie Buffs. Their results are more than interesting, they are loaded with logistical details about the movie. If you have a "thing" for this movie, you should read their reviews.
Anyway, we'll talk more when I receive the movie and watch it afresh.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan the Barbarian Gerry Lopez Subotai Sandahl Bergman Valeria James Earl Jones Thulsa Doom Max von Sydow King Osric Mako Iwamatsu Wizard of the Mounds William Smith Conan's Father Sven-Ole Thorsen Thorgrim Ben Davidson Rexor Cassandra Gava Witch Valérie Quennessen Osric's Daughter Nadiuska Conan's Mother Jorge Sanz Young Conan Luis Barboo Red Hair Franco Columbu Pictish Scout Akio Mitamura Mongol General
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1982
Directed by John Milius.
Labels: adventure4, fantasy4, max-von-sydow, me-favorite4, oliver-stone, spectacle2, super-hero2, sword-&-sorcery, violence4
Saturday, June 25, 2022
her
- Commentary: This post is, officially, "Under construction" because, although the movie's been ordered, I haven't yet received it and it's been awhile since I watched it. I watched this movie soon after it was released to one of the cable channels to which I used to subscribe and want to mention a few things while the movie is on my mind.
This movie was both widely praised and widely criticized. The review attached to the title of this post is positive, for instance. It even snipes, a bit, at other sharply critical reviews of the movie. Good examples of the critiques are the combined reviews of Three Movie Buffs, which are forgiving and somewhat appreciative of the concept but generally negative.
I remember being charmed by the movie when I saw it. I thought the concept of one-on-one, heavy duty relationships between humans and computers was likely plausible and possible in the very near future, being a computer nerd, myself who, not unusually, relates to computers I operate as though they are sentient, aware of having a relationship with me and active within that relationship. I was aware that people write love letters for others because I made extra money some decades ago writing love letters, as well as other pieces, for people. I simply didn't have a problem with any of the speculations introduced in the film because, from my perspective, those speculations were already in their infancy, maybe even toddlerhood. None of the machinations of the computer generated companion seemed out of the question to me.
It might seem peculiar that I related closely to this movie, having been 62 when the movie was released, probably a few years older when I saw it, and, now, at the age of 70, still so captivated by its ideas that I decided to add it to my collection. I mean, I'm a baby boomer; aren't I supposed to be clueless about these things, or, at least, dismissive of them? Fie, I say, fie on all those people (far more than the actual number of baby boomers) who spit out the baby boomer epithet as though it represents all that is responsible for retroactivity. So sorry, people. The direction of your spit is missing me, and quite a few boomers I know. Time for you to pay attention and reevaluate your older friends, your older relatives and your dimissiveness of them.
So, anyway, I'm sure I'll have more to say about the movie once it arrives and I watch it again. In the meantime, let me leave you, Dear Reader, with this: Sometimes, the more things change, well, the more they change.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Joaquin Phoenix Theodore Twombly Scarlett Johansson Samantha (voice) Amy Adams Amy Rooney Mara Catherine Klausen Olivia Wilde Blind Date Matt Letscher Charles Luka Jones Mark Lewman Chris Pratt Paul Kristen Wiig Sexy Kitten (voice) Bill Hader Chat Room Friend #2 (voice) Portia Doubleday Isabella Soko Isabella (voice) Brian Cox Alan Watts Spike Jonze Alien Child (voice) Steve Zissis New Sweet Boyfriend of Mother Who Dated Pricks Alia Janine Commuter
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2013
Directed by Spike Jonze.
Labels: fantasy4, joaquin-phoenix, romance5, science-fiction2
Thursday, September 16, 2021
The Fountain
- Commentary: Under construction.
Interestingly, there is more than one commentary on this film at RogerEbert.com. There is Roger Ebert's initial review linked to the title of this post, written September 13, 2007. On September 11, 2006, Jim Emerson also wrote an initial review of this movie. On November 21, 2006, Jim Emerson wrote a second review of the movie for the website, as well. In September of 2007 Roger Ebert also wrote two meditations on the film, one published on September 14, 2007, and one, a response to his September 14th review, published on September 17, 2007. Once again, Jim Emerson chimed in on September 17, 2007, with his own third meditation.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Hugh Jackman Tomás Verde /Thomas Creo/Tommy the Space Traveler Rachel Weisz Isabella I of Castile/Izzi Creo Ellen Burstyn Dr. Lillian Guzetti Stephen McHattie Grand Inquisitor Silecio Mark Margolis Father Avila Cliff Curtis Captain Ariel Sean Patrick Thomas Antonio Fernando Hernandez Lord of Xibalba
My, this movie generated a lot of reviewer buzz, and not just within the Ebert Review Universe. Just check out this link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film. It's funny, because I remember checking it out of the library to watch it when it was first released on DVD. I was slightly gob-smacked by the entire production but was very busy at the time and wasn't able to watch it more than once before it was due back on the library shelves. I'm thinking that I missed quite a bit of the impact of the movie. It was the last year of my companionship of my mother, on to her death. I had no way of knowing she'd be gone in just over a year, but I was also so embraced in caring for her that, well, if she, or I, or we, watched a movie, there simply wasn't time to watch it more than once if it wasn't a part of our collection. At that time, this one wasn't. Now, it is, and I can contemplate it more fully.
