Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Kirk Wise I wish I could've seen Spirited Away when I was a child. For friends who did, it seems this movie is rooted deep within their memories, as if it's something they themselves experienced. Watching it for the first time recently I found it cute, strange and fantastical but nothing more … Continue reading Spirited Away (2001)
animation
Ponyo (2008)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki A fish turns into a human thanks to the love of a young boy, Sōsuke, in the deliriously cheerful, optimistic, kind Ponyo. Before becoming "Ponyo," the fish is Brunhilde and lives underwater with her father, Fujimoto. She declares her intention to become a human, but worried that she's been kidnapped Fujimoto will … Continue reading Ponyo (2008)
The Lego Movie (2014)
Directed by Phil Lord, Chris Miller The Lego Movie is all about the hero's journey, that old tale in which an ordinary person is plucked out of reality and told they're special. It's Neo from The Matrix, Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker, all set in a stimulating world like that of Terry Gilliam's Brazil. Emmet Brickowski (Chris … Continue reading The Lego Movie (2014)
The Iron Giant (1999)
Directed by Brad Bird The Iron Giant lands in tiny Rockwell, Maine. It's a fishing village, and the intimacy of such a small town allows for a good microcosm of America at the time as a whole. The story takes place in 1957, a time smothered in post World War II paranoia, but our perspective … Continue reading The Iron Giant (1999)
The Incredibles (2004)
Directed by Brad Bird What year does The Incredibles take place? It doesn't much matter, but I'm curious about the world design. Old video footage of the "supers" heyday crackles with film grain, while the plot, taking place 15 years after our introduction to Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, looks to occur in the 1960s but with … Continue reading The Incredibles (2004)
