Miyazaki’s Ponyo raises the creative standard

This past week, I took my 4 and 6 year old children to go see Ponyo at the dollar theater. Since Scott already reviewed this from an adult Babblers point of view, I will share this from the perspective of my kids. Movies are pretty much ‘hit or miss’ experience for the vulnerable senses of my offspring. Most movies targeted for kids are still too intense or frightening for them. Even most Disney movies are too graphic resulting in a early departure from the theaters and an evening of nightmares. If they are not too scary, they are usually too mature for them and they get bored. Either way, we have not had too much luck lately and haven’t successfully sat through a whole movie in quite sometime.

Ponyo was a refreshing change in the ordinary. It was cute, simple, and very creative. My kids were engaged from the very start and hung on every scene. The relationships easily digestible and relatively healthy. While there was an antagonist, he was just misunderstood and redeemed himself by the end. There are a couple of intense scenes but not out of mal intentions. Visually it was so much more creative then the standard animated ‘McMovie’. Miyazki’s world is vibrant, full of life, and brilliant. My kids couldn’t stop talking about it all night. In fact, their enthusiasm caused me to buy a little Ponyo stuff plushy and a couple of books for them to enjoy.

My only complaint is that it feels a little long. At an hour and 40 minutes, it could have been a little tighter- especiallyt since we went twice this week. In the English version, the voice acting was strong thanks to Liam Neeson, Matt Damon, and Tina Fey. Finally, at a whopping 91% on RottenTomatoes, it deserved every percent.

I hope the East will continue to provide great and creative family movies like Ponyo. It’s no wonder that Disney bought the distribution rights to this one. We don’t buy many movie but this will no doubt make the Christmas list.

I (and my kids) give Ponyo a 4 out of 5 Babbles

Invictus

Invictus is an upcoming film about Nelson Mandela’s Presidency as he inspires to lead his county during the 1995 World Cup. Recognizing the racial division that separated South Africa, Nelson knew that the Rugby team could bring them together. This looks to be a perfect vehicle for te regal Morgan Freeman and the scrapper Matt Damon. With the sentimental power of Director Clint Eastwood, this is sure to be a powerful movie. Invictus comes out December 11th.

disney’s a christmas carol 3d

It’s holiday time and you know what that means…that’s right, you’ve successfully procrastinated taking down last years decorations and won’t have to hear about it until mid January. God job! It also means it’s time to dust off time-honored holiday classics like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Let’s be honest about something, the story has been retold hundreds of times in hundreds of different ways so there’s no need to offer a synopsis of a tale that would be shameful to admit you don’t know. So let’s answer the important question. Why should you see this one?

Well, jaded moviegoer, this morality tale is a good one to refresh once in a while. Who can say that they don’t find themselves occasionally, if only briefly, tight-fisted in a culture of consumption and self-interest? This technologically enhanced retelling intricately recreates the story of miserly prune, Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation into a wildly benevolent citizen, bursting with Christmas spirit. No one truly identifies with his wealth lust and disdain for his fellow man, but his story may cause you to think twice before you pass the guy with the bell and red bucket outside of the supermarket.

Furthermore, the movie is just fun. Director and screenplay writer Robert Zemeckis (Polar Express) steps back into the animated holiday genre. The art and 3 dimensional images paint a vivid portrait of a mid-1800’s English town. Zemeckis’ use of motion capture technology (think Beowulf, 2007) is taken to stunning levels with the acting chops of Jim Carrey (Scrooge, all Christmas Ghosts) and Gary Oldman (Bob Cratchit). I wouldn’t be surprised to see Oscar nominations for the animation in this film. There’s plenty of action and a good touch of humor to counter balance some grim thematic material.

There are a couple of hesitations in this film. The dark nature of parts of the story may be heavy for very young viewers. Seriously, some parts were just scary. Also, Zemeckis uses much of Dickens’ original language. I found that stimulating but it could cause a disconnect for simpler ears. Bottom-line, this movie may not blow you away, but it is a fun holiday event that you and your family could enjoy, though, you may have to explain some parts to your 6-year-old . If all else fails, go see this film so you won’t risk accidentally seeing a replay of Ben Affleck’s yule log Saving Christmas on cable. In the spirit of “good will toward men,” I give Disney’s A Christmas Carol 3.5 babbles out of 5.

2012 wasn’t a total disaster

(*No spoilers, except that everything blows up)
Ever since aliens came down to visit us on July 4th, the world and our safety has never been the same. Roland Emmerich’s signature destruction genre is back to strike fear into the human race once again. Emmerich has brought over a decade of destruction with popcorn flicks like Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow. At the San Diego Comic Con, Emmerich was justifiably asked ‘why do you hate us so much?’. Well if he hated us in his past films, he down right loathed us in this one.

