Last Movie Seen

[matthewscott8]

Never seen cineaste used in place of cinephile.
As for cliché, that might be a bit of a French thing.

It was youths not hearing the d in the early 2000s, but yes clearly French people don't put a d on the end. Not to worry though I just got hit by the latest nuke someone on Reddit went with "pheasable" for feasible.

[matthewscott8]

but dagnamit we already had cinephile, and more prosaic alternatives. It's the second time I saw it on the forum today,

In case the other sighting was the one by me in that bumped thread: in German, Cineast kinda has the meaning of "cinephile" (with maybe a bit more of a preten sophisticated ring to it). It's close to a false friend for us Auslaenders.
I'm sorry to have hurt your feelings, matt.

I say I'm movie crazy, and I mean it

[kongs_speech]

With Possessor, Brandon Cronenberg proves that he can craft a mindfuck as twisty, unique and depraved as anything from his famous father's imagination. The film has an unexpectedly strong emotional core that really manages to catch the viewer off-guard. Andrea Riseborough is all the rage right now due to being showered with praise from Hollywood peers for her performance in To Leslie. In Possessor, she shows what a gifted and wide-ranging actress she is. For the young Cronenberg, I see no reason why he cannot have a career to equal that of his old man. After giving this film a well-deserved revisit, I am ecstatically hyped for next weekend's theatrical release of Infinity Pool.

[Torgo]

Oh yis!

[outdoorcats]

I'm so glad I waited to see RRR in a theater. One of the best theater-going experiences I've ever had. Hats off to S.S. Rajamouli, this film has spectacular action sequences that can go toe to toe with some of the best I've ever seen, particularly in a movie theater. The film looks and sounds incredible throughout. And Naatu Naatu brought the house down.



On an extremely different note, fans of Iranian cinema should absolutely keep an eye out for World War III, also one of last year's best. It starts out unassuming enough, a film about a hapless everyman who accidentally becomes an extra in a hokey WWII film, and for a while I thought I was watching a solid, but not particularly noteworthy social drama with some light black comedy. Then at a certain point things take a pretty stunning turn and by the end I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. This is definitely a unique enough film that it will eventually get some sort of distribution in the west so just remember the title!

[kongs_speech]

I was very impressed by World War III too. The twist was something I didn't expect.

[outdoorcats]

I was very impressed by World War III too. The twist was something I didn't expect.

Spoiler

The film definitely reminded me of About Elly, with the sudden tragedy-or-maybe-not-tragedy ambiguity and fights/moral recriminations in the second half. Definitely a Farhadi influence, no? (probably not a coincidence the director started out as an actor in Fireworks Wednesday) Except this felt like more of a thriller/genre film, especially with the super bleak and violent ending.

Loved how the film gaslit me into doubting myself just as Shakib is gaslit into thinking Ladan conned him, then comes the revelation of the gold bracelet. Definitely some political messaging there (I assume taking shots at Iranian propaganda and fake news).

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Gotta wonder how long until Seyyedi gets arrested as well.

[peeptoad]

Animalia

[Good_Will_Harding]

Round two of Aftersun. I was already floored by this after my initial viewing, but a second watch, now knowing how it all wraps up and what it was building towards, really helps illuminate everything about an already deeply moving experience. And while everyone here agrees that awards notices aren't everything, I'm genuinely pleased by Paul Mescal's Oscar nod and am glad that his work was acknowledged in a way that will get this film more widely seen.

On the subject of mainstream attention, my screening tonight might've briefly restored my faith in general audiences. Post pandemic, I'm just happy to not be the only one at a screening of any given film aimed at older audiences, and the first time I saw this about a month ago, it was just me and two other people who sat together (looked like a mother and daughter). But the auditorium tonight was a little over half full (possibly propped up by the aforementioned Oscar nod), and for a crowd that loudly chatted prior to showtime and even partway through the trailers, everyone seemed to really be sucked in by this right from the beginning, and very in tune with its tone and vibes. For a Friday evening crowd at an art house theater, that's usually nothing too noteworthy, but for something as understated and unconventional (at least by late year awards contender standards) as this puppy, the audience was much more receptive towards this than I was expecting. No spoilers, but towards the ending during a pivotal scene,

Spoiler

the goodbye at the airport, soon revealed to be the final time father and daughter see one another,

an audience member audibly said "Aww"', which clearly demonstrates that they picked up on the implication of the scene and read all the hints and clues leading up to it, and put it together themselves before the film revealed the truth of what was happening. Again, that probably seems like a no-brainer for us, but for a weekend crowd in former Trump country in Northeastern PA, I don't know, I'm pleasantly surprised. Anyhow, much of that doesn't have anything to do with the film itself or my opinions on it... just felt like sharing is all.

