My 11-year-old daughter is a big fan of Studio Ghibli (a legendary anime studio) so we've been working our way through those films, always in Japanese with subs. We even went to see Princess Mononoke at the Prince Charles Cinema a few weeks ago, despite having it on Blu-Ray, but we wanted to see it on the big screen. Had to cue up to get in; the cinema was absolutely rammed, at 12.30 in the afternoon. We watched Pom Poko last week. Simply put, shape-shifting racoons kill people who are working on a land development that puts their habitat in jeopardy, then march off triumphantly singing songs about how big their testicles are.
I’ve got all the Ghibli films, well worth watching.
And no one's mentioned My Neighbour Totoro yet, who's the mascot of Studio Ghibli itself. Stonemuse what are your favourites? Miyazaki and Takahata loom so large over their output. I know Miyazaki's son, Goro, has made two films, although I saw a documentary about Miyazaki and you see him pointedly walking out half-way through the premier of Goro's first film, Tales From Earthsea. I believe both are working on two new Ghibli films, despite the father, Hayao, retiring and making more comebacks than Frank Sinatra. Hayao's film is How Do You Live? Ready for next year, apparently. I don't know about Goro's.
That’s really tough, they are all excellent in their own way. Off the top of my head, and may change my mind tomorrow:
Howl’s Moving Castle My Neighbor Totoro Spirited Away Grave of the Fireflies
Saw Booksmart with little miss idle and a young friend on Friday. The phrase 'American high school comedy' would normally make me run a mile, but actually this one made me laugh out loud probably a dozen times. Theyd put some effort into the jokes, which were often not obvious, and the fast back and forth was really well done. If you watch the trailer, it's representative of the film and doesn't contain all the best moments. Above average film of its kind, with likable leads, I'd probably watch it again if it ever gets on the telly. Solid 7 from an old git, higher if I was a late teen.
Saw Booksmart with little miss idle and a young friend on Friday. The phrase 'American high school comedy' would normally make me run a mile, but actually this one made me laugh out loud probably a dozen times. Theyd put some effort into the jokes, which were often not obvious, and the fast back and forth was really well done. If you watch the trailer, it's representative of the film and doesn't contain all the best moments. Above average film of its kind, with likable leads, I'd probably watch it again if it ever gets on the telly. Solid 7 from an old git, higher if I was a late teen.
Thought it was dreadful and very unfunny. Very overrated in the reviews.
Oh, I see, he was involved in the English language version. I always watch them in Japanese with subtitles. A case in point in how plot points change in the different dubs; in the Japanese original of Pom Poko, the raccoons defiantly sing songs about the size of their balls, which are bloody big. In the English dub all reference to balls is changed to ‘pouch’, which makes no sense.
Watched Apostle tonight, I think it may be on Netflix. Weird pagan-esq/religious, horror type film. It's not a jump fest, although it's spectacularly gruesome in parts. Had a decent story line too.
These films are very sharp, cynical enough without being pious and crucially very funny. The first film did a bit of 3rd or 4th wall breaking and this one did a lot more and did it well. The songs were good and Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks do a solid job again.
Batman steals the show a little bit and the easy to get in-jokes were clever and made me laugh out loud.
The end credits are worth watching for a very funny song alone and some pretty cool graphics.
I cannot recommend this film highly enough, sequels are tough especially when the bar has been set so high but this film worked and would work for everyone in the family. It's not a kids film strictly as the humour is certainly more adult themed but I'm sure kids would love it too
Saw the Maradona film tonight. Brilliant documentary, some amazing footage and overall very poignant. Love him or hate him, his skill was astonishing and the Napoli story is beyond fiction.
Saw the Maradona film tonight. Brilliant documentary, some amazing footage and overall very poignant. Love him or hate him, his skill was astonishing and the Napoli story is beyond fiction.
9/10.
Good to hear. I'm hoping to see this later this week. The director certainly has good form with 'Senna' and 'Amy'
Watched Green Book again at the weekend and think I enjoyed it more than the first time round. I rarely re-watch a film and did not think this would be my cup of tea, but so impressed with it.
Just watched the new Deadwood movie on Sky . Absolutely loved it but I wouldn’t recommend it if you didn’t see the series.
Totally loved the series. Had to stop watching the new film after twenty minutes because I couldn't understand the dialogue and there was no subtitle option.
If you loved the series why didn’t you understand the dialogue? It’s exactly the same as it was in the TV show .
There were subtitles on the series box set.
Ok . I never had any problems with the old style English dialogue but I can see how it might be a problem to some people .
I increasingly find it difficult to hear dialogue in modern movies. That's partly why I go less and less frequently to the cinema because I can't put on subtitles - love foreign movies! I have no trouble hearing dialogue in movies from before the 70s so it's the articulation of the actors not my hearing. I know I'm not alone in this.