To start, 2012 introduces a handful of characters just to explain the fact that the Earth’s core is heating up and will eventually lead to its destruction. There is about 30 minutes of intros of stock characters for example; the likeable ex husband hero, the misunderstood but often right scientist, the honorable President, the selfish billionaire, and the list goes on and on. However, the most interesting character in this film is mother Earth herself.

Once the fireworks begin it is nothing short of being epic. Emmerich out did himself with this level of massive, cataclysmic annihilation that makes you feel so good and so bad at the same time. It was hard to wrap my head around the scale of destruction depicted in some scenes. My only complaint is that 2012 was not offered in IMAX which is an absolute tragedy. Graphics and effects were so astounding that it physically caused my mouth to open and jaw to drop. It was insane. While being horrific, it stayed well within the PG-13 rating being careful not to show children dying or too much suffering. I don’t think anyone could stomach an R rated version.

Characters are just there to serve as plot devices- we have to save ’so-and-so’ and ‘joe blow’ can save us, bla bla. Those characters do not expecting much out of us so we shouldn’t expect much out of them. At least they were not as ‘cartoon-ish’ as in Independence Day.

The first 2/3rd of the film is fairly enjoyable. The last third takes a very mediocre turn as it attempts a resolution that can pass as viable. It becomes a different film and a poor one at that. It’s Hollywood to the max and not surprising as an Emmerich creation. There is one scene where the African-American president watches as a US aircraft carrier is being flung at both he and the Whitehouse- subtlety was never Emmerich’s strong suit.

The film concludes on an interesting note. It’s not really a twist but there is a message there that I found unexpected and positive. So I don’t want to spoil it but Roland, I have to bless you with a ‘two chest thumps and a peace sign’ for it. It is a little piece of poetic justice in this upside down world we live in. 

2012 is a pretty bad film that is pretty good. It’s the epitome of ’popcorn flick’ at it’s finest. Lower expectations and suspend disbelief and you will have a great time.

I give it 3 out of 5 Babbles

2012 annihilated the world

#1 2012 Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $65,000,000 N/A 3 3,404 $19,095 $65,000,000 N/A #790

#2 Disney’s a Christmas Carol Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $22,325,000 -26 10 3,683 $6,062 $63,289,000 N/A #822

#3 The Men Who Stare at Goats Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $6,200,000 -51 10 2,453 $2,528 $23,376,000 N/A N/A

#4 Precious Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $6,090,000 +225 10 174 $35,000 $8,914,000 N/A N/A

#5 Michael Jackson’s This Is It Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $5,100,000 -61 19 3,037 $1,679 $67,211,000 N/A #749

Miyazaki’s Ponyo is an anime delight

Seeing as how Johnny’s post on Ponyo has been one of our highest-viewed articles on a daily basis, I felt as though I would be truly missing something special if I didn’t see this movie. Today I finally made my way to the discount theater for one last chance to see Ponyo, the story of a fish-girl who falls in love with a young human boy. Unfortunately, due to an incredibly long line at the concessions stand from which I was forced to purchase my ticket, I missed the first few minutes. I will assume they were equally as good as the remainder of the movie.

 (Spoilers Ahead)

Ponyo (pronounced Pahn-yo, not Pone-yo or Pwn-yo) is a Princess goldfish who, while exploring the shallow waters close to a human town, is caught up in a trawler’s net scraping the bottom of the ocean floor. Escaping a wave of refuse, but trapped in a jar, she is rescued by 5-year old Sosuke, who cuts his finger when he shatters her glass prison. Inexplicably, she laps at the blood that has welled up from the small wound, activating her magical powers. Don’t ask; it ruins the magic.

Sosuke places Ponyo in a bucket of water, feeds her, and takes her to his school and to the senior center where his mother works. After a short time, Ponyo comes to love Sosuke (and voices her love out loud!) only moments before her father, a wizard of the waves, a druid of the deep, a sorcerer of the sea, etc, “rescues” his daughter and takes her back to his underwater castle. Ponyo is determined to return to the surface world and find Sosuke, and in doing so, accidentally sets in motion an ecological calamity that places Sosuke’s town almost completely underwater and threatens to destroy the world.

 (No more spoilers)

Enough story synopsis. It sounds bizarre, right? Well, it is, a little. But don’t let that stop you from seeing the movie. Ponyo is pure, fantastic imagination brought to life in beautifully hand-drawn animation. There is not a single digitally-rendered frame anywhere on the movie reel, and I “reelly” appreciated it. According to my sources at Wikipedia, director Miyazaki “preferred to draw the sea and waves himself,” giving us an idea of the dedication and passion he had for this film. It is a lovingly crafted film, and it shows. In one particular scene in which Ponyo is literally running across the backs of giant fish/waves, the sense of dynamic motion and unrestrained happiness is unmatched by almost anything I can remember seeing in cinema. It made me feel a sense of unrestrained, joyous freedom, and a longing for something pure.

