If you're looking for an action and "turn brain off now" film, just don't watch it and spare us the 6-7 hearts review.
I for one, am very tired from 500$m crap like Indi Day and Marvel's poop. So I was very excited to watch this one.
This one is more like Spielberg's Encounters from the Third Kind. It's more about the characters in the film and the amazing journey they go through. It's mostly about the human behavior that will make you think.
While it's not an End of the World aliens movie like Battle: Los Angeles, it still offers great amount of military presence and plenty of stuff that's going on.
So if you actually want to care about an intelligent movie and use your head - go. Otherwise, go watch an X men.
Highly recommended for some audience 10/10.
2-feb-2017 edit: Just came out on Bluray and I saw it again. Definitely keeping my rating.
Watching again at July-2023, excited towards Dune II : Excellent. Excellent film. So called plot-holes listed here are negligible when the overall product is really thoughtful and masterfully crafted.
Oh hi trakt
I can't understand why there's such a low rating from critics and stuff. What were they expecting??
The scenery, wardrobe, makeup, everything is so beautiful and colorful. I felt like I was watching a play, a musical, everything was amazing. Emma Watson was a great choice for Belle, Gaston was perfect, the Beast was lovely as expected (Dan Stevens is a great actor - I might think Gaston was a little bit better though) and you're there for Lumiére. He stole the show for me. Ewan McGregor proves again he's the best, most versatile actor ever.
It is exactly the same as the animation, just some changes. It was a great movie overall, I cried like a baby the whole time (favorite 'Disney Princess' tale right here).
I can't understand why people wouldn't like it.
Damn. Just got back from watching Hereditary and I don't think that I've uttered "Holy shiiiiiiiit" under my breath so many times during a single movie. This movie took creepiness to the next level and really delivered as a horror flick with minimal "jump scares". I'd definitely recommend watching this with a nice big audience because it's without a doubt an "experience" you won't forget.
I just got back from a preview showing for the new Spider-man movie, and WOW. It is LIT (pardon my language). Soooooo funny with tons of personality and a surprisingly great depth of emotion in quite a few scenes (some tears may have been shed). I love this new take on the comic book hero origin movie and the entire film just screams originality. I wasn't 100% sure on the animated look before, but it really fits into the entire setting and "alternate dimensions" premise of the movie later, which injects a ton of creativity and potential into this new film.
After Sony released Venom, I thought that they should just stop trying with the Spider-verse. However, this new film and universe gives me a completely different perspective. I can't believe something like this came from Sony...
Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan was just a fabulous experience. I definitely enjoyed the movie quite a bit from start to finish, and usually war movies aren't really my cup of tea (at least not anymore). However, cinematically, the entire movie is just a masterpiece. As a big movie buff, I could appreciate how meticulously crafted the whole movie was. It's so hard to create a movie like this within this genre while trying to remain "minimal", but Christopher Nolan accomplishes it in every sense of the word.
He seamlessly interweaves 3-4 different plot narratives/timelines, while using minimal amounts of exposition. He gives the viewer such a sense of a looming and foreboding threat, while never even having a Nazi soldier on screen at any time. He tells us "so much with so little" and allows the viewer to take in the conflict of each situation (and there are a lot of them) rather than point it all out to us. In that sense, you really feel like you're getting into the mind of each one of the soldiers/main characters when they are contemplating some very crucial decisions that literally determine life and death, for not just them, but many other men as well.
Nolan gives us continued development, closure and solid endings in each one of the tiny subplots that he sets off from the beginning. It's definitely a joy seeing how all the different plotlines intermingle with each other at the end especially with the civilian aspect added in. And, most importantly, he accomplishes all this in less than 2 hours (and by a damn good margin as well).
If you appreciate amazing direction, cinematography, and vision within a movie, this will be an absolute joy. It could definitely get Christopher Nolan that elusive Best Director Oscar come Academy Award season. I watched Dunkirk in 70mm, but, honestly, I couldn't really tell the difference, especially without being able to do a side-by-side comparison to a regular version. Overall, it didn't seem too different from the usual XD or IMAX type presentation at my local big theater. Still, the movie is a visual treat lending heavily to more practical effects that gives a nice sense of realism to it all.