I'm the same. I have to watch pretty much every programme with subtitles. I'm ok with some UK ones but anything else, I miss half of what's being said.
The problem with some of the shows we download from Sky/catch up rather than record live is that they don't always have subtitles.
Was it Michael Caine who was running a campaign to improve audio/dialogue quality? His theory is that directors and editors don’t get it, because they hear the dialogue over and over again, during the edit. They don’t appreciate how hard it is to decipher mumbled dialogue in the average cinema, or on an ordinary tv, when you haven’t heard it before, like they have?
The wife recorded this the other night, I did not fancy it but gave it a go (the film that is not the wife) and have to say I was taken in by the story from the first minute to the last.
A true story about a diver who is stranded on bottom of the North Sea with only five minutes of oxygen and no chance of rescue for at least thirty minutes. The original participants deliver emotional first-hand accounts of an incident which changed their lives.
Very powerful and the fact some of the actual people the film is based on appear in it gives it an extra edge.
Just watched the new Deadwood movie on Sky . Absolutely loved it but I wouldn’t recommend it if you didn’t see the series.
Totally loved the series. Had to stop watching the new film after twenty minutes because I couldn't understand the dialogue and there was no subtitle option.
If you loved the series why didn’t you understand the dialogue? It’s exactly the same as it was in the TV show .
There were subtitles on the series box set.
Ok . I never had any problems with the old style English dialogue but I can see how it might be a problem to some people .
I increasingly find it difficult to hear dialogue in modern movies. That's partly why I go less and less frequently to the cinema because I can't put on subtitles - love foreign movies! I have no trouble hearing dialogue in movies from before the 70s so it's the articulation of the actors not my hearing. I know I'm not alone in this.
I'm the same. I have to watch pretty much every programme with subtitles. I'm ok with some UK ones but anything else, I miss half of what's being said.
The problem with some of the shows we download from Sky/catch up rather than record live is that they don't always have subtitles.
Was it Michael Caine who was running a campaign to improve audio/dialogue quality? His theory is that directors and editors don’t get it, because they hear the dialogue over and over again, during the edit. They don’t appreciate how hard it is to decipher mumbled dialogue in the average cinema, or on an ordinary tv, when you haven’t heard it before, like they have?
Having spent the last month editing a lot of dialogue for a project, I can agree that tends to happen. I've heard some of this footage 200-300 times and know it off by heart.
However, sound mixing is a profession (one I am not very good at) and there are a lot of people working on the mix before it goes out. Plus, getting it audience-tested is standard. I am more inclined to think it's the way the files are delivered and the potentially poorly-balanced home cinema systems that can lead to apparent shitty sound quality (I'm not sure I've ever had an issue in a cinema).
Saw the Maradona film tonight. Brilliant documentary, some amazing footage and overall very poignant. Love him or hate him, his skill was astonishing and the Napoli story is beyond fiction.
9/10.
Good to hear. I'm hoping to see this later this week. The director certainly has good form with 'Senna' and 'Amy'
Really good film. You definitely come out with a different view on him.
Toy Story 4 I thought Toy Story 3 finished perfectly, and on an absolute high - no reason for a fourth. But when I saw the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes (100% last week, down to 97% yesterday) I was excited. Unnecessarily, it is an average film. It took over an hour to créate the first laugh, and the audience were horribly muted for most of the film. In fact, I noticed it was the adults who actually made some noise as the finale approached, and more out of relief than amusement. The new characters were nowhere near as funny as reviews made them (bear in mind I saw the Spanish versión, the punch lines may have actually worked in English), the plot as sadly a case of same old, same old. It's beautifully done, but the original humoutr has gone, as has the emotional roller coaster of number 3. I went back to the reviews on Tomatoes to see why they though what seemed a very average offering by Pixar's high standards got such high marks. When you read them, quite a few use the word 'but' a great deal. It's a graet film bt…. Probably the worst of the four but…. There is some good stuff in there, but… I did actually enjoy it, but it was a let down, it was the weakest of the four, and Forky had one funny line. I may check it out in English when it comes to cable, but if you go to see it, don't expect much and you may find it fun. Go in expecting something extraordinary and you'll be let down big time.
Toy Story 4 I thought Toy Story 3 finished perfectly, and on an absolute high - no reason for a fourth. But when I saw the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes (100% last week, down to 97% yesterday) I was excited. Unnecessarily, it is an average film. It took over an hour to créate the first laugh, and the audience were horribly muted for most of the film. In fact, I noticed it was the adults who actually made some noise as the finale approached, and more out of relief than amusement. The new characters were nowhere near as funny as reviews made them (bear in mind I saw the Spanish versión, the punch lines may have actually worked in English), the plot as sadly a case of same old, same old. It's beautifully done, but the original humoutr has gone, as has the emotional roller coaster of number 3. I went back to the reviews on Tomatoes to see why they though what seemed a very average offering by Pixar's high standards got such high marks. When you read them, quite a few use the word 'but' a great deal. It's a graet film bt…. Probably the worst of the four but…. There is some good stuff in there, but… I did actually enjoy it, but it was a let down, it was the weakest of the four, and Forky had one funny line. I may check it out in English when it comes to cable, but if you go to see it, don't expect much and you may find it fun. Go in expecting something extraordinary and you'll be let down big time.
