The Wind Rises

The Wind Rises was a beautiful film that made us laugh and appreciate the artwork of the animated film.  I thought the whole idea of seeing the main characters dream was a good way to show how we should dream our dreams for anything can happen that can help us strive to achieve them.  I also thought the side love story was a good break from the plane franchise, though I was sad when his wife was getting sicker and sicker, but she still stayed by him until she knew she wouldn't last much longer.  I guess, when it comes down to it, love and dreams can take you far in where you want to be. This is a good film to watch for laughs or to be inspired to hold on to your dreams and to live.

Ikiru

Ikiru was a very sad film.  It reminded me of the film Citizen Kane and of my great-uncle who died of cancer a couple of years ago.  It was hard sometimes to look in his eyes, knowing that he was going to die soon and that their wasn't much time left for him to make a difference in a group of peoples lives.  He wanted to live to the fullest near the beginning and by the end was happy with what he had done before he had died.  Some of the scenes made me tear up and others were interesting, watching what he was doing and realizing he doesn't have much time left.  This is a good film that everyone should watch.

Sansho the Bailiff

Sansho the Bailiff was really sad.  It reminded me of Grave of the Fireflies, which is sad enough.  The story of the family going from bad to worse and then seeing them be betrayed by the veery woman who gave them food and shelter and sold them into slavery the next day.  The children worked hard and did everything they could to survive, and then they saw their chance to escape, the brother made it to a temple while the sister drowned herself to save her brother some time and to not go back to be punished for helping her brother escape.  The brother later finds out his father passed away, his sister killed herself, and the only family he has left is his mother if she is still alive.  I felt really bad for this character and the suffering he went through to try to stop slavery and get his family back together again only to find out that there was nothing he could do to change the way things are.  Isn't life torture?

Gojira

Gojira was an interesting film to watch.  You could tell how old the film was based on the old techniques and how limited they were with what they could do at the time, like the flipping of the fire truck.  They used a toy truck instead of a real one.  I do have to say they did amazing work with what they were able to do at the time for this film.  From what my friends told me about the newish version of Godzilla we definitely got to see the monster more than the other movies.

Letters to Momo

Letters to Momo was a very interesting film.  The character's had great development throughout the film and there were great comedy moments as well that kept us laughing and enjoying ourselves with the film.  At the beginning of the film Momo reminded me of Chihiro in Spirited Away at the beginning of the film, whiny and not wanting to move to a new place or do anything in general.  Momo, I hope, learned a lesson of being careful what you say because sometimes you can't take it back and you regret what you said to them for the rest of your life.  I also hope that she learned a lesson while being with the demon's and learning about their bad habits.  Otherwise it was a funny film with a great lesson.

The Book of Life

The Book of Life was a wonderful film.  I loved the fact that they actually made a story out of the Mexican holiday and made it visually stunning.  The music definitely gave that romantic vibe and gave a little bit of the spanish flare in some of our modern songs that helped us get to know Manolo and his deep love for Maria.  I do wish that we got to know Joaquin a little bit more though.  I especially loved the Land of the Dead and the designs on each characters face as they were unique to each one.  The characters were wonderful and helped keep the story going.  I wish there was more animated films like this.  I definitely recommend that everyone watch this film.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Sushi was a very interesting film.  I thought it captured the passion and life of Jiro and his love of making sushi.  The film talked about how each sushi is prepared and how everything has to made fresh and that you have to do things everyday and to challenge yourself to make everything better than it already is.  He worked hard for where he is now and I think we all should do the same.

The Trip

The Trip is an interesting film with beautiful scenery and comedic scenes that you giggle about. I liked the fact that the film took it's time so that the audience could get to know the characters and see them open up to one another throughout the entire trip and while they try the foods and make fun of them. This film was a wonderful way to see character development.

Ballinger Music Videos

I had a blast watching the music video's at Signs and Wonders.  Some were visually stunning and others were funny all around.  What I really like were the Japanese music videos, they were much more appealing to me than the food videos.

Sodagreen Story was visually beautiful and told a fun and complete story that took you along for the ride.  The colors were bright and vibrant and was very pleasing to the eye.

Yaen-Fish Fight was funny to watch and was very creative, the outfits I thought were great and the whole video told the story of the fish.

DJ Ozma Drinkin Boys was hilarious beyond belief.  It took on a huge twist than what was shown in the beginning of the video.  I'm surprised that the group went through with it and allowed it to be shown to the public like that.  

World Order Have a Nice Day was very fun and gave a futuresk look the men who did the video and made it a lot more fun as the video went along.

Ponponpon was a weird video that had a lot of details and stuff going on everywhere throughout the video with a very catchy song.

Like father, Like son

Like Father, Like Son was a very sad and inspirational film that teaches us that we love our children, even though they may not actually be their child.  I thought Teita's parents were more polite and proper and they had to keep things nice and neat and have to be perfect and show it through hard work.  The other family was always having fun and spent time together without worrying about life, except maybe for the mix up of the children six years ago.  This really reminded me of the T.V. show Switched at Birth, both had babies switched, though one was on purpose and the other was an accident.  I think it would be nice if both families lived together, or at least near each other, to raise the boys together and not have to worry about anything for their kids.  Overall this film was very realistic and showed us both sides of the parents and child's point of view and feelings of the situation.

After Life

After Life was a very interesting movie, there was some funny parts in the film, some true and others scripted. I liked the fact that they actually interviewed people to hear their real stories and put it in the film. Actually, I thought all of the stories were true when I was watching the film. Everyday we got to know the characters and some of their stories and why they didn't move on at the time. I guess you could say that the characters who didn't move on still had work to do before they could move on, like the man who had a six year old daughter. I think they all will eventually move on down the road at some point on their journey.

Like Water for Chocolate

Like Water for Chocolate was a beautifully made film with an interesting story. This film reminded me of both Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet. A mother keeping the two lovers apart and the food as the fairy godmother. There was so many emotions and phases of the story that made us laugh, cry, and understand how the character feels. This was a good example for what I've been learning about in intro to DMA.

Departures

Departures was a very good movie that made me laugh and cry. The ceremony shots were beautiful and was very intriguing to the eye as you watched them prepare the bodies and make them beautiful for the next life. What really struck me was how the main character hated his father for leaving him and realizing when he was preparing his father's body that his father was afraid to see him. My father left when I was two and saw him once later in life. I know how this character felt and sometimes I wish my father wasn't the man he is now, and in a way I think he regretted not getting to know me and my sister, but he cut off tired with us and we haven't talked to him since my freshman year in high school. This film really made me feel respect for the dead and to remember the loved ones who are now gone. I wish more people respected the dead and the people who prepare them for burial.

Spirited Away

I still love this film so much and was very glad to watch it again. This movie has a lot of lessons that all of us can relate too. Chihiro w...

The LunchBox

The LunchBox is about a man who receives the wrong lunch one day and then meets a woman through letters that they write to each other.  Thro...

Yojimbo

Yojimbo is an interesting film that combines the western with the Japanese tradition.  The film had many funny scenes and goal that the samu...