1988

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December 8, 2008

Grave of the Fireflies

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1988, animated, drama, entertainment, foreign, historical, movies, thrillers, trailers, war | Tags: , , , |
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One of the most poignant and distressing animated features ever made, 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies is a powerful film about the human condition, youth, death, and war. Directed and written by Isao Takahata, colleague of Hayao Miyazaki, this movie is an adaptation of a semi-autobiographical novel of the same name written by Akiyuki Nosaka. The novel was written in part as a form of confession and apology to the author’s sister, as she perished due to malnutrition in Japan in 1945.

Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies does not manipulate or take easy roads to sentimentality. It stands, instead, as one of the most astonishingly human animated films ever made. The tragedy and the sadness arrive naturally, guided by the subtle hand of Takahata and the spectacular animation that is synonymous with Studio Ghibli. Interestingly, the original Japanese theatrical release of the picture was accompanied by Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. Grave of the Fireflies is also the only Studio Ghibli film that the Walt Disney Company does not have distribution rights for.

The movie takes place during the end of World War II in Japan and we know how it ends before it begins. We are introduced to two children living in the port city of Kobe: a young teenage boy named Seita and his sister, likely about five years old, named Setsuko. Their father serves in the Japanese Navy and their mother has fallen victim to the horrors of war. As we are introduced to these characters, their entire world is vanishing. American bombers drop canisters of napalm on the feeble wood and paper houses of Japanese cities and the residents have no resort but to flee. There is no way to fight the fires, no way to resist the ruin.

Seita and Setsuko are taken in by an aunt, but the relationship is strained as she begins to begrudge the two children. She resents having to feed them and look after them, so eventually the pair departs to a cave where they believe they can live. Seita attempts to take care of his sister, all the while trying to come to terms with the war and with the fate of their parents. As unalterable tragedy draws ever near, we see the war, the bombings and the horror from the eyes of these two children.

Grave of the Fireflies is a kind of poetry; it is a piece of art. Takahata’s film tells a relatively plain story of survival on its face, yet beneath the surface are heart-rending moments of nature, humanity, and love. The fireflies, for instance, create a sense of profundity and sentiment. As fireflies have particularly short life-spans, their continuation sorrowfully parallels the existence of these children of war. There is impermanence and nothing is everlasting. Regardless of the loveliness of things, life and death eventually has its way.

Despite this briefness of life, Takahata ensures that we remember the bright colours and the mirth. Take, for instance, the film’s closing sequences. Sure to bring a well of unmanageable tears, we are shown scenes of play and elation with Setsuko. She frolics, conceivably unaware of the horror, lunacy, and hopelessness with which she lives. One wonders if children are oblivious to war and violence or if they have, on some level anyway, a sense of understanding.

The animation is beautiful and affectionate. Takahata knows how to hold shots and elongate sequences so that we can value them. His colours are strong but not overwhelming, and the details are unbelievable. He directs with a clear-cut style, leaving the melodrama to the soap operas and granting his audience the one thing they need to digest the poignancy and gravity of this tale: time.

For those new to anime, Grave of the Fireflies is perhaps the one film that will change the way “cartoons” are looked at. It is as potent an effort as Schindler’s List and contains scenes of such colossal sadness and anguish that a box of tissues ought to come with the picture. This is a truly special film, marking a cinematic milestone in which minimalism triumphs over loud effects and a truly extraordinary human story is told with the power of animation.

9.7/10

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October 22, 2008

My Neighbor Totoro

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1988, adventure, animated, comedy, entertainment, family, fantasy, foreign, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , |
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Hayao Miyazaki is one of the masters of film, without question. His storytelling contains such vibrancy, such energy, such life. And his attention to detail is second to none, with exciting characters filled with colours and layers. Miyazaki became known in the West with the release of Princess Mononoke by Miramax. Spirited Away soon followed, scooping an Academy Award. My Neighbor Totoro had its original release in the United States on VHS under the name My Friend Totoro. In 2006, Disney re-released the film with an all new dub cast and a beautiful remastering. For the purposes of this review, I took a look at the Disney re-release.

One of the most striking things about this 1988 Miyazaki film is its beautiful animation and tender characters. Unlike many North American animation films, there is no villain or evil character to throw a monkeywrench in the plans of the good character. There are no fight scenes, no bad parents, no frightening monsters, no standard trappings. Instead, My Neighbor Totoro is a film that exists on a different version of our planet. It exists, perhaps, in the world as we would like it.

The visual enchantment of Miyazaki’s film goes without saying. He utilizes watercolours to fill the screen, engaging the viewer in his lovingly crafted visions without forcing a splashy or obnoxious set of sequences or characters. Instead, My Neighbor Totoro is remarkable in its gentleness of spirit and in its ease of motion.