[pitchorneirda]

All Quiet on the War Movie Front

[Good_Will_Harding]

Well, I went for round two of the smaller "one word title starting with the letter A" film I saw in December, so now it's time for the other, ever so slightly more expensive and profitable of the two...



Free Willy Avatar 2, and here's what I wrote in this thread, fresh from the theater after my initial viewing.

Ava2r

Alright, that was certainly a lot of movie to take in, but my initial reaction is that it's a pretty entertaining time overall. Nobody has ever accused James Cameron of being the strongest dramatist in the world, but he does have the fundamentals of crafting a satisfying sci-fi/action structure down, and having gotten the initial setup from the first film out of the way, this much belated sequel definitely plays to a lot of his strengths. And when you get right down to the nuts and bolts of modern action filmmaking from the digital age of the last thirty-plus years, there probably isn't anyone out there who does it better. Sure, there's no shortage of action spectaculars or genre tentpoles these days, but the way Cameron executes it all is just more... I don't know, elegant and formal than your average Disney/Marvel/Star Wars joint of the last decade. Plus, the creation of the underworld world here, in addition to everything previously established from the first film, is nothing short of jawdropping. Now to wait another thirteen years for the inevitable followup.

With an additional viewing in the rearview, I still stand by all of this, but my appreciation and enthusiasm for the film has definitely increased over time, particularly the elements I praised beforehand. People still like to drag ol' Jimmy for his feeble and "predictable" plots and storytelling mechanics, but what he understands is that film isn't a plot delivery device. It's an audio-visual experience shaped by character, theme and emotion - and of course, immersive action and spectacle. He perfectly explains it himself here.



And if it seems like I'm writing more about repeat viewings than normal, that's because nothing else of interest has opened for weeks. Still waiting for newly Oscar nominated fare such as Women Talking, Living, The Quiet Girl, etc.

[Good_Will_Harding]

As one of the most ardent M Night Shyamalan fans/apologists/soldiers/etc around these parts, of course I had to be there to see his latest work right away.



Knock at the Cabin, aka Shyamalan's take on First Reformed

Here we have Shyamalan's second adaptation in a row, and also his second R-rated film, after The Happening. And it's another reliably tense, understated, and extremely well polished thriller from one of the few studio filmmakers that's still able to make films solely on their own terms. If nothing else, it works as a pretty tremendous acting showcase for Dave Bautista, who really gets a lot to do here as he's playing against type, and continually proves that he's the most talented from the current crop of wrestlers-turned-actors by a pretty sizable margin. It was also pretty entertaining to see Rupert Grint in this, who I don't think I've seen in anything since he last held a magic wand about a dozen years ago.

Fault wise, I don't have too much to complain about here, other than my continued disappointment that Shyamalan still hasn't reunited with composer James Newton Howard since he started making good films again - and I suppose the wrap up here is a bit too quick and clean for my liking, but given how forward moving and purposeful the pace was for most of the film, I shouldn't have been too surprised there. On the whole, this is still definitely another worthwhile entry into the filmography of one of the most interesting current working mainstream American directors.

[kongs_speech]

Knock at the Cabin is another intelligent, tense and thought-provoking thriller from modern suspense king M. Night Shyamalan. The storyline is deceptively simple, but watching it all play out, it feels as complex as anything the auteur has done. I particularly appreciate the way flashbacks are used cleverly (and not overused) to reveal pertinent information. The ensemble cast is terrific, particularly Dave Bautista with a turn that veers between evoking terror and sympathy. With an R rating for violence, Knock at the Cabin is slightly darker and notably bloodier than Shyamalan’s typical films, save for The Happening. Though best known for his wild plot twists, Shyamalan’s most compelling element has always been the humanity in his work. That element really shines in Knock at the Cabin.

