Sansho the Bailiff, Nothing Special

    Sansho the Bailiff is a Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It's highly regarded as a great piece of Japanese cinema, but I have to be honest, I did not enjoy it. The film certainly has some great things going for it such as the plot and direction, but man is it too long at only two hours and twelve minutes.
    I have adored all expect for one of Akira Kurosawa's films that I have seen, and yes sometimes the length gets irritating, but never to the point of true noticeability. Seven Samurai for example is fantastic, and it runs a whopping three hours and twenty-seven minutes. I haveno problem with Kurosawa's grand length because everything is interesting, Sansho the Bailiff not so much. The first thirty minutes could have easily been cut down. There were several scenes of just prolonged sequences of a character walking. Seriously, who thought that a thirty second take of a person moving slower than a worm would be good? It makes no sense to me.
    Overall I did think Sansho the Bailiff was an average movie, and for having 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, that shouldn't be the case. I personally think that this film just hasn't aged well, and because of that it has lost a lot of what has made it great.

I Loved Spirited Away Once

    Spirited Away is a fantastic film, never should one forget that. Hayao Miyazaki truly hit it out of the park with his story of a girl who forget her identity, and it certainly deserved the Oscar back in 2002. However, I've seen the film about four times fully throughout the years and I have to admit that this time I wasn't blown away as I have been in the past.
    The first time I saw the film I must have been around ten, so about 2005. I absolutely adored it and considered it one of my favorites. I watched it again somewhere around 2008 and I had a similar reaction. The next time I viewed the film was 2012, and even then I still loved it, even if my opinion was heavily influenced by nostalgia, it still was grand. Well, the most recent viewing was in Signs & Wonders and I was not blown away. Yes, the film is still fantastic, but compared to Princess Mononoke and The Wind Rises, it's not as strong. I suppose I should keep in mind that Spirited Away is more of a children's film than the other two, but Toy Story is, and I consider that one of the best films of the 21st century. At this point in time I cannot really put my finger on why Spirited Away has disappointed me the fourth time around, but I promise that I'll be trying to figure such a thing out in the future. Regardless though, Miyazaki will always be one of my favorite filmmakers.

After Life, One Of the More Realistic Films Out There

    Hirokazu Koreeda's After Life is truly the oddest film I viewed this semester here at Signs and Wonders. I knew absolutely nothing about this film except for the good reviews it got, so I figured I'd go. I can't say whether I loved it or hated it, but it certainly deserves a discussion.

    Now I will admit that I drifted into a brief slumber at one point during the film, but it certainly wasn't enough to detract from the film. I've seen other films that flirt with the idea of going somewhere in between life on earth and life in either heaven or hell, but this film seemed the most interesting for a few simple reasons. The first reason is the incredible lack of music in the film. I honestly can't even remember a single song from the film, and because of that it added so much more to the very realistic nature of the film, which brings me to my second reason, the documentary-like setup. Towards the later half of the film the film stops the interviews where people try to think of one's favorite memories, but when those interviews occur with no music to accompany, it feels as if the audience is sitting in on this interview alongside the entire cast and crew. The camera, my third reason, that these interviews, as well as the rest of the film, are shot on also adds to the realistic nature. The cameras were digital, very primitive digital cameras, and because of that they have that distinct "home video" look. So, with the collection of those three reasons; lack of music, interviews, and type of camera, this film felt extremely realistic even though the subject material was, well most likely, very unrealistic.

    As I said, I can't say if I liked the film, but there is truly something special about it that deserves attention. If one enjoyed this film based on the realistic nature I've displayed then I highly recommend David Lynch's Inland Empire. Sure, it's ten times weirder, but the same observances I made are in that film as well.

The Wind Rises and All Seven Deadly Sins

    The last few blogposts that I have written has revolved around certain characters and the various vices that seem to plague them in films. It’s not too often that a good film comes around with a central character that is entirely free of vices, and isn’t medicated to be that way. For, without things such as vices there typically isn’t any conflict, the one thing a film must have.

