Blog Archives
Flash Movie Review: From Up on Poppy Hill
Lady and the Tramp taught me about romance. I learned about hovercrafts and flying jet packs from Johnny Quest. It was Woody Woodpecker’s fault that I discovered we had a black & white television. When I was a little boy I knew Woody was red from pictures I had seen of him. I thought he was in color on our television; in fact, I even tried convincing my older brothers, until they proved to me that our TV was only black & white. Strangely I can still remember how disappointed I was to discover the Woody I had been watching was only different shades of gray. Gratefully that was not the case with this exquisite colorful animated movie. What I learned from this film was nothing is more beautiful than hand painted animation. There were times during the movie that the scenes reminded me of a Monet painting. Set in Yokohama during the 1960’s, this English version film starred Sarah Bulger (In America, The Station Agent) as the voice of high school student Umi Matsuzaki. Anton Yelchin (Like Crazy, Star Trek) voiced school paper editor Shun Kazama. When school authorities wanted to tear down the school’s old clubhouse, Umi and Shun joined forces to try and save the building from destruction. During their efforts they found themselves becoming attracted to each other; besides their mutual cause, there was something else they had in common. I found the story to be sweet, gentle and heartwarming. Little things were done to create these emotions. From Umi’s daily raising of the signal flags for ocean vessels’ safe passage to the respect given to elderly family members, scenes were thoughtfully placed by director Goro Miyazaki (Tales From Earthsea); the son of world famous filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away). I would think on some level there had to be some pressure on Goro as he created this film. His father had to be proud with the results.
3 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Still Walking
Trying to live one’s life up to other people’s expectations is like having a pencil handed to you and being told to go hit a home run with a baseball. It will never happen. I learned to live my life by my own expectations, but it took a long time to get there. When unrealistic expectations are placed within a family, the landscape can only be paved with resentment. I have been to enough family dysfunctions where tension has its own place setting at the table, where I can only sit there quietly and observe how people pretend everything is normal. Trust me, there is no such thing as a normal family. I invite you to be a guest at Toshiko and Doctor Kyohei Yokoyama’s house on the fifteenth anniversary of their 1st born son Junpei’s accidental death. You will be among some uninvited guests named resentment, disappointment and guilt. This multiple film festival winner presented a powerful drama in a very subtle way. Kirin Kiki (Returner, Chronicle of my Mother)and Yosio Harada (Then Summer Came, Dororo) were wonderful as the doctor and his wife. Hiroshi Abe (Chocolate, Memories Corner) played the 2nd son Ryoto and I do mean 2nd son in all its meaning. I especially liked his physical presence in the scenes; his exceptional height added to the idea of his character’s growth despite his parents. It was a marvel to watch how the director used a gentle hand in having the characters convey their true feelings with a gesture, a word or a look. This dramatic film had all the elements of a classic case study about family dynamics. Do not get fooled by the polite appearances kept up by the family members; there were raw feelings just below the surface. The more I thought about this film after viewing it, the more I realized how much I enjoyed it. And the best part was I did not have to be a guest at this celebration. Japanese with English subtitles.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Emperor
The stranger standing ahead of me started yelling when he heard me tell the checker I picked Argo to win for best picture. He said the film was a total lie. I told him it was a movie not a documentary. In response to his claim that people would believe the movie’s story was true, I told him he did not have to worry; with people barely reading and writing these days, they would not remember the story. It was the perfect thing to say to him because he calmed down. As he walked away, the checker rolled her eyes. History lessons via movies are an acceptable form in my opinion. However, I understand the writers and director can take liberties with the story, to make it more compelling for the viewer. Like most things these days, one always needs a fact checker. From a historical standpoint, I found this movie’s story attractive. With Japan’s surrender ending WWII, the fate of the country would be determined by General Douglas MacArthur, played by Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln, In the Valley of Elah). As supreme commander of the occupying forces, General MacArthur would have to determine if Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal. The job of finding evidence against the Emperor became the responsibility of General Bonner Fellers, played by Matthew Fox (We Are Marshall, Lost-TV). His job was complicated by his determination in locating Aya Shimada, played by Eriko Hatsune (Norwegian Wood, Spiral), the Japanese exchange student he met back in college. The movie had too much to handle in the story department. If it would have focused either on General MacArthur or on General Fellers’ story, the movie would have been more interesting. I do not know why people have been saying this was Tommy Lee’s best performance since LIncoln because it was absolutely not. I found him to be one dimensional, though part of the fault falls on the poor script. The scenes that had to do with history kept my attention. As for the rest it left me cold.
2 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Cove
The idea that Flipper could have been the cause for dolphins’ horrific plight today breaks my heart. Remembering a vacation to Sea World with my niece and nephew as I watched this disturbing documentary, I now could never go to a dolphin show again. This Oscar and Sundance winning film played more like a spy thriller. Activist Richard (Ric) O’Barry was the individual who captured and trained the dolphins who played Flipper on the old television series. From that initial introduction; people began to fall in love with these beautiful creatures, spawning the huge industry of dolphin and whale shows around the world. When Ric witnessed what he believed to be a dolphin’s suicide on the show, he changed his beliefs and became the activist and spokesman for dolphins. What is considered the dolphin capital of the world, Ric and his team traveled to Taiji, Japan; hoping to film what really took place in this town. Not only was there the issue of the dolphins’ predicament, there was the environmental issue that was being concealed. With high tech equipment and highly specialized trained individuals, their plan truly played out like a military operation; it was thrilling and exciting for me. Despite the couple of brutal and barbaric scenes filmed, this incredible documentary must be seen. If for nothing else, to become aware how corrupt and vile humans can be towards earth’s animals…and people.
4 stars — DVD
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