 More info and showtimes: https://gkids.com/ghiblifest/ Since me and @divlyfein are going to be seeing all the movies in theaters he gave me the wonderful idea to make a thread about it where we can post reviews and discuss more about these wonderful movies. If anyone else wants to join in and talk about the movies you are more than welcome to :) |
divlyfeinMay 23, 7:43 PM
| Sadly I missed out on Spirited Away, I didn't realize the film fest already started and Im SUPER bummed about missing that one. So the First film I saw was Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Being able to see Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in theaters to no surprise was an amazing experience. If I could describe the plot it was Fallout meets helldivers with it being a post-apocalyptic setting with bugs and pre-war tech still around. Joe Hisaishi with his amazing music really made the movie for me. From the orchestra with the beautiful strings and brass shining through all while being supported by a light piano and singing in The Bird Man to the very 80's synths and wailing guitars being used in more action heavy scenes like Annihilation of Pejite or Stampede of the Ohmu. Or even something completely different with The Valley of the Wind that has this almost middle eastern vibe from the sitar they use or In the Sea of Corruption that is pure ambience made out of those 80's synths I previously talked about. The animation was on par if not better than most animation that is coming out today with the level of attention they gave to the scenes. To remind you this movie came out in 1984 so there was no computer animation to do any of this with. Every single thing you see was painstakingly done by hand and was done magnificently. To the mega sized bugs called Ohmu, taking off in her glider, To crushing a piece of petrified wood. Sadly none of those GIFs do any justice to my point so you'll just have to trust me on this one :) The underlying story was great too for someone like me who thinks we should respect nature and allow it to live and grow not cut and burn it down like what has been done too many times before. It really had a great plot, from what I got its less good vs evil and more man vs nature and how they can live together, not use super weapons to wipe each other out. After a war over 700 years ago wiped most life off the planet in just 7 days, the majority of the planet is now covered in a thick spore filled jungle teeming with mutated insects. In this case the main girl Nausicaa spends most of her life trying to protect those insects that everyone in her village so greatly despises and fears for good reasons. Just one bug can call thousands more and wipe out an entire city in minutes. I could go on about the plot of this story but I want you to experience it for yourself if you haven't seen it yet and tell me your opinion. I want to hear what you got out the film because I bet it will be different than mine Image dump time :) Putting it behind a "spoiler" so the post isn't too long to scroll past |
Tommy-PicklesJun 15, 7:36 AM
| If I had a nickel for every time Mayumi Tanaka voiced a young pirate boy, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Castle in the Sky was another absolute masterpiece from Miyazaki. The big screen really does these movies justice, every scene looks so magnificent. The colors and how they contrast in the scenes, the detail in every backdrop, and the simple yet perfect character designs really gave me a lot of enjoyment from this film. The music again was flawless and set the scenes perfectly, Joe Hisaishi is the GOAT. Very heavy on the bells and wind section in this film which is very fitting as most of the movie takes place in the sky surrounded by giant puffy clouds but there are still some instances when they synths make an appearance for example On The Tiger Moth has some in the beginning or An Omen to Ruin which has them over half way into the song All the characters were interesting, I loved the pirate crew (big surprise) and how they made a big impact in the story. Dola and her crew of pirates was hilarious. She was one of those female characters that didn't give a shit and just did what she wanted as that's the pirates way. Plus the scenes when they are on her pirate ship being used as free manual labor got a good laugh out of me and everyone else in the theater. Was really entertained with the main plot point being a lost city filled with treasure and knowledge kinda gave me Treasure Planet vibes. Especially with how all the air ships were designed in that Victorian era style of blimps and how they thought we would be flying. I cant forget the robots either, even though they got only a small amount of screen time they were so cool! Plus they had fox squirrels!!! was cool to see them in this movie. So far this is my favorite movie just enjoyment wise but we will see how that changes when I get to see more of the Ghibli films on the big screen (im looking at you Princess Mononoke). Image dump time :) Putting it behind a "spoiler" so the post isn't too long to scroll past |