    The Wind Rises is Hayao Miyazaki’s last film as he heads out to finally retire, and it’s gorgeous. The story follows the life of a Japanese man named Jirô during the times of World War II. He’s an aircraft engineer, in fact one of the brightest. However, he doesn’t let vainglory take over, the first of seven to be completely nonexistent with Jirô. As he travels most of Europe and Asia visiting different airports and airstrips he encounters an earthquake. Jirô, being the calm guy he is does not get upset over the fact that this earthquake will mess up his travel plans, he instead allows any ounce of lurking wrath he possibly had to transform into curiosity as he finds a girl his age named Nahoko that he likes very much. These two eventually return back to their homes and Jirô, being the man he is, repressed any sexual urges, aka lust, ten fold. As Jirô becomes older and smarter he starts gaining more work around the globe, and instead of being greedy and prioritizing his work above all else, he rather prioritizes finding Nahoko again, and he ensures that his work, or a bit of sloth, won’t take over if he does find her. A little later in the film the two finally meet again, but she reveals some bad news that she has a medical disorder that is slowly killing her. Perhaps people in Jirô’s situation would be envious of normal couples, but certainly not Jirô. He loves this girl and would do anything to switch places with her. To finish my post I feel I do not have to explain the ending, plus I really don’t want to spoil it for the few that missed out, so I’ll just end on the fact that he’s not a glutton either. Jirô is far from large and only eats the traditional meals like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At one point in the film there’s even a question of whether he ate when working so hard, so he most certainly is no glutton.

    The film really has nothing to do with the seven vices in Rebecca DeYoung’s Glittering Vices, but I find it remarkable that none of them are apparent in such a great story. It's a shame this film didn't take home the Oscar...

Gojira and Wrath

    Once again this post will revolve around one of the Seven Deadly Sins discussed in my philosophy class. Gojira, directed by Ishirô Honda from 1954 isn't a film one would associate wrath to because it perhaps it's too simple a premise, but I find it interesting. As you know, given what the movie is, it’s a little ridiculous in several ways, from visual effects to campiness to acting, it’s all over the top. Some of things that I will point will certainly seem laughable, but there’s no denying that those laughable examples represent the vice of wrath.

    All throughout Rebecca DeYoung’s chapter on anger in her book, Glittering Vices she explains time and time again that anger is perfectly okay and normal to have. She uses God as an example to prove that anger has a place in this world, but she also says that only the right kind of anger has a place in this world. To further elaborate on such, DeYoung says if one has anger pertaining to a lack of justice, say your friend gets killed, then that is okay. What’s not okay are things such as freaking out over somebody spilling a drink on something, or going out and killing someone because you lost money on the horse race. In the film Gojira the creature, named Godzilla by Americans, displays loads of these unjustified anger outbursts. The first one is when Godzilla wakes up, the reason for the entire film. In the original he wakes up from the bottom of the ocean because too much nuclear activity has disturbed his slumber, and instead of solving things in a civil manner by sitting down and discussing things, he instead destroys all of Tokyo with no mercy. Granted Godzilla is not a civil human being, but still he’s being a gigantic baby. Now, even though the people of Tokyo caused the radioactivity levels to soar, they have every right to get mad at Godzilla because they did not know he was there trying to nap. A second example, although not as big as my previous one, can certainly be categorized as wrath. As Godzilla destroys Tokyo, tons of things are happening around him such as evacuations, and as a train full of people is trying to leave Godzilla steps in front of them, hurting Godzilla’s foot and causing him to rage some more. Godzilla just doesn’t get how rage is supposed to work, just not one bit.

    Yes, these seem ridiculous to be pointing out, but they most certainly are true and are perfect displays of wrath.

A Letter to Momo and Sloth

    A Letter to Momo directed by Hiroyuki Okiura is a Japanese animated film with a style similar to that of Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. A style in which mystical worlds and a true sense of fantasy prevail over everything else. The story follows the life of Momo as she travels with her mom to live with her grandparents in a smaller town. The reason for the move is due to the rather sudden death of Momo's father. Amongst the heartache, Momo and her father have strong interaction with the vice of sloth in various ways. 