Found it laboured and not very funny. Agree with you that its the weakest by far.
Toy Story 4 I thought Toy Story 3 finished perfectly, and on an absolute high - no reason for a fourth. But when I saw the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes (100% last week, down to 97% yesterday) I was excited. Unnecessarily, it is an average film. It took over an hour to créate the first laugh, and the audience were horribly muted for most of the film. In fact, I noticed it was the adults who actually made some noise as the finale approached, and more out of relief than amusement. The new characters were nowhere near as funny as reviews made them (bear in mind I saw the Spanish versión, the punch lines may have actually worked in English), the plot as sadly a case of same old, same old. It's beautifully done, but the original humoutr has gone, as has the emotional roller coaster of number 3. I went back to the reviews on Tomatoes to see why they though what seemed a very average offering by Pixar's high standards got such high marks. When you read them, quite a few use the word 'but' a great deal. It's a graet film bt…. Probably the worst of the four but…. There is some good stuff in there, but… I did actually enjoy it, but it was a let down, it was the weakest of the four, and Forky had one funny line. I may check it out in English when it comes to cable, but if you go to see it, don't expect much and you may find it fun. Go in expecting something extraordinary and you'll be let down big time.
Found it laboured and not very funny. Agree with you that its the weakest by far.
Good to see the old gang back. I only went because my son wanted to see it.
Sorry to be late to the party on this one but just saw The Favourite for the first time (DVD pressure for my wife’s birthday). What a load of utter tosh. Grating soundtrack which consisted of a ticking clock sound for the most part. just goes to show you can get an Oscar for anything these days. Apologies to those of you who may have loved it.
Comments
Howl’s Moving Castle
My Neighbor Totoro
Spirited Away
Grave of the Fireflies
Above average film of its kind, with likable leads, I'd probably watch it again if it ever gets on the telly.
Solid 7 from an old git, higher if I was a late teen.
9.5/10
These films are very sharp, cynical enough without being pious and crucially very funny. The first film did a bit of 3rd or 4th wall breaking and this one did a lot more and did it well. The songs were good and Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks do a solid job again.
Batman steals the show a little bit and the easy to get in-jokes were clever and made me laugh out loud.
The end credits are worth watching for a very funny song alone and some pretty cool graphics.
I cannot recommend this film highly enough, sequels are tough especially when the bar has been set so high but this film worked and would work for everyone in the family. It's not a kids film strictly as the humour is certainly more adult themed but I'm sure kids would love it too
9/10.
The wife recorded this the other night, I did not fancy it but gave it a go (the film that is not the wife) and have to say I was taken in by the story from the first minute to the last.
A true story about a diver who is stranded on bottom of the North Sea with only five minutes of oxygen and no chance of rescue for at least thirty minutes. The original participants deliver emotional first-hand accounts of an incident which changed their lives.
Very powerful and the fact some of the actual people the film is based on appear in it gives it an extra edge.
However, sound mixing is a profession (one I am not very good at) and there are a lot of people working on the mix before it goes out. Plus, getting it audience-tested is standard. I am more inclined to think it's the way the files are delivered and the potentially poorly-balanced home cinema systems that can lead to apparent shitty sound quality (I'm not sure I've ever had an issue in a cinema).
I thought Toy Story 3 finished perfectly, and on an absolute high - no reason for a fourth. But when I saw the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes (100% last week, down to 97% yesterday) I was excited. Unnecessarily, it is an average film. It took over an hour to créate the first laugh, and the audience were horribly muted for most of the film. In fact, I noticed it was the adults who actually made some noise as the finale approached, and more out of relief than amusement.
The new characters were nowhere near as funny as reviews made them (bear in mind I saw the Spanish versión, the punch lines may have actually worked in English), the plot as sadly a case of same old, same old. It's beautifully done, but the original humoutr has gone, as has the emotional roller coaster of number 3. I went back to the reviews on Tomatoes to see why they though what seemed a very average offering by Pixar's high standards got such high marks. When you read them, quite a few use the word 'but' a great deal. It's a graet film bt…. Probably the worst of the four but…. There is some good stuff in there, but…
I did actually enjoy it, but it was a let down, it was the weakest of the four, and Forky had one funny line. I may check it out in English when it comes to cable, but if you go to see it, don't expect much and you may find it fun. Go in expecting something extraordinary and you'll be let down big time.
I only went because my son wanted to see it.
https://youtu.be/qTPKGVrFtQU