I just watched the new feature film by Studio Ghibli, When Marnie Was There, a beautiful film, both visually and in the story that it tells. This wonderful movie reminded me just how much I love Studio Ghibli, the greatest animation studio in film today as far as I am concerned and it made me want to write about how much I love their films.
Based on Joan G. Robinson's book of the same name, When Marnie Was There follows the life of 12 year old Anna during a summer trip to stay with family by the sea. Anna is an introverted, lonely child who suffers from Asthma and her foster mother thinks the sea air will do her good. Whilst staying with her family, Anna meets the mysterious Marnie, who lives in a mansion by the water. The mansion appears at times to be desolate and abandoned and at times to be bustling with life and fancy parties. Anna's uncle tells her the building is haunted. Is Marnie a ghost? Is she a figment of Anna's imagination? Or is she in fact another lonely little girl in need of a friend. Whatever she is, she brings Anna out of her shell.
This is a truly moving film, stunningly depicted through Studio Ghibli's unique hand-drawn style. The visuals are stunning and so clearly lovingly and painstakingly done to ensure that every scene is full of life and soul. Anna and Marnie's relationship is uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. Of all of Ghibli's films that I have seen, I think that this delves deepest into the emotions and humanity of its characters. I would recommend it to anyone! When Marnie Was There proves that the film-makers at Studio Ghibli still have wonderful and amazing things to offer us and makes their financial difficulties all the more worrying.
If you aren't too familiar yet with Studio Ghibli's work, they have made many stunning films. I would recommend starting with the Oscar-winning Spirited Away, as well as the magical Howl's Moving Castle and the powerful Princess Mononoke. If you're wondering where their logo comes from, it shows Totoro from the beautiful My Neighbour Totoro, a brilliant children's film that all ages can enjoy. And if you're ever so lucky to go to Tokyo, I recommend a trip to the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka (above), a weird and wonderful museum.
I was very eager to go see "The Grey" this weekend. I have seen many 4 star reviews in reputable magazines (aka, not "Zoo", "FHM" or "Hello"). But then when I looked online I could find practically no viewings in Bristol, so, of course, instead of giving up on my weekly trip, I inspected what other goodies were on offer and found "Like Crazy". I'd seen a trailer for this in the cinema about a month ago and forgotten when it was coming out, but it had very much appealed to me at the time, largely because I love Felicity Jones, but also because the subject matter seemed intelligent and not like your average rom-com and the advert displays several Sundance Film Festival award wins:
This is the film of Anna, a young British university student studying in LA, who falls in love with American student, Jacob and decides to stay there with him after their study ends. But Anna comes into problems with her visa and is refused entry back into the US. Subsequently, they struggle through an on-off-relationship, trying to find the best solution to make them both happy. I completely agree with the repetitive 4 star review this film has received. It delivered all I hoped it would, a fantastic performance from Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin, a moving and natural script and a very insightful look at long-distance, seemingly doomed relationships.
This is one of the best depictions of a young relationship, still in the honeymoon phase: utterly devoted to each other, unaware how to live without each other. When you watch the film, you feel like it is a documentary or just select recordings some of your friends have made to detail their relationship, its ups and downs. It feels so natural for several reasons: The fantastic performances, the great chemistry between Yelchin and Jones; the hand-held camera style, that gives an un-airbrushed, non-Hollywood feel to the film, you feel like you're watching a home video or even that you're right there with them; the lack of pop songs, pre-published songs, in the sound track, it merely uses a score written for it, using pianos and other classical instruments and a lot of the time there is no music at all, which all adds to the natural, real-life ambiance.
The film is very well-paced. It has to cover several years of relationship and so the editors had to pick out the key moments, which is done very well. There is little focus on the early days of the relationship, because what matters is the difficulties they face once Anna is denied entrance into the US. Their first date, however, is included and its definitely a bonus in this film. It helps the audience build a clear image of their relationship, helps you feel invested in it, as you've known it from the start. And it is just a fantastic scene. The dialogue is awkward as they try to think what to say to this person whom they are clearly interested in, but don't know all too well and have definitely never been in a romantic situation with before. This is your typical, honest first date. The chemistry between the two throughout the film is undeniable.