    In my Intro to Philosophy class we are reading Rebecca DeYoung's Glittering Vices. DeYoung defines sloth as indeed having to do with laziness, but also as being extremely busy to the point of having “no free time” to do anything other than busy work. Towards the end of A Letter to Momo one of the last interactions between Momo and her father is displayed in a rather depressing sloth-filled manner. Momo had gone out of her way to score some very difficult to acquire tickets for he dad, and when she giddily presents them to him he tells her he’s too busy. Momo, heartbroken by her father’s slothful action takes refuge in her room and rather than being the better person, she falls back on the actions performed by her father. However, instead of Momo being slothful in the sense that her father was, she initially takes more to the renown definition of sloth. She stays cooped up in her room not wanting anything to do with anyone. On behalf of Momo’s father’s action, she becomes subdued and acts in a lazy manner by not applying the effort she’s capable of in order to fix things. It’s not until Momo’s father dies and the move takes place that Momo acts slothful in the way her father did. As her mother, and even her grandparents try to get her to interact with the other people of the new town, she refuses and typically proclaims that she’s too busy. A key example is when Momo’s mother asks her to spend time with her grandparents. Instead of eating with them as Momo was asked of, she dips out of the house claiming to the audience to be too busy.

    A Letter to Momo isn’t all about sloth by any means, but I thought it'd be interesting to display the points the film is depends on.

Sansho the Bailiff

Mizoguchi, being my personal favorite of the trio of Japanese filmmakers I have discussed before, crafts a beautifully executed tale in Sansho the Bailiff. While Zushio and Anju are on their way to visit their banished father they are attacked and separated from their mother. The two children are taken to work and grown up as slaves on the estate of the terrifying Sansho. Then one day when Anju hears a familiar song the children realize their mother must still be alive. This really kicks off the story and hunt for the young children's mother. I think this story really tells a lot about the importance of family and really puts the family figure up on a pedestal. A lot of Japanese filmmakers deal with the family life, Mizoguchi especially does this and a lot of early Kurosawa is the very same way. Early Japanese filmmaking really focuses on the family and its importance and this is no exception. Throwing together a daring tale to accompany the theme this is a fantastic film that deserves its place among the greats of Japan.

Is the Wind still Rising?

One of the things that interested me about The Wind Rises was that it was a mix of fact and fiction, telling the story of Jiro Horikoshi as he went along a journey to creating the fighter plane used by Japan in the second world war, but also mixing in a story about finding love when Jiro meets Naoko. The story of the movie kept me entranced the whole time, and there wasn't a time where I was less interested or distracted from the film. Then there was Jiro's mentor from his dreams, Mr. Caproni. Caproni always served as a compass for Jiro and kept him on track, almost like a conscience. Jiro's character never struggled with any of the common virtues that one would see in a movie, but still provided a greatly deep and fulfilling protagonist who always tried to do the right thing. I think Miyazaki did a good job of telling a story of a man who did great things without painting him as a villain or hero in the war, just letting his life play out.
Besides the great plot, the film was visually beautiful, all of the animation was great to watch play across the screen and the colors were so rich and vibrant, it looked like I was watching a visual farmer's market. I mean, just look at these pictures! It was so magnificent to watch Jiro go from that little boy in the plane to the man standing next to Caproni, as an equal. The Wind Rises is definitely one of the best Miyazaki films I've seen, maybe even my favorite.

Tokyo Story

Tokyo Story has to be Ozu's greatest work. I absolutely love Japanese films and the nations native directs and I am a huge fan of filmmakers Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi. They have always influenced me and held a special place in my filmmaking mind. In Tokyo Story an elderly couple comes to Japan to visit their family and upon arriving the elderly couple's family is leaving on a trip and pays no heed to them. After those series of events a sister-in-law decides to take the couple out on the city of Tokyo. From there on out the story covers many topics from mortality, family, love, and being grateful for what you have before its gone and you realize it is too late. A very introspective film, Ozu does well to craft a well developed set of characters. He does so much like the rest of the famous Japanese writers/directors.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is the story of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, who is considered to be the worlds greatest sushi chef. Working in a 10-seat sushi only shop in a subway system, Jiro seems to dedicate his life to his sushi. It may not seem like much on the surface, but this small shop is visited by many from all over the world and has won countless awards. The movie is a thoughtful piece on career, family, and Jiro’s life covering his success' and failures of both a culinary artist and a father. A movie has never felt me feel so important in my life. Like I am called to do something. Not only that, but that I am called to do something and do it amazingly well. Not for anyone else, but myself and my family. I think that is what filmmaking means to me. The same thing it all means to Jiro. Jiro is an inspiration to live by and he is a very accomplished man. It is one of those regret nothing type of lifestyles I have learned that you have to live. I draw a lot of inspiration from this documentary. It is definitely one of my favorites.