The film tells the story of two sisters, Satsuki and Mei. In the new Disney dub, the two girls are voiced eloquently and sweetly by Dakota and Elle Fanning. Their dynamic is perfect. The sisters have moved into a house with their father and discover that the home is inhabited by tiny soot sprites, magical little creatures that are only seen when moving out of the light into dark places. The girls become comfortable in the new house with their father and, as a result, the soot sprites leave.

One day, Mei decides she is going to “run some errands.” The younger of the two sisters, she takes off to play in the forest. She follows her instincts (and some magical creatures) to the hollow of a large tree and finds a large creature sleeping. Unfazed, Mei crawls atop the creature and discovers that it is “Totoro.” With the mother of the two girls sick, Totoro becomes the embodiment of her presence and provides an escape.

My Neighbor Totoro is about fantasy, wonder, nature, and beauty. The girls experience Totoro as a gentle creature because it is one. There is nobody for Totoro to fight, no clash of the anime titans to engage in, and no moments of sensationalistic trash to provide distraction. Instead, Miyazaki has created a tender creature who allows the children an opportunity to deal with the illness of their mother and gather strength. It is magical.

It is compelling to note the differences between American and Japanese animation and, indeed, American and Japanese storytelling. My Neighbor Totoro never once degrades itself into the clichés. It never forces itself into corners, instead choosing fluid movements. Sequences expose this fluidity. Think, for instance, of the idea of gender. Here is a film inhabited by two girls, not one boy and a girl. And the father is a gentle, kind man…not an ogre or an abusive presence to escape. Indeed, every character is heroic.

My Neighbor Totoro is awe-inspiring, beautiful, tender, emotional, enchanting, engaging, compelling, and even a little bit sad. It is another masterpiece from the master, a delicate and elegant film that has rightly become one of the world’s most dearly loved family films. If you have not yet experienced My Neighbor Totoro, gather your children and watch it.

9.4/10

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April 29, 2008

Rain Man

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1988, comedy, drama, entertainment, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , |
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1988’s Rain Man has aged rather strangely. With more knowledge about mental health flooding out into the mainstream and Dr. Phil and his cronies spreading more information than ever about various mental illnesses, the connotations of Rain Man take on new significance in 2008. Watching it last night, my wife and I went from periods of enragement to periods of poignant resolve in mere minutes as Barry Levinson’s dramedy played out.

Of course, Rain Man stars Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbitt, a slickster yuppie doofus from Los Angeles. Charlie is in the middle of some negotiations over some luxury cars when he gets a phone call that his father has passed away. Being estranged from his father for several years, Charlie is understandably unaffected by the call and drives with his girlfriend (Valeria Golino) to hear the reading of the will after the funeral. Upon hearing the will, Charlie discovers that the $3-million worth of his father’s is going to a beneficiary and not to him.

Charlie heads off to discover who the beneficiary is and meets his brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) in a mental institution. Raymond is autistic or as they call it in the movie “autistic savant.” This means that Raymond has superior recall abilities, but doesn’t understand the subject matter. Charlie is stunned by this and decides to take Raymond out of the mental institution to head back to Los Angeles to meet with his attorneys. The subsequent road trip involves the typical life-changing events that transform Charlie into a more sensitive and loving human being.

The centerpiece to the film is not Hoffman’s Raymond. It is Charlie, who requires the change to put his life in gear. His relationship with his girlfriend is floundering under the stress of Charlie’s self-imposed lifestyle and his overall attitude on life leaves a lot to be desired. When we meet Charlie, he is essentially a jerk. He doesn’t understand Raymond’s needs and simply acts selfishly, pulling and poking Raymond into areas he shouldn’t be heading to. This enraging process gets to be quite uncomfortable at times, as Charlie’s abuse of Raymond reaches several maddening instances. Levinson’s use of long shots and long takes draws this out even more.

One interesting thing about Rain Man is how the film moves. Levinson uses long takes extensively, drawing out scenes beyond normative points. Whether this was for emphasis or environment building is not clear, as much of the film now seems like it could have used a more liberal editing process. Some long cuts of driving scenes or long external shots seem out of place in the film’s relatively internal feel, forcing us between emotive drama and comic road movie with rather uncomfortable strokes.

The performances are clearly the highlight here. Hoffman’s portrayal of Raymond is loving and tender, giving depth and simplicity to the character. He could have simply overplayed the mental illness aspect of Raymond, as many other actors would have done. Instead, Hoffman gives the character a compassionate portrayal and works him alongside Cruise’s Charlie with all of the natural ability of the most seasoned professional actors. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Hoffman snagged the Oscar.