Anyways, this gets a solid 9/10 from me, coming from a war movie curmudgeon. Watch it, and you won't regret it.
Possibly Shinkai's best work so far, and as a massive fan of both 5cm and Garden of Words I do not say that lightly. The animation is breathtaking as always but some scenes go beyond mere visual splendor and are just mesmerizing. The characters are so fun to be around and you'll find yourself rooting for them and hoping it all works out. I was slightly concerned when I saw the "boob fondling" scene in the trailer but even that becomes a genuinely charming gag throughout the movie, believe it or not!
As to be expected of Shinkai, the film also takes you on a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows and keeps you guessing how it will end until pretty much the last minute.
I cannot recommend this enough.
Just got back from the new Jumanji movie, and I had a lot of fun. All of the characters were great and they had fantastic chemistry together. I loved the Rock and Kevin Hart (back from Central Intelligence), but Jack Black really stood out with the funniest and most eccentric performance by far. The setup for the movie was solid (albeit a bit simple), and it served its purpose in giving us funny scenarios for the characters. This is definitely a fun movie to watch and just enjoy for some laughs and action especially if you haven't seen the trailer (the trailer spoils a few of the funny scenes). 7/10.
Wow. This was a lot better than what I was expecting. It's not the greatest movie ever, but a ton of fun for sure, and brings back a good amount of the charm of the original movie. Blows the sequels out of the water for sure.
I did not expect to like this one as much as I did! While I would say that the bucket for vampire movies is getting too crowded, I will certainly not fault an entertaining one for this!
The characters are rather quirky and it's shot mockumentary style (like The Office) which might be off-putting for some but you have at least give them credit for going through a variety of jokes here! Oh, and let's not forget Stu! Everyone loves Stu!
Like an NFT of a classic musical: it was technically well-made and looked really good but I got no emotion from it.
I thought that the movie was just alright until the last third where shit just went crazy. Just like Mima, I couldn't tell what was real or not. This was definitely a unique and awesome mindfuck. Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Millennium Actress, Paranoia Agent) is without a doubt a master of the psychological thriller genre. I just wish that he could have gotten the chance to create many more films.
I finally watched A Star Is Born, and boy... was I just blown away. This film is a literal whirlwind of emotions culminating in one truly tragic ending. I was hyped for this movie for months, and it definitely lived up to expectations (even exceeded them). I was totally floored by the performances of Lady Gaga and especially Bradley Cooper who completely disappears into his role of Jackson Maine (in a good way). The soundtrack to this movie is just spectacular with some of the best ballads that I've heard in a long time in both "Shallow" and "I'll Never Love Again". That first scene where Gaga and Cooper perform together on stage is just a revelation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_efYhYU2A
While this is a story that has been done many times (literally, this is the 4th remake), Cooper's version is just masterfully built and developed amazingly well even though it does run a bit long. It was over 2 hours long (135 mins), but at times I actually wish that it could have been longer due to how much I connected with the characters. It's a true "modern take" on a classic tale. And definitely prepare to cry as well. My god, the last 20 minutes of the movie were just... beyond brutal. If you've ever dealt with or really known/loved someone with addiction and/or depression problems, this movie hits so close to home that it is scary.
A Star Is Born is an instant classic and a definite Oscar favorite in multiple categories. If you told me that in 2018 the guy who played Sack in Wedding Crashers 13 years ago would direct and star in an emotional and moving film like this, I'd call you crazy. I'm definitely going to watch this again, but those last 15 minutes of the movie truly were gut-wrenching. Maybe I'll just stick with listening to the soundtrack over and over again... :P
I watched Annihilation on Saturday after being pretty excited to watch the movie for the past couple weeks as it was coming from Alex Garland, the director of the fabulous Ex Machina. I'm not going to lie though, I was a little bit disappointed in the end. Not because the movie was not good by any means. It was actually a very well done film with stunning visuals and art direction. It's just that I felt like it had the potential to be a "great" movie, and just fell a bit short in the last quarter/third of the movie or so.