[blocho]

Though best known for his wild plot twists, Shyamalan’s most compelling element has always been the humanity in his work.

Hey Kong -- If you're willing, would you expand on what you mean by humanity in this case? I'm not trying to doubt or criticize your characterization. I'm just curious about what it means.

[Torgo]

As in "being humane" / empathetic to some causes, I assume? (Haven't seen his last 3 movies, so I can only guess)

[kongs_speech]

Though best known for his wild plot twists, Shyamalan’s most compelling element has always been the humanity in his work.

Hey Kong -- If you're willing, would you expand on what you mean by humanity in this case? I'm not trying to doubt or criticize your characterization. I'm just curious about what it means.

Yeah, of course! I think the love and compassion that Shyamalan has for mankind is very evident in his work. He doesn't shy away from depicting the bad, but he seems much more enamored with the good. His films are often quite moving because he understands the emotion the stories need.

[blocho]

Yeah, of course! I think the love and compassion that Shyamalan has for mankind is very evident in his work. He doesn't shy away from depicting the bad, but he seems much more enamored with the good. His films are often quite moving because he understands the emotion the stories need.

I think I know what you mean. I can see how this tendency works in a movie like The Village, one of the only Shyamalan movies I've seen in the past 15 years.

The reason I was intrigued by your description is that on multiple occasions, I've used the word "humanism" to describe Del Toro's work. I appreciate horror directors who are in it for a lot more than just the gore and suffering.

[outdoorcats]

Directors from Philadelphia, represent! I haven't seen A Knock at the Cabin yet though.

[Good_Will_Harding]

To add to kong's take on the humanity of Shyamalan's work, one aspect to his work I think really separates him from his peers in that regard is how the characterizations and emotional core of the film are always in the forefront of the narrative, and everyone's choices and personal traumas are what inform the story-line, instead of the other way around. With most current American horror-thrillers, it's the other way around, where the characters will sometimes just happen to have some unrelated personal baggage they will eventually overcome throughout the film. But with Shyamalan, he foregrounds the emotional dilemmas of his characters, which is usually communicated visually by his often maligned usage of extreme close-ups during increasingly tense situations. Lately, this has been equally true of the main characters of his films and the antagonists - everyone is allowed the same amount of depth and gravitas, whether they're the victims or the central threats.

[St. Gloede]

So ... I just caught The Batman and I have to ask ...

Was there some kind of backlash or controversy over Christian Bale not mumbling enough that made this happen?

If so, there must be a lot of pleased fans out there.

[kongs_speech]

When Avatar: The Way of Water began, I wasn't sure that I liked where it was going. Jake Sully's offspring didn't seem too interesting, the human boy, Spider, said "bro" too much, and bringing back Stephen Lang's antagonist in a Na'vi body felt contrived. As the film went along, I felt increasingly foolish for questioning James Cameron's vision. Unlike perhaps any other filmmaker, Cameron instinctively knows his way around a blockbuster. The Way of Water is an epic, superb effort in both visuals and storytelling. The environmental themes are explored with more depth than in the first Avatar. One of Cameron's greatest gifts is his knack for crafting intensely moving narratives that respect the viewer's intelligence. The novelty of Avatar is gone, but it is still fantastic to be in Pandora.

[blocho]

Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987)
A Neo-noir defined by its ludicrous dialogue. The editing is also incredibly poor, but that incompetence always plays second fiddle to a script that is a mix of classic noir tough talk, plentiful vulgarity (men talk about their balls an awful lot in this movie), and utter randomness. I walked away debating to what extent writer/director Norman Mailer was aware of this. I never cared for Mailer’s writing or his colossal ego, but he wasn’t an idiot. I want to think this is an intentional parody of noir, but there’s nothing about it that’s tongue-in-cheek. On some level, Mailer probably thought he was making a serious movie. Whatever the case, the result is hilarious.