Tommy-PicklesJun 15, 7:36 AM
This thread turned out wonderful! I have seen all three films to date and will try my best to see them all. I ask this to people all the time whenever Miyazaki comes up but we are truly fortunate to live during a time with a film maker as influential and visionary as him. Not just Miyazaki but the talent behind Studio Ghibli as a whole is extraordinary. It goes without further context but THE MUSIC. Joe Hisaishi is truly a legend in his own right and every film's OST is worth exploring to the maximum. Each and every one of these films are truly special. Spirited Away (2001) What is there to say about this classic that hasn't already been said? It is a must see. I had not seen Spirited Away in a very long time and the nostalgia hit me like an absolute truck; cried quite a few times. It's a beautiful story full of messages and symbolism, a staple of Miyazaki storytelling. The world of the bath house is truly awe inspiring with so many unique characters. There is a lot of showing, rather than telling, which just adds so much intrigue into what the characters are even doing half the time... it's wonderful and allows your imagination to run wild. Listen: One Summer's Day  Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) Another film I have not seen in over ten years but remains one of my favorites. It's in my nature to be hipster so of course I'm going to latch onto Studio Ghibli's debut but Nausicaä truly is a masterpiece. The hand drawn animation... just... wow. Such a special and timeless era. The strong environmental messaging is another staple of Miyazaki's work and is front and center in Nausicaä. The world building is so enthralling, especially the Sea of Decay. Seeing Nausicaä in theaters for it's 40th anniversary is a memory I will hold dear. Listen: The Polluted Sea  Castle in the Sky (1986) Castle in the Sky is an absolute epic. The memories INSTANTLY came rushing back when it started. The animation, again, is just insanity. One particular scene with a tank and a bridge had me wondering how long it must have taken to animate; Studio Ghibli really poured their heart and souls into every frame. Sheeta and Pazu are absolutely adorable and I am behind them every step of the journey. As @Tommy-Pickles mentioned, Dola and her band of pirates are just a treasure trove of great personalities. A bit of a departure from the first two films of Ghibli fest, there is actually a fair bit of comedy in Castle in the Sky. The design of the air ships really had me thinking that Final Fantasy, released a year later, was inspired quite a bit by this film. Listen: The Girl Who Fell from the Sky |
| Fun thread! I'm glad that you guys are having a good time with the Ghibli fest that has been going on. There are a lot of Ghibli movies that are on my plan to watch that I'd like to knock out at some point. Perhaps I'll chip in some thoughts here when I do get around to watching them. Thanks for the thoughtful insights into the movies, I enjoyed the read. ^_^ |
| Another one in the books, The Secret World of Arrietty was a fun drama/almost romance film that really makes me wish there was a sequel. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi who is credited with Key Animator for shows like Serial Experiments Lain and Monster while also working on a lot of other Studio Ghibli films such as Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, The Wind Rises, Ponyo, and directing the next film I will be watching When Marnie Was There. This film was all vibes. When I say that I mean how the POV was all done though a tiny little girl named Arrietty. The flowers were double her size, sugar cubes last them months, one single bay leaf will last them at least a year! Things that would but just an annoyance for us human beans like frogs or crows are deadly for them. Don't even get me started about the big fat cat that calls home to building they live under, Niya will mess you up if you aren't careful. Everything her and her family use are "borrowed" from the human beans whos floorboards they live under. Everything is useful to them, they will use crackers to make bread, two ear rings are climbing hooks, or a fishing hook and string they used to scale cabinets. My favorite is using double sided tape to Spiderman their way up the side of a counter to get that sweet sweet sugar for their tea that they make in the little tiny tea pots made for dolls. I like all the characters except one with my favorite being the dad Pod. Truly is a mans man going out every day and scouting the house for items to borrow or crafting up shit in their house. He made lights, backpacks, and even a make shift elevator system in-between the walls of the house so they don't have to climb, to them at least, 10 floors while also avoiding the rats that also live in the walls. The main boy Shou, is kinda a dick though. He says to