Tom Cruise is actually playing the more complex character. His character displays the perfect combination of assholishness and heart within the first few frames. Charlie obviously cares, but how much? The depth of Charlie as the centerpiece of the picture is a risk, but I think Cruise deals with the responsibility nicely and turns in one of the best performances of his career. He’s always at his best when he gets to play the jerk in the movie and audiences always love it when Cruise’s asshole finds redemption of some kind. Rain Man is the archetypal Tommy C. character movie.

Overall, Rain Man wears a little thin towards the finale and some of the events feel tacked on. While fun, there really was no purpose for the casino portion and some of the other bits could have also met with the cutting room floor. I think a more succinct approach would have served the film better and might have eased some of the pressure off of Barry Levinson’s heavy directorial hand. Nevertheless, Rain Man is an affecting film and is well worth a look.

7/10

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January 14, 2008

The Last Temptation of Christ

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1988, drama, entertainment, trailers | Tags: , , , , , |
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The Last Temptation of Christ

I finally had the opportunity to watch the film I’d wanted to watch since I was nine years old. I know it sounds odd, but I remember a hullaballoo in my Evangelical circle about The Last Temptation of Christ and how it was so controversial. The ideas presented in the film were to be feared, not explored. After becoming a man, learning more about my faith and the struggles within my own soul, and learning how to make faith something personal and not rudimentary or illogical, Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ couldn’t have been more compelling. Almost twenty years after first feeling the desire to see the film, I finally experienced it last night on the beautiful Criterion Collection rendering and I was nothing short of astonished.

With the Evangelical circle long abandoned in place of a more vivid, living faith in God, I delved into the material of Scorsese’s adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ book “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Kazantzakis’ book explores the Christ that was ever-present in the Greek philosopher’s heart and mind, sharing the author’s metaphysical concerns and anguish over his faith with a broad audience. These thoughts, many of which are now decidedly mainstream, are not dangerous in terms of dispelling any sort of Christ mythology. These thoughts, rather, are wholesome extensions of a real, moving, engaging faith in God and humanity. Scorsese’s own personal journey to create the film based on Kazantzakis’ work is awe-inspiring.

Martin Scorsese had been wanting to make a film about Christ since his childhood. He optioned the novel by Kazantzakis in the 1970s and handed it over to Paul Schrader for adaptation into a screenplay. The idea was to have The Last Temptation of Christ follow-up The King of Comedy in what would have certainly appeared to be a rather audacious ironic twist. Production was slated to begin in 1983 for Paramount on the film. The management at Paramount became uneasy, however, after various letters from religious groups stormed in and the budgetary concerns bounded way out of control. The picture was cancelled and Scorsese went on to make After Hours. Three years later, Universal Pictures became interested in the project and Scorsese offered to shoot it in reduced time on a reduced budget, clinging to his passion for the material. A deal was struck and casting began.

Willem Dafoe stars as Jesus Christ, the carpenter from Nazareth. The film outlines the struggles of Christ as he is tormented by demons and temptations. The guilt of making crosses for Romans, pity for mankind and the world, and the constant call of God are strong on Christ’s mind throughout the film. Christ sets out to discover what God wants for him and, in the end, must face the greatest temptation designed solely for him: the life of an average human being. As Christ decides, through imagination and allegory, the final decisions of his existence, we are met with fantasy sequences and dream sequences that illustrate how dangerous choices can be and how all are afflicted with these decisions.

The film contains many ideas not present in the Scriptures, which in my view was nothing of interest or note. The Last Temptation of Christ was based on Kazantzakis’ novel, not the Gospels. At the beginning of the Criterion Collection DVD, there is a quote by Kazantzakis and a “disclaimer” telling viewers that the film is not based on the Gospels but rather on this fictional account (whether you view the Gospels as fictional accounts or not is for another blog and another avenue of discussion). One would think that those elements of storytelling would suffice, but alas the controversy raged onward. The main source of contention with religious folks who cannot read or understand film is the idea that Christ faces struggles with these temptations at all and that he chooses, in dream sequence only, to not die on the cross but rather to have the normal life of a man. Oh, heavens!

The idea that Scorsese should use these ideas as allegorical does not seem to matter to “protestors” of this film. The Last Temptation of Christ, dear friends, is not dangerous nor is it, in the least, controversial. It is life-affirming, powerful, incredible film-making from one of the masters of our time. Scorsese’s deeply personal film represents Satan’s temptation of Christ in a way that should be relatable to us all. Christ came to the world as a man, if you subscribe to the Christian idea, to illustrate the life of a normal man in service to God. The ideas presented in Scorsese’s film and Kazantzakis’ piece illustrate this idea more than the inflated “Jesus film” shovelled around by money-grabbing Evangelicals and more than any passion play. This is the struggle and temptation of Christ we’re talking about, not some sideshow involving some God-man hybrid who never suffered a day in his or His life!