After my last, "Avengers"-orientated post, I decided that it was really time I got around to re-watching "Thor", which I did on Saturday night and I have to say, though it doesn't have the impact at home as it does on the big screen, it is still jolly good fun. I do think the contrast between the scenes in Asgard and the scenes on Earth is stunning. "Thor" has what no other super-hero film has, a completely different world, the world of the (almost) Gods, which is giant, glorious and gold! This allows Marvel to use their special effects to new, more exciting uses. Chris Hemsworth is fantastic as Thor. He's brilliant at playing the rash, aggressive and naive God of thunder, but he's also hilarious. A prime example of the films humour is the scene in the cafe, when Thor, not used to human civilisation, smashes his cup of tea and demands: "Delicious, I'll have another!" And you have to admit, with the long blonde hair and beard and the immenseness of his pecs, he is a God-like sight to behold. I think he may well be my new number one Avenger, edging out Downey Jr's sarcy, smart, sexy Stark (I am owning the alliteration).
For this week's Top 5 I am going to look at my Top 5 Directors, considering the films that have put them on my list:
Tim Burton
Edward Scissorhands
This man has been my no.1 since I was like 6 and my parents introduced me to "Edward Scissorhands" and soon after "Beetlejuice", still two of my favorite films. I love his gothic style, you know you're watching one of his. I love his characters who never fit into the world they are born into. Characters like Edward, who in their loneliness and feeling of misplacement, are achingly beautiful. Other masterpieces by Burton are, as I have already mentioned in an earlier post, his two "Batman" films, "The Nightmare Before Christmas", based on his story and his characters, though directed by "Coraline"'s Henry Selick, and "Sleep Hollow", which I must have watched about ten times when I first bought the video in 2010.
Ridley Scott
I have always argued that "Gladiator" is a perfect film. Every aspect of it is perfectly chosen and conducted: the acting, the script, the scenery, the music. It is not to be faulted! Another masterpiece of his is "Blade Runner", whose beauty and depth go beyond the visuals, but in the way Scott addresses the question of good and bad and right and wrong. It has one of the best endings of any film ever, when Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer battle it out on the rooftops. Also, "Alien" - need I say more?
Christopher Nolan
I'm sure I've said it too many times now, how much I love "the Dark Knight" and even "Batman Begins", which hadn't yet reached the complexity and genius of its sequel, but is still fantastically directed and an incredibly unique take on filming the comic book hero. That said, I have seen all of Nolan's feature-length films and none were bad. He seems to get better with every film, but we mustn't forget the older ones, like "Momento", one of the most cleverly edited films I've ever seen, and "The Prestige", with its brilliantly complicated and twisted plot, its outstanding performances and scenery.
Peter Jackson
Because no one else could have done "the Lord of the Rings" so perfectly and so in keeping with the atmosphere and life of the book. Though Guillermo del Toro is also amazing and would have made an incredibly dark and haunting "Hobbit" I am sure, Jackson was born to make this prequel.
Hayao Miyazaki
Howl's Moving Castle
Because he directed all of the best Studio Ghibli films, some of which are my most beloved films of all time, for example "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Spirited Away". The Studio's films are totally unique and surreal and the studio is Miyazaki essentially. The artwork, the stories, the characters. His signature is on all his films and no one else can possibly claim to be similar to the style of Ghibli.
Film news: They are definitely onto filming "Star Trek 2", which has me all excited, because I am a BIG fan of the first film and slightly in love with Zachary Quinto, ever since he terrified us in the first series of "Heroes". There are many sequels being set up at the moment, including a "Ferris Bueller 2", that's right, it's 26 years after the first one, Matthew Broderick is now 49, but they're doing it. Also in the pipe-line are "Terminator 5", though who is directing it or starring in it is yet to be confirmed and "Fast and the Furious 6" - seriously guys?
The Gangster Squad
In other, very important news, I have discovered a new film to be released on November 9 starring the love of my life, sorry, I mean Emma Stone, alongside Ryan Gosling (repairing them after last year's "Crazy Stupid Love"), called "The Gangster Squad", looking at the LA mafia in the 1940s and 1950s. Sean Penn and Josh Brolin also star, but I was sold at Emma Stone, who has yet to do a film that I haven't liked.
I’m currently in my third year of a Modern Languages degree at Birmingham University and so am on my year abroad. I was in Valencia (Spain) between September and January and am going to be in Frankfurt (Germany) between April and July. The main problem with going to two such developed countries is that they are able to dub most films, meaning that if I want to go and see a mainstream film such as Harry Potter when I am there, I have to see it dubbed. Imagine Alan Rickman dubbed! I know, it upsets me too. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 came out during my term in Spain and the big geek that I am I coordinated a home visit with the opening weekend so that I could get the proper experience. Dubbing is bad for several reasons: 1) In a franchise such as this you are used to certain voices and only these voices go with the faces on screen, 2) Foreign films often use weird voices to dub, 3) The sync with the mouthing is always off.
