From this flick alone, it’s clear to see that Bollywood cinema is basically in a class of its own completely. I almost feel bad criticizing it for its over-reliance on cliche and stereotype, since it’s pretty obvious that they’re following the Hollywood rulebook for action movies to an absolute tee. So instead, I opted for a film that I had previously heard of through the mini-series The Story of Film: An Odyssey – this film being the classic Zanjeer. I originally wanted to try for the legendary epic Sholay, but my movie place didn’t have it in stock that day. This month, I finally got around to a milestone that I had been putting off for an unreasonable amount of time: my very first Bollywood film (and no, Slumdog Millionaire doesn’t count). They’ve got some of the most stunning aesthetic design I’ve seen in any animated film. NOTE: I was lucky enough to watch the above the above two films in high-def Blu-Ray, so I definitely implore everyone to watch it in that same format (if accessible). These films from Hosoda (as well as my recent discovery of the series Cowboy Bebop) has implored me to check out more anime. Nonetheless, it was rather enjoyable to watch as a whole, and quite cute in spite of its drawbacks. There’s no real genuine emotion to be felt and the tension of the conflict is at an utmost minimum thus the parts that take place in “reality” are such a pain to sit through. the familial conflict within the human characters, the protagonist’s soul-searching, etc. While the film tries to inject a sort of foreground narrative to root this sci-fi universe into reality – i.e. Unfortunately, while this film is fun and cool visually, it suffers from a lot of problems. Lots of colorful creatures and online platforms and quite bizarre action sequences – all taking place within a seemingly artificial online parallel universe. It’s certainly the type of film that couldn’t have possibly been fathomed before the internet age. Which brings me to Summer Wars! Wow, this film was WAY too cool to watch. Its story wonderfully balances its nuanced traits with its mystical, magical elements, and I couldn’t ask for it any other way. There aren’t any major innovative narrative devices to be seen here, but frankly, it doesn’t need it. Each character is developed and presented so beautifully and in an astoundingly realistic manner. Because truthfully, its major strengths lie in the terrific, fleshed-out portrayal of a mother-children relationship. I initially wrote on how I wished there were a more expansive focus on the romantic relationship that began the tale – but over time, I’ve found that I simply care less about this gripe. While I initially had some of the same issues with Wolf Children that I found with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, it certainly is the one film that has sit with me the best over time. With the help of a friend, I opted toward Wolf Children, his latest, and Summer Wars. Of course, I’m hoping for the latter! But nevertheless, I really miss writing and I hope to get back into the swing of things really, really soon.Īnyway, without further ado, here’s some of the highlights ‘n’ milestones from this past month.Īfter being quite smitten with the loveliness of Mamoru Hosoda’s The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (which I watched last month), I decided to check out some more of his stuff. Once again, the reason is because during that time I’ll be either searching frantically for a job or will be working my butt off at my new job while I finish my degree. I do plan on writing something near the end of next month for my blog’s one-year anniversary(!), but for the most part I’m just going to be sticking to these monthly posts. I’m still just going to leave my least favorite at just one (don’t want too much negativity here), but instead of letting y’all know my one favorite film from the past month, I’ll increase it to a TOP FIVE! Excitement. To reiterate, I’m going to be a teeny bit absent from my blog, probably for another month or two. I’ll write more at length on some particular film-watching highlights that I accomplished and recurring themes that happened to pop up throughout March. Since I’ve been on somewhat of a hiatus from writing, I’ve decided to make this monthly post a little bit longer. But all rewarding in their own special ways (well, almost all, but I’ll get to that in a few paragraphs). And since having no money and being assigned a 15-20 page assignment to do over spring break has forced me indoors already, I’ve got quite a lot of fun stuff watched! Some great, some good, some… not so good. Yet somehow, in between all the hustle and bustle of “being an adult”, I’ve managed to slip in quite a few films. I’m starting to feel that almost-post-grad noose begin to tighten.
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