Ladies and gentlemen, here we have it!
The sad yet poignant end to Movie Week.
I've just arrived home from the premier screening of the locally made, insanely funny Wasted On The Young and I have to say - it is funnier than I could have ever hoped. I mean there were times I felt I should stifle myself, lest I ruin someone else's good time. I howled out loud, along with the rest of the sold out theater. Hell, the 9 pm show was sold out, too. I would love nothing more than to give a thorough recapping of the lovable indie film fresh from Paperback Productions, but do to my intimate involvement with the movie, objectivity is almost non-existent. That being said, I absolutely adored the scenes I wasn't in, relishing the performances of my friends and neighbors. It was also an amazing curiosity to see a motion picture shot entirely on VHS - the aesthetic was both unique and enjoyable. If you're interested, head over to the site and buy it for a single dollar. That's less than a sandwich! I won't say anymore at this point, to avoid accusations of shilling. What I will do, instead, is compile every post thus far on the subject of movies. See, I mostly just write about them, not act in them. So here goes:
Brick - a phenomenal, understated, modern day noir flick set in a CA high-school, starring the amazing Joseph Levitt.
Monsters - a quiet, evocative film on a shoestring budget about societal implications of aliens in Mexico. Awesome.
Cloverfield - the flipside to Monsters, wherein a Cthulian-esque monstrosity attacks NY. Very post-9/11.
Fan Edits - a look at the fascinating world of fan edits and how they change our perceptions.
Spirited Away - one of my favorite movies, ever. A beautiful, heartfelt tale of growing up. And ghosts!
The Matrix Trilogy - the groundbreaking series that looks even more impressive in hi-definition. A must see.
Moon - a moving but lonely and ultimately heartbreakingly human science fiction movie. Duncan Jones is a genius.
Mystery Team - the Derrick Comedy debut feature, an absurd take on Encyclopedia Brown, starring Donald Glover.
The Ride - the shorth film that accompanied 30 Seconds To Mars' single 'Kings & Queens. Heavy and gorgeous.
Inception - a look at how music shapes the experience of this phenomenal thriller. Heady, intelligent stuff.
MST3K - the absolute best of the worst. Manos, Hobgoblins, This Planet Earth. You name it. Yikes.
Akira - an examination of how scene and setting impacted my perspective of the Japanese breakout hit.
Terminator - some of the smartest science fiction movies ever, even if the continuity and quality tapers off.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs - surprisingly smart and funny, a great under rated and recent movie.
Oldboy - harrowing stuff, but some of the most original film-making I'd seen in years. Watch it with the kids! (Don't)
Wasted On The Young - Minneapolis-made movie makes moves. I'm so proud of everyone involved.
Pleasantville - see Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon before they were stars. It's a charming 90s movie.
Silent Hill - an uneven, but enjoyable horror flick I love more for the soundtrack than anything.
Chasing Amy - Kevin Smith's best work, an honest and moving look at relationships, with plenty of dick jokes, to boot.
There we are, kids. Quite a few, so feel free to peruse and see what you find. I plan on doing more on movies later, but I ought to get back to what I do best. In the future though, I'd like to branch out more, do more themes. Maybe books? Games? Lord knows the web is full of guys like myself writing about video games. Something more obscure....perhaps comedy? Who knows. Hey, I'm open to suggestions - drop a line and let me know what you think!
Well, well, well.
Can't keep a good site down, eh?
After some difficulties yesterday with servers and outages, my schedule is back on. I had written yesterday's post well within the time limit and published it, only for Blogspot to short out on me. After many refreshes and head scratching, here we are back in business. Feels good. Additionally, since the post was written and published (but not updated to circumstances beyond my control) I'm going to count the streak as unbroken. Where does that leave me? Something like 133 days, straight, of fresh content? Right-o, let's keep the ball rolling, shall we?
I didn't get Akira the first time I saw it.
This is not to say I couldn't follow the plot, although some spotty dubbing and a rinky-dink TV didn't help any. I mean, I got it and all. It just didn't click with me right away. What I hadn't realized, though, is that scene is just as important for the viewer as the director.
I had picked up the movie after seeing (and loving) Spirited Away. Wanting more anime to satisfy a burgeoning curiosity, I picked up the 1987 release on DVD shortly after seeing Spirited Away, assuming it's reputation as a landmark, touchstone film would guarantee a prized place among movies I owned and cherished. All I knew at that point was: it was anime, it was highly regarded, it was about a post-war Tokyo set in the future and there was a motorcycle. That pretty much summed up my a priori knowledge. I suppose it was only slightly racist, then. After an initial viewing I was left a bit befuddled and unsure of what I'd seen. I understood the nuts and bolts of the plot yet still was asking myself "What was all that about, then?" Like Homer awakening to the horrors of Poochy, I asked myself "At least I liked it, didn't' I?"
As I said earlier, my initial viewing experience was not ideal, not just for this movie but for any. It was a sunny afternoon after my lectures were done for the day, I was in my college apartment and the TV I was using was probably no bigger than the monitor on which this is being read. Not exactly the best way to experience a movie known for it's distinct imagery and massive scope. Details were vague, characters started to become interchangeable and the impact of large set pieces and scenes was lost. Still, despite my unintentional scene, I enjoyed the movie and a few years later I decided to revisit it, really watch it again but under much more cinematic circumstances.
It was revelatory.
