Jump to content

The General Movie Thread

TangledThorns
 Share

Recommended Posts

kajnrig SMS Squadron Leader

kajnrig

Posted
Posted

Apparently Suzume is showing in theaters as a wide general release, not just a special event screening: 

 

 

I mention this because I saw it last night on something of a whim. I was actually looking at showtimes for Dungeons and Dragons (because I'd heard it was actually rather good), and then my niece saw it and wanted to go, so went we did.

As someone who's followed Makoto Shinkai's career from the very beginning, it's been interesting seeing how this talented but obviously flawed director has steadily improved his craft through the years. He's maintained his keen sense for beautiful visuals, and it's always a treat to see his and CoMix Wave's unique blend of digital art, CGI, and real-world photography in action. He has a real knack for drawing out and emphasizing the beautiful in something that might otherwise be seemingly mundane, like the handrails of a train or a cell phone's low battery alert. It's very photographic. It stands out amongst its contemporaries. (One of my nephews put on Seven Deadly Sins earlier today, and while it might be unfair to compare the two, my god was the comparison lopsided. Shot composition, colors, lines... Everything is just on another level.)

His storytelling ability has been much more hit and miss, and I was happy to see that - for the most part - this film is a rousing success in that regard. The setup is basic enough: Country girl Suzume Iwato is riding her bike to school one day when she passes by a stranger named Souta Munakata, who's looking for "ruins" in the vicinity, particularly a specific non-specific door. She tells him about an abandoned part of town that's as close to being "ruins" as one can get, one thing leads to another, she gets caught up in his affairs (which just so happen to be of a supernatural bent), and together, they travel across Japan looking for more "ruins" housing more "doors," learning about each other and themselves in the process. It's nothing we haven't seen before, but whereas in the past, Shinkai has had a tendency to over-rely on the aforementioned beautiful visuals to prop up character writing that felt contrived and artificial, Suzume feels like he's meeting characters where they are. The plot summary might give the impression of a romantic fantasy adventure, but the story is good about not conforming strictly to that mold if it doesn't benefit character study. Unfortunately, I feel like this new approach falters riiiiight near the end and he falls back into his old habits, but it's not enough to undo what the rest of the movie has built up.

I really enjoyed it, and will definitely get the Bluray when it releases same as I have most every other Shinkai media. The art is as great as it's ever been, the music is as good as it's ever been (Radwimps makes a return, though thankfully not nearly as heavily featured as they were in Your Name), and the storytelling backs it up, too. Cheers.

Spoiler

One of the major plot points of the movie is Suzume losing her mother to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. To get an idea of the particular forms that grief management took in the wake of the disaster, I'd like to share this radio piece by the NPR show, This American Life: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/597/one-last-thing-before-i-go-2016/act-one. It's roughly 20 minutes long and covers the "Wind Telephone," a disconnected phone booth that people used in the aftermath of the disaster to leave messages for their deceased and missing loved ones. The Japanese news channel NHK got permission to videotape and audio-record some of the visitors who used the phone as part of a 5-year commemoration of the disaster, and This American Life's Miki Meek got permission from NHK to run it on American airwaves, adding cultural context where needed. Some of the conversations are understandably heartwrenching, and I think it's helpful in understanding the character arc that Suzume goes through, and how that character arc is partly a reflection of and declaration to those still struggling with grief over this event.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bolt Galactic Diva

Bolt

Posted
Posted (edited)

2E701585-411F-4D0E-A1C8-2838393008C9.png.d8dd9b1f4657fa5cad9a41ba02569308.pngSpirited Away live performance on the big screen 👍🏼
https://www.fathomevents.com/events/SPIRITED-AWAY-Live-on-Stage-Studio-Ghibli-Fest-2023?utm_campaign=Studio Ghibli Fest 2023%3A Spirited Away Live on Stage&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=255147579&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_OfSOnXJRAr1Cij2aI4aw6GCkI_-uwn32fFiLVUQnI-doodelZBHwOgzrc2ZxgqjPwKnW-HNofCfeStOMs8oahvC5xJA&utm_content=254964392&utm_source=hs_email

Edited by Bolt
Link to comment
Share on other sites
sh9000 Hory Froating Head

sh9000

Posted
Posted

Got an email the other day for a screening of Beverly Hills Cop 4 titled Beverly Hills Cop:  Axel Foley.  It will star Eddie Murphy and most of the original cast.  It will also star Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TangledThorns SMS Squadron Leader

TangledThorns

Posted
  • Author
Posted
8 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

Got an email the other day for a screening of Beverly Hills Cop 4 titled Beverly Hills Cop:  Axel Foley.  It will star Eddie Murphy and most of the original cast.  It will also star Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Checked Wiki, apparently its coming to Netflix.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...