Name a film that you have seen more than 10 times.
Pirates of the Caribbean...And many others.
Name a film that you’ve seen multiple times in the cinema.
Finding Nemo. Three times the summer I had the worst cough of my life.
Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a film.
Dwight Schultz, Mako, Nathan Fillion...But usually it's not really about actors for me.
Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a film.
Adam Sandler.
Name a film that you can and do quote from.
The Princess Bride (but who doesn't?), Pirates of the Caribbean (same as the last), Lilo & Stitch ("Tricky fish, tricky fish!") with my wondrous Kevin McDonald loving friend.
Name a film musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Do Disney films count as musicals? I'm sure I know all the words to The Lion King and Mulan. I'm not sure I know ALL the words to The Sound of Music...I'm (shame on me) not a huge musical fan, actually. Not that I don't like them, I just don't have a lot of knowledge of them.
Name a film that you would recommend everyone see.
Lars and the Real Girl is a film I recommend to most everyone...If you can get past the "guy falls in love with a sex doll" premise, it's a really wonderfully touching film that has a lot to say about human relationships.
Ever walked out of a film?
The Ring. I hate horror movies; my friends wanted to see it.
Name a film that made you cry in the cinema.
I cry at everything. I actually tear up at some commercials that have really lovely music. I know I cried immensely over Pixar's WALL-E and UP when I saw them in the theatre.
Popcorn?
Only at home. Movie theatre popcorn is a rip off.
How often do you go to the cinema (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
Maybe 3-5 times a year. I don't get there often, and it's too expensive. I rent DVDs frequently.
What’s the last film you saw in the cinema?
Toy Story 3. I almost cried...I think I had one tear. Does that count?
What’s your favourite/preferred genre of film?
I'm willing to try most genres. I dislike horror, lowbrow comedy, and predictable romances (unless they have some unusual or unique element).
What’s the first film you remember seeing in the cinema?
Space Jam...Although I barely remember it.
What film do you wish you had never seen?
P.S. I Love You. Such a waste of two hours.
What is the scariest film you’ve seen?
I don't watch horror movies, so I'm going to twist this question a bit and make scary = disturbing. Raise the Red Lantern gave me chills and left me feeling really upset/distraut afterward...In a way, it was really scary.
If you could be any character portrayed in a movie, who would it be?
Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle? Wandering around as an old woman for a while is completely worth it if you get to end up in a flying castle with Wizard Howl...
Total number of films you own on DVD and video.
More than I care to go and count right now.
Last film you bought.
I'm not sure of the last film, the last DVDs I bought were Jeremy Brett's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Last film you watched.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I really love that film...Even the second time, my heart was racing at the climax.
Five films that mean a lot to you.
Seven Samurai
Lars and the Real Girl
Big Fish
Stranger than Fiction
A Series of Unfortunate Events
(A legitimate post will be coming soon, I promise.)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Integrity Issues
I love Hayao Miyazaki's animated film, Howl's Moving Castle. It's one of his lesser appreciated films, not having won the acclaim and awards of Mononoke and Spirited Away, but it still remains one of my favorites. Inspired by Dianna Wynne Jones' book of the same title, Howl's Moving Castle is the story of a young girl who is cursed by the Witch of the Waste to take on the facade of an old woman. Adjusting rather readily to her new life, she takes up residence with the famed (and feared) Wizard Howl, a man who roves the countryside in a mysterious moving castle and is supposed to eat the hearts of young maidens (among other terrible things). At about that point, Miyazaki's film branches off rather substantially from Jones' original tale. For Miyazaki, the book is more of a springboard than any sort of script. He uses the very basics of the characters and plot to tell his own story, in which everyone and everything is fresh and new.
But is that alright? Or did Miyazaki violate some sort of unwritten code in doing this? Only recently have I considered the integrity of artistic work, specially in books and film, in this specific way. In Miyazaki's film, fundamental aspects of the plot and characters are altered in ways unintended by Jones in her original book.