No other film, in my view, has gotten the idea of Christ down as much as The Last Temptation of Christ. Scorsese’s masterpiece infiltrates the hearts and minds of the viewers and delivers a compassionate, real, breathing, and functioning Christ. This is not the lump of spiritual flesh as delivered by others; this is the man, Jesus Christ. Dafoe is brilliant as Jesus, pulling and contorting his emotions into the role of a lifetime. Other performers, such as Harvey Keitel and Barbara Hershey, are tremendous as well in this delectable palette of a film. It is a moving, inspiring, touching, powerful, poignant experience from the beginning of the film to the end.

The Last Temptation of Christ should be experienced by all believers and non-believers alike. It presents a uniquely human portrait of one of the most polarizing individuals in human history. Scorsese’s film deserves an even-handed, open-minded look. As protests against the film began before the film was even completed, The Last Temptation of Christ faced an unprecedented backlash. Religious leaders in the United States and Canada lashed out at the film in vitriolic sermons that shook the ground beneath. I know, I was there. In October of 1988, a French Catholic fundamentalist group threw Molotov cocktails inside of a Parisian theatre that was screening the film, injuring thirteen people.

The irony here is that religious leaders and religious scholars have considered Scorsese’s film to be more in tune with the realities of history than Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and most other Christ narratives in film or literature. The Last Temptation of Christ, to steal the words of Roger Ebert, “paid Christ the compliment of taking him and his message seriously, and they have made a film that does not turn him into a garish, emasculated image from a religious postcard. Here he is flesh and blood, struggling, questioning, asking himself and his father which is the right way, and finally, after great suffering, earning the right to say, on the cross, ‘It is accomplished.’”

Scorsese’s film is a masterpiece. Now that history has changed in the two decades between the release of this film and now, we can see that times have changed with history. The Last Temptation of Christ now faces acceptance in most religious communities, as the depiction of Christ is considered to be “more accurate than first thought” by those willing to finally see the film. And so it is. Experience Scorsese’s masterpiece for what it is: a brilliant, awe-inspiring film that demonstrates Christ as never before. It is truly amazing.

10/10

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July 1, 2007

A Fish Called Wanda

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1988, comedy, crime, entertainment, romance, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , |
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A Fish Called Wanda

Now this is more like it! I remember seeing this film when I was younger, maybe around 13 or 14, and my parents and relatives laughing hysterically at it. I remember not laughing hysterically at it but rather being confused by it and not really getting what was so funny. Watching it again, some 13 years later, I laughed hysterically and then some. A Fish Called Wanda, from 1988, is perhaps the funniest and smartest comedy of the 1980s.

The film, directed by Charles Chrichton (Dance Hall, The Lavender Hill Mob), is certainly a farce in its purest forms. Chrichton couldn’t be better suited to direct A Fish Called Wanda, quite frankly, as his experience with English comedies (he was noted mostly for his Ealing Studios work) made him a top candidate for such a film. John Cleese wrote the script for the film, along with Chrichton, which would give A Fish Called Wanda tremendous wit and energetic fun.

Cleese also stars in the film, along with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline (who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Otto), Michael Palin, and Tom Georgeson. The cast is, quite simply, brilliant. Everyone is downright hilarious and exhibits such expert comic timing that it becomes apparent that Chrichton was expecting the best from his performers out of the brilliant script.

The film is about a jewel heist and all of the circumstances and fallout that take place after the loot is procured. There are enough double and triple crosses in A Fish Called Wanda to make most other heist films look like amateur hour and enough goofy slapstick and dry English wit to make the film a veritable prototype for every comic film to be made after it. The charm of A Fish Called Wanda isn’t so much in its overt laughs as it is in the utter insanity of the situations and the performances that bring out the energy and timing in the plot. The characters are tremendously entertaining, of course, which draws the whole thing closer together.

This film is one of Cleese’s best overall works, as he brings about a comic mastery to his role that makes his portrayal of Archie believable and yet absurd at the same time. It doesn’t hurt matters that Jamie Lee Curtis spends a lot of time sporting AMAZING cleavage and that the sexuality in the film smolders in a truly unique and comic way, of course. Kline’s performance is probably the highlight, if one had to be selected, as his philosophy-quoting crook is so downright loony and funny that it’s hard to ignore the brilliance.

Bottom line after all of that rambling and gushing is that A Fish Called Wanda gets it all right in terms of what makes a comedy successful: it’s funny, it’s smart and it’s goofy. The film pushes all the right buttons and makes all the right moves, down to the doggie assassinations. It’s brilliant, high-and-low-brow comedy at its finest.

8/10

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