#WWMD - Watching With My Daughter

#140RVW

Ever feel dumb watching a movie that everyone else loves, knowing there’s more going on than you’re getting? Sometimes it’s just a cigar…

今まであなたが取得しているよりも多くのそこが起こっているのを知って、誰もが愛している映画を見てダム感じる？時にはそれだけで葉巻だ…

#140RVW, take 2

Any chance we could get Miyazaki-san to just animate backgrounds & leave the characters to someone else? His work is gorgeous but so weird.

万が一私達はちょうど背景をアニメーション＆他の誰かに文字を残して宮崎さん得ることができる？彼の作品は、豪華なしかしとても奇妙です。

What’s more:

This is the weirdest movie I think I have ever seen, and it’s not like there aren’t a lot of films that have had that distinction before now.

I’m not going to make any friends with this review, but I didn’t really take to Spirited Away. It is Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, and he is a truly gifted filmmaker, and everyone loves it, and it’s one of the best animated movies ever. Yeah, I get it. But I didn’t like it. Because I don’t like the style of his animated characters. I just don’t. I’ve tried, I really have. But they are ridiculous looking, and the fact that his backgrounds and landscapes and every other element of his films looks so great just makes the characters look more out of place to me.

This movie was aimed at kids the age of the protagonist (10 years old). Maybe I would have enjoyed it more then. My daughter certainly enjoyed it. Which is funny, because I would have sworn this was nightmare material. I’m not sure I’m going to avoid nightmares…

The biggest problem I had with Spirited Away was that I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing a whole lot of what was happening. It seemed that what was happening on screen was total madness, but that if I understood the Japanese culture better that there were all sorts of references to legends and things that would have made the whole thing make a lot more sense. It’s sort of like trying to judge fine cuisine when you don’t know anything about it; you may not enjoy what you’re eating but you somehow feel bad that you don’t – you don’t really have the vocabulary to express why.

You know what, though? That’s not my problem. These are movies, not fine art. And it wouldn’t matter if they were fine art. It’s weird, it looks like a really gorgeous world populated by nightmares and truly ugly things. The whole thing looks like William Burroughs went to art school.

But hey, the music was great and the attention to detail was remarkable. I’m going to keep watching Miyazaki-san, because he’s a genius and I love being challenged by his stuff…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

Main Cast	Daveigh Chase Chihiro (voice: English version), Suzanne Pleshette Yubaba/Zeniba (voice: English version), Miyu Irino Haku (voice: Japanese version), Susan Egan Lin (voice: English version)
Rating	PG
Release Date	Fri 28 Mar 2003 UTC
Director	Hayao Miyazaki
Genres	Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Plot	In the middle of her family’s move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters; where humans are changed into animals; and a bathhouse for these creatures.
Poster
Runtime	125
Tagline	(The tunnel led Chihiro to a mysterious town…)
Writers	Hayao Miyazaki (written by)
Year	2001

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Don’t say it takes too many liberties with the story. This is the movie that Douglas Adams wanted to make; he wrote most of the screenplay.

Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…:

Sort of surprised to realize I hadn’t already reviewed this, as it’s one of my very favorite movies. It just always puts me in a really good mood.

Like virtually every movie based on a beloved book, it has a lot of detractors. Most seem to be upset that the movie is too American, too Hollywood, not British enough, different from the book. Your criticisms are noted – and irrelevant.

This is the movie that Douglas Adams would have made had he lived to see it. He wrote most of the screenplay and was the one who came up with every substantial new story element. He felt that only Arthur Dent needed to be British. And most importantly, Adams viewed his most celebrated work as a living thing; remember that it started not as a novel but as a radio play. He frequently revised his work as it morphed from radio to book to tv to computer game to theater production and all the way back.

All works need to be flexible if they are to make a successful transition to a new medium. All that matters is that you don’t lose the spirit of the original material as you adjust for the different needs of film.

So does it retain the spirit of Adams’ work? Damn right it does. The changes were needed; the book really doesn’t have a consistent narrative; it’s just things happening one after another. (Some still complain that the movie doesn’t do enough to change this and suffers from the same problem.) Trillian & Arthur needed more of a love story – an Adams addition. The only add that I don’t really get is the whole Humma Kavula character, but again, Adams created him.

The other issue that fans complain about is casting. Here I must wildly diverge from the fanboy base. I LOVE the casting.

• I don’t know who visualized Mos Def as Ford Prefect but they deserve a special casting Oscar. I think Mos is perfect, giving the whole affair a fresh feel; he’s got the attitude a planet-hopping hitchhiking writer needs.
• Similarly, Sam Rockwell is fantastic. If you feel that he’s too over the top, I hear you. But I think over the top is needed in a movie with so much dialogue and subtle humor.
• As for Zooey Deschanel, she is a bit inconsistent. Her first scene aboard the Heart of Gold is really awkward – she just seems to be having trouble playing off of Marvin the Paranoid Android. But if you don’t let that early scene influence your impression you’ll realize the way she plays Trillian lends some credibility to the character and why someone would go parading around the galaxy.
• I don’t hear any bitching about Martin Freeman, with good reason, as he is as perfect an Arthur Dent as could ever be expected.