I think that opinions on the ending sequence has varied quite a bit. Some people love it and have raved about it. I, on the other hand, felt that it was a just a tiny bit lacking and while visually stunning, not super original or "groundbreaking". I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't connect as well with the final quarter of the movie though (if that makes sense) without spoiling some major parts of the film.
While the movie is based on a trilogy of books (I've heard that it diverges quite far from the books though), the film borrows heavily from Tarkovsky's Stalker (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). The influence is noticeable throughout, not just from both movies having a Shimmer/Zone. If you're a fan of Stalker (1979), I'd definitely recommend checking Annihilation out.
As I mentioned before, the visuals were stunning, and I thought that the set pieces and scenarios that evolved over the first 2/3 of the film were very well done. I liked the balance of the film being a thriller (both physically and psychologically), while adding lots of thinking points and contemplative questions of "who we really are", "what is actual destruction", just to name a few. The cast was well done for the most part, albeit I wish that the characters other than Natalie Portman's protagonist could have been developed a bit more.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie and thought it was a grand visual experience. I was just disappointed a bit perhaps because I was expecting a bit too much coming in, and from what the first 2/3's of the movie set up. Also of note, the trailer definitely markets this film as something like a female Rambo/Predator action flick, which it really isn't. In the end, I think that I would give the movie a solid 7.5/10.
Just got back from Blade Runner 2049... Holy Shit! That was awesome. Denis Villeneuve can do no wrong in my eyes after this and Arrival.
I don't want to get into the story too much as it's honestly a better thing to go into this "sequel" with minimal direct knowledge of the sequel's plot (via reviews and such). However, being familiar with the original movie and watching the 15-20 minute anime short Blade Runner Black Out 2022 (made by the director of the anime "Cowboy Bebop") are definitely recommended imo especially as the anime short fills in some holes about the "Black Out" event that is touched upon in this new movie a few times.
As for the movie itself, it is defined by fantastic direction/editing, story and acting. The themes of discrimination between humans and Replicants, what defines humanity, and what is truly "real", standout in this film even in many of the tiny subtle moments. A fantastic performance by Ryan Gosling is without a doubt the standout in and drives this film, to the point where it almost essentially devolves into a single-man epic at times (of course, in a good way). I wish that there could have been a bit more Harrison Ford, but honestly that is just the homer in me talking. In terms of the actual story and flow of the film, his presence was handled beautifully as a perfect supplement to the movie and the more important story at hand (unlike a few of his more recent reboot/remake cameos).
The runtime is a bit long at 2 hours and 45 minutes, but don't let that deter you. I honestly never felt that bored or overwhelmed by it. A few beautiful action scenes and some atmospheric sprawling set pieces are interspersed among the emotional core and chilling dialogue that drive the film to give it a great pace. I could have watched this movie all day.
This is definitely an easy 9/10 for me at minimum. Once I get a little more time, I'm definitely go in for another rewatch (hopefully in XD/IMAX 3D). I also liked how the ending was handled very tactfully, leaving room for the possibility of a sequel, but not hammering it down our throats like it was rebooting a new cinematic universe. I pray that we don't have to wait 35 years for the next one though...
Got back from watching Ant-man and the Wasp. I really enjoyed this one. I loved how it was its own adventure and relatively self-contained in terms of the MCU. I actually really liked the original Ant-man a lot more than I thought I would when I saw it, so it's no surprise that the humor and tone of the sequel works for me as well. Paul Rudd definitely plays a solid Ant-man and I love me some Evangeline Lilly, who is the star of this one. Even the secondary characters of Ghost/Ava, Foster (and others) were pretty well fleshed out and had good backstories and development to them.
