kismet
ps - I know what I'm doing tonight now!
― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 18 August 2009 00:14 (fourteen years ago) link
its the most fun of his movies
― don't try to church it up (nickalicious), Tuesday, 18 August 2009 00:15 (fourteen years ago) link
x-post "Pronounced lack of plot" as in setting the film up for stuff that is alluded to but which never happens. Like, the set-up is all there, but the delivery is off. It'd be a bit like "Spirited Away" if the girl finds the spirit world, wanders around for a little, then goes home. The end. It'd be nice to look at, but it'd be lacking. Even Alice needs something to do in Wonderland. In "Ponyo," there is just no obstacle to surmount, no challenge, despite hints of global environmental imbalance and impending catastrophe. At one point one character says another is to be tested, very dramatically, then we flash to that character about to enter a dark tunnel. What's in the tunnel? What will he face? Um, nothing. He walks through the tunnel. At another point, a character notes of a magical well that it would be a disaster were any living creature to come in contact with it. Then a living creature comes in contact with it, and ... nothing? I'm still not sure. Hence this weird "what's missing here?" vibe to the movie.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 18 August 2009 00:41 (fourteen years ago) link
I absolutely adore Totoro, but Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke were really boring for me. Not sure why.
― Matt Armstrong, Tuesday, 18 August 2009 04:25 (fourteen years ago) link
gbx, did you watch it?
― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Tuesday, 18 August 2009 05:30 (fourteen years ago) link
Hence this weird "what's missing here?" vibe to the movie.
I certainly felt this, but honestly it didn't bother me that much. I mean, the scene where Ponyo is running on top of the giant fish is one of the best scenes in the history of animation. I felt that I got my money's worth + a weird taste in my mouth at the end (especially because of the song).
― Your heartbeat soun like sasquatch feet (polyphonic), Tuesday, 18 August 2009 06:19 (fourteen years ago) link
turns out cogliostro is the only one available to watch instantly on netflix so i guess that's the one for me ^_____^
Cagliostro is brilliant though. One of his best, alongside Porco, Spirited and Totoro.
― DavidM, Tuesday, 18 August 2009 14:15 (fourteen years ago) link
I loved Ponyo running with joy across the giant fish! Sort of wish the movie ended right after that, when she reunited with Sosuke. Everything following that was totally pointless, if not completely nonsensical (and not in the fun way). The extended sequence of her feeding that baby? The whole notion of her getting sleepy and reverting to fish form? The entire "Cocoon"-esque ending in the jellyfish/bubble by the old folks home? The fact that no one noticed/cared the moon was hovering a few feet away? No follow-up on the hundreds (?) of ships trapped in that wall of ocean, let alone the massive near-destruction of the world? It was as if the whole village was just enjoying a day spent punting along the rising water, which is fine, but which totally lacked portent, given the wizard's build-up of the dangerous imbalance with nature.
I can go with it up to a point, but don't really understand the hyperbolic praise being lavished on it, especially compared to Miyazaki's more obvious peaks. If he wanted to craft a crazy dream-like world, he should have done so. This one lacked resonance.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 18 August 2009 14:22 (fourteen years ago) link
no fuck that you should watch castle of cogliostro next!!!!! nausicaa is really pretty weak― a narwhal done gored my sister nell (cankles), Tuesday, August 18, 2009 12:09 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark
― a narwhal done gored my sister nell (cankles), Tuesday, August 18, 2009 12:09 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark
you're really pretty weak
― CaptainLorax, Saturday, 22 August 2009 02:40 (fourteen years ago) link
Is Ponyo custom-made for ichthyologists or what?
― god bless this -ation (Abbott), Thursday, 3 September 2009 22:04 (fourteen years ago) link
Her dad's reaction to her turning into a human (or at least the weird chicken-fish-girl) for the first time reminded me of a dad encountering his first daughter hit puberty. "Revert! REVERT!" And the mom's just bemused.
― god bless this -ation (Abbott), Thursday, 3 September 2009 22:07 (fourteen years ago) link
lol at Capt Lorax. wtf?