The movie is not perfect, though. I found myself a little distracted (as I often do) by the English language voiceover artists, who include Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, and Betty White. It’s hard to get into the style of Japanese animation when I am constantly thinking of Qui-Gon Jinn (Star Wars), Liz Lemon (30 Rock), and Rose from Golden Girls. Cate Blanchett lends her voice as Ponyo’s mother, the Goddess of Mercy, and sounds much like she did as Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings. While the dubbing isn’t bad, when it comes to foreign films, I always prefer the original language with subtitles. Without the recognition of the English voice actors, I am able to better focus on the movie’s story and dialogue without any distractions. The music was forgettable, too, and I am unlikely to be happily haunted by it as I was by Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky.

Still, I loved this movie. It avoided cliché scenarios and manufactured drama, and while a little aimless at times, never felt slow. Ponyo is a simple movie, overflowing with innocence and magic, suitable for all ages, and made to appeal especially to young children. I wish I could see it with the eyes of a child. The grownup in me gives it 4 out of 5 Babbles, and the child in me gives it THIS MANY!!!

 

4/5 Babbles

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

(*No spoilers*)
The BabbleOn 5 crew have been devoted fans of the recent Battlestar Galactica series produced by the Syfy Channel. We consider BSG to be one of the finest series ever produced by Syfy- which is saying very little. But even by network or cable standards, Battlestar ranks easily among the best (we considered calling ourselves Babblestar!).  The dramatic series ended after a self-appointed 4 year run much to the regret of its fans. Producer Ron Moore wanted to end the series on their terms- I can respect that. To help with the bereavement, the makers created a couple of 2 hour specials to tie up loose ends in Caprica and The Plan. We all watched The Plan the other night so I wanted to share my thoughts on it for other BSG fans out there.

• The goal of this special was to show what the cylons were attempting to do behind the scenes- what worked for them and what plans did not.
• It starts with the original mini-series and jumps around throughout the run of the show.
• The perspective and story is told from the’skin-job’ cyclons, primarily through Cavell played by Dean Stockwell.
• There is a lot of footage used from the original series with additional ‘before and after’ footage. This helps set up what and why certain events happened.
• Ultimately, there is a common thread that is revealed that explains how the cyclons plan was compromised that affected the outcome of the series.

Overall, I enjoyed this two-hour, sci-fi distraction. It brought an interesting perspective about the happenings on board the Galactica and helped fill in some unknown information. I wouldn’t say it brought startling revelations but some interesting twists. The Plan would ONLY appeal to hardcore BSG fans. If you have not seen the series then you would not like this movie. An after being off the air for a year, I would also say it was hard to remember a lot of the series details. So this might have been better served to be watched right after a fresh viewing of the 4 seasons. If anything, it just reminded me of how much I missed the series and how I wished it was still on. So for moderate to novice fan I would pass on this ‘fill in the blank’ back story tale. However, the BSG fans still in denial, check it out and re-live the dream….’so say we all!’

I give it a 3.5 Babbles out of 5

Got Doubt?

By guest columnist Faith Peralta.

Upon clicking the ‘off’ button on my DVD remote I sat in silence for a good five mintutes trying to make my way through the web of John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt.” Being a huge fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman, I Netflixed the movie to see what all the tension was about. Aside from the unexpected fact that the movie itself is beautiful, I discovered that “Doubt” is a multi-faceted kaleidoscope of assumptions and emotions that will usher you into a mood of revolving self-investigation. Is he or isn’t he?All I knew is that I didn’t want Philip Seymour Hoffman to be the bad guy. The bad priest, to be exact.

 Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Father Flynn, priest of St. Nicholas Catholic Church and School who is pastoring right on the cusp of drastic revolution within the Catholic church. The story is set in 1964, just a year after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Subsequently, Father Flynn’s approach to living as a vessel between God and His children is one of warmth and grace as he recognizes the remaining uncertainty and sorrow of his congregation. He addresses his flock with frankness, speaking not only about sinning and repenting, but of struggling and forgiveness, of being human and not perfect. He gives the people something to think about, rather than something to fear. For these characteristics he is adored by some and despised by others.

 Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysuis Beauvier, principal of St. Nicholas School, and subsequent sea urchin who has every pupil wide-eyed with horror at her very presence. Sister Aloysuis is satisfied with the well-oiled machine that she has whipped into order with the very hard line of her jaw. She relies on experience, discipline and intuition to guider her decisions, but she may have structured herself with such tautness over the years that she can no longer even conceive that appearance is not always reality. That a struggle voiced does not always manifest in wrong doing. Or does the very mention of an internal struggle from one so holy as a priest, indicate an imbalance that must be investigated? Hmmm? That sounds valid.