What really made me like this movie was that it had a very good "end game"/goal to strive toward (don't want to spoil it too much), so it made the adventure, journey and conclusion that much sweeter. It's definitely better than some of the other MCU movies where they just inject a rando bad guy trying to destroy the world for some nefarious reasons.
I definitely recommend checking this out if you liked the first at all. If you haven't seen the first, you'll miss out on a ton and not have a good idea of the what is going on emotionally and what is at stake. The original Ant-man is a great movie as well, so this just gives you another excuse to watch it :P
So obviously, I had to see Lady Bird being the RT/MC snob that I am with a weakness for these independent films. Since it had a 100% RT fresh and 94% MC rating, I had to see what was all the fuss. I definitely enjoyed the film quite a bit and it definitely hit home with a lot of the emotional life situations the protagonist Lady Bird goes/stumbles through (even though I'm a guy). Saoirse Ronan has always been one of my favorite actresses and she kills it here. Her chemistry with Laurie Metcalf, who plays her tough loving and, at times, overly critical mother is fantastic and their relationship forms one of the major cruxes of the film.
The story is essentially about a girl learning (the hard way many times) what is truly important to her in this world (and, more specifically, in the town of Sacramento) and realizing to not take for granted what she has even though she is coming from an unideal situation. However, this theme is explored in a funny, witty and non-pretentious manner to the viewer that allows you to really relate and sympathize with the protagonist (while chuckling along as well). So many times, I was like "ohhhh man, that is just not a good decision, but I totally did the same stupid thing when I was younger..." moments that just really resonated with me throughout. It's a coming-of-age story that really progresses the protagonist but by using what seems like "common and mundane" life events that we've all undoubtedly experienced before at one point of our lives. They took a lot of cliche coming-of-age scenarios (gay boyfriend, going to a Catholic school, confronted by a nun, etc) but put a nice and realistic spin on them different from other movies. This relatability is what really sold the film for me.
In a short time, the viewer experiences a profound yet truly realistic and believable transformation of the protagonist, Lady Bird. I am reminded of another movie, The Edge of Seventeen, that I watched last year and didn't really enjoy or connect with, where the main female character undergoes a similar "journey", but I felt like I could connect (and, thus, sympathize) far more with Saoirse Ronan's complicated and stumbling character than Hailee Steinfeld's edgey for-the-sake-of-being-edgey interpretation of her protagonist.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie, and highly recommend giving it a shot. I think that it will really resonate with viewers who have experienced some financial and social difficulties at some point in life, and have gone through the embarrassing pains and those seemingly obvious and avoidable mistakes when trying to "grow up".
Just got back from seeing the new Tomb Raider. Not bad. Solid action albeit nothing too original going on here. Alicia Vikander was a pretty good Lara Croft, and I actually liked the way she developed in this one from the newbie that constantly gets 'owned' to the badass dual-gun tottin' lady at the end. As for the movie itself, there is fun action, some ancient "riddles", and a little bit of the "supernatural" thrown in. It was basically an update on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (like almost verbatim with the formula minus Nazis), plus some National Treasure bits thrown in. A tried and true plot line, but not groundbreaking.
While I wasn't the biggest fan of the "bad guy" played by Goggins in terms of his intimidation factor, I thought that they did a real good job on making his motivations quite real and believable. He's not out to destroy the world or conquer everything. He just wants to get this thing over with, find/give the weapon to his evil organization, and go back home to his family. Not bad. You could really feel his desperation in everyone of his scenes. As for the other characters, I didn't really like the incorporation of the twist, but it is what it is. Can't really go into it much more without spoiling things.
I'm not too confident with the way that they setup the sequel/s to come. I didn't really get the whole "the evil Trinity organization is everywhere" vibe that they really wanted to emphasize in the end. Plus, the movies to come will have quite a different feel since we now have a relatively "proven" Lara rather than the girl making all these rookie mistakes and learning from them. Kind of like how Casino Royale was for the Bond reboot, with Quantum of Solace being a big let down. Anyway, solid action and adventuring. Nothing too original here, but some decent character development along the way for this reboot. I give it a good 6/10.
