Japan is Confusing....

I found this movie very confusing. It is probably because of the cultural barrier, or maybe the fact that I sometimes get lost reading subtitles and not in the movie. But I found this film strange and hard to understand. However, with that being said, I still enjoyed what I got out of the film, so kudos to Hiroyuki.
Now, with what I did understand, I really did enjoy. The three spirits were genuinely funny and the film turned out to be a lot more emotional than I thought it would be. I can only imagine how this would be for a child who has actually lost a parent and wanted to communicate with them in heaven....
I found the animation to be stereotypical of Japan but also spot on in many instances. The fact that Mame had a giant tongue and a playful attitude helped him be a fan favorite, and when he began to cry it was almost unbearable for such a nice creature to do. Iwa was fun to see interact with and help develop Momo. I think that he was the most significant force that helped her jump into the water in the end. And Kawa, well he was grotesque but also fun.
The whole story seemed to be very well put together and it flowed very well. I was not dying for the credits to roll, but instead I wanted the mischievous group to stick with Momo longer. And I am glad that Momo developed in the way that she did with her mother. That bond helped the fact that her father had passed; she wasn't orphaned.
I really did like this movie, however I need to watch it again to understand more of what it means to Americans. I thoroughly like films like this where humor and emotions are used in just enough proportion to entertain and delight but keep the story meaningful. So, I am glad I saw this and I would gladly watch it again.

Family Is Based on Loyalty, Not Blood

I found this movie to be touching on a very personal level, slightly similar to Departures. I thought that the film kind of had a weird basis to start upon, like who would be psycho enough to switch a families child with another? But, I did like the way the movie unfolded and I found myself desiring a conclusion, which was very satisfying. I really liked the character development, story, and the way that the story was pieced together.
I found Ryota to be a very relatable character. My own father had to help raise three children who weren't his and so I understand how the family versus loyalty aspect applied to this film. I also found Yukari to be very relatable, because my father interacted with me and my nieces and nephews the same way that Yukari did with his children. So, I could understand both sides to this story, and that helped keep me more involved in the story and it made me feel like less of a viewer and more of a character.
I really liked how the families tried to treat this situation. Although Ryota was very rude in trying to take away the Saiki's child, they still over came this together. They tried to get the children together and hang out as one whole family, and I respected that. I liked how things were resolved in the end, but certain parts of the movie made me infuriated. How could a man give up a child that he had spent 6 years with? But, it was fine in the end.
Overall, I loved this movie. I like almost everything about it and I connected to many aspects of it.

An Undeniable Lust

This movie is a classic and it probably always will be, and Johnny Depp will never be able to take the place of Gene Wilder. The story is absolute madness and it is funny to think about someone ever thinking about this. Like, who would think "You know what would make a good movie? A man obsessed with chocolate who is willing to give away all he has to a poor child if he completes a tour through his factory." I can't imagine someone sane thinking this up, but none the less, it made a very good movie.
The movie teaches an essential life lesson, be a good child and obey the rules and good things will come to you. It tells children not to be brats, or disobedient, or gluttonous. It also tells that in the end, all that matters is the relationships you build with the people around you. And all of these life lessons are taught in a mad house, shown explicitly in the tunnel scene.
I find this film to be good, but over hyped. I honestly don't think it is quite as good as everyone says it is, but t is still worth watching. It was one of the movies that most people view as a child and I think that it will be a timeless classic shown through generations.

This scene still scares me a little though.....

This is Why I Love DMA

The other day was amazing. Professor Ballinger held the reigns and we got to witness many videos. Some of the videos were funny, others were disturbing, and others were actually good. Such as the DJ Ozma music video. This music video was a little bit of everything and it was quite entertaining to watch.
The night held videos of food and Japan, and most were very well done. Some were edited beautifully, through synchronicity or general effects. Others contained actually good content, such as the Primus music video.
Although it was mainly for sheer entertainment, it was kind of fun to see some of what youtube had to offer. Overall I enjoyed Ballingers' selections and I am looking forward to seeing what else we get to witness while being a student in his class.