― \(^o\) (/o^)/ (ENBB), Thursday, 3 September 2009 22:07 (fourteen years ago) link
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd120/hipsterrunoff/photographs/hro/1aeda2dc.jpg
― long time listener, first time balla (history mayne), Thursday, 20 May 2010 14:07 (fourteen years ago) link
nuh uh
― peacocks, Thursday, 20 May 2010 15:17 (fourteen years ago) link
Do kids like Totoro? A friend was asking me if I could lend him any films to entertain his kids (to stop the usual 3 on repeat melting his brain). But it seems a bit...unfocussed...for children.
― textbook blows on the head (dowd), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 23:16 (twelve years ago) link
i LOVED totoro as a kid but what i did was make up a big stupid action thriller plot going on "behind" the actual plot, because i was an american. so if your friend's kids are philistines like me, don't worry, it can still work.
― my Sonicare toothbrush (difficult listening hour), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 23:43 (twelve years ago) link
saw totoro when i was ~10 years old and loved it
i loved spirited away when it came out, but at this point i can't think of a movie i'd be less interested in revisiting. totoro is much more pimp
― Ayatollah Colm Meaney (Princess TamTam), Thursday, 30 June 2011 00:40 (twelve years ago) link
spirited away is worth revisiting. so's totoro.
― And the piano, it sounds like a carnivore (contenderizer), Thursday, 30 June 2011 00:54 (twelve years ago) link
yes, kids love Totoro. (based on kids I have shown it to between 3 and 12)
― I am using your worlds, Thursday, 30 June 2011 01:03 (twelve years ago) link
Didn't really get into Totoro, but then I did see it after Spirited and Howl's. The film I'm most likely to revisit is Howl's these days - it gets a bad rap because the ending's one of the worst examples of deus ex machina I can think of, but there's a lot of great stuff in there.
― la tristessa demerera (dog latin), Thursday, 30 June 2011 09:05 (twelve years ago) link
i honestly don't think any child should get to the age of twelve WITHOUT seeing totoro
― ain't nuthin but a chicken waaaang (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 2 July 2011 00:12 (twelve years ago) link
The film I'm most likely to revisit is Howl's these days - it gets a bad rap because the ending's one of the worst examples of deus ex machina I can think of, but there's a lot of great stuff in there.
Visually, yes. The plot's all over the place though.
― Inevitable stupid samba mix (chap), Sunday, 3 July 2011 00:02 (twelve years ago) link
One of my kids pulled Totoro off the shelf at the library -- he liked the image on the cover of the DVD -- so I rented it even though I wasn't sure it would hold their attention. They're 3 and 6 and used to faster-paced entertainment. But they actually both really liked it, the 3-year-old in particular kept watching it over and over. So, yes, recommended.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 3 July 2011 00:19 (twelve years ago) link
was babysitting little cousins ages upon ages ago (this might have even been back in the 90s) and little kids will apparently watch any ghibli movie totally rapt.
(keep in mind spirited away hadnt even come out yet at that point and i've got no idea if this still applies to newfangled kids with their newfangled cgi.)
(and i didnt show them grave of the fireflies or anything.)
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 3 July 2011 00:27 (twelve years ago) link
i thought howl's was rad but im a big fan of the source book & i kinda liked how unfocused and goofy it was idk
― Lamp, Sunday, 3 July 2011 03:27 (twelve years ago) link
how was the first one where i went "oh god what if he isn't infallible" but dude has been substitute jesus and granpa for me ever since i saw "warriors of the wind" (ugh) on hbo at like age 8 so i'm probably not to be trusted
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 3 July 2011 04:34 (twelve years ago) link
christ that new dub of cagliostro pisses me off. not like the '80s streamline dub was perfect by any means but ugh. also fuck u netflix for giving me this and no sub option for streaming.
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 3 July 2011 04:52 (twelve years ago) link
this reads/watches like it was translated by babelfish, but it's still pretty great. we're talking like three hours of interviews/behind the scenes footage, though. it still kind of amazes me how much actual DRAWING he does on these movies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi3LRn7EKx8
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 3 July 2011 05:16 (twelve years ago) link
ghibli/miyazaki for me from canon to spectacular to good:
totoro/kiki/porco rosso/laputa/yamadas/grave of fireflies > mononoke/spirited away/nausicaa/only yesterday/pom poko/panda go >howl/ponyo/cagliostro/whisper of the heart
and then there's earthsea.