 Amy Adams plays Sister James, a history teacher with a timidity that almost outmeasures her passion for both the subject she’s teaching and the students to whom she’s teaching it. She is a rule-follower, but a tender-heart who becomes distraught with guilt and perplexity at her involvement in the whole ordeal. Incidentally, some of the best dialogue in the whole film takes place between herself and Father Flynn in the garden scene.

Flynn: There are people who go after your humanity, Sister, that tell you the light in your heart is a weakness. Don’t believe it. It’s an old tactic of cruel people to kill kindness in the name of virtue. There’s nothing wrong with love.*

These three personalities set the stage for the disturbing notion of child abuse within the church. I’ll end with that. It’s up to you, the viewer, to figure out the rest!

I give this film Four Babbles.

Read more of Faith’s fine musings at http://fifteenfingers.wordpress.com/

 *Miramaxhighlights.com

Clash of the Titans Trailer

the men who stare at goats

The Men Who Stare At Goats is the story of psychic powered government super troopers, written in 2004 by John Ronson. Reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor, Moulin Rouge!) leaves the US for war-torn Kuwait after his wife leaves him. Bob stumbles upon a potentially career defining story after meeting Special Forces operator, Lyn Cassidy (George Clooney, Burn After Reading), who reveals that he was part of a US army unit that trained psychic spies, internally referred to as “Jedi Knights” (Down, geeks! The irony is readily apparent). The psychic super soldiers are trained in several paranormal techniques including: cloud bursting, walking through walls, invisibility, remote viewing and, yes, the ability to stare a goat to death in a matter of seconds.

The technique was developed in the 70’s by Bill Django, played by a very hippie, Jeff Bridges (Yes, just like his character “the Dude” from The Big Lebowski). Django was recruited in the 80’s to form and train a special unit known as the New Earth Army.

The team is decommissioned years later due to an incident and Cassidy reluctantly searches for new direction. Fast-forward to present day Kuwait. Lyn and Bob find themselves in trouble with locals and Bob becomes a padowan student of psychic combat on a sandy, existential co-journey; Lyn, seeking closure on his past and Bob, seeking new life after personal tragedy.

The satirical nature of this dark comedy may be lost on some viewers. I found the humor very enjoyable and the story was unique and quite thought provoking. The characters were fun, quirky and well cast with the likes of: Kevin Spacey (American Beauty), Stephen Root (Office Space,  News Radio), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgement Day) and Stephen “Stonewall Jackson” Lang (Gods and Generals). This is also another good, not great, turn for director/producer, Grant Heslov (actor/producer, Leatherheads).

A farcical twist on facts, this movie left me wondering how deep the US government  actually delved into the world of psychic warfare. It does feel a bit Coen Brothers-ish but there’s enough freshness for the film to stand on its own merit. It made me laugh more than Burn After Reading so I give it a jovial 3 out of 5 babbles!

Kick-ass Teaser

Kick-ass is the story of ordinary kids that decide to be superheroes. We first saw footage at Comic Con and the response was very positive. Opens April 2010:

There back….V the series

As a kid I was a huge fan of the 80’s sci-fi series “V”. The mini-series was about seemingly benevolent ‘visitors’ bringing technology and resources for a simple exchange of a little water. Unknown to humanity was that the visitors wanted a little more than water but dinner as well- and guess who was on the menu?

Another shock was that the uber-sexy extraterrestrials were not human at all but actually green-skinned, red-eyed reptiles under a lot of makeup- can’t we Earthlings ever catch a break? I can’t remember most of the details of the series but who can forget the first time the a visitors face is ripped off to reveal their true form? The most iconic image from the series was the tiny lizard baby that climbs out of his human mother during childbirth. SyFy channel has been replaying the series and watching it has only served to diminish my fond memories of the great series. It’s pretty cheesy, poorly acted, and filled with 80’s cliches. It was one of the most memorable childhood TV series, but better served in my memory than anywhere else. Now on to the new series…

The ABC pilot of the new series of the same name aired last Tuesday. With a relatively unknown cast, the episode starts right away with the arrival of the behemoth spaceships. The imagery would have been impressive if not for Independence Day had not done it a decade earlier or even recently District 9. The visitors pitch the same ‘we come in peace’ message and us gullible humans fall for it again. The world community starts polarizing quickly with sympathizers and skeptics lining up on both sides. The pilot ends with a couple of twists that are reminiscent of the old series. Not bad.

Overall, it was a fairly solid start for this familiar series. There are multiple storylines with interesting characters. In this initial outing, there was nothing super innovative from its predecessor but it was still enjoyable. It’s always a delicate balance maintaining the original premise while adding unexpected originality. I enjoyed this episode enough to add it to my DVR lineup for the week- not many series have that privilege. However, I’ll give it a few more episodes before I become a full sympathizer to the visitors.

You can watch the pilot on the ABC website here.

I gave this pilot a 3 Babbles out of 5.