[Good_Will_Harding]

Posted this writeup in two different challenge threads, but I thought I'd give this thread some traffic and drop it in here as well:

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

First watched this shortly after it dropped on Netflix last October/November, and liked it at the time, but I felt as if something had been lost with watching it at home, rather than on the big screen. Fast forward to this current Oscar season, and I was now able to see it in a theater. And as expected, that really helped to highlight just how much of a technical achievement this is in many respects. The sound editing and design being the main aspects enhanced by the cinema, but I also warmed to the cinematography as well, which came across as more varied and dynamic than I had initially given it credit for. Of course all the actors do a fine job here, and the musical score also grew on me as well, although it still can't help feeling omnipresent and very insistent during a handful of key moments, but I still found it effective overall.

All of that having been said, in terms of the dramatic elements and storytelling, I still found this to be pretty lacking, especially when compared to the vastly superior 1930 version, which wisely stuck closer to the narrative and structure of the source material. For this story (about naïve German youngsters getting manipulated by endless nationalism and propaganda into joining the war effort, only to quickly realize that they were duped into senselessly dying for a lost cause, they were intentionally misled by a government that believes they will soon lose, war is hell, etc.) to be as impactful as possible, you need to be squarely in the POV of the soldiers as they are progressively disillusioned and burnt out by an endless barrage of warfare and carnage. But this one opts to open with mass battles, death, destruction, etc. and drill in the message about the senseless nature of the war right from the word go, and continues to harp on this one very tired, obvious note for the entirety of its two-and-a-half-hour runtime. As I said before, all the technical aspects are first rate, but they're merely in service of stripping one of the oldest, most famous anti-war stories of the last century of all its nuance and just cramming it with extra, unnecessary pathos to the point of nearly bordering on self-parody.

I guess you could say that I feel the same way about this film as many do about James Cameron's two recent opuses about the blue alien folks - a mighty impressive technical exercise, but it falls pretty flat as far as telling a dramatic story goes. Worth seeing for the things I liked about it, but hardly the most rewarding adaptation of this particular story.

[Torgo]

Yesterday, I watched Mr. Fabelman's War Horse (2011) and the late-90s sequel Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022).

I'll let you decide which of the two was the subtler film.

[kongs_speech]

Yesterday, I watched Mr. Fabelman's War Horse (2011) and the late-90s sequel Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022).

I'll let you decide which of the two was the subtler film.

I oughta rewatch it, but I recall War Horse being fairly disastrous by Spielberg's lofty standards. I have a great distaste for that kind of schmaltzy Oscar bait.

[kongs_speech]

Cleopatra's Needle or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Aftersun

Meeting a film with the level of respect and dedication it deserves can make such a phenomenal difference. When I watched Aftersun on my laptop in December, I was underwhelmed. I was distracted. As a friend helped me realize recently, I likely have ADD. I did not allow myself to succumb to the rhythm that Charlotte Wells very purposefully gave her film. Though Aftersun is anything but slight, it is certainly delicate, and because of this, I treated it disrespectfully and allowed myself to become distracted, thus it was lost on me. Seeing it this time in the third row of a crowded cinema, I never once averted my gaze from the screen save for blinking. I fell under Aftersun’s hypnosis. The film that I decried as overrated is, instead, perhaps the most singular and personal vision that 2020s cinema has yet produced. I was fascinated by Sophie (Frankie Corio) and her father (Paul Mescal), relating to both for different reasons. The real protagonist of the film, however, is adult Sophie. Though we only actually see her in a few pivotal moments, her presence looms the whole time. By showing us Sophie’s recollection of the fateful summer she turned 11, Wells essentially asks the viewer to become adult Sophie and identify with her. On this watch, I really, really did. Yeah, I was wrong before. Now I get it.

[Good_Will_Harding]

[outdoorcats]

Cleopatra's Needle or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Aftersun

Meeting a film with the level of respect and dedication it deserves can make such a phenomenal difference. When I watched Aftersun on my laptop in December, I was underwhelmed. I was distracted. As a friend helped me realize recently, I likely have ADD. I did not allow myself to succumb to the rhythm that Charlotte Wells very purposefully gave her film. Though Aftersun is anything but slight, it is certainly delicate, and because of this, I treated it disrespectfully and allowed myself to become distracted, thus it was lost on me. Seeing it this time in the third row of a crowded cinema, I never once averted my gaze from the screen save for blinking. I fell under Aftersun’s hypnosis. The film that I decried as overrated is, instead, perhaps the most singular and personal vision that 2020s cinema has yet produced. I was fascinated by Sophie (Frankie Corio) and her father (Paul Mescal), relating to both for different reasons. The real protagonist of the film, however, is adult Sophie. Though we only actually see her in a few pivotal moments, her presence looms the whole time. By showing us Sophie’s recollection of the fateful summer she turned 11, Wells essentially asks the viewer to become adult Sophie and identify with her. On this watch, I really, really did. Yeah, I was wrong before. Now I get it.