Arrietty that "Her species is meant to die out just like all the other species he reads about in books" or something like that only to then make Arrietty feel bad when she gets mad at him by saying he is gonna die soon as well because his heart doesn't work. Good job asshole make it all about you and your sob story The main plot point is the care taker for Sho ends up discovering the little people and is trying to trap them for no real explained reason other than to prove she isn't crazy for thinking little people are living under her floorboards stealing sugar and tissue paper. Overall this was a good film for sure and very aesthetically pleasing with the level of detail that was put into the film. The story wasn't as interesting as the past two but that doesn't subtract from my overall enjoyment of this film. This one could be used for people who haven't watched anime in their life but want to try and get into it because this was very close to an old school Disney movie to me. Image Dump :) Putting it behind a "spoiler" so the post isn't too long to scroll past |
Tommy-PicklesJun 15, 7:35 AM
| I am a fallen brother now and was not able to see either one this week. Feel terrible about it. I have seen Arrietty about 20 times though; it was a film I used to show my sister, along with Ponyo, constantly when she was younger. I'm actually drawing a blank if I saw this in theaters when it came out.. it's possible. Marnie still remains a movie I have not seen. Tommy-Pickles said: This one could be used for people who haven't watched anime in their life but want to try and get into it because this was very close to an old school Disney movie to me. Couldn't have said it better myself. I've always thought it was a good movie, especially visually, but no where near the legendary status of Miyazaki-directed Ghibli films. |
| Late post but I did get to see When Marnie Was There. At first I was watching a lesbian ghost lover story but it turned out to be way different in the end. Again directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi The main plot of this film was your classic "main protagonist has medical problems and gets sent to the boonies to get better" trope and makes such a beautiful movie out of it. Anna Sasaki a girl from Sapporo who is an orphan and raised by her aunt, Yoriko Sasaki, After both her parents and grandmother passed. Anna is a social dropout with asthma who has an attack at school because.... she got ignored??? Idk that was weird but anyways it ends up making her aunt send her away for the summer to a coastal town to get some fresh air. While she is at the town Anna notices a beautiful mansion hiding away behind a marsh that only can be accessed when there is low tide or if she gets a boat ride from the towns mute of an old man Toichi. I cant say much else about the plot without spoiling the movie for you. This one again has that Disney movie vibe where its more grounded in reality compared to other Ghibli films like My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, and Castle in the Sky None of the characters really stood out to me more than the others except for her uncle(I think its her uncle at least they only say relatives)Kiyomasa Ooiwa who was the silly woodworker of the town who makes little owls with googly eyes attached to them. Now this doesn't mean any of the characters were bad, in fact I liked them all. They all were special and had funny moments or were important parts to the story. Like how her aunt, Setsu Ooiwa, that she is staying with made Anna realize that Yoriko who raises her isn't just doing it for the money, but she actually cares about her and wants to spend time with Anna that's why she taught her knife skills and many other small things. Short review but this is a movie you just need to watch and experience for your self. The Main plot is really nice and enjoyable even if it made me think this was a lesbian ghost story before the plot twists and the real story gets revealed at the end. Overall another movie you can show people who aren't big into anime and use it as a bridge to more animated things from Japan. Image dump Time :) Putting it behind a "spoiler" so the post isn't too long to scroll past |
Tommy-Pickles said: Short review but this is a movie you just need to watch and experience for your self. The Main plot is really nice and enjoyable even if it made me think this was a lesbian ghost story before the plot twists and the real story gets revealed at the end. Overall another movie you can show people who aren't big into anime and use it as a bridge to more animated things from Japan. Love this review! This one I have never seen! I want to change that. The images you posted look absolutely wonderful! <3 |
divlyfein said: This one I have never seen! I want to change that. You missed out good sir. Had me tearing up in the end no lie. You're not allowed to miss Princess Mononoke on July 17th though :) |
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