Movie Review - Laputa: Castle in the Sky

Rating: 6/10

Laputa: Castle in the Sky is about, well, Laputa the castle in the sky. Err... It follows the story of Sheeta (Anna Paquin), a princess in Laputa whose ancestors came down to live on Earth. The film starts off with her as a prisoner of Muska (Mark Hamill), some bespectacled guy from the intelligence agency (I think...). A group of pirates, led by Dola (Cloris Leachman), attack the airship. Their main objective is to steal the etherium necklace which Sheeta owns. While the army is busy with the intruders, Sheeta knocks Muska unconcious and climbs out of the window. The pirates try to grab her but she falls down. Instead of plummeting to Earth, though, Sheeta floats down slowly with the power of her necklace. A young boy named Pazu (James van Der Beek) "catches" her and takes care of her. The next day, both the pirates and the army are back to capture Sheeta. The two of them try to escape but they are eventually caught by Muska. He lets Pazu go because Sheeta agreed to help him find the legendary Laputa. Pazu goes back to his home, dejected, and finds Dola and her gang there. They tie him up but, as they were leaving, Pazu urges Dola to take him. She does and they go to the army's base to take Sheeta back. When they reunite, Sheeta tells them that she would like to see Laputa for herself. Dola agrees, under the pretence that she's doing it for the treasure...

(Err... So that's a pretty long summary but it kind of composed the first hour of the film. I guess I was in the mood to write a long one.)

Okay, so it's directed by Hayao Miyazaki and, as usual, distributed by Studio Ghibli. I like Miyazaki's films but I feel that this one is just too cliche. It's not bad; it's just that things are getting a wee bit too tiring to see the same things over and over again. (I liked the look of Laputa, though.) For one, there's the stereotype of the bad guy: wears glasses and a suit, tall, thin, mysterious AND part of a secretive government agency. The pirate friendship thing was pretty much predictable. I personally thought Sheeta and Pazu were too young to be real close like that. :P

So yeah. Laputa is okay but it's kind of old-fashioned. It's not exactly my thing, but in some instances it is. That's pretty much weird but I think Laputa hangs precariously over the edge of boredom.

Movie Review - 5 Centimeters per Second

Rating: 8/10

5 Centimeters per Second tells the story of two childhood friends: Tohno and Akira. They spend most of their time together that their classmates always teased them, but it didn't really matter to them. As long as they were together, everything was alright. There came a time, though, that Akira had to move away from Tokyo with her family to Tochigi. Tohno assures her that it's alright but deep inside he's hurting. It's the same with Akira.

Obivously, it's a love story but one that is beautifully weaved into three chapters. The characters are sort of believable and the plot is realistic. The song at the end of the movie is a real joy. This movie is nice and if you want a break from all the ninjas and shinigamis, give this one a try.

Movie Review - Grave of the Fireflies

Rating: 10/10

Grave of the Fireflies tells the story of two orphans, Seita and Setsuko, as they try to survive in a war-torn Japan. Together, they face hardships until the fateful end. This movie is a masterpiece. It has the power to move people to tears. It's background story is so real and you can just imagine what people did in those times in order to survive. This movie tells the story not only of Seita and Setsuko but of every single person who struggled during the war years.

Movie Review - La Maison en Petits Cubes

Rating: 10/10

This one is a short movie. It runs for only 12 minutes and 5 seconds but the theme is very beautiful and nicely portrayed. The animation blends in well with the setting. The background music is very cute, too. No voices were used in this short film and yet the message, even in its utter simplicity, is memorable. It can be comparable to a full-length animation movie. That's the power of this short film.

Movie Review - Spirited Away

Rating: 10/10

It tells the story of a young girl with her parents who are about to move in to their new house. They get lost, though, and end up in an abandoned theme park. Little did they know that it was enchanted. So the adventure, filled with love and unlikely friendships, begins!

This is a very nice and heartwarming movie. I guarantee you that your jaws will probably hurt from smiling until the very end. It's no surprise that it was called a master piece. This movie is a must-watch for any Japanese animation fan.

Spirited Away was directed by none other than highly-acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.