My most affecting memory of the film was listening to a woman start sobbing as loudly as I've ever heard anyone cry in a movie theater and continue to do so for the last 10 or so minutes of the film. And of course, there's no specific scene or event that triggered her, but it's like everyone realized something, without the film saying it, right around the same time. Normally when you say something "needs to be seen in a movie theater," we're thinking something super cinematic or visually stunning, but in this case it's the shared social experience you get from being around other people and feeding off each other's reactions, if that makes sense.

[Minkin]

Yesterday, I watched Mr. Fabelman's War Horse (2011) and the late-90s sequel Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022).

I'll let you decide which of the two was the subtler film.

I oughta rewatch it, but I recall War Horse being fairly disastrous by Spielberg's lofty standards. I have a great distaste for that kind of schmaltzy Oscar bait.

I saw the play that the film is based upon, and about half the audience left at intermission, not to return again. The only positive thing about it I'd say is that it had a comic-relief duck on wheels. (haven't seen the film yet to compare)

[kongs_speech]

Cleopatra's Needle or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Aftersun

Meeting a film with the level of respect and dedication it deserves can make such a phenomenal difference. When I watched Aftersun on my laptop in December, I was underwhelmed. I was distracted. As a friend helped me realize recently, I likely have ADD. I did not allow myself to succumb to the rhythm that Charlotte Wells very purposefully gave her film. Though Aftersun is anything but slight, it is certainly delicate, and because of this, I treated it disrespectfully and allowed myself to become distracted, thus it was lost on me. Seeing it this time in the third row of a crowded cinema, I never once averted my gaze from the screen save for blinking. I fell under Aftersun’s hypnosis. The film that I decried as overrated is, instead, perhaps the most singular and personal vision that 2020s cinema has yet produced. I was fascinated by Sophie (Frankie Corio) and her father (Paul Mescal), relating to both for different reasons. The real protagonist of the film, however, is adult Sophie. Though we only actually see her in a few pivotal moments, her presence looms the whole time. By showing us Sophie’s recollection of the fateful summer she turned 11, Wells essentially asks the viewer to become adult Sophie and identify with her. On this watch, I really, really did. Yeah, I was wrong before. Now I get it.

My most affecting memory of the film was listening to a woman start sobbing as loudly as I've ever heard anyone cry in a movie theater and continue to do so for the last 10 or so minutes of the film. And of course, there's no specific scene or event that triggered her, but it's like everyone realized something, without the film saying it, right around the same time. Normally when you say something "needs to be seen in a movie theater," we're thinking something super cinematic or visually stunning, but in this case it's the shared social experience you get from being around other people and feeding off each other's reactions, if that makes sense.

Yeah, well said! That makes so much sense, I absolutely agree.

[Torgo]

Yesterday, I watched Mr. Fabelman's War Horse (2011) and the late-90s sequel Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022).

I'll let you decide which of the two was the subtler film.

I oughta rewatch it, but I recall War Horse being fairly disastrous by Spielberg's lofty standards. I have a great distaste for that kind of schmaltzy Oscar bait.

Hehe, as you already saw in "that thread", I was surprisingly fond of the horse film. Did not expect that. But knowing how much highbrow internet folks dislike this most spielbergian of films, I decided to pull that easy joke anyhow.

Let me do another pair!


Tonight, I watched Now You See Me 2 (2016) and Blonde (2022) back to back.

I don't think they had torture techniques crueler than that in the middle ages.

[blocho]

Has anyone seen The Beaver Trilogy? I was expecting a weird curiosity, and it definitely was that. But it was also a lot more complex and interesting than I had anticipated. Definitely a candidate for my 500<400 list.