My entire understanding of the movie had changed as a result - characters whose features and design seemed indistinct were suddenly illuminated. I found myself realizing "Oh, it's that guy!" whenever a small but recurring role popped up. Epic city-wide shots seemed more transporting and somehow 'real' than they had previously. The vital, dangerous energy of the action sequences and chase scenes was almost dizzying due to the perspectives and size of the screen. A plot whose players seemed at time non-descript suddenly was crystal clear (although this was obviously aided by a repeat viewing) and an ending that had been almost under whelming the first time around was now intense and unrelentingly powerful. Basically watching the movie in my own personal theater completely changed the film for me - it went from a 'pretty okay' in my book to 'Holy Hannah, that was good'. Seeing it under those circumstances made me wonder how it's reputation had propelled from the theaters into viewer's homes, and how insane it must have been to see it in the first theatrical run.
Of course, I say all this with the admission that I won't follow my own advice.
Like I said yesterday, no legit posting begets a double session for today. In the first post we're looking at a sekrit favorite movie of mine, Spirited Away.
I had at most a passing familiarity with Anime. Like many who had no interest in it, I viewed it like a lot of people view sushi if they've never tried it - not for me, those that probably like it really love it and it might be okay if I just work up the nerve to try it. Of course I love sushi, having dove headlong into the wonderful world of sushi it was only a matter of time before the same sort of thing happened again. On a friend's recommendation I had picked up a copy of Akira, the prototypical anime production based on the sprawling graphic novel about the aftermath of World War 3 and post-human developments. While I understand a great deal was simplified and simply cut altogether, it was a paradigm shift for me, as I had been a child when it was first released in America and had no exposure to it growing up in rural Wisconsin. When I finally saw it it was like nothing I had seen at that point. Words won't really do it justice here, but suffice to say the themes and imagery, no matter how intense or over the top, were vivid, distinct and visceral. Still, there were some cultural idiosyncrasies I didn't pick up on, so repeated viewings, particularly on a larger TV, really paid off in enlightening what I was seeing.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I found myself drawn more to the quiet moments, the mood of the tension and lulls in action. When the same friend heard this, he said he knew just the movie for me to see - Spirited Away. Trusting the excellent recommendations previously, I once again dove in, picking it up on a whim. I was enthralled by what has turned out to be a personal favorite of mine, a quirky and quiet movie about growing up and letting go, while figuring out who you are.
Ostensibly a children's movie, it was released to wide acclaim in Japan and picked up for distribution here in the States by my beloved Pixar, whom I feel can do no wrong. By the time I bought the DVD it had already won the second ever Oscar for Animated Movie, was the first Anime movie to be nominated and the only foreign language film to win for Animated movie, ever (this was all right on the box art, lest I dismiss it). The work of Hayao Miyazaki and produced by the always quality Studio Ghibli, the Japanese equivalent of Steven Spielberg or Brad Bird working with their respective Disney/Pixar proxy, it was his first film after a brief break in his career, having already made major success with previous works like My Neighbor Totorro, Porco Rosso and the mild American breakthrough Princess Mononoke. In his home country this movie was a blockbuster, surpassing rival Titanic and grossing over 300 million world wide. In actuality anyone from anywhere else than the US probably thinks I'm wasting my time evangelizing for this movie, but so many of my American brethren have never seen it, so I persist. It was a huge hit and Disney was giving it the push it needed here. It did incredibly well on the festival circuit and was the biggest movie in Japanese history. For it's American release it made 10 million. Yeah. Apparently not much of a market here.
But while the box office may not have been a fertile ground for Spirited Away, home viewings are a great experience. My friend couldn't say enough good about it. So, expectations high, I watched in silence on a quiet Sunday night in the fall. It was a cool, breezy night and I had my windows open, chain smoking with my lights off. I distinctly remember the bewilderment and awe I felt over the amazing visuals - I'm sure I had a my eyebrow raised the whole time in skeptical bemusement. Start to finish it was an engrossing adventure and just like when I had first seen Akira, Spirited Away was something (no pun intended) completely foreign. I hadn't really seen anything like it. It was quiet and subtle at times, while often displaying some absolutely ethereal and appropriately other-worldly art that teased my brain with it's strange designs and choices. I clearly remember feeling anxious while watching the opening 20 minutes, wondering nervously what would happen to this defenseless but spoiled child who stumbled into a strange and unwelcoming place. I, of course, had no background in any kind of Japanese culture so the idea of the spirit world or bath houses so I assumed there was a danger and permanence to whatever happened.
Something about the tone or the setting just hooked me and I bought it completely. While I, as a 20 something American, couldn't identify with the precocious protagonist I could certainly understand the terror of being lost in a strange place and feeling abandoned. Part of me thinks that's why Miyazaki's movies are so endearing, just like Pixar's - they may be outlandish or fantastic but they remain, at their core, unmistakably human stories that audiences are able to become invested in. While I have obviously watched it many times since that incredible initial viewing, any time I have rewatched it has been on a quiet night, most often by myself. It probably sounds strange but it just doesn't feel like a day time movie.
While I could continue praising this under-appreciated film, it really can stand on its own able legs. It's thoroughly fantastic and enjoyable. After all, look how much I've written without even speaking of the plot. You really owe it to yourself to just take a look, even if you have no interest in Anime in general. Take a night for this bizarre and serene adventure. It's won Oscars! What more could be said?
