Chef

Directed by and starring John Favearu, Chef tells the story of a prestigious cook who gets fed up with his job and decides to quit. The owner pushes him too far and Favreau ends up quitting his position at the highly rated Los Angeles restaurant. He soon finds himself in Miami where he gets together with his ex-wife, best friend, and son to start a food truck. It is a very captivating story and there are a lot of plot elements that many could relate too. We all have our problems and this movie definitely shows that we can overcome them with a little hard work and effort. The tale follows themes of life goals and even love of family and friends. Chef is a very funny and somewhat of a heart warming tale with great performances by Favreau, Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansen, and Robert Downey Jr. With an A-list cast like that you almost can't possibly go wrong, right? Well maybe not always, but Chef definitely pleases.

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.

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.

Catching up with Willy Wonka

It has been awhile since I have posted so let's start off by discussing Willy Wonka. Compared to its newer counter part, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka is not as true to the actual Roald Dahl book. Now as some may complain and whine about how it is not like the book and how it is "very different" let us look at the film as a whole. Now the job of the many filmmakers on set and in post is to interpret the story as they please as filmmakers and that is just what they did. They created their own story with it's own significant meaning that took place in this great little world Dahl was able to create and at the same time pull instances out of the book to contribute to the overall narrative. That is where we the scenes like the big candy room and the glass elevator come into play. However, to push the narrative there are story elements that were included to further the story such as the scene where Charlie and his Grandpa are almost severely injured by the large ceiling fan. The shocking ending is another factor, where Wonka kicks Charlie out only to see Charlie prove himself by being honest and exactly what Wonka was looking for.

The film has great direction, pace, and solid acting. It may not be the best film out there, but it is a classic that defined what Willy Wonka was for many years to come.

Letter to Momo

Letter to Momo was a very good film. I enjoyed it thoroughly as it reminded me of Spirited Away. That really helped its case as I LOVE the movie Spirited Away and quite a bit of Japanese animation. Japanese films are really doing themselves a good deal of justice. Some fine cinema work comes out of Japan and I love it. Letter to Momo was expertly paced and had a lot of great comedic value. While there were quite a bit of instances of sadness, you were able to relate to those instances and how Momo was struggling in her new and unfamiliar environments. This film felt a little more real to me versus a Miyazaki film. I guess Miyazaki is kind of the standard I'd compare this to. The characters were very unique and the animation was absolutely beautiful. It felt gritty, real, and down to earth. A little different than Miyazaki, although very similar. It was an expertly made film and I would definitely give it another watch. Most films should be watched more than once to get the full effect.

Spirited Away

I missed blogging on this from way back so I figured I'd get it in now!
Spirited Away is one of Miyazaki's finer works. It is essentially a coming of age tale at its roots. The story could almost be compared to Alice in Wonderland in a way. Very focused on showing the way Chihiro behaved early in the narrative to how she acted closing to the end of the film. She was able to learn through her time in the spirit world how it is to be worked and how to overcome obstacles by using quick thinking skills. She learned that in order to get what she wanted and to accomplish her goals she had to work towards a goal. She couldn't whine and complain. She gained skills to propel her through life.

Not only is this a coming of age tale, but it is a shot to those in Japan who he believed are moving away from tradition. He is sending a message to the next generation of those in Japan to change their ways or suffer the consequences of not taking care of their homeland. Aside from the many themes we see beautiful animation amazingly done as usual lead by Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Accompanying the story flawlessly, bringing it to its full life and potential. This is definitely one of his best works, if not THE best work by Miyazaki to date.

Japanese Music Videos

So last week I got the chance to view quite a few different music videos produced in Japan by Japanese musicians. I suppose I have just a few words to say here. Japan is a very cultural society. They bleed culture. They must have one of the more significant cultures in the world. They must also be one of the most misunderstood and comprehensive cultures out their. You can see this through their music videos. Quite a few of the music videos had a very serious tone lying underneath the surface of the song. Very well made, well put together pieces of film. On the other hand you have a group of videos that came across very strange, different, and even quite raunchy at times. Here you see a representation of a very serious and not-so-serious side of the cultural spectrum. Japan has a fun culture that wants to be taken seriously at times. They are a very rich nation with a lot of history. They are also a nation that holds close to them many myths and legends of mythical creatures and spirits. Japan is definitely a fun culture to jump into. Some of the very prominent videos that I think stood out were the videos by the young girl who sang the goofy songs within a very goofy random world. The video with the almost naked men was also very interesting...

Like Father, Like Son

Wow. All I can say is wow. This film send me on a whirlwind of emotional, moral, and even comedic bouts. What started out as a relatively simple movie quickly dropped when this seemingly perfect family was thrown into a dramatic conflict with another family. When the problem of each of their children being switched at birth arises, both families were shocked. They wanted to know what happened, why it happened, and how they would be compensated. Then once tensions settle, the families are faced with the decision of whether they want to have their original child back. This sends the plot spiraling into a series of meet-ups with the children, rich versus poor mentalities, a father distraught at his own parenting skills, and finally a decision to start over with a more "perfect" son. The father soon realizes what wrong he has done after learning the meaning of being a 'true' parent to a child as he shortly raised. The father takes his 'genetic' son back to retrieve his 'real' son. Although, after the bout of him retracting his love for his son, he has to make amends and promise to be a true father to him.

Really a marvelous film and what a great statement about parenting and love. Truly inspirational. The character kept you on the edge of your seat constantly and the ending could not be anticipated. I would definitely watch and recommend this film to others. The use of character development and the cinematography was something that stood out to me greatly. This is a film that deserves to be watched.