Luckily for me I get back from Frankfurt around the time HP and the Deathly Hallows part 2 comes out, so crisis obverted, unluckily for me I am missing several other crucial films. Any fellow geeks out there will also have noticed and enjoyed the surge in comic book films coming out in the past decade, especially in the past few years since Disney bought marvel. Both Marvel and DC seem to be building up a collection of heroes to allow them to create an Avengers and a Justice League franchise respectively. This year’s Comicon announced the cast and crew of 2012’s the Avengers. Every summer sees at least one superhero on the screen, last year’s Iron Man 2, most importantly 2008’s the Dark Knight. This summer has gone all out: (April) Thor, (June) X-Men First Class, The Green Lantern, (July) Captain America – The first four of which I shall not be in the country for! Why do this to me? Why bring out this many the one year I won’t be guaranteed to go and see all and as soon as they come out? If I come back home for a visit I am going to have to coordinate my arse off to get to see as many of these as possible.
Superhero films to get excited about in 2012: (May) The Avengers, (July) The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises.
Top 5: I have decided to do a top 5 theme for this blog. This entry I have decided on…
Top 5 Foreign Films (appropriate as I am on my year abroad)
1. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
- Japanese
This is my favourite Studio Ghibli film. I prefer the more recent films as I believe Miyazaki has developed greatly in his drawing style – I find his older films slightly basic in style, whereas here looking at the drawings is half the fun - but also I prefer his more surreal plots. Sophie, the main character, is turned into an old woman by a witch’s spell which leads to her living in a moving castle with the wizard Howl. English dubbing I find can work on animated films and in this film the voices (Christian Bale and Billy Crystal especially) are perfectly cast. It’s beautiful, it’s romantic, it’s fun and it’s sad: my top Ghibli and my top anime. If you like this, the other Ghibli films to watch are Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, also beautiful and surreal.
2. The Lives of Others (2006)
- German
It’s a brilliant and tragic German film that beautifully represents the struggles to have independent thought in East Germany during the GDR years. The acting is perfect and like most European films, the film makers don’t have the option to just go for the most attractive, most “it” actor of the moment. Foreign films are all about talent over commercial success. I can find foreign historical films dull – I was not a fan of Downfall, though it is considered one of the better German films – but this keeps you drawn in and tensed up throughout.
3. The Educators
- German
This is probably my favourite German film. You have to love Daniel Brühl, the closest thing Germany has to a movie star, who plays the co-lead male, Jan, who, along with Peter (Stipe Erceg), breaks into rich families’ houses and leave messages such as “The years of plenty are over”, trying to shake up the capitalist system. They end up kidnapping one victim and we are presented with the debate between capitalism and socialism. People my age will love this because most students – like me – like to go through a hard-line left, idealist phase. Furthermore, though political, it also has a love triangle and relatively attractive youths and can almost be seen as a thriller for a German film. Though this could be criticised for being quite black and white in areas – the youths’ opinions are very “capitalism is evil” - you are presented with an empathetic opposition figure in the right wing Hardenberg. A friend of mine has also criticised the excessive use of Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah – remember that period when it was in everything? I like this song and am much less willing to see fault.
4. The Motorcycle Diaries
The main perk to this film – and to most Hispanic films I have seen – is Gael Garcia Bernal’s face. If you are interested in Che Guevara this is a good look at what created a revolutionist out of a medic. If you want a good look at Che Guevara’s later, revolutionary years, Che Part 1 and 2 are a very good example and Benicio del Toro appears to have borrowed Che’s face.
5. Paris, je t’aime
- French
I love this film because it’s not just one film, but lots of little films placed next to each other with one thing in common, the setting of Paris, a layout which is relatively unique in films. You are likely to find some of the short films dull – like with short stories it takes a lot for me to become engrossed in something so much shorter than a regular length film – but you are also likely to enjoy some of them, it contains such a rich diversity. There are few directors that I can name that haven’t contributed and for me, a massive fan of being able to name actors in films, the genius cast is very exciting: Steve Buscemi (what isn’t he in?), Elijah Wood, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson, Gaspard Ulliel (have you seen his face?!), Natalie Portman, etc. The genres are is so diverse – from a gothic, black and white vampire short to an understated conversation between ex-husband and wife in a fancy restaurant – anyone could be pleased by this.
Note: New York, I Love You, a sort of spin-off, is also fun just for its multiple plot lines and enormous cast, but in removing the obvious distinction between films – Paris, je t’aime has titles and directors named at the beginning of each and is cut in such a way that each is like a new entity – merely blending into a new one like a new scene and repeating characters in different shorts, it loses what makes the French version special. Also, it is much more miss than hit than Paris, je t’aime is.