[Good_Will_Harding]

Scream VI / Screa/VI / 6cream

I enjoyed last year's much belated fifth installment (or reboot, depending on who you ask) in the Scream franchise more than most seemed to, and in general would consider this to be arguably the most consistently solid of the major horror franchises, at least among the ones that are still ongoing. For my money, they all range from solid to pretty good, and this puppy is another feather in the series' cap. With the previous film doing the heavy lifting of re-establishing the status quo of the series and adding newer characters into the mix, this one takes the elements that worked from that one, and brings them into a whole new setting and scenario. Even at their best, these films have never been that "scary", so much as tense and exciting, and this one really amps up the visceral thrills and heightened pace, moreso than any of its predecessors. But not lost in the mix is the likability and humanity of the ensemble cast of characters, which has always been a strong suit for these films. All in all, a pretty good addition to the series, and I remain thankful that these two newer entries have kept the internal logic and continuity from Wes Craven's quadrilogy well intact.

[Good_Will_Harding]

John Wick: Chapter 4

RIP Lance Reddick

A truly wild ride, and probably the best one so far, and I've enjoyed them all up to this point. It dispenses with much of the bureaucratic side plots and world building that started getting to be a bit much in the previous two and gets back to the basics that made the first one stand out. It also helps that this is the best looking one in the series, once again shot by frequent Guillermo del Toro collaborator Dan Laustsen, who brings the most varied aesthetic and color palette this series has seen thus far. There are also a number of very fun additions to the growing cast of characters - particularly Donnie Yen - and it increases the scope of the series without feeling too obvious or desperate.

Also, the funniest part of any of these movies is when they announce that Mr. Wick is back in town and stunt-man #57 believes that he'll be the one to finally take down Baba Yaga, and he's barely in-frame before he's shot in the head. This happens roughly 5,000 times in this newest one and it's just glorious in every single instance.

[matthewscott8]

Trois couleurs: Blanc / Three Colors: White (1994 - Krzysztov Kieslowski)

I feel like I need to make a public apology on this one. I have always called this out as a weak point in the trilogy. But after 20 or so years I've made my way back to it and I saw a restoration in the cinema no less. It is a beautiful movie. I think at the time I had recently seen Delpy in something awful, probably Waking Life, and it really clouded me, and as a young guy I think the cruelty of the first few scenes, watching a guy get his heart torn out was a bit overwhelming for me. It definitely helped to be a more mature viewer.

It reminded me of a line from a Grémillon movie, Remorques, spoken by Capitaine Laurent, "Say, Tanguy. You came to see me about your wife. You were wrong. And so was I, to give you advice. What goes on between two people, no one else can understand." It had become public knowledge that Tanguy's wife sleeps about. And yet, this is not to say that Tanguy's marriage is a bad one, just that it is far more complicated than many assume. In White, we see such a "complicated" marriage, and Kieslowski tries as hard as possible to let us inside that which "goes on between two people", which is strange indeed. The strangeness is encapsulated by Aleksander Bardini's notary stopping typing as Karol says he wants everything in his will to be left to "my ex wife Dominique".

Karol does the thing that we're always told not to do these days, he puts Dominique on a pedestal (check out the picture above, he actually literally does this). I think a relationship movie were being made today no-one would sympathise with this character, but for people of my generation certainly, it makes a lot of sense. Like Karol, the sole reason I entered the capitalist system was to earn enough money that a woman would take me seriously. The sheer weirdness of romance here is what I like so much. I also love how Kieslowski understands that we all privately lead mystical lives, and this is why his collaborations are important, you absolutely need Zbigniew Preisner and Edward Klosinski onboard to get that effect, the music and cinematography are critical.

The movie is also very funny, the first major link we have to "white" is a bird urinating on Karol (the thick white stuff is uric acid, birds conserve water), and the reintroduction to Poland has a great comic line; despite this there was not a single laugh in the threatre, White is a droll movie rather than a raucous one.

No real belief from me that this movie is about égalité, except in some sort of filppant way (fraternité is as much its touchstone). Kieslowski is just making some films he wants to make. The colour constraints from the French flag are very interesting though, white can be associated with impotence and used here for orgasm, wedding, and the blank slate office Karol hires at one point.