Hammer and Tongs, the pairing of director Garth Jennings with his producer Nick Goldsmith, were recommended by Spike Jonze after he passed on directing the film. Coming from a music video background, Jennings brings a wonderful visual style to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The production design and visual effects are top shelf and unique, which can be very difficult in science fiction.

Really I can’t see why people don’t like this movie. Bill Nighy and Helen Mirren drop by for great roles, the Guide itself is a lust-worthy thing of beauty (and voiced by Stephen Fry), the opening song is magnificent, Douglas Adams’ mum has a cameo, Deep Thought is so cool, Marvin is played by Warwick Davis and voiced by Alan Rickman; it’s just a really fun movie.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Fail

The Representation Test Score: C (6 pts)

(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

[schema type=”movie” name=”The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” description=”Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”” director=”Garth Jennings” actor_1=”Martin Freeman” actor_2=”Mos Def” actor_3=”Sam Rockwell” actor_4=”Zooey Deschanel” ]

Main Cast	Martin Freeman Arthur Dent, Mos Def Ford Prefect, Sam Rockwell Zaphod Beeblebrox, Zooey Deschanel Trillian
Rating	PG
Release Date	Fri 29 Apr 2005 UTC
Director	Garth Jennings
Genres	Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Plot	Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
Poster
Runtime	109
Tagline	Don’t Panic
Writers	Douglas Adams (book), Douglas Adams (screenplay) …
Year	2005

#140RVW

As much fun as you hoped it would be. May not be the Lego movie that ran in your head when you played with the toys, but looks just like it.

What’s more:

I don’t feel like this needs to be a particularly long review; the movie is great – go see it, preferably with some kids. It is exactly what is supposed to be – fun.

Primarily a straightforward story, the joy of the film comes entirely from the playful spirit that has always been synonymous with Lego. Anyone who has watched the countless Lego tv shows, tv movies or played the videogames knows that the creative talent involved with the company possess a wonderful irreverence and sense of humor. So it was no surprise how funny The Lego Movie was.

What may be surprising to viewers is a twist in the last third act of the movie (which I will not spoil here) that really touches upon the importance of play. Truly wonderful.

Visually, the movie is fantastic. While the previous Lego properties I mentioned earlier have always done a great job of retaining the physical look of the toys and not overdoing the CG, the creative team behind The Lego Movie have gone even further, completely replicating the look of those little plastic pieces. It often looks like a stop-motion film, as though they have merely animated the movements of your child’s toys. Masterful.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

Main Cast	Will Arnett Batman/Bruce Wayne (voice), Elizabeth Banks Wyldstyle/Lucy (voice), Craig Berry Blake/Additional Voices (voice), Alison Brie Unikitty (voice)
Rating	PG
Release Date	Fri 07 Feb 2014 UTC
Director	Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Genres	Animation, Action, Comedy, Family
Plot	An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.
Poster
Runtime	100
Tagline	Assembling in 2014
Writers	Dan Hageman (story) &, Kevin Hageman (story) …
Year	2014

#140RVW

Very good-looking animated film. Somewhat overstocked in the celebrity voice department, but not to ruin. Good if not overly original story.

What’s more:

There’s a sort of embarrassment of riches in the animated movie world, and that makes it hard to stand out. Even when the movies are well-made, even if they’re based on great source material, there tends to be a remarkable sameness to many of them.

Take Desperaux; comes with a built-in audience of readers of author Kate DiCamillo’s Newbery Medal winning book, not to mention people who like cute mice.  Toss in a dozen or more celebrity voices and what do you get? Sorta the same movie you’ve seen a few times by now.

Is this a bad thing? Maybe not. There will always be more children so there should always be more children’s movies. They can’t all be groundbreaking.

The worst thing is that I enjoyed watching this. I felt good after watching it. But the more I reflected on it, the less that stayed with me. Even while watching it the feelings of familiarity were creeping in, but the movie is well-made and I let it pass.

Maybe I’m being harder on it in the light of day than I was immediately after watching it. I’ve just sort of had it with the same old animation and the same celebrity voice-overs. Even as this film shows some unique and lovely design features, they manage to make the characters look like those in virtually every other film. Look at the cook; he could have walked out of 10 other movies this year.

You have a great story – try a little harder.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass, barely.

Main Cast	Matthew Broderick Despereaux (voice), Emma Watson Princess Pea (voice), Dustin Hoffman Roscuro (voice), Tracey Ullman Miggery Sow (voice)
Rating	G
Release Date	Fri 19 Dec 2008 UTC
Director	Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen
Genres	Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Plot	The tale of three unlikely heroes – a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl with cauliflower ears – whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle’s princess.
Poster
Runtime	93
Tagline	Small Hero. Big Heart.
Writers	Gary Ross (writer), Will McRobb (screen story)
Year	2008