The Pursuit of Perfection

This film was probably the most enlightening movie we have seen in class so far. So many life lessons were taught that I felt like I needed a pen and paper to jot them down. This documentary also made me the hungriest by far. If I ever get enough money I am definitely eating at Jiro's restaurant at least once in my life. This film was just so good that it is hard to say anything negative about it.
I highly respect the fact that Jiro has not modernized his business. He has stuck to the same task for years to perfect it, and then he passed that work on to his sons. The thing that amazed me most was not the actual food, even though it was incredible. Instead, it was the fact that Jiro took so much effort to make his guests feel honored that he even noticed their habits. He inspected and watched them to help their experience go better. Left handed people were served on the opposite side of right handed people, those who drank more received more, and those who ate slower were served at their pace. The sheer analysis of his guests shows a master at work.
I could not even imagine being an apprentice for someone like that. The amount of time required for their training was immense. Most Americans would not even last long enough to prepare the food by the time that they were criticized out of the building.
He may be a perfectionist and extremist, but it shows. All of his guests are very pleased and he has won multiple awards. He has left a legacy of great sushi and people to nurture that legacy into something even greater.
This documentary was so incredible to watch and although it was not central to the film; the editing was also wonderfully done. The whole experience just made this movie so enjoyable.

A Voyage of Understanding

This movie was one of the few that I actually have not liked. I found it boring and slow and not very funny. I don't know why I didn't like it so much but I just didn't, and I found it very hard to watch.
Most movies where actors play themselves are generally viewed as distasteful and egotistical, this was no exception. Steve Coogan is someone who I find very annoying and hearing him constantly berate another human just made me angry. This entire movie just seemed to be unoriginal and unbearable.
With all of this being said, there were some good moments. Two enemies became friends and the relationship they shared seemed to blossom throughout the movie. So, it wasn't a complete waste. I hope that these two are genuine friends in real life now because of the life changing experience they shared on the road, but, it was a movie.
The movie is centered around two people who I found not funny in the slightest, even though the where telling jokes and doing impersonations constantly. I really just don't like the people selected for the lead roles in this movie. And, making Steve Coogan look like a bad parent in the process didn't help me like him much more than when the movie began.
I may be alone in my thinking, but I just did not like this movie. I understand that it was a food day but I didn't find it worth it to see two people eat food for over an hour. Yes, I am sure the food was good, but it was the focal point of a movie based around two people who ate food.
So, although it had some good food featured in it. I will probably never watch this movie again.

If Nudity Is Necessary Then It Is Allowed

Alright, this movie was very intriguing. I say that because it was one of the first movies I have seen since I got to Huntington University with such excessive content; nudity, violence, etc. It was kind of funny, kind of sad, kind of happy, and a lot of crazy. Like Water for Chocolate is one of those movies that I can't accurately describe to someone because it has so much going on in it.
First off, the Mama Elena is evil. She looks like Satan and reminds me of a witch. She made me infuriated and just because of some stupid rule, she damned the whole family. I am glad that she died, maybe not exactly how she died, but still glad she was removed from the movie by the end of the film. And, even when she died, she still came back to haunt poor Tita. She was all kinds of messed up and she was a terrible person.
However, because the mother was so bad, you had to have someone to like in the movie. So, you get Gertrudis. She is the rebellious child, the outlaw, the person that everyone loves. She gets swept off her feet by a military man and comes home as a general. She is one of those characters that you just have to love.
As for the movie itself, it was ridiculous. It was as if magic mixed with romance and emotion and came out in some girls' cooking. The whole premise is bonkers but it worked out well for the movie in the end. It was very entertaining and I appreciated the fact that nothing was in the movie just because. There were no mindless sex scenes or random explosions, it all just fit. So, I really liked this movie, even though the idea behind it was crazy.

A Grave Task

Now, this is one of the few movies that I have ever viewed and thoroughly been touched by. The entire experience of this man; whether it be the lack of connection he has with his father, the life that he lives that relies so heavily upon work, or the escape he finds by some human created facet, all just speak so greatly to me. Masahiro is a character that I can genuinely relate to and that aspect made my connection to this movie so much greater.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, which actually surprised me greatly. I originally thought I would hate it, because it seemed to be so based upon music and this man with some cello. However, it turns out that music was such a great overlaying aspect of the movie that it seemed to play a small role in the outcome of the film, granted his job loss ion the orchestra is what led him to the departure position in the first place. But I was very happy when the movie turned out to be less of a musical and more an analysis of life and death. After all, aren't we merely pawns in the grand scheme of life?
The part that seemed to speak to me the most though was how people treated this man because of his position. I thought that his job would be seen as honorable. I mean he was the person who ensured that the deceased looked nice for the family on earth and for God in heaven. But that was definitely not the case. People viewed him as diseased and avoided him like he was the plague, Ryoko even left him when she found out. I just viewed that as very odd.
The other thing that stuck out to me about the movie was the symbol of the stone, given at the end and beginning. As a person who used to collect odd objects I thought it was so cool for this man to keep his son's rock with him and use it as a constant reminder of him. As someone who has seen a father and son hate each other and be brought together by some physical object, this spoke very deeply to me.
I very much enjoyed this movie, and I am glad that such a film exists to teach an essential cultural aspect of another country.

