henke on 28/5/2020 at 13:04
Studio Ghibli's entire catalogue(I think) was put on Netflix a while back. I'd only seen Sprited Away, Mononoke and Grave of the Fireflies previously so I've been catching up. Time for ranking!
Spirited Away - I mean, it's great! So magical, so many unique/weird/fantastic/horrifying/thrilling sequences.
Howl’s Moving Castle - This one is also solid from beginning to end.
The Wind Rises - An animated biopic about the aero-engineer who designed the Zero-fighters. On paper you wouldn't think something like this needs to be animated, but the animation does let it present several fantastical sequences that wouldn't be possible otherwise.
Princess Mononoke - You know about this one. It's badass!
My Neighbour Totoro - So fuzzy and warm.
Grave Of The Fireflies - Holy shit what a downer. How did the studio that made My Neighbour Totoro also make this? IN THE SAME YEAR NO LESS!
Laputa: Castle In The Sky / Porco Rosso / Nausicaä - I'm just gonna lump these together. These are straight-up classic action-adventure films.
Ponyo - More of a kids movie than the rest of their output. A lot of neat ideas and sequences, but it didn't really grab me.
From Up On Poppy Hill - Love-story set amid a student-movement to preserve an old clubhouse. Eh, it's fine.
Tales From Earthsea - Fantasy adventure, that's just... kinda dull. Christopher Walken plays an evil wizard in the English version and gives a very un-Christopher Walken vocal performance.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - The only one of Ghibli's films I've given up on. I don't like the unique animation style and the story wasn't grabbing me.
Still gotta watch: Kiki, Arrietty, and the rest of them.
Thirith on 28/5/2020 at 13:12
Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy Princess Kaguya more, but it's definitely more of an acquired taste and not as readily engaging as Miyazaki's stuff especially. I have to admit that for me Porco Rosso is near the top, and that's mainly because of the melancholy streak that goes through it. That scene with all the dead aviators gets me every time.
Don't miss out on Pom Poko (one of Takahata's), which is absolutely bonkers in part. It might not be at the top of your list, also because it does some similar things to Kaguya in terms of varying its style, but it's more immediately fun than that one.
Sulphur on 28/5/2020 at 14:32
I agree that Princess Kaguya's a bit difficult to get into, because not only is it hard to relate to culturally (being set in 10th century Japan no less), but also because it keeps the viewer at a remove by giving everyone but Kaguya very little depth. Add in the fact that your heroine has almost no agency in this tale and things keep happening to her without her input -- the agency is saved for the flawed or terrible people around her -- and the story is almost documentary in its evidencing of female powerlessness in that age, despite being a folk tale. I think it's valuable for that alone despite being hard to watch, and the muted art style feeds that theme; because actually, it's absolutely gorgeous. An animated film done with watercolours and charcoal? It took eight years to make, henke. There's this sequence where Kaguya runs away and the art goes all jagged and scribbly and chaotic to represent what's happening in her head - that scene alone justifies the creative decision they went with.
Also, you know, the director was the same man who directed Grave of the Fireflies. Kaguya was the last film he directed.
Anyway, Nausicaä is also definitely worth a watch if you're into early Miyazaki.
edit: ah, you've seen it. Didn't realise you'd put three of the early ones together.
henke on 29/5/2020 at 04:24
Wow, wasn't excepting so much love for Kaguya. Ok ok I'll give it another chance!
I also watched through the first season of The Righteous Gemstones this week. A series where Danny McBride, Adam Devine, Edi Patterson, and John Goodman star as Televangelist/Mega-Church-running dynasty the Gemstones. I was expecting it to be a comedy, but it gets deep into the drama by the end of episode 1 with one hell of a cliffhanger that makes it hard not to keep watching. It's somewhere near Better Call Saul or Fargo in terms of tone and balance between drama/comedy. Amazing performances by the cast as well, they all get moments to shine. Tim Baltz and Walton Goggins are a lot of fun in it too. And there's this new guy, Tony Cavalero, not sure if I've seen him in anything before. He plays this really dumb one-note character "Keefe" that nonetheless steals whatever scene he's in.
As a taste, here's the scene where Keefe runs into his old Satanist friends and is feels the temptation of the dark side yet again.
[video=youtube;BSdglnt2ABU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSdglnt2ABU[/video]
Anyway, great show. Only 9 episodes long. It's on HBO. Watch it!
Harvester on 29/5/2020 at 21:40
I've watched Lion (2016) tonight, an earnestly filmed, emotional story based on true events starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman and a great acting little Indian kid. It was very engaging, I actually felt tears burning at the ending scene (they didn't come out, but I felt them welling up behind my eyes) and that rarely happens for me when watching movies. It's a story about adoption and my previous girlfriend was adopted so that resonated a little more with me than it normally might have.
It was weird though to see Executive Producer: Harvey Weinstein during the opening credits. I must've watched dozens of movies executive produced by him (and his brother Bob) but this was the first one since the scandal and it feels different now to see his name on a movie.
rachel on 30/5/2020 at 10:55
Lion made me bawl, wonderful movie.
I watched Midsommar yesterday, what a trip. Horrific yet cheery all the way. This is not something you see everyday... A very original take on horror movies.
Gryzemuis on 30/5/2020 at 11:59
I might watch Midsommar.
I've seen only one Swedish film about the Midsummer Night.
It was called Dunderklumpen (1974).
Do Swedish people know that film ?
I saw the movie originally when I was ~12 years old. Maybe a little bit too old at the time already. But I really enjoyed the magic of the movie. Ten years ago, when I started watching movies over the Internet, and could search for any movie I wanted, Dunderklumpen was one of the first movies I (re)watched. And to my surprise, being many decades older, I still enjoyed the movie.
Three weeks from now it is Midsummer Night. I might watch Dunderklumpen again. Thanks for bringing the idea into my head ! Or I can watch Midsommar. Or both !
qolelis on 30/5/2020 at 15:56
Quote Posted by Gryzemuis
It was called Dunderklumpen (1974).
That's a name I haven't heard in a long while. As a wee lad, I most likely watched the movie some time or other and/or got the book read to me. Only vague memories of what it was about, though.
Tocky on 30/5/2020 at 16:32
The Last Kingdom is getting gooooooood. It's true they chopped up the story and stuck parts where they weren't but they did it well. Now the story has veered completely off and I don't mind a bit. I love the treachery of court and the honesty of tendon cutting eye gouging battle on a muddy field. There's almost some deep seated racial memory it speaks to.
SubJeff on 30/5/2020 at 22:27
Quote Posted by henke
I also watched through the first season of
The Righteous Gemstones this week..
As a taste, here's the scene where Keefe runs into his old Satanist friends and is feels the temptation of the dark side yet again.
[video=youtube;BSdglnt2ABU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSdglnt2ABU[/video]
Anyway, great show. Only 9 episodes long. It's on HBO. Watch it!
The ended just as it was getting good!