The Wind Rises

The Wind Rises is a phenomenal film and I think it says a lot about Miyazaki's as his last movie. It is a little bit different than most of his other movies. It has less to do with children, legend, and fantasy and has to do more with Japanese history, culture, and an adult's aspirations. I believe this to be Miyazaki's most personal film to date as it shows a young adult on his life's journey which seems to be very reflective of Miyazaki himself. He does this all while still staying true to a Japanese story rooted in rich history. This film really stays away from that fantastical other than the fact that there are various dreamlike sequences that help build a sense of not being of this world. The sense of wanting to get away.

This is a marvelous film I would recommend to any. It definitely competes against Spirited Away. Don't forget that Joseph Gordon-Levitt does voice acting in the english dub, so that's always a plus.

Spirited Away: A Response

There is much love on here for Spirited Away, which is to be expected since this film has had almost universal acclaim worldwide. It has the unique distinction of being both the highest grossing film in Japan, and the winner of the Academy Award for best animated feature that year. Instead of heaping praise or criticism on the film, I’d like to take a slightly different approach by talking about something that caught my eye.

After seeing the film, I looked up Roger Ebert’s review of Spirited Away. In it he writes: “Miyazaki says he made the film specifically for 10-year-old girls. That is why it plays so powerfully for adult viewers. Movies made for "everybody" are actually made for nobody in particular. Movies about specific characters in a detailed world are spellbinding because they make no attempt to cater to us; they are defiantly, triumphantly, themselves.”

In his review, Ebert really champions character driven films. During his prolific career, Mr. Ebert saw thousands upon thousands of films, but this is one that stood out above many others in his mind. I think that we as filmmakers and media creators can learn something from this. Not only does it remind us that films are made for an audience, but also that we must make bold choices to engage that audience.

Creepy as All Get Out...

My sister has been watching a lot of Miyazaki films lately, and when I went home for Thanksgiving Break, we talked about Spirited Away because we watched that movie quite a few times in our childhood. I think it was on almost every other Saturday, and we watched it most of the times it was on because there wasn't a lot to do in the evenings at my dad's house.

And as a kid, it was horrifying and fascinating all at once. Everything about the setting in the beginning was eerie, like you knew something bad was going to happen to them. And then when her parents became pigs, I really felt for her because I thought, "Wow, it would be horrible if my parents were turned into pigs." And No Face eating people? And the giant baby? Maybe that giant baby throwing a tantrum is where my immense dislike of children comes from.

But I'm able to look back on the times I was scared with feelings of fondness because it was good movie. It didn't keep you scared, and the character development was solid. There were moments of calmness and whimsy mixed throughout the scary stuff, so it had a nice balance overall. If it had been nothing but scary, my sister and I probably wouldn't have watched it that many times.

Miyazaki's Weird One

I agree with the Japanese people: I didn't like this movie. Can't really say why, because it wasn't bad; I just didn't like it. I think it was mostly that the romance was too cheesy half the time. Like Karli pointed out, "I have tuberculosis!" Where did that come from?

I loved the planes, and Jiro's best friend, and Jiro's boss; everything was great, and interesting, and I think it would have been better if the romance had been left out. Also, did the romance add anything to the story? I don't think it did, except to make Jiro more human, as his boss said. Yes, I think we did need to see a more human side of Jiro; but could we not have seen it in some other way? And if it had to be romance that brought out his humanness, couldn't it have been less cheesy? Tuberculosis-dying-girlfriend-we wanna spend our last days together-the girl leaves to die alone- has all been done before and was just hyped-up emotion, I thought, and I think that Miyazaki, being Miyazaki, could have done much better.

Also, I've heard it said that the stories that should be animated are the ones that cannot be done in live action; I think this was a story perfect for live action, and I didn't really like it as an animation.

