100 replies to this topic

[David Smedberg]

SDG, on 24 February 2012 - 01:39 PM, said:

David Smedberg, on 24 February 2012 - 01:09 PM, said:

I was gonna say, "How to tell when SDG is fasting"... but then I realized that this post was on Thursday, so he really hasn't got that excuse.

(Prescinding from the odd notion that obscenity is more excusable during special times of prayerful penitence.)

Obscenity is more understandable when one is likely to be irritable. If I am being odd but in a thread about a G-rated movie is normal I really don't know what to say without myself. This thread was going so well... I am off to mourn it.

[Russ]

I want film criticism from Lou Dobbs about as much as I want stock tips from The Three Stooges. Along those lines, has anyone explored whether Dobbs might not have some reason to try to depress the value of Disney stock? Perhaps there's a method to his myopia.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Russ wrote:
: Along those lines, has anyone explored whether Dobbs might not have some reason to try to depress the value of Disney stock?

Well, The Lorax is a Universal film.

[Andrew]

Anywho, back to the film...

Saw this last night, and the kids and I loved it (I'm so glad that even my nearly 15 year old still appreciates Ghibli films).

Mostly I can only echo what others here have already said about the visual and aural mastery on display here. The only exception I could find to the visual wonderment was the animation of the car and its movement at the beginning of the film, which seemed surprisingly clunky for a Ghibli film. After that, everything was magical.

Also, Arrietty came the closest to having a villain of any Ghibli film in a long time (since Castle in the Sky, maybe?). Not having read the Borrowers books, I don't know if this hearkens back to the source material or not.

Lastly, the brief appearance of the

Spoiler

raccoon dog

was a pleasant nod to the lead characters in an earlier Ghibli film, as well as a clever linking of 2 species disappearing from the land.

Edited by Andrew, 26 February 2012 - 11:06 AM.

[SDG]

David Smedberg: FWIW, my comment about your "odd notion" was meant as tongue-in-cheek banter. To my mind, the extenuating circumstances for my barely veiled obscenity was not fasting (or sickness), but broadsides from Fox Business against the two best family films in the last year (i.e., The Muppets and Arrietty), which, given my critical emphasis on family films, I take personally. If that doesn't cut it for you as sufficient explanation, then I apologize. I didn't mean to upset anyone, as as the dead horse is now thoroughly flogged I'm sure Arrietty-related dialogue will resume.

P.S. Oops, I see I missed my window to make that clarification before Arrietty-related discussion resumed.

FWIW, feedback from readers and listeners on Arrietty has been overwhelmingly positive, but I did get one angry response from a grandmother who took her granddaughter to the film and was appalled that I had so strongly recommended a movie that endorses stealing. I wrote a lengthy theological analysis that I will probably turn into a blog post.

Andrew, on 26 February 2012 - 11:04 AM, said:

Lastly, the brief appearance of the

Spoiler

raccoon dog

was a pleasant nod to the lead characters in an earlier Ghibli film, as well as a clever linking of 2 species disappearing from the land.

Oh, I missed that! I thought they were just raccoons (I never even heard of the species you mention). I'm guessing that's because I've never seen Pom Poko, right?

Edited by SDG, 26 February 2012 - 02:43 PM.

[vjmorton]

SDG, on 26 February 2012 - 12:47 PM, said:

FWIW, feedback from readers and listeners on Arrietty has been overwhelmingly positive, but I did get one angry response from a grandmother who took her granddaughter to the film and was appalled that I had so strongly recommended a movie that endorses stealing. I wrote a lengthy theological analysis that I will probably turn into a blog post.

If you can stomach it ... here is one of The Retarded Debates™ that Mike D'Angelo and I engage in periodicially, about a different aspect of stealing.

[Andrew]

Quote

Oh, I missed that! I thought they were just raccoons (I never even heard of the species you mention). I'm guessing that's because I've never seen Pom Poko, right?

Right - here's a relevant Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanuki

[bloop]

Quote

The angle they take is that Arrietty and co. borrowing the things they need is a metaphor for Occupy-movement entitlement.

Were these charges leveled at "The Secret of NIMH", too?

[Tyler]

Andrew, on 26 February 2012 - 09:03 PM, said:

Quote

Oh, I missed that! I thought they were just raccoons (I never even heard of the species you mention). I'm guessing that's because I've never seen Pom Poko, right?

Right - here's a relevant Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanuki

There's also this PETA game.

