Five movies you need to watch (if you haven't already)
Matt Brenner
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: Life & Leisure
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"My Neighbor Totoro"
This is a film about two girls, Satsuke and Mei, who move to a country house in Japan with their father to be closer to their sick mother. The setting is 1940s post-World War II Japan, which already puts the aura of innocence the film shows into question as one watches.
It is directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki of "Spirited Away" fame, but about 20 years earlier in his career.
What's interesting about this film is that there is no antagonist, contrary to most American films. Instead, it focuses more on the emotional conflictions of Satsuke and Mei dealing with there ailing mother. It also shows conflicts between the maturity levels of the two sisters, which is interesting. As said before, the innocence is only skin deep; as Satsuke and Mei deal with death, rebirth and the importance of creativity.
The animation is smooth, and the colors are bright and lively. The music might be a little dated, but it still impacts the mood at key scenes. A great film to check out for people who are trying to broaden there interests in the anime industry, away from the action anime dramas (like "Bleach" and "Naruto").
"The Rapture"
"The Rapture" is the weirdest, creepiest and boldest film dealing with religion that I've seen. It's about a young woman named Sharon (Mimi Rogers) and her husband, who live the life of sin. However, after she is drawn to a religious sect that believes they've found a prophet that can predict the apocalypse, she embraces the Christian faith with open arms. She even marries one of her previous lovers, Randy (David Duchovney), and convinces him to follow the same path of religious faith.
This movie is definitely not for the faint of heart with a good amount of violence and sex scenes that are included. However, they're intense because the film is trying to send a message, albeit an open-ended one. The acting in the film is superb and then some, where even the extras deserve an Oscar (or a Golden Globe, perhaps).
This is a film about two girls, Satsuke and Mei, who move to a country house in Japan with their father to be closer to their sick mother. The setting is 1940s post-World War II Japan, which already puts the aura of innocence the film shows into question as one watches.
It is directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki of "Spirited Away" fame, but about 20 years earlier in his career.
What's interesting about this film is that there is no antagonist, contrary to most American films. Instead, it focuses more on the emotional conflictions of Satsuke and Mei dealing with there ailing mother. It also shows conflicts between the maturity levels of the two sisters, which is interesting. As said before, the innocence is only skin deep; as Satsuke and Mei deal with death, rebirth and the importance of creativity.
The animation is smooth, and the colors are bright and lively. The music might be a little dated, but it still impacts the mood at key scenes. A great film to check out for people who are trying to broaden there interests in the anime industry, away from the action anime dramas (like "Bleach" and "Naruto").
"The Rapture"
"The Rapture" is the weirdest, creepiest and boldest film dealing with religion that I've seen. It's about a young woman named Sharon (Mimi Rogers) and her husband, who live the life of sin. However, after she is drawn to a religious sect that believes they've found a prophet that can predict the apocalypse, she embraces the Christian faith with open arms. She even marries one of her previous lovers, Randy (David Duchovney), and convinces him to follow the same path of religious faith.
This movie is definitely not for the faint of heart with a good amount of violence and sex scenes that are included. However, they're intense because the film is trying to send a message, albeit an open-ended one. The acting in the film is superb and then some, where even the extras deserve an Oscar (or a Golden Globe, perhaps).
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