Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides comes out this Friday, May 20th so to get ready I revisited the previous three films this past weekend. Huzzah, man was that a good time (except for the last one which is kind of crappy). Disney re-released their trilogy on Blu Ray back in March and I can honestly say that adventures on the high seas have never looked this good which made it all the more enjoyable! So who would have seriously thought than a static amusement park ride would serve as inspiration for such a thrilling and fun-filled film? Well this is Disney we’re talking about and they have the…
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Off the Shelf…’Ben-Hur’
Every Easter I watch Ben-Hur religiously (no pun intended). Most of the people I tell this to, they don’t know that it deals with Christ and Easter as well as being one of Charleston Heston’s greatest roles. The events that befall Judah run in tandem to the life and final days of Jesus Christ. After all, the title Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ kind of says it all.
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Off the Netflix Queue…’Hunter Prey’
What do you get when you mix a small ambitious idea for a sci-fi film with a budget that nearly allows its aspirations to play out? The slick and impressive film Hunter Prey that’s what. Unexpected simplicity combined with high quality visuals yields a product just short of magnificence (yeah this looks stunning in HD) that ranks high in wachability and replay value. Sandy Collora’s independent film just dazzles and delights and is so slick and imaginative you won’t be surprised if you find yourself asking, “who is this guy Collora and why hasn’t he been picked up yet??”
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Off the Shelf…'TRON: Legacy'
TRON – loved/hated, esoteric and dated has, after 28 years, been given a proper sequel. This isn’t the first time a film has been dusted off and given a follow-up after the fact, but the real question is (in the case of TRON specifically): How do you make a nearly 30 year old property relevant again? Why, “Reboot” it of course (and that seems all the more funnier since this is a computer based film). Sure reboots have been all the rage in Hollywood in the last decade but it’s yielded mixed results. But in this case, doing so does the world of TRON quite a proper service. While Legacy has…
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Off the Shelf…'TRON'
When I originally reviewed TRON, I was heretofore unfamiliar with the likes of Flynn, Sark, MCP etc and as such enjoyed my first time viewing of this cult classic completely free of nostalgia. Last week Disney re-released TRON (this time in a stunning Blu Ray transfer) and after re-watching it I’ve come to realize just how special TRON really is. True, it is known for being esoteric, artsy, a bit goofy and unintelligible but TRON is more than just the sum of its parts. Further, it’s a lot smarter than the laughable light suits let on.
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Off the Shelf…'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'
In Hayao Miyazaki‘s 1984 epic Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind we find our titular heroine on a quest to save what’s left of a post-apocalyptic world from being destroyed as it was hundreds of years earlier. A true product of the 80’s (see: The Dark Crystal, Dune, Conan, etc) Nausicaä carves a nice place in the fantasy genre, but more importantly it is a bit of an anomaly in the Ghibli resume. Not only will you find giant monsters, bizarre plants and animals, prophecies and a host of fantastic elements but even Nausicaä herself is the type of character seldom seen in Ghibli films. You could argue that Nausicaä…
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Japanese Cinema Blogathon – Off the Shelf…'Howl's Moving Castle'
Following on the heels of the Oscar Winning Spirited Away, comes another breathtaking adventure from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki’s films are known for placing a female protagonist in a very out-of-her-element situation. Moreover it’s a story of a strong willed woman/girl finding their inner strength and what it takes to believe in herself. Howl’s Moving Castle doesn’t exactly fit within that template but this similar story is more about said protagonist, Sophie, inspiring those around her with her positive attitude and determination. That’s another common storyline in Ghibli films. Castle tells the story of Sophie, a plain as they come young woman finding contentment in a world filled…
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Japanese Cinema Blogathon – Off the Shelf…’Tales From Earthsea’
Tales From Earthsea is not the work of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki or even Isao Takahata. This animated feature comes from Goro Miyazaki; Hayao’s son. Admittedly it’s so very hard to think about Goro’s work (who is not, I repeat not a professional animator) and not compare him to his father. Further, expecting a Princess Mononoke level of film right out of the gates is not only a lofty expectation, but an impossible one. It’s like trying to compare “Juno” to “Ghostbusters”; just because Jason Reitman is Ivan Reitman’s son doesn’t mean he’ll top his father’s peak films with his first effort. But even though Goro didn’t grow up in…
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"Miyazaki Madness" 101…The Films of Studio Ghibli
With “Miyazai Madness” just days away I thought it appropriate to put together a little Studio Ghibli “cheat sheet” for all the films in the tournament. Below you’ll find the synopsis of each film so if you haven’t seen it, at least you’ll know the back story while the voting is going on. Hopefully it will give those of you new to Miyazaki, Takahata and Studio Ghibli a few suggestions of which you might want to check out. And since each poll will be open for a full week, there’s just enough time to watch any you haven’t seen and then cast your vote. The 16 films below are magical and loved the…
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James Bond January – ’Casino Royale’
The last of our entries in the James Bond January series, we’re ending with perhaps my second favorite Bond film. Here we find a young James finding his spy legs as the ink on his newly printed 007 business cards is still drying. In what is essentially an “origin story” (big trend in American cinema this past decade), a cocky Bond struggles on his first real mission to find the balance between the personal gains and his love of country. Moreover, he begins to sort out whether or not to heed his own moral compass or to carry out orders as MI6 would have him do. So, as this is our…