A few years ago, Neil Gaiman's book, Coraline, faced similar issues when it was made into a movie, but because of Gaiman's intimate work in the production of the film, such changes seem more appropriate. (The alternations to Coraline were significantly less dramatic than Howl in any case.) Although the addition of a completely new character may seem a drastic change, Wybie's presence in the film was much needed to relieve Coraline of the internal dialogues that fill the book. Another character was necessary to avoid a movie filled with the thoughts of the main character. Even still, Wybie's presence had a significant impact on the scenes and motivations of various characters. And Coraline herself was quite a different character in the movie as in the book. But when the original author of the story signed off on such things himself--and too admitted the importance and necessity of certain changes--there seems to be less issue at hand. Even still, was the integrity of the original Coraline and her story compromised for the film, even if it was a success?
It's a tricky situation. As a writer myself, I cringe at the idea of my characters being interpreted in ways not intended by myself. I'm well aware that it's not unusual to see characters and stories from various movies and books twisted and contorted in ways they were never intended by fans, but it seems quite different when someone is laying claim over such things in an official way.
Do I enjoy Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle? Oh, immensely. I love his story and his versions of the characters. But having read the book, there is always something somewhat troubling to me when I approach the film now. Among other things, I feel in some ways that Howl was cheated, that important aspects of his character have been ignored. But Miyazaki's Howl is not Jones' Howl.
Sometimes I wonder how Jones feels about that.
But perhaps I'm just over-thinking things.
Love and peace,
Aemilius
But is that alright? Or did Miyazaki violate some sort of unwritten code in doing this? Only recently have I considered the integrity of artistic work, specially in books and film, in this specific way. In Miyazaki's film, fundamental aspects of the plot and characters are altered in ways unintended by Jones in her original book.
A few years ago, Neil Gaiman's book, Coraline, faced similar issues when it was made into a movie, but because of Gaiman's intimate work in the production of the film, such changes seem more appropriate. (The alternations to Coraline were significantly less dramatic than Howl in any case.) Although the addition of a completely new character may seem a drastic change, Wybie's presence in the film was much needed to relieve Coraline of the internal dialogues that fill the book. Another character was necessary to avoid a movie filled with the thoughts of the main character. Even still, Wybie's presence had a significant impact on the scenes and motivations of various characters. And Coraline herself was quite a different character in the movie as in the book. But when the original author of the story signed off on such things himself--and too admitted the importance and necessity of certain changes--there seems to be less issue at hand. Even still, was the integrity of the original Coraline and her story compromised for the film, even if it was a success?
It's a tricky situation. As a writer myself, I cringe at the idea of my characters being interpreted in ways not intended by myself. I'm well aware that it's not unusual to see characters and stories from various movies and books twisted and contorted in ways they were never intended by fans, but it seems quite different when someone is laying claim over such things in an official way.
Do I enjoy Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle? Oh, immensely. I love his story and his versions of the characters. But having read the book, there is always something somewhat troubling to me when I approach the film now. Among other things, I feel in some ways that Howl was cheated, that important aspects of his character have been ignored. But Miyazaki's Howl is not Jones' Howl.
Sometimes I wonder how Jones feels about that.
But perhaps I'm just over-thinking things.
Love and peace,
Aemilius
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
"You are all connected."
"Man thinks they are each alone in this world. It is not true. You are all connected. One act can one day affect all."
I love Lady in the Water. I know, I know. Most people are absolutely appalled by the film, and with 24% positive reviews on RottenTomatoes.com, it's clear the critics didn't care for it either. Even still, I'm captivated by it every time I watch it (and it's not just James Newton Howard's gorgeous score).
There's a term for everything, so I'm sure there's a term for this, but I don't know it. In any case, I love movies about how one individual touches the lives of many. Examples: Lady in the Water, WALL-E, and The Terminal. In each of these stories, the main character affects the lives of those around him/her in extraordinary ways. Story makes people believe. She rallies a group of ordinary humans to do something great by showing them that each man has a purpose that is intergrally related those around him. WALL-E gives purpose to everyone he comes in contact with by inspiring them to reach out. His own intense loyalty and selfless love for EVE reminds people around him of what is important in life. Viktor brings a group of otherwise ordinary people together by inspiring hope in them with his own undying optimism.