My god... Does Ava DuVernay know that you can actually zoom out a camera? I've never seen so many "closeup" face shots in a single movie in my entire life. I'll never be able to get Oprah's giant-sized face out of my mind...
As for the movie itself, It's a bit all over the place. Some parts and themes are very well-done, such as Meg's journey to accept herself, while others are really half-baked (especially the relationships between Meg & Charles Wallace, Meg & Calvin, etc). Too many things just get thrown together or just suddenly happen by sheer "coincidence" without a solid lead-in or development. This could have definitely used some additional scenes and runtime to flesh characters and their relationships between each other out a bit more. Reese Witherspoon's character is actually my favorite of the 3 "Mrs."'s. Oprah and Mindy Kaling's characters definitely did not hit home.
Visuals were pretty stunning for the most part, but sometimes went a bit too overboard. Don't even get me started again on the cinematography and editing... This movie definitely had potential and I was excited to watch it, but it just misses out on some major points. It was enjoyable overall for the visual fest and seeing the world of A Wrinkle in Time, but other than that it is just an average film. I'd temper my expectations for sure. 5/10 as it is just an average movie...
Apparently this is just the third $100+ million budget movie directed by a woman. I'm not sure that Ava DuVernay's movie is going to help buck that trend...
This movie was just pure Marvel at its best, firing on all cylinders (which means that it was absolutely spectacular). We are set off on one wild journey in a universe that not many other than the more hardcore Marvel Universe fans know of. I wasn't quite sure if this one was going to be as good as it was hyped, but I was gladly proved wrong. While Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't have quite the star power or following of The Avengers (honestly, what does?), I thought that the cast had just as good if not better chemistry during this hell of a raucous adventure. To pull off one of these large cast/group movies is no easy task. Zach Snyder, please take notes for the upcoming Justice League movie (and Batman vs Superman).
The standouts of this movie without a doubt are Chris Pratt (playing Peter Quill) and Bradley Cooper (playing Rocket) but all the characters (even the supporting ones) contribute to the hilarious dialog and tone of this movie. I never thought that I would laugh (and even shed a tear) from hearing the same line, "I am Groot" about 20 different times. Vin Diesel deserves an Oscar nomination for this one :) The humor is so good and ever-present that if I didn't know any better, I would have thought this was a summer comedy. The effects are absolutely stunning and the set pieces are quite original and brilliant.
Go watch GotG in the theaters and support this brilliant freshmen performance from this new generation of Marvel stars because, come on, "they're the Guardians of the Galaxy, bitch." I'm thrilled for this new franchise and where the new expanded universe is heading. Bring on The Avengers 2 and more Thanos!!
This was a very beautiful and moving film by Makoto Shinkai. As the title suggests, it is a story about a growing separation and the effects it has on childhood sweethearts, Akari and, in particular, Takaki. Even though it was only an hour long, by the end I felt like I was truly feeling the pain and longing that had dominated Takaki's life for so long. I was initially disappointed by the ending (what can I say, I'm a sucker for happy endings) but after rewatching the film, I really appreciated that they didn't go with the cliché finish. Takaki not being reunited with Akari and finally deciding to move on from his past, which till that point held down and ate away at his life, was far more powerful and resonated with the themes of the film. The animation, art and music were beautiful like in all Makoto Shinkai works. I can't think of a better way to spend an hour of my time (except, of course, maybe sending a text to my long forgotten fling).
Mamoru Hosoda strikes again. In my opinion, this is his best overall work surpassing The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. As Miyazaki and Ghibli seem to be slowing down a bit, Mamoru Hosoda is ready to take the torch. The concept of wolf children growing up in our world is something that I've never seen, but the themes of acceptance, finding your own path in live, and, of course, a mother's love are what truly hold and elevate this movie. The duality in the development of Yuki and Ame and where they want to end up in this world are the highlights of the film. I can't wait for the dub to be released. Go watch this ASAP.