I have bashed this movie, I'm sorry. There were beautiful moments, like this one:

Ikiru

 I absolutely loved this movie.  The plot is a high-ranking government official discovers he has cancer and decides that he needs to actually do something with his life.  It started a bit slow but honestly I think that was what Kurosawa was going for.  That part of the movie was about how boring and uneventful the main characters life was.  I think Kurosawa not only wanted to show us this but also make us feel it, and I think he does this throughout with all the different emotions.  The point this movie is trying to make is that we should not just live our life to work and make money.  This is a very common theme in movies and television.  What sets this movie apart from everything else is that while most movies say don’t work your whole life take time out to relax and spend time with your family.  Basically they are saying, yes work is important but make sure you take time off.  This movie says that the best and most enjoyable way to live your life is to work as hard as you can to help others.  Wantanabe tries the relaxation, the partying, even spending time with his family but his life still felt empty but as soon as he was helping others he was happy.  We can see this in one of the best metaphors I have ever seen in a movie, the Life is Brief song.  The way the tone of changes throughout the film is just beautiful.  This film is definitely worth watching if you didn’t get to see it.

Sansho the Bailiff

I was not the biggest fan of the movie Sansho the Bailiff, which surprises me because the story idea was a really good one.  This is a redemption story, with a hint of revenge.  These types of stories may be my favorite.  I even love watching sad movies, which this movie is.  So why don’t I like it?  I honestly felt that the whole story was kind of rushed, and considering that this movie is over two hours that’s saying something.  I feel like they had enough story to make probably three movies.  The first part of the story about Anju’s father resisting the government’s demands in order to help his people would make a terrific movie.  There had to be some sort of fighting that went on, whether it was a debate or a war I’d really like to see it.  Instead they just kind of told us that this happened and we didn't see much.  The second part about Anju in slavery, his redemption, and escape would also make a terrific movie, I mean it’s the exact plot of The Shawshank Redemption.  Then the last part about his revenge and him finding his mother would have been a great wrap up.  Instead I feel like they didn't spend enough time on any of these points the whole movie feels like an in depth synopsis of what should have been a good trilogy.

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.

Like Father, Like Son

Like Father, Like Son was a pleasant surprise. This was one of the two Signs and Wonders picks that I attended this semester going in blind, meaning that I hadn’t heard of it or anything about it, and it turned out to be a very rewarding experience. The switched-at-birth plot device has been done before, but that was never an issue for me. Here it is played out effortlessly, and serves the film perfectly. It could have been gimmicky or manipulative, but it is rather respectfully handled, as these characters are well rounded human beings. We dislike them sometimes, but can still empathize with them. I love films that strive to explore a theme, and Like Father, Like Son is definitely one of those. It’s both a well made film and a meditation on the meaning of family. This is a film that deserves to be seen.

Sansho the Bailiff

"Without mercy, Man is like a beast. Even if you are hard on yourself, be merciful to others. Men are created equal."

Sansho the Bailiff was based on a previous story, a fact that is hinted at by the way the film is prefaced. The story of the film gives it a larger-than-life feel, and helps us accept the scope of the plot. One of the film’s strengths is its characters. The film lets us empathize with these characters who have gone through incredible hardship. This is a family that we truly want to see reunited.

The film tells us at the beginning that the story takes place in “an era when mankind had not yet awakened as human beings." This is a fascinating statement alone, but it is pushed further when coupled with the philosophy of the top quote. This film itself could be viewed with a philosophical lense, as it features characters who attempt to be merciful to all, even the most sadistic.

Finally, this film is visually beautiful. While we see this throughout, in the pictured scene it is paired with restraint from the filmmakers that is appropriately haunting.

Tampopo

This scene was kind of gross in mind yet still felt sexy somehow.

The movie Tampopo was a surprisingly entertaining film. There were a couple of confusing cut away scenes but it still had a sense of story. I imagined it as the real story, which was the woman coking the noodles, and the scenes of the man in the suit which was a way of making you feel the theme of appetite. The noodles were enough for me to be hungry afterwards. But, the other scenes gave the different type appetite, romantic appetite. I am not the target audience for feeling sexual appetite so those scenes seemed unneeded and confusing. Now that I look back I can understand where it comes from.