I love stories like these. Maybe because these characters reach out and touch me the same way that they touch those in the film. For the sake of film as an art, stories like these make the audience part of the film. Rather than watching from the outside, we are invited to be amoung those who are affected by the main characters. In a way, these kinds of films are true reminders of the fact that, as the adage goes, truly no man is an island. We exist in a complex tapestry that both allows us to influence others and allows others to influence us.
We may not all be Storys, or WALL-Es, or Viktors...But hopefully that won't make us blind to notice them if they one day come into our lives.
Love and peace,
Aemilius
I love Lady in the Water. I know, I know. Most people are absolutely appalled by the film, and with 24% positive reviews on RottenTomatoes.com, it's clear the critics didn't care for it either. Even still, I'm captivated by it every time I watch it (and it's not just James Newton Howard's gorgeous score).
There's a term for everything, so I'm sure there's a term for this, but I don't know it. In any case, I love movies about how one individual touches the lives of many. Examples: Lady in the Water, WALL-E, and The Terminal. In each of these stories, the main character affects the lives of those around him/her in extraordinary ways. Story makes people believe. She rallies a group of ordinary humans to do something great by showing them that each man has a purpose that is intergrally related those around him. WALL-E gives purpose to everyone he comes in contact with by inspiring them to reach out. His own intense loyalty and selfless love for EVE reminds people around him of what is important in life. Viktor brings a group of otherwise ordinary people together by inspiring hope in them with his own undying optimism.
I love stories like these. Maybe because these characters reach out and touch me the same way that they touch those in the film. For the sake of film as an art, stories like these make the audience part of the film. Rather than watching from the outside, we are invited to be amoung those who are affected by the main characters. In a way, these kinds of films are true reminders of the fact that, as the adage goes, truly no man is an island. We exist in a complex tapestry that both allows us to influence others and allows others to influence us.
We may not all be Storys, or WALL-Es, or Viktors...But hopefully that won't make us blind to notice them if they one day come into our lives.
Love and peace,
Aemilius
"We Are Here!"
Ever since I fell in love with "Seussical" my senior year of high school, I have been in love with the story of "Horton Hears a Who". More than anything, I love the ending. The desperate attempt of an entire world to make itself heard to save itself from destruction: "We are here, we are here!" Whether it's the ending of "Seussical" or the ending of the movie or the ending of the book, I love that part...
I have to get philosophical, of course, because I'm me and that's what I do. But I think I love the end of that story because it's something I relate to. Maybe it's something everyone relates to. Horton's mantra is "a person's a person, no matter how small," but I feel like there are a lot of other meanings to be garnered from the story, and maybe this is one of them. Maybe the movie is about our desire to be heard. Afterall, everyone wants to be heard, wants to be noticed, wants to be known.
As humans, we shout, "I am here! Someone notice me! Don't let me fall, don't let me die! I am here!"
I wonder what would happen, if in unison, we all shouted together, "We are here!"
Would God hear us cry?
Love and peace,
Aemilius
I have to get philosophical, of course, because I'm me and that's what I do. But I think I love the end of that story because it's something I relate to. Maybe it's something everyone relates to. Horton's mantra is "a person's a person, no matter how small," but I feel like there are a lot of other meanings to be garnered from the story, and maybe this is one of them. Maybe the movie is about our desire to be heard. Afterall, everyone wants to be heard, wants to be noticed, wants to be known.
As humans, we shout, "I am here! Someone notice me! Don't let me fall, don't let me die! I am here!"
I wonder what would happen, if in unison, we all shouted together, "We are here!"
Would God hear us cry?
Love and peace,
Aemilius
Introduction
Let's keep this short.
I'm establishing this blog as a place to post my random thoughts about movies.
Yep, that's pretty much it. I love animation, so a good number of movies discussed are bound to be animated.
Enjoy!
Love and peace,
Aemilius
I'm establishing this blog as a place to post my random thoughts about movies.
Yep, that's pretty much it. I love animation, so a good number of movies discussed are bound to be animated.
Enjoy!
Love and peace,
Aemilius
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)