Recent Movies
Dec. 10th, 2023 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerAnother round of recent movies! Quite like this format; I often don’t have a whole post in me about movies, but if you’re writing about three or four you don’t need more than a paragraph or two a piece.
My yearly rewatch of The Muppet Christmas Carol, a delight as always. I’ve seen this so many times that I can sing many of the songs, including “The Love Is Gone,” which was cut from the theatrical release then restored in the home video, a choice that baffles me since the last song in the film is a callback to this earlier moment… ah well!
This time I saw The Muppet Christmas Carol on the big screen at the Artcraft, and the increased size drew my attention to how much work the filmmakers put into the backgrounds. Not only are the sets beautifully made and detailed, they’re filled with extras (human and puppet both), so Muppet Victorian London feels so bustling and delightful and lived in. (Also, wouldn’t this be the best movie to be an extra in? Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.)
I’ve mostly stopped watching MCU movies, but The Marvels had a female director (Nia DaCosta) and an all-female lead trio, so I gave it a go. Kamala Khan is a delight, but like so many recent Marvel movies, this one didn’t give the emotional beats any time to breathe.
Also, let me be real with you, the Marvel movie I now REALLY want to see is the space opera rom-com of Captain Marvel and her husband-of-convenience, the Prince of the water planet where everyone sings and dances all the time. How did they meet! What political circumstances made a marriage of convenience necessary! Do they fall in love! The answer is “obviously yes, probably while facing silly peril, with many extras singing and dancing in the background.”
Last but certainly not least! I saw Miyazaki’s most recent film The Boy and the Heron in theaters on Friday. (I think this is the first time I’ve seen a Studio Ghibli film in theaters on release. Can this be accurate? Did I really miss Arrietty, when The Borrowers was one of the great obsessions of my childhood?)
ANYWAY. This movie is set (the real-world portion, that is) in Japan during World War II, evoked with all the rich attention to detail common to any Studio Ghibli film. But soon enough Mahito finds himself summoned into another world, a strange dream-like place full of floating phantom ships, little round white creatures that float up into the sky, and militaristic parakeets.
I don’t know that this one will reach my personal top tier of Studio Ghibli movies, but it’s a fascinating film, clearly one that will reveal new facets every time that you watch it. (Beyond all else, I want more time to take in the stunning visual detail!) I’d love to see it again before it leaves theaters, not least because the brunch gang and I saw the dub, so of course it would be fun to watch the sub and compare.
My yearly rewatch of The Muppet Christmas Carol, a delight as always. I’ve seen this so many times that I can sing many of the songs, including “The Love Is Gone,” which was cut from the theatrical release then restored in the home video, a choice that baffles me since the last song in the film is a callback to this earlier moment… ah well!
This time I saw The Muppet Christmas Carol on the big screen at the Artcraft, and the increased size drew my attention to how much work the filmmakers put into the backgrounds. Not only are the sets beautifully made and detailed, they’re filled with extras (human and puppet both), so Muppet Victorian London feels so bustling and delightful and lived in. (Also, wouldn’t this be the best movie to be an extra in? Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.)
I’ve mostly stopped watching MCU movies, but The Marvels had a female director (Nia DaCosta) and an all-female lead trio, so I gave it a go. Kamala Khan is a delight, but like so many recent Marvel movies, this one didn’t give the emotional beats any time to breathe.
Also, let me be real with you, the Marvel movie I now REALLY want to see is the space opera rom-com of Captain Marvel and her husband-of-convenience, the Prince of the water planet where everyone sings and dances all the time. How did they meet! What political circumstances made a marriage of convenience necessary! Do they fall in love! The answer is “obviously yes, probably while facing silly peril, with many extras singing and dancing in the background.”
Last but certainly not least! I saw Miyazaki’s most recent film The Boy and the Heron in theaters on Friday. (I think this is the first time I’ve seen a Studio Ghibli film in theaters on release. Can this be accurate? Did I really miss Arrietty, when The Borrowers was one of the great obsessions of my childhood?)
ANYWAY. This movie is set (the real-world portion, that is) in Japan during World War II, evoked with all the rich attention to detail common to any Studio Ghibli film. But soon enough Mahito finds himself summoned into another world, a strange dream-like place full of floating phantom ships, little round white creatures that float up into the sky, and militaristic parakeets.
I don’t know that this one will reach my personal top tier of Studio Ghibli movies, but it’s a fascinating film, clearly one that will reveal new facets every time that you watch it. (Beyond all else, I want more time to take in the stunning visual detail!) I’d love to see it again before it leaves theaters, not least because the brunch gang and I saw the dub, so of course it would be fun to watch the sub and compare.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-10 06:54 pm (UTC)Heh, Muppet Christmas Carol is a Christmas day movie for us , and I'm looking forward to it :)
I didn't know there was a new Studio Ghibli movie out. I had been wondering about seeing The Marvels and then decided that I didn't care about Marvel enough any more, but Ghibli might be worth turning out for. Can I persuade the family to come and sit through a foreign language movie though? That might be a different matter.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-12 01:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-12 11:46 am (UTC)Thank you! And yes, I think I'll go and see that one on my own if they don't want to :)