This was a very well done romance movie and clearly shows that Goro Miyazaki is making strides as a director himself (Tales from Earthsea was just so convoluted). The characters are very nice (though nothing too deep) and the story goes at a nice (although at times slow) pace. The art and music are spectacular as one would expect from a Ghibli film. The only big thing that I'd like to add is to definitely watch this with the English dub. I actually found that it added a lot more to the experience with many extra added lines (there are seriously quite a few monologues/lines that are not in the Japanese version), a better translation and much more natural dialogue versus the Japanese subs (at least the retail Japanese ones that I think that I saw it with). This reminded me a lot of Whisper of Heart although not quite as developed as that classic. Anyway, this is a definite watch for any Ghibli or romance movie fan.
Wanted to watch an "easier to digest" comedy this weekend, so I ended up watching Game Night in theaters that just came out with Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, and I really enjoyed it. There were a lot of good laughs and a very solid and honestly relatively unique premise for a comedy. In action, the "Game Night gone wrong" premise worked out a lot better than I thought it would from seeing the initial trailers, mostly due to a good balance of varied semi-believable comedic situations, a nice brisk pace over 1.5 hours, and a dash of "real life" themes for good measure (but not too much, of course).
There was great chemistry between the two leads of Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, and the supporting characters were all very fun and unique in their own rights (yay for Sharon Horgan from Catastrophe). Honestly, the specific interactions between each of the couples was done very well, and each couple gave off a distinct vibe that worked to keep the movie fresh. Most of the jokes hit ("Hey Denzel!!"), and things never got too overly "ridiculous" or completely "unbelievable" where all common sense gets completely thrown out the window (aka later Hangover movies). I thought that maybe Max "the stalker cop" would be a little too overboard, but things got concluded quite nicely in the end and worked out for the better (definitely stay to watch the ending credits and the post-credits scene).
I didn't have the greatest expectations coming in, but I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. A very, very solid 7/10 from me. If you want a nice comedy to enjoy with some friends and get some good solid laughs (this one will have jokes for everyone), I definitely recommend checking Game Night out. Or if tickets to Black Panther are sold out... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
So just watched The Edge of Seventeen and...
...blegh. This was not as "good" as I thought it was going to be. After reading all the hype from the national RT/MC reviewers (I don't know of anyone that actually saw the movie in theaters), I finally watched it yesterday/today and just thought it was mediocre overall. From all the hype, I was expecting that Hailee Steinfeld's performance was going to be some sort of "revelation" but I just ended up absolutely hating her character for a majority of the movie. She was just such a bitch throughout with her "edgey" SJW/hipster/millennial attitude. I get what the director was going for, but the character just didn't appeal to me that much.
Also, there wasn't much of a real story or any significant meat to the movie as well. It just felt like not much happened other than Nadine having her little rushed "revelation" period at the end of the movie. The performances by the actors/actresses were definitely good but there wasn't a whole lot to work with. Honestly, I think that I was just too hyped for the movie itself and it was definitely a letdown in regards to that. Don't go in with any expectations for it other than being a slightly above-average rom-com.
The progression of my face during "dat ending":
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) → (⚆ _ ⚆) → ( ಠ_ಠ) → (ಥ﹏ಥ) → (ಠ▃ಠ) → ┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ) → (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
I'm still left in shock...
I can't honestly say more about it than that in fear of spoiling it. It was a pretty nice and interesting take on the zombie movie genre and definitely something a little bit different (especially with that ending). Not sure how I feel about the movie as a whole so I'm gonna wait to fully digest it and let the ending settle in before a final rating. Probably a 7/10.
Millennium Actress, which is directed by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Paprika, Paranoia Agent), is without a doubt his defining masterpiece in my opinion. This movie is a complete directorial tour de force and Kon literally blew my mind away with the editing, style and art that he displays in almost every scene. This is ultimately a biographical story about a young girl chasing after her first true love while becoming a popular Japanese movie actress but it morphs into something much more.
