Ramblings on Cinematic Matters
Here I review the long-awaited new movie from Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron. Returning from the longest of his many pseudo-retirements, Hayao Miyazaki has made his first movie in 10 years, The Boy and the Heron (2023). The much-anticipated movie is a lovely work, boasting all the beauty, grotesqueness, and poignancy we have …
Continue reading “Life, Death, and Life: The Boy and the Heron Review”
UPDATE: I have revised the ranking below to include The Boy and the Heron. When I began this movie blog back in 2019, the first reviewing project I decided to undertake was a retrospective on Studio Ghibli’s work. I must admit I did not expect that (because of my slow work pace and various instances …
Continue reading “The Ghibli Retrospective: Final Rankings and Thoughts“
In the final review of my Ghibli retrospective, I examine the “proto-Ghibli” movie, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Once upon a time, in the bygone era known as the early 1980s, a 40-something Japanese film director and artist named Hayao Miyazaki decided to make a movie. Miyazaki had at the time directed some …
Continue reading “Setting Off into the Unknown: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Review”
Next in my Studio Ghibli retrospective, I turn to the most recent Ghibli movie to date, Earwig and the Witch. Earwig and the Witch (2020) feels like a movie made by some parallel universe version of Studio Ghibli. Recognizable Ghibli characteristics are here: a strong young heroine, a story that blends the domestic and the …
Continue reading “Children Are the Real Monsters: Earwig and the Witch Review“
Next in my Studio Ghibli retrospective, I look at The Red Turtle. Probably the first point to address in reviewing The Red Turtle (2016) is “Does this really count as a Ghibli movie?” My answer: Yes, to me it counts. The movie was co-produced by Studio Ghibli and as such is part of the studio’s …
For the next installment in my Studio Ghibli retrospective, I look at When Marnie Was There. During his time at Studio Ghibli, Hiromasa Yonebayashi carved out an interesting niche for himself. He directed two movies, both based on children’s books by British female authors: The Secret World of Arrietty, an adaptation of Mary Norton’s The …
Continue reading “Ghost of an Idea: When Marnie Was There Review”
Next in my Studio Ghibli retrospective comes The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. I would like to take a moment to talk about Isao Takahata, one of Studio Ghibli’s original founders. Although he has been overshadowed by his more prolific and famous co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, Takahata’s work and life are no less worthy of attention. …
Continue reading “Caught between Two Worlds: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Review”
In the same month that brought the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I examine the life and work of a man who helped make that catastrophic event possible. Next in my Studio Ghibli retrospective, I look at The Wind Rises. Jiro Horikoshi was a Japanese aeronautical engineer who went to work for Mitsubishi in the …
Continue reading “A Head in the Clouds: The Wind Rises Review”
Having just finished a Tokyo Olympics this month, let’s look back at the last time the Olympics were held in that part of the world. Next in my Ghibli retrospective, I review From Up on Poppy Hill. Among Ghibli fans, one occasionally hears the plaintive wish to live within a Ghibli movie, or perhaps some …
Continue reading “Japanese Graffiti: From Up on Poppy Hill Review”
Next in my Ghibli retrospective comes The Secret World of Arrietty. In reviewing a movie about diminutive—as in, only a few inches tall—people, the temptation is to use a lot of adjectives that are variants on the theme of small size. I must admit I cannot resist this temptation, if only because those adjectives are …
Continue reading “Small Pleasures: The Secret World of Arrietty Review”
The Cameraman