Release Date: 2006
Directed by Darren Aronofsky.
Labels: §2, darren-aronofsky, ellen-burstyn, fantasy4, magical-realism, prophecy, rachel-weisz, romance5, spiritual2
Friday, July 30, 2021
The Illusionist
- Commentary: I watched this movie last night, 8/20/21. As with most of the movies I acquire, I'd seen it before, only once, as I recall, with my mother, and have been intrigued by it ever since. Not with the magic. Although I find watching magic immensely entertaining, it's not an entertainment upon which I've much ruminated.
That's what I realized, last night, I enjoy about the movie. It does my ruminating for me, sparks questions in my mind about illusion, suggests answers, asks more questions, swirls all this around a romance story that could go either way, around the character developments of all the principal participants in the movie, all of which could go any way, and then comes to a satisfying but still mysterious end.
I've called the end "mysterious" because, well, I had trouble following Inspector Uhl's (played masterfully by Paul Giamantti) summation at the end of the movie. At first I thought it was me, but as I considered the movie further after watching it and then replayed the scene containing his final summation, I realized that I think it was meant to be confusing, as, the magic of illusion is that everyone sees something different because considering any illusion has different consequences for each person who sees it. Some don't even consider an illusion illusory. Prince Leopold certainly didn't, and look what happened to him.
Which brings us to the resolution of the romance. By the end of the movie it seems inevitable that Sophie and Eduard come together, something they've both been fighting for all their lives. But the final scene of them together has an otherworldly quality about it, as though, somehow, their lives were ended and their romance takes place in some sort of afterlife.
Which I found satisfying to contemplate. It's as though, well, you don't get what you're striving for until you can no longer strive for it.
'Nuff said, I think.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Edward Norton Eisenheim The Illusionist/Eduard Abramovich Aaron Johnson Young Eduard Abramovich Paul Giamatti Chief Inspector Walter Uhl Jessica Biel Duchess Sophie Von Teschen Rufus Sewell Crown Prince Leopold Eddie Marsan Josef Fischer Jake Wood Jurka Tom Fisher Willgut
The Wikipedia write-up for this movie is here.
Release Date: 2006
Directed by Neil Burger.
Labels: dramaD, edward-norton, fantasy4, historical4, paul-giamatti, period6, romance4
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
- Commentary: This film is a series of biographical vignettes from an extremely personal perspective. That may sound like it's difficult to watch, but, in fact, it is, like it's title, dreamy and extraordinarily engaging. As you watch, you can either consider it a Kurosawa statement, or you can meander through the vignettes as individual statements being made by the characters.
The fact that this collection of films is "hosted, of sorts, I sometimes find annoying, but then another vignette begins and I lose myself. Again.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Name Role Name Actor Name Role Name Actor Name Role Name Actor Name Role Name Akira Terao I, Dreamer I, Dreamer Mitsunori Isaki I, Young Dreamer Mitsuko Baisho Dreamer's Mother Martin Scorsese Vincent Van Gogh Chishū Ryū Old Man Mieko Harada Snow Spirit Yoshitaka Zushi Private Noguchi Toshie Negishi Woman with Child Hisashi Igawa Nuclear Power Plant Man Chosuke Ikariya The Demon Akira Kurosawa Self Matt Sloan Host
Here is a link to the Wikipedia write-up on this film.
Release Date: 1990
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Labels: §1, akira-kurosawa, chishū-ryū, Criterion2, fantasy4, magical-realism
The Red Shoes
- Commentary: I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was a mid-teen (or, perhaps, a little younger), continuing to take dancing classes but not toward any particular goal. I don't know how it happened but the local university managed to wrangle a a copy of this movie for an exclusive showing. My dance teacher, who considered me talented but unmotivated, badgered me until I asked my mother to take me to the showing of the movie.
It didn't motivate my dancing but it did accelerate my interest in romantic tragedy. I remember audibly gasping at the scene of Vicky Page's death. I was not expecting it. This brought the movie into focus for me and I've had a hankering to watch it, again. Now, it's a part of my collection.
So far, I've only watched it once. During that watching, I couldn't help but compare it to the story portrayed in Black Swan, which I've seen, but, you'll note, I do not own, and doubt that I ever will, unless someone gifts me with it. Anyway, it occurred to me as I was watching this, and, mind you, this consideration is based on a relatively poor memory of Black Swan, that Black Swan portrays the interior danger of living for one's art and this film portrays the external danger of living for one's art. Not that I particularly, well, sympathize with either of the movies' statements. But, there you have it, an off-the-cuff thought about these two movies.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Anton Walbrook Boris Lermontov Marius Goring Julian Craster Moira Shearer Victoria Page Robert Helpmann Ivan Boleslawsky Léonide Massine Grischa Ljubov Albert Bassermann Sergei Ratov Ludmilla Tchérina Irina Boronskaya Esmond Knight Livingstone Montague
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
The Wikipedia write-up for this movie is here.
Release Date: 1948
Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger.
Labels: §1, Criterion2, dance, dramaD, fantasy4, romance4
