Movie Review - Princess Mononoke

Rating: 10/10

Ashitaka, prince of the Emishi tribe, was wounded during a battle with a demon-possessed boar attacking his village. The wisewoman of the village informed him that the wound will spread over his body, eat his flesh, and kill him eventually. But there is still some hope left: Ashitaka must travel to the world of the spirits to seek a cure. However, he was soon caught in an epic battle between humans and the raging force of Nature.

Princess Mononoke is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, acclaimed director of Academy Award winner Spirited Away. The word mononoke in the title actually means "monster" in Japanese and princess refers to the San, the human girl who was raised by the wolf leader Moro, one of the gods in the movie. It was given a rating of PG-13 due to some scenes of violence.

I personally liked this movie because it is a deviation from the movies usually directed by Miyazaki. Most of his films tell the story of young girls and the atmosphere is light, fun, kid-friendly. Mononoke is not that. It's so much different, in a relatively good way.

For starters, the main characters are older, and wiser. The themes explored are more mature and the animation is incredible. There's nothing childish. Even the characters have undergone a change. They're more complex and the shifts of sympathizing between the residents of Iron Town and the forest gods makes it all the more exciting.

Personally, Princess Mononoke was a delight to watch. :)

(I watched the English dubbed version, by the way.)

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 - Kiki's Delivery Service

Rating: 8/10

Another great film by Studio Ghibli. The story is nice, exactly what you'd expect from the company. I especially liked the songs (I'm watching the English version). They're so catchy and full of meaning. I looooooove them! Especially the last one at the end, "I'm gonna fly." Anyway, I gave it that rating 'cause it's just getting a little too repetitive for me. Don't get me wrong, Studio Ghibli is a great company and Hayao Miyazaki is one cool director but the themes are just, well, all the same. It's still a great one, though. Highly recommended. :D

Movie Review - Whisper of the Heart

Rating: 10/10

Aww... This is such a nice, heart-warming movie. I didn't think it was corny at all, even with the love story. The character of Shizuku was so well-made, provided with a number of flaws that it seemed almost human. The story was believable, especially if you like to read a lot of books. Also, the thing I loved about this movie the most is that, somehow, I can relate to it. Like Shizuku, I'm a bookworm and I could just go on and on reading books forever. (The only thing is that I don't borrow books from libraries because of the limited time. I want to savor the flavor of books for a long time by owning them.) I've also thought about quitting college a lot of times and just write books. But I've learned, like her, that I need a lot of schooling and I'm willing to do everything to fulfill that dream.

The words of the Mr. Nishi were also nice. It gave me a lot of motivation to go on and to get over rejection and criticism.

By the way, it's from a manga by Aoi Hiiragi and adapted into a movie by Studio Ghibli, the studio that made great movies like Spirited Away and Ponyo. Hayao Miyazaki was also involved in the making of this movie.

This is a brilliant classic that is a must-see for any bookworm.

How I wish I too had a Seiji...

- - - - -

Anyway, three of my favorite snapshots from the movie. Why? Because in these pictures, Shizuku is like me an awful lot:

1.) I could be like this a lot. When studying, I would put away my textbook and pick up the novel I'm reading at the moment. You can't blame me when the subject is Biotechnology.

2.) I usually listen to music while studying.

3.) Animals aren't friendly with me, especially cats. They give me the silent treatment.

Movie Review - My Neighbor Totoro

Rating: 10/10

This is a very cute movie. It's actually for kids but it's still great to watch even though I'm already a teenager. Totoro is so cute! Everything about it is completely adorable! I love love love this movie!

Movie Review - Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Rating: 10/10

It can be expected in any Hayao Miyazaki film that the quality and the story line would be very good. And Nausicaa does not disappoint. It is the second movie of Miyzaki's that I watched and yet the scenes will really move you. The whole plot of it may seem so trivial but the lessons you learn as the movie unfolds are a treasure. You'll really feel the emotions Miyazaki wants to imply to his audience. This is a very good movie that should be watched by any otaku.

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.