Millennium Actress probably had one of the most unique forms of story telling that I've ever seen in a movie. I loved how Chiyoko's story had a dualistic perspective as Kon seamlessly melds together images and scenes from the story of Chiyoko's own real life and from her famous films (which vary wildly from taking place in the Sengoku period to post-WW2 Japan to outer space). These transitions really add to the feeling and intensity of Chiyoko desperately chasing after and searching for her lost love. And you can't help but fall in love with the passion shown by both the main characters, Chiyoko and Genya. Just as Chiyoko says at the end, it was the "chase" that she truly loved and, by god, this film was one hell of a thrilling chase. This is an absolute must-watch for fans of Kon's other works.
I'm not gonna lie. I laughed my ass off during 22 Jump Street (and so did the entire theater). While it might not have been as fresh as the first one, I enjoyed that the movie completely embraced the fact that it was a blatant money-making sequel and it made the movie all the better (essentially the complete opposite of how The Hangover/Crapover 2 handled it). It actually became quite a bit of the running joke and I nearly died during the credits. Hill and Tatum still have that amazing chemistry in this movie that we remember from the original and shared some pretty close and intense moments in their brolationship. This movie posed very real and deep questions that made me question my own bromosexuality and I loved every second of it. Definitely check this out if you enjoyed the first or love comedy.
Sword of the Stranger was definitely an unexpectedly great movie in my opinion. The relationship between Kotaro and Nanashi is developed very well (for a movie) and helps to drive the film forward. I loved the fluid animation and exciting choreography of the action sequences and the music always seemed to fit the mood. The climatic fight/battle-royal at the end was absolutely epic. While the plot was not too original, it served its purpose in getting Nanashi to kick ass and shut many mouths. And I actually liked how the ending was kept open showing how wounded Nanashi was after the battle and that there was no nearby town. I just hope that Nanashi didn't die (although all the hints show that he probably did with this being his last sacrifice).
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was such a beautiful movie made by Studio Ghibli and directed by Isao Takahata (of Grave of the Fireflies fame) based upon the famous Japanese folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. This is a movie that should truly be considered a "work of art". The classical Japanese art style, which left in sketch lines and seemed to be painted on, took a little getting used to but ended up being spectacular especially with the concluding moon parade sequence. Along with the music and singing, these elements were incredibly immersive and really helped to transport me back to 10th century Japan. The portrayal of all the characters' emotions really stood out to me from the combination of the superb voice acting/singing and vibrant and dynamic art (definitely go with the original Japanese VAs). I could really feel all the pain, suffering and emotions that Kaguya was experiencing throughout the movie. It was just all around top notch work.
The story itself was heart-wrenching (for me at least) and fueled by the emotions of Kaguya. Takahata definitely went with a more somber and emotionally distraught interpretation of this famous tale. As the viewer, you could really feel the love between Kaguya and her parents, but empathize with how they struggled to understand each other at times. At times, I felt so frustrated by Kaguya's father that I just wanted to slap the shit out of him even though he meant the best. I'm also a sucker for happy endings and I definitely got hit by the feels train at the end. That beautifully animated flying sequence when Kaguya and Sutemaru were finally reunited really had me going but then BOOM. And then came "the ending" (I don't want to spoil any of it so you'll just have to watch). I did feel that the story was a little hard to follow and unclear towards the end but this was when we were entering "artistic license" and "rampant symbolism" territory. It was pretty clear that Takahata wanted to leave some things open to the audience's own interpretation.
All in all, an excellent watch and definitely Takahata's best work since Grave of the Fireflies. I recommend watching this with the original Japanese voice actors but the English dub didn't do a bad job either. I hope that Ghibli will continue to take on more eccentric projects like this in the future. I would have definitely loved this movie even more if it had ended on a happier note, but this is how The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter goes. You don't mess with a 1000+ year old classic. Anyway, get out and watch this because you don't come across a piece of "art" like this too often.