[opus]

Saw it over the weekend, and overall, I liked it. Not top-tier Ghibli, but still pleasant enough. I wish Arrietty had spent more time on just the world of the Borrowers and their day-to-day routines and survival and left the world of the "Beans" alone and more mysterious, even ominous. (My favorite Bean-related was when Shawn tried to, um, "remodel" the Borrowers' house while the mom was home alone.) The scenes of Arrietty and her father scurrying through the house's nooks and crannies were far more interesting and involving than any scenes in which humans were involved. And I know that Sho/Shawn has a weak heart and all, but could the voice actor have imbued him with even a little bit of life?! I'm very curious to see the Japanese version, if only to see if that's how his character was originally portrayed, or if it was just a case of bad voice acting.

[Overstreet]

Who would ever have guessed that Studio Ghibli, of all companies, would tackle a film about the difficult childhood of Sean Bean?

[SDG]

Overstreet, on 27 February 2012 - 12:32 PM, said:

Who would ever have guessed that Studio Ghibli, of all companies, would tackle a film about the difficult childhood of Sean Bean?

[Timothy Zila]

Overstreet, on 27 February 2012 - 12:32 PM, said:

Who would ever have guessed that Studio Ghibli, of all companies, would tackle a film about the difficult childhood of Sean Bean?

I've been thinking about this all day and I still don't 'get it.' I'm assuming Bean didn't voice the character . . . so what exactly are you getting at?

[SDG]

Timothy Zila, on 27 February 2012 - 08:10 PM, said:

Overstreet, on 27 February 2012 - 12:32 PM, said:

Who would ever have guessed that Studio Ghibli, of all companies, would tackle a film about the difficult childhood of Sean Bean?

I've been thinking about this all day and I still don't 'get it.' I'm assuming Bean didn't voice the character . . . so what exactly are you getting at?

The boy's name is Shawn (Sean) … and he's a Bean.

[SDG]

The Secret World of Arrietty in 60 seconds. (No more 30s!)

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSVFpanrj6M"]http://www.youtube.c...h?v=bSVFpanrj6M[/url]

[Nick Olson]

Confession: The Secret World of Arrietty was my first Ghibli studio film.

And I enjoyed it very much.

Quote

What makes The Secret World of Arrietty such a pleasure is how it delights the imagination with a visually- and aurally-crisp change of perspective. The arresting vantage we’re able to inhabit through the little people is a formal thrill that complements well many of the film’s soulful themes relating to empathy. It’s a playful opportunity to see our world through new eyes. In Arrietty’s world, every rain drop, blade of grass, and insect takes on a luscious enormity. A curtain becomes a silky mountain to scale, a rat is now a formidable opponent, and a pin needle is employed as a trusty sword. The boom of thunder, the methodical insistence of clocks, and the “caw-caw” of a belligerent crow are all heightened to the ear. But what I most noticed about the animated world was its pointed emphasis of shadows. Everything — from the terrifying to the mundane to the beautiful — looms large. The effect achieves a sense of presence in this new world that most 3D films fail to capture.

But as we venture with curiosity into this secret world, we also see Arrietty and Shawn gaining new worlds of perspective from an increasingly curious friendship. And, as it turns out, what they learn from one another is no child’s play. Spotted not only by Shawn, but — more to her family’s detriment — by the house maid Hara (Carol Burnett), Arrietty puts her family in grave danger and forces them to move away and find a new home. While Shawn discovers that Arrietty and her family live in constant fear of impending danger, Arrietty finds that Shawn has had a heart condition since birth and, as a result, he must soon undergo an operation with a low success rate. The threat of extinction hovers over the borrowers; death is a potential reality that assaults Shawn’s already fragile state. The little girl’s fighting spirit encourages Shawn to persevere, while Shawn’s humbled desire for companionship — in the wake of his parents’ recent divorce — inspires in Arrietty a growing trust of others. Together, from their unique perspectives, they reinforce in one another a desire for reconciliation and permanence — for home.

[bowen]

Nicholas, on 15 March 2012 - 12:16 PM, said:

Confession: The Secret World of Arrietty was my first Ghibli studio film.

And I enjoyed it very much.

And best of all, there's plenty more where that came from.

[Nick Olson]

Yes, exactly! Looking forward to starting from the beginning.

[Anders]

Overstreet, on 23 February 2012 - 03:42 PM, said:

I didn't realize how apropos this image is.

Just got back from seeing the film. Liked it a great deal. One of the most enjoyable and beautiful films I've seen in ages (which is pretty much what I say about every Ghibli film).

[opus]

Coming to Blu-ray on 5/22, along with Castle in the Sky and Whisper of the Heart.