[OldAle1]

I finally felt good enough to venture out into the world outside of my apartment and the cancer clinic to go see something on the big screen - first time since January - and for once I chose pretty well, and saw

Suzume no tojimari (Makoto Shinkai)



I had the room all to myself, which often feels creepy (and this was in a surprisingly large screening room, given that the film has been playing 2 weeks and the paucity of interest in this area for subbed anime) but for some reason seemed to fit here. Even though this is a big-scale adventure in many respects - Suzume, a 16-year-old girl, goes on a wild chase over most of the length of Japan to try to save Shouta, the cursed "closer" of magical gates that help to prevent earthquakes, after she accidentally gets in the way of his work, meeting many charaacters and getting in much danger along the way - it really has a very small-scale, personal feel to it as well, in common with the director's previous work. It's really, when all is said and done, a coming of age story and a story about loss and death and how we get over those things - and prepare for them. All pretty common tropes I suppose - certainly in much more serious anime from places like Studio Ghibli (with Miyazaki and his films being referenced more than once) as well, but Shinkai uses them with his own beauty and originality and creates a moving story amidst the chaos and continuous movement of his plot. I don't think, on one viewing, that I'd call it a "masterpiece" or anything, and put it up there with Your Name, which bowled me over - for one thing it does start to feel it's 2-hour length, and a few of the characters introduced or given more importance in the second half feel a bit extraneous; it ends up feeling just a bit needlessly overstuffed with extra voices. But this is really a fairly small complaint, and like all of Shinkai's work I suspect I'll return to it again. Like many of the greatest filmmakers, he seems to be able to craft something both universal and singularly based on his own experiences and culture at the same time.

At the moment, probably top 5 of 2022, certainly top 10.

[matthewscott8]

I finally felt good enough to venture out into the world outside of my apartment and the cancer clinic to go see something on the big screen - first time since January - and for once I chose pretty well, and saw

Suzume no tojimari (Makoto Shinkai)



I had the room all to myself, which often feels creepy (and this was in a surprisingly large screening room, given that the film has been playing 2 weeks and the paucity of interest in this area for subbed anime) but for some reason seemed to fit here. Even though this is a big-scale adventure in many respects - Suzume, a 16-year-old girl, goes on a wild chase over most of the length of Japan to try to save Shouta, the cursed "closer" of magical gates that help to prevent earthquakes, after she accidentally gets in the way of his work, meeting many charaacters and getting in much danger along the way - it really has a very small-scale, personal feel to it as well, in common with the director's previous work. It's really, when all is said and done, a coming of age story and a story about loss and death and how we get over those things - and prepare for them. All pretty common tropes I suppose - certainly in much more serious anime from places like Studio Ghibli (with Miyazaki and his films being referenced more than once) as well, but Shinkai uses them with his own beauty and originality and creates a moving story amidst the chaos and continuous movement of his plot. I don't think, on one viewing, that I'd call it a "masterpiece" or anything, and put it up there with Your Name, which bowled me over - for one thing it does start to feel it's 2-hour length, and a few of the characters introduced or given more importance in the second half feel a bit extraneous; it ends up feeling just a bit needlessly overstuffed with extra voices. But this is really a fairly small complaint, and like all of Shinkai's work I suspect I'll return to it again. Like many of the greatest filmmakers, he seems to be able to craft something both universal and singularly based on his own experiences and culture at the same time.

At the moment, probably top 5 of 2022, certainly top 10.

Artwork looks lovely

[kongs_speech]

I was very deeply touched by Suzume. It's basically tied with Your Name as my favorite Shinkai.

[St. Gloede]

I am not as excited by new Shinkais as I used to be, in part for moving a little closer to Ghibli, but I'm still really looking forward to this one. Thanks for the write-up, OldAle.

[Onderhond]

for one thing it does start to feel it's 2-hour length

True that. The "problem" for me was that there's a bit of a false ending around the 90-minute mark, where the film could've stopped and it would've been just fine. But then there's another 30 minutes tacked on. It's not cruft or empty space, mostly focusing on the more personal angle of the film, but I did need to change gears to get back into the film at that point.