― ain't nuthin but a chicken waaaang (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 3 July 2011 15:38 (twelve years ago) link
kiki is sooooo underrated
― remy bean, Sunday, 3 July 2011 15:42 (twelve years ago) link
"fly"
― ain't nuthin but a chicken waaaang (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 3 July 2011 16:18 (twelve years ago) link
Kiki's probably my third favourite ghibli, so charming and some great life lessons too
― Jesus was fat (dog latin), Sunday, 3 July 2011 16:33 (twelve years ago) link
Did you all see the trailer for Ghibli's adaptation of The Borrowers, 'Arrietty' http://t.co/q9nTu5V ? They're doing separate dubs for the US and UK. This one's the British one.
― Alba, Sunday, 3 July 2011 16:51 (twelve years ago) link
this looks...a little too precious. the non miyazaki/takahata ghiblis have been kinda all over the map, quality-wise.
also, yay: Porco Rosso 2: The Last Sortie[8] Unknown (2012) Hayao Miyazaki
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:04 (twelve years ago) link
i keep forgetting about that.
i kinda feel bad for goro. he's turning into the jakob dylan of the miyazaki family.
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:09 (twelve years ago) link
mononoke is my favorite. inexplicably misinterpreted by 99% of everyone (pro or con) as "nature good humans bad".
― my Sonicare toothbrush (difficult listening hour), Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:25 (twelve years ago) link
99%, eh?
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:28 (twelve years ago) link
yeah i considered mononoke a minor work for a long time, but it's probably top 3 for me now. spirited away at the bottom obv
― Ayatollah Colm Meaney (Princess TamTam), Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:36 (twelve years ago) link
billy bob thornton as jigo was one of the few inspired celeb v/o casting moves ever
― Ayatollah Colm Meaney (Princess TamTam), Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:38 (twelve years ago) link
xxp well i hear it get praised or dismissed as an "environmentalist fable" a lot when really it's a movie about the ancient-to-modern shift (common to lots of cultures' autobiographies), when the spirits and the people inevitably fall out of touch. the only person in it who's evil (as opposed to partisan or confused or despairing) person in it is billy bob thornton, who is an opportunist perplexed at the end by his defeat by the more compassionate ("can't win against fools").
for me it's first amongst equals, i guess; lots of the others are great too. i liked ponyo but thought most of the magic stuff was vestigial: i just wanted a movie about the kid and his mom and the dad at sea and the old ladies in the home and the boats tethered to the houses floating up like balloons in the flooded town. and howl's had gorgeous stuff in it but the setting was totally incoherent, which was a huge disappointment to me after the first five minutes (shopgirl in a wartime city is harassed by soldiers in street, not in overt EVIL RAPEY SOLDIERS way but in "young men experiencing simultaneous terror/boredom of being stationed in temporarily peaceful city fuck around with a pretty civilian because they can, which is not Okay but is certainly Understandable" way) made the movie look like it was gonna have mononoke's sense of time & place & historical stress.
― my Sonicare toothbrush (difficult listening hour), Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:40 (twelve years ago) link
obv should be "the only person in it who's evil (parenthetical) is billy bob thornton"
― my Sonicare toothbrush (difficult listening hour), Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:41 (twelve years ago) link
no, i agree. i was just being dick-y. i was re-reading that interview (from after the nausicaa manga finished in '94) someone mentioned above (i think?) where he says he "didn't like" the way porco rosso turned out, but i think they were misreading him. what he says is that he started out wanting to make something lighthearted and slapstick about a flying pig but then his adult concerns kept creeping in and it poluted his original conception. of course that's the stuff that gives porco rosso its (for lack of a better word) edge.