The Samurai that Never Dies

I would like to thank Yojimbo for being the basis for most of my childhood. I mean, this is essentially one of the starter movies for the stereotypical bad@$$ main character who goes through thousands of enemies and never dies. So, this movie started a trend that led to Dirty Harry, Die Hard, and eventually Master Chief. The main character says very little but you still get the sense that you shouldn't mess with them if you want to keep your life intact. So, for that, I thank Yojimbo.
This film is all about a stranger that strolled into town, killed a lot of people, befriended some others, and left. I love movies like this but I do think they are over done in Hollywood nowadays. However, since this is one of the first I don't think that anything negative can be said about the potential influences it might have had.
With that being said, I did really like the movie. I like the premise behind it, a samurai without his master becoming a mercenary with a vengeful streak, and I loved the dialogue. Yojimbo said exactly what needed to be said and the point was made, there was no fluff or over dramatized monologues. I also really like the story with the influence of a samurai. How one man takes a war torn town, overthrows the people in power, clears out the wicked, and leaves the town in peace. It helps show great insight into the role of samurai in past ages and it is great to watch adapted on film. Plus frequent fight scenes always make movies more entertaining.
This movie was beautifully done and it will definitely stand the test of time.

The Confusion on Food

I found The Lunchbox to be a very humorous story about something that could potentially happen in everyday life. The main aspect of this movie was the mistaken delivery of one man's lunch to another, which could have been easily altered, and a woman who consults here aunt for advice on what to cook him next. The story seems ridiculous but when it is viewed, it makes perfect sense. The film expresses life and love wonderfully, and it throws in just enough humor to make the film upbeat and in good spirits. With this being said, it does have a darker side to it as well...
The thing that I can't get out of my head, about this film, was the blind folded game. I don't remember its exact name but it is brought up a few times throughout the movie. The mother had her child cover her dies when she jumped and the little girl was playing with her doll as it was blind folded. This whole aspect of the movie didn't seem to fit in, at first, but now looking back it seems to make perfect sense. The characters literally jumped all in, eyes closed, and never looked back. Although the one led to death, it was still a critical aspect of the story. "Even if you board the wrong train, it still might lead you to the right destination."
Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I liked the characters, I liked the story, and I liked the interaction of this film with people in modern day lives. Many of the main points of this film apply to many different people and I like the film all the more for doing that. And most of all, I love the film for not showing an ending. I adore the film for ending without a conclusion because for a story about life, not having an end seemed most fitting.

Way Behind.....

Well, since it occurred to me recently that I have not yet done any blogs for this class; I suppose I need to do something about that.
First off, there was Spirited Away, which I loved. Now, I do not understand Japanese culture and so some aspects of the movie were impossible to understand, and some were very difficult to understand. However, I did appreciate the artistry in this movie and the story that it took its viewer upon. I have always been a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland and this seemed a lot like that, but in Japanese.
This film was great because Chihiro finds herself and grows up in the process, and the parents have no idea any of it happened. They are so consumed with their own lives, their wealth, their gluttony, and their new life in Japan that they take no notice of their child. I think that this tells so much about what Hayao Miyazaki was telling the onlookers of his film. Many people just raise their children in the way that they want and this gives the child no freedom to express themselves or find out what they want to be and who they want to become. Many parents have no idea of what goes on in the lives of their children and so I am glad that this film addresses that.
Now, about the film. I was very confused by the people and creatures but I thoroughly enjoyed watching them in this beautiful world. I feel like the movie was very purposeful in its teachings but I didn't understand many of them due to the culture barrier. However, I found this to be a great movie.