i think when it comes to the environmental stuff he's essentially a very pessimistic, conflicted man (in the interview he keeps saying stuff on the order of "anything other than direct action isn't going to achieve anything, and even then you're just picking up litter"), who believes we're killing the planet but doesn't feel like giving up his car and moving into the woods, who has somehow found his way into a self-enforced career making entertainments suitable for the whole family, where he makes himself (by his own admission) iron out the ambiguities in his thinking, but then the complexity starts creeping back in, which pisses him off. mononoke is probably just the movie where he allowed himself the most free reign with keeping things morally ambiguous. (later in the same interview he says that he thinks all anime should be for children, but then the next movie he'd make would be mononoke, so maybe he was just getting a morally ambiguous movie aimed more at adults out of his system?)
obviously it's an old interview, from a time when studio ghibli's financial success was only starting to feel secure, so it can't be taken for how he thinks now that he's japan's biggest money-maker and can basically get away with anything he wants. but i just think it's funny that all the nuance and moral grey areas and whatnot are what he's praised for in comparison to american animation and what he feels are "flawed" about his own movies (at least up until mononoke). like he actually seems to think he'd be happy if he could make one totoro after another because HE'S so confused about things and he doesn't think that confusion belongs in his movies. i find that struggle to squeeze an individual filmmaker's adult concerns into the template of a kids movie one of the most interesting things about him, but apparently he didn't always agree. of course he's also gotta be the only guy who'd finish off his longest and most personal work by basically claiming "everything's fucked and the planet would be better off without humanity" and then open a preschool in japan.
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 3 July 2011 18:27 (twelve years ago) link
oh wow did not know that stuff, have never read/seen an interview w/ him. thanks!
he's so careful w/ antagonists, at least in his more recent period. either they have good reasons or they're honest within fairy-tale-style rules or they don't exist at all. i love how spirited away is mostly a movie about a girl who gets a job: dealing with weird customers, bitching with co-workers after hours, hating the boss but eventually understanding she has a business to run.
― my Sonicare toothbrush (difficult listening hour), Sunday, 3 July 2011 18:51 (twelve years ago) link
interview is here if yr interested. it's a bit disjointed but i dont know if that's a translation problem or if it was just kind of a rambling conversation.
http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/interviews/afternausicaa.html
there's actually a ton of interviews there.
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 3 July 2011 19:20 (twelve years ago) link
i love that nausicaa.net hasnt changed a thing in like a decade+
― Ayatollah Colm Meaney (Princess TamTam), Sunday, 3 July 2011 19:23 (twelve years ago) link
btw you nailed it strongo - that tension between inspiration & cynicism has basically defined miyazaki's career. i think the cynic in him is winning these days though. i mean, re:
the non miyazaki/takahata ghiblis have been kinda all over the map, quality-wise.
― death to ilx, long live the frogbs (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, July 3, 2011 1:04 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark
ghibli's approaching a crossroads, sort of like where disney was in the 70s when the nine old men were drifting away or dying. they relied on those guys for decades without really doing anything to nurture fresh talent, and the disney golden age ended up shuddering to a halt instead of smoothly transitioning into the next era.
miyazaki has little regard for the work of anyone besides himself and his mentor takahata, and i think miyazaki hates the idea of anyone spoiling his legacy with subpar work after they pass. ghibli's resources are formidable, and if they wanted to they could easily develop ghibli into a creative powerhouse where young talent is nurtured. but the lack of interest in that future is why anything by the junior ghibli crew ends up being a crapshoot.
― Ayatollah Colm Meaney (Princess TamTam), Thursday, 7 July 2011 20:21 (twelve years ago) link
― Alba, Sunday, July 3, 2011 4:51 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
oh wow, i loved the borrowers as a kid. that actually looks pretty faithful... but i hope the rhyming voiceover is only on the trailer since it made me want to kill everyone involved with knives.
― ledge, Thursday, 7 July 2011 21:19 (twelve years ago) link
secret world of arrietty...due in Feb...
http://kottke.org/11/10/the-secret-world-of-arrietty
― calstars, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 00:16 (twelve years ago) link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_World_of_Arrietty
I guess Miyazaki is playing an advisory role these days.
― calstars, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 00:17 (twelve years ago) link